Once there was a dream...

... day was good. We had good friends over. Colors live, laughter healthy, food hearty, talk fresh, time slowed down, bringing beautiful memories. Still cozy from red wine, I slowly wondered of to the deep sleep and then to deep dream.

Deep down. Blue sky, turquoise sea, green fields for as long as my eye can reach. My focus narrows, in the center of it all, ancient villa with massive entrance and above embossed monkey emblem and words: "what would you do, if you know, you can not fail". Step at the time, I walked down the stairs and even more down into the garden. Smells indulged my senses, I felt light, soften, then peaceful. Shapes of plants, waterfalls falling down and walkways were done by person with patient mind, garden guardian. Mystery of this place multiplied as I stepped inside of long hallway. Light was breaking in through high ceiling windows, creating light rays along the corridors. As eyes were adapting to light, bookshelfs filled with acient books started to reveal ancient library. On the other end light of corridor blinding strong was drawing me toward the other end. As I moved forward strong feeling of certainty that come out only from experiance and knowledge was overtaking me. What is this strage feeling? My posture was straitening, my body was growing healthier, my mind sharper and more peaceful with every step toward that light on other end of the old library.

I was standing proud when I walked out into white stone balcony with two chairs and a view. What a view, top of the world, make you forget about your own existence as you get lost in beauty. Old man was sitting there relaxed. Without him physically acknowledging my presence, I felt that he has access to my every though, my every memory, can see inside of me better then I ever could. I felt strong guidance, expectation to without words sit next to him and indulge my senses in the view.

Time passed, minutes like a hours, hours like a lifetime. Sun was crossing the sky, dancing with shades of trees bellow us, changing color of blue waters, playing with direction of the wind breeze.

It felt that he is telling me story without words. Story of Carptum. Then as big orange source of life was setting down, he turned to me and said in deep, peacful, guiding voice: - "It is your time to tell it now... and then vanished, leaving golden dust settling on my skin melting with shapes around me, as I opened my eyes...

Still half asleep, like I am fighting to save most valuable and scarce resource in the whole world, I grabbed paper and wrote it down. Surreal and strange, unexplainable by my experiences and knowledge at the time, I wrote it and left it. Only years later I fully understood what did story meant.

Story goes that in old worlds of Egyptians, Persian, Greek and Roman civilizations there was a society, secret and mysterious, but different from all others. It was society of guardians of humanity, protectors of memories, knowledge, dreams and destiny.

I had no proof that story was true, far from it. I just liked the dream at the time, and it felt right enough that I took a leap of faith and disguarded my disbelieves, discarded my rationalizing and went on my search that turned into exciting journey. It did not passed long before I start falling in love with this lateral idea, it moved me because out of all secret societies I read dusty books on while, looking for any trace on Carptum, it is only Carptum people that were into giving and not taking, distributing power and not holding it for themselves. They did everything in the least intuitive ways, flip things inside out, turned everything upside down and it worked.

I can not tell for sure when it all started and what was it called in those early days, but by the time Carptum as a name formed it was a already era of Roman empire. Carptum is a latin word based in the same root as "Carpe Diem".

Reason why it might sound familiar to you, is guy by the name of Quintus Horatius Flaccus, poet and philosopher of the Roman Augustan Age and his slightly less known "Horace, Ode" and words that give it away "carpe diem, quam minimum credula postero."

Original Oda goes something like this:

"Tu ne quaesieris, scire nefas, quem mihi, quem tibi finem di dederint, Leuconoe, nec Babylonios temptaris numeros. ut melius, quicquid erit, pati, seu pluris hiemes seu tribuit Iuppiter ultimam, quae nunc oppositis debilitat pumicibus mare Tyrrhenum: sapias, uina liques, et spatio breui spem longam reseces. dum loquimur, fugerit inuida aetas: carpe diem, quam minimum credula postero."

And my very liberal translation:

We don't know our destiny, we don't know what is coming ahead. For a reason Leucon. Seeking what is ahead of us from Babylonian future tellers, means giving power over our destiny to others. What future will bring, will Jupiter let us see this winter and many more to come, nobody knows for sure.

But, if you stop thinking and listen; what is sure, is that you can hear the Tuscan sea breaking against the cliffs, you will smell the nature, see the colors of the flowers, feel the morning breeze on your skin and taste the grapes. Now. Today. Just do what's next, what is must, harvest your wine, strain juice from it now. Trim distant hopes short, so you can act today. Times goes by, even while we talk. Pluck it now, harvest this day, tomorrow might never come, but this moment is mighty.

~ Horace ~ by mua

I say liberal and I welcome being corrected and mentored, by wiser and more knowledgeable man then me. Dream though me that. My goal is not to impress, but to pass story about beautiful dream the best way words can embody experiences.

Time passes, molds earth and stone, so it is not wonder that insightful Horce's words "to harvest the day" shaped to "To make the most of today" then "seize the day". Until poets called it "the world is one's oyster" and then those advantures make it fun with "take the bull by the horns". We all been touched by these words, at one point, directly or by somebody close to us. Some know the words, some don't. Many heard it, some used it and few embrace it with such a passion that they lived by those words, their entire fulfilled life.

They used it for encouraging themselves and others, dealing with worries, knowing they can handle whatever comes their way. They used it to confront a difficult, knowing that greater the obstacles, the greater is glory of overcoming it. But most importantly they used it to live, with more of zest, and fulfillment then anybody else.

There are many stories about liberation of spirits, people turning dreams into visions, accruing kills and knowledge and reclaiming their future and their life missions. Many lifes were altered after that moment in 20 BC when Horce leaked the secret mantra charmed by the beautiful girl he was talking too.

Why it matters? We like it or not, we admitted or not, we humans are slaves to our own habits, addicted to our emotions and limited by our own thoughts and believes. Some grow to understand this, but most just repeat same actions, same day, wondering why their dreams are not coming true.

Reducing big dreams to cheap fantasies, oportunity to reality, all while stars are wondering what happened with that bold, restless youngsters and dreams they carry for them. Blind to see how extraordinary we are, blind to abundance of beauty and opportunities that surrounds us, we procrastinate instead of taking those small first steps in right direction. Mistakenly perceiving true excitement as a fear, forgeting what every kid knows, that what we are most afraid to do is often very best thing for us to do ... greatness, fulfillment and happiness happens only when we step in unknown and conquer fears. We forget that we are all born with a mission to be someone's heros.

- "Per asperda ad astra, in hoc signo vinces." - he said

Why do we do it? Why most of us turn into gutless addicts of our own "emotion lab"? When we feel, our body releases chemistry and vibe. Fear, anger, despair and hate, just like love, gratitude, peace and pleasure are just vibes and hormones released by our brains received by the cells, causing us to "feel" and other to sense our state.

Over time we become addicts of our own 'internal drugs'. Just like any drug addicts once low on it, we are creating situations in which is appropriate to release our substance. We become addicts and addicts give up on dreams and higher fulfillment as they get shadowed by more basic needs, needs to support our addictions. We are letting our spirit to ferment slowly in that illusion of safety, stuck in the confort of known.

- "Omnia mea mecum porto." - we say

In the end, we all become addicts and we all give up on our dreams. There is no hope.

Or is there? What if there is knowledge about human race, about how our body and minds functions. Knowledge shaped and tested by time, by millions, so simple and brilliant that applies to everything we do and are. So solid that can be thought to everyone with willingness to open mind to it. Knowledge so powerful, that turns fuzzy dreams into crystal clear reality every time.

- "In vino veritas, in aqua sanitas."

Carptum as a word means pluck, harvest, seize and it is the verb of motion that indicates purpose and action. This in plain english explains what happens to the subject for rest of its time. As confusing that might sounds to novice, it is perfect word, once you fully understand its meaning.

Carptum is a name of the special knowledge. Just like martial arts, this knowledge can not be learned by reading written words, only by doing. It can not be bought, only earned. It can not be memorized in phrases, only in memories of experiences.

Carptum is a name of the group. Family of people that been receiving it for ages and then giving it back. Free from limitations, equipped to go extra mile every time. Organizing themselves around same dreams, these groups are lead by mentors that lived it before. One at the time, they changed lifes of millions.

Carptum is also name of their sign, symbol of the 100th monkey in different shapes and forms. You can see it casually placed in their homes, stores, restaurants, companies, casually mentioned or displayed in theirs books and media. Pay attention and you will start seeing it everywhere, from celebrities to shoe shops, from masters in cooking to martial artists. It is always a monkey, but never same giving them away fully. Don't try to get confession, they will always deny it, call it a cute toy, likable item, traveling souvenir. Even when they take you through all levels and your reach your dreams. There will never be official acknowledgment, you will just know it with certainty.

Other "secret" societies use eagles and lions signifying superiority over others, Carptum people like in many other cases doing exactly opposite. Use of monkey is their humble reminder of what they know about thoughts, sensations, perceptions and emotions, reminder of special understanding they been cultivating for thousands of years. Knowledge that gives them magical powers to fulfill all their dreams and dreams of anybody they find worthy. Knowladge that every day we advance or revert.

Lastly, just like other secret society Carptum is kept secret and will stay that way. Everybody involved will always deny they know about it. After finding about it from some old Tesla's documents, my curiosity drove me to spend years learning about it and after spending eternity to finally get hold of the knowledge that can not simply be put in the words, even if I decide to try. Today, I fully understand why it has and will stay secret. Why it has to stay knowledge of only chosen family. I understand why all mentors have to pick their students personally, one at the time. I realize why I have no rights to give it up to masses, and why this beautiful group has to stay preserved away from getting award for some young and hungry journalist or blogger. I understand why it can not be used for some commercial gains, and why it has to stay untouched by those that doubt and condemn forever.

So why am I writing about it then?

Not sure, maybe the reason is my surprise after getting to the 'top' of it, for the first time in my modest life I have run into something that is secret not because it is wrong, but because it is right. This changed my beliefs about people in general, for better. I realized that all documents and tracks I was finding were incomplete not by coincidence or mistake, but were designed that way to tickle my curiosity and to set me on the next part of my journey.

One might even think you are on this site as you heard something about Carptum. That this document is long as is it written for the Internet to weed out those with a short attention span. They might say that if you are still reading this, it is safe to say you passed the first test. They might think that I would say something like:

- "Follow the monkey and see where it will take you. If you see it in stores, on the people desks, as book folders, stickers, kids toys or embedded in logos, try to seek knowledge from its owners. Be respectful and only ask for stuff that genuinely interests you and is one of your 'ten goals' that you want to accomplish before you die. You are unaware, but you act, talk and behave differently when you talk about your true dreams. They are aware of it and trained to see it in people."

But that would be silly, as I said in the beginning this was just a cozy dream.

Oh yes. I almost forgot about the story itself. The Story is the most beautiful and meaningful story you will have ever heard. It is the story of your life. Follow the monkey and years from now tell somebody else the unfinished story about your journey and dreams that used to be just that. And when you are done, turn to that bold, restless youngster next you and say:

- "It is your time to tell it now..." and vanish.