It is also a conventional representation of Mt. Meru as the Hollow Mountain that connects Heaven to Hell below. As in Indian symbolism, we see that the Navajo Sun-god is really Agni, the Principle of Fire, embodied not only in ordinary fire, but in underground fire (volcanic magma). Alternatively, Agni is also represented as Celestial Fire (thunderbolts, meteorites, the Sun). These three modalities of Fire are the Three Forms of Agni of Hindu mysticism. They also correspond to Shiva Trikaya (“Three-Bodied”) and, in Greek myths, to the three-bodied giant Geryon, an alias of Atlas.
Thus, when the Navajos affirm that they came out from the Sun House or from within a cave representing Hell below, they are indeed saying that they came from Indonesia, the true site of Eden, placed at the very Center (or “Navel”) of the Earth. This Paradise Destroyed turned into a veritable inferno, plague-ridden and sterile, after it was devastated by the volcanic explosion far fiercer than the one of the Krakatoa in 1893.
This explosive eruption we already discussed above in connection with the “foam” or “seafroth” (pumice) that covered the seas of Atlantis after the cataclysm that destroyed it. Indeed, the references to foam (or “seafroth”) connected both with Venus and with Changing Woman, as we mentioned above, actually refer to the vast amounts of pumice that covered both the seas and the land after the cataclysmic eruption of that volcano.
This mantle of volcanic ashes formed a sort of shroud, enveloping the dead body of Paradise, asphyxiating all forms of life for centuries on end. This terrible event is endlessly referred to in myths connected with the destruction of Paradise, in the so-called Cosmic Hierogamy of Fire and Water. These floating banks of “seafroth” (pumice) formed the “impassable barrier of slime” (ilus or “froth”, in Greek) mentioned by Plato as covering the seas of Atlantis and rendering them inavigable in a more or less permanent way, as we commented above.
The Pueblos, Hogans and Tepees as Imitation Volcanoes The Navajos often depict the Central Mountain (or Sun s House) as a sort of habitation entered from above by means of a ladder, exactly like the actual houses of the Pueblo Indians, and those of Çatal Huyuk. There can be no question of coincidence here, and we are led to conclude that these strange habitations actually attempted to imitate the Primordial Cave, that is, the volcanic caldera that linked to the netherworld whence these Indians allegedly came.
What else but Atlantis can this more or less real Netherworld be than sunken paradisial Atlantis? Can you think of a fitter allegory for the sunken continent than that of the Primordial Cave? This cave is also the Pacari-Tambo of Mayan traditions, the Cave of Archetypes of Plato’s myth, the Cave of Illusions of the Ramayana, and of a hundred similar traditions from all over the world. And, of course, this sunken, buried Paradise is no other thing than Atlantis and, more, exactly Lemuria, its twin and dual.
So, the Indians themselves claim that they originally came from Paradise Sunken, from Lemurian Atlantis, in the dawn of times. This is just as we also claim, under slightly different allegories. Why do we insist in denying this fact but with the intention that originally underlay it, that of depriving the Indians and other aboriginals of their humanity and, even, their divine origin, so that we can enslave and exploit them as we have traditionally done and keep doing even today?
Actually, the Navajo hogans also resemble a sort of volcano, being built of mud and sticks so as to resemble a round mountain peak with a fire inside (the central stove). The typical tepees of the Plains Indians also resemble volcanoes even more, being conical in shape with a vent on top to let out the smoke of the inner fire. By the way, the word hogan came from the Spanish meaning “stove”, and implies an idea of “volcano”, just as does the word “teepee”.5
The idea of a fiery devastation connected with volcanoes is also evidenced by the fact that the Sun s House is first painted with soot obtained from burnt grass, and them covered with the other colors. Moreover, its place is often described as immersed in a perpetual fog and darkness, such as the ones that result from a volcanic explosion of importance.
The Mountain Fallen Away As we saw above, the Central Mountain is also called “Mountain-fallen-away” or “Sky-reaching-butte”. The ritual for the construction of figure of this butte is described thus: This butte is not constructed of anything common… First, clay for pots is built into a tapering cone, but not to a point…
After this is made,… black from burned herbs is sprinkled over, in order to represent darkness… On the flat top is a small black circle and, across this, a red cross representing the fire inside. In other words, we have an exact miniature of a volcanic peak covered by soot and by enveloping dark smoke.