The Ancient Tradition

00:00

Music

00:10

You’re listening to the Ancient Tradition. A Wonk Media Production. Music provided by Joseph McDade. He is your host, Dr. Jack Logan.

00:29

Welcome to the ancient tradition. I’m your host, Jack Logan.

00:35

Another episode. It’s great to have you along for today. We’ve got a packed program. I was going to add even more than I did, but you can thank me a little bit. I held back and I’ll save some of that for our next episode. Before I jump into today’s episode, I’ve got to tell you about last Thursday, I was reading in the book, Chinese myths by Zhu Tingni. I’ve talked about this book previously on the program and I was just reading through some of these myths and I came across the myth that reminded me so much of the cosmic egg.

01:04

which we talked about in our previous episode. So I just had to share this with you before I jump into most of what we’re going to talk about today. Because on page 207 of this book, Ne tells the mythology of the Chinese gourd and it’s known as the Hulu. I have no idea if the streaming service Hulu is connected to this, but it wouldn’t surprise me. Anyway, on page 207, Ne writes quote, according to the mythology of the Blong ethnic group,

01:33

When the world was created, there were no humans, just a giant gourd. So I read this and it’s already sounding super familiar. So here, before the world was formed, we have a giant gourd, which sounds just like the cosmic egg. But of course, we’re talking in Chinese cultural terms here. So this is the Chinese equivalent to the egg, the gourd is. And where did the Chinese say that this gourd stood?

02:01

Well, it says on page 207, quote, when the world was created, there were no humans, just a giant gourd that stood on a mountain. I was like, okay, I’m not surprised at all. This is where we would expect it to be, either on the waters or on the mountain. And this special Chinese gourd stands on a mountain. We already know within the ancient tradition that the mountain represents God’s temple and that God dwells within the holiest precinct

02:30

of his temple in the Holy of Holies, which we established in the past couple of episodes, the ancients symbolized as a cosmic egg. So you should easily see the Chinese equivalent here where the Chinese Blong people tell us a gourd stood at the top of a mountain. This is what Ni tells us was housed inside this giant sacred gourd. Quote, it nurtured thousands of humans.

02:59

but they could not get out. So inside the gourd, we find that it’s filled with life. Just exactly what we’d expect to find because that’s what we see with the cosmic egg. But the Chinese surprise us a little bit here because they tell us that the gourd’s filled with, quote, thousands of humans. The gourd was filled with thousands of human beings. This is remarkable. This part of the myth is remarkable because it teaches that human beings lived in the Holy of Holies with God.

03:28

before they or we were born on earth. I don’t wanna get too far off topic here, but I want you to file away that this Chinese myth speaks to the notion of human beings having existed prior to being born on earth, because we’ll get into this more in future episodes. According to this myth, human beings in the gourds couldn’t get out until, quote, a swan flew up and…

03:57

pecked a hole in the thick skin, allowing them to exit. Now again, I was not surprised because here we’re talking about a bird, a bird that comes along, pecks a hole into the skin of the gourd, cracks it open, just like the cracking open of the cosmic egg. We’re seeing the exact same themes that we’ve been seeing, but in this myth, the Chinese are using their own cultural expression, the Hulu Gourd, to express the same theology as the Holy of Holies that we see in the ancient world.

04:27

So I’m reading this and I’m thinking to myself, okay, this sounds quite a bit like the Ark again. And then I kept reading and I was a bit floored because this is what Nye said next. She says, quote, in a country ravaged by floods, the Gord’s buoyancy was always gonna be featured in its mythology. In fact,

04:54

The Chinese equivalent of the arc across dozens of flood myths and multiple ethnicities almost always features a giant gourd into which the area’s ancestral originators and useful livestock are able to survive the high waters. So right here, Nee tells us in Chinese mythology, quote, across dozens of flood myths and multiple ethnicities

05:24

that the ark is the gourd and that the gourd is the ark. If you’re ever questioning whether Noah’s ark represented the Holy of Holies. After reading these Chinese myths, I think you can put that question to rest. Noah’s ark was clearly meant to symbolize, at least on some level, God’s sacred abode, the Holy of Holies. Knee goes on to tell how in the ancient legends, gourds were used by important figures to store or to house some special items.

05:54

So think about what special items might these historical figures or mythological figures have housed. She writes, quote, gourds have always been used for storage. Since China’s prehistory, this aspect too has been immortalized in legends. The immortal healer, Tianxi Li, for example, carries a gourd in which he keeps.

06:22

all sorts of rare and magical medicines to heal the sick and wounded. This aspect of the Gort is also in keeping with the theology of the Holy of Holies because as we’ve discussed briefly on the program, the Fountain of Youth and the Elixir of Life were housed in the Holy of Holies. God, because he upholds rightness, has the power to reverse the second law of thermodynamics and because of that where he dwells

06:50

There is no aging. There is no death. So it’s perfectly in keeping for the healer, Tan Shi Li, to store rare and special medicines that can heal the sick and heal wounds in the special gourd. The gourd, the holy of holies, is the source of all healing. Ni also tells us another interesting story of the Taoist master, Lu Ya. She writes, quote,

07:21

We gotta stop here because we’re talking about a Taoist master. Recall that the Tao is roughly equivalent to the Egyptian concept of ma’at or the Hebrew concept of tzedek. So we’re talking about one who aims to master rightness. Quote, the wandering Taoist master Luya used his gourd to store the 18 centimeter God-slaying knife.

07:49

the gleam of which is blinding and whose edge is sharp enough to behead enemies in an instant. Okay, so what did the Taoist store in his gourd? A knife. A knife that was so blinding and whose edge was so sharp that it could, quote, behead enemies in an instant. I mean, this is in complete conformity with everything we’ve learned on this podcast. I just love this legend because it links the gourd

08:18

with a special dragon-slaying weapon that a Taoist would be expected to carry, the knife or sword. Lughal stores his special dragon-slaying sword in the gourd. The symbolism here is absolutely amazing because we learned in the legend of Fafnir that the sword was stuck by the high god Odin in the barn stoker tree, the tree that stood in the center of King Volson’s hall, all of which

08:45

clearly symbolizes that the special weapon or weapons needed to slay the dragon come from God who’s seated in the Holy of Holies. So for Lu Ya to store his special weapon in the gourd, the Chinese symbol for the Holy of Holies, we are getting the exact same theological message, which is that the special weapon needed to slay the dragon, the weapon that can quote behead enemies in an instant comes from God.

09:15

who dwells in the innermost holy sanctum of his royal abode. Take note how these Chinese myths use ordinary objects like a gourd and a knife to conceal profound truths about the reality of the spiritual realm. If you are still not convinced that the Chinese Hulu gourd represents the Holy of Holies, then let me share a couple more things that Ni writes. She writes, quote,

09:44

The elixir refining stove belonging to the high god, Taisheng Luan, takes the shape of a gourd. So here we learn that the stove that’s used by the high god, Taisheng Luan, to make the elixir of life is shaped like a gourd. I mean, that’s pretty darn straightforward. I don’t know how myths could get more straightforward than this. That was until I kept reading.

10:14

Because on page 209, she says, quote, in mythical maps of the Eastern Jin, the floating paradise islands on earth inhabited by the gods, Pengali, Zheng Zheng, and Yang Chao were all gourd shaped. So here we’re directly told that the floating paradise where the gods dwell is shaped like a gourd. I mean, that is as straightforward as it gets.

10:44

pretty much solidify the connection. It’s amazing how the same theological message is being taught in the Orient. If you ever traveled to China, you’ll notice that vendors all over China sell gourds. They’re these beautifully painted gourds. They’re decorated with tassels and ribbons and they symbolize fortune and longevity and happiness. And now you know why, and now you know the deeper meaning of those Hulu gourds.

11:14

So with that, let’s jump into where we left off in our last episode. In our last episode, we learned that the Greek God Apollo, the son of the high God Zeus, like the other sons of the high God seen in ancient Mesopotamia and Egypt and Israel, after receiving his inheritance for slaying the awful serpent Python begins building his kingdom by constructing first and foremost a temple where he can rest after the awful battle.

11:43

And he starts his building project by first strengthening the foundation. And where did he begin building the foundation? In the very center of his kingdom. In the Homeric hymn to Apollo, dated by scholars to the seventh and sixth centuries AD, we read, quote, there in the very center of the earth, the Lord Apollo resolved to make his lovely temple. And Apollo laid out

12:13

all the foundations throughout, wide and very long, after which the sun’s erginus, drifonius, and agametes laid a footing of stone.

12:27

As we noted, the ancient Greeks marked this sacred spot where the son of the high god began the creation, the center of the world, with an egg-shaped stone, the Amphalos stone, the naval stone. And we went on to show how Muslims share a parallel belief, which is evident in Islam’s holiest shrine in Mecca, the Kaaba, where Muslims house a very sacred stone, the black stone. The symbolic centrality of the stone

12:54

is more than evident by that ritual, the Tawaf, where pilgrims circumambulate the stone in a number of concentric paths that circle the Kaaba like a bullseye. The Kaaba that houses the stone is understood to be the temple of Allah. Okay, so the notion of beginning the creation in the center of the kingdom, of strengthening the foundation of the creation before proceeding with the building of the full creation,

13:23

and the subsequent marking of the beginning and the center of the creation with a stone is widespread. It’s a pretty strong stubborn bit. So I’m gonna demonstrate this to you. We’re gonna do this by taking a mini world tour to a couple of sites. We’re gonna go to India, Rome, Mexico, Peru, Japan, Ireland and Arizona. So while we do this,

13:50

Take special note how these accounts are not only similar in the rock or stone foundation motif, but also in the theologies that accompany them. That’s where it’s really remarkable to me. Theologies that perfectly correspond to the overarching theology that we’ve been discussing to this point on the program. So let’s start in India. In Indian mythology, Bittur Kanpur, that’s a location in India.

14:17

It’s the place where the entire creation was believed to be started by the creator god Brahma. He’s believed to have, quote, established and marked his center by embedding a peg of a special kind of iron at this place on the bank of the river Ganga. Now, if you know anything about Hinduism, the Ganges River is extremely sacred.

14:46

Mahesh C. Deviti, he’s of the Indian Institute of Technology, he says this, quote, a non-rusting iron peg embedded in earth at this place since time immemorial is believed to specify and locate the center of the world. So if you’re traveling to India and you go and visit Bithirk and Pur, you can actually find a stone peg still there. You can see a picture of it on our website.

15:14

But note how the Indians believe here that the creator God Brahma began the creation in this location and that he did so by marking that spot with an iron pig.

15:26
In ancient Rome, Letheby notes, quote, the most ancient form of Rome, the city of Romulus was called Roma Quadrata. It was built on the Palatine Hill. Within the area of the temple on the Palatine was also a mysterious object, which appears to have symbolized the ancient Roman Quadrata. This sacred object,

15:52

which was probably a cubical block of stone used as an altar, was called Roma quadrata and was surrounded by a circular trench, the mundus, a symbol of the mystic plow turned furrow by which the palmarium or sacred circuit line was marked. So note here in ancient Rome that a stone,

16:19

that was housed near or in the temple of Palatine was associated with the four quadrants of Rome and that a circular trench, the mundus, was plowed around it. We’re getting symbolism very similar here to the Kaaba, where we have a stone, a cube, four quadrants, and a circular furrow or path around it. Lethebie notes, quote,

16:49

seem to have been the Amphalus. Now remember the Amphalus is the word for navel. The Amphalus of primitive Rome. Samuel Platner in the American Journal of Phileology says something very similar. He writes, quote, it is reasonably certain that Roma quadrata is also used in the sense of Mundus or Aguril’s center of the city temple.

17:17

So here, like we’ve been seeing, we have a stone shaped like a cube that marks the center of the earth where the four quarters meet, which is housed in or near a temple, the Temple of Palatine, which is circumscribed by a large circular trench. If we move to Central America, to the first century Mesoamerican city of Teotihuacan, it’s located about 25 miles outside of modern day Mexico City.

17:46

We find the ancient city of the Tiatuacanos, the largest pre-Columbian city in Mesoamerica. The Tiatuacanos built a number of significant pyramids like the Feathered Serpent Pyramid. And they built this on the site and you can go there and you can visit it with the other four million tourists that go there every year. By the time the Aztecs found the city, which was around 1300 AD, it had already been completely abandoned and it was in ruins. And so the Aztecs,

18:15

They’re the ones that gave the city the name Teotihuacan. There’s some debate over what the name actually means. One Aztec linguist, Thelma Sullivan, argues that it means, quote, the place of those who have the road of the gods. The Smithsonian interprets it as the place where men become gods, and this is super intriguing in and of itself, but it’s what the Aztecs believed about the city that interests us here.

18:44

the Aztecs believed that Teotihuacan was the sacred place where the universe was born. The site of creation. They believed the gods gathered in this location when all was dark and commenced the creation of the universe. Directly in the central plaza of the Avenue of the Dead, which is the main thorough way, it’s about a half a mile long on the north-south axis.

19:13

It runs straight through the heart of the city. The Tiatuacanos erected a large elevated stone altar. And if you want to see a picture of it, you can find it on our website. So here we have pyramids, the sacred place where the creation of the universe began and a large stone altar to mark the spot. If we move to South America and we climb high into the Andes Mountains of Peru,

19:42

to the 13th century AD Incan city of Cusco, we learned that it was the capital of the Incan Empire, and it was named Tavantisuyu, which translated in the English means the realm of the four parts. And when we dig a little bit deeper, we learned that the name of the city Cusco is derived from a very interesting phrase,

20:11

which means quote, rock of the owl. So note here that we already have reference to a rock and a bird. This phrase has reference to a myth, the myth that actually describes the founding and origin of the Incan Empire. According to this myth, the creator god of the Andean world, Veracocha, sent four of his children to seek a fertile place to live. And one of these children, his son,

20:40

named Ayer Aukha, obtained a large set of wings and he flew across the land until he came across the future side of the Incan Empire and he flew to the top of a hill there where he turned into a rock to mark the land as the land of his elu, his lineage. So many fascinating things going on here.

21:07

Now, I’m not going to spell it all out for you. You longtime listeners shouldn’t have any problem deciphering the hidden meaning behind this legend. But I want to emphasize that the bird landed on the top of a hill and it was on the top of this hill that the bird turned into a stone. And I want to stress here that Ayahra Aukha, the son of the creator, Veracucha, actually becomes the foundation stone.

21:36

for the Incan Empire. Just this just fascinating stuff. Note that we’re in an entirely different hemisphere, thousands of years away from the ancient world. But the story and the theology is the same. And don’t lose sight of the fact that Cusco is the capital of the four parts. It’s a clear reference to Cusco’s centrality.

22:04

Inside Cusco was a large open space that was dedicated to the god Viracucha and it was used for rituals and ceremonies and it was known by the name of Alquipada. It was from this ceremonial center that four main roads ran into the four regions of the four parts of the empire. So here again we have a hill, a bird, and a stone that marks the center of the earth.

22:31

where the four parts of the Incan Empire meet, which is commemorated on a ceremonial plaza. Note too how this rock is associated with the Elu, the lineage of the Inca, the line of Incan emperors, the emperors or lords of the Ta-vent-en-sua, the four parts, the lords of the four quarters. You see that? Crazy. In fact, the word Inca is the Quechua word for ruler or lord. These emperors were said to be

23:01

the sons of the Incan sun god Inti. And we’ll talk about this further down the line when we get into sun, S-O-N ship, sunship.

23:14

If we move to Japan, Letheby tells us this, quote, “‘If we go to the Far East, the stone of foundation is there. In Japan, the world is carried on an enormous leviathan, the earthquake fish, Jishin-O, also known as Namazu. And when it moves, there’s an earthquake, and one God only can then quiet it.'”

23:43

And this he does by pinning it down with the Kawami-ishi, or rivet rock of the world. As every Japanese knows, this stone is in the province of Hitachi. This is a pretty interesting myth because here the Japanese tell us a giant sea creature, sometimes conceived as a giant eel or a catfish, lives beneath the world. We assume in the primordial waters. And when this catfish gets angry, it f-

24:11

around causing earthquakes and destruction on the earth, which obviously corresponds with all of the other sea creatures and the sea monsters and the leviathans that we’ve discussed on the program. A creature that causes chaos and destruction. But the myth gets really interesting when we read that only one God has the ability to quiet this sea creature. And he does so by using a rock, the

24:41

to pin this creature down, to keep it from causing earthquakes and destruction. Wikipedia says this of the sea creature in Namazoo, quote, “‘According to myth, the God, Takimakachi.'” Now we gotta stop here for just a second. In Japanese mythology, Takimakachi is a sword god. He’s the chief deity revered in Kashima, which is the site of the foundation stone or peg.

25:12

Quote, according to myth, the god, Takimakachi, restrains the catfish underneath a stone called the Kanami-ishi, the foundation stone or capstone. Everything corresponds. Keep it firmly in your mind that this stone is what keeps the sea creature restrained because we’re going to come back to that in our next episode.

25:40

If you’re interested in seeing Japanese artistic representations of Takemikachi using a peg or a stone to pin down the giant catfish namatsu, you can find them on our webpage for this episode. They’re pretty neat.

25:56

If we go to Ireland, we find the Laeafoil, a phallus-shaped stone that rests upright on the Hill of Tara in the county of Meath in Northeastern Ireland. For this one though, we’ve got to start with the county in which this stone stands, the county of Meath, because Meath is derived from the old Irish word mead, which means middle. For 1,200 years, from the first to 12th centuries AD,

26:24

Mead was one of five kingdoms in Ireland. It was called the Kingdom of the Mead or the Kingdom of the Middle because geographically the majority of this kingdom was located in the center of Ireland. British scholar John Michele notes, quote, from the beginning of historical times the ritual state center and the seat of the high king was upon the hill of Tara in Meath.

26:51

five roads led to it from five provinces or kingdoms, and it acquired the symbols and prestige of the national amphalis, the navel. The hill on which this stone stands, Tara, the hill of Tara, is the Anglicization of the Irish name to mare. This word is believed to come from the Proto-Celtic word temris.

27:17

which you should easily see shares the root tem, which we previously talked about on the program in reference to the Roman word temenos and the Latin word templum and the English word temple. So it should come as no surprise that taro, which comes from the word temerus means sanctuary or a space cut off for sacred ceremonies. What’s interesting is that archeologists have found the remains of more than 20 ancient monuments on this site.

27:47

During the Neolithic and early Bronze Age, there was a huge double timber circle, a wood hinge that was built right on the hilltop. In episode number 30, the grand primordial singularity, we talked about how Stonehenge was built to align with the sun on the solstice. Do you remember that? On those days, the sunlight would shine along a straight path right into the very center of the monument and it would illuminate the center with a brilliant light, symbolically reinforcing the notion that God resides in the center of all things.

28:17

the same place that God sits on his throne. And this is significant because what was one of the primary sacred ceremonies that was performed by the Irish on the Hill of Tara? The Hill Sanctuary, the hill that marked the center of the Irish kingdom, coronation rites. Yep, coronation rites. Tara was the seat of the high kings of Gaelic Ireland, the seat of the king who claimed dominion

28:47

over all of the kingdoms of Ireland. The Laeifoyle served as the coronation stone on which the high king was inaugurated king of Ireland. Sometimes the stone is referred to as the stone of destiny or interestingly, the speaking stone, because legend has it that when the rightful high king of Ireland put his feet on the stone, the stone would quote, roar with joy.

29:16

This stone was believed to endow the king with rejuvenation and a long reign. And you should see some similarities here to King Arthur’s ability to pull Excalibur from the stone. The Laeopoils connection to kingship and the coronation of kings is hugely significant, not only historically, but theologically. Take note that it’s in the center of all things, on the foundation stone.

29:45

in the Holy of Holies that God sits on his throne and upon which kings, earthly kings, and I argue heavenly kings, are coronated. We talked about this a year ago in episode number seven, the King of the Four Corners, when we were talking about the coronation of King Charles. In that episode we pointed out that Charles was coronated on the Cosmati Ankh stone, which is a round stone that looks like the earth, the stone that

30:11

nearly every British monarch in the past 750 years has been coronated on. A stone that stands near the very center of Westminster Abbey, right before the high altar where the north south and east west arms of the Abbey cross. The center of all things.

30:33

for one of my favorite examples of the foundation stone. We’ve got to travel to the Four Corners region of the United States, to arguably the oldest continually occupied village in North America, to the treasure that is the village of O’Reibe Hopeland. And you can find this important little village perched atop a rocky outcrop of sandstone on what is known as Third Mesa.

31:01

It’s located on the Hopi Reservation in northeastern Arizona. Tree ring samples of wood structures found there confirmed that the village was established at least as early as 1100 AD, which makes the village over 900 years old. If you go and you visit today, you’re going to find that the village is in ruins. I mean, there’s just heaps of rubble everywhere.

31:25

A few people still live there, which as I mentioned makes it the oldest or at least one of the oldest continuously inhabited villages in Northampton.

31:34

To understand why Oribi is so important, we’ve got to listen to the stories shared by the Hopi elders about the events that unfolded in this extraordinary little village. So to do this, I’m gonna read from the words of Hopi chief, Dan Evahama, which was written down by Thomas E. Maels in his book, Hotevilla. And I’m also gonna refer to some excerpts from Frank Waters, a researcher who wrote a seminal book,

32:04

called the Book of the Hopi. So to set this up, in this account, the first people have emerged into this world where the god Massau, who resembles a man, appears to them. Listen as I recount the remarkable events they tell us took place in Oribi Hopi Land. And note as you’re listening to the emphasis that’s being placed on names, the four cardinal points, the crossing of the cardinal points.

32:35

the center of the universe, a stone, kingship, which in this case is chiefship, and a scepter.

32:48

of chief of Ahima. When they got to this world everything was beautiful and peaceful. The land was virgin, unmolested, they were very happy. They sang and danced with joy. It was here that the great spirit first appeared to them on this earth to give them the instructions by which they were to live and travel. They divided into groups each with its selected leader.

33:16

Before them, Massau laid ears of corn of various lengths. They were each instructed to pick one ear of corn to take with them on their journey for their subsistence and their livelihood. One by one, they greedily picked out the longest and most perfect long ears until only the shortest was left. They did not realize that this was a test of wisdom. The shortest ear was picked by the humblest leader.

33:47

Then the Great Spirit gave them their names and the languages by which they would be recognized. The last picker of short corn was named Hopi. Hopi means not only to be peaceful but to obey and have faith in the instructions of the Great Spirit and not to distort any of his teachings for influence or power or in any way to corrupt the Hopi way of life.

34:16

be taken away. He then gave them instructions according to which they were to migrate for a certain purpose to the four corners of the new land, in the words of Frank Waters. And now before Massau turned his face from them and became invisible, he explained that every clan must make four directional migrations before they all arrived at their common permanent home.

34:44

They must go to the ends of the land, west, south, east, and north, to the farthest paso in each direction. Only when the clans had completed these four movements, rounds or steps of their migration, could they come together again, forming the pattern of the creator’s universal plan.

35:09

chief of Ahima. Before the migrations began, Massow had let it be known that whoever would find him first would be the leader there. Later it became clear that this was a procedure by which their true character would be specified. Now that we were on top, he’s talking about the Hopi, we were each to follow our own leaders.

35:35

But so long as we did not forget the instructions of the Great Spirit, we would be able to survive. We were now bound by a vow to live by these instructions and to complete our pattern of migration. Masao told us that whoever would be in the first to find him would be the leader of those who were to follow. Then he disappeared.

36:05

some clans started to the south, others to the north, retraced their routes to turn east and west and then back again. All their routes formed a great cross whose center, Tua Nasavi, the center of the universe, lay in what is now the Hopi country in the southwestern part of the United States.

36:31

and whose arms reached to the four directional passos. As they turned at each of these extremities, they formed of this great cross a swastika, either clockwise or counterclockwise, corresponding to the movement of the earth or of the sun. All of these patterns formed by their four migrations are the basic motifs of the symbols still found today in their pottery and basketware, on their kachina rattles and altar boards.

37:01

Chief Evahema, we migrated for many years to every corner of this continent, marking our claim as we traveled, as these markings clearly testify up to the present day. Frank Waters, for these migrations were themselves purification ceremonies, weeding out through generations all the latent evil.

37:28

Man could not succumb to the comfort and luxury given him by indulgent surroundings. For then he lost the need to rely on the Creator.

37:41

chief Evahema. While the people were migrating, Masao was waiting for the first ones to arrive. In those days, he used to take walks near the place where he lived, carrying a bunch of violet flowers in his belt. Often, Masao would walk about a half mile north of his dupacca, which is a temporary house, to a place where there lay a long rock which formed a natural shelter.

38:10

which he must have picked as the place where he and the First People would find each other. Frank Waters. The Bear Clan was the first to complete all four legs of its migration to the directional limits of this fourth world. From the sacred tablets given them, the people recognized the land that was to be theirs. In its center from the vast upland plain rose three high maces, the Hopi Maces today.

38:41

chief of Ahima. When they found him, Massau, the people gathered and sat down with him to talk. The first thing that they wanted to know was where he lived. He replied that he lived just north of there at a place called Oribi. For a certain reason, he did not name it fully. The full name is Sip Oribi, meaning something that has been solidified.

39:09

referring to the fact that this is the place where the earth is made solid.

39:18

They asked permission to live there with him. He did not answer directly, for within them he saw evil. It’s up to you, he said. I have nothing here, my life is simple. All I have is my planting stick and my corn. If you’re willing to live as I do and follow my instructions, the life plan which I shall give you, you may live here with me and take care of the land.

39:47

then you shall have a long, happy, fruitful life.” Then they asked him whether he would be their leader, thinking that thus they would be assured a peaceful life. No, he replied, the one who led you here will be the leader until you fulfill your pattern of life. For he saw in their hearts and knew that they still had many selfish desires.

40:16

After that, I will be the leader. Frank Waters. As a token of their leadership, the Bear Clan chief was given a scepter or chief’s stick called a manko to carry when performing their religious duties. This manko is the supreme symbol of spiritual power and authority and is still carried during Hopi rituals.

40:44

By traveling to the farthest extremities of the land during their four migrations, these chosen people finally came to settle on the vast arid plateau that stretches between the Colorado and Rio Grande rivers. Many other people today wonder why these people chose an area devoid of running water to irrigate their sparse crops. The Hopi people know that they were led here.

41:11

so that they would have to depend upon the scanty rainfall which they must evoke with their power and prayer and so preserve always that knowledge and faith in the supremacy of their creator. We can see now that the complete pattern formed by the migrations was a great cross whose center, Tuwan Nassabi, the center of the universe, lay in what is now.

41:41

Hopi country. This is a truly remarkable account. Here the Hopi Indians tell us that Massau, who walks and talks and carries a planning stick like a man, appears to the first people and he commands them to migrate to the four cardinal points of the continent. And while they do this, he makes a camp or a home in the very center of the cardinal points. A home that’s characterized by a rock. A rock.

42:09

the Hopi call Sipporibi, which means the place where the earth was made solid. So we’re talking about a foundation stone here. Take special note in this account that Massau is directly associated with this rock. It’s where he makes his home and it’s where he wants to meet the first people again. This is the same motif we’ve seen in the ancient world where the son of the high

42:39

for his temple where he can dwell and find rest. Here we’re reading the exact same thing just in Hopi Native American cultural terms. It’s just remarkable. What’s even more remarkable is that the Hopi gave the location where Masao dwelt a name, Tuunasavi, the center of the universe. They actually call it the center of the universe, which also perfectly corresponds with the notion

43:08

that the son of the high god began the material creation of his kingdom in the very center of his kingdom, the center of the universe. And what’s more, we learn that before Massau left Oribi and disappeared, he appointed the leader of the Bear Clan because his people were the first to complete their migrations and return to the center to be the chief of the Hopi people.

43:36

Massau made him the king of the Hopi people. And what did Massau give him to signify that he was the rightful spiritual leader? A scepter, a stick made from the wood of a tree called the manko. It was this stick, just like what we saw with Moses, that legitimized his power and authority to conduct the Hopi’s sacred rituals and ceremonies.

44:06

When I first read this account several years ago, I was absolutely blown away by what I was reading. I honestly couldn’t believe that the Hopi had preserved all of the major motifs I’ve saw in Egypt, in Mesopotamia, Cana, and Israel in one oral tradition. How was this even possible? How? But here it was, undeniable.

44:31

And what’s more, this account of Massau appearing to the Hopi people isn’t just some ancillary myth that was passed down from generation to generation. No, this is the core myth. This is the myth around which the entire Hopi religion, their ritual and their ceremonies revolve. Truly remarkable. But what about that rock? What became of the rock? Before I tell you, there are a few other things worth pointing out here.

44:59

first is that the Hopi word Oribi comes from the root Orai which actually is the Hopi word for rock and Oribi actually means round rock or rock of the high place. So the name of the village itself where Massau met the first people is itself named after the foundation stone and the Hopi word

45:29

which is the Hopi word for navel. So we translate the word sipple ribi in English as the navel stone. So we’re really talking about the rock of creation. So here we are in the middle of the desert plateaus of Arizona, among a small population of Native Americans, and it’s all there. It’s the same. So what became of the sacred rock sipple ribi?

45:58

On page 86 of Thomas Mill’s book, Hope Villa, we read, quote, after hundreds of years of effective use, this historic and functional rock would in typical fashion be as is so much of the rest of Hopi life, wantonly destroyed by a bulldozing and couldn’t care less employee of the United States government.

46:27

So with no regard for the sacred traditions of the Hopi, an employee of the US government bulldozed the rock. Unimaginable and just heartbreaking to me. I’m gonna have a lot more to say about Maasau’s appearance to the Hopi people when we get into other aspects of the ancient tradition, but know that after the Bear Clan and the other Hopi clans returned to Oribi, the center of the universe, to reunite with Maasau, one of the key things Maasau did was

46:56

gift them sacred knowledge, sacred knowledge that the Hopi preserved and concealed in their sacred rites and ceremonies. Also keep in mind, as Frank Waters pointed out, that the pattern formed by the Klan’s migrations to the four cardinal points of the North American continent

47:18

was used and continues to be used on Hopi pottery, basketware, rattles, and even more importantly, on the altar boards they built as part of their sacred ceremonies. And we’re gonna talk a lot more about that when we get into the importance of altars in the ancient tradition. You should also note the theological similarities here between the Hopi migrations to Oribi, the center of the universe, which the Hopi located on the North American continent.

47:49

and the Native American Woodland Indians account that was given by Tonkwe, you remember that, of the tree that sprung from the middle of the Hill of Dirt, lifted out of the Primordial Waters by the Cosmic Turtle, like we discussed in episode number 32. The Hill the Woodland Indians called Turtle Island, which represented the North American continent.

48:14

Well, I was hoping in this episode to get into the most well-known rock at the center of the universe, the Ibn Hashetiyah, the foundation stone known by most of us today by the Islamic shrine that covers it, the Dome of the Rock on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. But I’m going to have to save that for our next episode. Till then you have a lot to think about and to study, which I hope that you’ll do.

48:44

That’s it for me. I’ll leave you with the words of William Shakespeare. Knowledge is the wing wherewith we fly to heaven. I’m Jack Logan.

49:00

You’ve been listening to the Ancient Tradition. A Wonk Media Production.