Warm greetings to my Rooster friends on this Roman, New Year celebration.
It is only twenty-five days until the Year of the Horse begins. And then a string of New Year celebrations until we get to the Islamic New Year which will be celebrated on a most auspicious day, October 24th, my birthday.
2013, the Year of the Snake, was good for a Dragon like me. The Chinese say a Dragon falling down from the sky becomes a Snake. Literally spreading my wings, I flew over 57,000 miles, landed, then slithered around ancient lands.
The UAE near Jebel Faya – Recent 2010 evidence changes our evolutionary history. Tools found in the lower, Arabian Peninsula, dated 125,000 years ago, challenge the old hypothesis that the migration out of Africa began 75,000 years ago.
Cairo, Egypt – What else do I need to say?
Amman and Petra, Jordan – Almost as old as Jericho, Al-Beidha (near Petra) has been inhabited since 9,000BC and Amman reaches back to 7,500BC. Jordan is truly the Holy Land of the Bible.
Rome, Italy – Founded by the prophetess Carmenta, she made her son, Evander, the king of the Pallene settlement that eventually became Rome. Evander instituted the Lupercalia, a spring, cleansing festival associated with the wolf. Those hills later evolved into the fashionable, Palantine Hills, home of Roman Emperors which archeologists continue to excavate and to find “new” discoveries.
Hawaiian Islands – Oahu, Maui and Hawaii – Prior to Captain Cook, Polynesian’s long-distance, ocean navigators are thought to have paddled to the islands as early as 3000BC. We climbed Mauna Loa, the largest volcano on Earth and the Hawaiian’s sacred mountain where benevolent spirits reside.
Uluru and Kata Tjuta, Australia – The Aboriginals, whose 44,000 year-old culture is the oldest in the world, continue to dream in the red desert. The Aboriginal say Uluru was created during Creation. Kata Tjuta is even more sacred to the Aboriginals. It is the home of Wanambi, the snake god and his stories are kept secret.
My Dragons and Rabbits ended 2014 in another corner of the Polynesian Triangle: the land the Maoris called Aotearoa; the British originally called New South Wales and later changed to NEW Zealand; and the place Lord of the Rings followers now refer to as Middle Earth. Scientists believe New Zealand is the last major landmass to be settled by Homo sapiens.
It was a magical year. I am certain these experiences will continue to reverberate through my life and, as they inspire me, I will share my stories with you.
Wherever you are on planet Earth, Happy Beginnings.
Tales of Dragons, Rabbits and Roosters 