2759. There is a similar change of poles in a nervous system, and it indeed halts or stops for a middling time. Through the persistent influence of the external world, the nerves of the senses are thrown into such a state of tension with the brain, that blood cannot flow thither in sufficient quantity, in order to maintain the two cerebral substances in mutual antagonism. Brain and nerves become therefore indifferent; muscles and sensorial organs lose their polarizability, and their intercourse ceases with the nerves as well as the world. The brain, and everything else, has now been discharged, and a deep sleep without dreams, an animal death, ensues.

2760. It has been arbitrarily asserted, that no sleep is possible without dreams, but for this statement there are no existing grounds. Whence should the dream come if there is no tension in the brain, or if it has previously undergone sufficient self-exhaustion?

Periodicity.

2761. The sleep of the nerves ranges parallel with that of the planet. It might be said that such was the case from habit or custom, but it is, properly speaking, dependent upon a parallel process of organizing that occurs at the origination of the animal. The matter stands thus: the germ originates in the morning; until evening stimuli act upon and polarize it: in the evening they cease, and with them the tension. The muscles relax upon every movement, and rest necessarily follows in the manner above delineated. With to-morrow's morn the world again acts until evening upon the germ; it wakes up, and the same course of events happens as on the first day. Finally the substance becomes organized according to this periodicity; it becomes, forsooth, not more energetic than is necessary in order to admit or receive a charge of one day; towards evening it is exhausted, is neutral, and rejoices with the relaxation of the muscles, that the world no longer acts upon its frame.

2762. Thus, we may attribute this phenomenon both to custom and synchronous formation; nevertheless one ought not to forget that the organic formation is a metatype, or has been imitated from something that has gone before, and that consequently the law of periodicity has not been bestowed upon both at the same time, but first of all unto nature, and through this to the body, which is its image or likeness.

2763. The nervous periodicity ranges in accordance with the periodicity of the light, or is thus parallel with its archetype, and consequently with the day and night. Day is the waking, night the sleeping of nature. But the animal has originated in and by this alternating change of nature. It is spiritually, as well as corporeally, nature's likeness.

2764. The sexual function in a perfect animal, as in Man, has been adapted to the periods of the year; in other animals other natural periods exert their sway. Animals are commonly pregnant by the month, e. g. for one, two, four, five months, &c. The human species requires three quarters of a year for pregnancy, one quarter for giving suck to the babe, and then it can again conceive. Pregnancy thus lasts a year, and has been based in the sun.

2765. If the female does not become pregnant, the sexual passion, or instinct, is repeated at the expiration of a month. It sleeps about one month, and then awakes for some days. The periodicity may be divided into vegetative and animal, thus,—

a. Animal= World-periodicity.
1. Sleep= Rotation of the Earth.
2. Menstruation= Lunar revolution.
3. Pregnancy= Solar revolution.
b. Vegetal= Earth-periodicity.
1. Digestion= Water, Ebb and Flow.
2. Respiration= Air, Electricity.
3. Pulse= Earth, Magnetism.

Awaking.