The monument ignited controversy before it was even finished. The first rumor began among members of the Elberton Granite Association, jealous of the attention being showered on one of their own: Fendley was behind the whole thing, they said, aided by his friend Martin, the banker. The gossip became so poisonous that the two men agreed to take a lie detector test at the Elberton Civic Center. The scandal withered when The Elberton Star reported that they had both passed convincingly, but the publicity brought a new wave of complaints. As word of what was being inscribed spread, Martin recalls, even people he considered friends asked him why he was doing the devil’s work. According to the article in Wired, a local minister, James Travenstead, predicted that “occult groups” would flock to the Guidestones, warning that “someday a sacrifice will take place here.” Those inclined to agree were hardly discouraged by Charlie Clamp, the sandblaster charged with carving each of the 4,000-plus characters on the stones: During the hundreds of hours he spent etching the guides, Clamp said, he had been constantly distracted by strange music and disjointed voices.
Recently, while in Georgia, I (Larry) spent some time at the Georgia Guidestones. I wanted to see for myself why these megalithic stones seemed to attract such a controversial following. I was given rare, unprecedented access to information from several key members of the community who had information regarding the design and construction of the monument. Amazingly, I was even able to interview one of the central individuals (and who was alleged to be a part of the conspiracy himself!). According to this individual, the Guidestones was designed to be nothing more than an elaborate “advertising” program intended to boost the local marble and stonework trade.
There are many theories regarding this mysterious edifice, and I came away from the experience with more questions than answers. Although I certainly have my own ideas regarding the identity of the mysterious “R.C. Christian” and his motivations behind building the Georgia Guidestones, this structure shrouded in secrecy and mystery will likely remain an enigmatic part of Georgia history.
Kensington Runestone
Throughout the Unites States, several runestones have been discovered that seem to defy traditional world and archeological history. There is considerable controversy regarding the two most popular: the Kensington Runestone in Minnesota and the Heavener Runestone in Oklahoma. Many believe that these stones have been created in modern times as a hoax to claim that Scandinavian explorers reached the middle of North America sometime during the 14th century. Of course, this would significantly impact our mainstream, accepted account of history!
The 36x16x6-inch, 200-pound Kensington Runestone, containing runic writing along the face and one side, was discovered in 1898 in the rural township of Solem, Douglas County, Minnesota. The runestone was named after the closest settlement, Kensington, and the community of Kensington is steadfast in its assertion that that the glyph is legitimate. Nearly all experts in Scandanavian linguistics who have analyzed the stone believe it to be a cleverly concocted hoax.
According to the legend, the stone was discovered by a Minnesota farmer named Olaf Ohman in November 1889 while he was digging up a poplar tree stump situated on the southern slope of a 50-foot-high knoll. Ohman stated that the stone was buried face down approximately 6 inches below the surface of the soil, and numerous tree roots were wrapped around it. Years after unearthing it, the stone was sent to the University of Minnesota, then to the University of Chicago, where it was analyzed by runic scholars, who allegedly interpreted the inscriptions to be a detailed historical account of Norse explorers during the 14th century. Since the initial analysis, other authorities have examined the stone and have claimed it to be a forgery; however, many also assert its authenticity.
Historically, we do know that King Magnus of Sweden sent an exploratory party to Greenland in 1355, and these brave voyagers never returned. Some individuals believe that these men may have been from that expedition. The stone itself has little clues as to its true origin.
The transliteration of the stones text is generally accepted to be: “Eight Goths and 22 Norwegians on a journey of exploration from Vinland very far west. We had camp by 2 rocky islands one day’s journey north from this stone. We were out fishing one day. After we came home we found 10 men red with blood and dead. AVM [Ave Maria] save us from evil.”
Along the edge of the stone, the inscription says: “Have 10 men by the sea to look after our ships 14 days’ journey from this island. Year 1362.”
In a 2000 conference attended by archaeologists from 20 states and three Canadian provinces, a Minnesota geologist working in tandem with a Wisconsin chemist presented what they believe is indisputable, compelling evidence that the runestone inscription is “real” and legitimately antique, probably from the 1300s.
To date, there has been no absolute scientific proof provided either for or against the authenticity of the stone that would definitively put to rest the mystery of the Kensington Runestone.
Object of Aiud
In 1973, near the Romanian city of Aiud, a group of construction workers were digging along the banks of the Mures River when they discovered three unusual objects buried in a sand trench 33 feet deep. Two of the objects recovered were Mastodon bones dating from between the Miocene and Pleistocene periods. The third object was an unusual “hammer”-shaped block. This wedge-shaped block weighed approximately 5 pounds and contained several odd features. Due to the unusual nature of the find, the objects were sent to researchers in the city of Cluj Napoca. There, scientists discovered that the block was actually metal and contained two cylindrical holes of different sizes that appeared to have been made in such a way that the hole with the smaller diameter perpendicularly penetrated the base of the other cylindrical hole. The larger hole was oval shaped, and it appeared that it might have been attached to a shaft. The object had numerous surface marks that indicated repeated strong strikes along the face. All of the details suggest that the object might have been a part of a larger functional assembly and was lost in the riverbank due to unknown reasons.
ICPMNN (The Magurele Research Institute) conducted a metallurgical analysis of the object and determined that the composition of the object was very unusual—and very complex. According to their assay, the Object of Aiud was composed of 12 different elements, and 89 percent of the alloy was aluminum. The other components were found to be: silicon—2.84 percent, zinc—0.81 percent, lead—0.41 percent, tin—0.33 percent, zirconium—0.2 percent, cadmium—0.0024 percent, cobalt—0.0023 percent, bismuth—0.0003 percent, and silver—0.0002 percent, along with minute traces of gallium.
So, the object was basically composed of aluminum. However, the age of the object was established to be 250,000 years old! This presents a slight problem as aluminum was not discovered until 1825, cadmium in 1817, nickel in 1751, bismuth in 1753, and cobalt in 1735.
The Baigong Pipes
Are they pipes? Are they trees? Are they proof of aliens? There are allegendly hundreds of rustic pipes made of iron running deep into Mount Baigong in rural China, with other such pipes running into the lake bottom nearby and along the lake shoreline. These pipes appear to be finely and cleanly cut and have been dated back to more than 5,000 years ago, according to some archeologists. There is little information on these mysterious pipes that are not where they should be, most of it coming from a June 19, 2002, article from Xinhuanet titled “Chinese Scientists to Head for Suspected ET Relics.” The article claims that the mysterious site near Delingha City in the depths of the Qaidam Basin is known by local people as “the ET relics structure,” which looks like a pyramid and is between 50 to 60 meters high. One of the three caves in the area, all of which have triangular openings, sports a half-pipe inside of about 40 centimeters diameter, and above the cave are about a dozen pipes of various diameters which run into the mountain.
According to Qin Jianwen, head of the publicity department of the Delingha government, the reddish brown pipe scraps were once taken to a local smeltery for analysis and were sho
wn to contain 30 percent ferric oxide and a large amount of silicon dioxide and calcium oxide. Eight percent of the content could not be identified. “The large content of silicon dioxide and calcium oxide is a result of long interaction between iron and sandstone, which means the pipes must be very old,” said Liu Shaolin, the engineer who did the analysis.
“This result has made the site even more mysterious,” Qin said. “Nature is harsh here. There are no residents let alone modern industry in the area, only a few migrant herdsmen to the north of the mountain.”
Because of the high altitude the suggestion arose among locals that the area might have been an extraterrestrial hangout, and the pipes are somehow proof of that claim. But researchers and skeptics point out that these “pipes” may just be fossilized casts of trees, washed into the Qaidam basin as flood debris and subsequently incorporated into sandstone, especially because original organic material was found in the “pipes” as well as fossilized tree rings. Some researchers think they might be made of bamboo, which would explain their long, straight pipe-like appearance, but wouldn’t explain the tree rings.
The mystery persists, though, perhaps more due to local legend than any actual alien or mysterious origin.
Pyramid Power
Throughout the world, there are literally thousands of pyramid-shaped structures built. But why? Any more importantly, how was the information communicated among disparate cultures? Although the Great Pyramid of Giza is the most famous pyramid, there are actually eight others of various sizes in Giza alone! Amazingly, these complex-shaped structures have been discovered all over Egypt—in locations such as Saqqara, Medium, El-Lahun, Hawara, and Abu Rawash.
In the United States there are a few as well. Although most North American pyramids are constructed of dirt and are generally referred to as “mounds,” the similarity is nevertheless obvious. Munks Mount at Cohokia (near Collinsville, Illinois), the Etowah Mounds (Cartersville, Georgia), and the Miamisburg “serpent” Mound (Ohio) all bear striking similarities with other pyramidal structures found throughout the world.
In Central America and South America, hundreds of pyramid structures have been discovered, including many step pyramids. Scientists believe that these Mayan mysteries have taken stylistic cues from the ancient Babylonians such as the large stepped levels with center rising staircases. Built in 683 AD for Lord Pacal, the Pyramid of Inscription is probably the most well known of the Central American Pyramids. Other noted Central American pyramids are the Pyramid of Kukulkan, as well as the Pyramid of The Sun and the Pyramid of the Moon, which are the largest of approximately 600 different structures found on the site. In the Lima region of Peru are the Caral Pyramids, of which the Huaca Larga is believed to be the largest pyramid found in South America.
Believe it or not, there are several pyramids that have been found in Greece as well. Although not well known, 16 known Greek pyramids have been discovered. Most of these pyramids appear to be monumental edifices to soldiers who perished during combat. Fourteen of the 16 pyramids are in ruins, 1lthough two fully intact ones have been discovered in Helleniko and Ligourio.
Figure 5-2: Image courtesy of thomaswanhoff
Figure 5-3: Image courtesy of Alex Covarrubias.
Two very similar step pyramids, found across the globe from one another. The first (figure 5-2) is the Koh Ker, in Cambodia. The second (figure 5-3) is El Castillo, at Chichen-Itza, Mexico.
In Europe, one controversial pyramid—the Bosnian Pyramid—has come under intense scrutiny and debate from scientists and historians, and has been declared a cruel hoax, although evidence and opinions differ as to its legitimacy. Many of the other pyramids that have been discovered in Europe are believed to have been influenced by the Christian religion, although, again, little written evidence has been found to support claims for or against extra cultural influence.
Was it just a love for pyramid-shaped objects inherent in our human nature that gave rise to the prevalence of such edifices across the globe, or a general understanding of the power of the shape itself as a symbol of energy going from the ground up to a pinpoint at the top, then shooting out into the cosmos—or vice versa?
Some archeologists argue that no mysterious explanation is needed, as cultures had similar patterns of evolution and progression, including that of ideas and innovations. Yet there are those who argue that the only way information could jump across oceans and vast bodies of land would be at the hands of outside influences—even aliens.
Perhaps the true explanations are known only to a select few who are sworn to secrecy....
Chapter 6
Hidden Wisdom, Secret Truths
There are no secrets that time does not reveal.
—Jean Racine
Some people think that the truth can be hidden with a little cover-up and decoration. But as time goes by, what is true is revealed, and what is fake fades away.
—Ismail Haniyeh
There was a time—in fact, many times—throughout history when certain truths had to be hidden from the authority figures, whether religious or political, in power. Truth, scientific knowledge, spiritual wisdom—all were considered dangerous to those who made the rules and kept control of the populace, whether because that truth and knowledge would cut the rulers out of power, or they would simply overturn society if they were to become visible. So, they were hidden, in the form of objects and symbols, often in the hands of those who either individually or collectively made the choice to risk their own lives to carry that knowledge forward so that it would not be lost.
Lone occultists, secret societies, diviners, and mystics all played a role in the encoding and transmission of certain truths down through history, and we can only imagine how much of that truth was lost when they were burned at the stake, slaughtered, imprisoned, and tortured, their objects and writings and teachings burned along with them.
Secrets and Societies
Hidden information usually took on the form of symbols that were only to be understood either to the chosen few, or those enlightened enough to understand their intentions. Via art and even architecture, even something like playing cards, someone could encode visuals that were meant to look like mere decorative touches, yet held secrets—sometimes powerful secrets—for the discerning eye.
Through much of the Middle Ages, or medieval times, between the fifth and 15th centuries AD, ancient civilization went screaming and kicking into a more modern period of the Late Middle Ages. But first humanity had to survive the “Dark Ages” of intellectual degradation, religious fanaticism, and cultural depression, before we collectively entered the “light” of the Italian Renaissance period in the 14th century. During these darker times, invasions and inquisitions were the order of the day, often in the name of religious fervor and judgmental righteousness. The Islamic Empire was spreading in North Africa by the seventh century, and in the West, Christianity expanded its grasp into Western Europe.
One kingdom was overtaken by another, one empire unseated another, one religion drove out another, and any teachings, wisdom, or knowledge that went against the authority of the day was considered grounds for death, even torture. Whereas the High Middle Age period had its crusades (religious wars that were conducted by European Catholics against pagan holdouts, heretics, and Muslims to attempt to control them, wipe them out entirely, or absorb them into Catholicism), the earlier 12th–14th centuries had the Inquisition. The goal of the Roman Catholic Inquisition was to quell religious sectarianism and wipe out heretics, especially those of a Cathar or Waldesian persuasion.
The Inquisition that began early on in the 12th century was later expanded to other countries, and other enemies fell within the targets of these organized “witch hunts,” including the Knights Templar, Hindus, and Muslims, and, in the case of the later Portuguese Inquisition, the Sephardic Jews, who were captured and forced to convert to Christianity, all the way up to the actual witch burnings of the 18th century in Europe and the Unites States, as well as Asia and Africa.<
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These religious holy wars intended to not only wipe out any heresy, but also make a direct warning to those who spread the knowledge of occult or esoteric concepts, especially any that went against Catholic teachings, and questioned the power and authority of the Church. It was indeed a “dark age” for ideas, open thought and debate, religious freedom, freedom of expression, and the desire to be enlightened or pursue esoteric knowledge without the need of a Church middleman to assist you on the journey.
Esotericism is simply the practice of esoteric beliefs, often in a small and secret group of special initiates devoted to preserving and passing on those beliefs. The word comes from the Greek esoterikos, which means within, referring to a body of inner knowledge. Like esoteric knowledge, the occult, taken from the Latin occultus, meaning hidden and secret, is a body of knowledge only accessible to the adept or initiated, usually of a magical and mystical bent, but often including a real interest in science, such as the teachings of alchemy.
Occult and esoteric teachings can encompass anything from astrology, alchemy, theosophy, spiritualism, Rosicrucianism, Hermetica, Kabbalah, Gnosticism, Satanism, Wicca, Thelema, and Freemasonry, to name a few philosophies and mystical movements under the banner of hidden and secret wisdom groups. Because many of these teachings went against the authoritative and religious norms of the times, they were kept as secret as possible, despite the fact that many members might also hold high religious and political positions or positions of power in society.
Really, all these beliefs were trying to do was go beyond the rigorous boundaries of both scientific knowledge and religious acceptance, with the two at either end of a yardstick that, in the center, held more spiritual, arcane truths. Mainstream religion might have an esoteric or mystic arm, such as Christian Mystics and Sufism, but they were allowed to operate in a bit more freedom than some of the edgier occult organizations. There were common threads in most esoteric traditions, such as a belief in a life force; a belief in the “as above, so below” correspondence of cosmic and natural laws; the use of mediators such as divination tools, angels, spirit guides, adepts, and rituals to achieve the direct experience of spiritual truths; and the personal transformation of enlightenment and truth.
Viral Mythology Page 16