+- Discovery Gaming Community (https://discoverygc.com/forums)
+-- Forum: Role-Playing (https://discoverygc.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?fid=9)
+--- Forum: Stories and Biographies (https://discoverygc.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?fid=56)
+---- Forum: Watering Holes (https://discoverygc.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?fid=149)
+---- Thread: The Kiva, Pueblo Bonito (/showthread.php?tid=62982)
The Kiva, Pueblo Bonito - Malaclypse 666 - 07-09-2011
Beneath the tallest tower of Pueblo Bonito, the Temple of Eris "proper",
and beneath the Temple's "Annex", the biodome it is anchored upon,
lies a small hemispherical chamber, accesible only by a rough wooden ladder extending through the chamber's ceiling.
This is "the Kiva". It is a place for ritual, for meditation, for purifying "sweats", and for lively discussions of matters spiritual, metaphysical, and Discordian.
Mal was very fond of ancient Amerindian spirituality. The Hopi, the Anasazi, and later the Chacoans and Pueblo peoples were all intimately connected with their environment, with the nature spirits, and with their "Ancestors".
Mal prepared to enter the Kiva. He stripped down to his cargo shorts, more for comfort than anything. During a "sweat", even those would be replaced by a light cotton loincloth. He lit a smudge stick, a long, thin bundle of sage collected from Reggie's plantation, and moved the smouldering bundle around his body, allowing the smoke to "purify" his body, and to calm his mind.
Mal then lit a hand-made cigarette, lifting the cigarette towards the "East", and letting the smoke rise. He repeated the motion in the other "cardinal" directions, offering the sacred tobacco to the spirits.
He descended the ladder. The chamber itself was plain and un-adorned. A rough bench ran along the full perimeter of the circular chamber. The only other visible features were a small firepit in the Kiva's center, a pile of seasoned hardwood cut into lengths, and another pile consisting of porous rocks, volcanic in origin. These were the "grandfathers", rocks which would be heated to incandescence in the firepit, and then removed to be slowly doused with water, producing thick clouds of enveloping steam within the small chamber.
Mal lit another bundle of sage, and slowly walked around the circular chamber, allowing the sweet smoke to waft into the entire space.
It was done. The Kiva was purified and prepared. This would be a place to meditate, to teach, and to learn.
While the Temple above was dedicated to their Goddess Eris alone, and was often filled with the sound of formal Discordian rituals, the Kiva was meant to honor other Deities and Spirits as well. The Universe is alive, and manifests Itself in myriad ways and guises.
Doc might say that Mal was "covering his bets". Perhaps. But Mal was of the belief that one can never have too many guides on the journey to Enlightenment.
Eris didn't seem to mind.
(//While not a "watering hole" in the traditional sense, the soul needs sustenance every bit as much as the vehicle. PM me for an invitation. I'll consult my Pineal. M.)
The Kiva, Pueblo Bonito - Yaoquizque - 07-10-2011
![[Image: sacredchao_med.gif]](http://yaoquizque.free.fr/Ressources/Discovery/Screenies/sacredchao_med.gif)
While Mal was lost in his thoughts, Two men used the ladder to enter in the Kiva.
Two very different men.
He knew the first one. He recognized the old bugger face, even if he didn't see it since a fair while.
It was still the old monkey grimace he remembered. The eyes constantly moving, as if they were afraid to miss something vital.
That was the pope he contacted a few days ago. The pope known as Doctor VanMojo...
He then observed the second man.
Mal didn't know that one... Somewhat aged, giving a reasonable look around him, the look of someone who experienced sorrow and happiness. Mal could see forgiveness in those eyes.
However the feeling he had was the man was lost. Haggard, his look lost any clear-sightedness.
The two men stepped in front of Mal who assumed zazen in a blink. They nodded and sat on the ground in front of him.
"E'Prime" said VanMojo, grinning like an old bandit "That's good to see you."
He gave a quick look around and switched back to Mal's face "New place? I like it."
"As i told you, i need some pineal adjustment. This little adventure in Gallia lasted for too long. I do not listen to Eris with the ease i used to."
He then gave a sidelook to the other man. "Ahem... And Josh here..."
Josh nodded "Kallisti, Mal..."
Mal raised an eyebrow when Josh used his name. Josh noticed his weird look.
"I'm Josh the Dill... I believe we never met...I started a POEE cabal several years ago and i didn't visit Baffin since ages."
Josh shook his head imperceptibly "Most of the acolytes of the King Kong Kabal are dead now. We are only five survivors. I do not know what is next to happen. Eris just gave us a fair kick in our bellies, as she sometimes loves to. But she doesn't talk to me. My dreams are weird... Corrupted."
VanMojo cleared his throat "That is why we are coming to you today. I met Josh in the docks and we talked a bit."
He shook his head quickly and looked into Mal's eyes
"Something is wrong inside us.
But that is not the thing that troubled me the most.
I visited the geode quickly.
With Josh, we sank in the psyke of the acolytes...
Something changed here.
I'm not even sure to remember Baffin."
Josh and the good Doctor VanMojo assumed zazen simultaneously. What had to be said was said.
They waited patiently the Episkopos to consult his pineal and reassemble his thoughts.
The Kiva, Pueblo Bonito - Malaclypse 666 - 07-10-2011
Mal was familiar with "mid-Pineal crisis", having undergone the phenomena many times himself.
After collecting his thoughts, the Episkopos collected a silver case from a pocket of his shorts, and proceeded to light a Canaria cheroot. He peered thru the aromatic smoke at the two men, of contempary age to his own, and extended the case and lighter. The two men hesitated, but eventually added to the haze in the Kiva.
"First of all, my Polykinter, welcome home.
"Let me preface by saying that for over a year, I myself lost contact with the Goddess. Whether I abandoned Her, or She abandonded me is not important.
"Such 'losses of Faith' are common, and I've come to realize that these instances are indeed natural and necessary at times. They allow us to evaluate and process information and events without the help of 'Divine Intervention'. They serve to remind us 'who makes the grass green'."
Mal paused for a moment to assess what impact his comments had made. While Van and Josh seemed somewhat more relieved, he sensed that a small measure of guilt still lingered in their minds. He sought another avenue of explanation.
"Your Body is a Temple!" shouted Mal. The two Popes cringed at that, glancing surreptitiously at each other and Mal. Mal smiled and winked.
"Or, it can be an Amusement Park. Which do you think our Quirky Goddess would prefer, hmm?
"I am reminded of the mid-to-late 20th Century AD on Terra. During that period, a major paradigm shift occurred. Terrans began to seek 'God' using unconventional methods.. some ancient in origin, and some newly discovered.
"These methods included 'Eastern' meditation and breathing techniques, the use of entheogens and psychedelics, sensory deprivation, biofeedback, 'vision quests', and a number of others.
"Eventually, a crafty primate psychologist theorized that these methods were not in fact aimed at 'finding God'; but were instead aimed at the marvelous and complex bio-computer we are each given at birth.
"This computer 'comes' with a basic set of instructions.. how to breathe, how to walk, etc. As we progress through life, our experiences imprint further programs necessary to function inside a given set of circumstances.
"The pyschologist believed that all these 'new age' practices and techniques were capable of placing the bio-computer in a state wherein new programs, new 'ways of thinking', could be imprinted.
"He called this 'Metaprogramming'. Others called it "Hedonist Engineering and Development'.
"Organized religions called it 'cheating', or even 'sacrilege'. (Even though some of those religions could guiltily trace their own beginnings to the self-same ancient methods..)"
"Here is the clincher: Discordianism is simply another metaprogramming tool. It uses chaos, conundrums, contradictions, and a large measure of tomfoolery to 'jog' the brain into a state which is receptive to new programs and ideas. You see, Eris doesn't care how you 'get there'.. simply that you do. Meditate on that."
The Kiva, Pueblo Bonito - Yaoquizque - 07-12-2011
The two men listened to Mal. They remained silent for a while after he stopped to talk, ending his preaching by an exhortation to focus their mind.
The fine Doctor VanMojo smiled and searched on his pockets. He finally found a cigar and lighted it.
Taking a long puff, he exhaled, making some smoke circles.
"Interesting, E'Prime. I indeed heard when i arrived in Baffin you disappeared for a while..." The monkey face grinned "I bet you had some fun while going fishin'"
Josh was keeping his mouth shut, lost in his thoughts, as it seemed.
VanMojo gave him a side look and switched to Mal. "Anyway... Do you mean you noticed nothing strange in Baffin when you came back?"
He took another puff from his cigar "That's strange" He chuckled
"This is a matter of interpretation, as per everything"
Josh made a vague sign with his hand "Well, to me, things changed. But it doesn't matter much, as i never felt to be at him in Baffin. I came here hoping things would become clearer. So far, i can't say it's working."
He then looked into Mal's eyes "Your last statement is interesting however. I personally used to think the end or destination doesn't matter. What matter would be what you find along the way."
He leant back and paused. Shaking his head he then said "I would have been interested to hear what the Goddess whispers to you."
Looking around suspiciously, he whispered "Since how long as i remember, i was hearing her. The signal was or wasn't strong. But it was there, as a blank noise. Being deaf is terrible to me now. It would be like swimming for the first time when you spent all your life with ground under your feet"
"I do not know if it's due to the loss of the legionaires of my cabal.... Maybe it was... I'm now wondering if i should let it go and find another path."
He sighed and then smiled softly, saying "Suffice it to say that Eris is not hateful or malicious. But She is mischievous, and does get a little ***** at times. hmmm?"
The Kiva, Pueblo Bonito - Malaclypse 666 - 07-12-2011
Mal looked at the two forlorn figures for a few moments, wondering how to help them understand what was in store. Their thoughts reminded him of Scrubby farts, propelling them fitfully and aimlessly in search of something to latch on to, to recognize, to consume.
They had entered Chapel Perilous. Big deal.
He stored the Scrubby analogy for a future sermon. It never hurts to have interesting visuals, he mused. The Episkopos traded his broad smile for a more decorous "beam" as he addressed the two Popes.
"Gentlepersons, the maladies and anxieties you are experiencing are quite commonplace these days. It is not so much caused by a disease, as by a condition. A condition of cosmic proportion and significance which has been repeated many times throughout primate history.
"Let us consider the Illuminati Theory of history as a Five-lap Donkey race.
"Our donkeys are well into the last lap, that period known as "Grummet". They have survived all five laps. They can see the finish line ahead, and look forward to a new and different race as the gun goes off for "Verwirrung".
Mal reached into a shorts pocket and retrieved two small data chips. Holding them out to the Popes, he continued.
"Study Appendix Gimmel and come back to me, prepared to answer three questions..
"Why has my donkey stopped running?
"Why has it balked, knowing that another race awaits?
"And, what must I whisper in my donkey's ear to calm its' fears?"
Mal popped out of zazen like a coiled spring, and walked towards the "stone" benches along the Kiva's perimeter. He moved a fake stone aside, and fumbled in the bench's interior for a moment.
Rising again, he turned and walked towards the two Popes, offering the objects he held in his hands.
"Thirsty work, gents! Care for a cold one?"
The Kiva, Pueblo Bonito - Yaoquizque - 07-15-2011
The two men listened with perplexity the old man talk about a well hidden theory of history.
They accepted the data chips and put them in their pockets.
Mal then offered them objects. They understood the Episkopos wanted to stay alone for a while and quickly stood up.
They nodded to Mal and climbed to leave the Kiva...
+++++
Later in the day, our two old fellows were sitting in Pueblo Bonito's bar.
In front of a bottle of bretonian scotch, the two men were reading the trilogy.
After doing so five times, drinking a generous glass of scotch for each iteration, they started to be quite 'enlighted'.
The others customers of the bars would have agreed, seeing how red their faces became.
Josh the Dill in particular, who was almost never drinking, started to pitch dangerously on his chair right after the first glass the fine Doctor VanMojo served him.
"What an illumination!" would have said Sophie. Fortunately, the brave Fnordnette wasn't there to witness our two partners.
Not afraid of anything, they started to comment on their view of the file Mal gave them.
Rapidly examinating the words of Abdul, the two men finally agreed that what Weishaupt had to bother with made way more sense.
After another sip, the Doctor even raised his voice, claiming to the audience, which were the customers of that bar indeed :
Code:
They ruled
once where man rules
now summer!
Where man rules now
after summer is winter
They shall rule again
and after winterThe audience nodded with uncertainty, which conforted Mojo in his inexistant interpretation.
Mistaken by the reference to Dublin system, Josh then tried to search on the neuralnet where that 'Rome' system was. Most probably near Omicrons.
Our two heroes then looked into one of the first secrets revealed to every illuminatus Minore.
Josh the Dill nodded sagely after a while, remarking he first learnt to ride on a tricycle. But did that mean he should learn to use a monocycle in the near future? He would certainly have to meditate on that.
The two men didn't bother to wonder who were Marx or Hegel. Probably some old chartered systems containing nothing valuable.
Fueled by the scotch, the two brave men then decided to take up the rude challenge to understand a bloody thing about I ching, tarot and zodiacal divination systems.
Quite proud of himself, the industrious doctor VanMojo noted that Verwirrung (2) + Zweitracht (3) + Unordnung (11 = 2) + Beamtenherrschaft (47 = 11 = 2) + Grummet (59 = 14 = 5) was equal to FIVE, which was the only sign he needed to consider that spiral to be shiny.
Josh the Dill always loved the DOGMA III - HISTORY #2 'Cosmogony'. Faithful to his beliefs, he then attempted to merge Cosmogony with the theory of history.
It seemed obvious to him Eris was begoting those five stages, allowing them to amuse her. Aneris would however sooner or later take each single stage for herself, which would force Eris to begot more, as she sweared to.
At this point, VanMojo sagely nodded and they moved on, refilling their glass.
Finally, the two men were left guessing about Grummet.
Van Mojo claimed the Grummet Mal was refering to was Temporary Autonomous Zoners one. After all, the creation of the secretarials proved they already entered in Beamtenherrschaft.
Josh the Dill however, after taking a generous sip of scotch, had to gently disagree with his friend. To him, Mal referred to Mankind. He raised vaguely a finger, saying he could have even referred to Jellies as well.
Sure of his interpretation, he then whispered to his friend with a conspirator expression he understood why the Goddess wasn't whispering to him anymore. The hodge and the podge were totally unbalanced, the destructive order or disorder prevailing randomly. The pineal of the popes was therefore deeply altered, leading to the absence of signal.
He nodded sagely, while VanMojo, perplexed, was lighting a cigar.
Josh then explained he knew what to do. He would reform his cabal and commission a ship. He would then leave as far as he could, in a attempt to gain back signal.
He then noted on the text Grummet was about "loss of ego, separation from the group, and "going out" in general". Those phases weren't to fight against. One had to follow the wave.
Right after finishing his sermon, Josh the Dill stood up with difficulty and headed, pitching and tossing, out of the bar.
He had to walk to the temple and pass his revelation on to the popes.
A distraught VanMojo watched him leave, realizing a bit late he would have to pay for the bottle of scotch...
The Kiva, Pueblo Bonito - Kristall - 07-15-2011
The trapdoor to the Kiva opened, and a blond head came down inside...
"Oh. Heya, Mal. I guess this is the sweat lodge I was hearing about?"
Peter Kristall came down the ladder to the Kiva, having traded his almost-new robes for a pair of shorts similar to the Episkopos'. The blond pope quietly sat down against the wall in the back, rubbing the bridge of his nose. There were dark splotches under his eyes, and he had a worried, distracted air about him.
When asked what the matter was, he sighed. "I dunno... am I doing too much, or not enough?
"I mean, reading the Principa was a real eye-opener. I was gonna be a whole new person -" The pope stopped then, and chuckled. "Well, I guess I am. Outwardly, anyway. Just as well, the hooves were getting to be a pain..."
Peter sighed, and leaned back against the bench. "But inwardly... well, I'm just running around doing what I always do. Caped crusader of the Freeports, that's me... between Two, and Bafflin, and worrying about Ten, and now this mess at One...
"And, well, I still feel a little silly praying to Eris - Er. Well, I suppose feeling silly is good... But I don't feel comfortable - Uh. No, comfortable isn't..." Peter trails off, rubbing his forehead.
The Kiva, Pueblo Bonito - Malaclypse 666 - 07-15-2011
Mal did his best to conceal a smile. He hadn't even given the "grandfathers" water, and the poor lad was already sweating. Well, in for a penny.....
The firepit had been heating the lava rocks for most of the day, and had burned down to cherry red coals. Peeking from the coals were the porous lava rocks, glowing a slightly duller red.
Mal was about to reach for a long-handled ladle resting in a bucket of water near the pit, when another head emerged through the Kiva's entrance, followed immediately by the remainder of Pope Josh the Dill's limp flailing body.
He motioned to Peter, and they rushed to Josh's aid. Fortunately, the inebriated gent had not been injured by the fall. Moments later, they were helping an equally inebriated Van Mojo down the Kiva's ladder. Once the older Popes had been helped to the bench, Mal made sure the entrance above was sealed, and returned to the firepit.
With the two older and drunker Popes now present, Mal decided to be "gentle", filling the ladle only half-full with water. He poured the water over the rocks, and immediately a thick, intensely hot and suffocating cloud of steam filled the small Kiva.
"If you are having trouble breathing, or the heat is too intense, I suggest you lie down on the floor, until you become accustomed to it." The gasps, chokes, and moans subsided as the men gradually allowed the steam to permeate their lungs.
Mal applied another half-ladle of water, followed by a small sprinkle of ground sage and "sacramental alkyloids". The sweet odors joined that of the alcohol exuding from the pores of the older Popes.
The four men sat in meditative silence for an interminable period, allowing the steam to relax and purify their bodies. Eventually, Mal climbed the ladder and opened the Kiva's entrance, allowing the cooling steam to drift into the biodome above.
"Yep, sober as judges", Mal mused as he sat down again. Steam works wonders.
"Peter, I have something for you.. a little known work of the Prophet Hagbard, sometimes known as "Appendix Teth". Study it please, while I check on the results of our donkey race." He nodded towards the two older Popes.
The Kiva, Pueblo Bonito - Kristall - 07-16-2011
Peter Kristall prided himself on being able to zip through long text files in nothing flat, but the deceptively small paper pamphlet threw him through a loop. He found himself studying each sentence, sometimes even each word seperatly, to make sure he had grasped its meaning. The dim lighting in the Kiva certainly didn't help, and before long he got a crick in his neck. He stretched out on the bench, resting one arm behind his head to protect it from the stone. Ah, that's better. Now where was I...
Shortly, the soft snores coming from Peter's bench indicated someone studying very hard indeed.
The Kiva, Pueblo Bonito - Malaclypse 666 - 07-16-2011
Mal chuckled at the atonal cacophany coming from the young Pope.
He remembered his own first time in a sweat lodge. The experience tends to make one a limp dishrag. A squeeky clean dishrag, to be sure; but one so relaxed and limp that it won't be standing up to any dishes for awhile.
He really should have told Peter that he was primarily interested in the title of Hagbard's broadside, and not the minute details..
Oh, well. Five Tons, and then some.