AtDTDA: (8) 224 On This Island.

[robinlandseadel at comcast.net]

Starting from the end of our last installment:

           Miss Yashmeen Halfcourt seemed to him 
           the most trustworthy of the bunch, both of 
           them having been picked up, you might say, 
           in more or less helpless condition, and 
           brought here under the protection of the 
           T.W.I.T.apparatus, for reasons that might 
           not have been fully shared with them. How 
           much this gave them in common, of course, 
           was open to question. 223. 36/38 224. 1/2

So Lew knows something's happening (though he "don't know what it is")

           "Is this what they call 'walking out'?"
           "I hope not." 224. 3/4

           Just behind a vegetational veil tenuous as 
           the veil of maya. . . . 224. 11

           MAYA is a fundamental concept in Hindu philosophy. 
           Its meaning has changed over time, and there are 
           different views of it in different schools of philosophy. 
           To some it has come to mean the very subtle force 
           that creates the grand illusion that the phenomenal 
           world is real. For the Nondualists, maya is that grand 
           force that presents Being as the finite phenomenal 
           world. Maya may in reality be identical with 
           Brahman. [Ebu "maya"]

http://oaks.nvg.org/maya.html

http://tinyurl.com/2blwqw

http://www.hinduwebsite.com/hinduism/h_maya.asp

           . . . .persisted the ancient London landscape of 
           sacred high places, sacrifical stones, and 
           mysterious barrows known to the Druids and 
           whoever they had picked up their ways from. 
           224. 12/14

           Druidism:

           Modern Druidism is one of the Neopagan family 
           of religions, which includes Wicca and recreations 
           of Egyptian, Greek, Norse, Roman and other 
           ancient Pagan religions. Some present-day Druids            
           attempt to reconstruct of the beliefs and practices 
           of ancient Druidism. Others modern-day followers 
           of Druidism work directly with the spirits of place, 
           of the Gods and of their ancestors to create a new 
           Druidism.

http://www.religioustolerance.org/druid.htm

           Greetings and Welcome!

           Druidry is a spirituality that unites our love of 
           the Earth with our love of creativity and the 
           Arts.  Flowing through all the exciting new 
           developments in modern Druidry is the power 
           of an ancient tradition: the love of land, sea 
           and sky - the love of the Earth our home. 
           For the last 18 years we’ve been pioneering 
           distance-learning education in Druidry, and 
           now this is available in an audio format with 
           fantastic contributions of music, storytelling 
           and song from Loreena McKennitt, Robin 
           Williamson, Mara Freeman, Fiona Davidson, 
           Claire Hamilton, Myrddhin and Zil, 
           Damh the Bard, Jim Faupel, Corvi Ridentes, 
           Aine Furey, Philip Shallcrass and 
           Philip Carr-Gomm.  

           Here’s what Frank MacEowen, author of 
           The Mist-Filled Path says about the course:

           "As with most other streams of indigenous wisdom, 
           the Druidic tradition has always been predominantly 
           an oral tradition. Whether in a forest grove or sitting 
           in front of a crackling hearth, the Druid tradition is 
           a mouth-to-ear transmission of an ancient 'practical 
           mysticism' that can guide and inspire us to live with 
           the earth in harmony. With the OBOD Bardic Grade 
           teachings on audio, students of Druidry - new and 
           seasoned alike - now have the opportunity to work 
           with the ways of the Druid tradition in a fresh, relevant,
           but also traditional manner. Imagine standing in an 
           expansive forest, or even sitting in your private 
           garden, with a CD player or an iPod, being guided 
           deeply into a communion with the old Druid spirit, 
           your spiritual senses awash with spoken-word 
           teachings, practices, poetic meditations, and 
           heart-stirring soundscapes. This is what awaits you."

http://www.druidry.org/

A couple of films to throw into the mix. 

http://www.steve-p.org/wm/

http://tinyurl.com/yq77wj

Let's throw a little high culture into the cauldron:

           PROSPERO 
           Ye elves of hills, brooks, standing lakes and groves,
           And ye that on the sands with printless foot
           Do chase the ebbing Neptune and do fly him
           When he comes back; you demi-puppets that
           By moonshine do the green sour ringlets make,
           Whereof the ewe not bites, and you whose pastime
           Is to make midnight mushrooms, that rejoice
           To hear the solemn curfew; by whose aid,
           Weak masters though ye be, I have bedimm'd
           The noontide sun, call'd forth the mutinous winds,
           And 'twixt the green sea and the azured vault
           Set roaring war: to the dread rattling thunder
           Have I given fire and rifted Jove's stout oak
           With his own bolt; the strong-based promontory
           Have I made shake and by the spurs pluck'd up
           The pine and cedar: graves at my command
           Have waked their sleepers, oped, and let 'em forth
           By my so potent art. But this rough magic
           I here abjure, and, when I have required
           Some heavenly music, which even now I do,
           To work mine end upon their senses that
           This airy charm is for, I'll break my staff,
           Bury it certain fathoms in the earth,
           And deeper than did ever plummet sound
           I'll drown my book.

Act V The Tempest
William Shakespeare

Lew wants more info on the Nookster, Yashmeen speculates he could 
have been anything, but not with "that" haircut:

           "I mean it's not exactly Trumper's, is it." 224. 19

           Dukes and marquesses and captains of 
           industry have been getting haircuts here 
           since George F. Trumper opened shop 
           in 1875, and the ancient gold sign in the 
           window, ''Court Hairdresser,'' really 
           means what it says: men from Trumper's 
           still call regularly at Buckingham Palace to 
           trim the royal locks.

           Each of the 12 barbers has his own wooden 
           cubicle, so that you cannot see any of the 
           other customers while your haircut is in 
           progress. The cubicles have red velvet 
           curtains and old marble sinks, and some 
           of them are decorated with photographs 
           of former customers, such as King Edward 
           VIII and King George VI, or with wonderful 
           old signs offering such services as beard 
           trimming and mustache curling.

http://tinyurl.com/2bfvfz

Also an obvious pun on "Trumps", the Major Arcana in the Tarot.

           "These people----no, no, that's just the trouble, 
           they're all so unanchored, no history, no 
           responsibility, one day they just appear, don't 
           they, each with his own secret designs. It 
           might be politics, or even some scheme to 
           defraud." 224. 22/25

Plenty of penny-press/tabloid editions of the history of Crowley's political 
misbehaviour and intent to defraud (though it seems as though Uncle Al 
did maintain some sort of karmic accounting system . . . .)

           Students travelled to Sicily from around the 
           world to "find their true wills" or their purpose 
           in life. Crowley's training regimen involved 
           breaking down all artificial and societal 
           inhibitions to liberate the essential self, while 
           simultaneously giving training in yoga, 
           concentration, and self-analysis. The Abbey 
           and its residents prospered, but when an 
           Oxford undergraduate died at the Abbey 
           (from drinking local water against Crowley's 
           advice), the British press attacked Crowley 
           relentlessly. As was later done with D.H. 
           Lawrence, the Home Secretary Joynston 
           Hicks and his press mouthpiece, James 
           Douglas of the Sunday Express, demonized 
           Crowley. The press depicted him as "The 
           Wickedest Man in the World" and "A Man 
           We'd Like to Hang." Ironically, this campaign 
           ensured Crowley's enduring fame, as well 
           as an enduring misunderstanding of Crowley's 
           life and work.

http://oto-usa.org/crowley.html

           "You sound like a dectective. What if they're sincere 
           about who they say they are?"

           An amused flash of her interesting eyes. 
           "Oh then I've judged ever so unfairly." 224. 24/27

Then Yashmeen informs Lew further:

           "On this island," she went on, "as you will 
           have begun to notice, no one ever speaks 
           plainly. . . .

           . . . .it's only combinations of letters after all, 
           isn't it." 224 32/39

You know, just like the quabalah, right?