by deity
Chapter 4: The High Council
Jason and Billy hurry through the crowded city street. Jason pauses for a moment, something upon the wall catches his eye. He wants to stop and retrace his steps, he can’t picture it clearly but there is something among the patchwork of posters plastered on the brick wall. His curiosity will, however, have to go unfulfilled for a meeting with Yachi beckons.
He remembers when he was introduced to planing. How strange he felt. Dubious, yet yearning to believe, willing it to be true. It was not that long ago. Yet now with the new realms and lost planars it seems a lifetime ago. God knows what Yachi had in store for them next but Jason doubts anything can now surprise him. He barely knows what’s real anymore and he certainly doesn’t know what to make of all this. What was he worried about earlier? Something on that billboard- A poster? What could it be? Maybe his mind’s playing tricks on him- it definitely has good reason.
Billy doesn’t bother continuing his conversation with Jason. His friend is a million miles away, lost in thought. It always amazes him how Jason cannot hear a word that’s said yet still nod, shrug and grunt appropriately so the speaker is none the wiser. It is a skill he often wishes he can master but his many attempts only get him into trouble.
They arrive at Yachi’s new makeshift quarters, a partly filled storeroom for a restaurant owned by one of his good friends. It’s far from ideal but under the rushed circumstances more than they could have hoped for.
Yachi thanks them for coming and offers green tea as the kettle rattles in the background. They accept and wait in silence, sitting while Yachi answers the kettle’s whistle.
He returns with tea and sits with them, making himself comfortable as the tea settles.
‘Ahhh, look at you two, the wait is killing you isn’t it? Patience, How many times have I told you: “The first part of the day lays the foundation for what will be achieved thereafter” ’
‘Too many! Haven’t you realized it won’t get through our thick skulls not in ten, twenty, a hundred years’ Jason retorts.
And, as is often the case Billy continues where his friend leaves off.
‘Too right, you’ve gotta remember we’re the generation of instant gratification. While your tea’s getting cold we’re half done with the business of the day and moving onto what’s next. That’s the way it is, ya gotta get with the times?’
Yachi laughs, the antics of these two never fails to amuse him.
‘I see the events of yesterday have not dampened either of your spirits’, his tone becomes sombre as he continues. ‘It is a horrible thing, something that must never be repeated. I must warn my colleagues of all that has eventuated. That is why I have called you here today.’
He continues with a few sparse details of what they will soon be doing; a psychic link with his friends, tell them what’s happened over the last few days. He takes another long sip of his tea.
‘We will go now.’
Yachi removes his teacup and the kettle as he rises from his seat.
Billy finally finds his voice: ‘Yachi, who is it that we’re meeting, is it-’
‘Let us go, all will soon be revealed’ Yachi says.
And with that he leaves the small kitchen, Jason and Billy reluctantly follow and are surprised to see him meditating.
‘I thought this was just going to be a psychic link, why is he doing this?’ Jason queries. His friend simply shrugs his shoulders and readies himself to follow.
So the boys go through the procedures that take them from this dimension and into the other. As they feel themselves waft from the physical world into their astral forms they detect Yachi waiting for them.
‘Well done boys. Now come here and I will take you to the meeting’ Yachi says across a psychic link.
Once more the boys are bewildered by their teacher’s strange ways. But with a little resignation they huddle together, Yachi surrounds them, merging their astral forms with his. They feel a great surge of power and the sensation that they are moving rapidly. Yet it’s difficult for them to be sure as their senses seem overloaded. Amidst this maelstrom features become blurred and difficult to distinguish. What is this? Are they moving at all?
The boys return to their original state almost as quickly as it is taken from them, however the scene is now stunningly different.
They think they’ve seen it all upon the streets of Sydney with its broad collection of characters, their distinct villages and the variety of festivals and events that bring them all out. Yet this tops all that; a most bewildering collection of characters from around the world and possibly beyond. They came from deserts, jungles and mountains, while others belonged to faraway cities in exotic lands that are equally alien to Jason and Billy. From Asians to Aborigines and Europeans with many more whose features they can’t place. They are mingling, Yachi soon among them catching up with old friends, while the boys stare dumbfounded.
Yachi interrupts the gathering. ‘Friends let us begin’ he waits for silence before continuing,
‘I know to call such a meeting is unusual but I assure you it is necessary. I, along with my colleagues Jason’, he motions to his right where Jason stands a few feet behind him, ‘And Billy’ who steps forward upon hearing his name, ‘have stumbled upon a new realm!’
A murmur goes through the crowd, American Navajo ‘Warrior of both Worlds’ thinks what could possibly happen next in this crazy world. Many of the young ones at his home today think him an old fool and have no interest in the knowledge and rituals of his people and theirs. It saddens him, like so much that seems lost as man races on and on? To what end? Who knew? Or cared? Today’s world seemed pointless; fool’s gold governs everything while all else suffers’.
And yet here before him are some young people who are interested and apparently very talented. His old friend has found a place for the teachings of the astra today over on the other side of the world, surely, in his tribe, he can too.
Mruyadgi, the Australian Aborigine looks at the group before him. They are his countrymen. ‘New Australians’ he has heard them called before, ‘New New Australians’ would be more apt he thinks.
While they seem like good enough blokes, they just reinforce how distant he is; from what is happening on his land and from these people before him. How long has he known Yachi…yes they are countrymen but they undoubtedly inhabit different worlds.
Planing through the internet! He has only ever seen a computer a few times, most of his people wouldn’t know one if they fell over it. And here his friend was planing through one of the bloody things.
The boys realize the astral forms here are far more lifelike. Yachi and these strangers have more depth and character to their astral profiles, as if they are more lived-in. They must be the Astral guardians that Yachi had mentioned occasionally. It seems as if their combined powers in this astral psychic linkup have effectively created a new dimension. And here they are, two novices about to inform them of the latest development in this realm, their realm. Yachi must have noticed their concern, he extends his astral form to reassure the nerves of his students.
‘Are you ready?’ Yachi prompts Billy to begin as the noise of the crowd subsides. Billy’s aura pulses strongly in a bright red. Yachi notes a recurring thought amongst the scatter of his pupil’s mind- ‘How can I possibly explain anything to these absolute gurus- I shouldn’t even be here’
‘You will be fine, my friends here before you want to discover what we know, not ridicule a new planar. Simply tell them what you saw and what happened, you can do nothing more…’
And so Billy begins, ‘G’day, I’m Billy one of Yachi’s students in astral planing. He has introduced me to this amazing world we are now in. From meditation, focusing chakras and taking the astral form, Yachi has been a great mentor. Recently, however, even he has been at a loss to describe the events and behaviour we’ve witnessed in the astra. Disturbances have been detected among the realms, something I don’t fully understand but now we’ve discovered
why this is happening; we have found a new realm!’
He looks up at the fantastic collection of people before him, their astral projections shimmering and aglow with interest at what they are being told….
Due to the powerful energy of the meeting site- the thoughts and feelings of the crowd fill the air, when interested and attentive their aura expands toward the speaker seemingly greedy- eager to gobble up their every word.
Billy continues, ‘While little has been learnt of this new realm, one very important fact is clear, this new realm is housed within the internet!’
The boys pause in alarm. The energy of the place changes, an uproar echoes from all corners of the room at the mention of the internet. Tension drips from the thoughts and words being projected into this bizarre amphitheatre. The air fizzes and bubbles as the thoughts and auras of individuals within the collective clashed- flaring bright oranges, yellows and reds.
‘What is this?’ the outburst comes from the corner of the room. A group of people covered in hippy trinkets and loose, flowing tie-dyed wares.
The lady continues, her intensity already reaching boiling point, ‘How can this be so? The astra houses our soul, it was forged at the dawn of time and has pulsed with life’s energy ever since. And now you expect us to believe that it has been corrupted by computers; the mesh of wires, bits and bytes that runs modern society. Machines that enforce datum conformity in their never-ending quest for efficiency and economy. It’s ridiculous. Can’t you see that they are incompatible to the astral plane, the abode of our soul’
Across the hall another chimes in, dressed smartly in the well-cut suit of a businessman. ‘Once more your narrow-minded dogma has clouded your opinion, Sta. Just because this doesn’t agree with your ideal world vision, you must chastise your peers and deny their intrusion into your perfect little world’
But just as soon as he starts, with the air whizzing and booming where their words clashed, Sta’s retort has begun.
‘Spare me your tactile spiel and boardroom psychology, remember where you are, your aura betrays the calculating mind behind your delicate phrasework.’
The rest of the room have seen it all countless times before. These two could argue forever- and often did. The boys however are spellbound by the excitement of it all.
‘This place is going crazy?’
‘What is happening now?’
‘What will happen next?’ thoughts race between the minds. Synchronised with their clashing words the auras of the two collide, like fireworks blazing through the sky.
As they argue the other Guardians jeer them on, thoroughly enjoying the spectacle and hoping to prolong it. Sta is now continuing her argument.
‘Computers are staid; the driving force of today’s number crunching society. It’s ridiculous to think that the astra would embrace such a cold and lifeless place.’
A semblance of calm returns to the gathering, Yachi intercedes.
‘Please, people we’re not here to bicker, this is vital information coming to us, let the story be told first. We will discuss this news once we’ve heard everything.’
He motions to the boys, who are again hesitant. Their resolve returns and Billy continues.
‘This new realm we speak of is still greatly unknown. Our forages within have been short and the ground left uncovered great. What little we’ve seen has been unlike anything Yachi has seen or heard of in all his long history with the astra. Because of the unusual nature of this realm we’ve had to seek aid from other fields especially computers. One who has been invaluable to us in this way is going to speak to you now; Peta Jerran.’
This starts it all off again.
‘Who is she? What does she know of the astra? How could you tell her without training, the natural gift etc? This is unheard of- who else are you to tell? Or do others already know? Long ago decisions regarding this were made and they were to be taken seriously….’
The boys are shocked at this continuous bickering, ‘very non-Zen’ thinks Jason with a smirk. Yachi hears his student and smiles as he adds, ‘There is an Ancient Buddhist saying that applies to this scenario, boys- “Before enlightenment, I chop wood; after enlightenment, I still chop wood”
‘SILENCE!’ the words vibrate throughout the hall. The source is a dim, unnoticed corner of the room. The speaker now comes forward and, surprisingly, the hall actually becomes silent. Wearing only a simple robe flowing loosely about his small frame the speaker has dark, weathered skin and Asiatic features similar to Yachi. Evidently he is well-respected, even awed by the group. His aura is a translucent shimmer rather than a particular colour. Somehow the boys knew that despite the outburst this signifies he is truly at peace and they recall moments, usually while meditating that Yachi also had a similar shimmer. Now he begins to address the crowd, his aura seemingly grows colouring the entire hall with an opaque shield that nullifies the fireworks of the debate, commanding the attention of all.
‘You should all be ashamed of yourselves, here we have some talented new planars and all you do is bicker and whine- I hate to think what impression they must have of us! As Yachi said it is paramount that we learn of these new developments as quickly as we can, let’s not forget there are others out there who have been waiting eons for such an opportunity. Our age-old enemies may have been subdued in recent times but mastery of a new realm is just the chance they have been hoping for. Now can we all please listen…’
And with that he lifts his arm toward the centre of the room and a giant hologram of Peta forms above.
Peta’s head is awash with all it had absorbed in the past few weeks. Here she sat alone in the room. Waiting. Waiting to talk to the high council of astral masters in a parallel dimension. Surreal, unbelievable, yet there it is plain as day. Peta knew the world to be a complex, fascinating place but this? It was enough to do her head in. She loved to learn, to lose herself in knowledge. But this turns all that on its head. It can’t be read about in the library, she wonders about all that she supposedly knew- how much of that was colored, incomplete or totally missing the point.
Her friends have this bizarre passion, a whole other world unknown to her, and Yachi- the astra is like his family trade passed down the generations, like a house or business. Despite all she’d read in books and absorbed in classes her world is unbelievably small and she had deluded herself; convinced that she was open-minded, learn-ED. All the jibes from classmates about her extra-curricular courses never bothered her, quite the opposite, they pleased her, giving a holier-than-thou satisfaction. Allowed her to look down upon all the hard-nosed, vocation found and subsequently bound IT geeks. She was different to them, to her peers in her course with their radiation tans, smug smiles and indecipherable jargon-speak. But all this showed just how petty she was being. A big fish but in such a small pond, nay a sheltered, controlled tank.
‘Uh, hello?… Can you hear me?’
What was that? Of course, it was Yachi. Her wait is over.
‘Hello Yachi, are you guys ready?’
‘Yes, Peta, go on we’re listening.’ Yachi replies.
‘Where do I start, I’m Peta Jerran, I’ve been friends with Jason and Billy for years but I never knew that had such an amazing secret life. I have recently been introduced to this world of yours. To other dimensions, out-of-body experiences, movement as pure energy all things I knew nothing of and am still learning. But, what I do know is computers.’
‘Yachi and I have been using a psychic link to communicate our different perspectives and relative expertise instantly, his in the astra and mine on the computer. This has allowed us to learn a lot of this realm but there is still much more to be discovered…’
‘While very similar to the astra that you all know so well this realm does have some notable distinctions. While in some ways astral it is also a physical, computer-based dimension. It seems to be born of both these two dimensions but it is critical to know that it is still distinct from them. At times it behaves astrally, othe
r times like a computer and, occasionally in ways that are a hybrid of the two.’
As she speaks Yachi projects images of her topics from the new realm, they sit neatly beside the hologram.
‘While in this realm, you will travel through cyberspheres. These are astral equivalents to telecommunication links between computers throughout civilization which make up the World Wide Web.
They link throughout this new dimension connecting Net-Hubs, these are internet sites in the virtual world. This will all be explained to you again when we see it first-hand. I’m sorry? Am I waffling?’
Upon hearing her indecision, Yachi quickly replies ‘Not at all. Please continue these details are what’s required’
And so she proceeds to tell them about Data-trails and Black holes, Web-surfers and all the other strange things they had encountered in this new realm. While some of the audience is probably not convinced they definitely pay attention. The astral guardians are all confounded by the details of this bizarre new world, at once both familiar and alien.
As he watches, Jason thinks of Peta again. She really is incredible, the way she has absorbed this strange world. Without her none of this would be possible she is, perhaps, even more vital than Yachi. It’s a little daunting, is he really a match for her? That this cute girl who is so smart and funny and such good company, that she might even like him is a buzz.
Can she detect his thoughts? He is psychically linked to several others here and they to her. He could send her a message. What should he say? Nothing too full-on, she’d think he was a fool. What about the others- would they receive it too? God, not too sure about that.
Bloody hell! Why can’t I just do something instead of all this thinking round in circles. I know, perfect, I’ll just say a quick thank-you, saying how much we, I, yeah definitely I, appreciate all her assistance, how bloody brilliant she’s been. Yeah that’s it!
But what if I distract her? Can she reply? Then he realises she is finished and Yachi is now speaking.
‘We must leave you and continue our meeting, we will be back in contact soon and, I’m certain, requiring your assistance again. Many thanks.’ With that the hologram of Peta evaporates, she is gone. While Jason rued the lost opportunity Yachi continues.
‘As you can see she is very knowledgeable, without Peta’s help we would be lost in this world and at even greater risk. With her aid we’ve learnt a lot and can travel with a guide and safety measures. However the disturbance is still a mystery! It may be this new realm? This is truly bizarre even among our home- the other-worldly astra. A realm partially physical, partially astral and partially incomplete. It’s a truly great challenge to our position as guardians of the astra.’
‘I believe that is all we have to report, shall we now hear from the high council?’
The man who earlier silenced the crowd comes forward, ‘This is Lai, he is speaker of the council.’ Yachi tells the boys.
He begins to the group. ‘We will now open the floor to any who wish to speak. ANY BAR DEAN AND STA, from whom we’ve already heard more than enough.’
There is an eerie silence, Which Lai interrupts after a few moments.
‘Before we go on, I think we should go over what we do know of the astra and better understand these new developments and their context.’
‘As you know, the creatures that we inhabit the physical world with have instincts and occasionally thoughts. They know their wants and live to satisfy them. As humans we do the same though we also have a conscience- we know of repercussions and are aware of our existence. Which leads to our soul; that which is above and beyond this world and its needs; it cannot be explained in terms of this, the physical realm. Our soul inhabits the Astra, it is this which will remain when our physical bodies are long gone. And what Sta and her cohorts speak so righteously of.’
‘The Astra is the world of our conscience and our soul. These new developments are quite amazing even shocking. We too have felt the disturbances in the Astra but who would’ve guessed that their source was this internet of computers so recently developed by man in the physical world.’
‘Such is the nature of the astra; it is not static but develops and evolves like everything else, this should not be a surprise. Our home has found a new vehicle to inhabit. As its guardians we can but dutifully follow its course, learning and serving as it moves ever onward.’
‘Those who say it’s not compatible with computers, well that simply isn’t true. For, unlike yourselves, the astra does not discriminate.’
Chapter 5: Know your territory
Deity press release-
‘A new online hazard termed Deity has been discovered by authorities.
Further updates will be made available as the investigation progresses however no significant threat has been detected and it is recommended that all online transactions and business continue as normal.’