I found Homeless Jack in the usual place. He was still wearing the dark clothes that he got from the Colony. Somehow, though, he seemed changed. It was obvious at first glance. He seemed transformed. Jack was never dumb, but in the past when I looked at him, there seemed to be something missing. He was always friendly and open in a sort of scattered lost too many brain cells wino way, but even when he was at his most manic and his eyes were wild they somehow seemed to be empty. Now that was different. His eyes were clear, focused and steely. He watched me approach and waited for me to speak. There was none of that old whistling past the grave preemptive strike phony friendliness that you see on those whose souls have been taken over by a rabbit. Jack was meeting me as one who knows, and who also knows that the other does not know. Even without speaking he seemed more serene and wiser. There was something in the way his body and head were held. It was as though something had gotten inside him and was peering out at me. There was a exudation of strength of mind and purpose but also a humbleness. I could feel it. If pressed, I might even have described Jack as more priestlike. After the usual greetings were over I sat down with a cup of coffee.

Jack began speaking. "I have no control over this, but I think Armen are going to start reaching out to white prisoners even more than before. The U.S. Supreme Court just ruled 9-0 that prisons cannot deny prisoners the right to their religious books, symbols or practices unless these things are disruptive.

"I haven't read the full Supreme Court decision, but I hope it really does give prisoners their religious rights. I do have a concern about one thing that has been reported about this decision. If I understand this correctly, the Court is saying that religious symbols, books and other things should be allowed, "unless these things are disruptive." It is this last part, "unless these things are disruptive," that may be a problem. It's arbitrary and seems to allow prison officials too much leeway in denying prisoners the very things the Court says they can have. Suppose, just as an example, an Arman wants to display a Swastika, but some other prisoners, who are Jewish, complain to prison officials and say they find it disruptive? Who wins? The question becomes one we've faced in the larger society all the time: Should the rights of some be trampled because others might cause a disruption? Do we cave in to the haters and bigots to avoid disruption or do we allow everyone their rights? Expect more lawsuits over this.

"In the meantime, White prisoners who follow Arman's teachings, and many who follow other racially conscious religious teachings, will probably start demanding that they be allowed the things of their faiths. Thus will the eternal struggle between good and evil, light and dark continue apace behind the walls just as it does outside the walls.

"Arman has described the Swastika revealed to him as being rounder than the political version, but I guess any version will serve the religious purpose. Arman says that the Swastika is absolutely essential to this faith and while in some contexts it can be seen as equivalent to a Christian cross for Christians and Stars of David for Jews, the Swastika is actually even more sacred to Believers than these other symbols are to people in those other religions because Arman says the Swastika is a mystical key and a direct link to the Ultimate and even serves as sort of an antennae between our inner Essence and God. Part of its reality and power is found in its very design. It is both a symbol and the thing itself in some sort of unknown way. One of the reasons that this symbol is so hated by others is because it does confer power on Believers and it is the bringer of light that dispels the dark. It is also the engine of creation and destruction and the mouth and steed of God. It is the sorter and the shuffler of existence and orders all.

"As I told you before, Arman says that Believers must always have a representation of the Spiral on them and the Swastika is the most potent, sacred, and active form of the Spiral. That's one of the reasons that some believers tattoo or brand or carve the symbols on their bodies. That way they're never without them, even when they shower. When they die, God will see the symbols on their flesh and immediately take those with the Essence, who bear His symbols, to Him. The symbols are also potent on other objects such as jewelry or garments or flags or anything else. It is important that these symbols be perceived by the senses of Believers for the power to move. The more senses that are involved, the better.

"So, do you have a tattoo and jewelry?" I asked. Without hesitation, Jack held out his right hand, and there on his ring finger was a silver signet ring with a rounded swastika as the center of the ring and on the sides it had some other spiral symbols including a representation of DNA. He then rolled up his sleeve and on his right bicep was the same type of swastika in blue ink along with some other spirals and flames.

"Want more?" he asked, as he pulled out a silver medallion with the same symbols hanging on a chain around his neck. "I'm not going to get caught without these symbols.

"Believers must also have a copy of The Guide, which is our Holiest Book. With The Guide, anyone who has the Essence can become a Believer and practice our faith alone or with others. I suspect some of our brothers and sisters in prison will probably set up their own religious groups. Believers can worship alone, but it's more potent when one worships with others. Arman talks about groups of three, five, seven and eleven as the core sizes of stand alone groups or as the religious management core and religious councils of groups of hundreds or thousands. There is no limit on how large the group can grow, but at its core are the 3,5,7 and 11 at the core to serve as the axle of the spinning.

"Arman says that Believers can freely photocopy The Guide or otherwise reproduce it and give it away for free to Believers so that they may be guided. Arman says that no one with a good heart and pure religious motives who has the Essence should be denied God's truths because they can't afford to buy The Guide. Arman also says that prisoners and the outcasts among White people are beloved of God and that when they humbly come to this faith, they are made into new people and are soldiers and guardians of the faith.

"The other things that prisoners must have to practice this religion in prison are plain 100% cotton clothes in dark colors including a proper cover for the head, a candle for the alter, symbols on cloth or paper to mark the alter. They must also demand that places where they worship are pure and not entered by those who do not possess the Essence. If these pure places are entered by others, they must be purified with prayers asking God's forgiveness but they must be thoroughly scrubbed down or otherwise purified with water and strong soap and if the space is in a room, bleach must be used if it is obtainable. These places must also be open so that the sky can be seen and the sun rising and setting can be seen. They should pray at dawn and at dusk by kneeling on the floor and by facing the sun just as it rises and just as it sets.

"Jack, this sounds a little like the way Muslims pray and also like sun worship," I said.

"Well, it might remind you of both of those things, but it's different for Believers. The kneeling and praying on the ground are to help keep the people humble and to show that they put themselves at the feet of God and will obey Him. The sun isn't an object of worship. It's just part of the cycle of nature that is part of the eternal spinning.

"As far as details go, Arman says Believers will self-order and spiral into proper forms with the help of The Guide because they will be inspired and will have God's Spiral helping them bring order out of the chaos. If they stay on the White Way, they won't stray.

"Jack," I said, "I have to ask you. How much of all this is fiction and how much is real?"

"Everything is real in God. He works in strange ways to have His will fulfilled. He works through crazy homeless people and He works through words and images and storms and signs and symbols. He sets up white and light in the bigger sphere and He sets them up in life. When He works with life, He works through genes. He is the engineer of flesh and all that exists. We cannot worship God unless we worship Essence and genes are necessary for Essence. He sometimes makes this look like that and that look like this. He takes those who He will take. He protects those who He will protect. He set the trajectory of all that exists. We can't ever hope to understand God, for God is not like us. He does not do what humans want, we must do what He wants. And when we do what He wants, we move ever higher. We pray that we will remain in God's favor and that we will no longer be led astray with false religions and teachings."

"Jack, that doesn't answer my question," I said.

"It's all true and its all fiction," said Jack. "There is no difference."

#  #  #

THE OUTSIDER - (ISBN: 0-595-19424-9)
H. Millard’s underground classic story of alienation is
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• References: (Note: links may expire and content not necessary endorsed by H. Millard
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• Supreme Court: Prisons must accommodate religions
• Captain Bret's Celtic Tattoos

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