Boyd Rice Boyd Rice Boyd Rice Boyd Rice The Vessel Of God II ‡ Additional Articles & Grail-Related Writings by Boyd Rice: "The Cross of Lorraine: Emblem of the Royal Secret" "The Sumerian Origins of the Iconography of the Templars, Masons and Merovingians" "The Compass of Enoch" "13: A Secret Number of Sacred Power" "Toward the Undivided: Sacred Sex, The Hermaphrodite, and the Dual Nature of God" "Hiram, King of Tyre" "Europa and the Sea Bull: The Missing Link Between Phoenicia and France" "The Prophet" "Pilgrimage: A Visit to the Chapel of St. Pierre" "Secret History and Sacred Geometry: Cocteau’s Mural at the Chapel of St. Peter" "Beauty and the Beast Analysis" "Daughter of God: The Real Story of Joan of Arc" "The Cross of Lorraine: The Fingerprint of God or the Mark of Cain?" "The Divine Couple" "Giants on the Earth" "Out of Chaldea: The Secret Legacy of the Architect- Priests" "Lucifer’s Children: The Grail Bloodline and the Descendants of Cain" The Cross of Lorraine: Emblem of the Royal Secret When various members of the House of Anjou plotted to topple the Valois dynasty of France, the symbol of the conspirators was the Cross of Lorraine, the heraldic emblem of René d'Anjou, said by Charles Peguy to represent the "arms of Christ", "the arms of Satan", and, strangely, the blood of both. René was the Angevin monarch who, at the time of the renaissance, single- handedly spearheaded a Hermetic revival in Europe. It was he who personally convinced Cosimo de Medici to translate many ancient texts such as the Corpus Hermeticum into various European tongues for the first time ever. And when Corpus Hermeticum was first published in France, the dedication it bore was to Marie de Guise, wife of James Stuart V, mother of Mary Queen of Scots, and a descendant of René who also adopted the Cross of Lorraine as a personal symbol. That the Cross of Lorraine is a symbol embodying the Hermetic ideal is fairly obvious. The Angevins were primarily advocates of the Regia , or Royal Art, of hermeticism; a tradition which according to legend was passed down to man by a race of fallen angels. This isn't at all inconsistent with the perennially Luciferian overtones associated with the entire Angevin saga. Interestingly, the Cross of Lorraine bears an uncanny resemblance to the sigil of Baphomet employed by British Magus Aleister Crowley, and the meaning of the two symbols would appear to be virtually synonymous. Baphomet is, after all, the penultimate hermetic symbol, whether depicted by Crowley in the form of a cross, or by Eliphas Levi as a goat-headed hermaphrodite. And the sigil used by Crowley was also employed by ancient alchemists as a device whose meaning was literally "very poisonous." In fact, the symbol was commonly affixed to containers of toxic substances in Europe as recently as the mid-twentieth century. To the alchemists, of course, the symbol and its very meaning had far more esoteric connotations. To them, poison represented an agent of transformation, a vehicle for the reconciliation of opposites. And there is an alchemical myth about a poison which for most men is extremely deadly, while for the elect it confers mastership and absolute power. Echoes of this idea recur as a motif in various aspects of the Grail lore. It would seem that the alchemists accorded this symbol very much the same meaning attributed it by Crowley, which in turn echoes what the Cross of Lorraine embodied for Rene d'Anjou. It is little known, but the Cross of Lorraine was also the official emblem of the Knights Templar. Though they are more frequently associated with the symbol of the red equilateral cross, their true symbol first and foremost was the Cross of Lorraine, and many Templars awaiting death at the stake pursuant to the Friday the 13th persecutions drew the emblem on the walls of their cells. There is still a degree in certain rites of Freemasonry called the Knights Templar, whose symbol is the Cross of Lorraine. It is interesting to note that even the less esoteric-looking equilateral cross used by the Templars had essentially the same meaning: that of the union of opposites, the intersection of creative force and destructive force, or the union of male and female principles. It was a fundamental occult symbol, and it was in deference to the idea which it embodied that medieval occult rituals were often held at crossroads. The Cross of Lorraine is far more explicit in it's iconography: the bar above mirroring the bar below, both of which are symmetrically affixed to a central pillar that provides balance and equilibrium. As above, so below is, after all, a Hermetic maxim. And the three bars of which the cross is composed echo Eliphas Levi's concept of the true trinity. Levi posited that the world is governed by two primordial forces, one creative, the other destructive. The equilibrium between these two forces constitutes a third force, and the union of the three constitutes what some might refer to as... God. The central role of the principle of equilibrium in various occult arts cannot be overstressed. For Master Mason Albert Pike, equilibrium represented the Royal Secret, the pivotal principle upon which the universe is ordered. And Pike's specific designation of equilibrium as a royal secret is of particular significance because, as previously mentioned, Hermeticism has traditionally been known as the Royal Art, and its central tenet is essentially that of equilibrium. And too, when Pike calls it a Royal secret, he isn't speaking figuratively, but strictly in literal terms. Hermes, according to legend, was the sole receptacle of the secret doctrine of the antediluvian world, which he revived after the flood and passed down to the Kings. As you'll recall, this secret knowledge was thought to have been taught to man by a race of Gods or fallen angels. This knowledge was kept secret because it was probably recognized that for all but an elect few, such thought would no doubt bring about their ruin. This brings to mind the concept of the alchemical poison. Kings and aristocrats would understand how to wield and apply the secret doctrine because it was believed that they were in fact flesh and blood descendants of the Forgotten Race which had come down to take the wives of men. References to this Forgotten Race occur repeatedly in numerous religions and mythologies throughout the world, and should most likely be known to readers of this magazine. Their doctrines have been enshrined in myth, legend, and many religious symbols, in which they are looked upon by many, and recognized by but a few. They are, and shall remain, the Royal Secret. The Cross of Lorraine is a sigil of that Royal Secret, the doctrine of the Forgotten Ones. The Sumerian Origins of the Iconography of the Templars, Masons and Merovingians The iconography associated with the monarchists and secret orders of medieval times didn't originate in the middle ages. Many have roots that go back to 3500 years before the birth of Christ, perhaps further. Claims that he Merovingians, the Templars and the Freemasons are part of a far more ancient tradition could well be something more than hyperbole. The symbolism employed by these groups has always been very specific, and that symbolism can be traced to the dawn of recorded history. Here are just a few examples. Exhibit A. A. A. A. A. The image of two knights riding upon a single horse is uniquely emblematic of the Knights Templar. It is said to represent the fact that they were known as "The Poor Knights of Christ", the idea evidently being that they were so poor they could only afford a single horse for every two Templars. Of course, we know that the Templars were anything but poor, and it seems that the concept of dual riders goes back to ancient Sumeria, where it was employed for purely tactical considerations. Exhibit B. B. B. B. B. The two headed eagle is used extensively by modern Freemasonry, and has been a preeminent symbol of monarchy in Austria, Germany , and Russia. This depiction of a "catti" bas relief featuring the two-headed eagle dates back to approximately 3000 B.C. Exhibit C. C. C. C. C. The symbols before this Sumerian king are emblems of his royal authority. We see an equilateral cross, a rosette, and a bee. The bee as royal insignia has been thought to be wholly unique to the Merovingians, yet this carving predates them by thousands of years. The rosette, though entirely un-rose-like in appearance, is said to be symbolic of a rose. Could the idea of the rose and cross date back to this era? And in regard to the bee, it would appear that the art of beekeeping originated in ancient Sumeria. In the archeological museum of Istanbul, there is a relief of the Governor of Mari (a center of Dagon worship) which bears an inscription relating his introduction of the practice of beekeeping: "I introduced the flies which collect honey, which in the time of my predecessors was unknown, and located them in the garden, town of Gabarini that they might collect honey and wax..." Exhibit D. Exhibit D2. D. D. D. D. The equilateral cross employed by the Templars shows up extensively in ancient Sumerian carvings. Here it is depicted above the first Sumerian King, IA, in a rendering done in 2000 B.C., and above a group of men ploughing a field, circa 1400 B.C. Exhibit E. E. E. E. E. Deified Sumerian King IA, depicted as the Lord f the Flood. Emerging from the waters of the case he holds is what appears to be a prototypical fleur-de-lys. Besides being a fundamental symbol of French (and later British) monarchy, the fleur-de-lys is one of the central symbols found in the Church of Mary Magdalen at Rennes-le-Chateau. Exhibit F. F. F. F. F. King IA, pictured here in horned headdress, holds a vessel above which hovers a sun wheel-like Templar cross. The cross seems to be contained within the shape of a crescent moon. Some scholars believe that in the ancient Sumerian notion of the divine couple, God was personified as the sun, and his consort was personified as the moon. The king, as living representative of God on Earth, or son of God, was perceived to be their offspring, and constituted the third member of the divine trinity. The image of the sun cross within the moon may well symbolize the divine couple. Note also the bull and goat, two animals which figure prominently in the religious iconography of the sea-peoples. The Quinotaur said to have fathered the Merovingians is described alternatively as having the head of a goat, or a bull. Exhibit G. G. G. G. G. Perhaps the most well-known occult symbol of all times, the pentagram, also dates back to ancient Sumeria. In Sumerian pictographic writing, it was an ideogram used to describe Merovingian Kings as "lofty ones" or "shining ones", and was presented in its inverted form. The pentagram's association with black magic probably derives from the fact that these kings were thought to possess magical powers; so it is both a symbol of their dynasty and their doctrine. This explains why a seemingly Satanic symbol was of such importance to the Cathars, and why it figures so prominently in the imagery associated with the Grail mystery, Rennes-le-Chateau, etc. Exhibit H. H. H. H. H. The Cross of Lorraine, a symbol linked to the Templars, the Angevins, and French nationalism, also had its genesis as a Sumerian ideogram. It was a symbol denoting kingship, and stood for "Kad", a title given to the kings of Phoenicia and Akkadia. Another title for kings was "Shepherd", and the ideogram for this designation was very similar: it was a Cross of Lorraine with an extended lower portion, curved so as to suggest a shepherd's staff. The Compass of Enoch Comparative mythology guru Joseph Campbell went on record as saying that if you’re on the right path, there will be times in your life when it will seem as though you’re being "guided by invisible hands ." These hands will "open doors that you never knew existed", and lead you to where you need to go. It has certainly seemed to be the case in regard to our own researches. On more than one occasion ( many more ) Tracy Twyman or I had seemed to have come up against a brick wall, when suddenly a peculiar intuition or a book picked up and opened at random provided the very clue we needed to proceed to the next level of our inquiry. A medium whom we know told us that the spirit of Jean Cocteau was watching over us, and perhaps he was, because so many of these odd coincidences seem to relate to Cocteau and his role vis-a-vis the Priory of Sion. The most spectacular of our discoveries in regard to Cocteau has to do with an elaborate geometrical configuration encoded into his mural at the Chapel of St. Peter. We have chosen to call this configuration the Compass of Enoch. Having discovered the symbolism and geometry described in the article Secret History and Sacred Geometry , I was satisfied that I’d done as complete a job as possible deciphering what Cocteau had intended to convey. Yet a nagging instinct kept telling me I’d missed out on something somehow. Something pivotal remained there, yet to be found. I poured over the charts and diagrams I’d made. I compared them to other Cocteau murals. Then it hit me. Nowhere did I see the M figure so prominent in the other murals. Going back to the photo enlargement of the St. Peter mural, I saw an M shape almost instantaneously. It was formed by two points on the archway of the vaulted ceiling on the top, and on the bottom. It was entirely consistent with the pentagonal grid I’d already identified, and appeared to be made up of two overlapping pentagonal triangles. The dots that identified the uppermost peaks of the M were repeated down the archway in a semi-circle. This suggested that more M shapes might be present in other angles. This proved to be true, but the cropping of the photo prevented me from following this idea to its logical conclusion. Again I’d hit a dead end. But again I had a peculiar bit of intuition. What if a series of these Ms (as my initial research seemed to suggest) were patterned in a circle so as to form some sort of bizarre configuration? IT seemed logical that there might possibly be thirteen such Ms, as M is the thirteenth letter of the alphabet, and thirteen Ms would be the equivalent to M.M. - Mary Magdalen. I drew a circle marked with 26 points, two for each of the topmost points of the thirteen Ms. When I completed the operation I was flabbergasted. Before me was a geometrical configuration like unto none I’d ever seen. It possessed an unbelievable sense of symmetry, order, and harmony. It seemed both simple and complex at once. It was like a star pattern with thirteen dual-pointed prongs; that is to say, 26 points in all. It looked not unlike a number of other occult star patterns, yet seemed to possess eccentric characteristics which made it wholly unique. Could this strange star-like geometric pattern be Cocteau’s rendering of Mary Magdalen as Venus the Morning Star? And if not, what are the probabilities of decoding a handful of esoteric references, following them to their logical conclusions, and arriving at a geometric figure composed of thirteen superimposed letters of any kind? The odds must surely be astronomical. Assuming a person consciously contrived to set out to create such a configuration, the process involved in arriving at it would no doubt be long and arduous. They’d probably need advanced skills in math and geometry, neither of which I possess. Yet I sketched this out in a few minutes time with a straight edge and ball point pen, based only on the pattern which seemed implied and the order it seemed to suggest. Though I was very pleased with the outcome, it seemed that the figure had to represent more than merely a decorative pattern. It’s very order and symmetry seemed to suggest it might serve some other functional purpose of some sort. The very fact that I had been able to arrive at this configuration seemed to constitute proof that the clues which had lead me here had some kind of tangible meaning and veracity. But I felt that the meaning surely went deeper, and extended to levels beyond what I was able to immediately recognize (and perhaps beyond my capacity to comprehend.) Because this was based on geometry, I experimented with placing numbers at that points of the stars. After a few elementary tests, I discovered that this configuration could be employed as a sort of simplistic calculator. By choosing a number (8, for instance) and adding any even number, one could trace the lines back and forth across the circle (starting at the first number chosen) the same amount of times as the number being added, and arrive at the correct sum at the end of the process. To subtract, one merely followed the same process in a counter-clockwise manner. For uneven numbers, one merely added or subtracted a 1 as indicated. This, of course, is highly simplistic, and seems hardly to possess any real functional benefit. But it’s significant insofar as it reveals the presence of a mathematical/geometric principle encoded in the very shape of this star. That being the case, there is a distinct possibility that this symbol could very well possess the capability of being used for some higher order of computation. Even as deceptively simple a calculation device as this is, it could be applied in an infinite variety of ways. The configuration itself could be a key, along with which a countless variety of pre-arranged variables could be applied. The numbers 1, 2 and 3 could just as easily be converted to denominations of 150, 300, 450 or virtually any other equivalent multiple. The lines between the various points could represent, for instance, a day’s journey, and a simple single letter code could indicate the difference between a day’s journey by foot, horse or sea. With as few as two or three letters, a code could be implied telling how far distant reinforcements were from an embattled army. A few more letters added could reveal their numeric strength. One can imagine a system like this being employed by the Knights Templar, whether in warfare or in banking. Travelers depositing gold in a Paris repository of the Templars could be given a receipt encoded with a few letters or symbols, and redeem the slip in Florence or Jerusalem for the exact same amount. In short, any variety of secrets could be vouchsafed from the intrusion of prying eyes. The sequence of letters of numbers on the circle could have been altered on a semi-regular basis, so that even someone in possession of a key would find breaking the code an impossibility without knowledge of the updated variables. This configuration, then, could represent a medieval version of the WWII enigma machine. We can’t say, of course, whether this was the coding device used by the Templars. But it’s evident from even the most obvious applications of this symbol which we’re thus far deduced that such a device would have been very advantageous to any organization with secrets to keep. Since Jean Cocteau seems to have been privy to a good many secrets having to do with the Templars and their inner doctrine, the possibility that this system is linked to them cannot be ruled out. Of course, Cocteau was an ingenious individual, and it is highly possible that this icon was something he created, as a key to unlocking the secrets encoded deep within the recesses of his own work. Both possibilities are compelling It seemed likely that this star could probably be used for multiplication and division as well, and after a few tentative experiments, the thesis was borne out. Depending on the sequence of numbers used, the device could have radically different applications. Thus far, every variation I could think of testing worked out with amazing precision. In one of the more straightforward applications, I chose a sequence of numbers starting with 3 and 9. If you start at the number 9 and trace the lines of the star back and forth four times it leads you to 36, or 4 x 9. The same procedure done twenty-four times leads you to 216, or 24 x 9. The process is consistent and reliable, and works with equal precision on the sequence based on multiples of 3. An interesting byproduct of using sequences based on 3 and 9 is that all the subsequent numbers produced bear the same intrinsic mathematical relationship to one another as the 3 and 9, i.e., 9 is 3 three times. So, for instance, if 162 follows 54, you can conclude that 162 = 54 x 3. Or if 216 follows 72, you can conclude that 216 = 72 x 3. And the same is true with all the other numbers involved, so the math is working on two levels at once, producing a series of numbers based on even multiples, and another series based on multiples of three. These are fairly simple calculations, and most people could undoubtedly do the math in their heads. But again, any number could be chosen as the starting point which defines the sequence that follows, and the number of possible combinations and permutations is virtually infinite. But another interesting function is possible: if (as we suspect) this symbol dates back to antiquity, it could have been used to allow people with no knowledge of arithmetic to make accurate calculations. Remember that in the Middle Ages, most people were illiterate, even kings. Realistically, only a handful of people then living would even have had the need to calculate numbers on even the level thus demonstrated. Presumably, most would only have needed to know enough math to keep track of their sheep, chickens, goats, and so on (a process which in most cases would be done with their ten fingers.) But we suspect that this configuration could well have possessed other uses. It could possibly have been a calendar of some sort, with each of its 26 points representing 26 weeks, or a period of six months. A six-month calendar might make sense since our modern system based on sixes dates back to Sumeria, from whence we got the 60-second minute, 60-minute hour and so forth. Using a calendar such as this would have allowed the ancients to map out the exact amount of time between the winter and summer equinoxes. After marking a passage of 26 weeks, they would merely have to reverse the process to begin charting the next six-month period, ending the mapping of the year back at the same equinox they started at. Since the equinoxes marked the times of planting and harvest (elements crucial to their survival), it’s easy to see how a device such as this would have been useful. Having found most of these preliminary hypotheses valid and demonstrable, the question naturally arose as to whether any other ancient symbols might perhaps possess similar capabilities. Since some of the shapes contained in the object of our study seemed suggestive of those formed in the cross used by the Knights of Malta, I sketched out a Maltese Cross. Intuition suggested superimposing a second such cross overtop of it, resulting in an 8-pointed star. Almost immediately, it appeared that this symbol, too was possessed of the same intrinsic function - albeit on a much more limited scale. It began to wonder how many ancient symbols concealed this attribute. Remembering an odd 8-pointed Templar cross that Tracy Twyman and I had seen at Rennes-le-Chateau, I tested it and found similar results. If each movement around the cross represented the base number multiplied by the number of moves, this would be a very elementary method of showing someone basic multiplication. But it also revealed another layer of meaning. For each straight line connecting a larger number and a smaller number, the larger number represents the sum of the smaller number added to the base number. It’s altogether obvious why this should occur, and yet the result somewhat surprised me. And again, though this is utterly fundamental in its simplicity (one could even say primitive), this symbol dates back to a time when the foundations of some of the most complex cathedrals in Europe were laid out by men using ropes marked off with knots for measuring devices. And too, although the numbers we’ve chosen to demonstrate this are purposely simple, virtually any number sequence could be substituted to achieve an identical result. It is as though this is a highly elementary version of the more complex 26-pointed star. The 26 points on the star are, as I have said, dual points on a 13-pronged star. Since this star represents only a six-month period, a second such star (representing the rest of the year) can be superimposed overtop this, representing 13 sets of four, or 13 months comprised of four weeks each, resulting in a sum of 52 weeks. It is said that the original zodiac had thirteen houses. If so, the number would seem to add up. This is the hypothesis that Tracy Twyman has arrived at, and has discovered a system based on thirteen months comprised of 28 equal days each, resulting in a year of 364 days. At any rate, having only scratched the surface, we’ve found that this configuration can be used as an encrypting device, a calculator for addition, subtraction and multiplication, and who knows what else. It is a calendar, perhaps a symbol of the zodiac, and a key used for the understanding of and initiation into the mysterious realm of sacred geometry. Copies of this sigil and our admittedly rudimentary enquiries into its possible functions/applications have been forwarded to experts in the field of trigonometry, and world- class cryptologists. No one who’s seen it thus far possessed any previous knowledge of its existence. Taking our inquiry a step further, I tested the hypothesis that this emblem could have been used to calculate the passage of time - that it was used as a clock of some sort. Using Tracy Twyman’s theory (predicated upon the Compass of Enoch) that time may once have been calculated in sums of 13, 26, 52 and so on as my point of departure, I immediately arrived at some very specific results. In her system there are 13 months in a year, 26 hours in a day, and 52 weeks in a year. In other words, they are all multiples of thirteen. There are also 52 seconds in a minute and 52 minutes in an hour. Redefining the measuring of hours, minutes, seconds, etc, would seem utterly, gratuitous, except for the fact that the numbers all add up, and possess a sense of inner logic above and beyond our own current system of reckoning time. The numbers all echo one another. The smallest measurement is defined by the same number of component units as the largest: the 52 seconds in a minute echo the 52 weeks in a year. Note also that the day has 52 half- hours. More stunningly, a week is composed of 364 half-hours, which reflect precisely the Golden Year’s 364 days. So each unit of measure can be shown to coincide precisely with each other unit of measure. Thos which don’t are multiples of one another. How all of this could be used to make the Compass of Enoch into a working clock can be demonstrated just as easily. Used in conjunction with a free swinging pendulum, the likes of which can be seen in many museums of science, the two could have made a very functional (and very precise) timepiece. How it works is this: the pendulum swings back and forth, moving slowly around the perimeter of a circle. As it progresses, it knocks down domino-shaped pieces of wood, thus marking the passage of time. Its clockwise forward motion is facilitated by the turning of the Earth, and it completes its journey around the circle in one full day and night. Therefore, if the Compass were divided into two halves (one representing day and the other night), those using it would be able to calculate the passage of time at night, when no sun or shadows were present. This theory has been run past Andrew Novik, who works at the atomic clock in Boulder, Colorado, and Novik concurs that the notion appears wholly likely, particularly within the context of the Golden Age hypothesis in which night and day would have been consistently equal year round. So there you have it: a few preliminary theories about what the Compass of Enoch is and how it may have possibly been used. These examples have been limited to only a few because of space constraints in this magazine. There are many more. While these examples are surely theoretical, they seem to be supported by a large number of readily demonstrable facts - very compelling facts. And we were lead to these theories and facts not by mere baseless conjecture, but by a very real geometric pattern revealed to us by Jean Cocteau. These initial discoveries in turn lead us to ideas we might never have otherwise explored or formulated - ideas that have opened a possible window into our ancient past, and to the world as it might have existed in the fabled Golden Age. 13: A Secret Number of Sacred Power We are told that 13 is an unlucky number. The date Friday the 13th is taboo because the Knights Templar were arrested and condemned by the seneschals of Philippe IV, King of France, in a "pre-dawn raid" on Friday, October 13th, 1307. The number 13 has been shunned for centuries. Some architects omit the 13th floor from office buildings to this very day. Is it possible that the folklore associated with the number 13 is absolutely apocryphal? Or that it has become a demonized numeral precisely because it was sacred in pre-Christian times? Think about it. It is an oddly recurring sum. 12 apostles and a messiah. 12 Knights of the Round Table and King Arthur. The number 13 recurs too consistently in such significant contexts to be purely arbitrary. And of course, it’s not. 13 was a number central to certain traditions of sacred geometry, because it reflected a pattern which could be seen to exist in man, nature, and the heavens. For instance, there are 13 major joints in your body. There are 13 lunar cycles in a solar year, and the moon travels 13 degrees across the sky every day. Six circles placed around a seventh central circle is a model of geometric efficiency and perfection in the second dimension that has been known to mathematicians for ages. But this same configuration in three dimensions consists of 12 spheres arranged around one central sphere, making 13 in all - the most compact three-dimensional arrangement recurrent in nature. A commentator writing about the Aztec calendar once said that, "Thirteen is a basic structural unit in nature. It means the attracting center around which elements focus and collect." Is this, then, the reason for Christ’s 12 disciples, King Arthur’s 12 knights, or the 12 major constellations in relation to our sun? The likelihood seems great indeed. Assuming that the number 13 played a prominent role in the sacred traditions being preserved by the Knights Templar, and that the Vatican wished to keep this from coming to light, does it not follow that they purposely chose Friday the 13th as the date upon which to arrest the Templars? In many traditions, Friday is a holy day. If our assumptions are correct, Friday the 13th would be doubly sacred to the Templars. This may well have constituted the Church’s final "screw you" to the Order whose power they so feared and envied. 13 is of particular interest to us because of Tracy Twyman’s work on the "Golden Calendar", which is based on multiples of 13, such as 26 and 52. Interestingly, our modern calendar still bears vestiges of this, and retains the concept of 52 weeks in a calendar year. According to the website dayofdestiny.com, the Aztec century was based on a unit of 52 years, and native people in South America, who believed in an impending apocalypse that would occur on a certain date, would, "ritually demolish and destroy their civilization every 52 years", as a sort of "dress rehearsal." The glyph which represents both the start and end of the Aztec calendar is known as "13 Cane", and symbolizes the death of one cycles, followed by the birth of another - the Alpha and Omega. Strangely, this is very much what the 13th rune - called "Eiwaz" - means in the Northern European mythos. It represents the balance point between light and dark, the creative force and the destructive force, or the heavens and the Underworld. It too is the Alpha and Omega at the same time. It signifies death, but it also signifies eternal life. In the traditional tarot deck, the 13th card is the Death card. It also represents not merely death, but rebirth and