“Flight of the Griffin”

"Flight of the Griffin" – August 13, 2002

"…It is during the death of my father that the Griffin comes to me, a guardian of the treasure across light and shadow, initiated in a journey into the underworld of the great city  …"

There was a second major experience that happened in the earlier moments before I officially started on the quest that influenced my view that life was a magical story filled with characters and encounters in a landscape of living myth.  It was part of an event held by my thespian ally Seth Trucks in Central Park, NYC and had changed the way I saw the scenes in our stories forever. B Both of these experiences involved Zina Brown, a fellow fillmmaker and visionary who was part of the Faerytale Brigade and an ambassador of the aka of Story.

Naming – Gift of the Griffin

The name Griffin came to me during the death of my father.  Swimming through the tumult of emotion that accompanies such a thing I had been casting divinations, questions into the transformative process of re-naming myself and letting go of the previous anchor on my identity.  I knew I needed a name name.  Something that carried with it a strength and fortitude that would carry me through the days ahead.

There was power there.  A strength and fortitude that I needed which came with the naming.  As i'd heard it spoken, gradually forming itself into the world I had sensed an echo across the chroma, as if a song reaching out and being received by some faraway chorus.

I'm actually somewhat convinced at this point that 'The Griffin' was one of the inspirations for 'Invincible'.

The mythical griffin is a creature of ferocity and nobility. Usually depicted as half lion and half eagle, this ancient beast is more than the sum of its parts. Majestic, strong, and imbued with magic, the griffin is a common heraldic symbol which joins the lion’s valor with the eagle’s elegance. It is no wonder that many aristocratic families chose this beast to represent them. (1) Although the griffin itself may be no more than a myth, we can draw inspiration from this magnificent creature by understanding its history, symbolism, and the virtues embodied by the creatures on which the griffin is based.

Such was my connection to Bast, the Cat Goddess, and the energies of the feline which coursed through the power of the Lion.

Into the Underworld

The idea that life was a sacred story filled with worlds within worlds was deeply influenced by a number of experiences I had whilst living in New York city, one of which happened in the curated paths and light forests of Central Park and the other in the endless neon light of Times Square.

As we stood there in unified silence, a sense of mythology came upon me, that I was a part of Zina's story, a character necessary for the ritual of his rebirth and the transformation of his spirit through what was quite literally the underworld of New York city.  We were the immortal edgelanders, creatures who represented the liminal point between life and death, escorts on the journey of transformation and rebirth.

Everything shifted in that space, the subway train unveiling her momentary essence as a boat of passage between one point and another within that dark underland as our friend lay in a mushroom-induced haze within the walls of the coffin.  That mushrooms themselves grew in the fetid underdark was a beautiful and poignant aspect of the experience, facilitating the newfound life he was about to embark upon.

As we emerged, a light rain fell upon us, and I knew it to be a blessing, a wash of sweet water signifying our passage from the depths, bringing us into a synchronicity with Seth Trucks, one of the thespian members of the troupe who were en route to the nightclub that had been chosen as the place to open the coffin and bring our ally into the world in a flash of neon festivity.

As we walked back to Brooklyn together carrying the coffin I noticed our gait was smooth and easeful, and while I knew it to be a result of the ecstasy and the dancing, it was a thing of harmony and meaning nonetheless.  The realization that such a thing could exist under the right circumstances.

As we released him into his new life I shared with him the name that had come to me – "Griffin".

Characters Appearing

Burke Hefner

James Vogel

Veronica Varlow

Seth Trucks