WHAT IS ELYSIUM?

Jun 01, 2018 - 04:08 Leave a Comment 3647 views

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WHAT IS ELYSIUM?

Elysium is described by Homer, Hesiod, Virgil and many other poets as the mythological paradisiacal plains reserved for deceased heroes. The name may have its origins with the Greek verb eleuthô, meaning release for the souls of heroes and virtuous men. Some traditions considered this a realm of the netherworld, others certain eastern islands in the Aegean Sea, and later, a place by the Black Sea.

Perhaps the best way to explain the meaning of Elysium within the context of the series is to include an excerpt from chapter 19 in The Summit called CHAMP-ELYSÉES which explains how this name came about in the novel and what it means:

‘By the way,’ I said, ‘what do you call this domain of yours? Shangri-La?’

‘The world has contrived many names to describe this state of being,’ Eli said, ‘Paradise, Heaven Beulah, Nirvana, Valhalla, Happy Hunting Grounds; the list goes on. Yet these are only names that can’t possibly reveal its prevailing state of total peace, happiness and contentment. As for me, my state of ecstasy needs no name so I just call it home. That's what it felt like the instant I arrived: the perfect fulfilment of my most inward desires.'

‘And that's why names don't matter,’ Mo said. ‘Call it whatever you wish; essentially it's your resting point, the only real one you can have where there is always a sense of belonging and union based on what you are within.’

‘Still, for purposes of discussion, I’d like to have a name since I can hardly call it home while my body remains bound to my earthly residence. But I’d prefer not to use the word heaven any more than hell.’

‘So why are you uncomfortable with that?’ he asked.

‘It sounds too ecclesiastical for my secular sensibilities and therefore not credible. Ever since a boy, I’ve thought of it as an affected Pollyannaish fantasy to bait the gullible and naïve masses into thinking and behaving in prudish ways that I could never relate to. And as I said before, I’ve always associated the name with pale effete angels and pudgy little cherubs we often see depicted in medieval and renaissance paintings. They were a big hit then, but I think the world moved beyond that otherworldly scene sometime back in the eighteenth century.’

‘You mean the otherworld where you now find yourself?’ Eli asked.

‘I’m not sure where I find myself,’ I said, ‘except perhaps somewhere between worlds, but at least I don’t see goofy things like that going on. Hmm, after being here with you two, maybe I should take that back.’

‘All I know is that in the past any notion of heaven seemed too pie in the sky for anyone with enough intellect to think for themselves. I’m a realist and the very idea of such a utopia has always seemed like wishful thinking. I don’t even like the sound of the word; to me, it sounds weak.’

‘So why not choose another name?’ Mo asked, ‘perhaps something without religious connotations. It really doesn't matter what you wish to call it, as long as it’s realized the meaning points beyond any earthly connotation. You need not get too creative since whatever description you ascribe to this domain could never even approach its true essence and transcendence.’

‘Sorry, but I haven’t the slightest idea what to call your new home. Like I said; until recently I’ve been sceptical about its very existence.’

‘Well maybe I can help you,’ Eli said. ‘Do you recall reading The Odyssey?’

‘Yes indeed; and by the way, thank you for leaving me a copy, I plan to read more of it tonight. Ever since I was a boy I’ve enjoyed Homer and Greek mythology.’

‘And why do you think that was?’ he asked.

‘I’m not exactly sure. I just know when my father’s books found their way to me, I wanted to read them from cover to cover, even though there wasn’t much I understood back then. More than anything, the books scribed by Virgil and Homer held a sentimental value that somehow provided me with a vague connection to my deceased father, who I could hardly remember.

‘Perhaps I wanted to bring something of him into my life by sharing the same thoughts he had when he read these books. I even memorized the lines he underlined as if they had special significance. Once I became very upset when I noticed he underlined the phrase, it is a wise child that knows his own father.[1] So what did that make me, I wondered? Wouldn’t it have been better if Homer said it’s a wise father that knows his son? I really wished he hadn’t underlined that because every time I read that it made me feel as though he was mocking me for not knowing him.’

‘That’s really sad to hear,’ Eli said. ‘I’m sure, he would never have wanted you to feel that way.’

‘And yet I did, at least until I got over it when I was older. Years later when I went to sea, I brought his leather bound copy of The Iliad with me to read just as I imagined him reading several years ago while sailing through the same Aegean islands.’

I paused for a moment as I reflected on these distant memories. Finally, I got up and said, ‘I have no idea why I just told you all that; what does any of this have to do with rebranding heaven?’

‘Perhaps more than you realize,’ Eli said. ‘Do you remember the term Homer used in the Odyssey to describe Paradise?’

‘Of course, Elysian Plains or, as the French say, Champs-Elysées. In fact, everything in Paris seems to be associated with that name; more than anywhere else, they made it famous, even if they don’t always recognize where the name came from or what it means.’

‘That certainly is true,’ Eli said, ‘Elysées has found several expressions in modern culture including Paris' famous Avenue des Champs-Elysées and Palais de l'Élysée of the French Republic. The name is even in their much beloved pop song, Aux Champs-Elysées. So wouldn’t you like to make the name famous for the rest of the world too?’ he asked.

‘But there already was a movie produced with that name not that long ago.’[2]

‘More reason for you to let the world know that Elysées is not a spaceship,’ he said. ‘Then you will be able to tell everyone how close you came to it while your body was resting in a coma. Also, considering how you sailed among these same mythical islands near Elysées. The name is superb for you. Who knows, perhaps even as you thought you sailed past it in your imagination, you were already searching for it.’

‘Okay then, why not,’ I said. ‘Let’s go with Elysées. Perhaps one day it will catch on, just as it did in the past.’

‘Ah yes,’ Mo said, ‘the Elysian Fields. I like it; a most heavenly choice! As I’m sure you’re aware, Homer is considered to be among the first to have used the name in literature. The nomenclature possesses a refined and illustrious history. Poets throughout the ages talked about the Elysian Fields as an afterlife paradise, including Virgil, Plutarch, Dante, Blake, Keats, Shakespeare and several modern poets such as W.B. Yeats, Ezra Pound and Emily Dickinson.

‘So if we're all in agreement,’ I said, ‘we’ll hereinafter confer the name Champs-Elysées as your home, or alternatively Elysian Fields, being the Anglo version. Be sure to tell all the folks there.’

‘To keep things simple,’ Mo said, ‘let's drop the champs/fields and go with Elysées, Elysian or Elysium, as you prefer. For my part, I’ve always been more partial to Elysium, the more common Anglo version.’

‘Ever since I spent time in Paris several years ago,’ Eli said, ‘I grew accustomed to the French version, and so you may hear me sometimes pronounce it as Elysées. Some consider the name to be neo-pagan, which I suppose it is, having originated several thousand years ago in Greece.’

‘As venerated as the word has been through the ages,’ Mo said, ‘Homer's depiction was only a limited earthbound symbol that reflecting his times and environment. But, we may now expand that by thinking of Elysium as an ongoing higher vibratory state of expansion, rather than some locality beyond the blue. It seems very difficult for most humans to understand that. Still, the name carries an interesting pagan mystique that includes the seas and plains of earth and yet transcends the elements.’

‘Mystique; that’s what I want to hear more about, so tell me about these mysteries that lie within Elysium. Far beyond earth's seas and plains, what kinds of things do you amuse yourself with when you’re not confusing me here?’

[1] From Book 1 of The Odyssey
[2] Elysium, released in 2013; starring Matt Damon and Jodie Foster. The wealthy and powerful live on a gigantic space paradise called Elysium located in Earth's orbit.

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SOME QUESTIONS ABOUT ELYSIUM

Shortly after finding himself in an altered state of consciousness, James (the series hero/narrator) asks his other-worldly companions various questions about the afterlife. At first, some of his questions are a bit on the facetious side since he's still not sure he believes in any of this, although it's becoming obvious things are rather different in his alternative state of consciousness compared to before he arrived at the Summit. In any case, many of these questions, and several more, are discussed throughout the series.

So here are some of the questions James asked, both serious and frivolous:

Okay, so if there's an afterlife, then tell me all about it? Do we still have bodies or do we drift around in the sky as amorphous clouds of consciousness? And if we have bodies, what would that be like? Do we need brains? If not, how would we think? Would we still look the same, but at what age? I always want to look my best, like now.

Are there cities, towns and villages? If so, what all goes on there? I prefer cosmopolitan like me.

Do we still have to work or do we just sit around by the poolside all day sipping pina Coladas? Do we have residences to live in? Hopefully not somewhere in the clouds. I was hoping for something a bit more substantial. What are they like? Are they the same as here, or are they all big honkin' mansions like Hugh Hefner had. By the way, did he make it there? Because if he didn't, then I'm probably in big trouble too.

Are there businesses there; but then, why would there be if there's no economy? But if there is, would it be something capitalist like Adam Smith envisioned or socialist like Marx advocated? How about Porches, could I find myself a 911 to race on your autobahn there? What are the preferred means of transportation? Or do we just fly around?

How about animals? If there are any, then what kinds – hopefully not reptiles, vicious animals, bugs and mosquitoes that bite – so how about puppies and kittens for children to play with? But then, are there any children there; perhaps the ones who die on earth? If so, do they remain children or do they get to grow up?

What about lifestyles? Who do I get to hang out with? What about sports? If I like to try snowboarding, for example. Do I still get to do that? Are there competitions where someone wins and everyone else loses or is it all win-win? But how could that be?

And sailing; are there oceans and seas to surf and sail on? If this turns out to be a long stay, what happens if I get bored? Turn off the switch for a few millennia?

What kind of music do they play there – all types? Hopefully, it’s not all harps and elevator music. Is David Bowie still doing gigs? If so, I bet his old spaceman motif would be spectacular

Do we still eat and drink? If so, can I get whatever I want? How about wine or other alcoholic beverages? What if, just for the hell of it, I want to get wasted one night with my buddies; can I?

How big is the universe? Are there other beings out there like us? How many dimensions exist? And what’s time like there, if there’s such a thing? What about the Big Bang; is there anything to it? What’s God like; is he mean or is he nice. Or is he a she? Probably that's a stupid question.

Anyway, I'm curious, who got it right with religion, or did they all get it wrong? Maybe no one even does religion there? What would be the point once you've made it, so to speak? What if I want to go back to earth to do this all over again; can I reincarnate. Not that I would want to. How about Jesus, Mohammed, Buddha, Krishna, Mary and all the others; do we get to meet them?

And how about the devil and all those bad-ass dudes that keep causing so many problems on earth? Is there a hell, and if so, who goes there? What must that be like; is it forever or just probation. Speaking of which; do we need to hang out with relatives we can’t stand? Are there any atheists there, especially the really militant ones like Dawkins – or do they go somewhere else not so nice? And what’s Christopher Hitchens writing these days, wherever he is – a retraction?

And oh, I almost forgot: here’s the big one – how about sex; do we still get to do that there? I'd really like to know. Or are we all androgynous – hopefully not. But if we’re still sexual, then how does that work if I’m in a spirit body? What about marriage; am I going to be stuck with the same woman? Or are there some more creative arrangements? – hopefully better than what we've come up with here?

These and several other questions are addressed and speculated on one way or another over the course of the series, meant to provoke our thoughts about life here and hereafter since it's really all one life, only experienced as different stages.

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Let me summarize this post with a couple of quotes by philosopher/scientist/mystic, Emanuel Swedenborg (1688-1772), who claimed to have visited the afterlife domain almost daily for close to thirty years.

"This I can declare: things that are in heaven are more real than things that are in the world."

"Heaven is not located on high, but where the good of love is, and this resides within a person, wherever he or she might be."

For more information and quotes by Swedenborg, you may review what is contained in the "Quotes" post on this site.

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SUMMARY OF ELYSIUM'S PASSAGE SERIES

This is a series of seven 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 sometimes 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 PUBLICATION OF ELYSIUM’S PASSAGE SERIES

Amazon in 2024

THE ASCENT: Chronicles of Elysium’s Passage

THE SUMMIT: Chronicles of Elysium’s Passage

QUANTUM LEAPS: Chronicles of Elysium’s Passage

SURREAL ADVENTURES: Chronicles of Elysium’s Passage

MYSTICAL ROMANCE: Chronicles of Elysium’s Passage

THE ELIXIR: Chronicles of Elysium’s Passage

THE RETURN: Chronicles of Elysium’s Passage

1. The Ascent is the first novel in the Chronicles of Elysium’s Passage that’s foundational to everything that happens in the following narratives that embark on an adventure that will surprise and delight the reader like no other book.

It all begins with an extreme adventure of climbing a remote and challenging mountain somewhere in the Andean Mountains. Just as James, the protagonist, is about to reach the mountain summit, he falls into an abyss that leaves him in a coma for almost a year.

After being airlifted by a forestry helicopter and flown back to London, where his body remains for almost a year. Eventually, he learns it was not him but his body that was rescued. Several days later, without understanding what happened, he continues to climb to the summit in an alternate dimension of higher consciousness.

Fortuitously, he meets two adventurers on the summit ridge who are no longer of this world. After that, his surreal life leads him to several new adventures in the subsequent chronicles that include a rich mix of adventure, romance, and fantasy, along with profound discussions of philosophy, spirituality and the afterlife.

2. The Summit, the second novel in the Chronicles of Elysium’s Passage, carries on where James, the narrator and protagonist, is taught more about a multidimensional reality that he finds difficult to comprehend.

Not only does he find he’s not as clever as he imagined, but his off-world companions on the summit demonstrate that much of what he believed about life was not just parochial but wrong. At first, he finds this difficult to comprehend since their teachings are contrary to his limited understanding of non-material reality.

After being tricked into teleporting off a ledge where he was trapped, James becomes aware of the new reality that makes him capable of far more adventures than could have ever been experienced previously in his physical body back home.

Now, if only he would win over the only woman in this life who matters, the nurse on the other side of the veil, who continually demonstrates her unconditional love toward his healing.

Warning: This book may also open the reader’s eyes to a much vaster reality than most might be aware. As with the other Chronicles, there are discussions of philosophy, the spiritual afterlife and what might seem like fantasy.

3. Quantum Leaps is the third novel in Chronicles of Elysium’s Passage, where James, the philosopher-protagonist, teleports back to London to visit his body and make contact with the special nurse taking care of it in his absence. Immediately, he feels an inexplicable spiritual bond with her for reasons he remains unaware of.

Now aroused by a renewed interest in matters of love, the beginnings of a relationship begin to emerge as he attempts to reach across the chasm of their worlds. But it’s not until the fifth novel, Mystical Romance, that he encounters her in a way that he finds difficult to believe.

However, before that can happen, there is much about his failed relationships that must be resolved before he is ready to move forward in his new life in Elysium’s Passage. It is during this time he christens his comatose body as the fall guy since it took the fall for him down the abyss so he could learn the lessons he’s now learning.

That will be the next focus of his life, where in his next Surreal Adventures, he is given virtual lessons to release many of his past beliefs about life.

4. Surreal Adventures is the fourth novel in the Chronicles of Elysium’s Passage, which finds James, the protagonist and narrator, escorted by his companions to a remote South Pacific Island, where he is left to reflect on what he’s learned.

During the next forty days, he battles the demons of his past as he works through some rather painful issues from his early youth. Here, in a tropical storm, he encounters an eery suspended spectre of the one he loved yet still resents for abandoning him as a child.

After this, he achieves peace of mind and is ready to return to his lodge to join his off-world companions on the Andes summit. However, just when it seemed things couldn’t get any stranger, a sixteenth-century sea captain sails his ancient ‘ghost’ ship onto the beach. Together, they sail off on a mystical ocean voyage to a couple of virtual islands supposedly in the South Pacific, where he witnesses and, at times, participates in several important life lessons.

Near the end, these encounters help prepare him for a new challenge within the interior of a mountain, where he falls deep into a dark tomb of fear. After being rescued by a mysterious stranger wielding his Excaliber, he continues on to where his life is about to be transformed in the following chronicle, Mystical Romance.

5. Mystical Romance is the fifth chronicle in Elysium’s Passage, which will surprise the reader with a romantic twist of how love is expressed in higher realms. From this lofty perspective, everything about intimacy is understood as within, so without.

After escaping his tomb, James, the narrator and protagonist, makes his way through a maze of tunnels until he arrives at a large oak door, which he opens with the golden key he had been given. There, he steps into Elysium’s Passage’s Great Hall, where his life and recent achievements are celebrated now that his eyes have been opened to perceive a fascinating interior world of wonderment… and romance.

To say more might risk diminishing the multitude of delightful surprises as circumstances begin to open to The Elixir, where James is about to re-enter his earthly body’s existence.

6. The Elixir is the sixth chronicle of the Elysium’s Passage series that prepares James, the narrator-protagonist, to awaken and return to his body in London. Before that can happen, however, his off-worlder friend presents a mysterious equation enshrouded with a light code frequency that will stimulate multidimensional DNA strands within him.

Much of this narration is centred in London, where his nurse unknowingly becomes involved in how the Elixir’s equation finds its way from a taxi cab driver to higher echelons of science. There are many twists in how she unwittingly brings the Elixir to the attention of mathematicians and physicists, after which they eventually discover how to code the equation into a laser ray to stimulate his fall-guy body into full consciousness.

Ostensibly a new Adam, he is destined to return humanity to a higher multidimensional existence. How this happens is filled with intrigue, as is his shocking return to his earthly body.

7. The Return is the seventh and last chronicle in the series where James, the narrator and protagonist, has re-emerged from Elysium’s Passage as he readjusts to life in the third dimension. Many of the events experienced in the previous novels are tied together in an exciting, fast-moving, action-packed narrative over several countries.

At first, it seems all memories have been lost, with his fall guy’s brain not being aware of what happened to him while in his coma. As a consequence, it takes a while for him to be convinced he had been out of his earthly body for almost a year.

Through some rather unexpected events and evidence, along with his girlfriend’s urging, he is brought to an awareness of much of what occurred. It takes a while for his mind to catch up with the changes made in his heart during his stay in the alternate realm. But after experiencing several harsh realities, he discovers what he became within while out of his body. Gradually, he comes to understand the many challenges that lie ahead for him in fulfilling his future mission on Earth.

This book is filled with adventure, romance and personal intrigue that ties together all six previous narratives of the Elysium’s Passage series.

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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