by Harvey Kraft
By dividing the face of the celestial dome into twelve sectors, they created 30-degree triangular “houses.” The term “house” referred to the ziggurat tower-temples, each a “House of the Cosmic Mountain” that stood in the center of a world-system. The Zodiac “houses” similarly constituted a virtual “ziggurat in the sky,” each a spiritual center of a star constellation. As ziggurats were the anchor points of the axis mundi channels, the symbolic array of the twelve “houses” of the Zodiac refected the belief that star-to-planet patterns communicated the will of divine order.171
Ancient shamans had observed an unusual light pattern in the night sky. Under certain conditions it loomed like a giant glowing triangular cone. This ghostly glow, the refection of sunlight on interplanetary dust particles in solar space, created a dramatic mountain-like image especially clear against moonless dark skies just before sunrise or just after sunset. This so-called “zodiacal light”172 inspired the original belief173 in the axis mundi and Cosmic Mountain, and may have prompted the ensuing building of pyramids and ziggurats.
Its line of sight was the ecliptic, the imaginary path that observers on Earth would track the Seven Planets and constellations of the Zodiac. When the ecliptic plane appeared nearly vertical from a certain vantage point, especially in the desert, the horizon allowed the zodiacal light to refect off of it.
The dust-particle composition inside the zodiacal light was always moving and regenerating. It looked almost alive teeming with spiraling motions. As the sky grew dark, the Magi astronomers of the Zodiac would observe this colossal pyramidal apparition spread out across a very large area of the sky.
The cosmological work of the Magi Order developed under the leadership of the Chief Magus, Siddhartha Gautama, was an essential component of their quest for a unified theory of Universal Truth. With his departure following the purge, as he traveled through the Arya-In-dus-Ganges regions, he continued to explore the universal connection between the cosmos and humanity through the Buddha Teachings. Although Babylon had been the world’s leader in peering into the great unknown and the center of astronomical, philosophical, mythic, and mathematical explorations, it did not overshadow the three primary Arya traditions of Vedic, Sramana, and Brahmin in the pursuit of a cos-mological-metaphysical Universal Truth.
During their migrations through Mesopotamia in the middle of the 2nd Millennium BCE, the Arya seer-composers of the Rig Veda had encountered the Old Babylonians. They learned from them the mythic cosmologies of Marduk and his divine predecessors in Sumer/Akkad. The Arya displayed an ardent fascination with Babylonian progress in divining destiny and their articulation of cosmic architecture.
In the Rig Veda the Arya seers first proposed a grand cyclical scheme for Cosmic Time. First they created a time scale ranging from an infinites-imal micron of a second, defined as a segment equal to the lifetime of an atom, to a cosmic time-span extending to hundreds of trillions of years. Then they added incremental segmentations of time. Short-term measures were based on a single respiration of human breath; mid-term time was based on lunar days; and large-scale time was defined by the long lifespan of divine beings. Their spatial or distance metrics were also defined by time. The unit for measuring space was the Yojana; a variable number described as the distance covered by an ox pulling a cart in one day.
Both Babylonian and Aryan measurements were based on an underlying belief in cosmic symmetry. Both embraced the principle that “what goes around, comes around,” although the Arya extended this concept to a cosmic scope beyond the boundaries of life and death. In both, the ideals of religion, astronomy, scale, divination, and philosophy were intertwined and hotly debated.
During his days as Chief Magus of Babylon, Siddhartha Gautama may have overseen the Order’s work on perfecting the Theory of the Ecliptic, the course of the sun during the year as it crossed the paths of the twelve constellations. As the head Babylonian stargazer at the Esagila Ziggurat Tower, he would have had a strong mathematical education related to planetary alignments. As its chief seer, he would have possessed highly developed skills regarding visionary sight, foresight, and channeling practices.
In Babylon he also became a leading contemporary voice in the fields of applied metaphysics, philosophical naturalism, and sacred mathematics. Clearly, he developed the earliest known concepts of applied transformational psychology, which, as the Buddha, he used to foster virtuous behavior, mental clarity, emotional wellness, and spiritual evolution.
With these skills and influences as a base of knowledge, during his Indus-Ganges period he further incorporated, deconstructed, and revamped the views of a cyclical Cosmos in an effort to articulate an all-encompassing Universal Truth. First, he had offered the grand design of a star-studded Buddha-Universe. Second, he reformulated Samsara as the Mind of Nature and replaced the soul with Karma. In the next stage of his cosmological elucidation, the Cosmos of Relativity, he would suggest that the cyclical power of Existence was dependent on relationships. In his view, all phenomena cycled through Existence: originating, developing, temporarily holding together, deteriorating, ending, and then re-manifesting. But depending on relative factors, the direction life would take could either repeat itself like a cycle on a single track, or take the path of a spiral pattern, either soaring upwards toward evolution or down the vortex of devolution.
BONDS
Siddhartha Gautama attained Perfect Enlightenment at age 30. Or did he?
Did this number refer to his actual age, or, could it have been a mythic code designed to convey a transformational cosmic event?
In ancient lore the age “30” represented the crossing point of self-realization, when an individual matured from an egocentric or childish view of the world to a contributing, conscious member of society. To the Babylonians the zodiacal number “30” referred to the number of degrees in a “house”—1/12 of a 360-degree circle. In an astrological context, the number refected the arising of a new “house” to prominence. Interpreting it in messianic terms, the “age 30” signaled an epochal beginning,174 particularly the arrival of a person destined to have global impact. Siddhartha Gautama’s crossing into Buddhahood symbolized such an arising to the top echelon of the Zodiac, manifesting the long-anticipated advent of the One-Who-Comes to Declare the Truth (Skt. Tathagata).
If the attainment of his Perfect Enlightenment was to be communicated in astrological175 terms, the assignment of age “30” to that event would mark his graduation to a role as “leader of humanity’s transformation” (Skt. Purusha-damya-sarathi). In other words, at the moment of his Enlightenment, the great Lion-Sun sage and scion of the Saka nation, Sid-dhartha Gautama, had risen to the cosmic post of the Buddha, Declarer of Truth. In mythic numerology 30 meant he had taken the reigns of his cosmic mission, but as he departed Babylon at 522 BCE his actual age would have been 40 or 41 when he became Buddha.
In the Cosmology of Infinite Wisdom, Sakamuni had introduced the view that innumerable Buddhas vowed to form a new Universe. Their strong united desire caused the seed of the Universe to blossom forth into the Field of Form from the formless Lotus Treasury Mind-World, the “mind of Existence.”
At a critical point, their desire was directed by these two goals:
1. All the Buddhas desired to set into motion the emergence of the Universe, incuding its places, systems, and laws, to advance evolution until beings appeared.
2. All the Buddhas desired to be born in the Universe among mortal beings at appropriate stages of development so they may lead, teach, inspire, and direct them toward evolutionary self-transformation.
The desire of innumerable Buddhas caused the first turn of the Dharma-Wheel, the cosmic act initiating the time-space-scale Universe. All of their creative energy, operating on an unfathomable scope and scale, brought into form the Universe so that the Buddhas could exercise their intended mission: to provide a place for the process of evolution. Across eons of time the Universe was designed to bring forth mortal beings and then awaken them to their
full and original potential.
Among all the Buddhas appearing across space-time-scale and dimensions, Sakamuni would be a Buddha responsible for the forward evolution of Earth’s local system. In his second cosmology, the Cosmic Mountain world-system of Earth, he had introduced the forces of Nature involved in the evolutionary process. He repurposed the cosmogony of Samsara, originally conceived as a fearful closed loop Soul Reincarnation system, into a metaphysical construct based on Four Noble Truths.
From the Buddha’s perspective the Six Worlds were conditional states-of-being. They manifested as mental, emotional, physical, and environmental conditions based on the interpolation of the Threefold Field of Form, Formlessness, and Desire; the Law of Impermanence; the Law of Cause and Effect; and the transcendent databanks of Karma. These key features governed a cosmic system that enabled the actualization of self-determined transformation. Depending on desires, whether conscious or not, human beings brought about their own evolution or devolution.
According to the Buddha, the great journey through cosmic conditions had been initiated throughout the Universe to allow each living being to personally cultivate their self-development until they themselves could become Buddhas. Just as wandering tribes crossed continents, echoing the earliest comings out of Africa or the long and arduous migrations of the Arya, sentient beings also traveled in groups of common interest, such as family or nation. But across the great cosmic landscape, the related migrations were unencumbered by the boundaries of life and death. This was Transmigration, the interactive system of manifestation providing the means for shared Karma across lifetimes.
Buddhas would appear throughout Transmigration, wherever and whenever, to guide mortal beings on this grand journey. Because of their powerful bond with one another, devotees would be reborn at the same time and place coordinates as their teachers. During this great crossing, bonds could last for many lifetimes, or at least until the fledglings were strong enough to leave the nest and fly away to teach others.
The glue that held the Buddha and his followers together as they traveled across the transcendent scope of Transmigration, he suggested, were common emotions, such as devotion, admiration, even animosity. This was the power of the Shared-Mind. Never before had this possibility occurred to his listeners. Just as detachment from emotions could sever the bonds of rebirth, strong and consistent emotions could be forged into a bonding force between people, one that could extend their relationships beyond the present life.
In the next installment of his cosmological rendering, the Cosmos of Relativity, the third layer of his Buddha-Dharma, he would make a shocking revelation. He would suggest that all phenomena in the Field of Form were in actuality temporary projections of information into a dimension of apparent Reality. From this perspective Existence was fundamentally a holographic manifestation of virtual data seemingly appearing to have substantial form only due to relative factors.
In the Cosmos of Relativity, a very difficult concept to comprehend, the origin of any phenomenon depended in some way on another phenomenon. In other words, not any “one” thing could exist without the countervailing manifestation of an “other” in relation to it.
The Cosmos of Relativity would introduce a profound metaphysical and cosmological concept—the Paradox of Relativity—that would blur the line between reality and perception. According to the Buddha, because one thing could not exist independently of some other thing, all things that existed were related to one another. In this cosmos, “Reality” referred to a temporary bond between relative things, not to the reality of the things themselves. Because relativity applied across the Threefold Field of Form Formlessness and Desire, a human being’s physical, mental/emotional and spiritual expressions were integrated with the reality that they encountered.
ENCHANTED CREATURES
The Cosmos of Relativity introduced a philosophical exploration of reality. Through this the Buddha would expose his followers to the possibility that Form was intrinsically Formless. His probing of relativity would raise questions about reality and illusion.
In the teachings of the Four Noble Truths, illusion was equated with deception. Perpetrated either by devious forces or through self-delusion, it was to be exposed and avoided. But in the Cosmos of Relativity, illusion acquired a critical purpose of its own. Illusion became an essential function of existence. Without its projection existence would not be possible. It was the vehicle that cast forth the Universe and the myriad of composites, conditions, and dimensions of existence.
Could it be that illusion and reality were not opposites? Could they be complimentary?
For the next twenty-two years, the Cosmos of Relativity, Saka-muni’s longest discourse, he would offer several transcendent visions: windows into events far in space, the unveiling of hidden dimensions, and snapshots from his past lives. He would unlock the door to a far more expansive view of reality, questioning what was real and what was imagined. Through the Cosmos of Relativity he would open the minds of his disciples to unimaginable possibilities.
The stories of his past lives (Skt. Jatakas) provided many examples of his personal dedication to the pursuit of Enlightenment. He had faced and overcome many challenges in exotic lands across more than 75 million lifetimes prior to attaining Perfect Enlightenment in this life. Sakamuni repeatedly emphasized that his eventual attainment of Perfect Enlightenment was due to his unwavering dedication to tirelessly pursue this goal, lifetime after lifetime. As he shared his experiences, the minds of his listeners broadened to a larger and grander view of space, time, and dimensions—breaking down their preconceptions and taking them to places where the imagined and the real were inseparably linked.
After completing his course on the Mind of Nature, the redesign of the Golden Mountain Cosmology, he wished to honor the role of Nature in bringing forth life to this world. Like other shamans, the Buddha was a storyteller well versed in popular legends inherited from shamanic times about enchanted spirit-creatures responsible for the origination of life on Earth. Using these imaginative stories he would illustrate the principle that evolution, an “unseen” force at work below the surface of existence, had led to human emergence and will continue to guide humans into the future.
At one time, some householders visiting with Sakamuni brought a small group of children to meet the Buddha.
One of them asked, “Can you please tell us a story about a magical place?”
As they gathered around his feet a beam projected from Sakamuni’s forehead opening a vision portal into the hidden spirit dimension of Nature, a surreal world of wonder busy with mythic creatures.
At first the children could not tell if they were in a dream or a real place.
As the vision unfolded, they saw many wonderful, enchanted creatures arriving to pay homage to the Buddha. As the Buddha was perched on a promontory point, he could see and be seen by all. Surveying the creatures, he saw many types: some with physical bodies and others with virtual bodies, including humans, animals, nature-spirits, and heavenly forces.
The Buddha asked the children if they were familiar with these enchanted creatures.
Did they know the tale in the Brahmin Upanisad about the time when the celestial Devas merged with the Nagas, the Water Dragons? They nodded that they did not.
Well, he said, this was a most important event, because their union produced the first rains from the sky. These Naga-Devas became the clouds that provide the clean drinking water that comes from above. This union of Heaven and Earth had strengthened the ability of Nature to nurture the world.
In primordial times, when the rain began to fall from the Heavens, sprites came down with it. As they took residence in the waters, these “invisible” spirit-beings infused the water with the essences and powers of life’s procreating and sustaining energies. But then, just as life on Earth was awakening, some reckless Water Dragons (Skt. Nagas) contaminated the life-giving seminal waters with ill health, chaos, and death.
When this happened, hu
man beings were still primitive and fell ill with no one to help them. At that time a Buddha-to-be appeared. He had mastered the skills of a physician and cured them with his special elixir. Although their lives were saved they could not yet appreciate what he had done. But when the creatures of Nature saw this, they came to honor him with a parade led by their kings.
The spirit creatures were happy to make their introductions. Having the ability to know that he would become Sakamuni Buddha in a future lifetime, eight Water Dragon kings came first and bowed before him. These keepers of Heaven’s life-nurturing treasures each had left their palaces, some located as high as the clouds and others down below at the bottom of the sea. The Naga kings were Sea Serpents and Rain Dragons, creatures with giant water-bearing cobra bodies, either human or reptilian faces, and with lightening-eyes and thunder-breath. A long retinue followed. Coming from the oceans, lakes, rivers, and the sky, many heavenly and water creatures brought greetings and salutations from the Heavens of Form and Desire.
The procession continued with the arrival of the Cosmic Performers (Skt. Kimnara). Led by their kings, they sang and danced before the Buddha-to-be. The males of these creatures had human bodies and heads of horses,176 but their female partners were fully human. Their retinues performed amazing music, dance, and acrobatic feats.
After them the kings of the Sound Fairies (Skt. Gandharva) and their followers strolled into view strumming their heavenly instruments. Their presence caused the land to transform into air. Across the heavens, flanking the progress of the sun, Illuminated Divinities (Skt. Deva) few in formation riding upon the backs of colossal wind-generating Flying Creatures (Skt. Garuda) each with the head of a bird, a human body, and outspread wings. Retinues of heavenly attendants followed the divine ones, bowing deeply with appropriate respect for the Buddha.
