posted February 14, 2003 11:49 PM         

Now, what areas of Linda Lore were you thinking of specifically?

PS- I'm 15 too.

posted February 16, 2003 06:13 AM         

I'm Taurus, Cancer rising with lots of Gemini everywhere! I'm a bit of a cocktail....

posted February 17, 2003 04:17 AM         

I hate to tell you this, but the Chaldeans were not Georgian! The Chaldeans were a Semetic group, related to the Babylonians, Hebrews, Arabs, etc. The Georgians belong to the South Caucasus (some call it "Kartvelian") ethnolinguistic family, or a greater Caucasus family, depending on what linguist you ask. In your mom's defense, however, the region of her beloved Sakartvelo has a plethora of nationalities, one of which may live in Georgia and sound like "Chaldean", although there isn't one that immediately pops into my head.

That's cool that you're from Russia. I have been studying Russian since my freshman year of high school. I recently heard of a Russian restaurant that opened near where I live, so I'll go visit so I can practice my Russian.

posted February 18, 2003 04:06 AM         

Ika, don't feel bad about the driver's test. I don't believe there is a correlation between competency in driving and passing the test, anyway. I know people that have failed and drive just fine, and I know people that have passed the first time and drive like crap. This just means you will appreciate it all the more once you get it, right?

About the Essenes..... In order to understand who they are, you have to know some about Hebrew history. I'll try to be brief! In the ancient Mediterranean, as in much of the world, religions had an elite, esoteric priesthood that was separate from the common worship of the people. They guarded a series of mystical secrets to keep them from being politicized or corrupted, but in fact the priesthood itself, often becoming very wealthy and powerful, politicized and corrupted it themselves. Then there were the mystery schools, which existed within and without the mainstream religions, but that is another story.

The Hebrew religion has much of its roots in the Egyptian mystical tradition, brought to his people in a purified, uncorrupted form by Moses, who was an Egyptian priest. Many scholars believe that Sirius, the most sacred star in the night sky to the Egyptians, was the prototype for the Star of David. The Hebrews had no distinct, secret priesthood (although when Solomon built the Temple of Jerusalem, only selected priests and Solomon himself were allowed in the Holy of Holies, where the Ark of the Covenant was kept). Instead, mystical sects developed. The Essenes were the most prominent of these; in fact, by the time of Jesus, they were second in number only to the followers of the mainstream Judaic priesthood, which by this time had factionalized into the Sadducees and the Pharisees. As happens in every religion, the Sadducee and Pharisee priests had also lapsed into political abuse and corruption.

The Essenes believed in a purer form of the teachings brought by Moses, whom they held in very high regard. They held that all people were the beloved children of God, opposed animal sacrifice and were vegetarian, condemned slavery, believed in equality despite class or background (although they were patriarchal), and were well known for their daily ceremonial purifications. There is every indication that Jesus resided with them, and quite probably also his cousin John the Baptist. There are pronounced Essenic influences in the development of early Christianity, which itself started as a mystical sect of Judaism.

Since the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered in former dwellings of Essenes, much more has been written about them, and some of it should bear some scrutiny. Some have interpreted literally some of their allegory and trivialized their cosmology, while others have made sensationalistic and erroneous claims.

posted February 19, 2003 06:12 AM         

Linda recommended The Essene Gospel of Peace (translated and put together by Edmond Bordeaux Szekely) and The Essene Christ (by Upton C. Ewing) in the back of Star Signs. I haven't read them yet, but they're on my booklist.

As for some of the Egyptian origins and the Jews, it depends on whom you ask. Jewish scholars have been writing about it for centuries, but others have worked at a denial of this- the Egyptians are understandably viewed negatively by some Jews since they were slaves there. It is pointed out that the evil was in the Egyptian autocracy and aristocracy, however.

I had a friend that was Jewish who wore an ankh around her neck. Her mom asked her to remove it-- it made her feel uncomfortable because of the slavery association. Another Jewish parent at the synagogue thought that was ridiculous.