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ECCENTRIC
LIVES AND
PeCULIaR
NOTIONS
©1996 Dr. Colette M. Dowell
Eccentric
Lives and Peculiar Notions is
the title of one of my most favorite books authored by John Michell.
I felt this to be a good title for this unusual paper written by me,
Dr. Colette M. Dowell ©1996 I have
added some modern links for more information. CMD
John Michell
in his own right is a most
remarkable human. His fortean sense of perception and his keen intelligence is
appreciated by many who have had the favor of knowing him personally or reading
his books.
Figure 1.
Skull of Mayan child laborer. Photograph:
Colette M. Dowell
Courtesy: National Museum of Anthropology, Merida, Yucatan
One late night in my small caravan in Southern
England, John and I had some seriously weird conversations about odd events and
extraordinary concepts. We chatted on absurdities and laughed about peculiar
notions people held in reverie which led them to execute the most bizarre
behavior. It was then that I first learned about his book, “Eccentric
Lives and Peculiar Notions.”
While we ‘surfed’ the cosmic realm department, John
told of a
couple who had literally drilled
holes (by means of an electric drill while tripping on LSD) in theirs heads and
removed part of their skull bone in hopes of achieving greater blood flow volume
to the brain. This far-out procedure is known as
trepanation and is held sacred by many indigenous peoples by
their noble priests in search of attaining greater spiritual and cosmic
knowingness. The belief behind this self mutilation is basically; the greater
the volume of flow of blood in the brain, the vaster the cosmic knowledge.
Spiritual satisfaction — I guess.
In John’s book he writes of a fellow
Dr. Bart Huges, and relates Mr. Huges view on this matter. “One’s state and degree of consciousness, he
realized, are related to the volume of blood in the brain. According to his
theory of evolution, [Huges] the adoption of an upright stance brought certain
benefits to the human race, but it caused the flow of blood through the head to
be limited by gravity, thus reducing the range of human consciousness. Certain
parts of the brain ceased or reduced their functions while others, particularly
those parts relating to speech and reasoning, became emphasized in compensation.”
Figure 2.
Wooden cradle compressing and squeezing the
skull
of a Maya youth during the soft bone period of development
creating a ‘cone head’ upper class individual.
Photograph: Colette M. Dowell.
Courtesy: National Museum of Anthropology, Merida, Yucatan.
That is all well and fine I suppose, I really don’t
know how removing a piece of your skull to increase blood flow volume really
works. I also don’t know how transforming your skull might or might not be
beneficial to your ‘consciousness. The Japanese
bind the females feet and mutilate
them for ‘beauty’, various tribes in Africa place rings and plates in their lips
and bodies for specific tribal purposes and some folk will do just about
anything to their body in hopes of making a statement or coming to terms with
their ‘GOD.’ So hey, who really knows what kind of spiritual connection is
behind these extreme endeavors? Who can really judge? And with that last
statement I will bring in the Maya and their bodily malformations.
When I first entered the National Museum of
Anthropology in Merida, Yucatan, I was entranced by the spectacular ancient
bones and corpses which laid throughout the museum floor and architecturally
correct wall exhibits. Heads of priestly Maya individuals were inlaid with
turquoise and their teeth studded with semi-precious gemstones. There were
illustrations of Maya women depicting their eyes crossed (in
the name of beauty). The subtitles described how Maya children’s
faces were fashioned with tooled head-dresses placed directly in their field of
vision, affecting over a period of time the small muscles and ligaments of the
eyes; producing crossed eyes. However, the exhibits of distorted ancient Maya
skulls were with out a doubt, the most impressive to me.
When I first viewed the skulls I thought “ah-ha,
these guys were ‘aliens’!” There was no way in my mind that these Maya skulls
were in any way a representation of the ‘human’ race. I was wrong. Upon
furthering my interest in the skulls, I noticed an illustration of a Maya woman
holding a Maya youth strapped into a wooden cradle whereby two planks of wood
were compressing and squeezing the child’s head. After a period of time during
the soft bone period of development of the child, the skull would be forever
elongated and the now ‘cone head’ individual would be recognized as a member of
the noble ‘upper class’ society of the Maya. See figure 2. & 4.
The laboring class of Maya had their own
distinctive look. They strapped their developing youth’s heads into wooden
frames creating ovoid basketball type skulls eerily suggestive of our modern day
Jack-O-Lantern. See figure 1. & 3.
Figure 3.
Wooden vices strapped on
Mayan child laborer. Photograph: Colette M. Dowell.
Courtesy: National Museum of Anthropology, Merida, Yucatan.
Perhaps there were very specific
reasons for the different shaped skulls besides just ‘categorizing’ an
individual. I thought of trepanation and Dr. Bart Huges theory of greater blood
flow volume to the brain for achieving greater cosmic knowledge. Could some how
the various shapes of the skull affect the blood flow and the particular
functions of the brain in different ways? Did the Maya theorize this as well?
Could the noble ‘cone-heads’ of the ‘upper class’ obtain greater cosmic
awareness while manipulating and maintaining a laboring class of ‘basketball’
heads to serve them and build their palatial temples?
Figure 4.
Ancient Maya ‘ upper class’
adult skull.
Photograph: Colette M. Dowell
Courtesy: National Museum of Anthropology, Merida, Yucatan.
The Maya are known for their
Serpent Gods which wore very
elaborate, elongated head-dresses and the upper class Maya wanted very much to
fashion their own skulls as such. Why did their Gods where such tall elaborate
hats? Did they need to because their
skulls were elongated? (the
Egyptian Gods also have elongated head-dresses;
is there a common link between Ancient Gods?
Were the Gods the same species or something?) Of course whatever reasons the
Maya had for mal-forming their skulls seem somewhat peculiar to me and to most
modern day cultures. But in a sense, how can modern day societies judge what may
or may not be appropriate for another ancient civilization? What some ‘modern’
humans do to their bodies today (tattooing, piercing, shaving, ratting, dyeing
and transplanting hair, wearing makeup, lipo-suction, plastic surgery, breast
implants, rib removal, trepanation, etc.), could possibly be held by some
‘ancients’ as being totally absurd. Do the people who transform their bodies in
these ways have a spiritual, cosmic motive, or do they do it for beauty? There
are many reasons behind such acts and they are all probably very personal. C.M.D.
An International Networking Educational Institute
Intellectual, Scientific and Philosophical Studies
Copyright © 1995, 2006
* * *
Please see John Michell's CONFESSIONS OF A RADICAL
TRADITIONALIST
CIRCULAR TIMES
The
Official Website of Dr. Robert M. Schoch and Dr. Colette M. Dowell
An International Networking Educational Institute
Intellectual, Scientific and Philosophical Studies
Copyright © 1995, 2006
R.
SCHOCH'S HOME-PAGE
www.robertschoch.net
Copyright © 2003, 2006
Dr. Robert M. Schoch & Dr.
Colette M. Dowell
Angela
Praxter - Professional Assistant
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Eccentric
Lives and Peculiar Notions
by John Michell |
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Book Description
The passionately misguided individuals profiled in this
entertaining book form an unforgettable portrait of human imagination
run wild.
Never has so much energy been poured into such oddly misbegotten
ideas, inventions, enterprises and movements. The 22 individuals and
groups described here with wit and understanding represent the widest
range of true eccentricity. Lady Blount believes that the earth is
flat; Cyrus Teed, that it is a hollow shell with us on the inside;
Baron de Guldenstubbe that statues write him letters. Nesta Webster
devotes her life to exposing international conspiracies; John Carden
to pestering one young lady. Geoffrey Pyke invents a giant battleship
made of ice; and Amanda Feilding and Joey Mellen live in peace and
prosperity after drilling holes in their heads. The peculiarities of
their beliefs are surpassed only by the boundless enthusiasm with
which they defend them, and their stories are all here, told in John
Michell's lively prose and accompanied by historic photographs and
drawings.
About the Author
John Michell was a Russian interpreter and Chartered
Surveyor before publishing his first book, The Flying Saucer Vision,
in 1967. This and its successor, The View Over Atlantis (1969), helped
to change the attitudes of a whole generation to the culture, wisdom
and science of ancient societies. His other books include The Earth
Spirit, A Little History of Astro Archaeology, Simulacra,
Megalithomania, The New View Over Atlantis, and, with Robert Rickard,
Phenomena and Living Wonders. He lives in London.
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Search
for Ancient Wisdom (Hybrid)
by Cmcbx 050, Publishing Cambrix
CD-ROM |
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Description
A multimedia journal that chronicles a startling 5-year investigation of
ancient events, places, peoples and philosophies. Discover that many modern
scientific, technological and medical mysteries have already been solved by
archaic societies. Probe through ruins to uncover bizarre historical events,
human remains and amazing objects. Videos from every corner of the globe and
hundreds of color photos help you explore some of the world's most fascinating
secrets.
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The
Mystery of the Crystal Skulls: A Real Life Detective Story
of the Ancient World
by Chris Morton, Ceri Louise Thomas |
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An old Native American legend tells of thirteen
life-size crystal skulls, which are said to hold crucial
information about humankind's true purpose and future
destiny. The skulls would be discovered and their secrets
revealed when the human race was sufficiently developed. The
authors hear of this legend while in the jungles of Belize
and set out on a quest to discover its truth.
"The Mystery of the Crystal Skulls" follows their
journey from Maya temples to the British Museum, the
Smithsonian, and to the crystal laboratories of
Hewlett-Packard, where tests lead one scientist to conclude,
"This {crystal} skull should not even
exist."
In the end, shamans and native elders reveal the sacred
knowledge the skulls contain and answer the questions this
enduring mystery raises:
Are the skulls artifacts from the lost civilization of
Atlantis, or are they extraterrestrial in origin?
Made from piezo-electric quartz crystal, used in today's
computers, are the skulls information storage devices?
Do they really posses telepathic qualities, allowing us to
see deep into the past and predict the future?
What is the message they bring about future earth changes
and the destiny of humanity?
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The
Mystery of the Crystal Skulls
by Chris Morton, Ceri Louise Thomas
Chris Morton and Ceri Thomas have journeyed all
over the world meeting people who could tell them about the
crystal skulls, including the indigenous peoples, psychics,
archaeologists and scientists. This text reveals their
acquired knowledge from the travels. |
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Book Description
The crystal skulls are a mystery as profound as the Pyramids
of Egypt, the Nazca Lines of Peru, or Stonehenge. Many
indigenous people speak of their remarkable magical and
healing properties, but nobody really knows where they came
from or what they were used for. Were they left behind after
the destruction of a previous world, such as Atlantis? Are
they simply ingenious modern fakes or can they really enable
us to see deeply into the past and predict the future?
Searching for the answers takes the authors on a fantastic
odyssey through both the physical and the spiritual world.
After hearing stories of an old native American legend that
describes the existence of thirteen ancient crystal skulls,
that are said to speak or sing and hold important
information about the origins, purpose and destiny of
mankind. The authors set out on their own quest to find the
truth about the skulls. They encounter psychics, UFO
hunters, shamans, mystics and medicine men on a journey of
discovery that takes them from the British Museum in London
to the deserts of the United States, from the science labs
of Hewlett Packard to the cold snows of Canada and the
tropical jungles of Mexico, Guatemala and Belize. At sacred
gatherings of native elders they learn of ancient wisdom
kept secret for hundreds, if not thousands, of years. They
hear of startling prophecies concerning events that will
happen on this Earth in the immediate future, prophecies
that question the very survival of the human species on this
small island we call home. This is the story of their
remarkable discoveries. |
The Starchild Project
Deformed Mystery Skulls
Crystal Skulls
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The
Mysterious Crystal Skulls, an article by Joshua Shapiro
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Society
of Crystal Skulls, International
Founded in New York in 1945 by Mr. F. R. 'Nick' Nocerino,
the Society of Crystal Skulls, International is an organization
devoted to research and education in the specific area of
crystal skulls. Crystal Skull Venders ARE included within.
www.crystalskullsociety.org
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The
Mysterious Crystal Skulls
Explore the crystal skull with Joshua Shapiro. Products and
services on this myserious skull available, and more.
www.v-j-enterprises.com/cs.html
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Amethyst
Crystal Skull
The Amethyst Skull This skull is carved from dark purple
amethyst. It has temporal indentations on each side of the
elongated brain case. The nose and teeth are almost identical to
the Mayan. It weighs approximately 8 pounds. www.crystalskullsociety.org/amethyst.htm
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Crystal
Skulls: Skeletons of a Mysterious Past
Crystals have been regarded as magical talismans since the
Middle Ages, and are today the sine qua non of the New Age
movement. Skulls, meanwhile, are humanity's foremost symbol of
death, and a powerful icon in the visual vocabularies of
cultures all over the globe. Parascope
www.parascope.com/articles/0197/skull_in.htm
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Morgana's
Observatory: Crystal Skulls
Information and links concerning these enigmatic artifacts.
www.dreamscape.com/morgana/nereid2.htm
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