Today we kick start the Depth Psychology Alliance book club look into Isis Code : Revelations from Brain Research and Systems Science on the Search for Human Perfection and Happiness.
Hi everyone, my name is Ariane Page and I am the author of this book. I will be your host this month. Together, depending on your questions and reactions , we will shed a light on some aspects of this book. I say some aspects because at 600 pages, it covers a whole system which, itself, covers all aspects of human life. A little bit daunting for a short month! Isn't it.
You will have to keep in mind that I am French, therefore my impulsive English writing isn't perfect and I must right away apologize for this.
This book took three full time years to write since I had to look into all the newest brain research results to see if the thousands year old system I refer to is in harmony with these results. And it is.
What does this means for us? It reveals that the greatest Traditions of humanity, through their texts have intuitively expressed this system therefore , reading these sacred texts puts us in contact with the expression of a balanced system- in fact, the mandate of these texts was similar and exactly that-.
In Isis Code, I use three examples throughout the book: the legend of Isis and Osiris of Egypt, the Five Books of Moses and the Tao. Those three Traditions cover both Eastern and Western Traditions and are built on the same system.
To get back to the physical book itself, it is also offered in a ebook formal through amazon and google as well as other. We will not cover the different chapters as a month is too short for this to be done properly. However, I can certainly answer your questions. The first part of the book, including Chapter 1 and 2 sets the system into our actual vision of the world and introduces the two polarities ( feminine and masculine) as well as the system itself. The following chapters take us on a journey through different aspects of our brain which are attached to different worlds. I have named these in consideration of the world they are attached to and of the physical structures they control. Hence, for example, the Reptilian brain introduces us to the dimension of space- the what and where level, the physical world and associated to the masculine polarity. We find here structures associated to the R-complex brain system. At the beginning of each chapter you will find all the correspondences with each brain aspects which really are little brains in themselves. The sum of all of these gives us the LIFE biosystem (Law Inherent to the Five Elements) which is another name really for Isis Code.
I suggest that this book be read little by little from one chapter to the other and this for a simple reason. It was written in the fashion of the sacred texts of old. The aim therefore is not to give intellectual knowledge to the readers, although it also does that- but to serve as an expression of the system, balanced. What does this do to the reader? It puts all the pieces together in a harmonious whole. Indeed, we all are like Osiris: we have been cut in pieces (physical, emotional, symbolic/ analytic(mental), social) but true health can only be attained through theses pieces rejoining and working together, in harmony . In the legend it is Isis and Isis only who can recover all the pieces and put them together. This is what happens when we read this book. Unconsciously, our inner Isis puts together the pieces. The dreams we might have during the process are a way to verify this. So, I suggest that this book be read a little amount of pages at a time and that dreams occurring during this period be written down.
In this first day, I wish to bring our attention to the question we all ask when we meet someone new and wish to define who this person is: "What do you do in life?" We all answer the same way with what we do to generate money for us and our loved ones. In fact it becomes the following equation: who we believe we are/ what society offered us= what we do which eventually becomes who we are. If the society we are in has no opportunity to offer us than who we are becomes very reductive and problems arise because humans are more than a what.. Any reaction on this?
Replies
Good Morning Gloria or probably better say, good afternoon, because I think that in Down Yonder is might be noon on Saturday ?.
Thank you for your view about your individual experiences what Love is – and I think it is very interesting, but also sad to read about your unfortunate experiences in relationships.
I like your view that “falling in Love is an invitation to union with the absolute”.
I think that this view is as close as I can get in my understanding.
The other interesting part is of what you wrote :”Through our relationships, we get to know all aspects of ourselves but ultimately we are not aspects but the whole”.
As you just broadened my vision, I think it is not only through our relationships, but with “every” relationship that we encounter/experience on this specific channel.
For example, when I am “attracted” for what I experience as a beautiful painting, in a manner of speaking, I make Soul to Soul contact with this painting – and yes, I think that my Feeling that I experience can be addressed as Love to/for this painting.
In my view, as you wrote about : “to know all aspects of ourselves” – I am not able to follow, because I am only able to experience a little bit of the aspects of myself.
And yes, as a male I have experienced my Anima when she is presenting herself as trickster.
One other thing, as Bonnie supplied us with a Member Map (top right), I see that Australia is not “dotted” – so as a fellow member of DPA, I invite you to put your dot on the map of Australia, so we can see how DPA expands.
Thank you – and I wish you a fine weekend in Adelaide – Ric.
Good Morning Ariane,
Thank you for your response and explanation.
I think it comes that our visions/theories are shared, to consider that the Feminine Force(s) and the Masculine Force(s) do not differ in their original state.
As far as my little knowledge of Medical Science go, I agree with you that : “What differs is that genders do not use their brain structures in the same way”.
So there you have the difference – and then you wrote about Love :”Therefore going through the different levels of human expression (physical, emotional, mental, social) and of phases of human maturation, it will be expressed and felt differently.
It is as individual as our fingerprints but the fact that it is supported by a system means that we can understand its different levels or its spectrum”.
And so, as we are dealing with Feelings, we only can “assume” that what I Feel, could be the same Feeling to be experienced by another person.
As I am not versed in Medical Science, unfortunately I am not able to respond on the brain.
Thank you and have a nice Weekend – Ric.
As for Love Ric, you bring up a crucial point. Love is the key as it is the matter of the frame (LIFE biosystem) itself. So you are right as seeing it as a force as it has the force of attraction as main quality. Therefore going through the different levels of human expression (physical, emotional, mental, social) and of phases of human maturation, it will be expressed and felt differently. It is as individual as our fingerprints but the fact that it is supported by a system means that we can understand its different levels or its spectrum. Have a great day too!
Hello Ric and everyone! Thank you Ric for your insight. The beauty with brain research is that it became possible to ascribe words to structures and life phases. From an early age, we define words and put them on a mental skeleton, a system we built. If it is in harmony with the one on which Nature develops then we are ok. Theoretical thinkers and scientists strive to find this system. For example, Einstein said that he wants to know how God thinks.
The beauty with the brain is that we can see if the structure we use, if our world viewpoint is justified and true to nature. The LIFE biosystem (Isis Code is the reference book for that “skeleton”) can be found both in Traditional sacred texts and in the results of brain research. The first was available in Jung's time but not the latter. As well, the phase in which Jung evolved through is one in which the human brain analytic aspect dominated so much that the other side, more receptive was left on the unconscious level. Jung admitted at the end of his life that he was looking for a key and did not find it. The key is this system on which we will be able to put everything he said and which will cast a different light on the mental world. As for Feminine feelings, they do not differ from masculine feelings. What differs is that genders do not use their brain structures in the same way. A women will analyse what comes from the limbic structures ( Mammalian brain aspects) hence emotions while men will analyse what comes from the external world ( Rational brain aspects- which includes the frontal lobe). Indeed men and women are different but the beauty of that system is that instead of making supputation about the other sex, you can now truly understand what is happening and how.
Hi Ariane and all. What a remarkable quote. I suspect anyone who has had a numinous experience of any sort—whether it be a dream, a transcendent moment, a time when we were touched by nature, or something else entirely—can relate to the "whole" world Jung refers to. Personally, I sometimes find myself painfully aware of the dimension I am missing as a general rule. And yet, when I practice mindfulness, the awareness and access are much more there....
Also, I believe, the reflection for this week should be how Isis Code enlightens the notion of Shadow. Jung associates the Shadow to Satan and the light to Christ. Isis Code, if you saw the book cover shows both the flower ( the light aspect) with the shadow provoked by the sun shining on it. As long as we are incarnated, in this dimension of space and time, if we live in the sun , we can see a shadow. And, of course, those who live away from the sun don't see that they have a shadow, they are not conscious. They might even think they are the light itself although they unknowingly live in an incomplete world. Any thoughts on this?
Hi Bonnie and all. This quote from Jung really echoes the reality of human evolution. As long as it was the Reptilian, Mammalian and Human brain aspects directing the show, we were still one with nature. With the maturation and development of the frontal lobes, our awareness "detached" us from the natural world and we started objectifying it. We objectified everything, including God who became a concept. However, to further evolve we need to reintegrate nature . Then we will acquire true knowledge.
Hi Gloria and everyone,
I will notify Bonnie as yours does not have a reply button either.. Thank you Gloria for your insightful reply. First, I wish to bring in precision to some points you are bringing up.
"we will eventually will reach a point where the polarities dissolve but paradoxically will still retain their uniqueness"
As long as we are in this dimension of time and space, polarities will exist. If you look at how your body down to the cells functions, polarites are necessary for all exchanges to happen. Without exchanges (at all levels!) we would be dead. What will happen though is that through our evolution, there will be better understanding on all levels. Instead of damaging the polarities and blocking their beneficial actions, instead of blindly accepting their symptoms of deficiency, we will see clearly what is happening and therefore will act accordingly to allow a happier, more harmonious humanity. The physical body is not separated from the other levels but a form of "condensation" of them.
"The Isis Code is a kind of 21st century expression of the perennial philosophy"
Indeed. As we evolve we can better understand this perennial philosophy. The revolutionary point with Isis Code and the LIFE biosystem is that we now have an object, the brain, to show us if our interpretation and understanding of those perennial philosophies was right or if it was confabulation and projection unto them of our lack of understanding and personal limits. It also tells us that there are cycles and stages to evolution and how these different stages affect us. It shows also the freedom of humanity who can either accelerate this evolution or block it.
The point you bring up about your personal life Gloria- to which I resonate- can help illustrate this. The period of 14 to 21 years old is one of ideal and regulation of information (Chapter 5) under the jurisdiction of the feminine polarity. It is the period in which symbolism and archetypes are unconsciously embraced or refused. The following period, 21 to 28 is when the rational/analytic aspect of our brain Chapter 6) consciously responds to the patterns etched in our subconscious. This period is associated to the masculine polarity and will determine the following one, the social action.
I wish to add here that only by understanding both polarities on all levels and how they manifest in humans will we understand men/women relationships. This was the goal I had set for myself when I turned 18! Once we have this key, we can "put labels on the bottles" so to speak. Understanding becomes possible instead of passing judgments on heart affairs and I must say, it brings a fair amount of peace and understanding into our own relationships! The more humanity evolves and our brain adapts, I believe, the more we will understand and appreciate the intelligence of it all.
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