The Hidden Hero

Mythologists have long recognized the motif of the hidden or sleeping hero. In many cases, these myths take the form of messengers or incarnations (avatars) of a deity sent to earth. Often researchers trace these myths back to the earliest known examples in literature such as that of the abgal of Sumer.

As discussed earlier, the abgal are seven sages sent to earth one after another by the god Enki (Ea). Like Enki who came swimming from Dilmun in the East, these sages arise from the sea. In many instances, we find a similar motif of a hero concealed in the ocean , on an antipodean island, or in a mountain.

Quetzalcoatl, the Mesoamerican deity predicted to return one day, is sometimes said to be in the heart of the ocean. The Hindu savior Kalki is also said to rise from the sea on a white horse. Kalki is an avatar of Visnu, whose first incarnation was in the form of a great fish (matsya) that saves humanity from the flood. In the apocryphal IV Esdras (8:3) the messiah appears as a man coming from the "heart of the sea" in the sixth vision of the prophet.

King Arthur of Celtic fame was sometimes located in the "depth" of the sea or on an antipodean island, sleeping to awake in latter times.

The ancient Kai or Zoroastrian kings went to their repose in the mysterious palace of Kang-dez often said to be in the middle of the cosmic mountain. From there they will accompany the final savior in the last battle between good and evil. The Shi'ites believe the Hidden Imam and his sons wait on five islands for the coming of the messianic al-Mahdi.

A whole host of European monarchs became sleeping heroes hidden in mountains to include Frederick Barbarossa in Kyffhäuser Mountain and Karl V and his army in Odin's mountain.

The Javanese know their coming hero as Satria Piningit the "Concealed Warrior," and the Old Testament says in a passage often cited as messianic:

Listen, O isles, unto me; and hearken, ye people, from far; The LORD hath called me from the womb; from the bowels of my mother hath he made mention of my name. And he hath made my mouth like a sharp sword; in the shadow of his hand hath he hid me, and made me a polished shaft; in his quiver hath he hid me.

Isaiah 49:1-2

Like the planet or star that enters the Underworld by seemingly sinking into the ocean or mountain to the West, only to rise again from the East, so to the cosmic heroes. However, as we can see authentic historical figures, like the Holy Roman emperors, were assigned to the same motif, so it cannot be explained merely as a Jungian archetype. From the perspective of this work, the returning hero is Tala of the Dragon and Bird Clan.

The coming of the saving hero is sometimes indicated with rather vague chronological clues, but at other times with actual dates, at least in the form of the expected year of appearance.

These dates appear based on an astronomical cycle which has been widely studied. Giorgio de Santillana and Hertha von Dechend examined this cycle, which has been linked with the creation of various calendars, in Hamlet's Mill.

Although estimates for the cycle's beginning vary from about 4,000 BC to 3,000 BC, most tend to point toward the first few centuries before 3,000 BC.

During this period, the star Sirius rose out of the Sun's bright light, known as the heliacal rising, at around the time of the summer solstice. The Pleiades constellation, or "Seven Sisters," was very near the ecliptic, the path of the Sun, and was very close to exactly due East when rising above the horizon.

Regards,
Paul Kekai Manansala
Sacramento

The Black Banners of the East

Although the imagery is more stylized than earlier descriptions of the fiery, smoking mountains of Eden and the Sinai, the basic ideas are still present. The sea of glass/crystal mingled with fire, for example, is reminiscent of the great quantities of volcanic glass such as obsidian produced by eruptions.

However, the localization is never quite complete. The great 'war in heaven' is still placed in the mount of Eden, the cosmic site of the original conflict. It was here that Tala, the Morning Star, descended to earth. The motif linking the stars with the cycle of conflict occurs in many traditions including those of the Hebrews and Zoroastrians.

It is said that from the east and from the quarters of Hind or China (he will appear) and as appears from the religion, the sign at his birth will be the falling of the stars.

The Persian Rivayats of Hormazyar Framarz and others

The Muslims also naturally incorporated these ideas into their prophetic views of the latter days.

The Black Banners will come to you from the East, their hearts are like iron. Whosoever hears about them let them go crawling -- even over ice!

Hadith of Thawban

The predicted "Army coming from the East" is led by a man called Mansur. Generally the location of the "East" is obscure although it is indicated that he shall approach Mecca from the direction of Transoxania (Uzbekistan and parts of Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan). Some modern fundamentalists believe that Osama bin Laden is none other than the Mansur who will lead his troops from Afghanistan in a great world battle. These armies carrying black banners come to the aid of al-Mahdi, the future messianic king.

In certain Hadiths, al-Mahdi and some of his companions are described as "Masters of the Dwellers of Paradise."

We are the children of Abd Al Muttalib, the Masters of the Dwellers of Paradise myself, Hamza, Ali, Jafar, Al Hasan, Al Hussain and Al Mahdi

Anas

Although the Muslim version appears to localize things more in Central Asia, we still have ideas similar to those in the Jewish and Christian traditions. For example, the water that seems to be at the same time fire, and the paradise that appears as hell, but in this case associated with al-Dajjal the Antichrist:

The anti-Christ will appear and with him will be both water and fire. That which people perceive to be water will be fire that burns and that which people perceive to be fire will be cool and sweet water. If any among you encounters him, you should jump into that which you perceive to be fire because it is sweet and palatable water.

Hadith of Ribi

I shall tell you something about the anti-Christ that no Prophet has told his people -- he is one-eyed and will have with him what appears to be Paradise and Hell. That which he calls Paradise will be Hell, and that which he calls Hell is Paradise.

Abu Hurayrah

Among the Ismailis, the Hidden Imam is stationed in the "Green Isle" where the Tree of Paradise and the Spring of Life are found. The Hidden Imam in this tradition returns as al-Mahdi. Paradise is viewed often as an archipelago of five linked islands although the location is obscure. In latter times, it was said to be in the "intermediate East" a location sometimes earthly, sometimes otherworldly of the pre-heavenly abode of the departed.

Muslim views of the apocalypse thus hold much in common with those found in the religions that preceded it in the region.

Ideas of a great end-times battle in various traditions are also found in prophecies which give some rather specific details including chronological dates. We will examine how these timings appear to correlate with the epoch of the ancient eruptions suggested here as initiating the great cycle of conflict.

Regards,
Paul Kekai Manansala

River of Fire and "Living Water"

In the Bible, the motif of the holy volcano is first associated with Eden, but later gets localized until eventually in a highly-converted form, one sees it even transfered to Zion and/or the Mount of Olives.

In some cases, we see preserved the destructive attributes of Pinatubo in the images of a river of lake of fire:

I watched till thrones were put in place, and the Ancient of Days was seated; His garment was white as snow, and the hair of His head was like pure wool. His throne was a fiery flame, its wheels a burning fire; a fiery stream issued and came forth from before Him. A thousand thousands ministered to Him; ten thousand times ten thousand stood before Him. The court was seated, and the books were opened. I watched then because of the sound of the pompous words which the horn was speaking; I watched till the beast was slain, and its body destroyed and given to the burning flame.

Daniel 7:9,10

And I saw something like a sea of glass mingled with fire, and those who have the victory over the beast, over his image and over his mark and over the number of his name, standing on the sea of glass, having harps of God.

Revelation 15:2

The lake of fire later became associated with the Underworld, although it is stated that even Hades is cast into the lake.

Then the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who worked signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image. These two were cast alive into the lake of fire burning with brimstone.

Revelation 19:20

And fire came down from God out of heaven and devoured them. The devil, who deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet are. And they will be tormented day and night forever and ever. Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books. The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works. Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire.

Revelation 20:9-15

These great judgements are prophesied for the "end times" when a messianic savior comes to the world. This savior is sometimes portrayed as a king or sometimes as God himself. Isaiah often refers to an eastern king in verses that some believe refer to the future messiah described as "one from the rising sun who calls on my [the Lord's] name. He treads on rulers as if they were mortar, as if he were a potter treading the clay." (Isaiah 41:25)

Apparently the very same river and lake elsewhere are portrayed in a less threatening manner.

Zechariah refers to the Mt. Olives splitting asunder but not in the sense of a disaster but rather to open up the springs of "living waters." However, these same waters are said to cause a plague against those "who fought against Jerusalem."

And in that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, Which faces Jerusalem on the east. And the Mount of Olives shall be split in two, From east to west, making a very large valley; half of the mountain shall move toward the north And half of it toward the south. And in that day it shall be that living waters shall flow from Jerusalem, half of them toward the eastern sea And half of them toward the western sea; In both summer and winter it shall occur. And this shall be the plague with which the LORD will strike all the people who fought against Jerusalem: Their flesh shall dissolve while they stand on their feet, Their eyes shall dissolve in their sockets, And their tongues shall dissolve in their mouths. It shall come to pass in that day that a great panic from the LORD will be among them. Everyone will seize the hand of his neighbor, and raise his hand against his neighbor's hand.

Zechariah 14:4,8,12-14

The Apostle John saw the waters of the river and lake as a type of crystal that comes to adorn the New Jerusalem.

And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding from the throne of God and of the Lamb. In the middle of its street, and on either side of the river, was the tree of life, which bore twelve fruits, each tree yielding its fruit every month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.

Revelation 22:1,2

Immediately I was in the Spirit; and behold, a throne set in heaven, and One sat on the throne. And He who sat there was like a jasper and a sardius stone in appearance; and there was a rainbow around the throne, in appearance like an emerald. Around the throne were twenty-four thrones, and on the thrones I saw twenty-four elders sitting, clothed in white robes; and they had crowns of gold on their heads. And from the throne proceeded lightnings, thunderings, and voices. Seven lamps of fire were burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God. Before the throne there was a sea of glass, like crystal.

Revelation 4:2-6

We can see there that the fiery mountain of Eden mentioned in Genesis, Ezekiel and Enoch is converted to Mt. Zion. The river that "came out from Eden to water the paradise" in the second chapter of Genesis now flows either from the temple or from a newly-created valley that splits the Mount of Olives.

Indeed the creation of the valley reminds us also of the creation of the double volcano or the double peaked volcano, each possessing its own crater with another large crater between them. This middle crater is sometimes visualized as a third peak or mountain which has collapsed creating a valley.

Isaiah tells us that before the great judgement a ruler shall be called from the "isles" and from the East.

Be silent before me, you islands! Let the nations renew their strength! Let them come forward and speak; let us meet together at the place of judgment. Who has stirred up one from the east, calling him in righteousness to his service. He hands nations over to him and subdues kings before him. He turns them to dust with his sword, to windblown chaff with his bow."

Isaiah 41:1, 2

And in what may even be an illusion to the bird clan, we have:

From the east I summon a bird of prey; from a far-off land, a man to fulfill my purpose. What I have said, that will I bring about; what I have planned, that will I do.

Isaiah 46:11

In some cases, it is the Lord who comes as savior in person from the east into the eastern gate.

Then he brought me back to the outer gate of the sanctuary, which faces east; and it was shut. And he said to me, "This gate shall remain shut; it shall not be opened, and no one shall enter by it; for the LORD, the God of Israel, has entered by it; therefore it shall remain shut. Only the prince may sit in it to eat bread before the LORD; he shall enter by way of the vestibule of the gate, and shall go out by the same way.

Ezekiel 44:1-3

"...the gate that looketh toward the east: And the glory of the Lord came into the house by the way of the gate whose prospect is toward the east."

Nehemiah 3:29

In the 26th chapter of Ezekiel, Eden is described together with other nations involved in the great mercantile trade. We often see in the Bibilical prophecies that nations from the direction of "Tarshish and Ophir" play an important role. These may be the "kings of the east" referred to in the Book of Revelation who cross the Euphrates in preparation for the great apocalyptic battle.

And the sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates; and the water thereof dried up, that the way of the kings of the east might be prepared.

Revelations 16: 12

The apocryphal Testament of Dan even appears to equate the "New Jerusalem" with Eden: "And the saints shall rest in Eden, and in the New Jerusalem shall the righteous rejoice, and it shall be unto the glory of God for ever."

The Parsis and Zoroastrians also believed in a savior king who would come from the East. In the Zand-i-Vahuman, he is described as coming from the direction of China and the Indies.

O Zartosht the Spitaman [Zoroaster]! When the demon with dishevelled hair of the race of Wrath comes into notice in the eastern quarter, in the direction of Chinistan [China], it is said - some have said among the Hind - is born a prince; it
is his father, a prince of the Kayanian race, who approaches the women, and a religious prince is born to him; he calls his name Warharan [Bahrám] the Varjavánd, some have said Shahpur.

The vision of heaven and hell as existing in the same place is explained perfectly by the volcano of the lush tropical forests. Where, sometimes with little warning, paradise is transformed into a fiery hell.

However, the newly-formed krater from the eruption will if the conditions are right, provide a lake and rivers filled with the "living waters" of immortality, and the land will be duly blessed again.

Regards,
Paul Kekai Manansala
Sacramento

The Golden Age

Earlier, the concept of "suns" emerging from mountains, including symbolic pyramids, at the start of new cycles was examined. Of particular interest is that of the Aztec concept of the present age as the "Fifth Sun."

The explanation I have proposed for the image of the Sun rising from the top of a mountain on a pillar composed of fire, light and/or smoke, is that of a volcanic eruption.

The idea of a new Golden Age heralded by such an eruption is found in the Javanese prophecy of Sabdapalon, the priest of Majapahit ruler Brawijaya V. When the king converted to Islam, Sabdapalon predicted a decline that would last for five centuries until the eruption of fabled Mt. Meru (Sumeru). At that time, Sabdapalon himself would return to help usher in the new age.

The idea of multiple suns is rather widespread throughout the world. They are found scattered also throughout insular Southeast Asia. The element of different ages is not always apparent, but the tales of many suns are placed at the start of the present era or creation. Usually they include the death of one of these suns at the founding of our epoch.

In the dualistic world of the Nusantao, the lesser and greater cycles of fortune would have almost surely formed part of their worldview. This cyclic vision I believe can be found in various prophetic traditions of the world pointing to the rise of a new messianic leader of the Dragon and Bird Clan. Indeed, this was the basis, I proposed, for the messianic legends of the Rigden of Shambhala and Prester John.

In the "Old World," this leader was often known as the "King of the East" since he came from the "farthest East" as known at that time.

Among the Nusantao, the great hero is repeatedly linked symbolically with the descent of a planet or star. Thus, like the heavenly body it eventually departs only to rise again. Some traditions have been preserved stories of the returning hero of the Golden Age as with Lumauig in the Philippines, Lono in Hawai`i and Ratu Adil in Java.

As in the beginning, everything starts at the cosmic axis, and so is the case with the ending of the old cycle and the starting of the new.

Regards,
Paul Kekai Manansala
Sacramento

Recapping the Timeline VIII

The medieval Nusantao trading empires developed long-range cultural relationships particularly with India and Tibet.

When Islam arose, the conquering armies brought the trading clans into their first known serious crisis. The Muslims knew how to ride the monsoons and had adopted the triangular lateen sail replacing the older square version.

With the square sail it was impossible to tack or punt against the wind greatly increasing the difficulty of long-distance voyages.

The Muslim armies quickly captured many important ports in eastern Africa and southern Asia. The competition was stiffer along the northern Clove Route and this combined with a rising enemy to the South complicated things for Sanfotsi/Zabag. Thus, only a century or two after this empire had attained what may have been the peak of influence and power for the Dragon and Bird Clan, fortune shifted away.

The leaders, who may have come under the corrupting influences of the materialism their ancestors had warned against in legend, now looked for any means to reverse the tide. They reached out strongly to eastern portions of India and Tibet, regions which had yet avoided Muslim conquest.

They also made overtures to the Christian emperors of the West. In Africa, their southern adversaries, the Wakwak, may have tried themselves to halt Islamic influence. The huge 1,000 ship fleet though achieved only moderate success.

In the Kalacakra literature describing Shambhala and the letters and romances of Prester John, I believe we can see the efforts of the Dragon and Bird Clan to strengthen its position. In the first case, it wanted to stem the eastward march of Muslim influence. In the other, it wanted to bring new players into the region to compete directly with them in the trade.

China was also approached for the latter purpose, but showed little interest in direct conflict. The Chinese had enough difficulty defending their borders against initial Muslim threats. At one point, the great Mongol conqueror Timur Leng (Tamerlane) had threatened to invade the empire. For the emperor, it was enough to receive token gifts of "tribute" from the "southern barbarians."

To help matters along, the Dragon and Bird Clan provided geographical and other information necessary to access the region. In at least one case they directly requested assistance from the Chinese emperor. In other instances, they promised help even of a messianic type to strengthen the resolve of those resisting the Muslim juggernaut.

Some of the information and help, combined with ancient legends of fabled Eden, sparked new voyages of exploration.

All these efforts however were to no avail. One could surmise that the whole foundation by which the Dragon and Bird Clan had established itself had crumbled. This foundation was, I think, rooted in the people's belief in an ancient cause. The power of the clan continued to dwindle, but this probably did not surprise the sages and prophets among the people.

What was happening could be explained by the cyclic dualism of the clan's founders. The notion of the great cycle, the turning of ages, is preserved in many cultures. Among Austronesians, the starting or ending of a cycle is usually coded in a story of the descent of heavenly body, and a particular astronomical configuration. Many of these ideas, I believe, are linked and we will explore that subject starting with the next blog posting.

Regards,
Paul Kekai Manansala
Sacramento

Recapping the Timeline VII

The northern trade along the south coast of Asia eventually became the main route by which the clove flower bud was brought. By medieval times at least, this network appeared under the control of the Dragon and Bird Clan.

Originally, the Nusantao would have controlled this trade route all the way to the ports of Sumer bringing fragrant wood and other products from Dilmun. Eventually though they ceded the western half of the route to Indian merchants.

The tin that fueled the Bronze Age almost certainly came via this direction. No other adequate sources of tin have been found to support even recovered ancient bronze artifacts, which could make up only a fraction of the real total. The Southeast Asian tin was alluvial and thus easily available in massive quantities.

Tin is mentioned as coming via the Dilmun ships in Sumerian literature, and the Old Testament mentions vessels coming from Ophir carrying tin as part of their cargo. The latter ships, taking three years to complete their journey, were also said to carry almug wood, used in building the Temple of Israel. This may correspond to the fragrant timber brought from Dilmun mentioned in Sumerian texts.

Gold was another important product brought along this route, so much so that the source became known in India as Suvarnadvipa the "Islands of Gold."

The southern maritime trail across the Indian Ocean became the main corridor for the cinnamon trade. This route opens up after the Nusantao begin to master long transoceanic voyages. Again by medieval times it is apparent that the Fallen Angel camp is mainly in control of this network.

Cinnamon, cassia, aloeswood, lemon grass and tortoise shell are among some of the important products brought along this route. Cargo landed on the African coast mostly at the port known to the ancient Greeks as Rhapta, in present day Tanzania. From there they fanned out in all directions including northward to ports along the eastern African coast all the way to Egypt.

In ancient times, Rhapta was probably the port known to the Pharaohs as Punt. On the walls of the New Kingdom temple of Deir el-Bahri we see paintings of rolled sticks of cinnamon and cassia among the products brought from that city.

This early trade was probably responsible for the presence of the outrigger canoe with lateen sail and many other cultural items found along the eastern African coast. Generally the Greeks were unsure of where the cinnamon and other spices along this route came from, but the geographer Pliny does seem to have been given some clue. He mentions traders undertaking long dangerous journeys over the sea that took up to five years to complete.

When the Muslims arrived on the scene, they found the Nusantao firmly established and the trade still going strong. The island of Madagascar had even been settled by these long-range merchants. Ships from Wakwak and Zabag continued to visit sailing for about a year to reach the African coast from their home ports.

At this time, I have suggested that the empire known as Sanfotsi to the Chinese and Zabag to the Muslims, represented the Dragon and Bird Clan.

To their southeast was the sea empire (thalossocracy) known as Toupo to the Chinese and Wakwak to the Muslims, which in my view represented the Fallen Angel camp in medieval times.

When the Muslims first arrived on the scene, the Dragon and Bird Clan was maybe at its all-time height, but it's southern neighbor was rising quickly and would become a threat before long.

The evidence of the power of the Fallen Angels comes in the report, from more than one source, of a fleet of 1,000 ships that sailed to eastern Africa in the 10th century. If the reports were accurate, this would have been the largest historically-recorded maritime expedition up to that time.

Regards,
Paul Kekai Manansala
Sacramento

Recapping the Timeline VI

The Nusantao eventually began to move toward the export of spices and metals from their home region. By the middle of the second millennium BC, this trade appears firmly established by both African and Asian trade routes.

The home regions of the Nusantao became widely known by these valuable products. They added to the mystique of the lands, which were also famed for agents of immortality. Like many peoples, we can safely presume that the Nusantao tended to idealize their homeland when far away.

The Altaic peoples did the same thing with the golden Altai mountains when they wandered far from home. Medieval Christians tried to make Jerusalem the center of the world on their early maps, completely distorting correct proportions in the process.

For the Nusantao, much of the idealization had some basis in reality. There were indeed precious aromatics from whence they came, perfumes whose value is still recognized to this day -- such as aloeswood, which commands higher prices than gold. Nutmeg, cloves, cinnamon, cassia and other local odiferous products have been prized by many cultures and the cause of many wars. Rich sources of alluvial gold, tin and other metals existed.

The lands were lush and beautiful to behold abounding in natural diversity of all kinds.

In the same sense, this paradise could suddenly turn into a fiery or stormy hell via the forces of nature. This too was conveyed in the stories of paradise, sometimes said to be guarded by a flaming sword.

The idealized homeland became the destination in the quest for immortality. For the Nusantao, the natural interaction of the great cosmic principles is evidenced through the workings of nature itself. Theology was of secondary importance -- whether one believed in one or countless gods -- the workings of duality were equally apparent.

If one desired to meet deity, the cosmic axis mundi, the holy volcano where the three worlds met, was the place to seek. It was here that one accessed all planes of cosmic existence.

With such a concept of their home land and with such precious commodoties to offer from the region, the location became literally a place of wonder and myth in the minds of those who had heard the stories.

The wondrous tales probably aided the Nusantao in speading their trade and spiritual influence far and wide judging from the available evidence.

Artifacts, traces of their language, elements of their mythology and culture turn up in regions practically spanning the globe. Their seafaring ability combined with fierce clan competition would have drove them on distant journeys for new prospects.

The practice of shellfish gathering, fishing, sea mammal hunting, and living in semi-subterranean homes helped them in quickly adapting to foreign and hostile climates.

Regards,
Paul Kekai Manansala
Sacramento

Recapping the Timeline V

The conflict of the Nusantao trading clans appears in an interlaced series of motifs, the complexity of which would alone argue against independent evolution. The set of motifs are not identical though because as they drift apart, some motifs get lost and news ones are borrowed or invented. In some cases, motifs are converted to fit local viewpoints.

However, it is still possible to see the underlying elements that link a dualistic conflict with what can be interpreted as a volcanic catastrophe. In many cases, these stories also offer geographical directions to the scene and, less frequently, the timing of the events, which agree also with archaeological and other evidence.

I believe the Chinese recorded the alliance of the dragon and bird clans in the story of the marriage of Fu Hsi and Nu Gua. This union involved the Dong Yi peoples of the eastern coast, whom archaeologists have connected with the neolithic Dawenkou culture. In turn, the Dawenkou is thought by researchers such as Solheim and Ling to indicate Nusantao or Austronesian presence.

Indian literature speaks of the wars of Devas (gods) and Asuras (demons) during the Churning of the Milky Ocean in the East. From the churned sea arise a number of important cultural items including the conch trumpet, the long bow and the pot of elixir. These can be interpreted as representing influences dispersed by people migrating from this natural disaster.

In Sumer, the same information would come flowing from the people of the shell mounds. The conflicts of the Annunaki appear to have been absorbed into Hebrew myth as the war of the good and fallen angels.

These and stories from other mythologies give us ideas such as "paradise lost" and the Promethean fall which so many have tried to explain as common psychological devices to conceive worldviews. However, too often the details fit to well with the actual hard evidence to accept such speculation.

Thus, following the clan marriage of Fu Hsi and Nu Gua, tradition tells of wars between clan and tribal chieftans such as Yandi, Yao, Shun, Huangdi and Chiyou. Indeed, the archaeological evidence supports the idea of conflict with the growing presence of heavily-fortified settlements. We also see certain clan emblems begin to spread over wide distances.

The trade conflict coincides also with the appearance of economic systems often based, at least in part, on the use of shells as a form of currency.

In some cases, even some details on the inner organization of the clans seems apparent. There is suggested in several instances the division into groups of nine and/or seven. The first classification, I would suggest was based on the actual geographic divisions found in the area around the central mountain. This was divided into 8 parts like the eight provinces of Shambhala, which together with the central capital formed nine regions.

The seven-fold division, on the other hand, appears based on the levels of the mountain itself, which was used as a spiritual model for the whole cosmos.

Mythology and history were not separated. Ancestors, for example, were promoted to deity status as is still the case among some peoples to this day. The worldview of the Nusantao clearly interlaced the spiritual and mundane worlds in a way that matched their overall dual vision of the cosmos.

Regards,
Paul Kekai Manansala
Sacramento

Recapping the Timeline IV

The motif of the erupting volcano or volcanoes linked with a war or conflict is very widespread, and I have suggested that geographical clues all point to a specific location.

The timing of the epoch that I believe is related to this event, based on various traditions, is around a few centuries before the third millennium BC. This dating may have passed directly or indirectly to a number of cultures ranging from Egypt to Central America as a particular astronomical configuration.

Later, as these cultures independently developed their own calendar systems, they back-dated the astronomical legend but using different methods. Thus, they arrived at differing but still rather close start points. Of particular importance in the suggested configuration are Venus and/or Sirius which appear in many cultures to be interlinked.

The dated eruption that I have identified is that of Mt. Pinatubo (15.13 North, 120.35 East) around 3,500 BC, although there is a margin of error here of about 500 years. There was also an apparently Neolithic eruption of near-by Mt. Arayat (15.16 North, 120.76 East) on virtually the same latitude as Pinatubo, but this event has not been dated by radiometric means.

Legend suggests these volcanoes may have erupted simultaneously or at least close enough in time to allow for natural mixing of the volcanic deposits. The story also suggests this took place during the ceramic period corresponding with the first introduction of rice agriculture into the region.

At that time, the Nusantao trade network was established over vast regions. They appear to have been trading mostly in fragrant woods, jade, nephrite, obsidian, shells (including tortoise shell), glass and shell beads and possibly some metals such as gold. In some regions, the rice and sugarcane trade likely continued to flourish.

Just prior to the volcanic eruptions there appears to have been a union of important clan networks among the Nusantao. The two leading clans had the dragon and bird totem respectively. The legends suggest these came from the traditional camp which at the time was secondary in power to the exclusive ideology clans. The alliance however threatened the existing status quo.

This new confederacy was formed in the region of the volcanoes itself. Tradition suggests that the eruptions coincided with the outbreak of hostilities between the newly-formed alliance and the established elite-oriented clans.

In the naturalistic and dualistic minds of the Nusantao, the volcanic events must have been of cosmic significance, for both sides. The eruptions became etched in their worldview and the model of the great erupting mountain was carried far and wide on their journeys and trade missions. In the ensuing battle for the mountains of Sun and Moon, the old guard -- the fallen angels -- were expelled from "Eden."

The conflict is recorded in traditions, oral and literate, throughout the geographic expanse of the old Nusantao trading network. Indeed, the battle itself was brought in one form or another to many of these places.

Regards,
Paul Kekai Manansala
Sacramento

Recapping the Timeline III

History gives us many examples of groups that expanded geographically with the purpose of transmitting some religious or spiritual views. Among the well-known cases are those of Hinduism, Buddhism, Christianity and Islam.

Sometimes, the spread of such views is known only through later analysis. For example, Africanists have noted the division in African society centered around the blacksmith taboo. This division of society may have taken place in the Sahel at some ancient epoch. According to Pierre Clement and C.A. Diop, a pro-blacksmith group consisted of artisan kings, who valued manual labor, and had an open, non-caste society.

The other opposing group taboos the blacksmith, has warrior kings, despises manual labor and has a closed, casted society. This societal division had spread throughout much of Africa in ancient times and is still present to some extent today.

In the Austronesian dual world, the division of the Nusantao trading clans along some idealogical lines would be a natural enough development. I have suggested that this was along traditionalist versus exclusivist lines. The traditionalists wanted to preserve the older rather egalitarian society in which equality was valued, while the exclusivists sought to build powerful elites by strictly limiting membership into the upper classes/castes.

To some extent this division may have still been present in the conflict between the medieval kingdoms of Zabag and Wakwak. Numerous notices of Wakwak mention slaves or the slave trade, while these are largely absent with regard to Zabag except during the latter's decline. In Neolithic China, the Dawenkou culture gradually stratified its society but did not adopt human slavery until close to its demise, possibly under the influence of the southern Liangzhu culture. Among the latter, such intense social stratification seems to have been present from the beginning.

Diop states that in Africa the closed society that carries the blacksmith taboo often blames the blacksmith for having stolen the secrets of the gods. This, of course, reminds us of the myth of the fallen angels and Prometheus.

Among the Nusantao, the exclusivist camp though appears as those who wish to share their knowledge. This also is apparent in the stories of the fallen angels and Prometheus, although in this case there is no clear division between open non-casted as opposed to closed casted societies. The knowledge transmitted is thought to lead to the downfall of humanity, and I would suggest this originates from the early situation within the Nusantao clans.

These divisions are brought to a head by the great volcanic eruptions that send shockwaves through the trading network. I have suggested that the stories of the eruptions and the linked clan wars, sometimes fashioned into battles of gods or spirits, are rooted in reality.

The evidence suggests they are not independent inventions to explain phenomenon of one sort or another as might be suggested by some mythologists. The different accounts scattered over various parts of the world provide independent and generally consistent geographical pointers as to the location of these events.

Although these geographical clues are sometimes vague, when taken as a whole they provide a clear picture that indeed correlates with the archaeological and other evidence.

There are real events and real migrations that can account for the wide dispersal of these myths, which in and of themselves literally direct us, with varying degress of clarity, to their own epicenter.

Regards,
Paul Kekai Manansala
Sacramento

Recapping the Timeline II

The migrations of the Nusantao prior to 5,000 BC were related to the expansion of trade networks. Important items of exchange consisted of shell, jade and nephrite. Solheim has suggested perishable goods like rice and sugarcane were also traded.

Long distance exchange practices may have been inherited from the earlier obsidian trade in the western Pacific. Obsidian continued to be important to the Nusantao, although jade and nephrite appear to have replaced it in many cases.

With the exception of obsidian, all these items continue to show up on lists of transoceanic trade goods found thousands of years later in medieval texts.

The Sundaland flooding involved what was by far the greatest populated land mass submerged during the Holocene period. By the latter stages of these sea floods we see quite clearly the development of a coastal marine-oriented people. In some cases, the evidence points to fully-fledged sea nomads who built only semi-permanent or seasonal settlements associated with shell mounds and sand dunes.

This marine and trade orientation facilated rapid geographical expansion of settlements. Their ability to navigate the open oceans is evidenced by contacts with places like Taiwan which was then a much smaller island in the Pacific, and by blue-water mammals, fish and other species associated with their shell middens.

Competition also appears to have played a role in geographical expansion. The growth and distribution of clan emblems, and the testimony of Chinese literary sources recording ancient legends give us an idea of these conflicts.

Most of what we know about the early Nusantao, aside from that revealed through archaeology, was preserved in the form of oral tradition. In some cases, these continued solely as oral records, but in other cases they were eventually put down to writing. In most instances, the chronicles involved were not of Nusantao origin, and some are thousands of years old.

The gradual development of social stratification in cultures of coastal Neolithic China appears directly linked with the Nusantao trade. Among some of the items found in the Dawenkou burials of present-day Shandong are whole or partial tortoise shells and jade ceremonial objects from the southern Liangzhu culture. Pigs also seem to have been a symbol of social status and many pig skulls have been found in the tombs.

The largest Dawenkou tombs usually contain Liangzhu jade and ceramics and there seems to be a trade link here between the elite. There are also many elite status Lianzhu tombs near the Yangtze River, and in both cultures we find the practice of mortuary human sacrifice. This occurs only in late Dawenkou burials and may have been adopted from the Liangzhu. The latter had some advanced technologies including the use of diamonds to polish sapphire-rich stones. There are some who think they also used magnifying glasses and diamond-tipped pens in carving ornate jade ritual items. They lived in semi-subterranean dwellings and apparently utilized slaves for labor.

The evidence gives stark testimony as to how the pursuit of wealth can corrupt human behavior. Such social changes created an environment that fostered conflicts of a spiritual and social nature to augment the existing economic competition.

Regards,
Paul Kekai Manansala
Sacramento

Recapping the TImeline

Prehistoric shellfish gatherers were rather active in the Paleolithic from 50,000 to 30,000 years ago. In some locations they continued to leave sites such as in South Africa between 100,000 to 18,000 years ago, and Vietnam from 33,000 to 11,000 years ago.

Starting in the Holocene period after the last Ice Age, we see a significant increase in the building of shell mounds as noted by anthropologist Katherine Szabo:

From about 17 000 years ago until about 7000 years ago the sea steadily rose as the ice of the last glacial maximum melted, inundating many areas of land that were previously dry. It is at this time that we see an increase in the number of sites with shell midden deposits. This has been an archaeological talking point over the last few decades - why did people start intensively exploiting marine resources at this time?

Some researchers have called this phase the "mega-midden" period because of the vast size of shell mounds created.

Shell mound builders in coastal Vietnam and probably also in Sundaland began expanding with the rapid rise in sea levels during the Holocene. One particular culture of Hoabinhian affinity developed an advanced fishing and sea/aquatic mammal hunting culture.

They made earthenware perforated spindle whorls for fishing nets, and also similar-looking earthenware net sinkers. They used whole shells, particularly cowries, for various purposes including as burial goods. Among the notable types found are Cypraea moneta (money cowrie), Cypraea tigris (tiger cowry) and Cypraecassis rufa (red helmet).

They made beads of shell and also apparently in some places of opaque glass. Jade/nephrite tools appear in regions associated with the culture. and less frequently tools made of shell.

The Nusantao, most likely Malayo-Polynesian or Proto-Malayo-Polynesian speakers, established distant settlements in areas explored earlier by others including their Proto-Austronesian ancestors. These events occured initially during the Mesolithic-Neolithic transition period, which I believe in this case is linked with earlier edge-grinding practices.

Some researchers have commented negatively on shellfish gatherers as people who acquired low status, and have characterized shellfish as a secondary protein source inferior to land-based game.

However, these concepts may be overly-simplified. Some shellfish today, for example, such as lobster are among the most expensive sources of high-quality protein and are generally thought of elite food. Oysters have a similar reputation and the oyster shell was conceived in Roman myth as the throne of the goddess Venus. Indeed, shellfish collection among fishing cultures is generally performed by women, while men take to the seas to fish and hunt.

One thing that modern research has shown is that shellfish and marine fish are
much higher, sometimes by many fold, in brain-specific fats as compared to meat and other protein sources.

For thousands of years shells, albeit of the non-edible kind, were used as money over most of the world throughout. Indeed, if we look at many cultures, the rise of status-based civilization is often linked with the sea-coasts, and in some cases with peculiar people depicted as amphibious humans.

I've suggested that these marine humans were none other than the Nusantao, whose sea-based lifestyle may have seemed peculiar to other observers. By virtue of their long-range travel, these people had a major impact by transferring ideas to and fro, and also because they had an inter-related economic and spiritual agenda.

Regards,
Paul Kekai Manansala
Sacramento

Transition

Before the end of the 16th century, the Lusung kingdom had been colonized by the West although the specific Sambali area where Mt. Pinatubo is located was largely covered with forest growth at this time, and was fiercely guarded by Aeta and Sambal peoples.

The spread of Islam to the north had been stopped but just barely. We won't explore what happened to the old kings of the mountain, but instead will investigate how the Dragon and Bird Clan influenced the world of prophecy and messianism in much of the world.

But first we will recap the historical outline we have presented here. Then after the section of prophecy we will have an epilogue bringing us to present times after which the narrative portion of this blog will be completed. From that point, I will compile as extensive a glossary as my time permits of the symbology, archetypes, myths, artifacts and other evidence presented here, as well as some not yet presented. Also, periodic news briefs related to this blog well be posted. I will also try to arrange the blog into one easy-to-read and ordered pdf file for download, hopefully with some interesting new images.

Let's start off with a timeline of some the events suggested here (approximate dates):

Nusantao Timeline 33,000 - 11,000 BP:  Shell mound building culture in Vietnam and possibly Sundaland  |  | 20,000 BP:  Edge-ground tools in Australia, classified as "Hoabinhian" by Solheim  |  | 17,000 BP:  Jomon culture in Japan makes first pottery,  build "mega-middens"  |      |      |      Toggle harpoon by 7,000 BP  | 11,500 BP:  Rapid-rise sea floods, Hoabinhian  migrations    |      |  |  Spirit Cave culture near Thai-Myanmar border  | 9,000 - 8,000 BP:  Proto-Austronesian migrations due to  sea flooding, fully-polished tools  |                        |  |        Maglemose shell mounds, Denmark prior to 8,000 BP  | 7,000 BP:  Nusantao trade network already underway,  E. Indonesia to China coast  |                            |                                  |  |  Ubaid mounds in Persian Gulf    Siberian/Arctic shell mounds  |  | 5,500 BP:  Pinatubo eruption, allied Dragon and Bird  Clan dominate Nusantao network  |                                                    |  |          Rival clans expelled from "Eden," move southeast  | 5,500 BP:  Extended contacts with eastern African coast  |  | 5,000 BP:  Nusantao established in Sumer and on  Atlantic coast of Europe, contacts increasing with Americas  |  | 4,000 - 3,500 BP:  Nusantao spice routes are firmly  established to Africa, extended Pacific exploration/colonization     |                           |  |        Wave of Bronze Age Nusantao influence in N. Europe  | 2,000 BP:  Roman ships begin sailing western leg  of northern spice route, Hindu-Buddhist influences in SE Asia  |  | 1,800 BP: Southeast Asia/South Asia exchange builds  up rapidly  |  | 1,400 -- 1,000 BP:  Islam spreads quickly through  Asia threatening Nusantao trade routes  |  | 1,100 -- 900 BP:  Kalacakra doctrine from SE Asia  filters back to India and Tibet  |  | 1,000 -- 900 BP:  "Prester John" makes significant  contacts with West  |  | 700 BP:  Map-making revolution, European exploration  begins gradually  |  | 500 BP:  Major expansion of European exploration,  "discovery" of "Golden Land"

Regards,
Paul Kekai Manansala
Sacramento

Land of Sacred Jars IV

From the unanimous testimony of eye-witnesses, the sacred jars were not particularly comely in appearance. They were of medium to small size like ordinary water or wine jars, and de Morga describes them as having a brown color. They definitely, then, were not celadons or porcelain, which were recognized by the Europeans and the whole world as the finest type of ceramic.

Indeed the extant evidence shows these pots were not even stoneware, but only simple earthenware as you might find anywhere in the world. If you had no other information about these pots, for example, that they were made of the primal clay of Sun and Moon, they would appear nearly worthless. No other explanation would suffice as to why kings would refuse any offer for these plain clay containers.

The confusing point of the matter is that the Tokiko also mentions fine Rusun wares including celadons. Archaeological discoveries over the past few decades have shown that the country was indeed a destination, and possibly even a source, for many fine Chinese-type porcelain pieces. In fact, the Philippines has one of the world's greatest collections of Sung dynasty celadons and the highly-prized Shu-fu wares used by the Mongol royal family and the few others that received it as gifts.

However, the Tokiko does seem to distinguish the porcelain from the tea canisters and jars that commanded such high prices.

Of pottery vessels of Luzon, there is a large variety. As a rule, poeple call only jars (tsubo) and tea-canisters (chaire) Luzons. Owing to the fact that all other articles of Luzon bear out a similarity to those of Hagi, Karatsu, Seto, Bizen, Tamba, Takatori, Higo, Oribe, and Shino, Luzons are erroneously believed to be restricted to the above two articles...The tea canisters of Luzon are of the best quality.

-- Tokiko II

The author goes on apparently describing more Chinese-influenced porcelains, which may or may not have been made on Luzon, to the plain but highly-valued tea-canisters and jars. He mentions one tea-canister he found with Chinese characters suggesting the word Lusung-chi "made in Lusung." The "genuine" Luzon tea-canisters were said to have concave bottoms and to be compact and dense.

The more recent pottery-making traditions of the Philippines concentrated around two main types with close links to styles used in Vietnam. These were the older Sa-Huyhn-Kalanay ware which lasted about 3,000 years and the more recent Geometric pottery, sometimes called "Bau-Malay" which arose around the seventh century. Older pottery though dates back to the early Neolithic or Mesolithic and is characterized particularly by burial jars and associated ware.

Although de Morga states the tea jars were no longer made in the Philippines during his time, in the northern reaches of Luzon which had resisted Spanish colonization, the Kalinga and other peoples continued to make earthenware pots. Later this tradition was revived in other places.

The ordinary medium to small-sized wine and water jars often called volnai, bolnai, etc. may be the boioni mentioned by Froez. These tend to be of globular shape and brown or dark reddish in color.

In addition to the rokuro mark used to identify jars that were made in Luzon, other marks indicated jars made in Japanese kilns but with Luzon clay. Those made in the Imbe kiln had the mark , those from the Bizen kiln had this mark: , while tea-canisters from the Bizen kiln made of Rusun clay had the following mark repeated three times: .

The Tokiko says these markings are in the Rusun-no kokuji "the national writing of Luzon." Indeed, the symbols for Luzon clay do resemble characters in the baybayin script. These include the characters for la in Kapampangan, Tagalog, Bisayan and Ilokano, the na character in Kapampangan and Tagbanua, and the ka character in Tagbanua.

In addition, these characters also resemble the symbology that we mentioned before. I stated that the rokuro spiral would represent the dragon clan, while the "T" symbols used for Rusun clay, would stand for the cosmic tree and by implication the bird clan.

Some examples of these holy jars have been found in Japanese collections. One piece brought from Japan to the Ethnographical Museum matches quite perfectly the description provided by de Morga. It is of brownish color earthenware and small in size. De Morga says of the clay pots purchased by the Japanese that they "overlay them externally with fine gold embossed with great skill, and enclose them in cases of brocade."

In a similar way, maybe to compensate for their unsightly appearance, the Sultan of Brunei's talking jar was "generally enveloped in gold brocade."

The Ethnographical Museum piece was said to be made of composite pieces welded together with the joints, apparently at a latter time, overlayed with gold. In the certificate that came with the jar we find an interesting notice on the sacred nature of this pottery.

"This earthen vessel was found in the porcelain factory of Tschisuka in the province of Odori, in South Idzumi, and is an object belonging to the thousand graves.... It was made by Giogiboosat (a celebrated Buddhist priest), and after it had been consecrated to heaven was buried by him. According to the traditions of the people, this place held grave mounds with memorial stones. That is more than a thousand years ago. ....In the pursuit of my studies, I remained many years in the temple Sookuk, of that village, and found the vessel. I carried it to the high priest Shakudjo, who was much delighted therewith and always bore it about with him as a treasure. When he died it fell to me, although I could not find it. Recently, when Honkai was chief priest, I saw it again, and it was as if I had again met the spirit of Shakudjo. Great was my commotion, and I clapped my hands with astonishment; and, as often as I look upon the treasure, I think it is a sign that the spirit of hakudjo is returned to life. Therefore I have written the history, and taken care, of this treasure.–Fudji Kuz Dodjin."

-- translated by Austin Craig

The Datu of Tamparuli filled his jars with water and dispensed it to the sick across the country. The Sultan of Brunei was quoted as saying that his sacred pot howled during the night of his first wife's death, and made similar noises before any unfortunate event. Craig also notes: "St. John states further that the Bisayans used formerly to bring presents to the sultan; in recognition of which they received some water from the sacred jar to sprinkle over their fields and thereby ensure plentiful harvests."

These humble pots were minature models of the Primordial Hill, Mt. Mandara, Mt. Meru, Mt. Eden and other variations of the great holy volcano with a caldera lake -- the Krater. They combined the clays of Sun and Moon or were said to be made by the Sun and Moon gods. Like the Holy Grail, they were imbued with spirits that aided or even guided the owner. Tabooed for millennia, they were now put on sale to the highest bidder.

Regards,
Paul Kekai Manansala
Sacramento

Land of Sacred Jars III

Beginning at least by the 15th century, Lusung began trading its most sacred jars on the open market. I would submit this was no less than auctioning off the Amrita Kumbha or the Holy Grail. There were interested buyers and they were willing to pay great sums for these unassuming pots.

Jesuit Ludwig Froez wrote about the Philippine jar trade in 1595:

In the Philippines, jars called boioni which are esteemed low there but highly priced in Japan, for the delicious beverage Cie (Cha) is well preserved in them; hence what is counted as two crown by the Filipino; is much higher valued in Japan and is looked upon as the greatest wealth like a gem.

Hideyoshi the Taiko was said to have had a jar made for himself in Rusun (Lusung). He monopolized the commerce in Rusun pottery, seizing possessions from Japanese Christians returning from the Philippines and blocking any other trade of the items. When Carletti came to Japan from the Philippines in 1597, all passengers were searched for Rusun ware which the king wished to purchase.

The Tokiko, a Japanese historical text on early ceramic trade, mentions that Rusun pottery was already considered of the highest value more than a century before Hideyoshi's time.

Despite the pottery's high worth, Antonio de Morga, the governor of the Philippines, was far from impressed with its quality.

On this island, Luzon, particularly in the provinces of Manila, Pampánga, Pangasinán, and Ilócos, very ancient clay vessels of a dark brown color are found by the natives, of a sorry appearance; some of a middling size, and others smaller;
marked with characters and stamps. They are unable to say either when or where they obtained them; but they are no longer to be acquired, nor are they manufactured in the islands. The Japanese prize them highly, for they have found that the root of a herb which they call Tscha (tea), and which when drunk hot is considered as a great delicacy and of medicinal efficacy by the kings and lords in Japan, cannot be effectively preserved except in these vessels; which are so highly esteemed all over Japan that they form the most costly articles of their show-rooms and cabinets. Indeed, so highly do they value them that they overlay them externally with fine gold embossed with great skill, and enclose them in cases of brocade; and some of these vessels are valued at and fetch from two thousand tael to eleven reals. The natives of these islands purchase them from the Japanese at very high rates, and take much pains in the search for them on account of their value, though but few are now found on account of the eagerness with which they have been sought for.

Fedor Jagor and his associates traveling through the Philippines in the 19th century relay a similar account taken from Carletti:

In 1615 Carletti met with a Franciscan who was sent as ambassador from Japan to Rome, who assured him that he had seen one hundred and thirty thousand scudi paid by the King of Japan for such a vessel; and his companions confirmed the statement. Carletti also alleges, as the reason for the high price, "that the leaf cia or tea, the quality of which improves with age, is preserved better in those vessels than in all others. The Japanese besides know these vessels by certain characters and stamps. They are of great age and very rare, and come only from Cambodia, Siam, Cochin-China, the Philippines, and other neighboring islands. From their external appearance they would be estimated at three or four quatrini (two dreier).... It is perfectly true that the king and the princes of that kingdom possess a very large number of these vessels, and prize them as their most valuable treasure and above all other rarities .... and that they boast of their acquisitions, and from motives of vanity strive to outvie one another in the multitude of pretty vessels which they possess.

According to St. John writing in the 19th century, the Sultan of Brunei possessed a sacred "speaking jar." When asked if he would sell it for $100,000, he was said to have replied that he would not part with it for any sum of money. Likewise the Datu of Tamparuli was said to have paid $3,500 for one jar and to have had another of astronomical value. Here we find direct mention of the sacred and magical qualities of these high-priced pots. We should also note that Hideyoshi was known to have presented Rusun wares to temples throughout the country.

We will identify these precious pots in our next blog.

Regards,
Paul Kekai Manansala
Sacramento

References

Jagor, Fedor, Comyn, Tomás de, Virchow, Rudolf Ludwig Karl, The former Philippines thru foreign eyes edited by Austin Craig, Manila: Philippine Education Co., 1916.

Land of Sacred Jars II

The animistic spirit of the Tinguian jars is something that is found, however carefully presented, in the stories of the Holy Grail, the relic from the farthest Indies.

The Grail is said to "call" knights to its service as in the case of Parzival and the Templars. Knights serve the Grail, just as the Grail itself serves as implied in the cyclic question "Whom does the Grail serve?" Other instances also give the impression of the Grail as an actor, albeit in a way that would not have offended medieval Christian sensibilities.

The animistic spirit is appears again in late Hermetic texts. In the early 17th century The Ancient War of the Knights written in German, we have an interesting instance of a debate between the Philosopher's Stone, Gold and Mercury. The text is not meant to be comical and one could certainly conclude that some elements of animism are present.

GOLD: I will convince you by the Authority of the Philosophers, that the Truth of the Art may be accomplished with me. Read Hermes, he says thus: "The Sun is its Father, and the Moon {14} its Mother; now I am the only one which they compare to the Sun...

The STONE: At this Discourse, the Stone begun to Laugh, and told them, in Truth you deserve both the one and the other of you, that they should jeer you, and your Demonstration; but it is you Gold that I still the more admire at, seeing that you are so much conceited of your self, for having the advantage which you have to be good for some certain Things. Can you be perswaded that the ancient Philosophers did write as they have done, in a Sense which should be understood in a common Way? And do you believe that one ought plainly to interpret their Words according to the Letter?

During the dialogue, the Stone and Gold even mention the spirit present in seemingly inanimate physical objects:

GOLD: What you have said is no sufficient Proof; for though the Philosophers speak of one only Thing, which encloses it is self the four Elements; and which [Thing] has a Body, a Soul, and Spirit; and that by this Thing they would give us to understand the (Physical) Tincture; at such time when the same has been carried on to its highest (Perfection) which is the Point they aim at; yet this Thing ought at its beginning to be composed of me, who am the Gold, and of my Brother Mercury, as being (both together) the Male Seed, and the Female Seed; as has been said before: For after we have been sufficiently cook'd, and transmuted into a Tincture, we are then both the one and the other (together) the one only Thing which the Philosophers speak of.

The STONE: That goes not as you fancy; I have already told you before, that no true Union can be made of you two; for you are not the only Body {31}, but two Bodies together; and consequently you are contrary, considering the Foundation of Nature: but as for me, I have an {32} imperfect Body, a steadfast Soul, a penetrating Tincture. I have, besides this, a clear, transparent, volatile, and moveable Mercury: And I can operate all those (great) Things, which you boast of with you both, and which however you are not able to perform: For 'tis I who carry the Philosophical Gold, and the Mercury of the Wise (Men) in my Body; wherefore the Philosophers (speaking of me) say, our Stone {33} is Invisible, and it is not possible to attain to the Possession of our Mercury, any other way than by Means of {34} two Bodies, whereof one cannot receive without the other the (requisite) Perfection...

The Grail from the East, like the Grail Castle, is imbued with a spirit that acts and shapes the events of the Grail cycle literature. Any beverage or food that comes from the Grail, or anyone that touches the Grail also links with the same spirit. In a similar way, the holy dip in the Krater or Ganges River brings one in touch with the elixir and in communion with the abiding spirit(s). This is the ultimate self-identification in which one merges with spirit of the sacred object.

Thus, everything around the great cosmic mountain which has been covered with its pyroclastic dust and ash -- the water, trees, fruits -- become agents of immortality. The ancient observer could not help but notice that after the destruction of an eruption, the land suddenly becomes fabulously fertile due to the new rich volcanic soil.

The sacred jars made with the clay released from the Mountain of the Sun and the Mountain of the Moon mixed together possesses truly unique qualities. The two dual principles complement one another and bring the elixir to perfection. These holy vessels, although not much to look at, continued to be sought by kings even after the people of the cosmic mountains had forsaken them.

In ancient times, the pot of elixir was jealously guarded. Indeed, the number who could partake of its mysterious powers was severely restricted by the "gods." Maybe those of the Dragon and Bird Clan who wandered far from home, brought instead of cumbersome jars, only small chunks of volcanic clay in the form of stones -- the Philosopher's Stone.

Modern study of hermetic principles reveal the obvious -- that the transmutation sought after was internal and spiritual in nature, and that any chemical transformation of base metals was at best a secondary consideration.

These ideas were shared with Tantra which saw the cancellation of the polarities through union of the same. We read again from The Ancient War of the Knights:

THE STONE: 'Tis for this Reason the there is no other but only my self, who possesses a Male and a Female Seed, and who is (at the same time) a Thing (entirely) Homogeneal; also am I call'd an Hermaphrodite. Richardus Anglicus witnesses of me, saying, the first Matter of our Stone is call'd Rebis (twice a Thing) that is to say, a Thing which has received from Nature a double occult property, which is the Reason that the name of Hermaphrodite is given to it, as if one would say, a Matter, whereof it is difficult to be able to distinguish the Sex (and to diccover) whether it be a Male, or a Female, it inclining equally to both Sides: The (Universal) Medicine is therefore made of a Thing which is {35} the Water, and the Spirit of the Body.

16th century alchemy lab in Austria

Regards,
Paul Kekai Manansala
Sacramento

Land of Sacred Jars

The pot of elixir was generally depicted as a globular vessel similar to the purna kalasa or "full pot" motif used in Hindu-Buddhist art, and often appearing in a reddish or brownish hue. Sometimes the pots used in ghata worship of the goddess as during the Devi and Durga puja rituals has the same shape. Similar pots occur in the early forms of the vessel of flowing water found in Mesopotamian art.

In the representations of this "merveilleux symbole qui etait comme le Saint-Graal de l'epopee chaldeenne," to quote the words of one of the greatest scholars of Sumerian antiquities, there can be recognized an "evolutionary" and more or less chronological sequence of types. At first there are plain globular vases, held by standing or seated personages, one hand below and the other on the vase.

-- Ananda Coomaraswamy, Yaksas

The amrita kumbha or "pot of elixir"

The sacred earthenware pots of Lusung were also generally of a globular shape and brownish or reddish color. They were of medium size that could be easily carried even when full of water.

In Japan, where we find the world's oldest known pottery, sacred jars are mentioned in the literature detailing the founding of the empire. The Japanese used these jars for storage and also for ritual sacrifice. In the Nihongi, the first emperor Jimmu Tenno meets a divine visitor during a war with his enemies and is told to make a great pot sacrifice to gain victory:

The Emperor, indignant at this, made prayer that night in person, and then fell asleep. The Heavenly Deity appeared to him in a dream, and instructed him, saying, "Take earth from within the shrine of the Heavenly Mount Kagu, and make from it eighty Heavenly platters. Also make sacred jars and sacrifice to the Gods of Heaven and Earth. More over pronounce a solemn prayer. If you do this, the enemy will render submission of their own accord."

In Southeast Asia, sacred jars were of several types. In addition to those used to store beverage and food, others were used for the practice of secondary burial. Both of these types of jars could also be handed down as sacred heirlooms known in Indonesia as pusaka. Jars were important status symbols and were used especially during marriage negotiations as one of the most coveted forms of bride wealth.

Pot worship was especially important in the Philippines, Borneo, Taiwan, among the Moi of Indochina and in certain other areas of Indonesia. Pottery is often the most important burial item in these regions where it is sometimes broken first, so the animistic spirit may accompany the deceased.

In latter times, Chinese celadons and large vessels known as dragon jars a type of stoneware, which, though of obvious Chinese influence, may have been of Southeast Asian manufacture. The simple earthenware pots became neglected and forgotten by the local people, but cherished by those abroad who had coveted them for ages.

Many fantastic traditions surround the sacred jars in insular Southeast Asia. In Borneo, the jars are said to be made of the gods from the same clay used to make the Sun and Moon (and sometimes also the Earth). Among the Tinguian of the Philippines, a certain jar named Magsawi was said to be able to converse, to take long journeys and even eventually got married to a female jar from a neighboring province. They eventually had a child jar with the same characteristics! According to the Tinguian, the sacred jars are the products of Kabonian, a deity with solar affinities.

Another tale of living jars comes from the tale of Gimbangonan:

Not long after he started, and when he arrived in the pasture, all the jars went to him, and all the jars stuck out their tongues; for they were very hungry and had not been fed for a long time. The jars were somadag, ginlasan, malayo and tadogan, and other kinds also. When Aponitolau thought that all the jars had arrived, he fed them all with betel-nut covered with lawed leaves. As soon as he fed, he gave them some salt. Not long after this they went to the pasture, and they rode on the back of a carabao [water buffalo].

Regards,
Paul Kekai Manansala
Sacramento

Amrita Kumbha

If the name "Lusung" comes from the native word meaning "mortar," we could see here a relationship with "Krater" which can mean "mixing bowl" or "volcanic crater."

The alchemical mixing or pounding together of dual materials ejected from the dual erupting volcanoes of Lusung produced a sort of Philosopher's Stone. According to legend, the Philosopher's Stone was used to transmute base metals into gold and to create the "water of life," which was envisioned as water with gold, or gold and silver (electrum), suspended in solution.

However, the gold and silver here may refer instead to the Gold and Silver mountains, also known as the mountains of the Sun and Moon. The "white powder of gold" associated with the Philosopher's Stone may be simply a type of volcanic clay.

The mixed clay formed into jars which were used to store water and other beverages constitutes the basis, in my view, for the "pot of elixir" motif found in the tale of the Churning of the Milky Ocean. This pot known as the amrita kumbha appears time and time again in tales where the Asuras (Demons) attempt to steal it from the Devas (Gods).

Pot worship of this type is rather rampant from India to Southeast Asia. In the Pacific, the gourd symbolically replaces the pot. In ancient Sumeria, we find the motif of jars containing the water of life, sometimes with the water flowing out from the mouth of the jar.

Indeed, the concept of the Holy Grail as a chalice, bowl or vessel from which to drink would derive from the same idea. The original clay vessel can be seen as a manifestation of the larger volcanic Krater, but holds drink rather than the holy bathing lake. The principle though is the same.

Water, wine, tea or other drinks stored in these simple earthenware jars supposedly took on special qualities that were considered nothing less than magical. They became the aqua vitae or elixir vitae, the water or elixir of life.

When the pot of elixir arose from the Milky Ocean, the Asuras immediately grabbed the jar and a chase ensured. It is said that each place the Asuras stopped they left a bit of amrita behind that dropped from the jar. These locations became places of pilgrimage and include the Ganges River, the site of the grand Kumbha Mela festival where pilgrims come to take a holy dip in the river.

Amrita is associated with a mountain to the East across the Milky Ocean, usually Mt. Mandara. The great mythical bird Garuda went to steal the elixir to gain the release of his mother, who had been captured by the Asuras. The amrita kumbha was said to be found off the shores of the Milky Ocean on the mountain where Indra creates the monsoons.

In Sumerian iconography, Enki is often shown with water flowing directly from his shoulders, but in the oldest forms of this motif we see instead a yoke placed on the back with a water-spouting jar on each side of the head. These waters are linked with the underworld Apsu, the royal domain of Enki. The traditional entrance to the Apsu, again, is at the twin gates of Mt. Mashu in the furthest East.

Regards,
Paul Kekai Manansala
Sacramento

Circling the globe

The significance of Nicolo de Conti's contributions are best seen in the light of the maps of the world preceding his revelations.

Comparison of medieval mappa mundi. Pietro Vesconte's World Maps, 1321, from Marino Sanudo's Liber secretorum fidelium crusis; Andrea Bianco's World Map, 1432; Giovanni Leardo, Mapa Mondi Figura Mondi, 1442; Catalan-Estense Map, 1450-60; Fra Mauro's Map, 1459.

Fra Mauro's map, 1459

The comparison of maps above show the level of the art up until Poggio Bracciolini relayed de Conti's travels in 1447. The Catalan and Fra Mauro maps do not appear to have used de Conti as a source at least with reference to the globular shape of the earth.

It was not until Toscanelli as shown earlier in his reconstructed chart that we see the changes as suggested by de Conti. For the first time, we begin to see the world portrayed graphically as a globe rather than in the medieval scheme of a flat circular earth surrounded by Oceanus. The Behaim and Laon globes first give the idea that it is possible to reach the East by traveling toward the West.

We know that Austronesians were aware of the curvature of the earth. Generally speaking they conceived of the earth as having the same shape as the sky. Indeed, one Proto-Austronesian word *banua "earth, land, world" often has the derived meaning "sky, heaven, sidereal year." Polynesian myth describes the earth as a shell or a dome. In the Philippines, there are myths that the Creator dropped a floating stone into a great sea in creating the world.

De Conti sharpened the image of Asia dramatically. Why Cipangu is portrayed as one massive island though is puzzling. Was this an attempt to make it appear as a larger and safer target?

Columbus apparently thought that Cipangu, his El Dorado, lie at about 19 degrees North latitude while Magellan was headed for his land of gold at 13 degrees North.

About a century earlier, Zheng He was preparing for his great treasure voyages but not before trying to subdue the kingdom of Lusung to the southeast. As mentioned earlier, a large eruption occured at Pinatubo around the year 1450, not long after de Conti had left the region of the East Indies.

Lusung and its kings, who had long before resorted to Machiavellian practices, was approaching the final stages of descent.

The Achenese and Malay empires had expanded Islam over most of the area to the south and had begun to infiltrate Lusung society itself through royal intermarriages. The old spirituality had long been in decline. The anti-materialists were themselves not immune to the temptations of wealth, which they had accrued to a spectacular degree at the height of the Sanfotsi/Zabag empire.

The Japanese of the 15th century linked the kingdom of Lusung (Rusun) with those of Taiwan and the unidentified island of Amakawa. The three islands were known collectively as Mishima. During these desperate times, the Dragon and Bird Clan resorted to something their ancestors apparently had never dared.

They began marketing one of the most sacred items their land had to offer -- the sacred jars of the cosmic mountain.

Regards,
Paul Kekai Manansala
Sacramento

References

Streicher, Friedrich, "Paolo dal Pozzo Toscanelli" in Catholic Encyclopedia, http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/14786a.htm.

Tafur, Pero, Travels and Adventures: I435-I439, http://www.corvalliscommunitypages.com/Europe/iberianonislam/pero.htm.

Route of Columbus upon reaching "New World"

Voyage to Cipangu

Marco Polo's confusion of Japan and the easternmost Indies had a lasting effect on European geographers up until the time of Columbus' voyages.

Mapmakers tended to show Cipangu as a vast island covering sometimes more than 30 degrees of latitude from near the equator to 35 degrees north or more. In other words, Cipangu included most of Taiwan, the Philippines and the Moluccas. That this was the case is evident in the fact that many maps including the Behaim Globe show locations known as the Nutmeg Forest and the Pepper Forest in the extreme south of Cipangu. Neither of these spices, or the gold or pearls the island was famous for were abundant, if existent at all, in Japan.

Furthermore Cipangu was shown always in the "Indian Ocean" usually off the coast of Champa, or off the coast between Champa and Manzi.


The world according to Paolo Toscanelli, 1474, reconstructed by Hapgood.


A reconstruction from the Laon Globe of 1493


A section from the Waldseemüller map showing the southern end of Cipangu at about 5 degrees North with the north end at about 35 degrees North.



Toscanelli recreated by Hapgood showing how close Europe thought Cipangu was from the West

As one can see from the last map, European geographers of the time thought the East Indies were much closer to the West than was actually the case. This was due in large part to the incorrect distance assigned to a degree of longitude. As noted earlier, this fault extends back to Marinus and Ptolemy. According to my theory, it would have been in the interests of the Dragon and Bird Clan to allow this error to persist.

Columbus is said to have corresponded with Paolo Toscanelli, and he carried a globe with him during his journeys. The two surviving globes from the period just prior to his journey -- the Laon and Behaim globes -- both show Cipangu in very much the same position as Toscanelli.

Apparently, Columbus also believed that Cipangu was the ancient source of spices like nutmeg, cloves, cassia and Indonesian cinnamon. He expressly stated that he was destined for that island in search of these types of aromatics.

The expedition first made landfall in the New World while cruising at 24 degrees North longitude. Columbus then sailed southwest in his search for Cipangu. He believed that the fabled golden kingdom was that of Cibao, located in the modern nation of the Dominican Republic at about 19 1/2 degrees North latitude. This shows quite clearly that the explorer believed Cipangu was located in the tropics although he greatly underestimated its distance to the West. As you may remember, navigators at this time could accurately determine latitude but not longitude.

There is one important thing we must note regarding Columbus' explorations. Paolo Toscanelli is said to have been the first person to suggest a westward voyage to the Indies and Cipangu. The first documentation of this is a letter by Toscanelli to the confessor Canon Ferdam Martins of Lisbon, which Columbus had read. This started a correspondence between the two geographers.

The important link here is the man generally known as one of Toscanelli's main informants -- Nicolo de Conti. This Venetian traveler had spent many years traveling throughout the East including the island regions of Southeast Asia. Most importantly, de Conti claimed to have had a close personal relationship with Prester John of the Indies!

Pero Tafur, a Spanish traveler met de Conti along the Red Sea near the Sinai during one of his journeys. The Venetian nobleman explained how he had gotten lost in India and finally ended up in the court of Prester John in India Major (Greater India):

When I arrived in India I was taken to see Prester John, who received me very graciously and showed me many favours, and married me to the woman I now have with me, and she bore me these children.

Unfortunately, de Conti does not give any specific details on just where in Greater India Prester John was located. However, he does provide some details of his kingdom:

I asked him concerning Prester John' and his authority, and he told me that he was a great lord, and that he had twenty-five kings in his service, although they were not great rulers, and also that many people who live without law, but follow heathen rites, are in subjection to him.

Notice that the number of kings under Prester John is reduced from the 72 monarchs claimed in his 1165 letter.

De Conti also tells Tafur that the king had a great interest in the Chrisitan kingdoms of Europe and that he had twice witnessed emissaries sent to "Christian princes" but was unaware if they had ever completed their mission:

I learnt from Nicolo de' Conti that Prester John kept him continuously at his court, enquiring of him as to the Christian world, and concerning the princes and their estates, and the wars they were waging, and while he was there he saw Prester John on two occasions dispatch ambassadors to Christian princes, but he did not hear whether any news of them had been received

Many of the items related by Tafur are confirmed by accounts given to Poggio Bracciolini, the papal secretary. Pope Eugenius IV had ordered de Conti to furnish his history in penance for his renunciation of Christianity during his wanderings.

As for de Conti as a source his accounts are generally considered the best journals of the East during the entire 15th century. He was the first person in Europe to clearly distinguish Sri Lanka from Sumatra. He also was known to have suggested traveling to the East by sailing around Africa. While there is no direct evidence that de Conti ever suggested a westward voyage, the connection with Toscanelli leaves this as an irresistable possibility.

Regards,
Paul Kekai Manansala
Sacramento

Letters of Prester John

Over a period of several centuries, some 100 manuscripts have been linked with Prester John. These include letters that were taken very seriously by Popes, emperors and kings. Even into the 16th century, some such letters were still taken as authentic in Europe.

Was this really the greatest hoax ever perpetrated, or was there real substance to these letters?

Some scholars claim the letters were forgeries made by Nestorian Christians and Cochin Jews from Malabar in India.

How easy would it have been to fool Popes and emperors at that time? One has to think that no simple ruse could have worked. Even in those times, leaders had sufficient resources at their disposal to verify claims of these types. Merchants, travelers and spies did manage to make their way to the East and certainly would have been consulted for independent confirmation.

After the Mongol invasions, three main theories regarding Prester John arose in Europe as travelers began bringing back tales from faraway places. These were the original one of Prester John of the Indies, an Ethiopian version and a Central Asian one.

Marco Polo and Friar Odoric were among those who claimed that Prester John was a Central Asian Kereit khan who had adopted the Nestorian religion. Jordanus was the first to claim that the kingdom lie in Ethiopia.

In the 15th century, an emissary of the Negus of Ethiopia proclaimed that the emperor was Prester John motivating the navigators of Portugal to explore Africa. In the following century though, we again hear of letters from Prester John of the Indies, some written in the Hebrew language.

The book Igeret Orhot Olam, written by Abraham Farissol in the early 16th century claimed that Prester John's kingdom lied somewhere "beyond Kalicut" a port in South India.

If you remember, Malabar was the beginning of India Major, one the three "Indias" according to medieval European geographers. It was to here that the Portuguese explorers came on their way to the East Indies, establishing the colony of Goa located in the present-day state of Kerala.

Europeans eventually found the islands of spices and the gold islands that they had heard about, but never quite resolved the mystery of Prester John. Maybe part of the problem is that the closer they came to the actual kingdom, the smaller and more isolated the latter became. By the time full-fledged expeditions had reached the actual location, the ancient empire for the most part had vanished, and only legends existed.

Even up to the time preceding Magellan's 16th century voyage, tales of a mysterious kingdom in the Indies persisted. Mendes Pinto, writing about a decade earlier, tells of the kingdom of the Lequios, the Liu-Kiu of the Chinese, located between the coast of China and Mindanao to the south. He gives a latitude of 9N20 for this kingdom and strongly suggests that the kings of Europe make an expedition there.

When Magellan neared the Philippines he had set his course a bit further north at 13N heading for "Gaticara" according to Pigafetta and Albo.

The Chinese Liu-Kiu was probably the same location described by the Japanese as Mishima "Three Islands." It included Taiwan, Luzon and another island of unsure location. The neighboring region was called Pi-she-yet by the Chinese, which may be a corruption of Bisaya, the central Philippines region.

Duarte Barbosa wrote of the Lequios/Liu-Kiu:

From Malaca they take the same goods as the Chins [Chinese] take. These islands are called Lequios. The Malaca people say they are better men, and richer and more eminent merchants than the Chins. Of these folk we as yet know but little, as they have not yet come to Malaca since it has been under the King our Lord.

Barbosa thought the Lequios were inhabited by "white men" who resembled Europeans, a belief possibly generated by the medieval romances.

I would suggest that the letters of Prester John were part of an overall campaign by the empire of Sanfotsi/Zabag to arrest intrusions on its trade routes. Not that Prester John penned these himself, as the letters suggest he had others in his service including westerners who could have composed them with his instruction.

Starting as early as the late 10th century, Sanfotsi began requesting assistance from the Sung emperors against their neighbors and competitors to the south. At the same time, they began strenghtening their relations with kingdoms in eastern India and Tibet. These kingdoms were on the edge of the Islamic expansion. They may have hoped here not only to gain allies but to strengthen the resolve of the nations to resist the Muslim juggernaut.

The Tibetans knew of the Shambhala king and his great palace where nearby was located a "park called Malaya where sandalwood trees grow...with the scent of camphor, which seems, so one feels, to remove all the sufferings of existence."

About a century after the Kalacakra Tantra, with its battle machine recommendations, reaches Tibet, we begin to hear of eastern contacts with the Christian world. These culminate in the famous letters of Prester John in the middle of the 12th century.

But as time rolls on the priest-king loses much of his hand, and he must resort to bluffing more and more as the empire decreases. Although the letters took a life of their own, it's difficult not to see historical reality behind them.

Regards,
Paul Kekai Manansala
Sacramento

References

Bar-Ilan, Meir, Prester John: Fiction and History, http://faculty.biu.ac.il/~barilm/presjohn.html

Bernbaum, Edwin, The Way to Shambhala, Boston: Shambhala Publications Inc., 2001.