Human Gestation, Time and the stages of becoming

Gestation: counting by the calendar, daylight, moonlight

Chronobiology, the study of periodicity in living things, points towards human association with sunlight, and what is healthiest for the greatest majority of us. Sunlight is best at around dusk and dawn, and can be too harsh during the middle of the day (depends on where you live). Likewise, our bodies calibrate themselves to the seasons near the vernal equinox, in the twilight. Often there are festivals scheduled at this time, so that entire communities spend these hours outside together, synchonizing themselves not only with the seasons, but with one another. The Full Moon also sees its share of celebrants, and in days before electric lighting, it provided enough light for us to gather outside together.

In any case, our bodies are tied to the rhythm of the day, the moon (lunar month) and the seasons, regardless of where we live. These three characteristics define our understanding of time: the rotation of the Earth around its axis, the orbit of the Moon around the Earth: the orbit of the Earth~Moon around the Sun.

During our earliest moments of existence, just after the egg and sperm come together, we are under the influence of two different times: the time according to our mother’s body, which is tied to the day, moon and season, and; the time according to the development of ourselves from a single cell to an entire person in under 270 days.

The presumption is that midday, when the Sun is highest in the sky, and the Full Moon, and the Summer Solstice are all equivalent, in that they are the time at which we receive the most sunlight, and therefore the most energy from the Sun. In looking at the development in utero against the phases of the Moon, keep in mind that the waxing Moon is growing and getting brighter, therefore day~to~day, we receive more energy from it. Same as we approach the Summer Solstice and the Days grow longer.

Ideally, women menstruate at the New Moon, and ovulate at the Full Moon. Therefore, conception occurs at the Full Moon in all of the examples below. People are most fertile in the spring. The model pregnancy in this case takes place from the Full Moon at the Vernal Equinox (as occurred in 2008) to the birth just prior to the Winter Solstice.

the Moon and Fertility:

from New Moon, when its gravitational pull is in the same direction as the Sun’s. It appears dark to us.

as First Quarter, the Moon’s gravity has now drawn away from the Sun’s so that it has become noticeably distinct. We see half of its surface illuminated by the Sun.

at the Full Moon, the draw of the Moon’s gravity is opposite that of the Sun’s. It’s entire face is illuminated.

at the Last Quarter, the Moon’s gravity returns towards that of the Sun, lessing. Half of its face is illuminated.

The Seasons and Fertility

The Seasons and Lunations

Here we have Year 8~XIV (dec 21st 2007 to dec 20th 2008) with the 12 lunations and when they occur relative to the months of the year. Following, we have the lunar cycle according to gestation beginning with the Full Moon at the Vernal Equinox.

Year 8~XIV, Months & Moons

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Gestation from Vernal Equinox to Winter Solstice by the Moon

Gestation, Time and Becoming

The duration from conception to birth varies from person to person, however, it tends to falls within range of 9 months. 9 Lunar Months comes to 266 Days. The Maya tzolkin Calendar counts 260 Days, which also stands for the duration of gestation. The Lunar 266 Days lasts from Full Moon to Full Moon, the tzolkin follows its own metre based on 13 numbers and 20 glyphs.

Here is a breakdown of some of the occurrences in the first 60 days of gestation, which is about 2 lunar months, from full moon to fulll moon. 13 x 5 = 65 days, which is close to this on the 13~XX Calendar

Day	Development
0	Conception
1	1 cell (zygote) fetilisation – polar bodies form
2	2 cells (blastomeres) (30 hours), 4 cells (40 hours).
3	16-32 cells (morula) – morula passes out of fallopian tubes
4	64 cells (blastocyst) – inner cavity (blastocele)cell mass inside blastocele (embryoblast)
5-6	the blastocyst implants itself in the blood-rich uteran wallcirculation between mother & blastocyst begins
7-12	trophoblast cells begin to form placenta with uterine wallembryoblast differentiates into upper, dark blue (epiblast – becomes embryo) & lower, yellow layers of cells (hypoblast – becomes yolk sac)
13	embryo anchored to the uterus via placentaembryo anchored to placenta by precursor to umbilical cord yolk sac produces blood cells (without nuclei)
14	(gastrula) 2-layer embryonic disc forms the primitive streakthe outer layer of cells folds into the primitive streak
15	Mesoderm – middle layer – muscles, bones, lymphatic tissue, spleen, blood cells, heart, lungs, reproductive & excratory systems
16	Ectoderm – top layer – skin, hair, lenses of eyes, lining of internal & external ear, nose, sinuses, mouth, anus, tooth enamel, pituitary and mammary glands & all parts of the nervous systemneural crest cells differentiate into neurons, glial cells, epidermis pigment cells, various skeletal & connective tissues of the head Endoderm – inner layer – lining of lungs, tongue, tonsils, urethra & associated glands, bladder & digestive tract
17-19	ectoderm thickens to form neural plateconcave groove forms in neural plate (neural groove – precursor to nervous system – one of the first organs to develop) blood cells develop & forming channels along epithelial cells
19-21	mesoderm forms somites on either side of the neural groovefirst 3-pair somites appear at tail, forming towards head head fold rises on either side of primitive streak secondary blood vessels in placenta & chorion (2-layer membrane) muscle cells begin to fuse forming into 2 heart tubes
21-23	4-12-pair somiteseye & ear cells appear beside neural fold 2 heart tubes fuse together into an S-shape, and cardiac muscle contraction begins
23-25	13-20 pairs somitesprimitive heart beating, major vessels along neural system peristalsis begins with 20 somites, the forebrain is completely closed
25-27	face & neck arches evident under developing forebrainblood system develops on surface of yolk sac, move to maternal blood system valves & septa appear in heart liver cells appear (beginning of digestive system)
26-30	digestive epithelium layer differentiates into locations for liver, lung, stomach & pancreas
31-35	mandibular & hyoid arches evident in headspinal cord wall in 3 zones (ventricular, mantle & marginal) ventricular – neurons, glial, & ependymal cells mantle – neuron clusters marginal – processes of neurons pituitary precusor defined lens vesicle nestled in optic cup opens to surface nasal plate evident digestive tube differentiates into esophagus & trachea semilunar valves form in heart – 4 major subdivisions right & left lung sacs lie on either side of esophagus ureteric bud appears metanephros – precursor to kidney, develops upper limbs elongate & innervation begins
35-38	stomodeum (ectodermic precursor to mouth & oral cavity)swelling of external ear begin lens pit has closed, retinal pigment may appear, lens fibres form depressions in nasal disc form into nasal pits esophagus lengthens blood flows through left & right streams lobar buds appear in bronchial tree intestines lengthen (in umbilicus) ureteric bud lengthens, tip lengthening towards kidney lower limb buds lengthen & innervate
37-42	cerebral hemispheres evidenthindbrain develops (responsible for heart, breath & muscle) future mandible visible nasal pits rotate to face ventrally cardiac tube divides into aortic & pulmonary channels mammary tissues begin to mature mesentery defined hand region differentiates lower limb sections evident
42-44	jaw & facial muscles developingolfactory bulb forms teeth buds begin forms pituitary forms trachea, larynx & bronchi system forms heart separates into 4 chambers diaphragm forms intestines develop in umbilical cord primitive germ cells forms at genital area hand region forming digital plate digital rays appear in foot plates
44-48	intersections of nerve networks (plexuses) develop in scalp regioneyes pigmented eyelids developing trunk of pulmonary artery separates from trunk of aorta nipples appear kidneys produce first urine urogenital & anal membranes appear arms at proper location, hand plates finish in another 2 days. ossification of the skeleton begins
48-51	first detectable brain wavessemicircular canals form in inner ear septum primum fuses with septum intermedium in the heart gonads form legs now at proper location, toes almost completed bone cartilage solidifies muscles develop & strengthen
51-53	Brain connected by nerves & muscles – spontaneous movementnasal openings & tip of nose fully formed anal membrane perforated urogenital membranes differentiate skin folds between future toes
53-54	tongue development finishesintestines migrate from umbilical cord to embryo
54-56	upper lip fully formedbrain can move muscles clitoris begins to form primary ossification in long bones (upper limbs first)
56-60	External ear completely developedeyes cosed, retina fully pigmented taste buds form primary teeth at cap stage bones of palate fuse scalp plexus reaches head vertex intestines migrate into body cavity toes no longer webbed all digits fully distinct thin precursor to skin covers ectoderm of embryo tail has disappeared

that’s a human embryo folks.

An appeal to readers of theAbysmal

Help make this calendar a global success ~ it will only take a moment, and give back all the time in the world.

theAbysmal Calendar has been a labour of love ~ as such, the marketing budget comes in at just under $0. If this site has proven of interest and benefit, then please print out a copy of one of the two images below and place it somewhere where people are likely to see it.

This Calendar has been designed to suit the breadth of the world’s peoples and their cultures. It was developed to align us once again with the cycles of the Moon, the Seasons, and our physical selves accordingly.

Your assistance and support is greatly appreciated.

theAbysmal Calendar ~ Northern Hemisphere

theAbysmal Calendar ~ Southern Hemisphere

May you never thirst ~ and may there always be room for one more at your table.

Remogrifying the Calendar

from theAbyss to theAbysmal

check here instead:  theAbysmal from theAbyss

The simplest way to approach the division of the Days of the Year lies in leaving the Leap Year question until later. Consider the 365 complete Days that occur for every Year.

In considering the Year, the Days can be further divided into 364 Weekdays plus 1 Day. In this case, the 364 Weekdays exclude the Norther Winter Solstice and Southern Summer Solstice. A 364 Weekday Year contains exactly 52 Weeks.

The Circle of 365 Days

Each individual circle represents 1 Day, whereas the large circle created by them represents 1 Year of 365 Days. The 100% Black Day represents the Winter Solstice, as the longest Night of the Year, and finds its place at the bottom of the circle. The 100% White Day represents the Summer Solstice, as the longest Day of the Year, and finds its place at the top of the circle.

The Circle of 364 Days

The 364 Days of the Year (excluding the Winter Solstice), divided into 52 Weeks of 7 Days,  13 Months of 28 Days, 4 Quarters of 91 Days.

91 = 13 + 12 + 11 + 10 + 9 + 8 + 7 + 6 + 5 + 4 + 3 + 2 + 1
Northern Hemisphere – The Circle of 360 + 5 Days

The 364 Weekdays plus the Northern Winter/Southern Summer Solstice, divided into 4 Quarters, marking the Day that falls midway between the Equinox and Solstice. This image represents the Year in the Northern Hemisphere.

The Circle of 52 Weeks

364 Weekdays divided into 4 Quarters of 91 Days or 13 Weeks.
Northern Hemisphere – Quarter 0, Weeks 0 to 12

Northern Hemisphere – Quarter 1, Weeks 0 to 12

Northern Hemisphere – Quarter 2, Weeks 0 to 12

Northern Hemisphere – Quarter 3, Weeks 0 to 12

Southern Hemisphere – Quarter 0, Weeks 0 to 12

Southern Hemisphere – Quarter 1, Weeks 0 to 12

Southern Hemisphere – Quarter 2, Weeks 0 to 12

Southern Hemisphere – Quarter 3, Weeks 0 to 12

The Circle of 13 Months

364 Weekdays of the Year equal 13 Months of 4 Weeks or 28 Days each.

Northern Hemisphere – 13 Month Calendar

Southern Hemisphere – 13 Month Calendar

The Circle of 7 Weekdays

The 7 Days of the Week evolved from the Hebrew and Hellenic traditions. Their Weeks began with Saturday. The Circles below indicate order of the weekdays.

The sequence around the circumference represents the order of the furthest Planet from the Sun to the nearest, where the Sun, stands in for Earth, and the Moon comes last, as it orbits the Earth.

Northern Hemisphere – The Weekday Circle

Southern Hemisphere – The Weekday Circle

Symbol Key

24-Hours by 7-Weekdays

h	Sat	Sun	Mon	Tue	Wed	Thu	Fri
0	Saturn	Sun	Moon	Mars	Mercury	Jupiter	Venus
1	Jupiter	Venus	Saturn	Sun	Moon	Mars	Mercury
2	Mars	Mercury	Jupiter	Venus	Saturn	Sun	Moon
3	Sun	Moon	Mars	Mercury	Jupiter	Venus	Saturn
4	Venus	Saturn	Sun	Moon	Mars	Mercury	Jupiter
5	Mercury	Jupiter	Venus	Saturn	Sun	Moon	Mars
6	Moon	Mars	Mercury	Jupiter	Venus	Saturn	Sun
7	Saturn	Sun	Moon	Mars	Mercury	Jupiter	Venus
8	Jupiter	Venus	Saturn	Sun	Moon	Mars	Mercury
9	Mars	Mercury	Jupiter	Venus	Saturn	Sun	Moon
10	Sun	Moon	Mars	Mercury	Jupiter	Venus	Saturn
11	Venus	Saturn	Sun	Moon	Mars	Mercury	Jupiter
12	Mercury	Jupiter	Venus	Saturn	Sun	Moon	Mars
13	Moon	Mars	Mercury	Jupiter	Venus	Saturn	Sun
14	Saturn	Sun	Moon	Mars	Mercury	Jupiter	Venus
15	Jupiter	Venus	Saturn	Sun	Moon	Mars	Mercury
16	Mars	Mercury	Jupiter	Venus	Saturn	Sun	Moon
17	Sun	Moon	Mars	Mercury	Jupiter	Venus	Saturn
18	Venus	Saturn	Sun	Moon	Mars	Mercury	Jupiter
19	Mercury	Jupiter	Venus	Saturn	Sun	Moon	Mars
20	Moon	Mars	Mercury	Jupiter	Venus	Saturn	Sun
21	Saturn	Sun	Moon	Mars	Mercury	Jupiter	Venus
22	Jupiter	Venus	Saturn	Sun	Moon	Mars	Mercury
23	Mars	Mercury	Jupiter	Venus	Saturn	Sun	Moon

The sequence, if read vertically, corresponds to the sequence around the circumference of the 7 Weekday circles above. The top square of each column represents the first Hour of the Day, and if read horizontally from left to right, corresponds to the sequence of Weekdays.

The Perpetual Month

This perpetual Calendar has 13 perpetual Months or 52 perpetual Weeks, or 4 perpetual Quarters, or 26 perpetual Fortnights for that matter.

Northern Hemisphere – Perpetual Calendar Month

Southern Hemisphere – Perpetual Calendar Month

Universal Cycles and the Lives & Times of great Cultures

considering Spengler’s the Decline of the West in theAbysmal terms.

see The Decline of the West
vol 1
vol 2

Oswald Spengler proposes that when people assemble to a certain point, when they develop Cities based upon a fundamental Idea, they embark upon expressing a particular Destiny through the lifetime of the Civilisation in question, through to its inevitable death.

The pattern of the Cultural lifetime is described in terms of Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter. (see Spengler’s Civilization Model)

So the lifetime of a Culture and Civilzation follow the pattern of human lifetimes, as well as the celestial patterns in the play of light across the celestial canvas.

The 13 Months labeled with the signs of the 13 Constellations of the Zodiac

[n.b. At the Vernal and Autumnal Equinox every person in the world, regardless of whether they live at the Equator, in the Tropics, in the Northern or Southern Hemisphere or the far reaches of the Boreal and Austral Poles, lives through a Day and Night of equal length.]

As a civilization develops, grows, differentiates, expands, codifies, rigidifies, and decomposes into the chaos from which its sprouting successor will emerge, so do the patterns of time cycle.

As with the Daily round of the Sun, from Midnight to Dawn, Midday, Dusk, and the return to Midnight.

As with the New Moon, which waxes to Full and wanes back to New.

As with our own growth, development, maturation, and final dissolution.

For articles regarding light, biological cycles, the body, & health, see also:
Chronobiology
The Light Book
Human Development and Fertility Cycles
Time and Health

5 Months, 4 Cherubim and 1 non-living Symbol

Consider the following symbols, signs and elements from the image above:

Taurus ~ Earth
Leo ~ Fire
Libra ~ Aether
the Eagle ~ Water
Aquarius ~ Air

Spengler describes the development of the Culture as emerging from the chaos of the dissolution of its predecessor.

As the elements necessary coalesce, the Culture’s development accelerates, (as with the change in Sunlight as we pass the Vernal Equinox), it establishes itself aggressively against its equal-others, falls into codification of its ideology, intellectualises its function, and eventually declines into senility.

Earth is the foundational element, from which the plants grow, and stake their claim of the ground with their roots. The establishment of the foundational elements.

Fire is the energetic application and expression of will.

Aether, the numenous ephemera representing Libra, the only sign of the zodiac (from Greek for circle of animals, as with the Chinese system) that is not a living being, floats over the Summer Solstice, and the longest Day. It represents the ideal representation and expression of a Culture, in the form of the architecture of its greatest Cities.

Water, the condensation of the ideals represented by the Aetherial into a code by which those who fall under the influence of the culture may quickly adapt to its customs. This stage represents the beginning of the increase in abstraction into intellectual models over those connected to direct individual experience and observable phenomena. A distillation of the ideal, coagulating it away from its nebulous perfection.

Air, the element of the sword, the rational mind, the intellect, or in Spengler’s terms, the waking-consciousness. The over-intellectualisation of the civilisation’s operation, abstract and detached from the facts of living, signifies the descend of the culture into senility and stagnation.

This bears further research, however, upon initial consideration, a compelling pattern reveals itself, regardless of geography, ethnicity, or time period. It bears both cyclical and linear characteristics, suggesting a spiral or helical structure.

compare Spengler’s pattern of the life of Culture to Arguelles’ reanalysis of History according to the Mayan Great Cycle.

the image in Large

from Time Is Art dot Net

Human biological rhythms by light

The body’s ticks and tocks

The Light Book: how natural and artificial light affect our health, mood and behaviour
by Jane Wegscheider Hyman, 1990

Ch 1 –

“Our bodies may begin measuring time before birth. In animals, and perhaps in humans, the fetus is first cued to the 24-hour cycle in the womb. Nutrients and hormones regularly cross the placenta and enter the bloodstream of the fetus. This flow from the mother, as well as her body temperature and activities, reflect her circadian rhythms, and the fetus cues its internal day according to hers.”

see also
Human Development and Fertility Cycles

The Abysmal Wheel of the Day

Midnight is placed at the bottom, to reflect the pattern of the Winter Solstice, the New Moon in their respective cycles in the Synaptic Reform Calendar.

Beginning around about midnight (individual experience guaranteed to vary)

00h00 prolactin (growth hormone) increases
02h00 body temperature at its lowest, melatonin at its highest, cortisal increases
05h00 adrenaline, heart rate and blood pressure increase
04h00 – 12h00 inflow of blood
06h00 prolactin decreases, cortisol peaks, heart rate increases
09h00 melatonin decreases, noradrenaline increases
11h00 – 12h00 sympathetic nervous system activity, and body temp. increase
15h00 blood pressure peaks
16h00 body temp. decreases, melatonin increases
22h00 blood pressure and heart rate decrease

“Researchers think that circadian rhythms are as old as life itself, enabling selected organisms to function in time to astronomical rhythms.”

10h00 – 12h00 concentration & short-term memory
13h00 – 18h00 sports, physical activity
17h00 – 21h00 practice, musical instrument
19h00 – 00h00 study & long-term memory

Zeitgeber = time giver = sunlight, the Sun

“The SCN [superchiasmatic neuclei] is called an oscillator or pacemaker because it sets the pace of the body’s various rhythms, keeping them coordinated with one another and with the Earth’s rotation.”

The SCN are connected with the pituitary and pineal glands, as well as the brain stem, which emit hormones to control the heart, adrenal glands, liver, kidneys and intestines.

“Other time cues, such as acoustic signals (e.g., an alarm clock) and a regular schedule of sleeping, waking and eating may help reinforce the Zeitgeiber.”

“The retina evolved as a protrusion of the brain. It functions, in part, as the starting point of the body’s circadian systems and appears to respond most sensitively to the green portion of the light spectrum. The retina’s light-receiving cells apparently change their structure during the day and may regulate the light information they receive.”

the eyes are most sensitive at twilight – dawn & dusk
at this time, the eyes calibrate the time of day with the season

“The retino-hypothalamic tract through which light transmits its time signals to the brain is separate from the visual pathway.”

pineal gland secretes melatonin circadianly, which in turn regulates the body’s circadian rhythm. This gland was thought to have evolved (if that’s your thing) from the reptilian parietal eye. In some species of reptile, the eye, which peeks through the top of the head, has a lens & retina.

the pineal gland is located in the centre of the brain.

29 Day cycle – skin cells rise to the surface of the skin.

Spring & Summer – heart responds better to exercise
Summer – lungs take in more oxygen

Seasonal changes in cortisol, testosterone, thyroxine and serotonin affects health, mood, sleep and sexuality.

the human immune system observes a circaseptan (7-day) cycle, however, it is thought to have been influenced by our observation of a 7-day week.

Our biological rhythms are affected by:
* artificial light
* electromagnetic fields
* stress
* chemicals (food additives, for example)
* medication
* jet lag

Ch 2 – Fertility & Childbirth

aquatic animals are tied to the rhythms of the Moon and Tides
mass breeding of aquatic species on the full moon
primate sexuality is active on the full moon
estruus and rutting have seasonal rhythms.

9 lunar cycles = 266 days

pineal gland tied to onset of puberty
ovary has melatonin receptor
menarche (onset of menstruation) at 12 1/2 years of age (9 – 18 years is normal)
in the Northern Hemisphere, menarche most often occurs in Winter.

gonadotrophins are scheduled by an hourly pulse from the hypothalamus.

light may also affect the onset of menopause (average 52 years of age)

Seasonal Peaks (in the Northern Hemisphere):
Dec Jan Feb – menarche
May – Aug/Sep + Oct – Dec – sexual activity
Mar – conception
Mar – Jun – estrogen target cells
Sep – Dec – testosterone

water breaks near New or Full Moon
labor begins & births in the dark hours

Ch 3 – Rhythms of Sleep

1 – waking to sleeping
2 – sleep
3 – deep sleep
4 – delta wave sleep
5 – REM

the nightly rhythm follows the pattern: 1-2-3-4-2-5-2-3-4-2-5-2-3-4-2-5-etc

REM
* burst of rapid eye movement
* face & limbs twitch
* heartbeat, respiration, blood pressure irregular
* penis/clitoris engorge
* uterus may increase, or contract
* intensely active Central Nervous System
* limbs remain paralysed

REM closely related to body temperature
* we spend more time in deep sleep in the Winter
* REM timing changes with the seasonal temperature
* newborns & infants 30-50% of sleep is REM
* adults 20% of sleep is REM
* from 6-8 or 9 hours a night is normal for an adult.

Ch 4 – Eating & Drinking

norepinephrine stimulates appetite
serotonin triggers satiety

chewing well allows for our feedback system to process what we’re eating, and when we’re satiated. Aids digestion.

glucose, insulin, cortisol, epidermal growth factor (EGF) in blood affect hunger
cortisol is highest just before eating

at Noon the body puts carbohydrates to use
recommended – carbohydrates in the AM, proteins in the PM

our metabolic rhythm peaks in the Winter, as do glucose and glycogen levels

06h00 – 11h00 greatest use of carbohydrates
12h00 – maximal use of carbohydrates
13h00 – peak in food metabolism
08h00 – peak in male alcohol metabolism
15h00 – peak in female alcohol metabolism

recommended – big breakfast, medium lunch, small dinner

Ch 5 – Mood & Behaviour

hibernate= to pass the winter

in Winter:
* awaken later
* eat more & heavier food
* gain weight

[bears build muscle mass while in hibernation].

Ch 6 – Skin & Bones

* ozone & the atmosphere filter out almost all Ultra-violet C (UVC), and most UVB.
* melanin in the skin filters out the rest.
* the more melanin, the darker the skin, the thicker the UV filter

UVB -> epidermis -> vitamin D -> liver, kidney, bone building
vitamin D = phosphorus & calcium balance

Every 10 Years we have a whole new skeleton.
osteoblasts + collage = bone
add calcium + phosphorus to harden the tissue

vitamin D encourages the intestines to absorb more calcium & phosphorus

UVB (and possible UVA) is linked to the development of cataracts.

Langerhans cell in the epidermis provide early warning to the immune system, and they are weakened by UV.
this can affect Vitamin A production.

Chronobiology

The life and times of Time and Life.

Introducing Biological Rhythms: a primer on the temporal organization of life, with implications for health, society, reproduction and natural environment
by Willard L. Koukkari & Robert B Sothern

Ch 1 – the study of the biology of rhythms

“Life moves in synchrony to the beat of locks and calendars, some outside he body, some within the very cells of all living things.”

“By definition, a rhythm is a change that is repeated with a similar pattern.”"

see also
Crowds and Power,
Language and Feet,
Cadence, Ratio and Ratiocination

“Accidents, catastrophes, and illnesses are inevitable when the time cycle of society does not heed the biological rules that underlie the rhythms of humans or other organisms.”

Three-Mile Island’s nuclear accident, Bhopal’s methyl isocyanate leak, the Exxon Valdez’ oil spill and Chernobyl’s nuclear disaster as well as a train collision in Western Canada on February 8th 1986 – all attributed to human error due to disrupted rhythms resulting from shift-work.

< 1 second – EEG (delta waves) & ECG
4 – 15 minutes – reaction time
75 – 100 minutes – pupillary motility
90 – 100 minutes – REM – NREM sleep
24 hours – body temperature, sleep-wake
7 days – organ transplant rejection
27 – 34 days – menstrual cycle

Ch 2 –

Equivalency

time frequency	time label	spectrum	wavelength
1 second	ultradian	ultraviolet	4 x 10 (17) s
1 minute
1 hour
1/2 day
1 day	Circadian	visible spectrum	4 – 8 x 10 (14) s
1/2 week	infradian	infrared	5 x 10 (11) s
1 week
1 month
1 year		ultrasound	1 x 10 (9) s
11 years		audible sound	1 x 10 (5) s
1 century		infrasound	1 x 10 (3) s

Human rhythms:
core temperature – 64 +/- 8 minutes
sleep EEG – 80-120 minutes
insulin – 6-10 & 140 minutes

Superchiasmatic Nuclei (SCN)

“Anatomically, this area [SCN] is located above the optic chiasm where the two optic nerves cross and include two clumps of nuclei, each containing about 10, 000 neurons.”

rhodopsin – opsin based visual pigment of rods & cones
melanopsin – same mRNA in it & SCN & retinal ganglion

Retinohypothalamic Tract (RHT)
terminates at the SCN
glutamate & PACAP (a polypeptide) involved

Ch 3 -

“Time has no divisions to mark its passage, there is never a thunderstorm or blare of trumpets to announce the beginning of a new month or year. Even when a new century begins, it is we mortals who ring bells and fire pistols.”
–Thomas Mann

bases for calendars:

Sun, Moon, stars & planets
River flooding
Shadows (sundials)
water flow

Prime Meridian and Time Zones introduced in 1884
Daylight Savings Time introduced with WWI
US moved up the Spring Daylight Savings Date in 1986

Ch 4 –

“Time is very bankrupt and owes more than he’s worth to season.
Nay, he’s a thief too: have you not heard men say,
that Time comes stealing on by night and day?”
– William Shakespeare

“Today, the trends of urbanization and the utilization of electrical power and rapid transportation shield most of us from witnessing much of the seasonal biological diversity found in nature.”

photoperiodism – seasonal changes to light
“response of an organism to the timing and duration of light and dark.”

Ch 5 –

“Time, space, and causality are only metaphors of knowledge, with which we explain things to ourselves.”
–Friedrich Nietzsche

attractor
bifurcation
unstable, neutrally stable and stable focus
isochron
saddle point
node
singularity

Ch 6 –

12.4 hour circatidal cycle
24.8 hour circalunidian (lunar day)
29.5 days circalunar

Ch 10 -

“The clock, not the steam engine, is the key machine of the modern industrial age…even today no other machine is so ubiquitous.”
–Lewis Mumford

Ch 11 –

observe one’s own:
body temperature, mood, vigor, perception of elapsed time, heart rate, blood pressure, speed of adding, short-term memory.

Seven Days of the Week

Why Sunday to Saturday anyway?

Conclusive answers have yet to be discovered. It appears that weekdays, symbolising the Sun, Moon, and 5 visible Planets, Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, Venus and Saturn. This has been adopted globally, with the names of the weekdays particular to the language of the user in question.

The Chinese system equivocates each of the 5 visible Planets with one of the 5 Elements of their holistic system of time, medicine, cooking, health and so on, based in the elegant simplicity of tao. Fire, Water, Wood, Metal, Earth.

from ancient Greece:
Gaia, the Earth gave birth to Ouranos, an elder Sky deity, who then married her. They parented the 12 Titans, including Cronos (Saturn a cthonic or Earth deity), the 3 Cyclops, the 3 Hecantonchires and the 3 Erinyes. Gaia persuaded Cronos to emasculate Ouranos while he was in Gaia (Tartarus – the bowels of the Earth). Ouranos severed generative organs fell into the sea, with a great foamy wash, and from it rose Aphrodite.

Quite a story. The separation of Heaven and Earth.

In the Islands of the Pacific, the Trickster Hero Maui severs the arms of the Octopus holding the Sky to the Earth, which fall to the Ocean below, creating the Islands.

Or the Angels of Heaven are cast through the Earth and into an Abyss. Or a fall from Heaven to Earth for man, the great Lapse of Adam and Eve.

And in the I-Ching, the radial symmetry of the 8 trigrams and 64 hexagrams depicts a circular path from Earth to Heaven to Earth again.

All of which is to say, why are our Weekdays in the order they are?

Heaven to Earth

As we stand on the ground, there is a limit to what we can see. In symbolic terms, beneath our feet is the underworld, the Abyss of the unknown, unseen and unknowable. Above the clouds, the brilliance of the sun, the depths of the sky, and the blackness of space.

The Sun is our source of light, heat, energy, of the matter of the Earth from which we’ve sprung, whether through divine intervention or fortune or d’oh, begins every Week. The following Days represent bodies that reflect the light.

the order of the Planets (Saturn is last where the sequence is cyclical).

from the nearest the Sun to the furthest:
Mercury, Venus, Moon, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn

from the least to most massive:
Moon, Mercury, Mars, Venus, Saturn, Jupiter

from the shortest synodic period to the longest:
Moon, Mercury, Saturn, Jupiter, Venus, Mars
from their brightness when at their brightest (apparent magnitude):
Moon, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Mercury, Saturn

according to the order of the 5 Chinese elements:

the cycle of creation:
Venus, Mercury, Jupiter, Mars, Saturn

the cycle of control:
Mercury, Mars, Venus, Jupiter, Saturn

In considering Heaven and Earth as compliments, that is, they define all that lies between them, it enrichens the otherwise opaque meaning in the symbolism of our weekdays. How does the energy and light of the Sun filter its way to us in the course of the changes of the Day and Year?

Much of it is reflected at us via the Moon, and some via the planets.
The Sun is the source of the Moon and all of the Planets, and as such, the cycle of creation may hold a key to a better understanding of their relationship.

If so, then the cycle of control could be used to denote the 5-Day Periods of the 360-Day Reform Calendar, from Earth upwards, thus:
Saturn, Mercury, Mars, Venus, Jupiter.

Human Development and Fertility Cycles

from Birth to Reproduction and Conception

There are differing theories on the periodicity of women’s menstrual periods. Our urban environment, that in which the majority of the world’s people now live, becomes increasingly anthropocentric, as our points of reference are increasingly objects and technology that we have devised and created, as opposed to that into which we were born.

with the paradigm shift towards the anthropocentric, the relationship between menstrual cycles and cycles of the Moon, tides, and so on become increasingly disrupted.

It is generally accepted to be related to the phases of the Moon (29.53 Days from New Moon to New Moon), averaging about 28 Days. This latter number is a suitable representation for the menstrual cycle, the 28-Day Month of the Reform Calendar. The Lunar Calendar tracks the Moon, such that both cycles may be observed on the Calendar.

Given that every women’s experience is unique, these numbers are merely representational.

If we begin the Menstrual Cycle at Menstruaton, the 28-Days look like this:

Week 1: Menstruation
*Eumenorrhea – usually 3 to 5 but still normal at 2 to 7 Days.
*blood and sometimes endmetrium are shed.

Week 2: Follicular Phase
*5 t o7 ovarian follicles enter the cycle, compete with one another, until one remains, developing into an oocyte (ovum/egg).
*uterine endometrium begins development

Days 13-14-15 (midpoint): Ovulation
* the oocyte breaks out of the follicle in the ovary.
* heightened sense of smell

Week 3 & 4: Luteal Phase
*body temperature rises ~1/2 degree.
*endometrium swells and eventually sheds at the beginning of the next Cycle

if the oocyte should meet the spermatocyte of her dreams:

the Menstrual Cycle follows a pattern comparable to the amount of daylight through the Year, the change of Seasons, the phases of the Moon, Tides, and the Cycle of Life, for which it is the beginning before the beginning.

If these averages are considered with respect to the annual calendar, correlating the cycle of ovulation with the 28-Day Month, then the peak occurs at the midpoint, on the Weekend.

The Weekday symbolism can also be applied to ovulation and fertility in general. Saturday, represented by Saturn, the cthonic Roman deity, and the Chinese element Earth, could be seen as the mud of the physical, the womb.
Sunday, the Sun, the breath and fire of life that set the process of human development into motion.

symbolically speaking.

In physical terms, it still takes a man and a woman, an oocyte and a spermatocyte, to decide to play together.

Curiously, if the Menstrual Cycle were to begin at the Winter Solstice, and the oocyte were fertilised, then the child would be born at about the Autumnal Equinox.

Gestation to Year in Days = 260:364 = 5:7
Menstruation + Gestation to Year in Days = 273:364 = 3:4

Our Body in Time

Growth Development Progression Evolution Diversification

An initial consideration of source material for further research into Health, Sunlight and Time – it may very closely resemble a salt-shaker of jargon and foreign words spilled across the screen – so it begins.

Chinese:
In Traditional Chinese Medicine, the yin and Yang forces of the Tao as well as the five elements Metal, Water, Wood, Fire, Earth are used to represent qualities of foods, their taste, effect on the body as well as the divisions of time.

the 64 hexagram structure of the I-Ching represents the linear and radial symmetries in the patterns  of ebbing and flowing light. It also has equivalence with the initial doubling of the fertilized egg beginning pregnancy. At 64 cells, major structural changes begin. DNA has 64-codons.

consider:
Calendar – Zodiac – 5 Elements – the Tao – I-Ching – DNA codons – gestation
Traditional Chinese Medicine

Japan:
Macrobiotic cooking uses the seasons as a basis for diet, among many other stipulations. As the most developed macrobiotic culture is in Japan, it may be possible to link this through to Traditional Chinese Medicine through the commonalities in the Calendar.

consider:
Calendar – Zodiac – 5 Elements – Macrobiotics
Traditional Japanese Medicine

India:
In Ayurvedic Medicine, the Day is divided into Prana, 1 respiration or breath, or 4 seconds by the clock. This isn’t the average length of a breath, nor the ideal length of a breath, but a representation time for a breath. The Ayurvedic system has five elements as well, Space, Water, Air, Fire, Earth with  equivalencies to the Chinese elements. They also relate these elements to the flavours of food and their properties.

However, the Ayurvedic system is based on the body’s approximate ratio of levels of development of tissues, glands, organs with respect to their embryonic tissue of origin: Kapha, Pitta, Vata (aka the endoderm, the mesoderm, the ectoderm).

consider
Calendar – Zodiac – 5 Elements -
Ayurveda

Mexico, Guatemala, Belize:
The Mayan 260-Day Calendar, divided into 20 periods of 13 Days each (among other divisions), measures certain early patterns in the development of the human embryo.

In the 2nd period of 13 Days;
Gastrulation! the primitive streak show up, and the  membranes differentiate. Most notably, the nervous system begins development, ending at this stage with the enclosure of the forebrain by the zippering up of the neural tube by the last pair of somites.

This period relates most significantly with the Ayurvedic system.

The 260-Days is  5/7 of a Year.  The waxing and waning of the Sun’s light by Day and time of Year, the Moon’s by Lunation, and the Planets’ reflected light by synodic period may have a direct effect on the developing embryo and fetus as well as one through the Mother’s perception of these phenomena.

consider:
Tzolkin – gestation -
Traditional Mayan Medicine

Brain:
In particular, the pineal gland, buried deep in the centre of our brains, is key to the hypothalamus’ regulation of our bodies according to the amount of daily and annual sunlight. In other species, lizards in particular, the pineal body has light sensitive cells very similar  in structure and function to retinal cells.

The field of chronobiology offers the most intriguing scientific approach to the relationship between living beings and natural periods.

consider:
chronobiology – brain function – diurnal cycle

360 degrees of Space and Time

Calendar Reform: Mapping the Day to the Night

Having explored different cultural traditions in the dividing of the day, particularly where it reflects patterns of division and symbols used for larger measures of time, as with the Chinese Zodiac Animals marking hours, months and years.

Of particular interest, the Hindu division, Prana, equivalent to 4 seconds and considered the period for 1 respiration and how it works with the 360-Day Calendar currently in development as part of the Synaptic Calendar Project.

Dividing the Day
Mesopotamian Numberology
360-Days Divided
Using respiration for a basis of time measures seems about as fundamental as using a heartbeat, the Sun, Moon, Stars, or walking cadence to regulate time. It further reinforces the ties between Time, our Body and Health, as explored in:

Human Gestation, Time & Health
In Utero and Ex Utero
Space, Time and Medicine
In Reforming the Calendar, there is little doubt that the daily division will change from the currently standard 24 hours of 60 minutes of 60 seconds. As this most closely corresponds to the structure with the 360-Day Calendar, this will remain the focus of comparison.

24 hours x 60 minutes x 60 seconds = 86, 400 seconds per day
86, 400 / 4 = 21, 600 respirations per day
86, 400 / 360 = 240 seconds per degree = 4 minutes per degree

1 respiration = 4 seconds

of a 24-Hour Day:
1 degree = 4 minutes

of the 360-Day Calendar
1 degree = 1 Day of 360 Calendar Days
1 degree = 72 Years of 25, 920 Years of the Precession of the Equinoxes
72 Years = 25, 920 Calendar Days (360-Day Calendar)

Circle	24-Hour Day	360-Day Calendar	Precessions	Ratio	Reduced
1 degree	4 Mins	1 Day	72 Years	1/360
15 degs	1 Hour	15 Days	1, 080 Yrs	15/360	1/24
30 degs	2 Hrs	30 Days	2, 160 Yrs	30/360	1/12
45 degs	3 Hrs	45 Days	3, 240 Yrs	45/360	1/8
60 degs	4 Hrs	60 Days	4, 320 Yrs	60/360	1/6
180 degs	12 Hrs	180 Days	12, 960 Yrs	180/360	1/2
360 degs	24 Hrs	360 Days	25, 920 Yrs	360/360	1

In keeping with the Abysmal symbolism, the Day begins at Midnight at the International Date Line – the Darkest part of Day over the Greatest stretch of Ocean. Perfectly Abysmal.

The 12-Hour analog clock is a preferable device, as its arms indicate the progression in a circular patter, whereas digital time displays progress linearly. Yet, with the digital display, the Day begins at Hour 0 before progressing to 1 AM. This numbering system is proposed for the counting of Days, Months and Years, as described in Why Number from 0?
The Circle, as the Ellipse, the Orbit and the Cycles of Water, Life, and Time, continue to provide a fundamental structure upon which to base, divide, subdivide
and catagorise time, space and life.

The projection of the Circle into 3-dimensions creates another series of structures, including the Sphere and the Spiral, both of which describe differing aspects of the movement of celestial bodies as used to measure time.

Perhaps we shall invest more energy in developing spherical timepieces.