The Four World Pillars
         In Ancient Egyptian mythology the Four World Pillars held up the heavens and represented the four cardinal points of NSEW. The Four Pillars of Heaven are clearly visible on both the side and the front of the Masonic Temple.

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         Furthermore the Sacred Waters are represented swirling around both the side and front of the building, on a level with the tops of the windows. (See picture below.) The fresco is an integral part of the decoration encoding Ancient Egyptian mythology concerning not only the watery abyss of the Netherworld but also the Great Flood (See Part 10) the River Nile and the Milky Way. The Milky Way also known as the Celestial River Nile. (See Part 2 and Part 3)

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The Winged Disk

         Directly below the two central Pillars on the front of the Temple is the Winged Disk in full flight.

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         For confirmation of this esoteric meaning let us take a closer look at the engraving of the Winged Disk on the Masonic Building. Within the Sacred Gateway is to be found the emblem of the Royal Arch Chapter: the Triple Tau within a triangle, within a circle.

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     In Part 10 it was discovered that from the Tau hieroglyph in the Ancient Egyptian Book of the Dead it is clear that "Tau" means "holy or sacred gate" or "holy or sacred opening". The five-pointed star denotes the word "sacred".

         The Double and Triple Tau represent the plural form of Tau. Visually, when the Taus are joined together horizontally, they represent a temple. Two examples of this are: the hieroglyph between the Taurus Bulls' heads on each side of the Narmer Plate, and also Stone Henge. The vertical trunks of the Taus represent the columns of the Temple. In the Osiris Legend, Osiris was encased in a tree trunk, which was later utilized as a pillar. The pillar of a temple represents Osiris … who has already been evidenced as the Axis Munde in the Djed Pillar; the Pillar of Stability.

(See Part 4 and Part 6)

Since a Tau is a "sacred gateway, opening or portal", and multiple Taus form a Temple, it follows that a Temple is a gateway, opening or portal: a portal to the Netherworld through which the Sun rises at the Dawn of a New Age of the Zodiac.

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The Square and Compasses

         Directly below the Winged Disk and above the entrance to the Temple are carved the Square and Compasses. Today a pair of compasses like these would be called "dividers". Without these instruments it would have been impossible for the Remote Ancient Egyptians to measure the rate of Precession accurately. Furthermore without the Plumb Rule used in conjunction with the Plumb Line they would have been unable to measure the positions of stars and their corresponding positions on the ground. The Constellation of Monoceros forms the Square and Compasses, Canis Minor is a Plumb Rule. (See Part 5)

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The All-seeing Eye of Ra

         Within the porchway, above the double doors is the all-seeing Eye of Ra. Uncharacteristically it is not like its Egyptian counterpart. Rather, like the hieroglyphs on the side of the building, it has been Anglicized so that it appears complete with bushy eyebrow!

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 Note: This myth does not take into account the true Absolute, the true Self-existent, the true First Cause … The Celestial Sphinx. (See Part 2 and Part 3) Osiris usurped the position and title of the Celestial Sphinx "Giver of Life in the Beginning".
        

(The "ouija board", derived from the Ancient Egyptian "Ouadjit", is the modern day equivalent of the All-seeing Eye of Ra.)

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b) As the Sun, the Eye of Ra was denoted by the hieroglyph of a "dot within a circle" as well as the Ouadjit. Even today the Sun is sometimes referred to as "the eye of the day".

c) As a "dot within a circle" the All-seeing Eye of Ra is a symbol of Precession. The "dot within a circle" is the pole of the ecliptic, the central point of the revolution of the Signs of the Zodiac and the Ages of the Zodiac around the heavens, and as such is the Fifth Cardinal Point. (See Part 5)

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d) Finally, as a Watchful Eye the All-seeing Eye is considered in terms of humanity being under the complete surveillance of a Supreme Being. (See Part 3) The Celestial Sphinx was the Supreme Being in the heavens in 14000BCE.

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17th century Freemasonic headstone

         I could not help but compare the Port Adelaide Masonic Building in the form of an Ancient Egyptian Temple with this 17th century Freemasonic headstone. As with the Ancient Egyptian Temple the Sacred Knowledge of Precession is crafted into it.

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Task: To find as many symbols of Precession as you can …

• Find three Sacred Gateways of the Sun
• Find two Winged Disks
• Find two Pillars
• Find a Double Tau (the pi symbol)
• Find at least two Temples
• Find two symbols of Precession in addition to those already mentioned

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         When the waters receded the land would have been at first "soaking" underfoot. The final remnant of the "wash" was the Village Pond, which is now filled in and referred to as the Village Green. I wonder what treasures lie metres deep under the Village Green.

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         "Ton" at the end of a place name does not, as many people mistakenly believe, refer to an early form of the word "town". Nor does it necessarily refer to a "homestead". Rather it is another form of the old Anglo-Saxon word "torr" meaning "a prominent hill". "Torr" is a version of the Hebrew "tur" meaning "round tower" in the form of a mountain. Our English word "turret" is derived from this. At the end of a place name "tor" and "ton" take on an added significance; they both mean "a holy hill".
         There is only one holy hill in Washington Village and that is the one upon which the Holy Trinity Church stands.

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• A holy hill initially surrounded by water.
• A holy hill surrounded by land which was a quagmire underfoot as the waters receded.
• A holy hill situated next to a pond as the land dried out.

Washington Village and the Druids
         "Ton" at the end of a place name not only denotes a "holy hill", it denotes a holy hill which was sacred to Venus and which was of special significance to the Druids.
         Venus, although a planet, is referred to by astronomers as "The Evening and Morning Star". The idea being portrayed is that of Death and Rebirth. This confirms that Death and Rebirth, or Resurrection, were central to the Druid religious philosophy; as they were to that of the Ancient Egyptians.
         Tradition tells us that the person who is responsible for introducing religion and culture to Britain was the Celt/Druid Hesus. In this, his role was not unlike that of Osiris, who was the source of all knowledge in Ancient Egypt. (See Part 3)
         The connection with ancient Egypt however does not end here. Hesus was also known as Hu. (See Part 2) His very name Hesus/Hu, together with his role, embodies the Sacred Knowledge of the Ancient Egyptians … that of Hu the Celestial Sphinx, Creation, and the Precession of the Equinoxes.(See Parts 1-13)

         Druid mythology relates that Hesus/Hu was fathered by God and born of a virgin mother, Mayence in the 9th century BC. He was later crucified but his soul survived after Death. Sound familiar?
         It was upon the "holy hill" that the Druids held an annual ceremony in which they re-enacted the crucifixion of Hesus. This was called the Beltane Festival.
         In Washington Village this ceremony could only have been held on the current site of the Holy Trinity Church.

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In the Beltane ritual ceremony Hesus/Hu was crucified on an oak tree which was symbolic of the Tree of Life.
       

 Imagine the scene at "Wesington" two millennia and more in the past … a sturdy oak tree standing atop a holy hill which was possibly still surrounded by water. It was a sacred island; a sacred mound. The present day site of the Holy Trinity Church was, and still is, a sacred mound. A "holy hill" is another way of saying "sacred mound".

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The Tree of Life and Washington Village

         In mythology the Tree of Life grew out of the Sacred Mound, it's branches reaching out and supporting the star and planet studded sky, while it's roots reached down into the watery abyss of the Netherworld. The trunk of the Tree of Life represented the World Pillar or Axis Munde (literally "Axis of the Mound") around which the heavens appeared to revolve. The World Pillar was the centre of the universe.

         Similarly, the Sacred Oak on the Sacred Mound at Washington Village was a world pillar representing the centre of the universe.

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         In the Ancient Egyptian hieroglyph for the Tree of Life we have a direct link from the Ancient Egyptians, down through Hesus, to the people who re-enacted the crucifixion of Hesus at Washington Village.

         When Hesus was crucified upon the Tree of Life he metaphorically became as one with the Tree. Just as Osiris became one with the tamarisk tree in which he was encased (See Part 6) so Hesus/Hu became as one with the oak tree. Both Osiris and Hesus/Hu were representative of the Axis Munde around which the heavens appear to revolve; they were representative of the World Pillar, the link between the terrestrial and the celestial worlds. They held the heavens in their outstretched arms, and they soaked up the Word of God from the waters of the Netherworld. In Ancient Egypt the Netherworld was called the "Netterworld" meaning the "World of the gods". The gods had their home among the stars.

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(Note: The origin of the crucifixion legends together with the personification of the Axis Munde is recorded in the Ancient Egyptian Myth of Osiris which can be found in Part 6. More information on the Hesus/Jesus connection can be found in Part 15.)

The Beltane Festival, which was celebrated at Washington Village two millennia and more ago, arrived from remote Ancient Egypt via Ancient Babylon and Syria. With the advent of Christianity the Beltane Festival was eventually replaced by Easter.

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George Washington: The First President of the United States of America

         Washington Village, Tyne-Wear, is renowned the world over as the ancestral home of George Washington, the First President of the United States of America. His great-grandfather, Colonel John Washington, emigrated to Virginia in 1656 from Sulgrave Manor in Northamptonshire. The Washington family relocated to Sulgrave Manor from Washington Manor, via Westmoreland, Lancashire and Warwickshire, in the early to mid sixteenth century.

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         After the Battle of Shadon's Hill it would be logical that William would install one of his fellow countrymen in a nearby locality to quell the natives and prevent further insurrections. Washington Village would have been the ideal location.
         Certainly the stone manor house was built in the Norman architectural style. The stone archways between the current kitchen and the Great hall evidence this. The present Washington Old Hall was built in the early 1600's on top of the original Norman foundations.

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The Coat of Arms adopted by William de Wassington reflects his position and status of a knight. It comprises three red five-pointed stars and two red banners, in the horizontal position, on a white background. Originally however the background was silver. Heraldry in the form of standards dates back to the Ancient Egyptians as early as 4468BC. (See Part 12) The introduction of heraldry into England is credited to William I after the Norman Conquest of 1066. Originally the shields are believed to have been a single colour but as the custom grew more popular a second colour was introduced. The very early composition of the Washington Coat of Arms is reflected in its use of only two colours.

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• The background is called "the field".
• The stripes are called "the charges".
• The two stripes in the horizontal position are referred to as a "two bar" design. Forty years ago and more these stripes were referred to locally as "banners".
• The upper section of the shield, or field, is called "the chief".
• The three stars in the chief are "the secondary charges".

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• A five-pointed star is called "a mollet" or "mullet" because it resembles the rowel of a spur. A rowel is a spiked disk on a spur, used to urge on the horse to victory. It is also a piece of hair or leather with a hole in it which is placed under a horse's skin to discharge pus. The 14th century Coat of Arms of William de Wassington has three pierced mullets. Combining these two meanings the mullet signifies Endurance and Purification, or taken one step further, Endurance to achieve Purification. Having thus distinguished himself the candidate "won his spurs": he was made a knight.

• The white field was originally silver, and is referred to as "argent".

• The red of the charges and secondary charges is referred to as "gules", which comes from the Latin meaning "ermine, dyed red". Ermine, the white winter fur of the stoat, signifies Peerage, Judgement and Purity.

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Commemoration of the USA/ Washington Connection
         The USA connections with Washington Village are commemorated in many ways. For example:

• in hanging a portrait of George Washington both inside the Library and outside "The Washington Arms" at the Village Green;

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• in the establishment of the "Washington Greys" Jazz band,

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• and in the celebration of American Independence Day on July 4th every year at the Washington Old Hall.

         Following the raising of the "Stars and Stripes", which was a very emotional experience, the "Washington Presidents" also took part in the celebrations.

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         Finally the activities concluded on a British note with a terrific performance by the Morris Dancers.

Dilmunis associated with ancient sites on the islands of Bahrain in the Persian Gulf, the Cradle of Civilization.

Dilmun (sometimes transliterated Telmun) is associated with ancient sites on the islands of Bahrain in the Persian Gulf. Because of its location along the sea trade routes linking Mesopotamia with the Indus Valley Civilization, Dilmun developed in the Bronze Age, from ca. 3000 BC, into one of the greatest entrepots of trade of the ancient world.

There is both literary and archaeological evidence for the trade between Mesopotamia and the Indus Valley (probably correctly identified with the land called Meluhha in Akkadian). Impressions of clay seals from the Indus Valley city of Harappa were evidently used to seal bundles of merchandise, as clay seal impressions with cord or sack marks on the reverse side testify.

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A number of these Indus Valley seals have turned up at Ur and other Mesopotamian sites. "Persian Gulf" types of circular stamped rather than rolled seals, known from Dilmun, that appear at Lothal in Gujarat, India, and Faylahkah, as well as in Mesopotamia, are convincing corroboration of the long-distance sea trade. What the commerce consisted of is less sure: timber and precious woods, ivory, lapis lazuli, gold, and luxury goods such as carnelian and glazed stone beads, pearls from the Persian Gulf, shell and bone inlays, were among the goods sent to Mesopotamia in exchange for silver, tin, woolen textiles, olive oil and grains. Copper ingots, certainly, bitumen, which occurred naturally in Mesopotamia, may have been exchanged for cotton textiles and domestic fowl, major products of the Indus region that are not native to Mesopotamia - all these have been instanced.

Mesopotamian trade documents, lists of goods, and official inscriptions mentioning Meluhha supplement Harappan seals and archaeological finds. Literary references to Meluhhan trade date from the Akkadian, the Third Dynasty of Ur, and Isin - Larsa Periods (ca. 2350 - 1800 BC), but the trade probably started in the Early Dynastic Period (ca. 2600 BC). Some Meluhhan vessels may have sailed directly to Mesopotamian ports, but by the Isin - Larsa Period, Dilmun monopolized the trade. By the subsequent Old Babylonian period, trade between the two cultures evidently had ceased entirely.

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The Bahrain National Museum assesses that its "Golden Age" lasted ca. 2200 - 1600 BC. Its decline dates from the time the Indus Valley civilization suddenly and mysteriously collapsed, in the middle of the 2nd millennium BC. This would of course have stripped Dilmun of its importance as a trading center between Mesopotamia and India. The decay of the great sea trade with the east may have affected the power shift northwards observed in Mesopotamia itself.

Evidence about Neolithic human cultures in Dilmun comes from flint tools and weapons. From later periods, cuneiform tablets, cylinder seals, pottery and even correspondence between rulers throw light on Dilmun. Written records mentioning the archipelago exist in Sumerian, Akkadian, Persian, Greek, and Latin sources.

Dilmun, sometimes described as "the place where the sun rises" and "the Land of the Living" is the scene of a Sumerian creation myth and the place where the deified Sumerian hero of the flood, Ziusudra (Utnapishtim), was taken by the gods to live for ever.

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There is mention of Dilmun as a vassal of Assyria in the 8th century BC and by about 600 BC, it had been fully incorporated into the Neo-Babylonian Empire. Dilmun then falls into deep eclipse marked by the decline of the copper trade, so long controlled by Dilmun, and the switch to a less important role in the new trade of frankincense and spices. The discovery of an impressive palace at the Ras al Qalah site in Bahrain is promising to increase knowledge of this late period.

Otherwise, there is virtually no information until the passage of Nearchus, the admiral in charge of Alexander the Great's fleet on the return from the Indus Valley. Nearchus kept to the Iranian coast of the Gulf, however, and cannot have stopped at Dilmun. Nearchus established a colony on the island of Falaika off the coast of Kuwait in the late 4th century BC, and explored the Gulf perhaps least as far south as Dilmun/Bahrain.

From the time of Nearchus until the coming of Islam in the 7th century AD Dilmun/Bahrain was known by its Greek name of Tylos. The political history for this period is little known, but Tylos was at one point part of the Seleucid Empire, and of Characene and perhaps part of the Parthian Empire. Shapur II annexed it, together with eastern Arabia, into the Persian Sasanian empire in the 4th century.

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Unlike Egyptian and Mesopotamian tablets and cylinders, the Dilmun legacy has been discovered on circular seals. The primitive forms of images carved on the seal indicate they were used as charms or talisman. Carved on wood, soapstone shells or metal, these images clearly define a complex society. Temples in the center of the agrarian village, towns, city-states, religious, and economic cultural life. All facets of the emergence of an evolutionary society are reflected in the inscriptions about the seals.

Impressions found on pottery and property is a probable usage of the seals. Burying them with the dead was probably to avoid misuse. Tiny fragments found impressed, suggest identifying property. Clearly there was an intrinsic value; each seal tells a story, has an identity.

Seals depict Enki, God of wisdom and sweet water. Gilgamesh as a massive and heroic figure, the 'Bull of heaven' hat. Ladies of the mountains 'Inanas' servants wearing her triangle signs depicting space for her power. 'Nana' is the moon god who was also named 'sin'. Symbol was the bull of heaven head. Inana, goddess of immortality.

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From the dreams of Gilgamesh, to the philosophy of life. Seals depicting a harmonious life with nature and god are painted here in the colors and form I hope you enjoy. The colors naturally excite and stimulate, often sexually. Indisputably the ancient myths of immortality and resurrection influenced Dilmun beliefs and are abundantly supported in the seal designs, represented by gods of the sun and moon.

The Mesopotamian texts described Tilmun as situated at the 'mouth' of two bodies of water. The Sinai peninsula, shaped as an inverted triangle indeed begins where the Red Sea separates into two arms - the gulf of Suez on the west, and the Gulf of Elat (Gulf of Aqaba) on the east.

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The texts spoke of mountainous Tilmun. The Sinai peninsula is indeed made up of a high mountainous southern part, a mountainous central plateau, and a northern plain (surrounded by mountains), which levels off via sandy hills to the Mediterranean coastline. Sargon of Akkad claimed that he reached as 'washed his weapons' in the Mediterranean; 'the sea lands' - the lands along the Mediterranean coast - 'three times I encircled; Tilmun my hand captured'. Sargon II, king of Assyria in the eighth century BC, asserted that he had conquered the area stretching 'from Bit-Yahkin on the shore of the salt Sea as far as the border of Tilmun'. The name 'Salt Sea' has survived to this day as a Hebrew name for the Dead Sea - another confirmation that Tilmun lay in proximity to the Dead Sea.

The cradle of civilization is sometimes referenced by the name Dilmun, or Tilmun. Here, it was said, the god Ea and his wife were placed to institute 'a sinless age of complete happiness'.

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Here too animals lived in peace and harmony, man had no rival and the god Enlil `in one tongue gave praise'. It is also described as a pure, clean and `bright' `abode of the immortals' where death, disease and sorrow are unknown and some mortals have been given `life like a god', words reminiscent of the Airyana Vaejah, the realm of the immortals in Iranian myth and legend, and the Eden of Hebraic tradition.

Although Dilmun is equated by most scholars with the island of Bahrain in the Persian Gulf, there is evidence to suggest that a much earlier mythical Dilmun was located in a mountainous region beyond the plains of Sumer.

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But where exactly was it located Mesopotamian inscriptions do not say; however, the Zoroastrian Bundahishn text and the Christian records of Arbela in Iraqi Kurdistan both refer to a location named Dilamƒn as having existed around the head waters of the Tigris, south-west of Lake Van - the very area in which the biblical Eden is said to have been located.

Furthermore, Ea (the Akkadian Enki) was said to have presided over the concourse of Mesopotamia's two greatest rivers - the Tigris and Euphrates - which are shown in depictions as flowing from each of his shoulders.

This would have undoubtedly have meant that the head-waters, or sources, of these rivers would have been looked upon as sacred to Ea by the cultures of Mesopotamia's Fertile Crescent.

- Zecharia Sitchin The Stairway to Heaven

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It was the home of the Sumerian king who was the origin of the myth of Noah, the immortal survivor of the Great Flood,a story retold in the Qu'ran and the Bible.

The first great hero of world literature, Gilgameshthe king of Uruk, journeyed to Dilmun in search of the secret of eternal youth.

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He found it deep in the waters of the Persian Gulf, off Bahrain, but lost it when the flower which restored the youth of those who sought it, was stolen by a snake, lurking in a pool as Gilgamesh returned to his kingdom; this is the reason why the snake sloughs his skin.

Symbolism - All is Myth and Metaphor in our reality

• water: flow of consciousness - creation

• restore to youth: move out of the physical body and return to higher frequency forms of sound, light, and color

• snake: DNA - the human bio-genetic experiment in time and emotion

• kingdom - Leo - Lion - King - Omega - closure

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Dilmun was also the center of the most important trade routes of the third and second millennia BC. The most important commodity was copper for which Dilmun was famous and the dates for which Bahrain was always celebrated, from ancient times until the present day.

Because Dilmun was so sacred a land, there were many temples built there, the impressive remains of which can be seen today. The largest and most splendid temple surviving in Western Asia is at Barbar on Bahrain's northern shore.

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The most famous of all Bahrain's rich archaeological heritage are the 200,000 grave mounds which are a feature of the landscape in the northern half of the island and which, by their size and quality of construction, show how prosperous Bahrain must have been in ancient times.

Dilmun continued to be the most important center of trade in the Gulf region throughout its history.

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The records of their diplomatic relations with the kings of Dilmun, some of whose names are known from the records, testify to the importance of the islands throughout antiquity.

All left evidence of their presence, preserved today in the Bahrain National Museum and in the immense archaeological sites in which Bahrain is particularly rich.

Bahrain is an open-air treasure house of the past, a unique heritage from the earliest times when men first began to keep records of their hopes, fears and achievements.

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Formative Dilmun (3200 - 2200 BC):

It is in this period that the earliest mention of name "Dilmun" occurs in Mesopotamian inscriptions. New civilizations had emerged. Cylinder seals from Dilmun were found which were imprinted with tales of the merchants' everyday life of the time.

These discoveries confirmed that trading existed as early as the end of the fourth millennium between Mesopotamia, Dilmun (Bahrain), Magan (Oman), Melukhah and Harapah, the capital cities of the Valley of the Indus, Mesopotamia and the Valley of the Indus. Each country had already reached a high level of civilization at that time.

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On one ancient tablet dated 3100 B.C. Dilmun is described as an "Elysium" where the inhabitants were eternally young and suffered no illnesses, "where the raven did not croak and wolves and lion did not devour their prey."

Early Dilmun (2200 - 1600 BC)

This was the Golden Age of Dilmun during which it reached the zenith of its prosperity and influence. Dilmun controlled the trading routes and built fortified cities, magnificent temples and thousands of burial mounds.

Middle Dilmun (1600 - 1000 BC)

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Late Dilmun (1000 - 330 BC)

This period was marked by the decline of the copper trade, so long controlled by Dilmun, and the switch to a less important role in the new flourishing trade of incense and spices. The discovery of the impressive Uperi Palace at Ras al Qalah greatly increased our knowledge of this period.

The collection of Dilmun seals feature prominently in this Hall. The round stamp seals, as opposed to the square seals of neighboring civilizations, are the primary evidence that Dilmun had its own trade relations with the outside world. The exhibits trace the sequence of development of the stamp seals over time as represented by the variety of materials and social and religious subjects portrayed.

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