Caduceus

	3.	on the finer plane of matter, 'Akash' [akasha, aakaasha]. This last stage of final involution into matter is our earth life as we know it, including the cycles of history.

The Sympathetic Nervous System consists of a double chain of ganglion, originating in the ganglion of Rebes [Ribes] in the brain, descending on each side of the spinal column and ending in the ganglion of Impar, in front of the coccyx. In the Caduceus, each chain is symbolized by a serpent. The crossing over of the serpents at the central column (the spine) denotes the various sympathetic plexuses and the rami communicans [ramus communicans, rami communicantes] which link the cerebrospinal system with the sympathetic nervous system. The sympathetic or vegetative nervous system is a part of Nature which repairs the body and keeps it in tune with the natural forces. It also uses the four elements and their materials (solids, liquids, gases and warmth) to replenish and nourish the body.

The Cerebellum, or the lesser part of the wings on the staff, was considered part of the sympathetic nervous system, as it regulates the automatic functions and the preservation of the body through the vital centers.

The two large wings on the staff represent the Cerebrum proper, the function of the mind, the thinking switchboard and all correlated, directed impulses.

The upright shaft represents the pons varolii, medulla, the spinal cord with its three coverings, and the spinal column.

The bulb on top of the staff represents the optic thalamus, the center of consciousness and light in the brain.

What is the mystery of this arrangement? Where is the dweller in the body, the Charioteer that runs this machine? How is it operated? What happens when man sleeps or dies? What makes this dweller in the body feel pleasure or pain? Have we any answer for all these vital factors in our scientific concept of a body of matter? Can we understand ourselves without knowing the Self in the body? Is it merely the body, or the whole being that needs tuning into the Universal Current, when man is ill? Is the origin of disease in Nature, or in man and his mind and senses? To answer all these questions, the philosophy of the ancients and the Caduceus give us some very clear indications:

CONSCIOUSNESS is a soul quality. This does not refer to the consciousness that is a result of standard ethics and training, which varies in each country.

The soul, spirit, or real being receives its energy from the great Universal Spirit, Soul, Sun, or Being; even as our physical sun gives us light, life, and radiates energy ('Prana'). So this inner Sun gives light and energy to the soul, unperceived, as