Chrysalis — The Dawn of Mooland Tales

UPDATED: 2024-11-21 4637 WORDS

4

WORK IN PROGRESS! — v0.8/15

4. Compass of Ancient Elements ¶

Manny was back in Mooland, her wits primed for the teaching. Izzy was comfortably settled in a patch of grass, curious about this compass of all-pervading elements. Ammoolia was always ready. For her, these sorts of topics were like a homecoming journey to the pristine gardens of Mū, blooming in the foreverness of timeless essence. That is, she was more than ready. "Now that you kids are in the zone, let's walk through the basics. Four elements. We have these four essential sayings."

"First, Earth. The pasture beneath, your material foundation. Whatever that forms a structure: Strings holding you firmly together, Framing and supporting the dynamic shapes of life. It's a solid and heavy substance — so remember: Stay grounded — but never let the ground swallow you. Know your roots — but don't be stiff and rigid in your ways."

"You girls got that?", Ammoolia checked in. She spelled them out slowly. "There's a lot to each element. This is a bit dense, but it's important." — "We've got our notebooks here. It'll be a bunch to think about, but we're still following — all good, thanks grandma."

"Next, Water. The flow of rivers, the ocean and the rain. Whatever that holds together: Flowing from one moment to the next, Adapting to the shapes it meets on its course. It's a flexible and ever-changing flow — so remember: Flow along — but never let the flow carry you away. Feel your stream — but don't get lost splashing around in it."

"Got that? It's good that you write it all down. This is how it's taught at the Island of Mū." — "Ammy, are these teachings from the scrolls?" — "That's the way our wisdom has been kept since the beginning, Manny. Use your imagination."

"Then, Fire. Flames boiling the pot, the sun shining in the sky. Whatever power and potential: Kindled in every encounter and reaction, Illuminating and transforming everything it meets. It's a reshaping and clarifying force — so remember: Shine bright — but never let the flames rule you. Wield your power — but don't let it seize and scorch your mind."

"You are going to then walk us through all of this, step by step, right grandma?" Izzy was beginning to feel the brain strain. The scrolls pack a lot of material into short statements. "Don't worry Izzy, we'll workshop this properly."

"Finally, Air. The wind crossing the skies, the air we breathe. Whatever that moves freely: Spreading and pervading all directions, Rising to heights and broadening your perspective. It's a light and uncluttered expanse — so remember: Soar high — but never evaporate into the sky. Expand your reach – but don't be scattered by the winds."

"And that concludes the classic opening for the Elements of Mū. Earth, Water, Fire, and Air — Substance, Flow, Force, and Expanse. Present in all things. Let's start with that and take a little break, alright? I have a nice pot of herbal tea brewing for you."

Ammoolia was aware that this brief teaching was already quite the mouthful — with lots more ground to cover for Izzy and Manny's upcoming adventures. Her backyard was full of wild herbs, she had natural fixes for most ailments — from a sore tummy to a common cold or a budding headache. Budding headache was a very real prospect for Izzy and Manny — but this had to be a crash course. The girls would never ever study this in a monastery for months or years — and the clock was ticking toward their departure. So said the clouds.

"Here, a soothing brew of umbrella-shaped Mootu leaves. A well-known brain tonic straight from my backyard. It's a common drink served for students at the Peaklands Academy. Mountain herbs. Improves concentration and helps you remember everything we discuss. Also great for adding a bit of bite to a fresh salad!" It was not a particularly tasty tea. Really quite bitter with grassy undertones, but Izzy enjoyed most flavors of grass and Manny was into anything that improves her mental capacity.

Sipping their third serving of the herbal tonic, Izzy found herself pondering. "Say, Manny, do you think we're at the hands-on stage of this teaching yet? It's a beautiful concept, but still quite abstract for me." Manny was seeing fractals in her mind again — as often happened when she plunged into more intricate thoughts. Ammoolia's herbal tonic helped her balance and organize the general flux in her mind into words. "I do have a couple of ideas shaping up", said Manny with a little smirk on her face. "Let me share it with Ammy and we'll see how she responds. It does sound like she has lots more to share."

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So that was a lot of herbal tea there.

"Ammy, thinking about the elements everywhere. If I look at myself, my body. Bones and muscles are the solid Earth that supports me, right? And Water is blood and other liquids flowing in me. I guess there's the Fire of digestion in my belly — and my body heat? I don't know what Air is, other than my breathing. Am I going in the right direction?"

"Well aren't you quite the clever little grasshopper, Manny!", Ammoolia exclaimed. Manny didn't like being called a grasshopper, but technically a mantis is a type of grasshopper, and she knew that perfectly well. "That's very much correct and a fair starting point for understanding how the Elements of Mū are a part of your being. Even the currents of the nerves running criss-cross throughout your body are aerial essence. The breath, the nerves, and the mind are connected. Everything is connected with the elements. Just tune in."

She then took a deep breath, pouring out a long and peaceful low-pitch Mooooooo — a bit out of the blue. It wasn't your average moo-sound. It wasn't like any moo-sound Izzy had ever heard before, but the sound filled her with a familiar sense of peace. Even the twitch she had in her left ear from yesterday suddenly calmed down. "Whoa grandma. Was that a sample of the legendary moo of Mooses?" Mooses is a reference to an epic ancestor of the Highlander cows whose bellowing moo, or so the stories tell, had the power to halt rivers and and allow the wandering herds to walk over and above their momentarily still and solid waters.

"Ah don't be a goofball, Izzy! It was just a simple moo from the bottom of my heart." It was definitely a bit more than that, given Ammoolia's background in training the Tunings of the Mū. They have retreats at the Island of Mū for tuning into the echoes of the universe. If you were to ever hear them reflecting the ancient vibes of the Mū together, you'd witness a magical concert of every sort of weird and wonderful moo saturating the atmosphere. Sounds rarely heard on the everyday pastures. "But it does touch and calm the heart, it does when it springs from our inner essence. Can you feel the Elements of Mū in your heart, Izabella?"

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It was a tall request for Izzy, but the heart was her heartland. She had spent lots of time by the streams and springs of the Riverlands, reflecting on the feelings and emotions bubbling in her heart, ruminating through the flavors of her life. Her usual daydream drifts were journeys into what and how she feels, instead of dreaming about every sort of diversion that lets your mind escape the challenges of daily life. She was a deep little Moocow in her heart of hearts.

"So if I set my heart to the Earth you described, Grandma, I settle into peace and patience and safety." Izzy wasn't famous for her patience in general, but she did have abundant patience for things that deeply matter. "And if I let my heart flow with the Water, there's joy and empathy and flexibility. When I allow the Fire into my heart, I find courage and precision and sharpness. And when I let my heart soar with the Air, I discover hope and freedom and wisdom."

"These are very much on the mark, Izabella!", Ammoolia affirmed with a distinct delight in her voice. "You've found many of the sacred flavors of Mū in the elements of your heart — and these are of the best we may ever hope for. But in this world, the elements are often all topsy-turvy within us, polluted and corrupted by our selfish designs. Earth sinks us into dullness and lethargy. Water lures us into heedless indulgence. Fire kindles our anger and arrogance. Air spins us into anxiety and confusion. Guard your precious heart, darling, keep it shining bright. It'll protect you from the shadows of the elements."

At this point, all of it started making practical sense to Izzy. Her heart was her super-power for the journey. Tuning into the elements, especially in the hearts of everyone, would be most helpful in navigating the curvy roads of life. "Grandma, so I'm musing about our mission with a deeper heart here. Every story is like a flowing river of flavors. The flavors are the elements in so many forms. I'm sure there's just the right story for every person. If we can match the elements in their hearts with the elements in our stories, there can be comfort and insight, healing and meaning, for everyone who hears them. It makes sense."

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Enthused with the kids getting the gist of her message, Ammoolia pushed the topic higher and deeper. "Now where's my favorite grasshopper again? I have a question for you!" She'd spotted Manny's reservations over the grasshopper call and decided to keep spinning it to see what comes. Manny was a bit flabbergasted with being put on the spot while contemplating on Izzy's newfound insights, still also dealing with the visual vortex spinning somewhere at the back of her head. "Yes Nana, where? I mean, here, I'm here. What? I am Manny from Mooland!" She would often say that to ground herself back into the present world.

"Be a clever little cricket and explain to me how the Elements of Mū help shape your orientation in any and all situations. I'll give you hints." — "Okay Nana, Manny from Mooland! All fractals at your service!" Manny had a way of making these inner vision bursts function — more or less — in making sense of the world about her. Her untamed capacity for perceiving structures in nested dimensions, technically a fractal motion parallax anomaly, is considered a most high gift in the Mantisian cultural tradition.

"Here, let me paint a scenario for you to work with, Manny. You and Izzy are roaming the Strangelands with your backpacks full of gear. You encounter Buffy Smokarus, the cigar-smoking buffalo from beyond the bogs, amidst a little patch of tangly and overgrown forest. He seems restless. What do you find here? May the spirit of Mū inspire you, and remember that there are no bad answers. We are always learning and our insight is forever evolving. This is a journey of tuning your soul ever-deeper into the echoes of deepest essence."

"Alright, let's see. If I think about Earth. Substance and structure. For sure it includes the details of the actual place we're at. Also the selection of gear in our backpacks, I think. Buffy and his homeland have a particular shape and structure and identity too."

"Yes very good Manny, these are all a part of the foundation of the scenario. Much more will be shown to you in the fullness of time. Earth includes all the basic ingredients that we have on the table. If you don't know the shape and character of your ingredients, how would you ever cook for us a well-rounded dish." Ammoolia was fond of her metaphors and cooking was one of her cherished hobbies.

Izzy interjected, "It seems to me that Buffy isn't very grounded! Isn't restlessness from the element of Air — spinning too fast? I'd ask him to sit down on the ground and take a couple of deep breaths." — "You're racing ahead of the program Izabella, but that is all true! We hear these sorts of ponderings from the healer cows of the Riverlands. They too tune into the elements, weighing their conflicts and complementarities, always with an eye for restoring the balance. Air is both the friend and enemy of Earth. Water is both the friend and enemy of Fire. But these are topics that we'll explore at a later time."

Combining elements in multiple dimensions sounded like the work of the scientific alchemists at the Heatlands, but this went way beyond the workshops and the laboratoriums. Manny was fascinated. "So Manny, onward we go. Where and how does the Water flow, in your meeting with Buffy in the midst of this overgrown forest patch?"

"I see the Water as the river of life, Ammy. We flow from a source and we flow toward a destination — like a river flows from a spring into the central ocean. Forever changing its shape and adapting to its path, it's still the same river, more or less. Anywhere I meet the river, at any point in its journey, I can hear echoes of its past and touch the dreams of its future course. All of this makes me think about Buffy's journey. Wherever that he came from, wherever that he may wish to go. And the nature of the stream that's pushing and pulling and guiding his path. The Buffy that we meet in the moment is like a snapshot of the river of his life."

"Well aren't you quite the philosoper, Manny.". It wasn't the precise answer Ammoolia was pitching for. It was much more than she dared to hope for at this point. It touched on the essence of Water in a very universal way and would've made the contemplative philosopher moonks at the islands proud. "Hold on to that insight, Manny. You'll find the Mirror of Empathy that will, just as Water adapts to the shapes of its environment, fill you with insight into the deepest currents of everyone you may ever meet." There's a famous relic called the Mirror of Empathy at the Island of Mū, but it's just a reminder of the real mirror that exists in our hearts.

"I often find myself pondering how people feel, and why they feel the way that they do." Izzy was also bubbling with insight. "Feelings are also like rivers that flow in our hearts. Some rivers are peaceful little streams. Other rivers are turbulent rapids, powerful enough to move boulders. If we look at the Earth that forms the riverbed, we see the structures that tune the Water — and we understand why rivers flow the way they do." She'd been hanging out with the Flow-Moovers at the Riverlands. They track the flows and make adjustments in the terrain, helping every river flow to their fullest potential.

"And you clearly have a poet's heart, Izzy!" At this point, Ammoolia was quite excited. This pairing of a day-dreaming darling cow and a dimensionally challenged praying mantis — considered by many a lost cause as far as getting ahead in their lives and becoming something significant... Much more than mere drifters, she saw before her a budding philosopher and a budding poet, a sprouting visionary and a sprouting empath, a team of two naturals with complementary talents and promise of an extraordinary future. "You two are like the Sun and Moon that color the clouds I watch day and night with fascination. Which one is which, I have no idea, or perhaps both of you are both of them in turn, as the wheels of the heavens are turning to their tunes."

Manny's inner world of fractals was settling toward a system she can zoom and manage without getting overwhelmed. "Nana, it seems that the elements help me contain and manage my visions. What's going on here?" — "And we would expect nothing less, Mandalika. As I noted at the very beginning, the Elements of Mū will support and guide you at all times and with all things. The "circle of thousand colors" in your mind — simply the children of the great elements. Just as an artist might mix together primary colors into countless combinations, so too the elements become a palette of the endless colors and flavors of your existence." This was once again a mind-blowing insight for Manny. But it felt more like a harmonic fusion, not another one of her disorienting fractal explosions.

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"Shall we boldly jump into the Fire, then? I'm tickled to hear what the two of you will come up with. Manny?"

"Alright, Nana. When I tune into the Fire in your scenario, the first thing that comes to mind is the tension in our meeting. A cigar-smoking buffalo dressed like a boss is not the sort of character I'm used to interacting with. What are we supposed to say to him, how are we supposed to deal with him? Fire is clearly blazing in my thoughts when I examine the situation, grasping for a correct way to handle it. It's probably the same for him — and I think he's restless trying to figure out something else too. That's all Fire, right?"

"Yes Manny, that's all in the tunings of Fire there. Now, that's what Fire is. But what does Fire do?"

"Right Nana, that's the other part of Fire you mentioned. It reacts and transforms things. It seems that there's a seed of Fire in all the decisions we make and actions we take. It's a spark that grows into transforming flames. That responsibility is a bit stressful and it definitely heats up my mind. I find myself thinking about the best way forward, looking for a course of action that all of us will benefit from. Izzy has more courage than me, and I think that courage is also a kind of Fire that we have within."

Izzy had sudden insights again. "How strange that there can be Water in Fire and Fire in Water! Like the turbulent rapids bouncing around and moving boulders, that's definitely a river of Fire there. Here, we have to choose the attitude we take with Buffy. If we tune into his flow, find a stream of empathy, and understand how to relate and respond to him, we bring Water into the Fire of our meeting. If we ignore his heart and needs, pushing on with what we want — and he'll probably do the same — it turns into a battle of Fire and Fire in the Fire! And that's a scary thought, messing with someone like Buffy. We need to be careful with the Fire."

Ammoolia was pleased with Izzy's insights. "We sure need caution there, Izzy. With the elements of Mū by your side, you'll find the tuning that works best in every situation. When you meet a person who's hungry but has nothing to cook with, you bring Earth into the Fire — provide the substance that bolsters them. With Earth, you provide support and structure. Earth is a very stabilizing element. Again, when you meet a person who's ailing on the path, you bring Water into the Fire — flow together with empathy and kindness. With Water, you reflect and adapt and nurture. Water is a very healing element.

"When you meet a person who's wrestling with a challenge, you bring Fire into that Fire — put your clever heads together to find the right solutions. With Fire, you analyze and clarify and transform the world. Fire is a very practical element. Again, when you meet a person who's lost on their journey, you bring Air into the Fire — help them discover guidance and meaning for the long and windy road ahead. With Air, you expand with perspective and meaning across the planet of life. Air is a very uplifting element."

"But Manny, let's return to our scenario with Buffy once again. There's one more important element to cover. What does the Air reveal to you when you tune in and reach for the higher ground?"

"Oh yes of course, the Air. Let me see. As I flap my wings and rise into the Air, I find my mind growing broader with perspective. I am looking in all directions to better understand the meaning and purpose that Buffy carries on his journey and in his life. All the other elements are present and related to each other, and the expanse of Air helps me to understand the bits of this tricky situation all together. If we consider how everything here relates to Buffy's life as a whole, I'm hoping that we can find a path of harmony between us and him and his deeper concerns."

Ammoolia gazed at the strips of fluffy clouds fluttering by. A cluster of large rainclouds up high was rolling in the opposite direction. She took a number of long and peaceful breaths before responding. "And this is our wisdom in the clouds, Manny, the threads spreading across the heavens. Air connects all things together and fluffs out their shared meaning. Some threads are thinner, some threads are thicker. As we watch their movements, how they weave together, we discover the great net of our lives."

These were the sorts of insights that Izzy and Manny had been hoping for. Sure, it was pretty and poetic, but also absolutely practical and meaningful on a deeper level. Manny was already busy working on her newfound inner palace of elemental visions. Izzy was humming out the spectrum of moos she felt bubbling in her heart, tuning into the feels of the elements. But there was one more question troubling their minds — and a big one at that. It was about the journey looming in the clouds above their horizon.

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Ammoolia was expecting the final question. Not just for having read the signs in the clouds. She also excelled at reading the signs in the inner horizons. She knew how a tree of questions and answers grows through its phases. For all of our questions, there is a time and a season — and not all questions may be asked at the very beginning. We're all on a journey to discover our actual questions.

Izzy lifted the Moomooth in the room onto the table. "Grandma, all of this is super helpful for understanding ourselves, and relating to the flow and feelings of the people we meet, and for resolving tricky situations, and for a broader sense of our lives as a whole. But how do we link these elements into our mission — sharing all of our stories? Where do the elements fit in with all of this?"

"Look Izzy, there are a thousand ways they fit into all of that, and in between all of that. As I said at the beginning, the Elements of Mū themselves are you best teachers. As you go on about your fair journey in life, you'll uncover a hundred lessons in a thousand contexts with the elements. When you work with your stories, the elements present in the stories will emerge and guide you into ever-new insights. I cannot do all of your homework for you. I'd be spoiling all the fantastic lessons waiting for you on this path."

Izzy was still hoping for something more concrete. Just to give her a vibe of conviction — a sampler to illustrate how it might all come together in the end. "Can you give some practical applications though, please? Just a handful of hands-on pointers to inspire us."

"Well alright, sure. First of all, there's what they call a target audience. In your case, all of Mooland and beyond. Tune into their natures and their needs, understand their flows and their problems. Map the elements in your stories, see how they relate to your audience. It's really a matter of supply and demand. Supply and demand are born from the push and pull of the positive and negative spirits of the universe, embedded in countless combinations in the hearts of all living beings. Need to tune into all of that. Earth, Water, Fire, Air: Match the needs of your audience. Design the distribution flow. Prioritize your productions. Stay on top of your strategy."

Ammoolia used to be the general manager at the Grand Orchards and packed some proper moomph when things got involved. She was long since retired, content being a simple Highlands oracle gazing at the heavens and tending to her seasonal gardens — but the kids were in for a serious journey, the situation called for a display of executive flare. She had no trouble booting up the vintage circuits in her mind, recalling every experience that ever was. All systems operational and streamlined, just like all of it were yesterday.

"You'll also want to match the major themes in your stories with the greater concerns of our society. You may want to connect with the experts on the various fields that relate to the categories of insight found in your narratives. When you have a bigger stash of stories ready, if you turn them into thematic collections, people can follow their particular interests and even undertake topical studies. Some old friends of mine at the Essence Islands would be very interested. They've collected all sorts of essences at their island archives, but the essences of life as an orderly library is something they've only ever dreamed of in their deepest hearts."

"Okay wow Gradma, that's a serious bale of grass there." Izzy was asking for a mouthful and Ammoolia wasn't feeling skimpy with her catering anymore. Manny was somewhere far out there — nowhere near coming up with a response. "Would you like me to continue, Izzy? I've only just barely hoofed the pasture here. Or would you like to have some more Mootu tea." There was a lot more that was scribbled in the clouds before Izzy and Manny arrived — but Ammoolia was getting a sense that it's probably more than enough for now. "I think I'd like some Mootu tea now. A big cup for Manny too, please. Thank you so much Grandma."