Mandaean doubles and aerial troubles.

[Joseph T]

Something in ATD led me to Wiki something which led to the Mandaeans  
some weeks ago, but I can't recall what. I was unusually curious.  I  
recently wrote a column for the local paper about the suffering of  
Iraqis and it appeared on the same page as a news article about the  
troubles and history of the Mandaeans. This further piqued my interest.
In the latest issue of Harper's there is a synopsis by Eliot  
Weinberger of some mythical ideas of this  people who lived (some  
still live) in Iraq but are being killed and driven away in the war

In the Harper's article there were two things relating to ATD.

They believe there have been four ages in the history of the world  
each repopulated by a single couple. This , fourth and last age, will  
be destroyed from the air.

They believe that somewhere in the north, beyond the pole, is a world  
that is the double of this world, called Msunia Kusta. Every living  
Mandaean has a double there.

Also of Pynchonian interest Their most sacred book the Ginza, has a  
Right and Left half. At the end of the Right, one turns the book  
upside down to read the Left. It has 7 contradictory accounts of the  
origin of the universe.

They believe that ours is one of 365 universes.