Volcanoes Affect History - From the Exodus to the Dark Ages

Iceland Volcano Conjures Up Recollections

Iceland has caused us to ponder. "Wow. A volcano can happen anywhere!" Of course, heated molten rock has nothing to do with the local weather. Volcanoes happen where they happen. They are the 800 pound gorillas of the earth's surface. Hawaii exists because of volcanoes. Iceland would not be there were it not for what we are watching on TV. But since we are the creatures that we are, we settle on the land and notice its properties, and start to plant and live and make babies and establish villages. A local Icelandic farmer who farms nearby asks why he is being punished. "My great grandfather started this farm". The "gods" might say: "Seems to me you guys got a great reprieve."

Iceland Makes Us Realize Volcanoes Aren't Just Far Off and Away

As a species we are downright amazing to watch. We forget, and forget, and then we go into trauma, then we forget again. There are millions of people now settled around Mt. Vesuvius. What was once a desolation of the City of Pompeii is now a tourist spot and romantic center of Southern Italy. History is meaningless and dire warnings are futile. Naples is like San Francisco. People develop a "devil may care fatalism" or a resigned philosophy. "If I die, I die." Mt. Rainier peers out toward Seattle and terrifies people and the prognosticators say: "Not in our lifetime". That's probably good enough for most of us. We hope to get our "3 score years and 10" and our grand kids, well, we have to deal with what we have to deal.

Krakatoa - Pacific Nightmare Near Java

The last Iceland Volcano in 1821. They say it lasted one or two years. No one wants to even think about that. But the thing volcanologists love to think about, (but only historically) is Krakatoa. Since it is far away for must of us, it has to be considered the A Number One Boil on the planet by most scientists concerned with the topic. It is theorized that one super eruption darkened the sun for years. It occurred in the 500 AD's and affected weather patterns for almost a century; cooling northern climes and cementing the "Dark Ages". It is said to have changed agriculture in Northern Europe for a long time, and, as one speculated, to the rise of the plague in the 600's, the end of the "Arthurian time" (Camelot) and the rise of Islam, as the southern parts of that region thrived. Krakatoa of the late 1800's, it is postulated, caused the devastating harsh winters in America in the 1880s. Krakatoa is on simmer right now, but the simmer is forming a new island as we speak.

The Eastern Med - Volcano Country - An Incredibly Active Seismic Zone

In the Eastern Mediterranean about 3500 years ago, it was much different from today. Today, many tourists travel to the white-painted villages on the Isle of Santorini. If you have flown over it, it looks like a finger nail clipping in the deep blue waters of the Mediterranean. It now makes an idyllic retreat for worn out Americans and Europeans who just want to kick back, lounge, drink Ouzo and bask in the warm sunlight. The people are wonderful, tourist tuned and have the handsome look of an ancient people. At least that's what the travel agencies tell us and the experienced traveler can attest to.

But once upon a time, this finger nail clipping of an island was the center of Mediterranean life. They were the Minoans, a powerful sea faring and trading people in the Late Bronze Age. They made this island one of their homes for their nearby capital of Crete. This is Volcano country if you have ever heard of it. Countless small eruptions over the centuries have occurred on small islands, reformed others and made a panoply of historical moments for the peoples of that region.

There was a volcano there in 1650 and many more small ones. The most recent in 1949 made the news but didn't cause cataclysm. The destruction of the Minoan civilization on Crete and these neighboring islands actually made way for replacing cultures and civilizations. The power vacuum created at that time, allowed for the rise of Grecian city states, and the Phoenicians of Biblical Lore and other powers to then dominate and influence this area. Egypt, was historically already founded and was not permanently damaged by the Volcano. However it might have been affected in another way, by assisting Moses with his people-moving exercise, and thus causing a diminution of their power and influence.

Santorini Was The Island of Thera

This volcano truly popped. It literally blew away the island, then known as Thera, and created the Caldera that is now Santorini. Then, tsunami waves crashed into Egypt, the east, the north and the west, continually pounding the region with large waves and causing dense dark ash thickened skies. The ash, they say, ascended to 50,000 feet. When it blew, it just turned villages into mist and crashed boats and ships for miles and miles. Archaeologists that study this keep on finding evidence of the destruction. Newer theories about the story of Exodus and the Children of Israel have made fabulous TV watching and tie in various issues that many have thought about for years, such as the possible location of Mt. Sinai, and even the Sea of Reeds, versus the "Red" Sea.

While the particulars as to how these effects might have caused the Plagues of Egypt are for a book, or at least another article, the fact remains that this volcano caused the displacements of peoples, movements into old areas and new commerce and cultural identity of formerly unknown peoples.

Historic Power and Destruction - Exodus and Diasporas and Immigrations

The "Danous" people that came to Greece are thought to be the Israelitish movement after Moses' relocation efforts. Golden images and relics make connections back to the peoples who were on the move after the Exodus. The tribe of Dan was always in motion. Dr. Herman Hoeh, an expert on legends concerning this time, talked about how Moses sons, having lost a real place at the table because Brother Aaron's children became the Aaronic priesthood, took a trip out of the area of the Holy Land, around the Pillars of Hercules to the Ancient Land of Ireland. The "Cohan" (priesthood and name of Moses kids) is a familiar Irish name. George M. Cohan, being a modern representative. The people who left Egypt eventually created a land that would become known for its outermost limits. As we would say from "Maine to California", or from "Florida to Alaska", the land was said to encompass from "Dan to Beersheba" (Dan, up north by modern day Syria, and Beersheba in the southern desert). The Children of Israel would eventually make a true Kingdom under Davidic lineage through Solomon. The lineage continuing through Nathaniel to the family of Mary, Mother of Jesus.

Greece itself, without the competition from the destroyed Minoan civilization began to thrive, and Alexander in the 300's BC took his Macedonian armies all the way to the Indus River, and established a Hellenized culture that affected the very nature of western culture. The western part of the Mediterranean was not as affected as much by this volcano, and it also thrived after this period. Villages grew and cities blossomed. The Minoans were not around anymore, controlling commerce, so western "vills" could make their own impact on history. Places like Carthage and Rome might come to mind.

No More Hubris

Since the Minoans were gone, people like the Phoenicians also make their mark on history. They were excellent sea faring peoples. These Semitic peoples made commerce through the Straits of Gibraltar (the Pillars of Hercules) doable. Their sailing technologies and skills allowed for movement around Spain to England and Ireland and the Eastern part of France. Hubris, a word for "excessive pride" was coined because that is what the Greeks called Gibraltar. In their minds, you were taking your life in your hands, and were defying the gods if you went past that sign post into the Atlantic. The Greeks and the Romans were not exceptionally skilled seaman and their boats did not cut through the waves, like the Phoenecians' did. (The Greeks and Romans made their living fighting on land.) The Phoenicians were the Navy of the Mediterranean, and this is the way they established themselves and promoted trade after the Theran Destruction. It no longer was tempting the gods with "hubris" to go through Gibraltar. Joseph of Arimathea's tin trade with Britain shows how trade developed in Roman times.

Causes of Volcanoes

Perhaps the biggest mystery of all is the Timing of Volcanoes. Astrological cycles try to track them to the movement of Pluto or Neptune. Astrology and astronomy may indeed have undetectable influences, but the very earth that we stand on is the main object of study. Still, predicting is beyond our wizardry at this moment. When we stare at the might being displayed on periodically historical moments, maybe we should lie down and put our heads in our pillows with a little more thankfulness. Thankfulness that these volcanoes are as measured and non-periodic as they are. Christofer French is the Founder of Astrologygetalong.com.

http://www.astrologygetalong.com

How the Planets Affect Our Lives?

No one can say precisely when astrology emerged. Man's preoccupation with the skies began long before writing was invented. However, we know the fact that 6,000 years ago, Chaldean priests used watchtowers to make maps of the skies. Scientists found clay tablets, estimated to date from 3800 B.C., which record the motions of the Sun and the Moon with extraordinary accuracy. Originally, astronomy and astrology formed one science and were collectively depicted as one word. Later, astronomy specialized in studying the physical movements of the planets and on their chemical structure. Quite the contrary, astrology is not interested in the mechanical or chemical build-up of the planets at all, but it studies how planets influence humans on the emotional and mental plane, which ultimately tends to shape our lives.

In antiquity, people noticed that the majority of stars were stationary in respect to each other. They called these stars "fixed". They observed that there were five visible stars which in contrast to the others, were revolving about the Earth, confined to a narrow line. This line, called the ecliptic, loops around the Earth at a certain angle. In fact, the ecliptic is the same line traversed by the Sun, the Moon and the five visible stars. Gradually astrologers divided the belt of the ecliptic into 12 sections and named each one of them after the fixed stars' constellations that they observed "behind" them. Most of them are named after animals, where specific characteristics best describe the energy, emanated from each constellation. This is how the Zodiac was born.

Furthermore, men observed that when a planet passes through a certain section of the Zodiac it triggers certain events. Babies born at this time share the same characteristics. In their constant travel along the ecliptic, planets move from one sign of the Zodiac to another. After some period of time they "return" to the same sign where they were previously. Babies born in different years, but during the time, when a particular planet is passing through the same sign of the Zodiac, also show very similar traits, pertaining to the domain ruled by this planet. For example, Mercury is the planet that rules the mind and communications. In the Greek mythology Mercury is represented by Hermes, who is always depicted as the "winged messenger" of God or in other words he is the intermediate, the one, conducting the communication between Gods and humans. As another example Venus is the planet ruling the harmony, unison and love between people. Greeks called her Aphrodite, the Goddess of love - ideal, familiar and sexual. In the grounds of her temples there were groves where worshippers could make love.

By the position of Venus in the birth chart we can tell how that person relates to his or her partners. Let's say Venus was in Scorpio, when a particular individual was born. Its presence there will intensify enormously the passion, sexual desires and jealousy of that individual, increasing his desire to "possess" and control his partner. On the other hand if Venus was not in Scorpio, but say, in Pisces, it will produce a person who is totally swayed by emotions and who is all too easily taken advantage of, because he will love and care too much about his partner. The same principle applies for all other planets. Each one of them is imprinting its mark on a particular domain of our life. In this way we are predisposed from birth in the way in which we think, feel, work, achieve, fail etc.

It is important to stress, however, that the stars compel, but do not impel. Their influence can be compared with the tides of the ocean. If the man decides to swim with the tides, he will be completely under the influence of the stars and in this case his life can be easily predictable. If, however, he decides consciously to swim against the tides, then he is exercising his free will and only then he becomes a true master of his own fate. Astrology can help us enormously in this respect. Initially, it may seem that resisting the compelling force of the stars is an extremely difficult task. However, if a person is aware that he possesses certain negative traits and is constantly trying to correct them, then after some time this task becomes quite habitual. In fact, not long after the individual decides constantly to exercise his free will, he or she notices with surprise that their behavior improves dramatically and they wonder how they could have acted otherwise before. All that is needed is some perseverance. I know many people, who after reading their own horoscope decided consciously to work on improving some of their flaws and after some time they became completely different persons.

Ancient people knew as a matter of fact about the distinct correlation between the stars and certain areas of human lives. Today, we live in one of the most materialistic epochs in the history of the World. But even nowadays, unprejudiced people around the World recognize astrology as one of the most rewarding spiritual sciences, available to man. Its correlation with some other official sciences such as physics, mathematics and psychology is undeniable. The trajectory of the planets can be calculated with an extraordinary precision by modern computers and astrology charts can be drawn in a matter of minutes. The real art is, of course, the skillful and correct interpretation of the chart, which remains the property of just a small number of devoted astrologers. The real strength of astrology, besides everything else, lies in its ability to change people's lives by changing them from within. This can be achieved, provided that the following three conditions are satisfied:

• One is in a possession of an accurate, professional, astrological birth chart.


• One has the ability to read his or her chart in an objective, unbiased and unprejudiced manner.


• One has an inner desire to improve oneself.

The birth chart is like a road map. The map itself cannot get you to your destination, but can show you the various paths that you can take. It can point you the fastest way to become what only you can become. On the other hand it will point out to you where you will end up at the end of your journey if you choose to do nothing. The decision to act or not to act, glancing at the map is entirely yours. The words in the Japanese proverb come to mind:

"To know and not to act, is not to know at all".

Lubomir Dimitrov Perth, Australia

Lubomir Dimitrov is a unique combination of spiritual teacher and scientist. While holding a Master’s degree in science he is also a psychic and a professional astrologer. He has been practising astrology for more then 15 years and is the founder of the amalgamation between astrology and the spiritual science in Australia. He performs astrology readings, produces a variety of astrology reports, publishes articles and conducts many workshops, seminars and courses.

For further information, please, visit his web site http://Lubomir.name