A planet from the book
A Wrinkle in Time by
Madeline L'Engle. It is a planet rigorously controlled by the
entity called IT, which appears as a gigantic disembodied brain. IT maintains perfect regulation of all activities of the population of Camazotz, to the point that all the
children bouncing balls in the street bounce them in perfect rythm with each other. IT maintains control of Camazotz from the
CENTRAL Central Intelligence building, where IT's minion,
The Man With Red Eyes, oversees day-to-day operation. One of the main characters,
Charles Wallace, falls under the mental domination of IT, and is only saved by the
unconditional love of his sister.
Camazotz
The
Mayan bat-god who was ultimately defeated in the legendary struggles between the early gods and peoples.
The Mysteries of Xibalba
Artist Augustus Knapp
Hunahpu and
Xbalanque, the
heroes of the second book of the
Popol Vuh, are here depicted undergoing the ordeal of the Bat House in the
Mysteries Xibalba.
Camazotz, the Lord of the Bats, emerging suddenly from the gloom, strikes with his great sword at the intrepid invaders of his domain. The animal soul of man is sometimes pictured as a
bat because, like this
creature, it is blinded and deprived of its power by the light of the
spiritual, or
philosophic,
sun. That part of
humanity which exists in the
night of materiality and ignorance lives by the law of physical survival. Like great
vampire bats, the
depraved and the
avaricious swoop down upon the unwary and, after gorging themselves upon the life substances of their prey, soar lazily back to the gloomy caverns where they hide themselves from the light of day. Those who live in the
sphere of the senses, who permit themselves to become hopelessly involved in
worldliness- these dwell in continuous night, and are either intentional or unintentional doers of evil. When the light fades and gloom descends upon the face of the earth, the creatures of the night come forth.
Darkness was feared by the primitive mind; every eerie sound or shadow inspired the
terror of the unknown. It was believed that at night demons, ghosts, and ghouls were given power to torment men. Man is courageous in the daytime because he can see; at night he is afraid because he cannot see. The same is true in the story of earthly existence. The dark world of materiality is ruled by
fear,
hate,
greed, and
lust. In it wander the
ghosts of human beings - shades of men and women floating listlessly to and fro upon the
sea of sensation. Only when the soul comes into a realization of the spiritual verities of life does it escape from this underworld - this house of demons over which Camazotz holds sway. The sun of Truth rises in man and
illuminates his world when he lifts his mind from the darkness of selfishness and ignorance into the light of selfishness and wisdom. MPH