When I needed to completely escape from reality, I would retreat into my secure pod within the bunker. In this virtual world, I could perform ancient rituals while under the influence of synthetic ayahuasca. Whether it had any tangible effects on me was debatable, but personally, it always felt amazing.
Before beginning this ritual, I would remove all clothing and stand unclothed in the pod. This allowed the sensors to detect the hidden tattoos that adorned my body - symbols of spiritual protection and a key to the true purpose of the pod. These tattoos were banned and discovering them would be a death sentence, so they were created using transparent bio ink that only became visible when I pressed a biochip implanted in my left wrist, releasing non-toxic chemicals that activated the ink.
The release of ink, or rather the chemicals that activated its appearance, was programmed into the pod. As the ceremony began and the ink became visible, the pod would open, and to the untrained eye, it would seem as though the ink was moving across my body in a continuous loop. It started at my left wrist, travelled up my arm, over my shoulders and neck, across my face, down my back and chest, over my buttocks and groin area (including my penis and scrotum), down my legs, and finally reached my right wrist where the last element would be released through my hands and out to my fingertips. My tattoos were a nod to my ancient Celtic Pictish and Druid roots, serving both as a means of activating my pod for a different purpose and providing protection through the ancient sigils incorporated into their design for my shamanic rituals.
After the tattoos were fully released and the pod opened, I would perform The Qabalistic Cross and The Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram while standing naked. These ancient magick practices would help to boost my energy levels before moving on to the next step.
Then, I would continue with the shamanistic art of Lo Ban Pai, a combination of tai chi and martial arts that allowed me to open doorways within reality and move energy throughout my body and the room. Once these rituals were complete, I would sit in my throne-like chair and put on a headset to enter an ultra-high state. This was like entering an ancient Buddhist temple where I could achieve a deep meditative state. These techniques may not have been traditionally Celtic or shamanic, but they were commonly practiced by occultists before laws changed and people started using pods. They helped me centre my energy and protect my physical body from outside influences that may not be detectable while inside the pod. Plus, it was important for me to keep this tradition from my ancestry alive in the real world.
Reclining in my throne-like chair, I rest my bare feet on an earthing mat - a banned item - to create a connection between myself and the earth. This helps me maintain some sense of reality while in this ultra-high state.
Meditating with the reconstructed Buddhist monks of Tibet is the most peaceful experience I've ever had. I make time for it now and then to reconnect with my inner self and the interconnectivity of all things.
The energy from our practices and rituals continues to flow through my body and energetic field as I enter a deep meditation. Over time, I have mastered the ability to quickly reach this state. Despite the distractions of thoughts and emotions trying to hold onto my ego, I can release them and transcend beyond myself. In this transcendent state, I exist both outside and within myself simultaneously - perceiving both higher and lower plains, knowing and not knowing, seeing, and not seeing, and being both within and without at the same time.
From this physical location, I rose to the ultra-high reality, while remaining seated in my throne-like chair in actual reality. Through a series of rituals and practices that I had previously performed outside of the ultra-high reality, I was able to merge these two worlds into one cohesive energy.
During the ceremony in ultra-high, my naked body was elevated into a ball of light as my tattoos acted as connections to the stars in the ultra-high sky and as hooks into the code within the walls of my pod. This served as my doorway and access point into the deep code of the matrix within the ultra-high system. Although I was off the grid, I still could connect to it for hacks and stealth attacks if needed. However, there was always a risk involved as any doorway created out could also be used as a possible entrance. If I stayed too long in the outer network, there was a danger of triggering the pod's security fail-safe, assuming I was lost or dead, and closing off my entrance forever.
Once connected to the deep code and in a state of heightened consciousness, I was given a cup of ayahuasca by the Shaman who was part of my ceremonies and rituals in this ultra-high reality. After drinking the unpleasant liquid, I lay down in a hole in the dirt while a monk covered me with earth, dirt, and nature. A net was placed over my head to keep bugs from entering my orifices (yes, there are bugs in ultra-high) and I was completely buried with only my nostrils exposed for breathing. The monk sat nearby me, cross-legged and banging on a drum while chanting words of protection to guide me through any difficult parts of the drug-induced experience and shield me from outside influences that may seek to harm me.
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This graphic novel is a true cyberpunk mentalist fiction created with a dialogue between low life (the writer) and high tech (the Ai), it is an ongoing dialogue that will grow and change over time.
This is a live book series writing/story art, graphic novel cyberpunk, and dystopian fantasy project. Written by Sam I Am Artwork by Wonder Ai directed by Sam I Am. Copyright is protected. It is a first rough draft work in progress so will change over time. This project is part of the SleeplessDystopian.com writing projects.
