Noosphere Research Institute
|
|
||||
|
|
||||
|
Moscow
|
|
|
||||
|
|
|
|||
|
Chapter 6 CARTOGRAPHY OF SUBTLE REALITY
Now we will examine practical apply of the presented conceptions of subtle reality for making of world maps in different esoteric traditions. We, certainly, will be able to look only at the small part of the existing material, at the things that seem to be the most important and interesting for the first acquaintance.
6.1. Shamanism (Siberian shamanism and Celtic tradition) Shamanism is, perhaps, the oldest survived mystic tradition of our planet. The elements of shamanic vision of the world can be found in the most different religious and mystic pictures of reality of later times. Yet, the majority of forms of the ancient shamanism are characterized by very strict application direction, orientation towards the sphere of daily magic. Later mystic and religious traditions move their attention towards other worlds where they look for the sense of life and aim of our existence but the early shamanism is fully oriented towards animal, bestial aspects of our nature. This is survival at any price, obtaining power and strength, protection from possible negative influences of the world of dead and the world of spirits, ensuring support of dead ancestors etc. Such applying direction decreases and simplifies shaman's picture of the world limiting it to the nearest subtle worlds. At the same time many shamans and their traditions who had started with such practical daily magic get more and more attracted by entrancing complexity of the tree of the world, its poetry and self-sufficiency and remove the sphere of their interests towards the spiritual field and get closer to the sophisticated mysticism and religion. Although present times know quite a few opposite examples when for instance in the depths of the Christian world the most primitive black magic and variable forms of Satanism resurrect. Nazis Germany can be one of the brightest examples of blooming of black magic. One of the most important elements of shamanic practice is maps of subtle reality. They can have the most variable form: be transmitted in oral tradition, reflected in geometry of the house and surrounding landscape, presented on the tambourine or shaman's garment, drawn on paper… In any case they are the most significant tool of navigation in the cosmos of a shaman, they are a concentrated expression of all those archetypal principles we have mentioned above. Modern researches on transpersonal psychology prove the importance of those navigation means for controlled travels into the most complicated informational reality of altered states of consciousness. The shamanism cartography is usually limited to three levels of reality: upper, middle and lower world. The levels that are the closest to our middle world are normally taken into account. Naturally, the degree of precision of the scheme and details themselves may change but the basis is always the same. First we will examine the ancient Celtic cartography where all basic elements of shamanic cosmos are well seen. Celts The Celtic universe consists of three main worlds — Upper, Middle and Lower ones situated on the different levels of the tree of the world (see picture 23). The upper world (the tree crown) contains gods-creators of spiritual and informational levels of reality, spiritual teachers of mankind. From there the whole universe, worlds of other planets, other levels of the cosmos are seen; the ways leading to them are also here. The lower world is treated as a source of material and flesh level of our reality; it is situated at the roots of the tree… Its ruler is the horned God (horns are symbols of fertility and power) who is shown sitting by the well as the primary chaos. He rules the seven rivers of life having their source in the well. These rivers go around the three worlds to the top of the tree of the world making a kind of a shell. As they go up they turn into rainbows. The worlds situated inside the shell are endless and at the same time from the outside this universe looks smaller than a mustard seed (an ancient standard of something extremely small). Behind the ruler of the lower world the massive figure of the God of the earth is usually presented he looks as a stone. Spirits of nature, totems and other beings of shamanic tradition start their move from the lower world they go to the middle world along seven rivers of life. According to imaginations of ancient Celts the new knowledge crafts and practical skills also come from the lower world. The souls of dead and ancestors dwell there too. Other than in later religious conceptions here the spirits of the lower world are not treated as the absolute evil; however the majority of sinister and dangerous beings unfriendly to human live there. Although they do not belong to the rulers of the lower world, when they get out of control of the main gods they can destroy the whole life on earth. Central gods of both upper and lower worlds are treated as two equally necessary components of the world creation. The middle world that is situated between them presents the universe we are used to. The trunk of the tree is the center, the axis of our world which at the same time goes through its every point (one of the paradoxes of multi-dimensional reality). It is the main way in shamanic wanderings and means of navigation, keys enabling penetration of certain plans of reality are given by eight cardinal directions (for example: East is for moving up the river — the upper world; West is for going down the river — the lower world etc.). Altai Another interesting picture is related to the Altaian shamanism. Here we again meet the same three level structure of the world (51). Besides our middle world has a shape of the concave cup, the salient firmament is over it and the coats of the upper world (from 7 to 9) are even higher. Entering of each coat is connected with overcoming difficulties and the higher the coat is, the more complicated to enter it is. Usually shamans get not higher than the fifth barrier the coat where the golden stick is situated (one of the forms of the tree of the world). Generally it should be said that Siberian shamanic tradition presents the tree of the world not as one trunk penetrating all coats of subtle reality but as reflections of the only axis, the center projected in each world and unifying them. In other words, in each world you will find the tree of the world as a tall tree, a pillar, a tethering post etc., but its size is limited and its top is not going into heavens. However, if you go up the tree you disappear from this world and find yourself in the next one. Still, first you have to successfully overcome the barrier (to open enter and exit doors (diaphragms) in hyperspacial tunnel). In fact such perception of the tree of the world is closer to its real multidimensional nature but still remains one of the metaphors, for a multidimensional object cannot be precisely reflected in our three-dimensional world. The ruler of the upper world is Ulgen, the creator of the universe (sometimes he is believed to be the son of the highest heavenly spirit Kok-Monke abase). The ruler of the lower world and its creator is Erlik-han, Ulgen's antipode (he is described as Ulgen's envious brother, his first creature, helper etc.). Although Erlik is the ruler of the world of dead and constant Ulgen's rival he cannot be equated to the devil in Christian tradition. He rather reminds of Prometheus: Erlik-han helped to breath in the soul in to human after the human was created by Ulgen, discovered the art of iron smiting and gave it to people, invented the first music instruments and teached people the art of penetrating other spaces (shamanism). That is why a couple of friends-enemies Ulgen and Erlik-han rather reminds of the tantric or Taoist archetype of two polar elements equally necessary for the universe functioning. On the boundary of the worlds the burnt black stump is situated, spirits of heaven and earth meet there to decide people's destinies. Ulgen's sons and daughters, his helpers are believed to be pure spirits and live in heaven. The best known ones are: Utkuchi who takes shaman's sacrifice by the heavenly pillar and telling him the Ulgen's will; Suyla and Karlyk observing human's earthy life and, probably, the main one — Yaik (Dyaik) sent to earth to protect people from evil and to be a mediator between earth and heaven. Sometimes he is treated as a part, an earthy projection of Ulgen. Only with Yaik's help a shaman can enter heaven, the upper world. Yaik is often presented as a rider (a usual image of heavenly spirits). On the other hand, he is called 'the four plaits mother' (androgen's archetype). By the way, in spite of plenty of Ulgen's and Erlik-han's children their wives are not mentioned at all, sometimes it is said that their children 'chopped off' them (gemmated). Perhaps, this is also an indirect evidence of the androgyny of these highest gods. In order to protect and ensure well-being the image of Yak as a rabbit or simply a skin of a male rabbit is put in the tent by the fire (51). It is not difficult to see the great similarity with the archetype of god Mercury, also god's courier and people's helper, rabbit also belongs to his symbols (28, 38). Erlik-han also has plenty of relatives and servants, however they are rather sinister. His daughters are beautiful and capricious girls they like to tempt shamans and make them lose their way. His sons rule groups of evil and queerly spirits hunting for people. Yet, on the other hand, they also protect human's homes from evil forces. Picture 24a presents the reproduction of the map of the heavenly world of shaman Kondratyi Tanashev that was drawn by him for the ethnographer L.E.Karunovski in 1929 (51). Perhaps, the most interesting feature of this map is its fractal geometry (which is especially unusual, for nobody heard of any fractals in 1929). The holly mountain Ak-Toshon Altaian where 'hunters' spirits-ancestors dwell is situated in the very center of the map. Its flat top contains the navel of Earth and Heaven (a small hill), the holly golden poplar grows out of it and its top goes into the sky. In this place the boundary between the middle and the upper world is the most transparent. The milky lake where a shaman washes himself before going to the upper world is also not far from there. Yet, only the most skilled shaman can use the golden poplar as the stair to upper world, a weak shaman usually comes back from the mountain with nothing. The picture shows that the top of the golden poplar penetrates the dome of heaven behind which the upper world is situated (i. e. beyond our physical realm). In the center of the upper world on its ninth coat the Red mountain is situated, the tent of the highest heavenly spirit Kok Monke adasa and his wife is placed there. The top of the tree of the world goes out through the smoke hole of the tent; it is tied with the golden ribbon. According to Tanashev, Ulgen is the son of Kok Monke adasa and Yazhil-han is his daughter. On the left from the mountain Ulgen's sons live. The upper corners of the map contain sun and moon. Shaman says that the main earthy spirit Dier-su whose nature is also androgenic lives not far from the navel. He is often addressed as the Lady of Earth-Water (in Altaian his name means 'earth-water'). Tanashev says that the place is not seen on the main picture and, pointing its position, has made its map on the separate sheet (it is presented on the picture 24b). This seems to be a subtle space put into our world as the wooden doll matrioshka: relatively small volume contains an endless world where we again find plenty of such put in worlds etc. This phenomenon is now called self-alike fractal structure. Examples of such worlds can be found in very different ancient traditions. These are worlds of fairies situated in empty hills, spaces of goblins hidden in the thin coat of moss covering old stones; let us also think of the mentioned universe of the Celtic shaman that is smaller than a mustard seed. The world of Dier-su is on the back of the huge fish Ker-balyk that lives in the Red lake. He lives on the highest mountain Tesimbyi where the holly tree grows (the projection of the tree of the world in this space). Shaman's way is shown by the line with arrows. It starts after the washing in the milky lake by the navel of Earth and Heaven, then it passes two mountains where Dier-su daughters dwell, makes a loop on the mountain behind which sun rises up and after that gets to the residence of the Lady of Earth-Water. One more archetypal principle attracts attention in these maps — it is significant similarity of worlds' structures which is a consequence of fractal space organization. A simpler version of shamanic map from the Altaian tradition is presented on the picture 24c (51). It shows only sequence of stages of the shaman's way to the upper world (his route). The travel starts in the shelter in the left bottom corner of the picture. Then the way passes the sacrificial horse, the altar and the stick with the skin of the sacrificial horse next to the holly tree. Shaman climbs the tree and goes to the upper world. On the first level he meets two heaven-dwellers spirits — Pogdygan standing by his house and Kocho-kan with the stick in his hand. The next barrier is moving sands and after them — Ulgen and his ambassador Utkuchi. Ulgen is surrounded by the radiant solar aura. Certainly, there was plenty of shamanic traditions in Siberia and the only their enumeration would take too much of space, each one had its own cartography and gods' hierarchy. Nevertheless, general archetypal features were more or less the same. Still, detailed descriptions of shamanic travels have always been something very rare. This is due to both: basic difficulty of the verbal transmission of images of shamanic worlds and sacral mysterious character of the obtained knowledge, language barriers. In fact in order to describe the images of the subtle reality a shaman should be a gifted poet and writer. Now we will examine one of such unique descriptions of the shamanic travel. You will have a chance to see the rare poetic talent of the shaman who has conducted this ritual. Nganasans Now we will examine the map of the shamanic travel during the Clear tent ritual according to the description made by the famous Soviet ethnographer A.A.Popov (47). Unfortunately, in our days strong shamans presenting the ancient ancestral tradition have practically disappeared that is why those seldom descriptions of the real shamanic travels that have reached us present huge value. The holiday of the Clear tent takes place more or less in the first days of February when the polar night is over. Then shamans ask gods and spirits for well-being, good luck and happiness in the following year. This ritual can be conducted only by a great or middle shaman it lasts from three to nine days (the number of days must be uneven). During the holiday the shaman wanders in the lower, middle and upper worlds. God (goddess) Hore is his guide and patron in these wanderings that is the lord (mother) of trees. This god as many other spirits of shamanic pantheon is androgenic, i. e. has male and female nature at the same time that is why in the travel's description we will see that the shaman address the same spirit as a man and as a woman. This ritual was written down by A.A.Popov in 1936 and was conducted by one of the two last famous shamans of Taimir nganasans Ivan Gornok during 9 days. To show the atmosphere of the subtle reality opened to the shaman better we include the fragments of the original record of his words (47). The map of the shaman's wandering presented on picture 25 is our reconstruction made on the basis of the travel's description. The interesting feature of the given travel is the perception of multi-coat realities of the upper and lower worlds as Gods' bodies. The shaman at the same time wanders through the endless worlds and moves in the body of god between his organs. This image of the subtle reality is one of the oldest metaphors and is met in very different mystic traditions. Before the description of the travel itself we will pay some attention to the concepts of the universe structure according to Taimir nganasans. Before the travel Ivan Gornok describes the establishment of the earthy microcosmos in the following way: …At first there was ice there was no any grass, only the ice alone. At that time the mother of earth was the maiden of ice. Then the mother of earth showed her bottom up and the father of earth, god, saw it and fell down from above to mischief (to have a sexual contact). As he had mischief, the earth-maiden-devil got pregnant and gave a birth to the mother of trees in order to get the fire for kids. The mother of earth gave a birth to the loon then the trees grew dense and deer's food appeared. Then all kids start to live and be born. The fish was given by the lord of water and wild deers started nourishing with the nipple of earth — the reindeer moss. On the land they (fish and deers) were eaten by people as if they nourish themselves with the nipple of earth. Why did now the earth start to born trees for heating and purple willow for summer heating? For all people to make the fire and multiply… The word 'devil' is used by nganasans for gods and spirits, no matter if they are friendly or not (47). Smaller spirits and family temples (koyka) are called 'shaitans' (this word is borrowed from Russians who call this way local spirits). In this text mother of trees is God (goddess) Hore ensuring the harmony of biosphere. In this process the huge role is played by her children, seven loon-spirits maintaining the land. Nganasans believed that the subtle reason of the coming ecological crisis is disappearance of strong shamans who had maintained the harmony of the world of people and world of spirits. Good helpful spirits start to die and spirits-killers and destroyers grew stronger and began to ruin everything alive on earth: '…The true is that when shamans die then shaitans die too' — that is what the devil of earth has said. When I, being a shaman, was shamaning my mother-devil used to say: 'there is too much death, for the shamans have died. There were a lot of shamans and there were less of funerals…' As a consequence of shamans' death loon-spirits, who used to ensure the harmony of animal and plant worlds, also died: …At first when the earth was created seven loons maintained earth's legs. The seven loons were the shaitans. They held the legs of the earth and shaitanian (koyka) trees were alive, they were earth's pillars. When there were no shamans any longer the graves became many, loons' legs began to break, the devil of earth started biting and so shaitanian trees started to fall down. We sit here; perhaps, they (the trees) have died here… Here shaitanian trees (koyka) are holly trees where shamanian spirits dwell. As a result the mother of trees (Hore) herself lost nearly all her eyes (her eyes are shamans), her legs became weak (her legs are loons, trees); she fell asleep and stopped fighting evil. Gornok describes the coming apocalypses in the following way: …Father of trees — the upper god sends souls. Mother of earth started to eat these souls. Devil of earth eating children's souls gave a birth to the mother of shaitanian trees serving the needs of the dying ones. The mother eating human souls gripped loons' throats that are why the devil started to eat up human souls. That is why too many trees were spent for the needs of the dying ones. So the fire was only half-burnt and only half of the fire was put into the earth's mouth (The evil spirit of earth is meant here, he opens his mouth in order to swallow people. When the fire is made hot coals go to his mouth and this protects people from him)… Mother of earth cannot lift her full belly, for half of the trees goes for people's graves… The aim of the Clear tent holiday is to at least partly restore the lost balance. At first Gornok wakes up mother of trees (Hore) and with the help of sacrifices helps her to recover her strength and abilities. Then they together go to the travel first to the lower world, then to the upper one. Shaman Gornok speaks to mother of trees before the travel to the lower world in the following way: …Let us go, I shall show you the way. We shall enter the mouth of the earth's devil eating children and go down. The seven loons were eaten up. This was done by the eating devil of earth. We shall go to the stomach of the earth's devil and shall collect pieces of tongues of the loons eaten by him. And we shall make a new tongue. And instead of one eye we shall ask for a pair of eyes. Will you have enough strength for it? How can I help you? Come on, I shall try to lift you up… The travel starts through the hole (subtle) placed under the Clear tent. The position for the Clear tent is chosen in the place of power that has a hyperspacial tunnel, naturally, people usually do not live there these places are used for holidays only. Here is the description of the first coat of the lower world where they get to: …That is a hole into which, as a human sinking in clay, mother of trees started to fall and fall. She has fallen too low, I have only seen her head, the mother's body became as a tree. I put it right and cured and she became a size of a big tree. I treated her with some deer's blood and alcohol and was curing the dying mother. The earth is seen far away as if we have found ourselves at its bottom and sank inside of it. Then mother said 'Well, fellow, let us have a rest and lay down over the night…' The next day the travel to the deeper coat of the lower world starts that is a travel into earth's spirit's body through her mouth: …And then we have dived into the earth our heads first. This is the earth's mouth where the soul goes after death. We entered the mouth of this grave-making earth — mother of trees and went down. That is a very dark place, there is no light. 'Perhaps it is dark because we got to the very belly of earth. This earth has no grass, only rocks. Yet, these are not rocks. At first the earth was flat. Then when people, shamans started dying the mouth of mother of earth chewed with her teeth people, shamans' heads, bones of arms and legs and they turned into crumbles. You think the rock is not a rock; these are chewing gums of devil of trees. Human bones and skin have fallen down here that is the place… They go through this awful dark place and reach the ice hill with the hole on its top but the appearance is illusive and mother of trees explains who that is: I do not know if you know or not. The ice is the head of the hungry infirmity. The hole is the mouth. We have reached this place. Then the story of the fight of two angry spirits (infirmities) is told: Why does she raise her head and open her mouth all the time? You do not know, fellow. When the head of devil of earth was biting, chewing new-born children, shamans, shaitans this chewing reached the ears of this god and he woke up. 'Who is greater than me, which infirmity's teeth are chewing, if I get my share or not? Shall I have something left or it will be over at all? If you empty the whole land I shall come and fight you. If you are afraid of me leave the people of earth, this will be my share'. Devil of earth answer: 'But grand-father why did you wake up? I pray you. I thought to end up the people of earth but take them and eat the heads. Take and chew the heads of the hunters who live on the edge of the earth, end up all people from the edge of the earth'. Saying this devil of earth bowed to grand-father of hunger. 'Let the rest of the people live, wait a while before you take their heads away'… They carefully, so that the evil spirit would not notice them, pass him and go on the naked iced land and get to the dweller of the recently built tent. It appears that this infirmity is a worker of some evil spirit of sickness who also hunters for human souls. It is interesting that first they address him as a man and then as an old woman (grand-mother). In order to pass they discuss the price and promise to sacrifice a piece of cotton cloth (that will magically turn into the warm garment for the spirit) and ask not to bring illness to the people of their tribe: …Our people are ill now we came to visit this infirmity. He did not sit here on the ground he sat in the middle of the furthest pole of the new tent. We told the infirmity: 'What gift do you need?' He says: 'I do not need any special gift. I am only a worker. I have my master. The master sends me to watch the earth: 'Have a look if there are any people there. As soon as you find them blemish them' — that is what the master has said. 'If a hungry infirmity comes before me he will, probably, empty the whole land and will not leave me a share. So no matter how many people you find before the hungry infirmity comes blemish all their bodies (i. e. leave the marks), blemish the ear. When the hungry infirmity comes he will not take the blemished ones'. So I think to live in this tent. When you stop conjuring and take off your leather stockings then, perhaps, four winds form four sides start to blow. How shall I sleep then? Winds, perhaps, will blow. If you really want to give me a gift I will tell you which gift to make — Russian printed cotton. Put it around the tent when you will put your leather stockings off. Then four winds will not blow. Look I do not even have an anorak. When you put the cotton around the tent this patch will become an anorak on my body. I do not need another gift. If you do so any man cannot be taken let everybody get ill we leave everybody alive'. — 'Here, grandmother just does not do anything bad to people of my land'. Grandmother answers: '…if you would come here to cure the ill one I would wring your neck. If you would cure the ill one I would be angry. I thought the tambourine sounded for the ill one, you make the new tent today, you fulfill your faith, and you do not disturb me by this. That is why my words are peaceful. Now you have been standing here for a long time, go your way.' This dialogue shows one more interesting detail of the world of shaman — the Clear tent built in our middle world is reflected in the lower world and becomes a home for the infirmity spirit. They again walk on the bare ice and come to the edge of the iced land where the sources of the seven streams going to the one river-bed are situated. 'Well, mother of trees, which land have we come to?' Mother of trees answers this: 'Fellow, mother of earth when in the beginning she was giving a birth to roots of all grasses and purple willow she let her urine goes out in seven streams. These are seven guts where the souls of all people of seven hordes, of Russians, Yuracks, Ostiacks and others are born. Now when any man of these seven hordes is born his soul is created here.' In the place of the confluence the three trees grow out of the same root, these are three infirmities sent as a punishment for the incest (yet, the shaman believes that the incest was also provoked by them): 'We have found three infirmities. One tree on the side is beginning of the illness — testes get swollen, the middle tree is beginning of the illness — the belly gets swollen, the third tree, the smallest one is beginning of the illness — the urine comes out by itself'. Now we have reached those three grandfathers and started bowing and said: 'Grandfather, why did you come there is not enough children, women who do not give birth are many and unproductive fellows are many too.' They say: 'This is not our fault. In our land two brothers had a contact with a sister. In the place where they unified the three trees infirmities have grown'. 'Grandfather, why do you say the kids have wakened you up? Kids are not guilty they did not wake you up. The illnesses have started because you have wakened up two brothers and made them have contact with the sister. It is not their fault it is your fault. That is why maidens get ill and do not have children. That is why many people stay without children, women become childless. Do not do this again.' After that mother of trees and the shaman jump into the river and wash of the infirmity's dirt not to get ill: We have passed three devil's infirmities and started to swim in the very middle of the water. 'Mother of trees, where are we going, we will get cold.' — 'See, fellow, we have said the infirmity has eaten us. We follow the water that washes and rinses the dirt from the mouth of this infirmity. I am the mother of shaitanian trees it has bitten me too. I wash myself with this water that is why I swim in it…' Finally they swim to the narrow place between two capes and the weather drastically changes: By the ends of these capes the sand is seen from the both sides. It is hot, sun is shining and the face gets dry. The wind blows on this sand and it looks as blizzard. Nothing can be seen the mist has appeared. The whole deer's horns are on the one cape and the broken in the middle ones are on the other. We stopped on this cape… Here they finally meet a good god of the underground world and mother of trees explains the nature of everything they have seen in the following way: One cape is a back of infirmity louse grandfather. Another cape is a back of the grandfather who makes shaitans and icons. Why are these capes so close to each other? The old man of the louse wants to kill all people on earth. The father of icons, god-father of shaitan lays and observes this grandfather of the louse. He is sorry for the people on earth. The father of the icon, the father of shaitan fought with the grandfather of the louse. And he has broken his horns. Now the grandfather of the louse does not have too much strength. Now they are laying down having rest. It is not the sand flying around that is the steam going from their angry souls. When two such great gods are having their rest then dolganian horde and self-eating horde live. That is it, grandfather, we have reached your land and place and we bow to you. All people are over in our land it became empty. We have found you and we bow to you lay down and do not get up! Pay attention to the fact that here as in other ancient traditions horns are symbols of power, energy. If the horns are broken the power is lost. Celtic, Indian and Tibetan traditions have never treated horns as a symbol of evil and could be an attribute of a good and evil God. One more interesting detail — the good God is associated with the Orthodox icon. Obviously, this is a reflection of the later shamanic reality when Russians got to Siberia and many shamans became baptized. In this place our travelers stay over the night. In the morning they bow to the two gods who protect the passage and ask to let them go through and swim further along the river going down to its outfall and getting into the big lake. Nine horned hills stand in the middle of the lake. Here mother of trees (Hore) explains that the river is really a gut of mother of earth and hills are not hills at all: You think these are hills. No, these are not hills. This is the place where nine old men brothers sleep. These are not nine hills these are their bellies laying up. You thought these nine hills have nine horns. These are not horns these are grandfathers' guts (Penises) jut out in the middle of the belly. Now you make a new tent and ask for a good day. If you need the way for it by the basis of the nine guts the hole goes down branching. That is your way… Well, fellow, when you have to ask for a good day you will come here. The earth is very wise here. In this place the crossing to the next coat of the lower world is conducted their blissful gods giving shamanic gifts can be found. The shaman sees in front of him nine tents where nine women sit. Gornok asks mother of trees to tell him where to go now: …Well, mother, how will you help me, where does the road lead? When shall we fly? Mother, I do not know the land. I am not a shaitan, I feel as I have been just born that is why I do not know anything. Pay attention to how the pride of this old famous shaman is elaborated he is not ashamed to say that he is in the very beginning of his way and knows very little. This distinguishes the real shamanic tradition from modern New Age healers and numeral New Age surrogates. They climb up the hill (tent, belly) and get inside: …We have climbed to the very top of the grandfather's belly. We have gone down along the gut (Penis). In the bottom the gut becomes very narrow we have hardly got through till we have reached the very inside of the body. It became wet and wide there. We have got with the visit to the mother of the tent… This way is already more complicated the advises are needed to find the right passages and it takes effort to overcome them. It is not difficult to notice the self-alike fractal organization of this space: at first these are nine hills, then nine tents, and then inside the belly-tent the lady has nine daughters. The lady of the tent appears to be mother of fire (the energy of food in the wider sense of this word). Her nine daughters give food to all beings that come into the world. Yet, people are also somebody's food that is why one of her daughters is the mother of war infirmity killing people. In this tent the shaman speaks of how difficult people's life became and asks to help them: Our people die without any reason; it is a pity a self-eater also wants some sun. That is why we ask for a happy day, give us some happy days, such days are very bad. We have plenty of illnesses; we are tired of work in such blizzard, frost and this dark time. These days are too bad and difficult. Well, mother? I ask you for some good days and have reached this land. The night comes and the next morning the oldest mother gives three gifts (the inextinguishable fire, the catch of fish and the number of deers): Well, as long as you are alive take the purple willow of mother of fire and let a woman giving a birth is fumigated by this purple willow. The fire will not extinguish and people of earth will always make the fire. In the fishing time there will be the fish food we will not hide the fish. Well, take the reindeer moss — deer's food… And she promises to give happiness if in the spring the shaman founds a new-born baby deer with four bent legs: …You will throw (the purple willow on the pasture) when in the spring seven groups of tents sit close to each other. Then calves will be born. At that time the calf with four bent legs will be born. Then you following back the way by which the calf's soul has come will come to me then there would be happiness, I will give you happiness… The shaman and mother of trees take the gifts and come back to the lake of nine grandfathers and mother chooses the further way along the lower river (the heart artery): Here mother of earth lies with her belly up. We have gone along her guts. We have seen three outflows on the big lake. At first we have entered the throat, then the stomach and then we have passed the stomach. The very middle river is a gut that divides the stomach into two equal parts. We will not go along this gut we will take another one. The blood goes along it at the back and the heart is at its end. There is a tent behind the heart. There is an infirmity in it. Mother of earth keeps her heart in this tent. When her heart is scratched the war will come and somebody will wish to fight. We have to go there and ask if there would be any war. Let us go there. They swim towards the tent and enter its door. Pay attention to the fact that each time they enter the local hyperspace in a different way sometimes going under the curtain, sometimes through the ceiling, sometimes through the door; furthermore it happens that it is impossible to leave through the exit, now we will see it. One of the most important shaman's skills is an ability to define the position of the passage. There would be a conversation with the infirmity of war (a bad grandfather): 'Well, grandfather, if there would be a bad day? I am asking you. Will you give a silent day? We have come to this place.' The grandfather answers: 'Fellow, it will be peaceful it will not be bad. Father of icon, father of shaitan has tied my four legs together that is why it will be peaceful. How shall I butt mothers of earth heart with my legs tied?' Mother of trees has said: 'I do not have any other business with you there will be no bad year; there will be no war, thank you, thank you'. However, the bad grandfather closes the entrance door and does not want to let out. Here one of the hints of imitative magic is used. During the conjuring shaman Gornok several times put in his belly a sharp knife up to its very handle. On the principle of similarity this way the hole in mothers of earth body in the lower world was made: …When the shaman pricked his body this was as door opening. They got out through this pricked hole and went further along the breathing throat. And they have reached the beginning of mother's of earth tongue. There seems be a tent. They entered it a Russian woman sits there. 'What kind of a Russian woman are you?' — 'Do not you know me? I am mother icon of the baptized ones, mother of shamans. When the kids start to make new shamans or new shaitans I will give them iron skins — anoraks. That is why I am mother of iron, which is why I am mother of Russian icon. There is a self-eating god above. I born for him he is my man. Why has my man gone up? He had a fight with war infirmity he did not have enough strength and ran away. Now I became a worker of war infirmity. I do as he tells me. He says: 'You live at the beginning of mother's of earth tongue. Scratch it.' When I scratch Russians have many different ideas. They cut down a lot of wood that is why the shaitan's trees have died'. As you remember shaitan's trees are holly trees where spirits of forest dwell. Gornok describes the further destruction of the subtle ecology in the following way: Cutting down the shaitans' trees they started to open earth's mouth often this way that is why a lot of self-eaters died and nine mouths of mother of earth started swallowing a lot of people. In ancient times a self-eater protecting his own life cut down the trees as he burnt the fire and there was little of dying ones. That is why nowadays there is a lot of dying. All shamans have died only my head is left. And when I go to one place to cure an ill one the illness starts to kill people in another place. What use will be of it? The night comes again and in the morning their way leads along mothers of earth tongue by which they come back to the beginning of the travel, her mouth. Yet, now the landscape looks in a different way (this is also quite typical for travels in multidimensional subtle world): We have gone along mothers of earth tongue and have reached the place where the mouth opens. There is some liquid as snots in the very middle of the tongue. When the evening came the bad weather started the wind lifted the earth. My devil (helping spirit) got frightened and hid. I asked: 'Well, mother, which land has we reached?' Mother said: 'When it is quiet here hordes of dead people are put into earth here. And when the dead are fat mother of earth chews these fat people their fat melts and goes along the tongue as liquid snot. When the weather gets windy this water carries the soul away. That is a place we have reached'. From the mouth they swim by the water carrying the souls of the dead away and go out to the first coat of the lower world (where they spent the first night). The way runs through the icy valley (according to mother of trees there was a huge mountain ridge there before but it all was used for graves). They reach three colorful hills (in fact they are foreheads of the next three infirmities) that are very unfriendly for the shaman the following conversation will take place. In this conversation the topic of the upcoming apocalypses appears again: 'Three grandfathers, why are you looking there?' Three grandfathers answer (the shaman): 'You have put on the new garment as a new shaitanian tree. That is why we are looking, for we thought all shamans were over. Yet, it appears there is one more. We see this new garment is put on new tiazhy (fur shoes) are put on this does not please us'. I answered this: 'Well, grandfather, I am left alone. Am I disturbing? Go on take my head I am the only one who is left anyway. How shall we live if the earth is empty? Are you not sorry? Children are only few it is impossible to live like this in the future the horde became very small. If I am guilty take my head. If I am not guilty how you would dare to take my head. I am not disturbing anybody. You yourselves, the masters, want to empty the land. Do not do that if you are sorry for the earth.' The next stage is ritual hunting that is supposed to ensure the bag for the tribe (horde). At first the shaman is palmed off two false deers (the deer of grandfather of hunger and the deer of grandfather of the louse) people would die of them but mother (Hore) helps not to make a mistake. Then they find mother of deer's food (she looks as a stem of badian — Siberian herb) mother of trees says: 'Now shoot form your bow in the very middle. If your arrow hits its very middle there will be plenty of food and trade. That is a place we have reached. Now let us blindfold you. Now if you, being blindfolded, miss the middle of ( ) with your arrow then our people will starve'. Then I was blindfolded and started to see with shaitanian eyes. I tensed the bow and shot twice. People inside the tent said: 'That is how you are, with your eyes blindfolded you have hit as if you could see'. This day the whole tent had a feast and ate and I had a rest and lay down. The morning came this means we will eat many wild deers (this year). In the morning they reach two hills close to water seven guts (Penises) of the moon hang over them. Here the way to the upper world starts in order to get up the shaman harnesses the winged devil (spirit): …We started to go up the moon's gut. When we have gone up we have found ourselves in the place where these seven guts part. At the basis of three guts we saw a naked man without anorak and pants he sat and seemed to pull the wool of the white deer and blew it down on earth. 'Mother of the tree who is that?' — I asked. 'That is infirmity that disturbs tribes' well-being. Dolganian, Russian and Self-eaters women got pregnant then a baby is born but he dies soon. This infirmity throws down these unhappy days as bits of wool in these days these dying children are doomed to be born. If there would not be this infirmity there would be more people'. Then the way leads them along the moon's gut they go to the mother who gives eyes to the new-born (people and animals). According to Nganasans this happens in the following way: …The real soul is born and kept by mother of earth. The eyes are created by the mother from above. According to our faith eyes are given by the moon, the soul is born by mother of earth. The man-god who gives us birth has two real wives. A big wife is mother of earth; a little wife is mother of moon. That is why Dolganian, Self-eater and Russian count the time of pregnancy in months. Eyes will not be born without mother of moon; the soul will not be born without mother of earth. When two mothers give a birth together people are born… They swim along the river that then branches in seven separate beds (this is the urine of the moon's gut) and meet some more tribe infirmities and stop over the night. In the morning in the very beginning of their way they cross the road of the big infirmity the same they have already met in the lower world where in the place of confluence of the seven streams three trees grew out of the same root — three infirmities connected with the primary incest. That is a wonderful example of the hyperspacial joint connecting two distant worlds through multidimensional space. Then they find two boxes with eyes sent by mother of moon and then meet in the lower (Northern) side a very thin infertile female deer: 'What is it? This deer seems to have only bones. Why does the end (of her vagina) under her coccyx move getting narrower and wider? I am afraid, what is it?' Mother answers this: 'That is an infirmity of women unable to give birth and infertile deers. She wants to copulate but it is all for nothing. That is why her (vagina) is moving. This infirmity takes away woman's sweat-wetness. That is why women become too thin and stop giving birth'. After the night they continue their way and reach the big tent: …We have gone further and reached the place where the top of the tent is seen. Seven moons are drawn around the smoke hole. When we came closer the tent could be seen. The tent seems to be surrounded by seven moons. We have hardly found the entrance. The entrance curtain appeared to be made of skins of faces of four infirmities sown together. From the middle of the door these faces look as a spot. 'Well, mother, which land have we reached?' This appears to be a tent of mother of eyes, the second wife of the god of the upper world who makes human souls: …Mother (Hore) has said: 'How, do not you know? These are souls of mother of shamanic eyes. This is mother of nine months, nine months of old woman's maidens. That is why people count nine months. Now, the door of skins of faces of four infirmities: these faces are old woman's four men. One man is an infirmity of snow blindness, the second man is an infirmity of one eye, the third man is an infirmity of shortsight, and the fourth man is an infirmity of eye illnesses. From them, one-eyed, shortsighted, weak-eyed babies come. Mother of moon gives to a new-born two eyes. One man steals both eyes on the way that is why the blind ones are born; another man steals one eye that is why one-eyed are born; another man steals half of an eye that is why narrow-eyed (shortsighted) are born; another man steals the sharpness of sight that is why people with weak eyes are born'. That is why now only few people have good eyes. These devils steal all hordes' eyes. That is why poor ones became many. How will people with bad eyes walk and trade? They sit on the spot. Why did blind become so many? That is why I shaman and ask: 'Mother, give people good eyes'. They get inside through the entrance and see mother of eyes who looks as a little girl. A god in the image of a little child is also a rather common concept of the collective unconscious many times described by C.Yung (27): …Mother of eyes appeared to look as a little girl. She has a sun on her forehead and seven moons on her breast. And she said: 'Ah, the guests have come, what you need?' We said: 'We have become bad and we wish to get shaitanian eyes. Our eyes got weakened of tears devil of earth has spoiled us that is why we seem to get blind we need new eyes'. — 'Well, how many guests have arrived. I do not need many guests I already have three women and on of them make the fire in the night. I have two tents. In the second tent the god who makes doctors and shaitans lives. I will give you a good or bad advice later. Mother of trees and you, fellow, spend the night there. Let the two women spend the night with you. One of them is the mother who gives the eyes to a goose, a fish, a worm in the months when birds lay eggs and fishes spawn. Another mother gives eyes to a home and wild deer and to a polar fox. They get to the second tent through the hole behind the fire-place. The second god looks as a little boy. They stay there over night with two women sent with them by mother of eyes (this reminds of a tantric initiation but Gornok does not speak of the details of the spent night). In the morning they come back to the first tent. Mother of eyes says: 'Many eyes dies it is bad to give a birth. The earth again gives a birth to food-grass for deers, for mother of trees asks for it. When you leave my tent again and go to the second one you will find some gifts there. Father of doctor, father of Nicholas-icon will give you the gifts instead of me'. They go to the tent where they have spent the night and god-father of shamans-healers asks: 'Where do the guests come from, what do you need?' — 'Earth is dying the help is needed. Good days are needed that is why we have come. Bad days have come, deers are only few and the trade is smaller. Many people get ill and blind, we have come here because of this suffering. Why have you forgotten us, who will take care of us? We look for the father and for the mother. We do not have enough strength devils of earth eats shamans' souls. That is why we ask you. Now we need some good days it has been enough of the bad ones. We need good days for the children to be born. We do not have enough strength to cure the ill ones we do not have enough strength to cure weak eyes. When we have found you we are telling you: 'Father, give us the strength". We got the answer on this: 'Later when you come conjuring over the ill ones there would be little of dying. If I would give you big strength to cure all ill ones devil of earth would fight you every day. That is why I give you the middle strength. I give you future days you will live until your hair gets gray. You will not be in need you will live not too bad.' This way the shaman gets the main gift — the access to the source of the vital strength and energy. Right after that the hole in the ground under the fire-place opens it is a way to the middle world and mother of trees says: 'That is a hole when you shaman for Self-eating people before you ask the illness you ask the strength for yourself through this hole and will shout: 'Father, mother, give me the strength!' The strength will go down on you through this hole'. However, the return on earth also does not happen at once. At first they fall to the first coat of the lower world to the mouth of earth again from where their travel has started: …Now together with mother of trees… we fall down through the hole. And we sat down by two holes-rivers: 'Mother, which land have we reached?' — 'We have got to the nasty land. Here is one hole-river — that is a hole made with an ax and where dead are put that is the eating mouth of earth. Another hole-river is earth's teeth eating trees. Both these mouths swallow the dying. We have found here two earth's mouths. We will go straight ahead and will move along the beds of two hole-rivers'. We were moving and moving down along them now the dark time came. When we were following rivers' beds the mist appeared. Now we found ourselves by the mountain, the high steep bank. The mist disappeared. The water became wide. The river parted in two beds, we have taken one and gone down and reached the place where the beds confluenced again. The narrow as a rope strip of land appeared in a distance behind the river. This land appeared to be a long sandy cape. There was a huge tent in the very middle of this sandy steep bank by the water edge. 'Mother of trees, what is it? Which land have we reached, do not you know?' — 'that is the water by which the dead ones go to the earth's belly…' From here they go up the rivers' beds which carry the dead to earth's mouth, go through many trials and finally cross to the middle world: …At first it was winter in this land and then summer came. Wherever it got quick streams rushed in different directions, lakes, lakes and lakes were everywhere. All lakes were melted it was very silent all around. The water is worried in lakes by the plenty of fishes. When we reached these places mother of trees turned me around three times and stopped. Then she shook herself off as a deer and said: 'Well, fellow, stop now'. I said: 'Well, mother, I do not know where we have stopped. People will ask me'. — 'Tell them so: 'I have come back to the land where I was born, to the divine land. I have reached mother of earth who gave me a birth. We are standing here on the cape on her pregnant belly'. At that moment the subtle travel and the holiday of the Clear tent that were lasting for nine days are over. In spite of the very complicated travel's route and its durability the shaman did not go to deep down to the lower world and did not go up too high to the upper world. The sphere of his travel was in the coats strictly connected with earthy realm and in many aspects was unified with it which is typical for the practice of shamanism. Yet, even such travel demanded from the shaman the mobilization of all his forces and was possible only due to patronage of goddess Hore and his numeral helping spirits. Besides Gornok was one of the last famous Nganassanian shamans having huge strength and skills. All this proves that the gulf between real shamanism and its numeral imitations common nowadays is enormous.
6.2. Subtle cartography of Earth's noosphere and its evolution in Hopi's tradition) Hopi or Pueblo Indians belong to America's the most ancient population. They managed to keep amazing imaginations concerning the nature of our world, human predestination, previous civilisations of our planet and reasons of their downfall. From this point of view their tradition can be treated as the highest form of shamanism when daily magic and fight for survival give their place to devotion to spiritual goals, struggle for preservation and evolution of our planet's biosphere-noosphere. The whole history of Hopi people is an evidence of undeviating observance of these high goals. For the first time I met the mentioning of Pueblo in books of K. Yung. He wrote of their belief that their rituals maintain the existence of our planet and if they will be interrupted Earth will die very soon. This philosophy penetrates the whole Hopi's existence and their life and daily functioning are subordinated to this messianic role. In the beginning of 2000 in Arizona I was lucky to meet the spiritual leader of Spider Woman clan Martin Gashweseoma. Spider Woman is one of the highest Hopi goddesses, creator and keeper of all forms of life on Earth including human. Correspondingly, its clan is among the central ones in Hopi tradition. That is why the leader of this clan is to keep the ancient texts, tablets, which, according to the legend, were inherited from previous civilisations dwelling Earth before world cataclysms. One of Hopi's main missions is to carry this knowledge, maintaining the continuity between civilisations. The central task of the initiation is to accustom to this sacral knowledge and the world of Gods and spirits helping to fulfil this mission. It is important to stress that the texts contain the knowledge concerning not only past but also future including eventual downfall of earthy civilisation. According to Hopi we now dwell the fourth Earth, three previous ones were destroyed, for humanity forgot its mission and was stuck in chasing pleasures, fighting for power and nationalism. The saddest thing is that, according to these texts, we are now on the edge of the next fourth apocalypse. Martin and other people faithful to Hopi tradition make every possible effort to avoid this. For that reason Martin made a press conference before the war in Iraq began. For the first time the tablets were shown to white people. The thing is that they contain prophecies, according to which attacking Iraq means the beginning of the third world war. Unfortunately, this attempt to stop the war was not successful, so, according to Hopi's prophecies, the third world war has been lasting for 11 years by now. Its next nuclear stage is to start in the same region. It is interesting that from Christian point of view the war in the bay was not a usual military conflict, for the land between two rivers, where Eden was placed, lays in Iraq. From this point of view NATO units bombed Eden — on of the holiest places of our planet. If we realise that Bible contains stories of peoples that were humiliated for much lesser sins, Hopi prophecies have their logic. It is worth to mention that, according to the tablets, even the beginning of the nuclear war does not mean the end of humanity. When we discussed this matter with Martin he said that the prophecy spoke of the coming of half-god-half-man — The White Brother at the end of times. If by this moment Earth would be dwelled by some critical mass of fair people who would remember of their predestination to fulfil the plan of Creator, the history could be changed and harmonic and peaceful human society would be created. Yet, chances decrease day by day. Martin and other people faithful to Hopi tradition live in the US but reject to accept American citizenship in order not to break the continuity line. This fact proves how seriously they treat the prophecies. Hopi cartography is particularly interesting because it reflects not only vertical organisation of the universe (the Tree of the World) but also its subsequent changes from the moment of creation till nowadays. We will first examine Hopi's imaginations on the creation of Earth and its biosphere and stages of earthy civilisation formation. Hopi's cosmology According to Hopi's mythology primary only Tayova existed he was in the endless space with no time, form and life. At first he created his helper (nephew) Sotuknang and made him responsible for the realisation of his general plan (Tuvagachi). First of all Sotuknang made nine worlds-universes of earth, water and air. The first two were for Creator and himself and other seven ones — for future life. The first world At the next stage life and human were created in the first world named Tokpela (Endless Space). Sotuknang created the first goddess Kokyangviiti, Spider Woman for this. In this context the image of spider is associated with making spider-web as the mandala of harmony. The goddess, in her turn, created two helpful gods — guardians of biosphere. The first of them, Poganghoya, was supposed to watch the ecological balance. The second one, Palongavhoya (Echo), controlled thick and subtle vibrations of biosphere or, putting this in a more modern way, watched the informational balance. Together they maintained the spinning of earthy axis. When Poganghoya and Palongavhoya made Earth ready for life Spider Woman created plants, birds, animals and all other living beings dwelling the biosphere. The time of man came. At first she created four men after Sotuknang's likeness with four skin colours (yellow, red, white and black) and then their spouses were created. As they were going through the three stages of Creation they saw their Creator Tayova as Sun, which inhaled life in them. However, these first people could not speak. Spider Woman called Sotuknang in order to give them speech, wisdom and strength. He gave different languages for people with different skin colours. He also gave them strength to multiply. Nevertheless, the first people could perfectly understand each other due to telepathy. They were given languages for the realisation of Creator's plan, for when they were saying prays and singing songs, their energetic centres generated vibrations transforming noosphere of Earth in the needed direction. Different languages, probably, influenced different spectrums of subtle vibrations. According to Hopi's legends, the first people have hardly reminded of modern human and were rather like insects with reason. They lived happily and in peace with animals, eating fruit of mother Earth until they started to break the commandments of Sotuknang and Spider Woman about serving Creator. Before Creator's commandments were broken, the first people did not know illness and, although they spoke different languages, could perfectly understand each other due to their vibration centres. However, more and more people started to use their vibration centres for their selfish purposes. This was also favoured by two tempters. The first one — Lavaihoya used to appear as a mocking-bird Mochni, bringing nationalism and antropocentrism. He persuaded people that they were better than animals and stressed differences between the races with variable languages and skin colour. Another one Kato'ya looked like a snake with the big head. He brought suspicion, cruelty and intolerance. As a result there was no peace on Earth any longer. Only a few people kept faith in Creator and remained faithful to his plan. Tayova and Sotuknang, seeing this, decided to destroy this world and only the pure ones were given a chance to survive. Sotuknang came and told them that the end of the world was near. He said they should go to a certain place led by the star during the night and by the cloud during the day. Those two could be seen by the vibration centre on the top of the head (kopavi). This way in many days and nights people from different countries and nations gathered at the mentioned place, they were the first Hopi. Then Sotuknang appeared and led them to the mountain where ant-people lived he ordered to open the entrance. He advised people to learn from ants hard-working and storing supplies. This ant-hill was a kind of hyper-spatial ship where people survived the destruction of the first earth. The first world Tokpela was ruined by fire very quickly, however, a long time should pass before the earth got cool so that the new world could be created. When Sotuknang made his work he climbed the ant-hill's roof and knocked on it. Then ants-people's leader went up and opened the cover (nuta). The second world The new world Tokpa (Dark Midnight) was not as perfect as the previous one but was also beautiful in its way. Ants-people turned into ants insects in it. Hopi gave the beginning to earthy peoples. They still did not need the language as a communication mean and were able to see and speak to each other at any distance due to the centre on the top of the head. Animals in the second world were wild and kept away from people. In this world people started to make and store supplies as ants did. They learnt how to build houses and villages, make roads, trade appeared. And then people became obsessed with passion for hoarding. This world had anything people needed but they desired to have more and more. People stopped singing hymns to Creator and started to praise goods. Consumption psychology bred greed and quarrels, finally villages started to fight with each other. That is why it was decided to destroy this world too. And Hopi (the chosen people) again escaped the end of the world and waited at ants-people. On Sotuknang's order the second world's axis was left to itself, the world started to spin with the huge speed, to swing, turned up side down twice and was out of its orb around Sun. As a result mountains and seas mixed together and then everything became a piece of ice. The third world When everything old was distracted Sotuknang brought Earth back on its orb and started to create the third world Kuskurza. When everything was ready he opened ant-hill's cover and let people out. The interesting thing is that in modern Hopi tradition the image of such cosmic ant-hill is incarnated in Hopi's temple Kiva. When participant of a ceremony leave the temple they climb the stairs in its middle and go out through the opening in the ceiling. This symbolises entering the new world. In the third world people multiplied and developed so quickly that cities and countries were established and civilisation appeared. Here again many people forgot their predestination and got under the influence of of bestial drives. In this third world lust prevailed many people started to use their reproductive power in a deviated way. The more sexual contacts men and women had, the higher their social position was. Correspondingly the use of creative potential was deformed, for it was strictly connected with sexual energy. People also started to use it for not pure goals. Magic mechanisms for war were created. A particularly ruinous role was played here by Bow Clan. And so the first flying machines, patuvvota, were made. They were shield-formed and nourished with human vital energy (it is not difficult to notice that all this reminds of UFO). Soon many people learnt to build patuvvota, destructive wars started. Seeing this, Sotuknang decided to destroy the third world this time due to flood. He came to Spider Woman and taught her how to save fair people before they were indulged or killed. Now hermetic containers were made of the empty stems of a special bamboo- or cane-like plant. They contained a small supply of water and food (hurusuki — pastry of white corn flour). People were waiting in them until the terrible flood, which ruined the whole land, was over. The amount of food and water did not decrease no matter how much people ate or drank. According to Hopi's legends the rests of the third world still lay under the thickness of oceans. One can see here many analogies with legends of Atlantida and Lemouria and Bible stories. The search for the fourth world When the waters got quiet and the new world was created people left their containers and found themselves on the small piece of land, which was the top of the highest mountain of the previous world. This time the way to the next fourth world was much more difficult. People had to make rafts and move through the endless ocean. This way they stopped at three other islands until they finally reached the lands of the new world. The last two islands were very beautiful and comfortable for life. However, every time when people thought they found the desired land Spider Woman told them: "It is too easy and pleasant to live here, soon you will take the way of evil again". (53) Such a difficult way seemed to be connected with the necessity to temper people with trials to lessen the chances that the mistakes of previous worlds would be repeated. Perhaps, everything was too easy there. People found their way with Spider Woman's help and due to the magic seeing through the highest centre on the top of the head. Hopi say that a spiritually developed person with this centre active has an open Door on the top of the head. Correspondingly, the highest level of shamanic gift, which can be obtained only by the chosen ones during the initiation, is the opening of this centre. The fourth world When in many years they finally reached the fourth world, Sotuknang appeared in front of them. He said that, living here and making their choice, people would prove if they would be able to fulfil Creator's plan or once upon a time this world would be also destroyed. This very world, Tuvakachi (the Finished World) is the one we dwell now. It is not as beautiful as the previous ones. Its special feature is the existence of opposites: cold and hot, beauty and ugliness etc. In other words, people had their choices. Masau, the immortal spirit, became the guardian and protector of this world. He had the same function in the third world but then he lost his humbleness and was overtaken by pride. He was punished and was made the God of Death in the underground world. Yet, after the third world had been ruined Tayova gave him another chance. Here we can see extremely interesting metahistoric analogies. If we put Hopi's mythology in modern terms, we are now at the fourth stage of humanity development. At this period God of Death becomes Earth's guardian! On the other hand, Indian tradition describes the evolution of universe and human as the sequence of four stages — yugas. Now we are at the last fourth stage — Kali Yuga. Kali is a Goddess of Death, although death is understood here as a purifying distraction and not after-death existence. This way we get almost complete coincidence. The same analogies can be made with Tibetan Buddhism and other ancient religions. Masau came to people as a handsome man and he was the first living being they met in the new world. He said they should make some complicated migrations. Only after that each nation would get a permanent place to live. Besides, they were given holly tablets, which are Hopi's most sacred relics until this day. These tablets made of stone contain the knowledge concerning Earth's development and dangers that wait for humanity. Each Hopi clan was given its own tablets. So Fire Clan tablets had a beheaded man on one side and four symbols on the other (Woter). It was made of the dark stone and one of its corners was missing, it was about 10 square centimetres in size. It was written on it that in a distant future a strange nation would appear. It would oppress Hopi, make them work for enslavers and impose their religion, those who would reject to obey would be treated as criminals. All this would last until their lost White Brother Pahana would return. He would have the missing tablet's part as a sign. With the help of White Brother people will be able to win with evil and come to brotherhood. However, if Fire Clan's leader accepts the strange religion he would have to be beheaded on his own will. This sacrifice will save Hopi and disperse evil. As Masau explained how the migrations should be done and gave the tablets, he became invisible. Still, he is present all the time and plays an extremely significant role in Hopi's life, being a mediator between them and Gods. Cartography This way we see that Hopi's cartography belongs to the most complicated ones in shamanic tradition because it includes not only the vertical hierarchy of the worlds but also its transformation in time. Picture 26 presents the reconstructed hierarchy of subtle worlds in Hopi's cosmology. The worlds of the up-going row include the universe of Tayova Creator and his helper (nephew) Sotuknang. The ant-hill, where fair people used to wait until the catastrophes of subsequent earths distractions were over, is situated in the nearest layer of lower worlds. There is the after-death world below it. Masau was its Lord in the third cycle. It is rather clear that worlds' hierarchy in Hopi's cosmology is more complicated. Nevertheless, the more detailed information on it is, unfortunately inaccessible so far. Picture 27 shows universe's evolution in time. It presents four worlds from the first to the fourth Earth where we live now. Thick arrows show catastrophes of passage from earth to earth. The nature of the catastrophe is described right above them. Puncture arrows show the ways by which fair people used to escape catastrophes. The picture proves that as a rule this was the ant-hill in the underground world. Correspondingly it was entered in some secret place of Earth where the "door" leading to the lower world was located. Four migrations According to Masau's instructions, Hopi were supposed to subsequently reach Earth's boundaries in four main geographic directions, i.e. the furthest places where land ends and ocean starts. Hence, the ways of their migrations formed a huge cross going through North and South America from North to South and from East to West. Its centre was located in south-west of the US where Hopi live now. In their tradition this place is called Tuvanasavi (the centre of universe). As they reached the final points by the ocean, they turned and this way the swastika was obtained. It is one of the main elements of Hopi's ornaments. The wandering took many years and some Hopi found fertile lands and settled down there, forgetting their predestination, Sotuknang's warnings and Masau's advises. Yet, faithful Hopi continued their way in spite of all privations, helping the realisation of Creator's plan. They were helped by two insect peoples reminding cicadas (mahu), which had an ability to awake the energy of warmth. Naturally, they were not real insects but spirits (kachinas). They are known as Humpbacked Flutists or Kokopilau and play a very important role in Hopi's mythology. They are connected not only with energy of warmth but also with human reproductive abilities that is why Kokopilau or Kokopeli kachinas are often shown with long penises. Clans of Blue and Grey Flute are named after those powerful spirits. Due to Humpbacked Flutists Hopi managed to get the protection of another important spirit — Eagle spirit, the Lord of the upper space who is able to take people's prayers directly to Creator. When Eagle spirit allowed to settle down on the land people divided into four groups and moved in four geographic directions. Five clans headed by Spider Woman moved north. They were Spider Clan, Blue Flute Clan, Fire Spirit Clan, Snake Clan and Sun Clan. They went on for many years following the star. Magic subjects and abilities given by Masau helped them to survive in hard natural conditions. So they reached to Polar Circle where the Secret Door of the fourth world mentioned by Sotuknang and closed for people was placed. Unfortunately, there is no detailed information on what it is and where it leads. Perhaps, it is a passage to the fifth world which will be open to one-hearted people if our Earth dies. Here Spider Woman started to persuade people to use their magic skills in order to melt the mountains of ice and snow and open the Secret Door. Then angry Sotuknang appeared. He said that if people would melt ice and snow the irreversible catastrophe would take place, for huge masses of water would flood the land, permanently changing its shape. Spider Woman was punished and lost her eternal youth and beauty. Here one more analogy with Hinduism can be made. In Kali Yuga female energy Shakti manifests in its destructive aspect, loses the image of a young and beautiful girl and turns into ugly old woman carrying murder weapons (that is how Kali goddess is usually presented). Nevertheless, people choosing the spiritual way see eternal and wonderful feminine energy also behind this terrifying appearance. And so Hopi still love Spider Woman and praise her in images of spider and spider-web. Nowadays Hopi also keep contact with Masau. Martin said that the press conference he organised before the Iraq conflict trying to prevent the third world war was also made on Masau's advise. Naturally, only initiated ones of the very high level, who have gone through the highest stages of initiation, have an access to such contact. It is important to stress that these abilities to keep in touch with higher spirits, serve Creator's plans, foresee future are treated by Hopi as the highest shamanic gift. If to speak of para-psychological and healing skills, they rather play a background role and are never seen as the main aim of initiation process. Yet, Hopi, Navaho and other tribes have shamans practising daily magic and healing (medicine men) and even black magic. The latter ones are described by Hopi as two-hearted people. Certainly, in this case they mean the energetic heart centre. Hopi who are faithful to their tradition have only one heart centre through which they keep in touch with Creator. Those who have chosen the way of evil get the second one connecting them with demonic spirits. From this point of view Hopi and Navaho tradition to the great extend remind of ancient eastern religions as Hinduism, Buddhism or Taoism (54). They also treat magic abilities as something secondary, which often disturbs to reach higher stages of initiation. That is why it would be a great mistake to treat unusual abilities of daily magic and healing as the main shamanic gift. That is just only for extremely primitive communities, which did not go too far from the bestial condition or became rests of some degraded cultures, which were splendid once. Initiation As it was already mentioned, the nature of initiation is strictly connected with the process of creation and the role of human in micro- and macrocosm. In a certain aspect the aim of the initiation is to accustom a single human being to global cosmogonic processes, to make him or her go beyond bestial nature and senseless struggle for survival and continuity of biologic kind. Obviously, the initiated person still had to take care of his or her physical and social functions but all this became the second plan comparing to the help in Creator's plans fulfilment. Correspondingly, magic abilities obtained after the initiation first of all served this higher predestination. From this point of view, Indian tribes and other shamanic traditions that use shamanic gift only for their selfish purposes forgot and lost the real sense of their existence. Probably, the main point of the initiation is keeping this sacral knowledge, concerning the deepest sense of human existence, and not obtaining of some magic supernatural abilities, power over the people and forces of nature. Hopi believe that Divine beings are real human's parents and human parents are only tools through which divine power manifests. This belief is a basis of initiation rituals. Then mothers are Mother Earth and Mother Seed. A human is created of the flesh of the first one and is breast-fed by the second one. The father also had two faces. On the one hand, this was Tayova Creator himself, on the other, Sun — solar God. When a child was coming into the world the first initiation took place. It is described in "Book of the Hopi" by Frank Waters (53) (pp. 8-9): The first conscious initiation was taking place seven or eight years after birth. Then the child became a member of religious community. He |
technofengshui@yahoo.com
LJ "Shalagram"
Site map 
