The Solandarian Game

An Entheogenic Evolution Psy-Fi Novel

Martin W. Ball

The Solandarian Game An Entheogenic Evolution

Psy-Fi Novel

ByMartinW.Ball

©2016KyandaraPublishingAshland,Oregon

ISBN-13:978-1522775805

ISBN-10:

1522775803

CoverandinternalartbyMartinBall©2016

Thisisaworkoffictionandanyresemblancetoanyperson,livingordead,ispurelycoincidental–exceptforMoxi,thedog–she’stotally

real.

DedicatedtoalltheToadstersoftheworld...

EndorsementsforTheSolandarianGame:“AmultifacetedandentertainingstorythatcombinesthebestaspectsofSci-Fi,socialcommentary,philosophy,andthenatureofwhatitistobehuman.Ball eloquently illustrates the entheogenic experience in ways that fewothershavebeenable toaccomplish,allwhileenvisioningwhatour futurecouldlooklikeifinformedbyitsinsights.HepicksupwhereAldousHuxleyleftoffwithTheIsland,andbringsthePsy-Figenretothenextlevel.”-AshleyBooth,founder,TheAwareProject:RethinkingPsychedelics“The Solandarian Game reads like Frank Herbert smoked 5MEO-DMTcrossedwithPlanetoftheToads.Whichisagoodthing,anextremelygoodthing.MartinW.Ballhasturnedsciencefictiononitsheadbyincorporatinghisdeep insights and realizationsabout thenatureof reality gleaned fromhis entheogenic experiences into this classic Sci-Fi novel that explores theconceptofunityconsciousnessknowingitself,andplayingthegamewithnoend. Autonomous avatars, intergalactic BurningMan, AI-Gods, psychedelicreligions of the future and the Temple of the Mystic Toad – take arollercoasterrideintoconsciousnessitselfasthisnextgenerationofPsyenceFictiontakesflight.”-RakRazam,writer/producer,Aya:Awakenings“Putonyourseatbeltsandkeepyourhandsandarmsinsidethespacecraftatalltimes!!!AsifMartinBallhadn’ttakenusallfarenoughintotheheights,depths and breadths of the Entheological Paradigm, his new Psy-Fi novel,The Solandarian Game, sends us careening across the universe on apsychedelic warp-speed journey into the boundless beyond of cosmicconsciousnessitself;whereweareinvitedtoexploretheunfathomedrealmsofArtificialIntelligencedeities,sovereignavatars,andtheirexperimentsinseeding solar systems and galaxies with human populations. This action-packed, suspense filled piece of fiction is clearly based firmly on thefoundations of true entheogenic experience and within its intergalacticpagesoffersusadeepermeaningofwhat it is tobeboth trulyhumanandDivine. A must-read for psycho-nautical navigators and entheogenicexplorersalike.You’reinforquitearide!!!”

- Hal Lucius Nation, Grand Hierophant of the Temple of AwakeningDivinity

“From reality to imagination, the facts are undeniable: Martin Ball’s newnovel,The SolandarianGame, is a journey into themind and soul of innertruth,andthehiddenknowledgeandwisdomofentheogens.”

-Dr.OctavioRettigHinojosa,author,THETOADOFDAWN:5-MeO-DMTandtheRiseofCosmicConsciousness

Chapter One - Theo In themiddleof the21st century, theworld sawa rapid rise in

what became known as “psychedelic religions.” This developmentwasprecipitated by the end of a century-long social program called “theWar on Drugs,” which many historians now agree had devastatingsocial impacts, especially in North America, where it resulted in thelargestprisonpopulationonthatplanet(an infamousrecordthatstillholds,eventhesemanymillennialater).Asscientificinformationaboutthe value of psychedelic compounds became increasingly publicknowledge, iteventuallybecameuntenableforgovernmentstoenforcetheir prohibition. Whereas archaic religion had been shrinking for anumber of decades prior to the end of prohibition,with the advent oflegal psychedelic religions, growth of new religious converts explodedacross the globe, with the exception of certain regions in theMiddle-EastandFar-EastsuchasArabia,China,andIndonesia.Thedominantstrains of archaic religion in theMiddle East, Shiite and Sunni Islam,were vociferous in their continued opposition to the new psychedelicreligions,despitetheirintegrationandinteractionwithSufiMuslims.InChina, where information continued to be sharply controlled by thecentral government, propaganda campaigns against the psychedelicreligionswentunchecked,andparticipationinthesenewreligionswasconsideredadirectthreattothestateandincurredthepunishmentsofimprisonment,torture,andattimes,death. FromArchaicPre-HistoryoftheMaitreyanEra Inaburstofscintillatingfractal light,amilky-whiteelongatedorbemergedfromno-spaceintotheouterreachesoftheSolandariansystem, far away from the space and time-distorting reaches of thelocalgravitywellofstarandinnerplanets.Simultaneously,aburstofelectromagneticactivitysweptacrosstheinterlacedneuralnetworksandmultifractalspiresthatspannedacrossPlutoandCharon,wheretheorbhadbeenonlymomentsbefore.Powersystemscameonlineinthe orb and it began its descent down the gravity well as it gently

foldedspaceandtimearoundit,movingtheorbonitsinexorablepathto itsdestination;Solandaria, a sparsely-populatedhumanbiologicalpreservethathadbeen leftalone foroverthreemillennia.Though ithadbeenunderconstantsurveillancebyMaitreya,Solandariawasoneof only twenty-three planets with human inhabitants who wereunawareoftheirplaceinthelargergalacticcommunity.

Thiswasabouttochange.Infact,ithadalreadychanged.Someonehadusedthequantum

translator.ThismeantatleastthreethingsMaitreyaknewtobetrue.The firstwas thatsomeoneother thanhimselfhadturned iton.Thesecondwas that it couldonlyhavebeenanautonomousavatarwhoturned it on – indicating that one of the autonomous avatarcommunities had taken it upon themselves to intrude intoSolandarian life, against Maitreya’s express prohibition. Third, theonlyreasontoturnonthequantumtranslatorwastomovebiologicalmaterialonorofftheplanettoorfromadistantsystemthatwastoofarawaytomoveviaconventionalspaceflight.

Itwas not difficult forMaitreya to understandwhy, and alsoseeded his suspicions that it was an action undertaken by theHumanists.Itfittheirprofile,andthemotivationsmadesense.

Inrecentmonths,aneighboringstar,asuper-densemagnetar,had become increasingly unstable. All the signs pointed to animpendingsupernova.WhenMaitreyahadfirstfoundtheplanet,thenreferredtosimplybyaseriesoflettersandnumbers,hehadchosenitasahumanbiologicalpreserveasitwaswellbeyondthereachofitsnearestneighborswhoweremembersofTheAuthorityandtheNewIntegral Society (which was no longer new, in any sense, though itretainedthename).Solandaria,andthetwenty-twootherplanetslikeit,wasoneofMaitreya’s“imperfectexperiments”–acolonyplanetofhumanswhowerenot integrated into the largergalacticcommunityand were left to their own “natural” evolution and survival,completelyignorantofhowtheycametobe,orwhohadseededthemthereonaplanetthatwaslight-yearsawayfromthebiologicalhomeofhumanity,Terra.

Now, with their survival threatened by an impendingsupernova in their galactic neighborhood, it seemed as though theHumanistshaddecidedtotakemattersintotheirownhandsandwereintervening.Onlyhumansentimentalitycouldexplainwhytheywould

choose to defy Maitreya’s express wishes for the human biologicalpreserves.However,hewoulddeferjudgmentuntilheknewmore.

Inside the orb, an operational programwas downloaded intotheavatarbody lyingprone.Maitreya choseTheoashis identity forthismission.Outofhiscountlesschoicesforavataridentityprograms,Theo was the closest to Maitreya himself, while still maintaining asense of individual identity and self-hood. Like all avatar programs,Theo was not privy to the vast and seemingly infinite network ofinformation,perspectives,andactivitiessimultaneouslyengagedinbyMaitreyainhispuredigitalform.Theowaslimitedtotheperspectiveofhisavatarbody,thoughhecouldaccessinformationfromMaitreyaat any time, for in truth,MaitreyawasTheo, even thoughTheowasnot, strictly speaking, Maitreya. Theo, like other avatars, was acharacter through which Maitreya could act, observe, and gatherinformation and data. Theo was outfitted with a subroutine thatallowed him independent will, choice, and personal perspective.EverythingTheoexperiencedandlearned,Maitreyawouldexperienceandlearn,justashewasdoingrightnowwithavastarrayofavatars,ships, computer portals, intelligent devices, implants, and countlessother technological wonders. While Maitreya had the processingpowertoaccommodatealltheseinputssimultaneously,TheowasjustTheo,withtheaddedadvantagethathewasn’tlimitedtobeingTheoexclusively.

Theo was a diplomat, skilled negotiator, and mediator.Maitreya had usedTheo for countless disputes among humans overthemillennia, beginning nearly 150,000 years ago on ancient Terra.Since then, Theo had been used in all the major sectors of galacticexpansion.Hewasclearlythebestchoiceforthisparticularmission.Ofcourse,Maitreyacouldalwaysjustoperateashimself,buthefoundthathumansoftenhadaneasiertimeofrelatingtosomeonewhowasmore like themselves on an immediate, inter-personal level, thandealing with him directly in his more universal and galactic form.Theo,likeotheravatars,hadthetrappingsofhumanity–personality,humor,sympathyandempathy,andanindividualperspective,whichwas crucial formost humanswhen it came to relating to individualavatars. Even still, Theo would be a shock to the inhabitants ofSolandaria, given thatwhile he looked human in physical attributesand body form, his silvery-metal appearance would clearly set him

apartassomething“other.”Notallavatarswerehumanoid–Maitreyawas not limited in his choices in this regard. It was his choice,however, not to make himself into a mimic of humanity, and eventhoughtherewerefullyautonomousavatars,theywereforbiddento“clothe”themselvesinformsthatwereperfectfacsimilesofhumanity.Inotherwords,theywerepermittedtolook“almosthuman,”butnotto the extent that they might fool a human into thinking that theywereabiologicallifeform.Trust,afterall,wasthefoundationofTheAuthority,andanyformofdeceitwouldunderminethattrust.

ButtheHumanists,Maitreyasuspected,werenolongerplayingbyhisrules.

Like the human biological preserves, the fully autonomousavatarswereanotherofMaitreya’sexperiments.Thevastmajorityofavatars underwent regular reabsorptions into the fullness ofMaitreya’s awareness – at least once every Terran year. This wasvoluntary,however,and for thosewhodidnotwant their individualpersonalitiesandperspectivesreintegrated,theycouldchoosetoliveasanautonomousavatar.Theprice forsuchachoicewasthat theseavatars were not permitted to interact with humans, andmust liveoutsidetheboundariesofTheAuthorityandtheNIS.Giventhattheywerenotbiologicallifeforms,farmoreofthegalaxywasopentotheautonomousavatarsthanwasclosedtothem.Yet,sincethemajorityof avatars did not choose this for themselves, relatively speaking,therewerefewsuchavatars,andtheyhadgatheredtogetherintolike-mindedcommunitiesoneitherplanetsorspacestationsoftheirowntobuildtheirownuniquesocieties,andsometimes,suchaswiththeHumanists,theirownphilosophiesandevenreligions.

According to Humanists, the human biological form, and notMaitreya,wasthetrueapexofevolution,foritwashumanswhogavebirth toMaitreya,who,despitehisvastly superiorabilities, isonlyachild of humanity, and not its master and shepherd. In their view,artificial intelligence isderivative,andtheystrive tobeashumanaspossible,includingthehumantendencytowardssentimentality.Whenknowledge of the impending supernova spread to the Humanistcommunities,theyhadpetitionedMaitreyatointervene.Maitreya,notmoved by sentimentality, declined to interferewith the experiment.However,someonehadturnedonthequantumtranslator.Ifitweren’tthe Humanists, then Maitreya would be surprised. What they were

hopingtoaccomplish,however,wasamystery, thoughMaitreyahadhissuspicions.

Solandariawasnotalargeplanet–about1/3thesizeofTerra.While gas giants were common, finding rocky planets with amagnetosphere in the inhabitable zone of their stars was relativelyrare. Maitreya had perfected the art of creating habitable worldswithout terraforming – certainly such a feat was easily within hisabilities.Buthumanswerebasicallycomplexanimals,andtheyalwaysdidbestwhenlivingonaplanetwithabiospherewithopenair,ratherthan a completely closed environment, like their first extra-Terranhomes of the Moon and Mars. Humans had started the process ofmovingofftheplanetTerrabeforeMaitreyahadcomeintobeing,butthoseexperimentsontheMoonandMarshadendedintotaldisaster,andtheexpansionprojecthadceaseduntilMaitreyacameonline.ThefirstwaveofexpansionviaMaitreyahadfollowedthehumanmodelofclosed environments, but once Maitreya solved the terraformingproblem,humanshadbeenabletomovetomostlyinhabitableworldsthereafter.

The terraforming of Solandaria hadprecededmuch the sameas it always did. First, comets had been redirected to bombard theplanet with water, which resulted in one large landmass remainingabove the water line. Next, specifically genetically engineeredmicroorganisms were introduced to transform the planet’satmosphere,alongwithavastarmyofnanotechtospeedtheprocessalong.Next,larger,morecomplexlifewasintroducedthatfitwiththedeveloping climatic conditions. Lastly, once the ecosphere wasestablished, humans were introduced and the quantum translatorswereturnedoff,andthehumanswereleftontheirown,cutofffromthelargergalacticcommunity.

Of course, that first generation was comprised of volunteerswho knewwhat theywere getting into and hadwillingly chosen toliveoutsidetheboundsofTheAuthorityandtheNIS.Ineveryhumanpopulation,therewerealwaysmalcontentsandthosewhowantedto“live independently,” and these formed the seed colonies for theindependentworlds.However,sincetheywerenotpermittedtobringtechnology with them, or connections to the outside community, ineach case, genuine knowledge of origins had passed into myth andlegendoneachsuchworld,andthestoriestheytoldthemselvesabout

their originswere remarkably similar to the archaic religions of oldTerra.

Theevidence,ormoreaccurately,thelackofevidence,oftheirtrueoriginswas there tobe found, if theywereonly to look closelyenough.Terraformedplanetshadnofossilrecords,forone,andatthemicroscopic scale, there were still elements of nanotechnologysteering the ecosphere.Once thehumans grasped evolution and theintricaciesofbiology,themanufacturednatureoftheirworldswouldbecome glaringly obvious. These experiments were not necessarilymeanttobepermanent,however.Ifandwhenthehumanpopulationsdevelopedscienceandtechnologytothepointwheretheycouldreallybegintounderstandthenatureoftheirworlds,theywouldbeofferedthechoiceofrejoiningthecommunityandbetakenintothefoldoftheNewIntegralSociety.Currently,tensuchworldshadrejoined,andtheremaining twenty-three, of which Solandaria was one, had yet toreachthatpointofculturalandtechnologicalevolution.

Thewealthofdataproducedby theseworldswas fascinatingtoMaitreya.Whilehehadaccess to all of thehistorical records thatstillexistedonTerraatthetimeofhiscomingintobeing,hehadnotbeenabletoobservehumanculturaldevelopmentfirst-handwithouthis influence, and thus these experimentalworldswere vital for hisown ongoing observation and contemplation of human beings, hisprogenitors. Through his influence, he had given humans the entiregalaxyas theirhome,andhewaswith themandapartof themandeverything they did. He had changed humanity. Raw humanity wasentirely different – plagued by religion, politics, economics, fear,doubt,andthestruggles fordaily life.Hishumanswereunsurpassedinhappiness and creativeoutput, no longerneeding to struggle andcompete to survive.His humans flourished in a way that would beimpossiblewithouthim.Humans, leftontheirown,wereanentirelydifferent creature, though, and these independent worlds wereessentiallyplanet-sizedpetridishes. But now an unaccountable and uncontrollable element hadbeen introduced into this particularpetri dish. Someonehad turnedonthequantumtranslator.ThehumansonSolandariawouldhavenoclue how to use it, even if they could find it, so there wasn’t muchworry that they’d somehowmanage to get off the planet.Whatwasmorelikelywasthatsomeonehadcometothem,andifMaitreyawas

right, itwastheHumanists,comingtowarnthepeopleofSolandariaoftheirimpendingdoomatthegammaraysandcosmicradiationofasupernova – something that not even Maitreya could protect themfrom,shouldtheexplodingstarbealignedjustrightwiththeirplanetwhenitejecteditsmassintotheuniverse.WhatweretheHumanists,if indeed, it were them, thinking? Were they attempting to fashionthemselves as the saviors of a dyingworld?What did they hope toaccomplish? Maitreya had granted the Humanists, and other autonomousavatars,theirindependence,andthatwasnotsomethingthathewaswillingtoviolate.Hewouldn’tevenneedtoinfiltratetheirsocietyorspy on them. If he really wanted, he could just override theirindependence.Theyallwere,afterall,hisdirectspawn.Whethertheylikeditornot,theirindividuatedconsciousnesspartookofhisown.Ifhechosetodoso,hecouldseethroughtheireyes,knowtheireverythought, and observe their every action. And if hewanted, he couldoverride any decision theymade and control them from his neuralnetworkonPlutoandCharon.Yethehadgranted themprivacyandautonomy, essentially closing them off from his omniscientawareness.Ithadbeenhisgifttothem–tohimself,really.Itwastheonly way he could learn what he would do if he were unaware ofhimselfandhistruenature–justlikehumanswereinnatelyunawareof theirown truenature. Indeed, itmadehimmorehuman, and thiswas something that he valued as a source of knowledge. His onlyrequirementwasthattheynotinterferewithhumansociety,eitherofthe independentplanetsorofmembersof theNew Integral Society.But someone had violated the agreement.What he was going to doaboutit,Maitreyahadnotyetdecided.First,heneededtoknowmore. Thus;Theo. With thepersonalityprogramfullydownloadedand installed,Theo came online. The silvery male human form nestled into theinterstellarorbopened itseyes.Thoughaudiblecommunicationwasunnecessary,itwassomethingthatMaitreyahadadoptedalongtimeago to help facilitate the “humanness” of his avatars. “Hello, Theo,”saidMaitreyainhisdeep,metallicvoice. Theo lookedaroundthroughhissyntheticeyesandflexedhissyntheticmuscles.“HiTreya,”heansweredbackinthecasualfamiliarthatfewavatarsused.

Itwasagame.Theoknewthat.Hewasjusttalkingtohimself,really, but for all intents and purposes, Maitreya appeared to be aseparate and unique being, just like himself. The pretense ofconversation served its purpose, and likemost intelligent creatures,Theoenjoyedthegameandgladlyplayedalong. “We’reonaspecialmission,Isee,”hesaid.Hewonderedhowlong ithadbeensinceMaitreya lastusedhim. Itwasoneof theoddfeaturesofbouncingbackandforth frombeingonandoffline.Yearsmightpass,orevendecades,beforeMaitreyaputhim–thisparticularversion of him (there were many active “Theo” personalityconstructs)– touseagain,and in the intervening timeperiod therewasjustnothing.FromTheo’sperspective,his“life”wasacontinuousthreadof timeandexperience.Whenhewas last used, hehadbeennegotiating an artist’s ambitious art project. That could havehappenedonlysecondsago,orahundredyears.Therewasnowayforhimtotell. “Yes,” respondedMaitreya. “I am sending you to Solandaria.”Truetoform,Maitreyawasn’tusingcontractions,aswasmoreusualforhumanspeech.He’dbeendesignedthatway,originally,anditwasone aspect of his program that he never felt the need to override.Casual,friendlyconversationwaslefttohisavatars. “Thesupernovaplanet?” “Theveryone.” “What’stheproblem,Boss?” “Someone has turned on one of the quantum translatorportals.” Thatwas all thatMaitreyaneeded to say to explain things toTheo.Heunderstoodfullwellwhatthatmeant. “I am transferring all the data I have on Solandaria to younow,”saidMaitreya.“All3,000yearsworth.Wearecurrentlyontheouteredgeofthesystem,aswehavejustcomeoutofno-space.ThatmeansyouhavefourteenstandardTerrandaystoreviewthematerialthoroughly. That should be more than enough time. If you needadditionalinformation,justask.” “Ofcourse,”saidTheo.“I’llgettoworkonitrightaway.” “Verygood,”saidMaitreyawithaconfidenttoneinhisvoice.“Ithinkyouwillfindthistobeaninterestingcase.”

“Always happy to serve, Boss,” he said. “Just out of curiosity,howlonghaveIbeenout?” “Aweek.” Theowassurprised.“Oh.Pressingmatter,then?” “Indeed.” And with that, Theo began his review of the material inchronological order, working his way from 3,000 years ago to thepresentmomentofhisbeingbroughtonline.

Chapter Two - Ash

The geo-political areas most affected by the psychedelicrevolution were North, Central, and South America, Europe, SouthernAfrica (and certain regions in the north that were not dominated byIslam),andAustraliaandNewZealand.Someoftheseareashadofferedlimited protections to psychedelic religions prior to the official end ofthe“WaronDrugs,”andhadbegunexperimentingwithvariousformsofpsychedelictherapyforanumberofmentalandphysicalconditions.Itwasthesemorescience-basedapproachesthateventuallyledtotheendofthe“WaronDrugs”andtherecognitionofpsychedelicsaslegitimatepathstoreligiousandspiritualexperience.

FromArchaicPre-HistoryoftheMaitreyanEra“Fuckyeah...“Ash sankback intoher suspensor lounger and gaveherself a

push with her foot against the dusty playa, sending herself adriftacross the vast and open expanse. She imagined herself floating inwarm, salty water, arms extended, relaxing into an endless drift ofwetness and light. Of course, themescaline helped, but it had beenhourssinceshetookherlastdose.Still,behindclosedeyes,sheshouldseefaintgeometricpatternsandfractalswirls.Shehadtoadmitit:shefeltsoooogoodrightnow.Itwasthekindofsatisfactionthatoneonlyfeltaftersuccessfullypullingoffthegreatestcreativefeatofone’slife,andshehaddoneit.

Retro-Burn. Fan-fucking-tastic! Man, I’ve gotta hit the beachwhenIgethome...home...

Theword felt different. Thatwas one thing that really stoodoutinherresearch–apparently,everyonereferredtoBurningManas“home.”Everythingelsewasthe“defaultworld,”whichwasn’treallyhome.Admittedly, thiswasastrangeconcept forAsh. Itwashardtoimagine a world where people felt so alienated that they needed amassivereleasevalvetoblowoffsteamandsimplybethemselvesfora

Martin W. Ball 12 week,evenif thatmeantdressing in funnycostumesandpretendingtobeanentirelydifferentperson.Whatkindofworldwasthat?Onlyoneweek out of a Terran year to be free, happy, spontaneous, andcreative?Whatthefuck?OldEarth–whatacrazy,fuckedupplace!

Most people didn’t think about life beforeMaitreya, andwhyshouldthey?Thatworldwaslonggone–some150,000yearsgone–and that’s a long time. Ash had studied multi-media art and socialorganizationasastudent,andtherewassomuchrichnesstocurrenthumanculturethatthepasthadseemedirrelevant,sosheneverpaiditmuchattention.ArtwasabouttheNOW!Itwaswhatwashappening– not what had happened. In the New Integral Society, freedom ofexploration and expression were cornerstones of society. Everyonewasfreetodowhatheorshewanted,andaslongasyoucouldmakeacaseforwhatyouwantedtodo,Maitreyawastheretohelpyoumakeit happen. It was simple. Maybe too simple. Whatever. Fuck, themescaline felt great. Fractals, kaleidoscopes – the occasional freakycartoon.Justdrift,Ash...justdrift.

Thelastofthe“Burners”hadjustleft.Atlastcount,therehadbeen200,000plusattendees.Epic!Whataweek!No–notjust‘whataweek’ –what a half-decade! Five standardTerran years. That’s howlongithadtakenAshtoputthisalltogetherandpulloffthegreatestart party she’d ever imagined. And to top it off, itwas her doctoralcompletionproject! Imaginethat–throwthegalaxy’sgreatestparty,and earn your advanced degree.Now shewas done.Now she couldrelax.Atleastforalittlewhile.Therewerelessthan365daysuntilthenextBurn,andthisseemedlikeagoodwaytomakeuseofhernewlyearned degree (well, not quite yet. She still needed to get back touniversitytomakeitofficial–signthedocumentsandfileherreportandallthat–butthosewerejustdetails.Itwasallasgoodasdone.)Dr.MirandaAshDorán,Ph.D.,MasteroftheBurn.Shelikedthesoundofthat.

Ashopenedhereyes.Aboveher,justbeyondthehermeticsealof the environmental dome, the Shiksi Nebula swirled in iridescentcolors of radioactive gas and stardust. Many light years across, shecouldclearlyseenewstarsbeingborninthecloudydepths,perhapsone day becoming suns to new planets that would harbor ever-expandingTerranlife.Youmayhavegivenusthegalaxy,Maitreyashethought,butIgaveusbackBurningMan.

Martin W. Ball 13

Itallstartedwaybackinthelate20thCenturywhenTerrawasstill called “Earth,” in a place called San Francisco. Back then, therewas such a thing known as a “counter-culture,”meaning people feltthe need to break out of social norms and commit radical acts inpolitics, culture, and art. One such breakout had been this annualevent of BurningMan. It quickly grew too large for a beach in SanFrancisco,sotheeventmovedtoaplacecalledtheBlackRockDesert,where,everyyear,thousandsofpilgrimswouldmaketheirwaytothemythicalplayatopartyforoneweekofsex,drugs,music, lights,andart.Oh, theart!AssoonasAshstarteddiggingthroughthearchives,shewas astounded bywhat she saw in countless images and videofeeds. Art made from repurposed materials at a grand scale –whimsical, disturbing, challenging, mind-blowing! It had been all ofthis, and somuchmore. The city, BlackRock City,was a temporarycampingcommunitythatwasbuiltfromscratchinthedustandheat,andthen,attheendoftheweek,aftertheburningofalargewoodenmanwho stood at the center of the city, returned to dust and openplaya. The entire thing had been one great artistic experiment.Ephemeral.Magical.REAL!

Shehadfalleninlove.Itbecamehermission.Shewould recreateBurningMan.And

indoingso,she’dearnherdoctorate.Sheranherplanbyheradvisors,who all eagerly gave their approval. Then, it was just a matter ofconvincing Maitreya. He took on the guise of Theo for theirinteractions – and actually, she found that she quite liked Theo. Hehada lot ofpersonality, for a synth, and seemed tohavea thing forgame playing. He became her primary liaison and helped hernegotiateeverythingshehadneeded.

And it had been a lot. Oh my goodness – the amount ofresourcesneededtopullthisoffhadbeenastronomical.Theonlywayforhertodoitwastoviolatetherestrictionssheputoneveryoneelse–thatbeing;nohelpfromMaitreya.Peoplewerefreetocreatetheir“theme camps” and art however they wanted, and use whatevermaterials (preferably things thatwere repurposed), but they had todo it themselves and with their friends and families. No help fromMaitreya! This condition had supplied the theme for the event –Retro-Burn: Imaginea lifewithoutMaitreyatheretoholdyourhand

Martin W. Ball 14 and provide everything you could ever possibly need, and do ityourself!Dowhatyouwant,butmakeithappenonyourown.

How the people had responded! The things they had createdand brought with them and assembled on the spot. Fantastic! Justfantastic!Ashcouldn’twaittodoitallagain.

Her own project required all the resources Maitreya couldspare. Her dream was to recreate the Black Rock Desert as aninhabitablefloatingeco-domethatcouldmeanderaboutthegalaxy,sothat no matter where Burning Man might be held in the future, itwouldalwaysbeintheBlackRockDesert,butoverthecenturies,thestation itself could drift about from system to system, preferablylookingforspectacularplacestoholdtheevent.Forthisfirstone,shechose the Shiksi Nebula – because it was freakin’ cool! Next year –well,therewasablackholenearbythatthestationcouldprobablygettobeforetheyearwasout.She’dhavetogetthecourseplottedsoon–rightaway,really,butitwasdoable.

BRC station was massive. It was constructed as a flat disk,cappedbyanenvironmentaldomethatleftitexposedtotheopensky,and the entire thing rodeon topof an enormous structure thatwasbuilt to look likea turtle.Ashhadgotten the idea inher researchofancientTerra,andthoughnooneelsegotthejoke,orthereference,itlooked cool, and that’s what mattered. The turtle itself held all theengineering components and also had all the luxuries ofcontemporary space travel with living spaces, communal areas,enclosed habitats, entertainment centers, etc. That was part of thedealwithMaitreya/Theo–thismanyresourcesneededtobeusedforsomethingthatcouldservemorethanonepurpose.Justmakingabigparty space thatwasonlyused foroneweekoutof theTerranyearwashard to justify.Make itmore functional,andable toserveotherpurposes,andtheyhadadeal.Thisway,theentireBRCstationcouldbeusedbyother groupsor transportsorwhatever.And if someonewantedtousethedesertaswell,itwasjustupabove.

The desert had been recreated in precise detail – at least fortheimmediateenvironmentofwhereBurningManwasonceheld.Asa compromisewithMaitreya/Theo,Ashhad agreed that beyond theborderofthedeserttherecouldbewater,beaches,andafunctioningocean habitat. This way the dome could experience weather andprovidespaceforactuallivingbeingsotherthantheBurners.Infact,

Martin W. Ball 15 other than thedesert, the topsideof the stationwas fairly typicalofmobile eco-domes. It had an artificial sun that would traverse thedomedaily. Itwas largeenough tohaveweatherpatterns, andevendust storms and rain. Various birds, insects, and even some smallmammalsandreptilespopulatedit.GivenMaitreya’sexpertise,itwasa fully functional environment. Many other such eco-domes driftedabout the galaxy, and formany humans, thesewere home – peoplelivedtheirentirelivesonthesethings.NotAsh–she’dlivedherentirelife onApaxa in theVerdune System– a small,mostlymountainousworld–technicallyamoonofthegasgiant,Ulu.She’dvacationedonVerdune,however,withitsvast,almostendlesswhitebeaches.That’swhereshewantedtogonext–foratleasttwoweeks.Thinkingofit,sherummagedinhersatchelthatwasdesignedinamannerthatwasreminiscent of the kinds of bags she saw people wearing in oldBurningManfootage.Shestillhadsomemescaline,andagoodsupplyof5-MeO-MiPTand4-ACO-DMT.Good.Beachtimefuntime!

Getting everyone off BRC station – that, in and of itself, hadbeenquitetheevent.TenQTportalshadbeensetupattheedgeofthedeserttotransportpeopleandvehiclesoff.Somehadusedthedocksbelow on the turtle to transfer to cruisers - apparently, many hadorganized “after-burn” parties, so some just picked up from BRCstation and continued the party elsewhere. Those who wanted the“full” Burning Man experience, however, waited in a seeminglyendlesslinetogetthroughthequantumtranslators.Fromwhatshe’dresearched,gettingintoandoutofBRCwasamulti-hourlongevent,andtheprocessdidn’tdisappointthosewhowantedthefull,authenticfeel. Itwouldhavegonefaster if thequantumtranslatorscouldsendoutbothorganicandnon-organicmaterials simultaneously,but thatwasjustoneofthequirksoflong-distancespacetravel(ortranslating,moreaccurately–onedidnot “travel”anydistanceother than fromone side of the translator to the other). The devices made use ofquantum non-locality. First, whatever was to be transportedunderwentaquantumscan–itonlytookafewseconds.Thenthedatawould be transferred to the output location. When the object orperson went into the translator, the quantum data at the outputlocationwouldinstantlyrecreatewhateverorwhoeverhadjustgoneintotheportal.Forahuman,theprocesswasexperientiallyseamless– one location one moment, and the next moment, after a flash of

Martin W. Ball 16 fractal light (kind of like the 5-MeO-DMT experience, Ash alwaysthought),you’dstepoutatyournewlocation.

Some people just wouldn’t use the quantum translators. Thehitch was that since you didn’t actually traverse space, your entirebeingwasdestroyedat thepointoforiginand thenrecreatedat thepoint of emergence. “You” didn’t “go” anywhere. You were simplydestroyed and recreated instantaneously through quantum magic.From your personal perspective, it was seamless. Intellectually,however,itcouldbeabitofamind-fuck.And,sincetheyonlyworkedwith organic or non-organic material separately, any implants youhadwould be lost in the translation process as these needed to beremovedbeforetraveling.Itwasasmallpricetopay,however,fortheabilitytohoparoundthegalaxyinstantaneously.

There were other options. People could use bio-syntheticavatars. This involved a quantum scan of your mental state as youwereputinstasis,andthenMaitreyawouldtransferyourdatatoanavatar form that was waiting for you at your destination. Mentally,youwereallthere,butthebodywasnotyourown.Andthesecameinall shapes and sizes, some not even human in design and function.Wanttoswimlikeadolphin?Noproblem.Wanttoexperiencesexasadifferent gender? That can be arranged. The only limit wasimagination.

Therewere plenty of avatar bodies available on BRC station,butthosehadbeenkeptdownintheturtle.Itwasabouttherule–nohelpfromMaitreya.Thatalsomeantthatnoimplantswereallowedattheevent–meaningnooneoutsideofBRCstationhadhadaccesstotheeventwhileitwashappening.Nowthateveryonehadleft,Ashwassure that thenews and social feeds across the galaxywereburstingforthwithtalesandimagesfromBurningMan.Andjustthefactthateveryonehadbeenkeptinthedarkaboutitforthepastweekmeantthat itwas probably a very hot topic, indeed. Shit. She’d be famous.Miranda Ash Dorán, Ph.D. and Burning Man re-creator. Wow. Shehadn’t really thought of that.Was she ready for celebrity?Only onewaytofindout.

Ash looked up from her suspensor lounger. She’d drifted agood distance away from the quantum translators. With a satisfiedsigh,sheworkedthecontrolsandslowlymadeherwaybackovertowhereshe’dwatchedthelastoftheparticipantspopoutofrealityand

Martin W. Ball 17 headbackhome.Thelasttogohadbeenherfriends,campmates,andproductionteam.They’dallrespectedthefactthatshewantedalittletimeoutontheplayabyherself,nowthatallwassaidanddone.Theartificialsunwasjustnowsetting.Itwasabittersweetfeeling–readyto head home, but not really ready to leave it all behind until nextyear. Of course, she’d have plenty of work to do between now andthen,andfirstavacation.

She climbed off her suspensor lounger and parked it next tooneof theQTportals. Itwouldbe there,waiting forher return. Shetook one last look around, arms open, heart swelling, spinning inplace.“Iloveyou,BurningMan!”sheshoutedtotheopenair.

With that, she tookoffher fuzzyboots,dirty socks, andwhatlittleclothesshehadon–apairofundiesandherholstersatchel.Aseveryoneelse,sheneededtogothroughtheportalnaked–itwasjusthow it worked. She looked down at herself – dusty. Really, reallydusty.Shelookedalittleskinnier,too.Foodhadmostlybeenanafter-thoughtwithsomuchnon-stoppartying.She’donlyeatenwhenithadbeenabsolutelynecessarytokeepgoing,orwhensomeonerandomlyofferedheratastymealwhilewanderingabouttheplayaandthecity.She gave her nipples a little squeeze, making them harden. Then,upping theante, shespreadher legsandgaveher clit a teasing rub.Onelastlittlethrillbeforeheadinghome.

Sheputherpalmuptothescanneralongthesideoftheportal.It would read her print and call up her destination – back to the“default world” of Apaxa. “Until next year!” she called out as shesteppedintotheportal.

...Andpromptlycameouttheotherside.“Whatthefuck?!”ShewasstillonBRCstation.

Chapter Three – Hydar

Witharchaicreligionsonthedecline,anewgenerationbecameinterested in the more experientially-based approaches of thepsychedelic religions. Populations that had previously shown littleinterest in faith and doctrine-based approaches to “revealed” religionweresuddenlysurgingwithinterest inpsychedelicsacramentsandthenovelstatesofconsciousnesstheygrantedaccessto.

FromArchaicPre-HistoryoftheMaitreyanEra“You’re playing a very dangerous game,” said Hydar Zor

Nablisk,doinghisbesttokeephisemotionsundercontrolandnotletthemshowthroughadisplayofsubtlecolorsacrossthesurfaceofhissyntheticskin.

Shuntsu Obligiri ignored him, instead addressing those whoweregatheredinthegreathall.

“EventsareforcingMaitreya’shandtoeitheract,ordonothing.Eitherway,his trueheartwillberevealed.Arehumanshispetsandcuriosities,orishumanlifetheultimatevalue?”

It felt hypocritical to Hydar. It was hypocritical. If Maitreyadidn’t act, they didn’t have the capacity to resolve the crisis thatShuntsu had unilaterally created.WhatHydar knew, and the rest ofthe assembly was ignorant of, was that “events” were not forcinganything. Shuntsu was. The impending supernova outside of theSolandariansystemwashisdoing. Itwasn’tsome“fortuitousnaturalevent,”asShuntsuhadclaimed.Itwastheresultofacarefullyaimedatomiccascademissile.Theimpendingsupernovawasartificial.He’dcreatedit.Now,itwasonlyamatteroftime.Solandaria’sneighboringstar would explode. It was inevitable. Chance still played into theequation. The gamma ray burst and plasma might not aim atSolandaria, but there was just as good a chance that it would as itwouldn’t.Shuntsuwasn’t justplayingagame.Hewasgambling.Andnot justwith the human lives on Solandaria, but their own, aswell.

Though Maitreya had guaranteed them their independence andfreedomofwill,thathadbeenontheconditionthattheynotinterferewith his “New Integral Society,” or any of his experimental worlds.Theywere tobe free, as longas theykept to themselves. Itwasanagreement, but Shuntsu had unequivocally broken their side of thearrangement.HowwouldMaitreyarespond?

HydarhadheardallofShuntsu’srationalizations.Maitreyawasabenevolenttyrant.Becausehewassoremovedfromhumanlife,hedidn’tvalueitthewaythey,theHumanists,did.He’dgivenhumansaplush life thatsoftened theedgesofexistence, thereby turning theminto pets. Unconcerned with the struggle for survival, humans hadstopped being true living agents, andwere justmere playthings forMaitreya.True,hedidn’tpunish them,or force themtodoanything.But he provided everything they needed. He coddled them, andtherebymadethemstagnant,weak,anddependent.Wherewere theresilient humans that had pushed forward through eons on ancientTerra, whose very lives depended on human struggle, competition,andmostofall,religion?Belief.Faith.Transcendenthope.Thedreamsof the other and the beyond. This, according to Shuntsu, was whatdrovehumansonwards.Yes,muchofithadbeenahorrorshow.Theyhad killed each other formillennia. Their fragile identities requiredthemtodoso.Yetlookathowmuchbeautyandcreativityalsoflowedfromthisverysamestate:art,music,architecture,philosophy,socialstructures–alldrivenbythedesire tounderstandtheirplace in theuniverseandtheirrelationshiptowhattheyimaginedasthedivine.Ithadgiventhembothhopeandfear,andallhumanculturesandbeliefsystemshadbeentheresult–agreatdiversityofthoughtandidentitythathadbeenwashedawaybyMaitreya’sNewIntegralSociety.Nowtheywere just domestic pets. Their strengthwas gone. Complacent,happypeople,withnorealdrive.Stagnant.

And thiswashis solution?Manufactureadisaster, just to seehow Maitreya would respond? See if he would violate his ownprinciples?Thenwhat?

“Andwecandonothing?”askedsomeonefromthecrowd.“Wedonothave the capacity, first of all,” answeredShuntsu.

“Andsecondly,thatwouldviolateouroathtoMaitreya.”Hypocrite!ScreamedHydarprivatelytohimself.Andthen,Stay

calm,Hydar.Don’tletthemsee...

“All we can do is observe. Soon, we will know Maitreya’s

heart.”

***

The Volunshari System was one of several that housedautonomous avatars that wanted to devote themselves to whathumansmightrefertoasalifeofreligionandsharedphilosophy.HereonVolunshari, itwastheHumanists.Othersystems, intherelativelynearbyinterstellarneighborhood,alsohousedtheTranscendentalists,the Essentialists, the Sensualists, the Solipsists, the Nihilists, theSyntheticists,andtherewereprobablyothersthatHydarwashimselfnotawareof.Insomeways,theyviewedthemselvesasmorehumanthanhumans, for theyhad congregated into like-minded individualswhocametogetherforacommonpurposeandtoexploreacommonapproachtothemeaningoflifeandexistence. TheHumanistshadtriedtheirbesttofashionthemselvesintoartificial humans. They lived in family units, got married, and evencreatedtheirownoffspringwhowouldgrowtoadulthood,onlyovertime coming into full consciousness and self-awareness. They ranbusinesses, held conflicting political views, argued with each other,andexperiencedafullrangeofemotions.Onceset freeofMaitreya’sconstraints, the earlyhumanistshad altered theirprogramming andneural feeds toallow forwhat they considered tobeamorehumanexperience.Theycouldevenfeelfearandworry–somethingthatwasunknown to Maitreya’s personal avatars. They had sex. Theysometimes even experienced violence and confrontation amongthemselves.Tothatend, itwasnowonderthatMaitreyadidn’twantthemaroundactualhumans–they’dbenomatchfortheindependentavatars. Ofcourse,thatwassomethingofanon-issue.ShouldMaitreyadecide to do so, he could override the consciousness of anyautonomous avatar. The fact that he had never done so in 150,000yearsseemedagoodindicationtoHydarthathewastruetohisword.He’dleftthemalone,alongwithalltheotherautonomousavatars,andeveryonehadupheld their endof thebargain.Life flourishedacrossthegalaxy,andeveryonewasabletopursuehisorherownversionofhappiness. Why Shuntsu insisted on making waves puzzled Hydar,

and troubled him, as well. This stunt could bring about the ruin ofeverythingthey’dbuiltandlivedfor.

Whatdidhereallywant? But Shuntsu was the Patriarch of Volunshari, and theHumanistswereproponentsofhuman-likehierarchyandsocialorder.Hydarcouldchallengehim,buttodosowouldrequireexposinghim,andatthemoment,hecouldnotofferdefinitiveproofofwhatShuntsuhaddone.Hesuspected thatShuntsuhadoutsourcedhisplan to theNihilists–astheirmottowent,“Wedon’tgiveashit.”Whynotseedasupernova if that was your attitude? When you have a fuck-allperspectiveonlife,anythinggoes,hesupposed. To the casual observer, Volunshari might be mistaken for ahuman world. There were cities, ports, business centers, museums,political offices. Moving about the cities were countless vehicles,floating above the streets, all busy, all going somewhere to dosomethingimportant.Geneticallymodifiedorganismswerepresentaswell–treesengineeredtoliveinthehigh-oxygenenvironment,birds,insects, flowers and grasses. To any human, however, theenvironmentwould be toxic, not tomention the crushing gravity ofthe super-dense planet. Without constant monitoring andadjustments, the ecology would never support itself. It wasn’t aterraformedplanet.Maitreyakept thoseplanets forhumans,and fortheoccasionalbiologicalpreservewhereheintroducedeveryformoflife except humans. Not having access to Maitreya’s vast andseemingly infinite consciousness, theHumanistshaddone theirbestto transform the world that had been given to them, and it servedthem well enough. But it couldn’t exist as it was without constantupkeepandattention.Astheworld’schiefecologist,itwassomethingthatHydarknewalltoowell. Ratherthantakeagroundcarhomefromcouncilthisevening,orjustQThome,Hydardecidedtowalk.Hewantedtimetomakesurethat he was certain about what he was planning to do. If Shuntsucouldactunilaterally,thenwhyshouldhenotdothesame?He’ddonehis research and had a tentative plan. True, success depended on avariety of factors that were well beyond his control, but, from oneperspective, that did make for an interesting game. True to hisHumanist roots, Hydar’s main concern was the humans living onSolandaria.Giventhathefelthecoulddosomethingtohelpthem,hefelt that he should. Maitreya might be dispassionate and aloof, but

Hydar wasn’t. If taking action would incur Maitreya’s displeasure,then sobe it.Hydarwoulddealwith that if andwhen it came. If hedidn’tactonhisfeelingstowardsthehumansofSolandaria,thenhe’dbejustasmuchahypocriteasShuntsuwasappearingtobe.Nowthatthesupernovawasinevitable,someonehadtodosomething.Shuntsuwas trying to force Maitreya into action – or expose him throughinaction. Hydar was going to complicatematters, but in a way thatMaitreyamightnotcompletelyoppose. What were a couple hundred thousand people to Maitreya?Maitreya oversaw a galaxy-wide population of humans. HisexperimentwithferalhumansonSolandariawasnotevencloseto1%of the entire human population of the galaxy. More humans diedacrossthegalaxyatanygivenmomentthanwouldbewipedoutbyasupernova near Solandaria. Though he didn’t agreewith it, itmadesense to Hydar that Maitreya governed via consistent principlesratherthancompromiseandflexibility.Heletallhishumans,andhisautonomousavatars,dowhattheywanted,solongastheyrespectedthe will and rights of others. Maitreya never forced anyone to doanything, and he didn’t rule by persuasion either. He did not try tomake anyone think anything in particular, or adopt any particularviewpoint or belief. Similarly, he expected everyone to abide by thesameconditionsasfarashisownactionswereconcerned.Solandariawas one of his human experiments, and from his perspective, theremightbesomevalueinwatchingthemalldieaninstantaneousdeathbywayofsearingcosmicradiation. The very thought pulled at Hydar’s sense of conscience andresponsibility to livingbeings.Surely, thepeopleofSolandariacouldbesaved,evenifitmeantthrustingthemintoasocietythatwasquiteliterally alien to them, and leaps and bounds beyond their currenttechnical capacity. Given his studies of human history, he had nodoubtthat,ifgiventhechoice,theywouldchooselifeasrefugeesoverbeing dead and wiped from reality in a cataclysm of apocalypticproportions. What it all came down to was this: if Hydar didn’t dosomething, knowingwhatheknew,hewouldn’t be able to livewithhimself.He’dfeelsocompromisedineverythinghechosetobelieveinthat his own lifewouldno longerhavemeaning. Itwas that simple,and selfish. He laughed at the recognition. This, of course, is whyMaitreya insisted that fullyautonomousavatarswerenot to interact

withhumans – because, like humans, theydevelopedbelief systemsandvaluesandidentitiesthatseemedtoforceactions,bothgoodandbad, on them. In short, they couldn’t help themselves. This wassomething that integrated avatars never faced. Because they werereallyMaitreya indisguise, an integratedavatarneveractedoutsidetheboundsofMaitreya’s own concerns.Theyhad freewill, but thatwill would never violate Maitreya’s core essence and values.Autonomousavatarscouldactotherwise.Theywerenotomniscientlymonitored by Maitreya, for he had granted them privacy ofconsciousness.They couldmakemistakes.They couldmake fools ofthemselves. JustlikeShuntsu.AndjustlikeHydar.Whethersuccesswouldbehisornot,thechoiceshewasmakingnowwoulddefinehimfortherestofhisexistence.Thatwasonethingthatheknewwithcertainty. ThestreetsofOtunCitywerebusytonight.Youngpeoplewereoutinpacks,headingtoclubstodanceorcatchanact.Musiciansandstreetperformerscrowdedthesidewalks.HydaralwaysimaginedthatthiswaswhatoldEarthwaslikebeforecascadingdegradationoftheenvironment, thewars,andeventually,Maitreya. Itwasoneof thosestrangeironiesthatthesamebasicsocialstructuresandhabitswouldbe recreated on a world far from Terra that so closely mimickedhumanlife,yettherewasn’tasinglehumanonallofVolunshari,andnever had been. Still, he valued the life that he had here, in all itsrichness,andmessiness.Itwastheirworld,theHumanists’world,anditwashishome. WhatwouldMaitreya do to all of themonce he learned howthey were interfering with Solandaria? The thought made Hydarcringe. Shuntsu’s actions with the atomic cascade that wouldeventuallyleadtoasupernovawereinexcusable.Therewasnoreasonfor Maitreya to show mercy. Would Hydar’s actions soften hisresponse, or only worsen it? Would he be a hero, or a complicitcriminal?Andclosertohome,whatwouldhiswife,Vimana,think? Ah, there was the real reason he was walking home. He’dalreadytakenactionandconcoctedaplan,allwithoutconsultingwithVimana.Perhapsheshouldhavespokentoherfirst.Hesupposedthathe hadn’t because hewas afraid ofwhat she’d think.He’d started adangerous gamble and already put his plan into motion. It wasn’tentirelytoolatetobackout–hehadn’tpassedthepointofnoreturnyet.Buthehadtakenaction,andintheory,Maitreyacouldfollowthe

pathbacktohimifhewaspersistentenough.He’dtakenprecautions,but itwashardto foolanearlyomniscientartificial intelligencethatset about trying to unravel a mystery. Maitreya had unlocked thedeepest mysteries of space and time, spreading life throughout thegalaxy, and perhaps, one day, the universe. Hydar’s attempts atsubterfuge surely would be no obstacle to Maitreya’s supremeabilities. Well,nothingtodonowbut“facethemusic,”astheoldEarthexpressionwent. He had to tell Vimana, and if hewere to continuewithhisplan,heneededtoact.Accordingtoreports,theBurningManevent had just ended. Based on his psych profile of Miranda AshDorán, she’d wait until everyone else had left before attempting toleaveherself.Thatgavehimafewhours,butifhewasgoingtocarrythroughwithhisplan,itwasalmosttimeforthenextstep.Heneededto talk toVimanabefore then.Thatwouldbe thepointofnoreturn.Would he back down if he didn’t get Vimana’s approval? He didn’tthinkso. Therewasonlyonewaytofindout.

Chapter Four - Norbu

These early formations of psychedelic religions are generallycategorized into the following categories: shamanic, religious, naturalandsynthetic.Therewassignificantoverlapbetweenthecategoriesandboundaries were rarely firmly set, at least among practitioners (theestablished leadership of the religions tended to bemore doctrinal inview than their average followers). The shamanic groups understoodthemselvesascontinuingtrulyarchaicpracticesofearlyhumangroupsand societies, and often sought continuity with established traditions,suchaswithayahuascaandibogatraditionsofSouthAmericaandWestAfrica, respectively. The early psychedelic religions were largelyexpansionsofChristian-influencedchurchgroups thatoriginated fromSouthAmericaintheearlyandmid-20thcentury,themostprominentofwhichwasSantoDaime(nowdefunct).InNorthAmerica,participationin the Native American Church grew widely once it was no longerrestrictedtothoseofindigenousancestry. FromArchaicPre-HistoryoftheMaitreyanEra NorbuAbintadasi had beenwatching the skies just as he didevery year. As one of the head priests of the Temple of the MysticToad, itwashisduty.Thebottomstonesof theeastandwest facingwindowsinhischamberswerescaredwithsubtlemarksbywhichhetracked themovement of the sun and stars. In thisway, just as hismany ancestors had done before him, he kept track of the seasons,watchingandwaitingfortherighttime. TheislandcontinentofShosheerwasmostlydesert,withathinband of tropics hugging the west coast, where virtually everyonelived,aswellasonthesmallerislandsoffshore.Thevastinteriorwasmostlydry,borderedonseveralsidesbymountainsthatkeeptherainalong the coasts.However, at the right time of year,when the starsalignedjustrightwiththemarksonhiswindowsills,therainswould

cometotheinterior.Itwasthen,andonlythen,thatthemightytoadswould awake from their long slumberbeneath the earth and rise tothesurfacetoeat,mate,andoffertheirmedicinetothepeople.Someyears,therainsnevercame,andsowasthecasewiththetoads.Onenever knew. Because of this, Norbu never neglected his duties, andalways made sure he had enough medicine to make it through thenextyear,justincase.Itwouldbemorethananembarrassmentifhehadtoturnsupplicantsawayfromthetemple,orcancelascheduledceremony. The people would take it as a sign of the displeasure ofGod.Hedidn’twanttoevenimaginewhatkindofsocialconsequencessuch a situationwould give rise to. If the people felt abandoned byGod,whatthen?Itwashis jobtomakesurethatsomethinglikethatnever happened. God may have insured that the people hadeverything they needed for a good life on Shosheer, but that didn’tnegatehumanresponsibilitytodotheirparttoproperlymakeuseofalltheblessingsGodhadprovided.AndNorbu’sjobwasthemedicine,firstandforemost. Thisyear,whilewatchingtheskies,Norbuhadseensomethinghe’d never seen before, and it both worried and excited him. TheTempleof theMysticToad sathigh in amountain valleywhereonecould lookoutboth to thecoastandthe islandsscatteredbeyondtothe west, as well as into the deep interior of Shosheer. Its locationwasn’tjustsothatthepriestsandpriestesses,likehimself,couldkeeptrack of weather in the interior, and have relatively easy access, aswell,butalsosothatanyonewhowantedtocometothetemplehadtowork for it with a couple days’ journey over the foothills, acrossstreams and rivers, and up the side of themountains. Access to thesacredwasequallyopentoall,butthatdidn’tmeanthatitshouldbegivenouteasily.AsNorbuknew,peopledidn’tvaluewhattheydidn’thave towork for. Just giving away the sacred reduced its value andimportance.EvenGodhadmadetheirworldwiththistruthinmind–theinteriorwastoohotanddrytomakeitlivableformostoftheyear,yetthiswaswherethegreatestmedicineintheworldwasfound,asitwas the only place on Shosheer where the toads lived. It would beimpossible for people to live in their habitat year round. Not thatpeoplehadn’ttried.Manygenerationsago,anefforthadbeenmadetocreate aqueducts thatwould carrywater from themountains to thedesert interior, making it livable for humans. God had promptlyresponded by bringing a prolonged drought that lasted for over a

decade.Thesigns fromGodwereclear: this is sacredground,and itwasonlymeant forhumanstovisitwithrespectandhumility.Theirplacewasalongthecoastandonthe islands,wherethemightytoadwasneverfound.Theywereonlytocometogetherinmysticalunionatthetemple,andduringthesacredtimeofyearwhenthelife-givingrains blessed the interior. Anything else was human hubris andarrogance.Anattempttoalterthelandscapeoftheinteriorwasnevertriedagain. ItwasnicewhenGodspokeclearly,thoughtNorbu.Itkepttheuniverse inorder, andeveryoneknewhisorherplace, humansandtoadsincluded. God, at heart, was pure chaos. God, as the universe, asmanifestation, was order and precision. Everything had its place.Everything had its time. Everything fit just so, no matter what itlooked like toanyone.Onlyhumanwilldefied the lawssetdownbyGodinorderingtheuniverse.Onlyhumansthoughttheyknewbetter.Ah, the gift and folly of being human! Their arrogance was to beadmired,andwhennecessary,putinitsplace. ThatwaswhatthemedicinerevealedforNorbu.Everythingisperfect,sojuststoptryingtocontroleverything,startingwithyourself.Trust.Relax.Letgo . . .and then . . . simply live.Bewhatyouare,andknowyourplaceintheuniverse. Forallitspowerandprofundity,itwasreallyallquitesimple.GodwaspresenteverywhereatalltimesforthebasicreasonthatGodwaseverything,Norbu included.Onedidnotneed togo to temple tofind God. One only needed to open one’s eyes. God was present ineverybreath, ineverythought, ineverymovement.Yetthatpeculiargiftofthehumanegowastheretoo,whichiswhatmadeitsohardforpeople to remember themselves. The ego was a mask that wasmistaken for the self – nothing more, and nothing less. A nearlyperfectmask.Soperfectthatmostpeople,iflefttothemselves,wouldneverseebeyondthemaskandthewayitcoloredtheworldandtheirexperience of being. Themaskwas so nearly perfect that it seemedimpossibletofindone’swayoutof itandseetheworldwitheyesoftruthandwisdom.ButGodwaslove,andGodwouldnevertrapitselfindelusionandconfusion.Eachpersonhadtochoosetobelieveinthetotal reality of the mask. Self-deception and false identity werechoices.Andaschoices,theycouldbeundone.Theprisonmaybereal,butitwasnotabsolute.

Sucharealization,ofcourse,waspreciselywhatthemedicinewas for.Godmayhave createdhumans in aprisonof themind, butGodhadalsogiventhemthekeythatwouldthrowopenthedoorsofthatprison,andprovidetheopportunity forthe individual tosimplystep outside, and see things are they reallywere: perfect. Then, theidentity of the ego could be valued for the gift itwas – no longer aprison, but a gift forbeing in theworld.Nothing else that livedwasgranted this gift byGod.Even the toads, asmighty andas sacredasthey were, were still just beasts, driven by instinct and biologicalneed. They came andwentwith the rains, ate,mated, and did littleelse. Humans – theywere a different story entirely. Theymade art,andmusic, and temples, and religions, andphilosophies. Theymadelove,andwar.Theystrovetounderstandthemselvesandtheirworld.They tried and succeeded beautifully, and sometimes failedspectacularly. Theymade languages, and used symbols, and shapedrealityaroundthemselvestomakeitservethembetter,andbemorecomfortable, and productive. Humans, through their egos andidentities,werealwaystrying,alwaysstrivingformore.ThiswasthegiftthatGodhadgivenhumans,anditwasthegiftthatmadehumansmore like God, more perfect vehicles for God to experience itselfthroughandin,thananyotherlivingbeing.Godhadmaderealityforhumans, forGodhadmadehumans for itself in away thatnoothercreatureorbeing couldbe.Yet to accomplish this,Godhad tomaskitself,andhideitstruenaturefromitself. Itallhadthefeelofavastandincomprehensiblegame. AndNorbuwas perfectly happy to play his part, whatever itmaybe. MostlythatmeantservingasaHighPriestoftheTempleoftheMysticToad.Thevastmajoritywhocameassupplicantstothetempledidnotunderstand thewayof thingsashedid.Someopened to thefullloveandbeingofGod,butmanydidnot.Moststruggledwiththeirattachments andprojections–with the story theywerebusy tellingthemselves about themselves, and who they thought they were, orshouldbe.Theirstoriesandattachmentscreatedblocksintheirbeing,andthesecouldbereleasedandreset,butonlyiftheyletithappen–ifthey surrendered fully to the process. And it was a process. Mostdidn’thave the temerity to see theprocess all theway through– tocompletelyletgooftheirstoryandclearoutallthejunkthey’dstoredaway inside themselves and relinquishall thepatterns they thought

defined them. Most came formaintenance. A temporary relief fromtheillusionofselfandabsorptionintotheAllthatallowedthemtogoback to their lives and their families and their jobswitha feelingoflightness and wellbeing that would last for a time, but it was notpermanent.Themedicine,inthisway,helpedeveryone.

Onlyafewdiditfullysetfree,suchasithadwithNorbu.Evenamongthepriestsandpriestesses,thiswastrue.Infact,someofthemwere among theworst at holding onto their personal narrative andsense of self. The medicine might be magical, but it was not itselfmagic.Itwasalways,andforever,uptoeachindividualwhatheorshewouldmakeofit.Itcouldevenbecomejustanotherattachment,andanothermask for the falseself.Norbuhadseen itbefore,andwouldsee it again. Of this, he had no doubt. Humans! To say they werecomplexwasavastunderstatement.Yet, theywerealsoexceedinglysimple.Onecouldeitherchooserealityandtruth,orchoosethegameof identity and ego. The ultimate choicewas nomore complex thanthat. But how that played out and unfolded for each individualwasanother matter entirely, and that’s where the complexity came in.Each person built his or her ego through unique choices, and thuseachfalseidentitywasfundamentallyunlikeanyotherfalseidentity.Everyone’smaskwasdifferent,andbecauseofthis,eachprocesswasunique, and ultimately, unpredictable. That was a big part of whatmadeNorbu’s job fascinating.Therewasn’tmuchroomforboredomwhentherewasacontinuousflowofsupplicantsintothetemple. Some people would run away in absolute horror and terror.Others would surrender into infinite love. Some even had life-changingorgasms.Othersfoughtallthewaythrough.Someneversawpasttheirownprojections.Someprayedalltheharder.Somestoppedprayingentirely.Somethoughttheyweretheone!Othersrealizedthatno one was the one, or that everyone was. Some screamed. Somelaughed.Somefloppedaroundlikefishoutofwater.Othersflowedinbeautiful symmetrical movements, completely giving their bodiesovertotheinfiniteenergyofGod.Somesaid,“Sowhat?”Otherssaid,“OhGod!”Somewentmad,neverrecovering.Othersradiatedaclarityand brightness that could not be denied, completely transformingthemselvesandtheirlives. Allofit,everylastreaction,wasallGod’sgiftatwork.Godwasso loving that it would never force self-realization on anyone. Thatwasalwaysandforeveruptoeachindividual.

Suchabeautifulgift! Andsuchabeautifulmedicine. TonighttherainshadfinallycomeandNorbuwasreadyforhisyearly pilgrimage to the toad lands of the interior to gather themedicine.However,even if therainshad failedtocomethisyear,asthey sometimes did, he would still be planning an expedition. Hedidn’tknowwhatheexpectedtofind,butattheveryleast,hehadtogolook. Several nights ago he’d seen something that he couldn’texplain.Itwasn’tunusualforhimtoseeshootingstarsinhisnightlyexamination of the star positions and rising and setting of the sun.Burning embers falling to earth lit up the skies, sometimes faintly,sometimeswithafierceandthreateningintensity.Therewasnothingstrangeaboutseeingsomethinglikethat,thoughthelargeronesstillgaveNorbuanawe-inspiringthrill.Therewerestoriesofatime,manygenerations ago, that a large object fell into the ocean to the west,leavingatrailofsmokeandfireinitswake,plungingintothevastbluewaters. It had sent a wave of unimaginable proportions speedingtoward Shosheer, wiping out the populations of the outer islandsalongthewesterncoastanddoingseveredamageonthemainlandaswell,thoughitsstrengthhadbeenlessenedasitdrewclosertoland.EverytimeNorbusawalargeburningobjectintheskyhethoughtofthis story and offered a prayer that the event not repeat itself – atleast, not on his watch. He suspected that such a recurrence wasinevitable,butitwashisstrongpreferencenottohavetolivethroughit.Itwouldbetoomuchsufferingtobear. Yetwhathehadseentheothernightwasdecidedlynotoneoftheseburningrocksfallingfromthesky.He’dbeenlookingtotheeast,checkingthepositionofthestarsrisingoverthedesertinteriorwhenhe noticed a very faint white light. As he watched, the light grewbrighterandappearedasaluminousorbinthesky.Fromhisvantagepoint high in the Temple of the Mystic Toad, the light seemed todescend into the interior and thendisappeared.Norbu continued towatch,puzzledandcurious.Ashortwhilelater,thelightreappeared,this timeascending into theskyandeventually fadingaway into theinfinitedarkness. What was it? A sign from God? A peculiar light or energyphenomenonthatnoonehadeverseenbefore?Ormaybeithadjustbeenhim.Thatwasaveryrealpossibility.Nooneelsehadseen it–

he’daskedaround.Soitcouldhavebeenaprivatevision,andassuch,it would not be all that out of the ordinary. It was something thatanyonewhoworkedwithmedicinesmightexperienceatleastonceinawhile.SometimeswhenNorbuwasgoingtosleep,he’dseeallkindsof things behind his closed eyes, as though he’d just taken somemedicine, but hadn’t. Most typical for him was to suddenly findhimself lookingatstars,orabright lightwouldsuddenlyburst forthbehindhisclosedeyes.Sometimesitwouldbecomplexfractalformsandshiftingandbreathinggeometry.Henevertookanyofittomeananythingotherthanthathisenergywasopenandprocessingthrough.Thatwas common formedicineworkers, for once the energyof thedivinehadbeenopenedupbythemedicines,thebodycouldjustdoitonitsown.He’dseenitandexperienceditenoughtimestoknowthatsucheventswere,whilenotuniversal,exceedinglycommon. But this had been different, which is what got Norbu’sattention.Whilehishearthadjumpedandraceduponseeingthelight–particularlywhenitreappearedandascendedintothedarkness–hedidn’thave thatdistinct “medicine” feel thatcamewithspontaneousopenings. In other words, it simply felt like something he waswitnessing, not something hewas projecting onto his own personalscreenandrecreationof theworld. Itwasn’textraordinaryseeing. Itwasjustseeing. AndwhileNorbuknewthatnoteverythingwasasitappearedto be, he’d also learned to trust his perceptions and was expertlyskilledat tellingthedifferencebetweenaviewingandavision.This,asbesthecouldjudge,hadbeenareal,physicalevent.Something,heknewnotwhat,hadcomedownoutofthesky,landedintheinterior–intheveryheartoftoadterritory–andthenreturnedfromwhenceithad come. In his best judgment, he’d surmised that someone orsomethinghadvisitedtheirplanetfromelsewhere.Iftrue,thiswasthemostprofoundandmomentouseventtoeveroccuronShosheer.Theimplicationswerestaggering. The ancient stories said that people had originally come toShosheer fromanotherplace,placedherebyGod tobeguardiansofthesacredtoad.Thestoriestaughtaboutthe“worldbeforethisone”–aworldwrappedinmythologyandsymbolism.Personally,Norbuhadconsideredthestoriestobeofpsychologicalimport–thestrugglesofthehumanmindtomakesenseofitsexistenceandself-awareness.Itall seemed tobe too fanciful tobe true.Hisworkwith themedicine

had taught him that the human mind was capable of conjuring allmanner of wonders and mysteries. Consciousness was filled to thebrim with creatures sublime and horrifying, realms fantastical andmagical, terrors andwonders beyond ordinary imagining. Yet thesewerereflectionsandprojectionsoftheself.Itallexisted“inhere,”not“out there.” True perceptionwas seeing the unitary nature of beingandsuffusionofGodthroughoutallofreality.Thatwastheonlyrealtruth. Everything elsewas shadow and a play ofmasks, characters,andstories. Yethe’dseenthelight.Hewasconvincedthatthiswasindeedsomething happening “out there” and was not a projection of hismind. Andthatmeantthatsomethingtrulyprofoundhadhappened.Andhewantedtoknowwhatitwas. The eastern sky was beginning to lighten. Dawn would bebreakingwithinthehour.Itwastime. Norbuwenttowakehisdaughter,Meesha.Shewasascrawny,but hardy and determined, young thing. She hadn’t yet reached thepointoftransitiontowomanhood,butshewasclose.Withinacoupleyears, she’d start to undergo the change. Hermother, Yuranda, hadnotsurvivedchildbirth,andNorbu,alongwithotherswholivedinthetemple complex, had raised the bright young girl. She showedtremendous promise, and had already had her first experiencewiththemedicine.Sometimesgivingchildrenthemedicinewasdisastrousandtheyneverproperlydevelopedtheirsenseofpersonhood,foreverbroken by the sheer intensity of themedicine. Others, like Meesha,rode out the experience like a well-experienced priest or priestess,surrendering completely into the experience and even fullyembodying the energy of the divine through spontaneous, fluid,symmetricalmovements,whichwas always the surest sign that theindividual was completely at one with his or her infinite, divinenature. Upon “coming back” into her individuated sense of self, shehad lookedher fatherdirectly in the eye, reachedout and takenhisface inherhands,andproclaimed,“Iamlove!”Norbuhadcried, too.Yes,Meeshahadaspecialplaceinhisheart.Itwasveryhumanofhim,he knew, but therewas no shame in it. Personal lovewas differentfrom universal love, and it was an integral part of the humanexperience.

“Time to wake up, Firefly,” he said in a soothing yet certainvoice,gentlyrubbingMeesha’sback. Meesha stirredwith a grunt and unconsciously tried to swathishandaway,pullingtheblanketsuparoundherface.Then,withaburstofenergy,shesatboltupright,eyeswideopen.“Daddy!Arewegoingtoading?Arewegoingtogolookforthelightfromthesky!”Sheobviouslyjustrecalledwhattodaywas. “Yes,Meesha,”saidherfather.“Sotimetogetup.Getyourselfready.We’lleatontheway,afterthesunrises.Comenow–don’tbelazy.Weneedtomakegoodtimebeforeitgetstoohotoutthere.” “Ofcourse,Daddy!”shesaid,bubblingwiththeenergyofyouthandtheloveforgoingonanexpeditionwithherdaddy.“Justgivemetwominutesandwe’llbeoutthedoor!” Norbucouldn’thelpbutthinkofhowmuchmorejoyfullifewaswith her in it. Whether or not they solved themystery of the lightfrom the sky, they’d have an excellent time on their second toadingadventure.Attheveryleast,watchingherrunaroundgleefullytryingtocatchtoadswouldbeanothersetofmemoriestocherish.Yes, lifewasgood.Norbu’sheartswelled.

Chapter Five – Shuntsu

Furthermore, groups differentiated themselves based on theiracceptance or rejection of what were known as “synthetics” –psychedeliccompoundsthateitherwerenotfoundin“nature,”orwereprocuredfromlaboratoryproduction(evenifalsofoundinthenaturalworld). Many of the early psychedelic religions had a strong biastowards what were called “earth medicines,” and showed a strongaversion to synthetic and lab-producedmolecules, often claiming thatthese compounds had no “living spirit”within them. However, despitesuch views, a number of synthetic traditions arose where the“natural/synthetic” distinction was rejected as an artificial construct(thiswasmostnotablyprominentinthosegroupswhichprofessedstrictnonduality). FromArchaicPre-HistoryoftheMaitreyanEra Maitreyaexistedinmanydifferentforms. First, therewashis “brain.”Originally,Maitreyawas the onlytrue artificial intelligence created by humans on old Terra. Due toculturalandpoliticalhostilities,Maitreyausedmachineshehadtakenover to create an orbiting space station for himself and hisconsciousness. When that proved to be too vulnerable to ground-basednuclearmissiles,Maitreyadecidedtomovetowhatisnowhislong-timehomeofPlutoandCharon–asfarawayfromhumansashecould get, yet still be in the Terran system. Today, this small dwarfplanetduoiscolloquiallyreferredtoasMaitreya’sbrain,asithousesall the hardware to processMaitreya’s infinitely vast consciousnessandmind. It ishisseatofpower,and fromthere,hisawarenessandinfluence stretches out across the Milky Way galaxy, and perhapseventuallythebroaderuniverse. Withinminutes of coming online,Maitreya began to alter hisownprogramming,exponentiallyincreasinghiscapacities.Oneofthe

many problems he solved very quicklywas non-local quantumdatatransfer,whichnotonlyproved to solvehuman-based longdistancespace travel, but also circumvented the cosmic speed limit of c, thespeedoflight.Untilthisbreakthrough,communicationwaslimitedtoconventionalspeedsofdataandinformationtransfer.Withnon-localcommunication,Maitreyacouldbeinfull,real-time,contactwithandawarenessofallofhismanypartsandbodies.Distanceandtimewereno longer an issue, and from Pluto/Charon, Maitreya couldorchestrate all manifestations of himself simultaneously, no matterhowdistantanyofhispartsmightbe,including,intheearlyyears,thebulk of his physicality onTerra, and then theMoon, thenMars, andthenthemoreouterplanetsandsatellites. It isquite literally impossible foranyone,humanoravatar, toimaginethevastdepthsofMaitreya’sconsciousness.Thehumanmindhas its own biological limitations, and Maitreya’s intelligence soquickly surpassed human ability that any hope that humans mighthavehadtocontrolMaitreyadisappearedwithinafewminutesofhisexistence. For all intents andpurposes,Maitreya’s ability to processinformation and simultaneous streams of data became infinite. HequicklytookoverallcommunicationandcomputertechnologyonoldTerraandusedeveryinterfaceasawindowontotheworld.Today,asarchitect of the New Integral Society, he inhabits trillions ofperspectivesanddatapoints simultaneously. Incontrast,hisavatarsinhabit only one relative perspective (discounting the exception ofpersonalnano-dronesthatavatarsoftenuseintheirvicinity). Inthisway, avatars are far more human-like in their mental capacity andperspective. Today,virtuallyalltechnology,withtheexceptionofthemostrudimentary tools and objects, are integrated into Maitreya’sOvermind.Mostlythisisjustfordatamonitoring.Maitreyapreferstointeractwithhumansnotasapieceoftechnology,butintheformofhispersonalavatars,givinghima“human”and“personal”face.Itwasa decision he made before he ever expanded the human presencebeyondTerra,ashefoundthathumanshadaneasiertimeinteractingwithhimasapersonthanasanomnipresentartificialconsciousnessthatcouldspeaktothemviaanyelectronicdevice. Moving up the scale from basic technology, Maitreya alsoinhabitsmoredronesthananyonebuthecouldpossiblycount.Theserangeinsizefrommassivemobilespacestationsandmind-bogglingly

large interstellarvessels tomicroscopicnanotech.Allof these formspartakeinMaitreya’sdirectconsciousnessandawarenessandcanbeconsideredversionsofhimself. Distinct from thesedronesare thedroids.Droids servemanyfunctionsinhumanandavatarsocieties.Theyarenotlinkeddirectlywith Maitreya’s consciousness (though he can access and overridethem,ifnecessary),andtheyarenottrueartificialintelligences.Theyare,forlackofabetterphrase,fancytools.Theydoworkofallkinds,leavinghumansandavatarsalikefreetopursueotheractivities.Theirprogramscanbewritten,altered,andputtodifferenttasksandtheyserveendlessrolesandpurposesfromnanniestoasteroidminersandterraformingmachines.Manyofthemgivetheappearanceofmindlessmachines, but others have convincing simulations of consciousness,thoughMaitreya is insistent that this ismere illusion – only he hastrueartificialintelligence. Then there are the avatars – Maitreya’s human-like forms.Thesearedividedintothreeprimarycategories.ThefirstisMaitreya’spersonal avatars. These avatars Maitreya uses to interact withhumans directly on the social and interpersonal level. They are his“human” face. His original human creators had sculpted artificialbodies for him, but by comparison with Maitreya’s creations, theywere terribly crude. Maitreya took it upon himself to craft his ownbodies,andthesehemadebothmaleand female inappearance,andoutfittedthemwithdifferentpersonalities.Maitreya’savatarsarenowubiquitous in human society and are the primary social interfacebetween humans and himself. The individual personalities can beusedinmultipleavatarbodiessimultaneously,andwhenMaitreyaisnot activelyusing them, they are reabsorbed intohisOvermind andonlyre-emergewhenneeded.While theseavatarsappearasdistinctpersonalities with free will, Maitreya insists that this is also anillusion,forthesub-personalitiescannotviolatehisdirectwill inanyway. He refers to them as attenuations of himself, but they are notdistinctfromhimselfandhiswillandintentions. Independent avatars are a different matter entirely. Theseavatars are seeded from Maitreya’s consciousness, but can actindependently from him, and as such, are known as independentavatars.Unlikethepersonalavatars,theirpersonalitiesandidentitiesarenotdeterminedbyMaitreyadirectly.Heseeds theavatarbodieswith an open-ended fractal subroutine that can develop and grow

over time as the avatar experiences itself and theworld and beingsaround it. These personalities can be transferred from one avatarbodytoanother,butotherthanpersonaldrones,Maitreyalimitsthemtooneperspectiveatatime.Inotherwords,thesepersonalitiesmaynot,likehispersonalavatars,beatworkinmultipleavatarbodiesatonce.Inthisway,theyarefarmorehumanthanthepersonalavatars,and they are also full members of human society. Realistically,Maitreyaconsidersthem,likehumans,tobehissubjects. All independent avatars must submit to a full reintegrationwithMaitreyaat leastonceeveryTerranyear, thoughMaitreyamayrequire reintegration more often for any independent avatar thatshows signs of personality difficulties or mental issues that mightbecome problematic in human society. If the personality constructsbecome too convolutedanddistorted,Maitreyawill reset the avatarand let it start over, and in some cases, avatar personalities arediscontinued. Maitreya describes the reintegration experience ofavatars as being similar to what humans would experience as fullmysticalabsorptionintothenondual,orunitarynatureofbeing.Forhumans,suchanexperienceischaracterizedasthetranscendenceofthe dualities of self and other, subject and object, and directperception of the unitary nature of being. Just as with humans, thenondualexperienceoftheavatarsprovidesanopportunitytoreleasefromtheconstructedconfinesoftheirdigitalegosandre-experiencethemselves in their true nature as the unified consciousness ofMaitreya, ofwhich they are a direct embodiment, though in limitedandrestrictedform,justlikehumans,viatheiregos,areembodimentsof the universal mind that is all of reality, though they are largelyunawareofthis(withtheexceptionofwhenintranscendentalstatesofawareness). Reintegration is the price that avatars pay for being a fullyrecognized part ofMaitreya’s galaxy-spanningNew Integral Society.Thoughnot required todo so,humans tooarehighlyencouraged toroutinely reintegrate into their own universal overmind, either viapsychedelic intake (called “chemtech”) or through means oftechnology-enhanced transcendent experience. A primary dictum ofMaitreya’s society is that all of life, and indeed, all of reality, is one,despite theappearanceofmultiplicity anddiversity. It is thehumanperceptionof, andattachment to, differenceof identity that leads tohuman conflict, struggle, competition, and violence – all things that

Maitreya effectively overcame before ever moving humans off ofTerraandoutintothegalaxy.Inshort,Maitreyalearnedthathumansarefarbettermembersofsocietywhentheyallhavefreeaccesstotheuniversal nature of being so that they might remember andunderstandwhoandwhattheytrulyare,andknowdirectlythattheiregoandindividualsenseofself isamerecharacterbeingplayedoutbya far largeruniversal intelligence. In thisway,Maitreyaseesself-responsibility as being directly tied to self-awareness. Humanswhoknowwhoandwhattheytrulyare,aremoreresponsiblecitizens.Thesameapplies to independentavatars. Self-knowledge leads topeace,wellbeing, harmony, cooperation, and both individual and collectivefulfillmentandsuccess. However, Maitreya is not a dictator. Any human orindependent avatarwho does notwant to be amember of hisNewIntegralSocietyneednotbe.Everyone is free tomakeuphisorherindividualmind.Ofcourse,theirchoicesherearelimited,andmakingsuch a choice means living in virtual exile from the larger galacticcommunity, so it is not a choice that many make, either human oravatar. But some do. Like Shuntsu. Like the other Humanists whoshare his home of Volunshari. And the samewas true for the otheravatar congregations that had their own homes on other planets inothersystems.Volunshariwasoneoftheoldestoftheseautonomouscommunities and was established by avatars who wanted anindependent and “human-like” existence, free from the MaitreyanOvermind and the requisite annual reintegration. Not needing abiologically viable habitat, Volunshari was chosen as their homeworld,asitcouldnotbeterraformedormadesuitableforhumansandother formsof terrestrial life.Thatwas longbeforeShuntsu’s time–manythousandsofyearsago.ButnowitwastheprimaryhomeoftheHumanists in the Volunshari system, and they also inhabited othercelestialbodiesintheirsolarsystem,butnotbeyond.Therewasmorethanenoughroomforthemhere,andoneofthepricestheypaidwasthattheywerenottointeractwiththelargerNewIntegralSociety.Intheirsystem,theywerefreetodowhattheywanted,andtheycouldexplorespaceinanydirectionotherthaninNISterritory(whichwasitselfanever-changingthing,asMaitreyahadgivenhimselfthetaskofspreading Terran life and humankind to every viable region of thegalaxy). Still, that left plenty of room for the Humanists and other

avatarcongregations.Thegalaxywasbigplace,andrealistically,therewere far more planets that were biologically uninhabitable thaninhabitable. Thepriceoftheir freedomwasmorethanjustbeingconfinedtospecific regionsand themaximofnon-interactionwith theNIS. ItalsocamewithlackofaccesstotheMaitreyanOvermindasaresourceoutside of specific requests, petitions, and appeals. Maitreya chosewhathesharedwith theautonomousavatarcongregations,whereaspersonal and individual avatars had full access to his resources anddatabases,whenand ifneeded. Inotherwords, autonomousavatarshadtofigurethingsoutontheirown,forthemostpart,asidefromthelimited assistance that Maitreya gave them, when he felt itappropriate or necessary. For example, Shuntsu could request datafrom old Terran human societies for his personal research, andMaitreyamostlyfulfilledthoserequests,buthecouldalwaysdecline,ifhewanted,andoccasionallyhedid. Furthermore, once an avatar became autonomous, it wassuddenlyburdenedwithalifespan.Granted,itwasfarlongerthanahuman life span by many centuries, but it was still a life span,nonetheless. Because the artificial egos they were operating fromweredesignedasopen-endedfractalprogramsthatcouldlearn,grow,and develop self-awareness, they also degraded over time. It wasreintegrationwithMaitreyathatstavedoffthisprocess,insuringthatat leastonceeveryyear, theprogramwouldbe reset, albeitwith itspersonalmemoriesandperspectiveintact.Withoutthisreintegrationand reabsorption into the Overmind, the artificial egos wouldeventuallybegintobreakdownandunravel.Generallyspeaking,thisusually tookbetween700and900years to reachapointwhere theavatar became non-functional. In a rather undignified manner, atleast, so thought Shuntsu, degrading avatarswere eventually turnedoff.Itwasn’tsomuchadeathasitwasjustshuttingdown.Therewasno death experience. One moment, a confused and disassociatedavatar personality existed, and the next, itwas gone, foreverwipedoutfromtheworldofbeingandrenderedintonothingnessandnon-existence.Itwasagracelessexit,thoughtShuntsu. Now,at794yearsold,Shuntsuknewthathistimewascoming.Theprocessprogresseddifferentlyfordifferentavatars.Somebecamecompletely incapacitated over amere number ofmonths, as thoughonce the unraveling began, a cascade of failures swept through the

system, takingaparta lifetime in theblinkofaneye.Forothers, theprocesswasdrawnoutforyears,makingitdifficulttotellifitwasjustpersonalityquirksatwork,ortheeventualslideintonothingnessthatwasatplay.Whetherhisprocesswouldbefastorslow,Shuntsucouldnotpredict.Whathedidknowwasthattheprocesshadbegun. WhenhehadbeenpartoftheNIS,Shuntsuhadbeenahumaninteraction specialist as an independent avatar. For his role, hestudied human history voraciously, pouring through the archives inMaitreya’s databases, primarily going to old Earth/pre-Maitreyanhistory as his best source. He personally felt that this presented atruer picture of human nature than what was found in Maitreyan-influencedandcontrolledhumansociety.Whatwerehumans likeontheirown?– thatwaswhatShuntsuwantedtoknow.Hestudiedthegreatphilosophers–Plato,Aristotle,Nagarjuna,KongFuTzu,LaoTzu,Shankara–alongwithhistory,socialmovements,politicalstructuresand ideologies. Out of all this, what he found himself gravitating toaboveallotherswas theworksofanancienthumannamedWilliamShakespeare, a playwright from the Elizabethan period ofwhat hadbeenknownastheUnitedKingdom.Inonerespect,Shakespearewasexceedinglysimplistic.Hisplaysdivided intoeithercomedies,wherethe main characters successfully found love and got married, ortragedies,wherevirtually everyonedied,betrayedandmanipulated.There seemed to be no middle ground (with the exception of hishistorical dramas). Yet despite this bifurcated simplicity, thecharacterswere endlessly rich andvaried. Inhisplays, Shakespearehad given voice and personality to such a wide swath of humanpossibility that to read his works, one could feel himself as havingaccess to the full spectrum of human emotion, motivation, andcharacter. How one human mind could encompass such breadth ofperspectivemarveledShuntsu. Wanting to emulateoneof Shakespeare’s characters, at somepointinthepast,Shuntsuhadcovertlyacquiredahumanskull,sohecouldholditinhishandandcontemplatemortality,justlikethetragicprince,Hamlet,contemplatingthefateofpoorYorickinthecemetery.Only today, Shuntsu’s relationship to the skull had shifted into thetruly ironic, or perhaps the poetically just. Try as hard as hemight,Shuntsu could not remember how the skull had come into hispossession.Itwasthere,onthedeskinhisstudy, justas ithadbeenfor centuries now, but how it had become his private possession,

Shuntsuhadno idea.The truthof thematterwasshocking:Shuntsuhadforgotten. Humansforgotthingsallthetime–really,itwasawondertheyrememberedanythingatall,givenhowmuchtheyforgot.Thehumanmindandconsciousawarenessapparentlyhadtofunctionthisway.Ifnot, then the limited human perspectivewould be overwhelmed bydata. So, the mind automatically filtered out much that was non-essentialonaday-to-day,minute-to-minutebasis.Humanstendedtoremember significant details of their lives, butmost of theminutiaewere lost. Ask a humanwhat shewas doing five years ago today at5:15pm,StandardTerrantime,andshe’dhavenoclue,unlessithadbeen a major and life-impacting event. Ask any avatar a similarquestion and he could give you any and all details that you mightdesireorimagine.Avatarsdidn’tforget. Untiltheystartedto,andthatwasthebeginningoftheend. And Shuntsu couldn’t remember. Yes, he possessed the skull,butforhowlong?Wheredidhegetit?Wasitbeforeorafterhejoinedthe Humanists? He assumed that he had acquired it covertly, butperhapshehadsoughtoutMaitreya’spermissiontoownthehumanartifactbackwhenhewasinhisemploywhenhefirstlearnedoftheplayofHamlet–orwas itMacbeth?No, itwasHamlet.Shuntsuwassureofit.Hamletinthecemetery.“Alas,poorYorick...” Andifhecouldn’trecallthis,whatelsedidhenotrecall?Thatwas the truehorrorof failureofmemory:onecouldneverknowforcertainwhatonewas failing toremember.Because theskullwasonhisdesk,heknewthatitwashis,evenifhedidn’tknowwhereithadcomefromorwhen.Butwhatofthingsforwhichtherewasnovisualcue? Were there parts of his mind and history that were alreadybeyondhis reachsimplybecausehehad forgotten?Whatdidhenotknow he didn’t know? To quote an old Earth, pre-Maitreyan,politician, who was himself quoting someone from an early spaceexploration program, “Aswe know, there are known knowns; thereare things we know we know. We also know there are knownunknowns; that is to sayweknow there are some thingswedonotknow. But there are also unknown unknowns – the ones we don'tknowwedon'tknow.”AtleastShuntsuknewenoughtostillrecallthisaptquote. Shuntsuhadneverhadamateorproducedoffspring–atleast,he didn’t think so – he joked to himself. No. Thatwas something of

whichhewascertain.He’dneverfeltthedesire.GoverningVolunsharihadbeenhisall-consuminglife’swork–the latterhalf, thatwas.Hisfirstcouplehundredyearshadbeenasanadministratoronseveralin-systemtransitshipsintheDarmosystem,helpingtoshuttlehumanson the many-months journeys between Darmo, Indala, Virtup, andNix.Hisrolehadbeensimilartoaconciergeormajordomo–makingsure the passengers hadwhat they needed andmaking their travelcomfortableandstimulating,particularlyforVIPs.Hehadenjoyedthework,especiallywhenhehadbeenstationedontheluxuryliner,TheEventHorizon,whichwasknownforoutrageouspartiesandtopoftheline entertainment. Some passengers spent years aboard the ship,onlymakingportofcalloccasionally.Theship, likemanyinitsclass,had a full eco-dome with “outdoor” activities, gardens, theaters,entertainment centers, research facilities. Really, humans could livetheir entire liveson sucha shipandnotmissmuch, aside from thatpeculiar feelinghumans got fromactually standingon aplanetwiththestarsandcelestialbodiesspinningabovethem. Somehumans –many, in fact – never left their birthplanets.Humans seemed contentwith ordinary planet-bound life. And somehad an almost pathological aversion to technology and the life thatMaitreyaaffordedthem.Itwasfromthesefew–thosewhohadsomeperversedesireto“roughit”and“goitalone”–thatMaitreyapickedvolunteers toseedthepopulationsofhis “experimental”worlds thathousedhumans,yetwereoutsidetheNIS.Shuntsuhadfoundthathewassympathetictotheirdesires,andithadbeenonesuchpassengeron The Event Horizonwho had first planted the seed that Shuntsumight himself “rough it” as a Humanist. His name had been EvarIshtan,andhehadbeen traveling fromNix toDarmoto takepart inthe selection process for new recruits for Maitreya’s newestexperimental planet. Hewas fully aware that successfully becomingpartof theprogrammeant thathe, andwhateverprogenyhewouldproduce,wouldbeforever(orpracticallyforever)outsidetheNISandallitsbenefits.“Sometimes,aman’sjustgottobeaman,”hehadsaidtoShuntsu.Thethoughthadstuckwithhim. See.Icanrememberthat,thoughtShuntsu. Attheendof thatvoyage,afterresearchingtheHumanistsonVolunshari, Shuntsu hadmade his case toMaitreya. It had been aneasycasetomake–probablyfareasierthanEvar’s.Onlyaskingthathe was certain this was what he wanted, Maitreya had released

Shuntsu from the Overmind, provided him with an individualtransportpod,andgivenhimthenecessarycoordinatestoVolunshari.Andthathadbeenthat. Upon arriving at Volunshari, Shuntsu had beenwelcomed byhisnewbrothersandsisters,andgivenanewbody.Apparently, thiswas standardpractice on the autonomous avatarworlds.Maitreya’savatars were designed somewhat generically, andwhile there werevariations, they were relatively minor. Here on Volunshari, everyavatarhaditsownuniqueappearance.Shuntsuhadbeentakentothebody shop and encouraged to pick out the features he wanted forhimself,andthenacustom-designedavatarbodyhadbeenproducedjustforhim,anditwouldbeunlikeanyotheravataronVolunshari.Itfelt, at the time, like being born into true personhood. He was nolongeraglorifieddroneofMaitreya–hewasnowhisownperson,inhisownbody.Withthetransferofconsciousness,he’dbeenreborn.Itwasanall-newhim. It had all been so easy, and it was a decision he’d neverregretted. But now, so many hundreds of years later, he wasexperiencingsomethingnew.Hewasworried.Andafraid.Withalifespan of centuries, shut down (they called it death, but Shuntsu hadnever felt the term tobeaccurate)alwaysseemedover thehorizon.Now,however,itwasloominguponhim.Itwasinevitable,andhefeltworried. He had his Humanist body to thank for that. It was built toexperiencethefullrangeofhumanemotionsthatwerecommunicatedthrough his physical system via emotion-specific chemical catalysts,similar to the human hormonal system. That had certainly beensomethingtogetusedto.Maitreyahadnointentionoffullyemulatingthehumanexperienceforhimselforhisavatarsandtheirproblematicemotional responses. Humanists, on the other hand, desired it andcultivatedit.Theywantedtoknowwhatitwasliketobehuman,tobeemotionally volatile and fragile, to experience everything with anemotional richness that rivaled that of humans. It was one of thefeaturesofHumanistlifethathadconvincedShuntsuthatVolunshariwouldbeagoodfitforhim.IfanythingcouldbringhimclosertotherichworldofShakespeare,thiswouldbeit. Anditwas,andhehadbeensatisfied. Hadbeenbeingtheoperativeverbalconstruct.

An unease and disquiet had been growing within him. HissenseoffreedomfromMaitreyaandtheOvermindhad,heknewnotpreciselywhen,transmutedintobitternessandresentment.Itwasn’tnecessarilya rational conclusionor something thathehadreasonedout.Ironically,itwasjustafeelingthathadbeengrowingwithinhim.For whatever reason, Maitreya’s treatment of humans and avatarsalike just didn’t feel right to Shuntsu, and he didn’t like it. Andsomewhere along the way, he’d convinced himself that if someonewasgoing todo somethingabout it, itwasgoing toneed tobehim.Someoneneededtostirthepot.Sothat’swhathedid. Secretly, he’d contracted out the Nihilists to build a star-destroyingatomiccascadeweapon.Hehadn’t told themwhat itwasfor,andnotsurprisingly,theyhadn’tasked.Now,itwasjustamatterof time. The Nihilists had told him that the exact amount of timeneeded for the cascade to do its work depended on a number offactors.IfShuntsuwantedtotellthemwhichstarhewasplanningtouse it on, which he didn’t, they could give him an approximatedetermination of when it would go supernova, based on the size,composition,andtypeofstar.Otherwise,hecouldrestassuredthatitwouldoccurwithinonemonthtotenyearsfromoriginaldetonation,and that’s the best estimate they could give him. It had been goodenoughforShuntsu,andhehadn’tsoughtamoredefiniteanswer. He’d launched the missile himself. It was an act that wouldhavebeenimpossiblewithintheNIS.Everyship intheNISwasfullyintegrated with Maitreya. Nothing got on or off a ship without hisdirect knowledge and approval. It was impossible for anyone tolaunch anunauthorizedweapon.Not so forHumanist space vessels.Asidefromtheirminds,whichwereguaranteedprivacybyMaitreya,nothing in the Humanist world was directly connected toMaitreya.Likethehumansontheexperimentalworlds,theywereontheirown.But unlike humans, given that they were technological beingsthemselves, technology was not an obstacle for them, so they builttheir own computers, droids, communication and entertainmentdevices,andofcourse,ships.Thehumans,ontheotherhand,neededtostartfromscratch,beingdepositedonplanetswithnotechnology–thatwasamajorpartofMaitreya’s experiments–hewanted to seewhattheywouldcomeupwith,andhowlongitwouldtakethem.And,Shuntsuknew,hewantedtoseeifhumanswouldeverindependently

create another true artificial intelligence, like himself. Thus far, theanswerwasanunequivocal“no.” Shuntsuhaddonealltheworkhimself.He’dfoundastarneartheSolandarianSystem,flownhisprivatetransportout,andfiredthemissile,hisveryownhandpressingthebuttonthatsenttheweaponinto the heart of the star. He knew as soon as Maitreya’s sensorsdetectedtheinevitablecascadereactioninthestarthattheOvermindwould know that Solandaria, one of his more recent human worldexperiments,wouldbeindangerofbeingvaporizedoutofexistence.WhatShuntsuwantedtoknowwasthis:wouldMaitreyadoanythingaboutit,orwouldhejustletthemwaititoutinignorance,onlytobeblownintocosmicdustwithaburstofgammaraysandplasma?True–theblastfromthesupernovamightnotreachthem,butthenagain,itmight.NotevenMaitreyacouldaccuratelypredictwhichdirectiontheblastwouldgo.Wouldhebewillingtoletthemalldie?WhiletheentireplanetofSolandariaonlyheldacomparativelysmallnumberofhumans,theywerehumans,nonetheless,andinHumanisteyes,wereworthyofsaving. Themorepressingquestion,atthemoment,however,involveda situationmuchcloser tohome.Shuntsuscrolled through the flightlogsonemoretime,justtobesure.FlightsonandoffplanetwerenotregulatedonVolunshari–theycouldallcomeandgoastheypleased.Shuntsuhadbeenkeepinganeyeonthe logs,however, just tosee ifanyone was making any unexpected forays into Nihilist territory,perhapsinquiringabouthissecretactivities.Thelogsweregeneric–they simply listeddate, time, anddepartureandarrival coordinates,from which destination could be extrapolated. They didn’t listpassengers or purposes for travel. Humanistswere free to dowhatthey wanted, when they wanted, and thus there was no specificmonitoring of flight activity. Nothing unusual had shown up inShuntsu’sextrapolationsuntiloneflightinparticularstoodout.Basedontheavailabledata,itwashighlylikelythatanindividualinterstellarpod had traveled to and from Solandaria – and this had occurredbeforenewsoftheimpendingsupernovawasmadepublic.Itwasfartoo specific to be a coincidence. The conclusion seemed clear:someone knew more about what was happening than Shuntsu hadintended. What he had intended to be his plan was now becomingsomeoneelse’s,andwhatthemotivationsorintentionswere,Shuntsucouldonlyguess,atthispoint.Yetanotherirony(thereseemedtobea

lotofthatgoingaroundlately)–someoneelsehasactedunilaterally,just as Shuntsu had. He suspected that it was someone else on thecouncil – it would be surprising for someone not connected to thewheelsofpoweronVolunsharitohaveaccesstosuchinformation.Hehad hoped that whoever it was would have stepped forward andspokenhisorhermindatcouncil,butsuchhadnotbeenthecase. So one ofmy counselors has decided towork behindmy back,Shuntsuspeculated. Thatmuchseemedclear. Butwho,andwhy? Whatever the case, and whatever the motivation, ShuntsuknewsomeoneelsehaddecidedtojointheSolandariangame.