Sorry to be a bit stuck on this topic, but I found this while researching the astrology/autism connection and thought this might interest my readers. It’s from an article written in 2000 by astrologer Sandra Weidner:
We are all incarnated. Any one who has looked upon the body of a deceased loved one–unless too shattered from grief to see–has the clear sensation, “he/she is no longer in this.”
We are Life which has assumed material form in order to enter a material world. For a time. For certain purposes.
The spiritual is never as limited as the material. To come here, we have to take on limitations. For one, a body is required. It represents one part of our admission ticket. The other is formed by our group as well as individual reasons for coming….
So, yes, we are all incarnated. Some of us, however, are more incarnated than others. Our physical bodies make it appear we are all equally here. We are not.
Autistic children are one of the groups of people who are less here. Their physical bodies are here; their identities are considerably somewhere else.
Most families of autistic children already know that. They just cannot explain why. Here, using this universal language of creation–astrology–it becomes understandable. …
Here’s where it gets really interesting:
I borrow from the work of Jungian psychologist, Erich Neuman. It is from his book, The Child:
The young of the higher mammals are born in a state of relative maturity; either immediately or shortly after birth they are small adults which not only wholly resemble adult animals but are also capable of living unaided. In order to attain a similar state of maturity the human embryo would require a pregnancy of from twenty to twenty-two months. In other words, the human child, after the nine months it spends in the womb, requires another year [italics ours] to attain the degree of maturity that characterizes the young of most other mammals at birth.
(1)
With his “true” birth [i.e., around 21 months from conception] the human individual becomes, quite characteristically, not only an individual of his species but also a part of his group. (18)
As the child approaches the end of the post-uterine embryonic phase [i.e., around 21 months] and becomes a human individual, not only has its body-Self, but moreover the ego has developed beyond its germinal stage and achieved a certain continuity with the child’s developing consciousness….
With the consolidation of its ego, the child gradually enters into the development of consciousness, culminating, finally in the polarization of the adult consciousness. (20)
The primal relationship [the mother/infant bond that allows the infant's optimum development] is the ontogenetic basis for being-in-one’s-own-body, being-with-one’s-Self, being-together, and being-in-the-world.” (26)
Paraphrasing Neumann, the human infant is not fully incarnated–that is, he has a body, but not a consciousness suitable to orient and use it–until about one year after his birth. [Emphasis added.]
After this there is an extensive and extremely complex astrological analysis that would take more time than I have available to make sense of at this juncture. But this concept of the autistic children not fully incarnating is I think an interesting one.
posted January 7, 2009 at 8:13 pm
Add to this that studies of brain development show that the brain does not fully develop until around the age of 28 or the first Saturn return.
posted January 7, 2009 at 8:37 pm
I have found myself wondering from time to time what the effect is on a soul’s incarnation into a body when the natural birth process has so often been trumped by births being scheduled into everyone’s jam-packed schedules. It’s like, the soul’s incarnation into the body is so delicate and sacred and natural a process when allowed to proceed on its own natural schedule. But fitting in a birth between corporate responsibilities and vacation schedules and, really, you name the apparent obligation, and I think it could very well interfere with the natural need for the soul to “call the shots.” Perhaps autism, as suggested in this posting, is a still-to-be-finished process, and a new, natural healing method of welcoming the full soul into the physical form ia a potential path toward healing.
posted January 7, 2009 at 9:05 pm
I suppose it depends on whatever your religious beliefs might be. None of us can know, so it’s all going to be speculative. I personally think it’s likely that we’re all here to learn something and to teach other people life lessons and those lessons are probably very specific to each individual soul. What we learn and take back with us gives pleasure and glory to God, to whom we will all return. Kids with autism are no different than the rest of us in the lessons they are here to learn through their struggles and the lessons they teach parents and family members in patience, compassion, advocacy, etc. Whether those lessons we’re learning have anything to do with a past life is probably debatable.
posted January 7, 2009 at 11:22 pm
This is a very interesting subject, as are all the comments so far, particularly this from Andrea:
“Kids with autism are no different than the rest of us in the lessons they are here to learn through their struggles and the lessons they teach parents and family members in patience, compassion, advocacy, etc.”
I wish I had something of substance to add, but I guess I’m in the learning phase.
posted January 8, 2009 at 2:13 am
What you have written of Sandra Weidner’s article reminds me a bit of Jeffry Wolf Green’s (evolutionary astrology)orientation towards people with mental retardation or different syndromes as “dimly evolved”. I took issue with him on that and I take issue with this. I have yet to meet a child or adult with autism who does not seem fully incarnated.
Autism is also a very broad catch all term covering many unknowns and with a huge variance. An “autism gene” has not been found, and most who study this feel it is environmentally triggered, which fits the fact that often it doesn’t show up until a child is 2 or 3. Many have been “cured” with different treatments, including radionics which I am experimenting some with Damian, my 9 year old son with both Down Syndrome and Autism. When I read articles like Sandra’s, although I can understand somewhat where the “not all here” theory comes from, it also feels like she doesn’t actually have much first hand experience or knowledge of the subject.
Two of my favorite authors relative to developmental / bonding issues and, as Neumann would say, the full consolidation of the ego, are Joseph Chilton Pearce who many are familiar with from his earliest work “The Crack in the Cosmic Egg” to his latest “Evolution’s End”, and Alan Schore’s book “Affect Regulation and the Origin of the Self” which expands upon these same ideas. But, to interpret these ideas as consiousness itself being half formed, or as “not fully incarnating” implying perhaps that a soul is only half here and half somewhere else, is not what these authors would agree to. Instead, they have to do with the neurobiology of emotional development, and it is the emotional component that compromises the ego’s ability to fully individuate, and beyond that incorporate all of the brain from the angel frontal lobes to the mammalian, brain to the reptilian instincts (to put it very simplistically) vs. getting “emotionally arrested” due to either bonding or emotional issues.
Obviously on a metaphysical level our souls are probably in many realms concurrently, but that is also a different idea than deciding to just step a big toe into this one, metaphorically speaking. the danger with this thinking to my mind is that there is then both projection and illusion put on an already misunderstood child who may be desperately trying to connect. There are man stories of totally ‘withdrawn” children who when given the right assisted speech technology devices, for example, suddenly open their mind to the world.
I think it’s very complex with autism because the strong environmental component brings up the idea for me of our over stimulating and highly polluted electromagnetic environment possible affecting arrestment at certain stages of vulnerable brain development in the first three years. We live in a very unnatural world that is not conducive to healthy life and growth.
posted January 8, 2009 at 7:13 am
I too had wondered about the astrological effects of births by C-section, which as Shane says converts the birth process into a scheduling matter, but the charts for these people appear to be as accurate as any other.
I do wonder about the in vitro process, having been through this with a very good friend of mine whose son is on the high functioning autistic spectrum. Because he was born at 24 weeks, he missed the part of the gestation process where the physical body begins to press against the womb which evidently helps to support the body sense. He does appear to be less fully in his body than other children who are born after the required 28 weeks. On the other hand, I have known plenty of people with normal births who were barely in their bodies and very ungrounded as well.
The concept of cloning, which Jill talked about on her blog here: http://brilliantatbreakfast.blogspot.com/2009/01/remembrance-of-pets-past-and.html brings up more questions along these lines.
My own religio-spiritual beliefs tell me that there are no accidents – that every soul incarnating on this planet is here because of a choice and because of work to be done here.
posted January 8, 2009 at 10:49 am
I know I’m a little late in this discussion but I’d like to add my point of view. I’m finding the component of emotional bonding interesting. In my own experience, I wouldn’t say I’m only half here due to the way I think and feel. On the personality test I am INFP- introverted, intuitive, feeling, perceiving. Due to my make up, emotional processing is huge for me. I do have a passion to connect with people; I do better on one on one social engagements and small groups than I do with large parties. And if I do stay isolated for a long period of time I tend to bounce towards being social for a while before I crave my own time again (though I must admit, there is much more alone time than social time). For me it’s about balance. I do feel environment has a huge part of shaping us. I tend to believe we all have emotional baggage from our past to deal with and being human is about learning how to deal with this and learning our lessons while we are here. I can totally see how someone would think I’m not totally here; I’m can be quite spacey at times and I do meditate in order to ground myself. But from my perspective it’s really more that I just process things differently from most people. I don’t like thinking that just because I process things emotionally that I’m less incarnated than someone else; to think this makes me feel sad for some reason. (I’m not attacking, just responding how I feel.) I tend to feel that I was given this way of processing in order to help me learn my lessons and also so I can in turn help others. I also feel that culture and conditioning depends on how we respond to certain aspects in processing and thinking and feeling. Our society seems to esteem the rational and not so much degrade the emotional but maybe not respect it. I grew up with very analytical parents who favored traditional intelligence above all else; so I learned how to live in that world. They really don’t understand the emotional world. So I learned how to balance these two worlds. Showing people that we are all different; we have different strengths and weaknesses and that there is a point to the diversity of how we process makes sense to me. Accepting yourself, and accepting people who are different and finding a way to communicate and meet in the middle I think is very important to the human experience. Ok, I’m getting a little spacey again from working on the computer so I’m going to need to go ground myself. Thank you for such an interesting topic of discussion; the comments from everyone has been wonderful too. I’m going to have some books now to look up!
posted January 8, 2009 at 11:12 am
Saying someone is not fully incarnated bothers me a bit, as it sounds like saying the person isn’t fully human. Reading the writings of people who actually are autistic such as Temple Grandin and others like her, I’d say that just isn’t the case. Their senses often seem to be out of wack, so hearing a noise or seeing bright lights or being in a crowd is physically painful. They have difficulty reading facial expressions. Many of them are inwardly focused. Their brains seem to be wired differently. I found this speculation pretty interesting when I was researching the autism article. The person who wrote this seems to be on the spectrum and is theorizing that Neanderthal genes have something to do with autism:
http://www.rdos.net/eng/asperger.htm
Autism and related disorders are probably not caused by any single gene. When they know more, I bet they’ll find it’s different combinations of genes interacting with the environment. Every kid with autism or Asperger’s is a little bit different. But I think they’re “all there” and not outside their bodies.
posted January 8, 2009 at 11:18 am
>
I think though that some of us are more comfortable with this incarnation than others are. I know I myself have always felt very uncomfortable with the idea of being in a body which I have always felt to be a Uranian situation.
I’m sorry to make you sad, Laura.
posted January 8, 2009 at 3:27 pm
Maybe it’s just the way it was presented to me. Sometimes words have connotations that aren’t meant when used; it just felt negative to me. I can understand some people being more comfortable in their bodies and incarnation than others. I’ve seen the differences in classrooms where some kids are just kinetic and really learn things by doing. They are totally comfortable in their bodies. At the same time, those who are more mentally gifted or emotionally gifted have their strengths and weakness just the same. I see the challenge in balancing those strengths and weaknesses. I just have a hard time hearing that someone who is more sensitive is less incarnated. I feel we should strive for balance between these areas. I truly don’t feel less incarnated; I live life passionately, I practice a lot of body work and I constantly work at balancing these areas in my life. To me, being told I may be less incarnated was interpreted as being less human. And I just don’t buy that. I think there is a purpose to our diversity and that being less comfortable in one’s body doesn’t actually mean one is less human. We all struggle with different lessons to learn, the struggle we work through is part of the human condition. I guess because I am fully aware at how society marginalizes new developments in the human condition I was a little sensitive to this. When something new appears, we tend to fear it and categorize it as not being acceptable. And to be perfectly honest, it’s a little scary when people judge others as not acceptable. I’m not saying that those who are way out of balance should not get help. I just feel that compassion and acceptance can go a long way to helping to understand our differences. If I sound a little combative I apologize (my Aries sun sign swooping in for an appearance.) I truly am just trying to express myself honestly. Thank you for responding. I appreciate your input and have found these discussions very interesting and stimulating.
posted January 9, 2009 at 5:52 am
When something new appears, we tend to fear it and categorize it as not being acceptable. And to be perfectly honest, it’s a little scary when people judge others as not acceptable.
You’re absolutely right, and this is a highlight of the opposition between Saturn to Uranus that is taking place over the next couple of years. I was thinking about this yesterday – how African-Americans went from being demonized to suddenly becoming the Magical Negro (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magical_Negro). In some “primitive” cultures someone who is very different is thought to be a creature of the gods, and in others that person may be demonized.
That’s why I wrote the article on autism originally – to present a hypothesis that rather than being bad or different, perhaps we really are looking at a new breed of human entirely.
posted January 9, 2009 at 11:10 am
Great conversations here…I read them and then found this channeling from Kryon through Lee Carroll
HUMAN EVOLUTION
Loveland, Colorado
The Kryon Discovery Series
September 26, 2008
Is the Human race evolving, or is it static like much of society feels it is? Kryon tackles this subject and brings you some very controversial and potent information about the increase of Austism worldwide. Is it a problem? Read on…
posted January 9, 2009 at 12:27 pm
Ah, thank you for this. Sometimes when I read I get emotional input that I need to work out. I do have to remember that communication is over 90% facial expression, body language, and the tone of our voices. Once it’s strip to just words in type we sometimes misinterpret another’s meaning. I am really interested in learning more about the opposition between Saturn to Uranus and how that effects us. Could you recommend more for me to read on this? Thank you in advance.
Andrea- I did get a chance to see Kryon through Lee Carroll some years ago and it was amazing. Thank you for reminding me about him. I’ll be surfing his website today.
posted January 9, 2009 at 7:19 pm
I have wondered for some time now what will happen to this young generation as they grow, when so many children are now diagnosed with autism. What will the greater meaning be to our society?
My 2 cents. When I was a teenager I babysat for a while for a 16 year old boy with autism. I absolutely loved spending time with him and I can’t explain exactly why. Perhaps because I also have trouble with social skills.
He did not make eye contact, barely spoke and stared at the floor mostly. But I definitely felt his presence. Whether that means he was fully incarnated within his body and mind I can’t say. But during one exchange with him, I believe that he smiled. Not physically, not with eye contact. Not with any of the familiar signs that most of us know. But if you are in the room with someone with a big smile on their face and then simply removed the visual of the smile, I believe it can still be felt.
Maybe it will require a certain type of sensitivity to communicate effectively with these children. I really do believe they are THERE, just maybe not fully within their body? Just a thought.
posted January 10, 2009 at 1:52 pm
I am the astrologer above that Lynn quotes from in my paper on autism.
I have read your comments and find them interesting. I want to add some comments of my own, but they cover more space than I understand would be wanted in a blog, so I have put them in a “blind” page (just like a blind cc in a letter) on my web site. Address is above. Hope you read it. Thanks for all your consideration.
posted January 11, 2009 at 3:44 pm
I don’t have any direct experience with autism, but I would like to respond to Melody’s comment, in which she took issue with the notion that those with mental retardation are “dimly evolved.” I strongly agree. Many years ago, Isabel Hickey explained to me that individuals who chose difficult incarnations, such as mental retardation, were actually “old souls.” They chose to experience a life with such limitations, in order to learn a specific lesson, burn off karma, or to serve as teachers.
The reading was about my brother, who is mentally retarded. Issie’s comments had a profound effect on me, and completely changed my attitude, much to our mutual benefit. I began to see his life in a different light, and focused on his strengths, treating him with the respect and dignity we all deserve. I came to see his limitations as opportunities for my service. My brother faces far different challenges than I do. He has enormous strength, courage, grace, and yes, wisdom, if you look at right. I see him as a gift.
As a caveat, I don’t know if her comments were based on an astrological placement she saw, or her intuition. But Issie taught me to see everyone, as doing the very best they can, with what they have, where they are.
posted April 19, 2009 at 9:45 am
I’m so glad the Sandra’s article came up on here: I referred to it in my last post on the previous article before i found this one to read…
I loved Sandra’s article, and actually studied it for two days. I just don’t understand the charts she uses well enough to do anything with the article other than consider Sandra’s beautifully authored interpretation-
so for that reason, I found it frustrating.
I wanted to read the example charts and experience for myself what Sandra asserts.
My south node is in Aquarius, and I came to astrology at a Uranus station as if it were a language in which I were born fluent, but had temporarily forgotten. I have been devoting over 4 hours a day for the past two years, acquiring as broad and diverse a battery of astrological skills as I could absorb. I simply haven’t gotten Harmonics down yet.
Astrology hooked me because it elaborated sensational perceptions of people I have experienced since childhood. When I interact with people, I feel them, and their charts delineate and articulate the sensations I experience. To me, Autistic People FEEL similar to high level adepts, having a palpable metaphysical quality.
This work has come to me without much contriving (during a Venus retro that began on my MC/Mercury opp IC/ Pluto) so I am insatiably curious to understand anything and everything I can. Boundless gratitude in advance…
posted April 19, 2009 at 8:23 pm
Stellar, thanks for your comments and welcome! I would love to do a research project on autism but have not done so. I hope you’ll continue to post your comments as more information becomes available!
posted April 30, 2009 at 4:46 pm
Autism I think means being unable to communicate fully with others. Either it happens from lack of contact of mind as opposed to just physical care, this is just theory. When someone seems in their own world it means on a different mind level, in thought as opposed to trying to connect in mind and spirit with the ones around. Either a shy form or withdrawn due to lack of proper contact, communication when developing social mind. The way to possibly address this is to allow space and room for one deemed as autistic to come to someone and open up, to talk. Give someone said as autistic something to do and see someones mind and spirit open as opposed to feeling as if a seperate entity apart stared at improper regard, which is just it.