Shamballa
‘Sambhala’ or ‘Shamballa’ as it is sometimes referred to in the West today is a spiritual place, a place mentioned in Buddhist Kalachaklra Tantra texts and claimed to exist in the physical world. Many ideas about where Shamballa and its capital city ‘Kalapa’ were actually located exist but all are focussed around the central Asian area. From near Tibet to South Siberia, the accounts vary widely.
Shamballa is or was ruled over by a King or ‘Kalki’ and its population is said to be made up of only enlightened individuals. Only people who have amassed the right amount of Karma can reach the place. It’s a pure land, a pure Buddhist land, but appears to have its roots in an earlier Hindu myth. It is said that it can be found in outer, inner and alternative states, outer being a physical place, inner being in the mind and one’s self and alternative being reached through meditation.
There have been many attempts in the 20th century to find the physical place of Shamballa but none have been successful. A soviet expedition went to Tibet in 1924 and an expedition was sent on three occasions to Tibet during the 1930’s by the Nazi party to find Aryan links and in turn Shamballa.
The myths of Shamballa have had an influence on the modern world too. Some brands have adopted the word ‘Shamballa’ to describe their products such as the Rocks Shamballa Crystal watches. Shamballa in this sense describes bracelets that contain semi-precious stones which are thought to contain therapeutic attributes. This ties in well with the idea of the place of Shamballa as the practice of Shamballa bracelets like those that make up the Rocks Shamballa Crystal watches have their routes in ancient traditions of meditation and spirituality.
Atlantis
I think it’s okay to say that Atlantis is the most famous mythical city / continent in the world. It is said that throughout history, the story of Atlantis has been considered a myth and that it is only in more modern times that anyone has taken the claims seriously. In recent years Atlantis had received a lot of press. There was the Disney film ‘Atlantis: The Lost Empire’ in 2001 and the possible sighting of the city on Google Ocean in 2009 which featured prominently in many tabloid newspapers. The latter claimed to show a grid structure the size of Wales off of the coast of West Africa.
Atlantis is said to be an island or a group of islands, home to an advanced civilisation that was wiped off of the face of the Earth by an earthquake and subsequent floods nearly 12,000 years ago. Many people have theorised as to the exact location of the mythical city since Plato mentioned it in 360 BC. He said “the pillars of Heracles”, a term referring to the strait between modern day Spain and Morocco with the northern pillar being generally accepted as the Rock of Gibraltar. There is still some dispute as to the identity of the southern pillar however. This would tie in with the theory that the continent was located off of the coast of Africa. A quick Google search of “Atlantis location theories” will throw up a long list of sites that have been theorised and make for a good read.
One of the sites mentioned is Santorini. Santorini an island in the Mediterranean and was hit by a large eruption which devastated the Minoan island and the city of Akrotiri. Much has been learnt of the devastation through archaeological excavations at Akrotiri. It is thought by some that this was in fact Atlantis, whilst others believe that it was served as the inspiration for a myth, started by Plato in his writings.
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iclikd.com have a great selection of Rocks Shamballa Crystal watches available in a multitude of colours.
Hope you enjoyed this guest post! I think this kind of stuff is fascinating and can always spark an idea for a novel. š