From the origin of the Gods, and the Cosmos.

In the last part of the Inferno, Dante and Virgil meet Lucifer in the center of the planet, half frozen in ice. He is gigantic in size, and his head has three faces eating the three traitors Judas, Brutus and Cassius (who plotted against The Roman Emperor Caesar.)

From the opening of the last poem, Canto 34:

A far-off windmill turning its huge sails

that is what I thought I saw appearing.

And then in the astonishing last four lines of the whole book, they are again, set free:

We climbed, he first and I behind, until,

and we came out to see once more the stars.

v.136-139, Canto XXXIV

After seeing the "falsifiers" in the last part of Circle 8, Dante encounters the Well of Giants, where biblical and Greek Mythological figures are bound with chains. They represent the betrayal and the combination of strength, intellect and evil will.

In this episode we give a broader overview of the Lower Inferno from the City of Dis, down through the waterfall, and deep into the 8th circle.

A reflection on the timeless balance and sometimes contradiction between reason and emotion, in human nature and also in contrasting strains of history. 

In this episode we'll talk about the Ancient World as inspiration for writing, and our new podcast devoted to this writing here: https://apple.co/2GG7Go6.

The excerpt, as a person enters a new life - through the discovery of the deeper history, is the following;

"A little book could change your life, or change the direction of your life, and give you gifts that might stay with you forever. I looked at the front cover, and then slowly opened the first page. The Divine Comedy. I was expecting an archaic tale and style that would be difficult to relate to from my current times, but from the very first line I was fully absorbed in a way that I had not experienced before. It was a work with a strong feeling of being outside of time, and of being deeply human, from the very first phrase. And there was already something new in my life, that had not been there this morning. I had to stop, take another sip of the espresso, and then read the opening words again. As the sun was shining warmly, and some peaceful birds were gliding across the skies."

A quick review of the last 40 episodes, and reflections on why and how the Ancient World is a treasure trove for our understanding of the world, and a deep source for inspiration.

After presenting three more of the deadly sins - avarice, sloth and wrath, Dante and Virgil reach the gates of the City of Dis which marks the transition from Upper to Lower Hell in the Inferno.

you saw the deadly words inscribed above it; 

comes one by whom the city will be opened."

In this episode (Part 1 of 2 from Upper Hell), we are going through the rings of Lust, and of Gluttony.

In this iconic Canto of the first book, Dante and Virgil passes through the gate of Inferno, which has the following inscription: