albionspeak 2: the gates of dis (11.2)
SESSION 63: 2ND NIGHT, 8/20/00
Note the date; there are a couple of inconsistencies: First, trivially, in the
written transcripts [Scribe] is consistently off by one day. He arrived on Thursday
the 18th, for instance – not the 17th – and everything follows accordingly. What’s
more important, however, is that there is indeed a lost day between our first and
second nights. Here’s why:
Saturday morning, August 19th, [my wife] arose at 4:00 AM to take a
morning plane to Burbank, CA, for the wedding of her friend. But as [my wife]
got up, she knew she was unwell, and within minutes was sick in the shower. No
way could she get to a wedding, so that was undone. [Scribe] and I, on the other
hand, went about our normal business of rising late, titling the previous night’s
session, then reading some of his poems (in this case, ones I barely knew – if at
all – from Pangæa). We walked our closest beach, had lunch, and took our
prescribed private hours between four and five, which, for reasons I couldn’t
divine at the time, I found difficult. I was extremely tired and unsettled; and after
this period I insisted on taking a very late nap. When I arose, I felt unwell.
[Scribe] cooked dinner while I held on, thinking I might stave off [my wife]’s fate –
to no avail. Between 10:30 PM and 2:30 AM, prime ouija hours, I lost more than
ten pounds! Thus, the busiest day on our summer calendar saw [my wife] and
me both utterly incapacitated and [Scribe] the caregiver of our children.
Now it is one thing for Josef to predict the future, correctly or otherwise;
but I have some doubts about the whole show, so to speak. No, we don’t have
oracles among us, but Josef was master of his present, a “lens of present energies.”
I suspect from his vantage, when he gave his oracular agenda, my fate already was
much like a stone’s. My illness was not a matter of choice (if it indeed it ever had
been); even as Josef was reading my energies I was no more than a ticking bomb.
I would frankly be surprised if my unpleasant future wasn’t blooming within me
for all to see.
Anyway, the good news was that this was a true 24-hour flu. I rested the
whole next day and was able – with real effort – to make a dinner appearance before
having a belated second session. I do not think my physical weakness here played
a major role, and I got progressively stronger even by the hour.
Our invocation: “Artaxata”, from [Scribe]’s own Cities Near Moonrise.
9:02 PM
1. Q: [Guide], are you there?
A: I AM I HOVER
BE FIRM
I believed here [Guide] was acknowledging how weak I really did
feel.
2. Q: Are Jane & Vilansit with us?
A: JANE I GREET YOU [Scribe] & [Albion]
MY TWIN GREETS YOU AS WELL
3. Q: Have we an exercise?
A: AN EASY ONE INVOLVING TWINS
4. Q: What should we see?
A: SEE A CRESCENT MOON WITH TIPS POINTING DOWN LIKE A
RAINBOW ARCH & COMPLETE [THE] CIRCLE BY MAKING
CRESENT RISE FROM LAKE [sic]
5. Q: Further instructions?
A: AS [THE] MOON LIFTS VILANSIT WILL SPEAK TO [Albion]
My night, necessitated by our divided instruction. [Scribe]’s would
be the next night.
Vilansit with Jane
6. Q: We begin now.
A: WE WILL COMPLETE OUR TASK BY TWOS TONIGHT
– V
[Albion]’s Steps Declared
7. Q ([Albion]): Please begin.
A: WE MUST DISCOVER YOUR STEPS & INDICATE WHICH ARE
TO COME
[Scribe] and I had discussed this ad nauseam and agreed the only
way I could know where on my steps I was located would be to cover the
tasks explicitly and in some detail. I didn’t like taking up [Scribe]’s time
this way, but the previous year had not clued me in; and there seemed no
other method or opportunity. We decided I would simply write down the
nine steps I believed filled the second presider’s column (thus steps 10-18).
I was more sure about some of these steps than others, and—significantly—
there were other tasks or partial tasks which I did not include. It was
therefore my best guess.
The Nine Men Task Under Vilansit [Presider #2]
[Steps 10-18] Jane Europe Trip Collage
Vilansit “Twin” Letters: B. & J.
Josef Letter to T. on Dreaming
[Guide] Assisi Painting
Jewel Ma’at Essay: Introduction
Scribe “Shakespeare’s Memory”
Anand Letters to S. on Flight
Don "Elevator Music" - A Fiction
Albion Perspective Drawing - Riomaggiore
8. Q ([Albion]): Vilansit, these are the steps I believe I completed with you as
presider.
A: EACH IS AN EXERCISE IN INTENT WITH RESULTS THAT CAN
BE SHARED
Years before Don had listed some criteria for a task, one of which
was that the task be complete. The question was “how complete?” Some
of my projects, for instance, might be included in a larger work; and it
makes little sense reworking and editing at this point in the process. Was
sharability the measure of completeness?
9. Q ([Albion]): Some of these nine are not finished: ("Elevator Music," for instance,
lacks [a set or satisfactory] ending.)
A: [THE] FAILURE TO FINISH IS YOUR TIGER
10. Q ([Albion]): Advice?
A: [YES] JANE & I HAVE A VERY SPECIFIC SUGGESTION FOR
HOW TO GO ON
TAKE A PAUSE NOW MORE AS WE RESUME
Unlike some called breaks in our sessions, this was not designed to
give us discussion time. Rather I just needed a physical rest; this was
very tough on my body after my flu (especially since my midsection
gyrates to each letter).
The Next Nine
11. Q ([Albion]): Please advise.
A: TWO PARTS -
FIRST REGARD [THE]SE NINE STEPS AS COMPLETE FOR [THE]
MOMENT & IN…
12. IN FACT AS A TEMPLATE OR GRID FOR [THE] NEXT
SET OF NINE - AZ FOLLOWS
LIST ALL THAT IS DONE AS THE LEFT WING OF A BUTTERFLY
NOW DISCOVER [THE] TWIN OF EACH TASK ON [THE] RIGHT
Symmetry was to be my North Star. Some of these sudden pairings
seemed already clear to me. For example, I’d already put in dozens of hours
painting my Riomaggiore drawing (with many more to follow).
13. Q ([Albion]): Example; could the painting Riomaggiore be the “twin” of the
perspective drawing?
A: EXACTLY SO
EACH STEP ON ONE SIDE HAS A TWIN ON [THE] OTHER
THIS WILL AID YOU IN ASSIGNING [THE] NINE MEN
Vilansit’s Feather/Jane’s Heart
14. Q ([Albion]): How does ma’at enter into this discussion?
A: CONSIDER [THE] EGYPTAN FIGURE [sic]
SHE HAS SYMMETRICAL WINGS OPEN ON EITHER SIDE
15. NOW CONSIDER [THE] ACT OF MAAT
HEART & FEA[THE]R ARE IDEALLY TWINS ON EACH SIDE OF
BALANCE
I asked about ma’at because on the opening night Josef had
characterized the theme of this evening as on ma’at. And while I
understood the idea of ma’at as it applied to twin halves of a task, I was
not at all aware of what “wings” Vilansit was speaking to here. That is,
I’ve seen many statues and paintings of ma’at now: Always she is a
human female who wears, and is represented by, an ostrich feather. I’d
never seen wings though. [Scribe] and I just assumed these wings
referred to flight (and they probably do). However, the very next day, as
[Scribe] leafed through the kids’ superb picture history of early civilizations,
he found a picture of ma’at – one I’d clearly never seen — with two large
wings!
So who was my next wing? So far, although my nine men differed
in order from [Scribe]’s, the order of presiders was the same: Anand,
Vilansit, then Jane. Furthermore Jane is Vilansit’s twin, and I’ve been
trying for a year (seriously) to strengthen my Jane connection.
16. Q ([Albion]): Is Jane to be the next presider?
A: [YES] SHE IS MY TWIN
BUT CONSIDER…
17. MY STEPS WERE SO TO SPEAK FEATHERS
NOW TELL…
18. ME WHAT [THE] TWIN OF EACH STEP MUST DO
Obviously Jane’s steps needed to balance each feather with a heart.
Interestingly this corresponded to my locating Jane at my heart chakra,
another task I’d been given last year, that of assigning each of my chakras
to a member of our circle.
19. Q ([Albion]): Jane is my heart chakra.
A: FOR [THE] NEXT NINE FIND [THE] HEART THAT BALANCES
EACH FEA[THE]R
20. Q ([Albion]): What more must I know?
A: CONSIDER OUR COLOURS
[THE] FEA[THE]R LEADS TO MY BLUE
BUT MY TWIN WEARS A FLAME COLOUR YOU MUST FIND IN
YOUR HEART AS A FIRE REKINDLED
21. Q ([Scribe]): Your blue is sky-blue for [Albion], but sea-blue for me.
A: [YES] [Albion] IS ABOVENESS OVERVIEW
YOU ARE BELOWNESS IMMERSION
[Scribe] asked since we were on the subject of colours. Last year,
one might recall, Vilansit led us through the blue water color of the ouija
board. The blue she indicated corresponded to [Scribe]’s sea-blue, and
[Scribe]’s vision being better than my own, I just assumed I’d been seeing
things incorrectly. Now we see it’s possible for the hues of a member to
appear different from different vantages, perhaps through different
mediums.
O.K., time for the next confirmation task, the assignment of chakras.
Though schematically similar, this felt very different for me: These were,
after all, not arduous tasks I had completed, but was a simple listing of
intuitions. Of these, I was quite sure about Jane and Albion; and I recalled
the moment of intuition when I got Vilansit and Don; but the others were
almost complete mysteries. Not only did I not know for sure, I couldn’t
even recall how I fumbled my way. Yet I was ready to stand on this guess.
Chakra # Location Member
8 cranial aura [Guide]
7 third eye Josef
6 base of throat Scribe
5 heart Jane
4 solar plexus Albion
3 lower navel Anand
2 genitals Don
1 coccyx (anchor) Vilansit
[Albion]’s Chakras
22. Q ([Albion]): Vilansit, here are my chakra assignments as I have intuited them.
A: ALL CORRESPOND TO MY READING OF YOU EXCEPT ONE PAIR
I SEE DON AT YOUR ANCHOR I AM DIRECTLY ABOVE
I give myself an “A-.” As I mention above, my intuition for the
reversed pair came in a single instant. And the error is explained in part
by the fact that my guess came to reflect [Scribe]’s first two chakras. It’s
possible I got the right intuition and later confused them with [Scribe]’s.
To compare further with [Scribe]’s assignment, both he and I assign Josef
to the third eye and omit (rather as a proscription) from locating the Jewel
at all. The biggest difference in our assignments concerns the heart chakra:
[Scribe] assigns this to Scribe, his higher self, whereas I felt the weight of
another proscription here. As an Albion hovering over the wide world, lost
in the clouds, I cannot rely on my self to stay centered, grounded. Jane is
my contact. If I can find Jane, I can find myself.
The “Daimon” of Albion
23. Q ([Albion]): I do not know how I came up with my assignments.
A: I WANT YOU TO THINK OF [THE] HIGHER ALBION AS GUIDING
YOUR INTUITIONS & COME TO RELY ON HIM IN [THE]SE
MAATTERS
24. Q ([Albion]): Recently I’ve felt that if I just listened deeply enough I could
communicate with Albion – or perhaps – Jane. Is this reasonable.?
A: IT IS [NO]T IN [THE] FOLLOWING SENSE
25. YOU CANNOT JUMP BY AN ACT OF WISHING FROM SILENCE…
26. TO FULL CONVERSATION
YOU MUST BEGIN SIMPLY WITH [YES] & [NO] OR NOW &
LATER
ASK SIMPLE QUESTONS & CONSULT HIM OFTEN IN MANY
SITUATIONS [sic]
This question arose out of insomnia while backpacking the previous
week. I know I possess deep listening ability. One night I suddenly
realized all I had to do was hear; I hear so much as it is. The trick then is
to develop a system whereby I can determine the correct voice and verify
the results. And essentially this is what Vilansit gives me; but the system
must arise slowly and most simply.
After the steps (tasks) and chakras I had only one other major
topic, that which had been assigned two years earlier. Last year I had
failed in this task, and I felt no smarter this time ‘round.
Faces of the Tiger
27. Q ([Albion]): Jane, I don’t feel I’ve made any progress on understanding fear.
A: IT IS NOT NECESSARY TO UNDERSTAND A TIGER
I ONLY WANT YOU TO…
28. GRASP THAT FOR YOU
FEAR IS DOUBT IS DELAY IS DISTRACTION IS FAILURE TO FINISH
ALL THESE ARE YOUR TIGERS FACES
& ALL ASPECTS OF ONE SINGLE FOE
I rarely stylize the visual arrangement of a message, but here I have
a strong intuition that this look serves Jane’s wishes. And this is a very
practical equation for me. Last year I felt I should just push through fear,
basically ignoring it. But fear must be seen as a foe: We don’t “push
through” a foe; we kill it.
29. Q ([Albion]): Thanks, Jane. Is there anything more to add on the subject?
A: FORGET THAT SIDE OF YOURSELF THAT NEEDS REASONS
FOR ALL
INTENT IS NOT [THE] CHILD OF REASONING
We were ready to close. Remember, I was ten pounds lighter. Still,
the twins are [Scribe]’s teachers too, and opportunities are rare.
30. Q ([Scribe]): Is there something I should know from you, Jane & Vilansit?
A: FEAR IS NOT YOUR SUBJECT
BUT WHAT YOU HAVE CALLD DREAD IS
& WE COUNSEL YOU TO ASK YOUR…
31. TEACHER –
IT IS HIS DOMAIN
That would be the next night—that is, if the agenda held. Which
brought us to our final problem:
32. Q: Any advice on how to make up for a missed session?
A: WE ARE GOING TO FOLD ONE OVER INTO ANOTHER
[THE]RE IS NO NEED FOR YOU TO DO ANYTHING DIFFERENTLY
33. Q: If that is all, we thank you, twins.
A: WE HAVE TRIED TO MAKE THIS EASY
[THE] WORK IS WHAT IS HARD
GOOD NIGHT
VILANSIT & JANE
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