(Story begins here) “Hello Lisa,” said a male angel with a tender smile.
“Why are they doing that with the water?” asked Pete puzzled.
“That’s not water,” smiled Lisa, “there are a number of ways to describe it in earthly language, God’s grace, the Tao, love, mercy, the force if you’re a Star Wars fan, that kind of thing. You see how they pass it all on, take nothing for themselves? That allows for an ordered creation.”
“This is why goddesses outrank angels, they’re not just in love with reality, they actually generate reality, personifications of the higher forms themselves”
“So people are doing that all the way down?”
“If only Pete,” said Lisa with a sigh. “I will show you briefly what happens further down, but it’s not healthy to be exposed for long” Taking Pete’s hand, the angel swam away from her colleagues and allowed herself to sink slowly down through the cone, taking Pete with her. As they descended, the angels that they passed smiled a little less radiantly, their robes became a little less pristine. Further down still, Pete gasped. “Is that one… drinking the water?”
“Yes Pete,” said Lisa sadly, “there are no hard and fast boundaries, but we’re below the realm of angels now, getting towards the human level of creation” Pete watched as he saw more and more people start to drink the water, half-heartedly passing on some to those below them.
“It’s getting dirty, the water and the people,” observed Pete
“And the souls too.”
“Why are those people turning away from the water of light? Look, it’s just cascading off their backs whilst they try to ignore it.”
“They’re atheists,” said Lisa with a sad smile.
They drifted down further, now people were gorging themselves on what little dirty water was trickling down to them. “Getting towards the realm of demons now,” said Lisa with a shiver, “they’ll climb up to human and beyond over their lifetimes, but they have a long journey ahead of them.” Some women stood beneath a trickle of acrid water started fighting over it, brutally gouging eyes, strangling each other. Further down still, a group of men parted their filthy threadbare robes and began urinating on the beings beneath them. The fluid now contained no light, it became harder to see what was going on. “Time to stop here I think,” shivered Lisa, “much further down and we’d never find our way back again in all the darkness.”
“What happens further down?”
“Trust me Pete, you really don’t want to know.” Lisa started doing breast stroke kicks with her long legs to elevate them both upwards. Pete felt relief when the pair once more reached the realm of angels. “Okay Pete, now for the more pleasant part!” Lisa seemed re-energised now that she was back at her level of reality, with renewed vigour, she kicked again and they rose, the cone became thinner still, and the water of light which flowed became polarised into very pure, distinct colours.
“Are they…” said Pete distantly
“Gods and Goddesses, you’re lucky to see this!” Pete saw achingly beautiful figures, seemingly free but also bonded deeply to the reality all around them. Each had a large clay Greek hydria, out of which poured the fluid, which emerged in a colour so pure and with a light so bright as to look like a laser effect. “This is why goddesses outrank angels,” breathed Lisa reverently, they’re not just in love with reality, they actually generate reality, personifications of the higher forms themselves. Pete gazed, barely able to take his eyes away “where did they come from?” he breathed.
“Before the fall, they were a part of God, like everything else, now they are very, very old souls, who have been promoted from the rank of angel.”
“Nice,” said Pete.
“They were promoted to serve and take responsibility though, they supply reality, true life to all those below them. They cannot stop their work, even for a second, but then souls this age would not want to. They comprehend nothing but the idea of service and giving.”
“So when people talk about the one God, are they wrong?”
“No Pete, there is a realm higher still. The apex of the cone above this is the one, which is supplied from one hundred percent pure light above the cone which contains everything, ein sof, God, Brahma, Aristotle’s Unmoved Mover, Plato’s Creator or Form of the Good, whatever you like to call Him. You see? Pete craned his neck and made out what appeared to be a laser beam of the purest most concentrated light penetrating the top of the cone.
“It’s so… white,” he managed, in awe.
“Yes Pete, it contains the information for all of creation in it, just like all colours are in white, so all the information is in this light, as above, so below.”
“So what causes the light to stop being a beam and start being a cone?” Lisa chuckled
“That’s an excellent question Pete, how does one become many in other words. Time for my friends to tell you a bit more!” The cone of creation faded away, but wasn’t replaced with anything. Pete looked anxiously around, as his eyes got used to the dark it seemed that he was amongst the ruins of a Greek temple constructed of pure white stone within a barren olive grove. The silhouettes of mountains were visible below the starry sky.
“Are you lost darling? Would you like a good meal?” an affectionate, motherly Greek voice rang out from the darkness. Pete spun round to see that the motherly voice was paired with a beautiful woman in her mid-forties with a desirable motherly figure to match. She was dressed in a yellow robe which very well complemented her olive skin, green eyes and voluminous cornfield blonde hair which spilled out from her elaborate hairstyle in long tresses. However, her face had a number of deep pock marks.
“Thank you,” said Pete, “I’m actually_”
“Of course you want a good meal, darling.” The lady rummaged in a basket full of delicious looking freshly baked breads that she was holding and brandished one enthusiastically at Pete, who took it and tucked in cautiously, then heartily as he discovered the supreme texture and taste.
“Thank you but I was just wondering_”
“Demeter, darling. Goddess of agriculture, harvest, basically the whole earth now that my darling mother Gaia has pretty much retired.”
“It’s very nice to meet you Demeter, I think I was brought to see you by an angel called_”
“Olive?” asked Demeter hopefully.
“No Lisa, but, oh I see.” Pete noticed the Goddess holding out a stone pot full of very succulent looking olives and took one gratefully. “So, why are you_”
“I’m waiting for my daughter darling. She’s called Persephone.” Demeter’s features uncharacteristically darkened as she continued. “It’s all a bit of a mess, but she got raped and abducted by and betrothed to Hades a long time ago.” The Goddess took a moment to collect herself. “My consort Zeus managed to free her from the underworld, but only for about eight months a year. She can’t be totally free because she ate some_”
“Dratted Pomegranate seeds” said a youthful Greek voice. Demeter turned in hope and her eyes widened with delight.
“Persephone!” the Goddess hurried over and enfolded the newcomer in a bone-crushing embrace. Immediately the sky lit up, as a young woman pirouetted joyously across the sky, spreading light with her outstretched hand as she did so. Olives burst forth from the barren vines, all over the hillsides the brown fields became bright with corn. (continue)
The Virtual Disciple 