THE MYSTERIOUS STORY BEHIND THE STORY

Jul 20, 2018 2867 views

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https://digitalbloggers.com/arts-and-entertainment/ep-blog-posts

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PART ONE

Of Ten Parts in the eBook HOW IT CAME

Introduction

What has happened in my life during the last five years has been truly extraordinary. Perhaps that's why it's with some trepidation I put myself out there, since this is a very personal story and not just a little bizarre. However, it may help future readers of Elysium's Passage novel series to understand why the books are so different from 'normal' fiction.

In fact, I'm not sure which will be regarded as more strange, the non-fictional account of the eBook, HOW IT HAPPENED or the Elysium's Passage book series. If you are skeptical about what I write in this post, likely you will be even more so in the eBook. But then, so would I if it hadn't happened to me.

In this post, as well as in the subsequent parts in the eBook, I make reference to my late friend, Dr Jan Merta. It would take several volumes to properly represent his life’s achievements but this profile is listed in a Who’s Who Publication. See the blog post on him for the PDF Who's Who profile

What I've written about in another post and what you will find in the eBook is that he is very much part of the Elysium's Passage series by somehow managing to help inspire the series into existence from where he now dwells. If you had known him as I did, this might not surprise you.

The Beginning

In late 2012, I had a series of extraordinary encounters that led me to write the Elysium's Passage series I hadn’t planned or even thought of before. In fact, I had never considered writing a novel... ever!

And yet, within six months I found a novel was somehow being scribed through me. It didn’t stop there; in just over a year from when the story began to write itself, I had drafted four novels sequels that seemed to flow onto the computer screen without me having any idea what might happen next. Often I would not be able to go to bed, even after writing fourteen hours, since I couldn’t wait to find out what might happen next.

By the second year with more revising and editing, the four novels bulked up to several hundred pages, each with hundreds of footnotes of quotes and references. But my commitment to this undertaking didn’t come without a price. I became a bit of social recluse; not entirely, but I seemly preferred the company of my characters to certain acquaintances in my life.

Some Hard Times

After a while, I could no longer focus on my work in commercial real estate, which meant I hardly had any income to live on. To make it worse, my retirement investments in real estate were wiped out due to circumstances beyond my control. With this stress, my health began to deteriorate, resulting in surgery (twice) along with a prolonged attack of shingles that caused inflammation to my posterior area, whereby I could no longer sit or void my bladder without a catheter.

I don't wish to overstate my troubles. It’s called life and it happens to all of us at various times. My point is that even though these and several other unfortunate circumstances occurred, I couldn’t stop writing. Perhaps writing was my escape into another dimension of exciting characters and adventure.

After completing that glorious first draft of the series, where everything flowed naturally and effortlessly, things got tough, just as in my real-life circumstances. After I broke the story into several books, the first narrative, doubled in size to 600 pages after undergoing twelve complete, often agonizing redrafts over the last two years. I then split that novel into two of approximately 300 pages each. Now the series is close to 2,000 pages with one more book The Return, to be written to complete the series.

Nietzsche once said, of all that is written, I love only what a man has written with his own blood. Perhaps that’s hyperbole, but considering the intensity of the book, I suspect it probably couldn't have been written any other way.

Content

I trust there will be many readers who, with me, agree that Elysium's Passage is replete with meaning and significance. In fact, it seems to me, that after having worked all my life in the world of business, the content has gone well beyond my natural literary abilities. Prior to this, I hadn't written anything of significance since my university term papers (in which I never did all that well).

Though I regard the series to be entertaining, the writing is much more than just entertainment. For that reason, I realize the series may have a less than overwhelming appeal among readers who prefer more action and less intellectual dialogue (such as one of my professional reviewers suggested). I suspect, however, there still remains a significant audience that prefers to read literature that speaks to the depths of the human spirit.

In this eBook, How it Happened, I've endeavoured to relate the events by which the narratives came into existence, even as I continue to be led towards more literary adventures. The first book in the Elysium's Passage series, The Summit, will be published early in 2018. Over the next few years, it will be followed with Surreal Adventures, Mystical Romance, The Elixir and lastly, The Return.

Theme

The entire series is an ongoing narrative of a young philosopher from London, Dr James Phillips, who has a near-fatal fall while climbing towards the summit of a remote mountain in the Andes. Though his body remains in a coma in a hospital, his spirit awakens in an altered state of consciousness, where he encounters two mysterious beings on the summit.

As it turns out, they have very different perspectives on the nature of reality than what he has while challenging his understanding of life’s meaning and purpose. Before he returns to his body in London at the end of the fourth book, he becomes engaged in various adventures, including a mystical romance that leads him into several other surprises.

The name Elysium, which I chose, was used by Homer, Hesiod, Virgil and many other poets to mean the paradisiacal afterlife reserved for heroes. But Elysium’s Passage is not just about a hero or a mountain expedition, but a fall into a spiritual dimension that may be described in Latin as the Mysterium Tremendum.

And now I will begin my tale of the peculiar events that gradually led to a story that, unbeknownst me; would soon take form and be released.

The Back Story

It all began on a beautiful spring morning several years ago while inquiring about storage space in the basement of an older commercial building in central Calgary. I was considering bringing a private book collection back to Canada from the Czech Republic which had belonged to my good friend Dr Jan Merta. (See links to his story posts below.) Unfortunately, he had passed away in his homeland a couple of years previously in 2010, leaving behind one of the world’s finest private collections of esoteric books; in fact, over six thousand copies, many rare and very valuable. I had seen the collection years ago and was interested in purchasing it.

I knew, however, the library would be expensive, especially after shipping it from Eastern Europe to Calgary. Besides that, I didn’t have sufficient space in my residence for the books. If displayed on shelves, they would have filled the basement of an average house. As interesting as they may be to have, I also recognized it would be difficult to read even a small portion of these books. In spite of all that, I still wanted to bring the books back to Calgary since I knew they were such a literary prize.

After looking at the space, the studio/shop owner, Angel Rogers, and I agreed that for various reasons it probably wasn’t a good place to keep the books. Angel, who is an accomplished lifelong psychic intuitive, was curious to know more about the library. As I was telling her who it had belonged to and the circumstances, she announced to me that Jan was now present with us, wanting to know why I was interested in purchasing the library.

Somehow I wasn’t too surprised that he would make contact with me since, while he was on earth, he was just as interested in understanding the spiritual dimension as I was. But suddenly, here he was, now coming to me from that direction.

What made this encounter so interesting was not just that he was a very close friend, but that he had such great ability while on earth; in fact, he was often described as the world’s most accomplished man. I realized that in having this connection with him again, I might be able to gain access to his unique perspectives about the experiences in his new sphere of existence. I couldn’t think of a better contact to have, considering how we already had several discussions over the years on subjects related to our ultimate existence.

While on earth, not only did he have unique abilities to demonstrate astonishing psychic/telekinetic feats, he was also a scientist with several registered patents related to deep-sea diving. Undoubtedly, these have saved many lives over the years.

Before he retired back to his home country in 2008, I would often meet him for lunch a couple of times each month in downtown Calgary near where he worked as Chief Diver for the National Energy Board of the Government of Canada. Since my academic background and ongoing interest was, and still remains, philosophy, I was fascinated by the depths of his knowledge and the profound writings he introduced me to over the years. Although I consider myself exceptionally well-read in many areas of literature and philosophy, having been educated in these areas, his knowledge went far beyond my conventional knowledge and understanding. During these occasions, I spent a lot of time listening, since there was little for me to say or add, except ask more questions that would open new fields and perspectives.

I remained close to Jan over a period of about fifteen years from the time I met him in the mid-1990s to when he finally retired in the Czech Republic. Over that time, I arranged for him to speak at a series of lectures on a variety of topics I video recorded. (There were twelve of these public presentations).[1]

And so now, as I stood in there, I couldn’t think of a specific reason to give in answering him why I wanted to acquire his library. I just told him that I thought the books were so exceptional the public should have access to them. But with him seeming to be so detached from what he once took such pride in, I wondered if I should spend all that money. His daughter, who lived near Prague, knew the value and so wasn’t about to give the books away, even though she didn’t understand English or have any use for them.[2]

In any case, that was the beginning of my renewed acquaintance with my old friend. I was intrigued by this short conversation and being able to carry on as we had for so many years before. And so I was naturally eager to schedule an appointment to chat with him once again.

As you may imagine, there was far too much to discuss over the one-hour session to even begin inquiring into his state of existence. It was him, alright; there was no mistaking his unique wit, humour and demeanour. Later I followed up with another visit about a month later while recording the dialogues on my mobile.

Though I lost my phone along with these conversations I recorded, I had already typed a transcript of the session which is contained in part two of the eBook. It may seem a bit confusing in places, but I think most of it is sufficiently coherent to see how Elysium’s Passage was about to germinate.

I didn't know it at the time, this was to be the beginning of Elysium's Passage.

[1] These lectures included: Nature and the Soul, Freedom, Mysteries, Energies, Soul and the Workplace, UFOs, Mind Body Spirit, Life After Death, Nature of the Soul, Right Choices, The Nature of Reality, etc. He never prepared for the lectures yet held the audience spellbound for two hours without a break. I plan to post these taped lectures on YouTube sometime in the future.

[2] A few years later, however, I was able to arrange for the sale of the books to a bookstore in Calgary.

WATCH MANHATTAN TRANSFER'S TWILIGHT ZONE

If you wish to read the full story on this intriguing story behind Elysium's Passage Novel Series, I invite you to email me at nmeyers@shaw.ca and request the free eBook: HOW IT CAME and I will send it to your email address.

To read more about Dr Jan Merta go to
https://digitalbloggers.com/arts-and-entertainment/dr-jan-merta
Merta Lecture Series
https://digitalbloggers.com/arts-and-entertainment/merta-lectures

You may also watch some of his lectures that are posted on the ELYSIUM'S PASSAGE YOUTUBE CHANNEL https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXpzFH6VNMQLOtqOK2SrXpg (I apologize for the lack of quality but all the transfers in format compromised the delivery. Earphones help.

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SUMMARY OF ELYSIUIM'S PASSAGE SERIES

THE SUMMIT is the first in a series of five Elysium’s Passage narrations regarding a young British philosopher named James Phillips who finds himself living in an altered state of reality while still remaining on earth.

After experiencing a near-fatal fall while climbing to the summit of a remote mountain in the Andes, James awakens in a new dimension. He soon encounters two mysterious beings who provide him with a very different perspective on the nature of his existence. Over the next year, before his body recovers from the coma, he is challenged to re-examine his understanding about life’s meaning and purpose far beyond anything he previously believed or could believe.

An engaging and sometime surreal adventure with intimations of impending romance, the narrative explores the most important questions about life, death, reality and our ultimate destiny.

The Plains of Elysium (Champs-Élysées) was described by Homer, Hesiod, Virgil and many other poets as the paradisiac afterlife realm reserved for heroes. As the title suggests, this is about a journey through a passage that leads towards Elysium’s exciting realm of existence.

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PENDING PUBLICATIONS ELYSIUM’S PASSAGE SERIES

The following titles in the Elysium's Passage series are projected to be released as follows:

THE ASCENT fall 2121

THE SUMMIT fall 2021

QUANTUM LEAPS spring 2022

SURREAL ADVENTURES summer 2022

MYSTICAL ROMANCE fall 2022

THE ELIXIR summer 2023

THE RETURN sometime in 2024

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READER REVIEWS

The following comments are among the first Amazon reviews of Elysium’s Passage: The Summit. All are Five Stars! Others reader reviews are included below, along with excerpts from two professional reviews. To read full reviews, go to READER REVIEWS on www.elysiumspassage.com

"Quietly, gently, and without imposition, the Author unfolds the pages, creating an intricate, interlocking bridge spanning the chasm between mind and heart. Renewing, refreshing, restoring. In my bereavement, it was vigil and light…"

"A delightful mix of fantasy, reality, conjecture and humour; Mr. Meyers draws the reader into the story with a gentle narrative that captures imagination, leaving one anxious to get to the next page drawing you into his exceptional world.”

“Excellently written with an exceedingly deep understanding of this world and the next. The characters are very well written and engaging. I can't wait to complete this book!"

“Takes the reader on both a philosophical and spiritual journey, a journey that at times is both disquieting and tranquil. James, a British Philosopher can be irreverent and caustic, traits that should have left me cringing, but instead made me laugh out loud. Elysium’s Passage is a fun, enlightening and remarkable book.”

“This is a masterful fantasy, becoming a real possibility, as the reader is drawn into the story. The Summit leaves you anxious for the next book in the series, yet also leaves you totally satisfied with the world you have just visited. Genius! An exciting, yet calming, experience that is not to be missed."

"There was hardly a page on which I did not find at least one sentence worthy of hi-lighting for future reference. In addition, I thoroughly enjoyed the main character, James, whose personality and passionate verbal exchanges with the other characters, kept me coming back for more. I am reading the book for a second time while I wait for the next one in this series to be made available."

“N.G. Meyers has clearly put a great deal of research and thought into what the afterlife may look like and I like his perspective. It’s an altogether welcoming and exciting vision. The book gives one a great deal to think about and a reassuring confidence that the end of our lives is truly the beginning of life in the next. I highly recommend it."

“The humour interjected into a serious discussion makes me laugh out loud. Totally unexpected....l may be in the presence of at least a master, if not a genius. A fair ride into reality... seeking that which is unseen, yet absolutely real.”

“An engaging story of adventure embracing man's deepest desire to search for meaning and purpose, N.G. Meyers takes the reader on an adventurous thought provoking journey. This book has substance. It is a perfect blend of adventure and fantasy combined with spiritual philosophy. It ignited my imagination. The author magically weaves a good story laced with wit and humor together with deep philosophical wisdom. This book has it all!”

“An evolution in thought is triggered by many fresh philosophical themes which could inspire readers to re-think their reality and former ideologies that have dictated their lives… the author fires readers’ imaginations to view what could be possible when spirit vacates the body.”

“This is the book spiritual seekers have been waiting for. For me, it granted a great read as well as increased inspiration to live every day with a heightened sense of purpose. I highly recommend it.

“The Summit is capable of hooking readers and luring them to search for Book 2 to discover more about Dr. Philip’s surreal trek into the mysterious unknown universe. This thick book is well worth the read and to share…”

“Mind-blowing statements and speculation (‘…everyone is a non-physical thought form conceived in the Mind of God, preserved for all eternity because God’s thoughts never die…’). Many will find Meyers’ journey up the Mountain intriguing—and possibly even life-changing.” (BLUEINK REVIEW)

“In its effort to grapple with fundamental questions about the meaning of life, it raises questions that have echoed throughout the ages, including about where we come from, where we are going, who we are.” (CLARION REVIEW)

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