Doorways

I was called to the Villa, and in the upper Salon, found George, back from his travels and learning, in his Byronic guise, all curling hair and dashingness. We exchanged great hugs and he proceeded to tell me something of his travels and adventures. He was in fine spirits, the recent contretemps forgotten.

I was then sent a message that Madame wanted to see me in her room, which I anticipated might be important, because I have never been asked to her room here before, so I went out into the upper hall, down the hallway to the left and to the room that connected with the bedchamber adjacent to the salon.


The house is and is not as labyrinthine as it appears. It is, at once, fairly straightforward, a Georgian house with antechambers and all connecting through the rooms themselves. But these rooms often lead 'elsewhere'; that is, into other realms, densities, or dimensions. However you want to word that.


As I say, I had never been in Madame's room here. It is her sanctum sanctorum. It is very different to any other part of the house, but in keeping with her job and personality, very much cohesive.

Painted in dark green, with branchy vines and other 'elements of vegetable wickedness' (to quote Hawthorne). it bears a strong resemblance to the Costume Morgue, which is her workspace. There isn't anything directly sinister about Madame; she is simply the Part of Nature, the chthonic dark earth goddess who goes by many names, whom you don't want to piss off.

Upon the dark carved bed she sat in this dim space, and beckoned me over to sit and have a chat.
The subject matter was the 'doorways' in the place. I already knew of the one that led from the lads' wardrobe ante-chamber to the Teaching area of the Mental plane (and to this room, as fancy suited.)
Madame pointed out to me, when I marveled how like the Costume Morgue it was, that the antechamber door yonder led directly to the area where I had, many aeons ago learned as her apprentice, shepherding the infant spirits in learning [how to be] the elementals of existence. These new spirits might or might not ever exist in the 3D physical worlds  - it isn't necessary - but it was our job to teach them how to navigate the initial levels of beingness - the consciousness of what you might call Nature, which is not quite as inanimate as people seem to think. In earth's popular culture, they are known as devas or faeries. But they aren't in the least cute. They are, variously, the old gods, the 'forces of nature', the trolls, dwarves, or the jackros. They are good-natured if well treated. But you don't want to get on their bad side.

The doorway was also one to the Teaching area in the Mental Plane where Madame and I are working presently, in my position as her apprentice, once again, this time to take over the 'Mother Nature' role eventually. I suspected that she was allowing me into the sanctuary to speed up this process of understanding how places and accesses There are interconnected.

After some advice to me that I need to do more with herbs again [ I am a trained herbalist and tend to work in the old ways, with decoctions and tinctures and poultices], she pointed out to me that in my own room - catercorner across the hall - there is a similar doorway in my own  wardrobe antechamber, and that I should perhaps explore whither it leads.

I took this as a directive, and will do so anon.