It took a couple of days to quell the frenzy that followed the news of 5,000 red-winged blackbirds falling from the sky just before midnight on New Year’s Eve. Then came news of more dead birds in different places followed by mass quantities of dead fish in multiple locations. We quickly accepted that the birds died from some kind of mid-air trauma. Given recent weather, it’s not difficult to believe that unusually cold weather caused the demise of the fish. And we’ve been assured many times over that these mass deaths happen all the time. Once technology was identified as the culprit feeding the frenzy, one more death occurred—this time, it was the story itself.
We need to exhume it because nobody answered the question that the audience was asking. People wanted to know, “Are the events connected?” And because there wasn’t an obvious link—in fairness, birds were on highways, bridges, and roofs, fish were floating in lakes, rivers, and oceans, while crabs washed up on beaches—the notion was pooh-poohed.
But the reality of what happened is that the social-networking/blogosphere bombardment successfully produced a list of 14 mass bird and fish deaths that didn’t include an oil slick, poison, other man-made hazard, or disease. Essentially, millions of fish and thousands of birds were killed by Nature, either with a direct hit or a savvy way of using the species' in-born sensitivities. BOOM!
With a little research and a basic understanding of how a string of events over the course of the last year have been integrated into a much larger “happening” I can say without a doubt not only are they all connected, but their details lay the foundation for a story… a kind of sacred sequel that’s in its first stage of development.
It didn’t begin on New Year’s Eve:
We need to exhume it because nobody answered the question that the audience was asking. People wanted to know, “Are the events connected?” And because there wasn’t an obvious link—in fairness, birds were on highways, bridges, and roofs, fish were floating in lakes, rivers, and oceans, while crabs washed up on beaches—the notion was pooh-poohed.
But the reality of what happened is that the social-networking/blogosphere bombardment successfully produced a list of 14 mass bird and fish deaths that didn’t include an oil slick, poison, other man-made hazard, or disease. Essentially, millions of fish and thousands of birds were killed by Nature, either with a direct hit or a savvy way of using the species' in-born sensitivities. BOOM!
With a little research and a basic understanding of how a string of events over the course of the last year have been integrated into a much larger “happening” I can say without a doubt not only are they all connected, but their details lay the foundation for a story… a kind of sacred sequel that’s in its first stage of development.
It didn’t begin on New Year’s Eve:
- 12-24-2010 Fond Parisien, Haiti—scores of dead fish appear on Lake Azuei.
- 12-30-2010 Paraná, Brazil—100 tons of sardines, croakers, and catfish are found dead.
- 12-30-2010 Ozark, Arkansas—100,000 dead drum fish are discovered over a 20 mile stretch of the Arkansas River.
- 12-31-2010 Beebe, Arkansas—5,000 red-wing blackbirds drop out of the sky just before midnight on New Year’s Eve.
- 01-03-2011 Point Coupee, Louisiana—500 red-wing blackbirds, brown-headed cowbirds, grackles, and starlings are found dead on Highway 1.
- 01-04-2011 Port Orange, Florida—Mullet, ladyfish, and catfish lined the twists and turns of Spruce Creek.
- 01-04-2011 Coromandel Peninsula, New Zealand, the ocean water was carpeted by dead snapper, many of whose eyes were missing.
- 01-04-2011 Falköping, Sweden—50-100 jackdaws are found on a street.
- 01-05-2011 Kent, England 40,000 velvet swimming crabs, also known as “devil crabs” wash up on beaches at Westbrook, Cliftonville, Kingsgate, Broadstairs, and Ramsgate.
- 01-05-2011 Murray, Kentucky—hundreds of dead red-wing blackbirds, grackles, starlings, and robins are found in the street though their deaths appear to have occurred last week. It’s the second such find in Kentucky as several dozen dead birds were found in Gilbertsville a few days prior.
- 01-06-2011 200 American coots are found dead on a bridge along Highway 155 by Lake O’ the Pines, Texas
- 01-06-2011 Kent Island, Maryland—2 million juvenile spot fish found in Chesapeake Bay
- 01-07-2011 Faenza, Italy—thousands of turtle doves are found dead, some with a strange blue stain around their beaks which may be a sign of hypoxia (lack of oxygen in their bloodstream.)
And the meaning is... ?
Instructions for finding meaning in stories and events belonging to the gemstone have consistently been delivered via books of fiction and Hollywood scripts. In 2004 movie critic Roger Ebert described The Prince and Me as the recycling of “a story so old that it must satisfy some basic yearning in the human psyche—or at least that portion of the psyche installed in teenage girls.” Mick LaSalle at the San Francisco Chronicle put forth, "The Prince and Me is as pleasant to watch as a fairy tale, but it's smarter than a fairy tale….”
What neither knew at the time is that this simple story with its archetypal possibilities and imprint of Divine Genius provides the instructions we need in 2011 to discover the meaning behind the spate of mass bird and fish deaths that recently made headlines around the world.
In the movie, Paige Morgan is a pre-med student in Wisconsin who has little patience for a new exchange student named Eddie. Eddie is actually Prince Edvard of Denmark, who has chosen a distant college campus as a way to shirk his royal responsibilities while dodging paparazzi. After their second rough encounter, Eddie quotes lines borrowed from Romeo and Juliet in an apologetic way that suggests he won’t disappoint Paige going forward. The words fly over her head. She thinks he’s been drinking.
Paige is a detail-oriented person who’s in her element recording scientific observations. Even before she encounters Eddie, she makes a leap of faith when enrolling in a Shakespearean Literature class. She’s sorely disappointed when she gets a “C” on her first essay. Eddie is her Chemistry lab partner. She mentions his Romeo and Juliet moment. Eddie is quick to say he’s well-versed in Shakespeare’s writings. Paige asserts she’s being graded unfairly in the class she's taking, but after a moment admits she could use his help. He agrees to be her navigator if she will help him with a particular task.
In the dorm laundry room, Paige advises Eddie in the ways of sorting dirty clothes. Grays are directed toward one machine, dark socks to another. As the washing machines fill with water and begin their cycle of agitation, Paige moves to the other side of the room and reaches for her textbook. She mentions that the class has already finished King Lear and is now on Sonnets. She hands Eddie her book. He seems to welcome the opportunity to read aloud:
O me!
What eyes hath love put in my head
Which have no correspondence with true sight
Or if they have
Where is my judgment fled
That censures falsely what they see aright?
Eddie: It’s beautiful.
Paige: It’s gibberish. I have no idea what he’s saying.
Eddie: It means love is magical, and it makes people look at each other in an unspoiled way, without judgment.
Paige: Why doesn’t he just say that? Why can’t people just say what they mean?
Eddie: Well, people rarely say what they mean. The interesting part is… is what’s going on underneath the surface.
He glances at the page. “See, take line 12. 'The sun itself sees not till heaven clears.'”
What does that mean to you?
Paige: That the sun can’t shine when it’s cloudy.
Eddie: No. You’re being too literal. Don’t just go for the obvious. See, all these words, they have multiple meanings. You have to look at all of the possible meanings and then make a choice. See, like the word “sun,” that could mean the actual sun or it can mean light. But then “light” can mean knowledge or reason.
Paige: That could go on forever.
Eddie: Yes. Yes it could. But in this case I think it means reason. And then “heaven” may suggest actual pearly gates or it could be a state of being, like being happy or in love. So now read it again taking in all of the possibilities.
A Thanksgiving Homecoming
Eddie travels to the Morgan family farm in Wisconsin for Thanksgiving break. One of the first things he wants to know is the meaning of the color-coded pins that appear in various locations on the world map that hangs in Paige’s room. She explains that the few red ones mark the places she’s been. The green ones mark all the places she wants to go… places where Doctors Without Borders brings good medical care and vaccinations… and clean drinking water.
Paige’s father invites Eddie to join him in the morning for a few farm chores. He’s given the task of rounding up the cows and then gets acquainted with Bessy… an experience that puts a damper on his taste for milk.
When the family comes together for dinner, Paige’s brothers quiz her about famous people who have come from Denmark. For the second time she looks to Eddie for the answer. He mentions Kierkegaard, Niels Bohr, and Hans Christian Andersen—respectively a philosopher/theologian whose writings focused on how one can live as a “single individual,” a physicist who worked on the Manhattan Project (codename for the development of the Atomic Bomb) and who had a passion for football, and lastly an author famous for his fairy tales which have inspired motion pictures, plays, ballets, and animated films, among them The Little Mermaid, The Snow Queen, and The Ugly Duckling.
The brothers are unimpressed.
Eddie tries again, this time naming Lars Ulrich, the drummer for Metallica, followed by Helena Christenson, a Victoria’s Secret model… and in a split-second Denmark finds its place on the map in their minds and Eddie is promoted to one cool dude.
Separating the Wheat from the Chaff
If we take to heart the instruction given in my prior blog about tying knots between details at every opportunity, there are ample words and images we can grab hold of in the movie. However, most of them can wait; the movie won’t be going anywhere. Perhaps more than ever, time is of the essence and we need to home in on only the details that will lead us to meaning.
References to Shakespeare have had a place throughout the gemstone stories. Christine Daaé makes her first stage appearance in Gaston Leroux’s The Phantom of the Opera singing a few passages from Romeo and Juliet. Forrest Gump plays the role of Earl of Gloucester in King Lear in Professor Quackenbush’s class in his days at Harvard in Winston Groom’s novel. Susie Salmon studies Othello in Alice Sebold’s novel The Lovely Bones.
Coincidentally, Eddie uses William Shakespeare’s first name as his surname as he begins life incognito as a simple college student. For our purposes within the gemstone, Eddie is the reinvention of God incognito.
In real life, the dedication of Shakespeare’s Sonnets begins: TO THE ONLIE BEGETTER OF THESE INSUING SONNETS. ALL HAPPINESS, AND THAT ETERNITIE PROMISED BY OUR EVER LIVING POET.
Students have not only struggled with the body of Shakespeare’s writing, even his dedication has left people wondering what he was thinking. Personally, I agree with anyone who suggests Shakespeare is the “begetter.” As one within a long line of "begottens" he was fully aware of the inspiration that came “through him.” The "Ever Living Poet" is his inspiration and in this sense is the same as the Master Storyteller who has made his presence known in the long line of stories that have revealed themselves in the course of this blog.
The gist of the current situation is that the Master Storyteller has thrust his way into reality with an invisible pen in hand. This time, He’s writing the sacred story without any chance of pass interference. But the only way we can discern what He’s writing—and we should consider it of grave importance—is to follow close behind and gather up its details.
Eddie has communicated how we need to go about this.
With respect to the millions of fish and birds that have died…
1. We need to find the [symbolic] meaning behind the words/species that are named.
a. We need to learn everything we can about the bird or fish and choose from the details.
2. We need to discover what’s important about the locations where the creatures died.
3. We need the names of the famous people connected with the birds, fish, or locations. What’s their story?
As with prior blogs, Wikipedia.com has risen to the occasion and is quoted freely herein.
Anchoring Events to the Gemstone
Despite the emphasis that’s been placed on the 5,000 red-wing blackbirds that fell out of the sky on New Year’s Eve, this new story actually began to take shape on Christmas Eve when scores of dead fish appeared in a lake in Haiti. The significance of this is that the larger gemstone story “came to life” with the earthquake in Haiti on January 12, 2010 when the details from select novels and movies began appearing in the news articles that described what was happening in reality. This was documented in my blog "The Question that Begs to be Answered."
The lake where the fish were discovered is located in a place called Fond Parisien. At first glance we might consider the grail legend’s ties to Louis VII who ruled from Paris, France. However, in recent times Fond Parisien has been the location of the largest “bed” field hospital set up in the days that followed the earthquake in Haiti. The hospital was “spearheaded” by a group of Harvard affiliated doctors—Harvard Humanitarian Innitiative—and was built on land donated by Love a Child, Inc.
In my blog "Oracles, Omens, and The World Cup," it was revealed that everything that’s been happening is “for the children.”
Tilapia, the fish that died in Lake Azuei, have been given the moniker "St. Peter's fish" which is attributed to a biblical story in which the apostle Peter catches a fish with a coin in its mouth... even though the type of fish in the story was never identified. Tilapia are fresh water fish.
O me!
What eyes hath love put in my head
Which have no correspondence with true sight
Or if they have
Where is my judgment fled
That censures falsely what they see aright?
Eddie: It’s beautiful.
Paige: It’s gibberish. I have no idea what he’s saying.
Eddie: It means love is magical, and it makes people look at each other in an unspoiled way, without judgment.
Paige: Why doesn’t he just say that? Why can’t people just say what they mean?
Eddie: Well, people rarely say what they mean. The interesting part is… is what’s going on underneath the surface.
He glances at the page. “See, take line 12. 'The sun itself sees not till heaven clears.'”
What does that mean to you?
Paige: That the sun can’t shine when it’s cloudy.
Eddie: No. You’re being too literal. Don’t just go for the obvious. See, all these words, they have multiple meanings. You have to look at all of the possible meanings and then make a choice. See, like the word “sun,” that could mean the actual sun or it can mean light. But then “light” can mean knowledge or reason.
Paige: That could go on forever.
Eddie: Yes. Yes it could. But in this case I think it means reason. And then “heaven” may suggest actual pearly gates or it could be a state of being, like being happy or in love. So now read it again taking in all of the possibilities.
A Thanksgiving Homecoming
Eddie travels to the Morgan family farm in Wisconsin for Thanksgiving break. One of the first things he wants to know is the meaning of the color-coded pins that appear in various locations on the world map that hangs in Paige’s room. She explains that the few red ones mark the places she’s been. The green ones mark all the places she wants to go… places where Doctors Without Borders brings good medical care and vaccinations… and clean drinking water.
Paige’s father invites Eddie to join him in the morning for a few farm chores. He’s given the task of rounding up the cows and then gets acquainted with Bessy… an experience that puts a damper on his taste for milk.
When the family comes together for dinner, Paige’s brothers quiz her about famous people who have come from Denmark. For the second time she looks to Eddie for the answer. He mentions Kierkegaard, Niels Bohr, and Hans Christian Andersen—respectively a philosopher/theologian whose writings focused on how one can live as a “single individual,” a physicist who worked on the Manhattan Project (codename for the development of the Atomic Bomb) and who had a passion for football, and lastly an author famous for his fairy tales which have inspired motion pictures, plays, ballets, and animated films, among them The Little Mermaid, The Snow Queen, and The Ugly Duckling.
The brothers are unimpressed.
Eddie tries again, this time naming Lars Ulrich, the drummer for Metallica, followed by Helena Christenson, a Victoria’s Secret model… and in a split-second Denmark finds its place on the map in their minds and Eddie is promoted to one cool dude.
Separating the Wheat from the Chaff
If we take to heart the instruction given in my prior blog about tying knots between details at every opportunity, there are ample words and images we can grab hold of in the movie. However, most of them can wait; the movie won’t be going anywhere. Perhaps more than ever, time is of the essence and we need to home in on only the details that will lead us to meaning.
References to Shakespeare have had a place throughout the gemstone stories. Christine Daaé makes her first stage appearance in Gaston Leroux’s The Phantom of the Opera singing a few passages from Romeo and Juliet. Forrest Gump plays the role of Earl of Gloucester in King Lear in Professor Quackenbush’s class in his days at Harvard in Winston Groom’s novel. Susie Salmon studies Othello in Alice Sebold’s novel The Lovely Bones.
Coincidentally, Eddie uses William Shakespeare’s first name as his surname as he begins life incognito as a simple college student. For our purposes within the gemstone, Eddie is the reinvention of God incognito.
In real life, the dedication of Shakespeare’s Sonnets begins: TO THE ONLIE BEGETTER OF THESE INSUING SONNETS. ALL HAPPINESS, AND THAT ETERNITIE PROMISED BY OUR EVER LIVING POET.
Students have not only struggled with the body of Shakespeare’s writing, even his dedication has left people wondering what he was thinking. Personally, I agree with anyone who suggests Shakespeare is the “begetter.” As one within a long line of "begottens" he was fully aware of the inspiration that came “through him.” The "Ever Living Poet" is his inspiration and in this sense is the same as the Master Storyteller who has made his presence known in the long line of stories that have revealed themselves in the course of this blog.
The gist of the current situation is that the Master Storyteller has thrust his way into reality with an invisible pen in hand. This time, He’s writing the sacred story without any chance of pass interference. But the only way we can discern what He’s writing—and we should consider it of grave importance—is to follow close behind and gather up its details.
Eddie has communicated how we need to go about this.
With respect to the millions of fish and birds that have died…
1. We need to find the [symbolic] meaning behind the words/species that are named.
a. We need to learn everything we can about the bird or fish and choose from the details.
2. We need to discover what’s important about the locations where the creatures died.
3. We need the names of the famous people connected with the birds, fish, or locations. What’s their story?
As with prior blogs, Wikipedia.com has risen to the occasion and is quoted freely herein.
Anchoring Events to the Gemstone
Despite the emphasis that’s been placed on the 5,000 red-wing blackbirds that fell out of the sky on New Year’s Eve, this new story actually began to take shape on Christmas Eve when scores of dead fish appeared in a lake in Haiti. The significance of this is that the larger gemstone story “came to life” with the earthquake in Haiti on January 12, 2010 when the details from select novels and movies began appearing in the news articles that described what was happening in reality. This was documented in my blog "The Question that Begs to be Answered."
The lake where the fish were discovered is located in a place called Fond Parisien. At first glance we might consider the grail legend’s ties to Louis VII who ruled from Paris, France. However, in recent times Fond Parisien has been the location of the largest “bed” field hospital set up in the days that followed the earthquake in Haiti. The hospital was “spearheaded” by a group of Harvard affiliated doctors—Harvard Humanitarian Innitiative—and was built on land donated by Love a Child, Inc.
In my blog "Oracles, Omens, and The World Cup," it was revealed that everything that’s been happening is “for the children.”
Tilapia, the fish that died in Lake Azuei, have been given the moniker "St. Peter's fish" which is attributed to a biblical story in which the apostle Peter catches a fish with a coin in its mouth... even though the type of fish in the story was never identified. Tilapia are fresh water fish.
One shouldn't get confused as this moniker is also given to fish belonging to the genus Zeus, specifically the John Dory or Zeus faber, which is a deep-sea fish. The people on the East Coast of North Island provided Captain Cook a supply of this fish in his first expedition to New Zealand. An account of the story behind the name John Dory is told in the novel An Antarctic Mystery by Jules Verne which was written as a response to a novel by Edgar Allen Poe. Some say John Dory is tied to a ballad of the same name. The moniker comes from the idea of "the door-keeper" in an allusion to St. Peter who has been said to be the gate-keeper at the doors of Heaven and who supposedly brought a fish of this species to the Lord at his command. Another legend claims that the dark spot on the fish's flank, known as it's "evil eye" (used as a natural defense mechanism) is the thumbprint of St. Peter.
Following the thread of a single detail allows us to make a connection to the scene at the Fisher King's manor house where the grail is served to God and later associated with certain kinds of fish... a detail that allowed us to connect to the legend of Salmon Wisdom, a boy called Fionn, and a poet named Finn.
One of the most important imprints of the Master Storyteller’s work is that details that appear in one story or event are repeated in seemingly unrelated stories. As a general rule, the path is marked by a thread that connects to a minimum of two other sources. It was always the Master Storyteller's plan that no single individual would develop an idea from beginning to end and everything had to be authenticated. Furthermore, multiple sources allowed the story to transform or evolve as key details took on new meaning in altered scenarios.
With respect to the mass deaths, using the instructions that arrived with The Prince and Me, I sifted through the details and selected ones that responded to the audience's question, “Is there a connection?” Select details have been provided below. I’ve identified if they’re “backward connections” meaning they correspond to the event that preceded it, or “forward connections” where the details can be found in the event that came afterward. There are plenty more connecting details, but what follows is sufficient for proving a point.
With respect to the mass deaths, using the instructions that arrived with The Prince and Me, I sifted through the details and selected ones that responded to the audience's question, “Is there a connection?” Select details have been provided below. I’ve identified if they’re “backward connections” meaning they correspond to the event that preceded it, or “forward connections” where the details can be found in the event that came afterward. There are plenty more connecting details, but what follows is sufficient for proving a point.
Not only are all 14 mass deaths of fish and birds connected, they were perfectly executed in a meaningful sequence.
12-24-2010 Fond Parisien, Haiti—scores of dead tilapia appear on Lake Azuei.
12-24-2010 Fond Parisien, Haiti—scores of dead tilapia appear on Lake Azuei.
Backward connection (circular-actually connects to the last event in Italy)
- The fish died from lack of oxygen
- Hills surrounding the lake are formed of limestone, portions of which slid into the water (miniature landslide) in an area of "heightened road construction" attributing to an imbalanced and acidic environment.
Forward connection:
- "Maroon" is a name that was given by French settlers to the mixed-race population in Haiti that had reddish-brown skin.
- Lake Azuei forms the boundary between Haiti and the Dominican Republic
12-30-2010 Paraná, Brazil—100 tons of sardines, croakers, and catfish are found dead.
Backward connection:
- "Pardos" is a race/colour category used by the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics. It’s Portuguese for “brown” or “grey-brown.”
- The Paraná River forms a natural boundary between Brazil and Paraguay
Forward connection:
- Catfish have a Weberian apparatus and reduced gas-bladder that allow for improved hearing and sound production.
- In the 1982 farce, Noises Off, by Michael Frayn, (which has a play within the play) several plates of sardines appear as props in Act I.
12-30-2010 Ozark, Arkansas—100,000 dead drum fish are discovered in the Arkansas River
Backward connection:
- Mature male drum fish have a special set of muscles that vibrate against the swim bladder making a noise underwater that resembles the sound of a distant drum.
- 100,000 drum fish were silenced
Forward connection:
- The drum fish has been called “the never say die boy,” you can supposedly beat it with a club and it won’t die - Read the straightdope
- Dead fish were spread over a 20 mile stretch
12-31-2010 Beebe, Arkansas—5,000 Red-wing Blackbirds drop out of the sky just before midnight on New Year’s Eve.
Backward connection:
- The Lakota describe the red-wing blackbirds songs as tōke, mat'ā nī ("oh! that I might die"), as nakun miyē ("...and me"), as miš eyā ("me too!")
- All of the birds died within a 1 mile area
Forward connection:
- The birds won’t be missed as their large roost with thousands of birds can leave ankle to knee-deep piles of droppings in some places, which are not only messy but toxic.
01-03-2011 Point Coupee, Louisiana—500 Red-wing blackbirds, brown-headed cowbirds, grackles, and starlings are found dead on Highway 1.
Backward connection:
- Starlings make a great deal of noise that can frustrate local human inhabitants. Even when a flock of starlings is completely silent, their synchronized movements make a swooshing sound that can be heard hundreds of meters away.
Forward connection:
- Red-wing blackbirds are polygynous, with territorial mates defending up to 10 females. However, females frequently copulate with males other than their social mate and often lay clutches of mixed paternity.
01-04-2011 Port Orange, Florida—Mullet, ladyfish, and catfish lined the twists and turns of Spruce Creek.
Backward connection:
- In ancient Greece, mullets were used to sodomize adulterers as punishment.
Forward connection:
- Catfish are a diverse group of ray-finned fish. Named for their prominent barbells, which resemble cat’s whiskers. They range in size and behavior from very heavy and long to a tiny parasitic species. There are many families included in the order.
01-04-2011 Coromandel Peninsula, New Zealand, the ocean water was carpeted by dead snapper, many of whose eyes were missing.
Backward connection:
- The Australasian snapper, or Pagras auratus is a species of porgie found in coastal waters of New Zealand and Australia. Although it is almost universally known in these countries as “snapper” it does not belong to the Lutjanidae [larger snapper] family.
Forward connection:
- People in varying regions have different names for this fish. Western Australians refer to it as “pink snapper” to distinguish it from other species. In New Zealand its “snapper” or “New Zealand snapper,” Australia uses “cocknies” to name the young stock that are smaller than legal size, “red bream or pinkies” to identify the ones that are legal, “squire” or “squirefish” to denote ones larger than legal, and “snapper” for full size. Small ones are called “ruggers,” adults may be called “tamure,” and juveniles “karati.” European colonists knew them as the “light horsemen.”
01-04-2011 Falköping, Sweden—50-100 Jackdaws are found on a street.
Backward connection:
- The name jackdaw first appeared in the 16th century and is a compound of the forename “Jack” used in animal names to signify “a small form” and the English name “daw.” The Old English name for the jackdaw, “cēo,” was used by Chaucer—the father of English Literature. Scottish and north England dialects have used “ka” or “kae.” The midlands form of this was “co” or “coo.” “Caddow” is a compound of ka and dow, a variant of daw. Other dialects or obsolete names include "caddesse,” “cawdaw,” “caddy,” “chauk,” “college-bird,” “jackerdaw,” “jacko,” “ka-wattie,” “chimney-sweep bird,” and “sea-crow.”
Forward Connection:
- Chaucer is best known for The Canterbury Tales. He also translated The Romance of the Rose and wrote Treatise of the Astrolabe, which he compiled for his son. The essay aimed to serve five purposes: 1) provide a description of the astrolabe, 2) serve as a rudimentary course in using the instrument, 3) it included various tables of longitudes, latitudes, and declinations, 4) it provided a theory of the motions of the celestial bodies—in particular a table showing the “very moving of the moon,” and 5) an introduction to the broader field of astrology. The ancient mariner’s astrolabe was a navigational tool used on ships.
01-05-2011 In Kent, England 40,000 Velvet swimming crabs, also known as “devil crabs” wash up on beaches at Westbrook, Cliftonville, Kingsgate, Broadstairs, and Ramsgate.
Backward connection:
- The crab makes its way on land in a sideways tap-dance. This serves as a reminder that not all paths are direct and not all ways will be forthcoming in their meaning. The crab has the ability to lead us in an unorthodox way, taking lesser known paths of resistance to bring one to clarity.
All my animal symbolism and numerology information comes from What's Your Sign. com. It's a wonderful source of information! Visit it.
Forward connection:
- Crabs cast off their shells for new ones, associating themselves with rebirth.
- The crab’s symbolic attributes include cycles, trust, emotion, protection, regeneration, and transformation.
01-05-2011 Murray, Kentucky—hundreds of dead red-wing blackbirds, grackles, starlings, and robins are found in the street though their deaths appear to have occurred last week. It’s the second such find in Kentucky as several dozen dead birds were found in Gilbertsville a few days prior.
Backward connection:
- Commenting on the deaths, wildlife expert Tony Child told The Star, “It’s just part of the circle of life.”
- Through the years, the comic-book superhero Robin enjoyed many incarnations with different named characters playing the role of the Caped Crusader.
Forward Connection:
- The robin’s song consists of several discrete units that are repeated.
- Only 25% of young robins survive the first year.
01-06-2011 200 American coots are found dead on a bridge along Highway 155 by Lake O’ the Pines, Texas
Backward connection:
There’s a discrete repeating pattern present:
- the numbers of the date sum to 11, a Master Number, and 1+1=2
- the number of the highway sums to 11, a Master Number, and 1+1=2
- following the rules of numerology, after eliminating 0’s, 200 becomes 2
- it’s the 2nd time an "evergreen" has been part of the name of a body of water
The Number 11 is considered a “Master Number” because it is a double digit of the same number. This is true for 22, 33, 44, etc. When this happens, the vibrational frequency that comes with the prime number doubles in power. In this case, the attributes of Number 1 are doubled. Number 11 represents higher ideals, invention, refinement, congruency, balance, fulfillment, and vision. It represents male and female equality as it contains both Sun and Moon energy simultaneously yet holding both in perspective separateness. It represents perfect balance. Recurring 11’s in our lives signal us to be aware of our balance: emotion, thought, and spirit; masculine and feminine aspects; work and play.
Number 1 is represented by the images of a crown, the Sun, an arrow (delivery of a message) and the words “Aggression, Action, Ambition.” The number primarily deals with strong will, positivity, pure energy, and reflects new beginnings. It combines both physical and mental activity. There is an urgency for new beginnings. When the number recurs in our lives it indicates a time to exert our natural forces. "One" encourages us and suggests our actions will be rewarded in kind.
Number 2 is represented by the Moon and scales, like the scales of justice. It brings with it “Balance, Contrast, Opposite.” The symbolic meaning of the number 2 is kindness, balance, tact, equalization, and duality. It reflects a quiet power of judgment, and the need for planning. "Two" beckons us to choose. The spiritual meaning of the 2 deals with the exchanges made with others, partnerships (both in harmony and rivalry), and communication. Two urges us out of our indecision and calls us to unite in like-minds, and like ideals. Two asks us to exert our natural flow of judgment to do what is best for our souls.
- American coots are highly territorial. During their breeding season both male and females will fight their neighbors to maintain a small territory where they obtain their food. Coots are fairly aggressive in defense of their eggs. In combination with their protected nesting habits, this helps to reduce losses of eggs and young to all but the most determined and effective predators.
Forward Connection:
- Conversely, the bold behavior of immature and adult coots leads them to falling prey with relative regularity when the breeding season is over. Coots may comprise more than 80% of the diet of bald eagles.
- A dark band can be distinguished at the tip of the American coot's bill.
01-06-2011 Kent Island, Maryland—2 million spot fish found dead in Chesapeake Bay
Backward Connection:
- All of the spot fish that died were juveniles
Forward Connection:
- The spot fish gets its name from the prominent spot behind each gill
- It is the only species in the genus Leiostomus
- The northernmost tip of Kent Island is a place called Love Point. The name dates back to at least 1694 and is often explained in local legends. Most of these legends are variations of the same basic story where two lovers die either at Love Point or in the nearby waters. Depending on the specific variation, the lovers are either Native American, white settlers, or one of each. In many versions of the story the couple's love is forbidden, and this is what leads to their death. Another element present in some versions is that their bodies are found washed ashore in an embracing position. An unrelated explanation states that sailors going up the Chester River had to luff their sails as they rounded the tip of the island due to a strong northwesterly wind. According to this explanation, the point came to be known as "Luff Point" and over the years the name changed to "Love Point".
01-07-2011 Faenza, Italy—thousands of turtle doves are found dead
Backward Connection:
- The flight of the turtle dove is often described as “arrowy” and is not remarkably swift.
- A repetitive pattern that isn't discrete: Turtle doves are featured in the song "The Twelve Days of Christmas.” The form of the song is “cumulative.” On the 2nd day of Christmas the true love delivers 2 turtle doves. By the time the lyrics of the song have been completed, the 2nd day has been repeated 11 times resulting in 22 turtle doves that have been given.
Number 22 is a Master Number, double the dose of what the Number 2 symbolizes (see above) and also provides the energy of Number 4 (2+2=4)
Number 4 is ruled by Mercury. It represents the four directions: North-Water-Spring, East-Winter-Air, South-Autumn-Earth, West-Summer-Fire. It’s words are “Stability, Solidarity, Endurance.” The symbolic meaning of Number Four deals with stability and invokes the grounded nature of all things. It combines the four seasons, four directions, four elements… all wrapped up in a square package. Fours represent calmness and home. A recurrence of the Number Four in your life may signify the need to get back to your roots, center yourself, or even “plant yourself." Four also indicates a need for persistence and endurance
- Some of the birds had a strange blue stain around their beaks
- Despite the identical spelling, the "turtle" in the name is derived from the Latin turtur, and has no connection with the reptile, "turtle" which comes from Late Latin tortuca.
- Other doves in the same genus are also called turtle doves
- Its mournful voice and the fact that it forms strong pair bonds have led the turtle dove to become the emblem for devoted love. In the Bible, the turtle dove appears in Solomon’s Song of Songs. Saint Bernard—Abelard’s nemesis—wrote a commentary on “The Face of the Bride.” Read it. In the New Testament, two Turtle doves are mentioned to have been sacrificed for the Birth of Jesus. In Renaissance Europe the turtle dove was envisaged as the devoted partner of the Phoenix. Robert Chester's poem Love's Martyr is a sustained exploration of this symbolism.
Forward Connection—(circular: details match those with the dead fish in Haiti):
- The blue stain around the turtle doves' bills was thought to be a sign of hypoxia—lack of oxygen in the bloodstream
- Faenza is home to Grotta Tanaccia Karstic Park. Karst topography is shaped by the dissolution of a layer or layers of soluble bedrock, usually carbonate rock such as limestone or dolomite. The landscape is characterized by dolinas, ravines, and swallow holes… as in sink holes.
The Spiral Staircase
As noted above, the last incident on January 7th shares similar details with the fish deaths in Haiti on December 24th. They’re the only two places in the list that name “lack of oxygen” as the cause of death and share a regional presence of limestone... what begins with a landslide ends with a swallow hole.With the 14 incidents of mass deaths, we can move forward or backward by connecting details as well as remain on a circular path.
Just as the list anchored itself to the gemstone in the beginning, it also anchors itself at the end. The full title of Robert Chester’s poem mentioned above is Love’s Martyr: or Rosalin’s Complaint Allegorically shadowing the truth of Love, in the constant Fate of the Phoenix and Turtle. The title page adds: With the true legend of famous King Arthur the last of the nine Worthies, being the first Essay of a new Brytish Poet: collected out of diverse Authenticall Records. To these are added some new compositions of severall moderne Writers whose names are subscribed to their severall workes, upon the first subiect viz. the Phoenix and Turtle. [original wording and spelling]
William Shakespeare wrote a supplement to Robert Chester’s poem and called it simply The Phoenix and the Turtle. Shakespeare’s poem was an allegory about the death of ideal love. "It’s considered to be one of his most obscure works and has led to many conflicting interpretations. It has also been called 'the first great published metaphysical poem.' In addition to being an allegory of ideal marriage, the poem works to explain the relationship between truth and beauty, or of fulfilled love, in the context of Renaissance Neoplatonism. In the work, Shakespeare introduces a number of other birds, drawing on earlier literature about the 'parliament of birds,' to portray the death of the lovers as the loss of an ideal that can only be lamented."
Following the thread of Robert Chester's poem to another detail, in this case Shakespeare's poem about a turtle dove, allows the area of connected information to grow. Furthmore, the detail of "Shakespeare" allows us to complete the circle that began with Eddie’s use of passages from Romeo and Juliet. Within this circle are ALL of the details that came by way of following Eddie’s instructions.
Then there is the spiral outward whose starting point was the the earthquake in Haiti and my blog that captured the story as it crossed over the boundary that separates make-believe from reality. Every novel and movie that has been authenticated--and forms the only true legend of the grail--provides the foundation of the story going forward and sets the parameters for details that can be used to give meaning to the whole.
Extracting Meaning
Based on simple observation of our list of mass deaths and the details gathered in their wake, none of the birds or fish died in vain.
Each species involved shares a Conservation Level of “Least Concern” meaning they are the least considered to be threatened by extinction. Of course, the meaning of this detail for our own application, isn't exactly clear.
If we consider the bird migration patterns and identify the locations where each species of fish or crab can be found, we would discover that the countries and continents that form the Western World have been marked. The short list includes Australia, New Zealand, North America, Central America, South America—primarily coastal regions on the west and east, all European countries, western portions of Asia, South Africa, the northern tip of Africa, and portions of the Middle East.
Given these two items and what we know from the history of this blog, the Western World shares the sacred story that began in the Garden of Eden. This story is ending and a new story is replacing it. The exclusion of the Far East supports the idea that Hinduism and Buddhism provide separate and unique spiritual paths for those populations of people. The meaning that comes with the Conservation Level can go in two directions. It might mean that the population of the Western World can feel secure in knowing that the idea of extinction should be their least concern. Or, at face value it might mean that all those who display the “least concern” could be met with death.
The reason the sacred story that began in the Garden of Eden is ending is because we have failed miserably in bringing its intended purpose to life. So we’re being given a new chance to start again and get on the proper path. Part of the reason for its failure is that few people follow the rules of authentication that were implemented for the inspired stories that formed the Bible. The code was lost; the intended meaning was corrupted.
This idea is shown in the news articles that described the December 30th death of “100 tons” of sardines, croakers, and catfish in Paraná, Brazil. An accurate number was lost in translation. In Brazil the number of fish that died was reported as "100 tonnes." Tons and tonnes are similar, but not the same. Interestingly, the largest number of casualties in Paraná were sardines and sardines are packaged in cans that frequently come with a key. The biblical code was based on translating letters to numbers and using shared values to extract meaning and to authenticate the words that were God inspired. Morocco is the sardine capital of the world, which is a significant detail because Marrakesh Mystery was the color that Gray painted over the whitewashed wall in the movie Catch and Release. In Acts 23:3 Paul cried out, “God will strike you, you whitewashed wall.” It's the second time that Morocco has been singled out... but it isn't the only place where the arrow is pointing.
If we consider the bird migration patterns and identify the locations where each species of fish or crab can be found, we would discover that the countries and continents that form the Western World have been marked. The short list includes Australia, New Zealand, North America, Central America, South America—primarily coastal regions on the west and east, all European countries, western portions of Asia, South Africa, the northern tip of Africa, and portions of the Middle East.
Given these two items and what we know from the history of this blog, the Western World shares the sacred story that began in the Garden of Eden. This story is ending and a new story is replacing it. The exclusion of the Far East supports the idea that Hinduism and Buddhism provide separate and unique spiritual paths for those populations of people. The meaning that comes with the Conservation Level can go in two directions. It might mean that the population of the Western World can feel secure in knowing that the idea of extinction should be their least concern. Or, at face value it might mean that all those who display the “least concern” could be met with death.
The reason the sacred story that began in the Garden of Eden is ending is because we have failed miserably in bringing its intended purpose to life. So we’re being given a new chance to start again and get on the proper path. Part of the reason for its failure is that few people follow the rules of authentication that were implemented for the inspired stories that formed the Bible. The code was lost; the intended meaning was corrupted.
This idea is shown in the news articles that described the December 30th death of “100 tons” of sardines, croakers, and catfish in Paraná, Brazil. An accurate number was lost in translation. In Brazil the number of fish that died was reported as "100 tonnes." Tons and tonnes are similar, but not the same. Interestingly, the largest number of casualties in Paraná were sardines and sardines are packaged in cans that frequently come with a key. The biblical code was based on translating letters to numbers and using shared values to extract meaning and to authenticate the words that were God inspired. Morocco is the sardine capital of the world, which is a significant detail because Marrakesh Mystery was the color that Gray painted over the whitewashed wall in the movie Catch and Release. In Acts 23:3 Paul cried out, “God will strike you, you whitewashed wall.” It's the second time that Morocco has been singled out... but it isn't the only place where the arrow is pointing.
The deaths of starlings on January 3rd and January 5th are significant because Shakespeare gave a starling a cameo role in his play Henry IV: The king forbade my tongue to speak of Mortimer. But I will find him when he is asleep, and in his ear I’ll holler “Mortimer!” Nay, I’ll have a starling shall be taught to speak nothing but Mortimer, and give it to him to keep his anger in motion.
In the play, Mortimer was the rightful heir to the throne. And the king knew it. To gain a deeper understanding of the signifiance of this, you need to read my last blog, "Knots and Knots of Fish."
January 3rd, 2011 500 red-wing blackbirds, brown-headed cowbirds, grackles, and starlings were found dead on Highway 1. January 6th, 200 American coots were found dead on Highway 155... and 1+5+5=11. The numbers change as time progresses. The new story takes a higher road as far as the spiritual development of people. Assuming birds represent members of the Western World, the two events suggest there will be fewer numbers traveling on the higher road. And if those spot fish are any indication, those showing "juvenile" behavior will make up the greatest number of casualties.
The issue of adultery was one of the subjects addressed in "Oracles, Omens, and the World Cup," the blog that corresponds with the Total Solar Eclipse that occurred over Easter Island on July 11th. It was a very big day which ended with the notion that the Lion had arrived to lay with the lamb. The adultery at issue had nothing to do with human beings who succumbed to indiscretions and everything to do with “three incredible journeys, one great game.” Of concern to the Master Storyteller is where those journeys have taken people. The red-wing blackbirds, known to produce clutches of mixed paternity, died on the 3rd. On January 4th, mullets in Port Orange died as did snapper in New Zealand, whose eyes were missing. We’re reminded about that famous parable concerning the blind who lead the blind, only this time instead of falling into a ditch, they end up floating on top of the ocean waiting for a scavenger to clean up their mess. Then again, there is the possibility that the earth will just swallow them whole.
As an aside, in the early hours of December 21st, a Total Lunar Eclipse coincided with December’s Solstice for the first time in 372 years. Winter arrived in the northern hemisphere, while summer was ushered in, in the southern hemisphere. Keep in mind that the energies of an eclipse set the tone for a period of time that extends into the future. The Sun was positioned on Sagittarius 30. The Sabian Symbol for this degree is “The Pope Blessing the Faithful.” The Full Moon was on Gemini 30, “A Parade of Bathing Beauties on the Beach before a Large Crowd.” In retrospect, the image of millions of dead fish and crabs on the beaches that have been paraded before a virtual crowd puts a whole new spin on the meaning behind these words.
On January 4th, the date that corresponds to the mullets and the snapper, a Partial Solar Eclipse occurred... which so happened to coincide with the Herdsman Meteor shower. Both Sun and the New Moon were positioned in Capricorn 14, “An Ancient Bas-Relief Carved in Granite Remains a Witness to a Long-Forgotten Culture.” Bas-relief is a form of art that portrays figures “raised” against the background. For what its worth, this eclipse was at its greatest over Sweden, where jackdaws were discovered dead on the same day. There are details that belong to this eclipse that indicate it picks up right where the solar eclipse of July 11th left off.
As an aside, in the early hours of December 21st, a Total Lunar Eclipse coincided with December’s Solstice for the first time in 372 years. Winter arrived in the northern hemisphere, while summer was ushered in, in the southern hemisphere. Keep in mind that the energies of an eclipse set the tone for a period of time that extends into the future. The Sun was positioned on Sagittarius 30. The Sabian Symbol for this degree is “The Pope Blessing the Faithful.” The Full Moon was on Gemini 30, “A Parade of Bathing Beauties on the Beach before a Large Crowd.” In retrospect, the image of millions of dead fish and crabs on the beaches that have been paraded before a virtual crowd puts a whole new spin on the meaning behind these words.
On January 4th, the date that corresponds to the mullets and the snapper, a Partial Solar Eclipse occurred... which so happened to coincide with the Herdsman Meteor shower. Both Sun and the New Moon were positioned in Capricorn 14, “An Ancient Bas-Relief Carved in Granite Remains a Witness to a Long-Forgotten Culture.” Bas-relief is a form of art that portrays figures “raised” against the background. For what its worth, this eclipse was at its greatest over Sweden, where jackdaws were discovered dead on the same day. There are details that belong to this eclipse that indicate it picks up right where the solar eclipse of July 11th left off.
Sweden shares details with a portion of history that includes the Moravian Church, which has a familiar ring to its name. The Nicene Creed in the Moravian Liturgy, like the Eastern Orthodox Churches, does not include the “filioque” clause. Moravians believe that the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father alone and not from “the Father and the Son.” The church’s emblem is the Lamb of God carrying the flag of victory, surrounded by the Latin inscription: Vicit agnus noster, eum sequamur, which translated to English means, “Our Lamb has conquered, let us follow Him.”
There are also details that belong to this eclipse that expand on my last blog. In The Da Vinci Code Robert Langdon and Sophie travel to Westminster Abbey to find the orb that was missing from above Isaac Newton's tomb. People familiar with the novel will remember the missing orb was an apple. However, all solar eclipses involve a New Moon. The New Moon can’t be seen in the sky—even though it’s there—except for during an eclipse, when it slips between Earth and the Sun.
When Isaac Newton was born, he was believed to have been born on Christmas day in the year 1642. But with the acceptance of the Gregorian calendar his birthday was moved to January 4th, 1643.
The Twelve Days of Christmas
On January 7th, thousands of turtle doves had the air sucked right out of them. Interestingly, January 6th was Three Kings Day—also known as Epiphany or Twelfth Day—the day that celebrates the three kings who followed the star to the new born baby Jesus. It’s the day that marks the official end of Christmas. Our list of mass deaths begins on December 24th and ends on January 7th. The two dates essentially bookend or enclose the religiously oriented twelve days of Christmas.
There was a baby born Christmas day 2010. News outlets announced the arrival of a son born via a surrogate to Sir Elton John and his partner David Furnish. As CNN worded it: "The boy was born on Christmas Day. And he shall be Levon. Or, more accurately, Zachary Jackson Levon Furnish-John."
The significance of this has nothing to do with the child himself and everything to do with the words or details that describe the event as it touches the gemstone on multiple points. Names bring meaning as do lyrics of songs.
Zachary is a Hebrew name, meaning “God remembers.” Jackson simply means “Jack’s son.” If we borrow a detail from the jackdaw, Jack simply means "small form." Levon is an English name and means “Lion.”
Once again we have a story or series of events that touch upon a Lion and Lamb.
Once again we have a story or series of events that touch upon a Lion and Lamb.
Elton John's song Levon also includes a boy born on Christmas day:
He was born a pauper to a pawn on a Christmas Day
When the New York Times said “God is dead”
The war’s begun…
The Albatross
Almost exactly half-way between the Christmas Eve fish kill and the turtle doves that died on January 7th, the Sun passed through Capricorn 10 whose corresponding Sabian Symbol is “An Albatross Feeding from the Hand of a Sailor.” This influence began approximately at 7:45 P.M. (Universal Time) on December 30th and continued until 7:00 P.M. (Universal Time) on New Year’s Eve.
Coincidentally, on December 30th the “Popular Search” section on the home page of my Internet browser included the words “Rimes is Engaged.” For most people the story behind these words belonged to the news that on December 27th LeAnn Rimes and Eddie Cibrian had announced their engagement.
However, I had been anticipating a "Christmas miracle," and the fact that much of what has been happening can find the thread of a detail in the Sabian Symbols of the day it occurs... I was paying close attention to the transits of Sun and Moon and the images/energies they were delivering. I had already discovered and read The Rime of the Ancient Mariner by Samuel Taylor Coleridge. The poem is about an old sailor who stops a man on his way to a wedding ceremony and shares the story about how he had killed an albatross with his crossbow after the bird had brought the ship good fortune.
“What evil looks had I from old and young! Instead of the cross, the albatross about my neck was hung.”
Bad things began to happen on the mariner's voyage. The wind was sucked out of the sails. The ship ran out of food and water. One by one all those upon the ship began to die… and the mariner had to watch. He was constantly reminded of the reason why they suffered. The albatross remained hung around his neck.
And then one day, he finds it within himself to pray.
Almost exactly half-way between the Christmas Eve fish kill and the turtle doves that died on January 7th, the Sun passed through Capricorn 10 whose corresponding Sabian Symbol is “An Albatross Feeding from the Hand of a Sailor.” This influence began approximately at 7:45 P.M. (Universal Time) on December 30th and continued until 7:00 P.M. (Universal Time) on New Year’s Eve.
Coincidentally, on December 30th the “Popular Search” section on the home page of my Internet browser included the words “Rimes is Engaged.” For most people the story behind these words belonged to the news that on December 27th LeAnn Rimes and Eddie Cibrian had announced their engagement.
However, I had been anticipating a "Christmas miracle," and the fact that much of what has been happening can find the thread of a detail in the Sabian Symbols of the day it occurs... I was paying close attention to the transits of Sun and Moon and the images/energies they were delivering. I had already discovered and read The Rime of the Ancient Mariner by Samuel Taylor Coleridge. The poem is about an old sailor who stops a man on his way to a wedding ceremony and shares the story about how he had killed an albatross with his crossbow after the bird had brought the ship good fortune.
“What evil looks had I from old and young! Instead of the cross, the albatross about my neck was hung.”
Bad things began to happen on the mariner's voyage. The wind was sucked out of the sails. The ship ran out of food and water. One by one all those upon the ship began to die… and the mariner had to watch. He was constantly reminded of the reason why they suffered. The albatross remained hung around his neck.
And then one day, he finds it within himself to pray.
