“Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you ?” (1 Cor. 3:16)
In the previous post, I detailed the functions of the thymus as an endocrine gland as well as a key player in what I have called the “immune alliance” of the body temple. The following excerpt from SACRED ANATOMY continues to elaborate on this dual function with intricate details that describe a powerful and ruthless process, under the direction and control of the Spirit of Purification, whose primary role it is to protect the body temple. It is imperative, for the sake of the ongoing presence and expression of the Spirit of Life in and through our human capacities, focused in and operating through the Thyroid gland, that nothing is allowed to enter the Holy Place of the heart that would defile it or in any way diminish or hinder the governance of the Spirit of Truth and the Spirit of Love, focused in the Pituitary and Pineal glands respectively.
It is my intention and desire in publishing these excerpts from my book to provide enlightenment about the miracle of life transpiring in our bodies, which are, individually and collectively, the temple of the Living God on Earth. In reading this excerpt, one may come to appreciate more fully the intricacies and complexities of interaction and communication between the various parts of our anatomy and physiology, and therein be inspired to maintain a personal atmosphere that is conducive and supportive to the work of the Spirit of Purification in one’s temple, so that Life may continue to manifest its radiance in the form of robust health and happiness. As stated earlier, the key to protection is a balanced immune system.
Protecting the Body Temple
The Thymus is probably the most powerful and active of all the seven endocrine centers when it is functioning in a balanced manner, and balance is the key here to a healthy immunity. In the healthy person there is just the right amount of immune response to repel infection or heal a wound, and just enough of the system involved to stop the response. There is neither over-active response nor under-active response as just the right amount and types of white blood cells and immune factors are recruited to meet and resolve each challenging “invader.” An invader, as we have noted, is anything that is not “self” and therefore does not belong in the body-temple. Over-active response results in auto-immunity and allergies, for example, while under-active response makes the body susceptible to infection.
The key to a balanced immunity is the body’s ability to distinguish between what is self and what is non-self. The job is usually easy as virtually every living organism and cell has its own unique set of “antigens” (surface molecules called “barcodes”) that identify them. Early in life, through real encounters, the young immune system learns to recognize these barcodes if given the opportunity. That opportunity is all too often missed in early childhood where antibiotics are used indiscriminately. Should such use continue on a regular basis, the child will grow up to be an adult with an “immature immune system.” Immature immune systems abound today with the widespread use of antibiotics, not only within the human system but also in the animals grown for human consumption.
On the other hand, where herbs, such as Echinacea, and phytonutrients found in whole foods rich in Vitamins A and C, are used to support the young immune system, it will fare well in its encounters with antigens and pathogens of all kinds and develop properly into a strong fortress as the child matures into adulthood. The problem arises when too much dependency is placed upon antibiotic medication, both in childhood and in later years. A weak and immature immune system is easily confused and overwhelmed by an onslaught of bacteria and viruses, many of them made stronger by adapting to antibiotics. The job of distinguishing between self and non-self becomes more complex as viruses, such as HIV which causes Auto-Immune Disease Syndrome (AIDS), take on the surface protein molecules (barcodes) of the immune cells themselves, leading lymphocytes into a battle with themselves and thereby completely destroying the body’s ability to protect itself against opportunistic scavengers, such as bacteria, parasites, viruses, molds and fungus, many of which are produced by the body itself on site where their services are needed to clean up the debris of decay resulting from infection. Infection is the body’s way of handling the pathology caused by invaders.
All this goes to say that our immune system, while powerful when balanced and educated through experience, is impotent when its delicate balance is disrupted and can even be left in a state of incoherence when not allowed to develop. Therefore a lot of effort and energy is expended by the body balancing white blood cells and immune co-factors to provide exquisite protection and defense against harmful invaders. Green, living foods are essential as a source of these co-factors.
The natural defenses of the immune system consist of an extremely elaborate and complex network of billions of lymphocytes, each one designed for a specific mission. These cells communicate with one another like construction crew members erecting a tall building. The result is a sensitive system of checks and balances that produces an immune response that is prompt, appropriate, fierce and effective, as well as self-limiting.
As we’ve noted, the thymus is joined by other organs keeping the body cells well fed, repaired and clean. Pockets of white blood cells (leukocytes, from the Greek leukos, meaning “white,” but also “light” or ”brilliant” or clear) can be found throughout the body-temple. The reticuloendothelial tissue of the tonsils, lymph nodes, spleen, and bone marrow are gathering sites for lymphocytes where cells grow and develop. Though not commonly recognized for this role, the largest immunological organ of the body is the intestine with its “Peyer’s patches” cells embedded within its wall. It is estimated that twenty-five percent of the intestines is involved in immunity with an additional seventy to eighty percent of all antibody-producing cells being located in our digestive system. At any given time there are more than 100 trillion bacteria in our digestive system. The cells that comprise the body are outnumbered ten-to-one by foreign organisms in and on our bodies.
Leukocytes recognize foreign invaders and coordinate the natural defenses of the body. There are three different types of leukocytes, or white blood cells: Granulocytes, monocytes and lymphocytes, each group having its own function. They all originate in bone marrow and circulate from there by way of the bloodstream throughout the body. About half of them come to rest in the Thymus, where they continue to differentiate and mature before returning to the bloodstream. Hence they are called T lympho-cytes, or “T cells.” These are involved in the inflammatory process and in destroying foreign invaders such as cancer cells. First to recognize the presence of foreign cells and infections, they recruit other cells and start up the immune response, releasing different classes of immune co-factors or bio-chemical signals that activate “B Cells” (blood-plasma cells), for example, to produce specific types of antibodies. Each B Cell is a self-contained factory that manufactures one specific type of antibody (immunoglobulin). These antibodies, large proteins, are programmed to identify invaders by their antigens (barcodes).
There are the “Killer Cells” that kill cancer cells and those carrying viruses. “Macra-phages” inform the white blood cells about the architecture of the invaders so that it can design the right antibody for the job, initiate immune response and scavenge dead organisms and cells. “Phagocytes” gobble up infected cells like “PAC-Men.” Eosinophils kill parasites and “Mast Cells” chemically trigger other cells into action and are involved in allergic reactions. While many white blood cells recognize and react to specific antigens which starts a specific immune response against an individual class of invaders, other types of cells respond in a nonspecific manner, killing any and all invaders.
Much more could be said about our powerful immune alliance and its many checks and balances that keep its response measured and timely. It is fascinating, for instance, how the mother passes on her immune cells to her child, first by her blood stream and then by way of her colostrum-rich milk, emphasizing the tremendous value of supportive nutrition during pregnancy and breast-feeding after birth to give the infant all the support it needs in building its own immune alliance. This is true for the animal kingdom in general wherein each species passes on its collective immunity and adaptations to the progeny through the egg or the milk.
Much has been written on the subject of stress and the immune system, a system that actually “talks” to our nervous and hormonal systems and vice versa. All these systems are integrated as one, as we have noted, and work together in governing our emotional as well as physical feelings. Stress and fatigue depress the immune system while joy and laughter stimulate it. Balance in all aspects of our lives is what this is all about.
Perhaps we can learn something from our body’s ruthless intolerance of non-self invaders of the body-temple in developing a sense of diligence in purging from our hearts and minds feelings and thoughts that are not true to our authentic Self but which invade our personal space without notice and threaten to defile our holy place within. The simple act of tagging them as not you, naming and acknowledging them as being there in your feelings but not identifying with them, allows them to be released into the purifying fires of the Spirit of Purification, where the energy maintaining them may be harvested and blended back into the circulation of Life in and through the body temple and the individual. In this is Life eternal.
One of my blog followers expresses poetically how his heart is like a furnace in this passionate response to my previous post:
My heart is a cauldron; a fuming, bubbling lava lake in the core of the volcano. Any thought, word, deed that happens to drop into its reach is decomposed, dissolved from its structure into its original component chemistry, purified, and recycled into the system.
My heart is a bottomless lake; the specific weight of any structure of thought, and emotion, drags it down, slowly, under its own weight; ever lower, deeper. Until, crushed by the pressure of the deep, it fragments, floating back to surface in the unrecognizable guise of its pristine origins.
My heart is a drop of pure elixir; the cure for all ills. The most concentrated, refined, the purest essence of ecstasy. It is the stuff of tears of joy. The product of the cellular absorption of the wonderful way all fits into a multi-dimensional Rubik cube.
Our body temples are created to accommodate the incarnate beings we are –“angels from the realms of glory,” if you will. We are each a unique differentiation of the One Great Spirit, from whom we all spring forth through living flesh to appear on earth and co-create a heaven. The purpose of the incarnate angel is to accommodate the creative expression of the Spirit of God. In my next post, “The Angelic Gland,” I will expand on this theme and show how our sacred energy anatomy facilitates this expression. If you have any thoughts or inspirations to share, please do so. My email address is below. Until my next post,
Be love. Be loved.
Anthony
Email: tpal70@gmail.com
Healing Tones 