Mystery of the Stone Box inside the Wenis (Unas) Pyramid at Saqqara

by Geologist, Suzan Moore

In 2017, the pyramid of Unas at Saqqara Egypt was opened for the first time in years. It is always an exciting experience to see something new, and this particular site has an air of mystery about it. After conducting a bit of research, I found that Unas, like all pyramids in Egypt, had a “granite” box. This particular box is supposedly made out of Basalt, which is very unique since most of the other boxes are made of a mixture of Syanitic Granite and Granodiorite. So, why Basalt? Was this a mistake or was it really made of Basalt. After more research, including Flinders Petrie’s notes, it appeared that it should indeed be made of BasaltAfter much anticipation, we entered Unas and there it was. It was black and, at first glance, appeared to be a Basalt box, but after careful observation, several things were noted: The lid was almost completely off and was pushed towards the back of the box, but instead of appearing black like the rest of the box, it was grey. There were also several places on the upper surface of the box that looked as if the black had been rubbed off, exposing a grey surface beneath. With curiosity peaked, the box needed closer observation.

Unfortunately, being an artifact that resides in a Pyramid in Saqqara, we were unable to physically touch the box and I was only able to critically look at the box from a distance. The lid was too high up and too far back to look at closely, and unlike the box, it was a dull grey colour. Most other boxes, such as in the Serapeum, typically have a matching lid. Not all do, but most do. If the lid does not match then it is usually made of similar material. For example, if the box is Granodiorite then the lid is usually Granodiorite, but you never see a granite box with a limestone lid, or at least it has never been documented. So, when you have a black box with a grey lid, the flags are immediately raised.

Upon initial observation of the black box, we see a very smooth and even surface. The lighting is poor, and high power flashlights do not revel any noticeable mineralogy, just smooth black. A closer look at the inside of the box revealed some very interesting things: On the left back-side of the box there appeared to be several long streaks measuring from just a couple of centimeters to over 500 cm. These streaks appeared to be pealing or chipping off the surface of the box.

What were these? Shining the light on these streaks reveled a glassy type substance that was flaking off and had a very fine network of cracks in it. This is very interesting.

After closer examination with the flashlight, most of the inside of the box appeared to be coated with a glassy substance that reminded me of a high-fired pottery glaze, which leads me to the big question: What did they do to this box to make it unnaturally black and why? Is this a glaze?

If this is indeed a glaze on the box, then the logistics of that boggle the mind. The box is very large and heavy. It not something one could simply put into a pottery kiln, and most of the older pottery found in the area does not exhibit a glassy high-fired glaze.

There is another black “Basalt” box documented in the Pyramid of Teti. It would be interesting to compare this box with the one in Unas. If it is similar to the box in Unas, then why were they trying to make these boxes look black, and for what purpose?

Suzan Moore  Geologist, Researcher, Speaker and Explorer

 Born and raised on the prairies of Saskatchewan Canada, Suzan developed a keen interest in nature, rocks and stars at an early age. That passion led her to pursue a Geology degree with a minor in Astronomy.                                                                                                                                         Suzan has been working as a Geologist in Canada for over 40 years. She originally worked in both mining and regional mapping of granites and metamorphic rocks in northern Saskatchewan and the North West Territories. She has been working for many years as a Sedimentological Specialist in the Oil and Gas industry in Calgary Alberta, specializing in the Jurassic of North-Western America.

She has always had an interest in ancient Egypt and has been returning regularly since her first visit 10 years ago. After a trip to Peru in 2013 she developed a passion for understanding megalithic structures and the rocks they are carved from, which led her to explore their implications in Egypt, Lebanon, India, Peru, Bolivia and other countries as well. She is currently attempting to incorporate how weathering, time and source of the rocks affect the construction and preservation of many of the megalithic structures.

Taking a holistic approach, Suzan offers a unique and fresh viewpoint on the description, consistency and use of the various types of rocks and materials used in the ancient structures here, as well as the landscape of the sites themselves.

Suzan is  looking closely at magnetic anomalies, as well as the evidence of patterns of cycles with the elements of the strata of the earth. Not afraid to break with accepted tradition, Suzan offers a new perspective on the geologic record and conventional timelines of our planet.

India has always seemed like a very mystical country to me, filled with a magical quality you only read about in books. When I finally managed to tour a small part of India I came to find that it was everything I imagined it would be, both culturally and geologically.  Indian culture is full of vibrant colours and images of elaborate temples that hold the imagination at attention.

Geologically, “WOW” is the best way to describe India. Being adjacent to several plate edges, the rocks were amazing and I witnessed things I had only ever seen in geological texts.

Amygdaloidal basalts! I had seen amygdaloidal basalts before, but not ones that contained malachite inside.

Amygdaloidal basalt is a vesicular basalt that is formed from a magma. Magmas generally contain dissolved gases that cause bubbles to form within. When these bubbles become trapped in the rapidly solidifying rock, crystals can be deposited into the open cavities as the lava cools. The vesicles may be filled with a number of things such as: quartz, calcite, or other minerals, depending on the composition of the gasses and cooling rates. Filled cavities in lavas are called amygdales, and a rock full of them is called amygdaloidal, thus the name “Amygdaloidal Basalt”.

In the case of the Ellora Caves, the bubbles are filled with a lining of Malachite containing an inner filling of what appears to be a manganese mineral (not confirmed geochemically).

Some are completely filled with malachite, while others have a hard white chert or flintlike material in the center.

The bubbles occur in all different shapes and sizes, but one of the most interesting features I saw was the long thin veins that were filled with Malachite.  When the basalt was still flowing, some of it was so thin and runny that the gas bubbles traveled upward through the magma leaving long thin veins of Malachite in the basalt.

Overall, India’s geology did not disappoint!

Suzan Moore – Geologist

Born and raised on the prairies of Saskatchewan Canada, Suzan developed a keen interest in nature, rocks and stars at an early age. That passion later led her to pursue a Geology degree with a minor in Astronomy. Suzan has been working as a Geologist in Canada for over 40 years. She originally worked in both mining and regional mapping of granites and metamorphic rocks in northern Saskatchewan and the North West Territories. She has been working for many years as a Sedimentological Specialist in the Oil and Gas industry in Calgary Alberta, specializing in the Jurassic of Western North American.

She has always had an interest in Ancient Egypt and, since her first visit, returns regularly. After a trip to Peru in 2013 she developed a passion for understanding megalithic structures and the rocks they are carved from which led her to explore their implications in Egypt as well. She is currently trying to incorporate how weathering, time and source of the rocks affect the construction and preservation of many of the megalithic structures worldwide.

Suzan is now an active member of the Khemit School team and offers a unique and fresh perspective on the description, consistency and use of the various types of rocks and materials  used in the ancient structures here.

Suzan will be joining Brien Foerster, Mohamed Ibrahim, Yousef and Patricia Awyan and host, Nayantara Chakravarthi on the Khemit School’s TECHNO – SPIRITUAL INDIA TOUR from January 5 – 17, 2017, when we’ll be revisiting the Ajanta and Ellora Caves, as well as many other significant and powerful sites.

 For Details and itinerary  CLICK HERE!

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Maha Shivratri, which literally translates to “Great Night of Shiva” is a Hindu festival largely celebrated in India as well as in Nepal to note the convergence of Shakti, the seen or manifested world, and Shiva, the formless unseen world.   Shiva is consciousness and Shakti is the activating power of energy in motion- universally, and in each and every individual. Though one is manifested and the other unmanifested, they are in the ultimate sense… one and the same.

Celebrating Maha Shivratri –The Night of Shiva  

Written by Nayantara Chakravarthi on this unique day which fell on March 7^th last winter.

Sadhguru explains Maha Shivaratri scientifically as the day before the new moon, in the months of Feb – March. This is of special significance as ‘on this night, the northern hemisphere of the planet is positioned in such a way that there is a natural upsurge of energy in a human being.  In order to allow this natural upsurge of energies to find their way – one remains with one’s spine vertical – and therefore stays awake!

I was at the Chinmaya Mission temple this evening and listened to some great songs on Shiva – composed by the great spiritual composers of the Bhakti tradition – Saint Thyagaraja and Muthuswamy Dikshitar.

Sung by Mr Sriram these songs hailed Shiva as the Lord of the 5 Bhuthas or elements and rooted in ‘Non Duality’!

What are the pancha bhutas (five elements)?

All of life can be explained as constituted of the five elements of space, air, fire, water and earth—known in various Indian languages as akasham, vayu, agni, jalam, and prithvi respectively.

This model applies to human beings as well as any form of creation. We human beings are nurtured by fire that regulates our body temperatures; two thirds of our bodies are nothing but water; the air we breathe is the prana of existence; our material is nothing but the earth; and above all—much “space” or “nothingness” pervades our bodies.

Deep in South India, Shiva is worshipped in the form of each of these elements. Muthuswamy Dikshitar (1775—1835) travelled to five shrines dedicated to these five elements, perhaps on foot or on bullock cart.  His visit to these temples was not marked by selfies or photo-ops,  but by compositions that serve as brilliant testimonials to his musical skills and his scholarship. The ancient temples he composed about are :

Space:

Chidambaram is one of India’s most venerated Shiva temples and is the seat of Akasha lingam where Shiva is worshipped both as the cosmic dancer and as the embodiment of Space. The song composed here by Muthuswamy Dikshitar is “Ananda natana prakasam” in praise of Shiva in a 7 beat cycle is set to the Raga Kedaram and is a description of Shiva the cosmic dancer.

 

 

 

Air :

A mysterious draft of air is said to aerate Sri Kalahasti temple located near Tirupati. This composition is in the folk Raga Huseni or Ushani, probably signifying the folk origins of the Kannappa Nayanar story of a hunter worshipping Shiva at Kalahasti and attaining spiritual liberation. The song is ‘Sri Kalahastishaa’

 

https://youtu.be/t2bhiPBJ6k4

Fire :

Tiruvannamalai, an ancient center of Saivite worship regards the Arunachala or the red hill as the column of fire whose limits could not be traced by Vishnu and Brahma. The rock of Thiruvannamalai is an ancient rock formation, born out of a volcanic eruption and is a site filled with energy! The song dedicated to Shiva in this element is ‘Arunachala natham’ .

The second syllable in most of the words occurring in this kriti (arunachala, smarami, aravindam) is ‘RA’ signifying the element fire as well as the Sun God RA.

 

https://youtu.be/gctG2qioFGc

Water:

A perennial water spring flows through the Shivalingam in the sanctum at the Jambunatha temple in Jambukesvaram near Tiruchirappalli. The composition “Jambupate” in the Raga Yamuna kalyani, is the longest of the five kritis and has references to several rivers – Ganga, Yamuna, Kaveri..

 

https://youtu.be/Ca7j0uJTzcA

Earth:

An anthill symbolizing a Prithvi lingam or earth phallus, adorns the sacred sanctum of the Ekamresvara temple in Kanchipuram. The song sung in praise of Shiva here is the most noteworthy of these compositions “chintaya ma kanda mula kandam” where he again describes Shiva as a form of bliss.

 

 

https://youtu.be/Ca7j0uJTzcA

The five compositions are a treasured collection of hymns/songs which also bring out the underlying philosophy of advaita where all there is, is sat chit ananda (eternal, bliss, consciousness).

Thanks to inputs and research of Kanniks Kannikeswaran and Isha foundation.

 

Adi Shankara propagated this philosophy of Advaitha or ‘non duality’ The Atma Shatakam or Nirvana Shatakam is mesmerising!

This is a one hour japa (chant) called the Nirvana Shatakam.  It is chanted and performed by the Sounds of Isha. Isha Yoga is the tradition that this performance comes from. The teacher in this tradition is Sadhguru Jaggi Vasi Dev.  Nirvana means ‘formless’.

 

 

Nayantara Chakravarthi

 

Nayantara Chakravarthi lives in Bangalore, South India.

She is a consumer behaviour researcher and strategist by profession, and a history explorer, by passion. She speaks 6 of the Indian languages and loves to explore sites of deep antiquity in India. She is currently researching the iconography and symbolism of Indian architecture. Coming from a family of spiritual seekers, She has learnt the correct method of chanting some major Hindu Mantras from the Vedas.

 

 

Nayatara will be the host of our upcoming ALCHEMY OF THE 5 ELEMENTS INDIA TOUR – ‘Earth to Aether: The Alchemy of the 5 Elements as the Cosmic Dance of Life’  from  Jan 22 – Feb 1, 2017 with speakers that teach about the ancient indigenous traditions from India from Liesbeth Pankaja, from Egypt- Patricia Awyan and from Australia- Stella Wheildon, along with Geologist, Suzan Moore.

  

INDIA 2017:  JOURNEY TO THE CENTER OF YOURSELF

January 22^nd –  February 1^st, 2017

Earth to Aether:

The Alchemy of the 5 Elements as the Cosmic Dance of Life

 

For Details and itinerary  CLICK HERE!

 

Khemit School’s Techno-Spiritual Team goes to INDIA

Advanced Technologies and Spiritual Legacy of Ancient India Journey

January 5^th – 17^th, 2017

INDIA

Largely unrecognized for its contribution to humanity, India is a civilization that brought forth unparalleled accomplishments in astronomy, mathematics, physics, architecture and art,dating back 10,000 years or more.

Featuring Speakers: Patricia & Yousef Awyan, Brien Foerster, Mohamed Ibrahim, Geologist, Suzan Moore and  Host, Nayantara Chakravarthi