7/24/23 Report - Balboa Free Ebook. Cache of Spanish Gold Coins Found. More About a Treasure Coast Find. Interpretation.

Written by the Treasureguide for the exclusive use of the Treasure Beaches Report.

Source: link below.

Here is a interesting book you might like.  Take a look.  

Sails & swords ; being the golden adventures of Balboa & his intrepid company, freebooters all, discovers of the Pacific : Strawn, Arthur, 1900-1989 : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive

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Below is another 100-year-old newspaper clipping describing an old cache discovery.

1912 Newspaper Clipping.

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I've done a little research to see if I could get any information on the find shown below.  It was found by Dan K.  I haven't found a lot of information but do have some thoughts on this very enigmatic figure. 

Like clouds, ambiguous figures tend to be seen as something more familiar or meaningful.  The uncertain shape is seen as approximating something familiar.  Ambiguous stimuli are interpreted by our mind.  That is how projective tests such as the Rorschach work.  Perception is an interactive process.  If you are a writer, you know that people often think you said something other than what you actually said.  They read into your words something other than what is clearly stated.  Some people have a greater capacity for being objective than others and it seems some find it nearly impossible.

When you see a figure with outstretched arms and holes in the hands, your mind might immediately jump to crucifix.  That is natural.  The crucifix is a very common and significant image.  On Dan's figure the arms are bent unlike most crucifix figures, but the mind tends to mold the figure into something recognizable.  Your mind might see the arms as being straighter than they are to more closely match your expectations. If you look at the figure and then attempt to draw it a few days later, you might find that remember the arms as being straighter than they actually are.

The figure is female.  That presents a bit of a problem.  That is unusual.  It is not what you would expect.  

It is almost impossible to find imagery showing a female figure on a cross.  There are, however, a few examples of females shown on a cross.   

My initial impression was that it might be pagan or Wiccan, and I did find a couple clearly imaginary pictures of females on a cross that appear to be pagan.  Those were clearly imaginary rather than realistic.

I did find the following picture online, which shows Mary and a baby Jesus on a cross.  Mary does not appear to be attached to the cross though.  She is holding the Christ child.

 

According to what I've read, the cross wasn't a Christian symbol until a few centuries after the crucifixion.

According to at least one source, "Mary on the cross" is a phrase that was used as early as the fourteenth century. 

I also read of a Passionist Nun called "Mother Mary Crucified."  (Passing of Ven. Mother Mary Crucified, CP — Passionist Nuns )  It appears that the idea of Mary on a cross is not a totally strange idea to Christianity, even though it seems to be very scarce online.  (That doesn't mean a lot because the internet is so overloaded with garbage and very significant realities get lost in the mess.)

There are modern songs which refer to "Mary on the Cross."  If you do an internet search for that phrase, you will find many references to the phrase in a song by a group called Ghost.  In that song the phrase is used as you might expect a modern hard rock group to use it.   It isn't very intellectually or spiritually satisfying.

In Galatians 2:20 Paul uses the very important phrase, "crucified with Christ."  Paul uses that phrase to teach a very important lesson for all Christians.  It applies to all Christians without regard to gender.  Although female figures shown on a cross are scarce, it is not inconsistent with the Christian faith or history.

At this point I really can't say much about the figure found by Dan.  I can't say with a lot of confidence that it is or is not a part of a crucifix, but that is my most likely guess at this point.  The holes could actually be for something else - perhaps something was to be shown as held in the hands.  That is just a possibility without any evidence.  

My research was fruitful even though I haven't positively identified Dan's find.  Powerful images evoke, concentrate and mirror the inner being.  Dan's image, ambiguous as it was, led me to research and led me to other images and then to a remembrance of the suffering and passion of Christ.  

A tree is judged by its fruit.  And that tree was good.

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I once did a radio sermon on two trees - the tree of life and the tree of Calvary.  Are they the same?  

Maybe I should find a way to post my old radio programs.

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Don is still in the North Atlantic and won't affect us.

The other system is turning a little north, but I don't expect it to affect the Treasure Coast very much - just a little change in wind direction.

Good hunting,

Treasureguide@comcast.net