AN ORCHARD OF EXPERIENCES

Jyoti: Age 12, 2003 (Earth)

“Present!” she promptly indicates as her teacher performs the morning head count. Looking down at her notebook, she feels refreshed to find that she did, in fact, complete her summary last night (it wasn't a dream). Later, she steps through the heavy double doors, outside to the sun-drenched downpour which was predicted on the radio that morning. As the heated surfaces steam from their contact with the rain, she pauses, taking in the sweet smell of budding leaves, and soaked pollen. Her pink parka ricocheting the dewy drops in a scattered pattern, like miniature Tycho drummers beating the sounds of nature through the fling of their wooden sticks. Returning home to her mother, she's met with warm hugs, and dinner, fuelling her inner-furnace for the night ahead.

Hayden: Age 36, 2026 (Earth)

Making a quick check out the side of his driver's side window, he readies his signature move: The 4th Street Drift, he calls it. For each of his 3 day a week shifts, he'd set his electric road beast into track mode and speeds up as he approaches the intersection. With a snap of the yoke, he kicks the rear end out, and like a peacock fanning its tail, proceeds to sprinkle an even distribution of road dust upon the surrounding intersection. He sees it as a sort of crop dusting for the innocent and unawakened pedestrians of the day. Generally, his morning stunt is taken with a mixture of annoyance and enthrallment, as it jolts them from the monotone hum of their half-awakened head phase. But it's the return 'customers' that he's come to do this for. This morning, he notices a couple of his regulars. Starting with an over-dressed woman in her 20s of Asian descent, with her coral faux-leather handbag; she reliably exhibits the same look of combined horror and amazement, each time he sketches a perfect 'double rainbow' with the most expensive all-wheel drive rubber crayon. And then, the elderly English chap with a tweed trilby hat, who seems to be triggered quite gleefully, when the dirt wisps across his face, transforming smug to smirk. Perhaps, it transplants his mind to a former career in the racing world, highlighting his most glorious of days. In any case, Hayden had a meeting to get to.

Chezniukunik: Age 178, Xypaetia Cycle 22386 (Meteor Belt XYP866)

Chazzie is awakened by his travel companion, a bird-like creature whose song includes an assortment of over one hundred different binaural vocal patterns (thanks to its twin vocal organs). As he's pulled out of a dream, he recalls what day this is. Packing his latest batch of chocolates, he rushes to open his confectionary at the Aeonic Athenaeum. It's been 12 years of business, gathering resources and preparing rare delights for visitors of the Xypaetia Cluster. He recalls the decisions made, which brought him here today; his former life, was a far cry from the artful path he now follows. Glimpses, and impressions, of the day he was snatched in his sleep, from one galaxy, only to wake up in another. Occasionally, he still questions if it was all a dream, that he has yet to awaken from. The soldier's life seems so distant, that he cannot quite put together who he was, really, before this new existence. “Enough of that for now”, he tells himself, “We have business to attend to!” as he boards his modestly sized orbital cruiser.

Sai: Age 24, 10,000 BC (Earth)

“Uguhn” she spoke, nodding reassuringly to her brooding mate. He's been feeling particularly troubled lately. Three passes of the seasons have taken place since they left their original roaming grounds, where their tribe had dwelled in the Fertile Lands. Where they will end up next, is anyone's guess. However, their priorities were clear: Get high above sea level, and use the red flame to ward off the unwelcomed. Ghejiee has always been an admirable companion; stable and reliable in character. With his above-average stature, and a gentle sensibility, she guessed he would make an excellent Paternal one day. The tribes people of her original family agreed with her, that the best choice in the face of the Intimidator peoples would be to hang on tightly to mates like this. Her work, was to organize a pictograph outlining how they could manage their seasonal resources, seeing as they would be unfamiliar with the hunting and foraging situation (or lack thereof), along the next steps of their novel pathway. Some planning was needed, for certain. So far, they have managed to survive, but she had a foreboding feeling that they may not be as lucky in the high lands as they were in the valley.

THE CONFLUENCE OF UNDERSTANDINGS

The Goddess of Intrinsic Connection: Age 888 Centillion Earth Years

Within a glimmering realm of opalescent growth, dwells a Mother of a timeless antiquity. She is humanoid in appearance, with pale, pointed, yet elegant facial features, and shiny black eyes that reflect the void of the cosmos. A modest white gown draped across her ancient form, she glides through her organic network of cosmic fungi. Her gardens, which transition from mushroom-capped valleys to surreal caves, are lined with glowing bulbs which follow the rivers where the Eternal Nectars flow. This Goddess of Intrinsic Connection thinks, and contemplates, with a frame of reference unlike any other in the Cosmic Weave. Myceliana (Myla for short), in and of herself, is a connected network to all that is, was and ever will be. When she sets about the subject of a thought, entire lifetimes are lived, from any combination of conceivable perspectives, and timeframes. Her reach even includes dimensional spaces outside of her home Universe of the Goddess Grid. As she gathers information, she can extend her awareness through her Mycelial network, to experience entire lifetimes as incarnated beings within any conceivable period. Alternatively, she may simply 'pop in' for a glance through someone else's eyes, to gather additional detail, and nuanced experience of the subject in question. As such, everything is truly considered when it comes to Myceliana's thought process.

AN INQUIRY INTO THE EMOTIONS

One day, Goddess Thalassia approached her with a peculiar question relating to the subject of emotions (the domain of which she is the masteress). Myceliana found it curious (and ironic) that she would be asked about the subject for which her sister was created, but she felt eager to engage her younger sibling. Thalassia proceeded: “My sister, it's nice to see you today, I have a bit of a puzzle for you.”

“Please, indulge me.” Myla responded.

Thalassia continued: “After a very long time of having introduced the aspect of emotions to physical existence, one thing has caught my attention as slightly unresolved. It's the question of how living beings orient themselves to their concept of truth, in a universe of endless perspective. You see, I understand the nature of emotions: my Goddess, I AM the emotions! However, it appears to me that many Corporeals try to reduce their experience so they may be able to explain, or justify it to themselves, and others who are living OUTSIDE their experience. This has (in some places) led to entire species taking great steps to invalidate the emotional information received by other parties, to the point where it threatens their physical situation. I feel this was perhaps a bit of an oversight on my part, but I can't help but feel this was going to happen anyway. Do you know what I'm getting at?” she paused, awaiting her elder sister’s response.

KNOWN FROM EXPERIENCE

Myceliana went silent, Thalassia waited. A peaceful trance manifested upon Myla's face. Her eyes, like black pearls, increased in depth and glimmered as it seemed the entire universe had appeared within them. Moments later, (having lived a multitude of lifetimes, and having glanced through a selection of personal moments (mentioned above), she responded:

“It's like this, my adorable and beautiful sister: The spectrum of emotional information has become so vast; you must consider that, within the confines of their physical architecture, these individuals must find a way to consolidate this vast range of inner experience with the 'simplitude' of their present moment. The body, and timeline they live in, can often behave like a bottleneck for the experience they are in the process of receiving. That is to say, that most Corporeals feel much more than they could express through the vehicle of their body, given the limited time and space they have at any given moment. Because of this, entire religions, psychological models, and mythologies are made to assist them in doing one thing: to simplify the message so that it can, ultimately, be communicated to another.”

She continued: “This helps them to connect the world they live in, with the rest of what they know deep down, to be true in the Cosmos. Beings who are more strongly oriented to their emotional messages, let's call them 'Emotionals', experience their entire reality through the magnificent filter of the information you flow to them. Other categories of beings, such as 'Sensorials', who are accustomed to what they instinctually sense around them, experience things in a more moderate fashion. Although, they too fall prey to emotional overflows. You could say that the model is incomplete, or flawed, but experience tells me that it provides an opportunity: If they become skilled at harnessing the direction, and flow of their emotional realities, they could then channel its massive energy into their physical experience. This powerful creative force, is the physical manifestation of what we, the Matriarx use to shape all-that-is. Yet, there is some wobble in 'hands on' experiences that do produce undesired results. However, in my view, this is simply the 'noise', or stray harmonic in the song of non-physical, to physical expression. Ultimately, this symphony produces an epic movement that would 'Wow' any audience spanning the Grid. Does that help?”

Thalassia lit up, “I love your answer, Myla, and I wonder if, perhaps, I might introduce the idea that sound might further open the flow of emotional output in Corporeals. Such that greater heights of emotional flow, and physical expression might occur, what then might happen?!”

“Spoilers, Thal…” Myla replied, with a teasing tone. “…but you might want to pay a visit to the Sonoric Sanctum, to see what one particular being's been up to over the last 200 Sonarayas Cycles.”

Visit the Sonoric Sanctum

✪ Visit Her Profile | Stories with Myceliana, and Thalassia:

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