Earth mysteries
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The term Earth mysteries is used to describe an interest in a wide range of scientific and pseudo-scientific phenomena.
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[edit] Description
Earth mysteries includes the study of ancient sites and landscapes (including archaeology, archaeoastronomy, and ley lines), unusual natural objects, bizarre events and phenomena, anomalous archaeological artifacts known as anachronisms (e.g. the Antikythera mechanism), and strange creatures (Cryptozoology). This also includes earth lights, dowsing, megaliths and power points. The Gaia hypothesis, which is planetary consciousness, falls into this term as well.
The discipline is regarded with skepticism by academics since much of its subject matter lacks any evidence for existence. Respected science fiction authors such as Arthur C. Clarke have put their names to popular books on the subject which have gone some way towards exposing the flawed methodologies of less disciplined authors.
Earth mysteries have their modern origin in the works of Charles Fort and gained momentum in the 1960's partly as a result of the counterculture movement. The term is thought to have originated in the 1970s. Certain phenomena which were once disputed and termed by some as 'earth mysteries', such as ball lightning, have been proven to exist and are studied by reputable scientists but much of its subject matter, such as a supposed species of flying 'rod' or ley lines lack any credible evidence or rationale. Other well attested phenomena such as the Tunguska event which have commonly accepted rational explanations are often given a pseudo-scientific or paranormal spin by believers in 'earth mysteries'.
[edit] Books
- Danny Sullivan (2005) Ley Lines.
- Astronomical Enigmas: Life on Mars, the Star of Bethlehem, and Other Milky Way Mysteries. Johns Hopkins University Press (Nov 2004).
- John Michael Greer (2003) The New Encyclopedia of the Occult.
- Richard Grossinger (1986) Planetary Mysteries.
- Thomas Burnet (1691) The Sacred Theory of the Earth
- James Hutton (1795) Theory of the Earth
- Lucy R Lippard: Overlay: Contemporary Art and the Art of Prehistory. New York 1983 ISBN 0-394-54812-8
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- Earth Mysteries at the Internet Sacred Texts Archive
- Earth Mysteries by Chris Whitcombe
- Earth Mysteries, Stone Circles, Stonehenge at Brittania.com
- Top 10 Earth Mysteries at Paranormal.about.com
