The sight of Athina
Qigong
Tai Chi and Qigong - the real treasures of China
The Tripod of Delfi, Inner Alchemy and Static Qigong
Tai Chi
Short history of Tai Chi
Reflexology
About Reflexology
Greece- history, legend and culture
Sphinx - the origin and the true meaning of the word
The Delphic E in the modern Languages.
The Amphora in Eleusis and the the Mysteries of Demeter and Persephone.
Prehistoric ritual goblets and the Mysteries of Eleusis.
Answer t he Riddles of the Sphinx
The Tripod of Delfi, Inner Alchemy and Static Qigong
" Wisdom starts when "visiting" the Names (words) "
Plato
While searching the origin of every Greek word we discover often a wisdom lost through the centuries but still alive and functioning in the unceasing efforts of the humans in every part of the world, to discover the Truth.
Lately, computers have concluded, after studying all the spoken languages, that the Greek language, is one of the two languages in the world expressing meanings. According to this research, the words of Greek language are not only an agreement between members of the same Sosciety, on how to call things. The Greek words can reveal, above all, the essence of the things, by expressing in sounds, the body and emotional reaction of the humans, the momment they have first set eyes on them.
Even though the words remain more or less the same, in time, their meaning is being changed influenced by the every day- life needs that also changed. The modern meaning of the Greek words is often very different from the meaning they used to have when they were originally created. The original meaning is still there of course, hidden mostly in their orthography, where you usually can find the root of every word. They can anytime reveal the way the accumulated human experience and the different stages of the coherences led to their final meanings.
The very first words in Greek language were only syllables and to write this language, they use the most ancient writing style in humsn history, the Symbols. In Egypt they were called Hieroglyphics which develop later into the Pictographs and after that to the Ideogramms. We have discovered inscription of this writing style every where in the World. The same period, in the Greek mainland we use pictographs and ideogramms we call Linear B, a writing style, we succeded to decipher and read. Llater during the historical period, when we use the Alphabet, not onlly the syllables but also the single letters can express meanings.
A very good examble is the letter A =that what exists, everywhere, simultanuously and the letter Ω (omega) which means = eternity, endless. For that reason around the 9th Century A.D we replace the Ω with the well known alchemical symbol ω ( a lying and twisted Eight), to express the Eternity, which we still use in our language as a small omega. The A Ω is one of the God's Names,which means = the One who exist 100% and is eternal in time and all kind of space.
An other very important letter in our language is the letter B = vita. Is the sound that accompanies the apperance of the God. In Bible we read, that every time Heaven opens there is a sound called VOUI. This is a word made by a sound, which in that case is a continuous VVVVVVV. The letter B in the agyptian Hieroglyphic writing style, the archaic corinthian Alphabet and the Phoenesian archaic Alphabet is the following from the left to the right.
Observing the B=vita of the Hieroglyphic writing style is practically the patern of the Spiral which is a very ancient sacred symbol, appearing, all over the world, since Neolithic period, decorating settelments and artifacts. In greek Art is also a part of a pattern we call Meander, also known as the "Greek Key".
In the archaic Corinthian Alphabet it appears again like a unfolded Spiral and looks like the first part of what we call Meander.
But also in the Phoenician Alphabet, the letter has again the form of a very simplyfied round Spiral.
So, as we have allready mentioned, the ancient Greeks express with the sound VVVV the appearance of the God on the Earth and they use the symbol of a Spiral or the analysis of the Spiral, the Meander, to dipict it. The Spiral is dipicting not only the Movement that occures when something like that takes place, but also the movement of the creative Energy in General. The Spiral and the Meander are sacred Symbols, received from the Unconcious part of the Human Soul and because of that Universal.
When adding a A next to the B we have the word Ba=Va which means King, who for the ancient Greeks, and not only for them, was the God on the Earth, the God in flesh.
The word Ba= Va though is one of the first words created by the ancient people to express a specific feeling. In that case it expresses admiration and awe. We can find it also in form of the word Babai which means not only awe and admiration in the appearance of the God but also a way to call a God for help, something like "Oh my God!".
In the ancient Greek language, very often, we replace consonands with eachother and because of that the word Ba can appear as a Da =Δα (Δ=delta) which is the name of the first Goddess worshiped during the prehistoric period, the Goddess of Fertility. It can also appear in form of Ga=Γα = (Ga or gaia) which is again the name of the same Goddess, Mother Earth. Her name can appear also as Babo.
The same exlamation word "ba" or "babai" we use even nowadays to express surprise or admiration. Perhaps this is the root of another well known word used in every language, the word "papa", "baba", "babo", "dada" etc. which means "father". The word in ancient time didn't refer to the genter, it refers simply to his divine quality, for every child the father is like a God.
When adding the word Selios to the Ba, we describe another quality of the God, the Light.
B+a+selios = The incarnated God who brings Light.
"Basilias" is a word we still use in Greek language and means "King"
Selios is another, more ancient, form of the word Helios = Sun
We still call Selas the "Northern Lights"
Selini= the Moon
Sellin or Hellin = the Greek man or woman = the human who searches and is atracted by the Light, the human with the internal Light, the Illuminated.
The double L in the word Hellin or Sellin means, Internal, and derives from the word EN=inside. The N next to the L changes into a second L. This is something very common in our language to help to pronounce easily the word.
We have talked too much about the word "King". The intention of this article is not to promote political ideas about a system based on a King. What we mean with Royalties and Kings nowadays has nothing to do, with what the ancient Greeks understood with this word.
The King, for the Ancient Greeks, at least the way this word is used by Homer in his poems, means a person nursed by Zeus and risen up under his protection participating because of that in the divine substance. The legend calls him Son of God. He rules the city with the authority given to him by all the people who have aknowledged him because of his personal qualities, his Virtues. Virtue is something everyone can develop through personal cultivation and it has to be proved through heroic Labors, similar to those, other famous heros succeeded, heroes like Hercules, Theseus etc. Labors =Athla = labors, reward, prize , from the same word we use nowadays the words athletic,athlete etc.
Those Labors (athloi, athla) give to a person the opportunity to surpass his natural, emotional, or spiritual limits and to become a Hero, after that, people worship him in sanctuaries called Heroon
Hero is a greek word and derives from the word Heranos = friend, wise, helper, protector.
From the same word we have the name of the Goddess Hera, which means the protector, the friend, the wise one, the helper.
The Hero - King can communicate directly with the Gods and he is the one responsible to announce the Will of the Gods to the Humans. He is the incarnated God, who gathers effortlessly all the humans around him (The big Gathering) and becomes the " People's Sheppard" (Ilias by Homer). He is the "Good Sheppard" a very popular type of Statues, repeteatedly dipicted in the ancient time, because of its symbolical meaning and used later by the Christians the first years of the Christianity to dipict Jesus Christ, like the incarnated God, in a secret symbolical way.
King's authority doesn't put in question the existence and the free choice of other people. In the Gathering of the Army (Ilias) King Agamemnon speaks to Greeks and calls them "friends" and "heroes" ( oh, friends Danaoi, servants of the God Ares). They also had the right to hold in their hand the Scepter of the King, the Kyreikion, which gave them the authority to express their own opinion, or even to oppose the opinion of the King. While they were holding the Scepter they were also King- Heroes like the real King.
We still rise our hand to ask permission to speak in a group of people which is something that reminds the time we had to rise the Staff or Scepter every time someone wanted to speak in a Gathering.
Scepter from the Greek word Skeptron
Skeptron = the root of the word is skep-
skep- =cover, protect, defend, support
skept-o, skeptron = under the protection of....
The Scepter is also called Staff and the Greek word is Vaktiria which is the Symbol not olny of the King. but also of the Priests, of the Seers, of the Orators and of the Poets. Is the Symbol of a person who has succeeded to develop his conscioussness in such a high level which makes him able and worthy to communicating with the Gods and to announce their Will to the people.
Vaktiria = Va + ktaomai
Va= we have allready analysed
ktaomai = the Owner, keeper, controller, the one who have control over himself, the Master of his own Self .
Another symbol of King's authority, similar to the Scepter, is the Crown. The Crown in the Ancient Greek Language is also called Polos ( with omega) and is the Crown decorating the head of the Godesses.
Polos = Virgin (but also foal)
The original meaning of the word Virgin In Greek language is Parthenos a word we use since the prehistoric period to namel the Great Goddess Earth, the Goddess of Fertility, a female figure. The Religion of that period (Prehistoric) corresponds to the structure of a sosciety, organized with Center the women. During that time, appear the first Settlements combined with the developement of a first Agriculture.
Parthenos = Perfect being made and functioning according to the Natural Laws.
Like the King, Parthenos is the perfect and fully integrated person and has nothing to do with a life away of any sexual activity. On the contrary the Goddess of Fertility are allways adored as the most erotic beings and they have a lot of childrens and very often a lot of husbands.
Parthenos = Pan + ar + ethos = the Being with all the Virtues. The Being with the best Ethos.
Ethos = the way of Life according to the Natural Laws
Ethik = Ethos + eikazo = smth that looks like Ethos = the way of Life according to the human Laws sometimes very differend to the Natural Laws.
THE RIDDLE OF THE SPHINX AND IMMORTALITY
The KIng-Hero, as we have allready said, succeeded to control his own Consciousness. As the Master of his own Consciousness, his Central Channel, becomes a Tripod and gives the Answer to the Riddle of the Sphinx.
" Which is the four-legged(=tetrapod), the two-legged (=dipod) and the three-legged (three-legged= Tripod) being."
The Riddle of the Sphinx talks about the different phases in the development of a human but has nothing to do with his Age.
Tripod is the human who doesn't need to be supported by his parents in order to define himself in the World (four-legged). Is the one who cannot be that easily influenced by the others in a physical or an emotional way, which would make him loosing easily balance or stability (two-legged). Tripod (three-legged) is the person who have discovered his own unique level to stand and to connect to the Earth with stability and to the Heaven with Lightness (the Steam from the Tripod). In Greek language (ancient and modern) the word for Steam = atmos = the vital, we also have the word atmitos = something that cannot be divided or cut up, and in Ancient Greece the offering for the Gods in a sacrifice was not the flesh but the Steam = the Spirit and the Soul. In Sanskritic language we have Maha Atma= the great Soul
Tripod connects to the Earth in three points and according to Pythagoras three points in the Space define one and only one level. The three legs of the Tripod symbolize the three aspects of the human existence. The Body, the Soul and the Spirit. We realize our Original Spirit when we act, think and exist in Harmony with it.
The Human-Tripod is the Cauldron in which his comunication with God is possible and where his final transformation takes place . The Human-Tripod has the stability of a tree with deep roots grown into the Earth, (= Gaia, Ga, Da=the Goddess of Wisdom). The third leg has the same meaning with the Staff-Scepter-Vaktiria, his Central Channel and is the symbol of his authority and his integrated Self, who has allready succeded to become a King-Hero.
As we have allready mentioned allthough Vaktiria is the symbol of the integrated person, is not nesessarily relevant to the Age of that person. Eventhough we need to reach old Age to succeed this level of Consciousness and to become Ieroi= Geroi =sacred wise men, old men and Iereies, Graies =Gerodises= sacred wise women, priestesses, old women, to be old is not allways necessary for that and sometimes also not enough .
In the Greek Mythology, Graies were beautiful nymphs of the Sea enjoying eternal Youth. And is because of that we call even nowadays our Priests and Monks, Gerondes = Elder men and the nuns, Gerondises = Elder women, eventhough sometimes they are very young also in Age.
The Human-Tripod is the person who has earned Immortality and at the same time the Cauldron, or Holy Graal, from which he can taste the Immortality. Vaktiria is the Symbol of his awaken Conscioussnes, the third point, which allows him to define his own personal level, where all his three parts, Body, Soul and Spirit exist in Harmony.
"Give me a place to stand and I can move the Earth" Archimides
The Human-Tripod does really have the power to move the Earth and the whole Universe if necessary, but as a Human- Tripod, knows better, that instead of moving the Universe is much better to live in Harmony with It.
by Athina Georgiadou
Bibliography:
Ilias by Homer
The Holy Bible
Dictionary of the Ancient Greek Language by Kostas Kiougolis
Dictionary of the Ancient Greek Language by Liddell and Scott
Photos by Athina Georgiadou
Designs from the book "The Iron Shirt Qigong" by Mantak Qia