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In one of the more forested parts of the Celestial Empire, with naught but a simple stone bridge spanning an encircling river, lies a small village named Ametille. Its history is not difficult to trace, if one is willing to believe the folk legends and half-remembered facts making up the official story of its inception, taught to children after sundown if their chores are complete by that hour. For the decade I knew him in my own childhood, my grandfather had a habit of bragging about his role in founding the village, although what he described always sounded like ordinary serf work to me. I foolishly brought this up once, having just learnt the responsibilities inherent to serfdom, and was promptly whipped for my insolence and insensitivity.It is true that serfs like my grandfather were responsible for building the first actual structures within the borders of Ametille. But he didn’t carve that perfect circle of a trench around one of the only naturally occurring clearings in this part of our forest. Nor did he ensure that such a trench would be filled with ample quantities of freshwater and fish by superheating a large chunk of the rock atop our closest mountain, allowing the springs near its peak to cascade and create the magnificent Ametille Falls. So although I no longer possess that childhood need to express my thoughts without attention given to consequence, it has nonetheless remained perpetually clear that while my grandfather’s generation may have built our home, it is the angels we have to thank for its existence.To this day, no one truly knows why the angels created Ametille. Our pride may prevent us from saying so, but we are merely a small trading post whose only major exports are salmon and maple firewood, both of which can be found in ample quantities in the wild.As a youth, one of my favorite sunset stories was the Rise of Amitiel, the tale of an angel who had nobly perished in battle, only to miraculously rise from the dead one-hundred-sixty years later. With his divine vow to protect the weak and defend the innocent on pain of death complete, the gentle Amitiel was free to express his compassion by investing in the creation of new cities and towns like our own, in the hope that we could grow and lead the way into a new golden age. And because we were one of the very first of these new ports of civilization, we were proud to name our humble home after him.What intrigued me most, studying far away from home in my adolescence at one of the only universities in the empire, was learning the truth upon which the legend and our livelihood had been built.Amitiel was an angel known in his prime as a fierce battle commander, leading many successful raids alongside his siblings against hundreds of vampires, in what has since been described in hushed voices as the Celestial Empire’s greatest failure to mitigate human-vampire relationships. Roiling in hatred and fear, tens of vampire clans were inspired to unite under the stewardship of a particularly well-educated and charismatic clan sharing the family name of Lenivian. Its members led a series of well-organized revolts, consisting of the successful burning of seven keystone human towns and a near-successful invasion of one major celestial-stewarded city, prompting the beginning of a nineteen-year military conflict that would come to be known as the War of Lenivian. Amitiel was one of the commanders targeted in the city, ambushed alone with a massive force of sixty-some Lenivian insurgents and quickly killed as a result.The War of Lenivian, having formally ended nearly two hundred and eight years ago, is oft forgot by many of the common folk, but its importance should not be underestimated. Throughout recorded history, relations between angels and vampires in general were far more benevolent, with a comparatively better organized Celestial Empire primarily busying itself with development of expansionist principles into its economics, and scattered groups of vampire clans living both within and outside the empire without much activity beyond the occasional hunt of humans. In the wake of small independent skirmishes defining the decade following the formal ending armistice of the War of Lenivian, motivated mostly by insurgent clans previously allied under the Levinians who strongly disagreed with the partial surrender, the Celestial Empire established greater avenues for trade with independent human towns and cities, in the attempt to both protect them from further vampire attacks and create opportunities to better serve the empire for visibly rising populations of human-angel hybrids in human societies. This remained the case until the rise of sanctioned towns, villages, and city-states like Ametille sixty years ago, at which point universities and various angel-sanctioned lords began to accept strictly human students (such as myself) and serfs who were native to these new cornerstones of the empire.Meanwhile, vampires became…a very complicated problem. Celestial knowledge of their habits and behaviors has always been scarce due to underestimation regarding the danger they could pose to angelic interests, but ignorance of the greatest profundity belongs to the time before the rise of the Lenivians. Vampiric obsession with blood has always been thought an incurable addiction at best and a deliberate act of malice at worst, in part because the period following the previous major conflict (recently re-named the Palonai Crusades, a very poorly documented set of violent expeditions and sieges into traditional vampire territory, which lasted for roughly four years and ended nearly twelve years before the War of Lenivian) promoted a period of intense separation of angels from vampires. They obviously remain quite separate to this day, but at the time they were separated to an extent such that both parties were barely even aware of one another. However, the end of the War of Lenivian created outstanding change in the infrastructure of vampiric society. Individual clans remained and persist to this day, hunting as they will, but due to renewed hatred of angels as well as the angels’ move to become more involved in the protection of humanity, many vampire clans strode to unite under chief-lords and forest kings and other titles we are unfamiliar with, retaining their territories in the wildest parts of the empire’s forests but adapting a much greater emphasis on attack through group skirmish and siege. Putting it in plain speech, the celestial attempt to cut them off from blood has made them…well, bloodthirsty in its pursuit. Mother would be proud of my sense of poetry, I think.To this end, with greater celestial capacity for distribution of information as well as greater cohesive action between vampire clans, research on vampiric nature became possible. Their blood-feeding cycles were tracked with greater and greater accuracy, allowing the empire powers of prediction for a known clan and thus prevent attacks on humanity before they could occur. Why they crave blood in particular remains entirely a matter of hyperbole and hypothesis, but one of my colleagues was once lucky enough to be granted upon request this exact pontification for his final thesis in creatures classification, and the research we eagerly poured over demonstrated an interesting pattern: vampires were nearly three times more likely to cause the death of an attacked human-angel hybrid than an ordinary human. We did not receive enough information to progress much farther than that, but it did present a curious question of whether vampires were specifically targeting angelic heritage that I occasionally wonder about to this day.With regards to Amitiel, I still feel as though his contribution to our town was minimal. Yes, he is the angel who proposed the ongoing project of what I am inclined to describe as inexplicable human sponsorship, but his great-great-great-great niece Ramiel, is who truly ought to be credited with its fulfillment. Overjoyed with what to her must have been the gift of a smiling divine power, she was entrusted with planning the sheer logistical challenge of organizing an entire subnetwork of newly developed lands and peoples. Her firm maintenance of celestial-human trade relationships is the true reason why our small, irrelevant village remains away from annihilation.In fact, that is why I determined to rename myself Ramelen, after her name, upon graduation of my studies and return home. Some of my neighbors in Ametille consider me naught but mightily desperate to win the favor of a superior being, and I suppose this must seem the obvious conclusion in light of my renowned and overglorified role as the empire’s information-carrier for this small trading center. Nevertheless, as with many things in this life, the truth is dramatically simpler and based on concepts rarely known: just as the uneducated often possess the inclination to honor with titles and names those who do them kindness, the educated often wish to declare their admiration for those who perform the work they have been taught to admire. Ramiel is an angel I respect, and so she is my muse in this matter.Now, more than ever before, comes a need to honor such beings again. An unknown creature has been attacking our cattle recently - very fast, very vicious. Unusual for vampires, even more so in light of the events of last week, when three of our villagers were kidnapped without a trace since. Other empire perfunctionaries, upon visiting my home for a regular update on Ametille events and being informed of the kidnappings, have expressed serious concerns over whether a particularly violent vampire clan has begun to move into our surrounding woods. I may be too harsh in condescendingly implying to them that they aren’t giving the matter too much thought, but it seems quite nonsensical that a vampire would attack cattle instead of people and then simply leave the blood of the corpse to dry all over our hay. This is something else - something new.But it’s all right, because Ramiel is returning to Ametille soon, for the first time in many moons. Hopefully, she will possess the sense to look beyond the base assumptions we have come to make about fellow species. Hopefully, we can locate and identify the problem before it truly becomes one.

There is MOUNTAINS of evidence that suggests evolution is real:Before we start here is a brief history of evolution:The theory of evolution by natural selection was been suggested and debated way before Darwin. Even some ancient Greek proposed such ideas.Four scientists were key to the development of evolutionary theory. They were Carolus Linnaeus, George Louis Leclerc de Buffon, Erasamus Darwin, (who Darwin’s grandfather,) and Jean-Baptiste Lamarc. I won’t go into too much detail about each of them, but just know that Jean-Baptiste Lamarc, who although was a very big contributor to the evolutionary theory, had a lot of false ideasGeological change was also a key issue for Darwin’s theory. At the time, many though that the Earth was 6000 years old, which is false. Earth is estimated to be around 4.543 billion years old. Theories of geological change set stage for Darwin’s theory. James Hutton proposed gradualism and Charles Lyell, who also proposed the earth was much older than previously thought, suggested that changes in Earth occurred at a constant rate over time. Charles Lyell greatly affected Darwin’s theory. Another thing to keep in mind is that the actual mechanism for evolution was described by Charles Darwin and Alfred Russell Wallace.Alright, now to how Darwin came up with his theory.Charles Darwin and Natural Selection:From 1831 to 1862, Darwin traveled around the world on the ship H.M.S. Beagle. They visited South America, Australia, and the southern tip of Africa. Darwin’s journey included stops at several island chains, the last being the Galápagos Islands. Darwin noticed that species of organism in the Galápagos Islands had clear similarities, yet had distinct differences. For example, the ground finches inhabiting the Galápagos Islands included several species each with a unique beak shape. He observed both that these finches closely resembled another finch species on the mainland of South America and that the group of species in the Galápagos had diversity in beak sizes and shapes, with very small differences between the most similar.” Darwin imagined that the island species might all be from one original mainland species.By these observations, he conceived the mechanism of natural selection. Natural selection has four main principles:1.) Descent with Modification: Characteristics of organisms are passed from parent to offspring. Overtime species who are more adapted to their environment will survive better. Remember that with change to environment, a species will either go extinct, or go through natural selection, which helps them be more suited for their environment.2.) Overproduction: More offspring are produced than the amount of resources which allows for all of them to survive and reproduce causing competition. Darwin’s understanding of the principle came from reading an essay by Thomas Malthus.3.) Variation: Variation, in biology, refers to any difference between cells, individual organisms, or groups of organisms of any species caused either by genetic differences or by the effect of environmental factors on the expression of the genetic potentials. Variation may be shown in physical appearance, metabolism, fertility, mode of reproduction, behavior, learning and mental ability, and other obvious or measurable characters. These variations must be there for a population to survive otherwise they will die in the face of change in their environments since there is no organisms of the species that will be suited to their change in environment because they are all the same. For example, imagine there are rats living somewhere. There are some fluffy rats, but most of them have short fur since their environment is pretty hot. Let’s say the climate changes, and the ones with short fur have a harder time surviving and the ones with fluffy fur survive better and reproduce more than the short haired ones. Now, there are more fluffy rats! If those fluffy rats had never existed, those populations of rats would’ve died out and went extinct! This is why variation is important.4.) Adaptation: These are traits that allow organisms to have a higher chance of surviving and reproducing in their environment. Certain organisms who are more suited to their environment have a higher chance of surviving and reproducing. This means, that since they have a higher chance of reproducing, their offspring will inherit their adaptations and be more adapted to their environment.Actual demonstrations of evolution by natural selection is time consuming but here is an example. Peter and Rosemary Grant and their colleagues have studied the Galápagos finches populations every year since 1976. Medium ground finches feed on seeds. However, there are some variation in the beak size of the species. Some of them have wide, deep bills, and others have thinner beaks. The large beaks have an easier time eating large, hard seeds. The small beaks have an easier time feeding on small, soft seeds. In 1977, there was a drought on the island! As a result of the drought, there was suddenly a decline in seeds. However, the decline in small, soft seeds was a lot higher than the decline in large, hard seeds. Suddenly, the large beaked birds had an advantage in natural selection. This study demonstrates natural selection. The changes in beak size due to natural selection has occurred both to larger beaks and smaller beaks.As you can see by the graph, here is the study of the effects on the drought on the Galápagos Island. You can see the average of the percentage of individuals with a beak depth was around medium before the drought in 1977. When the drought occurred you can see the mean beak depth fluctuate. The mean beak depth became larger. You can also see that the total number of birds before the drought that occurred in 1977 on the Galápagos Island was 751. Afterwards, the total number of birds went down to 90.Variation:Natural selection only takes place if variation exists in species. Those variations must have some genetic basis.Genetic diversity in populations mainly come from mutation, which is a change in DNA, and sexual reproduction.Mutation is the common source of new alleles (which is any of the alternative forms of a gene or other homologous DNA sequence,) and new genetic variation. A mutation can have a negative effect, a positive effect, or no effect on the organism ability to survive and reproduce.Evolutionary patterns:These are two concepts that are important to understand in evolution.Divergent evolution is when two species evolve in different directions from a common point.Convergent evolution is when similar structures arise through evolution independently in different species.You must also understand structures:Analogous structures: Structures that are similar in function and appearance, but have no common ancestor. Here is an example of analogous structures:If you look closely, you can see that it shows insect wings and a bat’s wing. Although both of them use them for the purpose of flying, the structures did not arise from a shared common ancestor. The bat and insect wings evolved independently.Homologous structures: Structures that suggest their connection to a common ancestor. These structures do not have to look exactly the same, or have the same function. The most important part, as hinted by their name, is that they are structurally similar. (Definition from: Homologous Structures) Here is an image of an example of homologous structures:As you can see, humans, cats, whales, and bats, have very similar structures. However, all of the species shown, use those structures differently. Humans use them to pick up objects. Cats use them to walk. Whales use them to swim. Bats use them to fly. What is important here is that they have similar structures that hint at a common ancestor.Microevolution vs. Macroevolution:As we saw earlier with the Galápagos finches, evolution certainly occurs. However, you may be thinking, “Well what about the evolution of a human evolving from fishes? I get that there are small changes such as differences in beaks but what about long term evolution?”This is where we come to microevolution and macroevolution.Microevolution is gradual change of a population over time.Macroevoluion is the process that gives rise to new species and higher taxonomic groups with widely divergent characters.Five factors leading to evolution:Now, you may be thinking, “Great, we got all the little nuances of evolution, but how does it actually occur?” Well, I can explain that!1.) Genetic Drift is when allele (which is any of the alternative forms of a gene or other homologous DNA sequence,) frequencies change due to chance. Here is a demonstration of the bottleneck effect which is an example of genetic drift which results in a large portion of a population suddenly dying.Here is another example where genetic drift in a population can lead to the elimination of an allele from a population by chance:There is also the founder effect which is when a portion of the population leaves to start a new population in another area or when a portion of the population gets divided by a physical barrier of some kind. In such situations, those individuals are very unlikely to be a good representative of the whole population which results in the founder effect.The effects of genetic drift may be the loss of genetic variation.2.) Gene flow is the flow of alleles in and out of a population resulting from the migration of individuals or gametes. Here is an example:As we can see, one of the brown beetles in a population migrates to join a new migration which causes the introduction of the brown phenotype into the new population of green beetles.3.) Mutation, which I already explained.4.) Sexual selection which is when certain traits improve mating success. Sexual theory, theory in postulating that the evolution of certain conspicuous physical traits—such as pronounced coloration, increased size, or striking adornments—in animals may grant the possessors of these traits greater success in obtaining mates. For example, particularly in birds and mammals, the males are often larger and stronger, more brightly colored, or endowed with conspicuous ornamentation. Although, for example, the male peacocks feathers don’t really help them with surviving, they do help them to mate. The reason females pick them based on the feathers is because put simply, if a peacock has beautiful feathers, it most likely means it is healthy in general, and healthy enough to have time to take care of its feathers. The reason females are usually the ones that pick the mates in animals is because sperms are a lot easier to produce than eggs which means eggs are more valuable than sperms. Just remember that sexual selection is a lot more complicated in humans. Thank god it is, otherwise most of us would look the same and the world would be a boring place. (Source: Sexual selection | biology)5.) Natural selection, which I already explained.If you want even more proof for evolution you can read it here: Evidence of Evolution - Concepts of Biology - OpenStaxIf you want to read more about how new species are conceived, you can read it here: Speciation - Concepts of Biology - OpenStaxHere is some responses on common misconceptions about evolution.-Evolution is just a theory:In science, a “theory” means something way different. In science, “theory” means a concept that has been extensively tested and supported over time. We have a theory of gravity, a theory of relativity, and so on. Even though we accept these things as fact, we still call them theories. Theories can be proven false or revised later on, but that doesn’t diminish the value of theories. Theories survive significant efforts to discredit it by scientists, who are often skeptical. A “theory” in science does not share the same definition of common vernacular. A “theory” in common vernacular means a guess or suggested explanation for something, but that is not what a “theory” means in science. The problem with the argument of “evolution is just a theory” is that they are implying there is little to no evidence supporting such theory and that it is still in the process of being tested. This is obviously, not true.-Evolution says humans came from monkeys! I can’t possibly believe that humans come from monkeys! Not at all!:Nobody said humans come from monkeys. Instead, it is widely agreed that humans and monkeys share a common ancestor. Also, humans are more closely related to apes than we are to monkeys.-If evolution exists, then why do monkeys still exist?!:This makes no sense, because evolution does not go in a straight line. If we look at this image, we can see how evolution isn’t a straight line, but are more like branches:Think of it as like a family tree:As you can see, there are multiple branches. When people say “if evolution exists, why do humans exist,” it would be the same as saying “if evolution exists, why does you brother exist?!?!?!”-Evolution explains the origin of life:It is a common misunderstanding that evolution includes an explanation of life’s origin. Other critics criticize evolution for not explaining the origin of life. However, evolution doesn’t try to explain the origin of life. “The mechanisms of the origin of life on Earth are a particularly difficult problem because it occurred a very long time ago, over a very long time, and presumably just occurred once. Importantly, biologists believe that the presence of life on Earth precludes the possibility that the events that led to life on Earth can be repeated because the intermediate stages would immediately become food for existing living things. The early stages of life included the formation of organic molecules such as carbohydrates, amino acids, or nucleotides. If these were formed from inorganic precursors today, they would simply be broken down by living things. The early stages of life also probably included more complex aggregations of molecules into enclosed structures with an internal environment, a boundary layer of some form, and the external environment. Such structures, if they were formed now, would be quickly consumed or broken down by living organisms.However, once a mechanism of inheritance was in place in the form of a molecule like DNA or RNA, either within a cell or within a pre-cell, these entities would be subject to the principle of natural selection. More effective reproducers would increase in frequency at the expense of inefficient reproducers. So while evolution does not explain the origin of life, it may have something to say about some of the processes operating once pre-living entities acquired certain properties.” (Source: Common Misconceptions about Evolution - Concepts of Biology - OpenStax)-Organism evolve on purpose:First of all, no. When people say “organisms evolve in response to a change in an environment,” it is commonly misunderstood. People usually interpret it to mean organisms evolve on purpose, or that individuals evolve. Both are untrue Also, organisms do not evolve towards something.“It is also important to understand that the variation that natural selection works on is already in a population and does not arise in response to an environmental change. For example, applying antibiotics to a population of bacteria will, over time, select for a population of bacteria that are resistant to antibiotics. The resistance, which is caused by a gene, did not arise by mutation because of the application of the antibiotic. The gene for resistance was already present in the gene pool of the bacteria, likely at a low frequency. The antibiotic, which kills the bacterial cells without the resistance gene, strongly selects for individuals that are resistant, since these would be the only ones that survived and divided. Experiments have demonstrated that mutations for antibiotic resistance do not arise as a result of antibiotic application.” (Source: Common Misconceptions about Evolution - Concepts of Biology - OpenStax)-Evolution is controversial among scientists:When it was first proposed, yes it was. People started to accept it rapidly because of how much evidence Darwin compiled. However, now it isn’t. The scientific arguments were quickly resolved. However, the arguments of religious leaders still exist. The reason religious leaders often don’t accept evolution is because they believe it to be an attack on their religious beliefs. However, it isn’t, and was never meant to be. A recent argument is that evolution is controversial among biologists. A Pew Research poll in 2009 found that 97% of the 2500 scientists they polled believe species evolve. Scientists who do reject or question evolution are usually non-biologists such as chemists and physicians. There are no experimental results or research programs that contradict the theory. There are no papers currently publish in peer-reviewed scientific journals that appear to refute the theory. Scientists are skeptics, so remember that. Research with evidence and scientific merit are considered by the scientific community, not pseudo-science.-Other theories should be taught.Critics, especially religious leaders, often say other theories should be taught. However, they are just trying to create uncertainty about the theory of evolution without actually providing evidence to support their theories. We currently don’t have any viable alternative scientific theories to evolution. Except for the time when there was a research program in the Soviet Union based off of Lamarck’s theory during the early 20th century which set that country’s agricultural research back decades. Also, Lamarck’s ideas aren’t even valid. According to him, species evolve towards perfection, which isn’t true. Also, by his logic, if you go to the gym lift and become ripped, your babies will also be born ripped. This is obviously not true. We don’t teach creationism because it is not based off of the scientific theory. Creationism is an untestable explanation which is why it is not a scientific explanation. There are two main reasons why we shouldn’t teach nonscientific theories. First, because they are not useful for the contribution of science, because they lack evidence and do not, and cannot give rise to the research programs that promote our understanding of the world around us. Simply put, experiments cannot test non-material explanations for natural phenomena. Second, it is actually illegal to teach such nonscientific theories in the United States. This is because it violates the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, which prohibits government sponsorship of a particular religion. This is why, teaching creationism in public schools isn’t in the best public interest. Science is only able to study and know the material world. There are both atheist and religious biologists. Biology doesn’t have much to say on the existence of a god because that isn’t what it is about.That was a long one.I got most of this information, aside from the other sources listed, from this book:Preface - Concepts of Biology - OpenStax

The Bhrigu Samhita: An ancient Hindu astrological treatise, said to contain details of millions of lives, with horoscopes drawn for the time of consultation. The original Bhrigu was a Vedic sage and is mentioned in the Mahabharata. As the Bhrigus were a sacred race, it is difficult to identify the compiler of the Bhrigu-Samhita, but according to legend he lived 10,000 years ago and had a divine vision of everyone who was to be born in every country of the world. He compiled this information in his great treatise on astrology, originally written on palm leaves. No complete manuscript is known, but large sections are rumored to exist somewhere in India.A printed version is said to comprise some 200 volumes, but most Indian astrologers who use the system work with loose manuscript pages. These are supposed to give the name of the client compiled from Sanskrit syllables approximating names in any language, with details of past, present, and future life, as well as previous http://incarnations.In addition to his fee, the astrologer usually proposes the sponsorship of a special religious rite to propitiate the gods for past sins. Indian astrologers reported using the Bhrigu-Samhita include Pandit Devakinandan Shastri of Swarsati Phatak, in the old city of Benares; and Pandit Biswanath Bannerjee of Sadananda Road (near the Ujjala movie house) in Calcutta.In Fate magazine (June 1982), David Christopher Lane, a noted scholar of spiritual movements and cults, described a personal consultation with Hindu astrologers in Hoshiarpur, Punjab, India, who were custodians of a set of Bhrigu-Samhita leaves. At the time Lane was researching the Radhasoami movement in India, on which he has become a worldfamous authority. On July 22, 1978, Lane was taken by his friend Swami Yogeshwar Ananda Saraswati to a house in a back street of Hoshiarpur, where two astrologers had charge of a large set of Bhrigu-Samhita leaves tied in bundles.The astrologers first compiled a graph, rather like a Western horoscope, but featuring the date of Lane's arrival at the house. According to Hindu tradition, all consultations with the Bhrigu-Samhita are preordained, and the moment of arrival is the key to discovery of the correct leaf, which indicates not only the life pattern and destiny of the inquirer, but also his name in a Sanskrit equivalent of the language of the inquirer.Lane stated that after inspection of various bundles of leaves, taken down from the shelf and examined, the correct leaf was found in about 15 or 20 minutes. Lane was shown the leaf, and the Sanskrit inscriptions were translated:A young man has come from a far-off land across the sea. His name is DavidLane and he has come with a pandit [scholar] and a swami.Lane questioned how his name could be known, and the swami showed him the Sanskrit equivalent of the Bhrigu leaf. The reading continued:The young man is here to study dharma [religious duty] and meet with holy men and saints.Other personal details were also given, including a sketch of Lane's past and present lives.He expected to be able to make a copy of the leaf with its reading, but to his surprise he was told that he could keep the original leaf. The astrologer explained:"The Bhrigu-Samhitareplenishes itself, sometimes with very old leaves and with some less aged. We do nothing; there is no need to. The astral records manifest physically at the appropriate time and place."It was something of an anticlimax when the last lines of the horoscope stated that in order to expiate a sin in a previous life, Lane was advised to pay 150 rupees (approximately $20). But no pressure whatever was put on Lane to pay this modest sum, and the attitude of the astrologers and Swami Yogeshwar that there had been a divine revelation convinced Lane that this was no vulgar fraud. For such a small sum, the preparation of a fake Bhrigu leaf, and the willingness to allow Lane to take it away with him (and thus verify its antiquity) would have been out of all proportion to the work involved.Moreover, the specific details of the horoscope could not have been known in advance of Lane's visit.Lane's experience was not unique, since a Canadian named H. G. McKenzie recorded that he used the Bhrigu-Samhita in the early 1970s and also verified its accuracy. He wrote:"I consulted Bhrigu-Samhita and found my name mentioned there, besides so many otherthings about my life that shows that one has no free will…. The Bhrigu-Samhita states about me that I, Mr. McKenzie from Canada, am here with such and such people. It states some events of my past life and also predicts the future course of my life."In 1980 Lane met and talked with Anders Johanssen, a professional astrologer from Sweden who was then visiting Los Angeles. Johanssen stated that he had used the BhriguSamhita at least seven times and was convinced that it was an authentic work and the most accurate treatise he had encountered. He believed that the copy in Hoshiarpur was the most complete, although other versions were known in Delhi, Meerut, and Benares. However, it was not clear what the nature of a Bhrigu consultation was on subsequent visits. If the leaf from the first consultation was freely offered (as in the case of David Lane), were other leaves available for each of the later visits? In Lane's case, his Bhrigu horoscope contained the prediction:This young man will come again several times.On the first visit, Lane accepted the offered leaf, but left it with Swami Yogeshwar to make an exact English translation, planning to collect the original leaf and translation a few weeks later. However, Lane curtailed his trip due to illness and was later unable to contact the swami. Lane made a second visit to Bhrigu-Samhita at Hoshiarpur three years later, in 1981, in company with Prof. Bhagat Ram Kamal. He gave two days' notice of the intended visit, but no leaf for the visit could be discovered, arguing for the genuineness of the astrologers, since no fee was requested."Excerpted from: The Encyclopedia of Occultism and Parapsychology (Fifth Edition)A PERSONAL ADVENTUREThe astrologers believe that nobody can consult the Bhrigu Samhita unless it is preordained. Therefore my coming had been expected and arranged for thousands of years ago.Maharishi Bhriguji asper the Bhrigu StotramIn the summer of 1978 I went to North India with Professor Mark Juergensmeyer of the University of California at Berkeley to study the Radhasoami movement. The Radhasoami movement, founded by Shiv Dayal Singh (1818-1878) in the mid-19th Century in Agra, India, is a religious tradition based upon Sant mat, the "path of the saints." It has many branches, the largest of which is in Beas, Punjab, India. The basic tenets of the movement are:the practice of surat shabd yoga;the belief in a living Master who initiates disciples into the path;a pure moral life which includes the abstinence from meat, fish, eggs, alcohol, drugs and sex outside marriage; andthe firm conviction that Jivan Mukti--liberation or enlightenment while living--is possible under the guidance of a realized saint or mystic.It is of interest and usually not known in America that the Radhasoami movement has been the basis for several popular religious groups in America including the Divine Light Mission—Guru Maharaji's father was allegedly initiated by Sawan Singh of Radhasoami Beas and later left to start his own sect; Paul Twitchell who was initiated by Kirpal Singh, himself a disciple of Sawan Singh; and MSIA, founded by John-Roger Hinkins who claims to have been given permission to initiate devotees to the inner spiritual planes by Sawan Singh.I was invited to go on the trip because of my knowledge of obscure yogis and saints in the region. My job was to visit the various gurus and ashrams in the Punjab and compile an exhaustive genealogical tree of the spiritual leaders involved in the tradition.Later, during my travels alone, I visited with Baba Faqir Chand, a 92-year-old sage who had been doing intensive spiritual practices for over 75 years. He was regarded as one of the three most advanced adepts of surat shabd yoga in the world. It was during my stay with this venerable saint that I learned of the Bhrigu Samhita which is considered to be a physical counterpart to the controversial "Akashic Records"--a complete account of mankind's experiences allegedly existing in the astral and causal planes -- and the oldest astrological treatise in the world. On the last day of my stay at Manavta Mandir I was invited by my friend Swami Yogeshwar Ananda Saraswati and a local scholar to consult the ancient work. Although my time was limited I agreed to go.On July 22, 1978, in the midst of India's torrential monsoons and intense summer heat, the Swami and I took a bicycle rickshaw from the "Be-Man Temple" and followed our scholar guide through the crowded city streets of Hoshiarpur to our destination. On the way Swami Yogeshwar told me the fascinating legend of the book.Millenniums ago, during an untraceable time in India's history, the renowned sage Bhrigu reigned as the world's greatest astrologer. His mastery of astrology was so profound that he was able to dictate certain parts of the Akashic Records from the astral worlds onto special scrolls in the sacred language of Sanskrit, often called by Indian mystics "the language of the gods."This primordial translation was said to contain the record of every human being who ever lived on earth. During each age the work has been transferred onto new leaves in order to preserve it for future generations. The present manuscript is said to be an exact copy of the original and is itself 400 to 500 years old. According to Hindu mythology Bhrigu was a son of the sage Varun. It is said that once Bhrigu visited Lord Vishnu when the latter was sleeping with his consort Lakshami. As Bhrigu was not accorded a proper welcome by Vishnu, the former felt annoyed and he hit Lord Vishnu. The act of Bhrigu was Intolerable to the wife of Lord Vishnu. She became angry with Bhrigu and cursed him, "You and your entire Brahman generation shall ever live a life of pauperism and Lakshami shall remain far away from Brahmans." Bhrigu repented for his deed and pleaded for mercy to Goddess Lakshami. Ultimately, the goddess took mercy upon Bhrigu and told him to write the Bhrigu Samhita (an astrological book) to earn his own livelihood and a livelihood for his generation, since it was not possible for her to withdraw the curse.Where and when this book was written by Bhrigu has not yet been ascertained by any scholar. Because Braha and Utpal, the great astrologers of ancient India, make no reference to this book in their writings it is believed that it must have been written in the post-Vedic period.The original Bhrigu Samhita has not yet been traced. It appears some parts of it are owned by Brahman families in Benares, Poona and Meerut but they do not allow anyone to study these chapters. Thus this great astrological book still remains beyond the reach of scholars.Reference to Bhrigu Samhita is made in JatakSkand, which implies that the horoscope and the forecast of the entire life of every human being born on this planet is given in this book, according to the time, place and date of birth of the individual. Eleven chapters deal with different aspects of human life. These chapters are:Kundli Khand--horoscopes;Phabit Kahand--forecasts;JarahParharan --previous lives;Tathalin BhriguPrashan--questions of Bhrigu;Nasht-Janmong Deepiha—index to lost horoscopes;Sarivarisht-Nivaran-Khand--remedy to human problems;Raj-Khand--pertaining to rule;Santan-upaya-Khand--for begetting children;Narpati-Jayacharya Khand--for the victory and works of a king;Istri-PhabitKhand--on the nature of women.I was told by Yogeshwar and by others also that this work in Hoshiarpur is the only one of its kind now in existence in India. Vague references to the Bhrigu Samhita appear in few books.Dr. Paul Brunton, one of the first Western seekers to meet Ramana Maharishi and Anand Sarup of Dayal Bagh, knew of its existence in the early 1930's. In his book A Search in Secert India Brunton repeats a revealing conversation he had with the accomplished astrologer Sudhei Babu about the works of Bhrigu: "Do you know if there is any English translation of the Book?" Brunton asked the astrologer. The astrologer shook his head "I have never heard of one. Few even are the Hindus who know of the existence of the book. Hitherto it has been kept secret.""When was it written?" "It was composed thousands of years ago by the sage Bhrigu, who lived so long ago that I cannot give you a date."Not being much interested in astrology and doubtful of its exactitude as a science, I admit that I took the legend with good doses of skepticism. The only propelling force in its favor was my confidence and trust in the swami and the scholar. Yogeshwar was a Christian monk extremely knowledgeable in Western science; the scholar was an expert in the philosophical systems of India. Their unremitting belief in the book's validity, which they claim resulted from their own experiences with its awesome accuracy, deeply impressed me. I attempted to keep an open mind.When we finally arrived at the library which was sandwiched between two back streets, I was immediately struck by the large array of Sanskrit leaves tied in huge bundles. I had imagined that there would be one large book.Two librarians, who also were expert astrologers, were on duty. Apparently this valuable treasure had been a family possession for years. I found them intelligent, matter-offact and fluent in English. We enjoyed some chai (Indian tea which tastes like a cross between coffee and hot chocolate) as we discussed some of the implications of the work. The astrologers believe that nobody can consult the Bhrigu Samhita unless it is preordained. Therefore my coming had been expected and arranged for thousands of years ago.Stories abound concerning individuals who have tried to reach the library but failed. Among the innumerable papers one particular leaf would be found which contains the details of my life, the librarians told me. A picture-graph was made by the astrologers using the date of myarrival at the Bhrigu Samhita as well as my birth date and birthplace. I got the impression that the most vital event was my arrival at the library. This event set all other facts into motion. The chart looked like a reconstruction of certain star, lunar and solar positions. My companions had complete confidence in the librarians' abilities. Using the picture-graph based upon my life, the astrologers were able to riffle through the huge stacks looking for a leaf which had the same chart drawing. This precise matchup, supposedly written by the sage Bhrigu thousands of years ago, gives in Sanskrit a description of me or any other person who has arrived and whose picture-graph has been computed.I was told that it can take from a few minutes to a few hours to a whole day to find the appropriate matching horoscope. Curious about this unusual system I asked Swami Yogeshwar if the library had any classification system. He told me it does not and added, a little mysteriously, "They don't need it; it is destiny itself which guides them to find it!" Everyone got involved. Several bundles were taken down from the shelf at random and untied. The two astrologers, the swami and the scholar got busy looking for the corresponding chart. I began to feel it was a fruitless task. However, after 15 or 20 minutes the scholar exclaimed that he had found it. This, I was told later, was unusually quick; it added to everyone's sense of anticipation.The two librarians and Swami Yogeshwar examined it closely and all agreed it was an exact replica. This parched Sanskrit scroll would have the information on my life.Examining the leaf carefully I could not help feeling an odd sense of providence. While the astrologers read through it Swami Yogeshwar and the scholar translated its message into English. When the first sentence was read I was taken aback. I noticed that Swami Yogeshwar and the scholar also were deeply moved. It was obvious, at least to those of us present, that this was real. The first line said,A young man has come from a far-off land across the sea. His name is David Lane and he has come with a pandit and a swami.I stopped the reading in mid-sentence and asked for an explanation as to how my name could be mentioned. Swami Yogeshwar showed me the leaf on which my name was written in Sanskrit and pointed out that the pronunciation was almost exactly the same. The scholar, although familiar with the Bhrigu Samhita, was also most impressed by its exactitude. But the astrologers accepted it as a common occurrence and read on,The young man is here to study dharma (religion) and meet with holy men and saints.Certain things of a personal nature were related which I found very touching; details of my present life were given and there followed a description of my past. Swami Yogeshwar wrote down the Sanskrit and partially translated it for me on a scrap of paper. But to my surprise, I was told I could keep the original leaf if I wished. It was then I heard this amazing statement about the book from the astrologers' lips, "The Bhrigu Samhita replenishes itself, and with sometimes with very old leaves and with some less aged. We do nothing; there is no need to. The astral records manifest physically at the appropriate time and place."My doubt doubled when one of the last lines of the horoscope was read aloud. In order to rectify a sin I had committed in a previous life I was advised to pay 150 rupees approximately 20 American dollars) to the Bhrigu Samhita. I smiled, thinking the hour spent had been an interesting diversion--even if it wasn't genuine. But, interestingly enough, no pressure was put on me to pay the amount mentioned in the leaf. Rather, Swami Yogeshwar and the others said there was no hurry. I had no intention of paying the amount but I did find the librarians' attitude the opposite of what one would expect from those engaged in a con game. This, plus the euphoric effect the reading seemed to have on everyone present, prompted me not to dismiss it simply as a fraud. The swami acted as if there had been a revelation. Indeed, his own words to me were, "God has spoken today to us, dear friend, through the agency of the Bhrigu Samhita!" Also I have learned that the legend surrounding the book states that Bhrigu wrote the Bhrigu Samhita "for earning his own livelihood and for the livelihood of his generation." This would partially explain why the work has a built-in request for money.For two years I have pondered the various explanations for the information found in the Bhrigu Samhita. The possibilities range from outright fraud to elaborate metaphysical theories. The more I doubted it the more my contacts with individuals and books seemed to attest to its authenticity.A Canadian named H.G. McKenzie, for example, visited the astrological work in the early 1970's and was convinced of its accuracy. McKenzie wrote,"I consulted Bhrigu Samhita and found my name mentioned there, besides so many other things about my life that shows that one has no free will...The Bhrigu Samhita states about me that I, Mr. McKenzie from Canada, am here with such and such people. It states some events of my past life and also predicts the future course of my life."Baba Faqir Chand, a sage known throughout the Punjab for his extreme honesty and utmost frankness, also attests to the validity of the book. Faqir states,"Everybody reaps the fruit of his or her deed. Major Som Nath of Aligarh is one of my associates. He came to me before the Indo-Pak war of 1971-72 and also went ot Bhrigu Samhita to consult his horoscope. They told him that he was a judge in his previous life and that he had accepted a huge bribe from a culprit and subsequently acquitted him and punished an innocent man in his place. As a result of this he would face a great danger to his life in that year. The astrologer suggested to him some Hawan, some atonement. But he did not perform it. However, when he went to his place of posting in the field he was directed to move to the forward post of Shakargarh with two companions. They traveled by jeep. Suddenly a mine burst under the jeep and they all suffered serious injuries. . . Now, had the Bhrigu Samhita astrologer not told him in advance about his forthcoming trouble I would not have commented. He did face a great danger to his life. This shows that our previous deeds dominate our present lives."In 1980 in Los Angeles I met and talked with Anders Johannsen, a professional astrologer from Sweden. He informed me that after visiting Bhrigu Samhita seven times he is convinced that the work is authentic and the most accurate treatise he has ever come upon. Although I was told the book existed only in Hoshiarpur, Johannsen said that is only the most famous and complete copy, that parts of it also exist in Delhi, Meerut and Benares.One can imagine a scenario of possibilities to explain the Bhrigu Samhita's existence. The request for money to pay off a previous sin, which appears built into the work, may be a device to provide a livelihood for the librarians or the astrologers who wrote the massive book or who work with it. But this is common in many Indic traditions and does not necessarily invalidate the accuracy of the horoscope. The confidence and respect exhibited by all those connected with the Bhrigu Samhita in Hoshiarpur prompts me to look for a deeper explanation.Astrology has been criticized severely in the last century by scientists of both the East and the West on the grounds that it is erroneously conceived and pseudo-psychological. And this well may be correct. As Dr. Lyall Watson perceptively observes,"Even the most ardent devotees of astrology admit that their study lacks a clear philosophic basis, that the laws and principles governing it are still uncoordinated and that the records are scattered and contain many errors."But the most important point in astrology is often overlooked or sidestepped. All disciplines--philosophic or scientific, from subatomic physics to music theory--have something in common with astrology. They are all communication vectors, information channels. Astrology, although not usually thought of as such, is a highly refined language code almost universal among advanced civilizations. Because of this astrology has survived. Mathematics, chemistry and social sciences are also language models (communication operators) and in this regard are much like astrology. The underlying fundamental in language (and in all science and philosophy) is the notion of intention. Without intention all systems are without meaning.Astrology may never be vindicated by the disciplines of physics or astronomy, precisely because it is not so much a scientific discipline as a religious system, where intention and myth making hold sway. I say this because astrology today (especially as practiced by most people in India and America) does not subject itself to wholesale criticism; rather, it tends to act dogmatically in relying on so called "revealed" explanations of star and planet positions and their respective interpretations. As such, astrology is not a science, but a religious/psychological method by which the adherent can attempt to "objectively" impute meaning into his/her life.But what makes astrology so appealing, though, is that it always refers back to an individual person; it is a thoroughly egotistical affair, wherein the individual finds his/her place in the cosmic order of things. No wonder astrology is so popular despite increasing attacks on its credibility--it talks directly to "me." And when the "I" or "me" is at the forefront of any system, it is always going to find hordes of followers. Perhaps the reason astrology "works" so well is because of our amazing psychological ability to find "meaning" in otherwise meaningless sentences and paragraphs.A clear example of intention and its ability to extract meaning from almost anything is seen in scriptural readings. Devotees of Islam, Christianity and Sikhism often pose their questions or problems to their respective Holy Books hoping to find a solution. Often the open the work at random and place their fingers on a sentence or paragraph unknowingly but with the keen desire to discover something that speaks to them about their life and work. When they read the selected passage they feel that they have found an appropriate response which pertains directly to their query.Excluding the possibility of divine intervention, the major factor in this "certainty" of having the "right" answer lies not in the Holy Book itself but in the strong conviction or intention of the devotee. With this tool of intentionality (or intended meaning) one can dig jewels from mud, even if there are no actual jewels to be found. I suggest this is astrology's greatest strength and perhaps the reason for its long survival. I realize that in many ways these discussions are inadequate. To put it in simpler terms, how can one explain a book written supposedly thousands of years ago which pinpoints information about individuals in the future? If deceit or fraud does not provide a complete explanation for this, I think we must agree that an open and unbiased inquiry which takes the utter profoundness of human consciousness as its starting point is needed. As I type these sentences the haunting memory of the Bhrigu Samhita's last words to me come to mind,This young man will come again several times. . . .POSTSCRIPTI suspect that economics, and not the Akashic records on the astral plane, are the driving imperative behind the astrologers' curious leaves.Not surprisingly, given the unremitting interest in astrology, my article on the Bhrigu Samhita has proven to be the most popular one I have ever written. I have received queries about it from around the world from interested seekers desperate to know how to locate the ancient library. I must confess, though, that I did not write the article as a believer in the book; in fact, I thought so little of its authenticity that I did not write about it for some three years after my trip to India in 1978.It now appears to me that the book is a fraud. I say this precisely because the work almost invariably mentions how a previous sin (committed in a previous life) can be corrected if someone donates a specific sum of money to the astrologers. Moreover, the astrologers have never "tested" their records scientifically. My hunch now is that something a bit more earthly is happening in Hoshiarpur; the astrologers, I assume, are writing their own horoscopes (with the guidance perhaps of the Bhrigu records) to chart out the lives of those who come to them.I realize that I do not have proof that the book is a fraud; it is just that in light of Occam's Razor and my own seasoned understanding of Indian astrology I suspect that economics, and not the Akashic records on the astral plane, are the driving imperative behind the astrologers' curious leaves. At this stage what should be done is that a team of qualified specialists visit Hoshiarpur and determine the veracity of the records. Then, and only then, can we know for sure what the Bhrigu Samhita is all about.END NOTE:Dr. Kary Mullis, Nobel Laureate, THE ASTROLOGY FILE"When I published Dancing Naked in the Mindfield there was one eleven page chapter where I mentioned that although astrology had been abandoned by scientific disciplines, it had not been scientifically dispensed with. Meaning, it had not been disproven as a self-consistent set of observations relevant to the human psyche. Not knowing at the time that Gunter Sachs, a Swiss citizen, had published such a study, I offered my own cursory examination from Who's Who in America. When I received a copy of The Astrology File, I was intrigued. Mr. Sachs' book describes a statistical study of a limited but essential part of astrology: where was the sun when you were born, and what do you do for a living. The observation is that something unexplainable, but clearly observable, is going on, to a level of certainty that would be acceptable for a paper in a scientific journal. There is a clear connection, whether you or I like it or not. Gunter Sachs and I became friends as we met together overour mutual interest in astrology, and we decided to undertake an extended study together on this subject."