One of the most well-known stories in Greek Mythology is the legend of Prometheus. This powerful Titan ruled over the realm of fire, and in a defiant act passed his sacred knowledge onto humanity (despite Zeus’s orders to keep this knowledge forbidden). This combustible tool allowed our ancestors to survive the cold, bake clay vessels, and clear forests for planting. It literally helped humanity ascend from the stone age to a world of culture and technology.
But according to Hindu Mythology, this blazing gift went way beyond the primitive use of smelting metal and cooking meat. In the hands of the gods, fire was a profound and deadly tool, capable of incinerating enemies and leveling entire civilizations.
Agneyastra was one such weapon, created by the fire god Agni. It was described as a flaming arrow which required great knowledge and skill to work. Legend says the Agneyastra was used by the hero Sagara to set his enemies ablaze.
Another weapon, created by the God Vishnu, was the Narayanastra which fired a tirade of missiles upon its enemies. It was said the intensity of the fire increased the more an enemy resisted, and lessened when they showed their submission. In order to maintain a balance, this weapon could only be used once. If anyone tried to use it twice, it would devour the user and their supporting army.
The Brahmastra (forged by Lord Brahma) was one of the deadliest weapons in mythology. It required days of intense meditation to activate, and when fired, almost nothing could stop it. Upon impact, it created a powerful inferno capable of annihilating an entire nation. The weapon also created severe environmental damage (not dissimilar to radioactive fallout). Wherever the Brahmastra was dropped, the surrounding land would become barren of all life.
Finally, there was the deadliest weapon of all, the Pashupatastra. Both Shiva and Kali were said to have possessed this device, which was discharged by the power of thought. It was forbidden to be used against lesser enemies. This catastrophic weapon was said to be capable of destroying creation and vanquishing all life. The Hindu hero, Arjuna, obtained this weapon from Lord Shiva but did not use it as he was afraid he would destroy the world.
All of these powerful weapons sound uncannily familiar to the tools of mass destruction we have today. Perhaps the gods had a message for us. It is of no coincidence that Oppenheimer, creator of the atomic bomb used this quote from Hindu mythology “Now I am become death, the destroyer of worlds”. We live in an age where the fire of the Gods is now at our own disposal. Is it possible that there was a reason that Zeus forbade Prometheus from sharing this sacred knowledge? Can we truly be entrusted with the fire of the Gods?
This article was written by Simon E. Davies. Contributor at Ancient-Code.com
“It is the split-second actions of [Officers Thomas Sites and Yash Shroff] that this 26-year old is alive today,” South Brunswick Police Chief Raymond Hayducka said
The Nebra sky disk, first thought to be a forgery, is now considered as one of the most important archaeological findings in the 20th century. This object is a bronze disk of around 30 cm diameter and a weight of 2.2 kg, with a blue-green patina and inlaid with gold symbols. The images on the disc are interpreted generally as a sun or full moon, a lunar crescent, and stars, specifically the Pleiades.
But what makes this disk very unique is the fact that this disk is unlike any known artistic style from the period. The Nebra Sky Disc features the oldest concrete depiction of the cosmos worldwide. in June 2013 the Nebra sky disk was included in the UNESCO’s Memory of the World Register.
The disk is attributed to a site near Nebra, Saxony-Anhalt in Germany, and associatively dated to c. 1600 BC. According to researchers, it is at least two hundred years older than the oldest images found in Egypt. The Nebra sky disk was discovered by two “convicted” treasure hunters using a metal detector at a prehistoric enclosure encircling the Mittelberg hill, near the town of Nebra The disk was recovered shortly after by police authorities.
It was a group of German researchers that uncovered evidence that this disk was a complex astronomical clock for the harmonization of solar and lunar calendars, it is considered as the first ever portable navigating system.
But that does not answer any questions regarding the disk that have surfaced since its discovery in 1999. One of the most important markings found on the disk is the representation of the Pleiades; an open star cluster containing middle-aged hot B-type stars located in the constellation of Taurus.
It is among the nearest star clusters to Earth and is the cluster most obvious to the naked eye in the night sky. The celestial entity has several meanings in different cultures and traditions and it is one of the most famous celestial objects (together with the Orion Nebula) in ancient times.
The Bronze Age astronomers would hold the Nebra clock against the sky and observe the position of the celestial objects.
The intercalary month was inserted when what they saw in the sky corresponded to the map on the disc they were holding in their hands. This happened every two to three years. “This is a clear expansion of what we knew about the meaning and function of the sky disc,” said archaeologist Harald Meller.
This is an image from the astronomy program Stellarium (free at Sourceforge) on the night of March 20, 2010, when the moon occulted the Pleiades. Notice that it strongly resembles the little dipper. This image is as you would see from earth. We have rotated the image 90 degrees left, and if you compare it to the Sky Disk you will notice that it is the same representation as seen on the Nebra Sky Disk (upper left).
“The sensation lies in the fact that the Bronze Age people managed to harmonize the solar and lunar years. We never thought they would have managed that,…The functioning of this clock was probably known to a very small group of people,”
The Bronze Age astronomers would hold the Nebra clock against the sky and observe the position of the celestial objects. The intercalary month was inserted when what they saw in the sky corresponded to the map on the disc they were holding in their hands. This happened every two to three years.
According to astronomer Wolfhard Schlosser of the Rurh University at Bochum, the Bronze Age sky gazers already knew what the Babylonians would describe only a thousand years later.
“Whether this was a local discovery, or whether the knowledge came from afar, is still not clear,” Schlosser said.
Ever since the disc was discovered, archaeologists and astronomers have been puzzled by the shape of the moon as it appears on the disc. According to the ancient Babylonian rule, a thirteenth month should only be added to the lunar calendar only when one sees the constellation of the moon and the Pleiades exactly as they appear on the Nebra sky disc. — Article: 2002. (www.dw-world.de)
FOP Lodge 91 members called the sentence of nine to 18 months in the Allegheny County Jail “despicable” after Joseph Osinski pleaded guilty to stealing $1.2 million
U.S. District Judge Jia Cobb concluded the deployment in Washington, D.C., illegally intrudes on local officials’ authority to direct law enforcement in the district
The Slavs worshiped a wide range of deities, from the shores of the Baltic to the shores of the White Sea. Slavic folklore is cultic in nature, where the same god can be found worshiped in various guises from tribe to tribe. It has been possible in the last two centuries to reconstruct their ancient myths by studying the roots of Slavic languages, folktales, and traditions, from which has been determined a ‘Proto-Slavic culture’. These studies have led to the re-establishment of the original Slavic gods (much like the Olympians of ancient Greece, or the Aesir of Norse mythology).
Dažbog is a sun god who was said to be reborn in the morning, from the arms of The Zorya (Dusk). He rode his chariot across the sky, drawn by three horses; one made of gold, one of silver, and another of diamonds. It was said he journeyed through the twelve kingdoms of the day before entering the underworld, where his absence marked the coming of night. The Slavs imagined Dažbog as a maturd man dressed in animal skins and accompanied by a wolf. It was said he could turn into a wolf at will (suggesting he was a lycanthrope).
Perun is a thunder god, associated with mountains, oak trees, and eagles. He is described as a rugged man with a copper beard who rides in a chariot pulled by goats, wielding a mighty ax. He hurls his ax at evil beings, which always returns to his hand (much like Thor’s hammer). Perun presided over the Earth and all its living occupants. He ruled from the sky and was often symbolized by an eagle sitting on the top of the tallest branch of the sacred tree, from which he kept watch over his world.
Svarog has been compared to the Greek Hephaestus, the god of the blacksmiths and craftsmanship. Reconstructionists believe his father is the solar deity Dažbog, and that he uses the flames of the celestial sun to forge metal weapons, magical items, and powerful Armour.
Rod is a god of creation, who is believed to have given birth to gods (and possibly the first humans). Many scholars believe he was the first supreme deity of Slavic mythology, but his position was eventually overtaken by Svarog and Perun (and later Christ). As a creator god, Rod was also linked with designing a individuals fate (much like the Morai and of Greek myth and the Norns of Norse folklore).
Stribog is the god of winds, sky, and air; and is said to be the ancestor of the eight directions. He was imagined as an old man who had a warrior’s horn which he used to control the winds, his grandchildren.
Svetovid is a four-headed war god, associated with fertility and abundance. His many heads represent his omniscient view of the four cardinal directions. His wields a mighty sword and rides a white horse which is used for divination. His followers prayed to him for Victory in battle, safety on the road and for the protection of their villagers. His temples were said to house an oracle who predicted the future of the tribe by observing the behavior of white horses.
Berstuk is a forest god who protects wild animals and woodlands. It has been suggested he may be the chief of wood spirits known as Lesovik (similar to the goodwose of western Europe). Berstuk has been described as having a moss-covered beard and long shaggy hair. The Lesovik were said to lead travelers through the forest in the wrong direction until they were thoroughly lost. The spirit would then disappear leaving the traveler in despair.
Triglav is a three-headed god of vigilance. His heads were believed to represent his overseeing gaze into the sky, earth, and the underworld. It was believed that Triglav oversaw these three kingdoms (similar to Heimdall in Norse mythology). He had an objective view, represented by a golden binding over his eyes and lips so he could not judge people’s sins nor speak about them.
Veles is one of the major Slavic gods associated with the underworld. He is linked to cattle, commerce, and druidic magic. He is the gatekeeper between Yav, the middle world, Prav, the higher world, and Nav the lower realm. He is also associated with a huge serpent which coils around the roots of the world tree, where he ruled over the land of the dead. His opponent is the thunder-god Perun, and the battles between these two deities constituted as one of the most important myths in Slavic mythology.
Jarilo was a major god of vegetation, fertility, and spring, also associated with war and harvest. He is believed to be the lost son of the Perun. It is said Jarilo was stolen from his father and taken to the world of the dead, where he was adopted and raised by Veles, Perun’s enemy. Jarilo and his sister Morana (goddess of winter & death), are associated with the end of winter and the beginning of spring.
Belobog is the “White God” of the waxing year, and one of Dazbog’s companions. He embodies sunshine, warmth, and life. His followers pray to him for guidance through the dark forests, and to help bring about a bountiful harvest. Belobog is imagined as a bright, bearded man, carrying a staff and dressed in white robes. He only appeared during the daylight, doing good deeds as he went and bringing people success and happiness.
He was said to fight his evil brother Chernobog, the “Black God”, twice a year for control of the seasons. Chernobog was associated with bleak attributes such as cold, famine, poverty and illness. Despite this, he is still respected among all the other gods. During the creation of the world, some say these two brothers came into conflict, and their polarising actions created the cycles of the universe (night & day, summer & winter and the motion of the stars). Chernobog rules over the dark half of the year, opposed by Belobog who presides over the brighter half.
Very similar to the Egyptian cosmos, Slavic mythology values the darkness as an important aspect of the cosmic balance. Evil gods were dangerous and could bring great misery upon the land, but as long as the good deities presided over their duties, darkness would always make way for light, hope, and prosperity. By respecting the darker side of nature, the Slavs were able to survive it and find their way back to the light.
ARTWORK
Perun by Xkirbz
Rod by By Ushakov RoMan
Dazbog & Jarilo by Igor Ozhiganov
Chernobog by By Dusan Markovic
The woman, suspected of shoplifting, ignored officers’ instructions to exit her vehicle and began to drive forward toward a Blendon Township officer standing in front of the vehicle
Portland PD officers were pursuing a man who fired a shot as they approached; after using a cruiser to disarm him, they tased him and took him into custody
An Indian River Sheriff’s Office deputy has died after a shooting during an eviction notice service; two other people, a deputy and a locksmith on scene for the eviction, were injured
If passed, the Didarul Islam Police Recruitment Act will give a pension boost to cops who first served in other city agencies before going into the Police Academy
Modern witchcraft has drawn much of its ideology from ancient religions and esoteric schools. It can be argued that the roots of this revived faith go back as far as the Stone Age, when humans began to conceive their world as a spiritual construct.
1. Shamanism appeared some time during the upper Paleolithic (50,000 – 10,000 years ago). The shaman would often enter trance states to follow the migration of herds (ensuring a successful hunt), heal people from illness, and protect their tribe from evil spirits. Many cave paintings depict shaman dancing in animal costumes, as though taking on the spirit of a particular animal.
2. As the nomadic tribes began to settle, new civilisations emerged, the earliest known being Sumeria (3500 BCE). From the translation of cuneiform tablets we know that the Sumerians believed in a wide range of celestial beings such as gods and spirits, many of which were hostile, so each person was guarded by spirit to protect them from demons. Their magic system was known as invocation, which allowed them to summon, bind and vanquish dark spirits using amulets, incantations and exorcism.
3. In ancient Egypt (2500 BCE), priests became skilled in Heka (the ‘activation of Ka’ or spirit energy). The Ka was the aspect of the soul which embodied personality, and the priests believed they could manipulate this spiritual fabric to influence the gods, gain protection, heal the ill and transform themselves into immortals. During the Third Intermediate Period of Egypt (1069–653 BC), the art of Heka was adopted by midwives and nurses, allowing women to explore the secrets of Ka for the first time.
4. The Mystery cults emerged in ancient Greece (1500 – 1100 BCE) and were eventually passed onto the Romans. These secret schools required an initiation process to gain entrance. Worshippers believed that the gods of Greece (such as Demeter, Dionysus and Orpheus) had passed on their magical secrets to humans during the Bronze Age. This included the art of shamanic travel, invoking the gods, reincarnation, and even the ingredients for making ambrosia (an immortalising food).
5. The Celts (decedents of the Indo Europeans), formed a priest class known as Druids by around 350 BCE. These nature worshippers acted as teachers, judges, astrologers, healers, and bards. They were pantheists, meaning they revered many aspects of a single deity (in the forms of nature gods, trees and standing stones). All of their rituals were based around reincarnation, creating potions and crafting spells, which would eventually form the backbone of medieval witchcraft.
6. Another branch of Indo-European magic can be found in the Anglo-Saxon culture (400 CE – 1100 CE). Their magic was based on Norse Mythology, where legend says the god Odin had passed the secrets of the runes to humanity. These sacred symbols are used for healing, creating charms, crafting magical artefacts and hexing people. Due to the Christianisation of their religion in the 6th – 8th century, the Anglo-Saxons came to fear the practitioners of rune magic, believing them to be guided by evil.
7. Gnosticism was a mystic religion that originated in the Middle East around 100 CE. Gnostics believed the material world was inherently evil and that realm of spirit was fundamentally good. They claimed the creator god of the Old Testament was corrupt and had created a flawed world. Instead they directed Christians toward an inner experience of the true god via spiritual transcendence. Their ideology outraged other Christian and Jewish faiths that saw this as an affront to their religion.
8. Gnosticism later influenced the mystic tradition of the Kabbalah. This Jewish sect believed that God’s divine knowledge had been shared by the angels to humans 5000 years ago. His spiritual principles were then passed down the generations via oral tradition until emerging as a sacred text known as Sefer Zohar (“Book of Radiance”), written by Moses de Leon, 1290 CE. Practitioners guide their followers via meditation toward a direct contact with the divine. Like Gnosticism, the Kabbalah speaks of divine beings, a tree of life and multiple cosmic realms.
9. Throughout the early middle ages, the Catholic Church tolerated pagan faiths. However, after the devastation of the ‘Black Death’ (bubonic plague 1347-1349), a paranoia swept through the minds of Christians, believing it was the heathens and heretics who had tainted humanity with their dark sorcery. What followed was 300 years of persecution toward anyone practicing magic and mysticism.
1401: Witch Trials began in England, proclaiming that anyone who practiced witchcraft was to be burnt at the stake.
1487: The notorious ‘Malleus Maleficarum’ (‘Hammer against the Witches’) was published by Kramer & Sprenger, inciting Christians to hunt down and kill witches.
1515: Authorities in Geneva, Switzerland burn 500 accused witches at the stake
1526: Como, Italy, a spiral of witchcraft charges lead to around 1000 executions.
1644: In England, Matthew Hopkins (self proclaimed “Witch-finder General”) began an intense witch-hunting campaign, torturing and killing around 300 women.
1692: The Salem witch trials arrest 150 people, convicting twenty-nine of the felony of witchcraft. Nineteen of the accused were hanged.
Between 1400 and 1700, an estimated 50,000 suspected witches were executed (around 75% of them women), in countries such as France, Britain, Germany and America.
After what became known as “The Burning Times”, the practice of witchcraft survived in pockets, particularly in the countryside, cut off from interaction with witches from other areas, or through secret societies.
10. The occult, (knowledge of the paranormal) was studied and practiced throughout the witch trials, often within secret societies sworn to silence. Intellectuals drawn to forbidden lore and mysticism began to study ancient texts related to invocation, ancient mythology, Egyptian mysticism, Gnosticism and the Kabbalah. Throughout this era, societies such as the Freemasons and Rosicrucian’s began to develop new schools of thought in astrology, alchemy, tarot, mediumship and sacred geometry.
11. In 1887, the works of the occult reached their pinnacle in an English society called ‘The Golden Dawn’. The Hermetic Order was an organisation devoted to occult practices, metaphysics, and paranormal activity. Many present-day concepts of ritual magic have been inspired by the Golden Dawn, which became one of the largest single influences on 20th-century Western occultism.
12. Wicca is a modern pagan, witchcraft religion. It was developed in England during the first half of the 20th century by Gerald Gardner. It draws upon the mystic traditions of the golden Dawn as well as ancient pagan practices. Wiccans typically believe in reincarnation, the use of magic to influence specific outcomes, a moral responsibility toward others and an appreciation for natural cycles (they have eight festivals known as Sabbats that revolve around the changing seasons). Wiccans often worship a variety of nature deities, the most important being the mother goddess and the horned god. These two deities are sometimes viewed as facets of a single godhead.
1. Shaman – Susan Seddon Boulet
2. Invocation by Slawomir Maniak
3. Heka by Wojciech Ostrycharz
4. Mystery Cults by Slawomir Maniak
5. Druidism by Grosnus
7. Rune Lore by Ashley Bryner
6. Gnosticism: NA
8. Kabbalah by John Collier
9. Witch Hunt by Kiri Østergaard Leonard
9. Witch Hunt by Thomas Satterwhite Noble
10. Alchemy: NA
11. Photo of Aleister Crowley (public domain)
12. Wicca: NA
by Simon E. Davies contributor to Ancient-Code.com
Trees have been revered as sacred monuments since the prehistoric era. Our ancestors may well have been inspired by their annual cycle of decay in the autumn followed by a luscious rebirth in the spring.
To the primitive mind, these trees became symbols of life, death, and rebirth.
There was one tree in particular which achieved mythical status throughout all world cultures. It is known today as the ‘World Tree’ and according to our ancestors, it was truly epic in scale.
Its branches were said to reach as high as the heavens, while its roots plunged deep into the abyss of the underworld. Because of their association with celestial realms, these trees were regarded by many priests as gateways to other dimensions.
• Yggdrasil was said to connect middle earth (Midgard) to eight other realms (some made of fire and ice, others of darkness and light).
• The World Tree of Mesoamerica was seen as a gateway (aka axis Mundi) connecting the planes of the Underworld and the sky with the terrestrial world.
• The ‘Sky Tree’ from Hungarian mythology had a series of branches which reached out to seven worlds. Each branch was said to touch the sun, the moon, the clouds and other celestial spheres.
• The Dawn Tree from Baltic mythology was depicted with a golden trunk, copper roots and silver leaves. The trunk represented life in the present, while the past was embodied in its roots (life that has passed). The branches, however, represented future choices yet to be made.
It should be noted that in nearly all depictions of the ‘World Tree’, a great serpent is said to reside at its base.
These serpents typically guard a forbidden knowledge which only a select number of mortals have ascertained:
• It was Adam and Eve who attained wisdom by eating fruit from the tree of Knowledge (Judaism/Christianity).
• It was under the Bodhi tree that the Buddha was said to have gained enlightenment (Buddhist mythology).
• The Kabbalah represents the tree of life (the other legendary tree of Christian mythology). Legend says that to learn the secrets of this mystic tree is to know the secrets of life itself.
• The Druids were priests of the natural world whose name was said to mean ‘knower’s of the oak’ (Celtic mythology).
• The Cosmic Tree of Latvia was a highly symbolic image. It was said to hold birds in its branches (enlightenment), mammals at its base (instinct) and serpents in its roots (wisdom)
The most common theme found in world mythology is the ‘Tree of Life’ which is said to both create and prolong life. In many cases, our ancestors believed that these great trees gave birth to the Gods and even to humanity itself. Many pilgrims have searched for this mythical tree throughout the ages, but only the most worthy have been able to find it:
• In Tengrinism, it is said that humans were descended from Trees, as well as other spirit entities and lesser gods who lived for hundreds of years.
• A tree of life belonged to the Goddess Iusaaset who was said to have conceived the lineage of Egyptian Gods through the trees life-giving properties.
• The Kalpavriksha tree from Vedic mythology was said to produce an abundance of life-giving fruit for those who wished for it.
Utah Valley University records show that event planners estimated up to 600 guests, but nearly 3,000 attended, with security handled by a six-member campus police detail and Kirk’s private team
Agneyastra was one such weapon, created by the fire god Agni. It was described as a flaming arrow which required great knowledge and skill to work. Legend says the Agneyastra was used by the hero Sagara to set his enemies ablaze.
