Page 64 - Summer2008

All Thumbs Book Reviews

Chinese text, the I Ching, is a compilation of be used to make the new protein; for example,
hexagrams with six positions that can be lled AUG codes for methionine. There are 64 possible

with either solid or broken lines, making 64 codons in the “languages” of DNA and RNA. The
possible hexagrams, each of which is associated book drew an analogy between these 64 codons
with a certain psychological trait. Olree noticed and the 64 hexagrams of the I Ching. Olree had
in his private practice that misalignments of already determined that each I Ching hexagram
certain vertebrae were associated with particular corresponded to a particular position in the verte-
psychological changes and began mapping out bral column and to a particular mineral; once he
the associations between the 64 points along the realized the connection between the I Ching and
spine and the 64 hexagrams of the I Ching. He DNA, then, the relationship between the latter
used a 1926 version of the periodic table of the and the 64 minerals of Russell’s periodic table
elements made by Walter Russell, an artist and became self-evident.
architect credited with coining the term “New Olree synthesized all of this information into
Age” and with hypothesizing the existence of the “Olree Biological Periodic Chart.” Each of
various subatomic particles now known to exist. the 64 entries contains the name of the mineral,
This table contained far fewer elements than the its electric charge, the number Russell had as-
current table contains, as well as 22 subatomic signed to it, the I Ching hexagram Olree assigned
particles not included on the current table. It was to it, the RNA codon to which it corresponds, the
organized into nine octaves. The ninth octave amino acid coded for by the RNA sequence, the

contained radioactive elements, while the rst number of times the codon appears in the human
eight octaves contained 64 non-radioactive ele- genome, the point on the vertebral column to
ments and subatomic particles. Referring to these which it corresponds, the hour of the day during
collectively as “minerals,” Olree designated each which a particular acupuncture meridian that
vertebral point with its own mineral and its own Olree also assigned to the mineral regenerates,
hexagram of the I Ching. and the psychological trait associated with the I
When Olree stumbled upon a book called Ching hexagram. Examples of the psychological
DNA and the I Ching, a new theory of genetics traits include “before the end,” “after the end,”
was born. The book drew an analogy between “insight,” “conscientiousness,” and “reuniting.”
the codons of DNA and the hexagrams of the I Walters gives no description of precisely
Ching. DNA is like an alphabet in which each of how Olree assigned the minerals to their respec-
four nucleotides represents a letter. Nucleotides tive codons. For example, why does UGU cor-
When Olree consist of nitrogen-containing ring structures respond to arsenic and not to calcium? No answer
stumbled called nitrogenous bases that are attached to is given. Buried deep in the book, however, under

upon a book sugars and phosphate groups. The four bases the entry for the “subatomic mineral” barnordon,
making up the nucleotides in DNA are adenine Walters gives us a disturbing description of how
called DNA (A), guanine (G), cytosine (C) and thymine (T). Olree assigned the minerals to the vertebral posi-
and the When the cell makes a protein, it rst makes an tions in Olree’s own words: “I like the third law of

I Ching, a RNA copy of a particular DNA sequence using physics. For every action [there is] an equal and
the same bases, except it replaces thymine (T) opposite reaction. So I [took] the human spine
new theory with uracil (U). The RNA copy is then used to and the 64 amino acids [codons] and concluded
of genetics make the protein. Each of these “letters” makes that number 1 equals 64, number 2 equals 63,
was born. up a three-letter “word” called a codon. Each and I laid it out on paper. The opposite of number
codon codes for a particular amino acid that will 9 is number 54, the yttrium area of the spine.
62 Wise Traditions SUMMER 2008