Zodiac Signs: An astropsychological connection

I often find myself dumbfounded by the fact that one of my dear ones who shares birthday with me, shows similar instincts and personality traits as mine. Most of the times when we go out shopping it doesn’t surprise me much when we manage to choose the same apparel. We often gorge on the same flavour of ice-cream and like the same music and movies. And if this wasn’t enough, we also react to situations similarly and display common gestures .Well one could say that this is mere coincidence or maybe our similarities are the cause of our closeness in the first place. But if that was the case, I wonder how most of my close friends are so different to me in all these aspects. Although I never really trusted any astrological phenomenon for such supernatural “kismet connection”, I couldn’t find any plausible explanation otherwise. So can Zodiac Signs really do the talking here?

Zodiac signs have always fascinated the human race in one way or the other. The term “zodiac” derives from Latin which in turn comes from Greek. Its construction is described in Ptolemy’s Almagest (2nd century AD). However, the classical zodiac is a modification of the MUL.APIN catalogue believed to be compiled around 1000 BC. In Hinduism, these signs are known as “rashees” and have been described vividly since ancient Vedic texts as “Jyotish Shaastra”. The essence of this knowledge derived from planetary motions, has been passed down since ages and is now available in daily newspapers. Most of us tend to take a glimpse of it in the daily horoscope section and most likely shrug it off if it doesn’t suit us murmuring to ourselves, “So much for stars controlling my day”. I for one, am not in a different league here. Maybe the horizon above us all cannot foretell the  future but can it predict our mindset and actions to control our psyche and eventually shape our future? Now looking at it from this angle certainly raises a few eyebrows.

Researchers have long tried to establish a correlation between astrology and psychology. The cross-fertilisation of these fields is known as “Astropsychology”. It began around 1911 when Carl Jung began experimenting with astrology in order to "find a clue to the core of human psychology," as he stated in a letter to Sigmund Freud. Later, in a different correspondence with Freud, Jung stated, “I dare say that we shall one day discover in astrology a good deal of knowledge that has been intuitively projected into the heavens. For instance, it appears that the signs of the zodiac are character pictures, in other words libido symbols which depict the typical qualities of the libido at a given moment." Jung believed that there are reasons to suspect that heavenly bodies actually affect a person's development at birth and that the correlation is acausal and not actually influenced by the planets and stars themselves. He believed that astrology could teach us about the human mind but on a general level. This was the start of Astropsychology which doesn’t directly believe that a person’s everyday life is dictated by the position of the stars but shows that the horoscope is a mere tool to help identify one’s attributes. For example a psychological astrologer might use the horoscope to see if individuals possess specialized abilities or disabilities based on their mindset. Many notable researches till date have been based on this like:

• Establishment of correlation between a person’s profession and astrological birth chart by French psychologist, Michel Gauquelin.
• Predicting mental illness through astrology by psychiatrist Dr. Mitchel E. Gibson.
• Effect on unborn fetuses of Sun, Moon and other planets by Percy Seymour.

Now, this in effect can only be true if our mind and body can be studied as a physical manifestation of the cosmos to some level.

A major principle in astrology is the idea represented by the saying, "As above, so below" or "That which is above is the same as that which is below." In quantum physics terminology, it means that what applies to the very large (the universe) applies to the very small (the atom). No doubt we are looking for Bosons to answer that. In mathematical terms, human beings are like a "fractal" of the universe, each cell in our body is like a "fractal" (DNA) of our entire body, the atom is like a fractal of each cell, and so on, ad infinitum. The ancients believed the study of the stars is a study of the inner workings of the human mind. This does not seem like such an odd idea when you consider that everything - including our minds - evolved from the stars from the Big Bang. Astrology is simply a system of thought concerning the connections between external reality and internal reality.

Hindu astrology in particular recognizes the existence and influence of collective, cosmic and spiritual levels of consciousness which lie beyond our personal mind and which modern psychology is only beginning to explore. Its concern is not just with bringing happiness or harmony to the outer layers of the mind, but with bringing the deeper layers of the mind into function by awakening our spiritual aspiration. It teaches us that we are divine souls with infinite potential that we derive from the same cosmic forces that create the planets and stars. It teaches a real science of psychology because it treats the real psyche or soul, not just the outer mind.

Without doubt, most of us today look to resolve our personal and professional issues using sun signs. However, if the core of the human being is identical to the ultimate reality of the Universe, then it seems that our greatest good lies in the realization of this fact. For if we trust our fate, and realize it is purposeful in a way that transcends the petty concerns that plague our everyday lives, then much unnecessary suffering can be avoided.

Reincarnation: Blast from the Past

When Arnold remarked, “I will be back” in the movie “The Terminator”, it wouldn’t have been a huge surprise when the cyborg did actually reappear in the sequel even after getting annihilated. But think about the character being a human and coming back to life. The thought is a little hard to digest, isn’t it? Well not so if you really believe in the concept of Reincarnation or in case you are a big Bollywood fan because after all the Shahrukh-Salman duo did take a rebirth or punar janam in the famous movie ‘Karan Arjun’ to avenge their deaths in their previous lives :)

Literally speaking, Reincarnation is believed to occur when the soul or spirit, after death of the physical body, comes back to Earth in a newborn body. This phenomenon is also known as “transmigration of the soul”. The term derives from Latin literally meaning “Entering the flesh again”. It is a core belief in many religions such as Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism etc and dates back to thousands of years.

According to Hindu belief, only the soul is immortal and new body is donned by the dweller just like new garments in every life. This never-ending cycle of rebirth goes on until the soul attains Moksha or self-realization and is at peace with itself devoid of any carnal desires. However, until this stage is attained the soul is burdened with an accumulation of impressions that were part of the karma (work) from previous lives. As conveyed by Lord Krishna (a reincarnation of Lord Vishnu) in the Bhagavad Gita:

                   “Karmanyevadhikaraste Maphaleshu Kadhachana
                   Ma Karma Phalahe turbhuh Matesangatsvali Karmani"
which instructs us to do our karma and not have high expectations of the fruits. This gives us a good reason to perform our duties and take on all the hardships because ultimately in one life or the next your karmas will be awarded. Pretty long wait..huh?

On the other hand, if you really want to know the reason for all your hardships then ‘Past-Life-Regression’ is the solution in psychotherapy. It is a technique that uses hypnosis to recover what practitioners believe is memories of past lives. There has been an enormous amount of research done during recent times in the field of Past-Life-Regression notably by Dr. Brian Weiss and Dr. Ian Stevenson. Surprisingly past life regression is also mentioned in the Upanishads of ancient India. Writing during the second century BCE, the Hindu scholar Patanjali called the process of past life regression as prati-prasav (literally "reverse birthing") which is still used today as a practice in some types of yoga. However, scientific consensus is that such memories are the result of cryptomnesia, narratives created by the subconscious mind using imagination, forgotten information and suggestions from the therapist. This can be validated by apparent flaws in the narration itself. Most of us who have seen the patients cook up dramatic stories in the reality show ‘Raaz pichhle janam ka’ would certainly agree with this.

It is however interesting to note there are innumerable case studies from around the world where people have a natural recollection of events from their past lives and not using some pschotherapy. Majority of these cases are those of children aged between three and seven years, who seem to remember events in a life that had ended, often in a violent way. The best evidence for reincarnation was the existence of birth marks and congenital deformities on these children which corresponded to fatal wounds of the deceased. There have been many pseudoscientific interpretations of such occurrences and delusions. Many of them deal with the subconscious mind while some talk about the previous life really being a life on a parallel universe. But let’s take a scientific approach which seems most likely plausible.

The idea revolves around the DNA acting as a secondary area of memory storage besides the brain. The idea that our memories are stored in our genes is a very recent and controversial one. It has been accepted since the experiments of Wilder Penfield back in the fifties, that hidden away in each of us is a permanent record of our past. It has been popularized keeping in mind the concept of inherited instincts which is apparent in an individual just like his or her ancestors. Since the brain of an unborn baby is not developed from the beginning just like its other body organs, the nature’s blueprint is the only possible way for passing on information.

Given that approximately only 3% of the DNA of the human genome codes for amino acids, the other 97%, called ‘introns’, has no obvious function and hence carry plenty of room for storing behavior instructions. Could this be the possible way how not just behavioral but also ancestral information is passed on from generation to generation? When clients regress to memories from a previous life, is it actually them accessing something present in their genome blueprint, an ancestral experience? If we try to focus on certain case studies where a past life memory of some individual has actually been traced back to certain true accounts despite minor flaws, then it seems very logical to argue that these may actually have been the memories or real life incidents of their ancestors. Perhaps the unconscious has access to reference experiences stretching back generations.

A lot of research is being carried out in areas like above to find possible answers for reincarnation by experts. It might be possible one day to unlock this great secret nature has kept hidden from us. Till then be righteous in your deeds because you might be rewarded in your next life if not now!!

Precognition: A dream come true

Imagine that you are at home, enjoying a nice cup of coffee with friends and probably laughing your heart out at some hilarious incident. Suddenly it appears to you that you have already been an audience to this whole audio-visual drama. It seems as if apparently a small clip of your life had been taken out from your past and pasted in your present. Every person including you seems to be following exactly the same gesture which you seem to have experienced before. A little bit of recalling on your end and it takes less than a split second to realize that you have come across this in your dream before. For a moment you will be dumbfounded, wouldn’t you? After all, how can you foresee your future in your dreams? In literary sense this really is a dream come true. How often has it happened to you? It might be once or twice in your entire lifetime or maybe never. Or if you are really bestowed with precognitive abilities then you might be one of those blessed few to experience it very often. To those, who have had the chance to experience this ecstatic moment even once, welcome to the world of precognitive dreams also known as “Déjà vu” or “Second Sight”.

Most of us would have certainly heard the word “Déjà vu” which is French for "already seen." The term was coined by a French psychic researcher, Émile Boirac to relate to precognitive experiences. Those who have experienced the feeling, describe it as an overwhelming sense of familiarity with something that shouldn't be familiar at all. As much as 70 percent of the population reports having experienced it in some form. It seems to occur quite commonly among adults and children alike. However, a higher number of incidents occur in people 15 to 25 years old than in any other age group. David Ryback, a psychologist in Atlanta, used a questionnaire survey approach to investigate precognitive dreaming in college students. His survey of over 433 participants showed that 290 or 66.9 percent reported some form of paranormal dream. He rejected many of these claims and reached a conclusion that 8.8 percent of the population was having actual precognitive dreams.

Precognitive dreaming is one of the many psychological phenomenons which have yet not been fully understood through medical science although there are many different theories to explain it. Since it occurs in individuals with and without a medical condition, there is much speculation as to how and why it happens. Several psychoanalysts attribute this extra sensory perception to simple fantasy or wish fulfillment, while some psychiatrists ascribe it to a mismatching in the brain that causes the brain to mistake the present for the past. Many parapsychologists believe it is related to a past-life experience. However, to get a closer picture we need to understand the science of dreams in the first place.

Studies in neurobiology reveal that dreams are random brain impulses which combine our verbal, visual and emotional stimuli into a sometimes nonsensical but often entertaining story line. In 1953, University of Chicago researchers, Eugene Aserinsky and Nathaniel Kleitman discovered that our brainwaves undergo five distinct stages during sleep. The last stage also known as the “Rapid Eye Movement” or REM is when we actually enter our dream world and start running through the cobweb of memories and desires in our brain. Although most dreams occur during REM sleep there is a chance of them occurring in the remaining four stages also. During REM the brain state is at ALPHA (same as when we are awake) operating at 8-13 Hz and affecting several physiological changes. This includes heart rate and breathing pacing up, blood pressure rising and release of “glycine”, an amino acid from the brain stem onto the “motoneurons” which causes temporary paralysis in the body. This also increases the levels of the stress hormone “cortisal” which causes decreased communication between active parts of the brain. Such suppression allows the brain to work with signals only from itself and lets our hidden desires and distant unrelated memories do the talking.

All the heavy medical words used above might give a brief idea of how our past memories help us create our dreams. But then how can we explain the concept of precognitive dreams? It’s something our brain doesn’t know about in the first place; leave apart having a memory of it. A most likely explanation from years of neurophysiological research is that this may result from an overlap between the neurological systems responsible for short-term memory (events which are perceived as being in the present) and those responsible for long-term memory (events which are perceived as being in the past). The events would be stored into memory before the conscious part of the brain even receives the information and processes it. Now does this make any sense to the one who had experienced it even once? I for one, do not believe so. I can swear by the very creator of Universe that when I had my first precognitive dream I could recollect right up to the very day when I woke up having similar experience in my dream. It could never ever have been a brain anomaly or illusion. Now how can one possibly explain that?

There are tons of informative web pages and online journals on dream analysis and their interpretations but possibly none on how to decipher precognition in dreams. Ironically, you can possibly find tons of famous events validating the same. Now let’s take a second look at precognition from a psychological point of view. Dreams have also been described as reflections of the subconscious. One of the problems science has encountered in trying to find proof that precognitive ability truly exists, is that in order to predict the future, one must somehow defy the concept of linear time. Albert Einstein theorized that the past, present, and future are all an illusion. To understand this, one must also understand how the human brain works. The conscious mind seeks to compartmentalize information in a never-ending quest to have things in their nice little place. The subconscious mind, however, realizes that there are no boundaries, and reaches past the illusion of confinement and time. So is dream premonition just an intuition or does our mind really work overtime even on a subconscious level to fix things for us in advance?

The best we can do is to get a good night sleep to probe into the fascinating gifts nature has in store for us !!