Djed Symbol

Two ivory Djed pillars found in a
First Dynasty tomb at Helwan.
(photograph taken by J.D.Degreef)

The Concept of the Djed Symbol
By Vincent Brown, 2012

One of the most enigmatic symbols of Ancient Egypt is the Tet, or  Djed. Although it was widely used as a religious icon throughout much of the history and geography of Ancient Egypt, it is still not clearly understood what the Djed was originally conceived to represent. Determining its meaning from its appearance alone is not an easy task so we shall take some of the suggested definitions and analyse each individually. But first of all lets look at the key elements that make up the symbol.

Typical Distinctive Features:

• Four horizontal bars surmounting a vertical shaft
• Vertical striations between each bar
• These striations are shown in profile on the sides of the Djed creating a curved appearance
• Four bands around neck of the shaft
• Sometimes a small capital can be seen surmounting the Djed
• The Djed often stands on a rectangular base

Days of the Law

SACRED DAYS OF THE LWA
By Houngan Hector, 2011

Vodou is a tradition of action. That is why most people will say “M sevi Ginen” (I serve Ginen) rather than say “I’m a Vodouisant”. Now all religions are, ideally, a way of life. But Vodou is most adamantly so. Service is an action, and that is how we describe our tradition, in terms that refer to those actions. Vodou is something you live, rather than simply do. It is not a tradition you can learn passively. You need to dig right in and get your hands dirty, so to speak. During ceremonies, everything is based on actions: salutes, dancing, drumming, singing, and tracing veves – to name a few. We do not have congregation members sitting as someone preaches.

Everyday of the week is sacred to a particular Lwa or group of Lwa. Sunday is God’s day. Vodouisants vary on what happens on Sunday. Some will not do any spiritual work, will not salute the lwa, will not do anything that has to do with Ginen. Others do not discriminate against the day. They say, “Yes, Sunday is sacred to God, I will remember Him and respect Him, but everyday I need to eat!” In other words, they still do Vodouisant activities on this day.  Most Vodouisants attend Church and Mass and may say prayers or give some other sort of attention directed towards the Creator.

Quantum Dream – 2

QUANTUM PHYSICS: THE PHYSICS OF DREAMING
By Paul Levy, 2014

Part 1

6. SELF-EXCITED CIRCUIT

Wheeler’s vision of the universe is like a “self-excited circuit,” to use a metaphor from electronics. To say the universe is “self”-excited is to say it is not “other”-excited, which is to say that rather than depending upon an external agent, god or deity, the universe is self-creating and self-referential─i.e., able to refer to, reflect and act upon itself, and hence, endlessly re-create itself anew.[34]

Seen as a self-excited and self-actualizing circuit, the physical universe bootstraps itself into existence, laws and all. As a self-excited circuit, the universe gives rise to observers who, in completing the circuit, potentially give meaningful reality to the universe. Wheeler says,

“The universe is to be compared to a circuit self-excited in this sense, that the universe gives birth to consciousness, and consciousness gives meaning to the universe.”

Four Worlds

Four Worlds

The Four Worlds (Hebrew: עולמות‎ Olamot/Olamos, singular: Olam עולם), sometimes counted with a prior stage to make Five Worlds, are the comprehensive categories of spiritual realms in Kabbalah in the descending chain of Existence.

The concept of “Worlds” denotes the emanation of creative lifeforce from the Ein Sof Divine Infinite, through progressive, innumerable tzimtzumim (concealments/veilings/condensations). As such, God is described as the “Most Hidden of All Hidden”, and Olam is etymologically related to, and sometimes spelled as, עלם (Noun: העלם Helem meaning “concealment”).

Simple PI

PI 
From Math.com

Pi is a name given to the ratio of the circumference of a circle to the diameter. That means, for any circle, you can divide the circumference (the distance around the circle) by the diameter and always get exactly the same number. It doesn’t matter how big or small the circle is, Pi remains the same. Pi is often written using the symbol and is pronounced “pie”, just like the dessert.

A Brief History of Pi
Ancient civilizations knew that there was a fixed

Plain Planets of Western Astrology

Planets in astrology 

Planets in astrology have a meaning different from the modern astronomical understanding of what a planet is. Before the age of telescopes, the night sky was thought to consist of two very similar components: fixed stars, which remained motionless in relation to each other, and “wandering stars” (Ancient Greek/Coptic: ἀστέρες πλανῆται asteres planetai), which moved relative to the fixed stars over the course of the year.

To the Greeks this group comprised the five planets visible

Siding With Africa

Many African religions influenced by Egyptian religion
By Untangle Incorporated, 2002

(O.J. Lucas’ RELIGIONS IN WEST AFRICA AND ANCIENT EGYPT is the source of these ideas)

The evidence for Ancient Egyptian religion powerful influence on many African religions may be summarised under the following headings:

• Language
• Religious Ideas
• Religious Practices
• Bodily Mutilations
• Funeral Rites

Sixth Dalai Lama

TSHANGS-DBYANGS-RGYA-MTSHO
Author: FANG CHAO-YING

Tshangs-dbyangs-rgya-mtsho 策養［倉洋］嘉錯 , Feb.11, 1683-1706, the Sixth Dalai Lama and poet, was born at Mon in southern Tibet. His full name was bLo-bzang-rig-hdsins （羅布藏仁青)-tshangs-dbyangs-rgya-mtsho.

The year before he was born the Fifth Dalai Lama had died. According to Tibetan law, the death of a Dalai Lama should be publicly announced, and high commissioners should then convene to select some new-born infant as the reincarnation of the deceased Lama. This infant is then educated in the monastery, Potala, and the Panchan Lama rules at the head of a body of regents, until the child comes of age. But this procedure was ignored in this instance as the Tipa (temporal administrator under the Dalai Lama), whose name was sDe-srid Sangsrgyas-rgya-mtsho, known in

KMT – GEB (10) – Earth NTR

Geb

In Kemet, Geb was the NTR of the Earth and a member of the NTRW at Anu (Iunu).

As the earth, he is often seen reclining beneath his wife, NTRt Nut, the sky. Leaning on one elbow, with a knee bent toward the sky, this is representative of the mountains and valleys of the earth. Geb was believed to have originally been engaged in eternal union with his wife Nut, and had to be separated from her by Shu, god of the air. Consequently, in mythological depictions, Geb was shown as a man reclining, sometimes with his phallus still pointed towards Nut.

He is shown either as a dark brown or green man (the colors of life, the soil of the rivers and vegetation, respectively) with green patches or leaves on his skin. He could also be pictured with a goose (Geb or Seb) on his head.

The Twelve Links – Nidanas

The Twelve Nidanas

The twelve links of dependent origination, are the twelve nidanas in the chain of the causation of samsara. The twelve nidanas are usually depicted in Tibetan Thankas as the ‘Wheel of Life’ drawn with twelve scenes forming a circle.

In the center of the circle, passion, aggression and ignorance, usually depicted by a chicken, snake and a pig respectively, represent the basic pull-push-ignore dynamic intrinsic of a dualistic ‘I’ and ‘other‘ relationship. As the ego and its projections need constant maintenance, the nidanas constantly spin.

1. Ignorance – Avidya (Skt), Ma-rig-pa (Tb)
(Image: An old blind person groping for his way with a cane.)
Avidya is the fundamental ignorance of the truths and the delusion of mistakenly perceiving the skandhas as a self. Avidya represents the very beginning of the formation of ‘I’ and ‘other’. ‘I’ and ‘other’ arise together and with dependence on each other. The formation and relationship between ‘I’ and ‘other’ occurring in an atmosphere of ignorance leads to the ever-recurring conceptual phantoms that rule the life of being in samsara. Avidya marks the beginning of self-consciousness.