Maps and illustrations by the author
FORGOTTEN FRAGMENTS
As his interlocutors did not seem to grasp the point, the wizard of Dagad Trikon elaborated further :
“See how the law of contradictions works well: one side flowing into the other to serve the purpose of the whole: the fire belongs to the Yellow Feather, agreed? But on the side of the Yellow Feather it can rage destructively: it heats, dries and burn. Now, if we take fire to the side of the Blue Feather it warms up, enlightens and most importantly” he added with an ominous smile, “it purifies. We must purify our emotions. Zarathustra the Daskalian knew it well as he used the power of the fire to free the Persian nation from its old ways.
- Isn’t it precisely the dance of the feathers?” Lakshman was keen to understand the functioning of the casket of the Blue Feather. After all, the knowledge of the Deep Way was about understanding oneself.
“Yes, we touched on this in Bangkok. Any difficulty or challenge on one of the sides can be met by using the properties of the other side.
***
- Master Sanath, why did you say the rationalists are attacking the Great Mother?
- Because She brings experimentation and proof to the realm of spirituality. They don’t like this. She turns spirituality in an individual experience that is objective and transferable to the mass. She destroys the possibility for Reason to deny the Spirit.
- This is now the revolution and it quite normal the ruling class opposes it” added Ian. “She destroys the principal claim of rationalists that spirituality, mysticism and religion are subjective and irrelevant to the intelligent mind. She wipes out the cardinal article of the rationalist faith. She transforms men and women. No wonder they fear her: a woman from an unknown land brings verification to the hypothesis that Blake was offering: divinity is also within man.
***
“I have observed,” Kheto continued, “that we learn much by observing the animal kingdom. When you observe most animals, take for instance the gorillas or the lions, it becomes quite clear that these animals are very systematic about hierarchies. They pay attention to the pecking order towards the alpha male. The leading male will fight to the finish for territory, control of the herd and the females. Moreover animals also function through group formations, their bonding driven mainly by their struggle for survival. Have you noticed how humans still rely on these mechanisms: the leader and the group?
“I see what you mean,” responded Michael. “We call it politics and we hear about it when we switch on the news channels.
***
But the Xhosa elder returned to the allegory of the rugged and grand mountain, of its silent loneliness encircled by the scintillating but sulfurous city.
“What is worthy today is invisible; what is useless steals the show. Modern man and his world drive at top speed, an amnesic driver who has forgotten the last accident. Modern man has lost his memory. Without memories you cannot learn. Without learning you miss your future. He who does not know his beginning cannot choose his end. There is a treasure of experience that can take us forward if only we can retrieve it.”
The wizard answered: “To get it right, Lakshman, we need to use the positive powers of both the feathers. Using this power, Hanuman, the messenger of the Emerald King, helped you and Jonathan in your own quest.”
“Perhaps, but we can’t always count on a white monkey dropping from a tapestry to save the day. I would still like to understand more clearly what you mean by the positive power of the Yellow Feather. What does it look like?”
“Didn’t you feel it? An enormous but temperate strength controlled by innocence and mildness. The help of Hanuman brings endless dynamism, a deeper intelligence, the intuitive capacity to focus on the essential, to understand what to seek and what to avoid. A man who has mastered this feather is a man of character and determination a man of steel. Steel does not move on its own, the Lady of the Rock use to say, but under the impulse of a magnet.” Sanath paused for a while as if to give more weight to the next thought. “The custodians of the magnetic force which control the dance of the feathers are the scions of the House of Kalabham. If we can unearth their casket and access the lost lore of Kalabham. it would give us the key to the entire unlocking system of the seven seals. I am still doing research in this direction with the help of members of my Order. I sent one of them to Ayers Rock in Australia, but for the time being I cannot say more.”
***
The wizard of Dagad Trikon was watching them intensely. The Stealthstars were advancing. Perhaps the Great Mother uses them as rangers, he thought, to probe the frontiers, to crack some codes, to unveil concealed pearls of knowledge. He concluded, “When the feathers dance together, when you let the powers flow without interference, whatever is best will happen to you. Through humility, you achieve Ta Yeou, the possession of greatness as indicated in section 14 of the I Ching, the esoteric Chinese book.”
***
The humid heat on Georgetown was oppressive. The brothers were in a sour mood. Jonathan went on, “I feel stuck, as if the walls of this apartment are closing in on me again. When I was small, I wanted to do something big with my life. Whether it was childish or child-like I don’t know, but that determination kept me going as I went through more difficult times. I always felt I didn’t want to let the little boy down, but it just gets harder and harder. My life is what it is and I better leave that dream behind because I just end up getting frustrated. In any case, like every other Tom, Dick or Harry, other things keep me busy, like the price at the gas pump and the rising rate of the mortgage for this place. Life beats us with reality checks. Being caught between dull jobs and joblessness is not remotely exciting. So much for wanting a grand destiny, I feel more like a doggy outside in the rain.”
“Perhaps, but there is always an umbrella following you!” Jonathan looked perplexed at his smiling sister.