Biography of Dr. Marvin Solit
Marvin Solit and Jean Levaux
Dr. Marvin Solit, an osteopathic physician, is the founder and principal of Rhombics and Foundation for New Directions, now located in Cambridge, MA. Both enterprises reflect his lifelong interest in primary structures and relationships. Over 35 years ago, he established, and still maintains, a center for holistic studies; the first in New England.
Following his medical training, he studied Rolfing with Dr. Ida Rolf. His realization that the relationships of 'mind- body-emotions-spirit’ were inherently structural led him to found the Center There he deepened his research into the structure of more universal relationships. Inspired to represent them geometrically, he created 3-dimensional models of the ideas that emerged. Starting with straws, toothpicks, rubber bands and bobby pins, he, together with interested members of the Center, built models of cubic, rhombic and tetrahedral systems, discovering and demonstrating the relationships among them.
The members of this fledgling community started a small business, Rhombics, so they could work together in a low-intensity environment and support the community as well. They created precision wood structures, many prize-winning, which were sold to schools, gift shops and museums. During the '80's, at the DeCordova Museum in Lincoln, MA, where Buckminster Fuller was guest of honor at a banquet, Rhombic blocks were the centerpieces at each table. Rhombics' products include intricate puzzles (Roma, Pyrra, Dodeca, Vexa); some with magnets (Quadrom, Quantum Knot, Turnabout); building blocks and games for children and adults (Rhomblocks, Cube-Tac-Toe); lamps and desk sculptures. Currently, many of these fine products are produced and sold under license, by Design Science Toys. Rhombics developed a geometry kit, complete with press-out paper building blocks and an instruction manual to teach 3-dimensional geometry. Workshops have been given to teachers interested in communicating a non-linear mathematical approach to their students.
The community continues in its holistic path, providing a healing environment as well as social and educational gatherings. It supports itself mainly by contributions from its members. Marvin and his colleagues offer workshops in Non-Directed Body Movement (NDBM) in the Boston area, as well as in Montreal, Wisconsin, Oregon, Colorado, Montana, etc.
NDBM is a 'body-meditation' way of allowing movement to originate from within the body, which stores experiences (including trauma) in the tissues. This has turned out to be the master key to unlock and unwind past injury at all levels. As people started coming in spontaneously, without appointments, and began to relate to one another, he realized the importance of group unwinding to individual unwinding; the participants often triggered in one another deep experiences - sometimes seemingly connected! The Center he established attracted people interested in healing within this community-oriented environment.
Participants experience increased flexibility and sensitivity to themselves and others, freedom from restrictive inner controls, and improved personal relationships, which ripple out to their wider spheres of influence.
Marvin's interest in the structure of relationships has led him to explore the domains of human evolution, and holistic physics. Through the Foundation for New Directions, he has published the works of William Day, PhD, whose perspectives on holistic physics resonate with his own. Marvin currently builds structures representing the tensegritous and electro-magnetic nature of structure. One of his primary directions is towards a new geometry for a new physics.
For more information on Dr. Solit and Foundation for New Directions, see their website at: