Holonomic Alchemical Science

32 Pages·2000·0.15 MB·English

by  Kent Palmer (

Holonomic Alchemical Science -- Kent Palmer
hero. Here we will go back to the roots of
HOLONOMIC Alchemy in Egypt to find our starting point
for the introduction of a new form of science
ALCHEMICAL which actually has very old roots within our
tradition. Hopefully this will vindicate the
SCIENCE alchemical searching of Newton and other
alchemical practitioners within the Western
tradition who saw through a glass darkly that
something was missing in the Western
Scientific perspective on Nature. That
Kent D. Palmer, Ph.D.
something is a new way to look at systems
P.O. Box 1632 theory that will be introduced in this essay.
Orange CA 92856 USA Hopefully by the end of the essay you will be
714-633-9508 converted to the Alchemical perspective
[email protected] presented here yourself and want to consider
yourself as an Alchemist as I do. Perhaps
that will give you a new perspective on the
Copyright 2000 K.D. Palmer.
All Rights Reserved. Not for distribution. possibilities of science itself that goes beyond
Version 0.01; 09/19/00; hsA00f00.doc the narrow confines which is presented by
Western Scientific practice today. It is this
dehumanized Science that underlies the
Keywords: Holonomics, Holon, Special pervasive destruction of the earth based the
Systems Theory, Emergent Meta-Systems, use of the out of control Technology which
Autopoietic Systems, Reflexive Systems, calls for a deep rethinking of our position on
And Dissipative Systems, Archon, Holoid, the use of Science and Technology in
Archetypal, Jung, Alchemy, Imaginal, general. It is this rethinking that leads us
Hillman, Giegerich back into our tradition to attempt to discover
what went wrong and why that caused us to
be alienated from our own place in the
Establishing the Context context of the earth. One answer to that
question might be that one of the places
This work attempts to make the case for an where things went wrong was when we
attempt to reinstate Alchemy as a vital part abandoned Alchemy which saw us as the
of our scientific and philosophical tradition. subject, instrument and object of our own
Unfortunately since Newton Alchemy has experiments rather than nature which as
been languishing as it has lost its direction Bacon advised we torture on the rack to force
through the myriad interpretations that have it to reveal it's secrets. Even though we are
been projected on it and due to its own dreadfully cruel to other human beings we
myriad interpretations by alchemical are less likely to want to torture ourselves,
practitioners within our tradition. We have and if we see ourselves as connected to the
actually lost our ability to understand rest of nature then by extension perhaps we
alchemy so that it has become foreign to us would be less likely to want to torture the
even though it was a substantive part of our earth and our fellow inhabitants, if our
scientific tradition for a long time. It is a science was not alienated from us as Husserl
great secret that Newton who is seen as the describes in his book Krisis. Alchemy can be
father of modern physics spent most of his thought of as non-alienated and non-anomic
time on alchemical experiments. It is only science prior to its reification. Alienated
recently that scholars have begun to delve science means that through it we become
into this shadow side of the great scientific decathected objects of other investigators that
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Holonomic Alchemical Science -- Kent Palmer
treat us inhumanly. Anomic means that stages in Egypt. Over the ages this focus was
science sucks the meaning out of life and lost and Alchemy was interpreted in various
leaves us as empty husks without soul or ways at various times without regaining this
spirit. Through Western science we reify initial inspiration found in the work of Bolos
ourselves into alienated and anomic creatures (Pseudo-Democritus) and Ostanes his
tortured by our torturing of the earth and its teacher. Bolos wrote in the name of
inhabitants. How do we get out of this deadly Democritus, but did not adopt his atomic
syndrome by which we are destroying theory. Instead it was the theory of ediolons
ourselves by destroying our home with the that was taken up by the neo-Platonist
other creatures that inhabit this small planet alchemists. Democritus thought that each
with us? The answer can only be through self thing projected an image of itself that
understanding. We need to understand our effected animals and men. It was the image
own history and look back for the forks in of each thing that haunted that thing in our
the road not taken that might have taken us imaginations which was the basis for the
to a different future than the one we are now transformational characteristics of alchemy.
experiencing. Alchemy is one of those roads Bolos speaks of his teacher Ostanes who he
which eventually, after Newton, was lost before the final secret of alchemy was
abandoned for the emphasis of a small part revealed. In the story Bolos attempted to
of Newton's own work, i.e. the Principia. raise the image of Ostanes, but he could not
What did Newton see that we did not see say anything, he merely pointed at a pillar in
which led us down another road than the one the temple. They could not interpret this sign,
that he himself pursued. We call him a but continued the research that had been
founder of our approach to science yet we do begun under the direction of Ostanes now
not follow him. If we had followed him what working alone. Later there was a
might be different today in our relation to commemoration of Ostanes during which the
technology and science? This is the kind of pillar opened up and was searched. Nothing
question that we will attempt to explore in was found in the pillar except the words:
this work. Nature produces Nature, Nature conquers
Nature, and Nature delights Nature. Bolos
Alchemy as we find it in the tradition in said that this aphorism summed up what he
general is very difficult to understand due to discovered independently better than any
the fact that it has meant so many different formulation that he had previously heard.
things to so many different people through This story is very illuminating. First of all we
the ages. Today when we read the alchemical see that it is the ediolon of Ostanes which is
works they are generally almost impossible questioned about the secret of alchemy. That
to understand because the way of thinking ediolon can not speak but only sign. But the
that they embody is so different from our sign is not adequate to give the message at
modern way of thinking. Thus, here we will first. Later the pillar is discovered to be
be interpreting alchemy in a very specific empty when it pops open instead of full of
way which will be called Holonomic manuscripts. But eventually it is found that
Alchemy. We assume that the essence of there is within the pillar a saying which
alchemy is related to what will be called Ostanes meant to communicate with his sign.
Special Systems theory and Emergent Meta- That saying sums up what Bolos discovered
systems theory that will be presented in this himself in the intervening years and
essay. We base this interpretation on the summarized his own discovery.
existence of some scant indications in the
history of Alchemy that these Special One point of this story is that you can
Systems may have been known and have discover the secret of alchemy on your own,
been the focus of alchemy in the beginning in other words you do not need the
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transmission from the master to comprehend through a medium of something else. Delight
the secret of alchemy. A second point is that means more than mere control but mutual
Ostanes cannot speak after death, but can recognition which suggests the social.
make a sign as an ediolon. He indicates
something that appears solid. But later this There are two directions to go in the
thing is discovered to be empty and still later interpretation of these sayings of Ostanes.
it is discovered that it holds the inscription of One way is to think of the sayings as
the saying in question. Thus, words are not referring to physical nature and the other
necessary to transfer this knowledge, only way is to think of the sayings as referring to
signs. But the signs point to something the logos nature indicated by Democritus in
seemingly solid like a pillar but which is his use of the term eidolon. In other words
actually empty. Then we find that the pillar we can think of nature producing itself
has inscribed within that emptiness the physically or we can think of nature
saying. This transformation from solidity, to producing images of itself in the logos.
emptiness, to inscription is also very Similarly we can understand the conquering
important for our understanding of the secret and delight in this way as well. If we think of
of alchemy. We might say that the secret of the conquering of self physically then we
alchemy is bound up with the move from would concentrate on control whereas if we
form to formlessness and beyond think of the conquering in terms of
formlessness to the order inscribed within the dissipation we can think of the dissipation of
formless. the images throughout the medium of the
logos among things. Similarly we can think
The inscription is extremely peculiar. It says of physical delight which is a sensation and
that nature produces nature, then nature the delight on the level of logos that perhaps
conquers nature, and finally that nature might be expressed in terms of language
delights nature. The first of these statements through poetry.
might be said as Francis Bacon says it using
the phrase Natura Naturans. In other words Both Plato and Aristotle suggested that it
Nature Natures. This statement alludes to a was possible to change the nature of things
fundamental way of looking at things by changing their constitution in terms of the
endemic to the Indo-European worldview in elements earth, air, fire, water. Neo-
which the highest state is when the same Platonism projected this suggestion out onto
thing is both a noun and a verb. We might nature and attempted to found a science that
say Form Forms, Shape Shapes, or Being Is. comprehended changes at the elemental
Nature Natures, i.e. nature unfolds itself structural level. It thought that it had found
naturally and thus produces nature from in Alchemy the experimental evidence for
itself. This state of self production unfolds such transformations. Alchemy was built on
into the state of self-conquering and self- the craft tradition of Egypt which
delighting. Conquering and Delighting are transformed base things into things that
clearly meant to be opposites that unfold appeared golden. There was never any
from Self-production. In what follows we question about actually turning things into
will give these two further states beyond self gold beyond the appearance of gold until
production very specific interpretations. But later. Rather Egyptian metallurgy built upon
at this point it is possible to see that in order dyeing industry and attempted to do the same
for something to conquer itself or delight thing with various metals, using one metal to
itself it must first be produced. Self produce the sheen of another. Eventually
conquering has to do with control of the self, these formulas for giving the appearance of
which can be thought of in terms of gold were related more and more closely to
cybernetics, or dissipation by something the philosophical belief in intersubstance
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transformation of the neo- Platonists and eidolons and atoms. Presumably in his theory
eventually this gave rise to the suspicion that they were related intrinsically to each other.
it was possible to really transform something But for us the two realms, the imaginal realm
from one metal into gold or silver as we find of the soul known through archetypes and the
in the works of Gerber. objective world of science that studies atoms,
particles and quarks have become utterly
But what we really want to do is to try to separated. As Giegerich says Psychology
understand what the phrases of Ostanes proper is a study of the soul of the soul while
meant within their proper context of the all other subjects study the soul of something
transformation of appearances. We might else. Thus Giegerich says that we must rise
suspect that this had something to do with the above images to realize the logical basis of
eidolons that appear in the theory of the split between the science of the Psyche
Democritus. In other words it has something and all other Sciences. But this only
to do with the imagination of images emphasizes the split even more than merely
emanated from the things. Nature produces discussing the archetypal images.
nature through images. Nature conquers
nature through images. Nature delights Our question becomes whether there is a way
nature through images. This makes us think out of this impasse. Is there a way to
that there might be some connection between understand the Psyche in the context of the
Alchemy as originally constituted by other sciences which takes seriously the
Democritus, Ostanes and Bolos and images and ideas of the Psyche but also is
Archetypal Psychology such as that grounded in the experimental approach to
advocated by Jung and Hillman and other phenomena that is cherished by
Giegerich1. Archetypal Psychology relates to Western Science. What we are looking for is
the images that are intrinsic to the things, a bridge or a rosetta stone that will allow us
including ourselves, as discovered by us. For to move between these two very different
Archetypal Psychology there is a deep order forms of science, i.e. the alchemy of images
to the production of images that appear in and the experimental science of the atoms,
our psyches. That order is the production of both of which Democritus founded. How do
nature within ourselves for us. Those images we manage to integrate the two as we
conquer us and delight us. And ultimately it presume that Democritus must have done?
is the primal images that come first before
the logos of poetry and the physus of our
bodies. These images tell us about our soul Warning Alchemist at Work
and its relation to the worldsoul. So that
Alchemy becomes the work of bringing to How does one become an alchemist? It is
manifestation the soulfullness of the world certainly not by studying alchemy itself. This
and our selves. is because alchemy itself is a lost science
which has become mired in multiple
But this view of Alchemy traps us in the interpretations that are all in conflict with
realm of psyche and does not allow us to each other. However, this lost science needs
integrate this understanding with Western to be reclaimed because modern Western
Science as it stands and thus leads us into the Science has blindspots that cause many
mire of subjectivity and cuts off any relation problems both intellectually and practically
to the objective world of science. In other in our world. Alchemy represents a historical
words Democritus is prophetic for us alternative path in which human experience
because he came up with the theory of is valued as part of the scientific endeavor.
Alchemy as represented by Democritus

attempts to bridge the gulf between the
1 http://mythology.org/publications/Paris2000.pdf
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Holonomic Alchemical Science -- Kent Palmer
atomic quantitative view of the world and the that dissertation I analyzed the kinds of
eidolons which give us a qualitative view of Being discovered in modern Continental
the world through images projected by the Philosophy and showed that what they were
things. But finding that bridge is not an easy talking about were various meta-levels of
thing to do in a world split into dualities that Being. I noted that these meta-levels of Being
relegates Alchemy to the dustbin of history stopped at the fifth meta-level and at that
while it exalts quantitative science and point we leave behind Being and enter into
forgets about the need to balance quantity the realm of Existence. In that realm there is
with quality. no assumption of continuity such as we posit
through the meta-physical concept of Being
As for myself, I did not start off attempting that we project as the world. Rather in
to resurrect Alchemy. I only discovered much Existence what becomes necessary is the
later that what I was up to corresponded to opposite assumption of radical discontinuity.
what the earliest Alchemists had in mind I use the work of Sidi Ali al-Jamal as a basis
when they formulated their science in Egypt for describing what this kind of science of
long before the Arabs and the Europeans existence might be like. I see that science of
became interested in the Alchemical project. existence as the basis of many traditional
In fact, what I was interested in was the sciences that have historically been promoted
relation between Western Science and in the Chinese culture, Islamic cultures, and
Alternative Sciences. I have pursued this Buddhist cultures. In other words unless we
question with some vigor and to some depth change our primary assumptions radically to
over the last twenty five years or so. Only include a fundamental discontinuity it will be
recently did I realize that the conclusions that impossible to construct a coherent theory of
I had drawn were related to Alchemy, as it sciences of Existence as opposed to sciences
was originally conceived. In this work I hope of Being.
to put forward the answers that I have
gleaned by these years of study and hopefully After leaving London I continued my
in the process produce a new form of researches as I made my living as a Systems
alchemy on a strong scientific basis which I Engineer and Software Engineer in
call Holonomic Alchemy. This new Aerospace firms in Southern California. I
foundation of Alchemy solves the problem of continued my study of alternative sciences
the relation between the ediolons and the such as Homeopathy and Acupuncture that
atoms posited by Democritus, as a form of contradict the assumptions of modern
the logos/physus split that is endemic to our Western Science attempting to understand
worldview. two things. First I was attempting to
understand the difference between the
Let me explain the progression of my own Western Worldview and Traditional
studies that led me to claim Alchemy as a Worldviews such as those of Taoism in
new basis for a more subtle science that what China, Islam and Buddhism. Second I was
exists now in terms of the development of attempting to understand the difference
Western Science. When I went to London I between Western Science and the traditional
did my Ph.D. dissertation on The Structure sciences that emanate from these traditional
of Theoretical Systems in Relation to worldviews.
Emergence. In this thesis I consider a
radically different kind of scientific endeavor In the process of this study I wrote a long
based on what I called the Logic of manuscript called The Fragmentation of
Disconnection, which is radically opposed to Being and the Path beyond the Void. In this
the underlying continuity posited as Being manuscript I attempt to delve into the depths
and assumed by modern Western Science. In of the Western Worldview in order to
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Holonomic Alchemical Science -- Kent Palmer
understand its underpinnings. This two things in parallel and just happened to
manuscript framed the problem in terms of wonder about their interrelation with each
the transition from Being to Existence within other. One thing had to do with the Formal
the Western worldview. It discovers at the Structural Systems theory of George Klir. I
core of the Western worldivew a fundamental had written a paper on how that theory was
fragmentation due to the fact that the Meta- related to software engineering design
levels of Being do not extend infinitely but in methodologies that appears in my manuscript
fact cannot be found past meta-level four of Wild Software Meta-systems. At that time I
Being. In other words it becomes clear that at happened to be reading a book on Hyper
the center of the Western Worldview there is Complex Algebras and began to wonder how
an emptiness that we must take very the series of Hyper Complex Algebras
seriously because it is our transition from (complex, quaternion, octonion, sedenion). It
Being to Existence within our worldview. turned out that both the lattice of
What I discovered writing that book was that Methodological Distinctions that Klir talks
the structures of the world are very about and the series of Hyper-complex
conservative in spite of the emergent changes Algebras have in common the element of real
that transform the worldview occasionally. numbers. When we connect both these series
What is conserved is the structure of the of emergent hierarchies, one of order the
Indo-European worldview in terms of meta- other or algebras, then we get a larger lattice
levels of Being and the interface with with some very interesting properties. This
Existence at the fifth meta-level. After discovery of the larger lattice prompted me to
finishing that manuscript I continued to begin studying the whole area again in terms
research until in about 1993 I discovered the of this structure and it was discovered that it
basis for understanding both the bridge from provided precisely the kind of structure I had
the Western worldview based in Being to been searching for these many years. Since
other Traditional worldviews based in 1993 I have been searching for historical
Existence, which is also the bridge from precedents for this structure and have found
modern Western Science to Traditional many of them far and wide. The structure is
Sciences such as Homeopathy and very peculiar and so it leaves a unique
Acupuncture. To capture and develop that signature on the theoretical and practical
discovery I went on to write a series of structures which it is associated with. I have
working papers on Reflexive Autopoietic come to think that this structure is a lost
Dissipative Special Systems. A new theoretical basis for the traditional sciences
introduction to these working papers now which make sense of Acupuncture and
exists. Also various explanatory papers were Homeopathy and other sorts of traditional
delivered to the ISSS 2000 conference in sciences based on the assumption of the
order to make the theory more widely known. discontinuity of existence rather than the
continuity of Being. From the beginning of
The key idea that I discovered was that there the new Millennium I have begun attempting
were a series of emergent levels beyond to make this theory more widely known
standard General Systems Theory which because I have assured myself that it is
explained how the traditional qualitative indeed what I have thought it was for many
sciences of existence related to the modern years, i.e. the necessary bridge to a new way
quantitative sciences. I will explain these of looking at science that combines the
emergent levels and how they relate to each traditional sciences of existence with the
other in the following section. But here we modern sciences of Being to raise both to a
are merely discussing the serendipity of the new level of subtlety and sophistication that
discovery. The discovery occurred by neither has achieved before. It fills in the
accident when I just happened to be studying some of the blindspots of Western Science
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Holonomic Alchemical Science -- Kent Palmer
giving it the ability to be more responsive to contributing a theoretical basis for Alchemy
its environment. It gives traditional sciences commensurate with Modern Western Science
a positive theoretical basis where previously it is possible to construct a new more subtle
good explanations were lacking so that they and more sophisticated Science by the
were mocked for being merely superstitions combination of this Alchemical Science with
or perhaps forms of magic. normal modern Western Science.
There are really two formations that are By becoming interested in Jung's works again
involved. One is the formation produced by (I had done my senior thesis at Kansas
the hyper complex algebras themselves which University on Jung and Symbolic
are related to systems and called Special Interactionism) I began to explore the world
Systems Theory. But there is also a meta- of Jungian psychology. Doing that I
formation that is made up of all the hyper- discovered the archetypal psychology of
complex division algebras plus the normal Hillman and the critique of that by Giegerich.
real algebra which is called the Emergent I recently attended the "Psychology at the
Meta-system. Many of the historical Threshold" conference where both Hillman
examples I have found of this formation and Giegerich attended and gave
elucidate the Emergent Meta-system. It was presentations. On my return from that
by chance that I happened to see in a book by conference I read Giegerich's The Soul's
Edinger on Jung's Aion a diagram that looked Logical Life. It turns out that this theory of
like the emergent meta-system formation. I Logical and Archetypal Psychology is an
looked up the diagram's in Jung's book, and exploration of the phenomena of the eidolons
then realized I would have to read it in order of Democritus which is related to Special
to know what he was talking about. When I Systems Theory and the Theory of Emergent
read the book I discovered that Jung had Meta-systems which explain the relation
known about the Emergent Meta-system between quantity and quality. Therefore in
formation and had made an image of it. I this essay I will deal with the extension of
went on to read Jung's Mysterium Archetypal Psychology as it relates to the
Conjunctus and became interested in the articulation of the broader theory of
question of whether Alchemy concerned the Holonomic Science and as it relates to the
Emergent Meta-system in any way. After interpretation of Alchemy in general as an
finishing the Mysterium Conjunctus and alternative kind of science to the modern
Jung's other Alchemical Texts I went on to Western experimental science. Holonomic
read many books on alchemy. The most Science
interesting of these was the book by Lindsay
on Alchemy in Egypt. In that book I found Giegerich makes a case for why Jung and
what I had been looking for in the section Hillman's psychology is interesting, and that
dealing with Bolos and Ostanes. Their saying is because they take seriously the concept of
is a clear example of the Special Systems. Soul. This is an extreme case but it points to
This made me realize that what I had exactly what modern Western experimental
discovered really was the root of Alchemy science has lost, i.e. its soul. Soul, God,
and that this placed it squarely within our Spirit and other meta-physical concepts have
tradition rather than as something outside no place in modern Western experimental
that tradition as many of the other examples I science. Alchemy on the other hand has
have found turned out to be. Thus I realized throughout its history been concerned with
that what I had discovered was the original soul and nature both. This concern for the
basis of Alchemy which is precisely an relation between soul and nature is precisely
alternative form of science within our what we need to recapture in our scientific
tradition prior to the triumph of atomism. By endeavors. There are even some books these
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Holonomic Alchemical Science -- Kent Palmer
days that concern the nature of soul from a computer operating system within which
scientific viewpoint such as The Spiritual application systems appear. Another example
Universe by Fred Alan Wolf. He uses of this difference is the relation of the
Quantum Physics as a basis for explaining Universal Turing Machine to the Turing
the unexplainable. The popularity of his Machine. The Universal Turing Machine is
work and similar works on the soul by others like an operating system for Turing Machine
including Hillman, More and others of the applications. Once you have an
Archetypal Psychology school shows that understanding of this difference between
this lack with respect to modern Western Systems and Meta-systemic Fields out of
philosophy and science is something that is which systems arise and to which they return,
heart felt by many. Bringing together then it is possible to go on to define the
Alchemy with modern Western science special systems. The special systems are part
should address this issue of the relation of systems and part meta-systems that exist
Soul, Spirit to other more mundane terms between the system and meta-system. We
like World and Self which are levels of call them Holons because from one angle
abstraction that may be seen to relate to they look like systems and from another
modern Western science. angle they look like meta-systems. Thus as
Koestler said who coined the term, they have
a Janus face from the viewpoint of the whole
Special Systems Theory they look like parts and from the viewpoint
of the part they look like wholes. These
Alchemy in the beginning seems to be a holons have a very special structure which is
theory of the Special Systems. This focus made clear by their relation to the hyper
was rapidly lost but is discernable in the complex algebras. These algebras were
work of Ostanes and Bolos in the ancient discovered by Hamilton and Graves in the
Egyptian school of Alchemy. But because it middle of the 1800s. Thus they have been
appears at the beginning there is a strain of known for 150 years. But to my knowledge
Special Systems that runs through the this mathematical basis has never been used
historical examples of Alchemy of later ages. to ground a systems theory. That is because
Here we will be giving a much more these special systems have some very strange
advanced theoretical description of the properties. No one before thought that
Special Systems than appears in the systems could have the strange properties
aphorisms of Bolos and Ostanes. Hopefully, that the hyper-complex algebras exemplify. It
after I have explained the basis of Special is this realization that these strange
Systems theory it will be clear how their properties are useful for looking at the world
aphorisms relate to this theory. that is my contribution to this field.
The easiest way to explain the theory of There are three sorts of holons or special
Special Systems is to start with the systems where the whole is exactly equal to
distinction between Systems and Meta- the sum of its parts. These are called
systems. Systems are social gestalts. Meta- dissipative ordering special system,
systems are environments, milieus, contexts, autopoietic self-organizing special system,
situations within which systems appear. A reflexive social special system. Each of these
system is a whole greater than the sum of its are named for an existing theory. Dissipative
parts. A meta-system is a whole less than the systems are named for the theory of
sum of its parts. A meta-system has holes in Pirgogine who talks about neg-entropic
it. Those holes are niches in which the dissipative structures in far from equilibrium
systems nest within the field of the meta- thermodynamic systems. Autopoietic systems
system. An example of a meta-system is the are named for the theory of living organisms
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Holonomic Alchemical Science -- Kent Palmer
developed by Maturana and Varella. Sociable numbers. Perfect Numbers are
Reflexive systems are named for the those where the divisors add up to the
sociological theories of Barry Sandywell and number itself. They are very rare. Examples
John O'Malley. In other words each of these are 6, 28, 496 etc. Amicable numbers, like
emergent levels of phenomena have been 220 and 284, are those where one number's
identified previously by specific theorists. divisors add up to the other whole and vice
What we are doing is showing how these versa. Finally the Sociable numbers are a
various emergent levels of different series of such numbers in which each one
phenomena fit together into a single meta- constitutes the next until it returns to
structure defined by the hyper-complex constitute the first one in the series. Sociable
algebras. numbers were discovered in 1918 while the
other two types were known since antiquity.
Once we have identified these emergent These numbers have precisely the holonic
levels and their relation to the hyper-complex attribute of the whole being exactly the sum
algebras then it is possible to see that they of its parts that is between excess and
actually form a higher level formation deficiency of all other numbers. We can see
composed of the three holon levels and the that perfect numbers correspond to
system level which together define what is autopoietic special systems, amicable
called the Emergent Meta-system. The numbers correspond to dissipative special
Emergent Meta-system is a dynamic image systems and sociable numbers correspond to
of existence by which things are produced ex reflexive special systems. In other words
nihilo out of the void, i.e. pure discontinuity. mathematics is shot through with oddities
It is composed of stages called seed, monad, like this that can be seen as analogous to the
view and candidate and meta-operators that special systems. Another example are the
connect those stages called creation, mutual series of non-orientiable surfaces
action, gestalt pattern formation, and (lemniscate, mobius strip, kleinian bottle,
annihilation. This dynamic formation shows hyper-kleinian bottle) or in physics the series
how things pop into existence and interact, of soliton solutions (solitons, breathers,
view each other, explore possibilities, and multi-monopoles). There are many different
then disappear in mutual annihilation. The ways in which the emergent levels between
Emergent Meta-System (EMS) is a theory the various special systems can be seen to be
that is equivalent to the dragon of existence articulated in various kinds of mathematics.
posited by the Chinese in their mythology. It We can even discern physical phenomena
is also this dragon who is suppressed in the that correspond to each level. For instance
Western tradition, in which the gods and the soliton corresponds to the dissipative
heroes slay dragons. The emergent meta- speical system level, the super-conducting
system is an image of the dynamic of Cooper pairs correspond to the autopoietic
existence that is covered over by Being. We level and the Bose-Einstein condensate
can see an image of it in Shiva dancing in the correspond to the reflexive special system
ring of fire. Each of the arms of Shiva stands level. With these physical examples of
for a moment of the EMS cycle. holonic systems as a basis special systems
theory becomes fully scientific because it has
Now it is difficult for most people to relate to a mathematical basis for its theory and
the Hyper-complex algebras. We only are anomalous physical phenomena that shows
taught real or complex algebra in school and that these systems are "real" as any other
so the quaternion and octonion algebras are phenomena studied experimentally by
foreign to us. But there is a very simple science.
numerical analogy that we can use instead.
That analogy is the Perfect, Amicable and But what is amazing about these systems is
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Holonomic Alchemical Science -- Kent Palmer
that they give us a model of the between Western Science and Traditional
interpenetration of things that is posited by Sciences of Existence. It offers a bridge
Buddhist meta-physics. That is the strange between these two forms of science which
character of hyper-complex algebras which allows the traditional sciences to make sense
had no use physically until it was realized in relation to other sciences. It offers also a
that they represented special anomalous bridge between the Western Philosophic and
systems that appear only rarely. It is these Scientific tradition and other traditions such
rare systems that Alchemy studies. These as Buddhism, Sufism, and Taoism which
systems exemplify the underlying explore the meaning of existence in terms of
interpenetration of all things described by emptiness, annihilation or void. The
Buddhist, Islamic and Taoist Traditional realization of the basis of traditional
views of the world. Traditional sciences of sciences, including Alchemy, is a
existence assumed the interpenetration of all fundamental step forward in our
things in spite of their radical discontinuity in understanding of the wisdom of the past and
existence. Modern Western experimental its comprehension of the place of man on
science assumes continuity in the form of earth which we lack today.
Being and atomic external discontinuity
between the things themselves rather in the
medium of spacetime. This is the Meta-Levels of Being or Psyche
fundamental difference between traditional
sciences and modern science. This gap is One of the interesting philosophical issues
bridged by realizing that special systems are raised by Special Systems theory is the
rare and thus exist but only peripherally in relation between it and the Being projected
terms of the phenomena that science studies. on nature by the West. It turns out that Being
However, because they are negentropic, these has four meta-levels (Pure, Process, Hyper,
systems have an advantage over other and Wild) and that when we try to go to the
systems so that once they exist then they tend fifth meta-level we encounter existence as
to take over as they have done on our small something beyond Being. But what can be
planet, which sports life of social groups said is that the differences between the meta-
with consciousness. We know that this planet levels of Being ARE the special systems and
is a rarity in the immediate universe. So these vice versa. Thus Existence articulates Being
anomalies become important when we look and Being articulates Existence mutually.
around at the part of the universe in which This allows us to develop a non-dual theory
we live, because they are exemplified by us and this non-duality allows us to elucidate
and the other creatures like us on this earth. problems like those of the nature of soul and
What is even more interesting is that the spirit raised by archetypal psychology. Non-
theory of the Emergent Meta-system gives us duality is a type of theory that supports what
a theory of how Gaia, the "organism" of the is neither one nor two. In other words, non-
earth is constructed. It is constructed based duality does not mean one or unified. Non-
on these structures of interpenetration. Thus duality is another state that is not unified nor
it is more than just a theory of the differentiated, i.e. it points at what is other
constitution of life, consciousness, and the than the one or many. The model of
social but also a theory of our relation to Existence producing Being and Being
Gaia as the Earth environment of which we producing Existence allows us to articulate a
are a part. theory which is non-dual in a very deep sense
but still articulate. This is because what
In essence the Special Systems Theory and special systems show us is the order etched
the Emergent Meta-systems Theory is a into the emptiness or void that is prior to the
rosette stone for understanding the relation arising of all things. Democritus said that
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