Its pronounced Sheev, said a New York Jew to me,
sternly, one does not cross paths with Him who is both
creator and destroyer, he continued : my friend is
right i think, on all counts. Hindus revere him for
much the same reason, and Jews invite friends to 'sit
Shiva', a prayer gathering held a week in to a death
in the family. This is probably the only vestige of
the old Faith that survives in the in the ethos of
that proto-Ugarithic group ( i dislike the label
Semitic), for they can thank Abraham for introducing
them to the the dubious pleasures of monotheism, just
as Zarusthra did for our folk a little to the west in
Sumerian country.
Friend Shiva probably went to work early, in the
Rift Valley, in the Gita Rama precincts, a city in
Ruwanda. I lived in the region once, and i heard the
same refrain when i asked - 'it was our religion we
think, but no one seems to remember anymore'.
Ethiopia has both, towns named Siva as well as Rama,
but Egypt is the clincher: the Siva Oasis, where
Alexander is buried. An Oracle had ordered it when he
had inquired about the best route to to his Divinity
on his death - it took the funeral caravan eighteen
months to reach Siva from Macedonia.
We then set sail a short breeze to Kriti(Crete),
you get to see the island in the movie Zorba the
Greek, Siva is their third town. On this barren
outcrop, you are expected to believe, "European"
civilization saw the light of day. Amen.
There are Sivas in Afghanistan and Uzbekistan,
bless them all, and someday soon i hope there will be
lttle Catholic boys in Goa who will be baptized Siva,
and why not !! eric.
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