The Aries New Moon occurs on Saturday, April 18, 2015, at 2:57 PM EDT and 11:57 AM PDT.
I’ve been thinking, and temporarily concluding, that there is very little real individualism (Aries) in life. We are each a composite of our relationships (Libra), and the forces that shape us are our social structures. Even the past decisions that we make have consequences independent of us, that shape us beyond our new decisions. To add more to metaphor: If Aries is the stimulus, then Libra is the response. Something new and awkward is happening to me. Finals are over. We bought a house. My brain is balancing.
The Sabian symbol for this Aries New Moon is “Music of the Spheres.”
Recently I picked up a book called, “A Symphony in the Brain,” by Jim Robbins. It’s about the field of neurofeedback and reads, at least to me, a little bit like an Oliver Sachs book yet from the perspective of a deep-diving journalist. Regarding the symphony aspect of the brain, Jim Robbins writes,
“The four parts of the brain, as well as myriad areas across the surface of the cortex, must ‘talk’ to one another constantly, and the brain accomplishes that by means of a vast assembly of tiny electrical devices, the neurons or brain cells. Neurons are like microscopic batteries. Their membrane builds up a charge electromagnetically and then releases it, over and over again, in the form of what is called an “’action potential.’”
What is powering this symphony is undifferentiated energy – metabolism that gets specialized along the lines of the axons and received and networked by as many as a hundred trillion connections. But even that is an over-simplication of what makes an individual look and behave like an individual, considering all the undifferentiated parts that actually make him or her up.
A Symphony in the Brain, the Aries New Moon, and the Sabian symbol for the new moon have got me making my own connections. Aries, here, represents the undifferentiated aspect of energy. It is the spark of a neuron, but it needs the support and direction/pathways of the network to bring a spark into an idea, its synthesis; that is, it needs to be defined through relationship (Libra). Let’s label the glial cells as Libran, again for the sake of metaphor.
I’m looking at this New Moon in Aries as the birth of new neuron. Perhaps its signal will travel from Wernicke’s area to Broca’s area (in the brain), to vocalization, to WordPress. Will this neuron survive? It’s only one tiny neuron in the midst of many, many.
“At birth, a baby’s brain contains 100 billion neurons, roughly as many nerve cells as there are stars in the Milky Way, and almost all the neurons the brain will ever have. The brain starts forming prenatally, about three weeks after conception.” http://umaine.edu/publications/4356e/
But let us consider that unitary neuron. According to Robbins, “Each one may make from hundreds to hundreds of thousands of connections with other cells, which means a total of perhaps ten to a hundred trillion connections.” That’s a lot of action potential! By the way, you’re likely to find new neurons in the hippocampus only, not anywhere else. See the quote above. We are born with most of our neurons already present!
So….What’s happening in your life that has a lot of ‘action potential’ right now?
Fiesta Estrellas 
Cool stuff. Congrats on the new move and owning your own house!
Ps.I am Aires with libra rising.
Let birth these neurons and get this party started!
Thanks Deva, so glad to see you here! Yes… Happy New Moon to you, my friend.
Beautiful provocative post Ka!
Happy new moon!
love,
Linda
Thank you, Linda. Happy New Moon! xo Ka
I am happy your brain is feeling balanced… I will not pretend to understand the astrological metaphor, but I do know that I too am feeling that balance.. I am being more creative.. Picking up my paints as well as in my garden. So wishing you a Happy New Moon, and may all shine bright in your world.. 🙂 Hugs and Love Sue ❤
Thank you for your Love & Hugs, Sue! I’m looking at it as a ‘balancing’ process… I’m so glad to hear that this New Moon in Aries has been inspiring all kinds of beautiful artworks and pleasures. xo, Ka
Thanks! ❤ !
❤ ❤ ❤
You are so very welcome! xo
🙂 !
I bought your book today, Anna. It’s on its way to me very shortly. I’ll tell you what: you inspire me.
I ❤ to inspire. It is my reason to go on… Thank you!!! You are my inspiration.
We are in good company 🙂
I love to inspire, too… Can’t wait for your book. I got to see the preview on Amazon! 😉
🙂 .
lovely.. 🙂
🙂 Glad you like it…
I enjoyed this, Ka, particularly the images of what is happening in the brain. If I understood this correctly, each neuron charges and discharges in alternation, and when they discharge, the energy pours through it’s (ever-varying?) network of connections. When we think about how much information can be embedded upon just one signal, and how neurons could exist in coherent states so that at any given time there are networks within networks within networks… well, it tickles the networks… 🙂 I probably took a little bit of knowledge and ran too far with it, but it was fun. I love also how the networks learn and organize themselves in ways that are in alignment with our physical and emotional needs, patterns and desires…
Have you heard of Mae-Wan Ho’s work/writing? I think you would enjoy it very much…
http://www.i-sis.org.uk/acupunc.php
Peace
Michael
Hi Michael,
Thank you for commenting and sharing your thoughts and impressions.
Did you like the part about how neurons are described as little batteries? I did. It’s neat how we often turn to the use of metaphor to understand, explain, and share… and to establish a basis for further understanding.
When you said, “:) I probably took a little bit of knowledge and ran too far with it, but it was fun, I thought; “I’m glad that he had fun with it: knowledge – because creativity, is what shows up when we do…” Something I very much appreciate about your writing is your ability to explore through establishing a scene/scenes. At least, that’s what I pick up when I read your poetry and short fiction. Do you also write screenplays?
You and I agree that these networks that organize themselves in alignment with our physical, emotional and spiritual needs is AWESOME. I’m not so sure I understand that the neurons work in alternation, as you have written. I’m still trying to understand the membranes, the sodium/potassium pump, and action potential. That is, I’m still trying to get a grip on the components, let alone the electrical-chemical processes, gradients…etc. Regarding electrical current: is it DC or AC? Hah! Or ACDC? ←That was me, making a joke about Alternating and Direct Current, and a band.
Thank you for recommending Dr. Mae-Wan Ho. I’m curious how you discovered this author. Do you have an interest in physics and/or how acupuncture works? Do you have a construction or carpentry background? I noticed that there are scientists (and former acupuncturists) who spend their time working out the details for how acupuncture works; and it still remains a mystery. Dr. Ho writes in your linked article, “Until quite recently, I have thought little about acupuncture. Instead, I have been involved, since 1985, in trying to understand living organisation from the perspective of contemporary physics, especially of non-equilibrium thermodynamics and quantum theory.” What’s amazing to me is that the field of acupuncture has so much action potential. <—- which brings me back to this New Moon in Aries metaphor.
Also, Ho writes, “It turns out that the key to living organisation is not so much energy flow as energy storage under energy flow.” To me, we have returned back to the little batteries again – at least, in part. 😉
There’s so much excellence to gobble up from this article – and I imagine as I work to put all the pieces together for the purpose of knowledge and understanding– I have received yet more pieces. I love how there are those who have begun well before me, and those whose knowledge and expertise contributes to our field as a whole. I can only imagine one day someone reading my writing with such appreciation as I have for the writings of others. Don't we all want the work of our souls to contribute to the benefit of all?
That said, I always appreciate you taking the time to read and consider my words at whatever length and/or depth that time affords you. I know that my writing creatively, my sharing about astrological insights, using my intuition, and interacting here – is a pleasantly positive and balancing aspect of my life.
Truly I enjoy the cyclical nature of my own life. Time spent in deep study, and time spent in community. For me, it alternates, changes, and fluctuates; combines and then separates; returns to undifferentiated togetherness 🙂
Best,
Ka
Congratulations on your new house, Kat! I like the way you delve into life in this post by examining neurons. We are capable of so much (the ‘action potential’) and need to reach for all we can be in order to fulfill our purpose! You inspire me ❤
Thank you so much, Christy! We’re so excited; despite that we have been transitioning for long enough, and are ready to get settled into our new home! YES! You say it so well, Christy: we are capable of so much! Thank you so much for finding an inspiration here. I know I am currently appreciating your successes (upcoming book #2)!! I’m so glad that we can share that, my friend, and inspire one another.
I agree Ka! I agree! It’s great to develop heartfelt connections and encourage one another. Love to you for your day!!
Thank you, Christy! ❤