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Number 83 ATLANTIS

RISING 41

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Number 58 ATLANTIS

RISING 3

EARLY RAYS

Hawass in Northern Egypt in 2010

Zahi Hawass Escapes Jail Time for Now

t press time, the long-term fate of Zahi Hawass remains uncertain. To this point he has regained his office as Egypts Minister of Antiquities and, for now, has escaped jail time; but he has not been exonerated, and many potential pitfalls still lie ahead. In Egyptology on the Brink (A.R. #87), Philip Coppens was among the first to report that Egypts famous chief archaeologist had resigned under fire in the wake of the overthrow of the Mubarak government in February. In the weeks that followed, Hawass was found guilty in Egyptian court of involvement in the looting of the bookstore at the Cairo museum. The court sentenced Hawass to a year in jail and ordered him removed from his job. Within 24 hours, however, the National Council of Egypts administrative court intervened, saying that he would serve no jail time and would, for the time being, retain his title. On his web site, Hawass said, I am very glad this situation is being cleared up, and that I will be able to continue to focus on my first priority, which is protecting Egypts antiquities. Hawass may view the situation as being cleared up but many others do not. Even the mainstream American press which has long been among his most ardent supporters has begun to question the good faith with which he has conducted his office, as well as his ties to Mubarak. The ugly web of controversy in which he is embroiled, The Washington

n the 20th century, while the Marconi's...the Henry Ford's...the Thomas Edison's have succeeded in capturing most of the attention, others with technological prowess bordering on the miraculous, strangely, have gone unnoticed. Men with names like Tesla, Moray, Rife, Russell and Schauberger, laboring in almost complete obscurity, and achieving almost incomprehensible miracles--free energy, anti-gravity, transmutation of the elements, physical rejuvenation and more--were yet largely rejected, ridiculed and despised by the scientific establishment of their day. But now, a few decades later, a new breed of inventors, scientists and researchers is making rapid, if yet unpublicized, strides toward unraveling the secrets of those unsung giants who preceded them. Many now find themselves on the threshold of breakthroughs, still believed, by many, to be the stuff of hallucination. Atlantis Rising Video now tells their story.

Post reported, goes well beyond this latest contretemps, which Hawass describes as no more than a misunderstanding. The return of a man known for his autocratic style raises questions about the future of government reform in Egypt, and it presents a challenge to Western cultural leaders (www.washington post.com/lifestyle/style/egypt-archaeologistzahi-hawass-faces-criticisms-about-his-jobties-to-mubarak/2011/04/15/ AF9Hvf1D_story.html). Even though he now claims to support the current Egyptian regime, such had not previously been the case. As the Post puts it, Hawass vigorously supported Mubarak during the early days of the mass protests that ended the presidents 30-year rule on Feb. 11which may come as something of a shock to those Westerners who know Hawass as a charming, spirited and charismatic popularizer of all things Egyptian. It is also clear that conflicting statements about the damage done at what the Post called the renowned but dilapidated Egyptian Museum have severely undermined the credibility of the worlds best known establishment archaeologist.

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ooks made from lead and said to be from the time of Christ provoked controversy, if not heartburn, among biblical scholars, just before Easter. First billed as the most important discovery since the Dead Sea Scrolls and maybe the most important Christian relics ever, a collection of about 70 volumes, each consisting of five to 16 lead leaves about the size of a credit card, bound by lead rings, made sensational world news shortly after their unveiling in Israel. Reportedly the books had been smuggled into Israel from Jordan. Jordanian officials apparently believed the story and demanded the books be returned. Christians were especially excited by the

find, seeing it as buttressing their traditional narrative regarding the personal divinity of Jesus. One possible line of text appears to read: I will walk uprightly, which was thought to be a reference to the resurrection. Such a find would certainly help to counter stories gaining traction in recent years from books like the Da Vinci Code and Holy Blood, Holy Grail of a more human Jesus, who might possibly have married. Alas, though, within days of the discovery the books were being declared fakes. Steve Caruso, an Aramaic scholar who carefully studied the text, says that the characters contain older forms which could not possibly have been used at the time of Jesus; and some characters are flipped, indicating that they were hastily copied by someone who did not know what they were doing.
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Humpback Whales: Master Navigators

Humpback tracking data

he migrating habits of animals have long posed one of the greatest challenges to the ruling scientific paradigm. From the returning swallows of Capistrano, to monarch butterflies, to grasshoppers, to eels, the amazing navigation skills of many animals just dont fit into any of the standard theoretical models, though some researchers think things can be explained with magnetic currents and orientation to the sun. None of that, though, can account for the astounding abilities of the

Humpback whale. A recently completed, 8-year study tracked the seagoing giants over the course of 10,000-mile annual round trips from polar oceans to tropical seas. The evidence is clear; for weeks at a time humpbacks follow incredibly straight paths for thousands of miles and through some of the most turbulent water in the world. Despite surface currents, storms, and other distractions, none of the tracked whales ever departed more than six degrees from their chosen course and

more than half stayed within one degree. Travis Horton of the University of Canterbury in England wrote the study which appeared in the journal Biology Letters in April. The whales had been tagged with transmitters which signaled their precise location at all times to satellite listening devices. The results have researchers thoroughly mystified, though some theorize that the creatures must use a combination of magnetic field positioning, sun tracking, and

maybe even star navigation. Magnetic currents, though, vary considerably over the 5,000-mile routes, and sighting on sky points seems unlikely for animals which spend most of their time in water where there is no reliable frame of reference. More study is planned, but materialistic science seems poorly equipped to grasp the guiding principles in natures most subtle processes, which are clearly something quite distinct from ordinary materialistic science-think.

New Evidence of Advanced Stone Age Science he ancient Britons may not Barbarians. Barbarians. They They were, were, instead, instead, miles miles long long on on each each side side accu- straight straight alignments alignments of of ancient ancient have had GPS to keep them T them sophisticated sophisticated engineers engineers who who rately rately sited to to within within 100 me- monuments monuments called called ley ley lines. lines. The The from getting lost, but, it turns knew knew how how to to use use a a vast, vast, concon- ters. ters. You You cannot do this this by by Romans Romans also also conceded conceded that that the the
out, they didnt need it. Thanks to the existence of a precise network of ancient monuments, including Stonehenge, Silbury Hill, the Mount, and many other sites, the ancients were able to find their way accurately over hundreds of miles. Historian Historian and and writer writer Tom Tom Brooks says his findings prove that Stone Age Brits were no necting necting grid grid of of icosceles icosceles triantriangles gles marked marked by by the the giant giant monumonuments ments to to travel travel from from site site to to site. site. Accurately Accurately placing placing the the triangles triangles would would have have demanded, demanded, at the the least, least, a a complex complex understanding understanding of of geometry. geometry. Measurements Measurements confirmed firmed by by the the latest latest GPS GPS techtechnology nology show show triangles triangles over over 100 chance, chance, says Brooks Brooks who analyzed lyzed 1500 sites stretching from Norfolk Norfolk to to Wales. Wales. Each site was built built within eyesight eyesight of the next. The The new new work work tends tends to to reinreinforce earlier findings by such scholars as Alexander Thom, Alfred Watkins, and John Michelle who wrote of long, precisely ancient ancient druids druids possessed possessed a a reremarkable markable understanding understanding of of the the measurements measurements of of the the Earth. Earth. So So advanced, advanced, sophisticated sophisticated and and accurate accurate is is the the geometrical geometrical surveying surveying now now discovered, discovered, Brooks Brooks told told Britains Britains Daily Daily TeleTelegraph graph,, that that we we must must review review funfundamentally damentally the the perception perception of of our our Stone Stone Age Age forebears forebears as as primitive, primitive, or or conclude conclude that that they they received received some some form form of of external external guidance. guidance.

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Number 88 ATLANTIS

RISING 11

ATLANTOLOGY

A National Geographic Documentary Tries to Make the Case, but Does It?
BY FRANK JOSEPH
goddess, Astarte, and must date no earlier than 800 BC, when the Phoenicians began colonizing Iberia. They cannot, therefore, be associated with Atlantis, which, by all accounts, perished centuries earlier. Dating the lost city has been and remains among the most hotly contested topics among Atlantologists. Plato stated that the capital was destroyed 9,000 years before an Egyptian temple-priest shared his account with Solon, the Athenian lawgiver, who visited the Nile Delta during the mid-sixth century BC. In other words, Atlantis was supposedly lost some 11,560 years ago. Advocates of a literal interpretation of Platos dialogues point out that this date coincides with the close of the last glacial epoch, when catastrophic flooding occurred throughout the Northern Hemisphere. Whole island chains disappeared beneath rising seas, and vast coastal territories of Western Europe were inundated. Opponents point out that Platos detailed portrayal of Atlantisits citadel, fleets of ocean-going ships, metallurgy, chariots, statuary, monumental architecture, urban planning, codified laws, agriculture, distribution of labor, organized religion, political hierarchy, etc., etc.describes a characteristically Late Bronze Age civilization (1500 to 1200 BC), and could not have, therefore, flourished during the Lower Paleolithic era, when the wheel, like virtually every other material detail associated with Atlantis, had

tlantis has, at last, been found! That, at least, is the view of American archaeologist, Richard Freund, whose research was highlighted in a March National Geographic Channel special. Finding Atlantis follows Freunds international team of field researchers to an extensive region of mud-flats just north of Cadiz and south of Seville, Spain. Beginning in 2009, Freund employed satellite photography, ground-penetration radar, and digital mapping of the vast marshlands which, he believes, conceal the lost city in Doana Park, one of Europes largest swamps. The site in question had been discovered six years earlier when a German aerial surveyor was intrigued by satellite imagery of what appeared to be the outline of an expansive and curiously circular formation in the Parque National Coto de Doana. Headed by geophysicist Paul Bauman from Worley Parsons in Calgary, Canada, Freunds expedition used electrical resistivity tomographya virtual MRI of the groundto quickly and efficiently map subsurface targets and provide instantaneous results for archaeologists. They are convinced that, indeed, Atlantis has been found there, because both satellite photography and electronic surveying indicate an artificial arrangement of concentric circles conforming with Platos description of the imperial capital as described in his fourth century BC dialogue, the Critias. They be-

Richard Freund with Doana Park artifacts

lieve the location under consideration was a harbor city buried by the water and mud of a great and ancient tsunami, long since turned to marshland. Professor Freund, the driving force behind the Doana Park investigations, is Director of the Maurice Greenberg Center for Judaic Studies at Connecticuts University of Hartford, and has conducted recent archaeological work across Israel. Interesting as his work in Spain appears, however, Freunds assertions seem somewhat premature. To date, no excavations have been undertaken at the site which he proclaims to be Atlantis. Without thorough, systematic digs of the archaeological zone, nothing certain can be known about it. Moreover, a chronological frame to help determine the sites place in prehistory is missing. Freunds conclusions are based almost entirely on aerial photography and a pair of figurines his teammembers recovered from the area. Unquestionably significant finds, these small ceramics are, however, clearly identifiable as Phoenician representations of the fertility

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22 ATLANTIS RISING Number 88

ALTERNATIVE SCIENCE

What Do We Really Know About the Risks That We Face?

BY WILLIAM B. STOECKER

o those of us who love them, maps are wondrous things; and just looking at a map with eyes and mind wide open can allow us to see patterns previously unnoticed. Looking at a map of North America reveals the ancient, eroded Appalachians in the east and the younger and higher mountains of the western third of the continent. In between is the deceptively flat and seemingly stable heartland, its smooth contours broken only by scattered ranges even more ancient than the Appalachians, now so worn down that they are really little more than hills. Dominating the heartland is the vast Mississippi River system with its three main branches, the Ohio, the Mississippi itself, and the Missouri, all draining the continent into the Gulf of Mexico in the south from the higher ground in the north. But, in the far northeast is a most peculiar feature, the broad St. Lawrence Valley. This rivers flow is far less than that of the Mississippi, but (rather like the Rio de la Plata in South America) its lower reaches are abnormally widefar wider than the Mississippi. Since rivers and lakes, for obvious reasons, follow

the low ground, it is possible to trace the areas of low elevation along the St. Lawrence, then along Lake Ontario and Lake Erie, the Wabash River Valley, the lower Ohio River, and on down the Mississippi. But the lower regions of the St. Lawrence look as if some great force was trying to split the continent apart. From all of this, a somewhat ominous pattern emerges. Most well informed observers know of the series of powerful earthquakes near the Mississippi and New Madrid, Missouri, in 1811 and 1812, and the countless smaller quakes that have continued to shake that region to this day. Geologists have discovered in this area something they call the New Madrid Seismic Zone and, just to the southwest, the Reelfoot Rift. In fact, there are a number of ancient rift zones, or long faults, in the heartland; and there have been earthquakes almost everywhere in America, including Arkansas, and, especially recently, a good many in Oklahoma. There have been earthquakes in Indiana and even on the flat Gulf Coast Plain areas of Texas, Louisiana, and Alabama where sediment is miles deep. In fact, geologists speak of the St. Lawrence Seismic Zone and the Wabash Seismic Zone; and some consider the New

Madrid area to be an ancient rift where, long ago, seismic forces tried to split the continent. Some believe that the rifting began some 750 million years BP (before the present) during the Neoproterozoic Era, when North America was part of the continent of Rodinia. Others believe that the rifting may date to the time when the Appalachians formed. Most believe that it is a failed riftbut is it? Retired Texaco geologist Jack M. Reed finds the conventional view very suspicious. In fact, Reed believes that the entire Gulf of Mexico is an active seismic zone and, possibly, a separate, south-moving crustal plate. He thinks that there may very well be one continuous rift from the mouth of the St. Lawrence to the Mouth of the Mississippi and that the seismic activity in the Gulf has helped to create this rift. He points to such tectonically active formations as the Monroe Uplift, the La Salle Arch, and the Sabine Lake area on land, and, in the Gulf of Mexico, the Desoto Canyon, and a domed uplift nearby, the Cretaceous Shelf Edge, the Suwannee Strait, and the West Florida Escarpment. The Suwannee Strait is a depression extending across northwestern Florida and parts of

Continued on Page 30
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28 ATLANTIS RISING Number 88

ANCIENT MYSTERIES

THE ROSSLYN BONES

Is the Tale of the Murdered Apprentice More Than Just a Legend?
BY JEFF NISBET

hotographic pioneer and artist Louis Daguerres 1824 painting, The Interior of Rosslyn Chapel, shows two workmen crouching by the base of a pillar, with three Templar Knights nearby. One workman is staring intently at some bones they have found beneath the flagstones. For a bizarre example of life imitating art, lets fast-forward 186 years. On March 1, 2010, Scottish Television reported that workmen at Rosslyn, the chapel made famous by The Da Vinci Code, had discovered remains in an area with no recorded burials. The remains, continued the STV report, had been removed from the site to be examined by archaeologists to discover their age, type and if they are human or animal. The local police confirmed the find but said it was not being treated as a crime. Rosslyn Chapel declined comment. Two things aroused my interest. First, I was sure that even an untrained eye would be able to distinguish between animal and human remains and wondered why the archaeologists could not do the same. Second, I wondered exactly where the remains had been discovered. The idea they might have been found in the spot Daguerre showed in his painting made me chuckle. It would take me a year to get some answers. During that time, I searched for news updates. There were none. I also broached the subject with two St. Clair/Sinclair clan online forums. Since a William St. Clair had built the chapel in the midfifteenth century, these groups share an abiding interest in its history. No one knew anything. Finally, on Feb. 21, I wrote to a Rosslyn Chapel executive. There was no reply. Someone knew more, but no one was talking. Two weeks later, however, my inquiries finally bore some fruit an Email containing four remarkable photos of the excavation, before

the remains had been moved. One showed leg bones that were undoubtedly human, confirming that one of the stated reasons for their removal was, as I suspected, clearly bogus. Two showed the exact location of the remains, but it was not the area shown in Daguerres painting. Instead, they had been found at the threshold of the west door. The fourth showed a skull, face down, with a ragged-looking wound just a short distance above the foramen magnum, the natural aperture that allows the spinal cord to connect with the brain. Taking just a small leap of the imagination, what might this tell us? Theres a long-lived legend that Rosslyns master mason, returning from Rome after studying the design of an exquisite pillar in person, found an apprentice had carved the pillar in his absence. Flying into a rage, he slew the apprentice with a blow to the head, a legend that resonates with the eponymous murder of Hiram Abiff, chief architect of Solomons Temple, absolutely central to the Freemasonic ritual of the Third Degree. Could the skull belong to the apprentice? The teeth were in remarkably youthful condition, and the shape of the head wound appeared consistent with the stone-trimming end of a masons hammer. Researchers skeptical of the chapels claimed Masonic roots scoff at the legend, protesting that its not exclusive to Rosslyn. While there are indeed similar tales told about other ecclesiastical buildings of the day, Im not so quick to throw the baby out with the bathwater. As a speculative researcher, and in the absence of the forensic evidence already more than a year in coming, Im happy to present some speculative thoughts about the Rosslyn bones. Above the area of discovery are three carved heads. Rosslyn tradition describes the one in the southwest, gazing northeast, as the head of the apprentice; the one in the northwest, gazing southeast, as the head of the master mason; and, on an adjacent wall, the apprentices mother, weeping for her son. The chapels website describes the
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32 ATLANTIS RISING Number 88

LOST HISTORY

BY J. CHAMBERLIN

magine for a moment that the most coveted of all Holy Relics has been secretly hidden on a remote island in the Caribbean. J.P. Noel, author of The St. Croix Ark, takes that idea seriously and takes his readers on a wild journey to explore the stunning possibility that the Ark of the Covenant may indeed be resting in the U.S. Virgin Islands. After opening with a captivating story about a vacation taken to St. Croix Island, Replica of the Ark of the Covenant in the Royal Arch initiatory Noel relates how he was bitten by a local in- chamber of the George Washington Masonic National sect. The surprising euphoric effects and a Memorial. (Photo: Ben Schumin) possible near-death experience launches him on a quest to investigate the bug, its venom, and a possible new pharmaceutical drug for healing and pain mitigation. As he struggles to learn about his insect, Noel becomes enthralled by the unique and murky history of St. Croix. A second trip to the island intensifies his curiosity, and he stumbles across an old structure located in the Salt River Bayoriginal landing site of Christopher Columbus, which is marked with red crosses. As he began to research the island of St. Croix, Noel was struck by the poorly documented presence of the first European inhabitants: the Knights of Malta, who had once owned St. Croix. An extensive history of the Knights Templar and the Knights of Malta/St. John, Noels The St. Croix Ark argues that the Ark of the Covenant could have been secretly moved to St. Croix when the Knights of Malta purchased the Virgin Islands. The reader gets a complete understanding of Noels conspiracy theory, a journey that dates to the time of the first Crusades, and a place called King Solomons Temple, which here that the Order of St. John was estabthe Knights Templar and the Knights of is, as most of us know, the last known loca- lished. The Knights of St. John or Knights Malta are likely a brotherhood. The Knights, tion of the Ark of the Covenant. Hospitallers ultimately become known as the he argues, transported the Ark from JeruNoel sifts through countless documents Knights of Malta. salem to a citadel in Acre, a small town in Isand spends nearly 3,000 hours seeking for Noel suggests that a decade before the rael. The author points out historical records answers and pursues an unforgettable First Crusade, the Knights discovered the confirming a connection of the two orders journey with the potential to rock not only Ark. The instigation of the Crusades could and placing both in the same fortress at Acre. St. Croix but historians everywhere. have provided a temporary solution to secure The notion becomes more intriguing as Jerusalem and to safely remove the Ark. Noels history unfolds. Acre was merely a An Alternate History The discovery of the Ark, he believes, stepping stone to the next holding ground: At the center of Noels account is a de- would do much to explain the mysterious Krak des Chevaliers in Syria. As with Acre, tailed explanation of how the Knights came creation of the Knights Templar, the infaKrak des Chevaliers has also been docuto purchase St. Croix in 1651 as well as his mous nine members said to have been the mented as a home for the Knights of Malta previously unexplored theory of just how the guardians of deeply religious artifacts. Noel and Knights Templar. Ark could have been brought to and stored questions why historical depictions of this The knights had held the Ark for more on the island. small group portray them as responsible for than 150 years, when the King of France forTo fully comprehend his assertion, one the protection of thousands of Christian pilmally abolished the Templars in 1312. Their must first understand the Arks history. The grims. possessions were given to the Knights of original location is said to be Solomons Noel argues that the Knights of Malta had Malta, demonstrating, says Noel, that the two Temple, which is also the originating home a secret Sect, known as the Secrati, entities worked in unison to protect the Ark. of the Franciscan monks, hundreds of years charged with guarding the Ark (similar to Also in 1312 the Knights of Malta were prior to the first crusade. Noel suggests that the Templars who had previously guarded forced to leave Cyprus. For the following 214 these monks in turn became the Knights it). Highly secretive, as they were, these years their new home would be Rhodes. Hospitallers. men, it would seem, would be the perfect Noel points out that after the Knights Following the destruction of a hospital pallbearers for this, the holiest of relics. Templar were disbanded, they continued to built in AD 600, a second was erected on the As that premise is explored in depth, the site of St. John the Baptist Monastery. It was book reveals details which make it clear that Continued on Page 37
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Is The Ark of the Covenant in the Virgin Islands?

RISING 35

GREATER DIMENSIONS

Every Culture in the World Feels the Influence. What Should We Make of It?
BY PATRICK MARSOLEK
Sir Galahad (Arthur Hughes)

any historical accounts of meetings with angels or messengers of God have been recorded. Joan of Arc had ongoing conversations with angels and prophetic visions of battles and finding lost swords. The prophet Muhammad is said to have received the Koran from the angel Jibra'il (Gabriel). The Aviator Charles Lindbergh reported conversations with phantoms that accompanied him on his solo flight across the Atlantic. These friendly, vapor-like shapes were able move back and forth through the walls of the plane as they discussed his navigational tactics and reassured him. In our modern times, there are innumerable reports of people receiving guidance and information from all kinds of different beings, especially during challenging events in their lives. People report hearing guiding words, being touched or lifted to avert a dangerous situation, or smelling a pleasant fragrance around the time of someones death. There are also reports of

people mysteriously appearing and then disappearing in the middle of a traumatic event and offering assistance and calm at a critical moment. Sometimes these beings are even described as the classic image of an angel, with glowing auras or wings. Beliefs in beings who are intermediaries between humans and God permeate many different cultures and religious traditions, from primitive indigenous cultures to all of the major world religions. A 2007 Pew poll found that as many as 55 percent of Americans believe they have been protected by a guardian angel during their lifetime; the percentage of people who believe in the existence of angels is even higher. The word angel usually means a messenger of God, but the word can also refer to any spiritual beings who guide or carry out Gods tasks. For the purpose of this article, when I use the word God, Im referring to the supernatural creator and overseer of the universe, who has many different names and forms in the varied spiritual

Gilded Gilded mythological mythological figures figures from from eighteenth eighteenth century century Bangkok, Bangkok, Thailand. Thailand. In In the the foreground foreground is is Apsornsi, Apsornsi, half half woman, woman, half half lion. lion.

traditions and world views from Wakan Tanka, the great spirit of the Lakota, to Elohim of the Jewish faith. In some belief systems, angels manifest for a specific task; and, after they fulfill their purpose, they cease to exist. In other traditions, the angels are immortal and manifest eternally in the world as certain qualities. For example, the angel Gabriel is thought to deliver Gods justice

and power, while the angel Raphael manifests Gods healing forces. A Christian who is suffering and in crisis in the operating room might perceive Raphael as an unexplained member of the surgical team who appears bringing comfort and soothing words. In polytheistic faiths, individual Gods can sometimes fill the role of these specific angels. The trickster, who is known as

42 ATLANTIS RISING Number 88

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Anthropomorphic Coyote trickster, from North American Indigenous mythology

Seraphim in a 14th century Byzantine cathedral

Coyote in the American West, as Anansi to the people of West Africa, or as Puck to the Celtic people, is a God who brings transformation, raises awareness, and acts as an equalizer. These gifts come through the tricks and mischief that he brings. People might experience the trickster directly in an encounter with a physical presence in their lives, as a vision, or, when things are going wrong, and they feel like the universe is playing tricks with them. Its important to note that in most cultures, angels are not always beings of light who are here to help humans. In the Christian faith, Satan is thought to be a fallen or dark angel who, although still an agent of God, brings challenges and hardships. Islam divides intermediary beings into angels, demons, and djinni (or jinn, see the following article by Robert Schoch). The djinni may be either good or harmful. In most cultures, the dividing line between good and bad angels is not clear. Trickster, for example, may act benevolently in one
The Fall of the Angels (Dor)

situation but with evil intent in another. As with the Fairie spirits of the Celtic faiths, common folklore states that if you encounter a spirit, you need to be very careful. They may bring blessings into your life, or they may bring you great trouble. Taking a closer look at Fairie can reveal some of the complexity of beliefs about all kinds of angels and spirits that can influence our lives. What exactly fairies are is debated in metaphysical circles. Some think they are the recently dead, who are in some kind of transition to another place. Others say they are elementals, such as gnomes or sylphs, who are respectively associated with the earth or the air. These spirits take care of the physical qualities of the world and are present wherever those elements manifest. Others say fairie are demoted angels, demons, or even pagan deities. There are also debates about the evolutionary hierarchy of these ethereal beings. For example, in the Hindu traditions, the Devas are benevolent spiritual beings who are thought to be more evolved, or closer to Brahma, than the Ghandarvas, who are the nature spirits connected with trees and flowers. In the Christian tradition, there is much debate on which angels are closer to God and which are closer to humans. For example, Thomas Aquinas proposed angels occupy concentric spheres around God. In the first sphere he placed Seraphim, Cherubim, and Thrones. Then come the Dominations, Virtues; and Powers, and lastly the Principalities, Archangels, and Angels. Seraphim, one of the groups of angels closest to God, often are portrayed as fiery sixwinged beings and called the burning ones as they sing or extoll Gods praises. They are described in the Book of Enoch and the Book of Revelation. Recently an image of a Seraphim, which is thought to date from the fourteenth century, has been rediscovered in Istanbul. It portrays the six-winged angel with two wings over the face, two out to

the side, and two down over the body, leaving only the face visible. The abundance of wings is thought to represent the purity of this being and his closeness to God. The face is the only part recognizable as a human trait, the rest of the figure being spirit. Most worldviews place angels and spirits on some type of evolutionary continuum. The Ghandarvas and elementals, such as sylphs and salamanders, are often thought to be less evolved and more like primal nature energies. The Latter Day Saints believe that angels are former humans or the spirits of humans yet to be born and thus close to human in personality and wisdom. The thirteenth century Persian poet Rumi wrote: I died as inanimate matter and arose a plant, I died as a plant and rose again an animal. I died as an animal and arose a man. Why then should I fear to become less by dying? I shall die once again as a man To rise an angel perfect from head to foot! Again when I suffer dissolution as an angel, I shall become what passes the conception of man.

Continued on Page 68

Angel in a Metarie, LA cemetary

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Number 88 ATLANTIS

RISING 43

THE PARANORMAL

ecently, while in the United Arab Emirates (February 2011), I traveled to the foothills of Jebel Hafeet in Abu Dhabi, along the border with Oman. Here 5000-year-old, beehive-shaped stone tombs record an all-but-forgotten ancient people. Based on artifacts found in their graves, they traded with Mesopotamia, possibly Egypt, and perhaps even more remote regions. But it was not just the former human creators and occupants of these structures that caught my attention. According to the locals, jinn, supernatural or supersensible beings who along with humans and angels are an essential component of the cosmos, now inhabit these tombs. Like humans, jinn can be moody. When I visited the tombs, the atmosphere was one of calm relaxation, invoking peace and contemplation. The jinn must have been in good humor! Or perhaps they had gone out for the day. Such is not always the case. One modern explorer, approaching the entrance to a tomb here, suddenly felt a force hit him with such ferocity (he described it as the feeling of being hit by a motorcycle or car) that it literally threw him backward, breaking one of his legs. Military helicopters avoid flying over the tombs for fear of dire consequences if they should upset the jinn. The jinn or djinn (jinn, or jinns, plural; jinni, singular male; jinniyah, singular femalespellings differ), appear in Islams Holy Quran (Koran) as creatures with free will capable of rational thought and, like humans, thus accountable for their actions. They are variously described as spirits or psychic entities intermediate between the gross material and pure spiritual worlds. Allah created the jinn from a smokeless flame or the fire and heat of a scorching wind (easily experienced in the desert) prior to the creation of Adam, the progenitor of all humankind, from clay. Sometimes jinn are interpreted as simply made of energy; by one exotic modern hypothesis, the jinn are composed of electrically and magnetically charged particles taking the form referred to by physicists as plasma. According to certain Islamic teachings, angels differ from jinn in that the angelsthe messengers and servants of God (Allah) either are not typically capable of, or do not exhibit, the free will of jinn and humans. In

different traditions (particularly the Christian tradition), this distinction becomes conflated as an angel (variously referred to as Lucifer, the Devil, or Satan) and his angelic (or formerly angelic) followers rebel against Gods authority, fall from Gods grace, and effectively set up an evil alternative to Gods kingdom. Indeed, as we shall see below, certain types or species of jinn are associated

Among Arabs, the Realm of Angels Has its Own Set of Rules

jinn are afraid of wolves, so never appear as wolves). In a sense the jinn can be thought of as the Arab desert version of the satyrs and nymphs of classical Greek and Roman mythology and the faeries (fairies) and like creatures of European lore. The jinn may seduce humans, and like the satyrs, they can take the form of humans with the feet of an animal, often that of a goat or donkey. In one Arab tale, a farmer is working in his field at night. A stranger stops by and offers to help. After awhile, the farmer looks at the strangers feet, only to see that they are the feet of a donkey. Overcome with terror, the farmer runs to the local village, meeting a man who tries to calm him down and asks him why he is so upset. The farmer describes the helpful stranger, who must have been a jinni since he had the feet of a donkey. The man looks at the farmer inquisitively and asks, Like my feet? Looking down, in horror the farmer sees that this man too has the feet of a donkey and must therefore be a jinni. The jinn have their own societies, rulers, and religions. They eat, drink, marry, and propagate. According to one story, the jinn dine on flesh that supernaturally appears on discarded bones, and the supersensible and supernatural animals they raise feed on dung. Certain jinn know specialized crafts, such as carpentry, stone working, or metalworking, and jinn on occasion can move from one place to another with incredible speedalmost instantaneously. Although they may live for centuries or even millennia, the jinn are susceptible to death. In Arab and Islamic traditions, different types of jinn are BY ROBERT M. SCHOCH, Ph.D. distinguished, with different personalities. There is the jinni with the personal name Iblis (possibly derived from the Greek Diabolos, or with the concepts of devils and ghouls. Devil; sometimes associated with or assumed During the pre-Islamic era in the Middle to be the same entity as Lucifer), later called East, minor or lesser spirits, apparently Shaytan (Satan, the accuser, or devil; or as a viewed as below God and the angels, were group, jinn called shaytans, sheitans, sheyoften more or less viewed as jinn or their tans, shaytaans [and various other spellings equivalent. for all of the types of jinn]), reputedly exNormally invisible to humans (the word pelled by Allah from Paradise for disobedijinn is derived from the Arabic for con- enceIblis refused to bow to Adam on cealed or hidden), at times the jinn can Allahs orders. Other forms of jinn include make themselves known either through the jann (a relatively weak primeval race of their actions or by assuming such forms as jinn), the ghul (ghouls), the 'aamir snakes, vultures, rabbits, dogs, cats, don- ('ulmmaar; jinn who live in houses alongside keys, sheep, dragons, monsters, or even humans, both adults and small children (the

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