In the biological sphere, the discovery of DNA has brought science that much closer to the basic reality of life itself. And one might imagine that that discovery could provide some speculation, at the very least, on the relations between psyche and soma.
DNA is the pneumonic for deoxyribonucleic acid. which was discovered in 1944. It is the basic chemical component of the genes in animals and plants, as well as nearly all primitive life forms such as bacteria, viruses, retroviruses, etc. It is the material in the nucleus of every cell and the component of the genes. The genes transmit our heritage from the past and direct our development and physical function from the moment of the first cell division until we die. The DNA in any given individual is unique because the fertilized egg derives half of it's DNA from each parent who in turn derived their DNA from four grand parents, etc. Despite the potential for infinite variability, 97% of human DNA seems to be identical to that of other animals. However, not only does that 3% set us apart as a species it provides us with our own individual characteristics and the specific DNA that distinguishes us from our fellow human beings. Scientists are busy studying DNA in many different ways.
The pattern of DNA configuration suggests encryption of something similar to the encoding of languages. This could take the form of universal symbols, signs, or runes that convey universal facts and truths. These encoded messages might well be identical but when decoded they may not appear identical due to the variable individual descriptive techniques and coloration of the decoder.
DNA has the potential of being the reservoir of the archetypal symbols of the collective unconscious.
An analogy might be made to present day computers. The DNA would then be the memory chip and the program, the cell would be the computer, and the body would be the hard copy. It must be noted that DNA is much more sophisticated than any chip that human kind has developed. Its capacity is vast--something, perhaps, comparable to a hard drive of 6 gigabytes. In addition DNA has the ability of self activation, direction and replication. In other words, a computer that can invent and modify itself.
If we assume that DNA arose from a common source, then we would all share the same DNA, hence we would all be merely clones. But, of course, mutations have and do cause changes which have resulted in evolution. Too, from just the physical aspects alone there are marked variations in nature, as for example, the snowflake which is based on the hexagonal, crystalline structure that water assumes upon freezing. There is so much variation in the flakes that there are infinite differences between them. In other words there is great diversity between us even though our DNA has so much similarity with all other human beings.
On the other hand identical twins allegedly have identical DNA yet these individuals are diverse enough that we have very little difficulty distinguishing between them physically, emotionally, and mentally. Every cell in our body contains the same DNA as every other cell. So why is not one cell like every other cell? We know that DNA is responsible for directing and coordinating the activity of the individual genes in determining what kind of cell is to be produced and how it is to function, as well as, directing when a specific activity is to cease. We have discovered how some specific genes work and also how to use them medically to better manage some physical diseases, but by and large, we have no idea of the ultimate intricacies that are involved.
Computers have been made comprised of a 'chip' made of DNA. These computers are very crude and inefficient when compared to our mechanical ones, but they differ in that they are capable of solving problems by 'lateral' thinking as opposed to linear '"on/off' patterns which are the limiting factors of our present day computers.
The structural configuration of DNA takes on a pattern that is commonly encountered by cryptologists, specialists who decipher unknown languages and encoded messages. This infers to the possibility that DNA may well contain an encrypted symbolic record of the history of all life forms.
To paraphrase Jung, “the collective unconscious is that psychic component that contains all that is unknown that is shared by all human beings”. DNA is shared by all human beings and all other life forms and is comprised of vast amounts of the unknown. Not only does it encode all that has preceded us, it provides the mechanism by which that knowledge may or may not be altered and the path to pass it into the future, just as it has been doing for eons. At present, as tool-making animals, we are in the process of decoding some of those secrets or bits of information.
The encrypted symbolic language referred to above could well be the reservoir for the archetypes. The psychics, seers. and space-time travellers may well be persons who are able to access encrypted DNA in a more direct manner than can the majority of us. Simultaneous reading of DNA could account for synchronicity. (read more ...)
