I am creating a blog to open people’s minds to new ideas. It will be about my many interests such as astrology, astronomy, finances, science, history, mythology, religion, etc. I will also accept ideas from other people.
Introduction
You can make your astral body come out of your physical body. There are different techniques to do this. Certain herbs can do this too. The Astral body is one of our subtle bodies. People have done since 4 millennia and a lot of people still are. When you are in your astral body you can travel to a lot of different places. The astral realm is like a dream, but it is very real. This where the afterlife takes places.
Techniques
Meditation can help someone astral project and so could self-hypnosis. Lucid dreaming can help you astral project. You can think of a dream as your very own are astral realm. Visualization can help you astral project. Certain sounds can help you astral project. I assume it easiest to do this when you are in a theta brainwave.
Earthquake: Lay down in complete darkness. Visualize your aura. Focus energy on your temples and see the energy back and forth. Shake the energy until you are conscious of your astral body.
Astral Herbs
Mugwort: This herb helps have more vivid dreams and it helps get to the astral realm.
Ayahuasca: Taking can open portals to different dimensions.
Mexican Dream Herb: Has a similar effect as mugwort.
Tobacco: This herb is an astral portal. Fire and water are al
Salvia: It is like Mexican Dream Herb. When taking have someone there to watch you.
There are many other herbs you can use. Make sure you research b4 using a herb, because they may have side effects. You can an herbal tea and you can use herbal pills.
Astral Body
This is the body most people call soul. It is very mutable. It can shape-shift. It can become a spider, dragon, or anything you can imagine. It isn't as limited as the physical body. It can do all that stuff you see on tv. It is the blueprint of the etheric body, which is the blueprint for the psychical body. You travel to different planets in your astral body. You can explore the universe.
Astral Realm
This realm is shaped by our collective imagination. Ancestral spirits live there. Many versions of heaven and hell exist there; there are many other places as well. You can find angels and demons here. Gods, goddesses, and alien spirits live there too. Anything humanity believed in strongly exist there. Check out South Park Imagination Land. Those episodes show you what the astral plane is like to a degree.
Conclusion
If you want to know what the afterlife is like you should astral project. If you want meet spirits you should astral project. If you want to have fun you should ap. It is so amazing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! If you practice long enough you can do it. People have been doing this 4 a long time, but it may have been secret until recently. It is known around the world.
Introduction
This religion was practiced by the Viking and other Germanic tribes. It has a rich mythology, cosmology, and symbols. Runes were used by practitioners of this religion. This religion had shamans that practiced different forms of magick. Christianization of Northern Europe caused the Norse Religion to die. Asatru is its rebirth.
Mythology & Cosmology
Yggdrasil: This is the world tree. It has 9 worlds on it. They are Midgard, Asgard, Vanaheim, Jotunheim, Nifheim, Muspelheim, Alfheim, Svartalfheim, and Helheim.
Niflheim: Ice world. Similar to Helhiem.
Vanaheim: It has a very natural look.
Asgard: This was a very civilized place with splendid buildings. it is connected to earth by a rainbow bridge.
Midgard: Earth: It wasn't as civilized as Asgard, but not as chaotic as Jotunheim.
Jotunheim: The environment and people blend together in this land. This is the most chaotic world.
Alfheim: Beautiful forest.
Svartalfheim: The underground world of dwarves.
Helheim: It existed under Midgard. This where most people went when they died.
Muspellheim: World of fire.
Valhalla: Warriors that died in battle lived here. They were able to dine with deities.
Ymir: He was the 1st person to exist. He was a giant. The universe was made out of his body.
War of Tribes: The Vanir and Aesir went to war. Vanir used magick and Assir used weapons. They made a truce and exchanged deities.
Vanir: A tribe of sex, nature, and magick deities. They lived in Vanaheim.
Aesir: A tribe of deities that lived in Asgard.
Giants: They very powerful beings of destruction and chaos.
Elves: Very playful beautiful creatures. They are closely related to the Vanir. They could make humans sick and they could cure them. Sometimes elves and humans can produce offspring together. That offspring was very magical.
Dwarves: They were great blacksmiths. They created Thor's hammer, Odin's spear, Freyr ship, etc. They would turn to stone when exposed to sunlight. They weren't midgets.
Land Spirits: They protect the land. They can bless or curse anyone that touches the land.
Ancestors: Spirits of the deceased that bless the land and their relatives.
Odin: Leader of the Aesir. He is the god of the sky and rode a slide. He has two ravens and 2 wolves. He is one of the inspirations of Santa Claus. He took out his right eye and hung on Yggdrasil 4 wisdom. He created runes.
Freya: She was a Vani and the sister of Freyr. She is the goddess of love, fertility, and beauty. She moved to Asgard and did magic 4 people. They got upset with her because they became obsessed with her magic. They killed her several times. This led to theWar of Tribes.
Freyr: He was Vanir. He was the most famous deity among Germanic tribes. He may have ruled Alfheim.
Thor: Son of Odin. He was a war god. He had a mighty hammer(phallic symbol). One time he lost his hammer and he was put in a dress. A king was going to marry him. He got his hammer back rip off the dress and kicked ass.
Njord: He was Vanir. He was the father of Freya and Freyr. He was the god of the sea, fertility, and wealth. He married a giant, but it didn't last long because they lived in conflicting environments.
Loki: He was a trickster god. He was a god in Asgard. He was half-giant. Hel is his daughter. Baldur was killed by his trickery.
Baldur: Son of Odin and Freya. He was the most handsome deity, because of that a giantess wanted to marry him. She married Njord by mistake. Baldur had a dream he was attacked by something. Freya made it so no object can hurt him. Loki found out mistle was able to hurt him. He got a Hodr to throw a mistle spear @ Baldur. That killed Baldur.
Hel: She was the ruler of Helheim.
Jormungard: Serpent that surrounds the world. He is Loki's son.
Fenrir: A giant wolf. He is Loki's son.
Ragnarok: This is the end of the world. Loki and Fenrir lead an attack on the Aesir. They made Yggdrasil tremble. Loki was in command of a giant army that attacked Asgard. Thor and Jormungard killed each other. Fenrir killed Odin and Tyr. Vidar killed Fenrir. Surt and Freyr killed each other. Heimdall and Loki killed each other. Baldur resurrected after Ragnarok. He was glorious.
Symbols
Thor's Hammer: Protection
Swastika: Luck, power, wealth, etc.
Valknut: Odin's and death's symbol.
The Helm of Awe: Protection
Svefnthorn: Puts people to sleep.
Runes
This was the written language of Germanic tribes. Each rune represents an idea, sound, and energy. There are 3 types of runes. They are Elder Futhark, Younger Futhark, and Anglo-Saxon Futhorc. The runes may be based on a southern European script. Words help shape our reality. Runes can help humans communicate with spirits.
Norse Shamanism
Female shamans were called Volva. They practiced 3 forms of magic. They were seior, spa, and galdr. They were diviners, sex magic, etc. The Romans saw these shamans and wrote about them. They engaged in ritual human sacrifice. They like dancing to drum beats. The Catholic Church wiped out the Volvas.
Rituals
The Vikings hung people from trees as a sacrifice 4 Thor. Once a chief died a slave girl was raped by all the men in the village while intoxicated. Then she was stabbed by the oldest woman in the village. Her course and the chief was burned on a ship. People were sacrificed on the Yule. Yule is the mother of Christmas. Sometimes they would sacrifice an animal to deities. They would collect the blood in a cup and drink it. Viking men would bleach their hair so it could be blond. The bleaching killed lice.
Christianization of Northern Europe
Denmark: The Vikings brought Christian slaves there. These slaves introduced Christianity to the Vikings. The King of Denmark had diplomatic relationship with England. This made it easy for the Vikings to accept Christianity.
Sweden: A monk came there to spread the word. It wasn't received well. Later on, a Christian king came to power. He made Christianity more popular.
Norway: A Christian king allowed people to practice the Norse Religion; while he had Christian churches built. The king after him destroyed all the churches he built and persecuted the Christians. Then a Christian king came to power and spread Christianity all over Norway. He persecuted non-Christians and destroyed their temples.
Asatru
This religion is a recreation of the Norse Religion. The word Asatru means beliefs in gods. This religion is 4 all European people. This religion is polytheistic and it doesn't believe in original sin. The deities are real. Courage, strength, joy, honor, freedom, loyalty, realism, and honoring ancestors are virtues of this religion. Nature is scared in this religion. A universal religion is a terrible idea because every ethnic and racial group has their own way of seeing the world. Because of this certain religions are better 4 certain groups of people than others.
Conclusion
This was the religion of Germanic tribes. It has a rich mythology, cosmology, and symbols. Runes and Norse Shamanism are sweet. It had weird rituals. Christians made it go extinct. Asatru is its resurrection.
Introduction
Iran has a rich history. It had several ancient civilizations. Such as Elam, Medes, and Persia. There was even an ancient medical school in Iran! Zoroastrianism became the religion of Iran b4 Islam. Alexander the Great destroyed the Persian Empire. An Islamic dynasty came to power in Iran and persecuted people of other religions. The invasion of the Mongols had a big impact on Iran. Iran was once ruled by a Shah. Then there was an Islamic Revolution. Now it's ruled by Islamic fundamentalism.
Elam
This kingdom started over 5,000 years ago. It was created when several states in southwestern Iran came together. Susa was the capital of Elam. Elam had its own language called Linear Emite. They later used cuneiform to write with. The Elamites liked Babylonian art, so they imitated it. Sometimes a Mesopotamian state would conquer Elam and rule 4 several centuries. Elam controlled parts of Sumer sometime during the 3rd millennium BCE. Kassites invaded Elam. Elam may have experienced a dark age at this time.
Elamites were polytheistic and they had deities and beliefs similar to the Mesopotamians. Temples and ziggurats were created 4 deities. Kiririsha and Pinikir were the most powerful goddesses in Elam. The most high god was Khumban. Inshushinak was the patron deity of Susa.
Medes
This kingdom was located in northwestern Iran. This kingdom started around 750 BCE. The Medians were composed of at least 6 tribes. One of those tribes were the Magi. The Magi were similar to the Brahmins in India. They later became the priests of Zoroastrianism. Medians had their own language. They worshipped their deities at fire temples. Medes was ruled by Assyria from time to time. Later on, it was absorbed into Perian Empire.
Persia
This kingdom was a vassal of Medes till 550 BCE. Cyrus the Great was the 1st king of the Persian empire. He conquered Medes, Lydia, Ionia, and Babylonia. His son Cambyses II incorporated Kemet into the empire. Cambyses cousin Darius became the next Persian emperor. Darius ruled an empire that stretched from the Balkans to India. Aramaic was the language of this empire. There were many different ethnic groups in this empire.
Zoroastrianism
This religion became the state religion of Persia. Its beliefs were spread throughout the empire. This religion was created by a prophet Zoroaster. B4 this religion took off, people were polytheistic. He taught Persians to only worship Ahura Mazda. Ahura Mazda was supremely good. There is an evil god named Angra Mainyu. Ahura and Angra will battle each other until the end of time.
Greek Destruction
Alexander the Great conquered the Persian Empire. The Greeks destroyed temples and the capital of Persia. This was because a Greek city was destroyed by the Persians. Cyprus the Great tomb was also destroyed. Alexander regretted the destruction. Greeks looked up to the Persians because they were so civilized. The Persians funded the Spartans when they were at war with Athens.
Academy of Gondishapur
The lessons at this school were philosophy, medicine, science, and theology. When Byzatinian emperors closed educational centers the scholars went to the academy. A lot of Greek, Syriac, Indian, and Chinese intellectual texts were translated in the academy. Professors created hospitals around this academy.
Islamization of Iran
Arabs were able to conquer Persia because it was weakened after warring with Byzantine. Arabs conquered Iraq and the later they conquered Iran. Over time the Iranians became Muslims. People who practiced Zoroastrianism were persecuted. They had to pay a tax; if they didn't they were killed, imprisoned, or enslaved. There were similarities between Zoroastrianism and Islam. This made it easier 4 Zoroastrianists to covert. Persians had a big effect on the Islamic Golden Age. They may have been the greatest Islamic scholars.
Mongol Invasion of Iran
The Mongols invaded Iran in 1219 CE. They tried to be diplomatic with Iran, but their efforts failed. Ghengis Khan sent 2 ambassadors to Iran and they were murdered. They used Chinese catapults to destroy cities. The Mongols killed over 50% of the Iranians and they destroyed partially or totality the Islamic Golden Age. Mongols ruled Iran 4 a century.
Shah
There were 2 kings from the Pahlavi dynasty. They were called Shah (King of Kings). The 1st Shah was Reza Shah Pahlavi. He overthrew the Qajar dynasty in 1921. He was a general in the army and he was backed by the British. He modernized Iran by having railways and trains & factories created, increased the length of the highway, supported women rights, etc. He was friendly with Iranian Jews. He changed Persia name into Iran. He made it law to wear European clothes. He clashed with religious leaders.
Mohammad Reza Pahlavi was the last king of this dynasty. He was the son of Reza Shah Pahlavi. He became king in 1941. The U.S. and British supported a certain prime minister and Mohammad was scared he would be overthrown. He removed the European backed prime minister from office. He westernized Iran like his father b4 him. He also persecuted followers of Baha'i. Women had rights during his reign.
Islamic Revolution
The Shah ran away during the revolution because he was afraid of being murdered. Ruhollah Khomeini was the leader of the Islamic Revolution. He became the Supreme Leader of Iran. He turned Iran into a theocracy. Some Iranians didn't like the Shah because they saw him as a puppet as the U.S. Women played a big role in this revolution. Iraq attacked Iran to stop the revolution on behavest of the U.S. Khomeini wanted all Islamic countries to become Islamic Republics. Most of them are monarchies. The creation of Hezbollah was inspired by the Islamic Revolution.
Iran Now!!!
Government- The Islamic Republic of Iran is theocratic. The chief of state is the Supreme Leader. The president is the head of the government. It has 3 branches of government. There are 19 political parties in Iran.
Military- Iran has an army, navy, air force, and law enforcement.
Economy- Most of its $ come from Oil and Natural Gas.
Demographics: There are over 80 million people in Iran. There are 7 major ethnic groups in Iran. They are as followed: Persians, Kurds, Arabs, Turks, Lur, Azeri, and Baloch. Farsi is the most popular languages in Iran. Arabic is popular too.
Conclusion
Iran is a great country!!!! It has several great ancient civilizations. It was destroyed by the Greeks and Mongols. It was able to recover both times. It had a great medical school and hospitals. Arabs brought Islam to Iran. B4 Iran was Islamic its state religion was Zoroastrianism. Persians had had a huge impact on the Islamic Golden Age. Kings of Persia were known as Shah. Now it is an Islamic theocracy because of the revolution. References
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Iran
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elam
http://looklex.com/e.o/elam.religion.htm
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medes
http://www.historyworld.net/wrldhis/PlainTextHistories.asp?ParagraphID=azv
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ancient_Iranian_medicine
http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-18803290
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Academy_of_Gondishapur
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islamization_of_Iran
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muslim_conquest_of_Persia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pahlavi_dynasty
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iranian_Revolution
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ir.html