Showing posts with label ancient knowledge. Show all posts
Showing posts with label ancient knowledge. Show all posts

Thursday, November 2, 2017

The apple... / Το μήλο...


The apple.

A mysterious fruit, once symbolizing all fruits and being synonym to evil. Playing a significant role in many stories in the mythologies of many people and in Christianity as well. From the apples of Hesperides and the apple with which Paris started the Trojan War, to the apple for which the ghost of Aristotle talked about while dying, to the apple which made God cast us away from Paradise, to Newton’s apple and to the apple of Turing, to the apple used in folk proverbs, [1] [2] [3] the apple continues to try to remind us of something which we have forgotten.

But what could that be?
What do all these stories want to tell us exactly?

Apples are now the subject of genetic experiments. [4] And they seem to be the link between ancient fruits and modern fruits, carrying a larger genome than any other fruit. [5] Only the fools read the myths as if they are fairy tales. We do not know when all these myths mean and what is it that the apply symbolizes, but that just means that we must intensify our efforts to remember what we have forgotten.

Keep searching.
I would already be dead…
if it wasn’t for the smell of that apple…

~

Το μήλο.

Ένα φρούτο μυστηριώδες, που παλιά συμβόλιζε όλα τα φρούτα και ήταν συνώνυμο του κακού. Παίζει κεντρικό ρόλο σε πολλές ιστορίες της μυθολογίας πολλών λαών όπως και στο Χριστιανισμό. Από τα Μήλα των Εσπερίδων και το μήλο με το οποίο ο Πάρις ξεκίνησε τον Τρωικό Πόλεμο, στο μήλο του φαντάσματος του θνήσκοντος Αριστοτέλη, στο μήλο που έκανε το Θεό να μας διώξει από τον Παράδεισο, στο μήλο του Νεύτωνα και το μήλο του Turing, έως το μήλο σε διάφορες λαϊκές σοφίες, [1] [2] [3] το μήλο συνεχίζει να προσπαθεί μας θυμίσει κάτι που έχουμε ξεχάσει.

Όμως τι μπορεί να είναι αυτό;
Τι μπορεί να θέλουν να μας θυμίσουν αυτές οι ιστορίες;

Τα μήλα είναι σήμερα αντικείμενα γενετικών πειραμάτων. [4] Και φαίνεται να είναι η σύνδεση των αρχαίων φρούτων με τα σημερινά, περιέχοντας μεγαλύτερο γονιδίωμα από κάθε άλλο φρούτο. [5] Συνεχίζουμε και τα μελετάμε, αλλά μάλλον είμαστε σαν τον βλάκα που απλά κοιτάει το δάχτυλο και όχι το φεγγάρι.

Μόνο οι ανόητοι διαβάζουν τους μύθους σαν να πρόκειται για παραμύθια. Δεν γνωρίζουμε τι σημαίνουν όλοι αυτοί οι μύθοι και τι συμβολίζει το μήλο, αλλά αυτό σημαίνει απλά πως οι προσπάθειες μας να θυμηθούμε αυτό που έχουμε ξεχάσει πρέπει να γίνουν εντονότερες.

Συνέχισε να ψάχνεις.
Θα είχα ήδη πεθάνει…
αν δεν ήταν η μυρωδιά αυτού του μήλου…

Monday, June 27, 2016

Philosophy Wire: Oedipus and the curse of knowledge.


Philosophy Wire by Spiros Kakos [2016-06-27]: Prometheus (Hesiod). Oedipus, the man who defeated the Sphinx with his knowledge. Midas and Silenus. Adam and Eve. They all had something in common: They longed for or possessed knowledge. And knowledge destroyed them. Our myths warn us persistently. And we choose to ignore them. We want to "learn". Stop thinking. Learn to simply accept the cosmos. Stop analyzing. Just be… Only in the darkness do we see dreams even though they scare us in the beginning.

[Read “Non-thinking” articles @ Harmonia Philosophica]

(c) Philosophy WIRES - Commenting world news from philosophy's perspective…

Saturday, December 19, 2015

Philosophy Wire: Alchemy - A knowledge vault.


Philosophy Wire by Spiros Kakos [2015-12-19]: Alchemy was a practice which served as a vault of wisdom throughout the centuries. Its practitioners were not lunatics as some movies want to portray them, but wise people who knew too much for their time and wished to transmit their knowledge to the initiated. Back then there was respect for knowledge and you had to be worthy to have it. Not like todays “all is free and effortless” days…

This is why they wrote whatever they wrote in code by using obscure language and symbols. The purpose of the philosopher’s stone was not to create gold because they were greedy, but it served as a symbol of the transformation of man into God.

Today however, despite the great knowledge we have accumulated, it seems we have forgotten what we once upon a time knew.

Wise men.
Full of melancholia.

Melancholy Ι of Albrecht Dürer.


Men who despite their intelligence cannot reach the so much wished apotheosis. Because intelligence on its own does not guarantee the understanding of the mysteries of the universe…

It needs a little bit of sun,
Rays from the mysterious moon,
A dose of morning mist…
And an eagle’s feather…

Magic.

This is what we miss. Because “That which is below is like that which is above” [1, 2]…

(c) Philosophy WIRES - Commenting world news from philosophy's perspective…

Monday, December 8, 2014

Philosophy Wire: Cellular alchemy. Old secrets...


Philosophy Wire by Spiros Kakos [2014-12-08]: Cellular alchemy turns skin cells into brain cells. Mature cells can be converted into stem cells by exposing them to a cocktail of chemicals that reverts them back to an embryonic-like state. Another set of chemicals is then used to turn the cells into the desired tissue type. [1] Old alchemists had a dream. We mocked them. Only to begin a quest to achieve whatever they were trying to achieve in a new more fancy way... No it is not a fairy tale. The Philosopher's Stone exists. It is as real as the alchemists' efforts to create it. Follow it.

(c) Philosophy WIRES - Commenting world news from philosophy's perspective…

Saturday, September 6, 2014

Philosophy Wire: Fe.


Philosophy Wire by Spiros Kakos [2014-09-06]: Curiosity detected an iron meteorite. [1] A meteorite which carries (Gr. φέρω) iron. Φέρω. Ferrum. Fe. Ancient knowledge. Embedded into our words. How much we knew... How mush will we learn if we just pay attention...

(c) Philosophy WIRES - Commenting world news from philosophy's perspective…

Monday, September 1, 2014

Philosophy Wire: Placenta. Tree. Ancient knowledge.


Philosophy Wire by Spiros Kakos [2014-09-01]: Analyzing the placenta... [1, 2] Could it be that this is what the ancients called "Tree of Life"? Ancient knowledge. Long lost. Waiting to be re-discovered by people not arrogant enough to not see that their ancestors could be better than them. Believe you are not the best. And you will be...

(c) Philosophy WIRES - Commenting world news from philosophy's perspective…

Monday, August 18, 2014

Philosophy Wire: Secret paths in the snow. Long gone...


Philosophy Wire by Spiros Kakos [2014-08-18]: Paths of Inuit which passed from generation to generation orally. [1, 2] Valuable knowledge, with no books. Primitive people full of wisdom. Show respect you arrogant modern man. Bow. Listen. Or freeze to death.

(c) Philosophy WIRES - Commenting world news from philosophy's perspective…

Friday, July 25, 2014

Philosophy Wire: Oxytocin. Love. Therapy.


Philosophy Wire by Spiros Kakos [2014-07-25]: The “love hormone” does more than trigger labor and cement emotional ties between people. Oxytocin also helps repair damaged muscles, at least in mice. Oxytocin stimulates muscle stem cells to divide when muscle is damaged, researchers report June 10 in Nature Communications.  Experiments with mice also showed that the hormone’s levels in the animals’ blood declines with age. Giving old mice shots of oxytocin restored their muscle-regeneration capabilities to match those of much younger rodents. But extra doses of the hormone did not boost muscle-building in young mice. [1] Someone has talked about the effects of love 2,000 years ago. And he wasn't a chemist... Whom do you believe? And why? What does your mind say? What does your heart answer?

(c) Philosophy WIRES - Commenting world news from philosophy's perspective…

Friday, June 27, 2014

Philosophy Wire: Ancient Greek. (Learn) Remember them!


Philosophy Wire by Spiros Kakos [2014-06-27]:

The human brain can be more activated with the use of ancient Greek language. This lead to a more extensive use of abstract concepts and thus to a greater need to express via theater. [1, 2, 3, 10]
Dyslexic children can be cured by learning ancient Greek. [4]

Learn ancient Greek.

Learn why the future tense was created.  (a future tense of the "I want" and not on the "it will happen") [5]
Learn about the time when words had the meaning the writer gave.
A meaning now long gone. [6]
Learn what prayer is hidden in the GREEK alphabet you use. [7]
Listen to the most ancient song recorded. [8]
Go back in order to go forward...
It will not be hard.
You are already there.
The past has never passed.
You just have to acknowledge it.

Ἀτρεΐδη, σοὶ γάρ τε μάλιστά γε λαὸς Ἀχαιῶν
πείσονται μύθοισι, γόοιο μὲν ἔστι καὶ ἆσαι,
νῦν δ᾽ ἀπὸ πυρκαϊῆς σκέδασον καὶ δεῖπνον ἄνωχθι
ὅπλεσθαι· τάδε δ᾽ ἀμφὶ πονησόμεθ᾽ οἷσι μάλιστα
κήδεός ἐστι νέκυς· παρὰ δ᾽ οἵ τ᾽ ἀγοὶ ἄμμι μενόντων. [9]

(c) Philosophy WIRES - Commenting world news from philosophy's perspective…

Tuesday, May 13, 2014

Philosophy Wire: Consciousness, hair power, Samson, myths...

Philosophy Wire by Spiros Kakos [2014-05-13]:

Unseen power stemming from… hair! [1, 2]
An old tale had told us so. (Samson)
We are now laughing at it. [3]
But something deeper lies beneath the surface... [4, 5, 6]
Our current "knowledge" does not let us see beyond our own nose.
Old knowledge, long gone, haunts our shallow existence.
Let's try to forget in order to remember...

(c) Philosophy WIRES - Commenting world news from philosophy's perspective…

Thursday, March 6, 2014

Philosophy Wire: Bible, interpretations, clear thinking.


Philosophy Wire by Spiros Kakos [2014-03-06]:

According to new research reported in the European Journal of Human Genetics, our most recent common ancestor – the co-called Y-chromosomal Adam – lived on the Earth 208,300 years ago. Dr Eran Elhaik from the University of Sheffield and his co-authors used conventional biological models to show that Y-chromosomal Adam is 8,300 years older than scientists originally believed. They put Y-chromosomal Adam within the time frame of the Mitochondrial Eve. “We can say with some certainty that modern humans emerged in Africa a little over 200,000 years ago,” Dr Elhaik said. The findings contradict a recent study – published in the American Journal of Human Genetics in February 2013 – which had claimed the human Y chromosome originated in a different species through interbreeding which dates Adam to be twice as old. [1]

Could it be that this is what the Bible meant when it was referring to the story of Adam and Eve?

Could it be that the "days" mentioned in the same text are not 24h days? ["Ἓν δὲ τοῦτο μὴ λανθανέτω ὑμᾶς, ἀγαπητοί, ὅτι μία ἡμέρα παρὰ Κυρίῳ ὡς χίλια ἔτη, καὶ χίλια ἔτη ὡς ἡμέρα μία.", 2]

Could it be that Methuselah lived indeed many years, as many species now can? [3]

Could it be that the apple mentioned in Genesis is indeed so important? [4]

It is very easy to mock an ancient text. Few have the patience to analyze it and search for the truth behind the words. Oblivion, Hastiness and Laziness are the characteristics of our time. But no truth has been discovered easily or quickly. And surely no truth has been discovered with arrogance. The arrogance of "I know and the ones before me were idiots" is a characteristic of small children. Let us have an open mind. Let us stop believing that what we know is correct. Only then will we be able to accept the possibility that what the others are saying could be correct. Even if they lived 2,000 years ago...

(c) Philosophy WIRES - Commenting world news from philosophy's perspective…

Sunday, June 9, 2013

Alchemists. Enigma. Σιωπή.


Newton believed in the “prisca sapientia”. And so did other alchemists. But they also believed that this knowledge should not reach the unprepared mind. Only those who deserve such knowledge should be allowed to it. That is why alchemists used a complex system of references, codes and antiphases in order to record their knowledge. A knowledge now hidden in manuscripts and prints inside dark libraries.

Σιωπή.

Their skepticism against written language, which is subject to Babylonian corruption and which enslaves the Holy Spirit inside an unholy structure of grammatical bonds, made them use pictures to convey their message. These enigmatic pictures have no words and yet they speak everything.

As alchemists themselves said, “Whenever we have spoken openly we have (actually) said nothing. But where we have written something in code and in pictures we have concealed the truth”. (Rosarium philosophorum, Weinhein edition, 1990)

Below you can see some selected pictures from the Taschen "Alchemy and Mysticism" book. (buy the book if you want to see more)











Other pictures can be found at...


Tuesday, March 26, 2013

Philosophy Wire: Lernaean Hydra, sharks and the (real) strength of Myths...

130325184016-largePhilosophy Wire by Spiros Kakos [2013-03-26]:

Scientists have confirmed the discovery of the first-ever, two-headed bull shark. The study, led by Michigan State University and appearing in the Journal of Fish Biology, confirmed the specimen, found in the Gulf of Mexico April 7, 2011, was a single shark with two heads, rather than conjoined twins. There have been other species of sharks, such as blue sharks and tope sharks, born with two heads. This is the first record of dicephalia (Gr. δικεφαλία) in a bull shark, said Michael Wagner, MSU assistant professor of fisheries and wildlife, who confirmed the discovery with colleagues at the Florida Keys Community College. [source: web news]

This reminds me of the Lernaean Hydra (Ancient Greek: Λερναία Ὕδρα). Once we thought it was just a crazy myth. Now we are seeing it manifesting itself in front of our very eyes with flesh and bones. Once again, we are reminded of the obvious: Myths are truths disguised under the cloack of story-telling. Do not underestimate their power of bringing light to our dark age...


(c) Philosophy WIRES - Commenting world news from philosophy's perspective...

Friday, March 8, 2013

Philosophy Wire: Vikings, sunstone, ancient knowledge

Viking-shipsPhilosophy Wire by Spiros Kakos [2013-03-08]: The infamous sunstone which allegedly helped Vikings navigate in the sea was found in an ancient shipwreck. [source: web news] Ancient knowledge always impresses us on how modern it is…

(c) Philosophy WIRES - Commenting world news from philosophy's perspective...

Tuesday, February 19, 2013

Philosophy Wire: Cronus, planets, stars, myths…

cronusrheaPhilosophy Wire by Spiros Kakos [2013-02-19]: For the first time, astronomers have seen evidence of an aging star consuming its own planet, like Cronus who ate his children. [source: web news] Or could it also be the other way around: Cronus ate his children as an aging star consuming its own planet… Nuhhhh. This is only a “myth”… Or is it not?!?

(c) Philosophy WIRES - Commenting world news from philosophy's perspective…

Wednesday, January 9, 2013

Philosophy Wire: Ancient pills, modern hybris…

_65118378_pill-2Philosophy Wire by Spiros Kakos [2013-01-09]: Ancient pills found at a shipwreck. [source: BBC News] Our biggest problem is arrogance. Even though most things we do now have been invented thousands of years ago as we can also read here (yes, OK, except the Internet – even though φρυκτωρίες in ancient Greece were too similar to it…), we always think we have just found them. And that hybris (ὕβρις) will be our demise…
 
> Check the new philosophy blog Philosophy Snapshots !

(c) Philosophy WIRES - Commenting world news from philosophy's perspective...

Thursday, June 14, 2012

Philosophy Wire: Theophrastus, pyroelectricity , re-definitions…

theofrastos_eresios
Philosophy Wire by Spiros Kakos [2012-06-14]: A phenomenon first observed by ancient Greek philosopher Theophrastus 2,300 years ago, has become the basis for a new device designed to harness enormous amounts of energy wasted as heat each year [source: web news]. Redefine what you think is already defined. Think back in order to go forward…

(c) Philosophy WIRES - Commenting world news from philosophy's perspective...

Saturday, October 1, 2011

Philosophy Wire: Magic carpet and (true?) fairy tales…

The-Magic-Carpet_2Philosophy Wire by Spiros Kakos [2011-10-01]: Scientists managed to make a sheet of conductive plastic fly into the mid air like a modern “flying magic carpet”  [source: BBC News]. Humanity grew up with fairy tales and now fairy tales are coming true. Maybe they were never fairy tales at all… Abracadabra!

(c) Philosophy WIRES - Commenting world news from philosophy's perspective...

Saturday, August 20, 2011

Ancient knowledge and Modern oblivion


Many ancient texts contain knowledge that "should not" be common for the time of their writing. This is what makes many people think that an advanced civilization once existed on the planet, long before the "official" human history we now "know" started. It is difficult to list all examples in a short text, but some should be enough to just make someone who is open-minded think...

For example, how can apples play such a major role in so many tales of the ancient (like ancient Greek myths or the Bible)? Modern science has found that the DNA sequence of apples contains actually all of the genes found in other fruits, thus "promoting" apples to the top position in the fruits genealogy. Could this be a forgotten knowledge of an ancient civilization, which affected so many myths we know? [http://harmonia-philosophica.blogspot.com/2011/01/philosophy-wire-apple-old-religion.html, http://harmonia-philosophica.blogspot.com/2011/01/blog-post_04.html]

How can ancient texts refer to cataclysmic events like global floods, which have recently been proved as event that really took place by modern science?
How can ancient texts of Homer refer to robots?
How can ancient texts of Bible refer to the creation of life in water first, something which biology proved right only some years ago?
How can ancient texts to the creation of "light" first, something which can easily be connected to the Big Bank explosion modern astronomy holds as the "truth" for our cosmos creation?
How can new ideas of life evolving from organic matter that came to Earth from Cronos after a collision with an asteroid, be in agreement with ancient myths (see Hesiod) about how Cronos ate a rick (instead of Zeus)? [http://www.tovima.gr/science/article/?aid=172146] How come that ancient theories about Ether are now coming back strong in modern astronomy?

And the catalogue moves on...
We think that we progress and that knowledge accumulates.
But we tend to forget that forgetting is also a human ability...

Saturday, August 13, 2011

Gnosticism and Alchemy



Alchemy was a spiritual practice cloaked under a science mantle. In his Alchemical Catechism, Paracelsus clearly denotes that his usage of the metals was a symbol: “When the Philosophers speak of gold and silver, from which they extract their matter, are we to suppose that they refer to the vulgar gold and silver? By no means; vulgar silver and gold are dead, while those of the Philosophers are full of life”… Jung, who studied alchemistical symbols extensively, visualized Alchemy as the “Yoga of the West”. The Alchemist passed with the help of transformations through various levels of enlightenment – until the final perfect, healthy, incorruptible, and everlasting state. According to many (Jung included) the evolution from ignorance to enlightenment described by Alchemy was based on the Gnosticism philosophy which managed to survive the purges from the Christian church by using encoded alchemistic texts.

The philosophy called Gnosticism is not an easy one to follow least of all to understand. The dogmas Gnostics believed to were mostly pre-philosophical and even they had a hard time even explaining them.
According to the Gnostics, this world, the material cosmos, is the result of a primordial error on the part of a supra-cosmic, supremely divine being, usually called Sophia (Wisdom) or simply the Logos. This being is described as the final emanation of a divine hierarchy, called the Plêrôma or “Fullness,” at the head of which resides the supreme God, the One beyond Being. The error of Sophia, which is usually identified as a reckless desire to know the transcendent God, leads to the hypostatization of her desire in the form of a semi-divine and essentially ignorant creature known as the Demiurge.

Our desire to “understand” is the main source of the paradoxes with which we are engulfed. And alchemy tried to fight these paradoxes by unifying all antinomies into oneness. Our eagerness to “know” has created our theories. Our theories have created imaginary notions like “time” or “change” (see Harmonia Philosophica). And our imaginary notions have created the antinomies which we cannot comprehend no matter how much we try.

We have to become more open-minded and LESS knowledgeable if we are to find the lapis philosophorum…


Sources
http://www.iep.utm.edu/gnostic/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alchemy
Harmonia Philosophica [English]

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