Unexamined symbolic implications of disrupted star light?

Symbolic Disconnection from the Stars and the Universe? (Part #4)

There has been little opposition to the technological developments associated with launching a constellation of satellites. Indeed, like the story of the frog placed in slowly heated water, at what point would the frog recognize the need to leap out -- even if it was then able to do so? And indeed, through what agency could protest be appropriately articulated, given the manner in which such initiatives are authorised by governments -- and most obviously that of the USA?

The nature of the ineffectual protest formulated by astronomers is a reflection of this. More concern has been expressed at the foreseeable and unforeseen environmental side effects of the geo-engineering proposals noted above, of which the planned massive satellite arrays may well be a precursor.

Symbolism? Of more fundamental significance may well prove to be the subtle psychological implications of such initiatives -- seemingly ignored in discussion by techno-optimists for whom matters psycho-social are readily deprecated, if not regarded as an indulgence in various degrees of outmoded superstition.

Curiously, but perhaps exemplifying this neglect, is a reference to "symbolism" briefly made by Maxwell Cohen at an early Conference on the Law of Space and of Satellite Communications (Chicago, 1963):

... the satellite program is not simply another system of communications, having its own special national and international aspects, but it also is symbolic of a. whole new international experience. There are three features that are worth thinking about, but to which I shall refer only briefly here. There is, first of all, the actual symbolism of the communications satellite, commonly shared by mankind. It is perhaps, par excellence, an illustration of a "sharable resource." Even though it is no more than another transmission channel, its symbolism, it seems to me, is of a different order from that of a cable from Newfoundland to Ireland. Spinning out a cable once perhaps had drama, but nothing like the drama of putting up a system in space for intercontinental communications. The symbolism itself is important and gives these instrumentalities a unique status. (Proceedings, NASA, 1964, p. 185)

Whilst the significance of symbolism may be called into question in a technological era faced with technical issues, it is appropriate to recall the degree to which engagement with space has been dependent to a strange degree on symbolism and has exploited its potential to engender and nurture political support to fund such endeavours:

Space historian Robert Pearlman is noted as declaring: In the 55 years since Sputnik first beeped its way around the planet, the small silver sphere with its whip-like antennas has transcended the Soviet Union's success to become a symbol for a global Space Age (Clara Moskowitz, How Sputnik Changed the World 55 Years Ago Today, Space, 4 October 2012)
The iconic photograph of the Earth from lunar orbit, taken on 24 December 1968 during the Apollo 8 mission, and subsequently named Earthrise,
Pioneer plaques were placed on board the 1972 Pioneer 10 and 1973 Pioneer 11 spacecraft, featuring a pictorial message for any entities in distant space

Valuable indications have been offered at a relatively early stage by Erik Davis (TechGnosis: myth, magic and mysticism in the Age of Information, 1998). Citing David Noble (The Religion of Technology; the divinity of man and the spirit of invention, 1997). Davis noted that:

... the American space program has been touched by the spirit since the rocket-man Wernher von Braun, freshly arrived from post-Nazi Germany, converted to fundamentalist Christianity in the early 1950s. Indeed with all the bibles and communion wafers that astronaut have trucked back and forth to the moon, and with all the Mormons and born-agains running the show at home, it is hardly surprising tht General Motors, one of the fathers of the U.S. space program, attempted to build a Chapel of the Astronauts near he Kennedy Space Center in the early 1970s. (p. 153).

Tellingly Davis continues:

Space technologies do not just materialize the offworld yearnings of those desperate to flee the grave fate of earthly life. They also literalize the cosmic homesickness that vibrates in som many human hearts, a longing for a transcendental level of authenticity, and being reflected in the heavens. (p. 153).

Noble's original argument is the focus of a subsequent appreciative critique by L. M. Sacasas (Revisiting "The Religion of Technology", The Frailest Thing, 28 April 2012) ad has been succinctly summarized (The Ascent of the Saints: Space Exploration, Interdisciplinary Encyclopedia of Religion and Science. 1997).

The continuing role of mythical framings is noted with respect to Project Icarus by Ross Andersen (Project Icarus: Laying the Plans for Interstellar Travel, The Atlantic, 23 February 2012). The project takes its inspiration from Project Daedalus, a five-year study launched by the British Interplanetary Society in 1973. The disaster associated with the original Icarus myth is now reframed in order to brush away some of the inhibitions the name otherwise reinforce in some.

It is therefore appropriate to explore the possible psycho-social significance of launching a "constellation" of thousands of satellites -- especially when this exploits widespread imaginative engagement in space travel. The question is the extent to which this exploitation serves other surreptitious purposes whose implications are assiduously avoided, if indeed they could be comprehended as credible by techno-optimists.

"Constellations" and skyscapes? The stars, and their configuration into constellations by cultures around the world, have been of fundamental significance to the development of many cultures over millennia. Formative legends are typically associated with such constellations, notably deities -- with the pattern of the constellation serving as a mode of instructive communication (Anthony Aveni, Star Stories: Constellations and People, 2019; Norm McCarter, Constellation Legends; Nancy Alima Ali, Exploring the Intersections of Astronomy and Culture, Astronomers without Borders).

It is relatively recently that concern has been expressed regarding the need to protect landscapes and -- to a far lesser extent -- seascapes and soundscapes. The concern with regard to skyscapes and nightscapes has primarily been articulated by astronomers for technical reasons relating to light pollution.

Whereas landscapes may be subject to protection through the UNESCO World Heritage List, little is said of the need to protect starscapes -- despite their importance to cultures. Although seemingly correct regarding skyscapes, this conclusion should be qualified by the global survey by the International Astronomical Union and the International Council on Monuments and Sites of astronomical heritage sites from the standpoint of the identification and evaluation relating to astronomy and archaeoastronomy. These potentially demonstrate outstanding "universal value" as required for recognition listing in the World Heritage List (Heritage Sites of Astronomy and Archaeoastronomy in the context of the UNESCO World Heritage Convention: a thematic study, 2010).

Naming the night sky? The ability to name the visible features of the sky at night, as with the constellations, has clearly offered people a sense of place in the Universe. This recalls the process of psychosocial appropriation of a space at the collective level. This is described by the process of land nam, coined by Ananda Coomaraswamy (The Rg Veda as Land-Nama Book, 1935), to refer to the Icelandic tradition of claiming ownership of uninhabited spaces through weaving together a metaphor of geography of place into a unique mythic story.

This territorial appropriation process, notably practiced by the Navaho and the Vedic Aryans, was further described by Joseph Campbell (The Inner Reaches of Outer Space: metaphor as myth and religion, 2002):

Land nam ("land claiming or taking") was [the Norse] technical term for this way of sanctifying a region, converting it thereby into an at once psychologically and metaphysical Holy Land.... Land nam, mythologization, has been the universally practiced method to bring this intelligible kingdom to view in the mind's eye. The Promised Land, therefore, is any landscape recognized as mythologically transparent, and the method of acquisition of such territory is not by prosaic physical action, but poetically, by intelligence and the method of art; so that the human being should be dwelling in the two worlds simultaneously of the illuminated moon and the illuminating sun.

What indeed might be understood as the "inner reaches" of an outer space constellation of satellites?

Such naming is to be contrasted with the names attributed to distant objects by astronomers -- honouring each other in the process according to a well-defined astronomical naming convention. Ironically the thousands of satellites to be launched will necessarily be "named" for technical identification, but without any psychological significance.

Opportunistically defensive public relations operation are however highly probable, given the mindset nourished by the Hollywood Walk of Fame on which some 2,500 5-pointed stars are embedded -- bearing the names of celebrities (a mix of musicians, actors, directors, producers, musical and theatrical groups, fictional characters, and others). Alternatively, an opportunity may be taken to offer the public the possibility of naming individual satellites -- for a price -- as with the marketing of plots of land on the Moon and the planets.

"Stellar extinction"? Strangely reference has long been made to the "stars going out" (The Stars Are Going Out, TV Tropes). The latter even cites the biblical prophecy:

Immediately after the distress of those days
the sun will be darkened,
and the moon will not give its light;
the stars will fall from the sky... Matthew 24:29

The process was envisaged in a famous science fiction tale by Arthur Clarke (The Nine Billion Names of God, 1953). The tale is of a Tibetan lamasery in which the monks seek to list all of the names of God -- the stars -- believing that the Universe will end appropriately once this process is completed. Taking advantage of computer technology, the manual process is speeded to the point at which the stars do indeed start to disappear. The theme has been echoed otherwise by science (Caleb A. Scharf, The Stars Are Beginning To Go Out... Scientific American, 19 November 2012; Robbie Gonzalez, The lights in the universe are going out. Now astronomers think they know why, Gizmodo, 23 August 2011). Use of satellite telescopes has played into the theme (Hubble Captures Stars Going out in Style, NASA, 9 November 2007). In the context of this argument, it is more a case of "putting out the stars" using satellites.

Shading the Sun? To the extent that a new constellation is recognized as a technical precursor to the challenge of climate change, the possibility of shading the Sun in any way also calls for careful "reflection". There has seemingly been little consideration of the importance of the Sun's role in individual and collective psychology -- if shading the Sun is to be envisaged (Mark E. Beecher, et al, Sunshine on my Shoulders: weather, pollution, and emotional distress, Journal of Affective Disorders, 205, 2016). A trivial indication is offered by seasonal affective disorder (SAD), namely the mood disorder in which people who have normal mental health throughout most of the year exhibit depressive symptoms at the same time each year, most commonly in winter. Shading the Sun might then be "sad" in more ways than one.

The Sun has an even more fundamental role in many cultures -- to an even greater degree than the pattern of constellations. Especially indicative are the many much-valued cultural rituals associated with the Sun -- from those of the past to current widespread enthusiasm for sunbathing, or simply viewing the rising and setting Sun.

Any promotion of projects to diminish the impact of sunlight calls for recognition of the extent to which this is tantamount to "blaming the Sun" for the failure to address the challenges of climate change appropriately. Any such collective projection of blame could evoke valuable critical commentary from the psychological professions.

"Walling off"? There is tradition of building walls to separate a culture from perceived external threats. Historical examples include the Great Wall of China and Hadrian's Wall -- currently in process of emulation by Trump's Wall separating the USA and Mexico. The most common form has been that of walled cities. Rather than being "walled", cities may be divided -- namely split by walls.

This process of "walling off" clearly has both psycho-social and symbolic implications -- with any commentary on the process necessarily controversial in its own right:

Jon Calame and Esther Charlesworth: Divided Cities: Belfast, Beirut, Jerusalem, Mostar, and Nicosia (2011)
Lisa Strömbom and Annika Björkdahl: Divided Cities: Governing Diversity (2015)
Frank Gaffikin and Mike Morrissey: Planning in Divided Cities (2011)
Ronald van Kempen: Divided Cities in the 21st century: challenging the importance of globalisation (Journal of Housing and the Built Environment, 22, 2007, 1)

Missing from such studies is precisely any exploration of the extent of the trauma resulting from such division, especially given its symbolic significance in the case of Jerusalem. What effect does such deliberate division have on the global psyche of humanity in that case -- especially for those identifying with any of the three religions complicit in that division?

Of potential relevance to any such inquiry is a degree of recognition accorded to the Jerusalem Syndrome. This is a group of mental phenomena involving the presence of religiously-themed obsessive ideas, delusions, or other psychosis-like experiences that are triggered by a visit to the city of Jerusalem. It is not endemic to one single religion or denomination but has affected Jews, Christians, and Muslims of many different backgrounds.

The issue of "divided minds" in divided cities is evoked by Jacob D. Lindy (Legacy of Trauma and Loss, In: Beyond Invisible Walls, 2013). Relevant insight is presumably to be found in studies of the experience of living in divided cities, as indicated (if only allusively) by:

Jerusalem:
- Yaakov Garb and H. V. Savitch: Urban Trauma in Jerusalem: Impacts and Possibilities for Recovery (Floersheimer Institute for Policy Studies, 2005).
- Ifat Maoz: Psychological Factors in the Transition to Post-Conflict Cooperation and Reconciliation: The Case of Jerusalem (Floersheimer Institute for Policy Studies, 2007)
Berlin:
- Living in a Divided City: West-Berlin (Visit Berlin)
- Palace of Tears: Fascinating museum showing the sadness of living in a divided city
Mostar: The Divided City and the Grassroots: the (un)making of ethnic divisions in Mostar (Springer, 2018)
Urumqi: Life in a divided city on the edge of the Middle Kingdom (The Telegraph, 20 August 2014)

It is this dimension which calls for attention in the case of "walling off" the planet Earth from the Universe by a global pattern of satellites. The pattern recalls Buckminster Fuller's ambitions for domed cities -- itself potentially an urban response to climate change. Curiously there appears to be a dearth of studies of the psychological consequences of such deliberate division -- and perhaps deliberately so -- despite the fact that it is a driving force for conflict in the Middle East. This is in strange contrast to the plethora of studies on post-traumatic stress disorder consequent on such conflict.

"Extraterrestrial contact"? In addition to the widely appreciated speculation of science fiction and media depictions, much serious thought has been given to the possibility of contact with intelligent life from distant parts of the Universe. A degree of attention to the effects on such contact of human technological development (as noted above) therefore merits consideration. Of particular concern are:

Unconstrained accumulation of space debris, reflecting the pattern of marine waste disposal, as separately discussed (Earth as a Shithole Planet -- from a Universal Perspective? Understanding why there are no extraterrestrial visitors, 2018). ETs may readily conclude that the capacity of humanity to "f**k up" a planat knows no bounds, being even upheld by interpretations of sacred scripture regarding dominion over nature -- an interpretation with which the highest principles of science and technology are held to be complicit
Constellation of orbit satellites, as envisaged, potentially serving:
- to obscure technosignatures signals from elsewhere. The SETI program notably monitors electromagnetic radiation for signs of transmissions from civilizations on other planets
- as an electromagnetic analogue to a "missile shield", a form of Faraday cage effectively excluding communications and contacts from elsewhere (David Vergun, Strong Missile Shield Protects U.S., Allies, US Joint Chiefs of Staff)
- as a cage, unconsciously designed by humanity to insulate its problematic tendencies from the rest of the Universe -- with the satellite orbits functions as "bars" on that cage. Such a meaphor suggests the possibility that the cage will come to be reframed and promoted as a "gilded cage" -- despite the ambiguity variously imagined in myth.

More generally, and with unforeseeable legal implications, there is the ironic possibility that Earth may itself be framed as terra nullius by extraterrestrials -- with the protocols for any contact understood as most appropriately defined by humanity itself, as may be speculatively explored (Writing Guidelines for Future Occupation of Earth by Extraterrestrials: Be done by as you did ? 2010).

ETs may however perceive the unconsciously inspired "self-incarceration," achieved by the establishment of a dense constellation of satellites, to be one of the few saving graces of a pathological civilization (John Ralston Saul, The Unconscious Civilization, 1995).

Aesthetic inspiration? As noted above, the stars have been a major source of aesthetic inspiration for millennia -- most explicitly for poets. Degrading the degree of human contact with the mystery of the Universe, exemplified by the pattern of stars, has the potential for engendering disaster -- to the extent that aesthetics has a vital role to play in enabling creativity and unforeseen forms of cultural integration. This would be especially ironic if aesthetics prove to be fundamental to appropriate communication with extraterrestrials -- as variously explored in science fiction.

Is the interplay of satellites across the nightscape to be promoted as comparable to the artificiality of festive displays -- and consequently assumed to be desirable by all?

Freudian interpretation of engagement with space? The poetic inspiration evoked by the heavens has long been entwined with romantic connotations of interpersonal relations. It is therefore appropriate to consider their further implications -- with one example offered by the widely-cited arguments of Richard Sherry (The Psychology of Space Exploration: what Freud might have said, 2018).

Despite the subtitle of that study, little attention has seemingly been accorded to the sexual connotations of space travel (Abigail E. Sherriff, et al, Modern Psychology for Space Exploration, International Astronautical Congress, 2016). Consideration of sex in space has seemingly focused on intercourse during space travel. Potentially more fundamental are the implications in gender bias (Michael P. Oman-Reagan, Unmanning Space Language, Sapiens, 7 March 2016; Camille Standen, Why Are Vaginas So Unwelcome in Space? Vice, 20 March 2013).

Allusion may indeed be made to spreading the "human seed", as argued by Christopher Phillips in the face of global crisis, overpopulation, and the need to escape to other worlds:

So what are we to do? Well if we take a page from Christopher Nolan and the plethora of sci-fi directors and authors of years past, we should think about colonization of other worlds. We can spread the human seed so that no single catastrophe can wipe us from existence (Have Spacecraft, Will Travel? Space, 4 November 2014).

Missing is consideration of the far more fundamental symbolism of any rocket-launched space vessel projected towards the Moon or Mars -- or the exoplanet of another star (Jasper Hamill, "It's so big!": Elon Musk shows off "phallic" new SpaceX BFR rocket, Metro, 17 Sep 2018). Is this a collective emulation of the human sperm and its archetypal struggle to impregnate the ovum -- especially in competion with other sperm, each striving to "be there first" and implant its special characteristics thereby ensuring its heritage? Any such frame merits careful conideration in the light of more recent biological insights (Robert Martin, The Macho Sperm Myth, Aeon, 23 August 2018).

What indeed might Freud have said? Priapism? Erectile dysfunction? Obsessive-compulsive disorder? To what extent are fantasies about space travel a compensation for the buregoning male infertility crisis -- in the absence of viable aphrodisiacs? Far more provocative, is the sense in which outer space can be construed as a "mega-vagina" via which Alpha males collectively reach a transformative singularity -- an Omega Point. Such a framing could be seen as consistent with the influential argument of Pierre Teilhard de Chardin regarding the human evolutionary journey from Alpha to Omega.

From communication engineering to memetic engineering? The argument above noted the role of satellite constellation technology as a probable precursor to orbital deployment of geo-engineering remedies to climate change. Arguably the more subtle implication (for some) is the manner in which any such configuration to enable communication can be readily re-purposed for memetic engineering in the service of a particular ideology (as indicated by the Facebook complicity in electoral disruption).

Such a form of social engineering has of course been extensively explored in dystopian science fiction. As currently framed by regulatory authorities there are no constraints against such re-purposing -- especially if it is takes the form of an undeclared secondary activity.

Adulterating imagination of the Universe? Those of technical predisposition have little awareness of the nature of the imaginative engagement with the Universe of the peoples of the world -- most notably through much-valued traditional wisdom tales. The articulations of science fiction are but a very particular subset primarily crafted for a particular culture and mindset. Whilst the latter may resonate with the constitution of a constellation of satellites, how this reinforces or erodes alternative modes of imagining the Universe is far from clear. Will such an artifact be understood by some as "cutting off" humanity from the vault of the "Heavens" -- with which the sky has so long been associated?

More complex is the sense in which technology has mythical dimensions in its own right. This is exemplified by the manner in which going into space and travelling to the stars is framed as a dream -- of which current initiatives are a form of fulfillment as variously articulated by Robert Romanyshyn (Technology as Symptom and Dream, 2015; Victor Frankenstein, the Monster and the Shadows of Technology: the Frankenstein Prophecies, 2019).

Curiously, as one of the primary modern adaptors of non-technical imagination, Disney Enterprises chose to trademark the term imagineering as the implementation of creative ideas in practical form. Given the role of a constellation of satellites in reframing engagement with the Universe, it remains to be explored how that -- combined with imagineering -- reinforces or erodes what is noted in the literature acknowledging the traditional mode, notably:

Joseph Campbell with Bill Moyers: The Power of Myth (1988)
Karen Armstrong: A Short History of Myth (2006)
Mircea Eliade: Myth and Reality (1998)

Given the acknowledged socio-political role of dream, is the initiative of Elon Musk to be seen as the technologist equivalent to the famed assertion of Martin Luther King: I Have a Dream? A dream requiring "buy in" by the rest of the world?

Mythical embodiment through constellation? As a theme of legends, any human interference with the "heavens" (as the realm of the gods") naturally evokes comparison with particular myths and legendary tales. Many may resonate to a greater degree with the framing of a constellation of satellites by such tales than by the articulations of technologists insensitive to such aesthetic and symbolic connotations. This suggests an epic struggle between contrasting mindsets -- itself a feature of some tales. The mythical interpretations may well serve to frame and reinforce opposition to the technological framework -- to the point of undermining its fruitful use.

As noted above, it is especially curious to note how a constellation of satellites could be said to be anticipated to some degree in the formative archetypes of the past -- if only through its visual form. For example, the Omphalos of Ancient Greece, as represented by the marble Omphalos of Delphi, has a carved knotted net covering its surface. Its emplacement was believed to define the centre of the world.

Even more evocative of reflection is the crown chakra (or Sahasrara of tantric tradition) -- notably described as a lotus flower with 1,000 petals of different colours. These petals are arranged in 20 layers, each layer with approximately 50 petals. Some designs may associate the petals with eyes -- offering closer association to the role of the individual satellites in any constellation. Given their role in enabling global consumption, rather than eyes, the satellite-petals could be recognized as nipples.

The crown chakra is held to be the most subtle in that system, relating as it does to pure cosmic consciousness. In a period characterized by unresolved political conflict between the "heartless heads" and the "headless hearts" -- readily represented by distinctive chakras -- there is considerable irony to the sense in which a constellation of satellites could be suggestively represented as the crown chakra of global civilization through which those differences might be reconciled.

It is especially curious to note that the necessary geometrical configuration of any constellation of satellites will in all probability conform to the efficacy of patterns of design envisaged by Bucklminster Fuller with respect to domes -- but also, somewhat ironically, to patterns which feature in the sacred geometry characteristic of the design of any crown (Engaging with Globality through Cognitive Crowns, 2009). However, given the probability of several competing constellations of satellites, it is somewhat amusing to imagine them as being variously "lopsided" (if uncoordinated) -- rather than recalling the triple crowns of various traditions, and notably that of Ancient Egypt. As with any crown, there is also the question of whether it performs an enabling function rather than a disabling one.

Contrasting representations of global constellations
Starlink Constellation [phase 1] first orbital shell: 72 orbits with 22 each -- 1,584 satellites at 550 km altitude	Future constellation of 12,500 satellites encompassing Earth?	Crown chakra animation with 1000 petals, in 20 layers of 50 petals each.

Lamid58 [CC BY-SA 4.0], via Wikimedia Commons	Produced with Stella Polyhedron Navigator	Developed from an image by Colin-Bentham on DeviantArt

The animation on the right is the basis for an extensive separation exploration of that pattern in relation to the constellation pattern (Satellite Constellation and Crown Chakra as Complementary Global Metaphors? Experimental representation of crown chakra in virtual reality, 2020).

The image on the left is necessarily only indicative. Understanding of the orbital dynamics has been previously provided on the basis of simulation (Douglas Heaven, The first detailed look at how Elon Musk's space internet could work, New Scientist, 7 November 2018; Matt Williams, SpaceX Gives More Details on how their Starlink Internet Service Will Work. Less Satellites, Lower Orbit, Shorter Transmission times, Shorter Lifespans, Universe Today, 15 November 2018). Further clarification is noted by Caleb Henry (SpaceX says more Starlink orbits will speed service, reduce launch needs, SpaceNews, 7 September 2019):

SpaceX has FCC approval to provide broadband services from a constellation of almost 12,000 satellites. In April, the commission approved SpaceX's request to operate around 1,600 of those satellites at 550 kilometers instead of 1,150 kilometers as originally planned. SpaceX's other authorizations allow for around 7,500 satellites between 335 and 346 kilometers, and around 2,800 satellites at altitudes between 1,110 and 1,325 kilometers. SpaceX said using 72 orbital planes for its satellites at 550 kilometers won't cause a spike in signal interference, or orbital debris risk. The company said it is working with astronomers on making sure Starlink satellites don't interfere with their research, and at this stage believes the change in orbital planes won't "have any material impact on this ongoing analysis of reflectivity".

Commentators have variously explored the relation of Elon Musk's strategy to the Kabbalah (Yonatan Gordon, Elon Musk's "First Principles" Thinking According to Kabbalah, Community of Readers, 5 December 2013). Framing Elon Musk and his entrepreneurial colleagues in terms of religion, Sam Kriss has argued that:

Elon Musk and his co-religionists aren't actually blinded by artifice; they're fixated on a strange and outdated notion that somewhere, there has to be a concrete reality -- they've just decided that it's not this one. (Tech Billionaires Want to Destroy the Universe -- Seriously. The Atlantic, 16 October 2016)

Confluence of geometries: Religious connotations have been exploited through reference to "ANGELS" (David Shiga, ANGELS to watch over US air force satellites, New Scientist, 4 August 2006). In this spirit there is a curious confluence between the considerations of sacred geometry and the orbital geometry of a constellation of satellites -- given the focus on the 72 orbital planes of the StarLink configuration (each with 22 satellites?). A provocative checklist by Wikileaks on the number 72, offers 22 references to its relevance in religious frameworks including:

Number of names of God, according to Kabbalah; and their relation to the angels of the Shemhamphorasch
Current distribution of the Book of Revelation in 22 chapters (adopted since the 13th century); its the oldest known division being 72 chapters.
Number of degrees of Jacob's Ladder, according to the Zohar.
Number of disciples sent forth by Jesus in Luke 10; and the 72 disciples of Confucius who mastered his teachings.
Enclosure of Osiris in a coffin by 72 evil disciples and accomplices of Set; and the number of demons sealed away by King Solomon with The Lesser Key of Solomon.
Number of stupas comprising Borobudur, the world's largest Buddhist temple; and the 72 major temples found at Angkor, seat of the ancient Khmer Empire.
Number of denominations doomed to Hell, according to the Hadith of Islam

Any such pattern of coherence lends itself to further speculative exploration (Engaging with Hyperreality through Demonique and Angelique? Mnemonic clues to global governance from mathematical theology and hyperbolic tessellation, 2016). The cognitive origins of such patterns and their recognition are the theme of the argument of George Lakoff and Rafael Nunez (Where Mathematics Comes From: how the embodied mind brings mathematics into being, 2000) -- and of a separate discussion (Patterning Intuition with the Fifth Discipline, 2019).

With human engagement with the Universe framed as a quest for coherence, relevant pattern speculation can be taken further -- given the correlation variously explored between visual renderings of the crown chakra and those of the Mandelbrot set. For example, the M-set can be embodied as a fundamental feature of the crown chakara (Sahasrara by StChristopher on DeviantArt, 18 October 2005). Possible implications can be variously explored otherwise (Psycho-social Significance of the Mandelbrot Set: a sustainable boundary between chaos and order, 2005; Sustainability through the Dynamics of Strategic Dilemmas -- in the light of the coherence and visual form of the Mandelbrot set, 2005).

Given continuing reflection by astrophysicists on the shape of the Universe and on fractal cosmology, the possibility has even been raised that it could take the form of a Mandelbrot set (Could the Universe be in the shape of a Mandelbrot? Quora, 26 November 2017). The possibility is discussed by Nico Heidari Tari (Plato, and the Fractal Geometry of the Universe, Erasmus University Rotterdam, 2018). Greater detail is offered by Jonathan Dickau (Does the Mandelbrot Set offer Clues to the Cosmological Evolution of Form? 2nd Crisis in Cosmology Conference, 2008). later summarized in a remarkable video (Can the Mandelbrot Set help us understand the Cosmos? YouTube, 22 August 2014).