Log Out
Visit Dusty Dionne's column >>

DUSTY DIONNE

A Different Look at Popular Media.
Articles Posted: 14  Links Seeded: 59
Member Since: 7/2011  Last Seen: 2/29/2012

The Heart of the Shaman

Wed Aug 3, 2011 7:23 PM EDT
, , , ,
By Dusty Dionne
Advertise | AdChoices

I asked a question not long ago of my friends: What constellation do you think WE'RE in? What type of celestial formation holds the little blue planet, full of life? I got responses that ranged from: "I just got a look into your mind, and it is a large and intimidating place (that one was an ego booster) to: "Earth wouldn't be in a constellation, our sun would be" Noted.

I found an answer in a friend of mine from Ohio.

Clive, I have one for you

I sip my beer and look up at Orion

What constellation do you think WE'RE in?

I sip my beer and smile at my depth

Oh, that's easy

Says Clive

We're in the Heart of the Shaman

Blank stare coming from me

What the hell is that?

I say incredulously.

Clive begins to tell me a tale of Shaka Zulu that I was not familiar with. Shaka had a breast plate, with a formation of stars on it. When asked "Where do you think we come from?" Shaka would motion to his breast. Everyone thought this meant "We come from the heart", or something equally as esoteric. It was not until satellite positioning, and 3d rendering of our universe that we learned what Shaka meant. Our sun, when viewed from far away, and from the correct direction, sits at the heart of a constellation that looks the same as the one on Shaka's breastplate.

I have yet to find this information anywhere, but Clive is ex military, and privy to information from his days that I am not, books from the library of congress that I am not, and is a lifelong conspiracy theorist

I wonder about other life looking at the stars in their heavens and looking to a constellation as notable to them as Orion is to us on Earth. What wishes have they made on us? Do they have any idea that a little blue gem of life is sitting inside of it, living, and worshiping, and reveling, singing, dancing, and making love?

I just wonder who looked at The Shaman, and said: "I wanna go there."? And how did Shaka know what it took satellites to tell us in modern era? And most importantly, if we're not in The Heart of the Shaman, then where are we?

 

  • Enjoy this article? Help vote it up the 'Vine.

Back To Top | Front Page

Published to:

Dusty Dionne

Thoughts?

  • 2 votes
Reply#1 - Wed Aug 3, 2011 7:23 PM EDT
HollyKl

Interesting question. I don't think there is an absolute answer to the question of where we are. The answer really depends on the vantage point and that, for me, is infinitely variable. But I probably need to ponder this some more...

  • 1 vote
Reply#2 - Wed Aug 3, 2011 8:07 PM EDT
etva

I agree with Holly, that it's an interesting question, that I really haven't thought about. Looking forward to hearing other views.

  • 1 vote
Reply#3 - Thu Aug 4, 2011 5:28 PM EDT
Briwnys

Interesting and provocative thought, Dusty, I like it. The first recognizable religious practice was Shamanism. Surprisingly, in almost every language, this practice is called the Knowing. Its most familiar name, shamanism, šamán, is derived from the Turkic root *scha-, "to know" and its practitioners, called shamans, use this knowing to influence the flow of spiritual energy that permeates the material world. A very appropriate constellation to belong to!

I tried to pull up some images of Shaka Zulu wearing a breastplate and found there are none. There are some images of the Zulu bearing large shields, apparently assigned by the king to different regiments and some of them had spots - white shields with brown or black spots are mentioned, though no patterns are described. There was, however a curious V-shaped piece of equipment that could loosely be considered a breastplate with the point of the "V" covering the heart area.

  • 3 votes
Reply#4 - Thu Aug 4, 2011 6:15 PM EDT
Dusty Dionne

Thanks for doing some legwork on the subject! I have looked, or I would have put links up. I did however try 'Zulu Shaman' in google and came across some people wearing some cool necklaces and such, but no really good Quality pictures, so I didnt post.

  • 2 votes
Reply#5 - Thu Aug 4, 2011 7:18 PM EDT
Leave a Comment:
You're in Easy Mode. If you prefer, you can use XHTML Mode instead.
Newsvine Privacy Statement
As a new user, you may notice a few temporary content restrictions. Click here for more info.