It is
never a question of belief; the only scientific attitude
one can take on any subject is whether it is true. The
law of gravitation worked as efficiently before Newton
as after him. The cosmos would be fairly chaotic if its
laws could not operate without the sanction of human
belief.
Yukteswar
Introduction
An alternate theory about mankind’s development is that our
history is not a linear progression but occurs in cycles.
That mankind’s intelligence gradually increases, reaches a peak and
then gradually decreases, reaches a nadir and then starts to ascend
again. A profound book written in 1894 by Swami Sri Yukteswar
called
The Holy Science discusses his ideas on this subject.
In a brief introduction to the main theme of the book (which
discusses the underlying unity between religions) he explains
mankind’s mental and spiritual development throughout the ages. He
claims that our Sun takes some star for its dual and revolves
around it in about 24,000 years of our Earth and this
(see below image)
is what causes the apparent backward movement of the equinoctial
points around the zodiac.
Pretend the dotted line that looks away from the Sun is
an observer looking out toward the constellations.
Notice the observer now has a changing orientation to
inertial space and over time at each vernal equinox, his
gaze can precess through the constellations without any
independent torqueing of the Earth required.
Zoom in to see the “incremental change” in orientation
to inertial space now attributed to lunisolar induced
axial wobble. One year of this change is equivalent to
the annual rate of precession. See how the accumulated
change results in “apparent wobble” with the earth axis
tracing a 360 degree circle in the sky.
Notice the Earth does make a 360 degree motion “relative
to the Sun” but this is not a 360 motion relative to
inertial space. The reason is simple, as the Sun curves
it causes the observer on Earth (attached to the Sun by
gravity) to slowly turn to see a different point in
inertial space each year. This is the same “observable”
attributed to an Earth torqued by lunisolar forces.
The Sun curving through space in a binary orbit solves
many more problems than just precession mechanics.
An interesting website
that explores this possibility is the
Sirius Research Group who actually
seem to prove it mathematically. Another site that researches this
topic is Walter Cruttenden’s
Binary Research Institute.
Dharma
At the same time, the Sun also has another motion by which it
revolves round a grand center calledVishnunabhi, which is the seat
of the creative power of the universe, Brahma. Brahma regulates
dharma, the mental virtue of the internal world. When the Sun, in
its revolution around its dual, comes to the place nearest to this
grand center, (which takes place when the Autumnal Equinox reaches
the First Point of Aries¹, the star Zeta Piscium²), dharma, the
mental virtue, becomes so much developed that man can easily
comprehend all, even the mysteries of Spirit. After 12,000 years,
when the Sun goes to the place in its orbit furthest from Brahma
(which takes place when the Autumnal Equinox is on the First Point
of Libra), the mental abilities of man is so reduced that he cannot
grasp anything beyond the gross material creation. Then in the same
manner, the sun begins its advance to return to the place nearest
the grand center and mental virtue begins to develop again for
another 12,000 years and completes the 24,000 year cycle.
Rate of
Precession
Modern science tells us that the present rate of precession is about
1º in 72 years. At that rate it would take 25,920 years for the
equinoctial points to complete one trip through the zodiac (72 x
360º), not 24,000 years as Yukteswar claims. However there is no
proof that the present rate of precession is constant throughout the
entire cycle. If in fact our Sun is revolving around another star in
an elliptical orbit, the relative velocity of the star is slowest at
its apoapsis and fastest at its periapsis (point closest to its
focus). Thus with an average period of 24,000 years, the measured
relative velocity at apoapsis may correspond to 26,000 years, and
23,000 years or less at periapsis.
Yukteswar claims we were at the
apopsis of our orbit at around 500 AD when the Autumnal Equinox
reached 0°of Libra. The intellectual power of man was so diminished
that we could not comprehend anything beyond the gross material
matter of creation. History seems to bear this out as it was one of
the darkest periods of mankind with the fall of the Western Roman
Empire just a few years earlier and the beginning of what was
eventually termed the "Dark Ages".
The development of dharma, Yukteswar goes on to explain, is gradual
and divided into four different stages or Yugas in an ascending arc
of 12,000 years. The first stage is called Kali Yuga during which
the Sun passes through 1/20th portion of its entire orbit or 1200
years. The human intellect cannot comprehend anything beyond gross
material creation, the external world. The next stage or age is
called Dwapara Yuga which the Sun passes through 2/20th of its orbit
or 2400 years. The human intellect can comprehend the fine matters
or electricities and their attributes which are the creating
principles of the external world. The period of 3600 years which the
Sun passes through 3/20th of its orbit is called Treta Yuga.
Our
intellect can then comprehend the divine magnetism, the source of
all electrical forces on which creation depends for its existence.
The period of 4800 years during which the Sun passes through the
remaining 4/20th orbit is called Satya Yuga. The mental virtue is in
its fourth stage and completes its full development. Human intellect
can comprehend all, even God the Spirit beyond this visible world
and dharma has reached its peak. It now begins to decline in a
descending arc of 12,000 years and mankind gradually loses dharma as
it once again travels through the four Yugas in reverse order.
The following diagram may be helpful:
As you can see from the
above diagram, the Autumnal Equinox entered the ascending Dwapara
Yuga around the year 1700 and so we are currently just 300 years (or
barely 1/8) into this 2400 year Yuga which is scheduled to last
until the year 4100 AD. Obviously the last 300 years has seen a
tremendous advance in our knowledge of the universe. It should also
be pointed out that as you pass from one age to another there is a
transitional period from one to the other that is proportionate to
the length of the age in question. So the Kali Yuga, for instance,
that has a total length of 1200 years, has a transition time of 100
years at its start and end plus the 1000 years sandwiched in between
to make the total 1200 years.
In similar fashion Dwapara Yuga has a
200 year transition + 2000 years + another 200 year transition at
its end and Treta has a similar 300+3000+300 and Satya 400+4000+400.
In this scenario, 1600 AD would mark the beginning of the 100 year
transition out of the last Kali Yuga. Therefore, 1700 AD would begin
the 200 year transition into the Dwapara Yuga and 1900 would be the
start of the actual Dwapara Yuga proper. No one can argue that the
last 100 years of the 20th century has seen an unparalleled advance
in knowledge throughout the world which corresponds to our finally
entering into the Dwapara Age proper in 1900 AD.
Age of
Aquarius
Another point you may notice from the diagram, is that it is the
Autumnal not the Spring or Vernal Equinox which seems to be the true
indicator of mankind’s state of development in the world today. As
you can see, the Autumnal Equinox is falling in the constellation of
Virgo and so the Vernal Equinox would be in its opposite sign of
Pisces. Since western astrologers always give prime importance to
the Vernal Equinox they say we are in the Piscean Age. However, as
demonstrated above, there can be little doubt that it is the
Autumnal Equinox that is of prime importance and that we are really
in the Age of Virgo and will then enter the Age of Leo around 2500
AD. This brings up another widespread misconception in that you are
always hearing about how we are already feeling the vibrations and
effects of the "Aquarian Age". That this is what’s causing the
"enlightenment" of the last few years. Nothing could be further from
the truth. Even if the Vernal Equinox was the prime indicator of
mankind’s development, it will still be about 500 years before it
will reach Aquarius or a good 25% of the entire sign of Pisces is in
fact left. In astrological terms this is about 7.5 degrees (30°per
sign x 0.25=7.5°). Influences between planetary bodies do not even
begin to be felt until they are at least within 5-6 degrees of an
exact angle or conjunction. The closer they come to their exact
angle the more intense the effect. A fuller explanation of orbs of
influence in astrological terms is provided:
All aspects have an allowable tolerance of exactness, called the orb
of the aspect. The orb is the permissible degree to which an aspect
can vary from the exact number of degrees characteristic of that
aspect. Major aspects--that is, conjunctions, sextiles, squares,
trines, and oppositions--are allowed an orb of up to 6° in natal
Astrology.... [the birth chart of an individual]
Major transiting or progressed aspects are allowed a 1° orb, unless
the Sun or the Moon is involved, in which case 2º can be allowed.3
Obviously, in discussing the precession of the equinoctial points
around the zodiac we are not referring to the horoscope of an
individual but of the current movement of our entire solar system.
In other words a transit. Therefore one can assume, at the most, a
1° to 2° orb before the so-called "Aquarian Age" effects would even
begin to be felt. Even assuming a 6° orb we are still much too far
away to even begin to feel any effects from the constellation of
Aquarius.
You may wonder why the Autumnal Equinox and not the Vernal Equinox
is the true indicator of world conditions. In a series of articles
for East-West Magazine called "Astrological World Cycles",
Laurie
Pratt writes that:
...it may be that the 24,000 year equinoctial cycle which we are now
traversing is a female or negative cycle, and therefore the
Autumnal, rather than the Vernal Equinox is of primary importance
during this period, for ancient astrological rules tell us that
Libra 0° (the place of the Autumnal Equinox) is the natural starting
point for a female horoscope, just as Aries 0° is for a male.4
Decline of
Civilization
If Yukteswar’s theory is correct, mankind has had 12,000 years of
declining mental development that reached its nadir in 500 AD. This
would mean in the remote past of history man had reached a peak
around the year 11,500 BC. Of course this is wholly at variance with
the current theories of science and archeology. However all theories
should be subject to continual testing to see if they are valid.
What exactly do we know about our remote past? Very little it would
seem if you read about it. Much is unknown and there seems to be a
lot of speculation. "Unknown" and "speculation" is not hard
scientific fact. Yet often the theories that are formulated from the
available evidence is all we have, so that many times they are
assumed to be fact when in reality they are at best, an educated
guess.
Egypt
In re-examining the diagram above we can see that the last
descending Dwapara Yuga started around the year 3100 BC. This
corresponds with the beginning of the Dynastic period in Egypt. But
how did this civilization in Egypt start? What happened before 3100
BC? No one seems to know. As John Anthony West wrote in his book,
Serpent in the Sky:
...every aspect of
Egyptian knowledge seems to have been complete at the very
beginning. The sciences, artistic and architectural techniques
and the hieroglyphic system show virtually no sign of a period
of ’development’; indeed, many of the achievements of the
earliest dynasties were never surpassed, or even equaled later
on. This astonishing fact is readily admitted by orthodox
Egyptologists, but the magnitude of the mystery it poses is
skillfully understated, while its many implications go
unmentioned.
How does a complex
civilization spring full-blown into being?....The answer to the
mystery is of course obvious, but because it is repellant to the
cast of modern thinking, it is seldom seriously considered. Egyptian
civilization was not a ’development’, it was a legacy.5
If it was a legacy from an earlier advanced civilization then this
would tend to substantiate the diagram above. But a legacy from how
long ago? Dr. Robert M. Schoch has now provided for the first time
some hard scientific evidence that gives some support to a much
earlier date for the start of the Egyptian civilization.
Dating the
Sphinx
West noted that R.A. Schwaller wrote in his book
Sacred Science,
that the weathering patterns observed on the Great Sphinx were due
to water, not wind and sand. West was stunned when he read this
assertion as he had always assumed (along with most everyone else)
that the wind had caused the weathering features seen on the Sphinx.
Not being a scientist himself, he naturally wanted a professional
opinion from a geologist. When explaining his predicament to a
friend at Boston University it aroused the interest of a geologist
colleague, Dr. Robert M. Schoch. Schoch was a stratigrapher and
paleontologist, and thus an expert in the weathering of soft rock.
As West explains,
....though my
photographs [of the Sphinx] looked to his practiced eyes like
typical water weathering, he was still deeply skeptical, mainly
because it looked too obvious. Schoch found it difficult to
believe that in two hundred years of studying, excavating and
restoring the Giza Plateau, no one prior to Schwaller had
noticed that the weathering on the Sphinx was water weathering,
and no one prior to me [West] had noticed that this was peculiar
to the Sphinx (and its immediate associated structures). His
initial conviction was that, as an amateur, I must have
overlooked some crucial piece of evidence that would allow the
accepted dating and attribution to stand.6
As it turns out,
Schwaller was right and his observation did "hold water". The error
West made was assuming that the water erosion was due to the Nile
flooding in pre-historic times. According to Schoch, however, the
weathering was precipitation based; in other words rainfall. The
Sphinx, of course, is located in the Sahara Desert. The implications
of this fact is staggering. It means that the Sphinx and the
adjacent Sphinx Temple (which shows the same weathering to the
exclusion of all other structures in Egypt) were built at a time
when it rained for thousands of years in that area. As Schoch
explains:
This line of thinking dates the original excavation of the Sphinx to
somewhere on the order of 7000 to 5000BC, a figure that fits with
the climactic history revealed in the rain erosion patterns. As
earthshaking a calculation as this has proved to be to conventional
Egyptology, it is in fact a conservative estimate that represents
only a minimum age.7
The water-weathering pattern on the Sphinx makes sense only if the
structure had been carved at a time when the Egyptian climate was
much wetter than it is today. This indeed was the case at the end of
the last Ice Age, circa 12,000 years ago8....
This would be the first corroborating piece of scientific evidence
that could possibly show an alternate scenario for mankind’s
development as opposed to the currently accepted theories. In this
regard, Schoch notes that:
The tidy scenario of a civilization that began in Sumeria in 3500BC
and flowered in Old Kingdom Egypt of the Fourth Dynasty runs aground
at Giza.9
The debate over Schoch’s conclusions rages on within the Egyptology
community. Another source of great debate and speculation is also
located on the Giza plateau, the Great Pyramid.
References
1 The
"First Point of Aries" is the point where the Ecliptic and
the Celestial Equator cross one another. It defines the
zero-point for Right Ascension. When the Sun reaches this
point every year we have the Vernal or Spring Equinox
(around March 21st). The Autumnal Equinox occurs around
September 22nd every year.
2 The
ancient Hindu rishis claimed that a new "Day of Creation" is
ushered in when all the planets, which belong to any given
solar system, are placed in the same zodiacal degree. The
fixed star that marked this degree would serve, throughout
the entire life of the solar system, as the starting point
or first degree of Aries of a fixed zodiac. The star Revati
(Zeta Piscium) is considered by the Hindus to mark 0° Aries
in the heavens for our solar system. The scientific
knowledge of the rishis was very great; in the Kaushitaki
Brahmana we find precise astronomical passages which show
that in 3100 B.C. the Hindus were far advanced in astronomy,
which had a practical value in determining the auspicious
times for astrological ceremonies. In an article in
East-West, February, 1934, the following summary is given of
the Jyotish or body of Vedic astronomical treatises:
"It contains
the scientific lore which kept India at the forefront of
all ancient nations and made her the mecca of seekers
after knowledge. The very ancient Brahmagupta, one of
the Jyotish works, is an astronomical treatise dealing
with such matters as the heliocentric motion of the
planetary bodies in our solar system, the obliquity of
the ecliptic, the earth’s spherical form, the reflected
light of the moon, the earth’s daily axial revolution,
the presence of fixed stars in the Milky Way, the law of
gravitation, and other scientific facts which did not
dawn in the Western world until the time of Copernicus
and Newton."
It is now
well-known that the so-called "Arabic numerals," without
whose symbols advanced mathematics is difficult, came to
Europe in the 9th century, via the Arabs, from India, where
that system of notation had been anciently formulated.
Further light on India’s vast scientific heritage will be
found in Dr. P. C. Ray’s History of Hindu Chemistry, and in
Dr. B. N. Seal’s Positive Sciences of the Ancient Hindus.
3 Frances
Sakoian and Louis S. Acker, Predictive Astrology:
Understanding Transits as the Key to the Future
(New York, New York: Harper and Row, 1977) p. 81-83.
