M.J. Rose

During this time of year, many people are imagining and reveling in stories of Christ’s nativity. Many of the symbols in our modern day Christmas rituals are based on these stories. So, just imagine how Christians and Christmas celebrators would feel if the exact site of Christ’s birth with remnants of the manger itself had been found?

For Buddhists, this recent archaeological discovery is no doubt a deep one…

 The Earliest Archeology Of Buddha Found

(Science 2.0)

“Archaeologists working in Nepal have uncovered evidence of a structure at the birthplace of the Buddha dating to the sixth century B.C., the first archaeological material linking the life of the Buddha and the movement he founded to a specific century.

The Maya Devi Temple at Lumbini, Nepal, has long been considered the birthplace of the Buddha and now excavations have uncovered the remains of a previously unknown sixth-century B.C. timber structure under a series of brick temples. Laid out on the same design as those above it, the timber structure contains an open space in the center that links to the nativity story of the Buddha himself.

Previously, the earliest archaeological evidence of Buddhist structures at Lumbini dated no earlier than the third century B.C., the time of the patronage of the Emperor Asoka, who promoted the spread of Buddhism from present-day Afghanistan to Bangladesh…”

For the complete story, click here.

Mermaids have occupied the realm of myth for as long as myth has existed. I recall being surprised and intrigued when the infamous pseudo-documentary about mermaids came out, how many people were temporarily fooled by it. Is the mermaid so compelling a symbol of freedom and otherworldliness that humans refuse to give up on the possibility that they may in fact exist?

In the meantime, we continue to create fantasy mermaid worlds to entertain us and satisfy our longing…

Professional Mermaids Are Lost Treasure of Florida Park

By Jakob Schiller

“The mermaids of Weeki Wachee Springs were one of Florida’s main attractions in the ’60s. Celebrities like Elvis would join nearly a million other visitors a year to take in their show. Drawing air from plastic hoses that flowed out of the bottom of their underwater theater in order to avoid fantasy-disrupting scuba gear, the mermaids could dazzle sold-out crowds with their acrobatics and performances for up to 30 minutes.

Today, while not as well-known as they used to be, the mermaids still perform.

“They are still local celebrities to many people,” says photographer Annie Collinge, whose recent photo project documents the performers…”

It’s a job well done when a hoax fools a large quantity of people. We personally know a few people who were duped by this infamous Animal Planet mockumentary, perhaps purely because they wanted to believe so very much in the existence of mermaids. It’s hard to blame them – wouldn’t it be beyond spectacular if we shared the world with such creatures? Shall we give up hope just because the proof isn’t out there?

(Please excuse the quality of this video. It’s not the best, but it’s watchable.)