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In their famous book, “Hamlet’s Mill,” Giorgio de Santillana and Hertha von Dechend explore the folk stories and mythologies of thirty ancient cultures, and what their study reveals is remarkable. It appears that all of these ancient peoples—and who knows how many others?—believed in a very different model of history than that which predominates our modern age of so-called rationality. Essentially, the difference is that in these ancient cosmologies, both human consciousness and the motion of history were viewed as cyclical rather than linear. These ancient cultural beliefs are very tied in with the precession of the equinox. It was widely believed that time moves in a great cycle corresponding to the precession of the equinox, and that within this cycle exists an alternating pattern of Dark Ages and Golden Ages. The philosopher Plato viewed this cycle as what he called the Great Year.
In our contemporary world, steeped in the Judeo-Christian tradition, this concept of a vast cycle—connected to the almost imperceptible, gradual precession of the equinox—is somewhat strange. However, in the pre-Christian world, it is quite clear that this idea was extremely common. It was certainly not viewed as fantasy, but as solid fact by a great number of cultures across the Earth. It is now becoming clear, due to recent discoveries in astronomy, that this idea of a Golden Age is much more than a story. There is a great deal of evidence now coming to light that backs this concept scientifically, in both the realm of astronomy as well as archeology.
Ancient Calendars Proven Accurate
Not only might Plato’s idea of the Great Year be based in verifiable scientific fact, but if so then the whole idea of the 2012 ending of the Mayan Calendar may have much more importance than many believe. The most important element of figuring out how all this works is to look closely at the precession of the equinox, for this is where the heart of the mystery lies.
Just as we can easily observe the Earth’s rotation by observing the sun rising in the east and setting in the west each day, so can we also observe a similar pattern in the stars on a yearly basis, rather than a daily basis. That is, as we move through a year’s time, the stars “rise” in the eastern sky and “set” in the western sky. As this is taking place, the constellations of the zodiac—of which there are twelve—move through the sky in such a way that one per month is visible. Hence, we associate one constellation for each of the twelve months of the year.
But let’s say we just looked at the sky once a year on a given day—an equinox, for example. We would then observe that the stars move retrograde—or opposite to the Earth’s rotation and revolution—at a very slow rate indeed. This rate is approximately one degree every seventy years. This means that the equinox will fall on a different constellation once in every 2,000 years. That means it takes about 24,000 years to finish its cycle through the twelve constellations, or signs of the zodiac. This movement—which is essentially a slow, subtle and steady backward motion—is what we know as the precession of the equinox. The Latin prefix “pre,” of course, reminds us of the direction of this motion—before, backwards in relation to the fixed stars.
Modern Science Has It Wrong
How exactly this process works, as I mentioned at the beginning of this article, is the subject of opposing theories. How does the Earth change its orientation to unmoving space in this slow and steady, observable way? There is, of course, one predominant theory generally accepted by mainstream science. This standard explanation—the Lunisolar Theory—purports that the gravity of the Moon is acting upon the oblate sphere of the Earth, slowly and steadily throughout the year. This theory is based, however, upon an understanding of the solar system that presumes a fixed solar system. But what if the solar system is not entirely fixed in space? What if it does, itself, move through space? Consistent with this dynamical theory, researchers at the Binary Research Institute have recently created a model of our solar system that moves. This model offers a remarkable possibility for observing the precession. It also, interestingly, seems to resolve several other anomalies that the traditional Lunisolar Theory does not explain.
According to ancient astronomy, the precession of the equinox—the slow movement of the zodiac’s constellations—is the result of the sun’s motion. Basically, this understanding describes the sun as curving through space around some other star, and this means that our viewpoint of the stars from here on Earth changes. So, it is our viewpoint of the stars that is actually changing rather than the position of the Earth relative to the stars, as the traditional theory suggest. Top research astronomers are now actually scientifically proving this ancient dynamic model. Although the Sun’s companion star has not yet been identified, this Binary Theory of the precession is rapidly emerging as the most plausible.
What’s so remarkable about this is that, in fact, this is not a new theory—it is a very, very old theory indeed. Think back to Plato describing a Great Year, and all of the ancient cultures explored in “Hamlet’s Mill” that spoke of this alternative view of time.
To explain this dynamic model of the precession a bit more clearly, let’s say that the Earth is carried by the solar system as we know it. This solar system, rather than staying put in space, is actually moving in a massive orbit, bringing Earth along with it. This causes our planet to be subjected to the electromagnetic spectrum of another star (besides our own known Sun) along the solar system’s orbit. Naturally, this would have a profound impact on our magnetosphere, our ionosphere—in fact, all life on the planet. We already know that the diurnal motion (Earth’s rotation on its axis) and the annual motion (Earth’s revolution around the Sun) are responsible for the transitions from day to night and through the seasons of the year. These motions are directly produced as a result of the Earth’s changing position relative to the EM spectrum of the Sun.
Let me ask you this. If these two commonly understood motions of the Earth have such a profound effect on our perception of time, on life in general—and not just human life, but in fact all life on this planet—what do you think might be the effect of an even grander type of celestial motion? What the Binary Theory offers us is an opportunity to understand life on a radically grander scale. It offers us a way to understand how human consciousness relates to the celestial cycles—and how Plato’s concept of the Great Year might be much more than theory. If we consider the idea that the entire solar system is moving constantly and gradually, then we must also consider the possibility of Golden and Dark Ages on a vast scale.
How the Sun Affects Us
Turning to some current research on the effect of the bigger celestial motion at play upon human consciousness, we can look at some of the findings of Dr. Valerie Hunt. An expert in human physiology, Dr. Hunt has conducted numerous studies related to human cognition and the electromagnetic field. The ambient EM field surrounds us all the time and it can have a profound effect on human consciousness and cognition. What is most remarkable about this research is that it has been shown that human consciousness is notably affected by very small changes in light. The Great Year or Cycle of Time theory of human history is based upon the Sun’s movement through space and how this movement subjects Earth to shifting stellar fields. So, depending upon the amount and quality of the EM spectra we are receiving, human consciousness—the way we think and even how well we think—may be profoundly affected in different eras of time. Doesn’t this make sense if we think about how differently historical periods have affected us? Wouldn’t this go a long way toward explaining the phenomena of changing attitudes and beliefs across cultures and through human history as we look at the different eras of our life on this planet? Wouldn’t it help to explain why some ages are Golden and others Dark?
