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After the Knights and Ladies, along with the Conductor, had recessed following the visit from Lady Chameleon, they
had, for the most part, kept to themselves, each thinking intently about what this unique visit could mean. It was obvious to all that Lady Chameleon had visited a meeting of the
Round Table because of the supreme importance of what they were doing. But what had she tried to communicate to them in regard to their great upcoming Project, a 40 x 95 foot
mural, Paradise on Earth, which, they all believed, was their best hope for saving the
world?
After more than an hour away from the Table, they began to return to their places. And soon the Conductor was
calling the meeting to order.
"Ladies and Knights," he said, "I think we all now understand that what we are doing is indeed
crucial to the survival of life on Earth. First I want to ask you all together, did you get the impression that Lady Chameleon thinks we are on the right track with our depiction
of Paradise on Earth?"
The Colors all nodded and replied in the affirmative. "She was here to tell us how to do it." said Lady
Blue.
"And that," the Conductor added, "is what we have to do, translate Lady Chameleon's very abstract
language into something we can understand well enough to paint it."
"She wants our Paradise to be so beautiful," continued Lady Blue," that things like fear and greed
and lust for power will simply vanish for being inconsequential. A vision of complete, absolute beauty, and that alone, will compel the human species to save itself. This, I
believe, is what Lady Chameleon was telling us."
"Then that's one thing we can all agree on," said the Conductor. "Our Paradise must be as
beautiful as anything can possibly be. But Paradise has other aspects that must be considered. When we ask ourselves what we want to include in our Paradise, we are also asking
what must be done to make it beautiful." The Conductor fell silent and began searching the faces around him. "Now let us each tell what transpired between ourselves and
Lady Chameleon. Lady Blue has made a good start. Sir Red, what can you tell us?"
Sir Red stood and saluted the Conductor, who saluted back. "When I was under Lady Chameleon's magic spell a
while ago, it was a somewhat different experience than when she has visited me by myself. Perhaps because she was communicating with all of us at the same time, I felt closer to
all of you. And I detected an urgent passion in her demeanor, a strong sense that whatever we do with our Paradise, it should be filled with a passionate love of life and it's
potential for achieving miracles."
"Yes," the Conductor agreed. "That is one of the things I believe she was telling us. But there was
more to her message. Sir Yellow, what do you think she was trying to communicate?"
Sir Yellow stood and bowed slightly to everyone. "Well, Lady Chameleon reinforced my ideas on light and the
power of illumination. Only this time, because she was speaking to all of us, I saw each of you in a more luminous way. I could envision for the first time a quality of
luminescence involving all of us. This is the first time I have had a real sense of completeness about our Paradise."
"Can you suggest anything, Sir Yellow," the Conductor asked, "about an application of what you have
learned?"
"Well, sir, that part of it is, as usual, up to you. I can only say that in order to produce the effect we
want, there must be a rare and so far unknown formula for producing the powerful effect Sir Red has alluded to."
"Thank you, Sir Yellow, I believe you have brought us a little closer to realizing our dream. And now, let us
hear from Sir Green. What new revelations do you have for us, my friend?"
Sir Green stood and graced the table with a broad and happy smile. "Like those who have already spoken,"
he began, "I too felt something different in Lady Chameleon's presence here a while ago. I felt that she was speaking to all of us and for all of us, and at the same time
teaching us something new, something essential to the Project. It had to do, I believe, with the quintessence of life. I interpret it as meaning that Paradise on Earth should bear
a strong presence of new life in all things, whatever appears in the depiction."
"Yes, yes. Thank you, Sir Green. I feel that you are undoubtedly right. She gave me something of the same
impression. Everything in our Paradise must be superbly alive. Do you agree, Lady Vermillion?"
As she rose to speak, Lady Vermillion patted her neighbor, Sir Red, on the back. "Well, as I see it, Sir Red
has made a good case. When we are ecstatic we are fully alive, are we not? Everything in our Paradise ought to conspire to make all the beings who inhabit it feel completely alive.
Peace and serenity and meditation are no doubt a part of it. Meditation can bring ecstasy as well as anything."
"Do people sleep in Paradise?" Sir Cadmium interrupted.
"How would I know?" Lady Vermillion replied. "If we are talking about Paradise on Earth, I suppose
they do."
"I don't think this is something we need to concern ourselves with," said the Conductor. "There
are too many other things we need to clarify. But thank you, Lady Vermillion, I like your vision of a Paradise that is both supremely alive and supremely serene. All we have to do
now is figure out how to depict this. Let us hear from someone else." The Conductor looked around and finally settled his gaze on Sir Orange, one of his favorites, although he
always avoided showing favoritism at meetings of the Round Table. "So. . . Sir Orange, what is your interpretation of Lady Chameleon's visit?"
Sir Orange pushed his chair back, and after saluting the Conductor began to speak. "My friends, there is no
doubt in my mind that what we have learned from Lady Chameleon is extremely important. But we need to understand collectively what she has told us, and translate this into more
specific terms." Sir Orange paused and gazed at the ceiling for a moment. "What was she telling us? It was my impression that Lady Chameleon was describing our Paradise
as a place where we would find fulfillment through exploration and reflection. One of the paths to ecstasy, which we all apparently believe should be a predominant part of our
Paradise, is that path which brings us enlightenment by way of discovery and reflection. In other words, there ought to be an ambience of mystery, of the unknown, present in our
depiction of Paradise on Earth."
"Very good, Sir Orange, very good indeed!" the Conductor applauded. "You are beginning to give us
visual ideas we can use. And that is what we need. But Lady Chameleon appeared to all of us at the same time, which must mean that she wants us to all understand something in
common. Lady Lime do you have any idea what she was telling us that we would all understand in the same way?"
Lady Lime, who sometimes indulged in flamboyance, rose and threw kisses to everyone at the Table. "Isn't it
obvious?" She asked. "Lady Chameleon was instilling in each of us a feeling that we all experience in the same way, what could it be but love? A universal, cosmic love is
what she wants us to carry into our Paradise on Earth. She is telling us that love is ecstasy, and ecstasy is love." Lady Lime opened her arms. "Love of this kind is
all-encompassing. I think that is why, when we began our discussion about depicting Paradise, it was our instinct to want to include everything. Having realized the impossibility
of putting everything in existence into a 40 by 95 foot space, we have been trying to solve a dilemma we don't understand well enough to solve. Not on our own. Lady Chameleon
came to us the way she did, I am convinced, to show us how to use love to find the answers we seek." Then Lady Lime smiled and sat down.
The Conductor nodded, "This is a wonderful insight, Lady Lime. We all know the feeling of love, and it is
probably very much the same for us all. And to all humans. If it is love that will save the world, then we must now decide how to paint a picture of Paradise that will fill its
viewers with love. So. . . did Lady Chameleon suggest anything specific? What about it, Sir Purple, did you sense any practical applications in Lady Chameleon's message?"
Sir Purple stood, and with his usual air of dignity proceeded to put in his two cents worth. "It’s
difficult to say, sir. Lady Chameleon is always nebulous and abstract. But while looking at her I did have an image of myself at the center of a series of concentric rings
consisting of all the colors here at the table. It seemed to be an image of love and ecstasy, if that is indeed what Paradise on Earth is about." And having made what he
thought was a substantial contribution, Sir Purple reseated himself.
"Now we are getting somewhere," said the Conductor excitedly. "Thank you, Sir Purple, for getting the
ball rolling. Does anyone else have a visual image? What about you Lady Ultra? What did you learn from this experience?"
Lady Ultra stood up in her courtly way and began to wring her hands. "Oh! It's all so maddening. There is
so much richness there, but to understand it in a way that makes sense is. . . well, almost beyond my powers. But not quite. In one sudden moment it was clear to me that Lady
Chameleon was a hovering, levitating creature for a reason. And I felt that she was saying that all things in Paradise should be flying, or floating, or hovering without effort.
And maybe swimming too, I'm not sure about that. But I think she said she is a part of Paradise herself, and should permeate the spirit of our mural."
"Now that is interesting!" exclaimed the Conductor. "Now we are really getting somewhere. I know,
Lady Ultra, that you have always had a rather special relationship with Lady Chameleon. It's paying off now, in a big way. We have real material to work with. But before we
delve into that we still have one or two others to hear from. Sir Cadmium tell us what you got out of Lady Chameleon's visit."
Sir Cadmium rose with an economy of movements, and bowed slightly to all at the table. "It was not," he
said, "like other visitations. I sensed an urgency in this one, not desperation, but a sense that we really must surpass ourselves this time, if we are going to bring our
crusade to a successful conclusion. She also hinted that she would visit us again, as needed, while we are doing the work."
"Another revelation!" the Conductor declared. "Thank you very much, Sir Cadmium. It would seem one
thing Lady Chameleon is telling us is that we need to exert all our powers of imagination, reason, memory, invention, wit, wildness, and wonder if we are going to paint something
with the power to change the human species. Her willingness to help us through the project gives us further hope. I'm beginning to feel more positive about things. I'm
beginning to believe we can really pull this off." The Conductor glanced around the Table with a bright and determined look on his face. "Let's see. . . we've
heard from everyone except Lady Magenta and Lady Violet. So. . . what did you learn from this visit, Lady Violet?"
"Please let me explain something," said Lady Violet, standing. "During our visit from Lady Chameleon,
Lady Magenta and I were holding hands, and a kind of miracle occurred between us. Our thoughts and feelings merged. Her mind and my mind became the same. We had identical
experiences, and I'm sure there is some significance to this, although I don't know what. Anyway, since our stories are the same, Lady Magenta has asked me to speak for
her."
"This is a curious development," said the Conductor. "It is what we hoped, though, is it not? When we
decided to hold hands and meditate? This does indeed have some meaning in regard to our Project, and we will discuss it later. But for now, let us hear what you have to say. Lady
Violet."
"Well," Lady Violet continued, "Lady Magenta and I perceived that Lady Chameleon was informing us in
her own unique way, but emphatically enough, that Paradise must be a place of transitions. Light and darkness, warmth and coolness. It had something to do with music, which Lady
Chameleon thinks is an important part of Paradise. She wants everything in Paradise to be living in a symphony. A Symphony of Color, I suppose." Lady Violet stopped speaking
and pursed her lips. "and the strangest thing of all--Lady Magenta and I both distinctly heard her say it: 'Everything in Paradise is a newborn baby.' And that is what
we have to report." Lady Violet smiled and reseated herself.
"Thank you Lady Violet," said the Conductor, "for that very revealing and thought-provoking account.
Thank you all. You have given us many powerful guidelines, and much to interpret. I do believe that all your versions of our encounter with Lady Chameleon have brought us a giant
step closer to solving the problem of how to depict Paradise on Earth. There is still much pondering to do and decisions to be made. But we are getting there my friends, we are
getting there. Why don't we digest all of this, and meet again tomorrow, hopefully with some new ideas that can be, in due process, applied to the wall. The mental preparation
for this Project is vast and complicated, as we are learning. I know that you are all searching your minds, hearts and souls for answers. We must not make the mistake of thinking
that we are playing the role of God here. We are playing the role of a creator, who is us, and our Paradise is an Earthly Paradise, let us not forget, one that human beings can
feel familiar with, at the same time they are being enchanted by it. So let's keep in mind--things of this Earth!"
As the Knights and Ladies left the Table, their mood was both serious and buoyant.
"I know we can do this!" declared Lady Lime.
"We need to give the Conductor more material to work
with," said Sir Green.
"You should be able to do that by yourself," replied Lady Vermillion. "You were, after all, the
universe just prior to blooming. Weren't you?"
Sir Green laughed and bowed slightly to Lady Vermillion, who took his arm as they walked away.
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