Since the LiveJournal Dungeons change over time with changes in interest and friends lists, I decided I'd try mine again. Didn't do so well this time...

I died in the Dungeon of Neitherday

I was killed in a torchlit pit by Iheartdrag the arch-demon, whilst carrying...

the Crown of Purplepants, the Amulet of Mirrors, the Sceptre of Qassandra and 0 gold pieces.

Score: 62

Explore the Dungeon of Neitherday and try to beat this score,
or enter your username to generate and explore your own dungeon...

The rapid spread of Vox codes demonstrate SixApart has learned well from Google's gmail: Invite codes when used properly are viral marketing genius. The illusion of scarcity drives interest and demand, and the constantly increasing the number of invites available ensures that their will be ample supply to meet the demand. To top it off, people asking around who wants their "generous" offer of codes equates to free and enthusiastic advertising. Gold! That be marketer's gold!

ganked from: matronmalice

I died in the Dungeon of Neitherday

I was killed in a grimy bathhouse by the wrath of Murky, whilst carrying...

the Wand of Cephalopods, the Shield of Bertrande, the Armour of Sweetprince, the Armour of Butterflysnf, the Wand of Psychology, the Wand of Imageready, the Amulet of Dacookiemonster, the Sceptre of Crying, the Sceptre of Secret Willow, a Figurine of Crucibelle, the Sword of Asleeponsunbeam, the Sword of Coolwhitestare, the Shield of Arcanus, the Crown of Sisterinsanity and 10 gold pieces.

Score: 105

Explore the Dungeon of Neitherday and try to beat this score,
or enter your username to generate and explore your own dungeon...

I finally understand death and I am no longer afraid of it. Even though I have no reason to expect to die in the near future, the idea of not existing has disturbed me to some degree for as long as I can remember. The idea of reincarnation brought little solace, because if even if my "soul" would go on, my memories and my experiences wouldn't. That hardly seemed like a continued existence, I still felt as if I were facing the nothingness.

It took something from the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad for me to really understand the process of death and reincarnation:

When body and mind grow weak, the Self gathers in all the powers of life and descends with them into the heart. As prana leaves the eye, it ceases to see. "He is becoming one," say the wise; "he does not see. He is becoming one, he no longer speaks, or tastes, or smells, or thinks, or knows." By the light of the heart the Self leaves the body by one of its gates; and when he leaves, prana follows, and with it all the vital powers of the body. He who is dying merges in consciousness, and thus consciousness accompanies him when he departs, along with the impression of all he has done, experienced, and known. As a caterpillar, having come to the end of one blade of grass, draws itself together and reaches out for the next, so the Self, having come to the end of one life and dispelled all ignorance, gathers in his faculties and reaches out from the old body to a new. As a goldsmith fashions an old ornament into a new and more beautiful one, so the Self, having reached the end of the last life and dispelled all ignorance, makes for himself a new, more beautiful shape, like that of the devas or other celestial beings. The Self is indeed Brahman, but through ignorance people identify it with intellect, mind, sense, passions, and the elements of earth, water, air, space, and fire. This is why the Self is said to consist of this and that, and appears to be everything.

My fear of death was founded on my fear of letting go of my worldly memories, knowledge, and ideas. That somehow letting go of these things was letting go of me. But these things are not me. Letting go of these things is deconstruction. I've gone through deconstruction in life, why should I fear it in death? Why have I for so long clinged to the idea that I must be defined by what are essentially mortal things. Death is simply a change, a paradigm shift. There is nothing to fear in death, and I shall worry on it no longer.

My flight from Chicago to Saint Louis was delayed and took place after the sun had gone down. In the air, I looked down and saw all the cities lit in the bright yellow street lights that are most commonly used now. I thought to myself... "shining cities of gold". I could not think of a more accurate description of what I saw below me. I was struck in awe.

The sight is grand, and in part it is such sites that lead humans to believe they are above nature. Above the All. Much like Yzordderrex, these cities of gold are an imitation to the Great City of Gold that is both God and God's city, that is the Universe of a uncountable number of shining suns. It is a pale imitation we have built here on our rock, and even the smallest of those suns far outshine all of our cities together.

Many would fashion humanity collectively as the new demiurge, above the All as true masters and creators of the universe surrounding them. But, humans only have the ability to change what is already here, we cannot create. We are but a small part of the Everything and therefore cannot rival the Universe, we cannot be greater than Everything. When we look in awe at the works of humanity, it is important to keep in mind the scale of the Universe and our place in relation to it.