The Flying Cities - A Tale
Created | Updated Jan 28, 2002
Facing the vast, Matarishvan stood without moving on the shore of an ocean. The sun had already set and the color of the sky had changed into a bluish black. Matarishvan stood in the sand an waited.
Matarishvan was a young man who was working at the newby city. Often he came here in the evening and musing walked along the shore and looked at the patterns the waves had painted into the sand. As so often also today he had taken a look at these patterns – and he realized that this time they had a quite different look. The sand gave the impression of being woven from flowers or from precious stones and stars, and somehow he felt as if he were moving across a meadow full of flowers shining magically. These patterns had something very strange around them, something that moved him within his inmost being. But he could not exactly find out what it was. Finally he stopped and looked across the sea into the vastness that was so similar to the vastness he now explored in his inner being.
Matarishvan often made such explorations, and sometimes he had touched within his heart a distant hunch. This time it was the same again. Yet something was different now. The hunch was being touched by a hint of gold and had awakened in him the wish for something new, for something different, the wish for freedom, for discoveries and adventures. And now he stood on the shore of an ocean and tried to get a deeper look into the hue. Something within told him, that this was the night of nights, a very special moment which wasn't very likely to ever return. And with a steadily growing certainty he waited patiently and unmoving.
Some time later his eyes perceived a golden gleam above the horizon. At first he thought that the stars were sparkling, but the gleam moved in front of the stars nearing more and more the horizon. At he same time the gleaming grew stronger and stronger and he could see a warm golden shine moving towards him. While the shining was nearing Matarishvan perceived, that the gold wasn't of a uniform nature. What was steadily nearing was a gigantic round platform with a lot of things on it. As it got closer he could distinguish houses and towers and bridges and finally he could even distinguish people who were moving among the buildings and the manifold trees and gardens. He had before him a veritable flying city. - But it was not a city in the usual sense, that was by now staying above him. This city was distinctly different. The houses displayed a great variety of forms, e.g. balls, pyramids, towers, polyeder, hyperboloids or mushrooms and fluently gave room for great gardens and bridges and streets. Yes, somehow the whole of this city seemed to be a flower itself, that hadn't as yet fully unfolded. And another thing also was different: there was no loud noise and all the people in this city hat expressive, shining faces. And this city floated above him like a promise, as if it was waiting for something.
He had the distinct impression, that this city above his head had posed a question to him or even was a question itself. He looked inside - and suddenly he grasped it. It was an impression like a rising of the sun in a desert: suddenly it was clear to him that he had waited his whole life for this single moment, for the fulfillment of his yearning and it was also clear that he could join the city if only he wanted. But this would also mean that he abandon all of the life he had led so far. Without hesitating any longer he looked up with joy and confidence and then his whole being answered to this question floating above him with a powerful, thousandfold YES.
And as if the city had heard him, it descended upon him. He felt the golden shine touching his head and with a tingling making it wide and bright, felt it descending more and more, wrapping his heart in showers of bliss and finally invading his whole being. Then - a small movement - and he didn't stand on the beach anymore but on a meadow full of flowers that looked exactly like the sensations the beach had awakened in him in the course of the evening. Now he knew the reason.
Then the city began to ascend and with him onboard floated above the city he lived up till now into the evening sky. In the city down on Earth nobody seemed to have noticed this magnificent spectacle.
Now Matarishvan began to explore the Golden City and to marvel at all its wonders. And all the people he met felt to him like friends or even loved ones or brothers and sisters, and it was as if he had lived here all his life. Finally he reached the center. It was a great twelve sided building with three floors made of white marble and looking like a pyramid with each successive floor being smaller and having a golden roof. This building seemed to be the origin of the light and the warmth and the love that incessantly flowed through the Golden City. In this building lived the moving spirit of the Golden City. Expectantly Matarishvan entered - and what he experienced within the twelve walls that were flooded with light can barely be described with mere words. Anyway Matarishvan received precious insights into his being and his destination and into the inner being of the Golden City and its destination.
When he lift the white-golden building he was an altogether new man. Again he explored the city until he reached a wonderful garden that attracted him magically. In it he went here and there and once as he rounded a thick hedge that was topped by many birches, moving slowly in the golden light, he suddenly had the impression of being in a wide and bright house, though apparently no walls were visible. But what he could see very well and what was also instantly attracting his attention was a man who was doing the most different works. Matarishvan got a pounding heart. As he went nearer the man suddenly stopped in the work he was doing the very moment and turned around towards Matarishvan. As their looks locked the world around Matarishvan grew pale and distant and a wave made of warmth and love swept over him with all its richness. And it was, as if they had known each other for many thousand years. "Ah, there you are!" finally the man said full of joy and they fell into each others arms and kissed fervently. And from this moment onwards they worked together.
All the while the Golden City proceeded flying over cities, countries, oceans and continents. Sometimes on this city, that resembled a flower, there formed something like a dewdrop that fell to earth on the exact place that was illuminated by the light of the Flower City. The whole area where the drop had fallen became covered with a permanent golden gleam.
Sometimes also a small golden point could be seen sparkling below. Then the Golden City would slow down its flight, turning towards the golden point and waiting above it. When then sounded a YES she landed and took up the point. In this way new citizens but also construction materials and other things were taken aboard the city. And with each new stop the city became more massive, more concrete. Although the city in a certain sense was already finished, yet in some places it was more transparent, though apparently solid whilst in other places its solidity was of a more terrestrial kind and also looked very massive. But at a closer look one had there the impression of a certain transparency: it seemed like there was hidden in the depths a shimmer or a shining that transmitted a feeling, as if this substance was living and could take up another form anytime. In these places the Flower City's expression war even more special, as if here it would be more complete, more true.
Then somewhen the moment had come. The Golden City headed towards its place of final anchoring. Those who had a good perception could see on earth in the light of the full moon a perfect image of the Golden City. This image seemed to be built entirely from the light rays of the moon. When with the anchoring both cities grew into one it seemed as if the whole earth took a breath of relief and from the earth pulsating power flowed into the Golden City and from her the powers of love and warmth, of the light and the renewals flowed into the earth and filled her with a greater life. In this way the Flower City became the heart of the earth and the flower finally unfolded and radiated a hitherto unknown beauty and the something like a shower of bliss went through the city and from this moment onwards there continually emerged seeds from the white golden building in the center of the city and flew into all parts of the world. When then they found a man with a golden heart in one of the places the dewdrops had fallen, they anchored, germinated, grew and became a new Golden City. When such a city had grown big enough she would take up this man and would fly around the earth in search for new inhabitants.
And when one day the whole earth will have become a great Golden Flower City, above the first Golden City then an altogether new city will take shape and it will become inhabited with the beings of our future and fly above the oceans through the bluish black evening sky to the stars – and the whole earth to this will sing the hymn of the Golden Cities: "Let us build Islands of Light..."
Matarishvan was a young man who was working at the newby city. Often he came here in the evening and musing walked along the shore and looked at the patterns the waves had painted into the sand. As so often also today he had taken a look at these patterns – and he realized that this time they had a quite different look. The sand gave the impression of being woven from flowers or from precious stones and stars, and somehow he felt as if he were moving across a meadow full of flowers shining magically. These patterns had something very strange around them, something that moved him within his inmost being. But he could not exactly find out what it was. Finally he stopped and looked across the sea into the vastness that was so similar to the vastness he now explored in his inner being.
Matarishvan often made such explorations, and sometimes he had touched within his heart a distant hunch. This time it was the same again. Yet something was different now. The hunch was being touched by a hint of gold and had awakened in him the wish for something new, for something different, the wish for freedom, for discoveries and adventures. And now he stood on the shore of an ocean and tried to get a deeper look into the hue. Something within told him, that this was the night of nights, a very special moment which wasn't very likely to ever return. And with a steadily growing certainty he waited patiently and unmoving.
Some time later his eyes perceived a golden gleam above the horizon. At first he thought that the stars were sparkling, but the gleam moved in front of the stars nearing more and more the horizon. At he same time the gleaming grew stronger and stronger and he could see a warm golden shine moving towards him. While the shining was nearing Matarishvan perceived, that the gold wasn't of a uniform nature. What was steadily nearing was a gigantic round platform with a lot of things on it. As it got closer he could distinguish houses and towers and bridges and finally he could even distinguish people who were moving among the buildings and the manifold trees and gardens. He had before him a veritable flying city. - But it was not a city in the usual sense, that was by now staying above him. This city was distinctly different. The houses displayed a great variety of forms, e.g. balls, pyramids, towers, polyeder, hyperboloids or mushrooms and fluently gave room for great gardens and bridges and streets. Yes, somehow the whole of this city seemed to be a flower itself, that hadn't as yet fully unfolded. And another thing also was different: there was no loud noise and all the people in this city hat expressive, shining faces. And this city floated above him like a promise, as if it was waiting for something.
He had the distinct impression, that this city above his head had posed a question to him or even was a question itself. He looked inside - and suddenly he grasped it. It was an impression like a rising of the sun in a desert: suddenly it was clear to him that he had waited his whole life for this single moment, for the fulfillment of his yearning and it was also clear that he could join the city if only he wanted. But this would also mean that he abandon all of the life he had led so far. Without hesitating any longer he looked up with joy and confidence and then his whole being answered to this question floating above him with a powerful, thousandfold YES.
And as if the city had heard him, it descended upon him. He felt the golden shine touching his head and with a tingling making it wide and bright, felt it descending more and more, wrapping his heart in showers of bliss and finally invading his whole being. Then - a small movement - and he didn't stand on the beach anymore but on a meadow full of flowers that looked exactly like the sensations the beach had awakened in him in the course of the evening. Now he knew the reason.
Then the city began to ascend and with him onboard floated above the city he lived up till now into the evening sky. In the city down on Earth nobody seemed to have noticed this magnificent spectacle.
Now Matarishvan began to explore the Golden City and to marvel at all its wonders. And all the people he met felt to him like friends or even loved ones or brothers and sisters, and it was as if he had lived here all his life. Finally he reached the center. It was a great twelve sided building with three floors made of white marble and looking like a pyramid with each successive floor being smaller and having a golden roof. This building seemed to be the origin of the light and the warmth and the love that incessantly flowed through the Golden City. In this building lived the moving spirit of the Golden City. Expectantly Matarishvan entered - and what he experienced within the twelve walls that were flooded with light can barely be described with mere words. Anyway Matarishvan received precious insights into his being and his destination and into the inner being of the Golden City and its destination.
When he lift the white-golden building he was an altogether new man. Again he explored the city until he reached a wonderful garden that attracted him magically. In it he went here and there and once as he rounded a thick hedge that was topped by many birches, moving slowly in the golden light, he suddenly had the impression of being in a wide and bright house, though apparently no walls were visible. But what he could see very well and what was also instantly attracting his attention was a man who was doing the most different works. Matarishvan got a pounding heart. As he went nearer the man suddenly stopped in the work he was doing the very moment and turned around towards Matarishvan. As their looks locked the world around Matarishvan grew pale and distant and a wave made of warmth and love swept over him with all its richness. And it was, as if they had known each other for many thousand years. "Ah, there you are!" finally the man said full of joy and they fell into each others arms and kissed fervently. And from this moment onwards they worked together.
All the while the Golden City proceeded flying over cities, countries, oceans and continents. Sometimes on this city, that resembled a flower, there formed something like a dewdrop that fell to earth on the exact place that was illuminated by the light of the Flower City. The whole area where the drop had fallen became covered with a permanent golden gleam.
Sometimes also a small golden point could be seen sparkling below. Then the Golden City would slow down its flight, turning towards the golden point and waiting above it. When then sounded a YES she landed and took up the point. In this way new citizens but also construction materials and other things were taken aboard the city. And with each new stop the city became more massive, more concrete. Although the city in a certain sense was already finished, yet in some places it was more transparent, though apparently solid whilst in other places its solidity was of a more terrestrial kind and also looked very massive. But at a closer look one had there the impression of a certain transparency: it seemed like there was hidden in the depths a shimmer or a shining that transmitted a feeling, as if this substance was living and could take up another form anytime. In these places the Flower City's expression war even more special, as if here it would be more complete, more true.
Then somewhen the moment had come. The Golden City headed towards its place of final anchoring. Those who had a good perception could see on earth in the light of the full moon a perfect image of the Golden City. This image seemed to be built entirely from the light rays of the moon. When with the anchoring both cities grew into one it seemed as if the whole earth took a breath of relief and from the earth pulsating power flowed into the Golden City and from her the powers of love and warmth, of the light and the renewals flowed into the earth and filled her with a greater life. In this way the Flower City became the heart of the earth and the flower finally unfolded and radiated a hitherto unknown beauty and the something like a shower of bliss went through the city and from this moment onwards there continually emerged seeds from the white golden building in the center of the city and flew into all parts of the world. When then they found a man with a golden heart in one of the places the dewdrops had fallen, they anchored, germinated, grew and became a new Golden City. When such a city had grown big enough she would take up this man and would fly around the earth in search for new inhabitants.
And when one day the whole earth will have become a great Golden Flower City, above the first Golden City then an altogether new city will take shape and it will become inhabited with the beings of our future and fly above the oceans through the bluish black evening sky to the stars – and the whole earth to this will sing the hymn of the Golden Cities: "Let us build Islands of Light..."
