DREAMING THE PYRAMID
- SAMPLE CHAPTER -
- SAMPLE CHAPTER -
THE PRIMER
As bizarre as it may sound, when I look at people, I see beings I was once intimate with long ago.
I see soulmates.
These feelings extend to include absolutely everyone I know and do not know; friends, athletes, business people, fellow authors, actors and actresses, singers, public officials, strangers on the street - everyone. My upbringing is partially responsible for this. From as early as five years old, my father and I would take long drives in the Saskatchewan countryside looking at the clouds, trees, and the animals. We rarely had a destination. We would just hop in the car and go (sometimes for well over a hundred miles). My people are like that - free spirited and adventurous. Mom did not mind our outings, we always returned in time for supper. Besides, they probably gave her a nice break from my asking her so many questions. Anyhow, during our escapades dad and I discussed things like love, sharing, respect, and the ways in which we are all related.
”Son,” he would say while pointing out some mallards flying up ahead, ”the air that you’re breathing isn’t your own. It gets shared and passed on to others too. See those ducks? Well, they’re breathing the same air you’re breathing. The same thing with the deer, the rabbits, and even all the little gophers. Everything is tied with one another.”
”Really?” I would say while aiming an imaginary slingshot at one of the ducks. ”You mean like strings?”
”Heh heh...yes son,” he would reply grinning, ”that’s right. Like strings. It’s all connected.”
”Every flower and plant and animal can teach you something,” he added. ”The rocks and the clouds too. Even they have lessons to teach you. All you have to do is close your eyes and listen.”
I shut my eyes and imagined myself talking to a tree and listening to what it had to say. All I could hear was my growling stomach.
”Hey dad, let’s go back home - I’m hungry!”
”Ok son. You’re right,” dad would say with a grin, ”we went far enough today. Let’s go home and see what your mother made for us.”
And back we went, talking and laughing.
I would like to believe that I understand all of my father’s teachings, but they are only now starting to sink in.
Having grown up with this kind of cultural mindset then, it is hard not to feel saddened when witnessing the apathy we sometimes display towards each other and Mother Earth. Atrocities such as wars, environmental degradation, murders, suicides, and social intolerance should be fiction to the world, not fact.
Pinpointing where we went wrong is easy. Chaos was born when humanity lost its spiritual path and became less intuitive and feeling. By divorcing science from Spirit, we have created a world where Nature and society rarely benefit from our actions.
In my opinion, having faith in the powers of science alone to fix the world’s problems is an unwise move - its wings are too tender and inexperienced. We simply do not yet possess the necessary experience and wisdom required to have science fix the world’s problems. In less than a hundred years for example, we have gone from using the horse and buggy, oil lanterns, and old-fashioned telephones to space shuttles, lasers, and the Internet. These rapid changes have resulted in an ever-increasing fervor to push technology beyond all limits. In fact, it is hard to keep up at all with the evolution of technology. The changes are simply happening too fast.
Today’s seniors often feel left behind by all the high tech hype. Seeing younger people as being smart yet a little spoiled by technology’s benefits at the same time, they believe that we would not survive yesteryear’s harsher lifestyles (imagine a young person today without their cell phone, car and stereo and you will understand what I mean).
My own French Canadian grandfather has often told me what it was like for him and his family during the ”dirty thirties”:
Eh monsieur, Grandpère would say while sitting in his rocking chair and puffing on a cigarette, people around here sure had a rough time back then! Stéphane, would you believe that my father and I used to wait for blizzards so we could go into other people’s wood lots with our toboggan and cut firewood? We always made sure that the snow erased our tracks. And in the summer, my mother would tell me to visit neighbor’s gardens at night with our wheelbarrow. I was an expert at leaving no trace that I was in their patch taking what we needed to eat. Eh maudit young people have it easy today!
Point taken Grandpa. I believe you are right.
Indeed, most of us living in towns and cities cannot recall performing arduous chores like our grandparents did. Chopping wood, fishing for food, and spending entire afternoons picking apples and berries are hobbies - if they have ever been experienced at all. Modern needs are met by turning on a tap, punching in a number on the automated bank machine, or picking up the phone. Our lifestyles are quickly becoming so artificial and self-involved that for many, believing in something greater than ourselves seems almost ridiculous. In other words, we have numbed ourselves to the divine.
We have also become fearful of the unknown.
Many of us are so obsessed with having enough money to secure our future that little time and energy remains at day’s end to dedicate towards the natural world.
This alienation between each other and Nature is everywhere. Walking down the street, we rarely look into each other’s eyes. When we do, the glance is rarely accompanied with a smile. In more relaxed gatherings, we immediately judge new acquaintances. If anyone fails to meet our standards, they are quickly relegated to the corner with only the rubber plant for company. A degree of emotional distancing accompanies even our closest relationships, often making strangers out of loved ones.
Life need not be like this. Things could be otherwise. A sense of the genuine and reverent might return if we took the time to see and appreciate all the wonders and mysteries surrounding us. Our spiritual understanding would thus be greatly enriched, and eventually, so would our relationships.
What are some of these wonders? Well, just look at the conditions under which we live. This is a miracle in itself.
Space: Home to Neighbors Near and Far
My passion for the past is balanced with an appreciation for today’s cutting edge technology and discoveries. Whenever I am in the mood to be awed, the mouse is clicked onto NASA’s ”The Best of Hubble Space Telescope” web site (sorry, I would list the Internet address for you, but you know how these have a habit of changing). This great site shows amazing views of star clusters, nebula, and supernovae.
What I find particularly striking about the site is when its administrators say that the surface area covered with each photograph taken in space is the equivalent to holding a dime at arm’s length towards the sky. In just one of those photos for example, viewers can see dozens of galaxies cohabiting the same area - with each of those galaxies estimated to contain over 2.5 billion star systems!
Our lives on this planet are no less inspiring. Here we are as fragile beings needing to breathe, eat, and drink to live. Resources permitting us to do these things are found exclusively on the Earth’s surface and nowhere else (to the best of our knowledge at this time). This thin-crusted planet with a core of molten lava spins around the Sun together with other planets. Then this solar system exists along other solar systems within the Milky Way which in turn exists with countless other galactic entities.
Well, enough said. Eternity can only be talked about so much until it starts either getting on our nerves or boggling our minds. Anyhow, we get the picture; life within the Universe is a miracle.
Let us now go to a more personal level and see what wonders may be found.
The Miracle of Romance and Love
Whether it lasts for a month or a lifetime, being in love is one of the greatest experiences a person can have.
Here is a short story illustrating how love can suddenly ”happen”.
#
Susan is an attractive, single woman in her mid thirties. She is childless except for two playful and mischievous tabby cats named Ben and Troy. Susan would not mind having a boyfriend, but successfully running a fine art gallery in downtown’s core is tough business (i.e. busyness). After going on the bus to get to work, she walks towards the rear and sees the same old faces she has grown accustomed to seeing over the past three years.
Wait a second, she wonders as she looks down the aisle, who is that?! Susan sees a handsome dark-haired gentleman dressed in casual sportswear. He is sitting near the back and staring out the window. He must have felt something out of the ordinary too; he has turned his head to see who is coming.
Wham.
The stunned look on his face says it all. Chalk up another point for Cupid and his love tipped arrows.
Unnerved by the man’s stare, Susan quickly looks elsewhere. ”Nuts”, she fumes, ”wouldn’t you know it - the only available seat has to be right beside him too. Well, there’s no way I’m standing in a bus for half an hour with high heels!”
She continues making her way down and sits nonchalantly beside him with her eyes glued straight ahead. ”If another empty seat existed”, she thinks to herself, ”I would gladly have taken it.”
Sitting in front of Susan is Ms. Romanow, an elderly unmarried woman with two cats of her own. She is wearing her usual brown blouse and white runners with pink laces. The old woman looks straight at Susan with a huge smile on her face.
”What’s she so happy about today”, Susan ponders while managing a grin in return. Is the corner store giving out free cat food this week or something?
Feeling trapped in between an old lady’s stare and a handsome male’s raw magnetism, Susan surrenders to the irony of the situation. Subtly, with her eyes still locked straight ahead, she allows her peripheral vision to ”scan the package”. She notices the squared jaw line and muscular forearms that appear like they have lifted more than just office stationary. ”Wow - if my dream guy were to have the perfect look”, she teases, ”this one’s got the goods!”
Already well in pursuit, the man holds similar thoughts. While Susan turned to sit down, he threw a quick glance at her derrière and long legs. He is thinking about what a fox she is and how he wished he could say something interesting to spark conversation between them.
The bus moves along while excitement levels rise.
No longer able to withstand the suspense, the man ventures bravely onto the ice, hoping it will crack.
”Hello Miss,” he utters in the smoothest possible tone, ”my name is Sean. Are you on your way to work?”
Susan takes a deep breath and briefly reflects upon the many times she has been approached by good looking guys who quickly revealed themselves to be jerks. ”Please don’t let this be one of those times”, she begs. Her head turns to face the voice.
”Hi Sean...I’m Susan. Yes, I am on my way to work. Are you as well?” From the corner of her eyes, Susan spies Ms. Romanow - whose smile is now practically wrapped around her ears.
”No. Not today. My vehicle’s in the shop getting a tune-up. I’m going to see my niece play in a softball tournament. Actually, I’m in Multimedia. My partners and I run a video productions company. May I ask what line of work you’re in?”
”Not bad”, she thinks, “he can actually converse, he’s employed, and cares about family too”.
”I own an art gallery on Third and Main. We specialize in abstracts.”
Sean’s attention is aroused.
”Really? That’s great. I’m an art buff myself. Abstract hasn’t touched me personally, but perhaps it’s because I’ve seen so little of it. I do dabble in watercolors though and own a few oil paintings from local artists.”
That is it, the connection between the two is made. Before you know it, Sean and Susan are talking about everything under the Sun: art, work, where they grew up, their hobbies, what society should be like - anything but news, politics, and the weather. Livelier conversations have never been heard in this bus before.
Caught up in the magic of the moment, Sean almost forgets about his upcoming transfer. Time to act.
”Susan,” he says casually while pulling the cord along the wall, ”I enjoyed our conversation. Unfortunately, my stop is coming up. Listen, we should do something together sometime. May I ask you for your number?”
Susan smiles as she gives him a card from her purse. She does not care about who may be watching or listening. This is a one shot deal and she should take advantage of it while it is there.
”That’d be nice Sean. I’d like that. What did you have in mind?”
”How about lunch tomorrow? I know a great little sushi bar!”
”Sushi? Sure, sounds good.” Susan is vegan, but she will gulp down raw fish once if it means spending another moment in this guy’s company (she has not dated in two years).
”Fantastic. I’ll phone you at eleven thirty tomorrow and we can arrange to meet. Take care Susan. Oh - and it was nice meeting you too Ms. Romanow. Have a great day.”
”You just made it great for me, Sean,” the old woman replies back smugly, “and do tell Tracy to be careful. Softball can be a dangerous sport.”
Susan is flabbergasted as Sean disembarks from the bus. She wonders whether she should steal one last glimpse of him or if she should deal with the matchmaker sitting across from her instead.
”He seems like such a nice man, doesn’t he dear?” Ms. Romanow says in a devilishly sweet tone. ”Aren’t you glad I got up from that seat just before you came on?”
Not only does the Universe often work in shocking ways, so do senior citizens.
Cut to the future: Susan and Sean have been married for a year and a half and have decided to start a family. Out come the gourmet recipe books, vegan and seafood of course, and fancy wine glasses. On goes the soft music and candles.
The magic between Sean and Susan during supper is as strong as when they first met. Sean’s toes curl as Susan begins rubbing her thigh against his leg. Too excited to finish their meal, they move into the living room for some dancing. Their eyes do the talking while bodies slowly rock to the rhythm. One by one, items of clothing start to fall to the ground.
Sean haunts Susan’s flesh with phantom kisses. He then gently lays her diagonally across the sofa, exploring a landscape he finds both familiar and exciting. Susan’s body quivers and shakes as he begins performing oral sex. Little time passes before Susan finds the torture to be too strong. She wants Sean inside her. Now!
Sean’s thrusts are slow, steady, and deep. He intersperses these with gentle kisses and nibbles on Susan’s forehead and earlobes. She moans and groans with appreciation.
This rocking and rolling of the flesh lasts for half an hour. Suddenly Sean arches his back, closes his eyes, and opens his mouth wide. Out spurts warm, ivory fluid from his erect member. Gasping with delight, Susan squeezes Sean’s buttocks with her hands while raising her hips into his. For all too brief a moment, their naked bodies feel fused as one.
Ecstatic and exhausted, the two kiss and caress, enjoying a brief rest. Two more blissful lovemaking sessions will repeat themselves before they call it a night.
Meanwhile, on a biological level inside Susan’s body, other awe-inspiring events are occurring; millions of spermatozoa race frantically towards the egg.
One little speedster stands apart from the rest. He has already reached the egg’s outer walls and is knocking on her door with all his might. Sensing that her suitor has the correct genetic password, she quickly opens her doors, pulling him in.
The spermatozoa and the egg unite and become a single cell. This cell then divides in two. These two cells become four cells, eight, sixteen, and so on until enough cellular mitosis has taken place to allow the formation of a little fetus - early forerunner to Sean and Susan’s first love child. Susan’s pregnancy fascinates them both. They read, talk, and sing to their unborn child on a daily basis and often wonder if it will be a girl or a boy. Then one day Susan goes into labor. Sean rushes her to the hospital and accompanies her into the delivery room. After much heavy breathing on her part (and near fainting on his), a star is born; Jennifer, a beautiful, healthy 7lbs 4oz baby girl.
Yes, a human being’s conception and birth processes are definitely miracles.
But you know, as romantically pleasing as this scene was, it also exuded a somewhat raw and primal flair.
Imagine the biological complexity involved when two out of over six billion human skeletons filled with fluids, flesh and tissue decide to physically unite. Indeed, that these would even want to unite is as incredible as their ability for displaying movement itself. Picture the further juggling of universal gears required to make these two organisms safely bring forth a smaller, purplish version of themselves into the world.
Unreal.
Sorry if looking at our existence that way sounded a little unsettling. I was only stating facts.
Here is another wonder of life worth ruminating.
A Question of Shut Eye
Two senior citizens are enjoying a quiet evening in their living room. The woman is reading a book on how to make stuffed animals while her husband is watching a documentary on South American rain forests and cursing at the commercials.
”That’s it,” the woman says while putting the book down on the table beside her. ”I can barely keep my eyes open. Are you coming to bed soon?”
”Yeah,” her husband murmurs, ”I want to catch the end of this first though. I’ll be there in about ten minutes.”
”Ok then, see you soon.”
”See you soon dear.”
Like clockwork, ordinary people such as these around the world slip away to their bedrooms after dark. For roughly eight hours, these souls sleep and are oblivious to the physical world’s whims and demands. The same predictable pattern has occurred nightly without fail.
Realizing that every person and creature needs sleep, one has to ask why?
Why can people not stay awake for their entire lifetimes? Disregarding the body’s biological need to repair and replace cells during sleep, does it not seem odd to spend so much time in a semi-comatose state? Why can the body not repair itself when we are awake and just relaxing? Instead of living for an average of eighty years and sleeping for twenty, would it not be equally as viable to let go of sleep altogether and live for sixty years instead?
Think about it. If sleep is necessary to ”recharge our batteries”, then what is the mysterious energy source doing the recharging? And what if a way to stay connected with this energy source was found - would that eliminate our need for sleep?
Now, I am not suggesting that we should try to get rid of sleep (I love my shut eye way too much for that), I am only asking why does it exist?
Again, I apologize if these ideas offend you. Sometimes plowing up the soil in our minds is the only way for new ideas and insights to take root. Those old cobwebs we have allowed to become built up for thousands of years need to be stirred up a bit. We will discuss some more mysteries and move on into the storytelling.
Ready? Ok. Here is another enigma to ruminate.
The Quest for Eternal Youth
We become painfully aware of our mortality from the moment we notice our first wrinkle or gray hair in the mirror. Some of us accept aging gracefully while others do everything to try to reverse it. We can exercise our buns off, apply anti-aging cream like it is cake icing, wear cool clothes, receive implants and Botox injections, get facelifts and undergo plastic surgery - all in the goal of making us look younger and more attractive. Resisting seems pointless however, for our bodies inevitably become ravaged by the effects of time.
So the idea is this; if aging and death are intended processes, why do we have such a hard time accepting them? Are we trying to remain younger longer, or are we subconsciously fighting tooth and nail to reclaim something? And if so, could this ”something” be where having perpetually youthful and immortal bodies was once a reality?
Yes, I know that the notion of living in a youthful body forever sounds ridiculous. Presently, it appears that the best way our species demonstrates immortality is by refusing to let old ideas die. Before I am dismissed as an imbecile however, ponder this; a baby’s tantrums are never more deafening than after he has had a candy, he has already tasted it and liked it, and had it ripped away from him.
As bizarre as it may sound, when I look at people, I see beings I was once intimate with long ago.
I see soulmates.
These feelings extend to include absolutely everyone I know and do not know; friends, athletes, business people, fellow authors, actors and actresses, singers, public officials, strangers on the street - everyone. My upbringing is partially responsible for this. From as early as five years old, my father and I would take long drives in the Saskatchewan countryside looking at the clouds, trees, and the animals. We rarely had a destination. We would just hop in the car and go (sometimes for well over a hundred miles). My people are like that - free spirited and adventurous. Mom did not mind our outings, we always returned in time for supper. Besides, they probably gave her a nice break from my asking her so many questions. Anyhow, during our escapades dad and I discussed things like love, sharing, respect, and the ways in which we are all related.
”Son,” he would say while pointing out some mallards flying up ahead, ”the air that you’re breathing isn’t your own. It gets shared and passed on to others too. See those ducks? Well, they’re breathing the same air you’re breathing. The same thing with the deer, the rabbits, and even all the little gophers. Everything is tied with one another.”
”Really?” I would say while aiming an imaginary slingshot at one of the ducks. ”You mean like strings?”
”Heh heh...yes son,” he would reply grinning, ”that’s right. Like strings. It’s all connected.”
”Every flower and plant and animal can teach you something,” he added. ”The rocks and the clouds too. Even they have lessons to teach you. All you have to do is close your eyes and listen.”
I shut my eyes and imagined myself talking to a tree and listening to what it had to say. All I could hear was my growling stomach.
”Hey dad, let’s go back home - I’m hungry!”
”Ok son. You’re right,” dad would say with a grin, ”we went far enough today. Let’s go home and see what your mother made for us.”
And back we went, talking and laughing.
I would like to believe that I understand all of my father’s teachings, but they are only now starting to sink in.
Having grown up with this kind of cultural mindset then, it is hard not to feel saddened when witnessing the apathy we sometimes display towards each other and Mother Earth. Atrocities such as wars, environmental degradation, murders, suicides, and social intolerance should be fiction to the world, not fact.
Pinpointing where we went wrong is easy. Chaos was born when humanity lost its spiritual path and became less intuitive and feeling. By divorcing science from Spirit, we have created a world where Nature and society rarely benefit from our actions.
In my opinion, having faith in the powers of science alone to fix the world’s problems is an unwise move - its wings are too tender and inexperienced. We simply do not yet possess the necessary experience and wisdom required to have science fix the world’s problems. In less than a hundred years for example, we have gone from using the horse and buggy, oil lanterns, and old-fashioned telephones to space shuttles, lasers, and the Internet. These rapid changes have resulted in an ever-increasing fervor to push technology beyond all limits. In fact, it is hard to keep up at all with the evolution of technology. The changes are simply happening too fast.
Today’s seniors often feel left behind by all the high tech hype. Seeing younger people as being smart yet a little spoiled by technology’s benefits at the same time, they believe that we would not survive yesteryear’s harsher lifestyles (imagine a young person today without their cell phone, car and stereo and you will understand what I mean).
My own French Canadian grandfather has often told me what it was like for him and his family during the ”dirty thirties”:
Eh monsieur, Grandpère would say while sitting in his rocking chair and puffing on a cigarette, people around here sure had a rough time back then! Stéphane, would you believe that my father and I used to wait for blizzards so we could go into other people’s wood lots with our toboggan and cut firewood? We always made sure that the snow erased our tracks. And in the summer, my mother would tell me to visit neighbor’s gardens at night with our wheelbarrow. I was an expert at leaving no trace that I was in their patch taking what we needed to eat. Eh maudit young people have it easy today!
Point taken Grandpa. I believe you are right.
Indeed, most of us living in towns and cities cannot recall performing arduous chores like our grandparents did. Chopping wood, fishing for food, and spending entire afternoons picking apples and berries are hobbies - if they have ever been experienced at all. Modern needs are met by turning on a tap, punching in a number on the automated bank machine, or picking up the phone. Our lifestyles are quickly becoming so artificial and self-involved that for many, believing in something greater than ourselves seems almost ridiculous. In other words, we have numbed ourselves to the divine.
We have also become fearful of the unknown.
Many of us are so obsessed with having enough money to secure our future that little time and energy remains at day’s end to dedicate towards the natural world.
This alienation between each other and Nature is everywhere. Walking down the street, we rarely look into each other’s eyes. When we do, the glance is rarely accompanied with a smile. In more relaxed gatherings, we immediately judge new acquaintances. If anyone fails to meet our standards, they are quickly relegated to the corner with only the rubber plant for company. A degree of emotional distancing accompanies even our closest relationships, often making strangers out of loved ones.
Life need not be like this. Things could be otherwise. A sense of the genuine and reverent might return if we took the time to see and appreciate all the wonders and mysteries surrounding us. Our spiritual understanding would thus be greatly enriched, and eventually, so would our relationships.
What are some of these wonders? Well, just look at the conditions under which we live. This is a miracle in itself.
Space: Home to Neighbors Near and Far
My passion for the past is balanced with an appreciation for today’s cutting edge technology and discoveries. Whenever I am in the mood to be awed, the mouse is clicked onto NASA’s ”The Best of Hubble Space Telescope” web site (sorry, I would list the Internet address for you, but you know how these have a habit of changing). This great site shows amazing views of star clusters, nebula, and supernovae.
What I find particularly striking about the site is when its administrators say that the surface area covered with each photograph taken in space is the equivalent to holding a dime at arm’s length towards the sky. In just one of those photos for example, viewers can see dozens of galaxies cohabiting the same area - with each of those galaxies estimated to contain over 2.5 billion star systems!
Our lives on this planet are no less inspiring. Here we are as fragile beings needing to breathe, eat, and drink to live. Resources permitting us to do these things are found exclusively on the Earth’s surface and nowhere else (to the best of our knowledge at this time). This thin-crusted planet with a core of molten lava spins around the Sun together with other planets. Then this solar system exists along other solar systems within the Milky Way which in turn exists with countless other galactic entities.
Well, enough said. Eternity can only be talked about so much until it starts either getting on our nerves or boggling our minds. Anyhow, we get the picture; life within the Universe is a miracle.
Let us now go to a more personal level and see what wonders may be found.
The Miracle of Romance and Love
Whether it lasts for a month or a lifetime, being in love is one of the greatest experiences a person can have.
Here is a short story illustrating how love can suddenly ”happen”.
#
Susan is an attractive, single woman in her mid thirties. She is childless except for two playful and mischievous tabby cats named Ben and Troy. Susan would not mind having a boyfriend, but successfully running a fine art gallery in downtown’s core is tough business (i.e. busyness). After going on the bus to get to work, she walks towards the rear and sees the same old faces she has grown accustomed to seeing over the past three years.
Wait a second, she wonders as she looks down the aisle, who is that?! Susan sees a handsome dark-haired gentleman dressed in casual sportswear. He is sitting near the back and staring out the window. He must have felt something out of the ordinary too; he has turned his head to see who is coming.
Wham.
The stunned look on his face says it all. Chalk up another point for Cupid and his love tipped arrows.
Unnerved by the man’s stare, Susan quickly looks elsewhere. ”Nuts”, she fumes, ”wouldn’t you know it - the only available seat has to be right beside him too. Well, there’s no way I’m standing in a bus for half an hour with high heels!”
She continues making her way down and sits nonchalantly beside him with her eyes glued straight ahead. ”If another empty seat existed”, she thinks to herself, ”I would gladly have taken it.”
Sitting in front of Susan is Ms. Romanow, an elderly unmarried woman with two cats of her own. She is wearing her usual brown blouse and white runners with pink laces. The old woman looks straight at Susan with a huge smile on her face.
”What’s she so happy about today”, Susan ponders while managing a grin in return. Is the corner store giving out free cat food this week or something?
Feeling trapped in between an old lady’s stare and a handsome male’s raw magnetism, Susan surrenders to the irony of the situation. Subtly, with her eyes still locked straight ahead, she allows her peripheral vision to ”scan the package”. She notices the squared jaw line and muscular forearms that appear like they have lifted more than just office stationary. ”Wow - if my dream guy were to have the perfect look”, she teases, ”this one’s got the goods!”
Already well in pursuit, the man holds similar thoughts. While Susan turned to sit down, he threw a quick glance at her derrière and long legs. He is thinking about what a fox she is and how he wished he could say something interesting to spark conversation between them.
The bus moves along while excitement levels rise.
No longer able to withstand the suspense, the man ventures bravely onto the ice, hoping it will crack.
”Hello Miss,” he utters in the smoothest possible tone, ”my name is Sean. Are you on your way to work?”
Susan takes a deep breath and briefly reflects upon the many times she has been approached by good looking guys who quickly revealed themselves to be jerks. ”Please don’t let this be one of those times”, she begs. Her head turns to face the voice.
”Hi Sean...I’m Susan. Yes, I am on my way to work. Are you as well?” From the corner of her eyes, Susan spies Ms. Romanow - whose smile is now practically wrapped around her ears.
”No. Not today. My vehicle’s in the shop getting a tune-up. I’m going to see my niece play in a softball tournament. Actually, I’m in Multimedia. My partners and I run a video productions company. May I ask what line of work you’re in?”
”Not bad”, she thinks, “he can actually converse, he’s employed, and cares about family too”.
”I own an art gallery on Third and Main. We specialize in abstracts.”
Sean’s attention is aroused.
”Really? That’s great. I’m an art buff myself. Abstract hasn’t touched me personally, but perhaps it’s because I’ve seen so little of it. I do dabble in watercolors though and own a few oil paintings from local artists.”
That is it, the connection between the two is made. Before you know it, Sean and Susan are talking about everything under the Sun: art, work, where they grew up, their hobbies, what society should be like - anything but news, politics, and the weather. Livelier conversations have never been heard in this bus before.
Caught up in the magic of the moment, Sean almost forgets about his upcoming transfer. Time to act.
”Susan,” he says casually while pulling the cord along the wall, ”I enjoyed our conversation. Unfortunately, my stop is coming up. Listen, we should do something together sometime. May I ask you for your number?”
Susan smiles as she gives him a card from her purse. She does not care about who may be watching or listening. This is a one shot deal and she should take advantage of it while it is there.
”That’d be nice Sean. I’d like that. What did you have in mind?”
”How about lunch tomorrow? I know a great little sushi bar!”
”Sushi? Sure, sounds good.” Susan is vegan, but she will gulp down raw fish once if it means spending another moment in this guy’s company (she has not dated in two years).
”Fantastic. I’ll phone you at eleven thirty tomorrow and we can arrange to meet. Take care Susan. Oh - and it was nice meeting you too Ms. Romanow. Have a great day.”
”You just made it great for me, Sean,” the old woman replies back smugly, “and do tell Tracy to be careful. Softball can be a dangerous sport.”
Susan is flabbergasted as Sean disembarks from the bus. She wonders whether she should steal one last glimpse of him or if she should deal with the matchmaker sitting across from her instead.
”He seems like such a nice man, doesn’t he dear?” Ms. Romanow says in a devilishly sweet tone. ”Aren’t you glad I got up from that seat just before you came on?”
Not only does the Universe often work in shocking ways, so do senior citizens.
Cut to the future: Susan and Sean have been married for a year and a half and have decided to start a family. Out come the gourmet recipe books, vegan and seafood of course, and fancy wine glasses. On goes the soft music and candles.
The magic between Sean and Susan during supper is as strong as when they first met. Sean’s toes curl as Susan begins rubbing her thigh against his leg. Too excited to finish their meal, they move into the living room for some dancing. Their eyes do the talking while bodies slowly rock to the rhythm. One by one, items of clothing start to fall to the ground.
Sean haunts Susan’s flesh with phantom kisses. He then gently lays her diagonally across the sofa, exploring a landscape he finds both familiar and exciting. Susan’s body quivers and shakes as he begins performing oral sex. Little time passes before Susan finds the torture to be too strong. She wants Sean inside her. Now!
Sean’s thrusts are slow, steady, and deep. He intersperses these with gentle kisses and nibbles on Susan’s forehead and earlobes. She moans and groans with appreciation.
This rocking and rolling of the flesh lasts for half an hour. Suddenly Sean arches his back, closes his eyes, and opens his mouth wide. Out spurts warm, ivory fluid from his erect member. Gasping with delight, Susan squeezes Sean’s buttocks with her hands while raising her hips into his. For all too brief a moment, their naked bodies feel fused as one.
Ecstatic and exhausted, the two kiss and caress, enjoying a brief rest. Two more blissful lovemaking sessions will repeat themselves before they call it a night.
Meanwhile, on a biological level inside Susan’s body, other awe-inspiring events are occurring; millions of spermatozoa race frantically towards the egg.
One little speedster stands apart from the rest. He has already reached the egg’s outer walls and is knocking on her door with all his might. Sensing that her suitor has the correct genetic password, she quickly opens her doors, pulling him in.
The spermatozoa and the egg unite and become a single cell. This cell then divides in two. These two cells become four cells, eight, sixteen, and so on until enough cellular mitosis has taken place to allow the formation of a little fetus - early forerunner to Sean and Susan’s first love child. Susan’s pregnancy fascinates them both. They read, talk, and sing to their unborn child on a daily basis and often wonder if it will be a girl or a boy. Then one day Susan goes into labor. Sean rushes her to the hospital and accompanies her into the delivery room. After much heavy breathing on her part (and near fainting on his), a star is born; Jennifer, a beautiful, healthy 7lbs 4oz baby girl.
Yes, a human being’s conception and birth processes are definitely miracles.
But you know, as romantically pleasing as this scene was, it also exuded a somewhat raw and primal flair.
Imagine the biological complexity involved when two out of over six billion human skeletons filled with fluids, flesh and tissue decide to physically unite. Indeed, that these would even want to unite is as incredible as their ability for displaying movement itself. Picture the further juggling of universal gears required to make these two organisms safely bring forth a smaller, purplish version of themselves into the world.
Unreal.
Sorry if looking at our existence that way sounded a little unsettling. I was only stating facts.
Here is another wonder of life worth ruminating.
A Question of Shut Eye
Two senior citizens are enjoying a quiet evening in their living room. The woman is reading a book on how to make stuffed animals while her husband is watching a documentary on South American rain forests and cursing at the commercials.
”That’s it,” the woman says while putting the book down on the table beside her. ”I can barely keep my eyes open. Are you coming to bed soon?”
”Yeah,” her husband murmurs, ”I want to catch the end of this first though. I’ll be there in about ten minutes.”
”Ok then, see you soon.”
”See you soon dear.”
Like clockwork, ordinary people such as these around the world slip away to their bedrooms after dark. For roughly eight hours, these souls sleep and are oblivious to the physical world’s whims and demands. The same predictable pattern has occurred nightly without fail.
Realizing that every person and creature needs sleep, one has to ask why?
Why can people not stay awake for their entire lifetimes? Disregarding the body’s biological need to repair and replace cells during sleep, does it not seem odd to spend so much time in a semi-comatose state? Why can the body not repair itself when we are awake and just relaxing? Instead of living for an average of eighty years and sleeping for twenty, would it not be equally as viable to let go of sleep altogether and live for sixty years instead?
Think about it. If sleep is necessary to ”recharge our batteries”, then what is the mysterious energy source doing the recharging? And what if a way to stay connected with this energy source was found - would that eliminate our need for sleep?
Now, I am not suggesting that we should try to get rid of sleep (I love my shut eye way too much for that), I am only asking why does it exist?
Again, I apologize if these ideas offend you. Sometimes plowing up the soil in our minds is the only way for new ideas and insights to take root. Those old cobwebs we have allowed to become built up for thousands of years need to be stirred up a bit. We will discuss some more mysteries and move on into the storytelling.
Ready? Ok. Here is another enigma to ruminate.
The Quest for Eternal Youth
We become painfully aware of our mortality from the moment we notice our first wrinkle or gray hair in the mirror. Some of us accept aging gracefully while others do everything to try to reverse it. We can exercise our buns off, apply anti-aging cream like it is cake icing, wear cool clothes, receive implants and Botox injections, get facelifts and undergo plastic surgery - all in the goal of making us look younger and more attractive. Resisting seems pointless however, for our bodies inevitably become ravaged by the effects of time.
So the idea is this; if aging and death are intended processes, why do we have such a hard time accepting them? Are we trying to remain younger longer, or are we subconsciously fighting tooth and nail to reclaim something? And if so, could this ”something” be where having perpetually youthful and immortal bodies was once a reality?
Yes, I know that the notion of living in a youthful body forever sounds ridiculous. Presently, it appears that the best way our species demonstrates immortality is by refusing to let old ideas die. Before I am dismissed as an imbecile however, ponder this; a baby’s tantrums are never more deafening than after he has had a candy, he has already tasted it and liked it, and had it ripped away from him.
In other words, why would we so strongly desire to remain youthful longer unless we once could? Nothing motivates an entire society more to evolve towards achieving an ideal (in this case, perpetual youthfulness and immortality) than if that society already once lived that ideal in a long forgotten past, thoroughly enjoyed it, and somehow lost it.
Speaking of lost ideals, let us ask ourselves a simple question regarding humanity itself.
Why Two Genders?
Have you ever wondered why there are men and women? Why are there not three genders instead? Why not four, or even five or six while we are at it? Why two?
Come to think of it, why not have just one gender? You know, kind of like a hermaphrodite or perhaps a sexually androgynous being? Would that not be a lot simpler?
In light of all the problems we have today with divorce, spousal abuse, miscommunication between genders and so on, do you not think it might have made more social and biological sense if one sex existed here on Earth instead? With only one gender, every person would know what it is like to live in the other one’s skin. We would blend the female tendency of valuing people and relationships more than things along with the male thirst for scientific exploration and philosophy. The sexes would become as one.
This ideal of having one gender might explain why so many people wander relentlessly between sexual roles and identities. Could humanity be trying to attain such a united physical state considering how many people practice cross dressing, bisexuality, and undergoing sex changes?
Hmmm. Food for thought.
Granted, having one gender sounds utopian and such change would surely upset the well defended notions and roles we have as men and women within society, but one must admit that the idea has merit.
For thousands of years, we have been told not only what and who to believe, but how to believe as well. These external influences have not done much to further our spiritual evolution. Now more than ever, it is extremely important that we reawaken and remember our own sacred truths. Taking a hard look into life’s hidden implications then can help us resurrect forgotten memories. These memories would then lead us into realizing how magnificent and powerful we are. And if this miracle of self-realization happened, this planet would then undergo a major makeover.
Let us progress onward and agree that a certain ”je ne sais quoi” makes us unique in comparison to the rest of creation. Here are a few of these differences:
Are Humans Alien to Earth?
1) We are the only species engaged in space travel and exploration. True, primates and plants have also gone into space, but these species are not
engaged in space travel. They are involved by our own doing (and rather unfairly at that).
2) We are one of the only species building individual living quarters many times greater our own body size.
3) We are the only species that feel bashful about nudity and thus wear manufactured clothing.
4) We are the only species dependent upon tools, either mechanical or electronic, for survival and recreation. Some mammals and birds also sometimes
use tools to assist them in acquiring food, but they hardly depend on them to the same degree that we do. Unlike us, they can get along just fine
without them most of the time.
5) We are the only species regularly keeping other species as beasts of burden, as entertainment, as food sources, and as pets.
6) We are one out of a handful of species that deliberately hunts down and kills members of its own kind through assassination and overt warfare (not our
most endearing feature).
7) We are the only species possessing written languages.
8) We are the only species gifted with the ability to both manifest and use fire with the use of tools.
9) We are the only species able to dive into other species’ gene pools, either modifying their DNA or splicing them with those of other species. We are
even able to resurrect species gone extinct.
10) We are the only species whose drive for evolving seems entirely due to a desire for living in greater ease and pleasure.
11) We are the only species that smokes.
12) Aside for bacteria, we are the only species exploring and inhabiting all of Earth’s continents and environments.
13) We are the only species able to domesticate and train other animal species around us, even rendering tame and docile species considered extremely
dangerous (grizzly bears, orcas, and boa constrictors are a few examples).
14) We are the only species creating artificial representatives of its own kind through robotics.
15) We are the only species of mammal continuously walking on two legs.
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These are some of the differences between us and our animal kin. Regardless of which angle you look at our kind from, we are different, it is indisputable. But do you know what the most astounding peculiarity about our kind is?
These differences typifying our kind have come to us despite the fact that we have only fulfilled ten percent of our potential. This leaves us with the ability to create around nine times more powerful technologies in the future.
What do you think, have we hit our stride as a species?
No, not yet. Not by a long shot.
So, the highly controversial subject we are getting to here of course is...
Evolution? Or Creation?
Were we created in the blink of an eye by some invisible deity, or is our miraculous earthly presence simply due to billions of years of trial and error? In other words, are we naked apes, or divine creations gone ”apenuts”?
Creation: A Process in Evolution
I love art. Whether it is abstract, realism, nudes - whatever. When a particularly striking piece moves me, I always wish I could meet the artist in person and ask them questions about their work. Did they know exactly what they wanted for instance, or were several sketches made first? As an artist myself, the creative process intrigues me.
Based on what other artists have shared, dynamite art rarely turns out right the first time. Artists dig way down in the muck and sludge of their soul for hours or days on end, eventually vomiting up some forbidden emotion they can incorporate into their work.
The question of what colors and tones ”feel” right can be maddening as well - as is creating the correct atmosphere. The artist fiddles around with the brush and haphazardly splashes a few spots on the canvas, just to see the results. As perfectionists, most artists either love their experiments or hate them. Few ”in between” emotions exist. Test samples are either trashed or stashed.
Over time, everything seems to magically come together. The last brush strokes are feathered in and suddenly, a masterpiece is born. Then along comes a lucky buyer and before you know it, something that dwelled within the abyss of one person’s soul now hangs high within someone else’s home.
What I am getting to here is that creating something invariably involves Evolution. Depending on how much in touch artists are with themselves, creating a visually pleasing and functional work of art can either be quick or agonizingly long. Ideas have to ripen and evolve in order for them to reach a state of perfection. Each snapshot taken in time during that process is a creative moment.
The philosophy also applies to the Creation and Evolution of species. We have well adapted creatures in relation to their environment today because a lot of imperfections existed in the past. The Cosmos did not exactly know what it was doing when it started creating this world and its fauna and flora, so a lot of DNA experimenting took place. ”If that bird’s beak is too long,” the Cosmos voiced to itself, ”its descendants will receive a shorter one. This fish wants to run on land? We’ll lengthen its pectoral fins and modify the gills so it can run and breathe out of water”.
As insulting to our kind as it seems, humans are also an imperfect species, and our minds and bodies will continue to evolve. Who knows what our kind will look like after the next thousand years?
In regards to the endless debate over ”Evolution versus Creation” then, perhaps it would be best to refer truth seekers to the daily artwork happening on life’s canvas. We could then ask them to judge for themselves if an artist is moving the brush, or if the Universe and Earth are simply on auto-pilot.
Which ever way one looks at the issue, a Great Mystery confronts us.
Another curiosity worth pondering is the intimate relationship our kind appears to have with fire, light, and electricity. Perhaps more links us with these elements than we realize. Yes, there must be a valid reason explaining why:
1) Our dying bodies can be reanimated with a jolt to the chest from a doctor’s defibrillators.
2) Whenever a campfire is around, we huddle around it and stare into the flames while talking with one another.
3) Many of us ”light one up” and ”suck on fire” during emotionally stressful times.
4) Right after a wedding ceremony, some newlyweds each hold a burning flame in their hands and unite these by lighting up one candle.
5) Our vocabulary is saturated with expressions such as: the path of enlightenment and illumination, one twin flame to brighten my days, come on baby
light my fire, I’m all fired up, having a bright idea, that gave me a jolt, he has fire in his eyes, shedding some light on the matter, spark up some interest,
I have a sunny disposition, I want to be a star someday, etc...
Such marvels and mysteries exist for a purpose, and it is good that we review them. Doing so is not wasted energy. By the time this book is finished, we will have come up with new insights, believe me.
Still, a troublesome question remains.
Is it not sad that life’s wonders such as these had to be presented at all? Do you not think that we should have already been thinking about these mysteries since we were kids?
Maybe that is why life seems to have lost its magic; our thinking has grown old.
New Beginnings
Here we are then living in the ”modern” age. The more we look around, the more we see that Spirit world has played yet another trick upon us; knowing who is who amongst us is no longer so easy. Skin color and clothing do not reveal who people are on the inside anymore. The Caucasian person we see on the street, for example, may have been raised within a Negro family and identify more with that reality instead. An Asian woman waiting at the bus stop might not know how to speak her culture’s language. In fact, she may not even relate with her culture at all.
Our children are no longer just red, black, yellow, brown or white either, but varying blends of these. Nothing in the world is separate. Nationalities as well as religious and spiritual beliefs are as mixed as the weather patterns. Even some Native people have completely forgotten the old ways, while many non-Native people are living gentler and more ecologically sound relationships with the land. Perhaps historical paths were meant to join in this manner, who can say?
I sense that anticipation for the storytelling is mounting. Put your projects aside for a few moments and pull up a log or blanket to sit with us by the fire. Also, please make sure that you bend right down before entering the lodge. Someone last week did not and I spent over an hour fixing the door. That should teach me next time to make sure I say something.
A tale commences shortly. We will speak of an era long ago when the Gods walked amongst us. As fantastic and enticing as the story will sound, it may be a while before this period returns.
So rub on some bug repellent if you are not used to the mosquitoes. They can be pretty thirsty this time of year. Speaking of thirst, some fruit juices and coffee are in those thermoses over by the cups. A friend of mine also made us some sandwiches and cut vegetables with dip. So do not be shy. Help yourselves and get comfortable. Do not worry about feeding the fire, someone else has already been given that task.
What you are about to hear is the oldest kind of tale, one that has been told around fires like this one for eons.
If you are ready, we can get started.
Our story begins...
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