Archaeology 201

Archaeologists today unearthed an unusual burial in Greece. A solid gold wreath, in addition to a set of human remains, was found in a clay pot, amongst other burials.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26455572/

Hmmmm . . . that’s interesting. This is where Archaeology is combined with detective work and logic. The typical burials in Greece, at about 500 B.C. were fairly elaborate. There was a ritual mourning period, funerary monument, and public burial.

http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/dbag/hd_dbag.htm

Bodies were interred in a state of repose, never in jars or huddled down. The only culture that actually put bones into jars were the Tibetans. Even the Egyptians used canopic jars, but only to store body organs.

So, we have a jar, a gold wreath, and some remains. Typically, the gold wreath would symbolize rulership or a member of the royal family. The person burying the deceased had great reverence and respect for either folklore, customs, or the interred person (this is why the gold wreath was not plundered nor stolen by the caretaker). Radiocarbon dating would give us the relative date of the jar, and of the bones. In addition, the burial is fairly clandestine, since there were no similar burials nearby (no other remains in jars).

An educated wild guess would say that, this is a burial of a member of the royal lineage. Perhaps an heir, perhaps an illegitimate child. Perhaps there was fear that the decedent might be exhumed, this is why the burial was done in secret. It was someone important enough to place a gold wreath and hide the burial. But perhaps too provocative to bury openly, with the proper honors.

But again, this is just a guess. Why these remains were interred, along with a gold wreath . . . more than likely, we’ll never be sure . . .

S/F,
- Omar W. Rosales

Will the Real Bigfoot Please Stand Up?

So, there’s a hurricane in the Gulf, we leave to India next week, and I’m writing about Bigfoot. That sounds right about normal. We won’t mention my dreams of my friends the Lwa, but you get the idea.

It was revealed last week that the two gentlemen claiming to have captured Bigfoot and placed it in a large ice cooler were hucksters, propagating a less-than-compelling hoax upon the unsuspecting American public. Really? C’mon

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26298733/

So you mean to tell me two guys from the sticks didn’t manage to capture Bigfoot? That they failed to accomplish what no Explorer, Expedition Leader, Sherpa, Mountaineer, Sir Edmund Hillary, Backpacker, Hiker, Hunter, Soldier, Television Show, Reality Show, Journalist or other person has ever done? Duh!

Its always good to be a skeptic. You should always check your information. There’s a lot of gray areas when we deal with Social Sciences such as Humanities, Anthropology, and Archaeology. You should verify your sources. Some authors will actually appropriate cultural symbology and pass it off as their own. Worse, is when authors make up entire accounts of countries they’ve never been to, and fabricate the work of healers that don’t exist. Not only are they stealing another’s culture, they’re purposefully misleading. Its basically cultural theft combined with Plastic Shamanism.

There was no Walkabout in Australia, that yielded a Mutant Message. There’s no Sisterhood of the Shields, and there was no Don Juan. All these are invented shamans and fictional accounts. Which takes away from the real shamanic work and the sacrifice of real shamanic practitioners, who work to sustain indigenous culture and sacred religious traditions.

Please, do your research. Find out about shamans and indigenous healing traditions. Explore your world. But, don’t believe everything you see or hear . . .

- Omar W. Rosales

P.S. If you see Bigfoot, tell him I’ll meet him at that Fancy Restaurant called “I-HOP”

On Angels

A friend recently asked, “I'm studying angels, so what do you know?” Hmmmm, let’s see . . .

Angels are extremely powerful supernatural beings. On a day-to-day basis, and in your spiritual practice, one shouldn’t see angels nor want to see angels. Seeing angels usually symbolizes the presence of danger. And not all angels are holy.

The word ‘Angel’ comes from the Greek word ‘angelos’, which means messenger. In their communications with humanity, angels are usually messengers of God’s word – bringing important instructions, epiphanies, and messages. Physically, angels are said to be hermaphrodites, having both male and female sexual organs (non-functioning). Traditionally, angels don’t have eyes or souls. Some angels are also said to be resentful of human beings, because God placed humans above angels by giving the human beings a soul.

During the Middle Ages, scholars devoted years to figuring out Angels’ mysteries. Angels also are divided in Orders, which indicate their closeness to God. The orders are divided into spheres: First Sphere, Second Sphere, and Third Sphere. The First Sphere consists of Seraphim, Cherubim, and Thrones. In the Second Sphere, we find Dominions, Virtues, and Powers. In the Third Sphere are Principalities, Archangels, and Angels.

The most widely-known types of angels are the Archangels, which represent God’s primary messengers to humankind. The four Archangels are Michael, Gabriel, Raphael, and Uriel. Archangel Michael is depicted with a flaming sword, and is said to be the commander of the Army of God. Michael (or Meek-e-el) means “Who is like God?” and was the war cry shouted as the War in Heaven began and the rebellious angels were cast down. According to legend, the Fifth Archangel grabbed Archangel Michael by the wings as Satanel was being cast out of heaven, but God intervened and saved Michael. The fallen angels became demons, destined to plague humanity until the End of Days, with the Morning Star as their terrible leader.

Archangel Michael is sometimes called ‘St. Michael’, but Archangel Michael was never a human being. Gabriel is the Angel of Death. Most biblical accounts refer to Gabriel as a fearful creature that would carry out the unmerciful will of God. To appease Gabriel, mystics would leave out food and say, “Upon him be Peace,” as Gabriel would appear, so as to subdue the angel. Gabriel is also said to be the final angel to blow his trumpet, in the End of Days, as the final plagues are unleashed upon humanity and the Earth. Accounts differ as to purpose and personalities of Raphael and Uriel.

Angels are said to have no Free Will or volition, but then this presents a dichotomy, because how do we explain the War in Heaven? Angels can appear as small sparks of light, but usually pass unseen by human beings, unless the angels allow themselves to be seen. Normally, you wouldn’t call upon angels for assistance in day-to-day life. They have very specific purposes, and usually don’t appear unless it’s a time of tribulation or danger.

The highest Angel is the Metatron. Metatron is the shortened Greek form of ‘meta thronons’ or ‘the one that sits behind the throne’. In Talamudic traditions, the Metatron is God’s scribe and the only other entity (besides God) that is allowed to sit down in heaven.

That’s basically about it. Personally, I’ve only seen an angel once in my lifetime. I was waking out of a deep sleep and saw one stand at the corner of my bedroom. It was amazing. I would say it was about 8 feet tall, enormous, glowing, in white robes, and with white-feathered wings. It was more incandescent, than fully physical and solid in form. I’m unsure if I was in danger, but I’m thankful for the being’s protection.


S/F,
- Omar W. Rosales