When it comes to Hindu/Muslim antagonism, nothing stokes the fires quite like the topic of Rama, the second most popular Avatar of Vishnu (statistically speaking, first-place goes… Read more “I’ve Got A Bridge to Sell: Adam, Rama and Al-Bruni”
Category: Comparative Mythology
The Last Egyptian Pharaoh and the Tarot, or: the Alexander Romance and the Sola Busca
Many people are introduced to Tarot as an ancient tool, a divining device whose history is blurred in the haze of antiquity, having been transmitted from Egypt… Read more “The Last Egyptian Pharaoh and the Tarot, or: the Alexander Romance and the Sola Busca”
Womb and Tomb: the Undiscovered Country
Imagine this: you are walking with your tribe across the plains of the Savannah. Predation is a fact of life; you are surrounded by carnivores, and you… Read more “Womb and Tomb: the Undiscovered Country”
Person, Woman, Man, Camera, TV: Artificial Lives Matters
0.0: The Void We don’t delve much in our collective mythic narratives about the Nothingness Before Beginning(s); Every imaginable number has an opposite; Be it -1 and… Read more “Person, Woman, Man, Camera, TV: Artificial Lives Matters”
In the Beginning, there was Pangu
In the Beginning, there really wasn’t very much. Now, some people will try and sell you their myths: In the Beginning, there was… The Void, The Singularity,… Read more “In the Beginning, there was Pangu”
Dybbuk in a Box: the Book of Wonders
As the old adage goes, a picture is worth a thousand words – that would make this a a very long post indeed… But since actual information… Read more “Dybbuk in a Box: the Book of Wonders”
The Last Question: How to Reboot the Universe
Before Douglas Adams posited that the Answer to the Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe, and Everything was 42, Isaac Asimov was pondering the same question. Long… Read more “The Last Question: How to Reboot the Universe”
As Above, So Below: The Net of Indra
Modern cosmology and physics have given birth to some peculiar notions regarding space-time. One is Simulation theory, the idea that that everything we perceive is actually a… Read more “As Above, So Below: The Net of Indra”
Got Pandemics? We’ve Got Panaceas! Mithridate, Pt. 1
First, a few etymologies: Pandemic comes from pandēmos (Greek) = pan ‘all’) + dēmos ‘people’; therefore “all people”, as opposed to epidemic (epi=upon, hence “upon people”). Panacea… Read more “Got Pandemics? We’ve Got Panaceas! Mithridate, Pt. 1”
Inanna Prefers the Farmer: Marriage, Sex and Divorce in Ancient Sumeria
Imagine this: two men, one a farmer, the other a shepherd, attempt to win divine affection. In the end, the deity favors the shepherd. Now, this might… Read more “Inanna Prefers the Farmer: Marriage, Sex and Divorce in Ancient Sumeria”