Friday

PRENATAL AND PERINATAL EDUCATION SERIES - ARTICLE 10 PARENTING STYLES

PRENATAL AND PERINATAL EDUCATION SERIES - ARTICLE 10
PARENTING STYLES
- Shivakumar Belavadi, PPNE, Bangalore, India

TOPIC - Please define "Conscious Conception."

R.D. Laing, a pioneering psychologist had honestly ruminated  "It seems to me credible, at least, that all our experience in our life cycle from cell one is absorbed and stored from the beginning, perhaps especially in the beginning. How that may happen I do not know.    How can one cell generate the billions of cells I now am?                                                                    
We are impossible, but for the fact that we are.”

Definition

Procreation is a fundamental fact and act seen in all of Creation. In nature – it is an occurrence, and has continued to be so over millions of years. Amongst human beings, the present understanding of conception is that it is the event when a man and woman come together at coitus under certain physical conditions. A sperm from the man fuses with the ovum of the woman, leading to the formation of a Zygote. This is the most popular notion of conception. While this may be true at the gross or physical level, there is much more happening – preceding, during and after the physical act.

What are all the factors that contribute and influence in the process of conception? Are there any we know of, but don’t cognize? Are there subtle factors unknown to us? If we include all that (a) we ‘know’, (b) we ‘generally know but do not cognize’, and (c) what we ‘do not know but we need to become aware, understand and appreciate, the Conception Canvas expands to a realm beyond just the ‘known and physical’ and becomes Holistic.

Conception in such a state of Total Awareness is Conscious Conception.

I will now attempt to put this in a perspective.

A. Conception - The Realm of the Known
In nature, it has been observed that the physical act for copulation happens in a particular season and for a particular reason - usually “Continuity of Species”. However, the physical act of copulation between a man and a woman could happen for two purposes viz. (a) Pleasure or (b) Procreation.
The act for pleasure could be random and may happen at any time in adult human beings. While we may attempt to procreate in any season, it can reach fruition only when certain conditions are fulfilled. Some of these would include:
·    A woman needs to be in the “fertile period’ in the course of her monthly menstrual cycle
·   Virility and motility of sperms are essential to go through an arduous process for fusing with the ovum.
·  The quality of the sperm and egg. For instance, weak sperms may not complete the journey to the egg after ejaculation, a hard outer cover of the ovum may make it difficult for a sperm to penetrate into the cell.
·  Synchronization of physical factors playing a role in the process. For instance, the Celia (hair like fibrous structures) need to move in a perfect rhythm to facilitate the movement of egg in/through the Fallopian tube.

Medical fraternity, surely knows all of this. Biology and Obstetrics medical literature has details of what are needed, what needs to be done, how the process works and how it concludes. In short, the facets involved and the process of conception in the physical realm are fairly well known amongst the educated masses and is well recognized within society.

B. Conception – The Realm of “What we Know but do not Cognize”.

Evolution and life have taken many contours over thousands of years.  This has produced many things which we may be aware of at a broad level. Our information bases today are much wider. For example, the effect of air and noise pollution, depletion of Ozone layer in the atmosphere, reducing oxygen content in the air we breathe are well known today because of media blitz, publicity and the repeated broadcasts made. Along with the information needed and justified, many a times,we get only selective or incomplete inputs. This tends to become Media Driven Awareness.

Some of the serious undertones in ‘generally known information’, however, are not known and understood by people. For instance, Dr.Michel Odent gives a clear description of a situation explaining the ‘Age Of Man-Made Fat-Soluble Chemicals’. He states:

Over the years we all have accumulated hundreds of chemicals in our adipose tissue that would not have been there sixty years ago because such chemicals did not exist at that time. Many of these pollutants have a long half-life and we do not have mechanisms to break them down; therefore they cannot be eliminated by the kidneys. Since the 1990s we have gathered sufficient data to realize that a major threat to the health of future generations is intrauterine pollution by such man-made molecules. It is during this period that molecules used by cells to 'talk' to `each other (e.g. Hormones) can affect the way that genes express themselves. They are biologically active in parts per trillion, thousands of times more diluted than the level at which toxicological testing is usually performed. The majority of the genes in our bodies are only switched on for short windows of development, and then they shut down until the next generation.”

Remediation, as Kate White suggests in an article on ‘Pre and Perinatal Experiences for Health and Healing’,  is in “ Prior to conception, women can cleanse, ridding their organ systems of possible toxins from plastics and other chemicals ingested without their knowledge, hidden in food and air pollution.”

The experts mentioned above illustrate the new knowledge which has come about through research and scientific findings. Today they need to become well known amongst all sections of the society. While generally people may have the knowledge of pollution and contamination, the intricate details of the causes and harmful consequences of those are not widely known. However, with some effort, interested persons could access resources with which they can increase their knowledge and learning. If such topics are included in public health discourses, publicity and notifications, the awareness coming about from that, will help people make better choices in life, especially in the context of conception.

Hence, with some effort, things which are in general awareness could move to becoming specifically and specially cognized in times of need. Thus Healthy Conception and Child Bearing would become more purposeful.

C. Conception – The Realm of “What we need to become Aware of, Understand and truly Appreciate”

Our knowledge and understanding of the last few centuries is now undergoing through an upheaval. A significant body of knowledge is being discovered through new-gen sciences. Many scientists, researchers, anthropologists, biologists and pedagogues are exploring the arena of Quantum Physics, Consciousness, Epigenetics, Signal Transduction and other related spaces. Senior PPNE practitioners and professionals, including William Emerson, Thomas Verny, Wendy McCarty, Ray Castellino, Marcy Axness and Bruce Lipton speak of the role of Consciousness, Epigenetics and the new awareness/sciences in the process of Conception. Many of them echo the knowledge and understanding which is coming about with the changing knowledge paradigm. A few of them are quoted below:

1. Marcy Axness – “Conscious Conception is a Quantum Collaboration. We tap into a powerful dimension of human development when we broaden our perception of what happens in the “simple” process of fertilization of the egg by the sperm. Consider the implications of findings in quantum physics, cell biology, and epigenetics, such as non-local mind matter interactions, and the effects of “directed intention” on microbes, human cells, and biochemical reactions in the body.”

2. Wendy Anne McCarty states that while working “I focus on sensing the greater field, what I have come to call the “therapeutic family holographic field.” The field that contains local, energetic, and non-local information; and that reflects the unconscious, conscious, and superconscious, all the interconnected relationships, and all time periods, ancestral and other life-times, etc. I would tune into the field and focuses would emerge.” 

She also mentions that “PPN findings show us that our spiritual connection, primary knowing, and transcendent Self perspective are there from the beginning of life! We are consciousness coming into human life, and we are innately wired with the capacity of connection with our transcendent Self and Source to be the embodied integrated spiritual human being—the butterfly.”

She goes on to state – “When I speak of supporting babies’ wholeness from the beginning of life, I see this as our primary task in welcoming consciousness—to nurture and protect their primary relationship of Self.”

3. Dan Hurley in an article in Discover Magazine.com states “Grandma’s experiences leave a mark on your genes. Your ancestors' lousy childhoods or excellent adventures might change your personality, bequeathing anxiety or resilience by altering the epigenetic expressions of genes in the brain.”

He refers extensively to the pioneering work of  Moshe Szyf, a molecular biologist and geneticist at McGill University in Montreal and Michael Meaney, a McGill neurobiologist, which gives us new insights of behavioural epigenetics, traumatic experiences in our past, or in our recent ancestors’ past, leave molecular scars adhering to our DNA.

He further quotes the duo saying – “Jews whose great-grandparents were chased from their Russian shtetls; Chinese whose grandparents lived through the ravages of the Cultural Revolution; young immigrants from Africa whose parents survived massacres; adults of every ethnicity who grew up with alcoholic or abusive parents — all carry with them more than just memories.

Like silt deposited on the cogs of a finely tuned machine after the seawater of a tsunami recedes, our experiences, and those of our forebears, are never gone, even if they have been forgotten. They become a part of us, a molecular residue holding fast to our genetic scaffolding. The DNA remains the same, but psychological and behavioural tendencies are inherited. You might have inherited not just your grandmother’s knobby knees, but also her predisposition toward depression caused by the neglect she suffered as a new-born. Or not. If your grandmother was adopted by nurturing parents, you might be enjoying the boost she received thanks to their love and support.

4. William Emerson comments on Conception and early life that – “ The associated underlying belief systems that hold it in place derive from a number of factors: the shadow aspects of parents; the same unresolved elements in the lives of grandparents (the ovum from which the mother sprang was already formed at eleven weeks gestation in the maternal grandmother); a commensurate and immeasurable twine of psychogenetic ancestral memories; the prenate’s own “baggage” from pre-conception; the experience of the conception itself; the phenomenology of implantation; and the whole duration of the gestation period; all together form layers of affect in this self-forging process.”

5. Bruce Lipton – “As has recently been established environmentally-directed maternal influences may impact more than just the subsequent generation. An observation referred to as the "grandmother effect" reveals Dutch women who were on starvation diets during the famine of World War II, produced smaller than normal babies. Interestingly, this pattern of stunted growth continued into the next generation (Vines, 1997). There are now many examples of how maternal observations of environmental exigencies profoundly alter the growth, phenotype (physiological expression), sex ratios and even the sexual maturation period of their offspring, all in an effort to ensure the survival of their species.”

The references above evidently speak of the newness of this knowledge. They also speak eloquently of the integrating and combining effects of seemingly different disciplines, through the process of conception. This body of knowledge conspicuously seems missing in the information which is available and accessible to the masses. It is not easily found or discussed in the public domain.

A question arises at this stage - Do I need to know everything about everything before proceeding for conception? Is it possible at all for a human being? The understanding one can gain from the working of the Quantum Field is revealing. If we just become aware of ‘what I know’ and accept ‘I do not know many things but I can get to know anything’ and set a clear intention behind my subsequent efforts, the Field manifests according to My Intentions. A human being is a truly powerful entity !

Many cultures had wisdom which is Holistic, often preceding the vintage of modern sciences. Buddhist, Shamanic, Greek and contemporary tribal cultures show a prescient awareness on conception. Many of them include sanctity, devotion and divinity to complete the Holistic elements. As an example, I am giving below a diagram which gives an indication of the rich essence of Indian/Hindu scriptures. This is developed by the Shivanetra spiritual lineage in India, capturing all the causative and collaborative conception factors including those known in science today.  


DIVINITY OF PROCREATION


Synthesis

Integrating knowledge from Modern Sciences and the Ancient Indian Wisdom would lead to Conscious Holistic Conception in my opinion. There is a dire need to recognise and act on the following:  

1. There is a common goal of mankind as a whole – Peace and Progress! There is a chain in the way the order of universe operates.  BodyçèEmotionsçèMind/IntellectçèSubconsciousçèSocietyçèWorld
çèUniverse, is a chain which is continuous and interactive in both directions.

2. Who or what is being created during conception? It is now apparent to serious PPN practitioners (and to many others!) that there is a huge nexus between the Universe and the new life or entity being created. The possibility of bringing to life a human being, does not lie in the consequence of a physical act nor in a bio-chemical fusion of germ cells. It is a possibility that is divined out from the Field (Divine Matrix as Gregg Braden expounds or the Sacred science of Kshetra as revealed through the Bhagavad Gita, a scripture of ancient India).

3. It should be easy to visualise that the new life is a complex of Body, Mind, and Emotions, like all of us know. However, that is just in the visual spectrum. There are deeper layers of life – which include the subconscious mind! For instance, today we now know that memory is associated with not just the brain, but the whole body. It extends within the body and outside!  Ancient scriptures of India explain how impressions from seven generations can be embedded within the subconscious!

4. The Universe/Supreme Energies and Intelligence do not function in a random manner. There is a deliberate design and purpose in all action. What appears as chaos in one plane, is coordinated symphony at another level! Indeed, the pulse that becomes the heart, throbs for eternity! The new conception happens with a purpose and all the stakeholders associated with it must collaborate to help the new life move towards achieving its purpose.

5. In a popular video on You Tube [https:// www.youtube.com/ watch?v = kJBO0C1iYp8 ], Dr Thomas Verny begins by stating that Procreation can never be understood without the basic knowledge of two important guiding factors. The first is the ‘Life is a Continuum’ and the second is the ‘Mind- Body Connection.’ These two are considered primary essentials of Indian spiritual learning as well! ( Punarjanma – Rebirth and Karma – Cause and Effect chain). The process of procreation really is Re-Creation and it would be sad to limit it to banal recreation !

Following from the above, we need to recognise that for practising conception consciously, we need to be aware of the role of stakeholders at each stage.

A. Parents – They have the most immediate interest. They need to prepare for conception by becoming aware of themselves, their baby-to-come and the other influencing factors. The influence of parents becomes palpable and has a tremendous impact on the baby coming into this world. Kate White summarises this in an article on Conscious Conception stating:
“The mother is the first home for humans. Once a woman or a couple decides on pregnancy, this early in utero environment can be nurtured with nutritional changes and awareness. The best thing that parents can do prenatally is resolve their own early history. An adult’s unconscious pre and perinatal pattern can influence how a baby is conceived, nurtured, born and raised. Couples can seek out counselling to decide on how they want to parent and what their family values will be. Prior to conception, women can cleanse, ridding their organ systems of possible toxins from plastics and other chemicals ingested without their knowledge, hidden in foods and air pollution. Whatever is going on around a mom three months before conception will influence the DNA selection for a baby. The father’s experiences, environment and stress levels also influence the DNA in the sperm. As parents move toward conception, their state of mind can influence DNA selection. It is also important for moms to take prenatal vitamins, especially folic acid and fish oils (omegas 3, 6 and 9). Moms and dads can cultivate a sense of safety and protection in their bodies, in their relationship and in their environment to help prepare for the pregnancy.”

     B. Society – There is an effect of the local environment comprising of other human beings, cultural influences, medical practices (during pre-conception- Obstetrical, Psychological, Climate, quality of air/water/food and attitudes) and many other influencing factors. If all of them are coordinated and made collaborative, the conception process is positively influenced. Negative consequences follow if the practices are opposite.

    C. Universal – We all need to be aware and accept of the Grand Purpose and Design in everything in the Universe. If we ignore this, then actions could become discordant. As a species, we will fail to achieve the larger purpose of Peace and Progress and hence not grow and evolve in a harmonious manner. “I-Me-Myself” is a very limited view of myself and I/we have to include everything else in and around me/ourselves.

If the order above is within our awareness and acted upon, we will move towards begetting exceptional and empowered individuals into our midst. All stakeholders have to collaborate. Many PPN experts have opined that if Conception is practised “Consciously”, within two to three generations, planet Earth will become a wonderful place.

We often hear “Think of what kind of Planet we will leave behind for our Children”. In my opinion, it is equally important of “What kind of Children we will leave behind for the Planet”.  Conscious Holistic Conception is the need of our times !

Conclusion

What modern pre and perinatal sciences are revealing and promoting is truly meaningful for mankind. Ancient cultures practiced profound wisdom as well. There is a loaded message from an ancient Indian scripture (called Viveka Chudamani)

Jantunam Narajanma Durlabham”

Meaning - Of all species, begetting conception/birth as a Human Being is the most precious and valuable.

Another relevant verse from Indian scriptures is: 

Ahara Nidra Bhaya Maithunam Cha Samanam Etat Pashubhir Naranam l
Jnaane Hi Tesham Adhiko Visheshaha Jnaane Vihinaha Pashubhirsamanaha ll

It means that all species exhibit basic instincts – hunger, sleep, fear and mating;  what sets human beings apart is awareness or knowledge; Hence in the absence of awareness and knowledge, man is just an animal.


It is hence clear that for mankind to survive and evolve, Conscious Holistic Conception is essential. This message needs to spread far and wide, and into every Home and Heart !