Time and the Ancients

At a time long ago when the world was dark, the Earth bare, and the sea with an endless sea, people developed a philosophy about the forces that surrounded them.  The Creation myths formed from the world around them into the beliefs of a people.  The inexplicable world became orderly through the beliefs and the attempted explanations. Answers to the rain, the wind and the celestial bodies.

12 Constellations form a ring in around the sky in a path that is called ecliptic. The Zodiac as we know it denotes the path the Sun travels through the sky.

Ancient people discovered that it takes a year for the \Sun to move through its journey through the Zodiac. They associated each constellation of the Zodiac with times of the year To them the months changed, the seasons turned and so went time. Centuries later they discovered that the Earth revolves around the Sun and the illusion of the path of the ecliptic was false, however the signs of the Zodiac survived.

Calendars were created based on nature's cycles and the ceremonies, festivals and myths of the ancients were patterned after the gods that ruled these rhythms. The sky was the model in which they created their clocks and calendars. The sky, the Moon and the Sun were the most obvious markers and were used as early as the Ice Age.

The Egyptians developed a calendar as early as 4200BC which was used by other cultures as late as the Middle Ages.

The ancients had a respect for their celestial Gds and incorporated it into their myths.

Many of the structures that are found today, such as Stonehenge, the Mayan pyramids, and other circles found throughout the British Isles prove that the ancients used the sky for clocks and calendars. The ancients were sky watchers, the Mayans for example, observed the celestial objects as early as the 6th century BC to make calendars and recorded the pattern of eclipses in what is called the Dresden Codex.

The ancient peoples found order in the natural world if the sky. The order with its cycles was what they needed to survive and also to get in touch with the spirits.  

Religion has been a part of all civilizations of the world, at times controlling at other mysterious and imaginative, the human genius when it comes to a society's beliefs the ultimate goal the is to meet the needs of the people. 

The purpose of life is to achieve happiness.  We differ in our ethnicity, cultures, languages and religions, however, we are the same in our basic needs for peace and happiness.  Our world's problems arise when we lose track of the basic truths we are family, the human family, with our conflicts and superficial differences our hopes for happiness are the key to inner peace.

In humanity's history people and their societies have looked to religions a source of meaning.  Basic spiritual and ethical values come from religions and cultures.  Human society depends on te world's religions to play an important role in the basic values such as justice, compassion, honesty and forgiveness.  These truths causes the thread that ties the peoples of the world together making up the human world.

The more we understand each other's ways the more we lean from each other.

All major religions carry the same message, love and compassion.  The general concept remains the same . The respect of all faiths is the foundation of harmony between the different religions of the world and the different people which make up the world.  This is something which we all must aspire to ; a greater understanding among the peoples throughout the world.  

Diversity in people means diversity in traditions and religions.  Everyone has the right to make his or her own choice in beliefs.

Tolerance, understanding between the many traditions of the world with the 

Medicine Wheels of North America

Archaeologists have found hundreds of Medicine Wheels in the United States and Canada. They are assembled with a central pile of stones, radiating in a circular arrangement,that can be used to align to the sunrise at Summer solstice.

The monuments were created by laying stones in a pattern on the ground oriented to the four directions. Most medicine wheels follow the basic pattern of having a center pile of stones, and surrounding that is an outer ring of stones with lines of rocks from the center to the four Cardinal Directions, East, South, West and North..

One of the sites called the Bighorn Medicine Wheel in Wyoming is the most famous and appears to be aligned to other objects in the sky as well as the Summer solstice Sun at sunrise.

There are many ideas about the origins of the wheels and the reasons they were built. They are being studied by astronomers and archaeologists alike. Scientists analyzing the formations have discovered alignments to different solar events, in particular, the sunrise and sunset at the Summer Solstice.

Medicine Wheels had many different uses and changed over the years from tribe to tribe. Some of them were used as burial mounds, some of them point to other Medicine Wheels or natural resources. Some evidence shows that some of the wheels were updated over the centuries to track the changes in celestial alignments.

One astronomer had a theory that some of the wheels were used as astronomical sites, which the people used to track sunrise or sunset, at a certain times of the year, marking certain auspicious days of the year.

Medicine wheels are thought to be used to mark the geographical directions and astronomical events of the Sun, Moon, and Stars, in relation to the Earth's horizon at that location. Ancient peoples believed that the medicine wheel in had great power.

They were sites for important ceremonies, teachings, and in as much were sacred places. Today, the Bighorn Medicine Wheel is still an accurate predictor for the summer solstice and is still used by various Native American groups.

African American Religions

The roots of African American religions in North and South Americas, including voodoo, li in the African beliefs brought by the slaves from Africa.  Because of the Arab and European slave trades between the 16th and 19th centuries millions of Africans were brought to the Americas a slaves, they carried with them their Gods. The Dahomey Fon, a people of West Africa worshiped a god they called Vodu.  This god was taken to Haiti and the name was applied to the religion as well as tTheir god Voodoo religion had a supreme god who could be approached through lesser spirits by rituals done by the Hungans and Mambos.  They also believed that the spirits of their ancestors were the living dead because they were both close to the living as well as the spiritual beings. 

African religion began in slave communities in the South before the Civil War and the Americanized Africans practiced Christianity underground as it was often forbidden by owners,  They worshiped outside of institutional churches.  The First church in North America to have an entirely African American congregation was the African Methodist Episcopalian Church in 1787.

In the 1830’s during the religious awakening in the South the slave owners were now bringing the Gospel to the quarters and this served as a form of social control and as a way to convert the slaves. By 1860, about 15 percent of the slaves were members of either the Baptist or Methodist church.

 The Black Judaism movements began in 1905.  Rastafarianism orginated in the early 20th century with the belief that Emperor Haile Selassie of Ethiopia in 1930; with the claim to have descended from David and Solomon, would lead the Africans back  to their country, much like the Exodus.

Religion has had a controlling influence in every known society and the creativity of the peoples shows in their beliefs.  Powerful and deeply seeded in the human brain makes religion inevitable.  Men need religions to fulfill their d

Chaos

Chaos is a central theme in myths throughout the globe.  The original state of the universe was chaos, a void, dark and formless, nothing existed.

Creator deities emerged from darkness to bring light and life.  Light and dark, order and chaos is the basics of the concept of myth. The duality of the nature myths of various cultures has the Sun vs the Moon, rains against drought, fertility battling barrenness. 

But in the beginning there had to be order from a chaotic state.  Light conquering darkness gave way for Gods to create and be created.  The emergence of the sky and the realms of Heavens and the Underworld.

Mythology of the world has stories of the battles between chaos and order the cyclic renewal exists in all.  In Iran there is the Tree of All Seeds in the Norse mythology there is the World Tree Yggdrasal where a serpent gnaws at its roots in an attempt to conquer order.

Sunlight crucial to survival had the forces of chaos attempting to overcome liht and plunge the world back into eternal darkness

In order for one to exist there has to be the other; conflicts between the opposing forces existed then as now.  Rain without drought brings floods.  The four elements Earth, Air,Fire and Water have the polarity with Earth being the opposite of Air; and Fire the opposite of Water.

The need for opposition in the world was shown in the wisdom of the ancient peoples and their myths, a guar

Dragons

Dragons were considered to be weather makers to ancient peoples.  They were lizard like or serpentine in form, often with wings, and controlled the waters beneath the earth and the rain from the Heavens.

Dragons in mythology are typically with snake like traits. A dragon is a mythological representation of snakes or lizards. The cultural dragon from European folklore is derived from the Greek mythology, and the oriental mythology of Japan, China and East Asian countries. These have influenced each other by cross cultural contact.

Different culture's stories vary about the origin of dragons. Some dragons are said to breathe fire or are poisonous, They are commonly depicted as serpent like or having the features of reptiles, and possess scaly bodies. They are sometimes portrayed as watching treasure. Some myths often show them with wings.

They were worshiped and feared for their power and destructive abilities.

Dragons are often held to have spiritual significance in various religions and cultures around the world. To the Asians dragons are revered and represent the forces of nature, religion and the universe. They are associated with wisdom and long life. They often possess magic or other supernatural power, and are very often associated with rain, and the rivers. In legends the blood of dragons is thought as having great power rendering the person who bathed in it superior strength.

Dragons commonly lived in lakes, pools or seas and hibernated during the 

Winter drought months in palaces.  In the Spring they soared to the clouds and cause the rains. When angered and in battle with each other storms occurred.

The stories of dragons appear in many cultures and they are often depicted as the enemies of humanity and were believed to be destructive.  They caused storms, tidal waves creating havoc often while spouting fire.

The Heavens were supported by celestial dragons and subterranean dragons guarded treasures below the Earth's surface.

Tales of Gods battling dragons were told in the Indo-European cultures which symbolized the duality of nature the battle of darkness and light in the fundamental oppositional poles good and evil in our perception of the universe.

Water and Life

Water the substance of life in many myths was the source of the creation of the world.  In many myths it is the destroyer of mankind and holds a powerful symbolism and has developed into myths inhabited by many spirits and deities.

Water spirits came in many forms and had varied powers depending on the region of the world.  Water spirits in drought stricken area were revered as benevolent spirits while in areas of the world where rain was plentiful feared their gods of floods; and ancient seafarers faced the wrath of their gods on the seas. 

All of these people depended on the waters for their life substance and these gods became life giving creative force to be worshiped. 

In ancient times water worshiping was prevalent water's strength gave rise to lakes and rivers being deified.  Numerous river gods and river sprites are found in Celtic myths.  Temples and shrines were prominent in the Celt's lands.

The theme of the search for the Water of Life occurs in many cultures and by bathing in or drinking of people could become immortal.  I Greek mythology if is see in the story of Achilles.The Sea symbolizes life ad existed i the beginning of time.  The Primordial Sea is told in most cultures of the world.  The Sea was both the creator and the destroyer of the world.  In many myths there was an inner ( where men dwelt, fished and sailed on) and an outer Ocean called by the Greeks Oceanus.

The Sea held many mysteries; the Nereids played on the waves, mermaids lived there. Its ocean floor held palaces of the gods and their vast treasures,

The life giving properties of the sea gave it its richness and the sacrifices to the Gods repaid them for their gifts of abundance to men.

Neopaganism in Today's Society

Neopaganism in our society are numerous religious movements which are rooted to old beliefs.

Neopaganisms consists of nature symbolism and the people are taught to have a high respect for non-human life. Veneration of nature dieties is contained in many of the teachings.

Most of the rituals and ceremonies are performed outdoors under the Sun and Moon most often during the solstices, equinoxes and full and new moons and define the ritual calendar.

Commonly neopaganism is polytheistic with multiple dieties, including the worship of goddesses. In almost all neopagan religions the reverence of some form of a Great Earth Mother. They do share commonalities, contemporary pagan religious movements are diverse and no single set of beliefs,

Contemporary paganism encompasses a very broad range of groups and beliefs. It is estimated that there are between 40,000 and 200,000 people in the United States practice some form of neopaganism.; the figure may be much higher and is still growing.

The Wicca, the modern witch covens, have nothing to do with Satanism that many Christians erroneously think of as witchcraft.

Since the 1980s various forms of Druidism based on ancient Celtic mythology have been revived. Contemporary Druidism forms the second largest pagan religion after Wicca. It draws several beliefs and inspirations from the ancient Celtic beliefs. Other groups include Norse (Odinism) and ancient Egyptian god worship.

Druidism  is a form of modern religion that teaches harmony and respect for all beings, including the environment. The revival of Druidism began in Britain during the 18th century. Druidism or Druidry's main principles are respect and veneration of nature, and involves participation in environmental movements.

Neopagans practice a positive life having faiths dedicated to healing the people as well as healing the Earth condemning practices of abuse that do harm to the bodies, minds or spirits.

Paganism has existed in all cultures, from the paleolithic era to present societies. The ancient Egyptians were a pagan society; and paleolithic cultures from the Old Stone Age to the present had strong pagan roots. The resurgence of Pagan movements waxes and wanes as society changes so do beliefs; traditions are varied and usually linked to a specific culture or country.

Religions continue to be a form of control and in controlling the masses there is the always a dominant factor whether it be Christianity, Muslim or Paganism.

A Wikipedia article on Contemporary Neopaganism shows the following table as some of the Neopagan movements that are being practiced today throughout the world.

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Lost Worlds

Lost Worlds

Civilization has many definitions.  The basics of a civilization encompasses the lnd, the people and the beliefs that these people have created.  The world of humanity is made up of complex systems of cultures which made up the ancient world; the dawn of civilization developed and waned, prospered and died but the challenges for a society that endures nature and mankind's inconsistencies has left their marks on the Earth.  The attempts to mold the world around them have left virtually permanent evidence of different civilizations of the world.  These societies may have not have lasted to the present time but continue to survive through their relics and monuments left to be uncovered by modern day historians.

Indus Valley Civilization

One of the greatest structures of the ancient world shows that the Indus Valley Civilization was among the worlds largest settlements. The remnants of this culture are located in present day Pakistan, the Indus Valley Civilization dates back 4,500 years ago and in the 1920s the ruins were excavated. Mohenjo-Daro was built in the 26th century BC.  It was one of the largest cities of the Harappan Civilization which developed from the Indus culture.  One of the world's earliest major urban settlements that existed during the time of ancient Egypt, Crete and Mesopotamia. This technologically advanced civilization was proficient in mathematics and engineering. The Indus Valley Civilization was abandoned about the year 1500 BC.

The knowledge of a system of weights and measures people of the Indus civilization was unsurpassed for its time and they were among the first to develop a system of uniform weights and measures.

Although the cities and houses were systematically laid out, with drainage and roads.

Some scholars believe that the Harappan people worshipped an Earth Goddess as artifacts symbolizing fertility have been found to point to the fact, however this has yet to be proven.

A possible natural reason for the decline of this great culture may have been a climate change from about 1800 BC.Mohenjo-daro was abandoned in the 19th century and laid dormant until the 1920's.

Minoan Civilization

A civilization of ancient Crete, named after the mythological or an actual ruler Minos as mentioned in Greek mythology. The Minoan Civilization was discovered early in the 20th century. An ancient civilization that began over 7,000 years ago, the civilization flourished from about 3000 BC to 1100 BC.

Crete was the center of Bronze age culture in the Aegean Sea, the Minoan is known for its great cities and palaces and its use of writing. The religion is thought to have been predominately matriarchal.

Commerce appeared around 2700 BC, and as the civilization advanced, palaces were built. One of these palaces was Knossos, the labyrinth associated with the legend of Minos, which is told in Greek myths of Daedalus. But sometime around 1450 BC, the land was taken over by conquerors and the reign of the Minoans ended.

The Minaret of Jam

The Minaret of Jam an extraordinary remnant of architecture of the Islamic culture is located in a remote valley far from any towns in what is now present day Afghanistan. 



The minaret is a spire associated with the Muslim mosques.


It soars nearly 215 feet and was built in a rocky valley surrounded by cliffs at the juncture of the Hari-rud River and the River Jam.


The minaret stands marking the history of a sultan of the Ghurid dynasty dating to the 12th century. it is believed that the emperors resided in the summers there and is the site of the ancient city of Firuzkuh the capital of the Ghurid dynasty.

The minaret is constructed of brick and lime and is covered with geometrical markings and calligraphy ornaments. There are traces of castles on the cliffs where it is situated. The town of Kiruzkuh was destroyed in 1222 by the Mongols who conquered the area.




The Mayan Empire

In the tropical rain forests of what is now the areas of Guatemala, The Mayan culture reached the peak of its power around 500 AD. The Maya civilization were exceptional at agriculture, artistry, writing, astronomy and mathematics. They created an astonishing architecture and artwork which exists today in the Yucatan.

The Mayas date from 1600 BC to 900 AD which was the reign, with the height being from 250-900 AD. During this time the Mayan people made advances in temple and palace building in pyramid shape with elaborate inscriptions and their reputation in mathematics and astronomy with a complex calendar system attest to their capabilities in these areas.

The Mayans were deeply religious. They worshiped many Gods but in particular they worshiped a Sun God along with a rain, moon and corn gods.

Between the 8^th to 9^th century an unknown catastrophe occurred and the cities were abandoned and by 900 AD the Mayan civilization collapsed. The Mayans dwelt in agricultural villages in the surrounding areas of the great stone cities.

The causes of a civilization's conflict and the abandonment of these lost civilizations may not be evident now but the quest to find the answers for the decline of these remarkable societies and their demise is within out grasp.  The ancient world holds many secrets these cultures and their fall lays in the dust that is left behind.  Archaeologists are striving to find answers for the questions they cover.  We may never know the true stories which lie behind the lost worlds.

TheJourney From the Unknown bywena: The Mythological Truth bywena: The Chaokia Mounds

The Mythological Truth bywena: The Mythological Truth bywena: The Chaokia Mounds

The Mythological Truth bywena: The Chaokia Mounds

The Journey From the Unknown bywena

The Fairy World

Fairy belief varies from culture to culture, person to person.  In some minds the imagination that it takes for the belief to emerge can tune into the Other world.  This Other world is a  dimension which exists closely to ours and at times overlaps.  When this happens the nature spirits of Air, Fire, Water and Earth will let the person experience the world of the Fairies.

There are times when the doors of the realm of the fairies creeps ajar and Nature will lift its veil to the Other world.

One such time is the Spring Equinox, March 21, flowers newly blooming bring out Fairies in abundance.  Natures strength is bursting forth.  Beltane, Mays Eve, is one of the Fire Festivals of the ancient Celts and was still celebrated on hilltops in rural countries in the late 19th centuries.  These seasonal celebrations were fertility rituals of the cycles of the crops.  Beltane marked the beginning of the Celtic Summer.

Lammas, Midsummer Solstice a magical time when the Sun is at its highest power and strength before waning into the Winter months.  Lughnassadh, the older name for the festival Lammas, was a time when the last sheaf of corn was the sacrificial burial for the renewed life of the crops.

The autumn Equinox, September 21, at this time the Dawn and the Dusk are clinging to each other.  Light and Dark are intermingling at this mysterious time Nature Spirits beckon.

Samhain, October 31, the Celtic word for the end of the Summer.  This was the Celtic New Year.  In American customs it is Halloween, All Hallows Eve, in remembrance of the dead.  In ancient times it was a festival which involved sacrifices to the Spirits.

Yule, this is the Winter Solstice, the time when Light begins to return, the time of miraculous births and joy.


Animism is the belief that the natural world, lakes, mountains, trees and rivers possess a spirit that gives off an aura.  Early Greek and Roman beliefs talk of Dryads and Nymphs which populated the groves and rivers of the world.


The magic of Fairies is all around us, it is possible that at one time Fairies did exist, they may have been Gods of another time. There is a medical disorder named Williams syndrome.  this is an hereditary condition where the person has a full face, wizened with large eyes, small noses, wide mouths and tiny chins, with oval ears.  These children grow slowly and remail small for their lifetime, it may be that the tales of Fairies had their origins in this genetic deformity.

 The present time calls on the imagination in order to visit with the Fairies.  There may be a time while weeding in the garder a flickerin the ccorner of you minds eye distracts you it could very well be a Fairy attempting to communicate.  Take the time to stop and hum a line of you favorite song, the joy you give to one lonely Fairy may give you a gl;imse into a world other than you know.

Sun Worship

The veneration of the Sun or Sun God or Goddess can be found throughout history. Many of these beliefs have been recorded in various forms and can be found in numerous ancient cultures. Solar Gads and the different aspects of the sun's power and strength has passed down through the ages. The Solar boat or chariot is found in ancient Egypt with the Gods Ra and Horus.

Archaeologists are studying the ancient structures that align the Sun and other celestial bodies such as Stonehenge with the appearance of the Sun at the Summer and Winter Solstices. This knowledge of the solar cycles when used as a calendar could have dictated the social leaders of these ancient cultures as o when the agricultural cycles off the year were best for the people. The influence of the Sun on agriculture built them into strong urban civilizations.

The Sun as the giver of light and life to the world is associated with justice and the light of right. The Sun was considered to be the source of wisdom/ The qualities of the Sun reflected the idea if sovereignty and was often a symbol of divine power. The concept of Kingship as understood by ancient civilizations, the King is sacred, who brings order and fertility to the society, and as he prospers and is blessed by the Gods so are the people of the land. The Sun is an All Seeing God who observes good and evil behavior dispelling darkness.,

In ancient Egypt the Sun was significant in the religion and there are hieroglyphics with symbols of the Sun accompanying the Pharaoh. The God Horus was the Sun at sunrise Ra the Sun at noonday and Osiris the sunset.

Thee Aztecs and the Mayas also worshiped the Sun and their complex calenders developed from their belief in Solar deities. The myths of other civilizations , such as, Baal, Apollo, Marduk were also associated with the Sun.

Th Sun occupied an important place in myth and ritual/ In Peru the ruler was an incarnation of the Sun God Inti. The theme of the mourning of an heir and the withholding or overabundance of rain or sun; the resurrection and the return of fertility may be accounted for the Summer droughts and its eventual breaking.

Ancient cultures marveled at the celestial bodies, the Sun, the Moon and the Stars and Constellations because of their power and strength which gave rise to the practice of Sun worship. People looked for the Creators or their Supreme Gods from Nature and the Sun with it's regular cycles and its impact of the lives of the people gave a culture a place in the Universe. Sun worship was a driving force in the religion of many ancient cultures.

Werewolves

A Werewolf is a mythological human who changes into a wolf or a wolf-like creature, they either do this willfully or by having a curse put on them/or by a bite or scratch from a werewolf. The transformation is most often occurs with the Moon's phases commonly when the Moon is Full.

Werewolves have are more powerful in strength and speed than normal wolves or men. The Werewolf legends are found typically in the folklore from Europe, although it has spread through the world.

In European folklore Werewolves tend to have wolf like traits even in their human form. These included connected eyebrows, curved fingernails and other feral traits. One trait in medieval Europe was of werewolf consuming recently buried corpses

One of ways of becoming a Werewolf has been reported as putting on a belt made of wolf skin or an entire animal skin. In other cases, the body is rubbed with a magical ointment; drinking rainwater out of the footprint of a wolf. Having he power to transform others into wild beasts was utilized by sorcerers.

Methods for curing Werewolves in antiquity, the Ancient Greeks and Romans believed in the power of exhaustion in curing the people with long periods of physical activity. The belief that many the Werewolves would be left feeling weak and debilitated.

In medieval Europe to cure a victim with the herb Wolfs bane, surgically or with the help of an exorcist.

The belief that some serial killers commit cannibalism, mutilation, and and kill with cyclic patterns is thought to contribute to the legends of werewolves.

Werewolves in fiction have traits that differ from those of original folklore, the thought that Werewolves can be destroyed by silver bullets or weapons or that they can cause others to become werewolves by biting them comes from modern day fiction. The stories of Werewolves continue to thrive in our culture and literature and film. Who when the Moon is full cam resist the urge to murmur a prayer at the the sight of it. Legends and myth is seldom far from the truth and if this is any indication of the truth in a myth then the continuation of the Werewolf lore is set down for the generations.