Before The Sun Sets It Must Rise

A morning reflection on religion

The roll-call is impressive: starting from the god Krishna in India, through to Mithras, sun god of Persia, Zoroaster, then three Greek gods, Odysseus, Dionysus and Attis of Phrygia, and Thamnus of Syria, Esus of the Celtic Druids, Buddha, and Horus of Egypt, all born of a virgin mother, all fasting, resurrected, often with disciples, often preaching at the same age as Christ, ascribed with magical powers such as turning water into wine, and importantly, all born on 25th December.

If the initial texts of Christianity — in which the half brother of Jesus, James, is Christianity’s first leader or ‘Pope,’ had not been discreetly sidelined or modified, then Jesus himself may not have received a sun-god-like deity status. The recurrent 25th December date is important, as this is the moment that the sun comes out of the winter equinox. The sunny halo behind Jesus and his twelve zodiac disciples reinforce this astrological continuum.

Christianity is a very young religion, and Islam even younger. One can scan back through the millenniums, all the way to 3000 BC to witness the birth of Hinduism in the Indus valley and the development of sites like the Newgrange temple in Ireland, a curiously modernistic structure which predates stonehenge. Then there are the Egyptian pyramids, aligned with the sun which floods the interior chamber with light during the winter equinox.

And what will the oncoming millenia bring in religion? One hopes that Estonia’s native Maausk religion will continue to grow and be given more prominence, a religion closely aligned to the rhythm of nature, though if Maausk is to develop it needs to drift away from the notion of being a ‘Finno-Ugraic’ representative religion in both terminology and intent, much as James, the half brother of Jesus ordained by breaking Christianity away from being a solely Jewish religion, and thus making it available for a general populace.

The Maavalla Koda, from which Maausk stems, has been instrumental in gaining protection for many ancient sacred sites (groves, trees, springs, and stones) and has sought legalisation of religious customs, a well as protesting against the most unfortunate introduction of compulsory Christian religious studies in public schools.

In order to represent the interests of non-Christians, the Maavalla Koda has also established a round table that unites Moslems, Jews, Buddhists, Bahais and Hare Krishnas.

Personally, I retain warmth of feeling for Jainism, also from India, with it’s absence of formal deity, as Maausk. and while spirituality and observance of faith should not fall into the same pattern as supporting one football team or another, I do find the lack of praying to a magic, ultimately destructive figure more authentic, as both Mausk and Jainism feature.

is it the sunshine
or the bee
the flower opens for?

A reaction should be complimentary, and not opposite. One philosophy may not exist without others to keep it afloat.

We should not proletise, or glorify. We should seek beauty in all places, and find beauty in what is.