And with that cryptic reply he had to be satisfied. As he got up, the old lady seized his arm. “Don’t be in such a hurry. Make haste slowly. Play first before you settle down!”
True to his upbringing, the Pope’s son politely kissed her hand. Old Mother Sjaluna was surprised and delighted. Then she pointed at me.
“Come to me, Sisilla’s husband. I have something for you.”
She was still stroking Titch’s neck, which he was enjoying to no end.
“Sit down!” she ordered, as though I were a dog. I did so. “Shut your eyes,” she commanded, and I did that too.
I felt two fingers vibrating on my eyelids and tremendous warmth.
“Timothy needs to be able to see more,” she explained.
“He’s married into one of our best families, and he has to be able to keep up! He didn’t have the gift, but I’ve given it to him.” She swept her hands once more across my brow, and I felt a sharp pain in my head, then a sensation like falling into something nice and warm.
“You’ll need to get used to seeing more than usual,” she commented. “When you open your eyes, you’ll realize that I’m not what I seemed. Open up and have a look!”
Where had the old witch with the gleaming hair gone? I recognized the raven tresses, but underneath were happy blue eyes regarding me. These looked out from a pretty face, as beautiful as a rose, with a smile revealing pearly-white teeth.
If I had not worshiped my wife, I would’ve been pierced by Cupid’s arrow immediately. At the edge of this vision were Mannul and Alberto, curled up laughing. Valencio was on the floor, his mouth gaping. Titch was with him, licking his ear to restore him to reality (doggy reality, at least!).
“What a gift you’ve been given!” Mannul exclaimed. “Now you’ll be able to see the person inside everyone you meet! You’ll become a true judge of character, Tim, and you’ll see even more in the future.”
I rubbed my eyes and turned to hug the beautiful witch, but there were only us visitors there: Mannul, Alberto, Val, Titch, and me. I left the cave with the two Masters as if in a trance.
There sat Old Mother Sjaluna, stirring her pot. Simultaneously, I could make out a diaphanous figure at her side — the beautiful girl from the cavern, the girl inside Sjaluna. I rushed to hug the old lady, nearly upsetting the cauldron, but she steadied it swiftly and turned on me resentfully.
“You’re in too much hurry, Sisilla’s husband,” she hissed. “Save your mollycoddling for your wife and go on ferreting about for the aborigines next!”
My chortling companions waved farewell to her and so did Val and I. Old Mother Sjaluna didn’t take any notice of us, but stayed stirring her pot of herbs.
30. With the Aborigines
The aborigines were at some distance. We had to go in the hovercraft (I called it our Rolls Royce). I had hardly awoken from the enchanted mist of Old Mother Sjaluna’s, when the craft thudded to an abrupt stop.
We were in a small valley surrounded by trees. A jumble of boulders lay around, as if strewn there by a giant hand, grass pushing up between them. A wide stream, wide enough to be a river, flowed through the valley. The aborigines were everywhere, collecting water, bathing, chatting vociferously, clad in little but a loin cloth. They called and waved to us in their friendly, happy way. A tall, lithe man, his gleaming brown skin still dripping, came striding towards us. He wore a spotlessly clean, white loin cloth of minimal size.
“Welcome!” he called, reaching out a hand. “I’m Toomi. You’re all very welcome. We’re cooking for you over there in the clearing.” He pointed towards a small boulder, but we couldn’t see much. “A little bird told us you were on your way,” he continued.
There were no birds involved in the deafening concert that started up. Five naked young boys were playing didgeridoos, those long wind instruments that aborigines play. Titch buried his muzzle in my arm. The music wasn’t really to his taste, but it didn’t last long. Then we traipsed after Toomi, who was at least seven feet tall in his bare feet, around the rocks where an amazing sight met our eyes.
A group of lovely, dark-haired girls, clad in flowers, danced and sang around a long table on which all kinds of tempting food was arrayed. I gripped Titch’s collar as his eyes lit up, and wished I could’ve restrained Val in the same way, as he seemed inclined to throw himself on the food straight away. Luckily, he was too well brought up, in spite of his hunger, and he came and stood behind me instead.
“This is to honor our guests!” cried Toomi. “We’ll say grace first, and then please eat up!”
The food-nymphs hummed gently as he called loudly and clearly, “Thank you, Eternal Father, for your grace in giving us food for ourselves and our honored guests. May all food and drink run through our bodies, rendering them fit for your divine purpose. No life has been sacrificed for this blessed feast, but Nature has supplied it from her riches! Thanks, oh thanks!”
We started in on the food, which could’ve been made by gods! As we were eating, I noticed something strange. Each person I looked at seemed to radiate their own aura. They were perfectly clear, in various colors. At this juncture, I didn’t realize that this was an inner glow revealed to me so that I could read people like a book. This was the gift from Old Mother Sjaluna!
There was a terrified shriek from Valencio, son of the Pope. He was brandishing a lid, which he had presumably removed from one of the dishes, and was staring in horror at the serving platter. A ten-year old child, who had noticed our dismay, giggled wildly, removed a worm from the plate, and consumed it like spaghetti. It would’ve been fine if it had been spaghetti. No life had been sacrificed for our feast. It was true … these worms were wriggling with life! Val rushed away, probably to be sick, and I asked Mannul, who was standing nearby, what was going on. He grinned in delight.
“The aborigines eat a certain type of worm alive. It’s considered a real treat. It’s the only exception to Agartha’s vegetarian diet. You don’t have to try it. There are plenty of other dishes.”
Titch and I exchanged glances. He lay down with his muzzle in his paws. It meant no. I’d lost my appetite, so the dog and I left the table, with a nod from Mannul, who didn’t seem fond of worm-consumption either. The aborigines continue to eat worms to this day.
Toomi followed us, looking concerned. “I’m sorry if you didn’t appreciate our food,” he said, “but stay a while. We are going to dance at the edge of the forest. We have story-dances. Many of our legends are exceptionally lovely, and we have set them to music of our own composition. We will eat sun-stone bread at the same time. It’s guaranteed worm-free!”
We laughed, and accepted his invitation. He took us to an open-air theater where we sat down on a grassy slope.
“We’ve plenty of amphitheaters in Italy,” Val commented. “It’s lovely here!”
At the bottom of the slope was a natural stage, surrounded by trees, with a babbling brook flowing between glistening stones. We were given bread and drink which tasted wonderful.
The beautiful dancing girls returned, graceful and gentle. Then there were trolls and creeping figures with animal-masks. The girls were scared off before our horrified eyes, and a gruesome scene replaced them. It was a war between the forces of good and evil, fought violently. It was horribly realistic, and I noticed that Val had shut his eyes.
The special effects were amazing, and body-parts — heads, arms, and legs — floated around. On closer inspection, it was apparent that puppets were used. There was a happy ending, the blaring music calmed down, and the girls returned with their cheerful dance.
Our two Masters thanked Toomi for the refreshments and entertainment and explained that we had to go. Soon we were back in the Rolls Royce, a light breeze smelling of the sea below us.
“What did we learn from the aborigines?” Val asked. “Eating worms — yuck! But it was fun, too.”
“You learned how peopl
e live at one with Nature, how they create music and drama, and how they are satisfied with their lives,” Mannul pointed out. “We’re going home now, and we’ll carry on tomorrow.”
31. The Birthplace of Mankind, Africa
“Occasionally, we find ourselves in a land directly beneath the Earthly kingdom which is its birthplace,” remarked Mannul, slightly obscurely, as we were sitting in the hovercraft the next day.
“Where would that be?” I wondered.
“Africa!” was the answer.
“Africa is enormous, with many lands and innumerable tribes,” Valencio observed thoughtfully. “Where exactly are we going?”
“You’ll see in a moment,” Alberto replied in a tone of voice that brooked no argument. The craft swooped gently down onto sand sculpted by the wind into wide circles in all directions. This was unmistakably the desert.
That’s all we need, I thought, a tribe from the African desert. I sat on the steps of our vehicle trying to remove the sand from Titch’s muzzle. Val and the two Masters walked around this seemingly uninhabited spot, until we all heard a loud, shrill call that became more resonant.
As if from nowhere, there appeared dark-skinned warriors armed with crescent-shaped spears. They were naked, apart from loin cloths, and their skin gleamed in the sun. They were painted with white stripes and other characters, and had feathers on their heads. Some of them had feathers fastened behind, giving the impression of birds. They rolled their eyes and seemed terrifying. Val moved closer to the Masters, who were holding out their hands towards the tribe.
To my surprise, I noticed rings of light swarming around their hands like huge insects. The tribe took a step back and fell to their knees in front of Alberto and Mannul.
The rings of light had obviously made an impression. A man at least seven feet tall got up from the group and approached us. I couldn’t understand what he said, but Alberto spoke to him. It was a long conversation. In the end, the tall man beckoned us to follow him, which we did.
We were still in the desert, but it was no longer empty. Small, conical huts were silhouetted against the intense blue sky, smoke arising from them.
A young woman with ebony skin and tightly-curled hair piled high on her head approached us. She was strangely beautiful in her foreign way. She wore a gold cloth at her waist, was painted in yellow and gold, and was weighed down with jewelry. She stood before the Masters, and they all bowed to each other. Gold glittered from her arms, neck, and waist, and on her feet were gold sandals laced high up her legs with gold ribbon. Her skin was even darker than the tall man’s.
“This is Yola, the Gold Queen,” the tall man introduced her. “You are in Uuria, the birthplace of mankind. From here all races on the Earth originated.”
We could understand him, and we understood what the Gold Queen said when she started talking. We sat on the sand, and she perched on a sort of woven gold throne that was brought for her and which gleamed like the sun.
“You strangers desire to see the birthplace,” she said, in more strident tones than we had expected. “This village was created so long ago that the surface of the Earth was still not formed. Heaven created us in his image. Heaven took the trouble of giving us human inheritance. We went to the surface, where we were betrayed and disappointed.
“The survivors returned here. People who we were going to confirm as true children of Heaven betrayed us with the help of the evil king’s war, power, and selfishness, and he remained in power. His name was Anu and his followers were called the Annunaki. He and his followers have finally fled to their own planet.
“People on the surface will be given the chance to become what was originally intended. The children of Heaven will regain their Origin. Anu held them fettered by evil, and the evil brought darkness of thought and feeling.
“Some of the children of Heaven luckily managed to retain their generosity, Love, and integrity, and they will help us now. We have grieved for the Earth as a cherished relative, but our grief has changed to joy. We have great help from other planets and we’re planning a UFO visit to enlighten the surface-dwellers about their wonderful inheritance.”
“As above, so below,” I interrupted her. “Where does that come from?”
“It’s the very first decree which Heaven taught us,” the Queen replied. “That’s how it was meant to be, and will be in the future. Knowledge meant ego triumphed over spirit; that is what happened.”
It was warm, like a hot summer’s day on the surface. We were treated to cooling drinks and lively conversation with the attractive Queen Mother, as she turned out to be, and her court. On the surface, we don’t believe that the Earth is so ancient and its culture so extensive.
Yola had a choir which sang madrigal-like songs. They were herding songs from the goat-herders. The goats had longer horns and shorter coats than we are used to, because of the heat.
The village was sizeable and scattered across a wide area. The sand dunes and the desert finished pretty much where we had landed. Long grass and flowers replaced it further on, including a cactus resembling an orchid which I had never seen before. The people were such a mixture, both black and white. Yola explained that it was Heaven’s original plan that all people should live together, but that differences increased as the surface was populated.
As we entered the “town,” the houses changed. Here there were more normal houses, almost like English cottages, with clay walls and thatched roofs. Chimneys didn’t exist, as it was so hot, and food was cooked outside. The “kitchens” were like booths, but to judge from the food, they were perfect for cooking in.
By the time we were ready to go, we were almost overwhelmed by music, great vegetarian food, and the joy emanating from this magical place.
“Are we going to China, too?” the inquisitive Val asked.
Mannul chuckled. “Not until tomorrow. Now it’s time to get home before Sisilla thinks we’ve gotten lost in the jungle!”
At home was another surprise. I was welcomed by my friend Chaos from Dalarna in Sweden. Behind him was my dear wife.
“I’m organizing a party,” she announced. “Travelers need refreshments and food. You two can have a chat while I’m getting it ready. I’ve sent a message to Emilie that we have a visitor.”
Chaos had quite a tale to tell. He’d already befriended Sisilla and was delighted by my life companion. I asked him how he found his way to us, and he replied, “For a while, everything was normal at home. But after you and your grandmother left, it wasn’t fun anymore. Emilie and I had discussed Agartha, and I got hold of all the information I could on it. There wasn’t much. Then I booked a flight to Mount Shasta, and here I am! It was a bit hairy before I reached Telos and started asking people for you. Everyone knew who you were.
“It’s great here! I don’t know how long I’ll be staying, maybe for good! What do you think?”
“I’m sorry for your Swedish friends who will miss you, and I’m ecstatic that you’ve come!” I exclaimed, hugging him. I told him about the amazing, magical kingdom he had come to, and invited him to stay as long as he liked. It took half the night to recount our adventures here. Sweden seemed very far away, but Grandmother was overjoyed to see our friend and she also had much to relate.
32. A Completely Different China
Both Grandmother and I found that our memories had been renewed. This book is a product of that renewal! It’s easy to forget your old life when your new one is in paradise.
The following morning, Mannul and Arniel picked us up for our next voyage into Agartha the enchanted. As far as I could understand, land and sea on the surface were paralleled by land and sea here inside. We therefore expected China to be approximately where it was on the surface.
However, nothing in Agartha is that obvious. Everything is very different than how it is on the surface. I had never actually been to China, only read about it and seen it in films.
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br /> Both Masters quickly introduced themselves to Chaos.
Grandmother and Lex came too, so my Rolls Royce was joined by another hovercraft that I referred to as the Audi. This amused Mannul and Arniel.
I don’t know what I’d expected, but Titch and I alighted in the market square of a town. It was a large square, with other hovercraft parked around an attractive fountain. The Audi drew up next to the Rolls, and Chaos wobbled out, holding his head.
Flying in a hovercraft is disorientating. Laughing, I put my arm around his shoulder and Titch added his support, nudging and shoving him. My enormous dog stood on his hind legs as though surveying the situation. He had taken instantly to Chaos and probably remembered him from Sweden.
The jumbled images I remembered seeing of contemporary China were nothing like what I saw here. At one side of the lovely fountain with its two life-size dolphins, a wide, gleaming street opened up. On the other side were bright, glittering roofless houses, climbing plants, and palm trees. A river ran down the middle of the broad street. In the distance were bridges — high, hump-backed bridges, also glittering.
The people around were tall, attractive, and well-built. They were indeed dark-haired and dark-eyed, with high cheek bones, but they seemed to be made from mother-of-pearl. They were clad in fairly long cloaks in pale colors.
There was no crowding. They all walked separately, bowing continuously and smiling in all directions. If this is where China came from, I thought, the country should return to its roots.
The Masters saw our surprise. All of us had our mouths hanging open — Val, Chaos, Grandmother, Lex, and I! We couldn’t have been more flabbergasted. The Masters beckoned us to hover across the street with them. The Chinese greeted us, bowing, and we tried to return their greetings as best we could. Titch gravitated to my side, raising a laugh when he bowed his head from time to time. Many Chinese had pets with them, and yet the street was quiet and peaceful. The pets were like ours, mostly cats and dogs and a few donkeys with bejeweled saddle-cloths.
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