LT162: Underworld

MY HYPOTHESIS

The Underworld is the explanation for 99% of the weird stuff on the island.

Sometimes when reviewing the show, I feel stupid. Of all the words used to describe the oddities of the island, we were GIVEN the term “mythology”. Perhaps we should have focused on that word more. The problem we made might have been assuming that “mythology” meant “a set of rules or doctrines that define a belief or practice”. We should have thought of it as one piece of a giant puzzle. I suggest this reasoning because we should have been searching the world of mythology for the source of the island’s mythology.

Oh, plenty of time has been spent checking out ancient mythology, but I’m looking for a specific model. My fear is that the writers have borrowed from several mythologies and that is what usually stops a detailed analysis for it would be time consuming.

Then for some reason, I typed in “mythology” and “underworld” into the same search engine. That led to my hypothesis. Now it was time to test the validity.


DEFINITION

Before getting into this topic, we need to clarify something: Hostiles. The exact definition of who a Hostile is can be tricky. But to discuss this blog, I’m going to suggest that Richard is a Hostile. I’m also going to suggest a few in Richard’s group are Hostiles, although we don’t know that to be true or not.

The others in Richard’s group include Tom, Pickett and several Others. It is unclear if these people are more like recruits such as Ben or Cindy, rather than true Hostiles. It could be that Richard is the only true Hostile.

Jacob also appears to be a Hostile, but in a very different way. For now, let’s assume that the Hostiles include Richard and anyone else who are descendents from the Ancients. I’m fine if Richard is the only one.


TERMINOLOGY

We first heard the term, “underworld”, from the producers who clarified that this was the true meaning of the Countdown Clock:

It seems that the term was kicked around for a bit and then sort of died off (no pun intended!). This post wishes to resurrect this term and analyze it a bit further.


DISCLAIMER

Before the post attempts to test the hypothesis, it should be noted that I detest this explanation. It suffers from the “Demon Rules”. The Demon Rules are those rules used in movies of the supernatural like the Exorcist. For example, when Linda Blair’s head begins to spin around, we all cry out, “The human body doesn’t permit that without causing death!” The writer turns to us via the film and says, “I’m using Demon Rules and that means anything goes!” Drats!

I’m reminded of the “Vampire Rules”. Ask 23 strangers for a Vampire Rule and we will find a commonality: no reflection in mirrors, they can turn into a bat, garlic and holy water repels them, etc. Yet we can usually cite one movie where the rules were changed. But consider if those movies at least explained the set of rules within the movie? For example, True Blood breaks many of the rules listed above, but it spent five minutes of question-answer dialog to run through the rules before embarking on its tale.

LOST has neither given us the rules or suggested a source. When we find no source to correlate, then we have to fall back to those darn “Demon Rules”, where anything goes. Double Drats!


USAGE

We find several references to the Underworld:

--The Hydra Logo: in Greek mythology the Hydra was blamed by the crow for not retrieving water for Hades, ruler of the Underworld

--Locke’s Crossword Puzzle: one answer is Gilgamesh who is the character in the oldest story ever written. Gilgamesh goes on a quest for immortality but when he finds the god who can give him the ability, he is instead made governor of the Sumerian Underworld.

--Nikki’s TV show, Expose: we see the episode where she learns her boss is the Underworld figure, The Cobra.

--Blast Door Map: a Latin phrase found on the door reads, “Save yourself from those below, the Underworld”

--Cerberus: the three-headed dog who guards the gates of Hades, the Greek Underworld

--Persephone: the alias used by Rachel Blake during the Lost Experience game; the Greek character was abducted by the ruler of the Underworld to be his bride; as the wife of the ruler, Persephone would send specters, ruled the ghosts, and enforced curses.

--Tityos: name of one group of test takers for The Project game; Tityos is one of the Titans of Hades in Greek mythology.

The hints were there, so I followed where this took me: to hell.


HADES

Underworld is a pretty generic term that applies to every culture’s doctrine of “afterlife”. In Christianity the term used is “Hell” because some suppose that Hell is beneath the earth.

I couldn’t help thinking about Ben descending a long way down to the Orchid hatch. Or Ben’s secret room which seemed to be a set of steps leading downward. Or the security system that tried to drag Locke down into a hole.

So, here is some background on Hades. First, Hades means the “unseen”…like Jacob and the Whisperers?

Hades was given an object in order to have the powers of invisibility…Ben’s baton or the black and white rock pouch?

Hades is a place as well as the name of the ruler. To avoid confusion, I will use the Roman name for the god: Pluto and Hades for the place. Prior to Pluto taking control of Hades, another battle was fought between the Titans and the Olympians – this time for the cosmos. For the younger gods, the Titans, to rule they had to battle the elder gods. The wife of the god of the cosmos convinced her sons to kill his father. Only one was willing to do so…John having Cooper killed or Ben killing his father?

Through trickery, Pluto takes Persephone as his bride. In an ancient tale we learn that Helios was unhappy with these events and claimed Pluto was not worthy of Persephone. Helios was the god of sun…remember the drawing of the mural in the Swan Hatch prominently features the sun with “108” painted in the center?

Over time, Helios is associated with and becomes known as Apollo…candy bar anyone?

Pluto ruled the dead with assistants. The best term for the assistants is probably demons who were under Pluto’s complete authority…a variation of the word “demons” leads to the common name “Desmond”.

Pluto forbade anyone from leaving his domain and was severe in his judgment when anyone tried…”We have to go back, Kate” or Ben’s, “Everyone has to go back.”

Only six living people ventured into the Underworld and all were heroes…Oceanic 6?

Pluto is considered to have control of all the precious minerals that come from beneath the earth’s surface…all known special properties are beneath the surface or the black rock seems to have magnetic properties or the mining expedition of Magnum Hanso and his ship, the Black Rock!

Pluto had a dark and morbid personality and was shunned by mortals and gods. But a closer look shows that while stern, he was just. He was adamant and unyielding…I’m thinking how Jacob treated Ben in the cabin.

Animals were sacrificed to the god of Hades: black animals…Kate’s horse? During sacrifice the Greeks would knock on the ground to ensure Pluto was paying attention to their offering…”Do you just walk into another person’s house without knocking?” says Tom or Ben asking if people knock anymore or Ben knocking on Jacob’s cabin before entering?

Due to an arrangement caused by the questionable marriage to Pluto, Persephone was permitted to live half the year on earth with her mortal parents and half the time in Hades…is Richard serving his six-months on earth during the time we are viewing?

In Hades is the land known as Lethe. Here was a river that souls were to drink of before being reincarnated…Hinduism teaches that reincarnation is part of spiritual maturity…or how often we see a yellowish drink being served.

Lethe is referred to in Robert Heinlein’s book, “Time Enough for Love”, where it is described as a powerful sedative…Juliet drinks the yellow beverage before her submarine trip to the island…other Heinlein books are directly and indirectly mentioned in the show…Stephen King book refers to these waters which is used to erase a characters memories of past horrors.

The purpose for drinking from the river in Lethe was so the souls would not remember their past lives…and maybe that works only partly like with Desmond or that memories could later be woken up by another means like electromagnetism.

GHOSTLY EXPANSION

My Underworld Hypothesis is to blame everyone unknown on what is below the surface of the island. I believe it is clear now that the Hostiles are responsible for all ghosts which fit the evidence that the wife of Hades/Apollo/Pluto was in charge of ghosts.

Walt said the button was bad, don’t push the button. The source of this ghost was the Hostiles or Richard or the Underworld, pick your manifestation. Dharma wanted the button pushed, the Underworld of the Island did not.

Charlotte and Daniel were to stop the gas from being released at the Tempest Hatch…the ghost of therapist and wife of Goodwin shows up and tells Juliet to kill Dan and Char! The island wanted the gas released and kill of those unprepared for it.

Christian showing up on the beach to Jack, on the jungle to Claire and to Locke in the cabin…all Underworld-driven by Persephone (or whatever name we were given on the show).

Ben’s mommy at the sonic fence was Underworld produced.

John sees Horace cutting the same tree down in a dream…again, brought to you by the fine folks at Underworld, Incorporate.

The producers told us that Smokey was there before Dharma Initiative arrived. And while on that topic, it seems the D.I. plays less and less of a role in our LOST story and we should focus much more on the doings of the Hostiles/Underworld/Ancients/Jacob-crowd.

From the spooky whispers to Kate’s black horse…all this is a produce of the Hostiles and not the Dharma Initiative. D.I. was very much the “bad guys” in the eyes of Richard, Jacob and his band of demons from the Underworld.


SUMMARY

While the Underworld tends to lean towards those frustrating “Demon Rules”, it seems that 99% of the oddities on LOST Island are due to what is going on underground. I believe Season 5 may very well take us underground.

I would not be surprised to learn that some mortal descended the steps of Hell and merged a deal in body, mind and spirit with the underground powers of the island. He now sits in a cabin and which phases in and out as if he were a god…or demon.

HELL, I don’t know, I’m just writing a blog!




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Enjoy,
KC

LT161: My Lost Christmas Decoration

'Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the hatch
not a creature was stirring, especially that guy with a patch.
The foodstuffs were arranged on shelves with care,
in hopes that they were safe from Hurley or a bear.

The Survivors were nestled all snug in their dread,
while visions of rescue danced in their heads.
And Ben in his parka, and John as his sap,
they just settled their brains for a long time gap.

When out on the beach there arose such a clatter,
Each sprang from their tent to see what was the matter.
Away to the tent flap they flew like a flash,
tore open the cover, and threw up last night’s hash.

The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow
gave the luster of midday to objects below,
when, what to their wondering eyes should appear,
but a frozen landscape somewhere on this sphere.

Then a little odd Hostile, so lively and quick,
They knew in a moment it was that airline attendant chick.
More rapid than Smokey, Cindy ran like a flame,
and she whistled and shouted and called them by name:

"Now Bernie! Now Rosie!
Now, Sawyer and Claire!
On, Juliet! On, Charlotte!
On, Miles and Daniel!
To the top of the igloo!
To the top of the wall!
Come look! Come look!
Come, look at this all!"

As slumber left them like wild hurricanes fly,
they figured another obstacle, and they were surely to die
So up to the igloo-top the Survivors they flew,
with the tinge of winter cold, and St. Mary statues too.

And then, in a twinkling, they heard on the cold
the sound of laughter, happy and bold.
As they listened intently and was turning around,
on the horizon came a stranger all with a bound.

He was dressed all in fur, from his head to his foot,
and his clothes were all tarnished with ashes and soot.
A bundle of Dharma Beer he had flung on his back,
and he looked like a peddler just opening his pack.

His eyes--how they twinkled! His dimples, how merry!
His cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry!
His droll little mouth was drawn up like a bow,
and the beard on his chin was as white as the snow.

The stump of a pipe he held tight in his teeth,
and the black smoke it encircled his head like a wreath.
He had a broad face and a little round belly,
that shook when he laughed, like a bowl full of jelly.

He was chubby and plump,
a right jolly old elf,
and they laughed when they saw him,
in spite of their self.

A wink of his eye and a twist of his head
soon gave them to know they had nothing to dread.

He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work,
and filled each hand with a beer,
then turned with a jerk.
And laying his finger aside of his nose,
and giving a nod, he shook in his clothes.

He cleared his throat quietly, to his audience he said,
“My name is Jacob and you’ve finally moved my island this night
You might think you’ve been rescued, but that isn’t quite right.”

“It is merely a dream that the electromagnetic put in your head.
A break from the trauma, the bears and the fright,
You are still stranded, try as you might.”

“So, enjoy the gift from the island as you slip back to bed,
You’ll be back to the ocean soon and your terrible plight,
But for one brief moment I’ll give you this sight,”

“And Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good night!"


**

A week later someone picks up a snow globe that shows an island scene. They give it a final shake and then set in on a storage shelf. The person continues packing away the Christmas cheer and slides this box of decorations on the top. It pushes the snow globe off of the back. And behind the shelves the decoration will remain LOST.


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Thanks for reading!

Enjoy,
KC

LT160: Dharma Special Access 5

Another exculsive advance peek into the Dharma world of Damon and Calton...

THE EMAIL

Happy holidays!

In this week's video message we are visited by two very special guests, whom you might recognize.

We've also got exclusive first look photos at two new characters who will appear on the show this season: Caesar and Ilana, played by Saod Taghmaoui and Zuleikha Robinson.

Click on the link below, enter the password, and enjoy.

Until next week...

Have a Merry Dharma Christmas,
Damon and Carlton

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The webiste: http://abc.go.com/primetime/lost/dharmaspecialaccess/index

The password: yksnizdar

Ok, this week the password was easy: Radzinsky in reverse. Not sure if it means anything...

GOOFY

This has to be one of the more goofy videos, but we do get a flashforward. Not of the show but of Carlton and Damon! It is at least 2010 because that is what the T-shirt reads: "NY Yankees, World Champions 2010". It looks as if things don't quite go as they had planned it. Check out the video.

And be ready to hit pause if you want to see what the two new characters look like!

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Thanks for reading!

Enjoy,
KC

LT159: Grey Matter Don't Matter Much

INSPIRATION

It seems important to share the source of my inspiration on some of the ideas shared. Then you can decide if I’m over-reaching or if fate is trying to tell us something. This post has to do with the brain which might have come about from a Science Daily article. Yeah, I read Science Daily…you got a problem with nerds? HA!

And I just finished a Biology class. So maybe this is another one of my far-reaching, over analyzing postings. But let’s dive in anyway…

Oh, and I can’t help but wonder what role Fate played in this topic since when doing the last blog on the “Beatles Hold the Key of F” (F for Failsafe Key)…it was odd that the Hindo god of Harrison’s tune had a third eye. Odd because that was my topic before the last post. Freaky!

Without further adieu, let’s scrub up, crack open a skull and take a peek inside…


PINEAL GLAND

I’m study the endocrine system in Bio class and this gland shows up on the list. It is located smack dab in the middle of the brain which seems to suggest its importance. The location may also explain why it was the last gland for scientist to discover what it does. The location made me think of the Great Pyramid as it is in the center of our planet.


Being that it took a way for modern scientists to determine its function, it is not surprising that pseudo-science was more than happy to offer some alternative theories. One such theory is that it is the part of the brain responsible for telepathic communication. See why it caught my interest in terms of LOST?

Spiritualists have long associated the pineal gland as important in the realm of yoga and Hinduism. The most common alternate term for this gland is The Third Eye. Could this be our inner vision?


LIGHT

Nothing more would thrill me then to discover this pea-sized gland is stimulated by something related to LOST, like light. (Think Daniel’s comment about how the light appears different in some way). Guess what? The pineal gland IS stimulated by light. We’ve discovered that it controls the bio-rhythms of our bodies and works in conjunction with the hypothalamus to determine our again process. Light and Aging – double whopper!

My Biology textbook says the eyes are connected to the pineal gland through the retinohypothalamic tract. Eyes have a significant place in LOST as well as the process of the eyes. For example, the eyes actually “see” the image in reverse – sort of like mirrors. Only in the brain does the image get flipped right-side up.

SIDE NOTE: A baby’s brain does not flip the brain right-side up for a few days after birth, so be sure to lean over the top and look down if you don’t want to confuse the kid.

The retinas carry information to the pineal gland relating to the light and dark of the day. When light is not present, the pineal gland secrets the hormone, melatonin. This makes the Third Eye sensitive to light even as it is buried deep within the brain. And it becomes our bodies’ time keeper. We the help of rats like Eloise we have learned to “reset” our bodies clocks by messing with light and dark patterns.

At this point I’m thinking of the light being flashed in Desmond’s eye as well as Daniel’s test subject, Ben…er, I mean Eloise.


STRUCTURE OF THE PINEAL GLAND

Smart people have discovered that in some cases the pineal gland is structured just like an eye (thus where it mostly likely got its nickname). The evolutionary theory is that the gland has migrated back into the brain over centuries of adaptation. In other words, in the early evolutionary stage, we really did have a third eye in the middle of our foreheads!

Further discoveries have linked the hormone from the gland to hibernation in bears, sexual development and breeding, and various disorders like that seen in the movie Insomnia about people who live in Alaska. I had the displeasure of living there for four winters (we didn’t count the time in years, but in winters). Trust me, seasonal disorders are real.

The other LOST-related point to share is that the Third Eye reacts to electromagnetic (EM) energy. The mystics of science claim that when activated by EM is opens the lines of communication with other and higher planes. One might be able to project outside their bodies, wander into the jungle and tell the next person you see, “The button is bad, don’t push the button.” It would make sense that sense the “eye” sees things in reverse, that you might utter these words in reverse as well. Hmmm…


GOOD VIBRATIONS

As science and faith merge in the study of the Third Eye, a hypothesis is offered: to activate the sensory capabilities that lay dormant in the gland, the pineal and pituitary glands must vibrate in unison. This is where and how astral travel and ESP and psychics gain their abilities it is claimed. The most common method for gaining the good vibrations is through meditation or high exposure to electromagnetic energy. Wonder where our LOST friends could find that?

This all-knowing eye of Shiva (or Siva) is related closely to the Hindu concept of Dharma (or karma).

In short, the requirement is the ability to have a focused concentration on the mental energy and let the ego and physical boundaries slip away. Did I just say “focused concentration”? Hmmm…


SUMMARY

Besides being prepped for your next Biology quiz, this Third Eye might be the scientific theory behind the mythology of LOST. We’ve notice the meeting of faith and religion on the show repeatedly. We’ve seen the focus on the eye and electromagnetism. And it seems coincidental that the Third Eye is associated with Dharma and what we might term “super powers”. Heck, at this point I’m reminded of Ethan appearing a little “too strong” back in Season 1. Well, not if had mastered his inner eye.

Hey, this post was a bit off the beaten path, but one has to wonder just where the writers obtain their basic construct from…and it might be right in front of our eyes…well, right behind them actually, but you get the point.

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If you enjoyed this post, please click on an ad on the way out. This lets me know what kind of subject matter you enjoy, as well as giving me a few pennies for a posting you really like. And please leave a comment if you have questions or thoughts on a topic.

Thanks for reading!

Enjoy,
KC