In the tales of the battles between the Devas and Asuras, the two dual forces fight over possession of the elixir of immortality. My thesis has been that the quest for eternal life is intimately linked with the portal of the three worlds -- the cosmic mountain.
History has shown us that grand conflicts can occur for reasons that seem strange to the modern mind. Even to this day, the world's stability is compromised by the seemingly insoluble struggle for rights over the Temple Mount, Zion and Jerusalem.
Not long ago, Arab and Turk fought for mastery over the holy mosques of Mecca and Medina even though they shared the same faith.
When the Fallen Angels were expelled from Eden, from the holy mount, that became their main goal. The Old Testament states that the mastery and riches of the world would not suffice those expelled. They had to rule "Heaven."
For even they could see the transient nature of the wealth of the Earth. Without life, material possessions have no meaning. So the desire within them, the longing for immortality also compelled them to undertake the quest.
The mouth of the Earth, like that of a fiery she-dragon, was fearful, but the fires within transform the body from perishable to immortal. Only through this entrance, however forboding, can one enter the next realm. The parting of the river, the crossing of the lake, the mouth of the Krater all are symbols of the great last journey.
The possession of this great holy mount then provides the underlying basis for the great dualistic conflict preserved in so many literary traditions. At times it has been converted or localized, but the memory of the real location of those hoary events has never truly faded.
Today and for the forseeable future this memory will continue to influence events even if in a very submerged way. The course of history will continue to swirl around the Nusantao axis mundi.
So, hail to thee great mountain of Heaven, turner of the Wheel of Time!
Finis
Paul Kekai Manansala
Sacramento
Note: I will now use this blog to publish a glossary and news articles related to and supporting the thesis of "Quests of the Dragon and Bird Clan." I will also edit and embellish some of the older postings. Please contact me if you have any suggestions. When I have the time I will try to compile all the postings into an easy-to-read and downloadable pdf file.
Sunday, April 03, 2005
Thursday, March 31, 2005
Epilogue
The Pinatubo Ayta who inhabited the slopes fo the mountain before the 1991 eruption were forced to relocate because of threats from lahar flows. Formerly they lived much like their ancestors had for thousands of years.
The forests around Pinatubo were noted for their natural honey and the Ayta performed a sacred bee dance before and after any honey hunting excursion. The bees that pollinate these and other nearby forests also provided an important trade item in local Nusantao history -- beeswax. This product is mentioned repeatedly in historical trade lists. Appropriately, the country has been a leader in bee-keeping technology led by the late Dr. Roberto Bongabong who encouraged the use of the local Apis cerana species.
Volcanic mud still fills the waterways around Pinatubo. The Sacabia River, for example, which flows near Clark Field is partially filled with mud in some spots.
Sacabia River near the Clark Field perimeter filled with volcanic mud
Ash piles at the Pinatubo crater lake
The "Elephant Cage" just south of the Sacabia River, a former Clark AB communications complex turned museum and expo, on the right is the hospital complex
One advantage of the deposits is that the rich glass content of the volcanic sand makes it of superior quality for construction purposes. Quarries have provided Pampanga and other adjacent provinces with much of their revenues from taxes collected on volcanic sand exports.
The soil is also recognized as more fertile than before due to the eruption but the sand deposits have rendered many former agricultural fields useless for that purpose now. Instead, most have been converted to fish ponds. The delta area of Pampanga even before the eruption had one of the country's oldest and most extensive fish pond systems, possibly an adaptation from previous eruptions.
The strip of land between Pinatubo and the sea was formely covered with dense forest, and to the north of these forests lived the Sambal peoples. The hardwoods that played a prominent part in the trade of Sanfotsi/Zabag are found here and include the highly-valued Philippine Mahogany and Narra. At one time, the forests at the northwestern edge of Clark were used for "jungle survival" training. The combination of inpenetrable overgrowth and marshy waterways made the eastern approach to Pinatubo very difficult in previous periods.
To the southwest of the mountain near the Manila Bay are the Candaba wetlands, one of three major gathering spots for migratory birds in the Philippines. The adjacent delta communities once served as trading ports that spanned Southeast Asia, and at one time, far beyond in my view.
The area is ideally located between the spice islands to the southeast with their unique products like nutmeg, cloves, mace and a high grade cinnamon, and the precious aloeswood and cassia produced in Indochina and South China. Although located on the far eastern corner of the "Old World," the region is right on the edge of that region with the "New World."
In colonial times, the port of Manila not far to the south was the major link between various points in the two worlds during the Manila galleon trade. And in modern times, the geostrategic importance of this area has come into play.
When the Japanese attacked these islands during World War II, they first struck Clark airfield, and the defense of the Philippines was concentrated in the jungles of Bataan, the northern edge of which reaches the southern foothills of Pinatubo.
Today, some of the most important sea and air lanes of the world intersect this general region. From the days, that the star Spica stood at Pinatubo's zenith, the region has never completely fell out of the world's view.
Regards,
Paul Kekai Manansala
Sacramento
The forests around Pinatubo were noted for their natural honey and the Ayta performed a sacred bee dance before and after any honey hunting excursion. The bees that pollinate these and other nearby forests also provided an important trade item in local Nusantao history -- beeswax. This product is mentioned repeatedly in historical trade lists. Appropriately, the country has been a leader in bee-keeping technology led by the late Dr. Roberto Bongabong who encouraged the use of the local Apis cerana species.
Volcanic mud still fills the waterways around Pinatubo. The Sacabia River, for example, which flows near Clark Field is partially filled with mud in some spots.
Sacabia River near the Clark Field perimeter filled with volcanic mud
Ash piles at the Pinatubo crater lake
The "Elephant Cage" just south of the Sacabia River, a former Clark AB communications complex turned museum and expo, on the right is the hospital complex
One advantage of the deposits is that the rich glass content of the volcanic sand makes it of superior quality for construction purposes. Quarries have provided Pampanga and other adjacent provinces with much of their revenues from taxes collected on volcanic sand exports.
The soil is also recognized as more fertile than before due to the eruption but the sand deposits have rendered many former agricultural fields useless for that purpose now. Instead, most have been converted to fish ponds. The delta area of Pampanga even before the eruption had one of the country's oldest and most extensive fish pond systems, possibly an adaptation from previous eruptions.
The strip of land between Pinatubo and the sea was formely covered with dense forest, and to the north of these forests lived the Sambal peoples. The hardwoods that played a prominent part in the trade of Sanfotsi/Zabag are found here and include the highly-valued Philippine Mahogany and Narra. At one time, the forests at the northwestern edge of Clark were used for "jungle survival" training. The combination of inpenetrable overgrowth and marshy waterways made the eastern approach to Pinatubo very difficult in previous periods.
To the southwest of the mountain near the Manila Bay are the Candaba wetlands, one of three major gathering spots for migratory birds in the Philippines. The adjacent delta communities once served as trading ports that spanned Southeast Asia, and at one time, far beyond in my view.
The area is ideally located between the spice islands to the southeast with their unique products like nutmeg, cloves, mace and a high grade cinnamon, and the precious aloeswood and cassia produced in Indochina and South China. Although located on the far eastern corner of the "Old World," the region is right on the edge of that region with the "New World."
In colonial times, the port of Manila not far to the south was the major link between various points in the two worlds during the Manila galleon trade. And in modern times, the geostrategic importance of this area has come into play.
When the Japanese attacked these islands during World War II, they first struck Clark airfield, and the defense of the Philippines was concentrated in the jungles of Bataan, the northern edge of which reaches the southern foothills of Pinatubo.
Today, some of the most important sea and air lanes of the world intersect this general region. From the days, that the star Spica stood at Pinatubo's zenith, the region has never completely fell out of the world's view.
Regards,
Paul Kekai Manansala
Sacramento
Monday, March 28, 2005
Epilogue
Archaeological sites around Pinatubo and Arayat are scarce. Some of the main finds have been cemtered near the town of Porac. The late archaeologist Otley Beyer mentioned several Neolithic tools found at Porac (Hacienda Ramona) before World War II, one of which he thought might actually come from that age. Others he believed were holdovers into later periods. Unfortunately these were discovered during plowing of fields rather than controlled excavations.
Generally, the area around Pinatubo offers difficulties for archaeological work because each of the half dozen Holocene eruptions can dump dozens or, in some cases, hundreds of feet of ejected material. When this is lahar it can dry to a concrete-like hardness. Much of the continually-populated area to the south is or was of delta type and thus the landscape is always changing. Many old riverside communities may have been washed all the way to the bay due to regular floods that hit the region.
Color relief map showing ash deposits around Pinatubo.
The bases around Pinatubo were closed shortly after the Persian Gulf War, during which they were used extensively, following an intense negotiation period with the Philippine government over new leasing. According to the Ayta peoples who lived around the mountain at the time, Pinatubo erupted because of drilling and/or excavating along its sides.
The Pinatubo Ayta still believe in the deity that is said to inhabit their most sacred mountain. There are different accounts as to who exactly was doing the digging but the story may illustrate how the ages-old clan conflict has evolved and survived into modern times.
The traditionalist camp would be found in those today who have a close bond with nature with a natural disdain for destructive and polluting technology. Such views are held by many indigenous peoples and by environmentalists in general.
In many indigenous cultures, the people had great respect for other forms of life. When they went to fish, hunt, gather or harvest they first conducted special rites. In the ancient Pacific, for example, they would make an offering and ask permission first from the tree spirit before cutting it down to make a canoe. In the Philippines, permission was asked from the rice god, the manifestation of the rice plant itself, before harvesting and thanksgiving was given afterward.
The traditional Hawaiians during the Makahiki season forbade hunting, fishing and similar activities giving populations time to recover and replenish. In many cultures, fishing nets were designed so the smaller fish could escape and have time to grow into reproducing adults.
Nothing can illustrate this close bond with nature more than the fact that many indigenous people believed in an actual kinship with certain forms of nature through totemic relationship.
Among non-indigenous folk, this thinking is represented in those who see the need to protect the environment and to promote sustainable and smart living strategies. They recognize that while technology has brought progress, it has also wrought tremendous destruction. Many species have been driven to extinction due in large part to technological advances. Human inventions have also contributed to the increased ability of weapons of war. In the 20th century alone, more people may have died due to war than in all previous human history.
The traditional thinking of the Dragon and Bird Clan may then be represented by those who promote sound environmental and ecological progress. They tend to believe though that the quest for wealth drives society towards destructive practices.
The opposition then would naturally be those among whom materialism is an obvious prime motivating factor. The buzz word for this ideology is "growth," which can also be seen as meaning basically "wealth acquisition." Thinkers of this kind would tend to downplay the negative effects of technological progress on the environment, or on society in general.
The clearest identifying factors in this dualistic conflict though would be found in the traditional mindset, which is still inclusive and egalitarian, while the opposing camp tends to be exclusive, and elitist to a strong degree.
The battle now is more ideological than clan-oriented, although in insular Southeast Asia, at least, the clan elements have not disappeared entirely.
The battleground for the "great war" varies and can include the halls and conference rooms of the United Nations, the Kyoto summit and some forsaken rez (reservation) in the middle of "nowhere."
Regards,
Paul Kekai Manansala
Sacramento
Generally, the area around Pinatubo offers difficulties for archaeological work because each of the half dozen Holocene eruptions can dump dozens or, in some cases, hundreds of feet of ejected material. When this is lahar it can dry to a concrete-like hardness. Much of the continually-populated area to the south is or was of delta type and thus the landscape is always changing. Many old riverside communities may have been washed all the way to the bay due to regular floods that hit the region.
Color relief map showing ash deposits around Pinatubo.
The bases around Pinatubo were closed shortly after the Persian Gulf War, during which they were used extensively, following an intense negotiation period with the Philippine government over new leasing. According to the Ayta peoples who lived around the mountain at the time, Pinatubo erupted because of drilling and/or excavating along its sides.
The Pinatubo Ayta still believe in the deity that is said to inhabit their most sacred mountain. There are different accounts as to who exactly was doing the digging but the story may illustrate how the ages-old clan conflict has evolved and survived into modern times.
The traditionalist camp would be found in those today who have a close bond with nature with a natural disdain for destructive and polluting technology. Such views are held by many indigenous peoples and by environmentalists in general.
In many indigenous cultures, the people had great respect for other forms of life. When they went to fish, hunt, gather or harvest they first conducted special rites. In the ancient Pacific, for example, they would make an offering and ask permission first from the tree spirit before cutting it down to make a canoe. In the Philippines, permission was asked from the rice god, the manifestation of the rice plant itself, before harvesting and thanksgiving was given afterward.
The traditional Hawaiians during the Makahiki season forbade hunting, fishing and similar activities giving populations time to recover and replenish. In many cultures, fishing nets were designed so the smaller fish could escape and have time to grow into reproducing adults.
Nothing can illustrate this close bond with nature more than the fact that many indigenous people believed in an actual kinship with certain forms of nature through totemic relationship.
Among non-indigenous folk, this thinking is represented in those who see the need to protect the environment and to promote sustainable and smart living strategies. They recognize that while technology has brought progress, it has also wrought tremendous destruction. Many species have been driven to extinction due in large part to technological advances. Human inventions have also contributed to the increased ability of weapons of war. In the 20th century alone, more people may have died due to war than in all previous human history.
The traditional thinking of the Dragon and Bird Clan may then be represented by those who promote sound environmental and ecological progress. They tend to believe though that the quest for wealth drives society towards destructive practices.
The opposition then would naturally be those among whom materialism is an obvious prime motivating factor. The buzz word for this ideology is "growth," which can also be seen as meaning basically "wealth acquisition." Thinkers of this kind would tend to downplay the negative effects of technological progress on the environment, or on society in general.
The clearest identifying factors in this dualistic conflict though would be found in the traditional mindset, which is still inclusive and egalitarian, while the opposing camp tends to be exclusive, and elitist to a strong degree.
The battle now is more ideological than clan-oriented, although in insular Southeast Asia, at least, the clan elements have not disappeared entirely.
The battleground for the "great war" varies and can include the halls and conference rooms of the United Nations, the Kyoto summit and some forsaken rez (reservation) in the middle of "nowhere."
Regards,
Paul Kekai Manansala
Sacramento
Sunday, March 27, 2005
Epilogue
In the Churning of the Milky Ocean story, the battle between the Devas and Asuras produces many wondrous things that appear from the frothy sea. This war, which I have suggested was a clash between Nusantao trading clans, would indeed have set off a chain of wondrous historical events starting after the 4th millennium BC Pinatubo eruption.
When the Spanish came into the region many thousands of years later, the mountainous region that I believe was the model for many legends, was inhabited and surrounded by various peoples. They spoke different languages including Kapampangan, Ayta and Sambal which may have descended from a single ancestor known as Proto-Central Luzon. The likely point of divergence of these languages would have been the foothills of Pinatubo itself. These peoples were remnants of the old Lusung kingdom.
Traces of this kingdom could be found from the province of Pangasinan in the north of the island to the Calabarzon region in the south, an area that presently hosts the bulk of Luzon's 43 million people.
Many of the largest population centers in the Philippines at the time were located downriver from Pinatubo in the delta areas adjacent to the northern part of Manila Bay. Included among these towns was Betis with 7,000 males of fighting age in 1582 -- probably translating to a total population of about 28,000 to 30,000. In comparison, London in 1575 had 180,000 people.
Many of these settlements may have been formed after the pre-1991 eruption of Pinatubo some five to seven centuries ago. This was a major event of probably around magnitude 5 level that filled up large parts of what was then the Manila Bay. Consequently the region around Pinatubo itself was sparsely populated when the Spanish arrived. The riverine communities, though, were still conducting long-range trade and had come under minimal Muslim influence.
Slowly, after colonization, the area around Pinatubo became the target of increased development culminating in the founding of Angeles City, probably appropriately named, in the 19th century. Angeles, or the "City of Angels" was formed from the small community known as Kuliat.
When the Americans came to colonize the Philippines, which had briefly won its independence from Spain, Angeles was the location of a major battle for Central Luzon. A U.S. army camp was established there that later was shifted to the present location of Clark Field, northwest of the city.
Aerial flight map showing Clark Air Base, now Clark Field, between Mt. Pinatubo and Mt. Arayat, and northwest of Angeles City.
The base was located at or very near what I consider the prime Neolithic location. One of the names for Mt. Arayat is Paralaya, meaning to the East. You can see from the map above that Mt. Arayat is indeed nearly due east of Clark Field, and it is located nearly exactly between Pinatubo and Arayat. It was said that this location was chosen because it provided better grazing areas for U.S. army horses.
On the other side of Mt. Pinatubo, in Subic Bay, a naval base was constructed near the location of an ancient Ayta village.
Pinatubo and Arayat were always inhabited especially by the "guardians" who still exist today, although there existence has probably been informal if not secretive since Spanish times. The eruptions change this only temporarily.
In 1991, a massive magnitude 6 eruption caused both bases to be evacuated. They were later converted into government-managed zones for commercial and tourist activity. Duty-free stores, expos, golf courses, country clubs, tourist hotels and the like have been set up in these former military bases. Clark Field is also the location of an international airport constructed from the old air force flight line that was used extensively during the Vietnam War.
Regards,
Paul Kekai Manansala
Sacramento
When the Spanish came into the region many thousands of years later, the mountainous region that I believe was the model for many legends, was inhabited and surrounded by various peoples. They spoke different languages including Kapampangan, Ayta and Sambal which may have descended from a single ancestor known as Proto-Central Luzon. The likely point of divergence of these languages would have been the foothills of Pinatubo itself. These peoples were remnants of the old Lusung kingdom.
Traces of this kingdom could be found from the province of Pangasinan in the north of the island to the Calabarzon region in the south, an area that presently hosts the bulk of Luzon's 43 million people.
Many of the largest population centers in the Philippines at the time were located downriver from Pinatubo in the delta areas adjacent to the northern part of Manila Bay. Included among these towns was Betis with 7,000 males of fighting age in 1582 -- probably translating to a total population of about 28,000 to 30,000. In comparison, London in 1575 had 180,000 people.
Many of these settlements may have been formed after the pre-1991 eruption of Pinatubo some five to seven centuries ago. This was a major event of probably around magnitude 5 level that filled up large parts of what was then the Manila Bay. Consequently the region around Pinatubo itself was sparsely populated when the Spanish arrived. The riverine communities, though, were still conducting long-range trade and had come under minimal Muslim influence.
Slowly, after colonization, the area around Pinatubo became the target of increased development culminating in the founding of Angeles City, probably appropriately named, in the 19th century. Angeles, or the "City of Angels" was formed from the small community known as Kuliat.
When the Americans came to colonize the Philippines, which had briefly won its independence from Spain, Angeles was the location of a major battle for Central Luzon. A U.S. army camp was established there that later was shifted to the present location of Clark Field, northwest of the city.
Aerial flight map showing Clark Air Base, now Clark Field, between Mt. Pinatubo and Mt. Arayat, and northwest of Angeles City.
The base was located at or very near what I consider the prime Neolithic location. One of the names for Mt. Arayat is Paralaya, meaning to the East. You can see from the map above that Mt. Arayat is indeed nearly due east of Clark Field, and it is located nearly exactly between Pinatubo and Arayat. It was said that this location was chosen because it provided better grazing areas for U.S. army horses.
On the other side of Mt. Pinatubo, in Subic Bay, a naval base was constructed near the location of an ancient Ayta village.
Pinatubo and Arayat were always inhabited especially by the "guardians" who still exist today, although there existence has probably been informal if not secretive since Spanish times. The eruptions change this only temporarily.
In 1991, a massive magnitude 6 eruption caused both bases to be evacuated. They were later converted into government-managed zones for commercial and tourist activity. Duty-free stores, expos, golf courses, country clubs, tourist hotels and the like have been set up in these former military bases. Clark Field is also the location of an international airport constructed from the old air force flight line that was used extensively during the Vietnam War.
Regards,
Paul Kekai Manansala
Sacramento
Thursday, March 24, 2005
Epilogue
Both Columbus and Magellan had set courses toward a destination linked with ancient legends. Their quest was one written of since the dawn of history. For the first time though documented in a clear fashion.
In 1516, Thomas More wrote the novel Utopia, three years before Magellan would set out on his historic voyage. More actually coined the phrase "utopia" for this work.
Utopia was located evidently somewhere between the mythical Castellum in the newly-discovered land of South America, and Taprabone. In More's time, Taprabone (Taprobane) probably referred to Sumatra rather than Sri Lanka due to the testimony of Nicolo de Conti.
The book tells of the travels of narrator Hythloday who is said to be a companion of Amerigo Vespucci, and to have completed the latter's aborted fourth voyage around the world. In essence, Hytholday anticipates Magellan's own circumnavigation. En route he spends more than five years in the mysterious Utopia.
Romuald I. Lakowski believes the writings of More's brother-in-law John Rastell offer clues on the former's geographical thinking.
Rastell wrote The Interlude of the Four Elements in 1517-1520 shortly after More's Utopia. He gives a short description of the world's geography starting with the journey to the "New World" in the West. Then Rastell describes the classic voyage to the East starting from Jerusalem.
The land of Prester John sits at the extreme East and north of it is the kingdom of the "Cane of Catowe" generally seen as hearkening back to the old "Khan of Cathay" in Yuan dynasty China.
From these eastern lands, Rastell followed the geographers of his day in greately underestimating the distance from the fabled East eastward to Britain, which he claims is a "lytell paste a thousande myle."
The land described by More, unlike the destinations of Columbus and Magellan, may have been located in the southern hemisphere. Possibly he was following Vespucci's Quattuor Navigationes in this regard. This thinking might be related to older geographies like those of Ptolemy that tended to place the most eastern ports, like that of Cattigara, south of the equator.
Also, ancient legends of the Saturnian Isle of the Greeks, where the Golden Age continued and where Kronus rules, often thought of the location as antipodean in both the east-west and north-south directions. A number of scholars believe More's work shows influences from Macrobius' Commentary on the Dream of Scipio and Saturnalia, which delve into the lost Golden Age of humanity.
More indicates that Utopia was inhabited by 'gymnosophaon/gymnosophan' or "philosophers" similar to the yogis of India. The book also gives examples of the Utopian "alphabet."
The cities were limited to no more than 6,000 families and the househould consisted of the extended rather than the nuclear family.
Trade and navigation were important to the Utopians and were pursued with energy. Foreigners, especially those of honor and ability, were welcome.
Utopia was viewed by More and those who borrowed his mythical land as a type of ideal society located in an Indian Ocean island (the Pacific was still unknown), a remnant of the Golden Age.
Magellan had identified the golden destination as "Tarsis and Ofir" in his own writing referring to the legendary Biblical lands. Columbus was heading toward Cipangu, and he may have been carrying Behaim's Globe which also identifies this island in the legend as Ophir.
Quests for the Golden Land had driven history for ages, and were for the first time coming into much clearer view than ever before.
The Pertotum Circulum of 1440 using archaic geography shows lands in the east far below the equator. Notice in the farthest east just below the equinotical line, on the mainland is the Garden of Eden with Adam and Eve inset in a square. In the southeast corner, east of Tabrobane (Taprobana) is Curiga an island of the "sunrise" associated with Prester John.
Regards,
Paul Kekai Manansala
Sacramento
In 1516, Thomas More wrote the novel Utopia, three years before Magellan would set out on his historic voyage. More actually coined the phrase "utopia" for this work.
Utopia was located evidently somewhere between the mythical Castellum in the newly-discovered land of South America, and Taprabone. In More's time, Taprabone (Taprobane) probably referred to Sumatra rather than Sri Lanka due to the testimony of Nicolo de Conti.
The book tells of the travels of narrator Hythloday who is said to be a companion of Amerigo Vespucci, and to have completed the latter's aborted fourth voyage around the world. In essence, Hytholday anticipates Magellan's own circumnavigation. En route he spends more than five years in the mysterious Utopia.
Romuald I. Lakowski believes the writings of More's brother-in-law John Rastell offer clues on the former's geographical thinking.
Rastell wrote The Interlude of the Four Elements in 1517-1520 shortly after More's Utopia. He gives a short description of the world's geography starting with the journey to the "New World" in the West. Then Rastell describes the classic voyage to the East starting from Jerusalem.
Loo, estwarde beyonde the great occyan
Here entereth the see callyd Mediterran,
of two thousand myle of lengthe.
The Soudans contrey lyeth here by,
The great Turke on the north syde doth ly,
A man of merveylous strengthe.
This sayde north parte is callyd Europa,
And this south parte callyd Affrica,
This eest parte is callyd Ynde [Indies],
But this newe landys founde lately
Ben callyd America by cause only
Americus dyd furst them fynde.
Loo, Jherusalem lyeth in this contrey,
And beyonde is the Red See,
That Moyses maketh of mencyon
This quarter is India Minor
And this quarter India Maior,
The lande of Prester Johnn. (829-46)
The land of Prester John sits at the extreme East and north of it is the kingdom of the "Cane of Catowe" generally seen as hearkening back to the old "Khan of Cathay" in Yuan dynasty China.
From these eastern lands, Rastell followed the geographers of his day in greately underestimating the distance from the fabled East eastward to Britain, which he claims is a "lytell paste a thousande myle."
The land described by More, unlike the destinations of Columbus and Magellan, may have been located in the southern hemisphere. Possibly he was following Vespucci's Quattuor Navigationes in this regard. This thinking might be related to older geographies like those of Ptolemy that tended to place the most eastern ports, like that of Cattigara, south of the equator.
Also, ancient legends of the Saturnian Isle of the Greeks, where the Golden Age continued and where Kronus rules, often thought of the location as antipodean in both the east-west and north-south directions. A number of scholars believe More's work shows influences from Macrobius' Commentary on the Dream of Scipio and Saturnalia, which delve into the lost Golden Age of humanity.
More indicates that Utopia was inhabited by 'gymnosophaon/gymnosophan' or "philosophers" similar to the yogis of India. The book also gives examples of the Utopian "alphabet."
The cities were limited to no more than 6,000 families and the househould consisted of the extended rather than the nuclear family.
Trade and navigation were important to the Utopians and were pursued with energy. Foreigners, especially those of honor and ability, were welcome.
If any man was to go among them that had some extraordinary talent, or that by much travelling had observed the customs of many nations (which made us to be so well received), he would receive a hearty welcome; for they are very desirous to know the state of the whole world. Very few go among them on the account of traffic, for what can a man carry to them but iron or gold or silver, which merchants desire rather to export than import to a strange country: and as for their exportation, they think it better to manage that themselves than to leave it to foreigners, for by this means, as they understand the state of the neighboring countries better, so they keep up the art of navigation, which cannot be maintained but by much practice.
Utopia was viewed by More and those who borrowed his mythical land as a type of ideal society located in an Indian Ocean island (the Pacific was still unknown), a remnant of the Golden Age.
Magellan had identified the golden destination as "Tarsis and Ofir" in his own writing referring to the legendary Biblical lands. Columbus was heading toward Cipangu, and he may have been carrying Behaim's Globe which also identifies this island in the legend as Ophir.
Quests for the Golden Land had driven history for ages, and were for the first time coming into much clearer view than ever before.
The Pertotum Circulum of 1440 using archaic geography shows lands in the east far below the equator. Notice in the farthest east just below the equinotical line, on the mainland is the Garden of Eden with Adam and Eve inset in a square. In the southeast corner, east of Tabrobane (Taprobana) is Curiga an island of the "sunrise" associated with Prester John.
Regards,
Paul Kekai Manansala
Sacramento
Tuesday, March 22, 2005
The End and Beginning
In Buddhist tradition, a 5,000 year cycle also exists. This is originally said to start with the Buddha's dispensation or sasana. It consists of five 1,000 year periods in which each of the five major teachings of the Buddha Siddharta Gautama disappears starting at the time of his death.
Interestingly, after women are allowed into Buddhist monastic life, the Buddha cuts these periods in half from 1,000 to 500 years. This makes the whole cycle 2,500 years instead of 5,000 years and in essence calibrates fairly well with the periods discussed previously.
There are different opinions as to the date of the Buddha's death, and even the length of these cycles are altered in various traditions. However, generally the more widely accepted dates range around the 5th or 6th century BC.
If we use the date most popular among present-day scholars of 480 BC, then the 2,500 year period ends in 2020 AD. At that time, the "disappearance of the relics" occurs and the "true dharma" or Buddhist practice vanishes.
Exactly what happens at the end of this period of decay is not entirely clear. According to some traditions, a new Buddha known as Maitreya will appear shortly bringing about yet another dispensation and starting the "wheel of dharma," the new cycle all over again.
Among Tibetan Buddhists, the cyclic period is intertwined with the reigns of the kings of Shambhala. Each king is said to have a nice rounded reign of 100 years, but the texts make it clear this is just an approximate figure.
As stated earlier, there are two different chronologies for the Shambhala kings. Both are calibrated to the bringing of the Kalacakra Tantra to India in about 960 AD. According to one tradition this happened during the reign of the 12th Rigden king named Surya. In the other tradition, it is Sripala from the Southern Ocean who is either the 17th or 18th king.
In each tradition, the Shambhala dynasties are made to start at the death of the Buddha, which again we will set at 480 BC, or 1440 years before the Kalacakra comes to India. Thus, according to the first tradition the average length of each reign is 120 years (1440/12).
However, in the second tradition the average reign is either 80 or 84 years depending on whether Sripala is the 17th or 18th king in the lineage.
Thus, using these average reign lengths, the start of the reign of the last king, the messianic Rigden Drakpo, would begin in either of the years 2520, 2061 or 2000 AD depending on whether it was the reign of the 12th, 17th or 18th king respectively.
Here again we see a gradual moral decline eventually resulting in the materialistic Lalos occupying the land south of the Sita River. Finally in the time of Rigden Drakpo, a formidable king of the Lalos breeches the inner sanctum of Shambhala, conceived of as a mountain surrounded by rings of mountains or hills. The intrustion into the sacred realm sets off a cataclysmic battle described in more mystical than realistic fashion.
The forces of Shambhala emerge victorious ushering in the new golden age.
The Rigden Drakpa like Satria Piningit, the Hidden Warrior of Java, is the quintessential "King of the East" remaining out of view until the tide of evil has reached its peak.
The new dawn is in essence really a return to a more pristine condition that existed before, and this utopian age is personified in the Hidden Warrior.
In the many of the traditions studied here, the Golden Age arrives with the seemingly supernatural formation of a river and/or lake of "living water." This would be none other than the Krater of Hermetic tradition, and where the waters of life are, there shall the migrating birds venture.
Regards,
Paul Kekai Manansala
Sacramento
Interestingly, after women are allowed into Buddhist monastic life, the Buddha cuts these periods in half from 1,000 to 500 years. This makes the whole cycle 2,500 years instead of 5,000 years and in essence calibrates fairly well with the periods discussed previously.
There are different opinions as to the date of the Buddha's death, and even the length of these cycles are altered in various traditions. However, generally the more widely accepted dates range around the 5th or 6th century BC.
If we use the date most popular among present-day scholars of 480 BC, then the 2,500 year period ends in 2020 AD. At that time, the "disappearance of the relics" occurs and the "true dharma" or Buddhist practice vanishes.
The monks and stream attainers will be strong in their union with Dharma for 500 years after the Blessed One's Parinirvana. In the second 500 years they will be strong in meditation; in the third period of 500 years they will be strong in erudition. In the fourth 500 years period they will only be occupied with gift giving. The final or fifth period of 500 years will see only fighting and reproving among the monks and followers. The pure Dharma will then become invisible.
Abhidharmakosha 4.12c. III. p. 41
Exactly what happens at the end of this period of decay is not entirely clear. According to some traditions, a new Buddha known as Maitreya will appear shortly bringing about yet another dispensation and starting the "wheel of dharma," the new cycle all over again.
Among Tibetan Buddhists, the cyclic period is intertwined with the reigns of the kings of Shambhala. Each king is said to have a nice rounded reign of 100 years, but the texts make it clear this is just an approximate figure.
As stated earlier, there are two different chronologies for the Shambhala kings. Both are calibrated to the bringing of the Kalacakra Tantra to India in about 960 AD. According to one tradition this happened during the reign of the 12th Rigden king named Surya. In the other tradition, it is Sripala from the Southern Ocean who is either the 17th or 18th king.
In each tradition, the Shambhala dynasties are made to start at the death of the Buddha, which again we will set at 480 BC, or 1440 years before the Kalacakra comes to India. Thus, according to the first tradition the average length of each reign is 120 years (1440/12).
However, in the second tradition the average reign is either 80 or 84 years depending on whether Sripala is the 17th or 18th king in the lineage.
Thus, using these average reign lengths, the start of the reign of the last king, the messianic Rigden Drakpo, would begin in either of the years 2520, 2061 or 2000 AD depending on whether it was the reign of the 12th, 17th or 18th king respectively.
Here again we see a gradual moral decline eventually resulting in the materialistic Lalos occupying the land south of the Sita River. Finally in the time of Rigden Drakpo, a formidable king of the Lalos breeches the inner sanctum of Shambhala, conceived of as a mountain surrounded by rings of mountains or hills. The intrustion into the sacred realm sets off a cataclysmic battle described in more mystical than realistic fashion.
The forces of Shambhala emerge victorious ushering in the new golden age.
The Rigden Drakpa like Satria Piningit, the Hidden Warrior of Java, is the quintessential "King of the East" remaining out of view until the tide of evil has reached its peak.
The new dawn is in essence really a return to a more pristine condition that existed before, and this utopian age is personified in the Hidden Warrior.
In the many of the traditions studied here, the Golden Age arrives with the seemingly supernatural formation of a river and/or lake of "living water." This would be none other than the Krater of Hermetic tradition, and where the waters of life are, there shall the migrating birds venture.
Regards,
Paul Kekai Manansala
Sacramento
Saturday, March 19, 2005
The Long Count
The Kalajnana uses the Kaliyuga era starting in 3102 BC to predict events in the future. The dates of 5101 (1999) and 5105 (2003) are given for the return of Kalki to establish "Viradharma," a South Indian form of Siva worship (Virasaivism). The Indian year starts in spring, so 5101 would last from spring 1999 to spring 2000.
In Nostradamus famed collection of prophecies known as Centuries, one of his most well-known quatrains (X. 72) reads:
This quatrain has been linked by some with the coming golden age alluded to in other Nostradamus prophecies, although it's vagueness has given rise to some disagreement.
Nostradamus saw the period from creation to the end of the world lasting 8,000 years and ending in 3797 AD, but he also envisioned lesser cycles similar to that of the Great Week. Using the above data, Nostradamus would have the world begin in 4203 BC, although one of his writings, possibly due to some error, results in counts indicating 4757 or 4758 years before the common era.
European Christian tradition usually follows Eusebius of Caesarea who gives a date of about 3947 BC.
The most common used dating for the start of the Mayan calendar is 3114 BC and the calendar lasts for about 5,125 years. So if we take the date of 1999 in Nostradamus quatrain as proximate to the end/start point in a system of ages, we have:
I suggested earlier that the start of these cycles may have originated from knowledge diffused by the Nusantao starting in the fourth millennium BC. The difference in precise dates may be due to the fact that the original dates were astrological in nature rather than calendar counts. Different systems used in calculating back to the astronomical phenomenon resulted in varying but still generally close dates.
The Biblical estimates come from the sums of genealogy lists and confusion in this regard may have lead to considerable error. However, considering that the ante-diluvian genealogies appear related to Sumerian king-lists, an astronomical date from the latter tradition is warranted. I believe that would coincide with the period when Spica was located over the latitudes marking the Anu and Enlil path junction. The orientation of building toward this star would resemble in some whay the Qiblah of a mosque oriented toward Mecca, or the Jewish synagogue oriented toward Jerusalem.
The start of the Egyptian calendar varies according to views on what is known as the Sothic cycle. However, from the astronomical viewpoint, the calendar would be calibrated with the coincidence of the heliacal rising of Sirius and the summer solstice at around 3300 BC.
But what of the duration of these cycles? The year 1999 in Nostradamus presumably could have been borrowed from the Kalajnana. An interesting theory offered by scholar Rudy Cambier suggests that Nostradamus borrowed his Centuries from the work of 14th century Cistercian monk Yves de Lessines.
While we will not discuss Cambier's theories on the meaning of the Centuries, he does suggest a connection with the Templars. As you may remember, I mentioned previously a Cistercian abbey in Portugal where an early world map was found. The Cistercian order had close ties with the Templars since the time of Bernard de Clairvaux who had helped to obtain the order's rule. When the Templars were persecuted many sought refuge at Cistercian monasteries.
Did Yves de Lessines have access to Kalajnana traditions through some Templar intermediaries? Unfortunately, there is little more information to make a guess on this one.
However, we can say that the general duration for these cycles does appear to have an astronomical link. In the various traditions, the idea of a conjunction or alignment particularly with regard to the planets is apparent.
According to Berossus, the Great Year ends when the planets come together in one constellation. In Indian tradition, the Kaliyuga started when all the planets were aligned near the star Revati. The savior Kalki comes during a conjunction in the lunar asterism Pushya.
Indeed, with regard to the traditional date for the start of Kaliyuga, the planets did form a very loose conjunction near Revati. It was not the exact alignment suggested in the literature, but then again such precision does not seem to have been the major concern.
The Mayan calendar is fairly clearly set forth. The Mayans had various calendar counts that involved both planetary cycles and the Mayan sacred number counts.
The sacred counting system involved recurring cycles of counts of 20 and 13. Their astronomical observations mainly were concerned with the synodic periods of planets, i.e., the time period between conjunctions of each planet with the Sun. However, the Mayans payed much attention to Venus and had additional counts for this planet.
Conjunctions of these various calendar counts were considered holy to the Mayans. And the grand conjunction of nearly all of them made up their entire sacred calendar known as the Long Count.
The Long Count consisted of 5,200 tun, the Mayan year of 360 days, which converts to about 5,125 solar years. In order to get all their cycles to coincide neatly, the Mayans rounded off planetary cycles and sometimes added an extra day. Again, precision was not as important as the value of achieving a nice round sacred number.
Therefore in 2012, if one accepts the common start date of 3114 BC, the following list of calendar counts will coincide for the first time in 5125 years:
Cycles coinciding at end of Long Count
The table above suggests the Long Count is based on a "great" version of the short count with the katun as the specific unit: 20 X 13 = 260 katuns or 5,200 tuns. All the synodic periods, used to calculate heliacal risings, coincide except that of Saturn. So we might look at the Long Count as timed to a mutual rising of five of the planets from behind the Sun's bright rays coinciding with the sacred number calendar rounds.
The astrologers of the Kalajnana searching for a conjunction similar to that near Revati in 3102 BC, probably used methods like those of the Mayans in finding the least common multiples of the various planetary conjunctions. Apparently this landed them on the date of Kali 5101 or 1999-2000.
That year was not far off the mark as 5101 ended in spring 2000 about a month before a seven planet conjunction near Revati. This conjunction like that of 3102 BC was not very precise however with an orb (error) of about 35 degrees.
The Long Count (5,125 years) and the Kalajnana cycle (5,101 years) are relatively close to a fifth of the precession or about 5,156 years. The Nostradamus cycle (6,202 years) is less accurately a fourth of the precession or about 6,445 years.
Of the planets that come into alignment at the coming new age, Venus stands out in many cultures. Quetzalcoatl, Isis, Inanna and Ishtar all have close association with Venus. The stars Sirius and Spica are likewise linked with this planet. Tala, as the Morning Star, heralds the renewal of the great cycle.
A Kiribati sky dome or maneaba (maneapa) used to teach children about the sky and stars
Regards,
Paul Kekai Manansala
Sacramento
In Nostradamus famed collection of prophecies known as Centuries, one of his most well-known quatrains (X. 72) reads:
In the year 1999, in the seventh month
the great king of terror shall come from the sky
he shall resurrect the great king of the Angolmois
before and after Mars rules
This quatrain has been linked by some with the coming golden age alluded to in other Nostradamus prophecies, although it's vagueness has given rise to some disagreement.
Nostradamus saw the period from creation to the end of the world lasting 8,000 years and ending in 3797 AD, but he also envisioned lesser cycles similar to that of the Great Week. Using the above data, Nostradamus would have the world begin in 4203 BC, although one of his writings, possibly due to some error, results in counts indicating 4757 or 4758 years before the common era.
European Christian tradition usually follows Eusebius of Caesarea who gives a date of about 3947 BC.
The most common used dating for the start of the Mayan calendar is 3114 BC and the calendar lasts for about 5,125 years. So if we take the date of 1999 in Nostradamus quatrain as proximate to the end/start point in a system of ages, we have:
| Start date | End Date | Duration | |
| Mayan | 3114 BC | 2012 AD | 5,125 years |
| Nostradamus | 4203 BC | 1999 AD | 6,202 years |
| Kalajnana | 3102 BC | 1999/2003 AD | 5,101 (5,103) years |
I suggested earlier that the start of these cycles may have originated from knowledge diffused by the Nusantao starting in the fourth millennium BC. The difference in precise dates may be due to the fact that the original dates were astrological in nature rather than calendar counts. Different systems used in calculating back to the astronomical phenomenon resulted in varying but still generally close dates.
The Biblical estimates come from the sums of genealogy lists and confusion in this regard may have lead to considerable error. However, considering that the ante-diluvian genealogies appear related to Sumerian king-lists, an astronomical date from the latter tradition is warranted. I believe that would coincide with the period when Spica was located over the latitudes marking the Anu and Enlil path junction. The orientation of building toward this star would resemble in some whay the Qiblah of a mosque oriented toward Mecca, or the Jewish synagogue oriented toward Jerusalem.
The start of the Egyptian calendar varies according to views on what is known as the Sothic cycle. However, from the astronomical viewpoint, the calendar would be calibrated with the coincidence of the heliacal rising of Sirius and the summer solstice at around 3300 BC.
But what of the duration of these cycles? The year 1999 in Nostradamus presumably could have been borrowed from the Kalajnana. An interesting theory offered by scholar Rudy Cambier suggests that Nostradamus borrowed his Centuries from the work of 14th century Cistercian monk Yves de Lessines.
While we will not discuss Cambier's theories on the meaning of the Centuries, he does suggest a connection with the Templars. As you may remember, I mentioned previously a Cistercian abbey in Portugal where an early world map was found. The Cistercian order had close ties with the Templars since the time of Bernard de Clairvaux who had helped to obtain the order's rule. When the Templars were persecuted many sought refuge at Cistercian monasteries.
Did Yves de Lessines have access to Kalajnana traditions through some Templar intermediaries? Unfortunately, there is little more information to make a guess on this one.
However, we can say that the general duration for these cycles does appear to have an astronomical link. In the various traditions, the idea of a conjunction or alignment particularly with regard to the planets is apparent.
According to Berossus, the Great Year ends when the planets come together in one constellation. In Indian tradition, the Kaliyuga started when all the planets were aligned near the star Revati. The savior Kalki comes during a conjunction in the lunar asterism Pushya.
Indeed, with regard to the traditional date for the start of Kaliyuga, the planets did form a very loose conjunction near Revati. It was not the exact alignment suggested in the literature, but then again such precision does not seem to have been the major concern.
The Mayan calendar is fairly clearly set forth. The Mayans had various calendar counts that involved both planetary cycles and the Mayan sacred number counts.
The sacred counting system involved recurring cycles of counts of 20 and 13. Their astronomical observations mainly were concerned with the synodic periods of planets, i.e., the time period between conjunctions of each planet with the Sun. However, the Mayans payed much attention to Venus and had additional counts for this planet.
Conjunctions of these various calendar counts were considered holy to the Mayans. And the grand conjunction of nearly all of them made up their entire sacred calendar known as the Long Count.
The Long Count consisted of 5,200 tun, the Mayan year of 360 days, which converts to about 5,125 solar years. In order to get all their cycles to coincide neatly, the Mayans rounded off planetary cycles and sometimes added an extra day. Again, precision was not as important as the value of achieving a nice round sacred number.
Therefore in 2012, if one accepts the common start date of 3114 BC, the following list of calendar counts will coincide for the first time in 5125 years:
Cycles coinciding at end of Long Count
| Cycle | Duration | Total in Cycle |
| Baktun | 144,000 days, 400 tun | 13 |
| 52 Tun/72 Almanac Cycle | 18,720 days | 100 |
| Katun | 7,200 days, 20 tun | 260 |
| Nine Sacred Almanac/Twenty 117-Day Cycle | 2,340 days | 800 |
| Triple Sacred Almanac[Mars Synodic Period] | 780 days | 2,400 |
| 585-Day Cycle[Venus Synodic Period] | 585 days | 3,200 |
| Double Sacred Almanac Triple Lunar Half-Node Cycle | 520 days | 3,600 |
| 400 day cycle[Jupiter Synodic Period?] | 400 days | 4,680 |
| Tun | 360 days | 5,200 |
| Tzolkin | 260 days | 7,200 |
| Venus Visibility as Evening Star | 250 days | 7,488 |
| Cycle Associated with Rain God [Mercury Synodic Period] | 117 days | 16,000 |
| Venus Invisibility at Superior Conjunction | 90 days | 20,800 |
| Five Trecena Cycle | 65 days | 28,800 |
| Haab Calendar Round | 52 days | 36,000 |
| 30-Day Lunation | 30 days | 62,400 |
| Uinal | 20 days | 93,600 |
| Trecena | 13 days | 144,000 |
| Venus Invisibility at Inferior Conjuction | 8 days | 234,000 |
| Glyph G Cycle Lords of the Night (Bolon-ti-ku) | 9 days | 208,000 |
| Two, Three and Five Day Cycles | various | various |
The table above suggests the Long Count is based on a "great" version of the short count with the katun as the specific unit: 20 X 13 = 260 katuns or 5,200 tuns. All the synodic periods, used to calculate heliacal risings, coincide except that of Saturn. So we might look at the Long Count as timed to a mutual rising of five of the planets from behind the Sun's bright rays coinciding with the sacred number calendar rounds.
The astrologers of the Kalajnana searching for a conjunction similar to that near Revati in 3102 BC, probably used methods like those of the Mayans in finding the least common multiples of the various planetary conjunctions. Apparently this landed them on the date of Kali 5101 or 1999-2000.
That year was not far off the mark as 5101 ended in spring 2000 about a month before a seven planet conjunction near Revati. This conjunction like that of 3102 BC was not very precise however with an orb (error) of about 35 degrees.
The Long Count (5,125 years) and the Kalajnana cycle (5,101 years) are relatively close to a fifth of the precession or about 5,156 years. The Nostradamus cycle (6,202 years) is less accurately a fourth of the precession or about 6,445 years.
Of the planets that come into alignment at the coming new age, Venus stands out in many cultures. Quetzalcoatl, Isis, Inanna and Ishtar all have close association with Venus. The stars Sirius and Spica are likewise linked with this planet. Tala, as the Morning Star, heralds the renewal of the great cycle.
A Kiribati sky dome or maneaba (maneapa) used to teach children about the sky and stars
Regards,
Paul Kekai Manansala
Sacramento
Friday, March 18, 2005
The Return of the Virgin
“Now the Virgin returns, the reign of Saturn returns, now a new generation descends from heaven on high. Only do thou, pure Lucina, smile on the birth of the child, under whom the iron brood shall first cease, and a golden race spring up throughout the world!"
So said the Roman writer Virgil in the 1st century BC in his Fourth Eclogue. Aratus who wrote a well-known poem on astronomy claimed that Themis the goddess of justice left the world and took refuge in Virgo at the end of the last Golden Age. She returns only at the dawn of the new Golden Age according to Virgil, indicating a decline in virtue and justice in the interceding period.
While some believe the reference to Virgo may refer to the precessional cycle of the equinoxes, another possibility is an oblique reference to Spica, alpha Virginis, as the bearing marker for the geographic origin of the age.
The orientation of the Neo-Babylonian temples brings to mind the Sumerian concept of the Me, the systems of measurements, rules and guidelines for the arts, crafts and sciences. The Me were especially associated with the Seven Sages, the abgal who come from the sea.
Abgal are said to provide the proportions of the ziggurat as model of the cosmic mountain, a structure where the measure of the base width is significantly greater than the temple height. This gives an image of a broad low mountain rather than a steep or cone-shaped one.
Spica also has significance in ancient Egyptian astronomy. A temple to Menat in Thebes built around 3200 BC appears oriented toward that star. At least one temple in the New Kingdom city of Akhenaton also appears so aligned although Spica's declination had changed considerably by that time.
Livio Catullo Stecchini, whose expertise was metrology, the history of measurement, believed that Spica served as the ancient meridian in Egypt during certain periods. He notes that in their rectangular sky charts, Spica is placed near the center.
If you remember, Sirius and Venus were both said to have special links with the Egyptian goddess Isis and the Sumerian goddess Inanna. Spica was also closely related to these goddesses, and appears to be from this association that the sign of Virgo originated. In Sumer, both Spica and Sirius are called ban "shooting bow."
Many megaliths also seem aligned on Spica at different periods with no apparent link to equinotical points. This suggests that the star was revered for some other reason.
The timing of the return of the Golden Age has vexed many cultures. Some have equated it with the Great Year, the precession of the equinoxes, when after about 25,920 years, the stars return to their "original" position.
However, there were also shorter cycles usually lasting around 5,000 to 6,000 years. These may have been attempts to divide the Great Year, but in many of the involved cultures there is no clear evidence of knowledge of the precession.
In Jewish-Christian circles, the idea of a "Great Week" of 6,000 years followed by a 1,000 year Golden Age or Great Sabbath was innovated with the calendar calibrated to start at around 4000 BC. In the far-off Mayan culture, the calendar started in the first few centuries before 3000 BC, depending on which estimate you use, and lasts about 5,125 solar years.
The Hindu cycle starts at 3102 BC and although the present Kaliyuga eras last for much longer than even a Great Year, an interesting prophetic text from South India also hints at a shorter age.
The Kalajnana written about 1,000 years ago mentions dates like 1999 and 2003 in association with the coming of a golden age and the savior king Kalki, who is also known in the text as Virabhoga Vasantaraya.
The year 1999 suprisingly enough also appears some five centuries later in the prophecies of the renowned French prophet Nostradamus. Next we will examine whether there might be any connection between these dates so widely spread apart in time and place.
Regards,
Paul Kekai Manansala
Sacramento
So said the Roman writer Virgil in the 1st century BC in his Fourth Eclogue. Aratus who wrote a well-known poem on astronomy claimed that Themis the goddess of justice left the world and took refuge in Virgo at the end of the last Golden Age. She returns only at the dawn of the new Golden Age according to Virgil, indicating a decline in virtue and justice in the interceding period.
While some believe the reference to Virgo may refer to the precessional cycle of the equinoxes, another possibility is an oblique reference to Spica, alpha Virginis, as the bearing marker for the geographic origin of the age.
The orientation of the Neo-Babylonian temples brings to mind the Sumerian concept of the Me, the systems of measurements, rules and guidelines for the arts, crafts and sciences. The Me were especially associated with the Seven Sages, the abgal who come from the sea.
Abgal are said to provide the proportions of the ziggurat as model of the cosmic mountain, a structure where the measure of the base width is significantly greater than the temple height. This gives an image of a broad low mountain rather than a steep or cone-shaped one.
Spica also has significance in ancient Egyptian astronomy. A temple to Menat in Thebes built around 3200 BC appears oriented toward that star. At least one temple in the New Kingdom city of Akhenaton also appears so aligned although Spica's declination had changed considerably by that time.
Livio Catullo Stecchini, whose expertise was metrology, the history of measurement, believed that Spica served as the ancient meridian in Egypt during certain periods. He notes that in their rectangular sky charts, Spica is placed near the center.
If you remember, Sirius and Venus were both said to have special links with the Egyptian goddess Isis and the Sumerian goddess Inanna. Spica was also closely related to these goddesses, and appears to be from this association that the sign of Virgo originated. In Sumer, both Spica and Sirius are called ban "shooting bow."
Many megaliths also seem aligned on Spica at different periods with no apparent link to equinotical points. This suggests that the star was revered for some other reason.
The timing of the return of the Golden Age has vexed many cultures. Some have equated it with the Great Year, the precession of the equinoxes, when after about 25,920 years, the stars return to their "original" position.
However, there were also shorter cycles usually lasting around 5,000 to 6,000 years. These may have been attempts to divide the Great Year, but in many of the involved cultures there is no clear evidence of knowledge of the precession.
In Jewish-Christian circles, the idea of a "Great Week" of 6,000 years followed by a 1,000 year Golden Age or Great Sabbath was innovated with the calendar calibrated to start at around 4000 BC. In the far-off Mayan culture, the calendar started in the first few centuries before 3000 BC, depending on which estimate you use, and lasts about 5,125 solar years.
The Hindu cycle starts at 3102 BC and although the present Kaliyuga eras last for much longer than even a Great Year, an interesting prophetic text from South India also hints at a shorter age.
The Kalajnana written about 1,000 years ago mentions dates like 1999 and 2003 in association with the coming of a golden age and the savior king Kalki, who is also known in the text as Virabhoga Vasantaraya.
The year 1999 suprisingly enough also appears some five centuries later in the prophecies of the renowned French prophet Nostradamus. Next we will examine whether there might be any connection between these dates so widely spread apart in time and place.
Regards,
Paul Kekai Manansala
Sacramento
Tuesday, March 15, 2005
Eden's Bearings
The position of the Pleiades constellation rising in the East near or conjunct with the ecliptic is a valuable chronometer. This would place it at or close to the point of the spring (vernal) equinox.
Because the period from one vernal equinox to the next is shorter than the stellar year, the star position of the equinox changes by about one degree every 72 years. In about 25,920 years this point marking the beginning of spring will have made a full circle around the zodiac.
Evidence of an early, probably Neolithic people who marked important events not by conventional calendars but by associated astronomical configurations is a major thesis of books like Hamlet's Mill.
Austronesians appear to have been one such type of people. We don't know if Austronesians ever had calendar counts, but if they did these must have been assigned to the recondite knowledge used by initiates only. However, we do know that they often marked events, including those found in their mythologies, with heavenly conjunctions or other phenomenon. For example, the Hawaiian legend of the explorer Hawai`i-loa who noticed a conjunction of the Pleiades and Aldebaran with Jupiter and steered toward these stars to discover Polynesia.
In this case, we see that the stars indicate both place, as directional bearings, and time, by means of the timing of the stellar conjunction.
Babylonian astronomy might preserve something of a similar sort from the Sumerians with regard to the location of our cosmic volcanoes. Mesopotamian seals often contain depictions of astronomical configurations in scenes of significant mythological events.
The star known as Nibiru (also Neberu, Nebiru) to the Mesopotomians has more than one identification by researchers in this field. The one that is of interest for us is Nibiru's identification with Jupiter. In the cosmological Enuma elish (7.124ff), Nibiru is one of the fifty names given to Jupiter, the planet of Marduk:
From the quote above, it would appear that Nebiru is connected in some way with crossings over the sea. In fact, the name "Nebiru" is derived from eberu, "to cross," and actually means "ferry, ferryman, ford." The authors of Hamlet's Mill connect Nibiru with Urshanabi the ferryman to Paradise in the epic of Gilgamesh.
What is particularly interesting about Nibiru is that the planet's "point" or "station" is used by the Babylonians, and also likely by their predecessors, to construct celestial maps. The following quote refers to Jupiter/Marduk measuring the universe:
The 'heavenly bands' constructed with the "station of Nebiru" as the reference point are known as the paths of Anu, Enlil and Ea.
According to authorities on Babylonian astronomy referenced in Hamlet's Mill, the path of Anu is parallel to the celestial equator and extends to a point about 15 to 17 degrees north and south of our own equator. The path of Enlil is a band of similar width north of the path of Anu, while the path of Ea is the southern zone of equal measure.
The latitude of 15-17 degrees North, of course, would fit well with both Mt. Pinatubo and Mt. Arayat. The question is though whether this station of Nebiru, obviously a fixed star or constellation used to build the entire planisphere of the Babylonians, was north or south of the equator.
According to researcher F. M. Th. Bohl, the station of Nebiru was the point of entry of Jupiter into the path of Anu observed during the night of the vernal equinox, the Babylonian New Year.
During this period, the equinox occured when the sun entered the constellation I-Iku which is identified either with the square of Pegasus or some location in the Aries group.
In either case, a night observation of Jupiter with that planet entering an area corresponding to the geocentric latitudes (declination) of 15 to 17 degrees would point to the constellation Virgo. I would suggest the star Spica, or alpha Virginis.
Indeed, researchers Paul Neugabauer and Albert Schott following the work of Günter Martiny, have suggested that Neo-Babylonian (Assyrian) temples were oriented toward the azimuth intersecting Spica and the vernal equinox at the horizon. Of the three, Neugebauer gave up on the idea when he could not find any evidence that Spica was an important star in Babylonian astronomy.
However, I would suggest that Spica was indeed the station of Nibiru, the point used to demarcate the boundary of the paths of Enlil and Anu, and by similar proportion also the path of Ea.
During 3102 BC, the date of the beginning of the modern era in the Hindu calendar, Spica was located directly above about 15.48 degrees North latitude. The position was not much different at the beginning of the Mayan calendar according to the estimate that places that date in the year 3114 BC.
Thus, Spica would have been an excellent zenith star for navigators seeking the sacred volcanoes. It would have been very nearly directly overhead at its highest point in the sky. As such, Spica would also have acted as a bearing star since it would be directly to the east when rising and to the west when setting, if the observer is at the corresponding latitude.
With Nibiru as the ferry-person to Paradise from the "confluence of the rivers," it would be logical that his station would be guiding star to that very location, at a time when the Pleiades marked the point of the spring equinox.
Spica is also widely thought to be the starting point of the lunar mansions of the Chinese zodiac. Among Pacific Islanders, Spica is often paired with Arcturus, the zenith star of the island of Hawai'i, by traditional navigators to determine latitude using the different rising/setting times, if any, of both stars.
If we combine this conjecture, with the earlier one made regarding the meridian of Yamakoti, then we get surprisingly accurate coordinates for the ancient axis mundi. Of course, the longitude given by the Hindu astronomical texts depends on whether one identifies "Romaka-pura" as Alexandria or Rome. There is good reason to think it is the former.
According to the astronomer Varahamihira, the Romaka Siddhanta, written in Romakapura, has a year length nearly exactly that used by Ptolemy and Hipparchus. There are also rather close values to Ptolemy's anomaly of the equation of center, and for that astronomer's revolution length of the Moon's nodes. This would indicate that the Romaka Siddhanta borrowed largely from the astronomical work carried out in Alexandria, and specifically by Ptolemy. Yamakoti, or "Yama's Peak" would in this case be the location of the Underworld kingdom where both the good and bad go after death. The same symbolic location within Mt. Mashu traveled to by Gilgamesh.
With Romakapura as Alexandria, the corresponding meridian of Yamakoti to the east of Lanka, which Indian astronomers equate with Avanti (75.76E), would be at about 121.64 degrees East, a bit more than the longitude of Pinatubo.
Regards,
Paul Kekai Manansala
Sacramento
Because the period from one vernal equinox to the next is shorter than the stellar year, the star position of the equinox changes by about one degree every 72 years. In about 25,920 years this point marking the beginning of spring will have made a full circle around the zodiac.
Evidence of an early, probably Neolithic people who marked important events not by conventional calendars but by associated astronomical configurations is a major thesis of books like Hamlet's Mill.
Austronesians appear to have been one such type of people. We don't know if Austronesians ever had calendar counts, but if they did these must have been assigned to the recondite knowledge used by initiates only. However, we do know that they often marked events, including those found in their mythologies, with heavenly conjunctions or other phenomenon. For example, the Hawaiian legend of the explorer Hawai`i-loa who noticed a conjunction of the Pleiades and Aldebaran with Jupiter and steered toward these stars to discover Polynesia.
In this case, we see that the stars indicate both place, as directional bearings, and time, by means of the timing of the stellar conjunction.
Babylonian astronomy might preserve something of a similar sort from the Sumerians with regard to the location of our cosmic volcanoes. Mesopotamian seals often contain depictions of astronomical configurations in scenes of significant mythological events.
The star known as Nibiru (also Neberu, Nebiru) to the Mesopotomians has more than one identification by researchers in this field. The one that is of interest for us is Nibiru's identification with Jupiter. In the cosmological Enuma elish (7.124ff), Nibiru is one of the fifty names given to Jupiter, the planet of Marduk:
Nebiru shall hold the crossings of heaven and earth;
Those who failed of crossing above and below,
Ever of him shall inquire.
Nebiru is the star which in the skies is brilliant.
Verily, he governs their turnings, to him indeed they look
Saying: "He who the midst of the Sea restlessly crosses,
Let 'Crossing' be his name who controls its midst.
May they uphold the course of the stars of heaven;
May he shepherd all the gods like sheep.
From the quote above, it would appear that Nebiru is connected in some way with crossings over the sea. In fact, the name "Nebiru" is derived from eberu, "to cross," and actually means "ferry, ferryman, ford." The authors of Hamlet's Mill connect Nibiru with Urshanabi the ferryman to Paradise in the epic of Gilgamesh.
What is particularly interesting about Nibiru is that the planet's "point" or "station" is used by the Babylonians, and also likely by their predecessors, to construct celestial maps. The following quote refers to Jupiter/Marduk measuring the universe:
He determined the year by designating the zones:
He set up three constellations for each of the twelve months.
After defining the days of the year (by means) of (heavenly) figures,
He founded the station of Nebiru to determine their (heavenly) bands,
That none might transgress or fall short.
Alongside he set up the stations of Enlil and Ea.
The 'heavenly bands' constructed with the "station of Nebiru" as the reference point are known as the paths of Anu, Enlil and Ea.
According to authorities on Babylonian astronomy referenced in Hamlet's Mill, the path of Anu is parallel to the celestial equator and extends to a point about 15 to 17 degrees north and south of our own equator. The path of Enlil is a band of similar width north of the path of Anu, while the path of Ea is the southern zone of equal measure.
The latitude of 15-17 degrees North, of course, would fit well with both Mt. Pinatubo and Mt. Arayat. The question is though whether this station of Nebiru, obviously a fixed star or constellation used to build the entire planisphere of the Babylonians, was north or south of the equator.
According to researcher F. M. Th. Bohl, the station of Nebiru was the point of entry of Jupiter into the path of Anu observed during the night of the vernal equinox, the Babylonian New Year.
During this period, the equinox occured when the sun entered the constellation I-Iku which is identified either with the square of Pegasus or some location in the Aries group.
In either case, a night observation of Jupiter with that planet entering an area corresponding to the geocentric latitudes (declination) of 15 to 17 degrees would point to the constellation Virgo. I would suggest the star Spica, or alpha Virginis.
Indeed, researchers Paul Neugabauer and Albert Schott following the work of Günter Martiny, have suggested that Neo-Babylonian (Assyrian) temples were oriented toward the azimuth intersecting Spica and the vernal equinox at the horizon. Of the three, Neugebauer gave up on the idea when he could not find any evidence that Spica was an important star in Babylonian astronomy.
However, I would suggest that Spica was indeed the station of Nibiru, the point used to demarcate the boundary of the paths of Enlil and Anu, and by similar proportion also the path of Ea.
During 3102 BC, the date of the beginning of the modern era in the Hindu calendar, Spica was located directly above about 15.48 degrees North latitude. The position was not much different at the beginning of the Mayan calendar according to the estimate that places that date in the year 3114 BC.
Thus, Spica would have been an excellent zenith star for navigators seeking the sacred volcanoes. It would have been very nearly directly overhead at its highest point in the sky. As such, Spica would also have acted as a bearing star since it would be directly to the east when rising and to the west when setting, if the observer is at the corresponding latitude.
With Nibiru as the ferry-person to Paradise from the "confluence of the rivers," it would be logical that his station would be guiding star to that very location, at a time when the Pleiades marked the point of the spring equinox.
Spica is also widely thought to be the starting point of the lunar mansions of the Chinese zodiac. Among Pacific Islanders, Spica is often paired with Arcturus, the zenith star of the island of Hawai'i, by traditional navigators to determine latitude using the different rising/setting times, if any, of both stars.
If we combine this conjecture, with the earlier one made regarding the meridian of Yamakoti, then we get surprisingly accurate coordinates for the ancient axis mundi. Of course, the longitude given by the Hindu astronomical texts depends on whether one identifies "Romaka-pura" as Alexandria or Rome. There is good reason to think it is the former.
According to the astronomer Varahamihira, the Romaka Siddhanta, written in Romakapura, has a year length nearly exactly that used by Ptolemy and Hipparchus. There are also rather close values to Ptolemy's anomaly of the equation of center, and for that astronomer's revolution length of the Moon's nodes. This would indicate that the Romaka Siddhanta borrowed largely from the astronomical work carried out in Alexandria, and specifically by Ptolemy. Yamakoti, or "Yama's Peak" would in this case be the location of the Underworld kingdom where both the good and bad go after death. The same symbolic location within Mt. Mashu traveled to by Gilgamesh.
With Romakapura as Alexandria, the corresponding meridian of Yamakoti to the east of Lanka, which Indian astronomers equate with Avanti (75.76E), would be at about 121.64 degrees East, a bit more than the longitude of Pinatubo.
Varahamihira's Quadrants (Romaka = Alexandria)
Lanka (75.76E) - Romaka (29.88E) = 45.88 degrees
Lanka (75.76E) + 45.88 = 121.64E degrees (meridian of Yama's Peak)
Regards,
Paul Kekai Manansala
Sacramento
Monday, March 14, 2005
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:
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
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
Saturday, March 12, 2005
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.
The Muslims also naturally incorporated these ideas into their prophetic views of the latter days.
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."
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:
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
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
Thursday, March 10, 2005
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:
The lake of fire later became associated with the Underworld, although it is stated that even Hades is cast into the lake.
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."
The Apostle John saw the waters of the river and lake as a type of crystal that comes to adorn the New Jerusalem.
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.
And in what may even be an illusion to the bird clan, we have:
In some cases, it is the Lord who comes as savior in person from the east into the eastern gate.
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.
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.
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
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
Tuesday, March 08, 2005
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
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
Sunday, March 06, 2005
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
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
Friday, March 04, 2005
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
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
Wednesday, March 02, 2005
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
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
Monday, February 28, 2005
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
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
Saturday, February 26, 2005
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
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
Thursday, February 24, 2005
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
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
Tuesday, February 22, 2005
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
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
Monday, February 21, 2005
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:
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
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
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