Crystallized Form, Specialized Function
Proteins are the building blocks of physical life. Without them, life has no scaffolding, no form.
Strings of amino acids, folded and twisted, arranging into unique shapes as the environment shifts. Proteins are not static, they move and adapt to their environment, to life itself.
Some sequences of amino acids are more fluid than others, arranging into functional forms as needed by an ever-changing environment. Others maintain intentions of staying fixed, consistent to their core arrangement. Under the right environment and conditions, each does exactly what it is supposed to do.
Why is the arrangement of a protein so important?
Function.
(all images in blog are from Pathways to Family Wellness Issue 81)
The size, shape and composition of a protein, just like your body, affects its function.
I have a friend that used to work in a private laboratory that grew, isolated, purified and crystallized proteins. This was so that they could shoot a laser through tiny little protein crystals. When light moves through form, it is absorbed, refracted and reflected. This information can be recorded for characterization purposes. This literally is the perfect example of how shape and physical characteristics affect function (in this case how the laser light moves through the protein).
There is a great symbology available here. Just like the light moving through protein reveals its function, the way in which Consciousness flows through our human nervous system reveals our True Purpose.
We are all made for some unique form of service. A way to express unconditional love and elevate humanity and the planet at large. Here in the physical, with our natural anatomy, we are here to do work, just like proteins. This is why we can learn so much, simplifying the experience of life down into the microcosmic world of proteins.
Proteins truly are wonderful. They provide living organisms structure. But also, the structure of each individual largely predicts the protein’s function. Just as each door lock has a particular key, so does each protein have a particular function. So since we are each a unique compilation of proteins, we must also deduce that because of this we are each a multi-faceted array of many functions, all culminating in our unique expression of life.
Characterizing form in order to understand purpose is very important to scientists. So much so that they will invest millions of dollars in private laboratories to grow proteins in bacteria, then lyse the cells and wash them, then purify a specific protein, and then do a host of other procedures to get the protein into the perfect crystallized form so that it can be characterized!
My friend worked in that private laboratory for a year, while he and his team specialized in this exact process. They spent many days, often stretching into nights, figuring out the exact method for crystallizing each protein, so that some other company could identify that protein’s function, or at least gain some data on it.
Why does protein crystallization matter?
It matters because it is the same process each of us must undergo to determine our True Purpose.
We must grow. We must purify. We must go through other practices to get in just the right form. Then we crystallize. When this happens, our True Purpose in this life becomes undeniable. When our body is optimized in an ideal posture, when our mind is aligned with a supreme ideal, we allow the Consciousness we were meant to express flow through.
Each aspect of the physical composition of the mind-body is built for and fuels some function, unique to it. If proteins have exact, pin-point specificity, then why should we on a macroscale be much different? In fact, we actually have the capacity to be more specific, more dynamic, and more potent. This means our True Purpose is so much more than a mere mission statement. We are living breathing expressions of life here in the now moment for variations of service based on the conditions at hand.
There are many similarities between the microcosmic adaptations of a protein and the macrocosmic adaptations of our body. Just like a protein, shifting and reorienting its chains of amino acids to be a functional form, so, too, is our body adapting. In a constantly changing environment, a protein resolves to maintain its form to the best of its ability. And at the same time, it has to adapt. The same goes for us, though we have much more at our disposal to do so. We are more complex. Not only do we have different proteins composing us, but we are differentiated into varying cell types, tissue types, organ systems, etc.
For instance, in the winter we typically put on more fat. Our nervous system senses the changing environment which encourages us to eat heavier meals with more carbs and fat. The Innate Wisdom of the body cues us to thicken in order to have more insulation. We need our digestive organs and blood to be warm enough to function. Our body adapts to accommodate the changing environment. And, in our multifaceted mind-body, there is much more to it.
Your mind-body is not only responding to physical changes, but to all the external subtle energies as well. There are millions of micro-adaptations happening in your body every single second! Constantly your nervous system is taking in information and responding. Constantly cells are signaling to their neighbors, across tissue types and through the blood. This is all for the purpose of maintaining balance and thus functionality of the whole organism. Consciousness permeates every cell, tissue, organ, and organ system of our entire human body. The definitive coordinator - passing distinct information across the whole mind-body - is the nervous system.
We have the ability to take the reins of this definitive coordinator, using the power of intention to our advantage. Through our thoughts and through our actions, we have the ability to re-create our internal reality all the way down to the protein level. This is epigenetics. The external environment we expose ourselves to, based on our healthy or unhealthy decisions, influences the genetic expression of genes. Genes are transcribed into RNA and then translated into amino acid sequences which fold into proteins. So yes, the decisions you make affect your protein expression, thus the functionality of your mind-body.
We have a plethora of genetic material and adaptive capabilities so that we can grow, purify, adapt, evolve, and ultimately thrive. It takes practice! This is where our mind-body awareness comes into play. Tuning into how energy is flowing through our matter in all the ways, we can begin to develop heightened strategies. In a variety of life experiences we must always remember that we can have a conscious role in deciding which adaptations play out and how efficiently. It’s not going to simply happen though, which is what I emphasize to my clients, “we have to do the work.”
If we want a healthier, nervous system we must invest in good chiropractic care and also do the at home recommendations. We stretch certain muscles, strengthen others, and use specific molding devices to optimize our spinal curve. As the healthy curvature reappears in the spine, the spinal cord gets happier. When our spinal cord is happier, our brain is healthier. It is that simple.
You get to make the decision. You get to own a conscious life that thrives via all the salutogenic intentions to create health, wealth, joy, and harmony in your mind-body, and therefore your life. You get to crystallize your form through all the experiences and practices you undergo, ultimately finding your True Purpose, leading to service from a place of abundance.