Sun Worship

This chapter sets Heraclitus and his work in the historical context of the Ionian  revolt (499 - 494 B.C.).The combined  external evidence and the ipsissima verba of Heraclitus lead to the conclusion that the book of Heraclitus was not only a philosophical treatise, but also a program of radical political and religious reforms whose aim was the creation of a federal state of Ionian Greeks (presumably with further expansion of it into a Panhellenic state) in order to match and to surpass the military might of the Persian empire.  In religious sphere the  Homeric anthropomorphic  polytheism had to be replaced by a monotheistic cult of Apollo the Sun (being a visible manifestation of his Father Zeus, the imperceptible «ever-living fire» imbued with mind, the creator of the Universe) who would unite the Greeks as a «common» (ξυνός) patron of the unified mega-polis. Heraclitus was an ideologue of the Ionian revolt and probably was connected with the «party of war» in Ephesus, hence his glorification of the fallen in battle who would be awarded with a «better portion» in afterlife and become commensals of gods in the Sun region, according to the neglected verbatim fragment in Zenobius Sophista (fr. 159A Lebedev). Heraclitus intentional «obscurity» and metaphorical language can be explained both as imitation of the oracular language of Apollo (whose prophet he claims to be by the prophetic formula “listening not to my logos…”) and as a conspiratorial protection against the spies of the Great king.  Heraclitus’ project probably failed because of the destruction of Miletus (494 B.C.), but his Panhellenic ideas may have influenced the founders of the Delian League who made the Delian Apollo the patron of the new confederation. And his dream was finally realised in full by Alexander the Great.

Sun in Mythology and Life of North American Indians
Solar myths are the most common ones in world mythology. However, the myths of North American Indians “are of the greatest interest because of the ingenuity of the legends and their diversity” (Олкотт, 2013, 8), as well as because of their significant impact on the religious and ceremonial life both in the past and in the present.
Many similarities can be revealed in the process of comparing the myths of different tribes, but at the same time, also differences with regard to the creation of the Sun, the purpose and the process of its emergence, its connection and relationship with the Moon, their gender, etc. The most common mythological motifs - the establishment of the movement of the Sun (determining its place in the sky, its speed, its deceleration, etc.), its abduction (the so-called "Sun catcher” motif) and subsequent release, the sexual intercourse of the Sun with a woman (in most cases - a common American Indian), the birth of children from this intercourse (the beginning of the Twins myth), and further - the journey of these children to their father's house (the Twins myth itself) and the gifts of the Sun to its children and American Indians.
The meaning of the Sun to man has always been so great that it continues to be worshipped today. The best-known ceremonies of many tribes are the Sun Dance with its deep religious meaning, the Sweatlodge and winter and summer solstice ones. Many solar symbols are used in ritual and everyday life, and during important prayers American Indians refer to the Sun as their Father and make offerings to it. In North America, like in many places around the globe, there are sacred constructions dedicated to the Sun, as well as archaeological sites orientated towards its course, such as the Great Serpent Mound, Pueblo Bonito in Chaco Canyon and others.
Solar myths are the key to understanding the worldview, culture, traditions and customs of North American Indians, due to which they will never lose their relevance.

This very article is dedicated to Pagan Armenian temple of Garni, one of the most unique and exceptional surviving masterpieces of ancient Hellenistic architecture that was dedicated to Armenian Sun god Mihr and Hellenistic Sun god Mithra. Article extensively covers the history of the monument since prehistory, Urartian period through times of Paganism in Armenia, as well as painstakingly presents all related aspects of Mithraism in ancient Armenia, Asia Minor, Rome and elsewhere in the ancient world. Many remarkable historical events are brought to readers' attention, as well as numerous ingenious artifacts and examples of various artistic forms of Armenian Mithraic worship are shown in greater details. Article is quite informative in terms of unfolding the most interesting history of Garni as the unique monument complex of ancient Armenia, comprising from mighty fortress, royal summer residence palaces, baths decorated with rich mosaics and pagan temple of the Sun dedicated to god Mihr/Mithra. Photographic examples of writings in Urartian cuneiform, Greek and Armenian languages found in Garni and its immediate vicinities also shown to readers. Article is aimed to be as informative and useful as possible, with immediate scientific task of uncovering many interesting and intriguing aspects of ancient world’s Hellenistic Pagan Architecture and Mithraic Pagan Religion in ancient Armenia and many other parts of ancient world.

Decoding the chapel's mysterious vaulted ceiling. Rosslyn has been called a "Bible in Stone" and the "Chapel of Codes." Its vaulted ceiling, hiding within its numerological symbolism both the first and last books of the Bible, shows that it is both. This paper discusses the builders' possible belief in a heliocentric solar system, establishes a plausible connection between the Knights Templar and the Freemasons, promotes the theory that the builder's grandfather made a voyage to the New World almost 100 years before Columbus, and questions whether 666 or 616 is the original Number of the Beast.

The article is an attempt to answer the question why Wednesday has the status of a holy day in Yezidism. Wednesday can be seen as a commemoration of the fourth day of creation, when the life on earth began and the Peacock Angel became its ruler. The article points to the Yezidi worship of the Moon and the Sun and related angels (Melek Fakhradin and Melek Sheikh Shams) and connects it with the Pythagorean concept concerning the movement of the planets and the Music of the Spheres. Two sacred Yezidi instruments, def and shibab, appear as allegories of celestial bodies in the Yezidi sacred hymns in the cosmogonic context of the creation of the macrocosm and microcosm (Adam). The article also points out the meaning of Wednesday in Judaism as the day when God created the sun, moon and stars and briefly discusses relationships with planet worship in Harran, Zoroastrianism and Mandaeism, especially in the context of the Yezidi Çarşemiya Sor festival which takes place on the first Wednesday of the month of Nisan.

Det “dødbringende sollys” ankommer til jorden med en sådan forsinkelse, at det er livgivende. Christensen tilskynder os at arbejde i “denne forsinkelses billede”. “Den første og vigtigste forsinkelse sker af sig selv, hvis vi deler den mad der står til rådighed på jorden ligeligt mellem os alle”, fortsætter hun.57 Men vi må gå længere. Opgøret med antropocentrismen er et nødvendigt eksistentielt opgør i en verden, hvor fordringen om vækst og produktion har destabiliseret betingelserne for livet og gør os alle medskyldige i den sjette masseuddøen. Skal vi knytte bånd og danne slægtskab på tværs af køn, race og arter, på tværs den ikke-menneskelige verden i det hele taget, må vi først af alt erkende vores fælles ophav, solen. Ikke den uovervindelige og udødelige sol, som konger, kejsere og andre førerskikkelser har påkaldt sig, men den døende sol, der generøst fordeler sig som “lysende nerver” i alt liv på jorden, solare sammenfletninger, som vi må forene under vort bryst: solar plexus.

Reference: Grimm, Jon Auring: "Solar plexus - Solare sammenfletninger hos Georges Bataille og Inger Christensen" i Paradoks (Paradoks 2020).

ISSN: 2597 3185

Foreword by Dr. Dale Tuggy.

Constantine’s conversion to Christianity marks one of the most significant turning points in the epic of Western civilization. It is also one of history’s most controversial and hotly-debated episodes. Why did Constantine join a persecuted sect? When did he convert? And what kind of Christian did he ultimately become? Such questions have perennially challenged historians, but modern scholarship has opened a new door towards understanding the fourth century’s most famous and mysterious convert.

In Constantine and the Divine Mind, Chandler offers a new portrait of Constantine as a deeply religious man on a quest to restore what he believed was once the original religion of mankind: monotheism. By tracing this theological quest and important historical trends in Roman paganism, Chandler illuminates the process by which Constantine embraced Christianity, and how the reasons for that embrace continued to manifest in his religious policies. In this we discover not only Constantine’s personal religious journey, but the reason why Christianity was first developed into a world power.

ISBN: 9781532689925

Greg Sams (30th March, 2010)  – Our living Sun: The missing piece in the cosmic jigsaw. The Ecology, Cosmos and Consciousness Salon, The Institute of Ecotechnics, October Gallery, Bloomsbury, London. (Host and compère)

Across the world our local star was once understood to be a living entity, and appreciated as our source of life energy. In the Western world today we see it as a senseless ball of fire, giving more thought to sunglass styles than to the nature of the Sun itself. We are even taught to fear it, though nothing could be more important to us and planet Earth. It was not the application of science that branded belief in a living Sun as primitive and ignorant it was the triumph of the prophet-driven religions that controlled our schools and universities for centuries.

In the light of solar science, ancient (and not so ancient) cultures appear to have been correct: a living Sun makes more sense than a hot rock. Recognition of stellar consciousness is THE big missing piece in the jigsaw puzzle of our cosmos. From the logical exploration of this realization it becomes apparent that consciousness pervades the entire cosmos, and that our Universe is a bottom up construction that is filled with intelligence and design, yet in no need of an Intelligent Designer.

Tonight we will be taking the lid off the longest running cover-up in history and bringing the Sun back in from the cold. The implications are stunning!