What do the cones symbolize? "stargate" pineal gland!!! "bump" is a symbol!!! Ancient swastika symbols

Boris Gotman, Ph.D.

So, the tour of the Vatican is over, but questions about the bronze cone and bronze ball remain.

This is the famous Italian sculptor Arnaldo Pomodoro, who became interested in the creation of complex spherical compositions in the sixties of the last century, in which he depicts the relationship of our planet with the universe, with man and with society, as well as the mutual influence of these components on each other in time and space.

And, although this is enough to understand why the Vatican decided to acquire for itself his “Golden Ball”, which is called in the original Italian “Sfera con Sfera”, translated as “Sphere with Sphere”, or, as translated into English, and then into Russian, “Sphere within a Sphere” - “Sphere within the Sphere”, it seemed to me that there was some other hidden meaning is that "Sfera con Sfera" is installed in the Pine Cone Courtyard.

Is there a difference in the title between the original and the translation, and if so, which is more correct, the reader can decide by reading this note to the end.

But let's go back to the Pine Cone first. Why was it installed in the very center of the Vatican, one might say?

If, as the guides say, this cone is a symbol of fertility, then this is not a maternity hospital or an agricultural academy! There is something wrong with this explanation!

In the first part I already wrote that when I photographed the “Pine Cone”, memories from anatomy flashed through my mind about the pineal gland, some important “detail” of the brain.

That's where I started. And not in vain! I read on Wikipedia:

"The pineal gland, pineal gland, or pineal body (corpus pinale, epiphysis cerebri) is a small organ that performs an endocrine function, considered an integral part of the photoendocrine system; attached by leashes to both visual thalamus of the diencephalon."

"For tens of centuries, the pineal gland was considered in connection with the soul. Rene Descartes called the pineal gland “the seat of the soul,” being convinced of its unique place in the anatomy of the human brain as a structure that is unpaired. This observation, however, cannot be considered true, because under a microscope It can be observed that the pineal gland is still divided into two hemispheres."

It became much clearer!

“Soul” is certainly not just the responsibility of the Vatican, but right at the center of its interests!

Now about "Sfera con Sfera".

What could connect it, from the point of view of the Vatican, with the “Pine Cone”, personifying the soul?

While traveling on the Internet, I accidentally saw the opinion of an unknown Maxime Theriault on an issue that interested me.

He writes that the sculptor's intentions are quite obvious.

His creation is intended to be installed in the Courtyard of the “Pine Cone”, and it symbolizes the idea of ​​the pineal gland, located in the human brain.

This small, pea-sized body is often referred to as the “third eye.” And "Sfera con Sfera", set against "Pine Cone", is another clear representation of the "third eye".

“Again,” Thériault continues, “this is on display at the Vatican, for which the religious meaning is important in any work of art that he would like to have in his possession... Matthew 6:22: “... the eye Lamp for the body. If your eyes are healthy, your whole body will be bright." This is what Jesus Sananda said while giving his teaching about the pineal gland, which is the center of consciousness."

This opinion, it seems to me, is closer to a possible explanation of the Vatican’s motives.

And whoever is interested in why Jesus received another name, “Sananda,” should look for the answer in numerous articles on the Internet.

In the wilds of the Internet, my attention was also drawn to the publication of one of the authors of Proza.ru, writing under the pseudonym Nostr Adamus. This article is called "Apophis in the texts of Sumer and the symbols of the Vatican" ().

It attempts to decipher the connection between the symbols left by the great Sumerian civilization and modern symbols - the same “Pine Cone” and “Sfera con Sfera”. The author’s assumptions will become clear even when looking at the collage given by Nostra Adamus before the article.

One of the conclusions of the mentioned article by Nostra Adamus is that both the symbolism of the Sumerian messages and the symbolism of “Sfera con Sfera” warn humanity about the impending danger of a cosmic catastrophe - a collision of the Earth with a giant asteroid.

This is exactly what Nostra Adamus sees in "Sfera con Sfera". He writes that the Vatican was given the keys to understanding history, but it did not use them.

And if we move on to strict science, it should be noted that a number of scientists consider the Moon to be a former part of the Earth, which broke off during its catastrophic collision with an unknown cosmic body. This can be read in a number of publications, in particular in articles by Jonathan Webb, BBC Science Correspondent, dated April 10, 2015, and Pallab Ghosh from the BBC Science Department, dated June 6, 2014 (ibid.).

It is the photographs illustrating these articles that are shown in the collage along with my photographs from the Vatican.

Personally, I perceive the “Sphere within a Sphere” as very simple symbols of human capabilities - either the cogs and levers are used by society for the good, or they torment and kill the Universe, the Earth, and life on it...

installed a pine cone sculpture?

The first instinct when asked what the cone symbolizes was the desire to give a laconic answer. Something like this was an important symbol of fertility in ancient times. Or that the ancient Greeks and Assyrians identified the bump with male performance (due to its shape). And all this takes place in some traditions. After all, in biology, the cone is the reproductive organ of gymnosperms. It contains sporophylls arranged in a spiral pattern, in the axils of which the seeds develop. But that would be too banal. In my opinion, Edward chose this symbol for other reasons. Behind this small, cute creation of nature there is a large-scale knowledge that has made it a sacred symbol. Let's ask ourselves why we can find a pine cone as an architectural element in the most sacred places? And even in the Vatican courtyard. There will be no short answer and you will have to go back to the sources. And everyone will be able to choose at their own discretion the answer to why in one of the most mysterious places - in the Coral Castle, its creator Edward Lindskalnins installed a stone pine cone on the stone pedestal to the left of the entrance. Perhaps he chose it because it symbolizes immortality. And his Castle has already become an immortal creation. Or maybe Ed gave the bump a completely different meaning. After all, the cone is as mysterious as the castle itself!

Let us shift our attention from the topic of fertility, which is based on a phallic symbol, to the opposite direction, i.e. from bottom to top. And let's stop at a higher chakra. Many ancient traditions say that deep in the center of our brain there is a gland that telepathically transmits thoughts and receives visual images. This pea-sized gland is shaped like a pine cone and is known as the pineal gland or pineal gland. The pineal gland is not part of the brain. It is located approximately at the geometric center of mass of the brain. It is hollow inside, filled with a liquid resembling water, and is very well supplied with blood. Ancient cultures around the world were fascinated by the pine cone, images of the pineal gland in the shape of a pine cone, and used them in the highest forms of spiritual art. Pythagoras, Plato, Iamblichus, Descartes and others wrote about this iron with great reverence. It was called the seat of the soul.

In The Life of Pythagoras, Iamblichus sets forth Plato's contention that the study of the science of Numbers awakens that organ in the brain which the ancients described as the “eye of wisdom,” an organ now known to physiology as the pineal gland. Discussing the mathematical disciplines, in the Republic (Book VII), Plato says that “the soul of these disciplines has an organ purified and enlightened, an organ that is worth keeping better than ten thousand bodily eyes, since truth becomes visible through its alone "

Madame Helena Blavatsky, a famous 19th century occultist, sees the pineal gland as a possible gateway to the Source Field. The history of the pineal gland is examined starting with the works of Pythagoras and Plato. In addressing the issue of the Mysteries, Blavatsky refers to a tradition of secrecy that has its roots in Ancient Egypt and other civilizations of the distant past. (As we remember, Edward Lindskalnins, during his travels and wanderings, became interested in studying astronomy and culture ancient egypt.) To this day, there are “Mystery Schools” that continue to teach these ancient traditions. In ancient cultures, the pineal gland was symbolized by sacred stones. For the Sumerians it was the “Primitive Mountain”. They believed that during the creation of Heaven and Earth, it was there that the first island of land appeared from the primordial sea. This implies that the pineal gland is the main place in the body that contacts the waters of the Spirit - not the physical realms after life. In Babylon, the same mountain became a symbol of the earth's axis around which the world revolves or the central navel of the earth. The gods came and went from there. The mountain was depicted with a king standing at the top. To designate this most sacred place, a physical stone was placed there, which determined all the parallels and meridians, as well as the cardinal points of the compass. In Greece there is a stone - “navel” (“omphalos” in Greek sound). It is found at the Oracle at Delphi and its shape is a cone. It was believed that the god Apollo lived in this stone, and with its help the Oracle could communicate with Apollo and pronounce a prophecy. A model of the same omphalos that was used for predictions is kept in the archaeological museum in Delphi. The real stone was lost and replaced by a copy.

Numerous reviews from authoritative visitors of that time indicate that the stone “worked” and enjoyed wide popularity in ancient world. Some navel stones were depicted with a “kundalini serpent” coiled around it.

The word navel means "center of the earth", and this area was the main geographical reference point for the entire Hellenic empire. This is a kind of assemblage point. There are also legends associated with the navel. According to one of them, Zeus released two eagles from the western and eastern limits of the world to reveal the center of the planet, and marked the point of their meeting with a stone - an omphalus. According to other versions, the omphalos was the tomb of the Delphic Serpent Python.

Initially, it was a tombstone that could serve as a point of contact between the world of the living and the dead, acting as the center of the universe. There is evidence that the stone was a meteorite (“fell from the sky”).

Omphalus orders time and space. It is a reference point from which lines diverge, dividing the horizon into four parts. Omphalus defines the center for a country, city or locality, and is the “Cornerstone”. He is a symbolic reflection of the mind manifested in the physical world. And therefore, with its help, it was possible to communicate with Heaven, as well as other places on Earth. As a rule, underground cavities, chambers, wells and labyrinths existed under the omphalous stones. What did ancient people need more, connections with Heaven or Earth, and with whom did they speak using this communication system? The pattern is pretty much the same everywhere.

In the Roman Empire, the same stone was known as baethyl. The baethyl stone was directly associated with oracles and prophecy. A huge number of Greek and Roman coins depict the navel or baethyl stone on one side, sometimes protected by a hawk or snake. Some coins show the Tree of Life, another symbol of the earth's axis, growing directly from or adjacent to the stone.

Many Roman navel coins have a winged angel on the reverse side. The angel is very similar to winged Babylonian gods such as Tammuz, who were depicted holding a pine cone in one hand and guiding it as if it had mystical powers.

One coin from Syria (246-227 BC) shows the god Apollo sitting on a navel stone that clearly resembles a pine cone. Two other Greek coins show Apollo seated on a navel stone, even more clearly stylized as a pine cone.

The Delphic stone had a “double”, which was located in the temple of Amun in the oasis of Siwa, on the border with Libya. Alexander the Great came to consult this oracle stone as soon as he arrived in Egypt. There he received a prediction that he would become pharaoh. Herodotus also wrote about two women who were kidnapped by the Phoenicians in Thebes. One of them was sold into slavery in Libya (in the west of Egypt), and the other in Greece. Women founded the first oracles in these countries. The cone in ancient times was dedicated to Baal-Hadad, the Semitic god of fertility, rain and dew, and his wife Asherah (Baalat); Babylonian-Assyrian goddess of love and fertility - Ishtar. Pine cones are prominent in sacred art and architecture around the world. Pagans love this symbol and use it in their art in many images. For them, the cone acts as a phallic symbol that generates fertility and affirms life in its carnal earthly manifestation. Here's where you can see the symbolic image of the bump:- pine cone crowns the column and is the emblem of the Mesopotamian god Marduk;

- Bronze sculpture from the Mystery Cult of Dionysus in the late Roman Empire shows a pine cone on the thumb, along with other symbols corresponding to the other fingers;

The regalia of the Egyptian Sun God Osiris, from a museum in Turin, includes two “kundalini serpents”; they wrap around each other, rising to the top of the pine cone;

The golden funerary mask of Pharaoh Tutankhamun depicts a uraeus - a kundalini snake that emerges from the pineal gland;

In sculptural images, Quetzalcoatl, the god of the Mesoamerican Indians, appears from the mouth of a snake, whose body curls into the shape of a pineal gland. Quetzalcoatl's necklace is made from pine cones.

A figurine of a Mexican god holds pine cones; - The Greek god Dionysus holds a regalia with a pine cone on top, symbolizing fertility; - Bacchus, the Roman god of drunkenness and fun, also holds a thyrsus - a rod with a pine cone tip;

Under the feet of Asclepius, the god of healing, we can also see omphalos; - Many Roman Catholic candlesticks, ornaments, sacred decorations and architectural structures with a pine cone as a key design element;

In Christian iconography, the pine cone can crown the Tree of Life.
- The cone is also associated with Mithra;

The Catholic Pope carries a regalia with a pine cone just above his arm, then the cone expands into a stylized tree trunk;

In the photo we can see that Pope Benedict XVI is holding the papal regalia, apparently symbolizing the ability to communicate with the higher mind through the pineal gland. The Pope is believed to be the messenger of God, and according to ancient traditions, this requires an "awakened" pineal gland. This somehow explains that we can see a giant bronze statue of a pine cone in the center of St. Peter's Square in the Vatican. The huge bronze pine cone in the Vatican is much taller than a man and is surrounded by Egyptian symbols. It defines the Vatican as the center of the Roman Catholic world and the axis of the earth, in full accordance with ancient tradition. At the base, the statue is guarded by two lions, which sit on pedestals covered with Egyptian hieroglyphs. On the sides there are two birds representing the Egyptian Benu Phoenix. In the courtyard of the Vatican there is not a Christian symbol, such as the Life-Giving Cross or a statue of the Virgin Mary, or Christ, but a pine cone.

Masonic scholar Manly Hall writes that Freemasonry continues the tradition of the Egyptian mystery schools. He claims that he is the most big secret Freemasonry is the rebirth of the human being into the Divine state through the awakening of the pineal gland. Each of the 33 degrees of Freemasonry corresponds to one of the vertebrae of the human spine as the kundalini fire rises to merge with the pineal gland. “The Spiritual Fire, rising through the thirty-three degrees or vertebrae of the spinal column, enters the dome of the human brain and finally reaches the pituitary gland (Isis), where it conjures the pineal gland (Ra) and calls on the Sacred Name.” This signifies the process by which the Eyes of Horus are opened. And further: "The pineal gland is the sacred pine cone in man - the single eye which cannot be opened until Hiram (Spiritual Fire) is raised through the sacred seals which are called the Seven Churches of Asia." In another of his works, The Occult Anatomy of Man, Manly Hall writes: “The Hindus teach that the pineal gland is the third eye, called the eye of Dangma. Buddhists call it the all-seeing eye, and in Christianity it is spoken of as a single eye. It is believed that the pineal gland secretes a certain fatty substance called resin, just like the sap of the pine tree. It is supposed that this word (resin) relates to the founding of the Rosicrucian order, who worked on the secretion of the pineal gland and sought the possibility of opening a single eye, for the Scripture says, “If thy eye were One, thy body would be filled with light.” The pineal gland is the link between the human and the divine. Rudolf Steiner, a well-known researcher of esoteric mystery schools, argues that the legend of the Holy Grail - a chalice filled with the “waters of life” or the “elixir of immortality” - is another symbolic reference to the pineal gland. He writes: “The Holy Grail resides within each of us, in the castle of the skull, and can nourish our subtlest perceptions so as to dispel all but the most refined material influences”... Here Steiner is referring to the pineal gland in the brain. You can develop this topic for a long time, recalling the legends about the “Cosmic Egg”, “World Egg” and especially the “Orphic Egg”, which are also allegories of the pineal gland. The Orphic Egg is depicted with a serpent coiled around it, and the shape of the egg follows the shape of the pineal gland.

Some Russian scientists have come to the conclusion that the Source Field can be measured - like rotation in gravity. It appears that the more you notice the influence of electromagnetic energy fields, the more sensitive you become to information from the Source Field, perhaps through the pineal gland, as intended by ancient traditions. So, we now see and understand that the bump is a symbol.

The shape of the cone resembles a vortex funnel, which is associated with dynamic productive and cosmic force. There is a spiral in it.

Namely, the helix is ​​the basis of DNA. We may recall the garden of Cosmic Reflections in Scotland, with its sculptures and images of spirals. There is also a version that it was the cone that gave birth to the swastika symbol in India, due to the spiral cells for the seeds. A spiral is the shape of our Galaxy. The entire Universe is encoded in it. Maybe that's why Edward Lindkalnins chose this symbol. We have a lot to think about!

A pine cone tattoo means health, life, fertility, love, fire, luck, fertility, creative power, new beginning, courage, reliability, movement, balance, connection with nature.

The meaning of the bump tattoo

Tattoos with the image of a cone are not so common. This is due to the fact that few people know its meaning. It’s in vain, because since ancient times the cone has carried images of such symbols as sky, fire, sun and even the Universe itself.

The cone is usually associated with health, life and courage. Many years ago, it was dedicated to the god Baal-Hadad and his wife Asherah: the god of fertility and goddess of love. The spiraling layers-cells of the cones, in which the seeds of the plant are hidden, indicate fertility.

The tattoo is associated with another deity - the god of inspiration, vegetation and natural forces, Dionysus. Often you can see a lump in his hands. In this case, it personifies the endless cycle of life in nature and constant rebirth.

A bump tattoo can act as an amulet against the evil eye, as well as to enhance male power. Thus, a tattoo not only preserves and preserves the physical condition of men, but also increases it.

The type of cone is of particular importance. For example, conifer cones have been associated with the gods of fertility and love since ancient times. A spruce cone means improved health and increased vitality. She also acts as a symbol of fire and a new beginning.

At the same time, the pine cone denotes a phallic symbol, reflecting the luck, fertility and creative power of a man. It was the pine cone that crowned the thyrsus of Dionysus.

Another interesting fact, which contributes to the associations associated with the cone - in India it was believed that it was she who became the prototype for the swastika.

The location of the pattern on the body has a special meaning. If the cone is on the thick end, then this means reliability and balance. If it stands on the opposite sharp end, it means constant movement.

If the top of a pine cone not only points upward, but also has a spiral direction, then this is an indicator of high creative power. It will indicate either an already opened internal potential, or another hidden power to be discovered in the future.

Both men and women can get a tattoo on their body, but the meaning will be different. For the stronger half, this tattoo speaks of fertility, the meaning of strength, fullness of life and attractiveness. An inextricable connection with Nature is what a tattoo means for women. Also, for the weaker sex, the cone symbolizes love.

Apply the design to the back, wrist, shoulder or forearm.

The cone can be depicted either alone or with other elements that have a direct connection with nature: animals or plants (especially trees).

The color scheme is also different. The tattoo can be black and white or have bright colors. The drawing style is limited only by a person's imagination. Very often the tattoo is performed in realism, which is a win-win option.

The Court of the Pinecone, or the Court of Pinia, named after the huge pine cone made of bronze and decorating the area in front of the Belvedere Palace, is another attraction of the Vatican. Initially, the gilded bronze cone was placed on the Champ de Mars, but was moved to a new location in 1608. This unusual element, whose lower part is decorated with bas-reliefs depicting athletes of Rome, acts as a fragment crowning an antique fountain, on both sides of which there are figures of bronze peacocks, and in the center there is a bas-relief of a head flowing water.

Another architectural masterpiece of the courtyard is a grandiose spinning golden ball with a diameter of 4 meters and located in the very center of the square. Its author was the Italian sculptor Arnaldo Pomodoro in 1990. The master’s idea was to reflect the current negativity that humanity brings to the world around us. In the design of a large ball, symbolizing the universe with gaping faults and having a mirror surface, there is a small ball depicting our planet. This image captures global processes accompanying the flow of existence on a planetary scale at a given moment in time. The size of the composition shows the volume of the universe, and the people reflected in the ball are inextricably linked with life in it. The appearance of the square is complemented by 4 green lawns, spread opposite each other along the palace walls.

The author of the landscape design of the courtyard was the founder and largest representative of architecture High Renaissance– Donato Bramante. He connected the Vatican Palace with the small Belvedere Palace, rising on a hill, with the help of an extensive garden courtyard, and added a building with a central niche to the villa, which was eventually transformed into the Courtyard of Pigna. Now, this place is considered one of the most charming in the Vatican, attracting the attention of many visitors who gaze in fascination at the unusual sculptural compositions.

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highlighted the arch in red

So, in the images discussed earlier there are two types of “bumps”. One of them is placed on the ground or on a pedestal, as in the images with Asclepius, the other is crowned with a “scepter”-type instrument in the hands of Hermanubis. The difference is fundamental - in the first case, the “bump” is clearly “grounded” and its connection with the Earth is clear. In the second case, the “bump” is raised above the ground, and sometimes even provided with wings to make the difference more significant. An interesting detail is that in many images the scepter is held not in a bare hand, but through a cloth. Through a dielectric. As is done in many modern cults, when it is necessary to emphasize the special significance of a shrine that cannot be touched with unworthy hands. Just like housewives take a hot frying pan through oven mitts. In this case, there is nothing to say about the sacredness of the action - it’s just a safety technique. A good electrician will not only wear rubber gloves, but also place a rug under your feet.

Images of “bumps” in the form of “ decorative elements"can be seen on the walls of Christian churches and in their interiors. And not only Christian ones. She's everywhere. Cones are an important element of Christian iconography, included in the design of books, candlesticks and other ritual artifacts. And if you ask anyone (someone who seems competent), you can hear many beautiful explanations about the fact that the pine cone symbolizes rebirth and fertility. This does not sound very convincing, since any fruit can serve as such a symbol - even an apple, even a cucumber. And Christ didn’t say anything about cones in his parables. The symbol is clearly pagan, and there is an obvious omission in the explanation so as not to confuse the laity.

The question naturally arises: - what kind of bump are they always trying to show us from ancient times with such existential obsession?

... Are you grinning again, cynics?

A place of fortune telling.

The interior of the Vatican Museum complex is called Giardino della Pigna, or Place of the Pine Cone, after the multi-ton, four-meter bronze statue representing a simple pine cone. In the courtyard, which was specially designed by the architects for it, there was no place for the Life-Giving Cross, statues of the Virgin Mary, Christ or the apostles. The central and most important place of the entire architectural complex is occupied not by a Christian symbol, but by a pine cone - a pagan symbol. Why pagan? The cone was modeled and cast during the first century AD. On the base there is the signature of the master who made the cone: Publius Cincius Calvius, a freedman from the slaves. The former location of the cone is unknown exactly - according to some sources, it is part of a once-former fountain, according to others, it was found in the ruins of Hadrian’s mausoleum or in the Temple of Isis, which was located near the Pantheon - but, between -514. Pope Symmachus erected it in the square in front of the Basilica of St. Petra, then became a detail of the new fountain, and later took a central place on the pedestal in front of the giant arch. The sculpture did not possess any special beauty, or antiquity at that time, and it is difficult to say why it avoided being melted down.

Bronze birds with snake necks, peacocks, were made during the last installation of the cone, in addition to it. And if we compare the image of a cone from a relief in Pompeii with this image, in order to find ten differences, we will see that the birds and snakes from Pompeii here chimerically merged into bird snakes. Two in one. Peacock, the bird is not unambiguous as a symbol. Some Muslims consider the peacock to be the bird of the devil - but this refers more directly to the Peacock Angel (Tavusi Malak), who was worshiped by the Yazidis (Kurds who do not consider themselves Kurds). Since the Yezidis are not “people of the Book,” it means that all their views, according to the logic of such Islamists, are satanic. In Hinduism, the gods use the peacock as vehicle which they ride on and see as the “sun”. In Iran, peacocks standing on both sides of the Tree of Life signify dualism and the dual nature of man. Christians explain the appearance of the peacock in iconography by saying that it is a symbol of resurrection, since the peacock does not rot (?) and changes its feathers every spring. Like a snake's skin, I'll add. Later, the positive opinion about the peacock changed to the opposite - it became a sign of arrogance, arrogant pride, arrogance and vanity - which is in no way compatible with Christian values.

On the spot in the square where Symmachus once placed the cone, there is now a sculpture “Sphere in a Sphere” made by the Italian sculptor, Signor Pomodoro. Such a surname.

These two objects of the same size (4 meters) are located almost next to each other, but each of them occupies the most significant place in the placement of all possible ones. It is difficult to say which dominates the area more, the lump or the sphere. Perhaps the shining golden sphere outshines the copper patina of the cone. The sphere, as a cult object in the Museum of Antiquities, is an interesting move by the Vatican museum workers. But I think that the decision to place this object, alien to its surroundings, was not made by them.

The inner globe of the "Sphere within a Sphere" is explained as planet Earth in the cosmic sphere of Christianity. Perhaps there are other versions, but they are not given. Obviously, many agree with this interpretation, because it is in the spirit of the times: cool and glamorous, brilliant, but, strangely, why there are no questions about why these spheres are broken down like the “Death Star” in the saga of “ Star Wars"? What's with the weird stuffing in this mechanical orange? And what kind of passion did the Catholic fathers show for modernism, which they never got carried away with, preserving the traditions of the Fathers of the Church?

The outer casing of the device (and this is clearly some kind of technical unit) was blown apart by the explosion. The internal, durable casing was also damaged. Obviously, he was the target of external destructive influence. Unless the saboteurs planted a bomb inside the system. The machine is disabled. It cannot be restored, like the Kursk submarine. To complete the impression, there are not enough nearby debris.

This makes a very controversial impression against the backdrop of the marble ancient gods with broken hands that were once raised around the perimeter of the square. Why THIS?

Let me remind you of two things.

1. The Vatican is the sovereign territory of the Holy See, and without the sanction of the Pontifical Committee, anything contrary to the spirit of the Church cannot appear there.
2. The state received its name from the hill on which it stands - “Mons Vaticanus”, from the Latin vaticinia - “place of fortune telling”

Perhaps the Church hierarchs still had reasons to place these two objects in the most prominent places in the exhibition?

"The Stone That Whispers"

The lump that we see under the feet of Asclepius is an omphalos. In Greek - navel. The navel of the Earth. Assembly point. There are several legends explaining this meaning of the word. According to one of them, Zeus released two eagles from the western and eastern borders of the world to reveal the center of the planet, and marked the point of their meeting with a stone - an omphalus. According to other versions, the omphalos was the grave of the Delphic Serpent Python, and was originally a tombstone that could serve as a point of contact between the world of the living and the dead, acting as the center of the universe.

In addition, there is information that the stone “fell from the sky,” i.e. was a meteorite.

• This is a reference point from which lines diverge, dividing the horizon into four parts.
• The stone organizes time and space.
• Omphalus defines the center for a country, city or locality. "Cornerstone"
• He is a symbolic reflection of the mind manifested in the physical world.
• With the help of this device it was possible to communicate with the heavens (used for direct communication with the gods), as well as with other places on Earth.
• Under the “stones” there were underground cavities, chambers, wells and labyrinths.

Structurally, the omphalus (of those that have come down to us) is a cone-shaped, conical, egg-shaped stone, about a meter in height, hollow, as a rule, inside. Middle photo - Omphalus, found on the island of Delos.

On the left is an omphalos from the archaeological museum at Delphi. This is a mass-dimensional model of the omphalos that was used in the sanctuary of Apollo. The conclusion follows from the fact that the real stone (according to the descriptions) was wrapped in linen bandages anointed with oil, and which absorbed that oil (possibly with technical maintenance regulations) - and here we see a sculptural imitation of these “bandages”. That is, at some time immemorial, the original, a real stone, was lost and replaced by a copy, a sculptural image of it, which is now shown to tourists. Or maybe not lost, but safely hidden. In any case, what we now see in museums are copies, imitations, and possibly “cases” for a device that once actually worked. The fact that the stone “worked” is confirmed by numerous reviews from authoritative visitors to the oracle and its wide popularity in the ancient world.

The Delphic oracle was completely destroyed in the 4th century. from R.H. by order of Emperor Theodosius, and even now it is difficult to say where the “stone” actually was. This provides rich opportunities for discussions on this topic in modern historical scholarship. Scientists are interested in the question: was the ancient omphalos placed in the cella of the temple, in the pronaos, in the room for questioners, in the opisthodome, or in front of the entrance? The question of what Omphalus was remains beyond the scope of discussion.

The Delphic stone had a “double”, which was located in the temple of Amun in the oasis of Siwa. There is information that between these two points there was a connection, like the current long-distance one. Let me remind you that this was the location of the oracle that Alexander the Great rushed to consult as soon as he arrived in Egypt - there he received a prediction that he would become a pharaoh. Siwa Oasis is located on the border with Libya. Siwa is an interesting place. In 525 BC. the Persian king Cambyses, after the arrival of Egypt, sent 50 thousand soldiers to conquer Siwa, but they disappeared without a trace in the desert. Their mission was to overthrow the Oracle in the Temple of Amon. Ancient historians talked about this, and for a long time it was classified as a myth by modern scientists, until in 2009 the Italians dug up the bones of those Persian warriors and their equipment in the Libyan desert.

Cambyses's campaign in Egypt looks quite strange - according to the descriptions of the Greeks, he was called “mad.” The eldest son of Cyrus the Great did nothing but burn cities, destroy monuments, and erase names from sarcophagi. Herodotus wrote that Cambyses came to Sais solely to commit a desecration of the mummy of Amasis. It is noted that when Cambyses conquered Egypt, he destroyed all the temples Egyptian gods, but did not touch the Jewish sanctuary, which already existed at Elephantine. It is unlikely that the weak Siwa could in any way threaten the power of the Babylonian king, and most likely Cambyses simply wanted to take possession of the “artifact” single-handedly, which “nature” opposed, slapping the army with a giant fly swatter from above and carefully covering it from view with sand for two and a half thousand years .

Siwa was destroyed much later. The fate of the omphalos is unknown.

Now Siwa looks like clay ruins against the background of the “Mountain of the Dead”, between which here and there the life of guides glimmers. The once majestic Temple of Amon looks similar.

According to the contents of Pseudo-Callisthenes, a text that appeared several centuries after the death of the author, Alexander Callisthenes (historian, Aristotle's nephew and Alexander's official historiographer), the cone-shaped Libyan omphalos looked like a large shining gem. Perhaps another name comes from here, but rather the epithet is “stone of radiance.”

Herodotus wrote about two women who were kidnapped by the Phoenicians in Thebes. One of them was sold into slavery in Libya (in the west of Egypt), and the other in Greece. Women founded the first oracles in these countries. According to Herodotus, this version was told to him by a priest in Thebes. This story was later modified into the myth of the two black doves.

“...But, besides, he was

The stone that whispers;

Men won't know his message

The people of the Earth will not understand..."

Perhaps because a woman is able to hear more in this unclear whisper than a man - that’s how her brain works. “A woman feels with her heart.”

Undoubtedly, it was for this reason that the interpreters of oracles at the temples where the “omphales” were installed were priestesses, women. They were called "Sibyls". The origin of the word is unclear to researchers; it is quite freely translated as “the will of God”, at the suggestion and interpretation of Marcus Terence Varro. And it is strange that the version of the origin of the word “Sibyl” from “Siwa” is not considered. Which is quite obvious if you trace the sources.

Clement of Alexandria mentions that, according to ancient authors, the first Sibyl was the Delphic Phemonoia. In other sources, Femonoia is called Pythia. The Delphic Sibyl had another name - Herophila (daughter of Zeus and Lamia). The name Sibyl, according to Pausanias, was given to her by the Libyans.

The Sibyls literally sat on the omphalos, sitting on them when they sang their predictions. Which later gave reason to some concerned art critics who reviewed many similar oriental images to turn the omphalos into a phallic symbol, especially since in Greek it sounds like omphalos. Well, how can we manage without phalluses in our story, hussars... But about them a little later, but for now let’s look at this map.

We see that the services of soothsayers in the ancient world were in wide demand. The texts mention 18 sibyls, named after their places of residence. The most famous are Delphic, Eritrean and Kuma. Less so, such as the Hebrew (Sab, Sabba, Sambetta), which is often associated with Queen Sheba, the Queen of Sheba. However, in assessing their number and names, ancient authors often disagree, since most of them were already ancient times were called “ancient Sibyls,” and it is hardly possible to restore everything with accuracy now, although there have been many attempts to do this.

Looking at these oracles from above, it is very tempting to stretch threads between them, connecting the whispers of stones into a single network, such as a cellular one. Moreover, on some omphalous stones this “network” with points between intersections was already drawn.

The drawings show Etruscan omphalos. In the “classic” version, it is a “bump” entwined with a snake. But there are also ones with drawn lines, like parallels and meridians. The omphales here are similar in shape to the Delian one and a snake is present. The stones once stood in their places on the earth, and then became objects of separate worship.

It must be said that the closer to our time, the more and more the shape of the omphale moved away from the “cone” - the Roman omphales had already lost their sacred meaning, acquired intricate patterns, turning into simply works of art, decorated with gold and precious stones, which at the last line was expressed by Faberge eggs.

The Etruscans, according to Plutarch, taught the Romans a lot, including the art of building “sacred centers.” They were built on deep “wells” covered with stone - streets were laid from those points. The Etruscans called such points “Mundus”. Universe. The Etruscans came from somewhere in the north, and where they learned such art is not known for certain. It was believed that the Hyperboreans, whose location, despite the presence of fixed connections with the Mediterranean, was not determined.

According to legend, Romulus, when founding the city, dug a deep hole that connected to the entrance to the Kingdom of the Dead. Its name is Mundus Ceres. The sacred stone that covered the pit was called Lapis manalis, "The Stone That Rules."

Rome, ...a city standing at the entrance to the underworld... well, who would have thought.

In general, if we examine in detail the structure of such oracles, we will definitely find cavities, caves or dungeons underneath them, be it in Rome, Siwa, Delphi or ... Paris and London. In some cases these are passages to the underworld, in others they are the graves of chthonic creatures, like Python or Typhon, and in some they are their habitat. And in all this, duality is manifested in the question: what did ancient people need more, connections with heaven or earth? Who did you talk to using this communication system?

The scheme is approximately the same everywhere:

Note that the image on the Egyptian fresco includes both birds and snakes.

Speaking about Paris, I didn’t say anything. The entire territory of Europe, and indeed Eurasia as a whole, is dotted with similar stones, like reference points. Here are a couple of stones from Ireland:

On the left is a stone from a farm Turoe. Height 90 cm. It was moved here in the 1850s from a place near the village of Rat, in order, as noted, to preserve it from vandalism. And then they complain that the historical affiliation with that place has been destroyed. But some historians believe that the Irish themselves could not have conceived of what was known about the “oracles” of ancient Europe and define the origin of the stone as French. Like, in Celtic times it was carried around like a family heirloom. The making of the stone dates back to around 500 BC. Naturally, everyone would like to know the place where the stone was installed for which it was intended. But (as in the vast majority of cases with such artifacts), it is impossible to find out - they have long been removed from their places and moved. What I mean is that compiling a grid map of the location of the “centers of the planet” based on modern data on the location of many similar stones is speculative and inaccurate. However, gymnastics for the mind is not bad.

As for the carving on the stone, some believe that this is a primitive image of a map of the globe. Others (ugh .., well, finally! Hussars rejoice!) think that this is a male penis, with the foreskin retracted, and the spirals are streaks of sperm, calling this point of view “alternative”. This is what they write in encyclopedias: “Alternatively it is seen as a phallus, the band below the glans representing the rolled foreskin, and the spirals possibly semen.”

Just imagine how in Celtic times the adherents family values from France they carried a penis weighing almost a ton. Let's rejoice for them and for the art scientists and move on.

The Castlestrange stone (pictured on the right) did not reach the phallus, so its carving is determined by the traditional Irish “snake” stele. There are three other large stones of a similar shape known in Ireland, the purpose of which is not determined by official science.

Separately, we note that these stones are considered the national treasure of Ireland and are protected by law. This is in contrast to our Russian patterned stones, which are scattered in abundance throughout forests and hillocks. If there was any place where paganism was so mercilessly suppressed, and its material traces were carefully erased, then it was Russia.

Fertility symbol

Of course in this brief overview One cannot remain silent about “lingams”.

Lingam translated from Sanskrit means a mark, a sign. The most ancient Hindu samples are not much different from Egyptian, Greek or Asia Minor: they were modeled with a carving of a “cone” structurally similar to scales, served as geosymbolism and were explained by the image of the Eternal Unmanifested Para-Shiva manifested here. But over time and thanks to the rich imagination of the Hindus, their shape became more and more elongated, and eventually, on the top of the lingam, the head of the male penis appeared, initially as a hint, guessed - and then with a naturalistic revelation. Like, here you go.

The Hindus liked the symbol extremely and it was widely disseminated, circulating in millions of copies, no longer remembering its real purpose, and interpreting it as “the indivisible unity of the male (Shiva) and female (Devi) principles, from the union of which life comes.” Which was expressed graphically, and with all Hindu spontaneity, in the combination of lingam and yoni. “Yoni” literally means “vagina”. Womb, uterus. At the same time, oddly enough, the yoni among the Hindus is an active principle. And an erect penis is passive.

Art critics are taking revenge here. Well, yes - there are people who worship “phallic symbols”. “Be fruitful and multiply”, why not? Symbol of fertility. Good deal.

But all this is only indirectly related to our topic. So, sometimes you pull a thread, but you pull it out, um... well, you understand.

Let's return from this erotic journey to the West.