Title: Tasting the Universe: People Who See Colors in Words & Rainbows in Symphonies
Author: Maureen Seaberg
Publisher: New Page Books
ISBN: 9781601631596
Pages: 288 , Paperback & Hardcover
Genre: Spirituality/Science
Reviewed by: Dr. Joseph S. Maresca, Pacific Book Review
Book Review
The book discusses a number of theories relating to Synesthesia. One notion is that the Synesthesia gene lays the foundation for creativity. Synesthesia must be present in enlightenment. Some people associate sounds with color. This is a form of Synesthesia. For instance, funeral music may be associated with dark colors like purple and weddings may be associated with white, gold or popular pastels. The Star Spangled Banner is associated with red, white and blue. Life itself is associated with bright colors like green, yellow, gold, candy apple red and others. Death is associated with a dark grey or purple.Synesthesia is thought to come from the limbic brain and represent lucidity. The limbic system, often referred to as the “emotional brain”, is found buried within the cerebrum. Like the cerebellum, evolutionarily the structure is rather old. This system contains the thalamus, hypothalamus, amygdala, and hippocampus.
1) Neuroimaging shows that the connections between the brain’s sensory pathways are both denser and more active in synaesthetes than in non-synaesthetes. The condition is now viewed as being developmental in origin, and it is thought that newly-established connections, which would otherwise be “pruned” during development, remain in place, and perhaps become overactive. The results of the new study therefore fit nicely with current thinking about the neural bases of synaesthesia. Specific combinations of alleles of the identified candidate genes could feasibly lead to subtle changes in developmental processes which ultimately result in alterations in neural architecture and activity thought to be involved in the condition.
2) Vowels can be associated with Synesthesia. For instance, an “A” may be associated with the gold star in an academic setting. A “Z” could be associated with the media figure Zoro. These types of associations are at the heart of memory improvement courses. Synesthetes have superior memories.
Even songs may have associations with colors. The introduction to Wald Disney invoked a panorama of colors like a rainbow. Even the weather can invoke colors. For instance, snow invokes the color white. Sunshine invokes bright yellow or gold. The 4 seasons invoke colors for spring, summer, fall and winter. Even Pythagoras related musical notes to numbers. Life may be considered a building of layers . Death is a peeling away of layers until only the mind is left at the moment we are about to pass to the ultimate spiritual level. The remaining mystery is “What happens to the mind after death? ” A related question is ” Is memory recoverable after death and , if so, how?”
The author presents an extensive resource list and bibliography. The book is highly recommended as a treatise on the creative side of humankind. The presentation should appeal to writers, teachers, psychologists, artists and a wide spectrum of creative people in virtually every walk of life.
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