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Cosmology

Astronomer Copernicus, or Conversations with God, by Jan Matejko.	Source: Public Domain

The Strange Story of the Grave of Copernicus

Darius von Guttner Sporzynski/The Conversation Nicholas Copernicus was the astronomer who, five centuries ago, explained that Earth revolves around the Sun, rather than vice versa. A true Renaissance...
The complex Mesoamerican calendars have fascinated for centuries. New LiDar surveys provide evidence that they were used much earlier than previously thought. Source: Frenta / Adobe Stock

Lasers Map Mysteries of the Maya Calendar, Centuries Older than Thought

Renowned for their precision, vision, and place in time, Mesoamerican calendars have long been held up as an example of the early advancement of the civilizations of the indigenous people of North,...
One of two mirrored temples at Ek’ Balam called Los Gemelos (The Twins)	 Source: Jose Ignacio Soto / Adobe Stock

Ek' Balam: Haunting Ruins of an Abandoned Maya Kingdom

One of the most fascinating archaeological sites in Central America is Ek’ Balam. Ek’ Balam is found in Temozón, Yucatán, Mexico in the Northern Maya lowlands, several miles northeast of Chichen Itza...
Top Image: The Bronze Age gold artifact found in a beet field in the Czech Republic. Source: Muzeum Bruntál

“Supernatural” Bronze Age Gold Device Unearthed in Czech Republic

Last month a beet farmer in the Czech Republic uprooted an ornate Bronze Age gold artifact. It was well preserved in mud and the anonymous farmer photographed the golden treasure then sent the images...
Left; 1660 chart illustrating Tycho Brahe’s model of the universe Right; Portrait of Tycho Braha, Skokloster Castle, Source: Left; Public Domain, Right; Public Domain

Tycho the Psycho? Meet One of History’s Maddest Scientific Minds Ever!

Tycho Brahe, the 16th century Danish astronomer, alchemist, astrologist, and scientist (1546-1601) was a force to be reckoned with – the true epitome of the brilliant, mad scientist. In the backdrop...
Majestic sunrise at Castlerigg Stone Circle in the Lake District, one of many sites located on ley lines. Source: Danoz/Adobe Stock

Ley Hunters: Were Bronze Age Britons Really Following Ley Lines?

Google Earth is an amazingly useful tool for investigators to explore the sacred landscapes of prehistoric Britain. For sure, its accuracy cannot be denied. Indeed, one can even survey and measure...
Corpus Hermeticum: first Latin edition, by Marsilio Ficino, 1471, at the Bibliotheca Philosophica Hermetica, Amsterdam. (Public Domain)

Aion: The Demiurge and the Destiny of Man in the Teachings of Hermes Trismegistus

The Hermetica are a collection of ancient texts composed in Egypt between roughly 200 BC and 400 AD, attributed to the legendary sage Hermes Trismegistus and his followers. As is well known to...
Stone altar at the Ñaupa Iglesia, Peru

Who Built the Ñaupa Iglesia? Mysterious Ruins in Peru’s Sacred Valley

Ñaupa Iglesia is a fascinating Peruvian ruin in the Sacred Valley of the high Andes. It is located between Ollantaytambo and Urubamba; Ollantaytambo being only 30 Km (18.64 miles) from Machu Picchu...
A namazu or catfish motif earthquake art (by an unknown artist), entitled Shin Yoshiwara ōnamazu yurai or "The cause of the great catfish at Shin Yoshiwara." The work shows women of the Edo pleasure quarters blaming the catfish for the earthquake, but the catfish is delighted to have these ladies press flesh with him and threatens to squirm again to cause an aftershock.

Namazu Catfish: Earthquakes, Cosmic Justice, and Helper Of the Poor

All cultures have traditional explanations for natural disasters that pre-date scientific explanations. In Japanese culture, at least since the 15th century, earthquakes have been associated with...
A landscape view of qubba tombs, a type of Islamic burial tomb or shrine, around an area known as Jebel Maman. (Costanzo et al. / CC-BY 4.0)

A ‘Galaxy’ of Islamic Burials Exhibits An “As Above, So Below” Concept

Sudanese Islamic burial sites are not randomly located as was traditionally believed. Quite the opposite. Thanks to satellite technology , it has been discovered that contrary to the belief that...
Alternative to the Big Bang theory (Image: Courtesy Micki Pistorius Deriv)

Cosmology From Anthropic Principle to Irreducible Complexity And Beyond

Who Did It? Did God Do It? The very idea that the universe had a beginning was so troubling to Sir Fred Hoyle that when he was promoted to Lecturer in Mathematics at Cambridge in 1948, he published...
The Vortexes of Native American Culture and Cultural Misappropriation

The Vortexes of Native American Culture and Cultural Misappropriation

Vortexes (or vortices) are believed to be spots on the earth where unidentified energy is said to either enter into, or project out from the land, and many believe these energies travel through...
The Cinder-Tree: Origins Of The World’s Most Famous Fairy Tale Cinderella

The Cinder-Tree: Origins Of The World’s Most Famous Fairy Tale Cinderella

The Cinderella tale common in most households is one of the most pervasive narratives in human culture and across global geography. Types of this story exist as far back as 2000 BC in the Sumerian...
Ahura Mazda and Angra Mainyu In Zoroastrianism’s Creation Mythology

Ahura Mazda and Angra Mainyu In Zoroastrianism’s Creation Mythology

Ahura Mazda and Angra Mainyu are the two main deities in the dualistic doctrine of Zoroastrianism. The former is the supreme deity of this religion, whereas the latter is the evil, destructive spirit...
Finding the Grave of Nicolaus Copernicus - Heretic Turned National Hero

Finding the Grave of Nicolaus Copernicus - Heretic Turned National Hero

Today, Nicolaus Copernicus is hailed by many historians as the originator of heliocentrism, one of the first steps towards modern cosmology and away from the Aristotelian cosmology which had...

The Mound Builders' Moon Goddess: Grandmother of the Eastern Woodlands

“With the Uncanny one has reached the fringes of the Numinous.” --C.S. Lewis, The Problem of Pain During a period spanning roughly 500 BC—500 AD, the Eastern Woodlands of North America were the...
Cheomseongdae observatory at night, Gyeongju, South Korea.          Source: Ivan / Adobe stock

Star Gazing at Cheomseongdae - East Asia’s Oldest Observatory

The Korean peninsula is known for many things. One thing that may be less well known about Korean culture is its contribution to world astronomy. One particularly visible contribution is the oldest...
Everything is distinct in the shaman’s secret world. Source: Ammit /Adobe Stock

The Shaman’s Secret World: Living in Light and Darkness

Shamanism is described in Shamanism, Archaic Techniques of Ecstasy as a every ancient coherent system of esoteric beliefs and practices that attempt to organize and explain the interrelationship...
A Sámi family  in front of goahti and lavvu housing, early 1900s, Norway

The Sami People: Reindeer Herding and Cultural Survival in the Far North

The Sámi are the northernmost indigenous people of Europe. For thousands of years they have lived in an area called Sápmi - the northern sectors of Norway, Sweden, Finland, and the Kola Peninsula...
An early morning view of the Mound City Group. (NPS Photo / Tom Engberg) Hopewell copper antler headdress on a mannequin. (University of Nebraska Lincoln/CC BY NC 4.0)

The Liverpool Mounds in Illinois: Part 2 - Rediscovering Hopewell Ritual and Meaning

In part 1 of this article, the features of the Liverpool Mound group in Fulton County Illinois were described. This second half focuses on the possible meanings of the mounds and their contents and...
Artist’s representation of Vanaheimr.

Where is Vanaheimr, Land of the Norse Nature Gods?

In a realm of nine worlds, one might assume that the gods would be satisfied with one. One world where they could live away from humans and watch over their antics as one might watch a TV show. In...
Prehistoric Native American Site in Ohio Reflects Ancient Beliefs About the Cosmos

Prehistoric Native American Site in Ohio Reflects Ancient Beliefs About the Cosmos

It is known that 2,300 years ago Native Americans who lived near the Huron River observed the sky above them. The researchers recently discovered a prehistoric site, believed to have been used for...
Archaeologists Uncover a Symbolic Code Hidden in the Crater-Filled Plaza of the Moon in Teotihuacan

Archaeologists Uncover a Symbolic Code Hidden in the Crater-Filled Plaza of the Moon in Teotihuacan

For weeks, archaeologists from the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) of Mexico have been digging and exploring, for the first time, the bowels of the Plaza of the Moon at...
The Mutilation of Uranus by Saturn: fresco by Giorgio Vasari and Cristofano Gherardi, c. 1560

Wandering Sky Gods: The Personification of Astronomical Phenomena in Ancient Times

It is 1000 BC, roughly 3000 years ago. Things have changed in the civilized world. The Bronze Age is fading, to be replaced by the time of Iron. Armies strive across portions of the Near East and the...

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