Subject: The Inner Earth. Feb. 16, 2008.
Here is some information about the inner Earth.
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Part 4: Mythology, Paradise, and the Inner World
(JW I don't know where parts 1, 2 and three are
of this material.)
1.
http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/dp5/inner4.htm
The Imperishable Sacred Land
2.
http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/dp5/inner4.htm
Shambhala
3.
http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/dp5/inner4.htm
northern paradise
4.
http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/dp5/inner4.htm
Inner kingdoms
http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/dp5/inner4.htm
1. The Imperishable Sacred Land
Theosophy teaches that a series of seven
root-r-ces or humanities will develop during
the present fourth round of the earth's e-olution.
The first humanity is said to have appeared
in the mid-Paleozoic, about 150 million years
ago (according to the theosophical timescale),
and we are currently in the fifth. Each lives
on its own 'continent', a word referring not
only to the main continental area where the
ev-lution of a root-ra-e takes place but also
to all the dry land that exists during the
life-period a particular root-r-ce. Just as
the root-ra-es overlap, so parts of the
continents of one root-rac- become
incor****ated into the continental system
of the next [1].
The first continent is known as the
Imperishable Sacred Land and is the most
mysterious of the seven continents. It
is said to be located in the region of
the north pole.
This 'S-cred Land' . . . is stated never
to have shared the fate of the other
continents; because it is the only one whose
destiny it is to last from the beginning
to the end of the Manvantara throughout
each Round. It is the cradle of the first
man and the dwelling of the last d-vine
mortal, chosen as a ****shta for the future
seed of humanity. Of this mysterious and
sa-red land very little can be said,
except, perhaps, according to a poetical
expression in one of the Commentaries,
that the 'polestar has its watchful eye
upon it, from the dawn to the close of
the twilight of "a day" of the GREAT
BREATH' [In India called 'The Day of
Brahma.']. [2]
The statement that the first continent
never sinks or perishes is repeated
many times, and this characteristic
distinguishes it from the other continents
[3].
The first continent surrounded and
included the north pole and extended
somewhat southwards from the pole in
seven different zones, like the leaves
of a lotus. These zones included Greenland,
Spitzbergen, Sweden, Norway, and Siberia,
together with other former land areas
in the far north that have since been
submerged.
The central locality of the first
continent was right at the north pole.
H.P. B-avatsky writes:
If, then, the teaching is understood
correctly, the first continent which
came into existence capped over the
whole North Pole like one unbroken
crust, and remains so to this day,
beyond that inland sea which seemed
like an unreachable mirage to the few
arctic travellers who perceived it. [4]
G. de Purucker drew attention to the
phrase 'If, then, the teaching is
understood correctly', and pointed out that
Blavatsky was not permitted to give out
all she had been taught [5].
If the earth is hollow, as Bl-vatsky's
review of The Hollow Globe by Lyon and
Sherman implies, then the first continent
could refer to two different things: the
polar land on the outer surface of the
earth, and the sa-red central land or
'inner circle' in the earth's interior,
which will continue to exist until the
earth reaches the end of its life-period.
Likewise, terms such as 'the blessed
land of eternal light and summer' and
'the land of the eternal sun'[6] could
refer either to the polar land at a
time when the earth's axis was more or less
upright and the polar regions were in
sunlight, or to the inner central land if
the earth's interior is self-luminous or
contains a central sun.
2. Shambhala
Tibetan sacred texts speak of a mystical
kingdom called Shambhala, hidden behind
snow peaks somewhere north of Tibet, where
the most sacred Buddhist teachings -- the
Kalachakra or Wheel of Time -- are preserved.
It is prophesied that a future king of
Shambhala will come with a great army to
free the world from barbarism and tyranny,
and will usher in a golden age.
Similarly, the Hindu Puranas say that a
future world redeemer -- the kalki-avatara,
the tenth and final manifestation of Vishnu
-- will come from Shambhala. Both the Hindu
and Buddhist traditions say it contains a
magnificent central palace radiating a
powerful, diamondlike light.
The mythical paradise of Shambhala is
known under many different names:
It has been called the Forbidden Land,
the Land of White Waters . .;, the Land
of Radiant Spirits, the Land of Living
Fire, the Land of the Living Gods and
the Land of Wonders. Hindus have known
it as Aryavarsha, the land from which
the Vedas come; the Chinese as Hsi Tien,
the Western Paradise of Hsi Wang Mu,
the Royal Mother of the West; the
Russian Old Believers, a nineteenth-century
Christian sect, knew it as Belovodye and
the Kirghiz people as Janaidar. But
throughout Asia it is best known by its
Sanskrit name, Shambhala, meaning 'the
place of peace, of tranquillity,' or as
Chang Shambhala, northern Shambhala,
the name Hindus use to distinguish it
from an Indian town of the same name. .
At the end of his life the Chinese Taoist
teacher Lao-Tzu, returned to Shambhala,
although he called it Tebu Land. .It is
regarded by most esoteric traditions as
the true center of the planet, as the
world's spiritual powerhouse and the
heartland of a brotherhood of adepts from
every race and country who have been
influential in every major religion,
every scientific advance and every social
movement in history. [1]
Buddhist texts say that Shambhala can
be reached only by a long and difficult
journey across a wilderness of deserts
and mountains, and warn that only those
who are called and have the necessary
spiritual preparation will be able to
find it; others will find only blinding
storms, empty mountains, or even death.
One text says that the kingdom of Shambhala
is round, but it is usually depicted as an
eight-petalled lotus blossom -- a symbol
of the heart chakra. Indeed, an old
Tibetan story states that 'The kingdom of
Shambhala is in your own heart.' As Edwin
Bernbaum points out, the guidebooks to
Shambhala, whose puzzling directions are a
mixture of realism and fantasy, can be
read, on one level, as 'instructions for
taking an inner journey from the familiar
world of the surface consciousness
through the wilds of the subconscious to
the hidden sanctuary of the superconscious'
[2].
The Land of Shambhala.
In the center are Mount Meru and the
King's palace, surrounded by 8 petal-shaped
regions with their 96 principalities.
Nevertheless, the idea that Shambhala is
also located in the material world is firmly
rooted in Tibetan tradition. Opinions on
where the kingdom might lie, however, differ
markedly.
Some Tibetans think it might be in Tibet,
perhaps in the Kunlun mountains; more point
toward the region around Mongolia and
Sinkiang province of China; but most believe
that Shambhala is in Siberia or some other
part of Russia.
Some lamas believe it is hidden in the
desolate, uninhabited wastes of the Arctic.
According to Lama Kunga Rimpoche, 'Shambhala
is probably at the North Pole, since the
North Pole is surrounded by ice, and
Shambhala is surrounded by ice mountains.'
Finally, a few lamas believe that
Shambhala exists outside the earth on
another planet or in another 'dimension'
[3].
Bernbaum once had a dream of going with
a guide to the north pole. As they
approached the pole, the air became warmer
and the snow cover thinner until there
was only grassy tundra, flowers, and a
balmy breeze. Finally they came to a round
pond with a small island that had a pole
right at the center. He turned to his guide
and protested, 'But this is impossible!
This can't be the north pole; there's
supposed to be ice and snow up here.' The
guide merely pointed at the island and
said with a smile, 'There's the pole.'
Bernbaum related his dream to Lama
Chopgye Trichen Rimpoche, who remarked:
'That may have been the entrance to
Shambhala' [4].
The Russian artist, philosopher, and
explorer Nicholas Roerich (1874-1947)
travelled through China and Mongolia
to the borders of Tibet in 1925-1928.
During a conversation with a lama, he
was told: 'Great Shambhala is far beyond
the ocean. It is the mighty heavenly
domain. It has nothing to do with our
Earth. .
Only in some places, in the Far North, can you
discern the resplendent rays of Shambhala.'
When pressed by Roerich, the lama conceded that
the heavenly Shambhala had an earthly counterpart.
Indeed, the expression 'the resplendent rays of
Shambhala' seems to be a reference to the aurora
that manifests in the polar region. But the
lama also described Shambhala as a 'far-off
valley', hidden in the midst of high mountains,
with hot springs and rich vegetation.
The lama stated that the ruler of Shambhala
is 'ever vigilant in the cause of mankind':
he sees all the events of earth in his 'magic
mirror' and 'the might of his thought penetrates
into far-off lands'. He continued: 'Uncountable
are the inhabitants of Shambhala. Numerous
are the splendid new forces and achievements
which are being prepared there for humanity.'
The lama confirmed that messengers from
Shambhala are at work in the world, and that
even the ruler himself sometimes appears in
human form. He stressed that the secrets of
Shambhala are well guarded, and that it is
impossible for anybody to reach Shambhala
unless their karma is ready and they are
called [5].
The modern theosophical tradition, too,
recognizes that Shambhala is a real place:
Part 1.
John Winston. johnfw@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
The Inner Earth. Part 2. Feb. 17, 2008.
This talks about where the place is.
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Shambhala . . although no erudite Orientalist has yet
succeeded in locating it geographically, is an actual
land or district, the seat of the greatest brotherhood
of s-iritual adepts and their chiefs on earth today.
From Shambhala at certain times in the history of the
world, or more accurately of our own fifth root-r-ce,
come forth the messengers or envoys for sp-ritual
and intellectual work among men.
This Great Brotherhood has branches in various
parts of the world, but Shambhala is the center or
chief lodge. We may tentatively locate it in a
little-known and remote district of the high
tablelands of central Asia, more particularly in
Tibet. [6]
It is surrounded by an aka****c veil of invisibility;
and an a-my of airplanes might fly over it and
see it not. All the ar-ies of all the nations on
earth might pass it by and not know that it existed.
It is quite an extensive tract of country. .
In it are gathered some of the most valuable
records of the human r-ce.
There, surrounded by the greatest and most
evolved human beings, the Silent Watcher of the
Earth has his invisible abode. [7]
Shambhala, our 'spi-itual home', is said in
theosophy to comprise two localities on earth.
One of them is 'situated in the highlands of
Asia, somewhere to the westward of the meridian
line passing through Lhassa' [8].
Long ago, this locality was a s-cred island
in a vast Central Asian inland sea, known as
the 'abyss of learning' or 'sea of knowledge',
and was accessible via subterranean passages.
According to tradition, this place exists
to this day as an oasis surrounded by the Gobi
desert [9].
But there is also another h-ly locality,
alluded to in all the great exoteric r-ligions:
This spot is the summit of what in the Hindu
Puranas is called Shveta-dvipa, Mount Meru or
Sumeru. It is the north pole of the earth,
so chosen not for its geographical qualities,
if such there be, but on account of its
astronomical position. .;. It is the mystical
north pole, geographically identical with the
north pole of the earth, but mystically quite
different . [10]
In other words, Shambhala, in one of its
meanings, is the Sa-red Imperishable Land.
Theosophical literature also states that there
is an even higher Shambhala located in the sun,
and that all these different localities are
inhabited by classes of entities with which
the human rac- is spirit-ally and intellectually
connected.
Bearing in mind that the Central Asian
Shambhala is said to be protected by an
'aka****c veil' which renders it invisible and
impenetrable, it is interesting to note that
in the review of The Hollow Earth, B-avatsky
suggests that explorers may have been prevented
from penetrating further north into what was
then suspected to be an open polar sea by
'the exercise of some o-cult power'. This
could be interpreted to mean that there is
something in the northern polar region that is
being concealed -- not by a m-litary/g-vernment
c-nspiracy, but by oc-ult forces.
3. A northern paradise
Traditions of a paradisiacal, primeval land
in the far north are universal. Sometimes this
sacred land is said to be located in the `center'
or 'navel' of the earth. In one sense, this
refers to the north pole, which appears to
be in the 'center' of the earth if the planet
is viewed from above the pole. But clearly
such expressions could also refer to the earth's
interior. The northern paradise is often
associated with a world tree, a world mountain
or pillar from which four rivers emerge, and
a world-engirdling serpent. The pillar,
mountain, or tree links our own 'middle earth'
with the upper and lower worlds [1].
All these symbolic features can be interpreted
on different levels -- terrestrial, astronomical,
and spi-itual.
The Scandinavian tree of life (Yggdrasil), growing
on the cosmic mountain [2].
In Hindu mythology Meru* is the mystical mountain
at the center of the world, where Indra, king of
the g-ds, has his jewelled palace. Victoria LePage
points out that 'Mount Meru is conceived of as the
earth's navel as well as its central staff, its
source of life and power spreading out from the
central region to the eight outer zones, and from
thence to the world' [3].
The symbolism here is derived from embryology: just
as the embryo grows from the navel outwards, so does
the earth. 'Meru' actually has several different
meanings, including a mountain in Asia, the north
geographical pole, the north celestial pole, the
earth's spin axis, the world axis connecting
earth to higher realms, and the cerebrospinal axis
of the human body.
*Like the Egyptians and the Akkadians, the Indians
conceived of two opposed polar mounts: the arctic
Meru, known as Sumeru (su = good, beautiful), was
the dwelling of the go-s, and the antarctic Meru, or
Kumeru (ku = bad, miserable), was the dwelling of
the d-mons.
Meru, the Olympus of the Indians, is said to be
situated in the centre or navel of the earth. It was
guarded by serpents, which 'watched the entrance to
the realm of Se-ret Knowledge'.
Part 2.
John Winston. johnfw@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
The Inner Earth. Part 3. Feb. 18, 2008.
Here they talk about underground tunnels.
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According to tradition, it was the 'land of
bliss' of the earliest Vedic times. O-cult
teachings 'place it in the very center of the North
Pole, pointing it out as the site of the first
continent on our earth, after the solidification
of the globe' [4].
In the ancient astronomical text Surya-Siddhanta
(12:34), Meru is described as 'passing through the
middle of the earth-globe, and protruding on either
side' [5].
H.P. B-avatsky says that 'Meru is not "the
fabulous mountain in the navel or center of the
earth," but its roots and foundations are in that
navel, though it is in the far north itself. This
connects it with the "central" land "that never
perishes". [6].
Just as the human body contains a series of
chakras, or subtle energy centres, linked by the
sushumna, a central channel in the spinal cord,
so there may be corresponding energy centers on
and in the body of the earth. Shambhala is
sometimes described as the main power center,
with auxiliary centers scattered about the globe
[7].
In theosophy, the heart of mother earth is said
to beat 'under the foot of sacred Shambhala',
and we are told:
O-cult teaching corroborates the popular
tradition which asserts the existence of a
fountain of life in the bowels of the earth
and in the North Pole. It is the b-ood of the
earth, the electro-magnetic current, which
circulates through all the arteries; and which
is said to be found stored in the 'navel' of
the earth. [8]
This inner reservoir of physical and
psychospiritual life-forces may correspond in
one sense to the root-chakra (muladhara chakra)
in the human body, situated at the base of the
spine. From this viewpoint, Meru represents the
central duct or path of terrestrial kundalini
or shakti running through the earth [9].
Some Hebrew legends speak of a place called
Luz -- an underground city near a sacred mountain
called the 'abode of immortality'. An almond
tree, named luz in Hebrew, grew near it, a
hollow in its roots leading down to the
underground center.
Reno Guonon saw this as another version of the
archetypal mountain/tree/cave complex symbolizing
Shambhala. He stated that the real significance
of Luz is that it corresponds in planetary
terms to the muladhara chakra, whose kabalistic
name in Hebrew is luz. The name derives from a
root word denoting that which is concealed,
s-cret, and silent; it also connotes a kernel
-- the innermost part of the almond. The most
common iconographic depiction of Shambhala is
similar to the four-spoked muladhara chakra,
the subtle 'earth-center' in the human body [10].
In his book "Paradise Found", William Warren
writes: The earliest inhabitants of the
Tigro-Euphrates basin located 'the Center of
the Earth,' "not in their own midst", but in
a far-off land, of sacred associations, where
'the holy house of g-d' is situated, -- a land
'into the heart whereof man hath not penetrated;'
a place underneath the 'overshadowing
world-tree,' and beside the 'full waters.' No
description could more perfectly identify the
spot with the Arctic Pole of ancient Asiatic
mythology. [11]
In The Chaldean Account of G-nesis, we read:
'Human beings . The great go-s created, and
in the earth the -ods created for them a
dwelling. . In the midst of the earth they
grew up and became great, and increased in number,
Seven kings, brothers of the same family .
Iranian, Indian, Chinese, Scandinavian, and
Aztec literature also refer to this ambiguous
location at 'the center of the earth' [12].
The Japanese paradise was situated 'on the
top of the globe' and at the same time 'at
the center of the earth'. It was called the
'island of the congealed drop'.
Its first roof-pillar was the earth's axis,
and over it was the pivot of the vault of
h-aven. Similarly, the Chinese terrestrial
paradise, round in form, is described not
only as at the center of the earth, but
also as directly under Shang-te's heavenly
palace, which is declared to be in the
polestar, and is sometimes called the
'palace of the center'.
The Egyptians located their Ta Neter, or
land of the g-ds, in the extreme north [13].
Today there is an echo of these ancient
traditions in the fact that children send
notes to Santa Claus, or Father Christmas,
in his 'wonderland' at the north pole, asking
for gifts.
The Eskimos have legends that they came
from a fertile land of perpetual sun****ne
in the north. They believe that after
d-ath the s-ul descends beneath the earth,
first to an abode rather like purgatory,
but good so-ls then descend further to a
place of perfect bliss where the sun never
sets [14].
In P-alm 48:2 of the B-ble, Mount Zion is
said to be 'in the far north', and in E-ekiel
(28:13-14) Eden, 'the garden of Go-', is
placed on the 'holy mountain of Go-'. In
Hebrew tradition, the primeval Eden is
sometimes said to be at the 'center of the
earth' [15].
According to the Hindu Kurma Purana, an
island called Shveta-Dvipa, or W-ite
Island, lay in the northern sea, the
paradisiacal homeland of great yogis
possessing supreme wisdom and learning [16].
B-avatsky writes: 'According to Tibetan
tradition the Wh-te Island is the only
locality which escapes the general fate
of other dwipas and can be destroyed by
neither fire nor water, for -- it is the
"eternal land" ' [17].
North of the Himalayas, possibly in the
Tarim Basin, lay Uttarakuru or northern
Kuru, a version of Shambhala which the
Mahabharata describes as the blissful
land of the sages towards which Arjuna,
the warrior prince of the Bhagavad-Gita,
travelled in search of enlightenment.
It is described as a place of marvels
where magic fruit trees yield the
nectar of immortality. It is said to
be one of four regions surrounding Mount
Meru like the four petals of a lotus
and to be the homeland of the siddhas,
enlightened yogis famed for their
miraculous powers [18].
Greek mythology speaks of a mysterious
northern yet ever-springlike land called
Hyperborea ('beyond the north wind'),
situated beyond the mountains -- in
some accounts situated under the north
pole -- to which Apollo journeyed in
his chariot of swans [19].
There the true 'omphalos' or navel of
the earth was located. For the Orphics,
the island of Electris, the seat of the
go-s, lies under the polestar in the
furthest waters of Tethys [20].
The Mandean Gnostics believed that an ideal
earth, an earth of light peopled by a d-vine
r-ce of superhumans, was situated in the
north, separated from our world by a high
mountain of ice. It is said to exist
'between heaven and earth', and Henry
Corbin concludes that it does not refer
to the north of our globe but to the
'cosmic north', i.e. superphysical realms
[21].
But, like Shambhala, it might also have
an earthly counterpart.
The Avestan term 'Airyanem Vaejah'
(Pahlavi: Eran-Vej) designates the
cradleland of the Aryan-Iranians, located
not in any of the earth's seven
climates, but at the center of the central
zone, the eighth climate [22].
It was there that Yima, the 'first man',
received the command to construct a vara,
or enclosure, where the most highly
developed humans, animals, and plants
would be gathered in order to save them
from the deadly winter unleashed by
the demonic powers so that they might
one day refurbish a transfigured world.
This "vara" or paradise had a gate and
luminescent windows which se-reted an
inner light within, for it was illuminated
by both uncreated and created lights. Its
various meanings include a subterranean
sanctuary, an ark, and the human body [23].
Airyanem Vaejah, the 'primeval land of
bliss', appears to be identical to
Shveta-Dvipa, Mount Meru, the Sac-ed
Imperishable Land, and Shambhala (in
its several meanings) [24].
Bla-atsky quotes Fargard 1:2 of the
Vendidad, where 'we find Ahura-Mazda saying
to Spitama "the most benevolent" -- that he
made every land dear to its dwellers, since
otherwise the "whole living world would
have invaded the Airyana-Vaego" ' [25].
According to Fargard 2:40, 'The one thing
missed there is the sight of the stars, the
moon, and the sun, and a year seems only as a
day' [26].
4. Inner kingdoms
As with the idea of a paradisiacal
cradleland of humanity at the north pole,
references to networks of caverns and
tunnels and/or an inner world within the
earth are commonplace in the world's
r-ligions, myths, legends, and folklore.
The attributes assigned to the underworld
range from h-avenly to h-llish, and its
inhabitants likewise range from superhuman
to subhuman. Myths and legends generally
embody multiple levels of meaning, and
the underworld can also refer to
nonphysical planes of reality.
During his travels in Asia, Nicholas
Roerich spent a lot of time studyingm local
folklore, which included tales of lost
tribes or subterranean dwellers.
In many places of Central Asia, they
speak of the Agharti ['concealed', 'se-ret'],
the subterranean people. In numerous
beautiful legends they outline the same
story of how the best people abandoned the
treacherous earth and sought salvation in
hidden countries where they acquired new
forces and conquered powerful energies. [1]
While crossing the Karakorum pass, his
Ladakhi guide said to him: 'Do you know
that in the subterranean caves here many
treasures are hidden and that in them
lives a wonderful tribe which abhors the
s-ns of the earth?'
And again when we approached Khotan the
hoofs of our horses sounded hollow as
though we rode above caves or hollows.
Our caravan people called our attention
to this, saying, 'Do you hear what hollow
subterranean passages we are crossing?
Through these passages, people who are
familiar with them can reach far-off
countries.' When we saw entrances of
caves, our caravaneers told us, 'Long ago
people lived there; now they have gone
inside; they have found a subterranean
passage to the subterranean kingdom. Only
rarely do some of them appear again on
earth.
Part 3.
John Winston. johfw@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
The Inner Earth. Part 4. Feb. 18, 2008.
This tells from where the American Indians came.
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Great is the belief in the Kingdom of the
subterranean people. Through all Asia, through the
space of all deserts, from the Pacific to the
Urals, you can hear the same wondrous tale of the
vanished h-ly people. And even far beyond the Ural
Mountains, the echo of the same tale will reach
you. [2]
There is rumored to be a vast underground
network of caves and tunnels under the whole of
Central Asia, with many passages radiating out
from the s-iritual hub of Shambhala [3].
According to popular belief, there are numerous
s-cret subterranean passages beneath India, whose
entrances are guarded by elementals which assume
the shape of rocks or other natural features. For
instance, Varanasi (Benares), whose ancient name
is Ka****, is said to be connected by a tunnel to
Gupta Ka**** ('gupta' = s-cret, hidden), an
underground city in the Himalayas, about 50 miles
from Badrinath [4].
Mesoamerica and South America have long been
rumoured to be honeycombed with long, mysterious
tunnels, some of them running for hundreds of
miles, from Columbia in the north through Peru
and Bolivia to Chile in the south, and to the
Amazon jungle in the east. Only a few sections
of these tunnels have so far been discovered [5].
H.P. B-avatsky mentions an immense tunnel
running from Cuzco to Lima in Peru, and then
extending south into Bolivia [6].
In Egypt, a vast subterranean world is
traditionally believed to extend from the
catacombs of Alexandria to Thebes' Valley of the
Kings. The subterranean crypts of Thebes were
known as the serpent's catacombs, the serpent
being a symbol of wisdom and immortality [7].
Many Native American peoples believe that
their ancestors originated in a joyous
subterranean realm, or took refuge in caverns
to escape past cataclysms. (JW I once was
talking to an America Indian who was fi****ng
for catfish at 12:00 pm at night on the banks
of a Lake Isabella in Calif. and he told me
the same thing.)
The Cherokee Indians speak of a subterranean
world much like our own, with mountains, rivers,
trees, and people [8]. (JW The Cherokee Indians
are said to have come originally from The Pleiades.
They have a lot of rituals that talk about the
7 stars of the Pleiades and also the seven
sisters in regard to The Devil's Tower.)
The Aztecs said their ancestors came from
a land called Aztlan, and that after escaping
its destruction they ended up in a cavern called
Chicomoztoc, or the Seven Cavern Cities of Gold,
where they lived before emerging to the surface
world [9].
The M-xican demi-g-d Votan describes a
subterranean passage, a 's****'s hole', which
runs underground and terminates at the root of
the h-avens; he himself was allowed to enter
it because he was a 'son of the s****s' [10].
The Hopi Indians hold their rituals in an
underground chamber known as the kiva.
In the center of the kiva, on the altar level
and directly below the roof opening, is the
sunken fire pit in which a fire is lighted in
the New Fire Ceremony for life began with fire.
Next to it is the small hole in the floor
called the "sipapuni". Etymologically derived
from the two words for 'navel' and 'path from,'
the "sipapuni" thus denotes the umbilical cord
leading from Mother Earth and symbolizes the
path of man's Emergence from the previous
underworld.
The ladder represents the reed up which man
climbed during his Emergence . [11]
The Hopis believe there has been a succession
of four worlds. The first world was destroyed
by fire, the second by a pole****ft, and the
third by flooding. Some chosen people were saved
from the disasters that destroyed the first
two worlds by taking refuge underground, and
some survived the destruction of the third
world by being sealed inside hollow reeds. The
Pima Indians speak of the emergence into our
world being effected through a spiral hole
that was bored up to the earth's surface [12].
Legends of ancestral origins in subterranean
lands are also found in Africa and Australia.
Australian aborigines believe their ancestors
came up out of the ground, travelled about the
country and created new tribes, then 'ultimately
journeyed away beyond the confines of their
territory, or went down into the ground again'.
According to the native traditions of the
Caroline Islands, Papua New Guinea, and
Malaysia, a subterranean r-ce of giants went
underground in ancient times. Once inhabitants
of the lost continent of Chamat, they will
one day 'emerge and remake the world'. Natives
of the Trobiand Islands believe that their
ancestors emerged from a subterranean
existence through a special hole. Tribes
in Bengal and Burma also believe their
ancestors emerged from a subterranean world
[13].
In Hindu mythology there are many tales of
the Nagas, a ra-e of semi-d-vine serpent-people,
who ruled a subterranean kingdom, Patala,
filled with incredible wealth. Patala was said
to be the lowest of the seven regions of the
Indian underworld. These regions are
collectively called Bila-svarga, the
'subterranean he-ven', which is described
as a place of great beauty. The sun and moon
cannot be seen there, but the jewels
decorating the hoods of the Nagas are
said to emit an effulgence that illuminates
the entire region of Bila-svarga. Few mortals
were ever allowed to enter the lower world, but
there were said to be many hidden entrances in
the mountains of India and Kashmir [14].
In Tibet there is a major mystical shrine
called Patala, which is said to lie above an
ancient cavern and tunnel system, extending
throughout the Asian continent and possibly
beyond. The Nagas are related to the
Rakshasas, an underworld rac- of 'de-ons',
who possess a 'magical stone' or 'third eye'
in the middle of the forehead.
In China, the Lung Wang (dragon beings)
closely resemble the Nagas in many respects.
They are said to dwell either in the
'celestial realm', i.e. the stars and planets,
or beneath the surface of the earth. They,
too, possess a 'magical pearl' in their
foreheads, a mystical or di-ine eye or source
of power. Like the Nagas, some of the
entrances to their palaces or kingdoms can be
found beneath lakes and rivers or behind
waterfalls [15].
According to an ancient Chinese record, the
Twelve Branches, all things began to germinate
in the hidden recesses of the underworld. In
the Ten Stems, it is said that at the ninth
stem, light begins to nourish all things in
the recesses below [16].
The Egyptian underworld or kingdom of the
dead was called the Duat (or Tuat), ruled by
Osiris [17].
Within the Duat were the Fields of Peace,
which the Greeks equated with the Elysian
Fields. In Old Kingdom times the Duat was
commonly supposed to be situated somewhere
under the earth. In this airless, waterless,
and lightless place dwelt both the blessed
and the d-mned. The kingdom of Osiris was
also placed in the west, where the dead
sun-go- of the day passed at night. In
addition, the Duat denoted the sky region
dominated by the constellations of Orion,
Taurus, and Leo, and divided by the
'winding waterway' or Milky Way.
The Duat is sometimes described as the
'reversed world' or 'inverted precinct'
[18], and in the Pyramid Texts we read:
'O Osiris the King, I am Isis; I have
come into the middle of this earth, into
the place where you are' [19].
Osiris was the Egyptian phoenix, which
was 'the bringer of the life-giving
essence, the hik, a concept akin to our
idea of magic, which the great cosmic
bird carried to Egypt from a distant and
magical land beyond the earthly world.'
This was the 'Isle of Fire', 'the place
of everlasting light beyond the limits
of the world, where the -ods were born
or revived and whence they were sent
into the world'. This is a reference to
the Duat [20].
The Duat, or Hidden Place, was sometimes
conceived as a completely enclosed Circle
of the G-ds, formed by the body of Osiris.
At the head-point there was an opening to
the skies symbolized by the go-dess Nut,
through which the imperishable star
(symbolized by the celestial disk) could
be reached (see below) [21].
Figure.
The Duat.
The Egyptian go- Aker was the 'chief of
the gate of the Abyss', of Aker, which
was the netherworld but also the 'realm
of the sun' [22].
The Celtic Otherworld was variously known
as the Land of the D-ad, the Land of the
Living, the Land of Many Colors, the
Promised Land, the Delightful Plain, the
Land of Youth, the Land of Summer, and
the Land under the Wave. In most of the
stories, it was viewed as a pleasant land
located somewhere beneath the sea, but
in others it was to be found beneath the
hills or entered via ancient burial
mounds [23].
As in other traditions, the Celtic
underworld is associated with cauldrons.
In the Mabinogion, the land of Annwn
('unplumbed' or 'bottomless'), the Welsh
underworld, contains a mystical cauldron
which can restore the de-d to life once
more if they are submerged in it and
brought out again [24].
In the "Critias" (120), Plato says that
the 'ho-y habitation of Zeus' is situated
'in the center of the world' [25].
In "The Republic" (part 4), he says
that Apollo, the traditional interpreter
of re-igious matters, delivers his
interpretation 'from his seat at the earth's
center' [26].
Part 4.
John Winston. johnfw@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
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