Countdown To Armageddon

The Mayan Calendar

Well, here we are, counting down to whatever it is we are counting down to.

To hear some folks talk, by this time next year, the Earth will be a cinder, all Mankind will be extinct, civilization will vanish, and it will all be because of some carved stone wheels in Mexico.

Rubbish.

It is the nature of all entrenched power elites to make people afraid of some external force, from which they will protect us...at a price.  Fear is a great motivator, and when used as a weapon, can cause great numbers of people to do really stupid things, like trust someone else to watch out for their interests.  It never occurs to us individually that anyone we put in a position to guard our safety is going to watch out for their own safety first.

The great Roman poet and historian Ovid famously said, "Quis custodiet ipsos custodies?"  Who will watch the watchers?  Once you establish an individual or group to protect your interests, then you must place another over them to watch them, and yet more over them to watch the former.  It's an endless cycle of layers of watchers checking on other watchers, and in the end, the only one who is truly motivated to keep me safe is me.

If I have a pile of gold and I hire someone to watch it for me, eventually they will figure out that job security comes from keeping me afraid of losing my gold.  But at some point, I will become paranoid and hire someone else to keep an eye on the first one.  And on it goes ad infinitum.  The watchers will inevitably place their own self-interests above mine.

If we expand this to a global scale, then we have certain minorities who have been placed in positions of trust to watch out for our interests.  To protect their interests, they have instituted various programs to keep us afraid, and thus continue paying them to watch our interests.  When they are caught red-handed lying and dissembling, we blythely pay more to install another layer of minorities to watch the first group, who in turn ally themselves with the first layer in order to enrich themselves at our expense.  We call this process 'government'.

In the age of the 'security' state, we the sheeple herded around by the noses by a small group of people who use our fears as weapons against us.  By its nature, fear is irrational because it rarely rises to the level of our expectations.  Yet the mere anticipation of something bad happening causes us to become pliant and docile at the hands of anyone who will promise to protect us.

The state apparatus has a vested interest in keeping us afraid.  It doesn't matter what the fear is, so long as a sufficient majority of the masses are afraid of it.  It also helps if the fear is something that is much larger and inevitable that we are powerless to change.  We will still throw money and power at anyone who steps up and says they have a plan to protect us.

Global cooling, global warming, Y2K, 2012, Apocalypse...name your irrational fear, and you will find some group standing up to take money to protect us from it.

Pandora's Box

Climate change?  Well, we have this anonymous group of 'scientists,' without names or faces, who are working diligently with their laptops and recording stations to do what we all can do by standing outside.

Apocalypse?  We have this massive bureaucracy called a church that claims to intercede on behalf of all Mankind with an angry and wrathful God to prevent His wiping out Humanity.  This particular gig is very effective, since it's lasted about 500 years or so.  Never mind that wrath and vengence are two of the seven deadly sins, and it makes no logical sense what-so-ever that this God would act on them.

2012?  This one is particularly rich, since no one seems to take the time to read about seven or eight paragraphs in a scholarly paper on Mayan calendars.  It's particularly effective, since people can project just about any fear they have on to it, and it has grown to encompass climate change, apocalypse, space invasions, and pretty much all the other fears and expectations of our collective subconscious.

In simplest terms, the Maya envisioned all of time as a series of interwoven cycles running endlessly into the future.  Each progressing cycle was exponentially longer than the first, with the final cycle lasting a bit over 5,000 years.  This final cycle had 13 iterations before it would itself recycle.  The whole thing was based on various celestial events, particularly the movements of Venus, Moon and Sun.

The cycles also coincided with Maya myths and legends regarding various Ages, not unlike the Yugas in Hindu tradition.  In fact, a brief effort on the part of the curious reader will reveal that the recycling of the Mayan calendar, as well as the Hindu tradition, and even the Bible itself, call for the beginning of a new Golden Age, when Mankind will become enlightened once again, and will throw off the fear and loathing that has kept Him in darkness and ignorance.

According to some scholarship, that new Golden Age begins about this time next year.

So what are we afraid of?  Could it be that all this fear-mongering is actually a reflection of the watchers' internal struggle to keep us all compliant and fearful in the face of a new Awakening?  Are they trying to engineer a new Dark Age in which they are the Masters of All They Survey, while we are the writhing masses cowering at their feet?

If all your wealth and power were the result of everyone around you being deathly afraid of their own shadows, and you knew that they were waking up and taking back their birthright, what would you do?  Considering you will lose everything and most likely all those people will lash out in anger at you for what you've done, my guess is that you would do everything in your power to keep them ignorant, fearful and dependent.

In fact, every tradition, without exception, that forecasts a violent and nasty cataclysm states that this event is the birth pangs of a new Golden Age of Humanity.  We will finally conquer our fears and self-loathing, and usher in an Age when Mankind will appear god-like, when peace and harmony will reign, when we no longer live in ignorance.  All of them, be they Christian, Buddhist, Muslim, Mayan, Hindu, Greco-Roman, Cherokee, Hopi...doesn't matter, they all predict that the destruction of the Old Ways will lead to new glories for our species.

The Golden Age

So, when you look at it the right way, what we are seeing is deep, agonizing fear on the part of the watchers who are losing their power and status.  The only weapon they have is to transfer that fear onto the vast majority of humanity to keep us dependent on them.  Every one of the traditions hold that this will happen, that the entrenched powers will utter destroy themselves in their effort to maintain their positions.  In the end, the Enlightenment always wins.

2012 will likely be an eventful year.  There will be some remarkable events in the heavens and on Earth.  But the only people who have something to fear are the one who benefit most from fear.  Because, when fear is conquered, they no longer have power nor status.  They will no longer be able to manipulate the masses, since all their tools and tricks will have been rendered useless.

Every winter brings death, but spring is not far behind.  What was hidden by the snow will be revealed by the thaw.

Novus Ordo Saeclorum

There’s nothing new under the sun.

Ultima Cumaei venit iam carminis ætas

Magnus ab integro sæclorum nascitur ordo

iam redit et Virgo, redeunt Saturnia regna

iam nova progenies cælo demittitur alto

The avenging Sybil comes, an immediate prediction for the era

Great numbers, because of the age of perfection, are born in turn

immediate reward and Virgin, honorable Saturn reign

now the new blood-line of heaven descendant from the Father

Virgil

Though many people are finally waking up to something called the “New World Order,” it is, in fact, a very old idea.  It is not New, it does not encompass the World, and it has little to do with Order.

The words, “Novus Ordo Saeclorum,” or ‘new way of things for all time,’ were first recorded by Publius Vergilius Maro, or simply Virgil, a Roman poet and historian, who lived from 70BC to 19BC.  He wrote the words in reference to the Roman Empire, which controlled most of Europe, the Near East and North Africa at the time.

Notice that the words, novus ordo saeclorum, don’t actually appear that way in the orginal poem.  That is important to understanding what is meant by this term.  More on that in a minute.

The term 'novus ordo saeclorum' has popped up in various places, most notoriously on the back of the US $1 note and Great Seal, as well as the title of Adolph Hitler’s second unpublished book, the sequel to “Mein Kampf” (My Suffering).

US Great Seal - Reverse

The “New World Order,” has been applied to a number of Western empires that have all notably had quasi-religious, esoteric foundations, such as the Holy Roman Empire and the Third Reich.  The quest to dominate the world is as old as ambition itself, and since the time of Virgil, it has had a name throughout Western history.

Every major empire that has come and gone in the West has had, at its root, the desire for a “New World Order.”  Whether it was Rome, Spain, Britannia, Autria-Hungary, the Third Reich, or the Catholic Chruch, they have all sought to enslave all of humanity under a single iron fist…and they have all seen themselves as the new order of all things.

The fact of the matter is it is all the same old clap-trap, and it all collapses under its own weight.  With the possible exception of Rome, which has changed its marketing plan several times over the last 3,000 years, they have all gone into the trash bin of history.

Basically, the New World Order is the same old bunch of crack-pot monarchs who keep trying to resurrect a long-failed blood-line ruling class that the masses have long since disregarded and disposed.

It’s important that we re-translate not only the poem, but the line ‘novus ordo saeclorum,’ because the real meanings have been obscured by accident and purpose to keep us ignorant of what’s really going on.  The lines from the poem, and the commonly translated “New World Order” actually refer to the rise of a blood-line king that will rule the world for all eternity.

The problem with a lot of translations out there is that Latin didn’t have punctuation, so things like dependent clauses, and adjectival and adverbial phrases must be carefully inferred from the endings on the words and the word order in the sentence.  In my translation, I have added appropriate commas to give a clearer rendition into English.

Virgo

The poem contains two important symbols that are frequently translated as “justice” and “rules” (the noun form).  These are shallow interpretations.  The words Virgo and Saturn are very rich symbols with much greater significance.


Remember that poetry, even in English, uses connotation, allusion and subtext to communicate deeper meanings and images.

Let’s first look at Virgo.  Among the many allusions for this word are the Aqua Virgo aquaduct, the astrological sign Virgo, and the symbol of the virgin, which is part of the reason early Christians considered this poem prophetic.  In fact, many read the poem as prophesying the rise of a catholic (universal) Christian empire.


Virgo is the goddess of justice, who was forced to flee Earth because of the lawlessness of Man.  If this sounds a bit like something from the tale of Noah’s flood, you would be on the right track.  She is sometimes shown with scales, because Libra is the sign that follows Virgo.

Aqua Virgo

Originally, Virgo was pictured holding two sheeves of wheat, an asterism that followed the ancient Babylonian constellation of “The Furrow.”  Of course, if you read the Far Side column called Dawn of a New Day, then you know that a bundle of wheat with an ax buried in it is called a ‘fascia,’ from which we get the word, ‘fascism.’  The meaning of the symbol is ‘one strength from many parts,’ which Lo and Behold, is the national motto of the US.  Hmmmm…interesting connection.  The connotations of bundles of wheat, justice and laws, and the female form, which implies life and creation, are what we are after here.

Saturn is even more interesting.  Saturn is a key symbol in so many parts of our culture.  The most familiar, of course, is that it is Lord of the Rings, but it goes much deeper than that.  The ancient Babylonian symbol for Saturn is a six-pointed star, or what we commonly call the Star of David or Solomon's Key.  That it is a hexagram is even more interesting, in that it wasn’t until the past few years that we have been able to see that the poles of Saturn are surrounded by hexagonal rings.


A side note...the Babylonians knew that Saturn had rings, and the Hindus knew the diameter of Saturn to within a few hundred miles.

Saturn's Hexagon

Saturn traditionally is associated with long-term planning, and its 30-year orbit shows up in vast amounts of obscure and occult symbolism.  The common image of the god Saturn is what we know today as Father Time, the old man with a scythe who represents the passing year in New Year’s celebrations. 

Saturn was the Roman god of harvest, thus a close association with Virgo, who is holding the harvested wheat sheaves that Saturn has cut.  


Saturn was known to the Greeks as Cronus, the god of time, and the origin of the English word ‘chronology’ and its related forms.

In Hebrew tradition, Saturn is called Shabbathai, which is the origin of the word ‘sabbath,’ thus those observing the Sabbath are Saturn worshippers, who go to the temple on Saturn-day..

Ancient Babylonian symbol for Saturn

The Roman festival of Saturnalia began on December 17^th, and ended on December 23^rd, when the sun died for three days before being resurrected again on December 25^th.  This symbolism is based on the fact that the sun moves approximately 1-degree per day across the sky throughout the year, as the Earth wobbles back and forth in its orbit.  The exception is December 23 to 25, when the sun appears to stay in the same location for three days, before beginning to climb again into the northern tropic zone.

Saturn/Cronus is also the father of the gods.  He is the progenitor of Jupiter/Zeus, and is the son of Terra and Caelus (Earth and Sky).  Do you see the word caelo in the poem at the top?  The Latin word for ‘heaven’ is caelis.  Are the pieces starting to fall together?

The Hindus call Saturn Shani, the judge of souls after death, a symbolism certainly known to Virgil.  The combination of Virgo, sometimes called the goddess of justice, with Saturn, whose Hindu function was to judge the dead, and who was credited by the Romans for originating law, make for an interesting play on meanings and symbols.

Cronus kills Uranus, his father

Virgil would have also included the mythology of Saturn, whose reign over Earth was a Golden Age, a time of great wealth, peace and cultural advancement.  This Golden Age appears in almost all mythology on Earth.  According to the Roman story, Jupiter eventually overthrew his father Saturn, and cast down all the Titans, thus ending the Golden Age, and beginning the Age of Man.

The layers and layers of mythology surrounding Saturn are both deep and broad.  I’ve barely touched the Eastern symbols.  But, I think we have enough now to get a handle on Novus Ordo Saeclorum, and tackle the poem’s riddle.

The avenging Sybil comes, an immediate prediction for the era

Great numbers, because of the age of perfection, are born in turn

immediate reward and the Virgin, honorable Saturn rule

now the new blood-line of heaven descendant from the Father

Sybils were soothsayers in Roman times.  They were the fortune-tellers.  In this case, the prediction is that Saturn would be overthrown by one of his children.  Thus, the reference to ‘avenging’ or revenge.

The Age of Perfection, or Golden Age, returns in a rebirth or resurrection.

Because of the rebirth, there is a return to justice, bounty and all the perceived wonders of the Golden Age.  The Virgin Implies innocence, as well as harvest and plenty.  Saturn brings justice and gathers the many together into one, like wheat at harvest.

Saturn is reborn, the blood-line of Heaven and Earth (Caelus and Terra).  The ancient rulers return and a Second Golden Age comes.

If we draw all the strings together, what we see is that the novus ordo saeclorum is an occult reference to a new golden age, that will supposedly be based on a legendary blood-line, which will rule over the whole world.  The fascis and e pluribus unum are all part of this secret symbolism.  Just as the whole design of Washington, D.C. as the New Rome is part of the rebirth of the Second Golden Age.

Everything we see going on around the world right now is because a group of occult ‘fascists,’ who call themselves the 'illuminati,' or enlightened one, are trying to breed a new king from an (supposedly) ancient blood-line, and bring all the pieces (harvest) together to bring Saturn back to life and recreate the Golden Age.

The problem is, who will this Golden Age benefit?  Who is the blood-line?  And why are we normal folk considered so much meat to waste in order to create this legendary Golden Age?  And why is this all such a big, damn secret?

We are at the mercy of a bunch of in-bred, Saturn-worshipping, believers in ancient legends, and they are willing to destroy anyone and anything to get their way in re-creating some musty old myth about a Golden Age.


The Illuminated Ones, who worship Saturn, in the guise of Lucifer the Light-bearer (all-seeing eye), are trying to re-establish a 'Golden Age' (gold being a symbol of Saturn) in which their chosen blood-line will be the supreme rulers of all Mankind for all eternity.

Makes you feel nice and comfy, doesn’t it?  Because we are in the way of their maniacal lust for ultimate power.

By the way, does any of this sound like a plot from a 'Star Wars' sequel?  Saturn, the dark father (Darth Vader) is killed by his son Luke/Jupiter, and ushers in a new Golden Age for the galaxy.

Stay tuned…

Our motto here on the Far Side, is and ever shall be:

Panton est fimum bovis.  It’s all BS.