BS: In The Beginning

Subject: BS: In The Beginning
From: GUEST,Soma
Date: 07 Jan 03 - 11:44 AM

In the beginning was the flesh
And the flesh was with God
And the flesh was God
And the flesh became word
And things went a bit Pear shaped after that.

Subject: RE: BS: In The Beginning
From: *daylia*
Date: 07 Jan 03 - 11:52 AM

Here's what the Native peoples of North America had to say about the European conception of 'God' ...

"In the beginning there was the Word.
And it was misunderstood".

- from Jamie Sam's 'Sacred Path Cards'

Subject: RE: BS: In The Beginning
From: Micca
Date: 07 Jan 03 - 12:18 PM

In the beginnig was the word ...and the word was



Aardvark!!!!

Subject: RE: BS: In The Beginning
From: GUEST
Date: 07 Jan 03 - 12:48 PM

I think you mishead, Micca. Many do.

The word was Allah.

Subject: RE: BS: In The Beginning
From: Cluin
Date: 07 Jan 03 - 12:53 PM

Guest, get a new dictionary. Somebody ripped the first 15 or so pages out of yours.

Subject: RE: BS: In The Beginning
From: GUEST
Date: 07 Jan 03 - 12:59 PM

I don't believe so

Subject: RE: BS: In The Beginning
From: Cluin
Date: 07 Jan 03 - 01:00 PM

Unbeliever!

Subject: RE: BS: In The Beginning
From: TIA
Date: 07 Jan 03 - 01:39 PM

I love the book entitled "In The Beginning" ...creation stories from around the world. It's amazing how there are nearly identical seemingly trivial elements in stories from cultures that have no record of contact for tens of thousands of years. Proof to me that all creation stories come from one story told by the distant ancestors of all of us. Wish I could remember the author/compiler.

Subject: RE: BS: In The Beginning
From: Cluin
Date: 07 Jan 03 - 02:26 PM

In the beginning...

Subject: RE: BS: In The Beginning
From: GUEST
Date: 07 Jan 03 - 04:39 PM

There is no such thing as a monolithic, all encompassing philosophical/religious/spiritual "native belief" system in North America, and you sure won't find any legitimate information about native peoples' religious beliefs in a set of new age tarot cards.

Subject: RE: BS: In The Beginning
From: Art Thieme
Date: 07 Jan 03 - 05:09 PM

All wrong.

It was a baseball book. First words were, "In the big inning."

Art Thieme

Subject: RE: BS: In The Beginning
From: Liz the Squeak
Date: 07 Jan 03 - 05:36 PM

But did you notice that every culture has had a "mythical" flying beast with scales, horns, feathers, wings, and all bearing a remarkable resemblance to each other...

In the beginning there were dragons!

LTS - by Chinese horoscope and inclination... a dragon.

Subject: RE: BS: In The Beginning
From: GUEST,Q
Date: 07 Jan 03 - 06:29 PM

Never found any dragons in southwestern Indian mythology. Eagle was important, and in some stories other animals might have wings for a while, but they generally came to grief.
No uniformity among beliefs, except among those contaminated by the Christian religion and a modern tendency to "homogenize" among the Plains groups.
Of course there will always be some beliefs that coincide from one religion to another. Some are exceedingly complex (the bibliography on Navajo culture, their view of the universe, ran to 326 pages in 1980).
Simplifying, in Navajo creation, in the first stage only water exists. In the next stage, there are five sacred spirits above the water. These lend themselves to creation. Stage 3, the earth came into being. Stage 4, the earth gave birth. Stage 5, At the bottom of the world, "things happen." Stage 6, the separation of the sexes. Stage 7, the flood. Like the Christian belief, this is likely based on a flood in the region whee they lived at one time. Stage 8, emergence, and stage 9, placing of the creation. Navajo creation consisted of two parts; the creation proper, and Things created for the benefit of the Navajo. Only medicine men are familiar with the details of creation; not the layman. There is a great variey of ceremonies, not the same from one area to another. See "A Taxonomic View of the Traditional Navajo Universe," Werner, Manning and Begishe, in Handbook of North American Indians, vol. 10, The Southwest, 1983, The Smithsonian.
The Zuni have quite a different view, some aspects are reminiscent of one set of Japanese beliefs.

Subject: RE: BS: In The Beginning
From: mack/misophist
Date: 07 Jan 03 - 07:01 PM

A very well educated preacher once told me that the best possible translation of those words was: "When he got around to it."

Subject: RE: BS: In The Beginning
From: Amos
Date: 07 Jan 03 - 07:05 PM

I don't know about the Aramaic, but the Greek implies that the act of Creation was a big Know, rather than some other kind of act. This really has telling metaphysical implications, on which Little Hawk will be happy to elucidate! :>)

A

Subject: RE: BS: In The Beginning
From: kendall
Date: 07 Jan 03 - 07:46 PM

Amos, talk about "passing the book"

Subject: RE: BS: In The Beginning
From: GUEST
Date: 07 Jan 03 - 07:53 PM

The previous end.

Subject: RE: BS: In The Beginning
From: Amos
Date: 07 Jan 03 - 08:42 PM

LOL, Kendall!! May I never have to say, "The book stops here!". :>)


A

Subject: RE: BS: In The Beginning
From: GUEST
Date: 07 Jan 03 - 11:04 PM

In the beginning, and until about 500 years ago the Native peoples of North America had no cards of any kind. Tarot cards are of European origin, and the traditional versions are based on the Hebrew Qabala. The standard playing cards of today are offshoots of the Tarot, to the best of my knowledge. Jamie Sam's Sacred Path Cards are a compilation of Native teachings from several First Nations, not a Tarot deck.

In the beginning, there was the Word. And it's still misunderstood!

daylia

Subject: RE: BS: In The Beginning
From: GUEST,Soma
Date: 08 Jan 03 - 12:00 PM

At the start the Flesh loved the Word
And the Word loved the Flesh
Together they danced beneath the stars
Under the bowl of the sky.
Flesh revelling in the songs and stories
Of the word.
And Word revelled in the sweetness of Melons
And the joy coupling

But the word grew arrogant
And presumptuous
And turned it's back on the flesh
And spent to long in it's own company
Inventing realms where the Word could go
But the Flesh could not follow

Time past

The Word grew more arrogant
Thinking itself Immortal
And began to despise the flesh
Sacrificing the Flesh for the Words
Glory
And to prove its hegemony

And All was dispute and War

Subject: RE: BS: In The Beginning
From: GUEST,Sunbeam
Date: 08 Jan 03 - 12:04 PM

Soma that's beautiful and full of insight!   Thank you!!

Sunbeam