5 - Thaumaturgy: Magic or Science?
One of my recent communications to Mr. Friend involved the mention of 'thaumaturgy' in the establishing memo. I asked for clarification of this term. Merriam-Webster defines it as "the performance of miracles; specifically magic." Even in a world of alien abductions and Nazi flying saucers, I still have a hard time accepting that magic exists. I expected Mr. Friend to give some indication that this was a code word for some other, less fantastic program.
In response to my questions, Mr. Friend sent me the following response;
"Think of thaumaturgy not as magic but a type of technology that uses a new branch of physics. Don't think of Harry Potter or Gandalf; our thaumatologists are as much scientists as any astronomer, physicist, or biologist. I've decide to send two sets of documents to you. One is from our new employee information packet. The other is a transcript of a thaumintel session. I'll send more information when I think the time is right."
Attached this message were two slide from a PowerPoint presentation and a four page transcript with commentary. They detail aspects of thaumaturgy, how it is viewed by the Shadow Garden, and how it is used operationally.
PowerPoint Slide One:
PowerPoint Slide Two:
Thaumintel (Thaumaturgical Intelligence?) transcript:
Apparently, DEADBOLT refers to extra-dimensional locations or entities. The abduction of Dalton Crane referenced Deadbolt Ginger. Based on this information, it is appears that they are not a race of extraterrestrials; they are some form of life from another dimension. In the thaumintel transcript, however, Deadbolt Styx is a place, not a race. 'Deadbolt' may be a generic codeword, related to any extra-dimensional data. And what is Deadbolt Manifest? It must be a highly dangerous place, race, or entity. I've sent a follow-up communication to Mr. Friend about this, but have yet to receive a reply.
The term 'N-Brane' appears to be related to String Theory. I don't pretend to be particularly knowledgeable about String Theory. I've read Brian Greene's The Elegant Universe and a few articles in Scientific American, but that's the extent of my "expertise." However, as I understand the concept, a brane (from membrane) in String Theory is a manifestation of superstrings, in a set number of dimensions, perhaps fewer than the actual superstring. So, our world is a three-dimensional brane even though the superstrings that make it up may have many more dimensions spinning off into realms of existence that we can't access.
In the case of the N-Brane, it appears that is some kind of intermediate layer other branes (such as our own; what is termed B-Space) interact with. The transcript mentions a 'transient deformation in N-Space.' Is this a manifestation of the diagram in slide two? I'm almost certain that this is the case; but, what is the significance? Is the deformation a interaction between different branes? Could this be a wormhole, but one between universes? In quantum physics, there are theories that wormholes (theoretical as well) could be tunnels between dimensions and even different times - which, after all, is a dimension.
Venus of Dolni Vestonica - Petr Novak, Wikipedia
There are a number of references to the 'Mother' or the 'Mother of All.' It is part of the ritual being used in the reconnaissance session; but, it is also used by the author of the report. Could this be just a thaumaturgical phrase? Or, are we seeing some form of religion within the Shadow Garden? Based on the the phrase 'May the Mother watch over us' is almost seems like the latter. The idea of a universal mother figure isn't new. In Greco-Roman mythology, Gaia is the mother of everything; the universe, the Titans, and the gods. In Hinduism, Adi Parashakti fills a similar role, being the creator - and destroyer - of everything. Many other religious and myth-systems have a similar primal mother figure. One of the first works of art produced by prehistoric man were the Venus figures (example at right), stylized carving and sculptures of women, most likely used in early religious rites.
The veneration of the Mother-figure as a primal universal force makes sense, given that women are responsible for giving birth, the "creation" of life. What role this may play in a covert arm of the US Government is open to speculation. As one of the earliest - perhaps the earliest - forms of religion devised by man, however, it is possible that there is power associated with the primordial mother-figure, a power that the Shadow Garden can access.
These documents raise many questions, ones that can't be answered at this time. What is striking to me is how mundane everything seems. Magic is a topic covered in an employee orientation PowerPoint presentation. Peering into anther dimension seems as routine as flying a drone over a hostile part of the world, although far more dangerous. Just how much power are members of the Shadow Garden wielding? How much control over this power do they actually have? If the information being released is any indication, the answer to these questions may mean the difference between the survival of the human race...or our extinction.