| Iceland Volcano Conjures Up Recollections | | | | that is now Santorini. Then, tsunami waves crashed |
| Iceland has caused us to ponder. "Wow. A volcano | | | | into Egypt, the east, the north and the west, |
| can happen anywhere!" Of course, heated molten | | | | continually pounding the region with large waves and |
| rock has nothing to do with the local weather. | | | | causing dense dark ash thickened skies. The ash, |
| Volcanoes happen where they happen. They are the | | | | they say, ascended to 50,000 feet. When it blew, it |
| 800 pound gorillas of the earth's surface. Hawaii | | | | just turned villages into mist and crashed boats and |
| exists because of volcanoes. Iceland would not be | | | | ships for miles and miles. Archaeologists that study |
| there were it not for what we are watching on TV. | | | | this keep on finding evidence of the destruction. |
| But since we are the creatures that we are, we | | | | Newer theories about the story of Exodus and the |
| settle on the land and notice its properties, and start | | | | Children of Israel have made fabulous TV watching |
| to plant and live and make babies and establish | | | | and tie in various issues that many have thought |
| villages. A local Icelandic farmer who farms nearby | | | | about for years, such as the possible location of Mt. |
| asks why he is being punished. "My great grandfather | | | | Sinai, and even the Sea of Reeds, versus the "Red" |
| started this farm". The "gods" might say: "Seems to | | | | Sea. |
| me you guys got a great reprieve." | | | | While the particulars as to how these effects might |
| Iceland Makes Us Realize Volcanoes Aren't Just Far | | | | have caused the Plagues of Egypt are for a book, or |
| Off and Away | | | | at least another article, the fact remains that this |
| As a species we are downright amazing to watch. | | | | volcano caused the displacements of peoples, |
| We forget, and forget, and then we go into trauma, | | | | movements into old areas and new commerce and |
| then we forget again. There are millions of people | | | | cultural identity of formerly unknown peoples. |
| now settled around Mt. Vesuvius. What was once a | | | | Historic Power and Destruction - Exodus and |
| desolation of the City of Pompeii is now a tourist | | | | Diasporas and Immigrations |
| spot and romantic center of Southern Italy. History is | | | | The "Danous" people that came to Greece are |
| meaningless and dire warnings are futile. Naples is like | | | | thought to be the Israelitish movement after Moses' |
| San Francisco. People develop a "devil may care | | | | relocation efforts. Golden images and relics make |
| fatalism" or a resigned philosophy. "If I die, I die." Mt. | | | | connections back to the peoples who were on the |
| Rainier peers out toward Seattle and terrifies people | | | | move after the Exodus. The tribe of Dan was |
| and the prognosticators say: "Not in our lifetime". | | | | always in motion. Dr. Herman Hoeh, an expert on |
| That's probably good enough for most of us. We | | | | legends concerning this time, talked about how |
| hope to get our "3 score years and 10" and our | | | | Moses sons, having lost a real place at the table |
| grand kids, well, we have to deal with what we have | | | | because Brother Aaron's children became the Aaronic |
| to deal. | | | | priesthood, took a trip out of the area of the Holy |
| Krakatoa - Pacific Nightmare Near Java | | | | Land, around the Pillars of Hercules to the Ancient |
| The last Iceland Volcano in 1821. They say it lasted | | | | Land of Ireland. The "Cohan" (priesthood and name |
| one or two years. No one wants to even think about | | | | of Moses kids) is a familiar Irish name. George M. |
| that. But the thing volcanologists love to think about, | | | | Cohan, being a modern representative. The people |
| (but only historically) is Krakatoa. Since it is far away | | | | who left Egypt eventually created a land that would |
| for must of us, it has to be considered the A | | | | become known for its outermost limits. As we would |
| Number One Boil on the planet by most scientists | | | | say from "Maine to California", or from "Florida to |
| concerned with the topic. It is theorized that one | | | | Alaska", the land was said to encompass from "Dan |
| super eruption darkened the sun for years. It | | | | to Beersheba" (Dan, up north by modern day Syria, |
| occurred in the 500 AD's and affected weather | | | | and Beersheba in the southern desert). The Children |
| patterns for almost a century; cooling northern climes | | | | of Israel would eventually make a true Kingdom |
| and cementing the "Dark Ages". It is said to have | | | | under Davidic lineage through Solomon. The lineage |
| changed agriculture in Northern Europe for a long | | | | continuing through Nathaniel to the family of Mary, |
| time, and, as one speculated, to the rise of the | | | | Mother of Jesus. |
| plague in the 600's, the end of the "Arthurian time" | | | | Greece itself, without the competition from the |
| (Camelot) and the rise of Islam, as the southern | | | | destroyed Minoan civilization began to thrive, and |
| parts of that region thrived. Krakatoa of the late | | | | Alexander in the 300's BC took his Macedonian armies |
| 1800's, it is postulated, caused the devastating harsh | | | | all the way to the Indus River, and established a |
| winters in America in the 1880s. Krakatoa is on | | | | Hellenized culture that affected the very nature of |
| simmer right now, but the simmer is forming a new | | | | western culture. The western part of the |
| island as we speak. | | | | Mediterranean was not as affected as much by this |
| The Eastern Med - Volcano Country - An Incredibly | | | | volcano, and it also thrived after this period. Villages |
| Active Seismic Zone | | | | grew and cities blossomed. The Minoans were not |
| In the Eastern Mediterranean about 3500 years ago, | | | | around anymore, controlling commerce, so western |
| it was much different from today. Today, many | | | | "vills" could make their own impact on history. Places |
| tourists travel to the white-painted villages on the | | | | like Carthage and Rome might come to mind. |
| Isle of Santorini. If you have flown over it, it looks | | | | No More Hubris |
| like a finger nail clipping in the deep blue waters of | | | | Since the Minoans were gone, people like the |
| the Mediterranean. It now makes an idyllic retreat for | | | | Phoenicians also make their mark on history. They |
| worn out Americans and Europeans who just want | | | | were excellent sea faring peoples. These Semitic |
| to kick back, lounge, drink Ouzo and bask in the | | | | peoples made commerce through the Straits of |
| warm sunlight. The people are wonderful, tourist | | | | Gibraltar (the Pillars of Hercules) doable. Their sailing |
| tuned and have the handsome look of an ancient | | | | technologies and skills allowed for movement around |
| people. At least that's what the travel agencies tell us | | | | Spain to England and Ireland and the Eastern part of |
| and the experienced traveler can attest to. | | | | France. Hubris, a word for "excessive pride" was |
| But once upon a time, this finger nail clipping of an | | | | coined because that is what the Greeks called |
| island was the center of Mediterranean life. They | | | | Gibraltar. In their minds, you were taking your life in |
| were the Minoans, a powerful sea faring and trading | | | | your hands, and were defying the gods if you went |
| people in the Late Bronze Age. They made this island | | | | past that sign post into the Atlantic. The Greeks and |
| one of their homes for their nearby capital of Crete. | | | | the Romans were not exceptionally skilled seaman |
| This is Volcano country if you have ever heard of it. | | | | and their boats did not cut through the waves, like |
| Countless small eruptions over the centuries have | | | | the Phoenecians' did. (The Greeks and Romans made |
| occurred on small islands, reformed others and made | | | | their living fighting on land.) The Phoenicians were the |
| a panoply of historical moments for the peoples of | | | | Navy of the Mediterranean, and this is the way they |
| that region. | | | | established themselves and promoted trade after the |
| There was a volcano there in 1650 and many more | | | | Theran Destruction. It no longer was tempting the |
| small ones. The most recent in 1949 made the news | | | | gods with "hubris" to go through Gibraltar. Joseph of |
| but didn't cause cataclysm. The destruction of the | | | | Arimathea's tin trade with Britain shows how trade |
| Minoan civilization on Crete and these neighboring | | | | developed in Roman times. |
| islands actually made way for replacing cultures and | | | | Causes of Volcanoes |
| civilizations. The power vacuum created at that time, | | | | Perhaps the biggest mystery of all is the Timing of |
| allowed for the rise of Grecian city states, and the | | | | Volcanoes. Astrological cycles try to track them to |
| Phoenicians of Biblical Lore and other powers to then | | | | the movement of Pluto or Neptune. Astrology and |
| dominate and influence this area. Egypt, was | | | | astronomy may indeed have undetectable influences, |
| historically already founded and was not permanently | | | | but the very earth that we stand on is the main |
| damaged by the Volcano. However it might have | | | | object of study. Still, predicting is beyond our |
| been affected in another way, by assisting Moses | | | | wizardry at this moment. When we stare at the |
| with his people-moving exercise, and thus causing a | | | | might being displayed on periodically historical |
| diminution of their power and influence. | | | | moments, maybe we should lie down and put our |
| Santorini Was The Island of Thera | | | | heads in our pillows with a little more thankfulness. |
| This volcano truly popped. It literally blew away the | | | | Thankfulness that these volcanoes are as measured |
| island, then known as Thera, and created the Caldera | | | | and non-periodic as they are. |