Lately this year, scientists who tried to decode the Voynich Manuscript announced that the book has a real message after it was considered as a hoax. They discovered a correlation of semantics which is a good basis that the manuscript is not written hastily with an intent of forgery. They announced further that it is not a work of one man, but expert scribes.
What are the content of the Voynich Manuscript?
Voynich Manuscript is considered as the most mysterious manuscript since it was rediscovered in 1912, but probably written in 1404-1438 (15th century). The book is written with a strange language that puzzle the scientists until now. It contains interesting figures of weird plants, indistinguishable woman's figure, and whimsical characters. It has 240 pages with a size of approximately 9 inches by 6 inches. It is named after Wilfrid Voynich- a collector of rare books. However, the origin of the book is shrouded with mystery.
The manuscript is probably written as a guide for herbalist since the content is a documentation of biological process, recipes, astrology, herbal plants, and pharmacology. This knowledge is vital for a practicing herbalist. Yet, all the information within the book has not been found yet. The plants probably did not exist at all, or are they extinct now?
Voynich Manuscript and The Babaylan of The Philippines
In the Philippines,
babaylan were known to be gifted by spiritual wisdom and power. There are different tradition stating how the
babaylan get their power. Some said that a
babaylan is chosen through
dream, or inherited the power from their
parent, or blessed by the gods. In addition,
babaylans once saw the spiritual beings who gave them the tasks for the people. The spiritual beings gave them books, which they call
libreto- a collection of powerful mantra, prayers, and guides to heal the sick or do magic. While some stories include that there are books which suddenly appeared floating in the sea. The old folks believed that there is a spiritual being
guarding the book. They added that the book is dried! The magical book mostly appeared from a body of water which includes the sea, lake, spring, river, or well.
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| The Babaylan by R. Aguilar at Negros Museum |
They said that this book is a gift, but with an added responsibility. It contains written guide on how
to make concoction for the sick to be healed, a powerful mantra to determine the parts of the body that needs healing, and other mystical process that only the owner of the book knows. The amazing part is that this book is not written in the traditional way. Some said it is written in
latin, others said
its in
alibata- ancient Filipino way of writing. One thing for sure, the '
tambalan' or healer who can read and write in English, said that the book is written in a different foreign language. While, some holders of this mystical book have no formal education at all. Yet, they were guided by their '
abyan' or spiritual guides while learning the wisdom in the book until they became
babaylan.
The parallel story between Voynich Manuscript and the Philippines
babaylan- healer and shaman, might not be too far fetched to understand. The writings in Voynich manuscript are probably not codes, but real language, instructions, and messages. For people like you and me, we will surely
asks many
question, which only the shaman and the
babaylan know. Why not let the shaman and the
babaylans help deciphering the Voynich? We might get some answers.
Juan Viral is a Pinoy online source of trending videos, photos, tweets, news, and articles.
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