#when day and night are equal over all of planet Earth. Many cultures celebrate a change of season at an equinox. https://ift.tt/EVqy9RG Wi | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

revolution-must-happen · 4 years

Text

Holi: The cruel darkness behind the festival of colors?

“Holi Festival” Why do we celebrate? Whose success is the Holi festival a symbol of?

Background:

*Gurukulam: Traditional School

*Mulnivasi: the farmers, artisans and locals settled in Indian subcontinent before 5000BC during Indus-valley-civilization (IVC), until the invasion of Aryans happened(2500BC-1700BC), who were completely erased off their culture. Today they form about 80% of Indian Population. Scheduled classes(22%) Scheduled Tribes(7%) Backward Classes(52%), together they are also referred to as Bahujans.

**Brahmans: They performed priestly acts, and count about 2% of Indian population. They performed rituals of sacrifice and induced belief and fear in people, making them controllers of God. Vedas were their holy scriptures, where they wrote: “adhyapanam, adhyayanam cha yejanam, yaajanam, thatha daanam prathigrahachaivaha, brahmana nama kalpayeth” “Learning and Teaching are sole-rights of Brahmans exclusively. To offer prayers to God, to Seek prayers from God, to give or take Offerings/Donations are all exclusively reserved for them.” “Samastha lokam Daivadeenaam, Daivadeenamtu Mantraadeenam, Tan Mantram Brahmanadeenam, Brahmano mama Daivatah” “The whole universe is under the control of God, God is under the control of Mantras, These Mantras are under the control of Brahmans, hence, Brahmans are ultimate Gods.” They created fear in people about their well-being, and suggest to perform a ritual, which costs them anything from a Chicken, to a lamb to a Cow.. up-to their own Wife or Daughter.. They convince the Mulnivasis “No pain - No gain” and the poor man is left with “Pain” while the Priest is left with “Gain”. So they used to earn their living, not by hard-work, but by squeezing the sweat out of the Mulnivasis. They graded people into different classes or Varnas, 20% (Priestly, Warrior, Businessmen) and Laborers (80%). Four things to be noted here: 1. Ritual Sacrifices of Animals, Livestock, Grain, fruits of Labor, etc. 2. Women sacrifices, they abused their power to sexually exploit Women. 3. Alcohol was highly praised, and it is glorified throughout Vedas 4. Lies and Theft. (Astrology, Rituals from Birth to Death thereby forcefully squeezing benefits in the name of Offerings) Even the history of Buddha was distorted by the Brahmans, but the main reason Buddha came to existence is due to the injustice happening to common man in terms of exploitation. He was the first revolutionary in the world, who reformed the society spiritually, communally, socially, with equality and fraternity on the basis of the following core principles: Do not Lie, Do not Steal, Do not kill Animals, Do not allow prostitution. Buddha since childhood was against injustice and wanted equality, by the time of Buddha, the Indus Valley Civilization which was matriarchal and based on humanity, was completely destroyed and became Male-dominated society of the Aryans. Due to Buddhism(600BC), the Brahmanism was completely wiped out till south-east Asia. But their minds did not change, and poisoned Buddha at the age of 85 to kill him. Slowly they regained their power, and destroyed all the Buddhist Monasteries (Aramas) and established Vedic religion until 300BC. Then came the “King Ashoka the Great” who established Buddhism big-time and spread it much further. This was the only “Golden Era of India” during which the GDP of his dynasty was about 1/3rd of the whole world. Until his 10th grandson “Brihadratha” who was killed by his own Brahman-General(Pushya Mitra Shunga) by deceit. Again the Brahmanism regained its glory with Shungas. The Monasteries meant for gaining knowledge and donations for the well-being of the society, was occupied by Brahmans, who made reforms at a very slow rate. These were slowly converted to Temples and centers of belief, fear, exploitation, and idol worship. Between 200BC and 200AD was the Constitution of Brahmanism created by “Manu” which is called “Manusmriti”. This document divided people into 4 Varnas, and created a rigid form of hierarchical-discriminatory society, where intermixing of Blood was banned ever-since, even until today for over 2000 years.

***Vishnu: This guy has taken every possible Avatar. Rama, Krishna, Vemana, Hari,.. and so on. By this you must understand, how important this guy is, that’s why he sits in the Richest temple of the World “Tirumala-Tirupati”. Not only that, they got to the extent of including Buddha as an Avatar of Vishnu. Why? They decorated a Buddha statue with ornaments and lady Goddesses beside him, then obviously to cover up, they need to create stories, right? So Buddha according to them, took the 10th avatar of Vishnu. They owned Buddha here. They owned the Buddhist non-violent way of life. They gave up Beef eating. They became Vegetarians.

But Buddha out-rightly rejected afterlife, soul and rebirth. How then, can they claim Buddha to be an avatar of Vishnu? Rather, take all his credit, and render him useless, that's what they did, that's what corrupt politicians do these days, i guess they learnt it long ago with Brahmanism. Exactly, even today, over 70% of all top positions in India in 2021 are held by this 2% community.

The versions of stories:

Ever since the Buddhism has been erased off the face of India by the Vedic religions(Aryans), the actual history has been patched-up with so called Neo-hinduistic(Brahmanism) religion, and several distorted stories have been built-up to make the innocent uneducated, as well as educated Indians their slaves. Several stories have been published and popularized behind the reason for Holi celebration: 1. Holika: A demoness who was threatening the village during night, to avoid her, burn huge fire at night and get rid of her. 2. Hiranyakashyapa: A king who did several hundreds of years of Penance, receives impossible powers from God Brahma to conquer death. He can not die on earth or sky, from human or animal, and many impossible fantasies. Having gained such great powers, he wants to prove his authority as God himself, and tortures the people of all the 14 worlds(Only god knows 14 worlds, I know only this planet Earth!). To suppress his Nonsense, his son Prahlada took avatar of Vishnu(another God also known as Hari) and he successfully kills his father performing various tricks, ultimately as Narasimha(Half lion-half human) avatar. 3. Prahlada: He was tortured by his father(Hiranyakashyapa) in several ways, with snakes, burnt him, etc.. But Holika, the sisterof Hiranyakashyapa had special power of protection from not burning by a special Shawl. Obedient Prahalada was ordered by his father to jump into the fire in the hands of Holika. So he took the order and Jumped. At the moment of entering the flame, he prayed to Vishnu, so Vishnu vanished the shawl from Holika and replaced it on Hiranyakashyapa, meanwhile Holika got burnt in her own fire. So to pay respect to Holika, holi is celebrated! Hope it makes any sense/ logic, but this is what the story says! 4. Banasura/Mahabali: Vamana(Dwarf Avatar of Vishnu) came to Mahabali (a benevolent king who has special powers against death) and requested to place his three steps on land. The Dwarf Vamana placed one step on earth, one step on heaven, and Mahabali offered his head for third step. (Don’t ask the logic behind 3 steps, and how! lol) Then Vishnu unveils his real Giant avatar after stepping on Mahabali’s head. His son Banasura, insulted by Vishnu’ foot stamping on his father’s head, Banasura chased Vamana to death and killed him by starvation! Succesors of Vamana: Brahmadi Upadyaya performed a death ritual known as “Dahanam” 5. Kama Dahanam: One crazy story! Shiva and his wife Shakti/Parvati were in deep Meditation (due to their own personal reasons), life sustenance in the world was in trouble due to Yoga of Shakti and Shiva, while the Demons wreaked havoc on the other Devas(Gods). These demons could only be killed by son of Shiva+Parvati. No to disturb their meditation, the Devas decide to approach god of love Kamadeva, to generate Lust between Shiva and Shakti. Devas threatened to curse him if he doesn’t oblige, so better to die in eyes of Shiva than this cheap bargain, Kamadeva decided to shoot arrow of Love on Shiva. And Shiva opens his third-eye, Kamadeva is burnt to ash! Upon request of all Gods, Shiva forgave Kamadeva and offers his life back, but he can be seen by none other that his wife Rathidevi. Kamadeva also referred as Ananga(one without his part), or you might’ve guessed right?

6. Buddhist Literature: Celebrate festival with five colors. Five colors depict Pancha-sheela( five-qualities). This day is also celebrated as the day when Buddha visited to his place of Birth. In Magadhi language during King Ashoka’s times, Dholi/Tholi which means “cradle” or “swinging” is found on inscriptions as a significant day of celebration. “Dahanam” means burning. In Buddhism, the following three things to be burnt: i. “Burning the Body” means Abandoning the body/bodily desires ii. Immoral/Negative Emotions iii. Immoral/Negative Thoughts Buddha achieved all the three. Kollata/Dandiya: Playing/Dancing two sticks. Each person holds two small sticks and according to music, the make moves and clap their sticks. A group dance, the history which can be found way back from a skit of 700AD which describes Ashoka times. Narasimha suktam: which was written by Buddha’s wife and people of his time, mentions several things during this Period of the year. A period of 15 days during Spring-Summer, when family gatherings happened, a beautiful period when couples were left to know each other. Joyful and playful times. Meanwhile, the Monks could get busy with burning the evil within them.

Coming back to the Main Story:

Asura: one who doesn’t consume Sura/wine Sura: one who consumes Sura/alcohol All the kings of Mulnivasis were named Asuras. All Asuras were depicted as Demons. All those who went against the Brahman supremacy of Education to the Privileged few, were labelled as Demons. All these Demons somehow, illogically, according to their own stories, caused disruption to the Devas/Suras/Gods. The Brahmans/Gods punished them, killed them, eliminated them by hook or crook. They then created distorted stories. The forbid learning/reading/hearing/speaking of Vedas, Puranas, and their holy Texts, for one reason. Uneducated, and illiterate are bound to believe what is told to them. But the distorted, illogical stories make sense as long as you are illiterate, or blinded by belief. There is no rationality involved. There is no questioning allowed.

To speak bullshit and to not confronting questions, the best way to achieve this? BAN READING, WRITING, LEARNING! So intelligent they were in sketching such a plan, but so unintelligent that they created such stupid stories, which, if you ask more than 2 questions, they need to disappear, or you need to disappear. Coz there's no logic, there's no connection, there's no sense, or just that it’s nonsense.

Unaware of this, the indigenous Bahujans of India (mulnivasis), on the occasion of the “Holi festival”, some of the Brahman and Marwari communities burn a picture of Ravanasura (This guy is totally irrelevant here, but again, a famous Demon, celebrated for his death on every occasion possible: Dussera, Diwali and so on) under the name of “Kama Dahanam” at night. The festival is celebrated by burning the Effigy overnight and sprinkling with colors during the day.

The reason is the tragedy of the murder of “Holika”, the native daughter of this country. Ignorant and misinformed indigenous people who do not know the history, sing “Anandakeli Rangeli” while begging, as a tradition they keep doing this. And for some who wait the whole year for Holi to come, so they can beg and earn their living for the rest of the year.. Was it a tradition of hardcore Holi-fanaticism, to wait all year for begging on this special day? Or was it a punishment imposed, on some sections and Communities, to hide the truth?

Today, we sprinkle colors, drink alcohol, eat meat and go to sleep.

The king of these natives (mulnivasi), Hiranyakashipu with his son Prahlada would recite Harinama in Gurukulam, the Aryans conspired to teach Haribhakti(devotion to Hari). Hiranyakashipu introduces in Gurukuls, education with a different idea than Aryan education in his kingdom, completely revolutionary and against the Aryan way of education.

The Aryans, who cannot tolerate this, try to provoke the father and son into a fight. Blinded by belief of the words of enemy “Hari”, Hiranyakashipu’s younger sister “Holika” tries to please her son-in-law Prahlada that he must obey his father. Seeing this, the Aryan king Vishnu pushes Holika into fire, kills her to death, in order to thwart Holika’s attempt to pacify Father and Son. The day of the most brutal murder of a woman in our history is celebrated in the name of a festival.

The time has come to unravel the wounds from the bottom-pit of history, the conspiracies of the descendants of Manusmriti who are burying themselves with us, by lying concocted and irrelevant, nonsensical stories. Children of Manu, are scared and confused and shivering, in hope that their fake reason-less, proof-less stories, do have an end!

Long Live “Holika” Long Live indigenous Martyrs..! Mahatma Phule, Savitri Bai, Babasaheb Ambedkar, Pulan Devi, Rohit Vemula are rewriting history. As we see that the heritage is expanding all over this country, so is the demystification, decrypting the Parasite brain of Manu and his successors. The oncoming scene is clear.

They will hide as many facts, they will recruit as many Babas and Gurus. They will create as many gods, they will create as many festivals, but the truth still remains! To patch up a lie, a new lie is to be told, to cover up the death, a new god is created… They keep lying, and we keep uncovering their lies…

Jai Bhim! Jai Insaan!

#jaibhim #jaibheem #babasaheb #ambedkar #fakesadhguru #sadhguruexposed #gandhimustfall #holi #false reality #liesofindia #manu

16 notes · View notes

tipsycad147 · 3 years

Text

The eight Sabbats: Witch's holidays

by Michelle Gruben

Modern Pagans celebrate eight major holidays throughout the year, known as Sabbats. They are based on pre-Christian customs related to the movement of the sun. Most are related to the Celtic agricultural festivals that have given them their names.

Of course, now we know that the sun doesn’t actually move around the earth. And lots of Pagans live far away from the places where our food is grown. But the Sabbats are still a meaningful way to connect with the cycles of the seasons and of human life.

The Pagan Sabbats include the four astronomical holidays (the equinoxes and solstices) and four traditional holidays in between. Together, these eight festivals are known as the Wheel of the Year. They are observed in Wicca and Wicca-influenced forms of neo-Paganism.

Learn about the eight Witch’s holidays and some popular customs for each one:

Samhain

Probably the best-known of the Sabbats, Samhain is celebrated on October 31st. It coincides with Halloween or All Hallows Eve. Halloween is a time when even non-magickal people indulge in spooky activities and ancient superstitions. It's also the time when mainstream culture pays the most attention to the activities of Witches and Pagans.

The word Samhain comes from the Irish Gaelic word for “summer’s end.” The days have become shorter, and the darker half of the solar year is upon us. At this time, farmers would use up the remaining stores of perishable fruits and vegetables, preserving other foods to sustain them through the cold and dark season. They would also slaughter any livestock that they did not plan to feed through the winter. This is why we sometimes refer to Samhain as the Third Harvest, or Blood Harvest.

At Samhain, many people believe the boundary between the words is at its thinnest. Samhain is also known as Ancestor’s Night or the Feast of the Dead. For most Witches, Samhain is the best time to commune with the beloved dead (ancestors and honored spirits). Some also believe that lonely or angry spirits may wander the Earth on Samhain night, looking for humans to annoy.

How Pagans celebrate: For Pagans, Samhain is the beginning of the new year. It is a holiday of reflection and celebration. At Samhain, we cast off the old year’s attachments and turn our attention to the coming scarcity of winter. We feast on the last of summer’s bounty. We contemplate what is worth saving and nurturing during the dark of winter. We try to make friends with Death.

Pagans celebrate Samhain in many of the same ways muggles do: Scarfing down sweets, carving jack-o-lanterns, dressing up in costumes. We decorate with skulls and spiders and go to haunted houses. All of these Halloween traditions are too fun to miss out on—and besides, most of them have their roots in old Pagan beliefs, anyway.

If you’re invited to a Samhain ritual, you may see an ancestor altar. This is a shared altar where participants are invited to pile on their mementos and offerings for the dead. The presiding priest or priestess may invoke a deity who rules over transitions or the migration of souls—Morrighan, Hecate, or Hermes. You may participate in a meditation where you travel into the depths of the underworld, or look departed friends in the eye once more. People will speak the names of loved ones who died during the previous year, or long ago.

Feasting is a component of many Samhain rituals. When we eat sweets, we are savoring the sweetness of life and its impermanence. When we eat meat, we remember that all flesh must die and become nourishment for some creature or another.

We also use food as an offering to the dead—to communicate fond memories, to pay our respects—and perhaps, to appease hungry ghosts. Some Pagans set an extra plate at the Samhain table for spirit visitors. Another contemporary Pagan custom is the “dumb supper”—a silent meal where we invite our ancestors (both known and unknown) to come and dine with us.

Yule

Yule is the Pagan name for the Winter Solstice, the longest night of the year. In the Northern Hemisphere, it falls on or around December 21.

After the winter solstice, the darkest part of the year is over and the days begin increasing in length. This solar holiday is related historically to Christmas—Pagans delight in pointing out that Christians co-opted the date around the third century CE.

In the overarching neo-Pagan mythos, Yule is the birthday of the divine infant who is conceived in the spring. The dark of midwinter is the period of the Goddess’s confinement and labor as she prepares to welcome the solar child. On the longest night, the Sun God is born to the praise and gratitude of all Earth’s creatures.

How Pagans celebrate:

Yuletide is a time for passive, personal magick—for short days of work and long nights of dreaming. We set intentions and incubate our plans. It is a time of preparing mentally and spiritually for the light half of the year. Some Pagans keep a midwinter vigil, awaiting the rebirth of the sun at dawn.

It’s not often that you find large group rituals for Yule—probably because lots of Pagans are busy traveling and visiting with non-Pagan family! Instead, Yule rituals tend toward the home-y and conventional.

We decorate with evergreens and holly. We exchange gifts with friends and family. On Midwinter Eve, we light candles to herald the return of the sun. (The ambitious among us may set a Yule log blazing.) We eat traditional, calorie-rich holiday foods: Tamales, eggnog, rum cake, ham, and chocolate. We give thanks for the life-giving energy of our planet’s sun.

Imbolc

Imbolc is a festival of purification and the early signs of spring. Imbolc is celebrated on Feb 1. (Not yet spring in most of the world, to be sure—but sometimes spring-like in Britain due to the warming influence of the Gulf Stream.) It is the first of the three Pagan fertility festivals, followed by Ostara and Beltane.

In Old Irish, Imbolc means “in the belly” and was associated with the onset of the lambing season. It was an obscure Irish folk festival until the 20th century, when neo-Pagans revived it as part of the Wheel of the Year. It coincides with the Christian festival of Candlemas and with that old farmer’s oracle, Groundhog’s Day, both observed on Feb. 2.

For our ancestors, the significance of Imbolc would have been the beginning of the ground thaw. It is the time to prepare for the planting season—to survey the land, take an inventory of tools, and make any repairs or modifications that will be needed. For the Witch, it also a time of preparation. We clean and bless our altars, and make sure that the tools of our practice are attuned to their intended use.

Mythically, Imbolc celebrates the awakening of the Goddess after giving birth to the young God at Yule. In the Earth, we observe the first stirrings of life after the frozen winter. (If you don’t know what a frozen winter looks like, ask your grandmother.) Imbolc brings the energy of creativity and imagination. Projects that were put on hold during the holiday season start to creak into motion again. Our midwinter dreams resolve themselves into their first visible shapes.

How Pagans celebrate:

Imbolc is especially sacred to Brigid—Celtic Goddess of hearthfire, healing, the bardic arts, and smithwork. Many Imbolc rituals honor Brigid with candlelight, poems, and woven ornaments known as Brigid’s crosses. The first light of spring is evident by now, and it is an auspicious time of year for rites of cleansing, healing, and blessing.

Imbolc is a time for spiritual dedication and re-dedication. Some covens—especially women’s covens—initiate new members at Imbolc. For old Pagans, it is also a time to examine and refresh our practice. If we have become lax, Imbolc is an opportunity to purify our intentions and reconnect with spiritual guides. We light candles, open windows, and wash the floors to cast out the last gloom of winter. Some also use Imbolc for divination for the year’s harvest.

Imbolc is not really a feasting holiday, as the season of grains and fruits is months away. The first food of the year is dairy. Butter, milk, and cream are traditional foods for the Imbolc table.

Ostara

Ostara is the spring equinox, which falls on or about March 21 in the Northern Hemisphere. It is opposite the autumn equinox (which Pagans refer to as Mabon). But any desktop calendar can tell you that. Ostara is the Pagan cousin of the Easter holiday, a modern revival of one or more ancient spring celebrations.

Ostara is the second of three fertility festivals, a time when the blessings of spring become more visible in the natural world. Flowers bloom, the birds and the bees do their thing, and grocery aisles fill up with pastel-colored treats. Ancient fertility symbols like eggs and bunnies are everywhere. (Yep, Ostara is the Sabbat with the rabbit!)

Astronomically speaking, Ostara is a midpoint of the year, and day and night are equal at this time. The Sun God (who has been growing and gathering strength since Yule) is an adolescent. The Great Goddess, who has been getting progressively younger since December 21, is in her maiden form. These two lusty youths are now the same age, and will soon conceive the child who will be born at Yule.

How Pagans celebrate:

The original meaning of Ostara as a fertility festival is not lost on modern Pagans. Ostara provides a perfect opportunity to work magick for love, prosperity, and gains of any kind. We harness the energy of the lengthening days to fuel our desires and bring projects to fruition. We honor the gifts of the earth Goddess, who is presently blessing the land with beauty and nourishment.

Pagans also use Ostara as a time to reflect on the principle of balance. Everyone has goals and responsibilities—work, family, art, spirituality—that compete for our time and attention. At Ostara, we take a moment to notice things that may have shifted out of balance. We reset our priorities as the austerity of winter gives way to the exuberance of spring.

Beltane

Beltane is the ancient name for the May Day rite, held on May 1. Originally a fire festival, it was widely celebrated in pre-Christian Ireland and Scotland. The name comes from the god Bel (“the bright one”) and means “Bel’s fire.” It is the second of two principle festivals on the Celtic Pagan calendar, the other one being Samhain. Samhain and Beltane are the two poles of the magickal year, when the gates to Faery and the spirit world are most open to travelers.

In traditional Wicca, Beltane is a sexual festival, the last of the three fertility festivals. It is the time when the Maiden Goddess takes a lover in the form of the young God. Wiccans enact this drama through the ritual marriage (Great Rite) of a High Priestess and High Priest, whose union will bless the land.

How Pagans celebrate:

Theoretically, Beltane is an occasion of unbridled sensuality and revelry. However, sexual rites are rare in modern covens. If invited to a Beltane ritual, you’re far more likely to dance around a maypole or witness a symbolic Great Rite (with a chalice and athame) than encounter an orgy.

For the social Pagan, Beltane season abounds with bonfires, festivals, concerts, and campouts. Solitary Pagans might celebrate by making an altar to the young God and Goddess or connecting with a lover. Flowers, honey, sweets and wine on the altar echo the sweetness of the occasion. Beltane is also a time for illusion, seduction, and Faery tricks. By the light of the Beltane fire, the real can become unreal (and vice versa).

Since Beltane celebrates the union of the God and Goddess, it is a popular time for proposals, handfastings, and renewing of vows. Magickally, the combined masculine and feminine energies lend a powerful alchemical surge to almost any type of spellwork.

Litha

Litha is the summer solstice, which in the Northern Hemisphere falls on or about June 21. Linguists disagree about the origin of the Sabbat’s name, but summer festivals were common across pre-Christian Europe. People lit bonfires to keep the sun’s light alive for as long as possible. Solstice revels were supposed to bless the crops in the fields and drive away evil spirits.

Litha is the day when the Sun God is at the peak of his power. It is an auspicious day, ruled by the Sun and the element of Fire. After Litha, the nights will begin to grow longer and the Sun will move further away each day. With the fall harvest imminent, Litha is an opportunity for anticipating the (actual or symbolic) crop. Medieval people believed that Midsummer Night was blessed, and that whatever a person dreamed on this night would come true.

How Pagans celebrate:

Outdoor rituals are common at Litha, as Pagans take advantage of the long hours of daylight. It is a joyful Sabbat. Bonfires and summer games brighten the space between earth and sky. We decorate our altars with solar symbols, and honor the God in his aspect as Father.

Litha is an appropriate time for all magick ruled by the Sun. This includes spells of cleansing, protection, charisma, and truth.

Lammas

Lammas is the first harvest festival on the Pagan calendar, observed on or about August 1. It is related to an old agricultural holiday celebrating the reaping of grain. Lammas probably comes from the Old English words for “loaf mass.” Loaves of freshly baked bread would have been prepared from the first grain and blessed in churches around the countryside. Lammas is also called Lughnasadh, after the Celtic sun God, Lugh.

As the summer stretches on and the days grow shorter, the sun God symbolically loses some of his strength. He is not yet dead, but is aware that the dark season will soon approach. The god of summer “dies” in the fields to nourish the people, and prepares for rebirth at Yule.

How Pagans celebrate:

Lammas is a time to welcome the harvest. We give thanks that the year’s work is proceeding as planned, and that we will soon enjoy the fruits of our labor. Grain is the traditional food for the Lammas table, in the form of wheat, barley, beers and ales.

Celtic Pagans celebrate Lammas/Lughnasadh as the feast of Lugh, an agricultural god—but also a patron of poets, musicians, and craftspeople. At Lammas, we may show off the skills we have acquired and trade them for things we will need. It is a traditional time of year for craft fairs and local markets.

Mabon

Mabon is the autumn equinox (or as us Texans call, it “fawwwl”). In the Northern Hemisphere, it falls around Sept 21. Mabon is the pivot point of the solar year when the days begin to shorten and winter is on its way. (The name of the festival is modern and dates from the 1960s or early 1970s.)

Mabon may also be called the Second Harvest, because it is the time when autumn fruits and nuts reach their maturity. It is a time to contemplate what we have worked for in the previous year and what rewards we are ready to reap. We give thanks to the waning sunlight and prepare to store our wealth away for the scarce season. We shift from active to contemplative magick. Mabon season is a fine time for workings of prosperity, gratitude, security, and balance.

How Pagans celebrate:

Mabon is a time for celebration after the hard work of the harvest. Though it is sad to watch the beauty of the growing season fade away, we revel in the mild weather and rest that autumn brings.

Mabon foods are comfort foods, those that evoke fond memories and connect us through sharing. We bake and brew, pickle and can. Offerings of wine, cider, fruits, and boughs may adorn the Mabon table—along with that most Pagan of centerpieces, the Cornucopia.

On the Pagan religious calendar, Mabon represents the turning point to the dark half of the year. We shift our attention from the youthful merriment of the summer Sabbats. At Mabon, we honor the Crone and Sage deities, the cycles of aging and death, and the spirit world.

Mabon is a popular time for large outdoor rituals—in part because the weather is good and it doesn’t conflict with any major mainstream holidays. We gather together to feast and express gratitude for our lovely tilted planet. Many cities host a public Mabon ritual as part of their annual Pagan Pride Day gatherings. Solitary Pagans might celebrate Mabon with offerings at a home altar, or a contemplative walk in the woods.

https://www.groveandgrotto.com/blogs/articles/the-eight-sabbats-witchs-holidays

4 notes · View notes

just--space · 5 years

Photo

Equinox: Analemma over the Callanish Stones : Does the Sun return to the same spot on the sky every day at the same time? No. A more visual answer to that question is an analemma, a composite image taken from the same spot at the same time over the course of a year. The featured analemma was composed from images taken every few days at 4 pm near the village of Callanish in the Outer Hebrides in Scotland, UK. In the foreground are the Callanish Stones, a stone circle built around 2700 BC during humanity's Bronze Age. It is not known if the placement of the Callanish Stones has or had astronomical significance. The ultimate causes for the figure-8 shape of this an all analemmas are the tilt of the Earth axis and the ellipticity of the Earth's orbit around the Sun. At the solstices, the Sun will appear at the top or bottom of an analemma. Equinoxes, however, correspond to analemma middle points -- not the intersection point. Today at 1:54 am (UT) is the equinox ("equal night"), when day and night are equal over all of planet Earth. Many cultures celebrate a change of season at an equinox. via NASA

#NASA #space #astronomy

2K notes · View notes

thelordofdarkreunion · 4 years

Text

Tongues of Fire- Empire Week Parade Scene

I assure all of you that I am working most diligently on the Magnificent Scoundrels stories. Currently, I have two just about finished. However, I feel bad about not posting anything for a while, so I will give you this. It is the intro scene of Thomas Drake’s galaxy. I hope you like it. If you have any requests for stories, please feel free to ask.

“One of the strongest natural proofs of the folly of hereditary right in kings, is, that nature disapproves it, otherwise, she would not so frequently turn it into ridicule by giving mankind an ass for a lion.” -Thomas Paine, Common Sense

Vorketh, Capital of the Empire of Prosium

It was Empire Week. A celebration of all the achievements of the Empire of Prosium; technology, art, architecture, culture, and, definitely the most important to any proud Imperial citizen: military. It was day one of the celebration, and today, on the broad streets of Vorketh Prime, the capital city of the capital world, the Empire of Prosium gave a military parade for all to see. People and aliens from throughout the galaxy came to see the main parade of Empire Week. Quite simply, there was nothing else like it in the known universe. The entire Imperial Ninth Army would march through the streets, in a massive display of strength that no one else in the galaxy could even hope to match. Fighters and gunship transports would buzz overhead in perfect formation, while massive ships of the line, this year led by the dreadnought Executioner, could be seen in low orbit above the planet. The Emperor himself would be present at the ceremonies, as would every single monarch of the various solar systems of the Empire, including King Alderic of the Zerith System.

Alderic looked across the raised platform along the parade grounds to where the parade would start, the Citadel of Vorkerth. The sky was a grey color, lit well enough that people could easily see, and quite common on Vorketh, unlike the rich blue sky of Earth, the original homeworld of the human race. The white stone architecture of the capital streets stood out against the jet black of the world’s massive planetary defense cannons. He looked around. There were a great many Federation humans here, enough to outnumber even the other various species the Empire controlled. Odd, but it mattered little. There were always a lot of them here. He sighed to himself. The Federation. So argumentative. So much...lack or purpose. Everyone within the Empire of Prosium knew what they wanted to become, and if they didn;t, they served in the military. Although, he himself never wanted to be King of the Zerith System, oddly enough. But sometimes, circumstances were out of the control of individuals.

He was generally thought as a handsome man, and many thought he looked like a more rugged version of the Emperor. He was wearing his full kingly regalia, complete with cloak, crown, and sword. His various medals hung on his chest, pinned on what the Empire called a tunshi, or a cross between a tunic and a shirt. Black pants with a gold stripe running vertically down the leg covered his legs, and black dress boots that ran up to the knee protected his calves. Next to him stood two of his closest friends. Queen Naatz wore almost the exact same thing as he did, the only difference being she had several different medals than he did, and the crown from the system she ruled had slight variations in the design. King Wachek had the same base design, but, fitting his personality, it was much more flamboyant. Everything was styled and hugged his slim form perfectly, and a shorter crown than Alderic or Naatz covered his slicked back blond hair. At his side was a thin rapier, unlike the heavy medieval-style Imperial Guard swords carried by Alderic or Naatz. Each of the three monarchs ruled a somewhat mediocre system, not extremely important to the Empire, but not some backwater hovel, either. This was what originally had brought the three together. They were no one extremely important within the Council of Monarchs, but they still held some sway. They were all savvy enough to realize that by banding together, they could get a lot more done than they ever could separate. That political alliance had, eventually, turned into a fast friendship.

Wacheck walked over to where Alderic and Naatz stood, carrying a glass of champagne. He brandished it like it was some long lost priceless work of art.

“Look at this! French champagne from Earth. One of the Federation ambassadors brought an entire cargo crate of it for the festivities. I must say, I think I like it better than any of the stuff we make.” He took a sip. “Of course, they’ve had more practice making it.” He turned a wry smile towards a group of Federation ambassadors, who were talking with the group of high officials clustered around the Emperor. The entire pavilion was packed with officials from every major government and race in the galaxy, including every human one. The Federation ambassadors were being, as per their nature, extremely sauve, lavishing compliments upon all of the high Imperial officials. The Guild officials were, as per their nature, trying to smooth talk several Imperial generals into buying Guild products and weaponry. And, of course, the Union ambassadors were glowering in the corner. Several Imperial officials were smirking in their direction. Typical Union of Equality. All bark, no bite. In contrast, the Empire was all bite, no bark.

What appeared to be a Dracus general approached Alderic’s group. The Dracus were a warrior race, and had what most humans thought to be the body and legs of a kangaroo sitting on its haunches with the head of a lizard. They were bipedal, and while they weren’t close allies with the Empire, they respected the Prosium for their martial traditions. This one was wearing red ceremonial armor, which made it of very high rank. Alderic couldn’t tell the difference between the male and female of the species, so generally he just asked Dracus their names and used that.

“Magnificent parade,” he said, in the growly, guttural voice of the Dracus. Alderic turned to him, or, at least, he thought it was a him, and smiled, careful not to show his teeth.

“Why, that you, General…”

“Itchernicer, King..”

“Alderic. King Alderic.” Itchernicer bowed and gave the traditional Dracus hand gesture greeting, moving his fingers to his lips, then his forehead. He looked like he was about to say something else, but then the loudspeaker cut in.

“Ladies, gentlemen, species from all over the galaxy, the parade is about to begin. If you or your species has sensitive hearing, you should wear protection. Enjoy the parade!” With a flourish, the Emperor, flanked by four members of the Imperial Guard, entered the balcony. The Emperor waved to the crowd, who let out a massive, roaring cheer. Commander Robert Rorrenbrand, leader of the Guard, was several steps behind the Emperor with two more Imperial Guardsmen. He was average height, with a rounded, scarred face and short cut black hair. He was also, Alderic knew, despite his unimpressive looks, quite simply the best soldier in the galaxy. Some might think these security measures harsh, unreasonable, but those people were not from the Empire of Prosium. As any loyal citizen will tell you, the Empire never messes around when security is concerned.

Itchernicer, Alderic, Naatz, and Watchek turned towards the Citadel. The massive monument, built of white marble, towered over the wide streets. White marble steps cascaded from the front of the building, lit by the fires of massive braziers. Massive statues of Imperial Heros, some twenty feet high, towered above the streets. Every culture had heroes. Some thought that heroes were people who came up with new technologies, or those who were pious and strove to help others. Not Prosium. While all of those were traits and qualities to be admired, the people of Prosium believed that the only way to tell a true hero from all the rest was to forge them on the battlefield. Only where shot and shell screamed, where man and alien alike died choking on their own blood and crying in agony, could a true hero come forth. True heroes were those who fought and often died for the Empire. True heros were not some scheming politician or sniveling scientist who strove to convince everyone that they and they alone were right; true heroes were the ordinary men, women, and aliens who performed insane feats of bravery in places that shred normal people’s sanity. True heroes were like Private Stebban Wyric, who fought to the last bullet of his handgun to give the battered remnants of his regiment time to fall back from an overwhelming counterattack. True heroes were the members of the Imperial 414th Army Regiment who fought to the last man and the last round to protect their standard. True heroes were like Governor Isin Habbic, who volunteered to ram a cargo ship into a terrorist vessel holding a thermonuclear bomb to save his people and planet. True heros were like Mary Strolheim, who called in an orbital bombardment on her position to repel an overwhelming enemy force and eventually win the War of Kraken’s Nest. True heros were the selfless who laid down their lives for their people, and they all had one thing in common. The exceptionally brave were awarded the medal and title Hero of the Empire, and, if they still lived after their feat, everyone, from the lowest factory worker to the Emperor or Empress themselves would salute them. And, every single Hero of the Empire had their name, image, and deed emblazoned into the stone walls of the Citadel’s Hall of Heroes, an entire section within the Citadel of Vorketh that was dedicated to the preservation of their legacy and guarded day and night by the elite soldiers of the the Emperor’s personal bodyguard. Just as the children of the Federation knew the names of human history’s greatest scientists and leaders, and the children of the United Guild of Merchants knew the names of all the great company leaders, and the children of the Union of Equality knew the names of all of Communism’s great heroes and leaders, so too did the children of the Empire of Prosium know the names of most of the Heroes of the Empire. And it was from the glorious Citadel that housed the Hall of Heroes that the parade began.

Legions of black uniformed warriors, the dauntless men and women of the Imperial Army’s 9th Army, 56th Regiment, weapons held at the ready, marched in perfect lock-step down the steps of the Citadel. Massive crimson flags, adorned with the black eagle of Prosium, snaked their way down the buildings bordering the parade ground. Alderic took in a deep breath of Vorketh’s sweet air. He was glad to be a part of the Empire. The sweetness of the air was suddenly snached away, to be replaced by the ozone smell of plasma jets, as a squadron of Naval fighters screamed overhead at a quite frankly alarmingly low altitude. The crowd cared not, though. They cheered all the louder at the jets’ arrival.

The soldiers reached the base of the Citadel, and started to march through the streets themselves. Loudspeakers placed upon the parade route struck up a military march as the infantry was joined by ranks of vehicles. Black and grey tanks, armoured carries, and mobile missile launchers drove expertly through the throngs of soldiers, their hatches opened and each commander giving their salute to the Emperor’s box. Alderic looked around, taking in the entire parade, looking through the clear grey sky at the forms of massive capital ships hoving in low atmosphere. It was, indeed, a fine day to be a citizen of the Empire of Prosium.

#tounges of fire #i don't really know what to put down here as this is a completely new story

4 notes · View notes

stxrbound-surviivxr · 4 years

Text

Spirituality, History & Culture

SPIRITUALITY:

(Pictured above (left to right): Tysal, Lykyll and Sephyr)

The Uldarik’an worship four main gods: Sephyr, Lykyll, Tysal and Kylphar.

Sephyr is the goddess of Life, Air, and Joy. She resembles their springtime season in which her power brings life back to the planet. She is also known as “Kylphar’s Bane” and many Uldarik’an like to plan to have cubs during her season as it’s viewed as good luck and that the children will live healthy lives. Offerings are given to her various shrines in hopes of plentiful crops and good weather.

Lykyll is the god of Light, Fire, and Bravery. He represents the summer season and many Uldarik’an will host bonfires with lots of food, music and dancing. On the night of his holiday, the day will end with thin lanterns being crafted and sent into the air followed by more dancing well into the night. Anyone born under his season make the hardiest warriors and have the bravest hearts. Some even say that cubs born during the season know no fear in any forms.

Tysal is the god of Growth, Rain and Change. His season represents fall, as the days start to grow shorter and the air colder. He gets a holiday in the form of remembrance and offerings are sent in small boat-like objects onto the largest body of water. Some travel days to celebrate the holiday with friends in neighboring clans. This is their sort of ‘new year’ celebration, in which many will make promises of change, much like new years resolutions. Those who are born in Tysal’s season are known to be calm and perceptive individuals, but tend to be quiet and shy as well. They bend easily to change in their lives and are careful planners who always seem to be prepared for any situation.

Kylphar (not pictured) is the fallen-god of Death, Pain and Betrayal. His season represents winter, where the cold settles in and chases away the crops until spring. There are few surviving Uldarik’an that still worship him as a god, but those who still celebrate his holiday have taken to a sort of “day of the dead” holiday, where offerings are sent among their family’s graves to remember them fondly. As such, Kylphar has become a sort of “grim reaper”-esqe figure and is charged with helping souls cross to the other side to repent for his sins.

HISTORY:

It is said that the Great Four once lived as mortals of the “first generation”. They were each rulers of the four clans and lived in peace for a long time. However, Kylphar grew bored of the peace and attempted to court Sephyr so that they could merge clans and he could become more powerful. Sephyr, however, rejected him. In his rage, Kylphar declared that he would then take her people by force and started a war between his clan, and the three others.

Anticipating this, Kylphar became known as the god of Death and Pain as he’d discovered a way to resurrect the dead and was able to wage war against the Three for a long time, simply reviving any fallen soldiers to do his bidding.

This sort of dark magic has since been lost to the Uldarik’an over time, however at the moment, The Three had managed to figure out what he was doing, and decided to discover their own sort of magic. Together they managed to defeat Kylphar in a great battle. However, the magic that was expelled proved to be far too powerful for them all to handle. Legends state that to keep the unstable power from destroying their planet, the Three used the last of their power and forced Kylphar into space. Then, they gave chase to ensure that he would never come back. The two main stars and two moons in their system are aptly named after the gods, with Sephyr and Lykyll being their two suns, and Tysal and Kylphar appearing as the two moons that orbit the planet.

CULTURE/OTHER:

>Spiritual Objects<

The Uldarik’an people often spend whole years crafting trinkets and jewelry to match those of the god they worship and/or were born under. Many of these take the form of necklaces, but some have also come in bracelets, ear piercings, or tail rings. Often, when one is completed, they are taken to the clan’s head shaman or any available head of religion to be blessed. Many items are blessed with protective spells and incantations, others are blessed to lift and clear moods, some provide comfort, dispells pain, and give spiritual protection so long as the user is wearing them. Some items, if passed down from older generations, can even hold onto bits of previous wearers’ souls and enables the ancestors to look after the younger generations.

If one of these articles is ever stolen and worn by someone who is not Uldarik’an, the effect of which can actually be reversed. For example, if an amulet is crafted to drive away nightmares, and is stolen, the thief may experience the worst nightmares of their life. If these objects are instead broken, then their effect is dispelled completely. However, it is considered a great tragedy if one is broken and is the biggest insult one can do against an Uldarik’an.

>Marriage/Courting<

Marriage happens in a very similar way to how Humans wed. One of two proposes, and a party is prepared over the course of some time, depending on when the two would like to marry. However, there is an added effect to it in the form of what would be considered “soul-mates”. When a soul-bound pair find each other, they immediately know it. (If one side is not Uldarik’an, then the Uldarik’an one of the two will know it, but the other may not).

A marriage between a soul-bound couple brings about the highest of celebrations, sometimes the party even lasts over the span of four or five days involving nearly the whole family on both sides of the marriage and even friends and neighbors.

Marriage can happen between people who are not soul-bound as well, through love in its purest form. It’s still a grand celebration, however if one or both of the pair locates their soul-bound, they can choose to separate, or remain together. It has no physical or emotional pain if they don’t marry their soul-bound, they can live their lives happily, but it will never feel as natural or whole as it would be with a soul-bound pair.

An alternative to the above situation would to shift into Polyamory, which is common among the Uldarik’an borne of respect for the coupling of soul mates. Ultimately, the choice belongs to the individuals in question to find the best solution.

As for courting, it normally comes in the form of dates, and mutual trust. Gifts are a good way to start it, and if one would like to propose, an offering of a blessed item is usually a good way to do so. Bonded pairs usually end the marriage ceremony by exchanging matching tail rings.

>Family & Community<

Uldarik’an are a very close-knit kind of people. They take pride and great love in knowing many of their clan’s people by name and they often build friendships that last lifetimes.

Uldarik’an children are raised in what is called a Communal Hall, which is often a large building run by various adults or elders of the village or town. Adults and elders who run the building also take care of the children, and also act as teachers and mentors.

Adults who are not part of the Communal Hall often take jobs in a specific trade, ranging from hunters and gatherers to scientists, depending on the town.

>Biology<

Uldarik’an live to be around 400 years old, however their years are equal to 3 earth years, so in Earth terms, they live to be around 1,200 years old.

Uldarik’an females can only have one cub before her body disables her ability to conceive all together. However, if the mother is only half Uldarik’an, then it’s rare but possible for her to have more than one child.

Uldarik’an are omnivores, but usually prefer meat.

The Uldarik’an people care very greatly for their homeworld, and firmly believed in giving back as much if not more than they took. As such, factories were few and far in between, and much of their lifestyle is organic in nature. They do, however, have areas dedicated to the sciences, and in some areas, have the same standings as modern-day technology. They have recently discovered short-term space travel.

#;Spirituality History & Culture

1 note · View note

chancellormatt · 4 years

Text

Just Another Orbit of the Sun

(Not Voltron. Just something I whipped up with last night, based off a dream I had. Might turn into a series)

New Years Eve - 2021

Miles didn’t care much for parties. They were loud, obnoxious and tended to keep him up on work nights. And of course, no awful party was complete without fireworks.

That characteristic hiss followed by a sharp crackle and burst of light had been a regular occurrence throughout the evening. It was starting to grate on his nerves. And if that wasn’t doing it the music of the non-stop parade sure was.

Floats, marching bands, the works were active in the street. As a result, the sidewalks were crowded. Some watched the display, cheering. Others stumbled in and out of bars or simply drank on the street in obvious displays of intoxication. No one minded. They were all too excited.

Miles weaved between and around these ones, not hiding his disdain, but not dwelling on it either. He, regretfully, had somewhere to be tonight.

No, Miles didn’t care much for parties, and New Years Eve was the worst party of all. Practically the whole world decided to forgo such luxuries as sleep for one night to celebrate the arbitrary end and beginning of a unit of time. Just another orbit of the sun. What was so special about that?

He'd hoped for a more reserved celebration this year. With the Covid pandemic of the year prior having neutered partying in much of the world, he’d been hopeful that this year would have been a repeat. But they’d had to go and make a vaccine. Even still he’d hoped people would’ve at least learned and recognized parties for the writhing, disgusting, virus-breeding cesspools that they were.

But then it happened.

He sighed, letting his gaze finally tilt up to the sky above. More fireworks crackled, but beyond those, distant lights burned in the sky. They weren’t stars. Light pollution from the city made most stars invisible. These lights were varied in color. Some were stationary. Others zipped up and down the skyline, earning oohs and aahs from watching pedestrians.

They were alien ships.

It had begun six months prior. Messages broadcasted from outside the solar system with insistent regularity. It had taken some time to decipher the messages, not on account of their complexity, but actually because of the lack thereof. Everyone was so busy trying to decode an alien message, that it was some time before anyone checked if it was actually something we already understood. English, at least at first, written in binary code. The message was three simple words:

We Are Coming.

Eventually it’d changed to Mandarin Chinese. Then Spanish, French, Russian and so on.

The governments of the world had naturally tried to hide this fact. They’d done their best. But the message had been spread too wide. Corporations had discovered it before long. And before even they could figure out how to monetize the discovery, the scientific community seized a rare bout of expediency. Astronomers wrote, reviewed and published journals on the monumental discovery in record time.

Gag orders had been circumvented, the internet had done its work, and before long the whole world had known the truth:

Humans were not alone in the universe. Aliens were real, and they were on their way.

Panic had naturally followed. There was the usual rioting and fear mongering, but the world had gotten used to that sort of reaction with disturbing efficiency.

Miles didn’t really mind fear mongering itself that much. A healthy amount of paranoia was good, so long as it was well balanced and didn’t end with you tossing molotov cocktails into department stores.

The next development had helped calm the masses. The alien’s messages had grown in complexity. They explained that they’d been observing humanity for some time. They’d seen our various trials and weaknesses, but also our strengths and victories. They’d decided to share some of their knowledge with us. Everyone needed help from time to time. Once, long ago, another species had helped them just as they now helped us.

A layer of cautious optimism settled after that. Many still didn’t fully believe. There was the usual round of conspiracies, like that it’d all been made up by the government and was a cover for satellite mind control devices. And there were also fears that the aliens were flat out lying and would pull a War of the Worlds soon as they were close enough to do so.

When their ships had first appeared in the solar system, real communications had begun. Back and forth between aliens and representatives of Earth. They answered all questions posed to them. Even started an Ask Me Anything on Reddit. Explained what their home planet was like, aspects of their culture, and gave very general explanations of their technological capabilities. They even told jokes and shared memes.

That’d won most people over.

The aliens had come off downright personable. These aliens were no longer a theoretical presence. They were real, communicating people. This was no conspiracy, you could see their ships with a good enough telescope for crying out loud.

And Miles had. He’d needed to see for himself. He’d never forget the chill down his spine when he’d first seen one of those ships hanging in the night sky.

As the months grew on the aliens had inched closer, only of course, after clearing everything with all suitable officials, be them governmental, scientific and even religious. They’d ended up setting up shop in earth’s orbit, with promises to come down and visit soon. However, they’d decided to wait until humans had completed their ‘celebratory solar rotation.’ The Chinese government hadn’t much cared for that reason for delay, but hey, they were still trying to hide the aliens from their masses so who cared what they thought?

So here they were, giving a light show to the whole world on New Year's Eve. Floats with little green men and every other depiction of aliens in fiction. The actual aliens had pointed out that most of these were wildly off the mark, but also didn’t mind the association. One of them even had ET as his profile picture.

That wasn’t to say the whole world had decided to simply trust the aliens. Contrasting the revelers were the classic doom and gloom types. Signs declaring: “End is Nigh!” “Alien Overlords Here!” “Nuke Them Before They Eat Us!” and so on and so forth.

They were loons, of course. And yet...some part of Miles found more kinship with the crazies than the people that simply bought all this. It seemed too...perfect. Aliens, it turned out, were kind of boring. Or so they wanted to seem.

Miles finally found the place he was looking for. A bar by the name of Terry’s Tap. Miles let out a sigh and walked inside.

The debautercy continued within. Drunk sang songs welcoming our new “Friends from the Stars”

Miles scanned the booths and spotted the architects of his annoyance: His two friends and roommates, Jack and Harper. They spotted him and waved excitedly. He rolled his eyes and walked over to take a seat beside Jack.

Jack was a six-foot, two-hundred pound, muscle-bound welder who couldn’t hold his liquor as well as his size would suggest.

Harper was a five foot two, ninety-pound blonde who worked in insurance and lived by the phrase ‘dance like nobody’s watching.’

They were tragically his two best friends in the world.

“You made It!” Harper exclaimed.

“Against my better judgement, I did.” Miles nodded.

“You’ve been missing a great night, dude. Did you see the parade?”

“I don’t see how I could have missed it.”

“Nah, don’t listen to him, the Parade is lame. In here is where it's at!” Harper declared raising her pint to the rest of the bar who cheered in reply.

“She was dancing on the bar earlier.” Jack informed “It was wild!”

“Now that I actually would have liked to see.”

“Well don’t worry, the night is still young!” Harper shook her arm, waving one of the waitresses over.

“Whatcha having?” The perky woman said, far more lively than anyone working on New Years ought to be.

“Just a beer.”

“Awe, come on man,” Jack shook his head. “Try something a little harder for once.”

“When’s the next time we’re gonna party like this!? It's New Years Eve and there are aliens above our heads!” Harper argued.

“Yeah…there sure are...” I said, eyes drifting out the window towards the lights in the sky above.

They noticed my hesitance and both sighed.

“Why the long face, hon?” The waitress inquired.

“He’s just suspicious of the aliens.” Harper said conspiratorially. “Thinks they’re all gonna probe us.”

“Ah.” The server said, understanding.

“I have a healthy amount of caution, that’s all. And I will be having a beer.”

The waitress nodded and walked off.

“You’re gonna have to come around to the aliens sooner or later.” Harper said pointedly.

“That’s what I’m worried about…”

“Here he goes again.” Jack let out a sigh.

“I’m just saying that I think they’re trying a little too hard to get us to put our guard down.”

Harper shook her head. “Look, why would aliens come thousands of light years, overcoming the very laws of physics just to try and pull an Independence Day? We’ve got no resources that you couldn’t find all over the galaxy. They’d benefit nothing from an interstellar war. It makes no sense. You’re just programmed by movies.”

“Maybe.”

Her arguments made sense. Harper was an intelligent woman. It really didn’t make logical sense why aliens from such an advanced society would harbor any malicious intent for what to them would be a primitive and relatively harmless civilization. That didn’t make the uneasy in Miles gut go away.

Mainly for the simple fact that human beings had accomplished an astonishing amount in their time on the planet and had still managed to be real pieces of crap when it suited them. Advanced technology didn’t equal and advanced people.

But there was really nothing he could do anything about it. In a few years China would control their economy, the ice caps would be melted, and everyone would have chips in their brain. Change, good or bad came. And there was little that one man like Miles could do about that.

The waitress came back with his beer. So he settled into the booth and started drinking.

“Alright,” Jack finally said. “I’m gonna see if any of these guys want to play a drinking game. Everytime a firework goes off, take a drink!”

Miles shared a look with Harper. It seemed they’d be carrying him home once again. She only shook a head and put down her own drink. She started bouncing to the song that came on on the radio.

“Welp, I’m gonna see if anyone wants to dance! I love this song!”

The night wore on and everyone kept partying. Even Miles wasn’t immune. That was perhaps the biggest problem with parties: They were contagious. He even found himself singing along with some of the drunks at one point.

But later, when 12 o'clock was approaching, things were really heating up. Fireworks blastest with little pause, and few in the bar were truly sober anymore, Miles being a notable exception. The nonstop partying of the night was fast-approaching its zenith.

And then it happened. Harper was singing along with a group of partiers, their words slurred and broken, when one of them swayed something awful. A young guy, that Miles would have described as extraordinarily ordinary looking, suddenly doubled over and vomited on the floor. It was a violent retch that made everyone around scatter. Some of it, tragically, got on Harper’s dress. She’d be moping about that later. But there were a few laughs and some even ignored it all together. But then the man fell to his knees quivering.

“What’s wrong? Just found your limit, buddy?” Harper asked, leading in to touch him on the shoulder comfortingly. She was too nice sometimes.

Then the man looked up, eyes hazy. The skin on his face had bled to shades of indigo in patches. People around him scattered backwards. His eyes focused and he seemed to notice that he’d become the subject of some attention. He looked down at his hands which were fast bleeding to indigo as well. His eyes twitched in a strange expression.

“Xfildrq’Hnin!”

With that peculiar non-word, the man sprinted out the door. Distantly, Miles heard the fireworks crescendo and a collective cheer outside. It was a new year. No one in Terry’s Tap joined in the cheer or kissed each other. They all stared at the door. Harper who’d actually touched the man and still had his vomit on her dress looked petrified.

Miles then did the only thing he could think of, and ran after the man.

He heard Jack curse behind him and chase after. Miles quickly caught sight of the man outside. It wasn’t hard. He was indigo after all. He was also one of the few people not gazing upwards to appreciate the conclusion of the fireworks show. Miles sprinted down the street, shoving people out of the way when necessary. The Indigo Man darted down an alley and Miles was hot on his heels. Jack might have been able to bench press an obscene amount of weight, but Miles had always been more of a track and field man.

Above, the crackle of fireworks light up what would have otherwise been a dark alley.

A fence split the alleyway halfway down. The indigo man didn’t waste a moment scaling it like a spider. Miles was fast after, but couldn’t quite launch himself right over the barrier as easily, so he lost some time.

They broke out onto a street parallel with the waterway. The Indigo Man was trying to put some distance between them. Miles redoubled his efforts. He wanted answers. Needed answers!

He was close, closer, just a little more...

Miles tackled the Indigo Man to the ground, sending them both tumbling across the pavement. But the Indigo Man kicked Miles off him in an instant and shot to his feet. Miles was up almost as quick. The Indigo Man had turned around to run in the direction they’d just come, but found Jack standing there, cutting off his escape.

“Nowhere...to run, buddy.” Jack panted out, spreading out meaty arms.

The Indigo Man looked back and between them, seeming to weigh his options.

“Now, how about you explain just what-”

The Indigo Man spun around and dove into the river. Miles cursed. They ran over the edge but there was no sign of the man. Just dark waters.

“...good job blocking him, we almost had him.” Miles eventually said.

“And what exactly was ‘him?’”

Miles looked up, past where the fireworks were beginning to die down, to scattered lights of the spaceships beyond.

“You can’t think…”

“I can and I do. Let’s get back to Harper.”

The walk back to Terry’s Tap was quiet. They found Harper crouched down near the pile of vomit. Miles approached, thinking she might have been in shock when she suddenly stood up and handed him a bottle. Jack Daniels.

“The guys over there-” She stuck a thumb over her shoulder indicating a group of drunks. “-said he was hitting this stuff pretty hard. Put it down like it was water. Bartenders hadn’t seen him around here before. No one else I asked had either.”

Miles nodded, taking the bottle. Harper always was good about getting the facts. Part of her job, Miles supposed.

“...I don’t think he realized he was essentially drinking poison.” Miles finally said.

“Really? But don’t uh...” Jack said, glancing over one shoulder, “...they know all about us?”

“It sure seems that way.” Miles said, distantly. “But if you pay close enough attention, they make plenty of mistakes and misconceptions all the time on their media accounts. I’d be willing to bet the bulk of their more ‘friendly’ material is auto-generated based on our internet patterns.”

“What, you mean like those generated memes?”

“Something like that.”

“What...does all this mean?” Harper finally asked.

“It means they lied. They aren’t going to be here soon. They’re already on the planet.” Miles finally looked up from the bottle, meeting the gazes of his two friends.

“We should get out of the city. Tonight.”

The entire bar seems to chew on that. Jack and Harper both nodded. The trio moved out of the bar, as inconspicuous as possible. Outside, those oblivious to the revelation continued to party. Miles decided he needed to make some calls. There were some other people besides just Jack and Harper that he wanted to have around in case...in case what? Miles looked up once more at those glowing lights.

They were up to something, after all. He really hated being right.

Ten minutes into the new year, and things were already far too interesting.

#new year #new years ev #2021 #short story #flash fiction #aliens #alien life

1 note · View note

starbound-surviivxr · 5 years

Text

Dossier

Name: Vynera Race: Uldarik’an Gender: Female Age: 413 (Equivalent of 20-21) Height: 7′7″ Weight: 293lbs Voice Claim: Katy Townsend (Suvi; Video) Affiliations: N/A Family: Sun-Sha (Mother, Deceased). Tekhra (Father, Deceased) Sexuality: Hetero-romantic, Demi-Sexual Relationship status: Verse dependent Moral Alignment: Neutral Good Theme songs:

Thomas Bergersen - One Million Voices Thomas Bergersen - Creation of Earth KPM Music - Written In The Stars Adrian von Ziegler - Queen of the Gaels City Of The Fallen - Seraphim

Personal History:

After a long war against a powerful alien military force called The Exodus, Vynera has found herself as one of less than 500 surviving Uldarik’an. She’s taken to hiding as well as she can in hopes of falling under the radar and keep safe from any Exodus forces. She keeps and maintains a small airship capable of short FTL jumps if she ever needs to escape, but it’s old and somewhat unsafe to fly in its current condition. Still, she makes due.

>Personality<

Vynera is extremely shy and doesn’t approach strangers unless she absolutely has no choice. She’s paranoid about being found by someone loyal to the Exodus and so she travels in public places with a hooded cloak and tinted eyewear to blend in with the other less-than-good people that live and travel around her.

However, if she sees someone in need, she’ll attempt to help them in any way she can. She’s not much of a fighter, but usually her size comes in handy when she needs it to. Otherwise, she’s a smart little cookie and can often trick anyone hunting her down or fighting her.

>Other<

Around her neck, she carries her father’s old necklace that was blessed with High Fortune before he and his wife were hunted and killed. Vynera was rather young at the time, but the amulet has worked for her in many ways. In short: she has become extremely lucky and can always use that luck to get out of dangerous situations with minimal damage.

Despite being lucky, Vynera is actually a bit clumsy in her youth and is also rather naive. She always wants to help others if she thinks they need her aid, whether their intentions are good or not. There have been a few occasions were someone has stolen from her, but she’s never been one to hold a grudge over it for long. (Just as long as they don’t steal her ship or her amulet).

Basic Race Information:

The Uldarik’an are a race of peaceful giants who value spirituality above all else. They are typically very religious and worship four main Gods (see: Spirituality). Height wise, females stand anywhere between 7ft and 9ft, and males stand between 7ft and 12ft. Females are a bit more slender and not as hunched while males have very broad shoulders and chests and are hunched over nearly all the time.

Their bodies are somewhat humanoid in structure, however they sport bipedal legs and sweeping tails that can get to be as long as their arm span, sometimes longer. Fur colors come in all sorts of variations with the rare exceptions of black and green, and patterns vary widely across the species.

Their faces are usually somewhat elongated with two large, long ears and equally large eyes. Their eyes are bio-luminescent and their pupils are typically a lighter shade or white compared to their Sclera.

Spirituality:

The Uldarik’an worship four main gods: Sephyr, Lykyll, Tysal and Kylphar.

Kylphar is the fallen-god of Death, Pain and Betrayal. His season represents winter, where the cold settles in and chases away the crops until spring. There are few surviving Uldarik’an that still worship him as a god, but those who still celebrate his holiday have taken to a sort of “day of the dead” holiday, where offerings are sent among their family’s graves to remember them fondly. As such, Kylphar has become a sort of “grim reaper”-esqe figure and is charged with helping souls cross to the other side to repent for his sins.

History:

This sort of dark magic has since been lost to the Uldarik’an over time, however at the moment, The Three had managed to figure out what he was doing, and decided to discover their own sort of magic. Together they managed to defeat Kylphar in a great battle. However, the magic that was expelled proved to be far too powerful for them all to handle. Legends state that to keep the unstable power from destroying their planet, the Three used the last of their power and forced Kylphar into space. Then, they gave chase to ensure that he would never come back. The four main stars in their system are aptly named after the gods, with Sephyr and Lykyll being their two suns, and Tysal and Kylphar appearing as stars further away, but could easily be seen at night.

Culture/Other:

>Spiritual Objects<

>Marriage/Courting<

>Biology<

Uldarik’an typically live for about 2,065 earth years. Their planet’s years usually take about 20 earth years, in which each of their seasons lasts on average about 5 earth years.

#Dossier #About

4 notes · View notes

ryeclemons-blog · 6 years

Text

Basef

History

When Demeter was settled, it was the new home of a wide range of people and cultures, and their religions they brought with them. The early history of Demeter is hazy to its current inhabitants, as the first farmers planted their fields nearly 300 to 400 years ago, yet hardly any records of that time remain on Demeter. Over time, the cultures and knowledge of their original home planet faded or were mixed together, and this included their religions.

In the new melting pot of Demeter—where relying on your neighbor and making connections were the difference between life and death—religion became a unifying force, rather than a dividing one. The winds and dust of the unsettled wastes obscured and buried the past, and out of them, the remnants of the early years emerged. This included the crates that held the seeds that started the crops, most of them scoured by the sands. The only words apparent were BASF, and hardly any knew what they meant, yet they were significant as they were what started Demeter.

The letters became the name of the new religion that had sprung up out of the older ones—Basef. The old religions were still practiced, but in far fewer numbers. Basef spread, farmstead to farmstead, jumping from area to area until it was the new major religion of Demeter around 200 years ago. As the religion grew and evolved, practices became more normalized, although each region had slight variations. Now, most don’t remember a time that Basef didn’t exist, and know at least one person close to them who are an adherent.

The large Demeter diaspora also are practicers of Basef, if a modified version of it. They usually act as independent worshippers, and often wish to return to Demeter to practice Basef in their homeland. As far as Basef believers are concerned, anyone not following Basef, either as non-religious or as a follower to another religion, are considered to be following an equal but separate path.

Practices

While exact practice varies from region to region, the most basic tenets of Basef are the same. Basef is a polytheistic religion that is mostly focused on the relationships of people with each other and the land they live on. Basef has a majority feminine pantheon, and has multiple location specific deities. Temples are found in most major cities of Demeter, and sometimes scattered around the countryside. Shrines are more widespread, often the location of worship in the countryside, and each adherent’s farmstead contains their family’s personal shrine.

Basef has an all woman clergy who act as helpers to the poor, soothsayers, military leaders, and maintain their local temples and shrines. These priestesses are referred to by adherents as Mother, such as Mother Sharifa (one of the first priestess), and are raised from birth to take over their biological or adopted mother’s position. They are encouraged to marry, have children and lead a normal life outside of their religious leadership. The signifier of their position is that they have shaved heads, to set them apart from their non clergy feminine relations, and wear scarlet clothes.

Mothers lead worship in Temples and at Shrines. Worship includes a joyous public sacrifices and then feast, with each adherent family giving a portion of the sacrifices. The most common sacrifices are a basketful of wheat or similar field crop, which is burned, an animal (such as a goats, chickens or rabbits) that is slaughtered and cooked for the feast, or food that is used in the feast.

Holidays are numerous, and are sometimes location specific as they might celebrate local deities, locally known Mothers, or events. However, the widespread holidays celebrate great Mothers, the solstices, the equinoxes, the harvest, the major deities, and minor deities. They are larger versions of the common worship, and those who participate try to give their best sacrifices such as cattle or more expensive crops. They also include other ceremonies such as coming of age, marriages or ordinations.

Beliefs

Basef is a religion made through the blending of many of the old religions. Some beliefs can be directly traced back to their parent religion, while others are unique to Demeter, arising from the landscape and culture of the planet.

Basef adherents can be known through their tattoos and symbolism. The holy color is scarlet, yet laypeople are not allowed to wear scarlet clothes except when offering sacrifices on altars in Shrines when a Mother is not present to give the sacrifice. The holy symbols are a sheaf of wheat and an endless knot. Both are commonly found as tattoos on adherents, with the former being used in marriage ceremonies, while the later is given in coming of age ceremonies.

In Basef beliefs, there is an afterlife, or the Great Pasture, a green and fertile land were work is not needed. It is an eternal party, and reunites those were separated by death. This afterlife is presided over by the pantheon, and cannot be reached by those who are alive. All are allowed to reach it, as long as they have passed through the coming of age ceremonies and are properly buried. Children who have not yet gone through their coming of age ceremony are considered to have their soul in the Great Pasture, so if they die, their souls already exist in the afterlife.

The supernatural plays a major role in Basef beliefs, as mischievous spirits, monsters and nature spirits exist and sometimes have a more direct impact on lives than any deity in the pantheon. There is also both good and evil witchcraft, often done by the female relations of Mothers. Mothers are also believed to be conduits to the pantheon. They often see signs based in nature, or practice divination in the entrails of sacrificed creatures. Basef mythology and beliefs are passed down through oral tradition, both through Mothers and among families.

Within that oral tradition, the most important myth is the creation of Demeter. Through this tradition, it was the All-Mother who birthed the planet, from procreation with the Dark God. Their previous issue were the pantheon, yet the Dark God didn’t want more children. The Dark God became angry that he had become betrayed, that Demeter existed, cutting off the All-Mother’s right hand. She in turn slew the Dark God, scattering his remains in the sky to give the night form. From the bones of her right hand, the All-Mother made the first children born on Demeter, implanting them in new people from Earth.

Within Basef, they have their virtues and sins, which should remain in balance, preferably with virtues outweighing sins. The virtues include responsibility, selflessness, humility and thoughtfulness; while the sins include indifference, cowardice, apathy, and despair. While sinning does not impact the possibility of going to the Great Pasture in death or bring about punishment from the pantheon, it is believed that it increases the chance of monsters or non beneficial spirits targeting them.

Rituals

There are multiple rituals that Basef have—including birth, marriage, conversions, ordinations, coming of age, and death. All require having a Mother present, except death in cases of accidental or sudden deaths. The one ritual that doesn’t require a Mother present is chanting. The Holy Chants are considered a form of worship, a verbal prayer. They are numerous, one each for every deity in the pantheon, and the most popular one is repeating the various epithets of the deities. Especially when set to music, it is considered an art form by outsiders.

Birth is the first ritual, with a Mother sacrificing an animal and christening the newborn in its blood, and painting the doorways of the farmstead in its blood. A piece of the animal (such as a foot, horn, or feather) is kept and worn on a chain by the child until their coming of age ceremony. The child is given their birth name, something that could be considered a nickname, on the fifth day after their birth which is the name the child will be called by until their coming of age ceremony as well. This is to protect the child from spirits. The birth ritual is an effort to keep the body of the child in the farmstead and the mortal world, instead of going back to the Great Pasture.

The coming of age ritual is done on the nearest major holiday to the child’s birth, when they are 17 years old. The child is given their true name, receive their first tattoo, the endless knot, and give their first sacrifice to the Mother who witnessed their birth, or if that Mother had passed on to the Great Pasture, the Mother who had replaced her. They also burn the piece of animal from their birth ritual. The blood from the sacrificed animal is mixed with the ash of the other sacrifices on the holiday and dust from Demeter to form the ink for the tattoo. After recieving their name and tattoo, they are considered adults and adherents of Basef, and that their soul has left the Great Pasture and properly joined their body.

Marriage is often the next ritual experience most Basef have. Once the those who are becoming married announce they wish to be joined in union, the Mother closest to their farmstead acknowledges that they are permitted to do so. The ceremony happens on the nearest holiday, and are the most joyous and energetic celebration done by Basef, along with being the longest.

It includes a chase of the first sacrificed animal, with all able bodied single adult members of each family chasing after the animal to be sacrificed. The first one to bring the animal to the Mother, sitting at the altar, is believed to be the next to become married. Due to the close quarters contact and wrestling that occurs over the animal, animals used in this portion of the ceremony are not larger than a goat.

After the first sacrifice, the blood is used to anoint the couple, and mixed with the ash of other sacrifices along with dust from Demeter, and used to tattoo the sheaf of wheat. After receiving the tattoos, each person being married is led through a complex process under a canopy made from linen held by each person’s family members.

Each is led around the other by the other’s mother, in the same direction as the sun’s path across the sky, first five rotations, for the five days they had remained unnamed, and then 27 for the number of bones in the All-Mother’s hand. Between these rotations, the most common Holy Chant is said. Once both have completed this, they then proceed tie an endless knot around their joined right hands, which is blessed by the Mother, who then unties it, cuts the scarlet cord in half, and ties the lengths around each participant’s right wrist, which should never be removed.

After the main ceremony, there are rounds of dancing performed with singing and music. Between the dances, the families of those being married exchange gifts. The gifts are often food, household goods, and animals, and always in pairs. Once 27 rounds of dancing and gift giving have happened, half of those gifts from both families are given to the new couple. The marriage concludes with another sacrifice, with the blood mixed with the wine of toasts to the future good health and wealth of the married couple.

The last ritual most Basef have is the death ritual, and happens five days after the death. The most solemn of all the rituals, it involves the cremation of those who have died. They are washed, anointed with oils, and wrapped in a scarlet sheet which is tied tightly around their body. They are arranged with their arms crossed, clasping a sacrificed dove, believed to the the animal to carry the soul to the Great Pasture. The sheet is then embroidered with the name of the deceased, and an endless knot and wheat sheath.

This bundle, along with a few possessions to accompany the deceased into the afterlife in the Great Pasture, are burned on a pyre. The ashes from the pyre, blood of the dove, and dust from Demeter are mixed and used to tattoo the blood relations of the deceased. The tattoos are called grief-marks, and are a short line tattooed at the outside edges of the right eye, usually about a half inch long.

The other ceremonies that happen under the supervision of a Mother on a holiday are conversions and ordinations. A conversion usually happens in two instances: when a recent immigrant to Demeter converts, or an outsider marries a Basef who wishes to keep their religion. In the case of an immigrant, they go through a coming of age ceremony, without the giving of a true name. In the case of an outsider marriage, a Mother does an abridged ceremony. The abridged ceremony includes only the knot tying.

Ordinations happen when a future Mother reaches age 17, and is inducted by their mother on the closest holiday. Their mother shaves their hair, and dresses the new Mother in their scarlet vestments. The new Mother is seated at the altar, and have a dove sacrificed above their head by their mother, with the blood draining directly onto them. After the blood is drained, the new Mother lays facedown and flat on the ground, and are covered with Demeter dust while the Holy Chant is said. Once covered in dust, and the chant is concluded, the new Mother has the endless knot tattooed on their right hand, and the wheat sheaf tattooed on their left hand.

After the tattooing, the new Mother sits next to the altar while other ceremonies are conducted, and does the Holy Chant 27 times. Once they completed it, they are considered a Mother. They are called under-Mother until their Mother dies, which is when they take over, or when they establish a new Temple or Shrine.

Pantheon

Cota, the Goddess of Autumn

Asyn, the God of Medicine and Life

Ghamis, the Goddess of Peace

Okaos, the God of Destruction and Youth

Mihena, the Goddess of Shame

Ruhdite, the Goddess of the Fields

Thana, the Goddess of Horses

Edis, the God of Politics

Wistus, the God of Intoxicants

Nemmis, the Goddess of Names and Death

Muuna, the Goddess of the Hearth

Vaaris, the Goddess of the Sun

Razone, the Goddess of the Moon and Sky

Tuttis, the God of Weather

Cades, the God of Borders and Luck

Banja, the Goddess of Kane*

*Considered an underground Goddess, she is not widely worshipped, except by those who participate in the Kane trade.

#:// inspiration #:// headcanons

4 notes · View notes

hedgerowdevil · 6 years

Photo

Equinox: Analemma over the Callanish Stones

"Does the Sun return to the same spot on the sky every day at the same time? No. A more visual answer to that question is an analemma, a composite image taken from the same spot at the same time over the course of a year. The featured analemma was composed from images taken every few days at noon near the village of Callanish in the Outer Hebrides in Scotland, UK. In the foreground are the Callanish Stones, a stone circle built around 2700 BC during humanity's Bronze Age. It is not known if the placement of the Callanish Stones has or had astronomical significance. The ultimate causes for the figure-8 shape of this and all analemmas are the tilt of the Earth axis and the ellipticity of the Earth's orbit around the Sun. At the solstices, the Sun will appear at the top or bottom of an analemma. Equinoxes, however, correspond to analemma middle points -- not the intersection point. Today at 1:54 am (UT) is the equinox ("equal night"), when day and night are equal over all of planet Earth. Many cultures celebrate a change of season at an equinox."

https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap180923.html

#analemma #equinox #solstice #standing stones

16 notes · View notes

quarkcrystal-blog · 6 years

Text

Imaginary Planet

The first planet where I encountered sentient beings was one I’ll never forget. Magnificent in size, and every square centimeter of it crawling with life, the years were a generation long, and nearby star systems ensured that even it’s “nights” shone brightly. Located much closer to the center of our Milky Way, there is not as much empty space between the planet’s own star, and those closest to it. Not until their own technological understanding had significantly advanced, were they able to create instruments able to peer into the darkness beyond their own solar system, which until that very moment was their entire cosmos. Just like us humans, they felt a desire to gaze out into the vast nothingness of space, and to ask questions about the cosmos.

The planet was so huge, that even its own primary moon (the third of over 46) was many times Earth’s size, and it too was crawling with life. It was so close and so marvelously huge, dancing in lockstep with the megalith it orbited, that those standing on the large planet’s surface could see geographic details of their satellite, day or night, provided they were in the correct hemisphere during the correct time of the year. Individuals from millions of cultures made their once-in-a-lifetime pilgrimages in order to behold the moon, at least once in their lifetime, if they happened to lived on the opposite side. Many hundreds of times the size of Earth, and even after the advent of a transportation industry, this journey is still nothing to scoff at. And it is apparent to anyone gazing up at the sky, that the moon as well was brimming with life. The moon, having much less subtle seasons and multiple years every day, had an ebb and flow of vegetation along her many riverbanks that could easily be seen by the naked eye, within an equally short amount of time.

Sentience had occurred first on the larger of the two mother rocks, and long before the dawn of science, their people looked up at this lush moon, mythologized in over a billion individual cultures, and a world-wide desire to one day conquer gravity and visit the garden in the sky grew among all cultures and served to bond them to a common goal. There were tribal squabbles, sure, and wars as well, but their civilization on the whole never reached the level of violence as did our disjointed and mistrustful kind.

Shortly after the advent of their technological revolution, a global effort was mounted to take to the sky. Relative to our time, they accomplished this more quickly than we did, and did so out of shared ambition rather than bitter competition. And when that first lander made touchdown, a planet-wide celebration occurred. Among the most astounding discoveries they made while visiting their moon, was that their genetics suggested a single common origin for life on both cosmic bodies. Panspermia had been in effect here, no doubt about it. The cross-contamination of each planet’s life only caused a small handful of epidemics, which were they were quickly able to manage with their medical expertise. After a study of their genetics, it was learned that life had only emerged to survive and evolve in one particular instance in this binary system, and the debate over which rock this happened on was still unsettled, as older and older fossils are to this day unearthed from the ground. (Perhaps “unearthed” is not the right term to use to describe digging something up on an alien planet. And, as of the time of this writing, the most current science has confirmed a fossil from the moon to be the oldest and first evidence of life. This still is not proof that life first emerged there, but this technicality would do little to diminish the great reverence and mythology that these beings always would carry for their magnificent moon.)

#SciFi ScienceFiction CreativeWriting Aliens Cosmos Imagination Planets

1 note · View note