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The Murals

Threshold Pits

 

There are 4 murals located in various areas of the Thresh Pits. They are the Hands of Cooperation (friendship), Lions of Opposition, The House mural, and the Triad Family. Each are located in multiple areas and in varying locations and distances from one another (which we'll cover later), all except the House Mural (all the House symbols together in a metallic display), which is located in the Bog pit which we will also cover shortly. First understand that there are no "incorrect" interpretations of the murals and what they represent. I have discussed the Murals with Krynn, Solister, Elzabar, and a couple others in minor areas at less length. Each had their own view which would sometimes agree with another's and would also clash. However all are valid and shouldn't be judged better than another. I have included these views and have come up with some of my own, and have come up with my own interpretations of them as a whole as well as I believe that all the murals actually integrate with themselves to teach us an even greater lesson if we are able to understand how they relate to each other (I only realized this near the end but had a "great enlightenment" when it happened. Let's begin-Let us start with the Triad Family mural. Such a simple portrait and yet it tells us so many things. To start off with the basics, let us start with what it actually looks like. It is a simple painting, with mostly neutral colors such as gray and white, showing three figures. One so very prominent in the middle looking toward the person viewing it, and to each side and behind are two other figures, although they are somewhat less defined. There are 4 "stars" or "lights", with the brightest starting in the middle near the bottom, and the other three extend out to the right and up, toward the future (we'll cover that shortly). There is also a prism of 3 sides forming a triangle which begins, with the top tip, between the heads of the left and middle figure and extends to bottom middle of the mural, encompassing the first, bright light. First, why does the point of the prism fall just between the two faces (left and middle)? Well there are a couple of different possibilities. First, one must understand that history isn't set in stone. You can take the same facts that cover something in the past, put different people with different points of view into recording those facts, and come out with a totally different history than another. This could represent that. The left face could be the past... not very real and not very well defined. The middle, which would be the present, seems more Real, more coherent and more obvious and vivid. But still... left up to interpretation and just a tad faded. The third (to the right) would be the future, also not set in stone. It is faded as well, very open to interpretation and easily changed. The prism distorts much of the image, which shows how perspective on something makes a great difference on how it is perceived, and much of the time distorting the true image. Emotions, memories, personality, all these things can shape how you view your past, present, and even the shape of the future to come, just as the prism changes the shape of the Triad Family. Why is the future not touched by the prism? Perhaps this is to show that the future has a set path (perhaps the Lyrans can control such things?) or maybe that after all, the future is the only thing not yet distorted by our perspectives and that it still has infinite possibilities. The four lights- These could represent the Focuses of the dream. The one of Insight would be in the prism, showing brightest, showing how insight (or interpretation) can directly affect perspective the most. Or perhaps the brightest light is the source of the other three. That light refracts through the prism into three parts, three weaker parts rather and shows how one can become many (strengthened) when it looks upon the future with hope (the lights extend into that direction). You will also notice that the figures do not have mouths. In keeping with this interpretation we discussed so far, it could mean that many things in this dream do not have the faculties of voice or sound, or even written word, but they still speak... that is, if you are quiet enough to listen, even without mouths. There is another, simpler, interpretation. The three represent the mind, body, and soul. They come together here in the dream, which is represented by the prism (overlying the mural). It shows how we all share something in common and that we all share in the dream (the prism)... the dream that binds us all into the family... the Triad family (of the mind , body, and soul). Of course there are many other interpretations. Some FreeSpirits I've talked with look at the mural in a different way...a painting done long ago by possibly a powerful group who wanted their images etched into history forever, maybe even DreamWrights. Others think it is just a nice family portrait:) Another mural is the Lions of opposition- It can also represent many things. One particular piece of interesting information is where they are located. For example, in most cases you will not find the Lions and the Hands close to each other. Much of the time they are located as far away from each other as possible. Everything that the Hands represent, the Lions contradict. It is depicted as a still-frame, moments before they clash together. Notice the expressions, showing a lack of any motive for a peaceful solution, possibly representing the wars behind us and those yet to come. Also a warning that while we are humans while at peace and content, we can also become savage animals when angered. They are often hung in places where you can harm others or are expected to do combat. If you will notice, in one particular exception of being away from the Hands, the Lions are located at the exit to the Bog's Lair. There are also Hands located in the center of the Bog's Lair. The Hands signify that this is usually the first area where newly-awakened of all types (FreeSpirit or of Houses) have to use teamwork and a spirit of comradeship to defeat the first opposition that requires it, the Bogrom. The Lions hung at the exit may remind us that it is too easy to forget our teamwork and cooperation once it is no longer required (once we leave) and what can happen if we forget to take this newly found cooperation with us. The Lions can truly represent almost anything... us against Mares... FreeSoul vs. Illuminate... good vs. evil... but ore importantly, it represents opposition. If you will notice the two Lions are EXACTLY alike, equal in power, and equal in form. While it could be a still-frame before they clash, we never actually see them clash. They never battle for if they did they would destroy one another. And then there would be no Lions at all. They are glaring at each other rather than actually fighting, it could also represent an inner struggle. We are all the same... all dreamers. But we continue to oppose one another with petty differences that are less important than the truly important things... these differences causing opposition are indeed petty, which is why those differences are not shown on the mural. Only the important things are shown. Since only the important things should matter, it may actually be showing the sadness of even such enlightened beings, ourselves, finding something to fight over that really shouldn't matter at all, for we are truly fighting our reflection since we are all alike. We just can't see this through our Rage (depicted on the Lion's faces) sometimes and that is why we will still fight even when it should be obvious that we are only hurting ourselves. Now for the Hand of Cooperation (friendship) as well as the House Mural-If you'll notice at the bottom of the mural there are dark figures there, perhaps representing the dark side of the dream, dark meaning something that the individual dreamer opposes, which could represent infinite number of things. They are also winged which shows how fear, a basic and primal emotion at the depths of our soul, can give these dark figures shape and form. Above these dark figures there is a horizontal line, clearly separating them from what is above, the hands. This is where the House mural which contains the House symbols comes in (in the Bog room). The House mural is placed directly underneath the Hands mural. This could represent the spirit of trust and cooperation that the Dream was founded on. It also shows that this trust should be placed in higher regard than that of the individual Houses, since as a combined whole there is strength... in unity there is always strength. However, the House mural is also located on and under the dark figures, underneath the hands. Could this mean that the Houses were formed solely because of darkness within us, darkness that we took upon ourselves to form (which the wings represent)? Would there even be Houses if we all truly understood unity instead of dividing ourselves via the eight Houses? Maybe then, when we understood, would the Houses be placed above the Hands (but would there even be Houses to place above the hands if we truly understood unity and didn't separate ourselves in such ways?). But back to the Hands themselves. If you will look closely you will notice that the two hands grasp each other (one more weakly but we'll get to that) up to mid-arm instead of just at the hand. When you shake someone' hand you are greeting them, and that's all it is, a greeting. Greeting by meeting up to the mid-arm is a sign of brotherhood or deep friendship. Also, Each hand could represent anything... two dreamers, two Houses... but one of them is weak, the right one, and is slightly slumped over. The other hand is stronger and is underneath and supporting the weak hand, and is also lifting the hand to the top. The top has no drastic, solid line. It is clear and plain, representing possibly the "peak of purity" of the dream, the thing we always strive for, our destination. Also, both are those of right hands, as if the "entities" would be facing one another, and not turned away. Facing each other. Facing...like the Lions. What if they are the hands of the Lions? Opposed....yet cooperating in friendship... helping. Is that not what makes us different, our differences? Our personalities? Our mind, soul, and body...hmmm maybe the Triad Family fits into this as well. We are all different and that is what makes the Dream what it is... the Houses, our beliefs, our families and what we will live and die for... yet with all our differences (lions) and different points of view and how things are and what they will be (family Triad) and those who we group with (the Houses)... all these things... we still manage to help each other and rise above it all in friendship (hands)... for each other... for the City... for the Dream. For just the reason that that is what we are and that's the way it should be (does it really matter whether there is a motive). We are dreamers and we are human... all of us, and that makes us ALL family.

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