Friday, June 3, 2011

Skull-blogging: Broken-symmetry edition

Cranio-sacral therapists believe that the cranium is sacred. To express their spirituality they build more-or-less skull-shaped churches --

-- No wait that's not true. Cranio-sacral therapy turns out to be an outgrowth of osteopathy and is all about "the cyclic movement of inhalation and exhalation of the cranium". The cranial bones apparently flex in rhythmic pulsation, pumping fluid along the spine, with the sacrum at the other end flexing in syncopation to pump the fluid back.
...the restrictions of nerve passages are said to be eased, the movement of cerebrospinal fluid through the spinal cord is said to be optimized, and misaligned bones are said to be restored to their proper position.
Over at Respectful Insolence, a commenter wonders whether CST can help people who have managed to lodge their heads up their bums, but we will not be having with that at Riddled which is a family blog.

This is all very well. The mirrored role of cranium and pelvis is relevant to J. G. Ballard's interests:
But Ballard's Pushmepullyou model of human evolution is not the only way of accounting for the symmetry. It could also be that the current human architecture is a degenerate, truncated form of an earlier repeating design -- capable of indefinite extension -- where the pelvis of one sub-unit serves as the skull of the next sub-unit in the chain (Smith, 1961).
Sub-units bud at the end and occasionally break off for reproductive purposes, like the epitokes of some polychaete worms.
At a certain point in your adulthood, you would notice a small version of yourself sprouting from your rear end. This individual would be your 'epitoke'. You would referred to as the 'atoke'.
You may have several epitokes joined in a line behind you.
The last time Zombie Ballard showed up in the Riddled tea-room to hang around the akvavit cooler, it didn't seem the right moment to engage him in conversation about this theory; he was too busy moaning for 'COLONNSSSS... COLONNSSSS...".

14 comments:

M. Bouffant said...

So now it's any excuse to bring an image of the Human Centipede to my mind?

My maternal grandfather was an osteopath, & I don't think he was a loon like these people. A fascist loon, yes, but that's another story.

Smut Clyde said...

My paternal grandfather was a psychopath but you don't hear me boasting about it.

Smut Clyde said...

Somewhere in The Infernal Desire Machines of Doctor Hoffman the disgust felt by the centaurs towards human beings is described, what with the latter being all unnatural and truncated.
Somewhere about page 170 I think.

Six legs good, 8 legs better.

Big Bad Bald Bastard said...

Six legs good, 8 legs better.

I think this needs a "Helping Jennifer" tag.

mikey said...

...you would notice a small version of yourself sprouting from your rear end.

Hmm. I can see all sorts of problems that might arise from this condition. Trousers would become untennable, at least without significant modification. And one can only begin to imagine the changes to the toilet seat that would be required. Assuming you had such warm feelings for your epitoke that you would seek to alleviate the discomfort that would necessarily arise from having the host human SITTING ON YOUR HEAD ALL DAMN DAY!!

Of course, it would be kinda nice to have company all the time - you could have a conversation, sing duets and debate the issues of the day - interspersed, no doubt, with complaints about your incessant flatulence.

With my luck, my epitoke would be Haley Barbour, and when my annoyance and irritation became great enough, when I found myself one epitoke over the line, if you will, I'd have to take up Luge.

Yeah. That'll teach the cracker bastard...

ifthethunderdontgetya™³²®© said...

Trousers would become untennable...

A trouserless society is a polite society!
~

Substance McGravitas said...

The untentable trousers have their place

Substance McGravitas said...

PERIOD.

ifthethunderdontgetya™³²®© said...

Exclamation point!
~

Untenable X said...

Oh yes blame the untenable trousers! No one ever talks about the un nineable trousers with their la de da ways.
Motherfuckers!!!

M. Bouffant said...

No boasting, just the facts.

Dr.KennethNoisewater said...

mikey tells the best stories! *rests chin on hands and blinks heavenward* *plink, plink*

tigris said...

The product placements for Thanatopolis Tours and Ballard Buddies on this web log are over the top. S'h'a'n't be back.

Smut Clyde said...

just the facts

Wrong blog for that, sir.