The Purple Tree

A short storyline

The Purple Tree

My friend and I were out in the row boat one day, headed for an island by the name Otter Island. We had rowed to about the half-way point when it got really foggy, like we couldn't see out further then a dozen feet ahead of us. Since the waters were calm as glass it was safer to pull in the oars and just drift and wait until the fog lifted.

I could feel a warm breeze on my cheek, and shortly after the fog began to lift. We must have drifted out to sea, I told my friend Ruth, as I could not see any land anywhere around us. Ruth was poking me in the back making me rather irritated, and I nearly shouted back, “What is it?”

Ruth was frantically pointing toward the stern of the boat. There it was, one lone island in the middle of a calm sea. It appeared to glow, like the flora had an inner light of its own. It was awe-inspiring to see and both Ruth and I stood there, mouths agape, staring like we had just seen a ghost.

One exceptionally large tree stood at the summit of the islands tallest hill, a purple, glowing tree. The energy emitting from it appeared to be beaming up into some purple clouds above, like purple sunrays shining up into the clouds instead of down.

"What do you think, shall we go check it out?" I asked Ruth. Ruth looked back toward me with that worried look that gave her the appearance of a sad puppy who just got scolded. "Well Gina, I'm not sure, don't you think it's kind of weird to find an island such as this that didn't exist before until now?"

"Well maybe it was here all along, we just never came this close to it before," I said, trying to be convincing, but even with the propensity of my inquisitive nature I felt some slight apprehension, like the type that causes the small hairs on your body to move similarly to a static electrical charge.

We landed on the beach and pulled the rowboat onto the sand as far as we could and tied it to a tree as assurance of it staying in one place. We made our way up the hill through the underbrush and debris beneath our feet consisting of old logs, rocks, stumps, dips and bumps, as well as a shallow ravine which turned out to be the easiest route to the top of the hill. Judging by the gullies cut into the soil, most of the surface debris appeared to have been removed by flash floods.

We were breathless by the time we reached the top of the summit and we sat upon the ground heavily. I released my pack sack and let it drop behind me. I was drenched in sweat. Ruth, dropping her pack, just let herself fall back on the ground spread eagle, her chest heaving trying to catch her breath. I sat with my back to a pine tree wiping sweat off my brow with tissues I had in the back pack. Ruth found a place to sit a few feet away with her back leaning on a large boulder. She, too, was wiping and dabbing at the sweat on her face. I had also noted her breathing had returned to normal.

I turned to look up to the few feet left to the top of the summit and my bottom jaw dropped in wonderment at what I saw: A gigantic glowing purple tree! It appeared to reach up into the clouds above. It's branches and leaves waved as if blown by a light breeze, such was its vibrant living force.

I felt inexorably drawn to it and got up from where I had been sitting. I began, with reluctance at first, to slowly make my way to the great tree. It beckoned me on. I vaguely remember a voice behind me but I continued making my way to the tree. Nothing else mattered at that point except for me to make contact with the tree.

I felt a tug at my left arm but kept on walking towards the tree that was almost in reach now. The tugging at my arm ceased and the voice fading like a distant echo. Ruth pulled back and let me go. The energy had grown so strong, pushing her away like the like ends of two magnets. She watched as I began to wave just as the energy made the form of the tree appear to wave.

There was a flash of blinding purple light and after a few seconds Ruth regained her vision. She could not see me anywhere! Ruth discovered she could approach the tree now and she did so, walking around the giant tree in search of me but I was not to be found.

Ruth put her hand on the tree's rough bark and asked, " Where is my friend, Gina? What have you done with her? Please bring her back, we have to be back to mainland before dark. Please!" she shouted with deep concern in her voice.

Again the tree began to vibrate and wave and the energy once again repulsed her. There was another flash of bright purple light and she was again able to see me, back on the same spot from where I had vanished a short time ago. The tree stopped vibrating and all was normal once more.

I must have fainted because the next thing that I recall I was coming to on the pine needle-covered ground. A short time later I woke up to someone shaking me. Opening my eyes I blinked a few times to focus my vision and saw Ruth's eager face staring back at me. "Are you OK?" she asked anxiously.

I sat up slowly holding my head with my right hand then shaking it to clear the thoughts back into coherence. She sat cross-legged in front of me asking all kinds of questions until I held my hand up to indicate for her to cease with the questions.

I then proceeded to tell her what I still retained in memory from the experience. It was another place. Inside the tree there is another world, one that is way different from this one. There are living beings that are way different from us and they are benevolent beings, the ones I met at least. That is about all I can tell you. That is all I remember.

Writen by Cynthia ©

ƸӜƷ ✿¸✿´~*)¸.❀'`'" '`✿´•☆✿(◠‿◠)˙•٠•●O ღ(◕‿◕｡)¸

ƸӜƷ.•*""*•.˙•٠•●c¸¸❤❤♪♫♪❤ "˙•٠•●c¸.•*¨ƸӜƷ

¸¸❤❤♪♫♪❤ "˙

Greek goddess Maia

Greek goddess Maia

Apollo, Maia, the infant Hermes & Zeus, Caeretan black
figure hydria C6th B.C., Musée du Louvre, Paris


MAIA was the eldest of thePleiades, the seven nymphs of the constellation Pleiades. She was a shy goddess who dwelt alone in a cave near the peaks of Mount Kyllene (Cyllene0 in Arkadia where she secretly gave birth to a son by Zeus, the godHermes. She also raised the boy Arkas in her cave, whose motherKallisto had been transformed into a bear.

Aiskhylos apparently idenifies Maia "the nursing mother" withGaia "the Earth." On several occassions he calls the earth-goddess Gaia Maia (Mother Earth) and pairs her with Hermes Khthonios ("of the Earth").



"The Pleiades whose stars are these:--‘Lovely Teygata, and dark-faced Elektra, and Alkyone, and bright Asterope, and Kelaino, and Maia, and Merope, whom glorious Atlas begot . . . In the mountains of Kyllene (Cyllene) she [Maia] bare Hermes, the herald of the gods.’"

Homeric Hymn 4 to Hermes 1 ff (trans. Evelyn-White) (Greek epic C7th to 4th B.C.) :
"Hermes, the son of Zeus and Maia . . . whom Maia bare, the rich-tressed (euplokamos) nymphe, when she was joined in love with Zeus,--a shy goddess, for she avoided the company of the blessed gods, and lived within a deep, shady cave. There the Son of Kronos used to lie with the rich-tressed nymphe, unseen by deathless gods and mortal men, at dead of night that sleep might hold white-armed Hera fast. And when the purpose of great Zeus was fulfilled, and the tenth moon with her was fixed in heaven, she was delivered and a notable thing was come to pass. For then she bare a son, of many shifts .

Born with the dawning, at mid-day he played on the lyre, and in the evening he stole the cattle of far-shooting Apollon on the fourth day of the month; for on that day queenly Maia bare him. So soon as he had leaped from his mother's heavenly womb, he lay not long waiting in his holy cradle, but he sprang up and sought the oxen of Apollon. But as he stepped over the threshold of the high-roofed cave, he found a tortoise there."

Homeric Hymn 4 to Hermes 142 ff :
"[After stealing the cattle of Apollon, the infant god Hermes returns to his cradle in the cave of Maia:] Then the god went straight back again at dawn to the bright crests of Kyllene (Cyllene0 . . . And luck-bringing Hermes, the son of Zeus, passed edgeways through the key-hole of the hall like the autumn breeze, even as mist: straight through the cave he went and came to the rich inner chamber, walking softly, and making no noise as one might upon the floor. Then glorious Hermes went hurriedly to his cradle, wrapping his swaddling clothes about his shoulders as though he were a feeble babe, and lay playing with the covering about his knees .

But the god did not pass unseen by the goddess; but she said to him: ‘How now, you rogue! Whence come you back so at night-time, you that wear shamlessness as a garment? And now I surely bnelieve the son of Leto will soon have you forth out of doors with unbreakable cords about your ribs, or you will live a rogues's life in the glens robbing by whiles. Go to, then; your father got you to be a reat worry to mortal men and deathless gods.’

Then Hermes answered her with crafty words: ‘Mother, why do you seek to frighten me like a feeble child whose heart knows few words of blame, a fearful babe that fears its mother's scolding? Nay, but I will try whatever plan is best, and so feed myself and you continually. We will not be content to remain here, as you bid, alone of all the gods unfee'd with offerings and prayers. Better to live in fellowship with the deathless gods continually, rich, wealthy, and enjoying stores of grain, than to sit in a gloomy cave: and, as regards honour, I too will enter upon the rite that Apollon has . . .’
With such words they spoke together, the son of Zeus who holds the aigis, and the lady Maia."

Homeric Hymn 17 to Hermes 3 ff :
"He [Hermes] was born of Maia, the daughter of Atlas, when she had mated with Zeus, a shy goddess she. Ever she avoided the throng of the blessed gods and lived in a shadowy cave, and there the Son of Kronos used to lie with the rich-tressed (euplokamos) nymphe at dead of night, while white-armed Hera lay bound in sweet sleep: and neither deathless god nor mortal man knew it. And so hail to you, Son of Zeus and Maia."

Alcaeus, Fragment 308 (trans. Campbell, Vol. Greek Lyric I) (C6th B.C.) :
"Greetings [Hermes] ruler of Kyllene (Cyllene)--for it is of you that I wish to sing: you who Maia bore on the very mountain-tops, having lain with Zeus Kronides (Son of Kronos), king of all."

Simonides, Fragment 555 (trans. Campbell, Vol. Greek Lyric III) (C6th to 5th B.C.) :
"Hermes, lord of contests, son of mountain (oureia) Maia of the lively eyes: Atlas fathered her, outstanding in beauty, among his seven dear violet-haired daughters who are called the heavenly Peleiades."

Aeschylus, Libation Bearers 783 ff (trans. Weir Smyth) (Greek tragedy C5th B.C.) :
"May Maia's son [Hermes] . . . lend his aid."

Aeschylus, Fragment 212 (from Scholiast on Pindar, Pythian 2. 18) (trans. Weir Smyth) (Greek tragedy C5th B.C.) :
"O Hermes, lord of games (enagônios), son of Maia and Zeus!"

Pseudo-Apollodorus, Bibliotheca 3. 110 (trans. Aldrich) (Greek mythographer C2nd A.D.) :
"To Atlas and Okeanos' daughter Pleione were born on Arkadian Kyllene (Cyllene) seven daughters called the Pleiades, whose names are Alkyone, Merope, Kelaino, Elektra, Sterope, Taygete, and Maia."


Pseudo-Apollodorus, Bibliotheca 3. 112 :
"The oldest daughter Maia, after her intercourse with Zeus, bore Hermes in a cave on Kyllene (Cyllene). Though he was laid out in swaddling-clothes with her winnowing basket for a cradle, he escaped and made his way to Pieria, where he stole some cattle that Apollon was tending . . . Apollon learned who the thief was by divine science, and made his way to Maia on Kyllene to charge Hermes. Maia, however, showed Apollon the baby in his swaddling-clothes, whereupon Apollon took him to Zeus and demanded his cattle."

Pseudo-Apollodorus, Bibliotheca 3. 101 :

"As Kallisto (Callisto) died [i.e. she was shot in the guise of a bear], Zeus seized his baby and handed it to Maia to rear in Arkadia, giving it the name Arkas (Arcas)."

Philostratus the Elder, Imagines 1. 26 (trans. Fairbanks)


(Greek rhetorician C3rd A.D.) :
"[From a description of an ancient Greek painting at Neapolis (Naples):] Birth of Hermes. The mere babe still in swaddling clothes, the one who is driving the cattle into the cleft of the earth . . . Hermes, when Maia bore him, loved thievery and was skilled in it .

He is born on the crest of Olympos, at the very top, the abode of the god . . . There the Horai (Seasons) care for Hermes at his birth. The painter has depicted these also, each according to her time, and they wrap him in swaddling clothes, sprinkling over him the most beautiful flowers, that he may have swaddling clothes not without distinction. While they turn to [Maia] the mother of Hermes lying on her couch of travail, he slips out of his swaddling clothes and begins to walk at once and descends from Olympos. The mountain rejoices in him--for its smile is like that of a man--and you are to assume that Olympos rejoices because Hermes was born there .

Now what of the theft? . . . Apollon comes to Maia to demand back the cattle, but she does not believe him and thinks the god is talking nonsense. Would you learn what he is saying? For, from his expression he seems to me to be giving utterance, not merely to sounds, but to words; he looks as though he were about to say to Maia, ‘Your son whom you bore yesterday wrongs me; for the cattle in which I delight he has thrust into the earth, nor do I know where in the earth. Verily he shall perish and shall be thrust down deeper than the cattle.’
But she merely marvels, and does not believe what he says. While they are still disputing with one another Hermes takes his stand behind Apollon, and leaping lightly on his back, he quietly unfastens Apollon’s bow and pilfers it unnoticed."

Pseudo-Hyginus, Astronomica 2. 7 (trans. Grant) (Roman mythographer C2nd A.D.) :
"Others say that when Mercurius [Hermes] first made the lure on Mount Cyllene in Arcadia, he made it with seven strings to correspond to the number of Atlantides, since Maia, his mother, was of their company."

Ovid, Metamorphoses 2. 836 ff (trans. Melville) (Roman epic C1st B.C. to C1st A.D.) :
"Your [Hermes'] mother’s [i.e. the Pleiad Maia's] star high in the southern sky."

Ovid, Fasti 4. 169 ff (trans.Boyle) (Roman poetry C1st B.C. to C1st A.D.) :
"The Pleiades will start relieving their sire's [Atlas'] shoulders. Called seven, they are usually six, wither because six of them entered a god’s embrace . . . Maia, Electra, Taygete[lay] with Jove [Zeus]."

Ovid, Fasti 5. 79 ff :
"Pleione couples with sky-lifting Atlas--so the story is--and bears the Pleiades. Of these, Maia surpassed (they say) the beauty of her sisters and lay with supreme Jove [Zeus]. She bore, on the cypress-clad ridge of Cyllene, one whose winged feet plucks paths of air [Hermes] . . . The exile Evander came from Arcadia to Latin fields, and ferried his gods her . . . You [Hermes], inventor of the curving bow and patron of thieves, gave the [Roman] month [of May] your mother’s name. This was not your first pious act. You gave the lyre, it's thought, seven strings, the Pleiades number."

Ovid, Fasti 5. 663 ff :
"[Hermes] glorious grandson of Atlas, Pleiad child of Jove [Zeus] on Arcadia's hills."

Virgil, Aeneid 8. 134 ff (trans. Day-Lewis) (Roman epic C1st B.C.) :
"[Aeneas addresses Euander, king of Latium:] Now Mercurius [Hermes] is your father--Mercurius whom fair Maia conceived and bore upon the snowy peak of Cyllene. But Maia, if we believe at all the tales we have heard, was begotten by Atlas, the Atlas who props the starry sky."

Virgil, Georgics 1. 204 ff (trans. Fairclough) (Roman bucolic C1st B.C.) :
"If for harvest of wheat and for hardy spelt you ply the ground, and if grain alone is your aim, first let the daughters of Atlas [the Pleiades] pass from your sight in the morn . . . Many have begun ere [the Pleiad] Maia’s setting, but the looked-for crop has mocked them with empty straws."

Nonnus, Dionysiaca 47. 665 ff (trans. Rouse) (Greek epic C5th A.D.) :
"[Hermes addresses Dionysos:] ‘She [Ariadne, whose crown was placed amongst the stars] will be seen near Maia my mother among the seven travelling Pleiades.’"

MAIA IDENTIFIED WITH GAIA THE EARTH

Aeschylus, Libation Bearers 30 ff (trans. Weir Smyth) (Greek tragedy C5th B.C.) :
"Intending to ward off evil with such a graceless grace, O mother Earth (gaia maia), she [Klytaimestra] sends me forth [to pour libations to the dead]."

Aeschylus, Libation Bearers 126 ff :
"O Hermes Khthonios (of the Nether World), come to my aid, summon to me the [ancestral] spirits beneath the earth to hear my prayers, spirits that watch over my father's house, and Gaia (Earth) herself, who gives birth to all things, and having nurtured them receives their increase in turn."

Aeschylus, Libation Bearers 783 ff
"May Maia's son [Hermes], as he rightfully should, lend his aid."

Mount Olympus 

Hi dear friends and followers I hope you have all enjoyed this mythological legend. Please feel free to share your thoughts with us, the are greatly appreciated. Thank you.
 ☾☼ ᵔᴥᵔ ᵔᴥᵔ ᵔᴥᵔ ❤❤♪♫♪❤❤ƸӜƷ•.¸¸.•´ ... ´¯) ¸.☆´¯) (¸☆´♪♫♪❤ƸӜƷ•.¸¸.•´ ... ☾  ❀`Ⓞ° ☾ ¸"˙•٠•●c✿Love youƸ̵̡Ӝ̵Ʒ...•°*". ● ¸. ★ °. . 

Body Mind And Soul - Spirituality And Science

Body Mind And Soul - Spirituality And Science,

Energy, Creation A

Published on Aug 28, 2013

In this episode of body mind and soul I will be be looking at science, spirituality and the links about the two. It is Important to understand that accepted scientific knowledge may change due to progress so some day my argument may be proven wrong or hopefully more correct.

What is extremely important to note is that all science apart from quantum mechanics is used only to better explain the Idea rather that to be a basis for it, as quantum physics is the only scientific branch that can really connect with the spiritual science. Point made simple: science and spiritual science would be completely separate if it wasn't for quantum mechanics. I am also giving a look at various possible links between spiritual science and string theory, but called string 'theory' for a reason, although the mathematics of this theory is sound, experiment to validate it are still a thing of the future. That is why I left string theory out of the argument.

Further on I expand the argument to the universe, or rather the energy that created it, as being conscious.

For more information I will have a page on my blog dedicated to the subject. Here I hope to start accumulating knowledge regarding the subject, It will be updated any thime I have something new to share.


Here are some additional sources that I regularly visit for some inspiration :)
Spirit Science 10 ~ Math of God
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HIXcq_...

The channel for Ask Teal
http://www.youtube.com/user/TheSpirit...

Hi dear friends and followers I thought this video would be a great follow up from yesterdays posting. Enjoy the read and the video and feel free to share your thoughts with us. It is greatly appreciated. Thank you

My apologies I could not get a a video with subtitles but here is a bit more I found in text through a little more research

___________________________

• The bottom line is that almost nothing is known about how our brains “produce” consciousness. The idea that neuroscientists are just several years away from explaining consciousness in terms of material brain processes, or anywhere close to creating “self-aware” or even just “sentient” robots through a successful Artificial Intelligence (AI) program-- is utter fantasy.

(Note: the above section on powers of consciousness is adapted and excerpted from my larger essay on Consciousness, posted at the Science & Spirituality section of this website; see that original article for more anomalies and for endnote references.)
-------
Now, there is a “higher-mind” or what might be called the psychic “soul” aspect to our personality or consciousness which deserves to be distinguished out from the “normal” or “lower” mind. Some of this entails simply going more deeply into aforementioned aspects of certain normal mind functions, such as delving so deeply into memories that, with or without the aid of hypnosis, one taps into full-blown past-life memories. Or else going so deeply with certain kind of creative visualization and/or creative channeling that one begins to access information from paranormalpsi sources in what has been termed ESP or extra-sensory perception. This can take the form of remote viewing (“seeing” distant places, without the use of eyeballs and normal light-refraction off visible objects), telepathy, clairvoyance, precognition (“knowing aspects of the future”), retrocognition (“knowing aspects of the past”), discernment of discarnate “subtle-plane” personalities (ancestors, ghosts, devas, spirit guides), etc.

At this higher-mind or psychic level it becomes obvious that we are each more than just a distinct, discrete “bodymind”—rather, we are soul personalities that evidently don’t ever die and can have access to states of “nonlocal consciousness” that deliver paranormal forms of information about other places on earth, other planets, other (subtler) planes or realms of being, other time-periods for these locales, and so forth. And, along with this paranormal power of knowing or information-collecting can come paranormal powers of doing such as healing and remotely influencing beings, objects, the weather, destiny—either for the better or worse. This last area, of course, is the domain of white magic or black magic.

As souls, we are capable of a much wider array of experiences than when we are identified merely with bodily and (lower) mental aspects of being. We can associate with multiple levels of manifestation, from the earth planes to the highest heavens, and all kinds of subtle realms in between—pleasant or unpleasant.
--------
Beyond the dynamics and manifestation of body-mind-soul is Spirit or Open Awareness. If we are to use the word carefully and strictly in a meaningful way, in line with what so much of the Perennial Wisdom “Great Traditions” would suggest, we can say that Spirit is the domain of authentic spirituality, beyond mind and magic, beyond space-time, beyond structure and parts, beyond energies, no matter how subtle, celestial or heavenly, and beyond any form of egocentricity or selfishness.

The various Perennial Wisdom Traditions would say that Spirit is none other than the God-Self, Absolute Awareness, Transpersonal Consciousness, Atman-Brahman (Self-Reality), Buddhata (Buddha-nature),Shunyata (Openness-Emptiness), Dharmakaya (Truth Body), Tao(Source/Way), Purusha (Divine Person). This is the Divine Self-Nature, the “I Am That Am,” sheer Isness-Aliveness-Awareness, what Hindu Vedanta tradition calls Absolute Being-Awareness-Bliss (Sat-Cit-Ananda), what Jewish mysticism terms the Ain Sof (Ein Soph, Boundless Divine No-thing), what Muslim Sufi mystics call al-Haqq (the Divine Truth) or Dhat (Absolute Essence).

Being truly Absolute, nondual or non-relative, there is only one Spirit or Awareness here, Infinite and Eternal. This is the One Spirit that wondrously, magnificently conjures up the cosmic play of multiple phenomena, the one Spirit that dreams this Divine Dream of a universe. This Spirit, in truth, is the One Actor playing all the “soul-roles,” the One Self displaying as all selves, the One Being manifesting in the disguise of all beings.

In sum, while there are many souls, there is only this one, nondual Self or Spirit or Divine Reality, call this whatever you wish.

That this God-Self or Buddha-Nature can emanate a world of such endless variety—from the subatomic quarks to the periodic table of chemical elements to complex molecules to living cells to large cell-clusters-in-the-form-of-organs to the bodies composed thereof (from worms to whales to humans) to the various conscious minds and souls associated with these bodies—what a wonder! What a fantastic, amazing wonder!

Let all body-mind-souls praise this single, nondual God-Self from Whom all blessings flow and from Whom all beautiful and bewildering manifestations emanate. Allelujah! Alhamdulillah! Jaya Jagadeesha Hare!

❤❤♪♫♪❤ƸӜƷ•.¸¸.•´ ... ☾  ❀`Ⓞ✦*'' ☆*¸.❀☆ƸӜƷ•.¸¸.•´ ...❤❤♪♫♪❤♪

☾  ❀`Ⓞ✦*'' ☆*¸.❀☆✿¸✿´~*)¸.❀'`'" '`✿´

Deathbed Visions, DMT & Consciousness

Deathbed Visions, DMT & Consciousness 

Reflections on Life and the Beyond Andy Dilks

Posted by Cindy on April 29, 2014 at 9:34am

Deathbed Visions, DMT & Consciousness – Reflections on Life and the Beyond Andy Dilks

Waking Times 

Tunnel of light

In recent years in the West there have been a number of studies in which people on their deathbeds are asked what it is they most regret about their lives. An Australian palliative nurse, Bronnie Ware, conducted one such study of patients in her care – she spent several years looking after a range of people in the final 12 weeks of their lives and kept a record of their dying epiphanies, publishing them in her book, The Top Five Regrets of the Dying. Ware spoke of their astounding lucidity and identified five common themes which recurred over and over. These were:

That they had lived their lives true to themselves.

That they hadn’t worked so hard.

That they had the courage to express their own feelings.

That they had stayed in touch with their friends.

That they had allowed themselves to be happier.

What emerged is a pattern of conformity – both to those around them and wider society – which ultimately prohibited them from leading a truly satisfactory life in which their own dreams and ambitions were fully realised. From the treadmill of everyday work to the way in which we adopt our persona to suit the demands and expectations of others, these regrets are as predictable as they are a sad reflection of the skewed priorities which tend to dominate Western culture. At the same time they reflect something of a pessimistic approach to viewing life and death, focusing on the absence of something positive instead of an appreciation for the goodness that actually existed.

By contrast, Japanese documentarian and film-maker Hirokazu Kore-eda approached the idea of reflecting on life from a different perspective, asking hundreds of subjects from all walks of life – many of whom were not facing imminent death – to choose one cherished moment from their past which defined their lives. The result is a whimsical celebration of life in all its beauty and diversity, which also demonstrates how much people tend to fictionalize their past, with rose-tinted nostalgia heavily influencing their reminiscences. Choosing a single most cherished moment also proves to be considerably more difficult to do than listing one’s regrets, suggesting that negativity has become engrained in mankind’s mindset, as if anxiety and lamentation has become a driving force behind the species.

Kore-eda compiled the interviews and conducted many more for his film After Life, which straddles both documentary and work of fiction, and the result is a film which suggests the immanence of the human experience, with many themes and concepts emerging that a variety of different cultures would doubtless share. So too with deathbed phenomena – the paranormal experiences and visions of those on the brink of death – there is a unity across cultures, and indeed throughout history. Frequently these visions of heavenly creatures and deceased relatives have been considered evidence for the presence of a spirit realm and even as proof of the after life, comforting visions of a place beyond the familiar temporal realm.

The following account from Chaz Ebert, the wife of the popular American film critic Roger Ebert, highlights the nature of deathbed visions in a contemporary context:

“The one thing people might be surprised about—Roger said that he didn’t know if he could believe in God. He had his doubts. But toward the end, something really interesting happened. That week before Roger passed away, I would see him and he would talk about having visited this other place. I thought he was hallucinating. I thought they were giving him too much medication. But the day before he passed away, he wrote me a note: “This is all an elaborate hoax.” I asked him, “What’s a hoax?” And he was talking about this world, this place. He said it was all an illusion. I thought he was just confused. But he was not confused. He wasn’t visiting heaven, not the way we think of heaven. He described it as a vastness that you can’t even imagine. It was a place where the past, present, and future were happening all at once.”

Not surprisingly, when mainstream science first came to examine such phenomena in the early 20th century, they were rationalised by the materialistic mindset as being nothing more than hallucinations – a rationalisation which continues to the present day. There is some merit to this interpretation, as anyone who has taken psychedelic drugs can attest to.

Hallucinogenic drugs such as psilocybin and DMT are capable of manifesting alien realms and entities which for the user feel every bit as real as experiences they might have in sobriety; with DMT, visions of otherworldly beings are incredibly common. Given that the neuronal function of the brain at the point of death is impaired, experiencing a stage of cerebral hypoxia, it is entirely plausible that these visions correspond to these changes in brain activity. This would certainly parallel the work of Rick Strassman and his studies into DMT and the near-death experience, in which he posits that the pineal gland releases huge doses of the chemical at the moment of death.

But new theories have emerged in recent years which may finally take us towards a true reconciliation of science and spirit, in which the deathbed visions of people and places are neither the imaginative products of an ingrained cultural and historical perception of an afterlife nor chemically-induced hallucinations, but real phenomena which actually exist. 

Harvard neurosurgeon Dr. Eben Alexander, recently interviewed on Waking Times, conducted extensive research which challenged the orthodoxy of reductive materialism and offered a radical new interpretation of the way in which consciousness functions. Rather than being a product of the brain, Alexander posits that “consciousness is at the core of an unfolding reality” and that beyond this there is a conscious force which exists external to the physical body. Additional research in the field of consciousness by Stanford University Professor Emeritus William A. Tiller has indicated a powerful realm between particles which is heavily influenced by human consciousness. This latent energy, which interacts between the conventionally-measured molecular/atomic substance is apparently spurred into interaction by intentions projected from the mind.

A number of prestigious scientists have long held to the theory of the multiverse, building upon the lack of predictability in quantum mechanics as the starting point for an ever-expanding array of parallel universes. Dr. Robert Lanza, in his book Biocentrism: How Life and Consciousness Are the Key to Understanding the Nature of the Universe, put forward the notion – long held in religious and spiritual beliefs – that consciousness continues on after the death of the physical form. With consciousness the driving force behind the existence of the universe, Lanza believes that consciousness never actually dies, and that we only perceive it as doing so because of the identity people have with their bodies. Beyond this, Lanza suggests that consciousness can travel between universes at will – just as our bodies are thought of as the product of stardust (and there is solid mainstream science supporting that idea) so too are our “souls” intrinsically linked to the proto-consciousness which forms the fabric of space and time.

A recent study from Boston University revealed that belief in immortality may be hard-wired into the human brain, and while this study focused primarily on highlighting the cognitive roots of religious belief, an interesting aspect of the findings points to these beliefs originating not in culture and upbringing, as was initially assumed, but as intuitive concepts – natural drives rather than nurtured opinions. But perhaps this implicit awareness is more than mere fantasy – if the theories of Alexander, Tiller, Lanza and an increasing number of experts in a variety of fields prove to be correct, it would mean that humanity would have to radically revise its views on death itself, and deathbed reflections on hopes and regrets could become almost redundant.

Rather than validating the claims of religious institutions throughout history, confirmation of consciousness as a phenomena which both shapes the universe around us and transcends the physical realm would forge a new era of metaphysical enquiry. Albert Einstein famously predicted that “the religion of the future will be a cosmic religion” – that future may already be with us.

Infinite Universe

✿.´´¯`•.¸¸.☆¸.☆´¯) ☾☼ ᵔᴥᵔ ❤♪❤❤♪♫♪❤ƸӜƷ•.¸¸.•´☾  ❀`Ⓞ✦*''


At: http://httptheforestofhealingningcom.ning.com/groups/awakening-consciousness-group/awakening-
consciousness#sthash.TXcVXvFj.dpuf

The Egyptian Mysteries Anubis

Hi dear friends and followers, today we explore the mystery of the Anubis, an Egyptian god of the underworld. 

Perhaps another of many shapeshifters we have discovered in our exploration of mythology and legends. Have a great read 

The Egyptian Mysteries

Anubis

The patron god of embalming, guide of the Underworld was Anubis. Known as friend of the dead and Opener of the Way, Anubis was a deity that could be seen throughout all of ancient Egypt. . The name of this god is traditionally spelled (Inpu). The name here is read left to right, with an abbreviated image of Anubis finishing. Often, as with many of Egypt’s deities, the spelling of the name changes but one characteristic stays the same: the jackal at the end. In some cases the jackal is raised up on a pedestal to show its holy importance.

As the Hieroglyph indicates, Anubis is commonly seen as a Jackal. It’s believed that the jackal was chosen as the iconic figure for this deity due to the necropolis where the wild dogs of ancient times would often prowl to hunt for food. Some say that Anubis took the form of a jackal to help Isis and Nephthys search for the pieces of Osiris’s body. According to legend, and the story does vary, the brother of Osiris, Seth, lured Osiris into an elaborate coffin and had it sealed shut then threw the box into the Nile where it washed up on the Phoenician coast. Isis then retrieved her husband’s body. When Seth learned of this he had Osiris’s body cut up into pieces and scattered throughout Egypt. It was then that Isis and her sister Nephthys 

in the form of Kite birds, and with Anubis in his jackal form, found all the parts of his body except the phallus. With the help of Thoth, the body was restored and Anubis wrapped it in linen; giving him the name “He Who is in the Place of Embalming.”

Although there is some debate on the true animal that gave rise to the form of Anubis – some claim that the thick tail of the figure suggests that a jackal hybrid is the proper image – a jackal is always present in his form somehow. Many statues of Anubis were simply of a jackal upon a pedestal; as seen in most of the homes and villages of the kingdom. Often he was adorned with a golden tie or necklace. Though usually in temple settings, Anubis is depicted having a human body with the head of a jackal and tail of a lion. Since the time of the first Egyptologists, this is the most commonly accepted form of Anubis.

The skin of Anubis is often seen as very dark black or with a tinge of red. His flesh is a representation of the earthy energies with which he is connected. The color of his flesh is similar to that of the dark soil along the Nile. This rich, fertile soil was highly prized and gave the ancient kingdom the name Khem, which means “The Black Land”. The color of Anubis could be an identifying link to Osiris, who’s green flesh represents the fertile fields.

Anubis’s heritage is one of debate among historians. Some scholars suggest that Anubis is the son of Nephthys and Set. Another legend states that Anubis was spawned from Nephthys and Osiris. Both legends have equal understandings due to the connections that Anubis has through Nephthys and the Underworld. An interesting fact is that Anubis can be seen in two different forms, as Anubis and as Wepewat.

As the mother of Anubis, Nephthys can be seen depicted with him in the Book of the Dead most often. She is usually seen as a goddess of night time and of darkness; this darkness could be the reason for the color of his skin. Being a goddess of darkness she is in opposition to her sister Isis, but maintains a friendly nature with her and Osiris. Nephthys and Isis worked together to find Osiris and bring him back from the dead and they stand behind him in the Hall of Truth to give eternal life to the deceased. It is said that Nephthys longed for the relationship and love that Osiris shared with Isis, so she disguised herself as Isis and seduced him.

Osiris, son of Geb and Nuit, brother of Nephthys, Set, and Isis, father of Horus and (possibly) Anubis. Osiris is the god of the Underworld and Nephthys is the protector of the body of the deceased, mourning for the loss of her brother at the foot of his bier. One version of the Anubis legend states that Nephthys took on the form of Osiris’s beautiful wife Isis and tricked him into making love to her; this would make Anubis the half brother of Horus. The connection to Horus can be seen in the later years of Anubis worship when he was joined with – or at times replaced by – Horus; which was possibly a political move by the priests of that time. Nephthys is often depicted as being a goddess of the night time and of darkness; her union with Osiris would be a great balance of light and darkness to create Anubis, who represents both light and darkness. Osiris is the god of the 

Underworld, death, the Nile floods, and immortality. As stated before his green skin is a link to the fertility of the Nile – though some say his green flesh depicts a rotting corpse – which makes an obvious link the dark soil-colored flesh of Anubis. The legend of Osiris states that Anubis was the priest who oversaw the funeral rites of Osiris, embalmed and mummified him perfectly so that his body withstood the influence of time and decay. In the funerary rites for deceased Egyptians a priest was present wearing the mask of Anubis to assist in the Opening of the Mouth ceremony.

The legend of Anubis being the offspring of Set and Nephthys is also understandable. Set is the god of darkness, night time, destruction, storms, and the barren desert. In the early days of Egypt he was seen as a friend of the dead but was later demonized. His form is that of a mysterious animal that resembles a cross between a jackal and an aardvark (over a decade ago, there was an animal caught and killed by peoples of the Salawa region that resembled the mythical Set creature, but there has been no further investigation). Set is said to be the wife of Nephthys; and being married to the god of such wickedness one could understand why she envied Isis. The natures of both Nephthys and Set make them fitting parents for the secondary form of Anubis called Wepawet; also seen as a jackal or wolf hybrid.

Wepawet was originally seen as a god of war. His name could be seen on a military standard called a shedshed which lead armies into battle. This may have become the very meaning for his name, Wepawet, meaning “Opener of the ways”. The task of guiding the deceased through the underworld was shared between Wepawet and Anubis.. Images of Wepawet can be seen at Abydos where his standard held up the box which contained the head of Osiris. The two jackal headed deities were originally seen as one deity but have eventually become two separate forms; Anubis of the East and Anubis of the West, as seen in the Kerux and Sentinel.

As guide of the Underworld, Anubis takes the soul of the deceased before the gods to give the negative confession. When the journey through the Underworld was nearly complete, the deceased was taken to the Hall of Ma’at to be judged. Anubis watched over the beam of the scale to see that it was in the proper position while Thoth recorded the result. Anubis also took care that the dreaded Ammut – a beast made up of the head of a crocodile, front of a lioness, and the hind-quarters of a hippopotamus - could not devour the heart, causing the soul to be restless for all eternity. After weighing the heart, if the deceased is found to be true of voice through its trials and negative confessions, Anubis brings them before Osiris to join him in immortality. These show obvious evidence of Anubis’s connection to the god of the Underworld.

Some of the tools of Anubis are the  Nephthys, or Was scepter, and the Ankh. The Was scepter represents the rebirth and resurrection from death. There is a belief, however, that the Was scepter is directly linked to the power and strength of Set due to the oblong head of the wand and forked tail or prongs. The Ankh is the obvious symbol of life and could be referring to the eternal life that awaits the true of voice. With the image of Set in one hand and the symbol of life in the other, we can see that Anubis is balanced with both positive and negative forces. This balance makes him an excellent god to watch over the beam of the balance of Truth.

In our tradition, Anubis can be found in the roles of the Kerux and the Sentinel. Both officers wear the form of Anubis, but there are two different forms. The two are Anubis of the East (Anwusi-G m-PeioT) and Anubis of the West (Anwubi m-RemnT). Anubis of the East is worn by the Kerux and is seen as the Watcher of the gods. He guides the candidates during their journey while also guarding the inside of the temple. Anubis of the West is worn by the Sentinel, who stands outside the temple and is armed with a deadly weapon. Anubis of the West is called the Watcher Without, guarding the outside of the temple. He is in charge of the candidate waiting to be admitted into the temple. Anubis of the West can be attributed to another jackal headed god by the name of Wepawet (the opener of the ways).

Anubis is the guide and opener of the way. He is the protector and friend of the dead overseeing the deceased to the weighing of the heart. His mother is Nephthys but his father is uncertain. Either way, Anubis is a deity that shows perfect balance between mercy and severity. Wonderfully, he oversees the candidate in the Hall of the Neophyte or the Hall of Ma’at. Unlike the other gods of Ancient Egypt, Anubis doesn’t have a specific cult center. His worship was common in both Upper and Lower Egypt. Even today, when someone hears the name of Anubis they think of the jackal headed god and desert sands. Truly a figure head for all of Egypt, Anubis has opened the way for Ancient Egypt and given it eternal life.