Essays

The Myth of the Million Dollar Challenge

Greg — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 05:24:15 +0000

For ten years, the modern skeptical movement has wielded a cudgel against claims of the paranormal: the James Randi Million Dollar Challenge. In many debates over the possibility of psi abilities, the Challenge provides a final word for one side..."has so-and-so applied for the Challenge?" The financial reward offered by the James Randi Educational Foundation is seen by many skeptics as providing an irresistible motivation for anybody with paranormal ability - after all, if someone could genuinely exhibit such powers, surely they would step forward to take the million?

However, after ten years, the James Randi Educational Foundation (JREF) says nobody has even got past their preliminary testing. Furthermore, none of the 'big fish' - medium John Edward, spoon-bender Uri Geller, psychic Sylvia Browne - have applied (although Sylvia Browne did accept James Randi's direct challenge on Larry King Live, without going any further). And now, perhaps as a result of that fact, James Randi has announced that the Challenge will come to an end in two years, on March 6th, 2010.

But does the challenge really make a statement about the existence of the paranormal and/or psi abilities? ... Read More »

Mysteries of the Great Seal

Greg — Wed, 13 Feb 2008 03:29:29 +0000

A new Associated Press story doing the rounds attempts to debunk some of the hype and conspiracy theories which surround (literally, see the image!) the Great Seal of the United States. I wrote about the seal in my book The Guide to Dan Brown's The Solomon Key, as Dan Brown had indicated that the emblem would be a part of the plotline of his next book. For those interested, I've excerpted some of it beneath...just a small part of a lot of fascinating 'hidden history' of the United States which you'll find in my book (which you can pick up from Amazon US and Amazon UK):

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HISTORY OF THE GREAT SEAL

Before adjourning on the ground-breaking day of July 4, 1776, the Continental Congress passed a resolution that a committee be formed to design a seal for the newly independent United States. The members of that committee were Benjamin Franklin, John Adams and Thomas Jefferson – three of the five men who worked on the Declaration of Independence, two of whom would go on to become President. However, it would take another six years before the Great Seal of the United States came into being, with two more committees and fourteen men eventually employed to establish the icon.

The first committee of Franklin, Adams and Jefferson initially worked on Biblical and classical themes, including the ‘Children of Israel in the Wilderness’, but with little success. They then employed the talents of French portrait artist, Pierre Eugene du Simitiere, who had some experience in designing seals. However, the du Simitiere-influenced design was rejected by Congress on August 20th 1776, although a couple of the features later became a part of the official seal – the infamous Eye of Providence within a triangle, and the motto E Pluribus Unum ... Read More »

James Cameron vs Jesus

Greg — Thu, 01 Mar 2007 11:55:15 +0000

Certainly, the story of this week has been James Cameron and his Jesus bone box. Here's an almost complete summary of the story, to get you up to speed with what is sure to be an ongoing saga this year:

The flurry of publicity this week (see a Reuters slide-show) is actually a little surprising, given that the 'bone boxes' (properly known as ossuaries) were unearthed at an Israeli construction site in 1980, and there has been comment about them previously over the years (including a 1996 BBC documentary which made similar claims). The recent hype comes about because of a 90 minute documentary which will be shown on Discovery Channel this Sunday (4th March, 2007), produced by Titanic and Terminator director James Cameron, titled "The Lost Tomb of Jesus".

The ossuaries are said to bear inscriptions matching those of the immediate family of Jesus the Christ, as well as Mary Magdalene (of course suggesting the Dan Brown meme that the couple were married), and also a son of Jesus and Mary, Judah (said to be confirmed by DNA tests).

Jane Root, president of Discovery Channel, says "The evidence is compelling...the consequences are enormous." However, Amos Kloner, the Bar Ilan University professor who led the excavation in the 1980s, dismissed the claim: "They [say they] are 'discovering' things. But they haven't discovered anything. They haven't found anything. Everything had already been published. And there is no basis on which to make a story out of this or to identify this as the family of Jesus."

Lawrence E. Stager, the Dorot professor of archaeology of Israel at Harvard, commented that the documentary "is exploiting the whole trend that caught on with ‘The Da Vinci Code'", despite not having seen the documentary. However, James Cameron refuted claims of riding Dan Brown's coat-tails. “I think this is the biggest archaeological story of the century,” he said. “It’s absolutely not a publicity stunt. It’s part of a very well-considered plan to reveal this information to the world in a way that makes sense, with proper documentation.”

The makers of the Bloodline documentary released an email update in which they said they...

...think it's a good thing that the debate continues over the historical Jesus and the origins of Christianity. Of course, we feel that it's much more likely that, in the climate of the time, Jesus, Mary Magdalene and their family came to France and are buried there.

Sporting their own biblical scholar, they quoted Professor Robert Eisenman (of Dead Sea Scrolls fame) as commenting about Cameron's discovery, that "it should be obvious that names of the kind found in the ' Jesus Burial Cave' were so widespread at the time that finding a family tomb with ossuaries inscribed with them proves nothing at all."

Meanwhile, it's interesting to note the manner in which the discovery is being treated by the Christian base as an assault upon Christianity. From viewing various forums around the Intarweb, this seems to be a common feeling amongst Christians - that this is just the next attempt to discredit their religion, in a similar vein to The Da Vinci Code. This perception obviously arises out of the suggestion that Jesus was married, and that the discovery of his mortal remains argues against his ascension. R. Albert Mohler, president of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, said the film is a "made-for-television hoax", while Catholic sources were very skeptical of the documentary.

Beyond the James Cameron versus Christianity debate though, there is another controversy which seems to have been brewing for some time. Some have noted the allegedly fraudulent 'James Ossuary' as being a bone of contention (no pun intended) between Christians and Jews, with the Israeli Archaeological Authority (IAA) going up against Christian supporters of the alleged Biblical relic and most notably Hershel Shanks and his Biblical Archaeology Society (BAS). There is a similarity in that case with the new finds - Israeli archaeologists debunking claims of 'Christian' discoveries - although with the twist this time that many Christians will be siding with the Israelis.

But wait, a further twist: some have made a claim for the authenticity of the James Ossuary because it is rumoured to have come from the same dig as the new ossuaries, with Cameron's team identifying the same patina on their ossuaries as on the James Ossuary (see Archaeology.org's cynical coverage, which also has some excellent images of the press conference). However, just last week photos were submitted in the forgery case against antiquities dealer Oled Golan, suggesting it had been held since 1976. Ironically, though these images are supposed to validate Golan's claims for authenticity of the James Ossuary, the photos may invalidate any suggestion that the ossuary was part of the Jesus ossuary collection (although it could be claimed that it was looted before the 'official' discovery of the tomb).

Interestingly, just to muddy already murky waters, one of the scholars present at the James Cameron press conference was James Tabor, author of The Jesus Dynasty. As the Archaeology.org coverage notes, in his book Tabor suggests that Jesus was actually the son of a Roman soldier named Pantera, "a conclusion obviously at odds with the Cameron and Jacobovici's interpretation of the cave and its find." Another, Shimon Gibson - who was a member of the team that originally excavated the tomb - confessed to being skeptical about the claim...though he did urge keeping an open mind about the possibility.

And perhaps that is the best advice. Certainly, there is reason for skepticism. But every argument deserves to be heard, as I'm sure they will over the coming weeks and months.

Dan Brown - The Udjat and The Solomon Key

Greg — Fri, 04 Nov 2005 04:55:28 +0000

The Guide to Dan Brown's 'The Solomon Key' is available from good bookstores across the U.S. and also on Amazon.com

On Dan Brown’s website there is a competition (now closed, though you can still ‘play’) which offered a trip to Paris for the lucky winner. This Internet challenge required the attentive reader to find and ‘decipher’ some codes hidden on the jacket of The Da Vinci Code. And what’s more, the answers to this challenge are said to point to the content of Dan Brown’s next Robert Langdon mystery, titled The Solomon Key.

In my book The Guide to Dan Brown's “The Solomon Key” (Amazon US), I devote a chapter to working through each question and answer in the Internet challenge, and then expand on each topic in detail in the subsequent chapters. Space prohibits us from discussing them all here, so I’d just like to focus on the final question in the challenge, and what happens when you answer it.

The final question of the challenge is perhaps the most cryptic, and requires both a keen eye and a little cryptographic knowledge (or for some, just a strong intuition). The clue given points to a very faint seal on the back cover of The Da Vinci Code, in which a series of numbers are given, separated by the ‘eye in the triangle’ symbol often associated with the ‘Illuminati’. A riddle describes how to solve the final cipher:

Each number to a chapter points the way
Each chapter starts with words in muted gray
The letter that is first is what you seek
Thirteen of them (and though it all looks Greek)
Add three all-seeing-eyes – a perfect square
Begin at E, and Caesar guides you there.

The directions end with the question:

What famous phrase is printed around the seal?

Using the numbers on the cover of the book, and cross-checking with the initial ‘grayed’ title character of the related chapters, we gather thirteen letters, which don’t make a whole lot of sense in their current order. Following the directions given, we add three all-seeing-eyes to the thirteen letters and now have sixteen characters in all - a perfect four by four square just as the clue says. But how do we form this square using the letters and eyes?

The clue leads the way – “Caesar guides you there”. While a number of cipher techniques were used by Julius Caesar, one in particular suits the use of a square, the so-called “Caesar Box”. To employ a Caesar Box, the cipher text is laid out in vertical columns within the square, and then the coded message is revealed by reading across the rows. Using this method, and taking the all-seeing eyes as ‘spaces’ between the words, reveals an intriguing phrase:

A5. E Pluribus Unum

In hindsight, the answer may be obvious: the question asks for the famous phrase printed around a seal which uses the pyramid and all-seeing eye motif. This is obviously the ‘Great Seal’ of the United States, and the Latin motto is clearly visible – although it should be noted that it is on the reverse side (as a banner held in the beak of the eagle), and not surrounding the all-seeing eye. On that side, we find the controversial phrases Annuit Coeptis and Novus Ordo Seclorum.

After entering the answer, the challenge explains the phrase. It describes how E Pluribus Unum is Latin for "Out of Many…One", and that it appears on the Great Seal of the United States. It also notes that these motifs can be found on the dollar bill, adding that discussion of the various theories involved will have to wait for another day. I’ve beaten Dan Brown to the punch on that one and give a detailed exposition of early Freemasonry in America, and the symbolism of the dollar bill, in my guide to The Solomon Key – but let’s continue on with the challenge and see what other surprises await.

By answering the challenge questions correctly, the ‘contestant’ is then taken to a final page which consists of one last challenge. It says that to complete the quest, we are required to click on the oeil droit of the Mona Lisa. This is a simple enough task, as oeil droit is French for "right eye", and we are presented with an image of the Mona Lisa. Clicking on the right eye of Da Vinci’s famous portrait completes the challenge. However, perhaps we should note the choice of the right eye as a further clue to the content of The Solomon Key?

Dan Brown regularly reminds us in The Da Vinci Code, on his website, and in interviews that many of ‘the mysteries’ in his novels are based on the idea of a continuation of hidden knowledge from ancient times. One of the ancient traditions from which he draws on regularly for the ‘symbology’ of his novels is that of the great Egyptian culture which existed for some 3,000 years before the time of Christianity. And the ‘right eye’ held a certain meaning for the ancient Egyptians.

The ‘udjat’, or ‘Eye of Horus’, was a particularly potent symbol to the Ancient Egyptians. Examples of this motif can be found on temple walls and inscribed on pyramidions, but it was mostly used as an amulet worn by the living and included in the mummy wrappings of the deceased. It has a curious mythological origin:

A symbol of the god Horus...myths state that Horus lost his eye in his war with Seth to avenge the death of his father. Seth tore the eye into pieces. Thoth...was able to reassemble them...Thoth gave the Eye to Horus. Horus, in turn, gave the eye to his murdered father Osiris, thereby bringing him back to life.

The symbol was most often depicted anatomically as the right eye, although both left and right held their own meaning. The right eye of Horus, also termed the ‘Eye of Ra’, was consonant with the Sun – and on Hermetic grounds has therefore been associated with masculinity, rationality and science. The left eye was associated with the Moon – and was therefore ascribed femininity, intuition, and esoteric thought according to Hermetic philosophy. Interestingly, Masonic iconography often portrays both the Sun and the Moon together in the one image.

As an amulet, the Eye of Horus was believed to have healing and protective power, even the ability to resurrect the dead (as was the case with Osiris). The icon was also used as a mathematical device, with the different ‘shreds’ of the torn-up eye each representing a fraction of the whole. Could Dan Brown use this fact as part of one of his codes? Perhaps more pertinently, the Eye of Horus is also thought by some to have served as the model for the "all-seeing-eye", commonly associated with secret societies including the Illuminati and the Freemasons, and mentioned previously by Brown in Angels and Demons. This may be based on the function of the eye, which is to perceive light, an allusion to the spiritual ability to see the ‘inner light’.

However, we should also keep in mind this division of the two eyes of Horus as signifying the rational and intuitive sides of human consciousness. Dan Brown’s storylines often revolve around similar dichotomies to these: in Angels and Demons, the battle between the Illuminati and the Catholic Church was described as a battle between science and religion. Ironically, in The Da Vinci Code, the Church was depicted as the domination of the masculine, and the Priory of Sion the defender of the ‘sacred feminine’. With the secret societies in each case being depicted at the opposite ends of the Hermetic spectrum, it may be difficult to decide where Dan Brown will position Freemasonry in The Solomon Key. Further investigation may illuminate the issue though (no pun intended), and I discuss this in detail in my book.

Finally, returning to the Great Seal imagery which appears on the U.S. dollar bill, there is one last detail worth noting about the portrayal of President George Washington on the reverse side, which brings our investigation full circle. David Ovason points out in his book The Secret Symbols of the Dollar Bill that if you fold the dollar bill vertically in half, or draw straight diagonals between the tops of the ‘1’ figures, you will find the same point of convergence: directly in the middle of George Washington’s right eye – his oeil droit. Ovason wrote his book well before Dan Brown's internet challenge focused on the dollar bill symbolism and the right eye of the Mona Lisa - do you think we’re on to something?

Strange Constructions

Greg — Tue, 04 Jan 2005 01:25:13 +0000

This essay, "Strange Constructions", is a sample chapter from the book The Guide to Dan Brown's 'The Solomon Key', by Greg Taylor. It is in PDF form to preserve the original formatting and graphic content.

Please note that there is now an official website dedicated to the book, which contains updates pertaining to Dan Brown's work and also essays on the topic of The Solomon Key. If you are interested in reading more from The Guide to Dan Brown's The Solomon Key, it is available to buy from:

All good bookstores. If they don't have it in stock, order it using the ISBN 0875168167.
Buy now from Amazon US
Buy now from Amazon UK
Buy now from Barnes and Noble

We are grateful for any help in spreading word about the book, either to friends or through your own resources (web pages, mailing lists, mainstream media etc), so please feel free to pass on the link to this page to others or contact us for more information if you are a member of the media.

The book description for The Guide to Dan Brown's The Solomon Key reads:

The massive success of Dan Brown's "The Da Vinci Code" has readers eagerly awaiting his next novel "The Solomon Key". Using hints and clues left by Brown in interviews, on his website, and on the cover of "The Da Vinci Code", Greg Taylor takes you an unprecedented tour of the new book before it is even released. This guide explores the topics likely to be included in "The Solomon Key" - including the Founding Fathers, Freemasonry, and the Ku Klux Klan - to give you a better understanding of the history behind Brown's research. Maps and discussion of Washington D.C. also acquaint the reader with the setting for the next Robert Langdon thriller. With no plot spoilers, this is the essential primer for understanding Dan Brown's next book. Read it before you buy "The Solomon Key"!

The sample chapter "Strange Constructions" can be viewed as single-sheet PDF or as a printer-friendly landscape-spread PDF (both are around 200kb in size). We hope you enjoy it, and encourage comments and discussion on the topic.

What others have said:

Author Graham Hancock (Fingerprints of the Gods):

Look out for the name Greg Taylor up in lights before too long. He is the up-and-coming author in this field and what he has to say makes fascinating reading.

Alan Boyle of MSNBC:

Until 'The Solomon Key' is published, the next-best thing may well be a slim volume called 'The Guide to Dan Brown's The Solomon Key', in which first-time author Greg Taylor anticipates the puzzles and the personages behind the forthcoming book...Has Taylor cracked the code for Brown's upcoming novel? On one level, who cares? His survey of conspiracy theories and capital sites make for good reading even if Langdon doesn't pick up the clues. And it will be interesting to compare Taylor's take with Brown's when 'The Solomon Key' comes out toward the end of this year.

Blair Blake of Toolband.com:

[It] is an excellent overview of the clandestine conspiracy of cabals both past and present likely to manifest itself to Robert Langdon...there’s lots of evidence in the book to support what many believe to be Freemasonry’s great experiment, as well as hints of a portentous secret transmitted throughout history by politically-oriented secret societies.

The Shermer Sham

Greg — Wed, 22 Dec 2004 00:07:44 +0000

Has it become time for Scientific American to dump its resident 'skeptic' and columnist Michael Shermer? Shermer is the publisher of Skeptic Magazine, and frequently appears in the mass media as the advocate for the 'skeptical' viewpoint when it comes to claims of the paranormal. Scientific American gives him the ear of the scientific community, and the weight of its authority to the general public, via his regular column which is simply called "Skeptic".

The trouble with Shermer is, he is not a skeptic. He is fixated with debunking alternative views, and he is neither objective nor fair in his treatment as a true skeptic should be. Despite warning readers in his book The Borderlands of Science (Amazon US) to be wary of the individual who "consistently ignores or distorts data not for creative purposes but for ideological agendas", it is quite evident that Shermer himself fits into this category.

In his March 2003 column in Scientific American, Shermer cited a study led by researcher Pim van Lommel as evidence against the 'Near-Death Experience' (NDE). Published in the respected medical journal The Lancet, this research had gathered information from cardiac arrest patients regarding their experience (or not) during their life-threatening situation. What is exceedingly strange though is that Pim van Lommel concluded the exact opposite to Shermer. In reply to Shermer's "Skeptic" article, van Lommel wrote:

Michael Shermer states that, in reality, all experience is mediated and produced by the brain, and that so-called paranormal phenomena like out-of body experiences are nothing more than neuronal events. The study of patients with NDE, however, clearly shows us that consciousness with memories, cognition, with emotion, self-identity, and perception out and above a life-less body is experienced during a period of a non-functioning brain (transient pancerebral anoxia).

One might think it fair enough if Shermer simply interpreted the data differently to the research team (although you would ask why, and on what credentials). However, this so-called 'skeptic' failed to even mention in his column that the researchers he was citing had arrived at exactly the conclusion he was trying to disprove. Pim van Lommel's reply to Shermer shows who is thinking more objectively:

To quote Michael Shermer: it is the job of science to solve those puzzles with natural, rather than supernatural, explanations....for me science is asking questions with an open mind, and not being afraid to reconsider widely accepted but scientifically not proven concepts like the concept that consciousness and memories are a product of the brain. But also we should realize that we need a functioning brain to receive our consciousness into our waking consciousness. There are still a lot of mysteries to solve, but one has not to talk about paranormal, supernatural or pseudoscience to look for scientific answers on the intriguing relation between consciousness and memories with the brain.

In his latest column for Scientific American, Shermer has labelled the independent film on science and mysticism, What the #$*! Do We Know?!, as 'quantum quackery'. His basis for this conclusion comes from the testimony of University of Colorado physicist Victor Stenger, who says that there is no crossover between the quantum world and consciousness/the brain. In Shermer's words, therefore, "there is no micro-macro connection." This despite the fact that earlier in the article he had pointed out that scientists of the calibre of Sir Roger Penrose, the late Sir John Eccles, and Stu Hammeroff, have seriously considered the idea worthy of further research. And yet Shermer feels moved to label such ideas as 'physics envy'? Indeed, one can only quote his apparently 'skeptical' article and ask "what the #$*! is going on here?".

It's quite simple to see from the above that Shermer is selecting evidence and opinions that suit his worldview, and quoting them authoritatively, while ignoring or making disparaging comments about any non-conformist views. That is neither objective, scientific, nor skeptical. Then how can Scientific American print this rubbish?

These examples are not the limit to Shermer's ineptitude at objective and critical thinking. In reaction to Rupert Sheldrake's recent book The Sense of Being Stared At (Amazon US and UK), Shermer told USA Today that "the events Sheldrake describes don't require a theory and are perfectly explicable by normal means". When pushed on the details of his rebuttal, Shermer admitted he hadn't even seen the book. Sheldrake has since proposed a debate between himself and Shermer on the subject, though Shermer is yet to accept.

In his August 2004 Scientific American column, Shermer attacked respected physicist Freeman Dyson over his comments that paranormal phenomena may actually exist based on the large amount of anecdotal evidence. Rebutting Dyson over his citing of anecdotal evidence Shermer baldly stated:

Either people can read other people’s minds (or ESP cards), or they can’t. Science has unequivocally demonstrated that they can’t - QED.

In actual fact, Shermer here is inventing the truth. There are many scientific studies which have shown positive results for ESP, and Shermer would be well aware of these (see Dean Radin's The Conscious Universe - at Amazon US and UK - for a summary). Instead, he chooses to ignore them and blatantly lie. Shermer's inability to argue on facts is a blot on the credibility of Scientific American.

Shermer is scheduled to appear in January 2005 at the 'Amazing Meeting' in Las Vegas with uber-'skeptic' James "the Amazing" Randi. Together, they will be giving a workshop on "How to Communicate Skepticism to the Public". Considering the history of both men involved, 'skepticism' is in bad shape and heading for worse. Critical thinking is a must in any alternative claims. But Shermer displays no ability to think critically or objectively, and it is high time that Scientific American questioned his credentials to talk authoritatively on such issues.

Further information concerning Michael Shermer's 'skeptical' history is available at the Skeptical Investigations website - including some statements by critics of the substance and style of his arguments.

Update: Stuart Hameroff has responded to Shermer's critique of his 'quantum consciousness' research.

Update #2: Rupert Sheldrake has responded to Shermer's critique of his research in the November 2005 issue of Sciam.

Tripped on Angel Hair Part I

Greg — Wed, 13 Oct 2004 23:58:56 +0000

On October 13th, 1917, one of Christianity's great miracles took place at Fatima in Portugal. For a number of months, three shepherd children had been having visions of a female entity. Beginning on Sunday May 13th of that year, 10-year-old Lucie dos Santos and her cousins François and Jacinthe Marto had seen an apparition on the 13th of each successive month, above a small oak-tree at the heart of a natural basin called Cova da Iria. On each occasion, growing crowds also witnessed strange phenomena, the details of which deserve greater scrutiny. Here is a synopsis of each 'vision':

Sunday May 13th: Lucie describes everything becoming suddenly quiet, and then the 'Virgin' begins talking to her.

Wednesday June 13th: The children are accompanied by some fifty people. Lucie sees a bright flash and begins communicating with a vision that the others present neither see nor hear. The crowd does hear, though, a humming sound described as 'many bees'. The vision ends when the group hears an explosive sound, "like the blast of a firework when you hear it going up in the distance". At this point all of them see a little white cloud moving away from the tree.

Friday July 13th: A group of several thousand arrives with the children on this occasion. During this vision, Lucie is promised a 'great miracle' to convince the doubters during the October vision. The children are also entrusted with three secrets (the third of which gained legendary status, before being revealed just a few years ago). Once again, an explosive sound is heard and the little white cloud moves away. Again the crowd hear the "humming of a bee", and notice a decline in daylight.

Monday August 13th: The children are unable to attend as a local official had detained them due to the public disorder being caused. Nevertheless, a crowd close to 20,000 gathers and once again see and hear the usual sequence of events. Witnesses also describe seeing "a luminous globe turning around on itself".

Thursday September 13th: The children are accompanied by more than 25,000 people - including two investigating priests. The crowd notices a bright sphere approaching from the sky. Lucie again speaks with the 'Virgin'. As she departs, the crowd cries "There She goes!" as they sight a luminous oval moving away, "calmly but with a certain speed". At this point the group also observe a shower of what later became known as 'rose petals' - although original acounts actually suggest silvery flakes which dissolved as witnesses caught them in their hands.

Saturday October 13th: Despite heavy rain overnight, and drizzle throughout the day, some 70,000 people turn up in expectation of the promised 'miracle'. According to the Portuguese historian Leopoldo Nunes, "at the time of the great miracle, there were present some of the most illustrious men of Letters, Arts or Sciences of the day, almost all non-believers, who had come out of simple curiosity."

At noon, Lucie was alerted to the onset of the vision by a regular tell-tale sign - a series of blinding flashes. She asked the crowd to close their umbrellas, which they did despite the continuing drizzle. Some members of the crowd reported seeing "a column of cloud [smoke] fine and bluish, perfectly visible" around the three children. Then, the miracle occurred - the "sun" was seen to dance and descend to the Earth. Many have surmised that what the crowd actually saw was once again one of the silvery orbs previously seen - the 'sun' was described as "a sharply outlined disk" and "a flat piece of dull silver", and that notably it "shone without hurting one’s eyes. Descending with a zigzag motion, and spinning on itself, the orb/disk then seemed to fall upon the crowd, turning blood red, before ascending once more. During the orb's 'dance', the crowd reported - despite the drizzle - feeling a gentle warmth, and this appears to have been physically true because one of the great mysteries of the 'miracle' is that afterwards witnesses were surprised to find their clothes almost completely dry. Many reports also told of how the orb threw off different colours - white, yellow, blue and purple are mentioned.

On the 13th of October 1930, based on an exhaustive inquiry, the Catholic Church officially recognised the authenticity of the apparitions at Fatima.

A Curious Substance

Many researchers, including the esteemed Jacques Vallee, have noticed the similarities in the Fatima visions to some UFO cases. One of these similarities is the 'angel hair' that fell on the crowd during the September event (the later attribution of 'rose petals' is a good example of how embellishment of religious accounts occurs). 'Angel Hair' is a phenomenon well-known in ufology, where silver craft - variously described as disks, spheres and cigars - are seen leaving a white contrail. Soon, a cobweb-like substance is found to fall from the sky, sometimes in flakes but also quite often in long strands which drape themselves over power-lines and fences. When witnesses attempt to pick up some of the substance, it seems to disintegrate into nothing at their touch. The curious substance which showered on the crowd at Fatima no doubt conforms to the usual appearance of angel hair - silvery orbs (moving often in zig-zag motion, and also turning 'blood red' at high noon no less), explosive sounds, the sublimation of the substance as people touch it. Additionally, it should be noted that the sublimation is said to sometimes occur with a trace of light blue smoke or vapour...a possible link with the fine blue cloud seen around the children?

Consider these accounts of 'angel hair' over the years (see here for a substantial list):

In 1477, in Japan, white cotton-like material fell for 6 hours after a luminous object crossed the sky
In 1596, in Japan, a greath earthquake struck the Kyoto area at night and strange white hair fell over the region.
In 1702, once again in Japan, at high noon the sun changed colour to a blood-like red and strings of a substance similar to white cotton fell to the ground.
In 1945, in the US, a man was hunting when he saw a UFO land in a clearing in the woods. The craft then emitted a humming sound, began revolving and ascended vertically. As it disappeared it discharged a shower of silvery thread-like material.
In 1952, in France, 'saucers' were seen travelling in pairs in a 'zig-zag' motion. These objects left long trails which drifted down and covered trees, telephone wires and houses.
In 1954, in France, a mysterious explosion was heard, enough to make the roof tiles on houses shake. A few minutes later, white strands fell on the countryside, which evaporated when people touched them.
Also in 1954 in France (on Oct 13th no less), a witness reported seeing a huge white disk moving at tremendous speed. Suddenly it exploded in full flight, and a smaller silver object seemed to spurt from the explosion and continued on a southward trajectory. The remnants of the disk fell gently like shredded paper.
In 1998, at Quirindi in Australia, a 61-year-old said she saw cobwebs falling from the sky. On looking up, she saw some twenty silver orbs, which continued floating around the sky for another hour and a half. When she tried to pick up the substance, it disintegrated in her hand.
In 2000, residents of two north-Italian towns reported an unusually loud boom, followed by a shower of "long sheer white filaments drifting down from the sky."

The phenomenon of angel hair has not been at the forefront of modern UFO research, partly because recently there haven't been a great number of reports, and also because many people accept the orthodox line that the 'angel hair' is in fact the web of migrating ballooning spiders, which travel on the air currents using silken web 'parachutes'.

Many skeptics point to a paper written by researcher Brian Boldman which supports the spider web hypothesis (the original website appears to be down, but it is available via Google's cache). In it, he puts forward his hypothesis that angel hair UFOs are in fact statically charged balls of spider web, based on numerous accounts of the angel hair appearing to behave as if it were charged (eg. 'jumping' from grass onto one's hand). The ballooning spider hypothesis is solidly supported by the fact that instances of 'angel hair' occur very regularly around October, the usual time of migration for these spiders. Indeed, the UFO wave of 1954 - which contained many instances of angel hair - was concentrated right around the month of October.

The view of these 'orbs' as statically charged balls of spider web filaments may also be supported by the fact that they are often seen 'in formation' and joined together. For example:

In 1952 in France, two objects spotted in the sky appeared to be connected by a whitish trail, 'like an electric arc'. Angel hair fell from the sky subsequently.
In 1953 (October 13th again), four round objects were spotted by a woman after a flock of turkeys she was feeding became alarmed - she said one of the objects appeared to flying ahead of the rest, with the other three appearing to linked together.
In 1954, over the course of a number of days, thousands of witnesses numerous luminous points flying over Rome in Italy, grouped in V-shapes which also came together to make a diamond shape and an "enormous Saint Andrew’s cross". The sighting was followed by the falling of 'angel hair'.
In 1968 in Canada, a farmer saw three football-shaped objects. Two of the UFOs appeared to be connecte by a "long, white arc or loop" which appeared to fraying, with the third object separate. Afterwards, long white filaments fell upon the farm.
In 1971, in Australia, silvery-white globes were reported. Many appeared to be 'double' with a joining thread or cord, moving around each other. The objects were seen moving in separate directions, and also changing direction suddenly (which seems to argue against the wind as the propellant). Pieces of 'fairy floss' were found on the ground, which melted when touched.

However, despite being the 'poster essay' for skeptics, Boldman's view appears to have changed, as in a more recent paper (which I recommend everyone reads) he seems to be renouncing his previous conclusion:

If spider webs are angel hair, then we have been the victims of a cruel joke of nature, the similarity of two separate phenomena, both in appearance and pattern. But I consider spider web to be a red herring...the evidence seems overwhelming that angel-hair cases are indeed related to genuine UFOs, and provides more evidence of their reality. Both UFOs and angel hair deserve the serious attention of the scientific community.

The 'ballooning spider' explanation is certainly prosaic, so what aspects of 'angel hair' cases don't lend themselves to this idea? For one, the spheres are often seen heading in opposite directions, and also stopping, hovering, and making 90 degree turns. This would tend to argue against balls of web being carried on the breeze. Also, spider web normally doesn't dissolve in the hands of humans (or indeed before it hits the ground). The sheer amount may count against it as well - some 'orbs' seem particularly large, and angel hair falls have covered many square miles at a time. Perhaps most importantly, when samples have been 'captured', analysis usually ends in confusion - and nobody has equated the substance with spider's web (see Boldman's essay, page 13-14). However, four separate analyses have resulted in detection of silicon, calcium, magnesium and boron each time...and Boldman points out that while the first three are common elements, the presence of boron is puzzling.

Things turn interesting when Boldman correlates something else with the presence of angel hair. Firstly, he points out that not all UFO waves have instances of angel hair reported - in fact, only the 1954 and 1973 waves showed significant reporting. These two waves not only featured angel hair, but also "were replete with a large quantity of high strangeness cases of high quality involving 'entity' sightings [and] electromagnetic (EM) effects". Graphing the UFO waves of 1954 and 1973, he found that the showers of this mysterious substance correlated strongly with reports of entities:

What is really interesting about the entity reports is that they correlate with the peaks of both waves

In the concluding chapter of this essay, I will discuss the implications of this finding and how it relates to other aspects of the 'miracle at Fatima'.

Dr John Mack - A Tribute

Greg — Tue, 28 Sep 2004 23:52:13 +0000

Dr John Mack did not believe that alien abductions were simply hoaxes, delusions and hallucinations. Based on his work counselling abductees, Mack arrived at the astounding conclusion that this was a phenomenon which was 'real', but which didn't so much have its basis in the physical universe as Henry Corbin's "imaginal realms", accessible only through a widening of conscious perception. This hypothesis is in stark opposition to the current scientific paradigm, which is based on the mechanistic assumption that consciousness is a by-product of a physical brain.

Needless to say, such opposition to orthodoxy comes with its price. Mack, who had previously won a Pulitzer Prize for his biography of T.E. Lawrence and was a respected Harvard psychiatrist, was lambasted by his colleagues and even investigated by Harvard. This despite his eloquent and detailed explanation of his hypothesis that the abduction phenomenon displayed clear patterns indicating some objective 'reality', and was worthy of further research. Mack's crime was that he challenged the dogma of physicalism. Not that he would have had it any other way, for he believed that it was important that we began to reclaim a science of the soul:

in the focus on the material realm to the exclusion of the subtle realms, we have virtually rid the cosmos of nature, rid nature of spirit and, in a sense, denied the existence of all life other than that which is physically observable here on earth...the Western world view, what Tulane philosopher Michael Zimmerman calls anthropomorphic humanism, has reduced reality largely to the manifest or physical world and puts the human mind or the human being at the top of the cosmic intellectual hierarchy, eliminating not only God but virtually all spirit from the cosmos. The phenomena that really shake up that world view are those that seem to cross over from the unseen world and manifest in the physical world.

Mack didn't jump to this conclusion lightly. The hypothesis formed itself over several years of counselling abductees, perhaps part of the reason why he didn't seem ready for the orthodox onslaught against him - he was, as he puts it, a frog that died in gradually heating water, never noticing the impending danger. He also admits that the proposal of his extraordinary hypothesis took a great deal of challenging of my his own materialist scientific and clinical upbringing.

I don't know whether John Mack was right. But I appreciate his contribution to shaking us out of our narrow-minded, anthropomorphic thinking once in a while. John Mack was a scientist and skeptic in the true definition of those words, and his ability to challenge his own epistemological ideas shames all those who attacked him for his work on alien abductions. Indeed, he even welcomed the input of those challenging his hypothesis...

For then if we can embrace the questions and polarities that the critiques represent, perhaps we can go to a deeper level of understanding instead of finding ourselves, as we tend to, in opposition to the people that will not take in what we are trying to communicate.

The greatest tribute we can give to John Mack is to continue investigating his ideas with an open mind, in order that his legacy lives on. One of the few to challenge the mainstream scientific paradigm openly and with eloquence, others must fill the breach in his absence. Dr John Mack was a fine man and a true scientist - he will be sorely missed.

Those interested in Dr Mack's research are encouraged to visit the website for Passport to the Cosmos, which features a large number of essays, lectures and interviews. Further information can be found at the website of the John E. Mack Institute.

The God with the Upraised Arm

Greg — Wed, 28 Jul 2004 23:29:13 +0000

The 'God with the Upraised-Arm' in Near Eastern Mythology:

An Astronomical Archetype?

In the depictions of mythological scenes on Near Eastern archaeological
monuments and artefacts, a number of 'archetypal images' are apparent. One of the most intriguing of these is the 'God with the Upraised-Arm', which can be found in scenes from Egypt, right through the fertile-crescent to Anatolia. In Egypt it is apparent from the time of unification onwards, seen in identical depictions which capture the pharaoh in the act of smiting his enemies. This common image can be linked within a mythological context to the contendings of the gods Horus and Seth, with the king identified as Horus and the enemy Seth. Further, it would also appear that the 'smiting pose' was considered by the Egyptians to be visible as a constellation in their sky. The constellation of Orion presents itself as the most convincing candidate, although previous studies will have to be considered before accepting this identification. If correct, this would suggest that some of Horus' characteristics were due to the use of Orion as a seasonal marker. This becomes even more apparent when we shift our gaze to other parts of the Near East, where the 'God with the Upraised Arm' can be found in abundance. His context remains the same: either as the adversary of chaos, or as the bringer of rain and fertility. The common depiction and mythological treatment of this god across a range of cultures and time-periods suggests that it must be have been based upon an important and archetypal image. It is impossible to say for certain whether this image was Orion; nonetheless, this identification provides a comprehensive explanation for certain characteristics of the 'God with the Upraised Arm'.

The Narmer Palette (Figure 1) is often seen as a historical depiction of the
unification of Upper and Lower Egypt. The image of King Narmer, wearing the
white crown of the south and smiting an enemy commonly held to be a northerner,
is often cited as evidence that he was the unifier of the two lands (Grimal
1992, p. 37). This became a standard picture of the king throughout the history of Egypt (see Figures 2 and 3), whether the king holds a mace, a spear or even a bowstring in his right hand. Frankfort (1948, pp. 7-9) sees this as not only a scene showing a decisive historical battle, but also as a representation of the king as the divine ruler.

He asserts that the real meaning of the scene is that the king's victory represents the 'reduction of chaos to order', an important pre-occupation with the ancient Egyptians. Chaos assumed many forms: death, drought, invading enemies; these were all seen as manifestations of Seth (Frankfort 1948, p. 183). It was the king's job, as the earthly incarnation of Horus, to overpower Seth/chaos and maintain the established order. This is obvious from ancient Egyptian texts. For example, in the Cosmology of Abydos we find the following passage describing the triumph of Horus over Seth: 'Dignity has been set in place, honesty has been established through his laws, evil has departed, wickedness is gone, the land is at peace under its lord' (Colless 1994, p. 23). If the Narmer Palette scene is thus considered a symbolic representation of Horus defeating Seth, we would expect to see similar representations explicitly showing these gods battling. There is ample evidence of this and, importantly, certain elements such as the 'upraised arm' seem to hold great significance.

At the Temple of Edfu there is an abundance of imagery concerning the contendings of Horus and Seth. On approaching the temple one is immediately met by huge images on the pylons of the king in 'smiting pose' in the presence of Horus (Figure 4). Inside the temple is found the dramatic text 'The Triumph of Horus' with associated scenes. Dated to approximately 110 BCE, its antecedents would appear to be in feasts and texts from the earliest dynasties (Fairman 1974, p. 34). The drama concerns the harpooning of Seth by Horus (10 times, a symbolic detail which perhaps shares a common origin with the 10 decapitated bodies on the Narmer Palette), after which Horus is crowned the King of Upper and Lower Egypt. Fairman (1974, p. 32) points out that this was not just the re-enactment of myth, but also a means by which the success of the king was ensured each year. Again, Horus is depicted with his arm raised (Figure 5), this time harpooning Seth (represented by a hippopotamus).

That this pose is not simply incidental is confirmed by the naming of Horus in the text as 'Him-with-the-upraised-arm' (Fairman 1974, pp. 106, 117). This was originally the epithet of Min, the god of rain and fertility, for obvious reasons (see Figure 6): he is pictured with an upraised arm holding what is thought to be a thunderbolt. Horus and Min became increasingly identified as one and the same during the Middle Kingdom, although Min was already associated with the Pharaoh at least as early as the 4th Dynasty. On the verso of the Stela of Sobek-iry is found the Hymn to Min, which includes the verse 'I worship Min, I extol arm-raising Horus' (Lichtheim 1973, p. 204). The overall impression is that the upraised arm of Min-Horus was considered to be a characteristic pose of vital importance.

Another crucial point to emerge from the 'Triumph of Horus' is that Horus was the 'Great God, Lord of the Sky' (Fairman 1974, p. 90), a quote which is followed by the passage 'we grant strength to thine arm'. There are numerous other references implying that Horus is to be looked for in the sky; for example 'the gods of the sky are in terror of Horus' (Fairman 1974, p. 102). Significantly, Min in pre-Dynastic times was a sky-god called the 'Chief of Heaven' (Arnold 1999). This raises the question of whether the archetypal image has its origin in the sky. A look at the astronomical ceilings of Senmut and Seti I confirms this. On Senmut's ceiling (Figure 7) there is an almost identical depiction of Horus as at Edfu, with the arm upraised in the act of harpooning Seth (this time represented as the constellation Meskhetiu). There is also an unidentified individual in the same pose amongst the group of constellations at the lower part of the image, this time harpooning a crocodile (another incarnation of Seth). He appears almost identically on the Seti I ceiling (Figure 8). Thus the 'God with the Upraised Arm' can be considered a constellation recognisable by the ancient Egyptians. The obvious question therefore, is which one?

The outstanding candidate to fit the description is the constellation of Orion (Figure 9), at the very least on sheer resemblance. This constellation was well known to the Egyptians, mentioned in the Pyramid Texts in connection with the stellar destiny of the 'resurrected pharaoh'. For example, in Utterance 442 we find 'Lo, Osiris has come as Orion' (Lichtheim 1973, p. 45). That Osiris is seen as Orion is not considered a problem to the thesis currently under discussion; he was also thought to be incarnate in the Moon and the Nile, and ancient Egyptian cosmologies often contain seemingly contradictory concepts (Frankfort et al. 1946, p. 47).

Turning our attention to Horus, we find evidence in Plutarch's Isis and Osiris (1927, p. 53) of a connection with Orion: 'the soul of Isis is called Sothis (Sirius), the soul of Horus is called Orion, and the soul of Typhon (Seth) the Bear'. Plutarch may be thought of as slightly unreliable in regards to the recording of Egyptian culture, however, considering the correct attribution of Isis and Seth to their respective constellations the conflation of Horus and Orion should be taken seriously. More circumstantial is the story recorded on the Metternich Stela in which the young Horus is stung by a scorpion, a mythological motif suggesting the setting of Orion as Scorpius rises (Krupp 1991, p. 137). It should be taken into account as well that Horus was said to have been placed upon the 'seat of his father Osiris', perhaps an indication that they were both identified with Orion.

One of the arguments against this identification could well be that the constellations on this section of the 'astronomical ceilings' are all supposed to be north of the ecliptic (Parker 1974, p.60). It is pertinent to note that Parker actually says 'we are reasonably sure they are all north of the ecliptic'. Neugebauer (1957, p.89) names them as the northern constellations directly after mentioning that 'artistic principles determined the arrangement of astronomical ceiling decorations'. Also, in describing the northern constellations on the Denderah Zodiac, Parker (1974, p. 63) mentions that these are 'presumably all north of the ecliptic but none is depicted in the usual group of northern constellations'. Interestingly Plutarch (1927, p. 93) mentions that the Egyptians hold the lion in honour because the Nile overflows when the sun comes into conjunction with Leo, which is on the ecliptic (Leo and Sirius rise almost together in Egypt). This suggests that the 'Lion' constellation on the astronomical ceilings may in fact be Leo (contrary to current thought). Lastly, to illustrate that the Egyptian conception of the sky was perhaps completely different to ours, consider the following passage from a tomb at Luxor, describing the movements of the ship of Re: 'Once the constellation of Masheti (Meskhetiu) has been passed, they reach shelter in the centre of the sky on the side south of Sah-Orion, and they turn towards the western horizon' (Zinner 1957, p. 28). From this account of the east-west passage of the sun, the ancient Egyptians' conception of the heavens appears to be more complex than usually thought. Another argument against the Horus-Orion link may be that the figure with the upraised arm is sometimes reversed, however, the same is true of the northern constellation of the hippopotamus on the Denderah circular zodiac. Probably the most difficult problem is that on the decanal list on the Senmut ceiling Isis is illustrated with her arm upraised, the significance of which is not clear. However, accepting a link between Horus and Orion has the strong point of explaining the attributes of the god, especially once Orion's role as a seasonal marker is understood.

Using stars and constellations as seasonal markers was commonplace in the ancient world. The heliacal rising of Sirius in July was considered by the Romans to be the reason for the sultry weather (Krupp 1991, p. 222). To the Egyptians this same event signalled the beginning of the Nile flood and thus the New Year. The heliacal rising of a star or constellation was seen as its resurrection after being 'dead' for a period of time. This is due to the apparent motion of the sun through different portions of the sky (a result of the actual motion of the Earth around the sun). When the sun moved into the vicinity of a certain star or constellation it would only be seen late in the west just after the setting of the sun, and after a time would eventually 'disappear' (when the sun was in direct conjunction with it). Once the sun moved further still the star/constellation would then appear in the morning sky in the east just before dawn: this was its heliacal rising. Sirius and Orion both 'died' for approximately 70 days, which could well be the origin of the embalming time for Egyptian mummies (Neugebauer 1957, p. 87).

In the time of the ancient Egyptians, Orion was 'dead' from around the spring equinox through to mid-summer. Interestingly, Frankfort et al (1946, p. 35) note that in Egypt the prevailing wind is from the north, which gives relief from the heat of the sun and makes life much more comfortable. However, late spring (at the time of Orion's 'death') was the season of hot dry winds bringing 'sandstorms and a brittle heat out of Africa to the south'. It was from this period until
Sirius' heliacal rising that the Nile was at its lowest ebb also. Plutarch (1927, pp. 93-99) states that Seth was considered the power of drought and the south wind, while Horus was the north wind, the 'seasonal tempering of the surrounding air'. He asserts that the story of their battles is actually an allegory for the seasonal changes: so as Horus 'dies' in spring, Seth gains the upper hand until the reappearance of the rightful king. Thus Orion, connected with Horus, seems to have been used as a seasonal marker indicating the return of 'orderly' weather. As Krupp (1979, p. 189) says, the 'apparent connection between celestial and terrestrial phenomena greatly affected the Egyptian view of the world'. This is just as evident when we turn our gaze to other parts of the Near East.

The 'God with the Upraised Arm' was present in many cultures and across a wide
timeframe in the Near East. The gods Teshub, Adad, Baal and the unnamed Hittite weather god (Figures 10 - 13) all had similar appearances and mythological contexts and could be considered incarnations of this one god (Krupp 1997, p. 147). A common motif in the depiction of all of these is the upraised arm wielding a mace or lightning. Also sometimes present is a vertical object in the left hand such as a spear or lightning, which has a parallel in the depictions of the Egyptian pharaohs in their smiting pose (see Figure 2). The god is also often presented as riding on two mountain gods, or some sort of animal (another parallel with Horus standing upon the hippopotamus).

All of these characteristics are indicative of the constellation Orion (see Figure 14 which is an Islamic depiction of Orion, portrayed from outside the celestial globe, hence it is reversed), although it far from proves the case. Treating the Ugaritic god Baal as representative of this group of gods may prove illuminating however.

The myths concerning Baal have two major themes, which are very similar to the
mythic themes surrounding Horus. The first is Baal's battle with Yamm, which personifies the battle of order against chaos. The other is Baal's death at the hand of Mot, and subsequent resurrection. This myth clearly suggests the yearly cycle, and also that Baal may well be a constellation. In a direct parallel to the Horus-Seth confrontation, Baal finds out that he is to be swallowed by Mot, the god of death and drought. His descent suggests that he is a sky-god: he is to be 'numbered with those who descend into the earth' and set his face 'to go to the mountains where [the sun sets]' (Colless 1994, pp. 166-167). Also, after his death Athtar (who is identified with Venus) tries to take Baal's throne, but he cannot reach it (Gray 1969, p. 75). In his absence 'Shapash (the Sun) the luminary of the gods glowed hot, the heavens languished under the hand of Mot (drought)...the days passed into months' (Colless 1994, p. 169), a clear indication of the heat of summer. Baal's return heralds the return of the rain, for he was believed to be manifest in the storms of late autumn and winter (Gray 1969, p. 81). While acknowledging that cultivation was of the utmost importance to these early civilisations, it is difficult to subscribe to the common opinion that this is a 'vegetation myth' (Ringren 1973, p. 134). Certainly this is part of it, but it encompasses more than this. For the result of the weather gods' disappearance is not restricted to the suffering of vegetation; every aspect of life is affected (Deighton 1982, p. 71). This indicates an allegory for seasonal change. And the seasonal marker par excellence of the Mediterranean was Orion. His heliacal rising indicated summer, and the time of threshing; his evening appearance the approach of winter and its attendant storms (Allen 1963, p.306). Even taking into account the precession of the equinoxes, this attribute of Orion would have been reasonably constant for the time period concerning ancient civilisation in the Near East.

The similarity in depictions of this god across the Near East argues for its importance. Deighton (1982, p. 29) mentions that 'certain types of scene are repeated time and time again...the wealth of meaning which must have lain behind the monuments...was so alive to those who produced them that they did not require any explanatory notes'. Also the common mythological motifs: Baal goes into the earth, the Hittite weather god is deemed to have withdrawn into a hole; Horus' victory marks the return of the cooling north wind, Marduk's vanquishing of Tiamat results in the 'bringing of rain and coolness' (Colless 1994, p. 102). The acceptance of this 'God with the Upraised Arm' as Orion, and as seasonal marker, fits the pictorial and textual evidence well. Needless to say, restricting any definition of these gods to one particular manifestation is unwise. The significance of the ancient gods was manifold to their respective cultures, the many aspects of Osiris being good evidence of this. But the archetypal model upon which the 'God with the Upraised Arm' was based is quite probably the constellation Orion, in both depiction and 'nature'. Describing these mythological concepts as agricultural in nature only covers part of the territory, as agriculture depends upon the celestial cycles. The importance of these cycles to ancient people cannot be underestimated. It is a proven fact that they recognised significant 'markers' within this cycle, and it is only natural that one of most important of these should be the constellation of Orion. To paraphrase Sir James Frazer in The Golden Bough (1922, p. 506): in the course of our enquiry it has, I trust, been made clear that there is another natural phenomenon to which the conception of death and resurrection is as applicable as to the agricultural cycle. This phenomenon is the yearly death and resurrection of the constellation of Orion, as represented in the mythic themes concerning the various incarnations of the 'God with the Upraised Arm'.

References

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Allen, Richard Hinckley, 1963. Star Names: Their Lore and Meaning. Dover
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Arnold, April 1999 'Min', Ancient Egypt: The Mythology,
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Colless, Brian, 1994. Hieroglyph and Cuneiform: Ancient religious writings.

Deighton, Hilary J. 1982. The 'Weather-God' in Hittite Anatolia: An
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Frankfort, H., 1948. Kingship and the Gods. University of Chicago Press,
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Krupp, E. C. 1979. In Search of Ancient Astronomies. Chatto and Windus,
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Krupp, E. C. 1991. Beyond the Blue Horizon: Myths and Legends of the
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Moon, Stars and Planets. Harper Collins, New York.

Krupp, E. C. 1997. Skywatchers, Shamans and Kings: Astronomy and the
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Neugebauer, O. 1957. The Exact Sciences in Antiquity. Brown University Press,
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Parker, Richard A., 'Ancient Egyptian Astronomy', in The Place of Astronomy in
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Plutarch, 1927. Plutarch's Moralia, trans. Frank Cole Babbit, William
Heinemann Ltd., London.

Ringren, Helmer, 1973. Religions of the Ancient Near East, trans. John Sturdy,
S.P.C.K, London.

Sidgwick, J. B., 1951. Introducing Astronomy, Faber & Faber Ltd., London.

Santillana, Georgio and Von Dechend, Hertha, 1969. Hamlet's Mill: An essay
investigating
the origins of human knowledge and its transmission through myth. David R.
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Cities of Transparent Gold

Greg — Sat, 24 Jul 2004 04:08:14 +0000

Over the past two decades, 'Near Death Experience' (NDE) researchers such as Raymond Moody, Kenneth Ring and Melvin Morse have unveiled some of the mysteries of consciousness as a person faces death. What their data shows is that underlying each personal experience is an archetypal progression, whereby people from many different cultures and backgrounds experience essentially the same stages: a rushing, whooshing or buzzing sound, an Out-of-Body experience, travel through a tunnel, a meeting with 'the Light', experiencing a life review and so on.

Certainly each experience never conforms directly to the archetype, but all tend to partake of at least one aspect if not several - although often presented in different ways. For example, during their out-of-body travels, many people often find themselves reaching a river that needs crossing, or alternately a bridge, or in some case a fence, wall or door. A similar example is the 'heavenly abode' that many NDErs are given access to - in some cases a beautiful garden, for others a land in the clouds, and also sometimes a heavenly city.

I'd like to concentrate here on the experiences relating to a 'heavenly city', as there is a curious aspect to many of these particular anecdotes which suggests something extraordinary. Often these 'cities of light' have a particular quality - they are 'crystalline' - or more directly, made of transparent gold.

Take for example the well known case of Dannion Brinkley's NDE, related in his book Saved by the Light. After being struck by lightning while on the telephone, Brinkley experienced many of the archetypal elements of the NDE. After meeting with the 'being of light', he then relates that:

Like wingless birds, we swept into a city of cathedrals. These cathedrals were made entirely of a crystalline substance that glowed with a light that shone powerfully from within. I was awestruck. This place had a power that seemed to pulsate through the air. I knew that I was in a place of learning. I wasn't there to witness my life or to see what value it had had, I was there to be instructed

The research of Professor Kenneth Ring of the University of Connecticut has contributed greatly to our understanding of Near Death Experiences. Ring found that different elements of the experience could be associated with the ‘depth’ of the NDE. One interesting detail was that some experiencers ‘travelled’ to a city of light, sometimes also called a ‘city of knowledge’. In Ring’s book "Heading Towards Omega", he describes two such accounts in separate NDEs:

...the first thing that I saw was this street. And it had such a clarity. The only thing I can relate it to in this life was a look of gold, but it was clear.

and...

...the building I went in was a cathedral. It was built like St. Mark’s or the Sistine Chapel, but the bricks or blocks appeared to be made of plexiglass. They were square, they had dimensions to ‘em, except you could see through ‘em and in the center of each one of these was this gold and silver light.

Ring lists these two experiences without linking the similar theme -- that the city is made of a ‘transparent gold’ (not literally, but the best ‘rational’ description of an ineffable vision). This in itself is interesting enough, but perhaps even more so if we consider the Revelation to John in the Christian Bible. John is taken by one of the seven angels to view the ‘Holy City’. John says:

...the Spirit took control of me, and the angel carried me to the top of a very high mountain. He showed me Jerusalem, the Holy City, coming down out of heaven from God and shining with the glory of God...the city itself was made of pure gold, as clear as glass.

Not to mention Enoch describes similar structures in his narrrative while exploring the heavens. In terms of the city locales found during the death experience, 17th Century mystic Emmanuel Swedenborg had this to say about the experience of the newly dead:

So they are taught by their friends about the state of eternal life, and are taken around to different places, into different communities. Some are taken to cities, some to gardens and parks; but most are taken to splendid places because this sort of place delights the outward nature they are still involved in.

Interestingly, it's not just the NDE field which has presented these curious cases. In his exploration of the time between lives using hypnotic regression Dr Michael Newton found that some groups of people report seeing great crystalline castles as well. But was the revelation to John a near-death experience, or the astral journeying of a mystic? Perhaps they are one and the same, as some mystical explorations tend to report similar visions.

Occult writer and researcher Nevill Drury reports that during a guided shamanic journey - facilitated by expert Dr Michael Harner - he travelled through a smoke tunnel and was carried towards a golden mountain rising out of the mist. Drury says that as he approached the mountain, he saw...

...a magnificent palace made of golden crystal, radiating lime-yellow light. I am told that this is the palace of the phoenix, and I then see that golden bird surmounting the edifice.

Drury's account leaves us wanting to talk to Michael Harner, as Drury says the respected shamanic guide was keen to know whether any of the group saw 'geometric structures' during their visions - it turned out that many had the specific experience of viewing geometric 'celestial' architecture.

Furthermore, Drury's visionary journey shares a lot of similarities to the 'alien abduction' experience, in particular the one shared by Betty Andreasson. In her ordeal, she also saw a crystal palace - in conjunction with the tunnel motif and a vision of a phoenix. There are many 'abduction' anecdotes describing similar crystalline locales, such as the experience of Katharina Wilson as related in The Alien Jigsaw.

So here we come across, once again, the implication that these myriad phenomena - NDEs, alien abductions, shamanic visions - all flow from the same spring. And that spring has characteristics which remain constant throughout different experiences.

Perhaps such findings will give serious backing to Henri Corbin's description of the Mundus Imaginalis. Corbin, an expert in Persian mysticism, argued that the modern world had forgotten about the subtle realms, and now classified things via the simplistic dichotomy of either 'real' or 'imaginary'. The mystical world, however, also had what he calls the 'imaginal' world - a place which doesn't reside in our physical realms, but which nonetheless is very much a 'real' place.

Neither the tales of Sohravardi, nor the tales which in the Shi'ite tradition tell us of reaching the "land of the Hidden Imam," are imaginary, unreal, or allegorical, precisely because the eighth climate or the "land of No-where" is not what we commonly call a utopia. It is certainly a world that remains beyond the empirical verification of our sciences. Otherwise, anyone could find access to it and evidence for it. It is a suprasensory world, insofar as it is not perceptible except by the imaginative perception, and insofar as the events that occur in it cannot be experienced except by the imaginative or imaginant consciousness. Let us be certain that we understand, here again, that this is not a matter simply of what the language of our time calls an imagination, but of a vision that is Imaginatio vera. And it is to this Imaginatio vera that we must attribute a noetic or plenary cognitive value.

Ironically, at least in terms of this essay, Corbin frames his argument using the the 'goal of the Orient' - the desire for the Sufi mystic to visit the 'Emerald Cities' which exist beyond the 7th clime (that is, beyond the physical world). Part of the description of one of these locales is that it is made of 'diaphanous marble' (that is, transparent marble). The sufis believe that in order to see this 'region of light' they must develop their spiritual eyes and other suprasensory organs of perception, in order to see the subtle world rather than the physical.

Returning back to Dr Michael Harner, he sums up the 'false' dichotomy of 'real' versus 'imaginary' in simple terms:

Imagination is a modern Western concept that is outside the realm of shamanism. "Imagination" already pre-judges what is happening...I think we are entering something which, surprisingly, is universal - regardless of culture.

Perhaps, then, it is time to begin resisting the modern trend towards physicalism, and instead return to a thorough exploration of the imaginal realms in an attempt to lift the veil from the true 'mysteries'.

Greg Taylor, owner/editor of 'The Daily Grail', is currently researching the mystery of whether consciousness survives the body. He welcomes enquiries from publishers, magazine editors, and literary agents who are interested in his work