Standing amid snow-covered fields and squat white farmhouses with fingers chapped from years of planting ginseng, Ban Ki-jong traced his village's destiny in the shape of a nearby mountain. "See how it looks like a crane," he pointed, "with its wings spread open, ready to fly?""Feng shui tells us this is a perfect shape for funnelling natural forces into the village," Ban continued, referring to a belief that some sites are blessed by geography. "So we've known for three centuries that a great man would emerge here. Now, he's finally come."That man is Ban's cousin, Ban Ki-moon, who will take the reins of theUnited Nations as secretary general tomorrow.
He was born 62 years ago in this tiny village of about 100 residents in South Korea's rustic centre. (The village is called No 1 to distinguish it from nearby Sangdong No 2.)
Since Ban's
selection by the UN in October, almost 2,000 practitioners of feng
shui, or pungsu in Korean, as well as a few Buddhists, have descended
on the village, trying to divine the source of its good fortune, local
officials said. A host of stories of Ban's birth and childhood have
emerged, many that make him sound like a sagacious Confucian scholar
out of Korea's dynastic past.
Geomancy - the art of
siting buildings auspiciously - and divination may seem out of place in
a nation with the world's highest internet penetration rates. But like
many countries that have experienced rapid economic growth, SouthKorea
has been grappling with how much of its traditional culture to give up
in the name of modernity.
At the same time that Ban's
appointment marks South Korea's emergence as an economic powerhouse and
robust democracy, the reaction to Ban's appointment in the place of his
birth attests to the tenacity of many old beliefs. To many local
residents, his success stands as an affirmation of those ways.
"We now live in a global
era, but we are still Koreans," said Han Sang-youn, principal of
Chungju High School, Ban's alma mater. "Mr Ban shows our values should
be kept for future generations."
The school, in the nearby
city of Chungju, where Ban and his family moved when he was three, has
begun incorporating stories of Ban's life into its curriculum, Han
said. One recounts how, after the Korean War, Ban learned......
To continue please sign in with your Hotsposz ID... If you are new to Hotspotsz you can
register a new ID .
Andy Monkman: The "Flower of Life" can be found in all major religions of the world. It contains the patterns of creation as they emerged from the "Great Void". Everything is made from the Creator"s thought. After the creation of the Seed of Life the same vortex"s motion was continued, creating the next structure known as the Egg of Life. This structure forms the basis for music, as the distances between the spheres is identical to the distances between the tones and the half tones in music. I...What is Alchemy ?
Anthony North: Of all the esoteric arts, none are more controversial than alchemy. Indeed, the standard image we have of the Magician – pointy hat, wise look on his ancient face, and surrounded by books and glass vials – is really that of the Alchemist. Existing in a world of mystery, the Alchemist seemed to be a dark, occult shadow over much of Europe from Medieval times to the birth of the modern world. And his claims were quite often fantastic.Famous alchemists: Europe produced many alchemist...Archimedes Death Ray device put to the test
Massachuessets Institute of Technology: Ancient Greek and Roman historians recorded that during the siege of Syracuse in 212 BC, Archimedes (a notably smart person) constructed a burning glass to set the Roman warships, anchored within bow and arrow range, afire. The story has been much debated and oft dismissed as myth. TV's MythBusters were not able to replicate the feat and “busted” the myth.Intrigued by the idea and anintuitive belief that it could work, MIT's 2.009ers decided to ap...Cracking the alchemists' secret recipe
A 500-year old mystery surrounding the centerpiece of the alchemists' lab kit has been solved by UCL (University College London) and Cardiff University archaeologists. Since the Middle Ages, mixing vessels – or crucibles – manufactured in the Hesse region of Germany have been world renowned because of their ability to withstand strong reagents and high temperatures. Previous work by the team has shown that Hessian crucibles have been found in archaeological sites across the world, including ...The eternal now
Anthony North: Foretelling the future is one of the trickiest areas of the paranormal. Within known theorizing, there is very little of a concrete nature that can suggest it is possible. Hence, much skepticism is placed on the subject. For my own research, I"ve looked at the idea that possible future outcomes can be gleaned by unconscious knowledge and intuitions in the present. However, I won"t bore the reader by going over these "mechanisms" again. I want to look further than that.: For whilst...Feng shui creates better websites
Could someone or
something switch us off? Could it possibly be true that our world is just a
computer program, or a hologram, or a dream? Although it's about the weirdest
thing you could think of, there are some tantalizing clues this might indeed be
the case. The stuff we call 'reality' simply isn?t very real after all.
Welcome to the outskirts of reality. Welcome to the place where theoretical
physics and philosophy meet, and where religion and science loose their meaning.
...UFOs or Magick?
UFO War: Etheric Excursions &
Non-Human Entities!
Alien Abductions and
Aleister Crowley
Aleister Crowley?s Lam & the Little Gray
Men: A Striking Resemblance by Ardane Steward
Preface
:This report presupposes two things: that there
are ?aliens,? and that some people (occultists) have ?magickal powers.? It is
not the point of this report to prove there are or are not such beings or
powers. What is known is that there are people who believe that there are such
beings and bel...The Alchemists
To most of us, the word "alchemy" calls up the
picture of a medieval and slightly sinister laboratory in which an aged,
black-robed wizard broods over the crucibles and alembics that are to bring
within his reach the Philosopher's Stone, and with that discovery, the formula
for the Elixir of life and the transmutation of metals. But one can scarcely
dismiss so lightly the science -- or art, if you will --that won to its service
the lifelong devotion of men of culture and ...
Foldersz is an internal bookmarking system where you can save and organise Hotspotsz content (including this article) into a Folder of your own for later reference.
Paranormal Category List (A-Z)
All our articles are sorted under categories and topics, making it easier to cross reference different subjects. Below are all the different categories the articles are sorted under alphabetically.
56(56/0) 
Forbidden knowledge of the Knights Templars
Sacred geometry: flower of life
What is Alchemy ?
Archimedes Death Ray device put to the test
The eternal now
Feng shui creates better websites
What is ?Reality? ?
UFOs or Magick?
The Alchemists
