The Ascension of the Prophet Muhammad Into Heaven.

In Islam, the Prophet Muhammad's night journey from Mecca to Jerusalem prior to his famous trip to heaven is called Isra'. As alluded to in the Qur'an (17:1), a journey was made by a servant of God, in a single night, from the “sacred place of worship” (al-masjid al-haram) to the “further place of worship” (al-masjid al-aqsa).

A gorgeous painting of Muhammad riding Buraq to meet Allah in the heaven

Muhammad, whose only miracle, according to his own words, was the bringing of the Qur'an, is credited with innumerable miracles and associated with a variety of miraculous occurrences: his finger split the moon, the cooked poisoned meat warned him not to touch it, the palm trunk sighed, the gazelle spoke for him; he cast no shadow; from his perspiration the rose was created, etc. His ascension to heaven (mi'raj) is still celebrated: he rode the winged horse Buraq in the company of the angel Gabriel through the seven spheres, meeting the other prophets there, until he reached the divine presence, alone, even without the angel of inspiration. Muhammad-mysticism proper was developed in the late 9th century; he is shown as the one who precedes creation, his light is pre-eternal, and he is the reason for and goal of creation. He becomes the perfect man, uniting the divine and the human sphere as dawn is between night and day. His birth was surrounded by miracles, and his birthday (12. Rabi' I) became a popular holiday on which numerous poems were written to praise his achievements. The hope for him who has been sent as “mercy for the worlds” and will intercede for his community on Doomsday is extremely strong, especially among the masses, where these legends have completely overshadowed his historical figure.

Traditionally, there was general agreement that the servant of God was Muhammad and that the “sacred place of worship” was Mecca. Early commentators, however, interpreted the “further place of worship” as heaven, and the entire verse was considered a reference to the Prophet's ascension into heaven (Mi'raj), an ascension which also originated in Mecca. In the period of the Umayyad caliphate (661–750), the “further place of worship” was read as Jerusalem. The two versions were eventually reconciled by regarding the Isra' simply as the night journey and relocating the point of Muhammad's ascension from Mecca to Jerusalem to avoid confusion. Some commentators also suggested that the Isra' was a vision sent to Muhammad in his sleep and not an actual journey at all; but orthodox sentiment has emphatically preserved the physical, thus miraculous, nature of the trip.

Buraq

The Isra' story, greatly elaborated by tradition, relates that Muhammad made the journey astride Buraq, a mythical winged creature, in the company of the archangel Gabriel. Muhammad meets Abraham, Moses, and Jesus in Jerusalem; he then officiates as leader (imam) of the ritual prayer (salat) for all the prophets assembled and establishes his primacy among God's messengers.

In Islamic tradition, a creature said to have transported the Prophet Muhammad to heaven. Described as “a white animal, half-mule, half-donkey, with wings on its sides . . . ,” Buraq was originally introduced into the story of Muhammad's night journey (isra') from Mecca to Jerusalem and back, thus explaining how the journey between the cities could have been completed in a single night. In some traditions he became a steed with the head of a woman and the tail of a peacock. As the tale of the night journey (isra') became connected with that of Muhammad's ascension to heaven (mi'raj), Buraq replaced the ladder as Muhammad's means of access into heaven. From at least the 14th century, the Buraq myth, visualized on the basis of ancient depictions of griffins, sphinxes, and centaurs, became a favourite subject of Persian miniature painting.

Buraq with a pretty feminine face; Bait-ul Muqaddas is shown down below

Muhammad is prepared for his meeting with God by the archangels Jibril and Mikal one evening while he is asleep in the Ka'bah, the sacred shrine of Mecca. They open up his body and purify his heart by removing all traces of error, doubt, idolatry, and paganism and by filling it with wisdom and belief. In the original version of the mi'raj, the prophet is then transported by Jibril directly to the lowest heaven. But early in Muslim history the story of the ascension came to be associated with the story of Muhammad's night journey (isra') from the “sacred place of worship” (Mecca) to the “further place of worship” (Jerusalem). The two separate incidents were gradually combined so that chronologically the purification of Muhammad in his sleep begins the sequence; he is then transported in a single night from Mecca to Jerusalem by the winged mythical creature Buraq, and from Jerusalem he ascends to heaven, possibly by ladder (mi'raj), accompanied by Jibril.

Muhammad and Jibril enter the first heaven and proceed through all seven levels until they reach the throne of God. Along the way they meet the prophets Adam, Yahya (John), 'Isa (Jesus), Yusuf (Joseph), Idris, Harun (Aaron), Musa (Moses), and Ibrahim (Abraham) and visit hell and paradise. Musa alone of all the inhabitants of heaven speaks at any length to the visitors; he says that Muhammad is more highly regarded by God than himself and that Muhammad's following outnumbers his own. Once Muhammad appears before God—there is some question as to whether he actually saw him—he is told to recite the salat (ritual prayer) 50 times each day. Musa, however, advises Muhammad to plead for a reduction of the number as being too difficult for believers, and the obligation is eventually reduced to five prayers each day.

Muhammad riding Buraq on his way to meet Allah; he is surrounded by winged angels

Muhammad's mi'raj has been a constant source of speculation among Muslims. Some state that the ascension was merely a dream; others speculate that only Muhammad's soul entered heaven, while his body remained on earth. Parallels have been drawn between the mi'raj and the manner in which a dead man's soul will progress to judgment at God's throne; and the Sufis (Muslim mystics) claim it describes the soul's leap into mystic knowledge. Popularly the ascension is celebrated with readings of the legend on the 27th day of Rajab, called Laylat al-Mi'raj (“Night of the Ascension”).

(Source : Geocities)

The Ark of The Covenant

The Ark of the Covenant is first mentioned in the Bible in Exodus 25. Following Israel's deliverance from slavery in Egypt, God instructs Moses to build a Tabernacle (or tent) in which the Israelites will worship God. Placed in a special area known as "the Holy of Holies," the Ark of the Covenant was the most sacred object in the Tabernacle. Detailed instructions were given by God to construct the Ark. It was to be made with acacia wood and overlaid with gold. Dimensionally, the Ark was to be 2.5 cubits (1 cubit is approximately 18 in.) long and 1.5 cubits wide and high. Atop the Ark were two gold cherubs that stood with their wings covering an area of the Ark known as the "Mercy Seat."

It was contained three items of extreme significance to the Israelites. The first was two stone tablets bearing the divine inscription of the Ten Commandments. The Ten Commandments formed the foundation of God's covenant with Israel, commonly referred to as "The Law" (Exodus 31). The second item in the Ark was the rod of Aaron. God miraculously caused Aaron's rod to bud with blossoms to show the rest of the tribes of Israel that it was God's will for Aaron to be in charge of the Priesthood (Numbers 17). The last item was a golden pot of manna. Manna was the starchy food God miraculously provided for the Israelites during their 40 years of desert wanderings (Exodus 16).

The Ark was where God manifested His presence on earth. It went ahead of the Israelites wherever they traveled. Not only was it the center of worship when it resided in the tabernacle, but the Ark also protected the Israelites in battle, supernaturally defeating any adversaries that came before them (Joshua 6:3-4). The Israelites also went to the Ark to seek God's guidance and wisdom for the nation (Numbers 7:89, Exodus 25:22).


The Ark of the Covenant could only be approached once a year by the high priest on "Yum Kippur"- the Jewish Day of Atonement. On this day, the high priest would enter the Holy of Holies with the blood of a sacrificed lamb. It was also only on this day that God's presence manifested between the two Cherubs. The high priest would sprinkle the blood of the sacrificed lamb on the Mercy Seat. Once received by God, the blood of the lamb atoned (covered) for the sins of the high priest and the entire nation of Israel. This ritual was performed continuously, year after year. The Ark of the Covenant played a key role in the forgiveness of sins.

At first glance, the blood sacrifices associated with the history of the Ark of the Covenant may seem somewhat disturbing. Slaughtering animals and offering their blood on an altar begs of the occult. It is important to note, however, that these sacrifices were not intended to appease the wrath of a bloodthirsty deity. God does not desire the blood and suffering of helpless lambs (Hebrews 10:8). The biblical text repeatedly shows that where there is sin, the unavoidable result is death. The sacrifice of the lamb points to the severity of sin. Sin must always be atoned (paid) for in order for God to be just (Hebrews 9:22). God's compassion enabled the sins of Israel to be transferred upon the lamb. More importantly, these sacrifices were foreshadowing a greater sacrifice yet to take place -- the sacrifice of the Jewish Messiah, Jesus Christ. God knew that these continual sacrifices would be insufficient to pay for the sins of Israel, much less the sins of all humanity. Therefore, God provided Jesus Christ as the ultimate sacrificial lamb, which became the greatest act of love in all history. A Roman cross became the ark on which Christ was sacrificed. The blood of Christ, once and for all, atoned for the wrongs of all who would accept Him as their Savior (John 3:16).

But the Ark of the Covenant disappeared from the Jewish Temple somewhere before or during the Babylonian invasion of Jerusalem in 586 BC. In anticipation of the Ark's disappearance, the prophet Jeremiah wrote: "And it shall come to pass, when ye be multiplied and increased in the land, in those days, saith the LORD, they shall say no more. Even before Jesus, Jeremiah's prophecy revealed that there would be no more need for the Ark of the Covenant in the future. God had a better covenant He would bring to pass -- the new covenant in His Son, Jesus Christ.

The Underground Army

An old Chinese saying says, “treat death as life.” In China, rulers took this saying very seriously. After death they were buried with lavish supplies of dishes, food, silk and musical instruments. In earlier times living things such as wives, servants, or pets were also buried with the Emperor, often still alive. The afterlife was so important to people because it was believed to be a prolongation of life. Everything that was buried in the tomb was thought to be a necessity for one who wanted to be prepared for a grand afterlife. In Lintong County, thirty-five kilometers east of the Chinese city Xi’an, a tomb was found that contained a whole army, armed and ready for battle. This army was created for burial complex of the first Emperor of China, Emperor Qin Shihuang .

The Terra-Cotta Army

Qin Shihuang was the first emperor of the Qin dynasty. He was known as a great leader and a conqueror of many lands. He was a destroyer, a builder, and an unforgiving tyrant. Qin Shihuang's accomplishments turned China into a great empire. He formed a centralized government, standardized the Chinese currency and script, and set up a code of laws. He also uniformed the system of measures and built many roads. One of his greatest accomplishments is considered to be constructing and building one half of what today is the Great Wall of China. While the pits with Qin Shihuangs imperial army has been dug up, the actual tomb has not. The supposed contents of the mausoleum are by the tellings of the grand historian, Sima Qian.

In his historical records dated 1 B.C Sima Qian described how the tomb was made and what was put inside it. A project to uncover the tomb though, was started a few years ago but because of a lack of funds, it came to a screeching halt. Yuan Zhongyi is the head of a small group of archaeologists working on the site of the tomb. So far, only a fifth of the fifty-one square mile tomb has been uncovered. Scientific know-how and reliable technology are scarce making it even harder to fund the excavation of the mausoleum.

One of the Horse-chariots Army

Many perishable items such as silk and wood have remained inside the tomb for almost two thousand years. The tomb would answer many questions formed by the mysterious terra-cotta army. The army was actually not meant to be seen. It was made to be a “spirit army” and was not intended for display. Inside the pits it was noticed that all the figures face east. They were thought to be this way because Qin had many armies in the east that he had conquered and could have been suspicious of them. He would have wanted to be ready for battle, even in death. All the pits put together represent Qin Shihaung’s actual imperial guards that were stationed at the east of the capitol. The layout of the soldiers and horses were a replica of what Qin’s Imperial army looked like during his reign from 221—210 BC.


The first pit is thought to be the right-wing infantry division. The second was the left-wing cavalry division. Pit number three was the command unit and the fourth pit was thought to be the central force. The first life-size terra-cotta figure was discovered in the 1920’s. A Chinese peasant was digging a well and came upon it. The water disappeared suddenly from the well and the peasant, thinking this was a sign of evil, quickly re-covered what he had dug. The soldier, once again, was buried. It wasn't found again until the 1970’s when archeologists dug up what was soon to be the first actual pit discovered.

The first pit was discovered in 1974. It is the largest of the four pits and covers almost four acres. It is five meters deep and contains eleven parallel corridors and nine access ramps on the sides . There are nearly 6,000 military men inside the first pit. They make up all parts of the army such as bowmen, archers, charioteers, men with arms, and men without arms. They stand in a contemporary military formation made up of 4 parts; the vanguard, the main force, the outer flanks, and the rear guard. The main force contains six horse-drawn wooden chariots with charioteers. Horses that are about 1.5 meters high and 2 meters long lead these chariots. Over the first pit is the exhibition hall of the museum for Qin Shihuang’s terra-cotta warriors. It is about 230 meters long and has a roof made of glass to allow the sunlight to illuminate the army and horses.

The second pit was discovered in 1976 about twenty miles northeast of the first. It was slightly smaller than the first pit, about sixty-four thousand square feet in area, and shaped like an inverted “L”. It contains about eighty chariot units and so far about 300 horses have been uncovered as well. Its one thousand support groups are made up of four groups of archers, infantry, crossbowmen, and Calvary. The calvaries are dismounted from their horses and stand beside their left bridal. This army stands in a Chinese military formation known as “ Concentric Deployment.” In this formation the men are ready to fight independently or as a whole.

The third pit was discovered in 1977 and was smaller than both the first and second. It is 520 square meters wide and is irregularly shaped like a “W”. So far sixty-eight terra-cotta figures have been found, most of who are officers. It also contains one chariot drawn by four horses. Although the third pit is thought to be the command unit, the commander-in-chief has not been found. Historians and military experts believe this to be the commanding room for many reasons. The one chariot found is a war chariot. The weapons found are ceremonial and identified with a commander in chief’s ceremonies. The soldiers stand guard as to protect their absent leader. Their armor is bronze and has overlapping scales of lacquered leather to allow fast movement. This skill was identified with soldiers under the commander-in-chief. Because the third pit is the command unit, the fourth pit discovered in 1977 supposedly held the central force. Unfortunately this can not be proven because the fourth pit was found empty. It was probably unfinished because Qin Shihuang died suddenly in 210 BC. There were many rebel troops advancing towards the kingdom so the pit was sealed, empty.

Emperor Qin Shi Huang

All the pits were made with ensured quality. Qin Shihuang was very strict with the materials used and said that all goods had to carry the makers name so the supplier could be punished if his goods proved unsatisfying. Many bricks that line each pit’s floor have been found with markings of a maker’s name. Arthur Cotterell describes how the pits were made: “ The subterranean chambers were skillfully built; the rammed earth surrounding the corridors and galleries prevented the walls from sliding down. Each chamber was paved with bricks and its wooden roof was supported by stout timber pillars and crossbeams. To prevent moisture from seeping down from the surface, the roof was covered by woven matting and then a layer of clay.” Unfortunately the pits were not made perfectly. The roofs of some of the chambers have caved in and shattered many figures. Fires that were set by rebel troops damaged the first and second pits. The third pit managed to cave in by itself. Many grave robbers have gotten into the pits and destroyed the armies and other artifacts inside. Scientists have had to piece the soldiers’ back together and in the process discovered the way that they were made in the first place.

The figures were made out of terra-cotta because it was heavy enough to form life size warriors and sculptures. First the body was made followed by the head, arms and then hands. The hollow body was then attached to legs that were solid. While the clay was still soft, details like the face and clothes were carved. Extra pieces like the ears, armor, and beards were molded separately and added later. The whole figure, once finished, was fired and later colored with vegetable dyes. What is apparent from the color left on the soldiers is that originally there were two main color schemes.

According to General Meng Tian one group had short red coats with light blue patterned collars and cuffs. Their armor was dark brown plates with red or light green rivets and orange cords. The other group had bright green tunics with purple-edged collar and cuffs under black armor. The armor had white studs, gold buttons, purple straps and yellow buckles with dark blue trousers. They wore black shoes with orange cord. Unfortunately many of the colors have faded. Although, the dry weather of China has kept the terra-cotta warriors and horses from eroding too much, nothing could protect them once the tombs were opened. When the tombs were finally excavated the once bright soldiers and horses became dull after being exposed to the air after hundreds of years.

In 1992 two chemical engineers, Zhang Zhijun and Zhou Tie, took a piece of a terra-cotta soldier to be researched. German researches studied the piece and discovered the chemical make-up of the dye used on the warriors and horses. By knowing what the coloring was made of scientists were able to develop a coating that would shield the terra-cotta and help retain its color. Still, the exhibition halls poor condition and the lack of climate control will end up contributing to the figures cracking. Many figures are taken out of the pits and put in airtight cases. Tourism is also a contributor to the figures eroding. The fact that millions of people visit the Terra-cotta Soldiers annually is contributing to the breaking down of the terra-cotta. But, it is also bringing in billions of dollars. Unfortunately, this money is still not enough to cover the special and expensive care the terra-cotta figures must receive. "It is not a problem of technology," says Zhang Zhijun." It's a problem of a lack of information, equipment, and funds."

Different Face Types of Terra-Cotta Army

In the Chinese emperors imperial Army, no two warrior faces are alike. They could differ in age or personal character like bravery, confidence, or thoughtfulness. The theories of the variety of faces can be split into two categories. One category insists that faces were based on actual soldiers in Qin Shihuang's army. Another theory states that they were a product of the workers’ imagination or were faces of the workers. It was apparent that an effort was made to include soldiers of different minorities.

An art critic from the Central Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing, Fu Tianchou, analyzed the warriors’ faces and categorized them into 8 groups. The groups were: You, Jia, Shen, Tian, Guo, Feng, Riand, and Mu. The different face type varied in things like thin or thick lips, cheekbones, pointed or flat chins, face shapes that are square or that are round. Some faces like they Guo are made to look slightly elegant. The workers used tools like thickening the eyebrows or making deeper set eyes to change the look from a mighty warrior to a general deep in thought. The hair of the warriors, like the faces, was all different. It was so delicately created that every strand is visible. Infantrymen have their hair on top of their head in a tight bun leaning to the right. Cavalrymen wore caps with chinstraps and officers and charioteers wore coarse bonnets

Qin Shihuang’s terra-cotta army and figurines give historians and spectators a look into Chinese war tactics, warriors, rulers, and art history. They show just how devoted emperor’s followers were. The figures represent a small part of the Qin Dynasty, but have come to be known as the main symbol of it. Later in the Qin dynasty, emperors tried to copy what was done for Emperor Qin Shuhuang. Many had soldiers made for them: none of these however, were as amazing as the originals. The army also tells how great of a leader Qin Shihuang was.

The mysteries of the army like missing commanders, other hidden pits, and the biggest mystery of all, where the body of Emperor Qin Shihuang is, yet to be discovered. For now the soldiers will be a reminder of the past; a mirror into the period of twenty-nine years when Qin Shihuang ruled, army’s fought, battles were won, and 7,000 terra-cotta men stood ready to protect and honor.

(Written by : Hadley Griffin)

Teotihuacan

Teotihuacan, Mexico

Teotihuacan means 'The City of the Gods", or "Where Men Become Gods"
(in Nahuatl). It is located in the valley of the same name 30 miles north of Mexico City.

Teotihuacan Location: 19� 40' N 98� 52' W

Teotihuacan used to be a thriving city and ceremonial center that predated the Aztecs by several centuries. Most likely it was Mexico's biggest ancient city at its peak and the sixth largest city in the world in AD 600.

Teotihuacan began declining sharply around 650 AD, and was almost completely abandoned around 750 AD. No one knows why.

At its peak around 500-600 A.D., Teotihuacan contained perhaps 200,000 people. It was a well planned city covering nearly eight square miles and larger and more advanced than any European city of the time. Its civilization was contemporary with that of ancient Rome , and lasted longer - more than 500 years.

Though archaeologists have long been fascinated with the site, Teotihuacan's culture and history are still largely mysterious. The civilization left massive ruins, but no trace has yet been found of a writing system and very little is known for sure about its inhabitants, who were succeeded first by the Toltecs and then by the Aztecs.
The Aztecs did not live in the city, but gave the place and its major structures their current names. They considered it the "Place of the Gods" - a place where, they believed, the current world was created.

Mysterious Layout of Teotihuac�n

The city of Teotihuac�n is meticulously laid out on a grid which is offset 15�.5 from the cardinal points. Its main avenue, the "Street of the Dead," runs from 15�.5 east of north to 15�.5 west of south, while its most impressive structure, the Pyramid of the Sun, is directly oriented to a point 15�.5 north of west -- the position at which the sun sets on August 13.

There is one very peculiar thing about the city of Teotihuacan;
It is oriented 15.5 degrees east of True North!*




The siting of the Pyramid of the Moon at the far end of the avenue was likewise done with such care that a sight-line directly over the top of the Pyramid of the Sun marks the meridian, thus allowing the priests of the city to fix the times of noon and midnight with complete accuracy.

History of Teotihuacan

1. 100 BC - 0 AD Proto-Teotihuacan (two small hamlets in northern pocket of Valley of Mexico, population = 5000)
2. 0 BC - 150 AD Teotihuacan I - (Avenue of the Dead, Pyramid of the Sun established)
3. 150 AD - 300 AD Teotihuacan II - (Grid pattern established)
4. 300 AD - 650 AD Teotihuacan III - (Pinacle of development, population = 85,000-200,000)
5. 650 AD - 750 AD Teotihuacan IV - Decline and fall

Besides the major ceremonial pyramids, there were also palaces and temples, especially near the north end of the city surrounding the plaza in front of the Pyramid of the Moon. These included the Palace of Quetzalcoatl, the Butterfly Palace, the Temple of the Feathered Conches, and the Palace of the Jaguars. The sophistication and artistry of the Teotihuacanos can be seen everywhere in the magnificent murals and stone carvings which adorn the walls of the palaces and apartment compounds.

The city met its end around 700 AD through deliberate destruction and burning by the hand of unknown invaders. Although a century earlier, around AD 600, almost all of Teotihuacan's influence over the rest of Mesoamerica had ceased, indicating some sort of internal malaise or decline before the destruction.

The first strains appeared about AD 650. A century later, Teotihuacan was a shadow of its former self. The population had declined so rapidly that the once-proud city was now little more than a series of hamlets extending over an area of about a square kilometer.

Some great catastrophe apparently struck the city in AD 700, reducing its population to below 70,000. Many of its people moved eastward. The city was deliberately burnt and destroyed. Over the years, its buildings collapsed and the pyramids became overgrown with dense vegetation.

Teotihuacan's decline was almost as rapid as its rise to prominence. Even so, eight centuries later, Teotihuacan was still revered far and wide as an intensely sacred place. But no one remembered who had built it or that tens of thousands of people had once lived there.

Away from the Avenue of the Dead, the city continued to live on for another two centuries, although the population of Teotihuacan sunk to only a quarter of its former total. Some sort of crisis overtook all the Classic civilizations of Mesoamerica (including the Maya) two centuries later, forcing them to abandon most of the cities. Some anthropologists believe the crisis may have been a lessening of the food supply caused by a drying out of the land and a loss of water sources to the area.

They speculate that this might have been brought about by a combination of natural climactic shift towards aridness that appears to have happened all over Mexico during the Classic period and the residents having cut all the timber in the valley. Originally there were cedar, cypress, pine, and oak forests; today there are cactus, yucca, agave, and California pepper trees. This change in vegetation indicates a big climate shift.

Although Teotihuacan presents a puzzle to archaeologists because it was a huge city that appears to have arisen without antecedents, the single most important fact which archaeologists have learned about the Classic period in Mexico was the supremacy of Teotihuacan. As the urbanized center of Mexico, with high population and tremendous production, its power was imposed through political and cultural means not only in its native highland habitat, but also along the tropical coasts, reaching even into the Maya area. It's trading and tribute empire was comparable with the Aztec empire that eventually followed it. All other Mexican states were partly or entirely dependent upon it for whatever achievements they attained.

When Teotihuacan fell, around 650 AD, the unifying force in Mesoamerica was gone, and with it widespread inter-regional trade. The Late Classic period saw increasing fractionalization among cultures. In the place of great states, petty kingdoms and militarism arose. From the highpoint of civilization at Teotihuacan, wars became the rule of the day, and for those unfortunate enough to be captured, sacrifice to the gods. Military empires, such as the Toltecs in the twelfth century AD (and later the Aztecs, starting in fourteenth century AD), which grew up from these warring factions were the cultures met by the Spanish in 1519 and largely eradicated by 1521.

Probably the reason that the Spanish were able to conquer the Aztecs in such a short amount of time had less to do with their skill as soldiers and more to do with the fact that the Spaniards physically resembled the descriptions in Aztec legends of the god Quetzalcoatl.

Quetzalcoatl, while symbolized as a feathered serpent, appears also to have been an historic figure - the man credited with bringing civilization, learning, culture, the calendar, mathematics, metallurgy, astronomy, masonry, architecture, productive agriculture, knowledge of the healing properties of plants, law, crafts, the arts, and peace to the native people. He is pictured as a quite different physical type than the natives - fair skinned and ruddy complexioned, long nosed, and with a long beard. He was said to have arrived by boat from the east, and sailed off again years later promising to return someday.

The Pyramid of the Sun


The Pyramid of the Sun, built in the 2nd century AD, dominates the landscape of the ancient city of Teotihuacan in Mexico.It is the third largest pyramid in the world and the largest in the Teotihuacan complex.

This sacred, truncated edifice stood 210 feet high and 650 feet square, a vast pyramid of rubble, adobe mud, and earth all faced with stone. A wooden temple on the summit of the pyramid afforded a spectacular view of the sprawling city below.
The pyramid is actually a succession of pyramids built one on top the other over the centuries. The pyramids and many other structures at Teotihuacan are stepped, rather than smooth sided like the Egyptian pyramids, and the stones of which they are made are not as large as stones used to build Egyptian pyramids.

At its peak time - most of Teotihuacan was plastered, and the pyramids were painted bright red.

Another fascinating feature of some of the pyramidal structures is that they contain a broad, thick layer of mica, which had to be brought from Brazil, over 2000 miles away! Mica is very flaky and fragile, yet it was brought in very large pieces from great distances (and without wheeled vehicles). Then the mica was used on an inner layer of the pyramid, not where it could be seen. Why? One characteristic of mica is that it is used as an insulator in electronic and electrical things. Was that its purpose here? Another mystery of Teotihuacan.

In 1971, a large cave underneath the Pyramid of the Sun was discovered which throws light on why the pyramid was constructed, and perhaps even on why Teotihuacan itself was built where it was.

The cave is actually a natural lava tube enlarged and elaborated in ancient times. The Teotihuacan Valley is a side valley of the Valley of Mexico and is one of a number of natural basins in the midst of an extensive region of volcanoes, therefore, there are many caves formed from the tubes of old lava flows.

The ancient use of the cave predates the pyramid. Aztec tradition placed the creation the Sun and Moon, and even the present universe, at Teotihuacan.

In Pre-Spanish Mexico, such caverns were symbolic wombs from which gods like the Sun and the Moon, and the ancestors of mankind, emerged in the mythological past. This is an immensely holy spot and the memory of its location persisted into Aztec times









The Pyramid of the Moon


The Moon Pyramid is located at the northern end of the Avenue of the Dead, which is the main axis of the city. The pyramid, facing south, was built as the principal monument of the Moon Pyramid complex.

The five-tiered platform was attached to the front of the Moon Pyramid. It is said that the present pyramid has interior structures within it. However, the pyramid still remains as one of the least understood major monuments in Teotihuacan.

The current excavation under the Pyramid of the Moon may be one of the best opportunities to answer questions about the civilization, as its underlying older, primitive loose rock construction may have protected buried secrets by making it difficult to dig under and resistant to looters.






Comparing the Pyramid of the Sun with the Great Pyramid in Egypt


Many scholars outside the established academic circles, have produced extensive evidence that the precise arrangement, proportion and alignment of many ancient monuments expresses, at the very least, advanced and detailed astronomical knowledge well beyond that with which their builders have been credited.

The Pyramid of the Sun and the Great Pyramid of Egypt are almost or very nearly equal to one another in base perimeter. The Pyramid of the Sun is "almost" half the height of the Great Pyramid. There is a slight difference. The Great Pyramid is 1.03 - times larger than the base of the Pyramid of the Sun. Conversely, the base of the Pyramid of the Sun is 97% of the Great Pyramid's base.
The ratio of the base perimeter to the height:
Great Pyramid

6.2800001... : 1
(deviates by 0.05 % from the
6.2831853 value for 2 x pi)

Pyramid of the Sun

12.560171... : 1
(deviates by 0.05 % from the
12.566371 value for 4 x pi)




The ratio of their height to the perimeter of their base are both based on the mathematical ratio 'pi'. The perimeter of the base of the Pyramid of the Sun is 4pi times its height, whereas the Great pyramid of Giza's base perimeter is 2pi times its height. The mathematical ratio 'pi' is based on knowledge of geometry, so the use of 'pi' implies knowledge of sophisticated mathematics also.

Nazca Lines

Introduction

Nazca Lines are the most outstanding group of geoglyphs in the world. Etched in the surface of the desert pampa sand about 300 hundred figures made of straight lines, geometric shapes and pictures of animals and birds - and their patterns are only clearly visible from the air.

Could these geoglyphs be effigies of ancient animal gods or patterns of constellations? Are they roads, star pointers, maybe even a gigantic map? If the people who lived here 2,000 years ago had only a simple technology, how did they manage to construct such precise figures? Did they have a plan? If so, who ordained it? It all seems so otherworldly. To comprehend the Nasca lines, created by the removal of desert rock to reveal the pale pink sand beneath, visitors have proposed every imaginable explanation - from runways for spaceships to tracks for Olympic athletes, from op art to pop art, to astronomical observatories.

It is believed that the geoglyphs were built by a people called the Nasca- but why and how they created these wonders of the world has defied explanation.

As much as the lines awe us, we marvel equally at the imagination of the people who have sought explanations for them.

There are three mysterious aspects to Nazca Plateau

First, the straight lines, many kilometers long, crisscross sectors of the pampas in all directions (as shown on images above). Many of the lines appear to be random and seem to have no pattern to them.

Second, many of the lines form geometric figures: angles, triangles, bunches, spirals, rectangles, wavy lines, etc. Other lines form concentric circles converging with or emanating from a promontory. Other prints have formed "roads" like geometric planes and appear to have been occupied by large groups of the population.

Could these geoglyphs be effigies of ancient animal gods or patterns of constellations? Are they roads, star pointers, maybe even a gigantic map? If the people who lived here 2,000 years ago had only a simple technology, how did they manage to construct such precise figures? Did they have a plan? If so, who ordained it? It all seems so otherworldly. To comprehend the Nasca lines, created by the removal of desert rock to reveal the pale pink sand beneath, visitors have proposed every imaginable explanation - from runways for spaceships to tracks for Olympic athletes, from op art to pop art, to astronomical observatories.

It is believed that the geoglyphs were built by a people called the Nasca- but why and how they created these wonders of the world has defied explanation.

As much as the lines awe us, we marvel equally at the imagination of the people who have sought explanations for them.

world mysteries

For when a man knows not his own first principle, and when the conclusion and intermediate steps are also constructed out of he knows not what, how can he imagine that such a fabric of convention can ever become science?

Plato
Introduction

Official position of science presents the picture of the past in which humanity started from primitive beginnings, and steadily progressed upward in the development of culture and science. Most of the artifacts preserved in archaeological and geological records have been neatly arranged to fit this accepted linear view of our past.

Yet many other unearthed "out-of-place artifacts" create obvious contradictions to the conservative picture of antiquity. They don't fit the established pattern of prehistory, pointing back instead to the existence of advanced civilizations before any of the known ancient cultures came into being.

Though such discoveries are well-documented, most historians would like to sweep these disturbing anomalies under the proverbial rug.

In addition, the mysterious artifacts seem to confirm ancient legends and stories describing human history affected by a very advanced earthly civilization perished in a global cataclysm or influenced by extraterrestrial gods.

In this section we present some of the most intriguing out-of-place artifacts.
Tree of Life




The Olmec "Tree of Life" (Mesoamerican Cosmology).
The lineage founder, 2 Grass, is being born from a twisting World Tree.











The Cosmic Serpent









































our modern treee of life.

Flower of Life

The "Flower of Life" can be found in all major religions of the world.
It contains the patterns of creation as they emerged from the "Great Void". Everything is made from the Creator's thought.
After the creation of the Seed of Life the same vortex's motion was continued, creating the next
structure known as the Egg of Life.

This structure forms the basis for music, as the distances between the spheres is identical to the distances between the tones and the half tones in music. It is also identical to the cellular structure of the third embryonic division (The first cell divides into two cells, then to four cells then to eight). Thus this same structure as it is further developed, creates the human body and all of the energy systems including the ones used to create the Merkaba. If we continue creating more and more spheres we will end up with the structure called the Flower of Life.


The flower of life holds a secret symbol created by drawing 13 circles out of the Flower of Life. By doing this, one can discover the most important and sacred pattern in the universe. This is the source of all that exists; it's called the Fruit of Life. It contains 13 informational systems. Each one explains another aspect of reality. Thus these systems are able to give us access to everything ranging from the human body to the galaxies. In the first system, for example, it's possible to create any molecular structure and any living cellular structure that exists in the universe. In short every living creature.

The most common form of the "Flower of Life" is hexagonal pattern (where the center of each circle is on the circumference of six surrounding circles of the same diameter), made up of 19 complete circles and 36 partial circular arcs, enclosed by a large circle.

The "Seed of Life" is formed from seven circles being placed with sixfold symmetry, forming a pattern of circles and lenses, which acts as a basic component of the Flower of Life's design.

The Temple of Osiris at Abydos, Egypt contains the oldest to date example. it is carved in granite and may possibly represent the Eye of Ra a symbol of the authority of the pharaoh. Other examples can be found in Phoenician, Assyrian, Indian, Asian, Middle Eastern, and medieval art.

Flower of Life - Amistar, India

Leonardo da Vinci has studied the Flower of Life's form and its mathematical properties. He has drawn the Flower of Life itself, as well as components therein, such as the Seed of Life. He has drawn geometric figures representing shapes such as the platonic solids, a sphere, a torus, etc., and has also used the golden ratio of phi in his artwork; all of which may be derived from the Flower of Life design.

Sacred Geometry - Flower of Life

By Andrew Monkman

I believe the complete ancient flower of life is an inter-dimensional tool, a portal,
a stargate, a window into what some call the inter space plains. The original flower of life (found on several pillars within "the Osireion" at abydos in Egypt) is incomplete, because it is only the first layer of three (pic1+2).



















1. Flower of Life carved on a temple wall


































2. The Flower of Life set in stone

at the Temple of Osiris at Abydos, Egypt.

The complete flower has the other two layers added, making it three dimensional (pic3). If you relax (sit three feet away from the screen) and let the flower slowly draw your eyes out of focus, the flower will open. Try and not focus on any one point, blankly stare, take the flower in as a whole. You may get a headache and itchy eyes, this will quickly disappear. We do not see with our eyes, we see through our eyes. Let your mind focus, don't fight it.





















3. Flower of life with two layers added.


What appears is a reptilian entity. This creature is very frightening and fierce looking, but i can assure you it can do you no harm. I know this sounds mad, but it is true and very real. After you get used to interacting with the reptilian, you can move on to the next entity. To interact with the second being you must rotate the flower by 30degrees and repeat the steps.

















Flower of Life - Beijing, China

The second being is the Chinese dragon ( the fu dog). This creature is even more frightening than the first, so be prepared. Again, this creature cannot harm you in anyway. Somehow these entities are in suspended animation. They are real but they do not and cannot move. I know within freemasonry, they call the first entity "the khaibit man". You need to have been initiated into the 10th degree to be aware of the khaibit man. As part of the initiation into the 10th degree, the khaibit man is conjured up in front of you.
I am not a freemason, but my father has been a freemason for over 40 years.
He has been through the 10th degree. When I made this discovery and drew the complete flower, I was living in Edinburgh. I phoned my father who was living at home in Kirkwall on the Orkney isles. When I told my father what I had seen,
he could not believe what I was saying. He told me that the only way I could know what I was telling him was if I had been through the 10th degree.
Obviously I'm not a mason and hadn't been through the 10th, so from that day on my father has told me everything he knows about freemasonry. He also told me that his granny (my great granny Fox) told him when he was 16 years old, that someday one of his children would discover something that would affect the whole world.
He is now convinced that the complete flower is this discovery.





















The Kabbalah Tree of Life derived from the Flower of Life.



The complete flower also contains the three dimensional metatron cube , which holds all the Platonic solids. Not just the building blocks of life, but the building blocks of creation itself.