Zoroaster came from India & not in Mesopotamia(Iraq)

Indians (Indus valley residents) and Iranians (Mesopotamians) shared a common religious past, which led historians to sometimes even term the common ancestral religion as Proto-Indo-Iranian religion. Have we ever understood the implications of this common religious past of the two communities on the historical studies of the two regions? Let us a dig a little into their religious legends and see what they have to offer.

Zoroastrianism was the most prominent religion of Mesopotamia. What are their beliefs? Firstly, that their God is Ahur Mazda. Secondly, they believe in a certain powerful satanic spirit called Ahriman. And their scriptures talk about two types of people -- Yazats and Devas. Devas are symbolic of the evil spirit, an embodiment of all that should not be. Even now, when people of the Mesopotamian region talk about Devas, they talk about them with disgust -- that is the kind of hatred that the Devas have generated. And most importantly, they are led by the demonic evil spirit called Ahriman. On the other hand, Yazats are the followers of the Supreme God Ahur Mazda. They are the righteous people, an embodiment of everything that should be correct.



Historians and theologians are still so confused even today because they have still not understood the events that led to the birth of Zoroastrianism. Zoroastrianism was born as a revolt against the religious setup in India. The mount on which Zoroaster received divine revelation was in India. He formed a new religion and called his God Asur Mazda, meaning God of Asurs (this later got morphed to Ahur Mazda). He rejected the religion of Devas, and termed their god as evil spirit, whose worshippers would go to hell. This new religion was repellant to Devas, who then expelled the Zoroastrians. Having been expelled, Zoroaster led his people to the nearby Mesopotamia, and thus came into existence the civilization of Mesopotamia.

Shukra, the evil Asur Guru, derided even today in an extraordinarily large body of religious legends in the nook and corner of India, is none other than Zoroaster aka Zarathushtra of Mesopotamia. And Zoroaster was born in India, not in Mesopotamia (Today's Iraq).

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Dionysiac Artificers Freemasonry Mysteries

Freemasonry Symbolism : The Dionysiac Artificers

Of all the pagan Mysteries instituted by the ancients none were more extensively diffused than those of the Grecian god Dionysus. They were established in Greece, Rome, Syria, and all Asia Minor. Among the Greeks, and still more among the Romans, the rites celebrated on the Dionysiac festival were, it must be confessed, of a dissolute and licentious character. 26 But in Asia they assumed a different form. There, as elsewhere, the legend (for it has already been said that each Mystery had its legend) recounted, and the ceremonies represented, the murder of Dionysus by the Titans. The secret doctrine, too, among the Asiatics, was not different from that among the western nations, but there was something peculiar in the organization of the system. The Mysteries of Dionysus in Syria, more especially, were not simply of a theological character. There the disciples joined to the indulgence in their speculative and secret opinions as to the unity of God and the immortality of the soul, which were common to all the Mysteries, the practice of an operative and architectural art, and occupied themselves as well in the construction of temples and public buildings as in the pursuit of divine truth.

But if, on the other hand, it be admitted that the legend of the third degree is a fiction,--that the whole masonic and extra-scriptural account of Hiram Abif is simply a myth,--it could not, in the slightest degree, affect the theory which it is my object to establish. For since, in a mythic relation, as the learned Müller 34 has observed, fact and imagination, the real and the ideal, are very closely united, and since the myth itself always arises, according to the same author, out of a necessity and unconsciousness on the part of its framers, and by impulses which act alike on all, we must go back to the Spurious Freemasonry of the Dionysiacs for the principle which led to the involuntary formation of this Hiramic myth; and then we arrive at the same result, which has been already indicated, namely, that the necessity of the religious sentiment in the Jewish mind, to which the introduction of the legend of Dionysus would have been abhorrent, led to the substitution for it of that of Hiram, in which the ideal parts of the narrative have been intimately blended with real transactions. Thus, that there was such a man as Hiram Abif; that he was the chief builder at the temple of Jerusalem; that he was the confidential friend of the kings of Israel and Tyre, which is indicated by his title of Ab, or father; and that he is not heard of after the completion of the temple,--are all historical facts. That he died by violence, and in the way described in the masonic legend, may be also true, or may be merely mythical elements incorporated into the historical narrative.

But whether this be so or not,--whether the legend be a fact or a fiction, a history or a myth,--this, at least, is certain: that it was adopted by the Solomonic Masons of the temple as a substitute for the idolatrous legend of the death of Dionysus which belonged to the Dionysiac Mysteries of the Tyrian workmen.

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Burmese Nyaunglaybin Buddhist Miracle

"Burmese religious pilgrims flocked by the thousands at the weekend to Nyaunglaybin township, 160 kilometres north of Rangoon, to witness a "miracle" of multi-coloured light beams appearing from a Buddhist monastery." ( Source: DPA, Germany, March 1997 )



Residents of Nyaunglaybin say the light beams have been occurring since March 9, and has drawn increasingly large crowds to the small town.

At the centre of the phenomenon is a Buddhist monk named Sayadew.



In recent years the monk has become known for his hour-long sermons at which listeners are required to remain perfectly still with their eyes closed. But this year he changed his technique, shortening his sermons to 20 minutes and insisting that people keep their eyes wide open, with no blinking.

Earlier this month some of Sayadew's followers claimed to see "relics of the Buddha", or mortal remnants of the Lord Buddha who died more than 2500 years ago, on the monk's robes.

"Scriptures have it that those who have been blessed with the experience of looking at the relics would be distanced from Hell by 92 worlds," Sayadew told his followers on Sunday.

Witnesses also say they have seen rainbow-like colours coming from the roof of Sayadew's home.

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1949 Exorcism True Story Case : THE DEVIL CAME TO ST. LOUIS

The case began not in St. Louis, but in either the small Washington, D.C. suburb of Cottage City, Maryland or Mount Rainer. There seems to be some debate about this because there have been a couple of different houses that have been identified as the home in question. As most readers already know, what has come to be known as the "St. Louis Exorcism Case" would go on to inspire William Peter Blatty's 1971 best-selling book and the movie based on it, The Exorcist. In the novel, a young girl is possessed by a demon and is subjected to an exorcism by Catholic priests. In the true story though, the subject of the alleged possession was not a girl but a boy who has been identified in various accounts as "Roland" or "Robbie Doe". Robbie (as we will call him here) was born in 1935 and grew up in this area. He was the only child of a dysfunctional family and had a troubled childhood.



AFTER THE EXORCISM…
Robbie left St. Louis with his parents 12 days later and returned to Maryland. He wrote to Father Bowdern in May 1949 and told him that he was happy and had a new dog. Robbie was a normal, typical American boy of the late 1940's. No matter whether you believe in demons or possession or not, most can agree that "something" very strange happened to him in 1949. If you believe that he faked the whole thing, then consider the trauma that he must have experienced when the joke went too far and he found himself subjected to an exorcism, which is certainly not a pleasant experience. If you believe that he was truly possessed, or even mentally ill, then we have to consider him a victim of an unexplainable horror. The only person who knew what really happened during that terrible winter and spring was Robbie himself and he never spoke about it again. Those who gently tried to prod his memory soon learned that he had only dim recollections of what had occurred anyway.

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Exorcism Case Study: A psychiatric viewpoint

Doctors, for several reasons, should be concerned with exorcism is the view of Professor Trethowan, who in this paper, looks at the main features of exorcism as practised in the middle ages and now appearing in the modern world, as was seen in the recent Ossett case in Britain. He examines in some detail the nature of supposed demoniacal possession and describes its symptoms and signs. He also touches on the social, as opposed to the religious, background in which demoniacal possession flourished (not lacking in the world today), so leading to an examination of the psychodynamic aspects of demoniacal possession and the question of absolute evil. Finally he compares the techniques of exorcism and of modern psychiatric practice.

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Case Study of Asian Witches

One of the most puzzling problems in the history of western civilization is the reason for the decline in
magical and witchcraft beliefs. Briefly the puzzle is that such beliefs seem to have declined before any
viable alternative had been developed. It is not clear why people should have rejected the philosophical
comfort and practical protection of magical activities when 'science' offered no theoretical or practical
alternatives.2 Not much headway has been made in solving this problem since Keith Thomas wrote. In
this situation it seems worth approaching the problem from a different angle by looking at a
contemporary example of a rapid shift from magical explanations and action to something else.
What is needed is an example which has been observed more or less continuously over a generation
and in which there has been a rapid change in magical beliefs. Such a small case study can be made in
the Gurung village of Thak ( Gurung= Tolson) to the north of Pokhara in central Nepal. The village and
its economy have been described in a previous publication and the general features of Gurung society
have also been quite fully 4described.3 The changing situation in Thak itself has been described in a
previous article in Kailash.



Another theory to explain the decline of beliefs in witchcraft and magic is that it reflects a change in
social relations. There are two major varieties of this idea. One is that witchcraft reflects tensions in a
society, it is a 'social strain gauge' in Max Marwick's famous phrase.11 This would suggest that tensions
have declined in the village. There may be something in this. Up to about 1970, all returning Gurkhas
came back to the village and the jealousies and pressures between new wealth and the older families
was quite considerable. Now such people retire to Pokhara and build large and beautiful houses
alongside relative strangers. So the pressures may have been reduced.

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Papua New Guinea Witch Hunts

Nearly all the residents of Koge watched as Julianna Gene and Kopaku Konia were dragged from their homes, to be hung from trees and tortured for several hours with bush knives. No one came forward to help. In the eyes of the villagers, the women were witches. They deserved to die.

"They used their powers to bewitch a man to death," said Kingsley Sinemane, a community leader. "We had to get rid of them, as they could have killed others. We had to protect our village."

A shocking increase in witch-hunt deaths in Papua New Guinea has prompted the government to launch a parliamentary commission of inquiry with a view to toughening the law. Joe Mek Teine, the chairman of the nation's law reform commission, has publicly declared that sorcery killings are "getting out of hand". Most witch hunts happen in the Highlands, the remote mountainous interior wracked by centuries of tribal wars and blood feuds. Contact with the outside world was only established in the 1930s, when some of the many ethnic groups were still living stone-age existences. Although there are no official statistics on sorcery killings, more than 50 were reported to the police in just two Highland provinces last year.

[Source]

Papua New Guinea Woman suspected of witchcraft burned alive

A woman in rural Papua New Guinea was bound and gagged, tied to a log and set ablaze on a pile of tires this week, possibly because villagers suspected her of being a witch, police said Thursday.

Her death adds to a growing list of men and women who have been accused of sorcery and then tortured or killed in the South Pacific island nation, where traditional beliefs hold sway in many regions.

The victims are often scapegoats for someone else's unexplained death, and bands of tribesmen collude to mete out justice to them for their supposed magical powers, police said.

Emory University anthropology professor Bruce Knauft, who lived in a village in the western province of Papua New Guinea in the early 1980s, traced family histories for 42 years and found that one in three adult deaths were homicides -- "the bulk of these being collective killings of suspected sorcerers," he wrote in his book, "From Primitive to Postcolonial in Melanesia and Anthropology."

In recent years, as AIDS has taken a toll in the nation of 6.7 million people, villagers have blamed suspected witches -- and not the virus -- for the deaths.

According to the United Nations, Papua New Guinea accounts for 90 percent of the Pacific region's HIV cases and is one of four Asia-Pacific countries with an epidemic.

"We've had a number of cases where people were killed because they were accused of spreading HIV or AIDS," Kauba said.

While there is plenty of speculation why Tuesday's victim was killed, police said they are focused more on who committed the crime.

"If it is phobias about alleged HIV/AIDS or claims of a sexual affair, we must urge the police and judiciary to throw the book at the offenders," the Post-Courier wrote in an editorial.

"There are remedies far, far better than to torture and immolate a young woman before she can be judged by a lawful system.

[Source]

Indian Women branded 'witches'

PATNA, India - Neepudi and her five children, none older than 10, were axed to death in Mandwa village of Palamau district, in eastern India's Bihar state.

They were killed by Mohar Shah who accused Neepudi of being a witch and responsible for the death of his daughter-in-law. The incident took place in September 1997. Later it transpired that Shah had his eye on the land she owned and succeeded in his plan to wipe out the entire family because she was a woman

Calcutta-based sociologist Dr Pashupati Halder, an authority on tribal practices, says ojhas who people believe are possessed with divine power are common in the tribal belts of eastern India.

Ojhas brand women as witches in exchange for money or other gifts from the powerful and vested interests in the village. Their claim is never challenged. Often the village headman is also part of the conspiracy, and gives his stamp of approval.

Village ojhas live luxurious lives, and they have confessed that their primary interest is to earn money for which they use their power to exorcize evil spirits.

There are also occasions when their own interest comes first. In one such incident, Malati had to face the wrath of an ojha simply because she refused to have sex with him. She was set upon by the ojha and his henchmen who raped and then killed her in a village in Lohardaga.

[Source]

Witches around the world in brief

Chinese Witchcraft and Witches

In Chinese witchcraft is deeply entrenched among elements of mysticism, religion and art. Chinese literature on magic is enormous as they are an occult properties of plants and herbs, as well as clairvoyance and astrology.
In Chinese witchcraft they have books, staffs, and other implements and are accompanied by rabbits which were traditionally associated with the moon and with occult matters

Indian Witchcraft and Witches

Indian witchcraft has been around for centuries and is part of the society in the use of the magical protection such as charms and amulets, often composed of natural substances, used against evil spirits and other menaces, as well asill fortune. Magical practices include a wealth of healing and other rituals, often linked with cults. Even the Vedas is almost entirely devoted to spells and the detailed rites of magician-priests.

Southeast Asian Witchcraft and Witches

Southeast Asia has many different countries incompassed in its peoples. All of these cultures bring their own magic into practice which range from the basic, spells, rites and protections to other forms such as divination, shamanism, dance ceremonies. Other supernatural forms such as mask carvings, shadow puppets used for magical theatre.

African Witchcraft and Witches

In Africa witchcraft is part of the accepted supernatural landscape and is generally is feared. They are referred to as witch-doctors rather then just witches.
The power of evil is everywhere and this is how the witches are able to get their power. The evil is brought on by anger, hate, jealousy, envy, lust, and greed. It can also be bought on by laziness, as they might raise the dead to help them in the form of zombies.

Different african tribes refer to witchcraft differently such as th Nyakyusa's refer to it as a "Python in the belly", Pondo tribe as the "Snake of the women", Xhosa tribe believe it is a great hairy beast, some refer to it as a baboon.

The Tswana tribe believe their are two types of witches night witches and day sorcerers. Day sorcerers use their magic to inflict harm through the use of herbs and other medicines.

Night witches are mainly old women who gather in small groups and then travel about bewitching the unfortunate. They do not wear clothes but smear themsleves with white ashes or blood of the dead.

The night witches are taken less seriously then day sorcerers as they have only really seen for most part the activities of the day sorceres as opposed to the night witches.

[Source]

Paranormal Culture : Famous Necromancers

Eliphas Levi

Eliphas Lévi, born Alphonse Louis Constant, (February 8, 1810 - May 31, 1875) was a French occult author and magician.
"Eliphas Lévi," the name under which he published his books, was his attempt to translate or transliterate his given names "Alphonse Louis" into Hebrew

Levi identified three fundamental principles of magic:

1. That the material universe is only a small part of total reality, which includes many other planes and modes of consciousness. Full knowledge and full power in the universe are only attainable through awareness of these other aspects of reality. One of the most important of these levels or aspects of reality is the "astral light", a cosmic fluid which may be molded by will into physical forms.

2. That human willpower is a real force, capable of achieving absolutely anything, from the mundane to the miraculous.

3. That the human being is a microcosm, a miniature of the macrocosmic universe, and the two are fundamentally linked. Causes set in motion on one level may equally have effects on another.

There have been many from centuries past to the ghost Hunters of today that have made a name in paranomal research. The limits of Ghost Hunting has no defined boundries of where it actually began. From fears of the dead returning to haunt the living basically has it's roots in the primordial sludge of the past.

For those of us that study, research, hunt or call up spirits in all forms to appear we owe our studies to those of the past and present that guide us by their efforts and examples. Some religious denominations view the paranomal as occult or as being anything supernatural or paranormal which is not achieved by or through God (as defined by those religious denominations), and is therefore the work of an opposing and malevolent entity. The word has negative connotations for many people, and while certain practices considered by some to be "occult" are also found within mainstream religions, in this context the term "occult" is rarely used and is sometimes substituted with "esoteric".

[Source]

Possessed student given isolated room during exams

TAIPEI, Taiwan -- A Tainan student was allocated an individual room during the national senior high school entrance examination last weekend for allegedly being routinely possessed by a spirit of a traditional deity, local media reported yesterday. It is the first time a student took the Basic Competence Test for Junior High School Students in a classroom alone for the reason. The teenager showed no signs of abnormal behavior during the two-day exam.

The student's behavior changed as if he was possessed by a Chinese folk deity at 10 a.m. every day before returning to normal after a while.

Spirit possession is a part of traditional Taoist belief system that has attracted some following in Taiwan. Some people on the island work as professional “jitong;” which can be roughly translated as shaman.

Concerned that their son's behavior would affect the order of an ordinary test room, the student's parents requested a special room for him.

The examination affairs organization designated a special test room for the student after his parents presented a document issued by a doctor proving the student suffered from “involuntary dizziness and headaches.”

A more thorough examination is needed to identify the real cause for the student's unusual behavior, said the doctor.

[Source]

Sleep Paralysis – A Paranormal Phenomenon?

Sleep paralysis is something that SHOULD effect MOST of the people that are reading this thread right now! Whether it's occurred yet or whether they have in fact realized it or not, That being so I find it particularly 'interesting ' that for most of us our knowledge of this topic seems to be not ‘up to scratch’ as it is with many of the other topics on ATS and not just the ones in this individual forum.

Maybe it's an importance issue or because people just don't care, Who knows but when I look around at some of the threads here I see sooo many question marks surrounding Sleep Paralysis by a lot of the members, New and old, some asking what is it? How does it/can it happen? Am I Ill because this weird, strange and 'completely unexplainable paranormal phenomenon' that is happening to me? etc. etc. Some other members even go down the route of explaining in great detail a strange phenomenon (one that most often than not fits perfectly into the criteria of what sleep paralysis is) that had happened to them which they have 'absolutely no rational way of explaining'



So In turn they then believe that what they had just experienced can only be explained (as a rational explanation isn’t within reach) explained via a more otherworldly conclusion to the matter (AKA alien Abduction) or just simply what they had experienced was of a paranormal nature. (Demonic Possession for common example)

Ok, So Immediately ATS, reasoning for this thread becomes clear as all of a sudden my the main purpose for making this thread made which to clarify is primarily because I want to inform and may I add that I'm planning on not JUST informing you about what I believe to be true about a fascinating subject like sleep paralysis but I’m also like everyone else with every other topic no matter how much we know about it I am as well as you! Nothing but a mere learner! of it.
So once again that being so I sincerely hope that the same method shall apply in this thread as it does with every other thread I and others shall decide to make on ATS forums.......

Because we’re all learners here and we’re all trying to pass on what we already know to our fellow members at the same time, Creating a thread with false information no matter how miniscule or unimportant should mean, I would hope, that someone would be so kind enough to correct me in a respectable and intelligent manner (that’s means not calling me a troll if I make a unfortunate mistake )

No one is right all the time and feedback on what I write, Positive or negative will always be appreciated.

....You may find it odd That I'm mentioning something like that right now of all places but I feel I HAVE to mention that especially in this early stage of this particular thread because I think about sleep paralysis alot, I try and study it when I can and also of course learn about it in the process, not forgetting it’s a phenomenon that occurs to me on a regular basis and I feel it's important to know about it and to understand why it may happen, how it could happen and most importantly of all what it is!

Thank You.......

I hope You enjoy reading this thread!

[Further Source]

"Murdered" Chinese man reappears after 10 years

A Chinese man who was supposedly hacked to death in a fight has reappeared in his hometown after 10 years, state media said, raising questions about police torture to extract a confession from the alleged killer.

Zhao Zuohai, the supposed killer, was acquitted of the crime and released by a Henan court on Saturday, state news agency Xinhua said, citing a court press conference on Sunday.

He had served 10 years of a 29-year sentence after confessing to killing Zhao Zhenshang in a hatchet fight in central China's Henan province, the China Daily reported this weekend.

A headless body was found in a village well about a year after the fight, at which point Zhao was arrested and confessed to the killing.

The victim, Zhao Zhenshang, reappeared in the village on May 2 to seek welfare support. He had fled after the fight because he feared he had killed the now-imprisoned Zhao.

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Unexplained Suicides at Apple Inc. Factory in China

Record suicides have plagued Foxconn, the world’s largest electronics manufacturer whose products include iPhones and Nintendo, raising fears that work conditions at the facility are substandard.


Picture is (C) copyright to Epoch Time

To date, 10 workers have committed suicide and three others were injured in unsuccessful attempts. The most recent Foxconn employee jumped to his death on May 26.

The suicides have stirred controversy and speculation over issues that go beyond work conditions.



In a recent article published in New Epoch Weekly, Taiwanese attorney Winifred Tung pointed out that in the case of the ninth suicide, the woman who allegedly jumped from a building had been stabbed four times, and a knife was found at the scene.

Tung questioned if this alleged suicide was actually “suicide” and if the other cases might have involved foul play.

Reports by Chinese media also revealed that Foxconn admitted to making workers do 80 hours extra of overtime per month, while the local labor laws only permits 36 hours.

However, following the claims Foxconn sued Wang You and Weng Bao of China Business News, the journalists responsible for revealing these practices, for $3.8 million and filed a successful court ruling to have the journalists' assets frozen.
International pressure from Reporters Without Borders and inquiries from Apple Inc. itself later pushed Foxconn to reduce the demand to a symbolic 1 yuan ($US 0.12) and withdraw the request to freeze the journalists' assets.

The Taiwan-based Foxconn has two factories in China—one in Shenzhen and the other in Longhua, both north of Hong Kong.

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Woman terrified by 'standing' khimar

PORT DICKSON, NEGERI SEMBILAN: When she was getting prepared for prayer, her khimar (long, cape-like veil that hangs down to just above the waist), which was initially lying flat on the ground, suddenly rose and "stood" still.

The khimar had been "standing" for two days until a mufti lifted it.


Picture is (C) copyright to Sin Chew Daily



The strange incident took place in a house in Port Dickson here at 4.50pm Tuesday (11 May).

It was observed that the "standing" khimar was about a foot high with a rounded top that looked like a child covered with khimar.

A mufti visited the house Thursday (13 May) and tried to find out about the situation. Those who were there were astonished when he lifted the khimar and revealed nothing inside.

Single mother Azizah Khairy (name transliterated), 60, is staying with her 25-year-old son, who is a promoter.

When it happened, she was preparing for prayer in the living room with her khimar lying flat on the ground. When she was about to reach for the khimar, it suddenly rose and "stood" still.

The woman, who is suffering from heart disease, was stunned. She immediately notified her son and daughter, who is working for the city council.

After the news of the incident was spread, curious public started to flock to the house the next day.

Police officers were sent to guard the house while officers from the Negeri Sembilan Religious Affairs Department (JHEAINS) were also sent to find out about the situation.

At about 12pm Thursday, a mufti explained the situation to the woman before lifting the khimar in front of a few religious officials and reporters. Nothing was found inside the khimar.

He then put the khimar back on the ground and it lied there still without "standing up" again.

According to a religious affairs department officer, from the Islamic point of view, the "standing" khimar was the power of Allah and it was not a so-called ghost incident.

[Source]