Dr. John L. Turner Blog

                                                     THE EDGE OF MADNESS

         Introduction       

On the surface of things, nothing appears as it is.

And yet, everything that appears unreal,

Is more real than the surface of things appears to be.

                                            – Psi Factor: Chronicles of the Paranormal

This is a place that many will avoid—a blind alley in the big city. Here lies a comatose man, sprawled among garbage cans, near a restaurant’s back door—chest barely moving, face exposed to the morning sun. A tomcat, favoring one hind leg, ribs adorned with scars on thin tawny fur, nuzzles the man as if trying to arouse him; unsuccessful, the cat retreats, lies down and watches. Trash litters the entrance; small pieces of paper fly by on spinning updrafts from winds momentarily trapped between buildings. Above the door, an exhaust fan’s large blades turn slowly, causing an eerie effect; the yellow light that shines through them from within, produces moving shadows outside, which sweep across the man like troops marching single file, slowly tramping over his chest and legs. We hear the sounds of distant traffic, the intermittent hum of an electric sign and from behind the door, a voice from a radio:

“Today’s National Weather Service forecast calls for a typical trade wind morning across the state. Light showers are expected to remain primarily in the windward and mauka areas. A weather system to the north of the Islands will keep moderate trades blowing through tomorrow, but likely diminishing during the weekend.” A quick muffled shout in Mandarin Chinese, and the radio stops.

Brown rats are in this alleyway, watching from secluded places with unduly curious eyes. A leisurely gourmet’s feast of human flesh is on their minds–they mistakenly believe the man is dead. They patiently wait for the cat to leave; this still-warm entrée will soon be theirs.

This man has all the appearances of the dregs of society. But be forewarned . . . It is easy to be fooled by the surface of things.

 To be continued . . .

Aloha!

I welcome you to the New Year 2009 and I hope you will continue to follow my blog entries as I eventually lead into a discussion of cosmogony, cosmology and consciousness. But these subjects (CCC) are deep and will be only lightly blogged about. I will cover them deeply in the sequel to MMM,

Medicine, Miracles and Manifestations: Cosmogony, Cosmology and Consciousness for the Everyday Mind.

But as far as blogging, why not have some fun as we learn?

I have been involved in discussion groups (as I mentioned before on TBD.com) and the question of controversial issues of 2009 arose which let to question of UFOs, alien life forms, time travel and other enigmatic problems.

Unfortunately, there is little room to discuss these topics in depth on the forum site. It occurred to me that this blog may be a perfect place to share ideas on the subject. The question became, "How?"

Working with young brother Habib Shabazz, we fashioned a writing project that touches upon all of these subjects and more. I wrote the prologue, introduction and the first chapter and sent the information to Habib. He wrote chapter two and we continued to alternate chapters in this fashion.

If anyone reading this is interested in such an Internet writing project let me know. At the proper time, you can chime in and add a chapter to the story of Dr. Brock.

 THE EDGE OF MADNESS

Prologue

The river Arakawa, beginning on Mount Kobushi in Saitama Prefecture, heads into Tokyo Bay, flowing quietly in the midnight hour. All sentient beings within eyesight of this remote location are in repose. Close to the bank of the river, at the mouth of an isolated cove, the light from the full moon sparkles and dances on the water's surface. Gentle waves lap at moss-covered banks on this first day of autumn, a rare will-o'-the wisp flash may be seen.

Two groups of golden maple leaves, float downstream, close to the bank. They are pushed and prodded ever so gently by the cool river currents. A nightingale, perched on a low branch of a pine tree, watches the leaves pass with idle curiosity.

There is a sudden glint of steel in the bright moonlight, followed by a second intense flash. The momentary blinding light leaves in its wake eerie shadows for a spellbinding performance. The only observer does not fly away, but is transfixed by the specter of two ancient samurai swords that rise from the moonlit water as if spears of the Gods being thrust toward heaven. They appear by magic, just as the moon breaks free from clouds and provides intense lighting for what is taking place. The bird ruffles its feathers and continues to watch the saga unfolding on the water's surface with bemused eyes.

The leaves head for the swords. The first group approaches one of the razor-sharp blades, the sword forged by the legendary, but evil-spirited, Sengo Muramasa. They go by quickly, each cut neatly in half. Muramasa crafted his blades with sinister intent, praying strongly to Shinto Gods to instill lethal cutting power and maiming ability into the core of the steel. His blades demand periodic feeding on human blood. On this night, the only feast for this hungry metal will be small remnants of fluid, trapped within veins of the freshly fallen leaves.

The next group, as it nears the second equally-honed sword, crafted by the skillful and benevolent Goro Nyudo Masamune, suddenly takes a path toward the opposite bank, avoiding the weapon completely. This blade has a strong character, and considered the best of all Japanese swords, its destiny is not solely to take life, but also to protect it. The leaves were spared to continue their journey for reasons unknown.

After the last leaf disappears with its companions around the bend of the river, the two finely-polished weapons shimmer for a moment, then wink out of existence with a thunderclap. The startled nightingale soon forgets what has happened and blinks her sleepy eyes, which quickly close in slumber.

This scene repeats forever during the first autumnal full moon, at this remote location near Tokyo. The two fated swords are psychically linked to generate the balance of yin and yang, good and evil; they are the spirits of Masamune and of Muramasa samurai swords. Their physical counterparts are in Hawaii, on the island of Oahu; paired together, they bring stability and great success to one very fortunate and wealthy individual. However, a daring and dramatic event has happened to split the power of the swords and bring disaster to their owner.

It is up to one of the richest, and most brilliant of men, to solve the problem and restore order to all things; this is the beginning of the end.