Thursday, January 1, 2015

Immortality, Is it possible?

With it being the new year, I feel like its a good time to talk about the topic of Immortality.  I want to layout how I perceive it and the evidence I find for my claim.

What do I think immortality is and how do I think it's achieved?
I believe immortality is a two-part combination of long life and youthful appearance, but it's also a little misconstrued - people can still die after achieving "immortality", for example: if a person was impaled or if they had their head chopped off or even by a deadly car crash.  I believe that achieving immortality is done by consuming a special concocted food and drink, but the catch is to ONLY consume that food and drink for as long as you want to maintain your immortality.

What is this food and drink that creates immortality?
In Greek mythology there are two substances that gives immortality to man: Ambrosia (food) and
Nectar (liquid).  In some myths, ambrosia appears as liquid and nectar is food.  According to the Greeks, a persons blood becomes ichor, a golden fluid that allows a person to glow.  Its important to note that ichor is toxic to mortals.  Ambrosia and Nectar have been associated with honey, mushrooms, wine, propolis, mead, and grapevines.

In other cultures, there are similar substances to Ambrosia and Nectar (probably the most famous).  The elixir of life, aka the philosopher's stone, is pretty well known but often misunderstood.  The elixir of life spans throughout time from ancient Egypt to modern days.  It is supposed to be a gold liquid or white drops of liquid.  Amrita/Amrit is the Hindu/Indian version of the elixir of life and is often referred to as "nectar".  It is reported to be sweet tasting like honey or sugar water.  Once it permeates the heart, it quenches all hunger and thirst.  Amrita/Amrit is very similar to an earlier form called Soma, the liquid from a pressed plant.  The question is: which plant?


Some fruits have been associated with immortality.  Peaches (Chinese) and Apples (Nordic).  Consuming these are thought to be associated with immortality and in modern days they have become symbols of long life.

In the bible, Jesus mentions a "water of life" which is thought to be associated with immortality.  There is also the Holy Grail, a provider of immortality.  The idea of a "fountain of youth" has crossed over from many cultures, religions, and countries.  Some think that it is in Florida, the Amazon, the Middle East, etc.

Is it always made or created?
All of the stories about the divine giving man immortality make mention of the food and drink having to be prepared.  This is one of the reasons why alchemists are known for spending time in home laboratories.  In fact, Nicholas and Perennial Flammel are well known for becoming immortal and disappearing from their everyday lives.  Count St.Germain also reportedly became immortal through alchemy.

In ancient China there are many stories of medical men attempting to brew up an herbal, mineral, and metal elixir that would bring eternal life for their emperors.

Who has achieved immortality?
The list is fairly long actually and most of the people reside in mythology.  Most of the time, these people are heroes or teachers.  All of them tend to bestow wisdom upon their fellow man before disappearing for great lengths of time.
  • Eight Immortals of China
  • The Chiranjivi, seven immortals of Hinduism
  • Egyptians: Thoth, various pharohs, some sorcerors, others
  • Greeks: Tithonus,  Achilles, Helen, Ino, Memnon, Menelaus, Peleus, others
  • Bible: Adam, Noah, Seth, Enosh, Enoch, Kenan, Mahalalel, Methuselah, Jared, Lamech, The Wandering Jew, the three Nephites, John the Apostle
  • Sir Galahad
  • Nicholas and Perennial Flammel
  • Count St.Germain
  • Li Ching-Yuen
  • Wikipedia's list of people who claim to have lived over 130 years
  • Merlin
  • The Ahau, nine immortals of the Mayans
  • Nunnehi, Cherokee immortals

Do you agree with my views on immortality?  What else would you want to add to this basic information?  Leave a comment and we can discuss it further.

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Update

I'm putting links in with the timeline so everyone can see just who the Count was around.