Morphic Fields I

Juno was the Patron Goddess Ancient Rome. Most of us steeped in mythology know her as the jealous and wrathful wife of philandering Jupiter. But to the Ancient Romans, she was a living Being full of sharp and seemingly conflicting facets that mark so many of the supra-human gods of the day—gods embodying multiple burgeoning energies, untouched by the monotheism that tends to force-distill most modern folks into ever-simpler images of ourselves and our deities. 

Juno’s complexity still foxes most scholars today. She guarded over marriages, mothers and childbirth, families, love, youth and fertility. But she also protected soldiers manifesting their full vital powers. She is credited with defending Rome (and the sovereignty of all people) while leaders increasingly sought her tutelary guidance in matters of politics and war—even stepping in when the real king, whether human or divine, fled. In short she was more than human (perhaps even more than human understanding), and she was a major player in the Morphic Field of Ancient Rome. 

What are Morphic Fields? (I’ll give you my take here, but there is no way I’m going to cover this sprawling topic, so pull up your browser windows and do some Googling. It’s a term coined by scientist Rupert Sheldrake.) They are fields of energy that are habituated into certain patterns, understandings, and modes of behavior. They can control the growth of a seed into a plant, an embryo into a human or a fish or a rabbit (these biological ones are specifically called Morphogenetic Fields). They are why family members maintain semblance in looks and behavior. It’s what makes Paris feel romantic or Jerusalem sacred. And we can only connect to them through our Inner Senses—whether we use these senses consciously or not.  

Everyone both contributes to and are affected by the various fields that they are in (or are connected to). Every time someone breaks a new record in running a mile, it gets easier for others to do the same. At a party, you’re more prone to drink each time someone else decides to imbibe…and if you drink, it makes it that much easier for others to do so as well. Visiting your family home, you’re more apt to re-enliven the old childhood grudges against your parents than when you’re hundreds of miles away in your apartment. 

The term “Morphic Fields” has many siblings:  quantum fields, Genius Loci, strings, trances (as Adam Crabtree describes them in Trance Zero), Archetypes, Sacred Space, etc. 

In fact, Morphic Fields closely follow the way each of our own neuropathways develop—the more we do an activity (rollerskating, playing the piano, learning a new language, etc.), the more we myelinate those neuropathways, and the faster/easier/more-proficient we are at that activity.

What does all this mean? The implications are immense. It means that when you visit a place, you connect with all the habituations (and therefore the history) of the locale or a group. If you’re psychically sensitive, you may start acting out in uncharacteristic ways. Visitors to Jerusalem are prone to a religious mania called the Jerusalem Syndrome. It means that habits, or “thoughtforms” in shamanic-speak, in your family will either get reinforced by your behavior or you will introduce new patterns that offer alternate avenues to rechannel the energy. It means that we, indeed, co-create our reality and that we all share responsibility for everything “out there.” 

So, I’ll let this sit with you all. I feel myself wanting to go in a bunch of different directions regarding Morphic Fields and their significance—which means I have to take my hands off the keyboard now. More later…