"Solving" the Riddle of the Sphinx - Why is Christmas More Than a "Holiday?"
In the Book of Genesis, Adam named the animals and was told to be the steward of the Earth. God named the stars "for signs and seasons and times (Psalm 147)." Ancient Wisdom has been passed down in those star names since mankind�s disobedience, something far greater than the mythologists and the musings of astrologers. At the Tower of Babel, the languages of men became confused over their attempts to gain world power through interpreting the movement of the stars, constellations and planets. In 332 BC, Aristotle complained that Greek mythology was a perversion of then Ancient Wisdom. The Thread of Truth was always there, but we are lauded for our ignorance of it.
The pure Thread of Truth, that Ancient Wisdom, was passed down in the stars to all men of all time. The Seed of the Woman of Virgo, the Redeemer, would be wounded in conflict with the evil one, but would crush him. It would take His own pure, blood sacrifice, prefigured until His coming by the ritual offering of a spotless animal.
Perversion entered into that hope with the jealous murder of Abel by Cain and every brother that murdered brother since. Civilizations, especially their infants, virgins and captives have suffered from distorted religion and power lusting mankind's free will ever since. The technology and means have changed, but the sinfulness has not.
DNA tracking has proven we all came from one set of parents in East Central Africa. Science found our true Adam and Eve. (see www.nationalgeographic.com/genographic ) - Our belief systems also apparently came from an original source. The ever present Thread of Truth remained as mankind migrated around the world. From the beginning a simple, wonderful and mysterious hope will ultimately be the basis for mutual respect and common goals among us.
Night-to-night, the brilliant awe-inspiring stars told a story to countless generations. The hope of promised Redemption was passed on as sages and parents taught their children about the hope and cycles of the seasons. The star names and symbols were recorded by wise men of old. To bring mankind�s hopes into focus, the message was implanted in the Tribes of Israel, in their signs, their symbols, and was reflected in their movements. Their prophets recorded it in their sacred Scripture. The world hated them for the innocent challenge imposed by covenant with God. The Magi astrologers (the "Three Kings of the Orient"), ones who knew how to read the meaning in the stars, saw signs in the heavens that alerted them to watch for a major happening among the people of Israel. A brilliant star (of Bethlehem)appeared in what some say to be the constellation "Comah" in Virgo (now Berenice's Wig!), pictured in the ancient zodiacs as a virgin girl holding a small boy. He was known as "Shes-Nu", the Desired One.
Great Sphinx Riddle - News
Its order solves the ancient "Riddle of the Sphinx." In the Temple of Esneh, there is a zodiac circle around the base of the temple dome with a woman faced sphinx resting between Virgo and Leo, thereby showing where the story told in the stars is bound
To attack or not to attack Iran is the 'Sphinx Riddle' Obama faces to get re-elected in 2012. Every US president sets the stage for the second term and for that he has to look for a scapegoat as a target for all his failures.
I was also trying to sneak in a "stages of man" reference, to fit with the Riddle of the Sphinx allusion in the book's title. Another influence on the structure of the stories was my ideal market for the book. Once I imagined it as a mini-collection,
HR Coursen was born in 1932 in Newark, NJ He attended Amherst College, where he was a member of Sphinx, an honor society. He went on to attend Wesleyan University and the University of Connecticut, from which he received a Ph.D. in English.
This is a teasingly enigmatic display, a sometimes baffling but always thought-provoking anthology of paintings, studies and drawings. Reflecting its rather slippery subject, The Mystery of Appearance is a sphinx's riddle of an exhibition.