Creation myths

Among the many psalms that refer to creation, Pss 8 and 104 stand out in being entirely devoted to this theme. Whereas Ps 8 highlights the prominent, even exalted, human role in the created order, Ps 104 contextualizes humanity as but one creature among many in a complex intertwined cosmos. Nevertheless, upon closer study, it becomes evident that both psalms share elements of a common worldview, including a remarkably similar view of what constitutes being human, a conception of the world as a cosmic temple, and a rejection of the motif of creation-by-combat against primordial enemies. An exploration of the diversity-in-unity of Pss 8 and 104 yields insights into how their common theological vision may address the human vocation of the use of power in a world understood as a sacred realm over which God is enthroned, yet into which evil has intruded.

The terms Dt and nHH have often been treated as synonyms reflecting notions related to the vastness of time. However, from the study of original source material – the texts and iconography compiled over some three millennia, and authored by those who surely had complete understanding of their subject matter – it becomes clear that those modern interpretations are somewhat questionable. Clues to the connotations which may be ascribed to Dt and nHH are perhaps most clearly apparent in texts and imagery from the reign of Tutankhamun – a time of some political upheaval during which it was more than usually important to express traditional mores with some clarity so as to demonstrate a return to the well-established ideology underpinning pharaonic culture prior to the Amarna interlude. Testing those indications against the wider range of extant literary material confirms that Dt and nHH were neither synonyms, nor were they entirely temporal in nature, but rather referenced a duality of ontological conditions which together were fundamental to the fabric of pharaonic ideology. The reappraisal of this duality of conditions allows the many texts and iconographic depictions surviving from dynastic Egypt to be considered from a new perspective – one providing deeper insight into the character of pharaonic culture. Moreover, it becomes apparent that the influences of an ideology which evolved during times pre-dating the pyramid builders permeated the philosophical and theological treaties of the scholars of ancient Greece and Rome, and thence into more recent times. At least two great gods may live on.

Generative Anthropology as espoused by Eric Gans and the works of religious historian, Mircea Eliade, cross paths many times in the same abstract territory to do with the origins of humanity & symbolic culture, myth & ritual, and the idea of the sacred. Whether we find contrast and disagreement or agreement and synthesis in their views will largely depend on what we are looking for when we begin. In this brief report, I will make an effort to identify both similarities and differences in their perspectives. To further limit the scope of this investigation, I shall focus mainly on the concept of the sacred, especially as it manifests itself in the lived reality of prehistoric humanity, though the above themes (origin of the human mind, myth & ritual) are related enough to be mentioned as well. With my limited time, the presentation itself will be an abstract of what could become and (hopefully) will become a larger study.

This chapter analyses the relationship between beliefs in the spirits of nature and the dead and the conception of hero among the Humangili, a community located in Ataúro Island, Timor-Leste. For this purpose I discuss the concept of culture, the influence of Lisan, the notion of person, the symbolism of the given name, the meaning of physical death, the hierarchical system, the relationship between soul and body, and the impacts of adopting Christianity, while also presenting local stories and myths, the journey of the Humangili’s hero, the notion of order and social stability, as well as the perceptions about the supernatural world and its influence in the world of the living. Overall, the ideas about the meaning of hero are part of a complex system that contributes to the maintenance of dominant narratives about local customs, cosmogonies, values and hierarchies, the perception of individual and collective identity, and the feeling of stability and social unity.

Classical Occultism – i.e. Spiritual Tradition – very often rests on imitation of old usages and forgotten rituals – or on texts and images the inner (i.e. esoteric) content of which is recog¬nized only by Initiates. This most typically applies for old sacred scriptures where cosmic and supra-cosmic processes are com¬mented under the veils of ciphers, myths, pseudo-history, and tales about countries or family clans.

Creation myths of all cultures throughout space and time most clearly illustrate this fact : They report how a God – or a community of gods – conjure ‹out of nothing› an Universe along with its physical and spiritual processes that are, usually, consciously perceived again only by Initiates.

Modern Science since the century of ‹Enlightenment› have always tried to supplant such myths by so-called ‹objective› discoveries and ‹facts›. However, it has become clear, more and more, that those ‹scientific› views are just another myth – but which remains blind to the essence of things, namely : to what we call Spirit, Light and Life. – The popular myth of the ‹Big Bang› – so typical for noise and aggression in our modern world – is the grossest cancerous outgrowth thereof.

The present book brings a Genesis in twelve Theses, in a modern language on the basis of the simplest symbols ever. Its elucidations by P. Martin, occasionally using some neologisms for relations never described before, include the paradigmata of oldest myths, but in the meantime formulate a consequent synthesis of modern Physics and classic spirituality : It also shows where the fundamental Hermetic laws come from ; how divine idea-forms  grow into material realities ; how the Kingdoms of Nature came forth – and the principles of the spiritual Path of Transfiguration  leading to the redemption of Humanity.     

Besides the Aquarius Genesis, this book contains two tales in a typical mythic style, making visible the inner Plan of the Uni¬verse, along with a scenic dialogue and a classic philosophical treatise: «About the Essence of Being» is a modern theory of ideas which – authored 60 years ago – already achieves to reduce all processes to vibrational cycles, and to Energy.

Numerous pictures, some of them full-page, and in-depth Notes explaining further the text and images complete this book.

An international review comments :
«Thus it must be : Old Truths of the Past are being confirmed by the new Truths of today !»

Paper-Back, richly illustrated, 248 pp. – ISBN  978-3-907103-02-9

“Our European film culture (...) is specific, full of local colours and tastes, of accents and languages. It celebrates diversity, even more so: It keeps cultural diversity alive!” (Wim Wenders, 2010). This paper looks at the way cultural diversity is portrayed in the movie L’auberge espagnole, Cédric Klapisch’s 2002 movie about student experience in the ERASMUS exchange Program, we pose the question of how contemporary European cinema relates to intercultural identity and diversity in Europe.

Vastness of Universe: The Sun, the Earth, the Moon, the stars, the satellites and the galaxies etc. form our universe. A wreath like arch of stars, stretching across the sky is the Milky Way. It is a part of our galaxy, which is an enormous system of clouds of glowing gas and 100 billion stars. Our universe contains about 1011 galaxies. Our universe is vast. No one knows whether the universe is finite or infinite in size. The observable universe is a few tens of billions of light-years across. A light-year is a distance travelled by light in one year, at the speed of 300,000 kilometres per second. It is equal to 9.46x1012 kilometres. The bright, unusual objects called quasars are the most distant objects in the universe found to date. Quasars may be as far as 16 billion light-years from the earth. Even with all the latest scientific paraphernalia of radio telescopes, X-rays, observatories and space technology, our scientists are unable to find the edge of the universe. So until now, scientists could not find the limits of the creation. In this article, an attempt is made to describe Guru Nanak's exposition on the vastness and various other aspects of of the Universe.

The article examines the word and acts of speaking in the Popol Vuh, a 16th century document written by the Quiché Maya in order to preserve their native beliefs. Particular episodes of the story are explored from the perspective of powerful words and speeches, revealing their potential to create, unite, glorify and deceive. Interpretations of some of the more enigmatic passages of the account are proposed.

The Old Norse myth of creation is not just an explanation of how the body of the giant Ymir was turned into the world. The meaning of Ymir's name in conjunction with new interpretations of Ginnungagap and the Old Norse word 'yppa' adds new layers to our understanding of the worldview behind the myth.

Analysis for an astronomical interpretation of the Mesopotamian creation myth Enuma Elish in reference to the theory of Zecharia Sitchin - with analysis of 9 points of criticism posed by the scholar Ian Lawton.
Original Italian: 2009, Revised: September 2012, Translated: dec. 2020

Plato’s Timaeus and the Biblical Creation Accounts argues that the creation of the world in Genesis 1 and the story of the first humans in Genesis 2-3 both draw directly on Plato’s famous account of the origins of the universe, mortal life and evil containing equal parts science, theology and myth.

View this pdf for abstracts of the book and its eight individual chapters.

Chapter 1: Comparative Methodology and Genesis 1-11
Chapter 2: Genesis 1 and Creation Myths
Chapter 3: Genesis 1 and Greek Cosmogonies
Chapter 4: Genesis 1 as Philosophy
Chapter 5: Genesis 1 as Science
Chapter 6: Genesis 2-3 as Myth
Chapter 7: Genesis 2-11 and Plato’s Critias
Chapter 8: Cosmic Monotheism and Terrestrial Polytheism in Plato and the Bible

Ancient creation stories define humanity in relation to the gods. In the Atraḫasīs Epic, for example, humans were created as a labor force to relieve the lower caste of deities from their toil. In Gen 1-2 humanity was also created to serve God, but the commands to rule and subdue the earth, and to care and cultivate the garden of Eden, are framed by the preceding statement in Gen 1:26-27 that humanity was created in God’s image and likeness, that is, as his children. To appreciate Genesis’s claim, we must consider it in light of its ancient Near Eastern environment. For Gen 1-2 this includes a set of ritual texts from Mesopotamia, the "Washing and Opening of the Mouth," which describe the process by which divine images, or statues of the gods, were created. Genesis 2 seems to draw from these rituals, or at least the ideas they represent, in order to elaborate on the meaning of בְּצֶלֶם אֱלֹהִים in Gen 1:26-28. If our aim is to understand how Genesis 1-2 redefines human identity and purpose, we must consider the prevailing views on human creation and the birth of the gods (in their statues) with which it interacted.

Michel Weber, Féminisme épidermique et utopie viscérale. Signes, symboles, et archétypes, Louvain-la-Neuve, Éditions Chromatika, 2020 ; ISBN 978-2-930517-72-8, ISBN E-book 978-2-930517-73-5

Comment repenser la sexualité et le « genre » ?
Relire la Genèse et le Prologue de l’évangile de Jean à partir de prémisses féministes donne une idée très vive de la chape idéologique et conceptuelle qui a été coulée sur l’inconscient collectif par les monothéismes, finalement assistés par les catégories philosophiques platoniciennes.
Revisiter le féminisme contemporain à la lumière du sens commun et de la perspective jungienne sur le processus d’individuation permet alors d’en relativiser efficacement les enjeux.

Michel Weber est professeur adjoint de philosophie à l’Université du Saskatchewan (Canada). Il pratique également la thérapie psychocorporelle ayurvédique (Cabinet Metabyanga) et le coaching existentiel (Centre Tonaki).


Les libraires peuvent s’adresser à <libraire@ciaco.com> pour obtenir une réduction confraternelle.

This paper is an anthropological reading of mythical and historical texts aimed at exploring the dynamics by which archaic Egyptian cosmology was constructed and reconstructed. Using Dumont's ideas of hierarchy and Sahlins' work on cultural reproduction, the study presents a synchronic and diachronic analysis of the underlying themes and principles upon which archaic Egyptian cosmology was constructed. The opposition of visible/invisible is the common principle around which other principles or sets of oppositions are clustered. The study shows that archaic Egyptian cosmology underwent a transformation from a structure based on natural entities into socially significant cosmological system. The paper further elaborates the striking homology between the archaic social cosmology represented in Osirian mythology and Christianity in the early centuries of the Christian era.

This article aims to examine how the concept of Imago Dei can serve as a symbol for the broadly understood idea of religious inclusion and human dignity. The article explores the concept of Imago Dei primarily from a protologi-cal perspective, analyzing its usage in biblical writings, theological tradition and modern philosophy. The substantial, relational and functional-which three usages of the concept can be found in the inclusive theology of Gregory of Nyssa-are analyzed in this article. Arguably, in the context of religious inclusion, the rela-tional angle of Imago Dei seems to be the most important. Similarly contemporary Protestant theologian, Jürgen Moltmann states in his book, God in the Creation, that the "relational" concept of Imago Dei underscores the fundamental dignity of every person. In his book, God for Secular Society, Moltmann states that properly understood human rights should include democratic relationships between people, cooperation between societies, concern for the environment in which people live, and responsibility for future generations. From these perspectives, the concept of Imago Dei can be utilized as a symbol indicating the dignity of every person and human community, but also a symbol against any types of racism, nationalism or xenophobia.

ABSTRACT: In part-1, this lecture covers briefly (a) selected myths: the Heliopolitan creation myth; Death of Osiris; Contendings of Horus & Seth; Memphite Creation Myth; Thebes as a place of creation; various views regarding the creation of humanity; the destruction of Mankind; the end of the universe; (b) New Kingdom cult temples and their various components, symbolism, function and significance; and (c) Ancient Egyptian deities, their forms, and other aspects.  Part-2 continues with other aspects of Ancient Egyptian religion, particularly from the New Kingdom through Late Period ... UPDATED: Feb., 2021--adding new formatting, text, images, and editing.

In a book shrouded in metaphor and layered with multiple meanings, Revelation 12 is unique.  After an analysis of traditional interpretations of Revelation 12 and Ancient Near Eastern myths of combat and creation, this paper seeks to reread Revelation 12 as both a combat and creation myth.  With particular attention paid to the work of Adela Yarbro Collins, the paper also analyzes hermeneutical implications of reading the text in this manner.  The conclusion offers a potential interpretation and explanation for the apparent insertion of a combat-creation myth in the midst of narrative of ceaseless violence and destruction.

This focus of this paper is to explore the encoded messages of the 'Egg-Shaped Block', Ravne Tunnels, Visoko, Bosnia as revealed by energy photography, defined by quantum theory and to all evidence, presented in accord with the cosmological guidance of Dogon/pre-Dynastic Egyptian mythology.

According to Dr. Semir Osmanagić, Director of the Pyramida Sunca Foundation, radiocarbon analysis by experts in Sweden, Germany and Poland proved that the Ravne Tunnels were deliberately back-filled with tons of conglomerate in the early fourth century b.c.1What if the secret teachings of its ceramic megaliths were passed on by world civilizers to the Dogon priesthood for safekeeping at the sealing of the Tunnels?

Might the Dogon tribe been tasked to guard important cosmological principles because of their potential to bring this information forward, intact into the twenty first century? Will quantum thinking and our technical capabilities now shed further light on the parent teachings of the Ravne Tunnels megaliths?

Pythagoras and Plato established the basic ideas of the occidental theory of “cosmic music”: the relations between intervals of music and numbers, the character of the scales and their influence in nature and society, the harmony of the planetary spheres, etc. Occidental philosophy and theology went back to these concepts, up to their influence in Johannes Kepler’s famous work “Harmonice mundi”. Non-western cultures developed ideas of “cosmic music”, too. Ancient China e.g. created a very complex system of relations between the different tones of the scale, elements of the calendar and social phenomena. According to the concepts of other people the celestial bodies sound while moving around, or the creation itself happened by sound. Some kinds of music instruments were meant to embody these ideas, to show the connections between music and cosmos, and to enable man to manipulate these relations in an active manner. The article presents an overview about some correlations between cosmos-related ideas and music across ancient cultures.

Creation imagery echoing Genesis, Psalms, Proverbs, and Job is one of the most salient features of the message of Deutero-Isaiah. The prevalence of creation imagery led many scholars to see it as a primary independent theme of Deutero-Isaiah. For example, von Rad identified Deutero-Isaiah as one of the major creation theologians of the Hebrew Bible, responsible for connecting creation and redemption. However, this paper demonstrates that creation and redemption were already closely connected concepts and that Deutero-Isaiah exploited that connection to serve the rhetorical goal of his message of Yahweh’s supremacy over all other deities. Creation has no independent status in Deutero-Isaiah’s message; it is subordinate to his message of redemption. Deutero-Isaiah used creation language to encourage faith in Yahweh as sovereign and powerful enough to redeem.  He used the pre-existing mythological pattern of creation/conflict > kingship to assert Yahweh’s supremacy over all foreign deities.

This study concentrates on the divine image traditions found in biblical and Jewish pseudepigraphical accounts by exploring the function of the imago Dei as the personified divine knowledge. It demonstrates that in the Hebrew Bible, the divine image was intended to be a visual revelation of the deity’s nature, attributes, and shape. Often, in these traditions the divine image is understood as a cultic divine statue. The study argues that although idolatry was discouraged in the Jewish religious milieu, the idea of the cultic statue as a manifestation of the divine presence and a deposit of the iconic divine knowledge was paradoxically perpetuated in Israelite traditions about the imago Dei. This study then closely explores Adam's role as the imago Dei. It shows that in the earliest Jewish accounts, Adam’s role as the deity’s icon was closely related to the symbolism of the divine Glory or Kavod. In this epistemological setting Adam is often understood as a hypostasis or a personification of the iconic divine knowledge, through which the concealed God is revealed to creation. The study demonstrates that the tradition of the divine image as the personified divine knowledge became developed further in the stories of Enoch, Jacob, and Moses.

This study applies Kierkegaardian anxiety to Blake's creation myths to explain how Romantic era creation narratives are a reaction to Enlightenment models of personality. See the book website for more details and a link to order at https://jamesrovira.com/blake-and-kierkegaard-creation-and-anxiety/. Errata linked from that page.

The word Atumism derives from ‘Atum,’ the manifestation of the All-Lord in creating the sphere of earth and the creature Adam. The words ‘Atumian’ and ‘Atumianity,’ addressed here by the meaning of ‘Human’ and ‘Humanity,’ are derived from ‘Atum’ who is ‘Adam.’ In the Egyptian literature, there is a thin line that differentiates ‘Atum’ and ‘Atum.’ Why denominate the Egyptian Religion by the term “Atumism”? The answer is found in multitude of diverse notions embedded in the Egyptian speech and makes the term in its profoundness the most right for a religion that has been of divine revelation millennia ahead of A. D. This book is a fusion of the earlier research titled “Ancient Egypt: The Primal Age of Divine Revelation, Volume I and II. I am honored to share the full book.

More than 20 years after presenting his first interpretation of the mosaic from the House of Aion in a paper entitled “Uwagi na temat mozaiki z Domu Aiona w Nea Paphos (Cypr)” (Meander 9/10, 1987, p. 421-438, in Polish, and translated to English: « The Immortality of the Human Soul and the Dionysiac Mysteries in the 4th Century Allegory [in Connection with the Interpretation of the Mosaic from the “House of Aion” at Paphos in Cyprus]»), where he proposed reading the five mythological panels (1. Leda and Zeus; 2. Dionysus on Mount Nysa; 3. The Dionysian thiasos; 4. Apollo and Marsyas; 5. The Apotheosis of Cassiopeia) as an allegory of the destiny of the human soul and body, starting with conception and ending with the liberation of the soul and its apotheosis, the author now enhances his initial interpretation with numerous reflections concerning the historical context of this work of art, created in the years 320-360.
If, according to the author, the mosaic is a “Hymn” in honour of the pagan gods, Man (his soul) and his place in the (pagan) universe, then at the same time it polemicises with the Christian faith and its God, Jesus Christ.
The author puts forward numerous new solutions relating to the mosaic’s iconography and iconology. Analysis of the mosaic also leads him to propose a solution to the as-yet unanswered question regarding the absence of images of the crucified Christ in Christian art of the 3rd and 4th centuries, up until 420/430, when the first images of Christ on the cross appear.
CONTENTS:
Introduction
1. Research to-date (recap)
2. Description of mosaic (recap)
2.1. Composition of five mythological scenes
2.2. Brief iconographic description of mythological panels
2.3. Outline of individual iconographic elements and their respective roles
2.4. The pagan gods’ air of majesty and dignity as an expression of piety
3. A few words about the pagan reaction
4. An apology of pious human life according to pagan principles and a polemic on the Christian model of Man and his theological idol, Jesus Christ
4.1. Divine intervention in the act of human conception (allusion to/polemic on the Annunciation to the Virgin Mary)
4.2. The Epiphany of Dionysus (an allusion to the Epiphany of Christ – Theou Pais)
4.3. The procession and dissemination of Dionysian order (allusion to/polemic on Christ’s entry into Jerusalem)
4.4. The error of Marsyas (polemic on/allusion to the error of Jesus the Messiah): arrest, sentencing for arrogance and lack of piety (asebeia) and condemnation to a martyr’s death
4.5. The anabasis (or anagoge psyches) of a ‘beautiful soul’ (allusion to/polemic on the Ascension of Christ)
5. A few words on the mosaic programme prior to final conclusions
Final conclusions
Key words: mythological mosaic, House of Aion, Nea Paphos, Late Antiquity, Roman art, allegorical narrative, allusive language of mythological pictures, wordplay (Marsyas-Messias), Jesus Christ, anti-Christian polemic, Dionysos, Cassiopeia, Apollon, Nereides, Abstract Personifications, Greek Mythology, ΚΥΠΡΟΣ

We explore the role of Orion in the human mindset, from its first appearance in the carved art of the Upper Palaeolithic age through to its place in the Orion Correlation Theory. This includes its role in the re-dating of the Great Sphinx and fixing the date for zep tepi, the age of the gods in ancient Egypt. We examine also the stellar significance of the Great Pyramid’s four air shafts, and whether it is the “belt” stars of Orion or the “wing” stars of Cygnus that better match the geographical positioning of the Giza Pyramids. Finally, we look at the dual role Orion and Cygnus played both in ancient Egypt, and within the afterlife cosmology of North America’s Southeastern Ceremonial Complex (SECC).

'Thomas in context' is my latest series, that I have started after finishing my interactive translation, which revealed so many details that have been thoroughly neglected by all previous translations.
Basically I will be republishing a good part of my work on Thomas so far, with many more characteristics: this series will see to light the 16 Thomas parables and the metamorphosis model, and it will focus entirely on Thomas - not the canonicals.
I will carefully evaluate every single word in Thomas, possible alternative translations or choices of word, and dive deep into the text. As usual, the text of Thomas will be the most important context - yet I'll peek around a bit here and there, comment (rather scarcely) on what other authors have to say, and frequently analyse and quantify Tanakh material

Part I: The Parable of the Sower in Context: against religion