In the first half, author Gregg Braden, a pioneer in bridging science, spirituality and human potential, discussed the mysterious and forbidden territory of human origin and existence. One curiosity, he noted, is that modern humans appeared suddenly around 200,000 years ago with advanced brains and other capabilities that differentiated them from other life forms at that time-- there seemed to be no gradual or slow development of these features. Some of these abilities, including the brain's neocortex, are associated with human chromosome #2, which was the result of the fusion of two different primate genes. This suggests to Braden that something other than Darwinian evolution was involved in the development of our humanness.
"What we're finding is that civilization is cyclic rather than linear and that there have been multiple cycles...that are based on a 5,000 year rhythm," he cited, adding that in previous civilizations there was evidence for such things as hot and cold running water, and electrical wires running underground. It's likely that war ended these advanced civilizations, and this is relevant, he commented, because we have to ask ourselves if we're heading in that direction now and repeating the cycle. Interestingly, there are NASA images from the lunar surface with 90 degree angles indicating complex artificial structures. Rather than from ETs, he believes the evidence will show that these structures were created by people from Earth during one of the earlier advanced cycles.
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James Wasserman is a longtime student of the occult and a member of the Ordo Templi Orientis since 1976. In the latter half, he talked about the Knights Templar, gnosticism, the Crusades, and how history sheds light on the modern conflict between Islam and the West. Formed around 1,000 years ago, the Knights Templar began as a monastic Catholic military order but experienced Gnostic illuminations (mystical knowledge) and were sometimes considered heretical by the Church, though they played an active role in the Crusades. They had contact and treaties with a number of esoteric and spiritual groups around the Holy Land such as the Assassins, and the Cathars, he recounted.
The Cathars, a French group of Christian mystics, totally rejected materialism and were considered the most heretical, Wasserman continued. The Assassins, a Muslim group, targeted enemies' leaders rather than soldiers or civilians, and were quite humane in their own way, he remarked. One of the Assassins' leaders totally overturned Sharia or Muslim law, but was killed two years later. At the time of the Crusades, the Muslim world was more sophisticated than European civilization. The current war between the West and Islam is based on a false dichotomy, since they share common roots, Wasserman observed.
News segment guests: Charles R. Smith, Peter Breggin, Steve Kates