Monday 31 January 2011

Time Travel - Medieval England



Find it here:   http://www.audible.co.uk/aduk/site/product.jsp?p=BK_ISIS_000880UK

:

EXTRACT:

The past is a foreign country: this is your guidebook. Imagine you could get into a time machine and travel back to the fourteenth century. What would you see? What would you smell? More to the point, where are you going to stay? Should you go to a castle or a monastic guesthouse? And what are you going to eat? What sort of food are you going to be offered by a peasant or a monk or a lord? This radical new approach turns our entire understanding of history upside down. It shows us that the past is not just something to be studied; it is also something to be lived. It sets out to explain what life was like in the most immediate way, through taking you, the reader, to the middle ages, and showing you everything from the horrors of leprosy and war to the ridiculous excesses of roasted larks and haute couture. Being a guidebook, many questions are answered which do not normally occur in traditional history books. How do you greet people in the street? What should you use for toilet paper? How fast - and how safely - can you travel? Why might a physician want to taste your blood? And how do you test to see if you are going down with the plague? The result is the most astonishing social history book you are ever likely to read: revolutionary in its concept, informative and entertaining in its detail, and startling for its portrayal of humanity in an age of violence, exuberance and fear.

The Time Travellers' Handbook

This looks like useful book: 

The Time Travellers' Handbook: How to be the …(Hardcover)
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Time-Travellers-Handbook-Best-Space/dp/1906082405/ref=wl_it_dp_o?ie=UTF8&coliid=I1FUWXQJTRJ3O8&colid=26RRPAH3HFV3P#reader_1906082405 (Click on this link to see the various preview pages of the book).

Obviously its based on a fantasy version of historical time travel but its been thought out pretty well.  A great learning experience especially for kids of different eras as it provides a time line.

I was actually researching the era of the Olmec,toltec,intec,maya, aztec etc the other day and encountered the ball game that is discussed in the abovementioned book.  Definately a game of life and death - not a game at all and possibally

Thursday 27 January 2011

The Thirteenth Astrological Sign

Here is some info I found on a message board:  Read it all here:  http://www.davidicke.com/forum/showthread.php?t=4101



Often stuff from message boards and webpages dissapears when the site stops operating and the info gets lost ;( so I will post the following extract:

EXTRACT:



Ophiuchus (pronounced off-ee-YOO-cuss) represents a man with a snake coiled around his waist. He holds the head of the snake in his left hand and its tail in his right hand. The snake is represented by the constellation Serpens.

http://www.ianridpath.com/startales/ophiuchus.htm

Tuesday 25 January 2011

Ophiuchus1 Constellation Ophiuchus

Constellation Ophiuchus / Serpentarius

Read more here:  http://darkstarastrology.com/constellation-ophiuchus-13th-zodiac-sign-meaning/

Ophiuchus is the Serpent holder or the snake charmer, the snake is a constellation in it own right called Serpens. Another name for this constellation is Serpentarius, which I think is a far more evocative and pleasant sounding name, apart from it being easier to spell.

The myth surrounding this constellation is that of Aesculapius, a medicine man so gifted that he was able to perform the miraculous feat of bringing the dead back to life. Zeus was so enraged by this mere physician playing god that he destroyed him with a thunderbolt. Apparently however, it was Hades that provoked this, complaining that fewer souls were being sent down to the underworld as a result. The centaur Chiron raised Aesculapius and his mother is said to be Corvus the crow. That is interesting as this constellations hasn’t got a great reputation either.
It is suggested Aesculapius as its other derivative Asklepios, came from words meaning “applying” and “making limbs gentle”. It is also associated with the words hermit, gentle, kind, calm and soothing. Medicine comes from the same root as Medusa, the name of the sorceress Medea also comes from this root. The blood from Medusa’s left side was poisonous and the right side was used to heal. You could say that Aesculapius used this blood as medicine.
The coiled up snake can also be seen as the Kundalini, the word itself in Sanskrit means “coiled up”. The igniting and harnessing of this life force is the aim of witch doctors and shamans. This will be done through the use of drumming, trance and hallucinogens. This takes us back to this constellation being known as the snake charmer. The snake is hypnotized by the playing of a musical instrument, the old fashioned version of trance music.
Of course integral to the shamans role is inducing altered states of consciousness by the use of entheogens. Some have said these are the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden and of course the snake as Lilith was the temptress there. The snake is said to represent wisdom. But this is occult (meaning hidden) wisdom for a reason. Just like they say that sudden igniting of the Kundalini can send you mad, then also too much of this wisdom flooding the brain can do the same. Together this is enlightenment. Sex and spirituality is a powerful force, it hits us like a thunderbolt.  The tarot card associated with Ophiuchus is the one that most people fear. “The Lightening Struck Tower”, but a thunderbolt can either kill us or in the case of Frankenstein, bring us back to life. This is why western society is desperately in need of modern medicine man now. We need the guidance and the soothing hands to help us get over the shock.
9

Snake Wisdom

Ophiuchus11 Constellation Ophiuchus The earliest snake charmers were traditional holistic healers. There has always been a need to heal the rift between the body and the mind and this was done through the use of herbs, magic, divination, crystals and prayer. Now the split has become even wider, but it’s not really been since the discovery of Chiron in 1977 that alternative medicine in the west has really taken off.
It is easy to see how the negative associations with Serpentarius came about. Firstly; playing God and finding god within yourself and using the power for your own ends is very threatening for the established Gods (Zeus). Secondly, messing around with drugs and spells when one is not a trained Shaman is actually very dangerous. You are opening portals not only to helpful spirit guides, but also the earthly sprites realm. Some of these like to play tricks with you and mess with your mind. The worst-case scenario is letting in quite nasty demons.
This is true for us sexually too. Aesculapius means to open up. Surgery comes to mind, but another way to enter someone body is through sex. This is the reason promiscuity can harm women more than it does men. They too are portals. Having sex with very negative men can be extremely damaging to their soul. But on the positive side, having sex with enlightened and powerful men, even loads of them, can be fantastically empowering. Losing their seed weakens men whereas receiving it strengthens women.
While we are on the subject, I think it’s rather funny that the cock is connected to this constellation. The bird, (not the member) was sacred to Aesculapius and was sacrificed at his altar. The cock’s crow wakes people from their sleep, symbolically resurrecting them. The serpent is phallic enough as it is without any more rude associations…
According to Robson sexually these people are doomed. For the constellation in general they are “passionate, blindly good-hearted, wasteful and easily seduced nature, unseen dangers, enmity and slander” [1].
9

The Fixed Stars

Ophiuchus spans all of Sun sign Sagittarius. Precession means the star moves forward through the tropical  zodiac at one degree every 72 years. The positions below are for the year 2000.
07°50′ Sagittarius. For Han “It brings trouble and disgrace“. [3]
16°36′ Sagittarius. For Sabik we get “perverted morals and success in evil deeds“. [2]
21°03′ Sagittarius. For Ras Alhague it “gives misfortune through women, perverted tastes and mental depravity“. [5]
28°21′ Sagittarius. For Sinistra it’s associated with depravity and with the Moon “Lustful, wanton, infamous, scandalous, addicted to sorcery and poisoning“. [4]
Ophiuchus3 Constellation Ophiuchus Reinterpreting this for the 21st Century now. Either these people are sluts, possessed by porn demons and riddled with negativity from bedding too many losers, OR they are super powerful, magical sex Gods/Goddesses who practice tantra and can heal their lovers after one good root with their snake.
The most important star is Ras Alhague in the head, followed by Sabik in the right leg, Han in the left knee and Sinistra in the right hand. Not much has been written about it’s smaller stars apart from the few quotes written above. Out of these, the sinister Sinistra seems to get the worst deal because it also gives an immoral, mean and slovenly nature“. [4] In Italian sinistra means left, so it’s odd that it is given to the right hand. This could be a reference to right brain thinking.
9

Ras Alhague

“It has a Saturn like character, and some of the undesirable Venus qualities are also present. Connected with these are Neptunian tendencies, making the native especially prone to infectious contamination caused by toxins. People thus influenced are easy going in the use of medical drugs, hallucinatory drugs stimulating foodstuffs, too much good living and overindulgence in tobacco and alcohol. …. Besides the lower emanations, there are supposedly higher influences attributed to this star, ‘though only very few people are able to attune themselves to these influences’. [6]
I would say its higher influences are those I have already mentioned while talking about the constellation as a whole.
9

Slinky Celebrities

Ophiuchus2 Constellation Ophiuchus Ras Alhague with the SunReserved, thoughtful, studious, suspicious, solitary, reputation for athletics, little wealth, careless of public opinion” [5]. Not surprisingly I couldn’t find many celebrities here at all. Apart from singers Dionne Warwick and coquettish Vanessa Hudgens, I only found the reluctant King, George VI .
With the Moon. Public prominence in religious matters, favorable for gain” [5]. Actors Al Pacino and Natasha Richardson, Stones groupie turned wife Pattie Boyd, sleazy philanderer Tiger Woods and Vincent Van Gogh.
With Mercury “Unpopular attitude and criticism through religion, philosophy or science; difficulties in marriage and quarrels fostered by others, trouble through opposite sex, not very good for gain” [5]. Mouthy comediennes Bett Midler, Goldie Hawn, Tracy Ulman and Jamie “The Body” Curtis. Gifted comic writer Nancy Mitford well known for her particular brand of teasing humour. And murderers Dennis Nilsen and Erik Mendendez.
With Venus. Quick mind, well educated, cautious, secretive, suspicious” [5]. Composer Ennio Morricone, gifted Astrologer and palmist Cheiro, and feminist writer Germaine Greer.
With Mars. “Trouble through writings, public censure in connection with religion, science or philosophy” [5]. Adulterous Prince Charles, Leukemia survivor and Tenor Jose Carreras and Irreverent gay comic and DJ Kenny Everett.
Obviously not all the bad sides are coming out here in the celebrities and what strikes me is the amount of female comedians it seems to yield with Mercury. This is only what came out of my database there maybe more. It certainly shows healing and charming by words and incantation. There are some spellbinding voices here too.  But apart from Prince Charles and Tiger Woods there is not really any overt sluttery amongst these examples, but it’s hard to know what goes on behind closed doors. King George in a rubber suit anyone?
1,2,3,4,5. The Fixed stars & Constellations in Astrology. Robson. p.54, p.199, p.172, p.208, p.193.6. Fixed Stars and Their Interpretation, Elsbeth Ebertin, 1928, p.72-73.
13th Zodiac Sign OphiuchusFixed Stars and Precession


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Read more here:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ophiuchus

Ophiuchus

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Ophiuchus
Constellation
Ophiuchus
List of stars in Ophiuchus
AbbreviationOph
GenitiveOphiuchi
Pronunciation/ˌɒfiːˈjuːkəs/ Óphiúchus, genitive /ˌɒfiːˈjuːkaɪ/
SymbolismThe snake-holder, the healer
Right ascension17 h
Declination−8°
QuadrantSQ3
Area948 sq. deg. (11th)
Main stars10
Bayer/Flamsteed
stars
62
Stars with planets7
Stars brighter than 3.00m5
Stars within 10.00 pc (32.62 ly)11
Brightest starα Oph (Ras Alhague) (2.08m)
Nearest starBarnard's Star
(5.98 ly, 1.83 pc)
Messier objects7
Meteor showersOphiuchids
Northern May Ophiuchids
Southern May Ophiuchids
Theta Ophiuchids
Bordering
constellations
Hercules
Serpens
Libra
Scorpius
Sagittarius
Aquila
Visible at latitudes between +80° and −80°.
Best visible at 21:00 (9 p.m.) during the month of July.
Ophiuchus is a large constellation located around the celestial equator. Its name is from the Greek Ὀφιοῦχος "serpent-bearer", and it is commonly represented as a man grasping the snake that is represented by the constellation Serpens. Ophiuchus was one of the 48 constellations listed by the 2nd-century astronomer Ptolemy, and it remains one of the 88 modern constellations. It was formerly referred to as Serpentarius (English pronunciation: /ˌsɜrpənˈtɛəriəs/; also Anguitenens), a Latin word meaning the same as its current name.

Location

It is located between Aquila, Serpens and Hercules, northwest of the center of the Milky Way. The southern part lies between Scorpius to the west and Sagittarius to the east. It is best visible in the northern summer and located opposite Orion in the sky. Ophiuchus is depicted as a man grasping a serpent; the interposition of his body divides the snake constellation Serpens into two parts, Serpens Caput and Serpens Cauda, which are nonetheless counted as one constellation.

Notable features


The constellation Ophiuchus as it can be seen by naked eye. AlltheSky.com

Stars


Johannes Kepler's drawing depicting the location of the stella nova in the foot of Ophiuchus.
The brightest stars in Ophiuchus include α Ophiuchi, called Rasalhague (at the figure's head), and η Ophiuchi.
RS Ophiuchi is part of a class called recurrent novae, whose brightness increase at irregular intervals by hundreds of times in a period of just a few days. It is thought to be at the brink of becoming a type-1a supernova.[1]
Barnard's Star, one of the nearest stars to the Solar System (the only stars closer are the Alpha Centauri binary star system and Proxima Centauri), lies in Ophiuchus. (It is located to the left of β and just north of the V-shaped group of stars in an area that was once occupied by the now-obsolete constellation of Taurus Poniatovii, Poniatowski's Bull.)
In 2005, astronomers using data from the Green Bank Telescope discovered a superbubble so large that it extends beyond the plane of the galaxy.[2] It is called the Ophiuchus Superbubble.
In April 2007, astronomers announced that the Swedish-built Odin satellite had made the first detection of clouds of molecular oxygen in space, following observations in the constellation Ophiuchus.[3]
The supernova of 1604 was first observed on October 9, 1604, near θ Ophiuchi. Johannes Kepler saw it first on October 16 and studied it so extensively that the supernova was subsequently called Kepler's Supernova. He published his findings in a book titled De stella nova in pede Serpentarii (On the New Star in Ophiuchus' Foot). Galileo used its brief appearance to counter the Aristotelian dogma that the heavens are changeless.
In approximately 40,000 years Voyager 1 probe will pass within 1.6 light years of the star AC+79 3888, which is located in Ophiuchus.[4]
In 2009 it was announced that GJ 1214, a star in Ophiuchus, undergoes repeated, cyclical dimming with a period of about 1.5 days consistent with the transit of a small orbiting planet.[5] Further, the authors conclude that the planet must have a low density consistent with vast quantities of water. The proximity of this star to Earth (42 light years) makes it a tempting target for further astronomic observations.
In April 2010, the naked-eye star ζ Ophiuchi was occulted by 824 Anastasia.

Deep-sky objects

Ophiuchus contains several star clusters, such as IC 4665, NGC 6633, M9, M10, M12, M14, M19, M62, and M107, as well as the nebula IC 4603-4604. The unusual galaxy merger remnant NGC 6240 is also in Ophiuchus. In 2006, a new nearby star cluster was discovered associated with the 4th magnitude star Mu Ophiuchi.[6] The Mamajek 2 cluster appears to be a poor cluster remnant analogous to the Ursa Major Moving Group, but 7 times more distant (approximately 170 parsecs away). Mamajek 2 appears to have formed in the same star-forming complex as the NGC 2516 cluster roughly 135 million years ago.[7]

History


Ophiuchus in a manuscript copy of Azophi's Uranometry, 18th-century copy of a manuscript prepared for Ulugh Beg in 1417 (note that as in all pre-modern star charts, the constellation is mirrored, with Serpens Caput on the left and Serpens Cauda on the right).

Ophiuchus holding the serpent, Serpens, as depicted in Urania's Mirror, a set of constellation cards published in London c.1825. Above the tail of the serpent is the now-obsolete constellation Taurus Poniatovii while below it is Scutum.
The earliest mention of the constellation is in Aratus, informed by the lost catalogue of Eudoxus of Cnidus (4th century BC):[8]

To the Phantom's back the Crown is near, but by his head mark near at hand the head of Ophiuchus, and then from it you can trace the starlit Ophiuchus himself: so brightly set beneath his head appear his gleaming shoulders. They would be clear to mark even at the midmonth moon, but his hands are not at all so bright; for faint runs the gleam of stars along on this side and on that. Yet they too can be seen, for they are not feeble. Both firmly clutch the Serpent, which encircles the waist of Ophiuchus, but he, steadfast with both his feet well set, tramples a huge monster, even the Scorpion, standing upright on his eye and breast. Now the Serpent is wreathed about his two hands – a little above his right hand, but in many folds high above his left.[9]
According to Roman era mythography,[10] the figure represents the healer Asclepius, who learned the secrets of keeping death at bay after observing one serpent bringing another healing herbs. To prevent the entire human race from becoming immortal under Asclepius' care, Zeus killed him with a bolt of lightning, but later placed his image in the heavens to honor his good works.
There is no evidence of the constellation preceding the classical era. In Babylonian astronomy, a "Sitting Gods" constellation seems to have been located in the general area of Ophiuchus. Gavin White proposes that Ophiuchus may in fact be remotely descended from the Babylonian constellation, representing Nirah, a Babylonian serpent-god who was sometimes depicted with his upper half human but serpents for legs, perhaps identical with the constellation of Babylonian astronomy.[11]
In medieval Islamic astronomy (Azophi's Uranometry, 10th century), the constellation was known as Al-Ḥawwaʾ "the snake-charmer".
Aratus describes Ophiuchus as trampling on Scorpio with his feet. This is depicted in Renaissance to Early Modern star charts, beginning with Albrecht Dürer in 1515; in some depictions (such as that of Johannes Kepler, 1604), Scorpio also seems to threaten to sting Serpentarius in the foot. This is consistent with Azophi, who already included ψ Oph and ω Oph as the snake-charmer's "left foot", and θ Oph and ο Oph as his "right foot", making Ophiuchus a zodiacal constellation at least as regards his feet.[12] This arrangement has been taken as symbolic in later literature, and placed in relation to the words spoken by God to the serpent in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3:15).[13]

Citations

  1. ^ Star 'soon to become supernova'. BBC News, 2006-07-23
  2. ^ "Huge 'Superbubble' of Gas Blowing Out of Milky Way". PhysOrg.com. 2006-01-13. http://www.physorg.com/news9882.html. Retrieved 2008-07-04. 
  3. ^ "Molecular Oxygen Detected For The First Time In The Interstellar Medium". http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/04/070417080835.htm. 
  4. ^ Voyager - Mission - Interstellar Mission
  5. ^ Charbonneau et al. "A super-Earth transiting a nearby low-mass star" Nature 462, 891-894 (17 December 2009)
  6. ^ Mamajek, Eric E. (2006). "A New Nearby Candidate Star Cluster in Ophiuchus at d = 170 pc". Astronomical Journal 132: 2198. doi:10.1086/508205. http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2006AJ....132.2198M. 
  7. ^ Jilinski, E., Ortega, V.G., de la Reza, R., Drake, N.A., and Bazzanella, B. (2009). "Dynamical Evolution and Spectral Characteristics of the Stellar Group Mamajek 2". Astrophysical Journal 691: 212. doi:10.1088/0004-637X/691/1/212. http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2009ApJ...691..212J. 
  8. ^ Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, A Greek-English Lexicon s.v. "ὀφιοῦχος".
  9. ^ trans. Mair, A. W. & G. R. Loeb Classical Library Volume 129. London: William Heinemann, 1921.[1]
  10. ^ Hyginus, Astronomica 2. 14 Latin Mythography, 2nd century AD
  11. ^ Babylonian Star-lore by Gavin White, Solaria Pubs, 2008, page 187f.
  12. ^ see manuscript reproduction at icoproject.org
  13. ^ Edward Walter Maunder, Astronomy of the Bible (1908), p. 164f.

References

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Read more here:  http://www.davidicke.com/forum/showthread.php?t=4101

The Thirteenth Astrological Star Sign


Ophiuchus (pronounced off-ee-YOO-cuss) represents a man with a snake coiled around his waist. He holds the head of the snake in his left hand and its tail in his right hand. The snake is represented by the constellation Serpens.

http://www.ianridpath.com/startales/ophiuchus.htm


The Zodiac

The 12 “star signs” the astrologers use are the constellations that fall on the ecliptic, otherwise referred to as the zodiac. The ecliptic is merely the path the sun seems to follow as the earth revolves around it. So, if on a certain date you looked at the sun, the current “star sign” would be the constellation directly behind the Sun.

Star Sign (Constellation).............Date
Sagittarius........................Nov 22 Dec 21
Capricornus.......................Dec 22 Jan 19
Aquarius...........................Jan 20 Feb 18
Pisces..............................Feb 19 Mar 20
Aries................................Mar 21 Apr 19
Taurus.............................Apr 20 May 20
Gemini..............................May 21 Jun 21
Cancer.............................Jun 22 Jul 22
Leo..................................Jul 23 Aug 22
Virgo................................Aug 23 Sep 22
Libra................................Sep 23 Oct 22
Scorpius...........................Oct 23 Nov 21


The zodiac is “A belt on the celestial sphere, about 8° either side of the ecliptic, which forms the background for the motions of the Sun, Moon, and planets.” The ecliptic passes through more than 12 constellations, it passes through 13, the thirteenth being Ophiuchus. Why do the astrologers ignore poor old Ophiuchus? Probably because it is not a particularly bright constellation. But that does not change the fact that the ecliptic passes through 13 constellations, not 12.
Star Sign (Constellation)..............Date
Sagittarius.........................Dec 18 Jan 18
Capricornus........................Jan 19 Feb 15
Aquarius............................Feb 16 Mar 11
Pisces...............................Mar 12 Apr 18
Aries.................................Apr 19 May 13
Taurus..............................May 14 Jun 19
Gemini...............................Jun 20 Jul 20
Cancer..............................Jul 21 Aug 09
Leo...................................Aug 10 Sep 15
Virgo.................................Sep 16 Oct 30
Libra.................................Oct 31 Nov 22
Scorpius............................Nov 23 Nov 29
Ophiuchus..........................Nov 30 Dec 17

http://www.aqua.co.za/assa_jhb/Canopus/c979zodi.htm










The solar year has a little more than 364 days. The lunar month has just over 29 days. To reconcile these awkward figures the ancient astronomers devised a calendar of thirteen equal months, each of 28 days or four equal weeks. This calendar is all but regular, with the full moon falling one day and one hour later each month, and with only a small correction to be made at the end of the year.
The lunar months (or 'moon ths'), were represented in the skies by the constellations of the zodiac; and on the ground by a circle of trees in the sacred grove. Twelve of the signs of the zodiac are familiar to us from the astrology columns in the daily newspapers, but what happened to the thirteenth, and what was its symbol? This question can be answered by consulting the works of the ancient astronomers. Ptolemy of Alexandria gives the name of the constellation, and also the bearing and magnitude of the stars which form it. The constellation was called Ophicius (in Greek) and Serpentarius (in Latin). Both names mean 'snake-holder', and refer to the pythoness, the high priestess of the goddess temples. The symbol of this sign, a bare-breasted woman holding snakes, occurred in the Sumerian; Minoan, and other cultures of the Archaic period. Thus the missing month, the month that we disrupted an orderly calendar to avoid, was the month of the Goddess

Less familiar is the forgotten thirteenth sign, which lies "betwixt" them, Ophicius, the Snake-Holder, the symbol of which was a goddess or priestess brandishing two snakes, and which connoted the most important new moon in the goddess' lunar calendar. Milton, who also wrote the Book of Common Prayer used by Protestant congregations, has told us here in cryptic form that he was mindful that the Christian Satan (aka the Devil), was a new name given to an older but unmentionable deity, the goddess.

http://www.big.com.au/fallen/thirteen.html




Ophiuchus (IPA: [
ˌoʊfiˈjukəs]), formerly referred to as Serpentarius (IPA: [ˌsɚpənˈtʰeɹiəs]), the former originating in the Greek language and the latter in the Latin language, both meaning "serpent-holder,"…

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ophiuchus




More here...http://www.crystalinks.com/ophiuchus.html



THE WORD OBEAH


Now, while it is true that the ORIGIN of the word is indeed obscured and clouded in secrecy, it is primarily because Obeah, as implied above, is in itself clouded in secrecy --- being the remnant of a once very powerful and celebrated SECRET religious Order lost in the mist of time. Even so, slowly over the years clues have surfaced that indicate THAT particular secret religious Order emanated from a certain general geographical area. Those clues, few in number that they may be, strongly point to the fact that the Order originated in or around an area where the Egyptian language was either born, dominant, or used by the priests or religious class --- much as Latin is used by certain religious orders today --- with the power and knowledge of Obeah maintained and rising from the underground ashes of that dispersed Order over the centuries. Considering such a background, it is very probable the etymology of the word sprang from the Egyptian word Ob or Aub, meaning "serpent." Oph is a winged serpent or dragon; and Ab means wisdom/understanding, and together means "Serpent of Wisdom" or "Serpent of Knowledge." To this day Obion is still the Egyptian name for a serpent.....


Moses, who escaped with his people out of Egypt with the full might of the Pharaoh's army hot on their heels all the way to the Red Sea --- where the army reportedly then drowned --- forbade in the name of God, the Israelites even to enquire about the demon Ob, which is translated in the first testament as a necromancer, wizard, or Diviner. In today's world the various translations are wide enough to encompass the type shaman-sorcerer that the infamous Yaqui Indian Don Juan Matus apprenticed under, a Diablero, a new-world tribal spiritual elder known to embody a sense of evilness and the ability to shapeshift. Moses himself carries a great deal of importance in all those translations, including right up to this day with Obeah. Even though Moses forbade enquiry into Ob amongst his people, he is seen as the ultimate snake-charmer and among the greatest of magicians. When Moses doubted he was really hearing the voice of God, he was asked what he was holding in his hand. When he replied that he was holding a rod, he is commanded to throw it to the ground. When he does, the rod becomes a serpent. When he picks it up it becomes a rod again. Later, under the direction of Moses, when Aaron throws his rod down before Pharaoh, it becomes a snake as well.(Exodus 7:1-16).....


Throughout the ancient world, the Middle East and Egypt, because of the brilliantly clear desert night skys, the stars and the constellations carried deep significance, both for the wandering tribes such as those following Moses and the great civilizations and city-states such as Babylonia, Sumeria, and Egypt. Ophiuchus the Serpent Bearer is one of those desert-sky constellations. Most people pretty much know what the Zodiac is --- the constellations on the plane of the ecliptic through which the sun passes in the course of a year --- and what their "Sun Sign" is in relation to the Zodiac (i.e., Sagittarius, Taurus, etc.). What most people don't know is that there are actually thirteen Sun Signs, NOT twelve. According to the official modern constellation boundaries that astronomers use today, the sun passes through thirteen constellations, not twelve. The Greeks chose to remove one of the original thirteen constellations from the Zodiac in order to accomplish their desire to have each sign rule for an even 30º of sky, so they selected Ophiuchus to be eliminated. It can only be because of his origins in Egypt as one of their most powerful dieties, on par with Osiris and Thoth, all of whom answered only to Ra. Mysteriously enough, just like Obeah is secret, hidden, and unknown, the "thirteenth constellation" of the Zodiac, Ophiuchus the Serpent Bearer is secret, hidden, and unknown. About one person in twenty is an "Ophiuchus," and they don't even know it.....


The peoples of ancient times (most typically the Pythagoreans, but others as well) had a legend that a kind of Light, described as a "living fire," flowed through all living things. Guarding this Flame was the serpent Ophioneus, very similar in respects to his nearly same namesake Ophiuchus. He was said to lay coiled in the Waters of Life. If anyone obstructed or hindered the Light of the Flame, Ophioneus would rise out of the water like a monster and consume them. The Greek philosopher Pherecydes (circa 600-550 BC) wrote a great deal about Ophioneus, having obtained the doctrines from the Phoenicians, also known as Ophites (Greece was first colonized by Ophites, serpent worshippers from both Egypt and Phoenicia). The Ophites venerated a serpent by the deity-title Ab, sometimes rendered Ob and Ob Aur, meaning Father --- as in the procreator of All. They also had the watery serpent Leviathan or Thiavat, which is same as Ophioneus. All of this ties into Abaddon that appears in Revelations as the Angel of the Abyss. It is unclear if the forces of the Abyss are fully good or evil in any way. The Obic forces that guard the Light and keep it flowing apparently take it by whatever means necessary and return it back to where it belongs when a person fails to let it flow or obstructs it.....

http://www.angelfire.com/electronic/...01/obeah2.html








Ophiuchus in the Arts
Today a cult of followers of all ages have kept him immortal so that we could look back on him today and see an image of Ophiuchus the Serpent Holder as he might have appeared during the ...
http://www.startistics.com/astronomo...h/ophinart.htm

ASCLEPIUS : Greek god of medicine & doctors ; mythology ; pictures ...
Asklepios was afterwards placed amongst the stars as the Constellation Ophiuchus (the Serpent Bearer ... CULT OF ASKLEPIOS. See the Cult of Asklepios page ...
http://www.theoi.com/Ouranios/Asklepios.html

Ophiuchus or Serpentarius
Myth and history: Ophiuchus Serpentarius , is Ofiuco with the Italians, Schlangentrager (Snake Bearer ... Mar 26th 1997 The bodies of 39 members of the Heaven's Gate techno-religious cult who'd ...
http://users.winshop.com.au/annew/Ophiuchus.html

Ophiuchus Constellation
... that the constellation represents Asclepius or Aesculapius, the healer of Greek myth whose cult was closely associated with serpents. This identification is by no means certain. Stars: Ophiuchus is a ...
http://home.xtra.co.nz/hosts/Wingmakers/Ophiuchus.html

eSky: Ophiuchus
The group of stars has been known by the name Ophiuchus for two thousand years or more. ... that the constellation represents Asclepius or Aesculapius, the healer of Greek myth whose cult ...
http://www.glyphweb.com/esky/constel...ophiuchus.html

This is a work in progress. Please feel free to add your own research to this thread.

Tuesday 18 January 2011

Hamsa

A hamsa is a charm, symbol or talisman used by both people of Islamic and Jewish faiths. It is thought to ward off the evil eye and offer protection from the hand of God. The hamsa, also called the hamesh hand, looks like a hand with three fingers pointing upward and the thumb and pinky pointing outward. The palm of the hand is commonly covered with an eye.

Earliest use of the hamsa predates Islam, though the name hamsa is Arabic. Some connect the hamsa to its use by the Phoenicians or Punic people in honor of the goddess Tanit. She was considered the patron of Carthage, and a goddess who controlled the lunar cycle. Many identify Tanit as an early possible origin for Greek goddesses such as Hera and Athena.

Root Races

Read the article here:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Root_races


EXTRACT:




Root Races, Epochs and sub-races
According to Blavatsky's writings, there will be 7 root races assembled for our Earth; each root race is divided into seven subraces. Only 5 root races have appeared so far; the 6th is expected to emerge in the 28th century.

The first root race

The first root race was "ethereal", i.e. they were composed of etheric matter. They reproduced by dividing like an amoeba. Earth was still cooling at that time. The first mountain to arise out of the stormy primeval ocean was Mount Meru.[5]

The second root race (Hyperborean)

The second root race lived in Hyperborea. The second root race was colored golden yellow. Hyperborea included what is now Northern Canada, Greenland, Iceland, Scandinavia, Northern Asia, and Kamchatka. The climate was tropical because Earth had not yet developed an axial tilt. The esoteric name of their continent is Plaksha;[6] they called themselves the Kimpurshas. They reproduced by budding.[7] The second root race has no present-day descendents.

The third root race (Lemurian)


Map of Lemuria superimposed over the modern continents from William Scott-Elliot, The Story of Atlantis and Lost Lemuria.

The third root race, the Lemurian, was black and lived in Lemuria. The esoteric name of Lemuria is Shalmali.[6] Lemuria, according to Theosophists, existed in a large part of what is now the Indian Ocean and included also Australia and in addition extended into the South Pacific Ocean; its last remnants are the Australian continent, the island of New Guinea, and the island of Madagascar. Lemuria sank gradually and was eventually destroyed by incessantly erupting volcanoes.[8]

In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, it was thought by geologists that the age of the earth was only about 200 million years (because radioactive dating had not yet come into use), so the geological epochs were believed to have occurred at a much later time than is thought to be the case today.

According to traditional Theosophy, the Lemurian root race began 34½ million years ago, in the middle of what was then believed to be the Jurassic; thus, the people of Lemuria coexisted with the dinosaurs. The first three subraces of the Lemurians reproduced by laying eggs, but the fourth subrace, beginning 16½ million years ago, began to reproduce like modern humans.[8] As Lemuria was slowly submerged due to volcanic eruptions, the Lemurians colonized the areas surrounding Lemuria, i.e. Africa, Southern India, and the East Indies. The descendants of the Lemurian root race according to traditional Theosophy include the Capoid race, the Congoid race, the Dravidians, and the Australoid race.

The fourth root race (Atlantean) - Subraces of the Atlantean root race

The fourth root race, the Atlantean, according to Theosophy arose approximately 4,500,000 years ago in Africa from the fourth subrace of the Lemurians in a part of Africa that had been colonized by that subrace in the area now inhabited by the Ashanti.[9]

Theosophists believe the Atlantean root race was physically progenerated by the Chankshusha Manu. After they arose in Africa, they left Africa and colonized the continent of Atlantis. The esoteric name of Atlantis is Kusha.[6] The Atlantean root race had Mongolian features; they began with golden brown skin and gradually evolved into the red American Indian, brown Malayan, and yellow Mongolian races, because some Atlanteans eventually migrated to the Americas and Asia. The seven subraces of the Atlantean root race were
  1. the Rmoahal
  2. the Tlavati (Cro-Magnons)
  3. the Toltec (a term which Theosophists use as a synonym for American Indians)
  4. the Turanian
  5. the (original) Semites (e.g., the Phoenicians)
  6. the Akkadians, and
  7. the Mongolian, which migrated to and colonized East Asia.
The descendants of the Atlanteans according to traditional Theosophy include those of the Mongolian race, the Malayan race, and the American Indian race as well as some people of what in the late 19th and early 20th centuries was called the "olive-skinned" Mediterranean race.[9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19]

[edit] The civilization of Atlantis

During long period of time when Atlantis was ruled by the Toltecs (the ancestors of the Amerindians), the civilization of Atlantis was at its height. This was the period between about 1,000,000 and 900,000 years ago, called the Golden Age of Atlantis. The Atlanteans had many luxuries and conveniences. Their capital city was called The City of the Golden Gates. At its height, it had two million inhabitants. There were extensive aqueducts leading to the city from a mountain lake. The Atlanteans had airships powered by the vril that could seat two to eight people. The economic system was socialist like that of the Incas. Atlanteans were the first to develop organized warfare. The military deployed vril-powered air battleships that contained 50 to 100 fighting men. These air battleships deployed poison gas bombs. The infantry fired fire-tipped arrows. The Toltecs on Atlantis worshipped the Sun in temples as grand as those of ancient Egypt that were decorated in bright colors. The sacred word used in meditation was Tau (this was the equivalent of the Aryan sacred word Om). As noted above, the Toltecs colonized all of North America and South America and thus became the people we know as the Amerindians.[11][12]

The downfall of Atlantis started when some of the Toltecs began to practice black magic about 850,000 BC. The people began to become selfish and materialistic. Soon thereafter, the Turanians (the ancestors of the people we now know as the Turkic peoples) became dominant in much of Atlantis. The Turanians continued the practice of black magic which reaches its height about 250,000 BC and continued until the final sinking of Atlantis, although they were opposed by white magicians.

The Master Morya incarnated as the Emperor of Atlantis in 220,000 BC to oppose the black magicians.[20] The black magicians used magical spells to breed human-animal chimeras to use as sex slaves. They also had an army composed of chimeras that were composites that were composed of a human body with the heads of fierce predators such as lions, tigers, and bears, that ate enemy dead on the battlefield.[20] The war between the white magicians and the black magicians continued until the end of Atlantis. The Masters of the Ancient Wisdom telepathically warned their disciples (the white magicians) to flee Atlantis in ships while there was still time to get out before the final cataclysm. As noted above, the final sudden submergence of Atlantis due to earthquakes occurred in 9,564 BC .[4]

The fifth root race (Aryan)

Early beginnings of the Aryan root race

Blavatsky asserted humanity was presently in the fifth root race, the Aryan race, which Theosophists believe to have emerged from the previous fourth root race (Atlantean root race) beginning about 100,000 years ago in Atlantis. (When Madame Blavatsky stated the Aryan root race was 1,000,000 years old, she meant that the souls of the people that later physically incarnated as the first Aryans about 100,000 years ago began to incarnate in the bodies of Atlanteans 1,000,000 years ago.[11])

Theosophists believe the Aryan root race was physically progenerated by the Vaivasvatu Manu, one of the Masters of the Ancient Wisdom. The Aryan root race is white because it was generated from a specific tribe of the fourth (original Semite) subrace of the Atlanteans that was white and lived in the mountains of northeastern Atlantis (the closest relatives today to this tribe are the Kabyle). Thus the Aryan root race overlapped the fourth, or Atlantean, root race, and the first beginnings of the fifth root race were approximately toward the end of the time during which the fourth root race dwelt in Atlantis. The small band of only 9,000 people constituting the then small Aryan root race migrated out of Atlantis in 79,797 BC. A small group of these Aryan migrants from Atlantis split from the main body of migrants and went south to the shore of an inland sea in what was then a verdant and lush Sahara where they founded the "City of the Sun". This city came to be ruled about 70,000 BC by an incarnation of the being who later became known as the ascended master St. Germain.[21] T

he main body of migrants continued onwards to an island called the "white island" in the middle of what was then an inland sea in what is now the Gobi desert, where they established the "City of the Bridge".[19] (The "City of the Bridge" was constructed directly below the etheric city called Shamballa where Theosophists believe the governing deity of Earth, Sanat Kumara, dwells; thus, the ongoing evolution of the Aryan root race has been divinely guided by the being Theosophists call "The Lord of the World".)

The esoteric name of the whole of the present land surface of Earth, i.e. the World Island, the Americas, the Australian continent, and Antarctica taken as a whole is Krauncha.[6]
Generally speaking, a large percentage of the people who live in the time of the period of the fifth root race are part of the fifth root race. However Blavatsky also opines that some Semitic peoples have become "degenerate in spirituality". She asserted that some peoples descended from the Lemurians are "semi-animal creatures". These latter include "the Tasmanians, a portion of the Australians and a mountain tribe in China." There are also "considerable numbers of the mixed Lemuro-Atlantean peoples produced by various crossings with such semi-human stocks -- e.g., the Wild Men of Borneo, the Veddhas of Ceylon, most of the remaining Australians, Bushmen, Negritos, Andaman Islanders, etc."[22] All these aforementioned groups mentioned by Blavatsky except the purported "W

ild Men of Borneo" (claimed by P.T. Barnum to be Dayaks of the Malayan race from Borneo, but who actually were two Caucasian mentally retarded dwarf brothers from Connecticut) are part of what was in the late 19th and most of the 20th century was called the Australoid race (except for the Bushmen, part of the Capoid race), both of which races, as noted above, were believed by traditional Theosophists to have been descended from the Lemurians.

Subraces of the Aryan root race

Blavatsky described the fifth root race with the following words: "The Aryan races, for instance, now varying from dark brown, almost black, red-brown-yellow, down to the whitest creamy colour, are yet all of one and the same stock - the Fifth Root-Race - and spring from one single progenitor,[23] which Hindus call Manu. Theosophists believe that each root race has a separate and distinct progenitor.

The subraces of the Aryan Fifth Root Race include the first subrace, the Hindu, which migrated from the "City of the Bridge" on the white island in the middle of the Gobi inland sea to India in 60,000 BC; the second subrace, the Arabian, which migrated from the "City of the Bridge" to Arabia in 40,000 BC; the third subrace, the Persian, which migrated from the "City of the Bridge" to Persia in 30,000 BC; the fourth subrace, the Celts, which migrated from the "City of the Bridge" to Western Europe beginning in 20,000 BC (the Mycenaean Greeks are regarded as an offshoot of the Celtic subrace that colonized Southeast Europe); and the fifth subrace, the Teutonic, which also migrated from the "City of the Bridge" to what is now Germany beginning in 20,000 BC (the Slavs are regarded as an offshoot of the Teutonic subrace that colonized Russia and surrounding areas).[4][19][24][25][26][27][28]

The emergence of the sixth subrace of the Aryan root race

According to Blavatsky the sixth subrace of the Aryan root race will begin to evolve in the area of the United States in the early 21st century. This sixth subrace of the Aryan root race will be called the Australo-American subrace and is believed by Theosophists to be now arising from the Teutonic subrace of the Aryan root race in Australia and in the Western United States (Many individuals of the new subrace will be born in California.) and its surrounding nearby areas (i.e., the Australo-American subrace is presently in the process of arising from the Anglo-American, Anglo-Canadian, Anglo-Australian and presumably also the Anglo-New Zealander ethnic groups).[29]

The sixth or Australo-American sub-race will "possess certain psychic powers, and for this the pituitary body will be developed, thus giving an additional sense, that of cognising astral emotions in the ordinary waking consciousness. We may say that in general the sixth sub-race will bring in wisdom and intuition, blending all that is best in the intelligence of the fifth subrace and the emotion of the fourth."[29]
It is believed by Theosophists that the root races evolve from the subraces of the same number; thus the sixth root race will evolve from the sixth sub-race of the fifth or Aryan root race, just as the fifth or Aryan root race evolved from the fifth subrace (the Semitic) of the fourth or Atlantean root race 100,000 years ago.[9]

The sixth root race

According to C.W. Leadbeater, a colony will be established in Baja California by the Theosophical Society under the guidance of the Masters of the Ancient Wisdom in the 28th century for the intensive selective eugenic breeding of the sixth root race. The Master Morya will physically incarnate in order to be the Manu ("progenitor") of this new root race.[30] By that time, the world will be powered by nuclear power and there will be a single world government led by a person who will be the reincarnation of Julius Caesar.[30] Tens of thousands of years in the future, a new continent will arise in the Pacific Ocean that will be the future home of the sixth root race.[31] California west of the San Andreas fault will break off from the mainland of North America and become the Island of California off the eastern coast of the new continent.[29]

The seventh root race

A few million years in the future, the seventh root race will arise from the seventh subrace of the sixth root race on the future continent that the sixth root race will be living on that will arise from the Pacific Ocean.[31] The continent they will inhabit is esoterically called Pushkara.[6]

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Root Races are stages in human evolution in the esoteric cosmology of theosophist Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, as described in her book The Secret Doctrine (1888). These races were said to have existed on now-lost continents. Blavatsky's model was developed by later theosophists, most notably William Scott-Elliot in The Story of Atlantis (1896) and The Lost Lemuria (1904). Annie Besant further developed the model in Man: Whence, How and Whither (1913). Both Besant and Scott-Elliot relied on information from Charles Webster Leadbeater obtained by "astral clairvoyance". Further elaboration was provided by Rudolf Steiner in Atlantis and Lemuria (1913).[1] Subsequent theosophist authors have called the time periods associated with these races, Epochs.
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Source
According to the historian Goffe Jensma, the concept of root races was first articulated in the Dutch esotericist book Oera Linda, which was translated into English by William Sandbach in 1876. Jensma concludes that Blavatsky greatly elaborated the ideas first put forward in the book.[2]

Locations of the proposed former continents

Some theosophical writers, attempting to reconcile current geological science with some earlier theosophical teachings, have equated Lemuria with the former supercontinent of Gondwanaland. Early theosophical teachings, however, agree with the original statements of Eduard Suess, who argued that Gondwanaland consisted of parts of the present continents in their present positions, but joined to one another by other lands that have since been submerged.

Atlantis, in the Theosophical cosmology, was a continent that covered a significant part of what is now the Atlantic Ocean.[3]

The large continent of Atlantis is said to have "first divided, and then broken later on into seven peninsulas and islands".

When the main part of Atlantis began to sink, Atlantean settlers migrated to the new lands which were rising to the east, west, and south.

These new lands became the Americas, Africa, parts of Asia, and the present European countries, stretching from the Ural mountains of Russia, westward to include the islands of Ireland and Britain, and even farther westward than that in former times.

Some emigrants from the remaining islands in the Atlantic settled on new islands to the east which later consolidated into what is now the district of the Abyssinian highlands and lands somewhat to the north. Atlantis perished through flooding and submergence in 9,564 BC.",[4] and its destruction is explained by claiming successive disturbances in the axial rotation of Earth which caused earthquakes which led to the sudden sinking of Atlantis.


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Pages in category "Theosophical texts"The following 14 pages are in this category, out of 14 total. This list may not reflect recent changes (learn more).


The Ancient Wisdom
At the Feet of the Master
Book of Dzyan
Isis Unveiled
Mahatma Letters
Occult Chemistry (book)
T. Subba Row Collected Writings
The Secret Doctrine
Study in Consciousness
The Key to Theosophy
The Mahatma Letters to A.P. Sinnett
Thought Forms
Treatise on White Magic
The Voice of the Silence