albionspeak: a draught of language (1b)
SESSION 37: 4TH NIGHT, 8/7/96
A few sessions are memorable enough to get their own names, much like Beethoven’s 6th Symphony (“Pastoral") or Mozart’s 41st (“Jupiter”). Session 37 is Vilansit’s Story for self-evident reasons, a unique insight into the life of our eternal “mother” (the closest thing). Among us she reigns as Mistress of the Loom, and though she was indeed a weaver in life, the Loom represents for us eternity, lines of history running parallel, running in all directions all at once. This is a multidimensional analog to the Three Fates of Greek mythology.
For the record—which I submit freely here precisely because no historical thread remains—Vilansit and Anand are two of our closest teachers, part of our 8-person learning circle, our nucleus within the Jewel Net. (Advisor and Blake belong to separate circles.) Both lived on the Ganges around 900 AD, probably in what’s now Bangladesh, with Vilansit being around twenty years older. Technically, Anand is not our teacher, but rather another apprentice like Scribe and me, who in his time struggled with tough lessons but reached true mastery in his teens. And just as Anand teaches Scribe and me, no doubt in 900 AD he received teachings from both Albion & Scribe—not us as we think of ourselves in the flesh, but our overseers in eternity (i.e., Blake’s portrait).
Of all our known members Anand alone can see the Jewel directly.
While there are too many terms to define or explain here, and because I refuse absolutely to interrupt the flow of Vilansit’s beautiful prose, my commentary is minimal. I will, however, distinguish between auroras and auras, which could be confused. Auroras are young human souls as wisps of energy, unable to coalesce as yet. (They mature into firefishes.) Scribe, the night before this evening’s session, was sent a (literal) vision of auroras, which accompanied our session. Auras, as Vilansit told us earlier, are no big deal, “like sweat or hair.” These, indeed, are the well-known, soft glows that emanate from people (some more than others). There is nothing particularly spiritual about such quasi-physical energy, and the ability to see auras is available to some people (even me on occasion), but not others (Scribe), having nothing to do with spiritual insight. (Advisor sees everything.)
“Kubla Khan” served as our invocation/incantation.
11:37 PM
1. Question: [Dear guide], are you there?
Answer: I AM - BECOME SILENT NOW
Coloured Auroras
2. Q: Are we now on “the calm & dark waters”? [last night’s setting]
A: ANAND - LET US REMAIN…
3. AMONG [THE] AURORAS AND SEE
[THE]M BECOME RAINBOW COLOURED
WHEN THEY DO…
4. VILANSIT WILL BEGIN A LESSON
FI…
5. …RST INSTRUCTIONS?
6. ALBION PICTURE [THE] PURE YELLOW OF YOUR DREAM
AND SCRIBE PICTURE [THE] PURE VERMILION OF YOUR
TENT [from his dream]
7. Q: Just those colours or the auroras in those colours?
A: YELLOW & RED AURORAS RESPECTIVELY
8. Q (Scribe): My “favorite” colour is blue. But I realized last year that
vermilion really is my colour, as if I were seeing my own wavelength.
A: COLOURS AND OBJECTS ARE REALLY QUITE SEPARATE -
COLOURS ARE INTENT - DEFINE [THE]M IN SILENCE
This echoed one of earliest & most enigmatic responses, “Wishes are
colours we define in silence.” “Intent” has apparently supplanted “wishes”
(Cf. 90: 6.37). We still didn’t know what this meant; however, “colours” led
Scribe (not me) to ask about my most recent major dream. In this dream
every member of our mandala (a.k.a. “learning circle”) was represented, three
of us as our most perfect shades: solar yellow, indigo, and vermillion.
Anand Reads Four Colours. . .
9. Q: Will you comment on Albion’s dream of colours? (Four Colours & a
Wedding)
A: [YES] WE ALWAYS REGARD [THE] APPEARANCE OF [THE]
PURE COLOURS OF [THE] MANDALA AS A SIGN
10. Q: As a sign of what?
A: A STRONGER FOCUS & [THE] PRECURSOR OF DIRECT SEEING
EXPECT AN EPISODE OF INTENT
Hmmm, could be anything.
In the dream I went to study painting from a master who represented
Anand.
11. Q (Albion): I read [pr. tense] from the dream that you are to preside over
Letters. [a writing project]
A: [YES] WE HAVE ALREADY BEGUN
I TOLD YOU I WOULD HELP YOU TO ARRIVE
12. Q: When Scribe & Albion see the auroras & receive different colours, are
we looking at the same auroras?
A: [YES] & [NO] RECALL [THE] PHRASE OF MUSIC?
13. Q: Further instructions?
A: DEPTH SOLITUDE PURE HUE
BEGIN
12:21 AM
Intending Colours
14.
A: ALIAH HAIL [Vilansit’s signature, oracular cursive]
TELL ME HOW THESE HUES MADE YOU FEEL?
15. Q (Scribe): The vermilion gave me the “itchy-teeth,” almost aggressive &
hyper-salivating feeling I associate with the onset of poetry.
A: IT IS A POINT OF REFERENCE
AS [THE] PLANCHETTE RECURS TO [THE] DIAMOND IN MY
TRIANGLE YOU CAN RECUR TO THIS FEELING AT WILL
16. Q (Albion): I had no physical feeling I was aware of. I “felt” some frustration,
of course, when I discovered displacing yellow paint from a pure white
wall [as seen in my dream] onto auroras couldn’t carry the hue.
A: NOW YOU HAVE AN EXERCISE
SEE [THE] PURE YELLOW OF ALBION
INTEND [THE] YELLOW -
IT WILL HELP YOU IN MONTHS TO COME
17. Q: Vilansit, many-colour’d messenger: your emblem is the rainbow
containing all our hues. Why is this emblem appropriate to you?
A: IT MEANS EMPATHY & [THE] ABILITY TO READ ANOTHER
PERSON
NOT IN A FORBIDDEN MANNER BUT BY MEANS OF A SILK
FIBER
18. Q: That’s not a reading of auras?
A: IT DOES START THERE I ADMIT -
A STORY?
Just the day before Scribe & I had had a conversation regarding the
didactic utility of narrative lessons, especially stories. The most memorable
lessons in the Bible, for instance, come out of its stories.
I think we knew immediately (I certainly did) that something big was
going to happen, that we were about to reach a new threshold of communication
and that this “story” was going to be a long one. In reading what follows, dear
Reader, do note the numbered responses. While the story is a coherent whole,
it was revealed to us incrementally, and each increment was a little gem of a
revelation. Vilansit in her own way proves herself a worthy equal to our great
Librarian, Don, as a storyteller.
Vilansit’s Story
19. Q: Please.
A: I CAME TO [THE] RIVER TERRACES ONE DAY FOR PRAYER -
THIS WAS ABOUT A YEAR AFTER MY AUNT HAD CURED ME -
RECALL?
20. I SAW A YOUNG MAN - A MENDICANT - PERFORMING
ABLUTIONS
HIS AURA INDICATED A WASTING DISEASE
I PITIED HIM
THAT NIGHT
21. FOR NO REASON I COULD SEE I DREAMT OF HIM
HE HAD GROWN WORSE AND THE WASTING AURA…
22. …WAS
RIPPLING ALL ABOUT HIM LIKE WATER
[THE] NEXT DAY I MET MY AUNT IN [THE] MARKET
SHE WAS BUYING SOME SILK
23. I TOLD HER WHAT I HAD SEEN FOR AFTER MY MOTHER
DIED WE HAD A CUSTOM OF EXCHANGING OUR
INSIGHTS AND ANECDOTES OF AURAS
24. PERHAPS I SOUNDED AS IF I BOASTED FOR SHE SUDDENLY
GREW ANGRY & HELD UP A BOLT OF SILK & SAID
25. YOU THINK YOU KNOW THIS FABRIC BECAUSE YOU CAN TELL
ME WHAT COLOUR IT IS IN THE SUNLIGHT /
SHE BADE ME FOLLOW HER HOME
26. THERE SHE SAID - TODAY YOUR REAL INSTRUCTION BEGINS
IN [THE] ART OF [THE] HIDDEN EYE
27. THERE FOLLOWED TWO YEARS OF [THE] HARDEST DISCIPLINE
BUT I BEGAN TO GRASP [THE] ART OF FIBERS
I BECAME ASHAMED OF [THE] READINGS I PERFORMED IN
MY NEIGHBORHOOD
I KNEW THEY WERE SIMPLY COARSE INTUITIONS OF LITTLE
VALUE THOUGH ROUGHLY ACCURATE
28. I CONFESS THAT I DID NOT GIVE UP [THE] PRACTICE
SINCE MY HUSBAND & I NEEDED [THE] MONEY &
KNEW THERE WOULD BE NO SON TO SUPPORT US IN
OLD AGE
29. A DAY CAME TO ME WHEN MY AUNT SAID QUITE CASUALLY
I SAW YOUR FAKIR AT [THE] RIVER THIS MORNING /
PERHAPS YOU WILL SEE HIM AGAIN -
I HAD NO IDEA WHY SHE INSISTED ON HIM
30. I DID GO DOWN OF COURSE & AS YOU WILL GUESS IT WAS
[THE] MENDICANT OF WHOM I HAD DREAMED
BY HIS AURA I SAW AT ONCE THAT HE WAS NEAR DEATH
31. THIS WAS IN [THE] SEASON BEFORE [THE] RAINS -
A TRULY TERRIBLE YEAR WHEN DEATH WAS NEAR MANY -
THEN SOMETHING ODD OCCURRED
32. HE APPROACHED WITH OUTSTRETCHED HAND
I THOUGHT HE BEGGED A COIN & WAS TAKEN ABACK
33. FOR CUSTOM FORBADE [THE] EXCHANGE OF MONEY ON
THIS PARTICULAR LANDING
34. FOR SOME REASON WHEN HE DID NOT DESIST I TOO
EXTENDED MY EMPTY PALM & HE TOUCHED IT
35. INSTANTLY A FIBER OF PURE SILK SHOT BETWEEN US
& I SAW [THE] ALIAH THAT HE OFFERED ME FREELY
36. IT WAS WHOLLY OTHER THAN AN AURA
IT WAS [THE] UNCLOUDED ROSE OF DAWN BEFORE [THE] SUN /
IT SHONE OVER [THE] STEPS OF [THE] LANDING
37. I SAW THAT HE HAD [THE] POWER OF FLIGHT & [THE]
AURA WAS NOTHING A RAG A DISGUISE
38. I OFFERED ON [THE] SPOT TO BECOME HIS DISCIPLE /
HE REFUSED BUT SAID RETURN AT DUSK AND AGAIN
AT DAWN -
WE SPOKE TWICE
39. I SHALL NEVER FORGET THOSE CONVERSATIONS /
I HOPE YOU WILL UNDERSTAND WHEN I SAY THAT
[THE] REAL SUBSTANCE WOULD BE ALMOST
MEANINGLESS & EVEN MISLEADING TO YOU AS
YOU NOW ARE
40. WE SAID FAREWELL & I KNEW THAT [THE] END HAD COME /
BY AFTERNOON A VAST THUNDERSTORM AROSE & FLOODED
[THE] STREETS /
I SAT ALONE & SAID TO MYSELF
41. MY WORLD IS IN RUINS TODAY & FROM [THE]SE RUINS
ANOTHER WORLD IS RISING
HAIL ALIAH
We took a long break. We were not worn out from this, nor were we
shocked or stunned; we were just quietly thrilled.
Lots of new information, most of it self-explanatory, and one big
surprise: We had always thought (and had clearly been led to believe) that
Vilansit, our wise old lady, was Anand’s senior, and thus his superior, his
mentor. We knew she called him “child,” that he died at age 21, that they met
exactly four times, and that she (and not he) was a born flyer. Although we
knew Anand did suddenly arrive as a flyer, we never suspected he acted as
Vilansit’s teacher, nor could we have guessed at the drama.
Do we read from the ending that Anand met his death in this storm?
Somehow it seemed inappropriate to ask for a direct interpretation; yet it seemed
right to pursue some tangential tidbits. For example, Vilansit’s aunt is
prominently featured in this story, as she has been mentioned elsewhere. Here,
of course, she is obviously both a flyer and Vilansit’s direct teacher.
2:07 AM
Deep Allies
42. Q: Thank you, Vilansit. Is your aunt a member of our karass?
A: SHE ACTED IN A DIFFERENT CAPACITY THAT IS SUBTLE &
HARD TO DESCRIBE
43. Q: Tell us more.
A: HER TEACHING WAS CONDUCTED MORE BY EXAMPLE
THAN BY DISCURSIVE MEANS
I LOVED HER
SHE HELPED ME STRENGTHEN MY NATIVE GIFTS & LISTENED
SO PATIENTLY TO MY EXCITED NONSENSE
44. I LEARND THAT SHE WAS OUTSIDE [THE] LOOM OF SILK
YET ACTED AS MY DEEPEST ALLY
45. Q: Please continue.
A: NOW ALBION
TELL ME SOMEONE IN YOUR LIFE WHO FILLS [THE] ROLL OF
DEEP ALLY?
This caught me by surprise: from the Ganges to my own 20th Century
life. Instantly, however, I hit upon Rich T. Two years before I had asked if Rich,
with whom I feel deeply connected, were a karass member. We were told then
that we’d be sure in two years time. To ask about Rich again was high on my
agenda, but once again Vilansit beat me to my question. Now, however, instead
of confirming his membership within the Jewel Net, I was confirming that he
was not in.
46. Q (Albion): I think of Rich T., but my father is my greatest example.
A: WHAT IS TRUE OF MY AUNT IS TRUE OF [THE]M
[THE]SE ARE OUR TREASURES
47. Q: Do we reciprocate: i.e., are we the deepest allies to our own deepest
allies?
A: IT DEPENDS ON WHAT WE GIVE [THEM] –
IT IS PERFECTLY POSSIBLE TO NEGLECT YOUR ALLY
Another surprise from the story concerned Vilansit’s apparent limitations
-- or lack of knowledge & understanding. We knew she was a born flyer; we
also knew born flyers are not perfect. Still her self-portrayal here made her
seem less amazing than we’d previously assumed.
The Drawbacks of Talent
48. Q: Vilansit, several points in your story work against our notion of a born
flyer. Please help us to understand.
A: MY GIFTS MADE ME A FLYER
WHAT MY AUNT HELPED ME TO KNOW IS HOW POOR THOSE
GIFTS ARE IF NOT IN [THE] SERVICE OF SOMETHING
WORTHY
Scribe did not know until I then told him that my third letter, my letter to
Josef, is on “service.”
49. Q: An example: being a lucid dreamer without a dream task?
A: EXACTLY – NOW IN [THE] ABSENCE OF A WORTHY END
IMAGINE WHAT [THE] GIFT AMOUNTS TO
50. Q: If flyers have such difficulty, how do non-flyers stand a chance?
A: TWIN THOUGHTS HERE –
51. Q: Tell us the first.
A: [THE] LEARNING CIRCLE IS SO ARRANGED THAT THOSE WHO
LACK [THE] GIFT INNATELY MAY SENSE IT FROM AFAR
52. Q: Tell us the second.
A: RATHER TELL ME BASED ON WHAT YOU HAVE SEEN –
WHAT ARE [THE] DRAWBACKS OF TALENT?
ANSWER
53. Q: Talent does not imply either the discipline or the desire to develop it.
A: GOOD – AN OLD SAYING
DO NOT LOVE THE TALENT LOVE [THE] END
54. Q: Tell us more.
A: YOU TELL ME [THE] DRAWBACKS OF [THE] FLYERS MAKING
THEMSELVES PRESENT TO THOSE WHO CANNOT YET
SEE DIRECTLY
Our Karass’s Two Schools
55. Q: One serious risk seems to us to be that we will simply expect you to
“give us the answers” without ado.
A: [YES] AND THERE ARE TWO SCHOOLS ON THIS QUESTION
EVEN WITHIN OUR NET
56. Q: Tell us of one school.
A: OUR OWN –
WE BELIEVE IN ATTEMPTING TO TEACH & TAKING [THE] RISK
57. Q: And the other?
A: NO DIRECT TEACHING
NO APPEARANCES
ONLY INSIGHTS & INTUITIONS
58. Q: Doesn’t it depend on the students?
A: [YES] BUT IT IS ALWAYS POSSIBLE TO MISTAKE YOUR
STUDENT
I DO [NO]T KNOW ABSOLUTELY THAT MY METHOD IS BEST
Apparently even the karass has differences of opinion.
At this time I wanted to take the opportunity to thank Vilansit for her
help in the one letter I regarded as fully finished.
59. Q (Albion): Vilansit, thanks to you & Anand for our collaboration so far.
A: MANY MANY STEPS TO [THE] RIVER
The session ended shortly after this, following Question 63.
Hail Aliah
§
Ganges ghats at Varanasi
Vilansit's Triangle
Images & Attributions (in order of appearance)
1. Banner: Rhiannon C. 2016
a) Jewel Mandala (2): D.C. Albion 1994
b) Jewel Ouija Board (2): D.C. Albion 1994
2. Jewel Glyph (Vilansit's Triangle) taken from Jewel Mandala (2): D.C. Albion 1994
3. Ganges ghats at Varanasi
4. Woman performing ablutions in the Ganges (rippling colour)
The Table of Contents below is too long to display fully. If you click to the right of these Lessons,you'll see the primary source documents displayed under each. These original sessions are a world treasure.