At day 28, I was thinking of 72 more to go. And as I was mulling over 72 I realized, strangely I had not thought about the remaining ‘steps’ until now. But because it crossed and stayed on my mind longer, I decided to pay attention and follow the crumbs. Note to self: If a thought lingers, hang around.
On looking for the significance of 72, an entire pandora’s box opened up. The number of languages spoken at the Tower of Babylon. The conventional number of disciples sent forth by Jesus. The 72 disciples of Confucius. It’s also a Font family, specially design to present business data evoking human qualities such as truth and friendliness.
Wow!!! The one that caught my attention was, The 72 rungs on Jacob’s Ladder :
The reason, well I have always had a fascination with ladders. Perhaps because I had one, my personal, while growing up I had a loft bed, like Heidi, and a ladder. I remember going up and down ‘my space’ it was made of solid wood and was painted yellow. Somedays I would sit on one of the steps and spend long time reading. Somedays I would pretend it was a tree.
The story of Jacobs ladder appears in the Bible – Genesis 28:10-19
..And Jacob went out from Beer-sheba, and went toward Haran. And he lighted upon the place, and tarried there all night, because the sun was set; and he took one of the stones of the place, and put it under his head, and lay down in that place to sleep. And he dreamed, and behold a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven; and behold the angels of God ascending and descending on it. And, behold, the LORD stood beside him, and said: ‘I am the LORD.
After this dream, Jacob is said to have felt more sure of his decision and journey.
Dreams, amongst other things are our ways of constantly completing the Gestalt. And so the Images and metapors are really important.
The Ladder has a few symbolisms. The ladder is symbolic of the connection between heaven and earth. Between up and down. It represents progress, ascension, and spiritual passage through the levels of initiation. It is used in organizational and social metaphor, ‘climbing up the ladder’. The horizontal rungs represent progressively higher levels of seeing or consciousness and the two vertical uprights, represent the symbol for duality. One can go up or down it.
It not only connected the up and down, it also connects the left and right. A Ladder is a “Bridge”.
A bridge to what? Where? What were the heaven and earth, what were the two sides?
Going down this rabbit hole, It suddenly struck me that the DNA strand “Uncolied” looked like a ladder.
My recent interest in the DNA I found out some really interesting things. The DNA is what we are all made of. Get ready for some mind-boggling numbers. If all DNA cells are stretched, they can go as far as 744 million miles. Now the moon is only about 2,50,000 and the Sun is 93,000,000 miles away. Therefore, DNA can stretch to the moon and back again almost 1500 times, and reach the Sun and come back four times. Furthermore, if it is uncoiled, it can stretch 10 billion miles—going up to Pluto and back, with a total number of 17 trips. Just know it’s long. Very long.
Phew!!! Now the exact number of rounds to the moon is not important, since I doubt, we are going to climb like that, but the inference of length and that it’s all inside of us, is.
So there – from Earth to the Heaven – many times over – The Ladder.
I wondered if we are unconsciously, looking to “Transcend” our own ‘DNA patterns’ and DNA programming? and ascend to “Heaven” – Is that what a Ladder represents for us.
As within – So without.
And further more what do we mean by “ascension”?
Does it mean move up from our base survival reactions slowly to the next and so on. For a healthy more whole mind body and spirit? Perhaps it means moving up in the way we relate to others, humans and other species. Moving down to contact earth, ground some of our thoughts and feeling. Be in attunement within our body.
There has been quite a debate on whether we are predisposed to our ‘DNA’ structure – I have heard many times, I am like this – I do this because It’s in my DNA” – We also use this to suggest, it’s my CORE. And by inference I cannot change it.
But is it true? Is hate and war in our core. Is indifference in our core? Is going numb in our core? Is destruction and abuse of earth in our core?
I don’t think so.
I have often felt, and now know, that we are not predisposed to our “gene code”. We are not – “I am like this only” – Bruce Lipton, and many others have done a lot of research on this. His famous book Epigenetics, is one of my favorites.
Fundamentally, what is says is, Our Biology is not our destiny. – Neither is our history, I think. Maybe that is what we mean by ascension. We get to choose. Literally.
Our body, “chooses” certain DNA sequences for us to look and be like ‘us’. How does it choose, from where do these “instructions” come, it’s not known. It gets labelled as “Random” – that is the closest, that I know of how much say we have on our body and mind.
If we really looked at ourselves as Co-creators of our mind and body, what would we choose?. But the fact is we are anyway choosing, unconsciously. Every decision we make or don’t make is altering our DNA. We are either going Up the ladder or Down it.
If we were predisposed we would still be swimming in some oceans or hanging from trees, depending on which evolutionary route we take. It would not be such a bad idea I feel on some days. But clearly we are not. Ergo, we are not predisposed.
It’s an uncomfortable position to be in, for sure. It puts the responsibility – squarely back in our laps. Of who I choose to be moment to moment. In my thoughts in my action in my reactions. How do I ‘see’ or create my environment and how much attention do I give it.
We can no longer, hide behind or blame, genetics in a convenient way. Our gene pool comes from a long line of surviving and thriving gene instincts. But we often choose the immediate 2 or 4 people. Parents and grandparents. But we are NOT just that. And never were. It a lazy way of perceiving at best.
This thought has some very real world implications, that affect our perception of choice and possibilities.
Many years ago at 17, when I declared, one day to my family that I wanted to drop out and get into business. Everybody, my mom, grandmothers (both sides), uncle, dad just stopped. Like in a cartoon movie. It was as if I had uttered something sinful. And then when they did find their voice, everyone started telling me how this was a BAD idea. “We” were not meant to do business, that it should only be done by Sindhis and Punjabis, what do we know about money? – My family on dad’s side were doctors and nurses and moms side were missionaries. So, this was understandable, although not at that time.
Although I kept quite the entrepreneur bug did not leave me and at 22 I did get into Entrepreneurship and started E-den Software Solutions. I wondered where did I get this – It was not in my “genes” – years later I was to find out “accidentally ” about my great grand mother. After her husband died in an accident, she took over the stone quarry business and was the only woman with 800 men working. She challenged and changed many “norms” at that time. Although she may not be aware of the consequences of her choice, she alters the course of my life 100 years later. I am told there was a street named after her. How symbolic I think
That story and knowledge suddenly puts many things in perspective. It also makes me wonder. Who else Can I be? It’s exhilarating to think or imagine, or even take on as a thought experiment. If I am even having this thought somewhere in my ancient gene pool, someone must have been there done that. And so I don’t have to worry about the how, it there in my DNA. I stood on the shoulders of giants. And when I am able to be absolutely still, I can hear the whispers from inside. And I can lean back, or forward on them, my ancestors. Perhaps this is what we mean by ancestral blessings.
It’s funny, how that act is really a Ladder. Since my ancestor I am assuming are in the sky somewhere. At least that is how when I remember my grandma or mom, I look up.
Perhaps, the rungs of our ladder are already there in our DNA, where we can choose to be anyone. Perhaps the left and right of the ladder are the two aspects of our brain, the Logical and the creative? Perhaps the Ladder tells us not to separate but rely equally, on BOTH the left and right parts in order to move up and down. We need both the Science and the Art. The engineering and the emotions, the seen and the Unseen. The Earth and the Heaven.
We need a world of “AND”
Yes the world is often falling apart and not always kind and yes somedays it will feel like the pits. And a despairing sense of what can I do? . And Somewhere on one of the ‘rungs’ , probably hidden from our awareness, is the possibility, a DNA code, of a peaceful world where years ago we were at peace with nature, inside and out. And like all DNA, some code are dormant waiting for the right environmental trigger to get activated. Maybe we can still tap in to that DNA. Perhaps, the impulse to reach out to the heaven is really us reaching out our own “higher version” our own code, our own blessings – Perhaps our dreams tell us it is Possible. And we need to pay more attention to them.
Maybe, that is what Jacobs dream was about. The twisting Ladder. The “Angels” going up and down. And we have at least 72 versions available as a possibility.
How far does our list go of who else can we be – I wonder. And which code is now Activated.
“….You may say I’m a dreamer
But I’m not the only one.
I hope someday you’ll join us
And the world will live as one “
(John Lenon- Imagine)
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