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placed on the black market. With all that on offer, why would speaking, the skull could be moved by using the two holes in its Boban need to source a German crystal skull, pay for it and then _ base. A rod, thrust up through another hole in the altar and into actually have great difficulty selling it? the larger hole in the base of the skull, would provide the means Thus there is one likely and logical conclusion, which is that whereby motion could be given to the crystal. The smaller hole in the skulls came from somewhere in Central America. It suggests the skull's base would serve as the receiver for a pivot point on that these skulls were acquired by certain people through "some" which the skull would move. The skull's ability to portray images means that did not see the light of day, and that some time later would furthermore have helped the person standing in front of it they ended up at auction, the traceability of their origin largely to have visions or at least be able to dream away... erased. But if they are of Central American origin, what purpose did A New Era and the "Gathering of the Skulls" the skulls serve, assuming they are archaeological treasures? It is This brings us to another often overlooked question which few a fact that all the sacred centres, including Lubantuun where people have asked: why crystal? As already mentioned, crystal Mitchell-Hedges allegedly discovered his crystal skull, had a skulls are now frequently used for scrying, and the use of crystal Tzompantli which formed part of the sacred layout of the temple balls in mediaeval Europe was very similar to the modern use of complex, which itself was a three- crystal skulls in the New Age community. dimensional rendering of the Mayan creation However, within a Mayan framework, we myth. can go much further. This myth states that when playing ball, Part of the Mayan creation myth was the the twin maize gods disturbed the lords of Furthermore, the lighting of a New Fire, in a so-called New veut. the Mayan underworld. we detachable jaw would ne Ceremony which also signalled me van ibalbans summoned the two maize gods to of a new era. The New Fire, made by the the underworld to answer for their have allowed the skull gods, was a key aspect of the "esoteric disrespectful behaviour, where they were to "speak", as the rites"—to quote Mitchell-Hedges. : subjected to a series of trials. When they h "s skull is k Today, this type of ceremony is best failed these tests, they were killed and buried ero s Skull Is KNOWN known in the lighting of the Olympic Flame y ghting ‘ymp. in the ball court of Xibalba. The elder twin to have done in the which occurs in the run-up to a new era— was decapitated, and his head was hung in . the Olympiad—in the Greek temple of the tree next to the ball court as a warning to creation myth. Olympia. Here, 11 women, playing the anyone who might repeat their offence. Noting that the skull roles of the priestesses who were originally Later, and despite this warning, the daughter of a Xibalban lord went to visit the skull, which spoke to her, spitting in her hand and thus making her pregnant. The site where the skull was hung was the Tzompantli, and in sites such as Chichén Itza it is still a clearly identifiable part of the temple complex. One of the tasks of the Mayan high priests was, of course, to "perform" the creation myth. The skull in Mayan mythology was linked with the hero's death, but also with rebirth. It is therefore intriguing to note that the responsible for keeping the temple's sacred fires alight, perform a ceremony in which the torch is kindled by the light of the Sun, its rays concentrated by a parabolic mirror. As already noted, lenses were used in antiquity to concentrate light. In Greece, fire had divine connotations, and legends state that it had been stolen from the god Zeus by Prometheus. But Greece was but one of dozens of civilisations, whether in the Old or the New World, in which fire played an important and sacred role. The Mayan civilisation was another. in this myth spat, the Mayans might have engineered that effect, too, through the use of the movable jaw... explanation of the crystal skull serving as part of the Mayan It is therefore of great interest to know that the Mitchell-Hedges creation myth does conform roughly with Mitchell-Hedges's Skull is able to start a fire if the Sun's rays fall at a particular interpretation of the skull's use. angle on the back of the skull. Visually, it would mean that the This creation story has clear parallels with the technical bright sunlight coming out of the nose, mouth and eyes would capabilities of the Mitchell-Hedges Crystal Skull. A skull made start a fire, very much like the sacred fire in Olympia. Rather of crystal would indeed leave the impression that this was the than use a parabolic mirror, did the ancient Mayans use a crystal skull of a deity, not of a mere mortal. It should be noted that the skull to light the New Fire, the core ingredient that marked the Mitchell-Hedges Skull has no suture marks on the pate. Though start of a new era? experts agree that adding such an effect to the skull would have If this interpretation is the correct one, then there would have been very easy to do, the absence of such marks has several been one skull per religious site. This would make them very connotations. It suggests that the skull, though human looking, is rare—but we already know that these skulls are indeed extremely not that of an ordinary being. It suggests that the skull's "owner" rare. Though at present there is no hard evidence to prove it, this either was born as an adult or/and was somehow a divinity, a theory has the advantage of fitting with all the available perfect being. Furthermore, the detachable jaw would have evidence—unlike some more "academic" theories. If correct, it allowed the skull to "speak", as the hero's skull is known to have does make the crystal skulls powerful symbols: the residence of done in the creation myth. Noting that the skull in this myth spat, gods. And it is perhaps not a coincidence that the crystal from the Mayans might have engineered that effect, too, through the which the Mitchell-Hedges Skull was made is the same material use of the movable jaw that the Mitchell-Hedges Skull possesses. Dorland demonstrated that, in order to give it the illusion of Continued on page 81 speaking, the skull could be moved by using the two holes in its base. A rod, thrust up through another hole in the altar and into the larger hole in the base of the skull, would provide the means whereby motion could be given to the crystal. The smaller hole in the skull's base would serve as the receiver for a pivot point on which the skull would move. The skull's ability to portray images would furthermore have helped the person standing in front of it to have visions or at least be able to dream away... detachable jaw would have allowed the skull to "speak", as the hero's skull is known creation myth. Noting that the skull in this myth spat, the Mayans might have engineered that effect, too, through the use of anaes DS 56 = NEXUS APRIL — MAY 2008 Furthermore, the to have done in the the movable jaw... Continued on page 81 www.nexusmagazine.com