OUR COSMIC BIRTHPRINT - Spirituality

 

 

As to spiritual influences, 
although it might seem strange that these stars 
should exert a spiritual influence upon the human world, 
yet were you to reflect deeply upon this matter 

you would not be greatly surprised by it.

~ Abu'l-Baha  ~

Dear Ones,

In the great theater of existence, where stars dance in silence and galaxies whisper ancient secrets, every human birth appears as a delicate note in an infinite cosmic symphony. And just as celestial signs have illuminated the great millennial spiritual events — let us recall the Star of Bethlehem, silent messenger of a new Light —, every soul that incarnates also seems to receive from the universe a subtle imprint, a luminous caress that marks its journey on earth, an invitation to wonder before the interconnection of all things.

Let us first listen to Baha'u'llah and then Abdu'l-Baha enlighten us on these phenomena, after which we will attempt to elucidate the question of astral influence on human destiny with the help of science.

… it hath become clear and manifest that before the revelation of each of the Mirrors reflecting the divine Essence, the signs heralding their advent must needs be revealed in the visible heaven as well as in the invisible…

                                                      *

How much the organs, the members and the parts of the body of man are intermingled and connected for mutual aid and help, and how much they influence one another ! In the same way, the parts of this infinite universe have their members and elements connected with one another, and influence one another spiritually and materially.

Is it not fascinating! Of course, we are not speaking of divinatory astrology, which is condemned by the religion, but rather of the effects of the delicate threads that link the universe in a divine symphony. 

String Theory, in contemporary theoretical physics, postulates that all matter and energy in the universe would be composed of tiny vibrating strings, whose different modes of vibration give rise to elementary particles and fundamental forces. Thus, at the most intimate scale, everything would be interconnected in a single “symphony” of vibration. Without making it an absolute, we can thus envisage that the planetary forces do indeed exert an influence on nature, including on human beings, and first on the physiological level. Abdu’l-Baha expresses it clearly in a letter to Ella Cooper:

The planets and stars have no spiritual effect in the earthly world, but the parts of the universe which are in endless space are closely connected with each other. This connection produces material effects.

This idea of a cosmic imprint on the human body and temperament has a long scientific and medical tradition that has been built link by link:

Hippocrates (5th–4th century BC) was the first great initiator by introducing the theory of the four humors: blood (sanguine temperament: warm, sociable), yellow bile (choleric: dynamic, irascible), black bile (melancholic: reflective, introspective) and phlegm (phlegmatic: calm, peaceful). These humors were, according to him, influenced by the seasons, the elements and the celestial movements. Then Galen, the great physician of the 2nd century, systematized this theory by linking each humor to a planet and an organ. Avicenna, in the 11th century, integrated it into a holistic medical system. A few centuries later, Paracelsus developed an alchemical medicine in which each organ and temperament corresponds to a planet. Could this be one of the reasons why the Blessed Beauty invited us to consider the ancient knowledge in order to better appreciate the influence of the stars on matter? 

Thou hast, moreover, asked Me concerning the nature of the celestial spheres. To comprehend their nature, it would be necessary to inquire into the meaning of the allusions that have been made in the Books of old to the celestial spheres and the heavens, and to discover the character of their relationship to this physical world, and the influence which they exert upon it. Every heart is filled with wonder at so bewildering a theme, and every mind is perplexed by its mystery. God, alone, can fathom its import.

Many advanced civilizations have disappeared over the millennia. We should therefore not be surprised by the high knowledge that these Ancients possessed and that we sometimes rediscover. Modern science explores these interconnections through chronobiology, circadian rhythms, and subtle electromagnetic influences, though it does not validate yet all the ancient correspondences.

In the 20th century, this lineage of researchers continued with a more scientific approach based on empirical psychological observations. 

In France, René Le Senne founded modern characterology, classifying individuals according to three measurable polarities (emotivity, activity, secondarity), giving birth to eight psychological types (nervous, sentimental, passionate, choleric, sanguine, phlegmatic and apathetic). Gaston Berger and others extended this approach by applying it to education, vocational guidance and personal development through systematic testing and clinical observation. In parallel, Louis Corman’s morphopsychology relied on precise facial and bodily measurements to establish correspondence between physical structure and temperament. For his part, Dr. Pierre André, in De la plante à l’étoile – Introduction à la Médecine astrologique (1988), highlighted the striking correspondences between the planets, the endocrine glands and the hormones. He notably presented diagrams showing the formal singularity between traditional astrological symbols and the microscopic structure of certain hormones or glands. According to his observations, It is through the interplay of subtle astral influences between the nervous system and endocrine secretion—in addition to genetic factors—that the child’s psychomorphotype is gradually shaped. But the influence of planetary configurations would fully take effect from the moment the newborn is separated from its mother by the cutting of the umbilical cord. For as long as it remains biologically linked to its mother, it remains influenced by her terrain, whereas once independent, it enters directly into resonance with the cosmic field present at that place and time.

In America, the biochemist Victor G. Rocine analyzed thousands of bodies and their ashes to establish correspondences between mineral dominances and morphology. These “chemical types” offered an empirical observation grid that illuminates the planetary imprint on the biochemical and hormonal terrain of the newborn. Louis Turgeon, in Quebec, took up and illustrated this approach in La Face Humaine Analysée, offering 21 type portraits of striking acuity according to his readers. 

Socrates’ “Know thyself” takes on a whole new meaning when we recognize the common origin of these planetary typologies—which have been so thoroughly refined over the centuries—and when we use them to better realize our potential. The respectful study of these approaches becomes a precious tool for self-knowledge. Thus, what have begun as an ancient and spiritual intuition — the influence of the stars on human beings — has gradually evolved into a more rigorous approach, nourished by clinical observations, anthropometric measurements, and biochemical analyses, a science of the human terrain that everyone might benefit from knowing better, a starting point upon which human free will is exercised through education, conscious nutrition, prayer, spiritual effort and self-transformation, thus enriching, balancing or transcending our initial tendencies, since the transcendent soul uses this “birthprint” as a tool, without being bound by it. 

It reminds us, moreover, that we are not isolated beings, but members of an interconnected universe — a reflection of the infinite wisdom of the Creator.

Doesn't the combination of these facts and the Blessed Beauty's directive about the thoughtful naming of a newborn serves, at least, as a reminder of the profound significance of the soul's entry in its everlasting journey?

Let the parents choose a name for their child with the utmost care and consideration. They should pray to God that the name may be a source of blessing for the child.

For a complementary reflection on man’s destiny from a baha'i perspective, one may consult: EACH OUR DESTINY.

Be wonderfully blessed!

Loesha

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