DoTheyExist.com

Evidence of the Cognomina

The first mention of the of this group dates to the 15th century in the Konstanz Codex with additional references coming in the early 19th century from the Ludwig Meyer von Knonau in his Handbuch Geschichte der Schweizerischen Eidgenossenschaft (1826 edition only; the entry was curiously removed from the 1829 2nd volume rerelease)

Now startling new evidence of the existence of this centuries old underground organization comes from the memoir of Evan Michaels titled The Reincarnationist Papers. 

The editor of these papers claims they were discovered in an antique store in Rome in the 1990's. The Reincarnationist Papers are the compilation and translation of three notebooks left by Evan Michaels, an American with memories of two past lives.  The memoir details how Evan meets a woman like him only she remembers her past 14 lives dating all the way back to the early 16th century.  Once convinced that Evan does remember two past lives, she invites him to join a secret organization of other individuals, some remembering lives back nearly 20 centuries: the Cognomina. 

Written from a prison cell, Evan's original notebooks were to be left with a prison cellmate to be reclaimed by the author in his next incarnation.  How the notebooks came to be in Rome is unanswered by the editors. 

Some interesting details about the Cognomina and its members are detailed in Evan's account.  The Cognomina is based out of a small private hotel in Zurich (name and address withheld for the time being) but their motto "Unus Nomen, Plures Ago" (One Name, Many Lives) is inscribed above their AugustinerStrasse street number.  Members of the Cognomina are very secretive about the organization and their membership and many request for interviews have been denied of identified members; lawsuits have been threatened and desist orders placed against the University. 

According to Evans memoir, eyewitness accounts and our research, all members of the Cognomina  wear a small tattoo called an embe on the back of their right hands.  The distinctive tattoo is way for members to recognize each other [in new bodies in each incarnation].  This fact was first raised by Konrad von Grunenberg in the Konstanz Codex (1483).  Largely a heraldic work, it does contain an interesting passage about a Zurich based guild who identified themselves with a tattoo on the right hand.

Per Evan's memoir, new members undergo an arduous initiation ceremony in which details, facts and skills from past lives are put to the test.  Upon acceptance by a panel of established members, initiates choose a name [that transcends their current life] by which they will always be known to the other members and receive an embe tattoo.  All members of the Cognomina attend an annual get together on the summer solstice.

Members may be staying in touch with one another via a protected website. www.cognomina.ch

Photographic evidence

Despite the injunction pending against the University, our group is allowed to publish photographs of Cognomina members that we take in public.  More photos to be uploaded after approval from legal. 

This photo was taken by Ulrich Roth, a graduate student assisting with research, at a cafe near the Grossmunster in Zurich, summer of 2008. 

  This photo was emailed to us from Mr. David Salle of Lyon, France.  Mr. Salle thought the hand tattoo was interesting and discreetly snapped this photo 40 years ago.  Note the date on the newspaper.

This smoking man was captured in 3 rapid photos by Carlo Gorgone of Rome. Carlo stated that these were snapped outside of a trattoria in the Trastevere neighborhood in the early morning hours of 1 January, 2009.  Note how the man covers his embe tattoo.  Carlo reported that the man became beligerent after the second snap and tried to take the camera. Mr. Gorgone was able to get away without harm.

This masked woman was quickly photographed without her knowledge (via camera phone) on the evening of 16 February 2009 at the Hotel Saturnia Bar during Carnevale in Venice.  Sent in by Mr. David dela Vittorio of Mestre, the original photo (1st above) is a bit out of focus, but the University photography department was able to enhance the photo somewhat so that the Embe tattoo is more clearly visible (2nd photo).  The final photograph is from the Hotel Saturnia's website - it shows their bar and confirms Mr. Vittorio's claim of where his photo was taken.  Mr. Vittorio stated the woman drank alone and left via the water launch.  

*******

If you have evidence of the existence of the Cognomina either documented or anecdotal, please email it to fcarlton@dotheyexist.com