#WHAT DO YOU MEAN. ALONG WITH THE DEATH REBIRTH CYCLE AND IMMORTALITY. WHAT DO YOU MEAN.

[redstrewn]

Sorry i just keep thinking about the line "his nice guy act is bullshit" like that seriously is living rent free in my mind like. Like. Leader is not nice.

[ryin-silverfish]

how does rebirth and reincarnation work in Buddhism

do memories carry over and Can personality traits or characteristics also stay the same

or does being reborn erase everything and basically reboot a person

is everyone reincarnated or just some people and what causes rebirth

if you don’t want to explain it can you please reply with links to websites where I can find information on the topic

Disclaimer: Everything I write here is less Indian Buddhism, and more "sinicized Buddhist concepts", aka "Chinese adoptation of the ideas of karmic laws and reincarnation, with a bunch of tweaks".

-There are 6 paths of rebirth: Heavenly/Deva, Asura, Human, Beasts, Hungry Ghosts, Hell. In practice, because of unfamiliarity with the Hindu Asura ("wrathful demigods"), it often gets simplified into 5 paths instead.

-Based on one's karma (consequences of one's causes), one is reborn into one of these Paths after death. The first 3 are commonly seen as the "3 good paths", while the last 3 are the "3 bad paths".

-Technically, even being reborn as a celestial being does not free you from suffering, since, despite the incredibly long lifespan of celestials and the pleasures they enjoy, their stay there is still not infinite, and they'll be reborn into a lower path once their Good Deeds Bank runs out, so to speak.

-However, in lay practice, being reborn in the Heavenly path is often considered "Good enough".

-Similarly, in more doctrinal Buddhism, the concept of "non-being" and the lack of a permanent, eternal self is a big thing (where there's no continuation of the self between each life, memory-wise or personality-wise).

-Yet after its spread to China, it was adjusted to fit, and syncretized with existing beliefs about souls and ancestor worship, and honestly, folks pretty much assumed that there is a...soul thingy that gets reincarnated, and some sort of continuation exists between each life.

-In Northern-Southern dynasty and Tang legends, there are a lot of tales about people who remembered their past lives, or people who suffered misfortune/got a lawsuit from ghosts in the Underworld bc of bad things they did in another life.

-However, in the latter case, they often don't remember. It is kinda implied that reincarnation itself blurred/erased their memories, but never explicitly explained.

-The much later Ming-Qing addition of Mengpo and her amnesia soup could be seen as a "fix-it" to that question: people don't remember their past lives bc the amnesia soup is mandatory, and the few who remembered are folks who had found a way to avoid drinking it.

-Like all folklore stuff, it's far from universally adopted, and in Liaozhai, you can still see tales like Lian Xiang's, where the fox spirit in question died, reincarnated into a human body, and remembered her old ghostly rival-turned-best-friend upon seeing her again.

-In vernacular novels and tales about reincarnated immortals and celestial deities, like JTTS and JTTN, it's more common for the protagonists to remember their original self from start to finish, or recover their memories after being informed of that fact and settle on working their way back into their old position.

-As for "does everyone have to go through reincarnation?" Unless you are a Buddha, a Bodhisattva, or Arhat, technically yes.

-After Daoism adopted the Buddhist ideas of karma and reincarnation, there were also works that suggested, by attaining immortality, you wouldn't have to reincarnate again...

-But I personally saw that as more of a "immortality just means no natural death, not unkillable" situation——the immortal in question won't have to reincarnate bc they can no longer die of old age, but if sth comes along and kill them, or they got demoted by the Heavenly Emperor for breaking celestial laws, their soul will still re-enter the cycle.

-Lastly, what causes rebirth? Well...existing. As long as you are within the Realm of Desire and a being of the Six Paths, you are subjected to the cosmological cycle, and to Buddhists, the only way out is attaining enlightenment.

[sulphuricgrin]

For Lilliandra from your cool ask game, 1, 14, and 22 :)

Thank you, thank you!! I'm so glad people are liking my silly little game!

TES OC Interview Game

1. What class do they fall under? Anything they specialize in? (ex: Mage > Illusionist) Have they changed their class over their lifetime or stayed the same?

More than anything, she's a bard through and through, given that she uses Thaumavocalism to cast magic. Though she doesn't need to use it to cast magic, she prefers to! Charm the masses with a song!

But realistically, she's an Illusionist, and fear mage at that. Through her century living, she has adjusted her class as she traveled Tamriel. She was initially a mage, and knew little of phyiscal fighting, but she had to adapt to the situations thrown at her.

She kinda goes from Mage > Warrior > Thief and then circles back around with all kinds of skills picked up from each.

14. Any motifs or symbolism for this character? Flowers, animals, etc.

HELL YEAH. Thank you for asking one of the best questions! :D

So interestingly, Lilliandra having the nickname of Lilli/Lily was picked before I got a book on flower/plant meanings. It was like a happy little accident!!

Lilies: Devotion; Divinity; Exalted and unapproachable; Honor; Magnificence, Pride; Supreme; Unity of heart. Lilies do have different meanings, like roses, depending on the color. Yellow, for Lilliandra's golden theme, is: Falsehood, Lies

Belladonna Lily | Oxblood Lili: Artistic endeavors; Pride; Scholastic achievements; Splendid beauty

Moon Laurel: Fadeless affection; Fame; Glory; I change but in death; Immortality; Notability; Praise; Renown; Victory Laurel wreath means Fame, Glory, Merit

Elderberry: Creativity; Cycles; Death; Endings; Rebirth; Transformation; Zeal

As for animals: Scarabs, Hawks/Eagles, and Moths

These seem like a lot. But the flowers and animals symbolize three different stages in her life. :)

22. Ignoring time, what Elder Scrolls NPC would they get along with the most? Or the worst?

Sanguine! They threw one hell of a party in Gondalon Bay in High Isles. Drinks, drugs, song, dance - from tavern to streets to tavern and all around! Lilli threw on a show mixed with a little bit of charming magic, encouraging those that were hesitant to party with them.

THANK YOU FOR THE QUESTIONS!! :DD

[jenoutof10]

I saw your post and I hope it's not too much to ask but could you explain some of the references?

hai anon!! gege akutami really loves his buddhism references and it shows in multiple ways in the jujutsu kaisen series, be it by just slamming the references into names or through the story telling and parallels in the story, i wont be covering all of em since yk theres way too much to cover. but here some ive compiled in one sitting:

(also excuse bad punctuation and formatting or whatever, as i said im doing this in one sitting and rushing ALOT)

i wanna talk abt gojo since im kinda obsessed w him lately due to the new season, so lets start w him.

gojo is pictured as a bodhisattva:

besides his first name literally meaning enlightenment, we know that in the hidden inventory arc, after getting his ass handed to him by toji, he is 'reborn' (yk, when he brought himself back from near death w RCT). he reached enlightenment and found + understood the core of jujutsu which led his rebirth as the TRUE strongest (like when the buddha reached enlightenment by understanding the core of dhamma and it marks the change from his previous life as siddhartha gautama to the buddha).

and as we all know, in the scene where he awakens, he utters the words "throughout heaven and earth, i alone am the honored one" 天上天下唯我独尊; which the buddha famously said while pointing to the heavens and the earth, after being birthed. (gojo does point both hands tht way, but finger wise he only points to the earth, not the heavens idk)

now i say he's more like a bodhisattva and not a buddha because of a certain detail, while the buddha became the enlightened one and ascended to nirvana (meaning he's free from the cycle of rebirth) he's more like a bodhisattva in which he does indeed become enlightened, just that instead of freeing himself from the cycle of rebirth, he chooses to spread his knowledge and continues teaching (the way becomes a teacher in order to raise new jujutsu sorcerers)

if anyone were to be the buddha it would be tengen, master tengen founded the jujutsu community, teaches sorcerers about jujutsu and is regarded as a deity (by some).

despite being a highly respected individual, tengen is not a much of a fighter, she's more of a teacher and is respected for their high knowledge on jujutsu

master tengen is also immortal, yet not able to exist in the outside world, instead tengen exists inside of the barriers they created (to mantain their self awareness and not yk go insane and destroy the world), which acts as a different realm. this might be a reference to how the Buddha is somewhat immortal yet not really, he lives on in his teachings (dhamma) and his students.

if tengen is the buddha, that would make kenjaku Devadatta, siddharta gautama's cousin and (self proclaimed) buddha's archenemy. i could say more but thats a story for another day.

buddhism references in the power system of jujutsu:

one of them is the etymology behind mahito's cursed technique, Idle Transfiguration - 無為転変 (Mui Tenpen)

the Mui means something along the lines of unchanging/absolute, yet it's also translated into idleness.

— on reddit someone said 無為転変 means to mutate the idleness of human affairs/to mutate the natural order, but idrk take what u will with this

in buddhism, there's a phrase called 有為転変(Ui Tenpen) which means impermanence / change, so his cursed technique is basically the opposite of the natural order

his domain expansion's name (self embodiment of perfection) has a certain buddhist ring to it i feel lol, besides that, the form of his domain might also be a reference to the thousand-armed thousand-eyed Guanyin Bodhisattva.

besides mahito, jogo and dagon's domain also have certain references in their naming (jogo's iron mountain refers to Mount Meru, which is often mentioned in buddhism and hinduism. the word 'Skandha' in dagon's basically means the factors that cause attachment)

the hand signs the characters do when casting a domain expansion are mudras; hand seals used in buddhism and hinduism(? i think), you'd often see them on statues/arcas, they're usually used during prayers (i think the most well know and the most used one is anjali mudra). for more you can check tempenensis's post, i love their posts alot LOL

there's also the whole thing about mahoraga (+ the other 10 shadows shikigamis), sukuna, toji, etc. but that would take too long and im writing this all in one go before i go to a family dinner so…

ANYWAYS i think thats all i'll talk about today, i might add more some other time but im gonna go eat dinner now bye

[aquietshift]

DEATH - Melanie Martinez

“My body has died but I’m still alive."

Death by Melanie Martinez is a metaphor for the human experience of life, death, and rebirth. Several messages in the song provide a poignant reflection on mortality, the afterlife, and the eternal cycle of life, death, and rebirth that we live in. The song was written to encourage listeners to reflect on the nature of their existence. It also encourages listeners to embrace the belief that death is not the end of anything in life and that it is just the beginning. Even though one physical body may die, its spirit and essence continue to live on. In K-12, Litlth, Crybaby’s guardian angel tells her that empaths never genuinely die and their spirits are passed on to reincarnated bodies instead. 

“You start in the womb and end in the tomb.”

In K-12, CryBaby was revealed to be an empath guided by Lilith. According to her, she's also lived multiple lives before. Her eyes turning black represent her being awakened to a higher level of consciousness. Being an empath is associated with several magical abilities. However, it has also given CryBaby the ability to reincarnate, physically, while her body decays with time but her soul stays intact. In her lifetime, she doesn't have any memories of the lives she's lived in the past. However, she learns and experiences new things as she goes along. Her music videos, storybooks, and songs all represent her life. As the album progresses, Crybaby grows as an individual and learns to overcome her struggles with confidence. She also understands what it means to be happy.

“Please don’t worry, I know it's morbid, but we all die one day.”

The song describes a supernatural relationship between her and those who loved her, just like people who experience a loved one's death. Melanie weaves a tale of sorrow and pain, a tale about the heartbreak of someone who has lost a loved one to the dead. It examines what the dead would want to share with us if there wasn't a barrier standing between them. The lyrics “Look over your shoulder, I’m back from the dead.” continue as if the ghostly singer is trying to reach out to the mourners, telling them to stop being upset about the fact that their bodies are no longer moving. There is no doubt that the deceased would like to reunite with their loved ones or the living if a barrier existed between them and the living. The pre-chorus sees the dead sing about missing their loved one, “You're always on my mind, I cannot help it.” However, even though death has come and kissed them on the cheek, they still promise to meet every time they get the chance.

“You must feel the physical pain of this world because the only way we can truly learn is through experience.”

Reincarnation is the belief that during a previous existence, a soul or spirit begins a new life in an unfamiliar body. This body may or may not be human, animal, or spiritual in nature, depending on the quality of the soul or spirit's previous actions from their previous existence. People also say that the soul is immortal and that the only thing that perishes is the physical body, rather than the soul itself. The religions that believe in reincarnation are Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism but a few Paganist religious groups do too. Although Christianity and Islam don’t necessarily believe in them, certain groups within these religions still refer to them. The same holds true for the religions I named. Some certain groups within those religions don’t believe in reincarnation and instead believe in the afterlife or spirit world.

[astrolocherry]

The Water Houses, 4th, 8th, & 12th house suggest that the answers to the great mysteries are not out in the stars but hidden inside who we are, in the psychic, mythic, and ancestral history we carry around with us. They hold the remnants and heirlooms of our dreams, visions, stories that belonged to our great grandparents and beyond, and also the demons that were never lay to rest, the skeleton in the family closet, the karma, the cycles, and the ghosts of those who stood before you.

When Carl Jung wrote, “It is true that astrology has nothing to do with the stars. ... But people criticise astrology as though it had something to do with the stars.” he was referring to the constellations as a vault of mythic projections, but of those made in our own image, the mythology and zodiac archetypes blooming from us from memories rooted in our ancestral family trees. And it all retraces back to a time when human and divine were inseparable, different temperaments were ascribed to Gods and Goddesses, patterns were inscribed over time and through generations, expressing these archetypes is so automatic they’ve almost become unseen and forgotten. The Water Houses are containers of our mythic and ancestral history, which also cannot be separated. These are houses of birth and death and connect us to what came before and the afterlife, they are each portals into other realms where the dead can produce strong and living effects. The beginning and the end of life - 4th house, death, rebirth, born again - 8th house, reunite with eternity and immortality - 12th house

🔮4th house -

There is no escape from this psychic background with which we enter life, it can only be accepted, we are bound to see the world through our own inborn temperament." - Carl Jung

“When something long since passed . . . comes back again in a changed world, it is new. To give birth to the ancient in a new time is creation.

“Spiritual life is like living water that springs up from the very depths of our own spiritual experience. In spiritual life everyone has to drink from his or her own well.”

--St Bernard of Clairvaux

🔮 8th house -

"For us the depth is doom," i.e., unconsciousness is doom.

Then we get into the "clouds" where one sees nothing more.

If you accept death, it is altogether like a frosty night and an anxious misgiving, but a frosty night in a vineyard full of sweet grapes.

You will soon take pleasure in your wealth. Death ripens. One needs death to be able to harvest the fruit.

Without death, life would be meaningless, since the long-lasting rises again and denies its own meaning.

The ancestors carry both our wisdom and madness, as we embody their unlived potential. Ancestral blessings are accompanied by ancestral curses. Along with the wisdom there is violence, madness, abuse and shame. But even more frightening is what we don’t know in the shadow of shadows -- those dark family secrets.” - Carl Jung

🔮12th house -

“The unconscious, exists in a state of relative spacelessness and timelessness.

For the psyche this means a relative eternality and a relative non-separation from other psyches, or a oneness with them.

For one thing, there is the peculiar preoccupation of the dead with the psychic states of other (dead) persons.

For another, the existence of (psychic) shrines or places of healing.

I have long thought that religious institutions, churches, monasteries, temples, etc. as well as rites and psychotherapeutic attempts at healing were modelled on (transcendental) postmortal psychic states-a real Ecclesia Spiritualis as the prototype of the Una Sancta upon earth.”

“This last unity has to be found, and this will happen only if the person is wounded in his innermost being, most often by someone chosen by fate to be the hammer, because as a rule he can’t do it on his own.” ~Carl Jung, Children’s Dream Seminar, Pages 276-279.

Cherry🍒

[mindmeltonabun-blog]

Doom At Your Service: Analysis & Theories for EPs 9-10

Anyone mentally exhausted from watching DAYS? Well, you’ve come to the right place where I do the thinking for you, so you don’t have to! As always, if you have any questions, feel free to click on the ask question button! Happy Readings !

The Contract Revisited

While reviewing the contract, I realized there was something major that I had completely missed! Anyways let’s go over the contract again to clear up some confusion.

The Contract is as follows:

1) Dong Kyung must ask for Myul Mang to destroy the world before she dies (It could be rephrased as Dong Kyung must ask for Myul Mang to destroy the world before her tentative expiration date)

2) During Dong Kyung’s last 100 days, Myul Mang will prevent her from feeling any pain

3) Myul Mang has to grant her one real wish

4) If Dong Kyung breaks the contract (does not wish for the world to be destroyed) then the person she loves the most will die

If Dong Kyung does not violate the contract as in she wishes for the world to be destroyed, the person she loves dies anyways because you know.... the world is non existent. If Dong Kyung does violate the contract, meaning she does not wish for the world to be destroyed, the person she loves dies too because her doom is transferred to them. Some have also wondered whether she can has to ask for the world to be destroyed in order to get her one real wish to be granted. In my opinion, I don't think so. I think she can still get her one real wish to be granted regardless of whether she wishes for doom upon the world or not. Other things to note is that nothing will happen to Myul Mang if he does not stick to the terms of the contract (i.e keeps Dong Kyung pain free and granting her one real wish) because as Dong Kyung said "If I violate" not "If either you or I violate".

Now something to pay close attention to is #4. In Ep 2, Myul Mang had said he would take Dong Kyung’s doom (brain cancer) and transfer it to someone she loves. This is the part I missed! I’d thought that all Myul Mang was doing was transferring the death that was meant for her, not that he was actually removing her source of death which was her brain cancer. Therefore, if Dong Kyung breaks the contract, she will live because her brain cancer is removed and is subsequently transferred into the person she loves, causing them to die instead. I feel incredibly stupid for missing this important piece of info. In light of this new info, I will therefore retract my previous theory that Dong Kyung’s one wish will be to cure her brain cancer.

For those who were confused by that scene of Dong Kyung going to the beach and staying away from everyone, here are my thoughts on that. Dong Kyung was trying to find a loophole. The loophole was that she was planning on violating the contract while protecting the people she loves. This means that Dong Kyung was planning on ending herself at the beach (you can't wish for doom upon the world if you're already dead) and accepting her doom (her doom can't be transferred to anyone else because she accepts it in herself).

Who’s Going to Get Dong Kyung’s Brain Cancer and Die?

I recently had a eureka moment a few days ago before Eps 9-10 aired that led me to formulating a new theory -- it's actually Dora who will inherit Dong Kyung’s brain cancer and die. Let’s think through some things first, “the person you love the most will die”. The most obvious choice is Myul Mang. However, if you think about that statement in a more abstract way, you can see that if Dong Kyung loves her life, then the person who will die is Dora. Remember that Dora is basically the personification of life.

To further add evidence that supports this theory, I present to you Exhibit A, Dora’s massive nosebleed. We know Dong Kyung has a rare type of brain cancer and it’s located in her frontal lobe. As days pass, the brain tumor is growing or metastasizing. In theory, the tumor could grow into nearby areas such as her nasal cavity and cause Dong Kyung to have nose bleeds (FYI: In real life, I’m a scientist with experience in the field of oncology and most of the time brain tumors don’t grow outside of the brain. It can happen, but it is very rare!). Now, think about the events that occurred before Dora's nose bleed. For example, Dong Kyung was out and about enjoying her time with Myul Mang and her family and friends. Essentially, Dong Kyung was beginning to love her life. This causes Dora to suffer because she is taking in Dong Kyung's illness into herself. Subsequently, this leads to Dora experiencing some of the symptoms of Dong Kyung's brain cancer (e.g nose bleed). Thus, as Dong Kyung is beginning to live, Dora is beginning to die.

Exhibit B: Adventures of Pinocchio. At the end of the story, the Fairy (Dora) heals an ailing Geppetto (Dong Kyung) as a reward for Pinocchio (Myul Mang) becoming a good boy. Following this, we don’t hear much about what happens to the Fairy except that she’s in laying in a hospital on the verge of death. It is implied that in order to heal Geppetto, the Fairy had to take his illness into herself. Afterall, nothing is without consequences, someone must pay so that others can be happy. Much like the story of Pinocchio, Dora is doing the same thing as the Fairy. Dora is taking in Dong Kyung’s illness so that Dong Kyung can freely love her son, Myul Mang, without consequences (e.g Myul Mang dying).

Exhibit C: Dong Kyung walking around like she didn’t have brain cancer while in seclusion. You would think that since she didn’t see Myul Mang to recharge, she would be experiencing some severe symptoms, but nope she was walking around as if she was cured! I wonder where her cancer went.......DORA!

Exhibit D: Dora telling Dong Kyung to be madly in love and live. Basically Dora saying, "Love my son and live, don't worry about your brain cancer or him dying because I'm taking care of it."

Why Dora Didn't Want Myul Mang To See Her

For those wondering why Dora didn’t want Myul Mang to see her, here are my two cents. One explanation is that Dora probably didn’t want him to figure out that she was inheriting Dong Kyung’s brain cancer. It would’ve made him feel guilty to see that his mother was willing to take on even more pain just so he could be happy. Another explanation is that Myul Mang still has a lot of growing up to do (to become human). Dora didn’t want him to get the idea that he’s out of the clear just yet. Meaning if Myul Mang had found out that Dora was doing this for him then he would’ve thought life was a breeze now and have no further motivations to want to grow, thus ruining Dora’s plan for him (to grow up to become a good human). There’s no better motivation to make someone grow than the thought of their love ones dying.

Final Theory on Dong Kyung’s Wish

In my previous post, I had discussed that without knowing the limits of what one could or could not wish for, it was difficult for me to accurately predict what Dong Kyung’s wish would be. However, in this week’s episode, I was finally given the limits: the wish must be a wish that is doom in nature. I thought to myself, what could be a good thing to end? Oh, that’s right, Myul Mang’s immorality. Dong Kyung must say “I wish for your immortal life to end” or something along those lines. The combination of Dong Kyung’s wish + Myul Mang’s willingness to sacrifice himself for her + Dora’s plant = the rebirth of Myul Mang into a real boy....oops I mean real hu-man.

The Ending of DAYS

So, what kind of ending will DAYS have? Prepare yourselves. I think it’s going to be a bittersweet ending because it goes with the one of the main themes DAYS which is dualism. I think Myul Mang will be reborn as a human, but still have his doom responsibilities (so more like a fake human). He will probably end up becoming like Dora in the sense that he gets to experience the cycle of life and death over an infinite amount of time. Dong Kyung won’t be reborn in his next life cycle (remember Myul Mang tells that crazy lady there’s no afterlife; humans only have this one life). I guess the notion that the love he and Dong Kyung share will always be with him and forever serve as a shining beacon even in his loneliest days is sweet, but still I want a happy ending!!!

Now excuse my language, but to hell with dualism and what is logical! I want a happy ending where Myul Mang becomes human, lives with Dong Kyung, and when he dies that’s it. No coming back to doing his doom job in a different life. Dora can create another herald of doom. Dora did it once before and she could do it again lol. Or if Myul Mang must come back in a different life, at least allow Dong Kyung to be reborn at the same time. I mean you can grow the same plant again…. EVER HEARD OF PROPROGATION DORA?!! Metaphorically speaking, if Dong Kyung is a sunflower, then wait until she dies, harvest her seeds and grow her again…. it’s that simple Dora!!!

Some Thoughts on the Writer of DAYS

The writer (Im Meari) of DAYS is at best, pretentious and at worst, derivative. She’s more or less just rehashing the works of other great philosophers (Nietzsche, Schopenhauer, Deleuze, etc). She presents DAYS as a collection of major philosophical concepts with the intention to differentiate herself from that of other kdramas writers. She goes onto placing great stress on the idea that in order to innovate or bring about a new beginning, one must deviate from the norm, yet she herself does not diverge from the ideas of other philosophers. She does not present any philosophy of her own. In this aspect, she is a hypocrite to the very ideas she tries to preach. Oh well, to each their own. Who knows, maybe my opinion of Im Meari will change by the end of the series. Anyways, I’m still here for the romance between the actors and actresses and solving mysteries!

Ep 11 Preview Predictions

Here are my predictions for Ep 11 based off of the preview, they may or may not be correct !

Dong Kyung takes back the bracelet from Myul Mang after their conversation on the beach. Honestly, I’m growing tired of this whole giving/taking the bracelet type situation lol.

Dong Kyung enjoys a nice vacation with Myul Mang on Jeju island.

Dong Kyung returns from the vacation because she finds out that her aunt is sick (probably from worrying about Dong Kyung). Dong Kyung beats herself up about it.

Dong Kyung is sick again (probably from hating life...remember that I had theorized that the more Dong Kyung loves her life, the sicker Dora will be become) and Myul Mang in his desperation pleads with Dora to help him, but Dora’s version of helping him is to …. surprise surprise… teach him another lesson. The lesson is that the grass isn’t always greener on the other side and that Myul Mang and Dong Kyung complete each other for the better. Dora shows Myul Mang what their lives would've been like if they had never existed in each other’s lives.

Dong Kyung having never experience any kind of suffering would live a healthy life but become the most unappreciative and spoiled person ever. She may go on to finding that life was pretty meaningless and would want to put an end to it all. And Myul Mang having never met Dong Kyung wouldn't have any motivation or desire to grow as a person and so he would remain stagnant. And who knows… maybe at some point, that Myul would’ve became so angry with humans that he would personally go around killing every last one of them.

[ayuuprismo]

reddit explains sailor moon

LionessHotcakes · 6 yr. ago

Bear with me, this is a bit convoluted.

The Sailor Moon universe of the manga runs on constant cycles of death and rebirth.

Prologue: The Silver Millenium falls to pieces because of Nehelenia's curse and Beryl's actions (both those women are agents of Chaos). Princess Serenity is so broken by Chaos that she commits suicide. The star seed bearers are reborn in present day.

Sailor Moon Arc: Beryl tries to bring down the world again, kills off all the Sailor Scouts, leaving Sailor Moon alone to fight (the same way she is stripped of all her friends during the Stars Arc). Usagi resets the world and everyone is reborn.

Sailor Moon R: The whole business in 30th century Tokyo where another agent of Chaos (Wiseman) kills or disables everyone of meaning to "his" current Sailor Moon: Chibi Moon. He is defeated and Neo Queen Serenity promises Chibi Moon that her closest friend, Pluto, will be given a proper rest. And then Pluto and the other Outer Senshi are reborn on present day Earth as the gang comes back from the 30th century.

Sailor Moon S: Saturn awakens and takes down Pharoah 90 (Chaos) - as she is sealed away, she even says: "With every end come hope and rebirth" (in the most recent Kodansha translation). She gets reborn as a baby with no earth shattering powers.

Sailor Moon SuperS: Nehelenia, another Chaos incarnation, comes along and messes with shit. The gang defeats her.

Stars: The bloodshed factor ramps up and Sailor Moon loses everyone meaningful to her to Galaxia. In the end, despite Usagi knowing that if she jumps into the cauldron and embraces her fate of being reborn to face Chaos once again - potentially losing everyone again, over and over in an infinite cycle - she chooses to stay on the cycle and leave the Galaxy Cauldron intact.

Sailor Cosmos is the natural extension of Usagi in the future that extends past 30th century Tokyo and her reign as Neo Queen Serenity. Chaos has been reborn again (possibly several times over and with many agents that make her life hellish), and she has to fight it once more. Eventually, like Princess Serenity, Usagi as the now Sailor Cosmos gives up hope. Cosmos abandons the fight with Chaos and time warps back to the Stars arc, where she has a chance to obliterate the Galaxy Cauldron and alter her future by eliminating the rebirth cycle altogether.

Cosmos says: "Every time I wavered or fretted, I'd recall my battle 'here'. And think to myself, 'if I'd just obliterated the Cauldron back then, could war and suffering have been eradicated? I regretted it so many times that I ended up coming here. To do things over for real, this time. The me of 'this era' was also always lonely and in pain, which is why I nestled up to and supported her, intending to make her choose the correct path this time." [Emphasis mine]

But on reflection, Cosmos finds hope in what Usagi does and remembers her own strength:

"If I can attain the same courage as Eternal Sailor Moon, to throw away and take in everything, that is when I shall truly become Sailor Cosmos."

She presumably returns to her era to pick up the eternal fight against Chaos once again. She remembers the most important thing that can't be defeated: hope.

Mamoru's lines on the last two pages of the manga somewhat clinch it for me in the thematic sense:

"Even if one day, we all have faded away, and new Sailor Guardians...new stars are born...Sailor Moon, you likely will be forever immortal. For you are the most beautiful shining star of all time."

She is the answer to Chaos and Death in every arc and cycle, the element that opposes and defeats them every time: hope and rebirth.

Sailor Cosmos is the Usagi who forgot that 'with every death come hope and rebirth'.

[Seriously, who the hell thought 'heavenly bodies' was a good translation?]

[thessaliah]

So I’m curious; you’ve said in the past that the Lostbelts tend to reflect their Crypters insecurities/traumas etc (like how the Yaga in LB1 reflect Kadoc’s misguided attempts to toughen up and throw away his perceived weakness of humanity.)

So how do the other LBs parallel their own Crypters backstories etc?

They do, some with stronger connection than other. But usually, the Crypter has several narrative "foils" that mirror one of their mental issues/flaws/desires/etc: The Lostbelt itself, sometimes the Lostbelt King,  sometimes one of your Servants, sometimes a member of Chaldea (like Mashu in Ophelia's case). Kadoc's example is obvious and uncomplicated. His family name means "Land of beasts/wolves" so oh-surprise he appears in a literal kingdom of Beasts. His magecraft specialization is wilderness survival and anti-animal/beast stuff, unironically. Ivan, the Lostbelt King, threw away his humanity to become a beast in order to survive, including sacrificing his love for music (classical in his case), and apparently he lost his beloved wife, Anastasia. You can already see why Kadoc's love for rock music that he misses and his romance with a different Anastasia became a thing here. But the other Crypters do have connections to their lostbelts. Ophelia's emotionally stunned, afraid of making choices, preferring being complacent and try to live up to wishes and expectations, always insecure, and unhappy deep inside. She falls into a complacent world, full of children and only children (even the 'adults' are treated like children) who follow a "benevolent" mother who scheduled their lives without possibilities to grow: you die at 25, unless you have no children then you die at 15. A world where Sunday will never come. Skadi is also a foil, in her trying to love everyone, she's condemning everyone because like Ophelia she can't take sides or a choice until the end (when is too late), she also had many suitors (like Ophelia) but only looked up and had feelings for one who didn't notice her (Odin), and her current actions are trying to live up his expectations (and failing). Familiar right? Ophelia's family has roots in Scandinavia, so there's a personal connection to the Lostbelt. LB3 is where the strong connection falters a bit but still persists. Just in a different manner (because the characters aren't having a coming of age as Kadoc and Ophelia did, IMO).

Hinako is a false name and she's actually a Xian, Consort Yu, from China. She's immortal and nonhuman, and lands in a convenient China with cattle like humans who wouldn't chase her down, ruled by a sole existence, Qin. While it doesn't look like it has a strong connection, it does because Qin is (or will become a Xian too) and he's truly the only "human" in the place, so it mirrors her lonely existence and her unique species. The craving for company despite that. The weight of accepting the world of Panhistory humans and aiding them, letting go of misconceptions and grudges. Hinako and Qin (the LB is Qin) have this in common.

Pepe doesn't have a nationality connection or a name one, but is fascinated with cycles of Death and Rebirth. Because they want to kill their past and flush out their personal imperfections to become a better person even if they have given up in this in a way. Pepe cannot see their own good sides and thinks they are cruel and heartless frustrated by their inability to get angry (and jealous of their servant who easily rages against everything. Pepe wants to rage against fate), but like Kirschtaria states Pepe is the best one of them. The Lostbelt is an answer to Pepe's prayers because they dislike the way panhistory was. A cruel hell they have been endured in their work of mercenary. The LB4 is more innocent and pure, so Pepe wants to protect it. A place where nobody wages war for greed, pride or vanity. In this, there is a similitude with Arjuna who started this cycle affected by the endless wars and experiences he endured, and along the way, lost the sight of his humanity.

Kirschtaria's LB connection is more aligned to give him a special sky for his powers and so he can nurture the tree better. This lostbelt was probably picked because of power compatibility rather than personality one as others (and it makes sense because this LB seems to be the one the "god" knew beforehand, the rest came after Wodime's petition and didn't seem wanted or chosen or she would have never bring forth LB3 or LB6 that are threats to U*Olgamarie). It's in a way a reflection of what he dislikes, unlike the previous cases: a world ruled by gods' whims, strong humans subjugated to them, and a pariah group of humans kicked out from Olympus living in Atlantis only groveling to return. The potential soft connection is how superhuman and above normal humans they are. Other connection is Zeus, in his position toward the Crypters. Nothing to do with their personalities, which are different, but mostly how Zeus took a decision and shouldered everyone's mistrust and misunderstanding like how Kirschtaria has been doing so far. Zeus is a supergod, and Kirschtaria stands as the apex of humanity in that lostbelt. Caenis and Atlas are also his foils, IMO.

There's no much known about Beryl and Daybit, except that their Lostbelts seem connected to their potential natures. Beryl is probably a hybrid of sorts, he's nicknamed a werewolf, and he's landed in a Lostbelt where fae and other elementals are in control, in Britain (also nationality). While Daybit... he used to be in Lore Department (deals with relics and things outside Human's Domain) and was born in Nevada is now in a Lostbelt with ORT and connected to alien stuff. His mats also describe Daybit as some kind of survivor-oriented person, and he’s landed in the Amazon forest. So once again there’s a match between LB and Crypter. We don’t know his deal yet or the LB specific to say more.

[kitsoa]

The Master’s Figurative Language

A Breakdown of the Flashback in KHUX’s chapter “Cornerstones of Rebirth” 

----

The Keyblade War began when MoM was a child. 

MoM describes the Keyblade Wars of Old as a battle between light and dark. A description that matches the stories of the war in the series proper. But when asked if the forces of light and darkness resemble keyblade and heartless clash from Luxu’s understanding-- MoM’s response is more vague. 

Luxu:“The light? Were there other keyblade wielders besides you, Master?” 

MoM: “Hmm, I guess, but it’s not out of the question for there to be others besides me.”

What a strange answer. ‘Others besides me?’ 

Wait up. MoM created the modern keyblade. He modeled it off of the X-blade. 

Does he mean ‘others who created a keyblade to battle the darkness?’

There being others to have created the keyblade seems both unlikely and entirely impossible to be unsure of. Therefore we are not talking about a standard definition war and most definitely we are not talking about a kh style conflict.

So I’m lead to believe that MoM is referring to the ‘Keyblade’ as a figurative tool. After all, the keyblade has never been a mere object... it’s an extension of the heart. It’s the strength of the heart and the forces wielding the blades are many in that they are worthy to ‘fight with all their hearts’ so to speak. Therefore: ‘other’s like him’, can mean others who ‘wielded their hearts’ against the darkness. 

The Heart turns into the figurative heart. Emotion, passion, the self. 

The Darkness by proxy becomes figurative. Evil, negativity, hatred, violence, destruction. 

I believe MoM is equating the actions and purpose of a keyblade wielder (that Luxu understands) to a more general defiance against evil in his conversation. “I guess” is his casual admission to this. Therefore, the term Keyblade War isn’t defined as a clash between countless keyblades but a catch-all term to describe the universal conflict of good and evil. 

Luxu: “And the darkness? Were there the same monsters as there are now?”

Luxu’s understanding of the ‘monsters of darkness’ are simply the heartless from the books illusions. The heartless are the assumed opponents in the fated Keyblade War so their presumed involvement in this older war is a valid question.

MoM: “Well, if you ask if the darkness they fought was comprised of monsters... maybe so. They looked the same as us, so it’s a bit different from now.”

MoM isn’t saying that the forces of darkness in the ‘old war’ were the heartless. He’s equating them to the heartless. MoM is referring to the darkness not as a tangible force we are familiar with but as a figurative entity. And he’s saying that they are essentially monsters. 

Figurative Monsters. Savage, amoral, heartless. 

And they looked human. Monsters that look human. Again MoM is describing a very... general truth about evil in the world. The evil of our fellow man. The evil that makes them equal to monsters. MoM sticks by his insult though.

MoM: “Nah, I’m not saying they were humans...”

So we have a very... realistic depiction of the battle between light and darkness. MoM’s Keyblade War is not a fantastical battle... at least... it doesn’t have to be fantastical. It’s simply the passionate defenders of good values against a general evil. 

MoM: “Well, ever since they appeared in that form The Keyblade War continued on.”

'Ever since the forces of darkness appeared human’ The Keyblade War continued on. The War is clearly as stand-in for a grander, more universal idea. Now we have to reason that MoM is describing a turning point to a personal philosophy as opposed to an actual event. The ongoing Keyblade War is representative of the human struggle proper. 

And if I could play doctor to baby MoM. I’d say he is referencing the start of his personal, none-stop, ‘Keyblade War’. Perhaps he experienced a betrayal. Darkness in human form that has since sparked the war of what is good and what is bad. 

“The darkness changes forms. That’s why it can hide inside humans. That’s why this Keyblade War has raged endlessly.”

What is evil will destroy everything. What is good will bring it back.

The cycle of death and rebirth.

Which brings us to MoM’s goal to stop this. These ‘wars’ that are actually just battles in the endless war within MoM himself. He describes to Luxu exactly what happens in X. The battle commences. The world is destroyed. The light survives in the heart of children. That’s the light that will revive the world. 

Now, he doesn’t reveal it here, but MoM actually orchestrates the parameters that bring about this battle. He pits his apprentices again a fake a traitor. He plants the seeds of tension and distrust. He assures their destruction. And assures their rebirth through the Dandelions.

“We can’t erase the world and it’s stories that are left in the hearts of children. As long as that is left in their hearts, the world can be reborn. And in the same way we can’t erase darkness. But we CAN take a temporary break.”

I’ve had a long theory explain the figurative use of the lore term Worlds and how that word is synonymous with stories. Here we see that figurative language used in direct force. It’s not the abstract light in the hearts of the children, but the living stories within them that make them immortal. 

But that same immortal story brings with it the same immortal end. And the cycle never ends. 

So MoM’s reference of a ‘temporary break’ is strange as it is not a solution to the endless war but an escape. Flash forward to Union Cross and the Union Leaders have come to the harrowing realization that they are trapped in this digital reality. They have not yet fulfilled the cycle and revived the world from the destruction of X. They are simply trapped, playing house. Taking a break from the war.

“I know I’m tired, I want to rest soon too. From being a bystander at least.”

This line gets me. Bystanders are defined as people who watch. The Master watches when he vanishes and it is assumed that the presence of the gazing eye makes him a bystander to the war. But the rest he references is ‘soon’-- an allusion to his fading? It seems backwards. Unless he is looking farther ahead than his most immediate actions at the time of the flashback. Unless he is looking at a point in time more relevant to us players. The time where the Master stops watching and jumps into actions. An allusion for whats to come. 

MoM wraps up the conversation with a very on the nose and cryptic run down of exactly the Dandelion’s journey.

“Yep, that’s why I told Ava to gather the best of the best. The starting point in X. Their training in Unchained. The real deal in Union Cross. They ought to become very important cornerstones to the rebirth of this world.”

The Dandelion’s start and originate from X. That’s the original run. But in Unchained, as they go through the same events of X they are training. What they are training for isn’t clear but seeing how the ‘real deal’ is the phase where the world breaks away from the original run, we can assume that MoM is preparing them to break the cycle. Unchained has the Dandelion’s guided along their fates and eased them all the way to the big break that was the war itself. Now that the war is avoided, they must resist the war from cropping up again or fail the grand experiment. 

MoM wants the cycle of Darkness and Light to end... or at least he wants to see if it can end. Clearly, the Dandelion’s have a wealth of elements stacked up against them in their temporary break from the cycle. The insistence on Unions. The secret Book of Prophecies. The erased memories and encouragement to turn their blades on the image of their fellows. We can’t say at all that MoM was intending on them being successful.Or maybe there were more phases to this plot than just that of x, Unchained and Ux--

Actually of course there are more phases to his plot. Kingdom Hearts happened.

The conversation finally ends with a little foreshadowing. 

Luxu: “They’ll  be able to return to this world after its rebirth using the world borders, right?”

Luxu brings up what we understand is going to happen in UX. The light from after the war has to return to the ruins according to MoM’s cycle. Their temporary break will have to end. And as Luxu describes they will ‘use the world borders’ to do so. The exact nature and importance of this distinction is one to be contemplated but ultimately the return is nigh. We understand that Scala ad Caelum is built upon the ruins of Daybreak Town. We know the Dandelion’s will escape the program and rebuild the war. And we know they will eventually build the empire that creates Xehanort who will start the cycle anew. 

“Hmmm, Well it’ll be difficult for ALL of them.”

MoM is cryptically referencing that not every Dandelion will return. Some will get left behind. Or perhaps they won’t make it to the correct time (a reference to the time displaced Dandelions). Luxu makes a reference that the Leaders were the ones hatching the escapes which suggests that only the leaders return to the real world... which doesn’t seem accurate to what actually transpires. Grant it. We must consider the following:

The temporary break from the cycle must end.

The Dandelion’s are fighting to defy the fate of the War. 

The War is inevitable. 

So in final, this scene is extremely enlightening toward the Master’s motives and goal and hints to what will ultimately occur in the KHUX storyline. It is important to consider the figurative angle that the Master is potentially going on about. Because as we are consistently reminded, KH is a series that plays on the fact that it’s language has lore implications as well as thematic implications. 

There is a greater message in a ll of this.

[detectivemarkiprincess]

Initial Thoughts and Theories on Damien.

Spoilers ahead.

Okay, wow. This is a lot to take in and without Mod Fe to help me this will be sloppy. My heart is still pounding in my chest. 

So some of the theories Mod Fe and I have posted confirmed.  Darkiplier is hot.  The tv is cold. Damien is pissed at Actor Mark and is going out to find him. The mirror seems like some form of gateway The eyes, masks, and creepy faces of the thumbnails were most definitely important.

Now. Some things I noticed.

Actor Mark thinks he’s right, he thinks everything he’s done is right...but they appear to be trapped in the upside down which looks like it has a gateway that looks like the mirror.

Every reflective surface or piece of ice formed cracks along it all taking the form of our shattered mirror. So if the mirror is there, where is our beloved D/A?

They are still in that DAMN HOUSE AND YOU CANNOT CONVINCE ME OTHERWISE. I WILL STAND FIRMLY BY THIS STATEMENT UNTIL MARK CONFIRMS OR DENIES IT.

Asshole Mark is our Mark? Why else would Mark credit ‘This asshole’ or ‘This Douchebag’ at the end of his most recent story videos?

Damien couldn’t remember and Celine was keeping him asleep in order to keep him from remembering. To keep him from asshole Mark and to make him forget what he did to them. Damien needed to go back to sleep...

However Asshole Mark wanted him to wake up because Damien is his problem. Damien caused him all his problems....but why would he be pissed at Damien is the reason he did all this was ‘to curse Celine to prevent her from breaking any more hearts’? Was this his alternative plan for when his plan didn’t go the right way? Or was this his plan all along. 

Why was it so important to Celine that Damien continue sleeping to not remember? Why didn’t she want him to know?

Was the ugly distorted face with the glowing eyes what Actor Mark looks like without a mask on? What Darkiplier actually looks like? Or could it possible be that the entity we kept seeing was the house???

We only saw Celine drown...so Celine is forever at rest and Damien is the one who let Darkiplier take over? Maybe?

The house looked burned and charred...

Also I noted that there were a few glitches in the audio. The first one was when Damien told Celine that just because she was older doesn’t mean she’s in charge. And in the end who made the choice? Damien. Life is ours to choose. The other two audio glitches took place during the exact same scene but they happened when Celine opened and closed the door to the cabin.

Markiplier has always loved the games that implement dreams and being trapped in loops. Notice how when Damien went to sleep he became trapped in that loop, and when he woke up all hell broke loose.

Some deep voice which I’m assuming was Asshole Mark said ‘Damien it’s time to wake up’ while he was running through the forest to help Celine. But then I noticed that the next line had both asshole Mark and Celine’s voices as they said ‘Damien hurry’. Why does Celine need Damien to hurry if she’s trying to keep him from remembering what happened.

I’m not entirely sure what the flower meant.

Winter is a symbolism for death. Things die in the winter.  Spring is the symbolism of rebirth, things are growing and life appears yet again. The winter was there because they both died. Celine was pessimistic about the winter staying because she knew the truth. Damien was optimistic about the spring because he didn’t know, he thought there was still life and hope.

Trees also usually tend to represent life. Hence all the trees of life in so many different mythologies. This website I found says this about the symbolism of trees.

“”Deciduous forests and their seasonal cycles of falling and growing leaves, or new growth sprouting from the base of burnt or cut trunks, may have induced people to regard trees as symbols for an eternal and indestructible life force.Trees and forests thus took on symbolic divine characteristics, or were seen to represent superlative forces such as courage, endurance or immortality. They were the means of communication between worlds.””

Do with that as you will.

I know this was rather incoherent but I’ll post more coherent things as soon as I’ve had enough time to take in what I just saw. It was amazing. 

~Mod Gre

[nadziejastar]

It’s Canon: Lea and Isa are Officially Soul Mates (Analyzing Organization XIII’s Weapons)

No. VIII - Axel (Flurry of Dancing Flames)

An assassin who puts his own agenda first, and everything else on the back burner. Wields fire.

Axel’s Chakrams are Ashes, Doldrums, Delayed Action, Dive-Bombers, Combustion, Moulin Rouge, Blaze of Glory, Prometheus, Ifrit, Magma Ocean, Volcanics, Inferno, Sizzling Edge, Corona, Ferris Wheels, Burnout, Omega Trinity, Outbreak, Double Edge, Wildfire, Prominence, Eternal Flames, Pizza Cut (joke), and Conformers

Axel (along with Saix) has extremely fascinating weapons when we look at the symbolism. I always liked Lea and Isa together as a couple and I suspected that the writers of 358/2 Days did too. But when I actually took a very close look at the weapons and what they truly represent, I realized that the writers must have LOVED them together. No, seriously. It’s extraordinary how many references there are which share a common theme: the Sun and Moon, masculinity and femininity, the balance of opposites and yes, even romantic love.

The Sun represents our ‘outer-world’, our identify, our personality, our ego.  It represents how we ‘shine our light’ out into the world, the present moment, and our yang or masculine archetype expression. The Sun offers us strength, courage and illuminated insight of the Soul.

The Moon represents our ‘inner world’, our hidden emotions, desires, our shadow-self, our fears, worries and our dreams. It represents our feelings, our unconscious beliefs, the past and our yin or feminine archetype. The Moon offers us the ability to feel, learn from the past and unlock and express our essence.

“I want everybody I meet to remember me. Inside people’s memories, I can live forever.”

Axel’s starting weapon is called Ashes. I think the name actually refers to two mythological stories. The first myth is that of the Phoenix from Greek mythology. Axel’s iconic weapon, his Zero Gear, is Eternal Flames. Associated with the Sun, a Phoenix obtains new life by arising from the ashes of its predecessor. Because it is continuously reborn from its own death, the Phoenix also took on the characteristics of regeneration and immortality.

The Phoenix is a very important symbol in alchemy. Interestingly, many of Saix’s weapons relate to alchemy as well. The process to create the Philosopher’s Stone was called magnum opus, or the “great work”. It has four stages: nigredo (black), albedo (white), citrinitas (yellow), and rubedo (red). Birds are are used to represent the progression through the colors. The final stage was symbolized by the Phoenix. Three of Axel’s weapons in 358/2 Days are based on these alchemical stages.  

The Phoenix dies in a show of flames and Combustion. Its claim to fame is its ability to be reborn from the ashes of its former, who dies in a literal Blaze of Glory. This is one of only two weapons that Axel can upgrade to ++ status. In alchemy, nigredo, or blackness, means putrefaction or decomposition. Many alchemists believed that as a first step in the pathway to the Philosopher’s Stone, all alchemical ingredients had to be cleansed and cooked extensively to a uniform black matter. In psychology, the term became a metaphor for the “dark night of the soul”, when an individual confronts the shadow within.

Burnout represents albedo. It is a Latin term meaning “whiteness”. Following the chaos of the nigredo stage, the alchemist undergoes a purification in albedo, which involves the washing away of impurities. In this process, the subject is divided into two opposing principles to be later coagulated to form a unity of opposites during rubedo.

Outbreak is the weapon with the yellow rim. It represents citrinitas, a term given by alchemists to mean “yellowness.” It is a term used to refer to “transmutation of silver into gold” or “yellowing of the lunar consciousness.” In alchemical philosophy, citrinitas stood for the dawning of the “solar light” inherent in one’s being, and the idea that the reflective “lunar or soul light” was no longer necessary.

“Bet you don’t know why the sun sets red. You see, light is made up of lots of colors. And out of all those colors, red is the one that travels the farthest.”

Flame Liberator, Lea’s Keyblade actually represents the rubedo stage. It is a Latin word meaning “redness” that was adopted by alchemists to define the fourth and final major stage in their magnum opus. Both gold and the Philosopher’s Stone were associated with the color red, as rubedo signalled alchemical success, and the end of the great work.

The Phoenix represents the freeing of the spirit from the bounds of the physical. It builds its nest which at the same time is its funeral pyre, and then setting it alight cremates itself. But it arises anew from the ashes, transformed. The Phoenix now realizes the nature of the spiritual; he has in this sense attained the Philosopher’s Stone, the spiritual core of his being. The true self manifests in wholeness, a point in which a person discovers their true nature. The Sun is analogous to the soul transmuted and illuminated, representing the perfect union of spirit, soul and body; the Omega Trinity. This is the center point of equilibrium sought by the alchemists.

The second myth has to do with Axel’s title, Flurry of Dancing Flames.The Hindu god Shiva has many representations in art, but perhaps the most famous is as a dancing figure within a circle of flames known as Shiva Nataraja, or Lord of the Dance. His dance is called Tandava, and its symbol is Agni, or fire. Tandava, the masculine form of dance, is forceful, often manifesting anger. According to Hindu legend, Shiva almost signalled the end of this universe by performing this dangerous dance after the death of Sati.

Sati spurned the advances of rich kings to the point where she left for a forest to escape the constant proposals. Eventually Shiva consented to make her his bride. Elated, she went to share the news with her father. However, upon her father’s expression of his disapproval of her marriage, she immolated herself, praying to one day be reborn as a daughter to a father she could respect. When Sati self-immolated, Shiva couldn’t control his anger, pain and agony.

Unable to bear the loss of his wife, he covered his entire body with her ashes as a sign that she will be with him forever. He then went into meditation for many years, ignoring all his godly duties. It was not until Sati was reborn as the goddess Parvati that Shiva finally came out of meditation. Thus the Tandava symbolizes the cosmic cycles of creation and destruction, as well as birth and death.

This very is interesting because Saix also has Shiva imagery in his weapons. And one weapon’s etymology ALSO references an act of self-sacrifice…in a fire, no less. Hmm. Sounds like there was some kind of self-sacrifice story planned originally. Maybe Isa offered himself up to be experimented on to protect Lea?

Shiva and Parvati then merge together and exist as the same being called Ardhanarishvara. It is depicted as half-male and half-female, equally split down the middle. The right half is usually the male Shiva, illustrating his traditional attributes. Ardhanarishvara represents the synthesis of the masculine and feminine energies of the universe and illustrates how the female principle of the Goddess Parvati, is inseparable from Shiva, the male principle of God.

“A powerful djinn with control over scorching flames hot enough to turn the whole world to ashes.” —Dissidia Final Fantasy Summon Compendium

Ifrit is a very popular summon in the Final Fantasy series, associated with the element of Fire. Inferno is one of his strongest abilities. They are also supernatural creatures in Islamic culture. The Ifrit are a class of subterranean djinn and held to be death-spirits, drawn to the life-force or blood of a murdered victim, seeking revenge on the murderer.

“As long as we remember each other, we’ll never be apart. Got it memorized?”

Ifrit shares its shape with another weapon, Omega Trinity. Omega is the name of the Greek letter representing infinity, so the natural meaning would have to do with his vow to never be apart from his two friends. I do think that’s one of the meanings. However, hidden in the weapon’s shape is another meaning.

According to alchemy, the Tria Prima are the three substances of salt, sulfur, and mercury that make up all things. These chemical substances are said to have similar properties to the three celestial elements that flow out from the mind of God into creation. These forces correspond to divine trinities found in many religions, like Christianity.

When salt, sulfur, and mercury are combined, it creates what is called an alchemical marriage, the symbol of which is the Ouroboros. The Ouroboros is the snake eating its own tail in the shape of a circle, representing unity, eternity, and how the beginning and the end coincide. It is associated with the the idea that all-is-one; light and darkness, Sun and Moon, masculinity and femininity, etc. He is the bride and the groom, the beginning and the end, the Alpha and the Omega. If Ifrit represents death, then Omega Trinity represents rebirth.

“Living explosives, prone to destroying themselves along with their enemies with their powerful “Self-Destruct.” Bombs take the rage built up by being attacked and transform it into energy. This, in turn, makes them grow, sometimes to incredible sizes.” —Dissidia Final Fantasy Files

Many of his weapons refer to bombs or explosives. Bombs are also enemies in Final Fantasy. A Delayed Action bomb is an aerial bomb designed to explode some time after impact, with the bomb’s fuzes set to delay the explosion for times ranging from very brief to several weeks. 

“Go on, you just keep running. But I'll always be there to bring you back!”

A Dive-Bomber is a bomber aircraft that dives directly at its targets in order to provide greater accuracy for the bomb it drops. Diving towards the target simplifies the bomb’s trajectory and allows the pilot to keep visual contact throughout the bomb run. This weapon is one of the two that can be upgraded to ++ status, implying that it’s particularly important to his character.

I also couldn’t help but notice that many of Axel’s weapons were shaped like the symbols commonly used for the chakras. Even Lea’s frisbee shares this shape. Just as there are 7 colors, and 7 Guardians of Light, there are 7 chakras designated to each of the colors. Axel’s weapons are based on the red chakra, the Root chakra. This is the chakra of security. It is comprised of whatever grounds you to stability in your life. It is the most important and fundamental chakra. The Root Chakra provides the link between our energetic system and the physical world and is the base for our life force energy. When these energies are blocked, our vitality and zest for life are also compromised.

Delayed Action in particular seems to incorporate the smaller petal design of the second chakra into it as well, the Sacral chakra. Associated with the water element, it’s characterized by movement and flow in our emotions and thoughts. Its symbol is the Crescent Moon. It’s the center of our feelings and sensations. It’s particularly active in our sexuality and the expression of our sensual and sexual desires. 

Doldrums are areas around the earth centered slightly north of the equator between the two belts of trade winds. The large amount of solar radiation that arrives at the earth in this area causes intense heating of the land and ocean. This heating causes various forms of severe weather, such as thunderstorms and squalls. Hurricanes originate in this region. The doldrums are also noted for calms, periods when the winds disappear, trapping sailing vessels for days or weeks. Without doubt, the doldrums are probably one of the hottest places on Earth. In the doldrums, the Sun becomes a laser beam and sailors are exposed to raw, piercing heat from sunrise to sunset.

Moulin Rouge is French for “Red Mill”. It is a cabaret in Paris, France. Its iconic red windmill originally had a Sun in the center and a Crescent Moon at the top. The original house burned down in 1915 and the new house no longer has the Sun and Moon design on the windmill.

Ferris Wheels is probably a reference to the Disneyland attraction that opened as the Sun Wheel. 

Both Moulin Rouge and Ferris Wheels use the achemical symbol ☼ for gold. Gold was associated with Sun and was one of the most prominent alchemical symbols, representing spiritual, physical and mental perfection for human beings. 

The tips of the rays, however, have the same shape as one of the symbols for silver. ☽ is also one of the alchemical symbols for silver. It was one of the seven base metals to an alchemist and often associated with the Moon. Silver was believed to have feminine qualities and associated with purity. ☽☉ is the symbol for platinum. Alchemists thought that platinum was the mixture of gold and silver and that is why the symbol was created to look that way. 

Ferris Wheels looks like it is made of platinum. Moulin Rouge is the black and red weapon. Sol niger is a term in alchemy meaning black sun. It can refer to the first stage of the alchemical magnum opus, the nigredo. The black sun is used to illuminate the dissolution of the body, a blackening of matter, or putrefaction.

Lea: You know what? I’ll bring ‘em back myself.

Ienzo: Huh? How, exactly?

Lea: Why do I always get stuck with the icky jobs?

There are several other weapons that are either silver or platinum, and all are shaped like the Root chakra of security and stability. Ashes, the symbol of death is one. As well as being a Solar phenomena, Doldrums also refers to a dull, listless, or depressed mood. Dive-Bomber is the aircraft that dives directly at its target for greater accuracy. It is platinum with red tips. Inferno and Combustion are just red and black. They might be a symbol of Ifrit’s desire to avenge the murder victim and the Phoenix’s death at the pyre. Inferno is a also a perfect circle, symbolizing the cycle of death and rebirth. 

And all the weapons have the “X” symbol incorporated into them. This is probably a reference to Saix and Axel’s relationship throughout the game. The only exception is Delayed Action. The bomb that doesn’t detonate right away. It it has black petals with red dots in them. A sign of rubedo within nigredo? It’s also shaped like the sensual Sacral chakra. Oh, I get it. That kind of delayed action.

Magma Ocean is shaped like a red and black yin-yang. You can even see the dots as a reference for the design. Yin and yang are two sides of a dualism. Yin is passive, feminine, and subdued. Yang, in contrast, is active, masculine, and expressive. You can use any color to represent yin or yang, so long as you can bring out the contrast. In Chinese culture, Red is a very positive color representing good fortune and joy. Black represents stability, calmness, the unknown and that which is dormant.

The actual term magma ocean refers to a theory of planetary formation. In the last giant impact, the Earth was struck by an object the size of Mars. This impact is believed to have formed the Moon. The Moon-forming impact was most likely the origin of the last major, deep and global magma ocean on Earth. Magma oceans may survive for millions to tens of millions of years.

Corona and Prominence refer to two specific Solar phenomena. Solar prominence refers to the glowing, red loops of plasma that extend outward from the photosphere, the lowest layer of the sun’s atmosphere. The corona is the outermost part of the Sun’s atmosphere. The corona is usually hidden by the bright light of the Sun’s surface. It is only during a total solar eclipse that the Sun’s corona and prominence are visible to the naked eye. In other words, it is only when the Sun and Moon are directly aligned that you can see these features of the Sun;s light. Prominence is Axel’s Zero Gear, a weapon said to draw forth its wielder’s true worth.

I also noticed that some of his weapons are purple, a color not usually associated with Axel. Wildfire and Double Edge are the purple ones. Wildfire also incorporates the color silver into its design, symbolizing a union with the Moon. Double-edged means something having two contradictory aspects or outcomes. Wildfire is actually called Rapid Spinner in Japanese, a reference to the chakras.

The Sanskrit word chakra literally translates to wheel or disk. In yoga, this term refers to the swirling wheels of energy throughout the body. The Third Eye corresponds to the colors violet, indigo or deep blue. It is considered the eye of intuition and intellect. This chakra has two lotus petals dedicated to the Sun, the other to the Moon (e.g. light and dark, or male and female) merged at the center.

The sixth chakra occurs exactly where the bindi is placed. A bindi is a decorative mark worn in the middle of the forehead by Indian women. In Hindu metaphysics, Bindu is considered the dot or point at which creation begins and may become unity. The bindi’s purpose is to enhance the powers of this chakra, specifically by facilitating one’s ability to access their inner wisdom, allowing them to see the world and interpret things in a truthful, unbiased manner. It is at the point of the Third Eye that the two main energy streams in the body are said to terminate and merge with the central channel, signifying the end of duality. The symbol for this chakra is the syllable OM, and the presiding deity is Ardhanarishvara, who is the half male, half female Shiva.

The bindi, especially a red-colored one, also serves as an auspicious sign of marriage. As the Hindu bride steps over the threshold of her husband’s home, her red bindi is believed to usher in prosperity and grant her a place as the family’s newest guardian. In Hinduism, the color red represents honor, love, and prosperity; hence it was worn to symbolize these qualities. One of the red weapons is named Corona, which also means crown of the head. In Japanese this weapon is called Crowning. A topor is a type of conical headgear traditionally worn by grooms as part of a Hindu wedding ceremony. According to a legend, the Topor was created because lord Shiva wanted a special crown for his wedding ceremony.

Prometheus, in Greek mythology, is one of the Titans, the supreme trickster, and a god of fire. His intellectual side was emphasized and he was considered a forward thinker. Prometheus lit a torch from the Sun and brought it back to man. However, Zeus was enraged that man again had fire. He decided to inflict a terrible punishment on both man and Prometheus. Saix’s weapons are all about astrology (and alchemy). Axel is the only other character whose weapon references a god associated with a specific Zodiac sign. So I think it’s fair to make the connection.

Prometheus represents Aquarius. Aquarius people are the visionaries of the zodiac. Aquarius rules emotional detachment, unpredictable energy and rebellion. Those of the Aquarius zodiac sign are humanitarian, philanthropic, and keenly interested in making the world a better place. They are also quick to engage others in this process, which is why they have so many friends and acquaintances. Aquarius is the most humanitarian astrological sign.

Aquarians are one of the most friendly and entertaining signs of the zodiac, and thus they can be  fun to spend time with. Their eccentric and empathetic nature leads them to be great advice givers, always happy and excited to help those in need as well as to have a listening ear. They make great friends, and work hard so that more introverted signs can come out of their shells. Their curiosity with the world means that they are always willing to accompany friends into new adventures. They are also generous givers, so if you are ever in need, an Aquarian will not hesitate to share whatever they have with you.

Aquarius can be eccentric and energetic. They are deep thinkers and highly intellectual people. They are able to see without prejudice, on both sides, which makes them people who can easily solve problems. If there is no mental stimulation, they are bored and lack motivation to achieve the best result. Although they can easily adapt to the energy that surrounds them, Aquarius-born have a deep need to be alone and away from everything sometimes, in order to restore their energy. 

Despite their friendly nature, they have a reputation for being outsiders - ones that cooly observe society, while sometimes also feeling detached from the systems that run it. Although they can be quite aloof, they are also deeply concerned with humanitarian causes. Aquarians tend to care very much for the welfare of others and society as a whole. 

Loyalty and honesty are two of the most important traits an Aquarius will look for when choosing who they like to spend time with. Aquarius will do anything for a loved one to the point of self-sacrifice if necessary. Freedom is important to Aquarians, which is why they like to keep things light on an interpersonal level. Amiable and cheery by disposition, Aquarius-born tend to have a plenty of social charm.

Although Aquarius-born are communicative, they need time to get close to people. Considering that they are highly sensitive people, closeness to them means vulnerability. They may have a lot of acquaintances, but many have very few close friends. Aquarians easily make friends with any other sign of the zodiac, but their friendship is particularly appreciated by the more quiet signs - as their extroversion can balance the other’s introversion, and bring the quieter person into larger groups.

Axel’s weapon Prometheus is actually shaped like the symbol for Mars ♂. It represents his weapon, the lance, which the astrological symbol is based on. Mars is also known as the “Red Planet”. The counterpart of Mars among the Greek gods is Ares, of the zodiac sign Aries. 

Thanks to its ruling planet Mars and the fact it belongs to the element of Fire, Aries is one of the most active zodiac signs. It is in their nature to take action, sometimes before they think it through. Its representatives are naturally brave and rarely afraid of trial or risk. They possess youthful strength and energy, regardless of their age and quickly perform any given tasks. Aries never does anything half-heartedly, so if you are spending time with someone under the Aries zodiac sign then you will feel the full force of their zest for life.

An Aries is ready to be the hero of the day, fly away and carry many endangered, powerless people on their back. Those under Aries often have a very positive attitude and are less inclined to feel pity for themselves than some other signs. At times they can be quite hot headed, given their propensity to seek out justice. If harnessed properly, the fire that burns inside them is something that will fuel their actions, and will push them to become defenders of both themselves and others.

You know what’s really interesting? Saix has a weapon that matches Axel’s Prometheus. It’s called Horoscope. It’s shaped like the astrological symbol ♀ for Venus, and it has the Mars symbol going straight through it. This weapon is one of only two that Saix can be upgrade to ++ status, so it is implied to be very important to his character. It’s pretty and pink and it even has a shape reminiscent of a spiky seashell. One of Venus’ iconic symbols is the seashell. And the middle part is gold, for the net of Vulcan.

There is a well-known myth concerning the forbidden love affair between Venus and Mars. Venus was the goddess of love and beauty, and was considered the fairest of all the goddesses. Venus was married to Vulcan, the god of fire and the forge. Vulcan was notoriously ugly – one of the ugliest of the gods.

At one point, Venus took up an affair with Vulcan’s brother, Mars. Handsome, young, and clean-built, he is irresistible to her, and they make passionate love in Vulcan's marriage bed. When he learned of the relationship, Vulcan was outraged and he crafted an unbreakable golden net to trap the adulterers. According to the legends, whenever Venus had an affair, Vulcan would get so angry he would erupt a volcano. This is supposedly the reason there are so many volcanoes. Hmm, if this was supposed to be a horoscope...

...It’s funny, because Axel has a weapon that is actually named Volcanics. It shares a shape with Prominence, his Pandora’s Gear and his Mystery Gear, Conformer. They are shaped like a symbol used in Buddhism and Hinduism known as a Manji (Japanese for whirlwind). Conformer is called Fuma Shuriken in the Japanese version. “Fuma” translates to “wind demon” in English. So it is literally the wind demon shuriken.

The Manji is a symbol representing the harmonious interplay of opposites. The horizontal line unites light and darkness, while the perpendicular line symbolically connects heaven and earth. These two combine to form a cross representing the universe in harmony beyond the limits of time and space. In Hinduism, the symbol with arms pointing clockwise (Ura), symbolizes the Sun, prosperity and good luck, while the counterclockwise symbol (Omote) symbolizes night. All of Axel’s weapons are Ura, of course.

Also, if you look in the middle of them both, you see that Volcanics has a ⊕ , the Sun Cross symbol. And the Fuma Shuriken has a Recusant’s Sigil in the middle. The “X” of death. Mystery Gear is supposed to bring out one’s true personality, so what does that say about him? 

…Phew, I guess that covers it. This meta took me like a month to make. There is no way that the writers put that much symbolism in if Saix and Axel were not viewed, at least internally by the staff, as a romantic couple. This officially proved it to me. Beyond a shadow of a doubt.

[tomasorban]

Fallen into Milk

As Burkert has rightly suggested, Pythagorean, Orphic and Bacchic mysteries might best be understood as distinctly overlapping religious domains. While minimalist scholars have tended to play down any suggested connection between Pythagoreanism, Orphism and Bacchic cultus, the discovery of new evidence—notably the gold plate uncovered at Valentia in southern Italy in 1969—provides a positive and incontrovertible link between Orphic and Dionysian ritual and an initiation to immortality through death and revivification.  The process—mirroring on an individual level the cosmic journey undergone by the Egyptian solar divinity—is clear: it is inaugurated by a katabasis or descensus into the underworld. The full implications of this have been drawn out most adeptly by Peter Kingsley, who situates the gold lamallae—and the related Bacchic and Pythagorean mysteries—precisely in the context of initiatory rebirth symbolism.

Among the bewildering complex of overlapping evidence for underworldly initiation, one textual fragment strikes a note of resonance that enables us to tie together a number of important threads. In an Orphic lamella discovered in a tumulus at Thurii (southern Italy), the Bacchic initiate is identified as a kid (eriphos, a young goat), signifying the renatus regenerated from initiatory death and nourished by the milk that flows from the breasts of the goddess (in this case, Persephone). Inscribed upon a thin sheet of gold, the inscription runs:

theos egenou ex anthrōpo. eriphos es gala epetes

You have become a god instead of a mortal. A kid you fell into milk. 

Here, falling es gala, ‘into milk’ suggests a deeper cosmological coherence. The Greek word for milk—gala—gives us our word for galaxy because it was originally applied to the ‘milky way’ (gala, ‘milk’; galaktos, ‘galaxy’; the via lactea). To fall “into milk” takes on the additional meaning of “diving into the stars” and thus of joining one’s primordial, divine lineage. In effect, the milk of the goddess and the stars of the milky way are identical realities and the initiate’s descent into the underworld is simultaneously an ascent into the nocturnal heavens.  

This motif of falling into milk to become a god, along with milk as an Urelement that provides the newborn divinity with its essential nourishment, brings us directly into contact with the deification motif of the magical papyri: drowning—literally, apotheosis—in the milk of a black cow. Through these connections—deification in milk, rebirth, being suckled by a goddess—we begin to discern the significance that ingesting a divine substance—an entheon—holds for the process of apotheosis; at the same time, we realise that it is explicity bound to the process of initiatic death. All of this points to a very particular paradox lying at the heart of initiation: just as one must die to be reborn, so too is it apparent that the means by which one is killed is also a deifying source of nourishment. This explains why, in the Pythagorean, Orphic and Bacchic katabasis, it is Persephone, the queen of the underworld, who plays the role of divine wet-nurse and initiatrix.

Heimarmenē

One further point needs to be made to properly understand the meaning of falling into the goddess’ galactic milk. The galaxy specifically represents the domain of fixed stars that lie beyond the seven wandering stars (the planetēs or planets, which in traditional cosmology were seen to govern fate in the sublunary realm). The integration of the initiate into the primordial, celestial lineage is thus tantamount to overcoming the phenomenon of astral fatality—heimarmenē—transcending thereby the seven ontological levels of the hermetic cosmos. This is the deeper meaning of the voces magicae. The magician demonstrates his mastery over astral fatality by singing the seven descending and ascending vowels, sinking into fatality from above and rising above it from below. In effect, the initiate willingly drowns to be deified because, at the root of the septenary, but also beyond it, lies its transcending culmination—its alpha and omega. Beyond the seven lies the eight—the octave or ogdoad—the eight hypostases of the god Nun that form the roots of Egyptian cosmogony and into which both the dead and the divine sink in order to be regenerated.

This distinction between astral fatality (the seven planets) and astral immortality (the fixed stars) is symbolically replicated in the choice of waters offered to the Orphic initiate. Repeated references in the gold lamellae to the Lake of Memory allude to the topography of the Greek underworld. The soul arrives “parched with thirst and dying” and a choice between two rivers confronts the deceased. On the left is the river Lethe (the waters of forgetfulness), which wipes one’s memory clean and casts one back into the cycle of incarnations to live out another embodied life in the “heavy, difficult circle” (kyklo barypentheos argaleoio; cf. samsara). On the right is another river, which enables memory, for its waters are those of anamnesis. The memory afforded by this water, however, is of a specific kind: it is not the memory of common, accumulated, human knowledge, but of the soul’s knowledge: a knowledge of one’s true, eternal and divine nature, which is not earthly but sidereal.

In several of the gold lamellae, the Orphic initiate is admonished to “drink from the water of the river on the right,” and it is evident that this remembrance―this gnosis of one’s divine origin—is tantamount to apotheosis. As such, gnosis equates to victory over the forces of forgetfulness induced by the process of incarnation. For the descent into matter corresponds to amnesia (amnēsis) of one’s divine nature, just as ascent corresponds to its remembrance. Plato, writing after the Orphics but before the Gnostics, affirms the same essential motif as a philosophical doctrine: knowledge is memory. Moreover, with Plato the fact is found encoded in the Greek word for ‘truth’—alētheia—literally, ‘freedom from forgetfulness,’ where the alpha privatum signifies ‘absence of’ or ‘freedom from’ the condition of lētheia, i.e. Lethe, (the river of) ‘forgetfulness.’

The astral or sidereal dimension is emphasised throughout the Orphic Totenpässe. Indeed, identification with one’s sidereal lineage forms the key to the process of immortalisation; the Orphic texts specifically and repeatedly admonish the initiate to proclaim their astral geniture in order to be able to drink of the immortalising waters of anamnēsis (Mnemosyne, the well of memory). To the guards who protect the well, the initiate is specifically admonished to proclaim:

I am a child of Earth and starry Sky, but my race is heavenly. You yourselves know this. I am parched with thirst and am dying; but quickly grant me cold water flowing from the Lake of Memory.

A lengthier lamella runs as follows:

This is the work of Memory, when you are about to die down to the well-built house of Hades. There is a spring at the right side, and standing by it a white cypress. Descending to it, the souls of the dead refresh themselves. Do not even go near this spring! Ahead you will find the Lake of Memory, cold water pouring forth; there are guards before it. They will ask you, with astute wisdom, what you are seeking in the darkness of murky Hades. Say, “I am a son of Earth and starry Sky, I am parched with thirst and dying; but quickly grant me cold water from the Lake of Memory to drink.” And they will announce you to the Chthonian King, and they will grant you to drink from the Lake of Memory. And you, too, having drunk, will go along the sacred road on which other glorious initiates and bacchoi travel.

Such remarks draw out the duality of human nature, described here as part mortal (Gē pais eimi, “I am a son of earth”) and part divine (Ouranou asteroentos, “of starry heaven”). Clearly, to realise—to have gnosis—that one’s true race (genē) is “of heaven alone” is to re-orient oneself toward one’s sidereal and Ouranian genus rather than one’s human and earthly genesis. Falling “into milk” thus bears not only a linguistic but a symbolic coherence with the concept of celestial immortality.

To conclude our discussion of the goddess as galactic matrix of apotheosis and to tie it into the evidence adduced for the sun’s journey through underworld, it should be noted that the essential identity of the Pythagorean, Orphic and Bacchic Totenpässe on one hand, and the Egyptian Unterweltsbücher on the other, becomes all the more clear when we recognise that the solar journey passed through the body of the goddess Nut (night). Whether it progressed through the celestial world or the underworld, the sun’s procession was always conceived as proceeding through water (the divine entourage was depicted traversing the depths and heights of cosmos on barques).

Conclusion

In the rite from the magical papyri with which we began, the galactic “river” of the milky way, the celestial mirror of the Nile, is specifically evoked through the power of Orion, “who causes the currents of the Nile to roll down and mingle with the sea.” For just as the Nile was the source of all fertility on earth, so too was the galaxy of milky stars a deeper, cosmic reflection of the same nourishing life-force. In this way, the Egyptians and Orphics alike affirmed an essential, fluid continuity between the heavens, the earth, and the underworld. Here, the fertile character of Nile and the immortal character of the heavens themselves proceeded precisely from their still deeper connection to the primordial regenerating source of all being: the cosmogonic waters of Nun.

Given the foregoing, the essence of the PGM rite may be seen to reside precisely in the role of the feminine numen as a matrix for apotheosis. As Evola emphasises, “a very widespread symbolism has seen in woman a vivifying and transfiguring power, through which it is possible to overcome the human condition.” The divine via lactea, moreover, also represents the galaxy—the river of fixed stars—the white which is born from the midst of the perfect black. Just as the primordial darkness, the ocean of Nun, bears the river of eternal stars, so too are the waters of final dissolution also those of primordial deification. Initium is telos. Just as Dante’s ascent to heaven required a descent into the inferno and only proceeded upwards once he had reached the cosmic nadir—the centre of the earth, the core of hell—so too, at the root of Orphic, Egyptian and alchemical cosmology lies the perception that the underworldly journey is the gate to a celestial journey. Both seek to dive into the river of rejuvenating milk by descending into the de-existentiating darkness of the underworld. And yet it is clear that the underworld is only the realm of death for mortals (with the further implication that mortality is a moral state); for those of celestial origin, it is a path home: a gate to the eternal.

[freechoicedreamer]

Body and Soul (Ch.1)

AO3

Opening theme

For the almost 1.5 million inhabitants of Maine, whose capital is Augusta, autumn continues its natural course indifferent to an equally natural autumnal course overlapping theirs in that same - albeit another - Maine, one where enchanted lands and waters, paradoxically so close yet so far away from them, constitute the United Realms, whose capital is Storybrooke. In these magic domains, isolated from theirs by an invisible barrier, autumn follows an especially ‘sweet’ summertime that brought together Wish Killian and Wish Emma to their new home, in Storybrooke. Their arrival in the town inaugurated a period of unprecedented harmony whose intensity, while vibrating in frequencies of light, peace and love, foreshadows other frequencies, warped in the shadows, synchronized with disharmony, conflicts and challenges. Although the citizens' awareness is still oblivious to these hidden plots, the subtle energies of intuition are already being activated at a collective unconscious level, as if to prepare everyone for what is coming…

*

Storybrooke, the Swan-Jones home, late at night

Silence is not an absolute quantity and does not necessarily translate into a sound scale. Silence may be the state of two souls at rest, peacefully floating and dancing in an atmosphere that is vibrating in harmony with Billie Holiday's voice echoing with her orchestra in the dimness of the room in almost silent quietude. Silence may be the calmness of two naked bodies relaxing after their fusion in a rite of love. And in silence is how Emma and Killian, lying on their bed, communicate in this autumnal night: without words, simply two lives synchronized by the beating of their hearts deeply and eternally enamored with each other.

“... You know I'm yours for just the taking Oh I tell you I mean it…”

"… I'm all for you, body and soul!"

Breaking their silence but not out of the pace, Killian sings softly and along while turning to Emma, who smiles back at him, snuggling into his arms.

"And in what distant fields was the fertile mind of yours wandering, out of this body and soul that is so all for me, may I know?" Emma asks mischievously.

“Quite impressive, Swan, you almost hit the mark”, he nods admired, “the fertile mind of mine, out of this body and soul so very much all for you, was wandering in Persephone’s gardens”, he continues, muttering enigmatically with a slight wink, “but let Zelena not hear us!”

After a pause reflecting on Killian's last words, Emma smiles with the satisfaction of who deciphered a riddle. “You mean in the garden of Hades’ wife - actually, Hades's widow”, she corrects herself before concluding, “in the Underworld, isn’t it?”

“Aye, it is indeed. Persephone’s myth has been always associated with Hades’ although, obviously, by the time he disintegrated they were not together anymore,” he conjectures. Then, elaborating more for an attentive and inquiring Emma, he clarifies, “You see, Zelena may have been Hades' True Love, the one that unleashed the curse on his heart, but in the perspective of his very long – and now we know - quasi-immortal life, she was not his only love. In fact, we can't dismiss the importance of Persephone in his story - he committed a lot of insanity for her sake, even though his ‘love’ for her may be morally questionable and deeply driven by bad form.  Of course, the moral compass for gods is based on a different standard than that for mortals but… I have known Zeus, Poseidon and Hades so, in my own way, I can draw parallels and state that, knowing Hades as I did, none of his well-known behavior surprises me. Hades was inclined to abuse and cruelty. And I could add: taking Persephone’s myth as a reference, inclined to non-consenting sex, driven by an egoism that is characteristic of serious personality deviations. Even his ‘true love’ for Zelena was not able to bring out the best of him; on the contrary, it was able to accentuate his worst side. Our good Cricket, Dr. Hopper, would have had a unique opportunity in Hades to study the nature and origin of many mental illnesses. At least, I guess, in his own distorted way, he truly loved Zelena and Persephone. And that leads us back to Persephone and why I was thinking of her garden.”

After Emma's expectant nod, he goes on to explain: “Based on my knowledge of Greek mythology, she used to spend six months of the year as queen of the Underworld alternating with the other six months on Earth and Olympus. What I'm not sure about is why or when she broke this cycle of alternating permanence between worlds. I’m not even sure if she really broke it. That's because the Underworld, as we have known it, is only a tiny fraction of an infinitely larger kingdom; we only got to know a Decayed Storybrooke, Underbrooke, built by Hades to impress Zelena.”

Stopping to absently curly a lock of Emma’s blond hair spread on his arm, Killian reaches out to turn off the playlist and thus, more literally, to plunge with her into the deep silence of the night with all the chirping and chilling it brings. Hugging tight his wife as if seeking courage and warmth to continue, he then whispers: “You know, Billie Holiday's piercing voice chanting such meaningful words ignited the memories of my unique experience of stripping myself of my body and finding myself in my essence, in my soul - in other words, my experience of dying. And then, from thinking about the life-death dichotomy to strolling around Persephone's gardens only took a small leap of thought, I guess…”

There are silences that precede confessions; there are silences that anticipate the intimacy and complicity of knowing how to listen, in silence. The silence that followed Killian's words was broken, this time, by Emma. Nestling in his hug she magically covers their bodies with a blanket, closes her eyes to focus her attention on his next words, and says warmly “I’m listening…” thus giving him the comfort and the pass to continue.

Though unresponsive at first, Killian also closes his eyes, searching for the thread that will lead him to the recently interrupted thoughts. Finding them, he reopens his eyes, fixes his gaze on the ceiling as if it were a huge canvas ready to receive the vivid strokes of a painting, and re-starts:

“Persephone is closely associated with both death and rebirth because of the alternation of the autumn-winter season, while she is in the Underworld, and spring-summer when she returns to the world. As a result she has been portrayed as a liminal figure, a symbol of the inexorability of life and death. There is a poem, the one I was thinking about when you asked me where my mind was, written by an English poet, Swinburne, that explores this complementary nature of life and death. He draws a comparison between this garden in the Underworld, associated with Persephone (whom he calls Proserpine), and earthly life. He describes the Garden as a place where the world is quiet and peaceful - although in a comparison seemingly less favorable to the Garden. I mean, while Earth is colorful and productive the Garden is pale, deathly, and incapable of sustaining life.”

A new pause follows, as if he is not sure if she is still with him, thus a new propelling impulse comes from Emma: “And… so?”

“So, while the flowers in the Garden are necessarily bloom-less,” he continues, “the flowers of the Earth are periodically bloom-less during the winter, implying that life is full of little deaths, so to speak, because everything in life is temporary. Everything in nature is constantly cycling similarly to how, inevitably, Persephone alternates from death to life every year, or at least, to how she used to do. Anyway, because of this inevitability of death being a part of life, I believe that an immortal goddess such as Persephone inevitably would keep her cyclic dwelling. Even though we haven’t seen her during our stay in the Underworld, I believe we should (have seen) because by that time it was winter on Earth, maybe she was in another sector of the Underworld. You know, Swan, having been there as a soul without a body, as a bloom-less flower, sometimes makes this old ‘man wander…”

There are silences that foretell a response that is up to long and reverent silences and expresses the impulses dictated by the deepest layers of the heart, such as in Emma’s reply while stroking his chest hair, randomly combing it:

“Oh Killian, my adored dashing rapscallion pirate, I did not experience death on my skin as you did, but… as the other side of the same coin, I can imagine the impact it has had on you based on the impact it has had on me. I say this because the trauma extended to me, an active instrument for all that drama to unfold. Truth is: I went through many stages of regret, sorrow and grief, that I did, but it was your soul that endured the worst part, the torture imposed by Hades added to your own regret, sorrow and grief. It was your soul that went through the death of your body, but… you also went through the plenitude of experiencing your body's resurrection, your rebirth, which brought fullness and eternal happiness to my soul - and to my body, by the way...” She smiles, pensive, before concluding, “You see, I feel that as a result of death or of the simple passage of time, life, like a flower, or like a young skin, eventually finds its end, but we are living proof that love transcends human life and is eternal. Besides, your description of Persephone as a harbinger of death is contrasted with her association with spring and rebirth, never forget that...”

“Never, Emma, never…” he sighs and completes: “I think it is time to sleep, my love, have sweet dreams, Swan,” followed by a slow kiss on her strawberry scented hair as they both board the sleeping ship that will rock them for the rest of the night.

“Good night, Killian, while it's still night and we still can sleep at least for a little while… Soon, our solar child will come to cheer us up!” Emma remembers with a yawn before immersing herself into dreamland.

Storybrooke, the Sweet-Jones home, early in the morning

Storybrooke is waking up as slowly as the sun, whose first rays still don't compete with the glow of the streetlamps. Despite that, as the recent beginning of the school year officially marked the end of summer, in student-friendly homes the day's movement has already begun. In the streets, the first passers-by have quietly started to circulate – mainly workers who, from behind the scenes at the bakery, at Grannys' diner and at the docks’ cafeteria, will set the stages for another day's curtains to open.

Yawning, Emma inhales and exhales slowly her good morning before stating that “the days are already taking longer to dawn and the mornings are much cooler. I had almost forgotten what autumn mornings were like”. She then looks up at the grey sky through the window curtain, over their bed, feeling Killian's movement beside her as he turns his head towards the window and pulls an extra blanket over them, nestling in the warmth of her arms as he mutters “and our bed gets warmer and inviting for a morning love session, don't you think?”

“That would be great but I need to pee first,'' Emma replies with a peck on Killain's lips while uncovering and getting off the bed. The abrupt gesture of getting up quickly, however, causes Emma to lean against the headboard slowly, as if unsure of her surroundings, as if fearing to lose her balance and fall to the floor.

With a shout, “EMMA!” and a lightning jump, Killian rushes to catch her. "What is happening, love?"

"I’m dizzy," replies a completely pale Emma, "the vision darkened, then brightened, and is now red with little lilac spots flashing."

Killian helps her lie down, adjusting the pillows so that her body is slightly raised. "Just lie down a bit, love, I'll get you a glass of water and will be back in half a minute."

With her body still shaking, Emma reaches out her cold hands to take the glass of water with a trembling "thank you".

"Still dizzy?"

"No, it's gone, but I'm shaky and still needing to pee, will you help me, please?"

"Sure, lean on me... Hey Luna, good morning Missy, excuse me, you two!" he says kicking the two pets lightly.

"Not now, girls," Emma also addresses them as they follow closely while she creeps under Killian's support, "wait a bit and we'll get you some attention and your breakfast potions, okay?”

…

One hour and a shower shared with Killian later, Luna and Missy are already fed and Emma feels much better. Her morning uneasiness is just a reminder now, a topic of conversation over a frugal breakfast — just tea, juice, toast with jam and some light fruits - to keep from weighing in on her stomach. Still worried, Killian insists on persuading her to see a doctor this same day, but she doesn’t think it’s necessary, not yet.

"Killian, we have talked about this and, hypothetically, considered the possibility... Since our encounter at Hearty Island, we have been making love on a daily basis completely and utterly unprotected and without attention to my fertile periods." Taking another sip of her juice and already teary-eyed, Emma continues with a voice choked with emotion, "It has been amazing but we have always been aware of the risks. So, my period is long overdue, though my cycle used to be punctually lunar. Adding to that: the need to urinate more often, my aching breasts and this morning dizziness, and... "she can't even finish the sentence, cutting it with a loud sob and bending down her head.

Taking her hands to hold them tenderly and lifting her chin to look into her eyes, Killian whispers, "Emma, Sweet, listen to me. If what we suspect is true… this means that our life will be complete with a new life, the product of our love. This little miracle of creation is a divine blessing that you and I will embrace with gratitude and love. I know it is scary, believe me, I am scared too, but we are in this together. If you trust your intuition and what your body is telling you through so many signs, who am I to not trust you too. It’s just…It is one thing to guess around hypotheses; it is another to look reality in the face. As incredible and wonderful as it may be, it is natural that the magnitude of this huge reality takes us by surprise. It’s just telling us that it is happening!!” At that, as if realizing for the first time the dimension of the facts, he also begins to cry, almost sobbing too, “it’s happening, Emma… you see, for me, despite the deep love I feel for Alice, despite the wonderful parenting experience she brings me, experiencing pregnancy with you, my love, is an infinite grace that I cannot describe with words. It’s unbelievable yet true, our little bean or… would be beans…?” he tilts his head and raises an eyebrow, looking at her belly pensive, before concluding “…the bean - or the beans, is/are already here, with us!" A smiling Killian then gets up from his chair, kneels before Emma in reverence, caresses her belly with adoration and lays his head on her lap, holding her legs and crying silently while her fingers absently comb his hair and tears run serenely down her face. They stay in this position for a few more minutes until they get up and head for the sofa in the living room, which welcomes them like a mother's warm lap. Cautiously, Luna and Missy approach and join them, snuggling into their favorite pillows.

…

“Thank you, Killian Rogers Jones, for being an active part in making, with me, this dream come true.” Emma confides, after having processed the news for a little while. “You know, even with my biological clock still in full swing, it is a gods’ blessing to revisit motherhood now, 39 years old, and to enjoy the privilege of having you as a partner in such unique adventure. I was so young, so naive and inexperienced when Henry was born. Everything was so... different from now. You know, I feel like I’m living another life, as if my soul has reincarnated in my own body bringing with me another worldview while keeping the memories of my past life. From them, I keep a wonderful son, who is now a young adult discovering romantic love with his Violet, many good friends from a transformed realm, and the longing of those who have gone to the afterlife. And in the present life, after having found my true love, a new home, a daughter, two daughters in law, a new family, new friends, two pets… receiving now the grace of a new baby overflows my heart with happiness. And I concede, you're right; I'll soon consult with a doctor to unravel the mystery you have just planted in my brain with this creative and imaginative mind of yours, this 'hypothesis' of twins!” She reckons mischievously.

“Right, right,” Killian gets up, feeling like entering a new configuration of time and space, and helps her up, hugging her tightly and protectively, as if instinctively he needed to make sure that she and the baby were safe from any threat. "I would suggest to keep the news only between us until we go see a doctor but… since I don't know too much regarding Storybrooke's healthcare system, it might be good to share the news with Emma Swan or Snow, I'm sure one of them, or both, will lead you in the best direction to be taken. I remember hearing someone commenting about the Minister of Health, Dr. Victor Whale, a general practitioner, like the doctor who everybody used to call in any emergency. Ah! Killian once mentioned something about his origins, a sort of Dr. Frankenstein tale, but it seems that said Doctor has modernized himself and is, in fact, very competent and reliable. Anyway, we’ll find out."

“We may find out sooner than you thought”, Emma ponders. "That’s because I was planning to go grocery shopping this morning and, after that, having lunch at Grannys'. That could be an opportunity to invite Emma, or maybe even the Swan-Joneses, thus including the whole pack, to lunch there with us. I see no problem in sharing the news with them all, so you and Killian – and Hope, could be there too.” With the sound of what she just said, she adds, “It is still weird when we refer to them with our names, and that is practically inevitable, since their names are our names too. Perhaps, in addition to meeting them and their sweet little child we both adore so much,“ she pauses to dream of the adorable girl for a bit, “we could practice with the names she taught us: her mom is Emma, I'm (aunt) Emm, her dad is Killian and you're (uncle) Key! What do you think? I’m thinking about starting to call you Key, it kind of suits you, you know…”

“Actually, I don’t know… but it doesn’t matter. You see, I used to be called Hook, then Rogers, now Key… What I mean is whatever name we use for calling ourselves won’t change who we are. So, we can do that, no problem, why not? But, when we are alone, I’m Killian and you are Emma, okay? Other than that, thinking on practicalities, you are right, my dear Emm!” Killian agrees with a wink.

Awakening at the same time from their nap, Luna and Missy get up from their pillows and utter happy meows and barks of approval.

Storybrooke, Grannies', lunch time

From the head of the table, with Mommy and Daddy on her right, and Uncle Key and Aunt Emm on the left, a very talkative Hope brightens the scene and reigns over the conversation.  "Mommy, please, tomorrow's lunch has to be at Aunt Emm’s, cause Luna and Missy cannot be alone…” she tells Emma and then, turning to Emm, she asks: “you promise they're alright, Aunt Emm?”

“I promise, honey,” Emm answers reassuringly. “This morning Uncle Key and I took them for a little walk before he went to work – with your dad - and I went to the grocery store. They ran a lot during our walk and I think they got tired. When we got back home they had lunch and needed to rest - they love to take a nap because they weren't used to a colder weather. You know, before, on the island where we lived, the weather was always warm during the day and only at night, sometimes, a little cold..."

"I know! I remember the island!" Hope exclaims waving her little hands excitedly. "I went flying over there a lot, and I knew that Uncle Key was bringing you home!" The four adults don’t say any questioning word but exchange significant glimpses, multiple raised eyebrows and slight smiles at the girl’s words, reacting as naturally as they must to her unexpected tirade.

“About that…”, Key clears his throat and scratches behind his ear before resuming the conversation, "about bringing new beings to live among us," he smiles reluctantly, glancing over at Emma, Killian and Emm and, even more timidly over Hope, "Emm and I would like to share some good news with you..." he pauses to look at them, reticent.

“Wait a minute,” Killian cuts him, “Does this mean what I think it means? Guys, that’s great news, congratulations you two!!” Killian exclaims stretching over the table to pat Key on the back, “welcome back aboard the baby parenting club, mate!!”

“I’m so happy for you two!!” Emma also reaches out to hold Emm’s hands, both women nearly crying, “These are great news on so many levels, you know? Each new life is a new promise of more life cycles to come. I'm sure you'll be immensely happy with the arrival of your baby... Hey, that means…” she thinks for a bit and then adds, “I think it'll be around spring of next year, isn’t it? Do you know the due date?"

“Thanks for your support, Emma, it means the world to us,” Emm responds, “and no, we don’t know the due date. Actually, we don’t know for sure about the pregnancy, I mean, technically sure, because we haven’t seen a doctor yet neither used any domestic test. But the evidence is too strong for us to deny it. You see, despite our intense activity we never used any kind of prevention or protection and there have been so many reliable pregnancy signals lately, all of them practically pointing towards a ‘positive’ result that they left us with no doubt. I mean, morning dizziness, check; extra sensitive breast, check; my highly emotional mood – much more than usual, Key has been really patient with me, check; and my late period when the usual is a punctual lunar cycle… check!”

“Don’t I know that? Perfectly lunar cycles, a patient Killian… check!” Emma winks reassuringly, with the complicity that only non-wish and wish people could understand, and then proceeds, “look, it will be a pleasure to help you with these formalities and technicalities on your first steps into pregnancy in a modern world. You could make an appointment with the same doctor who accompanied me, Dr. Maturin, he was great with us: really competent and considerate, a nice person. Like almost all of us here, Dr. Stephen Maturin is known outside our realms as a book (and movie) character - in his case, from a series of nautical tales. Anyway, it was his navy-related origin – and that the books got right - that caught our attention. Killian and I really like him. About him, I know that he came from the Land of Untold Stories and has since worked with other surgeons at Storybrooke Hospital – one of them we know and is also a very good option for you, Dr. Victor Whale, although he has been busier now because he accumulates the duties of Minister of Health. Anyway, there are more names, but I think these are two good ones for you to choose.”

“MOOOMMYYY!!! DAAADDYYY!!!” Hope cuts them shouting at the top of her voice, drawing everyone's immediate attention to her. In a flash, Emma reaches out to pat the girl’s hair while asking softly “what is it, Sweetheart?”

“We need to protect everyone: you, daddy, me, Uncle'Key, Aunt'Em, ba-baby, baby, everyone, everywhere, pleaaasssse!!!” she screams, scared, between sobs.

The four get up immediately and stand around the girl. Emma, already with her daughter on her lap, whispers comforting words in her ears, walking out of the diner and motioning for the others to follow her. “It’s okay, honey, everything's alright, nothing happened, you see? Everyone's here, we’re alright, don’t worry sweet baby… it’s okay… schhh… schhh… it’s okay…”

“What happened? We heard a commotion…” ask the diner owners, Granny and W.Granny, coming from the kitchen.

“The Swan-Jones girl”, says a customer, “she looked like she had a scary vision, a premonition, maybe. They went outside with her, I think the situation is already more under control and the little girl seems calmer,“ he says, looking out through the window.

…

Embracing her father's neck, the girl still sobs but is calmer. They are all sitting at the diner garden tables, waiting a bit to get inside and pay for the lunch. Hope refused to elaborate on what she has seen rather than explaining that she doesn’t understand what it was but she didn’t like it - and no one insisted on her. She seems relaxed, more confident. Turning her head to Uncle Key and Aunt Emm, she tries to comfort them, "The babies will be alright, okay? We will protect them, no problem, I promise."

"Ba-babies?" Emm mutters under her breath.

"Babies," Hope nods with a playful smile.

Shaking his head and hugging Emm, Key smiles, muttering "I was kidding this morning but who would know…maybe there'll be indeed an ‘I told you so’ here! We need to see a doctor, love, more than ever now. Let’s make an appointment with this… Dr. Stephen Maturin, what do you think?"

“I agree, let’s do it.”

“Very well then, I’ll send you his contact,” Emma says, already picking up her cell phone to send the contact. "Emm, have you gotten used to everyday technology?"

"Easier than I thought, I think spending six years watching all of you from a distance was an excellent training about this kind of routine, it prepared me well..." Sensing her phone vibration, Emm picks it up and confirms, "I've got it, I'll just wait another half hour because of lunchtime, and then I'll call this number to make an appointment. Thank you, my dear my sister in every way possible."

The embrace that follows between the 'sisters' is intense, as deep as the bond that connects them. Witnessing the scene, the other 'twins' exchange silent glances as Hope slowly begins to relax in her father's lap foreshadowing a nap. Due to the incident, Key suggests they go to the loft, which is much closer to Granny's, so Hope can play with Luna and Missy when waking up. Besides, it's also closer for him and Killian to go to the police station in the sequence. "Go ahead,” he says, “I'll just go inside to pay for lunch, I’ll catch you in a minute.” Noticing Killian’s gesture, he adds: “and don't even think about sharing the bill, Killian, you were our guests today."

“Thank you, mate," Killian sighs deeply, letting the women move forward to exchange a few words with his brother. “I'm still stunned by what happened inside. This afternoon we need to contact David. Since becoming the Minister of Defense he has traveled a lot, I hope he'll pick up his phone. We know that today he and Snow are in Camelot, as well as Regina, for the closing ceremony of the Summer School held there. Perhaps he is aware of any recent anomalies, anything unusual in other realms..."

"Aye, I thought the same; you have no idea how worried I am. Even here in the capital, there may have been some incident that has not yet been reported. Anyway, this afternoon we'll see.” Also sighing, Key remembers, “Emm and I finally got together, breaking the last barrier that still separated us, thanks to your daughter’s intuition guiding you three into a magic aid; we are living proof that Hope’s visions are to be taken very seriously. But you know that more than I do, of course. Anyway, let's go onwards, this story is just beginning, I'm afraid. "

Enchanted Lakes, Camelot, in the afternoon

Snow, Guinevere, Gideon, Jasmine, Aurora, Tiana, Ella (Ashley), Cindy (Henry's wife), Ariel, Abigail (Kathryn), Merida and Elsa gather in the round table room to celebrate and evaluate the First United Realms Summer School, promoted and coordinated by the Education Minister, Snow White. In parallel, in an enclosed office, David, Lancelot, and Regina also gather in an emergency meeting to address the notifications David has been receiving in the last few hours from some realms.

Clearing her throat and with an affectionate look directed at those present, Snow starts her speech. “Over the course of two weeks, nearly 500 students from all realms, aged 5 to 17 and housed in three different sectors of the Merlin Tower Lodge, participated of 4 Light Magic workshops, 2 Astronomy & Astrology workshops, and 2 Mythology & Literature workshops conducted by experienced teachers, writers, wizards, fairies and scientists from all realms. Each workshop was offered in 3 versions, adapted for school-level children, pre-teens and teens, which required special logistics and a large number of monitors and assistants. The courses gave them a broad overview of the many cultures, costumes and approaches practiced everywhere. In addition to these knowledge-integrating activities, they also participated in social-integrating activities, culminating in the First Lake-Nostos Festival, with music, dance, painting, theater, sports and cuisine from various regions. I consider this event to have been an enormous success and I am immensely grateful to all of you who have committed yourselves to the organization of the School and have ensured its success. I know that many people from your realms in special  your partners, husbands, wives, brothers, sisters and your in-laws, who could not be here today, supported the hard work of coordinating the logistics of the event, ensuring the comfort and safety of all. I therefore ask you to convey to them my deep gratitude. I hope this was the first summer school in a series of many summer schools to come. From the bottom of my heart, I thank you, my dear friends."

…

“So… in short, David, you're saying that from four different locations came reports stating that almost at the same time - around noon today, frightened seer children, frightening everyone in the process, predicted a scary threat hanging over our heads. They do not know exactly what they saw but did not like it at all.”

"Exactly, and one of these children is my granddaughter. Regina, we know Hope - and someone could say ‘just a 2-year-old girl’, but we also know that she has the lucidity and premonitory precision of an elder visionary. She was specific about the need to protect everyone. She practically said that everyone is in danger."

After a pause when the three remained pensive, David continues. “As far as I can see, trying to map a network of widespread evil in the United Realms today, it's possible to spot only one outbreak of a more intense evil radiation – I’m not referring to villainy usually associated with different degrees of sociopathy, which is sadly present everywhere, but to that combined with dark magic. Although they have been permanently monitored and, apparently, have had no suspicious behavior, we know that Wish Pan and Wish Cruella have teamed up and are living in the castle that once belonged to Wish Rumpelstiltskin. Therefore, obviously, from the meeting of those two we can expect nothing good. Besides them, according to Aladdin and Eric, Jafar has been kept paralyzed – and safely hidden; that means that he has been neutralized. Furthermore, fortunately there is no Dark One threatening us anymore. Finally, it seems - I think it's good to confirm with the Minister of Science and Technology, Captain Nemo - in the Enchanted Sea there is no dangerous villain we have heard of...”

“David, Regina,” a worried Lancelot intervenes, “I was thinking… before the reports of these events arrived, you were just telling me the good news about the Dragon moving to the United Realms and taking a prominent position in the newly created Ministry of Communication at the same hierarchical level alongside Maleficent and Lily. Then the reports began to arrive so quickly that I didn't even have time to comment with you that I really liked this news because I know the Dragon; he traveled to Camelot earlier this year to visit Merlin’s Museum and commented about his magic having now fully incorporated the technology from the Land without Magic. This means that he can develop and produce media devices that combine Magic and Technology with unprecedented performance. Now, more than ever, he could come in handy. You see, news of the seer children premonitions can run fast, escalate and spread panic in the population, it is important that you, Regina, as Queen of all realms, be prepared to quickly address, in a broadcasting, a reassuring message so that everyone will stay calm.”

“Yeah… you are right, I’ll contact the Dragon right way and ask for his help on this task. Even Sydney could help on that, now that he has managed to forgive me and is able to get in and out with freedom from the Mirror World. In the meantime, we gain time to pursue the more investigative and preventive work, especially on tracking the latest activities of Wish Pan and Wish Cruella - could you make sure of that, David? Other than that, I think it's time to interrupt the round table meeting and share the bad news with them. I hate to do that. I was looking forward to be there celebrating with them, appraising and applauding them for the huge success of the Summer School; it’s really frustrating to cut their celebration this way…”

“But you must to that,” Lancelot advises reassuringly and, trying to lighten up her mood a little, he adds, “look at the bright side: you’ll have in front of you a unique opportunity to gain time in gathering many heads of state, most of them are already here, with the important addition of Gideon. He is a powerful wizard with an enormous knowledge on the legacy of his father. I know that Wish Rumple was not his father, but he might be a great advisor on smart strategies for us to approach Wish Rumpelstiltskin’s castle.”

“You know, Lance,” David remarks, “you just reminded me of another possible source of evilness, one that I hadn’t considered yet because of its low likability but who could tell…. Actually, it might be a huge one and I'd have absolutely no idea on how to deal with it if my suspicion turned out to be true: the Underworld. Would that be possible? And how would we know the answer to that? How could we try and find out? Contact Arthur’s soul, maybe? I have no clue…”

“Questions… questions....” Regina mumbles in between teeth as she walks self-assertive to the door that separates the adjoining office from the round table hall, opening it and transposing it after a break to breathe deeply: "Ladies and Gentlemen please excuse me..."

Elysium, sunset in the timeless eternity

“This landscape reminds me a lot the landscapes of the Edge of Realms: a beautiful painting with vibrant colors foreshadowing, then, the everlasting that we would meet in the afterlife…” Belle turns to Rumple and smiles.

"Similar but with some fundamental differences, Belle," Rumple returns the smile and walks along the axis of the plateau, extending his arms over the abyss. ”We can establish two levels of difference. First, let's look at your case: a mortal woman whose body could not stand alive if she jumped from a height like this. But for your soul? Nothing would change, your soul was already vibrating in the frequency of Light, Peace and Love, regardless of whether being in a physical body or not. Intimately, you were already living in your private Paradise. However, despite all happiness we found there, deep down, your kind, compassionate, heart was also suffering. You suffered because of a man whose soul was trapped in the artificial immortality of his body and the only way for him to want to be mortal, again, was to live the experience of witnessing your death, of losing you. So, let's think about my case. The Dark One immortality prevented my body from dying, but my soul, for centuries, was nearly dead already, erased, enslaved by an ego clinging to material power, to power over other people exercised through fear – which was imposed by dark magic. Fundamentally, the difference between the false immortality, which imprisoned me, and the eternal life I experience now, beside you, Belle, is what I call Inner Peace. The period we lived at the Edge of Realms, in that landscape looking so much like this one, represented for me the closest to the feeling of inner Peace in many years, perhaps in all my long life on earth. So, having tasted that sample of real, true, happiness was enough to give me the strength to fight for our love, for us, for our everlasting.”

“I know, my love,” Belle replies, “whenever I thought of you, your image was reflected by the calm waters of the lake in front of our house and on the banks of which many of our friends live. I could, then, watch you from here and I know how hard and challenging your path was - but I never lost my faith in you… and after everything you went through, I’m so proud of you, Rumple. Now, in the eternal now, from the perspective of a timeless realm, our past struggles are just that, an abstract past, a distant memory still pulsating in our ethereal hearts; they became just another painting on display in an art gallery.” Belle smiles as she walks, arm in arm with her forever husband, during an apparently late afternoon. “Our lives have become beautiful canvas, a beautiful sunset: eternized by a divine artist in a painting that does not correspond to the end of the day and beginning of a night. However, for those in the Wheel of Time, in the duality, the cycles are still happening. Now I’ve finally realized that all that dichotomy like day-night, chiaroscuro, good-evil, all that bipolarity… they were essential for the learning by comparison, which is the only way to learn discernment  between right and wrong. And, most importantly, without falling into any ego’s trap, without escaping through loopholes like the ones you've always been so good at identifying...”

"Sometimes I wouldn't mind being able to identify any of those loopholes just to be able to visit Gideon, or Alice, the daughter my heart adopted, or some friends. I miss them, Belle, and I know you do too..."

Still walking, they talk about their life on the resting place known as Elysian Fields. Belle remembers reading about them – and she realizes that the books got a lot right, but not everything. As described by the books, there are two distinguished Elysian realms: the islands of the Blessed and the Lethean Fields. They live in the first, also known as the White Islands, an afterlife realm reserved for heroes and virtuous people. They are not trapped there, though. In fact, as they are allowed to travel to the second resting place by crossing the river Oceanus, they have been there once, travelling in Captain’s Liam ship in the company of a group of souls who, in other circumstances, would never agree to fraternize in a journey together. However, having gained the right to access Elysium through heroic acts, they have freed themselves from old enmities that would have prevented them from gathering in a ship. Among them, the closest ones are Belle’s mother(s) (Collete and Wish Collete), Merida’s father (Fergus), Wish Gepetto, Dorothy’s aunt (Em), Baelfire with his brother (Wish Baelfire) and their mother (Milah), Liam’s mother (Alice), Wish Snow, Wish David with his mother(s) (Ruth and Wish Ruth), Merlin with Jack, his Apprentice, Midas with his wife (in both versions, wish and non-wish), Marian (Robin Hood's first wife), and Ingrid with her sisters and brother in law. The second Elysian area is also an underworld realm with pleasant fields: an afterlife to initiates of the Mysteries. The gods of the Mysteries associated with the passage to Elysium are chaired by Persephone, the Queen of the Underworld.

“These Mysteries really intrigue me. I know that they are called Mysteries for a reason”, Rumple gushes, “and once a Mystery they are not supposed to be decoded, I know that, but I would love to understand them on a deeper level, beyond that of an initiate. You see, during our trip to the Lethean Fields, Merlin and I talked quite a lot about these Mysteries and for him, too, there are still many riddles to decipher. The concept of a heroic act or the code of morals and ethics governing the gods’ judgments, what would they be? Certainly one of the biggest mysteries concerns the afterlife sector in which we find ourselves, also known as White Islands. In one thing Merlin and I agreed one hundred percent: to us, supposedly characters of tales and mythological legends, the codes of morals and ethics differ from those that govern the conduct of mortals at the Land without Magic. Otherwise, there would be none of us left in the Elysium!!" Rumple and Belle laugh, imagining how they would all be forbidden to cross the Gate to Paradise.

“By the way,” he recalls, “besides Eva and Leopold, I mean, (W.) Snow’s parents, whom we met during our travel to the Lethean Fields, I’ve heard that Cora and Henry Sr., as well as Robert - David’s father, and the two Hunters - Graham and Wish Graham, are also living there,” Rumple comments, “ah! and Liam and Killian’s father, Brennan Jones, with his second wife, actually, according to Merlin, with both of them to be more precise, in other words, his Wish and Non-Wish second wives. Can you imagine that? A real paradise whose permanence can only be guaranteed by the waters of oblivion provided by Lethe river!” both chuckle at Rumple’s keen sense of humor although, jokes aside, feelings like jealousy are no longer part of their existence neither of the Lethean Fields' souls.

“I see what you mean, Rumple, and that intrigues me too. I don’t get how the gods of the Mysteries judge and decide about who has been hero enough to come here or to go the Lethean Fields. We do know that those fields are crossed by the gentle river Lethe, whose name means oblivion, and we also know, because we talked to many souls we visited there that, probably because of the effect of their river waters, have totally forgotten former events of their past lives. Although we have eternity to find out the criteria, the Mysteries seem to be endless, it seems that they amount to infinity and the more we know and decipher them the more we need to know. I really would love to find a book with a more detailed explanation about the afterlife; I should go the Elysium’s Library more times, I guess, I have so many doubts... For instance, I’m not sure exactly how reincarnation works in the Underworld...” Belle wonders.

“Why, Belle, thinking about going back?”

“No, it’s not that, although I miss our son quite a lot. I asked out of curiosity, I mean, once a bookworm, eternally a bookworm…” she claims and continues, “It’s just that... I was thinking about those souls in eternal suffering, those who do not want to evolve, to find the Light. Or even, those souls who may desire not to have existed at all, or for humanity not to have existed at all - so why would they desire eternal life instead of eternal oblivion? ”

“You’re talking about the souls who go Tartarus after being in Underworld sectors like the one ruled by Arthur, isn’t it? Well, I’m not sure about them; I guess their punishment may be associated with an eternal loneliness subordinated to the duality evil versus good. They become slaves of not being ever sure of what they really want other than to hate and blame all the rest of humanity for their own fate and their own faults. Considering the evolutionary cycles, though, they should be allowed to evolve through reincarnation cycles. Perhaps, as you said, they are locked to the idea that they don’t want to evolve, or to exist as just a soul without a body. Perhaps they are slaves of the idea of never ceasing to exist in the physical world even if the price is to become a dark soul. I know from experience, Belle, darkness doesn’t accept the body’s – neither the ego’s - mortality.”

After a silence, Rumples concludes, “about reincarnation for souls from our realm, I know that it is possible, usually to accomplish a special mission or, perhaps, to ascend to more subtle levels of energy and bodies. Anyway, apparently the two Elysian realms are sometimes tiered - a soul which reincarnates and has won passage three times to the Lethean Fields will, with the fourth death, be transferred to the Islands of the Blessed for all eternity.”

“I see… the four reincarnations could, if fulfilled correctly, be the equivalent to heroic acts like the ones that gave us a pass to the Islands of the Blessed. I wonder about how could we be given a pass to the Olympus, I mean for a visit… what should we do to deserve that? I guess we should be allowed to visit the Olympus. Can you imagine having a personal conversation with the gods in their own temples or palaces, how great that would be?” Belle continues dreamily, “I would have so many questions…”

“As far as I know, Belle, normally only gods can be there. Except for Meg, who is Hercules’s partner, I’m afraid I have never heard of other souls of mortals living or staying in the Olympus. But I agree, we should be allowed to visit them sometimes, they go down to earth, to visit the mortals whenever they want…“

“But they are gods, Rumple, they can do everything whenever they want!!”

“I know, but we could try and find out more about them. If the gods can visit the mortals, the other way around should be valid too… If we think and look at it more closely, even eternity may take us by surprise. You see, we tend to think of Zeus, Hera, Poseidon, and the other siblings as being the ultimate powers but I know, and you know as well, that these Olympian gods weren’t the first—or even the second—group of immortals who had a hand in shaping the world. Remember the books?”

“Yeah… I see where you are going with this line of thought: Rumpelstiltskin, the loopholes’ hunter” Belle winks at him.

“That may be... Anyway, if you remember what you read, first there was…?”

“Chaos!!” Belle exclaims, excitedly.

“Exactly, from which came the Earth (Gaia) and love (Eros),” Rumple continues, “then, occasionally, Tartarus, the Underworld, was created from Chaos. Want to continue?”

“Right…” she sighs and takes on the narrative, “You know, these are ancient stories, there are contradictory narratives and some of them are twisted versions of others - just one more reason to visit them, to know the truth from the real source… One of the books I read said that Gaia gave birth to the Sky, to the Sea, and the Mountains and married one of her sons, Uranus (the Sky), giving birth to Cronus, a Titan. Cronus, in turn, took his sister Rhea as his wife and only then, from their union, came the original Olympian Immortals Poseidon, Hera, Demeter, Hestia, Hades and Zeus, the youngest. Eventually, they surpassed Cronus in power... What a tale, no wonder their moral code cannot apply to the mortals’ world.”

“And they called me a Villain!!” Rumple giggles. “Loopholes apart, what should we do if we needed to talk to them, to ask them a favor, such as to intervene on earth in exceptional occasions? Belle, I think we should visit the Wish Charmings and talk to them, I know that they have been able to contact their daughter while she was trapped in the Heart Shaped Island…”

“Let’s do that then, Rumple, let’s wish to be in their house.” At that, hand in hand, both disappear and reappear in front of Wish Charming’s farmhouse.

Nautilus, evening under the Enchanted Sea

Sitting at the pipe organ, Nemo plays the chords that accompany Ursula's enchanting voice. The calming sound waves, undulating in harmony with the finally placated ocean, do not reveal the turbulence that has been overcome a few hours ago. The crew of 3 Joneses, 2 lieutenants  and their Captain relax at the sound along with Wish Ariel, who arrived with her aunt soon after the greatest perils had passed.

Eyes closed, souls pacified after the storm, they open them occasionally to look around as if certifying about their safety and to sip the special vintage wine served by Nemo. Then they close their eyes again, internalizing the feeling of being alive and having survived the suddenly raging sea.

"Beautiful," Brennan mutters after the last chords echo in the air, "sublime balm.... Nothing better than the softness of your voice, Ursula, to placate this old soul of mine and make me forget this afternoon's fright, what the hell was that?"

"Nor do I know, Brennan," Ursula replies, "a few times I saw the sea creatures so agitated; it was as if some kind of dark magic controlled them. I felt the effect too, all the nymphs and mermaids as well, but our nature allowed us to resist it. Nevertheless, neither my brother nor I could counteract the dark magic; a direct intervention from our father was the only way to placate the creatures. I talked a little with him, after the incident, then I came straight to the Nautilus to see how you were doing, but the little he said was that it didn't seem a magic coming just from this world. According to Poseidon, the source of the turmoil seemed to be a combination of dark magic coming from multiple realms, perhaps from the Upperworld and Underworld, now that I’m thinking about.... Perhaps a visit to cousin Persephone would be in handy; maybe she'll be able to clarify, or at least to have an idea about what happened. Anyway, the anomaly served to wake us up and keep us more alert. "

"Indeed," Nemo agrees, "since the epic adventure of Wish Realm's Killian and Emma, a complete harmony reigned so intensely in the Enchanted Sea that we forgot that, quietly, in the shadows, evil is always plotting. Liam Senior, we need to get in touch with Queen Regina to find out if there were any occurrences inland, could you help me with that? And if you can't find the Good Queen, try talking to one of the other 'triplets', Wish Regina and Split Regina. I remember seeing Queen Regina explaining to you the means to contact them, am I right?"

“In part.” Senior explains. ”She only gave me her Wish sister’s phone number; it seems that she doesn’t live far away from the seashore near Storybrooke. As for Split Regina, I’m afraid I don’t know how to contact her, but I think that it won’t be necessary. I mean, I hope so…”

"For beards and mustaches of the Sacred Shrimp!" Wish Ariel exclaims, "These form of treatment we use, including ‘Wishes’ and ‘non-Wishes’ sound so weird but, ‘Split Regina’? What even is this? That is another level of weird! Wouldn’t there be a smarter way for us to recognize ourselves and call each other? Nemo, as the Science & Technology Wizard you could find a more sophisticated solution to this identification problem..."

"Minister," Liam Jr. corrects her in a flirtatious way, "Minister of Science and Technology..."

"Whatever you say, Liam..." W. Ariel replies even more flirtatiously. “But...the problem remains,” she winks at him.

“I don't see much alternative, Wish Ariel,” Nemo replies. “You see, I could develop badges/electronic displays for people to use, but the difficulty of addressing them wouldn't be resolved like that. Imagine the 3 Reginas in the same room: they are physically identical. Last time I met them, I suggested a numbering system, they wondered a bit and asked for a time to think about but still haven't given me their answer. In this system, Queen Regina would be Regina 1, Wish Regina, Regina 2 and Split Regina, Regina 3. I really believe that the simplest method is numbering but it’s up to them to choose. Particularly, here at Nautilus we have our system well equated, but our case is atypical: Liam Jr is 34 years old and Liam Senior, for choosing not to submit to the rejuvenating magic, kept his 53 years, then he is physically distinguishable from his brother. As for Brennan, his non-wish counterpart is not alive, so in this world, he is the only Brennan Jones. As for you, Ariel, and your sister, also Ariel, it's best to use the good old ‘Double U’, or even the word ‘Wish’, as a prefix, a treatment pronoun - a title! We could call you Princess Ariel, but chose Wish Ariel, instead. What do you think?”

“I think that's okay for when the two ‘versions’ are in the same room, or when we want to refer to one of us, I agree that the treatment pronoun is necessary to differentiate the two. But, if my twin is not nearby, I think that the best treatment would be just ‘Ariel’. What do YOU think?”

“I think that your suggestion is perfectly reasonable, let’s make it a deal,” Nemo replies raising his glass and everyone agrees cheering up.

“Now, back to the bigger problems,” Brennan reminds them, I propose we retreat now, after such an intense day, to rest a bit and renovate our energies. Then tomorrow, if the Captain agrees, I would like to go to Storybrooke, to learn of the events inland, if there was any, and meet my sons. I'm really worried about my Killians and their families..."

"Wise advice, old'friend, we should go there all together," Nemo agrees, and addressing Ursula and Ariel, he invites them to stay on the Nautilus and go with them to the capital.

"Thanks for the hospitality, Nemo, after today I really need a change for a while and I guess Ariel needs that too, so we accept your kind invitation."

"Captain," Liam Senior approaches them; “could you please help in accommodating our guests on their cabin? Meanwhile I will try to contact one of the Reginas and find out how things are going on solid ground..."

“Well, then…” Nemo nods and signs to Lieutenants Harris and Martin, who were heading to their quarters, to open the way to Ariel and Liam Jr. They are followed by Brennan and Ursula, who takes Nemo's arm singing melodiously as they float on the seabed...

"Now it's time to say good night Good night sleep tight Now the sun turns out his light Good night sleep tight Dream sweet dreams for you Dream sweet dreams for me. Close your eyes and I'll close mine Good night sleep tight Now the moon begins to shine Good night sleep tight Dream sweet dreams for you Dream sweet dreams for me. Close your eyes and I'll close mine Good night sleep tight Now the moon begins to shine Good night sleep tight Dream sweet dreams for you Dream sweet dreams for me.

Humm... Humm... Good-night... Good-night babe..."  

*

[lilbitlestrange-blog]

Entry #3 — Wheel of the Year

Witches, Wiccans, Pagans etc celebrate Sabbaths. These are festivals dedicated to the death and rebirth of the Sun (aka the seasons, to make it somewhat easier to follow)

The Wheel of The Year many Wiccan Witches like myself follow has eight festivals on it. These are the equinoxes, solstices and their cross-quarter days. Don’t worry, I will explain this in a moment.

Please keep in mind that the dates of some festivals can change slightly due to the changing of the seasons and leap years and whatnot. (Side note – I’m in the Northern Hemisphere; my apologies to everyone in the Southern part of the world; your Wheel will look different)

 February 1; Imbolc

Imbolc is a cross-quarter day also known as Candlemas. This festival marks the beginnings of Spring. This is the season for new life, for rebirth. When I was little, my nan and granddad held sheep and I was always so excited for them to have lambs during this time of the year. It’s also time for new beginnings; may it be re-arranging your room or blitzing it from top to bottom.

Imbolc is also the holiday of Brigid; the Goddess of the Sun, Fire, healing and poetry.

Celebrating this festival is often done by baking, lighting candles, planting seeds and making Brigid dolls. Symbols associated with Imbolc are swans, the flame, serpents as they were associated with inspiration and creativity, sheep, snowflakes…

 March 21; Ostara

Also known as the Spring Equinox and the ‘official’ beginning of the season of Spring. Everything is perfectly balanced. The days and nights are equally as long but yet the light is more prominent than the dark. Slowly, the days become warmer and brighter.

This festival celebrates the Goddess Ostara, also called Eostre. In time, Eostre evolved into Easter within the Christian church and was also the source for the name of Eostrogen (the more you know!)

The hare is by far the most notable symbol of the Spring Equinox. It is sacred to the Goddess Eostre and also a totem of Goddesses of the Moon. Nature’s rebirth in Spring is associated with the dying and awakening of the moon. The hare is also a representative of this and with that also a symbol of immortality.

The hare eventually became the Easter Bunny in Christendom and gave eggs to children. Why the eggs, you may wonder? Let me share with you this secret. Eggs represent rebirth, fertility and is a symbol for the whole universe. The egg consists of a balance between light and dark; Sun God embraced by the White Goddess. And that’s what Ostara is all about; balance in nature.

But why the hare, why the egg, why?!

Well, there’s a story that goes as such;

Once upon a time; there was a grand, spectacular party in the animal kingdom. A very important guest arrived and all the animals, rich and poor, wanted to present this guest with gifts. The guest was the Goddess Ostara. With their utmost excitement, every animal gave the Goddess whatever riches they possessed. But the hare was but a poor animal with little to no possessions. He didn’t want to show up to the party empty-handed, but the only thing in his possession was an egg… Hare decided to decorate the egg by painting beautiful patterns in bright colours on it. Once at the party; the hare was anxious to give Ostara the egg. But upon receiving the gift; Ostara saw hare’s true self. Giving away all he got made hare the Goddess’ special animal.

 May 1; Beltane

Beltane is a fire festival and a cross-quarter day that celebrates life and symbolises the oncoming of Summer. Everything in nature is at its peak on this day. Flora, the Goddess of Spring and the Queen of May falls in love and marries the Young Oak King and hereby become the symbols of Sacred Marriage. This is why Beltane is such a popular time for Pagans and Wiccans to have their Handfastings.

If that sort of commitment is not for you; don’t fret. For a lot of Pagans, it wasn’t, either. They decided to go into fields or woods to make love instead and nine months later, Beltane babies were born.

Traditionally on Beltane, bonfires are lit to honour the Sun. The origin of the word lies in ‘Bel’, whom is a Celtic God and ‘teine’, which means fire in Gaelic. During Beltane and through the bonfires; people support the sun and encourage its light to nurture the oncoming harvests.

The fire was also jumped over to bring fertility, cleanse and purify and also a means of couples to pledge themselves to one another.

 June 21; Litha

Aka the Summer Solstice or the ‘official’ start of Summer. This is also the longest day and the shortest night of the year. The power of the light is at it’s peak; but the descent into the dark is nearing yet again in this turning point of the Wheel of the Year.

There’s not a whole lot for me to say about Litha, to be completely honest with you. In my opinion; this is all you need to know.

 August 1; Lammas

This cross-quarter day is also called Lughnassadh (don’t make me spell this without Google, please) and is the celebration of the first harvest of three in total; which I’ll talk about later on.

Lammas, from ‘loaf mass’ centralises the harvesting of the grain and making the first loaf of bread from said grain.

The ground meaning of Lammas is that the completion of the present harvest already carries the seed from which all future harvests will grow from. (Fun fact; a woman pregnant with a daughter is not only carrying said daughter; but also all the eggs her offspring will release. Making this woman both mother and grandmother.)

The grain harvest provides food for the winter and the seed of another rebirth as the Grain Mother is pregnant with the new seed of Lugh, the Sun King.

Lugh is cut down along with the grain he represents and with this he gives his life to feed his community and simultaneously plants new seeds in the Grain Mother. (Does this make sense? I’m not quite awake writing this)

 September 21; Mabon

This day marks the ‘official’ beginning of Autumn (Fall, for you Americans) with the Autumn Equinox. This is yet another perfectly balanced milestone in the Wheel as day and night are equally as long once again. But in contrast to Ostara; this time, during Mabon, the darkness slowly takes over the light with the coming of Autumn and nature turning beautiful shades of brown and orange.

Mabon is the second harvest called the Fruit Harvest in our Wheel of the Year. Apart from that; it is also a time to reflect on the influences of Ostara and Imbolc as well as finishing up projects you might have been working on and cut ties with things you do not longer require in your life.

 October 31; Samhain

It’s finally Halloween; my favourite time of the year and every witch’s favourite holiday. Samhain is also the final harvest; the one of berries and nuts and it also happens to be a fire festival. But most importantly of all; it’s a memento mori. The Sun King wanders the Underworld until his reawakening during Yule.

The veil between the world of the dead and that of the living is at its thinnest; encouraging better communication with our ancestors whom have since long parted from us. It’s a time to honour the dead and celebrate the fact that we shall soon be reunited with them once more.

 December 21; Yule

Yule is also known as the Winter Solstice and has the longest night of the year. This is also the time of the year the sun appears to be standing still in the sky; pondering whether or not the light will eventually return or if all will descent into darkness forever. (Wow, that was deep)

But it’s needless to say that the light returns with the reawakening of the Sun King and slowly the cycle of nature continues and the light starts to overpower the dark.

In conclusion

This concludes my revision about the Wheel of the Year. I didn’t cover every single aspect because this post has already gotten way longer than I anticipated. But the basics are there.

Let me know whether or not you like longer posts or prefer my slightly shorter ones. I’m not sure which type I prefer myself…

 Until next time.

[theramblingonesie]

Let’s Talk About Death, Baby

I’m writing this blog post-Dia de los Muertos, preparing for my return back to the U.S. for a quick(ish) visit. I can see light again, but I’m not fully back above ground.  To say that Mexico has never been gentle with me would be a lie.  She has been incredibly kind and giving.  But like a mother with tough love, she has also mercilessly kicked my ass for my own good.

When I book trips to different locations, most often I fantasize about how dreamy it’ll be.  I can’t wait to roll around in the nature, the parties, the exploration, the rest, and new and wonderful experiences.  But when I book a ticket to return to Mexico, my immediate reaction is fear.  Mexico doesn’t let me get away with anything.  You want to explore and understand the dark sides of humanity?  You want to teach this material?  You want to be a part of the revolution? Then you need to live it, you need to die in it, and you need to be reborn with the strength to hold it. She cuts and cuts away at me until I’m emotionally strung up and bleeding out (sometimes physically; I’ve been known to get my period either early or late to line up with my visits so I definitely bleed at least once here).  Don’t wanna see that thing right there? Too bad; LOOK AT IT. Don’t wanna know that stuff about that person? WHOOPS, some things you can’t unknow!! Think you’re doing sooo great, self? Nope, you’re not, you’re very flawed and you’re gonna eat your own shit and cry about it every day until you figure out how to deal with it.

Cool.

That sounds so dramatic! I know.  I think that all the time.  You know how much more I’d love to be fluffy like more of my friends? You know how much I’d like to be able to not care? Believe me, the isolation feels pretty awful most of the time.  But this is the contract I negotiated from the first moment I conceived of The Scarlet Tongue Project.  This project was born out of Mexico, and continues to grow there. I have been navigating the underworld since its conception, and the belief that I have a choice at this point is laughable (cry-laugh) illusion.  She lets me leave when I’d like, yet with the understanding that once I catch my breath and grab a glass of water, the work will continue.  We’re not done. I’m not sure when it’ll be done, but I feel confident that it’s not forever.

So who is “She”? I use this pronoun when I refer to Mexico, because to me she’s Mother.  That seems like such a strange thing to say since I’m not Mexican, yet somehow this is our relationship.  But within her vast richness, I have formed a humbling relationship with Santa Muerte.  Who is Santa Muerte?  Her history is a brilliant and deep one of compassion and perseverance through colonialism.  I’ll attempt to tell a quick story and some history, but I’m piecing this together from several sources and am likely to be wrong, so please do your own research!

Santa Muerte, or Our Lady of Holy Death, is a Mexican folk saint.  She also goes by other names such as Lady of the Shadows, Lady of the Night, Lady of the Seven Powers, White Lady, Black Lady, Skinny Lady, and Bony Lady. While she is honored today in modern Catholic culture, her roots are traced back to pre-Columbian times.  Her exact origins are debated by historians, but research finds that Mesoamerica held a reverence for death across many cultures and religions.  She is frequently related back to the Aztec Goddess, Mictecacihuatl, Lady of Death. She ruled alongside Mictlāntēcutli, King of the Dead, in Mictlan (Aztec underworld).  One creation myth tells the story of the deity Quetzalcoatl (“feathered serpent” in Nahuatl) descending into Mictlan upon the dawning of the 5th sun (present era) in order to restore humankind on earth from the bones of those who have gone before.  In Aztec belief, bones were like seeds: everything that dies goes back into the earth, and from that, new life is reborn. Quetzacoatl traces the path of the sun down through the nine realms of death until he reaches the palace of the Lord and Lady of Death.  There, he begs Mictlantecutli for the bones so he may repopulate the earth. Skeptical of this idea, the Lord asks what’s in it for him.  Quetzacoatl assures him that humans will, of course, be mortal, and that all bones will be returned to Mictlan.  Lady Death seems pleased by this, and convinces the King to say okay.  Through a series of tests that Quetzacoatl cheats his way through, Mictlantecutli agrees and lets him leave the underworld with the bones.  As he walks out, the Lord and Lady begin to feel that they’d been deceived, so they send their servants to dig a hole for him to fall in, and birds to peck the bones. Quetzacoatl manages to escape, though with broken bones, and this is why people are built of all different shapes and sizes.  The remaining bones were ground up in a bowl and sprinkled with the blood of the gods to restore them to life, and distributed across the land by Cihuacoatl (“Woman Serpent”).  Thus, the story tells us the belief that humankind was born from the penance of the gods.

Whoa! Intense!

Because many pre-Columbian cultures often honored death as a natural part of the cycle of life, it was very common to pray to Lady Death for Her compassion and that she watches over loved ones when they pass.  In Europe, skeletal figures were honored during times of sickness as symbols of overcoming death.  The Catholic Church referred to them as “Holy Death”, as the form of death of one who has fully confessed their sins.  “Holy Death” came to be known as female, as she was derived from the Roman Parcae, or The Fates.  The three Parcae determined the destiny of every mortal and immortal.  The first was Nona, who spun the thread of life on her spindle.  The second was Decima, who measured the thread of life.  The third was Morta, who cut the thread of life and chose the way a person would die.  When European culture ravaged Mesoamerica, the beliefs merged under the guise of Catholicism, and we arrived at Santa Muerte.  She is depicted in the European form as a cloaked skeleton with a scythe, but she is honored and prayed to more in the form of her pre-Columbian roots.

As death is not only accepted, but honored and celebrated in modern day Mexico, naturally is Santa Muerte a highly regarded saint.  People don’t only wait until funerals or big celebrations like Dia de Los Muertos. She is prayed to year-round for a variety of reasons- health, luck, protection, love, etc. But why is a death saint so popular?  One largely held belief is that in death we are all equal, and therefore the Mother of Death has compassion for all humans.  She is not biased.  You don’t need to follow Catholic values of “purity” or “goodness” to ask for her favor.  In death, we are all her children, and she will look over us all.  Because of this equality, many criminals and gangs also appeal to her for her good fortune. This has created a strong shadow over the Saint, and Her reputation in modern times registers great fear and danger in many people’s minds.

Important side note: If you don’t believe in this stuff, don’t worry. Believe in Saint Applesauce Kangaroo for all I care.  I’m truly not trying to convert anyone.  Just take this as an interesting story and cultural study.  

Other Important side note for witches: Be very clear about which form you are calling a spirit or deity in. Over time, the Church and patriarchal fears have perverted many Beings into demons, and being vague in your invocations can draw them in that state. This was a very valuable lesson a beloved passed on to me.

Back to our regularly scheduled blog.

When I first got into all things magic-related, my 101 training was understanding the cycles of life. Life, Death, Rebirth.  Basic. Unavoidable.  Yet this concept plays itself out within life itself, and it’s not always literal.  While in relationship with a Death saint, I had to figure out what that meant pretty quickly so that I didn’t drown.

Okay, well I was gonna drown anyway.

But I wanted to know what the point of my drowning was so I didn’t miss the learning opportunity.

When I want to consider the multifaceted nature of death, my mind often brings up the image of the Death card from the Tarot.  The following excerpt is a basic description stolen from Biddytarot.com:

Death is symbolic of the ending of a major phase or aspect of your life that may bring about the beginning of something far more valuable and important. You must close one door in order to open another. You need to put the past behind you and part ways, ready to embrace new opportunities and possibilities. It may be difficult to let go of the past at times, but you will soon see how important it is so that you can bring renewal and transformation into your life. If you resist these necessary endings, you may experience pain, both emotionally and physically but if you exercise your creative imagination and visualize a new possibility, you allow more constructive patterns to emerge.

Similarly, Death indicates a time of significant transformation, change and transition. You need to profoundly transform yourself and clear away any of the old in order to bring in the new. Any change at this time should be welcomed as a positive, cleansing, transformative force in your life. The death and clearing away of limiting factors can open the door to a wider, more satisfying experience of life.

The Death card contains elements of a sudden and unexpected change. You may feel as though you are caught in the path of sweeping change and cannot escape its effects. Though the immediate thought is toward the negative, an end need not mean failure. The loss could be a series of unexpected surprises that bring an end to a period of turmoil or problems. You feel you can no longer go along with the status quo and want things to change radically. Many changes are going to take place to enable a new direction to emerge.

Finally, Death is an indication that you need to learn to let go of unhealthy attachments in your life to pave the way to a fuller, more fulfilled life of deeper meaning and significance. Death teaches you to let go of outworn and outgrown ways of life and move forward. This is a perfect card to use to break a bad habit or pattern of behaviour. This is a time of eliminating excess and cutting out what is not necessary in your life. This may be a good time to purge old belongings, memories and ‘baggage’ that is getting in your way.

For me, this is coming up in an intense way with my lifelong history of self-sabotage.  As I progress further into living a fulfilling life, it’s clear that those old patterns will no longer do.  Unfortunately (fortunately), in order to undo a lifetime of damage, I need to figuratively die. How the hell am I supposed to accomplish ANYTHING with all of these crippling beliefs?  And so I ask myself every day, probably as some Yogi tea tag once suggested:

“what must I let die today so something else can live?”

Because I’m done. I’m all set. I’m ready to get off this ride. This is not working anymore.

For the first two weeks of this current trip to Mexico, I had my ass handed to me, as if I thought that wouldn’t happen.  I knew it was part of the death process. My inner fears and blocks were coming up in a heavy way, and Mexico was forcing me to sit in it. No matter how many times I cried uncle, she wouldn’t let up.  Just because I wanted to be done didn’t mean I was actually done. I felt a deep loneliness that would not quit and only got worse until it became impossible to turn away from.  I was being asked to look at it and really be present with it.  I thought about Santa Muerte, and how she’s a Saint to all, light and shadow, good and bad.  She’s the mother who will hold every child and kiss their forehead.  I considered Her, and what would happen if I just held these “dark” pieces like children, without judgement.  As soon as it did that, things began to move.  Prior to arriving here, I had a feeling lodged in my throat that I needed to cry.  I felt like I needed to grieve something, but I didn’t know what, and nothing was moving. So when I felt this movement upon being present with loneliness, I realized that what I was trying to grieve was the closing of this recent chapter of my life.  But no, not yet.  My body and mind were still hanging on for dear life out of fear, so I still couldn’t quite emotionally release.

The tiny movement led me to sit in ritual for three days leading up to Dia de Los Muertos, figuring I’d be a bad witch if I didn’t take advantage of the thin veil and presence of the ancestors.  Every night I worked to bring healing to family patterns and karma, which brought me even greater understanding around why I do what I do now as an adult. On the third day, I snapped.  So many frustrations, insecurities and conflicts came to a head all at once, and my heart cracked open.  The grieving I had wanted to do finally came out, and it flooded me so intensely that I’m surprised I didn’t levitate. It felt like an exorcism.  I was contorted and pleading with the universe to let it all go.  When the crying stopped, I didn’t feel refreshed.  I didn’t really feel anything besides empty. I had strength, but not the kind of strength where you can build something.  It was the strength to say “no more”; to allow a container to hold the presence of death.

In that moment, I no longer had fear of the unknown.  I crossed over my pain and into acceptance.  Understanding that the pain of loss was what held me in fear, the absence of it made newness feel welcome.  

This, of course, was temporary.  However, when you know that a feeling is possible, you learn how to channel your energy to get back there.  I set out on an adventure to Guerrero, where Katia had been invited to perform at the closing night gala for the Latin American Body Piercing conference.  She knew I was hoping to start a piercing apprenticeship in the spring, and we’ve been talking about collaborating on a performance for a while, so she was generous enough to invite me to come along with her and be a part of the show. The organizers of the event were incredible, and they hooked us up with a hotel and food for the week.  When I started out on the road I was feeling a bit fragile from the emotional explosion earlier, but still excited to get to the event.

After a sleazy, predatory Uber ride in 40 minutes of traffic jams, a junky trying to open my door and get in the car with me to beg for money (that my Uber driver just shrugged at), and a 2.5 hr bus ride that turned into 4 hours of switchbacks and the kind of nausea that makes you black out, I arrived in Taxco.  I’m not sure how I got to my room because I was so disoriented, but I’m so grateful to the taxi driver for taking pity on me and offering to help me in my wet noodle state.  Once the nausea subsided, I went exploring in the hotel to find food and the rest of the event.  I happened to make it in time for the last 15 minutes of the last class of the day, which was on genital piercings. Oh good, I made it just in time for dick pics! The comic relief lifted my mood, and afterwards I was able to grab dinner with some friendly folks before promptly returning to my room to pass the eff out.

Once I got into bed, I made sure to say, “thank you” to myself.  I don’t think we do this enough.  I reviewed the entire day and the physical trials I had been through: the cortisol attack from several panic attacks, running around the city doing errands, packing, climbing up and down stairs carrying multiple bags, finding food, getting sick, and navigating my needs and reservations in a foreign language.  I got through it.  Thank you, body, for getting us through that! I thought about the intense emotions of the day, and how I navigated those without losing myself. Thank you, body, for getting us through that, too! I thanked the universe for keeping me safe.  Being in the Uber was really scary.  Being a small woman traveling alone at night to one of the more dangerous states in Mexico, who clearly isn’t local and doesn’t have a solid grasp on the language, is really scary. All of that, plus being out-of-my-gourd sick at the same time.  I would be foolish not to count my lucky stars.  I considered for a few minutes that perhaps I sell myself short on how strong I actually am.

If this were fiction, I’d tell you that I fell softly and deeply to sleep.  That’s not true, though.  Everyone was partying and I didn’t really get much rest, but I still woke up feeling pretty good about embracing the day.  I took some classes, did some work, and met some rad peeps.  Katia was finally able to make it to town, so we met up and went exploring around the convention together.  It was a good space to take my transforming self for a test drive. Could I be in a new space with new people, and not lead with my sexuality? Could I feel worthy of taking up space in a social environment?  Would people accept me just for being a nice person, not because I could do something for them?  If I was rejected, could I allow it to wash over me and not take it so personally? Could I find pauses in my day where I had relief from social anxiety all together, and just focus on my work and taking classes?  Who am I without some belief about how I’m supposed to be presenting? Is it okay to not give a damn about someone’s ranking, and just walk up and chat up anyone interesting, because human interaction just shouldn’t be that complicated?

As the days went by, I played with those questions and found mixed results.  It’s clear that I’m still adjusting to myself, which naturally comes with ups and downs, celebrations and discoveries.  I got my period on Halloween, which was a bit surprising because it was early.  Even though I was in a bit of pain, I still embraced it with excitement.  The morning after it started, I took a class on Mesoamerican body modification rituals.  Naturally, we covered a lot about blood sacrifice, which felt rather appropriate at the time.  I was pretty psyched to be able to make my own blood offering for the three solid days of Los Muertos celebrations.  One of the greatest points of this class, however, was the conversation about pain. People in the body modification industry understand pain differently than the average person, I think.  They work with it so frequently and intimately that they learn how to use it as a jump-off point to altered or transformative states, and how to hold space for others who want to enter that space, as well. The lecturer discussed how in these Mesoamerican cultures, pain through body modification was the cost for communing with the gods or deeper selves, and how this is also symbolic of pain in the emotional body’s transitions and experiences.  I allowed myself to sink into my cramps and really reflect on my current experience with death.  I was still in it, but hearing this information released more of the fight from me. I settled deeper and embraced it more in gratitude.  I gave myself permission to keep pushing in the areas that would bring me greater strength, but to also gracefully turn down opportunities that did not feel in line with my desires or energy levels.

Time went by too fast, and all of a sudden it was already the closing gala where Katia and I would perform.  The concept of the piece was to ask the audience, “how can we be so occupied with making body art while there are so many dead and missing bodies in Mexico?” Katia would act as a severed head on a banquet table, while I walked around as an overly-sexualized and objectified embodiment of superficial desire and distraction, feeding the crowd bites of food that represented different territories, while the dead laid out “unnoticed”.  In the end, Katia began to speak, chanting a prayer to the dead as she was pierced to draw blood as an offering.  The needles were replaced with ferns, representing rebirth.

It was very powerful, and an absolute honor to share the stage with such a master.  Not only is she a master performer, but she was also the first female body piercer in the modern Mexican piercing world.  So many lifetimes and countless stories within that woman.  So naturally, when she came down hard on me after the show, I listened.

Okay, I argued a little. But I came around.

When she asked me how I felt, I mentioned that I had focused so much on being her assistant that I forgot to prepare myself for the performance, and that I started off smaller than I should have been.  She laid into me about ego traps as a performer, and the importance of not competing. We were lost in translation for a good part of that, I think, because we were sort of talking about separate things. But I still took time and reflected on her words.  I always tell myself that I’m not competitive.  I don’t try to outshine or take things from other people.  If anything, I always try to shrink or devalue myself to avoid conflict, which often leads to bitter feelings.  I realized that this, too, is a side of competition. I considered again Santa Muerte’s general, non-biased compassion, and how this could apply to navigating my own shadows.  For every trait I say I don’t have, do I actually possess its opposite, and therefor I still end up feeding it?  If an undesirable trait is merely repressed and not actually cleansed from the system, does it simply manifest in other forms that could be perceived as other things but is actually the same?

I think yes.

I took this concept and applied it to all parts of my life and all of my fears.  I considered my overwhelming fear of failed art, and pondered the idea that perhaps there is even no such thing as a bad performance, that every expression has a valuable impact.  Can you be so kind that you’re controlling? Can you be so selfless that you’re greedy?

More death.

More and more death.

On the bus ride back to Mexico City (now with 100% vitamin Dramamine), I contemplated my endless quest for betterment, and how I feel like I can never quite get there.  I thought about a conversation Katia had had with another piercer about how it’s impossible to expect any human to be fully pure.  I thought about my Westernized mindset, how “if I just take this pill” or “if I just do this thing”, everything will be instantly cured.  I overanalyzed myself to sleep, combing and picking over every interaction, every thought, and every fear over the last week.  I needed to understand all of it, because I thought that maybe if I did, I could finally figure out how to complete the process and move forward.  But when I got back to my apartment, the loneliness crept back in.  The anger, resentments and anxiety all came flooding back in.  What the hell was missing?? I thought I figured it out! Two days in a row, I pulled the Death card in the Tarot.  I felt like it was mocking me.

“GAH! I KNOW! I’M TRYING! DO YOU HAVE AN INSTRUCTION MANUAL??”

I sunk into despair and decided to call my therapist for backup. I needed a death midwife to help me through.  She laughed with me a bit, and reminded me that I’m not supposed to know, and I’m not supposed to control it.  I’m supposed to surrender; that surrender is the only ticket to death, and therefor rebirth. Oddly enough, I was comforted by this reminder.  Duh, right? Reflecting back on the past few months, and then the past couple weeks, anytime I experienced genuine change or movement was when I threw my hands up and surrendered.  It’s hard, and it doesn’t usually happen until I’m completely at my wit’s end, but I need to let go.  I want to let go.  I have old attachments and perceived obligations that I’m terrified to lose or fuck up, but so long as I hold on, I’ll keep being stuck playing this game on loop. I’m so tired of overcoming. I’m just ready to live.

In two days I fly back to the United States.  I have no idea how I’m supposed to feel or what to expect.  I have no idea what coming back to Mexico will be after that. While my childish side wants to say that I give up, I don’t necessarily like that wording because it implies defeat.  There’s immense power and hope in surrendering.  I’m gonna keep working on that.