A Native American legend says that thirteen crystal human-shaped skulls were created by ancient ones thousands of years ago.
      These mysterious and somewhat eerie looking crystals contain forgotten wisdom so powerful that they had to be secreted away until the end of the age. At such time, they would be brought together to reveal hidden knowledge about our origins.
      This ancient legend was the impetus for authors Chris Morton and Ceri Louise Thomas to begin their own serendipitous journey that was not only the inspiration for the recently released movie ‘Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull’but actually surpasses the movie’s thrilling narrative.
      The authors began their venture with a healthy level of scientific skeptism and asked the simple question: “Were the skulls created in ancient times for paranormal purposes or simply modern fakes?”
      This question took them right around the world, out of their own personal ‘comfort zone’ and into the strange world of the paranormal.
      This seminal study of the mysterious skulls takes the reader along the same path the authors ventured.
      Their journey begins with an examination of the British Museum’s skull which was on exhibition at the Museum of Mankind in London. The skull was labelled as “possibly of Aztec origin – the colonial period at the earliest.”
      However, this was guesswork on the part of the museum staff, and examinations of the skull suggest that a rotary tool had been used to shape the skull. Since such a device was unknown to the Aztecs, speculation grew that instead the skull was made in Europe in the 19th century.
      From there we travel to Canada to discover the Mitchell-Hedges skull. The skull itself, probably the strangest gemstone in the world, weighs some 5.19 kg, stands 13.3 centimetres high, and is carved out of a single quartz crystal.
      As with the London skull, the Mitchell-Hedges skull has a somewhat controversial history. Its discoverer, Frederick Albert Mitchell-Hedges, was a self-proclaimed British adventurer during the early 20th century and traveled through much of Central America and the Caribbean working as an explorer for different organisations. He claimed that he found the skull while exploring an ancient temple in the Mayan city of Lubaantun in British Honduras.
      The authors interview Mitchell-Hedges’ adopted daughter Anna Mitchell-Hedges. Anna claimed that she had been on the expedition in Lubaantun and that it was she who discovered the skull on her 17th birthday.
      According to her account she found the skull (missing the jaw) under an ancient altar. Three months later she also found the matching jaw in the same room.
      In 1970, Anna agreed to allow Hewlett-Packard, one of the world’s leading manufacturers of computers and other electronic equipment, test the skull in their laboratories in Santa Clara, California.
      As most readers will appreciate, there is no test to discover when these crystal skulls were created, as crystal itself is millions of years old.
      However, the scientists were able to verify that the crystal is indeed naturally created and that it, and the jaw bone, was carved from the same piece. The scientific team was amazed at this because of the hard quality of crystal, which is only slightly softer than diamond, and is notoriously difficult to carve.
      They reported that even with today’s electronic diamond-tipped tools, such a carving would be almost impossible because of the vibration, heat and friction on such a delicate piece of material. One scientist even commented that, “this skull should not even exist!”
      The team concluded that the skull would take about “300 man-years of effort” to carve. The scientists found no evidence that metal tools had been used, and instead believe that the skull was created by the gentle and yet vigorous rubbing of sand upon the raw crystal, clearly a formidable task.
      Perhaps the most tantalising and mysterious discovery the scientists made was that this skull was made from ‘piezo-electric’ silicon dioxide, the exact type used in modern electronics and the original crystal in the first crystal radios owned by our grandmothers.
      Piezo-electric quartz was discovered by Pierre and Jacques Curie in the late 1800s and comes from the Greek word meaning ‘to squeeze’, and electrose, meaning ‘to get a charge from’. This shows the skull actually has a positive and negative polarity, just like a battery. It also means that if pressure is applied, it is capable of generating electricity. It can also indicate that if an electric charge is applied, the skull “changes its shape, without in any way affecting its mass or density.”
      The scientists discovered several other anomalies that only served to deepen the mystery of the skull.
      The authors traveled to Central America and the Aztec ruins. There they discovered many disconcerting carvings where skulls and skeletons were celebrated.
      The massive stone statue of the Aztec Goddess of creation Coatlicue has severed hands, gouged out hearts and a skull around her neck and waist. Yet she herself has no head or a depiction of a head – was the crystal skull her head? Was it removed by the Spanish or hidden by the Aztec people?
      The Aztec civilisation holds many mysteries, and as many students of Zacharia Sitchin’s works already know, the three great Aztec pyramids of Teotihuacan align and form exactly the same pattern as the three Giza pyramids of Egypt, which in turn form the same pattern as the three stars of Orion’s Belt.
      Are the crystal skulls connected with this sacred layout, which has recently been discovered (along with the Great Pyramid of Cheops) via its dimensions to contain the famous mathematical constant pi?
      The mystery continues to deepen, and answers only trigger more questions as our authors travel to the Mayan ruins. As with the Aztec ruins, they discover the celebration of death, skulls and bones.
      The Mayan people had a sophisticated series of calendars that intermesh with one another. Students of the calendars have suggested that the crystal skulls may have had an important function because of their ability to magnify sunlight and start a ‘ceremonial’ fire. However, again this is speculation.
      Perhaps one of the most interesting segments in the book is the evidence gathered through forensic investigation. These investigations reveal that only one of the skulls was “anatomically accurate.” Not surprisingly, this was the Mitchell-Hedges skull.
      Forensic investigators work from skulls and can determine the face and gender via measurements and proportions. These investigators assist the police with lost persons or murder victims. Again, the mystery deepens and seems to point to the authenticity of the Mitchell-Hedges skull, with the revelation it is that of a Native American woman – perhaps the Aztec Goddess Coatlicue?
      From the ancient and mysterious civilisations of the Aztec and the Maya, our authors then travel up to North America and interview several Native American Indian shamans and get their perspective on the mysterious crystal skulls.
      The most well known person they interviewed is Jamie Sams, co-author of the Thirteen Clan Mothers, a book about sacred women’s rites that also contains the legend of the thirteen crystal skulls.
      In her interview, Jamie Sams reveals that the skulls were kept in a special lodge, hidden away from the “white man” who has not respected or honoured the Earth. The skulls, she claims, were brought to the earth by the “sky gods” or extra-terrestrials.
      The authors also interview Navajo shaman and spiritual leader Leon Secatero and Patricio Dominguez, a Pueblo spiritual advisor. They, too, confirm the legend and the link to people from other worlds.
      They also interview Harley Swift Deer, a controversial shaman who has been denounced as a fraud and described as a “plastic shaman” by Cherokee Chief Wanda Mankiller. He also offers similar information. Finally, they attend an inter-tribal gathering where the skulls are displayed as part of the ceremony.
      The authors diligently uncover every clue and present them in a clear and concise manner, but in the end offer no hard and fast conclusions.
      Chris Morton and Ceri Louise Thomas’s book is a well written and meticulously researched. It is a very personal overview of the mysteries of these skulls, and perhaps that is exactly what we need to reveal their mysteries.
      The book comes with colour and black & white photographs of the skulls, and many of the people interviewed. There are copious endnotes and footnotes and many references to other works.
      The researcher soon discovers that it is clear some of the skulls are modern frauds, but it is equally clear that some are not. It is also apparent that many charlatans are riding the skulls ‘coat tails’ to fame.
      It is equally obvious that authentic shamans are giving us all a clear warning that we must return to honouring and caring for “mother earth” as did the ancient ones who left these clues and mysteries for us to uncover.
      Australian readers will be delighted to discover that the Mitchell-Hedges skull will be ‘touring’ Australia later this year.
      No doubt the controversy will continue to rage as various channels bring through information and as we also draw closer to the conclusion of the Mayan Calendar in 2012.
      With so much speculation, myth, legend and controversy, the serious student of the occult will appreciate this well researched and fact-filled book. It is evident that not all the data is in, and the mystery of these skulls is yet to be revealed.
      I predict this controversial and mystery-filled phenomenon will continue to hold the collective imagination for many years to come.