Parthenogenesis

A Crash Course on Parthenogenesis (Part 1)
Owing to a painful confrontation with my mortality, caused by a bungled surgical procedure which required nineteen days of hospitalization back in 2009, I felt both compelled and obliged to write down, and post on the web, the full extent of my knowledge regarding parthenogenesis. There are no experts in this field, and I certainly don’t claim to be one, nevertheless, at present, it represents over 40 years of searching, re-searching and contemplation. You should know this rare “subject of subjects” is as bottomless as the sea.
Don’t worry, I’ve no ax to grind against men, no book to sell, as yet, and no religion to promote or put down. Entertaining information about Virgin or Divine Birth will not make sex, as we know it, to disappear. It also doesn’t imply that children born through “normal” conceptions are somehow inferior, or come into this world without gifts. All children are sacred, so Blessed Be The Children!

‘Blessed be the Children’?Artist: Den Poitras
Is parthenogenesis real or not? Do children born this way possess special abilities? If you make it through the first part, I’m sure you’ll want to read The Story of Laurie (Part 2).
(Please note that, much of this knowledge in Part 1, was gleamed from the personal libraries of the founders of Hippocrates Health in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1969, when I was 18 years old. In this beginner’s phase of exploration curiosity almost killed the cat, but later on, satisfaction brought him back, as more arcane facts and inspiring people came my way during my late teens and early twenties.)

Parthenogenesis: from the Greek, partheno—of virgin origin.

It is said that Buddha’s mother conceived her son when in a state of blissful meditation under a banyan tree. Mary conceived Jesus in more or less the same way. It’s also been said that Leonardo DaVinci, possibly Joan of Ark, Mary, one of our Saint Catherine’s, Moses, (floating down a river in a basket?) Zoroaster, Plato and scores more geniuses, visionaries and healers throughout history are claimed to have came about this way.
If many of the lower species can and do conceive parthenogenetically, I don’t think it’s too shocking to assume that humans can too. Based on this fact alone I can’t imagine why scientists are not more curious like they were over hundred years ago when the famous biologist, Jacques Loeb realized that: “The Male is not necessary for reproduction. A simple physio-chemical agent in the female is enough to bring it about.”
Though it’s been said that no mammals have been known to have given birth parthenogenetically, Jacques Loeb got monkey, chicken and rabbit embryos to fertilize through various means like electrical fields and saline solutions. (Update: I’ve got Google set up to send along stories about parthenogenesis and virgin birth. The latest news from Google is a report about an anteater, in captivity, and with no male around, gave birth parthenogenetically.)
When a single, tiny sperm penetrates a woman’s unfertilized egg there is an implosion of light or energy in its center that is visible under the microscope, via infra-red photography. One could say this is the moment when spirit enters matter. The size of the egg itself in comparison to the humble sperm speaks volumes.
There are different schools of thought regarding this moment of conception, which I’ve heard referred to as “epigenesis”. Does that single sperm carry a simple electrical charge to the egg, or is it purely chemical? Can the electrical charge, or chemical formula, be artificially reproduced? Considering how little it takes to stimulate an unfertilized egg into activity, it doesn’t seem so impossible that a woman, in a state of superior alkaline health, and engaged in a sacred women’s dance/trance ceremony couldn’t self-conceive.

“The life-force itself acts as a fecundating power. This leads the way to a creative mutation, a new product of evolution, a new type of human being who is not born from ancestors and is consequently free from the inertia and karma of mankind’s past.” —Dane Rudhyur

Does this mean that the male-influence, through normal sex, interferes with the conception of highly evolved beings? This makes it tempting to think of normal children as being tarnished or degenerate, but let’s not go there and, instead, let’s keep our chins up and try to understand what Mother Nature has to tell us. Here’s a quote from Professor Francis Lester Ward:

“Women are the race itself—the strong primary sex, and men the biological afterthought.”

The first few months of human life in the womb are spent in female form. If/when it is to become a male, then the ovaries descend to become testicles and the clitoris elongates into a penis. Guys are nature’s second choice. We’re here to insure the survival of the species because it is difficult, or impossible, for the majority of women to procreate on their own and, of course, because sex is so damn wonderful, at least for most of us.
Sex, especially when blended with love, is a deeply powerful pleasure. If we are considerate, careful and loving, then, when engaging with the fire of sex, we’re unlikely to get burned. Sexual love is like a serpent of fire. We must tread carefully, applying as much compassion to match our passion—this helps to raise our kundalini energy from the base of the spine, through the heart, and up into our crown chakra.

‘Virgin Birth’?Artist: Den Poitras
The Immaculate Conception is simple, lovely, gentle, and natural, or shall I say super-natural. It’s super because of how close to the laws of nature that a woman must be in, in order to conceive in such a manner. Most of us are super-far-away from nature. If we live super-close to nature then super-natural things might occur such as, super health, vivid dreams, clairvoyant visions, and/or simple feelings of happiness.
Just for the record, I don’t like to use the term “immaculate” because it implies that there’s something dirty about sex. I use it sparingly, and only because we are most familiar with this term.

The above quote is from the MYSTERIES OF HUMAN REPRODUCTION by Dr. Raymond Bernard.

OJIBWA CEREMONY

Now we’re going to take a look at an Ojibwa conception ceremony that I stumbled on in the early 70?s, which came my way because I had been asked to read and write a review about a book regarding the Ojibwa, or Chippewa people. The review was published in a small American Indian magazine called: Many Smokes Magazine. I’ve spent hours trying to track down this book, as I’ve forgotten the title and author, but I well remember that the author had spent a decade re-searching oral stories, from the Ojibwa elders, that existed before the coming of the white-man. One such story, that peaked my interest, was about how their wise-women looked for certain young maidens that possessed a great degree of grace, intelligence and compassion.
Sometimes a candidate for conceiving and giving birth the “old way” wouldn’t show up for a generation or two. Nevertheless, these wise-women kept an eagle-eye open for such candidates and, when found, providing she was willing, her instructions began. It was soon made clear to the village that men were not allowed to court her.
When she reached the age of fertility, her first period, she was instructed to fast for several days. Perhaps special herbs were used while participating in rigorous sweat-lodge ceremonies. Then she was encouraged to dance for hours and hours around a fire in a sacred women’s lodge built far away from the village.
I’m sure there are many more details to this ceremony that were left unsaid. I would venture to say, at least, that an awareness of the candidate’s menstrual cycle, as in when she would be most fertile, was considered. Most likely, throughout her time of dancing, she would attempt to enter a state of bliss, a physio-spiritual orgasm, if you will, during which, according to the Ojibwa wise-women’s knowledge, it would be possible for her to conceive.
They knew that a child born this way could become a great leader, healer, or visionary. The Great Spirit, it was thought, would know what gifts the child should have in order to match the currant needs of the tribe. I believe this is what happened among The Essenes who once lived along The Dead Sea over 2,000 years ago, and from which Jesus originated.
It’s my guess that the Essenes had either planned his birth, or somehow had known in advance, and had made the necessary preparations. I’ve read channeled information that stated how Hanna, (or Ann) conceived Mary parthenogenetically, and it was prophesied that Mary would, in turn, conceive Jesus in the same way. I might also say, at this point, that this “old way” of conceiving and giving birth, was considered a no-no during a time when patriarchy was firmly established. Was this why King Herod felt so threatened, enough so that he tried to have all the new born males put to death in his kingdom?
Science has stated repeatedly that the law of parthenogenesis results in the birth of females only. This has been shown to occur in animal, insect and microscopic species, but it may operate differently among humans, for there is a visionary power us humans possess. The Sanskrit term for it is Kriyashakti or, in short, Shakti; the mysterious power of thought which enables us to produce external, perceptible, phenomenal results by its own inherent energy. Any idea will manifest itself externally if one’s attention is deeply concentrated.
(2013 Google update: Komodo Dragons give birth to males through parthenogenesis, especially when there is a shortage of them. Also, Google reported that, in 2012, a snake in captivity gave birth to a male through parthenogenesis.)
If a woman envisions a boy it’s quite possible she will give birth to one. As a rule, female births are the result of parthenogenesis. Up until these above findings were reported, science was quite firm in stating that females and females only, are produced by parthenogenesis. Need it be said that science, open-minded science, must always make adjustments to new evidence?

“In the Mother Cell begins all living things. The Creative Principle is feminine. The highest divine mystery is Brahamana, the feminine of Brahma.” (according to Hindu mythology)

Now let’s take a look at the presence of the hymen in women. Other than us humans, only one species of whale has a hymen, but it is to keep sea-water out. Among us humans the hymen remains a “medical mystery”. Some folks think it’s there merely as fodder for comedians. Is it there because Nature, the Great Conservative, has a higher form of conception and birth in mind for women?

‘Cosmo Girl’?Artist: Den Poitras
Among other “medical mysteries” are dermoid cysts. Looking them up in Chambers Medical Dictionary, under Medio-logical Records, one finds; “dermoid cystic growths; embryonic growths, or tumor-like formations found in women, and are of congenital origin, containing evidence of being dejecta membra, or the remains of pregnant growths, in the embryonic fetal period of gestation, somewhat akin to the primary state of being with child.

” Some of these dermoid cysts, sometimes mistaken by surgeons for tumors, but really are embryos, are similar in all respects to the products of female gestation, containing bones, hair, teeth, flesh, glands, portions of the scalp, face, eyes, ribs,—–in short, all the organs of the human body—what else could they be but virgin embryos in the process of development?” —Raymond Bernard

The following is from a news item (as of Oct.’09) : “A dermoid cyst, also known as benign cystic teratoma, which develops “from germ cells, which are primitive cells that are capable of producing eggs and all human tissues,” —Quoted by Dr. Judith Reichman on MSNBC’s web-site.
And again: “A dermoid cyst is formed if the germ cells multiply bizarrely without fertilization, forming an encapsulated tumor that contains hair, sebaceous or oil materials, cartilage, bone, neural tissue and teeth.”
I would ask how this could happen without fertilization. Perhaps no egg is necessary for parthenogenesis? I’ve recently talked to a genius-inventor, an American guy with hundreds of patents to his name, who told me that, while his mother was under anesthesia during an operation to remove her cancerous ovaries, she had an ecstatic, out-of-body experience in which she was told that she just conceived a child, a child that would have many gifts to share with the world. This new, inventor friend of mine called me, after he read an earlier version of this article, because he felt in was important to share his birth story with me.
In a lecture delivered before the New York Academy of Medicine in 1933, on “Immaculate Conception—a Scientific Possibility”, Dr. Walter Timme, eminent endocrinologist, presented evidence to prove that Immaculate Conception is physiologically possible. The parovarium of the female reproductive organs, he claims, in some cases can produce living spermatozoa capable of impregnating eggs in the same body, causing them to develop without male fertilization. They’ve been known to appear in young girls, from age 8 to 16, and that have their hymens intact. Unbeknownst to them, one of their eggs had parthenogenetically been fertilized and then had stopped developing and, typically getting trapped in their fallopian tube, had to be removed, as the failed embryo had become toxic.
There is reason to believe that parthenogenesis was the primordial form of re-production for all life, while sexual generation (epigenesis) arose later as a result of inferior environmental and nutritive conditions resulting in diminished fertility. I repeat, males develop in order to insure the survival of the species. Yeah guys, we’re around to kick up a little dust, to create some healthy trouble, hopefully speaking, and to make sure life goes on.
Now we move along into another field of inquiry—archaeology. This quote is from a ground-breaking (pun intended) archaeological book: The Language of The Goddess, by Marija Gimbutas. Along with many leading archaeologists before her, she unearthed hundreds of female effigies and artifacts from ancient, pacific, matriarchal cultures in Eastern Europe and elsewhere. By decoding these findings, from her personal digs, she came to that startling conclusion written above. This book was a gift to me from a dear woman-friend. I simply love it. Marija Gimbutas has become my personal dig, if you know what I mean.
Among such artifacts are phallus-shaped objects. Honestly, they look like ancient versions of today’s dildos. Did these matriarchal women use them in rituals? Did such rituals produce orgasmic states of consciousness? Were these rituals lesbian in nature? Were they used in some type of masturbatory ceremony? Were these rituals performed for the purpose of self-conceiving? Whether we are comfortable, or not, discussing this further, we must face the fact that normal sex, pregnancy and birth are messy, and there’s no reason to think that a virgin conception is necessarily much different.
After reading her beautiful book it wasn’t clear enough how and why Marija concluded that “The Parthenogenetic Goddess has been the most persistent feature in the archaeological record?” We’ll never know, as Marija passed along into the next world in 1994. I went to a lecture she was giving that same year in Boston but she had been too ill to appear, and she had appointed woman-speaker to take her place.
When the Q & A portion of the lecture began, I posed, to this representative of hers, a question regarding Marija’s above quote, but her drew a blank. In fact, she seemed perturbed about my inquiry. Still, this aside, Marija’s book stirred up the archaeological world (consisting mostly of men) and it makes for a great read, whose images alone will enter and haunt one’s consciousness. (A book directly inspired by Marija’s work, titled, The Chalice and The Blade, is another must-read.)
Thanks to the meticulous scholarship of Marguerite Rigoglioso, author of ‘The Cult of Divine Birth in Ancient Greece’ and ‘Virgin Mother Goddesses of Antiquity’, she not only makes it crystal clear that the early Greek priestesses practiced the art/science of parthenogenesis but also establishes that they acquired such knowledge from Egypt—most likely from the priestesses associated with the Temple of Hathor.
Goddess Hathor, a very non-Egyptian face, is carved and placed on top of numerous columns in her temple. (There are no males depicted on any of these columns.) Hidden, ironically, for all of us to see, is her resemblance to a woman’s most sacred organ of creation—the uterus! Also, as most of us know, the uterus has long been associated with the ever-fertile astrological sign of Taurus.
I wonder how many of our grand, ancient cultures practiced parthenogenesis, and how much it contributed to its inherent genius? Knowledge of Divine Birth has been hidden and forbidden for untold centuries. Gone, but not lost, is what I say. For, a redwood tree, even when cut down, continues to secretly thrive, owing to its deep root system. At this point I’d like to suggest that we initiate a new field of inquiry, one that gathers information about ancient cultures that may have practiced the art/science of parthenogenesis. Perhaps it could be called archeo-parthenology. What do you think?
It’s my humble opinion that Isis, Hathor, Athena and all the Goddesses are in the process of being unveiled. I’m no longer a solitary participant in this exciting process that’s unfolding, as hundreds and thousands of people everywhere are beginning to uncover HER many truths—truths that are vital to our sanity, if not to our very survival.
In the mid 80’s a woman friend told me of a letter that was circulating among the gay community in Santa Fe, NM. It was from a lesbian couple that had been together for around ten years, and they were wondering if anyone could help them to understand how one of them kept getting mysteriously pregnant, and then going through the harrowing experience of miscarrying. I told her to have them get in touch with me, that maybe I could tell them what little I could, but I never heard anything more about it.
I’ve heard of stories wherein a man and woman, in the heat of a passionate embrace, whether clothed or naked, can induce the process of conception. Needless to say, there would be no penal penetration. or involvement with his seed in any way. All right, some of you may be thinking that it couldn’t be much fun for the guy, having his climax indefinitely postponed, at least until through other means later on, which most of us guys are familiar with, but this above mentioned method, or ritual, could indeed have been designed to invite the magic of parthenogenesis.
Over all, I don’t think it’s too much of a sacrifice for a man to make in participating in such a lofty ritual whose purpose, I’m sure, would have been clear to him, and for which he would have received instructions. This could have been, and could be again, a way for a guy to be a hero, at least for a day. (Sounds like a David Bowie song.)
Under the best of circumstances it’s been said that achieving a virgin-conception is relatively rare. In closing, it sure would be a blessing if someone, somewhere had any information at all regarding rituals, ceremonies or techniques that could make parthenogenesis possible once again. Perhaps this is too much to hope for.
Our next topic is the mystery of menstruation. I’ll start off with an anecdote that came from a study done in Japan in the 1950?s—if my memory serves me well.
“Anthropoid apes, our closest biological cousins, have a monthly period while in captivity and subsiding on an artificial diet. When returned to their natural habitat and diet they will bleed in the spring and fall like most mammals.” —Anonymous
The root philosophy at Hippocrates Health Institute, where I lived and worked for about a year or so in 1969, is that “Life Comes Only From Life”. After only a month or two, of subsisting on this living-food diet, some women experienced a noticeable reduction of blood-loss during menstruation, and the overall discomfort and cramps they usually experienced practically vanished. One woman in particular, who I got to know as a sister, lost her period completely and enjoyed total health. I also met several women who went through extended fasts of one month or more. They either had no periods at all or their menstruation consisted of a day’s worth of seeing a small amount of blood mixed with their urine, and no PMS.
It’s also quite common that many women athletes lose their periods. Non-menstruating women, whether they be athletes or not, and providing they are on a (super)-natural diet, faithfully practicing yoga, or getting lots of vigorous exercise, enjoy a superior, overall health with a robust vitality. They’re able to re-absorb vitamins, minerals and hormones otherwise lost during menstruation. I should say that women on a normal, civilized diet should have their period. This is nature’s way of cleaning house. In closing, a woman’s moon-cycle, her “blood-rite”, is a sacred occurrence. Women should always feel proud to be so close to Nature, whether they bleed or not! However, being a man, this is easy for me to say.
I do not encourage anyone to practice this raw-food lifestyle unless one truly studies the subject in depth with experienced teachers. A commitment to this lifestyle is difficult to sustain in the modern world. Yet, if a woman succeeds at doing so, and eliminates the accumulative toxins and acids found in a civilized diet, she will get to “stand on the moon”—-and from there, who knows? There are countless artistic depictions of Mary, and many other Virgin-Goddess-Mothers, standing on the Crescent Moon. Did our ancestors know that women had to rise above the moon (menstruation) in order to immaculately conceive? It seems obvious they did and, from what I’ve observed thus far, a clean, living food diet might be necessary for eliminating menstruation and could well be the foundation for divine birth.
Also, I’ve learned that another possible requirement for parthenogenesis is the presence of alkalinity, and it’s been proven that a proper raw-food diet does indeed alkalize our bloodstream. In a way, we are like alkaline batteries—80% alkaline, 20% acid—which allows our bodies to hold our electrical field, or life-force, in full. If this balance is upset, as in a “civilized” diet, which produces excessive amounts of acid, the life-force fails to fill the body and illness results. Compare the superiority of a modern, alkaline battery to the inferior, old-fashion battery grandpa had in his Model-T Ford. This 80/20 formula, though unequal in appearance, is how alchemy’s “golden elixir” is achieved; it’s also how a balance of Yin-Yang takes place. On the macro level, if women were in charge of 80% of our body politic, it’s my opinion that the world would better off for it.

“I’m waiting for the women to take over.” —Leonard Cohen

Celibacy becomes a kind of natural reward for following a raw-food diet. The sex-drive is gracefully sublimated, not repressed or denied for moral or religious reasons which, as we have seen in the news, proves disastrous. Practitioners of this unnatural, forced, subduing of sexual energy, will eventually get bit by the snake they are trying to conquer. Through personal experience I can attest to the happy sublimation of the sex-drive and the increased sense of peace and vitality that accompanies it.
Celibacy, like virginity, is renewable and, apparently, is a requirement for a woman to achieve a divine conception. In other words, she doesn’t have to be a “virgin” in the sense that she never had sex with a man, and it’s important to note that parthenogenesis is not without having it’s own brand of eroticism. Without a doubt, a high-voltage spiritual energy is present during a divine conception, but it is taking place within the flesh and blood of a woman. As mentioned earlier, a voluntary or non-voluntary ecstatic-orgasm is likely and logically necessary for a parthenogenetic conception.
A civilized diet amplifies our need to procreate. It’s obvious to me that the human race has been for centuries in a perpetual, autumnal state of going to seed. As we know, many plants, and numerous other species and lifeforms, go to seed, or lay their eggs, just before dying, in preparation for winter. Is our population of 7 billion, and counting, heading for it’s own brand of winter? But let’s not sink into a doomsday mindset.
By “being fruitful and multiplying” we’ve succeeded all too well. This would be good, and still can, but we don’t seem to be able to get along with each other—not to mention the strain our billions are having on the earth’s resources. This is old news, and you’ll not ever hear me say that sex is wrong or evil. Still, 50% of marriages end in divorce; and think of rape, disease, unplanned pregnancies; as well as over-population, and the endless battle between the sexes. Oh well, we must pay the fiddler for our modern lifestyles. I know I have, and still do, from time to time.
In almost every culture on earth and, in almost every major religion, stories of The Virgin Birth abide. The following is an old Fijian legend: “There was a great chief in Tonga who had an exceedingly beautiful daughter. He hid her from the eyes of men, for he had never seen one worthy to be her husband. Down on the sea-beach he built a fence, thick, strong and high. Here she used to bathe, after which it was her custom to lie down for a time upon the clean white sand within the fence, that she might rest a while, and that her body might dry. So it came to pass that the Sun looked down upon her, and saw her and loved her; and in the course of time a child was born to her, whose name she called Sun-child”.
History claims that virgin-born children were profound peacemakers, architects, healers, visionaries, inventors, artists, philosophers and so on. Some, like Jesus, or like Yogi’s from India, had so-called “miraculous” powers. At this point we need to ask if all parthenogenetic children arrive gifted into this world. There’s no proof that a miraculously born soul is guaranteed to possess any special gifts whatsoever, never mind any super-human powers. They could be as normal as any other child. It’s been said that they will, at the very least, have simple humanistic gifts, like humility and compassion, and would probably not want anyone to know of their special conception.
You’d be surprised how many strange birth stories that I keep hearing about from men and women alive today. Through emails and comments, this article is creating a steady flow of such stories. Parthenogenesis appears to be occurring in its own haphazard way, whether we believe in it or not.
I’m searching for re-searchers, fact-finders, fact-checkers, and anyone in earnest to uncover more about human parthenogenesis. It’s my passionate belief that virgin birth is the jewel in the crown of creation; it’s the tip of an iceberg of an emerging knowledge, a sacred, feminine knowledge that could lead to the appearance of some very talented people who will help us solve some of our most troublesome problems. Also, it’s return could well be the straw that breaks the back of patriarchy. But is it truly possible to prepare a woman for such a feat? Would any among us be courageous enough to attempt it? Maybe it has nothing to do with courage and more to do with a gentle return to nature. I mentioned “us” because men could help out as guides, protectors, and “heroes” as mentioned earlier—we can be modern day Josephs to new age Mary’s.
I’m not suggesting that we try to create a master race. This thought is both scary and silly. Yet, with the Return of the Sacred Feminine, parthenogenesis is becoming known to us once again and, when it goes viral, which I predict will occur soon, I wonder what “butterfly effect” it will have. Some men, and patriarchal women, may feel threatened, for one reason or another, even though it’s clear to me that the Re-birth of the Sacred Masculine will take place too. (Us guys are working on it, right?) Also, we should bear in mind that, with every woman that is liberated, so too is a man.
Men are wonderfully filled with spark and creativity or, simply said, with piss and vinegar! They will not disappear. Yet us men must eat some humble pie if we’re going to be open to these truths that are “too important to be new”. Speaking as a normal, red-blooded American guy, I can say that, once I opened Pandora’s Box and got freaked out by Medusa (women’s mysteries) I didn’t shrink or crumble and I actually feel better for having satisfied my curiosity and enlightened my mind. At least I don’t feel so left out of the loop of this ancient/modern knowledge. Also, as a non-violent warrior of the rainbow, I would want to know, and do something about, all my weaknesses before heading into battle, with knowledge being my best defense.
I sincerely believe that truth will set us free, the more the merrier. That being said, as I approach 63 years of age, I still feel dumb. I’m not a scientist and I never had the opportunity to attend college. I’ll end this crash course on parthenogenesis with a quote from Professor Lester Ward:

“Women are the race itself….the strong primary sex, and man the biological afterthought.”

I had been contemplating most of what been said so far since 1969 and, as eye-popping as it was, it all remained as purely speculative knowledge, at least until I had been blessed with the unforeseen opportunity to meet Laurie.
Written by: Den Poitras
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