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The Codex Cube

Musings of A Madman?

By Obsidian EaglePublished 3 years ago Updated 2 years ago 5 min read
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The Codex Cube
Photo by Karla Hernandez on Unsplash

As any seasoned writer worth their salt can tell you, one's muse may at times manifest itself as nothing less than an incurable madness. Such was the case with my second book. Despite being well aware that no publisher would ever want to pick it up, and although I knew beforehand that few readers were going to be able to slog through its incessant tomfoolery, I insisted not only on writing the damn thing—but even worse—I paid to self-publish it!

Aside from basic idiocy or temporary insanity, what else could possess a relatively rational individual to waste their hard earned money on an ill-fated venture? After all, it's not as if I have a whole lot of moolah just sitting around in the bank; quite the contrary. And yet, this vanity project devoured the lion's share of my savings at the time. So if you please, let me tell you a bit about this crazy little book I wrote...

Do you enjoy puzzles? I definitely do. I'm not sure why, but somehow solving them seems to soothe my soul and put my mind at ease. Whether we're talking about a giant jigsaw, or mathematical brain teasers like those found in Martin Gardner's Origami, Eleusis, and The Soma Cube — it's my pleasure to patiently ponder upon solutions to their problems. Therefore it occurred to me one day, that I ought to produce a piece of literature which might put everybody's wits to the test (my own included).

A Codex For Gnostics can be roughly translated as 'A Book For Those Who Know'. But who know what exactly? Well, Gnosis (from Greek: 'seek knowledge') is an ancient school of thought that strongly stressed going inward for answers, rather than relying solely on any external authority (viz. clergy). Transcending the material world to get a glimpse of the greater cosmos could only be accomplished through sincere soul seeking.

Of course, nothing is quite so sobering as acknowledging that we're largely ignorant regarding what our earthly existence really signifies (if anything). Over millennia, various responses have been given to this profound question by hermits, monks, mystics, philosophers, playwrights, etc. Since many of them have had some bearing on the author's own education, the title in question alludes to a condensed volume of information contained between the book's covers.

That's because the Codex is a literary layer cake; there are things hidden within it which remain elusive even to its author. It's not unlike a Rubik's Cube that I myself am often unable to solve without investing intense conscious effort. Or perhaps you're familiar with Clive Barker's Hellraiser series? The reason I ask is that Lemarchand's Box makes another apt metaphor. In those fictional stories, these puzzle boxes enable the person decoding them to open a rift between physical and metaphysical realms. Nonetheless, they could only achieve said feat by getting into a mental flow state. Indeed, the Codex demands the same kind of concentration from its readers, while taking them on a comical journey though a very different universe than the one they're normally inclined to think about.

Lament Configuration (paper model)

In addition to the above, here's an overview of several salient features:

  • The Secret Soundtrack — This topmost layer is a lark, which consists mainly of band names, lyrical snippets, and song titles.
  • Cipher — The Codex is rife with nearly unpronounceable names for people and places. This is mainly due to its reliance on the author's patented XYZ cipher (for more on this method, see: Notes on Nomenclature).
  • Action-Adventure aspects — On the face of it, we have a classical hero arc wherein Dex (the central character) gets thrown into the middle of an interstellar cosmic war. Ordinarily, one would suppose this to be science-fiction. Although to be precise...
  • Genre bending — The Codex's structure is loosely that of an epic poem, wherein prosimetrum flourishes to full effect. However, the plot alternates frequently between facets of dark fantasy, magical realism, and sci-fi. To phrase it fancifully: It's quite a shapeshifter!
  • Linguistic layer — As mentioned earlier, the story has quirks in its naming conventions. Further, its characters speak in differing dialects based on both ancient languages and futuristic projections. There's also runaway wordplay in the works that's made trickier by the introduction of archaic letters, e.g. ash: [Æ æ] eth: [Ð ð] thorn: [Þ þ] & wynn: [Ƿ ƿ]
  • Esoteric elements — Without giving too much away, I can safely say that my underlying framework involves the kabbalistic 'tree of life' and its Sefirot (renamed Zephyroth zones for artistic reasons). Astrology and the Tarot are likewise intertwined herewith. Nevertheless, this is all merely the tip of the iceberg because a lot of other 'stories' (pun intended) are built atop these foundations.
  • Increasing complexity — If there's one thing that the Codex can't be accused of, it's being simple. As already mentioned, the story takes place across various zones, or dimensions if you prefer. Similarly, multiple timelines come into play including ancient and present day Earth, future Earth (Tellz), and future Mars (Marz). Due to this, new characters are constantly introduced, deliberately making it a challenge to keep track of what's happening.

So there you have it in a nutshell; a supremely quizzical piece of literature of tremendously unmarketable value!

Anyway, if you made it this far then I do encourage you to check out the product of my passion, which I can't help but take pride in...

Available to order online, from many fine BOOKSELLERS.

~ ItzQuauhtli; Herald of Quetzalcoatl (Shutterstock image under licence)

Fantasy
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About the Creator

Obsidian Eagle

Anti-Poet Extraordinaire + META-Fiction Aficionado. He/Him. Here for my favorite bands and brands; representing them with a pen sharper than any sword. WARNING: Extreme Linguaphile! Toltec Storyteller & Herald of Quetzalcoatl #LATINX

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