The Macrobiotic Genius of Walter Russell

The Macrobiotic Genius of Walter Russell

By John David Mann

Copyright 1989 John David Mann

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"The Times of July 21 [1930] contains an article statingthat Walter Russell challenges the Newtonian theory ofgravitation. This artist, who is admittedly not a scientist, goeson to say that the fundamentals of science are so hopelesslywrong and so contrary to nature, that nothing but a majorsurgical operation upon the present primitive beliefs can everput them in line for a workable 'cosmogenetic synthesis'..."It seems to me it would be more fitting for an artist ofMr. Russell's acknowledged distinction in his own field, toremain in it, and not go trespassing on 'ground which even angelsfear to tread'."For nearly three hundred years no one, not even ascientist, has had the temerity to question Newton's laws ofgravitation. Such an act on the part of a scientist would be akinto blasphemy, and for an artist to commit such an absurdity is,to treat it kindly, an evidence of either misguidance or crassignorance of the enormity of his act..."

-- Dr. John E. Jackson, The New York Times, August 3, 1930.

"Dr. John E. Jackson's letter to you, a copy of which hegraciously sent to me, is a perfectly natural letter ofresentment for which I do not blame him in the least."It is true that I have challenged the accurateness orcompleteness of the Newtonian laws of gravitation, and will justas vigorously attack the other "sacred laws" of Kepler, and anyothers, ancient or modern, that need rewriting..."I am sorry an artist had to do it, but Sir Oliver Lodgesaid that no scientist could make the supreme discovery of theone thing for which science is looking and hoping. He said thatsuch a discovery would have to be the 'supreme inspiration ofsome poet, painter, philosopher or saint'..."Newton, for example, would have solved the other half ofthe gravitation problem if he had found out how that apple andthe tree upon which it grew got up in the air before the applefell. I challenge the world of science to correctly andcompletely answer that question..."

-- Dr. Walter Russell, The New York Times, August 17, 1930.

"I now wish to modify my statements and criticisms, for,since writing that letter, my viewpoint has somewhat changed...

"What I considered to be the overnight inspiration of a'crank' might be, instead, the result of an intelligent andprolonged study of Nature."I am immensely intrigued by Russell's 'two-way' principle,for it gives this universe of motion a meaning to me that it didnot have before. In fact, we know very little of the why ofanything..."Why did not some scientist think of this instead of waiting300 years for an artist to tell us about it?... I invite thecollaboration and criticism of my fellow scientists at large tojoin me in this... If Russell is right, and he surely thinks heis, his claim that science needs 'a major surgical operation' isjustifiable..."

-- Dr. John E. Jackson, The New York Times, November 9,1930.

Dr. John E. Jackson was furious. What educated person wouldhave the audacity to challenge Newton and Kepler? For months thedebate raged in the New York Times' "Letters" page. Prompted bythe release of an artist's heretical views on science, Nature andthe universe, the Times' 1930 filibuster culminated in Dr.Jackson's dramatic reversal -- what began as a caustic attack wastransformed into a call for his colleagues' support that had thefervent ring of religious conversion. Dr. Jackson, whoever hewas, had caught a glimmer of the genius of Walter Russell.But in the end, Dr. Jackson notwithstanding, the world ofscience did not embrace Walter Russell, nor have sixty years ofprogress changed that position. Today, despite the wide sphere ofcontacts and influence generated by Russell and his wife andcolleague, Lao, their teachings largely await unearthing.However, the time for that rediscovery may be at hand; forthe Russells' vision suddenly has burning relevance to anacknowledged urgent matter of global health. And the role ofadvocate for the Russell perspective may best be fulfilled bythose in the macrobiotic movement -- for the macrobiotic worldview and Russell's practical cosmology have much in common.

Cloud Over the OzoneOur story begins some ten miles above the Earth's surface inthe stratosphere, home of the planet's ailing ozone skin andbirthplace of the emerging global awareness of the limits ofman's technology. In 1974, two scientists at the University ofCalifornia made an announcement that shocked the world. When Drs.Sherwood Rowland and Mario Molina warned of possible global ozonedepletion, they touched off a controversy that was to involvescientists, industry, policy-makers, the press and the public.The "Ozone War," as it came to be called, was principallyresponsible for ushering in a new era of planetary policy. [Seesidebar.]Fifteen years later, the ponderous gears of human responseare finally grinding into action. Aimed at coping with theinfamous "ozone hole, a spate of local and global policy-making

is pushing its way forward in an unprecedented atmosphere ofinternational cooperation. Rep. Al Gore (D-TN), the seasonedenvironmental advocate who helped uncover Love Canal and hasstalked the Greenhouse effect for years, recently introducedlegislation to ban production of CFCs (the chemical generallythought responsible for the ozone crisis) within 5 years. As Goreobserved this February:"The political sentiment is changing very rapidly... I thinkpeople are mad about this and ready for dramatic action."But are they the right actions? Not according to WalterRussell, who predicted the ozone dilemma 35 years ago -- a full20 years before the Rowland/Molina research made headlines -- andascribed it to an entirely different cause.If Russell's views were correct, then the chlorine chemistryof CFCs is not the prime culprit [see sidebar], and no one islooking in the one direction that matters most. In fact,according to Russell, there is one overarching solution to theatmospheric emergency: stop making nuclear stockpiles --immediately.

A Different ScenarioThe year is 1954. Sherwood Rowland's ozone prognosis is twodecades in the future; Three Mile Island is a quarter centurystill to come. To most of us, the "Greenhouse effect" connoteslittle more than a better way to grow tomatoes. The word"ecology" scarcely exists in the mainstream lexicon.This is the year atmospheric bomb testing has begun, both bythe Soviet Union in Siberia and by the United States on theBikini atoll. John Wayne and a company of actors and moviepersonnel are filming a Western in Nevada, and emerge from longdays' of shooting covered with radioactive fallout. Years later,it will be discovered that nearly all of them have just receiveda death sentence. But all of that is many years away; for now,most of us are caught up in the promise of Eisenhower's "Atomsfor Peace."This year, Walter and Lao Russell write their warning in aprivately circulated newsletter to their students: Oxygen andradioactive stockpiles cannot coexist. Digging up the Earth'sheavier elements, concentrating their reactions and releasingtheir products into the atmosphere is a recipe for disaster.Three years later the Russells publish a book, AtomicSuicide?, whose principle message is that the development of thenuclear weaponry and industry, if allowed to continue, willeventually destroy the planet's oxygen."The element of surprise which could delay the discovery ofthe great danger, and thus allow more plutonium piles to comeinto existence, is the fact that scientists are looking near theground for fallout dangers and other radioactive menaces. Thegreatest radioactive dangers are accumulating from eight totwelve miles up [in the stratosphere]. The upper atmosphere isalready charged with death-dealing radioactivity, for which itnot yet sent us its bill. It is slowly coming, however, and wewill have to pay for it for another century, even if atomic

energy plants ceased today." (Atomic Suicide?, page 18.)Later in the book, they predict that the oxygen-destroyingeffects of radiation would not be noticed "until the lateseventies."

Atomic ProphesiesIt was an uncannily accurate forecast: ozone depletion wasfirst noticed over the Antarctic in 1982 -- and scientists havesince concluded that it first appeared in 1979. But then, as now,the Russells' voice received little notice.The somber prediction of Atomic Suicide? was not the firsttime Russell had gone out on a limb with scientific prophecy.His spiral charts of the atomic table, copyrighted in 1926,predicted the discovery of the transuranic elements Plutonium andNeptunium, as well as the now-familiar elements of "heavy water,Deuterium and Tritium" -- years before they were isolated inresearch labs.Some have claimed that the 1926 Russell charts (for which helater received an honorary doctorate from the American Academy ofSciences) and his years of New York City lectures on the subjectled directly to the laboratory research that resulted in theseelements' later discovery. It is difficult to document such aclaim at a half century's distance, but this sequence certainlyis feasible. Russell himself evidently exerted considerableenergy for years urging the research labs of Union Carbide,Westinghouse, General Electric and others to verify his atomicfindings.In any case, the exclusion from the mainstream of Russell'scharts is perhaps one of the most unfortunate snafus in thehistory of science. For in neglecting to credit Russell withthese pivotal atomic discoveries, the world also lost track ofthe other side of the Russell equation: the larger scientificunderstanding in the spiral charts, the pragmatic warnings thataccompanied them, and the breathtaking scope of macrobioticthought his life and work revealed.

Who Was Walter Russell?Russell's stunning achievements in science were but onefacet of a career that was unconventional, astonishinglysuccessful, dazzlingly versatile and unabashedly mystical. Oftencalled "the 20th Century's Leonardo" and "the man who tapped thesecrets of the universe," Russell maintained that a firm grasp ofnature's universal principles would permit anyone to excel in anyarea of endeavor; thus genius was all human beings' birthright.His own accomplishments exemplify this belief. A largelyself-taught Renaissance man, Russell carved out his firstsuccessful career as an artist, achieving internationalreputation in such diverse fields as portraiture, poetry,sculpture and architecture. His accomplishments as a portraitpainter and sculptor, in particular, won him commissions fromdozens of era notables, such as Mark Twain, Thomas Watson (thefounder of IBM), both Roosevelts (Teddy and FDR), and ThomasEdison. He also designed buildings and urban layout -- New York

City's famous Hotel Pierre, for example, is a Russell creation.Forays into the world of athletics earned him prestigious awardsin figure-skating, horsemanship and race-horse training.To Russell, such bravura performance was significant mainlyfor its value as a demonstration that Divine Law and Balancecould be tapped by human effort, and the world of art was only astarting point. Russell's yearning to imbue the social fabric ofhis era with principles of universal justice led to his longassociation with the Twilight Club, a contemporary "think tank"of artists and social philosophers.Through the Twilight Club, whose direction he assumed in1895, Russell formed bonds that were to endure throughout hislife; in the early decades of the century the work of theTwilight Club members, under the influence of Russell's teachingof Divine Law and Universal Order, produced a virtually endlessprocession of social innovations, such as the creation of childlabor laws and child welfare laws, Better Business Bureau and theelimination of sweatshops.

The Living UniverseIt was in science, however, that Russell left his leastknown and perhaps his greatest legacy. While steeped in thediscoveries and frontiers of his own time, Russell's scienceessentially is a thorough reworking of a Taoist or pre-Socraticworld conception in modern terms. Freely blending mystic andreligious imagery with rigorous mechanical logic, Russell'sscientific cosmology is rooted in the idea that all phenomena,from star systems to atomic systems, arise from the same infinitesource to live, grow and die by precisely identical processes.Hence, there is no fundamental difference between animate andinanimate matter in Russell's universe -- all are livingmanifestations of God's universe."All bodies in all the universe are the same in allrespects, whether they are electrons, cells, rocks, metals,trees, men, planets or suns. All of them live and die in the samemanner. All breathe in the charging breath of life and breatheout the discharging breath of death. All of them compress heatand polarize when they breathe in, and expand, cool anddepolarize when they breathe out." (Atomic Suicide?, p. 9.)Thus, Russell's universal mechanics hinges on areinterpretation of the ancient "unified field" theorem of yinand yang. Life -- not only biological life, but the existence ofplanets, gases and metals as well -- is caused by increasingcompression; and death, by expansion. These two processes, whichhe also terms "charging" and "discharging," are not seen asseparate forces but as opposite stages and directions of oneprocess, much like the winding up and subsequent unwinding of aspring. Life dominates every form from its inception to the pointof maximum compression, when the spring cannot be wound anytighter; compression then begins to decrease, radiation assumesdominance, and the process of releasing life's charge -- of dying-- unfolds.To Russell, the elements of matter are also living entities

in various stages of birth, growth and decay. "Carbon, the basisof organic life, is the expression of matter at maturity;elements of higher atomic weights are already dominated by theaging side of the pendulum's swing. In the heaviest elements, theforce of decay reaches near-total dominance over the force oflife -- thus radioactivity is death incarnate." [See sidebar,"The Spiral of Elements."]

The Secret Life of PlutoniumThe key to grasping Russell's understanding of radioactivityand ozone is the realization that all the elements, like all lifeforms, are ideally suited to existence within their own natural,local ecology. Thus, all the elements, when left in their naturaldimension, serve beneficial and life-giving purposes, includingUrium -- later dubbed "Plutonium."Put another way, each octave or dimension of matter has itsown natural pressure zone. [For an explanation of the octaveidea, see the sidebar, "The Spiral of Elements."] The fiveelements of organic life (C, H, N, O and Si) all need the normalpressures found at the Earth's surface to exist normally. Thenatural dimension for the supercompressed, naturally radioactiveelements (radium, uranium, plutonium, et al.) is deepunderground, where they are widely dispersed in solid rock.Here, far from being deadly or poisonous, they actually have madepossible organic life on Earth's surface: through billions ofmicroscopic explosions, they have gradually caused thesurrounding rocky crust to break down and release water and otherlower-octave elements -- something like a geological compost."Water and soil are decayed and dying rock. They are,literally, dead rocks. Out of death in Nature life springs...Think of the hundreds of millions of years Nature has to work todecay solid rock and metal planets sufficiently to create enoughdecayed surface, and an atmosphere, for organic life to becomepossible. The radioactive metals made that possible. Radioactivemetals are dead and dying bodies. They belong underground just asdead animal bodies belong underground. They are not poisons intheir own environment... Man makes them poisonous by removingthem from their purposeful environment.""Just as the slight decay of an overripe peach will not hurtyou, while a fully decayed one might kill you, so, likewise, the'overripe' chemical elements of the earth which are not too farfrom carbon [potassium, selenium, iodine, etc.] will not hurtyou, while the further they are beyond carbon the more deadlythey become, and the more impossible it is to guard yourself fromtheir quick death." (Atomic Suicide?)In short, said the Russells, the only structures naturallysuited to exist together with the radioactive elements are rocks.Even concrete, durable metals, "glassified" tombs or salt beds-- structures presently considered to contain high-levelradioactive wastes -- will eventually decay in proximity to theconcentrated pressures of such supercompost. The soft tissues ofthe fourth and fifth octaves, including our bodies, vegetationand the atmosphere itself, certainly cannot endure such a

powerful unwinding.So, then, what would happen? In Russell's estimation, thelighter pressures of the stratosphere would retain the majorityof radioactive fallout, and would be the first region that wouldreveal the wholesale destruction of oxygen. That's oxygen, notjust ozone: if played through to the end, the last act of thenuclear drama would see the disappearance of all oxygen on theplanet, whether as ozone, water or the O2 we breathe. In thiscontext, the ozone hole, as serious as it is in its own right,emerges as an early warning sign.

Our Depleted Personal OzoneIn addition to destroying ozone, Russell's logic would alsoseem to predict other early effects, including the destruction ofoxygen mechanisms within our bodies; for the body concentratesfar more radiation within its tissues than exists freely in theatmosphere. Dr. Tim Binder, a leading spokesman for the Russells'work, has postulated that "radiation may affect the oxygen-ozonein our white blood cells that is one of the principal [immunesystem] mechanisms used to destroy pathogens."This line of thinking may already have been confirmed. Fordecades, a body of surprising data on health and radiation hasbeen observed by a number of researchers, notably Dr. AliceStewart in England and Dr. Ernest Sternglass in the US. Theirfigures show that long-term, relatively low-level level radiationmay wreak up to 1,000 times more biological havoc than currentlyaccepted "risk levels" predict. The mechanism responsible forthis dramatic trend was first discovered in 1972 by a Canadianresearcher named Abram Petkau, and has since been confirmed byother researchers. [This issue's article by Sara Shannon detailsthe Petkau effect and its dietary implications -- Ed.]The little-publicized "Petkau effect" occurs through thecreation of highly reactive oxygen molecules with a "negativecharge" (the negative ion O2). But according to Russell, Natureproduces no such thing as a "negative charge." All matter, hemaintained, exhibits both charging and discharging properties;and all charges, whether of male or female polarity, arepositive. In Russell's terms, what Petkau observed is not a"highly reactive negative ion" but a changed form of oxygen thatis abnormally balanced towards discharging its energy rather thancharging -- unwinding rather than winding.Thus, what Petkau first documented in 1972 and what Rowlandand Molina first suggested two years later may prove to beprecisely the same symptom, only on different scales. Perhaps weare already suffering from internal "ozone depletion;" or putanother way, perhaps the Earth's ozone crisis amounts toradiation burn -- Gaia herself is already suffering from thePetkau effect.

Rx For DisasterA problem without solutions is not worth unearthing, andRussell's life was centered on practical solutions. As animmediate measure, Russell recommended that all nuclear

stockpiles be dismantled and their materials dispersed in deepdesert trenches. His reasoning here is three-fold. First, thegoal ought to be to return these elements to their naturalcontext -- that is, underground -- where they originally wereharmless. Secondly, concentrating them in massed piles is a bigmistake: they should be widely dispersed, as they occur innature. Thirdly, remote desert regions should be selected as anadded precaution, assuming that it will take some time for us tomaster Russell's atomic mechanics sufficiently to repatriate thevolatile materials properly and, if possible, correct theexisting stratospheric damage.The key to such proper treatment may lie in the intriguingscience of atomic transmutation, which holds that elements canchange into one another freely within normal conditions (i.e.,not requiring the tremendous heat and pressures of a high-techparticle accelerator.) Also like Georges Ohsawa, Russellasserted that low-energy, "table-top" transmutation of elementswas eminently possible.Fueled by an early conviction that the civilization of ourpresent time would require new sources of energy, Russelldeveloped an approach to derive free hydrogen from the atmospherethrough atomic transmutation. [The recent claims of several teamsof scientists to have achieved "table-top" nuclear fusion mayfinally have provided mainstream evidence of this claim; as ofthis writing, not enough information has been released toevaluate the nature of the news-making discoveries -- Ed.]Other energy sources suggested by Russell's work includedevices using the winding-up "life principle" of nature, ratherthan the winding-down "death principle" exemplified by explosivetechnologies of combustion and atomic fission. In other words,Russell maintained that so far we have employed only half thepossibilities the two-way universe presents. Examples of suchtechnologies include an "implosion engine" and a logarithmicsolar amplifier. [Forthcoming issues of Solstice will report onthe present state of several of these technologies -- Ed.]This is a radical concept; it is not hard to see why thegreat electrical science pioneer Nikola Tesla once told Russellhe should "lock up his work in a vault in the Smithsonian for athousand years" to keep it for future generations who might bedeveloped sufficiently to understand it.

Challenge to ScienceMeanwhile, back at the labs of established science and thechambers of policy-making, it is highly unlikely that anyone istalking about Russell's assessment of the problem -- let alonehis suggestions for solving it. Achieving such a discussion is anundertaking even more ambitious than it would first appear. Forscientists to consider the hypothesis, they will have to face itsauthor. And taking a hard look at Dr. Walter Russell may not be apill much easier for science to swallow in the 1990s than it wasin the 1930s.This is not hard to understand. For one thing, in the eyesof most scientists Russell always remained an artist -- a

non-scientist. Moreover, his work is not merely unconventional:it overturns many of the cherished tenets of science.But what makes Russell's work so difficult for mainstreamacceptance is that it spurns all divisions between physics andmetaphysics, and proposes a comprehensive, logical explanationfor God and atomic physics in the same breath. What arescientists to make of a man who writes:"What is Atomic Energy? In answering this question let it beremembered that God is love, and that this universe is foundedupon love. Every action and its reaction in Nature must be inbalance with each other in order to carry out to the purposefulintent of the Creator.As we suggested earlier, those involved in macrobiotics maybe best positioned to understand the scope and practicality ofRussell's views, and thus to help break ground where establishedscientists hesitate to tread. A pivotal question, then: how hasRussell fared in the macrobiotic world?

Walter Russell and The Macrobiotic MovementConsidering the sheer scope of his vision and his remarkablypractical understanding of the yin/yang principle, Russell wouldseem to cry out for macrobiotic attention. In fact, many of hismost radical scientific positions have been echoed by themacrobiotic science of Georges Ohsawa and Michio Kushi. Forexample, Russell contended that matter is not held together by anattracting force generated from the center of mass, but bycompression generating from the outside toward the center. Thisview, one of the Russell statements that flies most abruptly inthe face of accepted scientific tenets (and the one that got Dr.Jackson's goat in 1930), is echoed precisely in Kushi'scosmology, where conventional "gravity" is discarded in favor ofcentripetal "Heaven's force."Moreover, the Russells' application of the yin/yangprincipal to physical entities, human relationships and thesocial order seems extraordinarily direct and simple to grasp,and as such would seem a valuable complement to the macrobiotichealth/dietetic tradition.While he did not proselytize any specific dietary regimen,he was meticulous in his own personal habits. (For example, whilehe maintained a prodigious work schedule, he carefully rotatedprojects so that his focus changed to a different problem ormedium every two hours -- a rhythm known in macrobiotic circlesas corresponding to the energy cycle of acupuncture meridians.)To his strict adherence to natural law he credited his legendaryability to work long hours with ceaseless good humor and withoutfatigue -- quintessentially macrobiotic ideals, which hemaintained until his peaceful passing, on his birthday, at theage of 92.The following passages from his 1957 Atomic Suicide? shedsome light on Russell's views on diet and health:"The blood is of first importance of all the elements whichcompose the body. The nervous system could be entirely paralyzedand the body would still function, but the blood has deep

instinctive awareness of its existence, and the body which doesnot have a happy, rhythmic blood condition cannot possibly retainits normalcy.Even the food one eats should be 'happy.' It should becooked with love and eaten joyfully, and there should be a joyfulrealization of love in one's deep breathing and exaltation duringthe process of taking food into one's body. The food you eatbecomes blood and flesh of your body, and the manner in which youeat it, and your mental attitude while eating it, decides yourblood count, the balance between acidity and alkalinity of yourdigestive machinery, and your entire metabolism. Your Mind is youand your body is the record of your thoughts and actions. Yourbody is what your Mind electrically extends to it for recording."Curiously, though, his work has elicited little recognitioneven from within the nominal macrobiotic movement. This is asignificant loss for a community purporting to be ever on thelookout for Western cultural and philosophical roots: for Dr.Walter Russell may well represent the apex of what the West hasto offer in original macrobiotic thought.Two notable exceptions to this record of macrobiotic neglecthave been the writings of Jerry Canty and the educational effortsof Dr. Tim Binder. Canty -- a long-time student of the Russellsand himself a bit of a maverick even within the world ofmacrobiotics -- has drawn heavily on the Russells' work in hisown books, The Eternal Massage, The Sounding of the Sacred Conch,and the privately issued Spiral, Lord of Creation. None of themhas really entered the "macrobiotic mainstream" (though TheEternal Massage enjoyed a fairly wide readership in the 1970s);they stand today as several of the lesser known but mostchallenging and adventurous books in the macrobiotic literature.Binder, a naturopathic doctor whose client list includesJohn Denver and other well-connected environmental advocates, hasstudied and championed the Russell teachings along withmacrobiotics, the climate crisis/soil mineralization thesis ofJohn Hamaker, and other vital fields of perspective. Where Cantyintroduced Russell's thinking to a venturesome circle ofmacrobiotic students a generation ago, Binder is now emerging asthe Russells' leading contemporary standard-bearer.Recently appointed president of the Russells' University ofScience and Philosophy in Swannanoa, Virginia, Binder hasundertaken the massive project of reintroducing Russell'srevision of science. Next month (June 2-4), Binder and theUniversity host an international symposium at Aspen, Colorado,entitled World Balance, aimed at exposing the core of Russell'steaching and related perspectives both to the larger scientificcommunity and to the public at large.While his own interests naturally lean towards matters ofhuman health and diet, Dr. Binder has thrown the University'sfocus and resources full-force into documenting and publicizingthe possible ozone-radiation link. For Binder recognizes theirony of the situation: the imperative of the ozone crisis mayprovide the opportunity at last for the world to reconsider thethinking it rejected 60 years ago.

In Pursuit of EvidenceAs the centerpiece of this effort, Dr. Binder iscoordinating a thorough scientific effort to test, verify anddocument radioactivity's role in ozone depletion. Combining anexhaustive review of existing literature with new laboratoryexperimentation, the project owes its impetus in part to Binder'sfrustrated efforts to obtain accurate data from pastobservations.Last year, to explore mainstream views on the possibleradiation-ozone connection, Binder visited the National Oceanicand Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) in Boulder, Colorado, wherehe spoke with NOAA researcher George Mount. He was told, "Oh,yes, we know that radiation destroys ozone, but we don't considerit significant." Pressing further, Binder learned of an earlier"insignificant" government finding: "during the bomb tests in the60s [before the ban on atmospheric testing drove the detonationsunderground] they found a 2 percent reduction in ozone [emphasisours]." Given the current alarm over a global reduction of 1.7to 3 percent, 2 percent would certainly seem to us to be"significant."Binder was told that a review of this data was in process;when he later tried to obtain this information in print, hereceived reports with figures that contradicted Mount'sstatements.[Subsequently, we contacted Sherwood Rowland's office at theUniversity of California; Sherwood himself was out of thecountry, but we spoke with one of his associates about thepossible radiation-ozone connection. Offhand, he didn't see howradiation would be likely to have this effect, though thehypothesis apparently had never been suggested to him before.]Commenting on his investigations, Binder offered thisconclusion: "As the government is now reviewing the old data onthe 60s' testing, it sounds like they are reconsidering thenuclear connection to ozone destruction, but don't want to tell[us] about it yet.

Beyond Ozone: The Human FactorShortly before her passing in May, 1988, we had theopportunity to meet Mrs. Russell at her mountaintop home inVirginia. The moment we met she looked directly at us and said,"I'm so glad you've come. You know, we really must do somethingabout this ozone hole. The Doctor and I warned about this in1954; nobody would listen to us then. Now the situation isabsolutely urgent."Oddly, despite the dire nature of her subject, there wasnothing dark or gloomy in her words nor in her demeanor. Hermeasured statements emerged in a melodious flow that was at onceprecise and comfortable; they seemed uplifted by a quiet,unshakable faith. We sensed a conviction that all events fallinto their natural time and place, with ultimate benefit for thewhole.Later that day, she addressed the assembled group: "There is

one central answer to all these terrible environmental problems,and that is a change in the nature of human relationships.Ó Itwas impossible not to understand what she meant, and agree.Thoroughly versed in her husband's cosmology and scientificperspective, Lao Russell held that technical solutions alone, nomatter how cosmologically conceived, would not bring about thechanges so urgently needed. That change, she taught, would comeabout only through the transformation of human beings, that wemight realize our awareness of the infinite Source, the Law ofBalance, and the Divine potential in ourselves and in each other.In a 1986 message to her students she wrote, "Only the power ofLove put into practice can put an end to all of the violence.Love will not come into the world until mankind understands Whoand What he is. When he does understand, he will know that whenhe destroys another, he is in truth destroying himself."The modern bull in the stratospheric china shop, whateverits identity may prove to be, is tearing holes in more than theozone and its underlying biological fabric. It has already begunto clear away a stagnant web of parochial policies and humanpriorities. Perhaps it will even have the force to open a gap inour staunchly entrenched view of the world and our role withinit.The cloud over the ozone may yet reveal a silver lining. Ifit succeeds in prompting a closer look at the hereticalmacrobiotic science of Walter Russell, it may open a window to atwo-way universe -- a universe seen in an altogether differentlight.

Part2:[Continued from part 1]

WALTER RUSSEL ARTICLE: SIDEBARS

An Early WarningAugust, 1954. "It will not take many years to utterlydestroy the... encircling protective walls which surround thisplanet and protect the earth from burning up by the sun's hotrays," Walter and Lao Russell, Newsletter of the University ofScience and Philosophy.April 6, 1989. "Scientists reported yesterday that for thefirst time they have detected an increase in "biologicallyrelevant" levels of ultraviolet radiation reaching the ground asa result of the ozone hole over the Antarctica. This is the firstindication that the depletion of ozone... is beginning to causethe potentially harmful effect that has long been predicted."(Washington Post)

A Riddle Wrapped in an EnigmaIn a way, the abrupt emergence of Russell's astonishinghypothesis is in keeping with the peculiar tradition of theozone story, a tale rife with riddles and ironies. "One of themost striking features of the ozone controversy [is] the extentto which 'outsiders' played a crucial role in identifying thethreats to the ozone layer." (The Ozone War, page 11.)

It was James Lovelock, now famous as the author of thecontroversial Gaia Hypothesis, who first found CFCs persisting inthe stratosphere. Making the historic measurement required anultra-sensitive device. Unable to obtain any funding for theresearch (he was dismissed as a "crank"), Lovelock built thedelicate tool himself, using his family's "grocery money."Ironically, Lovelock thought the chemicals might serve asuseful "tracers" for atmospheric study, and said they posed "noconceivable hazard." "I bombed," Lovelock frankly admits. "Itturned out I was sitting on a time bomb." (The Ozone War, page9.)Sherry Rowland, who while on a "fishing trip for new ideas"happened to hear early rumor of Lovelock's measurements at aconference coffee klatch, was no more a part of mainstream ozoneresearch than Lovelock. In fact, he was not an atmosphericscientist at all, but a chemist specializing in, of all things,the chemistry of radio-isotopes. He and Molina, a young researchassistant fresh from receiving his PhD, never imagined that theirstudy would plunge them into the eye of a national cyclone ofcontroversy.If Russell is right, and manmade nuclear reactions prove tobe at the root of stratospheric ills, then Sherry Rowland'sinvolvement provides one further irony: prior to his becominginterested in the fluorocarbon work that led to the ozonefinding, he was funded by the Atomic Energy Commission. His areaof research? -- the chemistry of atoms produced in nuclearreactions.

Russell the ArtistThe story of how Dr. Russell came to sculpt his famous bustof Edison is an example of his legendary versatility. At the ageof fifty-six, Russell had been an accomplished painter, but hadnever handled clay in his life. As President of the Society ofArts and Sciences, he felt compelled to make good on a commissionfor the bust, which a fellow artist had accepted but was unableto complete. He promptly got some clay and wired Mrs. Edison thathe would go and do it himself -- akin to a great conductorsuddenly picking up the violin for an unrehearsed recital."It was a very unwise thing to do, perhaps, because withsuch a great man as Edison as my subject, I might not havesurvived a failure," he later remarked. "But I never let thethought of failure enter my mind... The inspired belief that Ishould do this thing as a demonstration of my belief in man'sunlimited power made me ignore the difficulties that lay in theway. So I went to Florida with a mass of clay, but on my waydown, I spent the entire time absorbed in inspirationalmeditation with the Universal Source of all inspiration."The resulting sculpture was to be one of the great milepostsin his career; other commissions followed immediately, producingbusts of Franklin Roosevelt, General Douglas MacArthur, ThomasWatson, George Gershwin and Leopold Stokowski, and finally atwenty-eight figure monument to Mark Twain and the famous "FourFreedoms.

Russell the Social ReformerFounded 20 years earlier as an "ethical and moral movementto bring culture, character and the Brotherhood of Man principleinto world human relations," the New York-based Twilight Clubbrought together a network of such luminaries as Ralph WaldoEmerson, Mark Twain, Oliver Wendell Holmes, Walt Whitman, EdwinMarkham and Alexis Carrell. (Alexis Carrell wrote Man The Unknown-- a perennial favorite in macrobiotic circles -- during hisassociation with Russell and the Twilight Club.)Russell's long collaboration with Thomas Watson, anotherTwilight Club member and the founder of IBM, led to theintroduction of moral standards and ethical principles in theworld of business. In his first of many meetings and lectures forIBM personnel, Russell said he was "shocked" with the "junglephilosophy of every man for himself" that then permeated thebusiness world, and he effectively replaced the philosophy of"business is business" with the concept "that equal interchangeof goods and services between buyer and seller is the keynote oftomorrow's business world." (The Man Who Tapped the Secrets ofthe Universe, p. 24-25.)During the Depression years when so many businesses failed,IBM continued to thrive. When asked the secret of their success,Watson replied, "Go talk with Walter Russell."Abandoned during the WWII years, the Twilight Club was laterrevived as the University of Science and Philosophy at Swannanoa,Virginia. After Russell's passing in 1963, his work was carriedon at Swannanoa by Lao Russell, his co-equal partner in work asin marriage.

A Living and Dying UniverseWalter Russell often asserted that God's universe "is atwo-way, not one-way universe." The death force or "windingdown" principle is familiar to us as the force of entropy, thefamed Second Law of Thermodynamics. The Law of Entropy statesthat all systems gradually lose energy (that is, energy becomesless organized and therefore unavailable to perform work) throughdispersal of heat; hence, the universe is destined to die a "heatdeath."Russell disagreed, and detailed the mechanics of anopposite, balancing force -- the life-organizing force, which healso termed "generoactive." This force is the answer to theriddle of Newton's apple, to which Russell alludes in his 1930sTimes letter. (Years later, Buckminster Fuller coined the term"syntropy" to describe entropy's complement.) Russell alsolikened these twin forces to the charging and discharging of abattery, or the winding and unwinding of a spring.How rapidly or gradually a system unwinds after reachingmaturity depends on a variety of factors, principally its degreeof balance within its local environment. Thus the relaxation anddissolution of life may occur as slow fermentation, decay, aburst of flame or an explosion."We do not say that a decaying tree, which takes fifty years

to go back into the ground, is exploding. If you burn it,however, the flame is a series of quick explosions which will doin two hours what Nature intended should take fifty years."(Atomic Suicide?, page 23.)Central to Russell's scientific conclusions is thisobservation: the state of rest, the source from which all lifearises and to which it ultimately returns, is the "normal" state(to which Russell often refers as God, Mind or Magnetic zero.)In other words, it takes increasing effort to "wind up" intogreater density (to live), while it takes literally no effort atall, once a system reaches maximum compression, to unwind again-- to die. Most significantly, the force of the unwinding/deathphase is proportionate to the total effort expended in winding upto that point.For example, it may take many years of consuming steak andice cream, perhaps along with exposure to chemical contaminants,to reach the condition disposing one to bowel cancer. The effortexpended by the individual, the food industry, the chemicalfactories and even the cattle involved, are considerable; at thepoint of maximum compression (when the body cannot hold itselftogether any tighter) that mass of effort reverts into aforceful, effortless unwinding. What goes in, must come back out.To arrest the course of the disease at this point requires atremendous, renewed exertion of compression and life effort,commonly observed as the "will to live" factor or, in macrobioticthought, as the capacity to self-reflect and change one'spersonal habits.In the case of human illness and dying, such a reversalthrough renewed compression is often possible, just as it ispossible to arrest the burning of a tree with cold water, or toslow fermentation with salt. It is not so easy to halt theunwinding process of gunpowder, an electrical short-circuit --or the decay of radioactivity.

The Spiral of ElementsAs in the life of his contemporary Georges Ohsawa, themodern founder of the macrobiotic movement, Russell was absorbedin his later years with both the cosmic meaning and the immediatedangers of atomic science. Also like his Oriental counterpart,Russell vividly and brilliantly expressed his grasp of universaldynamics in a spiral chart of the elements.Russell's atomic charts placed all the atoms as points alonga continuous spectrum of increasing compression, much like thenotes of an ascending musical scale. The musical simile is notcasual: Russell's atomic scale is harmonically organized inoctaves, with the inert gases (helium, neon, argon etc.) actingas the "keynote" of each octave. (Not surprisingly, Dr. Russellwas also an accomplished composer.)Russell held that the hydrogen octave, far from being thebeginning of the atomic scale, was in fact preceded by three"inaudible" atomic octaves, yielding a full spectrum of nineoctaves. These first three octaves, involving wavelengths toovast to measure, would be beyond the threshold of physical

sensing (that is, beyond detection by normal instruments ofscience). It was the lack of this knowledge, Russell contended,and the misconception of hydrogen as the first element thatforced scientists to view deuterium and tritium (which he hadoriginally called Ethlogen and Bebegen -- now well-known ascomponents of the "heavy water" used in today's nuclearreactions) as isotopes of hydrogen instead of true tonal elementsin their own right. ("Isotopes" might be compared to the"accidentals" -- sharps and flats -- of single musical notes.)On the other hand, he asserted, that many of the higher octave"elements" in fact are but isotopes of higher-octave versions ofcarbon.Carbon, lying in the center of the fourth octave, is held tobe the balance point of perfect stability and the matureexpression of the entire spectrum, and as such serves as thebasis for organic life. Russell pointed out that roughly 98percent of organic life forms are composed of carbon and fourother elements (hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen and silicon) which allare grouped together with carbon in the fourth octave (exceptsilicon, a transmutation of carbon in the next octave up, whichforms the basis of the Earth's crust and of soil). In a sense,the "purpose" of the entire atomic spectrum is to create carbonlife forms.The further one compresses past carbon, the more readilywill the pressure and heat of compression explode into decay.The supercompressed elements of the 7th, 8th and especially 9thoctaves (radium, plutonium, etc.) are simmering at the breakingpoint -- hence the tremendously explosive pressures of theradioactive metals.

Encountering the RussellsOn a quiet afternoon in 1979, I sat in a coffee shoppreparing my Kushi Institute lecture for that evening. As Isipped my coffee -- I was allowed to, after all, I was a teacher-- I was interrupted by two friends, both "senior" teachers.(This particular coffee shop served as a hangout and meetingplace for macrobiotic teachers.) They joined me and begandiscussing the usual topic of the day: How to get everyone elseto eat macrobiotically so as to establish one peaceful world.One of the seniors noticed my recently acquired book, Dr. WalterRussell's The Secret of Light, lying on the table beside me; andthey asked me who Dr. Russell was and what the book was about.After the first few sentences of my reply, they both proceeded tocriticize both the book and its author for a good half hour.In the Boston macrobiotic community where I lived at thattime, I soon learned, to mention the Russells and their work waslike admitting that you did not understand the unique principleof macrobiotics. The philosophical and scientific works of theRussells were (and perhaps still are) considered unclear,confusing and impractical. I, like my fellow students andteachers, certainly did not want confusing or "foreign"philosophical ideas to disrupt our established belief systemconcerning the nature of macrobiotics. As far as we were

concerned, the macrobiotic truth existed here, and only here, inour little community. The sun flag was raised high, and I wasdedicated, loyal, stubborn and very confused. So, I laid theRussells' work aside, along with all else that did not fit intomy small world of dogma.Several years later, being a little older, not necessarily alittle wiser, but a whole lot more curious and frustrated withapparent inconsistencies and impracticalities in my ownunderstanding of macrobiotics, I secretly began to explore theworks of Dr. and Mrs. Russell. At first I became more confusedand found myself resisting, especially when I read such boldstatements as, "Opposites do not attract," or "Like attractslike." Wait a minute, I thought. Maybe my macrobiotic friendswere right about Russell -- there do seem to be inconsistencieshere. I soon discovered that the inconsistencies I wasencountering were not in their works, but in the limitations ofmy own prior understanding. Gradually a new comprehension beganto open up.Their words penetrated deep into my soul. They were honestwords, words of wisdom, of love, and they were steeped in theunifying principle of macrobiotics. Their expression wasextremely clear and to the point. The message was practical andnot at all confusing. There was nothing there to instill guilt orfear.They spoke of the difference between knowing and thinking,and how we all know all there is to know, yet do not always admitit to ourselves. Dr. Russell was a perfect example of one whoknew. He had very little formal education, and used this to hisadvantage. Through inspiration he became an accomplishedscientist, philosopher, artist, sculptor and musician.They spoke of how we as human beings can reinspire others,yet can only be inspired by the One. And most of all, for me,they explained the mechanism and process of the logarithmicspiral -- the foundation of macrobiotics. The more I absorbedtheir understanding, the more it seemed to add to rather thandetract from or conflict with my prior macrobiotic learning.Through the years that followed I began to incorporate theirunderstanding of macrobiotics into my own teaching andcounselling, always with the thought that I would meet Mrs.Russell some day. For the past eight years I traveled throughoutthe United States, teaching and encouraging people to study theRussells' works, and giving out the address of the University ofScience and Philosophy. During this period I had not oncecontacted the University to introduce myself. Why? I have noidea. In 1987 I moved to Charlottesville, Virginia from New York.Why? I have no idea, other than it seemed to be the proper movefor me. I soon learned that the University of Science andPhilosophy was only a twenty minute drive away.I called the University and introduced myself, and said Iwould like to meet Mrs. Russell; I was given an appointment.Days later, I drove out to Swannanoa with John Mann, who hadrecently relocated Solstice from upstate New York toCharlottesville. [Editor's Note: Why had we abruptly relocated?

We had no idea.] Arriving at the requested time, I introducedmyself to the staff and they said they would inform Mrs. Russellthat I was there. I stood among a group of approximately twentyother visitors and watched as the most elegant lady I have evermet began to descend the carpeted stairs.We had never met, yet she recognized me in the crowdimmediately, and invited me upstairs. As we sat, she proceeded totell me my life story in detail, from the beginning to thepresent. She spoke as if she knew me when I was a child. She did!And that wasn't all she knew -- for she, too, was a livingexample of her and her late husband's philosophy.We spoke for a few hours on many subjects. She told humorousstories about Dr. Russell and herself as if he were still alive."He is!" she said, "You can never die!" She spoke with a simple,quiet conviction that was utterly disarming, and I felt as if Iwere in the presence of honesty incarnate. Meeting Mrs. Russellwas an experience I will cherish forever.

-- Steve Gagne Editor's Note: Mrs. Russell was a perceptive person. Earlyin our conversation, she looked straight at us again and said,"This started in 1954." She was referring to the '54 UniversityNewsletter, no doubt; but she spoke so emphatically, Steve and Icould not help glancing at each other -- could she have knownthat we were both born in 1954? She smiled. Later, she abruptlyturned to us and nonchalantly commented, "You know, Dr. Russellnever smoked cigarettes or drank coffee." Bingo, I thought.

-- Ed.

RESOURCES:

"Atomic Suicide?" (1957, 304 pp.), discusses the nature of matter and its relation to the world of spirit. It also provides a broad introduction to Russell's general cosmology. One fascinating section is devoted to excerpts from the contemporarypopular media about the dangers of nuclear power. A lengthyintroduction by Lao Russell includes a biographical essay onRussell's life. (Solstice Library)

"The Secret of Light" (1947, 288 pp.) is a thorough exposition ofRussell's cosmology, more completely and systematically presentedthan in Atomic Suicide? (Solstice Library)

"The Man Who Tapped the Secrets of the Universe," by Glenn Clark(1953 edition, 57 pp.), is a short, highly accessible biography.(Solstice Library)

"Home Study Course." Available from the University, this is athorough, comprehensive course of study of the Russells' work inall its dimensions. (See ad this page for the Home Study Courseand other Russell books.)

RELATED BOOKS AND LITERATURE

"Holoscene" (formerly "Spiral, Lord of Creation"), by JerryCanty; 144 pp. Canty's most thorough explanation of Russell'swork to date. Available directly from Canty in photocopy for $25ppd. Jerome Canty, Box 5256, Chico CA 95927.

"The Atomic Age and The Unique Principle," Georges Ohsawa.Written towards the end of his life, The Atomic Age presentsOhsawa's most incisive perspective on the atomic frontier and the20th century challenge. (Solstice Library)

"World Crisis Solutions Foundation Newsletter," issues 1-4.Written by Dr. Tim Binder, these four newsletters contain briefoverviews of some of Dr. Russell's insights and Dr. Binder'sefforts to pursue the radiation/ozone-depletion connection. TheNewsletters also contain condensed articles on a variety of othervital health and environmental issues. $20 for set of four. NW169 Blodgett Camp Road, Hamilton MT 59840 (406) 363-4041.

"The Ozone War," Lydia Dotto and Harold Schiff, Doubleday & Co.,1978. A fascinating account of the discoveries and controversiessurrounding Sherwood Rowland's work with the Ozone Hole.

"Protecting the Ozone Layer," Chapter 5 of The State of the World1989, Worldwatch Institute, NY.

[END]

Editor's Note:

The following article originally appeared in _Solstice_ magazine,May 1989. _Solstice_ magazine is now defunct. Reproduced herewith the express permission of Randolph Byrd.

Please see Appendix A. for a description of "Project Argus,"which was the high-altitude atmospheric nuclear weapon testingduring the 1940s and 50s that created artificial radiation belts(Van Allen) of charged particles ringing the earth. See alsoMindNet Journal, Vol. 1, No. 51 for a detailed description ofthese artificial radiation belts and their intended use byProject HAARP for communications and weather modification.MindNet Journal, Vol. 1, No. 28 further details the dangers ofHAARP and the logical outcome of the predictions made by WalterRussell in the following article.

It is this editor's opinion, as well as a number of otherwriters and researchers, that HAARP is a possible deliverysystem for worldwide atmospheric mind control of all humans.