In this issue: Conference season is full flow: Origins 2014 in London, Paradigm in Minneapolis and Edgar Cayce's ARE Ancient Mysteries Conference in Virginia Beach. The announcement of mini trips to Gobekli Tepe and the surrounding area for May and September 2015. Answering rumours about Göbekli Tepe's imminent closure. More on the tour to Cambodia and Laos in March 2015. Revised article on Orion and its role in the Orion Correlation Theory (OCT) and redating of the Great Sphinx. New article on Gunung Padang and the mysteries and prehistory of Java, which just won't stop writing itself.

THE CONFERENCES SEASON IN FULL FLOW

Hi, hope this newsletter finds you well. The Origins 2014 conference in London on Saturday, November 15th is now less than eight weeks away. If you have not got your tickets and intend coming along then please do this soon as the demand is great.

You’ll hear Professor Irving Finkel, star of recent Channel 4 TV documentary “The True Story of Noah’s Ark”, talking about the discovery and translation of the Round Ark cuneiform Tablet, which more or less proves the biblical flood story originated in Babylon and was adopted by the Hebrews at the time of the Babylonian Captivity. It tells us also that the Ark was round, not rectangular, and that, as Genesis tells us, the animals went in two by two. Fascinating story, and Irving will reveal the whole thing to the Origins 2014 conference audience.

Brien Foerster will link with us from Peru to deliver a full-length lecture on the worldwide mystery of the long headed skull people, focusing on the deformed skulls found at Paracas on the Peruvian coast. They have certain natural features, which mark them out as controversial evidence of a form of human that we know almost nothing about. Most likely they are human hybrids, but from which combination of hominids remains to be seen.

Dr Manjir Samanta-Laughton will deliver her stunning discoveries regarding the true nature of black holes as perception horizons of inter-dimensional events, and the impact these findings have on our understanding of human evolution. If you have not heard her speak, you need to hear this. It is very enlightening indeed.

Hugh Newman has been working with American giants expert Jim Viera to get together a complete catalogue of cases of giant skeleton discoveries not in from the United States, but also from every part of the world. He presents his findings in this exclusive lecture for the Origins 2014 audience.

I shall preview new material showing that Göbekli Tepe, the world’s oldest confirmed stone temple complex, now has rivals of equal antiquity. I report on Göbekli’s sister site Karahan Tepe, and provide a brand new report on Indonesia’s own Göbekli Tepe - Gunung Padang. Situated in Indonesia’s West Java province, this extraordinary megalithic complex is also likely to date to the end of the last ice age. I reveal its archaeoastronomy, proposed purpose and function, and speculate on its builders. Can these incredible sites provide conclusive evidence of a lost civilization existing before the end of the last ice age? If so, who were these people, what did they believe in, and what is their connection to the other forms of human species that once co-existed with anatomically modern humans?

Lastly, we have Robert K. G. Temple, author of so many incredible books, the most famous being The Sirius Mystery, published originally in 1976. Probably due to programmes like Ancient Aliens (which I feature on regularly, as do almost all of my contemporaries in the ancient mysteries subject), there has been a huge revival in all things ancient astronaut. Although I am not a subscriber to this hypothesis, certainly in terms of its answering the riddles and enigmas of the ancients, it has allowed people to rediscover books like The Sirius Mystery, which unquestionably influenced the writings of authors like Robert Bauval and Graham Hancock to mention just a few. Robert's use of the Dogon creation myths to show that they too believed that the world came into being as the result of sky gods descending to earth is compelling, even though we might also have grounds to interpret these stories differently.

It seemed important to ask Robert to talk at this year’s Origins conference, and so if you are coming along make sure you dust off that old copy of The Sirius Mystery and have Robert sign it personally, as this will be a much cherished addition to your book collection.

I shall be doing the same when I get to meet Erich von Däniken at the Paradigm Conference in Minneapolis at the beginning of October, and then again when we both speak at the ARE’s Ancient Mysteries Conference in Virginia Beach the following weekend. As I say, I don't really subscribe to the "was God an astronaut?" conundrum, but I will happily admit that if it wasn't for me reading Chariots of the Gods when I was a teenager I would not be writing to you now.

Links for all three conference are given below:

Paradigm Conference, Minneapolis, October 2/5

http://www.paradigmsymposium.com

Edgar Cayce’s ARE Ancient Mysteries Conference, October 9/12

http://www.edgarcayce.org/are/conferences.aspx?id=8705

Origins Conference 2014, London, November 15

http://www.andrewcollins.com/page/conference/conferencenews.htm

For the London Origins event on the Sunday I shall be leading a party around the British Museum on a walkabout of relevant exhibits, where we shall see everything from the Rosetta Stone to the Round Ark Tablet, the Babylonian Map of the World, John Dee’s scrying mirror and crystal ball, and the famous Ubaid Anunnaki statues from Mesopotamia. Book now, and I’ll see you there.

GÖBEKLI TEPE MINI BREAKS

Hugh Newman and myself, in association with Hidden Knowledge Tours, have created 6 day/5 night short breaks to Göbekli Tepe and the surrounding area in May and September next year, so you can personally experience these incredible sites, and see how they all fit together in the greater scheme of things.

In addition to visiting Göbekli Tepe twice, you will see Harran, the ancient Sabian city of the moon god Sin, with its breathtaking Astronomical Tower; Karahan Tepe, Göbekli Tepe’s sister site in the nearby Tektek Mountains, and all the sites of ancient Sanliurfa, the biblical city of Edessa, including the cave shrine marking the birth place of Abraham, the Pools of Abraham, and the brand new Sanliurfa Museum of Archaeology. This will have a magnificent display of items from Göbekli Tepe and the various other Pre-Pottery Neolithic sites of the region. You will stay in the luxurious Hilton Park Hotel, and be guided by one of the best guides in the business.

Göbekli Tepe in September 2012, before the temporary roof was fitted (Pic copyright: Andrew Collins)

You can either start your tour in Istanbul or in Sanliurfa.

Recently, I heard rumours that Göbekli Tepe was closing for a year in order for the builders to create a permanent roof over the site (it currently has a temporary wooden roof structure in place). This would mean that no one would be able to go there until it was finished.

However, these rumours proved groundless. Our Turkish agent has spoken to one of the late Professor Klaus Schmidt’s assistants, who informs us that Göbekli Tepe will remain open in 2015.

Having said this, there is every likelihood that the site WILL have to close in order that the roof can be put in place, and this could mean it being off limits to tourists for some considerable time, perhaps during 2016. I say this only as a precaution, and do urge people that if they do want to experience the site before it becomes simply another attraction on Turkey Ministry of Tourism’s long list of “open-air museums,” then 2015 is the year. Don’t leave it any longer.

Take a look at the full details of these mini breaks and book now.

http://www.andrewcollins.com/page/events/Gobekli_break_0515.htm

There is a chance these tours will fill quickly, so book as soon as you can. Our Turkish Travel agent will help you all the way to book flights to an from your home city to either Istanbul or Sanliurfa.

CAMBODIA AND LAOS TOUR

In addition to the Göbekli Tepe short breaks, don’t forget that Hugh Newman and I, in cooperation with Bruce Cunningham of Ancient Mysteries International, have created a spectacular tour of the Cambodian temple complexes of Angkor Wat, Angkor Thom and Preah Vehear, with an added excursion to see the mysterious Plain of Jars in Laos. This will take place over the March spring equinox 2015, in order for you to witness the equinoctial sun rise along the east-west axis of Angkor Wat.

There are still spaces available, and we would love you to join us on this trip of a lifetime. I have always wanted to get out to Angkor Wat, and here is an opportunity for everyone. If you have still not reviewed details of this monumental trip the link is below:

http://www.andrewcollins.com/page/events/se_asia.htm

NEW ARTICLES

I have been spending my time on two projects. One is updating the article “Orion – The Eternal Rise of the Sky Hunter”. If you have ever had an interest in the Orion Correlation Theory, the air shafts of the Great Pyramids, the redating of the Sphinx, and the dual cosmology of the Orion and Cygnus constellations worldwide, then you need to read this article. Download it now from academia.edu at the following link:

https://www.academia.edu/8436197/Orion_-_Eternal_Rise_of_the_Sky_Hunter

Or from Dropbox at the following link:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/et46vzv2cgfmgut/A%20Collins%20Orion%20-%20Eternal%20Rise%20of%20the%20Sky%20Hunter%20.pdf?dl=0

Here is the abstract: We explore the role of Orion in the human mindset, from its first appearance in the carved art of the Upper Palaeolithic age through to its place in the Orion Correlation Theory. This includes its role in the re-dating of the Great Sphinx and fixing the date for zep tepi, the age of the gods in ancient Egypt. We examine also the stellar significance of the Great Pyramid’s four air shafts, and whether it is the “belt” stars of Orion or the “wing” stars of Cygnus that better match the geographical positioning of the Giza Pyramids. Finally, we look at the dual role Orion and Cygnus played both in ancient Egypt, and within the afterlife cosmology of North America’s Southeastern Ceremonial Complex (SECC).

GUNUNG PADANG

I have also been completely revising my existing article on Gunung Padang, (see http://www.andrewcollins.com/page/articles/gp.htm) and the more I read about this incredible place, and about the mysteries and prehistory of Java, the more I am intrigued. Every time I think I have finished editing the revised article, I find out more extraordinary things. With chartered engineer Rodney Hale’s help I believe we now have the site's correct orientation, and through this its principal astronomical interests and basic function. I am pretty certain also that I have identified the high culture responsible for the construction of its megalithic architecture, which if correct provides new evidence of how these people saw themselves, and how they are remembered in Javanese myth and legend. Hopefully, I can get this article finished and out to you as quickly as possible.

That’s about it for the moment. Plenty to think about as always.

Until next time,

Andrew Collins