Egyptian Joke:-)
Here is a comment a reader made after reading the book:
So Ra-Horakhty, Osiris and Horus go into a bar and he sits down on a stool?
:-)
The Egyptian neter (god) Nut as the Milky Way
There is some great photography of the Milky Way that highlights it as the Ancient Egyptian neter Nut.
https://500px.com/photo/209884269/earth-day-aurora-by-rob-dickinson
The Book has been out for two years - thanks!
Awakening Higher Consciousness: Guidance from Ancient Egypt and Sumer has been out for two years and continues to sell on Amazon and in bookstores.
Thanks to everyone who has picked up a copy and checked it out.
Blog #14 - A Timeline of Consciousness with Great Thanks to Graham Hancock
As readers may know Graham Hancock has published a number of excellent books exploring human history and existence. His research, evidence and thoughts provide significant challenges to a number of mainstream scientific fields including anthropology, archaeology and history amongst others. Without a doubt readers should be aware and familiar with Hancock’s insights so as to be a part of present day re-examination of where we have come from and where might we be going. He proposes that humans, and all living beings, are connected through our DNA to a consciousness that transcends a single, physical existence. Readers are encouraged to explore his original books as well as much additional material that he provides on his website: https://grahamhancock.com.
In this blog we attempt to summarize a number of Hancock’s thoughts into a condensed single history. It includes a number of additional references to connect his work with other sources of information.
1) 4,500,000,000 years ago - Earth is formed 4.6 billion years ago: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Earth.
2) 4,400,000,000 years ago - 100 million years later the Earth’s oceans formed and there existed an atmosphere: http://www.ecology.com/2011/09/10/earths-beginnings-origins-life/.
a. Hancock quotes 3,900,000,000 years ago as the date for a solid crust.
3) 4,100,000,000 years ago early life formed. In 200,000,000 years simple forms of life developed and was active on the planet: http://newsroom.ucla.edu/releases/life-on-earth-likely-started-at-least-4-1-billion-years-ago-much-earlier-than-scientists-had-thought. Abiogenesis is the process where non-living chemicals begin taking on living characteristics of self-replication (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abiogenesis).
a. Hancock quotes 3,800,000,000 years ago as the date for abiogenesis which is only 100,000,000 millions years between the formation of the earth’s crust and the time that life formed.
b. Hancock correctly points out in his book Supernatural that this is a very short timeline for development of life from scratch. He points out that there exist the chemical building blocks for life elsewhere in the Solar System and elsewhere in space. He proposes that the placement of DNA on the planet Earth was the result of intention and actions of “extraterrestrials”. Whereas it is highly likely that there were extraterrestrial chemical contributions to the generation of life on earth through the impact of comets and asteroids, it is hard to identify intelligent action.
c. Hancock reports that Dr. Crick, one of the discoverers of the double helix structure of DNA, predicted the probability of independent DNA evolution in the relatively short 200-million year time period between a stable environment and the existence of life as being very low at only 1 in 10260. Although this is a very low probability, it doesn’t mean that it was impossible.
4) 3,480,000,000 years ago - 620,000,000 years after initial life developed, microbial mat fossils such as stromatolites existed in Western Australia.
a. Roughly the same date that Hancock quotes in Supernatural.
5) Sometime between 12,000,000 to 5,000,000 years ago – the chimpanzee-human last common ancestor (CHLC) lived and the Homo species line started to distinguish from the Pan species - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chimpanzee–human_last_common_ancestor
6) 3,500,000 years ago stone tools were made by ancient hominids before the existence of Homo sapiens (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stone_tool).
7) 1,500,000 years ago Homo erectus were making use of fire (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Control_of_fire_by_early_humans).
8) Between 200,000 and 100,000 years ago Homo sapiens became distinct from other early hominoids.
9) 170,000 years ago Homo neanderthals create stone circle in cave: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2016/05/neanderthals-caves-rings-building-france-archaeology/
10) 100,000 years ago ancient Homo sapiens in Blombos Cave on the coast of South Africa were using red ocher and drilling shells representing modern human behavior in South Africa: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blombos_Cave.
11) 60,000 years ago Homo sapiens realized the most recent, large exodus out of Africa.
12) 50,000 years ago Neanderthals were burying their dead.
13) 45,000 years ago Homo sapiens, Homo neanderthal and Homo sapiens ssp. Denisova interbreed.
14) 40,000 years ago Venus statues are produced in Europe (Figure 1) and cave paintings created in Indonesia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prehistoric_art).
Figure 1. Venus of Hohle Fels figurine from 35,000 years ago (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Venus_of_Hohle_Fels).
15) 30,000 years ago the cave paintings in France and Spain (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prehistoric_art).
a. Hancock in his book Supernatural explores the implication of the cave paintings in great detail as representations of a world experienced by shamans under the influence of a hallucinogenic – likely mushrooms. The many cave paintings have frequent representations of therianthropes, part animal and part human figures such as the Sorcerer in the Cave at Trois-Frères, France: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Sorcerer_(cave_art) (Figure 2).
b. According to Hancock, this represents a time when humans began to quickly develop into more modern society.
Figure 2. The Sorcerer from Cave at Trois-Frères, France with the ears of a wolf, the eyes of an owl, the antlers of a stag, the tail of a horse, the claws of a lion, and the feet, legs and body of a human being.
16) 28,000 years ago Neanderthals die out from their last refuge in Gibraltar.
17) 20,000 years ago the Last Glacial maximum was reached in the Northern Hemisphere and the climate began warming up. Sea levels began to slowly rise up from their minimum levels of 122 meters/400 feet below present day resulting in the flooding the World’s coastal zones.
a. This could be the time of the Mesopotamian Apkallu (demi-gods) and Annunaki (giants) all therianthropes represented with “handbags”.
b. This could be the time of the Hebrew Nephilim.
18) 16,700 Human use of Gunung Padang, Indonesia begins.
19) 14,000 years ago there was a meltwater pulse and seawater levels rose relatively quickly by 40 meters/130 feet. This could be the event within human memory that gave rise to Flood myths around the world as coastal lands that were previously occupied became flooded.
20) 12,800 years ago the Younger Dryas geological period began ending 10,000 years of gradual global warming since the end of the last glacial maximum.
a. In Magicians of the Gods, Hancock proposes that this period is the result of a comet hitting the Laruentide Ice sheet and a catastrophic melting of the 3.2 km/2 mi thick layer of ice.
b. According to Hancock this was sufficient to shut down the thermohaline global ocean circulation resulting in global cooling. There is evidence that this circulation was weaker during this time period.
c. Researchers have found nanodiamonds in the sediments of this period. They could only have been produced at that time by the high temperatures resulting from a extraterrestrial impact event.
d. The beginning of the Younger Dryas period is roughly the time of extinction of the megafauna in North America.
21) 12,500 years ago
a. According to Hancock, Robert Bauval and Schoch this is the date of the alignment of the Great Sphinx, Giza, facing the rising of Leo on the Spring Equinox indicating a specific date in the precession of the equinoxes.
b. Construction on Gobekli Tepe is initiated by hunter-gatherers.
22) Between 12,800 to 11,600 years ago in the Younger Dryas global temperatures declined by about 5 °C/10 °F. There are indications that the mean annual temperature in the UK during this period was only −5 °C/23 °F. The cool climate lasts about 1,000 years.
23) 11,600 years ago the Younger Dryas period ends and the climate begins to warm again.
a. Hancock suggests that a second impact with the comet, or its remaining debris field, somewhere into the ocean results in a greenhouse effect, global warming and the reestablishment of global warming and the thermohaline circulation.
b. Work on the “most important” levels of the Gunung Padang megalithic site are initiated.
c. This is the date reported by the Ancient Egyptians/ Solon/Plato for the loss of Atlantis.
c. Hancock proposes the end of a historical Atlantis and the global migration of the survivors to South America, Indonesia and Turkey. The survivors carried with them the technology for megalithic constructions and the foundations of farming and metalworking.
d. The earliest image of a feather serpent therianthropes in Mesoamerica, the “Man in Serpent” image, including “handbag”, is created: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Venta ?
e. Mesoamerican Quetzalcoatl – a therianthrope represented with “handbags”.
f. Kon-Tiki Viracocha “arrived” in Bolivia?
24) 11,000 years ago - Initial wooden posts established at Stonehenge.
25) 5,000 years ago - The world’s most famous therianthrope, The Great Sphinx of Giza was built prior to the wet period in Egypt at this time (Figure 3).
Figure 3. The Great Sphinx of Giza with the head of a human and the body of a lion.
26) 5,000 years ago Sumerian and Egyptian writing begins.
27) 4,600 years ago large stones are installed at Stonehenge.
28) 4,4000 years ago the first 11 great pyramids are built in Ancient Egypt that have the Pyramid Texts inscribed on their inner walls and ceilings. This is the first full literature recorded.
a. Dickie and Boudreau write in support of these texts, and the pyramid complexes, being intended for a living person being initiated into the shamanistic tradition connecting with non-ordinary worlds.
29) According to Hancock in Supernatural, there have been many writings documenting encounters with non-ordinary worlds that include recurring images of:
29a. flying ships (for example Ezekiel’s Wheel, UFO sightings and ayahuasca experiences such as presented in Figure 4).
Figure 4. Painting by Pablo Amaringo as a result of an ayahuasca experience showing some similarity with UFO sightings including lighted floating disc and pale weak humanoid figures. https://grahamhancock.com/galleries/supernatural-amaringo/.
29b. Snakes as shown in Figures 5 through 9.
Figure 5. Snake representation from Siberia pre 12,000 years ago.
Figure 6. Snake Pillar, Göbekli Tepe, circa 11,600 years ago.
Figure 7. Snake representation in Ancient Egypt circa 15,000 years ago.
Figure 8. North American Indian petroglyph of a snakelike image, Arizona. Date of creation unknown.
Figure 9. Painting by Pablo Amaringo as a result of an ayahuasca experience showing the prevalence of snakes. https://grahamhancock.com/galleries/supernatural-amaringo/ .
29c. Therianthropes showing beings with a mixture of human and animal such as the Great Sphinx shown in Figure 3 above and the following figures.
Figure 10. The Ancient Egyptian god Djueti/Thoth represented as a therianthrope with the head of an ibis and the body of a man.
Figure 11. Painting by Pablo Amaringo as a result of an ayahuasca experience showing therianthropes of winged humans at the top of the painting. https://grahamhancock.com/galleries/supernatural-amaringo/.
29d. Occupying a “place in the sky” (such as described in the Egyptian Pyramid Texts) and myths and stories of the North America Indian).
29e. Small delicate, illuminated non-physical humanoids such as is shown in Figure 4 above, the many fairy encounters of Western Europe and the British Isles and more modern UFO reports..
30) Hancock in his book Supernatural does an excellent job of documenting and linking all of these various recurring themes through the history of man. He builds a thesis that they all result from the action of an increased amounts of dopamine in the brain. He argues that 2% of the human population naturally experiences such states but they can be brought on by intense activity or depravation such as associated with ceremonial dancing as well as by the use of hallucinogens such as naturally occurring ayahuasca or psilocin. He proposes that these states involve retuning the human brain to receive contact with other realities that exist in parallel with our more common world.
31) In summary, Hancock’s books represent a new and interesting way of conceiving of human history and development. Although some of his points, such as the scientist Crick using LSD to discover the double helix structure of DNA is very unlikely, he introduces many new and useful points that need to be considered and evaluated carefully against the established history. For that we are greatly indebted to him for his work. Readers are strongly recommended to read his work: https://grahamhancock.com.
Chapter 1 - Awakening Higher Consciousness - free on line
Free read of Chapter 1 published in the last five Blog posts starting with http://www.awhico.com/blog/2016/9/6/in-years-of-yore.
Excerpt #6: My Hard-to-Reach Inner Self
This less familiar, sometimes mysterious inner state certainly has parallels with what is remembered from childhood. Both now and in memory there can be an awareness of the wish for sense and meaning that differs from the satisfaction in daily occupations. I can see the need to be more familiar with the differences between them. In fact, the inner part often appears at times of dissatisfaction, which may find expression in reactions of impatience, objection, or anger; or perhaps in daydreaming; or in mechanically following appetites; or in a wish for comfort. If my hard-to-reach inner self disappears in the midst of daily activities, perhaps that explains why some traditions call such activities “deadly sins”: They lead one to lose the connection with the inner sense of “I.” In my life it always seems to be one or the other, but not both at the same time. The myths ask us why this should be and whether a connection between the two levels of awareness is not desirable, or even necessary, to a sense of the whole of oneself.
Our task is to use the wisdom in myths to find a path toward cohesion and comprehension. We have chosen as centerpieces of our study three of the principal myths of the major civilizations of the Levantine regions, which contributed to the development of modern-day Western European civilization. We have available writings from the ancient Sumerians, Egyptians, and Hebrews that, thanks to developments in the art of translation in the past half century, can now be read and compared with one another with new eyes and new attitudes.
The perspective that is now possible can provide new insights into the elusive wisdom of ancient traditions. Such insights can be of use in understanding the special place of human beings in creation. In modern times, a period that the 20th Century historian and philosopher, Arnold J. Toynbee has called a “time of troubles,” ancient myths can help in the search for a better sense of the meaning of life, of the Self, or of higher consciousness. “Meaning” in the outside world is only an adjunct to the growing sense of need for renewed internal life. With effort we may approach an understanding of the remarkable difference between the spiritual and the merely secular—and possibly appreciate the awakening of higher consciousness within. Ancient myths contain the oldest expression of who we are. This book explores how relatively well-known myths can be re-approached as a contribution to one’s internal work. The book reveals that myths can effectively support our efforts to identify and strengthen our internal sense of high consciousness.
Excerpt #5: The inner and outer "I"
The private individual awareness of an underlying “I” is only with us when our attention is turned to it. Furthermore, some memories of moments of such awareness are accompanied by a special clarity that was possibly vivid in childhood. In the light of these remembrances, it may appear that this inner observer determines whether events are remembered. The inner “I” seems to be missing when one’s attention is distracted or swamped by the strong impressions of an external life. Yet an external shock may also give rise to the internal observer—indeed, may be necessary to arouse it, as myths show us. Associated events are then remembered in a quite direct, clear, and vivid way. Contemplation of this inner being may also make clear that it is always the same person who observes, as though there is for it no such thing as aging. Do space and time even exist for it? Some of the myths specifically, if subtly, engage questions about the origins of time and space and their significance for reality.
Of course, there is no question that our most “awake” moments are few and far between. Authors as far apart in space and time as Plotinus and Northrop Frye recognized that these moments of special clarity arise only rarely, but are well remembered. It is not easy to admit that one’s ordinary self so totally forgets the sense of wonder that it experienced in moments of such seeing! Our forgetting all too easily leads us to suppose that this poorly remembered inner sense is so different from our present state that it can be of little lasting importance in our lives. It may be so fleeting that it later seems even illusory. Myths can help us appreciate the significance of these differences between awareness and being asleep. If we tried to remain in touch with this less familiar Self, would we be distracted by our daydreams and illusions and therefore unable to respond appropriately in the external world Or is the opposite the case? We can see that our lives are so pervaded by the apparently necessary learned mechanical reactions to external stimuli that they mostly obscure or entirely swamp our inner awareness. Is it possible to find an effective balance between the inner and outer influences? In some part , one recognizes that encounters with both are significant features of ones sense of being a complete individual in a real world. The following chapters attempt to illuminate how myths help us revisit such realizations and become more fully balanced. Perhaps the wisdom in ancient myths resides in their ability to invoke deeper impressions of the different values that exist at these different modes of awareness.
To be faithful to the myths, let us regard the inner and outer aspects of the world as two different levels, which are simultaneously available to us while we remain curiously separated from each. It is true that during most interaction with the outer world, the inner awareness of oneself, or even the “thought” of it, does not exist for us as a present reality. At such times, reality exists only in overwhelming encounters with external events, and we are occupied with these challenges. The other world, the one that exists in the momentary glimpses of an inner self, is then almost an aberration. It is there only as a vague feeling of presence that, while it offers another possibility, does so only when we are somehow led to give attention to it. But while the inner world is generally only fleetingly perceived, it seems to embody a more mysterious, perhaps poetic quality—beyond our everyday occupations but somehow consistent with a deeper sense of purpose and meaning in our lives.
Excerpt #4: Addressing individual self-awareness and the awakening of higher consciousness
Under ordinary circumstances it may not seem important or even relevant that I explicitly recognize this fundamental difference between my worlds. But we are now embarking on a study of ancient myths that Western culture regards as tales of wisdom. We cannot go far with such a study without realizing that much of what we encounter raises issues directly related to questions about this “I.” My inner awareness may be entirely missing when I am fully occupied by the external self, which is busy with what needs to be done. In fact, the externalized side of me doesn’t depend on immediate inner attention, and it seems to get along very well without the inner “I.”
In these myths we are repeatedly faced with situations and individuals (both humans and gods) whose behaviors and lives demand comparison with our own. They may compel us to ask ourselves: How can I understand this tale in relation to my own life? Does the quality of my life not depend on the relation between the contradictory demands of my external, practical life, and my inner sense of myself? How can this unfamiliar but logically important underpinning of my life interact with the view that has formed in me as a result of continual external demands? Can fulfilling the private part of me be balanced with the requirements of living a full life in the external world?
The myths we study in this book are vitally concerned with these questions. We have written about these myths because they warn us of the threat of refusing to study such questions in our own lives. We therefore invite you, our reader, to approach this book with a certain mode of reflection and a keen awareness of your own possible stake in what the myths may offer.
Most of us first encounter the evocative powers of myth in childhood, in fairy tales and fables. However, although myths can help us as adults understand the meaning and significance of life, this potential develops only very gradually because of distractions by both work and “entertainment.” We, the authors of this book, found our lives as professional scientists virtually fully occupied, and we only gradually recognized that we needed modes of thought other than the logical and rational to pursue aspirations toward what is of most value to us, both in ourselves and in our surrounding culture. In our case, through a drive to understand the significance of some of the most remarkable discoveries of modern science, we gradually realized the necessity of broadening thought to include modes primarily encountered in myth, such as analogy. In doing so, we were amazed to find consistent themes in diverse myths addressing individual self-awareness and the awakening of higher consciousness.