One minute I was soaring high, conversing with the angels, the next I was cast down into the Pit of Ceaseless Misery, chewing my own limbs, gnawing gaping holes in my own cheeks, and generally injuring myself in whatever way I could. I had become one of the Grey Homunculi, you see – I had entered the Crucible of Unbearable Torment, which – as we all know – is the essential first step for spiritual purification. There is no other path for the sincere candidate, as is well known, and this goes a long way to explain the unpopularity of the Hermetic Tradition amongst modern folk, Generation Z and all that kind of crap…
But that’s not what I came here to talk about – indeed it isn’t. Most certainly it is not. I do not wish to poke fun at the crass unworthiness of those who seek only to lose themselves forever in the Foetid Narcissistic Fantasy Realms, for that is their right, and who am I to say what should, or should not, be? What does it matter what I think? There is nothing to be gained from lamenting the fact, nothing at all. There is nothing to be gained from shedding bitter tears over what cannot be changed. This is the Age of Brass, after all, and such an age always leaves one with an unpleasant taste in one’s mouth. A dreadful taste in fact – one of the worst you can imagine. I find myself grimacing to think of it.
Is it the Age of Brass or is it the Age of Ass? I confess to being somewhat confused. I cannot be sure, you see – I can never be sure. My memory is not what it used to be. My memory is not what I remember it to be, back in the Golden Age, back in The Days that Used To Be. Back in the Time of Legends. ‘Challenge yourself with a quiz and showcase your abilities!’ This is what we are told, of course. This is the message we have been given. Your skills are the things you’ve learned to do well arising from talent, training, or practice. Your skills are great, your skills are profound. They are the things that you have learned to do, they are the grotesque filth-encrusted habits that make you who you are today. Your skills are both unique and without parallel, they mark you out as one of Humanity’s Great Heroes…
I was not born as other folk are born you see – in contrast to the usual form of generation, I simply found myself there one day, and was obliged, as a consequence, to take it from there. I was obliged to ‘make the best of things’. I’m being ironic here, you understand. That is such a foolish idiom, would you not agree? What utter nonsense this is. What sort of lame state of mind would come up with such hideous idiocy? There is no better and no worse and it is important to grasp this transcendental truth. The sooner you can grasp it the better, in fact! That’s just my little joke, of course. Just my poor attempt at irony. Things just are and that’s all there is to it. Things simply ARE and so you just have to get on with it, without any of this pitiable whining about ‘better’ or ‘worse’. It’s no good trying to explain this to modern folk however – you’d be wasting your time. There be absolutely no point for the people of this modern age only ever hear what they want to hear. Wisdom is wasted on them, for they only care about going on Instagram and posting lame-ass memes…
