SERPENT MOUND:An American Indian Mystery School

William John Meegan

ABSTRACT

Serpent Mound is located in Adams County, Ohio, USA. The effigy of a serpent is found atop a precipice: a stretch of land looking very much like a peninsula plateau within a meteor impact crater 1. The serpent effigy is thirteen hundred and seventy feet in length2. Serpent Mound is said to be the central hub (axis mundi) of the ancient mound builder’s culture located in the modern state of Ohio and several surrounding states.

Serpent Mound has certainly had it many admirers, pseudo-biographers, scientific investigators and well intention researchers trying to ferret out its sacred meanings. It is with full knowledge of many of these investigations and through their varied inquiries coupled with my own researches that I add my analysis and observations on the numerous exoteric and esoteric nuances incorporated into the effigy of the serpent on Serpent Mound and its surrounding topography.

1 The Serpent Mound Meteor Crater (Serpent Mound can actually be seen in this interactive map)http://wikimapia.org/#lang=en&lat=39.026385&lon=-83.430862&z=16&m=b&permpoly=981961014 km = 8.6996 miles (circumference 27.33… miles)The Ohio Journal of Science, v110, n3 (June, 2010), 34-43: http://hdl.handle.net/1811/52788http://kb.osu.edu/dspace/bitstream/handle/1811/52788/OJS110N3_34.pdf?sequence=12 “Including all three parts, the Serpent Mound extends about 1,370 feet (420 m), and varies in height from less than a foot to more than three feet (30–100 cm). Conforming to the curve of the land on which it rests, with its head approaching a cliff above a stream, the serpent winds back and forth for more than eight hundred feet and seven coils, and ends in a triple-coiled tail. The serpent head has an open mouth extending around the east end of a 120-foot (37 m)-long hollow oval feature. The effigy's extreme western feature is a triangular mound approximately 31.6 feet (9.6 m) at its base and long axis”.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serpent_Mound

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Many of the features laid out in Serpent Mound and its surrounding topography are reminiscence of the ancient Egyptian, Hindus, Jewish and Christian exoteric and esoteric teachings. At first I was not willing to believe that there was a global diffusion of esoteric knowledge, which allowed for the creation of Serpent Mound; however, the evidence kept piling up to the point that denial of this possibility was no longer realistic. In fact it was Serpent Mound and the American Indian culture as a whole, which honed my theory on this global diffusion of esoteric knowledge. I had to ask myself how the American Indians could have knowledge of esotericism and its highly sophisticated mathematical sciences and still remain living in what the high cultures call primitive conditions. As I looked at this problem globally it dawn on me that the American Indians made a conscious choice culturally not to make decisions that world affect those being born seven generations hence. This kind of decision making process suppresses what modernity calls progress; thus, I began to envisage that the esoteric science was made use of by the numerous indigenous cultures around the world based solely upon the temperament of the indigenous culture codifying it into their arts and educational systems (it does not have to be in the form of literature), which in all cases was initially combined secularly and religiously.

My understanding of the diffusion process is neither quite the same as academia nor those advocated by modernity as a whole in fact it is diametrically opposite to those points of views. The transcendent has its own diffusion process, which has nothing to do with depending upon humanity to dispense its message locally and/or globally. The transcendent give each soul/psyche, so desiring it, the same spiritual experience no matter where he or she may be in the world. Outwardly this may seem as if one human being is dispensing information to another culture in order for that culture to have the same religious and/or secular mores as the parent culture. This does not meet the needs of the individual’s soul/psyche. In fact such tactics such as forced religious and secular education on a conquered people is despotic and rips from the soul/psyche the better part of that person as Nietzsche3 would say.

Granted once a religion is established children born into that mindset would learn its mores; however, society teaching its children its cultural mores is taking the child out of it spiritual state of being and casting it into a cold and barren wasteland: the better part of that child is lost but how else is one to educate the child into society’s cultural mores? Consider what Christ said of those that received a spiritual vision, “suffer the little children to come unto me for such is the kingdom of heaven (Mathew 19:14).” The spiritual vision reverses the process of the world’s educational system and returns the soul/psyche to its true spiritual state of being. Now the fully mature adult has an established religious system to hone his or her spiritual experience to; albeit, a superficially understood religious system: once again cast into a cold

3 https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Friedrich_Nietzsche

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and barren wasteland; nonetheless, the newly initiated initiate has Orenda4 to guide him or her out of the cold and barren wasteland into a fully spiritual understanding of his or her religion’s mores.

I highly recommend those reading this article to first read my contribution to World Mysteries: SACRED GEOMETRY AND THE ART OF SCRIPTURAL WRITING5. Many of the esoteric ideas in that article are relevant to the esoteric analysis of Serpent Mound.

Esotericism has everything to do with SERENT MOUND and the deciphering of its internal construct: how and why was it constructed. It is crucial that the reader realize that the American Indian was just as intelligent as any other human being on the face of the earth. The American Indians’ spiritual mores are as intrinsically esoteric as any other culture on earth. It is important to mention at this very early stage that this entire paper was written from an esoteric perspective; nevertheless, a great deal of scientific evidence will be presented with appropriate reference material to augment this thesis; however, this gives the reader but a slight glimpse into the spiritual understanding of what is transpiring at SERPENT MOUND.

The average man and women looking at SERPENT MOUND and the surrounding region see it all with the jaundice eye of the mundane: meaning that the individual views this and other sacred sites in the world at large with his or her own educational reach and intellectual prowess; however, when it comes to the higher civilizations of antiquity then the modern man knows for the most part those people were far more intelligent then he or she is; whereas, the American Indians and other aboriginal cultures around the world appear to be so primitive that they seem to be just out of the antediluvian times.

Esotericism is not in the mainstream educational system and for the most part it is a spiritual system of thought unknown to the mundane world at large; however, it is the most sophisticated scientific educational system the world has or will ever know bar none. There is one prerequisite to understanding esotericism and that is the individual has to be spiritually minded to understand its transcendental concepts. Outwardly the Esoteric Science is imprinted upon the exoteric (mundane) and cannot be readily seen with the naked eye and/or envisaged through the normal means of reason and logic; nonetheless, the uninitiated can be taught to decipher ‘some’ of its esoteric scientific patterns codified to the mundane. It takes a great deal of time, expense and analytical thought to get at this knowledge; nonetheless, it takes a deep agonizing desire within the heart of the initiate to invoke the aid of the spiritual powers that be (Orenda) to guide him or her through the labyrinth of God.

Again it would take a spiritual minded individual to cull out the better part of this system of thought and then it would take a lifetime of inner contemplative and meditational researches to fully get a handle on this spiritual science. The educational systems of the world believe that all systems of thought can be learned within a designated period of time. This

4 Orenda http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/orenda, Christian call this the Holy Spirit5SACRED GEOMETRY AND THE ART OF SCRIPTURAL WRITINGhttp://blog.world-mysteries.com/ancient-writings/sacred-geometry-and-the-art-of-scriptural-writi n g/

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is not so with the Esoteric Science. To learn the deep esoteric principles the initiate goes through a lifetime of spiritual testing and temptations. Does the initiate really want to know about him or herself or is this esoteric system of thought being studied for fame, power and fortune? It is the soul’s/psyche’s inner internal spiritual powers that be that are continuously without ceasing determining the viability of the initiate progress in learning the numerous nuances in this Esoteric Science: in other words, the initiate is spiritually evaluating him or herself and spiritually ceaselessly: one cannot lie to oneself.

In fact the esoteric system of thought is so difficult to completely comprehend that it takes envisaging the infinite realm of God within a grain of sand: within a letter (BETH – first letter of Genesis) or within a sound (OM – Hindu monastery chant). The American Indians that built SERPENT MOUND knew this spiritual system and rule of thought in its entirety and they accomplished placing that understanding in their sacred Star Mounds throughout the North American continent’s northern hemisphere.

Esotericism for the most part is not for the average citizen; however, it is there for them when that day comes that they have a spiritual vision. Esotericism explains to the initiate the spiritual vision (Orenda) that comes to him or her from the transcendent and that is all it teaches. No matter how sophisticated the esoteric science is presented esotericism teaches the soul/psyche that the entire outer materialistic manifestation is analogous to his or her soul/psyche.

After 40-years of researching the esoteric science from out of the Judeao Christian scriptures and after the publication of three books6 on the subject of esotericism I feel eminently qualified to decode the esotericism codified to the SERPENT MOUND complex.

1. SERPENT MOUND’S SURROUNDING TOPOGRAPHY

The East Folk and West Folk tributary streams7 flowing into Brush Creek, which flows along side of Serpent Mound’s Peninsula Plateau, is some of the topography that needs to be pointed out. Compare a map of Egypt where the Nile River flows into two main tributaries, which then flow into the Mediterranean Sea. No, this is not exactly the same; however, there are other examples of topography that needs to be compared and considered. The Sketch Map of Serpent Mound Park8 gives a general depiction of the area under discussion.

It is not only the multiple of similarities but also their dissimilarities that have caught my attention. The second topographic nuance concerns the peninsula of Sinai compared to the peninsula that

6 http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=william%20john%20meegan 7SERPENT MOUND, published by The Ohio Historical Society http://ohsweb.ohiohistory.org/places/sw16/sw16-01.shtml8 SERPENT MOUND, ADAMS COUNTY, OHIO: Mysteries of the mound and history of the serpent. Various Theories of effigy mounds and the mound builders, by E.O. Randall, Secretary of Ohio State Archeological and Historical Society; Reporter Ohio Supreme Court. This image can also be found in THE GREAT SERPENT MOUND: Book of Wonders and Mysteries: An Eclectic Guide to the Enigmatic Effigy and its Parkland, collector’s edition, 2013 by Ross Hamilton

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Serpent Mound is positioned upon: they are extraordinarily similar. Consider the LiDAR 9 video and note that both the Sinai and the Serpent Mound peninsulas are both flanked by two bodies of waters. Both Brush and East creeks alongside of Serpent Mound peninsula have all the appearance of being manmade. The image of Brush Creek from the LiDAR video clearly looks too uniformed to have been carved out by nature and East Creek gives all the appearance of being carved out in a straight line. The LiDAR video takes away all organic materials from view, which would normally hide these topographical anomalies.

The most extraordinary feature that shows up on the LiDAR video has traditionally nothing to do with Serpent Mound. In the very beginning of this film the topography of the area to the north and south of Serpent Mound is brought into view. This includes seeing the folk in Brush Creek representing East Folk and West Folk tributary streams and to the south of Serpent Mound most of the peninsula plateau east of Brush Creek is shown and it looks very much like a sleeping (dreamer10) or dead bear (this is consistent with the Hunting of Great Bear mythology). Serpent Mound’s effigy is located at the bear’s mouth.

It would seem that I was the first to make this observation concerning Serpent Mound’s peninsula plateau being in the shape of a sleeping (dreamer) or dead bear, which forced the investigation into any American Indian Bear Clans that may have been in the region around the twelfth century AD: the time of Serpent Mound’s construction. This last was ascertained by carbon dating. This led into the investigation of the American Indian’s Great Bear Spirit Mythology: most notably ‘Hunting the Great Bear11’. I immediately sent out emails and searched the internet and other resources but little data is known outside of pure speculation12 being that the American Indians as a whole was not a detailed record keeping culture: for the most part everything was handed down by word of mouth. I traced the Bear Clan in the region to the Mohawk Indians, one of the five original nations comprising the Iroquois Confederacy13. The mythology concerning the ‘Hunting of the Great Bear’ originates in the Iroquois Confederacy. It would seem that most Indian nations throughout the continental United States have a Bear Clan and the same ‘Hunting of the Great Bear’ stories with slight variations. This last does not take away from the fact that the Iroquois14 Confederacy moved into the Ohio and surrounding states region in the twelfth century AD.

There are others that want to give Serpent Mound a far more ancient and mysterious history preceding the birth of Christ; however, they are depending upon materials that were initially place in Serpent Mound (as filler) by its builders, which could have been used materials from who knows where. Another carbon dating report15 is said to be out later this year. Apparently, it is anticipated to be a BC date. My chief

9 Serpent Mound LiDAR Video on Vimeo, by William Romain, http://vimeo.com/926341Merely as a side issue having nothing to do with the analysis of Serpent Mound, I have to admit that at the beginning of the film, every time I view this video (I have downloaded it), it appears as if Serpent Mound is lying on the face of a gigantic bear formation in the topology of the landscape formation. The second oddity in this film is that Brush Creek looks too uniformed to be a natural formation. Dare I say it looks very much like a manmade formation that created the creek? LiDAR picture from,Wonders and Mysteries, by Ross Hamilton PDF file.10 STAR MOUNDS: Legacy of a Native American Mystery (pgs132-134), by Ross Hamilton, published by North Atlantic Books, Berkeley, California 201211 Hunting of the Great Bear http://www.native-languages.org/cayugastory.htm12 And it would seem that archeology in those days did not shy from committing outright fraud to get published or their names known: this is the way they promoted themselves.13 The Iroquois Confederacy includes one more nation to its confederacy making it six nations.14 Iroquois is name the French gave to the Tobacco Smoking Indians (sacred Peace Pipe?) and apparently the name stuck.15 Dr. William F. Romain, advisor to the Ohio Archeological Counsel

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objection to such an antiquity lies in the fact that Serpent Mound is in too good of a condition to be of that antiquity. The world has seen wind worn erosion on the temple complex made out of pure granite next to the Sphinx in Egypt can we not expect to see at least some erosional features on Serpent Mound over a period of two thousand years or more. Consider the freezing winter’s snows and then the thawing coupled with thunder and lightning storms incessantly pounding upon Serpent Mound for over two thousand years, would this not eventually do great damage to the Serpent Mound effigy? Now look at the picture of the LiDAR video again. Are not those the same geological features that Professor Robert M. Schoch, PH.D.16, of Boston University, declared was consistent with “precipitation-induced weathering” of the enclosure of the Sphinx? I am not a geologist but this is what Professor Schoch (geologist) and John Anthony West17, the noted amateur archeologist, has been teaching the world for decades. The LiDAR picture above shows that the fissures clearly seen on both sides of the peninsula’s plateau are running down from both sides of Serpent Mound. Serpent Mound is centrally located at the apex of the peninsula’s plateau. The Ohio region climatically has consistent snows and rains year in and year out. That is the point. Why is Serpent Mound still there if it is over two thousand years old?

I can understand that Serpent Mound was probably well maintained (trees18 and other debris removed and soil, clay and stone repairs made when necessary) throughout its long history from the twelfth century. The indigenous tribe(s) that built it may well have remained in the area right up to the time of the White Man’s encroachment on their territories driving them out of the region in the nineteenth century.

Mea Culpa: it may well be that I am wrong about the AD/BC dating of SERPENT MOUND and the creation of its effigy and the sculptural formation of the sleeping or dead bear on the outcropping of the peninsula plateau; however, if the mounds of Ohio and those found in surrounding states were created by the Adena and Hopewell Indians in the BC era then those Native Americans Tribes that still remain in the area are their descendents and carry on the cultural mores of their ancestors (compare the American Indian mythologies of the entire continental United States and Canada: they are virtually identical within tight ‘peripheral’ variations; albeit, on a superficial level but that is exactly how modern Christians are carrying on the religious mores of the Founding Father of Christianity. Another point about esotericism is that it may have in the pass and will again in the future fade out of the psychic consciousness of the cultural mindset; however, it always reappear to future initiates. This esoteric science cannot stay hidden for thousands of years that would be totally alien to the purpose of life. Esotericism is the soul’s/psyche’s main rationale for existence of life on earth. To have it cease its appearance periodically in the cultural mores of a culture takes the raison d’être: reason for existence out of the equation for the individual. Here I am speaking about the total annihilation of the soul in life and at death and that is not possible. Orenda will always be available to the initiate.

2. THE MYSTERIES OF ESOTERICISM

The White Man’s cultural mores tends to have anthropologists believing that the American Indian had no reason to give them false information. It is my firm belief that the indigenous population of the North and

16 VOICES OF THE ROCKS: A Scientist looks at Catastrophes & Ancient Civilizations (1999), by Robert M. Schoch, PH.D. with Robert Aquinas McNally, published by Harmony Books, New York17 SERPENT IN THE SKY: The High Wisdom of Ancient Egypt, by John Anthony West, published by Quest Books 199318 Serpent Mound presently has a tree in one of its seven swirls. When that tree gets too old and falls it is going to take some of Serpent Mound with its roots.

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South American continents was trying to education the savage: the White Man by simply telling him the simple stories they taught their young children [the American Indians’ version of Sunday School Bible Classes]: these were not lies but the American Indian religious mores. Consider the analogy of a new born baby’s needs as it mature to adulthood: compare the savage needs of the new born baby’s mentality to the temperament of the White Man landing on the shores of the North and South American continents: the baby is somewhat controllable; whereas, the White Man had no civilizing mores, to curtail his appetites, whatsoever. Remember these European invaders were initially ruffian sailors: pirates of the sea at best out to grab, steal and murder anything they could get their hand on. There is analogously no difference between the invasions of the European White Man and that of the barbarians that invaded the Roman Empire. The White Man was a savage in the American Indian mindset because he raped Mother Nature and chased them from their ancestral lands. A perfect example of the early times of the White Man’s incursions into the heart of the American Indians’ homeland was the killing of tens of thousands of Buffalo taking their hides and leaving behind their rotting corpses on the landscape of the prairies. The shame of it forced their descendents in later generations to come up with the egregious excuse that the early settlers was trying to destroy the American Indian religion when in fact it was all about profit and greed: this example is not to discount the atrocities, massacres and mayhem towards the indigenous populations but also consider the infinite amount of examples of inconsiderate waste, deliberate spillage and premeditated damage to the lands and forests as far as the eye could see, the unconscionable pollution of the air and the senseless poisoning of the continental water tables: all collectively Mother Nature. Destroying the Buffalo may have taken away the American Indian’s main food staple and clothing of the times but it did not take away their belief in the Great Spirit, which is not housed in an icon rather it is housed in the heart: something the White Man has yet to learn.

Would any keepers of their religion’s internal esoteric secrets freely give that knowledge of esotericism to another, such as outlined above? The Mysteries Schools of antiquity around the world: bar none traditionally kept internally the esoteric secrets from those within their own populations that did not have the inquisitive nature to know the truth about themselves. If the shaman of his own people would not give this ‘interpretive key’ freely to a member of his own family why would he give it to an outsider such as an anthropologist’s? Of cause the American Indians as a whole would freely allow the anthropologist to record the variations of all their mythologies because those records hold the core esoteric principles that generate the true knowledge of the esoteric science in their culture: the true knowledge of the soul/psyche. For example, go to any Christian and asked to be taught Christianity and he or she will go out of his or her way to teach you about the Old and New Testaments and probably give you a free bible; however, the average Christian (as with the average American Indian relating to his cultural myths) has no idea that embedded in those sacred stories is the full unvarnished record of esotericism: the true Word of God.

The Esoteric Science is not indigenous to anyone culture on the face of the earth. I have known for some time that the American Indians had an esotericism in their spiritual belief system that is equal to any other culture on the face of the earth: it is second to no other religious teaching. Knowing this and being able to say something of substance about it is another matter. That is until I recently became aware of the scientific studies that were being conducted at Serpent Mound. My previous studies into the American Indian culture were tentative at best. Yes, I noted at the time that they had to have known of higher mathematics and that conclusion was based solely upon seeing the swastika in much of their art works. The swastika comes only from a 3 x 3 square called the Kamea of Saturn (in China it is called the Lo Shu)19, which embodies the first nine numbers. These nine base numbers exudes the four basic

19 THE SECRETS & THE MYSTERIES OF GENESIS: Antiquity’s Hall of Records (2003), by William John Meegan, published by Trafford Publishers http://www.amazon.com/The-Secrets-Mysteries-Genesis-Antiquitys/dp/1412010128/ref=sr_1_cc_2?s=aps&ie=UTF8&qid=1372395701&sr=1-2-catcorr&keywords=the+secrets+%26+the+mysteries+of+Genesis This matrix is also known as the Vedic Square: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vedic_square and it is known all over the world in all religious cultures.

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mathematical sciences: addition, subtraction, multiplication and division, which in themselves would lead into the higher mathematical disciplines. In order to know of the Kamea of Saturn (magic square20), whatever name the American Indians may have given it, points to knowledge of esotericism as sophisticated as any of the highly sophisticated cultures in antiquity.

The gorget21 created and used by the Adena and Hopewell Indians is one of the most sophisticated examples of the Kamea of Saturn in esoteric art I’ve personally have come across. This little gorget is crammed pact with esoteric information if one knows how to read it. It was most likely worn around the neck to signal other initiates like him or herself, in other groups and/or tribes, that he or she was one of them. This particular gorget FIRST conveys that it is a three by three square: compare it to the Kamea of Saturn. SECOND the two human figures, back to back symbolize complete opposites: the initiate symbolically explain that “thought I live amongst the uninitiated performing all the outward ceremonies, speaking the same language and wearing the same cloths, I’m an initiate”, THIRD: the positions of the left leg of the individual on the left and the right leg of the individual on the right signifies the left leg is forming the Female (moon) Swastika and the right leg is forming the Male (sun) Swastika. FORTH: the horizontal bar of the equal distance cross has ‘cross’ symbols along its entire length, which is the same symbol seen in the dance rattle each figure is holding demonstrating that the esoteric arts are fully integrated into the mainstream culture. This horizontal bar points to the second multiplication table (BETH #2 = container) and FIFTH: the central figure, in the entire design of the gorget, is fashioned in the form of a female swastika indicating that this is an initiate’s gorget. No individual uninitiated would be allowed to wear such jewelry. I proffer that from this single piece of jewelry it is possible that the entire vast esoteric system of knowledge can be reestablished.

The Cox Gorget22 is a beautiful female swastika formed by woodpecker figures. It is obviously in the form of a Kamea of Saturn. The inner square shows a continuous never-ending twirling motion similar to a galaxy in motion (or like a pinwheel = twirling swastika). The central part of the gorget shows an eight pointed star figure. The Kamea of Saturn is often shown in an octagon (eight sided) shape. The circle with the cross in the center points to a Kamea of Saturn within a circle (repetitious of the eternal twirling square nuance); however, this cross in a circle simultaneously represents a sun symbol: meaning that this is the new sun of the Great Spirit. The new Vesica Piscis is fully integrated into the mundane society

20 The numbers are so arranged as to add up to fifteen in all eight directions: columns, rows and diagonals. There is an encyclopedia of esoteric knowledge codified into this little unassuming 3 x 3 matrix. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magic_square21 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shell_gorget22 ibid

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and the matriarchal society is still dominant (female swastika). The eternal twirling square motion in the design of this gorget is quite beautiful esoterically in its esoteric meanings. FIRST: consider the central sun (newly formed Vesica Piscis) as the impetus for forming the mindset of the initiate, SECOND: the eight-star figure points to the Kamea of Saturn as new dominant educational paradigm for the initiate, THIRD: the never-ending twirling square points to transcendental knowledge brought down to human understanding (hence square); however, the never-ending twirling square points to a never-ending process of understanding and reinventing new ways of expressing this esotericism and FOURTH: the incessantly tapping of the woodpecker on the barks of trees in search of food is analogous to the initiate eternal and incessant quest to find new ways of understanding this esotericism: as food for thought.

Only another initiate of the esoteric science could see and understand these things from esoteric art. Consider the critique of the academic anthropologists on these works of art over the past few centuries? Enough said.

The higher mathematics used by the mound building culture demonstrated a highly sophisticated knowledge of esotericism and astronomy. Astrology is not a manmade system. It is purely esoteric in its construct and all of its nuances no matter what modernity thinks about it or has turned it into. The average person thinks that Astrology was invented by shepherds idling away time at night tending to their flocks in grazing fields. Astrology can only have been envisaged out of the Kamea of Saturn or its parent the Universal Mathematical Matrix23. Most important to know about this matrix is that it can be independently envisaged from out of the MONAD by pure meditational means. I know because I personally did this while researching Dante Alighieri’s (1265-1321) mathematical system24. This Universal Mathematical Matrix25 is then used by ancient cultures to write their sacred literature and build their megalithic monuments around the world. Absolutely nothing that mankind knows: language and/or mathematics were ever conceived by man without first having culled it from this mathematical matrix.

ASTROLOGY is a very sophisticated system of symbolism and it was not culled out of this matrix as a mere whim for fortune telling. It is a symbolic tool as a memory aid: a mnemonic tool. It is a system of thought that was given to the mystic through this matrix: i.e. the transcendent. Astrology is neither an easy system of thought to grasp nor an easy system to put together from out of this matrix. An extremely great deal of meditation has to be put forth to grasp what the matrix is saying. This matrix is equivalent to God (Great Spirit) speaking to the mystic. Pythagoras called the MONAD God. This matrix is an

23 ibid24 The Conquest of Genesis: A Study in Universal Creation Mathematics (1998), by William John Meegan, published by the Edwin Mellen Press25 This matrix is the Grammar School’s multiplication tables up to nine (casting-out-nines); nonetheless, my claims to having independently discovered it is because when I worked it out I was not thinking or reasoning from the perspective of the multiplication tables but rather from analyzing the days of the week in my meditations on the MONAD.

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interpretation of the MONAD: it is the logos (Word of God). Hypothetically, this matrix may well be symbolically the body (square) of Spider-Weaver26.

Looking at the matrix in can be seen that each one of the columns 1-8 is pair off with another that is diametrically opposite to it: 1 & 8, 2 & 7, 3 & 6 and 4 & 5. These are the Sun Signs of Astrology: Mars, Venus, Mercury, the Moon and the Sun. Each of the first four columns and the second set of four columns in reverse emit three three-digit numbers representing one of the signs of the Zodiac. Each of the first four columns represents one of the mystic elements: Fire, Earth, Air and Water. And this same goes for the reverse four columns.

This is the matrix that created the Chinese oracle the I Ching and the Game of Chess. Does anyone really think that any mystic grace by God would have a difficult time figuring this out plus having the ability to use these patterns to paint the canvass of the star-studded universe with appropriate images to represent these teachings? The entire Judeao Christian Scriptures are based solely upon this Universal Mathematical Matrix. Does anyone think that the American Indian did not have the same mental acuity as any other major religion on earth?

I have previously demonstrated elsewhere (see footnote #5) that this Universal Mathematical Matrix27 is the original source of the Kabbalistic Tree of Life and it perfectly fits within a single Vesica Piscis (see footnote #5). The first chapter of Genesis demonstrates graphically that the Kundalini Serpent goes up this Kabbalistic Tree of Life.

I proffer that the serpent effigy on Serpent Mound surrounding and ascending the Pole Star (Kabbalistic Tree of Life) is patterned within this Universal Mathematical Matrix. Take the diagonal cells from the top left of the matrix diagonally down to the bottom right of the matrix: note at the center of the matrix the two sevens and two twos. The six twos spanning the diagonal length of the matrix represent the body of the serpent in the pattern of the Kabbalistic Tree of Life and the two sevens in that alignment are the seven swirls in the central part of the serpent’s effigy. It is the synthesis of the Oval Shape Egg (receiving of the vision) and the Serpent that causes the Kundalini energy to rise within the serpent. Note that the #1 (MONAD28) at the top left of the matrix

26 STAR MOUNDS: Legacy of a Native American Mystery (pgs 65-68), by Ross Hamilton, published by North Atlantic Books, Berkeley, California 2012 (I make this hypothesis seeing the basic design at Newark, Ohio of the circle and square. The square is obviously the Kamea of Saturn and the circle is undoubtedly the MONAD).27Evidence of the American Indian connection to this 10 x 10 matrix can be found in LIGHTNINGBOLT (see Medicine Wheel between pgs 408 * 409), by Hyemeyohsts Storm, published by A One World Book, Ballantine Books, New York 199428 The individual receiving the spiritual vision, taking in the MONAD, is in fact taking in the whole of the esoteric science: knowledge of the matrix. It may take him or her some time to fully assimilate the matrix but eventually it will be accomplished.

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between the two twos (serpent’s mouth) would be the Oval Shape Egg. The seven large dots along the body of the serpent represent Dr. William F. Romain’s and other’s measurements for the Lunar, Solar and Equinox Alignments. The basic cell-pattern seen here for the serpent’s effigy is the same cells in this matrix that the Judeao Christian scripture uses to pattern the Kabbalistic Tree of Life. The layout of the cells representing the serpent effigy is uncanny. The head and the tail of the serpent are blocked off in order to give an idea of where the serpent’s coiled tail should be. The #1 at the bottom right of the matrix represents the dormant lingam at the bottom of the spine, which the serpent is said to be coiled around 3½-times. If the Universal Mathematical Matrix is the original source of the Serpent Mound effigy, and I believe it is, then the American Indians have a unique perspective on the Kundalini Energy. Clearly the matrix is inferring that the serpent is not the Kundalini energy but rather is the spiritual vision (Kundalini Energy) received which in turn activates the sleeping serpent and reenergizes it making the serpent once again active and creative in the world. Actually, this is the same concept outlined in the Judeao Christian scriptures; however, it is not so explicitly stated. In the Judeao Christian scriptures each of the human characters is a representative of Yahweh or Elohym: two serpents wrapped around the tree of the Garden of Eden. The sleeping serpent represents Yahweh who is eternally resting (passive): seeking utopia; whereas, the active serpent is Elohym eternally creating (proactive).

Serpent Mound being the axis mundi of the Ohio Mound Builder’s culture indicates these mound builders move into the area culturally fully developed29 as a highly sophisticated civilization and this conclusion is based upon what others have discovered: that all the other mound builder’s sites in Ohio and neighboring states are centered on Serpent Mound. In fact Ross Hamilton’s work shows the mound building sites surrounding Serpent Mound are aligned graphically to the Zodiac collectively in a gigantic oval shape30, which follows the initial paradigm set when Serpent Mound’s Peninsula Plateau was sculptured to form the initial Vesica Piscis. Being that Serpent Mound is the axis mundi then all else follows its base esoteric pattern like a pebble tossed in water. The second Vesica Piscis is the Oval Shape Egg and the third is the gigantic Zodiac. It must be realized that this is how esotericism is published by the mystic to demonstrate that the vision received and translated is all that exist upon the face of the earth and the universe at large. This is precisely how the Judeao Christian scripture conveys the Genesis Creation Account through this kind of redundant patterning: repetition is the hallmark of science. I fully understand that the uninitiated will not understand this but it is what it is.

3. SERPENT MOUND’S METEOR CRATER AND THE VESICA PISCIS

Serpent Mound interested me because of the many esoteric nuances that seem to permeate the site. These were the same esoteric nuances that I had previously envisaged in the Genesis Creation Account (see footnote #5). One of the most important was that Serpent Mound was located inside a meteor crater. That nuance was absolutely stunning. Here was a crater created from out of the universe of stars and its stellar debris and right on the periphery inside the crater31 is SERPENT MOUND: incredible. This is precisely

29 This concept is not a new one. SERPENT IN THE SKY: The High Wisdom of Ancient Egypt (pg 13), by John Anthony West, published Julian Press, Crown Publishing Group, New York, NY 198730 STAR MOUNDS: Legacy of a Native American Mystery (pg 139) , by Ross Hamilton, published by North Atlantic Books, Berkeley, California 201231 SERPENT MOUND CRATER: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serpent_Mound_crater

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what the first letter of GENESIS: PEI/BETH is saying. It is precisely what the MONAD is conveying. There is a whole world of esotericism that lies before humanity and they do not see it: wake up world it is there waiting for you.

BETH is the first written letter of the bible and PEI is unwritten and is found in and surrounding the letter BETH in the white area of the page: this is a perfect analogy of what the MONAD 32 is conveying. Think about that for a minute. PEI being in the white area of the page takes in the whole page not just the area that BETH is written in. PEI in the Hebrew coder represents symbolically the ‘Mouth of God’: the transcendent. This is a particularly important nuance to grasp. BETH is on the periphery of the page as SERPENT MOUND’S PENINSULA PLATEAU is on the periphery inside the meteor crater. PEI; therefore, is symbolically the entire SERPENT MOUND’S CRATER and BETH is symbolic of the Summer Solstice Sunset. Both letters PEI and BETH in unity formed the serpent effigy and the peninsula plateau that it is situated on (Vesica Piscis): meaning that the sculptured peninsula plateau in the form of a a gigantic sleeping Bear (serpent effigy located in the area of its mouth) would analogously represent the first word of Genesis BE-RESH-ITH formulated from the Hebrew letters BETH and RESH in the Judeao Christian bible.

There are actually two serpents on SERPENT MOUND; in fact, I dare say the serpent effigy is analogous to the second coming of CHRIST as portrait in the first word of Genesis: BERESHITH. For the most part everything symbolically taught in the esoteric structuring of the first word of Genesis: BERESHTH is esoterically laid out on Serpent Mound.

Consider the Great Bear lying on Serpent Mound Peninsula Plateau. Symbolically, the bear represents any member of the Indian community. This is an individual that does not know how to pray (live the spiritual life: Life is Prayer) but he or she goes about life with a deep agonizing desire to know the truth about life. This is analogous to BETH [be…ith] opening up (humbling) him or herself to receive Orenda: in other words the sun (ego-consciousness) is about to set over the waters. BETH is no longer a word (containing ego-consciousness); rather, it is merely a letter. It is an empty container for its sun has set. The body of the bear is still there. It is just that the head (analogously John the Baptist head) or the tyrannical factors of life are psychically gone. A new head is needed and in the Judeao Christian scripture in reference to the first letter and first word of Genesis that letter is RESH, which is interpreted as “first and/or head”. This letter RESH is then inserted into Be…ith to form the word ‘Be-resh-ith’. In reference to Serpent Mound the body of the BEAR is ‘be’, the serpent effigy represents ‘resh’ and the dying sun represents ‘ith (setting over the waters = Brush Creek)’. This is why the moon coming in from the east is of a higher consciousness (Resh rather than Beth), which receives its mandate from the Great Spirit. The two circles interlocking forming the Vesica Piscis can be seen as two scythes: one cutting or forcing the sunset and the second is when the spiritual powers went back into the transcendent: what remains is the Vesica Piscis: this is similar to Christ saying from the cross, “My God, My God, why hast thou forsaken me (Matthew 27:46)?” The Oval Shaped Egg is not the serpent; rather, it symbolically represents Orenda as it merges with the serpent. The Oval

32 Pythagoras called the MONAD God. Think of the MONAD (number 1) as the transcendent. It is neither like BETH the first letter of the Judeao Christian Scriptures nor is it like PEI the letter that inundates and surrounds the letter BETH. The MONAD has no equivalent other than to say that the whole universe would represent the only or the number one (as a physical manifestation of the number one). The MONAD represents the whole before spliting into opposites: material creation.

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Shaped Egg (Orenda) and the serpent effigy are two separate symbols combining to symbolize the melding process. You can think of it in this way. The old serpent (Yahweh – sun – ego-consciousness) is gone. The new serpent is the humbleness of the old serpent taking on the spirituality: Orenda (Oval Shape Egg – Vesica Piscis) from the transcendent, which the galactic core symbolizes.

Interestingly, it is reported that ‘Draco was Tai Kung, the Palace of the Heavenly Emperor, bounded by the stars of Draco, fifteen in number, which stretch themselves in an oval shape round the pole star33’. The Pole Star is Ursa Minor and the fifteen stars is the numerical count of the top tier-row of the Kamea of Saturn: 4 + 9 + 2 = 15. The 4 = Cancer (Ursa Minor and Ursa Major), the 9 = Sagittarius (Draco) and the 2: i.e. 11 = Aquarius (Cygnus: Swan or Northern Star). I say top tier-row of the Kamea of Saturn because it represents the last three numbers in the multiplication table of the number seven: 7 x 7 = 49 (4), 7 x 8 = 56 (2) and 7 x 9 = 63 (9): 49 + 56 + 63 = 168 or the hours in a seven day week34. Serpent Mound’s effigy has seven swirls in its body representing the seven chakras. In the first chapter of Genesis this same motif of the 168 hours of a week is used mathematically to represent its example of the Kundalini Serpent. The entire story of Serpent Mound is being told through ancient star lore. I find it incomprehensible that in ancient China the stargazers saw the same mysteries in the constellation of Draco that the Adena and/or Hopewell Indians envisaged in North America. If everything else was summarily dismissed as an over active imagination how can Draco fifteen stars constellating into an Oval Shape around the Pole Star be discounted for those who built Serpent Mound? An equal argument can be advanced for the 16835-hours in a week forming the motif representing the Kundalini Serpent on Serpent Mound as it is clearly outlined mathematically in the first chapter of Genesis.

I want to belabor this issue about the number 168 a bit more; for the reason that, it represents the spiritual vision from the transcendent. I am not saying that the Jews and/or the Christians had anything whatsoever to do with building Serpent Mound; however, I believe that numerous mystical traditions around the world can independently develop their own unique mystical systems of thought envisaging the same numinous ideas used as symbols for their concepts; however, not necessarily in the same manner; though, they enigmatically mean the same thing esoterically. The case in point is the number 168 (see footnote #5). I have demonstrated elsewhere that the word ‘Elohym (God)’ in the Genesis creation account is Gemetria is structured with the formula for pi (3.1415). In addition I have shown that

33 STAR NAMES: Their Lore and Meaning (pg. 206) 1963, by Richard Hinckley Allen, published by Dover Publications, Inc., New York, also see http://www.constellationsofwords.com/Constellations/Draco.html, which actually prints out Richard Hinckley Allen’s work.34 I fully understand that the American Indians did not go by the seven day week and thus they could not have culturally known of the 24-hour day or the seven day week; however, they did know of the Universal Mathematical Matrix and the Kamea of Saturn: i.e. serpent effigy. They would have known that seven (7) was the number for fulfillment and the opposite of two (2): hence, the seven chakra system. The top tier of the Kamea of Saturn 3 x 3 square denotes the four constellations being depicted on Serpent Mound: Draco, Ursa Minor, Ursa Major and Cygnus: the Northern star.35 Dr. William Romain’s calculations of the lunar alignments at 18.6-years are a transposition of 168 and 0.618 (Golden Ratio) is another transposition of the number 168. The American Indian knew of the 18.6-years because their lunar alignments were perfect. Esoterists use transposition of number or reducing them to their lowest common denominators to convey their message.

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the circle of 32-Elohyms in the first chapter of Genesis has an aggregate of 528 and the word LIGHT takes up half the Elohyms 3-18, which has the aggregate of 168: the remainder being 360 (degrees in a circle). The 16-Elohyms in positions 3-18 are in the first four days of creation and symbolically represent the word LIGHT; for the reason that, those days have as a group 207-words, which is the Gemetria value of the word LIGHT. The diameter of a circle of 528 is 168, which make Elohym (pi) the LIGHT. I also demonstrated that the word ‘Elohym’ represents the entire Trinity, which can take on the roles of any of the three persons of the Trinity: Yahweh (Yud – Ego-Consciousness), Elohym (Aleph - Unconscious) and the Most High God (Qoph - Spiritual LIGHT). The letter/word QOPH: Qoph-Vav-Pei in Gemetria is 186 or the transposition of the number 168, which is the a priori cause of the spiritual vision (Vesica Piscis). Initially when the spiritual LIGHT comes into the world it is QOPH; however, it instantly splits into Yahweh and Elohym: Gods emanating life into the world via the Golden Ratio. This is why both Yahweh and Elohym names reduce to one of the set of the Fibonacci sequence 5/8; thereafter, the LIGHT becomes CHRIST the God/man; subsequently, it becomes sunlight: sun worship: a materialistic god (Yahweh).

What this is all saying is that the 32-Elohyms spit off into LIGHT and SHIN (360 = Soul) when the spiritual LIGHT comes into the world. The letter/word Shin has the Gemetria value of 360 and Shin esoterically represents the Earth (soul). The entire first chapter of Genesis is one gigantic Tai Chi symbol (Ying/Yang) representing LIGHT and DARKNESS (Vesica Piscis). Darkness36 represents the transcendent: the abode of the soul. The soul never enters into the nonexistence of the world only the psyche (human personality: ego-consciousness and unconscious mind): its counterpart does. It is interesting that the word Elohym can represent symbolically all three parts of the Trinity: Yud (Yahweh), Aleph (Elohym) and Qoph (Most High El) and SHIN represents the soul; therefore, a Hebrew37 concordance is in order: Yud-Shin represents “offspring”, Aleph-Shin represents “heat of the sun” and Qoph-Shin represents “assemble together”: thus, the translation would read, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased (Matthew 3:17)” and “Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is (1 John 3:2)”. Note that in both gospels the same word ‘beloved’ is used: that is an extraordinarily important nuance if Christians would only take note of it.

It would be extremely difficult for me to believe that the Adena and Hopewell Indians, in constructing Serpent Mound and the surrounding astrological sites, did not believe in the embrace of the Great Spirit exactly as the Christians did on an esoteric level in reference to the Trinity. In the above description of the number 168 I was merely illustrating precedence,

36 One of the things that the initiate begins to learn is that normally on an esoteric level all symbolism is usually in reverse of what humans traditionally and historically think of it as. For example: the symbolism of the Old Testament is diametrically opposite to that of the New Testament and vice versa. To the uninitiated when hearing both parties speaking in conversation they believe they are speaking the same language but this is far from the truth. This is why relationships between man and woman go awry: because they don’t listen to what each other is saying.37 HEBREW - ENGISH LEXICON (1844), by William Osburn, Jr., published by Zondervan Publishing House 1979

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in another religion, for such a belief system, which is analogous to what Serpent Mound is teaching and with what the Adena and Hopewell Indians independently envisaged esoterically on their own. It would also be on the whole difficult to believe that with this evidence of precedence, the evidence of what can be view from line of sight observations of star constellations, the historical mythological lore of star constellations and the evidence of the Solstice, Equinox and Luna alignments on Serpent Mound that the Cygnus constellation was not part of the collective star constellations being used to symbolically construct the site to convey the sequence of the spiritual vision.

a. THE FIRST SERPENTThe first serpent is represented by SERPENT MOUND METEOR CRATER forming the first circle in the Vesica Piscis semi-creating the GREAT BEAR SPIRIT38. The first half of this container (Vesica Piscis) comes in from the EAST: the mythical realm of God; however, the second half of the container (Vesica Piscis) is the sun (ego-consciousness) acquiescing (humbling and submitting) to the first half. This Vesica Piscis would represent analogously the coming of Christ (the God/man) for the first time. This would represent the Birth of Consciousness.

Simply what this means is that a member of the human community receives a spiritual vision. This individual would be somewhat versed in his tribal traditions, as a lay person, both on a secular and religious level; thus, the spiritual vision would be fully absorbed into the fabric of this individual psychic makeup esoterically similar to the blood of the Great Bear Spirit soaking into the earth (soul)39. This is similar if not the same as the Alchemical Wedding of Christ marrying His Bride (the soul). And like the Serpent Mound’s Meteor Crater this spiritual vision would make a deep lasting impression upon the psyche40 of this individual so much so that the entire previous portion of the individual life would be as if it was a mirage: this is why such mystics become hermits and lives far from the maddening crowd. This individual has the potentiality of becoming the messiah of the age. This is analogous to Jesus interpreting the texts of the Old Testament41 bringing forth its esoteric teachings, which is called Christianity. In the case of the American Indians, in regards to Serpent Mound’s mythos, its basic traditions and belief systems concerning astronomical lore were interpreted and more

38 Here it must be understood that the transcendent does not actually formulate a human philosophy or religious system of thought; rather, it takes on the existing paradigm within the soul/psyche of the individual it is gracing with its presence. The individual on the other hand would find him or herself in a wasteland. Basically what this means is, say an individual was an alcoholic then he may very well be cured by it. Now the individual does not know what to do with all this new found time. He or she has no people, places or things to go to or take up his time. He or she basically has to reinvent him or herself.39 This is similar to the Eucharist symbolically received at a Catholic Mass when the congregant takes the bread (biblical lore) and the wine (spirit): these amalgamate into a third option: the teachings of Christ. Carl Jung the great psychoanalyst called it the Transcendent Function.40 This nuance points the initiate to the realization that the universe is his psyche. It informs the initiate that the vision did not come from without but rather from within his own being; in addition, meteor crater at Serpent Mound also informs the initiate that symbolically the earth is the soul/psyche and that the spiritual vision (attack) was within and yet apart from the soul/psyche.41 Here is an extremely important concept. The Old Testament symbolically represents the teachings of Yahweh (ego-consciousness) and embedded in those teachings are the esoteric teachings of the transcendent. Christians get their esoteric teachings from the Old Testament because that is the paradigm in which the sacred scriptures were written; however, on a generic level. On a generic level this vision can come to anybody in the world no matter what religion he or she belongs to. It can even come to an atheist but then he or she would have to deal with it the best he or she could or suffer the consequences of an insane asylum.

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fully developed into a way of life; however, most important to understand concerning such a vision that come to an individual is that it does not necessarily manifest into an interpretation of an already existing main-stream religion. It can take on the form of a psychotic episode and the individual could end up in an asylum42 for the rest of his or her life or such a vision can take on the form of music or art or any interest in the human experience inadvertently using such spiritual radiance for materialistic purposes. The true purpose of an ordained priesthood in any religious system is to cull such people out of society (similar to harvesting a crop) and aid them in dealing with their vision. This is what the shaman does in the American Indian culture.

b. THE SECOND SERPENTThe second circle that aided in completing the Vesica Piscis is no longer seen. This would represent the people that were living in the indigenous culture that were here at the time that the first serpent appeared. In the Judeao Christian traditions this would be the Jews of Palestine at the Birth of Christ. The individual receiving the spiritual vision, like the rest of his or her community, would initially be solely dominated by ego-consciousness (the Sun = Yahweh); however the vision subjugate the ego-consciousness of the individual receiving the vision. The individual receiving the vision would attempt to integrate it into the mores of his culture that he has learned all his life. The FIRST SERPENT returns to the transcendent, which is analogous to the Ascension of Christ. Some of the followers of the individual receiving the vision would transform into the spiritual sages of their times teaching the wisdom of the Great Bear Spirit: Big Dipper (Ursa Major) similar to Christ’s twelve disciples. These people would have Orenda43 about them: many of the followers will also receive a vision, which is what was conveyed in the New Testament concerning Pentecost. Eventually, knowledge of the Great Bear Spirit’s teachings would be forgotten and the spiritual radiance: Orenda would degrade into ego-consciousness: the Sun in generations to come. The first and second serpents are no longer remembered: descending generations will eventually collapse into a psychic state of total amnesia living a pseudo-understanding of their religious beliefs.

Not all the people in the community would listen to their new shaman: “And he (Jesus) said, Verily I say unto you, No prophet is accepted in his own country (Luke 4:24)”. Traditionally such an individual having a spiritual psychic experience in the American Indian community was brought to the tribe’s shaman and this individual would be taught to accept his or her vision and not to reject it as explained in the book “Black Elk Speaks44”. The process of the individual receiving the vision, attempting to define and understand it, is more or less a psychic knee jerk reaction that takes place without conscious thought causing the spiritual vision to end as quickly as it began45. In Christianity this attempt to define and understand the vision is simultaneously the Birth,

42 This is because the individual had no way of dealing with the vision and did not try to understand it bur rather allowed an archetype of the unconscious to absorb his or her soul/psyche.43 http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/orenda, http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/431779/orenda, 44 “Black Elk Speaks is a 1932 book by John G. Neihardt, an American poet and writer, who relates the story and spirituality of Black Elk, an Oglala Sioux medicine man or shaman. It was based on conversations by Black Elk with the author and translated from Lakota into English by Black Elk's son, Ben Black Elk, who was present during the talks. Neihardt transformed his notes to convey Black Elk's spiritual message in powerful lyrical English”. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Elk_Speaks45 There is literally no way to prevent this psychic knee jerk reaction because the vision is nothing the individual has ever experienced or could expect to experience in his entire life. There is no way to prepare for such a vision nor has there ever been a realistic description of such a vision in all of the records of humanity. The vision will be totally unexpected. It is similar, but not quite the same, to an individual flinching or bodily jerking when startled.

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Crucifixion and Ascension of Christ46 and the very reason that Christ had to die on the cross. Christ’s mission on earth is complete. In some cases the new shaman would take those members of the community that believes in his or her vision and go off creating a new tribe, which is similar to Jesus having a group of followers. In other cases the old shaman dies and the community appoints a new shaman. In the case of Christianity Jesus becomes the new Sun of God. Sun, because he became the new ego-consciousness (new sunrise): i.e. the new status quo, which is imbued with spiritual Orenda (Vesica Piscis).

Orthodoxy comes quickly to a new religion and the original beliefs and traditions (revelation) is cast into dogmatic stones where spiritual life is drained from them. No longer are the spiritual interpretations of the myths the primary goal of the spiritual leaders but rather the literal interpretations of them (teachings and historical records) become tantamount47: this is similar to religion degrading into the letter of the law rather than the spirit of it48. All other spiritual and/or esoteric interpretations; thereafter, would become heretical (Gnostic)49. This fundamentalism becomes the new paradigm, which is merely a shell of the original revelation; however, it must be pointed out that within the written dogmatic texts is the true revelation of the original vision. Christ is crucified by being codified esoterically to the sacred scriptures. Christ is then buried in his tomb: the sacred scriptures. Christ can only rises from the dead when sincere supplicants (initiates) interpret the texts or myths properly to obtain their spiritual meanings: this latter in Christianity is called the Eucharist.

c. THE THIRD SERPENT

46 The New Testament authors have stretched this spiritual nanosecond into 33-years of the mythological life of Jesus Christ in an effort to fully explain the spiritual vision: the process of salvation: i.e. Born Again: the second coming of Christ.47 This is quite deliberate because a major institution in codifying its belief system to religious texts is trying to universalize them within the community such as Catholicism becoming the dominant Christian religion. The word ‘catholic’ means ‘universal’. It is done so that all Christians throughout the known world would have the same outer belief systems. The myths, traditions and belief systems would become universal reference points. Basically on a total symbolic level the outer form of Christianity is the reincarnation of Judaism and this is the way it is suppose to be. The pope is symbolic of John the Baptist: the greatest of all prophets in Judaism. In other words the average Christian has to behead the pope (initiate ridding himself of his ego-consciousness) or else the vision cannot be had by the individual. The Christian religion as in all religions is but a description of the desired spiritual vision. A Christian experiencing the vision would eventually understand what has happened to him or her. That is all that the Judeao Christian scriptures are talking about esoterically. Exoterically, the sacred scripture is providing the community with a decent way of life in the world while sojourning on earth: but, it is also a spiritual map for esoterists.48 This is not the religious leaders creating this phenomenology. This degrading into ego-consciousness happens to be the way of life on earth concerning the human psyche. The human being wants rest and utopia and they eternally in the world strive for that without the aid of God. This is why the sacred scriptures are written to preserve the knowledge of what the vision is. All the religious leaders were doing in writing the sacred scriptures was to give the people what they wanted. People get set in their ways and in accepting the status quo do not need the vision to have a happy life; however, there are those rare individuals that cannot psychically stomach the world and its materialistic and ego-driven ways. It is when these individual have a spiritual vision they know what is happening to them.49 This is not to say that these interpretations are wrong per se; however, insofar as they are not in accordance with the spiritual esoteric traditions of orthodoxy they are a death knell to the status quo. The esoteric traditions include a very sophisticated mathematical science directly from the transcendent. This will not be apparent initially at the time of the spiritual vision; however, as the initiate researches his vision and the traditions and belief systems of his religion the esoteric science will become known through an ongoing revelatory experience: in other words the spiritual vision remains with the individual as if it was an afterglow: a spiritual radiance. The reason that the esoteric science is used to structure the sacred scriptures is to provide the initiate the means to articulate himself beyond the normal means of expression. The esoteric science is also the means to test the revelatory experiences of those claiming to have visions.

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The THIRD SERPENT is actually the second coming of the FIRST SERPENT (analogously this is the second coming of Christ); however, this time it comes through the GREAT BEAR SPIRIT’S teachings. This is similar to Christianity continuously revising itself throughout its long two thousand year history, which can be seen in its great artworks50. This was also noted in the long history of the Egyptian Empire going back to 3500BC.

The THIRD SERPENT is basically the SECOND SERPENT teachings of the Great Bear Spirit waning to such a point in the life of an individual that his or her personal desire to know the Truth invokes a spiritual vision; however, it is both the vision and the old spiritual teachings that creates the new Vesica Piscis: raison d’être (reason for existence). This is not a new paradigm but rather the fading tradition being reinterpreted in different ways51.

This THIRD SERPENT is the serpent that is represented on SERPENT MOUND. Actually, a bit of the SECOND SERPENT is seen at the tip of the Oval Shape Egg. At the tip of the Oval Shape Egg is a diamond shape in reverse of the diamond shape in the THIRD SERPENT’S head. They are both facing in opposite directions. This diamond shape at the edge of the Oval Shape Egg is neither an altar nor is it a crystal52. It should be noted that in the serpent effigy the diamond shaped area in the head is empty: there is nothing there; whereas, the diamond shape at the other end of the Oval Shaped Egg is raised up on its own mound as if it could fit in the empty space of the serpent effigy’s head. It is my conjecture that this diamond shape mound represents symbolically ego-consciousness, which was forced out of the serpent effigy by Orenda. The THIRD SERPENT represents the Moon and the SECOND SERPENT represents the Sun. That is why the sun is setting during the Summer Solstice. The Oval Shape Egg and the serpent effigy as the Vesica Piscis is a new raison d’être (reason for existence) that has been prepared by the transcendent and the needs of the individual into what Christians call the Eucharist: Word of God. In the case of SERPENT MOUND it would be the word of the Great Bear Spirit. There is an eternal oscillation between the Sun Serpent and the Moon Serpent. They each take on each other roles exactly like the fluctuation of the Fibonacci sequence of the Golden Ratio: as each set in the sequence moves on to the next set two become three and three become two, etc., etc. This is just as it is recorded in the Gnostic Teachings of Christianity: the

50 THE SISTINE CHAPEL: A Study in Celestial Cartography, The Mysteries and Esoteric Teachings of the Catholic Church (November 2012), by William John Meegan, published by Xlibris Publishers, www.williamjohnmeegan.com 51 For example this would be the revelations of saints such as the Founder Saints. Each of these saints started up a new religious order in Christianity; however, each stayed true to the original Christian paradigm. This is an important example I am giving here concerning the Founding Saints honored in Saint Peter’s Basilica. There are 20-locations out of possibly 100-locations that these Founding Saints statues are located in Saint Peter’s Basilica: this is an example of the PEI/BETH paradigm in the first letter of Genesis. Think of Saint Peter’s Basilica as analogous to Serpent Mound’s Meteor Crater; whereas, the cross that the 40-saints, take up in 20-locations (includes Saint Peter) is analogous to the Great Bear Spirit effigy. Each saint represents a new vision. The fact that Saint Peter’s Basilica is honoring those saints points to it as being their holiest of traditions.(http://saintpetersbasilica.org/Statues/Founders/FounderSaints.htm). 52 Previous theories that have been hypothesized concerning that diamond shape image at the head of the Oval Shaped Egg. There has been some pie in the sky theories coming out of SERPENT MOUND. One theory actually has a chair in the midst of the diamond shape in the serpent’s head. The ground was supposed to exudes energy from the meteor crater to heal the supplicant similar to what is said to come out of the Delphic Oracle. The Delphic Oracle was something totally different: it actually had foul spelling gases coming out of fault crevices in the ground beneath the sibyl sitting in a chair. Recently within the past two decades or so the academic archeologist and meteorologist that discovered this at the Delphic Oracle say it was a hallucinogenic gas: only a priest could interpret the rambling of the young woman.

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female53 (Moon) will become male (Sun) and the male (Sun) will become female (Moon). When a dreamer brings forth unconscious content it becomes conscious or ego-driven.

The SECOND SERPENT54 is the setting sun; however, the SECOND SERPENT is what the FIRST SERPENT had degraded into: this is symbolic of the eternal life cycle of the Birth and Death process not only on a physical level but on a spiritual level: the birth and death of the Vesica Piscis. The appearance of the THIRD SERPENT is consistent with Judeao Christian biblical teachings that a new day starts at sundown: the Second Coming of Christ. The revelatory vision denotes a new creation. The old heaven and earth has passed away and the new heaven and earth are now coming into being.

4. ANOTHER LOOK AT THE FIRST AND SECOND SERPENTS

In all honesty there was no THIRD SERPENT on Serpent Mound though that lesson would have been thoroughly discussed as to what would naturally transpire in subsequent generations. There is no way of preventing this amnesia from taking place in the human psyche seeing the natural slothfulness and complacency of the human psyche always seeking utopia and/or an easier ways of living. Serpent Mound is basically for the initiate that has received his or her vision. The average person living within society will never know of esotericism though that individual will be thoroughly versed in his or her religious lore and cultural mores. These teaching are instilled into the mores of the cultures for that day an individual is graced with such a vision: he or she will then have the means to deal with the vision. The mores of the culture mandate that the religious beliefs are maintained and preserved for future generations. It would have taken an entire community’s efforts to create the mound building culture even though most of them would not have known what it was all about.

5. CYGNUS: THE NORTHERN CROSS

When I look at the alignment of constellations representing SERPENT MOUND PENINSUAL PLATEAU: Ursa Major, Draco, and Ursa Minor (Little Dipper within the fold of Draco’s constellation) I would have to add the Cygnus55 constellation to that group as the primary impetus to the spiritual vision. The question has to be asked, what initiated the vision, which is symbolically represented by a meteor coming out of Draco and smashing into the earth (symbolically the soul)? In ancient times the Draco constellation represents Ladon, the dragon that guarded the gardens of the Hesperides in Greek mythology. This is just how Yahweh guarded the Garden of Eden: “do not eat of the tree”. Was it not Heracles56 that killed Draco to get at the apples? In Judeao Christian parlance Draco

53 The "Scholars' Translation" of the Gospel of Thomas by Stephen Patterson and Marvin Meyerhttp://www.haverford.edu/relg/courses/122b/GThomas2translations.htm

114 Simon Peter said to them, "Make Mary leave us, for females don't deserve life." Jesus said, "Look, I will guide her to make her male, so that she too may become a living spirit resembling you males. For every female who makes herself male will enter the kingdom of Heaven."

54 Here is where it does get a bit confusing in trying to describe the seesaw process. I have here said the SECOND SERPENT; however, initially the FIRST SERPENT that came into creation forming the initial Vesica Piscis had an opposing serpent: i.e. a SECOND SERPENT. This SECOND SERPENT was completely driven from memory and now the FIRST SERPENT remains the first serpent without an opposing serpent until another vision is had by a member of the community; however, this FIRST SERPENT transmogrifies into the SECOND SERPENT when the THIRD SERPENT appears. The THIRD SERPENT would then become the FIRST SERPENT and the process would begin all over again.55 This story is well told in: STAR MOUNDS: Legacy of a Native American Mystery (pgs 117-132), by Ross Hamilton, published by North Atlantic Books, Berkeley, California 2012, It would seem that on Serpent Mound both the Great Mother Good (Swan) and the Northern Cross are inferred in the construction of the serpent effigy.56 http://www.constellation-guide.com/constellation-list/hercules-constellation/

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would be Yahweh (serpent) and Heracles would be Elohym (serpent)57: this is Mercury’s caduceus: the messenger of the gods. Is it not Yahweh (sun = ego-consciousness) that has to humble himself (sunset) in order for there to be a spiritual vision? If the sun had not set on the seventh day of creation in the Genesis Creation Account the serpent could never have given the fruit of the tree to Eve. How it is known that it was evening is because the texts clearly state Yahweh was walking in the cool of the day and it also mentions that he could not see Adam or Eve, “where art thou Adam”? Evil cannot help but destroy itself through laziness continuously seeking rest: the would-be Promise Land is always over the next horizon.

To understand how the Northern Cross is connected to Serpent Mound the nature of both serpents (Sun and Moon alignments) have to be understood. Serpent Mound is the axis mundi of a gigantic Lunar Zodiacal Mythological Calendar: 13-Moon Cycles. I do not know the direction in which meteor impacted the site and I do not believe it would make any difference esoterically.

Serpent Mound is set up to display Cygnus’ Northern Cross : it is done so in the exact same manner in which it is displayed in the first word of Genesis: BERESHITH. I am not saying here that either culture influenced the other. The serpent’s head is facing northwest; however, the serpent effigy is aligned to the North Star; whereas the Summer Solstice sun is setting in the northwest. In other words the two serpents are facing each other having just created the Vesica Piscis (Oval Shape Egg). The Summer Solstice sun rose in the Northeast. The question that has to be asked is why is the serpent situated between the rising and the setting sun? The answer is of cause is that a new serpent has come to replace the dying serpent (setting sun). Here is where it can be hypothesized that there is a THIRD SERPENT but knowing as I do the redundancy factor in esotericism the two serpents facing off are a repetitive symbol of the first Vesica Piscis. In other word more details of the spiritual vision are being expressed by going into some of the minutia as repetitive examples are inferred. Now extrapolate that out to the entire Lunar Zodiac: 13-moon cycles58. I think you guessed by now the second cycle in the Solar Calendar cycle. In other words the Solar Year has been turned into a more spiritual year: the Lunar Zodiacal Calendar. The Solar Calendar is used for secular chores such as farming and other mundane activities; however, the Moon Calendar maps out

57 See also Michelangelo “Temptation and Expulsion of Adam and Eve”, Sistine Chapel ceiling.58 THE 13 ORIGINAL CLAN MOTHERS (1994), by Jamie Sams, published by Harper San Francisco, A Division of Harper Collins Publishers

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religious events: see Judaism, Christianity and Islam for examples of Luna Calendars.

Serpent Mound has the Lunar Calendar 18.6-years rising and setting in the east and west, which is shown ‘crossing’ the body of the serpent purposely, creating a symbol of the Northern Cross (Cygnus). The serpent is rising up the body of the Great Bear: from south to north and the lunar alignments are from east to west. Symbolically, the Kundalini Serpent is rising to go out of the crown of the head not towards North Star but to the Northern Cross.

The reason that I am absolutely certain that the solar and lunar alignments are symbolizing Cygnus: the Northern Cross is because this is precisely how the first two verses of Genesis are set up. Genesis uses the symbolism of the ALEPH to represent the cross. Below are a few examples in the Genesis Creation Account indicating there is precedence for using the sun and the moon symbols as analogies to the Cygnus constellation.

(A) ALEPTH is spelt Aleph (1), Lemmed (30) and Pei (80): break these three letters individually down to their lowest common denominator and the quotients are 1, 3 and 8 of the transposition of 318, which is the Gemetria value of the word ‘Cross’. These three letters in ALEPH also total to 111, which points to the Trinity: Aleph (1), Yud (10) and Qoph (100). In the Zohar Aleph is defined as Elohym, which in turn is defined as the Moon and Yahweh is defined as the Sun. Aleph is the second letter of the letter/word RESH: Resh-Aleph-Shin. It is this letter/word RESH that is inserted into be…ith to form be-resh-ith: BERESHITH. This in turn translate into interpreting the word ‘be-resh-ith’ to read:

a. be = “in the beginning”b. resh = “Elohym separated the beginning and ends of the heavens

and the beginning and ends of the earth”.c. ith = “and the earth was without form and void and darkness was

on the face of the deep and the spirit of Elohym moved over the face of the waters”.

When reading the second verse of Genesis it will be seen that the first verse ends with the word ‘earth’ and the second verse starts with the word ‘earth’; thus, Aleph: i.e. Elohym would be sitting between the ‘heavens and the earth’ between SHIN (Earth) & RESH (Heavens) right on top of the galactic core.

(B) In the first word of Genesis: Bereshith, the Sun is setting and the Moon is rising intertwining symbolizing the CROSS.

(C) The first four chapters of Genesis create a gigantic Zodiac/Calendar year’s graphic image. Between the first two verses of Genesis are Scorpio, which represents the first verse and the second verse, represent Sagittarius. The galactic core can be seen between these two signs. In fact both Scorpio’s and Sagittarius’ arrows crisscross pointing to the galactic core59, which is exactly where Cygnus: the Northern Cross is (at

59 EARTH UNDER FIRE: Humanity’s Survival of the Ice Age (1997), by Paul A. LaViolette, PH.D., published by Bear & Company, Rochester, Vermont: also there is a beautiful video out under the same name illustrating Dr. LaViolette’s discovery of the Zodiac’s mythology of Sagittarius’ and Scorpio’s arrows pointing to the galactic core.

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the intersection of the two arrows). Remember that Draco is in Sagittarius: one of the two signs pointing to Cygnus: the Northern Cross.

6. SUN AND MOON ALIGNMENTS

It is because of the scientific measurements of the Solstices, Equinoxes 60 and Moon61 alignments that all of this can be said about SERPENT MOUND. It definitely follows the esoteric traditions of the Judeao Christian literature. In the Old Testament Yahweh represented the Sun and Elohym represented the Moon62. Both these concepts are well laid out in the first word of Genesis: BERESHITH and is prefigured in the first letter of Genesis: PEI/BETH.

“The cycle of the moon is not as simplistic as that of the sun, for the moon has a complicated orbit that requires time to discern its horizon rising and setting points. Instead of one year to complete its cycle, nearly nineteen years is necessary. Because of this, William F. Romain, in his capacity as archaeoastronomer, discovered six lunar alignments corresponding to the widely dispersed chronological events of the 18.6-year lunar calendar. His findings suggest that, like the findings of Ray Hively and Robert Horn at the Newark, Ohio, circle-octagon earthwork, the designer of the Great Serpent understood the entire lunar cycle63”.

Here are the crucial characteristics of SERPENT MOUND that raises it to the level of esotericism; thus, to the level of a Mystery School. All else can be explained away by the artistic skills of artisans. The seven swirls in the body of the serpent representing the measurements of the Solstices, Equinoxes and Moon alignments spanning the array of seven swirls shows a dedication that goes far beyond that of a worldly artisan. To begin with those that constructed this site would have had to have a sophisticated understanding of what they were doing before they began or else it would have taken several generations to complete the project: 18.6 years64 is almost one generation. To align the Lunar Measurements took precision surveying skill that only teamwork could accomplish.

7. THE KUNDALINI SERPENTAND THE SEVEN LIGHT CHAKRAS

The synchronicity of Draco (Serpent), Ursa Minor (Little Bear) and Ursa Major (Big Bear) constellations being within the same family of star constellations65 in relationship to Serpent Mound is too coincidental to overlook. In fact historically speaking from great antiquity Draco was considered part of the Ursa Major constellation of stars.60 Solstices and Equinoxes alignments after Hardman & Hardman, Fletcher & Cameron: see THE GREAT SERPENT MOUND: Book of Wonders and Mysteries: An Eclectic Guide to the Enigmatic Effigy and its Parkland, collector’s edition, 2013 by Ross Hamilton61 Ibid: Lunar Alignments uncovered by William F. Romain in 198762 The Sun and Moon represent symbolically ego-consciousness and the unconscious mind respectively. The world is an illusion and these interpretations of these symbols have to be taken internally.63 THE GREAT SERPENT MOUND: Book of Wonders and Mysteries: An Eclectic Guide to the Enigmatic Effigy and its Parkland, collector’s edition, 2013 by Ross Hamilton64 The idea that Stonehenge and Serpent Mound does not necessarily pan out logically because those taking notes as to the alignment of the Moon Measurements would by necessity be equivalent even if they were centuries or millennia apart.65 http://www.constellation-guide.com/constellation-list/draco-constellation/

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It is uncanny that the coiled tail of the serpent is symbolic of the lingam that lies dormant at the seat of the spine and the seven uncoiling swirls in the body of the serpent appears to be rolling out the measurements of the Sun and Moon (the heavens). These seven uncoiling swirls are the Seven Light Chakras in Hindu mythology. For Genesis Creation Account says that the two great luminaries: Sun and Moon, will bring light to the earth (soul). The fact that the Serpent is at the mouth of the Great Bear points to the Word of God (PEI). The Bear Clan were said to be healers and/or shamans. These same concepts of the Kundalini and the Seven Light Chakras are esoterically codified to the first four chapters of Genesis.

8. THE GREAT BEAR SPIRIT

The Hunting of the Great Bear, in brief, concerns four hunters hunting for the great bear. They are so intent on catching this bear in their chase they do not realize that they have been waft into the night sky. The four hunters are the four seasons. The bear wakes up in spring and goes through each of the seasons until the four hunters catch up and kills it. As it falls to the ground its blood soak in causing the color of leaves and then winter has set in. The Great Bear is known to be within the square of four stars in the heavens representing the bowl of the Big Dipper (Ursa Major) and the hunters are seen close behind. There are many esoteric nuances that are codified to this legend and those that have eyes to see and ears to hear will seek them out. This American Indian mythological tale is what interested me being that SERPENT MOUND’S PENINSULA PLATEAU in the shape of a bear was situated within a crater (bowl) brought down from the starry skies. As it can be seen it was not difficult to make the connection between the formation’s shape of the peninsula plateau and the legend of the Great Bear Spirit. Think of it this way the legend of Hunting of the Great Bear is repetitious of all that has been discussed in this paper.

9. IN CONCLUSION

It is not difficult to envisage, with careful study and consideration of the evidence available, that the true understanding of SERPENT MOUND site can be ascertained. I see Serpent Mound as a Mystery School where the teacher and student can walk the perimeter of this thirteen hundred and seventy foot effigy as the sage instructs the student into the deeper esoteric mysteries of the Great Bear’s mythological teachings; though, that student would first have to prove his or her worthiness to obtain that knowledge. Questions as to the student’s observations of the mound would certainly be on the program. I can only imagine that the student would have been thoroughly prepared with more than a basic education and then the shaman would see where the student’s thoughts went from there and this would determined how much of the esoteric knowledge would be doled out. How does the student deal with the esoteric knowledge he or she was given? The questions asked will certainly alert the shaman as to the sincerity that the student is putting into his or her studies. There is no shame in going the way of the secular and worldly life; however, there are those few amongst the many that need more than the world can provide and this is where the art of esotericism come into focus for those rare individuals. There are many that claim they want the spiritual way until they learn what that entails. Like the rich man in the New Testament when

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he realized he would have to give up all his wealth66 to follow Christ. That was too much for him and he turned back.

10. ORENDA: A FINAL WORD

Orenda is a word that I borrow from the American Indians to describe that inexplicable spiritual radiance that has guided me these past 39-years in my quest to know myself and the God that had created me. I see the universe in a whole different light then most sojourning on the earth. I know that outwardly all is a direct reflection of what is within my soul/psyche and this is how I live my life and view myself. My views of the outer world are not that of the uninitiated: those that do not know Orenda. Like the gorget I presented above. I may perform the same rituals, wear the same cloths and speak the same language but my mental acuity towards societal mores is that of a spiritual dimension.

The earth67 is symbolically my soul/psyche. Symbolically the outward manifestation of the earth, and the universe that surrounds it, is there to edify me more fully on a rational level concerning my soul/psyche. The earth is a molten ball of fire with a thin outer crust similar to the skin envelope protecting the body. The earth is symbolic of the soul/psyche peering ad infinitum into itself and needs the outer crust to protect it against the cold and emptiness of nothing. The star studded universe is all the hidden mysteries within my soul/psyche that needs to be eternally contemplated with Orenda as my only confidant. The outer crust can also be said to be the clothing of the body (cultural mores). All of these outer mysteries are the symbolic outer manifestations (illusions and mirages) of my spiritual being but this does not make them any less real.

The inner molten fire of the earth is symbolically the spiritual being that I am while I am in the world and this molten fire seeps through the crust of the earth as life giving energies similar to sweat cooling off the body. The molten fire is my spiritual being in the world of materialism similar to the digestion of food. The fire is perpetually liquefying the solidity of the world so that it becomes malleable for my creative thought. I am a fugitive and a vagabond in the earth because there can never be a time that I can rest my head for in the day that I do I will die spiritually. The moment that I rest, from learning about myself, all solidifies around me and I become useless to myself: tedious: dead lying eternally within a mausoleum of my own design. I would eternally be dwelling on the same thoughts and continuously going down the same paths of reasoning: that finiteness will become my whole universe, my whole being. Logic would be dead and there would be no new adventures that I can explore in the inner realm of my being.

Orenda has taken me out of the cloistered world I had built myself and cause it to fade away as if it was a mirage and a vast new world opened up before me. My main obsession in life dissipated68 like dew in the morning it evaporated and an infinite amount of possibilities presented themselves. Through the wisdom of Orenda I learn to reject all of these new possibilities because they were the same old dream dressed in new garments. Orenda showed me that knowing God was to learn about myself. Not that I was God but rather that I live my life through Him. My life may be as cloistered as it was before, at least from the outward appearance; however, through Orenda the spiritual universe has been opened to me and I found

66 Wealth has nothing to do with money or accumulation of goods though that was a small part of what Christ was demanding. Christ was demanding all of the initiates time and energies. The initiate had to give up his family, friends and associates and this is the bulk of each and every human being’s wealth. This is what Christ meant when one of the would-be disciples said he was going home to bury his father and Christ said, “Let the dead bury the dead”.67 This understanding is imbued into the word ‘earth’ in the Genesis Creation Account. 68 The main impediment (obsession) to life is wiped clean: Tabula Rasa (blank slate); though, all knowledge and characteristic traits of the individual are retained. What this means is that though the individual remembers the old obsession there is no way psychically he or she would willingly acquiesce to returning to it or a greater evil would come upon that individual for it would be totally and unequivocally disrespectful to the Holy Spirit: Orenda.

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that I could reach across the vast expanse of creation. I see Orenda in all that is being taught to me for she is eternally inside and all around me. For we are PEI/BETH: “in the beginning”.

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