January 3, 1965 - January 9, 1965
Sunday, January 3rd, 1965
Today was another exhausting day of magical training. Prior to commencing, I practiced some Monkey Fist in the yard and had some breakfast. With the magical effort that lay ahead of me, I did not feel like I had any time for a bicycle ride, so I just stayed on the grounds of the estate to train. For the rest of the day, about eight or nine hours, I was doing nothing but practice the motions and incantations of magic, breaking intermittently to meditate and breathe. I felt that it was important that I take this opportunity to practice before my work with the Promethean Foundation begins. Who knows what is in store for us, or when we'll next have time for study and improvement? Following my day of theumatological practice, I went through two complete Luohan Quan taolu, three times apiece. Tomorrow, Magdalena Carter returns from wherever she has been, and I and the others will commence our work. Things should get interesting...
Monday, January 4th, 1965
I am busy getting started learning Persian, but I feel that it is important that I document today's events for posterity. Today was the greatest day of my life. It started with a training session then breakfast with Magdalena Carter and my fellow Prometheans. We learned about a mansion in Pasadena that warranted investigation by the Promethean Foundation. It had been owned by a magician named Jacob Jansen since the '20s when he moved in, until January, 1964, when he passed away. He was survived by his wife, who passed some months after him. There were others with some connection to the property whose lives ended mysteriously, but after my great discovery, all of that seems inconsequential.
Jacob Jansen was rumored to be in possession of a Persian magical text called The Book of The Gates, though Mrs. Carter and others were skeptical. I think they were incorrect to doubt this, for I found this very tome in our exploration of the house in Pasadena. My discovery of this book may, in fact, be the most important turn of events in human history. It is clear that the late Mr. Jansen attempted to make use of it, but perhaps he was too much of a dabbler or charlatan to be able to use it properly. In fact, the house was haunted by a spiritual entity that he had inadvertently summoned. While it is a crime that he held the book for so long then locked it away to sit in a safe, unused, for nearly a year, it is fortunate that I came upon it when I did. Not only will I be able to return this entity in the house to its place of origin and rid our world of its dangerous presence, but I will be able to do so much more.
From what I have gathered in my studies thus far, this book is the most important development in the history of our entire planet. It contains the deepest, most complex secrets of the most powerful, far-reaching magic known in this or any universe. With it, I will be able to right all of the wrongs that plague our civilization, and hasten us toward greatness. Unfortunately for me and the rest of humankind, it is written in Persian, so I must first gain fluency in this language. This is a small hurdle, but a hurdle nonetheless, and I must focus all of my effort on mastering Persian so that I can begin to unlock the infinite benevolences kept within The Book of Gates.
I feel that I must bear the burden of using this book alone. Perhaps in due time I can call upon other mages to assist me, but to allow others direct access to The Book of The Gates would be a mistake. It is clear that I was destined to be the one to take possession of this book. Too many coincidences had to fall into place for it to be otherwise: I had to come from China to America, I had to run afoul of the Hells Angels in Oakland to end up in Los Angeles, I had to meet a student working on a grant from the Promethean Foundation, and I had to be sent on my very first task by them to this very house in Pasadena where this book had been awaiting me, after it had made an even longer, more circuitous journey across time and continents. All that said, I believe the others have a sense of the gravity surrounding the book. Elaine offered to pay for a Persian tutor to speed my learning. Deep down, she knows this book is the answer, and she senses that I must undertake this task. She is ready to do whatever it takes to see this through, and for now that means helping me understand it. I think her commitment and loyalty will be greatly rewarded by the blessings this book will bestow upon us.
Kuranes must also know the book is as important as it is. He, too, saw it sitting in the safe at Mr. Jansen's house. He, too, must feel how powerful it is, but he also knows it was meant for me. He did not try to take the book when we found it, and he has made no attempt to get in my way since I took it. He must be patient and be ready to do whatever I need him to when the time comes for me to put the book to use. Like Elaine, he too will share in the infinite benisons the book has in store for us and the rest of humankind. Truly, this is the beginning of a great revolution. Let it be known that January 4th, 1965 was the day humankind began its ascension through the miracles held in The Book of The Gates.
It remains to be seen what role the others will play in my quest to make use of The Book of the Gates. Perhaps destiny has sent them to be my assistants, or perhaps they are the pawns of forces that would oppose the enlightenment of humankind that the book offers. I will be wary, but I honestly cannot spend much time thinking about them. Whatever they are meant to do, it is insignificant compared to me understanding the book itself, so that is where my efforts will lie. Tomorrow and for the foreseeable future, I will be learning Persian. It is the first of many steps, and I must not hesitate or falter. I have heard that Persian is a difficult language, but no easy journey was ever worth taking, and there could be no more important or worthy journey than understanding everything held within The Book of The Gates.
Tuesday, January 5th, 1965
Today was a long day. I worked on deciphering The Book of the Gates as soon as I woke up, but I was repeatedly interrupted, first by Holmes and then by Elaine. They were overly concerned with me eating breakfast and just would not let it go. Apparently the apple I had was insufficient. Shortly after the interruptions, I was pulled away from my studies to return with the other Prometheans to the Pasadena Mystery House. I thought it would be a good idea to look around Mr. Jansen's study for more information about the book, so I agreed to the excursion. When we finally got around to loading up for the trip, I met Ryan Keaton, a scientist who has had a long association with Mrs. Carter and the foundation. They have known each other since the 1920s, though Keaton does not look much older than 30. He is a scientist, but there is clearly something magical about him as well. From what I have heard, he has had many encounters with mages and the occult, though he has no actual magical ability of his own. I can only surmise that his relentless studies of the arcane have rubbed off on him in some way.
We arrived at the house in the early afternoon, our sluggishness in getting there thanks to a truly horrific batch of traffic. I went straight to Mr. Jansen's study and looked over his notes. Kuranes went to the library and was busy looking around for something there. I don't know what. The only item of interest I found was a receipt for The Book of The Gates for $895. It did not specify where the receipt was from, but I knew that Jonathan could figure that out. I went to find him with the others in the observatory, but I did not broach the subject of the receipt with him. I planned to wait until we were back at the Alden House to get him to investigate its origin. Regardless, I think the $895 price tag was an incredible bargain. Despite his chicanery and buffoonery, at least Mr. Jansen was able to identify a great deal when he saw it.
The others were busy wasting time in the observatory. They were insistent upon communicating with the entity there again. I did not see the point; we know that it wants to go home, and I know how to send it there, but they just would not listen. They were also doing some scientific analysis on the magical device the observatory housed, some sort of gate-opening telescope. I did notice some Persian inscriptions along the dials of the device, and I'm sure its design was a product of Mr. Jansen's study of The Book of The Gates. That said, such things are unnecessary to conduct magic for someone who has training, so the device was only of passing interest to me. Maybe it would be useful, and maybe not. After they had squandered the bulk of the afternoon tinkering about and needlessly brainstorming, I finally convinced them that the best course of action was for us to return to the Alden House and let me get started unlocking the secrets contained in the book. We headed back.
Just as I was about to take Jonathan aside to get him to examine the receipt, he realized that there had been a secret government agent watching the Mystery House. He suspected that a man he saw near the premises was with the Office of Scientific Intelligence. It was a little unsettling to hear that the OSI was interested in the house, because I just knew this was not going to end well. This agency may have been responsible for the disappearance of a previous team of Prometheans years ago, and Mrs. Carter considered them something of an adversary to the Promethean Foundation. We all mostly agreed that we should go back to the Mystery House and try to prevent them from ruining the place and taking everything there that might end up being of value. I also felt that the entity in the observatory would pose a serious threat to their lives. I do not know these OSI agents, but even gifted, well-trained people could easily be overcome by the Mind of the Mystery House. I wanted to prevent a fate worse than a few bruised ribs from happening to these people, if I could.
When we arrived, we snuck through the house and found an agent in the observatory. He used psychic powers to obfuscate himself from us, and to attack our minds. It seemed that we were in a dire fight, but after we subdued him we all realized he was actually a really good guy and did not pose a threat. I didn't think he posed a threat to the entity, either. I believed he and his team would find a way to do what's best for the entity and for the people of the United States. We still decided to take most of the paintings by Austin Osman Spare that Mr. Jansen had collected. They were made with magical paints, and could contain secrets or powers that we cannot yet discern. I doubt they are of any great importance or that they will be of any help in my study of The Book of The Gates, but it is possible that Mr. Jansen collected them for a good reason, and that the reason is related to the book.
We left and returned to the Alden House. I am not sure what to think about our encounter with this OSI agent. I think the agent himself is a good, well-meaning man, but I cannot be so sure about his bosses or colleagues. I have gotten mixed reports about the OSI, and Jonathan in particular seems to have little good to say about them. As long as they do not try to interfere with my study of The Book of The Gates, then I don't see what harm they pose.
Wednesday, January 6th,1965
I woke up with a strange impression of yesterday's events. I cannot quite put my finger on it, but something happened to us in our encounter with the OSI agent in the observatory at the Pasadena Mystery House, and now I am left feeling somewhat ambivalent toward him. I will be interested to see how he reacts to us if we run into him again.
Today I began my studies with Alexander Tophet. He is an accomplished magician in many areas, namely Gate magic, which is where my interests lie at present. He is a good teacher, patient and knowledgeable. He also has an intense intellectual interest in thaumatology and the occult; I can tell magic is a true passion of his, much like it was for my old teacher Wei in San Francisco. Our lesson today was limited to the basics of Gate theory, the interconnectedness of mana with space and time. I had not been exposed to Thaumatological Relativity before, and it is interesting to see the metaphysical equations that shape it. It even explains the more subtle aspects of some incantations of Movement magic. With luck, these lessons will help in my understanding of the diagrams in The Book of The Gates. Time will tell.
Following our lesson, I was exhausted. I decided to get in an hour of Da mo training, to help ease my mind. The breathing exercises helped me regain my focus, so I spent some time paging through The Book of The Gates. Even though I cannot yet read it, I enjoy looking at it. The text itself is beatiful, penned by a master's hand. I expect the words and incantations will be too. In fact, The Book was in my dreams last night. It is now clear to me that it will be integral to restoring magic to the way it is supposed to be, to the way it was.
Thursday, January 7th,1965
I woke up early today and trained for about two hours before breakfast. Today I went through a series of White Crane defensive routines, my favorite. I love the hard blocks of the White Crane. It never ceases being fully engaging for me to practice them. I was told this is because they can never be truly mastered, especially since clever opponents will always be thinking of new ways to slip past them. In fact, this is very much the style in American martial arts today, with the rising popularity of Jeet Kune Do. Local practitioners of martial arts are learning about quick thrusts aimed at bypassing defenses, generally timed so that attacks occur simultaneously with the opponent's attacks, the idea being to strike first and stop their attack. I find that if I thrust with extended fingers toward an opponent's neck or shoulder, I can quickly break off in a downward block. Or, if I am quick enough, I can strike, unbalance my opponent, and block down and transition to a wristlock. These defensive methods have proven effective at countering the modern stop-thrusts, but I can always stand to get better at them.
My morning workout was invigorating and prepared me for the long thaumatological lesson with Mr. Tophet that followed breakfast. Today we moved beyond theory and into the realm of incantations. The syllables of gate magic comprise three primary elements: temporal, spacial, and transdimensional. These are interwoven with syllables to shape mana to produce the desired result. Combining all three is arduous, and will remain outside my ability for a long time. In fact, this may not be within my ability until we have used The Book of The Gates to help undo the repression of mana that currently afflicts this world. Just combining two, say to move through space and time simultaneously, requires substantial power. Even a short trip is something I can barely muster under the best conditions. If I am ever going to be a competent user of gate magic, I will need to engage in more exercises to improve my mental energy and stamina. Fortunately, Five Ancestors already helps in this area.
I can feel my connection with The Book of The Gates growing as I learn these magics from Mr. Tophet. I looked over a few more pages tonight after another quick session of Da mo.
Friday, January 8th,1965
I started the day with a jog up through the hills to a park on Mulholland Drive, where I practiced Taizu changquan. There was an Indian man in the park doing yoga as well. This was a fun coincidence, as changquan techniques involve flexibilty and balance, and here is this Indian guy also improving his flexibilty and balance, albeit in completely different ways. Following my training, I ran back down the hill and had some rice porridge, fruit, and an egg for breakfast. I saw Holmes in the kitchen and we had a brief chat about cutlery, of all things, and we showed each other different methods for slicing fruit with a paring knife. There is something to be said for days that start on such a mundane note; they can be rather relaxing.
My magic lesson did not start until the afternoon today, so I spent the rest of the day reading about the Persian Empire of antiquity. I read some encyclopedia entries, but I found The Histories by Herodotus to be much more interesting and engaging. It occurs to me from reading it that there may be hidden occult messages within it, but I would need to be able to read it in the original Ionic Greek to know for sure. As far as I know, Herodotus was not a magician, but I suppose it would be easy enough for the only historian at the time to keep something like that out of the history books!
My session with Mr. Tophet was shorter than the previous two, and will be my last one for a while. As per my request, we focused on temporal manipulaion. This is the area of gate magic that interests me most. It is also among the most complex and will require patience to learn. I am happy to have been expsed to he basics, though. I doubt I will be making practical use of it anytime soon, but they say every journey begins with a single step. Indeed, when I first began to learn the White Crane, I could barely hit the broad side of a plank.
Saturday, January 9th,1965
We had breakfast with Mrs. Carter today, and I must say I found it a little odd. She kept asking me about Tibet and Tibetans. I don't know very much about them; I'm from Guangzhou, not exactly close to the Himalayas. Yet she would occasionally steer the conversation back to them. I thought for a minute she might be one of these Americans who thinks all Asians are the same, but I know she is more cultured than that.
Tibet is a mystical place, so perhaps she was just seeing what I knew about it that might interest the Prometheans.
Mrs. Carter was gracious enough to hire a Persian speaker that I could magically borrow the ability to read Persian from. The woman she hired, Laleh Salehi, was ostensibly hired to teach Holmes Persian cooking. I sat at a table in the room near the kitchen and read The Book of The Gates, at last beginning to comprehend it. It was quite taxing to read the book this way. I would read for fiifteen minute intervals, then rest for a half hour to recover. It was slightly distracting overhearing the cooking lesson going on in the kitchen as well, because I have developed a taste for Persian food since I moved to Los Angeles. This process went on for about eight hours.
The Book of The Gates is dense with information. I learned a bit about its origin. It was evidently penned by a man named Sayed Ali Muhammad Shirazi al-Djinn from the city of Hama. He describes the mathematics and astronomy he learned in Shiraz, presumably in the time of King Ardashir (2897 - 2914) of the Sassanid Persian Empire. This tells me that this man was a time traveler or that he led a long life and eventually changed his name, neither of which is unsurprising for someone so adept in gate magic that he could pen this book, because Muhammad was not born until 3243. In fact, the Muslims conquered the Sassanid Persian Empire in 3324, bringing an end to Persian dominance of the region. Within the first few pages I had uncovered a mystery!
The author went on to discuss Mazdaism that he learned under the mystic Kartir Hangirpe in Parsa. Kartir went to work for Ardashir's successor, King Shapur, and Sayed went on to study Zurvanism in Bakhtar. In due time I would like to visit these times and places, but I have so much work to do before I will be able to. I still have much to learn regarding gate magic before I can even begin to contemplate such journeys. Not to mention, I don't know how they're going to react to a Chinese woman there! Probably not well.
After reading through the book, I was mentally exhausted. It was the perfect opportunity to spend a couple of hours practicing Da mo, to recenter myself, because I have another session to look forward to tomorrow.