vol. 2 episode 13
Greetings,
When I was a medical reporter and editor, I would occasionally have deep conversations with various specialists. If there was a theme, covert or otherwise, to my sideline interrogations, it was to gain insights into what these physicians thought about the meaning of life.
One such conversation was with a cardiac surgeon regarded for his work with cardio-electric devices. He also was a professed, devout Christian. We talked about what it was like to work within the electrical wiring of God’s creation, namely the human heart, and how sacred a task he thought that was.
Another such conversation with a different cardiologist I was interviewing went in a different direction. We were talking about an ablative technique in which cold burns are used to scar the heart muscle tissue. It’s a procedure done in order to calm the irregular and often chaotic cardiac rhythm that occurs in atrial fibrillation.
Thinking that having the power to redirect the beat of a person’s entire being and thus diminish the chaos in their life was a pretty noble thing, I asked him, where did he think the original electric impulse of the heart comes from?
The sinoatrial node, he said, but I knew that. I meant, before that. As in, why do cells in our hearts know they need to pulse electricity in order to get the beat going, and, in the case of people with “a-fib”, what might be the reason they literally are moving to the beat of a different drum, or in this case, a differently calibrated sinoatrial node?
He got exasperated with me, and probably thought I was dumb, or annoying, which I suspect a lot of the doctors I interrogated over the years thought whenever I tried to move the conversation beyond their science and into the deeper meaning behind their science.
I re-framed my question: Why do the cells know how to do what they do?
He said if he knew, he’d be rich.
Well, I think it’s fair to say he’d not be the kind of person who would get much out of this podcast, but for those of you who think past dollars and cents, you will appreciate how in this episode, Elisabeth drops a pretty hefty bomb of a question to do with the meaning of life — and death.
We then move on from the topic because, that’s sometimes the nature of how this show gets put together. It’s why I like to fill in the gaps with the show notes page.
So, here I am telling you that I can’t get out of my head what Elisabeth says in this podcast about pig parts.
The story in question is from the science journal, Nature. It explores how a Yale scientist who previously restored some limited brain function in a pig four hours after its death, has now shown that it is also possible to resuscitate the heart of a pig an hour after death. Although the chemical compound the researcher experimented with to achieve this feat also seemed to preserve the integrity of some of the pig’s brain tissue, there was no coordinated brain activity. This would indicate that there was “life” in the pig, but no consciousness or sentience.
Here is the actual study for the geeks among us.
For now, the findings don’t have any clinical relevance, such as perhaps helping facilitate organ transplants, but what the study hints at is the coming ethical debate over how we should define medical death.
And as Elisabeth points out, this will also invariably lead to a discussion about what evidence we need to help us define just what constitutes the beginning of life.
If your mind just alighted on a certain political morass happening in the US right now, then you get a gold star sticker and an extra hall pass.
But there is an even bigger context for all of this.
The further along into the Age of Aquarius we find ourselves, the more astounding our medical technology will become, but what of the heart, soul, and imagination? Will we care more or less about these intangible factors as we assess the meaning and value of life?
These are questions I believe we will find ourselves facing evermore as the heavens indicate the time has come for us to reflect on the spiritual lessons we have learned (or still need to learn, and to integrate) from the Age of Pisces, the “spiritual, religious” age, and increasingly benefit from the innovation promised by the Age of Aquarius.
And what shall be the bridge between the two?
Even though science keeps pushing the boundaries of what is “true” about the human body and mind, and thus keeps calling into question the validity of dualism, linearity, and hierarchy as the underpinnings of any workable system, including the circulatory one, the capitalist, hierarchical mindset of money über alles prevails.
Thus, it is still common — and acceptable! — to tie together something as profound as how it is that a heartbeat even happens, as well as how amazing it is that we humans can even figure out how to re-direct that heartbeat, with how much profit that knowledge could mean.
I don’t think whether a medical professional believes in a power greater than his own in matters of the heart — and mind — is correlative to his skill. However, I prefer the God-loving cardiologist’s approach over the latter physician’s mechanistic view.
Although I am not a Christian, thinking of myself as having a personal rhythm that was first conceived of within the vast mind of God is closer to my world view where we are all part of an ensouled universe, than is a world that isn’t nuanced, but is instead reductive, all about the money.
To me, that humans are as intricately amazing as we are, seems to be impelled by a design that was intended for some purpose. But for what? I think asking that question will help us build the bridge over the gap of knowledge we are meant to cross as we go from one age to the next.
Consider that the bridge will be built not with ledger lines but by way of how our hearts and our minds reach toward infinity, crossing by way of our imaginations.
Where do our imaginations find their own electric impulses? I do not know, but I love the quest to know.
The more you listen to this podcast, the more I hope you are finding yourself pondering reality beyond the lines because no matter what our policymakers and moneymen want us to think, theirs is a paradigm that is pulling them down, whether or not they even know it. Their world is dying.
We don’t have to go down with it. We can learn to anticipate the waves and spirals, the cycles and circles, that move like the waves of the sea that always returns to itself.
Oh, my! What a world we entered in this decade, by way of the pandemic, with the painful pile up of outer planets in Capricorn. Think of how much has changed just since the start of 2020.
As the decade continues, and we see Pluto pull up to the bumper of Aquarius, while Neptune swims closer to Aries, and Uranus blasts through Taurus, I suspect it will be an entirely different world, a surprising one, we will likely be eager to leave behind. But will we be prepared to enter the new one?
Yes, I think so — if you have gained skill at working with rhythms and cycles.
Anyway, that’s what I wanted to share with you before you listen to this podcast. As usual, Elisabeth and I also have a few good laughs, and review what happened with the most recent transits we had our eyes on.
And we also entertain the question of evil, death eaters, and beasts of burden: do we need them and if so, who answers that casting call, as Elisabeth puts it.
We did not have time to get to our listener questions, but rest assured, we are definitely hashing out our answers to them.
Our listeners are the best, the best! With each episode, our patron subscriber list grows longer and our plans for deeper and more inclusive discussions also grows.
Stay with us, and please leave your comments in the comment section below. And, we love hearts, too, so please click on them. :)
Until next time, have hope and look up!
Whitney (and Elisabeth, too)
Elisabeth drops a bomb about life and death