A Vitalist's View of the Cell
Structural integrity of the cell is dependent upon the state of the water in the cell, so-called structured water being the optimal form.
(My wife and I took a retreat in the mountains this weekend to sit and do nothing and be in ceremony in a remote canyon together. Since I didn’t have my Sunday post finished before we left, it’s coming out a bit later than expected).
I believe I was first introduced to the idea that water isn’t always “water” - or at least, there are different forms, or phases, of water other than the classic gas, liquid, solid - when I first saw the book (@20 yr ago) on the work of Viktor Schauberger entitled, Living Water.
This book, along with the words of a physicist (who’s name I can’t remember), helped me to understand that our bodies are made of a particular kind of water, or of a particular quality. This went beyond the idea of “mother ocean” (the ionic mineral composition of our blood, lymph, and other body fluids, essentially), but spoke to a particular structure of the water.
“Water is life’s matter and matrix, mother and medium. There is no life without water.”
- Albert Szent-Gyorgyi
I first understood this structure was created by the movement of water up through the Earth, bending along its path, under pressure, arising to the surface where we could partake of its living essence to quench our thirst.
I also possessed a basic understanding that this water was perfectly matched to the needs of our cells. Unlike, for instance, tap water, or water sitting in a plastic bottle, stagnant for months, or a plastic or metal cistern, the water the Earth structures under pressure supplies the needs of our cells in an optimal way.
Honestly, the idea resonated with me from the start, but like many people (I’d imagine) I knew I’d gotten this far by drinking, first, tap water, then filtered tap water (with spring water and well water interspersed over the past 20 years) essentially my whole life, so I hadn’t prioritized it quite yet. But, nonetheless, I knew I was missing something significant.
Over the past 2 years or so, I have come to revisit these ideas and I’ve learned much more about water. In turn, I have come to appreciate the optimal state of the cell. There is not much we actually know about the cell, but one thing we do know is that it is composed of a gel, or colloid, a so-called Fourth phase of water.
I’d like to interject here an acknowledgement that many readers may have balked at what I mentioned above about us not knowing much about cells. Well, much of what we do “know” is based upon a method/s which does not purely isolate cells, let alone observe them within their natural state - that alone is a BIG difference.
For example, we have never seen a receptor on a cell. No, of course not with the naked eye, however, not even with a microscope. Well, that is without first subjecting the sample tissue to subcellular fractionation. Okay, this involves opiates, radioactive tracers, and a dehydrating type (yes, water is important) of photography applied to one’s sample goop. And THEN because some kind of protein is witnessed to be bound to something, then it is deemed a receptor. Then a computer draws a picture of it based on the crystallography photo.
So if the above is accurate, can I then select a random sample of plant material from my store of herbs, mix it up with say some alcohol, maybe a little uranium, some vinegar for good measure, and why not some monkey kidney cells, mix it all up in a blender, and take a really close-up photo of the mess. Then, when I see something that doesn’t look like a plant that I’ve seen (or recall seeing) before, I can identify it as something entirely new to the world of science and deduce its nature and function by interpreting what I see in this photo? Isn’t that the model?
Near the surface of a healthy cell is where one finds the gel-like form of water (H3O2). Gerald Pollock calls this the Exclusion Zone (EZ). One theory is that this is because part of the bilayer membrane is hydrophilic causing the gel-like water to form just within the membrane. This EZ-water (aka, structured water) possesses a negative charge. Somewhat abruptly, the structured water becomes a normal liquid (H2O) taking on a positive charge. This water is loaded with protons.
Here we have the battery of the cell (negatively and positively charged water).
The energy available to charge the battery of the cell comes from light
(See previous post on Tír Raon)
Water sends and receives signals from within the cell. It does this, in part, by the diode within the cell, between the EZ-water and the proton-rich water closer to the nucleus.
In Pollock’s book, Water and the Cell, he emphasizes water’s central role in the cell.
As well, we understand that the cell possesses a membrane enclosing its contents, including structured water. Within the cytoplasm, the cell contains ions, amino acids, proteins, mitochondria, and the nucleus.
We are, essentially, electromagnetic beings. Essentially, that is, in the physical sense. Yet by the immaterial nature of electromagnetism we are thus bound to the immaterial realm.
So, this is what we actually know comprises a cell:
Cell membrane
nucleus
cytoplasm comprised of ionic material, aminos, proteins, mitochondria
(image of cells under a microscope)
The health of the cell is contingent upon the structure of this negatively charged water near the surface of the cell membrane. In order to properly signal from within the cell and outside of the cell to nearby tissue and, thus, throughout the entire body, the electromagnetic quality of the cell with structured water enables true integrity within the cell. Multiplied throughout the body, this provides for true integrity of the entire organism.
The structure of the water within the cell is supported by many things in the natural world. This includes but is not limited to…
Drinking the highly structured water that exists in springs or within a fresh mountain stream (I experienced that firsthand this weekend).
Additionally, waters infused with fresh plant material, teas or tisanes, or broths made with herbs, mushrooms, or bones provide structure for the cell.
Walking on the Earth, which is variably negatively charged (which may occur due to water just below the surface of the Earth plus vegetation/trees covering the Earth) helps maintain or improve the structure of the water within our cells. This is likely optimized along a sandy seashore (sand is often composed of quartz crystal which conducts electricity when compressed by weight - the piezoelectric effect).
The touch of another human, particularly a healthy human (think integrity of cells due to highly structured water).
Which brings to mind a related concept: Being within the presence of one who brings us joy or whom we feel authentically supports and encourages us - to feel a resonance with another.
A fundamental concept within a Vitalist paradigm is the health of the cell. The cell reaches optimal vitality due to the optimal structuring of the cell. When the water within the cells is highly structured, the organism reaches optimal integrity.
The cell is structured according to the available charge within the cell which also pertains to the composition of the cell membrane. Presumably, the membrane (or area near the membrane) is hydrophilic; this potentiates the negative charge of the structured water within the exclusion zone (EZ water), as Pollock refers to it. This properly organizes the activities of the cell, albeit, the responsiveness of the cell to the signals from its environment.
The work of Weston A. Price near the turn of the 20th century may have shown how a diet rich in animal fats supports a healthy cell membrane, thus optimal structured water within the cell, and, in turn, optimal integrity (expression of health) of the entire organism.
The nutrition of the cell is also dependent upon the presence of quality proteins and abundant micronutrients, such as minerals. The protons - providing the positive charge (cations) - within the cell’s cytoplasm are derived from ionic minerals within the cell.
Fundamentally, the opposing negative and positive charges within the cell are akin to the female-male polar opposition, and harmonizing forces. To have balance within oneself, as many ancient cultures have articulated, one must find balance between these forces within oneself - just as Nature emulates this for us wherever we may care to look.
The cell is essentially the Circle of Life. Within the Circle of Life woman and man interact to create life as well as develop each other through their support of one another. This dance can become imbalanced, but once one is centered in oneself, in accountability, in integrity, the balance is restored and the proper functioning of the cell (ie, the family) is restored.
To be vital, the cell must have this opposition in harmony. Once out of harmony, a cascade of symptoms will continue to arise over time to issue the warnings of imminent destruction, to put it bluntly.
Restoring our relationship with Nature is our means of restoring integrity within the cell. This resonance can be experienced through all interactions with Nature, direct and indirect. To interact with our own Nature (eg. expression through speech or movement, to feel our emotions deeply with acceptance for ourselves) is akin to engaging with the natural world around us - of which we are an inextricable part, composed of the same elements.