Avalon visit to the Hypogeum and other ancient sites in Malta 2019

[Billy]

Hi guys, this can be the discussion thread for a possible visit to the Hypogeum and other ancient sites around Malta and Gozo by Avalon members either next year in 2019 or 2020.

We would have to book months in advance for the Hypogeum as it gets booked up quickly. When I decided to visit last year, I booked my visit to the Hypogeum a year in advance. Then worked my dates for accommodation and flights around my bookings.
I booked my accommodation not long after I booked the Hypogeum. As accommodation was also going quickly while researching. Accommodation is also not cheap. £50 a night for a two roomed apartment upwards. My amazing penthouse apartment in Sliema cost me £64 pounds per night. But my daughter and grandson ended up coming to join me, The isand of Gozo is much cheaper for accommodation. We spent one week there in a lovely two roomed apartment overlooking the beach and sea cove for £34 a night. I see now that that apartment has dropped to £27 per night. Off season makes a difference.

I did not book my flights until 6 months later. I chose Ryanair as they were not only the cheapest but also the shortest flight. £180 return from Edinburgh to Malta that took three and a half hours.

There are many options. Airb&b. Private rents, hotels, If there was enough of us, 10 would be great. We could rent a villa and share the cost.

Local buses are great. 2 euro for any distance. The ticket is valid for 2 hrs. I used my ticket on 2 buses many times. Or you can buy a travel card for 20 euros and have unlimited travel for a week. If there is 10 of us we could maybe hire a minibus for specific days and visit a few sites in one day.

Let me know if you are seriously interested ? When would be suitable to go ? How long you would like to go for ?

And any other thoughts or input that you may have.

And let's see what happens. :sun:

[sijohn]

Hi Billy
My wife and might well be interested, we have long wanted to visit malta and make the visits you have and others , please let me know how plans progress , we are seriously interested and would have to fly from France , we travel often seeking knowledge and in the company of other avalonians would be the icing on the cake

Sijohn

[Billy]

Those so far interested, Copied from the Malta thread.
http://projectavalon.net/forum4/showthread.php?104395-My-visit-to-the-ancient-Hypogeum-in-Malta&p=1250682#post1250682



[SIZE="3"]
The Hypogeum has been built with amazing acustics qualities within the plan. A lost knowledge from the ancient builders as far as I am concerned. As some of you already know I have travelled around the world seeking out ancient structures and temples with acustic properties. India being my last trip which I shared with you all on my Ajanta / Ellora thread. I have also visited sound structures in Greece, Turkey and of course Scotland. But the Hypogeum takes the cake as far as quality of resonance is concerned.
Literally, out of this world.

I have wanted to visit Malta and the hypogeum for many years. I look forward to hearing more about your visit there. Have you tested the acoustics of the King's chamber of the Great pyramid?


Awesome Billy, thank you for sharing this. Gorgeous tones, and a wonderful experience, I would dearly love to visit the Hypogeum myself some day.





An Avalon gathering in the Hypogeum! That would be an amazing experience. :sun: The Gayatri Mantra would sound incredible in there; the acoustics sound perfect for it!

I’d probably get scared we might wake some sleeping giants though :idea:
:wizard:



What a cool place, thanks for sharing!!
I've always wanted to go to Malta myself! So much history there, and yep an avalon gathering there would be great!


Billy, I was in the Hypogeum about twelve years ago. And it is indeed a fascinating place. I wasn't at that time aware of toning, maybe it would have been easier to do then, than now.
I used to travel a lot, now I have less the occasion. But hopefully, in a not too far future again. Who knows.


I had a look at flights to Malta, from Belgium. A return leaving three weeks from now and staying a week in Malta would be below 50 euro. But next year, around the same time, it would be over 300 euro (if booked now).
Low cost companies like Ryanair adapt the prices according to their bookings, so late bookings could be best. I don't know how it would be from Scotland (or other places) to fly to Malta.
Booking the Hypogeum ticket soon (in case we can get a small group together) and then watching for tickets to fly in the year to come is maybe the better option?
I would certainly combine the Hypogeum visit with a stay on and visit of Malta and Gozo.

[Tintin]

I would LOVE to go Billy :sun:

[Billy]

9 folks so far interested. We may have to book two block visits at this rate as I have 2 more folks in Malta that maybe interested. One of those is the HEAD tourist guide whom I was communicating with quite regularly while in Malta. He carries the badge that allows him into any heritage site for free. :bigsmile:

[Jean-Marie]

I want to be included Billy!!! :heart:

[Flash]

Very tempting, but the flight alone is 1200$ next April, from Montreal. Transiting in France, it is 10 to 15 hours depending on connections ( Paris not being the most agreable airports).

I may want to go to Ecuador too. Any takers?

I always wanted Malta and Tahiti, since a child, though.

[Billy]

Some examples of accommodation if we all chipped in.

5 mins walk from the Capital Valletta in Malta.
https://www.airbnb.co.uk/rooms/10763699?location=Malta&adults=10&children=0&infants=0&check_in=2019-09-14&check_out=2019-09-21&s=q8UzvOiL
£1805 for one week = £180 each a week for 10 persons.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Island of Gozo. Sleeps 14. And has a swimming pool
£2069 for a week = £206 each for the week.

https://www.airbnb.co.uk/rooms/2789133?location=Malta&adults=10&children=0&infants=0&check_in=2019-09-14&check_out=2019-09-21&s=u5fjF41L
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Malta
https://www.airbnb.co.uk/rooms/2797249?location=Malta&adults=10&children=0&infants=0&check_in=2019-09-14&check_out=2019-09-21&s=ie67uiQM

Just some samples. To be honest, I prefer my own space. I am a wee bit selfish that way. :bigsmile:

[greybeard]

I have been to Malta some years back.
Lovely place with friendly people--most speak English..
I would recommend a visit

Chris

[Nasu]

I lived in Malta for a few years, it is a wonderful island, as is Gozo. Packed to the brim with history, from the ancient to the modern. I would very much recommend it to anyone who loves intrigue and history and or the history of intrigue! The language is a mix of Arabic, French and English, people mostly speak English as a second language and for the most part are very welcoming. I hope you have a fantastic time together....x.... N

[Johan (Keyholder)]

When do you think a period can be fixed Billy? Maybe best to see when all 9 or 11 can come?
I found another nice place to stay in Malta, for those interested:

https://www.airbnb.be/rooms/24192541?location=Malta%2C%20Valletta&adults=2&children=0&infants=0&check_in=2018-11-11&check_out=2018-11-13&s=E7pXdTT9

[Ben]

Hi all, I'm very keen to join you on this exploration, and to meet fellow Avalonians too. Skint right now, but can raise funds when neater the time. Please keep me in the loop as to when a date is agreed on.
Love to all.

[leavesoftrees]

Hi Billy I'd like to go

[Billy]

So to date we have 12 interested :sun:

I traveled on August 24th and stayed 3 weeks, 2 weeks in Sliema Malta and 1 week in Xlendi Gozo. And returned on September 15th.

I think September off season is a good time to go weather wise. June - August is very hot, plus it is school holidays. Earlier than June is to soon for me financially. Does next September 2019 suit everyone interested ? Or do we wait till 2020 ? 2019 is better for me as I may be going back to India in 2020. That gives us a year to save. Both accommodations I booked 9 months in advance. But only had to pay a deposit and the final payment was paid the week before I was due to arrive.

Sliema was a great place to stay. A good bus service. Plus a 5 minutes ferry crossing to the beautiful medieval Capital city Valleta. 90cents return for over 60s, €1.80 return for under 59s. You basically had to go to the main bus station in Valletta to catch the buses to the Hypogeum and other sites. I would consider staying near or in Valletta for the convenience of travel to other parts of Malta.

My thoughts are that we all book the Hypogeum separately on the same day after we have chosen the date and time of tour. ASAP
That would be the first commitment.

What are your thoughts ?

[Ben]

Hi Billy, September next year sounds grand to me. I'm happy to go along with whatever dates are best for the group as a whole. My partner may be interested too, so that would be one extra.

[Ben]

And yeah, it seems a good idea for us all to book seperately for the tour, once we've agreed dates etc.:bigsmile:

[leavesoftrees]

September 2019 sounds good

[Billy]

Two so far say September 2019 is fine, Thank you Ben and Leavesoftrees. :star:

[Foxie Loxie]

I can dream, can't I?! :sun:

[Johan (Keyholder)]

September 2019 can work for me and my friend too. I would prefer towards the end of the month though.

[angelfire]

I would live to join this trip and September next year works for me. Thanks for this amazing opportunity, Billy.

[Billy]

I have been updating the original Malta thread. Have a look and you can all see what ancient sites we can visit when we go.

http://projectavalon.net/forum4/showthread.php?104395-My-visit-to-the-ancient-Hypogeum-in-Malta/page2


September 2019 can work for me and my friend too. I would prefer towards the end of the month though.

The end of September is good for me. The last two weeks of September or last week of September and first week of October?
I am fine with either, I will be going for at least two weeks, maybe longer if I can afford it. I never see any sense of making the effort for just a few days.

For those interested, make sure your passport is still in date. :happythumbsup:

[Libico]

I'd love to join this trip as well - read about the Hypogeum years ago and it pops up on radar every year, much like Billy's thread. September 2019 would work for me and it would be great to meet some fellow Avalonians

[Johan (Keyholder)]

Last week of September and first week of October would be best for us. For Malta, those that are in Schengen don't need a passport I think. Just a valid (national) ID-card. Thanks Billy!

[Billy]

Ok. Here is the list of those who have said they are interested to do this next year at the end of September 2019.
1.Keyholder
2. Keyholders friend.
3. Sijohn
4. Sijohn's partner.
5. Ben MacDonald
6. Ben's partner.
7. Tintin.
8. Leavesoftrees.
9. Starmariner.
10. Jayke.
11. Forrest.
12libico.
13. Angelfire.
14.thalox
15.thalox's partner.
16.Myself

That makes 16 notes of interest. If everyone is serious ???, this means we have to prebook two block Hypogeum tours, as only ten folks are allowed in each tour. But this is not a problem. I would be quite willing to have two visits myself. Each tour lasts one hour. So we could book one at say 2 pm then another at 3 pm. We have to do this soon.

The other sites do not require to be booked. You just turn up.

Yesterday I was looking at accommodation near the Capital Valletta. There are some good airb&b deals out there for as little as £27 per night.
What happened while searching was one place that would suit me perfectly. I searched for dates beginning 22nd September for two weeks. One came up at a total of £443 for two weeks. Two bedrooms with a garden. which is perfect for me being a smoker :bigsmile:
But at the bottom of the deal. It said, book for a month for only another £108. What a deal. I am very tempted to book this now.

I am only going because many of you are interested. Please let me know ASAP if at least 10 out of the 15 are seriously interested.

Just one post each saying, "Yes I am seriously interested" add friends or partners. Cheers.

update. I did not want to lose the accommodation I mentioned above. So I have now booked my accommodation, arriving on the 22nd September 2019.
I am now commited. :clapping:

easyJet are also doing some great deals with flights/accommodation from major airports. Sadly Edinburgh, where I am is not one of them.plus you can only book up to August 2019 just now. So i still have to book my flights. But there is no hurry for that just now.

PS. Could everyone who has read this post Thank it ? That lets me know who has read it and keeping up to date. :bearhug:

[thalox]

this would be awesome to go. i live far away so i would have to plan alot. I would like to take my wife too. Sept sounds nice.

[Johan (Keyholder)]

Hi Billy. Yes, we are seriously interested.

It's important indeed that enough of us, at least 10 I would think, commit to come.
No problem to pay for the Hypogeum visit at this time.
Plane and stay, I would book a bit later.
Thanks!

[Billy]

this would be awesome to go. i live far away so i would have to plan alot. I would like to take my wife too. Sept sounds nice.

Thank you thanks for your interest. I have updated the list above. We now have 17 who have expressed their desire to do this.

And thank you Keyholders for your "seriously interested" comment. Hopefully more will follow.

Just a reminder for everyone. We have to book the Hypogeum soon as their calander fills up quickly. Just now it is booked into the first month's of 2019. For us all to visit together, we have to book a full tour consisting of 10 people for each tour. We may have to book two block tours is all 17 interested are going.
The booking fee is 38 Euros for under 60 yrs of age or 20 euros for over 60 and students.
I move into my accommodation in Malta on the Sunday 22nd September 2019.
I suggest we book the Hypogeum for Tuesday 24th or within a couple of days after.

I hope to hear back from more who are "seriously interested"


This would be the first commitment.

[angelfire]

Yep, i definitely want to come. Let me know about booking, deposits, etc.

[Johan (Keyholder)]

To "bring back up" Billy's initiative... How many of the 17 listed above are "seriously interested" right now?
If my count is right, we (only) arrive at 4 for now? Angelfire, Billy and myself (2 p).
Is anyone else planning to seriously commit?
Thanks for responding.

[Johan (Keyholder)]

It looks like I forgot to include Tintin. Makes 5 of us.

[Billy]

Thank you for bumping the thread Keyholder.
We actually have 7 including myself who have got back to me to confirm they are seriously interested.
I am hoping at least 10 out of the 17 who said they would love to go will come forward.
I shall contact everyone again over the weekend and see if we can coax at least another 3 to join in. :bigsmile:

[Billy]

Update for everyone.

We now have 8 confirmed bookings for the Hypogeum in Malta for the 25th September 2019. Which is great news :happythumbsup:
One other person is seriously interested but will not know till early next year. I would like to leave that booking available for her if possible. That leaves 1 more possible bookings if someone else wishes to join in.

I have already booked my one room accommodation in the capital Valletta. Arriving on the 22nd September. I will be staying at least a month there. I have not booked my flights yet. Booking accommodation near Valletta is recommended, as no matter where you stay in Malta. You have to head to the main bus station in Valletta to catch the bus to other sites.

One member has booked flights and hired a car, so they can stay anywhere and be mobile.

Let me know if anyone needs advice.

Angelfire would be willing to share accommodation as it can keep the cost down. If anyone is interested please contact her.
Maybe more would like to share accommodation.

If you feel fine about updating everyone in here, that would be great.

If not just continue with the PM's.

[leavesoftrees]

In case anyone missed this from the thread

Suppressed Ancient Underwater Discoveries That Could Rewrite History

http://projectavalon.net/forum4/showthread.php?105162-Suppressed-Ancient-Underwater-Discoveries-That-Could-Rewrite-History&p=1261050&viewfull=1#post1261050
Megalithic Malta | Tarxien Temples | Prehistoric Global Connections
MegalithomaniaUK
Published on Nov 23, 2018
"The Tarxien Temples in Malta is a remarkable neolithic site with four enclosures located in the heart of the village of Tarxien. It is around 300 metres to the east of the Hypogeum of Ħal-Saflieni, another one of Malta’s famous temples. Hugh Newman takes you on a tour around the site that has huge megaliths, spiral carvings, cup-marks and other anomalies that suggest it may be connected to sites such as Gobekli Tepe in Turkey and even Peru and Bolivia. It was built between 3600 and 2500 BC and is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site."2N1K_AJdueQ

[Billy]

Thank you Leavesoftrees.
My plan is for us all to visit the Hypogeum and the Tarxien Temple both on the same day as they are very close to eachother.

Let us know in this thread how everyone who is joining us on the trip are progressing as far as booking accommodation and flights are concerned.

Because it is now less than a year away, accommodation and flights should be available for everyone. I recommend booking accommodation in or near Valletta unless you are prebooking a car to hire, As we all have to catch the bus to visit the sites from the main bus station in Valletta.

I stayed in Sliema last time which was a 15 minutes bus trip or a 15 minutes ferry trip to Valletta. Sliema was a lovely place to stay and has loads of accommodation. This trip I will be staying in Valletta, i still have to book my flights. You may find a good deal with flights and accommodation combined. There are some lovely beach resorts, but they are further away from Valletta. Book accommodation as early as possible guys and keep us all updated.

[angelfire]

As Billy has already mentioned, I would be happy to share a two bed apartment if anyone is interested?
Have just been looking on Airbnb and places are getting booked up already.........

[Tintin]

I'll be getting my act together in January :) Happy to share with anyone.

I did meet a Maltese girl a few months ago whose family may be able to put people up, but, there's no guarantee at this point. I could enquire but will default to self sufficiency right now.

My plan is everything sorted by January end and will keep everybody informed :)

[Did You See Them]

The wife and I have been looking at Gozo coincidentally as it happens in September next year !

[Johan (Keyholder)]

Did You See Them, maybe the two of you could join the 8 of us? Would make a "perfect 10" for the Hypogeum.

[Did You See Them]

Did You See Them, maybe the two of you could join the 8 of us? Would make a "perfect 10" for the Hypogeum.

Will keep you informed of our plans.

Got a couple of weeks to decide on other locations - but Malta / Gozo is the wifes choice.
I'm wanting to go a bit more further afield this year than Europe, but It's a case of getting there ! - My other half is terrified of flying - a 2 - 3 hour flight is the most she says she can manage but .... never say never !

[Johan (Keyholder)]

Only one spot remains available! Looks like we may have a group completely to ourselves.

[Billy]

Happy new year to everyone. :sun:

2019, the year we plan our trip to Malta has come around :dog:

One of the group who are joining us contacted me a couple of weeks ago to say they have both now booked flights and accommodation. If anyone else has already booked accommodation, please let me know.

As you see above, Jean has also booked the Hypogeum, that brings us to 9 who have booked, which leaves one place left on our pre-booked tour.
If more than one more person is interested in joining us, it is not to late to book the next tour straight after our tour. We have booked for September 25th at 13.00 hrs. The next tour would be at 14.00 hrs. If we do have to extend into the next tour, I am willing to book that tour also. I do not mind going twice on the same day.

I understand that New Year is not usually a good time for finances. But we do not want to leave it much later to book accommodation.

When I booked my visit in 2017 for my 2018 trip. I booked my first accommodation in Malta through Home Away and my second accommodation in Gozo through Trip Adviser.
I only paid a deposit for both accommodations then paid the remaining majority two weeks before I left.
If you book through Airbnb, you have to pay the full amount up front. If finances are low at this time it might be better to book accommodation that only requires a deposit and pay the remainder next September.

Sharing accommodation with others in the group would also help keep the cost down. The deposit would then also be shared.

Angelfire would like to share and also Jean if she can go. If anyone else is willing to share, please let us know soon.

This is just an example after a quick search. 4 bedrooms, sleeps 8 people near Valletta city for £149 per night.
https://www.homeaway.co.uk/p1051818

More here.
https://www.homeaway.co.uk/results/keywords:Valletta%2C%20Malta/arrival:2019-09-22/departure:2019-10-06/filter:13/maxNightlyPrice/200/minBedrooms/4?petIncluded=false&ssr=true&adultsCount=4

Airbnb.
https://www.airbnb.co.uk/rooms/5370465?location=Valletta%2C%20Malta&guests=1&adults=1
Town house in Valletta with two bedrooms for £49 per night.

A flat in Valletta, two bedrooms for £18 per night. That's a good deal.
https://www.airbnb.co.uk/rooms/660239?location=Valletta%2C%20Malta&guests=2&adults=2

There is only 48% of accommodation left in Valletta city as of today. You can book accommodation not far from Valletta.

Keep us all informed of progress please.

Have a great new year :bowing:

[leavesoftrees]

When I booked my visit in 2017 for my 2018 trip. I booked my first accommodation in Malta through Home Away and my second accommodation in Gozo through Trip Adviser.
I only paid a deposit for both accommodations then paid the remaining majority two weeks before I left.
If you book through Airbnb, you have to pay the full amount up front. If finances are low at this time it might be better to book accommodation that only requires a deposit and pay the remainder next September.

Hi Billy

Airbnb now gives you the option of paying 50% deposit at booking and the balance a few weeks before arrival

[angelfire]

I've just checked out the airbnb apartment in Valetta which goes up to a hefty 60 euros per night in September!

Would anyone be willing to share with me as it's a two bed. I guess we have to move pretty quickly as accommodation is fast disappearing.

[Billy]

I've just checked out the airbnb apartment in Valetta which goes up to a hefty 60 euros per night in September!

Would anyone be willing to share with me as it's a two bed. I guess we have to move pretty quickly as accommodation is fast disappearing.

:bump: Bumping Angelfire's request.

[Billy]

We now have 6 who have booked their accommodation.
I am excited and looking forward to this trip :happy dog:

[Johan (Keyholder)]

There are now 8 that have booked accommodation.
I booked 6 days on Malta and 4 on Gozo for my friend and me. :happythumbsup:

[Libico]

I'll be booking mine later this week - what areas/names of places have you booked in? If you can send me a PM (unless you don't mind it being posted here) I'll try and book something within walking distance.

[Libico]

Thanks Jean-Marie - looking forward to meeting everyone!

[Billy]

I am staying in Senglea which is very close to Valletta Libico. Just a 15min ferry crossing.

Great news Keyholder, after Libico has booked his accommodation, we are all complete :happythumbsup:

I could not decide when exactly I wanted to return home. So I bought a one way flight :idea::bigsmile:

[leavesoftrees]

I am staying in Senglea which is very close to Valletta Libico. Just a 15min ferry crossing.

Great news Keyholder, after Libico has booked his accommodation, we are all complete :happythumbsup:

I could not decide when exactly I wanted to return home. So I bought a one way flight :idea::bigsmile:

I am also staying in Senglea with my friend. We thought Valetta a little built up and the proximity to the sea looked ideal. Everyone I have talked to who has been to Malta loved it.

[Tintin]

Tintin update:

Save for receiving a new (renewed) passport, all related paperwork to do with acquiring it have happened, so, fingers crossed in three weeks time I'll be in a position to book a flight :highfive: (Thanks to Billy as well for some really helpful flight suggestions.)

39870

[Libico]

Just wanted to update that I've booked a flight and accommodation - I'm only able to make it for 3 days (September 24th - September 27th) and will be staying in the Pieta neighborhood, which is a couple of kilometers from Vallletta. See you in September!

[Billy]

Thanks for the update Libico. :highfive:
Apart from one more who still has to book a flight only :bigsmile: We now have all 9 ready to go in September. Good news all round.

[Billy]

Thanks for the update Libico. :highfive:
Apart from one more who still has to book a flight only :bigsmile: We now have all 9 ready to go in September. Good news all round.

One more mentioned above has now booked their flight. All 9 are now fully booked. :happythumbsup:
It is just the way it turned out but I have always had great respect for the number 9.

Over the next couple of months I would like to chat more about the Hypogeum and where else we would like to visit while we are together. I do have some ideas, one is definitely to visit the temples that are above ground, one is very near to the Hypogeum so we can do them both on the same day. I understand everyone has their own pre plans and some are only going to be in Malta itself for just a few short days.

I was introduced to an interesting guy who turned out to be the head tourist guide when I was there last year. He offered to take me on a private tour but I could not afford the €200 for a full day on my own.
I am wondering whether to contact him and see what he would charge as a group to take us to sites off the beaten path that are not visited by many tourists.
Also I did not manage to visit museum in Valleta last time which holds some interesting artifacts. Some of the long-headed skulls found inside the Hypogeum are stored there but locked away and not viewable unless permission is granted. The head guide may be able to arrange that for us.

Let me know your thoughts and availablity with the group gathering over the next few weeks in here. The majority of us are all arriving on the same day, Sunday 22nd September. I suggest we all meet next day on Monday to for a hello and wee get together :bearhug:

An interesting video by Klous Dona, he mentions Malta and the long-headed Skulls from the 13min mark. Worth a listen.

v27RwAhBUa4

[leavesoftrees]

I was introduced to an interesting guy who turned out to be the head tourist guide when I was there last year. He offered to take me on a private tour but I could not afford the €200 for a full day on my own.
I am wondering whether to contact him and see what he would charge as a group to take us to sites off the beaten path that are not visited by many tourists.
Also I did not manage to visit museum in Valleta last time which holds some interesting artifacts. Some of the long-headed skulls found inside the Hypogeum are stored there but locked away and not viewable unless permission is granted. The head guide may be able to arrange that for us.

Let me know your thoughts and availablity with the group gathering over the next few weeks in here. The majority of us are all arriving on the same day, Sunday 22nd September. I suggest we all meet next day on Monday to for a hello and wee get together :bearhug:

this sounds a good lead to follow. See how much he charges for a group tour

[angelfire]

Having a knowledgable guide sounds like a great idea, Billy as it would be good to see as much as possible while we are there.

[Johan (Keyholder)]

We have rented a car for ten days, from Monday September 23rd on. Maybe - if someone else also rented a car for a few days - we might be able to get all nine of us in the two cars and make it easier to visit and get around?
We would need to find out which days work best for that. Some of us also go to Gozo (the two of us as well, with the car).

A guide for a day seems like a good idea too.

When getting together on Monday, preferably in the afternoon and/or evening. We arrive just after noon. And certainly would like to join (any place will do).

[Libico]

With my limited time I would definitely by up for hiring a private tour guide. In all likelihood though I realize I may be the bottleneck with my limited time there so if it works out better before my arrival that's perfectly fine - in all my travels I always do things on my own and steer clear of organized tours so am perfectly fine mapping out my own itinerary.

[Billy]

Today I sent an email to the head tour guide to ask what he can do for us as a group tour. I shall keep you updated when he replies.
Also, A few weeks ago I booked the 10th place for our tour of the Hypogeum just in case a stranger booked it then did not give permission for testing the acustics.
Now we definitely have the tour all to ourselves. :clapping:

[Billy]

Ok. The head tour guide replied very quickly. I will just post his response as it is quite interesting. I asked him in my email if I would be able to have permission to take my recorder and my traveling didgeridoo into the Hypogeum and asked him to join us on the tour as he personally has never experienced the acoustics

It appears with his response that he will be supportive. :clapping:


Dear Billy
thank you for getting in touch
and for giving me such a wonderful report
on the acoustics of our Hypogeum.
I will do my best to encourage you in your research
and hope that one day you will
publish a paper.
I also suggest that while you are here we can organise
a public lecture and you can make a power point presentation.

As to your group's visit I suggest we talk further
and see what their special requests would be.
I can make suggestions of a particular tour.
I deally i would gladly take them around myself.
I have an apprehension about the date though.
I have for a long time been working
on the production of a feature film and so
far we can say we should start
shooting in September.
It is not the first time we had to postpone
so we have to play it by ear for the tour.
Please let me known how I can help you in your
pioneering research
I wish you the best of success
Cheers
narcy

[Billy]

We now have one more confirmed member joining us in Ma!ta in September. That now brings the total to 10 people, the exact number that can enter the Hypogeum on one tour. Luckily I had already booked the 10 place myself, just in case someone else wished to join us at this late stage.

I have not yet heard back from the head guide. I may have scared him away when I asked him if he could require permission for us all to visit and view the Skulls that were found in the Hypogeum which are locked away in the museum out of public view.
At the same time he did not say that this not possible. I shall contact him again soon.

[Billy]

September is here and we can count down the days now when 10 of us from around the world gather in Malta to visit the Hypogeum and other ancient sites.

I am still waiting for official permission to be able to take my traveling didgeridoo, singing bowl and my hand held recorder inside the Hypogeum to test the acustics and hopefully record our efforts.
The authorities are much more strict than they were in the past in granting permission to take instruments into the Hypogeum.
The head guide Narcy is trying his best with the authorities at this moment to grant me permission.

Angelfire sent me this link a while back and I have only just listened to this song which was recorded by Jennifer Berezan inside the Hypogeum 20 yrs ago. She was permitted to record for three days after some effort and local help.

Enjoy.

Returning by Jennifer Berezan. Recorded in the Hypogeum 20 yrs ago.
83GoT3l0CgM

In these arms, a song for all beings.
DzPTHstpJ2I


ReTurning: Recorded in the Oracle Chamber in the Hypogeum at Hal Saflieni, Malta

Looking back at the ancient peoples gives me a lot of hope and strength. I see that it is possible for us to live on this earth in a different way. Maybe we’re not going to see the change in our lifetime--probably not--but time is a very mysterious thing. Things do not always happen in the way we think they are going to.

I was singing inside the earth, in a place that had been used thousands of years for ritual, for oracles, for prophecy. It was obvious that the people who built it had an incredible understanding of acoustics and of the value and power of sound for healing.
Life Passages
I’ve been working with music in a spiritual way for a number of years now, following my desire to create and integrate music into our life passages and changes. Historically, people have used music for sacred events from birthing to dying to the planting of seeds, but corporatization has turned music into entertainment so that it is no longer central to our spiritual life and the day-to-day life of the community.
We have very little music to help us through experiences of loss and change and death. My interest in using music in this way came to me partly through my own life crisis--an intense period of personal loss and change. When I made the album called She Carries Me, I received many letters saying, "I used this when my mother died," or "...when my lover went away," or "...when I was ill."

A Desire Catches Fire
I had been leading trips to Malta with Joan Marler for several years. About one and a half years ago, we were able to go to the Hypogeum--an "underground tomb" that had been closed to the public for many years due to a restoration project. The Hypogeum of Malta was carved from solid limestone around 4000 B.C., before the time of metal, and is one of the most beautiful and extraordinary works of art on the planet.
It was such an experience to walk those steps, three stories down into the underground chamber and to be inside the Earth, inside the body of the goddess. I had heard for many years that there is a room in the Hypogeum made specifically for sound. Even in mainstream archaeological journals and articles, this room is referred to as the "oracle chamber."
For me, as a musician, this was incredibly exciting. A wonderful man named Joe, who is the custodian of the place, allowed me to sing in the oracle chamber. This was one of the most remarkable sonic experiences of my life. The oracle is a room in the larger series of chambers that make up the Hypogeum. It is carved of solid stone. The sound of singing there is not unlike that in the great cathedrals of the world. I have sung in St. James Cathedral in London, as well as in other cathedrals, and this experience was comparable. Yet it was also very different. There were overtones and qualities of different and unusual sounds, and it also seemed that the Hypogeum itself was -"tuned" to particular notes. I was singing inside the Earth, in a place that had been used for thousands of years for ritual, for oracles, for prophecy. It was obvious that the people who built it had an incredible understanding of acoustics, and of the value and power of sound for healing.
After having this chance to sing and do ritual with our group in the oracle chamber, a desire to record there caught fire in me. As I was walking out of the Hypogeum, I knew that I had to come back with recording equipment. After months of negotiations with the museum authorities, and then through the help of some Maltese friends, I was given permission to go there and make a recording. This was the extraordinary opportunity of a lifetime--one that might never be granted again.
Oracle Chamber Ceiling, The Hypogeum at Hal Saflieni, Malta. All photos provided by Jennifer
The Musical Journey
Some things that happen are so much bigger than we are. We step into a moment of time, and a door opens that takes us beyond our small personalities and ego understandings. That is how this felt. Once the final "yes" was spoken, all the doors flew open. To the mind, it was risky to take expensive digital recording equipment to the Mediterranean, go underground into this chamber and make a CD-quality recording. But the whole process was absolutely beautiful and easy.
We were given the extraordinary gift of being trusted to be completely alone in this space for three days, with some of the world’s most important archaeological works of art. Throughout the Hypogeum and on the ceiling of the oracle chamber were 6,000-year-old red-ochre paintings. It’s very hard for me to recount what it was like. Initially I described the experience as being in an "altered state," but as I felt into that I realized that it was a deeply "authentic state." The world "out there," after I left the Hypogeum, seemed to be the altered reality.
Being in the Hypogeum felt like home--comfortable, healing and grounding. A sense of compassion was awakening within me there for myself and for the friends I was with. I felt a profound peace and ecstasy--not just from being in this place, but from being able to make sound there. The whole place vibrated with our songs; it was exquisite, and beyond words.
Because I had only three days, I had prepared a chant in advance--a repetitive chant that sings, "returning, returning, returning to the mother of us all." I also made the space to just listen to the place itself, to be with what was there, and to be attentive to what wanted to come through. Musically, it was a free and improvisational process. For three days, we recorded whatever emerged. Later we edited and mixed the tapes.
I knew I needed an incredible engineer, someone with a deep understanding of acoustics who could express and capture on tape the profound quality of the sound there. So I asked Don Benedictson, a fellow Canadian with whom I had worked on my last record, Refuge. He’s known for his work with Ferron. Chris Webster also came with me. She worked on She Carries Me and sings on all my records. Her sister, Catherine Webster, an opera and early-baroque singer, came as well. We also took some sisters who had been to Malta before, and other good friends who had not yet made this trip. I wanted to create a sense of community, and to know that friends and priestesses were holding a sacred space while we recorded.
Some Maltese friends came as well, including Marie Mifsud, a wonderful Maltese woman who has helped me with the tours and had opened many doors in Malta for Joan and me for many years. Marie helped with the logistics of the recording and was instrumental in getting us permission to record there. Marlene, another Maltese friend, also helped. This felt like a three-country project, representing the United States, Canada and Malta, and a very wonderful, mixed community of support.
Hypogeum at Hal Saflieni, Malta
Modern Entryway to the Sacred
Because the Hypogeum is being turned into a tourist site, the entrance is different than it was historically. It’s very interesting, actually. You drive down a street in the town of Paola and there it is--a doorway that says "Hypogeum." This is not what most people would imagine--an ancient site oddly located in the middle of a bustling town.
You get out of your car, walk in the front door, and you are in the lobby of a new visitor’s center. When we were there, they were just beginning renovation. We went through construction zones upstairs, and then descended down a spiral staircase. We emerged in the midst of a complex of adjoining circular rooms. Three floors of such rooms were carved from one solid piece of limestone, using flint and obsidian tools. Their beautiful round shapes have incredible ridges with complex lines. The shapes found in the temples of Malta above the ground are repeated underground in these egg-like, lobe-shaped rooms, resembling the forms of a female body.
The bones of thousands of people were found in one of the rooms. It was obviously used as a burial chamber, the bones apparently brought down after the flesh had decayed. We do not know about the actual ritual, but we do know that many Neolithic people practiced two-stage burials. After vultures and other birds of prey had de-fleshed the body above ground, the bones were brought down, perhaps at specific seasonal times. According to the great archaeologist Marija Gimbutas, the Hypogeum was not only the tomb; it was also the womb.
An area in the Hypogeum called the "Holy of the Holies" contains a model of an aboveground temple, linking what is above to what is beneath the ground. Most of the above- ground temples are aligned to the sun at the equinoxes and solstices, and to the stars and galaxies. Underground, one has the sense of being inside Earth, the deep womb of the goddess, and also of being connected to the sun and sky. To the ancients there is a continual cycle from birth to death to regeneration. It’s not that above ground is life and below it is death. There is a sense that all is held within the womb of the Mother-Creator. All is functioning within that. Life is not separated or dualistic. Reality is whole, and cyclical. There were certainly rituals for the dead, but the whole of ritual life in the Hypogeum was probably very much about the living as well.
In archaeological manuals, I have seen aerial views of the Hypogeum as a series of adjacent chambers. Some theories indicate that the complex has not been entirely excavated, and that one hypogeum may be linked to another through underground tunnels. This is not a mainstream theory yet, but there are all kinds of possibilities and much more archaeological work to be done in Malta. Through the coming years, I think much more will be revealed. In fact, some underwater temples have recently been discovered off the Maltese
coast. Some people believe that the dates of these temples and therefore of all the other temples in the area could be much earlier than is currently believed.

Spirals and Dreams
Spirals from the Tarxien Temple, MaltaA major motif in Maltese art is the spiral. There are so many different kinds of spirals that they form their own language. On my last trip, I took pictures of these. The spirals that are present everywhere speak to the reality that life, death and regeneration are all being held within the body of the goddess.
A famous sculpture called the Sleeping Lady of Malta was found in the Hypogeum. One theory is that she is pregnant, or wants to become pregnant, and has gone into the Hypogeum to incarnate the spirit of a dead ancestor. Or, maybe the Sleeping Lady of Malta came down into the temple to do dream incubation. Her position is similar to some Tibetan Buddhist dream- yoga poses. Associations with birth, with dreams and visioning for prophecy, greater wisdom and understanding add weight to the theory that the Hypogeum was much more than a burial chamber.

Restoration
Malta is the home of many cultures built on top of one another. Presently, its population is ninety-nine percent Catholic. Most Maltese people are not aware of the importance of these sites, and many have never been to the temples. This is partly because the government itself did not take much interest in them until the rest of the world said, "Wow! These are the oldest free-standing temples in the world!" Stonehenge dates to about 3000 B.C., and the pyramids are considered to have been built around that time. Therefore, Malta’s 6,000-year-old temples are significantly older.
Several years ago, the Hypogeum was put on the UNESCO list of protected sites and closed for restoration. In 1996, sophisticated controls were installed to regulate air temperature and humidity. Now, rather ugly metal railings establish control over where people can walk, and metal floor coverings protect the stones from wear and tear. This certainly changes the acoustics, the aesthetics and the emotional impact of this awesome and powerful space when it reopens soon. The good thing is that nothing has been drilled into or attached to the stone. Everything can be removed at any time. Some people I talked with in the museum are not happy with the way it looks, but they are happy that the mobile pieces can be removed or changed as
needed. It’s a balancing act between protecting the structure itself and preserving the spirit of the place.

Theory vs. Knowing
In January 1999, when we made our recordings, there were a coupleTwo views of Mnajdra Temple, Malta of metal railings, but the floors were still the original pure stone. This is one reason that our opportunity was such an historic occasion.
In my trips to sacred goddess sites, women very often have a sense of returning to something they feel they absolutely know, and of having been there before. Certainly there were moments, when we were singing, that time and space seemed to become nonexistent. It felt as if something were opening, as if the crack between the worlds were widening. That felt deeply familiar to me.
The archaeological world is interested in these sites, but its interpretation is different from that of Marija Gimbutas, who proposed a sacred goddess culture and peaceful egalitarian society in Neolithic Europe.
There has been an enormous backlash against her work.
Some Maltese archaeologists are more open, but even they have been affected by those in their field who refuse to deal with Marija’s evidence. Marija’s theories turn established archaeology on its head and threaten the traditional understanding of history, of civilization, and of gender relations. Having gone to sacred sites and museums over the years, I have no doubt that Marija was right on.
Some male archaeologists question whether certain female figurines are indeed female, suggesting that they may be androgynous priests. One theory, published in Scientific American, proposed that the temples of Malta were made at a time when people were experiencing a great amount of stress due to environmental problems, and that food and survival issues made different tribes compete to build them. Such wild extrapolations and reactionary theories are being published as plausible mainstream ideas. Yet the primary
audience for such theories is academia itself.
On the other hand, a huge groundswell of people is becoming interested in Neolithic civilization to gain a broader understanding of history and of how we got where we are. People are eager to find other models for ways of living and being. Thousands of men and women are studying Marija’s theories and are traveling to ancient sites to feel the energy firsthand.
Prehistoric Malta was devoid of weapons. The people were highly artistic, highly devotional, and connected to the cycles of nature. They lived peacefully in every way for thousands of years. That’s a remarkable achievement. If you look at our world, you cannot point to anything like that, and yet many people are looking for a different model to rebuild our world People who want to go to school and work with Marija’s material are having a hard time, since many professors are so narrow in their understandings.
The real change is happening at a much more grassroots level. On a deeply intuitive body level, people are linking, dreaming, and starting to have a direct experience of an older tradition. That is also why there is such an interest in my music. I receive emails and calls from all over the world.
Right before the Bronze Age, the Neolithic people of Malta disappeared. No one knows where they went, so this is an unsolved mystery. Maybe they left because they knew the patriarchal incursions were moving in their direction. Maybe they moved west and connected with the people who built the temples at New Grange in Ireland. There are certainly similarities in their symbolism, building technology and alignments. This is interesting to think about.
For the last two years, Joan and I have led groups to Malta, and led a spring equinox ritual at the Temple of Mnajdra. We have been witness to the fact that these ancient people aligned their temples to the rising sun on equinox morning. As the rising sun shines through the entrance of the temple, it lights up the altar in the back. This is an incredible phenomenon. There is also a theory that this temple is aligned to the Pleiades at this time, which would display a deep astronomical understanding.

Music
I have made five albums. Some reflect more of my singer/songwriter folk-music personality. Refuge, a very recent acoustic record with strings, cello and guitars, has a lot of Buddhist themes. Other music reflects my politics and my love of Earth. All of this music feels very personal, whether it is political in content, or a love song, or of a spiritual nature.
I began to understand the power of repetitive chanting through working with Vicki Noble in her healing circles for many years. We would sing and chant and drum for hours. Whereas pop songs played on the radio can be no more than three and a half minutes long, indigenous people understand the power of singing all night long. They sometimes sing and dance and pray for days. Ceremonies use the power of music--drumming, rhythm and repetition--to change our state of consciousness and to heal our bodies, psyches and emotions. This opens the doorway to our most authentic selves, to the other worlds, and opens our hearts.
She Carries Me (1995) explores the realm of meditative and trance music specifically designed for rituals and life passages. This album features a twenty-four-minute multi-layered chant track in honor of the Buddhist goddess Kuan Yin, the Tibetan goddess Tara and Mother Mary. It also features a spoken work by Olympia Dukakis and music by acclaimed violinist Darol Anger. It is being used in so many ways--at countless healing centers, hospitals, in the death-and-dying movement, at birthings and other rituals, and for personal meditation.

ReTurning
For my new album, ReTurning, I wanted to make an entire CD without breaks. It consists of one piece that is fifty-two minutes long. At the base is the chant "to the mother of us all" that we recorded in the Hypogeum. To that we added layer upon layer of drone and improvisation. In my desire to pray to and bring forth our whole legacy of female deities from all over the world, I added in the whispered names of hundreds of goddesses.
I have been following a Buddhist practice for many years, and felt drawn to chant a prayer from the Heart Sutra in the Hypogeum--Gate, Gate, Paragate, Parasamgate, Bodhi Swaha. It is about the impermanence of life--"Gone, gone, gone beyond, gone beyond the farthest beyond" and evokes the Goddess of Perfect Wisdom. The Goddess changes everything she touches; all things are changing and cyclical. We brought back all these layers on tape to Berkeley.
I wanted to make the album a beautiful weave of various cultural traditions. African-American singer Linda Tillery added a beautiful song/prayer to the West African goddess Yemaya, the Ocean Mother. Sharon Birch, a Navajo singer, chants in Navajo for Mother Earth. Qwaali singers Sukhawat Ali Khan and Riffat Salamat sing in the Pakistani tradition, improvising in an eastern scale, which to me felt similar to music originally played in the Hypogeum. A beautiful trance-like drum carries the whole thing forward; the hand drums and percussion are played by Rick Lazar (percussionist for Loreena McKennitt).
The music came together on its own, without much planning. The entire layered piece moves and grows and changes, as an expression of cyclical reality, and turned out much more beautiful than I had planned. What magically emerged when we mixed all the sounds together was something like an underground river: You can choose to follow different pathways, but because there are other streams flowing simultaneously at the same time, the rational mind has to let go. This great release helps you naturally enter into another state.

Bio
Jennifer Berezan Photos providedAs a little girl, I started playing my guitar in the second grade. I grew up Catholic, and after Vatican II I noticed a more mystical-nature base and folk-music presence in the church music. I was very connected to that until I became a feminist and got an under-graduate degree in comparative religion. Eventually I left the church, but continued to develop as a musician, playing in coffeehouses, bars and lounges. Eventually, I moved into concert circuits and conferences. I played at political events in Alberta, Canada, for peace groups, Latin-American and African solidarity events, and for every women’s issue you could think of. I moved to the States, studied with Matthew Fox at the Institute for Creation Spirituality, and completed my master’s degree in 1984. At that time I also started making connections in the women’s spirituality world and playing music in that context.
I co-teach a class with Arisika Razak called "Women’s Sacred Art" at the California Institute of Integral Studies, lead trips to sacred sites and teach a workshop for women called "The Ecstasy of Sound" in which I use sound, song, chanting and rhythm in a ritual context to connect women to their ancient roots. I also still perform folk music.
The project I’m most excited about now is the concert/ritual we are producing on February 6, 2000. Over seventy musicians, dancers, poets and ritualists will perform ReTurning as a prayerful and ecstatic community event. (See ad p.13) It is being sponsored by the California Institute of Integral Studies and is a benefit for the film and book projects about Marija Gimbutas and the women’s spirituality department at California Institute of Integral Studies (CIIS).

Copyright © 2000 Grace Millennium (All rights reserved)

Source:
https://creation-designs.com/gracemillennium/winter00/html/berezan.htm

[Billy]

Jennifer who I mentioned above, was also allowed to take pictures 20 yrs ago.
Although this is black and white and pixilated, it is probably one off the best that shows the red ochre spiral paintings on the ceiling of the oracle chamber, Even when you are standing in front of them it is difficult to make them out.

41487

[Billy]

Ancient sound technology.
Those that know the secret of the sound know the mystery of the whole universe. Hazrat Inayat Khan.

gyFry6_dIQ4

[Billy]

Hi again everyone.
The Avalon gathering in Malta was a great success. A total of 9 souls made the effort to travel from around the world to meet up and visit the underground Hypogeum and two more ancient temple sites that are above ground. 6 Avalon members and 3 non members joined as a group. 2 from Australia, 2 from Belgium, 1 from the USA, 1 from Israel and 3 from the UK.

For me it was a great honour to be in the company of amazing kindred souls who were all very kind, caring, patient and very awake. One was only able to be with us a for 3 days. Most stayed a week and 2 stayed a few days longer. Everyone but myself has now left and are all safely home again.

I have been here 2 weeks today and have at least 3 more weeks left before I return home.
I wanted to make sure everyone had returned home safely, then a little reflection time before I began sharing our experience together.

I am of course am hoping all those who are members, are going to add their own accounts of their experiences, as each individual will have their own personal experience to share and every experience was different for each individual.

I am sharing this in the members only forum for the time being, if everyone agrees to post our experiences in the public forum later, I am absolutely fine with that decision.
I have permission to share some photos of our group but I will leave each individual to identify themselves if they feel inclined.

There was no photographs allowed at the Hypogeum, so the following photos are from the nearby Tarxien Temple which we visited straight after our Hypogeum visit as the temple is only walking distance from the Hypogeum. I have much to share concerning our Hypogeum experience. Something quite amazing happened, I will share that in a separate post.

Our first ever meeting together the day before we headed to visit the sites.
41613

Our group. The first one I took.
41611

The second one I am there kneeling at the front right hand side.
41612

That's all for now folks :heart:

[Gracy]

Awesome to see beautiful souls gathered together like that, and in sacred places to boot! Thank you for the pictures and for sharing Billy, can't wait to see more, and hear some stories! :clapping:

[Billy]

Our visit to the Hypogeum

Although I had been granted permission to take my traveling didgeridoo, singing bowls and my small recorder inside the Hypogeum
With the help of Narcy the head tourist guide and also Russel, one of the managers in the Heritage Malta association. I had packed them before I left my village in the Highlands to head to catch my plane in Edinburgh to head to Malta.
On the last minute the curator of the Hypogeum said "No, not allowed" I was very disappointed but took them with me anyway.
Narcy the head guide was furious at this last minute decision and told them so. He told me to take them to the Hypogeum and explain just in case like my last visit a year ago I may be able to test the sound with them.
But it was obvious when we arrived that this was not going to happen, I introduced myself and the first words from the Hypogeum guide was. "Ah yes, we know all about you" she had been pre-warned as if I was someone who meant harm. I was told I would not be allowed to be left alone in the oracle chamber as I was last time. We must stick together as a group, she was watching like a hawk, so there was no way I could record anything. I showed her my didgeridoo and singing bowls and she asked me to play a little.
She loved the look and sound, she melted a little and became more helpful.

She said I could do toning and if our group as a whole wished to stay longer in the oracle chamber together, we could do so. She also said that we could turn off our guided tour dictaphones if we wanted. Most of us did this.

we took it in our stride with acceptance and did not cause a fuss.

Ok, now for the good part. :highfive:
After the visual video demonstration then our walk through the little museum where one of the original skulls that was found is on display. We finally entered the Hypogeum.
We made our way to the oracle chamber and decided we would like to stay longer than the usual 3 minutes. I reckon we were there around 20 minutes which is half the total tour time allocated.

I felt much more relaxed being in the company of such lovely souls than I was last year being with complete strangers, plus I had more time to play around with different tones, chants and overtones. Only one of the group joined in with a toning. But this was a great help as I could hear him tone then I could continue the tone for better reverberation.
I can only tone for a wee while, so after 20 mins I suggested we continue the tour so that everyone could see the rest of this magical Hypogeum.

We left the oracle chamber and headed down to the place they call the holy of holies. At this point we are the furthest away from the oracle chamber as we could be. We were there I reckon around 10 minutes, others say maybe 8 minutes. But quite a long time. When most of us present heard some toning that seemed to come from the oracle chamber. My first thought was that one of our group had sneaked back up and was toning. But I looked around and we were all still together. I looked at the guide and she gave me a confused raised eyebrow.
I then realized that the toning I was hearing was actually my voice returning somehow after all that time. We were all a tad confused but in awe. How is this possible? An echo lasts only a few seconds but in the Hypogeum much longer, maybe 10 seconds. But never 8-10 minutes. I have to reread the Archaeoacoustic report again that is posted on the other thread somewhere.
Out of the 9 in our group, 7 of us heard this plus the guide I am sure.


quote from the Archaeoacoustic analysis of the Hal Saflieni Hypogeum
http://jaanet.info/journals/jaa/Vol_3_No_1_June_2015/4.pdf

This chamber seems to be the center for generating resounding echoes that
continue into other parts of the Hypogeum with a pinball effect. At the right
frequency, there is an amplification not only of the sound but also its duration.
During our experiments, it was reported that some sounds in the Hypogeum
reverberated (or echoed) for as much as 7 or 8 seconds after the original sound had
stopped. These would be the resonant frequencies.
A 7-8 seconds echo was registered.

My daughter back in Scotland phoned me later that evening and asked how it all went. When I told her what had happened, she replied, Oh how amazing that the caves sang back to you.

I told Bill and the mods in our chat room. Bill coined a new term. "An interdimensional echo" which could explain what happened.

Anyways, for me a absolutely wonderful experience and the highlight of our tour. :dog::heart:
But there is much more to come.

[Billy]

I am going to share one person's experience while in the Hypogeum with our group. This person is not a member therefore cannot share it themselves, but I have permission to share on their behalf.
As I said, each individual had their own personal experience.

~~~~~~
When I entered the hypogeum main room, I did not have my audio device on. I wanted to feel my way through the temple and not pre-load with their story. I stood behind Billy in the Oracle chamber and held my hands out feeling the energies with my eyes closed. The energies were incredible. My whole body was vibrating. I was feeling the waves going through the air with my hands.

About half way through the toning I opened my eyes and in the darkness above I saw thin white grey wisps of energy patterns lightly glowing, and dancing. Some of them were in the shape of spirals. I should have had my eyes open during the whole experience. Our group moved to the next room, I could see thin white grey outlines of people moving about. It was as if their outlines lightly glowed light. I could only see this in the areas that were completely dark and not artificially floor illuminated areas. The energies became so strong that I had tears in my eyes. :sun:

[leavesoftrees]

Billy did some toning in the Oracle chamber of the Hypogeum. He had wanted to bring his didgeridoo to hear how the rocks would respond to its sound. But Heritage Malta would not allow it so we had to be content with Billy’s voice - which BTW was very good! The acoustics were extraordinary - this is a neolithic site where a series of chambers have been hollowed out of the limestone bedrock - more than likely through the use of sound, for it is impossible to see how it could have been done with chiselling as mainstream archeologists suggest. It is most likely that the Hypogeum is a temple designed to utilise and enhance the healing quality of the human voice. I felt as though we were in some chthonic creature’s eardrum. Five or more minutes after Billy had stopped chanting, out of the silence of the cave, Billy’s chanting echoed back at us. It was as though the walls had taken his chant into themselves and savoured the flavour of that sound for which they have been carved, savoured the chant that they no longer hear and sent it back to us as a thank you.

[Johan (Keyholder)]

First of all, thank you Billy for having this Avalonian get-together organized in Malta!
It was my first time to meet others from this forum "in real life", and I hope this can happen more often.

It was my second visit to the Hypogeum, and it was very different from my first one, about 14 years ago.

In 2004 one could walk around the Hypogeum, just about anywhere. There were no walkways, controlled temperature, etc. The visit then was also in groups of 10, so that did not change. It was in 2004 easier to "get a feel" of the Hypogeum, I wonder what would have happened if Billy could have toned then.

One thing I found "strange", is that in 2004 I had seen in several places, ceilings covered with 5-pointed ochre stars, a bit similar to those in Egypt. The goddess Sopdet is always pictured with this type of star above her head.

This could (maybe) be a possible link between Egypt (early dynasties) and Malta in the time of the Hypogeum.

What is puzzling, is that now these stars are nowhere to be seen in the Hypogeum anymore. No pictures can be found of them either (or I could not find any). The guide wasn't aware of any stars like this (or so she said).

So, where did they go? I am not talking about one or two stars but of complete ceilings covered with them.

Anyone else has seen those stars, around 2004 or before?

Billy chanting in the oracle chamber was very special. Something to remember forever.

Meeting the others of the group was a great experience, I hope more trips together can follow.

[Billy]

Thank you Leavesoftrees and Keyholder for your input, it was a great pleasure for me to meet you both in the flesh also. And yes to hopefully gathering again sometime in the future at more ancient sites.

I am going to share some interesting information that the guide at the Hypogeum shared with our group. She said that another Hypogeum had been discovered which was immediately covered over to protect it, and that archaeological excavations were soon to be beginning. This new site unlike the Hal Saflieni Hypogeum has never been built over and is unspoilt in a field.

After some research I found that the site was first discovered 35yrs ago in Santa Lucija, which is not far away from the Hal Saflieni Hypogeum.
Some links with info.
http://archive.maltatoday.com.mt/2009/04/19/t13.html

https://timesofmalta.com/articles/view/archaeological-remains-unearthed-during-santa-lucija-underpass-project.734314

This is a temple rescue team site on FB. Well worth a read and other sites are mentioned.
https://m.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.953658058115809.1073741878.804151103066506&type=3

As far as being refused permission to take my didgeridoo and singing bowls inside the Hypogeum after being granted permission, all may not be lost.
After searching through the above FB temple rescue page, I found this just a couple of hours ago.

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It is a catacomb with acoustics where I may be allowed to take my instruments, note the didgeridoo and singing bowl in the picture, what a coincidence. :p

https://m.facebook.com/Templerescuemalta/photos/a.906187979529484/1308639485950996/?type=3&source=48

[angelfire]

It was certainly a trip to remember and so lovely to meet and make new Avalonian friends.

The trip to the Hypogeum and the experience of the returning echo has now convinced me that vibrations and sound have been instrumental in creating the world's megalithic sites and I'm always reminded of the opening words of the Bible whenever I ponder this: "In the beginning was the word......" i.e. sound and all that was created by it.

Although Valetta is historically and culturally so rich, I much preferred the island of Gozo for it's more peaceful ambience and I treasure the memory of our visit there to the Ta Pinu church in Gharb. It's dedicated to the Virgin Mary who reputedly, in the 19th century, spoke to a local village woman from the altarpiece telling her to pray and recite three hail Mary's. Apparently there have been miraculous healings in the area since that time. I'm not a churchy kid of person but the energy of that building was so soft, gentle and feminine and healing indeed! I'd love to have stayed longer but time did not permit.

So that now I'm back in Scotland where the temperature is way cooler than Malta (Billy I'm jealous) I can hopefully look forward to another trip next year, possibly to Romania to visit the Sphinx and other sites as some of us have felt similarly inspired by Peter Moon and Radu Cinamar's "Transylvanian Sunrise" - an incredible account of a mysterious sealed chamber containing a holographic Hall of Records.

Many thanks to Billy for organising the trip and I hope you do finally get to play that didgeridoo inside the Hypogeum!

[Libico]

Having been the first real vacation I had been on in a number of years, I am delighted to have spent it with my fellow Avalonians and friends. The first day we all met as a group was particularly enjoyable - sitting around a table with snacks and beers with 8 other kindred souls was an experience to remember, being able to be open and honest with each other about our thoughts and experiences was like a breath of fresh air.

The Hypogeum was absolutely incredible and a place I could easily have spent many hours in just meditating and absorbing the intensity of the site. In the oracle chamber while Billy and Keyholder were toning it was thrilling to actual feel the resonance myself - what was baffling (and took me a half a minute to realize what I had just heard) was hearing a strong echo of Billy's louder tone come back to us ~10 minutes after we left the oracle chamber. During the tour the guide had her audio box on and there was faint ambient chinking sound (simulating mining out rocks to build the place) and I recall at first thinking the echo was just ambience added for effect despite being much louder until I recognized a 1:1 match of Billy's voice. In my mind that would mean that the Hypogeum would have had to capture Billy's voice, harnass/hold it for 8-10 minutes and then return it to us with a near similar pitch/tone. The lower chambers were closed off so we couldn't explore, one has to wonder what kind of structure is able to harness something traveling at the speed of sound for such a long time and return it - what kind of neolithic builders have the capability to build something so precise?

On my last day there (sadly was only able to stay for 3 days) I went on an absolutely gorgeous early morning coastal/cliff-side hike from Hagar Qim/Mjanadra to a nearby village and back to meet up with Billy, Jean, and leavesoftrees + his friend to explore the two sites. I wish I could have had more time there, especially to explore Gozo with everyone the following day - Malta is such a unique place with an incredible wealth of archeological sites that I think a month wouldn't be enough time to properly see everything.

Thank you Billy for initiating this!

[Billy]

Thank you Angelfire and Libico for your inputs.

The long delay for my toning to return in the Hypogeum is a true mystery. I would say that it is scientifically impossible for that to happen, but obviously not. If I had been allowed to use my recorder I am positive that it would have recorded the return echo. I am just delighted that we have witnesses to the fact that it happened.
A few suggestions have been put forward.

1. My toning entered a portal, then returned.

2. The stone itself harnessed the toning, then sent it back after a long delay.
(As my daughter said, the caves sang back to you)

3. The myths, legends and first hand witness testimonials are true. There exists a race of people underground and they copied my toning and sent it back. I hope they appreciated my toning efforts :bigsmile:

4. One option I am thinking on is that the Hypogeum that we visited and the new unearthed Hypogeum are connected either physically with tunnels or some ethereality way out of space and time. That would be an interesting experiment to carry out when they excavate the new Hypogeum.
If toning in one can be heard in the other ?

I am interested in what others think.

Our visit to the Hagar Qim and Mnajdra temples

Not everyone in our group came with us to these sites. 2 had gone to stay on Gozo and 2 wanted to stay at home in Valletta.
I think these temples which are next to each other are far more impressive than the Tarxien Temple near the Hypogeum which is in the middle of a town.
The Hagar Qim and Mnajdra temples are on the south side of Malta in open countryside overlooking the sea. Quite a spectacular setting.

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[Tintin]

Melita, heals she will

As far as trips go they really don’t come more exceptional than this.

In my humble view I am going to suggest that Malta itself is a gateway, or portal, to another dimension such was the pull it exerted. That may go some way to explaining why the Templars made a bee-line for it well over a thousand years ago.

(Never mind the Ottomans :) )

That’s no great conceptual leap there.

The Ħal Saflieni Hypogeum offered a clue: the two extraordinary moments that Billy shared in his posts above would be testament to the interdimensional angle, and, Bill’s observations regarding the “interdimensional echo” - I agree, a nice turn of phrase there - closely mirrored my perception of the experience of Billy’s toning feedback loop echoing through and beyond the ages.

And its healing power.

My first words immediately following that were: “Billy, you do realise that what we’ve just heard is your voice resonating around the chamber, about 10 minutes later?” Others had picked up on it too, of course.

Again, I’d strongly recommend that those of you interested in this unique event, do read the link Billy has provided to the archaeoacoustic analysis (http://jaanet.info/journals/jaa/Vol_3_No_1_June_2015/4.pdf) here.

This is - and was for the duration of the trip, and beyond - a spiritual group of just some of the loveliest and most interesting people you could spend time in the company of, and it was a divine joy to have met you all, and some for the first time. Many an extraordinary shared experience encompassing lucid dreaming, past lives, palpable psychic phenomena, Greco-Roman art, music, and good humour caressed many of the conversations; being there in those moments with you all I shall forever treasure.

The Tarxien Temple “singing bowl jam” was another beautiful moment (thanks Billy :) ) - it sort of made up a little for us not being able to do the same in the Hypogeum; perhaps another time - or indeed in the recently discovered other - there will be an opportunity.

And maybe, if I haven’t actually decided to relocate and settle in Malta for good, I could take my guitar. Man, I was getting itchy fingers.

The Maltese people are indeed some of the warmest and most accommodating I’ve found anywhere - they truly can’t do enough for you. This includes our lovely driver Joanne who took us to Gozo on the Friday - she became an honorary Avalonian for the day!

:Avalon:

Apart from her coercing me to play with the fishes (not swim with them :) )while we lunched harbourside in Marsalforn, the other unexpected pleasure was that later in the day she drove us to the quite serene, beautiful, and moving Ta’ Pinu (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ta%27_Pinu) shrine, situated in Gharb, site of a purported Maryan vision in 1883. In stark contrast to any other religious site I’d ever been to before, this was amongst the most genuinely spiritual I’d ever visited.

And, the sunset over Africa on the ferry back, and, the size of the moon - it seemed very much larger over Malta.

A huge hug as well not only to all of you but my glorious house-mates (Jean and angelfire) while we were living in Malta on the trip; you were, and remain, the most wonderful of live-in companions - thank you :heart:

One more thing to acknowledge of course, and that is Keyholder’s exceptional culinary acumen, whipping up a splendid meal on the Tuesday as both he and Martine (his partner) stayed on and entertained us at the apartment quite long into the night. Thank you :)

:heart: to all, always.

Tintin

[RunningDeer]

[Again, I’d strongly recommend that those of you interested in this unique event, do read the link Billy has provided to the archaeoacoustic analysis (http://jaanet.info/journals/jaa/Vol_3_No_1_June_2015/4.pdf) here.

Ta’ Pinu (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ta%27_Pinu) shrine,

Hi Tintin. :wave: Feel free to correct the links and delete this post.


Archaeoacoustic Analysis (http://jaanet.info/journals/jaa/Vol_3_No_1_June_2015/4.pdf)

Ta' Pinu (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ta%27_Pinu)


PS I'm enjoying the photos and stories. Thanks, All for sharing.

[Tintin]

Thank you and hi Running Deer :wave: - no need to delete the post and I'm very glad you're enjoying the memories being shared here.

Hey, you should join us next time :flower:

[Hym]

As is known by many here the use of caves to heal ourselves, to heal others and to intonate to the healing energies of our environments is as old as the creation of these bodies we temporarily find homes in. I am so happy that Billy and a group of our Avalon friends, family for sure, have had these rekindling experiences in just such places.

The structure of not only our sound and song instruments, the chambers of our mouths, but also the varied instruments of others here on this planet, animals and those beings with a much more advanced and complex language, like the acoustic abilities of whales, dolphins and sasqwatch, tell us of something lost but once revisited, found immediately as close to our hearts. Go into an empty hallway or a stairwell and sing. Chant if you will. You'll know what I mean.

Though the sound in a room is clear, it is the resonance, the reverberation of your voice that allows us to hear ourselves much more clearly. It is in this listening, Soon-ee-eh, that we find the ability to adjust ourselves to the intonation that more closely contacts our true nature.

There are some systems that teach us to hear our tonal selves much more clearly. Any system that comes closer to primal sound, some calling them sacred, will create the atmosphere of healing. Tibetan Pulsation, KotoDama, the Naad of Gurmookee, the prayers of the Jains, and the prayers of the native, indigenous tribes worldwide all carry these songs of the soul.

My only conflict with any of those methods is the preposterous interpretations of some of those who would guarantee any effects or promise any results from the practice of these sound systems. The interpretation and use of them should only be guided by your interpretations and experiences alone, as you have the solutions within each one of you, solutions far more correct and exacting, certainly more appropriate and soulful than any guide or guru or teacher can suggest.

Gotta go now. Looking for new living digs. I'll share some insightful experiences when I get back.

Love, Hymn

[Tintin]

I am so happy that Billy and a group of our Avalon friends, family for sure, have had these rekindling experiences in just such places.



[emphasis added]

Yes :flower:

I'd describe more succinctly my takeaway from this most wonderful of adventures; that it left me feeling spiritually and mentally reinvigorated

Good luck with the living digs search Hym :highfive:

[Billy]

Our visit to the small island of Gozo

This was an unplanned, unexpected and very pleasant day out for us all instigated by Jean. Jean very kindly booked a mini bus taxi for the day to take us all to Gozo through Ryan the taxi driver whom I had met the previous year and had booked to pick up a few of our group from the airport to take them to their accommodation. Ryan recommended the delightful Joanne, one of his taxi drivers who is from originally Gozo to take us on this trip.

Our plan was for Joanne to take us to a beach for a swim that actually had some sand. Most beaches in Malta are jaggy rocky beaches so a sandy beach is most welcome. Then go for some lunch to a restaurant recommended by Joanne, then we hoped to visit the Ggantija Temple (temple of the giants) before returning back to Malta.

I had already booked a week on Gozo next to a beach for my last week of my trip, this has still to happen. Keyholder and his friend Martine had already moved to Gozo for a few days, they met up with us on Gozo to rejoin the group. Libico had already returned home by this time.

Joanne picked all 6 of us up in the morning then we headed for the ferry which is around an hour and half drive. We arrived at the ferry terminal and Joanne was told by the ferry attendant that we could not get on the ferry that was about to leave and would have to wait for the next one.
So she told us we had time for a coffee before the next ferry. We all exited the taxi apart from Jean. We ordered our coffee when Jean phoned to say. "Quick, come back straight away, we are going on the first ferry after all" We all ran back but we were to late. Jean and Joanne and taxi had already left so we had to wait for the next ferry which actually took another hour to leave :bigsmile:

Poor Joanne was upset and was thinking we would also be upset and give her a telling off when we saw her. Jean reassured her that our group would not be upset and everything would be fine which of course it was all fine. But we had lost some time.

This is when the first of many coincidences began to happen. Keyholder was texting to find out which beach to meet us at. There are quite a few sandy beaches on Gozo. Joanne gave me the name of the beach. Turned out this was where Keyholder was staying and he was a 10 min walk from the beach.
We met and had a lovely swim in the warm Mediterranean sea.

The second coincidence followed quickly after. Joanne drove us to another small beach town for lunch in a restaurant she recommended. When we entered the town I recognized the name on the sign as the place where I had booked my last week. I had never been there before. Then we headed to the sea front and all sat down to order some food. I asked the waitress if she knew where my accommodation address was. She pointed just across from where we were sitting. Virtually a 10 second walk away. Now I knew where I was going and how to get there :clapping:

Lunch took some time, it was now 4.15 pm and the Ggantija Temple closed at 4 pm. So much to Joanne's delight, we asked her to take us to the Ta' Pinu shrine, where Mother Mary is said to have appeared in 1883.
As some members already know, I have a personal affinity with Mother Mary and have had many wonderful experiences with Mary over the last 44 yrs. My first encounter was in Ephesus in Turkey in 1975, my second and most profound was in Bosnia in 1985, then again in India with my Naadi Shastra experience in 2005. I intended to visit the Ta' Pinu shrine on my weeks stay in Gozo. I was delighted that everyone agreed to visit this shrine on our group visit.
Joanne herself shared an experience she personally had with Mary there with her boyfriend 20 something years ago. This boyfriend is now her husband and they have a family.

When we arrived at the shrine, we were all struck by a sense of peace and wellbeing. We wondered around in silence taking in the serenity and peaceful energy of this place. Inside the church there was a museum which was full of past testimonials from individuals and families who had experienced some healing miracles which are documented on the walls of the little museum. Crutches and other aids left by the disabled hung on the walls also.
A place I shall visit again when I return to Gozo over a week from now.

For some reason we did not take many photos on trip to Gozo or at this shrine.

The church and the painting of Mother Mary that people say has miraculous power.

41645. 41646

Another painting of Mother Mary and a statue of the local woman who heard the voice of Mary in 1883.

41647. 41648

Some of the testimonials on the wall of the museum.
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As Angelfire and Tintin have already expressed, this was an unexpected and wonderful part of our trip. Thank you so much Jean, I shall return. :heart:

[Tintin]

So she told us we had time for a coffee before the next ferry. We all exited the taxi apart from Jean. We ordered our coffee when Jean phoned to say. "Quick, come back straight away, we are going on the first ferry after all" We all ran back but we were too late. Jean and Joanne and taxi had already left so we had to wait for the next ferry which actually took another hour to leave :bigsmile:

Poor Joanne was upset and was thinking we would also be upset and give her a telling off when we saw her. Jean reassured her that our group would not be upset and everything would be fine which of course it was all fine. But we had lost some time.

Yes :)

An amusing aside to this: Tintin (me) hadn't actually realised that they'd already been ushered onto the ferry, so, spotting what looked like the same mini-van immediately rushed off and tried to open the door of the wrong van :facepalm:

Well, the look on the lady passenger's face was quite a picture I can tell you :)

Joanne was a real heroine, sweetheart, on the day. :heart: I did remark, perhaps inappropriately, that had I a pocket large enough to carry her in, I'd liked to have brought her back to England with me. :bigsmile:

[Billy]

Hi everyone. I am still very much enjoying my time here in Malta.
There has been some interesting developments here for me since everyone else returned home.

Russel, one of the managers from Heritage Malta has been in contact with me, first he wanted to apologize profusely concerning being granted permission to take my instruments inside then for that permission to be reversed last minute.
We have now met face to face on three occasions now, I say that he is a great man who is very open and aware, it has been a great honour to meet him.
He invited me to his place of work to show me around and see what work they do. Heritage Malta offices and restoration workshops are situated inside the old Naval hospital in Kalkara, Bighi.

The old Naval hospital.
41687

This is where all the restoration of metal (armour and artifacts) textiles, paintings and ancient books takes place. I was given a guided tour of all the workshops. Watching the dedication of the workers there restoring historical, priceless treasures was a privilege to witness.

Book restoration in progress, on the right before restoration on the left after restoration.
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Some textiles being restored.
41693. 41694

Russel confirmed that new DNA testing is currently being carried out on the skulls found inside the Hypogeum. He said there are new advances in DNA testing. One of which is a fluid that is found in the eardrum crystallises after death and can survive for thousands of years.

Russel's profession is diditisation. he is in the process of creating a 3D copy of the Hal Saflieni Hypogeum. He is organising ground penetrating radar to carry out a survey of the Hypogeum also.

He also confirmed that the new Hypogeum that was found will begin excavations soon.

I suggested that research on the Cymatics of the Hypogeum would be an interesting project.
Russel did not know so much about Cymatics but is very interested and has now given me contact details of a friend of his who is musical technician. I am going to follow this up.

I have a feeling I have just met a kindred soul who I am going to be in close contact with for a long long time :bowing::sun:

[leavesoftrees]

that's terrific Billy. Sounds as though you may get freer access next time

[Billy]

I forgot to mention. @keyholder. I asked Russel about the stars that you saw on the ceiling the Hypogeum when you visited 14 yrs ago. He confirmed that they did exist but have now all faded away due to the humidity of the Hypogeum. He is going to look through the archives for old photos that may have captured the stars then send them to me.

One interesting thing I discovered when researching the frequencies of the Hypogeum. Which according to the Archaeoacoustic analysis, the resonance of the Hypogeum is 114 Hertz and 70 Hertz.
I could not find a sample of Cymatics at 114 Hertz but 72 Hertz creates a star shape. Which I found very interesting.

41695

[Libico]

Glad to hear an update about your time in Malta! Assuming Russell was keen about looking into the acoustics study if you haven't already, would be very interesting to share what we all experienced in the hypogeum with the return of your echo... Maybe offer to try and repeat the experience and gain private access to the site before / after hours it is open to the public.

[The Moss Trooper]

I'd just like to register my appreciation to Billy for the most wonderful way that he tells of his experiences.

I honestly lose myself for 20 minutes reading of this latest exploit, it is a rare talent to be able to engage someone and for them to absorb fully the subject matter. I would've loved to be able to have taken part in this trip, however, time and circumstance would not allow, this time. It looks as if all there had an amazing time, in an amazing place......... And I'd be a liar if I said I wasn't slightly jealous......... only slightly :)


Well done to all who made it.

And a special thank you to Billy, he'll know why.


Regards.

[Billy]

@ The Moss Trooper, Thank you for your kind words.



Glad to hear an update about your time in Malta! Assuming Russell was keen about looking into the acoustics study if you haven't already, would be very interesting to share what we all experienced in the hypogeum with the return of your echo... Maybe offer to try and repeat the experience and gain private access to the site before / after hours it is open to the public.

Hi Libico.
Yes, Russel was very interested when I told him about the long echo delay in the Hypogeum. I offered to go to the Hypogeum with him, either before or after hours for half an hour to try and repeat the toning delay, he said he was sorry but the curator would not allow this.
Sadly the curator is very strict and has the final say.

A little update.
I am still here in Gozo having extended my stay twice now :bigsmile:
I managed to book a flight home in a few days time.

Before I left Malta to come to Gozo I met Russel one of the managers of Heritage Malta a few times. He personally took me to an underground chamber in Fort Saint Angelo which is not accessible to tourists. Access is through a trapdoor and a ladder had to be brought to climb down. This was used as a prison chamber in the times of the Nights of Malta. Russel thought the chamber may have had acoustic qualities but turned out to be dead space, The graffiti in the chamber was quite something. And some tales of the skeleton remains found in there were quite disturbing.

The trap door and some of the graffiti carved into the walls.

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The road leading to Fort Saint Angelo in Senglea.

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Much more to share with some very interesting developments. :heart:

[Billy]

Good day everyone.
After extending my visit to Gozo twice while I was there, I have eventually returned home to the Highlands of Scotland, after my month on Malta my one week in Gozo grew to more than three weeks. I just was not ready to leave as I was having such a fantastic time :sun:

While in Gozo I visited the Ggantija Temple for the first time this visit. Russel the Heritage Malta manager had informed me that a Hypogeum had been discovered near the temple complex but had not yet been excavated. The official name for this new Hypogeum is the Xaghra stone circle.
It was very difficult to find but I eventually found it. There is not much to see as it is fenced off and only some scaffolding in an open hole was visible.

Ggantija temple on Gozo.

41840. 41841

41842.

The Xaghra stone circle, a Hypogeum which has just began being excavated. They found beautiful small stone and bone carved figurines inside this Hypogeum which are on display in the Ggantija temple museum.

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[Billy]

Continuing with my visit to Gozo.

I did return to the Ta'Pinu shrine where Mother Mary appeared mentioned above in post 81 and took photos this time.

Walking towards the church. Plus testimonials of miracle healings in the museum.
41871. 41872

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This picture I took specially for Angelfire as she was very touched by this statue.

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[angelfire]

Thank you, Billy, I'm very happy you took this photo. The statue exudes a calm, gentle, yet very powerful energy. :Angel:

[Billy]

My next adventure on Gozo was a chance meeting with a lovely woman named Karin Laing.
While I was searching for the Xaghra stone circle online, which is where the underground Hypogeum on Gozo is. I came across a cave where Karin performs guided meditations, this cave is situated in her garden. Karin is a certified therapist.
https://karinlaing.com/blog/2019/07/10/group-guided-meditation-at-lgharix-temple-retreat/

I gave Karin a call, she then invited me to visit her home where we chatted for quite some time. I then decided to have a session with Karin which ended up being quite an extraordinary experience which I am still reflecting on.
After the session she invited me to go into her cave on my own as she had another client arriving.
I had brought my singing bowls with me, I headed down some steps in her garden and entered this magnificent cave.
The local story is that this cave was called the inner sanctum and at one time was connected to the amazing Ggantija Temple a few hundred yards away.
It felt like a very special place to be as I had a wee session with my singing bowls.

Steps leading down from garden and my singing bowls

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A hand carved tunnel inside the cave that descended steeply. I had no torch so did not venture far inside.

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A very special day for me.

Karin has continued to keep in touch with me since my return home :bowing:

[Billy]

Hi everyone :waving:
I never did get around to finishing sharing my experience with you all while I was in Gozo last year.
Near the end of my stay I had a chance meeting an amazing author named Lenie Reedijk, we discussed her latest book "Sirius, the star of the Maltese temples" we met daily and I became fascinated with her research and knowledge of the Temples in Malta and Gozo.

As Lenie was leaving Gozo to head back home in a few days time, I decided that I could not allow her to leave before I attempted to interview her. Having never interviewed anyone before I was a little apprehensive, I asked her what she thought and she said that she felt comfortable in my presence, so she agreed to be interviewed. Luckily I had my Zoom recorder with me.

It has taken me almost a year, with the help of friends to edit the audio, select and add photos for the video, I wanted the video to be visually pleasing and educational.
It has actually been quite a struggle having never done anything like this before.
But alas, the final version is ready :clapping:

Lenie's research led her to discover the star that the temple builders were following, due to this discovery she has pushed back the dates of the construction of the first temple 5000 years.
To 9150 BC when the Star Sirius first appeared on the horizon viewing from Malta.

Lenie is from Holland originally, she speaks quite a few languages, English is not her first language but speaks it perfectly as far as I am concerned. Like myself, she does not like listening to her own voice. I do not say much as I did not want to interrupt her flow when she was on a role.

So without further ado I have my very own October suprise for you, enjoy :bearhug:

L47N6ME3Io4

Lenie's book.

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[Harmony]

Thank you Billy for you your "October Surprise" in sharing this video.


Lenie Reedijk is truely dedicated to her research into Maltese and Gozo temples. I really enjoyed the photographs and illustrations of the temple layout and how they related to the precession and the star Sirius.


Billy, you are a good interviewer asking thoughtful questions with a great voice for recording. Thank you again for sharing.:heart::flower:

[Gwin Ru]

Hi everyone :waving:
[...]

Lenie's research led her to discover the star that the temple builders were following, due to this discovery she has pushed back the dates of the construction of the first temple 5000 years. To 9150 BC when the Star Sirius first appeared on the horizon viewing from Malta.

[...]Hi Billy :waving:
Here is something about the Hypogeum and its estimated age according to Graham Hancock followed by a young lady demonstrating "Toning" (starts at ~ 35:40) :

🔴LIVESTREAM: TAROT READINGS BY JANINE & JeanClaude@BeyondMystic (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Xhke1F6vw8) 1:12:25

Streamed live 11 hours ago

https://yt3.ggpht.com/nCtuNK23d-NMi5pb_Df4mJ9e0bbQBVo7Y5cT5swh_TvG85i8dFQxiMKv2pyRJ4iXWhnYmMtAXA=s48-c-k-c0x00ffffff-no-rj (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuJ6R1xbMaoB77VtiNCuLLA) JeanClaude BeyondMystic003 (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuJ6R1xbMaoB77VtiNCuLLA)

1Xhke1F6vw8


Jean-Claude's show with May Levy: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MtTH95TM5MY

[Billy]

Hi everyone :waving:
[...]

Lenie's research led her to discover the star that the temple builders were following, due to this discovery she has pushed back the dates of the construction of the first temple 5000 years. To 9150 BC when the Star Sirius first appeared on the horizon viewing from Malta.

[...]Hi Billy :waving:
Here is something about the Hypogeum and its estimated age according to Graham Hancock followed by a young lady demonstrating "Toning" (starts at ~ 35:40) :

🔴LIVESTREAM: TAROT READINGS BY JANINE & JeanClaude@BeyondMystic (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Xhke1F6vw8) 1:12:25

Streamed live 11 hours ago

https://yt3.ggpht.com/nCtuNK23d-NMi5pb_Df4mJ9e0bbQBVo7Y5cT5swh_TvG85i8dFQxiMKv2pyRJ4iXWhnYmMtAXA=s48-c-k-c0x00ffffff-no-rj (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuJ6R1xbMaoB77VtiNCuLLA) JeanClaude BeyondMystic003 (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuJ6R1xbMaoB77VtiNCuLLA)

1Xhke1F6vw8


Jean-Claude's show with May Levy: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MtTH95TM5MY







Thank you Gwin Ru. The host Jean-Claude suggested that the Hypogeum was somehow connected to the Knights Templar. I have to correct him and say that it had nothing to do with the Knights Templars in anyway whatsoever.
The Hypogeum was first discovered after being buried for thousands of years in 1902 by construction workers digging for a well.
https://heritagemalta.org/hal-saflieni-hypogeum/#:~:text=Discovered%20in%201902%20during%20construction,who%20continued%20works%20until%201911.
Jean-Claude could have easily researched and found this information if he had taken the time to do so.

I also very much doubt there is any connection to Antarctica.