A McDowell Mountain Petroglyph

Clifford C. Richey
July 2015

For more information related to the rules of composition please see:

academia.edu/Ancient-Depicted-Sign-Language
It explains the use of Form, Imagery, Gesture Signs, Stance, allusion,
position and incorporation, as used in composing glyphs.
Illustration 1: Original Petroglyph

Illustration 2: Color Coded Interpretation

Illustration 2 is an attempt to show how the petroglyph might have been read by an ancient observer.
The arrangement of the signs were non-linear and the reader had to mentally mentally stitch the
messages together. Although there was a system of viewing the signs from largest to smallest that
helped in doing this.
 Illustration 3: Color Coded Interpretation

There are two Major Forms in this Petroglyph. In the lower left there is the Form of a Vessel with its
large Handles. In the Upper right there is the Form of a Lizard.

As we have seen in previous papers the metaphor of a Vessel (ether clay or in the shape of a bottle
gourd) was often used as a representation for the Earth. Conceptually depicting the Earth as a Vessel
envisions the (reddish) Body of the Earth as, a great, relative size, container of water. The Left Handle
is composed of the (green) Form of a Vertical Rectangle indicating, a vertical-place. The (light-blue)
Quarter Circle that serves as the Right Handle is the sign used to indicate, a side. In gesture signing the
Left hand side indicates the direction east, while the Right side indicates, the west. Thus the east and
west sides of the earth are represented. There is also a possibility that there was a Dual Form to the
Body of the Vessel of a (reddish) Large Sandal whose Stance is upwards, that would equate to a great,
covered, walk, upwards, (as a Foot would be the sign for a walk or journey), positionally, in the
middle, or at the center of the earth.

The idea expressed is that of, the great earthen vessel, a vertical-place, on its side, the great, covered
journey, at the center. Many ancient compositions we overlay-ed upon a template of a Body which
could be animal, human, insect, or even inorganic such as a rock. Thus a Vessel had a Body that had a
Neck or Throat as well as an opening that was viewed as its Mouth. The Throat indicated, a connecting
tunnel while a Mouth indicated, a water-source. In the natural world connecting tunnels were viewed
as the throat of the earth, while a mouth of the earth, would have been a spring site, a pool fed by
subterranean water, or even water seepage found between the layers of rock on a cliff. Such sites, for
cosmological reasons, would have been perceived as religious and cultural centers of the earth. There
could be many such centers much as there many city centers today.

A natural feature of the rock, the (blue-green) Fissure, was incorporated into the petroglyph. This
incorporation was central to the meaning of the petroglyph because it represented, an opening in the
surface of the earth.

Illustration 4:
Chuckwalla and
Fissure

The next Form we find on the rock is that of a Lizard. This Lizard is probably a representation of a the
desert Chuck-walla for a number of reasons. They are quite common in the area in which the
petroglyph is found. They are fissure or crevice dwelling creatures. They are often seen climbing out
of rock fissures in the morning where they spent the night to keep warm. They hibernate during the
coldest months and this makes them an ideal sign for the concept of rebirth or resurrection. Being cold
blooded they climb up on rocks to bask in the sun which then allows them to move about more quickly.

Illustration 6: Illustration 5: Color

Original Coded
The Stance of the Lizard is one of, heading upwards. There is also a Rightward Leaning Stance that
means, waiting or awaiting. This indicates that the arising from the opening has not yet occurred. In
ancient animistic times everything had a spirit-essence. The essence of an animal was known by its
behavioral qualities. For example, the spirit essence of a Deer is its propensity to roam or wander about
the landscape. The one who roams. This became a sign for a wanderer or migrant. In this sense, the
Lizard became the sign for, the one who climbs up toward the Sun.
 Illustration 7: Color Coded Interpretation

We will now take a closer look at the signs that were used to compose the Form of the Lizard. The
(yellow) Head of the Lizard alludes to its Face, his appearance. The (white) Form is in the shape of a
Large Eye indicating, great, in the sense of importance. The meaning of the Eye is not explained is this
composition and has been determined through the use of this sign within many known contexts. The
meaning is, the great, Eye of the Sun, a metaphor based on Venus viewed as a kind of scout for the
Sun as it arises before it in the east and after it sets in the west (a sort of rear guard). The outer (yellow)
Line and the inner (white) Line created by the two Forms indicates, between two things, or hidden,
unseen.

The Lizard's (yellow) forefeet were considered an Arm, a Warrior of the Sun, and Hand, the Hand of
the Sun, a steward of the Sun. This would indicate a combined, warrior-priest of the Sun. The Space
between the Arms and Head was used to create the Form of a (brown) Foot. As mentioned earlier a
Foot represented the sign for, a walk or a journey. Positionally, these Feet are on the Left and Right of
the Body, in the east and the west. The curved “Shepherd's Crook” sign alluding to the Arms and
Hands indicates, taken. Thus, taken, on a journey, in the east and the west.

The (tan) Neck of the Lizard is a Square, a house or lineage, that alludes to the Throat, a connecting
tunnel. This probably refers to, the house of the Sun, the lineage of the Sun, where-from Venus
emerges.
 Illustration 8: Color Coded Interpretation

The main Trunk of the Lizard is in the (green) Form of a Vertical Rectangle and indicates, a vertical-
place, presumably the fissure in the earth. The Tail of the Lizard is in the (tan) Form of a Severed
Finger pointing a direction, here, at the fissure.

The Fissure has additional meaning besides being, an opening in the earth's surface. There is a
mechanistic aspect to many ancient compositions. In Arizona there is often a seasonal, springtime, rain
that could fill the fissures with water. Thus the one who climbs toward the Sun might not stop at the
earth's surface as the water would soon evaporate in the dry desert. This is also the time period where
the Lizards would be awakening from hibernation and arising from the fissures.

Illustration 9: Mimbres Bat

Bowl
1
In nearby New Mexico in the Mimbres culture we observe a similar concept underlying the Bat
imagery found within one of their pottery bowls. The Bowl's shape, aside from Forming a Half Circle
indicating, the underside or the underworld, would allow the water to evaporate in the Sun
demonstrating the flight of the spirit-essence to the sky.

1 https://www.academia.edu/13193557/The_Mimbres_Bat_Bowl
 Illustration 10: Sami Culture
Petroglyph

A petroglyph from northern Scandinavia is even more similar in its theme2 as it relies on rain and or
snow melt for its mechanistic reinforcement of the cosmology. One of the more interesting aspects about the
Sami petroglyph is the fact that nowhere in its composition does the Zigzag or Sawtooth sign for water appear. The
Mouth indicates a water-source and the “Russian Cross” has the signs for moisture and female-moisture-spirits. This
leads us to the conclusion that the petroglyph functioned somewhat mechanically and when the snow melted in the
springtime the resulting water seepage became a sign (black in the photograph) that was considered part of the
petroglyph's composition. Real water was the sign for water.

Illustration 11: Moche Culture

Peru
The Moche culture in Peru presents a depiction3 on one of their Vessels that tells us about the flight of a
spirit-essence to Venus that they, metaphorically, called the Wolf-star. Metaphors related to Flora and
Fauna in Form and Imagery are the source of much confusion relating to ancient compositions.
Because of the use of gesture signs and related metaphor Venus was called by various names, such as
the Wasp-star/Warrior-star, the Scout or Spy-star, the Great-Eye, The Google-eyed or the Crossed-
eyed-one, The Torch, the Light or The Bearer of the Light, Arises before the Sun, among others. Each
depiction or glyph would change greatly in its appearance based on such differences in paraphrasing.

In Biblical times Jesus may have resorted to such ancient terminology when he said, Rev 22:16 (NIV)
"I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you this testimony for the churches. I am the Root and the
Offspring of David, and the bright Morning Star." it is interesting that Jesus used the word, root, which
in ancient times was part of the cosmological metaphor related to the tree of life. This was used to trace
his lineage back to King David who like many other ancient leaders was perceived as a great warrior
and allied to the warrior-star, Venus, in the after-life.

2 https://www.scribd.com/doc/180934034/A-Sami-Petroglyph
3 https://www.scribd.com/doc/21978715/The-Nazca-Cat-Demon
 Illustration 12: Moche Culture
Peru
The following translation of the signs is deliberately kept rough or generalized for the sake of brevity.

The (blue) Form of a Bird, the, great, relative size of the Bird, flight, is viewed as if looking down
upon it from above. Its Wings (the Bird's Hands) have a Face, his appearance, the steward of the Sun,
the, horizontal-places-levels4, everywhere, of turning positionally, on the side.

The Bird's Face, his appearance, held as in a bowl, at the (the yellow Bird's Beak, its Mouth, the
water-source), the (green) Rectangle, horizontal-place, arising, above, the female earth, to the
(green) horizontal-places, in the sky-arc.

The arising, of the (light-blue) great (relative size) male-spirit, positionally, on the side. The (upside
down Legs) walk of the (tan) dead one, (the tan, Hands) the steward of the Sun, the vertical-places-
levels4, everywhere, Left and Right, in the east and in the west.

Illustration 14: Venus Arising

Illustration 13: Gesture Signs for Venus Arising

The (tan) Hand, The steward of the Sun, the Wolf4, the (yellow) Scout-star (the sign for wolf, its spirit-
essence, the one who stands up in the high grass to look around, was also used for scout and spy), His
Face, his appearance as a spirit, the Eye, (on the Left and the Right) in the east and west.

4 Tomkins, William Indian Sign Language, Dover Publications New York, 1969. 60-61
Probably because we no longer have a universal depicted sign language many countries use English as a defacto
international language. Above we see a Chinese stamp with its recognized name as China. Several other countries that do
not use the Latin alphabet such as Thailand, Korea, India, also use English on their stamps
“In the right context, zhöng5 or middle could even mean China, itself. Just as tao means ‘path’, ‘method’, and ‘Taoism’,
simultaneously, zhöng means ‘middle’, ‘between two extremes’, and ‘China’ simultaneously. The actual ideogram or
zhöng is a vertical line through the center of a box.

Illustration 15:
China

Earlier we saw that a (light-blue)Vertical Quarter Circle was used as a sign for, a side. Also the
(reddish) Body of the Vessel viewed in isolation as a shod Foot indicated a walk at the middle or center
of the earth. We also spoke briefly about how the center of the earth was used as a focus for a culture.

Illustration 16: Illustration 18: The

Between the Sides Middle Place
Illustration 17: At the Center of the
Vessel
Compare the sign for, the Middle-place (Illustration18) with the ideogram (Illustration 15) for China,
the Middle Kingdom.
5 http://donlehmanjr.com/China/china%20chapters/china%20book1/china01.htm
If the between the sides sign and the middle place sign are considered as within the depicted sign
language system then we have to look at the overall or Total Form. The sign in Illustration 16 would
have the form of a Stone Hammer while the Form in Illustration 18 would be that of an Ax. The
association mad with the Stone Hammer is not known but the Ax seems to represent the Sun. The Ax
can be broken down into a horizontal-place sign that is then divided into two Squares representing a
house in the east and west. The house may represent either the house of the Sun or the lineage of the
Sun or both. What is clear is that the sign for the middle is very ancient predating even the oldest signs
found in China.

The use of the same ancient signs over thousands of years may seem implausable...