The Final Revelation of the Mystery of the Dog

      "Some say the world will end in fire, some say in ice. . ." said beloved American poet Robert Frost. But inside the Tomb of Every Hope, the Furies offer a third solution, a deadly plague to humans that "other creatures spare whose lives are lived obedient to law." Fortunately, the Tomb of Every Hope is also the Womb of the Earth, and Morgen has the opportunity to learn from his trial and be reborn.

      The Fates give him a key, ostensibly to free Laura from her chains, but while he hesitates to act, Laura's chains fall away. This makes Morgen appear undeserving, especially if you believe he failed his trial when he failed to free Laura, but the truth of the mystery is that even if he had run to free her, her chains would have fallen away before ever he could use his key. The lesson is that Man's power over and ability to control Nature is an illusion.

      In fact, Morgen earns his sip from the Cauldron of Inspiration through the Mystery of the Dog! When the earth opens and the fiery pit threatens to engulf them both, Morgen grabs the dog by the scruff of the neck and keeps it from falling in. It's a selfless and dangerous deed, and goes back to the idea of the dog representing Nature. Morgen's instinctive reaction suggests there may yet be hope for Mankind. Being kind to animals is certainly meritorious and it is nice to think it won him some consideration.

      Within the Tomb of Every Hope, the Furies' solution to put an end to Mankind by ice is rejected because all of non-human nature (represented by the dog), would suffer the same fate. But a plague specific to the race of Man is an idea worthy of a Fury and, in desperation, he finally calls for help! Man, in his infinite vanity, supposes he can solve all the problems of the world by himself. This is, like his control over Nature, an illusion. Without the guidance found in the mysteries, Man loses his way and all of creation suffers. Morgen, in his new-found humility, finds some comfort in the Muses.

      But all this has been leading to a central mystery. To be reborn, Morgan first must die. The Cauldron of Inspiration contains this ultimate mystery. In the pub, we learned that the Cauldron was the womb through which the enlightened one becomes the twice born. We also learned that it was the souce of the enlightenment, but although we were told that the thread was short and thin and called for skill, and warned that the world without was not the world within, no one actually ever came right out and said that to sip from the Cauldron of Inspiration was to taste Death!

Travis Edward Pike, 22 August 2021, Otherworld Cottage