Life Blood --V---Page 18



"Yes," he said "I know you did a film about India—which I
found quite extraordinary, by the way—but why wouldn't the Shiva fit right in here? You see, he's a very modern, universal figure. He incorporates everything that exists in the contemporary world.
Space, time, matter, and energy. As well as all of human
psychology and wisdom."
"I'm aware of that," I said sensing my pique increase. We were not getting off to a great start.
"Yes, well." He seemed not to hear me. Instead he started
putting on the leather jacket he'd had slung over his shoulder.
"Notice that Shiva has four arms, and he's dancing with one foot
raised. He's also standing inside that great circle of flame, a sort
of halo encompassing his whole body. That circle stands for the
great, all-embracing material universe, all of it. Dark and light,
good and evil. He knows and controls everything."
Hey, I realized, this guy's got some kind of identity thing going with this ancient Indian god.
He continued as he zipped up the jacket. "Shiva has four arms because—"
"Let me tell you," I said, interrupting him. He looked startled, clearly not accustomed to a woman meeting him on his own
ground. "He has four hands because he has a lot to do. That little drum in his upper right summons things into existence. And there in his upper left he holds a fire that destroys."
Goddard was examining me curiously, but I just stared back and continued.
"His lower right hand is held up in a kind of benediction, as if to say, 'Find your peace within,' and the lower left points down at his feet, where one foot is planted on the back of that repulsive little dwarf there, the human ego. Crush the ego and be free. The other foot is lifted to signify spiritual freedom."
"You seem to know the Shiva well." He broke into a grudging smile, as though we'd just met. Chalk up round one as a draw. "I'm glad you came, Ms. James. I'm a great admirer of your work and I especially wanted to provide your orientation personally. It's a genuine pleasure to meet you at last."
At last? I took his proffered hand and stared. All the questions
I'd been brooding over for the past week sort of disappeared into
a memory file somewhere. Instead all I could do was focus in on
him.
Meeting Carly and Paula's miracle worker in the flesh made
me recall something Aldous Huxley once observed. He declared





that the kind of man, and they are almost always men, who can
control others with his mind needs to have certain qualities the
rest of us can only envy. Of course he has to be intelligent and
have a range of knowledge that can be used to impress people,
but most of all, he has to have a will of iron, an unswerving
tenacity of purpose, and an uncompromising self-confidence
about who he is, what he wants. This means a slightly remote
manner, a glittering eye, and a sympathetic gaze that bores in
deeply on you one minute, then seems off in another realm,
focused on infinity, the next. Perhaps most importantly of all, his
voice must be that of a Pied Piper, a soft yet penetrating
instrument that acts directly on the unconscious of his listeners.
        Even though he was doing a casual number with me, my first
impression of Alex Goddard was that he perfectly embodied all
those qualities. I also sensed a false note. What was it? Maybe he
was being just a little too casual.
"If you're here about doing a film," he began, "please be
aware we do not encourage publicity. If you've come because of your infertility, as Ramala said you mentioned in your call, then I welcome you with open arms."
Well, he knew how to cut to the chase. And after his phone
call to try to intimidate Paula Marks, I was well aware he didn't
"encourage publicity." But now I also realized he wouldn't be
overly interested in my new idea of someday doing a
documentary on this place. But then a lot of people say no at first
and then come around.
"I was actually interested in neither," I said, feeling my
sinuses about to close down permanently. "I was actually hoping to find out about your adoption service, how it works."
        "Ah," he said, his eyes shifting from intense scrutiny to
somewhere lost in the ozone, "that's not something I handle
personally. In any case, you first must come and participate in our program. Then, if we fail to achieve your objectives, we can take the adoption matter under consideration."
"I think I'd like to hear about it anyway." I took a deep breath, again groping for air. "For instance, where and how you get the children you place."
"I see," he said calmly, as though my question were about the weather. Then he secured his coat tighter. "I'm thinking, how
would you like to take a short walk? Down to the river. We could get to know each other better."





I just nodded, not looking forward to the harsh wind that would
assault my inflamed sinuses. But maybe I was getting
somewhere.
As we started out through the stone archway and into the rear
garden, which seemed to extend for acres, he continued.
        "You seem to have a lot of questions about what I'm doing
here. So let me try and put my efforts into perspective. As I like to
point out to women when they first come here, we in the West are
making do with only half the world's medical knowledge. We
ignore all of the East. There's also the wisdom of the indigenous
peoples here in the Western Hemisphere, the Native Americans.
Who are we to say they don't have a lot to teach?" He smiled, as
though embarrassed to be passing along such a commonplace.
"For example, Western medical practice, virtually until this
century, consisted mainly of using leeches to drain away 'humors'
in the blood. At the same time, the indigenous peoples of this
continent knew more about the curative powers of plants, even
drugs, than Europe ever dreamed of. Yet they were deemed
savages."
I wasn't sure where he was leading, but the supreme selfconfidence with which he spoke had the effect of sweeping me along. The engaging eyes, the voice, the well-used designer jacket, it all worked. He was good, very good.
"So you see," he went on, "what I've tried to achieve here at Quetzal Manor is to integrate the knowledge of East and West, ancient and modern."
"So what, exactly, do you—?"
"Well, first let me explain that I studied in the Far East for over a decade, until I understood how to control the energy flows in the body, your Chi. Then I moved to Central America, where I learned all that is currently known about Native American practices and
medicines. I still have a special place there, where I carry out
pharmacological research on the rare plants of that area, studying
their effects on human fertility, on the origins of life. I have no time to waste on disease and degeneration."
We were well into his Eden-like rear garden now, which had
lots of herbs and was also part orchard. There were apple trees
and other fruit trees I couldn't readily identify, all just starting to
show their first buds. When we came to the end, there was a
cobblestone path leading west. In what seemed only a few
moments, we'd reached a line of bluffs overlooking the Hudson.

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