by Ema Alves
- You know, Elektra... This man is immortal. He never tasted the fear of death... and... I... I’m going to die and I’ll never join him!
- Immortal? How is that possible?
Confronted with Elektra’s astonishment, Lotus decided to exhume the whole story from the mists of time.
- Many years ago, when I was your age, a man with a burning spirit visited our village. Back then, the people of Heidegger were comprised of wizards and sorceresses, initiated into a deeply ancient religion. Our faith had to remain concealed from those who followed a new religion, which was on the rise. Although not wrong in its essence, it had been tainted by dogmatic ideas that did not allow the existence of other religious cults. The men of this new church, who declared themselves as followers of Christ, persecuted those who did not abide by the new philosophy, those people were trialed and executed for not converting to Christianity. Therefore, our ancestors were forced to take refuge in this wood to freely worship nature...
Feeling that she had lost herself a bit in digressions, needed nonetheless, she found Ariadne’s thread, which allowed her to proceed:
- ...but, as I was telling you, we were visited by a man one day. He was as beautiful as the most refreshing sunrise. His name was Tiaggus. He had a stone that protected him from death and the decay of disease, and called it the philosopher’s stone. Tiaggus affirmed to have seen God who incarnated on earth, the redeeming Christ who came to teach goodness.
- But isn’t Christ the founder of this dogmatic religion that murdered those who opposed it? - Elektra asked a tidbit confused.
- As I said, the followers of this Christ misinterpreted his words. The one that should have been the most tolerant religion lost its meaning when it turned into something dogmatic. The followers, judging themselves as the owners of undisputed truth, did not accept other ideologies, banishing them as wrongdoing. But Tiaggus was the only survivor and holder of the Lord’s true word. The path towards good.
- How can that man be immortal? How did he manage to survive the death of Christ, the living God?
- The fate and path chosen by Christ were to die in the name of man. He suffered for our sins. That was God’s plan. All that lives on Earth is subjected to a divine plan. He has given us all a role. But Tiaggus’ role was different. According to him, he was already six thousand years old when Christ was born. He was born in an old and extinct continent. He called it the third edified paradise, Atlantis. He declared himself as the son of Thoth, the master of Alchemy, the science of God. When he heard about the man who had come to earth as mankind’s savior, Tiaggus met him and learned the true word of the Lord of the Universe. He bore witness to his physical death and, from that moment forward, he was aware of an important mission he had to accomplish: carrying the true word of God to all men in an endless pilgrimage. And he did it. He had an ally in his philosopher’s stone, which he obtained from that same divine science.
Around the year one thousand and two hundred after the birth of Christ, Tiaggus reached our village – she sighed – I still remember when he asked us what our faith was. Our people, who lived in exile, were afraid of being judged by the men of the church and this stranger appeared to be one of those, but the kindness of his stare led Danui-an to declare our faith without any fear. He bravely stated that he believed in two gods. Two energetic entities who personified the female and male powers of nature. The horned God, as the horns held the power of hunting, and the great Goddess, who lived in the moon. He also knew that these two sources of energy derived from a single, superior force which had in itself the absoluteness of the divine essence. Therefore, he and all those who believed in that same philosophy were considered pagans. Wrongly deemed as worshipers of evil, according to the educated men of the church. These associated their good-spirited god with the Christian demon, because, as it happens with a beautiful deer, valuable horns ornamented his head.
Tiaggus smiled. The men of Heidegger felt afraid. Afraid that this man would sentence them for not believing in the Christian God. But Tiaggus, with his kind gaze, revealed his tolerance by saying: - That is the most beautiful way to explain the One who is everywhere!! Indeed, God has two sides. If the man was created in his image, so was the woman. Given that everything in Nature derives from the juxtaposition of male and female, God, who is Whole, had to present that same duality during the creation. – he smilingly said. – Majestically, God is so vast that it is an Energy found in all things. Your religion is just as right as any other. Actually, the name given to that Energy is irrelevant, as long as we love it and do good. Do you love the nature that God created, the one He is part of? Then you are good people and I have nothing else to teach you.
The people of Heidegger warmly welcomed this man. After all, that was the true word of the Christian God. The word that reflected goodness, tolerance and love for all things.
- Such a wise man! I can see how extraordinary he was – Elektra admiringly said.
- He was also quite beautiful. It was through him that we learned to question, to combine new knowledge. We established a new religion, with broader horizons. Each one was free to believe in what they wanted, to feel closer to the Creative source. We became free thinkers – Lotus longingly said –, we gathered extraordinary forms of wisdom during our journeys. We pondered them and embraced the unquestionable truths that all religions provide. We have a tolerant way of thinking and, as such, we do not need to enforce our wisdom to prove how right we are to others. Therefore, we are much more than simple wizards of the ancient Celtic culture, we have ascended and we are closer and closer to the truth.
Elektra promptly asked:
- How was your love like?
She had yet to sideline her question. Her curiosity about the love for a man had shaken her to the core.
- When we met for the first time, there was a deep understanding, there was something familiar in his eyes. I still remember his first sentence as if it had happened today. He stared at me, and, as if he was drowning me in the endless kindness of his eyes, he said: «I have crossed oceans of time to find you.» I was his better-half. The other half of his soul that had incarnated, died and incarnated once more, in a perpetual quest for its own light. And I knew him during that incarnation, but I lost him again, since his mission was more important than the love we felt for each other. He had to leave, he had to keep the Lord’s word alive, for the weak man has the tendency towards self-destruction when injured by the absence of faith.
- Why didn’t you follow him? You could have lived beside him, taking the revitalizing liquid of the youth that the precious stone was offering.
- That was not my mission. It was his. My role was simply to love him and to mitigate some of the loneliness which he had been enduring for seven thousand years. He found me to assure that he was not a lonely soul and that I would be waiting for him, when, one day, God finally decided to release him from his fateful mission.
- I now have a tiny idea of what love is. But, to attain the plenitude of the wisdom that love entails, I shall experience the feeling. This is what I want. To find my soul mate. To love him and be loved.
Surprised by Elektra’s delightful but unattainable desires, Lotus was yet again shaken and slyly swallowed her convulsive weeping. No one in that world could carnally love her. Every man who had the opportunity to know her would refuse her and even condemn her for being so radically different. She was the most beautiful of women, but there was a terrible secret in her.
But Elektra did not know about it and, kissing Lotus, she walked out, saying goodbye to her, feeling happy and hopeful to find her own love.
Alone, Lotus unleashed her sorrow. She wailed in pain for she had lost the only man she had ever loved, and also for the suffering Elektra would experience when she discovered the unattainability of her own love.
Away from that reality, Elektra happily walked through the woods. She was happily welcomed by it, surrounded by flowers of the most varied colors, which adorned her beautiful long red hair
. She was their princess. The most beautiful of all flowers. The princess of the forest.
4
The hope
After two weeks of absence, Meridian was back from his endeavor. He had visited the great kingdom of Safed to speak to Danui-an, his former master, who had given him extraordinary news. One was painful, the other... an invitation, it would bring hope, perhaps happiness to him and Elektra.
He had been traveling for two days without stopping once, when he finally encountered the river that separated him from home. He was tired, indeed, but the impetus to give the news to his people made him overcome everything.
This was the only place where he could defeat the violence of the waters. A man lived next to the shore, who, due to his physical and spiritual greatness, had chosen to serve God in the humblest manner. He was a sage, a thinker who had opted to help those who wanted to cross to the other bank. A simple boatman.
Meridian respected this man in a unique way, although he did not belong to his people, he could sense a robust aura, typical of a being who had astonishing wisdom, deeply different from ordinary men living on the other side of the river. But what had been this man’s reasons, which led him to become a simple boatman? After all, wisdom opened so many doors, offered so much wealth!!!
As he wondered about that, he no longer felt sleepy. The basic technique of staying awake was to think, to make his mind digress from the fatigue he felt.
The rustic and dispossessed wooden house was standing in front of Meridian’ eyes. He had transposed the last trees. Stepping down from his horse, he walked to the boat, which was barely moored by a rotten rope. But… the boatman? Where was he?
He looked in every direction which, depleted of any human presence, consubstantiated his own solitude and, when he thought of calling him, a dry clicking sound shattered the rope. The boat, the only way that allowed him to cross the volatile currents of the euphoric water, moved away from the shore. With one single leap, Meridian grabbed the fragile vessel and, with a strong rope that he carried in his bag, docked it again to the piece of wood.
With water on his knees, he walked towards steady land and angrily yelled the name of Offerus.
But the tumultuous waters drowned out his voice.
Walking through the riverbank bushes, Meridian continued his quest for the man who made his way back home possible. His exhaustion was now driving him to despair. He had to keep his mind busy, the possibility of giving up was unfathomable, now that he was so close.
But Offerus was nowhere to be seen! Where was that man? His help was crucial. The fatigue was just enormous and the avidness to cross the river appeared before him as the paramount of every desire he felt. He now deeply valued the boatman’s job. If it were not for that man, Meridian and many others could not simple tame the river. All things considered, that duty was not something simple and silly, unworthy of a sage!
Meridian attempted to draw a smile. He was learning, wasn’t he! He already considered himself a knowledgeable magician, but he was still easily dominated by inborn prejudices typical of every man. He looked like one of those men who, boasting their wealth, despised all those who, with the sweat of their hands, contributed to the wealth of the former’s lands. Every job had its worth and, thus, deserved respected. What would happen to those men with delicate hands if they ever happened to be deprived of those who are crafted when it comes to working the inhospitable soil?
Offerus could be compared to the farmers. A wise and yet a simple servant who helped anyone who needed his modest, yet extremely precious helm-related knowledge.
Next to a massive fig tree, a man appeared to be lost within the labyrinth of his innermost self. He was detached from the outer world but, at the same time, he also seemed to be partaking of the whole Universe.
- There you are, at last! – Meridian exclaimed, as he approached the man who stared the perpetual water movement.
- Could it be any different? – he calmly asked. Although he was engulfed in an altered state of consciousness, he kept himself aware of the world around him. Such was a difficult state to reach, and few men had that ability!
- Next to your boat, which was almost lost forever, taken by the strong currents of the river.
- For what reason?
- For the simple reason that you had it moored to a feeble rope that has been rotten for a long time now, due to its permanent contact with the water – Meridian answered, failing to understand calmness in that man’s words. If he were someone else, he would probably feel distressed at the simple possibility of losing his only way of making a living.
- But it wasn’t lost, was it?
- No, because I intervened in the right moment. When the rope shattered itself, I replaced it with a new one.
- Then why should I have felt startled? Nothing bad actually happened! - Offerus wanted to release a loud laugh. With a superior stare, he seemed to be making fun of the little Meridian. - Why would one weep for nothing? Is there any usefulness in thinking about something that has not happened?
Meridian just wanted to be thanked, but instead he had been offered another teaching. «Do not ponder about what might have happened, but act to fix the error». Meditating on this new knowledge, he compared Elektra to the boat; the old rope to the hidden secret and the new rope to the problem.
He had learned the lesson. He needed to stop feeling guilty for having hidden the secret for so many years, he acted as he saw fit and, now, the right moment had come to show Elektra the evil that lived within her. Perhaps, if he acted accordingly, she would be capable of knowing happiness, despite her body limitations. The boat, with its new rope, was no longer struggling against the strong current that could sink it and, Elektra, knowing herself, would have the opportunity to take measures in order to avoid being hurt when standing before the Humanity that could destroy her.
Meridian no longer wanted to be thanked for what he had done. Instead, he felt the urge to show his gratitude for the teaching that, Offerus, unaware of it, had provided him.
- Thank you - Meridian replied with a smile on his lips.
- Let’s go... I know you’re tired, I'm going to take you to the other shore – the giant said, standing up.
Although Offerus was an acquaintance of his for many years, Meridian still quivered whenever he stood up. His inhuman body was as imponent as his aura.
Walking alongside him, Meridian seemed to be forced to run in order to simply follow the titan’s long strides.
Curiosity ended up defeating his lassitude and, encouraged, he asked:
- How did you become just a simple boatman?
After a brief moment of silence, Offerus replied:
- I’m a boatman to serve all men without looking at their social strata. I’m a boatman because I humbly serve God Almighty. And I’m a boatman because I like to be one. It gives me the opportunity to talk with God in the bosom of His creation: nature.
He was clearly used to be asked that question. But those premade sentences did not satisfy Meridian’s curiosity, and so he added:
- But you are a sage! You could be renowned and serve a kingdom with your knowledge.
- The true sage does not intend to reach fame. The true sage does not boast the fact that he is one. The true sage lives in obscurity. He lives for himself, he hides. He acquires wisdom because that’s his nature, not a quest with the intent to influence masses, or to show his superiority by enveloping people in his mighty aura. Therefore, be humble and hide your wisdom so that you do not put people to sleep with your altruistic ramblings that no one understands.
Meridian was not embarrassed by that. He acknowledged Offerus’ superior wisdom and, instead of challenging it, he assimilated it because life is an eternal learning process.
- If you want to be respected as a sage, then humble is the only thing you have to be. Step down from your pedestal and kneel before the knowledge of others. Be a good listener and only display your wisdom on a certain subject when you are asked to – Offerus pr
oceeded, as he walked into the great boat.
- Although you despise fame, you know that it has now assumed overwhelming proportions, to the point that people are not only coming to you to cross the river, but also to hear something during the journey that comforts them, as they ask advice on certain aspects of their lives.
- I will calmly wait for them - Offerus answered, fixating the other shore.
The massive waves, the outcome of the clash between the water flow and the imposing stones submerged in the river, would be a good enough reason to startle Meridian, but an odd calmness was imposed by Offerus’ expertise, whose arms fought harmoniously against the current.
His fatigue kept only increasing to the point of being unbearable, but Heidegger was only a few leagues away.
They quickly reached the shore bathed by the green enchanted forest. Meridian said goodbye to Offerus with a simple nod. The boatman turned and, as he departed, thanked him.
Meridian smiled at Offerus’ gentleness, jumped on his stallion and immersed himself in the magic vegetation that embraced him promptly. He rode amid the flowing sap that anointed the ancestral and magic trees, treading fine moss-covered paths that cushioned and silenced an ephemeral trotting. Perhaps, the spirit of nature was trying to make as comfortable as possible the last few meters of the laborious journey carried out by such a noble individual, who had always respected its laws during his lifetime.
