Beyond the Cave

By Dennis R Zinner and Marilyn Zinner

Beyond the Cave, by Dennis and Marilyn Zinner, relates a visionary and inspiring story of self-discovery, personal growth, and transcendence. The book follows Dennis Zinners first endeavor into fiction, The Teacher and Me, published in 2012.

The Earths inhabitants are threatened with extinction. Global warming, over population, pollution of oceans and waterways, the loss of wildlife and their habitats, and the bee collapse disaster all are factors. The Earth Council, a group pledged to help the world evolve into a healthier place, is working to bring love, peace, and harmony to the planet.

Dr. Wong, a member of the Earth Council, is charged with recruiting Marley and her boyfriend Josh. Marley takes us on an extraordinary journey, beginning with her awakening and through several past lifetimes as she derives a plan. Along the way we meet Marleys mother who, during her lifetime, was a spiritual healer; and, Marleys father, a renowned quantum physicist. Marleys boyfriend Josh, a computer whiz whos working on a program to safeguard the success of Marleys plan, accompanies her on her journey.

To help Marley recall her gifts and incorporate them into her current life, Dr. Wong takes Marley to a lifetime when she was a Native American shaman, another lifetime when she was a novice priest devoted to human sacrifice in ancient Egypt, and a research scientist in Atlantis. Marley experiences a heroines journey, and awakens fully prepared on seeking the essential tools to inspire a revolution that will save the planet. Written with pathos and humor, Beyond the Cave is sure to please fiction buffs of every stripeespecially, those searching for the deeper meanings of life.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Balboa Press
• Release date: May 24, 2017
• ISBN: 9781504381338

Dennis R Zinner

Marilyn Zinner has a Bachelor’s Degree in Humanities and a Master’s Degree in Arts and Consciousness from John F. Kennedy University in Orinda, California. Marilyn is passionate about our Mother Earth and feels its blessings, but also the need to realize the conditions which plague the Earth and man’s behavior toward it. Dennis and Marilyn have been married for 27 years and are living in California’s Central Valley.

Book preview

Prologue

A cool northern breeze lilting off a mountaintop in Nepal created eddies that flapped multicolored prayer flags in their wake. Each flap contained a different prayer, most of them for peace and harmony for all beings living on earth. Near the top of the mountain and over the heads of the core members of the Earth Council, the flags reminded them of why they had formed together in the first place. The thirteen members of the Earth Council, created by people of various cultures and countries of origins, sat in the lotus position, waiting on brightly colored meditation mats that were sewn and embroidered by local women in the town of Tingri in Nepal. The town used to be an active trading post where Sherpas traded wool, livestock, and salt for rice, grains, and metals. Now it is known as one of the birthplaces of Tibetan Buddhism.

The Earth Council members meditated peacefully while waiting for the last of their party to arrive. Once the council was finally complete, they descended the mountain in a walking meditation. Arriving at the house where their meeting would take place, they bowed to one another and sat in a circle in the courtyard. The courtyard was part of a 150-year-old white stone house. It felt stark, yet humble, and sand and rocks were artistically created and placed in each of the four directions. Chickens bawk, bawked as they scratched the barren terrain hunting for remains of the morning’s feeding.

The Dalai Lama gave this house to the Earth Council sometime in the twelfth century. He had used the house as a retreat, away from the crowds and demands as the leader and sage for the Buddhist teachings. This home had gone through many incarnations to suit each current resident. When the Dalai Lama had occupied the house, it had scant furnishings, and most rooms were outfitted for quiet meditation. Many families had lived in the house and rearranged the rooms to suit their needs and comfort. But when the Earth Council received the house, it went back to sparse furnishings and quiet meditative spaces. In addition to the Earth Council meetings, the ochre, weatherworn house had frequent spiritual visitors due to its connection with Tibetan Buddhism. The shiny stone floors were worn with time and many, many footfalls; their original color could only be seen around the edges of the steps.

Dr. Wong, as the current councilmember to be the custodian of the house, always wore bleached-out orange robes and donned a black pillbox hat with a ragged yellow tassel on the top. He wore this outfit no matter what the weather was like, inside and out. His wire-rimmed eyeglasses were so thick one could see his image reflected back to him instead of his eyes. His mouth turned up at the corners and appeared as if he were holding a long forgotten secret.

In this tiny village of Tingri, situated at the base of Mount Everest, the residents affectionately called the mountain Goddess Mother of the Earth. The town’s five hundred or so withered inhabitants were mostly Sherpas, shop owners, and traders who wore brightly colored earrings, and they clothed themselves in traditional thick sheepskin coats with long sleeves. Most also wore mutely dyed wraparound bhokus, which were like skirts that came only to their knees and covered tight-fitting, warm trousers called suruwals. The women wore colorful ankle-length aprons over their bhokus. Whenever the Earth Council visited, the townsfolk would stop their normal bustling and spend the day in meditation or contemplation, ending the day with a celebration of foot dancing, yodeling, and feasting. The members of the Earth Council freely gave food that included nuts, berries, and curried quinoa with vegetables. This day’s activities would be no different.

The townspeople never saw the arrival of this group of people because they seemed to appear out of the ether, but they knew of their presence by the prayer flags that were raised over the atria of the house where the meetings occurred. They also became mindful of the charged energy that permeated the air of the town and the surrounding plains. Even the flowers in the vast fields seemed to brighten their colors and raise their leaves to absorb the special energy.

After the frolicking, feasting, and dancing was over, Tingrites sat in the courtyard of the stone house in anticipation of a message from the Earth Council, to fully feel the loving energy that flowed from this very special group of people. One councilmember stood with his hands folded as if in prayer near his forehead while each participant took one piece of raw rice from a copper bowl. Once they were all seated, the member gave his words to the crowd.

May the seed of peace and harmony be planted in all hearts. We are facing perilous times. Mother Earth is losing her heat equilibrium and becoming hotter, greedy people are causing wars for control of oil and minerals, and governments are feeding the elite class at the expense of common folk. There is coming a revolution when the common man will become tired of all the discordance and will implement changes that will enable Earth to once again be a peaceful, loving planet. You, as caretakers of this very spiritual place, will be instrumental in doing your part to help Mother Earth. What you can do for now is pray that hearts will be opened to caring for our planet. He bowed to the crowd and then to the council, and with that the crowd dispersed slowly with heads bowed in reverence, leaving the space for the Earth Council to begin their meeting.

Inside the house, the members of the Earth Council embraced. They were happy to be together again. Although each member had a separate project to facilitate the advancement of the spiritual health of Earth and its inhabitants, they stayed connected in each other’s thoughts, believing in the principle of interconnectivity. Yet, it was a pleasure to touch each other physically, much like sisters and brothers when greeting each other at home.

One of the Earth Council members was called the Teacher because he used the Socratic method to instruct his students. The Socratic method is based on a teacher asking questions and allowing those questions to help the student find his or her own answers. He believed this method stimulated critical thinking, allowing the student to see life’s events through various lenses. For instance, his last student was Fred, a famous computer whiz who many considered the father of computer networking. He helped Fred attain self-enlightenment by asking him to explore his I am. Through his work, Fred was able to move past all of his preconceived notions of who he was: male, intelligent, handsome, alcoholic, lover, etc. With the Teacher’s help, he could find his true essence.

The Teacher always wore a colorful Hawaiian shirt, even though he hailed from Boston. His curly gray hair highlighted his tanned face, and his eyes were the fairest blue. It never occurred to any of the councilmembers to ask him about the Hawaiian shirts; it just was the way he was.

The Teacher asked, Where is Dr. Wong? I was looking forward to seeing him.

Diego Sebastian, a world-renowned financial expert from Uruguay, smiled, nodded to the teacher, and said, Yes, me too. But he should join us soon. He told me that he has contacted the person we discussed at our last meeting. It looks like his part of the plan is going per schedule, but I’m sure he will fill us in later.

The Teacher laughed. Does ‘going per schedule’ mean that she’s kicking and screaming like the rest of us did before we joined the Earth Council?

I don’t know. Diego smiled as he remembered when the teacher first introduced himself. It was a day like any other day for Diego, as he was driving to his copper mine in the mountains in Uruguay when he barely missed hitting a mountain goat. As his brakes screeched, he realized it was a mother mountain goat who was trying to reach her kid that had crossed the road. After he stopped, he saw that another kid had been hit by a vehicle and was lying dead on the side of the road. Whew! thought Diego, thankful that he wasn’t the one who had killed the baby goat. He had heard from an environmentalist that his copper mine was destroying vital habitats of the local mountain goats, but he had brushed it off as part of doing business.

While attempting to reach the mine office, his path was blocked by people congregating to protest the existence of Diego’s copper mine. The farmers in the nearby valleys stated that open-pit mining was contaminating their crops, but Diego didn’t think it was all that serious of an issue. He drove through the group, and they separated for him while holding sticks and calling him names. While slowly traversing the road to his office, Diego saw several men carrying a body on a stretcher from one of the mine entrances. Damn, not another fatality?

Diego had always noticed that events around him happened in threes. He became aware that his mind had been sneaking in thoughts lately that maybe he shouldn’t be doing copper mining. He was wondering if he had become polluted by his wealth and was questioning deep down if he was on the right path for his life, but he countered those thoughts with his importance to the world economy and the necessity of keeping these miners employed. Not to mention the importance of copper! Without him, there would be no more US pennies.

While Diego was still in his car, the Teacher appeared next to him in the front seat and asked, "Have you seen enough?

Diego had not seen this person approach his car, or open the door for that matter, and was taken aback by his presence. He tried to open his door to escape, but the door was locked. He reached for the gun under his seat, and it was gone. He looked at the Teacher in total fear. Who are you? he asked, his voice shaking.

The Teacher smiled and said, I am a friend you are just now meeting. They call me the Teacher.

Wh-what do you teach?

That’s the weird part. I don’t teach anything. I just ask questions.

So what do you want with me?

I only want to help you make sense out of your life. You are asking yourself many questions about your life, and I think it might be time you answer those questions. So back to the question: Have you seen enough?

Diego noticed he was becoming very relaxed. There was something very familiar about this man and this conversation. What do you mean?

Well, other than making a lot of money and living an extremely luxurious lifestyle, this operation clearly is a detriment to many other living beings. The Teacher had Diego’s attention, but he was thinking to himself, What is a guy in a Hawaiian shirt doing in the mountains of Uruguay, anyway? The Teacher went on to explain that a group of people called the Earth Council who had the planet’s interests at heart could use his management skills to help all of humanity. The Teacher asked, Diego, have you ever envisioned a more spiritual and fulfilling life for yourself?

Diego relaxed at being talked to this way by a complete stranger—actually, a future friend. He had to admit that he did think he had more to offer the world than his great wealth. After many meetings with the Teacher and profound soul-searching, Diego shut down production at the copper mine. He kept the land, so no one else could start it up again. He gave all of his employees two years’ salary and compensated the farmers for any losses they had experienced due to the waste runoff that reached their farms. He was currently working on plans to see if he could come up with a method to clean up the tailings and refuse in an environmentally friendly and economical manner.

Diego shook his head, grateful for the memory of meeting the Teacher and the positive changes that had occurred in his life since. Coming back to the present, he answered the Teacher, My bet is he’s got her curious already. Dr. Wong is very resourceful.

The Teacher nodded and responded, Yes, that he is. But no matter how convincing he can be at setting the stage and driving curiosity, this ‘free will’ thing usually slows a project down somewhat. Sometimes people are so involved in their own lives, they hesitate to commit to the bigger picture. Or they don’t even know there is a bigger picture. The Teacher cocked his head. Are we sure she will be able to fill in the missing piece that will reverse the negative direction mankind and Earth are headed toward?

Diego answered the Teacher, Yes, we think so. Dr. Wong’s plan is to help her remember. I fear he needs to hurry, though. The ultraconservative faction wants to keep the wealth and power with just a few individuals, and, quite frankly, it appears that they are succeeding! Absolute power corrupts absolutely!

Even with all of our understanding, we can’t do anything unless humanity opens their hearts to world peace and love, the Teacher replied. Well, that’s what we’re here to talk about, yes?

The other ten turned to look at Diego. He smiled and said, Yes, let’s get started.

In a blink of an eye, they were all seated in the lotus position in a circle on the prayer rugs, eyes closed, their energy intensifying as a single unit.

The eldest of the group, named Barking Tree, had shoulder-length jet-black hair, which he held back with a beaded headband. He was muscular, with smooth, tawny skin, and his face was soft as a feather. His eyes shone with unconditional acceptance of everything around him. Barking Tree was initially brought into the Earth Council for his strong shamanistic knowledge and abilities. He was born with the gift of knowing how animals feel and think. He deeply felt the disconnect humanity had for the animal kingdom. The extinction of increasingly more species and the loss of habitats tore at his heart. It was not difficult to persuade him to join the Earth Council to try and help all beings, especially the animals. The details of his birth became lore among Native American tribes.

***

The full moon bathed the glen and the tribe’s erected tepees. The elders of the tribe sat by the fire retelling their experiences of the latest hunt. It was late fall, and the hunters had to fill the larders before the snows fell and many of the animals went into their winter hibernation.

In a tepee set up on the perimeter of the encampment, midwives tended to Barking Tree’s mother. The birthing tepees were separated from the main circle to provide privacy and family bonding. The midwives tended to the process of her birthing by cooling her brow, speaking softly to her, and massaging her body into acceptance of the pain. The soon-to-be mother stoically held in her whimpers as each contraction coursed through her body. Her husband, the tribe’s medicine man, was nervous because this was his first child as well. His brow was wrinkled with worry and concern for his wife as he sat in the doorway, entreating the moon for a healthy child.

One by one, animals walked out of the forest toward the birthing tepee. Once they all had entered the tepee, a coyote sat toward the north at the mother’s head, and a fox sat toward the south at the mother’s feet. A rabbit was near her left side, and a hawk stationed itself at her other side. With the four directions protected, they held a sacred space for the child to enter the earthly realm. Earth then began its eclipse of the moon, causing darkness to creep over the land. There was a hush as the Earth fully swallowed the moon, and then the void of the pitch-black night was filled with a baby’s gentle cry. Earth smiled. The father smiled. The mother smiled. The animals sprang to activity and exited the birthing tent to spread the word.

The father heard a dog barking that became louder and louder, as if trying to get his attention. As he stood to acknowledge the sound, he was drawn toward a very large maple tree. Sitting with his back against the trunk, he gave his child his name: Barking Tree.

***

As was the council’s usual custom, they started each meeting by performing a ritual called metta. This is a Buddhist practice that is recited to send love and healing to all living beings. Barking Tree began with three deep breaths and recited, Send loving kindness to yourself first, then to the rest of the group, and finally to the rest of the world. They continued with each prayer, May you be safe from inner and outer harm. May you be happy. May you be well in body and mind, and lastly may you be at ease in the present. As their thoughts extended outward, they sensed a deep sigh coming from the ether. A pink cloud of loving energy descended upon them and encompassed them as they sat quietly alert, and then the pink aura puffed away into the sky, floating to encompass the rest of the world.

Barking Tree started the discussion by giving the good news first.

"Dr. Wong has reported after meeting with the Emperor Akithito Shinzo Abe. Japan has pledged $450 million to aid the Pacific Island nations, which are battling rising sea levels and natural calamities as a result of global warming. Additionally, one of the United States’ largest fast food chains is pushing their suppliers to give farm animals fewer antibiotics and to use them only for sickened animals, not to fatten them up. They are using their retail muscles to encourage poultry farmers to eliminate housing crates, allowing poultry more room to roam.

"The scientific and technology institutions are helping to reduce our carbon imprint by creating electric, hydrogen-fueled, and solar automobiles as well as power plants. Harnessing the motion of the oceans’ waves is another new way that power is being harvested.

"The American flag is now flying over the US Embassy in Cuba. This is a healing that has taken more than fifty years to occur. Diplomatic relations are being resumed, and Americans can travel to their neighbor island a mere eighty miles from the United States shore. With these new freedoms, cultural exchanges and friendships between the people of Cuba and all other countries can be realized.

Now, some of the bad news, he continued. "By the year 2040, the world will have two billion more mouths to feed. Existing today are more than 800 million people who are malnourished and another two billion who do not have essential nutrients in their diets. The children of these two billion are subject to stunting, mental disabilities, sicknesses, and diseases just because they are deficient in the nutrients the human body requires in the first two years. This situation must be heartbreaking for their parents, and society should not tolerate this disregard for human life.

"Global warming is not a matter of opinion. It is a fact, and even the most conservative scientists suggest that if we fail to change the course on climate change, the global food supply system will be uprooted and trigger an unprecedented epidemic of food riots by the year 2040.

"A biotech and agricultural giant has not been banned, by law, for using an herbicide that has been linked to causing cancer. This same company also has not been ordered by law to label the genetically modified organisms in their foods that they supply for human consumption.

I could go on for quite a while, but most of you know many of the issues we’re facing. I know I’m preaching to the choir.

The Teacher interjected, Thank you, Barking Tree. It seems that the bad news gets worse every time we meet. It’s time for the global population to wake up to the devastation that is imminent if we don’t change our ways of living on this planet. I’ve been thinking lately that technology has increased the number of people who have cell phones and therefore access to the Internet. So, for the first time in history, an individual can communicate their ideas and opinions across the globe to vast amounts of people, simultaneously. A great example we just witnessed was what they called the Arab Spring, which facilitated dramatic changes in the Mideast that was organized by people using their Facebook accounts.

Diego replied, "In the case of the Arab Spring, young people gained a keener sense of their respective governments’ torturing and deaths, or ‘disappearances,’ of dissidents. With concrete knowledge under their collective belt, the masses then protested against corrupt regimes. Their goal was to be freed from persecution and old, outdated laws that limited their freedoms. With the Internet, they had virtual freedom of assembly and the ability to share and communicate their ideas. Further, they wanted equal rights and education for all genders. In this example, the desires of the people were ‘wagging the dog.’

"Yes, the leaders of corrupt governments are concerned primarily for their personal advancement and not for the good of their countries. You have to wonder why those nations didn’t wake up sooner.

Further, this selfishness is a form of fear. It’s a response for a person believing they don’t have enough money, prestige, and power. If world leaders would come from their hearts and not their pocketbooks, well, a different world would exist, yes?

Yes, it would solve many problems, said Barking Tree. "Some changes are coming. The genesis of the unrest is the sharing of ideas and ideals with the rest of the world instantly by varied small ideological groups. These splinter groups are creating changes in the status quo. The suicide bombings in the name of God, the accompanying mistrust of one’s neighbors, the