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I was in York Minster at the weekend and many of the effigies of the archbishops had their feet resting on either lions or dogs. I wonder if these are meant to suggest simple traits (brave, loyal) or whether there was a more precise meaning…like heralrdy symbols?
OK – the die is cast. The wall is down on the forums. I see that the google spider has already been doing its work ([url:3pbv47do]http://www.psychicquesting.com/robotstats_new[/url] for those of you who are interested in such things) but it could be anything up to a few months before the indexes are added to the search engine. I have a few obscure word combinations that I check occasionally (e.g. “bolendas lazarus ephesus”) but if anyone else notices that they get a forum page hit I’d appreciate a heads-up.
Let’s see what difference to the traffic this exposure makes. Thanks for all your feedback and ongoing support.
Talisman wrote:I didn’t see any rules on here re advertising and self promotion though, so here goes. My book is called Genesis of Man and has just been published with a small POD (print on demand) publisher, Authors OnLine, using my own imprint, Pigsty Press.Hi June. Welcome to the forums. I’m always happy to have people promote their books, seminars, conferences, whatever. In fact I wish more people did it!
Best of luck with the book. I notice that you have a sample first chapter on your website so I hope you don’t mind if I reproduce the link here:
[url:3qhklq66]http://www.juneaustin.co.uk/BonesofContention.pdf[/url]
Cheers,
Simon
Just to follow up…here are the scan of the information sheet and a photo of the Mauley tomb (note tonsured head and crossed legs). I seem to recall reading something in Selby saying that the Darcy knight fought for the Scottish so maybe Darcy and de Mauley were on different sides at the battle of Bannockburn which would be odd (at least to modern sensitivities) as they were practically neighbours.
Hi Perceval,
I dropped up to Bainton this morning and checked out the de Mauley tomb in St Andrew’s church. Turns out it claims to be the tomb of Edmund de Mauley who was killed in the battle of Bannockburn in 1314. I took some photos which I’ll try and post later and he had distinctive crossed legs – although the accompanying blurb (which I’ll also try and scan and post in due course) specifically says that actually the crossed legs are not an indication that the person depicted was a “crusader”. Lovely church and well worth the visit.
Cheers,
Simon
Thanks for the feedback, Yuri, Perceval.
Perceval that info you sent is very interesting. The place you mention is very close to us so I will go and check it out. Interestingly I was at Lincoln Castle a couple of weekends ago (see my comments on the Lincoln Da Vinci Code story) and saw one of the only four surviving copies of the Magna Carta.What can you tell us about your own researches?
Cheers,
Simon
Hi Michael (and Tanya if you’re still there),
The upshot of all of this was that I was prompted to suggest a couple of crystals that the person should keep with him. These were Betafite and another that I’d like to think was Moldavite but can’t be sure. I’ve mentioned elsewhere on these forums my deep shame at admitting to having to do with crystals as, to my rational brain, they epitomise the worst of New Age quackery. But they have worked incredibly well for me in constructing a “cone of power” and by my mate’s testimony they took the angst out of his noctural experiences within days as well.
However, my caveat to Tanya would be as follows. This course of action is a bit like taking Prozac for depression. It will certainly ease the symptoms but it doesn’t address the underlying cause – and sometimes you need to feel the pain. In my mate’s case, he had plenty to be getting on with in his own spiritual development and this was an unwanted and debilitating intrusion, making some intense times all the harder. So he just wanted to remove it from the picture and get on with the other stuff.
With Tanya, though, I wonder if this might not be the way her psyche has seized on to take her forward in her spiritual development. It sounds like many other avenues are blocked but this might be the one to follow so I wouldn’t want to cut it off.
I agree that a dream diary is a very good starting point. Sometimes I’ve found a good quality dream catcher will help you better remember the dreams although it will increase the freakiness and eeriness of the experience at the same time so you might need to experiement with this.
After dreams my next recommendation would be yoga. I’ve found this to be a nice, gentle and social way to ease oneself forward on the journey once more. But again whether you can manage this depends on individual circumstances whereas everyone has access to dreams.
Hope this helps. Tanya, do let us know how you get on.
All the best,
SimonHi Tanya,
I’ll reply in more detail in a little bit but for the moment I reproduce below a description of something very similar by an ex-colleague of mine. I’ll tell you later what I did that stopped it but also why that might not be a good idea in your case.
Cheers,
Simon
All I Wanted was a Good Night’s Sleep…
My head is a scary, scary place. I’ve been aware of this for long time now and have even come to deal with the fact that my subconscious hates me. Until now it’s been fairly benign – the odd bit of dancing on the table when I’ve had too much to drink, the occasional bout of foot in mouth at the dinner party table or the inability to speak to someone cute because my mouth is inexplicably full of peanut butter. My friends had come to accept my quirkiness as harmless blond-itis that makes me, and so had I.
This was all before last night when things took a new and sinister turn. I guess I should start at the beginning and if I knew where that was I would. For many years I’ve been conscious of lucid dreaming and always thought that it sounded rather fun. My mother, a frequent lucid dreamer, regaled us with her childhood dreams of a futuristic world where people had watches that they could talk to and see other people on, where you could have an entire world’s worth of information in a little box in the corner of your study. Considering when mother was young the mobile phone hadn’t been thought of yet and the internet was something you hung at your window, I think she was remarkably spot-on with the make-believe world she hid behind her eyelids.
So when I came across an article several years ago I decided to play the game. I repeated my mantras when falling asleep; I dutifully filled in my dream log every morning, month after month; but as time drew on I had no idea if I’d even had a dream at night, never mind being conscious within it. With time and the change of jobs I grew bored of my log and the countless mantras and settled down to a future of nights with half remembered lotto wins, fast cars and racy blondes.
Then, out of the blue, late last year I had a dream where I dreamt that I was lying in bed dreaming. In the dream, I suddenly realised that I was actually lying in bed but also dreaming at the same time that I was lying in bed. So I floated up to see myself lying on bed and I thought ’how nice’ before promptly falling ’asleep’ (again).
I quickly forgot about the episode (presumably I filed this somewhere away in the back of my mind marked “interesting” and continued to sleep the regular, sleepy sort of sleep). Then a few months ago I had the dream again, this time though I didn’t fall asleep. I was waking up, or rather, trying to wake up in the kind of darkness you only get in the middle of winter in the middle of the night. In fact I was desperately trying to wake up. I knew I was in bed, I knew I was asleep. I knew I wasn’t the only one in the room. I tried to turn my head to look around the room – nope not possible – apparently my head had turned to lead along with the rest of my body. I was utterly paralysed. Now I’ve had a toe-nail pulled off without anaesthetic (I can show you if you like), I’ve had a fake gun pointed at my head (I didn’t know it at the time, or at least couldn’t be sure), I’ve had to navigate my way down the pitch black stairwell of the Nile Cruiser when I was on holiday with hundreds of others with only a lighter to see by as the engine gently exploded (those people will never complaint about smokers again!). None of this though, none of my bizarre little life comes one iota close to the absolute terror that flooded my mind as I lay paralysed in the darkness with the demons of my subconscious lurking around me. It’s difficult to explain the kind of fear you get when something grabs your legs and starts pulling your body of the bed. I can explain the sound though and it was loud – very loud, screaming. I know because I was still doing it when I sat bolt upright in the middle of the night drenched in sweat.
If this all reads as a bit story-like and dramatic then I apologise. I don’t know how to tell it another way. Well I do. I had an attack of Sleep Paralysis (SP) and Associated Hypnagogic and Hypnopompic Experiences. It happens to 10% of human adults according to some research. But if you really want to know what it was like, and if you want it to be interesting then I must write it as a tale. I also feel that it’s something I need to do. As for the dramatic, well it’s as dramatic as it is has become traumatic to me.
These ’episodes’ as I’ve come to refer to them have occurred a few times this year, each time increasing in intensity and duration, each more realistic and each more terrifying because of it. Last night’s was the fourth and lasted approximately 25 minutes. I don’t know how I know this I just do.
Last night’s was the worst because it contained all the elements of the previous dreams and some new and interesting ones to boot. I’ll leave my little tale now and switch to the stream of consciousness that poured out of me at 12:30 last night. I damn well wasn’t going to sleep again so I wrote it all out hoping that I might make sense of it and stop it happening again. Anyway here it is word for word:
Quote:Grey, darkness. Lights won’t turn on. Laughing, Music, Laughing at me? Not sure. Scared, hiding under the cover. Watching people, colour green. Who are they? Can they see me? Don’t know, scared they can, scared they’ll notice me watching through the gap in the sheet. Some kind of fit. My whole body shakes. White noise fills my head with music, blinding light waves the whole world judders. Wave after wave; 4 or 5 fits.I think that this is the point where I became fully conscious that I was dreaming. Interestingly, though, the moment I began the episode was when I tried to turn on the light. That’s the point that I realised ’I’ve been dreaming this before’. The light won’t turn on and I realise it’s because my hand isn’t attached to my body any more – that’s when the panic sets in and I start scrabbling to get back in my body. I normally try to do this then I have to struggle to actually make it move. Either that or I float/get dragged of the bed. The people in green are something new and so are the convulsions/spasms which are weird to explain but I wasn’t having those it was the world that was convulsing Anyway….
Quote:Then I’m sliding, not being pulled this time. Just sliding backwards out of the bed. Floating away from myself into darkness. I let go a little ask to go forward they allow this. Who are they?This is new too. This is the first time I’ve been able to be conscious enough to realise this is still my dream even if I’m not in full control. It’s the first time I’ve asked for something.
Quote:Forward this time through the wall of the house again and again, the brickwork the grain of the wooden door like walking sliding, solid thick not cold.Think I was trying to describe the sensation of passing through the walls, of the house and then the houses in the neighbourhood as I sailed forwards.
Quote:Ask for control, something, scared.This is the point where I lost my cool. I was getting too far away from my body. This is where weird got terrifying, yet reading it back now it really doesn’t sound bad. Just trust me that it’s the scariest thing I think has ever happened to me.
Quote:Try to wake up. Can’t lift my hand my. Pull myself up, I weigh 40kgs. Lights still out.I’m pushing the button but the light won’t turn on. It seems to me that the moment I realise I’m dreaming is like a reset switch, suddenly I’m back in my bed and I have to try to get my body to move again.
Quote:I’m not awake yet. Try again, still can’t. I get to the door next time, maybe the bulb’s gone. Have to wake up before they notice, before they see me. I get to the door again – maybe I can see Duncan, wake him up. I shout but there’s no voice. Open the landing door to wake him so he can wake me. No point I’m asleep, I’ll have to do it myself. There’s something at the door.The something at the door is hard to explain it’s the feeling of a presence the flicker of a shadow in the darkness. I don’t know what it is but I know at the time its terrifying, image the alien movie when one of the characters is trapped in a room with the face hugging thing, kind of like that.
Quote:Try again, getting closer, can feel the surface. Feel my eyes moving, darting. God! I can’t wake up. Terror, fear ? they’re going to notice, find me, drag me away from my body. Get back in, try to pinch my face. My head won’t move. My body weighs a ton. Manage to get back into my head. I feel the pillow on my head, move head. So heavy. Finally shake my head awake. Turn on the light. It worked! Thank f*!?! . I’m shaking, drenched in sweat. I text a friend make sure I’m awake. Can’t sleep now.Now I’m not particularly one of these new age people that go in for astral projection, alien abductions, or other such. I had a dream in which my conscious was, well, conscious when it wouldn’t normally have been. There are various chemical imbalances that can cause this and even explain away the paralysis as blockages in certains sections of the cortex. All very reasonable; all very scientific.
However, having had the experience a few times now, it’s so unbelievably real, so authentic that even now, four days later, I can remember it as well as I remember what happened on Sunday afternoon. I can now quite understand and sympathise with people who believe that they are being abducted night after night and I can honestly say I feel for them – in comparison my SP episodes are quite boring.
So what does this all mean? What next? Well the first step is to learn as much as I can about SP so that I have the information at hand for the next SP attack. Some people have reported that they find instead of trying to move that you should simply imagine your body going into a spin that frees you from your slumbering form and allows you to float above yourself. This can then lead to Lucid Dreaming and from there to normal REM sleep. So that’s kind of my plan for next time which if the schedule continues the next time should be in about two months.
As I’ve said, I’m not sure I believe in astral projection, but then a few months ago I wouldn’t have believed you if you told me about Sleep Paralysis. I’m choosing to see this as a challenge. If I can master my fear during SP sleep it presents a remarkable avenue for self exploration. One I’m looking forward to, if with a little dread??
Hi Yuri, I thought your words of advice to Tanya were very wise and well-considered and my initial reaction was exactly the same as yours. In mulling it over, however, I’m beginning to wonder whether we need to pay more attention to the “psychic” half of “psychic questing”. Clearly you can’t go on a psychic quest if you don’t have access to a psychic.
Obviously there are many ways to approach this (and I’ve used several). You can use the writings of dead psychics. You can try and rope in friends who are “sensitive”. You could employ a professional psychic. You can also, as you suggest, attempt to become more psychic yourself. Each of those has its pros and cons and I agree that the best way forward is to try and develop the skills yourself (I do have some info on “how to develop your psychic senses” – I think I already posted the Essene Breath in the Questing How To area).
To this end, though, it may be an idea to have a “psychic” area on the forums where people could either tout/request psychic information. I don’t want to dilute the forums with too many options, though, and if, for example, someone had a striking dream with some unusual symbolism, it would probably get a better response if it was posted in the “Does Anybody Know..?” section.
Not sure what anyone else thinks. Tanya have you had any dreams, synchronicities, symbols popping up frequently that you could share that might give a clue to the next part of your own quest?
Hi Tanya,
Welcome to the site. It *is* a little quiet at the moment but I’m hoping to get some more content up quite soon and I’m sure the forums will pick up after the holidays as Yuri suggests.
In the meantime is there anything that you’d like to share about yourself – what brings you to the site? Any interesting questing experiences?
Hope you enjoy the site and please feel free to make suggestions as to how it could be improved.
- Simon
Do you know if there are any guidelines on the number of words that would typically be in an article, Yuri? I’m tempted myself but realistically might not get a chance to do it. It would be great if one of our members (other than your good self of course) got something published. Cheers, Simon.
Hi Andy – it has been created. As Yuri says I’ve just moved house and job so all a bit manic. However my broadband is being connected on Monday so I’m hoping to re-engage with the outside world again. One of the things I’ve immediately noticed is that there are plenty of Templar sites within striking distance up here (Hull) so I’m looking forward to checking these out; Surrey didn’t have much to offer in that respect
Thanks for the suggestion and I’m looking forward to seeing the non-questing posts go up. Cheers, Simon.OK, I know that these have been posted elsewhere but I’ve recovered my “after” photo from hacker meltdown so I’ll re-post the two photos one after the other in this thread where they have greater relevance. First the before shot (with orbs) and then the after shot (without orbs). There was only about 20 seconds between the two photos and the position didn’t change at all. It was a misty morning but there was no actual rain (or even Irish drizzle) so moisture in the atmosphere is unlikely as a cause of the orbs.
I’d be very interested to know what you think these orbs might indicate, Alex.
[img]http://www.icontrail.com/images/newgr_orbs.JPG[/img]
Hi Michael,
The ever-dependable and extremely knowledgable Dr. S has got back to me with following expansion on your Egretes info above. Not sure that there is any silver bullet but the further details on the context is excellent and the reference may be useful:
“This is not a well known hero cult at all, but there is some detail on it in R. Parker Athenian Religion, A History (Oxford 1976). I use him in the following:
After the Klesithenes reforms (ie after the rule of the so-called Tyrants in the 6th century BC) there were a number of religious reforms in Athens & Attica.
Every Athenian citizen (male) almost certainly belonged to a hereditary association know as phratries (phratry singular). There were ancestral festivals (Apatouria) connected with each of these associations.
This is the common form of hereditary associations to which all citizens belonged. But there were also private ones which were confined to a minority. Genos is one of these and the Orgeones is another one. Various different orgeones are known and they function as a a hereditary society, a subdivision of a phratry (see above).OK, so there are various different types of these more exclusive groups and the identification of the different groups is largely dependent on the inscriptional evidence. NOW what you should remember is that although the inscriptions may be dated to between the 4th and 3rd centuries BC (as many of them are), these societies were actually founded earlier, probably at the time of Klesithenes reforms in the 6th century BC.
So what you have quoted at the end is actually an inscription which identifies one of these groups through their activities. The inscription itself is 4th century BC and it identifies an orgeones who worshipped a local hero Egretes.The actual inscription reads:
The orgeones have leased the sanctuary of Egretes to Diognetos son of Arkesilos of Melite for ten years at 200 drachmas per year. He should treat the sanctuary and the building built in it as a sanctuary. Diognetos shall stucco (?) such walls as need it, and do any other building or fitting he may wish. When the term of the ten years is out, he shall take with him the beams and the roof-tiles and the doors, but shall remove nothing else. He shall look after the trees growing in the sanctuary and replace any that die and pass on the same total. …. When the orgeones sacrifice to the hero in (the moth) Boedromion, Diognetos must make available the building where the shrine is open, and the hut and the oven and dining couches and tables for two triclinia.
So there was a private group (hereditary) who worshipped a local hero, Egretes, who had a sanctuary but it was only opened during the period of sacrifice and feasting of the group in the month of Boedromion (September). Outside of this period, the actual sanctuary was closed and the building and associated fields were put to secular use (very practical!!). This could be leased out and then this would provide an income to the group who could presumably use the cash to pay for their annual festival and feast.
So its a private group that has a private shrine to a lesser known hero, Egretes.
There are lots & lots of these small scale heroes that were sacrificed to at different periods. Some lasted for centuries, some even made it to god-like status (eg Asclepius who could have temples) but many just stayed as minor heroes like Egretes (good for shrines only!).
The location, the Hill of the Nymphs is where the observatory is now in Athens. The hill is opposite the Acropolis (on the west side). Just below the Pnyx (see photo below).
So finally a quote about Egretes from Parker 1997, 111
‘Even if we concede that Egretes, say, was inaccessible to ordinary persons and that is orgeones participated in no public rite, does it follow that the association was seen as no more than a hereditary dining-club in thin religious disguise? Perhaps the presence of Egretes had, by whatever means, been detected in the locality, and an association had been formed to propitiate the potentially dangerous hero by regular worship. The orgeones feasted in private for the public good’.I being cynical go for the first option!!
Hope this is some help!”
Not sure where to suggest you go for more info but it seems like there definitely is some substance behind your dream image.
Cheers,
Simon
On the one hand, this guy ( [url:2h17g2nk]http://www.americanchronicle.com/articles/viewArticle.asp?articleID=9980[/url]) backs up my conjecture that Danu and Anu are linked. On the other, he says, without any apparent irony or humour, “Anu [...] held the One Ring to bind them all”.
