This magic bell was taken from the ruins of the clock tower destroyed by fire on February 3rd, 1916 ...
"The fire raged fiercely for hours. The main Tower was not touched until about 11 PM, and one of the most pathetic incidents of the night, which moved the spectators, was the striking of the midnight hour by the old tower clock. There seemed almost a human touch as its familiar tones boomed out from the mass of flames."
- From the 1916 Report of the Deputy Minister of Public Works
Great little story by Chris Cobb, who moves from San Francisco to NYC in pursuit of a "mythic city" that may no longer exist (if it ever did at all), and winds up back in the mythic city where he started from - San Francisco!
by Robert Rorabeck
Now the city has a studded nose,
Because the city is so pretty, and the city knows:
The city, she almost fooled me underneath the
Chicken sky - The city is so pretty,
But the city lie:
I loved the city and all its vermilion moods and ice-creams,
With parks and busses and city airplanes
And city rides - City coffins and city dies;
And I watched the city get drunk and turn around
And raise its monuments and party down;
And I sat upon one of her benches in a speculating mood,
And wondered if the city was so pretty,
Why was she so rude: The vulgar nebulas of the city’s
Eyes, the narcissisms of its displays:
There are so many well suited boys better than I out walking
In their sunny city days:
And I realized, the city didn’t love me,
The city plays and paws and eats up little boys such as
Me - She said she loves her little poet boys, such as me,
But the sweet, sweet city lies,
Because the city is so pretty, studded nosed and stunning eyed,
But she uses her autumn facades to blind the autumn chicken skies -
The pretty, pretty city has me hypnotized,
But the pretty, pretty city lies.
We all have one. We all have a mythic city. One that calls us. One that whispers to us in our sleep. The mythic city is a stage set/movie backdrop where our dreams play out every night.
There's Calvino's Armilla, Poe's El Dorado, and the Goblin City of Labyrinth, “Where everything seems possible and nothing is what it seems.” There's the Caras Galadhon of Tolkien, Schlieman's Troy, George Lucas' Bestine....
Send me your mythic city - in whatever form you're inspired to create: art, video, poetry, literature, photos, music, whatever you like - and I will post it here lisafcole@gmail.com.
According to legend, Shambala is one of 14 etheric cities that exist on Earth. These cities are neither here nor there, but exist between the worlds, in a higher dimension than what many are able to see. This is where angels, archangels, ascended masters, and other "heavenly beings" are said to make their home.
The name Shambala comes to us from the ancient language of Sanskrit, and it means "pure land". Tibetans say this mythic city is hidden somewhere within Inner Asia. To them, it is a fantastic city that exists in the realm of of the visionary, and whose citizens are enlightened - living in peace and harmony with each other and their world.
Here is what the Dalai Lama has said about Shambala:
"Although those with special affiliation may actually be able to go there through their karmic connection, nevertheless it is not a physical place that we can actually find. We can only say that it is a pure land, a pure land in the human realm. And unless one has the merit and the actual karmic association, one cannot actually arrive there."
However, Rita, Oliver Shanti, and Friends have recently made the journey to Shambala much more possible with this video - best viewed on a full screen with the sound turned up. Sit back, relax, and enjoy the ride!
"Standing on my sleeve was an intricate metropolis, a science fiction city of glittering spires and emerald skyscrapers in which I could almost see the movements of an infinitesimal transport grid."
- Daniel Pinchbeck, 2012: The Return of Quetzalcoatl
Darth Fiddler has been performing on the streets of Victoria BC for nearly eight years, and has become an iconic figure of the city's downtown. He is announced on cruise ships as they arrive from San Francisco and Alaska. He is featured in guided tours, local magazines and radio shows. People make pilgrimages to Victoria just to see him. Visitors' posts on his Facebook page tell him that he was the highlight of their trip.
Darth Fiddler takes Hatley Castle, Victoria BC
One need only Google "Darth Fiddler" to find countless images of this masked character - a twirling black dervish, cape flying, violin shining - on the Web. With the looming architecture of the BC Legislative Buildings, Empress Hotel, and Hatley Castle often serving as his backdrop, he seems to belong in this city. Even though he is said to travel, and photos of him in other places do appear from time to time, none fit quite as well as Victoria.
Darth Fiddler at Hatley Castle
On this auspicious occasion of Halloween 2010, we thought it a most appropriate time to catch up with Victoria's most mythic figure to ask a burning question:
"What's your favourite mythic city?"
"Micropolis," he answers immediately. "Have you heard of the Micronauts?"
"No."
"They were from the mid 70's, and came in the form of toys and Marvel comic book characters spawned by a sci-fi generation. The Micronauts were sub-atomic races that lived in the smallest cities of the universe. Their leader was Time Traveler who once even led them to save our world. I think there was a Micronaut revival recently with a movie that bombed, but nothing beats the toys of the 70's.
"Micropolis Mega City was the Micronauts' legendary capital, and there was this gigantic model with bubble domes and a crane that you could put together. I think it had almost 600 pieces, with towers and all these modules you had to balance precariously - they weren't attached. The best thing about this city was that all the myths and stories - even the design, itself - came from your own imagination.
"Wow, you've got me thinking about the Micronauts now. I haven't thought of them in years! I'd lost all interest in them after The Empire Strikes Back came out."
The "Golden City" conjures up a vast array of images and inspiration for people. For many, it is one of the etheric cities that exist just beyond the reach of the average human, in a reality separate from ours - but only a dream away. Some say this city hovers over the Sahara desert; others say it's just outside of Chennai, India. Some say it is none other than El Dorado, the elusive city of gold in the Amazon; and still others say it is Paititi, the lost city of the Inca.
But for Aexion, an imaginative graphic artist and program designer who lives in Spain, the Golden City is a mechanical city of fractal geometries and epic proportions, operated by golden automatons.
Golden City by Aexion
Aexion has created a whole series of fractal cities and plans to design Atlantis, Asgard, and Avalon in the near future. We thank him for his contribution and look forward to featuring more of his amazing work in the coming months!
There are cities of the earth and the cities of the stars, cities we have built and cities we have dreamed. From Dystopia to Utopia and beyond, Lisa Cole guides us through the invisible, ever-twisting streets of our collective mythic city.
"The fire raged fiercely for hours. The main Tower was not touched until about 11 PM, and one of the most pathetic incidents of the night, which moved the spectators, was the striking of the midnight hour by the old tower clock. There seemed almost a human touch as its familiar tones boomed out from the mass of flames."
