FMBR Editorial: March, 2011
On Cycles: Short, Long and In-Between
Judy Kitt
In recent years, a great deal has been made about December 21, 2012 as the end of a grand, 26,000year cycle of time. The date is purported to have been calculated by the ancient Mayans, who are known to have been master time keepers. As we approach the date in question, speculation about what will happen on that date, what it all means and what might happen next has gotten a lot of press. Although many use the idea of the closing of a grand galactic cycle as a means to generate fear in people, there are also people who believe that the alignment will bring in new energies that will foster a positive evolution of humanity —operating with less separation and higher level of consciousness/spirituality. The end of this cycle can be seen as a great opportunity to examine our societies, how we interact with each other and with the world around us, and to gain in collective wisdom.
As a biologist and a clinical researcher, I have long been aware of diurnal cycles, hormonal cycles and the periodicity around blood pressure and metabolism, for example. In my shamanic studies, I have become more and more attuned to cycles in nature, lunar cycles and seasonal movements. And as a ceremonialist, I have become intensely interested in life cycle events and initiations—the cycles of a human life. However, I am learning that all of the above barely scratches the surface of the number of systems that dance to a rhythm of periodicity.
Modern scholars have observed and studied cycles in everything from cellular functioning, to complex biological systems, economic systems and up to planetary and galactic systems. Rhythmic cycles have been discovered in systems as diverse as ornithology (in the wing beats of various birds, migration patterns and metabolic activity), botany (electrical conductivity of sap, concentration of growth substances and photoperiodicity) social and economic systems (wage earner activity, marriages and births, crime levels, creativity and inventiveness).
All of modern physics uses waves to model the universe and modern computers provide tools for developing models for the study of cycles. Information from the Foundation for the Study of Cycles (www.foundationforthestudyofcycles.org) provides a lot of material for thought. The foundation, which was incorporated seventy years ago, has been studying cycles in all scientific disciplines since its founder, Edward Dewey, discovered that cycles of identical length were found in economic (business) and biological systems.
In 1967, Dewey stated “Cycles are meaningful, and all science that has been developed in the absence of cycle knowledge is inadequate and partial. ...any theory of economics, sociology, history, medicine, or climatology that ignores non-chance rhythms is as manifestly incomplete as medicine was before the discovery of germs.” Their website also states the following principles:
Rhythmic cycles are a characteristic of more than 500 different phenomena.
Cycles persist without change of period for as far back as there are data. After distortion, cycles will revert to the pre-distortion pattern.
Cycles of any period tend to have counterparts in other phenomena, and even in other disciplines.
Timing of cycles suggests a geographical pattern, regardless of phenomena.
Cycles of the same period tend to synchronize, or crest at the same calendar time, regardless of phenomena.
These factors suggest that the natural world is subject to powerful forces that trigger fluctuations in various phenomena. An identical rhythm in different phenomena implies an interrelationship, or common cause. The knowledge of predictable, repetitive patterns is a valuable tool in the scientific projection of many different phenomena...[and may help] those searching for a new paradigm to understand the inter-relationship of all life.
It may be that all systems, whether organic or man-made, self organize around some set of rhythms that ebb and flow as part of a natural cycle. It also appears that those cycles can be studied in order to elucidate how they interact with us. More importantly, it is possible that the knowledge gained from studying universal cycles can be used to generate wisdom about how humanity may interact in a more balanced way with life on Earth and with the universe. If indeed we are rapidly approaching the close of one grand galactic cycle, this is something worth pondering now. What are your views about the possible universal nature of cycles and their potential impact on humans and the physical world?
Judy Kitt, President, FMBR