The ScienceThe Holistic House
The ScienceThe Holistic House
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Have you ever found your child curled up in one corner of the bed? Have
you ever noticed that your cat chooses particular spots to sleep? Does
your dog seem to systematically avoid certain areas? Do you feel more
comfortable in certain parts of your home than in others? Are you
affected by recurrent migraines, allergies or insomnia of which the
causes remain unknown?
The relatively new art and science of geobiology suggests answers to
questions like these. It is new in the sense that it strives to analyse
age old building traditions and to support them with recent discoveries
of science. It tries to understand the relationships between the local
environment and the health of living organisms integrating the studies
and discoveries of many specialized scientific subjects such as
astrophysics, geophysics, geology, hydrology, biology, electronics,
architecture and traditions both local and collective.
Since the earliest time in history the act of defining the suitability
of a dwelling site was submitted to a wide set of parameters and
rituals. In China it was defined by Feng Shui, the art of reading a
landscape and its influence on a given area. Mountains, lakes, rivers
and forests were all charged with quantities of energy (Chi) according
to their shape, size and disposition and the relationship between them
affected and defined the suitability of sites for particular uses.
According to the architect Vitruvius Pollio, before building a city, the
Romans would leave a herd of cattle to live on the land for one year.
Then, after having slaughtered them and inspected their entrails, they
would decide if the chosen site was healthy or not.
Throughout history the foundation of a city or a public building was the
occasion of special rituals and dedications to gods, planets or saints.
The symbolic aspects of the consecration was most important.
The ceremony in which we see an official laying the first stone of an
edifice is the remnant of this tradition.
The exact moment when the first stone of Cairo (Egypt) was laid
corresponded with the ascension of the planet Mars (in Arabic El Kaher:
the victor).
The astrological theme which defines the cosmic affinities of each
individual was applied to architecture when considering that the moment
of birth of a construction corresponded to the laying of the first
stone.
The start of the work on the site of the Escurial Palace, the centre of
the Spanish government, was appointed with the entrance of the sun and
the moon in Aries, which presides symbolically to the highest political
and military ambitions. Furthermore, the building was dedicated to St
Laurence (martyr tortured on a grill) and its plan assumes the shape of
a grill. The orientation of an edifice, its position in relation to the
stars, the sun, the planets and the obscure tellurian forces was the
recognition of the materialization of its higher aspirations. What the
ancients called the pillar of the world or "Axis Mundi".
It was often symbolically illustrated with the image of an archangel
(the cosmic or positive light forces) striking a dragon (the tellurian
or negative obscure forces) or as Apollo slaying the serpent Python. The
Abbey of Mount St Michel (France) is positioned on the axis 64°
off North. This direction faces towards the sunrise of the 8th of May,
traditionally the St. Michel day of Spring. The opposite direction shows
the sunset of the 6th August, Transfiguration of Christ.
The ancients understood architecture as the materialized image of a
natural and invisible order. The Egyptian or Mayan temples, the Chinese
pagoda and the Gothic cathedral represented on the material level the
more subtle realms from which they emerged.
In the Alps of Switzerland a few older carpenters are still inspired by
the respect for the forest and the wood. The trees are felled only
during a very specific period, between December and February, and under
the descending moon. The timber is seasoned for periods up to 11 years
depending on the nature of the wood and its future use.
During the construction process each beam, rafter and stud is carefully positioned
according to the original direction of growth of the wood. A tree grows
from the Earth (negative pole) to the sky (positive pole), thus rafters
and studs will always be fixed so as to have their positive pole towards
the sky. The beams would have their positive pole towards North or East,
to ensure a natural flow of energies between the construction and the
biosphere. When completed the structure is always blessed in a small
ceremony during which a decorated sapling is nailed on the pitch of the
roof. Many chalets, some of them up to 400 years old, are still standing
in perfect condition, having never received a coat of paint or wood
treatment.
These traditional practices and the great body of knowledge from which
they came have been slowly discarded with the arrival of the industrial
age to give way to "cost efficient", less time - consuming building
practices and the use of toxic products.
The times seem long gone when any stone mason knew it was unwise to
build on the "veins of the dragon", as the Chinese and the Celts called
the streams of tellurian forces.
A healthy house should not cut its occupants from the natural influences
of the Earth and heavens. It should be the vessel where these energies
can meet and be transmuted for the benefit of man.
To obtain this a construction must keep as much of the original natural radiations of the
environments as possible. Humanity has evolved within this field of
radiations for over 40,000 generations and has developed a highly
sensitive nervous system. Modern technology and new housing techniques
have considerably deprived us of this contact with nature for only two
generations. There has been little time for biological adaptation.
The influences generated by the heavens include solar radiations, the
radiations of planetary bodies and, to a lesser extent, the stars. The
intensity of these radiations varies according to latitude, altitude,
weather and solar activity.
The influences generated by the earth are generally brought about by the
earth's magnetic field and local geological characteristics. Our planet,
being a great magnet with its positive and negative poles, is surrounded
by its own magnetic field (the geomagnetic field) pulsating at the rate
of 7, 8 beats/second. The intensity of this field varies according to
the location and the hour of the day.
Magnetic disturbances have been observed over underground water streams and geological faults. Recent research in Germany and France shows that certain types of massive
construction can reduce the effects of the geomagnetic to the extent of
inducing different health problems such as heart diseases. The German
physicist Robert Endros studied this question with Professor KE Lotz of
the School of Architecture of Biberach (West Germany). Their analysis of
400 deaths due to cancer revealed that 383 cases were related to
dwelling over geological faults, underground water veins and disturbances
of the natural geomagnetic field.
A well-known and documented geological cause of disease is the
radioactive gas Radon 222 produced by the disintegration of Uranium 238
in Uranium - rich minerals. It is found in greater concentration in well-insulated and poorly ventilated spaces.
In the Thirties, Dr S Jenny in Aarau (Switzerland) experimented with the
effects of geological faults and underground streams on 25,000 mice for
a period of 12 years. Mice in cages placed over a perturbation of the
geomagnetic field became agitated, gnawed their tails and even ate their
offspring, sometimes developing cancerous tumours. When placed over a
neutral zone they became more settled. If a cage was to be placed partly
over such a perturbation (geopathic zone) and partly on a healthy zone
the mice preferred to stay on the latter.
In France beekeepers place hives over underground water veins. Such hives
can produce up to three times more honey than hives positioned a few
feet away, but according to these beekeepers, the life span of these
bees is considerably shortened and they are more aggressive.
For some years researchers like Dr Hartmann (Director of the Committee
for Geobiology Eberbach - Waldkatzenbach - waldbrunn), Dr Palme, Prof.
Endros, KE Lotz and many others have studied the undeniable influences
of electromagnetic fields on living organisms. According to the
researches of Dr Hartmann the geomagnetic field is composed of active
and neutral zones, the active areas being lines 21cm wide with the
neutral zone lying between the lines.
These lines form a North - South and East - West grid, they are about
2.0m apart on the North - South axis and 2.5m apart on the East - West
axis in the temperate zone.
The crossing points of these lines are considered to be unhealthy if one
is to remain over them for long periods of time as in a bed or at a work
station for example. The regularity of the H grid can also be affected
by man made disturbances such as high tension power lines, roads etc.
The effect of a crossing or knot in the H grid can be amplified by other
local characteristics such as an underground stream or a geological
fault making that particular spot potentially dangerous. According to
Prof. Endros trees growing on the crossing of the grid are prone to
being hit by lightning, especially if they are near or over an
underground stream. Most trees or plants showing deformities are found
on such "knots" of the H grid. On these the Romans used to build sham
wells dedicated to Jupiter and consecrated to "Fulgur Conditum" (buried
lightning).
Animals and very young children have not lost their instinct to feel if
a place is healthy or not. In the morning, one can often see children
cramped into one side of their beds, oriented differently from when they
were tucked in. It is wise to determine then if the bed is well
positioned. Sensitive adults will not sit in a particular spot often
without being able to explain why they feel uncomfortable.
Animals in pastures will avoid a disturbed zone to the extent that one
could follow their paths by looking at the area that has been grazed.
Throughout history animals have constituted the economical base of rural
properties and the greatest care has been taken to build healthy
shelters for them. We see very few old farm buildings situated on a
perturbated area. Most of the cases of diseased animals observed by
Prof. Endros living over geopathic zones have been observed in new
installations built in the last decades.
It is interesting to observe that cats and ants will thrive over a spot
submitted to radiation but dogs or mice will avoid them. According to
Prof. Endros the statistical study of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome
(SIDS) shows high differences in frequency depending on the location,
which led him to the supposition that SIDS may be caused by local
factors.
Further studies in German and American cities by Egon Eckert of
Newton showed that most cases were distributed along high power lines.
The conjunction of high power lines, underground water streams and H
grid crossing should be considered as extreme perturbation of the
ambient field. It should be essential to have a correct positioning of
beds in places where people have a diminished resistance and health such
as hospitals.
According to the Institute of Geobiology of Lausanne
(Switzerland) 30% of the patients studied showed signs of improvement
after having their beds shifted from active zones. Describing the Cairo
Hospital built in 1823 by Sultan Galaoun, the historian P d'Avenne
explained the importance of the building:
The purpose of Geobiology is to provide the data to enable us to
reproduce an habitat as near to natural living conditions as possible,
taking into account the need for comfort provided by old and new
technologies favourable to the environment. It strives to define and
examine the numerous elements influencing the quality of our home. To
diminish or enhance the salubriousness of a house the accumulation of
many factors is required. These elements can be roughly ordered in three
interdependent levels.
The physical level deals with all the known effects related to the
quality of the ground (ie geological fault, water streams,
Radon...etc.), to the quality of the location (ie air pollution,
noise...etc.) and the quality of the construction.
We have slowly come to realize the great influence that building
materials have on our health, both physical and psychological. One can
easily imagine oneself stroking a piece of wood, feeling its softness
and warmth. The tree has grown out from the energies of the Earth, the
water and the cosmos, it radiates a message of life, very different from
the message of a piece of polystyrene or plastic.
But even the best of
materials can be killed by toxic chemical treatments which are slowly
releasing poisonous emanations such as Lead, Cadmium, Formaldehyde,
Phenols, Organochlorine...etc. They are known to cause nausea,
headaches, insomnia, asthma, brain damage and even cancer.
The energy level includes the positioning of a house on the Hartmann
grid and other tellurian currents, electromagnetic pollution and the
Faraday cage effect due to bad earthing of electric installation,
reinforcement of concrete slabs and steel frames.
In recent years the rapid proliferation of artificial sources of
radioelectric frequencies has become a cause for concern. It has
surpassed many times the production of natural sources.
According to a
German specialist Wolfgang Volkrodt, electromagnetic pollution has
increased a hundred times during the past 30 years. Ten to fifteen per
cent of cancers affecting American children could be caused by low
frequency electromagnetic fields around high voltage power lines, this
is the astonishing affirmation of the New York Power Lines Project. This
study group was formed by the commission responsible for the power grid
of the State of New York.
The symbolic or spiritual level, which is the least recognized, is
also the most important in the sense that it is the definition of the
quality of the whole. Most of us can feel clearly the difference of
ambience in extremes (ie between abattoirs and churches) and be strongly
affected by them, persons endowed with a greater sensitivity will
perceive subtle differences that would nevertheless unconsciously
influence us.
According to B Merz (Institute of Geobiology of Chardonne,
Lausanne in Switzerland) just as a place can make us prone to disease or
depression, another can lift us to more subtle levels of vibration,
strengthening our body and spirit. Such places were sought after
throughout history and held as sacred. Some are natural wonders like
Ayers Rock, the Aborigines have long known this, the Grand Canyon, the
Matterhorn and countless other places on this planet which inspire the
millions of modern pilgrims we call tourists.
Others are man-made poles
of attraction built on powerful sites by architect - priests obeying a
sacred tradition, like the pyramids of Egypt, the statues of Easter
Island or many Gothic cathedrals. The site on which the cathedral of
Chartres is erected was already considered sacred by the Celts.
Most people know intuitively what parameters would enhance or diminish
the quality of their life when looking for a house. However, many
important factors are overlooked in favour of less geobiologically
significant elements.
After derm and clothing, the house is our third skin and a very
important factor in keeping healthy. We should remember that when
choosing a house or a site we are defining our future quality of life.
Geobiology proposes coherent and structured ways to establish the
important criteria bearing on this choice. It suggests the following
rules of thumb:
The Ancients translated in their stone temples the great laws of the
universe. They all based themselves on the same principles using the
cosmo - tellurian forces. Their dynamic complementarity generated a
third vital element for Man, the evolution of all things. We must now
rediscover these laws hidden in each of us and communicate them to our
constructions, from the most modest to the most sumptuous. Such a
realization is possible on three levels:
The harmonic level, the human soul rejoicing in the vital movements of
cosmic cycles.
The symbolic level, the knowledge enabling the elaboration of the
"Axis Mundi" and Man's spiritual matrix. This level constitutes the
intimate ties giving the other two levels their real grandeur.
Training is available: Workshop Schedule
Geobiology - The Holistic House
by J M Gobet B. Arch.The Site, The House
The Tradition
The Hartmann Grid (H grid)
The Structure of Geobiology
How to Choose a Home
flowery
gardens, trees absorbing dust and producing oxygen.
The ideal solution would be to be able to switch off the
bedroom areas for the night to avoid long exposure to electromagnetic
fields (the effects of these fields can be enhanced by metal beds).
Conclusion
References
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Posted with permission of Slim Spurling 1998