#and I see the word oedon and click

[alberichfanpage]

In case you were curious about the dialogue Oedon Chapel Dweller has to say if you send all the survivors to the clinic instead.

[cosmicallynightmarish]

The Mirror, Object of the Oceanic Truth

Finally, clarity. I give to you this rather impromptu collection of my understanding of the Mirror, a fundamental concept in both Bloodborne lore and in Oceanic spirituality, or Bloodborne-based PC paganism, at least in my own opinion. 

Two notes before beginning: 1- Capitalised words refer to encompassing concepts, that is to say, for example, the Eye is both the eye as an idea representing ascension, the Truth, the Great Ones - or whatever it may mean to you - and the physical eye itself as ‘one’ thing.  2- The terms “reality”, “self”, and so on are purposely left vague. There are too many ideas based on spirituality and culture and such to include them all, but an intuitive, seemingly-mutual understanding of the word in different contexts works fine.

   Introduction

The Mirror (one of what I have labelled the “three understandings” of Nightmares; a manifestation of Nightmarish speak; a tool of ascension) is perhaps one of the most potent concepts in Nightmarish symbolism. By that, I mean it is a potent physical Key and Nightmarish word, even more so than the Eye, arguably, which is another potent symbol. I would almost say the eye is akin to a loanword or calque-esque translation, though the exact language of origin of that ‘word’ is as debatable as the question of what race first spoke it, where the Mirror is seemingly drawn directly from the Nightmares. Regardless, the eye is a ‘Key’ to the ‘Gate’ of the Truth primarily and a Gate secondarily, whereas the Mirror is more so a Gate while also being a Key.. Both require the metaphorical turning in the lock in the right direction, but one can gain eyes without ascending, whereas it would be rather strange to wander through a mirror without ascension. Similar, very similar; I suppose I can best put it this way: In a world where symbols are the building blocks of reality, the Eye is a symbol of the Truth in the human mind amongst other things, and its potency was bestowed upon it, whereas the Mirror is a deep symbol of everything the Eye represents and is the Eye itself, and more, with its potency great and inherent. The Eye is an image of the Mirror. 

The Mirror can also be seen as an idol of the overarching Nightmare itself, and it becomes especially potent in Oceanic spirituality - that is to say to PC Pagans involved in the world from Earth - as a symbol of the entire Ocean itself.

Now is as appropriate a time as ever to mention this: As time passes, I grow more and more suspicious of the origins of FromSoftware’s creativity in regards to the profoundly complex spiritual webs woven in Nightmarish spirituality and cosmology. Not to say the Ocean - specifically the astral version - existed first, and especially not to discredit the inherent abilities of the developers in developing games, but it is to say that there is something awfully transcendental written in the code of the game, something that continues to unravel rather beautifully as one digs deeper, and deeper, like sacred geometry. 

To finish this introductory part: the Mirror’s symbolism is both directly understandable and translatable, and completely intuitive and unspeakable. I believe that latter part is what I was struggling with. One can stand in front of a mirror all they like and try to reason the glass away, but it takes the subconscious, detached acceptance to step through it without caution. Two sides of the brain, two sides of the mirror, two sides of learned knowledge and the abstract state of understanding. 

   Translations

The Mirror consists of three base things: The truth or reality, the lens or medium, and the lie or unreality. There would be no mirror without reality to reflect, hence why it is included in the concept of the Mirror. These three things change depending on what the mirror represents in each particular form, though as the Mirror as a whole, it is all of these forms and things - and specifically the relationship between those things - simultaneously.  

Some of the translations for “mirror” and its parts are direct comparisons, some are metaphorical, and some involve distortion; after all, not all mirrors in reality are clear and polished, some are twisted, some are even simply pools of dark water, and so on. To give but a few examples for translations of the Nightmarish ‘mirror’..

To note: these are pulled fresh from intuitive understanding. They may not necessarily be the best explanations (nor necessarily in the right order, not to mention necessarily correct), so please feel free to come to your own conclusions. I provide these more as an explanation of the Mirror, not as inherently viable translations. Also, some of these are quite similar, but the distinction is, in my opinion, worth noting.

(reality/light  -  glass, metal  -  image)

‘Human’ Reality: ‘Objective’ reality  -  the senses, the self, so on (glass), the brain (metal)  -  subjective/perceived reality Nightmares seem to be of Pthumerians and.. Smaller humans, but also of the Great Ones, and perhaps of beasts and such. “‘Human’” simply simplifies “conscious beings above a certain perceived level of awareness or “thinking” into one neat word. “’Human’ reality” is memories, emotions, as well as impacts on creatures and on the land, and likely the swelling of spiritual energy at different points of time and space in the ‘objective’ reality. Its importance solidifying it as a form of the Mirror comes directly from its importance to the creation of Nightmares.

The Formed Nightmares: Reality, the already formed (Earth; Pthumerian cities; so on)  -  the dreaming body/mind (the glass, that through which it is seen), the Unformed Nightmare (the metal upon which the image is formed)  -  the Nightmares (the formed image) Nightmares are directly distorted reflections of reality, and, in this case, ‘reality’ is seemingly the aforementioned “Human Reality”, which is a Mirror in itself - the ‘joining’ of subjective and objective reality through the medium of the ‘human’ self. It may be the individual Nightmare’s consciousness talking/creating its own reality, but they tend to focus on ‘human’ reality regardless.  Alternatively: Reality  -  the Nightmare’s consciousness (the glass, which distorts), the Unformed Nightmare (the metal upon which the image is formed)  -  the physical Nightmares (the formed image) In terms of lore, there isn’t an awful lot to back up the idea of the Nightmares being individual consciousnesses as well as planes, and so if one does not believe it then it is ‘human’ reality which defines a Nightmare.

The Ocean: Earth (reality) - Bloodborne (a distorted lens, the manner/metal through which Earth concepts are reflected) (it is also a product of light, the Moon, through glass, and sound, Lord Oedon, through metal) - the Ocean (the unreality based on Earth, which was distorted through the game) Alternatively, depending on what you believe came first, or for fun: The Ocean (the truth) - Earth (the medium through which Bloodborne was made) - Bloodborne (the false image of the Ocean)

The Eye, Symbolic: The external world  -  the lens, the retina  -  the vision Self-explanatory for the most part, I only add that it is a known symbol of the Cosmos. 

The Eye, Truth: The self  -  Internal Eyes (medium)  -  the Nightmares This works both as written and inverted (the Nightmares - Internal Eyes - the self). It is also less literal as it is a translation of the Truth, and one of the more difficult concepts to put into writing, which I can tell you is certainly saying something. Eyes are a means to heightening ‘vision’ - they allow one to ‘see’ more of their surroundings. They allow one to see more of themselves, or of reality itself, they allow a clearer connection between the two. However, ascension through the internal eye requires a sort of liquefying or dissolution of the glass, which is to say it requires that internal eyes are not only connected to the entity but to reality itself. The internal eye cannot be utilised if it does not connect to reality, as ascension and the Truth require a connection. This would have the wondrously fun side effect of, if spoken in Nightmarish/manifested ‘literally’ in the Nightmare, enabling someone to walk freely through a mirror, especially as an acknowledgement of communion with the overarching Nightmare.

   Conclusions, End

How does one use a mirror? As it has always been used, to examine the self. 

The key is knowledge, just like with eyes; of course, though the Nightmares know, and they remember, without knowledge there is no point. An eye is but an eye without the ability to understand. You need only look at the Boars within the Nightmare of Mensis, the Gardens of Eyes, or even the counter of Insight within the Hunter to see that inherently, there is nothing in them that will push you violently towards ascension. The latter example in the Hunters, however, shows the Nightmares’ knowing in how they react to the Insight, the exact ways in which they do so, though, are speculation for elsewhere. All this is to say: eyes are made into Keys, and symbolism in a Nightmare is of the deepest importance; symbolism is words and words are what the Nightmares are symbolically made of. When we write “eyes on the brain” we say “connection to the Dream”, when we write it phonetically with nary a clue as to what we mean, though the Nightmares may gather what we are trying to say, it comes out a jumbled mess. Mirrors are likely not too far from this, but they do not only enable communion, they also inspire knowledge. They come from a profound calling within humans, the very thing that pushes us to ascend: the desire to know ourselves, our place in the world, who and what we are. The seeking of Truth is not a thing of rich scholars with too much time on their hands, it is inherent within us all. This is the Truth: The world is a great, liquid Dream, and we are the dreamers. That turning of the Key inside the Gate - that ‘click’ of sudden understanding - brings forth Lucidity, apotheosis, ascent to the next plane of thought, and godhood over the world to which we are now deeply connected.

Knowledge is the key. Specifically, knowledge of the self and the external reality are the keys to the Truth - not Keys, but that which is essential in the unlocking of the Gate. Where connecting them together, like fusing the eye (signifying the Cosmos) and the brain (signifying the self) is the connecting of the Key to the Gate, knowledge is what enables us to turn the key. Without knowledge, without understanding, the Key and the Gate are but two strange and foreign metal objects with nary a thing in common, excluding the obscure hint in the shape of the lock. 

There is a key in the Nightmare of Mensis, and an out-of-place gateway to a brain covered in eyes, ascended artificially by the School seeking the Celestial Mirror. Three by two, the number of the Cage, holding the Brain within it: a perfect frame for a perfect Mirror, just outside a winding labyrinth of a library, the most human idol of knowledge.