The Movie "Contagion", Ancient Prophecies, and Coronavirus: Is History Repeating Itself?

"Don't touch anyone, don't talk to anyone!" (Contagion Movie (2011))

Cinema's Prophecy Turned Reality: The Movie "Contagion"

An American woman on a business trip in Hong Kong feels unwell upon returning home. What she assumes is mere exhaustion takes on a whole new dimension when she drops a glass while pouring herself coffee in the kitchen. She collapses, suffers a seizure, and loses her life. The cause is a mysterious and deadly virus she contracted during her business trip.

Directed by Steven Soderbergh, the 2011 film Contagion tells the story of how an airborne virus, which spreads through the respiratory tract and kills people within a few days, takes over the world. In the film, this fictional disease is named MEV-1.

Startling Similarities Between the Movie "Contagion" and Coronavirus (COVID-19):

• Source of the Virus: Just like modern theories, the MEV-1 virus in the film is transmitted from a bat to a pig, and then to a human.

• Speed and Mode of Transmission: Rapid intercontinental spread via the respiratory tract.

• Prevention Methods: The vital importance of hygiene, frequent hand washing, and the strict rule of not touching the face or nose.

• Global Impact: The fact that both the search for a medical cure and the rapidly spreading public fear threaten the global economy and politics.

Looking back today, this film feels like a Hollywood prophecy shedding light on our present. Wouldn't it have been great if the cinematic world had also made a prophecy about how we could rid ourselves of these diseases?

The Repetition of History: Epidemics and the Search for Solutions in Antiquity

The saying "History repeats itself" also applies to pandemics. Epidemics have occurred on Earth before and will continue to do so. Every plague has prepared humanity for a new era—politically, socially, psychologically, and religiously—essentially delivering a message.

In the year 1888, a statue pedestal with a missing lower section and a Greek inscription on three of its faces was found in Manisa. Disappearing after 1906, but rediscovered in 2000 and moved to the Manisa Museum, this pedestal holds a historical secret.

The text inscribed on it is an ancient prescription advising the Trokettans, who faced a massive epidemic in the 2nd century AD, on how to survive this catastrophe.

The Most Famous Oracle Centers of the Ancient World

Following this epidemic, which decimated the population of the time, envoys were sent to the renowned oracle center of Claros to find a solution. In the ancient world, kings, the wealthy, and those who were about to make crucial decisions would wear out the paths to the famous oracle centers of their time. This is because, back then, disasters were seen as the wrath of the gods.

The most famous oracle centers of the ancient era were:

• Delphi: (Apollo)

• Dodona: (Zeus)

• Pergamon: (Asclepius)

• Didyma: (Apollo)

• Claros: (Apollo)

The most important deity of these centers was Apollo, the god who "delivered prophecies." The people of Troketta also sought refuge in his wisdom. According to the prophecy, the goddess of vengeance, Poena, angered by the people's wrongdoings, was inflicting immense torment upon mortals.

What is the Epidemic Prescription of the Claros Oracle?

The answer (and essentially the prescription for salvation) given by the oracle dedicated to Apollo to the desperate people battling the epidemic went down in history with these words:

"You who live in Troketta at the foot of snowy Mount Tmolos (Bozdağ) and are honored by Zeus, the mighty son of Dionysus and Cronus... A great disaster has befallen the plain! A disease from which it is impossible to escape, holding the sword of vengeance (Poine) in one hand, and the sorrowful images of the recently deceased in the other...

You! You who have come to me to find a way in accordance with divine laws to rid yourselves of this affliction! Obtain pure water from seven different springs. And then purify this water, and then immediately sprinkle it on your houses, together with the Nymphs (water fairies) who take pleasure in this.

Furthermore, ensure that a statue of Phoebus (Apollo) holding a bow in his hand is immediately erected in the middle of the plain, so that the people who have survived this catastrophe in the plain unscathed may express their gratitude..."

Conclusion: Old Questions, New Worlds

The advice of the Claros oracles to "purify with pure water taken from seven springs" may not be a direct medical cure (aside from basic hygiene rules) for our battle against the coronavirus and similar modern epidemics today.

However, the real question to ask is this: Is the force bringing us destruction the wrath of the goddess of vengeance, Poena, just like in ancient times? Or are there modern powers "playing god" with the aim of imposing a new order on humanity through new technologies and biological crises?

The answer to this will be given by time, which presents the truth to us through its constant repetitions.

🌟 Your Journey Doesn’t End Here!

Would you like to take one more step after this inspiring content?

🔸 Download our e-book to dive deeper,

🔸 Get our free Starter Kit and begin your own hero’s journey,

🔸Try our Cinedrama app, designed with personalized programs and daily practice exercises.

🔸 Explore our Udemy courses to discover the training that suits you best,

🔸 Subscribe to our YouTube channel to watch our weekly updated videos.

🔸 Or schedule a free introductory session right away.

The choice is yours.