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A brief history of religion

Study the Scythians to help navigate the missing history of religion. Their religion was documented by Herodotus, the father of Western history.

Scythians believed god sent them three golden objects: a golden cup, a golden plough, and a golden battle ax.

The cup was too hot too touch, but one day a boy was able to pick it up. His offspring became the royal Scythians, in charge of appointing the Enares, who ran the ceremonies. The family with the plough was put in charge of planting hemp and other crops in the foothills of the Caucasus Mountains. During the summer, they moved their herds up the mountain fields to graze, and returned to the banks of the Black Sea during the winter. I could write a long time about their customs, even though they had no written language and everything we know comes from Persia or from Greece, in other words, their enemies. The Scythians built and controlled the Silk Road, which meant they were also involved in the slave, drug and spice trades. Silk didn’t appear until millennia later.

When the straits of Bosphorus were first breached, possibly due to a meteor strike, sea water flooded into the Black Sea burying all the towns and villages on the shore, as well as several islands. The survivors move away, some to Turkey, some to Persia, some to Afghanistan. They develop flood myths.

Meanwhile, in Bactria a new avatar emerges, Zoroaster, who is using the Scythian sacraments, and popularizes drinking hot milk mixed with cannabis, which turns out to be the most effective delivery system, both for medicinal and inspirational purposes. Zoroaster is a barefoot holy man, not a warrior like Heracles, the previous avatar. He carries a magic stick instead of a magic sword. He saves the tribe through feats of magic, not through feats of strength.

The first Zoroastrian king of Persia (Cyrus the Great) defeats the corrupt Babylonian empire and replaces it with a more enlightened form of government. He frees the Jews enslaved by Babylon and says, “Take this money and go back to Jerusalem and rebuild your temple and write down the history of your tribe.”

Naturally, they create a new avatar to update Abraham, named Moses, who is a composite of Zoroaster and Cyrus. Like Zoroaster, Moses goes to the top of “smokey” mountain and comes back with god’s rules after conversing with a burning bush. Like Cyrus, Moses was a foundling whose real identity was kept hidden.

Alexander the Great’s father becomes the first to defeat the Scythians in battle, opening the way for his son to march across the Silk Road and conquer Bactria. Meanwhile a new avatar emerged in India and became popular in Bactria. His name was Buddha. The great pantheons of Indian, Greek, Egyptian and Persian gods had been rejected by Zoroaster, who created the first monotheistic religion, but Buddha creates the first “no gods” religion in which your fate is ruled by karma, not by whims of some god.

Alexander embraces Buddhism before he dies and for centuries afterwards the entire Middle East becomes Buddhist with a Greek flavor. Judea borders the Greco-Buddhist empire, and soon the most advanced Jews are working on a new avatar, inspired by Buddha. Stories and scrolls are written to celebrate this new movement, which is vegetarian and seeks to stop the slaughter of birds and animals inside the temple.

This is a small, tiny movement, but one that troubles Rome, so they send one of their citizens to persecute these new Christians causing trouble in the temple, interfering with the slaughter of animals and birds, which makes a lot of profit (and Rome gets a cut).

The persecutor is unable to wipe out the movement, so he joins it and becomes its biggest influencer after the movement’s leader, James, is thrown off a tower and murdered. Thus ends any talk of vegetarianism.

Two hundred years later, a boy is born of a Christian father and Zoroastrian mother in Persia, and develops unique theories on religion at a young age, amazing the Magi while only 12. He successfully merges all religion to end war, and becomes a hunted man in return. He is such a vegetarian he won’t eat roots, only freely fallen fruits, nuts and vegetables. Lured out of safe haven in India he is skinned alive and decapitated for the crime of trying to end war. His murder makes him famous worldwide and the mercenary army of Rome begins flocking to his religion in droves, reading the bible he wrote by himself in his own unique calligraphy. He was the greatest portrait painter of his time. His temples spread over the world, until it got so big, Rome got worried again.

That’s when Constantine embraces a small cult designed to give comfort to the poor, and transforms it into an imperial juggernaut to take over the world. Many elements of Mani’s life are incorporated into the story of Jesus.

Not a single temple, bible, nor painting of Mani’s survives the great Inquisition, although pockets survive in modified form, like the Cathars in France. Eventually the Pope will order them all slaughtered to stop the spread of Mani’s dualism.

Mani had been healing the blind and lame, not with magic, but with the original oil of Moses, a mixture of cannabis resin suspended in olive oil with some spices, and a tad of opium and ephedra if available.

Rome disappears Mani and disappears cannabis at the same time. The Scythian holy grail, which was about the substance inside the cup, is transformed into the Christian Eucharist.

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The Dead Sea Scrolls

qumran_cave4_fjenkins_040808_157tOne of the most important discoveries in archaeology was made in a cave located near the Dead Sea in 1947, when a young Bedouin shepherd discovered a stash of seven documents written on animal skin in jars sealed for two thousand years. The boy sold the documents to two antiques dealers in Bethlehem for a fraction of their value and four quickly ended up at the Syrian Orthodox Monastery of St. Mark in Jerusalem, although they soon would be relocated to a Syrian Church in New Jersey for safe-keeping.

Over the next decade 11 stashes were uncovered representing 800 manuscripts, although most were in fragments. They included copies of the Old Testament 1,000 years older than any previously known copies, and much original material never before published.  One scroll was etched in copper and it was the treasure map detailing where other material was buried.

But perhaps the most important documents were the ones relating to the time of Jesus, and they were over 100 years older than any Christian documents previously known to history, so this represented the first opportunity for a glimpse past the censorship that had taken place during the early centuries of Christianity. In 1954, an advertisement in the Wall Street Journal offered four scrolls for sale, and these were secretly purchased by Israel.

When the second Temple in Jerusalem was razed and Jews banished from Judea, many scrolls from the Temple were apparently saved by the Christians of Jerusalem, who were being led at the time by Bishop James, the alleged brother of Jesus. It was the assassination of James that led to the riots that culminated in the destruction of the Temple and banishment of the Jews from Judea.

Less than a dozen scholars were assembled, and given exclusive access to the scrolls. This was a complex jig-saw puzzle involving 15,000 fragments laid out on tables. The opportunity for distortions to creep in were obvious when dealing with such fragmented pieces. In 1991, 44 years after their discovery, very little from the scrolls had reached the public, despite a few of them being found relatively intact, most notably the Temple Scroll from Cave 11, found in 1956, which was 28 feet long, and included Moses’ instruction on building and operating the Temple.

Today, however, many of the scrolls are online and free to read, and they tell a much different story from the New Testament.

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Stories from Mount Khajeh

300px-باران_در_قلعه_رستمWhen constructing the ancient temples, location was everything. You had two basic options: a dominating hill overlooking a town or city, or something in the middle of nowhere with splendid views and great feng shui.
Mt. Khajeh is a black basalt plateau rising up on an island in Lake Hamun like a flat-top mushroom. According to the Zoroastrian religion (which pre-dates Judaism, Islam and Christianity), this lake is the birthplace of the true prophet.
Three hundred years before Christ, this was one of the largest temples in existence, although a string of them stretched from Iraq to India, all dispensing the same sacrament. After arriving by ferry at the dock, one might have been greeted by beggars, musicians and a vibrant trading circle, where spices, foods, fabrics, sigils and icons could be obtained. Some might be exchanging their city outfits for the signature psychedelic tunic tied with a simple rainbow-colored hemp rope.
Om circles would be breaking out in groups along the trail as you approached the temple. The walls and temple towers would have been painted with blazing psychedelic frescos similar to today’s graffit art. “I love you” and “we love you” would be heard wafting up and down the footpath, as well as “welcome home, brother.” People who didn’t know each other would be sharing hugs and gifts. The well-healed visitors would be hiding their gold rings and earrings as these would be a badge of oppression. Expensive sandals would seem gaudy and out-of-place, lost in this barefoot army.
Drums and chanting from inside the temple could be heard from a long way off, but nothing prepared one for the explosion of energy once you passed through the arch and confronted the courtyard filled with musicians, chanters, spinners, dancers and performers. If you were lucky, a gigantic OM circle might break out as you arrived. These were scheduled for regular intervals and signaled by playing a ram’s horn.
Screen Shot 2015-02-10 at 11.58.53 AMEveryone at the temple is stoned and drinking soma, which is hot milk with cannabis and cinnamon. It’s available for free inside the temple, although most people leave a temple donation. Many sick people have come for treatment, and the critically ill have their own rooms next to the temple. There’s a free kitchen that runs on donations that feeds those who work for free in the cannabis fields and end up sleeping in the courtyard. They are temple monks and many work harder than slaves keeping this temple running, and refuse all pay as they consider temple work its own reward.
Over the centuries the rich will get control of this temple, and the psychedelic tunics replaced by black robes and real slaves will return. When this happens, only the rich will be allowed access to soma. And eventually, people will forget about the magic plant. Until someone named Moses comes along and speaks with a burning bush. And then the cycle will repeat itself again across the centuries from Moses to John the Baptist. But no matter how much the rich try to crush it, the truth just keeps coming back.

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What Goes Around Comes Around

First, there was Yahweh….

Then came a different concept of God, one based on vibrations, energy and love…

First there was The Great Builder, Ramesses….

Moses didn’t make it to the Promised Land. Jack didn’t make it to full out legalization. But then came Joshua….

who actually did make it to the Promised Land

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The True Story of Mount Sinai and the Burning Bush

Is Mount Sinai of the Old Testament a real place? All we know is that Moses got the inspiration to lead his people out of Egypt after traveling to the top of Mount Sinai, where he was confronted by a burning bush that spoke to him with the voice of God. When he came down, he made the first menorah, an oil lamp with seven flames. Later, the menorah would evolve to eight candles, but I wonder if the original seven flames was a reference to the seven points of a cannabis leaf. Later, after the Exodus began, Moses revisited the top of Mount Sinai to receive the Ten Commandments written on stone tablets. There has long been dispute over the origins of the words “Mount Sinai.” Some believe it’s a reference to the Sumerian Moon Goddess, others think it must be a volcano. Why volcano? Because Mount Sinai means “smokey mountains,” and its peak is always clouded in smoke, where a fire burns continuously.

I’ve come to believe the smokey mountain of Mount Sinai is actually a reference to cannabis intoxication. It was only after becoming intoxicated with cannabis smoke that Moses received the inspiration to make a menorah and lead his people out of slavery. Today, many people recognize the inspirational powers of cannabis. For example, Carl Sagan attributed some of his important scientific discoveries to inspiration he received after smoking a joint. Louis Armstrong and John Lennon also spoke of the inspirational powers of cannabis. And wherever you find cannabis use, you’ll find spiritual cultures seeking to throw off the chains of oppression, whether it be Rastas in Jamaica or hippies in North America.

Cannabis intoxication began thousands of years ago with the Scythian culture from the Black Sea area, a culture that eventually spread to Europe, Africa, China to India. The Scythians domesticated horses, built the first covered wagons and spread cannabis seeds wherever they traveled. Their culture had an enormous influence on the development of spirituality around the world, and eventually replaced the concept of a world filled with spirits to a world dominated by a single energy field that flowed through all spirits. But because they had no written language beyond runes, little is known about them other than what outsiders like Herodotus observed.

Check out this incense burner from ancient China. Cannabis incense burners in China were often shaped to look like mountains, and the smoke emanated from holes in the top, as if coming from the top of a mountain. This is probably the Mount Sinai Moses visited. These bronze incense burners could be placed inside small tents in order to fill the tent with smoke. After a few minutes inside, one became intoxicated….or, as Moses would have referred to it….”one felt the power of the Lord…”

Later, cannabis use would change from incense burners in tents to a cannabis-infused milk beverage. This was a more healthy and effective way to consume the medicine. This beverage was called Huma in China, Soma in India, and Haoma in Iran.

In the 1950s, a banker working with J.P. Morgan, then the richest man in the United States, a man with very close ties to the Bank of England, wrote several books stating Soma and Haoma were made from a mushroom, Amanita Muscaria. This rabbit hole may have been created to lead people away from discovering the truth about the origins of cannabis use and its influence on the development of spirituality.

I should add there never was an Exodus out of Egypt. That story was invented while the Jews were slaves in Babylon. Since they could not attack their masters, they invented a historical revenge drama to uplift their hearts. So they did not spend 40 days in the desert, but they could have survived times of famine by eating cannabis seeds. Manna is likely a reference to immature cannabis seeds collected by children and then pounded into wafers and baked. Also, Moses is a mythical character based mostly on Zoroaster with a tad of Cyrus the Great, the first Zoroastrian king of Persia who freed the Jews to return to Judea. So in homage they fashioned their new avatar on Zoroastrian ideas. Similarly, Jesus is a mythical creation that incorporated elements of Buddhism. Buddha is also likely a myth, but that’s another story.

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Eight Great Heroes of Cannabis

Zoroaster circa 600 BC This Iranian prophet may have been among the earliest magician/astrologers. He also popularized the drinking of the sacred Haoma, a plant that grew wild along the riverbanks and was mixed with milk to achieve psychoactive results. Today, many informed scholars would admit this plant was cannabis, although traditionalists still dispute the considerable evidence. The three kings visiting the mythical birth of Jesus were Zoroastrian priests, and would have been bringing cannabis, not gold, to the ceremonies.

Moses circa 500 BC According to the Torah, Mount Sinai was enveloped in a cloud of smoke and a fire burned at its peak. It was here that Moses discovered the burning bush, which was undoubtedly cannabis. After inhaling the smoke, Moses was convinced he heard the voice of God. Unfortunately, after the Roman Empire seized control of Christianity, all references to cannabis were removed from the Bible, and though the story of the burning bush remained, its true identity was obscured. The mana that saved the tribe during famine was actually immature cannabis seeds, correctly described as looking like “tiny, white, coriander seeds.” It’s seems apparent today Moses was also a mythical creation and based largely off Zoroaster and Cyrus the Great.

Gautama Buddha circa 486 BC The founder of “The Middle Way” which avoids the extremes of behavior that the east has become famous for, Buddha allegedly lived for years on cannabis leaves and seeds while meditating on the true nature of enlightenment. In the Tara Tantra, Buddha claims cannabis is “essential to ecstasy,” something that is now a scientifically-proven fact. Buddha, by the way, was probably Scythian, although like Jesus, any real person has been wiped away with magical, mythical fables. Elements of several religions may have been seeped into the Jewish tradition to construct Christianity.

Herodotus circa 440 BC The original Greek historian may never have imbibed cannabis in any form, but he did write the only surviving accounts of the history of the Scythians (aka Sakas), who were named after the tool they devised to help them harvest their beloved cannabis crop. The Sakas were nomadic people who roamed from Europe to the Far East, spreading cannabis seeds wherever they traveled. They began by inhaling cannabis smoke in small tipis, but eventually learned to mix the flowers with hot milk to make Soma or Hoama. Without the efforts of Herotodus, little would be known about this early stoner culture. They likely domesticated the first horses, invented the wheel and the covered wagon, created the Silk Trail to China, and spread cannabis and hemp wherever they went. Pythagoras soon became the first Greek to visit Persia and study with Zoroastrian magicians.

Jesus circa 1 AD Jesus was unknown in his lifetime, so he’s most likely another mythic creation, unlike John the Baptist and James the Just, who have come down as his cousin and brother. The Christian movement involved a return to the use of a holy anointing oil employed to inspire early Jewish leaders and guide them on a sacred path, a practice they learned and likely adopted from Zoroastrians, who picked it up from Scythians. “Christ” means “anointed” in Greek, and applied to anyone wearing the oil. Whether it was by healing glaucoma or multiple sclerosis, the Christian miracles were the miracles of cannabis. The truth about Jesus was not revealed until the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered, the only remaining texts from the period not corrupted by Roman influence. Christians were vegetarians who objected to animal sacrifice. After James created the Christian Church, unifying elements of many known religions, the Romans killed him and scattered his followers to the wind.

Mani, circa 216-274 AD The most overlooked figure in history and the key to understanding how and why the eradication of cannabis from recorded history took place. Born into a Christian sect in Persia, Mani was widely considered the greatest avatar of his time, a Buddha in India, Zoroastrian priest in Iran, Christian prophet in Judea, and significant influence on spirituality in Greece, Italy and Africa. He was the greatest painter, poet, magician and healer of his time. Unique temples were constructed by his followers in China, India, Persia, Africa and Europe, and each one contained a copy of his own bible written in a unique calligraphy. Mani employed cannabis oil as his primary medicine and attempted to unite all religion to end war, which he considered the greatest evil on earth. Mani believed Jesus was the light of the moon and Jehovah the light of the sun. He was banished from Persia and lured back under false pretenses, and then tortured, skinned alive, decapitated and put on display above the city gates as a warning to anyone who’d seek to bring peace on earth. His murder served to make him more famous and when his religion (Manichaeism) began making significant inroads among Rome’s legionnaires, Constantine created his own version of Christianity, while systematically destroying Mani’s temples and murdering all his followers. Not a single poem, painting, nor copy of his bible survived.

Jean Fumeux circa 1340 After the Roman Empire established a monopoly on religion throughout Europe, it took a long time before any stoner culture was allowed to emerge, so persecuted was the use of cannabis throughout the Christian empire. But in France and Northern Italy, a creative band of eccentrics began calling themselves “The Society of Smokers” and they were devoted to writing songs that celebrated their love of hashish. The poet Eustace Deschamps was a leading member of the society. These smokers were undoubtedly persecuted by the Catholic Church, which wanted a monopoly on written music. Soon all the midwives of Europe (who used cannabis as a medicine) would be killed as witches and possession of cannabis would be considered proof of witchcraft.

Francois Rabelais circa 1500 Educated as a monk, Rabelais eventually became one of the leading doctors and alchemists of his time. Aleister Crowley would take much from his work, including “Do What Thou Wilt.” Because of the intense persecutions of the Catholic Church, Rabelais had to hide most of his knowledge and beliefs in allegories and fictionalized fantasies. At the time one could not even speak the word “cannabis,” as it was forbidden to mention the plant, even though hemp rope and cloth were ubiquitous throughout Europe. Rabelais got around this ban by referring to the plant as “the Herb Pantagruelion.”  So important was this plant that Rabelais named the hero of his book, Pantagruel. At the end of his life, however, he finally revealed what must have been obvious to many: “the good Pantagruel…is hemp.”