36 - in which Chumba Wumba and Aargen Darvurg call on the gnomiki

Chumba Wumba, you're looking terrible!

Oh, thanks Aargen Darg - you're looking half-dead yourself!

How’s beetling?

Aargen pops Chumba an image of his latest mount:

N-i-c-e!

And you?

Not doing so badly either:

Awesome!

The troll and the goblin are old friends, as you can probably tell. Assigned to the fearsome side of form, they set little store by physical appearance. These two, who could so easily have been the “bad guys” in this or any other tale, are in fact the ones chosen by Story to... but that would be telling.

They're assigned to life-matter curve maintenance – a job only for the more experienced g-nomi.

What on Earth's happened to your part of the curve Chumba? – it's looking... bizarre. Never seen anything like it!

Me neither. It's Josh, I suspect. He's been putting some unusual loads on the system recently.

"Has he now – tell me more..." Aargen inquires.

Well yes, obviously you're aware the Matrix went down for 1,300 years.

Of course I'm aware, but that wouldn't have done this to the curve.

No – that's true. It's probably his blog.

His what?

You know, he's been keeping a blog – writing about you and me and everything under the sun.

Whatever next? I expect he's made us look pretty unsavoury.

You get off lightly Aargen – you're like his exotic, almost pin up goblin friend, whereas I'm the evil bogeyman – the butt of his peculiar slapstick humour.

Well, that's not all together surprising, is it Chumba? You do have a, what shall I call it, a certain manner.

Now don't you start – I've had about enough from him and all the blog readers – g-nomers he calls them – bloody cheek – the way I'm being presented, it's little short of racism. 

That's a point – we should run a troll rehabilitation campaign as Hermione Granger does with house elves at Hogwarts.

Don't you dare Aargen – the last thing I want is to be pitied by a load of obnoxious human folk.

Oh Chumba – I think it's time you came to Goblin. You need to see these humans from a fresh perspective. They really do make such excellent domestic dwellings. You might start to like them if you spent a week or two living in one – and their conversation's so much more intelligent on my side of the life-matter curve.

Yes – it could hardly be less intelligent could it – I mean the words "bottom of the barrel" do tend to spring to mind rather frequently when it's my mixed pleasure to engage them in dialogue.

Come on Chumba, what’s got into you?

Well just look at this curve? It’s not natural. It shouldn’t be that way.

You’re absolutely right. It looks like something pretty major’s afoot.

You’re telling me – and as far as I’m concerned, it’s all to do with the humankind and the game of brinkmanship they’ve been playing with Reality.

Yeah – pushing Story to the absolute limit, like there's no tomorrow. We’re coming up for some big denouement, that's for sure.

Absolutely – in fact, [looking more closely] – see this section here?... and this one?... Aargen points at two sections of the life-matter curve – either they’re about to pull apart completely – or we’re in for some kind of inversion.

That’s it Aargen – you’ve hit the nail on the head. I half suspected inversion was on the cards, but something held me back from stating it openly. Fear, I suppose.

Yeah Chumba, observe how your dis-ease vis-à-vis humanfolk has kept you snarled in this loop – but that’s presumably how it is supposed to be. Story has an uncanny habit of writing us into the most outlandish roles.

So how come you get to play enlightened goblin, whereas I’m terrorising troll?

Good question – presumably that was the most elegant way to engineer the kind of kink in the curve we’re seeing right here – oh wow – look at that – it’s hardly holding together at all. I think it’s time we brought in the gnomiki.

Do you think so? Aren’t we supposed to do this all ourselves?

I think we’ve already done everything we could. A little technical expertise would certainly be appreciated right now.

The two of them stare in disbelief as the life-matter curve, usually stately, stable and beautiful to behold starts oscillating like a snake, twisting, gyrating...

Gnomiki, gnomiki, gnomiki – we cordially request your council here and now – signed C. Wumba, A. Darvurg.

The text is delivered instantaneously – releasing a small green light orb that conveys the message – received with thanks; reviewing; expect answer forthwith.

In truth, neither Chumba nor Aargen are sure whether they should attempt to stabilise the life matter curve as they normally would, thereby preserving status quo throughout the universe – or simply stand back and allow the inevitable to happen. This is looking increasingly like an act of God, and they have no desire to come between Creator and the whole of Creation. That would be a lesson in futility, so they start humming the Beatle hit "Let it be" to calm their mounting anxiety.

– Ah! there you are... Nice to see you Wumba, you too Darvurg. [You’ll notice the gnomiki are a little old fashioned in this respect, and still generally use surnames when addressing us]

Chumba and Aargen are visibly relieved to see the gnomiki have responded so swiftly.

But who? What? I hear you enquire, has come to their assistance.

Dot₃ moment... you see the gnomiki are a collective consciousness, so you’re never really sure who or what. It’s just the gnomiki, no matter which particular emissary. This one has taken a form that is appropriate to both Chumba and Aargen – not too tall to make them feel small, neither too small to make them feel uncomfortably large, a little blotchy around the gills to avoid being too breathtakingly beautiful in the presence of an earthy goblin and a trucular troll.

–  Ah yes, it’s happening at last. Funny it should be on your watch... says the chest high, green being of Faery extraction, shining the kind of light that indicates the multiverse is in safe hands – nothing is being left to chance.

–  Funny? Aargen and Chumba both repeat more or less simultaneously.

Their interlocutor arches her eyebrows, obviously impressed by their synchronicity.

Yes, don’t you find it amusing?

Now here’s where the magic of gnomiki kicks in. 1 ten thousandth of a second before Sphalisana had makes her cryptic remark, neither Chumba nor Aargen had thought there was anything remotely amusing in this, but what a difference 1 ten thousandth of a second can make. The two of them quite suddenly look at one another and a wave of mirth, pure unbridled, golden mirth pours forth – dissolving, dissolving, dissolving everything and anything that stands in its path. So intense is this mirth that the two are hardly sure how to react. Raucous laughter would not match the frequency. Nor would chuckling or giggling or any other form of laughter we’re familiar with. The laughter that erupts is in fact silent, coming as it does from every cell in their body. Just imagine that! Just imagine every cell in your body laughing in sync and feeling this laughter connecting you into the very fabric of reality – the matter of life, the life of matter.

Had they been laughing at a lesser frequency, the two of them might have glanced around, eyes wide with alarm – for it might have seemed ferocious, and threatened them with instantaneous dismemberment or aortic rupture, but this laughter – so close to being ferocious, so close to being destructive, in fact lifts them beyond the danger zone. They find themselves swept into the life-matter curve, troll and goblin, where they finally grok, getting what they’re laughing about – and getting it’s the final straw, the final lever of abandonment releasing the eschatological deluge of madcap mirth.

And what?

Very difficult to say. A 36 track recording. In one of the tracks – the final one – they are playing a game of billiards with Sphalisana on an emerald table with opal balls skittering back and forth. The game itself is of little note, barring the fact that players and balls are in complete awareness of what is unfolding. Instead of trying to pot the balls as fast as possible and win – they allow the Story within game to unfold in all its beauty, and thus the many intricate connections, trajectories, misses and collisions write the programme code for the new life-matter curve. In another track we see a beetle flying into the head of an obviously bewildered Josh, and as you've probably realised, every track corresponds with a chapter in g-nome portal story-blog, in which you the reader play the part of screen on which the tale is told.

You mean the gnomiki have used this story-blog to reverse engineer the life-matter curve, and we've been unwitting accomplices? 

What attentive readers you are – and yes – it’s been a pleasure working with you on this project. It should hardly come as a surprise to you, One and all, to know that you have been unwitting, yet in merry truth, full-witted accomplices in this upgrade of our Reality Story. I’m pleased to say it’s been a complete success – somewhat prematurely to be sure, yet not without a...

A what?

Not without a dot₃ of certainty.

Goodness gracious! What on Earth next!

Yes, it’s my favourite paradox – I like to save it for special celebratory moments such as the present one.

Not without a dot₃ of certainty...   and our beloved reader finds her/himself melting in the mirth of moment, adding her own priceless contribution – the magic of laughter, its light, love and life-force to the already re-self-extrapolating life-matter curve and, at this moment, without a shadow of doubt, together we see, we feel and know that life does in deed matter, and so does this – our billiard game of words, in which we play to perfection our roles without even knowing it...

Sphalisana and her many are One celebrate through the night in a distinctly Narnian scene of regeneration and rebirth. Evidently Aslan has returned, and all the trees, and rivers and birds and beasts, yea, even the humankind have come together once again, in one accord, to celebrate the great and auspicious moment known to goblins as the 27^th and to humans, euphemistically, as Big Bang. For a while our readers remain somewhat sheepishly in the shadows, but then the music and merriment lifts them too into the dancing free-for-all and now, at last, we are One, One, One... and nothing else remains.

Afterword – in which Josh mentions in passing Other

I’ve set up this website to provide information to all beetle lovers and pilots of the quantum stream. If you have any questions about the mathematics of 0=1, Faery or g-nome portal, feel free to contact my secretary Emily Stickleback. As you’ve probably surmised, my hologram at Boodle & Badwise Nobs has exceeded all expectations and I’m in no hurry to end my training, which has now entered its second semester. Beetlejuice would not be a very comfortable place for a human to hang out, but g-nome portal enables us to shift frequency to the degree that a fiery red star becomes a tranquil oasis paradise. Already, I’ve been pleased to welcome a handful of our bbgs, and look forward to seeing a lot more of you in the near future. Great things are in store for planet Earth, largely thanks to Georgiy Bogdanov, but also thanks to Other.

“Er... wait a second Josh, what the heck’s Other?”

Oh, didn’t I mention it?

“Er, no. Is it something important by any chance?”

Yeah, kind of.

“Well?”

I don’t really know how to begin... it’s quite a big subject – not the kind of thing I want to start talking about in the final pages of this story blog.

“Well, you can’t just mention something and not explain it – that’s unreasonable.”

I suppose so... Er... Other’s kind of like the shadow.

“The dark side?”

Oh – that’s the problem with words – the dark side sounds so scary and evil.

“And Other isn’t?”

Well, actually it can be scary and evil – if that’s how we perceive it.

“But it isn’t, you’re saying.”

Correct. It’s just whatever I’m not.

“And that’s all there is to it?”

Well, yes. When I take human form, or whatever form I currently take, there’s a lot of me that can’t quite squeeze in, or if it can squeeze it, it doesn’t exactly feel welcome.

“Why’s that?”

Because every form has to have its “what not” in order to take on form. In other words, form is defined primarily in terms of what it is not – otherwise it would remain formless.

“Not sure I follow...”

Look – it’s like a sculptor. He has to cut away a whole lot of wood or stone to reveal the form of the sculpture. All that wood or stone is discarded – and you’re the same. A load of you is discarded and remains as Other. It serves a vital function, however, for it shadows you all your life trying to reconnect, and you, naturally, resist it, feeling it to be a threat.

Bear in mind that Other knows you inside out – and can read all your thoughts and feelings. You can’t outsmart it. You can fear it, or you can learn to accept it’s a part of you. Those who do the latter become magicians. They are able to harness the power of Other, rather than fearing and shunning it.

“Ok – but what’s that got to do with most people on the planet? We’re not all going to become magicians, are we?”

No, but there’s a new agreement in place.

“There is?”

Yes, we’ve already graduated from the Modern Era, though few seem to have realised this, and now we’re entering the Quantum Age.

“And?”

Well, in the Quantum Age we learn how to come back into our Isness without losing or destroying our precious form. Coming back to Isness, entering the quantum stream we rediscover Other – we are able to learn from One another. To forge a new future based on shared experience.

“So this is what you meant by the allness?”

In part, yes, but the Allness is everything and anything. Look, the main thing about Other is that it’s been the cause of most of our nightmares and deepest darkest fears, because we knew it was stalking us though we couldn’t see it. Naturally we became paranoid individually and collectively, and we wanted a saviour, a Messiah or a God to protect us from “what is” and, in particular, the aspect of what is that can be referred to as “what not”.

“And now we don’t?”

Correct. Now we’re entering an entirely new phase where this fear driven polarisation is shifting magically, magnificently, mystically into something else – something that I’m hard pushed to define or explain – but which broadly speaking is covered by the term Faery.

“Which means the new Reality is going to incorporate aspects that we’ve previously considered unreal?”

Precisely – you’re getting good at explaining things better than I can – would you like my job Sangri?

“Er... no, not yet. You’re doing fine Josh.”

So, yes, the new reality is going to have to expand enormously as we become aware of what was previously formless. Becoming better acquainted with Other’s going to help us to better understand the multiple levels of life all around us. Instead of having to change the world, as some people imagine, we’re going to find our perception of the world shifting to the extent that we’re no longer living where we were. This heavy dualism between town and country, for example, and likewise between earth and cosmos is going to soften and disappear. There never really was the kind of separation we’ve been perceiving. It was more just a reflection of our fear and form driven separation with Other. As we learn to dance and play more and more harmoniously with Other, and discover that there is no great evil capable of stealing or swallowing our souls, we can heal the wounds and divisions that have riven our I's inner-plains as much as society as a whole. Society only ever reflected our inner division.

This image gives some idea of the largely self-evident relationship between the two:

Postscript

This, dear readers – is where I end – with a footnote to my many friends in the scientific community who have been both excited and appalled by the implications of 0=1, and who have struggled so diligently to move the goalposts of scientific materialism to the mystical moment of Creation itself.  It cannot be done – not without funny logic and a large dose of cuckoo la la. Not by I-mind/what matters, for Creation is more than minding what matters, and sooner or later logic has to give way to bio-logic which is/I am – One. If you don’t believe me, I suggest you spend some time with Master Wu – he’ll definitely help you see things differently.

How, then, I hear you ask, did Creation come about?

And I’m tempted to leave the answer to Dorothy – she has little time for our foolish questions and usually makes do with three dots to point us in the right direction, but as a reward for your patience, and for making it to the end of this story-blog, I’ll give you an answer of sorts... or repeat the answer the Beatles were kind enough to relay to us forty seven years ago: “All you need is love”.

A cliché? Unscientific? Unquantifiable? Yes, I expect all of these apply and more, yet, when you return to the quantum stream and find yourself dissolved in the isness of Be – as I recently have – what emerges from that truly incomparable experience is a love so deep that it births an other  – in my case Nerys. She had not existed, but Love, like the Big bang in reverse, suddenly, unexpectedly, condenses into singularity – a conscious being. And thus Story, the great eagle that it is, flaps its wings and the entire physical universe makes way, yielding to prime directive – amor vincit omnia, love conquers all.

Story is complete. I give you a new universe. Enjoy it. Play with it as only children might and discover one by one its many wonderful secrets. For a while it may look the same as the old, but I assure you, as the Quantum age unfolds you will see without a shadow of a doubt, that the new One has a completely different structure. As I dance in the forest of delight with my fairest other Nerys, the entire universe is finely, perfectly attuned to the vibration of love, and so you will find that matter, and what matters, are of less and less significance, and that, I believe is exactly what we planned all those years ago when we started our journey into the dark heart of nought, knowing that matter could only take us as far as the brink of annihilation – which is where we have tarried long enough to see what Is. If I were your broker I’d be yelling for you to short matter and go long love, for the tide has already turned and the shifting current is going to be violent for those who try to oppose it.

In the meantime – I wish you all happy beetling and 0=1, may the magic of Faery help reconnect you with your brightest, lightest dreams and ride the love bug back home to I-Be dot₃

Chapter 24 – in which Roger fixes my kitchen sink

Er... Roger, what on earth are you doing here?

I’ve just come home from work to find Roger unbeetled [in human form] in my kitchen beneath the sink, evidently pulling it to pieces.

Oh, hi Josh. Actually, I’m not technically here.

Excuse me? What did you say?

I’m not technically here... Look, sorry about barging in on you like this but this is a situation that had to be dealt with immediately.

A situation that requires you to dismantle my kitchen sink?

Oh, don’t worry about that – I’m a qualified plumber, electrician and builder in my normal life. This kind of thing’s a piece of cake.

Fair enough – but that still doesn’t explain why you’re here in the first place.

Crisis management.

What crisis? Was there a leak or something.

Look Josh, this isn’t making a lot of sense. Could you put your bag down, put the groceries away and put the kettle on while I finish this job. Then I can explain everything one step at a time.

So that’s precisely what I do. Roger’s not the kind of guy you mess around with. I mean, he’s not mean or threatening, but you can tell he means business, and he doesn’t suffer fools lightly.

Seven minutes, forty three seconds later...

That’s done it. Ok Josh, where were we?

You said you’re not technically here. That doesn’t make a lot of sense to me while I’m watching you reassemble the kitchen sink. Would you care to explain?

Oh sure... right now I’m asleep in my house in LA.

Oh right. That’s fine. You’re asleep in LA. Then who’s here in my kitchen, looking more or less exactly like you do, when you’re not busy being a beetle?

Well, that depends how you look at things. On the one hand it’s a hologram, but on the other, 0=1, I’ve brought you and your apartment into my dream... which we’re now dreaming together.

I’m expecting myself to object to this bald assertion, but for some reason I accept it as given – my only concession to my old way of thinking is to pinch myself – Roger is watching for this and smirks:

“If I’ve brought you and your apartment into my dream, then pinching’s really not going to help, but carry on doing so if it’s reassuring. Just because it’s a kind of dream doesn’t mean it isn’t real or physical – as you’ve already proven to yourself. It’s a bit like "copy and paste" – I’m setting it up in one window and then it’ll be neatly copied and pasted back into your reality window once complete.”

Amazing – it all seems to make sense... Now that we’ve cleared up that matter, could you tell me why you need to fix the sink, which wasn’t really broken.

Wasn’t broken? Do you have any idea how much gunk I just pulled out of it.

Ok – so it was a bit blocked – but what’s that to you?

Come on Josh – I’m your sponsor.

My what?

You know – your sponsor. I opened your Faery gate, so I have certain obligations to ensure that things are running smoothly.

And are they?

Well, now that we’ve all returned from 1,300 years in the quantum vacuum, nice one Josh [do I detect a hint of irony], we seem to be doing nicely, or were, till I got wind of this.

But what? It’s just a partially blocked sink.

 Was.

Well yes, I appreciate the fact that you’ve now kindly cleared it – many thanks.

No, I mean it would have been “just a partially blocked sink” before you became a fully fledged member of g-nome portal, but now that you’ve joined the team as one of us, it becomes an inter-dimensional incident.

A what? You’re kidding, right?

Do I look like I’m kidding?

Er... not really. Nice overalls by the way.

Thank you – but getting back to the point... where was I? [Roger’s hologram seems a little distracted]

“An inter-dimensional incident”, but what’s that supposed to mean?

Well, think about it – your g-nome connection means you’re now a gatekeeper right at the heart of material reality. It means that not only you, but your house, your car, your workplace, wherever you are, whatever you’re doing is a part of g-nome portal. You can’t separate the two sides. It is/I am are One.

W w w w?

Is that What? Why? When? or Where?

All four. What the hell...?

0=1 Josh – when will you learn – all things are equal... We’re not playing games here.

I thought we were? Inner child and all that – life’s a game – play it well.

This devil may care attitude is about to land me in trouble – I can see Roger is obviously not amused. He continues...

Ok – let me explain one more time. The inter-dimensional portal that is g-nome does not exist anywhere in particular. How could it, if it’s outside space and time? It cannot therefore exist purely as an it or thing... but exists equally as an I am. In fact its location is “prime node” – the interface between the two – between it is and I am – not unlike the Greenwich Meridian in 3D reality.

My mouth is moving goldfish style. I switch on my alpha stream to raise my level of consciousness to handle this influx of high weirdness.

In actual fact, of course, no thing ever really existed purely as thing. Every thing has another side to it – I am, zero being one and all... Every object has its subject, ever it has its I, and we at g-nome portal are no exception, in fact we’re doubly so, being based as we are at “prime node”.

Still working the goldfish mouth – agaping for all I’m worth – and it really seems to help. Try it yourselves best beloved g-nomers when you’re feeling out of your depth.

...because  the g-nome portal is completely inseparable from us. Whoever I am, whatever I am brings g-nome portal into this reality. Imagine it’s a corporation that does not exist in itself – only in terms of its employees. If its employees are conflicted and dysfunctional what’s the corporation gonna be like? Well g-nome portal’s plugged in to each of its gnome members at the primary operating level of conscious-awareness – so whatever’s going on in you affects the entire material plain, as matter is within consciousness, playing second fiddle, so to speak.  

Er... part of me wants to object but again, I realise I can’t – that it’s starting to make sense.

Ok Roger – I think the penny has dropped – I announce.

Yes, but it’s a little weirder than that.

“There’s always a catch...” I murmur, and inwardly groan. “Gulp, gulp” I repeat my mantra, and somehow manage to pull myself back atop the steep learning curve.

Roger again shoots me an “easy does it” look – for some reason he’s a bit nettled today – I can’t think why.

So, you need to understand one thing only, he continues, the relationship between I am and what is. In 3D reality you believe reality is there and I am here – that reality exists independent of you. That’s true up to a point, but when you return to fundamentals – to zero point – it’s true no more. Now the two are completely entwined as two sides of one coin – as One. The relationship is total... is infinite.

It is?

Yes Josh – you should know all this by now. We’ve been over it half a dozen times already with Gill and Chumba.

Yes, well I always find it hard to concentrate when Chumba’s around – you know that.

So you keep saying, but this is not a joking matter... you’ve got to take responsibility for your end of g-nome portal, starting with the very fundament, the basis: it is/I am – One.

Oh yeah – I got that. It more or less makes sense...

You got it? You do realise that at the quantum level you and your apartment are essentially one entity – a continuum.

Yes – that would have seemed weird if I hadn’t been hanging out in Goblin as Aargen Darvurg’s domestic dwelling, but now I can handle it, more or less.

Right – it means that whatever surrounds you is largely a projection of what you are – so, if your sink is blocked it probably indicates something in you is blocked in some way.

But that’s absurd – what’s my sink got to do with me.

[Yes, bbgs – you heard correctly – Roger does in fact groan quietly... yet our dear friends the gnomiki rally around, giving him patience and tenacity to continue guiding me]

Because it is/I am – One.

So you’re saying that my sink is a part of me?

In a manner of speaking yes, as is this apartment, your workplace or whatever else it is you’re interacting with – two sides of one equation.

But it doesn’t seem fair – you can’t hold me responsible for the photocopier machine at work.

I don’t need to – it’s you that has to accept responsibility.

I do?

Yes, because until you accept responsibility you’re going to continue to wreak inter-dimensional havoc.

I am?

Er... yes. Why do you think I had to hologram myself here?

No idea – well – probably because you care about me and wanted to put your plumbing skills to good use.  Random acts of kindness are greatly appreciated you know...

Roger isn’t sure whether to laugh or cry, but carries on selflessly: In actual fact, you and your surroundings were always one – fundamentally speaking, it’s just you never realised it, and it never seemed to matter. There would be days when you felt low and the key jammed in the lock, the printer wouldn’t work, the milk was off, the car wouldn’t start – and you just put it down to bad luck.

Ah – now I get you – you mean it wasn’t just bad luck?

No such thing as luck. It was purely mathematical. 0=1, as I keep telling you.

So, these things were happening because things inside me weren’t right?

Absolutely, and deep inside you knew it.

Ok, I’m beginning to get this straight in my mind – lucky Chumba Wumba’s not here to distract me.

What happened is when you got fully connected to g-nome portal, with full system integration this relationship between the two is now exponentially greater.

So problems in me immediately affect my surroundings to a much greater extent?

Precisely. Full system integration means that you’re One with g-nome portal – so anything that’s out of sync in your “I am” personal domain translates immediately across the quantum stream to it is – wherever, whatever, however.

Really?!

Yes.

You mean my blocked sink was sending blocked signals to all and sundry throughout the universe?

Precisely.

But that’s...

Yes – I know it’s... – but that’s how it works. That’s why we only fully connect g-nome operatives who have made the leap through zero point – it teaches them quantum discipline – so they feel the entanglement between their conscious-awareness and their surroundings.

Oh.

But you seem to have missed the lesson – or failed to join the dots.

Oh – it’s not my fault...

Look Josh – we’re not here to find fault. We’re here to deal with the problem before something irreversible happens.

No way – it’s that bad is it?

Yes. Why do you think I had to interrupt my sleep to come here?

Er – I guess the blocked sink must have been causing some disruption to... what? To be honest I’m not entirely sure how it plays out... the universe is not the place I thought it was. What did in fact warn you?

Well the partial blockage caused the quantum vacuum to start increasing its rate of spin to compensate for the reduced flow – this caused vortices to appear all over the place – half a dozen people disappeared into worm holes in various countries around the world. We’ve been working flat out to bring them back and help restore them to normalcy.

All because of my blocked sink?

That’s not the end of it – we had matter materialising all over the place – just popping into existence spontaneously as a result of the pressure differential the blockage was causing.

You did? What kind of matter?

Fairly gruesome – slimy stuff. So Caratacus got his people to run a scan and to my intense embarrassment it turned out that you were responsible for the disruptions in the quantum field. Caratacus was not impressed – appeared in a particularly unpleasant form mid way through a dream I was having with Leonardo da Vinci. I’d almost completed my new improved version of the Mona Lisa when Caratacus  inserts his face in place of hers and gives me an earful.

So you woke up and teleported here?

No Josh, I didn’t wake up. I rerouted the dream through g-nome portals conscious stream splitter and here I am – hologrammed into your kitchen.

But you’re...

Real. Of course I’m real. Anything’s real as long as it’s routed through g-nome portal’s prime node – the point at which physical reality’s “it is” interfaces with the I am of conscious awareness – which just happens to be behind the left ear.

Come on Roger – that’s just plain dumb. It can’t possibly be behind your left ear.

It is/I am – One. Whatever exits in material reality has to have its equivalent within I am – so prime node which is deep within the bowels of g-nome portal is equally found behind your left ear. You can practice using it a little later to hologram yourself around the world.

But why the left ear? Why not the right?

Why do you ask? What have you got against the left ear?

Er – nothing – it just doesn’t seem logical.

No, it isn’t. It’s biological which is why there are asymmetries involved.

Er... Ok. So you were able to teleport here using this “prime node” as you call it, fix the sink and now you can just head back to LA and finish your well earned sleep.

Sadly no, Caratacus insisted I take you under my wing for a bit – till you’ve really got the hang of things.

What? You mean you’re moving in here with me?

No, I mean you’re moving with me to Beetlejuice.

Beetlejuice – as in the Jack Nicholson movie.

No, Beetlejuice as in the star.

Oh my God. You want me to go to a giant red star called Beetlejuice, for what purpose?

To complete your training.

But I already completed it – and I collapsed the entire Matrix as I was supposed to.

Correct – but you’re a loose cannon until you learn to assimilate it is/I am – One.

Oh my God... Why can’t I just have some more sessions with Master Wu?

You can – from the safe confines of g-nome portal’s residential training camp on Beetlejuice. Trust me, it’s the best place to learn how to integrate and raise your conscious-awareness of it is/I am – One.

I still don’t get why it has to be Beetlejuice – why not at g-nome portal proper?

Because you need to immerse yourself in training, and Beetlejuice has a containment field that will prevent any slip ups sending shock waves throughout the quantum field.

But what about my work? I’m already in trouble for inadvertently rewiring the photocopier machine.

How did you do that?

I’m not too sure. I was feeling annoyed with Emily Sticklebee, my boss, after she made fun of my recent g-nome postings – something about mental sanity – and for some reason my annoyance affected the photocopier which was incapable of printing anything other than images of her looking like Adolf Hitler. It couldn’t be fixed by the technician – the main circuit board had been – er – rewired or that’s what the technician said.

And you didn’t tell me or Gill about this?

Well, I didn’t want to cause trouble.

Oh come on Josh – you know that this kind of thing has to be reported. We’re not playing with harmless toys here. The whole of material reality is wired into g-nome portal. We have to keep it clear of outside interference – and that means that operatives have to be absolutely transparent in their dealings.

Ok – Roger. Just don’t give me a hard time. I’m doing the best I can.

Roger to his credit softens at this point and gives me an encouraging slap on the back. I cough a few times as some phlegm is dislodged, but the blow seems to have helped. Something shifts in my conscious-awareness. I suddenly realise that I can’t carry on as before. I was being irresponsible. I hadn’t accepted the extent to which I affect the physical world around me. Somehow, this is now crystal clear. My thoughts, my words, my actions all seem to matter in no small way. Before, I’d blocked this out because it felt restrictive – like being imprisoned. Now it makes sense, and more than that, it no longer feels like a loss of liberty. Quite the contrary:  it is/I am – One opens the gateway to magical interaction – to being able to interact with the world directly via my conscious-awareness, instead of needing to do stuff mechanically.

So, Roger, if I’m not mistaken, it is/I am – One means that I can even build a house as Aargen Darvurg did – without physically moving a muscle.

Yes, that’s right. Anything you can do physically through external action can be done internally by accepting it’s already done, it already exists. You can even deal with a global crisis in the same way – internally.

How?

It is/I am being One, the global crisis has to be within you no less than out there in material reality. People always knew this in the past, which is why they would pray or meditate for peace.

So how would I do it through g-nome?

However you like – there are almost limitless possibilities – and it’s always fun to create a new interface. One g-nomer does it in his garden, another does it playing the guitar, a third painting...

All of them involve creativity?

Yes, and all are routed through g-nome portal’s prime node – where it is and I am interface...

All of a sudden I’m feeling really excited about the future. I want to learn more, and a trip to Beetlejuice looks like an awesome proposition.

So what are we waiting for Roger? When are we off?

Oh, anytime really – let’s go at midnight – you’re more a night person, that way you’ll avoid travel sickness. Don’t worry about your work. We’ll put in a replacement hologram. He’ll do a better job than you generally do. You might get back to find you’re up for promotion.

My self-pride suffers a minor dent as I hear a hologram can do better than me... ouch.

You know what I mean – Josh. You’re not yet fully integrated and so it’s hardly surprising you have conflict situations arising at work. As for Emily – she’s about to join the club – Gill’s buzzing around checking out whether she’s ripe or not.

Ripe? You make her sound like a banana.

Well there is that aspect to it.

So there you have it – ladies and gentlemen. What started so heroically ended with a fizzly pop. One minute I was master of the universe – engaging the powers of isness in the quantum vacuum, dancing with Dorothy, battling to re-establish material reality on a new footing – then it’s back to school for me.

In truth, of course, I’m just a victim of my own success. The 1,300 year reset that ended with Georgiy Bogdanov’s cabbage planting proposal has obviously altered the nature of material reality as we know it. We seem to have slipped unannounced into the Quantum age – and it’s merely a matter of time before the 100^th monkey works its magic and we find ourselves back in the driving seat of Reality, ready for some serious beetling!

Chapter 23 – in which Toby and Seraphim join the dots...

Dear beloved readers, g-nomers one and all – what a lot of dots there are, floating around in this story. You’d have thought that I’d have filled things in for you, putting more flesh on the bones, but no, all I’ve given you are a load of old dots.

Here, as we say goodbye to the modern age and enter the quantum age with g-nome portal providing technical assistance, we find ourselves a little reluctant to part with the scaffolding that enabled us to construct the new age.

It turns out that each age is like a being, or a body, that not only grows and learns, but also forms within itself its own replacement, and by inferral its own demise. In order for this transfer to happen, the old king has to die – and that can happen gracefully, lovingly, consciously, or with a bitter, twisted struggle, desperately hanging on to what cannot, ultimately be preserved. For every age has a sell-by date. Every age has a natural limit beyond which it becomes exponentially more difficult to continue. The new has to grow forth from within the old, just as new seeds grow from last year’s crop.

So the Modern age which replaced the so called Middle ages which replaced the so called Dark ages – oh these names are only names so please don’t attach any significance to them; the Modern age is already dead. We already talk about post-modernism in art, but little understand what the new age might be – for how can anything be more than “modern”, when in our lexicon “modern” means “latest” or “most up-to-date”, which it was until recently – but now no more.

So, we’re calling the new age the Quantum age – because that seems to be the most appropriate name for it – but really – you’re free to call it what you will.

Step this way, bbgs, step this way and follow me through g-nome portal into the new Quantum age. The revolution has already happened, we’re just a little slow to perceive what is unfolding, assuming as we do that nothing fundamental has changed.

Well, if you’re willing to suspend your disbelief and accept my Story – then you now find yourself walking through the golden gateway of g-nome into a new multi-dimensional Earth.

Note – I’m not saying 4 or 5 dimensional – no, no, no – I’m quite categorical in this matter, because when people add another dimension they immediately start screwing up their mind, trying to visualise what 4 or 5 dimensional reality would look like... They start trying to add vertices to existing shapes and the mind, it does clever things but fails to recognise the simple truth – that fundamentally nothing has changed.

 “Er... Seraphim – I thought you said that we’ve moved into a new age – that sounds like pretty fundamental change. And if the new age is 4^th or 5^th dimensional – that means we’re going to have a completely new relationship to matter and space – doesn’t it?”

Yes, yes it does. And yet no, no, nothing has fundamentally changed, because fundamentally all is one. E-n-b.

“How convenient. You have an answer for everything – but...”

But yes, intellectually my answer is neither sufficient nor satisfactory.

“Precisely, so why don't I try for a change. I saw a fascinating programme about this the other day... when you start imagining 4 dimensional space or beyond – weird things happen – cubes change shape and objects can pass through walls...”

Yes, when you imagine 4 dimensional space from a 3 dimensional mind you’re doing a mind bender – trying to imagine fire from the perspective of water, or grass from the perspective of snow. Instead of projecting into an imaginary additional dimension, why not accept the simple truth, that all dimensions, all of space and time are here, right now.

“And what does that achieve?”

It means that anything is possible.

“And what of it? We all know theoretically anything’s possible...”

If we can accept the simple truth, that anything is possible – that a square can be a cube, or that the Earth can be hollow with another Earth inside it – we’re starting to loosen the apron strings of the 3D mind, we’re starting to allow our imagination to connect with a greater isness... we’re pulling down the Berlin Wall of I-mind/what matters, which spends the whole time telling us what’s allowed, what isn’t, and trying to define things in an attempt to fix sufficient points to get a grip of life, the universe and everything.

“But isn’t that good – haven’t we made enormous strides forward scientifically doing just that?”

Absolutely. We grew within the 3D mind. We explored the modern age and built mechanical machines, then computers, and nuclear bombs, we made beautiful classical music and then worked backwards to pop and rock and heavy metal.

“Look – just because you don’t like modern music doesn’t mean you have to knock it.”

Oh, I love it, but if you compare Bach, Mozart or other Rachmaninov to what we have today – it’s like comparing modern architecture to the mean dwellings of the Dark ages. Our music has, in a sense, regressed, as have other areas of our culture, and that’s no “bad” thing – merely reflecting that ultimately there’s no gain – that as one part moves forward, another moves back.

“But isn’t that depressing – I mean, there has to be gain – we have to keep on advancing...”

Have to?

“Yes, otherwise what’s the point? We may as well give up.”

Ah, now you’re talking. Supposing that’s what we actually need to do?

“What, you think we’re supposed to give up? That’s outrageous. We have to believe in progress. There’s always a way forwards.”

Yep – there’s always a way forwards, but sometimes it involves going backwards, retracing our route and taking the turning that we missed a few hundred years ago.

“Oh, I wish you wouldn’t say that – it sounds so depressing.”

Well, you can deal with these feelings very easily right now. I suggest you do – because we’re never going to learn anything as long as we’re terrified of being wrong, or of having to retrace our steps. A healthy mind is happy just being in the process – and can enjoy each moment fully, regardless of which way it needs to go.

“But how, I feel so gloomy at the thought that we’ve been living a lie – believing we’re on top of the world but actually we have our nose in the dirt.”

Hold on a minute – what on earth’s wrong with the dirt? You do realise that everything we experience matters. You can’t say this experience is good and that is bad. We’re constantly learning.

“Yes, but I want a sense of moving forwards, of bigger and better and brighter – of reaching for the stars.”

Excellent. Then it’s time to make some adjustments.

“Like what?” [sounding suspicious]

Well first of all in how you deal with the idea of making adjustments. You’re too attached to the way things are now. You’ve built a lot of inertia into your system. You’re top heavy, self important and worse still, proudly disdainful and dismissive of all the other ages. You have to realise that every age has always been on top of the curve.

“Hang on – how can you say the Dark ages were anything but backwards? Surely they weren’t on top of the curve?”

Well – they had to be – mathematically:  0=1, otherwise you don’t get life, you don’t get consciousness. It’s an allness, an isness.

“Er... what’s that got to do with things?”

Well – you’re still coming from a materiality perspective – that you’re more advanced because you have rockets and mobile phones – and, in a sense, you are more advanced, but if you stopped for one moment to consider the fundamentals, you’d immediately run into 0=1, there’s simply no other way to get REALLY fundamental.

“Ok – if you insist:  0=1.”

It doesn’t work if you do it grudgingly like that, for this is ultimately just a Mind game within a Life game – or vice versa.

“Ok – but I still don’t get it...  0=1.”

Not getting it simply means you’re the product of your age – and the modern mind disdains anything truly fundamental – because it’s made all its progress by ignoring the absolute. It has no intention of stopping now.

“I simply don’t see how you can be so dismissive of the modern mind – and how you can say it’s superficial, or that it ignores fundamentals. Our scientists work tirelessly to find the most fundamental truths – like the God particle.”

Yes, the less said the better. I, likewise, simply fail to see how you can be so dismissive of every other age. If you took the trouble to come fully into the present moment you’d discover that every moment is now.

“Well, I know that theoretically but, in reality... it’s different.”

Yes – that’s precisely it. You’ve chosen to be in a reality where time is elongated – where you’re separated from other ages by a great gulf, which has been the main feature of the modern mind, and where you’re constantly looking down, but it ain’t going to work any longer.

“Why not?”

Because you’ve reached the end of the line – the event horizon. The only way you can proceed further is by reconnecting with the other ages which are, in fact, here alongside, and which contain the wisdom you need to move forwards – if you wish to continue, that is.

“Er... continue what?”

Just continue. If you refuse to come into the greater present – the moment of moments, the now of nows, you’ll find the structures you have erected come crashing down. Your civilisation will collapse – in a matter of months.

“Months?! Now aren’t you being a little dramatic?”

Not in the least. As I said – you’ve reached the end of the line. The linear progression has been taken to its logical extreme – there’s nowhere further to go.

“So we’re doomed.”

Yes, unless you can try the alternative.

“Ok, why not... What is it?”

Humility.

“Humility? Are you taking the piss?”

Try to avoid vulgar expressions please.

“Taking the piss is hardly vulgar – it’s in common usage throughout society.”

Yes – the modern age has this endearing feature – but believe me when I say that energetically it is a little vulgar. If you could refrain, I would be grateful.

“Ok Mr Hoity Toity.”

And one more point... why do you refer to me as Mr?

“Well, your name is Seraphim and I assumed you were a bloke.”

Reasonable enough under the circumstances.

“But I was wrong?”

If you’d care to find out – I can take you into what I am.

“Ok – that would be fascinating. What do I need to do.”

Breathe... Gently... Regularly... deeper... softer... let go... [whoosh]

Seraphim takes Toby on a small journey into what 3D people would call the angelic realms. I appreciate the fact that this might sound a little strange – but if in all humility we can suspend our disbelief, and breathing gently, assume a mental posture of openness to that which is – regardless of what that might be, then there’s nothing particularly strange or absurd about “angelic realms”. They’re just a part of an infinite continuum. You have many different realms in your reality – inside as opposed to out, tunnels as opposed to fields, underwater as opposed to in the air – well so there are further realms beyond the ken of I-mind/what matters, but not, in fact far away at all.

Toby is evidently enjoying the trip. It takes a few moments to get started, but that’s ok – there’s no rush. Once he is able to let release his heavy-frequency lock, Seraphim is able to guide him into other frequencies, and all of a sudden places start materialising right here, right now – starting with g-nome portal, and extending to more exotic realms – places of colour, places of sound, places of delicate texture, of feeling – it’s all in the detail – this being a fractal universe. Once you follow your nose, or allow your delight, your bliss, your joy to lead you to a realm that means something to you – it opens up before your eyes, and now you’re in another world.

“OK, but what do they look like – these realms.”

Ah – Margery – there you are – naturally they look like whatever you make of them. You see – ultimately it’s all just energy, numbers or consciousness – so how you perceive a realm depends on you. If you come from Earth you’re going to see the infinite beyond in terms that reflect your experience and your beliefs – because seeing them as pure energy won’t make a lot of sense.

“But – how do I see them at all – if they’re pure energy?”

How do you see anything? It’s a great question but I think you’re going to have to do a little research yourself... Start by taking any object and observing it for a minute or two. That will be sufficient – and as you’re observing it – observe how you observe – what it feels like – what you’re really seeing – just to become a little more aware of the process. You’ll probably have a few big surprises.

“Like what?”

Oh – I don’t want to spoil the fun. It’s kind of similar with language too.

“In what way?”

Well, when you hear someone speaking to you – it’s really just sound vibrations and yet you hear words, and when people are chatting with one another – they don’t in fact pay attention to individual words, or string them together in the mind, weighing them, adding them up to to see what the person meant.

“They don’t?”

No, it would take too long. It would slow the flow of communication. In fact it’s a lot closer to telepathy or inspired guesswork. But don’t take my word for it – try it yourself. Observe yourself hearing – start feeling how the sounds are converted into words and meaning... There’s so much to discover if you just make the slightest effort.

“But what’s the point? I don’t need to – I can communicate perfectly well without trying to over-complicate things.”

Yes you can – but if you wish to become aware of other realities, it behoves you to start becoming a little more aware of your own. Then you realise that perception has more to do with interpretation than actually seeing things, and that the mind uses pre-registered patterns which may or may not serve you well. If, for example, your life is full of negativity, that might just be because you are perceiving as negative what another person might perceive as neutral or positive – so then it might indeed serve you to stop a while and investigate how you’re perceiving and whether it’s to your benefit...

I’m pleased to say that Margery later goes on to conduct a large scale audit of her seeing and hearing perceptional platforms, and makes enormous progress in opening up the great beyond – not by asking the government to build her a spaceship or a new telescope, but by enabling her perceptional platforms to start hearing and seeing what was previously either invisible or jumbled. It may seem like a mammoth task, but it’s in fact just a case of “one step at a time”, and furthermore, it’s enormous fun, once you’ve taken the first tentative step and got started.

Obviously Toby is given an enormous helping hand by Seraphim who is able to take him beyond his present perceptional limits, on a spin of “the universe” as they say...

“Oh my God... that was am...”

...azing! Wasn’t it just... Isn’t it! And the weirdest thing is that it’s all within you right here, right now.

“No Seraphim, you took me far beyond what I might be.”

Actually Toby that’s a mathematical impossibility. 0=1. I was only able to take you back to Source.

“There you go – you took me back to God – way beyond my here and now.”

Perceptionally yes, but in truth of fact, no. Though “source” is a term used by many to refer to God – it is, in fact, no more than zero point – the point at which/ from which you emerge as conscious-awareness from the...

“The what?”

I can name it but it’s not a great idea – because the name will take the limelight, and you’ll not feel what it is, but in any case, you know what I’m referring to. Taking you back to the zero point is merely coming home to centre, coming back to my nowest now, my herest here, and it’s a place you’ve never left, as you know.

“Yes, but it’s out of bounds to me and most of humanity – more’s the pity, otherwise we’d be going back all the time, and we’d probably not bother returning to this reality.”

Excellent, Toby, you’ve clearly stated the conundrum.

“Which one?”

Why it’s off bounds to you and many other humans.

“Er – what did I state – can you run it past me again?”

Yes – you see zero being one – if we’d be reluctant or unlikely to return to this reality, we ourselves by this fact alone, cut ourselves off from zero point perceptionally.

“And? That’s not stating very much is it? I mean – it’s obviously my fault I’m in the dark and can’t return to centre.”

Ah – but is there any fault involved?

“Well, it sure feels like it. Seraphim – you do not know what it’s like to be cut off from all that... It’s er...”

Hell?

“Precisely. And to know intellectually it’s all my own doing doesn’t make it any easier to handle... Of course I’m going to blame myself.”

Until you decide to start engaging the issue creatively – playing with it.

“Why on earth would I do that?”

Why on earth not? The minute you start engaging an issue creatively, imaginatively, with a certain amount of fascination and playfulness, you immediately activate a God vector.

“I do?”

Yes, of course. Even though you yourself may seem to be cut off from “God”, by acting as God, being creative, imaginative and playful, that act squares the circle.

“It does?”

More than that. It opens up a worm hole – to use the expression so beloved of scientists and sci-fi aficionados .”

“Really?”

Absolutely. It’s like the boardgame “snakes and ladders”. Even though you just moved one square forward, the ladder you landed on takes you right up to the top line. A quantum leap. And it doesn’t necessarily involve public recognition. You don’t have to become a famous artist, writer or musician – it just involves engaging whatever for you is the most natural, appropriate, delightful form of creative, artistic expression.

“But why? How does that help?”

Does it matter?

“I suppose not. The proof is, after all, in the pudding.”

Precisely. Instead of thinking you have to use a complicated scheme to get yourself back on course, or follow someone else’s guidelines,  sticking to a pre-conceived programme – you can just tune in to your own inspiration – if you’re willing to.

“And that’ll do the job for me?”

You bet. As soon as you’re engaging your imagination, your inspiration and your playfulness, you automatically exit the negative feedback loop that was keeping you down. More to the point, you start enjoying life again. It becomes more spontaneous. More magical. You no longer want to be done with it.

“Wait a minute – I never said I was suicidal or anything like that!”

No you didn’t, but you said that you were tempted not to come back when I took you back to zero point. And that’s hardly surprising.

“Er... you mean I’m a failure?”

No, you are bored. Horribly bored. You’ve felt that you have to live in a certain way – the way you were taught, otherwise everything would come crashing down. You’d be out of a job, destitute, friendless, a failure...

“Well I probably would if I started playing the banjo as a profession – you’ve never heard me.”

Haven’t I? But this isn’t about playing the banjo. It’s about tuning into your passion, your creativity, your joy, and once you unlock the gates of creative expression they take you into another level – which from the current 3D perspective can only be described as “multi-dimensional”.

“And how would you describe them from your perspective, Seraphim?”

As natural. Simply natural – and what could be better?  What could be higher? What could be more – than good old fashioned down to earth Mother Nature?

“Oh... I always thought that Mother Nature was just a little homely and dull. In any case, you’re using the wrong terminology.”

I am?

“Yes – Mother Nature refers to plants and animals – flora and fauna, not to our multi-dimensional abilities.”

Don’t be so sure.

“No?”

The only thing keeping you from your multi-dimensionality is a disdain for Mother Nature. As soon as you’re willing to entertain her again, to make her welcome in your daily life, everything changes.

“Oh... it’s so not what I thought.”

And what did you think?

“Well I kind of imagined the higher dimensions as gleaming spaceships, as portals and amazing psychic powers – like the cartoons we show our kids.”

Ok – that’s how it’s depicted for children – and there’s nothing wrong with that, but in practice it’s a lot closer to home.

“But I quite like gleaming spaceships and all that – and now you’re telling me I have to be boots in the mud and homespun yarn... I’m not sure I like the prospect.”

No – I’m telling you to create – and if you want to create shiny gleaming spaceships – then go for it. You’ll find after awhile that you outgrow that phase as every other. Then you’ll be able to fly to the stars without leaving your armchair.

“No...”

Just as soon as you’ve played hard enough, laughed long enough, created sufficient merriment and mirth to open a little wormhole of your own. Trust me Toby – the stars were never more than a single breath away. How could they be. Consider it mathematically 0=1.

“So you keep saying – but I rather believe that they’re millions of light years away.”

Yes, from the I-mind/what matters perspective they are indeed. And wholly inaccessible, the same as God or zero point, but as soon as you’re willing to engage your creation/I-magine drive – time and space fold up neatly into the palm of your hand, or whichever part of your anatomy you choose to use to make the quantum leap.

“Come on Seraphim. I can’t just dematerialise...”

Why would you need to? Just be yourself.

“Er – isn’t that what I’m doing now?”

Not exactly.

“Then what am I being if not myself?”

A version of yourself. A projection. An idiot.

“Whoa, wait a minute, hold on there Seraphim... what’s with calling me names all of a sudden? I thought you didn’t like vulgar expression.”

My apologies... I didn’t mean to upset you. I was using the term technically – not personally.

“I’m not sure that makes things any better. I don’t appreciate being called an idiot, even if that’s technically what I am.”

No. I understand. But you asked so I answered. Being an idiot doesn’t mean you’re stupid or foolish – not in the slightest.

“You could have fooled me.”

No, because 0=1 you cannot be any more an idiot than anyone else.

“You have an uncanny knack of not making me feel any better.”

Let’s try again. Follow my breath pattern please – it’ll only take a moment.

Seraphim takes a series of breaths – longer, shorter, deeper, shallow.

That’s better. Now it should be easier for you to hear the sense in what I’m saying, and not your paranoia.

“Ok – so how have I been an idiot?”

Well, by programming your mind, your self to think and respond in a certain way you effectively became more thing than person. This is an idiot – an it or thing person. Fundamentally, however, you are unaltered. Your self is and you are, without finity.

“So, why would I deliberately plan to become an idiot? Why?”

Yes – that’s the big question – now instead of rushing to find the external answer, let’s apply 0=1. Let’s come from our strength and knowingness as opposed to our perceived ignorance or unhappiness. Let’s assume we’re loving it.

“Why?”

Because that way we authorise ourself to experience this – to flip the heavy question into its light, sparkling answer.

[Toby takes a moment to feel the isness of moment] “It has something to do with creativity... and how the universe and I are One.”

Absolutely, the entire universe is your canvas. Coming from a state of almost complete darkness, being lost... alone, then soaring back into the light, as you’re about to do – the contrast, the depth is truly breathtaking – believe me. Fully conscious beings, as we all are in truth, line up for the privilege of being able make such an astonishing, majestic leap.

“Why? ...Is it like humans doing a bungee jump? I never could understand why they’d pay good money to throw themselves off a bridge.”

To experience the furthest extremes... to open up the greatest possible space in which to Be...

and for once Seraphim is lost for words. His silence, however, seems to say more. Toby feels it lapping against the shoreline of his mind – and something simply shifts, a connection, however slight, is made, and a tiny, but vastly significant “I get it” moment arises in the quantum field, where 0=1.

Meanwhile, however, back at g-nome portal, Roger is concerned with more mundane matters, but more of that anon.