Wednesday, February 20, 2008

The Speed of Life—Part Two: End of the World?


Speaking of strange winter tornadoes, weird weather patterns, global warming and my palpable feeling of an accelerated life (see my nightmare post), I’m reminded of something my cool friend, Bill Watson of Strange and Cool posted, entitled: “Is 2012 Going to Be the End of the World?” He starts his post with: “I’ve noticed that people have been talking more and more about the Mayan calendar and 2012 and what’s going to happen when that date rolls around. Lots of people say it’s the end of civilization as we know it. Some say it’s the end. Some say it’s a new beginning. Bill is talking about the ancient Greeks prophecy of the Suntelia Aion, “The End of the Age”, as part of a cycle of catastrophe, symbolized by the Ouroboros, of which the Milky Way was an inspiration. The myth refers to a serpent of light residing in the heavens. Viewed at the galactic central point near Sagittarius, the serpent eats its own tail. The sign of the Suntelia Aion is the sun rising out of the mouth of the Ouroboros on the solstice of December, 2012.

Bill quotes author and Mayan elder, Carlos Barrios, to explain the Mayan connection: “At sunrise on December 21, 2012 for the first time in 26,000 years the sun rises to conjunct the intersection of the Milky Way and the plane of the elliptic. This cosmic cross is considered to be an embodiment of the Sacred Tree, the Tree of Life, a tree remembered in all the world’s spiritual traditions. Some observers of this alignment with the heart of the galaxy in 2012 will open a channel for cosmic energy to flow through the earth, cleansing it and all that dwells upon it, raising all to a higher level of vibration.”

Some believe that a change in consciousness, a heightened awareness and sense of oneness with our planet is coming (though not without much destruction, say others). There is talk, for instance, of the rise in the Earth’s frequency or rate of vibration, solar flares or in sunspot activity, although mostly unsubstantiated, among other planetary phenomena like global warming and increased storm frequency/severity.

As an ecologist, I am fascinated by the reference to the Ouroboros as a symbol of this accelerated time of change and calamitous “End of an Age”.

The Ouroboros is an ancient symbol depicting a serpent or dragon swallowing its own tail to form a circle. It has been used to represent many things over the ages, but it most generally symbolizes ideas of cyclicality, unity, or infinity. The ouroboros has been important in religious and mythological symbolism, but has also been frequently used in alchemical illustrations. More recently, it has been interpreted by psychologists, such as Carl Jung, as having an archetypical significance to the human psyche.

The name ouroboros (or uroborus in Latin) is Greek for "tail-devourer". The depiction of the serpent is believed to have been inspired by the Milky Way, as some ancient texts refer to a serpent of light residing in the heavens. Plato described a self-eating, circular being as the first living thing in the universe — an immortal, perfectly constructed animal. Not unlike the sacred circle or sacred balance.

In some representations the serpent is shown as half light and half dark, echoing symbols such as the Yin Yang, which illustrates the dual nature of all things, but more importantly, that these opposites are not in conflict. In alchemy, the ouroboros symbolises the circular nature of the alchemist's opus, which unites the opposites: the conscious and unconscious mind. It is also often associated with Gnosticism, and Hermeticism.

The Ouroboros often represents self-reflexivity or cyclicality, especially in the sense of something constantly re-creating itself, the eternal return, and other things perceived as cycles that begin anew as soon as they end (e.g., Phoenix (mythology)). It can also represent the idea of primordial unity. The Jungian psychologist Erich Neumann writes about the pre-ego "dawn state", depicting the undifferentiated infancy experience of both mankind and the individual child.

The Ouroboros has several meanings associated with it. Foremost is the serpent biting, devouring, eating its own tail, which symbolises the cyclic Nature of the Universe: creation out of destruction, Life out of Death. The ouroboros eats its own tail to sustain its life, in an eternal cycle of renewal. In Gnosticism, this serpent symbolizes eternity and the soul of the world.

End of the world? Perhaps. But certainly the beginning of another…

15 comments:

Jean-Luc Picard said...

Incredibly rich detail, with lovely pictures.

Should I consider getting a calendar for 2013?

Nina Munteanu said...

HAR! Sure, Jean-Luc...It all depends on how you define "world" after all... It's all metaphor, isn't it? Oh... and there is a Part Three...

David M. Merchant said...

BTW, 23 December 2012 is an alternative date proposed by some Mayanists. I have a count down to both on my "Doomsdays!" page, with other possible cosmic methods for ending the world as we know it (yes, I have a strange sense of humor sometimes).

But, as you mentioned, it is the end of one "world" and the beginning of another (I believe the aborigines of Australia have a similar view?).

Nina Munteanu said...

Hmmm.... what's their story? I don't know that one.

I'll have to check out your Doomsdays page, David! (I too have a strange sense of humor; at least that's what people tell me...after my snorting laugh rang hollow in a room to staring dumbfounded faces, some kind soul took may aside and explained to me that my comment wasn't as funny as I thought it was...alas, we aliens have yet much to learn on this planet about the finer points of humor...timing is a factor, I'm told)

Janus Horus said...

Somebody could explain to me .I "dreamed" a long time ago I will die in 2012. Dream I never question,not even try to figure out how old I will be.
Thanks,Nina,you feed not only my intellectuel knowledge(I research self-similarities)but(it's more important to me) my intuitive knowledge.

Nina Munteanu said...

You're welcome, Janus. Self-similarities are fascinating! You are a researcher after my own heart.

Janus Horus said...

Not to miss on tuesday:PBS "NOVA".
The mayan calendar.+nice interactive on their website.
Beautiful art

Nina Munteanu said...

Cool!

soundexchange2 said...

Hey I know Bill too. Actually I am Bill. Heheh I'm just logged in with my work identity. Got a cool new job at a local music store. Thanks a bunch for the linkback. I should be getting more active here soon since I haven't done ANYTHING in about 6 or 7 months and my google checks are still getting bigger and bigger. Amazing.

Nina Munteanu said...

Hey, welcome back to the blogosphere, dude!

WOO! What's a google check???? LOL!

Janus Horus said...

Can I suggest you to read this page:
Seven wonders of the quantum world - New Scientist.htm
I'm so happy to have the science world to confirm affirmations I made long ago to my friends(they look at me with a little smile).After all,I'm just a painter,maybe a philosopher...like everybody.

Nina Munteanu said...

I will definitely give it a read, Janus, then report back...Meantime, I'm curious what people thought of the movie 2012? It was "dissed" as hokey... but... but... :)

Janus Horus said...

I didn't see it and I don't believe anybody can predict anything. I have my own intuitions,result of a dream,crazy,sci-fi..
But read these articles of new scientist.They open a lot of doors.
Take care.

onlyoneexplanation said...

"I will definitely give it a read, Janus, then report back...Meantime, I'm curious what people thought of the movie 2012? It was "dissed" as hokey... but... but... :)"

So happy I came across your blog sfgirl. I am trying to master my next post as it has been over a year and this post is an important one. I promise I will have something up soon and I hope everyone checks it out. I will be more than happy to check out your page as well!

My opinion on the movie "2012" is that it is an example of the power the Freemasons, or those who dictate to them, have over Hollywood.

At no point in the movie do they explain what is happening except for "some Mayan calendar coming to an end". However what most people do not realize is that at the beginning of the movie they open with a distant object moving through Space.

Perhaps the idea of Nibiru (a piece of hair floats in front of my face, a sign of "light" at this moment?) is true that there is a body of mass that returns and wrecks havoc due to gravitational instability.

There are so many videos currently on youtube that show unknown bodies of light flashing. Personally, I have my own pictures from my own backyard of the same object.

It would mean the world to me if you guys frequent my site in the future. I will finally have something up quite soon.

I am currently battling my conscious of deciding if it is right to raise awareness that we might be headed towards some kind of "end times" for many people that will see this post I am "friends" with on facebook. Losing friends is not the factor anymore. I have lost so many that it could not matter anymore.

Take care all of you.

Anonymous said...

did you see the date of death in your dream or just the year?