Abrahamic tradition Archives - Author K. Williams

The United States Flag

June 11, 2018 By Captain Maiel Leave a Comment

Flags are the symbol of a nation, and a banner often used by the citizens to express their patriotism and earn cultural capital with their fellow citizens. Those citizens have labeled it with endearing names throughout history. The labeling is part of the mythos. The myths imbue the flag with power.

Mythology of an object leads people to wield that object and/or its likeness to gain power. Within groups, the image of the flag is something under which they can band together. The object takes on as much significance as a living thing, heralded and worshiped. The flag becomes an idol.

We hold parades to honor it, annually. We have marked a special holiday on the calendar to celebrate it. This is all well and good, like high schools having pep-rallies, except when the acts are done to evangelize a people.

How problematic is this in a nation that considers itself Christian? Very. But, that hasn’t stopped the right wing of the United States before. Much of the mythology built up around the US Flag was created by the right wing. The purpose is to bring the people together, which sounds great, except that it’s really the purpose of that bringing together that is the problem. The historical bend of conservatism is to subjugate and control the masses to enrich the wealthy and powerful. If you can’t see that, then you’re well-indoctrinated or blind.

Outrage over burning the flag is stoked by convincing the most vulnerable (to propaganda) that the flag is a sacred object. Respect is one thing. Understanding a flag’s purpose, its history, and the nation for which it stands does not make it an untouchable thing—especially for adherents of Abrahamic traditions. They’re not supposed to have idols before their god. Yet, those who are the most vocal against flag burning are also the most Christian.

The irony of treating the flag as a sacred object is that the flag can simultaneously be used for whatever purpose these same people wish: bikinis, car decals, clothing, shoes, garden decoration, toys, dog accouterments, glasses, dinnerware, and so on. It can be hung out of the back of trucks or left up in a storm. They wrap their sweaty heads with it’s likeness, and pocket it in the back of their jeans next to their grimy ass cracks. It’s as if the flag code doesn’t exist for them.

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The flag code is only upheld in the military, and far more loosely with federal and state agencies (and their employees). Other than that, it’s meted out to control or shame citizens. Whether leveraging the mythology of the flag is being used by the powerful or by their tools is irrelevant. The hypocrisy of flag politics on the right is what is important. It speaks to the slim veil of moral superiority, which is pretended to. Cyclically that reflects back character as well. Sometimes, I wonder if those who have created this role and play it up actually think anyone is buying it. Then, I see the flock winging on together, and I know that belief is very little in the face of belonging, or gaining (having) power.

Unpacking the myths, getting to know the history of it and the nation over which it stands, removes it as a leverage piece of power. It returns the flag to its position as visual representation of a nation, just a banner. It takes us from medieval structures to modern sensibility. Under the auspices of the current administration, the flag takes on greater expediency. In a society founded on the importance of citizen vigilance, such things should be viewed as suspect. The canary in the coal mine, if you will.

Learn more about the myths of the US Flag.

Learn more about The Imperialist Past of the United States (including colonialism).

The Danava Races of The Trailokya Trilogy

August 26, 2016 By Captain Maiel 2 Comments

The danava are the antithesis of duta. In every story, the heroes must have something of which they come up against. Whether this villain is a person or thing or whatnot, that’s where differences in genre often happen. The Trailokya Trilogy is an epic dark fantasy, so the forces that the heroes of the books come up against are monsters and quests. To keep the tradition fresh, I made those monsters much more than familiar figures from cultural lore. I encourage all readers to delve deeper than the surface on my writing. There you’ll find a rich treasure, layers of meaning and interesting points to theorize upon. After all, I studied writing for that purpose.

In the first several pages of the inaugural book, the reader is introduced to how this universe was created and the upheaval it underwent to develop into the story in which they advance. Based on creation myths already in existence, the reader should see something familiar. At the same time, they will encounter differences that make it all worthwhile, such as the tapestry woven from the multitude of beliefs, creating a very real feeling world unlike anything in existence yet.

If you’ve been following the blog, and the Friday series that discusses these books, then you probably have learned that much of what I wrote came from years of dreams and nightmares. The darkness in the dreams should seep through every page, along with the tasty surrealism for which dreams are known. Although I have seen the strange and stunning corners that were created inside my mind, the characters are also drawn from universal types to maintain understanding. This is how communication is successful, and writing is all about communicating. That’s what I mean by refreshing the familiar.

The darkest figures in the books could easily be the humans, or even another soul race bent on the destruction of humanity. Most stories written take a homo-sapiens-centric attitude, as they are human made art. It makes sense and will be more easily communicated. Yet, we are sliding toward a time where animal sentience is becoming increasingly accepted and alien contact is a matter of time (yes, scientists do believe that there is life on other planets). So, this redefines our roles in the universe. We’re no longer the center. Thus, to extend empathy beyond our species, it’s important to write stories that of which we can relate to these other figures through.

Trailokya seeks to examine the lives of other populations. Certainly they are seemingly human in form, but their desires and needs aren’t exactly the same as those humans experience. The questioning of every aspect of life is not the strife of duta. They are far more certain and clear headed, logical. Their ability to see forward, not just in hindsight, is a critical aspect of their nature. They are in the know, and therefore do not have the same struggle. From duta arose the danava. This ancillary group branched from the parent in a great conflict, and were condemned to a dark home world, never to return home again. Their drives are their focus on returning, exacting revenge and regaining what they believe was denied or stolen from them.

In human mythology, this rift is dubbed the Conflict of Hosts. It is the story that describes angels falling from heaven and becoming demons. If you read the Judaic texts, you’ll learn that demons already existed at this time as well. They were not quite as severe, but still troublesome. This makes sense when you think of things in terms of resonance, as per the Hindu or Buddhist traditions. All beings came into existence at virtually the same time, yet they did not resonate the same. Their differences determined on what levels, or planes, they existed. Sometimes, you’ll even see this hinted at in modern horror with some evil more ancient than any darkness brought up. It is unlikely the fallen destroyed the ancient demons, but rather made use of them. With their resonance so low, they were likely controllable by those new arrivals. Pets? Something like that.

Danava hierarchy is constructed similarly to duta legion hierarchy. This is because those who fell relied on order to protect themselves from being destroyed in the aftermath. Legion hierarchy provided that order, as the soldiers rose to the top. If you flip to the back of the book you’ll see something like this:

Prince – rulers of Jahannam who were once Seraphim. The reigning princes are Lucifer, Asmodeus, Amon, Belphegor, Azazel, Belial, Astaroth, Beelzebub, Samael, Gediel, Mammon, Azrael, Leviathan, and Kharon.
Duke – Former Cherubim cast into Jahannam.
Count – Former Thrones cast into Jahannam.
Earl – Former Powers cast into Jahannam.
Baron – Former Virtues cast into Jahannam.
Lord – Former Dominions cast into Jahannam.
Knight – Former Principalities cast into Jahannam.
Chief – Former Svargaduta or duta cast into Jahannam.
Soldier – Danava younglings
Marditavya – Wayward souls, hell-masses

As you can see, the danava rank themselves by race according to a feudalistic stratification model. It echoes the legion ranks, as the duta rank corresponds to their evolutionary levels in almost all cases. Because souls hold positions in the legions, there are exceptions.

Danava, unlike demons, have a more precarious existence. They are sympathetic, believe it or not. The reason for their fall is that they questioned the whole hierarchy and their lack of having a choice. Therefore, they took actions that defied the order of Zion. The counsel and the king saw this as an abominable devolvement. Their atman altered, burning up as its resonance rapidly altered and thus their projected forms were mangled in its confusion. It is a tragedy of the highest order. This doesn’t mean anyone should go out and make buddies with danava. Their bitterness at being outcast and injured, being denied what they wanted, makes them dangerous. They blame souls for the fissure. It’s understandable why they are so frustrated, but not truly a reason to defend them. They did, after all, choose to be defiant and commit horrible crimes in the name of bastardized autonomy.

Yes, the baron Morgentus came from my dreams and he was every ounce a nightmare in every one that I saw him (off and on from girlhood forward). He did eventually become weak, as things changed in my favor. Perhaps, in the end, they are just metaphors for the darkness within that harbors all the little monsters we can be out of ignorance. The embodiment of narcissism in the extreme. As Jung called it, the shadow aspect. “In Jungian psychology, the shadow or “shadow aspect” may refer to (1) an unconscious aspect of the personality which the conscious ego does not identify in itself. Because one tends to reject or remain ignorant of the least desirable aspects of one’s personality, the shadow is largely negative, or (2) the entirety of the unconscious, i.e., everything of which a person is not fully conscious. There are, however, positive aspects which may also remain hidden in one’s shadow (especially in people with low self-esteem).^[1] Contrary to a Freudian definition of shadow, therefore, the Jungian shadow can include everything outside the light of consciousness, and may be positive or negative. “Everyone carries a shadow,” Jung wrote, “and the less it is embodied in the individual’s conscious life, the blacker and denser it is.”^[2] It may be (in part) one’s link to more primitive animal instincts,^[3]which are superseded during early childhood by the conscious mind.” (Read the rest of the wiki summary here).

Thus, it makes sense that danava are additionally referred to as shadowalkers and shadowborn.

Stay tuned for more insights on the trilogy. Subscribe now.

The Duta Races of The Trailokya Trilogy

July 1, 2016 By Captain Maiel 14 Comments

The Trailokya Series of books contains many fantastic creatures, but center most of these are the duta races. In a previous installment, I wrote a little about the body (sattva) and soul, which is the classification that humans, and other Samsarans would fall under. For more information on the races, please see the companion published on Wattpad.

Captain Maiel, the main character of the series is a duta (doo-tah), and that is the first of the races, or the closest to humans and the other races. A bipedal race, they are at least 7 feet in height, lithely built and winged. They do not require a bio suit to be in the Samsaran dimension, unless they are cut off from the collective—which is described as fallen. In Judeo-Christian-Islamic tradition, these are the messengers from God that many of the prophets speak of in scripture. However, the dutas are not your romanticized cherub, and they have no love of the religions of man. The books used by religion are made up of amnesiatic memories and outright lies. For instance, they are capable of procreation, when they are ready and the energies align. Children are born between matched pairs containing at least one female. Because they are from the home dimension of Zion, sperm and egg are unnecessary in the same sense as it is needed in Samsaran procreation, which is for the duplication of a bio-vessel from physical materials contained in the egg and sperm, to house the atman. For duta, the atman fuses with the female and draws from her atman, as well her partner’s atman, all the material it will need to create it’s new incarnation. The process of drawing from the atman of the partner occurs in simple to complex intimate interactions between the partners. In other words, a touch or a kiss can link the three atman for the download of information. It then incorporates this information and maps a new form. The consciousness is completely suppressed in this transition, and returns after many years of applying the new programming, but it does completely return. This can be a difficult time for all involved, especially spouses and family left behind.

The initial duta are actually the simplest incarnation of the group, with only one pair of wings. Substantially stronger than humans in both a physical sense and mental sense, they serve as protectors. The lore of their guardianship has been written about extensively in religious texts.

The next stage of evolution is called the Svargaduta (or Svarg for short – pronounced like it looks), they are closely related to the duta, having only one pair of wings. The males tend to be far bulkier in build. Most reach over 8-feet in height, and this is the pinnacle of evolution for most beings. It takes a very long time to reach this apex, and the incarnations beyond take a great deal of sacrifice and skill that doesn’t appeal to most atman. Many of those who have reached beyond this point, express their form in this manner, as it tends to be a preferred state of being. For example, General Mikhael, who is a Seraphim and commander of one of the legions, prefers to appear in his Svarg format. Once duta reach this stage, they tend to be in the higher ranks of the legions or leaders in their particular profession.

Following the above stages, it is time for the duta to relinquish the more physical aspects of life, and explore the mental arena as the Principality. This third incarnation erases them of all differences but those that might determine their gender. They become statuesque, ivory with completely black eyes. They can be quite startling to those unused to their appearance. A meditative race, they are usually only found within the walls of Zion occupying their time in meditative guardianship of Walhall, Mount Zion, and the White City. They also serve in the alder corridors, and assist with overseeing the careful planning of Samsaran and other missions undertaken by any atman. Captain Maiel’s father is a principality. He became one in more recent years of her life, and was risen a Svarg when she was just born. He is a rare atman, achieving higher states fairly quickly.

At the completion of these three incarnations, an atman then moves onto a choice. Depending upon how their terms as duta, svarg or principality, they will be ushered into one of the following ranks: Virtue, Dominion or Power. Virtues are interesting beings who are the most separated from the physical plane. They occupy a form, which appears like a starlit sky, but maintain a duta silhouette. As their ranking implies, they now have two sets of wings, in the case of the virtue, they appear as energy trails. The most interesting aspect of Virtues is that they can appear in the form of anything they wish, because they have transcended the barriers of a traditional physiology. They occupy the Blue Passages of Zion and work inside Otzar (The Well of Souls).

Dominions are those requiring further introspection and have not quite parted from the physical expression of a body. Because of their extensive introversion, their brains have grown larger, and their skulls are thus elongated. They appear virtually the same with brown skin, and white hair and wings, but the males are bald on their cranium where the females have a short crescent of hair. They also have two sets of wings. Due to their need to expand their mental ability, which has grown just short of that of the virtue, their occupations are guarding the tower within Mount Zion that surrounds Otzar, beyond the White and Red Gates, where the perpetual light enters Zion, and the atman are cast into this world from Nirvana.

The Powers have retained the most physical nature, evolving to maintain themselves as guardians in both Zion and worlds beyond. Thus, they remain much like the incarnations they came from, but with an additional set of wings. Powers are almost always guardians of the legions and among the most powerful. For them to leave Zion to be someone’s guardian is of great note, meaning the individual is important to several outcomes and other atman. The powers occupy a section of the White City called the cloisters, where they continue their introspection necessary for rising to the next incarnations.

Seraphim, Thrones and Cherubim are the final stages of the duta life cycle. These beings make up the leaders of the legions, administration and arts. The three work as a team utilizing their constituents to fulfill the plans of the lower resonance beings in rising to their highest possible levels. Not all beings reach this point, and almost all will not.

Seraphim have three pairs of wings, and appear as a wheel of wings with the face of a human. Risen to this position, once powers, they have learned to balance the physical and the mental and to weight neither as more important than the other, but of equal stature. Thrones, the most thoughtful of the group, continue to make use of introspection to come about their decisions. Not only do they have three sets of wings, but they have four faces: A man, An eagle, A Bull and a Lion. They rarely speak, communicating through thoughts instead, having found them a better means by which to convey their complex ideas. Their surreal appearance is matched only by their giant stature. Lastly, the Cherubim resemble sphinxes. This race has thrown in with mental power over physical, though they manifest themselves in a physical form. That form is reflective of the thrones many faces. Think of a griffin. However, their human like faces are biased toward their former incarnations.

These nine races make up the accepted races of duta. In Trailokya a tenth race is becoming more common: the ardhodita. The ardhodita are created from matches between duta and the higher soul races, such as humans or Cetians. They’re characterized by their stunted wings and average human statures. Captain Maiel’s children are ardhodita. If they were to have children of their own, they would also be ardhodita. The term is disparaging, used by prideful dutas and even souls to mean half-breed.

Once a duta rises beyond the final stages, they will cease to exist in the lower planes, and return to Nirvana from whence everything comes. This is the realm of Jñanasattva.

If you want to see them in action, get a copy of The Shadow Soul, book one of The Trailokya Trilogy. Burning Down, book two, will be coming soon, this summer.

Don’t forget to check out the companion published on Wattpad.