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The Menhir

The Menhir is the current events/update page for Nemeta—like a campus bulletin board you find in the “student union” building. Entries posted in reverse chronological order can be found with most recent at the top for fast access.

The Menhir


The Menhir is the unique page in Nemeta that tracks and displays the ongoing activities of the School. Here you find the announcement of updates on newly added material, completed Blocks, revisions, talks and texts in progress, proposals of projects, events and meet-ups, and more. This introduction continues below the updates.

Please note: Ensure you are enrolled on the relevant courses to obtain direct access to internal unit links published on The Menhir.

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Monday 16th June 2025: 

You’ll have noticed our absence for almost one month. Nemeta 2.0 simply became too laborious and frustrating to work with. For instance, this simple Menhir post would take at least half an hour to load, and sometimes, after all the waiting, would not be saved by the system. JLL made the decision to use his time wisely on other projects rather than waste his precious time in frustration with 2.0. I was still minimally working in 2.0 daily but also focused my attention on JLL’s other projects.

As for the current shift, JLL told me: “I cannot say it better than what is being said in, Dakini Shift, June 2025.”

We are now exploring and refining 3.0 and it is a delight to work with. We feel very inspired again. Tathagate 2.0!

Do let me know if you encounter anything that is not working correctly, broken links, images missing… We have lost all the attachments for downloading MP3s & PDFs and the facility to add attachments, which is on my very short list of items to fix.

Lord Michael has literally built 3.0 from the ground up. I don’t know how he does it, let alone find the time with a more than full time job in animation and a young family. His generosity and diligence never ceases to stun me. We can thank the goddess for him.

Ceridwen

 

Thursday 15th May 2025: New unit published in 18 Breaking Nous:

The Matrix of the Mysteries

Friday 9th May 2025: Lesson 5 of the original Celestics course plus the transcription published in 14 Celestics:

Lesson 5: The Rule of Psyche

Monday 28th April 2025:

Day 1 of Bhudevi/Wrathful Green Tara Shift

Sunday 27th April 2025: New unit for published in 18 Breaking Nous:

Faculty Message 2025

Sunday 20th April 2025: Lately as we approach the launch of Nemeta 3.0, I am making progress on FGS 1.18. Slow but sure. SOPHIA on the new menu panel goes to the current landing page for the FGS which will be reorganized. I have also corrected the glitch on the second stereoma in the legacy version. Readings to be redone, with soundtrack added.

As I select soundtracks for the various episodes, this showed up:

The veena is the Sarasvati instrument of Southern India, equivalent to the sarod and sitar in the north. She is playing my favorite rage, Raga Bhairavi, in Dravidian style! The tattoo on her arm is the Kali Yantra, I believe. In Episode 12, you see the build-up to Sophia’s mitosis that enables her to form a daughter cell and descent toward Orion — the second fall. How she does it: the Uroboros circulates more and more rapidly toward a frantic spin. Within the larger circular vortex there emerges a small, lesser serpentine circle — like a small smoke-ring exuded by the larger one. From this second ring, the daughter cell, the Aeon assumes the spermatic bat shape for descent below the galactic arm into intergalactic space. This music is the soundtrack for that event. Listen for the groaning of the Uroboros after 35 m and how the tempo increases. That is the sound of the initial torque of plasma current as she prepares to descend.

The following Episode, 13, is titled “The Spin of Sirius.” Look at the constellation of the Stork that shows where the solar system is nested in th third galactic arm with the face and beak of the Stork pointing to Orion. However, the first thing Sophia encounters upon descent is Sirius, the brightest and nearest star in the sky, outside the flat plane of the arms.  The unknown forces outside the limb, which she has not encountered before — especially the tremendous warping effect of magnetic fields preponderant in that region — pull her into the orbital zone of Sirius. The result of this encounter is monumental. It detaches part of her OL body that forms the white dwarf star, Sirius B, which acquires its own planetary system. From there came the Nommo, the aquatic, quasi-human race who came to Earth, according of the Dogon.

In The Sirius Mystery, Robert Temple relates and comments on the Dogon myth of extraterrestrial visitation. To my mind, it is the only scenario of that kind that is convincing and supported by evidence. Therefore I have chosen to include it in FGS 1.18. In the transition from Episode 12 to 13, the music changes. I have not yet come across the appropriate soundtrack for Ep. 13.

Currently, Robert Temple is reading Not in His Image.

By the way, there is a lurid optical cue in the video of this performance. Do you see it?

Tuesday 15th April 2025:

The Singularity event described in the recent post on celestial mantique appears to be unfolding in a vivid way. Not surprizing since it occurs in the Whales and we are currently in the second Swan Deva shift. How is it playing with you?

The next new moon on the 27th falls @ 38 in 8 Aries at the head of the Ram. I am guessing that the earliest sighting might be on 28th @ E 53 in 23 Aries. This means it will skip a Mirita shift. There is the chance of a rare occasion with the sunset crescent will appear in the Heart of  the Bull, signalling a Bhudevi/Tara shift. In the morning, Venus Lucifer will rise with Saturn at the vernal point, visible but low in the East.

On Monday 21st, we enter completion with Swan Deva. I have to say that this double shift has been quite a ride for me. A short progress report is due: The FGS has been on private setting while I revise the landing page and organize and upgrade some units. As soon as I finish this post I will go there, take the Course off private and set certain units for public access, while holding back others for the moment. These changes reflect my progress with the FGS during this shift. As follows:

  • I am correcting the glitch in Episodes 5 and 6 of the legacy version in nine Episodes. Long time in coming.
  • I am matching those Episodes here on Nemeta with the versions released at five-day intervals via sophianicmyth.org so that they are identical. The commentaries are not included to subscribers of that platform, only to faculty.
  • I am proceeding one Episode at a time to complete FGS 1.18 in eighteen Episodes. Each one will be released when its ready so that you can progressively follow the revision, the others will be on private.
  • FGS 1.18 presents the Episodes in a second and definitive version, different from the legacy narrative in some ways. The commentaries will also be revised and expanded for Nemeta 3.0 — coming soon!
  • I am coordinating the material on Course 2 Sophianic Cosmology to align better with the material on the FGS. This requires a clean-up and removal of some redundant units.
  • I will release “A Myth in Progress” which goes in the OVERVIEW AND ORIENTATION block of the FGS. It contains some suggestions of how the FGS can be propagated in various media such as children’s stories and adult fantasy comics.
  • I will revise the units on the FGS in progress and higher iterations leading to FGS 7.7.

On the topic of the FGS in other media, take a look at that. The output of Entheogenic treating the themes of the sacred narrative and even parts of NIHI (Hypatia, above) is astounding. I sent them a message today, but I am not sure if it got through as they are rather cryptic and elusive.

Hello Entheogenic Band Members

I have thought about contacting you many times over the years. The body of music you have produced on the theme of the Sophianic myth is astounding. You did not contact me about these musical adaptation of the sacred narrative. Perhaps you heard me in a talk say that I preferred that the soundtrack for the FGS not be done in electronic/trance style. No problem there and you certainly did need my permission to do so.

I hope this message reaches you so that I can extend my gratitude for what you have accomplished with such attention to the themes of the FGS and even my book, Not in His Image (Hypatia). I fully realize that this music has been heard by countless people in concerts and trance/chillout sessions. Music is the universal language that transcends all cultures and languages. You have reached many people that know nothing about my work, and don’t need to. I am sure that the message has sunk in. Be assured that you have my thanks for that.

By the way, I have written a manual on the protocols of telestic shamnism which might be of interest you in your shamanic and ethnobotanical experiments. It will be released via Nemeta.org soon.

with best regards,

John Lamb Lash

Somewhere I have the CD of a trance-style recitation of the opening Episodes performed in San Francisco a dozen or so years ago. It is not bad. You may find, as I do, that the Entheogenic renderings are crass and unappealing. As for other soundtracks, you may recall that I favor the intense momentum of Hania Rani’s Hawaii Oslo at Studio 2 for the opening of the narrative. Also, lately I am looking at Persian santoor music that might be appropriate for some passages. This sound is likely to be close to the music played with of the recitation of the FGS in Avestan in ancient times. Anahita is the Avestan name for Sophia

Finally, going again to the singularity in the sky, take note that is not only remarkable on its terms, and odds, but the fact that it occurs in the Whales during a double shift of Swan Deva is — what can I say? — astronomically at the top of the game.

Friday 11th April 2025:

It’s been a while since I posted some celestial mantique. In Nemeta.org 3.0, Course 11 Skywatching will have a block dedicated to that material. As the moment, something is unfolding in the sky that I could not resist bringing to your attention. Hang on to your jammies, because this is a stunner.

Remember that one of the novelties of celestial mantique, along with the Celestial Anchor and the Cache, or Treasure Chest, is the Matangi Point located in the cold currents beneath for front of the Western Whale. I discovered this point @  E 356, 26 Pisces, by sheer serendipity. It sits above the vortex of turbulent water at the tail of the sea monster, Cetus. Imagine that the cold currents erupt in this vortex due to the influx of water streaming from the urn or amphora of the Manitu. The undertow of these rough waters implies a dangerous passage, but it likewise implies the first moment when currents from the future break into the world drama.

The longitude of iota Ceti marking the tip of the curling tail is E 1 or 1 Aries at the vernal point (VP) which times the precession of the Ages. We live at the precise moment in the Piscean Age when the hour hand of the cosmic clock ticks across that star. The VP creeps toward the Manitu at the rate of 1 degree every 72 years. That means it reaches it in about 4 X 72 = 288 years, taking us into the next Kalpa. The current Kalpa that began in 3012 BCE ends in 2216 CE.

Hold on, I’m getting there! To appreciate the current omens, recall what I have often said about low odds. The Aeons like low odds because they make the gambling more exciting when you win on them. I ask you, how low are these odds:

  • iota Ceti, tip of the tail of the Sea Monster @ E 001, 1 Aries, VP
  • north lunar node @ 356, the Matangi Point
  • Mercury stationary direct @ 357, one degree off the MP
  • Venus stationary direct @357 also at the MP
  • Saturn @ 356 in the MP
  • Neptune @ E 1 in the VP

Count ’em. That is six points composed into one and the same omen. And not to omit a simultaneous event elsewhere in the sky:

  • Mars @ 117 or 27 Cancer at the Celestial Anchor (natal Saturn JLL: social mission)

Having come through the retrograde loop of inferior conjunction, Venus is now the Morning Star, Venus Lucifer. She rises before the Sun and stands at more distance from it and higher in the pre-dawn sky each day. Under ideal conditions, looking ENE, you might catch a glimpse of her with Saturn just below her, dim but visible, and Mercury, too small and dim to see with the naked eye. At that moment, Vega is on the meridian and the Northern Triangle of Vega-Deneb-Altair will be stunning. It all looks like this:

You know how I like to rave about low odds. I don’t think I have ever seen an omen at such low adds as this. It is probably a singularity among cosmic events, something that would happen once and once only.

Recently I was reviewing the mythography of the Whales and I decided on these memes:

Eastern Whale :: Antiquity, sacred wisdom of the East, Western Whale :: Modernity, wisdom gained and tested against existential, real-time events. Finally, remember that Matangi is the Mahavidya who can defeat the Archontic Trickster. She does it in several ways but the supreme tactic is “flipping the script.” There’s your trope for contemplating the Matangi Omen in the sky in April 2025.

Thursday April 10th 2025:

JLL teaching Celestics in the studio at La Vereda, 707 East Palace Avenue, Santa Fe, 1984

Following the triple hack in November last year, Ceridwen and I have been working feverishly to restore, improve, and secure all functions of Nemeta. At the same time, we are preparing the launch of the sister platform, Celestics.org. Thanks to each and all for your patience during this monumental task.

Currently, we are both working closely with our StarBase tech expert, Scott, and our WordPress tech wizard, Michael, to bring both platforms to their best look and function. StarBase software which computes manifolds is a Dreamweaver-operated json file program. This custom-designed software is the result of 50 years of studies in astronomy, naked-eye observation, and innovation with the material of sidereal mythology. Hence, StarBase 5.0

Example of hand drawn work for designing the Rimsite, circa 1986

It’s been tough trucking in some places. Due to the hack, not all images (over 2,400) have been restored to the media library in WordPress, Nemeta 3.0 will have restored images and be entirely free of the awkward and extraneous bells and whistles of the previous versions. One daunting task has been to reformat the curriculum panels for better access and cleaner look. Michael in Mexico has been working overtime on the back-end features of WP to solve this issue.

Our intention is to release products from Nemeta and develop Celestics.org as commercial packages, offering the Sampler for beginners, and you as well. Right now, I am revising Course 13 Celestics here in the School (on private). The new version will include previous content with some changes in organization. The task of interfacing Celestics here with the content and organization of Celestics.org has been daunting. I can tell you that it has induced some spectacular moments of cognitive dissonance. While toggling from one platform to the other, I have also been polishing off the final revisions of StarBase programming code in Dreamweaver. Spare moments, as they come and go, I devote to a screenplay based on Not in His Image, working title, “The Gnostic Love Triangle.”

It looks like a launch date for all this work could be May 1st or earlier. After that comes the next big challenge: how to introduce, market, and promote both platforms. We have a SEO expert who may provide some guidance to that end. I have set up a YouTube channel for StarBase Celestics. At the moment, I have no idea how to proceed with those tools or any other mechanism of outreach into the virtual void. I welcome suggestions on how to get the word out and establish some tread in social media so that the world knows what’s on offer here.

Tuesday 8th April 2025: Nemeta will be unavailable for a short time today for maintenance.
Tuesday 2nd April 2025:

The Shake of Things to Come

As you know, Nemeta 3.0 has been in reparation since the hack of November. Currently, you are looking at 2.0, the post-hack version. Our dedicated WordPress tech wizard, Lord Michael, is at work on a staging site for 3.0. It will be entirely cleaned from extraneous bells and whistles due to the original merge of WP with an on-line academic structure. The coming version with a new menu panel and background image for the home page is fresh, clean, clear, and user-friendly like never before!

Thanks to each and all, including new members, for upholding your interest and support. The hack delivered a considerable financial blow with daunting security and subscription problems to boot. Nemeta 3.0 is geared to a business model with a newsletter (Call to Beauty), mailing list, and more interactive features. Until now, I had not given serious thought to how an educational platform could work in business terms. It turns out to be relatively easy. This shift has unique benefits for members deriving from the revenue-generating features of the School. These prospects are set out in a new menu item, TREASURE (formerly Nemeta Projects), which outlines products and projects in development.

Here at Hag House in Galicia, we hit the ground running in the first Swan Deva shift and the momentum seems to be mounting in the second, underway since March 30th right after the spring equinox — central moment of spring in Mirita’s calendar, if you recall. Traditionally, I dance Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring at that moment. Today, in excited anticipation of the shape of things to come with Nemeta 3.0 and the parallel launch of Celestics.org, I am going for the joyful chords of Petrouchka.

First glimpse of the home page of Celestics.org

 

 2025 School Activity now archived to The Menhir’s curriculum panel, see below in block: THE MENHIR 2025

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The Home Story (FGS)

For the Fallen Goddess Scenario (FGS) free online course in 9 episodes, visit Sophianic Myth | The Fallen Goddess Scenario

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Dog Zen

DOG ZEN

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Introduction to The Menhir, Continued:

Notifications sent out via the Mailing List to both Members and Subscribers will also inform you of these ongoing activities. This page mirrors those periodic announcements by email and in some cases alerts you to new content, be it talk or text, that gets omitted from the announcements due to the rapidity and fluidity of John’s ongoing efforts to amplify the curricula, refine and reframe the content, and provide clear and “simplific” direction for your studies.

Announcements at the Menhir consistently track progressing content throughout the School and in 16. Planetary Tantra, free to all. It will also signal content on 18. Breaking Nous, and 17. The Terma and the Terton, available to Members only.

The sacred groves where the Mysteries were originally performed were sanctuaries of natural beauty where rocks and mineral formations were carefully observed. There might be a special rock at the boundary of the sanctuary, as there was a “stepping stone” on Infinity Ridge:

There it was a flat stone (barely visible in this photo) on the left at the base of the wild olive standing offside the welcome grove. When you stepped on it you formally entered the ritual space of the Ridge, then proceeding through the gracious arboreal corridor to the Devi Tree. (Sierra del Hacho, Andalucia. Sierra de Libar to the right, northwest)

In many cases, sacred stone markers were erected in the wild sanctuaries. A single standing stone was called a menhir (Brythonic maen, “stone” and hir, “long”). An arresting geomagnetic marker in the force field of the nemeton, the menhir had acoustic properties as well. Touching it, you could hear differently. Sitting in contact with it would deepen the shaman’s reach into the Nagual. It also served as a geodetic marker for placing the local site in the setting of seasonal cycles, aligned to the solstices and equinoxes, the cross-quarter days, and the rising and setting of prominent stars. Hence, it was a multi-purpose tool of orientation.

It is advisable to check the Menhir for orientation on Nemeta from time to time. Below you will find entries listed in reverse chronological order, most recent at top for easy access. This list will grow and morph in the course of each month. At the completion of each month, the activity recorded will be archived in the curriculum panel: “ARCHIVES”

One final word: I do wish to keep Nemeta supplied with occasional fresh input, additional to what it requires of me to maintain the burgeoning structure, the ongoing organization of the Blocks, editing, revision, etc. But I can only do what I can do, and as it pleases me… Time is at premium for me now and I have undertaken a writing project, the consummation of my life’s work and the closing revelation of my mystic journey.

Teach as you learn

– jll Autumn Equinox 2018

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