PERELANDRA


C.S. Lewis (1943). Perelandra.


Lewis was a professor at Oxford and Cambridge Colleges specializing in English Literature. This is the 2nd book in his space trilogy.

Ransom, a professor and the main character, is sent to Perelandra (the planet Venus), where a new world is beginning. Weston (a rogue scientist) arrives, possessed by a demon, who tempts the Green Lady of Perelandra (symbolizing Eve's temptation in the garden of Eden in the Genesis story)...Ransom defeats the demon after a long struggle and is rewarded with a divine vision.

Most of the book is spent in Ransom's head with his thoughts...he's orienting to the topography of the new world, discovering his mission, trying to understand the encounters with the Green Lady, and fighting against the demon (mentally and then physically at the end)


we are all tempted in daily life...it takes mindfulness to recognize the temptation, and courage to resist, especially in the small compromises we make...why is it so difficult to do what we know is the right/good thing that will promote the most well-being for all concerned...

for practice, identify one small temptation, devise a plan to do the opposite of the temptation, and when confronted with the temptation, call upon whatever energy/forces/good spirits you can to summon for the courage and moral fortitude to do the right thing.



  

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