01-04-2002, 12:00 AM
This is an age-old problem, as old as human memory.
There are many legends concerning the Foreign Mind.
So, just for fun, here's mine.
In the First Days, now lost to us, humankind dwelt peacefully in a beautiful paradise. In the early days, there was no knowledge of "desire" and people walked with innocence upon the earth.
The Guardians of Paradise, dwelling in Heaven, smiled down their love on the world. And they made in each creature a seed in their heart, so that every creature might harbour and grow Love for all beings.
And it came about that the Guardians made a Gift to the world. In their unfathomable wisdom, atop the mountain at the centre of paradise, they planted a tree: the Tree Of Knowledge Of Good And Bad.
The tree grew tall and glorious, and its likeness was not found in the whole of paradise. And the tree grew so high and wonderous that soon all of paradise was touched by its shadow.
And rumor began of dark things that crept beyond the borders of paradise. Of a great war among the Guardians. Of murderous deeds among Humanity.
Yet more rumor spread that the Guardians had kept the Secret of Immortality hidden. And that many powers could be gained from magick, from spells and potions, and from pacts made with the spirits of the aethers.
And slowly, as these rumors spread, paradise was lost to humankind, indeed lost to all creatures who dwelt in the shadow of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Bad.
Yet there was hope. In the icy north lived a beautiful Queen in a tower made of glass crystal. She was possessor of the Light of Colours and she reigned long as a Source of Light in a troubled world.
But it came to pass that a great dragon ascended from out of the darkest depths to wage war on the Queen and the Light of Colours. The Queen held the dragon at bay for a long time, but at last the dragon, in dark fury, smote the Light of Colours. The Queen, to preserve her own life, sealed herself atop the crystal tower, behind The Mirror That Is Not A Mirror.
With the Light of Colours gone and the Queen trapped in the Mirror, the land became filled with darkness. Many dragons came to inhabit the crystal tower and the great drakes turned the surrounding lands to waste. Then it was that the Great Darkness came upon the world.
Many generations passed and a time came when, in a warm southern village, a great warrior was reborn. As a child, David began to talk with the animals, and to learn the languages of beast and bird. He received dreams and visions, and discovered many wonderous things. As David grew older, he began to dream of a crystal tower and of a beautiful Queen trapped inside a Magic Mirror.
When he came of age, David left the village he had known his whole lifetime, never to return. And after readying his horse, he headed north to seek answers to his visions and dreams.
The journey was long and arduous. By the time David had travelled the continent to arrive in the wastes of the north, he had lost his horse, his weapons, his magickal tools and possessions, and seemed on the verge of sanity.
Exhausted and near death, David arrived at the border of a great wasteland where dark shapes whirled high in the sky. Wearily, he staggered, and crawled under an outcrop of rock where he fell soundly asleep.
That night, in a dream, David found himself wandering a vast hallway. The hallway extended as far as he could see in front and behind. And there beside him, hanging on the wall, was an ornate mirror, beautifully carved and polished.
Carefully, David peered into the mirror. At first the mirror appeared misty and unclear, then slowly, a shape appeared. There David saw a tiny seedling struggling to grow; the small root seeking hold, the tiny sprout seeking light. And, as he watched, a fluttering moth gently alighted upon the seedling. Suddenly, with a great crash, as of thunder, the mirror broke, and instantly David awoke.
Feeling refreshed, David picked himself up and walked on. In the distance, he could see a great tower rising into the darkened sky. And he began to hear vast shrieks and cries from the great whirling shapes as they began to circle overhead.
As David walked on thru the waste he passed numerous bones and skeletons of both man and beast, long since dead. The many lives spent in the quest to free the Queen from her prison.
Suddenly, from the gloom above, a huge shape swooped down. And David saw a dragon come screaming toward him, it's cruel maw gaping, it's firey breath bursting forth. From a corpse lying nearby David picked up a large sword, and brandishing it he turned to face the dragon.
With a terrible shriek that froze David's heart, the dragon descended on him in fury. Yet, with a move so quick that it surprised David himself, he hefted the sword like a javelin and threw it with all his might. The blade flew straight and true, piercing the heart of the great drake. In a cloud of smoke and ash, it crashed to the ground before David, heaved a great sigh and then died.
As David watched, the dragon's flesh melted away. Like a fog banished by a breeze the body of the dragon disappeared. "Illusion", thought David. "And yet an illusion that would burn the very flesh from my bones."
Slowly, David turned away and walked on toward the great tower. He could hear the other great dragons, high in the dark sky, crying with grief and then shrieking with vengeance.
After much walking, there before him at last, was a great stone gate - the gateway to the tower. High above, the crystal tower veered into the sky. And though the land about was desolate and barren, David could see the tower shining as a diamond in the sunlight.
Warily, David approached the great stone gate. Carefully, he stepped thru the gateway. And there before him, guarding the entrance to the tower were three great dragons.
With no weapon in hand, David stood before them. They were ancient beasts, gnarled and twisted, yet mighty in strength. "Let me pass!" commanded David.
A great rasping sound issued from the dragons, and David realised they were laughing at him.
"We shall never let you pass!" roared one of the three. "For we desire Darkness, and despise the Light."
"You are illusion!" responded David. "And your desires are illusion. The Darkness and the Light are all illusion!"
Then it was that a great fury came upon the dragons, and they drew themselves up, baring their teeth, and let out an almighty roar.
And for an instant David's heart quailed. Then it was that the great dragons descended on him, blasting him with their firey breath, tearing at him with their claws and fangs.
And David's body was slain, his corpse lay smoldering among the ash.
Yet David appeared, standing before the dragons. And he seemed to glow like sunshine, and a light of many colours was about him. The dragons recoiled at the sight of him. And when he spoke, his voice caused the dragons great pain. "Let me pass!" he again commanded.
And so it was that the great dragons let David pass into the crystal tower. For they could not abide his presence, his glowing countenance, his pure heart. And with a great cry the dragons took to the air, passing over the wasteland and returned to the abyss from whence they came.
So David entered the crystal tower, and began the long climb up the stairway. The very walls and steps seemed to glow with a strange light, and David cautiously and deliberately mounted each step, climbing higher and higher.
After what seemed like an age, there at the top of the stairway was a room. The room was bare, but hanging on the wall was a mirror, exact in likeness to the mirror of his dream.
Slowly, he approached it, and gazing into it he saw the face of an old woman. She appeared very regal, and at one time would have been most beautiful. Yet now her face was cold and grey, her eyes closed, her mouth slack, as if death had overcome her.
David reached out to touch the mirror, and was amazed when his fingers passed into it as if it were water. The surface of the mirror rippled, and then the eyes of the old woman opened.
She gazed out at him, staring for a long moment. And then she smiled, her wrinkled face peaceful and happy. "At last." she croaked. "I wake."
David stammered and then spoke. "My Dear Lady. How may i free you?"
Her smile became a dry chuckle. "Indeed." she slowly whispered. "You are I; and I am thee. This you must know, in order to be free."
David stared at the mirror, the old woman's eyes began to close and her face began to fade away. "Wait!" he pleaded. "Dear Lady, please tell me how i can free you!"
Her eyes flickered open for a moment. "It is within you." she answered, and with a sigh her head dropped and her eyes closed forever. A great Crack! rent the mirror in two and David jumped back startled and confused.
"Within me?" he asked himself. "What is within me?"
He glanced back toward the mirror, the image of the old woman had faded. And there in the cracked reflection he saw himself, standing open-mouthed and shocked. He saw that he was glowing, with a golden light, a light of colours about him. And there, where his heart should be, was a tiny seedling, growing steadily.
Indeed, the light of colours seemed to come from out of the seedling. As if the light were being nourished from the seedling in his heart.
"Within me." he replied seeing the answer. "It is within me!"
At once, the mirror disappeared. The walls, ceiling and floor all disappeared. The crystal tower also, the wasteland that the north had become, the darkened skies; all of these things passed away. And David found himself on a hillside looking out over a wonderful paradise, and there in the centre of paradise, growing atop a mountain, was a vast tree.
And as he looked, he wondered, for the tree did not cast any shadow.
"Welcome." said a musical voice behind him. David turned to see a group of strange people all glowing with a golden light; and yet they seemed familiar to him, as if he had known them for an age.
"Welcome beloved David, fellow Guardian." the golden people chorused. "Welcome to paradise."
And then, as he embraced them, with tears of joy streaming down his face, then at last he understood.
There are many legends concerning the Foreign Mind.
So, just for fun, here's mine.
In the First Days, now lost to us, humankind dwelt peacefully in a beautiful paradise. In the early days, there was no knowledge of "desire" and people walked with innocence upon the earth.
The Guardians of Paradise, dwelling in Heaven, smiled down their love on the world. And they made in each creature a seed in their heart, so that every creature might harbour and grow Love for all beings.
And it came about that the Guardians made a Gift to the world. In their unfathomable wisdom, atop the mountain at the centre of paradise, they planted a tree: the Tree Of Knowledge Of Good And Bad.
The tree grew tall and glorious, and its likeness was not found in the whole of paradise. And the tree grew so high and wonderous that soon all of paradise was touched by its shadow.
And rumor began of dark things that crept beyond the borders of paradise. Of a great war among the Guardians. Of murderous deeds among Humanity.
Yet more rumor spread that the Guardians had kept the Secret of Immortality hidden. And that many powers could be gained from magick, from spells and potions, and from pacts made with the spirits of the aethers.
And slowly, as these rumors spread, paradise was lost to humankind, indeed lost to all creatures who dwelt in the shadow of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Bad.
Yet there was hope. In the icy north lived a beautiful Queen in a tower made of glass crystal. She was possessor of the Light of Colours and she reigned long as a Source of Light in a troubled world.
But it came to pass that a great dragon ascended from out of the darkest depths to wage war on the Queen and the Light of Colours. The Queen held the dragon at bay for a long time, but at last the dragon, in dark fury, smote the Light of Colours. The Queen, to preserve her own life, sealed herself atop the crystal tower, behind The Mirror That Is Not A Mirror.
With the Light of Colours gone and the Queen trapped in the Mirror, the land became filled with darkness. Many dragons came to inhabit the crystal tower and the great drakes turned the surrounding lands to waste. Then it was that the Great Darkness came upon the world.
Many generations passed and a time came when, in a warm southern village, a great warrior was reborn. As a child, David began to talk with the animals, and to learn the languages of beast and bird. He received dreams and visions, and discovered many wonderous things. As David grew older, he began to dream of a crystal tower and of a beautiful Queen trapped inside a Magic Mirror.
When he came of age, David left the village he had known his whole lifetime, never to return. And after readying his horse, he headed north to seek answers to his visions and dreams.
The journey was long and arduous. By the time David had travelled the continent to arrive in the wastes of the north, he had lost his horse, his weapons, his magickal tools and possessions, and seemed on the verge of sanity.
Exhausted and near death, David arrived at the border of a great wasteland where dark shapes whirled high in the sky. Wearily, he staggered, and crawled under an outcrop of rock where he fell soundly asleep.
That night, in a dream, David found himself wandering a vast hallway. The hallway extended as far as he could see in front and behind. And there beside him, hanging on the wall, was an ornate mirror, beautifully carved and polished.
Carefully, David peered into the mirror. At first the mirror appeared misty and unclear, then slowly, a shape appeared. There David saw a tiny seedling struggling to grow; the small root seeking hold, the tiny sprout seeking light. And, as he watched, a fluttering moth gently alighted upon the seedling. Suddenly, with a great crash, as of thunder, the mirror broke, and instantly David awoke.
Feeling refreshed, David picked himself up and walked on. In the distance, he could see a great tower rising into the darkened sky. And he began to hear vast shrieks and cries from the great whirling shapes as they began to circle overhead.
As David walked on thru the waste he passed numerous bones and skeletons of both man and beast, long since dead. The many lives spent in the quest to free the Queen from her prison.
Suddenly, from the gloom above, a huge shape swooped down. And David saw a dragon come screaming toward him, it's cruel maw gaping, it's firey breath bursting forth. From a corpse lying nearby David picked up a large sword, and brandishing it he turned to face the dragon.
With a terrible shriek that froze David's heart, the dragon descended on him in fury. Yet, with a move so quick that it surprised David himself, he hefted the sword like a javelin and threw it with all his might. The blade flew straight and true, piercing the heart of the great drake. In a cloud of smoke and ash, it crashed to the ground before David, heaved a great sigh and then died.
As David watched, the dragon's flesh melted away. Like a fog banished by a breeze the body of the dragon disappeared. "Illusion", thought David. "And yet an illusion that would burn the very flesh from my bones."
Slowly, David turned away and walked on toward the great tower. He could hear the other great dragons, high in the dark sky, crying with grief and then shrieking with vengeance.
After much walking, there before him at last, was a great stone gate - the gateway to the tower. High above, the crystal tower veered into the sky. And though the land about was desolate and barren, David could see the tower shining as a diamond in the sunlight.
Warily, David approached the great stone gate. Carefully, he stepped thru the gateway. And there before him, guarding the entrance to the tower were three great dragons.
With no weapon in hand, David stood before them. They were ancient beasts, gnarled and twisted, yet mighty in strength. "Let me pass!" commanded David.
A great rasping sound issued from the dragons, and David realised they were laughing at him.
"We shall never let you pass!" roared one of the three. "For we desire Darkness, and despise the Light."
"You are illusion!" responded David. "And your desires are illusion. The Darkness and the Light are all illusion!"
Then it was that a great fury came upon the dragons, and they drew themselves up, baring their teeth, and let out an almighty roar.
And for an instant David's heart quailed. Then it was that the great dragons descended on him, blasting him with their firey breath, tearing at him with their claws and fangs.
And David's body was slain, his corpse lay smoldering among the ash.
Yet David appeared, standing before the dragons. And he seemed to glow like sunshine, and a light of many colours was about him. The dragons recoiled at the sight of him. And when he spoke, his voice caused the dragons great pain. "Let me pass!" he again commanded.
And so it was that the great dragons let David pass into the crystal tower. For they could not abide his presence, his glowing countenance, his pure heart. And with a great cry the dragons took to the air, passing over the wasteland and returned to the abyss from whence they came.
So David entered the crystal tower, and began the long climb up the stairway. The very walls and steps seemed to glow with a strange light, and David cautiously and deliberately mounted each step, climbing higher and higher.
After what seemed like an age, there at the top of the stairway was a room. The room was bare, but hanging on the wall was a mirror, exact in likeness to the mirror of his dream.
Slowly, he approached it, and gazing into it he saw the face of an old woman. She appeared very regal, and at one time would have been most beautiful. Yet now her face was cold and grey, her eyes closed, her mouth slack, as if death had overcome her.
David reached out to touch the mirror, and was amazed when his fingers passed into it as if it were water. The surface of the mirror rippled, and then the eyes of the old woman opened.
She gazed out at him, staring for a long moment. And then she smiled, her wrinkled face peaceful and happy. "At last." she croaked. "I wake."
David stammered and then spoke. "My Dear Lady. How may i free you?"
Her smile became a dry chuckle. "Indeed." she slowly whispered. "You are I; and I am thee. This you must know, in order to be free."
David stared at the mirror, the old woman's eyes began to close and her face began to fade away. "Wait!" he pleaded. "Dear Lady, please tell me how i can free you!"
Her eyes flickered open for a moment. "It is within you." she answered, and with a sigh her head dropped and her eyes closed forever. A great Crack! rent the mirror in two and David jumped back startled and confused.
"Within me?" he asked himself. "What is within me?"
He glanced back toward the mirror, the image of the old woman had faded. And there in the cracked reflection he saw himself, standing open-mouthed and shocked. He saw that he was glowing, with a golden light, a light of colours about him. And there, where his heart should be, was a tiny seedling, growing steadily.
Indeed, the light of colours seemed to come from out of the seedling. As if the light were being nourished from the seedling in his heart.
"Within me." he replied seeing the answer. "It is within me!"
At once, the mirror disappeared. The walls, ceiling and floor all disappeared. The crystal tower also, the wasteland that the north had become, the darkened skies; all of these things passed away. And David found himself on a hillside looking out over a wonderful paradise, and there in the centre of paradise, growing atop a mountain, was a vast tree.
And as he looked, he wondered, for the tree did not cast any shadow.
"Welcome." said a musical voice behind him. David turned to see a group of strange people all glowing with a golden light; and yet they seemed familiar to him, as if he had known them for an age.
"Welcome beloved David, fellow Guardian." the golden people chorused. "Welcome to paradise."
And then, as he embraced them, with tears of joy streaming down his face, then at last he understood.