Soul Proprietor

A Novel

By Warren Picket Calender

Cover photograph by Quattrostagioni

 2012 Warren Picket Calender

There is no chance, no destiny, no fate that can circumvent, or hinder, or control the firm resolve of a determined soul. - Ella Wheeler Wilcox

Contents Prologue Part I Ouroboros 01. Fate or Destiny? 02. Strange Bedfellows 03. Jungle Fever 04. Consumed 05. Uplink

Part II Caduceus 06. The Crescent City 07. Networking 08. Masquerade 09. Vendetta 10. Exodus Part III Ophiolatreia 11. Drifting 12. The Rock Gate 13. The Conduit 14. The Dweller on the Threshold 15. Convergence Epilogue Acknowledgments Further Reading

Prologue The gunshot echoed and rang for what seemed like an eternity. Klaus Gottschalk opened his eyes and looked around. He was lying on a white stone terrace in a serene garden. The rising sun burned red and orange through the trees. Dieser Sttte ist wunderschn, he thought. Suddenly and violently, he recalled the manner of his death. He saw the assassin's pistol fire a bullet into his lover's head, then his own, and he wailed as collapsed in despair. He beat the ground and sobbed uncontrollably. Nein! Nein! Irma, mein Liebling! Sniffling, his chest heaving, he looked around for her and didn't see her. Someone was approaching him from afar. Hoping it was Irma, he stood up and slowly walked towards them. The light around them was too bright for him to see them clearly yet. Gradually, the light faded and a man appeared, dressed in white robes. Klaus knew the man looked familiar, but he couldn't remember why. Welcome home Klaus. Birth and death are parts of an ongoing cycle. Yes, you have died, but that does not mean the end. On the contrary, now begins another part of your journey. Klaus eyed the man and asked him, Wer sind Sie? The man smiled. I'm an old friend of yours. And this place... he gestured around him, is your concept of heaven. We all see what we're most comfortable with at first. I seem very familiar to you because... Klaus studied his face, but especially the man's eyes. He had seen those eyes every time he looked at himself in the mirror. I knew you before you were born, the man concluded, and with that full recognition and realization rushed over Klaus. Because he was dead, he was talking to his own higher self, his oversoul, named...Eoa. For a moment that stretched on and on, they stared at each other, and Klaus drew in a long breath. Klaus's body dissolved and he merged with the other being, shedding all carnal senses of self. Eoa had completed another incarnation. From the fifth-density recycling zone, Klaus's whole life was played back for him as every detail, and every way in which Klaus affected and was affected by others was absorbed and studied. Klaus had been a political activist who had protested the Nazi Party. When the Reichstag burned and the Nazis began consolidating power, he and Irma organized rallies that drew hundreds of people. For this, they were murdered. Eoa concluded that the goals of the incarnation had been successfully fulfilled with the positive effects Klaus had on all of those people. Klaus and Irma had acted selflessly, and they had made a difference in many ways. Their souls rapidly evolved as a result of this service. As fifth density is a timeless realm, all of this was occurring in zero time with respect to events on Earth. In other words, if Eoa desired it, another incarnation could have begun in an infant who was being born at the exact moment that Klaus was shot. This, however, was not the plan.

Eoa moved forward in time to the cusp of the new millennium. Members of the soul family crowded around, speculating on what kind of incarnation would be chosen now. For the final incarnation on third-density Earth, a variety of lesson plans were available and Eoa sought something challenging to achieve karmic re-alignment. The natural, universal system of incarnation presented a set of the most compatible choices, and Eoa browsed them and compared them. One in particular, this one in Florida, was the most tantalizing. The soul Oome, whose incarnation of Irma Friedman had just ended, then settled on a compatible one in Louisiana and radiated excitement. Now that their decisions were made, the connections and transactions began with other souls, like so many dominoes falling and triggering other events. Eoa and Oome felt the incredibly intense sensation of condensing down into matter, taking root in physical existence through the DNA of the unborn children they had chosen. Though they were born many miles apart, destiny would bring them together. We shall begin our story at the point in space-time where these two humans meet, as all that follows branches out from this single event...

Part I Ouroboros

Chapter 01 Fate or Destiny? Dammit. Out of cigarettes. I was writing another short story for the science fiction magazine that paid me to publish my work. Alien planets and civilizations always fascinated me, ever since I was very young. I often wondered what they would believe in, what kinds of religions would hold sway over them. I invented languages, art forms, social engines, and more for my stories. The first time I submitted something to the magazine, I received a reply that same day. It said: I loved your story! You create such interesting characters, and your superfluous vocabulary serves you well. I am definitely publishing the story in our next issue, and you are more than welcome to submit more stories in the future. We want the best for our magazine, and the consensus here is that your work is great. We will compensate you well if you will continue to write for us. I think the editor liked my stories because I had spent years reading and researching all kinds of things. My parents never instilled any spiritual beliefs in me. It forced me to decide for myself what I believed, if anything at all. In my quest for understanding I sampled a little bit of everything, and it showed in the complex stories I wrote. I figured I had a pretty nice life, so I wasn't as ambitious as I could have been. I spent most days driving air boats and daydreaming. My parents met in the HaightAshbury district in the late sixties. They were into the counter-culture back then, and if you got them warmed up they'd tell you some great stories. In the end though, they'd get a sad look in their eyes and stop talking about it. Sometimes I felt bad for them, that their generation met with such disappointment. After all, the hippies of the sixties became the businessmen and women of the seventies and eighties. Their revolution died because the world wasn't ready for it. For all the positive changes that came out of that era, the hippies eventually grew up and fell in line. Still, my parents raised me and I turned out pretty well. Where their revolution failed, my generation should honor them by succeeding with our own revolution. For those rare few optimists in our society with eyes to see and ears to hear, this was the one small hope they could see for the future. There were some obstacles to overcome though. The USA developed a love of declaring war on words. We fought a War on Poverty, a War on Drugs, and a War on Terror. We could fight those wars forever with the progress we've made in those arenas. Words are arbitrary, subject to interpretation. The War on Terror could be fought indefinitely as long as there was the threat of terrorism, whether real or manufactured. Certain phrases were burned into the American psyche; insurgents, collateral damage, axis of evil, and the scariest one of them all, mutually assured destruction. There was no easy solution to this problem. Like so many of my generation, I became disillusioned. Writing fiction was a form of escapism for me, a respite from this spreading darkness I saw. The only other

thing that provided an escape from it, however temporary, was the simple life I enjoyed with my parents, so we had a lot of fun together. It didn't bother me that I was still living with them at my age, because I worked with my father, it just made sense at the time. The upside of this was that I had plenty of free time to write. I was spending my day off from work like I spent most of them, sitting in a comfy office chair in front of my computer, sipping iced tea. I'll admit I had a tendency to chain-smoke when I got really inspired. I was writing the climax for my newest story about a self-aware avian species when I opened the pack and found it empty. Dammit. I gently reminded myself that a few hundred dollars of extra income every month was worth going to get some more. Grudgingly, I braved the buzzing, gleaming, Floridian sauna called Homestead to drive two blocks to the closest convenience store; not very convenient by today's standards. I pulled the mail out of the mailbox and threw it on the passenger seat so I'd remember to take it in the house with me. It was late morning when I left my house, and I made pretty good time before the lunch hour really got going. Walking out of the store, a truly bizarre feeling made me stop dead in my tracks. I looked around the parking lot, overcome with the feeling that I had done this exact errand thousands of times before. Eh, whatever. Getting back into my car, I noticed something sticking out of the pile of mail on the seat. It was a postcard with a painting of colorful people, animals and plants. They all melted and blended in with each other. I flipped the card over and read the short sentence that made up the message: Madam, in Eden, I'm Adam. My skin prickled. Somebody thought it would be a funny prank, probably my goofy friend Nick who liked palindromes. I shrugged it off, tossed it back on the seat, and headed back to my parent's house. I slowed to a stop at the four-way intersection between the convenience store and the house and looked both ways. That bizarre feeling came back again. It shouldn't have surprised me, I ran to that convenience store all the time, but this was different. This dj vu was so vivid. The quiet street lined with single-story, pastel-colored homes was empty. As I tapped the gas pedal and drove across it, my eyes involuntarily flicked to the clock on the CD player, which read 11:11. The car that broadsided me at full speed came out of nowhere. I woke up in a hospital bed in a panic. I couldn't remember what happened to me. I wanted to get out of bed and find a staff member so I could ask them. I fought against the intoxication of hospital-grade painkillers. The lead pulled out of one of the monitors I was hooked up to, and set off an alarm at the nurse's station. A tired looking woman came to reconnect it and saw me trying to get out of the bed. She immediately came to my side and held me down. "Try not to move, you have a concussion!" she said firmly. My head started pounding, throbbing with pain, so I gave up and lay back down on the bed. The nurse said into the intercom, "Doctor Palmer to room four, code seven." Even in my daze I marveled at how fast he appeared, sounding slightly out of breath.

"Ah, you're awake. You've been in a nasty car accident. Don't worry; the other driver is going to be just fine. How are you feeling?" I gritted my teeth and said, "Not good." The doctor just nodded and said, "I am sorry to hear that. I'm confident you'll make a full recovery, painful though it may be. Listen, I know this may not be the best time, but the young lady who crashed into you stated her intention to visit you as soon as she heard that you were awake. After that little announcement Debbie just made, she probably knows it now." My addled brain strained to process this statement that was really a question, an invitation. Was I really up to meeting a new person and having a conversation in my current state? I realized that it was probably more for her peace of mind than anything else, so that she could see that I was okay. I took a deep breath and said, "I think I can manage a few minutes if you keep the lights off and the volume down." He smiled his tame, professional smile and said, "Very well, I shall inform her." Then he left. The accident. It came rushing back to me, that was the first memory to return. Everything else was blank, my whole life was gone. This might have scared me more if my head wasn't hurting so much. This whole experience was pretty surreal, and I think the other driver made it more real than anything else. I was hoping she might have some insight into how the accident happened. The girl knocked and entered the room in a wheelchair. "Sorry it took so long, I hate using this thing but they wouldn't let me walk this far by myself." She had a good-sized bruise on her temple, and her lip was a little swollen, but otherwise she looked unscathed. She held out her hand and I clasped it weakly. Then she leaned back in the chair, looked at me, and said, "My name is Eve. They wouldn't tell me yours, medical privacy and all that." What was my name? My head thundered as I tried to remember. Aah...Aaad...Adam. I cleared my throat and whispered, "Adam." She smiled and said, "How appropriate." The coincidence escaped my attention at that moment. I struggled to ask her, "Did you see me?...didn't see you--road was empty. Her smile faded. I blacked out Adam. I never saw you because the last thing I remember is turning onto that street." Her words made my head hurt even more. I could feel tears welling up in the corners of my eyes. That doesn't make any sense. Shit! I don't remember anything before the crash, who am I!? She patted my hand and said, Hey now, c'mon. You know your name, that's a start, right? Just be yourself. I felt goosebumps as dj vu crept over me. Let me just say that amnesia and dj vu feel really weird together. Eve said, I can see you need to rest, I'll come back later. Feel better Adam. After she left I must have fallen asleep again. I woke up hours later to a man and woman at the side of my bed. "Who are you?" I asked them and they exchanged a concerned look. The woman replied, "We're your parents Adam." Over the course of the next few seconds my whole long term memory flooded back into me. I recalled everything I had forgotten all at once. It was great to be rid of the amnesia, but it left me wincing and trembling. "Oh god, I remember now...my head hurts." My parents

looked so relieved. We only got to talk for a few minutes before Debbie entered the room and said, "I'm sorry, visiting time is done, doctor's orders. You need more sleep Adam." My parents said goodnight to me and left. Debbie pulled out a syringe and injected something into my IV. What's that? I asked her. Just something to help you sleep. She glanced into my eyes, and something in her expression was not right. Before I could protest, I felt the drug's stoning effect overcome me. When I woke up, I was in a different room. There was a bright light over the bed, but the light didn't penetrate very far past it; it was unnaturally dark here. My heart started pounding. I didn't know where I was, but something told me that I had been there before, and that it was cause for great alarm. A shadowy figure moved near me and panic shot through me. As I screamed in terror I woke up again in the hospital. Eve bolted out of the chair next to the bed and put her hands on my shoulders, trying to calm me down. "Adam!" she said as remembered where I was. I stopped screaming and stared at her, still trembling. We locked eyes and a hundred whispers of recognition filtered through me. Who was this girl? Why did she seem so familiar to me? I broke eye contact and tried to shake off the strange feelings. I dreamed I was in a dark room, not like this one. Something shadowy moved near me and I--I screamed. Eve looked surprised. That's odd, that sounds like some dreams I've had recently... she said. Despite the nightmares I continued to have, my head began to feel better over the next few days. Coincidentally, Eve confided in me that she was having nightmares too. My parents visited me almost every day, and they even bought me a present. A nice new laptop computer allowed me to continue working on my stories in the hospital. In passing, my parents briefly met Eve, and my father later teased me that She was kinda cute. I rolled my eyes and told him, Dad, this is neither the time nor the place. While the hospital ran tests on us, Eve and I talked to pass the time. I had to admit that she was very pretty, with light brown hair that was usually pulled back in a ponytail, a slim athletic build, and intense, dark eyes. Those eyes looked right through me; they penetrated to the deepest parts of my soul. I candidly asked her at one point, "Eve, who are you?" She gave me a slight, knowing smile as she glanced away and said, "I'll be blunt with you Adam; after meeting you, I'm not so sure of that myself." Great. All this time I thought Eve might be able to shed some light on this situation; instead, she was just making it that much more mysterious and confounding. I knew she was hiding something, but not in a deceptive way. She was like...a puzzle. The more I got to know her, the more our personalities clicked. I found her easier to talk to than anyone I'd ever met. We decided to learn more about each other and forget about strange coincidences for the time being. Eventually, after days of tests, Dr. Palmer said it was likely we'd both be released the following day. Eve said to me later, in private, Listen, Adam, this might sound strange but, what would you think about living at my apartment for awhile? I don't know very many people here in Homestead, and I'd really like to get to know you better. She was beautiful, fascinating, and charismatic. There

was no way I could refuse, so I said, Sure, I'd like that.

Chapter 02 Strange Bedfellows The next morning I called my parents and told them what our plans were. We signed ourselves out of the hospital and called a taxi. Once we got in our cab, we drove through town for a few minutes and turned into Eve's apartment complex. She paid the driver and showed me inside. Her one bedroom, one bath apartment was small but clean, and colorfully decorated. I knew from our conversations in the hospital that she was studying psychology at a community college in New Orleans, where she grew up. She was living here during her summer internship with Dr. Burke, a local hypnotherapist. Also, much to my interest, she composed electronic music in her spare time. She sat me down on her living room couch, put one of her songs, and took out a cigar box. To my surprise, there was a bag of pot and a glass pipe inside. "Do you smoke?" she asked as she started filling the pipe. I did from time to time, mostly in social situations, and I hoped it might help to mellow us out in the midst of all this weirdness. I nonchalantly said, "Sure, I'll have some." She replied, Good. I want you to feel comfortable here. Adam, do I make you uncomfortable? Yes. "No. Don't be silly, I feel right at home here." Eve stared at me and said, Your energy says different. Its okay Adam, I understand why. It's been awhile since you met a cute girl, hasn't it? Well, the reverse is true for me. Look, we're becoming fast friends, so let's talk honestly about our situation for a minute. There's some fucking weird stuff going on around here; what do you think about it? I was a bit taken aback by her question, but I managed to find the words to say, Well, I'm just going with the flow. I don't know what all these coincidences mean, but I'm fine with that. I'm feeling a little awkward, yes, but I'm enjoying your company immensely. She grinned and said, Good answer. We smoked for a few minutes and listened to her music trickle out of the speakers. She sang dreamy lyrics with layers of synths and languid beats. She was quite talented. Eve, this is beautiful... I said as I sank a little deeper into the couch. She just smiled at me. Clearing my throat, trying to break the nervous silence, I asked her, So how did you come to work with Dr. Burke? Eve thought while she held a hit in her lungs, then exhaled. She's an expert in alternative therapies. I found her through the job placement office at my school. She came highly recommended, so for all her unorthodox practices, she is very good at what she does. I'm learning a lot from her. What about you? Tell me about your writing. I grinned and playfully waved a hand at her in dismissal. Ah, I just like science fiction. Like electronic music, it's futuristic. We talked for hours, and by dinnertime I think I had convinced Eve that I felt quite comfortable with the idea of living there. She turned on the TV as CSI: Miami came on. She told me it was one of her favorite shows, that she rarely missed an episode. The

setting sun was streaming through the window, casting orange light on the opposite wall. We had just gotten through the opening sequence that set up the story for the episode, when something unreal happened. It was like the needle skipped on the record of reality, and suddenly we were watching the closing credits. "Whoa, what the..." I exclaimed. Eve looked at me, wide-eyed. "Did you feel that?" she asked. Almost an hour had passed in the blink of an eye. I confessed, "I don't remember watching the show, do you?" She shook her head. The sun had gone down, and the room was darker now. The clock on the wall confirmed it. Trying to shrug it off, I said, "Well whatever it was, I think it's time for bed for me." Eve nodded and said, "Yeah, me too." I looked her in the eye and asked her, "Do you have an extra blanket and pillow?" A couple of emotions crossed her face that I couldn't identify. Looking down at the ground, she said quietly, "You can sleep on the couch if you want to, though I was hoping you'd feel comfortable enough to...share my bed." I felt my cheeks flush. I didn't want to embarrass either of us. She wanted me to be comfortable here, so I knew she was reading my reactions carefully. I almost stuttered when I answered, "Oh, right, of course we can share." The look of relief on her face was noticeable. Without hesitating, she began stripping down to her underwear and turning out the lights. I followed her lead, undressed down to my boxers, and climbed in next to her. We said good night to each other and drifted off to sleep. It was a restless sleep with fearful dreams. At first, I thought I was the one screaming, but it was Eve's cries that woke me up. I felt up the bedside lamp, searching for the light switch. I touched the chain, grabbed it and pulled. Eve had her back against the headboard, and she was kicking herself into the corner, staring at the closet. She stopped screaming once the room lit up, but she clutched her chest as she shut her eyes and whimpered a little. I tried to keep my voice as steady as possible. "Eve, its okay, I'm here." She took a few shaky breaths and seemed to feel better. "I'm sorry, just another nightmare. She looked at me sideways with a slight grin. You have a good bedside manner, Adam. I think you'd make a good hypnotist." I smiled shyly and said, "I'd like to meet this Dr. Burke. Maybe she can tell us about these nightmares." Eve replied, "I'll introduce you tomorrow. I'm okay now, go back to sleep." We did so, and the rest of the night passed uneventfully. When I awoke, I heard Eve turning off the shower. She came out of the bathroom a minute later with a towel wrapped around her. "Morning cutie. C'mon, we gotta get moving. You jump in the shower and I'll make us a snack." She started pulling clothes out of the closet and dresser. As she dressed, she allowed the towel to fall, exposing her naked body to me. I blushed and averted my eyes. Eve glanced at me and asked, What's wrong? I continued to look away as I replied, Well, y-you're nude and, um, cconvention dictates...I, uh, just wanted to give you some privacy. Eve gave an exasperated sigh, dropped her clothes and sat down next to me on the bed half-dressed. Adam, if I'm making you uncomfortable, I'll stop. It's just, you really put me at ease.

Plus, we're both adults. I don't feel the need for privacy. You have to feel comfortable here, or this is never going to work. Understand? I nodded and said, Yes, I do. Sorry Eve. To prove it to her, I stood up, pulled down my boxers, and walked to the bathroom naked. If that didn't show her I was comfortable, what else would? We quickly ate our snack and left for the therapist's office. Eve's parents had made arrangements from New Orleans to have a rental car delivered to her house while she was in the hospital. I stared out the window for most of the ride, thinking about Eve getting flustered earlier. She wasn't mad at my reaction, I knew that, she was just...passionate. I had dated a few girls over the years, enough to know passion when I saw it. It's one of those fiery, unpredictable emotions you have to be very careful with. We parked in front of a modest office building and went into the waiting room. Eve waved to the receptionist and said, Hey Charisse! Then she turned, gave me a wink and said, Wait here. I nodded and sat down facing the receptionist window. The waiting room was pretty standard fare. Better Homes and Gardens and Highlights for Kids magazines were piled up in the corner, and a small TV mounted to the wall was showing soap operas. I wondered what it was about Dr. Burke's work that made it so unconventional. After a few minutes, the receptionist's phone rang. Charisse answered it, said, Okay, and hung up. She said, Adam, you can go in now, third door on the left, and close it behind you please. I went through the waiting room door and shut it, entered the exam room, and closed that door too. I walked around the room, looking at pamphlets for various mental ailments. I found it odd that Eve didn't just take me straight to meet Dr. Burke; maybe she had something work-related she needed to discuss first. Then there was a knock on the door and a short, middle-aged woman with shoulder-length blond hair and glasses entered and said, Adam? Hi, I'm Olivia Burke, it's a pleasure to meet you. She held out her hand, so I smiled and looked her in the eye as I moved to shake it. She somehow grabbed more of my wrist than my hand, and the way she positioned her fingers was unnatural. It happened so fast. Still smiling, she stared into my eyes as she gradually let go, dragging her fingertips down to very the last point of contact. My mind strained to process the unusual handshake. Then world gave way to nothingness. The next thing I remember was the word One! and a clap. I was curled up in the corner of the office, and Dr. Burke was kneeling next to me. What happened? I asked. My face felt wet, and I realized that I had been crying. Eve told me you needed my help, both of you. I told her I wanted to hypnotize you and do a preliminary analysis without...bias. She stood up and offered me her hand. She helped me up, I wiped my face and sat on the couch. When did you...the last thing I remember is standing in the middle of the room, shaking your hand. As she sat across from me, she began jotting something down and said nonchalantly, The handshake induction is one of my favorite techniques. Unfortunately, it's most effective when I first meet someone, so I pretty much get one shot at it, if I decide to go that route. I thought you'd be a good candidate for it, and it seems I was right.

Despite the fact that she acted without consulting me first, I could see it as an invaluable tool for diagnosing people. I said, Wow. Um, okay, so what is my diagnosis? She seemed distracted as she flipped through her notebook. That's a rather loaded question. I don't think you're quite ready for that one yet. She put the notebook down and leaned closer to me. Listen, Eve is a very smart girl. I know because I've been working with her for several months now. She's obviously interested in you, so naturally, I am too. I'm going to put you and Eve on a special diet, and I'll meet with you again in a few days. She handed me a list of restricted foods and smiled warmly. Feeling very confused, I thanked her and left. When I returned to the reception area, Eve was there waiting for me. She took my hand and led me out of the office. I glanced at Charisse who smiled as she watched us leave. We got in Eve's car and shut the doors, and she just sat there, staring out the window. After a few seconds, she turned and looked at me. What did the handshake induction feel like? Eve asked. Warily, I replied, Very strange. I didn't know such a thing was possible. She nodded as she looked out the window again. Yeah, it was really weird when she did it to me for my job interview. So what did she say? I handed her the paper and said, Get this, she put us on a diet. I handed Eve the paper, sighed and slumped in the seat. Eve giggled and said, Dr. Burke is something else, isn't she. I nodded. Eve continued, She said she'd treat us both free of charge, it's very generous of her. I rubbed my eyes and said, She said I wasn't ready to know the diagnosis. What could it be?! Eve held my hand and looked at me sympathetically. You're just not used to this kind of therapy. You trust me Adam, right? I nodded firmly. Good. I trust Dr. Burke, so you can trust her through me. Now, let's go get your stuff and move you in. We drove to my parent's house and went inside. My parents had briefly met Eve at the hospital, so I left her to chat with them while I boxed stuff up. I didn't really have that much to take with me, and I managed to fit everything into the car. I hugged my parents, told them I'd be in touch, and we left. Back at the apartment, we unloaded the car and unpacked. Once everything had been put in its place, it had only taken us a few hours to do the move. Now it was official, my stuff was mixed with hers. I had never lived with any of my previous girlfriends. It was going to be an new experience living so intimately with someone. This relationship that we were developing was very unusual. The only thing that was overpowering my attraction to her was the intense weirdness surrounding her. We ate some lunch then went car shopping. Our insurance policies would cover the total value of our cars, so we both bought used Hondas. I followed Eve in my car to the rental place to drop off the loaner, and then we drove back to the dealership to get her car. It felt unsettling to be driving as I remembered the accident. We returned to the house and sprawled on the couch. Eve took out the cigar box again. I'm not usually this much of a pothead, I'm just enjoying being able to share it

with someone for once, she said as she filled the pipe. I think it has its place, despite the stigma against it, I said, then took a hit. She smiled as she exhaled, and said, Dr. Burke smokes too. I've never smoked with her, as I think it would be inappropriate for my internship and all, but she believes in its therapeutic potential, you know? I pondered this as we smoked. We sat soaking up the ambiance in silence for a few minutes. I noticed Eve was staring at me, processing emotions I couldn't decipher. What's on your mind? I asked her nervously. She chewed her lip, looked away and said, Sorry. It's just, you fascinate me. Her statement made me reel; the feeling was more than mutual. I confessed, No, I'm sorry Eve. I feel like I should be able to open up to you, it's just, it's hard because we've... I unfocused my eyes as I finished the sentence, ...we've only just met... Dj vu set in again. Hmm, yes, only just met... Eve said absentmindedly as she stared off into space. The word met seemed to echo and reverberate off into infinity. My hair stood on end. No, no, this is crazy! I know we just met, but why doesn't it feel like that?! She just laughed at me. Adam! Chill out! Of course, logic and reason have their place, but you can't always apply them to real life, the world is far too strange for that. She hugged me tightly and I instantly relaxed. Eve was smart, and very therapeutic for me. I had friends in Homestead, but not very many I could open up to about such deep matters. It felt really good to bare my soul to someone. That night we shared the bed again. Eve gave me a casual peck on the cheek and said, Sweet dreams, as she rolled over. I felt sleep reaching for me from somewhere far below, grasping at me like hands. I awoke with a start when I heard a thump in the dark room. I immediately realized I was paralyzed. I remembered I had read about sleep paralysis, that it was a pretty common experience that was ultimately harmless, but I was still terrified. I strained to breath and I could only barely move my eyes. My body was positioned so that I was looking at the far corner of the room. Something shadowy moved in the dark and I tried to scream but nothing came out. I shut my eyes trying to make it go away. Terror gripped me as the thing began to make breathing sounds. Thunder crackled and exploded over the house and I screamed bloody murder. I bolted upright as the paralysis stopped short. Eve hit the lights and I saw that the corner was empty. My fight or flight instinct had been triggered, and adrenaline was now coursing through my veins. I fought to calm myself down, I couldn't stop trembling. Adam, breathe... I closed my eyes and gulped. My breathing slowed and I rested my head against the wall. This is getting worse Eve. She said, I'll talk to Dr. Burke in the morning. Please, try to go back to sleep. I didn't think I would be able to, but I did. In the morning we both got ready for work. Eve would go to the office, and I'd go work with my father. We agreed to meet up for lunch. Eve gave me a hug and a kiss before I left. Homestead Tours provided air boat tours of the Everglades. Dad taught me to

drive the boats when I was sixteen, and I fell in love with it. Now when I went to work with him, I could take out a group myself, while my father took another group. I knew all the best spots, even some the old man didn't know about. My father smiled when I pulled in and parked. Morning dad. Morning son, its good to have you back, he said. It's good to be back, I replied. We fueled up the boats, checked the answering machine, and as I was flipping the closed sign over, a minivan was pulling into the lot. A quick game of rock-paper-scissors decided that I would take the first boat out. I took the nice family from Georgia out into the marshy wilderness, moving away from civilization. I pointed out herons and sand hill cranes, and very old cypress trees covered with Spanish moss. The kids loved it, they shouted Faster, faster! I spotted something about a hundred feet away and cut the engine. The boat slowed and stopped and I pointed at a clump of weeds off to the right. What is it? the mother asked. I grinned as the creature popped its head out of the water and looked at us. It's an alligator; probably a female protecting her nest. The alligator began to swim towards the boat, and I stared into its eyes. Something gripped me, I don't know what, but I couldn't think about anything else. The little girl's scream brought me back to reality. I pulled the starter and nothing happened. The gator was quickly closing the distance. I pulled again, nothing. Finally on the third pull, the fan spun up and I opened up the throttle. We sped towards the gator, and I turned the fan at the last second and sprayed water at the beast. The family breathed a sigh of relief, and I chuckled to myself. Secretly though, I wondered what transfixed me. I saw alligators all the time, but this one made me feel different, like it was dangerously intelligent. I met Eve for lunch at a sandwich shop in downtown Homestead. She was in a cheerful mood. I told Dr. Burke what you said last night. She said it may have to get worse in order to get better, that we should just take it one day at a time and keep her posted. I asked Eve, Do you think that the diet is really going to help our nightmares? Do we actually need several days of it for the therapy to work? Eve nodded as she chewed her sandwich. Yeah, we need to make it through at least a few days. I sighed deeply. Hey, she said as she nudged my foot with hers, will you take me out on the boat after I get off work tonight? I grinned. Of course, I look forward to it. She hugged me again we parted ways. The rest of the day was busy, and before I knew it Eve was pulling into the lot. I took her out to the place where I saw the gator that morning. Something drew me back to that spot. With a stroke of luck, I spotted the same gator in the same place; somehow I knew it was the same one. It noticed us and started swimming toward us. Eve's reaction was immediate. I don't like it Adam. Let's leave. I wanna go. Now. NOW! I couldn't start the boat again, just like last time. This isn't funny Adam. It started before, so it was going to start now, right? Please Adam, get us out of here! I cursed like a truck driver and glanced at the water as I pulled the starter over and over. The gator was almost on top of us. ADAM! Finally the engine started, I swung the fan

hard to the side and turned the boat around. Then I opened up the throttle and we accelerated rapidly away from the monstrous creature. We were back to the dock in a minute but Eve was in bad shape. Our close encounter had triggered a full-blown panic attack. I managed to get her off the boat and into the car. I had to get her to Dr. Burke. Hold on Eve, I'll get you help. I dialed Dr. Burke's cell number, which she wrote down on her business card for me. She answered on the first ring. What happened to her Adam? Whoa, I thought, that's a strange way to answer the phone. Wha--? How did... She sighed impatiently and said, With your symptoms, it was just a matter of time; now tell me what happened so I can help her. I said, I took her out on the air boat. An alligator started swimming towards us, and I couldn't start the engine. The gator got pretty close before I was able to get us out of there, and Eve panicked. I can't seem to calm her down. Dr. Burke replied, I'm still at the office, bring her to me. I pulled in a minute later and helped Eve walk inside as she trembled and gasped. The office was mostly dark, but I found all the doors unlocked. I returned to the exam room I knew from last time and there was Dr. Burke with a man I hadn't met before. As we entered the man stood up and stepped towards Eve. As he gently grasped her wrist and neck, he said in a deep, soothing voice, Eve, look at me. He tugged on her arm, she went limp and he caught her. It all happened so fast, it took me a moment to realize it was another instant induction technique. He laid her down on the couch and continued speaking. Eve, I want you to imagine you're sitting in a comfortable chair in an empty movie theater. You're safe in this theater, nothing can harm you there. You're holding a remote control that you can use to control what you see on the screen. Do you understand? She nodded and sighed. I glanced at Dr. Burke, and she mouthed one word to me: Watch. I turned my focus back to Eve. I want to go back to the last nightmare you had. Can you tell me what happened? She shook her head and emphatically said, No. The man remained calm. It's okay Eve, it's not real. You're safe here, nothing can hurt you. Tell me what you saw on the screen. She sobbed a little, and whimpered, A monster raped me. I swear to god, my heart stopped beating for a good few seconds. I wasn't sure which of those two words bothered me more. Dr. Burke saw me start to tremble and pushed me to sit down on the other couch. She took my hand in one of hers, and rubbed my back with the other. As mortified as I was by Eve's words, I couldn't look away. The man continued, Eve, describe the monster. It's just a movie, it's not real. She cried as she said, I can't know it yet, I'm not ready! If I find out right now I'll just repress it! My breath caught in my throat, and I broke away from Dr. Burke and ran out of the room. I knew Eve needed my support, but I couldn't bear to hear to anymore. I stopped in the hallway, leaned against the wall and stared at the floor. This was the darkest turn in the winding road of destiny I had ever personally witnessed. This was fucked up. I fought back tears, but they came anyway. If Eve wasn't ready to know more, then I surely wasn't

either. Adam? I turned and straightened up. Eve was standing in the doorway. I wiped my eyes, walked over to her, and embraced her. I took a deep, shuddering sigh, and she whispered in my ear, Don't worry, I'll be okay. We'll be okay. Dr. Burke led us gently back to the couch and sat us both down. The man spoke to us, My name is Dr. Hadden, and Im a colleague of Dr. Burke's. Forgive me for not introducing myself before. Eve's voice trembled as she asked him the burning question inside her. Dr. Hadden, what happened to me? I remembered being...raped...when you brought me out of it, but beyond that I'm blank. He took off his glasses and shook his head. You blocked me hard when I tried to probe. I am sorry to say I've seen these symptoms before. The treatment of these cases is usually...intense. I felt my pulse quickening. Hadden turned to Dr. Burke and said, Olivia, what did Eve say to you the day you met Adam? Dr. Burke casually replied to Dr. Hadden as she gazed at us, She asked for help with the nightmares she and Adam were having. Eve nodded silently, her head bowed. Hadden continued, After that visit, you called me right away for a second opinion. I felt a concerned interest in the case. There are some experiences in this world that are so...strange that our minds can't even begin to fathom them. If a person had no frame of reference for such an experience, it would likely induce psychosis in the worst case scenario. Based this evening's events, my professional opinion is that your clients lack a frame of reference for what is happening to them. In other words, they are in way over their heads. I struggled to keep a straight face. For doctors they were being pretty blunt with us, and my insides were twisting anxiously now. Dr. Burke spoke again. The first treatment was close-quarters therapy designed to bring tensions to the surface, and it worked. I concur with your diagnosis Dr. Hadden, and I move that we proceed to the next step in treatment. Dr. Hadden turned back to us and said, I second that. Eve, Adam, the two of us would like to propose a radical therapy for you. We want to send you to a retreat in the Amazon rain forest. What?! I blurted out. Of all the things for a doctor to prescribe, this had to be the strangest. I said, Why? I don't understand. What does that have to do with our symptoms? What kind of retreat-- and Dr. Burke interrupted me. Sorry, but the less you know going into it, the more you'll get coming out of it. Since nightmares inspire fear, part of your treatment is to face fears of the unknown. Eve looked at me expectantly. I could see in her eyes that she wanted to go. I hesitated for a second, then nodded and said Okay. Let's go to the Amazon. Dr. Burke smiled and said, Stick with that diet and wait for a phone call. We both nodded and shook the doctors' hands, and then we left. Eve asked me drive and curled up against the window with her eyes shut. After what came out in that session, I wanted to wish all of this away for her. Poor Eve. Dr. Hadden was right about one thing. We had absolutely no

frame of reference for a monster, never mind the fact that the monster supposedly raped Eve. She absentmindedly pulled the mail out of the box as we went inside and tossed it on the counter. I just stood in the doorway watching her. She went into the kitchen and took a bottle of rum from the freezer. She poured a glass, grimaced as she gulped it down, and let out a quiet sob. I felt terrible for her. Eve, I am so sorry. A single tear escaped, and she wiped it off casually. I actually feel better for knowing it Adam. Even if I don't know the whole story yet, I can still start coming to terms with it. Oh...I think I need to sit down. We passed each other as I walked into the kitchen and poured myself a drink. As I headed to the couch, something caught my eye in the pile of mail on the counter. It was a postcard. My mind was a few steps behind, trying to catch up, but I knew this was something noteworthy. Eve, take a look at this, I said as I put it down on the table in front of her. She looked at the front, which was a beautiful painting of a garden. She flipped it over and read the message on the back out loud: You must peruse this message carefully. I looked closer at the writing and almost choked on my drink. Eve! That's my handwriting! I exclaimed. I ignored her look of playful scorn as I jumped up from the couch and dug through a box of stuff that was taken out of my old car. This had to be some kind of long, strange dream, it just had to be. I had exited the convenience store that day feeling like I was stuck in a time loop. I had forgotten about that feeling and the postcard that followed it until now. I finally found it, dramatically tossed it on the table and challenged her, Read the back. Madam, in Eden, I'm Adam. The poor girl was not expecting that palindrome that was all too appropriate for us. She swore and dropped it as if it had burned her. I gently whispered, That's your handwriting, isn't it? She refused to look at me, but she still nodded. Do you know when I received this? I continued. Finally she looked at me, questioningly. It arrived the day of the accident. Her eyes got wide and she stood up. She swayed a little, caught her balance, and then walked away unsteadily. I felt guilty for being so blunt, and said, Eve, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to... She turned and cut me off with a fierce look in her eyes. Adam, I do not remember writing that. I met her stare. I don't remember writing yours either. She looked back at the postcard and said, Well, at least now we know where we're going. I looked down and fixated on the bold letters. Peru. God dammit, I needed sleep, just to escape the weirdness of my waking life for a few hours. That night I dreamt of alligators that walked upright and talked. They growled at me and told me to go back to sleep. I woke up in the morning and enjoyed the few seconds before I remembered what happened the night before. I gently climbed out of bed and left Eve to continue sleeping. I decided to go out on the patio and meditate. The sun was rising, and the birds were serenading it. I thought hard about everything that had happened to us. Something was pulling us towards it. There was something in Peru that might give us a frame of reference.

I told myself that Eve was the most important person in my life, someone to be cherished and protected. I didn't even notice her come outside and sit down next to me. That sneak. When I opened my eyes and saw her I yelped in surprise. She giggled and said, Good morning. I mumbled a quick, Morning, as I recovered. Eve, last night I dreamed of alligators that walked and talked. It's odd, they told me to go back to sleep. I mean, I was asleep, it didn't make any sense. After nodding, she stared off into space, and said, Huh. Interesting. I stared at her in disbelief. Eve, is that all you can say? I asked. She looked surprised, but she said, God, I'm sorry Adam. I don't know a lot about dream interpretation, but based on what I know about myths and archetypes, I suggest reading about mythological serpents if you want to know more. I started to say something, and then stopped myself. That might actually help. I got the laptop and searched while Eve made us breakfast. I was astounded at how many different cultures around the world and throughout the ages had serpents or reptiles in their mythology. They were often regarded as a source of wisdom or enlightenment. Eventually, I came upon the symbol of Ouroboros, the snake eating its own tail. Something came undone. It jarred something loose inside me. I must have meditated on that symbol for a long time. I knew it was significant, I just didn't know why. My eyes were closed and I was far away when Eve's cell phone rang. Hello? Hi Dr Burkereally? We're going that soon? O--okay, we'll start planning. Thanks. Bye. She hung up, cursed, and said, The next retreat starts in two days, we fly out in the morning! That snapped me out of it. What? I thought we still had a few days. She looked deep in thought as she said, I think the diet has done its job. Dr. Burke put some of her clients on it while I was working there. She'd wait a few days then send them to the re she paused momentarily, then finished, treat...shit. She regretted her choice of words immediately, but it was too late, the damage had already been done. I was shocked by her response. Whoa, wait a minute, you knew about this retreat? She stared at the floor as she replied, I figured you'd find out sooner or later, so I left that part out. It's supposed to be very intense, Adam. There was something else about it too, something about a vine, but...I don't understand what it means. I became very lightheaded, and turned away from her as I leaned against the wall. The day I met Dr. Burke, Eve must have known the retreat was coming when I told her about the diet. Maybe she knew before that. I began questioning the whole causality of the doctor's treatments. The night before, Dr. Burke had said something odd, but I was so distracted by Eve's rape that I ignored it at the time. I turned back to her and asked, Eve, what did Dr. Burke mean last night by close-quarters therapy? I thought it was your idea for me to move in with you. Her lip trembled, she broke down and cried as she confessed, Alright, I admit it! Dr. Burke visited me in the hospital and I told her about our nightmares. She suggested I invite you to move in with me. Yes, it was all her idea, but it was my decision! I'm embarrassed to admit that I didn't want to sleep alone, but most of all...I just wanted to help you!

I didn't mean to upset her this much. It could not have been easy for her to make such a tough decision. It didn't really matter to me how much of it was Dr. Burke's idea, Eve meant well. I hugged her tightly and whispered, You are helping Eve, more than you know. I'm not mad at you, you just caught me off guard. I'm really glad I moved in with you, okay? C'mon sweetie, dry those tears. We have work to do. We started making arrangements that afternoon, and by dinnertime we were finished. We both went to bed early, hoping to get some extra rest before our long journey began. I actually prayed for sleep for us, just one night undisturbed. My amorphous spirituality was indistinct and confused. I didn't normally pray, but these nightmares were motivating me to do things I'd never considered doing before. Someone or something must have been listening, because the prayer...was answered.

Chapter 03 Jungle Fever The next morning my parents drove us to the airport. They were trading knowing looks the whole time, and I wasn't sure if the looks were about Eve, our trip, or both. It was obvious to me that they really liked Eve. They hugged us both, wished us luck, and waved goodbye as we prepared to be fondled and x-rayed. We got through security and customs, found our gate, and sat down in the chairs. It would still be an hour before we boarded, so I pulled out a book and brushed up on my Spanish. Growing up in So-Flo would serve me well on this trip, as I could speak the language well enough to get around. Eve was reading a book about someone named Milton Erickson. Finally, our flight was called to board. Once we got settled, we pulled out our books again. We read through the takeoff, fell asleep, and I woke up to the speaker blaring that we had just begun our descent. Eve, we're almost there. Wake up. She groaned and forced herself up. A short time later we landed in Lima, disembarked, and went to find the gate for our connecting flight. It was about four in the morning, local time. A small propeller plane took us over the mountains to Iquitos. The sun was starting to rise as we landed. As we walked through the terminal, I took out the papers from our trip planning. There was a small envelope that Dr. Burke had given us when she stopped by the apartment early the previous morning. She didn't say anything to us except, You can do this. I believe in you. The envelope only said 'Open upon arrival in Iquitos.' Eve watched as I opened it and pulled out a white card. It only said:

SNAKEVINE I rolled my eyes. What kind of a message was that? This was just silly. Dr. Burke was probably trying to get us to lighten up, but the thought crossed my mind that this was all some big game to her. Hoping the message would become clear soon, I put it back in with the rest of the papers and we continued our walk. Once we had retrieved our bags, we walked out of the cool air conditioning into the steaming jungle heat. Ay dios mio! And I thought Florida was humid! The Amazon was truly another world. The scenery was so lush and verdant, and the heat made me feel delirious, like I was having a feverish dream. At the taxi pickup, an old Peruvian man was standing next to an unmarked car and holding up a sign. A sign with a snake wrapped around a vine. A smile lit up his face as we approached him. He was about sixty, with kind eyes and a subtle confidence. He grinned as he shook our hands and slowly spoke Spanish to us. Ah, muy bien. Adam? Eve? Me llamo Miguel, mucho gusto. Bienvenidos a Peru. Ustedes son los ltimos a llegar. Ahora, podemos comenzar. Vamanos!

We got in the car and drove for a few minutes to a boat dock. Miguel parked, got out with us, and locked the car. He whistled a tune as he produced another set of keys and started up one of the boats. As we pulled away from the noisy hustle of the city, the sights and sounds of the Amazon took over. I asked our driver, Seor Miguel, habla usted ingls? He nodded. I asked him, Cool. So tell me, what kind of retreat is this? He chuckled a little, looked at me and saw that I was serious, and then he just laughed harder. You really don't know? he asked. Eve shook her head. No, our doctor said the less we knew the better. She visited this region years ago when she was studying medicine in different cultures all over the world. I looked at Eve questioningly. Here was yet another thing she never told me, that Dr. Burke had been to Peru before. Miguel thought for a moment, and asked, Doctor Burke? Our mouths dropped open. Si seorita, I remember her. She knew nothing about the retreat either. She would send you here knowing as little as she did, heheh, yes, she would. Eve glanced nervously at me, then turned to Miguel and tried to ask as casually as possible, Miguel, what's ayahuasca? I had never heard that word before. He studied her for a second, and said, Maybe your doctor is right. I'll play along with her. You'll find out soon enough. I couldn't take it anymore, I pulled Eve aside. Eve, what do you know about this? Where did you hear that word? She laughed at me. You are so adorable when you're nervous. Relax; remember I said there was something about a vine? One of Dr. Burkes clients, who returned from the retreat, a Latino woman, kept saying this word. When I asked her what it meant, all she would say was, 'The vine.' Maybe it was just about the sign Miguel was holding. Whatever it was though, ayahuasca was something big. It definitely had a huge impact on her, the way she was singing its praises. She was like...a whole new person when she came back. It's odd, I had mostly forgotten about that until now. Anyway, I guess we're not meant to know yet, so chill out kiddo. As usual, Eve was right, I needed to chill out. She had that effect on me; she could always calm me down. I decided to forget about it and enjoy the boat ride. The sounds coming from the jungle on either side of us sounded so foreign, we might as well have been on another planet. They were loud enough that we could hear them over the boat's engine. Eventually, the boat began to drift towards the edge of the river and a mixture of excitement and anxiety came over me. When we hit the bank, Eve and I jumped off. I asked Miguel, Now what? Miguel doubled over laughing, and said, What do you think?! Go explore! I grinned at Eve as I took her hand and we headed towards a ring of bungalows set away from the riverbank. We walked between two of them, and there stood an impressive ceremonial house, the maloca as someone would call it later, in the center of a large clearing. Shards of sunlight filtered through the thick canopy overhead. There were voices coming from the inside the ceremonial house. We parted the thick mosquito netting and everyone turned to look at us. I felt a touch of apprehension that soon melted away. One by one, they got up to greet us. We met Manny and Pedro from Brazil, a few Europeans, and the rest were Peruvians. An older woman, Sofia, introduced herself as Miguel's wife and showed us to our bungalow. We stowed our bags and returned to the ceremonial house. The British man, Edgar, handed us cigarettes, and said,

The use of tobacco is encouraged at this retreat. This is a local variety called Nicotiana rustica, the natives call it 'mapacho,' and it's a sacred plant to them. Eve asked him why tobacco wasn't sacred in our culture, and Edgar, happy for the attention, rambled on about it for her, so I struck up a conversation with Manny and Pedro. So guys, tell me about Brazil. Manny said, Well, we are members of the Santo Daime church. We drink daime there, a ceremonial tea which shares ingredients with ayahuasca. There was that word again. I said I'm sorry, this is embarrassing to ask. My doctors and Miguel wouldn't tell us anything about this retreat, but that's the second time someone has said this word. What exactly is ayahuasca? They both burst out laughing. Pedro said, Muito engraado! You're something else Adam. It's a medicinal tea. The Banisteriopsis Caapi vine makes the visionary plant chacruna orally active. Most foreigners come here to take it as least knowing something about it. That is why we are so amused. I smiled and shrugged, and said, Okay, visionary plant, ceremonial ingestion, I see why we weren't told anything. Now that we're here and it's too late to turn back, at least I finally understand what this retreat is about. Silently, I cursed our wretched doctors for leaving us no way out. A visionary plant sounded very daunting to me. Soon after were summoned for a light lunch. The food was delicious, so organic and natural. I noticed that it all fit into the diet that Dr. Burke prescribed us. I was famished, so I went to get a second serving, and Pedro warned me against it; I decided to listen to him. After lunch, Eve and I went to our bungalow to unpack. We took a shower and changed into fresh clothes. Did you enjoy your conversation with Edgar? I asked. She replied, Oh yeah, he's really smart. I overheard your conversation with Manny and Pedro. Edgar explained the purpose of this retreat to me too. I said, Well, doesn't this sound a little intimidating now? She wrapped her arms around me, looked me straight in the face, and said, No, I think this is exactly what we need. Face your fears Adam. Open your mind. Let this medicine do its job. Sofia knocked on the door and said that it was time to begin. We sat around the bonfire outside and waited. After everyone was seated, Miguel signaled for quiet. Apparently, our humble driver was el maestro. Tricky bastard. Bienvenidos a todos, me llamo Don Miguel. I would like to welcome our guests from other countries, as well as my Peruvian brothers and sisters. Before we begin, I must verify that nobody has eaten foods that do not appear on the approved diet. Doing so could be very dangerous if you participate in the ceremony. Sofia was translating into Spanish for the Peruvians who did not speak English. We all nodded. If you have never taken ayahuasca before, please raise your hand. About half of us did so. We have several experienced guides who can help you through the ceremony. For those of you who raised your hands, the guides will give extra attention. For the rest of you, please call on a guide if you need help. There are more of you than there are guides, but this is rarely an issue. Also, all participants are encouraged to smoke throughout the ceremony. The mapacho will help to calm you and bring on your visions. At last, the sun sank below the

horizon and the eerie cries of the nocturnal animals began to sound in the forest all around us. Night falls, the spirits are gathering to watch over us. Come my friends, it is time to begin. We all entered the maloca. Candles were lit, and there were mats and pillows arranged in a circle. I tried not to think about why each mat had a bowl in front of it. Don Miguel entered in full ceremonial dress, bringing an air of wisdom and authority with him. He bowed to us, and we all returned the bow. My breathing had become shallow and labored. Relax, man, breathe, Pedro whispered to me as he rubbed my back. I nodded and took a deep breath. Pedro said to Manny, Ele est me lembrando da minha primeira vez, and they both giggled. Though Spanish and Portuguese share a lot of cognates, I didn't fully understand what he said. I only caught the words primeira vez, first time. We all lit a cigarette and smoked. Miguel began chanting, puffing on a large cigar, and blowing the smoke into the bottle that contained the ayahuasca. He whistled and twittered and spoke in his tribal dialect. He seemed to be casting a spell on the mysterious liquid. Watching him perform these actions, I got dj vu again. Why was I having all this dj vu? What was happening to me? My stomach tightened a little. Miguel started with Pedro and moved from person to person around the circle. He measured out an appropriate dose for each one of us; somehow he just knew the right amount to give to each person. When he got to Eve, he poured a large cup for her while he chanted, then handed it to her. She hesitated, took a deep breath and gulped it down. He poured another, and she dutifully drank that one too. She wiped her mouth, closed her eyes, and let out a long sigh. My heart was pounding. I watched, riveted, as Miguel knelt down next to me. He poured a large cup for me, and I gulped down the bitter, earthy-tasting liquid. Mas. He poured again. I obediently drank it, but I gasped in horror when he poured another. Uno mas. I choked it down with a grimace. Miguel patted me on the head. The guides blew out most of the candles, and the maloca plunged into darkness. Miguel and Sofia sang together. Sometimes Sofia sang a harmony, and their voices blended beautifully. I tried to slow my heart down. I tried to breathe slowly and deeply. What did I get myself into here? Eve told me the retreat was reputed to be intensive. If this was medicine, it unlike any medicine I knew. The thick jungle air around us smelled like flowers, tobacco, and sweat. I listened to the sounds of Miguel's leaf rattle beating rhythmically, and the songs that he and Sofia sang. Gradually, out of the darkness, came a faint swirling of color. I tried my best not to think about this wicked brew seeping into my stomach. The colors slowly brightened and intensified as they sang louder. The passage of time became impossible for me to measure. Out of the churning rainbow came momentary images with thoughts and emotions embedded in them. I was starting to feel a little queasy.

I switched tactics and looked around the hut, trying to stay grounded in reality, but that was futile. The visuals I was seeing made the ceremonial house shift and shimmer, and crawl with geometric shapes. Closing my eyes or keeping them open made no difference, I still felt queasy. Eve coughed next to me. Oh, god, I don't want to... she whispered. One of the guides rubbed her back and asked her, Do you feel sick? Eve whimpered, Uh huh. The guide said, Then let go. She looked unsure. Really? she asked. The guide nodded. She finally stopped fighting it and threw up, spluttered for a second, then purged hard. Listening to her throw almost sent me to the same place, but I was buzzing with energy now, and a throbbing, billowing mass of iridescent hues had completely enveloped me. Two emerald serpents slithered down from the ceiling and came to rest majestically in front of me. Snakes? I whispered. The snakes spoke in unison. Sssilence human. You underssstand nothing about thisss medicine. Americansss such as yourssself are essspecially naive. Firssst tessst, we make you sssick. Now, purga... At this last word, my stomach contracted. I coughed and groped around for my bowl. Fuck. *urp* Shit! The serpents' ruby eyes glittered in the darkness as their forked tongues flitted in and out. Ssstop resisssting! they hissed. Quite impossibly, they pulled the mat out from under me and I yelped in surprise as my body tumbled through empty space. After a couple of seconds, I gently landed back on the mat feeling very disoriented. The world spun around me sickeningly, my stomach flipped over and I gagged. I took too much, I had to throw it up before I absorbed any more. Miguel pushed my bowl in front of me, said Bastante! and slapped me on the back. I grabbed the bowl and vomited violently. Every negative experience I'd ever had in my life welled up inside me. As I emptied my stomach, I relived each one of these experiences in rapid succession. I had to get this stuff out of me. I was pouring sweat, and tears streamed down my face. I wasn't prepared to purge myself so intensely like this. Praying for it to end, I summoned with every fiber of my being anything negative still left inside me, and pushed it out in one last final throw. Then the singing reached a crescendo, my eyes rolled up into my head, and I fell back on the pillow. In the center of my field of vision an entity appeared with many eyes, several pairs of arms, and diaphanous wings. It was made of animals, insects and plants. Pure love and wisdom emanated from it, and it cooed as it embraced me. The nature spirit sang as it showed me paradisaical worlds, ecosystems in balance with the Earth, and ancient cultures that lived in harmony with the land. Beautiful... I whispered. Then the tone changed and it sang a song of lament as the forests burned and fell, the land was raped by men, and the animals and insects died. I wept unashamedly. From the ashes rose up a new forest, the animals came back, and the being's song soared to a beautiful note. I reveled in the glory of nature in its

entire splendor, and my tears changed from sorrow to joy. Slowly, the visions began to fade and I came back to reality. Eve seemed to be okay, but she wouldn't look me in the eye. After we were all more-or-less coherent, we followed Miguel down to the river bank. Miguel had us all strip naked, and one by one we stood in the river as he poured a floral bath over our heads. Then we dressed and headed for our bungalows to sleep. I lay down with Eve, and she hugged me tightly. Eve, what's wrong? Are you alright? I'm sorry I wasn't much of a comfort, I was kind of preoccupied, I said. She sniffled and said, It's not you, I'm just...overwhelmed with emotion. It's gonna take me awhile to sort this all out. I nodded and replied, I know exactly what you mean. Soon after that we drifted off to sleep. I awoke to Eve staring out the window and singing, something dreamy and beautiful. I told her she could wake me up like that any time, and she laughed. We took a shower together and headed outside. We ate some breakfast, then walked around the camp, investigating what everyone was doing. Edgar was teaching Pedro how to play chess, Manny was gathering plants with Don Miguel, and Sofia was teaching sacred songs to the guides. Everyone else lounged in hammocks and talked in the maloca. Miguel and Manny summoned us to the campfire at the edge of the village, where they were just beginning to make the ayahuasca for that evening. Miguel showed us how it was prepared, and then he made us do it. We took turns beating the vine to separate the dense fibers, and stirring the pot as it boiled the essences out of the plants. I took pride in these actions, knowing our energy combined to make the brew we would drink that night. After a light lunch, Eve and I rode with Miguel and a few others in the boat to Iquitos to get some supplies. A short time later we were back in the noise and chaos of the city, and I felt strange being there after my experiences. I think this was an important part of the retreat, a sort of 'compare and contrast' exercise. 'Civilization' as we called it was almost foreign to me then; I almost preferred the quiet, simple life in the village. Believe it or not, I actually considered not returning to the US. The uncomfortable look on Eve's face suggested she was having similar feelings. As we walked through a gift shop, I stopped dead in my tracks and said Eve, look. There, sitting on a rack, were the two postcards we had received. No way, she said. Against all logic and reason, this is where they came from. The colorful one I got had been painted by an ayahuasquero, so that part made sense now. We looked at each other and slowly nodded, signifying some kind of understanding, even though we were both astounded at the implications. She took the ayahuasca one, and I took the garden one. We both wrote our messages, and I mailed hers to the apartment while she mailed mine to my parent's house.

With supplies rounded up we returned downriver as night fell. When we got back to the village we headed straight for the ceremonial house. Strangely, the Peruvian participants decided not to partake that night, so it was just the foreigners, the guides, and Miguel in the maloca. It would definitely be different without them. Miguel's demeanor changed too, he seemed more laid back and playful. Tonight, you decide how much to take, and I take some too. He giggled and handed each person a bottle. It caught us all off guard, and I laughed in spite of myself. Miguel didn't seem to think that this made our ceremony any less sacred. I felt that this was a more intimate group, for sure. Together, Eve and I poured the murky liquid into large mugs. Eve stopped at about six ounces, and I stopped at around eight. Manny and Pedro playfully added to their cups repeatedly, trying to outdo each other. The maloca was strangely quiet as we drank, so that all one could hear was gulping sounds and lips smacking. It sounded ridiculous because the more I thought about it there were no sounds from the jungle or anything else. It was pitch black. Thunder rolled in the distance. It couldn't have been more than a few minutes after we drank, but the ambiance suggested our perceptions were already being altered in some way. Now all anyone could hear was breathing. Thunder rolled again, slightly louder this time, and a cool wind blew gently through the hut. Not wanting to break this eerie silence, nobody said a word. We puffed our cigarettes, causing a cloud of smoke to hang over us. After what felt like a long time, I noticed threads of color and faint patterns emerging from the smoke. They quickly evolved into shimmering waterfalls and pools of colored light. A stronger wind blew through the hut, carrying the cloud of smoke with it, and the jungle lit up with a flash of lightning. The thunder followed with a deafening crash and rumble, and we all gasped in surprise. Eve grabbed my hand and squeezed hard. The approaching storm had electrically charged the air, and it seemed to crackle softly whenever anyone moved. The patter of rain sounded on the roof of the maloca, first a few drops, then increasing to a downpour. Again lightning flashed followed immediately by thunder so loud I felt it rumble in my chest. I felt the body buzz intensifying, and with the charge in the air my whole body seemed to hum. As there was seemingly no rhyme or reason to this absurd ceremony, I obeyed the urge to reach for my mug and bottle and pour a little more. Eve nodded at me and watched me as I drank, then she poured more for herself as I tipped over and groaned. I was done for. Progressively stronger waves of inebriation befell me and I slurred What have I done? Eve leaned over me, looking rather loaded herself, and kissed me on the forehead. She said, See you on the other side. Then she toppled over too, and we both writhed on the floor as the effects began to peak. Someone nearby coughed and threw up, and in my haze I realized it was Don Miguel. He set off a round of purging that

traveled around the circle, eventually reaching me. The first ceremony must have cleansed me very well, as I purged a lot less than I thought I would. A gentle push and a couple ounces of liquid landed in the bowl. Most of the brew remained in my stomach to continue digesting. Eve didn't even reach for her bowl. The storm pounded the village, and the guides got up to close the shutters. The sound of the wind and rain was dampened and the hut was strangely quiet again. I gradually felt the maloca drifting away from me. A vision transported me away to a garden. Plants and trees surrounded me in this idyllic place. Everything was distorted by geometric patterns, like I could see the mathematical formulas that made up the environment around me. I brushed the plants with my hand, hugged a tree and felt energy coursing through it, and played with small animals that were not afraid of me. I knew it was the medicine that was making me dream this, but it felt so real. Someone covered my eyes from behind, and said Guess who. I said Eve! and she laughed and turned me around. That's when I realized we were both naked. The mythological significance of this setting dawned on me with ever-increasing force. I wondered, was I in her vision, or was she in mine? How is this possible? I asked her. I don't know. Let's look around, she replied. We searched for the Tree of Knowledge, but we could not find it, though we did find something we recognized. On the edge of a pond there lay a serpent. As we carefully approached, it lifted its head and spoke to us. Welcome children. I have been waiting for you. I have the power to grant you a new life, with fantastic possibilities. You can become physical, touch each other, and experience pleasurable sensations beyond your wildest dreams. Come, look in the water. Warily, we sidestepped the snake and peered into the pond. Wavering images showed us doing things with our bodies we somehow knew to be impossible. Eve played along, telling the snake that we wanted this new life. The snake hissed with delight, bit us both, then coiled up and pushed us into the water. We sank into the cold, murky bog and the illusion painfully shattered, separating me from Eve. Then I was a blade of grass. A gentle wind blew me to and fro, and I felt other blades of grass close to me. I absorbed water and nutrients from the soil. Then I felt great pain as something clamped onto me, tore me in half and chewed on me. Even plants feel pain, make no mistake about it. The vision reassembled itself, and I was a wildebeest. I grazed on a vast plain, quite content as I chewed some grass. A spear pierced my side and I bellowed and fell to the ground. An African man ran up to me and knelt down. He uttered a few words, grabbed my head and twisted until my neck snapped and everything went dark. Now I was the hunter, carving up the wildebeest and cooking chunks of meat over a campfire. I ate until I was full, and again thanked the animal for sacrificing its life for me. The vision went dark once more and I found myself in another humanoid body. It was dark in this space but for one light in front of me. A woman lay naked on a table,

strapped down and moaning softly. I picked up a sharp instrument and sliced into the woman's flesh. She began screaming and I felt energy flow into me, invigorating me. I continued cutting until a chunk of flesh fell into my hand and I put it in my mouth and chewed on it. All of this seemed completely normal to me until I switched perspectives and I was the woman on the table looking up in sheer terror at a reptilian being that was torturing me and eating me alive.

Chapter 04 Consumed I awoke with a start in back in the maloca. The tropical storm had passed, and it was quiet again. I was still feeling the effects of the ayahuasca very strongly, and the terror of my vision was quite fresh in my mind. Then Eve bolted upright next to me. Adam, I wanna leave, now. Right now. Please, get me out of here! The urgency in her voice suggested her experience was going no better than mine. As everyone stared at us, I helped her up and we exited the maloca. We walked carefully on the wet ground and made it back to our bungalow. I shut the door and Eve collapsed on the bed and sobbed. Oh god, Adam, that was horrible! I think*urp*ugh, I think I'm gonna be sick. I felt nausea rising inside me too, but I ignored her statement. Eve, what did you see? I asked her. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she fought to keep her voice steady. We were in the G-garden of Eden, we saw a sn-snake. We accepted the offer, th-then I was a p-pplant, then an animal, th-then a hunter, then I was a m-m-monster! I c-carved up a woman and a-a-ate her! Then I w-was her! And the monster was a l-l-lizard! As she conveyed her vision to me I felt pangs of fear stabbing me in the heart. I clutched my chest and muttered, Oh sh-shit...we saw the same thing... Eve had gone very pale. B-bathroom, now, she said urgently. I felt guilty for ignoring her. I helped her over to the toilet, where she immediately threw up. Listening to her retch, and again recalling the horrible vision we saw, I felt my stomach churn. Oh no... I whispered as I stumbled out of the bungalow and splattered the ground in front of me. That was it! I wanted out of this fucking mess! This retreat, the nightmares, this whole goddamn life! If dying meant I could forget what I saw, I would have gladly welcomed it then. With my stomach emptied, I began sobbing uncontrollably. I fell down to my knees and cried harder than I ever had in my life. Eve came out and knelt down next to me. Adam, it'll be okay, come back inside. I wailed and shook my head. Adam? I began hyperventilating. The few bright lights in the village began to sparkle and star-burst. Adam, you have to calm down! I couldn't stop; I was getting extremely dizzy, then everything went dark. When I regained consciousness, I was back inside the bungalow. Eve was wiping my face with a cool washcloth. I'm sorry Eve, I just lost it. I said. She smiled at me. It's okay, I understand, she said. We took a quick shower and changed into fresh clothes. Then we slowly talked about the progression of our vision, from grass to animal to human to lizard being. Eve pointed out that it was all about consumption. She said to me, Let's relax for a minute, I think we can figure this out. Consuming another life form to sustain ones self is an inherently self-serving act. There must be another type of life that doesn't require eating other life. Before the Fall of Man, perhaps humans lived like this. Maybe our bodies back then weren't 'physical' the same way they are now. I replied, Maybe. As the story goes, the serpent tempted humans to assume this self-serving way of life, but what about the reptile that ate meus? The snake in the garden was a reptile

too. What if... I felt like I was going crazy. Eve, what if one represented the other? What if they were one in the same? The symbolic significance of the whole Eden myth was beginning to make sense, in a strange sort of way. Over time and translation, this story must have been heavily distorted. Humans fell into physicality as the result of being tempted by reptiles of some sort. Now we live a self-serving existence by design. What I had read about serpent worship before our trip to Peru was burning a hole in my mind. This seemed to be a very significant idea. Our lives and destinies were intertwined largely to teach us this lesson, it seemed. Eve looked as exhausted as I felt, and we quickly passed out once we laid our heads down. When we awoke, we talked some more and we both agreed that we should leave this place. The retreat was scheduled to last another few days, but we felt traumatized. We needed some help to absorb this. We went to see Don Miguel, and he took us inside his personal hut. We sat down and told him what we both saw. After thinking for a minute, he said, I am familiar with this myth of Eden. I think there is much for both of you to explore here. As for the lizard man, these creatures appear in our folklore...as demons. A chill went up my spine. Eve asked, What are they Miguel? He shook his head. I am sorry Eve, I cannot tell you. This you must discover for yourselves. We thanked him for his guidance and wisdom, and he gracefully accepted our thanks. We said goodbye to him, then headed for the maloca, where everyone had gathered to discuss their visions from the previous night. They all stopped to look at us when we entered. I cleared my throat and said, I'm sorry, we have to leave. They all looked crestfallen. We said our goodbyes and caught a ride up the river from a passing fishing boat. Twenty-four hours later, we were back in Miami. My parents met us and drove us home. They wisely didn't ask any questions. Once we were home, we thanked them and went inside. We each took a hot shower and washed off our travels, then we just hung around the house for awhile. Eve read her book about Milton Erickson some more, and I just sat with a notepad and scrawled various thoughts that came to me. We listened to ambient music to soothe our troubled minds. I was thinking about original sin, and I realized that the human race was negatively affected by this event, whatever it was. Why was this vision our frame of reference? What did it have to do with the frightening dreams we were having? None of it made sense. Were we supposed to do something with this new understanding? Could it help not just Eve and I, but the whole the human race? I thought to myself, send me an answer. Show me why we were given this vision. I don't know who or what I was asking. At one point, during a particularly lush and exotic song, my awareness went fuzzy. I felt movement, but it was detached from me. When things returned to normal, I looked down at the notepad and drew in a sharp breath. The

scribbles spelled out words I did not remember writing.

OPEN CHANNEL, GOOD, STRONG!

Eve? I don't remember writing this... I said. She came over and looked at it. I just...zoned out. With wide eyes, she stared at the writing and whispered, Either that came from your subconscious, or...you channeled it from somewhere else. Just then the phone rang loudly, startling us both. Eve and I exchanged an intense look as she answered it. Hello? Yes Dr. Hadden...okay, sure, we'll be there in a few. Eve hung up and looked at me. He wants to meet us at the office to debrief us. Silently, I wondered if we should tell him about this automatic writing. Eve knew what I was thinking. He might be able to shed some light on it, Adam. Let's bring the notepad with us. We drove over to the office and parked. We entered and passed through the reception area, heading to the exam room. Dr. Hadden was sitting in an armchair, indicating that we should sit down too. Dr. Burke was strangely absent from this session. We both sat gently on the edge of the couch and remained silent. The doctor began, I've been where you've just come from. My experiences there irrevocably changed my life. Now, I don't know what you saw, but judging from the looks on your faces, it must have been very intense. We both nodded solemnly. He continued, This period immediately following your trip is crucial. The therapeutic potential can be fully tapped if we can extract some meaning from it, so please, tell me what you saw and what you think it means. I hung my head as Eve related our Eden vision to Dr. Hadden. She also added our thoughts about consumption and original sin. Finally, I showed him the notepad and described what happened to me when it was written. He stared at us silently for a minute or so. Then he cleared his throat and I braced myself for whatever was coming. Dr. Burke contacted me because she knew she was going to need my help with your case. I've been working with her since the beginning, and I think you two are starting to come full circle. I glanced at Eve, whose stare was fixated on Hadden. Your vision must be the frame of reference you two so desperately needed. My own knowledge of that myth is somewhat limited, but it does seem to be one of great importance. It might not be clear how it relates to monsters and nightmares just yet, but I believe it will become apparent in time. He paused for a few seconds, and then continued. I was reviewing the notes from your preliminary analysis Adam. While you were under, you told Dr. Burke that the two of you had an episode of missing time, during which you could not account for what happened to you. Based on my experience with cases similar to yours, this symptom is significant, more than you might think. It suggests an unconventional, possibly controversial, solution to your problems.

I gave Hadden a hard look, and said, Doctor, what are you getting at? He said, I can't tell you, but maybe I can show you. Adam, try to get to that receptive state again. Obediently, I closed my eyes and began to scribble and doodle on the sheet of paper. I willed my mind to empty of the thoughts and emotions that danced around inside. I felt my arm and hand tingling, and more and more the pen felt guided by an outside force. Then I felt my consciousness fall almost completely away.

TRY SPIRIT BOARD, PLANCHETTE!

Open your eyes... said a familiar voice, far, far away. Consciousness flowed back into me like water into a ballast tank. Read what's on the paper. I stared at the wavy lines, astounded that I was holding the pen. Did I just write this? I asked incredulously. Eve was no longer staring at Dr. Hadden. Now she was staring at me. Read it Adam, please, said Hadden again. I sounded out the new message. Try spirit board, planchette. What's a planchette? Dr. Hadden pondered the message. He said, A spirit board is essentially a Ouija board, and the planchette is the pointer that spells out messages. But...how could I write planchette when I've never even heard the word? I almost whispered. Dr. Hadden replied, Because it wasn't you that wrote it. I stared at him with a dumb look on my face. He sighed and said, Bear with me here. You and Eve are showing subtle signs to me that suggest you might be open to...well, a channeling experiment, of sorts. This automatic writing tells me that something is trying to communicate with you. This is part of your frame of reference, I think. Perhaps it concerns the subject of your vision, or your nightmares, or even both. I asked him, And you think this...entity wants us to use a spirit board to talk to it? Dr. Hadden nodded. I was still hopelessly confused. He shrugged and said, Humor me. Go to the new age bookstore on North Krome and shop for a spirit board. Pick one that resonates with you, take it home, and see what happens.

Chapter 05 - Uplink Okay, so we bought a spirit board. I was trying hard to keep an open mind. Eve explained that these boards had been used for centuries, that supposedly people used them to communicate with a wide variety of entities. Some claimed to be human, souls that had died but became trapped on the Earth plane. Some others claimed to be extraterrestrials. Religious activist groups condemed the use of these boards, saying they were a path to devil-worship. We found the store Hadden recommended easily enough. The new age shop was dim, and the smell of burning incense lingered in the air. An old woman with bright eyes said, Welcome children. Can I help you find something today? I grinned, feeling rather silly as I said, We're looking for a spirit board. Her expression tightened up and she studied me for a second. Did naive teenage wannabe witches come in here to buy these boards, the looks in their eyes telling her that they thought of it as a game? That could make the shop owner a little wary, I thought. After deciding that we were serious about our purchase, she said, Certainly, right this way. Eve gently pushed me from behind as she was asking us to follow her and I stumbled forward into a side room of the shop. There were many styles of boards spread out everywhere on tables. We studied them while we listened to sitar music that twanged softly from hidden sources. One did speak to me in particular, and Eve agreed. Buy this one, it said to us. It was square, with an elaborate zodiac in the center. We took it home, lit a candle, turned off our phones, and set the board on the kitchen table. The lady had recommended a light wooden planchette for the best results, and of course, we accepted. As Eve and I got ready we both touched the planchette, and it flicked off the board and onto the floor. She laughed and said, You did that, didn't you? I shook my head and pointed at her. No, it was you! I barely touched it. She picked it up and put it back on the board, then said aloud, We are seeking contact with a benevolent source of information. We placed our hands on the planchette again, and this time, it slowly began moving in circles. It felt really weird. There was no way that either one of us was propelling it. It was really being guided by an outside force. Eve was ready with a pen and notepad, per Dr. Hadden's instructions. He said it was important to know what the entity's intentions were, and he told us to challenge anything that came through the board. I don't know what I was expecting, maybe the ghost of a human who never crossed over, or something more sinister. As the letters began to flow, I called them out and Eve scribbled them down as fast as she could.

A. Greetings. We have not spoken through this channel before. Q. (A) Who or what are you? Are you a ghost, or a demon? (E) Who are you and whom do you serve? A. We are those of Fwoh. We are a sixth-density unified thought form. We serve all.

In that hair-raising moment, my whole world view changed. This was real, and quite unlike your average spirit board contacts. I didn't know what a unified thought form was, but I had a feeling it wasn't local, and it definitely wasn't human.

Q. (E) Are you a non-corporeal entity? A. Yes. Q. (A) What is sixth density? A. Density refers to an entity's level of awareness. All consciousness in the universe must raise its awareness to evolve. Q. (A) How many densities are there? A. Seven. And do not confuse densities with dimensions, they are two different concepts. Q. (E) Well, what is a dimension? A. Think of it like lateral reference, as opposed to the vertical reference of density structure. Q. (E) Okay, there are seven densities. How many dimensions are there? A. Infinite number. Q. (E) Are there alternate universes? A. Yes. Use dimensional concept of lateral reference to visualize. Q. (A) What is first density? A. Material elements. Geological, liquid, and gaseous. Q. (A) And second? A. Flora and fauna. Each instance of incarnation uses the same template from the group soul of the species, resulting in instinct. Q. (E) So we must be in third density, right? If density is an indication of conscious awareness, those are huge leaps in awareness. A. Yes. Q. (E) Does that huge leap apply to fourth density as well? A. Most definitely. Q. (A) So what is fourth density like? A. Your current knowledge greatly limits useful metaphors; let's just call it the paraphysical density for now. Variable physicality. Q. (A) Like...what? Shape-shifting? (E) Oh, man, that's hard to imagine.

A. It is interesting to watch your response to this knowledge. We can literally see your minds expanding. Q. (E) Hmm, let's come back to fourth later. Uh, fifth density? A. Recycling and contemplation zone, what humans know as Heaven. Q. (A) Do we reincarnate? A. Yes. Recycling zone. Q. (E) Sixth density? A. Entire planets of beings all merge. Unified thought forms. Q. (E) And that's what you are? A. Yes. We collectively work to learn the lessons of our density as we serve all others in densities one through six, and progress towards seventh density. Q. (A) And what is seventh density? A. Reunion with the Source. Prime Creator. Q. (A) Can you tell us about the vision we shared when we drank ayahuasca? A. You have put most of the pieces together just fine. For final piece, ask Milton Erickson. Q. (A) But that reptilian being... A. Later, you need a refresher course first. Energy is low, we must go now. Q. (A) Wait! I have so many questions! A. There will be time. Rest and reflect on what you have learned. Farewell.

I was speechless. I sat there trying to absorb the cosmology we had just been given, but Eve seemed to be ignoring it for the time being. Milton Erickson...hypnosis. Adam, I think...Fwoh wants us to hypnotize each other. I looked at her in surprise. Each other? I can't hypnotize someone! Don't you need schooling for that? She giggled, and said, No sweetie, I can teach you. So Eve taught me. For a couple of days I intensely read her books and we practiced various exercises. When Eve felt that I was ready, we waited until nighttime and lit a candle. We decided to explore our two most recent night terrors in session, and agreed on how we should go about it. Eve would be the subject first, then me. We'd tape record both sessions, and then we would each listen to the tape of our own session at the same time. I counted Eve down into a deep trance. I took her back to the last time she woke up screaming, and she started showing signs of distress. Eve, I want you to relax, you're in your sanctuary, you're just watching what happened on a screen. She gasped and started taking small, quick breaths. I'm awake in bed with you, but I can't move or talk. You're still asleep. Then what happened? She twisted on the couch. My body floats up through the ceiling into the sky, into...a ship. Oh my god, this isn't happening. This isn't real, I thought. Describe the craft. She

furrowed her brow, as though trying to see it. Round, silent, lots of orange lights. Beautiful. Oh god! She convulsed once. I'm on a table inside the ship. My clothes are gone! I asked her, Did they pull your clothes off? She shook her head. No, they just disappeared. The lizard made it happen. I shut my eyes and bit my lip. Describe the lizard, Eve. She let out a small cry, and said, Like an alligator...wearing a space suit. He scares me. Fear was coursing through me now. Through sheer willpower I kept my voice from shaking and maintained a tone of authority. What does he do to you Eve? That's when she lost it. He-he r-rrapes m-me! I can't move, I can't scream! It hurts! She writhed on the couch like it was burning her. I had to bring her out of it. Eve, on the count of one you're going to wake up with no memory of what you saw until you listen to the tape of this session. Five, you feel yourself waking up. Four, your eyes are starting to open. Three, you feel your whole body safe and sound here on the couch. Two, you open your eyes. One! Eve sat up slowly and looked around the room. Did it work Adam? Adam? With Eve awake, I finally lost my composure. I turned away from the couch, holding my head in my hands and trembling. A strangled sob arose in my throat and I broke down and cried. Eve sat down next to me in the chair and hugged me tightly as she asked me what was wrong. I felt so bad for her. I couldn't speak, I couldn't breathe, and I couldn't stop shaking. Eve moved to look me in the eyes. She repositioned her hands on my wrist and neck, and said firmly, Adam, look at me. Look at me! I dared to look, felt her tug on me as she said SLEEP! and everything went blank. Following that, I opened my eyes to candlelight and Eve's voice giving the final count of One! I quickly sat up and looked around with confusion. Eve, what happened? She just leaned against the back of the chair with her eyes shut and wept softly. I faintly recalled being in a similar state very recently. I glanced at the notepad, saw the next step written down, and remembered what we had to do. Eve, we have to listen to our own tapes. She shook her head and said, No! I'm scared Adam! I knelt down in front of her and gently held onto her shoulders. This is the only way to make it better, you have to trust me. As I watched her, I was starting to remember what she said in her session. My hands started to shake. I had to get us to the last stage before I lost it again. I picked Eve up in my arms and gently laid her down on the bed. I plugged a pair of headphones into the small stereo on her dresser and placed them over her ears. I kissed her forehead, and she let out a small whimper. As soon as I pressed play, I dashed into the other room and rewound my tape while I plugged another set of headphones into the tape recorder. I was trying not to think about what Eve revealed to me. Whatever happened to me was obviously just as disturbing. The past couple of weeks had been building up to this moment. Between the vision in the Garden of Eden and our contact with Fwoh, we

could finally start putting the pieces of this puzzle together. We finally had our frame of reference. This was it. The rewind mechanism clicked off and I jammed the play button with my finger. I listened to Eve's voice, this time ignoring her suggestions. After her instant induction, she took me deeper and deeper into a trance. When she was satisfied with the depth of it, she asked me to tell her what really happened that night. As I literally spoke to myself, I imagined the pictures and sensations quite vividly. I woke up in a daze, walked out of the room and exited the house through the front door. Outside there was a massive spacecraft above the house, and a beam of light struck me and lifted me towards the ship. I was still half-asleep and watching this with a detached curiosity. Everything went dark for a second as I reached the bottom of the ship, then I was blinded by white light. Gradually my eyes adjusted and I was lying naked on a table in a dark room, unable to move. Gray-skinned aliens with huge, black, almond-shaped eyes were all staring at me with emotionless faces. They scanned me, pricked me, prodded me, and never made a sound. One of them touched a panel next to the table and something metal and sharp pierced into my neck. I strained to scream but only a slow, painful breath escaped my lips. I couldn't even shut my eyes. Suddenly, in the back of the room a dark, looming figure stepped towards the light. A seven-foot-tall reptoid looked down at me with malice in his eyes. His face twisted into a terrible, toothy smile. I heard a sound that was frighteningly out of place, a baby crying. He was holding a human baby in one hand. I strained my entire body to move with no result, I couldn't shut out or look away from the hideous creature. I was forced to watch in terror as he lifted the infant to his mouth. I felt a sudden, intense nausea boiling inside. The baby screamed as he bit into it. With my heart pounding, I ripped the headphones off, grabbed the wastebasket, and let the nausea have its way. In the bathroom, I could hear Eve retching loudly. So that's how we came to believe in aliens. We couldn't deny what our own voices said; we couldn't deny what we saw. They were real, and they had taken us. The lizard in my memory had to be the monster that violated Eve, the reptilian being in our vision, and the serpent in the garden. Everybody always talked about the gray aliens; it was their face you saw plastered everywhere. The lizards were the ones in control this whole time, and they were evil. Pure fucking evil. This horrific truth literally made me sick to comprehend, and I was panting and sweating when I finally sat up. Eve? I croaked and cleared my throat. Eve? Please tell me you're okay... I moaned. She opened the bathroom door and stood there looking flushed and upset. She walked unsteadily over to me and wrapped her shivering body tightly around mine. She

whispered in my ear, Oh, god Adam, I never thought...never knew something so evil could really exist... I gently turned her head to look at me and stared into her eyes. I asked her, Is this really happening? Did aliens really abduct us? She suddenly chewed her lip and looked away, like she was guilty of something. What's wrong Eve? You can tell me. She broke down and said through tears, I can't hide this from you anymore. I figured out what's been happening to us some time ago. I've seen how people repress things they're not ready to hear, so I kept it to myself. I'm so sorry Adam. Horror descended on me as many recent events began to click into place in my mind. Knowing that she had figured it out brought all of these recent events together perfectly. The missing time, the night terrors, the paralysis... I was floored by her confession. Eve! How...when did you know? Still crying, she said, Your dream with the talking alligators. That's why it caught me so badly off guard... Of course! Why hadn't I seen it before? That dream made so much more sense now. They told me to go to back to sleep. Such a strange thing to say to someone who's dreaming, not so strange to say it to someone who's starting to awaken. Eve had known since before the retreat. How many days had it been? Ten? Eleven? She must have suggested I research reptiles because she was trying to prepare me. My surroundings faded away as these facts washed over me. How could she have kept it secret for so long? When Dr. Hadden had asked her to describe the monster, she had said that she wasn't ready to know yet. I remembered what I had thought to myself out in the hallway of the doctor's office. Did she subconsciously withhold it for my sake? Possibly. Eve's actions spoke of a deeper understanding, one I was gaining very rapidly. She seemed wise beyond her years, and she barely wavered that morning when I told her about my dream. It boggled my mind; I'm sure it was a horrific thing for her to realize too, and even worse to keep to herself, yet somehow she remained calm. I had to reevaluate everything I thought I knew about her. The accident, moving in with her, the postcard, the vision, our goddamn names, it all fit together somehow. The kitchen slowly faded back into my awareness. Eve was still sitting across from me, crying. I shushed her and took her hand in mine. I understand why you did it Eve, its okay, but I have to ask you something. She wiped her face and steadied herself. Eve, do you remember the question I asked you in the hospital? The one you didn't have an answer for? She nodded, again looking away and mumbled, You asked me who I was. I tightened my grip on her hand and asked her again. Eve, who are you? Her expression changed and she gave me that deep, soul-penetrating stare. She looked a lot surer of herself now. You know who I am, Adam. We've met before, many times before. Adam,

I'm your soul mate. Deep down inside, her words struck a fundamental chord. Sorrow and joy filled me equally. Maybe before this moment, I couldn't have really believed it. She embraced me and we cried together. To be reunited again after so long apart...it was indescribable. We just sat there holding each other for a long time. The sun had gone down and we were both realizing how tired we were. Eve led me by the hand to the bedroom and we fell into a deep, restful sleep. In the morning, when I awoke and sat up, Eve stirred and smiled at me. In spite of last night's revelations, I couldn't help but smile back. My soul mate. Good morning love. Shall we get up? I think it's time we talk to Fwoh. I said. She nodded, and said, Yes, but I want to do a little research first. We showered, made breakfast, and pulled out the laptop. As we ate, I followed Eve's lead as we took turns doing web searches for a few keywords. 'Channeling' produced a wealth of results, and as I read through some of the material, something didn't sit right with me. A lot of it was pseudo-scientific nonsense, and the rest was all love and light new age stuff. We searched for 'alien abduction,' and we read some of the bizarre and creepy stories that people had told. Finally, we typed in 'seven densities' and found that we were not the only ones who came upon this model of the universe, which lent some validity to it. Eve and I agreed on a list of questions we wanted to ask, and this time, we set up the tape recorder to capture the session. We meditated for a minute at the board before we began. I pressed record on the tape machine and we placed our hands on the planchette. It slowly began circling, building up energy. The letters came fast and furious.

A. Greetings. Q. (E) Who are you and whom do you serve? A. Fwoh. We serve all. Q. (A) The other day, I asked about the reptilian being in our vision and you said we needed a refresher course first. I think I'm starting to understand what you meant when you said that. A. Indeed. How far back does your recorded history go? Q. (A) What, like 4000 B.C.? A. Approximately, yes. How much of this history do you think is accurate? Q. (E) Very little. A. Yes. Ponder this for a moment. How much does the average human really know about your place in the scheme of things? You only have 6000 years of written history, and even that pittance is unreliable because much of it has been tampered with. Q. (A) Who could manage to control the human race like that? Rewrite historical events, cover up the truth? Across thousands of years? A. We think you already know.

Q. (A) I...I can't say it. (E) It's hard for us to admit. A. Very well, you want us to spell it out for you? Fourth-density self-serving beings with a reptilian essence.

I closed my eyes and forced myself to breathe. This confirmed our worst fears. Eve's shallow, rapid breaths sounded worse. Her voice trembled as she questioned Fwoh.

Q. (E) And th-they...eat us? A. Just as you eat second density creatures to survive, they eat you. Though they may eat some physically, they primarily consume your energies. They have manipulated humans for three hundred and nine millennia so as to produce as much self-serving energy for themselves as possible. Your physical gratification, your violence, your negative emotions, your sicknesses and suffering, they encourage all of it because it makes you taste better. Earth is their feeding ground, and you are their sustenance.

And finally, we come to it. This was the great secret of our world. It was passed along in secret societies, and never spoken above a whisper. Humans are not at the top of the food chain. I gripped Eve's hand and forced myself to look at her. She looked so doeeyed and innocent at that moment. I realized, as I tasted bile in the back of my throat, that our innocence was now gone.

Q. (E) Uh...well, that's extremely disturbing. (A) And yet, it explains a lot. (E) What I still don't understand is how could they tamper with our history? A. They are your hyper-dimensional custodians. They can temporarily change their appearance, they can travel back and forth in time, they can transit between densities and dimensions and change past, present, and future events. Do you understand the full implications of this?! Q. (E) Fuck. (A) My god...well, that pretty much gives them carte blanche to do whatever they want. A. Close. Q. (E) Did they ever make public contact with humans in the distant past? A. Yes. Q. (E) And I imagine they would have presented themselves as gods and been worshiped as such. A. Yes. Q. (E) How does time pass for them when they're traveling back and forth in our timeline? A. One hour for them might be thousands of years for you.

Q. (E) So...it's possible for them to change many small events that don't hold much significance on their own, but added all together... (A) Oh my god, you're right. They can give individualized attention to anyone they deem a possible threat. A. That is one of the many important implications for you to realize. Q. (E) Are we a threat to them? A. Well, they are recording this conversation. What do you think? Q. (E) (voice trembling) W-what? You mean they're over our house? Right now? A. Yes. Of course, they did an aural profile scan on each of you the moment you were born. It was then that you were marked as potential threats. Q. (E) Oh my god... (A) I guess we'll just have to get used to the idea of having them listening to our conversations...paying attention to us. A. If you wish to continue these transmissions, then yes. Q. (A) Okay, next question. Are Eve and I soul mates? A. Open. Q. (A) What? A. We do not wish to infringe upon your free will; therefore, we are withholding an answer for that particular query. Q. (A) Okay, fair enough, but what's the deal with all the synchronicity here? Our names, the postcards, the vision we shared...it's very confusing, can you give us a hint on this, please? A. Very well. This is not a trick question. Both of you, who are you? Q. (A) Well, I'm Adam. (E) Eve. A. And who were Adam and Eve? Q. (A) The first man and woman. A. Not exactly. They symbolically represent the male and female qualities of the human soul matrix at the time you call the Fall of Man. That is when your soul matrix, the human race, was usurped by beings more powerful than you. Q. (E) Where was the Garden of Eden? A. Earth. Q. (E) The whole thing? And what were humans like before the fall? A. Third density positive, in contact with fourth-density positive. Your realm was more like fourth density. Q. (E) And then something happened. Was it an accident? A. Understand, it is a natural thing for you to experience in your evolution. You were in the long wave cycle when the lizards came to you. They demonstrated more physical bodies that would give you pleasurable sensations. The female energy of your soul matrix consented and they entrapped you in flesh. The human race switched polarities, and you became aligned with fourth-density negative. Now you are all born as serviceto-self entities by default, hence you must feed on other life to survive.

Q. (A) So, the concept of original sin was an attempt to describe this decision. How long ago did this event take place, in our measure of time? A. Approximately 309,000 years ago. This is the grand cycle of evolution. Q. (A) And this cycle is ending soon? A. Yes. Let us ask you something, what do you think gas planets are? Q. (E) I've always wondered that. It didn't make sense, that some planets are solid, and some are...subtle. A. Your choice of the word subtle is surprisingly appropriate. Gas planets are planets that have evolved beyond third density. For example, what we see when we look at Jupiter from fourth density is a planet that looks like Earth. Q. (E) So in a sense, Jupiter is more subtle than our planet, and that's why it looks like a gas planet to us? Fascinating. (A) Jupiter is a pretty large body, what does it look like from your density? A. A star. Q. (A) That's crazy. Will it eventually become a star like our sun? A. Yes, but then again, so will Earth. As your solar system moves into a different cosmic ray environment, a different zone of energy, a wave will intersect with your planet at the border of fourth density realm, after which Earth will be a fourth density planet. Q. (A) What? (E) Wait, slow down. Its 2012 now, when will this wave intersect? A. Within the next two years. Q. (E) Why such a large window? A. The wave is traveling so fast it is warping the fabric of space-time. There are also external factors to be considered. Q. (A) What will happen to the human race? A. Depends on individual soul development. A small percentage who are fourth-density candidates will graduate, though most souls who are not ready will die and start the grand cycle over. Q. (A) Start it...over? A. They will repeat the reincarnation cycle for 309,000 more years as third-density negative humans. Q. (A) Oh my god. (E) Well what about our friends and family? What if we want to save them from that? A. 'Want' is a service-to-self concept. You cannot learn the lessons of third density for them. If they are not ready, then there is nothing you can do to change their mind. All one can do is act as a beacon to others who are truly awakening. Q. (A) That's so depressing... A. Why? Think of it like a cosmic drama. All souls are allowed to evolve at their own pace. That is the essence of Free Will. Q. (A) Okay, I'll try, moving on. What's with most channeled material out there?

A. Many sources, not all positive. Much of the information is truth mixed with fiction and/or lies. Q. (A) But people cling to this stuff like it's a religion! A. Exactly. All major religions have been corrupted, why not the New Age movement? Q. (A) So all these zealots who think that our space brothers and sisters are going to come down from the sky and fix everything, just like everyone who believes Jesus will come and rapture them to heaven, they're all in for a rude awakening. There's no free lunch. A. In their case, the only free lunch will be them when the lizards eat them. Q. (A) How can we fight these aliens when they have the upper hand on us? A. Pay attention now, because this is extremely important. First of all, you don't have to fight them to resist them. Second, the only reason for anything to exist is to teach lessons. Third, the more you know, the safer you are. Fourth, they won't have the upper hand for much longer. Q. (E) What do you mean? A. After realm border crossing, it will finally be a level playing field on Terra. Q. (E) So those who graduate will have all the same abilities and resources, and they'll kind of...take the planet back? A. Yes. Q. (A) But look at their technology! I mean, they can time travel for god's sake, how do we compete with that?! A. Soon you will be able to time travel too. Q. (A) And then what? We can change the outcome? A. Past, present, and future. You could undo everything they have done, make it like they never existed if you chose to. You cannot yet conceive of your true, untapped power. You are a multidimensional, trans-density soul fragment of the All. You can destroy universes and create new ones, even dwell within them if you know how. It is 'fun' to see how much of this power you can access as you learn and evolve. Q. (A) Aw, c'mon Fwoh...you can't expect me to fit my head around something like that. (E) It's not easy, that's for sure. Um, let's go back to the Fall of Man. What would have happened if humans had refused the lizards' offer? A. Everything that exists in all realms of the universe can be experienced in one of two ways: long wave cycle and short wave cycle. Long wave cycle involves completely ethereal existence with minimal changes over long periods of time, whereas the short wave cycle accelerates everything with duality. Q. (E) Well, when you look at it like that, it almost seems like there are pros and cons to both paths...like the Fall wasn't necessarily a bad thing. This is our chosen mode of evolution, right? A. Interesting to think about, is it not? Not so black and white anymore.

Q. (E) But you just said it was a natural cycle. A. Yes. Eventually, you would have fallen, one way or another. All souls must learn the hard way. Q. (A) Okay, next, what's different about this contact compared to other channeling? A. One big difference is your method. Much of the trance channeling that is so popular involves entities literally speaking through the instrument, which is subject to varying amounts of distortion and glossing based upon the instrument's makeup and belief system. Your chosen system of one letter at a time is subject to much less corruption. Q. (A) What else? Why did you contact us? A. After you returned to Homestead from your retreat, you asked for information in a state of non-anticipation with the objective of serving others, hence, we answered your call. It was your destiny. Q. (A) Why was it our destiny? What is it about us? A. Think about it. Discover. Q. (E) Okay, when a soul incarnates, a certain amount of planning goes into the process, right? The soul chooses certain key experiences and situations designed to fulfill certain goals of the incarnation. A. Correct. Q. (E) Then what is synchronicity? A. Synchronicity is an event with a coincidence so great or unlikely that it causes a person to take notice of the situation. Q. (E) Well, I'm thinking that synchronicity is one of the tools used by souls to wake themselves up, as it were. A. One type of synchronicity, yes. Q. (A) What's the other type? A. Artificially engineered to lead one astray. Q. (A) Hmm, yes, I can kinda see that working with some people. Well then I think that our names were chosen by our souls for the purpose of waking us up. A. Okay... Q. (A) Certain events too, the accident, the shared vision...but we're not special, no more than other humans, so why would we have chosen something as presumptuous as our names? A. They are not presumptuous, the Fall of Man is a good jumping-off point to discover the true nature of your realm. It worked for you, didn't it? Others are incarnate at this time with similar themes and cues; this was simply the one you chose. Q. (A) What if we didn't make that choice? A. Then others would have. What else was synchronistic? Q. (A) The postcards. (E) How did that one work again? A. Quite a conundrum, yes?

Q. (E) They would have had to travel back in time! That's so paradoxical! A. More importantly though, it made you take notice, and you played along when you saw them in Peru and wrote them to yourselves. When you play along with your destiny, you will observe that magical things can happen. Q. (A) But time-traveling postcards seems like a fourth-density phenomenon. A. It is. As you approach the realm border crossing, more fourth-density bleed-through will occur. Q. (A) Wait, like what? What kinds of things will happen to us? A. Think you're ready for this? Try to imagine going to sleep as one gender and waking up as the other. Try to imagine driving into a tunnel in Boston and exiting the tunnel in Tokyo. Try to imagine going for a walk in the woods for a few hours, and returning home to find out that two weeks have passed. If you are unable to begin to think in absolutely limitless terms, such events will surely drive you insane. Q. (E) No way, that's absurd. (A) That's...wow. Fourth density sounds like a very strange realm indeed. A. Strangeness and wonder go hand in hand, with the right perspective. Q. (E) I'm very tired. A. Yes, your energy is waning. Channeling requires vital energies, always be conscious of this. Goodbye for now.

I continued to sit in the kitchen chair, thinking. Eve did the same. The next three years on Earth were going to be very interesting. We had a lot of questions that needed to be answered very soon, so with Fwoh temporarily out of the picture, we turned to the next best source of information: the Internet. We went grocery shopping and told everyone we needed a week off as a result of our recent Peruvian vacation; no further questions were asked. We put dark sheets over the windows and worked by candles and ambient lighting. When we were tired, we slept a few hours. We researched our asses off. After several days and nights, we felt that we had pieced together a rough picture of the current state of affairs on Earth. At the end of our week-long intensive research session, we talked to Fwoh again. We meditated slightly longer than last time. Then we placed our hands on the planchette.

A. Greetings. Q. (A) Who are you and whom do you serve? A. Fwoh. We serve all. Q. (A) Okay, first question, what is up with the Middle East? Why is there so much conflict there?

A. Middle East region is a service-to-self portal. The fact that it is also the origin of three major religions is all part of the lizards' plan. Q. (A) And the USA? Why are we so different? A. USA is the capital of self-serving expression, the grand experiment. Q. (E) Well that explains a lot. (A) What is going on in the southwestern US? A. That region is on the verge of moving to fourth-density permanently! Have you heard about people driving around this region and getting hopelessly lost? This is because roads that are normally curved are seen as straight when fourth-density bleed-through occurs. Q. (A) Does this have something to do with the underground bases? A. Yes, and more. Q. (E) I'm just curious, how deep do the bases go? A. In which density? Q. (E) They're multi-density? How deep does the deepest go? A. Miles. Q. (A) Wow. So artificial things like the bases can accelerate the process of moving to fourth density? A. Yes. Q. (E) What about the nuclear weapons tests they did in the southwest? A. Yes! Yes! Q. (A) Is that part of the reason why it can't be predicted exactly when the realm border crossing will be reached? A. Yes, previously mentioned external factors. Eve, ask your question, please. Q. (E) I'm scared. A. That is what the Lizards want, to strike fear into your heart. It needs to be discussed. Ask, please. Q. (E) I know it came out in hypnosis, but...w-w-was I really raped by lizards? A. Yes. Q. (E) Oh, god, I knew it...shit. A. You have direct experiential knowledge of one of their many methods of attack. Traumatic though it may be, it will only serve to protect you in the end. Q. (E) (exhales) Whew, okay, I'm okay. Next order of business, we have been discussing how best to share this material with others. A. Networking. Q. (A) Like, share it on the Internet? A. All possible meanings of the word. Q. (A) Would you advise a certain level of discretion when sharing on the Internet? It seems like we would be taking a big risk in doing that. A. There is risk in all things, however, if you tell everyone all at once, there is less chance

of being silenced. Q. (A) That sounds kind of ominous. A. If you expect attack, and know methods of attack, it will help protect you. Q. (E) Might our government take an interest in our work if we start making a lot of noise? A. Elements of, yes. Q. (E) They do that with a lot of channels, don't they? A. Yes. All good channels are dealt with one way or another. They may try to debunk, discredit, coerce, corrupt, etc. Q. (A) I don't want to go through that! A. As we said, the more people you tell, the less chance your attackers will succeed, whatever their chosen methods may be. In other words, it may be more dangerous for you to keep this information to yourselves. Q. (A) Hmm. I think we'll need some help, Eve and I can't do this alone. A. Very true! Q. (A) Well who should we ask? This is pretty far out stuff. A. ??? Q. (A) Great, that's helpful. (E) I had a thought, but... A. Yes...? Q. (E) My siblings, but they're all in Louisiana. A. What were you planning to do when your internship ended? Q. (E) Well, move back home, but that was before all this happened, before I met Adam. (A) Maybe we should. A. Maybe. And with that, we will say farewell, until next time.

Eve stared at the spirit board. I saw a smile hiding at the edges of her mouth. She was excited at the prospect of going home. I could handle the idea of moving out of state, but I was suddenly nervous at the thought of meeting her family. Eve, how am I going to explain all the bizarre things that have been happening to us? What are they going to think of me? Eve reassured me, Don't worry Adam, they're going to love you. Just be yourself. I got goose bumps as I remembered the dj vu I had felt the last time she had spoken those words to me, the day I met her in the hospital. Did I feel that way back then because of this moment here, when she said it to me again? Memory is a slippery thing. I also tried to imagine what kind of people Eve's siblings were. If they were anything like she was, then they could only help our cause. So it was decided, we would move to New Orleans when Eve's internship was done at the end of the month. We stopped living like hermits and returned the house to its normal state. Dr. Burke called and asked to meet with us, so the two of us drove over there. It was lunchtime and we were sent right into her office. Dr. Hadden was, of course, sitting there

in the corner. They greeted us and we sat at the desk. Dr. Hadden spoke first. So how did your channeling experiment go? We both sat silently. Ah, that good, huh? he said. I glanced at Dr. Burke, who was sitting back and smiling at me. I was sure that Dr. Hadden had told her everything that happened at our last meeting with him. Still, I felt that Dr. Burke deserved to hear it from one of us. I took a deep breath and said, Before you sent us to Peru, I really had no idea what was happening to us; I had no frame of reference. Our second ayahuasca ceremony opened up this Eden mythology to us, but there was this new problem of the lizard being we saw. I felt that the pieces were all there, I was just having trouble putting them together, partly due to the shock of our vision. When we returned home, I was thinking, meditating really, and pondering what this event we call the Fall of Man really did to the human race. I asked for help to understand this frame of reference. That's when the automatic writing first occurred. At Dr. Hadden's suggestion, we started this experiment with a spirit board. This entity that calls itself Fwoh, this light being, gave us a cosmology and hinted that we should hypnotize each other. I glanced at Eve, who nodded and gently motioned for me to continue. Under hypnosis, Eve described being abducted and raped by a reptilian alien. When it was my turn, I told her of being taken by gray aliens and experimented on. Another of these reptilians forced me to watch him...eat a human infant. That pretty much explained the nightmares we were having, we were both being abducted. With Fwoh's help, we came to the conclusion that it was these lizard beings that were represented by the serpent in the Garden of Eden myth. They control Earth from a hyper-dimension, and consume our energy as food. Still, we were told that this secret enslavement was going to end soon, that their plans would not succeed. That's what made us decide to share this experiment with the world. So we're going to New Orleans to ask Eve's siblings for help when her internship here is finished. That's it; I don't know what else to say. Whew. It all sounded insane to me, coming out of my own mouth. I wondered which one of the doctors would answer first. It was Dr. Burke. She said, in her trademark casual voice, I knew it was alien abduction from the day I met you Adam. The handshake induction produced a very deep hypnotic state, and you described an abduction in great detail. I felt a cold sweat forming. Dr. Burke, I said, you don't seem to be bothered by such a strange phenomenon. She nodded, and said, That's because it happened to me too. Dr. Hadden chimed in, And me. Eve and I sat with our mouths open, but no words coming out. Dr. Hadden told us the story. Years ago, when we were fresh out of college, we practiced hypnotizing each other. That's when these experiences first presented themselves. After we dealt with the trauma in our own ways, we both started applying the abduction theory to some of our clients and found an epidemic of these cases. Eve finally spoke. So your practice over

the years has largely been focused on helping people with similar experiences? They both nodded. The synchronicities were piling up now. Dr. Burke added, My experience with ayahuasca helped me come to terms with my abduction so well that I recommended that Dr. Hadden try it too. Hadden picked up the story again. It really helped me make peace with it too. It's definitely not for everyone, but some of our patients show signs that it might work for them. You two are good examples. I closed my eyes and tried to focus. Eve asked Dr. Hadden, How did you know what a spirit board was? He broke eye contact as he replied, Let's just say I read a lot of books. His reaction was strange, suspicious even. I was trying to get my head around these revelations. How do you two live day to day knowing about this stuff? I asked. Dr. Burke said, We help people like you two. That's enough to keep us going. Now Eve, about your internship... Eve perked up. Yes? she said. Dr. Burke continued, If you want to end it early, I'll understand. I know your lives have been turned upside down. Eve thought hard. I still feel like I'd be missing out on some great teaching if I cut this short. Dr. Burke replied, Honestly Eve, I've taught you everything I can. You are quite capable as a hypnotherapist, and I will write an excellent recommendation to your school no matter what your decision. Eve still looked deep in thought. Dr. Hadden and I are also prepared to fund your move, so don't worry about the pay you'd be missing out on. Eve gaped at them. R-really? Why? Dr. Hadden said, If anyone can do something useful with this type of material, it's you two. You've got something...special. Dr. Burke nodded in agreement. So after a short whispered discussion out in the hall, we changed our plans. We would begin making arrangements to move immediately. We thanked the doctors profusely and they humbly accepted. When we left the office, we headed over to my parents house. It was dinnertime and they were just sitting down to their meal. They had made extra food as usual, so they invited us to join them. I told them that Eve was offered a research position in New Orleans, and I wanted to support her by going with her. They applauded Eve's good fortune and said they were behind us one hundred percent. I love my parents. I felt weird telling them what I did, but it wasn't really a lie. Our circumstances were offering both of us the chance to figure all of this out, and research was a big part of it. We hugged my parents and said we'd be in touch. Then we went home and started planning our departure from Homestead. I didn't know if I would ever come back to live in Florida. I was definitely going to miss this place.

Part II Caduceus

Chapter 06 The Crescent City Thirty-six hours later, we were on the interstate approaching our exit. Eve was driving the moving truck, and she handled it like a pro. She never ceased to amaze me. I said, Okay, one more time, Zack, Julie, and Danny, right? Eve nodded, and said, Yeah, and Danny's girlfriend Hope. Ooh, thank god we're almost there, I have to pee. A few minutes later, we pulled up in front of a charming townhouse in a quiet New Orleans suburb. We parked and got out, and Eve squealed with delight as she ran up the front steps and into the house. I walked slowly, wanting to give Eve a few seconds to get all her hugs and kisses out. When I stepped into the foyer, Eve was wrapped around her father and fighting back tears. I missed you guys so much! she said. Her mother turned to me, smiling, and held out her hand. Adam? I'm Sarah; it's great to finally meet you. My husband Tim is somewhere in that tangle of arms. We were worried about Eve after the accident, but she told us that you two were going to help each other. I'd say she's made a very good friend. I shook both their hands and complimented them on their beautiful home. They invited us to sit down and broke out a bottle of wine. We toasted to new beginnings, and sat and talked for awhile. Tim and Sarah were friendly and easygoing; I could see where Eve got it from. We chatted about the trip to Peru (leaving out the ayahuasca), Hurricane Katrina, and the gulf oil disaster. Finally, Eve said, Mom, dad, where are the others living now? Tim said, They went ahead with their plan when Daniel and Hope graduated, they all moved in together to reconnect. Eve asked them, Do you think they'd take us in? They both nodded and smiled warmly. With their blessing, we took a few boxes of Eve's things and got directions to their house. Across town in the Arts district, we pulled up in front of a converted brick warehouse and got out. Eve grinned as she grabbed my hand and pulled me towards the edifice. Now I could feel the anxiety creeping in. I said, Eve, wait- and she stopped and turned to look at me. Eve, how are you going to introduce me to them? She giggled and said, Well, how do you think your parents would introduce me to someone? I thought for a second, and mumbled, As my girlfriend. Her smile did not fade. Then you're my boyfriend, dummy, and she kissed me. We took the last few steps, knocked on the door and it was opened by a wide-eyed man with a beard. He shouted, Eve! My baby sister! Come in, come in. That had to be Zachary, the eldest sibling. He hugged Eve, shook my hand, and sat us down on a couch in the biggest living room I'd ever seen. The television was more like a home theater, a

large white screen and a digital projector that hung from the ceiling. A semicircle of plush couches and chairs sat around a low coffee table in the middle of the large space. Tapestries and posters decorated the walls. Over in the corner was a computer area and a spiral staircase that led up, probably to the bedrooms. Some jazz was playing quietly on the surround sound system. The others are out on a double date, they should be back soon. So Eve, tell me what's going on. I know when something is on your mind. He sat and looked at us, waiting patiently. Eve said shyly, You always could cut right to the chase with me Zack. She sighed and said, Here goes. Through hypnotherapy, I've discovered some pretty shocking and traumatic events in my life that I don't know quite how to explain. These events will challenge beliefs of most people, and not just religious or scientific beliefs. They challenge our notions of reality, human nature, and everything else. He thought for a minute, and said, Well regardless of how shocking these events are, of course we'll support you Eve, because we love you. Whatever happens to you affects us. Eve forced a smile and said, Thanks, Zack. So how are the others? He smiled as he stretched his arms over his head, and said, They're just great. Danny and Hope have been living together for awhile, first in school, and now here. Last month, Jules met Mike. He's a very cool guy, he moved in a couple weeks ago. Eve nodded, and said, That's great. I glanced back and forth between Zachary and Eve. They were trading looks that spoke volumes, and honestly, I felt a little left out. I tried to subtly clear my throat, and Zack said, Jeez, where are my manners, I'll go get a couple of sodas for you two. When he left, I whispered to Eve, What was that all about? She looked pensive and said, Zachary majored in philosophy. He's always been very intuitive. I think he's got an inkling of what's happening. After talking to him, something tells me the best way to start this unveiling process is to just do a channeling session with everyone. I stared at her with wide eyes. Are you sure? What if they flip out on us? She said, I hate to say this Adam, but no matter how it's done, it's going to hit them hard. Maybe Fwoh can ease the process, you know, soften the blow. She was right; I had to give it to her. Okay Eve, I see what you mean. Let's do it. We sat with Zack and listened to music while we sipped our drinks. Eventually, the other members of the household showed up and greeted us warmly. Zack warned me, Watch out for Hope, she's a hugger, as the girl gave me a crushing bear hug. I heard Eve stifle a laugh behind me. We all sat down and got to know each other better. Danny told me that he was a programmer for a 3D graphics company. Hope also worked with computers, doing graphic and web design. Julie was a photographer, and Mike was the resident DJ at a club downtown. When it was my turn to introduce myself, I swallowed and began the inevitable monologue.

Uh, thank you all for the warm welcome. I'm twenty-five years old, I've never lived anywhere but South Florida, and one month ago I was a living a pretty average life. I worked with my father doing air boat tours of the Everglades and wrote short stories in my spare time. Over the course of the past few weeks, I experienced a growing number of coincidences involving meeting Eve and getting to know her after we had a bad car accident. Besides the significance of our names, there were many synchronicities we noticed. We also had some...terrifying experiences at night, that is to say, night terrors. So we sought therapy through Dr. Burke, who Eve worked for during her internship in Homestead. Our symptoms rapidly worsened and Dr. Burke and her colleague, Dr. Hadden, recommended a retreat in the Peruvian Amazon. Everyone was staring at me. I didn't know where it was coming from, the words just...flowed. It wasn't until we were already there that we discovered this retreat was for the medicinal brew called ayahuasca, something I knew nothing about. The circumstances that led us to this point in the story were strange, coincidental, and a little disturbing, but they were nothing compared to what came out of this retreat. Now, that's a story for another time, but after we got home, I had an episode of automatic writing. Dr. Hadden suggested a strange solution to our strange problems. He advised us to buy something like a Ouija board and see what came out of it. Well...there's no easy way to say this. We made contact with an entity that says it is several levels of evolution beyond our own. I reached into my bag, pulled out the board and set it on the coffee table amid many gasps and whispered words. I placed the planchette on the board and said, I know this is a crazy experiment, but the only way to possibly believe in it is to see it for yourselves. They all nodded in agreement, and murmured a few words giving their consent. I set up the tape recorder while Eve got the notepad and pen. When we were ready to begin, Eve finally spoke to the group. I just wanna say how happy I am to see you guys again, I've missed you all terribly. These are...very strange times for Adam and me. The truth is... and Eve's sentence trailed off. I rubbed her back, trying to relax her. She took a shaky breath and finished the sentence. The truth is, both of us have been traumatized recently, more than once. This spirit board contact has helped us understand what is happening to us. So, let's begin. They all watched intently as Eve and I meditated, and then I pressed record and we placed our hands on the planchette. It started going in circles again.

Q. (E) Who are you and whom do you serve? A. We are those of Mew. We serve all other-selves who ask.

I looked at Eve, alarmed. Her eyes grew wide as she said, Uh, sorry guys, this is

not the same entity we've been talking to. Now they all looked alarmed. The planchette moved.

A. Fwoh is observing this session with interest. One lesson to be learned here is that you never know who or what might come through the channel. We are of the same realm as Fwoh and thus answer very similarly on most topics. Ask away my friends, ask away. Q. (A) Okay, well, I was wondering if we could get a quick review of density structure for those of us who haven't heard the concept before. A. Certainly. Everything in the universe...large or small, simple or complex, is conscious to some degree. Density refers to level of awareness. There are seven densities throughout all of creation, and they all inter-penetrate. In your case, you are currently in a third density realm. Densities are as follows: 1D Material elements. Sleeping Matter. 2D Flora and fauna. Group soul of each species copies itself many times to incarnate. 3D Individualized consciousness, technological evolution. Lessons of choice. 4D Paraphysicality. Lessons of love: love of self or love of other-selves above all else. 5D Recycling and contemplation zone, balancer. You know it as afterlife. 6D Unified thought forms, the Merciful and Wrathful names of God. 7D Re-union with Divine Cosmic Mind, Prime Creator, the Multi-Verse Maker. Evolution happens in cycles, and your planet is approaching a new cycle, graduation to fourth density. Q. (A) And what did you evolve from? A. An entire planet of souls formed a network of knowledge and understanding, and ascended to become a sixth-density unified thought form. Q. (E) Uh, thanks Mew, good job. Now for the main event, if you would write down a question on a strip of paper and put it next to the board please. You can ask about the strangest things in this world and usually get an interesting answer. A. Just keep an open mind. Q. (A) Yes, that is very important. Okay, Mew, we did this anonymously. What's the question on...this slip? A. What is the chupacabra? Q. (laughter) (E) Creepy thing. A. Other-dimensional window-faller. You'd better get used to that type of event. Q. (Z) What about the Mothman? A. Same. Q. (A) Spring-heeled Jack? The Beast of Gvaudan? A. Same. Q. (E) So they like, temporarily merged with our reality and then faded back out of it? A. Precisely. The goat sucker was produced out of the collective consciousness. Q. (A) You mean, we imagined that thing? A. Collectively, yes.

Q. (A) Hmm. Uh, next question. A. What is the Bermuda Triangle? Q. (D) That was my question, I'll admit it. A. Buried Atlantean pyramid. Unpredictable activation causes temporary transdimensional phenomena. Q. (D) Atlantis was a real place? A. Yes. Q. (A) What was their society like? A. They could travel to the moon or Mars as easily as you could drive down the street. As far as their culture, it was remarkably similar to America. Q. (E) Is that what led to its destruction? A. Yes, and global cataclysms. Q. (A) Okay, next question. A. Why do I feel so different from most people? Q. (A) And the answer? A. Because you are ready to see the world for what it is and move on to the next level of experience. Q. (A) Next. A. Was Camelot a real place? Q. (E) Oh yeah, Camelot...it's like, the greatest English myth ever, in my opinion. A. Reality intersection. Q. (E) Like the other-dimensional window-faller? A. Sort of, though much more pronounced. Q. (A) Man, I hope the last question isn't what I think it is... A. We'll give you a hint, it concerns the subject of the two hypnosis sessions you taped.

I started trembling. I knew this question would come up sooner or later. Now whoever wrote that question was looking at me for the answer. Hell, they were all looking at me. I gritted my teeth and took a breath. The tapes Eve. We have to play the tapes. She quivered a little. I don't know Adam, it's still so near, I- and the planchette moved again. We never took our hands off of it.

A. Michael, Hope, Daniel, Julia, Zachary. Q. (All): Yes? A. Adam and Eve feel traumatized. Will you share their burden in the hopes of helping them? Q. (All): Yes! A. Adam, Eve. Q. (Together): Yes?

A. You have five friends here willing to help you. It needs to be faced if you are to overcome the fear and pain.

I got up from the chair and mumbled, I'll get the tapes. I retrieved them from one of the moving boxes returned to the table. I swapped out the tapes and held my hand over the play button. I couldn't help myself from first saying, There's no going back from this. Are you sure? Hope spoke for all five of them. For fuck's sake Adam, please, let us help you. I licked my lips and gingerly pressed play. Eve's family was listening with rapt attention. God, if they only knew what was coming. I sat next to Eve and cuddled her against me. I had chosen her session for the first because we had recorded it first. After Eve was well under, she began describing the abduction, and the others started looking a little unsettled. As Eve related her reptoid rape, things rapidly worsened. Everyone in the room was barely containing themselves. I counted Eve quickly back awake and the session ended. I stopped the tape and said, I'm sorry, I know that was ugly. Give us a moment and we'll try to get an explanation of Eve's experience. I placed my hand on the planchette, and Eve followed my lead.

Q. (A) Uh, can you help us put this session in perspective please. A. We are those of Fwoh. We serve all. Q. (A) Oh, thank god, Fwoh. Help us, please. A. We first request that Eve share her thoughts and feelings. Q. (E) Oh, um...okay, I remember you told me that as traumatic as that experience might be, I now have direct knowledge of one of their modes of attack, and that it would only serve to protect me. A. Correct. Q. (E) And going back to what I said before about how a certain amount of planning goes into an incarnation, I...chose to experience this, on some level? A. Yes. Q. (A) That must mean that we both chose to experience traumatic events. (E) To wake us up? A. Yes, other reasons too. For instance, balancing karma from this life and others you have had. Q. (Z) Have we...is that how it works, you just ask a question? Have we lived past lives together? A. What do you think? Q. (Z) I think so. I thought really hard about recognition one day, how with some people there's a deep familiarity. Like, a soul family.

A. You are on the right track with your thinking. Q. (A) And we all incarnated here and now with some knowledge of what was to come. A. Yes. Why do humans watch dramatic or scary movies? Q. (A) For the experience...the same reason we all chose to incarnate here and now. A. Yes.

They all processed this for a moment as I lifted my hand off the planchette. I said, We're throwing this down on the table here. Aliens exist, and they are not here for our benefit. There, I said it, it's out there now. Could any of you really pretend they didn't and go back to a life of blissful ignorance? Everyone slowly shook their heads. Mike finally spoke, There's such a mix of emotions here, but I'm not mad at you Adam, I just want you to know that. The others nodded and said, Me neither. Eve rubbed my back and I sighed. She said, This next session is uh... I said the word that came to mind. Gruesome. Eve winced and said, Yeah, gruesome. Just try to remember what we've learned so far, especially about a soul choosing certain events to learn from. Everyone nodded. She slid the new tape in and pressed play. Everyone listened to me describing my initial actions, and they kept pretty straight faces as I described the Grey aliens. I gripped Eve's hand and she hugged me tightly. I shut my eyes as the tape reached the reptoid part. The last few seconds were Eve counting me out of it, and her voice was noticeably shaking on the tape. I had missed it the last time I listened to this. Eve stopped the tape and said, Everyone take a deep breath. We all forced ourselves to relax enough to breathe properly for a second. I said quietly, They eat us. Sometimes our bodies, but mostly our energy. They feed on our negative emotions. The sense of shock and disgust in the room was palpable. Hope had gone very pale. Julia coughed and leaned over the trashcan, but she overcame the feeling. Danny stood up and walked a few steps away. The group dispersed as one by one they tried to process it. Eve and I went into the guest bedroom and talked quietly. We transcribed the previous sessions with Fwoh so everybody could read them. I also wrote a narrative of the Eden vision and our conclusions on the myth. The next couple of days were filled with quiet tension. Eve and I heard crying or shouting behind closed doors from time to time. The others mostly avoided eye contact, and spoke few words to us. Gradually, they came to us to ask questions. They read and discussed the transcripts with us, and slowly they came to accept the situation. When everyone felt ready, we gathered for another session. I began by reading the narrative of the Eden vision and the accompanying notes. The others' reactions to the final part of our vision were almost imperceptible, as though they had been calloused against the shock. Finally, we all meditated and Eve and I placed our hands on the planchette. It spiraled in and out several times.

A. Greetings! Q. (A) Hello, who are we speaking to? A. We are those of Mew. We serve all who ask. Q. (E) Why do you and Fwoh come at different times? A. Many factors on many levels. Think of it like weather. Q. (A) Alright. Mew, I think we got the refresher course Fwoh told us we needed. Everyone read the transcripts and we talked about the Fall of Man and the realignment of the human soul matrix with fourth-density negative. I want to ask; do these lizards ever switch polarities and become positive, service-to-others beings? A. Not usually. It is pretty much a one way street back to first density and sleeping matter. They are the dark half of the symbol you call Yin Yang. You are all rapidly polarizing to the light half. The dark half is their chosen form of expression. Q. (E) And the energy wave, the shift to fourth density that's going to occur in the next few years, will balance things on Earth? A. Yes. Q. (E) So they've chosen their path and we've chosen ours? A. In some ways, you may have already chosen, but you will be presented with a very clear choice at time of transition. Q. (J) I have a question, if some humans are fourth-density candidates, some of that percentage will probably die before this shift, but they will still graduate if they meet the necessary conditions, right? A. Of course. Q. (J) So if they die before the transition, what happens, do they just kind of sit back and watch it from fifth density? A. Yes. Q. (J) Hmm. (E) What will it feel like for those who live through it? A. Through the looking glass. Realm border crossing. Q. (J) Will we live through it? A. Open. Do not worry about the body; it is the soul that matters. Q. (M) So even if we die, everything still continues, we keep evolving, so focusing on death is pointless. A. Exactly. Hope has question in mind. Q. (H) How did they know? A. Sixth density is the highest density before reunion with all that was, is, and shall be. Thus, our perspective is quite broad. Q. (E) What do you want to ask Hope? (H) Well, I was wondering something, but I wasn't going to ask... (D) Go ahead baby. (H) Is there anything you can tell us about fourthdensity that we might be able to understand?

A. One: Time is not linear! Two: Your vision is spherical, so there is no right or left. Three: Physicality is variable, meaning your physical body and the physical world around you. Four: The two genders are fused, are you comfortable with the idea of being a hermaphrodite? Q. Mike: What the fuck? (J) That sounds like a very strange way to live; I can't even begin to... (Z) Totally bizarre. (H) Well, all of those things sound possible in dreams... A. Close. Even the most lucid of dreams can't really give you an idea of what fourth density will be like. Review transcript regarding tampering with history. Q. (E) Yeah, that session said they can temporarily change their appearance, they can time-travel and change the past, present and future as they see fit. (A) Hey, speaking of time, I've been wanting to ask this like crazy, what the hell is dj vu? A. When the program is tampered with by lizards, you experience abnormalities in time and memory related to your own experiences in alternate universes. Wrinkles in time. Temporal/dimensional hiccups. Parallel dimension cross-patch. Time-quakes. Do these metaphors help you to understand it better? Q. (E) Yeah, they do. Why does it sometimes feel dreamlike? A. Consciousness is really just dreams within dreams within dreams within dreams, ad infinitum. Q. (A) I've had moments of dj vu from as young as I can remember, but the amount I've experienced over the past month is like...a cluster. A. The program is constantly being meddled with currently. Q. (A) So they're tampering with...us? Me? Individually? Why? A. We already told you that you now pose a threat to their plans. Q. (A) But we're just seven people, we're nobodies, we're not worth the effort. A. This is important, so listen well. First of all, nobody is a nobody. Second, you now have the magical number of people best suited to forming a conduit to fourth-density. Three, remember that it is no big deal for them to give individualized attention through time-traveling. Q. (A) A conduit? Like an escape hatch out of third density? A. Sort of. Think of it like blazing a trans-density path that others will be able to follow. Q. (E) Now I can see how we could pose a threat. A. Remember, plans will fail. Wishful thinking will get you every time. Q. (M) So the seven of us are destined to do this? A. Yes. You are all co-creating a perpendicular reality, the focal point of which is the transition to fourth density. Other groups of souls are creating similar conduits all over your planet. Q. (Z) Is seven the ideal number? A. Seven is always the ideal number. This is reflected at all levels of reality. Q. (E) You know, I'm thinking that we, in the future, all saw how the Earth turned out, and

we didn't like it, so we kinda went back in time and reincarnated to change the outcome. A. That is surprisingly close to the truth. Q. (A) So if there are other versions of ourselves in alternate universes, are some of these alternate universes ones that the lizards have created to alter the time line? A. Some. Q. (A) So what happens to the universes that are no longer needed for their plans? Do they continue to exist separately or merge with the desired universe? A. Both. Q. (A) Then what happens to all those other versions of ourselves? A. All facets of a soul will merge at realm border crossing. Q. (E) Is there anything we should be doing to facilitate this merging? A. Don't need to facilitate, will happen involuntarily. Will be like explosion. Q. (A) Wow. (E) Is sharing this knowledge part of forming the conduit? A. Definitely. Q. (E) What is the best way for us to share this? A. You all have skills and talents you can use. Suggest you brainstorm and see what comes out. Energy is very low, we must go now. Farewell.

Chapter 07 Networking We all just sat for a moment. Hope was the first one to speak. We need a website. There were nods all around. We discussed the content and design of the site. We also talked about the risks of it. Eventually, we all agreed on what had to be done, so we all got down to business. Danny and Hope set up a computer to be a web server and opened a business account with the local ISP. Julia worked to transcribe the channeling sessions. I began writing some introductory material for the sessions and the Eden mythology. The house bustled almost around the clock, and the days started to run together. The site went live and we all monitored it with rabid interest. We peppered a short description with a link in blog comments and forums. People began registering in our forum and posting questions, and we all chipped in to answer them. Over the next several days, we made friends from all over the world. They posted interesting ideas that expanded on our material. Someone asked where we were located, and I replied The Crescent City. That's when I got a private message from a person named Damian. Message From: Damian Subject: Crescent City Hello friends, I find it a delightful coincidence that I also reside in The Big Easy. I very much like your material, especially the channeled stuff. My wife Angela and I have experimented with something called a psychomantium, which fills an entire room. It has shown us many of the same things we read here. We should very much like to attend one of your sessions, if that would be possible. We would of course show you our special room, if you're interested.

Sincerely, Damian (and Angela by proxy) We all discussed this development, and we all agreed they sounded like interesting people. Someone's laptop pinged. A new user had posted a nasty flame to us for trying to start a cult. I was about to ban the IP when we heard the ping again. Damian had posted a scathing retort, which may have been a little over the top, but it seemed to silence the newcomer permanently. I replied to Damian's original message: Message From: Adam Subject: We'll give it a shot. Hi Damian, While we appreciate your defense of our forum, it's probably easier to just ban such people in the future. Your psychomantium sounds interesting; we would like to see what it's all about. Reply with your phone number and we'll contact you shortly. We didn't have to wait long for a reply, and I called Damian on speakerphone. He had a liveliness in his voice as he excitedly greeted us and gave us directions to his house. He also lived in the Arts district, about ten minutes away. We all piled in Zachary's van and drove over there. I knocked on the door and Damian opened it. He invited us in and we all shook hands with him and Angela. They were both memorable and had a magnetic charisma about them. They were dressed casually, and they seemed laid back and hospitable. They took us through the kitchen and held a black curtain aside so we could enter the back room. The floor, ceiling, and walls were all covered in black felt. A string of Christmas lights ran around the corner and out of sight. Damian spoke in a hushed voice. I like to talk quietly in here, because the energy is already very solemn, just perfect for this setup. I need a volunteer to demonstrate how it works. Adam? I winced and said, Sure. Damian said, Then follow the string of lights 'til you reach the end. I took a deep breath, and walked around the corner. On the other side of the room the lights disappeared around another corner. I had my hands on both walls because otherwise the room felt huge and intimidating. I followed the mini maze until finally, the lights wrapped once around the feet of a chair and stopped. I sat in the chair facing out into the disorienting darkness.

Okay, I'm at the end and I'm sitting in the chair! The colored lights went out. A match flared in front of me, some distance away, and lit a candle. The tiny flame of the candle danced hypnotically in the dark. It took me a moment to realize that I was looking into a mirror. I heard a steady drum beat increasing in volume, and I tried to focus on the candle. I really felt eerily strange in complete darkness with a tiny flame piercing this utter blackness. The drums told me there was a rhythm to this thing, a frequency that I was synchronizing with. Vapors and mists swirled around, and I saw our planet from orbit. No boundaries, no borders. Just a life sphere drifting through space. Such a simple picture, and yet so profound. Are you okay Adam? What's happening? I didn't recognize the voice asking me. Uh, there's some weird stuff going on in here with the mists, the vapors. The hushed voices conferred under their breath, then one of them spoke clearly, Those mists are like a scrying bowl, you can ask it questions. I took a breath and said, I'm looking at Earth from orbit. Something is wrong. A comet slammed into one of the continents, and I gasped and recoiled. I just started narrating everything I saw to the voices. Earth was also plagued by a viral pandemic, climate changes, tectonic and volcanic activity, world wars for dwindling resources and geographical dominance, and an all-out alien invasion. An energy wave washed over everything in our solar system, and candidates in several densities simultaneously ascended. The small percentage of souls who graduated found themselves on Terra in fourth density. The rest of the souls who simply were not ready to graduate remained under the control of the aliens and reincarnated on a thirddensity planet elsewhere. They started the cycle over. It was a visual rendering of a probability matrix, the images I was seeing. It was murky, the future refused to take shape because it was churning with chaos. Adam? Adam, can you hear me? I replied to the voice, Yes, I can hear you. The voice said, Stand up, find the walls, and follow the Christmas lights. As I followed the lights, I started to remember where I was and who was waiting for me around the corner. It was extremely awkward emerging from the psychomantium with everyone staring at me. Congratulations Damian, I'm speechless. Everyone laughed and I relaxed a little. What did I sound like when I was in there? Eve gazed into my eyes and said, You sounded like you were channeling. What did it feel like? I closed my eyes and said, Very weird. I'm not sure it's really my cup of tea, but it was definitely something. Definitely interesting. We thanked Damian and Angela, and agreed to have them over for a session at our house the next day. As we drove home, I stared out the window, watching the urban

landscape. Things that used to seem important had become irrelevant, and subtle details I had never noticed before were now quite prominent. I felt no fear about what I saw, because it was going to be a positive outcome based on what the light beings had told us. Things would have to get worse before they could get better. Eve whispered in my ear, I want to have a private session with Fwoh, just the two of us. You go straight into the bedroom, I'll get the board. I nodded and gave her hand a squeeze. When we walked in the house, I said to everyone, I'm exhausted, good night guys. I waited for Eve, and when she entered, she shut the door. We rested our hands on the planchette, and Eve said, Fwoh, are you there? We waited for a few seconds, but nothing happened. I said, Mew, you seem to be a little more yielding with information on sensitive topics, can you offer us any insight?

A. Maybe. Q. (E) Is Adam okay? (A) I feel fine. A. Yes. Q. (A) Is Fwoh refusing to discuss this? A. It's slightly more complicated than that. Think about how far you have come in the expanding of awareness in the past few weeks. Think about what reality felt like before the accident. Now compare it to your current state. We must adhere to Prime Directive 1, non-interference with Free Will. We have given hints and clues, but you are getting to a point where you have enough awareness to sense the unseen and unspoken undercurrents in your reality. We must therefore counsel you to remain alert and objective. We can say no more on this matter. Q. (E) I'm sorry, but can I ask just one question? Is it a good idea to do a session with our new friends tomorrow? A. Open. Q. (A) You can't tell us anything, can you? I'm getting a little nervous. A. Learning is fun! Q. (A) I'm trying to see the positive side of this. A. You are correct. We cannot violate your Free Will, thus we cannot answer questions on this topic. Q. (E) Okay, we'll talk to one of you tomorrow I guess. A. Goodnight.

Adam, something doesn't feel right. I nodded and said, I know, but I think tomorrow will be the deciding factor in all of this. I have a feeling it has something to do with information that may or may not be divulged with Damian and Angela there. Eve said, I think you're right. Are you sure you're okay? I nodded and hugged her, and then we went to bed. That night I had a dream. I faintly heard Eve's voice crying out for help.

Another version of me was leading us to her. Her cries grew louder as we went down dark stone hallways. Finally, in a small cave, the other me struck a match and said, She's in there, you can save her Adam. A pitch black tunnel was carved into the rock wall. Eve, I'm here, are you alright? She didn't answer. I looked the other me in the eyes, like looking into a mirror, and I saw a hint of something malicious, even though the other me was smiling. Now I was scared to stay in that dark room with him, so I stepped towards the even darker hole. A few paces inside, I stepped off into empty space and yelled in surprise. I heard my own voice laughing at me as I fell into the blackness. I woke up and found that the sheets were soaked in sweat. I gently climbed out of bed and went to take a shower. Then I got dressed and went downstairs. The first floor was dark and silent. I lay down on the couch and went back to sleep. Eve woke me up in the morning by jostling me awake. Hmm? What? I murmured sleepily. Adam, why are you sleeping on the couch? I told her about my nightmare and the sweats. She looked at me sympathetically and said, Aw Adam, you could have woken me up to change the sheets. If the nightmares start up again, we have to talk to Dr. Burke. C'mon, let's get ready, they'll be here soon. The house bustled as we prepared for the arrival of our guests. They showed up on time with smiles on their faces, and we all sat down around the board in the living room. We lit a candle and meditated. Eve and I placed our hands in position. The planchette moved slowly, at first pointing to random characters and numbers.

A. Sprinkl talcm powdr on brd.

Julie ran and grabbed some. She sprinkled a dash in the center of the board. The planchette spun around.

A. Better, thanks. Adam please trade places with Damian. Q. (Adam) Oh, okay, sure.

Damian looked excited, yet anxious as he rested his fingers on the planchette. Angela grinned as she watched it move.

A. Damian turn board 90 deg clockw Q. (Damian) Is that better?

A. Much better, thanks. Greetings. Q. (E) Who are you and whom do you serve? A. We are those of Drai. We serve all. Q. (E) Hah! Another one. What type of being are you? A. Density 6. Q. (E) Where are Fwoh and Mew? A. Observing with interest. Q. (E) The syntax seems slightly off. A. New energies present. Channel will re-stabilize. Q. (Adam) Okay, since you two are our guests, would either of you like to ask a question? (Damian) Yes, Drai, can you tell me if I'm on the right path with my research based on what the psychomantium has shown me? A. We must warn against asking too many questions of a personal nature. To answer your question, let's just say you have a powerful tool, and if used correctly it can yield positive results. Q. (Angela) Drai, I know we just met our new friends here, but last night Adam had some, uh, apocalyptic visions. They kind of bothered me. Are these events possible in our lifetime? A. Possible, yes. Earth benefits from periodic cleansing. Catastrophes are cyclical because of this, changes in cosmic environment too. All are connected to evolutionary cycle. Q. (Angela) And the evolutionary cycle involves this energy wave? (Adam) Well this wave, as I understand it, is kind of a test, a challenge. If you learn about it, work on yourself, polarize or whatever, you can rise above the wave and kind of surf it. Is this a relevant metaphor? A. Pretty close. Q. (Damian) What does the wave consist of? What does its energy feel like? A. Hyper-kinetic sensate. Q. (E) Does it amplify your senses? A. It will amplify your emotional and physical sensations from past, present, and future realities. Q. (Adam) What if someone had a lifetime of repressed emotions? Someone who had anger issues for instance? A. Soul smashing. Q. (Adam) Is that like getting sucked under the wave and drowning? A. To continue your metaphor, yes, close. Q. (Adam) Well is the wave coming before or after the cataclysms? A. Comet cluster rides realm border. Q. (Angela) So the comets are coming first?

A. Complex. Maybe cataclysms will only occur for those who are left behind? Q. (Adam) Oh, I get it. So the whole Rapture concept is distorted, but close to the truth. A. For those who don't graduate, their world must end to start the cycle over, their Earth must be destroyed. Q. (Damian) What is the ultimate plan of the lizards for all those people they dupe into following them and believing their lies? A. Ninety-four percent of humans will be used as containers. Q. (Angela) C-containers? I don't understand, h-how can a human be used as a container? A. Re-prototyping. The lizards are attempting to create a new hybrid race. Missing children often go there. They are kept awake while their organs are removed and their blood is drained. Maximum energy transfer. Q. (Angela) Ugh! (Damian) That's sick! A. Sick is subjective. Q. (Damian) Maybe where you come from! Did you guys know about this? (Adam) No. A. Not everything conforms to your perspective Damian. Think about how seconddensity creatures view you when you slaughter them. Remember, the lizards plans will fail. Q. (Adam) When we asked them how they know that, they said they see everything as it is because they are sixth density, and the lizards only see what they want to see. A. And in fourth density, wishful thinking actually becomes reality. Q. (Damian) I get that, it's just, why would you tell us such horrible things? A. Because you need to hear them. Q. (Damian) But you're also telling us that for hundreds of thousands of years they've ruled our planet, that they abduct us and rewrite history, and that they fucking eat us. If we are so tasty to them, why don't they just breed us in pens like cattle? A. They do. Q. (Damian) Fuck! That's it. I'm leaving.

Damian stood up and stormed towards the front door, and Angela quickly followed him, calling his name. We heard the door slam and we all looked at each other in surprise. What the hell was that all about? I asked as I joined Eve at the board.

A. Emotional reaction to truths. Q. (E) That was like a total personality change... (A) Yeah, a real one-eighty. (Z) Well he said the stuff he got from the psychomantium was very similar to our material, how similar was it really? A. Similar enough to pique his interest, different enough to cause emotional outburst. We

can say no more, goodbye.

We all discussed the session and Damian's emotional outburst. We all agreed that something strange was going on with our two new friends. My laptop pinged, and I read the new private message out loud. Message From: Damian Subject: I'm sorry. Everyone, please forgive my outburst; I lost control of my emotions. You see, I know that I've been abducted and tortured. It's a sore spot in my life. I hope we can still be friends. I think hypnosis could help me. Maybe one of you could assist me with that, as we know very little about hypnotherapy. Take some time to think about it. Thanks for listening, Damian This just gets stranger, doesn't it? I mused. Everyone nodded. Eve said, Initially, I was very wary of this whole thing, but the more I think about it, based on our 6D friends remaining tight-lipped about this matter, I think we were supposed to meet Damian and Angela. It's 'in the cards,' so to speak. I nodded. I wonder if we could hypnotize him, help him out. Eve said, I think we should wait a few days and see what happens. Everyone nodded again. We spent the next few days continuing to work on the website and talking in the forums. Damian posted a short, friendly comment from time to time, but he was mostly quiet. Occasionally, we'd get a troll trying to start a flame war. Our regular favorites on the forum would nearly always respond with intelligence and conviction. Once the troll realized that we would easily pick apart whatever flimsy arguments they used, they'd invariably leave. Our community rallied around us. The seven of us were feeling pretty damn good about our project, and one night we decided as a group to invite Damian and Angela for another session. Damian was very grateful for a second chance, but he also sounded calm and relaxed, not overly excited. I thought that Eve might be right, that it was preordained that we would meet. That night they showed up and sat in the living room with us. We

discussed the success of the website and our guests congratulated us. Then we set up the board and sat in silence for a full minute. Eve and I took our usual places at the board and the planchette spiraled slowly in and out. Hoping for Damian to ask about his abduction, I decided on the first question I wanted to ask.

A. Greetings. Q. (Adam) Fwoh? I recognize your energy. A. Your senses are being honed by psycho-physiological changes manifesting due to approach of wave. You hit the nail on the head this time. Q. (E) I can feel it too. A. Channel is well-grooved with you two at board. Q. (Adam) Fwoh, how many times have I been abducted? (E) Are you sure you want to know? (Adam) I have to know. A. 54. Q. (Adam) (Sigh) I changed my mind. I wish I didn't know. (E) Sorry, too late. I might as well ask, how many for me? A. 51. Q. (E) Eek! Did I really float through the ceiling? A. That was a virtual reality abduction, not a third-density physical abduction. Q. (E) Can you describe the process? A. It's like making a temporary copy of your soul. Q. (E) Have we also been abducted physically, the two of us? A. Yes. Q. (H) Have I ever been? (E) Let's just get this out in the open; everyone in this room has probably been abducted. (Damian) Well, I feel like I can open up about this now. How many times for me? A. 127. Q. (Gasps and expletives) (Damian) Oh shit, why so many? A. Open. Q. (Angela) Have I ever been abducted? A. Yes. Q. (Angela) Ohhh...god dammit! I don't want to know how many times, at least not yet. A. Remember, experience leads to knowledge, learning, growth. The trauma of these experiences is transient. The overall benefits are enduring. Q. (Damian) What ever happened to free will... A. Your free will was given to the lizards in the Garden of Eden. They would not be able to if humans had not consented to their offer. Understand that your current state is a consequence of choices that were made. You now have a choice to either see things as they are and learn from it, or retreat into denial and continuing the learning cycle in your

current realm. Q. (Damian) What can I do to come to terms with the abductions I remember, the ones where I was tortured? A. Take a personal inventory. Spend time in contemplation and self-reflection. Clear away old programs that are no longer useful. These are not trivial tasks, they require much personal effort. Q. (Damian) Okay, maybe, but that sounds like a lot of time and energy. What about hypnosis? A. Open. Q. (E) I've decided Damian, if you would like to be hypnotized, I will do it. (Angela) Would you do it for me too? (E) Of course, Angela. A. Interesting development. Goodnight.

Eve said, Damian, Angela, and Adam, would you come with me please? I'd like a word with you. The others seemed to take this in stride, but I was suddenly nervous. What could Eve possibly have to say that she couldn't say in front of the others? Eve took the tape recorder and we followed her upstairs into our bedroom and she shut the door. Sit on the bed please, she said. We sat and stared at her. She paced back and forth for a few seconds, then began to speak. I want it to be absolutely clear if we go through with this that this is not your average hypnosis. She knelt down in front of us and looked us in the eyes. Most people think of a stage hypnotist when they think of hypnosis. A stage hypnotist might say to the subject, 'All you have to do is listen to my voice. It's so easy that you'll find your body relaxing and your eyes closing, because this is what I'm doing right now, I'm hypnotizing you with words.' My hero, Milton Erickson, was far more eloquent and creative. He might start talking about something random and unrelated as he lightly touched the subject... and Eve gently placed her hands on Damian's and Angela's knees, their gaze shifting to the point of contact. The subject would be distracted and then he would change the subject. Eve then clapped her hands and simultaneously said Sleep! and everything went dark. I heard Eve's voice say, Adam, help me work with Damian and Angela. You're going to remember this when you wake up. Look at them and tell me if you see anything strange. I spoke to Eve from the darkness, telling her that I saw some kind of cable or wire connected to Damian that ran off into the surrounding blackness. Follow the cord, see where it goes. I floated effortlessly along until the cord ran into three dark figures standing side by side. One of the wraiths howled and lunged at me. I zoomed back to my body gasping for breath. I sat up, saw Damian and Angela asleep on the bed, and realized what Eve had done.

She was a really good hypnotist. I knew I was partially affected by her unusual monologue, her body language, but Damian and Angela bore the brunt of her efforts. I quickly scrawled on a piece of paper what made me wake up. Eve wrote back that she needed me to go back under and help her some more. Before I could protest she touched my forehead and I blacked out again. Sorry honey, I'll explain later. I need you to go look behind Damian. Where that cable connects, open it and look inside. I did what she asked and found wires and circuitry inside. In the center was a round panel with buttons on it. The buttons had Greek letters next to them, and in the middle of the panel the word 'Baum' was written. Adam, I keep testing the different programs and Damian is telling me that each one will activate the bomb. I carefully lifted up the panel and behind it I saw a self-destruct mechanism with a flashing red light that said 'ARMED.' I told Eve we shouldn't mess with it and she barked at me, Wake up! When I sat up, she pointed to the chair in the corner and I plopped down in it, watching intently. Eve asked Angela to tell us what living with Damian was like, and she said it was sometimes very weird. Odd things happened around the house; Damian would often space out and not remember things. Eve then asked Damian what he had seen in the psychomantium. Damian said, Paradise. A new golden age. Heaven on earth. Eve switched gears again and asked Angela to describe Damian's most recent session in the psychomantium. Angela said that Damian was charged with a spiritual quest, and she felt that he was letting it go to his head. He began to make grandiose claims, like it was his chance to save the unbelievers. I was extremely unsettled by this remark. Eve asked Angela to describe her most recent abduction. Angela was taken by Grey aliens onto a ship. They were mind-controlling her with a small touch-pad they carried with them. They made her sit in a chair in front of a screen. The screen showed Earth being rocked by cataclysms and pelted with comets. The sky turned red from the comet debris in the atmosphere. The aliens told her, When the sky looks like this, we will come back for you. Then they brought her to the flight deck and showed her how to control the craft. They told her, When we return, we may ask you to fly a ship like this. It is your birthright. The aliens returned her to her bed and left. Angela said that people all over the world were programmed like this, for activation in the near future. Eve closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Finally, she asked Damian to tell us about his most recent abduction. He suddenly started shaking his head and saying, I can't! They'll kill me! Please, don't make me tell! Eve covered her face in frustration and said, Its okay Damian, you don't have to tell me. Angela, I want you and Damian to imagine an old fashioned wind-up alarm

clock, the round kind with bells on top. Each one of my words is striking the bells on that clock, bringing you back to reality and waking you up. They opened their eyes and stared at Eve in silent shock. Eve leaned back in her chair and said, I'm sorry I had to hypnotize you like that, I had to catch you off guard to get the quality of trance I needed. My technique worked with you Angela, when you feel ready, you can listen to this tape. Damian, you have some emotional and mental blocks you need to work through yourself before hypnotherapy will be of any use to you. I can't help you, I'm sorry. Damian looked confused, but said, Well, thanks for trying. Angela added, Yes, thank you, both of you. They said goodbye to us and left. Eve turned to me and said, Well, what do you think? That electronic stuff you saw inside Damian was symbolic of mind programming that was done to him. My head was spinning with thoughts. The panel said 'Baum.' Eve said that every interaction with Damian's programming would trigger the bomb. Baum was German for 'tree,' and if Damian's programming was as complex as it appeared to be, it certainly could be visualized in a branching structure. There's a double entendre with Baum and bomb, I think we should try to distance ourselves from Damian. She frowned and said, You might be right. Who could program him like that? I shook my head. I don't want to think about it anymore right now, it's too creepy. Since you initiated this whole hypnosis thing, I think you should explain it to the others. She nodded, and said, You really helped me back there. I'd heard about that technique but never tried it. Keep pace with me Adam, I think we've almost got this figured out. We went downstairs and had a lengthy discussion with our household. While we listened to the tape, they all looked troubled. We didn't get a chance to discuss the matter any further because my phone rang. The caller I.D. said Damian. I put it on speakerphone and said, Damian? Angela sobbed and said, Please help me, I didn't know who else to call! Damian was upset that he didn't get any answers from the hypnosis. He went into the psychomantium, and...something is very wrong, I just feel it. Everyone looked quite bothered by this turn of events. Eve said, Angela, is it okay if Adam and I come over there, just the two of us? Angela whimpered, Yes, please hurry. Then Eve hung up the phone and stared at it for a few seconds. She said to all of us, I knew something wasn't right, I just knew it. I intend to get to the bottom of this, right now. I summoned my courage and looked Eve straight in the face. Alright, let's do it. The others told us to be careful with concerned expressions on their faces. Eve said, If you don't hear from us in 30 minutes, come find us. We'll leave the front door unlocked. They all nodded, and we left.

Chapter 08 Masquerade We arrived and knocked on the door. Angela answered it with a look of terror on her face. She was hyperventilating. Eve had the same look in her eyes when she lost it on the air boat. I remember how intensely I wanted to stop Eve from hurting. Now it was Eve's turn to help Angela. She immediately put her hand on Angela's back and led her over to the couch. I made sure the door was unlocked. Once Angela was sitting, Eve held her hands, looked her in the eye, and said, Angela, listen to me. You have to relax. It's not good for you to be breathing like this, you're going to lose consciousness. Angela closed her eyes and went limp again. Eve continued, I know you think you can't go deeper then you did the last time I hypnotized you. It may surprise you to learn that you already did go deeper. It's quite obvious that you are doing it right now. Angela sighed. Eve concluded with, I would like for you to think about your relationship with Damian. Allow yourself to explore it fully and completely. I would like for you to do this because it will help me to help you help him. Eve motioned for me to come with her. We walked silently through the kitchen, pulled the black curtain aside, and stepped into the back room. The Christmas lights were turned off. There was dead silence. Eve said, Sorry to bother you, I'm a bit lost. I was looking for Damian, but I can't seem to find him. Do you know where he is? The response made my blood run cold. He is in here...with us. I grabbed Eve's hand, and she gently shook me off. Could you send him out please? I'd like to speak to him. Damian spoke again, but it didn't sound like Damian. Absolutely not. And do not try to enter. He belongs to us now. I got Eve's attention and motioned for her to step back with me into the kitchen. I whispered to her, Eve, you can't go in there. She stared at me and said, I have to Adam. If my hunch is right, then he's in a lot of trouble. We have to help him. I shook my head. You don't know what it's like in there Eve. Let me go. I'll bring him out. She chewed her lip and thought hard. Okay, but listen to me. If he says anything to you, don't listen to him. Just get him out of there. I'll keep him distracted. I nodded. We reentered the psychomantium and I used the walls to guide myself deeper into the darkness. Sorry to bother you again, if Damian can't come out, then maybe you can give him a message for me. The other day we were talking about Zen koans, like 'What is the sound of one hand clapping?' And I was trying to remember... Eve continued to speak about random topics. I finally reached the chair, and my heart pounded. I took the lighter that was in my pocket and lit it. Damian was holding tightly onto the chair. His eyes were shut and he was clenching his teeth. This was going to be harder than I thought.

I retreated back to the exit and Eve interrupted her monologue to say, I'm sorry, I have to take this phone call, please excuse me a minute. I pulled Eve into the kitchen and whispered, He's latched onto the chair. I would have to force his fingers off. Eve swore under her breath. After thinking for a moment, she said, Okay, here's what we're going to do. We're going to take the candle from the alcove at the entrance and both go in together. I asked her, What about the Christmas lights? She shook her head. Something tells me we should avoid anything electrical. Call it another hunch. I nodded and took her hand. We reentered the psychomantium, Eve grabbed the candle, and I led her into the darkness. When we reached Damian, Eve handed the candle to me. I swallowed, trying to get rid of the lump in my throat. Eve whispered into Damian's ear, and began dragging her fingertips ever-so-slightly across his hand and up his arm. When she reached his neck, she wrapped her hand around it. She said, Sleep! and forced him forward. He crumpled to the floor and she said aloud, Put out the candle and grab his feet. Let's carry him to the living room. I extinguished the flame and dropped the candle to the floor. Together, we carried Damian to the exit, through the kitchen, and laid him gently on the couch. Eve gestured for me to call the others and tell them we were okay so that they wouldn't come bursting through the door in a panic. I went back in the kitchen and pulled my phone out of my pocket. I selected Zacks phone number and when I hit send, my phone went dead. I checked the battery, tried to turn it back on, but it was bricked. I reached for land-line phone on the wall, and when I picked it up and put it to my ear, a burst of static almost made me drop the handset. Then the line went dead. I returned to the living room, where Eve was whispering into Damian's ear again. I put my hand on her shoulder and whispered into her ear, My phone went dead when I tried to call. The same thing happened with their landline. You were right about electronics. She nodded and motioned for me to sit on the couch next to Damian and hold his head. Angela was still sleeping on the other couch. Eve spoke to Damian in an authoritative voice. Who are you and why are you doing this to Damian? Damian whispered, I am nobody, and hissed. Why are you doing this? Answer me now, she said firmly. Damian twisted on the couch, and I put my hands on his shoulders to keep him still. I was shocked at how much strength he had. His eyes rolled up into his head, his tongue lolled, and a guttural cry escaped his throat. He answered Eve in a rasping voice. We are soldiers of darkness. We found this vessel open and decided to settle in. Don't bother trying to evict us. We are staying! Eve looked at me with a hardness in her eyes I had never seen before. This whole situation was really starting to frighten me, but this

ultimatum only seemed to strengthen Eve's resolve. She held Damian's head in her hands and put her face right up against his. That's what you think. Leave! Go back to the darkness where you belong! Leave, now! I felt Damian's skin go ice cold. He let out an inhuman roar and writhed on the couch. Angela woke up, saw what we were doing, and screamed. The handle on the front door jiggled, then there was a pounding and muffled voices shouting. I knew I had made sure it was unlocked. Angela ran to the door and tried to open it, but it wouldn't budge. She screamed again, and cried as she sank to the floor. This clusterfuck was getting worse by the second. I wasn't exactly sure of what was happening, but I knew that Eve needed my help. I held Damian's head while Eve straddled him, pinning his legs underneath her. I whispered forcefully into his face, You picked the wrong people to fuck with. Get out! Leave! GET OUT! Eve screamed commands at him too. Damian roared at us again, and a terrible energy surrounded us. I felt the sensation of being clubbed in the side of the head and lost consciousness. When I opened my eyes, Zack was leaning over me looking very worried. His mouth was moving, but all I could hear was a loud ringing sound. My head ached like it did in the hospital from the concussion. The ringing slowly faded and my hearing returned. I felt something warm and sticky on my face, touched it, and realized that my nose was bleeding. I'm okay, where's Eve? Zack allowed me to sit up. I looked around and saw Eve convulsing on the floor. My heart stopped. I grabbed Eve's hand and said, Eve? Eve?! No, no, no, shit, fuck! Oh god, please don't die! Please, I can't do this without you, I love you! She stopped convulsing and lay still. I started bawling and lifted her up. I hugged her tightly and rocked back and forth as I cried. I felt her moving and I immediately laid her back down. She opened her eyes, gasped, and coughed a few times. She saw me, made eye contact, and I threw myself over her and cried against her shoulder. She wrapped her arms around me and gave me a weak hug. As we started to recover, we both looked around and took the scene in. The other members of our household were all sitting or standing around us and fighting back tears. Angela was curled up in the corner, crying quietly. Damian was sitting on the couch, holding his head in his hands and hyper-ventilating. I forced myself to stand up, which I found very difficult, and I sat next to Damian. Eve tried to get up, realized she didn't have the strength, and slumped on the floor. I cautiously put my hand on Damian's back and said, Are you okay? He shook his head. No, I'm not fucking okay! I was possessed by a fucking demon! Would you be okay?! I rubbed his back and said, I don't presume to know what you're feeling right

now, but you're alive. It seems to have left you, with quite a fight, too. He took a few shaky breaths, and seemed to relax a little. Eve spoke to him. Damian, remember what Fwoh said. The trauma is transient. You will overcome this. You will feel better, it will just take some time. Why don't you go to sleep, I'm sure you'll feel better. He took a breath and said, I am exhausted. I guess...I guess I should thank you for saving me. I'm sorry for...everything. Then he went into the bedroom and closed the door. Angela whispered, Please don't leave me alone with him. Please take me with you. Julie and Hope helped her up and we all left. Everyone was silent as we drove home. I cuddled with Eve in the backseat, trying to comprehend what had happened. Eve seemed incredibly drained, but she was awake and alert. When we got home, we all sat in the living room around the coffee table. Hope picked up the notepad, and Danny set up the tape recorder. Zack lit a candle. Eve strained to place her hand on the planchette.

A. You see now why we could not violate your Free Will. An event such as this holds the potential for much learning and soul development. If we had told you any more, we would have risked diluting these lessons for you. For what it is worth, we are sorry. Q. (Adam) Fwoh, is that you? (E) (Wearily)Who are you and whom do you serve? A. Fwoh. We serve all. Q. (Adam) Did a demon really possess Damian? Are demons real? A. Yes. They abound in the inner planes of your planet. All the negative energy give them a substratum to exist in. Sometimes they are able to possess humans who are vulnerable. Q. (M) Are the inner planes like Hell? Is Hell a real place? A. Well, is there really a Heaven? Or is fifth density a function of consciousness and energy on a certain plane of existence that people choose to call Heaven and attribute their own ideas of what it is like to the concept? Q. (D) The latter. A. Yes. It is the same with Hell. Hell is a concept, one that attempts to explain the inner planes. Q. (J) Is there a Devil? A. The closest thing to the supreme evil you speak of is sixth density negative, a reflection of us for purposes of balance only. The terrible, wrathful names of God. Heaven, Hell, devil, demon, these are all concepts born of a human mind. Q. (E) Is the demon gone? A. Yes, and unlikely to return. You caused it great pain. Q. (Angela) Will Damian be okay? A. Open. There are still lessons to be learned here. You may ask questions freely, just understand that we may withhold answers accordingly.

Q. (Adam) What did that thing do to us Fwoh? A. Exorcism is a battle of wills. You fought and won, but exerting your will against the demon left both of you with psychic wounds. These wounds will take some time to heal. Q. (E) Fwoh, did the lizards have something to do with this? A. As usual, yes. Q. (Adam) Were they working with the demon or something? A. More like influencing or controlling. Like many humans, they are easy to manipulate. Your energy is dangerously low, we urge you to rest and recover. Goodbye for now.

I grabbed Eve's hand and squeezed it. She forced herself to smile at me, an act I'm sure required a lot of effort on her part. Angela said, I don't think I can stay with Damian. Besides the fact that he got possessed, there's too many other strange things going on with him. I think I want a divorce. Hope and Julie rubbed her back, comforting her. Eve shivered, so I helped her stand and walk to the bedroom. She collapsed on the bed and instantly fell asleep. I allowed a few thoughts to drift through my head before I let sleep overtake me. We caused a demon great pain. What was it about us that would do that to a creature of darkness? Mew had told us that we were all rapidly polarizing to the light. If we could do that to a demon, I wondered what else we could do. Then I slipped into unconsciousness. When I awoke, it was raining outside. I put my hand on Eve's forehead, and she felt hot. I went to get a hand towel and wet it, then returned to the bedroom and placed it on her brow to cool her down. Then I went downstairs to see what the others were up to. Mike and Danny were sitting in the office area, but the rest of the house was deserted. Hey guys, what's going on? Mike gave me a look of severity. We got a little problem. Sit down, I'll explain. I sat and he said, Damian has been attacking us on his own website, which went live sometime in the past twenty-four hours. The libelous claims he's making are pretty outrageous. See for yourself. I rolled the chair over to the desk and read what was on the screen. Damian claimed that our group was a satanic cult. He accused Eve of practicing hypnosis on him and Angela without a license, and said she implanted a suggestion that would make him think he had been possessed by a demon. He also claimed that we turned his wife against him with lies and post-hypnotic suggestions. He vilified us in every way imaginable. I couldn't believe it. Damian knew that these things was not true. I suddenly had a terrible thought. I pulled up the admin section of our message board and looked at the user logs. The first time someone posted that we were trying to start a cult, Damian attacked him for it. I looked at the IP address of that user, then compared it to

Damian's account. They were the same damn IP. I looked at the addresses of the other trolls we had dealt with over the past week, and they were all the same IP. Son of a bitch! All of these malicious posts, even the first one that Damian responded to venomously, they're all from his IP address! God, how could I have missed this? Danny said, He fooled all of us. We had no reason to suspect that it was all him doing these things. Mike said, We invited Angela to live here while she recovers, at least until she figures out what she's going to do with her life. The others went with her to file divorce papers and get some belongings out of their house. I covered my face with my hands and took a few deep breaths. I felt so violated. We trusted him. We invited him into our home. I said, I'll be right back, I want to go check on Eve, see how she's doing. I went back upstairs to our bedroom, sat gently on the bed and Eve stirred. She smiled at me and I forced myself to smile back. Hey sunshine, how are you feeling? She groaned and said, Awful. Remind me to never do another exorcism, ever. My whole body is aching. What's wrong? I laid down and embraced her from behind. Eve, Damian made a website. He's been verbally attacking our group on it, telling lies about us. He's also the one who's been posting nasty messages on our forum. She bit her lip and stared at the ceiling. God dammit. I knew something wasn't right, but I kept convincing myself it was just my imagination. I nuzzled her and said, I should have listened to you. I'm sorry Eve. She rolled over and looked at me. It's not your fault Adam, it's nobody's fault. Don't blame yourself. Her words made me feel a little bit better. We lay there in silence for awhile. There was a knock on the door, and Angela entered. Can I talk to you two for a minute? We both nodded as Eve beckoned her over and laid her down next to us. I never wanted any of this to happen. I don't know how things went so horribly wrong. I shook my head and put a hand on her shoulder to comfort her. Angela, I still believe that we were supposed to meet, that it was our collective destinies that brought us together. Eve nodded and said, Yeah, we see that you were betrayed by Damian more than any of us. She nodded and said, I was worried that some of you might think that I was like Damian because I married him, but I think I've known for awhile that something wasn't right. It started with little things but I always tried to find explanations for them. I replied, Your energy is different than his. I think I noticed it the moment we met, but I was distracted by everything else that was going on. Eve nodded in agreement and said, He's right, I can feel it too. Now that all is said and done, I think it's pretty obvious that you were tricked into marrying him. It was probably arranged by...you know who. Angela nodded and said, As much as it hurts me to realize it, I think you're right. The way I met him and fell for him, it was negative synchronicity, it was almost too perfect. Anyway, it's over, I never want to see him again. Ever. I said, You know you're welcome here. You can stay as long as you like. She sniffled and said, Thank you, you

don't know how much this means to me. Zack is being very generous. He tried to give me his whole room, but I insisted that we share it. We all sat in silence for a minute thinking. Eve startled me when she finally spoke. Let's have another session, right now. I think we could all use some answers. I said, Okay, but take it easy. Do you think you can walk? She sat up, put her feet on the floor, and slowly stood up. After a second she lost her balance and fell back on the bed. Oh, Adam, that demon really hurt us! I gave her a serious look and said, I know love. Relax there for a minute, I'll be right back. To make it easier for Eve, we brought everyone into the bedroom and did the session there.

A. Greetings to all. Q. (E) Who are you and whom do you serve? A. We are Drai. All others. Q. (E) Drai, why is Damian attacking us? A. He is being controlled by fourth-density service-to-self forces. They are the ones who are attacking you, Damian is simply the conduit for their attack. Q. (Adam) Why? What motivated this attack? A. You know why. You pose a threat to their plans. Q. (E) Is Damian aware that he's being used? A. No. Q. (E) So is he...you know, a malicious person on his own? Without being controlled? I mean, he had all of us fooled, especially Angela. A. Angela, we regret to inform you that your spouse is an organic portal. Q. (Angela) W-what's that? A. Simply put, he has no soul, and no hope of developing one in this cycle. Q. (Angela) Oh! No! God help me. I always thought it was just a figure of speech, saying someone was a soulless or heartless individual... A. He is essentially a biological robot, an automaton. He can't feel bad for you, or anyone else. He is driven by the basest instincts: food and sex. Q. (Angela) What about all the strange coincidences when I met him?! A. Artificially engineered to lead you astray and drain your energy. Q. (Eve) That's right, Fwoh said there were two types of synchronicity. The first was natural, used as a cue to wake oneself up. The other was the kind you experienced Angela. A. You all originate from the same ancestral place, a planet called D'Ahnkiar. The Ankh is a relic of it, it symbolizes mother planet. That is where the human soul matrix was seeded. It was burnt and destroyed when its star expanded, Q. (E) Well, why were we seeded there if the planet was going to fry?

A. Here's a mind melter for you, it hasn't happened yet. Will happen at realm border crossing. Q. (E) You mean, the next incarnation of humans in third density is being seeded, and D'Ahnkiar's star will expand, and the new humans will be moved to the new Earth to start the grand cycle over? A. Yes. Q. (Angela) Why do you call Damian an organic portal? A. These portals were originally involved in the evolutionary process from second density to third. When humans chose the short-wave cycle, this also affected first and second density consciousness on your plane, since third density necessarily includes first and second density. Third density candidates would use these portals to begin the process of 'growing a soul.' Lizards introduced them into your population to make it easier to control your planet. Q. (Adam) So there's two species of humans, though physically, they appear to be identical. (Z) These two species sound like something I read in Boris Mouravieff's Gnosis books. He called these two species...well, Adamic and pre-Adamic. A. Yes. Though there was a Biblical gloss, this is what Boris was referring to. Q. (Z) He also talked about lower and higher centers, how by gathering what he called 'B' influences to one's self, one could 'fuse the magnetic center' and allow the soul to 'seat' itself in the body. Are these concepts accurate? A. Very close. Q. (Z) Then is it also true what he said about how pre-Adamic humans don't have these higher centers? A. Yes. Organic portals are able to mimic the emotional responses of souled humans by stealing the energy from the higher centers that they themselves lack. When you attribute soul qualities to an organic portal, you are essentially perceiving a mirror of your own soul. Q. (J) Do these centers relate to chakras in any way? A. Quite closely. Q. (Adam) Okay, here's the million dollar question: how common are these organic portals? How many would the average person meet in their lifetime? A. Well, considering they have been cross breeding with souled humans for thousands of years, and the genetic pools are completely mixed, roughly half the people the average person meets in their lifetime would be organic portals. Q. (Adam) Creepy! What about psychopaths? They kind of fit this profile. A. In the same way a rabid dog fits the profile of a canine. Q. (E) So all psychopaths are organic portals, but not all organic portals are psychopaths? A. Exactly.

Q. (E) What's different about psychopaths? A. The ones you are referring to, the murderous monsters of your society, could be called malfunctioning. Most organic portals are very good at blending in with the souled populace. Many are eloquent, confident, well educated, extremely good actors, meticulous, calculating, ruthless, and have no capacity for empathy or sympathy. Q. (Adam) Jesus... (E) Well with those qualities, they'd probably be very successful at anything they put their minds to. A. Hence why the lizards wanted them in your societies. They easily reach positions of power by lying, cheating, and backstabbing their way to the top. Q. (Adam) This situation isn't looking very good. A. What did we tell you? Q. (Adam) (Sigh) Their plans will fail. A. Wishful thinking will be their downfall, as is always the case. They will make a miscalculation which will have dire consequences for them. Rest and recuperate friends, farewell for now.

For a few days Eve and I hung out around the house and recovered. Zack's question about Adamic and pre-Adamic humans got me thinking about the story of Adam and Eve as it was told in Genesis, and I decided that I wanted to know more about it. This myth seemed to open the door to everything we had learned since it became clear that destiny was guiding us somewhere. It was the key to everything that had transpired in the last three hundred thousand years on Earth. Maybe it was the key to understanding what was to come. I read the English translation in the King James Bible and felt that it was a crude, simplified account of a complex story. That night, as we lay in bed, I told Eve what I was thinking. She pointed at the board, which still sat on the beside table, and said, Let's ask Fwoh, just the two of us.

A. Salutations. Q. (E) Who are you and whom do you serve? A. Fwoh. We serve all. Q. (A) Fwoh, I want to learn more about the Garden of Eden, about Adam and Eve. The version of this story that I read left a lot to be desired. A. Very well. You must seek out The Unknown God. Please place a printout of the Hebrew alphabet on the board. The following message will be the final transmission for now.

I knew that the Bible was translated from Hebrew scriptures. It made sense that Hebrew could give us a new understanding of the myth of our origin. I found a good copy of the alphabet on the laptop and sent it to the printer in the office, then ran downstairs to

get it. I returned and placed it over the board. I scribbled the letters from right to left as Hebrew is written, and after the sixth letter the planchette stopped moving.

I installed a Hebrew font on the laptop and with the help of a character map, I typed the words into a search engine. The search produced many results. This phrase was quite common on websites about Jewish mysticism. Transliterated into the Latin alphabet, it said Ain Soph. Eve and I looked through the links until we found what we were looking for. It was a book of the same title written by an F. J. Mayers in the early twentieth century. The subtitle was The Unknown God. I sent the link to the rest of our group and printed out a paper copy. After reading a few pages, I said, "I'm not tired anymore. I want to brew a pot of coffee and keep reading this." Eve said, "Yes. We need coffee. Let's go downstairs and read on the couch." We got the coffee brewing and continued reading while we waited for it to finish. The author had studied Hebrew for many years. He introduced us to one of the basic tenets of Qabala, the intrinsic spiritual and archetypal meanings that each of the letters had been given. The coffeemaker beeped and we both filled our mugs, then returned to the couch and resumed reading. With this mystical understanding of the language, the author began interpreting Genesis from the beginning. The translation done was almost word by word, as he explained the formative forces that were implied by the groupings of letters. The creation of our world was given incredible depth of meaning with this new take on the narrative. Eve and I paused to discuss the concepts in the book every few pages. I lost track of time, as it seemed so unimportant to me. We read into the morning, and made sure there was always fresh coffee in the pot. Zack padded downstairs and said, "Hey, when did you two wake up?" Eve giggled and said, "We've been up all night. Go get some coffee and sit down, you have to read this book." By the time Zack started reading, Angela had come downstairs too. One by one, the others woke up and found our little reading circle. What we read began to reinforce what we had learned about through our channel, ideas like densities and dimensions, consciousness and energy. Finally, Eve and I reached the part of the book about Eden. My skin prickled as I read about the subject of our vision, this myth that had turned our lives inside-out. I began to write a summary of the book and my interpretation of it so we could post it on the website.

God had created this spiritual garden that was rendered in the sphere of time and space. It was intended to be a home for the being called Adam. Adam was not a person, but a spiritual being, whose makeup was complex and all-encompassing. Male and female qualities were perfectly fused, and this collective being was 'placed' into the

garden. Eve as we know her had not been created yet. Adam's purpose was to bring divine qualities into finite beings. When we came to the creation of the "help-meet," a total change in perception occurred. Adam then saw himself as an independent, intelligent being and called himself Aish. The companion was seen as a reflection of him, another independent, intelligent being he called Aisha. Adam now had the sexual differentiations that would be necessary in the event of physical existence. This meant that God prepared Adam for any and all possibilities, including the act of "falling."

The serpent, Nahash, was also said to be a part of Adam, the self-concerned part of his makeup. These ideas really made me think about the quandary of "self" versus "other," subjective and objective points of view. Aish, Aisha, and Nahash were all aspects or expressions of the collective entity known as Adam. The interactions between these aspects were really just an internal dialog. The Tree of Knowledge was not a physical tree, as they don't grow in spiritual realms. It was a spiritual tree, its branches making up the many and varied qualities of human existence. The fruit of this tree ultimately represented first-hand experience of an existence of duality, most often translated as good and evil. God did not command anything of Adam, regarding this tree or anything else. The word that was usually translated as command could also mean advise, caution, or counsel. With his carefree, childlike innocence, Adam could not conceive of the consequences he was warned about.

Ultimately, Free Will was upheld. It was our choice to eat the fruit, and it was the natural choice to make in our evolution. How does one learn and grow? By trial and error. A god can't teach us to evolve directly, that subverts the amazing gift of Free Will. By providing choices and allowing us to suffer the consequences of our mistakes, we learn to take responsibility for our own evolution by making the right decisions. Free Will conceals great powers, powers that are only revealed once certain lessons are learned. Our world, our Universe, is a school. First grade matter learns it can become animate life. Second grade life-forms learn they can think for themselves. Third grade life-forms learn that thinking for themselves requires them to think objectively and make the right decisions.

Chapter 09 - Vendetta Our little family discussed the Eden mythology until we felt we had absorbed its

full meaning. The accident in Eden was not an accident at all, it was an inevitability. So too would be the return to grace. I considered holding another session, but I felt we would just be confirming what we had already determined. Instead, we all turned our attention back to the Internet. We read an astounding news article that said the Gulf Stream had collapsed, choked by oil as it was. It was already causing temperatures to drop rapidly in Northern Europe, plunging it into an arctic disaster area. Other chaotic events like riots and coups broke out around the world. America was busy dealing with an economic collapse, so the only battles we were fighting were the perpetual wars in Iraq and Afghanistan that would not end until the terrorist threat was eliminated, according to the White House press secretary. Despite the economic collapse, we still had enough money to make some essential purchases. Zack suggested a shopping trip to get some food and supplies. We all discussed the risks, and agreed that two people shouldn't draw too much attention. New Orleans was still being supervised by the police, but I felt a lot of tension while being out in public. Eve and I went by ourselves to the closest supermarket and shopped quickly and quietly. We loaded the bags into the car and started for home with Eve driving. The light turned red at a cross street, and I realized with dread that it was the one Damian lived on. My feelings were justified, as he was waiting for us like he knew we would stop there. In an instant, he was there at Eve's window with a gun pointed at her head. "Unlock the back door Eve, or I will kill both of you." She nervously unlocked the door and he climbed in back. I started to say, "Damian-" and he swung the gun over to my head. "Shut up. Shut the fuck up! You two ruined my life! Especially you-" and once again he trained the weapon on Eve. "You're not a hypnotherapist, you bitch! You programmed my mind! Angela's too!" Eve was holding her hands up, not even daring to breathe. "Drive! DRIVE!" he barked, and Eve accelerated through the intersection. "Where are we going Damian? Tell me and I'll drive us there." He glared at me as he whispered, "Take me to see my wife." We pulled up to the house and Damian said, "Get out Eve. Just stand there and close your door. Adam, get in the back seat and stay there. I mean it." As soon as Eve closed her door, an action mirrored by Damian, he grabbed her and forced her towards the building and inside. I knew this was some kind of test, I knew I should take Eve's cue and play along. I also knew that Damian wouldn't leave with Angela unless he was sure the others couldn't follow us. As I climbed in back, I prayed that he wouldn't just kill them. Seconds ticked by, then minutes, until finally Eve and Angela exited the house with Damian. He put Angela in the back seat with me and sat in the driver's seat, holding the gun to Eve's head as he started driving. The car was silent as we drove through the city. Angela showed no emotion, her gaze rested on the gun next to Eve's head. I was trying to follow the route Damian was

driving, but he seemed to be going in circles. The daylight was fading fast, and the wind had picked up. Our captor turned down a dark alleyway and parked. "Everyone get out, head for that door and don't try anything." We obediently entered the building through the metal door and found ourselves in a dank, dimly lit hallway. We turned the corner several times until the hallway ended at a doorway to a dark room. Damian pushed me from behind and I stumbled, slipping on the wet concrete floor. I fell to my knees and grunted in pain. Damian pushed Eve down too, and she cried out as her knees scraped like mine. He flicked the light switch and a single, bare bulb cast shadows around the dirty room. "That's better, now I can see your faces. You're going to pay for what you did to me, both of you, but I think I'll start with...Eve." My heart began to beat harder. He grabbed Eve by the hair and pulled her head back. "Feeling sorry yet, bitch? No? That's going to change. I'll make you two very sorry you ever met me." He pushed her forward hard, knocking her off her knees and she cried out again. I was torn between shouting objections and keeping my mouth shut, worrying that if I moved a muscle Damian would kill her. He landed a swift kick in her side, and she gasped as the wind was knocked out of her. You bastard. Damian saw the pained look on my face as I stared at Eve. I couldn't just kneel there and say nothing while he beat her up. "What's wrong Adam, you want some too?" He shifted his grip on the pistol and smashed it into my temple. My head hit the floor hard and fought to remain conscious. Damian then took turns kicking me and Eve. All I could think about was Angela and Eve's well-being. Eve refused to cry out anymore, even as his blows got stronger. She refused to give Damian the satisfaction. I drew strength from her willpower, and I think she did the same from me. After thirty seconds or so, Angela finally screamed, "DAMIAN, STOP IT! You've gone completely insane!" He grabbed her arm roughly and screamed back at her, "SHUT UP! You betrayed me Angela, you abandoned me! Did you think I would just cut my losses and go on with my life?!" "You're hurting them Damian, and you're breaking my heart! I loved you, and you hid this terrible side of you from me. You're not the man I married!" He leered at her, and shook with anger. "You're one to talk, you bitch. I thought you'd defend me when these people started attacking me! You took a vow! For better or worse, 'til death do us part, REMEMBER?!" She slapped him across the face. First once, then again and again as she let rage take over her. "YOU FUCKING BASTARD! THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN TRUE IF YOU HAD A FUCKING SOUL! You think your life is ruined?! YOU NEVER HAD ONE TO RUIN! YOU TRICKED ME INTO MARRYING YOU!" Damian laughed maniacally as Angela's slaps turned to punches. Then he backhanded her as hard as he could, knocking her down. "That's enough lip out of you. Just stay there and shut up." Damian resumed kicking me and Eve, harder than before. Must remain conscious. Must do it for Eve and Angela. Don't leave them alone with this maniac. I spit blood out on the floor and mumbled "Damian, stop, please..." He put his face right up against mine and

laughed cruelly. "I'm sorry Adam, but I'm fresh out of mercy." His next blow was straight to my head, as hard as he could muster, and it was the last one I remember. I was following myself again. Eve was faintly crying out for help. The other version of me was leading me through tunnels and hallways, until we came to the same room with the dark hole in the wall. Dj vu, all over again. The other me turned to face me again, and said, "She's in there, you can save her Adam." I remembered what happened the last time I was here, and I wasn't going anywhere near that hole. Instead, I stepped forward to look myself in the eyes, and saw that same glimmer of evil in my own eyes that had frightened me the last time. The smile on his face, my face, was false. It wasn't me at all, the person who led me here; it was a shadow, a specter. A demon. I spoke to myself, "I'm not falling for it this time. I know who you are now." The smile faded and the other me morphed into Damian. "No, no, NO! You have to save Eve! C'mon, I'll show you!" Damian grabbed my arm and started dragging me towards the hole. A foul odor emanated from it, and I recoiled, trying to keep my footing on the dirt floor. A deep, horrendous growling sound came from the black abyss, and I yelled at Damian as I twisted away from him, "No Damian! It's a trick, I'm onto you! Let me go!" Damian was strong, whatever hellish creature was in that dark, gaping maw was giving him strength. I was only a couple of feet away from the door when Eve appeared beside me, looking very angry at Damian. She wrenched his fingers off my arm, said, "Watch your step Damian," and pushed him as hard as she could. He yelled as he fell into darkness, and I collapsed to the floor as I lost consciousness.

Chapter 10 - Exodus I woke up in a hospital bed again, and this time my whole body hurt. My head

ached like it did after the exorcism. Eve was asleep in the chair next to me, and when I saw her beautiful face all swollen and bruised, I began sobbing softly. That woke her from her slumber, and she shushed me as she climbed into bed and hugged me. "Shh, it's over. My sister managed to free herself from her bonds and she called the police. A cruiser spotted my car in the alley and they found us in that room. When they ordered him to drop the gun, he aimed it at them and they shot him. He's dead baby, it's all over." I sniffled and hugged her head gently to my chest. "Eve, I had that same dream, the one where I tricked myself into entering the dark hole in the wall. It wasn't me though, it was Damian that tricked me. He dragged me towards the hole, but you saved me. You pushed him into it and he fell." She held my face in her hand, and said, "You've been in a coma for a couple of days now. I've been talking to you, calling you back to me." I sighed as I said, "It worked Eve. It worked." It was storming outside. Eve told me it was a hurricane, one that had formed rather suddenly in the Gulf and headed straight for New Orleans. Before we could discuss it, the other members of our household entered and expressed their immense relief that I was okay. They said they had been at the hospital for the past few days, trapped by the storm and waiting for me to awaken. "This storm, you say it formed suddenly?" I asked Eve. They all nodded and I thought hard. I said, "Weather. Remember what Mew said when I asked them why different entities came through the channel at different times?" Danny nodded, and said, "I remember, they said, 'many factors on many levels, think of it like weather.' They put 'weather' in quotes. You think this storm has something to do with it?" I nodded firmly, and replied, "Yes, what if this peculiar weather represents something else? As above, so below. Weather must span densities. What appears to us as weather must be something else in higher densities." The others found my theory interesting, and we all thought about it carefully as the wind howled and the rain pelted the window. Eventually, the storm dissolved as it moved inland, and the sun shone brightly through the breaking clouds. After being examined by the doctor, our injuries appeared to be mostly superficial. So Eve and I signed ourselves out of the hospital for the second time since we had met, and we all left for home. It was slow going trying to navigate the streets littered with debris. On the way I spoke to everyone, "I think it's time to leave the city. What do you guys think?" Hesitantly, the others nodded. "Where can we go Adam?" asked Hope. I said, "Homestead. We should get out of New Orleans and go to where Eve and I know people. Does that make sense?" They all nodded. At home, Eve and I rested in our bed while the others packed essential items into boxes and arranged for a moving truck. I laid there next to Eve when she called her parents. "Mom, dad, we're all moving to Homestead, New Orleans won't be safe anymore. Will you come with us?" The look on her face was one of great sadness. She knew she couldn't convince them. Her parents felt they were far enough into the suburbs that they would be safe there. New Orleans was their home and they couldn't bear to

leave it. Maybe they would safe, but Eve was very upset. Her siblings fared no better in trying to convince them. We discussed the matter and agreed that it was their choice, not ours. We had to respect their free will. We took the moving truck and Zack's van, gave the twice-ruined city one last look, and left it for good. I had already called my parents to tell them we were okay, and to ask them if we could stay at their house. My father answered for both of them. "You and your friends are always welcome in our home, son. Be safe, keep in touch, and we'll see you soon. We'll have the house ready by the time you arrive." We drove in shifts, out of Louisiana and into the Panhandle. We made our way down the Gulf coast, past oilcovered beaches that would have normally been crowded with tourists. As we reached the Everglades, a curious sensation came over me. This unspoiled wilderness seemed to visibly glow with energy, like I could see the aura of every plant and animal we saw. I asked if anyone else could see it, but only Eve said that she could. Still, the rest of them watched the scenery in wonder. It felt great to be back in So-Flo. I directed our caravan to my parent's house and we parked the vehicles and walked up to the front door. I reached for the handle but the door opened before I could grab it. "I knew they were here! I'm psychic Elizabeth!" my father called over his shoulder as he grinned. My mother playfully slapped his arm as she passed him. "You heard the moving truck pulling in Henry, but nice try. Hi, my name is Elizabeth, but everyone else calls me Betty. Please, please, come in, this is now your home too." We followed her through the house to the back hallway. They had put futons in the spare bedrooms, enough to sleep the eight of us. This would do just fine. My parents had really outdone themselves. So it was, Homestead became our new home. Over the next few days, we all took our time to settle in. My parents were sociable and hospitable, as always. They listened with fascination as we told them about channeling, the website, Damian and Angela, and the storm. The read the transcripts and discussed them between themselves. They picked up on things pretty quickly. When they came to discuss it all with me and Eve, it was pretty clear that they were grasping all of these concepts. We would often talk as a group about what was happening to our world. The normal ways of keeping up with current events no longer functioned. The bits of news we got from neighbors or citizen band transmissions told us that the USA was disintegrating fast. Then the unthinkable happened; a nuclear weapon was detonated on American soil. The target was New Orleans. Eve, Danny, Zack, and Julia cried for hours, assuming the worst, that their parents were dead. Over the next few days, our country instituted martial law and declared war on Iran. Our intelligence agencies said the bomb was the work of an Iranian Al Queda sleeper cell. Arab Americans were being herded into concentration camps, 'for our safety' we were told. Russia sided with Iran and bombed our military bases on other continents.

Arab nations accused America and Israel of executing another false flag attack like 9/11. In retaliation, Israel launched a nuclear missile at Libya, and the whole Arab world descended upon the Jewish state. When all was said and done, what was left of Palestine was finally free of Israel's brutal occupation. Nothing was left of the state of Israel. Some American states resisted the federal edicts, claiming secession from our belligerent government. As luck would have it, Florida happened to be one of those states. In the states that complied, a curfew was imposed and strictly enforced. Many Americans fought against the police state, and some fled to other countries seeking refuge. The government now seemed to be rooted in the west, and people said they had tunnels connecting the military bases and government complexes between several western states. The east coast wasn't free from the control, it just wasn't as bad as the west coast. Washington D.C. was apparently expendable to them. The western states were where the big clashes between military and rebels took place. American citizens formed a militia, the NRA members and fanatical anti-establishment types banded together to fight against the government. It was a disaster. No one seemed to be able to stand up to the American military, not even other Americans. We needed more information than what we were getting from real world sources, so we decided to try a channeling session with my parents. I was interested to see how they would take it in. They watched us meditate, and Eve and I once again took up our usual positions at the board.

Q. (E) Is anyone there? A. We are always here. Q. (Adam) Who's we? Fwoh, Mew, or Drai? A. None of the above. We are 6D STO unified thought form called Aur. Different locator for you, new energies present, and approach of wave have all caused a wide open channel today. Q. (Adam) Well that's good. Okay Aur, we've assembled a good set of topics we'd like to touch upon since our last session. First, I have a theory that the hurricane that hit New Orleans was indicative of something greater, am I correct in thinking this? A. Indeed, we could tell you tales of an epic battle! Q. (D) You mean, a battle between you and the lizards? A. Yes, and more. Battles for human souls and the outcome on Earth appear to you as severe weather and earth changes, but as the veil thins you will be able to see them for what they really are. Q. (E) I can't imagine that it's conventional warfare like we have here on Earth, with guns and bombs and so on... A. Correct, and too complicated for you to understand in your current state.

Q. (Adam) Okay, next question; after reading Ain Soph, The Unknown God, we feel we have a much deeper understanding of the Eden mythology. Were we on track with the conclusions we came to? A. On track, yes. Keep in mind though, the author was unaware of lizard influence, so Nahash was described as the self-concerned expression of Adam, which is an appropriate interpretation in its own way. Q. (E) Okay, next, how bad is the situation in the USA? It seems to be disintegrating rapidly. A. Yes, it is approaching a crucial point: the fall of the empire. This is a necessary outcome, and it has always been inevitable. Do not worry about it, living through the turmoil ahead will be experienced as ecstasy when viewed with proper perspective. Q. (Adam) Oh that's great, I'm sure Joan of Ark felt really ecstatic when they burned her at the stake. A. One does not need to burn at the stake to experience changes in a positive way. And grieve not for the deaths of the citizens of New Orleans, or any other casualties in this war. Do not worry about the body, it is the soul that matters, and all is unfolding as it should. Q. (Angela) I have to ask, what happened to Damian? Why did it all end in such a mess? A. Can you not see how desperate the lizards are now? They made great efforts to get one of their agents into your group. They facilitated his possession by a demon. Eve and Adam discovered the layers of subconscious programming he had when Eve hypnotized him. Part of this programming was to self-destruct if the mission failed. This is common with people who are programmed like this. Q. (B) Now I've wondered about that, what causes people to just snap and go on murderous rampages like they do? (Henry) Yeah, what causes people to go postal? A. Experiments in mind programming, some extraterrestrial, some government programs, mainly resulting in the same outcome. People can be made to be evangelists, debunkers, dispensers of disinformation, sex slaves, cult leaders, assassins, you name it. Q. (Henry) And these school shootings that have happened over the past few years, are they intended to create a need for more control of the population? A. Naturally, but not in they way you are thinking. Q. (Henry) What part am I missing? A. What if all of these people were programmed to go off all at once, and the ones you have been seeing are being activated earlier than intended by accident? Q. (E) Ohhh...that's a terrifying thought. (A) That would reinforce martial law, they could arrest people for domestic terrorism. A. It has already begun, the laws and infrastructure have been built up over the few past decades. As this session progresses, these so-called sleeper agents are being

activated en masse to create total chaos and fear. With the general mind-programming Americans have been subjected to, they will beg for security at the expense of their freedom, and as one of your Freemason founders of America Benjamin Franklin is quoted as saying, people who give up their freedom for security deserve neither. As the focus is turned from external terrorism to domestic terrorism, American citizens will be treated as your government treated the so-called terrorists they rounded up in Iraq and Afghanistan. They will be held indefinitely without legal representation, threatened, and tortured, all in the name of security of the state. Q. (Hope) So part of the breakdown of our society, besides the economic crisis, will be America turning into a police state and treating its own citizens as enemies? A. Yes, but these measures won't last for long. America has overstepped its bounds like it has always done, and the consequence of this will be a complete breakdown of all crucial systems. They cannot fight foreign wars and a civil war at the same time, they are spreading their resources too thinly. Once the empire falls, great change will follow. You are not here in Homestead by accident. Your destiny concerns this region. Q. (Adam) How? A. Wait and see. Try to free your minds, think in limitless possibilities, and the path will reveal itself to all of you. Have faith in yourselves. Farewell for now champions of the light, you are all on track.

My mother said, We can live off the grid, we can grow our own food. We've got the tools to supply power and running water. If we keep a low profile, we can weather this storm. My dad added, She's right. We're all resourceful people, if we work together, we can overcome this challenge. Our housemates agreed and we made a list of tasks that needed to be done, then set to work.

Part III Ophiolatreia

Chapter 11 Drifting I imagined that the lifestyle we were living was similar to those parts of Germany that weren't initially under firm control by the Nazis. If we didn't draw attention to ourselves, the police and military would leave us alone. As we passed the days doing our daily routine, my senses started to change. It was subtle things at first, I'd see shimmering out of the corner of my eye or hear voices or noises that couldn't have come from the local environment. I was also smelling odors I had never encountered before, though there was nothing around to produce them. They weren't bad smells, just very foreign and distinct. Eve confirmed she was experiencing similar phenomena. I remembered that we were told that as we approached the realm border, more and more fourth-density bleed-through would occur. As these changes grew stronger, physical reality started to feel more like a holodeck. One day I tripped and would have fallen facefirst on the asphalt, but I put my hands up to brace myself and somehow pushed against the empty space, cushioning the fall. It slowed me down so much that I walked away without a scratch. Eve had a weird experience too. She thought the sliding glass door to the patio was open when it wasn't, but she walked right through like it was air. Eve! I said, You just walked through solid glass! She gaped at and tapped it with her finger. We experimented until we were able to reproduce it again and again. We had to believe that it was open for it to work. The following day, Eve did something truly unreal. We were in the front yard tending to the vegetable garden and watching the toddler Bobby who lived across the street playing in the driveway. His mother Jane was talking on the phone and watering her flowers, glancing at him every thirty seconds or so. Bobby began to chase a ball out

into the street. The car we heard coming down the road was clearly speeding by the sound of the engine. People did tend to speed more often now that the police were so preoccupied. A feeling of utter dread filled me. I'd never make it in time to save him, none of us would. Then Eve vanished from beside me, appeared next to Bobby and grabbed him, then they both vanished and appeared in the driveway across the street. A second later the car roared past without even slowing down, and Jane became hysterical as she realized what a close call her child had just escaped. She hadn't seen Eve reappear, as she didn't turn around until the car passed. She thanked Eve profusely and brought Bobby into the house. I stood there, mouth agape, while Eve slowly walked back to the garden, looking very tired and confused. You...you...teleported! I said when she reached the garden. She held her hand against her forehead and stared at the ground. How is that possible Adam? she asked. All of these changes, it must be the bleed-through they talked about. What did it feel like? I said. She thought for a moment, and said, Draining. It took a lot of energy, that's why I was walking so slowly to get back here. That gave me pause for thought. Channeling also requires energy, the same kind. This energy is all around us, we can draw it into ourselves from the environment to replenish it when it's been drained. She thought for a moment, sat down on the ground and closed her eyes. After a minute she said, You're right! I feel refreshed now. You know, I didn't even think about saving him, it was totally instinctual. I'm sure the distance I traveled and the second jump with a passenger is what really drained me, see if you can do it a short distance. I focused on the stone walkway that led to the front door, a few feet away, and concentrated. I felt it happening slowly, like being in two places at once, while the world streaked and blurred past in slow motion. Adam, there's two of you! she said incredulously. Then the me in the garden ceased to be and I was standing on the walkway, shaking with excitement. Oh my god, that was incredible! That's part of the mechanics of it, bi-location, you just did it so fast that you appeared in one place at a time! We spent the rest of the day showing this ability to the rest of the household, each time evoking a dramatic and hilarious response. The only other person who was able to do it was Zack. He traveled a short distance, then fainted. His reaction to it wasn't surprising, the experience was rather disorienting, and draining as we agreed. We did seem to be able to do it over and over as long as we took a break to draw more energy into ourselves in-between jumps. I began thinking about paranormal abilities people have claimed to possess, like telepathy and psychometry. We went through the list of them, experimenting, and were able to perform many of them with varying degrees of success. Apparently, we had reached the point in human evolution when these latent abilities were available to those of a certain level of development. Fourth density was close enough that

we could bend the laws of third-density physics, even break them in some cases. One afternoon, as Eve and I stood in the kitchen, we were reviewing the transcripts and talking about the conduit to fourth-density. I said to her,I know we've been channeling longer than everyone else, hence our psychic abilities are stronger. We're a few steps ahead of them and that just will not do. We don't want to make a lopsided conduit, do we? She shook her head and said, No, we don't, we have to teach...teach them... and Eve got weak in the knees. I caught her and she straightened up on her own. Oh fff...sshhit, I remember now! I remember! We are trailblazers, that's what we do! Close your eyes Adam, try to remember. I did as Eve instructed, and I felt the ground move beneath me as I recalled doing this on other planets in other times. Eve caught me as I faltered, then I recovered and stood there trying to mentally grasp it. I whispered, I do remember. We're Wanderers, we travel from planet to planet to aid them in their evolution by entering into the incarnational cycle. We're skilled at selecting and programming incarnations that wake us up with synchronicities and other methods; that way we can perform our work without violating Free Will. This cycle that we're in, it's a time loop. She nodded and again was pushed off her balance by the enormity of her recall. She said, It's all starting to come back to me now. I...I have to sit down. It's too much, so many memories returning all at once... Only half of me heard her, the other half was being flooded with past life reviews. I walked unsteadily to the couch and sat next to Eve. I said, I think it's time to channel again. She said, Yes, I feel it too. Let's round everyone up. We all sat in the living room, held each others hands as we meditated, and Eve and I took our now-familiar positions.

Q. (Adam) We seek contact with benevolent beings who would share their wisdom with us. Is there any who would answer our call? A. (Loud boom) We, those of Aur, answer your call children of light. We represent those familiar to you from sixth density beings of light, and they gather round you on this auspicious occasion to add their energy to ours and yours as well. Q. (Henry) What the hell was that sound?! A. Dimensional boundary breaking. That is happening more frequently. For a brief moment, all of you existed entirely in fourth density! Q. (B) Funny, it didn't look or feel any different. A. It doesn't necessarily have to. There are experiences in the life of a fourth-density being which could be indistinguishable from third density. If a memory of a past life in third-density is shared between two fourth-density beings for instance, the one to whom it is shared would experience it as such. Q. (E) So there is a stepping down and stepping up in terms of how events are experienced? Does this mean that sometimes our bodies are more solid and sometimes more subtle?

A. Yes. Q. (Adam) I want to ask about these memories that have just surfaced for Eve and myself, do we really travel from planet to planet doing this incarnation thing to assist those planets in times of transition like this one? A. Open. Q. (Adam) I'm pretty sure on this one guys, you can tell me without infringing upon anything. (E) Yeah, out with it. I want to know more about Wanderers. A. Wanderers are Transient Passengers. Q. (Adam) What are Transient Passengers? A. Wave-riders, like us and those you have communicated with previously. At the realm border crossing, we will temporarily merge with you. Q. (Hope) I don't get it, you are riding the wave that's headed for us? A. Correct, along with many ships of service-to-self polarity, plus interested onlookers. Wave is crowded. Q. (E) Why are you going to merge with us then? A. We are merging with you right now. We are you, and you are us. The realm border crossing is like passing each other on the inter-dimensional sidewalk and shaking hands. Q. (Adam) There's still something I'm not getting about this, how can you be us? How can we be you? A. Well, it seems you have completely ignored our statement that discussing this topic is open to change according to Free Will. Very well, prepare to have your noodles baked. If you project your own evolution far enough into the future, past fourth and fifth densities, eventually you become like us. To say this as simply as we can, we are you in the future. Q. (General uproar) (Zack) Everyone, calm down! Does this statement apply to the other sixth density entities we've communicated with? A. Maybe. Q. (J) You said the wave is crowded, that service-to-self ships are also riding the wave. How many are there? And what type of beings are they carrying? A. The beings are the Nephalim, third-density beings the lizards use as enforcers to control great numbers of humans. Their stature and strength makes them well-suited to this task. There are several space arks that are carrying the Nephalim to Earth as reinforcements from Orion constellation. Q. (J) (voice trembling) And h-how many of th-these Nephalim does one of these space arks contain? A. 40 million. Q. (J) Holy shit. I just wanted to live a normal life! So much for that! A. You never had a chance! Q. (Adam) This all comes back to the Wanderer thing. We signed up for this with some

knowledge of what was to come, and Eve and I recall doing this type of thing on other planets in other lives. If Wanderers are Transient Passengers, and Transient Passengers are wave-riders, then if we are Wanderers we are also riding the wave? A. Yes, from the incarnational side of the wave. That is how it has always been done with those who serve others. Some will ride the wave as it travels through the galaxy towards the planet that is nearing its graduation, and some will enter the incarnational cycle to work with the planet in the trenches of the battlefield, so to speak. Just as with any battle, you have those directing the battle from a higher vantage point, and those on the front lines who can communicate with the directors and be guided in their strategies so as to increase chances at victory. Q. (Adam) I want to reaffirm that we're not special, no more than anyone else. We simply have a different set of goals according to the development of our souls than most souls on Earth. I want to maintain some humility about this. A. That is a wise decision. Remember, there are other groups like yourself with the same objective. The array of conduits you are all creating will bridge the gap between third and fourth densities, and allow Terra and her graduates to make the transition. You will know when and how to form this conduit as the realm border crossing becomes imminent. It is most easily formed out in the wilderness. It will require no equipment or supplies, that is third-density thinking. You all have the power inside you. For clues to unlock that power, visit The Rock Gate. Goodbye for now.

The Rock Gate. Isn't that was Leedskalnin called the Coral Castle? my father asked. Yes, I remember that. Let's look it up and refresh our memories, replied my mother. I'd heard about the Coral Castle, but for some reason I never went to see it in all the time I lived in Homestead. It was as if it hid itself from my awareness until now. Upon doing a little research, we surmised that Edward had an intimate understanding of magnetism and electromagnetism. He was also very smart about geometry. The cutting and moving of the massive and heavy blocks of coral was done with a technique called sound-wave focusing, a similar technique used to build the Egyptian pyramids. The technology required to accomplish this sound-wave focusing involved a highly-charged tuning fork and an airplane seat suspended in mid-air. There is also a back-story regarding Leedskalnin's wife, who left him due to his impoverished state. Some people believed he built the Coral Castle as a lover's tribute, in the hopes of bringing her back, evidenced by the large heart-shaped stone he included. This story is apparently a diversion from the real intention behind the castle's construction, which remains a mystery. Even more amazing is that not only did he build the castle, but due to county zoning issues, he moved the entire castle to it's current location in Homestead,

piece by piece. He worked at night and always worked alone. He used some kind of spinning technique that created unstable gravity waves and allowed him to focus the sound. Many people had tried to solve the mysteries of this structure and his method of building it for decades. Could we learn something from it that would allow us to create our conduit? There was only one way to find out. We set a date to visit the Coral Castle, and in the meantime we practiced developing our abilities as a group. Slowly but surely, everyone including my parents developed the abilities that Eve and I discovered. The environment provided all the energy we needed to recharge our abilities, and it became easier and faster as time went on to replenish our capacity. I felt that our psychic abilities would play a crucial role in creating the conduit, just as Eve and I felt that our destiny was to play a crucial role in teaching those close to us what we had learned in an effort to raise the frequency resonance vibration of our group in preparation for the arrival of the wave. Feelings deep down inside me told me that we were on the right path, that things were unfolding as they should. One day, we were paid a surprise visit by John Hadden and Olivia Burke. Eve and I hugged them and invited them in. We sat on the couch and filled them in on the events of the past few weeks. They sympathized with the destruction of New Orleans and the probable death of Eve's parents. Then they brought up the subject of our therapy. Dr. Burke said, You two have really surprised us in how far you've come since you first sought treatment from me. The two of us have been experiencing similar psychic phenomena, maybe due to the fact that we were abducted. Dr. Hadden added, Eve, you once asked me how I knew about the spirit board. I do read a lot of books, but at the time I felt it was inappropriate to tell you the real reason. After learning about our abductions, the two of us experimented with a spirit board, seeking answers as to why the aliens were interested in us. Our contacts were varied and inconsistent, and included many human souls who had died but were trapped on the Earth plane. We advised those souls to go into the light so that they could progress to the next incarnation. One contact in particular however was able to give us the answers we sought. They said the aliens were basically interested in us because of our inevitable interactions with two people named Adam and Eve. In other words, we expected your arrival and waited years for you to appear. We're so happy that we could help you and fulfill the destiny apparently agreed upon by all of us. I asked them, Do you think that your interaction with us, the fulfilling of the destiny, has aided your spiritual progress? Dr. Burke nodded. Oh definitely. John and I have been experimenting just as you have, testing the limits of our abilities, which seem to grow stronger all the time. We'll move forward in our own evolution in our own ways as it unfolds, but we both want to say what an honor and a privilege it has been to work with you. Eve and I both nodded, and together we said, Likewise. We wished them good luck and said goodbye to them.

Eventually, the date of our field trip arrived. My parents decided to stay home and practice together, as they were finally developing a strong telepathic connection that they very much enjoyed exploring. The eight of us once again climbed into Zack's van and went to unlock the mysteries of The Coral Castle.

Chapter 12 The Rock Gate Gravel crunched under the tires and the headlights made the coral glow white as the van pulled into the empty parking lot. The eight of us piled out and walked slowly up to the entrance. The stone doorway that served as the entrance was a massive stone block that was so perfectly seated and balanced that a light push could make it swing open. When closed, a quarter-inch gap was all that separated the door from the frame. The owner had installed several metal locks that prevented it from swinging while the castle was closed at night. Normally, this would have kept us locked out, but this was a trivial

deterrence now. One by one, we focused on the ground on the other side of the gate, vanished and reappeared inside. We were standing under a massive coral archway with a ticket window to one side, and a solid wall to the other. In front of us the courtyard opened up to the eerie sight of stone sculptures lit from below by the many small lights on the ground around them. As we moved among the statues, I felt energy emanating from them. This whole place was somehow energized, even decades after it had been assembled. I held Eve's hand as we passed the Lover's statue, and we marveled at its creation just to serve as a cover story. We walked around the entire courtyard as a group, looking at this place from every possible angle, taking in the sights silently. I think the word awesome has lost its original meaning through colloquial use, but we were full of awe. That's the only way I can describe it. I could almost sense the spinning motion Edward felt, and hear the sound of the tuning fork as it cut and lifted the coral into place. This place definitely spoke to me, not in words but in other strange ways. Eve put her hand on one of the stones, like she was absorbing information from it. I then noticed that Angela was staring intently at one of the statues, as if she was looking for something. Angela? What is it? I asked. She remained silent and perfectly still. I slowly approached her with Eve following close behind me. When I reached her I put my hand softly on her shoulder and whispered, What's wrong? With her eyes still fixated on the statue, she spoke very softly, You're in great danger, all of you. Get out if you can. Save yourselves. I suddenly sensed an awful presence in front of us, even though I couldn't see it, and instinctively I began to back away. The air in front of Angela distorted as a muscular arm swung out and grabbed Angela by the throat, lifting her off her feet. Some kind of cloaking effect began to dissolve, and a huge reptoid in full battle armor materialized in front of us. At eight feet tall, with teeth bared and glowing yellow eyes, it was a nightmarish thing to behold. As Angela gasped and tried to pry the lizards hands off, everyone else, myself included, gasped or swore loudly and backed away more quickly. Rrrun...sssave yourselvesssgh... Angela strained to utter with the last bit of air in her lungs. If you expect attacks, and know the methods of attack, it will help protect you. Fuck me. I never thought about what I would do if met one of the lizards face to face. I knew nor expected nothing about the possibility of such an attack, thus I had nothing to protect me from it. Fear had a firm grasp on me, pumping my heart double-time and stealing my breath away. Adam, let's go! We have to get out of here! yelled Eve as she tugged at my arm. When Eve said this, the lizard shifted its yellow-eyed gaze from Angela to me, raised a gun of some sort in its other hand, and fired a blast of light directly at me.

Without thinking I ported ten feet to my right, taking Eve as a passenger. As I regained my focus from our new vantage point, I watched the gun blast shatter the wall behind the spot where I had stood an instant before. The reptoid took aim at us and fired again immediately, and this time Eve ported, taking me as the passenger. We appeared behind the reptoid and I immediately began drawing energy, as did Eve, and we surveyed the scene as we recharged for our inevitable next jump. The air around us shimmered as we both drew as much energy as we could from the environment. The others were scattering and teleporting out of the way as the lizard fired repeatedly at them, tearing up the ground and breaking the coral into smoking rubble. Angela still dangled from his other arm, but she had stopped moving. I have to help her, I thought. Adam, she said we should save ourselves, you can't do anything for her. She's gone. I looked into Eve's eyes and in them I saw her fear of losing me; it wasn't enough to change my mind. I took out my pocketknife and handed it to Eve. I visualized my plan of attack, and she nodded and flipped the blade open, showing me she understood. We both ported at the same time and reappeared hanging on to the lizard's thick arms. Eve jabbed the pocketknife's blade into the hand that held Angela's throat while I tried with every ounce of strength in me to take the gun from its other hand. The lizard roared at us and swung to the side, trying to shake us off. Eve's attack seemed to work, as Angela dropped to the ground, her legs collapsing beneath her. I, however, could not free the gun from the lizard's other hand. Horrific images of the lizard tearing me limb from limb flashed into my mind, pumping fresh adrenaline through my heart. The reptoid was sending the images to me, trying to intimidate me by violating my mind. I swung around behind it and wrapped my arm around it's neck, tightening my grip. You will all die painfully for this, the lizard said in my mind in a rasping voice. I knew that each of the others had received the same message. The threat only galvanized me to stop the lizard by any means necessary. I hadn't come this far and overcome so many challenges to be defeated by this one solitary reptoid. I tried to punch the back of its head, but it just dodged my swing and snarled loudly. As I was preparing to swing again, Angela suddenly rose to her feet, grabbed the lizard's right leg, and pulled it off it's balance. It howled as it fell back and hit the ground, pinning me underneath. I ported out from under it's crushing weight, appeared above it and landed on it's chest, and again tried to grab the gun out of its hand. This was a fight to the death between a fourth-density warrior and three third-density humans on the verge of evolution. Amazingly, Angela began punching the lizard's head with both hands repeatedly, much faster than normal physics would allow. Eve angrily stabbed the blade into its chest over, and over. The lizards grasp finally loosened on the weapon as it screamed, and I took the gun into my own hands. I aimed it at the lizard's heart and fired at point-blank range. The reptoid's chest exploded in a splash of hot liquid and chunks of flesh, covering the three of us with putrid gore.

Oh my god! Shit! Eve! Angela! Are you alright?! I yelled as I wiped blood out of my eyes. Eve said, We're alright Adam, where are the others? Here, we're all okay! Zack shouted as they ran up to us. When I was able to see, everyone was staring down at the dead alien lying beneath me. Everyone except Angela. She was standing and staring up at the sky, watching a circular ship descending above us. Mission accomplished, eight to beam up, she said aloud. Sparkling light swirled around us, and we all rematerialized in what was apparently a transporter room. Angela faced us and said, I'd like to explain what just happened to us, but it's not my place to. Talk to Erevas over there, you'll get all the answers you seek. She pointed to the corner of the room where a tall, blond humanoid stood. I couldn't tell if Erevas was male or female, then I realized that they had to be a fourthdensity being, hence a hermaphrodite. Erevas approached us and said, You've all done very well. Angela is not human, as you may have surmised. She is a fourth-density robot whose mission was to protect you from Damian and from the lizard you just encountered. As her mission is complete, we can now reveal to you some things that have been going on behind the scenes concerning your collective destinies. First though, Adam and Eve, you would probably like to get cleaned up. Follow Angela and she'll take care of you. The rest of you can follow me to the bridge to wait for them. Don't worry, we have all the time we need for what follows. Time stopped for you once we beamed you aboard. The ship only appeared to be about forty feet in diameter as it approached us from above the Coral Castle, but as we followed Angela through dimly lit curving hallways, it appeared much bigger inside. We entered through a set of sliding doors into a small room with three open shower stalls. Angela casually began stripping off her blood spattered clothes, and I shot Eve a look of confusion. She just shrugged and followed Angela's actions. We stripped naked, followed Angela by tossing our clothes into receptacles next to the showers, and stepped into the stalls. They turned on automatically, spraying hot water that seemed to be at just the right temperature. The water then shut off as the last bit of blood and dirt was washed away, and hot air blowers dried us off. When we stepped out of the stalls, Angela reached into a small lit hole recessed into the wall and pulled out a set of clean clothes identical to the dirty ones in the receptacle next to the showers. Eve and I reached into two similar holes and retrieved our own clean outfits that also matched what we had previously been wearing. As we dressed, I remarked to Angela, You know, I might have watched a little too much Star Trek, but this ship and its technology all seems a little clich. Angela just laughed and said, Well, Gene Rodenberry sat in on channeling sessions with a entity called The Council of Nine, and his experiences with them largely inspired him to create

Star Trek. Plus, much of the twentieth century's science fiction was inspired by the Projectors that live underground. The fiction that wasn't inspired by them was often recalled from past or future lives. Eve asked, What projectors? Angela smiled knowingly and said, Well, I could tell you, but wouldn't you rather meet some of them? That's where we're headed right now. We followed Angela to the bridge of the ship, which again reminded me too much of Star Trek. Erevas sat in a chair in the center of the room, and other blond-haired humanoids sat at several stations around the perimeter. The others were all standing around Erevas and everyone turned to look at us as we entered. Erevas said, Ah, splendid. I trust you feel refreshed? The three of us nodded. Erevas continued, Good. As I promised, I can reveal to you all some arrangements that have been made with your consent, or rather the consent of your souls, before you were born. All souls who incarnate to anchor the frequency and pierce the veil are inevitably targeted for attack by fourth-density self-serving forces. In your particular case, it was known that Damian and the lizard you just encountered would attempt more direct forms of attack on your group. Your channeled contact with service-to-others entities has helped you to avoid certain dangers, for sure. However, you also made the choice for us to help you, to maximize the chances of succeeding in your mission. The veil prevents you from remembering these choices, but that veil is thinning rapidly. I started to say something, hesitated, then blurted out, You mean this was all part of a plan of some sort? This mission? How important is it exactly to warrant this kind of involvement? Erevas smiled and said, Important enough. Now, we are Nordic beings who live underground on Earth. We have been doing our part to help humanity through these challenging times. One of the primary ways we do this is by preparing humans for shocking revelations that are inevitable. Your modern science fiction novels and films are filled with metaphorical and symbolic messages designed to awaken humans to the alien reality. Part of this process involves members of our Nordic covenant who psychically project ideas and concepts into the minds of receptive individuals, who in turn translate it into third-density and provide it for all to benefit from. We've just about arrived at our destination, are you prepared to meet some of these projectors? We all nodded slowly, trying to take it all in. Excellent. Please follow me. We exited the ship and descended a ramp into a cavernous hangar that was filled with similar ships. Off to the side, we went through a door into a long hallway. We walked for several minutes, passing door after door that was closed. Finally, we stopped at one and it opened for us, letting us into a large room where many blond humanoids sat cross-legged on cushions with their eyes closed. A supervisor slowly approached us and said, Ah, our honored guests. We brought you here for a demonstration of our efforts. Adam, would you step forward please? I nervously complied and and the supervisor placed his hand on my forehead. Images and emotions flooded my mind, all of them familiar to me from my short stories. I gasped and stepped back, breaking the connection.

You! You inspired my science fiction stories?! The supervisor replied, Partially. The conduit always translates our messages according to their own makeup, so you definitely played a part in bringing it into your realm. Do not discount your contribution. All of the projectors you see here work with similar people who are attuned to our messages. Now, Eve, relax and close your eyes. The supervisor placed his hand on Eve's forehead and she to gasped and recoiled. My music! How is my music able to awaken people the way you're suggesting? The supervisor said, Subliminal messages encoded in the audio can raise the frequency resonance vibration of the listener. There are numerous ways to receive our transmissions. I must return to work, be well my friends. The supervisor then bowed to us and left. Erevas led us back to the hallway and said, Now I hope you see how important your mission is. Every aspect of your lives is contributing to the conduit you are all forming. Your philosophy Zachary, your digital art Hope, your photography Julia, you are all contributing something. You've had some close calls, yes, but your mission was largely designed to succeed from the beginning, even factoring in Free Will. After you form your conduit, you will ascend to fourth-density and continue your mission there. Some of you may choose to do this through our underground operations, others may choose to work on the surface of Earth. Whatever you choose, you will play a significant part in the transition process for fourth-density candidates. You have done so well up until now, and the wave is fast approaching. It is time to return to Homestead to make your final arrangements. I paused, and said, Mew told us that we would be presented with a very clear choice at the time of transition, whether to choose the self-serving path or the service-toothers path. Just out of curiosity, does this mean that our mission would fail if one or more of us were to choose the self-serving path? Erevas shook his head. No, it will succeed no matter what path you choose. That choice is a personal one, and your collective destinies will remain unaffected by it. The forming of the conduit is an unbreakable pact. Do any of you think that you will choose to serve yourselves when the time comes? We all shook our heads. I said, No, it was just a thought that occurred to me. I believe I've already made the choice, and all of this leading up to it, the rapidly polarizing to the light we're experiencing, almost guarantees that I will choose to serve others. Erevas nodded, and said, Interesting reasoning. We shall see when you face the Dweller on the Threshold. Eve closed her eyes and said, The Dweller...I remember facing the Dweller before. I asked her, What is it? We all stared at her. She said slowly, as if in a trance, Any remaining karma must be re-aligned. Any remaining faults must be overcome. Any personal demons not faced will attack with vigor. Ancient debts must be repaid. All

fragments are reintegrated to make the self whole again. It's a soul mirror, a review of all experiences and missed opportunities. It will make your spirit soar and crush you like a bug. If one truly loves themselves for who they are, without shame, or regret, or guilt, if courage burns inside you like fire, if you see the Dweller as everything inside you presenting itself as external phenomena, then you will face it without fear. All must pass this test to move on to the next level of experience. I...ohhh...I feel... and Eve fainted. I caught her and she stirred instantly. That was not fun to remember. I was observing several examples of the threshold at the same time, and yet I was feeling everything I had felt in each instance all at once. Erevas said, Yes, you may think the choice is clear, but the Dweller will force you to confront the best and worst of you at the same time. It is always intense, and it always causes rapid evolution, no matter what the outcome is. Walk across the hall with me please. We followed our guide into another transporter room, and instinctively stood on the round pads on the raised platform. Angela said, My mission is complete, I must stay here. You are well on the path that has been laid before you. I know I look human, but the wave holds a different path for me. I have others to help through the transition now. All of us hugged Angela, and she smiled at us genuinely. Will we see you again Erevas? Eve asked. Erevas smiled one more time and said, If you desire it, then it will happen. Goodbye for now. Sparkling light swirled around us again and we found ourselves back in the Coral Castle. The lizard's body and innards had been removed with no trace left, though the destructive signs of the battle were still there. We made our way among the rubble and exited through the front gate. A short van ride later, we were home. We were all too stunned and exhausted to explain what happened to my parents, but they could read enough of it from the thoughts and emotions we were projecting that they didn't ask us anything. We all collapsed into bed and slept for a long time.

Chapter 13 The Conduit I was shaken awake by Eve and I startled, worried that something was wrong. Adam, you're not going to believe this. The citizen band is going crazy with reports of ships appearing off the east coast of Florida. The sky is full of planes looking for airports or landing strips. They're all decades old, and they came out of nowhere! I jumped up from the bed and headed straight for the board. Eve followed me and grabbed a notepad.

Q. (A) What's going on guys? Where did all these vessels come from? A. Anti-matter Universe. It serves as a bridge between your realm and others, both other dimensions and other densities. They were all victims of the so-called Bermuda Triangle, and the imminent wave has pushed them back into your realm. The buried Atlantean pyramid has been activated again, this time in reverse. It pulled them out of the antimatter Universe instead of what it has done in your past, which is to suck them in. To them it appears as if no time has passed at all, so in essence, they traveled into the future, your present, and as a result are very frightened and confused. Q. (E) So even though decades passed for us, for them it was like a flash-forward. They went from trying to get their bearings to suddenly seeing the Florida coast, receiving radio transmissions that made no sense, and seeing decades of technological development and architectural growth just appear to happen overnight? What a mind job. A. Yes. You might try to meet some of them as they moor themselves on your shores and land in your airports. Explain what happened to them. If they believe your explanation, they will unconsciously pass it along to those who reappeared with them. Being in the anti-matter Universe connected them together, the common experience they shared at the edge of reality was binding, in a way. th th Q. (A) Some of these ships are really old, like 18 and 19 century. It's going to be harder for them to understand. A. Yes, but the concept of traveling into the future can be grasped by most of them, though the older the ship, the more intense it will be for them to adjust to their new surroundings.

Well that settled it. I couldn't resist the urge to meet some of these people and ask them what it was like. If they were all connected telepathically, then we could help them out too. I'm sure the air traffic controllers were going nuts trying to direct these old planes to land with no warning whatsoever. The sight of old schooners and warships appearing out of nowhere must have been very strange for those living on the coast. What an utterly bizarre thing to happen now. Rather than drive east to the coast, I suggesting something daring. We had practiced porting further and further, even to points around the corner from the house without line-of-sight. As long as we could visualize the destination, it worked. I had been to Mangrove Park many times, and I said to the others, Let's try and port there. I'll visualize it and take you along as passengers. Eve frowned and said, That sounds dangerous, jumping that far without line-of-sight and taking nine passengers. Don't you think you may be overestimating your abilities? I smiled and said, Remember what Fwoh said about fourth density bleed-through? 'Unless you begin to think in absolutely limitless terms, such events will surely drive you insane.' In third density, we perceive large distances between two points, but in fourth density, distance is irrelevant. It's all an illusion, one

that's meant to be overcome. I'm willing to take the risk if all of you have the adventurous spirit to give it a try. The others thought hard, discussed what could possibly go wrong, and hesitated. Mike said, What if one or more of us doesn't make it all the way? What if we reappear in the same space as a wall or a tree? I replied, Those things aren't obstacles in our way. If you all focus your energy on porting without a specific destination in mind, it should help me take you all as passengers. I have a feeling about this, I believe we can do it. Just like Eve believed the slider was open when it wasn't, it failed to be an obstacle. So what do you say, are you with me? They exchanged a few more glances, then everyone nodded. Okay, I said, everyone hold hands and concentrate on the sensation of porting. Here we go. I visualized a clearing I knew of that was near the entrance to the park and started to see myself standing there. Homestead flew by us so fast that I could barely make out any familiar landmarks. I felt everyone in the circle traveling with me, I felt their energy propelling us to the clearing. Our house rapidly vanished from our awareness and the scent of pine trees and dead leaves filled my nose. I opened my eyes, and there we all stood in a circle in Mangrove Park. I fell to my knees and gasped as I quickly recharged. The air around our group sparkled as everyone else replenished their energy at the same time. A family who was sitting at a nearby picnic table sat there staring at us with their mouths agape. I carefully stood up, turned to them, and said, Don't be alarmed. That wasn't the strangest thing you'll see today. Have you been to the beach yet? They all shook their heads. Come with us then, you'll never believe what you see there. They packed up their lunch and tagged along as I led our group down a path that led to the beach. The family was silent with awe, probably feeling like reality had just been torn asunder. They had no idea what awaited them at the end of the path. Sure enough, we saw ships of all kinds anchored just offshore, and motorboats and rowboats making their way towards us or already beached on the sand in front of us. th Some of the sailors were dressed in 18 century clothing, looking extremely out of place, others simply wore naval uniforms that were much more believable. I walked up to one of the sailors, who saluted me, and I returned the salute. What year do you think it is sailor? He replied, Nineteen forty-three of course, what year do you think it is? I couldn't help smiling as I replied, Actually, it's the year 2011, in point of fact. When you were lost in the Bermuda Triangle, it brought you sixty-eight years into the future. I'll prove it to you, look. I pulled my smart-phone out and showed it to him. I said, This is a portable

phone that contains more computing power than most of the instrumentation on your ship put together. It can run a variety of software programs, from mapping that uses global positioning satellites to determine the phone's location to streaming films from distant computers instantly. Many people have phones like this, as the technology is affordable to most people with an average income. He stood there with a look of utter shock as he pressed on the touch-pad, navigating the phone's interface. We walked along the beach talking to other people who had made their way there. The smart-phone served as a useful tool for showing people that they had truly traveled into the future, as it was a tangible device that displayed technology way beyond their own time. The most entertaining responses came from those dressed like privateers, sailors lost in the Triangle well before the discovery of electricity. The telephony required a demonstration for them, so I called Eve's cellphone and had them listen to my voice coming out of it. As we helped them to adjust to their situation, their understanding did seem to sink in to the point that others simply asked us if this was the future. The father of the family who was following us asked me as they watched us interact with the stranded travelers, Why did this happen? Why have they all returned now? I turned to him and said, That's a harder thing to explain then the time-travel itself, I think. I'll try to put it like this. Human evolution peaks at certain times, as planets evolve too. Our planet is currently at version 3.0, and very soon it will be upgraded to version 4.0, along with any human who is ready to graduate to the next level of evolution. He said, Well what about me and my family? What does one have to do to be ready to graduate? I asked him, Are you generous, kind, sympathetic people? Living in these modern times, survival usually requires the accumulation of wealth to point, and in the USA it's especially rare to not give in to the selfish materialism our culture peddles. What's more important to you, money and things, or helping people out? He smiled and said, The latter, of course. I mean, we're good, church-going people, all of our friends are. Does it matter what religion we believe in? I shook my head. No, because the core message of all religions are the same, and if you live by those basic principles, then you will perform selfless actions most of the time. Those who aren't ready are still entrenched in self-serving behaviors, and even though they may think of themselves as good people, they still haven't learned the lessons of this grade, hence they're not ready to graduate. This Earth, 3.0, will inevitably be destroyed by cataclysms and those who are not ready will reincarnate on another Earthlike planet with the same physical laws and evolutionary challenges. When that planet completes it cycle, roughly three-hundred millennia from now, it will graduate as ours is doing now and again present an opportunity for those souls to progress with it.

He looked at his family, who all smiled at him, then he turned back to me. Why is our world in such a bad state right now? I replied, The old systems of version 3.0 are breaking down. It will have to get worse before it can get better. Version 4.0 is already starting to manifest in our reality, and groups like me and my friends here, our purpose is to anchor the new frequencies and teach others what we've learned. There are other groups like us all over the world. We are going to blaze a trail to the next realm of evolution on Earth, a trail people like you can follow. Just follow your intuition and help out other people, not because it feels good but because it's the right thing to do. I'm sorry, I have to go now. I huddled up with my family and said, I say we port over to Homestead AFB. I'm sure some planes landed there, and we can repeat what we did here for those people. Agreed? They all nodded, and we held each others hands. Once again the features of Homestead streaked by until we found ourselves standing on the tarmac. We split up and talked to the pilots, passengers, and air-force personnel who had come out to investigate. It was getting easier to explain what was happening, and the others followed my example when people asked why this was happening. Suddenly several unmarked, black helicopters flew low over the base. They circled around and followed the shoreline several miles away. One of the airmen stationed at the airbase said, Who the hell do they think they are, flying like that? They're not our air-force, that's for sure. I said, No, they belong to the secret government. They're investigating the Bermuda Triangle's purge. Actually, that flyby is kind of unsettling. I think it's time for us to go. We gathered together and the timetravelers and personnel from the present time both watch us dematerialize in wonder. We returned home and gathered round the board.

Q. (Adam) Who were we speaking with during the last transmission, and who are you and whom do you serve? A. We are Fwoh, as it was then, and we serve all. Your work today helped a lot of people adjust to a strange and frightening experience. You were wise to return when you did. The secret government has revealed itself en masse. Denver, Dallas, Orlando, and Miami airports all serve as secret air bases for the unmarked helicopters and anti-gravity vessels in your country. They will investigate this appearance of ships and planes, and probably interrogate the passengers. We think it is time for you to attempt to form your conduit. Your abilities are sufficiently developed and with the secret government revealing themselves, the wave is imminent. Soon the space arks will arrive and send the Nephalim to the planet's surface to begin rounding up your population and herding them into camps and facilities. You do not want to be around when these giants start shooting citizens with their stun guns and bringing them before their lizard masters for

reeducation. Q. (E) What does that mean? A. The lizards will once again present themselves as the true gods of humanity, and demand subservience. Do you remember what Drai told you? Ninety-four percent of humans will be used as containers. Q. (Hope) This is all happening so fast. A. Time is not definite as you perceive it, and the recent nuclear detonations in New Orleans and Libya have accelerated the process of transition. Our current estimate of the arrival of the wave, factoring in space-time warping, puts the arrival of the wave sometime within the next few days. It is better to form your conduit now, before the show really gets going. Q. (Zack) Okay, so how do we form this conduit? A. You've already done it temporarily to travel long distances as a group. The same principles apply except this time, the destination you must focus on is fourth density. That is all the advice we can give you, the rest is up to you to discover. Go into the Everglades and find a clearing on solid ground. Form your conduit there. Q. (Adam) Fwoh, you've been such a big help to all of us, I don't know how to thank you. A. Our communications do not end here. We will be in contact with you on the other side. Just as you perform the services to others of your density, we perform services to others in densities one through six. You may give your thanks, but truly, watching your demonstration of selfless actions and carrying out your mission is our greatest honor. Good luck and farewell.

Without delay, we drove in Zack's van and my father's pickup truck to Homestead Tours. The air boats had plenty of fuel, so we immediately departed and headed off into the marshy wilderness. We stopped at the junction of two tributaries and I said to my father, I know the perfect place dad. Follow me. He replied, You're the explorer, I trust you. Lead the way son. We took the left river and followed it for a mile or two. I followed the landmarks until I headed for the left bank and we beached the two air boats The others followed me until we reached the clearing. Ancient cypress trees circled around it, and a soft bed of dead leaves and grass covered a space about 30 feet across. The sun was setting, burning orange and red through the trees. Everyone stood staring at me, and I asked, What are you looking at me for? I don't know how to do this. Eve said, I think we all know Adam, we were born knowing how to do this. Everyone close your eyes. Feel the natural energy from Mother Earth surrounding us. Can you sense the dimensional boundary that separates us from fourth density? The others nodded. She continued, Remember how Mew told us that our original group of seven was destined to do this? That seven was always the ideal number? I think we should put the seven of us in a circle holding hands. Henry and Betty, sit in the center

facing each other, I think it should be symmetrically arranged. Now, focus on the other side of that boundary. That's our destination. When we enter the conduit, we'll have to face the Dweller on the Threshold to pass through it. Just remember, the Dweller is you in all possible forms; known and hidden, generous and self-serving, wise and ignorant. In Maslow's hierarchy, the highest level of experience simultaneously includes and transcends all previous levels of development. Embrace the Dweller, face it without fear, and we'll see each other on the other side. The dimensional boundary separating us from fourth-density felt like a thin membrane in my awareness. The approach of the wave had been progressively thinning it, but it would take all of our energy combined to pass through it. The seven of us joined hands, and my parents sat facing each other in a meditative pose in the center of our circle. As we began to concentrate on our goal, I felt nature energy pouring into me and flowing around our circle clockwise. We kept our eyes closed so as not to be distracted by our surroundings, but the sounds of birds and insects still rang in my ears. A low hum, like that of a generator sounded in front of me, and I visualized a column of colored light there. It was dim at first, but quickly grew brighter. Thinking it was just a representation of the conduit I was seeing with my third eye, I opened my eyes and saw an actual column of colored light, spinning clockwise like the energy flowing through us. It felt like the conduit was drilling a hole through the dimensional boundary, until there was loud cracking and booming sound. I heard everyone gasp in surprise. We had done it. Even with our concentration broken by the sound, the conduit remained there, spinning and thrumming with energy. It was magnificent. I squeezed Eve's hand and looked into her eyes. She was so beautiful, so special. She was a goddess, my soul-mate, and I didn't want to let her go. We communicated telepathically, understanding that once we entered the conduit, each of us was on our own facing the Dweller. I wished we could face it together, but we were two separate souls, even though we were bound so tightly together. I sensed similar emotions between Mike and Julie, and between Danny and Hope. My parents had been married for thirty years, they feared losing each other. Zack had no such reservations, however. He bravely stood up, stepped forward, and disappeared into the gyrating light. The wave had arrived. I could feel it happening, just like the apex of the contract phase of a wave on the beach, before it rolled forward. We were being sucked towards it, and I said, It's time. We have to enter the conduit now, before the wave crashes over us. We'll all make it through, I know we will. We'll see each other on the other side. Eve, I love you. I'll see you soon. Don't delay, it's now or never. And with that final comment, I stepped into the light.

Chapter 14 The Dweller on the Threshold The ultimate experience that is necessary to graduate to fourth density, the final test, cannot be easily described. To call it 'epic' would be an gross understatement. How many incarnations had I been through? How many alternate universes created by the lizards to alter the timeline created parallel versions of myself? How many other dimensions that covered the spectrum from very similar to totally different were there in this Universe? And how many of these facets of my soul were about to merge? To me, it felt like a lot. As the wave washed over us, time slowed to a crawl, then stopped. Everything froze. My physical surroundings dissolved, and I was standing on a white surface, surrounded by mist. A soft ambient light seemed to come from all directions at once, just enough to see a few feet into the mist. I was first approached by an other-self that appeared identical to me. Hello Adam, it's been explained to me that I would be the first to meet you here. We were chosen by our soul to meet first, due to our similarity. I come from a dimension very much like yours, hence I probably know as little about this process as you do, so let's just let it happen. Let's merge. He put his hands up with his palms facing me, and I did the same. Now concentrate, let go of who you think you are, imagine that you're me and I'll do the same for you. We were pulled like magnets towards each other and fused in an instant. We traded memories and personality traits in a flash. He was very much like me, and our minor differences seemed trivial to us...me. The mists swirled around I was approached by a female version of me. She had the same facial features, the same eyes, but a feminine figure and voice. Hello Adam. It's been explained to me that I would be the second to merge with you. Our soul has lived many lives as both genders. Male and female, they're just a temporary polarity for the sole purpose of teaching lessons, that's all. I'm still you. Come, give me a hug. I embraced her and we fused with a bang, joining masculine and feminine energies that generated great power when combined. I no longer felt male or female, I felt like a whole new gender. I felt balanced. Then everything grew dark and cold. With it came a terrible odor, and the smell of a rotting corpse filled my nose. I felt a clammy hand come to rest on my shoulder, and its sharp fingernails dug into my skin. Look at me. I turned with dread to face another version of me. He was as dark, and evil, and hideous as I could ever imagine. His bloodshot eyes glared at me, and his pallid skin was peeling and scarred. His hair was unkempt, his clothes were torn and dirty, and his nails were long and yellow. It was my

face leering at me, the same eyes I always saw in the mirror. This...thing was the essence of everything evil or sick inside of me. Aaadaammm... he rasped. His voice was rough and throaty. At last, I have what I want. I have you all to myself. Come closer... I really wanted to turn away, but I knew that this being was part of me, that I had to accept him. I stepped towards him and he pulled me close and breathed into my face. His stench overwhelmed me. We merged slowly, violently, and very painfully. I was nearly bowled over by memories of the horrific dimension that made me into this creature, a dark place of despair and loathing. I pitied the Adam who had to endure that, and I hugged him tightly as his nails dug into my back. As I absorbed him, I realized that much of this being was all of the self-serving actions I had committed in all my incarnations on Earth. I felt terrible. I atoned for all of the atrocities that were of my own doing. I felt all of the pain I had caused very distantly, then closer, then rushing into me it came like fire from the inside. I doubled over and cried out, fell to my knees and tipped over. I curled up into a ball and screamed until it stopped. The cold and darkness faded back to the white mist I had seen before. A truly bizarre-looking humanoid stepped towards me and offered his...paw to help me stand up. He had fur on his face, his eyes were obsidian black, and his ears protruded up from his temples. Instead of a mouth like mine, he had more of a snout, he was almost lupine in a way. I was a little surprised when he spoke perfect English to me. Adam, I come from another dimension, but I still come from the same soul as you. Not all humanoids look like you. The appearance of the self is all an illusion. If you can accept me, something so foreign, then you can finally see through the illusion. After me as a female and the rotting corpse, hugging a furry, alien version of myself wasn't too awkward. A howl arose in his throat as we began to merge and I was injected with all of his life experiences in his dimension. Life was so different there, yet they had all the same problems that we did. Again, I was approached by someone who looked like me. His futuristic-looking outfit changed several times as he walked closer, and he was smiling the whole time. Neat trick, huh? I'm you from the near future. Soon you'll be able to do this. He paused, waiting for me to respond. Change my appearance? I asked. Yes, but what else did I do? I got dizzy and stepped a few steps backwards before I caught my balance again. You...I...traveled back in time to talk to me now? He laughed and said, Of course! I can do many things with time, it's non-linear in fourth density. Your experience of linear time is an illusion. Then again, my non-linear perception of it is also an illusion... I stepped back towards him and merged with him, and felt myself in two different times at once. It was quite disorienting, and when it stopped, I had the intention to eventually go back in time and mess with myself at the threshold, exactly as...he had done to me. Him, her, them, me, I couldn't clearly define myself anymore. Each time a merging completed, I felt less like Adam and more like a hive mind,

and my awareness reached far beyond where I stood. The mists parted slightly and the light grew brighter. I saw what looked like a large praying mantis, and a little girl standing in front of me. With one pincer, the mantis caressed the child's cheek, then it grabbed her and crunched loudly on her spine. She convulsed once, then went limp and I shuddered as the insectoid being feasted on young human flesh. When he had finished eating, he turned towards me and began to approach. I could have never done something like that, could I have? I stood my ground as the imposing creature came towards me, and the mantis put its arm around me, clicking and twittering to me. I understood him, he said, I am your soul essence. In a former life, you lived like this. We all come from something like an animal. We all eat as I just did at some point in the evolution of a soul. You fed on second density life many times in third density. Sometimes life must feed on other life, it is a universal way of teaching. I stared into his large black eyes and took his pincers in my hands. He merged his 'insecty' essence with me, and for a brief moment I felt like mating with one of my own kind, then biting her head off. All of this was me. All of these beings were a part of my soul. I was elated that I didn't turn those other-selves away and disown them. Sure, it was hard, but once we merged I felt more like myself again. Third-density Adam from Earth seemed truly alien to me now, he was just a faint echo in the background of the cacophony of voices in my mind. The mists swirled around again and showed yet another version of me dressed all in black. The other me was piloting a spaceship over Earth, and when the other me stopped over a house and stood up, I followed him to another part of the ship. We entered an exam room that looked frightfully familiar. Adam's body materialized on the operating table, and gray aliens began performing various procedures on him while we supervised. Adam was screaming holy hell, terrified as he was. In my mind I was screaming too. I couldn't believe this scene, I was abducting myself. This other version of me must have chosen the service to self path when the transition to fourth density occurred. What I was witnessing was some form of negative self-determination accomplished by going back in time and abducting myself to benefit my own future in a service-to-self existence. I placed my hand on the shoulder of my self-serving self, and his head whipped around to reveal eyes like burning coals. I felt my connection to him stabbing me like knives. You put him back right fucking now! This is wrong! You can't do this! He just snickered and replied, But I'm you. I can do whatever I want. You consented to these abductions, though you may not remember, so why choose differently now? I stepped towards him and put my face right against his and said, Because I'm exercising my free will to change these events. His laughed mockingly and said, You think you have control over my free will, and his? Still staring into his eyes, I shook my head, and said,

No, I don't think so, I know so. As you said, you're me, and so is he. My free will is yours, and his as well. So put him back. Now! The terrified Adam on the table disappeared, and the other me simply nodded and said, As you wish. You've just caused more of the quantum wave collapse of future probabilities. You aren't going to make the choices in the near future that I made in the past, hence I don't exist anymore. Goodbye. He stepped into me, burning my soul with his self-serving intentions. I realized how powerful free will could be. I changed the future, which changed my present, and probably Adam's past. This was a critical lesson for me to learn. I saw how easily I could have made the wrong choice, and I suddenly wasn't as confident that when the time came, I would be able to resist the path he chose. Up to this point, I'd acted with courage and conviction, but seeing myself like that was very unnerving. For the first time in my life, I doubted I would be able to resist temptation, just like my ancient namesake. I was afraid history would repeat itself, as it tended to do over, and over, and over...

Chapter 15 - Convergence Back in the swirling mists, the merging began to happen faster, now foregoing the previous explanations and physical contact. I relived countless lives very rapidly, mean people, virtuous people, males, females, all sexual orientations possible. There were children who died young, very old and wise people, alien humanoids, and many different cultures and planets. On the sphere of Earth, I had been through many incarnations. I saw Lemuria, Atlantis, even Antarctica before Earth's poles had shifted. My soul had really come full circle in three hundred thousand years. My karma had finally been realigned. I felt firmly connected to first density, second, and third, but now I even sensed fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh. For a brief moment, I communed with Prime Creator. Fwoh, Mew, Drai, and Aur were all there, and for an instant, I saw what they saw. I saw how multifaceted and complex my soul was, how each experience I had enriched it in countless ways. I realized that I was truly a divine being that transcended all planes of existence, a fragment of God. As the remaining facets compressed into one place, a cosmic explosion expanded out from me. Galaxies and nebulae formed, and life began in them. I knew I had this power inside me, that it could be unlocked at certain milestones like this one. I saw the whole Universe at once, then began to zoom in towards a single galaxy. In that galaxy, I focused in on one particular solar system. In that solar system was a planet. Earth, Terra, the shining jewel that was my home, now appeared to me as two planets: the glowing fourth-density one, and the cataclysmic one in third density with an atmosphere filled with comet dust. The old earth was being destroyed, just as D'Ahnkiar's star was expanding (again) and souls from our mother planet were seeded by the lizards into cavemen-like humanoids on a new third-density planet. Now that they had a fresh new feeding ground, we had a chance to reclaim Terra and free it from the lizard's reign. I found myself in fifth density, much as if I had died. I greeted my soul family, familiar faces I had forgotten but instantly recognized. They wished me well as I turned my attention back to my home and found myself in orbit around Earth. As I floated in space, staring down, a soothing female voice spoke to me, Welcome graduate. You have done what is necessary to progress from a third density service-to-self being to a fourthdensity being. All who accomplish this feat must make a choice that will determine their mode of existence in the next phase of evolution. Which do you choose? That of self, or that of other? I saw all the consequences play out in mental images. Both paths were valid in the scheme of creation, and eventually they all led to the same place, though the path of the self would most likely cycle back around and start over from first density.

Both were tempting, as the service-to-self path allowed rapid development at the expense of others, but at what cost? I weighed the pros and cons, and felt deep down inside that it was time to move to a more harmonious existence, and so made my intention clear in my mind. The voice asked me, Are you absolutely sure? It is extremely difficult and rare to change polarities further along the cycle. I felt a confirmation from fifth density that this was a wise choice, and I gave my answer again. Very well, you have chosen to serve others-selves above and before yourself, a path that requires much sacrifice. It will take many centuries for you to adjust to this decision. Prepare yourself for the next phase of evolution, child of the Universe. You still have your body, which has been changing dramatically as it passed through the realm border. It is not the same body though, it is now para-physical. It will be disorienting at first, so take some time to acclimate yourself to your new body. Remember, time is no longer linear, so taking your time to do anything is no longer a concern. All of this has occurred in zero time my child, this is the exact second when the Everglades faded away. Everyone who was there that passed the test is finding themselves in a clearing like this, just a few dimensions away from you. What happens next is up to you. Farewell graduate, untold wonders await you. When the process was complete, I was lying on my back in shallow water looking up at the sky at sunset. Sunsets were always beautiful on Earth, but I saw colors in this sunset I never new existed. Waves lapped at my feet, and I felt the sand moving beneath me as the tide rolled out. I sat up and looked around in amazement. Everything was tinged with a spectrum of colors, and my senses all blended into each other. I tasted the water surrounding me, smelled the colors on the trees, and felt the songs of birds tickling my skin as they flew by. I stood up and tried to walk away from the shore, and instead drifted like I did back in third density. It wasn't so much walking as teleporting short distances. I turned slightly and saw the shore on both sides of me. That was very disorienting. I remembered there was no left or right here. I was seeing in all directions at once, something that would be impossible with physical eyes. I lifted an arm up to my face and saw that it was translucent. Looking down, I saw that my whole body was translucent. Wanting to test my abilities, I returned to the shore and scooped up some sand. My hand solidified while I held it, and when I let go, it became transparent again. I was gradually starting to understand para-physicality. My next thought was of Eve, and no sooner had I thought of her I was instantly transported to her location. Her appearance stunned me. An aura surrounded her, glowing with golden light. The same shifting colors I saw everywhere else covered her from head

to toe, just barely visible through the light she was emitting. We stood there staring at each other for some time, just taking in the appearance of each other. She was wearing a simple jumpsuit, and I realized I was still naked. I pictured myself wearing the same outfit and felt it form around my body. Good job, I was wondering when you'd attend to that important task, she said in my mind1. How did you figure that one out? I asked her. Her musical laughter filled my mind as she grinned, lifting my spirit to a new height. That was the first thing I tried, I didn't want to enter fourth density naked. So how was your encounter with the Dweller? I involuntarily sent her a replay of it, and she responded by sending me hers. Mine seemed somewhat darker and more challenging compared to hers, and she ended her replay with a dose of sympathy. She moved to embrace me, and we nearly melted into each other. I could feel our energy swirling together, bonding us together more than we had ever been before. We thought of finding our brethren, and one by one, we transported to their location and relayed our experiences of passing through the realm border. Gradually our group grew to the seven of us who formed the conduit. Information was fed to us from an unknown source, relevant as it was to our efforts. The conduit allowed many people to follow us into fourth-density, provided they faced the Dweller and passed the test. Eve's parents and mine appeared before us with big smiles on their faces, and they were regenerated in a youthful appearance. John Hadden and Olivia Burke were there too. Our soul family grew until we had about fifty souls in our group. We made sure everyone had clothed themselves, helped them to adjust to the disorienting perspective, and celebrated our graduation with great joy. Let's try something together, Eve said to all of us. Let's try creating a structure, a dwelling. Everyone concentrate on something simple, a single story building with one room. Like magic, it materialized in front of us, wavering slightly then solidifying. Eve stepped up to the door and opened it, and we all went inside. It's empty, she said, we need furniture. An odd mix of chairs and sofas appeared in a jumble, then straightened themselves out as we concentrated. Zack said, Okay, we can change our appearance, we can manifest objects, especially when we work together, but experimenting like this can only go so far. We need some sort of guide map, a reference library, something to really help us get our bearings. Do you think the Akashic Records various seers have spoken of actually exist? He posed the question to us and we suddenly found ourselves in a magnificent domed building. Several floors contained endless bookshelves, and on the first floor in the center of the room was a large book on a pedestal, bathed in light. Zack drifted towards the book and the pages began turning themselves rapidly. When he was within arms reach, the pages stopped moving. Zack placed his hand on the left page and closed
1 From this point on, italics denotes telepathic communication.

his eyes. I could see light flowing from the book, up his arm and to his head. He took his hand of the page and stumbled back a few steps, and said, My god, it does exist. Someone else try it, ask it anything. I paced forward and touched the book as I asked, How does one make a trans-dimensional, trans-density flying craft? Mathematical formulas flooded my mind and technical schematics appeared before my eyes. The ship could be powered by a central core filled with mercury vapor. If an electrical current was passed through the vapor, it could counteract gravity and allow the ship to maneuver as UFOs were said to do. Due to the electromagnetic effects the engine had on the entire ship, any wiring had to be fiber optic, and computer interfaces had to be holographic in order for it to work. Moving between densities and dimensions required having a trans-dimensional atomic remoleculerizer, and operating it was simply a matter of tuning it to different frequencies. Instructions on how to manifest the computers and remoleculerizer were included in the information I was receiving. One side-effect of the electromagnetic propulsion was that as the speed of the craft increased, the mass of it and everything inside it decreased. Faster-than-light travel was not only possible with this ship, it actually became easier to achieve those speeds the faster it went. The molecular structure remained intact, it just weighed progressively less as the craft accelerated. I stepped back from the book and gave the others a chance to ask a question. Zack was concentrating intently on manifesting something that looked like a transporter pad with a panel attached to it. In fact, that's exactly what he was making. I walked over and looked at the panel, and saw a long list of destinations we were in range of. Detailed information about their location and who operated them were provided, and the list included many that were operated by the lizards. We definitely wanted to avoid those ones. That should come in handy on the spacecraft I'm going to build. He laughed, sending musical chimes throughout my awareness. Laughter was a wonderful experience in fourth density. Okay, he said, let's see what you can do. I replied, we should continue this back at our dwelling. Bring your new toy with you. After everyone had asked a question so they could see what it was like and gain some useful knowledge to guide us, we returned to our little building together merely by concentrating on it. A few of the others began to make modifications to the building, adding interior rooms and features and decorating the exterior, even adding more floors. Meanwhile, I sent the info on the ship to several others who were staring at me and Zack, and sat down and began to meditate. I felt the frame of the ship materializing a few feet away, and felt others adding energy to it's manifestation. The mercury vapor core and basic support systems went in next. Finally, we added computers, wiring, Zack's transporter with six pads, and the remoleculerizer. I opened my eyes and saw our very own interstellar spacecraft, real as it could be in this strange, strange realm. I focused on

our new dwelling, which now had a very futuristic-looking exterior. Eve said, There's a small hangar on the side of the building just large enough for our ship. Why don't you pilot it in, and we'll show you the changes we've made inside. I jumped at the opportunity to fly the ship, and Zack and the others boarded with me so they could watch me. I sat at the control console, touched a few buttons displayed on the touchscreen panels that served as the computer's input device, and the ship's engine started with a low hum. I took hold of the controls, two joysticks that allowed maneuverability in three dimensions, and slowly and carefully lifted off the ground. I guided the ship towards the side of the building, and found the hangar with its doors open. I eased it inside and set it down, then shut down the engine. It's so easy and intuitive, any one of us can fly this with zero training, I said. We exited the ship and entered the dwelling, and we were speechless at what we saw inside. There was a large screen in the original room with the couches and chairs, which had all been modified to fit the same theme. The screen was showing multiple channels of statistical data at once. In my hyper-aware state, I was able to follow all of them simultaneously. In another room were rejuvenation pods where one could rest and recharge their energy. Yet another room contained a transporter like the one Zack made. Finally, we were led to a dark room with a round pad in the center. Eve touched a button on a control panel and a hologram of the Earth appeared before us. There were red and green blobs placed at various locations around the globe. The red areas are controlled by the lizards, and the green areas are controlled by groups like us. With our transporters and ships, we can travel between the green areas and network with others of our polarity. Some of these facilities are underground, some are on the surface. We also have members of our polarity assisting those who graduated with difficulty, and are traumatized and confused. As we educate and orient people to their new bodies and environment, our numbers and strength will grow. Our goal is to eliminate all of the red areas on Terra, and we have the Akashic records and a connection to sixth density as a guide on how to do this. We should try non-violent ways to drive the lizards out, as that seems more of a service-to-others way of carrying out this mission, but we may have to take some areas by force if necessary. I asked her, What about the ship? How can that help us succeed? She smiled and said, Remember what Fwoh told us early on: You could undo everything they have done, make it like they never existed if you chose to. I meditated on these tasks that needed to be accomplished. Every job was crucial to the mission of ridding Earth of the lizards' influence, but I wasn't sure what role I wanted to assume. I wanted to stay with Eve, but the thoughts she was sending me told me that it was time to go our separate ways, at least for now. She felt drawn to work with the transition teams and help the traumatized and confused graduates. I really wanted to go exploring in the ship and see if we could change things in other dimensions and time

periods to work in our favor. I hugged her, again nearly melting into her. Goodbye Eve, I'll see you again soon. She nodded and motioned for me to go. I took a small group of us, including Zack, and we boarded the ship. Once we had exited the hangar and lifted off the ground, we quickly ascended out of the atmosphere and encountered a stunning sight. The space around Terra was filled with ships of all sizes, from small shuttles to the large space arks and everything inbetween. There were space stations with docking ports, satellites, and many other objects crowding the Earth's orbit. The ship's sensors fed information to us about who controlled what, and we maintained a safe distance from the lizard's ships and stations. A beeping sound indicated that we were being hailed. The screen identified the source as an STO mothership. We opened the hailing frequency and a video overlay appeared on the HUD. Greetings graduates, this is Orman with the Galactic Federation mothership, we detected your unregistered transport and hailed you to request that you dock in our main hangar bay. We will register your ship and take care of some other business you should attend to before you go traveling in space and time. As you approach our hangar, we'll sync with your autopilot and guide the ship in from here. One of our ambassadors will meet you as you disembark. Do you have any questions? I responded, Just one, why aren't lizards attacking us? We're like sitting ducks out here. Orman smiled and said, Now that's you're fourth-density, and free to travel by whatever means are available to you, interplanetary protection laws enforced by the Galactic Federation would block any attempt to attack your vessel. You'll gain a better understanding of such matters once the ambassador meets with you. Thank you for your cooperation and understanding, I'm closing this channel now. TRANSMISSION ENDED briefly flashed on the video screen before it disappeared and our HUD opened up to show us the view of space again. We headed for the mothership indicated on the screen as the one that contacted us, aimed for the shuttle bay, and sure enough, the autopilot took over the controls and guided us in smoothly to a docking bay. We shut down the engines and exited the ship on the extendable ramp. A blue-skinned humanoid wearing a jumpsuit greeted us at the bottom of the ramp. Graduates, I am honored to welcome you to the Galactic Federation base of operations at Terra. My name is Askru and while our ship maintenance team installs a transponder with a registered ID number, I ask that you follow me to the bridge. Our captain would like to meet with you. We all nodded and followed him to an elevator at the end of a hangar. Is a meeting with the captain customary with unregistered transports like us? I asked. Askru replied, Yes, as graduates develop the technology to travel in space and time, the Federation follows certain protocols to avoid any potential problems you might encounter as you begin to explore. Your ship is equipped with a TDARM, so we know you

intend to travel to other dimensions and densities, and without a proper understanding of how to do this, you could find yourselves in any number of undesirable situations. Here we are, the bridge of the ship. The elevator doors opened to a large room containing many humanoids seated at control panels, with a raised platform in the center. The captain looked like a Nordic human, and as we approached him with Askru, he stood up to greet us. Greetings graduates, I'm Captain Tener. Askru has been doing an excellent job of explaining to you why you are here. As you are aware, fourth-density Earth is surrounded by Federation ships, Orion ships, and other ships who are simply observing the transition of your planet with interest. The interplanetary protection laws Orman mentioned are the same ones that prevent frequent space battles in the Orion constellation, the most populous region of our galaxy, with approximately half of our orientation and half service-to-self living there. It is the home base for both sides, and sixth-density entities of both orientations agreed on these laws to allow for burgeoning civilizations such as yours to develop without interfering with free will, and to ensure relative peace in the Orion constellation. I know you have communicated directly with sixth-density entities who spoke of a level playing field. These laws play an important part in the transition process. The lizards are firmly rooted on your planet in several densities, and the process of taking your planet away from them so that you can truly be free of their influence will be a slow and difficult process, as is always the case with planetary graduations. Is it your intention to travel into your past and change events as the lizards have done, undoing or reversing the effects of their tampering? I nodded and said, Yes, that was one of our intentions. The captain's face took on a serious expression as he said, Such is your free will to do so. Please keep in mind that the free will of many third-density entities must be factored in when you perform such changes. Your goal should be to move Earth in the past, present, and future from a state of imbalance to a state of balance while not infringing upon anyone's free will. We do not have the perspective of sixth-density, hence we rely on sophisticated computer technology to calculate changes to the probability matrix as changes are made in the past. While registering your ship, we have added this technology into your existing computer system so that you have a guide to any changes you wish to make. In the meantime, the lizards will try to control you in fourth-density and interfere with your operations. We are only allowed to assist you in certain ways, but you will discover through trial and error, success and failure, that for everything you change to improve your conditions in the present, they will counter and try to maintain their firm grasp on your planet. The battle is always fought on many fronts. We always recommend coordinating your efforts with other groups such as yourselves, and moving towards building a global community of STO beings. This is the most effective way to defeat their attempts at keeping Earth for themselves. The captain turned away from us and stared out the window at the stars. We serve

others such as yourselves with great honor, but we always miss Orion whenever we leave there, as we may not return for a long time. Since you have the ability to travel there, I suggest visiting our home base of operations and meeting with the Planetary Transition Council to further discuss the matters I am briefing you on. I strongly suggest you do this before beginning to fight the lizards for control of Earth. Will you make this journey now? I turned to my fellow crew with a questioning look, and they all nodded. Excellent, the captain replied. Since you were the first group to build an interstellar ship and meet with me, I will send a data disc with you to be given to the Planetary Transition Council. Such data could be sent through space, but it will reach them much faster if you deliver it to them directly. He pressed a button on the panel next to him and a clear crystal disc ejected from a slot. I took it from him and saluted him. We won't let you down Captain Tener. We'll deliver the disc as you requested. Until we meet again, farewell. He returned the salute and sat back down in his chair. Askru escorted us back to our ship and bowed to us as we reached the extendable ramp. He said, The captain is very grateful for your assistance. The disc will provide important information to the PTC. Our hope is that they can use it to better help Terra transition more easily and quickly. A note of warning to you all; should this disc fall into the Orion's hands, it could spell disaster for our collective efforts. Protect it at all costs. I gave him a nod and said, I understand. We all bowed to him and boarded the ship. Once I powered up the engine, the computer displayed helpful information about the new features that been installed while we were gone. The probability matrix calculator was connected to the TDARM, so when we began time-traveling we could change things without infringing upon free will. We also had star charts uploaded into the navicomp, so that we could easily plot a course to Orion and navigate through it. Finally, our ship's transponder ID number was displayed, along with our vessel's new name: Terra One. The autopilot guided us out of the hangar, then disengaged. Zack plotted a course for Orion, and I activated the light-speed drive. Daaaamn! I had seen it pictured in movies and TV shows, the stars streaking as the ship zoomed forward past thousands of solar systems, but the actual experience was intensely exciting. Traveling at many times the speed of light, we reached Orion within a just a few minutes. As we came out warp-speed, there was a large ship our computer couldn't identify. It hailed us, and we opened the video screen to show another Nordiclooking human. Registered transport Terra One, this is a Federation security ship requesting that you dock in our hangar so that we may conduct a routine inspection before allowing you into the Orion system. Our tractor beam is guiding you in, and we will have a personnel team waiting for you. Thank you for your cooperation. TRANSMISSION ENDED flashed briefly again and the video screen went black.

That was kind of curt, I said. Zack replied, Well, you know security types are usually all business and straight to the point. It was a request, not an order, and they did say thank you. I thought for a moment. Yes, but they requested we dock and then locked a tractor beam on us, it's not like we had a choice. Call me crazy, but I don't trust this ship. I say we hide the data disc. Zack gave me a look and said, And how do you propose we do that? I closed my eyes and held the disc with both hands. I pictured a cube around it, then added a dimension to make it a hypercube. I remembered a simple encryption algorithm, ROT-13, used with the Latin alphabet to rotate the characters thirteen places. Instead, I used the Hebrew alephbet, and used a ROT-11 algorithm. The letters in the Hebrew alephbet also represent numbers one through twentytwo. Eve's name in Hebrew, ,gave me the numbers five, six, and eight, summed to 19. As Hebrew letters are made up of other Hebrew letters, the Qabalistic numerology called Gematria can result in recursive numbers adding up as the spelling of the spelling of the spelling is translated into numbers, and fractal patterns can emerge. No recursive numbers appeared in the Gematria of ,so I rotated 11 characters and got ,a nonsense word, roughly transliterated to "Qfa." This word did produce a recursive alphanumerical calculation, so I multiplied the fractal Gematria of times the Gematria of .Using the resulting fractal, I encrypted the hypercube that contained the disc and used dimensional folding to make it disappear from our current dimension into an encrypted one. Zack and the others understood what I did, but not how I did it. I said, That should keep them from finding it. We docked and walked down the ramp into the hangar bay and the personnel team greeted us calmly and cordially. Greetings travelers, we again thank you for your cooperation in these routine procedures. We simply want to search you and your ship for any contraband and question you regarding your destination and mission. I nodded at the team leader who was speaking, and said, Of course sir, we were sent by the Galactic Federation mothership stationed at Terra to speak with the Planetary Transition Council. The leader stared me in the eyes and said, Did they ask you to deliver anything to the PTC? A data disc perhaps? I stared back into his eyes and said, No sir, no such request was made of us. We were simply sent for a meeting. As we were the first group of graduates to build an interstellar ship, the Federation sent us to see Orion for ourselves and learn about the transition process. He continued staring into my eyes and said, You're lying. The Federation sends data discs with any vessel traveling to Orion to provide status updates, and our orders are to seize any such discs and deliver them to our commanding officer. You neophytes have no understanding of the politics of the Orion system, and the rules regarding transport of data between solar systems. Lying to us only makes our job more difficult, so just tell me where the disc is and you can be on your way. Inwardly, I was growing more nervous, and I knew he sensed it, but I was also confident that the disc was safely encrypted in a dimension that would be inaccessible to them without the encryption key.

It occurred to me at that moment that Nordic humans could be of the STS polarity, and that this was probably a trap set by them to intercept communications between Galactic Federation entities. As I thought about this, the team leader smiled at me. Apparently, you're not as ignorant as I first thought. You catch on quick. Yes, we're not part of the Galactic Federation, we serve the Orion Federation. Of course, this changes nothing, we still know you're hiding a data disc and believe me, we will find it. The team produced small hand-held devices and began searching our bodies and the ship. One of the team members who was searching the bridge indicated that he had detected something there. The team leader made me walk to the bridge as he followed behind. Here sir, there's something in this spot. It looks like scrambled data, but it could be the disc. They must have hid it in another dimension. The team leader turned to me and said, Give me the code to decrypt it. I stared him in the eye again, my confidence growing, and said, Okay, yes, I lied. We were given orders to protect the disc at all costs. Since you commented on my lack of ignorance, I'm interested to see just how smart you are. You've been a fourth-density entity for much longer than I have, so what chance do I have to hide it effectively from you, an experienced search and seizure team. Surely you can figure it out yourselves. My challenge seemed to galvanize him. Alright neophyte, you're right. We're skilled at dealing with new graduates like you, so this should be a trivial task. Iphroo, start searching Terran languages and testing them against the data you detected. We'll find the key to decoding your data disc neophyte. Once we have it, then we'll decide what to do with you... The leader stared at me again with a menacing smile. I stood my ground, not allowing anything to distract me from the mental exercise of focusing on Eve, who was now light years away, helping disoriented graduates come to terms with fourth density. Who's Eve? the leader asked me, your girlfriend? I grinned and said, Something like that. Iphroo spoke to the team leader, Sir, the Terran reference library says Eve was the first woman after the humans switched polarities and fell into physicality. The mythology of the creation of humans tells the story of her and Adam, the first man. Maybe the key has something to do with her. The leader stepped closer to me, staring deep into my eyes. All I could picture was Eve's angelic face, smiling back at me. Yes, I think you're right Iphroo. Keep digging. He continued to consult the device he was holding, and eventually said, Their mythology was originally written in the language of the Jewish people. Perhaps if we try Eve written in Hebrew? The leader nodded. Yes, the Jews, the so-called chosen people. Their DNA was encoded with a mission profile to defeat the lizards. Their soul group was targeted for elimination during the second world war, but the lizards were unsuccessful in their attempt to cleanse the genetic pool of their influence, so instead they formed a state for the Jews and corrupted them with organic portals. I'm not telling you anything you don't

already know, am I...Adam? I gave him a look of severity and said, No. Ironically, the Jews' genocide of the Palestinian people echoed their own genocide at the hands of Adolf Hitler. Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it. In the end, their hate for the Arab world resulted in the destruction of their state and their culture. Fortunately, the Jewish people were spread out all over the world, so some did graduate with this mission profile encoded into their DNA prior to incarnation. I guess that doesn't bode well for the lizards now, does it? The leader's expression grew darker as he turned to Iphroo and grabbed the device from his hand. He tried word after word in Hebrew, using Biblical texts as a reference, but the disc remained hidden. I could sense his frustration growing. He made a few hand motions to Iphroo, who nodded and brought Zack and the others to the bridge. One by one, he sat them down in a chair and fired a gun of some kind at their foreheads. The gun apparently caused no pain as Zack and the other members of my crew were zapped with this tool and they didn't even flinch. Sir, the only knowledge extracted from them is that there was a disc on board this ship, and Adam hid it using dimensional folding. Now the leader was getting angry, and he pushed me into the seat. When he fired the gun at me, I fought with all my mental strength to send images and memories of Eve into it. The leader grabbed me and shouted at me telepathically, WHERE IS THAT DISC? GIVE ME THE CODE, NOW! Iphroo interrupted his harassment of me to so say, Sir, there's a Galactic Federation vessel approaching. We should let them leave now, or they'll arrest us and bring us to the PTC for questioning. It's no use sir, he's hidden it too well. I kept a straight face as the leader glared at me one last time. Okay Adam, you win. You know, I've never failed to find what I was looking for in a search and seizure operation. You were the first. For what it's worth coming from an Orion, you're pretty clever. I shrugged and said, Call it beginner's luck. After all, I'm a neophyte, and you knew I was lying from the start. I couldn't hide that fact from you. Don't worry, there will probably be other data discs to intercept. He nodded, signifying some kind of respect and they left our vessel and released us to pilot the ship out of the hangar. I hailed the Galactic Federation ship and once they opened the channel, I said, This is Adam of the vessel Terra One, requesting an escort to the Planetary Transition Council. The communications officer replied, We'd be happy to escort you Adam. I hope your run-in with that Orion ship wasn't too bad. I smiled, and said, Nothing we couldn't handle. Lead the way and we'll follow. And sir, thank you. He nodded and closed the channel. My fellow crew members looked relieved as I flew the ship towards a large planet covered with cities. The Federation ship touched

down with us on the landing pad, and as we left our ship an ambassador from theirs came to meet us. Greetings graduates, I am Nayvah and I shall lead you to the PTC headquarters. Tell me, did Captain Tener send a disc with you? I nodded and said, Yes, and it's safe. The Orions were unable to decrypt it. Nayvah looked impressed. Good work Adam. Very good work indeed. Our group followed Nayvah into a large ornate building, and the interior was quite grandiose. Bright lights shined down from the vaulted ceiling and the floor reflected the light with a dark, polished surface. The walls were mirrors, so the effect was that of walking through a large tunnel. At the end of the huge entrance hall, a gilded set of double doors slid open and a semicircle of humanoids sat around a curving stone desk. Some were projected as holograms, others were physically present. They all watched with great interest as we approached them and bowed. They all nodded in return, and the council leader, a being that looked like a black cat with yellow eyes said, Welcome friends. I am Council Leader Shwem. We have been anticipating your arrival eagerly, not only in hopes of receiving an update from Captain Tener, but also in meeting the first group of Terran graduates to make the journey to Orion and discuss the transition of your planet. I trust you have a data disc for us? I nodded, closed my eyes, and undid the encryption on the hyper-cube. The disc appeared in my hands and I approached Shwem and handed it to him. He immediately inserted it into a slot on the desk and a hologram of Earth appeared in the center of the room. Annotations and markers indicated important data that I couldn't fully understand, but the council looked very pleased. This is very good news indeed. The Galactic Federation's efforts are assisting the transition of your planet very well. I understand a group of Nordics intercepted your ship and tried to get this disc. Might I ask, how did you keep it hidden? I visualized the ROT-11 algorithm and the Gematria formula I used to encrypt the hypercube that contained the disc. Shwem said, Brilliant, just brilliant. Every disc they intercept makes our efforts more difficult. You have performed a great service for us Adam, you and your crew. For this, we would like to bestow upon all of you the title of Planetary Transition Officer. Your title will grant you access to certain technologies and resources that we believe you will find invaluable as you fight the lizards for control of your planet. As we speak, your ship is being upgraded and its computer is being loaded with the most current data on the status of Earth's transition. We sincerely hope that you will find these resources helpful in your mission. Do you have any questions that we might answer for you? Zack stepped forward and asked them, Why are some Nordics aligned with the STS faction? Shwem replied, That was simply the path they chose when they graduated. It's impossible to tell them apart from those of our polarity based solely on appearance, a

lesson you learned quickly and without much trouble it seems. You have excellent problem-solving skills, so we believe you will be of great service to us and to Terra during your transition period. It is time to return to Earth and begin your work. We will provide you with an escort to avoid any further encounters with ships masquerading as belonging to the Galactic Federation. Until we meet again Officers, farewell. We all bowed again and left. Nayvah followed us back to our ship and said, My ship would be honored to escort your crew to Terra. If you sync your computer with ours, we will be able to coordinate our warp travel. After that, we must return here for further assignments. I saluted him and he returned the salute, then we all boarded and prepared for takeoff. While our navicomp synced with Nayvah's ship, we explored the changes that had been made to our ship. As traveling through time and changing events was an extremely complex process, the PTC installed software to graph the branches of multiple parallel dimensions and create new ones to modify as we saw fit. They also installed a cloaking device and upgraded the capabilities of our TDARM and engine. Soon we were streaking past stars systems again, headed back to Earth. When we reached our destination, Nayvah sent us a message saying Good luck friends, and be careful. Then they left us in Earth's orbit and departed to head back to Orion while we docked at the Federation mothership. Askru was there to meet us again, and as he led us to the bridge, he brought us up to date on the latest developments. Several other groups have built ships and visited us while you were gone. Above ground and below the surface, teams are slowly but surely taking over the lizard's installations and driving them out. I asked him, I've been wondering, what's the average lifespan in fourth density? He replied, Approximately four hundred years. I said, Can we be killed? How does that work? I know the lizards have weapons, I've already fought one of them in third-density. I ended up taking his weapon from him and blasting him in the chest. He seemed pretty dead to me. Askru smiled and said, Impressive. It's not often third-density beings can fight a fourth-density being and win, even with three of you against one of them, as was the situation you faced. You killed a third-density projection of that lizard, but his fourthdensity body continued to exist. He felt the pain of death, and that takes time to recover from. The median lifespan does not change if you are killed in any state of physicality, but the time it takes to recover does depend on how physical you are when your body is damaged enough to kill you. Fourth-density beings who die in their most physical form lose their body for a short time, and become disembodied conscious entities with limited abilities while they recover.

We had reached the bridge by this time, and as we approached the captain, I asked one last question: So once a soul is incarnated in a fourth-density body, they have that body for approximately four hundred years, no matter how many times they are killed in any state of physicality? Askru nodded. I felt much better about our battle against the lizards now. They couldn't really kill us, they could only slow us down, and vice versa. We saluted Captain Tener and he returned the gesture. Congratulations to all of you on your promotion to officers of the PTC. I understand you were intercepted by a ship of STS Nordics posing as an STO security ship. Did you manage to hide the disc from them? I nodded and said, Yes, I used Hebrew letters and a simple encryption algorithm to hide the disc in a hypercube. They detected it with their instruments, but they couldn't decode it. It was delivered safely to the PTC. The captain smiled genuinely and said, Excellent work, I knew I could trust you to carry out the mission successfully. The PTC recognized your cleverness in hiding the disc, hence the promotion to the title of Officer. This is a great honor for such recent graduates as yourselves. I'm proud to be working with you on Terra's transition. Now, your ship was further upgraded at PTC headquarters, and I know you're eager to begin time-traveling. Since you seem to have developed a good rapport with Askru, he has volunteered to accompany you on some of these travels, advising you on how to go about changing the past until you understand the technique. Will you accept his offer? I turned to Askru who was smiling again, and said, We would be honored Askru. Thank you again captain, I think we are ready to begin setting right what once went wrong. With a final salute, we all left the bridge and headed back to the ship. I wanted to visit our new home before we began time-traveling, so we descended through the atmosphere and landed inside our mini hangar. We had a joyful reunion, and introduced Askru to our group. His light-blue skin was a little startling at first to some people, but his charisma quickly relaxed everyone as he told them about our mission to Orion, the encounter with the STS ship, and our promotion to officers by the PTC. We were led into the dark room with the Earth hologram and when they turned it on, I could see less red blobs and more green then first time we had seen it. We were making progress. I said, I'd like to visit Eve before we go. Rest and recuperate while I'm gone, I'll try to be back as soon as I can. Everyone nodded, understanding why I had to go. I focused on her face, her essence, and was teleported to her location instantly. All around me was a beautiful garden with fountains and flowering plants. It was almost Edenic, in a way. This was the place where Eve brought stranded and disoriented graduates to acclimate them to fourth density. I turned and saw Eve sitting on a bench talking to someone on both sides of me. Traveling forward, the two merged into one and I stood there until Eve looked up and jumped off the bench to hug me.

I missed you Adam. I felt her energy wash over me, and said, I missed you too. We exchanged accounts of our experiences and I felt such admiration for her work in helping so many souls find their way. She was proud of my promotion and my quick thinking to hide the data disc, and she was honored I thought of her when I encrypted it. For many of the souls she helped, she told parts of our story from third-density, the challenges we overcame together. Our actions demonstrated the bond we shared even when we were apart; we always kept each other in the forefront of our minds. The person she was talking to was watching us with a look of amazement on her face. I turned to her and shook her hand. This act transmitted her experience of facing the Dweller and riding the wave, and the fear and confusion she felt when she arrived here. I sympathized with her and she smiled. She started to speak out loud, then sent to me, Sorry, I'm still getting used to this telepathy thing. You two really love each other. Are you really soul-mates? I wonder if I'll ever find mine... I looked her in the eyes and said, You'll have a much better chance in this realm where you can see a person for who they truly are. Keep searching, I'm sure you'll find the person you're looking for. She thanked me with a swelling in her heart and a big smile. I excused Eve and myself and took Eve's hand so I could lead her a few feet away from the bench. Eve, I said, I'm going to start time-traveling now. We have someone from the Galactic Federation to help us learn how to change the past. We must believe that our planet can be free. We're making progress, the hologram of Earth at home showed us less red and more green. We can do this if we all keep working together. She gave me a long look and a sad smile, and hugged me once more as we said goodbye. I focused on our home and teleported there, and already I missed her. With our crew rested and our spirits lifted by all the good news and reunions, we boarded our ship and left the hangar. Askru sat at console that controlled the trans-dimensional atomic remoleculerizer and asked me, What time would you like to travel to first? I grinned as the first thing that popped into mind seemed a good test of our ship's capabilities. I want to visit myself in the recent past, when I was facing the Dweller. I knew I would eventually have to go back in time and mess with myself, so let's do it now. Askru laughed and said, Very well. I'm setting the temporal compass to the point when the wave washed over Earth. You must use your mind to navigate through the wave to find the dimension where you faced the Dweller. The indicator on the HUD will tell you when you've found the right dimension, and the navicomp will guide the ship there. Here we go. As Askru adjusted the compass, I pictured myself standing in the white mists. Through the window, I saw many dimensions filled with the mist, many souls facing the Dweller. This in-between realm was difficult to navigate, as everything looked the same. I remembered how I felt when me from the future appeared, and the indicator pointed towards one particular dimension.

I used the controls to fly the ship into that dimension, and we landed on the strange white surface. I said to my crew, I'll be right back. I walked down the ramp and sensed my way through the mist. I felt the presence of my past self and followed it, already practicing changing outfits as I approached him. Finally I saw him, and repeated word for word what was said to me when I was him. When I merged with him and gave him the intention to eventually do exactly as I was doing, I laughed inwardly at the absurdity of the mobius connection we had made. This event created a paradox which would repeat itself infinitely. I returned to the ship and we all had a good laugh at the expression on Adam's face when he realized he was meeting himself from the near future. Askru said, Okay, now that you've made a change that affected the timeline, might I suggest the next step? It will surely swing the course of events on Earth much further towards balance. As so many of your problems were caused by the power of belief, changing your corrupted religions to reflect the teachings they were based upon more accurately will change the course of history without free will issues. Altering the ancient texts is what the lizards did, and they did it knowing it would have a domino effect throughout your timeline. People will still be free to believe whatever they want, they will just have a more accurate set of belief systems to choose from. Askru called up information from the Akashic records and showed us the changes the lizards made, and when and where they made them. We started in the year 6000 B. C. and visited the various scribes who wrote the scriptures that formed the basis of the world's major religions. Since the lizards had to create alternate, parallel universes to make these changes in the timeline of actual events, we needed to do the same thing to undo these changes. I copied the list of locations and times in which the lizards influenced the scripture and put that list into the probability matrix computer. It would advise us on the changes that would happen if we gave it a scenario. Since each ancient scribe would require us to word our message differently, it took us much trial and error before we came up with a message for each instance that would change the probability matrix in a way that did not infringe upon free will. This required us to consult an advanced metathesaurus from the Akashic records to make sure the wording was absolutely correct. First we had to create a clone of the existing timeline, a whole separate universe we could make changes to. One of us would appear to the scribe as an angel of light. We spoke in their native language and gave them the carefully-worded messages that accurately reflected the real course of events according to the Akashic records. Once the texts were written, we would then merge our cloned universe with the original, and we tracked all the changes that were made as each soul made different decisions in every situation that involved the scriptures and the religions they were based on. Starting with the first scribe we visited, we could already see the positive effects we had on human

history. Some were minuscule, some were major, but added all together they moved our world closer to a state of balance. We repeated this process over, and over, and over. The old universes that branched off from our newly created ones continued to exist separately, and they would all merge at the realm border crossing. Once we got the hang of it, Askru told us that we no longer needed his assistance, that we could go on without him. We returned to the Federation mothership, thanked him and he returned to duty under Captain Tener. With the world's religions fixed to reflect the true teachings they were meant to give humans, we discussed what to do next. Our Earth hologram at home would show us the green versus red count, and let us consult our soul family on further changes. As we traveled to the surface, I sent a message asking Eve to return to the house. Once we had landed and greeted everyone, we pulled up the hologram and gave a small cheer. The green blobs now greatly outnumbered the red ones. All the positive changes in our history were taking our energy away from the lizards. Then I felt a strange disturbance as the hologram changed; I felt dj vu. We all felt dj vu as the time-lime shifted and the hologram showed Earth almost covered with red. No! What happened?! I thought. Initially our changes must have weakened them, so we had an easier time driving them out in fourth density. They must have done something to counter our changes. We consulted the Akashic interface and it informed us that just before the wave came, the lizards used holograms to fool as many humans as they could into going with them. They used holographic projections of Jesus to make some believe it was the Second Coming. To others, they appeared as handsome, glowing Nordics and invited them to escape the cataclysms that were coming. Most of the people who were convinced by the apparitions ended up as slaves to the lizards, or subjects for their genetic experiments to create a hybrid race that would allow the lizards inhabit third and fourth density; the so-called container project. It made sense to me that since we restored the past to a state of balance, the lizards would focus on the period close to the wave to make their changes. That was the only hope they had left to control us, and at the moment, it was working. I opened a channel to Captain Tener and waited for a reply. Orman responded and our Earth hologram changed to a cylindrical video screen. This is Galactic Federation mothership responding Terra One, how can we be of service? I said, Orman, you've seen that the lizards regained dominance of the planet in response to our corrective actions, yes? What do you suggest we do about this? The video feed switched cameras and showed us the captain's chair. Tener said, Prime Directive One prohibits us from interacting directly with your affairs, but it seems

;as if you will have to stop them from their actions just before the wave, by force if necessary. Are you prepared to do battle with the Orion Federation face to face? I bowed my head for a moment, recalling the events at the Coral Castle. I had managed to survive combat with a lizard once before. Looking back at the screen, I said to Captain Tener, Bring it on. He smiled mischievously, and said, Good. You'll probably want to consult the Records for light weapons schematics and martial arts training. Remember, both sides have physical bodies when in third density, so be prepared for anything. We'll communicate with the other ships you have available, and facilitate communication between your ships so that you can coordinate your efforts. Everywhere they project a hologram, someone will have to appear to try and reason with people to not trust it. Some people will still go with them, that's inevitable, but for those you can convince, bring them in your ship to the underground facilities in third density that are controlled by our side. Never forget that the lizards can't see past their own wishful thinking. You can overcome them. Tener, over and out. The video screen was replaced by the Earth hologram, the red blobs covering it like a virus. We all put our hands on the Akashic interface for the information Tener recommended. We manifested guns and armor for ourselves, and trained in hundreds of martial arts styles. Everyone boarded the ship, and we listened to communications from other Terran ships and the Federation mothership to coordinate which ship would go where. As it so happened, we were assigned to Central Park in New York City. Great, this should be fun, I thought. Eve said, I'll take that as an optimistic, rallying statement. I don't think sarcasm is possible in fourth density. I smiled and said, Oh, no, sarcasm has no place here. Definitely not. Impossible indeed. She gave me a playful punch in the arm, which must have felt like punching a pillow to her. Eve tuned the TDARM to New York City just before the wave hit. I navigated the ship with cloaking on, positioned it above Central Park, and we used the transporter pad to travel to the planet's surface. One of our crew sat at the helm in case we needed the ship to move, and another stayed in the transporter bay ready to beam us or others aboard quickly in groups of six. Yet another crew member consulted the probability matrix calculator, and gave it persuasive messages to test the effect they had on the present and future. After some trial and error, he telepathically sent us messages to try in colloquial New York City English. It would give us the best possible chance at keeping them from going with the lizards while still preserving their free will. We appeared in a cluster of bushes in the park, well out of sight of any potential onlookers. We hid our weapons and armor under our jumpsuits unless we really needed them, at which point they would appear attached to our bodies. There were two groups of people we needed to address, those who followed the hologram of Jesus, and those who

followed the glowing Nordic being who's job it was to lure in the non-believers. For the former, the probability matrix calculator suggested using an actual quote from the New Testament for the best possible results. Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly are ravening wolves. - Matthew 7:15. The other group of humans would not be so easily convinced. The PM calculator gave us several phrases to try, so if one didn't work, we had alternatives we could use. To catch the lizards off-guard, we would need to address both groups simultaneously. I sent Eve with several others to the hologram of Jesus, and the rest of us went for the other group at the opposite end of the park. We drifted closer to the group of people gathered around the glowing representative of the Illuminati, the Brotherhood of the Snake, the Annunaki. We could hear what he was saying to the crowd, and I waited for the right pause before interrupting. When the moment came, I shouted, People of New York City! This man is not who he says he is, he is feeding you lies and telling you what you want to hear. The truth is that the beings who control him, the same ones who have controlled Earth for thousands of years, are doing this as a last resort in a desperate attempt to control you! The glowing Nordic pushed his way through the crowd to face me. Instinctively, the people parted to make way for him. Who are you and why are you telling lies to these good souls? We are here to help them, and we are not forcing them to do anything. Explain yourself, right now! I stood my ground and yelled, Very well, you all deserve an explanation. I come from the future, Earth's near future. In the time I come from, Earth has ascended to a new level of existence, as it will soon do for all of you. If you decide to listen to this man, to go with him, you will only end up as slaves to his masters. The Nordic looked angry. He could sense, just as my crew could, that our words were working, that the people were beginning to doubt his true intentions. I knew it was really a lizard in disguise and that he was pouring energy into maintaining his appearance. If I could drain enough of his energy, he would revert to his true form for all to see. You look tired, why don't you just return to your ship and rest, I said to him. He shook his head vigorously. No, I'm fine, really. I just need to...need a moment to rest... I got down on one knee and closed my eyes. I drew as much energy from the environment as I could. The crowd could see the air shimmering around us, and his face turned red as he tried with all his might to maintain his composure. Stop it! he said, I need more energy! I...arrrgghh! Slowly, the illusion began to fade and part of his lizard essence came out. There were gasps and whispers from the crowd. You fool! he hissed. You'll pay for this! He drew a gun out and pointed it at my head. You see? I shouted. When confronted with the truth, his

kind always resorts to terrorism, as they have no other methods of persuasion left. This statement only seemed to infuriate him more. Finally, he gave up, and allowed his true form to manifest. This added a couple of feet and some muscular build to him, and though I still stood my ground and stared him in the eyes, the crowd backed away at the sight of the reptoid. He barked something at me that roughly translated to son of a whore! and fired his gun. I ported not an instant before the gun blast snapped a tree in half behind where I had just stood. The other members of my crew started gathering people up and leading them around the spot where I was now circling back and forth, facing the lizard. He fired again, and again, and each time I ported a few feet away. I brought my armor and weapon out, and began firing back. He was just as quick as I was, my shots hit the ground or the trees around us. I could read his thoughts, and he was thinking the same thing I was. With guns we were an even match. The only way to settle this fight was martial combat. He holstered his gun, and I did the same. He growled as he flexed his muscles and cracked his knuckles. I wasn't intimidated, his size and strength was his weakness. I was much more agile than him. He began advancing and growling with rage, and I crouched down, waiting until he was close. At the last second, I ported behind him and grabbed his legs, and he fell flat on his face. We had cleared Central Park of the third-density humans, and our shuttle left to drop them off at the nearest underground STO base. The lizards had given up on the hologram of Jesus, and were sending reinforcements to help their comrade who was fighting me. Eve and the rest of our team showed up just in time, and an all-out battle began. Hand-to-hand, or with guns, we fought against the lizards without fear. They were easy to distract so that one of us could fire at them and score a hit. I punched and kicked the lizard I was fighting as I ported around him in circles. Every time he turned to face me, I was there delivering another blow. They were slow and clumsy against us little humans. A couple of our team members went down, and the enraged lizards tore out their innards with their clawed hands. I didn't let it distract me, I told myself they would just be disembodied for a short time while they recovered. I had grabbed a gun that lay on the ground, and wielding mine and the spare one, began pistol whipping them instead of punching them. Whenever I saw an open shot at a lizard who was turned away from me, I fired a blast. Then I heard one of them bark in their rough language, Give yourselves up or the girl gets it in the head! I turned with dread in my heart and saw a lizard holding a gun to Eve's head. She sent her thoughts to me, Don't listen to him. You know I'll recover from it. Winning this battle is crucial to our cause, it's not worth it to save me. There was no fear that came with her words. She was bravely willing to take the fall, which made me want to save her that much more. I made my way towards her, lizards dropping left and right as I fought with all the skill and speed I could muster. By the time I had reached them, the rest of the lizards were dead and the remainder of our team all turned to face the last lizard who was holding Eve hostage. We all aimed our guns at the lizards head,

and he roared at us with anger. I looked Eve in the eyes, and she nodded at me, Do it Adam. Kill him. I'm ready to die for this, and we'll be together again soon. I hesitated for a second, aimed carefully, and fired a direct shot that hit the lizard in the face. Eve broke away and ran towards me. We hugged and sighed in relief while our team cheered. Our ship returned at that moment, and began beaming us aboard. We lifted off and tuned back to fourth density. I consulted a copy of the Earth hologram in our home and saw almost all green blobs on the globe. Captain Tener appeared on the screen and said, Well done graduates, well done indeed. I've overseen many planetary transitions, and yours was one of the fastest and most efficient battles I've ever seen. The few remaining red dots on your planet are the lizards' genetic experimentation lab, where they are trying to create a hybrid race. They will fight to the death to protect them, as its their only chance to succeed now. I suggest you hit them immediately in a coordinate strike and be rid of them once and for all. Stock up on heavy weapons, grenades, anything you can. You probably wont like what you see down there, but you'll also see why they are the most important facilities to shut down. Humans are being held there for the lizards' atrocious experiments. If you free them, they will have the opportunity to face the Dweller and graduate. I'll help you coordinate the attack, and if you get stuck and need help, we'll be permitted to assist you to a certain degree. I agreed with the captain and we made our way to the facility we were assigned to. We used ground-penetrating sonar to locate the hangar bay, and once inside, we ran down the exit ramp. Eve and I began firing at the guards stationed at the main door to the facility, and their bodies dissolved as they died and went to the recovery state. We used an electronic door lock descrambler, and a moment later the doors opened to a long hallway. We ran down the dark tunnel, ready for a lizard to appear on either side of us, but the doors we passed remained closed. At the end of the tunnel, the space opened up into a large room with operating tables, large tanks filled with liquid that held the human test subjects unconscious, and a computer lab that was probably for genetic testing and manipulation. All of the lizards and some hybrids were here, and we started firing at them. They scattered and took cover, some of them returning fire. I chucked a grenade into the computer lab and heard several lizards scream as it exploded. With heinous fourthdensity medical technology, some humans were kept alive and awake while being operated on, and the sight of them cut open and staring at us disgusted me. We triggered the controls that would drain the tanks and wake up the other humans who were in stasis, and began attaching tracking beacons to all of them so they could be transported to a Galactic Federation medical ship. One by one we killed all of the lizards, suffering only a few casualties on our side. We had done it, we had taken the facility from them. The question remained as to what to do with the hybrids. They were not yet loyal to the lizards, as they had been mind controlled to do their bidding. Once all the lizards were

dead, they just wandered around looking confused. We beamed them all aboard a Federation ship so they could be evaluated and possibly rehabilitated. Our coordinated strike was a success, we had taken control of Terra. I could feel the intense emotional energy from the other teams of graduates celebrating our victory. On Captain Tener's orders, we all set a course for the Orion system, for a transition debriefing, as the captain called it. Eve's face lit up with amazement as we accelerated past light speed. Soon we came out of warp travel and navigated to the central planet I had been to before. No Orion ships intercepted us this time. As we landed with the many other Terran ships on the landing pad beside the PTC building, I looked into Eve's beautiful eyes. She could still penetrate deep into my soul with those eyes, even now. Is this really happening? Does Terra belong to us now? She smiled and nodded. It was hard for me to believe. I had focused so much on defeating the lizards and driving them out that I hadn't yet thought about what life would be like if we actually succeeded. Now we could live a life without scarcity, without lies, without inequality. We could explore the galaxy, learn about new untold wonders, play with reality. We walked with the other graduates down the long hallway and entered the Planetary Transition Council meeting room. This time, more of the council members were here in person, only a few communicated through hologram. Shwem stood up and addressed the several hundred thousand of us that now stood there. Welcome citizens of Terra. You have fought against your controllers for control of your planet, and you were victorious. Naturally, the this has caused an upset in the Orion Federation, so we brought you here together today to settle the matter for good like intelligent beings should. Would the representative from Orion step forward? We all watched intently as a reptilian approached Shwem. He was wearing robes, not battle armor, and thus appeared slightly less intimidating. Now a representative from Terra, Transition Officer Adam, would you too step forward? Yes, bring your companion with you. Eve glanced around nervously as we approached the reptilian and the cat-like council leader. Shwem spoke again, You, Adam's companion, what is your name? Eve's voice caught in her throat briefly, but she managed to say Eve. Shwem smiled at us, unintentionally baring his fangs. I find it a humorous synchronicity that your mythology regarding the reptilians tempting your planet and realigning your soul matrix with their polarity was a story of one Adam and Eve, and here at the end of your grand cycle of evolution, the two of you once again meet with a representative of the Orion reptilians. It is rather fitting, I think, that the two of you would represent Terra bearing the same names as your mythological ancestors. I could only nod, and say, I believe it was intentional, on the part of our souls. Can we now say that Terra belongs to the human soul matrix once again, that it is completely free of the lizards' influence? The lizard representative quietly growled and

nodded, even though he emanated displeasure. Shwem said, Yes Adam and Eve, you have earned that right. Terra is once again a free planet, but your transition into the galactic community is far from complete. We will continue to work with you as you develop fourth-density technology and begin to explore time and space. Now, shake hands with your former overseers, this will signify the end of your relations with them. I grasped the lizard's scaly hand as he eyed me with anger in his face. I could sense the feelings of defeat in him, and involuntarily I thought that there must be other planets to siphon the life energy from. Still, the loss of Terra was a major blow to his race. After the council's proceedings, I rode home with Eve in our ship, her head resting on my shoulder. What a long strange journey we had had together, and yet, our journey was just beginning.

Epilogue Eoa and Oome watched over their incarnations from fifth density with overwhelming exhilaration. After serving as Wanderers on many planets, the souls felt they were ready to settle down for the long road of evolution towards fifth and sixth densities. They had gained much experience in their travels from star system to star system, from civilization to civilization. Earth was poised to become a beacon of light and knowledge in the galaxy, and the prospect of ascending with Earth towards seventh density and reunion with the creator was too great to pass up. It took about a thousand years for them to adjust to the decision to polarize to the STO polarity, spread out over several fourth-density incarnations. Once they became fully acclimated to their new reality, they began to explore the galaxy, acting as ambassadors for their fledgling planet. After many cycles, they returned to Terra and shared their travels with the denizens of their home planet. The knowledge they had gathered spread over the planet, through each soul, until Terra was covered and permeated by it. This layer of ideas and cultures gathered from all over the galaxy contributed greatly to Terra's evolution. It affected the future, accelerating the learning cycle and providing lessons that were learned easily with this knowledge. It also affected the planet's past, providing a galactic mythology that would inspire countless visions, dreams, speeches, poems, books, films, songs, religions, and so on. Through the many varied forms of fantasy and science fiction, stories were told that taught the same lessons gleaned from gathering this knowledge from throughout the cosmos. To some souls, they were merely entertaining or recreational, but for others, they reminded them of something they had already experienced in a memory so distant, it seemed like a dream. This remembering awakened them, if only a little, to the greater world around them and the fantastic possibilities of life in the Universe. This book that you hold in your hands, is a relic from the past...and an artifact from the future. It is a record of what has occurred, and a prophecy of what is to come. The story told within it is archetypal, its experiences are universal and familiar to all. It is simply the Great Cycle of creation and destruction, acted out on endless stages in front of countless audiences for aeons and aeons. Some members of the audience join in and become actors, and some actors grow weary of their efforts and just watch the others for awhile. Some remain as spectators for many cycles, never interacting with the production in front of them, thinking of it as more of a projection on a screen instead of a play on a stage, with props and lighting and special effects. Some souls are working behind the scenes to achieve various goals. Only rarely do the players or audience become aware of their existence, and then only briefly, for the story is so engaging, so riveting, that all

those involved are truly convinced that it is real, and not just an illusion for the sole purpose of teaching lessons. If you are a mechanical animal, a soulless individual, then this book may hold no meaning for you. If, however, you have ever felt the pain of another soul, can show remorse, have a conscience and can love others, then maybe something in this book has touched your soul. To those souls who read this book, take from it what is useful, and leave the rest. Do not allow yourself to be swayed by others opinions of it, for each soul might interpret it differently than the next. That is what makes each soul so special and unique like snowflakes, for no two are exactly alike. Only you can truly decide what this book means to you. Only you can make the decision to think about the ideas contained within, or to ignore them and go read another book. To be a proprietor of one's own soul, to truly own it and take responsibility for it, is what this book encourages you to do. I believe the so-called meaning of life is simple: all there is is lessons. The Universe is just one big school. Each soul has a divine spark, and is truly a creator (and destroyer) in their own right. As we were once given individuality to experience the Universe from a unique perspective, eventually we all return to the source. It's easy to get caught up in the drama and chaos, and forget the simple yet profound teachings we know to be true in our hearts, but whenever we remember to stop and take a step back, we look at the big picture and see that everything that exists is there for a reason. We may not know the reason for that thing to exist right now, or ever, but rest assured, there is a reason. Even the very wise cannot see all ends. How does one get by? With critical thought, healthy skepticism, and an objective but open mind. Oh, and of course a sense of humor. Did you actually think this book was an allegory? Don't take life so seriously! I was only kidding! This novel is just the product of an overactive imagination, a work of fiction. I simply wanted to tell a good story. Now that it's over, just close the book. Or read it again. Or put it back on the shelf and read it later. Or even give it to a friend. Life is full of choices, and it's impossible to pick the wrong one. Every choice just leads to another lesson. Live comfortably with the knowledge that you can't go wrong. Hope you enjoyed the ride. Warren Picket Calender

Acknowledgments It is a challenging task to decide what has influenced me strongly or often enough to warrant explicit recognition in a work such as this. Particularly, my research as a whole has produced the conditions that made me decide to write such an ambitious book. In a sense, all of it is relevant in some way, large or small. Those people or works with a small or infrequent influence are no less precious to me, but I believe that the universal Law of Karma guarantees that the Universe records those things that influenced the creation of this book. Therefore, I shall not mention them here, so as to focus on the primary influences. To Laura Knight-Jadczyk and Arkadiusz Jadczyk, the Quantum Future Group, and the staff of Signs of the Times for their tireless work to analyze, expose, and transmit an objective and critical world-view for all those souls with eyes to see and ears to hear. To Alex Grey and Pablo Amaringo for their amazing visionary art. To Richard Linklater for the film Waking Life. To the Wachowski brothers for The Matrix and all that has followed it. To the band Tool for prying open my third eye. To Gurdjieff, Ouspensky and Mouravieff for the Fourth Way teachings. To Milton Erickson for his pioneering work with cognition and behavior in the field of hypnotherapy. To Erowid.org for their collection of ayahuasca experiences. To F. J. Mayers, to Carlo Suars, and to Psyche.com for drawing me into the world of esoteric Bible study. To Julian Jaynes for bicameral psychology. To Vernor Vinge for the Zones of Thought and group consciousness in his epic A Fire Upon The Deep. To Stephen King for teaching me many things about fiction. To Robert Anton Wilson for guerrilla ontology. To Arthur C. Clarke for the Laws of Prediction. To all my heroes in the world of cyberpunk literature. To Bill Hicks for insightful and hilarious philosophy. To Hunter S. Thompson for gonzo journalism. Without you, this book would not have been possible. To my husband Jim, my family, and my friends, thank you for your love and support. This book is dedicated to all of you. Thank you all, a million, billion times, from the bottom of my heart. To all those souls who are special to me, thank you for being who you are. Without any one of you, the world would be very different. Without all of you, it would cease to exist. Last, but certainly not least, to Prime Creator, thank you for an amazing, wondrous, infinite and eternal Universe. Sincerely,

Warren

Further Reading A Fire Upon The Deep Vinge, Vernor Bringers of the Dawn Marciniak, Barbara Finnegans Wake Joyce, James Gnosis Mouravieff, Boris Gods of Eden, The Bramley, William Monsters and Magical Sticks Heller, Steven & Steele, Terry Lee Origin of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind, The Jaynes, Julian Ra Material, The Rueckert, Carla; Elkins, Don; McCarty, James Allen Snow Crash Stephenson, Neal Unknown God, The Mayers, F. J. Wave, The Knight-Jadczyk, Laura