Random Thought

Cassi Merten So while I have not been doing a lot of writing in quite awhile, I have still been doing a lot of reading, research, and following of others' research and theories. I have, also, been working out my next pursuit in my head and on paper, so to speak. I have long thought that the "official" story of humanity has some major contradictions and errors in it. Even as a child, raised basically in a christian'ish belief system, I always had questions about things that made no sense to me or that did not seem to tell the whole story or answer all the questions that I had. Questions like; if Adam and Eve were the first people then why did Cain need to be marked? Didn't ALL the people (his family) already know who he was and what he did? And if everyone was going to descend from Adam and Eve then wouldn't they all know who Cain was already? Of course some versions say that God sent them out to find wives, again if Adam and Eve were the first then where...

via AssociateDegreeOnline.com Today's world places great emphasis on 'experts'. Titles are doled out to supposed deserving individuals by Academic Institutions and Associations, Professional guilds and collectives, and government agencies and councils. Letters are added to the end of names upon merit,  distinction, or fame.  However, the focus has shifted from the search for knowledge to the image of dominion over a study. This shift has been a killing blow to our understanding of our history and the world around us. Take the concept of a Renaissance Man , this is a truly inconceivable idea to most people today. Awkwardly, most think that someone that knows a little bit about a few different subjects, enough to be entertaining from an average cerebral context at cocktail or dinner parties, fits the bill. In fact, this is very far from the truth, in reality those men of greatness that provided the example of what we now consider to be the "Renaissance Man" we...

common domain It would appear that Neanderthal's reputation is finally starting to catch up with their character. A report just published in Nature journal has done two very important things for Neanderthals. First, it shows that they were much more sophisticated than historians have depicted them and secondly, it has pushed their date of sophistication back three fold into prehistory. Until now most experts considered the oldest show of any culture and civilization by Neanderthal to be their cave art, which is only considered to go back to about 40,000 years ago. Recently there has been a lot of new discoveries or new tests on old discoveries that have given a new image to our Neanderthal cousins. We now know that Neanderthals made tools, used fire, made art, buried their dead, and perhaps even had language. “ The new findings have ushered a transformation of the Neanderthal from a knuckle-dragging savage rightfully defeated in an evolutionary contest, to a distant cousin t...

El Tatio Chile via vivaboo.com credit twiga_269 Where did we come from? How did life start? What is the origin of man? These are questions that have been pondered by man since the beginning. One answer, the workings of evolution, was proposed by Charles Darwin in his On The Origins Of Species . There are an unknown number of different life forms currently sharing this planet. And there have been an even larger number of unknown species that have roamed the lands and seas in the epochs of the past. To date there have been 1.5 million species cataloged and a best guess estimate of up to another 8 million that have not been cataloged. These numbers only look at current species and not at previous inhabitants of the planet. And everyday, scientists predict that species that have not even been 'discovered' are going extinct at the hands of man. Evolution project by NTamura  While the actions of man are a whole ugly 50 gallon barrel of worms, we will leave it for ano...

via watercolorwednesdays.blogspot.com We have grown up with tales told at bedtime that include all sorts of wonderful and scary creatures, some are warm and furry, others are ugly and mean, and still others defy imagination. Some of them are tricksters, others are mischievous, some are helpful and others are not very nice at all. We did meet some of the scary creatures of the night last month; so maybe it is nice to meet some creatures that are not so scary that we should be wary. One of the interesting things that you find when you start looking at our wonderful ancient knowledge, left to us from the rich cultures of times past, are all the over-laps and similarities. Not only are the story-lines similar, but, also the qualities of the characters involved seem to resemble one another. Several of the creatures included in the ancient stories are very similar to us in appearance. Some of the creatures that resemble us include giants, elves, fairies, leprechauns and gnome...

If you are of Celtic descent then you might have heard of the holiday Samuin or Samhain, which is actually Celtic New Year and was a 3 day holiday. It was during this time that Celts believed that the time between the years 'opened the door' so to speak betwixt the world of the living and the world of the dead. This meant that spirits could cross over into the world of the living and cause harm and mischief. The Celts believed that bad spirits of the dead were harmful to the living, they also believed that even the good dead needed to stay in the world of the dead, that it was not good for them to be in the world of the living. So there are several traditions that occurred during this festival, that helped celebrate the harvest, welcomed the death of the earth, and kept the spirits of the dead in their own realm. Some of the rituals and practices that were practiced across those regions that were influenced by Celtic traditions included bonfires, feasting, leaving off...

Shapeshifters via crystalinks.com It seems that the night is full of things that we do not see in the light. And it is those things, that it seems, we have been taught to fear, through the ages. All those bumps and thumps, all those shadows and whispers, even the creaks and moans of the night send shivers down our spines. Why is it that we fear the creatures of the night? Even older than the tells of vampires and ghouls are the legends of were-creatures or shape-shifters. Creatures that by choice, design or fated curse have the power and or ability to change the form of their appearance. For those that were always shape-shifters the power to change their outward appearance is something they do at will. It seems that they usually take the form of an animal, bird or even sea creature, as suits their needs, at the moment. Those shape-shifters that seem to be merciful and or helpful seem to not take forms that would scare us. Yet, it has been known that others are not so kind. Ther...

From Hector Hastings: I would like to add that there some other undead beings or creatures that roam around...I would suggest edit and add the following : Wights. Wights are not unlike skeleton warriors but they are fallen lords, dukes and such nobles who have been placed in a barrow and which their battle gear and wealth was stored with them. These barrows are protected by powerful enchantments. These nobles are more powerful than skeletons and are normally found leading groups of skeletons or zombies. Azeman. The Azeman originate from South America. They take the form of a human female during the day but at night they transform into a bat. The Azeman fed by draining the blood of their victims. Azeman are obsessed with counting, and if seeds are scattered on the floor she will stop to count them all. It is though that some of the modern vampire lore comes from the Azeman, which are South American versions of the European vampires. Banshee.Banshees are restless spirits ...

The Premature Burial by Antoine Wiertz One of the most prolific scares of the dark is that of encountering the undead ! The most famous of the undead is the vampire , but, they are not the only undead that lurk in our shadows and imagination. Several happenings caused the vampire to become widespread in history; not the least of which was the fact that people were accidentally burying the living. The methods for pronouncing a person dead were not accurate or reliable....matter of fact, so common was the misdiagnosis, especially, during cholera outbreaks, that a string was tied around the finger or foot of a newly buried corpse and attached to a bell above ground, so that if the person awoke and panicked they could be heard and hopefully dug up in time, giving birth to the phrases "Saved By The Bell" and "Graveyard Shift". Of the other undead roaming in the dark are ghouls and zombies, which seem not to mind the sun, unlike other undead. Ghouls are some of th...

Tim Burton's Sleep Hollow It is that time of year again! The air is crisp and the leaves are turning colors. The harvest is ready and the feasts are being prepared! Do you have your pumpkins ready for carving? Are your treats handy to prevent the tricks? Are your offerings for the spirits and your ancestors your best? I hope so! Have you ever truly wondered why we do the things that we do during this time of year? Our rituals, practices, and stories and where they all come from? I do. So, I thought being the season, that we might look at how our ancients saw this time of year and how that still lingers in our current society and rituals. Why do we tell ghost stories? What did the ancients think of ghosts? What did ancients do with their dead? Why they did the things they did? What did ancients think about death? What about what happens after death? As for this time of year.... What did our ancestors think about the cycle of the seasons? What did the ancients t...

There are plenty of 'myths' from around the world. And there are plenty of myths that seem to be world-wide. Every culture seems to have 'myths' that tell of their gods and heroes, their creation and the major events in their history. Some of the 'myths' have survived for thousands of years. Below we will highlight some of the ones that have out-lasted the civilizations that are credited with 'creating' the stories originally and briefly introduce them The most common myths that won't die: by Kosv01 @deviantART Destruction of Atlantis/Mu/Lemuria - - we can find many stories of very ancient and very advanced civilizations that existed before the memory or time of 'modern man'. The first accepted written account of Atlantis comes to us from Plato. Plato tells that his sources are priests from Egypt, which are probably based on even older sources. It is unknown if these sources were believed to be original or copied. His version of the ...

There are many things to keep in mind when one is a student of history. The most important feature that one needs is an open mind. Unfortunately, that seems to be the least common attribute that any academic has this day and age. The prevalent misconception is that either you are open minded and thus naive, or you are skeptical and thus intelligent and knowledgeable. This is a flawed sentiment, for having an open mind allows you to, without bias, observe and analyze an idea, thought, theory solely on its merit, and you can do this logically and rationally and critically. In academic circles, where skepticism is a requirement, it is both the PC label for close minded and the scholarly equivalent of double-dog dare daring them to not only prove their idea, but to prove it beyond your own personal biases and dogmas, usually an impossible feat indeed.  Photo credit Nikola Solic Our ancestors have left us with a plethora of clues about themselves that we need only unravel. Howev...

 We have visited the Pyramids and the Sphinx, but before we leave the Giza Necropolis there are other questions to ponder. These are questions that not only span the skies, but delve into the sands beneath the structures on the plaza. We have discussed the Pyramids, as well as, the Sphinx independently. Now we will look at the plaza as a whole. We will take into account the idea that is the basis for Egyptian beliefs, duality; as it is above so it is below. We will wonder about their fascination with the heavens. We will ponder the importance and mystique of the priest/priestess class. Thus we will attempt to attain a greater understanding of the beginnings of one of the most glorified and romanticized societies in human history.  Our goal is to attempt to understand what was Egypt and thus what was an Egyptian. Beginning with their concept of duality, we will attempt to understand just how the Egyptian saw thyself in relation to their culture and their world. Their re...