All that Glitters is Not Gold

About 3.4 billion years ago cyanobacteria (blue-green bacteria) began to perform photosynthesis in the oceans of the earth. This first life upon the earth was directly dependent upon sunlight for its existence. To be in the light meant photosynthesis and life, to be in the dark meant no photosynthesis, no life. It wasn't until round 360 million years ago the first animals started to come out of the water to live upon land. Therefore life evolved for billions of years with a direct connection to the light as sustenance. About 250 million years prior to animals appearing on land, the first proto-eyes evolved in animals which were able to detect light and dark. Cnidarians were the first animals to be able to detect light. The seers were dependent upon these types of bacteria and other plant life to sustain them. Even for these animals, going toward the light and heat meant food and energy.
The shiny places meant refuge in the dark foreboding expanses of the sea. Could it be that at our deepest most primal cores we are still hard wired to think that shiny glittering things mean abundance, comfort, and life? 

   Hey, come  back. Come back here. I'm gonna get you. Gonna get you. . . Come here. . . I'm gonna swim with you. . . I'm gonna get you. I'm gonna get you. - Finding Nemo, 2003

And no one showed us to the land. 

And no one knows the where's or why's

But something stirs and something tries And starts to climb towards the light. Echos, Pink Floyd, 1971

Animals that do not preform photosynthesis are one step removed from the sun and can travel deep into the darkness of the ocean, never needing to travel to the surface. These are some of the meanest looking, craziest creatures on the planet who are obviously not concerned with beauty. They play dirty to get what they need to survive. They use other creatures natural attraction to the light to lure them in and eat them.

    Some deep sea Anglerfish lure in prey with a light emitting escae, the result of a symbiotic relationship with bioluminescent bacteria

The lure mimics something that the prey are drawn to naturally out of self preservation, but in a sadistic twist, that very thing turns out to be a trap and the cause of death rather than life. 

The word lure is originally from Anglo-French lure, Old French loirre "device used in falconry to recall a bird, lure". The lure mimics the natural prey of the falcon. Falcons probably aren't stupid. They learn that the lure is not prey, however it comes to be associated with something valuable, namely food and other benefits they may get from the relationship with their keeper. The user of the lure, in this case, does not mean to harm the falcon, but uses the birds natural attraction to its prey as an incentive for training.

    Pheasant Wing Lure, northwoodsfalconry.com

The etymological dictionary states that lure is from Frankish *lothr or some other Germanic source. It seems plausible that the Old French word loirre comes from root words like PIE *legh- "lie, lay" and *leugh- "to tell a lie", with the meaning of something like "lie, deceive, conceal, be false", considering that the 'g' might have been replaced by 'r' as in the name of the River Loire in France. The name Loire comes from Latin Liger, which is from the Gaulish name of the river Liga meaning "silt, sediment, deposit, alluvium", from root *legh- "lie, lay". False prey might be a bird that lies. It does not move it lays still. It is false, a lure. Which can make it like a trap. A lure lies, like a concealed hole in the ground lies, or, even, like soft wet silty earth near a river lies that it is solid ground when it is actually a muddy trap. All that appears solid is not solid and all that appears delicious and edible is not really edible.

The French word for gait of a horse is allure. The allure "gait; way of walking" of a thoroughbred may be a factor in people choosing a particular hose to bet on in a race such as the Kentucky derby, but it finally comes down to the race. You don't necessarily get paid by betting on looks. Although looks and talent are often seen together.

    Secretariat at Saratoga On The Grass Saddling Area, The Whitney Stakes, 1973

Appearances can be manipulated for effect. So we have the common saying that all that glitters is not gold. All that is shiny or alluring is not valuable. Gold is ultimately from PIE *ghel- (2) "to shine." Gold is shiny, but what about being shiny is good? It is pretty and that is part of the allure, however, its real value goes beyond its appearance. The gleam of gold does not fade it is durable, and gold is malleable, a good conductor, and it doesn't tarnish. So it is pretty, but it is also the promise of being something of value that is alluring. If something is alluring but it does not prove to be valuable or beneficial the allure is a trap. 

    Iron Pyrite- Fool's Gold

A beautiful or mysterious woman can be very alluring. Mermaids are the epitome of mysterious allurement. 

    The Depths of the Sea, Edward Burne-Jones, 1887

The sea itself is very alluring. It glitters and waves. In Latin mare / maris is "sea" and merus "pure; bare, naked," figuratively "true, real, genuine", probably originally "clear, bright," from PIE *mer- "to gleam, glimmer, sparkle." It is so delightful when it is peaceful. It is full of abundance, and enables swift travel. But it is a very raw and naked strength, and sometimes seemingly cruel and unforgiving, not unlike a mirror of merus (pure) truth. 

Things can be alluring that hold the promise of being delicious and delectable. In fact the word delicious comes from the sense of luring away. It is from Latin de "away"+ lacere "lure, deceive." Why would what is delicious be a deception? Perhaps it is a deception that what is delicious will make one happy, when in fact its deliciousness can lead one instead to a state of weakness, sickness or delicateness through [over]indulgence and therefore making one less resilient and finally less able to enjoy anything. What is delicious can lure us away from balance to our own demise.

Delicate meaning (of people)"self-indulgent, loving ease"; also "sensitive; easily hurt, feeble"; (of things) "delightful" is from Latin delicatus "alluring, delightful, dainty," also "addicted to pleasure, luxurious, efiminate" deliciae "a pet". Related to Latin delicere (de "away' + lacere "to lure, entice"). Often people have delicate lacy looking doilies to dress up holiday party tables. Fitting in that we are trapped by the delicacies and the word lace is from Latin lacium, from Latin laqueum "noose, snare," related to lacere.

Eat now. Feel guilty later. Hang over. . . tomorrow. Happy Thanksgiving. 

    Delicious Root Vegetables on Thanksgiving, photo by Julie O. /chthonickore

And I'm just going to leave it at that, 'cuz that's where I'm at right now.

peace ✌️

*The Sin of Sodom and Gomorrah - Genesis 19

When you look at what people have to say about the sin of Sodom and Gomorrah they usually say it was homosexuality. God destroyed the cities because they were having samesex sex in those cities and it was obviously very abhorrent to God. According to the story, the men of the town did want to have sex with the male angel visitors. So because these men wanted to have sex with the male angel visitors the sin of the city was homosexuality. Others say, no, it is the fact that the men of the town were being inhospitable that is the sin. Both of these explanations seem to fall short of the obvious, i.e., rape. To quote a popular internet news clip,

Hide your kids, hide your wife . . . and hide your husband . . . 'cuz they rapin' everyone out here . . .  -A.Dodson

The people of Sodom and Gomorrah were morally depraved rapists. They were bored with sex and the people available to have sex with. They had already had sex inside, outside, upside down and backwards. When the new people arrived they were turned on, something was happening, it was a new fix, something to quell the unbearable torture of their boring pointless existences, even if just for a moment. The visitors were angels, they were probably pretty compelling. I'm sure they were very beautiful.

    Archangel Michael - Legion, 2010

It is true that the men of the town preferred the angels over Lot's daughters, yes. However, we don't know what Lot's daughters looked like, and maybe there is a reason why they were able to remain virgins in such a town. Who knows? In any case, they were probably not as good looking or exciting as the angels, which for someone driven by uncontrolled depraved lust, would be a compelling consideration and might help tip the scales in favor of the angels. Let's see, Lot's plain daughters…or the hot mysterious guests, hmm.

    Archangel Gabriel - Legion, 2010

We know that the fiancés of Lot's daughters didn't come with them when Lot asked them to. Maybe they were happy to get out of the arrangement, besides not taking Lot seriously? Then the daughters ended up raping their own dad in order to have children. So, it is fair to say that the men (and women) of the town were perverse. They did not want to have sex for spiritual connection, but rather plain lust (or selfish aspiration). They were not asking to have sex with the visitors. They were demanding for them to be handed over for their own personal sexual gratification at the visitors' expense. And Lot wasn't all that great himself (offering to hand over his own daughters in place of the angel guests), but at least he hadn't sought to rape the angels himself and had instead tried to protect them, so they were going to save him for that good deed. However, Lot didn't even realize that the visitors didn't need his protection. He wasn't too bright, and did't exhibit a lot of faith or obedience on more than one occasion. The angels literally had to drag him out of the city by the hand. Genesis 19

I'm sure the angels didn't have wings when they showed up in town, but it is just a way of depicting their otherworldly awesomeness. Same thing with the halos in art which are meant to depict their bright auras. An angel is a shining one. Halos is a Greek word meaning "the disk of the sun or moon" which is shiny. Hals [hálas Koine] is a Greek word meaning "salt; sea" 

    Halos and Hals, by Julie O. /chthonickore

Sol is "sun" and sal is "salt" in Latin. There is a connection between that special something-ness of salt and the bright majesty of the sun. Halal is "shine" in Hebrew. Shine is zing, and salt is zing. Melach is "salt" in Hebrew and "angel" is malak. The malakim (angels) are melach (salty) like the majestic sea (hals), and salty like the sun (helios) and the moon (selene) which exhibit halos from their shinning radiance. It is this "saltiness" which makes the angels desirable. 

    Pink Himalayan Rock Salt, photo by Julie O. /chthonickore

Mirror, Mirror

The first mirrors used by people were bodies of water such as lakes and small pools.  The image reflected by the water is ephemeral in nature and easily disturbed. This may be part of the reason why mirrors have always been considered mysterious and magical. 

    Mt. Hood reflected in Mirror Lake, Oregon Cascades, by Janis Miglovs

For a moment there is a beautiful crystal clear image. Then the idea creeps in, move closer, touch it, go into it, become one with it. The hand reaches out, and in an instant the image, and the other world is gone. However, unlike other types of mirrors (unless you are Alice) a person can actually pass through a water mirror and, indeed, find himself or herself in a whole new world, submarine.

    Echo and Narcissus(detail) - John Williams Waterhouse 1903

Narcissius admired his own beautiful image in a pool of water. He was so enamored with his reflected image that he stayed there gazing at it until he died. 

Mirror is from the French mireoir "a reflecting glass, looking glass; observation, model, example," from Old French mirer "look at (oneself in the mirror), "observe, watch, contemplate " from Vulgar Latin *mirare "to look at [OE]." So, the name comes from its use as an instrument for looking, or from the action of the one who can see themself reflected in it. A mirror is a "looker," or a "looking glass," as they used to be called. Mirare (to look at) is a variant of mirari "to wonder at, admire, be astonished, marvel." And it is a marvelous thing to be able to see your reflection. A person who had not seen a mirror before, upon looking at one for the first time, might even think it was some sort of miracle. Miracle is from Latin miraculum "object of wonder".

The first hand held mirrors were made from obsidian. Some examples have been found from Anatolia (modern day Turkey) that date to around 6000 B.C. 

  Obsidian mirror

It is interesting that obsidian has been used to make both mirrors and knives. The oldest obsidian blades have been found at Gobekli Tepe, Turkey, dating to around 9,000 B.C., or earlier. The cutting edge of a newly flaked obsidian blade is very sharp and can easily slice through thick skin. It is many many times sharper than a high quality steel blade.

    Mayan obsidian Blade, c. 600-900 A.D.

And can't a mirror do the same thing? A mirror reflects what is, the truth, and sometimes the truth can hurt. It can cut like a knife. A knife can be instrumental in catching and preparing food, which gives strength, but it can also wound, and take away strength. Even a cut to the body can be intended for either health, as in a surgery, or for harm, as in beheading.

Both mirrors and knives are neutral tools, but they are called either friend or foe depending on the news they bring or what they are being used for. They have a dual nature. En garde!

    Magic Mirror - Disney's Snow White and The Seven Dwarves 1937

Queen: Slave in the magic mirror, come from the farthest space, through wind and darkness I summon thee. Speak! Let me see thy face.  

Magic Mirror: What wouldst thou know, my Queen?  

Queen: Magic mirror on the wall, who is the fairest one of all?  

Magic Mirror: Famed is thy beauty, Majesty. But hold, a lovely maid I see. Rags cannot hide her gentle grace. Alas, she is more fair than thee.

Black obsidian mirrors and water bowls were often used in the past for scrying and ritual, rather than as the common glass mirrors used today, for the ordinary purpose of seeing how one looks. 

More modern metallic backed glass mirrors like this were not used until the first century A.D.

  Armond-Albert Rateau, Bronze and ivory hand mirror c. 1925

Polished copper mirrors came into use in Mesopotamia, around 4000 B.C, and later, in Egypt, around 3000 B.C. However, these polished metal mirrors were not able to produce a clear image like modern mirrors.

For now we see in a mirror(esoptron) dimly(ainigma), but then face to face. 1 Cor 13:12 [RSV]

The biblical Greek word esoptron έσόπτρον has the meaning of "a mirror made of highly polished metal," rather than a glass mirror. So it seems to be a bit of a misnomer to translate this passage as, "through a glass darkly," as in the King James Version.  Also the adjective, ainigma αίνιγμα "a riddle, enigma," is translated as "dimly, or darkly."  In a polished copper or brass mirror we see a poor reflection and maybe a confused image. We are left wondering about what we are really looking at. However, it is not about any lack of light, or "darkness" in that respect. The problem is with the quality of the mirror. We may end up "left in the dark" without enough information.  However, no mater how bright the polished metal mirror is, what is seen through it is not a clear color image, and in that sense a "dim" reflection, but perhaps, "indistinctly"Youngs Literal Translation, or "obscurely"Complete Jewish Bible are the better translations in this case.

The English name Mary comes from the Hebrew Miryam it is said. The Greek Mariam or Maria is also derived from the Hebrew. There seems to be a lot of different interpretations of the meaning of the name Mary.

    Caravaggio - Martha and Mary Magdalene c. 1598

As a name stemming from Hebrew, Mary has a few different connections. Marah has the meaning of "to be contentious, rebellious." It can have the meaning of "to be bitter," marar, " and mar / marah "bitter, bitterness. It also has a sound connection to mar'ah  meaning a "mirror (of bronze)," from mar'ah "vision", feminine form of mareh "sight, appearance, vision," from raah "to see". Often the name Mary is said to mean "bitter", "rebelled", or "wished-for child." Sometimes the meaning is said to be "sea of bitterness." This interpretation would be from Miryam. Yam was the name of a Canaanite god of the sea, yam meaning "sea." Yam represented the tempestuous, untamed, raging, forces of the abyss. 

Mere meaning "lake, pond, arm of the sea" is from Old English mere "sea, ocean; lake, pool, cistern," from Proto-Germanic *mari, source of German meer "sea", also Latin mare "sea", Russian more "sea". Is the sea, then, like a mirror (mere-or) made out of water? Or is the sea a see-er, that is, a vision-er, a looker, a.k.a., a mirror)? What marah (vision) does one see in this mere (sea)? What does one see in the sea?  Often heaven (sky) or the heavens, right?

Mor meaning "myrrh" in Hebrew is also from marar "bitter," and also has to do with, mar which has the meaning "drop." Myrrh is collected from the drops of hardened resin that bleed out of the tree when it is cut. That would be a mar (drop) of the mor (myrrh).  

Drops of Myrrh Resin

The yam "sea" is made up from many many drops. One mar(drop) more or less does not make any difference to the mere(sea). It's merely one mar(drop).

Yet, we also say, Mary, as in Merry, from Old English merge "pleasing, agreeable , pleasant, sweet. But is that pleasantness and sweetness without any bitterness? No, it is somehow contained in it. We say Merry Christmas, yet Jesus was a baby born with a mission to suffer and die. 

The name Mary, has a bit of a different tradition coming from the ancient Egyptian meaning of the word. In ancient Egyptian the name Meri, mr(i) had the meaning of "beloved". Is there not any connection between these two languages and words? The Israelites were, as we know, very connected to ancient Egypt at times, even living among the Egyptians. Joseph, the son of Jacob and Rachel, was second in power next to Pharaoh, and married Aseneth, the daughter of a priest of On (Heliopolis). Can someone be beloved without causing a certain kind of bitterness? If you love someone you fear the loss of them. A person who is meri "beloved" can be the cause of the most severe suffering or bitterness, more severe than any enemy. So the name Mary / Mariam / Maria / Miryam is "bitter", but in ancient Egyptian Meri is "beloved" and mr(i) as a hieroglyph had the meaning of "love, desire, wish," they are not so different as they first seem. Love is a sea of bitterness.

    I am the Sea, photo by Julie O. /chthonickore

Mortality is also bitter.

Myrrh is used to anoint the dead, those subject to mortality. In Hebrew mor is "myrrh", so we might say myrrhtality is bitter. The Hebrew word is made with the letters mem and resh. Mem is the letter of "water" mayim, and resh is representative of the head and illumination. Therefore we might say mor (myrrh) is the water (i.e., liquid) of illumination. Myrrh was named after the bitter quality of the resin. Seeing the truth mirrored can be bitter, but also enlightening. And death is bitter, death bites, but what comes from this experience of death? What do we gain from our mortality, this bitterness? Just the fact of our mortality has the ability to illumine a certain path when it is contemplated. What is important, knowing that someday you will die, that at any moment any of your friends family, or children could cease to exist in your reality? Death can be an agent of enlightenment for those willing to look in his mirror. 

Jean Peuget de la Serre, London 1639, The British Museum

And isn't that a kind of truth? Knowing both the flattering and the unflattering truth? The truth that is pleasant and the truth which is bitter? Some might call this the knowledge of good and evil, but knowledge isn't really ever evil. It may be adverse or a bitter pill, but why call this "evil" when what is experienced as bitter can bring enlightenment? How can the truth ever be evil?  

And isn't Christ the truth? Christos Χριστός = Christ in Greek, i.e., the anointed, from Greek chrió [chi = χ, rho = ρ] "anointing". The chi  + rho [Χ, Ρ] itself is actually a pictogram of the word "anointing" when you look at it. Chi is a mark, i.e., χ upon the, rho, head(ρ). In Phoenician the symbol χ was the letter Tau meaning "mark", and the ρ in Greek is the "r" sound rho, from the Phoenician letter res meaning "head." The mark upon the head confers kingship, or is the sign of a ruler, one who has been smeared (smirrored) with oil upon his / her crown (head). Why else should one person rule another, unless he or she has knowledge or is enlightened above others? What does the oil symbolize? 

The fulfillment of Jesus's mission was in his death and resurrection, we do not call him king, but for this bitterness which he endured in order to bear witness to the truth and free us from the bondage of death and decay.

     Chi Rho on a Cross,  Anastasis, at Tor Marancia, Rome c. 350 C.E.

Pilate said to him, "So you are a king?" Jesus answered, "You say that I am a king. For this I was born, and for this I have come into the world, to bear witness(martyreso) to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears my voice." Pilate said to him, "What is truth?" John 18:37-38

The Christ is the "anointed" one, mashiach in Hebrew, from mashach "smear with oil, anoint" meshach "oil," and he is anointed with the muron "anointing-oil" Greek. The responsibility of being the anointed one is to serve others and carries a certain amount of bitterness when taken seriously. However, the oil is also sweet smelling and makes the skin gleam (shine, luminous). Any bitterness contained in the resin of the perfumed oil only serves to confer a quality and impression of one who is raised above others. In biblical Greek elaion is "olive oil, oil" (calls to mind Hebrew elyon "most high"). The smearing with the elaion (an oil that is elevated both to the head and in dignity), may bring about a certain elation, from Latin eleus "elevated", or a feeling of being clean, and looking, and smelling your best. 

    Olive Oil - Elaion 

When you see your reflection it is good to have a clear flat mirror, otherwise your image may be distorted. It would still only be a reflection of what is, but not a clear image, like in a broken mirror, or a funhouse mirror. 

    Broken Mirror/Evening Sky, by Bing Wright- 2013

People are mirrors to each other, especially parents to their children.  If we have parents or friends who do not support us we may start to view ourselves as our image in a broken mirror, or like the grotesquely distorted image in a funhouse mirror. Imagine if there was the perfect mirror to reflect your image back to yourself. Isn't that mirror Christ / the Christ? 

"I am the way and the truth and the life." Jn. 14:6 

It seems like Christ would be the best mirror, or the mirror of the Most High God (El Elyon). This is actually said of Wisdom(Sophia).

For she is a reflection of eternal light, a spotless mirror of the working of God, and an image of his goodness. Wisdom of Solomon 7:26

There are billions of people and billions of eyes (or mirrors) to see ourselves through, however, when you know that there is one mirror that will not distort your image, you can disregard all the other images, if needed, and cling to the one image of the mirror of truth and unconditional love. First and foremost view yourself through the eyes (mirror) of (a)Christ. 

A pupil of an eye actually does look like an obsidian mirror; a black mirror.

    Front View of Human Eye with Dilated Pupil, by Adam Heart-davis

In ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs the symbol meaning "life" was an ankh, but ankh, '-n-h, was also a word used for mirror, and in fact mirrors were often made with an ankh shape (think of hand mirrors), and were sometimes stored in ankh shaped boxes.  

    Egyptian Ankh Mirror Case, From Valley of the Kings, by Kenneth Garret

The life which was represented by the ankh was specifically eternal life, or life itself.

The symbol was often shown being held to the nose or lips to symbolize the gift of the breath / spirit of life which the gods possessed, like Wisdom(Sophia) / Holy Spirit 

    Anubis and Hathor Transmitting Eternal Life to Tut, Thebes, Egypt

So we might even say that Jesus was the way, the truth, and the ankh ("life" or "mirror"). In Hebrew this would be Chavvah / Chawwah / Havvah "living, breath of life"(related to chay "life"(sounds like "kai") which is traslated in English in Genesis 3:20 as Eve "living", and Mary is called the "New Eve", in Latin Eva, Ave Maria. Mary is also called "Seat or Throne of Wisdom(Sophia)". 

We might be inclined to think that our modern metallic backed glass mirrors are the best mirrors. They do give very clear images, however, the black mirrors seem to be more magical. Like the pupil of the eye takes in the light and then sight is created in our minds. Our vision creates a such a good image that we don't even think it is an image, but rather we view it simply as what is. 

And look at this other black mirror. It enables me to hold the wisdom of the world in the palm of my hand, to communicate with, see and interact with people around the world. It really is a magic mirror.

My iPhone is a black mirror when it is turned off - photo by Julie O. /chthonickore

In the not too distant past we would have been considered gods for possessing these magic mirrors, and might have even been accused of being in league with the devil. We would probably have been burnt at the stake for dabbling in such witchery. This modern everything communication device is truly an invention mirus "wonderful" Latin.

Me: "Siri, anoint me."
Siri: "I'm not sure I understand."

Hey, are you a computer or a magic mirror?
Clearly we still have some work to do.

Beam us up, Scotty!

White Stone With a New Name

"I know your works;  you are neither cold or hot.  Would that you were cold or hot!

So, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold or hot, I will spew you out of my mouth.  For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing; not knowing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind and naked." Revelations 3:15-17

I want to hear the word spoken from your mouth,

the name chiseled into my flesh the day I was created,

the name engraved on my soul the day you fashioned me.

Speak it yet again and I am consumed,

a new creation.

Breath your spirit into my mouth

with warm embrace falling through limitless seas,

caressing waters;

the depths of eternity.

Does it please you to know that I listen for your footsteps in the night?

As the day gently fades I am filled with joy.

Did you think of me in the heat of the day, when the sun was high in the sky?

Did it make your heart glad to know that I wait for you with quiet longing?

If you are delayed, the kiss only sweeter.

Even into the early hours of the morning I am still.

Oil poured out on my head,

honey in my mouth as day breaks.

–by Julie O.

December 22, 2009 

photo Julie O. /chthonickore

The begining of a blank journal given to me by my sister 2002.  I put in the flowers and wrote poetry in it.  This poem was one of the last entries.

     She wrote this on the first page.