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Subtle Biology: The Web of Life

by John Davidson

Copyright 1989, 2014, John Davidson

These topics and many others are all discussed in John Davidsons books

www.john.davidson.org


Being alive is a matter of experience. Analysis of this experience is secondary, though many
become lost in this analysis, considering the analysis to be of greater reality than the experience.

Man is an integrated whole and his everyday areas of experience may be classified as outer or
sensory experiences, and inner experience of ones own psyche. This latter includes the
world of our emotions, thoughts, feelings, intuitions, as well as psychic and mystic experience.
In general terms, we can say that they are all mental experiences, or experiences of being.

Indeed, since all sensory experiences are ultimately of a subjective nature, it seems that even
they are also an aspect of our mind. No analysis of brain or eye, for example, will ever reveal to
us how we experience the phenomenon of colour. Neither is there is any way of checking that
my experience of colour is the same as your experience. The fact is that colour is a subjective,
mental experience and cannot be found by dissecting the brain or unravelling the physiological
functioning of the eye.

And this applies to all sensory experiences. They are all, ultimately, in our mind.

It seems, therefore, that mind is a more primary reality than the physical body. In terms of
energy, (the essential nature of all substance, subtle or gross), we can, therefore, say that the
subtle energies of mind substance pattern or act as the blueprint to the more outward physical
patterns we perceive with our senses.

Living, therefore, as we said, is a matter of experience. It is more a matter of being, than an
analysis of substance.

Mans attention, however, is largely directed outward through the senses. For most people,
the world of the senses seems to be the most important area of experience or reality.
Consequently, our modern science consists of an analysis of sensory experience. Even the body
is taken in the same way and, conventionally, its functioning is discussed as if we consisted of
no more than the substance discernible to our senses.

Scientific study only analyses sensory experience either directly, or using instrumental
extensions of our senses. All scientific instruments simply mimic and extend the capabilities of
our sensory and motor functions. This is the scientific method. Therefore, to study those parts
of our experience which are non-sensory requires an altogether different methodology.

Experience is determined by where ones attention is directed. Attention, of course, is of the
mind. To study our mind, it is ridiculous to begin by studying or directing our attention to the
sensory experience of our brain. We need to close off the avenues by which our attention
moves into the field of the senses and direct it inwardly upon itself, upon our inner energetic
structure or constitution. This process is called meditation. And since our inner being consists
of a vast realm of energies, there are many different meditative techniques, each designed to
inwardly explore different areas of our subtle geography, our inner being. It is through neglect
and the habit of living only in the senses that most people know so little concerning these inner



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energies.

In India, the science of meditation, of exploring the world of ones own psyche, is called yoga.
And yogis have described to us in general terms the nature and constitution of our inner
structure. This is where terms such as chakras, pranas, tattwas, nadis, kundalini and so on, all
come from. They are all names given to aspects of our subtle energy structure.

Modern science, then, observes and analyses our body-mind complex from without, whilst the
yogi and the ardent meditator study the same structure from within. What they report is that our
being and body is really comprised of a hierarchy of energy patterns in which the inward
layers pattern the more outward layers. We can call an analysis or description of this
structure, Subtle Biology. And the most outward layer in this cosmic onion is the sensory
experience of our physical body. The most inward Source and power, on the other hand, the
primal undifferentiated energy, is that of the Universal Consciousness, the Supreme Being, that
is: of God.

When one puts these two descriptions the yogic and the western scientific side by side, one
catches an intriguing glimpse of how this energy hierarchy we call our mind and body is
actually put together. For the two descriptions marry up exactly.

In my book, The Web of Life, I did just this juxtapositioning the yogic perception of mind and
body functioning alongside advanced medical descriptions of body function. In particular, I
used the neuroendocrine system as an example of how beautifully the two perceptions
correlate. An attempt was also made to demonstrate how mind-brain linkages operate. Very
briefly, then, I will attempt to describe the overall schematic of this integration.


Tattwas, Pranas and Chakras

Our physical universe is comprised of material substance in five interchangable states. These
are solid, liquid, fiery (or plasmic), gaseous and space itself space being the energy field out
of which the other states emerge as dynamically moving patterns. Eastern mystics have called
this primal state, akash, which has also been translated as sky or void.

There are only these five states, not four or six or some other number, and the transition from
one to the other is sudden. It represents a threshold. On our planet, solid, liquid and gaseous
are represented by the sharp demarcations of earth, water and air. Were these thresholds not a
fact of nature, there would be no surfaces, no boundaries between earth and ocean, earth and
air or air and ocean. Just a homogenous cosmic goo. Moreover, one more or one less state of
matter would create serious difficulties. Whoever designed the rule of five, seems to have got it
just right!

To complete the earthly picture, fire is the energy of motion which drives the transmutation
from one state to the next, (eg water + heat becomes gas, earth + heat becomes liquid and the
reverse). Its ultimate expression is as the plasmic state of matter found in the sun and stars.
And akash is the ocean of energy, the ocean of space, from within which all else appears in
manifestation.

As above, so below. These states of physical matter, these sensory experiences are reflections
of more inward states of energy. Yogis have termed these energy states, the tattwas. And our
experience of them in physical substance is only one of the ways we experience them.

In fact, in the energy hierarchy of our physical being, the five tattwas underlie the operation of
our five senses, our five motor functions, our five human mental faculties and when these get
out of balance our five primary emotional weaknesses. They are also the substance woven by
the life force or prana, the energy of consciousness stepped down to the physical level, into the



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five chakras or subtle organizational centres lying between the throat and the rectum.

Just as the brain and spine are the central axis of all body function and organization, so too at
the subtle level does the realm of the subtle tattwas, organized by the prana into the five
centres of subtle administration (the chakras), constitute the subtle spine of the physical body.
This subtle energy pattern-matrix or blueprint is sometimes called the subtle or etheric body.


The Neuroendocrine Connection

Starting at the base, the rectal chakra is the administrator of the earthy tattwa in its subtle form.
This is expressed in the endocrine or hormonal system, as the adrenal gland. Adrenaline, for
example, is generally spoken of as the fight or flight hormone. It is concerned with the earthy
preservation of bodily existence. Similarly, anabolic (yin) and catabolic (yang) steroids
produced by the adrenals are the body-builders (yin) or body-reducers (yang) used by athletes
and others.

Psychologically, our human faculty of possession is related to mind and pranic energy working
through the subtle earthy tattwa. For purely practical reasons, we need to possess things. We
dont want to have to search out a new home and clothes every day. When out of balance, this
natural faculty becomes the weakness of attachment to earthly possessions. Similarly,
astrological perceptions of the earth signs are those of practicality and dependability of being
earthed.

The next centre, or chakra, is the genital centre, whose tattwa is that of water. Water, for
example, is the matrix from within which the embryo grows in the amniotic fluid. The
associated endocrine glands are the hormonal aspects of the gonads. Oestrogen, progesterone
and testosterone are deeply implicated in all aspects of body function, not just regulation of
reproductive physiology. Incidentally, this provides a good reason why one should not eat
oestrogen-based contraceptive pills.

Interestingly, the polarity of male and female is beautifully expressed in these hormones.
Oestrogen and testosterone are almost identical in molecular structure. They are two sides of
one coin and represent the yin and yang of sexual polarity in biochemical terms.

Sex, or procreation, is clearly a natural human function, but when out of balance it becomes an
obsession, a strong lustful tendency, dragging precious pranic energy to the lower bodily centre.

Psychologically, we experience subtle water as flowingness and sensitivity. Water signs are
characteristically non-confrontational, flowing around and avoiding discord. They are sensitive
and empathetic, making good listeners and therapists. But all strengths can become weaknesses
and in this case the weakness is of an over-emotionality and self-indulgence in personal
emotion.

Above the genital centre, lies the fire chakra, on a level with the navel, though these centres are
all located within the spinal column. Here we find the food factory of the body, the intestines,
where great heat and energy are required. The fiery endocrine function is expressed through the
pancreas whose two major hormones, insulin and glucagon represent another beautiful
expression of the polarity or duality, the yin and yang, of the universe. For while insulin
promotes (for example) the storage of fire energy or heat in potential form, by the build-up of
glucose into complex carbohydrates, glucagon mediates taking food out of the larder by
permitting the breakdown of carbohydrates into glucose, releasing body heat in the process.

Emotionally, we experience our subtle fire as our drive, our get up and go, our motivation to do
things. If this motivation or drive is blocked, we become angry. Anger is thus the weakness and
primary imbalanced emotion arising from this centre. And like fire in dry tinder, anger can



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explode, ferociously and suddenly. This is contrary to our earthly sense of attachment to
possessions, which takes time to creep up on us and clings on firmly.

If the anger is not expressed, (we are not suggesting you develop the habit!), it becomes the
niggling and gnawing of subdued and destructive emotional fire resentment, criticism,
jealousy, back-biting and so on.

Now one can begin to see how, in this integrated framework of intertwined subtle and gross
energies, our emotions affect our physiology and can manifest as pathological symptoms. Earth
and possessive-ness leads to mental and physical ossification, anger and imbalanced drive to
stomach ulcers, indigestion and so on.

This we also see very clearly in the next higher centre, the airy chakra, situated at the level of
the heart. The natural mental faculty here is our ability and awareness of how to get hold of
things to acquire them. Its imbalanced expression is therefore that of greed and avarice, of
trying to get hold or more and more.

We also see how these subtle tattvic fields are so closely related to each other, as are their
physical counterparts. For an imbalanced drive to get hold of things combined with the greed to
acquire more and more are the stereotype of the go-getting businessman whose characteristic
complaints are indigestion, stomach ulcers and heart attacks. His (or her) mental attitude
towards life is immediately expressed at a physiological level. In fact, one can say generally that
ones biochemistry and physiology has the same characteristics and personality as one does
emotionally.

The airy heart centre thus has administration over the heart and lungs, the heart being the
central pump organizing the distribution of fresh oxygen from lungs to tissues and the
decanting of the resulting carbon dioxide into the outside world.

Astrologically, air signs are said to possess fleetness, finesse and manipulative talents, in both
mental and physical spheres. They are clever with their fingers and clever at mentally planning
things. The imbalance, of course, becomes planning and manipulating everything to ones own
personal advantage greed and avarice. And just as fire is fed by air, our desire for acquisition
is essential fuel for our drive to get things. Motivation to act (fire) requires a plan of action (air).

The endocrine centre at the airy level is the thymus gland, the orchestrator of the immensely
intricate bodily immune system, the protector of the body and destroyer of the invader. This is
just like the heart which nourishes by bringing in oxygen, fuel for the bodys metabolic fire,
subsequently expelling the burnt carbon as carbon dioxide. Air thus feeds fire at the subtle
emotional energy level, in the physical bodily processes, as well as in the outside world.

Above the airy centre lies the throat chakra. Here we find administration of the akash tattwa,
expressed endocrinologically as the conjoined thyroid and parathyroid glands. Between them,
these glands have their hormonal finger upon the metabolic pulse of the entire body: they tightly
control the metabolic rate. And just as our familiar solid, liquid, gaseous and fiery states are all
derived from the energy of space, the gross physical akash, just so does this prime minister
centre supervise the rate of overall biochemical activity.

Psychologically, akash gives us a sense of our place in the scheme of things, that is: our human
sense of identity. When out of balance, this gives rise to an incorrect perception of that place
that is: ego, pride, vanity the little self.

And just as all physical matter is derived out of spacial energy, so too at the subtle level is
egotism the mother and father of all other human weakness. A balanced sense of identity leads
to a balanced understanding of procurement, drive, procreation and possession. Conversely, an
imbalanced ego selfishness leads us to greed, anger, lust and attachment. This, then, is the



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energetic basis of all psychology. Mind, emotions and etheric structure are to be found in
dynamic and continuously moving patterns of subtle energy, just as physiology, biochemistry
and electrobiological activity are aspects of dense physical energies.

Above these five chakras, lies the sixth chakra, the two-petalled lotus behind the eyes. This
ajna chakra is known as the eye centre, also the command centre. In our human system,
consciousness does not reach down below this centre. Below this thinking centre,
consciousness becomes the unconscious activity of prana. We do not consciously know, for
example, just how we waggle a finger.

Unbalanced human emotion is always experienced as the attention running below the eye
centre. And since there is no real consciousness below this point, unbalanced emotion is hence
automatically subconscious. The further we are away from the eye centre, then the greater is
our degree of subconsciousness. So the worse a person is, then the less do they perceive of their
condition! Clearly, it is quite a trap!

The word e-motion (ex-motion) actually means to move out. Our mind e-motes or moves
out from its centre, and playing against the subtle tattwas below the eyes generates the
experiences we call emotion. Being in the body at a subtle mind level, this is therefore
expressed automatically by the body we call it body language and psychosomatic effects.

The two petals of the ajna chakra represent the yin and yang, the outflow and return, of the
pranic currents. This is expressed as the master controlling glands of the pituitary and the
hypothalamus. This is more complex than space allows, but these two glands contain hormonal
messengers that link directly to the other five bodily endocrine centres. They possess both
inhibitory (yin) and stimulatory (yang) controlling hormones in complex feedback associations.
So if the thyroid/parathyroid/throat centre represents the prime minister in the system, then
this higher centre is the president at both subtle and gross levels. But yet it is not the monarch
of the realm!

Similarly, the pineal organ is also involved in a regulatory capacity, probably as an overall
rhythm monitor, though medical science freely admits to understanding only a little of its
function.

Interestingly, an inner mental perception of this chakra sees the petals as white and black, each
one being comprised of 48 sub-petals or energy aspects. 48 is the number of petals to be found
on all the lower chakras put together indicating that the ajna chakra contains an energetic point
of resonance a controlling reflex zone to each functional aspect of the lower chakras. And
with 48 in each of its two petals, this indicates yin and yang polarity. And as we have seen, this
is once again reflected exactly in hormonal function.

The integration of subtle biological structure with the scientific analysis of sensory experience
helps to build a framework within which we can begin to understand human mind-body
function as an integrated whole. And within it all lies the Spirit, the God within, the primal Life
Force, the Source of all Life and Existence. Realization of That of the Monarch of the Realm
lying way beyond all mind, chakras and all that is the true goal of Life.