Why William Tyndale matters in the ongoing War on Consciousness

image: Wikimedia commons (link).

October 6 is the traditional date upon which the execution of William Tyndale is remembered (even though there is some evidence that he may have been executed on a slightly different date).

William Tyndale was responsible for translating the scriptures of the Old Testament into English directly from the Hebrew -- for the first time -- and for translating the scriptures of the New Testament into English directly from the Greek -- and with a level of skill and power that was unsurpassed by anything that had come before, with a style that would be directly incorporated into nearly every English translation that would come afterwards, including the Geneva Bible, the King James Bible, and even more "modern" interpretations.

Translations of the sacred scriptures into English were forbidden at the time, and Tyndale spent much of his life as an outlaw and an exile from England, and was eventually betrayed, imprisoned, and finally publicly degraded and executed in a most violent manner, first garroted (strangled with a rope or chain) and then set on fire, at about the age of forty.

The impact of Tyndale's work, and of the English translation that he gave to the world, would be difficult to overstate. The fact that he was translating the scriptures into English made him an outlaw, but it was the accessibility of his translation that changed history. 

John Wycliffe (1320 - 1384) and his followers ("the Lollards") had made translations into English before Tyndale -- and the possession of these translations carried a death penalty -- but they did not have the deep background in Biblical languages that Tyndale possessed, and they did not have Tyndale's genius for the English language. Here is a comparison of the Wycliffe and Tyndale translations of the famous story of Adam and Eve and the Serpent from the book of Genesis, presented in David Daniell's 2001 biography of Tyndale:

Genesis 3 begins in the Vulgate 'sed et serpens erat callidor cunctis animantibus terrae, quae fecerat Dominus Deus. Qui dixit ad mulierem . . . ' The earlier Lollard versions had variations on 'But and the adder was feller than any lifers of the earth, the which made the Lord God. The which said to the woman . . .' which is the Vulgate put into English by someone, it must be felt, with a shaky hold on even late fourteenth-century English. The second, Wyclif B, version is better, with roughly 'But and the serpent was feller than all the living beasts of the earth, which the Lord God had made. Which serpent said to the woman . . .' Tyndale's 'But the serpent was subtler than all the beasts of the field which the Lord God had made, and said unto the woman . . .' speaks even to the late twentieth century. This is not only because with minor changes it is taken into the 1611 Authorised Version, and is even recognisably behind such modern versions as the 1989 Revised English Bible: but because, as before, it both translates the original Hebrew instead of the later Latin, and is in a recognisable English. Scholars of the Hebrew text can see the Hebrew forms still present [. . .]. 285.

Of Tyndale, David Daniell writes:

That Book was made by Tyndale in the language people spoke, not as the scholars wrote. At a time when English was struggling to find a form that was neither Latin nor French, Tyndale gave the nation a Bible language that was English in words, word-order and lilt. He invented some words (for example, 'scapegoat') and the great Oxford English Dictionary has mis-attributed, and thus also mis-dated, a number of his first uses. But more importantly, he made phrases which have gone deep into English-speaking consciousness. 3. 

In a 2012 biography, David Teems explains:

The following expressions made their first appearance through Tyndale. And while old and well rehearsed to you and me, to the English believer in 1526 they were astonishingly new.

Behold the lamb of God

I am the way, the truth, and the life

In my father's house are many mansions

For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory

Seek, and ye shall find

With God all things are possible

In him we live, move, and have our being

Be not weary in well doing

Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith

Behold, I stand at the door and knock

Let not your hearts be troubled

The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak

For my yoke is easy and my burden is light

Fight the good fight

xx

And that is just a list of the phrases Teems selected as good examples -- literally hundreds of others could be cited (including "the powers that be") which remain part of the culture and in common use to this day. David Teems also cites the saying that "Without Tyndale, no Shakespeare" (xxi).

Why was the translation of the scriptures into the common language such a forbidden act that doing so -- or even having a translation in one's possession -- was punishable by death? 

The answer is complicated, and a full answer would involve a study of the cultural and political and religious currents that had been swirling and shaping events for many centuries leading up to the execution of William Tyndale, but the short answer most certainly involves control, and specifically the control of minds, a business at which both the religious and the political forces had been hard at work for quite some time. 

The standard narrative of the struggle between Tyndale and the powers that finally arrested and executed him usually involves the specific practices of the church at the time, some of which involved the control of the populace using claims and proclamations which were not backed up by actual scriptural texts. This certainly played an important role in the story, and also opened the door to the larger question of whether or not the religious authorities derived authority from the scriptures themselves or if they were an authority in and of themselves. 

Tyndale's answer to this debate is what got him condemned for heresy -- and some apologists for his execution have actually argued that he was not in fact executed for translating the scriptures, but rather for heresy, as if executing a man or woman for so-called "heresy" is not as heinous a violation of natural universal law as is executing a man or woman for translating a text!

But, the traditional narrative regarding the execution of Tyndale usually frames it as part of the intense struggle taking place within literalist Christianity in western Europe at that time and in the following centuries -- and while the sudden availability of an excellent translation of the scriptures did indeed have a profound impact on that struggle, I would argue that to the extent that the followers of Tyndale's position in the ensuing centuries only embraced an even more virulent form of literalism based on their access to the texts themselves, the real genie that Tyndale had let out of the bottle remains unappreciated!

This is because the real danger in giving access to the texts themselves may in fact lie in the possibility that careful examination of the actual ancient stories in the Old and New Testaments will reveal the fact that they are not literal at all -- and that they in fact are built upon celestial metaphor almost from first to last!

[Note to literalist readers: at this point in the discussion, evidence will be introduced which may be disruptive to the belief that the scriptures are primarily intended to be read literally. Those not prepared to encounter such arguments and evidence may wish to stop here rather than proceeding further.]

For example, in the passage involving Adam and Eve and the Serpent cited above in the Wycliffe and the vastly superior Tyndale translations, careful consideration of this text coupled with familiarity with the constellations Hydra, Virgo, and Bootes in the night sky -- and their motion from east to west in that order -- could trigger the astounding realization that the entire story of the stealing of the fruit, the casting out from the Garden of Eden, and the positioning of cherubim with a flaming sword at the "east of Eden" are all clearly celestial in nature, and directly describe the motions of celestial figures in the northern hemisphere! 

To see more explanation of this celestial connection, see part 2 of my series of short videos entitled "Star Myths and the Shamanic Worldview," and for some examination of the incredible message that these stories built upon the stars may have been intended to convey, see some of the following videos (there are currently five in the series, with more to follow).

The point to be made is that, without access to the actual texts, it would be much more difficult to perceive the celestial foundation of these Biblical myths -- a celestial foundation they share with other myths and sacred traditions from around the world (a fact which in and of itself has revolutionary implications).

Is it possible that at least some of those who worked so hard for centuries to keep the texts largely secret and out of the hands of the masses of the people, forbidding their translation out of languages which were only understood by a very few, understood this aspect of the ancient scriptures?

Is it possible that they understood that the profound message conveyed by these ancient texts is a shamanic message, and that they understood that shamanic knowledge and shamanic practice can actually effect changes in our material world -- and they wanted to deny that knowledge and the accompanying shamanic techniques to all but a very select few? 

It is a fact that -- just like translations of the ancient scriptures into the common language of the people -- shamanic drums have often been strictly forbidden to the people, perhaps for the very same reason (the scriptures are actually shamanic -- so they, like drums, are to be kept out of the hands of the people, according to those who have declared a centuries-long war on shamanic knowledge and by extension on human consciousness).

For other posts which present evidence to support this conclusion, see also "The Cobra Kai sucker-punch (and why we keep falling for it, over and over and over)" and "Graham Hancock identifies war on consciousness: TED confirms that he's right."

I believe that the achievement of William Tyndale may well be understood fully only in this light (even though Tyndale himself would no doubt have rejected this interpretation, being by all accounts and by his own published writings a strong literalist Christian who would not agree that the stories are celestial and convey a message which can at its core be described as deeply shamanic) -- and that the threat which he clearly posed can perhaps best be perceived only when this dimension is understood.

Finally, I believe it bears repeating that, even though the centuries-long excesses of some literalists, and the deeply misguided and sometimes extremely violent and tyrannical and oppressive actions undertaken by some in the literalist camp (and condoned or passively supported by many others in the same camp) have done tremendous harm, and in fact continue to do so, and despite the fact that some literalists attempt to excuse or condone these violent and tyrannical and oppressive actions by referring to the scriptures, these literalist excesses do not mean that the ancient scriptures themselves are flawed. 

On the contrary, I believe that all the sacred scriptures and sacred traditions of humanity are precious, and that when properly understood they are, in the words of Alvin Boyd Kuhn, "an ancient torch that was lighted for our guidance."

The gruesome murder of William Tyndale was a violation of natural universal law. But the accomplishment of William Tyndale's life can be seen as a tremendous victory in the struggle against the forces of suppressing human consciousness.

He was truly a champion of the idea that the ancient scriptures are an inheritance belonging to all of humanity, and not to some chosen few, however they may be defined.

The Undying Stars on Gnostic Warrior Radio!

Very special thanks to Moe Bedard of Gnostic Warrior for having me onto the show as his guest this past week, and welcome to new visitors who may have learned about my work for the first time through the Gnostic Warrior show. 

Our conversation is available here on the Gnostic Warrior website, as well as on iTunes. The player below will also allow you to listen to the show, or to download it to a mobile device for listening whenever convenient. You can also embed the radio bar below onto your own blog or website if you wish to do so, using the code available at the above link.

It was a pleasure to discuss these subjects with Moe, who has clearly spent a lot of time looking into these matters and obviously knows a lot about them. I enjoyed his questions and insights as we talked.

Here is a list of links to previous posts for those who wish to explore further some of the subjects we touched on in the interview. There is also an internal search window in the upper-left corner of this blog (on most browser configurations) which enables you to search for topics using keywords or phrases:

• The "Star Myth Index" of previous examinations of sacred myths with celestial components.
• A different index of previous posts discussing various stars and constellations and how to locate them, entitled "For the love of the stars."
• Some of the books that influenced me as a child growing up.
• My memories of the Tutankhamun exhibit that visited San Francisco in 1979.
• How the earth's path around the sun can be understood by watching great surfers carving the face of a wave, and how the "earth-ship metaphor" helps us to understand the "hang time" that seems to occur at the solstices (for more on solstices and equinoxes, see here for a recent solstice discussion and here for a recent equinox discussion).
• The importance of Hamlet's Mill, and why those who claim that it has been "debunked" may be too hasty.
• The concept of the precession of the equinoxes, and my arguments that the lost "Golden Age" was the Age of Gemini (see also this post regarding the Golden Age and the Age of Gemini).
• The recent set of videos entitled "Star Myths and the Shamanic Worldview," which presents the system of celestial metaphor with some visual examples and illustrations: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5. (Caution: these videos contain arguments and evidence which may be extremely damaging to strictly literalist interpretations of ancient scripture. If you do not wish to encounter these arguments, you may not want to view these videos).
• A discussion of the celestial aspects of the Vedic and Hindu goddess Durga.
• Arguments that the idea of a literal hell is a misinterpretation of a zodiac metaphor.
• The evidence that all these esoteric metaphors in the world's sacred scriptures were intended to convey the idea that we live in a universe that can best be described as being both shamanic and holographic, and the possibility that the world's ancient scriptures all evince a sophisticated awareness of this shamanic-holographic cosmology.
• Evidence that the ancients -- including the ancient Egyptians -- knew that the realm of the gods, the realm of spirit, is a real dimension (more real, in fact, than this material world), and that they possessed techniques for undertaking deliberate shamanic journeys to the spirit world.
• The possibility that the knowledge of the ability to journey to the spirit realm, and the techniques with which to do so, was hidden in the sacred traditions of humanity, just as the "karate" knowledge was hidden in the "wax on, wax off" motions in The Karate Kid. 
• Evidence that a small group of families who knew about this secret wisdom came up with a plan to use it to their advantage and suppress it everywhere else.
• Some discussion of the evidence which suggests that the ancient wisdom was deliberately suppressed at a specific point in history in a specific part of the world (the Roman Empire) -- see the discussions entitled "Commodus and Marcus Aurelius" and "Theodosius and Ambrose."
• Some discussion of the "ideology of materialism" that is so prevalent in the modern world, in spite of the evidence which suggests that there may be good reasons to have serious doubts about the strictly materialistic dogmas that some materialist adherents push with a more-than-religious zeal.
• Some further discussion of the reflection of the planets and the universe in the human body, 
• How the "finger pointing a way to the moon" is a good illustration of the concept of the esoteric.
• Some further discussion of the esoteric metaphors and the relation of the motions of the stars to the realm of the gods and spirits, and to our incarnate existence in this material realm (see "Thou journeyest on the road whereon the gods journeyed" and "The horizon and the scales of judgement" for example).

I hope that everyone enjoys the conversation and that it has a positive message for everyone who hears it.

I also hope you will come visit again soon!

Measurements in time and space, and in ancient scripture

image: Wikimedia commons (link).

Above is a remarkable podcast interview between Moe Bedard of Gnostic Warrior Radio and Crichton E. M. Miller, the author of The Golden Thread of Time: A Quest for the Truth and Hidden Knowledge of the Ancients.

Mr. Miller argues that the symbol of the Celtic Cross, which is a cross superimposed upon a circular nimbus, actually represents a measuring device related to the sextant, octant, or quadrant (all of which are named for the fraction of a full circle which they represent), but using a full circle rather than a portion of a circle. He argues that this device would enable a user to make accurate determinations regarding where they are located on our planet (longitude and latitude), as well as where the planet is on its annual journey around the sun.

Mr. Miller describes some of the details of the way he believes such a device could have been constructed, as well as some of the analysis and experimentation which led up to his discovery of this idea, beginning at around the 8-minute mark of this YouTube video and continuing to the end. 

I have not personally analyzed all the arguments, or the possibility that the cross with a circle circumscribed might represent an actual ancient navigational device, although I have analyzed a large amount of evidence which suggests that the various crosses of antiquity (some of which predate the historical rise of Christianity, and others of which were present in the Americas prior to the first conventionally-recognized contact with Europeans) have esoteric connections to the annual "cross" of the year formed by the solstice-line and equinox-line on a zodiac wheel, as well as to the spiritual concept of combined spiritual component and material component present in each incarnate man and woman, expressed in ancient Egypt by the concept of the Djed-column "cast down" and the Djed-column "raised up" (among other expressions the Egyptians used to articulate the same idea): see for instance the discussion in this previous post, as well as some of the other posts linked in that discussion.

However, just because the ancient symbol of the cross can be shown to connect the annual "cross of the year" to an understanding of the universe as containing both spiritual and material aspects does not automatically mean that the Celtic Cross itself could not also have links to an ancient navigational device resembling the one proposed by Mr. Miller. On the contrary, Mr. Miller's analysis clearly incorporates the centrality of the "cross of the year" and the zodiac wheel that encircles the year, and his recognition of their connection to the Celtic Cross certainly seems to strengthen his arguments.

The parts of the interview that I found most fascinating were Mr. Miller's arguments about some of the Bible passages which might refer to the importance of being able to "measure rightly," which he argues may have been talking directly to the closely-guarded skill of being able to measure rightly in time and in space, but also by extension the importance of being able to "measure rightly" in terms of right behavior and morality -- and that the scriptures might be seen as arguing that the two concepts are related, or even identified as two sides of the same idea.

At about the 40-minute mark in the above podcast, Mr. Miller explains that it is the axial tilt of the earth (the fact that earth's poles are tilted in relationship to the ecliptic path, at an angle sometimes referred to as the "obliquity of the ecliptic," which is currently an angle very close to 23.4 degrees) which creates the annual cross of solstices and equinoxes in the first place, which creates the four seasons of the year, and which enables us to determine our location on the annual orbital journey of the earth. 

He then makes the astonishing suggestion that the fourth verse of the Twenty-Third Psalm in the Hebrew Scriptures ("the Old Testament") -- that is to say, Psalm 23:4 or the Psalm whose number corresponds to the obliquity of the ecliptic -- contains a clear reference to a device of measuring! That famous verse in that beloved Psalm, of course, is: 

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.

Crichton Miller then goes on to explain that: 

Now what a lot of people don't realize is a rod means a ruler: it's a measuring-stick. It comes from reed, because a reed is a segmented piece of grass which the Egyptians used. So reed became a rod, and a rod is not used to beat children: it's used to measure with, if you go back to the, you know, 'Spare the rod and spoil the child.' What they were actually saying was, 'Fail to teach the child how to measure the consequences of their actions, and how time works, and you'll spoil the child.'  

Now this is a truly amazing connection, and quite a "coincidence" for a verse that is found in the fourth sentence of the Twenty-Third Psalm -- the only place in the Psalms which corresponds to the number of the obliquity of the ecliptic. 

What is even more incredible is the fact that, after listening to this podcast for the first time and remarking at what an amazing connection Mr. Miller had just articulated, I returned home to find a message from Pat B., whose insightful questions and comments have inspired other blog posts in the past about subjects in the Old Testament scriptures, noting that he had recently been thinking about how important earth's 23.4-degree axial tilt is in creating the solstice and equinox alignments of the year, and then pointing out the significance of Leviticus 23:4 in light of that importance!

Leviticus 23:4 declares:

These are the feasts of the LORD, even holy convocations, which ye shall proclaim in their seasons.

Obviously, the "seasons" are here mentioned in a verse which is numbered with the angle of the very obliquity which produces the seasons! Not only that, but the holy feasts and convocations throughout the year -- both in the times in which the Old Testament was anciently used, and even to the modern day -- can be indisputably demonstrated to be linked to the days of the year marked out by the solstices, equinoxes, cross-quarter days, and other specific annual points of significance which all depend to some degree upon that axial tilt.

Now, it would seem that there should be no way that Pat B. would have known that I had downloaded that podcast, nor of knowing that I had listened to it on the same day that he sent this observation about Leviticus 23:4, or that I had noted as most striking the above discussion of Psalms 23:4 by Crichton Miller in that podcast. But his observation about Leviticus 23:4 certainly provides powerful additional evidence that Psalm 23:4's connection to the angle of the axial tilt of the earth is not "mere coincidence."

Note that in Psalm 23:4, the "valley of the shadow of death" can be very convincingly argued to refer to the lower half of the zodiac wheel, which was anciently depicted in the world's celestial "star myths" as Hell, Sheol, Tartarus, the Land of Bondage, the Underworld, etc. -- just as the upper half of the zodiac wheel was variously depicted as Heaven, the Garden of Eden (Paradise), the Promised Land, the City upon the Hill, the City whose streets are paved with gold, Mount Zion, Mount Olympus, etc.  For more discussion of that metaphorical connection, see this previous post on Hell, this previous post on Heaven, and the extended discussion in the recent series of videos entitled "Star Myths and the Shamanic Worldview" (especially the discussions found in Part  2 and Part 5).

The fact that the "lower half of the year" is caused by the 23.4-degree axial tilt of the earth, and that it appears in Psalm 23 precisely at the fourth verse as "the valley of the shadow of death" is still further confirmation of Mr. Miller's analysis that this verse may encode ancient understanding of the importance of that axial tilt. If so, then the "comfort" provided by the rod and the staff, which Mr. Miller argues may have been referring to ancient devices for measuring the year and the seasons, would be the comfort of being able to know that the sun would soon turn back towards the "upper half of the wheel" again (or of knowing that it had already done so), and that spring and life would return again in their due time.

Mr. Miller's additional reference to the verse commonly referred to as teaching "spare the rod and spoil the child," and his assertion that this verse is misinterpreted when it is taken literally (as it so often is) to mean that physical punishment of children is necessary for keeping them from being "spoiled," is also most notable. He asserts that the verse has nothing to do with physically punishing children with a rod, but rather that it is admonishing the passing along to the upcoming generations the knowledge of how to rightly measure time, space, and the seasons -- and that such "right measuring" would then extend to the teaching of the child the knowledge of "how to measure the consequences" of his or her actions.

The actual verse in question comes from Proverbs chapter 13, and reads in part: "He that spareth his rod hateth his son" (Proverbs 13:24), and while the second half of the verse goes on to say that "he that loveth him chasteneth him betimes," it is comforting to consider the possibility that the verse has nothing to do with physically punishing a child but rather teaching him or her to "measure rightly" -- including passing along the ancient art of knowing where we are on our beautiful planet and where we are in the annual orbit as delineated by the signs and seasons of the year (including the solstices, equinoxes, and other major stations on the circuit).

All of this listening to the podcast and considering these admonitions made me think of the teaching of my own father, who recently celebrated a birthday (birthdays being another example of those annual markers which we recognize each year, and which relate to the motions and measurements of the earth and its progress through space and time), and who certainly taught me while growing up to find and appreciate the constellations that are hanging in the heavens to act as our guides in measuring our place in our annual circuit, and which should also be our familiar companions throughout life. Thanks Dad and Happy Birthday!

These are all amazing and important concepts to consider deeply, for all of us (and to pass on to future generations).

Star Myths and the Shamanic Worldview, part 5

Fast on the heels of "Star Myths and the Shamanic Worldview, part 4" comes "Star Myths and the Shamanic Worldview, part 5." 

Actually, "part 4" and "part 5" are very closely connected, because the discussion of the critically important story of the crossing of the Red Sea, which was touched upon briefly in part 4, was made into a major part of part 5, with some discussion at the end regarding the possible meaning of all these star myths and some points of connection to the shamanic worldview. 

The discussion in parts 3, 4, and 5 has centered upon myths having to do with the "crossing points" of the year: the two equinoxes (spring and fall). Part 2 discussed the story of Adam and Eve and the Serpent, which also relates to the crossing point theme. 

Part 5 takes up not only the story of the crossing of the Red Sea, but the evidence suggesting that the twelve "tribes" of Israel refer to the twelve constellations of the zodiac (a constellation, after all, can be metaphorically understood to be a "band" or a "family" or a "tribe" of stars assembled together in the sky).

The implications of the metaphorical, celestial, and shamanic understanding of the scriptures of the Old and New Testaments -- and the scriptures and sacred traditions from other cultures found all around our planet -- include the fact that we are all united by the message conveyed by these stories, and not divided. 

One unfortunate consequence of the literalistic interpretation (which I believe is a mis-interpretation) of these ancient scriptures can be the idea that these scriptures teach division: the very opposite of what I believe can be shown to be the intended message of these texts -- an intended message which shines through once the metaphorical and esoteric approach to these sacred myths is understood.

Please check out "part 5" of the series if this is an area that interests you, and please feel free to comment or share as appropriate. 

------

Caution: may not be appropriate for viewers who are not prepared to examine evidence that the ancient scriptures were not actually intended to be understood literally. This is not a joke -- some people may have a strong personal psychic investment in the literal understanding of certain scriptures, and those who do not presently share that same commitment to the literal approach should be sensitive and considerate of those who do. These videos are most appropriate for those who are comfortable exploring arguments regarding the possibility that the scriptures were not intended to be understood literally.

Star Myths and the Shamanic Worldview, part 4

Here's a link to the latest addition to the series of videos entitled "Star Myths and the Shamanic Worldview." 

These videos, taken together, attempt to lay out some of the most fundamental aspects of the common system of celestial metaphor underlying virtually all of the world's sacred scriptures and traditions, and to explore the possibility that this system of metaphor was employed in order to convey a shamanic worldview which is the shared inheritance of all humanity -- because virtually all the ancient sacred traditions were actually shamanic!

Here is an index of links to the videos in the series so far:

• Star Myths and the Shamanic Worldview, part 1
• Star Myths and the Shamanic Worldview, part 2
• Star Myths and the Shamanic Worldview, part 3
• Star Myths and the Shamanic Worldview, part 4

In part 4, we continue exploring evidence surrounding the metaphorical use of the vitally important equinox "crossing points," including some discussion of the story of Jephthah's daughter and the beginning of the discussion of the implications of the story of the crossing of the Red Sea. 

The Festival of Durga

image: Wikimedia commons (link).

It is currently the festival of Durga Puja, the celebration of the worship of the goddess Durga, also known by her many other names Bhavani, Kanaka Durgammathalli, and even as Adi-Parashakti the Great Mother Goddess.

The festival of Durga Puja (also known by its other names Durgotsava, Sharadotsav, Akalbodhan, Navaratri Puja, and many more) also specifically celebrates the goddess's triumph over the buffalo asura or demon Mahishasura. In fact, in the depiction of the goddess shown above, the bloodied head of the buffalo can be seen at her feet, directly underneath the lower end of her long scepter (this long scepter-shaped weapon strongly resembles the Vajra).

There are many aspects of the symbology of Durga which indicate that she is a celestial deity, and in fact that she is associated with the constellation Virgo, one of the most important of zodiac signs and one who takes on the form of many, many goddesses and other important female figures in the sacred scriptures and mythologies of the world. This blog has previously discussed the almost certain correspondence of the goddess Durga with the sign and stars of Virgo in posts such as this one and this one.

The clear symbolic indications that Durga corresponds to Virgo discussed in those posts include:

• the fact that she is often depicted as riding on a lion (Virgo follows Leo across the sky, and hence the Goddess in widely dispersed mythologies is very often associated with a lion or with lions, sometimes riding a lion, or riding in a chariot drawn by a lion or by lions, or seated on a throne flanked by one or more lions), 
• the fact that she is often depicted with an outstretched arm which is one of the most characteristic features of the constellation Virgo (see illustration below, as well as the video here entitled "Star Myths and the Shamanic Worldview, part 2," in which this outstretched arm of Virgo is associated with the plucking of the fruit by Eve in the story of Adam and Eve and the Serpent), and 
• the distinctive bend in the hip depicted in some statues and reliefs featuring Durga, which corresponds to the outline of the constellation Virgo, and which can be seen in other artwork featuring Virgo-goddesses from ancient Greece and Rome as well.

Below is an image of Durga from a bas-relief in which her outstretched arm appears to be holding a bow. In other depictions, she may be holding a sword or other weapon in this outstretched arm. Female figures corresponding to Virgo often have bows, sometimes bows with miraculous powers -- see for example the story of "The old man and his daughter" from the Native American people of North America (in this case, from the northwest coastal island region near the modern-day state of Washington in the US and British Columbia in Canada). 

Note also in the bas-relief below that Durga is shown in the act of defeating the buffalo-bull-headed Mahishasura.

We can see more indications that Durga is associated with Virgo in the image at the top of this post. There, a lion is again prominently featured, and if we wanted to take the time to do so we could draw direct correspondences between the posture of that particular lion and the outline of the constellation Leo in the sky, who is so close to Virgo that he can be seen in the star-chart above, although his outline has not been drawn in (his stars are seen directly to the right of the word "Vindemiatrix" in that star chart).

Another clue that Durga is an aspect of Virgo can be seen in the fact that in the modern Durga Festival depiction of Durga at the top of this post, she is holding a serpent in the lowest of her hands on the right side of the image as we look at it (it is actually a cobra). This hand holding the cobra is on the opposite side of Durga's body from the hand that is holding the long Vajra-shaped scepter-weapon (the one that ends on top of the bloody buffalo-head).

Once again, this depiction is astronomically correct for the constellation Virgo. In the star chart above which shows the outline of the constellation, we can see that Virgo's outstretched arm (represented in the top image by the Vajra-scepter) is on the opposite side of her body from the long constellation of the serpent Hydra (whose starry outline does in fact resemble a cobra, if the circle of stars at the far right of his body as we look at it corresponds to the cobra's hood).

But perhaps the most important clues that we are correct in connecting Durga and Virgo are seen in the timing of her festival, and the fact that the festival celebrates her triumph over the buffalo-bull demon. The festival's timing is tied to the complex lunar-sidereal Hindu calendar, but it basically falls near the fall equinox and the part of the year which has anciently been associated with the sign of Virgo (particularly in the Age of Aries).

The reason Virgo is associated with this part of the year is that, during the Age of Aries, she was the constellation and zodiac sign seen above the eastern horizon just prior to the rising sun. Even today, although the background of stars has been delayed due to the ages-long motion of precession, the sun's rising at this time of year is in the sign of Virgo, a fact you can readily see for yourself by going to the excellent online, browser-based, free planetarium app at Neave.com.

There, if you simply leave the "location" at its default point, and dial up the app for today (October 2), you can swing the sky around to the east and then "dial back the hours" using the "upper arrow" on the date-time window (be sure to dial back the hours, not the days) until you see the sun rising on the eastern horizon. You will quite clearly see that the sun is in the midst of the constellation Virgo as it rises.

Now, if you "freeze" at the point where the sun is just below the horizon (and Virgo is already charging up over the eastern horizon), swing the view back along the horizon from the east (where the sun is rising) to the west (where the stars are setting). If you then shift your view upwards a bit, you can find the distinctive outline of Taurus, the Bull, who contains the V-shaped Hyades and is just "above" (actually "to the right of") the constellation Orion. Taurus is getting ready to set in the west as Virgo (Durga) rises in the east. Dial the hours forward and Taurus will be banished below the western horizon, as Virgo rises more and more fully into the sky in the east.

This is the meaning of Durga's slaying of the buffalo-bull demon Mahishasura.

At least, it is according to my interpretation of the celestial clues. And the number of clues in this case is pretty overwhelming. Thus, the Festival of Durga is another example of the fact that nearly all the ancient sacred myths and scriptures and traditions are built upon a common system of celestial metaphor.

The implications of this commonality are profound and far-reaching, but one of them is that humanity is actually united and not divided by these scriptures and traditions -- and thus we can all in some measure celebrate the Durga Puja, if we choose to do so!

Star Myths and the Shamanic Worldview, part 3: Abraham and the sacrifice of Isaac

Above is a link to the latest installment in the series of videos entitled "Star Myths and the Shamanic Worldview." Here are links to part 1 and to part 2 of the same series.

This video constitutes part 3 and introduces the earth's annual orbital motion around the sun, in addition to the earth's daily rotation on its axis (which was important in part 2, in which we examined the story of Adam and Eve and the Serpent, and saw that the westward motion of the constellations was important to understanding the celestial aspects of the Garden of Eden story).

The same caution applies to this video that was articulated in part 2: those who are not ready to examine very strong evidence that the stories in the Old and New Testaments of the Bible are almost completely metaphorical in nature (as opposed to literal or historical) may not want to see this video. The post associated with part 2 also advised that this information should not be used as a "club" with which to browbeat someone who is not already looking for this information: sensitivity and respect should always be exercised when coming into contact with someone else's personal beliefs and faith.

In part 3, we begin to examine the importance of the "upper-half" and "lower-half" of the year, and the critical "crossing points" of the equinox.

The upper half of the year can be demonstrated to metaphorically represent heaven, the spirit world, the realm of the gods. The lower half can be demonstrated to metaphorically represent hell, the material world of incarnation, and the underworld of ancient Egypt and many other mythologies.

The equinoxes, then, being the crossing points between these two realms, were the points at which the two worlds intersected. As such, they were associated with birth and with death, with incarnation in the physical body and with release back to the world of spirit at the end of each incarnational cycle -- and they were often depicted in ancient myth and sacred tradition with the metaphor of a sacrifice, which befits their status as the points of contact between the realm of the living and the realm of the dead.

In the video above, one example of such an equinox-sacrifice is examined: the story of Abraham and Isaac found in Genesis 22. Evidence is provided that this event was not meant to be understood literally, but rather that it takes place on the way up a metaphorical mountain (the mountain which leads to the top of the year, and to "heaven"), and that the Ram which was ultimately sacrificed is directly connected to the zodiac sign of Aries.

The ramifications of this understanding of the scriptures are far-reaching. One important conclusion we can draw is that -- like the stars over our heads -- these stories are universal in their scope, and they are part of the celestial inheritance of all humanity. Various literalistic interpretations of these scriptures have been used in the past -- and continue to be used to this day -- to try to separate out one or another family of humanity from the others. The celestial understanding of these stories overturns such a usage of the ancient mythologies.

One of the important interpretations of the celestial metaphors contained in the sacred traditions of the human race is the teaching that we all have a spiritual component, and are not ultimately defined or bounded by our physical body and our material form. Using these scriptures to divide humanity based on different physical lineages focuses on the physical form instead of the inner spiritual spark which the scriptures themselves are trying to point us towards.

There are many other important messages that these star myths convey to us, messages that have been hidden and even deliberately obscured for thousands of years. Ultimately, I believe they teach a very liberating message, and one that is intended to advance human consciousness -- and one that will ultimately prevail over the enemies of that consciousness.

image: Wikimedia commons (link). Modified.