S A C R E D   O R A C L E

“First, in this prayer of mine, I give the place of highest honor among the gods to the first prophet, Gaia; and after her to Themis* for she was the second to take this oracular seat of her mother, as legend tells. And in the third allotment, with Themis’ consent and not by force, another Titan, child of Gaia, Phoebe, took her seat here. She gave it as a birthday gift to Phoebus [Apollo], who has his name from Phoebe.” -Pythian Priestess [Aeschylus, Eumenides]   INTRODUCTORY ACCOUNT OF ANCIENT ORACLES from the BOOK OF FATE This oracle, discovered in the Royal Tombs near Mount Libycus, in Upper Egypt, by M. Sonnini in 1801 was given to Napoleon, translated and bound as a book, by Empress Josephine. No institution is more famous than the ancient Oracles of Egypt, Greece, and Rome. They were said to be the will of the gods themselves, and they were consulted, not only upon every important matter, but even in the affairs of private life. To make peace or war, to introduce a change of government, to plant a colony, to enact laws, to raise an edifice, or to marry, were all sufficient reasons to consult the will of the gods. Mankind, in consulting them, showed that they wished to pay implicit obedience to the command of the divinity, and, when they had been favoured with an answer, they acted with more spirit, and with more vigour, conscious that the undertaking had met with the sanction and approbation of heaven. In this, therefore, it will not appear wonderful that so many places were sacred to oracular purposes. The small province of Boeotia could once boast of her 25 oracles, and Peloponnesus of the same number. Not only the chief of the gods gave oracles, but, in process of time, heroes were admitted to enjoy the same privileges; and the oracles of a Trophonius and an Antinous, were soon able to rival the fame of Apollo and of Jupiter. The most celebrated oracles of antiquity were those of Dodona, Delphi, Jupiter Ammon, &c. The temple of Delphi seemed to claim a superiority over the other temples; its fame was once more extended, and its riches were so great, that not only private persons, but even kings and numerous armies, made it an object of plunder and of rapine. [go theatre of Apollo]

  

   The famous Roman orator, lawyer, and senator Cicero came in to support Pliny's association of Cumaean Sibyl and Druidess from Gaul. In his treatise concerning divination, Cicero says the proof that divination is practiced can be seen in at least three such practitioners, and especially in a Cumaean Sibyl named Herophile, once the Erythraean Sibyl before she transferred to Cumae. You must grant, argues Cicero, what cannot be contradicted without distorting the whole record of history:  the Pythia was inspired by the power of the earth [vis terrae] and the Cumaean Sibyl also by the power of the very terrain  [natura] - ...because soils and sites vary in type and influence. One has only to read Vergil's Aeneid  to conclude that geography plays a large part in prophecy, priesthood, and history.

It is also true, he continues, that the Druids in Gaul prophecy, which is to say, they communicate so well between god and man that they really can know and explain divine will well in advance. This we call the power of divination [vis divinandi].

We Romans certainly can testify as to how frequently our Senate has ordered the Sibylline Books to be consulted by our "ten men" [decemvari].   

   Delphi is a town in Phocis, Greece, near the foot of Mt. Parnassus. The road from Athens to Delphi at eighteen-hundred feet, rises slowly at first, crosses several small meadows and traversing small farmlands. The road also traverses the town of Thebes, so the heart is prepared for "awe and wonder." After Thebes, the road moves upward, through the foothills of Parnassus, home of the Muses. It was the seat of Great Pythia, the Delphic Oracle, who was the most famous and powerful oracle of ancient Greece. The oracle was housed in a temple built in the 6th cent. B.C. The oracular messages were spoken by a priestess in a  and interpreted by a priest, who usually spoke in verse. The oracle's influence prevailed throughout Greece until Hellenistic times. Delphi was the meeting place of the Amphictyonic League and the site of the Pythian Games. The private sanctuary of the Oracle was underground. Visit Sacred Places

 

   Comparisons with the art and architecture of other civilizations of the time underline the distinctive contribution of the classical vision. For example, the Greeks learned how to construct stone monuments from the Egyptians, but their application of what they learned reveals a totally different set of priorities. Astonishing feats of engineering that pre-date Greek architecture by more than two thousand years, vast pyramids and temples were designed to awe the observers. Guarded by gigantic sculptures, these massive Egyptian tombs offered access only to pharoahs and priests. Greek architects, by contrast, used their mathematical skills to invite entry: they calculated how columns might be spaced and tapered best to please the eye and studied how high to pitch the roofs of temples that open their portals to ordinary citizens.

  The chantress of Amun, a high-ranking lady of the later New Kingdom

Gilded outer coffin of Henutmehyt, and other artifacts from the tomb of Henutmehyt, Thebes, Egypt [19th Dynasty, around 1250 BC] are among the precious Egyptian exhibitions on display at the British Museum.

The coffins of Henutmehyt, originally placed one inside the other, were all anthropoid (human-shaped). Like tomb-statues, this type of coffin was believed to provide the spirit with a substitute body if the mummy should perish. The physical form, with crossed arms, together with the inscriptions and the figures of protective gods and goddesses all emphasized the identification of the dead person with the god Osiris. The implication was that, like him, they might experience resurrection.   Full article

• T. Potts, Civilization: ancient treasure, exh. cat. (Canberra, Australian National Gallery, 1990)

• J.H. Taylor, Studies in Egyptian antiquitie, British Museum Occasional Paper 123 (1999)
  J.H. Taylor, Egyptian coffins (Aylesbury, Shire Publications, 1989)

 

   The Oracle's Advice - THE MATRIX   time 7:53

Matrix Reloaded - the second act in the trilogy begins with a statement that supports closure of Piscean Age systems, and the Oracle confirms that, in the future, the truth about another will be possible via a method of direct infusion rather than conflict, in confrontation, or in Mars related behavior. The Aquarian Age brings about the return to a normal collective construct. Information about TDN The Matrix will return soon. You Tube Architect.

 

   The Parthenon, a temple dedicated to the goddess Athena Parthenos (or maiden), patron of the city named for her. Set on the acropolis (from the roots acro=high and polis=city, the highest point and therefore the site of significant structures in ancient Greek cities) of Athens, the Parthenon bears witness to human art and civic community

 

   The Prophecy - Harry Potter [link: The Order of the Phoenix]  This is the perfect time to reconstruct the page about Hogwarts' professors and students, starting with Professor Minerva McGonagall [Dame Maggie Smith], who instructs in the art of Transfiguration and is the head of Gryffindor house [also an avid Quidditch fan].   Hogwarts is a "multi-faith" school within the world of wizards and witches, somewhere in Scotland near a place called Dufftown.  The school is concealed from muggles by several charms and spells. Students are invited to attend once they have reached the age of eleven.

 

   Pythagoras of Samos (the same man who discovered the geometrical theorem), for one, sought to define a unified mathematical principle as the root of the cosmos. See Sacred Place - Holy Place The Delphic Oracle.

 

 

   Trump VIII   Justice, Adjustment refers to the co-ordination of order, harmony, and balance  in an architectural design. The word beauty, or 'fair,' is the same word for fairness in a system of justice.