WELCOME TO ELYSIUM'S PASSAGE

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Who looks outside dreams; who looks inside awakens
                                                                    Carl Jung
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It was eleven years ago, while journaling a few ideas one evening, that I noticed a novel beginning to emerge on the screen of my mind and then onto the screen of my computer. At the time, I was simply illustrating an idea that came to me, but then the idea turned into an allegory, and then the allegory turned into someone's dream. It was ALIVE! 

Prior to that, I had no thought or intention of writing a novel. And now, after all these years, I've just finished my seventh novel, The Return, which rounds out the full story of this adventure. As I scribed these books, it seemed I could hardly do otherwise if only to find out what might happen next.
 

ADVENTURE, FANTASY, PHILOSOPHY, SPIRITUALITY, ROMANCE, AFTERLIFE AND MORE

It's all there! It's hard to know how to categorize these narratives, and so I just call them fantasies with a message; in fact many messages on many levels. An engaging and surreal adventure that involves romance while exploring the mysterious Passage that leads beyond this earthly plane of existence. The novel is rather unique in that it contains hundreds of fascinating footnotes and quotes involving literature, physics and everything else you can imagine. You may read a sample of these posted in this blog under Physicists' Quotes: https://digitalbloggers.com/arts-and-entertainment/quotes

WHAT HAPPENS IN ELYSIUM'S PASSAGE

The seven-part Elysium's Passage novel series is a narration by Dr James Phillips, a young British philosopher from London who has a near-fatal fall while climbing the summit of a remote mountain in the Andes.

While his body remains in a coma, he awakens in an altered state of consciousness just before encountering two mysterious beings on the summit who have very different perspectives on the nature of reality. Before returning to his body in London a year later, he is challenged to re-examine his understanding of life’s meaning and purpose, especially when finding the love that has always eluded him. The significance of these and other events continues to astound and even shock him at times, far beyond anything he could have ever dreamed or believed. (You may read more about this in the SUMMARY section near the end of this post.) 

LIKE NOTHING ELSE YOU'VE READ

Okay, that might be a bit of an overstatement. But then, for some, maybe not. In fact, that's what one reviewer told me. Personally, I've never seen a book quite like this before, although I'm not sure if that's a good or bad thing. It's certainly not what I intended. But then, I didn't intend anything.

Some early professional reviews have considered it to be a strange brew of Robert Pirsig's Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, along with Herman Hesse's Steppenwolf and Carlos Castaneda's Teachings of Don Juan. My first book's (premature) professional review compares its style and content to those of these three authors. Although there's plenty of deep discussions, there is also much action and humour throughout the series that may, hopefully, be considered entertaining.
 

THEMES WITHIN THE SERIES

For a more in-depth discussion of the various themes found throughout the series, go to the post WHAT IS ELYSIUM'S PASSAGE ABOUT on this blog. Some of the more predominant themes are identified as:               

Immortality
Spiritual Ascent/Transformation
Love and Relationships
Life’s Meaning and Purpose
Know Thyself/Wholeness and Unity
The Divine Self and the Ego
Union of Mind and Heart
Consciousness and Spiritual Transformation
The Nature of Divine Reality
The Nature of Elysium (Heaven)

If all this sounds kind of heavy and abstract, don't let that turn you off. As I just mentioned, there's lots of adventure, romance and humour throughout to keep things fun and interesting even while these themes remain as a backdrop to all the action.

In fact, as things progress, the suspense and excitement build with all the events and surprising encounters along the way. (I won't tell more so as not to spoil it for you.) One reviewer who read the unpublished drafts for books 2,3 and 4 said they reminded him of a Dan Brown novel.

So prepare yourself for a trip like you've never been on before. At times may send you off into a surreal adventure and yet remain even more deeply real than what you normally experience as being real... if that makes any sense. 

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YOUTUBE VIDEO INTRODUCTION

Last year I made a short 8-minute 'amateur' video to introduce Elysium's Passage. You may find it interesting to watch me competing with my determined two-year-old girlfriend. I wasn't going to post it but some of my friends convinced me to, in spite of how it turned out. Watch it here or go to Elysium Passage YouTube Channel.

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PROLOGUE

To provide a more personalized introduction to the series from the narrator, I have included the PROLOGUE and INTRODUCTION to the first book: James is the narrator of the series, telling the peculiar story of what happened to him in an alternate state of consciousness. 

Hi, my name is James. I’m a lecturer in the Department of Philosophy at one of the universities in London, England. If you are willing, I’d like to take you on an extraordinary journey that you won’t experience anywhere in this life. As you join me on my adventures through Elysium’s Passage, you may find yourself caught up in a surreal reality that transcends the limited dimensions of this world.

It all began when I embarked on a mountain climbing venture to Chili after feeling frustrated and disillusioned in not being able to achieve my academic and social ambitions. But then, what occurred on the mountain would change my perspective on everything. Though a philosopher, I soon discovered how little I understood about ultimate reality, hardly seeing anything past my entrenched beliefs and narrow prejudices.

In The Ascent, my first chronicle of Elysium’s Passage, you will witness me receiving my comeuppance as a slightly cocky know-it-all intellect. Yes, I was beaten, whipped, broken and laid bare: stripped of my intellectual pretences. Well, at least it felt that way to my bruised ego. I now understand how necessary it was for me to learn these lessons in humility before I could begin to acquire genuine wisdom. 

The challenges and events I encountered helped rid me of the rubbish I had accumulated in my mind over the years. I didn’t realise it then, but a lifetime of limiting beliefs had impaired my ability and desire to comprehend an infinitely larger reality far beyond what might be seen through the foggy lens of this world.

Shortly after arriving in the Andes, I was confronted with a much different ascent than what I could have anticipated, where I found I had to fall into the depths before I could rise to the summit, figuratively and literally. As you follow with me, you may agree that what I experienced was the ultimate life adventure! Having survived this crash course, I understood all the clever stuff I thought I knew before wasn’t all that clever. Instead, much of it was just plain wrong.

Too often in the past, my thoughts were like shape-shifting clouds drifting in whatever direction the winds of professional acceptability blew. However, during my time on the mountain summit, I came to understand our inherent human capacity to access higher wisdom that informs and transcends the limitations of our linear reasoning. By discovering who we are, we realise that truth is accessed from within the centre of our being, metaphorically referred to as our soul or heart.

Sure, the cold, calculating intellect may be the processor of information, yet its analysis is of limited temporal value if it doesn’t join with the heart’s wisdom. Pascal said in his Pensées: The heart has its reasons that reason knows nothing.[1] Eventually, I learned how to discipline my confused mind to hear what my heart had to say first. With my academic orientation, it wasn’t an easy lesson to learn.

Much of what I first discovered came from a long series of discussions I had with a couple of companions I met on the summit, far more advanced than me, who often communicated what was contrary to what I thought I knew. Consequently, not only did I have to become a student again, I had to unlearn many of my old assumptions.

I didn’t realise then how much I had become inculcated with many unsubstantiated beliefs through years of institutional teaching and conditioning. I recognise that what I say may not be appreciated or judged favourably by many colleagues who hold to their fixed views on the meaning of reality.

In my narrations, I also wish to share what one of my sage friends asked me to communicate to humanity regarding how we need to live as spirits even when we’re not aware that’s the essence of our being. By this, I think he meant how important it is to understand we are immortal spirits inhabiting a mortal body on earth for a very brief period. If we understand this, we will live not only for the external world but also in accordance with the spiritual essence of who we are, now and forever.

Though I didn’t understand this before, I have no doubt he was right: we are spirits utilising our outward material form to give purpose and dignity to our lives. No matter how many distractions draw us away from this realisation, I believe if we take the time to look deeply within, it becomes apparent how infinitely expansive the Source of our spirit is.

You may wonder why the name Elysium occurs throughout this series of books. The word possesses a variety of exotic meanings associated with the idea of paradise and the afterlife in classical prose and poetry found first in Homer, then in other works by such poets as Virgil, Plutarch, Shakespeare, Dante and Schiller. How and why this name surfaced is revealed in the second novel, The Summit.

It was over a year after returning home from this prolonged adventure that I decided to compose a narrative of what happened to me after I became aware of the extraordinary events that had transpired after my ascent to the mountain summit. More correctly, I didn’t decide to write about my adventure so much as being conscripted by some very persistent and militant muses to put it out there even as the events were occuring. I trust you will find it just as compelling to read.

 And so, I invite you to join me on my trek into Elysium’s Passage as we explore a universe that allows for infinite adventures and inward expansion. It was here I experienced my surreal free fall into a new consciousness, leading me to discover who I am and what I’m continuing to become. Through all this, I trust you will be inspired to plunge into a more profound realm of conscious awareness as you find your portal to Elysium.

These novels are not intended to discuss only provocative ideas and concepts but to take you on a spectacular and sometimes enchanting journey, which I sometimes refer to as my trek into the mysterium of the unknown universe. Each represents a unique phase I experienced, including adventure, the afterlife, romance, philosophy, and what, from this world’s perspective, might seem like a fantasm of extraordinary experiences.

My story in The Ascent to Elysium begins in December of 2017 and continues through to November 2018 in Book Six, The Elixir, when my body returns to consciousness. Then, in late 2019, I began to relate much of what happened to me that year, completing my six-part narrative the following year. Now, I’m writing much of what happened after that in my concluding novel, The Return.

With the help of those closest to me, I plan to publish it as soon as it's completed. What happens next, we’ll see. My story has not ended, but then, yours hasn’t either.

                                    

[1] Blaise Pascal (1623-1662), French philosopher and scientist

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INTRODUCTION
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This narrative begins with a most unusual allegory that came to me in an intensive dream one night which, as it turned out, would foreshadow the direction of my future life. The symbolic nature of the objects and environments I encountered reminded me of the allegorical meanings I read of in Pilgrim's Progress. My dream experience had a similar quality to it: the most provocative interpretative expression of my life up to that point, including various deficiencies not so obvious to me, though they likely were to others.

Also, you will notice that my title page includes the words: “come further up, come further in.” These few words sum up the primary theme of this book and my new life. If you are familiar with C.S Lewis' works, you may recognize this phrase as the one that was cried out as the characters effortlessly went further up and further into the New Narnia, as described in The Last Battle, the concluding book in the Chronicles of Narnia series. Only after my adventure, did I come to understand the meaning Lewis meant to convey with this phrase.

As we ascend our Mountains further up and further in, we continue to gain greater clarity and vision in seeing who we are while we are on earth. Whatever path we may be on, we are all on a trek through life. I wish now to share my very strange venture taking me further up and further in on a journey far beyond what I could have imagined.

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SUMMARY OF ELYSIUM'S PASSAGE SERIES


 

This is a series of 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 of 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.

To read a sample press review at https://www.prweb.com/releases/2018/05/prweb15515775.htm 

ELYSIUM'S PASSAGE NOVEL SERIES

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.

For a limited time, the first half of The Return is posted on this blog site at: https://digitalbloggers.com/arts-and-entertainment/The-Rerurn 

 

READER REVIEWS

The following comments are excerpts from among the first readers, including a number of Amazon five-star reviews. To read the full reviews, go to READER REVIEWS on www.elysiumspassage.com or directly at https://digitalbloggers.com/arts-and-entertainment/reader-reviews

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

"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…"

“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."

"I am really enjoying your book, it’s fantastic! It is so incredible and diversified that I can’t really explain it to other people, so what I say is just read this book. Thank you so much for the blessings that you’ve given the world!"

“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 humour 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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CONTACT INFORMATION & SOCIAL MEDIA SITES

EMAIL: nmeyers@shaw.ca 

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