I open my eyes and find myself standing among enormous stone pillars carved with ancient symbols; I recognize this place immediately, it is Göbekli Tepe, the temple built twenty-five thousand years ago and then buried; my astral body emits a soft glow, telling me that I am dreaming, and yet everything appears more real than waking life; beside me is the Unicorn, my spiritual guide, its mane of a thousand colors shines in the starlight and its horn glistens like a reflection of the Moon; we greet each other without saying a word and, together, we turn to look at the silent stones; the animal carvings seem to stare at us, I see foxes, snakes and birds, their meanings are lost in time, a thousand questions swirl in my head like leaves in the autumn wind but the answers remain beyond my reach.
Then the sky begins to change, a greenish glow spreads overhead, growing until it becomes something akin to a northern lights but painted with all the colors of the rainbow; the Unicorn's voice enters my thoughts: "What you see is a living being," it whispers. The colors of the aurora settle into a deep blue, its light condenses, takes shape and before us appears a figure slightly taller than me, he looks like a man made of sapphire with eyes that hold the wisdom of distant worlds.
The blue man descends to the ground with surprising delicacy. "Hello," he says, in a voice that betrays a slight embarrassment. "My name is Nox and I travel between dimensions in search of help." My guide tilts its head, observing this visitor. "Tell us your problem and, if we can, we will help you," it replies in a calm tone. "In my dimension a fellow named Fiz has been appointed high priest," whispers Nox. "He forbids sexual relations outside of marriage, forbids us to laugh, imposes fasts, bans music, forbids the interpretation of dreams and forces us to leave the house only for work, study or prayer; he says that the Deities speak through him." Nox raises his gaze to the sky as if to gather strength. "Lately he seems to have gone mad, he has ordered all males to have their penis amputated and he intends to have the statues of the Goddess Aphrodite torn down." Words are not needed to comment that all this is absurd, Nox observes us as if he had understood our innate predisposition toward freedom, our energies seem to resonate, we have become friends after just a few words.
"Take us to your dimension, we want to speak with this Fiz," says the Unicorn. Nox raises his hands, before us appears a circle of golden light, a portal between worlds, we enter and for an instant everything dissolves into a vortex of light and silence then our feet touch cold ground; I look around, we are inside a temple of breathtaking proportions, two dark wooden doors stand before us, they are as tall as giants and carved with the figures of the Gods, several white stone columns rise like ancient trees toward a vaulted ceiling, along the walls frescoes and mosaics frame niches where the statues of the Deities reach twice the height of a man; hundreds of people fill the space, I see men and women with blue skin intoning a mysterious song accompanied by an instrument similar to an organ, they are dressed in white linen tunics that reach their ankles, they wear necklaces of blue stones and bracelets of a metal similar to copper but what strikes me most are their faces, which convey a silent resignation, as if they had forgotten what it means to smile.
At the center of the temple, on a raised black stone altar, sits Fiz; he is an old man dressed in a tunic so covered in gold and diamonds that he looks more like a merchant than a priest, in his right hand he clutches a golden scepter studded with gems, a crown of precious stones encircles his bald head, his aura extends only a few centimeters from his body and is irregular, almost full of holes in some places. "When you see a priest covered in gold," I think, "he is not a true priest."
Fiz's voice thunders from the altar: "Oh imperfect beings, the penis must be completely amputated to achieve the ascension promised by Zeus!" Rage overwhelms me, I clench my fists, blood pulses at my temples; I turn toward the crowd and my voice comes from my chest like a roar: "Do not listen to this impostor! Zeus gives us expansion, the energy that allows us to surpass ourselves, he promises nothing and does not order us to mutilate ourselves!" I raise my voice even more. "Imperfect beings, as this man wants to make you become, are those who act against their own nature!" My guide steps forward. "Right words, Kael."
The high priest's face turns purple with rage. "Who are you?" he asks, his voice suddenly icy. "We are travelers," replies the Unicorn. "We like to travel between worlds." "Guards, seize these two blasphemous sinners! We will begin to purify them! Cut off their penises!" shouts Fiz. Eight guards move toward us with hard, impassive faces, the two largest approach my guide with smiles that promise nothing good. "Come here, let me purify you," one growls. The Unicorn begins to move its ears, then, in a flash, its hooves rise with choreographic precision, the two guards, hit by its kicks, fly backward like puppets, crashing against the benches, for a moment no one moves. "Let's run, Kael!" cries my guide. We dart toward the exit, the enormous wooden doors are slowly closing, four guards are pushing them, the gap narrows, the Unicorn accelerates and I follow it, before us is a sliver of light that grows ever narrower, a few meters from the exit I trip and my hands hit the floor. "Seize that blasphemer!" shrieks the high priest, pointing at me with his finger. A guard's shadow looms over me, his hands reach for my shoulders, then I hear a dull thud and the guard flies away, it is the Unicorn's hoof that struck him in the chest; I get up quickly, three long strides and we slip through the gap as the doors close with a roar behind us, missing us by a few centimeters.
But it is not over, three guards coming out of a side entrance are just a few steps away from us, the closest one reaches a hand toward me, his fingers brush my hair. "Ingrate!" he growls. I feel his breath on my neck, fear clouds my vision, then I hear a voice beside me: "Friend, do you need a ride?" asks my guide. Immediately I leap onto its back and we dart away; a spear whistles past my ear, then another, the wind whips my face, the ground beneath us looks like a blur, houses, people, the temple, everything merges into a mosaic of colors; we climb a mountain and the village shrinks, the shouts become distant whispers, my vision steadies and my heart slows, finally I feel relieved.
Before us opens a landscape that takes one's breath away, a world suspended between dream and reality, the sky is dark blue crossed by several faint rainbows, the mountains look like petrified waves; below, in the valley, lies the village of the blue men and, at its center, dominating everything like a giant among dwarfs, stands the temple, it is massive, imposing, its towers resemble those of ancient Khmer temples but are much taller and of a blue color.
We find shelter in a cave. "What can we do?" I ask the Unicorn. "I have no idea," it replies. Then I see it stop suddenly, attracted by some small, glowing yellow stones embedded in the walls. "Do you feel the energy of these stones? I believe something that can help us is hidden here," it says. I feel nothing but I trust it; as we go deeper, the size of the stones increases until we reach an underground chamber lit as if it were daytime, in the center is a wonderful natural lake surrounded by large yellow stones. "That one," says my guide, pointing to a particular stone, "is perfect as a container for a thought-form, I will create one that works like those video cameras in your world." It pauses, then continues: "We will place it in Fiz's house and if he does something that reveals his nature as a charlatan, people will see everything."
I grab the stone, the Unicorn infuses it with its energy and programs it with three simple commands: start, end and show; a few moments later its voice becomes serious: "Kael, never create a thought-form endowed with consciousness, you would create a servant who did not choose to be one," it says. Minutes pass and I think about what could go wrong. "How long will it last?" I ask. "About twelve hours," replies my guide. "And if the high priest can sense the presence of thought-forms? I can," I say. The Unicorn looks me straight in the eyes. "He won't perceive it, he is too focused on himself, trust me," it sighs. "The only thing that could ruin our plan is if the stone is accidentally broken, such a weak thought-form would vanish instantly but let's hope that doesn't happen."
We climb back toward the cave entrance and find Nox waiting for us. "I found you by sensing your aura," he says. "I can't host you at my house because they are looking for you and they would find you there immediately; I brought you sleeping bags and some vegetable soup." We thank Nox, then we explain the plan to unmask the high priest; I place the yellow stone in Nox's hands. "Say the word start before entering Fiz's house," I tell him, "and say the word end tomorrow morning, when you leave with the stone." We say goodbye and, after our friend has gone, my guide and I prepare to spend the night.
We spent the night without sleeping, it is already morning and we see Nox arriving with the stone, thanks to a potion that made him invisible, he managed to enter and leave the high priest's house unseen; I hold the stone in my hands and the Unicorn says the word show, at first nothing appears, Fiz dines and reads a book, then we see him disguise himself, he puts on a white tunic, a fake beard and a wig, he holds a fake trident, he looks like Zeus; he stands before a crystal sphere, mutters some magic words, then begins an ambiguous speech. "I am Zeus, for your own good, for your spiritual growth, all males must have their penis amputated," he says. When he finishes speaking he says other magic words and then shouts: "Incompetents! Good-for-nothings! Your lives are in my hands!" I turn furiously toward the Unicorn and Nox: "That impostor created a thought-form similar to ours! He used it to record that video inside the sphere and he wants to show it to people, making them believe it is truly a God speaking!" They nod.
Rage runs through my astral body. "We must unmask him and make him pay! I hope they punch him in the face many times! I would like to kick him!" I shout. My guide sighs. "Kael, you hate hierarchies and top-down relationships, but think about it, when you kick someone, even an oppressor, you are creating a top-down relationship; do not become like those you hate." It stops, pensive, and continues: "In a society that oppresses, sometimes even the oppressors are oppressed." I remain perplexed for a moment. "The usual nonsense words of the Unicorn," I think. It looks at me. "Kael, I heard that," it says, laughing. Damn, it read my mind! But as we head toward the temple, its words echo in my head, it says not to become like those I hate, but it is so hard, when you see a tyrant you just want to destroy him.
Finally, my guide, Nox and I arrive at the temple, all three of us are uncertain about what will happen. "What if people don't believe us?" I ask the Unicorn. "Don't worry, I am sure many already have doubts about Fiz's good intentions," it answers me. Inside the temple, the crowd is immense, the high priest is on the altar, his voice thunders among the columns: "Tonight, on my sacred sphere, I received a message from Zeus!" he declares. "Listen to his words!" The crystal sphere begins to glow, my heart beats fast, Fiz has already activated the projection of his fake message. "We must stop him," I whisper. "Wait, let him speak, then when his lie is at its most solemn moment we will intervene," replies my guide. The crowd watches the video of the fake Zeus in silence and when it ends, the high priest looks triumphantly at the people; without saying anything, the Unicorn walks to the center of the temple, next to the black altar, Nox and I follow it. "Now look at the message that the Goddess Truth helped me record on my sacred crystal!" it shouts. The crowd looks at us, nervously I hold the stone in my trembling hands, my guide says the word show and everyone sees Fiz disguised as Zeus, Fiz asking males to have their penis cut off and finally Fiz mocking them, calling them incompetent.
The people are shocked, some are incredulous, others disoriented, many begin to shout: "You are an impostor!" The high priest's face turns purple, then white, then red like a ripe tomato, his legs tremble, the old man staggers backward, tripping over his own cloak, then gets up and runs toward the emergency exit; we all follow him; Fiz climbs the tallest palm tree he finds. "Liar!" someone shouts. "You made us do absurd things!" shouts another. "Coward!" exclaims a third. The Unicorn stands before the crowd and states: "Violence in this circumstance is useless, let him come down without harming him." I watch the scene and murmur: "I would leave him up there for a few more days."
Fiz comes down, his feet touch the ground but he immediately falls to his knees, his own sobs shake him, the gold and diamond crown slips from his head and rolls to the people's feet, everyone falls silent, only a man with a contorted face and clenched fists steps forward: "Why did you do it?" he shouts. The old man replies without looking him in the eyes, his voice is no longer a thunder but the sigh of a tired man: "I did it because of my existential failure, I saw fulfilled people and I was envious, I wished I were in their place." A shiver runs through the crowd, someone holds their breath, the high priest continues: "I saw people love, laugh, make music, each excelled at something, but I never had any of that." He stops, tears streak his cheeks. "Every time I tried to stand out, work closed doors on me, women turned their backs on me, I never had any real friends, I could neither sculpt nor paint nor excel at sports, everyone made fun of me." Many murmurs spread through the crowd.
The old man bows his head even lower: "When I began to say that I heard the voices of the Gods, people looked at me with eyes full of respect." His smile fades. "And yet inside I still felt like a nobody because I was not truly fulfilled, I only gave the illusion of being so." A long silence, then Fiz lowers his head further until it almost touches the ground: "So I thought that if I could not fulfill myself, if I was a desert, I would turn everything around me into desert." The people fall silent, astonished.
The old man suddenly raises his face to the sky, his eyes become almost luminous, his voice trembles: "Sometimes, while I was performing, I truly believed I had the Gods on my side, I thought that if they did not intervene to stop me, it meant they approved of my actions." A shiver runs through the air, the crowd is shaken, my guide takes a few steps forward, its voice is cold as ice: "What kind of priest are you?" Fiz trembles on his knees. "The Gods are sources of energy endowed with consciousness, present everywhere, they give us their powers without asking anything in return, but they never intervene in the affairs of living beings." The old man bows his head again. "My conviction was madness," he murmurs.
The Unicorn turns toward the crowd, its words fall like stones into a pond: "Phthonos, envy, gives us its energy to push us to improve ourselves, but when, instead of striving to equal or surpass those who are better than us, we act to destroy them, we end up in situations like this." Its voice becomes softer: "Remember that no God will ever ask you to do things that go against your nature."
A deep silence pervades the air, then Nox steps forward beside my guide, his voice is gentle but firm: "Fiz made a grave mistake, but what happened is not only his fault." A murmur of surprise runs through the people, Nox raises a hand, asking for silence. "When he was a man trying to stand out, the members of the village council knew very well that he was struggling, but they did nothing, some even mocked him." The council members look at each other, one tall with a long blue mustache says: "Fiz has always had a difficult character, what could we do?" The Unicorn speaks loudly: "It was not enough to unmask Fiz, your hypocrisy must also be unmasked."
Nox, with a slight smile, turns toward the old man and offers him a hand. "Get up, it is never too late to make the desert bloom," he tells him. The man lets himself be pulled up but remains standing with difficulty; before this tottering old man who cries, the crowd falls silent, tears fall from the eyes of some, they are crying for the man who wanted to mutilate them; my guide turns its gaze toward me. "Do you still want to kick him?" it asks me. I bow my head and answer simply: "No."
The inhabitants of this dimension decide Fiz's punishment: he will plow the fields and perform other hard labors for a few months, in the meantime the true holders of wisdom, people like Nox, will help him fill his existential void; but the inhabitants also decide to make some structural changes to the village council so that society will be more attentive to the needs of the individual, furthermore they establish that from now on, in matters of spirituality, there will be no more hierarchical scales; I see a group of thirteen people sitting in a circle playing drums and singing cheerfully, I turn to passersby and say: "This is true spirituality."
Suddenly I wake up in my bed, I am confused, I go to the kitchen and prepare coffee; as my mind clears, I think of Fiz and all those people in my world who, claiming to speak in the name of a God, impose restrictions contrary to human nature and bless wars; I wonder why we should empty our lives of everything that makes them vibrant, why bridle sexuality, flaunt fasting, silence music; if Hedone gives us well-being, if Aphrodite gives us love, if Polyhymnia gives us music, why throw away these gifts? This is ingratitude; doctrines that teach renunciation have forgotten a fundamental truth: the Gods do not give us their energies so that we throw them in the trash, causing ourselves suffering, they give them to us so that we manifest them with the intention of living in the best way possible.
The human being is not imperfect as Fiz said, it is the social structure that is; in an environment where institutions create monsters only to then punish them, where a certain percentage of individuals is excluded, people like Fiz proliferate easily, people who have failed existentially who, instead of striving to surpass themselves, try to drag others into their desert; I think of my father, abandoned by his mother when he was still an infant, beaten by teachers and parents, treated like a servant by his family of origin, forced into an arranged marriage; he is no longer with us, but if I were to meet his soul somewhere on the astral plane, I would not offer him my hand, I would not forgive him for what he did, but I would not kick him.
I open the window, the Sun shines in a cloudless sky, the morning air caresses my face, I hear the birds singing and the scent of flowers around the pond below my condominium, a feeling of well-being pervades my body, it is the energy of Hedone. "Thank you, Hedone," I whisper.
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