The Tao of Life: Time cycles of light and darkness as a categorical pattern of order for the primordial life molecules

By Roland Frey

The book describes a hypothesis on the origin of life on earth. It assumes that the microcosmic molecular basis of life arose by adaptation to the overlaying macrocosmic astronomical rhythms impacting on the earth. Viewed from the earth these rhythms appear as the 'course' of the sun, the moon and the starry sky. They generate the time cycles of the 24 hour day, of the month and the year and, together, are united in a 'joint rhythm circle' by a fourth rhythm, the 19 years lasting lunisolar cycle (Meton cycle). The basic structure of the Chinese Book of Changes (I Ging) was also derived from the macrocosmic astronomical rhythms impacting on the earth. These rhythms and the resulting 'cyclical time' of the earth were observed by early Chinese and used for creating the Book of Changes as a symbolical microcosmic representation of the macrocosmic rhythms. Therefore, the molecular basis of life and the basic structure of the I Ging resemble each other. According to the presented approach, the basis of life is a microcosmic 'copy' of the macrocosmic rhythms. This provides a simple explanation for the unity of macro- and microcosm in the sense that the microcosm includes the macrocosmic pattern of order in itself.

• Language: English
• Publisher: tredition
• Release date: Nov 3, 2016
• ISBN: 9783734564598

Book preview

Elucidating Introduction

Introductory remark (1)

The following text presents a hypothesis on the origin of life on earth. It assumes that the microcosmic molecular basis of life originated by adaptation to the macrocosmic astronomical rhythms impacting on the earth. When observed from the earth, these rhythms appear as the ‚courses’ of the sun, the moon and the starry sky. They produce the time cycles of the 24-hour day, of the month and of the year and are comprised in a ‚joint rhythm circle’ by a fourth rhythm, the 19 years lasting lunisolar cycle (Meton cycle).

The basic structure of the Chinese Book of Changes (I Ging) is also based upon the macrocosmic astronomical rhythms impacting on the earth. These rhythms and the resulting 'cyclical time' of the earth were observed by early Chinese and used for the construction of the Book of Changes. Therefore, the molecular basis of life and the basic structure of the I Ging resemble each other. As a consequence, the I Ging represents a model for the origin of life on earth.

Many of the described steps are not facts but at best plausible assumptions or models. They ought to be formulated in conditional form. However, continuous use of the conditional was neglected to achieve a less complicated formal structure of the text and allow easier reading and understanding.

The earth and the astronomical 'heaven' impacting on the earth are the two polar powers, which decisively constrain the origin of life on earth. The astronomical cycles of light and darkness, creating the 'cyclical time' (day/month/year) on earth, are the categorical macrocosmic pattern of order to which the microcosmic 'primordial life molecules' (proteins and nucleic acids) had to adapt in order to survive and to achieve a 'duration across change'. Thus, the earth and its 'heaven' are the 'primordial parents' of life and the living beings on earth are 'offspring of both light and darkness'.

The astronomical changes also constitute the framework for the creation of the Chinese I Ging, the 'Book of Changes' (cf. Fiedeler 1988). The synchronously running and overlaying macrocosmical rhythms (day/month/year) are caused by two polar features (light and darkness), which, in a cyclical movement, continuously transform into each other. These rhythms provide the earth with its 'cyclical time'. The astronomical pattern of order was observed by humans in early China. Adhering to the observed macrocosmic pattern of order, i.e. to the 'heavenly template', they used binary symbols as the basic structure for the I Ging. Starting from the primordial polarity (Yin/Yang dark/light, divided and undivided line) it develops via the 4 images (4 digrams) up to the 8 primeval signs (8 trigrams).

The Book of Changes represents a symbolical microcosmic ‘copy’ of the macrocosmic cyclical time rhythms, i.e. of the cyclical time systems on earth. Presumably, the creators of the book intended to make the 'course of time' available in terms of the anticipation of advantageous and the avoidance of disadvantageous time points (e.g. for agriculture but also for the insertion of a leap month in the calendar (Fiedeler 1988; cf. Parker & Dubberstein 1956; Hannah 2015).

The complete combination of the monthly synodical lunar trigram cycle with the annual solar cycle, represented by the sidereal lunar trigram cycle, the socalled 'doubling' of the trigrams, produces the 64 hexagrams. These are a symbolical formulation of the 19 years lasting lunisolar cycle (Meton cycle) and, consequently, a complete model of all 4 time cycles, the 'cyclical time', on earth (day/month/year/Meton cycle). Not before 19 solar years (254 sidereal months) or 235 synodical months have passed, the relative positions of the sun, the earth and the moon relative to the zodiac are exactly matching again (cf. Caspers 1984; Fiedeler 1988; Endres & Schad 2002). The Meton cycle was known in China since neolithical times (Hentze 1955; Fiedeler 1988, p. 56-57 – Fig. 1). It can be considered as a 'joint rhythm circle' (cf. Flatischler 1990) of the lunar and solar rhythms, as a cycle that comprises these two simultaneously running, different cycles. The understanding of all 4 astronomical time cycles, i.e. the complete description of the 'cyclical time' on earth requires observation of the courses of the sun, the moon and the starry sky (zodiac).

Fig. 1: Neolithical burial ceramique from the Province Kansu (around -2500). The serrated base plate represents the heaven in its calendaric structure. The 19 spikes symbolise the 19 years of the Meton cycle; the 13 snakes represent the 13 sidereal months of the year and the 12 diamonds, pairwise arranged on 6 spikes, symbolise the 12 synodical months of the year. The pairwise arrangement might refer to the respective semi-annual, 6 months comprising up-climbing and down-climbing of the moon along the 'celestial ladder'. It corresponds with the pairwise arrangement of the hexagrams in the I Ging. Altogether, the burial ceramique symbolises the Meton cycle as the joint rhythms of the sidereal and synodical courses of the moon. (top: lateral view, bottom: view from above – modified from Hentze 1955; Fiedeler 1988, p. 56,57)

From begin on, the 'primordial life molecules' (proteins and nucleic acids) were subjected to the same astronomical pattern of order, consisting of synchronically running and overlaying rhythms of light and darkness. Probably, life on earth, i.e. 'molecular duration across change', could originate in no other way than by bringing its microcosmic structure in agreement with the macrocosmic pattern of order, i.e. with the 'cyclical time' on earth. From this perspective, life is a molecular, microcosmical ‘copy’ of the cyclical time rhythms on earth. The similarity of the basic structure of life and that of the Book of Changes supports this argument.

Cycles of light and darkness in plants

Introductory remark (2)

The importance of cycles of light and darkness for uni-cellular and poly-cellular Recent living beings has been documented in many scientific papers and can be taken as a factum. This can serve as a model for the 'evolutionary imprinting' of pre-cellular 'primordial life molecules' by the 'cyclical time rhythms' on earth.

Instructed by the cycles of light and darkness, plants evolved three mechanisms, which, as a consequence of the role of plants as primary producers, are of prime importance for all living beings: photosynthesis, photomorphogenesis and photoperiodism.

Photosynthesis

In the course of photosynthesis and under the influence of the diurnal dayand-night rhythm occurs a transformation of anorganic 'dead' molecules into life molecules. In analogy to the Yin/Yang symbol, photosynthesis consists of two components, which are directly evidencing the importance of the light/dark rhythm: the light reaction and the dark reaction in the chloroplasts. There, light energy is being absorbed and transformed into chemically bound energy. Light reaction and dark reaction form an entity, the two components of which transform into each other in a continuous change (Czihak et al 1976; Häder 1999; Blankenship 2002; Eberhard et al 2008). They are a real living pendant of the Yin/Yang symbol (Fig. 2). Photosynthesis evolved already in early Cyanobacteria (Olson 2006). Ultimately, the life molecules, which originated in the course of photosynthesis, serve to build up the life substance of all living beings. Therefore, all living beings, directly or indirectly, 'eat' light and darkness.

Fig. 2: The Yin/Yang symbol represents the complementarity of light and darkness, which determine everything on earth and continuously and cyclically transform into each other (modified from Fiedeler 1988, p. 103).

Photomorphogenesis

Photomorphogenesis is the regulation of plant growth, induced by light and darkness (cf. Kendrick & Kronenberg 1994; Schäfer & Nagy 2006; Franklin & Shinkle 2009; Kami et al 2010). In photomorphogenesis light does not function as an energy source but as a signal. Different wavelengths evoke different signalling effects. The involved photoreceptors are cryptochromes, phototropins, and phytochromes. Phytochromes occur in 2 confirmations, an inactive dark form and an active light form (Short & Briggs 1994; Schäfer et al 1996; Eichenberg et al 2000; Smith 2000; Briggs & Olney 2001; Montgomery & Lagarias 2002; Chen et al 2004; Kim et al 2004; Batschauer 2005; Takemiya et al 2005; Briggs 2007; Christie 2007; Kevei et al 2007; Inoue et al 2008; Sullivan et al 2008; Rausenberger et al 2010). As in photosynthesis, these two poles form an entity and continuously transform into each other according to the daily light/dark rhythm and to the daily colour rhythm of light. Thereby they regulate the growth of plants. Ultimately, this regulation is based on differential gene activity induced by light and darkness (Ellis 1986; Ruyters 1988; Martínez-García et al 2000; Ma et al 2001; Tepperman et al 2001; Benvenuto et al 2002; Kircher et al 2002; Nagy & Schäfer 2002; Quail (2002); Schäfer & Bowler 2002; Schroeder et al 2002; Sengbusch 2003; Martin-Tryon & Harmer 2008). Modifications of the proteins associated with the DNA (histones) play an important role in this context (Charron et al 2009; Hofmann 2009).

Photoperiodism

Photoperiodism means the influence of the ratio of light- and dark phases of the 24h-day (the so-called 'day length') on the termination of important events in the life of plants, e.g. the budding of trees or the formation of flowers (cf. Garner & Allard 1920; Withrow 1959; Sweeney 1963; Lumsden & Millar 1998; Yanovsky & Kay 2003; Kami et al 2010). A specific ratio of light and darkness during the 24 hours of a day or different light qualities at certain day times decide whether a plant changes from the formation of leaves to the formation of flowers. Plants can perceive two different, simultaneously running and overlaying rhythms, the daily rhythm of light and darkness and, in addition, the yearly rhythm of the ratio of light and darkness per 24 hours (the 'daylength' cf. Bünning 1963, 1973, 1977). As in photomorphogenesis, light functions as a signal in photoperiodism. The perception of the light and dark phases in the course of the 24h day is effected by photoreceptors, mainly phytochromes and cryptochromes (Ahmad & Cashmore 1993; Cashmore et al 1999; Kobayashi et al 2000; Selby et al 2000; Runkle & Heins 2001; Cerdán & Chory 2003; Yanovsky & Kay 2002; Franklin & Whitelam 2004; Searle & Coupland 2004; Banerjee & Batschauer 2005; Kim et al 2007; Sawa et al 2007; Khan et al 2012). The correct termination, e.g. of flower formation, is achieved by the activation of certain genes ('flowering genes'), which were inactive during the vegetative phase of the plant, become activated at reaching a critical duration of the dark phase per 24 hours, i.e. at a 'critical day length' (Bonner 1959).

The biological role of photoperiodism consists of entering the energy-costly reproduction phase only then, when the external conditions are advantageous and there is a good perspective of forming seeds. So, important events in the life of plants are determined by the cyclical change of the daily ratio of light and darkness in the course of the year. And this cyclical change depends on the 'cyclic movement of the sun' as it is perceived from the earth. As already mentioned, plants can perceive two simultaneously running macrocosmic rhythms of light and darkness with different periods, the daily rhythm comprising the 4 times of day and the yearly rhythm comprising the