• Nexus,
Volume 14, Number 2 (March-April 2007)
THE
ORION ZONE
by Gary A. David
Adventures Unlimited Press, Kempton,
Illinois, 2006
ISBN 1-931882-65-7 (343pp tpb)
Available: NEXUS offices;
http://www.
adventuresunlimitedpress.com
The
ancient Egyptians weren't the only ones to have been inspired by
the stars
in constructing their built environments. Arizona
researcher Gary David argues
in this "sky-breaking" book that the
Pueblo Indian ancestors of
the Hopi constructed their villages in a
pattern that mirrored all the major
stars in the Orion constellation.
David is careful to point out that what the
Hopi regard as a true
depiction of their past (influenced also by the Navajo
who migrated
there around AD 1500-1600) is generally at odds with what white
anthropologists have surmised. Having analysed geodetic alignments
of
Pueblo ruins, photographed rock art, noted cultural motifs and
utilised an
astronomical computer program to determine ancient star
positions, David has
come up with his take on the fundamental
principles and purposes of the Orion
constellation as manifested in
the American Southwest.
Orion was associated
with the Hopi god Masau'u and has parallels with
other mythological traditions
around the world, and even with Western
secret societies such as the Freemasons
and Rosicrucians. Throughout
The Orion Zone, David discusses the meaning
of these Pueblo
artefacts, including stone tablets and a star map/solstice
marker
petroglyph, sites in Arizona associated with the head and arms of
Orion,
chakra lines and phenomenal celestial beings, and companion
sites in the Southwest
such as the Grand Canyon, Chaco Canyon and
Death Valley.
The global
Orion legacy, David maintains, includes links with not
just the ancient Egyptians
but the Meso-Americans and the peoples of
the South Pacific, as evidenced
by the vector of a planetary chakra
line. He even suggests that the Hopi,
or at least their ancestors,
were once a seafaring people who had escaped
a world destroyed by flood.
The prophetic proclamations of the Hopi, as have
come to public
prominence in recent years, are also disturbing for their warnings
about future Earth changes. Take note!
• Read
Review, Rick M. Gned, October 2006, Issue 6, (PDF format--Adobe
Acrobat Reader needed)
• Mysteries
Magazine, December 2006
The Orion Zone: Ancient Star Cities
of the American Southwest
by Gary A. David
ISBN: 1-931882-65-7
$19.95,
Adventures
Unlimited Press, 2006
Many archaeologists have claimed
that the builders of Stonehenge, the
Egyptian pyramids, and various other ancient
structures have advanced
astronomical knowledge. But few scholars have explored
the ruins of
pre-Columbian America. Author Gary A. David seeks to rectify this
oversight
in The Orion Zone, an extensively researched study of archaeological
evidence,
historical accounts, and the oral traditions of the Hopi peoples
of the American
Southwest.
When David examined the position of the ruins of 12th-century
Hopi
villages on a map, he discovered that their layout bore an uncanny
resemblance
to the constellation of Orion, a constellation associated with
one of the most
important Hopi deities, Masau'u. He also found evidence that
the Hopi had recorded
supernovas and other celestial anomalies in their
petroglyphs and pictographs.
Next,
David explores Hopi lore, which is one of the book's strongest
points. He provides
insight into Hopi religious and cultural beliefs and
offers a glimpse into
the elaborate cosmology which underlies every facet of
their lives. His research
on other pre-Columbian cultures, particularly the
Mayans and Aztecs, is equally
impressive.
Unfortunately, to save on publishing costs, it looks as if
the publisher
tried to fit as much text on a page as possible. The line spacing
is narrow,
the margins are thin, and the print is tightly compressed, which
makes for a
headache-inducing read. This quibble aside, The Orion Zone
has much to
recommend it. Readers interested in astro-archaeology or in pre-Columbian
America
will find a great deal of thought-provoking material here, along with
citations
for further study.
