Planetology

You know that amazing feeling, the one you feel when you are aligned with the natural flow. Like when you get up feeling well rested, you show up at just the perfect time to give or receive important information, get to a restaurant and sit down at a perfect seat just before a huge line forms, or when you are watching traffic backed up for miles while you coast freely in the opposite direction.

You also know the other feeling, the one that comes when you can’t sleep, then get up late feeling terrible, rushing and stressed, you spill your coffee, then can’t find a parking spot, soon after reaching your destination you realise that you forgot something important at home.

What makes the difference and how can you get into and stay aligned with the natural flow of the universe?

While retreating into nature permanently and stepping out of the hecticness and disarray of ‘normal’ life and technology-driven experience is one answer, it is not a practical or sustainable one for many us. But there are some simple ways you can restore your natural connection with the rotation of the heavenly bodies and consciously return to alignment of these with your own circadian rhythm.

These practices centre around understanding of blue light and red light and their effects on your physiology.

When the Sun is rising, the Earth is rotating towards the Sun. From our visual perspective, the rays of the Sun are being compressed with that forward movement, creating a ‘Blue Shift’. Imagine an accordion being compressed as we move towards the Sun making light waves that are longer and closer together. Sometimes you will notice this visually in the form of a bluish light, but even without your conscious awareness, this higher frequency blue light is reaching your brain, instigating a complex sequence of neurotransmitters and hormones and telling your nervous system to ‘wake up’!

When the Sun is setting, the Earth is rotating away from the Sun. From our visual perspective, the rays of the Sun are being stretched, creating a ‘Red Shift’. Now imagine an accordion being stretched apart as we move away from the Sun, making its light waves from our perspective appear longer and further apart. Sometimes you will notice this visually in the form of a pink hue that emanates at sunset but even when that colour shift is not apparent, this lower frequency red light is reaching your brain and telling your nervous system to ‘relax’!

Here are some practices to help you align your personal rhythm with this core rotation that is at the centre of our solar system and our human experience:

1. Avoid devices at night or adjust blue light settings

Avoid devices, if possible, close to bedtime. When this can’t be done, most devices have an adjustment in the settings tab where you can set a range of time each day for the light emanating from your device to be in the warmer spectrum.

This spectrum coincides more closely with the natural Red Shift that occurs in the evening, which tells your body to relax and prepare for sleep. The settings section will also allow you to have the normal blue light return at a time you choose in the morning.

Since phones, tablets, computers, TV’s and other electronic devices naturally emit blue light, you can see how the newer practice of humans to be exposed nightly to this light that tells the body to wake up can cause myriad problems and works against aligning with the natural rhythms. This simple setting adjustment can work wonders!

If your device does not have this setting, you can also find blue light blocking glasses that will decrease your blue light exposure.

2. Watch the Sun rise or set (or both) daily

The more the blue light floods your retinas in the morning and red light fills them in the evening, the more you will be naturally setting the delicate hormone and neurotransmitters cascade that brings you into alignment with the natural rhythms.

Exposure to morning sunlight suppresses melatonin, and gives your body the clear wake up message. Morning light also triggers the release of dopamine and norepinephrine, which not only join the wake up call, but are also radiant mood boosters. Neuroplasticity, cellular functions and gene expressions are also affected by the flow with or against this natural circadian rhythm.

Many vitamins, supplements, and medications have been taken in an attempt to set things right in the body that the body already knows how to set straight itself when given the chance to be entrained into the natural flow of the universe.

Just as small children learn and remember how to talk and behave by watching those around them, the body systems are always looking for a model to align with. By giving your body consistent exposure to this natural daily rhythm of the universe that is locked into Divine impeccability, so too can it remember what it already knows about wellness and perfect functioning.

3. Minimise artificial lighting at night and opt for incandescent bulbs

Artificial light, especially some compact fluorescent bulbs and LED lights lean towards the blue end of the light spectrum compared to incandescent lighting. Low lights and avoidance of the bluer lighting at night through light bulb exposure can normalise melatonin production and ease your body systems towards rest, renewal, and alignment with the natural rhythms.

Read ‘Planetology: How to Align with the Natural Rhythms of the Universe’, the book by Annie Botticelli, and discover other resources at: AnnieHelpsYou.com (astrology blogs and more), AnnieHelpsYouTV.com (monthly video horoscopes) and LumeLife.com (online school with free courses)