The character Peter Pan first appeared in J.M. Barrie's 1902 book The Little White Bird a.k.a. Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens. Peter is a playful, fun-loving free spirit who has an affinity for wonderful adventures and stories. He personifies our desires for escapism and eternal youth. He seems to be an amalgam of Barrie's son, Peter, and Pan, the Greek god of Chaos who was half-goat, half-man and has been frequently associated with the Devil. Peter bears many similarities to the Greek God Pan, including having pointed goat ears, being wild and untamed, and living in a tree in the woods. We get our words panic and pandemonium from Pan as he was the god of chaos. Peter is cocky and has a devil-may-care attitude. There are subtle references throughout the various movies such as Peter being called "Pan", "a flying devil" and "a bloody demon".

A statue of Peter Pan was erected in Kensington Gardens and Barrie was unhappy with the outcome stating, "It doesn’t show the devil in Peter.” J.M. Barrie's original draft of the play, Peter's outfit is made of autumn leaves and cobwebs. The play actually depicts Pan as the villain, kidnapping children from their beds. **

According to dictionary.com, Pan is "the ancient Greek god of forests, pastures,flocks, and shepherds, represented with the head, chest, and arms of a man and the legs and sometimes the horns and ears of a goat". The Dictionary of Ancient Deities describes him as "The god of woods fields and wildlife. God of flocks. Inventor of the panpipes. He was very fond of music, enjoyed dancing with the nymphs. Pan was abandoned by his mother. He is represented as having two small horns, a flat nose and the lower limbs of a goat." Wikipedia says, "Pan's goatish image recalls conventional faun-like depictions of Satan." Pan has been credited as giving the Devil his goat's legs and cloven hooves. **

In Barrie's book The Little White Bird, Peter initially was half-bird, half-child making a pipe of reeds. "The birds on the island never got used to him. His oddities tickled them every day, as if they were quite new, though it was really the birds that were new. They came out of the eggs daily, and laughed at him at once, then off they soon flew to be humans."

Perhaps his being half-bird, a thrush which is similar to a piper, inspired the tongue-twister "Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers." Though he was born long ago, he stopped growing at one week when he escaped being a human. He escaped by the window and flew back to Kensington Gardens. Serpentine Lake is in The Gardens, a drowned forest where the trees all grow upside down next to a bridge to a far away island. Yes, he could fly without wings and the book suggests "perhaps we could all fly if we were as dead-confident-sure of our capacity to do it as was bold Peter Pan."

J.M. later expanded the character into a book, Peter and Wendy. In the book both he and Tinker Bell were described as clad in "skeleton leaves". Peter was still a baby boy and rode on goats. In fact, the front illustrations of the book depict Peter riding on a goat and there is a chapter called Peter's Goat. "... Peter rides the marshes looking for lost ones, and if he finds them he carries them on his goat to the little house, and when they wake up they are in it, and when they step out they see it. The fairies build the house merely because it is so pretty, but Peter rides round in memory of Maimie, and because he still loves to do just as he believes real boys would do..." He takes them to Never Land where he lives, "the second star to the right and straight on 'til morning". ".... the Neverland was all make-believe. Of course the Neverland had been make-believe in those days, but it was real now..." The book refers to Never Land as "the fearsome island". “They don’t want us to land,” he explained.

Peter loved wonderful adventures and perhaps his most famous quote from the book is, "To die will be an awfully big adventure.” "Adventures, of course, as we shall see, were of daily occurrence; but about this time Peter invented, with Wendy’s help, a new game that fascinated him enormously, until he suddenly had no more interest in it, which, as you have been told, was what always happened with his games." **

Peter is associated with lost children or those who are dying or have died. In a sense there is a parallel between the piper Peter Pan and the Pied Piper who led the children into a giant rock or mountain as it is said Peter Pan was the leader of the Lost Boys and played Follow the Leader with them. "When playing Follow my Leader, Peter would fly close to the water and touch each shark’s tail in passing, just as in the street you may run your finger along an iron railing." "It is a safe thing to remain in the Gardens after Lock-out Time. If the bad ones among the fairies happen to be out that night they will certainly mischief you, and even though they are not, you may perish of cold and dark before Peter Pan comes round. He has been too late several times, and when he sees he is too late he runs back to the Thrush’s Nest for his paddle, of which Maimie had told him the true use, and he digs a grave for the child and erects a little tombstone, and carves the poor thing’s initials on it. He does this at once because he thinks it is what real boys would do."

So we can see Peter Pan is associated with those who have died -- he even buries them -- and is riding around looking for the "Lost Boys". He lives with the Lost Boys (and the Fairies) on Neverland. "They are the children who fall out of their perambulators (baby carriages) when the nurse is looking the other way. If they are not claimed in seven days they are sent far away to the Neverland to defray expenses. I’m captain.” "There were odd stories about him, as that when children died he went part of the way with them, so that they should not be frightened." He even goes as far as to abduct the children. "Children have the strangest adventures without being troubled by them. For instance, they may remember to mention, a week after the event happened, that when they were in the wood they had met their dead father and had a game with him. It was in this casual way that Wendy one morning made a disquieting revelation. Some leaves of a tree had been found on the nursery floor, which certainly were not there when the children went to bed, and Mrs. Darling was puzzling over them when Wendy said with a tolerant smile: “I do believe it is that Peter again!” Barrie stated in the novel that Peter would "thin the Lost Boys" out when they got too old or when there was too many of them (meaning he may exile or kill them), and sometimes in battles against pirates Peter would switch sides just for the fun of it.

Pan was considered a friend of the siren mermaids. They loved him. He was also revered by the indian tribe and practically worshiped as a savior. "They called Peter the Great White Father, prostrating themselves before him; and he liked this tremendously, so that it was not really good for him. 'The great white father,' he would say to them in a very lordly manner, as they grovelled at his feet, 'is glad to see the Piccaninny warriors protecting his wigwam from the pirates.' 'Me Tiger Lily,' that lovely creature would reply. ' Pan save me, me his velly nice friend. Me no let pirates hurt him.' ” **

Peter often eavesdropped at Wendy's window and loved to listen to her tell the children stories about him which he would in return tell the mermaids and the lost boys. “You see, I don’t know any stories. None of the lost boys knows any stories.” He wanted to take her to Never Land and make her the lost boys' mother:

“Oh, the stories I could tell to the boys!” she cried, and then Peter gripped her and began to draw her toward the window. “Let me go!” she ordered him. “Wendy, do come with me and tell the other boys.” Of course she was very pleased to be asked, but she said, “Oh dear, I can’t. Think of mummy! Besides, I can’t fly.” “I’ll teach you.” “Oh, how lovely to fly.” “I’ll teach you how to jump on the wind’s back, and then away we go.” “Oo!” she exclaimed rapturously. “Wendy, Wendy, when you are sleeping in your silly bed you might be flying about with me saying funny things to the stars.” “You just think lovely wonderful thoughts,” Peter explained, “and they lift you up in the air.”

Another book illustration shows Peter sitting atop a mushroom playing his pan pipes with fairies dancing around him. Perhaps the mushrooms also played a role in his ability to fly and see fairies? But it was the magic of pixie dust that was said to give him the power to fly. One must wonder if he is able to see into the realm of hyperspace via psychedelics like mushrooms or DMT powder (pixie dust). In one of the movies the Fairy Kingdom consists of crystals and light. **

Pan never wanted to grow up and the story has Peter Pan killing anyone who chooses to grow up.

PETER PAN (1953) [WALT DISNEY]

The jacket for the 1953 Walt Disney movie Peter Pan proclaims, "It will live in your heart forever". So what exactly is "It"? Perhaps Peter Pan or the "spirit" of Peter Pan, the character based on the goat god, Pan, of Greek mythology associated with the Devil. Or maybe they are just referring to the youthful spirit of staying young forever.

 

The advert for Peter Pan shows his silhouette or shadow in the moon standing atop pipes. **

The movie begins with a song referencing a star whose rare light tells you that your dreams can come true and it can lead you to Never Land. "The second star to the right shines in the night for you to tell you that the dreams you plan really can come true. The second star to the right shines with a light that's rare And if it's Never Land you need Its light will lead you there." **

The narrator refers to the cyclical nature of reincarnation. "All this has happened before and it will all happen again." Peter Pan picked that house because there were people there who believed in him. Mrs. Darling, the mother Mary, believed Pan was the "spirit of youth" and the boys believed Peter Pan was a real person. Wendy believed and was supreme authority on Pan's ADVENTURES and the two children made him the hero of their nursery GAMES. Peter says, "I don't want to grow up". Peter Pan is the spirit that wants to stay mischievous forever, stay a prankster and a trickster. In mythology, Pan is Chaos personified, a shepherd of goats and player of the pan pipes or flute.

The silhouette of Peter Pan is shown on top of pipes on the roof with the moon behind him. Peter comes to the house with his fairy friend Tinker Bell looking for his shadow. He says he lost it when he came to heard Wendy tell stories about him. Wendy's name is Wendy Moira Angela Darling. The Moirai were the Fates in Greek Mythology. Angela is angel. So does she represent one of the Fates that can assign man's destiny?

Wendy says she has Peter Pan's shadow and that Nana had found it. Pan chases it around and tries to attach it. He is unsuccessful. Wendy attaches his shadow onto him by sewing it onto his foot while Peter plays his pan pipes. This could represent Pan's inability to integrate his shadow archetype and needing humanity to do so. **

He likes to tell Wendy's stories to the "The Lost Boys" who take orders from him. Wendy says it's her last night in the nursery because she has to grow up. Pan, as he is often called throughout the movie, doesn't want her to grow up because he wants to keep telling stories about himself.

Notice in this frame Wendy's mother, Mary, for a brief moment appears to hold up the illuminated torch, most likely a clever insertion of an inside joke as Mary is one of the various forms of Inana, Isis or Venus. The light is a lotus flower, a symbol of enlightenment. In some subsequent movies or plays this light is practically prayed to and referred to as a "shepherd" to light the way home. Peter Pan is also a shepherd and it is his light or the light he appoints (i.e. Tinker Bell) that leads them home.

Pan wants to take her to Neverland because you never grow up in Neverland. Pan didn't know what a mother was -- says he didn't have a mother (demiurge?). He says she can be the Lost Boys' mother. The two boys call Tinker Bell a firefly and Wendy calls her a pixie. Peter says they will fly to Never Land and explains how to fly. You think of a WONDERFUL thought. All it takes is faith and trust and a little bit of pixie dust (imagination + intention + belief + magic + positivity).
Think of the happiest things. Wendy: "I'll think of a mermaid lagoon underneath a magic moon" (lunar sirens). One by one they each fly up in front of the moon. **

According to Peter, to fly one must think of the happiest things. But one also needs the magic of pixie dust. The song sung urges the listener to "take the path moonbeams make if the moon's still awake". It claims, "There's a Never Land waiting for you where all your happy dreams come true" and "every dream will come true". **

The song lyrics declare, "Take the path that moonbeams make if the moon is still awake you'll see him wink his eye, you can fly... Up you go with a heigh and ho, to the stars beyond the blue. There's a Never Land waiting for you where all your happy dreams come true. Every dream that you dream will come true... Think of all the joy you'll find when you leave the world behind and bid your cares goodbye. You can fly.You can fly. You can fly."

Peter exclaims, "There it is Wendy. Second star to the right and straight on 'til morning. They fly over the top of and along the river below (Milky Way?). The second star to the right has rainbow rings around it.

In this frame Neverland is shown in the moon. They land on white clouds. Wendy exclaims, "It's just as I always dreamed it would be!" **

The pirates are singing the pirate's life is a wonderful life. Everything is wonderful there... full of wonder. Smee complains that it's a miserable island because nibs (a mock title to refer to self-important men in authority, i.e. archons?) are playing Wendy is telling the boys stories of Peter Pan, Tinker Bell and Hook. He says, "Here we are collecting barnacles on this miserable island while his nibs plays ring-around-the-rosy with Peter Pan." This is a curious reference as it says that Peter is tight with rulers or those in authority, i.e. archons. Ring-around-the-rosy is a nursery rhyme associated with pagan witchcraft where children join hands, rotate in a circle and then pretend to fall down dead. Some say it has to do with the plague. **

Peter Pan's Lost Boys like to play 'follow the leader'. This is an allusion to the Pied Piper. The indians capture the boys where we find out they do this on a regular basis as a game. Sometimes they capture the indians and turn them loose and sometimes the indians capture them and turn them loose. But it's a game they like to play. **

Captain Hook wants to find out where Pan's "lair" is. A lair is a hiding place, a hole, a tunnel, a burrow etc. Peter played a prank on Captain Hook by cutting off his hand and feeding it to the crocodile who now craves his taste and follows Hook constantly. Hook can hear it tick tock because it swallowed a clock. In other words, Time is always following us to take us. So basically Pan uses time as a predator. A bird (a piper?) lands on the ship. The crew sees Pan. "Pipe up the crew!" **

The Lost Boys are home asleep in Hangman's Tree, and Tink who is jealous of Wendy tells them to shoot Wendy down as she's flying. Tink is a trickster too and ornery. Pan banishes her forever, but Wendy talks him into banishing her for only a week.

Wendy dreams of a mermaid lagoon under the moon. Peter takes her to see it. Wendy thinks the mermaids are beautiful. The mermaids encourage her to join them for a swim and try to pull her in the lagoon. Notice Peter has sirens for friends. This becomes important when we see Peter as the Pied Piper. Peter saves her and scolds the mermaids. This is also a legend from Greek mythology where the sweetly singing sirens who were half-fish, half-human lured sailors to their deaths upon the rock (the moon?). **

Wendy wants to see the mermaids: "Just imagine: real live mermaids". Pan plays his pipes (they are real pan pipes he plays, not a flute) and takes Wendy to meet them. The sirens try to pull Wendy down into the lagoon to drown her. They say they were just playing. Pan saved the indian princess Tiger Lily so they are friends. Hook captures Tiger Lily to find out where Pan is hiding.
Pan sends an "evil spirit" of the seawater after Hook. Pan crows like a rooster. Earlier the boys' father referred to Pan as "poppycock". The rooster/cock was a symbol of Nergal (perhaps an early demiurge).
Pan flies to the sun with Wendy following, screaming "Wait for me". Hook wants to kill "Master Peter Pan". He and his pirates capture Wendy and the boys. He tries to get the boys to join his crew and become pirates. Wendy tells him Pan will save them.

Hook says Pan is no mere boy, but a "fiend", "a flying devil". Wendy says Peter Pan will save them. The pirate Smee repeats that Peter Pan will save them. They all say Peter Pan will save them. In the first Disney version of the movie, Pan has been made into a heroic savior. **

Pan defeats Hook and becomes Captain Pan and with pixie dust sails the ship away into the sky into the moon(?). Pan makes Hook say he is a "codfish". Pan takes Wendy and the boys back home to London. Wendy tells her parents how wonderful Pan and Never Land are , but she came home because she is ready to grow up. However, The Lost Boys weren't ready to grow up so they went back to Never Land. She ignores her father who is admonishing her and she tells her mother, "It was such a 'wonderful adventure' " and that Pan "was the most wonderful of all". **

They all go to the window and watch Pan sail the ship up to the moon with a song playing as the movie ends. "Think of all the joy you'll find when you leave the world behind. You can fly. You can fly. You can fly."

HOOK (1991) [TRISTAR PICTURES]

In the 1991 film Hook, directed by Steven Spielberg, Peter is now a grown man. Peter Pan is played by Robin Williams. Dustin Hoffman is Hook. And Julia Roberts is Tinker Bell.

Teh grown version of Peter is watching his childrens' school play, a production of Peter Pan. The child actor says, "I don't ever wanna become a man. Yuck. I always wanna be a little boy and to have fun." The song the kids sing proclaims, "We wanna be like Peter Pan. We don't wanna grow up." **

The family flies to see Granny Wendy because she is getting a new wing dedicated to her at the childrens' hospital. The airlines Peter and his family are flying on is Pan Am, of course. Ironically, Peter has become the antithesis of his former self. He's stressed out and has no fun. He's constantly breaking promises to his children. His son draws a picture of the plane going down in flames and everyone in the family falling with parachutes except Peter. He tells his child to grow up.

Peter addresses the hospital/orphanage: Wendy brought him in from the cold and found parents to adopt him. While they are gone Captain Hook comes and abducts the children, leaving a note for Peter and bragging about it. Granny Wendy tells Peter about their adventures from long ago since Peter has forgotten everything that took place before he was adopted. So she tells Peter that when he saw Moira that was when he decided not to go back to Never Never Land. She tells him Hook has taken the children for revenge. "And, by heaven, you must find a way. Only you can save your children. Somehow you must go back. You must make yourself remember." "Remember what?" "Peter, don't you know who you are?" She opens the book Peter Pan and shows him a picture of Peter standing exactly the way he is.

Later at night Peter is standing and Tinker Bell flies through the window. He exclaims, "Firefly from hell!" and tries to swat it down. Tinker Bell says, "Oh, Peter! What great fun we'll have again. What times! What great games!" He doesn't remember her. She anticipates the fun they'll have together and calls it games. **

Peter sees the light of Tinker Bell and thinks he is dying and exclaims, "I'm dying. Heading towards the white light. I have left my body." Here is another of the many cliches used in movies programming us to go to the white light at death, as if that's the only or best choice. It's usually used in a humorous way, presumably because no one wants to die quite yet. **

Tink carries him off to Never Land.

The pirate calls Tink a pixie devil. The Lost Boys are held captive by Hook. When Peter Pan arrives the boys plead for him to save them again, but he doesn't remember how to fly or that he can. "What new game is this? Stop pretending." They plead him to "Be the Pan you are. Fly!" **

Peter needs to remember that using his imagination is key. Peter Pan reveals how he went home to see his mother, but she had shut the window and forgotten about him. So he found other windows to visit and that's how he met Wendy.

Tinker Bell asks Peter,"Don't we have the greatest adventures? Do you remember your next great adventure to save your kids? Why are you in Never Land?" He answers, "To always be a little boy and have fun. I like this game."

As Peter and the Lost Boys fight Captain Hook and his pirates, Peter tells the Lost Boys to "Show them the white light we're made of, boys!" and they shine white light at the pirates to blind them. Captain Hook says his men are forged from the fires of Hell. **

Hook tells Pan to "Prepare to die". Peter replies, "To die would be a great adventure." This implies what happens after death may not be such a simple thing. **

Granny says, "So your adventures are over." Peter Pan counters, "Oh, no. To live... to live would be an awfully big adventure."

RETURN TO NEVERLAND (2002) [DISNEY]

Return to Neverland is a 2002 Walt Disney Pictures animated sequel.



Wendy is telling the boys stories of Peter Pan, Tinker Bell and Hook. Wendy looks out the window and exclaims, "I'll always believe in you."

Everything seems to be a great big game to Peter. Notice what looks like shadow beings. The children are going to have to leave. Wendy tells her daughter Jane to tell them Peter Pan stories, but her daughter doesn't believe in them. **

Wendy says, "Hook will never win as long as there's faith, trust and pixie dust."
Jane says that's childish nonsense. Daniel, one of the boys, says Peter Pan says they'll make you fly. It takes magic pixie dust to fly. The magic pixie dust is likely an illusion to psychedelics such as DMT powder or the DMT in the ayahuasca vine which allows one to fly through a wormhole to another dimension where elves, fairies and alien entities are encountered and interacted with. **

Jane tries to believe, but finds it hard to do so... until later that night when Hook and his pirates come looking for Wendy. (They appear initially as shadow beings on the roof.)
Hook mistakes Jane for Wendy and abducts her, hoping to lure Peter Pan to save Wendy.

Hook abducts Jane in a dirty bag and returns to Neverland toward the second star on the right via a wormhole of geometric patterns. DMT experiences routinely report fractals and intricate geometric patterns in their trips.
Hook has Jane who he has mistaken for Wendy. Hook is always scheming and concocting plans to hook or ensnare Peter into a trap. A song called "Here we go, another plan" is sung. Hook throws her overboard to the giant octopus. The crocodile has been replaced with an octopus in this rendition. Pan saves "Wendy" thanks to Tinker Bell's magic pixie dust.

Hook is astonished and asks, "How did you escape the beast?" Pan flies off and discovers that it is not Wendy, but Jane, Wendy's daughter. Jane is amazed to see Peter and Tink, but thinks she must be dreaming because they're "not real".

Pan tells her she is going to love it there and flies her past a rainbow with waterfalls beneath it, past the mermaids, etc. He tells her, "This is great. You can stay here forever."
Peter takes Jane to the tree where he and the lost boys live and tells them she is their new mother and will tell them stories. She says she isn't very good at telling stories.
They say they can play games instead like Red Rover (the Devil?). Jane says she has to go home. They say she acts like a grownup.

Pan teaches her how to fly: faith, trust and pixie dust. Tink sprinkles a lot of dust on her and she sneezes, blowing Tink into a mushroom. The mushroom is another subtle hint that the pixie dust may be referring to psychedelics such as DMT powder crystals.

She is still have trouble flying, but Peter and the boys are goofing off, not serious. She says, "This is just a game to you, isn't it? Well, I'm tired of playing." She says it's all ridiculous childish behavior and she doesn't believe in it. **



She tells Tink she especially doesn't believe in fairies and she storms off which devastates Tink causing her to loses her power to fly. Peter says, "If we don't get Jane to believe in fairies, Tink's light's gonna go out."

Hook offers to take Jane home on his ship if she helps him get the treasure because it would be useless to Peter since he is senseless and won't grow up. She agrees as long as he doesn't harm Peter. He says he wouldn't and that "It's all just a game, you see." Hook draws up and signs an "ironclad, unbreakable" contract that says he won't harm a single hair on Peter's head. (Later he spares one of Peter's hairs, but cleverly says "The rest of him is mine".

Meanwhile, back at Hangman's Tree, the home of Peter and the Lost Boys, Tink still can't fly. She looks at her sad reflection in the mirror inside her shell.

Jane finds Peter who has been looking for her with the boys. He apologizes and says he'll do anything for her to be like them.

She coyly says, "Why don't we play a game like maybe Treasure Hunt". The boys want Jane to join them and sing the song "So To Be One of Us" to tell her there are some things she needs to learn to be like them, such as "We like to dream all day. And then at night we play. We swing on limbs of trees 'til we wake up the bees. These are things we Lost Boys do..." They show her all the things they do and she does them too. **

She finds the treasure and Pan makes her one of the Lost Boys, the very first Lost Girl.

Hook and his shadow beings come to take the treasure and tie Peter and the Lost Boys up. Jane escapes and returns to the Hangman's Tree and sees Tink there and believes in her. She and Tink return to free Peter and the Boys.

Jane can fly back home now that she believes. She says now she has stories to tell and they will all be about Pan and the Lost boys, Pan offers to escort her home.

Back at home, she tells the children she believes in Peter Pan and Hook, and tells the stories of her adventures. Notice the quote about Hook: "He took me off to Never Land and tried to feed me to a giant octopus."

Now it's Jane who goes to the window to look out and wonder about Peter.

Later Wendy is at the window wondering about Peter. Little does she know Peter is just outside the window around the corner. He surprises her to say hello. It's been a long time since they've seen each other. Peter says she's changed. She says never. They say goodbye.

Peter flies back home to Never Land.

The movie credits roll as the song Do You Believe in Magic? plays.
"Do you believe in magic? In a young girl's heart. How the music can free her whenever it starts
And it's magic if the music can move ya and hold you so tight that it never can lose ya
your feet start tappin' and you cant seem to find if it's really real or just a state of mind
If you believe in magic just close those big eyes and think all the wonderful thoughts that arise
and maybe if you dream it just right your toe will be over the treetops tonight
and you'll be flyin' and from there you can see that the magic's in you, that the magic's in me...
Believe in the magic that can set you free. Dream on, dream on, dream on. Talkin' about magic..."

 

PETER PAN (2003) [UNIVERSAL PICTURES, COLUMBIA PICTURES, REVOLUTION STUDIOS]

Peter Pan is a 2003 film by Universal Pictures, Columbia Pictures and Revolution Studios. It was the first authorized version in fifty years, marking the 50th anniversary of the 1953 original Disney release. The Peter Pan films are all about telling and selling wondrous stories of adventure. And like all stories in Hollywood it needs drama and conflict between opposing factions such as a hero and a villain. Thus the tagline declares, "Let the fight begin".

The film begins by stating, "All children grow up... except one: Peter Pan". Peter Pan is dressed in vines and leaves.

Wendy is telling the boys stories of "extraordinary adventures" about Cinderella, Peter Pan, Captain Hook and his pirates. She then tells the rest of the family about the thrilling adventures she will have. As she is sleeping in bed, Peter who was eavesdropping on the stories, curiously hovers above her. She awakes and he tries to fly away out the open window, but the dog Nana grabs him by his shadow and rips the shadow from his body as he escapes. He comes back later at night with his fairy, Tinker Bell, to look for his shadow. He makes a racket trying to catch his shadow and Wendy wakes again. She asks where he lives. He says, "Second to the right and straight on til morning." Wendy offers to sew his shadow on for him.

Peter tells Wendy he lives with the Lost Boys and they are well named because they are children that have fallen out of their prams and if they are not claimed they are sent to the Neverland. She wants to give him a kiss, but he doesn't know what a kiss is. She gives him a thimble instead. He says he ran away to Kensington Gardens because he heard his parents talking of what he was to be when he becomes a man. He says that's where he met Tinker Bell, his fairy. She starts to say she doesn't believe in fairies, but he stops her and says everytime someone says that, a fairy somewhere falls down dead.



He says he and Tink come to listen to the stories like Cinderella. She tells him the ending to the story and he wants to go tell the others but she pleads for him not to go and says she knows lots of stories. He asks her to come with him, but she says she doesn't know how to fly. He says "I'll teach you to ride the wind's back, and away we go." She asks if the boys can come too. He agrees. She wakes the boys and tells them Peter will teach them to fly. The boys tell Pan he offends reason (chaos?).

Peter lures them away to Never Land with promises of mermaids, indians and pirates.
Peter tells Wendy to forget her family and "Come with me where you'll never, never have to worry about grownup things again. Wendy: "Never is an awfully long time." They fly to Neverland.

They fly past many planets. Never Land is an island below the clouds.

Smee tells Hook Pan did him a favor by cutting off his hand. Hook says, "Thank Lucifer the beast swallowed a clock."

"Now mermaids are not as they are in storybooks. They are dark creatures in touch with all things mysterious." "How sweet... Are mermaids not sweet? They'll sweetly drown you if you get too close." Wendy goes down to the shore and reaches out her hand. A mermaid grabs her hand and stares deeply into her eyes hypnotizing her to pull her under to drown her. Peter saves her. The mermaids hiss and swim off.

Later Hook asks Peter if he is mineral, vegetable, man, etc? Peter says he's an animal, but not a man. Peter says he's a boy -- not an ordinary one, but a wonderful boy.

Hook tells Pan he is going to die. Pan replies, "To die will be an awfully big adventure," Pan escapes.
He and Wendy have a magical moment and they rise into the sky in front of the moon, but Peter asks "Wendy, it's only make-believe, isn't it, that you and I are...?" Wendy answers, "Yes", and they start to drift back down. Peter explains that it would make him seem so old to be a real father. Peter says he has never felt love and even the sound of it offends him. ** Pan tells Wendy he will not grow up, threatens to banish her like Tinker Bell and says for her to go home and take her feelings with her. He flies back to Wendy's nursery, but he did not really want her to go back home so he shuts her window. Mary, Wendy's mother, is waiting up for her and freaks out when she sees the window is closed. She says it must always be open for them and opens the window.
Wendy briefly considers joining Captain Hook's pirates as their storyteller for he is a man of feeling, but instead tells the boys they are going home before they are forgotten. Peter says, "If you wish it." Wendy wants Peter to come with them. Peter asks if he will be sent to school and then to an office. Wendy says yes. Peter refuses saying, "You can't catch me and make me a man. I want always to be a boy and have fun."

Hook sees a fairy and says he doesn't believe in fairies. Pan finds Tinker Bell and asks her why her light is going out? Pan says he is sorry and to forgive him. Pan repeats, "I do believe in fairies. I do. I do." Wendy and the boys repeat it also. The mantra is repeated at least 38 times in all. The widespread belief brings Tink back to life.



Meanwhile, Wendy has told Hook she won't become a pirate and would rather die. Hook forces her to tell the story of Peter Pan. One of the pirates is excited and exclaims, "I am in a story." ** She says he was lonely. Hook said he needs a Wendy, but why?" Wendy says he liked her stories: Cinderella, Snow White, Sleeping Beauty." Hook asks, "Love stories?" Wendy says, "Adventures in which good triumphs over evil." Hook says they all end in a kiss and that "He does feel. He feels about you. She told him stories. He taught her to fly. How?" She says "You just think happy thoughts. They lift you into the air." He replies he has no happy thoughts and she answers, "That brings you down."

Hook makes Wendy walk the plank to bring Peter down. Peter rescues Wendy. Hook calls him a proud and insolent youth. He tells him Wendy is leaving him, will forget him and replace him. He is able to defeat Pan with these negative declaratives. But Wendy gives Peter a kiss and this revives him and enables him to soar into the heavens and return to easily overthrow Hook. Hook is cast overboard into the moonlight as the crocodile eats him. The children chant, "Old! Alone! Done for!" over and over as a sort of spell to seal his doom.



Peter whistles, the fairies come and repair the boat. Peter captains the ship back home. The Lost Boys are welcomed into the family, but Peter watches from outside the window. He muses, "To live would be an awfully big adventure." As he turns to fly away, Wendy rushes to the window and pleads, "Peter! You won't forget me, will you?" He assures her, "Me? Forget? Never." "Will you come back?" "To hear stories... about me." She says she never saw Peter again but tells his story to her children and they will to theirs and so it will go on for all children grow up... except one. Peter is shown streaking through the night to a distant twinkling star... the second star to the right.

FINDING NEVERLAND (2004)

"Unlock your imagination". The 2004 film Finding Neverland is about the playwright J.M. Barrie and how he came to write and produce the play Peter Pan. James Barrie is played by Johnny Depp. "How does anyone stay young forever?" "He just believes he imagines life the way he wants it to be and he believes in it long enough and hard enough and it all appears before him."
James tells Mary about a place called Neverland.

"Neverland. It's a wonderful place. I've not spoken about this before to anyone. Ever."
"What's it like... Neverland?"
"One day I'll take you there."

"This is Peter Pan." "How wonderful. You're Peter Pan? Why, you must be quite the little adventurer!"
Regarding the play:"Much of it will have to be imagined." "As it should be."
Every time a child says they don't believe in fairies, a fairy somewhere falls down dead.
Mary is dying, but James brings the play to their house for her and shows her what Never Land is like before she dies.
"She's on every page of your imagination. You'll always have her there."
"She went to Neverland. And you can visit her anytime you like if you just go there yourself." "How?" "By believing, Peter. Just believe."
Peter: "I can see her."

NEVERLAND TWO-PART TV MINI-SERIES (2011)

According to the Fandom web site, "Neverland is an adventure/fantasy miniseries that aired on the Syfy network (USA) on December 4 and 5, 2011, and Sky Movies (UK) on December 9th and 16th, written and directed by Nick Willing. It is a prequel to and re-imagining of the Peter Pan story. "

In this version Hook is a mentor of Peter and the rest of the boys as they start out as thieves. Peter has his flute or pipe and uses it to send signals and cue the boys when to steal.

Peter and the lost boys survive by their fearless wits as cunning young pickpockets. Now, they've been rounded up by their mentor Jimmy Hook to snatch a priceless, some believe, magical treasure which transports them to another world. Neverland is a realm of white jungles and legendary mysteries of eternal youth, where unknown friends and enemies snatched from time welcome the new travelers with both excitement and trepidation." **

One of the boys fears they've landed in Hell and says soon Lucifer's demons will rise to record their sins and throw them down into the everlasting fire of damnation. The captain of the ship tells them Neverland is "heaven or hell depending upon your point of view". This seems to allude to the fact that one's thoughts will manifest reality. So if one resides in fearful and negative thoughts, a hellish reality could manifest.

The indian tells Peter they call the place Neverland because they never age there. Meanwhile, the captain of the pirate ship tells Hook, the leader of Pan and his gang, that planet earth is in a galaxy far, far away and there's no way back.

She tells Hook, "This planet has something special to offer. It's mined by creatures of this world. The indians call them tree spirits." She shows him the mineral that makes them fly. "It will light you up from inside, literally turn you into god. And give you the power to fly," She tells Hook, "Together we can rule Neverland like gods and turn this endless purgatory into an eternal paradise." She refers to Neverland as a purgatory. **

Staying with the indians, Pan is playing a recurring tune on his flute that he keeps hearing in his dreams. One of the indians has heard the tune also.

Meanwhile, the captain of the pirate ship says, "We'll find the mineral dust here in the tree spirit colony." This could very well be a reference to DMT powder or other hallucinogens that can be found in nature in trees and plants. **

"The philosopher's stone cannot be made. It has to be trapped. It's a form of cosmic energy which lives at the very center of the universe... where its four corners meet.. At its center is this tiny planet -- Neverland."

The fairy Tinkerbell is glowing. Peter asks why she glows so bright? The answer is because "much of that astral energy is trapped inside her."

Aaya says she can tell "how to get into the tree spirit colony and the secret of the mineral dust". This definitely seems to be a reference to DMT which allows users to "breakthrough" and travel through a portal into hyperspace where they see and converse with elfin or fairy entities in hyperspace. One form of DMT can be found in the 'vine of the soul', named ayahuasca. Users claim the spirit of the vine communicates with them and they call her "Aya" for short. So here in the movie the native that knows the secret of the mineral dust of the tree spirits is named Aaya. This can't be coincidence in my opinion. **

Aaya looks at the drawing Peter made of the place he sees in his dreams where he hears the music. She says she knows where those twin peaks are. Also, the twin peaks looks like horns which is another "coincidence" I'm sure.

The fairy telepathically communicates with Peter. "Now you are like one of us." Peter asks, "Where am I? You speak English?" The fairy answers telepathically, "No. I'm using my mind, Peter. Thoughts have no language. But the mineral dust gives you the power to hear our people." **

Wake up, boy. Wake up. There's more than the flying, isn't there? Hmm? The power lives inside you, doesn't it? It nourishes you from inside. "

Peter leads him to the cave. He says, "It's not as far as you'd think, but it's dark." At the thought they'll need torches Peter says, "No. I'll light the way." This is a metaphor for Peter being the Light. **

"The tree spirits were here then, singing a strange song."

Pan is in the forest and is accosted by three Elder spirits. He tells them, "I'm sorry. They tricked me."

The elders scold him, "You wanted to give them what we gave you-- please the one called Hook, allowed his greed and ambition to corrupt your innocent heart. "

Peter pleads, "I made a mistake."

"A mistake which has cost us dear. For that, you must pay. You shall walk for the rest of eternity without any memory of who you are, where you came from, or those you loved. Your innocence, the innocence we recognized and trusted, will be your only guide, raw and heartless. Listen carefully. You will feel great loss, grief, torture, distress, heartache, suffering... " **

Peter says "Neverland is filled with adventures. We haven't even scratched the surface. There's a million islands, with a different adventure on each and every one. And d'you know what the best part is? We never have to grow up. We can do whatever we like, live by our rules, with no adults here to cheat us. This is our world, pure and fair... Neverland! "

PETER PAN LIVE! (2014)

Peter Pan Live! was a 2014 live telecast of the Peter Pan play. Nominated for three Emmys, it starred Allison Williams as Peter Pan, Christopher Walken as Captain Hook, and Taylor Louderman / Minnie Driver as Wendy.

It was a fairly straightforward reenactment of the play. Peter visits Wendy because he likes hearing her tell stories of Cinderella and, of course, stories about himself. He lost his shadow on one of the visits and Wendy sews it on for him.

He takes the credit and wants to crow. She accuses him of being conceited. He says, "I am what I am". This is basically him claiming to be god as that is a more accurate translation of what God said to Moses in the burning bush: I am whatever I will be or will myself to be. She asks Peter where he lives. He says it's a secret place.

Pan sings, stating he has a place which is his home. It's called Neverland and is where dreams are born and time is never planned. But you can't find it on a chart. "You must find it with your heart."

"Never Never Land"

I have a place where dreams are born, And time is never planned
It's not on any chart, You must find it with your heart
Never Never Land

It might be miles beyond the moon, Or right there where you stand
Just keep an open mind, And then suddenly you'll find
Never Never Land **

You'll have a treasure if you stay there, More precious far than gold
For once you have found your way there, You can never, never grow old

And that's my home where dreams are born, And time is never planned
Just think of lovely things. And your heart will fly on wings
Forever in Never Never Land.

Neverland is filled with adventures. To get there all you have to do is think of lovely things and your heart will fly on wings forever in Neverland.

He says his fairy, Tinker Bell, is there with them and Wendy says she doesn't believe in fairies. Pan says not to say that because every time a child says they don't believe in fairies, one dies. Pan wants to take Wendy to Neverland with him to be mother for the he and the Lost Boys so she can tell them stories.

She says she doesn't know how to fly. He says just think lovely thoughts and up you'll go. Tink sprinkles magic pixie dust on her and they fly to Neverland.

In Neverland, Hook refers to it as "Peter's playground" and that he doesn't like the thought of Peter flying free.

Hook is Peter's arch-rival or nemesis. A hook is something attractive or alluring that is used as bait to lure and entrap something. He is always scheming of a way to lure Peter so he can capture him. He wants to get his "hook in Peter". He talks about the three E's of piracy: roguery, larceny and arsony.

The island of Neverland is full of conflict and drama, adventures that make for great stories. There is a tribe of indians, a mermaid lagoon and the pirate cove.
Hook is looking for Pan's hideout. Notice the mushrooms that are always around Hangman's Tree where Pan and the Lost Boys live.

The Lost Boys are lonely because they have no girls around and want Wendy to be their mother. "She'll be waiting at the door. We won't be lonely any more. " ** They call her Wendy-Lady. She says she will if Peter will be their Father. This could be a pagan reference to the Lord and the Lady deities.



Hook hears Wendy is going to be their mother and says "The 'game' is up". The fact that it is all one big game is constantly mentioned throughout. Tiger Lily tells Pan and the Boys that Hook wants to destroy Neverland and everyone on it. This is similar to the Sumerian god Enlil and the Jewish god Yahweh who wanted to destroy the world with a flood. Enki warned humanity and saved them from the flood. Of course, Peter is the one who is always saving everyone from Captain Hook.

At Mermaid Lagoon, Pan mentions how magic is associated with a full moon. Wendy thinks the mermaids are beautiful, but Pan warns of being "distracted by the beauty" and that "many lives have been lost". Pan is the god of chaos, and there is much chaos on the island. "Eyes lost to victory" could refer to the hypnotic stare of the sirens.

Wendy sings that she knows it's all "only pretend", but even though "it's all just a game, make-believe" that "soon the dream will end", but just for the moment she still wants to pretend. **

Pan warns that prisoners are chained to Marooner's rock and die there. Hook captures indian princess, Tiger Lily and chains her to the rock.

The pirates hear Wendy coming to rescue Tiger Lily and think she's the wind or a spirit. Tiger Lily tells them Hook wants to blow up the island.

Pan wants to get on with the fighting because he is bored. Pan says, "To die will be an awfully big adventure."

Tiger Lily says, "Peter Pan is the sun, the moon and the stars" and cocky Pan agrees. Pan is a nature deity and sometimes considered to be nature itself. Pantheism is the worship of everything in nature. **

Pan starts becoming worried about being a father, wanting to make sure it's only pretend. Wendy has feelings for Pan. Pan says she's like Tiger Lily and Tinker Bell to him.

Wendy and the boys want to go home now and she asks Peter to make the arrangements for her. He answers, "As you wish". She tells The Lost Boys they can come with her and be adopted by her parents. They want to go with her.

She wants Peter to come too. Peter says she is wrong about parents and that he thought his mother would leave a window open for him and a light to welcome him, but when he went back the window and door was barred. He was banned from his home. She says if he comes for her once a year she will return to Neverland and do his Spring cleaning.

Pan learns from Tinker Bell that Hook captured Wendy and the Boys. He says "it's not just a game this time" because it's not just about him. There's more at stake.

Hook tries to get the Boys to join his crew and become pirates. They refuse.

Pan comes to the ship to rescue Wendy and the Boys. He calls himself The Avenger (the opposer?) Hook calls Pan "proud and impudent". Pan declares, "I am youth! I am joy! I am freedom!" Much like Lucifer, Pan claims to be a liberator to the oppressive dictatorship of Hook.

Tiger Lily says Peter is the Sun, the moon and the Stars. Pan says, "I give the sign and the sunlight will shine and the forest will grow and the rivers will flow."

Back at the nursery the children are missed. A nightlight is left on as a shepherd to guide the children home. In mythology Pan is a shepherd. Peter sends a nightlight, Tinker Bell, to guide them home.

The children make it home safe. Years later Pan comes for Wendy who had waited for Pan every year, but finally grew up. Pan thought it was just yesterday that they were together as time is very different in Neverland. He wants Wendy to go with him, but she has forgotten how to fly, is married now and has a daughter.

Wendy's daughter, Jane, wakes up and is excited to see Peter Pan. She wants him to teach her to fly. Pan asks if she knows any stories. She says she knows lots of stories and wants Pan to take her with him. She asks her mother if she can go.

Wendy says she wishes she could go herself and hopes Jane has a daughter who will go with Pan and so on. Then she'll know Pan will "go on forever as long as children are young and innocent". That is a little creepy and almost sounds like he needs children sacrificed continually in order to live. Jane flies off to Neverland with Peter.

PAN (2015) [WARNER BROS. PICTURES]

Pan is a 2015 film starring Hugh Jackman and was available in IMAX 3D. It is an alternative origin story.

**

Pan's mother leaves him, as a baby, at an orphanage. Children are going missing and Peter investigates. The orphanage flies the Jolly Roger skull and bones flag at night.



The nuns are selling off and abducting orphans to pirates operating a flying pirate ship (ufo / alien abduction?).

**

On their trip to Neverland they pass very closely by a ring-shaped planet that looks like Saturn.

**

They also pass by what looks like the moon.

They're abducted and taken to or past a ringed planet (Saturn?), fall back down past the moon, and to Never Land, an island in the clouds. They're taken into a cavern where all the lost orphans (lost boys?) chant the Nirvana song Smells Like Teen Spirit.... "Hello, entertain us!".... sounds like the energy of teen spirit excites and keeps them entertained?
The orphans are forced to work as miners mining for fairy dust / pixum crystals. Blackbeard makes Peter walk the plank and kicks him off, but Peter is able to fly. He wakes up later in Blackbeard's quarters.
Blackbeard: "Never Land is a dream from which you never wake".... "a dreadful nightmare you know is not real but your sleep is so heavy, so deep, so delicious that you just can't wake up... Drowning in sleep, slow drowning in the soft black sea. Do you know that sea, Peter? It's death, boy, murmuring to you. It's where we end, most of us."
Blackbeard tells Peter Pan of an ancient prophecy from when the fairy kingdoms reigned on the island. The prophecy told of a boy born of the love between a fairy prince and a human girl. The boy would disappear and return to lead an uprising against him: the boy who could fly.
Hook and Peter escape from the prison they are put in.
Blackbeard uses the pixum like a drug to rejuvenate himself.
Pan and Hook steal a ship and land in the Neverwood... Pan is a lost boy.
Pan wants to find the natives to look for his mother. Hook tells Peter to tell them he is their savior.
The natives recognize him as the one the prophecy spoke of because of the pan pipes on his necklace.
His father sacrificed his life to take human form because fairies only live one day as humans.
The fairies retreat and are in hiding until they can fight the pirates. His mother is with the fairies in the Fairy Kingdom.
He must prove himself to be Mary's son, the one they've been waiting for, their messiah to liberate them.
Peter was born to a warrior, heir to a prince.
Peter has to believe in order to fly. He must overcome his doubts and fears about being the chosen one.

The Indian grounds in Never Land look a bit like the DMT realm.......like circus colored big-tent tops, etc.
Could the pixie dust be DMT crystals that are ground into powder?

"Death is the greatest adventure."

Peter finds out his mother Mary was a great warrior (Inana?).
Princess Tiger Lily say, "Home is not where you come from, but where you make it."
Only the key from the prince will allow them to pass to the fairy kingdom.
Blackbeard steals the key (Pan's pan necklace) and opens the gateway.
Blackbeard: "Eternity beckons. I will live forever."


They fly past huge crystals toward an eye of light, the fairy hive. **

The Fairy Kingdom seems to be a crystal city of light. If he destroys the fairy hive, he will destroy them all.
Pan refuses to bow down to Blackbeard. Pan flies back with pixie magic to rescue the girl thinking happy thoughts and casting the magic at Blackbeard.

Peter finds and speaks to his mother. She tells him he is not lost, but is home on the island with these people, his people, his family.
She tells him: "You'll never lose me. I'll always be part of this Never Land and a part of you."

Peter wakes up in bed from his sleep at the orphanage. He leads the orphans away from the orphanage, flying and sailing away into the sky in his flying ship.
Captain Hook: "Set the course: Second to the right and straight on 'til morning."

ONCE UPON A TIME (2011-2017) [TV SERIES, ABC]

Once Upon A Time was a television series which ran on ABC for seven years. The show wove together many classic fairy tales such as Cinderella, Snow White, Robin Hood, Rumplestiltskin, Peter Pan, Pinocchio, etc. in various settings such as the Enchanted Forest, Wonderland, Neverland, etc. The third season had a strong recurring theme of the Peter Pan Neverland fairy tale. In 2012, I wrote an article on the Trickster god and cited many examples, including how the Greek god Pan, Peter Pan, Peter Piper, The Pied Piper, Pete's Dragon were all related as well as Mary Poppins, Pippi Longstocking and even pop culture phenomena such as Pepsi, Dr. Pepper, and Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. Even the pips on playing cards were part of my analysis. In 2013, Once Upon A Time connected Peter Pan and the Pied Piper together. The show also villainized Peter Pan and turned Captain Hook into a hero. Me thinks someone may have been reading my blog, or maybe the connections were obvious to someone else as well.

**

"It's titled Once Upon a Time and it's the story of us... I wish the world could know the story of my family, how it was all true, how every moment of it happened. And you may think this is just a story. But that's the thing about stories. They're more than words. They live inside of us. They make us who we are. And, as long as someone believes that, there will always be magic." — Henry Mills

"Many people have come and gone from Wonderland. But only the most special ones ever discover what it’s truly about... Finding yourself." -- The White Rabbit at Alice's wedding

The story's location is modern-day Storybrooke, Maine, a "Land Without Magic". The town's name is a pun on "storybook" There are various locations such as The Enchanted Forest, Wonderland and Neverland.

"The Dark Curse is the main plot focal point for the series. It is originally cast by the Evil Queen out of vengeance against Snow White, bringing the Enchanted Forest inhabitants to the Land Without Magic and trapping them in the town of Storybrooke, Maine with no memory of their past lives. After being broken by Emma Swan, the Savior, the curse is later recast by Peter Pan, Snow White, Hook, the Black Fairy, the Coven of the Eight, and Roni for various reasons."

"The Darkness is the corrupted soul of Nimue, lover of the Sorcerer Merlin. Vortigan, attempting to kill Nimue, seemingly fatally stabs her, but it turns out Nimue had drunk from the Holy Grail and had gained magic and immortality like Merlin. She then proceeds to rip out Vortigan's heart, and after ignoring Merlin's pleads for her to not give in to the darkness, she crushes his heart, and the Flame of Prometheus becomes extinguished. Because she used the power of the Holy Grail for evil, Nimue's soul is corrupted and she becomes the first Dark One, smashing Excalibur so that Merlin cannot destroy the darkness or her magic inside her. "

"There's a reason it's called Neverland. Because once you set foot on its soil, the Shadow never lets you leave." — Wendy to Baelfire

The Shadow's magical powers include world-crossing, the ability to travel between worlds at will and shapeshifting, the ability to change its own appearance to resemble anyone, even if it has never met the original people it is mimicking. Although he is called "Pan's Shadow" for many times, he is not actually Pan's real shadow, but a living entity that resided in Neverland, even before Pan came to the island.

Neverland was never affected by the Dark Curse and frozen in time because time stands still there. This is proven when the inhabitants of Neverland are no longer being sustained by magic or given unaging ability, since the magic that sustained Peter Pan's youth died out.

"Neverland is a place for children to visit in their dreams, not a place for them to live. You were the first to try and stay, and in doing so... you're breaking the rules!" —The Shadow to Malcolm.

Malcolm, currently known as Peter Pan, and briefly known as the Fugitive Boy and the Pied Piper. Malcolm is the main reality version of Peter Pan. Malcolm's casting call describes him as, "dissatisfied, self-centered and ruthless." Pan's casting call describes him as "in his teens, and is a mischievous and devious Lost Boy." Thus the prefix "Mal" which means 'bad'.

"Careful. He may look like a boy, but he's a bloody demon." -- Hook. ** When Malcolm is just a boy, his father sells him to a blacksmith, from whom he is forced to work for by slaving away in front of hot coals. As self-comfort over this hardship, Malcolm spends his nights telling himself to "think lovely thoughts", and in his sleep, he travels to a world called Neverland, where the power of belief can make anything a reality. At one point, he harnesses the power to fly at will and learns about the pixie dust that grows in flowers atop a tree, which can give someone the ability to fly.

When his son is still young, Malcolm earns money by swindling people by enticing them to play a rigged card game. To swindle people out of their money, Malcolm performs "Follow the Lady", a gambling card game. **

Malcolm remembers a place he used to visit in his childhood dreams called Neverland and this is exactly where they decide to go.

In this series Pan has the magical power of Heart-ripping which is the ability to rip someone's heart out in order to control or kill them.

Peter Pan appeared during season three starting with the first episode.

The ship is sucked into a vortex and emerges in Neverland.

"Sometime after bringing many of the boys with him to the island as companions, Pan discovers it is possible to maintain his immortality by having the heart of the truest believer. As Pan searches for the boy possessing the heart of the truest believer, he uses a fake organization name, the Home Office, and enlists Greg and Tamara as employees, with the pair believing they are working towards destroying magic rather than reviving it. Greg and Tamara follow orders from the Home Office to kidnap Henry to Neverland, and shortly after both of them are disposed of by Pan's shadow and the Lost Boys."

The Lost Boys' mission is to destroy magic. Neal came to Neverland via a portal. He says they take you wherever you think of. Mulan asks Neal what the other world is like. Neal tells her the other world thinks "that this place [Neverland] is just a fairy tale...like a legend, like we're all just characters in a story." He tells her, "They made a movie about you. It was actually pretty good." **

Convincing Henry that only he can stop Neverland from losing all its magic, Pan takes him to Skull Rock, intending to trick him into giving up his heart.

Pan tells Henry, "Let's make it a game, a puzzle to solve." Henry asks Peter why he told Greg and Tamara that magic was bad and that he would help them destroy magic. Pan said he "needed their help because it's so much easier to get people to hate something than to believe". **

As they sit on a log, Pan explains the benefits of Neverland as a place no one ever tells anyone what to do. Henry doesn't think he belongs on the island, but Pan states they have all been waiting for him for a very long time. He explains that Neverland runs on the power of belief, but Henry’s world is no longer full of magic because the people there have stopped believing. Pan calls Henry the savior of magic, and believes it was not a coincidence that a child was born from the greatest of light and dark.. Pan and the Lost Boys corner him and steal Henry back.

"Pan emphasizes to Henry that he needs his heart to save magic. At first, Henry takes the meaning figuratively, thinking he simply needs to have a strong belief, but Pan clears up the misunderstanding. When Henry asks what will happen to him after sacrificing his heart, Pan talks about the legacy he'll be leaving behind as a great hero, but then admits the greater price is not being able to leave the island. Henry is willing to make the sacrifice, so Pan magically enchants his hand. With encouragement, Henry reaches to take out his own heart, which Emma, Mr. Gold, Neal and Regina rush up just in time to witness. They plead with Henry that Pan is feeding him lies. For a moment, Henry considers it, even though Pan presses that his family is lying because they don't want him to give up his own heart for the greater good. Henry chooses to disobey his family and shoves the heart into Pan's chest. As Henry collapses, Pan gains what he always wanted—the heart of the truest believer. "

Pan tells Henry for the longest time he's "sought something extremely important, something more elusive than the greatest of all mysteries: the heart of the truest believer". He says Henry has that very special heart and now "You and it are mine". He summons the Lost Boys, "Let's play!" The Lost Boys surround Henry.

Did you pick up on that? Pan says magic is bad and he wants to destroy it and he is encouraging them to hate instead of believing. Pan wants to take Henry's heart and the Lost Boys surround Henry to steal it. Pan and the Lost Boys corner him and steal Henry back. Pan is now overtly a villain.

Hook reinforces the notion that Peter Pan is indeed the villain. Hook tells Emma, "I can assure you, on this island, I am not the bad guy". Emma replies that Pan's not supposed to be one either. Hook asks what gave her that idea. Emma answers, "Every story I ever heard as a child." Hook says, "Well, they got it all wrong. Pan is the most treacherous villain I've ever had."

Hook tells Emma more about Pan: "He so likes his games". Emma asks Hook how they know Pan won't use the map to lead them "straight into a trap". Hook answers that Pan doesn't need to lead them into a trap because "This whole island's his bloody trap." **

Meanwhile, Mary Margaret tells Emma that Pan is "playing a game. You can win." She repeats what Hook said about Peter. "Pan is a demon."

"We only made it out of our last encounter because Pan let us". He suggests they need a new plan. "It's time we stop playing his game and he starts playing ours." **

He says Pan is moving the camp. "He's playing tricks on us."

Regina suggests using magic on Pan, but Hook says "Pan will have shields against magic" and such an attempt would end in death.

Neal says, "Henry is trapped in Neverland with Peter Pan who is hands down the nastiest person I've ever met". He suggests Roland summon the shadow as bait since the shadow brought him to Neverland as a kid. Robin Hood isn't crazy about the idea because his child will be used as bait and "if something goes wrong a demonic shadow carries him though a portal to the nastiest person you ever met".

Pan is talking about games again. Everything seems to be a game to Peter.

As they sit on a log, Pan explains the benefits of Neverland as a place no one ever tells anyone what to do. Pan is basically saying Neverland is great because you can do what thou wilt. And even though they get hurt all the time, it's just the "cost of the game".

Pan says Neverland "runs on imagination, on belief", but that the world stopped believing. Henry doesn't think he belongs on the island, but Pan states they have all been waiting for him for a very long time. Pan calls Henry the savior of magic, and believes it was not a coincidence that a child was "born from the greatest of light and dark".

"Lonely by himself in Neverland, Pan concocts a way to gather children from the Enchanted Forest who can become his companions and come back with him to his world. Using a magic pan flute, the song draws in boys from the town of Hamelin as well as Rumplestiltskin's son, Baelfire, who longs for freedom and friends. He explains his reason for being in the Enchanted Forest, and notes only certain boys, those filled with loneliness, can hear the instrument's music. "

A man tells Rumplestiltskin he has been tracking Pan. Rumplestiltskin tells him many children went missing the night before and were "lured from their beds by some unholy music.... from the Piper". He says "no one saw his face, only a figure hidden by a pied cloak of multicolor patches, leading the children from their homes and into the forest". Rumplestiltskin warns, "Whoever this Pied Piper is, he's about to play his last note". **

Later, Rumplestiltskin asks Pan, "Where's my son, Piper?" and accuses him of having a magical pipe. Pan says, "Is that what they're calling me? We both know who I really am." He says he's glad he could "make the show". Pan says it's lonely in Neverland and the only friends he has are the children who visit in their dreams, but they can't stay. He says the boys he takes back will and that the only thing magical about his pipe is "only certain boys can hear it, boys who feel unloved, boys who feel lost". He says that sounds like a good name for his new group of friends: The Lost Boys. **

So it seems Peter has been luring children away with the music he plays from his pipe because he is lonely. The children are "missing" and now "lost". The connection is that the devil is called the Piper and steals souls. He does this with a "pipe".

"Pan gains Baelfire's trust and informs him beforehand of a deal he is going to make with Rumplestiltskin. He states the deal will force Rumplestiltskin to allow Baelfire to decide, out of free will, to stay in the Enchanted Forest or leave for Neverland. "

"Even though Neal intends to do whatever it takes to get Henry back, Pan points out the real problem is no one walks off the island without his leave. Neal boasts he already did that once before, but is left unsure when Pan reminds him where he is now and everyone is exactly where they should be. "

Although he is called "Pan's Shadow" for many times, he is not actually Pan's real shadow, but a living entity residing in Neverland, even before Pan came to the island.

Hook explains the reason Pan tested him, which was to see if he'd pick his friend or the woman of his dreams...

Hook says Dark Hollow is "the darkest spot on the entire island. Any light that makes its way in is snuffed out by the shadows that call it home. "

"After walking, the trio reach Dark Hollow where Neal explains they'll trap the shadow by lighting the candle inside the star map and closing the lid once it's sucked in. Seeing as Neal is having trouble with the lighter, Hook offers to help, but the two end up arguing over Emma. When the lighter is accidentally flung near a tree, both go to get it as three shadows attack. Two shadows quickly take out Hook and Neal, by attempting to rip out their shadows, until Emma uses magic to light the candle and absorb Pan's shadow.

Eventually, they head into Dark Hollow. Neal briefs on drawing the Shadow in by lighting the candle and trapping it by putting the lid on. He and Neal end up fighting over the lighter when three shadows show up to attack just as Emma grabs the coconut halves. Both men are thrown against trees and begin having their shadows ripped out. The Shadow dies as she throws the coconut halves into an open fire."

In devising a plan they think of using magic to block the moon.

Thoughts become reality in Neverland which is consistent with reports of the astral plane during OBEs and also with near death experiences.

"Neverland is a place for children to visit in their dreams, not a place for them to live."

The evil Pan brags, "They'll be slaves to this new land we're making, no idea who they once were. Their suffering will be eternal." Slaves with no idea who they once were? Sounds familiar.

"Regina takes "Henry" into her vault for protection. Once inside, he knocks her unconscious with a substance and steals a spell for the Dark Curse. He escapes to the outskirts of town with Felix with the intention of using the curse. At nightfall, he and Felix go to the wishing well to begin dropping all the curse's ingredients in. As the last necessity, Pan needs the heart of the thing he loves most. Pan takes Felix's heart because he has always been most loyal to him, and sacrifices it. Shortly after the curse is cast, Pan finds himself switched back to his original body." **

From Fandom: "Pan chooses Neal as his first kill just when Mr. Gold stops him by summoning the dagger from his own shadow. He stabs Pan, as well as himself, with it. On the brink of death, Pan melts away in darkened smoke as Malcolm takes his place momentarily. Malcolm pleads for his son to remove the dagger so they can start over as a family. Mr. Gold refuses his father's request by acknowledging himself as a villain, and therefore neither he or Malcolm can have a happy ending. Then, he twists the dagger to embed more deeply into their puncture wounds as a golden light protrudes out of the blade. Malcolm stops resisting the inevitable while Mr. Gold gives him a kiss on the cheek, to which the light engulfs them as they fade out of existence. "

Pan challenges Rumplestiltskin to ask his son Baelfire "if he wants to come to Neverland with me or stay here with you. If he wants to say I'll leave and never return. Deal?" Rumplestiltskin says he doesn't have to make any deals with Pan. This seems to be yet another allusion to the idea that Pan is the devil since people make deals with the devil and have to "pay the piper".

Even though Neal intends to do whatever it takes to get Henry back, Pan points out the real problem is no one walks off the island without his leave. Pan once again refers to it being a game. "It's the game. No, my boy, the real problem for you is that there is no escaping Neverland. No one gets off this island without my permission." **

According to Fandom, "Pan emphasizes to Henry that he needs his heart to save magic. At first, Henry takes the meaning figuratively, thinking he simply needs to have a strong belief, but Pan clears up the misunderstanding. When Henry asks what will happen to him after sacrificing his heart, Pan talks about the legacy he'll be leaving behind as a great hero, but then admits the greater price is not being able to leave the island. Henry is willing to make the sacrifice, so Pan magically enchants his hand. With encouragement, Henry reaches to take out his own heart, which Emma, Mr. Gold, Neal and Regina rush up just in time to witness. They plead with Henry that Pan is feeding him lies. For a moment, Henry considers it, even though Pan presses that his family is lying because they don't want him to give up his own heart for the greater good. Henry chooses to disobey his family and shoves the heart into Pan's chest. As Henry collapses, Pan gains what he always wanted—the heart of the truest believer. Pan relishes in the fact Henry gave him his heart out of free will while also revealing to Emma, Neal and Regina that Mr. Gold is now trapped within Pandora's Box.

"Pan will never break free of the box, and that magic isn't the answer to everything. After she is gone, Pan opens the window and releases a trapped Shadow from the ship sail. The next day, the Shadow kills Mother Superior, which leads everyone to suspect Pan is controlling the creature from inside the box. Regina takes "Henry" into her vault for protection. Once inside, he knocks her unconscious with a substance and steals a spell for the Dark Curse. He escapes to the outskirts of town with Felix with the intention of using the curse.

"At nightfall, he and Felix go to the wishing well to begin dropping all the curse's ingredients in. As the last necessity, Pan needs the heart of the thing he loves most. Pan takes Felix's heart because he has always been most loyal to him, and sacrifices it. Shortly after the curse is cast, Pan finds himself switched back to his original body.

"Pan chooses Neal as his first kill just when Mr. Gold stops him by summoning the dagger from his own shadow. He stabs Pan, as well as himself, with it. On the brink of death, Pan melts away in darkened smoke as Malcolm]] takes his place momentarily. Malcolm pleads for his son to remove the dagger so they can start over as a family. Mr. Gold refuses his father's request by acknowledging himself as a villain, and therefore neither he or Malcolm can have a happy ending. Then, he twists the dagger to embed more deeply into their puncture wounds as a golden light protrudes out of the blade. Malcolm stops resisting the inevitable while Mr. Gold gives him a kiss on the cheek, to which the light engulfs them as they fade out of existence. "

After that, Malcolm's soul ends up in the Underworld where he regains his youthful appearance as Peter Pan and is unable to move on because of unfinished business.

While Mr. Gold does steal Robin Hood's heart, he secretly returns it and trades the heart out with a glamoured wineskin containing water from the Acheron. When Mr. Gold places the "heart" in Pan's chest, Pan immediately recoils from pain. Pan grabs onto him, questioning why he is doing this, and Mr. Gold once again tells his father that villains don't get happy endings and he wants to ensure he never gets one. He then gives his father a hard shove, with Pan falling backwards onto the ground, where he dissolves into green smoke and is sent to the Worse Place." (The Worse Place is basically Hell.)

 

THE PIED PIPER (1972)

The Pied Piper is a 1972 film starring the pop star icon Donovan as the Pied Piper. A town is infested with rats and the Pied Piper makes a deal with the townspeople to lure the rats out of town for a fee. He plays his flute and the rats follow him jumping to their deaths into the river. The townspeople renege on their deal and the Piper in an act of vengeance leads the children out of town with the beautiful music of his flute. This tale is almost certainly the origin of the old adage about having to "pay the piper" or "Give the devil his due". The Piper is a reference to the Devil. **

The Pied Piper visits the town of Hamelin. He can play the guitar and flute and loves to serenade.

The town becomes infested with rats and the people don't know what to do. The Pied Piper offers a solution to the problem.

THE WIND IN THE WILLOWS (1987)

The Wind in the Willows is a children's novel by Kenneth Grahame, first published in 1908. The Wind in the Willows is an old tale which seems to have helped inspire several rock classics such as Led Zeppelin's Stairway to Heaven and Pink Floyd's Piper At the Gates of Dawn. A piper is mentioned in both songs. In fact, the title of the Pink Floyd song is the name of Chapter seven of the book. **

Chapter seven of the book, The Piper at the Gates of Dawn, was included. Rat is looking for his friend who has gone missing and he is drawn by the music of a familiar tune sung by the wind in the reeds. Upon reaching the source he discovers a magnificent being. He muses, "Some say there's a being: kindly, benevolent whose heartbeat is all nature... Piper. Pan. Call it what you will." I think "what you will" is a play on words.

A song is heard with a haunting melody and intriguing words: "Wind in the willows, strange melodies. All who would hear them lean to the breeze. Follow the wind-song. Soon it will fade." **

Rat finds his friend "crying in a beam of sunlight". He says, "I was led. I feel as if I've awakened from a beautiful dream. I can't remember it. I know it was beautiful, but that's all. It's faded now. I just hear the wind in the willows." **

 

THE WIND IN THE WILLOWS (1995)

The Wind in the Willows was a 1995 made-for-television film which also included Chapter seven, The Piper at the Gates of Dawn.

A narrator described Rat, looking for his lost friend... "Some spirit lure him on, haunting, awesome. and once he heard its voice he had no option but to follow. Sometimes the beauty of it hurt him. It would come and go, fainter now and then strange. It twas nowhere and yet everywhere at once." **

The narration continues, "The thin, clear, happy call he had once heard. Strongest at the place he called his Song-Dream, a holy place where that Spirit might be found." **

Rat's friend asks him if he is afraid of the being. He replies, "Never." By looking at the face, the being almost certainly is Pan.... horned with vegetation

The sun rises... it's dawn. Pan is relaxing on the grasslands while the sun is rising. He must be the piper at the gates of dawn. **

Looking back on the experience, he muses, "Something very splendid and beautiful has happened though. Hark to the wind in the reeds! It's like faraway music." His friend adds, "Music yes, but words too." He remembers a quote: 'You shall look upon my power at the helping hour.' He asks his friend, "Can't you hear those words in the reeds?" He continues the quote: 'Helper and healer. I cheer. Small waifs in the woodland wet. Strays I find in it . Wounds I bind in it. Bidding them all forget.'' **

At IANDS meetings where near death experiencers gather monthly, you will often hear talk of a carrier wave signal or tone or sound like a modem that is ever present, the music of the spheres. The ringing of the planets emit a sound as does the whole universe. It may be likened to AUM. If you listen carefully you can hear it. It is not tinnitus. Even people who have gone deaf have still heard the tone inside their heads. Half of near-death experiencers have described hearing beautiful, heavenly music during their NDE. One experiencer, Steve Roach, devoted much of his life trying to find and recreate that sound. His cd Structures From Silence is the result of that effort. You can listen to it here: YouTube Link. It is a symphonic sound recreated from a synthesizer emulating mostly stringed instruments and woodwinds. Believe it or not, he also has a cd called Cavern of Sirens. The sound I hear is more akin to this carrier wave: Carrier Wave

PIPER AT THE GATES OF DAWN, STAIRWAY TO HEAVEN, SGT. PEPPER, JOIN TOGETHER & SONGS FROM THE WOOD

This carrier wave or tone of the sphere is a "roaring silence". Manfred Mann's Earth Band scored a huge hit with the very telling Bruce Springsteen penned song Blinded by the Light. Blinded by the Light is a song on their album, The Roaring Silence. On the same album is Starbird. "Starbird, let your cry lead us all through the night. Rising from the ashes, your light'll show us the way. Starbird, you can fly me. Take me everywhere you go. Roaring with the windsong, Burning in your fiery glow, Screaming through the darkness, Roaring with the windsong, Starbird keep your light shining for all to see. Starbird, let your cry lead us all through the night. Rising from the ashes, your light'll show us the way."

This is also reminiscent of warning of a god of false artificial neon light given in the classic Simon & Garfunkel song The Sound of Silence later covered by Disturbed: "Hello darkness, my old friend I've come to talk with you again because a vision softly creeping left its seeds while I was sleeping and the vision that was planted in my brain still remains within the sound of silence. In restless dreams I walked alone, narrow streets of cobblestone 'neath the halo of a street lamp, I turned my collar to the cold and damp. When my eyes were stabbed by the flash of a neon light that split the night and touched the sound of silence. And in the naked light I saw ten thousand people, maybe more. People talking without speaking. People hearing without listening. People writing songs that voices never share. No one dared disturb the sound of silence. 'Fools' said I, 'You do not know silence like a cancer grows. Hear my words that I might teach you. Take my arms that I might reach you.' But my words like silent raindrops fell and echoed in the wells of silence. And the people bowed and prayed to the neon god they made. And the sign flashed out its warning in the words that it was forming. And the sign said, 'The words of the prophets are written on the subway walls and tenement halls and whispered in the sounds of silence'."

Pink Floyd named their first album, The Piper At the Gates of Dawn, after the seventh chapter of the book The Wind in the Willows. The album has a song called Lucifer Sam and a DMT-inspired song called Gnomes: "Hooray! Another way for gnomes to say ' Oooooooooomray' ".

Van Morrison has a song entitled The Piper At the Gates of Dawn which includes the lyrics, "The coolness of the riverbank, and the whispering of the reeds. Daybreak is not so very far away. Enchanted and spellbound, in the silence they lingered. And rowed the boat as the light grew steadily strong. And the birds were silent, as they listened for the heavenly music. And the river played the song. The wind in the willows and the piper at the gates of dawn. The wind in the willows and the piper at the gates of dawn. The song dream happened and the cloven hoofed piper played in that holy ground where they felt the awe and wonder. And they all were unafraid of the great god Pan."

Blackmore's Night is a Celtic, pagan, wiccan based band that plays Renaissance music comprised of the legendary guitarist from both Rainbow and Deep Purple, Ritchie Blackmore, and his lovely, charming wife Candice Night. Candice writes lyrics, sings and plays woodwinds. On their CD Under A Violet Moon they have a track called Wind in the Willows. "With the wind in the willows, the birds in the sky, there's a bright sun to warm us wherever we lie... so come sit beside us and share in our wine."

Jethro Tull features one of the best flute players ever, Ian Anderson, and incorporates much symbolism of the Green Man into their songs. One of their albums is entitled Songs From the Wood and includes the song Jack-in-the-Green.

Queen's song My Fairy King inspired Freddie Mercury to change his last name to Mercury. He sings, "Mother Mercury, look what they've done to me." Mercury is Hermes, once believed to be the conductor of souls in the afterlife. The inspiration for My Fairy King comes from Robert Browning's poem The Pied Piper. The song quotes three lines from the poem and is about a fairy king. "My fairy king can see things that are not there for you and me. He rules the air and turns the tides. Ohh yeah he guides the winds."Brian May said The Queen song The White Queen was inspired by the book The White Goddess. The book is about the Wiccan goddess of the moon. "All around the air did say my Lady soon will stir this way. In sorrow known The White Queen walks and the night grows pale. Stars of lovingness in her hair... How did thee fare, what have thee seen. The mother of the willow green. I call her name And 'neath her window have I stayed. I loved the footsteps that she made. And when she came, White Queen how my heart did ache And dry my lips no word would make. So still I wait. My Goddess, hear my darkest fear. I speak too late. It's for evermore that I wait." ** Freddy Mercury wrote The Black Queen: "I'm lord of all darkness. I'm queen of the night.
I've got the power. Now do the march of the black queen... I'll be what you make me. I'll do what you like. I'll be your bad boy. I'll do the march of the black queen.... She boils, and she bakes, and she never dots her I's. She's our leader. Forget your sing-alongs and your lullabies. Surrender to the city of the fireflies. Dance with the devil, beat with the band. To hell with all of you hand-in-hand. But now it's time to be gone forever."

Led Zeppelin's nature-based song Stairway to Heaven, one of the greatest rock songs of all-time, features a flute at the beginning and also mentions wind and the piper: "It makes me wonder... And it's whispered that soon if we all call the tune, then the piper will call us to reason and a new day will dawn... The piper's calling you to join him. Dear Lady, can you hear the wind blow and did you know your stairway lies on the whispering wind?... And as we wind on down the road our shadow's taller than our soul. There walks a lady we all know who shines white light and wants to show how everything still turns to gold. And if listen very hard the tune will come to you at last."

Even The Beatles' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band seems to draw inspiration from Peter Pan's band of lonely hearts, the lost boys. The piper meme is found in the lyrics where Sgt. Pepper is the leader of the band: "Sgt. Pepper taught the band to play... You're such a lovely audience, we'd like to take you home with us. We'd love to take you home." On the Sgt. Peppers' album cover, all four members of the Beatles are holding wind instruments/horns. John is holding a French horn; Ringo, a trumpet; Paul, an English horn; and George, a fife (military flute). In the Cirque Du Soleil show Love, based on the music of The Beatles, the character Sgt. Pepper carries one or more horns. A pepper is of the genus named "piper".

The Who's tune Join Together (With the Band) implores the listener, "Everybody, come on and join together with the band".

The Rolling Stones have a song Can You Hear the Music on their Goats Head Soup album. "Can you feel the magic floatin' in the air? Can you hear the magic? Oh, yeah, yeah. When you hear the music ringin' in my ear. Can you hear the music?" On the Rolling Stones album Their Satanic Majesties Secret Request the song Sing This All Together (See What Happens) reveals, "Why don't we sing this song all together. Open our minds let the pictures come and if we close all our eyes together, then we will see where we all come from. Pictures of us in the circling sun. Pictures of the show that we're all one." Also, notice the planet Saturn on the album cover below.

Is it just a coincidence that the greatest classic rock bands are paying homage to this "sympathy for the devil" theme? **

If you have any doubts at all that what I am saying is true, then you should check out the lyrics to these 16 songs about Pan from the DarkLyrics web site which talk about Pan being a god that pagans and wiccans worship as the horned god and devil. They mention a song in the wind or nature that is calling us. Some very provocative lyrics. Ever noticed all the celebrities with one eye open in photos? Ever wondered why they do that and where it came from? Well, how about this song Hymn to Pan by Dodsengel which uses the poem Hymn to Pan by Aleister Crowley. It features the line, "Give me the sign of the Open Eye... I am awake in the grip of the snake." Or this line from the song Io Pan by Inkubus Sukkubus: "Io Pan! God of lust and of nature. Great god of the internet, his web around the earth."

Link: 16 Songs About Pan

SIREN SONGS & SWAN SONGS

Not only do we have the tune of the piper we also have siren songs and swan songs. [Incidentally, a few years after Led Zeppelin's song about the piper's tune, Led Zeppelin released their own record company named Swan Song with the logo of a falling angel, i.e. Lucifer. The logo was made by designers Hipgnosis.]

Siren songs are the songs that mermaids or sirens sing to lure sailors to their deaths upon the rocks. A good example is the song Tales of Brave Ulysses by Cream featuring Eric Clapton. "You thought the leaden winter would bring you down forever, but you rode upon a steamer to the violence of the sun. And the colors of the sea blind your eyes with trembling mermaids. And you touch the distant beaches with tales of brave Ulysses. How his naked ears were tortured by the sirens sweetly singing for the sparkling waves are calling you to kiss their white laced lips. And you see a girl's brown body dancing through the turquoise. And her footprints make you follow where the sky loves the sea. And when your fingers find her, she drowns you in her body carving deep blue ripples in the tissues of your mind. The tiny purple fishes run laughing through your fingers and you want to take her with you to the hard land of the winter. Her name is Aphrodite and she rides a crimson shell. And you know you cannot leave her for you touched the distant sands. With tales of brave Ulysses, how his naked ears were tortured by the sirens sweetly singing."

Swan songs refer to an ancient belief that swans sing a beautiful song just before their death. Swan songs are considered to be a person's last piece of work, achievement or performance in their life before they die, a farewell appearance. The poem The Dying Swan by Lord Alfred Tennyson. "The plain was grassy, wild and bare, wide, wild, and open to the air, which had built up everywhere an under-roof of doleful gray. With an inner voice the river ran, Adown it floated a dying swan and loudly did lament. It was the middle of the day. Ever the weary wind went on and took the reed-tops as it went. Some blue peaks in the distance rose and white against the cold-white sky shone out their crowning snows. One willow over the water wept and shook the wave as the wind did sigh; above in the wind was the swallow, chasing itself at its own wild will, and far thro' the marish green and still the tangled water-courses slept, shot over with purple, and green, and yellow. The wild swan's death-hymn took the soul of that waste place with joy hidden in sorrow: at first to the ear the warble was low, and full and clear; and floating about the under-sky, prevailing in weakness, the coronach stole sometimes afar, and sometimes anear; but anon her awful jubilant voice, with a music strange and manifold flow'd forth on a carol free and bold; as when a mighty people rejoice with shawms, and with cymbals, and harps of gold, and the tumult of their acclaim is roll'd thro' the open gates of the city afar to the shepherd who watcheth the evening star. And the creeping mosses and clambering weeds, And the willow-branches hoar and dank, And the wavy swell of the soughing reeds, And the wave-worn horns of the echoing bank, And the silvery marish-flowers that throng the desolate creeks and pools among, were flooded over with eddying song."

Lana Del Ray wrote a seductive song called Swan Song which has been accused of being a song about death and suicide. "The world can change in a day if you go away, but nothing could stop the two of us if that's what we want, we could just get lost. And I will never sing again and you won't work another day. I will never sing again. With just one wave, it goes away. It will be our swan song. Do you like where you've been, where you're going to? Say goodnight, say goodnight to the life and the world you knew. I'm going to follow you. And I will never sing again and you won't work another day. I will never sing again. You won't work another day. It will be our swan song."

THE LOST BOYS (1987)

The Lost Boys is a 1987 film starring Corey Feldman and Keifer Sutherland. The title is a reference to the Lost Boys in J. M. Barrie's stories about Peter Pan and Neverland, who, like the vampires, never grow up. Yes, the Lost Boys in this film are vampires. Consider the parallel to Peter Pan and the fact that in order to continually stay alive vampires must feed off the energy or life force of their victims. **

Michael is seduced by a woman named Star. She gets him to come visit the lair of the Lost Boys, a clan of vampires who live in a cave. **

They convince Michael to drink some blood. They told him it was blood, but he thought they were joking about wine.

A man who is dating Michael's mother comes to their house. He wants to be invited in and Michael invites him.

The vampires want Michael to join the Lost Boys club. "Initiation's over, Michael. Time to join the club.... "Now you know what we are. Now you know what you are. You'll never grow old, Michael, and you'll never die. But you must feed." **

Michael's brother enlists the help of a couple of local vampire hunters and they force what they to believe is the head vampire into the light.
"Grab him! Get him into the light! Get him into the sun! Get him into the sunlight!" The vampire wants them to join him.



The man who was dating their mother admits he is the head vampire. He says, "Boys need a mother." This is a consistent theme with the Lost Boys in the Peter Pan tale.

PAN'S LABYRINTH (2006)

Pan's Labyrinth is a 2006 film. The film won numerous international awards, including an Ariel award and a Saturn Award (of course) for Best International Film. Stephen King called it "the best film of the year".

The protagonist in the film is visited in bed by a praying mantis. She asks the mantis, "Did you follow me here? Are you a fairy?" She shows the mantis a picture of what a fairy looks like from a book she has. "This is a fairy." The mantis looks closely at the picture and shapeshifts to more closely resemble a fairy. She asks, "You want me to go with you"? Outside? Where?"

She follows the mantis... um, fairy... to a labyrinth in the woods. The entrance is an archway adorned with the horns of a faun. **

She meets the faun inside. The creature tells her, "I've had so many names... old names that only the wind and the trees can pronounce, I am the mountain, the forest and the earth, I AM... I am a faun." 'I am' is the declaration of being eternal and god. **

He tells her she is royal. "You're Princess Moanna, daughter of the king of the underworld. You are not born of man. It was the moon that bore you. Your real father opens portals all over the world to allow your return. You must complete three tasks before the moon is full."

The faun informs her, "We'll soon stroll through the seven circular gardens of your palace."

Later on she finds a secret entrance into a cave like place where on the ceiling she sees portrayals of Cronus (Saturn) sacrificing and eating children. **

The faun tells her, "The moon will be full in three days. Your spirit shall forever remain among the humans"... that is, if she doesn't hurry.

The faun hugs her. Pan is always seducing children in all these stories. The faun wants her to obey him and asks her, "Will you do everything I tell you, without question?"

Her mother tells her life isn't like fairy tales and the world's a cruel place.

The moon is now full and it is time to open the portal. "We can open the portal." She sees the dagger in his hand and asks what it's for. "What's that in your hand?" He wants her to sacrifice her little brother and demands, "The portal will only open if we offer the blood of an innocent. It's the final task. You promised to obey me! Give me the boy!" **

She refuses to give him the child. He asks her, "You would give up your throne for him?" She refuses to participate in the ritual sacrifice and is willing to forgo the throne. She gives her own life instead.

Upon death, she is greeted by her father who is sitting on the throne. He commends her: "You have spilled your own blood rather than that of an innocent."

Also present is the faun. It seems as if the whole affair was only a test that she passed. **

LEGEND (1985)

Legend is a 1985 film starring Tom Cruise. The Lord of Darkness resides in the Great Tree and is a horned entity. What causes me to place this movie here is the image on the doors to the entrance of the Lord of Darkness' dungeon. The face looks like Pan to me, but perhaps they are meant to be protective gargoyles?

The tagline for the movie: "No Good without Evil. No Love without Hate. No Innocence without Lust. I am... Darkness. "

On the left below is the image of Pan taken from Wikipedia. Below on the right is a closeup of the face on the entrance to the dungeon:

**

Hard to tell. At any rate the movie does feature a horned being and contains some very provocative quotes.

The Great Tree where the Lord of Darkness lives. The movie begins with a declaration from the Lord of Darkness: "I am the Lord of Darkness. I require the solace of the shadows and the dark of night. Sunshine is my destroyer. All this shall change. Tonight, the sun sets forever. There shall never be another dawn." In order to extinguish the Light and usher in a new Age of Darkness, it needs to sacrifice or take the power of someone or something that is innocent so he sends his most loathsome goblin minion out to find the frail creature "crowned with a single horn reaching straight to heaven".

There is a very pagan feel to the movie. Jack and his girlfriend, Lily, are nature lovers and like to frolic about in nature. Jack has friends who are elves, dwarfs and fairies. The words of this wind-song are reminiscent of the The Wind in the Willows. "Come, white flowers weave us a carpet. Spreading oak make a shade where we lie. Leaves and branches whisper our love song. "

Jack shows Lily the unicorns and says, "Nothing is more magical. As long as they roam the earth, evil can never harm the pure of heart. They express only love and laughter. Dark thoughts are unknown to them." Lily goes up to one of the unicorns and touches it, contaminating it.

Jack says, "We're cursed. We must get the alicorn back. Only then will the world return to normal. We must find a champion bold of heart and pure in spirit."

The Lord of Darkness prays to its Father who is in the Void. "Father, I hold the world in my grasp, and yet this girl distracts me. It has been an eternity since I felt such desire." Apparently even the Devil can be a beta chump, ha. The Darkness answers him, "She fascinates you because her soul is pure. Fool! you must woo her! Tempt her Win her. Woo her. Make her one of us. Woo her. Make her one of us." **

Jack devises a plan to eradicate the Lord of Darkness by reflecting the light with shiny objects. "We must gather every shining object we can find. We're going to bring light to darkness." Transforming darkness into light is a sentiment found in the Emerald Tablets of Thoth. It is also one of the teachings of the Swiss psychologist, Carl Jung, who taked about the integration of the shadow archetype. This may be related to Peter Pan losing his shadow and needing to have Wendy sew it on. Later, Pan's shadow is said to be its own entity able to do Peter's will from a distance.

The Lord of Darkness captures Lily and prepares a huge banquet for her in an attempt to woo her. She said he ruined her dreams. He replies, "The dreams of youth are the regrets of maturity. Dreams are my specialty. Through dreams I influence mankind. My dream is of eternity with you." Now there's a pickup line if I ever heard one. I'll have to try it sometime. I am sure it will work. Not! Notice how the Lord of Darkness states dreams are his specialty and how he influences mankind with them. **

The Lord of Darkness is preparing for the sacrifice of the unicorn. He informs us, "In the beginning there was nothing. A void of darkness. A cold eternity of silence. When the perfect void was corrupted by light, a great wailing was heard and all the brethren fled in terror." Ever notice how most shows praise the light and vilify darkness or the Void? Here it is saying the void was perfect until it was corrupted by light. Of course, that is coming from the perspective of the Lord of Darkness so it is hard to ascertain its accuracy. From my research of near death experiences, the void can be either a very pleasant experience or a negative one depending upon the state of mind of the experiencer. Fear and negativity can produce a hell. The clear light or void may be the true nature of our spiritual essence.

Anywho, the Lord of Darkness continues with his speech. "Hear me, powers of the night! We offer this sacrifice in honor of you, sanctified with blood and with fire! I pray you, Father, accept my sacrifice. Let light be forever extinguished. Let the age of darkness begin!" **

Lily reveals that she is the sister of the Fates. I am not sure if that implies she is one of the Fates, but Wendy from the Peter Pan tale has Moira as one of her names and the Moirai were the Fates who determined the fate of mankind.

By using the reflection of objects, Jack's team concentrates a beam of light onto the Lord of Darkness.

The light blasts the Lord of Darkness and opens a door of light into the dungeon. The Lord of Darkness refuses to go down gracefully. "You think you have won! What is light... without dark? What are you... without me? I am a part of you all." This is part of the teaching of Pantheism, that god is in everything. He is playing the duality card here, implying that light cannot exist without darkness. What would provide the contrast if it were not for shade? **

As is so often the case, the protagonist wakes up from a dream or wonders if it was all just a dream.

THE LAWNMOWER MAN (1992)

The Lawnmower Man is a 1992 movie produced from the screenplay Cyber God by Brett Leonard, loosely based on the short-story The Lawnmower Man by Stephen King.

In the Stephen King short story a man is called to mow a lawn for Harold. He is from PASTORAL GREENERY, INC. The lawnmower is mowing the lawn without an operator while the man is "naked and grass-stained"... "smelling of grass, earth, and oil". He mows down a mole while mowing and says, "The boss is always agreeable to a sacrifice."... "Harold noticed the unusually deep split between the first and second toes, almost as if the feet were well, cloven." The man reveals who his boss is: "Pan. Pan's the boss". He works for a fellow named Pan and has cloven feet. **

The technology of virtual reality was first introduced into the gaming market in the early 1990s. It was not widely known at the time of the movie. In fact, the opening frame of the movie gives a somber warning: "By the turn of the millennium a technology known as VIRTUAL REALITY will be in widespread use. It will allow you to enter computer generated artificial worlds as unlimited as the imagination itself. Its creators foresee millions of positive uses -- while others fear it as a new form of mind control." If this technology exists today then how do we know it didn't exist before this? If so, then how can we be sure we aren't in a virtual reality right now? A computer simulation. That is what many scientists are currently debating: the simulation theory. In fact, it was the main topic at a recent Isaac Asimov conference. **

The movie bears little resemblance to the short story except for this quote: "If you boys listen real careful, you can hear the panpipes of the little people in the grass there." **

While playing the game with a woman, the two meld into a dragonfly while flying around in the cyberspace of what looks like the astral plane.

While exploring the worlds of virtual reality, he hears a voice in his head which says "Devil in your head". **

He travels through a wormhole in the simulation. Holy cow, I just noticed what kind of looks like an archon in the lower left of the screen shot I took above. **

It seems the artificial intelligence needed a sacrifice, but decided to sacrifice itself instead?

DOCTOR WHO: 'THE MOONBASE'

The Doctor Who television series had a 4-part story named The Moonbase where a race of cybermen have a base on the dark side of the moon. A cyberman named 'The Piper' comes to take men when they're dying, fit them with metal headpieces and alter or "convert" them to control their minds to generate a vortex (tunnel) . The phantom Piper carries a pipe he uses as a weapon. The first and third parts of the serial were destroyed by the BBC and animated replacements were made. **

There was a dome on the dark side of the moon. The Piper phantom carries a pipe which he uses as a weapon. **

A sick patient on the moon, Jamie, is having panic attacks because he keeps seeing the Piper.
JAMIE: "The Piper. The McCrimmon Piper. Don't let him get me! "
DOCTOR: "Piper?"
POLLY: "Some legend of his clan. As far as I can make out, this piper appears to a McCrimmon just before he dies."
DOCTOR: "Has this phantom piper appeared to Jamie yet?"

The Piper visits Jamie after the doctor and nurse have left.

JAMIE: "It's you. The phantom piper!
JAMIE: No! No, I'll not go with you. Do you hear me, piper? No, leave me. Leave me, I'll not go with you, do you hear me? Leave me. No, I'll not go with you. "
(The cyberman goes round the other beds.)
JAMIE: "I'll fight you every inch of the way. I'll not go with ya. No. No. " **

The nurse returns just in time to see the Cyberman Piper carrying off one of the patients and she tells the doctor:

POLLY: "Oh, Doctor! Doctor, it was horrible. A great creature like a, like a Cyberman... the Cyberman was carrying one of the patients out!
I went out to get Jamie some water and when I came back I saw this giant man or creature or something just going out of the door carrying one of the patients like a doll. I think it was a Cyberman. It was enormous and silver, and it had holes in it's head for eyes, like a robot! "

Jamie is hysterical and asks the nurse where he is.
AMIE: Oh, what is this place? Is it the home of the piper?
POLLY: No, we're on the moon. You know, the moon, up in the sky.
JAMIE: Oh no, I can't be alive. I've just seen the piper.
(Jamie sits up. The cyberman is standing there. Polly tries to get away but it fires an electric sounding charge at her head and she collapses. Then the Piper zaps Jamie.)
JAMIE: The piper! I knew! **

DOCTOR: Just be patient. Just as I thought. A large neurotropic virus.
HOBSON: What, like the space plague?
DOCTOR: No. It's a large, infective agent that only attacks the nerves. That's why the patients have got these lines on their faces and their hands. It follows the course of the nerves under the skin.
HOBSON: That's all very well, but how did it get in here?
DOCTOR: Oh, it is the Cybermen. I believe they have deliberately infected the base. **

Hobson discovers a man collapsed on the floor and thinks he has been zapped by the Cybermen.
HOBSON: You devils. You killed him! An unarmed man.
CYBERMAN 1: No. They are not dead. They are altered.
BEN: Altered? What have you done to them?
CYBERMAN 1: They are now controlled.
CYBERMAN 2: You will remain here. If you leave you will be converted like the others.
(That cyberman leaves.)
BEN: I don't like that word converted.

The Cybermen are controlling the minds of humans and giving them orders.
CYBERMAN 1: Prepare to align the field reactors.
(The controlled humans obey.)
CYBERMAN 1: Main power into vortex generators now. Servo pumps to full pressure.
CYBERMAN 1: Start probe generators. Realign the probe. Probe field to full power now.

So as you can see, the Cybermen on the moon who come to take away humans when they die generate a vortex (a wormhole or tunnel). Later, Moonbase discovers how the Cybermen got in. They tunneled in.
The Cybermen hack the frequency of Moonbase and tell them they are surrounded and that "All resistance is useless." This was before Star Trek and the Borg meme of "Resistance is futile." **

A relief ship is sent, but its course is diverted into the sun.
BENOIT: The rocket has been deflected towards the sun. Nothing can save them now.
POLLY: Save them? What are you talking about?
BENOIT: From plunging into the sun.
BEN: But the sun's millions of miles away.
BENOIT: Once they get into the sun's gravity belt they can't change course. It may take a week but they'll end up there just the same.... **

THE CALL OF CTHULHU (2005)

Cthulhu is a creature that is sort fo a hybrid between a giant human, a squid or octopus, and a dragon, and said to be hundreds of meters tall, with human-looking arms and legs and a pair of wings on its back.

As it is known in the H.P. Lovecraft Cthulhu mythos, the Outer Gods are ruled by Azathoth, the "Blind Idiot God", who holds court at the center of infinity. A group of Outer Gods dance rhythmically around Azathoth, in cadence to the piping of a demonic flute.

"[O]utside the ordered universe [is] that amorphous blight of nethermost confusion which blasphemes and bubbles at the center of all infinity—the boundless daemon sultan Azathoth, whose name no lips dare speak aloud, and who gnaws hungrily in inconceivable, unlighted chambers beyond time and space amidst the muffled, maddening beating of vile drums and the thin monotonous whine of accursed flutes." ~ HPL , The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath

"The drums led us to the place. And the terrible cries -- part man, part beast howling in agonized lust."

"The voices stopped for a moment and then in unison chanted - 'Ph'nlui mglw' nafh Cthulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn."

[From the book: They worshiped, so they said, the Great Old Ones who lived ages before there were any men, and who came to the young world out of the sky. These Old Ones were gone now, inside the earth and under the sea; but their dead bodies had told their secrets in dreams to the first men, who formed a cult which had never died. This was that cult, and the prisoners said it had always existed and always would exist, hidden in distant wastes and dark places all over the world until the time when the great priest Cthulhu, from his dark house in the mighty city of R'lyeh under the waters, should rise and bring the earth again beneath his sway. Some day he would call, when the stars were ready, and the secret cult would always be waiting to liberate him.

""Ph'nglui mglw'nafh Cthulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn."

Legrasse had one point in advance of Professor Webb, for several among his mongrel prisoners had repeated to him what older celebrants had told them the words meant. This text, as given, ran something like this:

"In his house at R'lyeh dead Cthulhu waits dreaming."...

He talked of his dreams in a strangely poetic fashion; making me see with terrible vividness the damp Cyclopean city of slimy green stone—whose geometry, he oddly said, was all wrong—and hear with frightened expectancy the ceaseless, half-mental calling from underground: "Cthulhu fhtagn, Cthulhu fhtagn."]

"He told us they worshiped the Great Old Ones -- beings that came from the stars Aeons before mankind."

"But the cult lives on. Cthulhu lives too, I suppose, waiting in the darkness."

[From the book: "There lay great Cthulhu and his hordes, hidden in green slimy vaults and sending out at last, after cycles incalculable, the thoughts that spread fear to the dreams of the sensitive and called imperiously to the faithful to come on a pilgrimage of liberation and restoration."]

"What has risen may sink, and what has sunk may rise. We hear its call and await our inevitable doom."

"Some day the piecing together of disassociated knowledge will open such terrifying vistas of reality, and our frightful position therein, that we shall either go mad from the revelation or flee from the deadly light to the peace and safety of a dark new age."

MICHAEL JACKSON'S NEVERLAND VALLEY

I'm not really sure what I can say about Michael Jackson's obsession with Peter Pan and Neverland that hasn't already been said, but it is interesting that Michael was accused of improper relations of a sexual nature with children. The sexual appetites and tastes of the god Pan were also said to be wild and perverse. Pan's sexual proclivity is one of the things he was most well-known for. Even if it was just for innocent companionship which he was deprived of as a kid, it can also be noted that Michael in a sense lured the children to Neverland with his music, similar to the Pied Piper. **

Michael's video for the 1995 song Childhood featured children and ships sailing to the moon. **

The documentary Man in the Mirror reports, "Trapped by his childhood success, Michael Jackson struggled to embrace the adult world... Michael remained childlike forever. He saw himself more as this kind of Peter Pan character who never really grew up." "When Michael Jackson created his dream home, he built the Neverland ranch, a 2500 acre estate that included a zoo and a fairground. He wanted to be Peter Pan. He built Neverland probably thinking if he was a child what would be his ideal paradise. Neverland was Michael's monument to childhood, wonder and play. His reality is other peoples' fantasies... Michael built Neverland to entertain children, to make them happy and carefree. But he also built it so he could remain a child forever... As an adult, Michael would become obsessed with children. He would identify with children so much that he could never truly become a man." **

"I think the plastic surgery was an external manifestation of the confusion he was feeling about who he truly was. And I think when you go to that extreme you're trying to find a face that fits this new thing you're becoming. I think Michael realized he had enough money to do whatever he wanted to do and he wanted to be Peter Pan. Michael was modeling himself on a fictional boy who never grew up."

In the documentary Living with Michael Jackson the topic of Peter Pan was brought up:
"The inspiration for Neverland: Peter Pan. Why is Peter Pan a figure of such interest and inspiration to you?"
Michael: "Because Peter Pan to me represents something that's very special in my heart. He represents youth, childhood, never growing up, magic, flying, everything I think that children... and wonderment and magic, what it's all about. And to me I have just never ever grown out of loving that or thinking that it's very special. "

"Do you identify with him?"
Michael: "Totally."

"You don't want to grow up?"
Michael: "No. I AM Peter Pan."

"No you're not. You're Michael Jackson."
Michael: "I'm Peter Pan in my heart." **

After watching the documentary Leaving Neverland and the Oprah Winfrey special After Neverland I noticed the two men who later accused Jackson of abuse revealed that Jackson would say that God brought them together, that the sex was the way to show their love for each other and he would promise them growth in their careers. The one man said he had looked up to Michael as if he were God and was only good. They also said that Michael would frame it so that it was "us against the world". Regardless of whether Michael was guilty or innocent it does show the classic formula for manipulation leading to abuse. Notice how those are the same three things that near death experiencers report. Many near death experiencers think the Light as God as sometimes the light being is shown sitting on a throne. The experiencer feels tremendous love and a sense of connectedness or one with everything. Finally, a reason commonly given for returning to earth is the need for growth, evolution of karma.

The symbolism at Jackson's Neverland ranch is very interesting.

**

The logo is a boy sitting on the moon looking down below. Michael designed the logo himself before Dreamworks pictures adopted their logo of a boy sitting on the moon with a fishing lure.

Notice how Michael almost looks like the Pied Piper leading the children in these images. The one on the left is on the brick wall at the entrance to Neverland and the one on the right was a commissioned piece of artwork, I believe. As is the following painting of Michael. This may be him as Apollo since he had a reverence for Apollo, but he is holding panpipes. **

Notice the Panpipes Michael is holding in the right hand on the image on the right. And all the naked children surrounding him. Of course, they are cherubim so maybe there is nothing unusual about that. However, police did claim to have found some questionable pornography at his Neverland ranch that involved children and nudity. **

It is interesting that there is a parallel between Michael Jackson and the author of the Peter Pan story itself, J.M. Barrie. Barrie was accused of indecent behavior with children also.

From the book The Real Peter Pan: The Tragic Life Of Michael Llewelyn Davies:

"But J. M. Barrie’s magical tale of the boy who wouldn’t grow up has a darker real-life story at its heart: the author’s obsession with the boy model for his hero, Michael Llewelyn Davies.

After meeting Michael and his four brothers in London’s Kensington Gardens, Barrie deftly positioned himself at the heart of their well-to-do family, becoming the boys’ benefactor and guardian after their parents’ early death.

But Barrie singled out Michael for his closest attention – a possessive infatuation that the boy found it almost impossible to escape.

Tragically, as this enthralling new biography reveals, Michael never really outgrew either the role of Peter Pan, or the jealous grip of J. M. Barrie."

I don't know whether Michael was guilty of the crimes he was accused of -- Michael did seem to possess a childlike innocence -- but one does wonder when he releases albums entitled Bad and Dangerous. It's possible that Michael -- a victim of abusive, violent behavior of his father -- could have, in turn, reciprocated that action on children as is often the case. What must be recognized is that Michael, in my opinion, wrote some of the most positive, uplifting greatest songs ever. When you look at the lyrics and messages of We Are the World, Man in the Mirror, Earth Song and Heal the World there is little doubt as to Michael's songwriting genius.

 

THE MAGIC FLUTE (MOZART) [1791]

The Magic Flute (Die Zauberflöte) is a 1791 singspiel, or operatic sing-play, composed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart to a German libretto written by Emanuel Schikaneder.

They were both freemasons. Mozart, a Master Mason, was a freemason for seven years. He died at 35 years of age just three months after the premiere of The Magic Flute. Cause of death is not known although it is believed to have been due to disease or poisoning. Some speculate he was murdered for revealing brotherhood secrets or perhaps invoked ire as Freemasonry was subsequently banned in Austria. One of the most iconic operas of all-time, it incorporated many rituals of freemasonry into its story, mostly initiation rites of Isis and Osiris. In 2003, the BBC produced a TV movie of the German opera.

Schikaneder looked around some more and found a collection of fairy tales by Christoph Wieland. It was based on an older fairy tale called Lulu or The Magic Flute (Lulu, oder der Zauberflöte), a story by Jakob August Liebeskind, included in a collection of fairy tales published in 1786 under the title Dschinnistan. In fact, The Smurfs made a cartoon called The Smurfs and the Magic Flute. It was a Little Lulu production.

Lulu is a prince and is called "one who pipes for food and drink". Lulu plays the magic flute and has a magic ring that lets him take any form -- Lulu (Lucifer?). They were given to him by Periferihme, the Queen of the Fairies, also known as "the radiant fairy" with supernatural beauty. Lulu liked to go to the forest hoping to see the radiant fairy. "The fairy stepped out in her garments of light. Her outfit was whiter than the snow in bright sunshine and flashed, flickering as a dazzling mirror; but more than all the rest, her face beamed. Both her eyes poured out thick streams of a reddish light in all directions, as if the morning sun, three times brighter than it is when rising in a clear sky above the seas, floated dazzlingly before her forehead." She wants Lulu to go retrieve a piece of jewelry which was stolen by an evil magician. "... piece of gilded fire-steel, which the spirits of all elements and all the world obey. Any spark that I struck was a powerful spirit, in an arbitrary shape as my slave who as for my orders."

The characters may be derived from Persephone (Kore). The queen of the fairies is Periferihme and the Prince is the son of the king of Khorasan. She wants him to go to the magician's castle and retrieve the fire-steel for her and she promises as a reward her daughter, Sidi, who the magician has imprisoned. "So take this flute. It has the power to win for each listener love and all passions, which the player is able to excite or calm. Also take this ring; it gives you any shape you want, young or old, after you turn its diamond in-or outwards. If you’re in danger, and throw it from you; it will become a flying messenger who calls for my help. The rest I must leave to your own wisdom."

He approaches the castle and sits outside. "... he sat a few hundred paces from it under a lemon tree, put the flute to his mouth, and began to blow. Almost without noticing, he was enchanted by its sound, for he had never heard such tones as it made with each breath. When he breathed softly, then it sounded like the lisp of high peaks, where the evening wind whispers, or as if every nightingale in the valley sang a sweet lullaby to the sounds of a crying nymph. He breathed again heavily, and like this a thousand harmonious choirs swept down from all the mountains, as if the thunder roared over their heads and a buzzing raged in all the depths. Lulu loved the gentle thing. He soon piped like the gentle cooing of a turtledove, attracting the love of her husband; then like the frightened sound of a nightingale who sings a funereal song to the lost sweetheart. The birds of the valley gathered on the surrounding trees and listened to him. The deer and gazelles came from the nearby forests, gazing at him and straining their ears, so friendly, as if they understood the meaning of his playing."

The king hears the playing and despite thinking he is a thief he can't resist the beautiful playing. “Just come out,” thought Lulu, and he blew a lively little tune, as he would to attract maidens at a merry dance. The magician stood with an open mouth at the window, his brown eyes closed, the ears up and sharpened, like a hare that hears the horn of the hunter. The flute, meanwhile, had its effect. His suspicions vanished, the little tune got to him without his knowing, always sweeter and more alluring to him, until finally it became so merry around his heart, that he could no long withstand his curiosity. “Whoever the local thief may be, must the trill strike so beautifully?"

The king asks him where he got the flute. "From an old dervish, sir, an old juggler. He was called Kardan, had gone through the whole world, was able to transform into all sorts of animals, and had this flute carved himself, as he said. I was a beggar-boy. When he took me off the road, he taught me the fingerings and gave me the flute as he died."

"Again he quickly thought, put the flute to his mouth, and blew the mournful song of a prisoner who sighed for freedom in one’s darkening dungeon. The flute called and enticed, like the voice of the anxious mother who searches for her lost favorite; she clucks so fearfully, she coos so tenderly, as if with each sound from the human heart she groans a loud sigh. "

"With a merry gesture he put the flute to his mouth and breathed as happily as if he wanted to call out to the sad Sidi, “Loved one, rejoice with me! I have found the means of freeing you!” The little song hopped and floated so easily, like the wave of the brook that trickles from the rocks, like the midges and gnats in the sunshine. A sick person who heard it would have sprung from his bed and danced! "

The opera borrowed much of the fairy tale but added all the elements of the freemasonic rituals, including Isis and Osiris. In the original fairy tale the magician is evil, but the opera changed his character from evil to good. Prince Lulu is now named Prince Tamino and he has a companion who plays the pan pipes named Papageno. Both want to be initiates into the brotherhood, but Papageno is fun loving and a slave to his lower, animalistic nature whereas Tamino seeks the truth. The princess of the Queen of the Night is named Pamina, a feminized form of the name Tamino. Papageno is looking for his Papagena. The Queen says Sarastro is an evil sorceror, but Tamino finds out he is really a solar priest-king and not evil. In the original fairy tale, he really was evil so his character has been modified for the opera. Sarastro may be a variation of Zoroaster. Sar may be related to "saurus", lizard, so his name could conceivably mean "lizard star". The opera added all the freemasonic concepts of the temple of wisdom and the sun king.

The opera's libretto contains the words. Notice all the allusions to Isis and Osiris.

PAPAGENO: "I catch various birds for the star-blazing Queen and her ladies; every day in return I receive food and drink from her."

PAPAGENO: " See her? See the star-blazing Queen? What mortal can claim to have ever seen her? But - why are you looking at me so suspiciously?

SECOND LADY: "The Queen of the Night, our sovereign, has heard every word you have said. If this young man", she said, "is as bold and valiant as he is tender, then my daughter Pamina is saved!" TAMINO: " Saved?" THIRD LADY: " A powerful, evil demon named Sarastro has stolen her away."

[Note: The Queen of the Night sits on a throne decorated with stars.]

Sarastro: "You, servants consecrated in the temple of wisdom of the great gods Osiris and Isis, with a clear conscience I declare to you that our gathering today is one of the most important of our time. Tamino, the son of a king, has journeyed to the north gate of our temple. He wishes to tear off his veil of night and look into the sanctuary of great light. To offer him the hand of friendship should be our duty today!"

[Note: The veil of night is the veil of Isis. The goal is to become Isis Unveiled.]

No. 10 - Aria with Chorus... SARASTRO: "O Isis and Osiris, bestow the spirit of wisdom on this young couple! You who guide the wanderers' steps, strengthen them with patience in danger."

The Queen of the Night becomes angry. QUEEN OF THE NIGHT: "My heart is seething with hellish vengeance, death and despair are blazing around me!"

No. 18 - Priests' Chorus... PRIESTS: "O Isis and Osiris, what bliss! Dark night is banished by the sunlight, soon the noble youth will feel new life; soon he will be wholly devoted to our service. His spirit is bold, his heart is.... "

THE ARMOURED MEN: "Whoever walks along this path so full of troubles is purified by fire, water, air, and earth. If he can conquer the fear of death, he will soar from the earth up to heaven. Enlightened, he will then be able to devote himself wholly to the mysteries of Isis. "

PAMINA, TAMINO: "You gods, what a moment! The joy of Isis is granted to us!"

CHORUS OF PRIESTS: "from within Victory! Victory! You noble couple! You have overcome the danger, the consecration of Isis is now yours, come, enter the temple!"

THE THREE LADIES, MONOSTATOS: " To you, great Queen of the Night, we make our offering of vengeance!"

CHORUS: " Hail to you on your consecration! You have penetrated the night, thanks be given to you, Osiris, thanks to you, Isis! Strength has triumphed, rewarding beauty and wisdom with an everlasting crown! "

DIE ZAUBERFLOTE (2003)

Die Zauberflote (The Magic Flute) was a production that aired on BBC in 2003. This production received rave reviews on IMDB with an impressive 9.0/10.0 rating. The language is German, but if you can find one with English subtitles it is still an enjoyable watch. It is rather fitting that the goddess of the night playing the role of Isis, I suppose, is named Diana Damrau in real life. Diana was also a Greek goddess of the moon. Diana and Isis are probably the two most recognized goddesses in Wicca, worshiped as The Lady.

The opera begins with our protagonist in darkness. He opens a door of light and emerges into the other side. He soon encounters a serpent monster. This could indicate manifesting reality from within the void and entering the world of chaos. He does not run in fear, but bravely faces the monster. As he falls to the ground, three women dressed in black, symbolizing priestesses of the Queen of the Night, appear and kill the monster. The moon goddess is a triune goddess due to the three types of phases of the moon. The moon goddess takes the form of a maiden, a mother or a crone corresponding to a new moon, crescent moon or a full moon, respectively. The three witches are often present together. Perhaps the monster is a creature from the Id or his subconscious. The serpent monster did not appear in the original fairy tale and its insertion may refer to the overcoming of this shadow monster, also known in freemasonry as an initiation rite known as the Dweller on the Threshold.

He wakes up to find a piper dressed in earthy tones who plays pan pipes. He says he is a bird trapper. He has a bird on his head which could indicate he is still of the earth and animalistic or it could just be camouflage for the birds. He says, "I know how to set a trap." He reveals that he is lonely and desires female companionship. "If I had a net for girls I'd catch them by the dozen. I'd keep them in a cage." He further explains, "I catch all kinds of birds for the blazing star Queen and her maidens." Tamino gets excited at the mentioning of the blazing star Queen. "Blazing star Queen? Could that be the Queen of Night? Have you been lucky enough to see this goddess of the night? What mortal eyes have ever seen through her web of dark veils?" The blazing star Queen, the Queen of Night and the goddess of the night with a veil is Isis, a goddess of the moon, as she was known in Sumer as the goddess Inanna, the Queen of Heaven, who had a net. The night is her veil and Helena Blavatsky wrote Isis Unveiled. In Egyptian mythology, Isis is associated with Sirius, which is rumored to be the Blazing star of freemasonry. Papageno lies and takes credit for slaying the dragon. This is similar to Peter Pan taking credit for sewing his shadow back on by himself. This veil of Isis, goddess of the night, may refer to the shadow archetype which needs to be transmuted into light.

The three Priestesses of the moon are angry at Papageno for lying and punish him by putting his mouth in a padlock so he can't speak. The three Priestesses were sent to show Prince Tamino a picture of the Queen's daughter, Pamina, who they say has been abducted by an evil sorceror, Sarastro. He falls in love with her in a case of love at first sight. The Queen of Darkness herself comes down in the form of a mother goddess and tells Pamino if he rescues her daughter, he can marry the Princess. She says one day her daughter was sitting alone in a cypress grove and was taken. She pleas with him to "console a grief-stricken mother's heart". Sarastro's name likely derives from the god Zoroaster. Aster/astro means "star" and sar may be related to the Greek word for lizard, saurus, and if so, his name could conceivably mean "lizard star", but maybe not. After she leaves, the Prince is alone and wonders, "Did I imagine everything?"

The priestesses return and give Tamino a magic flute. "This magic flute will protect you and support you in adversity. You will have the power to change men's hearts... it can bring peace on Earth." The priestesses tell Papageno the Queen commands him to go with the prince but he wants to go on living his frivolous life. They give him "a set of chiming bells", a type of music box with a crank handle that cycles the images of the Sun, Moon and Earth as it plays." Silver bells and a magic flute protect from danger."

Three boys with wings arrive flying in a chariot. The Priestesses tell them, "Three boys fair and wise will journey with you. As they lead you on your way follow only their advice." The three boys are spirit guides / guardian angels / jinn / genies.

Papageno arrives at the castle ahead of Tamino. He wonders what kind of place this is. He tells Pamina, "Pretty lady with the chalk white face... the blazing star queen sent me." "My mother?" Papageno makes a checklist of her features: "Dark eyes, red lips. hair. Everything matches except the hands and feet." Are the hands and feet an inside joke about mermaids or sirens who have fused feet and webbed hands? Monostatos sees Papageno and says he must be the Devil. Pamina wonders, "What if this is a trap and this man is one of Sarastro's evil spirits?" Papageno says he is the nicest spirit.

Tamino arrives at a place where there are three doors. He tries two but is told "Stand back". The third door he knocks three times and the door opens to what is called the Temple of Wisdom. There is a table with a model of the solar system. A Librarian is holding a book and a young boy is seated at the table with a book open recording. This could be an archive known as the akashic records or the Hall of Records. "Stranger, what are you seeking on this holy ground?" "The reward for love and virtue." "You are led by death and anger.""Anger against an evil man." "You will not find him here...you have been deceived" Tamino asks if she has been sacrificed? He asks when will he.... "When you take the hand of friendship and join the eternal brotherhood."

Talomino falls to his knees: "When will this endless night be over? When will my eyes see the light?" This is his dark night of the soul. Unseen voices tell him Pamina is still alive.

Tamino is elated to hear the good news and plays his flute. "If only every note I play could tell the gratitude of my heart." As he plays the flute, stags, lions, wild turkey, wolves, and even demons appear. He laments, "Even wild beasts are charmed yet Pamina alone does not come."
In the distance, Tamino hears Papageno's tune on his pan pipes and answers on his flute. He says, "Perhaps the tune will lead me to her."

Meanwhile, a host of Monostatos' slaves show up to kill Papageno and Pamina. Papageno remembers his magic bells and plays them. The bells are like a music box that plays a tune while it rotates images of the sun, moon and earth. The chimes mesmerize the slaves. They exclaim, "What a lovely tune!" Pamina says, "If everyone had chimes like these his enemies would vanish. Then he would live in true harmony."

Sarastro is coming and they become very fearful. Sarastro arrives with the sunset behind him, being carried on a throne between golden pillars flanked by gold lions. The lion is the symbol of the Demiurge. Notice the two men with brims on their hats that cause them to resemble Saturn and its rings.
His worshipers sing, "Long live Sarastro! May he always live in wisdom. We joyfully give ourselves to him. He is the one we worship and revere."
The princess tells him she tried to escape because Monostatos wanted her love (he was going to rape her). Sarastro acts compassionate with understanding yet proclaims, "I would not compel you to love, but I shall not set you free." Sarastro says her mother is in his power. He doesn't want to release her and says all joy would leave her and that her mother is a woman of pride. Pamina still wants to go to her mother. This sounds like the old good cop, bad cop routine as there would be no happiness for her in either case.

The Prince arrives. He and the Princess reunite and hug. Monostatos wants them punished, but Sarastros doesn't comply. He proclaims, "Lead these two to the Temple of Trials. Cover their heads for first they must be purified. When virtue and justice mark the path of great men then earth is a kingdom of heaven and mortals become divine." The covering of heads is well known within freemasonic rituals. I suppose this signifies that they are both still in darkness and have not yet entered the light. And that they need to be tested and then purified by a trial of fire.

Act II



Sarastros is in the library/archive/temple of Trials(?) looking at earth's globe with scribes writing on blackboards. He is wearing a scarlet robe with a large sun emblazoned on the chest and addressing a council of the gods.

"You who are dedicated to the great gods Osiris and Isis know that our gathering today is of great solemnity. Tamino is waiting at the gate of our temple. He wishes to tear the veil of darkness and look into the light. Let your duty be today to offer him the hand of friendship and guard this man of virtue." Is he virtuous, humble, charitable? He is. Do you consider him worthy? [They raise their hands.] The gods have chosen for Tamino the gentle, virtuous Pamina. This is why I took her away from her proud mother. This woman believes in her own greatness. She hopes to use deception and superstition to ensnare the people and destroy our temple. She must be stopped. Tamino will make us stronger and when he has joined us he will punish this wickedness."

three virtues of steadfastness, patience and silence.

"Isis and Osiris, grant wisdom to the young couple. You guide the wanderers' steps. Fortify them with patience. Allow them to see the fruits of their ordeal. If they should go to their deaths, reward their courage and welcome them into your home."

"Mother!" "Where is the young man I sent you?" "He has renounced the world forever and joined the Initiated." "Your father gave the Sevenfold Circle of the Sun to the Initiated. But Sarastro will guard the Circle of the Sun as resolutely as I have done."

" 'Do not seek what is beyond a woman's grasp.' You are to kill him and bring me the Circle of the Sun. Death and despair blaze around me. Gods of vengeance, hear a mother's vow."

"The man who carries his burden along this path is purified by fire, water, air and earth. If he can conquer the fear of death, he will ascend into heaven. Enlightenment will come upon him and he can dedicate himself to Isis."

"These are the gates of terror that threaten danger and death. I shall lead you while love is my guide. Play your magic flute so it protects us on our way. In an enchanted hour my father hewed it from a 1000-year-old oak while thunder and lightning raged. Come and play the flute so it leads us on our fearful way. By the power of its music we walk in joy through death's dark night."

"We passed through fiery flames and stood firm against danger. May the music protect us in water as it did fire. Gods, Isis has smiled upon us. Triumph, noble couple. You have overcome danger. You now belong to the fellowship of Isis. Come, enter the temple."

"To you, mighty Queen of Night." "Our power is destroyed. We are plunged into everlasting night."

"The sunlight drives away the night. It destroys the evil power of hypocrites. Hail, Initiates. You have broken through the darkness.

"We give you thanks, Osiris. Isis, our thanks to you. Courage has triumphed. Beauty and wisdom are rewarded with an everlasting crown."

It's interesting that they thank both Osiris and Isis. If Sirius is the blazing star and Isis is associated with it, then Isis is the Goddess of the Night. Why would they thank the Goddess of Night? Maybe because they are now friends with her and are part of her fellowship, that is they have integrated their shadow self or shadow archetype and transmuted the darkness into light as it says the "sunlight drives away the night" and they have "broken through the darkness". They could be thanking her for playing the game and providing the test.

The Magic Flute (1975)

 

The 1975 opera starred Ingmar Bergman. It removed all of te references to Isis and Osiris. Papageno looked more like Peter Pan, dressed all in green with his pan pipes, of course.

 

The Queen of the Night and her three maidens come visit Papageno. They are wear veils. The Queen of the Night tells him "And you alone have the strength and power to aid a mother in her darkest hour." As in the opera she requests they rescue her daughter from the evil sorceror, Sarastro. If he succeeds he may marry her daughter. Afterwards, Papageno asks himself "Do I sleep or do I wake? Is this a dream or reality?" The opera The Magic Flute may have inspired Freddy Mercury's operatic song Bohemian Rhapsody. Notice the opening of the Queen song: "Is this the real life? Or is this just fantasy?"

One of the moon priestesses gives Tamino a flute: "My prince, accept this gift from me, a present from Her Majesty. A magic flute s he has sent you. Just play and you take for granted your listeners will be enchanted. For by its sound man is inspired to live in peace with all one earth.

They give Papageno magic bells. "These little bells that sweetly tingle... flute of magic, bells of vision keep us safe upon our mission".

The moon maidens give them three spirits to accompany them. "We are three spirits to attend you. Our help and counsel we will lend you." Meanwhile, Princess Pamina is held captive by Sarastro and a horde of jesters. "Pamina, you will be locked in so that you can't escape is."

Papageno arrives at the castle before Prince Tamino bcause he followed a bird. he tells the princess, "The Queen of Night sent me." "My mother?" "But let me check first. Beautiful eyes, eyes. Fair hair, it is fair. Except the feet. According to this picture, you don't have feet."

The three spirits lead Tamino to the realm of Sarastro. They instruct him, "This path will lead you to your goal. Here are the rules: don't lose control. Be steadfast, silent and obedient." Tamino responds, "My purpose is noble. my motives are pure."

Tamino meets The Librarian. When he displays his disgust for Sarastro being so evil, the Librarian explains to him the Queen has beguiled him. The Librarian is bound to secrecy and can't tell him certain information. "But when am I to know the answer?" "As soon as it is understood that you shall join our brotherhood".

"Ah, this is Papageno's flute. Perhaps she's coming here with him. She has heard my melody, she heard my flute. The flute will bring her here to me."

Meanwhile, Sarastro arrives. His followers exclaim, "Long life to Sarastro. We praise his decisions. We hail our master, his heavenly visions. He wisely decides and we gladly obey. He is our prophet. He shows us the way."

Sarastro calls together a counsel meeting. "Tamino is waiting by the north gate. He intensely desires to find a goal and purpose in life and aspires to become a member of our brotherhood." They ask certain questions whether he is virtuous and charitable, etc. "Yes. You deem him worthy, do you not?"

They rise and pray. "Ye gods of light for your assistance to this young pair we now appeal. Lend them your wisdom and persistence. Thus guide them through their harsh ordeal. Let Tamino and his companion be brought to the House of Trials.

Papageno is tempted by the Queen of Night's priestesses. They tell him the Queen's advice was good and "an evil spirit is presiding over the sacred brotherhood" and that "it is said the Devil feasts upon the victims of the priests."

Papageno wants to kill himself. The three spirits intervene. "Maybe you wouldn't feel so tragic if you had used your bells of magic." He remembers, "My little bells ring sweetly for me and call my darling girl to me."

Tamino is at the House of Trials about to undergo his tests. Princess Pamina comes and decides to undergo the tests with him by his side.

"Oh, comrades in our brotherhood see what splendor when clouds of night to conquering light surrender. Fair dawn, to your delight our friend Tamino wakes soon to our sacred band he swears allegiance."

"Let him who seeks the light the truth shall aspire progress through earth and water, air and fire. He who endures this deadly passage to the end thus purified to heaven will ascend.

Pamina tells Tamino, "Now take your magic flute and play. It will protect us on our way, So therefore take the flute and play for it will shield is on our way. Enlivened by its magic might we'll wander through the realm of night. Our passage through the scorching fire the flute did aid us to endure."

They pass through the fire together with the help of the magic flute he plays. "Rejoice. Rejoice, triumphant pair. You have subdued death and despair and shall initiated be! Advance, advance, advance into our sanctuary."

The Queen of the Night makes one last attempt to attack and addresses her army. They assure her, "Queen of the Night, just raise your hand. We will obey every command." But Sarasto and his army come and deter them. They lament, "Our power is shattered, our might is destroyed. Our bodies are hurled into the void." Notice how the void is implied to be a bad place to go. According to my research in NDEs, that is not the case.

"The radiant sun overpowers the night and darkness surrenders to wisdom and light. Thanks. Thanks. Thanks to you, Sarastro. We bid you farewell. Victorious Truth will enhance His renown with Beauty and Virtue both sharing his crown." In Mozart's opera they tank Osiris and Isis, but here they only thank Sarastro.

SUFIS, THE BREATH OF LIFE & WHIRLING DERVISHES

The flute plays a central role in the mystic traditions of the Sufis. “The flute is a reference to the human essence…and the breath which penetrates the flute is a reference to the light of God penetrating the reed of man’s existence…and the dancing is a reference to the circling of the spirit round the cycle of existing things… ".

In the Whirling Prayer Ceremony [samâ`, sema], the chief nay player, who is also the chief of all the musicians plays a reed-flute, a symbol of divine breath, and each dervish receives blessings from their sheikh (master). The reed symbolizes the breath of life.

The ceremony, also known as Sema, starts with a prayer after which each dervish, one by one, receives blessings from their sheikh (master). "The melodious sounds of a flute follow, symbolizing their path to God."

"Everything in the universe is spinning, and the dervishes seek true love of the divine by spinning themselves. Whirling to the enchanting sound of the ney, they attain consciousness of God. The sound of the ney, a type of reed flute, is said to be the weeping of the reeds to whom secrets were revealed. In their longing to speak they whispered them into a well, and weep from remorse. Mevlana loved the ney, and often speaks of this instrument metaphorically in his poems. This instrument therefore has a special place in mystic culture. He compared the way that the reed stem is burnt with a red hot iron to remove the nodes inside when making a ney, to the way that the fire of divine love burns away pride, arrogance, deceit and other human faults. Those who have achieved spiritual maturity resemble the ney, and listening to them is to listen to God blowing on the human soul."

REACTION & CONCLUSION

Let me first state that when trying to decipher the symbolism of gods in mythology it can be a slippery slope. There are those who equate the Sumerian Enki with Pan. However, Hermes was also a shepherd and the son of Enki. While they are all shepherds and Enki as Ea may have been ruler of the EA-rth. Also, 'ki' in Sumerian means earth. But there is the goddess Ki who has that designation. Also, Enki's logo was depicted as a goat, fish, half-fish, half-man or as a goat-fish. Enki was lord of the waters while his brother Enlil was lord of the air. So in that respect Enki could be linked to Neptune whose trident was a "pitch" fork (or perhaps "tuning" fork). It is equally dangerous to equate symbolism in Hollywood movies as truth. However, I do believe it is part of their contract to tell us the truth in one form or another. Some of the writers, directors, and producers are in secret societies and get a thrill from hiding it in plain sight or are controlled through drugs and alcohol. Others may genuinely want to help humanity. Still others are unaware and are just tapping into archetypes whether inspired by the muses or not.

The story of Peter Pan is about the afterlife. Peter is always saying, "To die will be an awfully big adventure!" And they travel to another dimension called Neverland where it can be whatever you want it to be. Peter Pan is the Greek god Pan who is often associated with the Devil. Hook refers to him as a "flying devil" and a "bloody demon". In Hook Pan calls Tinkerbell a "firefly from Hell" and thinks he has died and is "heading toward the white light". Neverland (the netherworld) can be reached via pixie dust which is a mineral in the tree spirits of the forest. The indian woman 'Aaya' knows all of its secrets. Aaya is a reference to ayahuasca which is often called Aya by its users because she speaks to its partakers. Ayahuasca contains DMT which is believed to be produced by the pineal gland at death and in general. When digested, ayahuasca or DMT the crystal/powder takes you through a wormhole to another dimension, hyperspace. This realm is full of entities commonly referred to as machine elves. There are other entities as well such as insects, clowns, jesters, fairies, pranksters, etc. So it's the pixie dust or ayahuasca / Aya that lets you fly and enter another dimension of hyperspace.

The Piper is associated with the sun and dawn in the title The Piper at the Gates of Dawn. In The Wind in the Willows the sunrise is shown and Rat says he found Mole "crying in the sunlight". Lucifer literally means "light-bearer". A lucifer in Britain is a match that ignites a light or fire.

Peter Pan was originally a dark character stealing and killing off children. He is a dark character as well in Once Upon A Time where he is shown as The Pied Piper. Pan was the son of Hermes. Hermes was a shepherd as well as a trickster and the conductor of souls at death.

Peter Pan is about the spirit of youthfulness, staying young forever, immortality and eternity and going to another world where one's belief will determine whether it is a heaven or a hell. Peter Pan is certainly a prankster and trickster who loves playing games all the time. In fact, he never wants to grow up.

A key message is belief and make-believe and making one's dream come true or real. Ultimately, Pan loves the idea of stories and going on wonderful adventures. Everything is a big game to him. There are references to the white light in Hook. Peter thinks he has in fact died and is heading toward the white light when he sees the light of Tinkerbell. Later he tells the Lost Boys to show the white light they're made of.

The Lost Boys seem to be the souls that Pan lures to Neverland with the promise of everlasting wonderful adventures. In the play, he abducts them. There is a connection to the Pied Piper luring children with his flute. And, of course, Peter Pan plays his panpipes or flute. Other tales have associated Peter as a Piper as well, such as Peter Piper in the tongue twister. Pan is also associated with more than just the pan pipes, but also with pipes on the rooftops. The fact Pan is connected to other pipes may be important as the tunnel of the near death experience is sometimes called a vent or a pipe. And heavenly music is heard there as well as a vast array of colors. Pied means many-colored so the Piper has many colors. White is the combination of all colors or frequencies so the white light is technically all the colors. The song of the piper lures the hearer of the song much like the sailors are lured to the rock by the sweet song of the sirens. In fact, Peter is friends with the sirens in Neverland. The Piper has been associated with the Devil in music. Van Morrison has an album and song called Pay the Devil, a variation of the phrase "Pay the Piper". It seems you have to 'give the devil his due'.

A review of the characters: Peter Pan is Pan, the Greek god of the forest whose parents are unknown. Pan is chaos. Pan is nature. No surprise he likes the garden or marshes (the green man?). Peter is always crowing like a rooster. Nergal, the Mediterranean god of the underworld, had the rooster for a symbol (as well as a lion and a peacock). He is prideful and cocky, self-sured. Like Satan?

Hook is Peter Pan's arch-nemesis. The three most distinguishing characteristics about Hook is his name, Hook, the fact he's a pirate and Peter always calling him a codfish. A "hook" is a trap or a snare and Hook is always trying to set up traps for Peter and to lure him. A hook is especially used to lure fish. Why would these three things be chosen for a nemesis of Pan / Lucifer / Devil? A pirate is someone who steals. What would 'god' be stealing? Perhaps Light? But maybe Peter calls him a codfish because he is the one who is always getting caught and ends up being bait for the crocodile or octopus... or cod could be a reference to god since the 'G' came from the letter 'C'. Peter is said to always be switching sides in the middle of the fight, that is they are two sides to the same coin. Just like the false god of this world, the demiurge, and the devil are really playing the same game. Fish could be a reference to Enki/Ea, if Enki is the demiurge, because he was lord of the earth and the water, and was depicted as half-man, half-fish. So when Peter calls Hook a codfish, it could be a pun for 'godfish'... since they are reenacting the fake struggle between the two opposing deities of light and dark.

Princess Tiger Lily... could be Isis...The Lady of the Blue Lotus of Magic. The Egyptian Blue Lotus is not a Lotus flower, but a type of WATER LILY: "Tiger Lotus, White lotus or Egyptian White Water-lily". Remember the lotus light in the nursery that is referred to as a shepherd or guiding light? The lotus light in the nursery to represent the light that awaits at home?

Wendy is perhaps an allusion to the wind, i.e. windy. Pan tells her to fly on the back of the wind.

The wise indian girl Aaya who knows all about the tree spirits and the secrets of the mineral that is the magic pixie dust is the personification of the hallucinogen Ayahuasca or Aya as experiencers call her spirit which communicates to them during their psychedelic trip. **

The crocodile is the soul eater that goes after the bad souls? A crocodile weighed the souls of the dead in Egyptian mythology.

The mermaids of Mermaid Lagoon (and Marooners Rock) are sirens. Part-women and part-seabird they are often depicted as birds with the heads of maidens in the three forms of: half-woman and half-bird; half-woman and half-fish. The sirens' sweet songs would lure sailors to their deaths upon the rock similarly to the way the Pied Piper's song lures the children.

The second star on the right = Sirius? "The large, bluish-white star Sirius A dominates the scene, while Sirius B is the small but very hot and blue white-dwarf star on the right"

Mary = Wendy's mother. Mary is an appellation of Inanna / Isis / Venus and associated with the moon.

In the book, Pan was called the 'Great White Father' though I believe this is what the indian tribe (called Red Skins by Captain Hook) in Never Land called him. The word 'peter' is related to pater and means "father". (Peter was the father of the church.) Literally, 'Peter Pan' means "Father All" which has deep religious connotations indeed. But could 'Great White Father' be an allusion to the white light at death that leads souls and wants souls to merge with it? White is all frequencies combined. Near death experiencers often say everyone is one in the white light, a collective soul. The tunnel where all the colors of the rainbow and exquisite music is heard is also sometimes called a pipe by near death experiencers. The Piper is a nickname for the Devil. To pipe someone is to call someone. Pips are the marks on playing cards and are representative of a quantity of energy. **

There are many allusions to these memes throughout pop culture. The Piper is the Devil. Peter Pan is a piper that plays pan pipes. The Pied Piper abducts the children by luring them into a giant rock/mountain with his sweet music. They play follow the leader. In the Beatles' song Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, Sgt Pepper is a band leader who plays music and leads his band and he is the leader of band or club of lonely hearts, similar to Peter's lost boys. The song features the lyrics, "Sgt. Pepper taught the band to play... You're such a lovely audience we'd like to take you home with us, we'd love to take you home." It might be pertinent to mention here that a band can also refer to a spectrum of frequency. The pop drink Dr. Pepper had a motto: I'm a pepper. He's a pepper. She's a pepper. We're a pepper. Wouldn't you like to be a pepper too?" The pop manufacturer PepsiCo had the slogan, "Join the Pepsi generation." Mary Poppins who was magical and could fly was another leader of children and was said to be "very tricky".

The pied Piper pipes pips/peeps per his pipe to pop them for pep. **

This wind song of Pan, the piper at the gates of dawn, need not be feared. Even though, in comparison, we may feel like a tiny rat and it an enormous, awesome, giant being, we shouldn't fear anything. In fact, we need to face our fears and overcome them, integrating the shadow self by transmuting the darkness into light, the clear light of pure awareness. This song may be the music of the spheres, the music of nature, the music of the universe and akin to the music that is heard at death by near death experiencers. It may be a beautiful, sweet alluring song calling us to join it, but it may be better for us if we are able to resist it.

The story of Peter Pan is quite possibly the single, most important metaphor for understanding our relationship to nature and what lies after death. Peter Pan symbolizes Pan, the horned god of nature that pagans and wiccans worship as the Lord along with the goddess or Lady. Pan has been associated with the Devil. Peter Pan is the pied piper who lures children to Neverland with the siren windsong of nature (and the magic pixie dust of DMT) to join his (frequency) band of lost boys. Pan is a playful trickster. Peter Pan means "father all" and was called the "Great White Father" in the book, and the white light is indeed all colored frequencies combined. Pan elicits fear and panic at the prospect of ego death. We should never be afraid, but perhaps there is good reason to be at least concerned as there may be a big difference between the loss of the shadow self or ego, and losing one's Spirit to merge with the All.

**