You finished the chapter and now have to make the discs. You are waiting until Paul gets home to get a gelato. Heading back home tomorrow morning after breakfast. Put the last of the chapter three in place and post.
Scene 15
This is the Supervisor. Modern science has catalogued a variety of aspects of behavior that include both the lesser animals and the higher primates such as chimpanzees and apes. Human beings are classified as highest primates, but in here that is a misnomer.
Human beings are a species with deeper hearts, deeper souls, and deeper minds. By that, I mean human beings are multi-dimensional in their perceptions of themselves and others of the same species. This is one of the reasons they jump the line when it comes to physical death.
In here, they not only can, they will, whether they like it or not. Jumping the line coming into the physical world holds the same psychological properties. You arrive, and if you have family or friends you survive and learn to deal with it.
The species with the deeper hearts, deeper souls, and deeper minds also looks at the physical universe differently. Poetry and Science (Mathematics and its Theories included) are one in the same when the categories are not poetry and science, the category is the human perspective first and foremost.
Categories are secondary to the highly intelligent creatures who made them up. Philosophy, which includes the religions of the world, and its Cultures are secondary to the creatures who made them up. Poetry, Science, Philosophy and Cultures do not make the jump from physical death in these books, the unconsciousness and consciousness of individual people make the jump and within this sense of consciousness human reason and the grammar of language also make the jump.
This is and will be a relative truth in the six books of this Merlyn’s Mind series. The seed Thales is searching his heart for is ground in Reason and grown through Grammar.
Strip the individual Dead of herorhis poetry, science, philosophy and culture and what do you have? What is left of a human mind and heart without these things? It is no wonder the newly Dead seek out their own. This is also what the newly Living do, seek out their own.
The only differences with the Dead are the core personality and memory of self-study and of experience. Within this framework, the Golden Rule becomes the standard for survival in a group of the same species. The Golden Rule is the atmosphere the Dead must breath to survive as a group.
Human beings are built to survive as a group when Dead. The living reader doesn’t have to agree with any of this, even in basic principle. Such is the underlying humor throughout this six volume series.
Scene 16
Thales sat on a bench near the seven steps leading down into the small cut stone pool in the a nearby garden park on Plaka Street, which runs parallel to Lyceum and just one block south of the four corners of Lyceum and Eleusis Streets. The park sets just behind the Temple to Athena on the corner of Eleusis and Plaka. Thales stared down into the clear water in the small stone walled pool. In an unspoken moment –
What is this in the eye of my mind? A green lizard with no front legs and its back shaped as a human left index finger. Within the finger on the lizard's back is a single crystallized right human eye with no iris, peering at my face.
The lizard is staring right into these four strange, volcanic-like cauldrons. The largest the size of a thumbprint to the lizard’s left, the next cauldron is straight-away and it is the size of the index finger, and to its right is the third cauldron, the size of the small finger.
One more cauldron left standing in the row is the size of the iris of a human eye. This small cauldron is squeezed from the back of the head of a slight, green, snake-like creature. Amazed I am to see this within the eye of my own mind. Yet, there is more.
Centered below the lizard, and four cauldrons is a long thin, skinny finger, like that of an old hag pointing at the second cauldron, the eye backed lizard to put the index finger in. The face of the lizard staring down at the cauldron looks angry. Why would one place his finger in a volcanic cauldron in the first place?
No doubt the finger does not want to be placed there. Yet, the long thin, hag-like finger points, as if directing the lizard with the human eye on its back to place the index finger into the second cauldron.
What a strange and unnatural scene is this? It is an omen to be sure, but how to understand such a vision. I have had them before in life, but never one such as this. Why, even as I observe wide-eyed, the cauldron on the far left, the largest of the cauldrons appears to have developed two legs forward and two in back, as if it had become a giant white spider leaping or running away from this strange scene.
Thales’ vision sat worded on a front page of time. On the backside of the same page, a mirror image of this same vision rested itself comfortably into the mind of sleeping Merlyn during the first year of his death some thirteen hundred centuries later. “Thales” murmured Merlyn in his sleep. He was thinking of another Thales, one he had studied in life, the philosopher from Miletus, who lived between 624 and 546 BCE, one of the first to use deductive logic in the Greek tradition.
Scene 17
One of the differences with the Dead is that the concept of Time folds into itself until it isn’t there. Without anything physical to measure, such as the blood-pumping heart, the physical sense of time isn't necessary.
Time is of no practical use other than within subjective and objective memory, and within the sharing these memories of life, as well as with new memories made in Elysium by way of one’s basic personality interacting with itself and/or with others.
Two reasonable questions come to mind. First, how can one have a mystical vision when dead, and the second, how can the same vision be seen by Thales some twelve hundred and fifty years before Merlyn sees the same vision at the same moment?
Dreaming comes naturally to the Dead as living people may subjectively understand, at least in context with these books. Perceptions of time and space are sometimes altered in dream-time. A mystical experience compounds the spiritual and transcendental dimension of the more common time and space altered dream-like state of the Living. In this case, Thales sees this vision as an omen while Merlyn sees the same vision, he is struck first by what he already knows, the name, Thales, not the vision itself, and that is a positive notation in Merlyn's mind.
Neither has any notion that the vision is being seen by anyone other than himself. The archetypes or symbols of the vision can be understood by both Thales and Merlyn because both had and have an unconscious mind. This particular mystical vision includes a placement of four cauldrons, a lizard, a snake, and a spider as well as human fingers and eyes.
As far as time placement upon opening a history book one can be in the nineteenth century on one side of the page in the twentieth century on the opposite side of the page. The Dead are without physics. Time is in memory but not in heart and soul and mind. Even the Living have a sense of this when thinking about close family or friends who are dead. Those known dead still exist subjectively within the living person’s heart and mind. For the Dead in these books, existence is subjective unless they are with another. When together one proves the existence of the other. That is how it is in this Merlyn’s Mind series.
As for this particular Thales, he will learn more about Merlyn in book six than he knew already by the conclusion of book three. The Dead have no recourse but to accept their condition. The Living appear to have no recourse but to also accept their condition until they are no longer living. There is no great divide between the Living and the Dead in these books. If there were, you wouldn’t have these words in mind. To put it more succinctly, if you want the metaphysics, the Dead are on one side of the page or the other.
Now, back to the Dead, where the rebellion continues in the mid-morning of this sixth day. Twenty-seven hundred years ago or a hundred, what makes the difference?
Scene 18
Mario sat at a late breakfast staring across the table at Sophia. “Here I have doubt mixed in my favorite jam, what do you think about that?”
Sophia try to measure Mario eye to eye but diverted her own to the right inadvertently. “We need to actually build this bridge. We need to show the gods we can do impossible things.”
“This doesn’t make sense Sophia. We can engineer the bridge out two or three spans. Beyond that we have no knowledge.”
“Human beings always do things without knowledge.”
He laughed, “That usually gets us here sooner rather than later.”
“Mother is determined that we sway the Supervisor to allow us to go home.”
“You admit we need permission,” said Mario confidently.
“We will not be given permission unless we show strong will and individual determination. We should rally everyone not just the ten thousand Mother chose.”
He shrugged, “She must have her reasons.”
“We are not even a majority,” snapped Sophia.
“You talk to Mother not me. Don’t vent your anger and frustration my way.”
“Who is this Supervisor?” asked Sophia. “We still don’t know for sure. He could be Zeus.”
“The whole pantheon could be Zeus, Sophia.”
“That’s just it. By building the bridge we are showing our courage, building into the unknown. Zeus or whoever will be obliged to watch, to observe us. Heroes have always been respected. If we act like heroes then that is our point.”
“I agree in that we don’t need to try to confront the Supervisor whether he be Zeus or Hades or some unknown god. I just don’t see what we are going to do once we can’t build the bridge any further.”
“We cannot give up on this. Mother is expecting us to succeed.”
Half jokingly Mario responded, “Maybe we could barter our way back.”
Sophia laughed, “Sacrificing one’s life can’t be done twice. What else do we have?”
He said, “We have our immortality. If we have it and the gods don’t know why, they might be interested in getting some more.”
“Mario, now it is you who is not making sense.”
“No. I mean perhaps our immortality is different than the gods immortality is.”
“It can’t be better.”
“It would seem so. But then why do we have two words for the same thing, immortal and eternal? We must feel there is a distinction between the two words. We can play on their lack of knowledge about us.”
“We don’t know they don’t know everything about us.”
“True, but then we don’t know everything about us either. Human beings are a mystery even unto themselves Sophia. Somehow I think we can use this as leverage down the line.”
“We need to know who we are,” replied Sophia. “And we need to remain in balance between our emotional hearts and our rational minds.”
Mario shook his head affirmatively. “One of our goals here is to learn more about ourselves as well as more about the gods.”
“Our immediate challenge is building the bridge as far as we can go, the bridge has to be designed with the mind and the heart equally. How is that Mario?”
“I like it. And, we need a backup if the bridge fails,” he suggested.
“I agree whole-heartedly. We will have to work on this also, it will make us more resolved.” With this sentence ended their eyes met equally and both were more reassured.
Scene 19
Kassandra stared out onto the River Styx and beyond. A fair, mild and comfortable day engulfed her. Light blue sky, she thought, white fluffy clouds standing above the horizon. Such a sharp line between light sky and the dark waters of the Styx. White capped waves in the distance but nothing but a light breeze. Waves breaking about forty feet out. She asked, “What is the distance of each bridge span to be?”
“Forty-one feet, arched, with a stone base, wood framed and concrete,” replied Salaman. “The bridge is to be set ten feet above the water line. Some want to set it at twenty feet.”
“Why so high, the River has never flooded as far as anyone knows.”
Salaman said, “I suggested three feet, waves are never more than two feet at most and usually one or less.”
“Four should be adequate for safety.”
“Safety from what?” asked Salaman.
She laughed, “I don’t know? An automatic response.”
“You ever wonder what makes the waves?” he asked.
“Poseidon?”
“True. We need to appease him in some way.”
Kassandra replied, “Maybe that’s the reason for the height, some are wondering if he could set some rogue waves.”
“Would it not be easier for Poseidon to just lower the river bed to make it more difficult or impossible for us?”
She smiled gingerly, “Duly noted.”
“Thales thinks they should just make a viaduct, a long low military bridge,” smirked Salaman.
Kassandra said, “Everybody knows best when it comes to building bridges.”
He continued, “Mario first thought pillars with bricks, mortar and pozzolana cement would work best with wooden arches.”
“How do we keep going further when the depth of the river will no doubt be lower?”
“This bridge building is better as a symbol of our determination.”
Kassandra asked, “Why did it change? I mean I wanted to really build a bridge but everyone said no, that it was a symbol.”
“Sophia I guess. She has it in her mind that we need to really do something. We need to make the bridge authentic so the gods will see we are for real.”
Her eyes brightened, “Maybe Poseidon will side with us and raise the river bed in our favor. No one would know any better.”
Her eyes brightened, “Maybe Poseidon will side with us and raise the river bed in our favor. No one would know any better.”
“It is true that Poseidon once took up a plot against Zeus with Hera and Athena. Poseidon never liked to follow his brother’s orders.” He thought, Poseidon also had troubles with both Hera and Athena. He is a misfit, a tyrant worse than Zeus.
“He had an affair with Demeter. Perhaps she could persuade him to side with us,” said Kassandra quietly while attempting to subdue her earlier hope.
“Wild horses to steer the sea god. Doubtful.”
The cynical tone was easily picked up, but she didn’t understand the content. With resolve, she added, “If we could gain Athena’s help perhaps she would transform herself into a sea bird and tell us what awaits us as we build the bridge further.”
Salaman reluctantly declared, “Clearly, we feel we cannot do this rebellion ourselves, that we will need the help of a variety of gods and goddesses.”
“Sophia and Mario don’t agree with us on this. We are not alone in our thoughts though.”
What about Thales?” asked Salaman.
What about Thales?” asked Salaman.
“I will find out what Thales really thinks tonight,” she replied confidently. This secret River in front of us is the product of the gods not us. We cannot move forward without their help. It will be impossible to move forward without their help. Sophia and Mario should see this themselves. Are they blind to our reality? Mother, it is our Mother’s fault if this transgression fails. Sophia just mimics her.
Scene 20
Agathia had dressed up her private quarters and was waiting for a friend who had promised to stop for a mid-morning visit. He will be interested in what I have to say, she thought. Besides, I think Kassandra treats him unfairly. I don’t even think she likes him that much. She is always flirting with one man or another, the other day it was Salaman at the pool. Kassi likes to show off. In some ways I don’t know how she arrived in Elysium in the first place. Deeper down, Kassi is always older, always giving me instructions one way or another, just like mother. I can flirt just as well as Kassi can.
Within an hour Thales arrived feeling depressed, he said, “Hello, Agathia. Good to see you. It has been awhile. I like your new furniture arrangement. You have a second chair.” He ending the sentence with a slight smile.
“Yes, come in and sit, Thales. How are you?”
“Tired. Too much going on . . . mostly that’s it,” he stated.
Are you not resting at night?”
“I think I have too many dreams. I don’t remember them all and I don’t feel they are really that important. Too much confusion. Too much going on with this demonstration.” He paused and glanced down from her eyes, “I think it is a rebellion, or soon will be, but I don’t know . . . it seems to me that the rebellion is going to turn against mother. I don’t like the idea of it.”
“I have not heard that,” she said with quick interest. Kassi said she would keep me informed, but I don’t think she really has.”
“It is not Kassandra. I think it is the whole group. We are independent in our thoughts. We are civil. I am probably more attracted to Sophia . . . I mean, I am more attracted to her ideas at first, but then, in private, I have my doubts. What bothers you most in private, Agathia?”
“I don’t like being honest with myself,” revealed Agathia. “I am, but I think about what I did during the day and how I should learn from it.”
“Me too.”
“I wonder how long we are going to stay here,” she remarked.
“That is a good question. I don’t think much about it because I thought we were going to be here forever, but maybe we aren’t.”
“Do you think we will be born again?”
“Do you think we will be born again?”
“I don’t know,” answered Thales. “There is no River Lethe, no river of forgetfulness,” he paused as if in deep thought, then continued, “People disappear from time to time, but they are always found in their private dwelling in thought or in sleep.”
“I was thinking that if we could show people are reincarnated, then there is already a natural way to return to Earth.”
Thales smiled more broadly. “Then if they are we could find a way to have them keep their former memories for their next journey home.”
She retired to a passive voice, “It is just a thought.”
“No, that is a good one, Agathia. You should be in the group with us.”
“You have Kassandra. I usually tell her what I think but I haven’t seen her lately.”
“I see her, but I like Sophia better,” he said without a thought.
Agathia replied, “Do not give me that look Thales. I am not going to tell either one of them. I think it is good that the five of you get along so well.”
“I need to relax more. Then perhaps I would sleep better.”
“We can lie down, I can give your spine a rubbing and we can continue to talk.”
“We can lie down, I can give your spine a rubbing and we can continue to talk.”
Surprised, Thales agreed, “That would be nice, Agathia. That would be really good. Then perhaps I could reciprocate.”
Scene 21
Mario and Salaman stood on the high west rocky precipice looking down some fifteen hundred feet, north to south through the small city-state from Mother’s home on the hill, down Eleusis Street to where it ends at the Styx. The bridge building had begun with the bridge’s entrance gate. Mario explains the details to Salaman.
The gate façade is set to replicate the Temple of Asclepius. Twelve sixteen foot wide stone steps from river beach up to the rectangular base stone floor. The front wall, closest to the town, is to be sixteen rectangular stone blocks high, each cut block twelve inches long, ten inches high and eight inches thick.
The front wall consists of four blocks in from the outer west corner to the arched entrance. The same four blocks in from the outer east corner to the arched entrance. The height of the wall is ten blocks. The eleventh block begins the arch. Four blocks up from the eleventh ends the arch and three more blocks up to the top of the wall sets the architrave.
A simple concrete frieze tops the architrave with a small centered relief of Asclepius the Healer, the bearded god of medicine holding a serpent-entwined staff. Presently the rectangular floor of the façade is complete the size of which will hold four corner Doric columns to the front and with one middle column and back corner column.
Salaman replies, “A rectangle rather than a square about sixteen feet wide at the front and eight feet deep at the sides.”
“Right. With four corner Doric columns, plus two on the front and back and one centered on each side.”
“Right. With four corner Doric columns, plus two on the front and back and one centered on each side.”
Salaman stated, “Originally it was going to be square.”
“True,” declared Mario, “but we have changed the dimensions of the bridge to the height of twelve feet above the Styx and a width of either twelve or sixteen feet.”
“True,” declared Mario, “but we have changed the dimensions of the bridge to the height of twelve feet above the Styx and a width of either twelve or sixteen feet.”
“The final width will be decided soon.”
Salaman deadpanned, “It is a working plan.” Both laughed at the reality neither wanted to admit.
Salaman deadpanned, “It is a working plan.” Both laughed at the reality neither wanted to admit.
“The relief will be on both the front and back friezes.”
“I like the simplicity,” added Salaman. “Essentially this will be higher than a military construction but within the bounds of civility.”
“I like the simplicity,” added Salaman. “Essentially this will be higher than a military construction but within the bounds of civility.”
“It is a wonderful view.”
“The Styx stretches out as wide as the Mediterranean.”
“The Styx stretches out as wide as the Mediterranean.”
“So it appears.” Mario points back to the city. “We appear civilized even in our deathly repose.”
“Strange how that is. Other towns all along the coast just as at home,” said Salaman.
Mario contemplated, “And no one has ever found the length of the great River.”
“Strange how that is. Other towns all along the coast just as at home,” said Salaman.
Mario contemplated, “And no one has ever found the length of the great River.”
“It could be as long as forever, but it’s width cannot, for we know the Living are on the other side.”
“That would be Egypt if the Styx were the Mediterranean,” joked Mario. Again, both laughed, but the hollowness of the laughter spread itself thin until it dangled there at the end of a rope.
“That would be Egypt if the Styx were the Mediterranean,” joked Mario. Again, both laughed, but the hollowness of the laughter spread itself thin until it dangled there at the end of a rope.
There is more to this than we know, thought Salaman.
Mario stopped thinking altogether and tried to regain his joy of the marvelous view.
Mario stopped thinking altogether and tried to regain his joy of the marvelous view.
The End of Chapter Three
of the fourth book in the Merlyn’s Mind series
©2009 Richard H. Orndorff
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