The Solar Satellite

The Satellite has again left orbit...

2010-04-20T22:53:00.001-04:00

So join us on the Secret Sun Facebook page for links, news and ephemera...

Peter Steele crosses over...

2010-04-15T21:09:00.001-04:00

Rest in peace, brother...

Restoration Revelation: Goddess of the North

2010-04-10T15:01:00.002-04:00

It looks as if the Druids are rising once again in the British Isles:

Work is to start on a giant sculpture of a naked woman which is to be carved into the Northumberland landscape.

The "Goddess of the North" will be made from 1.5 million tonnes of earth from the Shotton mine, near Cramlington.

It will stand 34 metres - 10 metres higher than the Angel of the North - and will be 400 metres long.

Once developed, it is believed it will be the largest human form to be sculpted into the land, in the world.

UFO on the M5

2010-04-10T12:52:00.005-04:00

From The Sun:

TWO fighter jets are filmed whizzing over the M5 - apparently in pursuit of a UFO. A mystery cameraman took footage of the military aircraft chasing the shiny orb. The 30-second clip is believed to have been taken from a West Midlands service station car park.

Expert Nick Pope, who probed UFO sightings for the MoD, said: "This is one of the best videos I've seen. It could be a new drone - that might explain the military jets.

It certainly could be, but Pope notes that this isn't the time or place to test a drone, and we still haven't seen any confirmed drones with no external architecture, such as stabilizers and antennae.

Fringewatch: S2 Ep 17

2010-04-09T19:11:00.003-04:00

This was a good solid ep, if not a bit on the serviceable side. We start out expecting a standalone and end up back in the Mythology. The Jacksonville motif seems increasingly creepy in light of the of the scandals emanating from the Vatican, not to mention the daycare scares of the 80s. That being said, I'd like to see Olivia begin to manifest some interesting powers herself, aside from the vision thing.

The real treat this week (aside from the hypnotic Vancouver ambiance) was an uncredited guest appearance by Diane Kruger of Troy and National Treasure fame (and Joshua Jackson's GF, the lucky bastard). Sadly, it looks to be a one-off...

Non-US readers click here.

Malcolm McLaren 1946-2010

2010-04-08T23:00:00.002-04:00

Malcolm McLaren, the man who irreversibly changed the face of British music as manager of the Sex Pistols, died yesterday, aged 64.
He had suffered from cancer for some time and, despite a recent period of good health, his condition had deteriorated rapidly in recent days, according to his spokesman. He died in Switzerland yesterday morning and his body is expected to be flown home to be buried in Highgate cemetery, north London.
Those paying tribute to him last night included John Lydon, who poignantly signed his statement in the name of Johnny Rotten, the nom de guerre that the one-time enfant terrible used during his Sex Pistols days.

In the Strangest Places, pt. 3,419

2010-04-06T09:58:00.004-04:00

Asia was a punchline in The 40 Year-Old Virgin, but they were made up of some heavy duty prog vets from Yes, ELP and King Crimson who decided to to forget all of the wonky time-signature stuff and play the Top 40 sweepstakes. Matt from X-Files Lexicon sent along this video, with some fascinatingly incongruous Ishtar/Kali/Sekhmet destroyer-goddess imagery...

Dying, Rising

2010-04-04T14:58:00.003-04:00

I don't agree with Acharya S on any number of topics you can name, but I do appreciate her astounding research skills. She's revealed the complexity and diversity of indigenous European mythology, a topic that's usually dumbed down to the point of tedium. But for me the point is not to bash Judeo-Christianity as it is to unveil the rich heritage of indigenous European mythology and religious traditions, which has been hidden away from us by the collusion of the corporate, religious and academic power structures.

You can't truly control a people until you steal their gods and Europe's native gods were stolen almost 1700 years ago. But such is their power that they eventually colonized the colonizers and created a rich and dynamic culture throughout the late Middle Ages and the Renaissance. And even today this process continues to evolve, as I wrote about in Our Gods Wear Spandex and in my upcoming book.

And now we see the old gods entertaining millions in movies, comic books, TV shows and video games in both their old guises and in new, which is as it should be. Bloodthirsty tyrants like Theodosius and Justinian didn't realize it at the time, but by relieving the gods of their cults and their priests and all of the whining supplicants they set them free, and allowed them to fight and fuck and fly across the imagination of billions of people across space and time.

The old gods were tired and worn out by the time of Caesar- the Church rendered them truly immortal.

Stations of the Sun, Redux Aeternus

2010-04-04T12:57:00.003-04:00

A classic song that still languishes in Bootlegville.

First line: "It was spring, so call it Easter.."

The Saturn Award

2010-04-03T21:11:00.001-04:00

The New Outer Limits won three of these for best anthology series. Fascinating design, don't you think?

TVOD: Fringe Rules, or The Sacred City of Sci-FI

2010-04-03T12:39:00.004-04:00

There's been a countless parade of X-Files imitators over the past 17 years, but only one show has risen to the level of the original. And have done so by peeling away all of the elements they borrowed from the X-Files in the first season. But also by undoing- reversing, really, The X-Files' great and tragic mistake by picking up stakes and moving the show up to Vancouver, the Sacred City of the Ongoing Sci-Fi Revelation.

Gratuitous Anna Torv eyecandy

The X-Files' ratings folded like a cheap suit after leaving Vancouver, a downward slide that stabilized only during the epochal Season Eight but then collapsed again after Fox forced a ninth season. I know Fringe's exodus was down to budgetary concerns, but it seems the old spirits of X-Files' past were waiting for Abrams and company there, and have inhabited the fledgling show like the XF Mytharc's Walk-Ins.

Keep it coming, guys. Non-US readers, click here to soak in the latest revelation.

Strangest NASA mission posters

2010-04-02T02:01:00.003-04:00

Here's a nice treasure trove of inhouse imagery from ~~NAZCA~~ NASA, which doubles as an interesting peek into their psyches. Seems that geekery is well-represented there, but then again geekery is becoming so dominant it may need to be called something else. Check out the gallery here.

The Holy Fool

2010-04-01T01:12:00.001-04:00

Representing a Secret Sun classic....

The jingling of bells during the dance is meant to frighten evil spirits and the clashing of sticks represent the fight between good and evil. The dancer who weaves in and out of the team of dancers is known as the Fool and whilst his dance seems to be that of a random nature, in fact his is a very intricate dance and represents the naivety of man. A dancer who is dressed as an animal character shows mans reliance on nature. Handkerchiefs emphasise the hand movements during the dance.- Crop Fertility Rituals

The Kalends of April are sacred to Venus, as is the entire month, and this day has been called the Veneralia. Public games, ludi, would be held in honor of the deity. This day was also known as All Fools Day to the Romans, and they would spend the entire day celebrating with comic hilarity, doing things backwards, wearing women's clothes, dancing in the streets, and generally carrying on in the most in the most foolish and congenial manner. This is one of the few Roman holidays that has preserved some of its original character, under the modern name April Fools Day. In Egypt, this day was celebrated as the Birthday of the god Hathor.- (link)

The Anglo-Saxons called April Oster-monath or Eostur-monath, the period sacred to Eostre or Ostara, the pagan Saxon goddess of spring, from whose name is derived the modern Easter.- Wikipedia

It's probably no coincidence that April Fools' Day is celebrated at the same time that two other similar holidays are celebrated. In ancient Rome, the festival of Hilaria was thrown to celebrate the resurrection of the god Attis. Hilaria is probably the base word for hilarity and hilarious, which mean great merriment. Today, Hilaria is also known as Roman Laughing Day. -How Stuff Works

Perhaps the biggest change came from the initiated version of the Tarot that the original Golden Dawn (and its later offshoots) used. In that deck, the Fool is represented as a naked child of indeterminate sex, who is accompanied by a wolf on a leash, who is reaching up for a rose. In Golden Dawn, the Fool represents the god Harpocrates, the Egyptian god Horus as a young child. - Associated Content

"The four magic symbols, the sceptre, the cup, the sword and the pentacle. The fool always carries them, although he has long since forgotten what they mean. Nevertheless they belong to him, even though he does not know their use. The symbols have not lost their power, they retain it in themselves. - P D. Ouspensky

Restoration Revelation: Another Day, Another Pharaoh

2010-03-30T13:59:00.002-04:00

More of the same, but the possible ley lines fascinate me. Just a footnote or part of an emerging narrative?:

The missing pyramid of an obscure pharaoh that ruled Egypt some 4,300 years ago could lie at the intersection of a series of invisible lines in South Saqqara, according to new astronomical and topographical research.

Connecting the funerary complexes raised by the kings of the 6th Dynasty between 2,322 B.C. and 2,151 B.C., these lines would have governed the sacred space of the Saqqara area, in accordance with a number of criteria such as dynastic lineage, religion and astronomical alignment.

Restoration Revelation: "Ancient door to afterlife discovered"

2010-03-29T11:22:00.003-04:00

And the hits just keep-a-comin':

CAIRO (AFP) – A large red granite false door from the tomb of an ancient queen's powerful vizier has been discovered in Luxor, Egypt's culture minister said on Monday.

The carved stone door -- which ancient Egyptians believed was the threshold to the afterlife -- was unearthed near the Karnak Temple in Luxor and belongs to the tomb of User, a powerful advisor to the 18th dynasty Queen Hatshepsut, Faruk Hosni said in a statement.

The door, 1.75 metres (5.7 feet) high and 50 cm (19 inches) thick, is engraved with religious texts and various titles used by User...

Strangely enough, Hatshepsut is one of history's most powerful cross-dressers (gives the term "drag king" a whole new meaning). Check out this video on the phemme pharaoh here...

Hidden History of the Human Race?

2010-03-27T12:49:00.003-04:00

Alien Project Andre recommends this interview and slide show. I've not heard of this chap and can't attest to his research, but even so these kinds of presentations always lead to some new artifact or ancient artwork that always leads to some new kind of revelation in the grander scheme of things. Here's the spiel:

This video is a 45 minute slideshow, with a personal commentary from Klaus. It's data-rich, detailed, intensive, absorbing, and may contain more startling information about the history of the human race in one place than any other video you've ever seen.

The journey we embark on covers Atlantis, reptilian humanoids, the Anunnaki, ancient symbolism, ancient science, an ancient global language, and much more. This is astonishing material, which has my highest recommendation. Enjoy.

Check out the interview and slideshow here.

Restoration Revelation: Tut takes Manhattan

2010-03-24T17:40:00.003-04:00

Well, the Restoration Revelation continues in 2010, with the magnificent Tut exhibit due to take New York. As just as we saw in London, Anubis made the trip down the East River to promote the opening. Gotta love this shot, juxtaposing the dog-god with the androgynous Isis.

Some fascinating restoration language in this promotional video, setting the tone for the ongoing Tut world tour- the restoration motifs we've looked at in depth on the Secret Sun.

And again we see the adorable moppets in their serpentine headgear. A glimpse of the future? We'll see...

Thanks to Sun reader for the reminder.

Sci-Fi Americas: Rewilding and Radical Urban Planning

2010-03-23T10:45:00.003-04:00

Most intelligent people recognize that suburban sprawl is a blight. A lot of people also realize that walkable cities and well-planned communities would be a huge improvement on ghost malls, suburban slums and other hideous after-effects of developer greed and stupidity. Livable cities are the hallmark of a true civilization.

That being said, there are a lot of radical ideas out there that have the strong whiff of elite social engineering. This may or may not be one of them, but fitting the entire population of the US into a territory the size of New Hampshire seems a bit extreme, don't you think? But we're living in a time when plans are being drawn up to bulldoze any number of Rust Belt ghost towns back into farmlands. All bets are off.

We're also living at a time when it seems that the country is being goaded into disintegration, mainly through media shills rejiggering our political symbols and myths into social weapons. It could turn out that certain parts of the US could be radically transformed into sci-fi habitats surrounded by forest and farmland. Keep an eye out for signs of this in the days to come.

Scully Meets Moby

2010-03-22T11:20:00.002-04:00

Gillalien Anderson is starring as Ethan Hawke's love interest in a new adaptation of Moby Dick, filmed in Canada. All sorts of tasty synchro tidbits here, not the least of which was her use of Moby music in "all things," the XF ep she wrote and directed (her commentary track for the ep is fascinating listening). Moby's "My Weakness" was also the central theme in "Closure," which dealt with walk-ins and soul migration. William "Altered States" Hurt and Donald Sutherland co-star.

Face It, Tigra...

2010-03-21T13:05:00.002-04:00

More stunning super/sexy eye candy from animation maestro, Bruce Timm. Please- some give this guy a pile of money to do a graphic novel or three.

Sci-Fi and the 60s: William Gibson in 1967

2010-03-18T10:36:00.007-04:00

The Prophet of Vancouver in an earlier incarnation. Despite the centrality of 2001: A Space Odyssey, we tend to forget the role sci-fi played in the Sixties counterculture. Perhaps because sci-fi came to the fore in the early 70s with the Glam movement and the wave of dystopian sci-fi cinema, and the stereotype of the back-to-nature flower child is the dominant meme pushed in the media.

But Heinlein's Stranger in a Strange Land (whose lead character was inspired by Crowley in part) was a foundational text of the Aquarian Age, as were the Lord of the Rings novels and Dune. I'd go so far to say that Star Wars was the final testament of the Sixties, with Luke Skywalker (name lifted from Jack Kirby's "Mark Moonrider") as the young seeker, Obi Wan as the Alan Watts/Timothy Leary guru and Han Solo as Neal Cassady, driving the Millennium Falcon (a lightspeed take on Furthur) to the Death Star (think the march on the Pentagon).

More on this to come- keep an eye on The Secret Sun network...

Hibernia Rocks!

2010-03-17T10:41:00.002-04:00

Antarctic Ice Creatures- Europa foreshadowing?

2010-03-15T20:44:00.003-04:00

We've been reading a lot of stories about Europa and ETL, now this appears. Is this part of a conditioning process, or is this all a coincidence?

WASHINGTON — In a surprising discovery about where higher life can thrive, scientists for the first time found a shrimp-like creature and a jellyfish frolicking beneath a massive Antarctic ice sheet.

Six hundred feet below the ice where no light shines, scientists had figured nothing much more than a few microbes could exist.

That's why a NASA team was surprised when they lowered a video camera to get the first long look at the underbelly of an ice sheet in Antarctica. A curious shrimp-like creature came swimming by and then parked itself on the camera's cable. Scientists also pulled up a tentacle they believe came from a foot-long jellyfish.

Read the article here.

Glory of Heracles trailer

2010-03-14T17:30:00.002-04:00

Video Games | Glory of Heracles | Launch Trailer

XBox 360 | Playstation 3 | Nintendo Wii

The kiddie-friendly version of God of War? Quite timely, what with Percy Jackson and Clash of the Titans and the rest. But is there a meme that isn't a video game these days?

Eerie UFOs over Lake Erie

2010-03-14T11:48:00.000-04:00

For more than a week, a mysterious pulsating light has been appearing nightly over Lake Erie east of downtown Cleveland — showing up at approximately 7:30 pm and zipping around in the darkness for about two hours before disappearing — reports MSNBC.

Link courtesy of Lesley at the UFO Mystic.