The Ages of Man

The Ages of Man is the ancient belief based on the religious events from the Creation of Adam to the coming of Revelation. The Seven Ages correspond to the seven days of the week; with each age being 1,000 years.

The First Age began with the creation of Adam and lasted until the Great Flood and Noah ending in the destruction of Mankind,

The Second Age began from the time of Noah and lasted to the time of Abraham.

The Third Age consisted of the days of Abraham to the times of David the king.

The Fourth Age was the ages from David to where the people spent in captivity in Babylon.

The Fifth Age passed from the transmigration to th birth of Jesus.

The Sixth Age is the present time, from the coming of Jesus to the world as we know it.

The Ages of Man to the Greeks consisted of the beliefs passed down as myths.  These ages were:

The Golden Age where men lived like the Gods without sorrow and did not work for their needs.

The Silver Age the second generation of men who were foolish during this time men toiled for their grain and refused to serve the Immortals.

The third generation of man was the Bronze Age.  This race was the age of heroes, they loved war and violence. Bronze was their armor as well as their houses, they died an left the Earth without a trace.

The Fourth race was a nobler Heroic race. The heroes of this race were demigods, they were righteous and the events which took place at this time were the Trojan War and Seven against Thebes.

The Iron Age is the fifth generation of men. Men labor for their sustenance.  This is the Age in which we live today. This Age is doomed to destruction. The Ages of Man


The Ages of Man is the ancient belief based on the religious events from the Creation of Adam to the coming of Revelation. The Seven Ages correspond to the seven days of the week; with each age being 1,000 years.

The First Age began with the creation of Adam and lasted until the Great Flood and Noah ending in the destruction of Mankind,

The Second Age began from the time of Noah and lasted to the time of Abraham.

The Third Age consisted of the days of Abraham to the times of David the king.

The Fourth Age was the ages from David to where the people spent in captivity in Babylon.

The Fifth Age passed from the transmigration to th birth of Jesus.

The Sixth Age is the present time, from the coming of Jesus to the world as we know it.

The Ages of Man to the Greeks consisted of the beliefs passed down as myths.  These ages were:

The Golden Age where men lived like the Gods without sorrow and did not work for their needs.

The Silver Age the second generation of men who were foolish during this time men toiled for their grain and refused to serve the Immortals.

The third generation of man was the Bronze Age.  This race was the age of heroes, they loved war and violence. Bronze was their armor as well as their houses, they died an left the Earth without a trace.

The Fourth race was a nobler Heroic race. The heroes of this race were demigods, they were righteous and the events which took place at this time were the Trojan War and Seven against Thebes.

The Iron Age is the fifth generation of men. Men labor for their sustenance.  This is the Age in which we live today. This Age is doomed to destruction.

Prophetesses of the Bible

The definition of a prophet is one who speaks for God. Prophecy consists of speaking God's Word, and praising the Lord. The Holy Spirit moves a chosen person to communicate through then prophecy is at work.

The Bible makes no distinction between men and women. Prophets are chosen by God, who opens their spirits, their minds and souls and gives them a message, and directs them in speaking His Word.

Women had a part in the ministry of the Word of God; although Paul said “Let your women keep silence in the churches: for it is not permitted unto them to speak; but they are commanded to be under obedience, as also saith the law. And if they will learn any thing, let them ask their husbands at home: for it is a shame for women to speak in the church." ; there had always been women prophets in Israel. Miriam, saved her baby brother Moses from death when she was just a child,. Miriam is first spoken of in Exodus; when the Israelites escape from Egypt Miriam again is mentioned, and here she is named as a prophetess. Miriam and the women of Israel praised God at the Red Sea with God's victory over Pharaohs armies.

Deborah was a judge in the period between the death of Joshua and the anointing of Saul as king. Israel had fallen into sin and the Lord had allowed the Canaanites to control them for 20 years. During part of this time, Deborah was a judge and a prophet.

Huldah was a prophetess during the time of Josiah a King of Judah. At this time the Book of the Law was discovered Huldah was consulted and she prophesied the judgment of God.



Anna was a prophetess who bore witness to Jesus as the Redeemer upon seeing Him as a baby in the temple.

The Book of Acts tells us that the evangelist Philip had four virgin daughters who were prophetesses.

There are warnings of false prophetesses in the Bible. These women practiced divination and were not true prophets. One such was Jezebel Jesus exposed her to the church of Thyatira.

Women in the Greek and Roman World

Greek and Roman women lived in a world where there were strict gender roles, where each person was judged by gender standards of conduct. The men in these societies were placed above women; they maintained control and possessed overall freedom.  

Men were active in public life and free to come and go as they pleased, however, a woman's life was sheltered. In the case of the Greeks, a woman's life was largely confined to the house they lived in. Their role was of a homemaker, where they were expected to be good wives and mothers and those were the only activities that they engaged in.

The Romans allowed their women a less confining existence but, the idea of giving them equality outside the home was not even thought in the Roman world.

Roman women were not allowed to vote or hold public office. Society did not allow women to conduct legal or economic transactions without a male guardian. By law women could not inherit.

The roles of genders differed in the Greek and Roman worlds, however men were treated differently then the women, in both cultures. 

In the Greek time, the women were kept sheltered by their fathers until they 

were married, when they then kept house for their husband and children and commanding the slaves as directed by their husbands. Once married, the man laid down the rules and stated what was expected of her and she was to obey. Romans treated their women a little differently; they let them have some equality outside the home.

Although it varied in ancient society in Sparta it was required for a man to marry; and in Greece society expected women to marry when they became of age which was about 16. Their fathers and prospective husbands arranged this marriage. Women passed from one master to another. During their marriage the seclusion of women was common among Athenians as well.

While boys were allowed to learn in school, girls were not allowed to go to school, and when they grew up they were not allowed to speak in public. Women were considered inferior to men. The women of ancient Greece were often educated at home by their husbands or brothers only to help educate their children. The Hetaera was a group of women trained as prostitutes; these women were educated outside the home in the arts of entertaining and conversation. This enabled them to sit and have conversations with men during festivals where they needed to have a higher education. 

Married women were allowed to associate with other women but could not associate with men. For the unmarried women such as the Heteras, they were like call girls, and were the man's entertainment and were allowed certain rights. 

The unmarried women had occupations. Some were slaves, but most were prostitutes. The Hetaeras were trained in dance and conversation. Some worked as dancers, poets, midwives, or entertainers.

      

The role of women in Greek myth was larger than their role in real life; the Goddesses and heroines in their myths were often strong and powerful. Diana for one was considered a huntress fierce in the hunt and an adamant virgin forced Zeus her father to promise that she should never marry. Athena had a city called by her name and was a Goddess of wisdom; Helen of Troy set off the battle 10 year battle of Troy and Greece. However of the Olympian Goddesses Hera clearly personifies the woman's role in these ancient cultures. The Goddess of marriage, childbirth and the wife of Zeus; she keeps to the home presiding over the family while Zeus is well known for his adulterous affairs.  

Mountains and Mythology

Mountains and volcanoes were displays of nature that the ancients believed possessed immense power. They gave a feeling of mystery and magic. They were a source of life and served as a pathway to the powers of the sky. Throughout history they ave be sacred places and perceived as the home of Gods and spirits.

Some famous mountains and volcanoes were:

Mount Etna 

Mount Etna is an active volcano on the east coast of Sicily. It is the tallest active volcano in Europe. In Greek Mythology, the deadly monster Typhon was trapped under this mountain by Zeus, and the forges of Hephaestus were said to also be located beneath it.

According to Roman mythology, Mt. Etna is home of the God of fire, Vulcan. They say that, when the volcano erupts the God of fire is working on armor and weapons for Mars, the God of War; Mt Etna is also known with the name Mongibello meaning mountains of mountains.

Mount Olympus

Mount Olympus is the highest mountain in Greece, it is located in the Olympus Range 

In Greek mythology Olympus was the home of the Gods of the ancient Grecian world. After the defeat of the Titans the new Gods, called Olympians, dwelt there and it is the setting of many Greek myths.

Mount Ararat

Mount Ararat is a dormant volcano in Turkey. It has two peaks the Greater Ararat and the Lesser Ararat. In Judea-Christian beliefs Mr Ararat is associated with the mountains where Noah's Ark landed after the deluge. The Bible says that Noah's Ark came to rest on the mountains of Ararat. 

Mount Sinai

Mount Sinai is a mountain in Egypt which is identified in the Bible as the place where Moses received the Ten Commandments.It is argued that the true place is actually in Saudi Arabia.Mount Sinai is one of the most sacred in the Judea-Christian religions. The laws of God were given to the Israelites at this holy place.

Mount Nebo

Mount Nebo located in Jordan is the place, according to the Bible, where God showed Moses a glimpse of the Promised Land. Also it may be the site where Jeremiah hid the Ark of the Covenant.

Mountains hold an important place in world mythology. They are a symbol of strength, an hold a place between Heaven and Earth. They are the homes of the Gods and a site where Man and the divine meet.

Mountains were central to the order of the Cosmos and in a chaotic world offered stability to mankind.

Time and the Ancients

At a time long ago when the world was dark, the Earth bare, and the sea with an endless sea, people developed a philosophy about the forces that surrounded them.  The Creation myths formed from the world around them into the beliefs of a people.  The inexplicable world became orderly through the beliefs and the attempted explanations. Answers to the rain, the wind and the celestial bodies.

12 Constellations form a ring in around the sky in a path that is called ecliptic. The Zodiac as we know it denotes the path the Sun travels through the sky.

Ancient people discovered that it takes a year for the \Sun to move through its journey through the Zodiac. They associated each constellation of the Zodiac with times of the year To them the months changed, the seasons turned and so went time. Centuries later they discovered that the Earth revolves around the Sun and the illusion of the path of the ecliptic was false, however the signs of the Zodiac survived.

Calendars were created based on nature's cycles and the ceremonies, festivals and myths of the ancients were patterned after the gods that ruled these rhythms. The sky was the model in which they created their clocks and calendars. The sky, the Moon and the Sun were the most obvious markers and were used as early as the Ice Age.

The Egyptians developed a calendar as early as 4200BC which was used by other cultures as late as the Middle Ages.

The ancients had a respect for their celestial Gds and incorporated it into their myths.

Many of the structures that are found today, such as Stonehenge, the Mayan pyramids, and other circles found throughout the British Isles prove that the ancients used the sky for clocks and calendars. The ancients were sky watchers, the Mayans for example, observed the celestial objects as early as the 6th century BC to make calendars and recorded the pattern of eclipses in what is called the Dresden Codex.

The ancient peoples found order in the natural world if the sky. The order with its cycles was what they needed to survive and also to get in touch with the spirits.  

Religion has been a part of all civilizations of the world, at times controlling at other mysterious and imaginative, the human genius when it comes to a society's beliefs the ultimate goal the is to meet the needs of the people. 

The purpose of life is to achieve happiness.  We differ in our ethnicity, cultures, languages and religions, however, we are the same in our basic needs for peace and happiness.  Our world's problems arise when we lose track of the basic truths we are family, the human family, with our conflicts and superficial differences our hopes for happiness are the key to inner peace.

In humanity's history people and their societies have looked to religions a source of meaning.  Basic spiritual and ethical values come from religions and cultures.  Human society depends on te world's religions to play an important role in the basic values such as justice, compassion, honesty and forgiveness.  These truths causes the thread that ties the peoples of the world together making up the human world.

The more we understand each other's ways the more we lean from each other.

All major religions carry the same message, love and compassion.  The general concept remains the same . The respect of all faiths is the foundation of harmony between the different religions of the world and the different people which make up the world.  This is something which we all must aspire to ; a greater understanding among the peoples throughout the world.  

Diversity in people means diversity in traditions and religions.  Everyone has the right to make his or her own choice in beliefs.

Tolerance, understanding between the many traditions of the world with the 

Medicine Wheels of North America

Archaeologists have found hundreds of Medicine Wheels in the United States and Canada. They are assembled with a central pile of stones, radiating in a circular arrangement,that can be used to align to the sunrise at Summer solstice.

The monuments were created by laying stones in a pattern on the ground oriented to the four directions. Most medicine wheels follow the basic pattern of having a center pile of stones, and surrounding that is an outer ring of stones with lines of rocks from the center to the four Cardinal Directions, East, South, West and North..

One of the sites called the Bighorn Medicine Wheel in Wyoming is the most famous and appears to be aligned to other objects in the sky as well as the Summer solstice Sun at sunrise.

There are many ideas about the origins of the wheels and the reasons they were built. They are being studied by astronomers and archaeologists alike. Scientists analyzing the formations have discovered alignments to different solar events, in particular, the sunrise and sunset at the Summer Solstice.

Medicine Wheels had many different uses and changed over the years from tribe to tribe. Some of them were used as burial mounds, some of them point to other Medicine Wheels or natural resources. Some evidence shows that some of the wheels were updated over the centuries to track the changes in celestial alignments.

One astronomer had a theory that some of the wheels were used as astronomical sites, which the people used to track sunrise or sunset, at a certain times of the year, marking certain auspicious days of the year.

Medicine wheels are thought to be used to mark the geographical directions and astronomical events of the Sun, Moon, and Stars, in relation to the Earth's horizon at that location. Ancient peoples believed that the medicine wheel in had great power.

They were sites for important ceremonies, teachings, and in as much were sacred places. Today, the Bighorn Medicine Wheel is still an accurate predictor for the summer solstice and is still used by various Native American groups.

African American Religions

The roots of African American religions in North and South Americas, including voodoo, li in the African beliefs brought by the slaves from Africa.  Because of the Arab and European slave trades between the 16th and 19th centuries millions of Africans were brought to the Americas a slaves, they carried with them their Gods. The Dahomey Fon, a people of West Africa worshiped a god they called Vodu.  This god was taken to Haiti and the name was applied to the religion as well as tTheir god Voodoo religion had a supreme god who could be approached through lesser spirits by rituals done by the Hungans and Mambos.  They also believed that the spirits of their ancestors were the living dead because they were both close to the living as well as the spiritual beings. 

African religion began in slave communities in the South before the Civil War and the Americanized Africans practiced Christianity underground as it was often forbidden by owners,  They worshiped outside of institutional churches.  The First church in North America to have an entirely African American congregation was the African Methodist Episcopalian Church in 1787.

In the 1830’s during the religious awakening in the South the slave owners were now bringing the Gospel to the quarters and this served as a form of social control and as a way to convert the slaves. By 1860, about 15 percent of the slaves were members of either the Baptist or Methodist church.

 The Black Judaism movements began in 1905.  Rastafarianism orginated in the early 20th century with the belief that Emperor Haile Selassie of Ethiopia in 1930; with the claim to have descended from David and Solomon, would lead the Africans back  to their country, much like the Exodus.

Religion has had a controlling influence in every known society and the creativity of the peoples shows in their beliefs.  Powerful and deeply seeded in the human brain makes religion inevitable.  Men need religions to fulfill their d

Chaos

Chaos is a central theme in myths throughout the globe.  The original state of the universe was chaos, a void, dark and formless, nothing existed.

Creator deities emerged from darkness to bring light and life.  Light and dark, order and chaos is the basics of the concept of myth. The duality of the nature myths of various cultures has the Sun vs the Moon, rains against drought, fertility battling barrenness. 

But in the beginning there had to be order from a chaotic state.  Light conquering darkness gave way for Gods to create and be created.  The emergence of the sky and the realms of Heavens and the Underworld.

Mythology of the world has stories of the battles between chaos and order the cyclic renewal exists in all.  In Iran there is the Tree of All Seeds in the Norse mythology there is the World Tree Yggdrasal where a serpent gnaws at its roots in an attempt to conquer order.

Sunlight crucial to survival had the forces of chaos attempting to overcome liht and plunge the world back into eternal darkness

In order for one to exist there has to be the other; conflicts between the opposing forces existed then as now.  Rain without drought brings floods.  The four elements Earth, Air,Fire and Water have the polarity with Earth being the opposite of Air; and Fire the opposite of Water.

The need for opposition in the world was shown in the wisdom of the ancient peoples and their myths, a guar

Dragons

Dragons were considered to be weather makers to ancient peoples.  They were lizard like or serpentine in form, often with wings, and controlled the waters beneath the earth and the rain from the Heavens.

Dragons in mythology are typically with snake like traits. A dragon is a mythological representation of snakes or lizards. The cultural dragon from European folklore is derived from the Greek mythology, and the oriental mythology of Japan, China and East Asian countries. These have influenced each other by cross cultural contact.

Different culture's stories vary about the origin of dragons. Some dragons are said to breathe fire or are poisonous, They are commonly depicted as serpent like or having the features of reptiles, and possess scaly bodies. They are sometimes portrayed as watching treasure. Some myths often show them with wings.

They were worshiped and feared for their power and destructive abilities.

Dragons are often held to have spiritual significance in various religions and cultures around the world. To the Asians dragons are revered and represent the forces of nature, religion and the universe. They are associated with wisdom and long life. They often possess magic or other supernatural power, and are very often associated with rain, and the rivers. In legends the blood of dragons is thought as having great power rendering the person who bathed in it superior strength.

Dragons commonly lived in lakes, pools or seas and hibernated during the 

Winter drought months in palaces.  In the Spring they soared to the clouds and cause the rains. When angered and in battle with each other storms occurred.

The stories of dragons appear in many cultures and they are often depicted as the enemies of humanity and were believed to be destructive.  They caused storms, tidal waves creating havoc often while spouting fire.

The Heavens were supported by celestial dragons and subterranean dragons guarded treasures below the Earth's surface.

Tales of Gods battling dragons were told in the Indo-European cultures which symbolized the duality of nature the battle of darkness and light in the fundamental oppositional poles good and evil in our perception of the universe.

Water and Life

Water the substance of life in many myths was the source of the creation of the world.  In many myths it is the destroyer of mankind and holds a powerful symbolism and has developed into myths inhabited by many spirits and deities.

Water spirits came in many forms and had varied powers depending on the region of the world.  Water spirits in drought stricken area were revered as benevolent spirits while in areas of the world where rain was plentiful feared their gods of floods; and ancient seafarers faced the wrath of their gods on the seas. 

All of these people depended on the waters for their life substance and these gods became life giving creative force to be worshiped. 

In ancient times water worshiping was prevalent water's strength gave rise to lakes and rivers being deified.  Numerous river gods and river sprites are found in Celtic myths.  Temples and shrines were prominent in the Celt's lands.

The theme of the search for the Water of Life occurs in many cultures and by bathing in or drinking of people could become immortal.  I Greek mythology if is see in the story of Achilles.The Sea symbolizes life ad existed i the beginning of time.  The Primordial Sea is told in most cultures of the world.  The Sea was both the creator and the destroyer of the world.  In many myths there was an inner ( where men dwelt, fished and sailed on) and an outer Ocean called by the Greeks Oceanus.

The Sea held many mysteries; the Nereids played on the waves, mermaids lived there. Its ocean floor held palaces of the gods and their vast treasures,

The life giving properties of the sea gave it its richness and the sacrifices to the Gods repaid them for their gifts of abundance to men.

Neopaganism in Today's Society

Neopaganism in our society are numerous religious movements which are rooted to old beliefs.

Neopaganisms consists of nature symbolism and the people are taught to have a high respect for non-human life. Veneration of nature dieties is contained in many of the teachings.

Most of the rituals and ceremonies are performed outdoors under the Sun and Moon most often during the solstices, equinoxes and full and new moons and define the ritual calendar.

Commonly neopaganism is polytheistic with multiple dieties, including the worship of goddesses. In almost all neopagan religions the reverence of some form of a Great Earth Mother. They do share commonalities, contemporary pagan religious movements are diverse and no single set of beliefs,

Contemporary paganism encompasses a very broad range of groups and beliefs. It is estimated that there are between 40,000 and 200,000 people in the United States practice some form of neopaganism.; the figure may be much higher and is still growing.

The Wicca, the modern witch covens, have nothing to do with Satanism that many Christians erroneously think of as witchcraft.

Since the 1980s various forms of Druidism based on ancient Celtic mythology have been revived. Contemporary Druidism forms the second largest pagan religion after Wicca. It draws several beliefs and inspirations from the ancient Celtic beliefs. Other groups include Norse (Odinism) and ancient Egyptian god worship.

Druidism  is a form of modern religion that teaches harmony and respect for all beings, including the environment. The revival of Druidism began in Britain during the 18th century. Druidism or Druidry's main principles are respect and veneration of nature, and involves participation in environmental movements.

Neopagans practice a positive life having faiths dedicated to healing the people as well as healing the Earth condemning practices of abuse that do harm to the bodies, minds or spirits.

Paganism has existed in all cultures, from the paleolithic era to present societies. The ancient Egyptians were a pagan society; and paleolithic cultures from the Old Stone Age to the present had strong pagan roots. The resurgence of Pagan movements waxes and wanes as society changes so do beliefs; traditions are varied and usually linked to a specific culture or country.

Religions continue to be a form of control and in controlling the masses there is the always a dominant factor whether it be Christianity, Muslim or Paganism.

A Wikipedia article on Contemporary Neopaganism shows the following table as some of the Neopagan movements that are being practiced today throughout the world.

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