POT: Introduction
Time has always been a mystery to humanity, a force that governs every moment of life yet remains largely elusive. Ancient cultures across the world have sought ways to measure it, marking the passage of hours and days with celestial observations, rudimentary clocks, and ritual practices. Among the most fascinating and elusive methods of timekeeping, however, is the theory that certain ancient priesthoods possessed the ability to measure time using the human body itself—specifically through the heartbeats and the hands. This theory proposes that priests, through meditation, could track the passage of time with remarkable accuracy, using nothing more than their heartbeats, their fingers, and their limbs.
This book will explore the possibility that the ancient priesthoods developed a secret and sacred system of timekeeping based on the rhythms of the human body. By counting their heartbeats and using their fingers as a counting device, these priests could not only measure the passage of time but also perform vital functions, such as navigating at sea. The ability to track time precisely was essential for ancient societies, especially for tasks like measuring longitude, and it may have been the priesthoods who held this knowledge—passing it down as a form of both spiritual practice and practical skill.
The connection between spirituality and timekeeping is a crucial element of this theory. The ability to synchronize one’s body with the natural rhythms of the universe through meditation would have given priests an elevated status. This practice would not only have been seen as deeply spiritual but also as an essential tool for navigation and mapmaking, which were key components of ancient civilizations’ development.
In addition to exploring the mechanics of timekeeping and navigation, this theory delves into the role of the priesthood in ancient societies. Priests were often seen as intermediaries between the gods and the people, and their ability to measure and control time would have further solidified their power and influence. Over time, however, as new methods of timekeeping became available, this art was gradually lost, and the priesthood’s secret knowledge of time became obsolete, replaced by more scientifically grounded approaches.
This book will begin by exploring the rhythm of the human body, particularly the heartbeats, and how they may have been used as a unit of time measurement. We will look at the symbolic and practical use of the hand in ancient timekeeping and how the three-hour watch—a sacred period of time—may have been measured through meditation and body rhythms. The priesthood’s sacred role in timekeeping and navigation will be examined, as well as how this practice could have contributed to the development of accurate maps and geographical knowledge.
The theory will also propose why this practice was lost over time. As the ancient world shifted toward more technical and scientific means of measuring time, the spiritual and meditative aspects of timekeeping were abandoned. The priesthood, which once held the secrets of time in its hands, was left to preserve a facade of spirituality, even as the world around them moved toward rationality and reason.
In the chapters that follow, we will explore these ideas in greater depth, weaving together historical, spiritual, and practical perspectives to uncover how the priesthood of time may have shaped the ancient world’s understanding of time, space, and navigation.
