THE FALL OF ATLANTIS
The following is a recollection of events from a time and
place from which there are no surviving historical records. Even so, this is a
place of which most everyone has heard. It is also a place from which events,
themes, triumphs and tragedies are but conjecture—one might even claim,
projections of our own imaginations. I speak of Atlantis—that is, the Atlantis
of “the lost continent of,” or “the lost civilization of …”
I
am no historian. In recounting the stories of the Atlantean lives which follow,
I mean to make no claim to have uncovered some new cache of written records or
to have met and gained access to the legends of some tribe that have been
hidden from the civilized world since time immemorial. In terms of dates and
times, I claim no particular accuracy. The events, however, are as real to me
as if I had been there. In fact, I feel quite strongly that I was there--call
it a projection of my own imagining, if you must, it makes no difference. I
record these events as a first person observer.
My
goal is provocation. In displaying these stories for public readership, I mean
to give grist for consideration of the choices others have made when placed in
a time not unlike our own, a time in which radically divergent forces are
exerting their influence on the course—and perhaps end—of human civilization.
I
am here to recount the stories of the members of one particular “family”—that
is, a group of individuals whose lives were, for a brief time, entwined by the
marriage of two bloodlines. These were six people who were not so very
extraordinary, nor were they truly ordinary. What they were was typical for the
time in which they lived. Each faced adversity and oppression. Each made
difficult and courageous choices. Most importantly, by being able to discover
and then remain true to their core values and truths, each was able to find
happiness and to live a fulfilling life.
Thus,
the 21st Century reader will encounter terms and names that were
neither used nor would they be familiar to members of Atlantean culture. Though
the humans inhabiting the planet we call “Earth” at the time of the events I
describe did, anatomically, possess vocal chords and in fact did have use of
voices (they were quite creative with sound making and, in fact, had quite a
sophisticated and highly developed musical tradition, both vocally and
instrumentally), the terms and terminology used herein are my own creative
attempts at rendering as accurately as I feel possible Atlantean concepts into
modern-day English wordage. My goal is to make Atlantean culture and concepts
feel familiar and comprehensible to the modern English-speaking reader.
Due
to the fact that so much of our own more complex and technical terminology have
come to us from Latin and Greek roots and, therefore, have what I consider to
be tainted etymologies (they come loaded with hidden agendas from those who
coined them as well as from those who have adopted and shaped them), I have
tried, where possible, to use simpler, more openly interpretable terms in the
place of Latin and Greek terms. For example, the reader will not be
encountering political terminology like “democracy” or “oligarchy” to try to
describe the forms, concepts or systems of decision-making and control that
might have existed or been experimented with in Atlantean culture. I will,
however, use the familiar terms “Atlantis” and “Atlantean” even though no
“Atlantean” ever heard much less considered themselves such. (“Earth,” too, was
not a word used by Atlanteans. As a matter of fact, a more accurate translation
for the concept held by Atlanteans to encapsulate that of their home sphere was
more similar to that of our modern term, “Gaia”—i.e. a term connoting a living,
conscious being by whom the collective consciousness of the human species of
“Atlantean” times felt quite fortunate to be hosted, nurtured and supported.)
Enjoy!
Prologue
The human population inhabiting planet Earth at the time of
the Atlantean civilization was particularly advanced—especially in terms of its
mental capacities. Along with their ability to communicate telepathically, all
“Atlanteans” possessed as an inherent, unconscious tool the ability to mentally
manipulate matter and form.
Long
ago, Atlanteans had learned to use active mind to ‘influence’ the resources
that they found useful to them. Initially, members from the animal, plant and
mineral kingdoms would be ‘asked’ to perform helpful duties—or be ‘asked’ to be
used for food or as art. To be clear: Under the value system of the “Old Ways,”
the animal, plant, or mineral targeted for ‘use’ was always asked whether or not they were agreeable to the task asked
of them; if the human could sense any element of reluctance or resistance on
the part of the ‘resource’ it would be left alone and not ‘used.’ This
‘contract’ of mutual accord came to be called the “Contract of Intent.”
Once
Atlanteans began replacing their agrarian life styles with those of “collective
centers—or “cities,” it was not long before their connection and intimacy with
all living things was also replaced. At the time of our story, it had only been
a few generations since the lure of large monumental art and architecture had attracted
naïve, idealistic laborers to work and live in centers of highly concentrated
populations. Life in these “New Order” urban centers created some very
different dynamics than those associated with “Old Style” agrarian life
choices. For the first time in this era of human history there was a separation
of one’s duties and responsibilities—things I can do or create as opposed to
things which I don’t have time to do and therefore must depend on others to do
or provide for me. This, in turn, allowed for concepts like ‘separation,’
‘isolation,’ ‘lack,’ and ‘worry’ to take a stronghold within the human
unconscious. Thus, a psychological rift was created between the inhabitants of
Atlantis and other urban centers and those who chose to resist or reject the
lure of urban life and New Order culture and those who chose Old Style values
and principles. The New Order disconnect from the concept of the underlying
interrelation of all things led to a psychological disconnect from many of the
values and beliefs which had been implicit and almost sacred to Old Style
thinking—not the least of which was the Contract of Intent. Once this simple
act of respect and reverence for the equally valid life force in all things had
been cast aside, it was only time until human hubris would come back to haunt
them.
Leam
Leam was born into an ‘upper class’ family celebrated for
its recent “High Creators”: a pair
of entrepreneurial brothers that chose to leave their clan’s rural existence in
order to bring their talents and ideas to the excitement and energy of the new
“collective centers.” Leam’s family’s legacy of “high creation” came from these
brothers’ contributions to New Order principles and values.
In
spite of his privileged upbringing, Leam’s father grew into a consciousness
that found discomfort and even distaste in New Order ways. Having grown up
watching as a class of hard working laborers crowded into confined “urban”
spaces so that they could serve a more advantaged yet not necessarily better or
deserving ‘upper’ class made Leam’s father uncomfortable. Though he kept these
views to himself most of his life, at a key point in Leam’s formative years his
father made a decision to move his young family away from the collective center
of his honored family. They moved to a particularly beautiful rural area that,
while founded on Old Way traditions—and still practicing the Old Ways among the
indigent population—had become a “resort” destination for members of the High
Creator class to travel to and “vacation.”
This
fairly new concept of “vacation” had arisen due to an increased amount of
leisure time found among the High Creator class clans. With the advent of class
separation there had arisen among the powerful elite gaps of time in which
one’s focus on work was not so demanding. They found themselves able to leave
the direction of large long-term creation projects in the hands of loyal,
dependable, subservient (well-compensated) underlings—“middle men.” With this
ability to step away from the work place, the designer class learned to create
destinations that were outside or away form their homes in which to practice
their increasingly varied forms of leisure. Thus, leisure clubs, resorts, and
even “second homes” began to pop up in the world of the upper classes. Leam’s family’s
new home “town,” though rural, was slowly becoming infiltrated—and somewhat
absorbed—as an extension or as another realm in which the New Order upper class
could exert their power and control.
Leam’s
family lived on the very edge of this ever-assertive realm of New Order
thinking and behavior; Leam’s father, mother, and brothers found themselves
under constant prodding and pressure to “join the fold” of behaviors and
attitudes practiced by resorter families from the High Creator class.
Something
in Leam’s core being felt more comfortable and more drawn to the “Old Style” of
life choices. He always felt a bit sickened by the unequal advantages given to,
yet not earned by, those born into the privileged classes—including the chance
circumstances of his own birth ‘rights.’ As he grew he found that he was keenly
aware of the power and joy he derived from the Natural World. After some years
spent studying and seeking out the legacies of Atlantean cultural creation—both
New and Old--“looking for something,” he became aware of innate Powers Within
and eventually found himself in the profession or craft of “Intentional
Healer.”
*
(Here the term “healer” is an entirely inaccurate word for what it is Leam
did. The true means for his services lay in the time-honored, almost sacred,
custom of creating an agreement or contract between practitioner and client.
The agreement, called the “Contract of Intent,” was a contract for the shared
intention of “the highest good of [the client] and the Cosmos.” Once client and
practitioner had committed together under the bond of the Contract of Intent,
it was then understood that any change(s) that might occur during the
“treatment” or treatments that followed were due to the higher will and
willingness of the client to receive, adapt, and change. A more accurate term
than “healer” for what it was that members of Leam’s profession did might be
“facilitator of change.”)
As
an Intentional Healer, Leam learned how to use Higher Mind and Spiritual Flow
to help facilitate the possibilities for beneficence, improved ‘health,’
‘goodness,’ wish-fulfillment, desired change, or ‘healing’ within the
contracted or directed subject.
From
this point on, Leam became a life-long enthusiast and student of Form and
Formation, Image and Imagination, Possibility and Probability, Active and
Passive Evolution, Change and Infinities, Space and “Zazen” (the space between
thoughts or the place from which Form and Creation appear), Stability and
Decay, Affirmation and Fortitude.
As
Leam’s talents began to show—and word spread of his exceptional abilities—he
found that there was a tremendous amount of pressure exerted on him by the
collective will of the High Creator class to use his gifts and skills to
enhance the ‘progress’ of the “New World Order,” that is, to ignore or
disregard the sacred Contract of Intent in order to move and direct energy into
forms dictated by an external, third party (the Council of High Creators). Leam
felt very uncomfortable with these pressures—as he did with the attitudes and
behaviors of New Order ways. He attempted to avoid, deflect, or surreptitiously
move contrarily to the wishes (and demands) of the High Council. He even for a
time experimented with working directly for members of the High Creator class,
until he found it to be more than he could handle—especially emotionally. The
hypocrisy of pretending to be one of ‘them’ while at home trying to honor and
practice the Old Ways, along with the constant pursuit and harassment by
Recruiters for the Office of Human Improvement, was undermining his
psycho-spiritual health—and, thus, his abilities as Healer. Eventually, with
the courage and support gained through his mid-life union with Toril, he chose
to disappear from collective civilization, to go “underground”—i.e. to leave
New Order civilization and join the “renegade” “Naturalists” living rurally,
living according to the Old Ways, outside of ‘civilized’ population clusters,
out of the reach of the powerful, probing minds of the High Creator class.
In
rural society Leam was able to regain his freedom, his sanity, his pride in the
purity and sanctity of his work, his dignity. Though the decision of whether to
move away had not been an easy one—for in moving he was making the choice of
leaving cherished loved ones behind—he was able to console himself in the
strength of his conviction that every human needs to ultimately be the chooser
of his or her own destiny—and in the strength of his cosmic love with Toril.
There he lived, loved, and practiced, living a life in near harmony with the
attitudes and behaviors of the Old Ways, until The End of Days.
Toril
Toril is the mother figure of this family. She was birth
mother to Ni and Lea. Toril had been born into a family that was descended from
an ancient “High Creator”—a title Atlanteans gave to historical figures who had
made particularly creative contributions to society and/or to the
advance/evolution of the collective unconscious. These are people who had
helped usher in significant leaps in imagination and/or mental ability. We
would consider this blood line similar to our “royal” lines in that it was
often found that highly creative persons had significantly higher odds of being
members of a particularly creative family—especially offspring—though, it was
pretty well understood that this effect usually only held true for a few
generations.
The
near descendants of Toril’s honored ancestor, Allt of the Green Dale
Metalworker clan, found themselves being plotted against by a few envious
neighbors. The result of this scheming and plotting led ultimately to the
public disgrace of Allt’s clan. To their credit, the family was able to remain
composed and reacted in quite a dignified manner. Void of any emergence of ego,
they were able to act with no ill-will, and no grudges; instead, they chose to
leave where they were not wanted. With very little fanfare, they choose to
“move” from their ancestral commune in Green Dale—a practice which was rare in
the Old Days and among the regions far from the effects and influences of the
New Order collective communities. Toril’s ancestors were able to find a warm
welcome in a quite distant region of what we would now call “Europe.”
Generations
later the clan had now gotten quite comfortable in their more “peasant” or
common class standing (which was a much more typical standing among Atlantean
society, and one that the clan had contentedly occupied for many generations
before the emergence of innovative Allt.) The “High Creator” legacy was now
more the stuff of family lore than that of real history. In fact, what was more
a target for local admiration and respect was the arduous accomplishment of
moving—of having had to leave a long-established home and then having to find
and successfully reestablish meaningful life and respect in a new community—for
in the years before the advent and attraction of “collective creation” small,
basically-rural lives were quite the norm, travel and movement much more the
exception.
Toril
was born into her life in the Gruendel clan with an exceptionally
creative mind. Recognizing the human body as a conduit and vehicle for
spiritual work was very much a living awareness that she possessed—even before
birth. Toril found herself in the possession of not only a very complete
toolbox of meta- and supra-physical knowledge but also an extremely strong
awareness of the moral implications and ramifications of all uses of this
knowledge. But what made Toril stand out from the very beginning was her
unusual, even remarkable, fearlessness. She had great trouble comprehending
that there might be limits to what she could do in and with this human body of
hers and, so, was constantly testing those limits. At the same time she found
great joy in using her body in every way imaginable. “Who knows: This might be
the last time I get to have a body,” she would say. “I don’t want to miss
anything or waste any time not enjoying its use.”
Also,
Toril was quite a bit more aware of and expressive from her emotional being
than the typical Atlantean of this time. Understanding that the powers she
commanded were latent and at some level available to all humans, Toril
whistfully questioned why so many people around her not only failed to use or
develop their powers but how they seemed so completely ignorant or unaware of
the availability of these abilities lying dormant within themselves.
Raised
in a time in which fear, complaisance, and numb obedience had infiltrated the
collective consciousness, Toril found herself confused as to why she had been
born with this awareness—and as to how she was supposed to use her gifts.
Whenever she accidentally leaked out some aspect of her giftedness there
inevitably followed by some Recruiter from the Office of Human Improvement. In
order to try to avoid and remain free of detection—free from influence of
“users” from the New Order controlling classes—Toril found it necessary to move
around quite a bit.
For
a long time she excelled at holding her abilities under tight reigns, retaining
a low profile until such time when some miracle might shed light onto her
purpose or destiny. However, high creativity cannot be fully contained and
Toril found that wherever she went she seemed to leave a trail of amazed,
astounded—and inspired—humans. People who came into contact with her were
invariably changed. The natural effect she had of ‘shaking” or ‘waking’ people
up—of causing people to unwittingly, uncomfortably, and surprisingly gain
glimpses into the truths of human—of their own—potentialities, was ubiquitous.
Many
jobs, many meaningful contributions to local communities, and two daughters and
two partners later, Toril’s life was forever changed by her ‘chance’ encounter
with Leam. The meeting of eyes and ensuing shock wave of deep recognition
caused such a violent stir through her being that she had to run off to vomit!
Despite this odd physical reaction, she knew—immediately and completely: “This
is the one; this is what I came here
for.” But Leam remained unaware. So focused was he on the immediate care and
training of his own two daughters that he neither shared nor had a clue as to
Toril’s experience. It was not until months later that his own eyes—his own
soul—was opened enough to begin to see and experience the wondrous truth of
their unearthly bond.
Ni
Ni was a voracious, insatiable “collector” of culture. From
early childhood she was always be found to be in pursuit of the performers,
artists, artwork, and musics of her cultural heritage—both as an audience
member and as an artist in her own right—in training to become a member of the
High Artists. Blessed with a memory with a seemingly infinite capacity and
innate accuracy—what we call today “photographic” with “instant” and “total”
recall—Ni spent her life seeking out and mentally ‘collecting’ the finest
expressions of High Art. Eventually she came into an awareness of the reason
she treasured these expressions of human creativity so dearly: High Art was able to serve for all
humans as examples of and inspirations to active and actualized human
self-awareness, self-discovery and self-realization.
Though
lured and pressured to choose the world of academia in which to direct her
energies, Ni logged enough “public performance” experience to learn that the
true effect stimulating the fullest realization of human potential came from
live performance, not from printed or archival records. Thus, she chose to
abandon the claustrophobic, restrictive world of academia and instead join a
traveling musical theater group.
Despite
the initial physical hardships, in which she was not experienced, she endured,
persevered and thrived. The “high” of performance, the joy of creative
collaboration (and physical and emotional intimacy) with like-minded souls, as
well as the reward of audience response—both immediate and delayed—enabled Ni
to find great satisfaction from a life on the road—and enabled her to earn high
regard as quite a significant contributor to the efforts to carry forward
time-honored traditions as well as to the preservation of “classic” works of
Atlantean live entertainment art.
Na
As a child Na was sensitive, intelligent, and observant. She
was also plagued with the discomfort she felt from the attention she received
due to her physical appearance, her “beauty.” This discomfort caused Na to
withdraw and to choose very solitary and private pastimes. Naturally, much of
this introversion led to an affinity for and development of her considerable
and varied creative and artistic talents. At the same time, Na’s reserved
passivity seemed to allow—even to attract—the attentions of needy, unbalanced,
often controlling persons into her life—people who would hang on to her and
dominate or even dictate her use of time. Unconsciously, this led her to
retreat even more, and to harbor an ever-increasing resentment towards others.
Over some time, Na gave so much of her self and her power to others that she
unwittingly lost sight of her self and her own needs, likes, desires, talents,
and dreams. Eventually, the weariness and bottled up resentment of being “used”
by others that had grown and festered inside her turned into self-loathing and
even into some self-destructive behaviors.
The
course of Na’s life was affected quite considerably by the effects of going
through a certain rite of passage that was customary to Atlanteans at this
time. Reawakened into conscious self-awareness, she was able to recollect her
center, to become reacquainted with her personal truth, her self, and to then
make choices for strengthening her self, her boundaries, and her commitments to
self-realization. Out of this Na was able to emerge from her down spell as an
insightful, masterful aid to others—especially to those who happened to get
stuck traveling paths of pain and suffering similar to her own.
Like
her father, Na chose to train and enter into a “healing” profession—only the
field she found herself attracted to work within focused more specifically with
the mental and emotional aspects of the human experience. Her professional
beginnings were in a field whose existence had only come into existence with
the rise of New Order culture—what we would call “psychology.”
She
prospered. However, it did not take long before Na found herself frustrated:
her experiences, both personal and professional, enabled her to recognize the
feeble and very limited understanding of the motivational forces behind human
behavior that her training and the scope of her profession both espoused.
Disenchanted, she became a “seeker”—going through a period of mental and
physical nomadism, thirsty for any and all new information and experiences that
might lead to a more comprehensive and universally applicable means to or form
of “deeper” or “fuller” “spiritual” healing.
Eventually,
she was able to find comfort and solace in a personally created (and constantly
evolving) synthesis of physical, emotional, psychological, and spiritual
approaches. Still later, she joined a variant off-shoot of the psychology
field—a more “holistic” and comprehensive form of counseling—one which, she
found, effected much deeper and life-affirming changes within the suffering
clients with whom she worked—and for which her successes brought her great
personal satisfaction and joy, as well as wide recognition and respect.
Lina
Lina was born with a gift for lightness, for light and life,
for mirroring the potential for joy, light and vivacity within everyone. “Joy
expressing” is how her father always described her.
Growing
up with an enviable natural talent for virtually every creative or artistic
venture she ever tried, Lina found herself for a long time very intensely
focused on a form of artistic expression which used the body as its
medium: dance. It is from dance
that she learned the discipline and perseverance—the “I can do anything so long
as I am willing to work at it” attitude—that served her so many times throughout
her life. It is also during her years dedicated to dance that she came into the
awareness of the “dark” side of human nature. New Order pressure attempted to
steer her into using her talents—and body—for the nightclub entertainment
industry—to become a dancer “seductress.” Lina was not so easily won over,
however, as her core ‘truths’ held strongly to the belief that dance was but
one medium for the expression of the perfection and use of the human physical
form. Faced with the unrelenting and repulsive pressures of New Order
entertainment industry and then a severe injury, she was quite relieved to have
an excuse to turn to other artistic pursuits—and athletics—during the remainder
of her formative years.
Once
on her own, Lina found herself traveling, trying to gather experiences from
people and places all over the planet. She also dabbled in many craft- and
service-related professions—and motherhood—before discovering that a
long-forgotten childhood passion of hers is where her true calling always
lay: “medicine”—or the “healing
arts.”
Finding
latent yet innate gifts for using crystals, plants, and animals as mediums for
health and “healing,” Lina finally settled into a profession whose art was, at
this point in history, almost lost. Many, many humans—as well as other life
forms—were very lucky to have benefited from the awareness-opening and
self-empowering effects of her empathic presence, her spiritual wisdom, and her
“healing” ministrations.
Lea
Lea was another sensitive and extremely intelligent
Atlantean who was given the added challenges that came with having chosen as
her “seed father” a very domineering, controlling, active participant in the
New World Order. Lea’s childhood was occupied with the almost constant dialogue
between the truths and values evident to her from her internal intuitive
“knowing” and the constant barrage of New Order information trying to brainwash
her from the outside. Lea was also challenged throughout her childhood by
having been blessed with an extraordinary facility for artistic expression
through a variety of mediums—and by the idea that she had to choose only one
from these mediums to pursue.
Lea
understood from a very young age that it was from the Natural and imaginative
worlds that she drew her strength, comfort, and inspiration. She was also quite
gifted at many of the medicinal and artistic uses of plants, animals, and
minerals. She found that she had the ability to “communicate” with the spirits,
devas, and sprites that ensoul Nature’s creatures. Evenso, for a time Lea was
forced to ignore the desires of her heart. This was a particularly stressful,
confusing, and depressing segment of her life but, at the same time, this
adversity served in the long run to shape her well-hidden dreams and to make
her self-definition that much stronger. Plus, she was able to benefit from
regular doses of “True-Lea” nourishment through her mother’s nurturing input.
Once
emancipated from paternal control, Lea quite calmly and happily made the choice
to leave New World culture to live instead in rural areas according to “Old
Style” values. For a time she wandered: observing, learning, experimenting with
her “powers.” At differing times she joined each and every one of her family
members: her mother, Toril, and Leam on their farm; her sister, Ni, with her
traveling troubadours; and even Leam’s two birth daughters. At one point she
found what it was she wanted to do—how she would give back to the planet and
her race—both of which she knew were ailing.
Emerging
from her self-imposed nomadic life, Lea could see that she had traveled in the
mindsteps of all of the major archetypes: the Innocent, the Orphan, the
Apprentice, the Wanderer or Seeker, the Destroyer, the Lover, the Creator, the
Caregiver, the Martyr, the Warrior, the Ruler, the Magician, the Sage, and the
Fool—and that she had embodied aspects of and retained access to all of them.
Finally ready to take on life from the confidence of a fully rounded, fully
capable human being, she joined a popular movement that was trying to restore
Old Ways values and culture. Within several of these ‘subversive’ groups, she
helped mastermind some surprisingly successful campaigns to undermine the
out-of-control dominance and momentum of the planet- and human
spirit-destructive forces promoted by the New World Order. Right up until The
Last Day, Lea served a prominent leadership role within the burgeoning “counter
culture.”
The End of Days
We all saw it coming. Opponents of the New Order had been
predicting it for decades. Nonetheless, I can tell you with a feeling of great
confidence that no human on the planet was prepared for it. Not really. Not
“The End.” The real end. The end of life. The end of a civilization.
Humans
had brought upon themselves their own demise through an arrogant disrespect and
disregard of the conditions and terms of living within the bounds of life on
Gaia. In this era it wasn’t Gaia’s health that was failing as it is in “21st
Century Earth” time. No, the planet we call Earth was but a passive observer of
the events described below. She could afford to be: Her immune system was not being compromised by human abuse
of her body. This culture destroyed itself because of emotional inexperience
and moral ignorance. The lesson here is:
Emotional immaturity trumps mental maturity every time. An extremely
creative segment of a highly developed mental species had gotten greedy, had
let experimentation and achievement in “collective creativity” get beyond their
ability to predict outcomes.
When
the Last Day arrived and the chain reaction of subatomic energy release wiped
clean the surface of the planet, no human had any clue, really, of the
possibility of such an event. No single imagination much less the collective
goal of the Crystal Mentalists working on the Change of Nature Project ever
predicted nor expected the outcome of their life force tampering activities.
Still, it happened.
The
subcontinent of Atlantis—geological plate and everything that lived on it—was
vaporized in an instant—obliterated so that no trace remained save for a deep
ocean where there had been only a sea to separate the continents of the
northern hemisphere. Life on the remainder of the planet’s surface was
decimated. The immense vacuum that was created by the sudden disappearance of
Atlantis so disrupted the former weather patterns the planet had known that it
was years before things calmed down. But the real Destroyer was the amazing
wall of wind that swept over the planet immediately after the initial
cataclysm. Mother Nature’s efforts to fill the void left by the sudden
disappearance of a whole continent unleashed extreme weather conditions—ungodly
winds, cyclones, hurricanes, and tornadoes that scoured the planet’s surface
for months.
Final Moments
On that last day of what we call Atlantean Era civilization,
in the last moments of life, Ni was resting—sitting around an afternoon
campfire—having just finished eating the vegetable stew that two of her troupe
members had prepared for the ensemble’s midday meal. Staring into the flames,
she was oblivious of the goings-on around her. Instead, she was thinking about
a particular posture-and-movement that she had performed countless times in the
course of performing the classic and ever-popular skit of music theater that
the troupe would be performing this afternoon. It was while she was ruminating
over which of the infinite number of
nuances of meaning that could be attributed to this maneuver she most wanted her audience to pick up that the
sky went black.
Shifting
her attention from inward focus to outward, Ni found herself quickly cognizant
of the fact that there was something terribly wrong with the weather.
Jumping
to her feet, she began walking—and then, running—toward the house-on-wheels
closest to her, never taking her eyes from the darkened skies above and in
front of her.
With
her first glimpse of the immense wind-wall of debris careening toward her, Ni
froze. She just stood there, jaw hanging open. Slowly, her eyes widened. Her
mind was numb with terror. A series of piercing screams began emanating from
her—repeating over and over for the few seconds it took until The Wall reached
and obliterated her and everything around her.
* * * * * * * * * * *
On that last day of what we call Atlantean Era civilization,
in the last moments of life,
Na had just finished working with a client and was on her
way back to her bungalow cottage on the outskirts of her village. It was lunch
time and Na was thinking of the tasty bread and cheese that she had received in
payment for her services yesterday. The farm couple from the next valley who
gave them to her were quite well known for their exceptionally tasty dairy
products but Na had particularly enjoyed the bread, having eaten a few slices
both last night and this morning. Thus, there was a little more bounce in her
step than usual as she tread her way home—this despite the fact that she knew
that her current companion, a very talented itinerant glass-blower that she had
be living with for over a year, was out of town on a job.
She
felt it before she heard it: a
rumbling in the ground beneath her followed closely by a thunderous roar coming
from behind her. As she looked around to see what it was that could be making
such an extraordinary noise, she was surprised most by the sense of amazement
and awe she felt as she watched the wave of collapsing woods approach. In the
split second she had before the wall of wind destroyed her body, Na found
herself thinking of pine forests—of how much her father liked the peacefulness
of walking within pine forests.
* * * * * * * * * * *
On that last day of what we call Atlantean Era civilization,
in the last moments of life, Lina and her daughters were in an open field of
wildflowers. The intent of this particular field trip was educational—to learn
about the medicinal properties of these late-summer plants—but the combination
of fresh air, sunshine and beauty surrounding them quickly caused the lesson to
turn instead into the usual pursuits of bouquet gathering, hair wreath-making,
games of tag and/or hide-and-seek and the inevitable dancing. Lina and her
girls always seemed to be dancing.
Even
before the skies darkened, Lina could feel an ominous lurch in the pit of her
stomach. Looking all around her but seeing no signs of the disaster she felt
sure was coming, she started to parade the girls back toward their home. When
The Wall first became visible in the darkening eastern skies, Lina had the
girls step up their pace.
<<This is no ordinary storm,>> Lina thought to herself.
Then she tried to get her girls' attention. With no little emotion she communicated telepathically that she was
afraid.
<<Let's sit down,>> she conveyed as she sat on the ground,
tears now streaming down her face. The girls followed, both looking quite alarmed.
<<Snuggle close with me,>> Lina transmitted as she gathered her precious cargo into her lap. T
<<Let's sit down,>>
As
the wall that she knew would bring their death approached, she closed her eyes,
pulled the girls still closer and communicated to them, as calmly and strongly
as she possibly could, <<I love you, I love you,>> <<I'm so happy to have had this time with you,>> and <<We'll be together again soon.>>
* * * * * * * * * * *
On that last day of what we call Atlantean Era civilization,
in the last moments of life,
Lea was in her office in the capital city of Atlantis,
surrounded by fellow members of NatureFirst, one of the organized action groups
that she favored and served. The group was meeting to discuss their opinions as
to the effectiveness of their recent campaign of using MindPlant technology to
broadcast a blanket sensory holoform—a two-second projection into the conscious
minds of all Atlanteans within the subcontinent’s water borders depicting a
montage of events that the NatureFirst organization had deemed illustrative of
the de-humanizing effects of New World Order paradigms.
<<I think the campaign was a great success,>> one of Lea’s most trusted but
less insightful members was sharing with the group.
<<I still feel horribly that we finally chose to think and act on their terms—at their level—>> interjected another more level-headed member.
<<You mean: Because we're using MindPlant?>> Lea clarifies.
<<Yes,>> responds the level-headed member.
<<I'm not opposed to using new technologies--like MindPlant,>> projects another
member, <<But I would like to see us return to playing up the values and beauties of Old Way culture,>>
Lea
could feel three voices jump into her mind expressing their agreement.
<<Why? What is the point?>> amplifies a more militant member of the group.
<<The only thing that gets people's attention is disaster, fear, and trauma!>>
Disgusted, tired of the bickering, tired of fighting what she knows is such an uphill
battle, and longing to be out of this place, away from the collective center
capital of Atlantis, back among her trees and rock outcroppings, Lea is just
about to stand to leave when, with a sharp, “CRACK!” her world vaporizes.
* * * * * * * * * * *
On that last day of what we call Atlantean Era civilization,
in the last moments of life, Leam and Toril were happily working in their farm
fields. At the instant of subatomic disturbance and immediate energy release
Toril felt it. At a very real level, she knew what had just occurred.
While
not fully prepared for the atmospheric response headed her way from the
epicenter of consequence in Atlantis, she knew to begin looking for Leam—who
was working inside one of their growing structures.
As
the first wall of westbound pressure approached them, Leam, too, could feel
something amiss—as if something deep inside him was trying to suck him . . .
in. He had just gotten to his feet when Toril came bursting into the building.
Leam could see how excited she was—how the Light of her soul was bursting
through her eyes. She was so alive!
“Come
with me,” she said out loud, slightly out of breath.
Grasping
her hand, he followed as Toril began leading them up the hillside next to their
house. Reaching the peak on the spine of their ridgetop they turned to the east
just in time to see it: an
enormous wall of dust and debris heading straight for them.
<<Isn't that amazing?>> she projects--permeating and soothing his mind.
Leam
responds by putting his arms around his companion, his one true love, while
projecting back to her, <<Yes, My Love. It is amazing.>>
Seconds
later, as The Wall hit them and picked them up—while first dust and shards of
debris began ripping the clothes off of their bodies and then the skin from
their bones—a sound could be heard coming from within the wave. It was a
voice—a human voice—reverberating deep into the Cosmos:
“WEEEEEEEEEEEEE
----!”
* * * * * * * * * * *
Sitting high on an embankment in what appears to be a
riverfront park on planet Earth are two human figures. Upon more careful
observation one notices a kind of shimmer or instability to this view: There is an ubiquitous presence of
stars and galaxy clusters and nebulae and other celestial phenomena shining
through the Earth park picture making the people and the park look transparent,
ethereal. With a blink of the eye, there is a flicker in perception and everything
shifts; for a fraction of an instant all of the humanoid forms sporadically
dispersed around the park appear as if they are really orbs of colorful light!
But then it’s back again—back to ‘normal.’ It’s as if you’d just seen a glitch
in the Matrix! These Earth-familiar forms and scenery are all but an
illusion—fabrications of imaginations that are limited to what we know and
understand. Still we can recognize them as the forms that Leam and Lina had used in their most previous Atlantean Earth School experience.
<<Hello, (Lina)>>
<<Hi, (Dad)>> <<Is it okay if I still call you (Dad)?>>
<<For now>> <<It takes a little while to get used to being back here>>
There is a pause as the two forms seem to be taking in their surroundings.
<<Where's (Na)?>> Lina's shimmering form asks.
<<For now>> <<It takes a little while to get used to being back here>>
There is a pause as the two forms seem to be taking in their surroundings.
<<Where's (Na)?>> Lina's shimmering form asks.
<<She's with her soul family>> <<You can join her anytime you'd like>>
<<I know.>> <<I just did>>
<<I know.>> <<I just did>>
<<Of course>>
<<She says "hi">>
<<She says "hi">>
<<I heard>>
<<Where's (Toril)?>>
<<Over there>> <<With part of her soul family>>
<<Oh, yeah>> <>> . . . . <<I always forget how beautiful it is here>>
<<Isn't it?>>
<<Can we stay a while?>>
<<You can stay for as long as you'd like>>
There
is a timeless pause as both souls soak in their surroundings.
<<Dad, this is real, isn't it?>>
<<Yes>>
<<The other place--(Gaia), (Atlantis),
whatever it’s called. Was that real?>>
<<I guess so>> <<While we were there it was supposed to feel real>>
<<So, which is more real?>>
<<Let's just say that when you think you've left here, a part of You is always still connected here--still watching and working here>>
<<I thought so>> . . . . <<So, that place--(Gaia)--was just a . . . ?>>
<<A classroom>>
<<M-hmm>> . . . . <<I think I'm going to go visit with my girls now>>
<<Of course>> <<Don't forget your mother and sister. They're all here>>
<<Yeah>> . . . . <<I'll see you around, (Dad)>>
<<You can be sure of it: We've still got a lot of work to do>>
<<I know>>
<<But there is no hurry: Everything will happen as it is meant to>>
There
is a pause. Lina is still hesitant to leave.
<<So, (Dad): Where's (God)?>>
<<Same answer I gave you on (Gaia)>>
Lina
looks around.
<<Take a step back and look again>>
Instantaneously
Lina shifts perspective to a point some millions of miles away. There she sees
what appears to be a galaxy of billions and billions of stars—a beautiful
colorful cloud of stars.
<<That's (God)?>>
<<That's (God)?>>
<<Partly>> <<Now step within>>
Lina
shifts perspective again, stepping what seems to be millions of miles within
her own orb of light. There she sees the same thing: a cloud of billions and billions of stars. <<So . . . me? Everything is (God)?>>
<<Isn't that what I've been trying to tell you?>>
<<I am part of (God). Everything is part of (God). (God) is everything>>
<<And more>>
<<Okay>> <<Thanks>> <<I'll see you later>>
<<Of course you will>>
Lina
hesitates again. <<One more thing>> <<Are we going back to that place--that planet?>>
<<That's entirely up to you>> . . . . <<I think I'll be going back again>> <<You'll have to decide for yourself if and when you want to go back>> . . . . <<You are always welcome to be a part of my learning journey just as I'll always be glad to participate in whatever way I can in order to help you with your learning goals>> <<But, again: There are also a lot of different ways to learn and grow>>
<<Okay>> <<Thanks, Dad>> <<I'll get back to you later>>
<<Of course you will>>
<<Of course you will>>
Epilogue
After many years of roiling in the post-cataclysmic weather
systems, the planet’s atmosphere was able to calm down and stabilize. It was
only then that the few surviving species were able to begin emerging from their
subterranean homes and begin the slow reclamation of the planet’s surface. In
that interim time, the handful of human survivors—mostly peoples that had
already inhabited some of the planet’s most inhospitable regions—were so
traumatized, so psychologically exhausted, that all memory and advances of
culture or “civilization” had also been wiped clean.
Many
human survivors simply died without ever finding others of their kind. A few
very lucky ones stumbled upon others and quickly, fiercely, stuck together,
forming very small groups or “tribes.” These 200 or so humans, dispersed over
four of the planet’s seven continents, survived for generations on the very
edge of failure, of extinction. Once the vegetable kingdom had made its
comeback, and with it, the animal populations, humans were able to find more
hospitable areas of the planet on which to try to settle. There they began to
make their new attempts at harnessing the life supporting powers of the plant,
animal, and mineral worlds for their own bourgeoning health and safety. And
now, some 24,000 years later, here we are!
It
does seem sad that our new civilization has positioned itself in so precarious
a situation as to appear ready to repeat the mistakes of our predecessors. Has
our species learned anything? Have we “evolved”? Will we be able to prove that
we have learned anything from the last time? Or are we stuck on a wheel, doomed
to repeat the old mistakes over and over and over and over and over ad infinitum?
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