A meditation session? And what’s with the mirror?
You’re sitting in front of a tall, free-standing mirror (a silver mirror, mind you) while holding a pen and a couple of pieces of paper. You expected a history lesson from John Reilly—who is following Kali as your tutor—but you didn’t expect it to be so ... alternative.
Then again, John Reilly doesn't seem like your typical academic. Though he dresses the part—always with a coat, shirt, tie, and pants held up by suspenders—you feel he’s more eager to sell you back the truck you had back home than teach you about the history of the Stellae Errantes. The two-story brick edifice you’re currently living on shares that similarity—you feel it should be a store, not a house, due to its sheer size that extends all the way parallel to the street and taking almost half a block, but from the front, it has the same townhouse look and small garden as the house beside.
Yet, upon entering, you realize why John needs all that space. The whole place is a library, with every wall lined top to bottom with books of all sizes. It's a bibliophile’s dream, full of old and new books, carefully organized—and even then, there were books lying around, yearning to be read.
Of course, the place is cozy; a couple of plants, a huge sofa and living room set (but no television), a solid wood dining table, a kitchen full of vintage cupboards and a gas stove at least a century old, several rooms—some of them with books still looking to be categorized—and of course, his study, where you’re currently taking classes. (Oh, and there’s also a basement, but John asked you not to go there, though promising you would one day.)
And yes—you're supposed to be taking classes. During your Christmas vacation, Charles decided that you should settle for a GED (in case you want to go to college, though he promised your studies would make you more than a professional in the field you want) and said that John would be perfect to handle this task. Kali, standing alongside you, insisted that John is the best choice, and that he should teach you more about the Stellae, as her training with you consisted in mastering your meditation technique and discussing about the ousiarchs.
This lesson, however, will be a bit different—or at least, that’s what John claims. And while it seems there’s plenty of time, you’re still on a deadline, as your brother will be back from school in only a few hours. Yes, he moved here to New Jersey too, to live with John, but he's enrolled in a STEM-focused charter school. The dynamic between you two has changed. Robert—or "Marty", as he’s known here—has matured a bit, and while he’s still not above pranking you at times, he’s certainly less obnoxious than he was back home.
Someone else is looking after him, though. You only met her the day you arrived, but Mireya left quite an impression on you. You’ve only spoken a couple of times then, when she goes to look for your brother, but she’s established quite the "big sister" vibe with him, and seems to have easily won his confidence. The same can’t be said about you, though. Not that she’s not a looker—because, quite the contrary, Mireya Guillén is a very sexy, athletic Latina with a gentle side, despite working for the police. Too often your eyes end up staring at her large hips or her ample bosom rather than her face, though you and your brother agree that she has a very cute smile. Yet, the moment she arrives, you have the impression that she’s there to take your statement over what happened back home rather than helping you, and that makes you very uncomfortable.
Which is why, to avoid her (and the possibility that she figures you’re one of the Stellae and blurts it out to your brother), you want to get through this lesson as soon as possible. So, after a light breakfast with some coffee, you asked John to begin your lessons early, and your eagerness led to this—to sitting in front of a mirror, with pen and paper and a pad to write on, and John asking if you were familiar with other forms of meditation.
"N-not exactly," you reply. Sure, Kali told you that people have different forms of meditation, but she never taught you about them.
"But I’m sure Kali told you there were other ways to meditate, right?" You nod, and he leans over his desk, always with a friendly smile and relaxed look. "She’s too much of a traditionalist," he says, a little condescendingly. "The lotus position, for one. She shares that with the Akshardham, after all. However, there are other forms of meditation, and some are more practical for certain purposes than others. Daydreaming, for one."
You recall Kali and John speaking back in Olympia, so she must’ve told him about how you apparently began to meditate in your sleep. "Dreams can often be omens," he continues, "but daydreaming is excellent when you want to work on ideas. Prayer is also an effective form of meditation, particularly when you’re penitent. Have you heard of automatic writing?"
You shake your head, though you’re half-inclined to make a joke. "It’s a form of trance where you let your subconscious mind take notes about what you observe, which your body then writes. Has lots of practical uses, actually." He stands, grabbing a leather-bound notebook from one of the stands. "We’ll start off trying that. Sometimes it can synergize with one's education as well, speed up the learning process."
You try to hold back a grin, being game for anything that makes learning more "automatic." How awesome would it have been to cruise through classes on automatic back at Westside?
The mirror, however, still intrigues you. "And what’s with that?"
"That’s a very useful tool," John answers. "I'm gambling it will help you to focus. You're supposed to focus on your ousiarch, right? Perelandrans and Viritrilbians tend to focus while noodling around with musical instruments, for instance. I’m sure you must’ve heard that Sulva is like a mirror, right?"
"Yeah. Kali and I spoke of that."
"For this exercise, I want you to let your ousiarch guide you. Focus on the mirror, listen very carefully to the lesson, immerse yourself in the period, but let your imagination run wild."
Well, that puts a dent on the idea you had. You would’ve needed to be in front of a mirror in every class to see if this trick works.
You focus your eyes on the mirror as John begins to speak, and before you know it your eyes have fallen shut of their own volition, but you still sense the mirror in front of you, and John continues to speak in a droning voice. "Now, the precursors of the Stellae Errantes stretch back to the first civilizations in record. Secret societies such as ours existed long before, with different names. Two great organizations grouped us during ancient times at the two greatest cores of civilizations—ancient China, and ancient Mesopotamia. We Stellae derive our heritage from the Babylonian Court of the Stars, which..."
Soon, John’s tone lulls you into a deep sleep, but you still sense the mirror in front of you. You feel yourself a dark room, but the Moon is with you, shining through what might be the mirror, but when you stretch to touch it you find it is a window.
More than a window, it's a portal. Without even meaning to, you step through it.
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