Throughout my life the gypsy was never far away. Whether it was giving me a bunch of heather in the street and a message, or meeting up with a family connection. A decade ago, I also met an Italian who had converted to Islam when he was living in Egypt, he went by the name of 'real gipsy'. A man with no attachment to his roots, safe and strong in himself and his being. Truly, a beloved of God and one of his healers.
Detachment is all part of spiritual growth and development, and when one as integrated detachment one is like a mushroom that can grow and flourish on any land anywhere. The real gypsies remind me of the desert hebrews, the spiritual wanderers like the beduins. Staying true to themselves and their freedom to be, and live where they wish to be, and live in a way that they like to live, free. The spiritual gifts of the women being oracles helped many to survive because as Aristotle said 'Men seek to know'. When human beings are in trouble, when souls are suffering, when they do not understand why life as provided them with certain life conditions, people tend to seek out the spiritual guidance of an oracle first.
It matters not what religious background a person comes from, the soul compels them to seek the help from the guiding angels that they require to get them back on track. Its wonderful to see a person's vibration rise, after they have have received the help, that they require to brighten their day by renewing their hope. To see the smiles and happiness of others brightens your day as well, it is the joy of the sun beam that can light up a room.
HISTORY OF THE GYPSY
This text was provided with this lovely video.
Recorded history of the Roma prior to their first documented appearances in Europe in the early 15th century is non-existent, there has been much debate as to their origins and early migration. Based on linguistic evidence (the similarity of the Romany language to Hindi, Panjabi, and related languages of Northern India) and anthropological evidence (body habitus and ABO blood group distributions closely approximating those of the warrior classes of northern India), there is now a clear consensus of opinion that the modern day Roma of the Middle East, Europe, Asia, and the Americas originated in Northwestern India. There is also a general consensus regarding the approximate timing of their emigration, or at least the bulk of it if you believe in more than one wave of emigration - ie in the 11th century.
The route(s) and even the number(s) of emigrations are less well agreed upon, although this too is becoming clearer. Some allude to at least several waves of emigration from northern India. There is a persistent belief that several migrations took place between the 10th and 13th centuries, with the first potential migration identified going back to the 5th century. Often quoted and perpetuated is the story of the receipt by Persian monarch, Behram Gour, of 12,000 musicians (called Zott, arabicized from Jatt - ancestors of the modern Persian Luris or Lulis) from an Indian king. This story is reported in both Pott's introduction quoting Firdousi and confirmed by Arabian historian Hamsa of Isfahan. This story is attractive to many because even to this day the Roma are perhaps best known for their music and dance. Others point to a major wave of emigration taking place at the time of Muslim invasions of Northern India in the early 800's. Several further invasions during the 10th to 13th centuries resulted in subsequent emigrations.
The most recent evidence, some of which is not yet published, will suggest a mixed population (warriors and their "camps") leaving Northern India in the 11th century over the first 25 to 30 years of the century. Linguistic evidence points to a northerly exodus through the upper Indus Valley. After crossing the Himalayas, it is likely that they followed the Silk Road west to the southern shores of the Caspian Sea, up along the west coast to the foothills of the Caucasus range, through Armenia and into the Byzantime Empire. This proposed route of migration is based on the numbers and types of words in Romani - Persian, Armenian, and Greek.
The route(s) and even the number(s) of emigrations are less well agreed upon, although this too is becoming clearer. Some allude to at least several waves of emigration from northern India. There is a persistent belief that several migrations took place between the 10th and 13th centuries, with the first potential migration identified going back to the 5th century. Often quoted and perpetuated is the story of the receipt by Persian monarch, Behram Gour, of 12,000 musicians (called Zott, arabicized from Jatt - ancestors of the modern Persian Luris or Lulis) from an Indian king. This story is reported in both Pott's introduction quoting Firdousi and confirmed by Arabian historian Hamsa of Isfahan. This story is attractive to many because even to this day the Roma are perhaps best known for their music and dance. Others point to a major wave of emigration taking place at the time of Muslim invasions of Northern India in the early 800's. Several further invasions during the 10th to 13th centuries resulted in subsequent emigrations.
The most recent evidence, some of which is not yet published, will suggest a mixed population (warriors and their "camps") leaving Northern India in the 11th century over the first 25 to 30 years of the century. Linguistic evidence points to a northerly exodus through the upper Indus Valley. After crossing the Himalayas, it is likely that they followed the Silk Road west to the southern shores of the Caspian Sea, up along the west coast to the foothills of the Caucasus range, through Armenia and into the Byzantime Empire. This proposed route of migration is based on the numbers and types of words in Romani - Persian, Armenian, and Greek.
Many attempts to summarize their appearances in Europe are available, most of which report them in Southeastern Europe sometime in the early 1300's, Central/Eastern Europe in the 1400's and in Western and Northern Europe later in the 1400's into the early 1500's (3,5). The Patrin, a great internet learning resource, has summarized the history and provided a timeline as well. Although we might disagree with the route and a few of the details, this is a very useful history, certainly more comprehensive than the present page, and certainly accurate in spirit. Also extremely useful is the sumary provided by the Union Romani Espagnole.
Since that time, their history is one of attempts at banishment, forced assimilation, persecution, deportation, slavery, and attempted extermination. As recently as the 1930's and 1940's the Nazis of the Third Reich imprisoned and murdered on the order of 500,000 Roma. They continue to be victims of persecution, especially in the eastern European countries of the former "soviet block".
If any one single aspect of their history has been dominant, it must, unfortunately, be that of their persecution, forced assimilation, enslavement, and yes, even genocide carried out against them by the Nazi's. The recorded, discernable history of "anti-gypsyism" goes back to their first appearance in Europe in the 1400's where they were at times welcomed, but far more often confused with Muslims from the east. Laws were enacted against them everywhere they went. The history of the response of the countries in which they have lived has been uniformly one of rejection, mistrust, fear, banishment, enslavement, torture, and murder. Current estimates are that roughly 600,000 Roma were exterminated by the Nazi's, roughly "1/4 to 1/3 of their numbers in all of Europe and as much as 70% of those in areas where Nazi control had been established the longest".
Details of their past and present persecution and torture are too painful to reproduce here. The resurgence of anti-gypsyism in the eastern European countries of the former communist block is alarming, as is their situation in the remainder of the world.
Today, is global love day. May we all reach out to the gypsies this day with loving understanding of the true nature of their hearts and freedom to be. God did set them apart for his divine purpose, to always remind you that you were born free.
Love beyond measure
ELIAKIM
ELIAKIM
No comments:
Post a Comment