In the previous episodes, I referenced a number of my experiences at the local library. I described this as a community center, representative of the many human beings that inhabit our beautiful planet; a spaceship of sorts. (Wet your curiosity; visit INDIRECT MESSAGES FROM THE LIGHT - A COINCIDENCE?)
Imagine for a moment, that the entire building was to be a spaceship, having left Earth on a journey to bring representative human beings, to another galaxy. This library would be well representing our species. Not only is its physical appearance that of a spaceship, circular in design with huge windows looking out into space, but its patrons come from all walks of life.
As you enter the building from one of the two main entrances, you see a series of tables and chairs in the atrium, with people sitting enjoying the glass solarium of abundant light. Here young and old can munch on a snack or enjoy lunch while exploring themes on their mobile devices. When you enter the library proper, through the two large glass doors into the common area, you walk around the circular seating area. Here is where you first sense a definite human odor from a few people sitting there. They are the "permanent residence" of the spaceship, homeless people, who seek the refuge of this safe place during the day because they have nowhere else to go.
Moving in the direction of the cubicles, you see young and old, studying, enjoying their reading of the latest news in multiple languages, Chinese, Greek, German, etc.. others, extending their tentacles through the internet, into the open world beyond.
It is a magical place of discovery.
In the early hours, new mothers with strollers, descend to the daycare and nursery below, to nurture our new citizens, as teachers of their own. They are the first to introduce our young to the wonderful world of exploration, beyond the confines of our spaceship.
Further to the lowest level, a piano concert fills the air in harmony to a young vocalist who brings joyous peace to her seated audience, her parents glow with pride. This is our spaceship on its journey to represent
our species to the universe.
Outside standing proudly and pointing to the sky, a sculpture known as "Undiscovered Universe," indicates the way.
However, we are not ready to depart on our journey to the new galaxy; a youth in pain is asking us to wait.
As I am trying to describe this wondrous place of beauty and knowledge, about our spaceship of human accomplishment, I lift my head to look out into the green space outside. Somehow, an eerie feeling comes over me, something is not right in this place of wonder; someone is staring into our spaceship from the outside, can it be? It is two police officers, one male, and another female; what aliens dare invade our paradise?
Looking to the left of me, onto the street, I see a police cruiser parked to the side; another police cruiser can be seen getting closer from the distant road. The two police officers now start moving closer to the window, but instead of looking up at me, they are looking down at the footing of the building. As they reach out their arms, a young person is lifted up; it is Anastasia, the teen with the baseball cap!
Anastasia is the fourteen-year-old who has been coming to the library almost every lunch break from the school next door. For the past month, I had observed her getting agitated at her friends with the smallest of a tease. She had become very withdrawn and the security guard and me, had on occasion, taken note of her changed behavior. I needed to know what was happening. Looked to the right of me, outside on the park grounds, I could now see Mrs. McGregor, surrounded by several Anastasia's friends and classmates. Mrs. McGregor was their homeroom teacher. I had spoken to her on some occasions when she had brought her class for library visits. We had discussed the possibility of telling some stories to her class, during the end of the school year. Having a good rapport with Mrs. McGregor, and I was sure she would not hesitate to share the details of what was going on with Anastasia.
When I met up with Mrs. McGregor outside on the park grounds, she smiled and said, "I meant to contact you, I think you may be able to help. We have another "Luciana" issue here, but and just as dangerous." I immediately knew what she was referring to; she asked me if I would be at the library after 3:30, and I confirmed that I would.
(Because I have identified the locale of this library through the pictures I have provided and perhaps the school(s) nearby, I will deliberately, be evasive about some details. As you can see in the images I have provided, there are few if any visible people. I have stressed many times earlier, I make every attempt to conceal sensitive information about our youth. Pseudonyms are used, and physical descriptions of people are changed.)
I had received some earlier praises from Mrs. McGregor about my blog. It was more reassuring to me, to find out that she considered my stories helpful to our youth, helping them deal with issues faced during adolescence. What was most important for me was that she acknowledged that the concept of "The Light," was just that, a concept and nothing more. (I had to contact the "security group," to get permission before I agreed to her request.) Mrs. McGregor asked me for a favor; Anastasia was more than a student to her, she was her niece.
The family was in great distress since her brother in law's injury. Anastasia's Dad had been involved in a scuffle with another man, just the previous month. Turns out, that a third person who was also involved in this altercation, had died of his injuries. It was a near miss that her Dad did not suffer the same fate. Apparently, since this episode, for whatever reason, Anastasia had become withdrawn from everyone, her family, and friends. Just the other night, her mother had gone to her room, only to find her missing. She had alerted police, which in turn, were looking throughout the community to find her. Anastasia had spent the night hidden behind the library, where there was a shed. Her school friends, who had come to the park to play, during their lunch break, spotted Anastasia and reported this to Mrs. McGregor. Mrs. McGregor sought a way to have me speak to her niece. So she invited me to join herself and her husband for dinner, the following night; she would have her sister bring Anastasia to stay over at her place for the night.
The dinner was quite a challenge for everyone around the table. Although we all tried to bring up Anastasia's spirits by entertaining her with jokes and humorous experiences, Anastasia remained stoic at all attempts. It was not until I began to refer to the story of "The Garden" and in particular some facts about Goddess Demeter, that I noticed Anastasia peak at me now and then. At one point in the story, I responded to a question by Mr. McGregor about the gruesome fate of Tantalus. He was cursed by the Gods for what he had done to his son Pelops. It was at that mention, that I noticed Anastasia, sit up, and take notice. However, when her uncle Mr. McGregor, made an off the cuff statement about the curse of the Gods being a joke, Anastasia slammed her hand on the table and ran out of the room. I asked for their permission if I could approach Anastasia and have a talk with her. Anastasia was in the living room, her face buried in her arms, balling her eyes out, sobbing and crying, almost choking in tears.
When I rested the palm of my hand on her right shoulder, to draw her attention, a flash of great fear, entered my thoughts. Her young heart was in great emotional pain. For a second, I closed my eyes and asked for the Light to intervene. Sure enough, I sensed Anastasia’s body shiver somewhat. I pulled away; I knew that the Light was at work. I said, "May your pain be relieved by the knowledge that you have gained wisdom from your experience." At that moment, Anastasia turned to me and said, "I almost killed my Dad, and he may die!" "Do you want to talk about it, perhaps I can help.", I said. Anastasia slowly began to explain to me what had happened a month earlier between her Dad and herself.
It turns out that, Anastasia had an argument with her Dad about a "stupid iPhone," she wanted. The discussion got out of hand at which point, Anastasia in her rage had called out to her Dad, "I wish you were dead!" Since then, after the near-death experience of her father, Anastasia could not forgive herself for these hurtful words. Being of Greek descent, a "Katara - κατάρα," was a severe curse. (Katara refers to a deliberate evil resulting in grave misfortune for another person. This word is used to describe a cursed individual, family, or community.). She was in a furious rage against her very own self and sought self-harm.
Acknowledging her grief and willingness to share, I told her that by doing so, she was on her way to healing. I asked her to be patient with me for a few days and that I would come up with a solution to her agony. I noticed her shoulders relax, and a calming quiet came over her. She accepted to meet again when I called on her.
I advised my hosts, Mr. and Mrs. McGregor, that we were off to a good start with Anastasia. We might have to meet at another time, to see if Anastasia was making any progress. It was time for me to consult with the Elysium.
As I descended in my sleep that night, I came across the three of the wisest, Rhadamanthys, Minos and Aiakos; Minos spoke to me:
Bearer of The Light, we have consulted about the child of anger, and know of her pain. There is much confusion. It is not in a child's power to bring a curse upon any man, but it is in the power of any man to bring affliction upon himself. Forgiveness and trust between the young and old must be the way. I knew what to do.
The following day, I called Mrs. McGregor and asked if I could have a word with Anastasia's father, Mr. Menelaus. She said she would arrange it. When I met up with Mr. Menelaus at a local coffee shop, he was very courteous and thanked me for trying to help his daughter. He was anxious to know if I could help his family. When I explained to him what Anastasia was upset about, his face turned pale white; he could not believe what I was telling him. He only had a vague recollection about the argument over the iPhone, let alone the "Katara." He had dismissed it offhand and did not realize how this had affected his daughter. As he spoke, tears began to run down his cheeks, crying out, "My poor child, if only I had known, if only...." He eagerly sought my advice on how to proceed. I asked him if he would like for us three, Anastasia, himself and me, to meet at some point at his home and see what can be done from there. Sure enough, he was anxious to get things started, so he arranged with his wife for us to meet over dinner that evening.
When we met, over dinner, after to exchanging courteous niceties, about "getting to know each other," I started to talk about where I was born and my early childhood days in Greece. In particular, I referred to the episode I had written, EPISODE X - LOVE, TRUST, and FORGIVENESS. I noted how important it was for parents to trust their children and for children to do likewise. It was then that I turned to Anastasia and asked if she understood how important our children are to their parents and how vital Anastasia was to her parents. Anastasia kept staring at me, wondering where I was going with this. I said, "Anastasia, are you aware what your precious name means in our culture, it means "resurrection." If you recall the other night, I described the story of the curse of Tantalus, who was cursed by the Gods.
What you did not hear was that Pelops, Tantalu's son was "resurrected" by the Gods. I went on to explain how one curse from one person to another, was a way for people to tell events in their lives, which had a milestone impact. The cure for all this unfortunate cause of emotional upheaval for all parties concerned was but one, "forgiveness." At that point, Anastasia's Dad got up and moved next to his daughter. He held her up from her sitting position and embraced her tightly. With tears soaking his cheeks, he said, "My beautiful child, I forgive you. If only I had known". Anastasia squeezed and hugged her Dad as they both cried. I nodded to Anastasia's mom that it was time for me to go, my job was done.
If you are fighting with your parents, please watch this.
All directions point to “The Light” within you.
By Elias Leousis,
(Η αγάπη είναι το μελάνι, η σοφία είναι το μήνυμα.)
Love is the ink; wisdom is the message!
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"May The Light shine bright on your journey of life."