TERI VOLINI: THE MYSTERIOUS SIGNS IN THE GALLIPOLI COGNATO FOREST, review by Nietta Lisco

 

TERI VOLINI: THE MYSTERIOUS SIGNS IN THE GALLIPOLI COGNATO FOREST

At Polo Bibliotecario di Potenza in Via Don Minozzi,  it begins with the auspiciousness of a first presentation Teri Volini's latest literary "effort," next Sept. 24, from 4:30 to 7 p.m.

Introduced by the Polo director, Luigi Catalani, and with speeches by archaeologist Antonio Bruscella and anthropologist  Giuseppe Melillo,  the meeting is part of the European Heritage Days 2022 (GEP) of national and international significance: in fact, it has been included in the events of the Ministry of Culture, MiC, and will be published on the official European website European Heritage days.

We did not speak of "effort" by chance, since the essay is th, studied in depth the archetypal symbols engraved on the ancient stones of the Lucanian site of Croccia, in the Gallipoli Cognato Park in Basilicata, succeeding in the feat  - hitherto unsuccessful -  of deciphering them.

 

 

 

It was not easy to "translate" those mysterious signs, to understand and communicate their meaning, and to reveal  a whole world  and a very ancient way of life that those people brought with them: this was possible thanks to an exceptional key, that came to her from  her "teacher of choice,",  followed since the 1990s, the great archaeologist Maria Alseikaté Gimbutas.

Thanks to the study of her countless and significant works, and following her  inno vative interpretative "methodology,"  Teri Volini was able, over many years, to unveil the meaning of those arcane signs, which would otherwise  remained in total ignorance.

The Author, however, didn’t limit herself to a pure academic study, but, going far "beyond the walls," articulated it with a lot of care and research, alternating the interpretation of the symbols with some chapters devoted to relevant topics, thus proposing a wide-ranging interdisciplinary overview, which comes to include rites, myths, folklore of Basilicata in connection with those of various other places in the world, leading us on a real journey through time and space...

As she states in the introduction, the essay aims to "draw" proper attention to the place, the care it deserves and the actions to be taken for the proper knowledge of what would make it a prominent archaeological site, through dedicated publications, illustrative brochures, relevant presentations, lectures, photo exhibitions, interactive multimedia installations, guided tours, institutional, school and media involvement."

A site, actually little known and even less valued, even less cared for, as the archetypal symbols are in poor condition, now largely covered by moss and rust, risking gradual disappearance.

The essay shows the unimaginable wealth that can come from them, and what consequent revaluation of the site can result...

GLIFI also presents the added value of the countless images (more than 70) drawn by the author herself,   known as a visual artist, and the equally  numerous photographs and photo-compositions she took, pertaining to the topics discussed...

All of this material, along with drawings from Gimbutas' works, will be on display during the presentation, which will also include the images projection related to the topics discussed.

Part of the study is the special case of linguistic "resemantization," performed by the Author on some terms,  cosidered  inappropriates or even incorrectes in the current language,  and their original meanings  were pointed out, for example, the words Seed, Witches, Cornua, etc.

Another feature of the book, which is dedicated to  Marija Gimbutas, is the full-page texts , which the Author arranges almost to offer us the constant presence of some authors who, with their qualified interventions, ratify and support the immense work accomplished: Mircea Eliade,  A Mythological History; Paolo Portone, The Millennial Heritage of Folk Medicine; Marija Gimbutas and James Mellaart. The Shrines of Childbirth; Sigfried Giedion, The Space Art; Philip Rawson, The Seed of Being; Marija Gimbutas, The Ephemeral Beauty of Life; Erich Neumann, Embracing the Spiritual Aspect of the Archetype; Dario Valcarenghi, The Breath of the Living Universe; Jutta Voss, The Star, Primordial Symbol; Helmut Uhlig. A Primordial Unitarian View of Life..

Throughout the 160 pages of thebook, we see unfolding a red thread, which runs more or less subterraneously through it and relates to the recovery and enhancement of the feminine;

to put it in the greatest possible prominence, he even puts it on the 4th cover, as a special conclusion:
 
" Throughout historical time everything was done to prevent the original feminine value from being brought to light, and to prevent the precious memories of a very ancient past that honored its essence from emerging; to hide the deep Memory of women, to keep it dormant, ignoring, belittling, eliminating everything that would have favored its awakening. Nonetheless, like a volcano, which even after centuries of dormancy, eventually awakens, the archaic Memory leaks out, overflowing, and every attempt to stem it is in vain. The essay Glyphs wants to be similar to those scarlet flowing veins, and going beyond any conventional academic setting, move like a meandering river of lava, and after overwhelming patterns and prejudices of ordinary culture, sediment precious materials, bearers of an ancient feeling, of forgotten knowledge and of a renewed lushness..."

Nietta Lisco, for Talenti Lucani 

see in italian : Nietta Lisco:   I MISTERIOSI SEGNI NELLA FORESTA GALLIPOLI COGNATO - Talenti Lucani - Passaggio a Sud  https://www.talentilucani.it/59766-2/

Traduzione di Teri Volini