Nobody knows what consciousness is and how it works. Of course, scientists from different fields of science have a variety of assumptions on this matter, but no one can give an exact answer to the question of what consciousness is. A similar situation is observed with quantum mechanics - by studying the interaction of the smallest particles of the Universe with each other, physicists have learned a lot. But since quantum mechanics doesn't agree with Einstein's general theory of relativity, researchers can't figure out how to bring them to a common denominator.
According to one of the greatest scientists of the 20th century, physicist Richard Feynman, no one truly understands quantum mechanics. Interestingly, he could just as easily be talking about the equally perplexing problem of consciousness. Despite the fact that some scientists believe that consciousness is just an illusion, others, on the contrary, believe that we do not understand where it comes from at all.
So it's not surprising that the age-old mystery of consciousness has led some researchers to turn to quantum physics to explain it. But how can one unsolved mystery be explained by another?
Some scientists believe that there is a connection between consciousness and quantum physics.
Manifestation of the cat in the history of Ancient Egypt
Cats in Ancient Egypt were of two breeds: "Junk cat" or "African wild cat". They were the first domesticated pets to have their own owner. The process of taming the cat breed itself occurred gradually.
In those distant times, it was Egypt that was known throughout the world for its grain harvest. Small rodents often spoiled supplies, but it was noted that the cat of Ancient Egypt, as now, is an excellent mouse hunter. In addition, she often saved people from snakes, which she also deftly caught. So that the little predator continued to protect their home, people left them tasty, fresh fish. The cats gradually got used to this and became domesticated. This happened around 2000 BC.
Historically, it is known that during the New Kingdom, cats in Egypt were depicted on many objects, including even on the tombs of pharaohs or people of lesser fame. It often happened that these animals showed excellent hunting skills while hunting birds together with their owner or while fishing. There are many drawings where a cat sits next to the owner’s chair, personifying protection and friendship.
Something else interesting: Signs and beliefs about cats
The Egyptian Mau is a legend coming to your home.
I want to talk about one of the most ancient and amazing breeds of cats. This is the Egyptian Mau. What images flash before our mind's eye when we hear these words? The narrow streets of eastern cities, pyramids and ancient temples are imagined, along which graceful cats walk solemnly, aware of their involvement in the secrets and mysticism of the East. Years flew by, centuries turned to dust, thousands of years have passed since those ancient times. But, lo and behold! An Egyptian cat, the earthly embodiment of the goddess Bast, sits in your living room and all the secrets of Ancient Egypt are hidden in her amazing green eyes. The Egyptian Mau is a naturally occurring cat breed, one of the oldest in the world, and
Since she comes from Egypt, she is rightfully considered a descendant of those very Nubian cats that the ancient Egyptians considered sacred. It was their ancestors who were valued in Ancient Egypt. The history of the Egyptian Mau begins 5,000 years ago. This breed is descended from the African wild cat (Felis Silvestris Libyca). These predators lived close to people, but like many cats, they had a calm temperament. As the legend says, it was they who began to catch mice and snakes, which caused great damage to people’s households. The Egyptians began to encourage cats and, gradually, these graceful helpers settled in people's homes. This version is supported by the fact that in the Old Kingdom there are completely no images of pets. Instead, they find images of wild cats. Only from the second century AD did the cat find its place in the life of the ancient Egyptians as a pet. Mau is the ancient Egyptian common name for a cat. Only cats of this breed are able to pronounce very loudly and clearly: “Ma-a-a-u.” Perhaps it is due to this feature that the breed got its name. At the end of the 20th century, in the east of Saqqara, archaeologists found a huge cat necropolis at the foot of a hill on which, during the New Kingdom, stood the temple of the goddess Bastet, a woman with the head of a cat. The entire ensemble was named Bubastion - translated from Greek as “Sanctuary of Bastet”. Bastet symbolized the hearth and was revered as the protector of home, family, women and children. The goddess was depicted as a woman with the head of a cat, with kittens frolicking around her. Images of cats, figurines and “cat” amulets were supposed to bring their owner success in love and protect them from evil and dark forces. The sanctuary of the goddess Bastet was visited by crowds of pilgrims. They brought their own, or bought mummies of cats and took them to the temple, where the priests buried sacred animals in special chambers. The Egyptians believed that in the afterlife, cats conveyed the requests of pilgrims to the goddess Bastet. Portrait of a stranger.
Egyptian Mau is spots!!! They cover the cat's entire body - on the back, sides and paws. Spotting is the main breed-forming characteristic of the Egyptian Mau breed. There are no Egyptian Mau without spots!!! The breed standard has very strict requirements for the body pattern of cats. The spots should be clear, preferably round in shape and with good contrast to the main background. On the sides they should not merge into stripes, forming the so-called “mackerel”. Also, a real Egyptian Mau is decorated with the so-called “goddess makeup” (these are two lines that run along the cat’s cheekbones from the eyes to the ears) and a “scarab” on the forehead. There are only three recognized colors in this breed. These are silver, smoke and bronze. Silver color is the most common and popular. The rarest are smoky Mau. Sometimes Mau are born black. This color has remained unrecognized; Mau of this color cannot participate in exhibitions, but receives a pedigree along with its recognized brothers. Previously, such cats were used for breeding. Now that the Egyptian Mau population has become quite large, black Mau are being removed from breeding. M also sometimes appear
au without stains with marble pattern. This color is called "wild color". Wild-colored Mau, like black ones, do not participate in exhibitions or breeding. At the age of 2-5 months, very often kittens become covered with phasing (fuzzy “fuzzy”, “vague”). Phasing temporarily turns kittens into frumpy, fuzzy “ugly ducklings.” During this period, the kitten becomes covered with hairs longer than its main coat, becoming like a hedgehog: hairs with alternating stripes, hiding the brightness of the color. This is a normal, natural phenomenon. It should not scare you when choosing a kitten. By six months, he will turn from an “ugly duckling” into a beautiful animal with a clear, contrasting pattern.
Egyptian Mau are elegant, medium-sized cats with very strong muscles. They are lighter than, for example, Bengals, but heavier than Abyssinians. There is a loose fold of skin on the abdomen between the hind legs. This fold allows the cat to take a wider step, which ensures Mau's high mobility. It is unlikely that you will find a cat that runs faster, because Mau can reach speeds of up to 58 km/h! Excess weight is unacceptable for Mau, so you need to make sure that your pet is always in shape. Thanks to their agility and passion, Egyptian Mau successfully participate in cat agility.
These cats have extraordinary eyes. They are very beautifully shaped, somewhere between round and almond-shaped. And an extraordinary light green color - the color of a young gooseberry. I would also like to say something about the look. Mau is special! The look of the Egyptian Mau seems to say: “Oh, mom, did I really miss dinner!!! and there’s absolutely nothing left!?” Many judges, when assessing the Egyptian Mau, look specifically at the cat’s gaze and the expression of its face. This look has become a signature feature of the breed, along with the spots.
From the history of the breed.
The modern history of the Egyptian Mau began about 100 years ago, when breeders from Italy, Switzerland and France began searching for and recreating this breed. Several cats were brought from Egypt. However, the Second World War dealt a terrible blow to the breed, destroying almost the entire population. By the mid-40s of the last century, the breed practically ceased to exist. But the breed was revived again thanks to the efforts of the Russian princess Natalia Trubetskoy, who lived in Italy after the war. She was friends with the Syrian ambassador and was simply fascinated when she first saw these cats. She wanted to have them. The Syrian ambassador helped her get cats from Egypt straight from Cairo. The origin of Trubetskoy’s cats is not reliably known, but their Egyptian origin is beyond doubt. These were the black cat Gregorio, the silver cat Lilu and the smoky-colored cat Gappa. The Egyptian Mau first took part in a cat show in 1953. In 1956, Natalia Trubetskaya moved to the USA. She took several cats with her. In 1958, Trubetskoy officially registered the Fatima cattery and 10 Egyptian Mau cats. Three colors were recognized - silver, bronze and smoke were accepted for participation in shows. Black Mau were born in her nursery, but they did not participate in exhibitions, but were used in the nursery for breeding work. American felinologists set their goal to create a cat whose appearance would be as close as possible to the appearance of ancient Egyptian cats. In each litter, those individuals were selected whose type and color were closest to the cats depicted on the walls of the ancient temples of Egypt.
When creating the breed, American Shorthair cats were used. Subsequently, to expand the breeding population, several more groups of cats of independent origin were exported from North Africa and India. All cats brought were taken directly from the streets of Cairo and Delhi. Their origin is unknown, but they made an invaluable contribution to the development of the breed, expanding its gene pool. Egyptian Mau were brought to Europe in 1988 to three nurseries, which were located in Switzerland, Italy and the Netherlands. Today there are few Egyptian Mau nurseries in Europe. Many of them are of related origin. The reason lies in the high price of manufacturers and the difficulty of purchasing from the USA. American breeders are reluctant to share the fruits of their labor. Currently, the Fatima nursery does not exist. But the descendants of this nursery live in America and Europe. The Egyptian Mau breed was recognized first by the CFF and then by the CFA in 1977, and soon entered the TICA Championship, and in 1992 - the FIFe. This breed is also recognized in many other felinological organizations, such as WCF, ICU, ASC, etc. Each cat of this breed must have confirmation of its origin in the stud book and a pedigree of at least 4 generations (in CFA - 8 generations!). The Egyptian Mau is a small breed and requires special attention. These cats are found in Italy, France, Germany, England, Belgium and Holland, but mainly lovers of Egyptian Mau live in the United States. Breeders all over the world are very kind to their pets, so becoming the owner of this amazing cat is a real success. Love and devotion.
The Mau inherited pride, self-esteem and poise from their divine ancestors. Mau are full of energy, they love movement, games, walks, everything that has a beneficial effect on their figure - elegantly graceful, flexible and muscular. They have excellent vision, hearing and smell. All these qualities make these cats excellent hunters. If given the opportunity, they happily hunt mice and birds. Egyptian Mau love to play with all kinds of toys and toys, because during these games they can fully reveal their natural hunting qualities. Egyptian Mau are very intelligent and love to "talk". It is impossible to describe in words the whole range of sounds and songs with which they communicate with each other and with people. Some cats even have musical talent and willingly “sing along” with their owners. Egyptian Mau are loyal and affectionate friends. They are very sociable, cannot stand being alone for a long time, this cat requires attention and care. It is very interesting to watch how she expresses her joy - she jumps on her hind legs, while her tail trembles and wags often. These cats are people-oriented, willing to make contact, are constantly close to their owner and can be slightly intrusive. Mau always wants to be the center of attention and watch everything that happens in the house. That's why they love to sit on your shoulder or on your lap, on a table or on a computer keyboard. Wherever you go, she will always be there. And even in the bath. These cats love water very much. They play with it, trying to catch it with their paws, they love to sit and watch the owner take a bath. From their wild ancestors they have retained the habit of touching the water in a bowl with their paw before drinking. Egyptian Mau are very clean cats. They are easily toilet trained and do not cause any trouble to their owners. Mau cats are ideal mothers. And quite often, cats take on maternal responsibilities and help care for the kittens. There are cases described when cats help a cat during childbirth. Then the parents together take care of their offspring, train the kittens and teach them order.
Egyptian Mau become attached to all family members. Mau are very friendly cats with no signs of aggression. Therefore, they easily get along in the house with other cats and dogs. They love children very much, who are always ready to share with them their passion for outdoor games. These cats live well in a large family. But they will also be ideal companions for single people. At the same time, Mau become so attached to people that when separated from their owners, they begin to get very bored and may even get sick. Therefore, many owners prefer to travel with their pets.
(author Gorelkina P.V.)
The cat is one of the sacred animals of Ancient Egypt
The Egyptian cat-headed goddess Bastet is one of the most popular goddesses worshiped by the ancient Egyptians. She personified fertility (of women and the earth), life, and home. Before cats were considered pets, Bastet was depicted with the head of a lioness or in the image of this animal. After 2000 BC, images of Bastet changed - she was painted with a cat's head or in the form of a graceful cat.
Bastet herself had black cats. The cat was also associated with Pasht (Moon), which among the Egyptian goddesses was the dark side of Bastet. In this regard, it was believed that the cat was directly connected with the Moon.
The cult of the cat in Ancient Egypt had a prominent representative - the city of Bubastis, where there was a temple dedicated to the goddess Bast. The residence of Shoshenq I was also located in this city. It was here that festive events associated with the cult of worship of the goddess with a cat's head took place. Later, it was here that the largest burial of cat mummies was found.
Myths about Bastet
All significant Egyptian gods were closely related to each other. Bastet did not escape this fate either. She was the daughter of the Sun God and the Moon Goddess. Her sister was the goddess of heaven, Nut, who was highly revered in Egypt. True, Bastet got the jester of the gods Bes as her husband.
The divine couple had a son, Mahes, a lion-headed god who kept order and was a warrior-defender. Modern worshipers of the goddess Bastet like to associate her with Anubis. At least, on the Internet you can find a huge number of pictures depicting these gods together. But scientists have not yet found confirmation of this idea in Egyptian mythology.
A legend has reached our time that tells of the enormous service that Bastet provided to her father, the god Ra. When people took up arms against the Sun God, he turned to his daughter for help. To punish people, Bastet turned into a formidable lioness, killing everyone. And only by cunning Ra was able to pacify her anger.
The cult of Bastet flourished in Egypt until the 4th century AD. With the spread of Christianity it was banned. Moreover, the extermination of black cats began, a prejudiced attitude towards which persists to this day.
The unique life of cats in Ancient Egypt
The whole world knows that the cat, the sacred animal of Egypt, was not only revered, but everything was done to preserve its better life. There are many facts that the sacred cat of the temple had not only the best food, which was grown especially for her, but also a person who devoted his whole life only to caring for her - organizing her rest, musical accompaniment, space. In addition, this profession was inherited and was considered one of the most important.
If a cat in the house got sick, the owner went to the temple for a sacrifice, which included livestock or a large share of the family’s supplies. The priests took the gift and asked the gods to heal the pet.
Something else interesting: Cats in Japan
If the cat did die, then the whole family had to endure mourning, during which everyone prayed a lot, shaved their eyebrows and ate only very modest food. The funeral procession itself included mummification, after which the animal was placed in a coffin, decorated in accordance with the wealth of the animal's owner - the coffin itself was made of wood and decorated with gold, precious stones, carvings and various designs. For this reason, poor people did not keep a cat at home. Instead, they had figurines of this animal or the goddess Bast herself.
Killing a cat in Ancient Egypt was punishable by death or a very large fine. The severity of the punishment could be considered in accordance with the status of the pet's owner - if a person kills the ancient animal of a rich person, then one can receive a very severe punishment, up to and including the death penalty. In this case, the accident or premeditation of the murder did not matter.
A modern take on the cat in Egypt
The cat of Egypt traveled from deity to squalor over several thousand years. Now these graceful animals are not so seriously revered. Many street cats have learned to live together even with dogs. In hotels you can find many cats roaming around freely. They are fed and cared for by local staff. At the same time, they are very affectionate and kind to every guest. Some streets are so filled with cats that it is impossible to step on them without hitting the graceful predator.
Many visitors to Egypt consider local cats to be too skinny and, at first glance, they seem to be abandoned. However, this is not quite true. The real Egyptian cat has a rather thin build, with long legs and a slightly elongated muzzle. Their fur is quite short. Such changes in the physique of many pets are associated with the climate of Egypt. But you can also find plenty of fluffy felines there, because the first cats were brought from Persia.
