Everest in Easy Stages

Why Did Men Stop Being Ambitious?

Because They totally 

All just STABBED CEASAR.

So, in the... in The Arab-world, 

broadly-speaking, The Arab-world 

produces about as much as Spain --

Okay, well why...?

Well, part of The Reason 

is The Men don't Work --

Why Did Men Stop Being Ambitious?

i saw hypothetically an increased war on male play and interest preferences that made itself manifest I would say with the hyper feminization of the school system And then as well the there there was the communicated insistence that male ambition was toxic that competitive games were bad and that you know to the degree that the patriarchy is a corrupt institution that any sign of that demand for victory let's say a competitive m victory on the male front was actually a sign of psychopathology So I think part of the reason that the boys have been demoralized or h no are are failing to participate is because they've been demoralized and that that's provided them also with an excuse to be irresponsible Look na said you're best punished for your virtues So the conclusion is is if you're going to be punished for being ambitious and goal directed then that's going to be very effective as a punishment but it also gives you every reason to you know to bow out and to be irresponsible So I don't know what you think about that in in combination with the things that you're seeing on the you know the more specifically technological front Yeah Well so the boy's story is different from the girl story and it's a story of checking out of the real world and I draw from this in part on Richard Reeves who's a wonderful book of boys and men He points out that you know boys and men used to dominate the economy and society in many ways Um but beginning in the 70s we get the transition away from physical work and long shoremen and strength and to a service economy Um and we get uh as uh and girls are rising which is great Um but as girls are rising boys are not rising too In some ways they're falling And uh by 1980 I think it is most half of college students were female Now it's 60% are female Um so boys have been kind of checking out of school checking out of the workplace The electronic world the online world's gotten better and better more and more attractive for boys They're spending more time on video games So it is a story of male achievement male motives being kind of hijacked or turned towards trivial pointless pursuits that don't add up to anything Um and so I would agree with you um about the discouragement of of male ego ambition desire to be great uh the subversion of that into just wanting to do you know higher up on a on a video game leaderboard I suppose But you know I'd love to ask you Yeah you know because I've been I I've only really I I only really began turning to the boy story about three three years three or four years ago when I began working on the book You've been talking to young men for a long time now What do what do you see when you look at the Moles among young men I mean part of what you just said about but but just what's your diagnosis about um about what's what's happening to young men Is it depression anxiety Is it hopelessness What what do you see happening

Well a huge part of it fractured demoralization Like one of the things I've really noticed this it's quite the stunning and horrifying thing to see You know I think the biggest impact what I've said on young men has been my drawing of a relationship between meaning adventure and responsibility It's like well and you know you touch on this in your book like one of the things you point out so let let me take a bit of a sideways route here When the big five theorists were laying out the uh semantic webs associated with negative emotion neuroticism --

McCrae um in particular with uh with the Neo Big-Five noticed that self-consciousness and neuroticism were so tightly associated semantically that they were indistinguishable So here's the rule This is the rule and you allude to this If you think about yourself you are going to be anxious and miserable Those are the same thing And you know that when you're possessed by a bout of self-consciousness it's not pleasant Okay So then you might say well what do you do about that And one answer would be well don't focus on yourself But you can't not focus on yourself You have to focus on something else Okay So what do you focus on if you're male Well you focus on responsible service to the future and others Well why Well because that gives you what you described as that slow dopamine kick It's like that's where and that's not happiness It's meaning Those are very different things Happiness is that like hedonistic kick that can be hijacked by the AI machines meaning is s more s less intense but more sustaining Okay So where do you find that And that's simple You find that in the adoption of maximal responsibility That that's burden That's challenge That's play if you do it right That's also the sacrifice that civilization is founded on And one of the things that we might note Jonathan is that the default man is useless 

Right 

So so for example....

I'm going to get myself in Trouble 

here, but I don't really care  --

So, in the... in The Arab-world, 

broadly-speaking, The Arab-world 

produces about as much as Spain --

Okay, well why...?

Well, part of the reason 

is The Men don't Work --

 Now that's not surprising;

What's surprising is,
that any man ever work; 

because Work is difficult 

and it requires sacrifice -- 

And so The Question is, and 

this is the anthropological question, 

the question of Initiation --

How do you socialise and civilise men because the default is going to be trivial hedonism Of course it is because it's easier Of course it's going to be the default The default's always what's simpler and more fragmented 

Well you tell them a story of heroic responsibility and you draw even more importantly you draw a connection between responsibility and adventure you know and so it's so interesting because so many men have reflected this back to me and I literally mean thousands because I've I've said you know what you do is you look for the maximum burden and you note that in service to that you find meaning And so you can do that with truth You can do it with responsibility And the young men will come up to me and they do this daily I would say and say you know 5 years ago I decided I was going to start taking responsibility for myself and tell the truth And like everything's changed in consequence everything And so what what we're do we're doing this bigotry of soft expectations with men And one of the things I got right right off at the beginning was see the mas the male attitude towards younger men isn't the feminine ethos of acceptance So the you could imagine the dynamic in a family is that --

this is a stereotype, but --

I'm going to go with it anyways; 

The Mother says to The Child, 

"You're lovely the way you are." 

And The Father says "You I kind of like you, 

but you could be a lot more." 

And those are good -- Those are really good together, 

you know, because when The Child goes out from the mother he's encouraged let's say by the masculine go out And then when he's exhausted or she's exhausted for that matter she can come back to the mother and be accepted And that's the standard pattern of you know security seeking and then exploration Now what I've been doing with young men is saying to them you could be a lot more than you are And that's it's an insult in a way because means you're not good enough now But it it prioritizes the optimized future self And that's actually hugely advantageous you know And so I think what we're doing that's wrong with young men well and I think we're doing it to young women too in a more subtle manner is not asking not requiring or even demanding nearly enough So they default to trivial hedonism Obviously [Music]

Staging

All The World’s A Stage,

And all The Men and Women merely Players;

They have Their Exits and Their Entrances,

And one Man in His Time plays many parts,

His acts being Seven Ages. 

At first, The Infant,

Mewling and puking in The Nurse’s arms.

Then The Whining Schoolboy, with his satchel

And shining morning face, creeping like snail

Unwillingly to school. 

And then The Lover,

Sighing like furnace, with a woeful ballad

Made to his mistress’ eyebrow. 

Then A Soldier,

Full of strange oaths and bearded like the pard,

Jealous in honor, sudden and quick in quarrel,

Seeking the bubble reputation

Even in the cannon’s mouth. 

And then The Justice,

In fair round belly with good capon lined,

With eyes severe and beard of formal cut,

Full of wise saws and modern instances;

And so he plays his part. 

The Sixth Age shifts

Into the lean and slippered pantaloon,

With spectacles on nose and pouch on side;

His youthful hose, well saved, a world too wide

For his shrunk shank, and his big manly voice,

Turning again toward childish treble, pipes

And whistles in his sound. 

Last scene of all,

That ends this strange eventful history,

Is second childishness and mere oblivion,

Sans teeth, sans eyes, sans taste, sans everything.

Taming

Andre Gregory :

“….And then one day, in the early fall...

I was out in The Country,

walking in a field...

and I suddenly heard 

A Voice say, "Little Prince".

Of course, The Little Prince

was a book that I always thought of

as disgusting, childish treacle.

But still, I thought, 

“Well, you know, if 

A Voice comes to me in a field --

-- this was the first voice 

I had ever heard --

-- Maybe I should go 

and read The Book.

Now, that same morning 

I'd got a letter from a young woman

who'd been in my group in Poland.

And in her letter she'd written,

"You have dominated me." --

--You know, she spoke very awkward English.

-- so, she'd gone 

to The Dictionary,

and she'd crossed out 

The Word "dominated"...

and she'd said, 

"No. The correct word 

is "Tamed".

And then, 

when I went to Town

and Bought The Book 

and started to read it, 

I saw that "taming" was 

The Most Important Word 

in The Whole Book.

By the end of the book, 

I was in tears, 

I was so moved 

by The Story.

And then I went and tried to write

An Answer to her letter 'cause 

she'd written Me a very long letter.

But I just couldn't find the right words, 

so finally I took my hand...

I put it on a piece of paper,

I outlined it with a pen...

and I wrote in the centre, something

like, "Your Heart is in My Hand."

....something like that.

Then I went over to 

my brother's house 

to swim 'cause he lives nearby 

in The Country and 

he has a pool.

And he wasn't home. 

I went into His Library...

and he had bought at an auction

the collected issues of Minotaure.

You know, the surrealist magazine? 

Oh, it's a great, great surrealist 

magazine of the '20s and '30s.

And I never, you know,

I consider myself 

a bit of a surrealist.

I had never, ever seen 

a copy of Minotaure.

And here they all were,

bound, year after year.

So, at random,

I picked one out, 

I opened it up...

and there was a 

full-page reproduction 

of the letter ‘A’ from 

Tenniel's Alice in Wonderland.

And I thought that, 'Well, you know,

it's been A Day of Coincidences...

but that's not unusual that 

The Surrealists would have 

been interested in Alice...

And I did A Play of Alice,

So at random, I opened to another page... 

and there were four handprints.

One was André Breton,

another was André Derain...

The Third was André - I've got it 

written down somewhere.

It's not Malraux. 

It's, like, someone...

Another of The Surrealists.

All A's, and the fourth

was Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

who wrote The Little Prince.

And they'd shown these handprints

to some kind of expert,

without saying whose 

hands they belonged to.

And under Exupéry's, it said that 

He was An Artist,

with very powerful eyes,

who was A Tamer 

of Wild Animals.

I thought, "This is 

incredible, you know."

And I looked back to see

when the issue came out :

It came out on the newsstands

May 12th, 1934...

and I was born during the day

of May 11,1934.

So, well, that's what started me on,

Saint-Exupéry and 

The Little Prince.

Now, of course today...

today I think there's a very fascistic 

thing under The Little Prince.

You know, I...

Well, no, I think 

there's a kind of...

I think a kind of S.S.-totalitarian

sentimentality in there somewhere.

You know, there's something, 

you know, that… that love of...

Well, that masculine love

of a certain kind 

of oily muscle.

You know what I mean?

I mean, I can't quite 

put my finger on it.

But I can just imagine

some beautiful S.S.-Man 

loving The Little Prince.

Now, I don't know why, but there's

something wrong with it. It stinks.

Wally Shawn :

Well, didn't George tell Me that You were gonna 

Do A Play that was based on The Little Prince?

Hmm. Well, what happened, Wally was 

that fall I was in New York and 

I met this young Japanese Buddhist priest 

named Kozan and I thought He was Puck 

from the Midsummer Night's Dream --

You know, he had this 

beautiful, delicate smile.

I thought He was 

The Little Prince.

So, naturally, I decided to 

go off to The Sahara Desert

to work on The Little Prince

with two actors and 

this Japanese monk.

Wally Shawn :

You did?

Well, I mean, I was still in 

a very peculiar state 

at that time, Wally.

So was I, if You Remember.

I chose this face and form especially for you. It's from your past. 

Or possibly Your Future -- I always get those two mixed up. 

Luke Skywalker: 

Look, I'm sure it's delicious. 

I just don't understand why we can't see Yoda now!

Yoda: 

[cheerfully] 

Patience! For The Jedi it is time to eat as well! Eat. 

[Laughs] 

Eat. Hot. 

Good food, hmm? Good, hmm?

Luke Skywalker: 

How far away is Yoda? 

Will it take us long to get there?

Yoda: 

Not far. Yoda not far. Patience. 

Soon you will be with him. 

Root leaf, I cook. 

Why wish you become Jedi?

Luke Skywalker: 

Well, mostly because 

of My Father, I guess.

Yoda: 

Oh, Father! Powerful Jedi was he. 

Powerful Jedi.

Luke Skywalker: 

Oh, come on! How could you know My Father? 

You don't even know Who I am. 

Oh, I don't even know what I'm doing here! 

We're wasting our time!

Yoda: 

[sighs, looks upward] 

I cannot teach him -- 

The Boy has no patience.

Obi-Wan Kenobi: 

[voice emanates from nowhere] 

He will learn patience.

Yoda: 

Much anger in him --

like His Father.

Obi-Wan Kenobi: 

Was I any different when you taught me?

Yoda: 

He is not ready!

Luke Skywalker: 

Yoda..? I am ready! I— 

Ben, I can be a Jedi! Ben tell him I'm rea— 

[bangs his head on the low ceiling] 

Ow!

Yoda: 

[to Luke] 

Ready are you? What know you of ready? 

For 800 years have I trained Jedi.

My own counsel will I keep on who is to be trained! 

A Jedi must have the deepest commitment, 

the most serious mind. 

This one, a long time have I watched --

All his life, has he looked away -- 

To The Future --

To The Horizon -- 

Never, his mind on Where He Was 

[pokes Luke]. 

Hmm? What He was Doing. 

[paces around] 

Adventure. Heh! Excitement. 

A Jedi craves not these things. 

[turns to Luke and points with his walking stick] 

You are reckless!

Obi-Wan Kenobi: 

So was I, if you remember.

Yoda: 

[still looking at Luke] 

He is too old. Yes. 

Too old to begin the training.

Luke Skywalker: 

But I've learned so much.

Yoda: 

[looking toward the sky] 

Will he finish what he begins?

Luke Skywalker: 

I won't fail you..! 

I'm not afraid.

Yoda: 

[grimly] 

Oh! You WILL be.... 

You, will be....

The Demand of the Neophyte

"The Fifth Planet was very strange. It was the smallest of all. There was just enough room for a street lamp and a street lamp lighter. 

The little prince couldn’t figure out what purpose a street lamp and a lamp lighter would serve, somewhere in the sky on a planet without houses or any people. 

Still, he said to himself: “Perhaps that man really is a bit absurd. But he is less absurd than the king, or the vain man, or the businessman or the drinker. 

At least his work has meaning. When he lights his street lamp, it’s as if he caused one more star to be born, or a flower. 

When he extinguishes his street lamp it causes the star or flower to go to sleep. 

It’s a very charming job. 

It’s truly useful because it is charming.” 

When he approached the planet, he greeted the street lamp lighter respectfully. “Hello. Why did you just put out your street lamp?” 

“It’s the instructions,” the street lamp lighter replied. “Good day.” 

“What are the instructions?” 

“To extinguish my street lamp. Good evening.” 

And he relit the lamp. 

“But why did you just relight it?” 

“It’s the instructions,” answered the street lamp lighter. 

“ I don’t understand,” the little prince said. 

“There’s nothing to understand,” said the street lamp lighter. “The instructions are the instructions. Good day.” 

And he extinguished his street lamp. 

Then he mopped off his face with a red-checkered handkerchief. 

“I have a terrible job. It used to be reasonable. I extinguished in the morning and I lit at night. I had the rest of the day to rest, and the rest of the night to sleep…” 

“And since that time the instructions have changed?” 

“The instructions haven’t changed,” said the street lamp lighter. “That’s the problem! 

The planet has turned faster and faster from year to year, and the instructions haven’t changed!” 

“Well?” said the little prince. 

“Well, now that it makes a full turn in just one minute, I don’t have a second to relax any more. I light and I extinguish each and every minute!” 

“That’s funny! The days here last a minute!” 

“It’s not funny at all,” said the street lamp lighter. “It’s already been a month since we started talking to each other.” 

“A month?” 

“Yes. Thirty minutes—thirty days! Good evening.” 

And he relit his street lamp. 

The little prince watched him and he liked this street lamp lighter who was so faithful to his duty. 

He remembered the sunsets that he himself used to look for by moving his chair. 

 

He wanted to help his friend: “You know…I know a way that you can rest whenever you want to…” 

 

“I always want to,” the street lamp lighter said. 

 

For someone can be, at the same time, both diligent and lazy. 

 

The little prince continued: “Your planet is so little that in fact you can circle it in three big steps. You only have to walk slowly to remain always in the sunshine. When you want to take a break, you should walk…and the day will last as long as you want.” 

 

“That doesn’t improve my situation very much,” said the street lamp lighter. “What I would love to do in life is to sleep.” 

 

“You won’t have a chance,” said the little prince. 

 

“I won’t have a chance,” said the street lamp lighter. “Good day.” 

 

And he extinguished his street lamp. “That one,” the little prince said to himself, while he went on with his journey, “would be looked down upon by The Others, by The King, by The Vain Man, by The Drinker, by The Businessman. 

 

But he is the only one who does not seem ridiculous to me. 

 

Maybe it is because he is concerned with something other than himself.” 

 

He sighed a sigh of regret and went on saying to himself: “That one there is the only one that I would want to have as My Friend. But his planet is really too small. There’s not enough space for two…” 

 

What the little prince didn’t dare to admit to himself was that he missed that blessed planet especially because of the one thousand four hundred forty sunsets it had every twenty four hours!

The Demand of the Neophyte 

(continuation of Comments on Light on the Path)

Lucifer I Vol. 3 November 1887

by author Mabel Collins

“Before The Voice can speak in the presence of The Masters”

Speech is The Power of Communication; the moment of entrance into active life is marked by its attainment.

And now, before I go any further, let me explain a little the way in which the rules written down in “Light on the Path” are arranged. The first seven of those which are numbered are subdivisions of the two first unnumbered rules, those with which I have dealt in the two preceding papers. The numbered rules were simply an effort of mine to make the unnumbered ones more intelligible. “Eight” to “fifteen” of these numbered rules belong this unnumbered rule which is now my text.

As I have said, these rules are written for all disciples, but for none else; they are not of interest to any other persons. Therefore I trust no one else will trouble to read these papers any further. The first two rules, which include the whole of that part of the effort which necessitates the use of the surgeon’s knife, I will enlarge upon further if I am asked to do so.. But the disciple is expected to deal with the snake, his lower self, unaided; to suppress his human passions and emotions by the force of his own will. He can only demand assistance of a Master when this is accomplished, or at all events, partially so. Otherwise the gates and windows of his soul are blurred, and blinded, and darkened, and no knowledge can come to him. I am not, in these pages, purposing to tell a man how to deal with his own soul; I am simply giving, to the disciple, knowledge. That I am not writing, even now, so that all who run may read, is owing to the fact that supernature prevents this by its own immutable laws.

The four rules which I have written down for those in the West who wish to study them, are as I have said, written in the antechamber of every living Brotherhood; I may add more, in the ante-chamber of every living or dead Brotherhood, or Order yet to be formed. When I speak of a Brotherhood or an Order, I do not mean an arbitrary constitution made by scholiasts and intellectualists; I mean an actual fact in supernature, a stage of development towards the absolute God or Good. During this development the disciple encounters harmony, pure knowledge, pure truth, in different degrees and, as he enters these degrees, he finds himself becoming part of what might be roughly described as a layer of human consciousness. He encounters his equals, men of his own selfless character, and with them his association becomes permanent and indissoluble, because founded on a vital likeness of nature. To them he becomes [Page 171] pledged by such vows as need no utterance or framework in ordinary words. This is one aspect of what I mean by a Brotherhood.

If the first rules are conquered the disciple finds himself standing at the threshold. Then if his will is sufficiently resolute his power of speech comes; a twofold power. For, as he advances now, he finds himself entering into a state of blossoming, where every bud that opens throws out its several rays or petals. If he is to exercise his new gift, he must use it in its twofold character. 

He finds in himself The Power to Speak in The Presence of The Masters; in other words, he has the right to demand contact with the divinest element of that state of consciousness into which he has entered. 

But he finds himself compelled, by the nature of his position, to act in two ways at the same time. He cannot send his voice up to the heights where sit the gods till he has penetrated to the deep places where their light shines not at all. 

He has come within the grip of an Iron Law. If he demands to become a Neophyte, he at once becomes a Servant. 

Yet his service is sublime, if only from the character of those who share it. For The Masters are also Servants; they serve and claim their reward afterwards. 

Part of their service is to let their knowledge touch him; his first act of service is to give some of that knowledge to those who are not yet fit to stand where he stands. 

This is no arbitrary decision, made by any Master or Teacher or any such person, however divine. It is a Law of That Life Which The Disciple Has Entered Upon.

Therefore was it written in the inner doorway of the lodges of the old Egyptian Brotherhood, “The labourer is worthy of his hire”.

“Ask and ye shall have”, sounds like something too easy and simple to be credible. But the disciple cannot “ask” in the mystic sense in which the word is used in this scripture, until he has attained The Power of Helping others.

Why is this? Has the statement too dogmatic a sound?

Is it too dogmatic to say that a man must have foothold before he can spring? The position is the same. If help is given, if work is done, then there is an actual claim — not what we call a personal claim of payment, but the claim of co-nature. 

The Divine give, They demand that you also shall give before you can be of their kin.

This Law is discovered as soon as The Disciple endeavours to Speak. 

 

For Speech is a Gift which comes only to The Disciple of Power and Knowledge. 

The Spiritualist enters the psychic-astral world, but he does not find there any certain speech, unless he at once claims it and continues to do so. If he is interested in “phenomena”, or the mere circumstance and accident of astral life, then he enters no direct ray of Thought or Purpose, he merely exists and amuses himself in the astral life as he has existed and amused himself in the physical life. 

Certainly there are one or two simple lessons which the psychic-astral can teach him, just as there are simple lessons which material and intellectual life teach him. 

And these lessons have to be learned; the man who proposes to enter upon The Life of The Disciple without having learned the early and simple lessons must always suffer from his ignorance. They are vital, and have to be studied in a vital manner; experienced through and through, over and over again, so that each part of the nature has been penetrated by them.

To return. In claiming The Power of Speech, as it is called, the Neophyte cries out to the Great One who stands foremost in The Ray of Knowledge on which he has entered, to give him guidance. 

 

When he does this, His Voice is hurled back by The Power he has approached, and echoes down to the deep recesses of human ignorance. 

 

In some confused and blurred manner the news that there is Knowledge and a Beneficent Power Which Teaches, is carried to as many Men as will listen to it. No Disciple can cross The Threshold without communicating this news, and placing it on record in some fashion or other.

He stands horror-struck at the Imperfect and Unprepared manner in which he has done this, and then comes The Desire to Do it Well, and with The Desire thus To Help Others comes The Power. 

 

For it is a Pure Desire, this which comes upon him; he can gain no credit, no glory, no personal reward by fulfilling it. 

 

And therefore he obtains The Power TO Fulfil it.

The History of The Whole Past, so far as we can trace it, shows very plainly that there is neither credit, glory, nor reward to be gained by this first task which is given to the Neophyte. 

 

Mystics have always been sneered at, and seers disbelieved; those who have had The Added Power of Intellect have left for posterity their written record, which to most men appears unmeaning and visionary, even when The Authors have the advantage of Speaking from a Far-off Past. 

 

The Disciple who undertakes The Task, secretly hoping for fame or success, to appear as a Teacher and Apostle before The World, fails even before his task is attempted, and his hidden hypocrisy poisons his own soul, and the souls of those he touches. He is secretly worshipping himself, and this idolatrous practice must bring its own reward.

The Disciple who has The Power of Entrance, and is Strong enough to pass each barrier, will, when The Divine Message comes to His Spirit, forget himself utterly in the new consciousness which falls on him. 

 

If this lofty contact can really rouse him, he becomes as One of The Divine in his desire to Give rather than to Take, in his Wish to Help rather than Be Helped, in His Resolution to Feed The Hungry rather than take manna from Heaven himself. 

 

His Nature is transformed, and The Selfishness Which Prompts Men’s Actions in Ordinary Life suddenly deserts him.

What is The Secret Fire 

that Gandalf Serves?

From: Erik Tracy

Some people are genuinely puzzled over Gandalf's words to the Balrog of Moria when he first warns it:

 

" 'You cannot pass,' he said. The orcs stood still and a silence fell. 'I am a servant of the Secret Fire, wielder of the Flame of Anor. You cannot pass. The Dark Fire will not avail you, flame of Udun. Go back to the Shadow. You cannot pass!' "

 

[The Fellowship of the Ring]

Some people have taken this to mean that Gandalf serves his Ring of Fire, Narya. But this is not consistent or appropriate when Gandalf's history is taken as a whole.

I was re-reading the Silmarillion for references to what the "Secret Fire" that Gandalf serves, and I found the following:

 

"He [Melkor] had gone often alone into the void places seeking the Imperishable Flame; for desire grew hot within him to bring into Being things of his own, and it seemed to him that Iluvatar took no thought for the Void, and he was impatient of its emptiness. Yet he found not the Fire, for it is with Iluvatar."

 

[The Silmarillion]

Then later:

 

"Therefore Iluvatar gave to their vision Being, and set it amid the Void, and the Secret Fire was sent to burn at the heart of the World; and it was called Ea."

 

[The Silmarillion]

The Imperishable Flame and the Secret Fire seem to represent the same thing; The Power of Iluvatar to impart actual Being to his thought - The Spirit of Creation, if you will. 

 

It seems fitting that this would be something that Gandalf (as a Maia sent from the West by the Valar) would "Serve" as counterposed to the evil of the Balrog. 

 

In this context, any notion of Gandalf serving the power of his ring Narya is absurd, IMHO (g).

As to what is meant by Gandalf's words "Flame of Udun", I simply infer that this is another word for Balrog. Balrogs are demons of fire, and the word Udun is found as an entry in the glossary of The Silmarillion under "tum":

"Cf. Utumno, Sindarin Udun (Gandalf in Moria named the Balrog 'Flame of Udun'), a name afterwards used of the deep dale in Moria between the Morannon and the Isenmouthe."

And Utumno is of course the first stronghold of Melkor in the North of Middle-earth. Hence, Flame of Udun could be read as Servant of Morgoth or Balrog from Morgoth's Fortress [Udun].

 

Just conjecture, of course.