Archive for November, 2013

Coded Meaning of Jacob’s Ladder

Posted in Atheist, belief, Bible, faith, Hebrew scripture, prehistory, random, religion, scriptures with tags , , , , , on November 20, 2013 by chouck017894

One of the more convoluted priest-written myths that make up the Old Testament book of Genesis is that of Jacob, the younger of twin boys who, nonetheless, received through fraud and deceit the blessings of first-born. This is the much revered ancestor of the “chosen” ones. There is hidden meaning in all of this, of course, but the focus for this blog is why this character’s name was changed to Israel. It is all inexplicably mixed in with an alleged wrestling match with an angel and a “dream” about a ladder upon which angels were seen to move up and down between heaven and Earth.

The story of Jacob and his name change to Israel is found in the opening of biblical lore, Genesis–the book of beginnings. The focus here on this devious character is spurred by a recent television series called Ancient Aliens, which speculated that various unknowns in Earth’s ancient past hinge upon the aspect that extraterrestrials were responsible for those unknowns. This evaluation of the program’s biblical interpretations does not necessarily rule out that such visitations may have occurred. Like hard-line religionists, however, this theory overlooks or deliberately ignores many of the various clues that the priest-authors used to season the tale—clues that were drawn from prehistory lessons that once used groups of stars (constellations) to illustrate Creation principles of energy progression into visible forms. For example, Jacob’s grandfather also had his name changed from Abram to Abraham–and for the same reason, which is also not effectively explained.

Jacob’s ladder is regarded as a religious “mystery,” which is referred to as the scala coeli (stairway). This “mystery” is no genuine mystery at all when one follows all the clues that are dropped throughout the story. In the book The Celestial Scripures (by this author), it is pointed out that symbols are employed which are easily recognized by initiates. Jacob is said to have gone out from Beer-sheba (Genesis 28:10), his course being toward Haran. The Beer part of the name means “well,” and the word sheba means “seven”, which indicates that the Life Principle advances through seven stages (symbolized as wells) of primordial development toward visible amassment, and the earliest phenomenon of this activity is seen as light. Thus we read that Jacob “…lighted upon a certain place and he tarried there all night (through that primordial energy plane) because the Sun was set…” (Genesis 28:11). In other words, energy is in the process of manifesting toward denser form–or definable matter form is “set“. At this point Jacob then had to take “…of the stones of that place…” and use them for his pillow. Now this is strange: Jacob is characterized as being a forward planning individual, so wouldn’t such a person have taken with him something to sleep upon during an overnight journey? No explanation is forthcoming for this lack of preparedness. Instead, he must lay his head upon a pile of stones, and then he has his famous mystifying dream of angel activity on a ladder that linked Heaven with Earth. (Genesis 28:12-17).

To repeat, the Genesis story relates that the ladder was seen by Jacob in a dream, not as some actual physical encounter. The ladder that Jacob allegedly beheld, upon which angels or divine messengers were moving up and down, is coded reference to elementary particles that are becoming actively involved in the coalescing phase into biological life; thus it is the ladder-like DNA sequence that is referred to as the ladder which connects all life with the Source. It is at this point in the story that Jacob was then allegedly promised by God (the Life Principle personified) that he and his multitudes of descendants would be given possession of Canaan: but this “land” is not in regard to any Near East area on planet Earth, but symbolizes the advanced energy involvement as matter. This holy account is therefore not history of a specific “chosen” people, but is about how all life forms move through elemental energy phases into temporary matter form where self-aware consciousness is achieved. Nonetheless, this is all implied by the priest-authors to have occurred around the timeframe of 1760 BCE.

When Jacob awakened from this “dream,” he is quoted as saying, “How dreadful is this place!–this is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.” (28:17). Huh? “This place” therefore refers to the pre-physical energy conditions or prototype circumstances which initiate matter manifestation. This is “dreadful” only because elementary consciousness is amassing to descend and pass over into visible dense matter identity. It is in this in-between development stage where Jacob “tarried” (it is not until chapter 32 that Jacob is actually transformed into self-aware matter-life as Israel). The stone that Jacob had used for his pillow he then set up as a pillar. Strangely, Jacob had not carried any sleeping gear for the overnight journey, but he had carried along a supply of oil which he poured upon the pillar. And he called that place of intensifying energy Beth-el (House of God).

Jacob is said to “tarry” in this prototype situation for fourteen years, and it is here that Rachel and her elder sister Leah enter the story, and both became his wives. Female figures represent energy substance. (So when other scriptural women, some called sisters, marries the lead character they are, being an interacting part of the energy spectrum, not committing incest.) Jacob also frolicked with the female servants of his wives–all with God’s blessing. From these unions Jacob allegedly fathered twelve sons, each to become the ancestors of the twelve tribes of Israel. When at last Jacob and his evolving family stole away from his father-in-law’s locale, they also left with stolen rudiments from the father-in-law before they passed over the river toward the mount Gilead (Genesis 31:21).

Later on (Genesis 32:28 and 35:10) Jacob is described as having to indulge in a wrestling match with an angel (some interpret it as a struggle with God). This peculiar wrestling match is said to have lasted “…until the breaking of day,” meaning until energy-form was becoming defined. In the brief description of the wrestling match it is impossible to follow which one of the combatants is Jacob and which one is the “man” during the combat. The reason for this seemingly garbled account is that both participants represent the same energy involvement which is in the process of transforming–or passing over–from primal energy conditions into defined form–or “until the breaking of the day.” When Jacob later asks the name of his opponent, Jacob is rebuffed. The question is never answered, but nonetheless “…he blessed him there.” Who blessed whom? The wrestling match is a parable for energy transformation, so the Life Principle blesses itself by the exertion of transformation! Thus the creative principle has advanced into defined matter form and so we read, “Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel; for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and has prevailed.” Jacob then named the place of combat as Peniel, which is said to mean, “I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved.” Then in 32:31 it relates, “And as he (Jacob) passed over Peniel the sun rose upon him, and he halted upon his thigh”–upon his organ of generation.

So the teasing suggestion in the television series Ancient Aliens that perhaps the ladder in the Jacob fable represents extraterrestrials coming to Earth is another misinterpretation of prehistory lessons concerning the energies of Creation. But in various illustrations which show a ladder descending from a darkish oval area,* that does not signify a UFO; it represents the tunnel mouth out of primordial energy conditions from which energy as visible matter-forms descend. On the other hand the relationship with space and heavenly activity is not exactly alien to scriptures: each of the twelve sons of Jacob/Israel represents one of the signs from the Zodiac. And this heavenly relationship is also echoed in the twelve tribes, and in the New Testament as the twelve apostles of Jesus.
*There are Masonic illustrations, a painting of George Washington, and some “saint” paintings, etc. which have such a ladder displayed in the background.

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Winter Solstice in Faith System Disguises

Posted in Atheist, belief, Christianity, culture, faith, Hebrew scripture, prehistory, random, religion, scriptures with tags , , , , , , on November 9, 2013 by chouck017894

Every year as the hours of daylight grow progressively less in the Northern Hemisphere, western organized faith systems burst forth during the approach of the Winter Solstice in lavish demonstrations of belief that a one-time event occurred just for them a couple of thousand years ago at this time of year. In truth, that which is being celebrated is actually the cyclic celestial panorama which activates the seasons and which has set the pace of life on planet Earth for many millions of years.

Bluntly, it has been astrophysical features that have served as the basis for many portions of scriptural stories which are marketed as “holy” accounts. And it is the two major turning points in the year–the solstices–which have been artfully disguised in sacred tales and which have allowed practitioners of divine deception (faith systems) to manipulate large masses of people.

The seasonal change occurring with the Winter Solstice in the Northern Hemisphere signals a time of renewal and revival in Nature. That regulatory cyclic change which is spoken of as “solstice” comes from the Latin word sol, meaning Sun, and the Latin word sistere, past participle of stit, meaning “to stand.” The illusion in the Northern Hemisphere that the Sun moves southward periodically in the winter and northward in the spring is, as we know today, caused by Earth’s axial tilt as it orbits the Sun. In the Northern Hemisphere the Sun appears to reach its most southern point on December 21, and appears to begin a northward movement on December 25. In pre-Christian Rome the twenty-fifth of December was therefore known and celebrated as Natalis Solis Invict, meaning “birthday of the Sun.”

With the approach of winter in the Northern Hemisphere, the star Murzim or Murzar (in constellation Canis Major) rises upon the eastern horizon. The name Murzim is said to mean “the Announcer,” and it precedes the appearance of the star Sirius—the brightest star in the sky—which, in turn, seemingly heralds the greater light of the Sun that is to come. Remember, Jesus allegedly said of himself, “I am the light of the world” (John 8:12). The month preceding the Winter Solstice (November) carried great significance in ancient cultures, and it is from Pagan study and awe of astronomical movements that the observance of Advent (from Latin adventus, “the coming”) was introduced into Catholic formality around 600 by Pope Gregory the Great. This allowed the faith system’s representatives four Sundays before the solstice to utilize the declining light of the Sun as reminder of God’s power, and it was inferred that it was only by the flock’s continuous obedience that the power continued in glory. In Pagan antiquity the commencement of the new yearly cycle was celebrated after the perceptible northward movement of the Sun was certain; then it was perceived as the “Deliverer” or “Redeemer.”

In Judaism the festival of Hanukkah, meaning “dedication” (to the light which will be increasing), is observed within the same seasonal period of the approaching Winter Solstice, being celebrated from the 25th of Kislev (third month of the Jewish calendar) to the first of Tevet (which overlaps December and January). This is known variously as the Festival of Lights, Feast of Dedication, and Feast of the Maccabees. The increase of light for the Northern Hemisphere is disguised here in the story of the Temple of Jerusalem having been rededicated to Yahweh by Judas Maccabaeus in 165 BCE, which had been profaned by Antiochus VI Epiphanes, King and overlord of Syria. Three years earlier, 168 BCE, on the date corresponding to December 25 in the Gregorian calendar, the Syrian king had dedicated the captured Temple in Jerusalem to the worship of Zeus Olympius. When Maccabaeus recaptured Jerusalem, the Temple was purged and a new altar replaced the desecrated one. This re-dedication was then planned to be celebrated for eight days, but woe!–supposedly only one cruse of pure olive oil, blessed by the priest, could be found. Yahweh intervened and that single cruse of oil burned miraculously for the whole eight days! Yahweh’s holy light prevailed.

The connection of the Muslim fast Ramadan to the Winter Solstice is far less obvious, due partly to Mohammad’s (or his scribe’s) misunderstanding of Jewish/Christian myths which allowed for their disguised ceremonial observance of the Winter Solstice period. The link to the Winter Solstice became lost in Islamic observation due to the Muslim year being calculated according to lunar phases instead of solar cycles. Also, being from a desert culture the seasonal changes were not such an obvious yearly transitional event as it was to those in higher latitudes. Therefore Islamic holidays seemingly “relocate” through each season, and in a period of about thirty-three years Ramadan makes a complete cycle of the solar year. For these reasons the Muslim celebration of Laylat-al-Qadr, meaning “the Night of Power,” which is held on the evening of the twenty-seventh day of the ninth month of their year calculation because Mohammed allegedly received his first revelation in this timeframe. Thus, although Ramadan seems not to be obviously related to the “infidel’s” recognition of the approaching increase of light (symbolizing revelation), the fasting and rites of the Night of Power were inspired by the disguised Jewish/Christian observances of the Winter Solstice.

Now back to the Christian faith system observation, which, of these three sister faith systems, is more closely aligned with prehistory (Pagan) wisdom that had deeper understanding of our direct relationship to cosmic forces. It was not any priests who initiated the Jesus cult in Rome; it was Roman aristocrats and literati, for prehistory wisdom was known and revered by them. The Winter Solstice was referred to by the ancient ones as “Mother Night,” and this was because the star Spica, the brightest star in constellation Virgo, the virgin, appears on the meridian at midnight during the longest night. This is why Christian lore relates that the Virgin (symbolic of the cosmic void) gave birth to a divine son (the Sun) which characterizes the Life Principle. Light begins to increase in the Northern Hemisphere after the Sun’s intercourse with darkness, and so light is “born” again—out of itself. Thus the Winter Solstice figuratively marks the “birthday” of life-giving light, and this prehistory acknowledgment of the life supporting Sun’s movements was absorbed into the Christian faith system and dubbed “Christmas,” i.e. Christs’s Mass.

As noted, constellation Virgo makes its appearance on the horizon at the decisive point of the Winter Solstice period, and this is the basis for all the stories of world saviors that were said to have been born of a virgin. The returning light was reason for celebration and gift giving, and this accounts for the gifts borne by the Magi or wise men or kings to such saviors (of spirit) as Zoroaster, Mithras, Tammuz, Jesus, and others.

That respect for ancient wisdom by the Roman authors of earliest Jesus cult texts gradually became smothered by those who awoke to the possible manipulative power that the new cult offered as a mechanism for social and political control. It was the passion for material power, not spiritual enlightenment and guidance that drove men to weave myths upon the ancient cosmic knowledge and build corporate-style “faith” businesses upon them.

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Forbidden Tree of Eden

Posted in Atheist, Bible, faith, Hebrew scripture, logic, nature, religion, scriptures with tags , , , , , , on November 1, 2013 by chouck017894

According to man-written holy texts the creation of man was the Creator’s last and highest work. Naturally, from the writers’ perspective, man was God’s favored creation—especially the authors. But this claim brought with it the uncomfortable necessity to explain the imperfect circumstances which are experienced in life. Thus, very early in Genesis the assumed male Creator explains the facts of life by instructing the vaguely defined male/female beings about diet: they must not eat of the fruit of two specific trees in the center of his landscaped garden. And so in paradisiacal Eden, so the authors contend, the requirement for enjoying that paradise was to simply submit and obey. And that tactic of control has been used by and for every cult and faith system ever devised by man.

Thus in verse 29 of the first chapter God is quoted as saying, “Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in which is the fruit of the tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat.” It is never explained how Adam and Eve would have known what “meat” actually signified, but we must ignore such trivialities. The plotting starts to get heavier by the opening of chapter three (verses 2 and 3) where Eve is portrayed as conversing with a serpent in regard to one of those trees which God had made the focus-point of his garden. The innocent and inexperienced Eve tells the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden; but the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest you die.”

Whoa, wait a minute! Eve and Adam have existed only for an extremely short time, all of which had been played out in a paradisiacal garden; how could they possibly have any concept of what the threat of death meant? That’s not important! Anyway, in verse five the serpent reassured Eve that, “…God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.” It is not explained how the serpent, a lowly creature fashioned in the early “let there be” throes of Creation, already possessed such knowledge, but God’s last and supposedly highest creation was, well, kind of stupid. So why would the newly functioning brains of these favorite beings, which are essentially blank, have any aspiration to be as gods since they don’t even know what good and evil means? Their eyes shall be opened, the serpent says to entice, but Eve already sees well enough to know a good meal when she sees it. So maybe the fruit of the tempting tree in question didn’t yield any seed, as specified in verse 29 of the opening chapter, how was she supposed to tell? (Plotting, you may have noticed, was not a strong point of the Genesis authors.)

Believers are never supposed to question why it is that the “fruit” is never named or even described in the Genesis account; an avoidance which has always allowed plenty of room for speculation as to which fruit might inspire knowledge of good and evil. Almost certainly the fruit could not be from an apple tree, although that makes for easy picking and colorful storytelling. On the non-accommodating side of the apple myth, apples occasionally may serve as the incubating media for some worms, and these wriggling God-made creatures are not exactly noted for their wisdom.

Just maybe biblical lore has been hugely misinterpreted. Anyway, who is to say that the fabled tree of Eden could not have actually been a banana tree? Of course the banana is not technically a “tree,” but is considered a large herbaceous plant with a perennial root or rhizome from which the plant is perpetuated. Such details certainly would not have bothered the Genesis authors. The banana is, however, a tree-like tropical plant, and we should remember that Adam and Eve are said to have romped around the garden naked. And how could they have ignored such a plant which can, when full-grown, attain a height of ten to forty feet and is surmounted by a crown of large leaves six to ten feet long and which may be two to three feet across? And the plant’s flowers are charmingly arranged in whorl-like clusters along a central spike. All-in-all a very ornate, attractive, alluring bit of foliage.

And what tempting fruit it bears! How was Eve to know that it was not fruit that bore seed (as specified in Genesis 3:29)? For some strange reason the shape of the fruit made Eve think of Adam. The fruit, she would notice, varied in length from four to twelve inches, and from one to nearly two inches thick; just right for enjoying raw. Thus we read in verse six of the third chapter of Genesis, “And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat…” Of course we are not supposed to ask, if Eve was virtually as brainless as a doorknob how could she have understood the advantages of becoming wise? But the fable says that Eve was overjoyed at the new delight, and she then coaxed her mate to share the enjoyment of gobbling on the forbidden fruit. With this God-revealed holy truth the authors of Genesis not only provided the limp excuse for man’s woes but placed the female in position as the direct cause of “original sin.”

So isn’t all this compelling evidence that the banana is a better representative of forbidden fruit? First of all this species of vegetation does not exist in the wild: it cannot perpetuate itself–cannot survive without the intervention of human cultivation. Only by taking cuttings from the perennial root of a banana tree and transplanting it can a new tree be produced. Such a dead-end situation certainly is not an ordinary perpetuation condition. Maybe that means that the original couple dared to steal some roots of the forbidden tree before they were booted out of Eden.

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