Join Greg Carlwood of The Higherside Chats as he talks about the advanced knowledge of the Dogon Tribe of Africa, the work of Immanuel Velikovsky, and comparative cosmology with guest, Laird Scranton.
We’ve seen enough from mainstream academia to know their interest lies not in the pursuit of knowledge wherever it leads, but rather in the preservation of pre-approved paradigms with a variety of so-called experts in place to thoroughly shut down any wild theories, healthy speculation, or god forbid actual evidence that suggests these narrow views must be widened. Whether we’re discussing the advanced cosmology of an African tribe that rivals modern science, or complex mythologies from the past about our solar system that defy everything NASA says it knows, we find, through the grace of alternative researchers, that the official answers are deeply and purposefully flawed.
4:30 Made popular by the work of Robert Temple and Carl Sagan, the Dogon Tribe of Africa is a modern-day primitive tribe that acts as a great entry point to the study of ancient African cultures and ancient creation mysteries. With ritual practices similar to Judaism, cultural civic practices like those in ancient Egypt, and a symbolic system of cosmology similar to ancient Buddhism, their culture serves as an umbrella, or a cross-roads for several different ancient traditions.
14:20 As an English major and a software engineer, Laird’s linguistic and symbolic perspectives were critical tools in helping him unravel the Dogon systems. As a researcher in the field of comparative cosmology, his focus is comparing how different ancient cultures understand the same symbolic concept or myth. One advantage in the way the Dogon system has been established, is that words don’t carry just one meaning, instead they carry multiple meanings. In the ancient mindset, when talking about processes of creation, they are essentially talking about three things simultaneously, which are how the universe formed, how matter forms, and how the reproduction process works. These three processes are seen to be so fundamentally similar to each other that they use a single progression of symbols to simultaneously describe all three.
22:30 Continuing on with the discussion about the change in the length of the calendar year, Greg and Laird discuss the possibility of a more sinister plot afoot. Laird contends there was a physical change on Earth that effected the length of the year around that time. He corroborates his stance with supporting evidence including the tracking of solar eclipses dating back to 709 b.c. that conflict with credible sources citing cosmic events with contradicting dates. Other interesting pieces of evidence to support the theory that a major event on Earth occurred are the sudden unexplained change at the rate in which plants absorb ions, major dramatic climate change the affected agriculture, and evidence of major volcanic eruptions.
32:30 Because of the huge gap in knowledge from when events occurred and when they were recorded, finding a line of continuity can be a bit tricky. As Laird points out, in his book “Point of Origin” the use of various facets of language, and symbols found throughout other ancient cultures played a key role in his research of the ancient Turkish site Gobekli Tepe.
41:45 Imparting relevant knowledge to the Dogon tribe about agriculture and the structure of reality is understandably justified. Greg and Laird peel back the onion of outer space and explore the incentive to educate the Dogon on the Sirius constellations. A parallelism between the three symbolic processes of creation includes the egg. Following this idea, Laird walk us through the macro and microcosm vortices that correlate to one another and serve as the Dogon’s explanation for the creation of the universe.
56:10 After expressing such an interest in cosmologies and the mindset of ancient cultures, Greg and Laird discuss the possibility of going down the path of personal exploration using entheogens and ritual practices. As Laird explains, there are Kabbalist references that categorize different types of connections people seem to have to this esoteric information and how they get it. With these means of connection ranging from epileptic seizures to the use of psychotropic drugs, Laird explains he finds himself in the category of the pure mystic, or person who through the course of daily life becomes enlightened on cosmological and mythical truths of the universe.
1:10:00 Segueing into the work of Velikovsky, Greg and Laird discuss the impact Sagan has had in misleading the public perception of Velikovsky’s work. During the late 1960s early 1970s, Sagan took the lead in the campaign to discredit Velikovsky. Interestingly enough, the scientists and astronomers of today who have been studying exosolar systems have formulated their own ideas on what the typical progression of development is for a solar system. This perspective is eerily similar to what Velikovsky theorized with Venus.
1:22:20 With the new concept of the “birth” of Venus, a reworking of our understanding of how planets operate and form in space becomes more evident than ever. The theory of evolution is most at risk under this new paradigm. The theory of evolution requires long periods of uninterrupted stability, therefore theories suggesting upheaval within the solar system, including those of Velikovsky, are a threat to Darwinism.
1:32:42 As mentioned earlier, the theories of Velikosky throw a wrench into the current understanding of evolution. Listen as Greg and Laird discuss what could be considered a truer model, such aspanspermia or the ancient aliens theory.
1:44:00 After researching the Egyptian culture, the Dogon, and Buddhism, Greg and Laird discuss the similarities found throughout these cultures that is also represented in the Native American culture. One of the clearest examples can be seen in the grand symbol of this tradition, the aligned shrine.
Want more Laird Scranton? Check out his website, his publisher Inner Traditions, and books such as “Point of Origin”, “Sacred Symbols of the Dogon”, or “The Cosmological Origins of Myth and Symbol”. You can also find Laird on Facebook.
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