Saturday, March 22, 2014
Mawanusa Blog: Golden Shower Flowers Bloom for Phnom Penh
Mawanusa Blog: Golden Shower Flowers Bloom for Phnom Penh: The common name: Golden Shower, Indian Laburnum, and Pudding Pipe tree Golden Shower tree known as Cassia Fistula it is medium siz...
Golden Shower Flowers Bloom for Phnom Penh
The
common name: Golden Shower, Indian Laburnum, and Pudding Pipe tree
Golden
Shower tree known as Cassia Fistula it is medium size tree, growing about 12-20
meters high. The leaves are leaflet pointed oval leaves. It is native of South
East Asia plants and found in everywhere now form the seaside area to up to the
Himalaya.
About the image above: golden shower flowers blooming
About the image above: golden shower flower touches the lotus pilar
About the image above: a bicycle park under the golden shower tree
About the image above: golden shower flower bloom near the Raffles note Le Royal
About the image above: golden shower bloom near a palm tree
About the image above: some flower before blooming
About the image above: the new iconic Phnom Penh building in the background
About the image above: mature flowers
The
flowers are in bunches down non-stop blooming shower drops alike, which may where
it given name came from. The cultivation of the tree is from its seeds from the
long brown fruit. Grown on well-drained soil. The tree is planted along the tropic lines as
its beauty of ornamental flowers.
In some part of India, people use the leaves
of the tree as Ayurveda medicine, as well as its fruit pulp (but strongly need
supervision on the use of the tree products). The flesh of fruit is use as a
laxative, the bark for skin infection, as well as the pulp is for addition
ingredients for smoking cigarette.
About the image above: flowers bloom near an electric pole
About the image above: golden shower trees as ornaments of the city roads
About he image above: flower brunches
About the image above: most leaves replaced by blooming flowers
About the image above: flowers bloom in front of the National University
About the image above: the flowers grow everywhere
About the image above: beautiful flower brunches
About the image above: golden shower flowers and the flags
About the image above: flower brunches like a shower
About the image above: golden shower trees in from of the
National University, Phnom Penh
About the image above: golden shower tree bloom
In the National Library compound, Phnom Penh
Here
in Cambodia it’s called Pka Reach Leung.
This time of the year of the late spring, the tree once again decorate
the Cambodian city of Phnom Penh with its most beautiful golden yellow flowers.
If you go around the city you may be able to witness this majestic flowers
bloom along the road and houses.
In
addition; the Golden Shower flower is the state flower of Kerala in India,
related to Vishnu festival. This flower is also the national flower of Thailand
because its yellow flowers symbolize Thai Royalty. One of the flower festivals,
the Royal flora ‘Batchaphruek’
Sunday, February 23, 2014
Mawanusa Blog: Ankh - Key of Life, A Symbol for Sanctuary
Mawanusa Blog: Ankh - Key of Life, A Symbol for Sanctuary: The most iconic and enigmatic symbol amongst thousands that are found in the ancient Egyptian scriptures is Ankh ( ...
Ankh - Key of Life, A Symbol for Sanctuary
The
most iconic and enigmatic symbol amongst thousands that are found in the
ancient Egyptian scriptures is Ankh (
), a key of life, recognized as crux ansata (cross with a handle).
It is a hieroglyphic character of ancient Egyptian yantra or ancient sign of
believer of eternal life, guidance, representing power, dominion, eternal life,
the journey of life, and existence of life in this world and in the
netherworld.
About the image above: Ankh – The Key of Life
During
the earlier phase of the era, the Ankh symbol represents the unification
between the Lower Egypt and the Upper Egypt. The vertical line represents the
Nile River, while the horizontal line represents the Egypt Delta and the circular
loop represents the string of unification of both regions, joined together into
a great nation of ancient Egypt during that particular period of time. Since
then the Ankh symbol evolved into a most powerful symbol, a kind of a master key
to a multi-dimension locks that opens the access for this world and the
universe.
The
Ankh, or the key of life, probably was the foremost religion symbol used widely
as a symbol of God during the entire ancient Egyptian period. The creation of
this symbol, the exact time that it was first introduced and who introduced it,
still remained unknown until this time. This is such a brilliant invention,
which also influenced the succeeding generations with varied dimensions of
belief and culture. This means that this symbol was so powerfully created by
ancient genius that expressed the past, present and future, in timeless
existence, to prove that a supernatural being is there to guide the people, to
love Him and to believe that God truly exist. To understand that the purpose of
the creation of human being was not only to believe but also to put into
practice in daily life, extended to social community life, to spread the love, to
guide them to a better future in terms of belief and love of God. The relation
between God and man was very close. This was apparent in every figure in every
temple that there was no day without offerings, no day without remembering the
Creator and no day without acknowledging His presence by chanting holy writings
and prayers.
About the image above: A Master Key, my own collection
Whosoever
holds this symbol has the right to be protected and has the power to give life,
and live forever in afterlife. It also means they have the right to protect
others by any means. It is a symbol of God of the Universe, The Creator, The
Universe, and The Unknowable Essence.
The
Ankh is a Tau cross or a ’T’, topped with a loop. It is a key-like symbol that
signifies a powerful immortal, as it has given rise to its definition as a ‘Key
of Life. It looks like a body of a man with long-rounded big head drawn
beautifully with one very sharp corner at the bottom and arms that spread out that
looks like a body, with eternal spirit.
Parts
of the Ankh:
1.
The vertical bar: represents the body of the
ankh, a symbol of masculine energy, and genuine will for a better world,
representing command, a backbone of the believer in God. A command directed from
top to down, the coordinate of the vertical direction of the universe.
2. The
horizontal bar: represents the part of the body of the ankh, the journey, the feminine
energy, the unity and the power balance. The symbol of the horizontal direction
of the universe.
3. The
curved top, the loop with a sharp corner at the start and end: the power of creativity, fertility, the
horizon, manifestation of the universe, the circle of life as a reawakening,
and the journey of the soul afterlife.
4.
The combination of these elements formed a
powerful symbol of continuity of life and belief itself; representing strength,
health, it is the universal key of life that unlocks any gates, including the
cycle of life and death.
About the image above: Ankh and 'was sceptre' (power of dominant)
from the temple of Horus
The
creation of the Ankh was known to manifest the existence of the power of God
and the power given to the Pharaohs to lead the ancient Egypt in the right path
towards progress, unity, prosperity and as a respected nation. This means that
there are opportunities to be explored and discovered in terms of inner power
from the beings and the universal cosmic sources of Kings, Queens, Nobles and
the peoples of ancient Egypt to be a part of a mystery of the development of
their civilization.
Ancient
Egyptian believed that life is a cycle of attraction amongst elements that is giving
life itself through birth and development of the fascinating knowledge to carry
on the responsibility to raise the quality of life, the order that gives better
perspective and hope for the next generation towards self enlightenment through
the uses of the symbol of Ankh.
About the image above: Beautiful Ankh hold two 'was sceptres'
Only
Egyptian Gods, Goddesses and Pharaohs seem to carry this sacred symbol. And
usually it appeared to be seen handled by the left hand while the right hand
carries a dog headed stick. The left hand is said to be the hand of lesser
spiritual power, where the position of the human heart is closely connected.
The
development of the symbol became more powerful as it evolved for blessing
purposes, as a key to life and prosperity. Together with the ‘was’ sceptre (a sceptre with dog headed
handle) and ‘djed’ pillar, it marked
to be a very important part of the pharaoh’s daily life. Some of the scenes on
the temple walls appeared to show Gods or Goddesses blessing the pharaoh with
His/Her key of life, just like what is seen on the wall of Abydos and Kom Ombo.
In some parts of the temple skirting, there also appeared the Ankh with hands
holding the ‘was’ sceptre, dancing
together and with the chariot as the life itself. Or in the other part at
Medinat Abu, the Ankh appeared like holding each other as to celebrate the life
after death.
About the image above: Ankh hold 'was sceptre' and Djed pilar
This
symbol became widely used depicting the Gods or Goddesses blessing the King with
‘Ankh holy water’, symbolizing the love of life and a blessed life for the King
forever.
Some
of the Ankhs are believed to have some spiritual power to bless the stones or
to create holy water and this symbol became very sacred amongst those sceptres,
flails, crooks or other royal emblems.
Ankh
is a ‘modra’ letter that you do not necessarily need to pronounce, but it is very
meaningful and powerful, and it is true, believe it or not. That means that it
has nothing to do with the lettering of the name of the ancient Gods or
Goddesses. During the ancient time, to
create an Ankh for a particular person, there is a need to choose a special day
to start the work and the ornament needed will depend on the person’s character.
The Ankh of Tut-Ankh-Amun is different than the Ankh of Ramses II. The
authorized person, probably a priest, will create the Ankh and after finishing
the work, the Ankh will have to give ‘life’ with the blessings from many holy
priests in a special ceremony calling to life the Ankh. The Ankh will then be
stored in a sacred place for several days to make sure the ‘soul’ of the Ankh
is alive as characterized by the person who will own it. Some of the Ankh might
have some scarification or special offering to specific Gods or Goddesses. During
this procession, the Ankh will be stored in a special box. The king will carry this symbol wherever he
travels or in daily life, morning, daytime and after sunset prayers. This will have
to be kept in the same special case when the king sleeps. Special prayers were
chanted whenever he open or close the Ankh case, this is very important so as to
keep the sacredness and power of the Ankh. In a particular day there was also a
ceremony for the Ankh, to clean the Ankh, bless the Ankh and to feed the Ankh
with special offerings and prayers. This will make the Ankh more powerful as it
is getting older, as a representation of the owner of the Ankh.
About the image above: An Ankh carried by a pharaoh
Some
works of art were also introduced as the Ankh evolved. For example, the
combination of the Ankh and the Djed, The Ankh with the ‘was’ sceptre, the Ankh with both of then. Even recently Ankh has been humanized as a
dancing Ankh figures, with two hands holding sceptres, sitting side by side
with the sceptres as a symbol of harmony as shown at the Osiris Temple at Abydos,
or talking to the sceptres as shown at the Hathor temple at Dandera as well as
an offering by the king as shown at the mummification temple at Medinat Abu.
The Ankh of King Tut was also special and even King Tut stated his name to
Tut-Ankh-Amun (
) which meant that the Ankh here was something very special
for the God Amun Ra, as representation of the faith of a strong believer of the
King to God and through the Ankh he communicated directly to his God Amun.
All
of the original Ankh of pharaohs was believed to have a magical and spiritual
power, with a specific command and also it was said that it was the secret of
the pharaoh’s life, as an amulet, trace emotions, spiritual power, destiny and
also to keep his command of the religion in the right track as well as to show
that the carrier of Ankh has believed that the royal Gods and Goddess existed
during that period. Just like a cross if
you wear a cross it signifies that you believe in Christianity, or if you have
‘Om or Ong’ you believe in Hinduism, or if you have the ‘greatest name’ means you are a Baha’i, etc.
About the image above: An Ankh amongst the beautiful hieroglyph
The
ancient Egyptian religion is based on polytheism that believed and worshiped
many deities. All aspects of life were guided by religion. Peoples in the
ancient Egypt civilization were lead by example of the pharaoh’s behaviors and
their practice of their religion. Most of them also confess to be true as they
created a God called Ma’at or God of Truth.
They believed in more than 2000 deities. The highest God that they worshiped
was Amun Ra, or God of Sun and Universe and the other one is Osiris, God of
Underworld. Only during the reigned of Akhenaten, the ancient Egyptian believed
in only one royal God, called Atum or God of Creation. To interact with those
deities one may need many ceremonies, a variety of offerings, and the presence
of an Ankh is a must and most significant, and including more other things. In
many figures found in the temple walls, when the kings met their Gods or
Goddesses there would appear in most of them carrying an Ankh by their left
hands while the right hands carried a sceptre. Here the Ankh showed a signal that
they were on the same path, communicating the same language and living at the
same time.
About the image above: Pharaoh blessed with an Ankh
by God Osiris at the temple of Abydos
Briefly,
Ankh symbolized many things in the kingdom. Some celebrations or ceremonies
will never be complete without the presence of the Ankh as having a constant
use of this symbol believed to descend spiritual messages to the entire
country. The more powerful and respectful the king, the better and more
powerful the Ankh will be. The king will be able to continuously add this
spiritual power to Ankh with many interactions with the nature’s spiritual
journeys, meditations, prayers and unseen spiritual influence or power from within
the king himself. So the Ankh was probably been used also to bless heavy stones
in the quarries so that the stones can be easily lifted up and carried to the
temple sites. The Ankh will be kept in the holy water and with special verses and
spells, the holy water will gain power and these are then sprinkled to the
rocks and stones that need to be transported to the temples.
About the image above: Two falcons
(from the God of sky) secured the holy Ankh
The
balance between macro cosmos and micro cosmos was also very important in this
time and the Ankh was keeping this balance, as an amulet of the pharaohs. The
Ankh was known to be the main channel for the king’s balance of his own-self and
the outside world. When you travel to most of the temples in Egypt you will still
be able to trace the spiritual power of this Ankh. You can somehow feel it if
you are sensitive to this kind of unseen power.
Until
today the search for the mystery that existed since thousands of years
continues, The traces of the ancient Egypt is still being recovered each
passing day and we hope that the Egyptologist and archeologists of our time
will be able to explain where, when, why and how this mysterious symbol was
exactly invented.
Tuesday, December 17, 2013
Mawanusa Blog: Love Story of Yuya and Tuyu
Mawanusa Blog: Love Story of Yuya and Tuyu: In the most private chamber of KV46 was found the last resting place for these two lovers laid up in the glamorous valley of the tombs d...
Love Story of Yuya and Tuyu
In
the most private chamber of KV46 was found the last resting place for these two
lovers laid up in the glamorous valley of the tombs decorated with the finest
paintings, gold, silver, precious stones, other treasures and of course wrapped
together in the elixir of love. The tomb is located in the Valley of the Kings,
in the west of the River Nile, Luxor, Egypt. KV46 is betweenKV3 (Ramesses III)
and KV4 (Ramesses XI).
Once
upon a time when there was a young boy in the kingdom who later will be heralded
as the king. He was a smart boy and willing to learn a lot just about anything.
His father was holding a high position as a military chief or lieutenant of very
prestigious post. As the boy became a young man, he then led the 18th
dynasty of the ancient Egypt delta circa 1390 B.C. His name was Yuya (or yuy,
Yiay, Yaya, Yuyu, Yiya or Iouiya)
As
a teenager, he enjoyed riding a horse, to enjoy countryside with beautiful
scenery or sail on the Nile River to marvel at the splendor of the sunset. One
day while he was walking around the kingdom, he was astounded seeing the most
exquisite beauty of a girl, she came from a noblemen family. They became
friends and later fall in love with each other. The girl was named Tuyu (or Tjuyu
or Thuy, Thuyu or Toiuiyou).
Soon
after a marriage ceremony for the two lovers was held in the kingdom, with a huge
banqueting celebration for several days, along with performances, music,
ceremonies and festivals. The royal family invited many royalties, nobles and
most of the people in the kingdom to witness the initial days of the royal
wedding.
When
the right time came, Yuya was ready to become the ruler of ancient Egypt, a boy
from the city of Akhmin, one of the most powerful pharaohs for the 18th
dynasty, side by side with his lovely queen Tuyu.
Beside
having a pharaoh title, they were also known with the titles as shown below:
Name : Yuya
Spouse : Tuyu
Title : Master of Horse
His Majesty’s Lieutenant Commander of
Charioty
Father of the God
Priest of Min
Overseer the cattle of Min
Lord of Akhmin
Religion : Ancient Egyptian Religion
Children : Tiye, Anen and Ay
Relatives : Akhenaten (grandson)
Tutankhamun (great grandson)
Name : Tuyu
Spouse : Yuya
Tittle : Mother of Great Royal Wife
Chief of the Harem of Min
Chanters of Hathor
Priestess of Amen
Chief of the Harem of Amen
Religion : Ancient Egyptian Religion
Children : Tiye, Anen and Ay
Relatives : Akhenaten (grandson)
The
couple ruled ancient Egypt peacefully and under their reign, this country has
remarkable achievement in the development of arts, music and cultures. He
ordered to make beautiful masks for his wife and for himself. Until one day
they decided to meet again one more time in the buried chamber, the most secret
resting abode, number KV46, the same romantic room where they kept their love
forever, even in the afterlife.
About the image above: Scarab and other scripts on the head of the coffin
It
was one of the earlier Egyptologist Theodore M. Davis who did the survey and
excavation here in the valley for several years, since the early 1900 and
discovered few of the tombs, until sometime on February 6, 1905 he found the
very high-status of burial chamber of Yuya and Tuyu. Since a modern Egyptologist opened the tomb
for the very first time, it took a few days to clear and enter the tomb.
From
this tomb, many of the precious objects, valuable religious symbols were found
and it was said that probably it has been robbed once as the chamber was opened
earlier to bury Tuyu’s body, at the same sarcophagus.
This
sacred chamber is a validation of their sincere, genuine, faithful and solemn
pledge of love with one another that continued even until the afterlife.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)