Blessed equinox! I’ve just released a video about the ancient spiritual meaning of the spring equinox.
We show for the first time how ancient sites across the world, that were aligned to the spring equinox, encode the same spiritual meaning connected to the theme of spiritual resurrection. We first published these ideas in 2011 and they can be found in more detail in our book Ancient Solstice.
In this video I talk about the ancient sites, traditions, and myths of the spring equinox to uncover their deeper spiritual meaning and relevance today.
The spring equinox was one of the largest religious occasions in ancient times and still is. Many ancient cultures throughout the world venerated the sun at the spring equinox. Millions still celebrate it according to their ancient traditions, and billions commemorate Easter around the time of the spring equinox, although its deeper significance has largely been lost. What is the spiritual meaning of the spring equinox, and why was it so important to ancient people?
In this video, I delve into these questions. I discuss many examples of ancient sites aligned to the equinox, exploring the symbolism contained in some of the most enigmatic examples, including Angkor Wat in Cambodia, the Great Sphinx in Egypt, Knowth in Ireland, Monk’s Mound in Illinois USA, Tikal in Guatemala, and Nebelivka Temple in Ukraine. I talk about how its celebration was an important part of an ancient Religion of the Sun that spread to different parts of the world in prehistory. I also look at the deeper spiritual meaning of Easter, the world’s biggest celebration held around the spring equinox.
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This turned out to be quite a big project that took over a month to put together. There is so much to understand about the meaning of all the sites and traditions connected to the spring equinox, that it’s hard to convey it all. The ancient sites that align to it, like the Sphinx at Giza and Angkor Wat, are the most complex in the world. So it’s hard to do them justice without it being too overwhelming for people. There is so much wisdom in these ancient places!
Lots of thanks to give. Thank you to Mark, whose work has made understanding these times of year in such depth possible. Thank you to the team at the publisher – Thanks to Erik for organizing, finding, and creating many of the images, of which there are over 200! And thank you to the team who pulled together and helped find them. Thank you Dara for creating the beautiful thumbnail, for creating many of the beautiful diagrams, especially of the astrological alignments of the Sphinx. Thank you Julian for your beautiful artwork – especially of the Orion and Milky Way Giza correlation, and the Sphinx Regulus ecliptic correlation. Thank you Jordan for your tireless work on putting together all the credits, and to Jenny for doing all the background admin bits and pieces that are so needed. And thank you Jon for the amazing work of editing it with so many special touches so it all comes together.
Thank you also to all of you who’ve supported us and the publisher to make this video possible. Many more just like it are on the way! (although I don’t think they will take as long as this one!)
Wishing you all a peaceful and happy time over the equinox, with much understanding of what this special time really means.
Hi Everyone,
Equinox is approaching…
Wishing you all an inspired and spiritual Equinox where ever you are – southern or northern hemisphere.
Thanks Dimi. I have been revisiting the Spring Equinox video as I’m in the southern hemisphere and noticed your comment. Wishing you a deeply spiritual time for inner transformation. I’ve also been listening to some beautiful music from different traditions which I’ve found very inspiring. I’ll list them here in case anyone is interested…
Chant from a Holy Book (Armenian duduk): https://youtu.be/hFa7lg-2Zw0?si=O5qwMJhMhUZnICBu
Moqaddameh : Tchekad (Persian music): https://youtu.be/Ync_JX7faHs?si=T5LYtffigehpaoeP
Wow…! what a conversation…so much has been discussed in this thread. Very informative and revealing too.
Our version of Christianity, no mater what denomination or tradition, seems to have steered away from the original teachings of Jesus. I hold the view that modern day Christians are following an “edited version of Christianity”, for so many reasons, as mentioned in this thread. I’d like to include the Christian version of Paul in the mix, how his teachings have been used to guide modern day Christians to a more simplified and public form of faith (albeit necessary as a beginning point), yet there exist more profound and esoteric messages for those who are able to understand them. Another point to add is the omittance of the Divine Feminine in the modern Christian way. There are remnants of this or traces of the divine feminine by way of Mother Mary, but her role/relevance is obscured or minimised as being one of an earthly existence only. I came across this video that gives another version of Christianity to be considered, one that aligns more with the original and esoteric teachings of Jesus, one that aligns with a more ancient tradition such as the original Gnostics/Essenes.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KqTQCpunVJ4
I guess the point I’m trying to make is the same as most of you in this thread – that more people can benefit from knowing the truth and origins about their faith tradition.
Sorry about the delay in replying to some of your comments. Jenny has been working on formatting the book, and so we’ve been going back and forth entering last minute additions, working out styles, picking up on any errors etc. these last couple of days. She thinks it could be ready to send for its first proof sometime next week, so getting closer.
Great news Lara! :) It definitely takes a lot of time and effort to create something of quality that will last. But the efforts of all involved will result in a valuable resource that can potentially serve generations to come. Thanks to everyone who has contributed to bringing the publication to fruition. I look forward to reading it!
These are some really deep stuffs! May take me some time to digest all these information,or even watching the video more than once to really understand these stuffs! I didn’t know that the turning of the Milky Sea in Hindu mythology could have carried such a significant spiritual meaning! I always thought of it as nothing more than a story of gods vs demons,for the devas and the asuras were two opponent races who always fought one another in Hindu mythology. And a dog-headed Sphinx is something I’ve never heard of! I always thought of Sphinx as this being with a human head and the body of a lion by all means, I only knew it aligned to the constellation Leo at some point,not the possibility of it being rebuilt though! Lara’s videos hace always been informative and educational,looking forward to learning more about the practices of the Ancient Religion of The Sun!
Fantastic news about the new book getting closer to printing and becoming available!
Hi everyone,
I wanted to give a funding update from Sura Ondrunar Publishing, the publisher of Mark and Lara’s books and the Sakro Sawel videos.
We started fundraising again a few months ago after taking a break, and we are so thankful for how this community of people has come through for us. Thank you! The first few months were strong and we met our funding targets each month. However in February and this past month of March we’ve fallen short. This could be ok in other times of the year, however we have an expensive few months ahead of us with yearly services renewing, like web hosting, plus we are also putting out the new book, and Lara has planned a number of videos to go along with the release of the book, which the videos often times require us to license stock material.
Again we are so thankful for all the support we have received and continue to receive. We wouldn’t be able to publish the books, have websites, make videos, etc, without it :)
hi Jenny,
Thank you for the update. The videos have been so good and so helpful to put the book’s information and Mark’s work, Lara’s research all into a very helpful visual understanding. I hope the fundraising will gather steam and grow steadily and continuously. 1 kofi goes a long way when many gives them :)
Much light & love to all
Caffeine for the soul :)
and the new book out it May!!! Yoohoo that is cause for a HUGE celebration!
Thanks for the update, is the website donation page more-or-less up-to-date?
And an update on the book. Jenny has now formatted most of the chapters. There is one chapter left to go which is the largest. We’ve just made a few last minute additions to it, so Jenny will do that soon too. There will be some time to get all the attributions and references entered, and going back and forth over any formatting issues.
After the formatting, Jenny and Dara will move on to getting proofs and then making any needed adjustments to the formatting and cover.
Oh that’s lovely news Lara and Jenny! :) Thank you and all involved for your dedication and I wish you every success with bringing the new book to print. I’m sure it’ll be well worth all the effort!
Yes the book is moving along! Now that it’s well into production with formatting, it looks like it will be out sometime in May.
I wanted to say a big thank you for all of the support we have gotten in the past few days. It’s been amazing – the quick response to my update and the generosity, all so very much appreciated.
We do keep the donation page on suraondrunar.org pretty up to date. I update it every day or so.
Jenny now has the last chapter, and whole book, and is formatting away!
Thank you very much to all of you who’ve supported the publisher too, which is much needed, to cover all the expenses involved.
😆 Formatting away! All the best to Jenny and all involved, as book-making is always a very meticulous work, with many different eyes needed to check everything again and again. This book surely will be groundbreaking. ❤️
Thank you Lara & Mark and team. I loved how beautiful the video was made and how well it fit with all the information.
With best wishes,
Thank you Lara, Mark and all the people involved in this beautiful production.
I wanted to share something which I thought was pretty neat. Maybe its not always possible to regularly participate in ceremonies or wear ritualistic habit, but it’s quite interesting how orientating oneself to religious activities of the spiritual sun can really bring a shift, especially if you are caught up in a routine or have a chronic mind-set and feel stuck in certain ways. I found that even a simplistic fire ceremony increased my perception 10-fold, how the way the scene of the snow-fallen terrain unfolded around me was like something calling out from another world, where there were no words or images capable to define a certain truth that was around me. Sometimes it feels like all our life we are marching in one direction, and then taking the opportunity to create and manifest an experience around the spirituality of the Sun, of light, of fire, refocuses our perception in a way that the mind would never have been able to come up with.
That sounds very nice Olga – kind of like the more spiritual ancient people may have perceived the world back then… I often feel the heaviness of today’s way of life with its dreadful mechanicalness and overwhelmingly mundane energies, with most people considering it a norm or a “reality”, but this is not how things always were, or should be, and I feel it is so much worth to go against this kind of mundane feeling and to catch a glimpse of a higher reality/frequency of the same landscape/place, just as you have described. Thank you for the reminder. ❤️
Thank you for your kind wishes and insightful words, Marco.
My friends grew up in Mexico and share with me too about the lesser known cultures of the North! Sonora desert is a place that I am especially drawn too.
The ETs seemed to play a much greater role in Mezoamerican cultures than is widely known, even in alternative science/spirituality circles. I would love to learn more about it.
Wow I’ve never heard about the close friendship of Cortez with Montezuma. I think that while there are the forces of Light and Darkness, evolution and devolution etc, the interplay of forces in the world is almost never divided on “perfectly good” and “totally evil”. Invading armies might fulfill the laws of karma while some good people might be a part of them to play a certain mission, to learn certain lessons etc. Just like in the Daoist symbol of Yin-Yang ☯️, there is a white dot inside the black, and there is a black dot inside the white.
Yes indeed, the books of Mark and Lara are so helpful to connect better the dots and have a greater understanding.
Amazing and brilliant video! Connecting civilizations that are so far apart to a common denominator – Spring Equinox. Mainstream historians and explanations would say it is a coincidence. They tend to overlook the correlations and multiple similarities, thus dismissing the likelihood that ancient civilizations were far more advanced, knew about alignments (on a global scale!) and were not simply civilizations that superficially venerated the sun and its movement through the sky at specific times of the year. The work unfolding on this website is revealing the depth and complexity (as well as spiritual symbolism) these sites hold within their design, construction, artwork, etc. These sights are being revealed as being more intricate in their purpose as well as pointing to a bigger picture and a greater connection – to the spiritual relevance of the Sun.
I have friends from Iran, whom I have known for over 20 years and it always caught my attention that they would celebrate the Spring Equinox time as being their New Year. They explained to me (many years ago) that it has remained as a cultural celebration even though their country has now converted to Islam. Their culture roots (being Persian) still linger when it comes to the time of Spring Equinox. The festivities are big and lavish, but they are also a remnant of a time long ago, which relates to Zoroastrianism.
Our civilization is a remnant of these ancient peoples and places. We can’t create or build like they did. That is enough evidence that they were more advanced than we are today. We may have all the technology and creature comforts but we can’t build what they have left behind – and standing for thousands of years!
Once again, a fantastic effort from Lara and the team, to bring this information to light and to continue demonstrating that our heritage was much richer and intricate across the globe – we were Spiritually connected/aligned and we were a spiritual civilization which has fragmented more and more over time.
Thank you for such a beautiful video about the equinox. It is really inspiring to connect to the seriousness with which these ancient cultures approached the spring equinox. Normally the examples I encounter in daily life are small, like stone circles, or mounds, or ruins with solar topographical alignments, which give the impression of a smallish group persisting with the religion of the sun in the midst of society doing otherwise. In your presentation the examples are monumental, and this contrasts so much to our society, with all the advanced technology, but so little to help the soul.
Thank you for renewing the videos, and in a so much more beautiful format. Also, thank you to everyone who assisted.
To greet in the conventional Christian way, Christ has risen!
Great to see Ancient Solstice “come alive” in video format – looking forward to the other two points of the year (and much more to come)!
Thank you, Lara, and everyone, for the equinox wishes. Also, thank you for all the information presented so beautifully in this video. It contains such richness of information that we watched it in two parts. It must have been profoundly inspiring for the ancient people to live in the proximity of these ancient sites, being daily reminded of their higher being and spiritual work. However, I believe we currently inhabit less spiritually conducive times for a purpose. And we still have living nature, Earth, the Moon, and, most importantly, the Sun to remind us of the potential for inner transformation and the growth of light within and consequently around us. Once again, my heartfelt thanks to everyone involved in making this spiritually inspiring video possible.
Happy spring equinox to everyone. 💐🌅
There’s definitely a subtle warmth paired with each publication. And the content, so good! and densely packed, like that behind each single line I know there’s so many layers of research. It really has come such a long way.
Well done to each person helping out with the production too. Thanks for getting on with things and pushing forward.
Just to say Lara I also appreciate your comments on Youtube.
Like one about ‘tending to this small light, like a child, at this time’. It reminded me also a bit of this Greek hero whose hair is cut and with it his power. It could make you give up. But he gets on with things and faces the circumstances as he is. Until at some point, almost surprisingly, that strength and roar come back, as his hair has grown back sufficiently again.
Maybe not an exact retelling, but yeah to keep going even when things are not perfect, with that faith.
I know you have so much to do. So wishing you and everyone all the strength with it!
For the first time this equinox, I made the effort to put together all the objects necessary for the solitary/small group maya ceremony that’s given in Mark’s and Lara’s book and I have to say that it was and has been a very beautiful experience. I feel stimulated and motivated to further investigate the ancient religion of the sun and to make it a living thing in myself. The weather here in the northern Mexican desert has been very windy and unusually cold for the season but yesterday morning, thankfully, the sky was sufficiently clear and the wind was calm which enabled me to perform the ceremony.
An aspect of the celebration that I really enjoyed and have been pondering about this week is the preparation for it which was a journey in itself. As I was acquiring the objects and clothing necessary for the ceremony, I felt that I found a new curiosity for my culture that I hadn’t felt since I was a kid. I even now realize that during this past week, I cooked a couple of times a very traditional, simple, and rustic Mexican dish that I like not thinking so much about it but rather as a pure craving. I also found very interesting the strong opposition inside me on some days where I just felt lethargic, unmotivated, and numb overall but I tried to keep in mind that all of those inferior feelings had to be sacrificed and at the end, although in less-than-ideal conditions for the ceremony, I got to see and celebrate the resurrection of the sun.
Since little, I have been interested in the pyramids (especially the ones in Egypt) and ancient cultures and their seemingly deep knowledge about the cosmos, however, the mainstream interpretation of it all has always been unsatisfactory for me and the horrors that were performed by my ancestors together with the conquest and the lack of information in a way turned off my interest in researching more deeply about my culture. Still, when I first saw myself in the mirror dressed in white and with the red band on my forehead I had a strange sensation of looking into the past through me, and a new interest has been yearning inside me to know more about it. I think this also ties to one of the most vivid childhood memories that I have which was a dream from when I was about 5-6 years old. In said dream I was going into an abandoned house next to my grandmother’s where my cousins, elder brother, and I used to play, I felt drawn to go to the back part of the house where there was a small laundry room and as I approached its door my sight was caught by this beautiful turquoise glow that came out through the seams of the door when all of a sudden the door opened violently and this enormous stone-like serpent that shined like nothing that I have ever seen before started chasing me to devour me and I ran from it, not because I was in fear as the fear that is caused by dark forces but, because I was completely frightened with the power of its flight, movement, and energy; it was so strong and mighty that I’m sure nothing in its way would have ever been able to stop it. Later in elementary school classes, I found depictions of it in the Mayan and Aztec pyramids and learned that my ancestors called him Quetzalcoatl or Kukulcán, the feathered serpent.
In this whole process, I feel that I have not found a single answer but rather deep questions that I need to answer.
I want to express my deep and heartfelt gratitude and admiration for you, Lara, Mark, and all the Sakro Sawel and Sura Ondrunar team. Without your diligent work and dedication, I wouldn’t have been able to have this experience of reconnecting with my ancient culture and cleansing my perspective on their religion which I now know is the religion of the sun.
I hope that everyone had a great equinox and that the light of the sacred sun shines strong and deeply inside you so that it may fortify your will and guide your way.
Wow Marco, thank you so much for sharing your experiences. Doing the ceremony solo can be difficult, as it’s so easy to think it’s not worth making the effort and to give up, but you persisted and it seems to me, made a special step forward.
I was especially moved to hear your experience of looking in the mirror and having an sense of connection through time, and your dream of the feathered serpent.
It made me feel like somehow we are each links back in time to the religion of the sun in our own ancestral past, but that we are also now linked together across the world, which feels like something new that hasn’t happened like this before.
Thank you for your kind wishes of appreciation. Wishing you divine guidance on your continued journey.
You are exactly right, Lara. Especially the night before the ceremony I had doubtful thoughts from different interesting angles which I need to investigate further but, as you mentioned, it did made a special step forward.
I share that feeling with you, I have the sensation that something is gently starting to shine, like that warm feeling of having a newborn in the house, and that it has a great potential of growing and reaching more people.
Thank you for your warm wishes, It’s pretty much needed.
Your story hit me by surprise just now Marco and I have to say I was really moved by it.
Maybe this is because I can relate to what you’ve written so much, yet I know it can be quite a step and effort to try to re-enliven that ancient personal connection, so to hear of you doing it, with the info Mark and Lara have put together, is powerful, and for me in a way even a little monumental. Thank you.
I am very glad you could resonate with what I wrote and I appreciate your words which I find encouraging, Karim. Thank you.
So beautiful, thank you Marko very much for sharing your experience. I really loved that dream you had as a child – so very special! Not everyone gets to be pursued by the feathered serpent, right? 😀 I loved the turquoise glow you mentioned and wonder what the colour possibly means… I know it can represent a spiritual teacher/mentor, but other than that, I don’t know much about it, except that it is beautiful. In any way, I wish you that you will be caught by that amazing serpent one day, and become as mighty as it is.
Right?! Now that I have been remembering that dream I wish I had just stayed there still to see what happened jaja
That turquoise glow is something that I have been thinking about as well and I think glow is the correct word to describe it because it looked like liquid glow that shined, like plasma. From what I read, Jade (which has the exact colors of the glow in my dream) was a sacred gem for prehispanic civilizations and they called it “chalchihuitl”. It was the stone with life and the one that gives life and it was associated with water and with the goddess of water Chalchiuhtlicue which means “she who has the skirt of chalchihuites”. The Olmecs, who are known to be the first Mesoamerican civilization, were the first ones to revere jade because to them it represented the essence of the Feathered Serpent.
Thank you for your kind and moving wishes, Lucia. I wish the same to you. May we all one day find/fight our way back to the sacred lands of the Mayab and be called children of the sun.
I think you are definitely up to something with that Jade connection Marco. It is not only revered in the Americas, but also in China, where it was a favorite stone of the nobility, and also famously associated with the Taoist deity called Jade emperor. And while today the esoteric meaning of this stone may have been forgotten, I suspect it could have something to do with the eternal life, waters of life, etc… In this sense, it makes a perfect sense that its been associated with the goddess in your culture, as goddess is connected to water and life. I remember in one of my astral experiences, I saw water flowing in the channels from above (while flying), and the water had a beautiful bright turquoise color, nothing like I have ever seen in the physical world, but I suspect that it may look that way also in the physical world, its just that I never got a chance to see it from such a height here. :-) And since the feathered serpent is a symbol of someone “swallowed” by the Mother/Serpent on his journey to enlightenment, it makes sense the color would be turquoise, while the feathers would represent the eternal Father, as Mark explains in his book. Interestingly, the turquoise stone has also been very revered in Iran/Persia, where its been mined, and used for beautiful decorations in the art and architecture (https://iranpress.com/iranian-turquoise-what-iran-is-known-for).
The waters in the Caribbean do look turquoise in the physical world in certain places, what a beautiful experience you describe of seeing water flowing in the channels while flying in the astral, it transmitted me a sense of peace and beauty. You made me remember an experience I had here in the physical world. I got to swim in a cenote in Yucatan which was 100 meters deep, most of the people were intimidated by it and stayed by the edge but as soon as the water touched my body I felt invited to go to the order edge because I wanted to touch the roots of a tree and as I was halfway I turned down and I saw concentric circles of swimming fishes that extended as far down as my eyes could see into the darkness of the cenote, It was a very intimate feeling of connection to the earth and although at the moment I did not thought about it like that I can say that it felt very mother/woumb like.
I agree with you, Our Lady Virgin of the Sea came to mind while I was thinking about that color which leads me to believe that she and Chalchiuhtlicue are the same. I found that In many catholic paintings, turquoise was used for the color of Mary’s mantle and it was also used in many depictions of angels and some of the paintings of The Sacred Heart of Jesus and Mary. I also found different representations of Our Lady Virgin of the Sea being submerged in water in different places where she is venerated across the globe which I found interesting.
Those turquoise handicrafts and mosques are stunning! Thank you for sharing about jade being revered in China and turquoise in the Middle East, I did not know about that; it further expands the sense of unity I have been feeling lately across humanity. It has been feeling as if true sacred texts were written by the same person, despite their time or location of origin, .
Hi Marco,
Thank you so much for sharing your experience, few of my friends are in Mexico now and I was telling them to look more into spiritual symbolism, teachings, sacred sites etc. of where they would go, as Mexico is so rich with those things.
And your experience resonates a lot with the spirit of uncovering the truth about our ancient roots and the meaning of life itself, through the cycles of time and the changes of place.
I was also always put off by the barbarism that happened with the Conquest and horrible sacrifices over the Mexican sacred sites, and it is just wonderful to discover that it has nothing to do with a pristine spiritual purpose and design of those ancient sacred sites.
May spiritual light guide you and support you in your continuous journey.
Hi, Vadim.
I wish your friends a safe and enriching experience in this beautiful country. I think especially here in the north there is a lot to be investigated that is overlooked because of the proximity with the USA and it is more so a point of investment and industrialization. Some of the ruins and petroglyphs found have local stories of being built by ETs and the traditional patterns of their fabrics and the illustrations of their pottery are noticeably different than those in the rest of the country.
My perspective has been changing on many different levels regarding our story as a human race as it seems to me that the official stories nowadays are more interested in accounting for a story of winners and losers, victims and perpetrators that further feed hatred in our societies but our story is much more nuanced than that, there has been love, there has been respectful exchange of information between cultures and there has been friendship as well. Although horrible things have happened I think we should celebrate the times in which the human spirit won; for example, there’s strong evidence that Hernan Cortez and Motecuhzoma developed a friendship like brothers and that the altercations had many conflicts of interest by different parties. Mark’s and Lara’s work perfectly illustrates this point and further elevates it to the very purpose of our existence which once was shared across our civilizations as a big brotherhood, It’s so beautiful.
Thank you for your wishes and may divine light guide your way, Vadim.
Hi Marco,
It was lovely to read your experience, thank you for sharing. It’s really uplifting to imagine people all over the world taking these steps to connect to their solar spiritual heritage, in all its various forms. Seems we all stand surrounded by secret spiritual treasures that we are conditioned not to see or feel as we grow older but are there, waiting, alive as always, as soon as our soul takes interest. I had a quick stop over in Mexico city some years ago and visited Teotihuacan – I remember thinking it was a beautiful country with so much to explore. Hope this is the beginning of a new, beautiful relationship to your country, your ancestors, your heritage and your spiritual work.
Yes, thanks for sharing those experiences Marco and I’m glad you found the ceremony inspiring. What you said about feeling a new found enthusiasm for your culture, which you hadn’t had since childhood, reminded me of a feeling I had when I first encountered Mark and Lara’s work.
It was similar to being reminded of something that I had once known but had long forgotten, like when I moved house years ago and unexpectedly discovered a children’s picture book that had been packed away in the attic for many years. I had totally forgotten I ever owned it, until it presented itself to me again and I remembered what a good book it was.
I expect there are also other people who have had a feeling of deja vu or remembrance when visiting sacred sites or coming across this spiritual work.
Dear Marco, When I read your comment, it really, really touched my heart and made me very happy. This uncovering and reconnection to our ancient past is something I can really relate to. As a french native, I went back several years ago and visited many ancient sites. It was stunning to see the richness and the amount of ancient sites, especially in Brittany. I took my parents on this trip, and while they remembered visiting many of the ancient stones chambers, circles as children, they think of it not as french, but as British heritage, even though the French sites are much, much older than British ones.They thought it was nice to show my husband around ‘his’ heritage. It was such a strange outlook but showed how deeply disconnected french people are to their heritage, and how history was quite rewritten and or forgotten. By the end of the trip, I do not think they felt that way anymore, and felt a stronger connection to it all. And they were even surprised how much of history was being hidden. Everywhere I passed by, the Catholic Church had tried to erase the ancient remnants of the local people’s beliefs, or reduced the information akin to children’s fairy tales, or witches. It can actually be quite difficult to gather information about the sites, and at times, important finds are sent to museums located far away from their point of origin, like the oldest swastika found in France is very similar to the Finnish one, made of 4 squares interconnected, but is found perhaps 300kms away in an unrelated museum.
I wish you much strength and joy in reconnecting to your heritage of the religion of the sun. I know it has given me much inspiration and renewed yearnings to understand more and more about myself and the world we live in.
Hello, Geraldine. I’m glad you could be a catalyst for such an experience for your family, I’m sure it was also nurturing for you to do so.
It seems like that’s a recurring issue all over the globe where much of the ancient knowledge has been destroyed, disregarded, or distorted which disconnects us from our roots. For that reason, I feel very fortunate and thankful for having found Mark’s and Lara’s invaluable work.
I want to thank you very much for your warm wishes and I would also like to thank everyone else who replied to my comment. To be honest, I was very hesitant to post it in the first place but I’m glad I did because, even though we are online, I have felt a warming and inspiring sense of community that I don’t get to have elsewhere. Thank you.
Dear Lara & Mark,
Happy & Blessed Equinox! As we celebrated the autumn equinox on our end, for me, the connection to the Mother felt strongly emphasized this time around, especially the need for prayer, asking and nurturing my bond & faith with her.
The video on the Spring Equinox was such a wonderful gift and by the comments left, was very much needed & appreciated by many. Thank you so much to your efforts and the team behind the scene to pull this together. It was really well done and beautifully made.
And after reading the comments here, it feels that the symbology & connections to the cosmos left in all these ancients sites keep on giving more and more meaningful information. That each year, something else is better understood by someone. Obviously, the sites don’t change, but it seems many people are better understanding them, and feeling stronger connections to them. I find it amazing truly, it’s as if these sites become alive through these connections, becoming stronger in a sense.
Reflecting back to when Mark and you first published your articles more than a decade ago, it is amazing to remember how little information was out there on the subject, and much of it was so very basic. Now many people are yearning for this connection to the Sun in a way, that perhaps hasn’t been clearly felt for a long time!
Wishing you both again a very peaceful & happy Equinox, and to everyone as well :)
Every time you post a video there seem to be a very special energy emanating from it. It carries the strength, inspiration and invitation to raise above the physical matter in this earthly life. The feeling is instant spreading across all of the body and mind. I guess a lot of people are feeling the same and that’s why what you are doing, Lara and the team, is very important and desperately needed in this time and age. I also, wish to you, to Mark and to everyone a very inspirational equinox time.
The more you investigate these topics, the more I feel like what you’ve discovered with the religion of the sun ought to be the common-sense baseline understanding of reality. The wheel of the year, the hero’s journey, the journey of awakening… these concepts are so basic, and they’re imbued into life itself at higher and lower levels, and prevalent in many forms that appear perennially throughout history. Like, if every kindergartener knew about the path of the sun and what it means, then things like like with Angkor Wat, with its complex retelling of the churning of the milky ocean, and the way that’s mirrored in Draco, those things would be known, many things that are mysterious or strange about history would unlock their secrets and we would be able to learn from and be inspired by the past.
At least, that’s what I find. As I get caught up to “kindergarten level” and beyond, the past seems to unlock its secrets, and strange or mysterious things become beautiful symbols and teachers.
When I was working on the imagery, I found that as I looked at reference images of Osiris and Anubis to illustrate in their constellations, their exact and somewhat peculiar historical forms matched many of the major and minor stars of Orion and Leo, even smaller stars that are not commonly thought of as parts of the constellation. What animal Anubis is has always been a bit of a mystery, because there aren’t known to be any black canids with long ears that lived in or around Egypt, perhaps it’s because its form was shaped around the stars. Also Osiris, in different depictions from different times, matches the constellation of Orion in different ways, and peculiarities like his particularly tall hat could be partly explained by matching the figure to Orion.
There’s an interesting series of books by David Mathisen that connect the shapes and positions of constellations with myths in various cultures, it might be possible to do the same with Egyptian mythology, for example connecting the elements of the 12 hours in the underworld with the constellations of the night sky.
Thank you so much for coming out with these videos. It’s a weird confusing world right now, and the clarity and light your videos bring is heart-warming and sanity-affirming. Happy spring equinox!
I feel the same way Julian, that much of this information (particularly the historical parts) should be common knowledge because it’s so evident once you realize it’s there.
Hi Julian, just wanted to say that I also think about the kindergartens a lot, in the sense of educating the small inhabitants of this earth on these basic spiritual concepts – it could be all made into beautiful books, videos and presentations for them. I have a friend who works in the kindergarten (who is also interested in the Religion of the Sun), and she says that even though kids are a bit hyperactive today, and used to different distractions, mobile applications, etc., they are still interested in nature and stories, and she tries to bring them close to that.
What a beautiful idea :)
Yes, I agree Julian, Lara and Lucia,
It’s tragic that these ancient mysteries aren’t more a part of mainstream culture. It’s not as if there isn’t an audience for them either, as there are so many popular literary and film series that are based on themes of light battling darkness, the hero’s quest, etc.
Sagas like Lord of the Rings, Narnia, Star Wars and Harry Potter are all as popular as they ever were and I bet there’d be loads of kids from kindergarten and upwards who would be interested in reading about something like the Norse Eddas or ancient Egyptian texts, if they were conveyed in the right way, which would give an introduction and framework to deeper esoteric mysteries.
Well done again with creating those accurate-looking images Julian! You made some interesting observations about the connection with the constellations too.
Thank you for the inspiration Lara (and all the contributors). The video is Wonderfully executed and contains a ton of information.
Thank you for all the work that went into this and I hope your Equinox was uplifting.
This is such a well made and informative video! Thanks Lara and all involved in making it. I agree the bespoke images are wonderful. Great job Julian and Dara! Wishing you all a peaceful equinox.
Such a beautiful video, actually it’s more of a documentary to be honest! So much depth and information to process and unpack. I can see how much work and care has gone into making it.
Thanks Lara and everyone who contributed, it’s a remarkable production. Wishing everyone an amazing equinox.
Thank you for another beautiful addition to this wonderful collection of videos. The footage, images and research has really come together to create something very special. Thanks also to the video team working behind the scenes.
I have a renewed yearning to visit Angkor Wat in the not too distant future and hopefully spend some quality time there.
Thank you Dave. I visited Angkor decades ago. At the time, I knew nothing about it. People spend so much time at these ancient sites completely oblivious to what they mean. It is so different to be able to go there with understanding. It’s also amazing in itself to visit places that were once the beating heart of their civilizations, when our modern civilization has nothing like it. If you end up going, I’d really recommend reading Eleanor Mannikka’s book Time, Space, and Kingship before you do, and Heaven’s Mirror by Graham Hancock. Blessed equinox!
Hi Lara. Thanks for the response and suggestions. All the best.
It’s amazing how little we, speaking collectively as a modern civilisation, really know about ancient sites. Even the people living near them, even if they appreciate them as ancient wonders, don’t typically know much, and often scholars don’t know the deeper significance either.
We had a similar experience of visiting an amazing ancient site, yet having no clue as to its possible significance.
About 12 years ago, we went to what we were told were “caves” (really cave temples and monasteries cut into a hillside) at Ajanta and Ellora in India. Although we were familiar with the spiritual significance of solar alignments then due to the early blogs you and Mark had written on the solstices and equinoxes, I suppose I naively believed such alignments were generally well known and reported, as they are at Stonehenge for example. It was just that the deeper spiritual meaning of such alignments wasn’t well understood I thought. So someone would tell me if alignments existed! It would be on plagues, in the booklets, tour guides would know…. But, no.
Only later did I come across information explaining solar alignments existed at some of the Buddhist caves at Ajanta, and that’s long been a UNESCO world heritage site.
But the site I was most impressed with, by far, was at the less famous Ellora complex, which has a mix of Buddhist, Hindu and Jain “caves.” My jaw literally dropped when we saw the Hindu Kailasa temple there. The builders had carved down vertically through the top of the hillside to create a freestanding multi-story temple over 100 feet tall out of solid bedrock. This is not a “cave,” but a single monolithic structure, the largest rock-cut temple in the world complete with balconies, bridges, courtyards and staircases, created by removing the hillside rock from around it. I was just gobsmacked at the skill and ingenuity it would take to accomplish such a feat, cutting and removing vast quantities of hard basalt rock so precisely.
What I didn’t realise, and didn’t even think to check at the time, is that the Kailasa Temple also aligns due west, to the equinox sunset. I only realised that from looking at it on a map one day. I then looked around and found other people mentioning this, but this information was obscure and not something you would just come across. And no one seems to know or explain why it aligns this way (sun temples that align due east to sunrise are a more common feature in India). So this alignment isn’t even mentioned much, let alone understood. The alignment isn’t even mentioned on its Wikipedia page for example.
This blog discusses how enigmatic the site is. No one really knows when for sure it was built and by which ruler; no one even knows when/how it got its name, which is after Kailash, Shiva’s mountain, in the Himalayas: https://www.chidambaramhiddentreasure.com/dance-kailasha-ellora/
The two themes that stood out to me at the temple are the confrontation with evil and that of creative union of the masculine and feminine.
There are various depictions of battles with evil and of death. There’s Shiva in his destroyer form killing a demon, and also Vishnu in his fierce lion form killing a demon. There are separate wall reliefs showing epic battles from the Ramayana and the Mahabharata. There is a particularly arresting sculpture of a Kali-like goddess sitting on top of a pile of slain bodies. In contrast to these themes of moral battles, there are shrines to river goddesses. There are depictions of Shiva and Parvati together, and the central shrine has a Lingam-Yoni. There are various small depictions of couples embracing on the outside reliefs.
Even just going by the little I know about the site, and based on what is explained about the autumn equinox, it seems on the face of it that the site has some important significance, but it just hasn’t been studied sufficiently yet to unravel it all and say for sure. I suppose I’m thinking about it and our visit there just now because it’s the autumn equinox for us. I would approach a visit very differently if we were to go there now, and really try to investigate and understand.
I wonder how much is just waiting to be studied out there. Even sites which are widely studied like the Sphinx and Angkor Wat contain such mysteries which haven’t been penetrated by mainstream scholars. The information in this video just goes so far beyond anything else out there when it comes to unraveling the deeper spiritual significance of these sites. It really shows how much has been forgotten, and how disconnected our civilisation has become from both the cosmos and our own past. But it is wonderful to see this knowledge coming back.
I’ve found that really amazing too – there is usually a fairly sorry jumble of information out there on ancient sites, and on Wikipedia alignments are hardly ever mentioned. I suspect it’s because people don’t understand what sites mean, and because of that, they seem quite irrelevant to them. Another alignment to the sun, how boring, those stupid sun worshipers! Maybe just some delusion religious people got together to make something, and that’s all, and now all we can do is marvel at some of the engineering and construction.
But I feel that if people can understand what these sites mean, it could change that for some, maybe even many. Once you can unlock the archaic religious symbols, you find that they are describing something that is still real, is happening to people now.
For example, I’ve never come across anyone who realized that Angkor symbolized the churning of the milky ocean using its structures combined with its alignments. Once you understand that, and much more about the site, and what that story really means, Angkor becomes a much more relevant, interesting place.
That is very true – learning about, understanding the spiritual depth of these ancient sites, the incredible wisdom and intelligence that designed and made them, and their relevance, would make them much more interesting to people. It brings them alive and makes you want to connect to that wisdom, it brings feelings of awe, love and yearning. It is sad, the cold dismissal of this in the mainstream, exactly like you said, how boring that some simple ignorant people made them based on their religious delusions. And people generally take this on as a belief. It is taking the life out of them, desecrating them. It is a massive loss and cuts society off from our spiritual heritage, and there is so much grief there. So like it was said below, your video and your work is like a beacon of light, beacon of hope, revealing such a depth to the sites and bringing them together in a way that no one has before, leading the way. Beautifully designed and executed video.
Happy Equinox!
I wanted to say few things about forgiveness as it came up a lot since Erik shared that NDE video.
Forgiveness has been something I have pondered about for many years in this lifetime and after reflecting a lot about it I came to an understanding that that word has been used too often devoid of a deep sense of its meaning.
What I have discovered is that forgiveness is something that requires a deep understanding of other’s mindset, how they view the world and people and why – and from there how do they feel about themselves as a consequence. Some ancient ways of seeing people’s psychological make up also helped me to gain even deeper understanding and that lead to empathy, deep sense of seeing things from their standpoint. In that way I was able to really forgive and not just that but also to accept that that is where they are at, at this time … I should add that this is a sense, and not a thought process that goes on when encountering some “challenges ” from others.
Hi Tina,
Yes, it does seem to take a much greater level of understanding to genuinely forgive, rather than just intellectually realising it’s a good thing to do, as it also requires some kind of insight into the psychology of another person, as you mentioned.
I had some difficulties over many years with a family member, which caused me a lot of suffering. I took this personally, as it seemed so matter how much I reasoned or pleaded, it was insufficient to bring about a change of behaviour. This of course led to resentment, which made it easy for arguments to be triggered.
But I later came to realise these challenging behaviours were a result of a need to exert control within the home environment, due to anxiety, when other freedoms had been taken away. So clinging onto old routines provided a sense of reassurance of some predictability and autonomy. This was especially apparent when the family member was unable to change these habits, even though they also impeded their own freedoms further.
In the end, I’m glad I was able to fulfil my duty of care towards them to the best of my ability. Having a background in health care helped in this, but also having a deeper understanding of the mechanisms driving what seemed like irrational behaviours helped me to accept them and not keep pushing to try and change them.
When we are challenged within social situations, what we perceive as poor behaviour on the part of the other person may often be to be due to ignorance on their part, rather than a deliberate attempt to cause harm.
I found this to be the case during my last job, when I repeatedly emphasised I was limited in the amount of shifts I could undertake for health reasons, but ended up being pushed to the point of physical collapse, after being pressured to take on more and more work. I got on well with my supervisor though and don’t bear a grudge, as they were also influenced by an anxiety to fill outstanding gaps in the rota and were likely to be struggling with the level of stress their role placed upon them, rather than it being due to deliberate ill intent.
I’ve also experienced instances where others have deliberately caused harm though, particularly in the case of physical assault. It’s difficult to understand the wish to cause deliberate harm, whether psychological or physical, but it also seems very unlikely that someone who is psychologically healthy would have these drives, so perhaps some of the people who act in this way may have been harmed in some way themselves and it is their attempt to boost their sense of self worth by exerting control over others, or expressing their anger.
Sometimes the wrong actions of others also influenced my later decisions, which led to some kind of learning, although painful at the time. So even though some actions are clearly wrong, they may sometimes lead to some useful outcomes in the long run, such as in cases of people who have suffered abuse, social deprivation, etc. going on to help others in similar circumstances.
I watched another NDE video featuring the same narrator from the video Erik shared. She mentions around 14:40 minutes in the video about a nurse who she worked with, who staff and patients alike tended to avoid, as she was a difficult character. But the narrator also mentions that during her NDE, she was able to glimpse some of the events that had impacted the other nurse in early life and was therefore better able to understand her behaviour. She actually said it was surprising that the other nurse wasn’t a psychopath! But although the nurse didn’t seem suited to her job, considering her background, she was doing a great job. The video is here if anyone would like to see it too: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KlPZ0hIGx90
It’s a challenge to understand cases of clinical psychopathy, as it is hard to relate to someone who is skilled in cognitive empathy, which enables them to predict others people’s behaviour and manipulate them, while also being significantly impaired in emotional empathy and therefore have little regard for others’ feelings.
Fortunately, of the thousands of people I’ve met in daily life, I’ve only encountered a handful who would meet the diagnostic criteria, all of whom also engaged in some kind of criminal behaviour, including one individual who served prison time for a serious crime. But as psychopathy can lend itself to success in leadership and business roles, it can also be fairly common to identify world leaders who have these traits, including several who are currently in office and one who recently lost a high profile court case.
It’s hard to understand what kind of beneficial role these people could possibly play in the lives of others, as their actions can be so harmful. But in some of the other videos I’ve seen, it was also mentioned that Earth is one of the most difficult training grounds in this universe. And as the allegory of The Churning of the Milky Ocean describes, trawling through the poison within the murky depths can also produce valuable gems.
Hi Michael, thanks for that NDE, it really does illustrate how forgiveness works, by feeling other’s pain in a way… I also wanted to add that self forgiveness leads the way to that process, as we understand and accept ourselves we are more able to do so for other. After all we are all a part of the same thing..
I had a lot of experiences with psychopathic traits and was always running from those that displayed them but got caught up with one for some time, as if I was pushed to really understand how that works and how our inner states can lead to something like that. It was very difficult at first as I,as many other people, believed that others will be as I am,react and think in the same way. It took years to figure that out and then I was helped to understand it on a deeper level by various means. Now, when looking back I really feel for these people, how lost and desperate they are. It’s a difficult way to learn things but learning involves first hand experience and I can see how very valuable thoe are,not just for us but for that other person too, whom,now I view completely differently and I’m able to sincerely pray that they find a way out of those ways of being.
Hi Matthew, thank you very much for bringing our attention to this amazing and mysterious temple. I kept seeing it pop up here and there on Youtube, but never really looked closer into it, but wow! I watched this video about it https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jKXezOwxb4Q and they say it was carved from one piece of rock FROM THE TOP DOWN! The level of craftsmanship, precision and planning would have to be otherworldly, and certainly does not correspond to the level the humanity on this Earth had back in 8-th century (which is the official dating). As one commenter wrote there, he could only imagine it as “being envisioned and displayed on a powerful 3D graphics computer, then a hologram created from it and projected down into the rock, where all of the overage would be vaporized” (since the masses of the rock that had been cut off were never found anywhere). Such, or similar technology would certainly require some advanced beings.
Regarding the alignments, it is indeed interesting that this temple was seemingly built in relation to the autumn equinox. The dancing and musicians element is quite peculiar in this sense, I guess there is still so much to discover!
I completely understand your perspective, and I can definitely relate to what you said, Matthew, about the new approach to the sacred sites. The alignments with the sun’s equinoxes and solstices have also changed my perception of these sites and prompted me to explore the landscapes where archaeological complexes but also European capital cities were built. In many cases where ancient sites have either been replaced or completely erased, leaving no trace behind, the alignment of certain places with hill or mountain, tops, cave openings, or gorges, during sunrise or/and sunset of solstices/equinox, suggests that these locations may have been sites of sun worship in the past.
I remember a New Zealand indigenous priest once explaining to me that they still create sacred sites based on alignments with terrestrial objects and the movements of the sun. However, I believe that simply reading maps or relying on mobile apps is not sufficient to assess these types of places due to the complex terrain and the intricate geometry of the sun’s path at different times.
(Btw I was more into the youtube videos and comments of this channel but I see here many interesting notes and insights. Thanks!)
For sure Dave, if you have this feeling, try your best to go there, while it is still safe and easily available.
Many of bas reliefs are poorly preserved in Angkor so you can look into their detailed descriptions online, they also mention their alignments to cardinal directions. Also it was build as the Hindu temple, so you can check the esoteric explanations of Hindu symbolism. And there are many interesting temples around in spectacular nature… Finally, Golden Temple Villa is a very nice hotel to stay for a relatively low price. :)
Thanks for the info Vadim. All the best!
Brilliant video, beautiful and inspiring while being very informative and revelatory as well—it covers so much, so well! I think this might be the best one yet, and the bar was already very high. Truly an outstanding beacon of light in this material world, and powerful too.
Many thanks to Lara and Mark for all the hard work you do, and to all those who helped with producing this work of art. So well done. It is also inspiring to see how some people out there have been deeply touched by it.
Wishing everyone much insight, peace and happiness this equinox.
Thanks so much Matthew, really appreciate it. Blessed equinox!
This is a wonderful and inspiring video. Thank you, Lara! And thank you to the whole team for the immense efforts needed to produce such an informative video, complete with detailed animations and beautiful artwork.
Each time I hear about Angkor Wat and see pictures, my mind is blown. It’s like they truly thought of everything: the number of gods/demons to correspond to the days between equinox/solstice, the placement of other temples to mirror the heavens, the dimensions, … It’s just so profound and impressive how much wisdom and careful consideration went into such a marvelous temple. Hard to imagine anyone in this day and age putting that much work into any construction.
I really like the Sphinx Resurrection Theory, which perfectly explains the mysterious bump on the chest of the Sphinx. Osiris seems very plausible. And so many other things strike me about the Sphinx and the various astronomical dates that you and other researchers propose. I find it exciting to contemplate that the site might be as ancient as some of the more primitive cave art that archaeologists are so excited by (due to their age and what is generally accepted by mainstream academics). Of course that art is impressive from the perspective of a very ancient and distant humanity, but at the same time as that cave art was being made, the Sphinx and Pyramids might already have been constructed!
There’s a lot to unpack with the many hero’s journeys, but the common features among them all make the message of the equinox clear. One thing I’ve wondered about, though: why didn’t Jesus resurrect exactly on the Spring Equinox? It seems his crucifixion and resurrection were offset a little. Perhaps such an event required the unfolding of the Jewish and Roman customs/laws, which prevented the exact dates. Or maybe there was another reason?
Wishing you and everyone in this community a Happy Equinox!
Thank you Mike. Yes, Angkor Wat is in another league when it comes to ancient sites. And then the Great Pyramids and Sphinx are in a league of their own even beyond that. That’s why they are formidable to approach as topics because it is like picking up a mass of interwoven threads and trying to find where to stop.
From what I’ve read, the reason Jesus may have been crucified at Passover is because he would then symbolically fulfill the role of the lamb which was customarily sacrificed. He was raised a Jew and then taught Jews and was seen to fulfill a number of things in their scriptures, which he may have done intentionally. I’ve been trying to understand more of what happened by reading about what has been altered in the Gospels, and what the oldest accounts of his life may have said. It’s all very interesting.
Wishing you a lovely equinox!
Thanks for explaining that, Lara. I guess that by Jesus fulfilling the Jewish scriptures, his teaching was able to reach more people than if his life and teachings were independent. It seems very plausible. The right modality of teaching takes great wisdom and careful consideration.
Your work in discovering what got altered in the Gospels sounds really intriguing, and like yet another challenge of discovering the truths of the past. I hope we get to find out more :)
It was cloudy here so it was kind of a lowkey equinox, but there was something in the air that day — like you could feel, in nature, how light was overcoming darkness. I hope your equinox also went well!
You put it well Mike, and I think that’s at least one of the reasons why Jesus fulfilled (or sought to fulfill) the prophecy of the coming of a messiah – if he had just have been born without fulfilling the scriptures of a religion, though perhaps still performing miracles as a spiritual teacher trying to start a religion, I don’t think he would have been recorded and regarded as he has been.
Thank you for this little inspiring discussion Lara and Mike. It prompted me to have a better look at the Jewish holiday of Passover, as well as the life of Moses (who led the Exodus of the Israelites from Egypt), and it all sounds very interesting. According to Jewish tradition, baby Moses survived the “killing of all first-borns”, similarly to Jesus, and also seemed to have been quite a spiritually advanced person, with direct contact and guidance from God, raising a serpent in wilderness, even being able to divide the sea, etc. This advanced spiritual status of Moses seems also to be alluded to in Kolbrin (according to Y. Whiteman), where a mysterious person is described who was brought up in Pharaoh’s court, with a very spiritual nature, and whose name the narrator does not want to mention directly.
The Passover holiday is also quite interesting, as it celebrates how the Angel of Death (sent by God), “passed over” the houses of the Israelites, and only caused the Egyptian firstborns to die. The Israelite houses were marked by blood of the sacrificed lamb, and that’s how the Angel of Death knew which ones to spare. This story sounds interesting to me, as obviously, the Angel of Death knew very well, which houses were Egyptian, and didn’t need any markings to spare the Israelites. However, I thought that from a symbolic point of view, this story could also allude to the fact that it is only after the “lamb is killed” (like Jesus was) and its blood spilled, that the Death is overcome during the death and resurrection process. Now I am not sure if this story of Passover really had this symbolic meaning from the ancient times, but otherwise it is hard to explain all this complicated story that does not make much sense from the Angel of Death’s point of view so to speak. :-)
Now as Mike has pointed out, the timing is important, and it makes me wonder why wasn’t this story enacted directly on the spring equinox, as that would have been symbolically correct, and then also Jesus wouldn’t later need to adjust his time of death to fit the Passover date?
Anyway, these are just some ideas and questions that your discussion inspired me to ponder upon, and I am really looking forward to the video on Jesus!
Moses is a very murky character. In the Old Testament/Torah he is recorded as committing some of the most heinous acts imaginable, such as ordering for entire towns of people to be genocided except for virgin girls who are taken into sex slavery. Some are set aside for Yahweh however, probably as human sacrifices. See the infamous chapter Numbers 31 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Numbers%2031&version=NIV
It’s likely that much about Moses was simply made up along with other edits and additions of the Old Testament around 600 BC. I’ve not had the time to look into it, but there are scholars who have tried to work out who he really was and what was later mythologized about him. I don’t know what their conclusions are, but I think it’s very important when evaluating any religion, religious figure or text, to read the evidence i.e. the ancient texts themselves. You may be shocked to find it’s not the lovely fairytale you were led to believe.
I find stories of sacrificing lambs, smearing their blood around, and seeing others peoples children die horrible. I think there are better ways to convey symbolic information, if that was even the intention. Though after Jesus the concept of the lamb as savior took on a different meaning in a Christian context, which thankfully doesn’t have anything to do with actual animal sacrifice or dying children!
Hi Lucia,
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Thanks for your reflections on the Passover and the possible significance of the blood of the lambs. I like the connection you made that ties that sacrifice with overcoming death like Jesus did after being sacrificed himself.
What book of the Kolbrin mentions Moses? I’m curious to read that now, myself.
I also wonder if maybe the date of the Passover changed over time. Maybe it once did coincide with the spring equinox…?
I read a tweet on X (by @OMApproach) that made some sense to me, regarding the date of Easter. He wrote that Easter is timed with the first new moon after the Equinox, so that symbolically both the moon and the sun are increasing in light and strength.
Thank you Lara for bringing all this questionable content of the Old Testament to our attention. :-O I actually bought the Bible this past Christmas, as I was inspired to read the four Gospels. I bought a so-called “red letter Bible” that has the direct words of Jesus printed in red, which is a very nice way to see immediately what are the direct words of Jesus versus just the narrator. I also had a peek at the Old testament part, and started reading the Genesis, but all the genealogy stories didn’t really catch my attention very much, and so I didn’t get very far, and never made it to the turbulent times of Moses. But now after reading your post, I had a look at those parts, and its a very hard reading indeed. All the questionable orders that supposedly God gives to Moses like sacrificing different animals, pouring their blood beside the altar, etc., are quite disgusting to read to say the truth. In a few places, it even alludes to sacrificing children, even though these instances seem to be somewhat hidden in the text. Like for example in Exodus 22, paragraph 29, among other laws regarding usury, it casually says this: “Thou shalt not delay to offer the first of thy ripe fruits, and of thy liquors; the first-born of thy sons shalt thou give unto me.” This, together with all the bloodshed indeed makes one wonder to what God was Moses actually listening to…
I was also wondering how were all these sacrifices and killings in-line with the 10 commandments that Moses also supposedly acquired from God, especially “Thou shalt not kill”. I saw there are some explanations online that claim that the original word in Hebrew meant “murder”, which is a “planned unjust killing”, while killing of somebody who has done something wrong supposedly is ok… So it is all this lack of clarity and murkiness as you said, which really makes me wonder what is all this about. There is even a peculiar passage in the Exodus, where Moses apparently makes God repent! 😳 That was quite a surprise to read that after the Israelites worshipped the golden calf in the desert, God got so angry with them that he wanted to destroy them all, but Moses interceded for them, and “the Lord repented of the evil which he thought to do unto his people.”
So anyway, I still have more to read to understand what is all this about, but thank to you I managed to learn a bit more today. As you said, it is possible that somebody ascribed all these things to Moses later on, and that he was not behind all these killings and so on. It all happened a really long time ago (13 – 15th century BC?), so the probability of these texts not being true or containing some falsehoods is indeed quite high. The mysterious character in Kolbrin (which Yvonne Whiteman speculates could possibly be Moses) is interesting in the sense that it is said that his name can not be mentioned due to the fact that “lest even now it be used with evil intent, for it is a name of power.” This mysterious character lived during the times of Akhenaten, which was the times that also corresponds to the time-frame where Moses possibly lived. He is recorded as being very spiritual, and studying under the guidance of a Twice-Born. The comment of the narrator about there being some intentions to exercise evil towards this figure could also suggest that there may have been intentions of staining his name, in the same way as there were the intentions of staining Nefertiti’s name after she left the court of Akhenaten. But these are all just speculations of course, I guess to really understand what happened in those long bygone times, would require some help from the spiritual beings (after exhausting all the available resources here in the physical world).
A red letter Bible is better than just the Bible, but it’s still a long way off the message of Jesus. I wish there was a book with just the texts containing the words of Jesus, and that this was “the Bible” instead. There are still a lot of texts in the New Testament that are known to be forgeries, and also words attributed to Jesus in the Gospels that have clearly been added later, as well as statements made about him (like he is the literal son of God, which he never said). A “Harmony of the Gospels” at least doesn’t have the Old Testament, or the forgeries of the New. But if only there was a version of the Gospels that highlighted just the words Jesus is most likely to have actually said.
I’ve found that whenever Christians have tried to justify their violence, it has always been by using the Old Testament, never the words of Jesus. How different history would have been if Christians had actually followed the teachings of Jesus.
Hi Mike,
The figure in Kolbrin, which Yvonne Whiteman thinks could possibly be Moses is described in the Chapter thirty-four, The Annexed Scroll 2, where the story of Akhenaten/Nabihaton is narrated.
About the Passover story, that’s what I thought too, that maybe the date of it changed over the centuries/millennia… But also maybe it is all questionable, like what Lara says, who knows. There seems to still be a lot to understand about Abraham, his descendants, Moses, Solomon, and the Judaism as a whole.
Thanks, Julian, for sharing that X tweet information. I agree, it would make sense to celebrate a (now murky as per this discussion) spiritual event when both the sun and moon are increasing in strength.
You made a strong point, Lara, that many of the things now ascribed to Moses are terribly dark and sinister. And if what Lucia noted in the Kolbrin really does refer to Moses, maybe a lot of facts were very deliberately distorted. After all, Jesus gives a powerful teaching while referencing Moses in John 3:14, so it feels like Moses did a spiritual work (or maybe Jesus just used Moses in that passage because he was a figure the Jewish people respected).
Thank you for the Kolbin chapter, Lucia!
Julian, I think Easter Sunday is the first Sunday after the first full moon after the vernal equinox, which seems like quite a beautiful combination of symbols to me! I know the equinox is the real shift in the solar energy, but it seems the whole period is one where there’s a change occurring – like the slow awakening of life after winter and the coming forth of the first flowers, a process. I wonder whether combing all these extra moments of meaning – the fullest light of the moon and the day of the sun – works esoterically to concoct a special energy? Or is it just that the Church has obfuscated the original meaning of the solar journey and the Christic path by throwing us off the real celebration, removing us from our spiritual connection to the natural world in the process? The sun is the king of the clock of time, but I often wonder what the minute and the second hands mean. Maybe there is meaning in all these things, but that like we are divorced from the movements of the sun spiritually in society, so we are to the other movements of creation.
I agree Lara; I found some of the practices in the Old Testament gory and brutal too. The contrast between the punitive, wrathful and sometimes bloodthirsty God depicted in some parts of the Old Testament is a huge contrast to the merciful, loving father that Jesus portrays in the New Testament. This contradiction seemed apparent to me even during religious education lessons at school.
I was listening to an Easter church service on the radio recently, where the Passover story was being recounted. The woman reading it was very sincere and reverential in describing the blood of a lamb being smeared outside believer’s homes, ending with “This is the word of the Lord”. But it still seems a creepy practice and would probably repulse and alarm mainstream Christians, if it were depicted within the context of a pagan ritual.
God’s commandment to Abraham in Genesis to kill his son Isaac also seems sinister. We know that the murder was abandoned at the last minute due to God’s intervention and replaced with a ram. But the fact that a religious believer would wish to show their commitment to the divine through human sacrifice seems very unpleasant, like with the degeneration of the ancient spiritual cultures in South America. God’s merciful reprieve in the Old Testament also still ends with the slaughter of an innocent animal.
To be honest, I don’t find these particular Old Testament accounts inspiring at all. I don’t really see the difference between the Abraham story in Genesis and a delusional person hearing auditory command hallucinations to harm someone during a psychotic episode, similar to the incident where a man attacked and injured George Harrison in his home, believing the Beatles to be witches, or Mark Chapman’s murder of John Lennon.
Although there may be a moral justification to bend the absolute right to life in the case of defending against an evil aggressor, such as fighting against Nazi Germany during WWII, killing or maiming in the name of the divine seems suspect to me.
Regarding the symbolism of Jesus’ death, I remember reflecting that to those in his community at the time, Jesus’ death would appear to be an extension of the Jewish tradition of scapegoating, where a young goat was slaughtered and another sent out into the wilderness, in order to carry the sins of the community with it. With Jesus being referred to as “The Lamb of God”, observers from a Jewish tradition would have been able to relate to an innocent being burdened with the sins of the community and thus being atoned.
Although, it also stuck me that the belief of mainstream Christians that Jesus’ death automatically takes away the sins of all who believe is rather illogical, as at face value it seems to be a case of punishing the innocent for the crimes of the guilty. A simple belief in a divine saviour is also an easy option, as there is no real requirement to change, other than to confess one’s sins and receive the last rites and absolution from a priest at the time of death.
I find the deeper symbolism and significance of Jesus’ life, which you and Mark have described in your work to be far more inspiring. The common threads linking divine figures throughout history, along with the wider spiritual symbolism within the universe, which you have drawn together, gives a much bigger picture. Your explanation of the cycle of the seasons in relation to the pursuit of divinity also places spiritual change into the context of a more relevant and achievable goal for humanity, rather than it being simply something that is restricted to certain extraordinary, but seemingly distant historical figures.
It is a pity that the accepted version of the Bible has ended up taking the shape that it has, as I feel a far different and more spiritual message would appear, if the more esoteric texts recounting Jesus’ actual sayings and life hadn’t been ditched in favour of some of the more questionable Old Testament texts. Your video in the pipeline on the deeper esoteric significance of Jesus’ life sounds very interesting and I look forward to watching it when it is ready. Hopefully it will redress some of the imbalance in the portrayal of Jesus’ life, which has become the accepted version of history, but which unfortunately lacks important and valuable spiritual guidance.
The contrast between “the God” of the Old Testament and Jesus’s Heavenly Father almost couldn’t be more diametric, which is why many of the ancient Gnostics believed they were two totally different gods – one evil and the other good. It turns out they were not far off.
I’d really recommend watching this conversation between Graham Hancock and the Bible translator Mauro Biglino https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t0cZXY70pbo&pp=ygUcZ3JhaGFtIGhhbmNvY2sgbWF1cm8gYmlnbGlubw%3D%3D. Mauro explains that the texts of the Old Testament have been deliberately altered to turn what was once a group of powerful (and psychopathic) rulers, such as Yahweh, into one almighty god.
I’d also recommend this explanation by Paul Wallis on Jesus’s view of the Old Testament “God” and how he made a distinction between it and his Heavenly Father. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WZg6_eqczMI&pp=ygUScGF1bCB3YWxsaXMgeWFod2Vo
It’s extraordinary to me how so many people in the world follow such illusions. Just because a lot of people believe something, doesn’t make it true, even if there are billions of them! I’ve also found it very peculiar that when dealing with anything of a religious nature, most people seem to suspend their rational mind, and accept all sorts of horror and violence, just because it’s in a religious context.
Yes, I feel exactly the same Lara. There’s such a stark contrast between the divine figures presented in the Old and New Testaments, so I’m not surprised the ancient Gnostics believed them to be two different gods.
I agree it’s a huge contradiction that so many otherwise intelligent people seem to put aside common sense and logic when it comes to religious beliefs and will use the words of religious texts to justify all sorts of atrocities. What you mentioned in another comment is very true – Christianity would’ve had a much more positive impact historically if its followers actually based their lives around Jesus’ teachings!
It’s not something unique to Christianity of course and it’s hard to think of a major world religion whose followers haven’t committed terrible crimes at some point in history. Even non-religious zealots can be equally tyrannical and fanatical, such as with the Communist revolutions in Russia and China, where millions where killed, in order to create new harmonious and just societies.
Yes, just because a few billion people believe something, it doesn’t make it correct! There are millions of people in the world who still believe women should not be educated, that certain ethnic groups are inferior, or that government institutions or major organisations always have the public’s best interests at heart. But these are no more correct than historic beliefs about the sun revolving around the earth, or the earth being flat, etc. Unfortunately, it seems that as a humanity, we are very prone to a mass “folie à deux”, but it’s good that there are still many individuals who wish to see beyond baseless or misleading ideas.
I’ve sometimes wished I could just be satisfied with simple beliefs, without the need for evidence before accepting ideas and theories. But at the same time, when something of a spiritual nature occurs that defies any other logical explanation, it can make the experience even more precious, when there’s little chance of it just being a case of positive thinking or a placebo effect.
Thanks very much for passing on those two videos! They both look very interesting and I’ll watch them shortly. I just saw a comment under the Graham Hancock video, where it’s said that his contribution probably won’t be recognised until after his death. It’s a shame, as he’s such a good researcher, who is not frightened to think outside the box or question accepted narratives. Although, it’s still encouraging that his work has been valuable in helping you and Mark to bring the historical context of the Religion of the Sun to the public eye. Thanks again for your efforts with this new area of spiritual research.
“Eye for an eye” is typically used in Christian minded military; from the New Testament – the phrase about bringing the sword.
I also saw in a military propaganda the phrase “blessed are the peacemakers” as to justify a “peace making” operation in Afghanistan.
The way things can be twisted, is ridiculous, yet it works quite well…
Yes, I was debating a Christian in comments who tried to tell me that Jesus casting out the merchants from the temple justified going around and destroying the religious “idols” of others (along with usual passages from the Old Testament). I asked whether he had a statue of Jesus in his home, and whether this would be considered an “idol.” Of course he stopped answering. There is no logic, only the pleasure people feel in hurting others and feeling above them, which they use their religion for.
Wow what an interesting thread!
It’s funny reading all of this as my wife has just finished reading the Bible from cover to cover and discussed her findings with me while she read it. Very similar to what the folks here have already mentioned, some of the practices mentioned in the Old Testament are nothing short of abominable. I couldn’t believe how bad some of the stuff in there was.
I actually ended up removing this book from my shelf which was previously sitting alongside the great true spiritual texts such as the Upanishads, Bhagavad Gita and Gnostic Gospels as it felt I had removed an imposter.
The contrast between the Old Testament and the teachings of Jesus in the Gospels is incredibly stark. It’s not hard to see how the teachings of the Old Testament have helped shape the darker aspects of modern society.
That was an interesting synchronicity! After spending so many years reading all sorts of different sacred ancient texts, I can definitely say that there is so much said “about” ancient texts that is just noise. If you really want to know what they’re about, you have read them. What the text actually says is most important. It sounds so obvious to say, but how many people in religions never even read their religious texts.
Even though there may be people out there who think they might be losing something by taking texts away, I think it’s much better to have just what is good even if what is left is small. Like this, it’s like the wisdom becomes amplified. Small sentences, small books, but a great treasure. So precious are these words, preserved by so many caring hands down through the ages – by the ones who could “see.” Now we can finally make out the tracks left by those wisdom bearers.
I found the Paul Wallis video very informative and well observed and will also have a look at some of his other videos, along with the remainder of the Graham Hancock video.
Psychopathic is indeed an apt description of the Yahweh/ God of the Old Testament, as many texts portray him essentially as a genocidal tyrant, to equal any of the ruthless dictators of the last century.
I mentioned a while ago that I completed a thesis on the correlation between religious fundamentalism and the authoritarian personality, at the end of my psychology degree. I do wonder with some of the current wars going on today how many of the military strategies are influenced by beliefs from religious texts, particularly with the Israel/ Palestine conflict. It’s very sad that a country that was created as a safe haven for the Jewish people following the genocide of Nazism has ended up with rulers also committing crimes against humanity.
I also wonder which comes first – like with the chicken and the egg. Do authoritarian people seek out belief systems that support their personality traits, or are they also influenced by the values held within the religions they identify with and thus become more cruel in their behaviour?
For instance, I was recently watching a video by a celebrity and former Jehovah’s Witness, in which the topic of disfellowshipping was discussed. She mentioned having suffered child sexual abuse from other members of her congregation, but was discouraged from taking it up with the police. However, in the same video, a mother also spoke of the loss of her son, who was disfellowshipped for the sin of smoking and subsequently took his own life.
A quick web search shows the main JW website to describe the act of disfellowshipping as “a loving provision”, but those who have been on the receiving end of it describe the awful effects of social ostracism by their friends and family, which lasts until the offender is deemed to be fully repentant for what are often very minor misdemeanours. The website explains why this is a loving act, which benefits all concerned, with reference to several Old Testament texts.
In contrast, Jesus’ message is radically different. The gospels show him eating with tax collectors and sinners, forgiving an adulteress, and curing a leper in defiance of Levitical law, which declared the man to be unclean, untouchable and an outcast from his community. Jesus also made a close disciple of Mary Magdalene, who was previously shunned as being possessed by demons.
Mary Magdalene’s role in the gospels is also significant, as one of the few who stayed beside Jesus at the time of his death and burial, then was among the first to witness his empty tomb and subsequent resurrection. It’s ironic that Mary demonstrates far more loyalty to Jesus than the Twelve Apostles, including Peter who disassociates himself from Jesus at the time of his capture.
The example set by Jesus and Mary Magdalene is a far better standard to aspire to, in my opinion, than some of the behaviour of the orthodox but wrong-doing followers of many of the world’s religions. But despite the chaos and injustice within the world, it’s encouraging that there are still many people around who try to embody these kind of more spiritual teachings in the actions of their daily lives.
The goodness of Jesus is something that really stands out amidst everything. His miracles may have been amazing, but his goodness to me, is what was the most incredible thing about him. A goodness that is timeless, beyond the laws and morals of the day.
This is another very good look at some of the origins of the Old Testament, presented by Mauro Biglino and Paul Wallis https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qo7e2Rh6WpM
I have never thought about the crucifixion or the icon to be seen as an idol, but yes, is it not very similar (if not the same) to sacred objects of so called “pagans”?
One thing that was always putting me off, was kissing Christian holy objects in Orthodox churches. I tried not to judge but it just didn’t feel right.
In regards to the Old Testament, interestingly this is the earliest place where I saw the instructions on controlling the nations through giving them money as a loan, that now is a big part of so much evil in the world.
Thank you Lara for linking to that eye-opening and clarifying content. I didn’t have much with the Old Testament myself, and it always carried a certain vibe for me when hearing the stories as a kid for example, but this definitely makes a separation and makes it much clearer. I appreciate their work.
I don’t like mixed bags to be honest. In the Far East I preferred to try to go to the root of things, even with limited material, to find something real, rather than trying to reverse-unpack the big body of modern Buddhism for example.
I also feel sad for sincere seekers within religions trying to find profoundness in texts and stories that are not. Perhaps it’s symbolic? Perhaps it’s too profound to understand, that’s why. Perhaps it’s just me. Perhaps it’s made special because everyone else considers it so.
While watching those videos it also made me again question what I really know. Or more accurately; have I unknowingly held onto any theological information/beliefs that have already been bested by my own personal experiences in the meantime, but which I haven’t properly let go off. I think there might be quite a bit.
It is sad, but I hope that we, along with many other people who are doing valuable research, can reach those who are sincere.
I’m glad to hear you’re able to question what you know, I think that’s very valuable. I think of it like this – when we are in an illusion, we are not where we could be, which is someplace better, closer to the truth. People who cling to illusions can’t move forward; they are stuck. But those who are bold, and are ready to be stripped of the illusions they’ve held so dear, not knowing what will come, are rewarded with a new and clearer vision, enabling them to take the next step toward something better. In my experience, whatever is closer to the truth always brings what is better.
Wow, thank you Lara for recommending those talks, they are extraordinary! You really have a great overview of what is going on in these fields currently; it sounds to me like a paradigm shift to say the least! Its about the time too… As my husband pointed out, the “God” of the Israelites actually does not sound that dissimilar to the “God” of Islam that Mohammad was listening to, with all the killings, etc. It is also interesting that it is in the regions where these 2 faiths/dogmas meet, that there is a continuous bloodshed, recently sparked again in Gaza. It reminds me of what Mauro speaks about at 1:49:47 of that first talk, how these ancient “gods” also fought like that back in the Biblical times, and gives an example of the battle of Moabites against Israelites, which is described basically as a clash of Yahweh against another such “god” called Chemosh, using humans as the carriers of these atrocities.
It definitely makes one ponder upon the question of “who were/are? those bloodthirsty advanced beings that ruled/rule? humanity?” The word “Elohim” sounds like a general term to me, without implying whether those beings are good or bad, but it certainly implies plural. In any case, I hope that if this knowledge starts getting more into the public consciousness, people don’t start to automatically assume that ANY advanced beings of the past or present are evil or bloodthirsty, or to conflate the wisdom-bringers of the past with some of these fishy impostors. In that sense, it was very inspiring to hear in that second video with Paul Wallis, that he recognises that there did exist the advanced beings of the past (before Yahweh) who were positive and that people used to worship those before. He even implies that that’s what original “Judaism” may have been about? Really intriguing, will definitely check all this in more depth, including the last video you suggested.
Yes, Mauro and Paul have brought forth game-changing information about the Old Testament. Given that the text is foundational to the Abrahamic religions, I hope their interpretation of it will eventually cause a seismic shift in the world’s understanding of these religions, and that many of the illusions they’ve been based on will come tumbling down. Christians need to come to terms with there being two “Gods” of the Bible, and decide which one they actually follow, because they are not the same. I hope this will be an opportunity for billions around the world to leave behind the religiously motivated violence and intolerance of the past, and enter a time based on a clearer understanding of Jesus’s message. To have this opportunity after more than 2,600 years of illusion and all the absolute devastation it has caused is amazing.
Unfortunately the dark side of human nature is very strong, and even with these clear facts, there are people who just like violence.
It sounds to me like you say, that Elohim was a general term, and referred to the giants. These mated with humans at some point, and many “turned to the dark side” so that they also fought wars between each other. The whole prehistory of Earth has been obscured, as you can see, in this case by texts being altered.
Thank you Lara for bringing Mauro’s and Paul’s work up. I was aware of some of what they say, such as the the plurality of Elohim and how God is mistranslated in the Old Testament. It’s obvious once you open the text in Hebrew. For non Hebrew speakers, you can see it in an English equivalent using an Interlinear Bible, such as this one: https://biblehub.com/interlinear/genesis/1.htm or read a Bible version that attempt to replicate the names (in a simplified way) like here: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis%201&version=NOG;OJB
Mauro said his list of Elohim has quite a few characters (I don’t remember the exact number). I have not been able to find the list of Elohim Mauro mentioned, however Adonai should probably be included in this list because it is found (probably) hundreds of times in the Old Testament (and you can see it yourself in the links above). I may be wrong, but is Adonai not the way that Jews read YHWH? Adonai is often taken to be a word meaning ‘Lord’, but VM Samael said he was an angel, which is confusing to me.
Regarding who the Elohim are, when reading Genesis 1 it’s hard to think of the Elohim as anything other than all-powerful esoteric beings (i.e angels and/or demons). The amount of violence that is attributed to the Elohim, and the way they operate (in terms of taking on regions and warring between each other) makes me think that demons is the correct term, or fallen angels. I could be wrong though.
I had to look further into the violence mentioned using the Biblical links above, to see the Eloai behind them, and it is indeed YHWH (often enough at least). Furthermore, it does indeed seem that the aggressive qualities of YHWH are throughout, rather than occassional, which is surprising. Even Elijah seems dubious now, who was a prophet of YHWH – and Elijah is mentioned multiple times in the New Testament, in particular relating to John the Baptist. I don’t actually know what to think about this, but I can’t help but think there is more to this. I mean, why would Jesus come to a people who are (it seems) following a dark being? Likewise, in the ‘Flight of the Feathered Serpent’ Nicodemus is genuinely trying, as is Judas. Maybe the example of Asherah and the whole of Seba Hassamayim (in the short presentation by Paul Wallis Lara linked above) touches the reason.
Lastly, I just want to say that unfortunately, the vengeful attitude of YHWH in those Old Testament stories has a massive influence on people within Christianity today. It’s carried over fear as a response and motivating factor, in particular to falling short of required standards. It’s a huge thing, and I can’t recall Jesus showing any of it.
Thanks very much for sharing the other video Lara. Each of the videos has been very informative and put a whole new perspective on Biblical history. I agree with the point you made about Jesus that his most notable quality is his goodness, which in some ways is even more remarkable than his miracle working.
I’ve known a few people who have mentioned occasionally having psychic experiences, but while they were nice enough people, I wouldn’t say they stood out as being exceptionally good in their actions. These psychic aptitudes are still interesting and uncommon within the general population, but the people I’ve met who have had a genuinely good nature have made far more of an impact upon me. Most of these have had some kind of spiritual interest, but not all.
It’s a pity that for some religious followers, ritual practices can become equally or more important than love and care for others. For example, a Catholic could strictly avoid eating meat on Fridays, an Orthodox Jew ensure the use of separate utensils and sinks for consuming meat and dairy, or a Muslim cleanse the four mandatory body parts in the correct order without interruption before prayer. But while I wouldn’t wish to denigrate any particular religion, acts of love and kindness are more spiritual in my opinion than strictly following any of these customs.
Jesus’ parable of the sheep and goats in Matthew 25 is simple, but carries a powerful message. He says that at the time of judgement, the righteous will be told “Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of Mine, you did for Me”. Whereas those who have neglected others in need will be told “Depart from Me, you who are cursed…For I was hungry and you gave Me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave Me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not take Me in, I was naked and you did not clothe Me, I was sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.”
I’ve found those who have gone through intense or prolonged suffering during their lives can often develop a greater empathy towards others, as lived experience usually brings a far greater level of understanding than simple ideals, which can be easily overridden by animal drives. But it’s also interesting to encounter individuals who have lived fairly conventional lives without any significant hardships and who don’t have any particular spiritual calling, but who are nevertheless kind-hearted, generous and caring.
Perhaps this could be put into the context of karma and dharma, where someone who has suffered a lot in the past develops empathy and kindness as a result, and this consciousness is carried forward into their next life.
But it’s also often the case that when people are given a comfortable life, they don’t have any real reason to search deeply within themselves and end up living a fairly mundane existence, or pursuing the pleasures of the world, with little concern for others. I suppose the outcome ultimately depends on whether the level of consciousness active within an individual is sufficient to oppose the basic animal instincts for comfort and pleasure.
In any case, it is indeed a rarity for a person to demonstrate this higher consciousness from such an early age, as in Jesus’ example, where he sought to fulfil the will of his father and demonstrated a powerful spiritual message through the events of his life. It seems he was truly flawless.
A really interesting thread! I have not been influenced by any religion in my childhood and although my family members were practising Christianity I was left out as I was visibly a very different looking child… However, from those videos that Lara shared I can see a lot of similarities or better to say a continuous trend in worshipping a “God” that is sort of antichrist and Jesus trying to lead people away from those beliefs towards the truth. Now, what Lara has mentioned about illusions and how they can keep us stuck ,that really makes sense on a grater and personal level. As I was reading this thread a sequence of events happened around me that confirms that and made it even more kind of ingrained in me – like a deep knowing of how this mechanism is working. The subsequent words of Lara are also deeply entrenched in me, something on the lines “those bold enough who let go of their illusions will be held dear….” There’s a lot of depth in these words and really not knowing what is coming might be a good way forward …
This truly is seismic research into the Bible Lara, thank you so much for sharing! It makes me really feel humbled by how little I know, and helps me see how ludicrous it is to hold on to beliefs about how things work, especially when it comes to history and spiritual teachings, where I have to take a lot of it from what I’m told rather than experience. It seems like we are living within an almost absolute fabrication, basing our reality on nothing more than stories. This is something I keep facing over and over again, and now again to a new depth. It makes me question the most basic premises of history, especially the ‘iconic’ stories, which I suspect are promoted and re-told over and over with a motive to create a particular narrative. (Just imagining how the whole Covid farce will be retold in 50 years is such a powerful example for me, because I lived through it, I could see how the lies were being weaved and that these lies were and would continue as the official narrative.)
The part about the possible non-humanoid rulers of humanity stood out to me.
https://youtu.be/Qo7e2Rh6WpM?t=5871
Paul seems to be suggesting that there could have even been beings that were dragon-like that ruled over humanity, that Yaweh may have been one, and puts this incredible idea in the context of multiple similar origin stories found worldwide. It made me think of what David Icke has been saying for years, that the families that rule over us, the royal families and those of incredible wealth and power, are some kind of hybrid between human and other-world, lizard-type creature. Icke is of course a laughing stock for most people because of saying this, but it sounds incredibly close to what’s being presented here? Anytime a person or an idea is ridiculed now, it gets my attention more, as I know this is the main method of getting rid of ideas that don’t fit the current paradigm.
Thinking how the fear and control-based relationship between cruel overlords and their subjects has become twisted into the relationship between the us and the divine feels like a massive thing to reflect on, and such a painful lie to have culturally inherited. Even though I grew up at a distance from Christian teachings, I wonder how much of this belief has permeated into my psyche through my spiritual search, just living at this time.
Thank you again for directing us to this research – it seems incredibly powerful!
You start to realize that we really do live in a kind of “Truman Show” style reality. So much of our society is based on illusions, and largely runs as it does because of a common belief in them.
The stories of serpent beings in the past are certainly very strange, and are a rabbit hole I haven’t gone down yet. The ancient Hindu texts speak of the Nagas as real beings. I used to brush these things aside, but not anymore.
Thank you, Lara, for those videos. I’m midway through watching and already I’m quite shaken. As others have noted, for so many people, a book such as the Old Testament is the very foundation of their belief system — and to realize that what they/we have been led to believe may be (deliberate?) misinterpretations of the original writings is unsettling. Even more so when you consider people killing and dying for these beliefs.
I knew there were limitations in written spiritual texts, but I always thought that those imperfections would always be outweighed by the spiritual wisdom within them. Now I’m not so sure. One has to be so careful. And really, it’s a reminder that spiritual experience is so essential.
If the Elohim could be good or bad, you have to wonder how darkness had such a strong foothold back many thousands of years ago, such that large masses of people — entire nations — were under their control. It seems very advanced spiritual beings and demons both may have walked the earth back then. Maybe things aren’t so different these days, except that the evil beings are more hidden.
It’s really interesting to realize that the disciples held the view of the Old Testament based on these misinterpretations (which are believed to have been made around 600 BC). There is a passage in Luke 9:51-56 where there is a schism between the attitude of the disciples (based on the Old Testament) and Jesus’s attitude, which I think is very telling (though there are other examples):
51 As the time approached for him to be taken up to heaven, Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem. 52 And he sent messengers on ahead, who went into a Samaritan village to get things ready for him; 53 but the people there did not welcome him, because he was heading for Jerusalem. 54 When the disciples James and John saw this, they asked, “Lord, do you want us to call fire down from heaven to destroy them?” 55 But Jesus turned and rebuked them. 56 Then he and his disciples went to another village.
I agree, I think it’s just that the evil is more hidden, but as back then, there is a lot of evil that is also just accepted as part of society.
Replying to Michael to his last comment especially concerning karma and dharma I think that there is also a lot of illusions attached to those concepts.
Many people around the world, it seems, have a very strong belief in karma/dharma principles. I had gone through some very difficult times and along with that a lot of statements based on other’s beliefs being communicated to me along the lines..”you should really look into why you have so much karma..” to which I never answered because I had this feeling inside me that there’s something off with this so I went on a personal journey to find out more about those concepts. I would pray/ask a lot until I was starting to be shown what this is all about.
Basically, what I discovered was that yes there is karma and that we do pay our karmas but that when, meaning in which life this is resolved it depends on the soul’s own free will. Now, some souls don’t feel that they want to tackle say some pay off in let’s say this life and so they choose not to, they are given a choice of a range of lives from easy to very difficult ones. The higher beings never put their will over others, they just advice.. The soul makes that choice.
On the other hand, some souls are quite ambitious and really want to move forward and so they would not only choose to pay off heavy karmas but would also choose experiences not related to any of their karma that they never had just to learn from those if that was what they feel they need to move forward. Let’s say someone in a wheelchair may have choose this experience only to learn what it’s like to be in a wheelchair and not paying off anything related to that. We on earth with the level that we are on would never know which one is it, so no need to treat that person on the basis of karma/dharma paradigm.
And, lastly what I’ve learned is that some souls have chosen many difficult lives and as a result learned a lot but when faced with the next life they just “had enough” of suffering and go for an easy life or a set of lives. I guess we have all encountered those kind of people… really nice and with some very spiritual outlook but not interested in a real spiritual work…
Since Michael brought that up I felt really compelled to say something about it as I think it’s another illusion that many firmly believe in and consequently harming rather than helping…
Yes, it seems to be like that Mike – that the evil in the world is now just more hidden, but the same forces are still at play. It’s throughout a lot of aspects of society really, even in so many of the things that seem nice or pleasant.
For example, there are many beautiful and historic stately homes in the UK, with lovely gardens, which visitors can pay to access. But quite a lot of these were built by wealthy families with profits from the slave trade. Then our everyday consumer choices can also fund harmful practices, like the use of palm oil in ingredients such as toiletries and pastries being a major cause of deforestation, particularly endangering orangutans, with an estimated 50% of their population lost as a result.
Or glossy high street banks funding arms sales to countries with questionable governments and human rights records, peat being sold in nice garden centres and contributing towards environmental damage, smiling celebrities advertising fashion brands that exploit sweat shop workers, kids being sold unhealthy foods by cartoon characters, which increase their risk of health problems as they grow up, the family doctor promoting unsafe treatments that support some unethical pharmaceutical companies while squashing natural alternatives, popular family newspapers encouraging fear and division, etc.
We are all inevitably all consumers in some way, unless we have the ability to live completely self sufficiently. I’ve tried to make ethical purchasing choices for many years, but I find it can also require a fair amount of research to discover who owns what, with smaller companies often being owned by much bigger, unethical conglomerates.
With so many sinister practices around in the world though, I think it’s up to each of us to try our best to do what we can to contribute to a more caring, fair and just world in our actions, which it is nice to see many people in the world are still trying to do.
I agree. Our civilization has acclimatized us all to human slavery, animal cruelty, genocide, mass pollution, wars, invasions, etc. Just because most of society is ok with it, doesn’t mean it’s ok.
Yes, I think it’s important to question our beliefs Ella, as how much does any of us really know? It reminds me of a spoof TV show years ago called “Does China Exist?”
When discussing things with others, I’m usually in the habit of supporting my claims with evidence that I’ve gathered to back it up, or else admit that I don’t know much about the topic in question. Or when someone we know has actually been somewhere or experienced something directly, there can also be reasonable grounds to incorporate their knowledge into our own, if the person is trustworthy and accurate.
But it seems so common for people in general to just repeat what they heard someone else say even if that person hasn’t directly experienced it, or what the media told them, what their parents or society believe, etc. It’s even more absurd that when it comes to religious beliefs, so many people can become totally entrenched within them and will literally fight to the death to defend these beliefs, even though they themselves, or usually anyone they know have no real knowledge or direct experience of them.
I suspect it’s an inbuilt human defence mechanism to cling onto baseless opinions and beliefs for dear life, as it can be an unsettling prospect to realise how little we actually know about the universe and our role within it.
A couple of relevant quotes come to mind. One is from Plato’s account of Socrates: “I am the wisest man alive, for I know one thing, and that is that I know nothing” and the other is from the writer Rudolf Flesch: “Creative thinking may simply mean the realization that there is no particular virtue in doing things the way they have always been done”.
It looks to me like this thread could be called “From Passover to Reptilians”. 😏 Personally, I also used to brush the reptilian question aside, as it just sounded a bit too far off, made up even. When I listen to the videos of D. Icke, or even Paul Wallis, it seems like there is a conflation to a certain extent, of the accounts of the possible real serpentine beings of the past with the symbolic esoteric concepts of the feathered serpents. In this way, they put into the same “basket” so to speak, Quetzalcoatl, Kukulcan, Djinn of the Islam, Yahweh of the Old Testament or the Annunaki. But each of those could be a completely different thing, so I think a more in-depth research combined with understanding of esoteric matters is needed in this area.
On the other hand, some really strange facts have been coming to the surface in relation to the Vatican, like for example the now “famous” case of the Vatican audience hall with all its serpent-like imagery, both in the overall shape of the building, as well as its interior design. The creepy statue of “resurrecting Christ” on the stage does not make things better either (https://www.soulask.com/inside-the-popes-reptilian-audience-hall-in-vatican-city/). Therefore, it looks like there is either a worship of a “descending serpent” going on here, or there may be real serpent-like beings acting in the background somewhere, with malicious intentions towards humanity on this planet. I have also been thinking, that if this kind of beings indeed exists, then they must have done some genetic manipulations in the past to look like that, as it does not seem natural to me, for humans to have animal features. This, if true, could be actually quite problematic for those of them who would be interested in spiritual awakening, as a presence of lizard DNA could make things much more difficult (kind of like the supposed ape admixture in the human genome we talked about before). Anyway, this is whats been going through my head reading this thread and listening to the videos; its been quite an enlightening discussion. 🌞
Yes, that’s the trouble with a lot of researchers of ancient history – like you say, so often they conflate esoteric symbols with real accounts, and like this, can create a real muddle. Even though they can find very valuable information, for this reason I find a lot of their work unreadable.
That’s the Pope’s audience hall a.k.a “the viper room.” Have a close look at the room (looking toward the stage). It depicts a snake head. Have a close look at the statue. It looks like demons rising out of hell. Jesus is not resurrecting at all. He is dead; his head hangs to the side, his eyes are closed, and he looks in agony. The real face that is alive and rising is that of an open mouthed serpent, as though coming out of his body. The serpent is a symbol of Satan (in the story of the garden of eden). Again, this is an esoteric symbol, not an indication of actual beings.
Hi Tina,
Yes, I’ve noticed the same kind of thing unfortunately. There can be a lot of judgement towards someone going through difficulties by those who have a strongly held belief in karma or divine retribution. I remember a Louis Theroux documentary in which he met with a family of Christian fundamentalists who celebrated a serious car accident, as they felt those involved were receiving their just punishment.
Having been a wheelchair user for many years, I can also comment on the attitudes of others in response. I’ve actually found that when I’m in public as a visibly disabled person, most people are generally fairly accommodating and will open doors or let me pass by. Although, I’ve also had some abuse or jeers shouted at me by ignorant people. But the response of others usually changes significantly on the occasions that I’m seen without a wheelchair or similar aid and I find it’s fairly common to be viewed as a lazy freeloader, who is looking for an easy life.
Unfortunately, I’ve found these kind of negative attitudes to also be common among many who have a strong belief in karma. One response seems to be that if it’s my karma, it’s my problem. While the other ties in with the sociologist Talcott Parsons’ concept of the sick role, where if a member of society or a social group is no longer able to operate as a fully productive member, there are certain rights and obligations ascribed to them.
However, there are certain exemptions to the sick role and one of these is in instances where an individual has a condition that is stigmatized by society (such as in the early cases of HIV and AIDS), in which case, the person’s rights no longer apply and they are blamed for their condition. As I have various illnesses that are little understood by society in general, I’ve found this exemption has also often been applied to me.
Interestingly, I’ve found that the level of support given to others who experience ill health is heavily influenced by social status and attribution bias, among some individuals with a strong belief in karma. For example, in the early stages of my own illnesses, I found very few people were interested to learn about the long list of symptoms they entail and make reasonable adjustments accordingly. However, I found that in contrast, a far greater level of care was offered to those of a higher social status, despite being significantly more functional.
It seems that if someone has already built a reputation for being reliable and productive, adversities are more likely to be attributed to external events outside of their own control. Whereas, for someone of a lower social status, who has not had the opportunity to act in positions of authority, it is more likely for them to be seen as “bringing it on themselves”.
A requirement of the sick role is that a person must be seen as seeking treatment from competent professionals and I’ve found it frustrating that the attitude of “bringing on myself” has often persisted for many years, despite researching and trying out over 100 treatments over the last decade or so. But unfortunately, I’ve found that in these cases, no amount of reasoning, logic or appealing for empathy is enough to change these deeply ingrained beliefs.
I’ve also seen how others may use a person’s inability to perform certain tasks as a means to boost their own pride, as it’s easy to lord it over someone who is severely disabled. It reminds me of a scene in the old Disney Alice in Wonderland cartoon, where the Dodo character is standing on a mound with a fire, encouraging Alice and a group of creatures to run around it to get dry, while the tide keeps coming in and making them wet again. Alice remarks “No one will ever get dry this way!” and the Dodo replies “Nonsense! I’m as dry as a bone already!”
What you mentioned about aspects of karma being negotiable between lives seems reasonable. Otherwise, if everything is 100% set in stone for eternity, what’s the point of praying for anything during this life, or for the souls of those who are deceased, if our prayers will always simply be dismissed?
I agree that with the level of consciousness most of us have, it’s not useful or helpful to making sweeping judgements on the causes of someone’s situation in life, without any real means of identifying the causal factors. And it’s also true that going through these kinds of adversities can bring a lot of learning, as they expose the darkness within our own psyche, as well as in the behaviour and attitudes of others.
Yeah, I agree Lara, and saw some people comment on this online too, that it looks like Satan/serpent rising out of the opened hell. I had a quick look at the sculptor who made this, and it seems like all his “art” is based on deforming human and animal figures into different grotesque compositions, with a very evil vibe to it. It makes me feel very sorry for all the well-meaning Christians around the world who have been deceived, thinking that the Church of Rome has anything to do with the teachings of Jesus. I have even been wondering, if the people who frequent churches, even if with the best intentions, aren’t actually supporting something evil in the inner worlds, as the whole Christian Church has been hijacked by evil? I am not sure how these laws and spiritual affiliations work exactly, but its something I have been pondering on…
In any case, maybe its best in today’s times to just have a personal relationship with Jesus if somebody wants to be a Christian. I also thought, that in fact, what you and Mark are reviving is the true Christianity, as it is a religion of Sun/Christ in its pure sense. Still, Jesus is such an important figure/being, somebody who has done so much for humanity on this planet, whose goodness is so outstanding as you have mentioned, its a real shame that the Darkness is deceiving those who think they are following him in the churches.
I heard the Pope say a few weeks ago, maybe a month now, that having a personal relationship with Jesus is dangerous. I would ask, to who?
The Pope’s scepter is of a gruesome crucified and dead Jesus – he could not hang down more limp. And so many churches have the symbol of a crucified and dead Jesus front and center of their altars. Most don’t realize this is actually a dark symbol. Instead of a crucified Jesus they should have a symbol of the resurrected, living Jesus – the Spiritual Son shining with living light. Instead of a crucifix, a symbol of the Spiritual Son/Sun.
I think that even though there is so much darkness in different forms of Christianity, there are many well meaning people in it, and that it is still used by the beings of light. Higher beings have to use whatever we humans manage to create in order to guide souls through their learning in this life, even though it is far from perfect. However, the religion of the sun offers an alternative that is free of darkness.
I feel the same way about Christianity, that it seems to help and guide lots of people. Many people who have near-death experiences come back and become Christian, and from what they say and express, I genuinely believe they’re doing good in the world. Christianity also offers a lot to someone seeking the divine (importantly: a personal relationship with the divine, so the fact that the pope said that that’s dangerous is chilling).
Being brought up in the US, there’s a subtle anti-Christian sentiment that’s been growing in our culture over decades, manufactured through careful cultivation. It’s very engrained and subtle, and goes hand-in-hand with Atheism and “secular spirituality” (thinking of the divine as an impersonal force, “the universe”). These days, Christians stand relatively alone in defending important values, such as compassion, the nuclear family, and opposing negative inner states. I’m glad they’re around, because they bring a spiritual light to this country, even if the institutions often have problems.
I’m really enjoying this discussion. The freedom you employ in forming opinions is astonishing, and something I’d love to be able to do better. Some of the questions you raise about Moses for example, are things I would be afraid to even think, for fear of being “intolerant”, when what you’re actually doing is making objective inquiry, and with great care I might add. I’m learning a lot through the ways you communicate tricky topics, so thanks!
What a great insight Lara on that depiction. Thanks for pointing it out. In general this current theme prompts some contemplation. As mentioned, what unnoticed inherited lenses do I still have in place when interpreting things? rather than relying on my own accumulated personal experiences to form my view. And not just in terms of misinfo layered on the world, that Truman show. But also in myself in terms of clinging onto old formed images of spiritual goals versus accepting and doing what we’re guided to, the living guidance, now. It is wonderful how information given through dream experiences can cut right through our conceptions.
Wow, thank you so much Lara for this clarification on crucifix – its quite revolutionary! Now how about a crucifix that has Jesus looking up to the Father (not dead or limping down), does that kind of depiction has any power to it, as a depiction of suffering that will “overcome nature” so to speak? I have never been a big fan of the crucifix, as I also thought it was so much nicer to celebrate living, eternal Christ and Light. But I reasoned that there must be some power in it, as it is through this suffering and overcoming nature’s bounds that a spiritual candidate overcomes death, and that maybe that’s its power? Also, demons and evil forces are said to be scared of crucifix (haven’t verified myself! 😮). In the chapter on the Spiritual meaning of the solstices and equinoxes, Mark mentions Latin cross as one of the symbols of the Religion of the Sun, even rooted in the astronomical phenomena, and also adds one picture of the Crucified Jesus. He mentions the importance of avoiding the crucifixes or imagery, where Jesus looks like dead on the cross, but he does not condemn the crucifix as a whole. When I told my husband today what you wrote, he immediately wanted to go and sell our marble-like crucifix with golden Jesus (looking up) on Ebay – haha. But I would really like to see more clearly into this, even though I agree its best to celebrate living Christ, but still, a deeper understanding of the symbol of Jesus on the cross would be great if you don’t mind…
Also, thank you so much for clarifying about churches and today’s Christianity, it makes perfect sense. When I have been listening to all those Jesus testimonies over Christmas, I could feel how much sincerity there was among people searching for a real contact with the Divine, and how many have met Jesus and got a guidance from him, some many times, but there also seemed to be this notion of “even though you met Jesus, you are weak on your own, and you need the community”. Which, I think there is a lot of truth to it too, its just sad that there is so much deception within the Christian church. With the Religion of the Sun being available one day in its fullness, I think there will be an amazing opportunity for people to join the true teachings of Light, without any fishy, dark things lurking in it.
I really appreciate how much you and your husband want to use symbols of light.
I would say the reason Christians may have found the crucifix to have some power against demons is because to them it represents the power of Jesus, and this is what they project when they use it.
Like Mark says, the crucifix (and cross) can be seen as an astrological symbol. It is created by the movement of the sun; it’s stations at the solstices and equinoxes delineate the four cardinal directions, creating a cross. To be accurate and complete, it should have a circle representing the sun surrounding it, as its source, and the source of the four-dimensional material world (this is how European pagans and Native Americans use it). The crucifix on its own has the sun removed, and thus can be seen as a symbol of the material world only. Jesus on the cross reverses the image of the solar cross, as now the sun is on the cross rather than encircling it; he represents the Spiritual Son who has come into the material world, suffering within it.
A dead Jesus on the cross is a dark symbol. It represents the triumph of darkness over light. In some ceremonies of darkness the arms of the crucifix are broken, that’s why depictions that show Jesus hanging down limp on the cross are particularly dark, like you see on the Pope’s scepter. Jesus alive on the cross is better, but it still shows him tortured and dying. Even though it could be seen to represent his ultimate faith and will in the face of death, it is not ideal.
If you wanted to, and if anyone reading this who has a statue of a crucified Jesus would like to, you could do an experiment. You could try replacing the crucified Jesus with an image of one showing him resurrected or ascending – with rays of light streaming from him or his halo – for a time. Then see if you feel any difference.
In the Religion of the Sun, it’s best not to use images of Jesus dying (and definitely not dead) (unless illustrating that stage), but of him alive, especially resurrected or ascended. This will be one of the differences between the portrayal of Jesus in the Religion of the Sun vs. Christianity.
Thanks for sharing those links for the Interlinear Bible translations Alex. It’s useful to see the comparison with the Hebrew texts.
Regarding Jesus coming to people who had been taken off track spiritually, it makes sense that he would do that. For example, in The Gospel of John, he is quoted as saying “I did not come to judge the world, but to save the world”. Similarly, in The Gospel of Luke, he says “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”
Jesus’ approach reminds me of what Mark and Lara mentioned about the wisdom bringers arriving in locations where the inhabitants sometimes incorporated dark practices into their beliefs, but eventually changed their ways with gentle persuasion.
You’re right, I don’t recall Jesus using coercive or vengeful tactics to force people into submission either. It’s a pity this fear-based control is sometimes used by religious groups in order to ensure its followers comply with prescribed standards.
Yes, those are good examples Lucia and Lara. I doubt these reptilian design features and distressed/ serpent like Jesus are pure coincidences. I also recall seeing a small upside down pentagram in a pillar of a local Catholic church and remember an image of a larger inverted pentagram in the stained glass design of another church, which was featured in an older article.
The sinister design of the Pope’s audience hall at the Vatican and other dark goings on within the Catholic church are revealing of the unseen forces behind a seemingly benevolent organisation, as well as some of the seemingly spiritual but actually dark texts of The Old Testament.
It can indeed create murky waters and as I’ve mentioned in other comments, some of those who appear to be the most pious can actually harbour very unpleasant characteristics within themselves, such as with the chief priests and Pharisees’ plot against Jesus. Whereas some of those who may appear to others as degenerates or outcasts can also be loving and caring in their actions.
For example, I found it interesting that some of the most notable benefit concerts of the 1970s, 80’s and 90’s were organised by bands coming from a punk or new wave background, such as the involvement of The Clash with Rock Against Racism and Jerry Dammers from The Specials with the anti-apartheid concerts in support of Nelson Mandela’s freedom from imprisonment. Or The Beastie Boys’ organisation of The Milarepa Fund and concerts in aid of Tibet and of course Bob Geldof’s pivotal role in bringing together the Live Aid concerts.
I’m reminded of Jesus’ parable of The Good Samaritan in The Gospel of Luke, where two men in religious authority pass by the beaten and injured man, leaving him to suffer, whereas a man outside of their religion helps the man and ensures his safety. Jesus ends the parable with “Now which of these three do you think seemed to be a neighbour to him who fell among the robbers?…”Go and do likewise.”
Or as Carl Jung put it: “You are what you do, not what you say you’ll do”.
I agree Julian with what you said about Christians being an important force in our society today, even though not perfect…. I have thought many times about what would the society look like today if Jesus didn’t come to this planet some 2000 years ago. From the descriptions, it looks like humanity was in a state of total desolation, especially after the Bronze Age collapse, and without such a strong moral example and influence, barbarity would surely prevail. I think we can not thank him enough really, and even now, he seems to be there for those who sincerely seek him. I just really wish Christians abandoned their wrong views of Jesus as the ONLY son of God, and was even thinking why Jesus would not clarify this with people in their dreams or visions, as it is causing so much confusion and fanaticism among people… Obviously, the only son of God is Christ, and Jesus symbolised this force in his mission, so from this point of view people are right, but there should be public knowledge about how this force can become a part of ANY spiritually prepared candidate, regardless of their culture, race, etc., and that these principles are universal, cosmic even (I can imagine how some Christians would be horrified at the notion that there may be some Christified extraterrestrials! 😀)
There’s very interesting controversy about the peace symbol and its relation to dark symbolism. Some evangelical Christians believe it’s the symbol of the anti-christ, showing a broken cross. Apparently the symbol is known as “the death rune” in certain esoteric circles (an inverted rune of protection). The designer of the symbol himself said it came from a place of despair, and he regretted that choice, and wished the symbol to be inverted and be celebratory. It’s very similar to the discussion of the crucifix, and largely the same symbol, although in a totally different context.
Another anecdote: in order to trick the Peruvians into worshiping the cross, they would put an image of the sun on Christian crosses, so people would stop and pay respect.
Very interesting discussion and great input from everyone.
I was brought up as a Christian in a Protestant denomination. My father is a reverend of that church and knows the biblical languages (ancient Hebrew and Greek), and lectured for a time at a theological college.
There is no imagery of Jesus or other biblical figures used in that church (or much imagery of anything at all), like (most/all?) other protestant churches, and the pope of course isn’t seen as the leader. A big point of Protestantism was to break away from the rule of the Vatican and try to get back to what they believed were the original Christian teachings.
Of course, as noted, the “god” of the Old Testament and a lot of the acts of the people in it are abhorrent, so it’s a pity this was included in the bible. Although in my experience with the church I grew up in, there wasn’t a focus on the “evil side” of the OT, with by far the primary focus being on Jesus and what he taught. My understanding is that he came as a reformer and revolutionary. The people he taught were all about the OT and he himself was brought up in that culture. So was the OT kept in the bible because it was so much a part of the original culture of Christianity, and is referenced so much in the New Testament (not to mention the whole messiah prophecy)?
Whatever the case, the issue is that it’s there, and there are plenty of people that use the OT as guidance for how to act in the world, trumping what Jesus taught.
Ultimately I think practicing what Jesus taught is what it truly means to be a Christian. It had a positive impact on me – but I always felt there was something more to it beyond the simplicity of being saved just by believing, and what Jesus taught and did was the key. That feeling eventually led me to Mark’s work, where I was introduced to the esoteric side of Jesus that filled in all the gaps.
After commenting about the broken cross symbol, I had this eerie dream with a dark figure in the sky in the shape of a broken cross, emitting red, dark energy.
Could there be an astronomical equivalent of this dark figure, one that is venerated by the forces of darkness and represents the death of the Christ? It’s an open question, but I do have a candidate…
Around Israel at the time of Jesus, after the summer solstice sunset, the Cygnus constellation starts to be visible in the sky. It has a close resemblance to a crucified Jesus in many depictions (specifically the way his arms usually have a slight bend in them. As the season progresses, Cygnus gains position in the sky, appearing directly overhead and due south (underworld) after sunset at the autumn equinox, and then disappearing from view at the winter solstice, after which point it starts rising ahead of the sun.
So, in a way, its presence in the sky after sunset increases just as the light is decreasing. Gregory Little identifies it as the “Judge at the fork of the Milky Way” in describing the Path of Souls, a reconstructed mythology surrounding the milky way with reference to Mississippian culture. “If the soul was not worthy, it could be sent to the underworld, or reincarnated to correct its ways,” he writes.
Thank you very much for all this detailed explanation Lara – to Ebay it goes then! 😃 Regarding the Sun encircling the cross, and Jesus representing the Sun on the cross in the case of the crucifix, I noticed in the same chapter in Mark’s book he says that the solar cross can represent 2 different things, depending on how one views the movements of these celestial bodies. If viewed from Earth, then the circle that encircles the cross is indeed that of the Sun, perceived as “moving” for an observer on Earth, with its main stations of the solstices and equinoxes forming the cross with Earth in its centre. On the other hand, if we view it as Earth moving around the Sun (which is what actually happens in the sky), then the cross would be formed by Earth at the solstices and equinoxes, and the circle would be the annual journey of the Earth around the Sun. Therefore, in this second case, the Sun would be at the centre of the cross, and it would be encircled by the Earth.
Just mentioning this here, as it makes me feel a bit confused, because the solar cross seems to be interpreted in two quite opposite ways. Maybe the Sun at the centre of the cross may not completely “bad” after all? I thought that maybe it could be viewed as “Sun being born” at the centre of the cross, as is the case with the practice of Alchemy? I am just speculating here, trying to wrap my head around these symbols…. It also reminded me of the Rose cross (a cross with a rose in the centre), which could again, maybe refer to Love being born as a result of alchemy practiced correctly? That’s just what I have been pondering on thanks to your explanations here… In any case, I am really really looking forward to the whole body of the Religion of the Sun being available to humanity with so much light in it!
Thank you for sharing your personal experience of growing up in a Protestant household Jon, I didn’t know they didn’t acknowledge the authority of the pope!
Being saved by faith alone sounds nice, but I am afraid it may be insufficient… I have noticed that many people are drawn to Christianity, because they believe that in his otherworldly love, Jesus died for their sins, and because of that, they will be saved if they just believe in him. I think this is a very strong incentive for people to become Christians, and if this was proven false or at least not as direct as they thought, there may not be that many Christians left… Personally, I still don’t know what to think of this particular thing, like why so many people believe in it, and if there is not something on it after all, some kind of ”smaller” salvation maybe? 😯 (I have problem imagining that almost nobody alive can be saved, even if they put a lot of efforts in) I remember while reading Nag Hammadi, in one of its texts there was a passage where Jesus says something about “even those who believed on his name” being saved, but I don’t remember it exactly, and can’t find it anymore now to verify what exactly it said or what its deeper meaning may have been.
This discussion really gets me wondering a lot more now about Christianity. I agree with Lucia, that we all owe a great deal to Jesus — if he or a similar teacher didn’t come to earth 2000 years ago, maybe our civilization would have already ended! But I also get hung up on wondering why, for all their prayers and devotion to Jesus, Christians aren’t given the help through a vision or encounter or otherwise to realize Jesus had an esoteric side to his teachings and that he only represented the Christ that could be incarnated in each person… It makes me uneasy to think about.
Some Christians are so incredibly sincere and loving. It seems unfair they don’t learn about the practical, esoteric parts of Jesus’s teachings. Is there some sort of karma involved that they don’t get to understand the deeper meaning and are deliberately led astray? Is their apparent goodness only a facade, a sort of going through the motions with ulterior motives? Are they somehow, at a deeper level, not really looking for the truth? Is learning about love and goodness and the exoteric side to Christianity meant to be a stepping stone — to live a life of virtue before finding the work in the next? I don’t know any of the answers, but I also wonder how do we keep ourselves “safe” so that we can learn and truly progress in this work of the spiritual sun and not be led astray?
One other comment I’ll make is that I recently moved between two states in the US. The state I moved into has a lot more Christians and people who openly talk about going to church. Even if their understanding of things isn’t quite the same as what we are learning about with the rediscovery of the Religion of the Sun, being around more people who care about God makes a world of difference.
These are interesting questions Mike. I can think of a couple of answers.
To really understand the deeper message of Jesus, someone needs to understand a lot. I don’t think it’s possible to get this understanding by reading ancient Gnostic texts, as they are very obscure. I’m not familiar with them, but there are probably small groups out there that profess to teach ancient gnostic knowledge. I can imagine it would be very difficult for most people to relate to. Someone would really need to come to the Religion of the Sun, where things are explained clearly, to understand Jesus’ deeper message, but like I say, that is a big leap for a lot of people. Christianity offers a very simple and easy to apply message, and that’s as much as a lot of people are able to grasp in terms of where they are in their soul journey. It’s just like in NDEs – people are shown what they are able to comprehend in terms of their level of soul development, not more. For most, although NDEs are very profound, they also often just contain very simple messages. There is a Source, be more loving, don’t hurt others etc.
Having said that, there are many people in the world who can and will understand the Religion of the Sun, it’s just that they haven’t had the opportunity. That’s why what we are doing is so important. There are people who have been led in dreams to the Sakro Sawel Youtube channel for example, and I suspect there will be many more. At the moment there isn’t much for people to do, but when there is, then we shall see. Remember, the Religion of the Sun was once the largest in the world, and for a long time. The potential is there.
To be “safe” I would say to keep breaking every illusion you can, especially those about yourself.
That’s very interesting about your religious upbringing Jon. I didn’t know your dad’s a reverend. He sounds very scholarly to know the two Biblical languages as well!
Regarding the use of crosses and other Biblical imagery in churches, I’ve found it’s still fairly common in the churches I’ve visited. I also had a religious upbringing and later used to accompanying people to church as part of a job in health and social care, so went to churches of several denominations.
Of those I’ve seen, the Catholic and Greek Orthodox churches definitely had the most Christian imagery. But many of the Protestant denominations, such as Anglican, Baptist and Methodist, also featured a prominent cross and a fair amount of other imagery too.
I don’t recall much in the Mormon church, as it was many years ago, although I think there was some, particularly the large baptismal pool. However, I don’t recall any religious imagery in the Jehovah’s Witness meeting place, which seemed more like a business hall.
It’s interesting that for some Catholics, Protestant denominations are seen as breaking away from the true teachings of Jesus. In particular, the Anglican church is viewed as simply being created by Henry the 8th as a means of allowing a divorce. But one of the main points of the Reformation was also to break away from the authority of the Pope, as you mentioned and base religious faith purely on religious scriptures.
It’s a pity most Catholics don’t realise that the Vatican also broke away from aspects of Jesus’ teachings by excluding some of the gospels and other valuable texts from the Bible. But it’s good the Nag Hammadi library was discovered and verified in the last century, as many of the texts within it contain profound teachings.
One aspect of the Reformation that is less agreeable is the belief that faith alone is the key to salvation, rather than focussing on good deeds. But as you mentioned, I also feel it’s also important for Christians to try and base their actions on Jesus’ teachings, rather than just have a belief. And I agree that Jesus in his own way was also a reformer and revolutionary in breaking away from the strict dogma of his cultural upbringing.
What Lara says about Christianity offering a simple and easy-to-apply message made me remember what Jesus said to Judas in one of their conversations in the flight of the feathered serpent. Of course, the context is different and it does not go to deny my own deep and tragic state of sleep.
“They sleep with a calm heart because they have found part of what they were looking for, but you, Judas, have not found yours and your cup will be bitter to drink…”
I have spoken to many Christians, some of whom are family members, and you can tell that they truly feel content in their religion and what they know and they truly believe they are “the people of god”, that’s like their main premise. I have noticed in younger Christians whom I have spoken with a deeper personal spiritual-psychological analysis which I find refreshing. Still, It’s also true that our society as a whole has a pronounced repulsion towards the esoteric or deeper meaning of things so when questioning that possibility I have sensed a rather dark response starting to creep up and the innocent and welcoming way that they looked at me can change dramatically. Of course, I don’t go around provoking people but it has happened and I take it as a learning experience. I find all this to be very sad because In knowing about the religion of the sun and in the context of this thread it becomes evident that although most people claim to believe in Jesus they don’t… they believe in the incomplete image of Jesus that the church has meticulously designed for us and in my interpretation it seems as if they are leading the masses to worship something else, something dark.
What you mention of people been lead in dreams to the sakro sawel channel is very familiar to my experience. After a few years of delving deep into alternative views of our history and looking for the real purpose of life, I was led to find your work and your husband’s work. Jesus’s words in the gospels of the official bible were the starting point of it all and after I got to the Nag Hammadi library I found the work you and your husband do. Through this process, I had a few mystical experiences, especially with music and in dreams, which led me and after I started studying and following your work I had a few more significant experiences in dreams/out of the body that proved to me I was in the right place and that through the mercy of the divine I had found the path, the way back home— as Mark said in your book.
I have also been thinking about that Mike, about how to stay “safe” because “they made me keeper of vineyards and my vineyard, which is mine, I have not kept”.
I try to always keep this in mind:
“”Watch and Pray” was the heritage that Christ left to the bold. To watch is to do everything awake; to pray is to feel an ardent yearning of BEING.”
Thank you for sharing your insights, Lara.
It makes perfect sense that people are only given teachings according to their level of “soul development”; indeed, I’ve found NDEs, while very inspiring to read, rather limited in depth. I guess it’s just difficult to fully comprehend the extent of this “soul development” thing: I feel like my coming across this Religion of the Sun and the movement leading up to its discovery has felt like a blessing and an answer to questions I’d been wondering all my life. From a young age, I wanted to have a real connection with God. But alongside that innate yearning, I was also given experiences that helped further intensify it. Looking back, it’s sometimes hard to separate what was innate in my yearning and what was “given”. And it feels like if someone were just given a taste of a bigger reality that they would know what to do.
Thank you for the advice on breaking illusions! I need to reflect more on that, especially when it comes to illusions about myself.
It’s exciting to imagine the Religion of the Sun once again being practiced on a global scale. And I’m very happy for those people around the world being led to this religion. One thing I’ve noticed, which has become so clear with the books and videos, is how much the Religion of the Sun is a religion based upon light. It’s a really uplifting feeling.
Those quotes you mentioned, Marco really resonate with me. Such as the one about..” those who sleep with a calm heart…. and you,Judas, your cup will be bitter to drink…” when meeting all sorts of people one can see that a lot of them seem content and I feel that that is because they have found a meaning in their life which reflects the soul level they are on. On the other hand, those who are looking for meaning beyond this physical reality they need to pass numerous hard tests in order to gain that happiness…
Also, the quote about “watch and pray….” It really is about that feeling of the prayer (to feel that ardent yearning of the being as it said) rather than saying the prayer that makes a lot of difference in moving on to the next level…
Hi Lara,
I found a video with the speech you mentioned, in which the Pope declared a personal relationship with Jesus to be dangerous.
He said: “There are those who believe that you can have a personal direct and immediate relationship with Jesus outside the communion and mediation of the Church. These temptations are dangerous and harmful. They are, as the great pope Paul VI, ‘absurd dichotomies.’ Remember being a Christian means belonging to the Church.”
The quotation is transcribed at the top of this blog of a former Roman Catholic, with the video at the bottom of the page: https://exploringchristianfaith.com/blog/2017/11/22/personal-relationship-with-jesus-is-dangerous-and-harmful/
As you commented, dangerous to who?
Thanks for passing on those are interesting facts Julian. I recall a school friend saying something about the origins of the peace symbol years ago, but I’d completely forgotten the details of it. It’s a shame that its creator later regretted not using a more positive symbol.
It’s also interesting to learn about the way in which the sun cross was used to promote Christianity in Peru and about the possible significance of the Cygnus constellation.
Thanks for that quote from the Flight of the Feathered Serpent book Marco, it is very apt indeed! And even though the disciples of Jesus were, of course, on a much higher level than us, still, in some way they “slept”, after finding “a part of what they were looking for”. .. So it seems to me that this danger of being content with our current understanding is always there, even on much higher levels of spiritual development. To be objective though, I think it also depends on what a person is looking for. Some people can be sincerely content with just a little bit of spiritual knowledge, and if that makes them happy and is where they want to be at that point in their lives, then that should be respected I think.
It is a different issue though, if this limited knowledge is being presented as the Truth to the masses, and anything that deviates from it is considered dangerous and “heretic”, which is where most of the Christian denominations seem to be standing today unfortunately. Even people who’ve had direct spiritual experiences with Jesus, can, after some time, start falling into the usual Christian dogma, and be very unpleasant to those who bring up more esoteric topics as you mentioned. Even just a simple thing of not accepting many lives and reincarnation is a real shame I think, its like being stuck in a nursery school level of understanding reality. 😯
Thanks for sharing the link to the pope’s video, Michael. Gee, that’s even worse than I first thought when I read about that comment earlier. The pope is upset by the fact that people might have a personal relationship with Jesus outside of the church — it just seems like a grab for power, trying to keep people under the control of the church, rather than having autonomy in their spiritual practice.
I share with you what you say about the prayer, Tina. It’s more like being in an inner state of prayer, remembrance of oneself, and connection within what really makes you connect with everything. You made me remember another quote from that 3rd book when you talk about “those looking for meaning beyond…”:
“And there was fire and light in my heart, and I knew that I also had sword to give and that the sword gives war to the one who is at peace, but it gave peace to the one at war.”
I suspect that that quote, like many others, has various layers of deepness and meaning but again it seems applicable to a certain degree. I feel that the words that the Christ has spoken to us across time are fractal in nature and through the constant iterations of my life and the cycles in it his words not only change in meaning but expand into multiple meanings at the same time.
I think this ties to what you say about the danger of becoming content, Lucía. It seems to me that when one stops that urge to find deeper meanings one “stops” our own flow of energy instead of keeping our self in the constant movement of life like the sacred sun, up and down, as above, so below. (https://i.imgur.com/Q7GtHRy.gif).
Maybe I am trying to be overoptimistic but I think that many people across the world are searching and the access to alternate views on existence have never been more readily available. A couple of weeks ago I stumbled across a podcast where the guest was a Spanish doctor who specializes on NDE and the episode has more than 4.1 million views! People’s reception of his knowledge in the comments has been fantastic and loving and I found that very inspiring especially after I checked the podcast background and they don’t touch on those subjects at all, they more so invite modern pop culture influencers and very famous music artist among the Spanish speaking community who’s episodes have at most 300 k views lol. I found that to be very interesting. He went deep into meditation, astral traveling, reincarnation, irrefutable proof that consciousness is independent from the body, and much more, it was very refreshing. I hope we are approaching a paradigm shift in that nursery school level of understanding reality as more and more research across the globe starts to converge.
I just watched an NDE yesterday that I thought was great: Video link (ignore the clickbaity title)
It has a part that reminds me of what the pope is saying. The lady explains that she was in a Catholic hospital, and when she came back she was telling the staff that she met / saw God. The first person they sent to visit her was a psychiatrist, because they assumed the experience with God she was talking was the result of some sort of delusional episode..!
Yes, I agree Mike. It’s a problem when the leader of one of the largest Christian organisations in the world warns its followers against developing a personal relationship with the spiritual being whose teachings led to the formation of the Catholic church itself.
Yes, that’s a very good quote Marco from The Flight of the Feathered Serpent. I can also relate to it, as I have sometimes wished I could be satisfied with simple explanations or beliefs, without the urge to search more deeply for truth.
The bitter cup that Jesus mentions to Judas does bring a greater level of knowledge in the long run though, even though it can be very painful to drink from. In some ways, it works as a kind of inoculation, as although going though great difficulties can be nightmarish at the time, I’ve found it can bring a greater level of confidence when it comes to facing other difficulties in the future, as they’re no longer completely unknown. So these experiences, however painful, can serve to reduce fear and other unpleasant emotions.
I found this myself with the worldwide Covid lockdowns. Although I was cautious about catching Covid in the beginning, my anxiety around it reduced after I’d actually experienced it. But it was interesting to see how globally other people suddenly had to deal with lots of emotional reactions to situations that were previously unknown to them, whether related to the virus itself, or the experience of having their freedom and liberties restricted.
As the level of restriction seemed so minor to me, compared to what I’d already experienced over many years, I actually enjoyed the lockdowns, as it was so nice to have peace and quiet without the regular road and air traffic and work noise that is a regular disruption for me. I also saw the good side of some people, such as neighbourly acts of kindness. Having said that, I do still have to deal with the consequences of a decline in health following my Covid infection, which impacts me significantly on a daily basis, so in many ways I’ve been in an extended lockdown since others’ restrictions were lifted.
Going back to the relatively simple beliefs within mainstream Christianity and wishing to have the same kind of immovable faith without the need for solid evidence, I definitely also value the ability to search more deeply and to “separate the wheat from the chaff”. But for the Christians that hold these beliefs, they can still provide a great value and comfort in their lives, as Lucia also mentioned.
I was recently revisiting a piece of music, which I thought you may find inspiring. It’s based on a street recording of an elderly homeless man, which was developed into an orchestral piece. The song itself is very simple, but I found the sincerity in which the man sings it moving, particularly in light of his situation in life. This was also the initial reaction of some of those who heard the recording for the first time. The composer had left the tape loop running and when he returned, the room was unusually subdued and he noticed people were weeping. The composition is called Jesus’ Blood Never Failed Me Yet: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ofnq8OjH02U
Its composer Gavin Bryars said: “I was puzzled until I realised that the tape was still playing and that they had been overcome by the old man’s singing. This convinced me of the emotional power of the music and of the possibilities offered by adding a simple, though gradually evolving, orchestral accompaniment that respected the homeless man’s nobility and simple faith. Although he died before he could hear what I had done with his singing, the piece remains as an eloquent, but understated testimony to his spirit and optimism”
There have been times over recent years where it has seemed that music has been one of the few remaining joys in my life and I feel the right kind of music can have the power to uplift and inspire, despite the difficulties we may face.
Hi again Marco,
It’s very interesting to hear about how you found out about The Religion of the Sun. I found out about Mark and Lara’s work by word of mouth, so wonder if I’d have also come across it through my own investigations, or guidance in dreams.
It’s good to hear about the mystical experiences you mentioned, through dreams and out of the body. Although I’ve had various experiences of a mystical nature over the years, I can’t say I’m someone who is particularly adapt at gaining knowledge through either of these means. I used to have lucid dreams around once a month and have woken up consciously in most of the places I’ve slept. But although it can be inspiring to be aware of being in the state of sleep and investigating things in the room, I never seemed to manage to actually get out of the room and travel anywhere else, whilst remaining lucid.
The process of astral projection is also still very elusive to me, despite my efforts. I’ve experienced various sensations, such as feeling my body is heavy, or like I’m falling back into my body from a height, but I can never seem to actually perceive the split into the astral body at the point of sleep. Ironically, several family members, including an atheist, mentioned spontaneous experiences that sound related to astral projection, including seeing entities in the room.
I’ve seen the value in dreams in sometimes revealing aspects of my psyche that manifest when the usual codes of conduct in everyday society no longer apply. And it can be interesting to see how my interactions with particular characters in dreams have changed over the years. But I often tend to view my own dreams as a continuation of the usual thought process that goes on during the day. So if I were to see a visual depiction of each thought, I doubt they would all be significant and profound, as some are likely to just be about mundane, everyday things.
Having said that, I’ve had some dreams that could be significant and these can be encouraging, if they are accurate. But on the whole, I tend to be someone who is more comfortable in making a “false negative” error, rather than a “false positive”, where I end up believing in something that’s inaccurate or misleading and then possibly passing this onto others.
You mentioned intuition in another comment and I don’t usually see myself as someone who is particularly intuitive, as I tend to be logical in my thinking and like solid evidence before adopting beliefs. But if I look back on many of my major life choices during adulthood, I can see that there was actually a strong level of intuition behind them.
For example, when I did some travelling in Asia years ago, I had a feeling it would be the last opportunity to do it, even though there was no reason to believe that at the time. And this feeling was confirmed fairly soon after I returned. I also had a strong intuition that I should change my career path, following some mishaps and relocate to a completely new area to pursue other goals. In some ways, this could have been seen as a foolish idea, but it just seemed obvious that the life I had been trying to follow had run its natural course.
In fact, I made the decision to make the move of a considerable distance within about a minute and it proved to be the right choice, as the serious health issues I mentioned developed fairly soon after, which I couldn’t have foretold, so I wouldn’t have been able to continue with my chosen career anyway. Moreover, if I had tried to continue on the old path, I would have missed many valuable experiences in the new location, which would not have been possible without making the choice to move.
Nowadays I try to create a balance. Some things require a logical mindset, but I also try to go with what feels right, as it’s been showed to me that even if I systematically look at the available evidence at a given point in time, there are still factors that remain unknown at present, but which may have a significant impact later on, which must also be considered.
@cross topic. How the ‘divine order’ is, how to symbolize it in forms, and how to use it – is interesting stuff. Among multiple real facets of the cross my understanding of its main implication is the two forces, the duality in action. Like in the yin and yang symbol. Or how I once saw a beautiful scene of two great rocks facing each other (bit like the guards in lotr) from which could subtly be made out a carving of a male and a female face, from between them burst forth an infinite waterfall.
I find the various depictions of that polarity really powerful. Like eagle and serpent, or flying dragon. I can see how the divine source sun would be the force beyond that.
A friend sent me an image of a morning sun, photo, it made me think, in lieu of the discussion here, how it could be nice to have depictions of the sun in one’s living space. Not to negate images of spiritual individuals or sacred geometric forms. And also not so much in the sense of worship per se. But I noticed, as an example, that whenever I saw a certain printed textile of the sun on the wall it would be uplifting. The real thing is best but in a place where you can’t see the sun too often (and when you can it’s too bright to look into) it’s a nice presence. More artistic depictions could be an option, to add detail to its simple form.
Really interesting thread everyone, thanks for sharing your insights!
Lara it was very heartening to hear you say that the divine use the vehicles that man has created, even though they are flawed and even though they may be infiltrated by darkness (paraphrased!). It’s obvious, but good to remember. I know it was in the context of Christianity and its many forms, but I hope it’s true for all religions and for all people that are striving for goodness in their lives. I have met in life and seen people in the public eye from all religions, and staunch atheists, who give me the impression of possessing higher qualities and being sincerely connected to something spiritual.
Jon – that must have been a big influence growing up! How wonderful to grow up in a spiritually devoted household. My father’s side are in the protestant church and my great-grandfather was a minister, my grandfather the organist and my father the drop out! He would however, enthrall me with stories of how local preachers would wander Wales, passionately preaching independence from Rome and about new ‘methods’ to have a more sincere relationship with God. It made me realise how often even one religion is renewed and repackaged, and how so many generations have their own mini-revolutions, or larger ones, in the name of seeking genuine spirituality. Quite amazing really. So many untold men and women who have shaped their life around their seeking a connection to God, that live otherwise unremarkably and leave almost no trace when they’re gone.
Mike, I really resonate with what you said about being around religious people. It’s so rare in the UK to feel that. I’ve experienced it only with Americans and people from non-Western different cultures! In my small experience of listening to Americans on podcasts and meeting a few, there’s such a free-flow of religious devotion in comparison to what I’m used to. British people are so awkward around religious expression – or maybe just in general :-)
I’m glad you can find learning, and strength in hardship, Michael, that’s not easy to do.
I was semi-raised catholic so I have a certain understanding of the basic way of being a Christian and at the end of the day, despite all the information I now have, I think I still fall under that same basic prayer for forgiveness, strength, and guidance from the divine because of how inadequate my behavior can be so I share that value and comfort with them.
Thanks for sharing that piece, Michael. I will check it out. Music is very powerfull. I would dare to say it is one of the main tools by which dark forces negatively influence our culture nowadays. I think part of the “uplift and inspire, despite the difficulties” is because it grounds us, and if you are concentrated on listening to it that means you are aware of the present moment therefore; activating consciousness. Not to mention the effect sound has on us.
The most important thing is you came across The Religion of the Sun, though! I sympathize with what you say about being “more comfortable in making a “false negative” error”. I’ve been reflecting a lot on that this year and I think it has a way of limiting us. I know that I hide myself under thoughts like that and at the end of the day I stagnate the flow of energy in myself and the positive flow of energy I can and could be directing towards the world, No child can learn to walk without trying and falling, sometimes falling hard but we have to get up, learn, and strive forward;. However, we do have a responsibility. I’ve found a great antidote to that feeling is practicing present-moment awareness, I have been focusing heavily on that this year and I have found that you tend to naturally be more loving and intelligent when speaking or sharing with people and in general more silent and perceptive plus the great effect it has on the astral as dreams become more clear.
I appreciate you sharing about the changes you made in your career and how intuition helped you make a good decision, I’m going through something similar at this moment so I find your experience very helpful.
I wish you all the best, Michael.
Thanks Erik for that NDE video. It should be part of this thread, as it’s touching it on many points. In particular it stood out as expanding on Lara’s advice to dispel illusions of ourselves, and Christianity as it is practiced today.
I found useful what she says about forgiveness in your thoughts, and how lack of forgiveness attaches you to the situation and feeds the same element in the person who hurt you. Forgiveness takes off the negative energy from ourselves as well as from the other person, providing space for something new. The sections starts just before the 12 minute mark.
I can relate to what you’re saying about the prayer, Marco. One thing that I would add is beside that state of being,also paying close attention to being detached from everything in a way, especially from your own mind. And in that way the illusions melt away as they are not fed anymore. As the mind is in a continuous movement so that opposing force, that is separating from it needs also being in a continuous movement throughout the day. Recently, it became evident that the intensity of the prayer also has to increase as the separation increases and thus the connection with the other world becomes more solid.
That quote also resonates with me,”… fire in the heart and the sword needed to find the peace… ” It often feels like a war and an army being employed by own being in order to conquer a very big and significant battles. Like a wind ,a constant energy flows out destroying anything on the way – though hard work can be at times, a wonderful state is generated …
Wonderful NDE experience indeed, thanks Erik for sharing. I really loved the woman’s genuineness and warmth, I can imagine how this experience must have changed her life. The Christian hospital calling a psychiatrist as the first thing after she said she was with God is quite embarrassing, isn’t it? One would think those people would be the first ones to believe her! Also what she shared about how her Christian friends were the ones who didn’t believe her is quite telling… It seems those people have some schism in their minds – they say they believe in God, but at the same time they have very specific expectations about how he should look or act. 😀 What she said about forgiveness was amazing too, I noticed that’s the topic that appears for many people who have had encounter with Jesus too – that they could not move forward in any meaningful way until they forgave their “debtors”, and then new avenues opened before them.
Hi Marco,
Thanks for your comments and wishes. Yes, I agree it’s not useful to be overly sceptical, without at least trying things out first, as we can cut ourselves off from learning in that way.
I’ve liked experimenting since a fairly young age, in different areas of my life and feel it’s foolish to not try out something that could be beneficial, as we don’t gain anything. For example, some atheists can have an air of smugness about their beliefs, but they still don’t really learn about the mysteries of life in the long run.
It’s interesting you mentioned about being partly raised as a Catholic, as I had a similar upbringing, with one parent a devout Catholic and the other an atheist. It used to be difficult to balance the values of both parents sometimes, as one would expect sincere devotion, while the other would expect scepticism.
I think this may have had a positive influence on my outlook in the long run though, in searching for truth through sometimes unconventional means, while also seeking out evidence. I find when things bring no results after repeated attempts, it can be difficult to maintain enthusiasm, so I eventually start looking elsewhere. However, I also stick with the things that bring results, as it wouldn’t make sense to drop these.
Another big influence on my outlook was seeing people throughout my life who suffered greatly as a result of psychological imbalance, sometimes underpinned by religious or spiritual beliefs. I have never wanted to go down the same route, so tend to question beliefs that don’t make sense. One example within the Catholic church is of course the belief in the literal transformation of the Holy Communion wafer and wine into Jesus’ body and blood.
Having said that, I’ve also fallen into a similar trap of blindly following certain beliefs at times. One example is that I was interested in Buddhism about 20 years ago and used to try and follow the principle of truthfulness. But this led to some silly mistakes by accidentally offending or causing concern to another person. I try to exercise much more discernment in this area now.
Similarly, I was also part of a mediation group around the same time and was told by the instructor to follow certain principles during the practice. The importance of resting following meditation was emphasised, along with avoiding meals some time before. But the outcome was that I often didn’t end up doing the mediation at all, as it was difficult to follow each of these stipulations. I used to commute to work by train, which would’ve been an ideal time to mediate, but due to trying to follow these rules correctly, I instead used to often feel stressed during the journey, rather than taking the opportunity to relax and recharge!
I also experienced some longer term consequences of trying to follow a set value system, when it was encouraged within a peer group to push oneself to achieve goals. This by itself may produce beneficial results, but not if it is also encouraged to forego necessary rest and go beyond one’s physical limitations. Unfortunately, although I was also keen to achieve certain goals, this proved devastating in the long run, as I now know that with certain illnesses, the long term outcome is far better when allowing one’s body the rest and recovery it needs in the early stages.
Music can indeed have a soothing and therapeutic effect and you may know that Pythagoras explored the potential of music in healing. I’m very drawn to melodic music, but also appreciate it when a beautiful melody is combined with meaningful lyrics, as these can also inspire and uplift. But unfortunately, as you also said, music can also be used as a tool to spread darkness.
I agree awareness of the present moment is also valuable and can be enhanced by music. It can be a wonderful experience to be entirely content within a moment, perceiving everything around and not being taken away with the train of thoughts. And it can also be of great value in getting to a greater level of mental clarity and allowing intuition or new solutions and ideas to pop up.
Regarding our behaviour, I think everyone’s behaviour falls short of a good standard at some point in our lives. I can think of many behaviours during my life that I now regret, particularly those that have affected others negatively. I think this is also part of learning though. As you mentioned, no child can learn to walk without making mistakes along the way, which may sometimes be painful. But as you also said, it’s important to try and keep going and not give up.
That’s good you found my mention of how intuition guided me in the career change useful! :) I definitely made the right choice, as I still look back with fond memories of the time that soon followed it and can say that the first year or so in the new location was probably among the happiest in my adult life.
I hope you’ll also be guided to make the right choice in your own life, whichever it may be.
Great NDE video Erik, so much to ponder, especially concerning our attitude toward forgiveness, and how letting go of negative thoughts about others may help in the other person’s journey/development, without them being boggled down by our negative attachment, and perhaps in such a way, guide us on how to care deeply for the welfare of others.
Also a great discussion all around, so much to absorb, and a real shift in what one may think we already know. How drastically is history being rewritten! It also made me interested in looking closer again at the forming of religions, such as early Christianity, and how groups quickly develop and divide, how rules are formed, and people are persecuted, how women are sometimes praised as serious practitioners, other times ostracised as the male-dominated viewpoint solidified over hundreds if not thousands of years. Was Eve the downfall of Adam, or perhaps given the fruit of Knowledge of good and evil by a being of light, and helped Adam escape together, from the limitations of their previous situation…
Aleks, I agree with your sentiment, a great section indeed. Very touching and relevant.
Hello Every body,
It’s been remarkably difficult to keep up with this thread, thanks for all of your valuable insights.
Some of the comments on this thread made me revisit some of the notes I made from studying the links between Indigenous Australian culture and The Religion of the Sun.
Here’s an interesting quote from a book written by G. Roheim called Australian Totemism Chp VII: Religious belief and practice: Totemism and Mythological:
“In the formative period, the various species had not finally adopted the shapes in which we see them today. Their physical manifestations were a little more fluid than they are now. Many mythical beings, all throughout Aboriginal Australia, were either more or less than human according to the way in which we look at it. The life force which they embodied was not limited to a human manifestation but could find expression also in the shape of some other species. A Goanna ancestor may have looked like an ordinary human being, but at the same time he was potentially capable of changing his shape and taking the form of a Goanna. This identification in the mythical past has continuing consequences today. Because of it, there is said to be a special relationship between certain human beings and, for instance, that particular kind of Goanna.”
For any one who is unfamiliar with Goanna’s, they are a type of reptile.
If any of this is accurate then it’s interesting to consider what the ‘Continuing consequences’ today are.
There are references to who set up Aboriginal culture originally; here’s a quote from the same book:
“Having traced the Central Australian culture back to New Guinea, we may ask whether we are not dealing with an early branch of that great migration which evidently introduced certain forms of stone culture into the pacific; the starting points of this stone -culture is ascribed to sky beings”
Another example:
“All the narratives of central Australia…..give an account of beings coming from the north who introduced certain elements of the material and Magico-Religious culture and modified the social institutions”
Rivers, op.cit, Folklore, 1912, 329
These accounts are referring to Central Australia but throughout my research I recall seeing quite a few references to Men of great wisdom coming from the North and teaching.
After looking at what Paul Wallis is saying about the translation of the Old Testament I’m wondering how the term ‘Sky beings’ has been translated and what it actually means.
Lara, through the work of Mark and yourself I’m starting to see a global picture of the past and how Australia fits into it. Thanks for every one here for bringing this work to light.
Hi Ella,
That’s interesting regarding your family background within the Protestant church. I also have some Protestant ancestry on both sides. Although ironically, on one side, my ancestors escaped persecution as Protestants, before their descendants later converted to Catholicism.
I agree that on the whole, British people seem more subdued about expressing their faith than Americans. Although, it does seem to differ depending on the church and I’ve also noticed British people from Evangelical or Charismatic denominations tend to be much freer in discussing their beliefs and some are happy to perform in public places, dance around with their hands in the air, or may be keen to welcome and convert newcomers.
Yes, it’s good that despite the flaws within many of the major religions, many still provide outlets for people to pursue the light.
Thanks for posting the NDE video Erik. It seems to have sparked some interesting reflections.
The narrator’s comment in the video of the impact of good deeds stood out to me, particularly the point about these sometimes appearing insignificant, but which may have a positive long term effect. It reminds me of the quote from Aesop’s fable of The Lion and the Mouse: “No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted”.
It does still take a certain level of wisdom to know how to help in the best way, rather than simply having a “one size fits all” approach. For example, in the case of giving to people begging on the street, I once gave to someone who was clearly intoxicated, which probably didn’t help in the long run. Whereas, having been deceived a few times, I stopped giving for a while, including to some street children in Asia, who were probably in need.
I’m generally glad to have helped others where I’ve been able to though and know this has often been appreciated. Similarly, I can think of various occasions where I was also helped, sometimes in small ways, or sometimes in bigger ways, both of which were often invaluable at the time. On one such occasion, I received practical help from a friend to pack my things and move home. It may not have seemed like a huge gesture from the friend involved, but it was a massive help to me, as I wouldn’t have been able to do it by myself. On another occasion, a friend’s help enabled me to go on to help others, after some challenging times.
The “ripple effect” of giving help is also referred to in another NDE video just after the 14-minute mark, where the narrator mentions that kind actions enabled others to also do good: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3j7YqTZkRuE
The impact of our thoughts on others is also mentioned in this video, like in the one you posted. Our thoughts do definitely seem to have a perceivable effect on the environments we inhabit and I’ve sometimes strongly felt negativity from others in the past, despite nothing being said.
I’ve found these and other NDE accounts I’ve heard interesting and have noticed some commonalities in them. I also recall a friend once mentioning the classic life review during an incident where he almost drowned, but was saved. This also illustrates that in some situations, the intervention of others can be literally a matter of life or death.
I can think of three different incidents I was involved in, which could have been life changing or even potentially fatal, but where serious harm was prevented, one on occasion by the last minute intervention of friends. This was of course very much appreciated at the time and it also makes me reflect on whether on some occasions, people who are willing to help may be moved into place by circumstances, in order to serve a role at a crucial point in someone’s life, as some of the NDE narrators have also mentioned.
Hi Martin&Everyone else,
This has indeed been a very long and in-depth discussion about Christianity! Sure there are many deep secrets with this religion,especially when it comes to Jesus and the esoteric. I’ve seen churches and denominations of Christianity trying to remove what they considered to be “pegan” elements from their doctrine that was passed down from earlier traditions as signs of “non-Christian influences”,with some even consider the symbol of the cross itself as “pegan” and therefore disgarding it altogether. Some radical cults such as Jehovah’s Witnesses even insist that Jesus died on a wooden stake instead of a cross,and they use the original Greek word stauros as evidence because this word,according to their understanding,means “pole” or “stake”,so to justify their claim. By trying to stray away from the cross they think they are extracting the true teachings of Christianity from the very abundant elements in the religion they consider “pegan”. But there are also controversies with the argument for the word stauros ,since the word can mean a stake with or without a horizontal beam attached to it. What’s more,according to some sources,this word could also be translated as “timber” or “tree”. So does arguing for the meaning of the Greek word stauros do away the Christian connection to peganism? I would say not really. Even if Jesus didn’t die on a cross,it’s almost certain that he died on wood. There are also some arguments that Jesus died on a living tree! https://christianity.stackexchange.com/questions/13726/did-jesus-die-on-the-cross-or-on-the-tree
And when comparing that to the story of Odin who also hung himself on a tree,the pegan connection becomes become even more prominent. The symbolisms of the tree/wood,as well as the cross,have great significance in the Religion of The Sun,which many of its offshoots became known as peganism. It’s also evident that the true teachings of Jesus were clearly not what the mainstream Christian churches taught people to be. The organized religion known as Christianity was established and used by the ruling class as a tool for controlling the population at a time when the Roman Empire was falling apart,and later by the Catholic Church (as well as Eastern Orthodox Church) to secure their power over Europeans. It was essentially a religion created for control and brainwashing the masses,and not for people to discover their true nature. In fact,those in power did not want this for the people,so they carried out heavy and intense crackdowns on those who followed peganism and esoteric schools. That’s not to say peganism cannot be used as a state ideology to indoctrinate the masses,as what happened in the Roman Empire before the advent of Christianity,and contemporarily in Japan during WWII where Shinto thoughts had been twisted and mingled by Japanese politicians to carry out invasion and genocide;( There were signs that Japan was going down the wrong path at least as early as the Meiji Restoration,where there was a growing sense of nationalism in the country during that time-period. But back to the topic discussing here,Christianity as an established organized religion has certainly been manipulated and used by the ruling class and those in power as a tool for control,so it should come as no surprise that the Bible as we know it does not reflect Jesus’s true teachings. Because knowledge about self-awakening and the Spiritual Sun is certainly not what they want people to know,and because of the long history of anti-pegan attitude which the Church holds,it has become a widely-accepted notions to Christians that peganism is evil in nature. During the Protestant movement independent thinkers were brave enough to break with the established order of the Catholic Church,and trying to come up with their own understanding of the Bible. But they still used the standardized version of the Bible as a reference,so how far could they really go from the manipulated teachings? And the anti-pegan attitude of Christianity persists,so Christians have really missed out a lot on Jesus’s real teachings throughout the ages;( And not to mention the darkness which still exists in the world that are infiltrating different Christian churches and denominations. So I believe the works of the Atwoods have become more important than ever. Thank you everyone for sharing your ideas here and I wish everyone the best on their spiritual journey!
I forgot to mention that stauros is essentially the Greek word used in place of “cross” to describe the instrument of Jesus’s crucifixion. The New Testament was originally found written in Greek before being translated into Latin and later various European languages. The Latin word used to translate stauros was crux,and that’s likely how we got the word cross. It’s interesting that JWs would look into linguistical evidence as an attempt to proof their “non-pegan belief”. But the notion of a “stake” or “pole” instead of a cross actually raises more questions rather than proving that Jesus was not pegan as they claim to be. They can discard the celebration of Easter,Christmas and even the symbol of the cross that they consider to be of pegan origin all they want,but the anti-pegan sentiment held by the Christian community at large has done more harm than good in my opnion. Christians say that they follow Jesus and wanna get to know him,yet they have a tendency to reject the “pegan” aspects of him so to distinguish themselves from non-Christians that did not worship their God. This thing about Christians claiming that they are “getting to know Jesus” while rejecting the “pegan” aspects of him,and let alone his esoteric teachings are seemingly self-contradictory because without knowing his deeper spiritual teachings and the true spiritual message that he came to spread in this world you can’t really get to know the real historical Jesus. He was clearly NOT who many followers of monotheistic religions today describe him to be,he was a great spiritual teacher who had profound knowledge of the esoteric,what he really taught was for people to walk the Spiritual Path of the Sun,towards self realization which is the same state of being that have been mentioned by many other ancient sages. It’s quite ironic that most Christians would oppose to these deeper spiritual teachings and say that they follow Jesus,without knowing that Jesus essentially taught the same things which they may have been told to be pegan or even evil. It’s kinda sad that the world today doesn’t really know who Jesus really was and what he taught,he is rather being worshipped as an idol-like figure,without people really understanding his deeper messages. I personally don’t find the teachings of Christianity as an organized religion makes sense because I know from its very beginning it was being used as a tool for control and indoctrination by those in power,and when I went to Christian Sunday schools I never felt any of the talks by pastors/priests making sense to me. From their talks about Jesus I felt that Jesus was a really compassionate figure but something didn’t feel right. It was later that I found out the Jesus which most Christian churches depicted does not represent the real Jesus. I respect Jesus as a great spiritual teacher and one of the most influential figures of our recorded history, but that doesn’t mean I would accept Christianity as an organized religion because it has been so heavily manipulated. I respect Jesus just as I respect many other great spiritual teachers of the past,it’s not the same thing as following Christianity as the organized religion that it’s known today. Jesus’s words could be used as spiritual guidance but I clearly don’t follow their version of the Bible where they say there’s one God and so forth. One thing that never made sense to me was how come the God in the Old Testament be so seemingly aggressive and vicious,while Jesus of the New Testament appears to be just the opposite of that. It would make sense if they were not the same God. But Christians would always say there is only one God. I haven’t encountered a lot of Christians recently,I think there is an anti-Christian sentiment which exists in East Asian societies like my own,people appear to be more incline to native spiritual traditions which do contain more elements of Eastern peganism. Even though that has also given way to atheism and mundane versions of traditional culture,resulting in sort of a spiritual vaccum in countries like China and Japan. I think reviving the ancient Religion of the Sun do have a significance in every part of the world,for people to reconnect to their ancient roots spiritually,as well as for more people to know the real Jesus and his deeper spiritual teachings instead of just what is being described in the Bible and what the Church says about him. Shoutout to the Atwoods for doing the work of bringing to light more of these lost traditions!
PS: Actually I was a bit wrong about the Greek word which implies a tree or timber. It was actually xylon and not stauros which held this meaning,and it’s mentioned in Act 5:30 that Jesus has been killed on a tree,whereas the word “tree” was translated from xylon. So this here can lead to questions as to what exact sort of instrument was used at the time of Jesus’s crucifixion. But no matter how to look at it, you can’t really get rid of the “pegan” connection that exists. Some Christian denominations trying de-peganize Jesus and his spiritual principles were wrong from the beginning.
Hi Emily,
That’s interesting about the translations (or mistranslations) of the Greek words used in the New Testament. It actually seems a bit vaguer, as the Ancient Greek word ξύλον (pronounced ksilon) just means wood, as far as I know. It’s replaced by the Modern Greek word ξύλο (pronounced ksilo).
I’m certainly not fluent in Greek though, although I know a bit of Modern Greek, so perhaps someone who is fluent may be able to correct me if I’ve translated the words wrongly.
Hi again Emily,
The Greek word σταυρός (pronounced stavros) does actually mean cross in Modern Greek (not to be confused with the name Σταύρος, with the tone in the middle!) The Modern Greek word for tree is δέντρο (pronounced thendro). As you have an interest in science, you may possibly be familiar with this borrowed word appearing as the neurological term “dendrites”, meaning the little growths that stem from a neuron.
Hi Michael,
I didn’t know that stauros is literally the word for “cross” in Modern Greek! I have absolutely no knowledge in the Greek language,I’ve only known from research that the New Testament of the Bible was originally written in Koine Greek,which is an archaic form of language I believe! I’m not sure exactly why cultists like JWs came to that conclusion,there must have been some kinds of linguistic consequences of that word in Koine Greek I guess. The word that is used to describe the instrument which Jesus died on is varied throughout the New Testament as I’ve said before,but it’s almost certain that Jesus died on something made of wood(or perhaps a living tree) It seems to me that all attempts to de-peganize Jesus by certain Christian sects are just stupid because it was wrong at the beginning,Jesus himself was a figure that had deep afflictions with what one might consider to be peganism. His deeper teachings as well as major events in his life can proof that. It would be wonderful to study the Bible through the language it was originally written in though,since that way one can pick up information that maybe lost in translation. I wonder if they could reveal anything about the true meaning of Jesus’s teachings,since the Bible has been translated into so many different languages overtime,and understandings of it can vary a lot. Different sects of Christianity that exist in different countries who interpret the Bible through various translations can get as far apart from each other as you can think of. I wonder what language the original Gnostic texts were written in,it would be interesting to find out if there was someone who has proficiency in studying ancient texts in their original languages. That way may enable us to find something that we are not able to see in translated texts.
Hi everyone,
Here I have found a documentary about early Christianity, it covered quite a bit of information on the different schools of thoughts that existed among early Christians,with some of the sects containing quite a bit of pegan elements,including the so called Gnostics,before the establishment of the official church and the composition of the standardized version of the Bible that is used by most Christians in the world today. https://youtu.be/sky6u0ntu24?si=ScHA9rBHsNEfVPmS This documentary is two hour long,and the information being presented may take a long time to digest (I’m still in the process of doing that) Nevertheless I think a lot can be learned about early Christianity from watching this documentary,and you maybe surprised to find out just how diverse the beliefs and ideologies were in early Christian communities.
Hi, Michael.
Have you tried or heard of Nutrition Response Testing?
I know through their website that there are hundreds of practitioners in the US but I don’t know about the rest of the world.
You can see a demonstration of how the scanning is performed in this video and I invite you to research a little bit more about it:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fDQT-QZ4X68
Thanks Marco; that’s very thoughtful of you to share the info on Nutrition Response Testing. I haven’t come across that particular term before, but I watched some of the videos on the channel you shared and it seems very similar to kinesiology, which I have had some sessions of with a chiropractor.
I found it interesting to see the difference in my muscle strength, according to which particular vials the chiropractor/ kinesiologist placed on me. He also picked up on some of the environmental toxins that are mentioned in the videos, prior to their presence being confirmed by more conventional tests, which I subsequently treated. I also find the difference in muscle strength to be very noticeable following standard chiropractic adjustments (without kinesiology testing).
It’s currently tricky to access the kinesiologist who I previously saw, but I recently heard of techniques of testing oneself at home, so that could be an area worth looking into further, if I would like to find out more about which substances may continue to be problematic.
Thanks again for the info! :)
You’re very welcome, Michael. I have seen about techniques for testing oneself. When I first knew about it I did tried to do some basic muscle tests in myself but I really didn’t feel the locks. The more serious kinesiologists/chiropractors do say that it requires thousands of arms pushed to get the experience and feel of what you are looking for. Either way, you may be more intuitive than me on the subject, and in that sense, I do hope that’s the case if you decide to pursue it.
I wish you all the best, Michael!
Thanks Marco! Yes, I wondered how effective the muscle testing would be if I did it myself, compared to with a practitioner. But there’s no harm in trying it out and seeing what sort of results I’ll get, so I will look into how to do it at home.
Hi Lucia,
Do you remember which part of Nag Hammadi that quote came from? I tried to understand some of the deep teachings of the esoteric but for some reason I just found that hard to do. Maybe that’s because I need to somehow develop a sense of wisdom within myself lol.
Hi Emily,
Unfortunately, I can not find that passage in Nag Hammadi anymore, so I am starting to think that maybe I remember it wrongly? In any case, it is a huge collection of texts, so it is not easy to find something in it. The only similar thing I found when trying to google it was from John 1:12, where it is said “But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name”. But that is not a direct quote from Jesus, just a narrator talk, so it is hard to draw any conclusions from it.
Regarding understanding of the esoteric texts, it is indeed difficult! If one reads the ancient texts of the Religion of the Sun texts like those from Nag Hammadi, or those from Taoism, etc., its almost impossible to really understand their symbolic/encrypted meanings unless one knows the esoteric matters first-hand through a direct spiritual experience. Otherwise we can just speculate, or try to feel things via intuition, but it won’t be very clear… That’s why I think it is very important to do the right practices and to learn from a real awakened person, who can explain things in a simple language for others to understand. In other words, it may be a good idea to read the Ancient Solstice book 😉, where these principles are explained in a very understandable language. Here is what Lara says in the preface of that book, which I think is very fitting:
“Researchers only have access to physical artefacts and texts, which they sometimes try and piece together. Its like putting together a puzzle when you don’t know what the image of the puzzle is – in fact, when you’ve never even seen what the puzzle image is before, and you only have a few of the pieces that are not clear because each piece is encrypted, and each using a different code of encryption. Not only that, but some of the pieces don’t even belong to the puzzle because so much of the spiritual knowledge of the past has been distorted and infiltrated over time!
We can theorise what the puzzle image is going to be forever, but we’re never going to really know. Unless, that is… we had gone through the same process of spiritual transformation and gained the same spiritual knowledge in the same ways that these ancient peoples did.
Then we would approach the mystery of the puzzle in a completely different way. We could know what the puzzle picture is, even without the pieces, and could see where the few pieces that we had fit together, and could even explain which pieces are missing and which ones are not part of the puzzle at all. And this is exactly what Mark has done.
Anyone can compile information, even in the field of spiritual knowledge, but to synthesize, to get to the essence of it, and to explain it so that other people can transform themselves through it, requires one crucial ingredient found severely lacking in much religion and spirituality today – and that is firsthand metaphysical experience.”
If you just watch Lara’s videos, you can get an idea what the Religion of the Sun is approximately about, but to really understand it deeply, or even to attempt to properly explain it to others, I think reading this book is crucial. Now even that is just a theoretical background, in addition to that, proper practices are needed, and I suspect that’s what the next book by Mark and Lara may be about, at least partially? We will see soon I guess. 🙂
Hi Lucia & Emily,
The quotation that came to mind when I read your comments is also in The Gospel of John (11:25-26), where Jesus is comforting Martha after her brother has died and says “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die.”
Maybe that was the reference you were looking for?
That’s also a very good quote from the preface of Ancient Solstice. Very true.
Hi Lara, Lucia and everyone,
just picking up on the point about Jesus and Passover. I came across this website that states that Passover is connected to the time of Spring Equinox. Here’s the website link: http://www.rossingcentre.org/judaisms/pesach-jewish-celebration-of-passover/?gad_source=1. About 3/4 of the way through the first paragraph it makes reference to the Spring Equinox as being a reference point for Passover.
On the point of Moses and the link you provided Lara, from the NIV website, I have not come across that version of Moses and yes, it is quite shocking to read. It is hard to believe that a God would seek bloodshed and to harm other human beings, much like what is unfolding in our current times. Is it even God or an evil/malevolent entity portraying itself as a god-like figure asking for such crimes to be committed and justified? It does put into question whose version of the story we are getting and also if we are being told the authentic story about Moses.
It seems Jesus has been portrayed in a particular way by various versions of public Christianity. It has been great to have the Nag Hammadi Library collection of Gospels to counter that public view of Jesus. It has also been refreshing to have the Gospel of Judas revealed in 2006 and authenticated too. That was an unexpected reveal. There is even a Gospel written by Barnabas (a number of google options come up if you search) which I recently came across and has a very, very challenging version to the Passover and crucifixion of Jesus. I don’t know if others have come across this version and if it has been properly authenticated, but once again, it puts in question the versions of stories we are told. It has helped to put into question the genuineness of the various New Testament versions of Jesus. And, we do need to uncover the truth for ourselves.
Thank you Lara, Mark, and all who contributed to this beautiful video. One thing that definitely stood out to me (similarly to the Winter solstice video) were the beautiful images, like the graceful Sol goddess in a cave – what an amazing concept and execution! Also the “Light forces vs dark forces” image is spectacular, as well as the “resurrection machine” illustration with the Egyptian king flying to the stars… I would have never thought that the AI art can help to visualise the long-forgotten ceremonies, events and concepts so beautifully. It just shows how the technology is really just a tool that can be used for good as well as for evil, just like when the internet started…
Otherwise I also really like that statue of Anubis with Osiris between his paws from the Ramesseum – how amazing that it got preserved to illustrate this important ancient concept, and to hopefully rekindle the interest of the public in the true shape and meaning of the sphinx at Giza. The superimposing of the Anubis image with Osiris over the sphinx at 27:47 gives a really nice idea of how approximately it would have looked like…
Another thing that stood out was the mentioning of the importance of the spring equinox for Zoroastrias, and how wide-spread the celebration of Nowruz is. The map of the countries that celebrate it as an official public holiday at 6:20 speaks for itself, as it is roughly corresponding to the area of the ancient Persian empire. Its a pity though, how it is mostly a non-religious, “cultural” holiday today, just like the Shunbun/Kōreisai is in Japan, or Chun Fen in China. I think that is why this video is so important, to bring the true spiritual meaning of these times of the year back to the public consciousness. Some of the Zoroastrian temples and shrines, especially in the area of Yazd feel like powerful places to visit if the country became more free and open.
These are just a few things that stood out to me on the first watch, I am sure there will be more as I re-watch it again and again! Thank you very much again for this beautiful explanation of the spiritual meaning of this time of the year, and wishing everyone a meaningful spring equinox time!
Thank you Lucia, yes, I’ve found it amazing how so many ancient vestiges of the religion of the sun still persist around the world, like even major public holidays in places that have converted to Islam or gone through cultural revolutions. I really hope too that the spiritual meaning of these times return to public consciousness. Wishing you a blessed equinox.
Hi Lucia&Lara,
I think you made a good point on the fact that the spring equinox celebration has become a non-religious and rather “cultural” thing in countries which the authorities have some kind of different ideology to promote. From what I observed in China this is clearly the case. As part of the communist/socialist regime they have always aimed to promote atheism so they would rather have these traditions explained in a materialistic,non-religious sense. But I also doubt if they are really as atheist as they claim since the official excavation of the site of Sanxingdui has been in a halt for years and they won’t allow any sort of personal excavation of the site,so they clearly know that something is there. But that’s a whole other story. Elements and symbols of the religion of the sun have certainly downgraded into nothing more than a few cultural icons around the world overtime due to worldly influences,while this may be better than having them being completely destroyed,it’s still far from enough for people to actually know about the Religion of The Sun in its essence. Even Japan,a country where the symbol of sun worship is still prevalent,and even has perhaps the only remaining institution of a solar dynasty in the world,is not anymore prone to worldly influences than any other part of the world. The deeper meanings of the Religion of The Sun,has been lost to a greater extent than Daoism. And from a dream message my Japanese friend got which she believes she received from the Divine,despite having symbols of the Religion of The Sun or even worshipping a solar deity, they still cannot escape the cataclysm which will occur as part of the Divine Retribution. The symbol of the Sun had been misused by Japanese authorities during WWII as part of their propaganda to carry out invasion to nearby countries such as China and Korea,killing millions of innocent people in these places which they to this very day, still refuse to admit that they did. This is strictly against the core principles of the Religion of The Sun,as by no means it advocates violence and massacres. So I feel that it’s not just unorthodoxic religions or ideologies such as monotheistic religions or Communism that could ruin the spiritual roots of people in a society that follow the path of The Sun,but even the offshoots of the Religion of The Sun itself can become corrupt by dark forces of the world overtime,turning it into something that is completely against the principles that these traditions were founded upon based on the original teachings of the Religion of The Sun. Emperor Jimmu,the first emperor upon which the solar dynasty was founded,was believed to have reigned from 660–585 BC. There have been 126 generations of emperors in Japan until now, and it is clear that Japan today is far from what “the land of the rising sun” is supposed to look like. The Emperor and the Imperial Family can be heavily influenced by Japanese politicians who are really in charge,and they can do some really nasty things. The Sun has become nothing more than a symbol of Japanese nationalism,and the Emperor serves as nothing more than a figurehead while the real power is being held at the hands of politicians who can be heavily corrupted by the darkness of the world. As for the common folks there,who is to say that they can learn the true essence of the Religion of The Sun from what they are being told by their mainstream narrative? It’s just highly unlikely to be the case when you look at it. So despite having the sun as their symbol and even having the world’s only remaining institution of solar dynasty perhaps,the society of Japan has become corrupt by darkness of the world throughout time,just like everywhere else in the world. So reintroducing the Religion of The Sun,in its purest form,seems really important in this era.
PS: I heard that even Emperor Hirohito himself became somewhat of a dictator-like figure during WWII, accepting worships from the people and they all fought under his name while carrying out invasions to other countries…the whole country of Japan seemed to have became a death-cult centered around the twisted view of “the rising sun”,and a central figure being idolized in a distorted way. So it looks like to me that even the established institution of a solar dynasty itself can become corrupt overtime,with dark forces of the worldly seeping in, distorting its morals. While Westerners may pay less attention to it,and it is a lot less likely to be in the spotlight of conspiracy theories on the mainstream Western media,I would say that there is just as much darkness that exists within the Imperial House of Japan today as there are with the British Royal Court, with the only difference being that one tends to get a lot more attention from the Western public than the other.
I’d say that the state of Japan has definitely been infiltrated by dark forces which has lead the spiritual atmosphere of the country away from the original teachings of the Religion of The Sun. While contemporary Shintoism clearly contains obvious symbols and elements that are keys to the Religion of The Sun,at some point darkness set in and began to infiltrate the country at all levels,including its governing bodies as well as the Imperial House itself. This eventually lead them astray and that darkness still hasn’t died,it should be worth-noting that offshoots of the Religion of The Sun itself can degenerate through time,and become something different from when the order was first established. And sometimes, two branches could fail to recognize their common roots and get into conflict with one another. Really appreciate the hard work which the Atwoods have put in in order to rediscover the whole picture of the Ancient Religion of The Sun!
Hi Emily,
One thing I thought I’d share.
The imperial palace and court with the royal family in it were interesting places (in ancient times in China, Korea and Japan.) And you see many of the modern historical/costume drama TV shows in that setting, focussed on the emperor, crown prince or a princess.
With a pyramid like ruling structure, a lot of power is based on the throne seat and who controlled the court and royal family. So it was a huge target for dark forces and those with self interests to take control of that seat. You can imagine the intrigues, plots and everything coming at the emperor in charge, who had to uphold goodness. However, one insight I had that I want to mention, it is in that place and circumstances, within those very court struggles, where a dragon could struggle to attain the pearl within. And there’s a tremendous lot at stake, the country would hang in the balance of his inner work.
That’s difficult to maintain over time so you can imagine, or see historically, the level of the rulers dwindling, or actual control falling into other hands.
Hi Karim,
I think you are absolutely right on that.
I guess the same could even be said about India,where many teachings of the Religion of The Sun actually survived. There are many branches of Hinduism eventually moved away from the origin principles of the Religion of The Sun,and became their own sect. I don’t know if it’s fair to say that Christianity is also sort of this manipulated ideology which had its origins in the Religion of The Sun,it clearly has become a very different entity than the things which Jesus really taught.
Wow, a lot of information and knowledge, I would have to re-watch this video few more times. Thank you so much Lara and Mark for sharing this light, wishing you and all genuine seekers much light and support during these challenging times.
Happy spring equinox!
Thank you Vadim. Blessed equinox!
Amazing! Looking forward to watch the new video! Comes at the perfect moment :-) Thank you Lara, Mark and everyone who helped in the creation! And looking forward ofcourse to the publication of the new book(s)
Happy Equinox everyone, with much light!
Thanks very much Christos. My best wishes for the equinox!
Blessed and Joyful Equinox to all :)
Many thanks to Lara, Mark and the team who helped to create the video and publish it to all of us. I found it informative, enlightening and most of all inspirational to search further into this special time.
You are an inspiration
Happy Equinox
Thank you Alexandros! Blessed equinox.