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The Christmas story. So full of images that stir the imagination. A young Jewish woman hears an angel say she will have the son of God. Despite the angel's reassurance she is rather worried about this, given the current Jewish law. An honest carpenter who's even more skeptical about the appearance of the angel. Yet he remains loyal to her, despite the law. Towns teeming with people gathered for the Roman census. Shepherds watching their flocks by night, to ward off wolves. A king who, like all rulers, is always feeling threatened. Some Magi from far away lands. Add to this a star over Bethlehem that's new in the sky, so bright as to dwindle the light of others. Who knows how long the star was visible or why the ancient philosophers were so interested? It surely was visible for weeks, maybe even months. They must have sensed it was an omen. "From Persia, whence the Magi are supposed to have come, to Jerusalem was a journey of between 1000 and 1200 miles. Such a distance may have taken any time between three and twelve months by camel." #1 Note that Persia is now Iran. Zoroaster lived around 600 BC, during the Persian Empire. The Persians had already established the Silk Road, trading as far east as China. There are Greek styled statues of Buddha, whose creation could date as far back as the Persian Empire during Achaemenid times (648 BC-330 BC), since the Persians hired Greek artists. Around 330 BC, Persia was conquered by Alexander the Great, and remained under Greek rule until about 170 BC. Though one of Wikipedia's pages states Persia traded with China during Achaemenid times, another page states that the Greeks established the first contact between East and West. Regardless, it was under Greek rule that trade expanded along the Silk Road. While at the Silk Road link, check out the "Persian Royal Road." It was the Persian Pony Express. Right below it is the "Roman and Egyptian transatlantic voyages." It appears that they traded as far as Brazil by 200 BC! -- In the RA expedition, a papyrus boat was built by Egyptian standards, and made it 3270 miles from Africa to Bridgetown, Barbados, in 1970. I'm no sailor, but I saw the movie years ago, while in Chicago. Come onnnnnn! No wonder you get lost so easy! Magi, remember? Excuuuuuse me! Just thought you might like to learn a little about ancient voyages, often motivated by trade under the guise of exploration. Much of it was left out of our history education, in order to put more emphasis on Columbus, who didn't discover anything. Remember that Leif Ericson discovered North America around 1000 AD? Now back to the star. It's appearance was enough reason for them to saddle their camels and ride across the hot desert sands in pursuit of what it might portend. The common belief is that there were three of them, but the truth is we don't know how many, or from where, except that Persia is high in the ranking. "The three kings, to a Zoroastrian, symbolize the Threefold Path of 'Good Thoughts, Good Words, and Good Deeds.'" #2 The following prayer was taken from "The Thirteenth Warrior," where it was spoken before engaging in battle by Antonio Banderas, portraying an Arab.  The typical version of the story includes three Magi. #3 Caspar may have been a young European, but the same paragraph states he was from Tarsus, which is on the southern shore of Turkey, north of Cyprus. He offers gold, and receives gifts of charity and spiritual wealth for his generosity. The gold finances the family's flight to Egypt, and symbolizes immortality and purity. He most likely came on a horse. There weren't any stirrups in Europe until the 700's. The first appearance of them was in the 5th century. Like so many good things, for example gunpowder, they originated in China. They probably were necessary since riders kept falling off their horses, every time they leapt sideways from a firecracker. I just can't picture all those Greeks and Romans riding around with their feet dangling. Since they were only over five feet tall, they were probably used to their feet not touching the floor when sitting in chairs. Melchior is a middle-aged Persian who offers myrrh, a fragrant gum, believed by the ancient Israelites to strengthen children. It symbolizes Christ's mortality and is offered to him on the cross, mixed with wine. It's also mixed with aloes to wrap his body. Melchior receives gifts of humility and truth. He forgot to say that chewing juicy fruit is fine, but kids aren't supposed to swallow it, since it stays in their stomachs for the rest of their lives. Balthazar is an elderly Ethiopian who offers frankincense, a resin used in incense for worship, which symbolizes prayer and sacrifice. In return, he receives the gift of faith. I imagine him holding his brightly colored dashiki with his left hand, while gesturing with his right, speaking with an alluring English/African accent, but I don't think Sir Walter Raleigh had made it that far yet. Surely everyone would be engaged in this star search, watching a new star rising. Was it actually moving along the horizon? Without TV or radio, they'd be tuned in to a show like that in the night sky. Even modern Americans watching Star Search on TV will go outside to watch an eclipse, the Northern Lights, Haley's comet, or one of the early orbiting satellites. At least if the light of their cities doesn't prevent it. I remember how we all poured out of the houses in Amana the first time we heard a sonic boom, to find out what had blown up. That air raid was carried out by a commercial airplane, during the Cold War, in broad daylight! "You say that was just a plane going over and breaking the sound barrier? Anything left of it?" I'm glad they're not allowed to fly with their boom boxes on any more. Another time, we stood outside Millie's trailer, surrounded by corn fields near Lincoln, Illinois, watching the night sky for UFO's. While staring up at the sky, the whole family convinced each other that one of the stars had moved. After half an hour we finally decided that it hadn't, and that it was a product of staring retinas rather than a flying saucer hovering overhead to watch us. Anyway, an unusual moving star would surely draw all eyes to the sky! What were their thoughts as they said goodbye to their families, if they had any? How did they explain their intended journey to those who asked where they were going? How do you explain that you're following a star? If you're a king, then I don't suppose anyone talks back much to your face, but they probably say plenty behind your back. "Heh heh, da king he say he follow dat star, whereever it take heem! He have long trip, me thinks!" How do you prepare for such a long journey, knowing that a camel's thirst has limits, even if they can go a week without water, and months without food. See also the A to Z of Camels. Try to imagine an animal drinking 21 gallons of water in ten minutes! Like, I mean, 4.5 ounces per second! Whew! Up to 32 gallons at one sitting! That's 265 pounds of water. They just suck it up. Those are some far fetched limits! "Okay, guys, last call. Saddle up. We're taking off now. No stops for a week." A good reason why Arabs don't drink fermented grains. Wouldn't want to ride one of those to a cocktail party. "I know I park heem right here. Where he goooo?" When they left a town, they had probably drained the reservoirs. Caspar's horse must have been dying of thirst trying to keep up with those long-legged barrel racing studs, chasing after a star. A camel's gait is a pace, which means both legs on a side move at the same time. Can you imagine how easy it would be to trip? I rode one when I was about ten, and I remember the way it wobbled me around, which I thought was due to the hump. Maybe it was, since there's a lot of fat there. You're sitting on a mound of jello that's floating on several cubic feet of water. Some horses are trained to pace, as well as the standard walk, trot, canter, and gallop. In a trot it's the diagonal legs that pick up and set down together, rather than on the same side. It's not comfortable for extended periods, since you bounce around a lot and end up with a saddle butt. Leaping into a gallop is like stepping on the old overdrive in a car. You jerk back for a second and then leap forward, almost like you're swimming through air. Taking a horse swimming in water is a real treat! Just try to stay on, bareback. Grab the mane and lay on his back, with his legs churning under you like a paddle wheel. I think they do the equestrian version of a dog paddle. There are a lot more available speeds on some models. See your dealer for a test drive. One thing about a star is it can travel very far. Farther than most men can go, being limited by land and water, sand and soil, winds and gravity. It might lead where they couldn't follow. But they trekked on for weeks, hoping to gain something from the venture. Wisdom? Or was it just to satisfy their curiosity? Was it so bright it was visible all day? Or did they sleep in sweltering tents when the sun was high, wrapped up in coarse cloth as insulation from the heat and flies and spiders that pestered. It must have been hard to get much rest during the day, so they could travel by night. You know how big camel spiders are, right? I'd hate to see a camel with crabs! They followed it... No, not the spider. They followed the star in pursuit of something unexplainable to even themselves. Leaving home alone, they met on the trail, and managed through broken speech, or gestures at the sky, to convey to each other where they were going. They all nodded in the comfort of the same far-fetched and wide-ranging mission. To discover the origins of that light in the sky. Since there were Jews in all the surrounding countries, the Magi may have spoken fluent Hebrew. After all, they were educated and they'd be interested in gaining knowledge from the various cultures of the area. Even if they didn't speak Hebrew themselves, their servants might, or merchants who traveled with them for security. Being wealthy kings or men of science on a great journey, they wouldn't travel alone. They'd be followed by trails of pack camels and servants. An itinerant snake of animals and men, winding westward, like a fleet of ships of the desert sands. The local tribesmen they met welcomed the group of exotic travelers, gaining pleasure from their unusual company. They had a wise gentleness about them. Soft manners and sparse speech, nodding and moving their hands in appreciation of the extended hospitality. Perhaps some of the local nomads wanted to follow too, but felt limited by their knowledge of the sands and winds, wandering to the next oasis, trying to survive in a harsh climate. Nomads. A culture of migratory people, with no anger or insanity. Following a star didn't fit into their routine. They couldn't afford to spend their time that way. No different from us today. We sit in the comfort of our homes and watch the pixels portray scenes from around the world, yet are so wrapped up in our own lives, that we seldom really consider what it would be like to take a journey to faraway lands, let alone imagine being born and living in a so-called third world nation. Of course America was a third world nation when it was settled. I mean no offense to the Native Americans. In fact, I wish we had incorporated more of their lifestyle and spirituality, rather than being so afraid of it that we set out to annihilate it. They knew how to take care of the land, without ever claiming to own it. As I write, Alaska's National Wildlife Refuge is under the threat of oil mining, due to Senator Ted Stevens, a Republican from Alaska. Due to our ridiculous system of amending bills in Congress, he attached the ANWR addition to a defense bill, squeezing it in, since he knows Congress wants to approve the defense bill. The American peasants will thereby accomplish two things. We will increase the coffers of King George and Prince Cheney, and we will destroy a wildlife habitat. Too bad someone didn't write a BITCH addition to really aid our country. Bush Impreached This Christmas Holiday. I will try to forgive, but I will no long apologize for expressing my views about the King George Regime. As far as I'm concerned, everyone who voted for him should lose their right to vote. Don't be surprised if he tries to slay your first born male children, to decrease the cost of heating the public schools. Ahem! Keyboard just took over my fingers again. In my next life, I want to travel this country's forests and rivers with the Lewis and Clark Expedition, making first contact with the Native Americans. Just 60 years ago, the whole planet was a third world nation. I'm still trying to figure out what a second world nation is? Here's the answer. I tell you, that just really screws up what's politically correct, now that we're fighting Arabs, rather than Communists. You mean there are no longer any third world nations? It's getting to be like a sports arena. Hello, fans. Get a good seat and brace yourself for the event of the Millenium. The Russian Bears lost last week, so today we have the American Eagles taking on the Saudi Camels, in the last round of the semi-finals. Don't underestimate those Camels. They are really smokin this year, and come loaded with scimitars sharp enough to fillet a flying sardine while stampeding and spitting it to death. The winner will go on to challenge either the Chinese Imperial Guards or the Japanese Samurais for the trophy in the finals next week. Both of these teams are formidable opponents. The Chinese claim to have a secret gunpowder in their arsenal. The Samurais are currently doing ice sculptures of the Bush Administration, to sharpen their cutting skills. They are reputed to resort to Kamikaze tactics to score a goal. This is going to be one hot season. We're sure to see a lot of offense from both sides. These are the sporting events that test men's endurance during a tortuous bout of combat. The winning team receives a lifetime of oil subsidies at a twenty percent discount. Lifetime equals 70 years or when all the oil is used up, whichever comes first. That concludes our station identification, and we now return you to The Journey of the Magi. I suppose it's possible they were traveling merchants who just happened to stop at the No Vacancy at the Inn Stable for provisions. "Oh, hey! Look at this! There's a baby here in the manger. Hi, there, little guy. You sure are cute! Have a chest of gold coins!... As soon as you can travel, go hide in another country... And a Merry Christmas to you all." Of course that scene ruins the magic of the Magi for some people. Much better to think of them taking a vacation, going on holiday for a purpose. A luxury journey of the rich and curious. They don't seek wealth or fame. They're on a journey to understand the heavens. They follow it, just because it's there. That star or comet, or whatever it was, streaking or standing in the sky, night after night. As they traveled, they probably shared their knowledge, compared their beliefs. They could discuss metaphysics, the seasonal rotation of planets, and the medicinal uses of different plants. Those were definitely fireside chats to remember for a lifetime!  Crossing the mountain range, they met a rag-taggle group of shepherds on the slopes. They stood watching the sky, their awe and joy spiced with some fear. They were simple folk, and change wasn't usually welcome. A predictable life could be trusted. That new star raised some concerns. If it brought anxiety to the shepherds, the appearance of the richly dressed astronomers added mystery to the scene. They appeared as if from nowhere, heralded by a camel's groans. As they approached, they waved their arms toward the light in the sky, to indicate the star they followed. They shared bread, and their countenance was reassuring. Maybe there was nothing to be afraid of. In fact, there was a sense of peace, a calm that remained in their wake, washing away their fears, as the wave of their snake spread out over the drifting sands, crested over the hills, and disappeared into the night. In Judea, they asked where to find the King, in order to gain rightful passage over his lands. That brought them to Herod, who feared the birth of the King of the Jews. He tries to enlist their help. When they find the child, they are to return to let him know where, so he may pay homage as well. He wants to remove the threat of a rival king. Politics. It hasn't changed in two thousand years. Maybe in a couple million years. Those in powerful positions of authority are always the first to be threatened and the last to be human. The primitive man with the deepest growl brandished the largest club against anyone who questioned his position. The wise men are able to see through Herod's dishonesty, and they conclude he's not to be trusted. They will visit the child and quietly depart. There's no record of how many people in Bethelehem knew of the birth of Jesus. According to the Gospels, the angels were busy talking to shepherds, telling them to fear not, for a child will be born who will bring peace to all nations. That's easy for these astronomers to believe, since they accept many prophets as being holy. "Unlike Christians and Jews, Zoroastrians have almost always been tolerant of other religions." #2 Of course, the rest of us are still waiting for the final results of the peace on earth bit. It's just so hard to shake the chaff of politics out of the grains of truth. Moving stars? Let's discuss UFO's and primitive cultures for a while. I remember brother James saying... No, he's not a monk... but he said the star might have been a spaceship. That was back in about 1962, when he was fifteen. He read wayyy too much science fiction. Who knows? When Chariots of the Gods came out, Erich von Däniken wrote about the Nazca lines in the Andes, which can only be seen from the air. He believed there had to be an extraterrestrial influence, and that they served as a navigational tool. The huge designs took hundreds of years to create in the desert by exposing underlying subsoil layers. In New Mexico the Anasazi created a series of huge ceremonial buildings three stories high, with enormous roads connecting the various pueblos. An interesting fact is that the layout of single buildings and the entire complex of pueblos is such that they're aligned to indicate the summer and winter solstice. Plus, the roads connecting them were broad and were constructed in straight lines regardless of terrain. Over a rugged landscape the Anasazi created monuments to testify to their astronomical knowledge. The tribe disappeared, leaving us to wonder how they did it. The Mayan calendar is more accurate than our Julian calendar. The Mayans were the western counterpart of civilizations like the Mesopotamians, Persians, Greeks, and Romans. They began as fishing communities along the Caribbean and Pacific coasts around 5000 BC, but by 2000 BC they had extended inland and adopted agriculture. They subsequently developed an extensive agricultural system with water management as well as inventing writing, being the first Western Hemisphere culture to keep historical records. It seems that astronomy fascinated peoples on both hemispheres. Surprisingly, Native North Americans had the ability to study the sky and record its changes in ways that far surpassed the Europeans. Even more remarkable, since some of their gigantic creations took many generations to complete, while most tribes had no written language. How did they pass on their precise knowledge of astronomy to future generations, when some of the calculations spanned more than a lifetime? Another fact makes their achievements even more remarkable. How could they find the time and manpower to erect some of their monuments? Seems likely they used slaves captured in battles, similar to every other civilization that erected huge monuments as testaments to their power. Let's not forget Stonehenge. We're still trying to figure out who dragged those huge slabs of stone over the British landscape and got them upright in precise positions, to honor the movements of the stars and moon. These ancient Britons were making the change from Stone Age to Bronze Age around 2000 BC. You would think they'd be too busy trying to survive to bother shipping and dragging 50 ton stones around in their spare time. About the same time we started using bronze we domesticated the horse. With the invention of the wheel also occurring around the same time, we advanced faster. Next came the iron age, and then steel. China and India were about 1000 years ahead of Europe as far as forging steel, but they exported it. As populations expanded and competed for resources and land, we were off at a gallop. Steel and horses were an amazing improvement when it came to warfare. Note that the Native American civilizations did not advance through metallurgic ages the same as the Euro-Asian cultures. Iron was unknown in the Americas until colonization by Europeans, even though the natives did mine copper, silver and gold, which was what many Europeans wanted. That means some of the most advanced American civilizations actually progressed while using stone tools. Working flint required a hammerstone, skill, and sweat, but it produced no pollution. It's no wonder they immediately noticed the pollution brought by the white men. I don't understand why so-called traditional or evangelistic Christians are so threatened by the concept of extra-terrestrials. They talk about Intelligent Design. I can find comfort in the belief that God might see the need of Earthlings to have some aid from more advanced civilizations on other planets, to try to guide us on our way. The Evangelists come out looking like playground bullies, thinking that they have to be the best at everything or they're nothing. It's plain that we don't have the best answers for everything. It's so blatant, anyone can see it. I like the idea that some ET's dropped in to do some teaching as they traveled through our remote Milky Way Galaxy. Makes me feel less alone, stuck out here on the edge of the universe, searching for intelligent life. Who knows? Maybe it was the appearance of the spaceships and strange beings that planted the seed of the whole concept of God as an entity. We can't even duplicate some of the accomplishments of the "ancients." The Egyptian pyramids or obelisks, the Appian Way and Roman Aqueducts, the Chinese wall. Somehow I don't think Mount Rushmore is a valid comparison. It's too bad that some of the Wonders of the World have been destroyed. The truth of history is not always as important as its story. The legends that are passed down by word of mouth can be just as inspiring, even if they never happened. Even if you're Buddhist, Hindi, or Muslim, the Christmas Story is still one of the most beautiful ever told. No wonder that writers and movie makers can use it over and over again! I'm sure the Zoroastrian Magi would be disturbed by the manner in which religions have competed, the way they've been used to justify wars. WWJD? I'm sure he wouldn't be pleased. Much easier to believe he'd be shocked how frequently his very words have been used to persecute and discriminate. He'd probably be ashamed or even outraged at how his teachings have been perverted. Or did I mean distorted? Jesus taught love, brotherhood, tolerance and forgiveness. If the world of the spirit is like an ocean that flows through us all, then the locks and dams of countries and religions and cultures and class, they are all unnatural, serving only to divide us one from another. With all our modern technology and instant communication, it's a shame that we can't learn to flow together in a stream of good will, to live in peace with each other, as Magi, comforting each other as we make a long pilgrimage together, down the slopes to Bethelehem. I, too, am guilty of selfishness and jealousy, fear and pride, but I can't fathom the way some people use those same feelings of insecurity to dominate and control others. It's a puzzle to me with a lot of missing pieces. I can be grateful for that, I suppose. I'll never finish that picture. I am glad there is so much diversity in the world, but it shames all humans when our differences are used to create pain and suffering. It hurts to see it being done person to person, and it hurts to see nations do it collectively. So much of life seems to be dominated by fear, greed, and pride. Anger and violence are man's way of trying to hide from those feelings, to avoid admitting them. If the perpetrators could only feel for a moment the pain they create in people's lives. If they could only experience for five minutes the sadness I feel when I cry for victims I'll never know, while watching the news. WWJD. He cried for your sins. I can easily picture him once again overturning the tables of the money-changers in the temple in a fury of righteousness. I'm not a traditional Christian, but that doesn't prevent me from trying to live by Jesus' principles. I wish the Evangelists would give that a try some time. If you believe he died for your sins, then perhaps it's time you made his job easier and his payment more rewarding. Change the way you treat your brothers and sisters! Excuse me. I'm hearing a voice from the clouds, soft yet booming, "This is Jesus Christ Almighty! Stop claiming you speak for me, Pat Robertson! You haven't the foggiest idea what I was talking about!" If you made it this far, you have earned one credit hour in Zoroastrian studies and one in Anthropology. If you also checked each of the links, you now have an honorary MA in Ancient History from BC to AD. Congratulations on your ABCD MA degree! Come back for next month's seminar, when we'll be discussing the mathematics of economics. Specifically, why government positions are often inversely proportional to intelligence. Class dismissed. Maybe next year I can try to write "The Story of the Magi" as I set out to do? |
