Raising The Wind

"Made idle by cynicism, these two bored intelligences turned to the study of prophecy and magic. While still young they learned of each other's existence and fame in such arts. They met secretly in Jerusalem and there made a pact to perform an operation known to occultists as "Raising the Wind". Then they separated and returned to their respective countries, where they patiently set to work preparing the operation. 

"This operation (which has never ever been successfully completed) involves the selection of an ordinary human conflict by powerful magicians who recruit for it's armies occult assistance and thereby raise the conflict to a higher power, investing it with apocalyptic significance. Finding Man's story long and wearisome, they wished to force the coming of the Antichrist and, what must follow, the coming of the Messiah and the End of All Things. To slake their boredom they wished to stage Armageddon in front of the pyramids. 

"The Father [of Cats] took the side of Islam, Cornu that of Christendom. The Father recruited healers; Cornu recruited the sick.  The Father summoned up assistance from the Alam al-Mithal [the dream world, the world of images]; Cornu struggled against the phantoms of the dream world."

      - The Arabian Nightmare, Robert Irwin

A Cantrap for the Door - p.116

    A black iron door eleven feet tall barred his way.  The central panel displayed an iron Tree of Life.  Iron lizards clinging to the trunk hissed and, darting iron tongues, scuttled to new vantages; iron birds hopped from branch to branch, first peering down at Shimrod, then avidly inspecting the iron fruit which none dared taste and occasionally producing small chiming sounds.

    Shimrod spoke a cantrap, to soothe the sandestin who controlled the door: "Door, open to me, and let me pass unscathed.  Heed only my true wishes, without reference to the mischieveous caprices of my dark under-minds."
The door whispered: "Shimrod, the way is clear, though you are over-fastidious in your stipulations."

    Shimrod forbore argument and advanced upon the door, which swing aside and allowed him access to a foyer illuminated by a glass dome of green, golden-yellow and carmine-red panes.

- Lyonesse: The Green Pearl
   Jack Vance

The call to literacy goes out

Read a Book: Messages I can certainly get behind.

IIRC Annmarie Aymer pointed this out.

The Kirghiz Light

"Forgive him as you forgave Tchitcherine at the Kirghiz Light."

Gravity's Rainbow
Thomas Pynchon

Never found any other reference to the Kirghiz Light. Thought maybe it was related to the Tunguska event.

It's only referenced in Gravity's Rainbow in a couple brief passages like this. In my recollection the character Tchitcherine is not such a great guy, but apparently the Kirghiz Light was a life-changing and spiritual experience for him. The idea of boundless forgiveness and experience of awe.

It came to mind now because of the previously posted Nostalgia of the Infinite.

The Thousand and One Nights

(A.K.A. Arabian Nights)

Hope to get around to reading this at some point. Apparently available at Bartleby.

Build Your Own Paper Robots

On sale at Amazon.com.

Via Boing Boing.