TIDBITS 04/15/07

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We encourage you to forward this email to friends and colleagues. ====================================== Voyage to the Otherworld The year: 1st Century BCE. It's the time of the Celts ... a group that had no conception of reward or punishment in an after-life. They were a reckless fighting group ... and without fear of later reprisals ... they could be easily conceived as quite intimidating.

Ah ... but they did believe that there was life after death. It was a passage that could be taken by boat. Jets had not yet been invented. The passage was viewed as a journey into a new existence for which they needed to be prepared. And so they had grave-goods buried with them for the great voyage. Their destination: An unearthly magical region called the Otherworld ... which as it happened was also home to supernatural beings and monsters.

Unlike our system however ... theirs was a tad more fluid. Mortals could cross over to the Otherworld--at their own risk--and then return. So if you had a hankering to see old Aunt Gertie, for it had been quite some time and you were feeling a bit nostalgic after a day of plundering ... you could just pop over for a visit.

Those on the other side ... who had made the permanent trek one makes after death ... also had the ability to visit the land of the living ... perhaps to see an old flame ... perhaps to haunt and stalk an old enemy.

It was truly a rather convenient arrangement ... for this way ... even in death ... no one was really gone ... and ... perhaps unfortunately ... could never be forgotten. Eternal existence and conscious awareness of this existence ... could be as much bane as boon.

And so they made their boats ... probably with many varied materials. I have an image of one ... made of gold ... and for all I know it was functional. It had a mast should a good wind come along ... and it seven oars on each side ... in case the winds were at rest. The question might arise in the minds of some as to where the fourteen oarsmen were to be found when the traveler found himself or herself ready to undertake the journey. I do not know the answer to this ... perhaps there were intermediary organizations at the time (the OTTO seems to come to mind ...Oarsmen To The Otherworld ... but what do I know)?

In any case ... the image I have of this golden vessel is not so unique because of the completeness of its structure with mast and benches and oars ... but because it brings into question the size of the Celtic population of the time. Were they teeny weenie tiny people? For the boat--you see--only measures 2 inches from the bottom of the hull to the top of the mast. Any elucidation in the matter would be greatly appreciated.

For those of you who are new to this thing called Tidbits...may I direct you to my home page at

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where you will scroll down the left side menu till you get to the area that says Current Tidbits ... and then click on it in order to view a boat to the Otherworld

And there ya have it. That's it for this week folks. Catch you all next week. Benjamin Mark

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