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BOOK
SECTION
The Origin of the
Egyptians
(Augustus Le Plongeon)
ISBN 0893144185
© 1983, Philosophical Research Society
Governor's Palace
Candles
Sites
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Energy Mastery
Examples of Historical
Adaptation
 Statue,
Monument, and Memorial One thing we tend to admire in
those we honour is an evident capacity for patience and resilient
response in the face of unusual change or catastrophic periods in life.
Individuals, whole civilizations and cultures that survive have
established, by their lifestyle plan and attention to vast scales, the
natural law we all intuitively embrace. Survival is the first rule in the
game of life. In ancient times, this law was reiterated by engineers with
an illimitable skill directed to stone monuments [see the power city Moses
built for Seti in, The Ten Commandments] and memorials.
Today, artists use an entirely different scale [exceptions like Mt.
Rushmore not withstanding] and often supersede stone in favour of
contemporary materials. Marble statuary or wood totem poles of our
household gods and goddesses, our ancestors and elders, are frequently
replaced by a family portrait, framed family photographs or an album with
its own special place of honour on the coffee table. Tolkien's
Middle-earth community follows the way of the flag and banner to demonstrate respect,
gratitude, and allegiance. The film, Amistad summons
the style used in
early,
idealistic America wherein
Steven
Spielberg diplomatically represents the remnant of an ancient, unbounded mind.
Favourite pictures and art work within the U. S. Capitol have always been
a resource and inspiration in my interior work. [Comment: In
Minority Report Spielberg revisits themes about idealism in
America, touching on the evolution of a responsible society with a wish to
prevent victimization rather than determine appropriate punishment for the
crime that has been committed.]
Today, a well dressed plaza and
garden usually provide a special spot for the garden Deva. Often there is
a statue of St. Francis, Our Lady of Lourdes, Kwan Yin, or Buddha.
In that encountering moment, art forms act as a mirror, a traditional
allusion to remind the psyche not to worry about the ever changing world,
and how to hold it all together.
Center of the Ancient Living Room
The
Fireplace and Cauldron~ Symbol of Community Spirit
"One way to think of the modern fireplace is to think in
terms of a campfire brought indoors and built into a wall
under a chimney. Historically, this is pretty much what
happened. The campfire's first migration into the house took
place a long time ago. In Greek literature, the hearth that
Odysseus comes back to after his long travels is a ring of
rocks on the living room floor. The smoke rose to the
ceiling and, over time, covered everything with soot. It was
sooty ormaments that, at the very end of the story, his son,
Telemechus, takes out of the great hall and hides in the
storeroom out of the reach of his father's enemies. In
Europe, the fireplace as we know it only became a common
feature of ordinary houses a few hundred years ago. Even
into the twentieth century, there were still remote
settlements in which the hearth remained as it had been in
the time of Homer, and as, if fact, it remains in large
parts of the world - a campfire built directly on the floor
of the main room with no provision for a chimney....
The campfire is the perfect venue for those intent on
cooking large meals in cauldrons. Large pots can be
suspended over the fire from a chain. The campfire is also
the ideal venue for the long-legged tripod."
-William Rubel,
The Magic of Fire, Hearth Cooking
The Native American tipi
[cloth, skins] or wicki-up [trees, branch and bark], simply
constructed as a tent with a circular shaped floorplan, has
a fireplace pit dug into the ground in the center of the
floor. People sit on the ledge and talk around the fire
while meals cook over the open flame. A small opening in the
roof allows smoke to escape to the air outside. People have
gathered the same way in the Pacific Southwest Indian hogan,
designed on a set of concentric circles [made of railroad
ties during the last hundred years of tribal culture] with a
soft, rounded roof. The fire in the home is located at
center of the inner circle in the private residence.
The outer layered circles for supplies, and outside those,
the horse shelter, are built to keep heat in the
center of the structure during the freezing Winter.
Fire
should always be found in the center [psychological
empowerment zone] of the home. An actual flame or symbolic
representation of the warmth, richness, and hospitality of
the home suggests magical possibilities too. The way of life
in ancient cultures included a daily awareness that the
search for the tangible and subtle vehicle for illumination,
an eternal source, and the centre of the labyrinth, is where
the psyche meets the waking consciousness. Temples of
circular design during ancient times, especially those of
the Vestal Virgins, were associated with fire. The eternal
flame has always been the heart of a home, city, and temple,
because care of the flame is central to the well-being of
the community at large. J. K. Rowling organized Hagrid's Hut
with a round blueprint and the fireplace just large enough
to warm the dragon there. Tolkien also used the mystical
circle and fireplace reverently, especially in his vision of
Bag End.
Create a radiant warm fire in the
central area of your home, office, and tranquility zone.
When it is
time to welcome family and friends for special events, place
candles in the middle of their line of vision in front of
each wall. Be sure the flames are close to eye level so it
will be easy to follow the burning candles around the room.
Naturally, we cannot all enjoy a functional fireplace
because of the restrictions of city life, but if you have a
fireplace, include it. Art also serves as a substitute
when the topic is dramatic, fascinating, and suggests a
dynamic feeling of spiritual fire. Your centerpiece should
also have candles - designer, hand carved, or simple tapers.
Pick up a unique, aesthetically pleasing mantle theme from
the influence of Italian Renaissance architects.
Household gods and goddesses once rested above the hearth in
every family residence and in a way still do. Today, people
still consider the best look an efficient one. Consider
those examples built on the principles of the brilliant
eighteenth-century fireplace designer, Count Rumford for
some transformative ideas.
'Housekeeping' Ritual ~
Native Americans burn a wonderful combination of herbs and
use a feather to fan the smoke out to the corners of your
home. The seers sometimes go through the room twice to be
sure not to miss any of the little nooks and crannies in the
room, under the furniture, or in the closet. [Ask me for the
list if you want to make your own.] There are prayers,
poems, and songs directed to the four parts of the universe
composed for this clearing ritual that is sometimes called
smudging.
'Infusion Exercise' ~ This
personal ritual energizes the atmosphere, practically
changes the air around you, and feels great. A
projection of pleasant, still, and magnetic calm should
envelope the candle flame and/or fire in a fireplace. There
are other meditations, such as La Tour's painting of candles
that are burning for Mary Magdalene. Burn several candles in
front of a mirror in a dimly lit area of your tranquility
zone and you can pick up on a similar atmospheric texture.
Visualize an appropriate symbol your house Deva will enjoy
sharing with you. If you know the favourite power space your
Deva prefers, go there, focus, and the image you want will
float into your mind. Some people sketch with pencil and
paper or write their impressions with the non-dominant hand.
Take all the time you need. The symbol you select will be a
joint fingerprint for you and the Deva when you co-create
positive change and work together to improve your quality of
life.
Pick a specific circular area of
the home where you feel a mystical fireplace or subtle
campfire would be nice. Visualize a brilliant red and
burnished gold fire and see the flames every time you pass
through the room. Project the symbol you have with your Deva,
into the fireplace and candle flame. In no time you can
notice distinct memory of the burning fire when
you are somewhere else. Family and guests will [usually]
feel energized when they enter the room where you do this
work. Remind yourself to keep home fires alive every day by
introducing the flame of a burning candle in the selected
area two or more times every week. Anoint candles with rose
or violet oil if you please or use the clearing ritual
mentioned above. Burn a white candle within the circle
where your spirit flame kindles love and happiness for all
who enter your home whenever you expect company.
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,
which was again the symbol both in Yucatan and Egypt of the letter M or
Ma, which implies the earth..." 
