ANDREW COLLINS - STARS, STONES AND THE CYGNUS MYSTERY

 

 Why exactly the cult of the swan might have existed in megalithic Ireland, and indeed among the Neolithic monuments of Britain, becomes the subject of Andrew Collins's own much-anticipated presentation.
As early as Palaeolithic times, the Cygnus constellation, as the celestial bird, was depicted in shamanic-based cave art. As the perceived guardian of the entrance to the sky-world it is found at the heart of ancient cosmologies and religions worldwide. Cygnus is also a major influence behind sacred art and architecture from Avebury and Newgrange in Britain to the Pyramids of Giza, the ancient mounds of Ohio, and the temples of Mexico, Peru and India.

Andrew traces the origins of these clear astronomical ideas back beyond the oldest stone temple in the world, located in south-east Turkey and dating to 9500 BC, to 15,000 BC when Deneb, the brightest star in Cygnus was Pole Star. It was then also that deep cave environments were crucially important to the religious beliefs and practices of our Palaeolithic ancestors.
During this same epoch modern humans underwent extensive changes in behavioural patterns, which include the evolution of cave art, the development of astronomy and cosmology, and the apparent emergence of transoceanic travel. Was some external influence responsible for this noticeable acceleration in evolution around 15,000 BC? After much research, Andrew concludes that this mutagenic process was enhanced by cosmic rays detectable deep underground, where our distant ancestors conducted their religious practices. Yet if this was so, could the point source of this subtle irradiation be found? Aside from neutrinos from either the sun or supernovae, only one type of cosmic ray has been repeatedly tracked by deep underground detectors. This is a particle of unique quality that comes from a binary star system in the Cygnus constellation, situated around 30,000 light years away. Does its strange particles, which have baffled physicists, help us understand why Palaeolithic man not only evolved so quickly, but also recognised the Cygnus constellation as the source of divine inspiration and wisdom, as well as the place of cosmic death and rebirth? It is this entirely unique theory that appears in Andrew's new book THE CYGNUS MYSTERY.
It was a unique and very bold assertion, but then, in December 2005, an American scientific think tank announced that it too now believed that a binary star system producing powerful jets of cosmic rays was responsible for a rapid acceleration in animal and human evolution on earth during the last Ice Age. Moreover, it emerges that as early as 1995, British anthropological writer Denis Montgomery outlined his own belief that cosmic rays from the Cygnus region were responsible for sudden changes in human behaviour during the Palaeolithic age. It is a scholarly debate outlined for the first time by Andrew in his stunning new audio-visual presentation.

Andrew Collins is a popular writer of history, archaeology and science. For over 30 years he has explored the relationship between archaic religious beliefs and the cosmos, examining the origins of human civilization, the development of technology and the inspirations behind magic and religion. His discoveries have led to several thought provoking books that challenge the way we think about the past. His new book THE CYGNUS MYSTERY (Watkins Publishing) is available in the autumn of 2006. Andrew is also the organiser of the Questing Conference, Britain's premier event on revisionist history, forbidden archaeology and ancient wisdom. Born in 1957, he lives with his wife Sue in Essex.


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