The world is ruled by very different powers from what is imagined by those who are not behind the scenes.
Benjamin Disraeli
The last aristocrats, men from a single social and religious caste, whose very existence is not suspected by the man in the street . . . ”
Roger Peyrefitte, Knight of Malta
News is what someone wants to suppress. Everything else is publicity.
Rueven Frank; former head of NBC News
B ack at the mountaintop cave, the group was unwinding from their voyage. Lead almost had to shout to get everyone’s attention. “Would someone shed some light on everything we just witnessed?”
By habit, everyone turned to Silicone. “Believe me, I am also at odds with our experiences and encounters.”
“I hope all this will lead to the Universal Sign,”Oxygen sighed.
“Indeed. Evidently people have always searched
for the Source.”
Helium humored. “Unless like these humans we
have a few millennia to spare, we better find that
Universal Sign soon.”
“I’d say our inquiry is kin to religion,” Sodium
said. “Buddha called it ‘the realization of the Highest
Truth’.”
“It seems odd that despite typical religious
intolerance, they deal with the same issues,” Hydrogen
said, “the same issues the heretical movements explore:
humanity’s true spiritual nature, its sense of being lost or
cast away, its yearning for resurrection, immortality, and
union with a divine creator.”
“Similar ideas are present in many ancient
sources, such as the Hindu and Avestic scriptures or the
Book of The Dead. Ancient traditions influenced later
religions that survive in contemporary human society.” “If the same ideas and hopes inspired many
faiths, then why were the so-called heretical faiths so
brutally repressed? Why the need to eradicate them?
What ideologies did they explore and reveal? What
posed such a threat to the religious establishments?”
Hydrogen asked.
“All such heresies had too much in common to
be coincidental,” Gold said.
“We have noticed the similarities in mythical
symbolism and tradition shared across great distances,”
Silicone went on. Did they learn it from one another?
Some of them had no way of communicating. The
African and Middle Eastern civilizations lay in relative
proximity, but what about the others? Maybe those
mysterious maps somebody mentioned belonged to precataclysm ocean-faring civilizations. After the
cataclysm, and before the adoption of compass, open sea
adventures were risky, so the survivors of the cataclysm
likely survived with little probability of prolonged
contact. So either all the survivors developed puzzlingly
similar mythologies independently, or the myths reflect
fading memories of a common pre-cataclysmic
experience. Whichever, one thing is certain. Ancient civilizations preserved the legends of their ancestors until institutionalized religions wiped away all traces of such ‘godless paganism.’ For me, the only remaining question is whether any of the ancient traditions relate to actual historical events. Myth or not, the almost identical
traditions are rooted in forgotten pre-cataclysmic eras. “The old myths have inspired fables, folk tales,
and timeless masterpieces, all derived from even more
ancient oral sources. Many refer to animal-symbolized
deities with unearthly powers, and all link leonine,
serpentine, or bull-horned gods with civilization,
wisdom, and knowledge.”
“Many ancient relics show the Tree of Life
between winged goats or bulls, and the Tree of
Knowledge is almost always associated with the
serpent,” Mercury recalled.
“Many more,” Silicone said, “refer to some long
past monumental conflict when victorious warrior gods
defeat the old regime of lion, bull/goat, and serpent
gods. The victors are often symbolized by birds of prey
and associated with obedience and order.”
“The half-man, half-goat gods appear in Europe
in the early Hellenic myths. Christianity later portrayed
Satan as a horned and bearded man-goat, often
accompanied by a serpent and associated with the
pentagram, the symbol of Sirius,” Silicone continued.
“Other ancient records report heavenly wars for
supremacy over Earth among beings in metallic flying
crafts with awesome weapons. Are such myths just mass
hallucination?”
Hydrogen posed a question. “What do you guess
lies behind all the common spiritual ideas and ancient
symbolisms and myths? What are they trying to reveal?
Where do they come from?”
Silicone provided a hypothetical clue. “The
ancient races revered astronomy and studied the movements of the sun, moon, heavenly bodies, and the star constellations avidly. Why they associated little specks of light in a dark night sky with heavenly bodies is a mystery. Nineteenth century archeologists unearthed millennia old Sumerian clay tablets that depict sophisticated astronomical charts. Some show the solar system’s spherical planets within their orbital patterns around the sun. How could they have known all that over eight thousand years ago? They associated natural phenomena with heavenly bodies and symbolized the
constellations as animals.
“Maybe early ice-age humans associated the
powerful natural forces with the awesome cosmos and
portrayed them as gods with human characteristics, an
attempt to understand the natural forces that affected
their survival. Or…”
Silicone paused. “Maybe humans are not alone
in the universe! Maybe early civilization did not evolve
their spiritual philosophies and sciences but rather
inherited them. Could the mythical sacred tablets and
pillars, buried before the flood, have been remnants of
pre-cataclysmic knowledge? Were those blue-skinned,
flying gods in tall helmet-crowns just figments of human
imagination?
visitors from
Sirius is only eight light years away from us. Ancient
myths refer to the sacred role of star systems, especially
Draco, Orion, the Pleiades, and Sirius. If those stars
have planets, then maybe their inhabitants discovered
Earth long ago. Has human life on earth evolved
naturally without interference? Quite frankly, their
disharmony may point to an unnatural evolution.” “I believe the sun will rise shortly. Time to go
find some more answers,” Mercury noted.
Once again the group prepared for a voyage.
Somehow this time the Transportal felt different. The Could they not have been advanced star systems in nearby constellations? light lacked its usual brilliant white luminescence, was a rather darkish red, and the force field seemed amplified by a powerful magnetism. Whatever the cause, our
heroes went into survival instinct mode.
Upon arrival, Sodium vocalized its concern.
“There is disturbing energy here. We must be careful.” They huddled together and looked around. They
were in an enclosed arena, a large circular hall with a
high domed ceiling. The walls were of solid black
masonry, arching upward to a gothic dome. Gargoyles
of birds of prey protruded around the edges of the
arched ceiling, their watchful eyes peering down at the
floor as if ready to dart and rip an unaware victim apart.
The floor was paved with black, gray, and brown
pebbles bound by some resin.
Returning from an exploration of the masonry
walls, Calcium commented. “The building is designed to
a precise geometric pattern which lets it act as a receiver
of energy waves.”
There were no windows or skylights. Torches
spaced along the circular perimeter lit the darkness
dimly. They were shaped like fearsome beastly heads.
Reddish-yellow flames flicked through holes that
highlighted their large, fierce eyes, nostrils, and mouths.
Circling the floor of the hall were three hundred chairs
in three rows of a hundred, set at slightly different levels
near the walls. The chairs’ black metal and velvet
cushions were crowned with vulture-shaped visors on
either side of the headrest, which blocked vision to the
side and created a solitary presence. The center of the
backrest cushions featured a large red embroidered5. The hall was devoid of other notable features.
Lead pointed to a small cylinder on a pedestal to the side
of the center of the room. It was a smooth, seamless,
thick plate of lead. Lead decided to check it out, and
Iron went along.
On the other side of the hall was a large boxlike
object covered with a thick black drape of a sturdy
material, embroidered in unfamiliar patterns depicting
hieroglyphic symbols.
As they stared at the odd patterns on the drape, a
voice prompted them from inside the metallic threads.
“You sure don’t look like any council members or
initiates.”
“No, we’re just time travelers passing through,”
Helium answered.
“There are awesome powers here but likely not
what you are after. Allow me to introduce myself. I am
Titanium.”
Before the group could respond, Lead and Iron
returned with yet another new companion, a glowing
giant. “Please forgive my intrusion and intimidating
appearance. I am Uranium. I’ve been imprisoned inside
that canister so long I can’t even remember when my
half-life began. Your friend was kind enough to end my
solitude by talking the rest of its type into letting me slip
through. I am so relieved.”
“We’re glad to meet you both. We need all the
guidance and information we can get. We see this is an
important place. What are you doing here?” Silicone
asked Uranium politely.
“I’m not sure. We were dug out of the earth
some time ago, purified, concentrated, and stuck in that
canister. We couldn’t see outside it and had no idea
where they were carrying us. We heard they would
manipulate our intense state of existence, and that’s all I
know. I have had a bad unstable feeling about the whole
thing.”
“You’re right to feel that way,” Titanium said.
“I’ve been assigned to sit over this ‘holy of unholies’ for
some time.”
“What on earth is that?” Oxygen wanted to
know. “Not quite of this earth,” came the reply. “We’re
not sure where it’s from. Centuries ago, when it was
brought here, I was made part of its woven fabric
cover.”
“What does it do?” Nitrogen asked.
“All I know is that they call it the Ark. It is a
communication device between a ‘voice’ and the
council. They call the voice Lord or Amon.”
“Where does it come from?” Silicone asked. “I’m not sure, but none of us likes it. Once a
year when the cosmic alignments are just right, the Ark
works, and when it does an immense power fills this
place. And it happens tonight.”
“What does the council deal with?”
“Decisions, policies, strategies, things like that.
They discuss the past, the present, and the future, not
only for humans but also all of us terrestrials.
Occasionally, they retire a member and initiate a new
one. Sometimes, they meet without the Ark. I can tell
you that these three hundred men are movers and
shakers in the human world system. They hold powerful
positions in major
academic, financial,
control everything. They believe to be servants of a
cause, the grand design for earth and humanity. Their
initiations involve complex rituals and oaths of
allegiance, obedience and secrecy. They consider only
extraordinary candidates, those who have risen through
the social ranks to a certain echelon of worldly
importance. Once recruited and initiated, they’re in for
life. If they break the codes of conduct, they are ritually
executed. I have witnessed a few executions. I have seen
the Ark levitate a victim in mid-air, torture him, crush
every bone, burn them or bleed them through every
orifice until death. One of the Lord’s favorites is to political, economic, scientific, and media organizations. They decapitate the victim and de-flesh the skull and its
display on a stake as a trophy.”
“Another familiar symbol,” Gold noted. “Evidently this Ark channels powerful energies
from a distance,” Silicone surmised, “and is configured
to some astronomical orientation.”
“I have heard the caretakers refer to a great eye
or the bird of order,” Titanium said.
“Have you ever heard anyone mention the nature
of the Lord or the voice?” Mercury asked.
“No. But I know that its real name is a
mathematical algorithm that can neither be said aloud,
nor even known. It is sacred and secret. I believe an
ancient tablet with that information is hidden away.
Only very few know where.”
“We heard on our last journey,” Oxygen said,
“that ancient wisdom symbolized creation and goodness
as light or the sun. Darkness is the absence of light,
right? It’s sure dark here.”
“Invisibly so,” Titanium said, “because nobody
outside knows what happens here, although the
decisions made here affect everything, even us.” “Please explain.”
“I have heard economic reports that emphasize
the planet’s true wealth of this planet. They mean
minerals. Apparently we are the planet’s real treasures.” “Do you mean that the Lord wants to harvest
Earth’s minerals?”
“That would clarify a lot this planet’s
unfortunate history, wouldn’t it?” Silicone concluded. At that moment our friends heard a faint noise
like the chatter of a whispering tuxedo-clad audience,
awaiting the arrival of an orchestra. The sound neared
until they heard a heavy metallic door turn, screeching
on its hinges. Through the doorway they saw the
silhouettes of a large group of men dressed in black robes, gloves, leather masks, and tall, cone shaped hats. They entered the hall in silence and marched to the seats. As they arranged themselves, the friends observed that each had a red embroidered ‘5’ on his robe and a small white skull on his headdress. They stood by their
chairs, awaiting something.
At the last entered a tall, thin man, obviously the
leader. He held a mechanical device in his hand. Making
a 360-degree slow turn, he glanced at the assembly, and
they bowed under the weight of his gaze.
He spoke in a deep voice. “Brothers, we await
the moment. It will be soon now.”
The man nodded to four assistants who
approached the Ark silently, lifted it with some effort,
and carried it to the center of the hall, a spot marked
with a symbol—two red keys in a crossed layout like a
large 5. They set the Ark down gently and, as if
handling a precious object, removed the drape to reveal
a shiny metal box covered with engravings not unlike
the design on the drape. It stood on an exotic wooden
pedestal. Atop the Ark on either side were two winged
humanoids, each with one wing pointed down, the other
stretched toward the center of the box. They had human
bodies, and one had the head of a fierce beast, the other
of a bird of prey. Between the tips of their upwardstretching wings was a clear red spherical crystal. From
each side of the box protruded large plaques depicting a
large red ‘5’ rising out of flames. The upper slanted
lines of the ‘5’ sign feathered out like wings, while the
lower lines ended in claws. One claw held a saber and
the other, a human skull. Above the ‘5’ just where the
two lines crossed was a single eye. Quite inhuman, it
gazed with a cold, probing expression.
Tin, Copper, and Silver said, “The Eye of
Amon!”
Silicone whispered. “An oracle.”
The leader put the mechanical device in a pocket
in his robe, then lowered his head and slowly raised both
arms. Suddenly the crystal began to glow red, until it lit
the entire chamber. Our friends heard a humming noise
of increasing amplitude and pitch, until even the
building began to shake.
The sound lasted a while, and then suddenly
ended. A sphere of red plasma now hovered in mid-air
over the Ark. All the Council bowed and looked down
in respect, fear, and obedience.
“Praised be our Lord,” prompted the motionless
leader.
The rest of the assembly cried, “Amon!” After a brief silence, an un-earthly, piercing
voice resonated from inside the red plasma. A voice our
friends would never forget addressed the Council.
“Greetings, our select ones.”
All stood quiet and absolutely still.
“We convene in this year,” the voice said,
“marking a special period in Earth’s evolution. The
world, our creation, undergoes significant
transformations. Humanity is about to embark on a new
adventure that will elevate its development. As the end
of the Second World War approaches, new beginnings
await you. New tasks and challenges face you,
Councilors. Tonight, we will discuss new policies that
will guide the next millennium of your history. Before
that, however, I want to review the relevant facts,
events, and policies of the past thirteen millennia since
we embraced your existence and gave you civilization.
You may be seated now.”
Everyone sat and stared at the red plasma. The voice resumed. “As you know, we
undertook to guard your world thirteen millennia ago
when your ancestors were little more than beasts. They
ravished the earth, stained it with their refuse, practiced cannibalism, lived in filthy earthen holes, and had no
civilization worthy of mention.”
“That is absolutely not true!” Carbon cried
angrily. Silicone signaled him to be quiet.
“They sat idly and stupidly until it was time to
eat again. They hunted anything that moved with stone
weapons. If they found no animals, a lost or captured
member of a neighboring clan would do. They lived in
filth and disease and died young. Despite their
hardships, they bred day and night like biological
reproduction units. At night, they huddled in holes,
afraid of man-eating animals, the wind or darkness.
Such were your ancestors when we decided to become
their guardians, or gods. Of course, the forces of evil
were also around, leading humanity astray, corrupting
them with evil teachings. Still, the forces of good and
order overcame, and we took the primitive human race
under our protective wings. Our angels came to Earth to
condition humanity and erase the effects of evil. That
was the beginning of humanity’s road to salvation,
which will some day raise it to the heavens.
Unfortunately, evil was rooted deeper than we thought.
Some humans went on practicing and worshiping evil
ways, and thought of themselves as demi-gods. It
became evident that their sinful memories had to be
erased, once and for all, by conclusive means. The slate
had to be wiped clean of corruption. About twelve-anda-half millennia ago the flood annihilated those sinners.
The select ones of that time were advised to save
themselves and their families any way they could. After
that, the planet changed dramatically. The irreversible
loss of flora and fauna necessitated the introduction of
raised food as opposed to hunted or gathered. Our angels
devised appropriate genetically altered crops, bred
domesticated animals, and taught humanity to grow
cultivated food. Gradually humans settled into farming communities. We gave them further technologies— mathematics, fired clay, writing, games and music. They learned to extract metals from ore and manipulated their environment in previously unimaginable ways. With sturdier tools, they cleared forests, diverted rivers, carved mountains, built roads—and dominated or conquered their neighbors. Large scale organized warfare was born. No development was accidental. Humanity needs constant hardship and anxiety to
evolve.”
“A pack of distorted lies so far,” Carbon
muttered. “I knew a different world at least four
millennia before these guys showed up to make
themselves gods and angels.”
“Humanity’s additional powers necessitated
laws,” the voice continued. “To that end, we set up a
ruling noble class. To sate their hunger for spiritual
answers and to deflect the old evil teachings, we taught
new doctrines of religion and priesthood. The new
religions assured that humans first and foremost
recognized their true god and no other. Efficient
religious machinery was indispensable for maintaining
social order in a world that faced the reemergence of
evil. We realized that if all humans spoke the same
tongue or talked about the same ideas, they could not
challenge each other, compete, and grow. They would
also be hard to control as their numbers grew and they
became increasingly organized. Different languages and
different versions of the same religious teachings
prevented idleness and stagnation. As long as they all
recognized the only true god, was all well? Absolutely
not. You must understand man’s real nature. Humans
are still animals. By nature, they cheat, lie, kill, steal,
envy, hate, and destroy. Man is incapable of disciplined
cooperation, much less compassion. Instead of working
together, they connive to destroy one another. Instead of striving for the common good, they are jealous. The strong kill or exploit the weak and all other species, mercilessly and without hesitation. They obey and understand only one thing: law and order. Earth has always been a planet of juvenile delinquents. To rehabilitate them, we have turned it into a planet of labor and work. There is no other way to evolve humanity to
an acceptable civilized state.”
Our bemused friends resented the slander of their
home planet.
“In the millennia following the flood, planetary
conditions stabilized. Food production increased in most
places. Arid places without food or water persisted, so
their inhabitants produced tradable goods. Soon enough
they began to raid for loot, and everyone began invading
or defending like a bunch of armed wild animals.
Barbaric anarchy was widespread as they learned about
long distance travel, transportation, and organized
warfare. Only a new order could stop the waste of
productive labor resources. We set up regional ruling
empires with standing armies, rigid rules, order and
stability. Successive empires ensured orderly progress.
Religion and military force are effective evolutionary
necessities.
“The regional imperial model worked well for a
while, but rapidly rising world population and unequal
distribution of wealth created socioeconomic unrest.
Brute force needed an underlying religious foundation,
so an era of holy empires and holy wars replaced the
past, and civilized nations assumed the moral right to
rule the barbarians. Discriminatory faith replaced
comparative civilization. Supranational religious
institutions formed or cooperated with the ruling classes.
For centuries the religious-kingdom social system
worked well, though when the world’s population
surged uncontrollably, we provided new technologies to improve living conditions, technologies that increased economic activity through power-based mechanization, such as systems, merchant economic systems. reduced the old aristocrats’ idly generated incomes, a transfer of wealth and power that caused revolutions,
wars, and upheavals.
“As always, our elite were in key positions to
guide the transformation of the industrializing societies
along the planned path. Capital was the key lubricant in
the machinery of change. During the last 350 years, the
industrial powers coloniz