Chapter Twenty-Two
Now, one evening, as The Dove sat on his balcony, his son came to him. "Lord," he began, "may I ask you a question?"
2 "You have never stopped," answered his father, "since you were old enough to speak! I do not know why you should do so now!"
3 "Well, it was my father who told me," his son continued, "that a man may benefit from wisdom he learns, even on the day he dies."
4 "That is true," agreed The First Speaker. "I did say that! What is your question, my son? I know it must be an interesting one, and have to do with The Lords, for you ask me as Teacher, not Father."
5 The young man smiled. "Lord," he continued, "how many lifetimes must I live to reach Ultimacy, and why can I not remember any of my other lifetimes? For surely I have lived before."
6 "Now, I must admit," said The Dove, "those are interesting questions, ones that are difficult to answer! But these are the answers my Good Teacher gave me, and I think they are sufficient.
7 As to how many lifetimes we must live before we reach the State of Bliss, when we are at total peace, and one with all that is, no one knows.
8 Some men reach this state in but one intelligent lifetime, others take one-hundred.
9 There are some that love living so much and enjoy the challenges of life, that they return a thousand times when they could have easily taken the next step and gone on, to make new life."
10 "Do you think they were afraid, father, afraid of eternal death?"
11 "Oh, you are mistaken, my son," his father answered, "but it is a common mistake made by many.
12 A soul that reaches Ultimacy cannot die, it is eternal. It lives on forever in the fragments it becomes, each one eventually growing and becoming a new person itself, that in turn reaches Ultimacy and itself makes new life.
13 No good soul ever dies; only those whose deeds drive them into The Darkness, away from The Eternal Light, face true death, only those souls die. Such is Natural Law, such is The Truth of The Lords.
14 As to your second question, this is a protection our minds give us. If we remembered every lifetime we had lived there would be no new adventures for us. We would be doing the same things. So the memories of our old lives are buried in our lower mind, and they come to our uppper mind only when we need them.
15 Sometimes in emergencies, we can draw on forgotten knowledge to help our people. But most of the time we are only aware of our other lifetimes when we leave this Veil of Tears and enter into The World of The Lords.
16 Then all lives we have lived we know, and all the knowledge we have gathered is available to us."
17 "Lord, what does that phrase mean?" asked The First Speaker's son, "The Veil of Tears?"
18 "Some say," The Dove told him, "that the fog a Speaker sees between our world and The World of The Lords is the tears of those crying in The Darkness. Hence, to visit this world, they must pass through The Veil of Tears."
19 His son smiled. "Thank you for your wisdom, Lord," hes aid. "It is time for us to go to our beds. I will remember that wisdom The Voice of The Lords has taught me."
20 "Yes," agreed The Dove, "it is time to sleep. Your mother will be waiting. Sometimes she treats me like a child. She cannot sleep herself, unless I am safely in the bed. Let us leave this fine evening to the creatures of the night."
21 A few days later as the family sat on the balcony having their evening meal, The Dove looked out over the city. "I am glad," he thought, "The Old Fox had his house built up here with the main street going by and all the city below. From here I can see the joys and sorrow of my people. I only pray I understand their needs."
22 He looked toward his son, joyous as ever joking with his mother. Their conversation had turned toward the usual topic...another family had made it known that their daughter was of an acceptable age, and wanted to be introduced to the greatest Warlock in the land.
23 "First of all," said her son, "I am not, by any means, the land's greatest Warlock! I learned all I know from my father, and those who so bravely serve our land. I would not dare call myself the greatest among them! I only share their glory.
24 And as for women, as my father did before me, I will choose the one I want WHEN I want, not because of politics or social standards! I am not ready yet. Have the young lady over if you will, but I will promise nothing!"
25 The Dove laughed, but he noticed his daughter didn't. She was usually amused by her mother's efforts to pick just the right mates for them. She herself, had been through it many times. But now she sat quietly, only picking at her food.
26 "All right, light of my heart," began The Dove, "what troubles you so? Why do you look so sombre and far away this evening?"
27 "It is nothing, Lord," she answered, "just a small matter some young people brought to me today, which I do not know how to answer. And please, father, don't call me by that little girl's name! I have long outgrown it!"
28 "There used to be a time," answered The Dove, "you laughed every time I called you that, threw your arms around me, and said 'Am I really, father? Will I always be?'"
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