Transcript: 20260617-The Oracle - History is inquiry - w⧸ Dr. Ammon Hillman @ladybabylon666

Can you talk a bit to us about um this Oracle technology, can we call it?

>> Yes. Yes. What has emerged through the Greek language [music] is a system for carrying out or executing a mystery. And that system involves the use [music] of instruments that are meant to alter your perception,

To guide you from the visible to the invisible. Those different instruments are things like the music, the drug use, the incantation, along with the environment in which the person, the natural location where the Oracle is being performed. All of these things influence the imagery that is being brought. Remember, this is all idolatry. The creation of the eidolon, the creation of the image. So, this tech that we're talking about, what we're talking about Oracles, is the image that is induced in the person. The initiate becomes

Born again through this visionary process. Their ability to create an eidolon is absolutely essential as a part of the

>> Mhm. >> So, you may not think that creating a mental image is a part of the technology of a religion, But, the religions' mystery performance is meant

To bring you that eidolon. That eidolon will purify you. That eidolon will reset you. It'll give you memory. It'll allow you to be able to advance beyond the common. It's an elevation in the same way that the Greek language itself is an elevation of the common. So, the you cannot distinguish you cannot take away the language itself from the right. The very songs themselves include

Melodies, rhythms that are all essential to create this eidolon in the mind of the participant.

So, the technology that we're talking about is really all focused on bringing that person to that climax, that moment of orgiastic, eye-opening understanding of the cosmos, where you can step outside of yourself, right, and be transported to that invisible reality. It's not so much that you're moving there, it's that you're gaining the ability to visualize it. So, that familiarity becomes your new

Birth. And the process is so well engineered with these tools that it can be administered, the mystery can be administered to as many people as we want. We have a standardized procedure using this technology. We know exactly how to take you off the street and bring you to the point of new birth and enlightenment.

Ow. So, yeah.

>> Yeah, but but but what were you were going to add something? >> No, just you got to consider the drugs. Please consider everything. Even the motions of the priestess cuz part of this is coming through something that we get ends up with us in the 5th century or 6th century as pantomime.

>> Pantomime. >> Pantomime. So, we're getting motions and we know that some of these magic texts, for example, in the PGM, that those texts have something to do with a sound that has been described as a popping and a hissing. We know that there are certain noises that are incorporated into the right that you and I may be just called noises, but for some reason it's important for the person to experience these in order to achieve whatever death and rebirth that the that the right is meant to achieve. So, that these are all

Technological elements of the right. If you don't have the right drugs, it's not going to work. If you don't have the right song, it's not going to work. If you don't have the right priestess, the one side of the tech that you may want to add that everybody leaves out is that that priestess is providing her own body fluids. >> Well, >> so that's another element of the right. >> a bit of of next question here. Um uh it would be like how there was a system and who is this oracle? How that system worked?

Um this oracle is a person that studied to be an oracle or is randomly choose? How is this system of the oracle? >> Now this not randomly chosen. So the Who is the oracle and how did they become oracles? It is a process of education.

These are girls who at a young age have been dedicated to the temple. Right? So either their parents gave them up to the temple as as adoptions or what happened what happened commonly was aristocratic fam- families would give

Their daughters to the temple because the temple would then enter them into an education in dance, in astrology,

In music, and the history that we see the oracles producing is obviously a product of their education. When they come out and say, "No, you can't have tyrants. They're not good for your government." Right? They have been learning things while they're being educated in the in the temples. So and there's all sorts of different temples that will have um oracular

Elements to them. And so a girl is taken and educated for a certain number of years. They say the standard rule for oracles, and you can read this kind of stuff in authors like Plutarch. The standard roof rule for oracles was that the first 10 years was their education. The second 10 years was their performance. And the third 10 years was their time where they were in charge of teaching the new members. So, you only perform between the ages of 10 and 20. These oracles are between

That age gap. That's when they're performing. And after that, they hand it on to the next group. And once they've exited that third decade, they're done. They can go off and do whatever they want. It is essentially a career path.

But, in the process, as we're told over and over again, they are selected. Not all of these girls who were educated in the system become oracles, oracular priestesses. The selection process for them is more rigorous, and I'll just give you one example.

I thought this was interesting. You cannot have a a blemish. No facial blemishes whatsoever. No freckles. Freckles meant you can never dance as an oracle. Period. That's it. So, they had standards like this. Height was another one. No short oracles. >> [laughter] >> Sometimes you think, why? What you know, is there something is it does it have something to do with the fact that they're dancing? Is it I don't know. Is it What are their standards? I don't know. But, they have all of these The oracles can't be

Considered ugly. They have to be beautiful. They have to be closest to the divinity that is possible. So, all sorts of um >> So, they were being they were being like This is a great place that you will send your your your your child to, kind of thing. She will be educated. She sees and you're telling us 10 years, 10 years, 10 years. So, this is starts like very when they like

>> Newborns, you can dedicate a newborn. >> Newborn. Okay, so It's amazing. And so And the performing part of it that what I understand of what we have talked about in the past is this performing 10 years of it. What will that mean? >> That's when the priestess is actually composing.

What what is she doing? She's making song. So, she has people who will come to her during the day. And she has a schedule for people to come. And these They have to enter their They get one question. It's their one inquiry. Historia. It's their one inquiry

And she will produce composition-wise verse. She'll produce a song in response to their question. And their song Her song will be written down. And that's the oracle. You got yours, get the hell out, right? You have to go through a process of purification. You can't just walk in. Right? You're basically vetted in the process. So, she is answering all of these inquiries. That's what her job is. But the funny thing is is don't don't forget they're not distinguishing their religion, their medicine, their science. They're not

Distinguished. They're not their music. So, she becomes elevated when she becomes an oracle. And these elevated positions are what the aristocracy is looking for. All right? That's what they want. >> Now >> Because now she has Now she has power. And did you know she becomes sacrosanct when she becomes an oracle and speaks or sings for the god the first time, she becomes sacrosanct.

Right? The Romans preserve this in their vestal virgins. Right? Those are the oracles that keep the hearth of Rome. And so it's a it's you know, people want it for their of course you would want this for your kid, but if you can't have freckles and can't stand the drugs, you know, and we have accounts of them running off >> amazing >> running off the edge of the hill and killing themselves on drugs and whatnot, right? It's um some some >> This is this is a um

Um girl that has been trained every day is like um being taught about the logos, probably also music um so the best education you can have. Uh you been trained physically to be able like do you know how to like physically >> dance >> very fit how to dance and there's this other very important topic probably which is like how to handle drugs as you said. How to handle the the the the that technology that they were using let's say let's call it that way maybe.

>> Right, and they're having that technology applied to them from birth. Right? It's so um for example the the A Hibnate priests that they do the arm slashing and the covering of the wound with the venoms. They're doing this from the time that they're young. I know that one of the excuse me, I know that Let me take that out. I'm sorry. It's but this is >> Going to burn the pizza.

>> You're going to leave me with more minutes. Um >> [laughter]

They I've read of groups that were like I think it was the Bears who worship Artemis. They started like 7, I think it is. And by the Yeah, like 7 is the like the adoption starts at 7. So, the mother will raise the child until it's 6, and then they'll go through a ceremony, send them off to the Bears, and the Bears will turn this kid into somebody who by the age of 10 will be able to fight in public, like mixed martial arts fight. So, there are different emphasis within

Different priesthoods. That's the That's the priesthood of Artemis, right? That's the >> How will be this like will have like a bunch of different places that they are doing this or or or or not that much or like everybody was going to a specific spots or specific places that we know that the priesthood is you can bring your little girl to it or whatever. How that We have some sources talking about that, like where did >> How common? Yeah. How common are these priesthoods? It's so common that just

About every king's daughter becomes the head of the priest priesthood, whatever it is, whether it's a masculine divinity or feminine divinity. And this tradition goes It's It permeates the literature. Every Every aristocrat, every ruling aristocrat's daughter is in these priesthoods. It's priestess so-and-so. It's all these priestesses who are getting traded and abducted. It's all these priestesses that are ending up keep being responsible for tyrants getting killed. And so, um how common is it? It I can't give you numbers or quantify it, but I can tell

You it's all over Greek literature. There There are priesthoods even if you just look at 5th century Athens and you look at say drama. Just go through the dramas of the three biggies, Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides, and count up the priesthoods that are in it. Right? You're going to be surprised. They're in everything. So, how common were they? You know, an archaeologist wrote a wrote a great work on Oh, I think it was a She was working on temples of Hera, I think it was, and talking about the influence of the priesthoods. Because,

You know, even they it looks like the the temples of Hera were the first, you know, athletics, really, the first Olympics. That they were doing that kind of stuff with their female priesthoods. So, the fact that we have all of these female warriors,

All of these females that are involved in combat directly, and you read the text and you think, "Well, that's odd. The The Greeks are not making a big deal about the fact that this woman is fighting alongside them." All of those priesthoods are contributing not only to military action, but also to um like hunting. And they're the ones who are getting involved in the big hunts. They The Greeks can't kill um their big scary Caledonian boar

Or whatever the hell it was without Atalanta being there to be able to to spear the thing, cuz she She's the best hunter. Everybody knows that. So, and why would she be? She's the ca- >> [sighs] >> She's one of those [\\h__\\h] aristocrats who can afford to be put into a system and raised through the ranks to the top. >> The best training >> to be that cream of the crop, yeah. Yeah, that's training. Where is she getting her training? The Greek chorus itself, don't forget this, the Greek

Chorus itself is a piece of technology that people don't appreciate. It is a religious machine that is meant to purge the audience. And the chorus is working together with the language. They're the priest They're the essentially the priesthood that's representing Dionysus right there on the stage. It's essentially their church, right? It's happening as the priest of Dionysus sits there and oversees it. So, all of that tech is being used within the within the mystery and the performance of these initiations and these healings and >> And it seems to be it seems to be so

Yeah, like when when Well, the first time you talked about to me that this was like 6 months ago, first time we talked about You were talking talking to me about Clytemnestra. And I I've read Aeschylus before. So, even when I was talking with you, I I was actually reading it again, you know, because of this whole thing. Um to try to but it it didn't crack anything to me, to be honest. I was just like reading it again, you know, I'm reading a story. After that,

At one time we talked and you said to me like now you understand what I asked you about the Dracaena. And and and and and you told me like now now you understand why Clytem- the Clytemnestra did what he she did and everything. So, that kept in my mind for a while. And um and and I think it was like 2 months ago, I picked again the same book um and then I started to to to read it again. Um

It's such a different like let's say one one this guy when Agamemnon gets to the after the war to his house with this girl and he's saying like this girl is the only thing he took as the most important thing that he took like a treasure from Troy or whatever. Which was this woman child with I don't know like that it was a woman like Cassandra, you know? So then she starts screaming some stuff. So I I read

Read that like five times before. But last time I read it was like Okay, this is a [\\h__\\h] priestess we're talking about. I mean like what >> [laughter] >> She's the daughter. She's the daughter of Priam, the king of Troy. >> Exactly and he took her and she and he and he says that he's the most precious thing that he took from after the biggest war ever.

And it was this woman Well, I don't know. Maybe wasn't that old, you know, maybe probably >> Right. Right. She wasn't. She wasn't She wasn't but she She already had because she was in that 10 to 20-year age, she already had established her reputation as an oracle. Her brother was also considered a prophet. >> Mhm. >> And so when she was abducted and taken back, she was the target of the Dracaena. If you think about it, it makes a lot of sense. She was a competing oracular arm of the mystery.

And this bozo had brought her into the kingdom. Right? >> Yes. >> Oh my. >> Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. I don't know if you remember because I I I I had this conversation with an artist in in Athens when we were recording. She is a dancer. And >> Yeah. >> And she asked me and and and I gave her a bit of I mean I gave I told you what she said to me about the chorus because I was telling her about everything we were being talking about and she was like blown away about

She actually had a bit of ancient Greek in because if you are studying in Athens dance, you will have a bit of it, you know? You have to do the the tragedies. She was a dancer. And and she told me that the chorus will represent like the the mind of the people like the um

The everybody that is watching what is going on kind of thing. Like this is the chorus >> Usually the >> mind of the of mankind or whatever of the you know I So >> It's usually the bridge. It's usually the bridge between the actors and the audience. The chorus is is like okay, sometimes they're the common Sometimes they're the common people on the street. Sometimes it'll be like all of the servants of the queen. It'll be like a chorus of It'll be Sometimes it'll be a chorus of women who were being brought as slaves back from Troy.

So they all have the same kind of perspective that the audience. It's like the the playwright wants you to get your perspective through that chorus. So the chorus comes in and feels the actors out so that the audience can kind of experience the actors through that chorus. Definitely. Yeah, that's def- definitely. Now, the thing that I like though is it's a process of purification. That's how they describe it. Like, that chorus is somehow supposed to be purifying you as you're sitting there watching them. And if you'll notice, they go through

Transformations. They come to points where they realize what's going on, where they >> Even in this in that same situation, like with with with Cassandra and Clytemnestra, when they're discussing this, the chorus is changing its mind. At some point, it's like at first it's it's like, "Are you doing this?" So, it's not like a just like an omniscient entity. >> Right. >> Like, he's he's interacting with the what what is going on. >> Right. And in the Bacchae of Euripides, the chorus is kind of that spring-

Board um for us to be able to experience what the initiate who follows Dionysus experiences. And Dionysus kind of talks back and forward with them. And and it's uh it's so obvious that you're supposed as the viewer, you're supposed to be sucked into that chorus. It's like the point of you know, where the movie like gets into you and you have a commonality with it. That's that's exactly That's how she's describing it. I'd say that's gorgeous and straight-on beautiful, classical, perfect. >> Yeah. And another important thing that that makes

What we're doing now I'm on and I'm very grateful is

To be able for me to engage again with that text. I needed a bit a bit of not that I'm trained on it, you know, but a bit of small training or like you need to see what this is about and what, you know, and then you pick up the same thing that you already read. And you will It's completely different what you're reading. I mean, the when when I >> Figure out Figure out how to translate that to your documentary production, where you're putting the audience in the place of that chorus. Figure out what

The Maybe that's what you know, that's why you're doing that in your mind. Did you go to Clytemnestra's dream, the Danaides dream in the Choephoroi, the Libation Bearers? >> No. >> Libation Bearers? >> No. >> Yeah, go to the Go to the second in the trilogy. After Agamemnon, go to the second one. And I'm like, yeah. >> Yeah, go to the second one. After Agamemnon is another play, and then [music] the Eumenides. So, it's the court The Libation Bearers, the Choephoroi, and then the Eumenides. Go

To that middle play, [music] and in it you're going to see Clytemnestra have a dream as the Danaides. And it involves the communion. [music] So, >> Okay. >> see You must see that. It's Look for the dragon queen's [music] dream. That's what I'll say. >> Okay, I will.