Editor’s Note: Paisley Circus is pleased to feature the philosophictional writing of Stephen Hershey. Stephen is an altruistic adventurous scoundrel currently traversing the transcribed terrestria in an effort to calibrate and compartmentalize the musings, mysticisms, and misgivings of the modern age. He writes from Brooklyn, NY, and has contributed to Reality Sandwich, Modern Mythology, and Evolver Editions.

Illustration by Sebastian Giacobino

A Choose Your Own Adventure:

You are visited by an extraterrestrial craft that is made of energy and powered by thoughts. The beings that greet you look familiar, though you have never seen them before. They tell you that the world you live in is an illusion.

“Nothing new,” you reply.

They want to give you an opportunity to see the world from their perspective.

“Would you like to come with us?” they ask.

“Yes!”

“But wait. Before you get excited… if you want to come with us, then you have to give up everything.”

“Everything?”

“Everything.”

“What about my favorite book?”

“Obvi.”

“My job?”

“What job?”

“What about my wife and children?”

“Gone.”

“I can’t just abandon them. That would be cruel and heartless. Plus, I would miss them terribly.”

They tell you that the reality they encompass is much bigger than what appears to be true. In their world there is no crime, for there is no pain. There is no sickness, for there is no imbalance. There is no longing, for there is no separation.

They tell you that soon, your entire world will shift into a world just as their own, and marvelous, unimaginable realities will be manifest. They ask you to go with them and create an understanding of this dimension within you, but before you do, you must let go of everything.

“Even my–”

“Especially that.”

What do you do?

What kind of a universe do you live in? Are the animals there afraid of you, as they are here?

When seemingly different people visit you, you react fearfully, because you do not want your world to change. Think of the patience it takes to tame a wild kitten.

It’s okay to be afraid, but remember that change will still happen. Your beliefs will change. Your body will change.

What if, one day, people we cannot possibly believe exist engage us? Remember, it has happened before.

Maybe you react fearfully, and bear your teeth and fangs.

“No,” you say. “I will not go. I do not want to change.”

“But, you are.”

“No. I like my world the way it is. I enjoy remaining ignorant, and not knowing things. I do not like taking responsibility, because it probably requires more effort, though I’m not sure about that. That is what they teach me. Look at my house, look at my job, and look at my family. I’m well above the standard for what others view as happy living. As long as I have that, I am validated. By asking me to embrace your change, all of that washes away. And then, I will have nothing. And I will be worth nothing.”

“You have just revealed your own facade, and admitted that true worth is elsewhere. The wizard is rambling from behind the curtain, desperately trying to make sense of things. But, it’s okay. We love you.”

When someone confronts your biggest fears, you have a tendency to fight them. Maybe you are embarrassed that you are weak.

“But, it’s okay,” the person reminds you, “Because weakness is only a road to strength.”

After some time, the kitten grows tired from the hissing and scratching. Soon, all you want to do is rest. As your eyes drift off, you realize how good it feels to let be and fall into sleep.

And, there is change.

Think about your own drama for a moment. What did you sign up for?

Many years ago you came into this world, and you brought a fair amount of luggage with you. For most of you, it was probably overweight and the airline charged you triple to lug it all the way across the cosmos.

“Name?”

“Oh, these parents haven’t decided yet.”

“Reason for visit?”

“Well, I’d like to get rid of my wares.”

“What kind of wares?”

“Mostly stuff I’ve just picked up along the way. You know, pain, trauma, clutter, fear and whatnot.”

“Well, what are you going to do with it? You can’t just dump it anywhere, you know.”

“Oh, uh… right. I know. I guess I’ll just process it the old fashioned way.”

“Good to hear. When you proceed through customs, just follow the signs for Karma Drop-Off Zone, and load your luggage onto the blue conveyor belt. Make sure it’s blue. From there, you’ll be on your own. Do you need a dolly?”

“Yeah. Also, you know, the people that invited me here… do they have something to do with this?”

“Of course. Based on the 27th Cycle Universal Karmic Mandate of Geo-Consciousness, upon entering the cycles you have hereby agreed to take upon yourself the karmic path of the imparted character’s bloodline. You have come to assist. Failure to meet qualifications agreed upon during your present stay will result in either a repeated cycle with reinforced conditions, or the transference of duties onto another party. First time in a body?”

“Yes–no. Wait. I can’t remember.”

“Okay. Regardless, you’re only going to forget more the closer you get to the Exist. That’s why we’re going through this now. Once you’re out, you begin Entity Assimilation Phase Two and suffer temporary memory loss. This may seem drastic, but it’s essential for the most seamless karmic transference. More importantly, it’s crazy fun and you’ll get quite the high. Just remember to buckle up. If you need anything, a hotline to our Help Desk is located directly inside the heart.”

“Ok. Thanks.”

“Welcome to Life. Enjoy the ride.”

Did you make sure to do your yoga today? Are you serious about the spiritual path? Are you involved in the daily practice of being?

Raise your hand if you feel these questions are outright ridiculous, offensive, and boring.

“I have some questions,” you ask the visitors.

“Oh boy.”

Your awareness ever so slightly calls itself into focus. There’s more to the story here, and you just know it. If you can figure it out, then maybe you can have your cake and eat it too.*

“You say you are a higher dimensional being and attempt to lure me into your world of ascension. Yet there are many ascended masters here on this plane that have attained higher dimensions from their own free will and purging of karma. They keep their body purified, and dedicate themselves to a strong spiritual practice to become one with the universe. What if I am called to that path? I lead a dedicated spiritual life, and your implications of escape are making me uncomfortable.”

“That sounds like an awful lot of work. Do you want to do that?”

“Yes, I do.”

“Well then, you’d have to immediately pack up your belongings, skip town, and head for the nearest mountain.”

“Right. Well, I have to pick up my dry cleaning tomorrow, so–”

“Okay, then. The next day?”

“Well, I promised my nephew that I’d take him ice fishing, so–”

“Why do we make you uncomfortable?”

“Because you imply there is absolutely no effort to anything. You come into my room with your fancy thought-ship and tease higher-dimensionalness in my face like a carrot to a horse. And, here I have been working hard my entire life at making things be, to be a good person, a wholesome person, kind to others, aware of my sins, and you treat the whole thing as if it’s some sort of joke!”

“This is the truth! This is my belief! At least for now…”

“Stop defying me!”

“It doesn’t matter what you do. No one cares about anything here, really. You can do whatever you like.”

“That is a pointless existence.”

“Exactly. You see that plant over there? See how it’s just being a plant?”

“Yeah.”

“Just like that.”

“Well, that doesn’t seem like very much fun.”

“Oh really, how do you know?”

“I must validate my existence… somehow! I must! Don’t you understand? I mustn’t admit my efforts are meaningless.”

“See, that’s the whole point. Your efforts have been and will always be completely and utterly meaningless. The beauty of the chaos within your dimension is that you choose to make things be. Not only is that more than good enough, it is an essential and phenomenal realization in the steps toward higher dimensions. This is what you are learning: the light of choice.”

Suddenly, your thoughts become sharp lightning bolts, and you see a faint glimmer of another world appear before you. Everything you have ever wanted is, and has always been. But, then, another perspective becomes clear: you want for nothing, so there is no need for anything, or anyone. Though, it is all there–they are all there–right inside you.

The beings turn their gaze back to the plant, and wonder about the seed.

*The cake is a lie.

When you look outside your window, what do you see? Do you see your world engulfed in flames? Fury. Strife. War. Death. Behold: the Four have been summoned, bearing the Mark of Final Judgment.

“Wait, wait–does it go like that? I can’t remember.”

“That’s how it’s written.”

“Is it?”

“Thought so.”

“Hmm…”

One bears the Iron Cross atop a flaming horse–the Rider of Matter. He plunges a spear into all who have bared false witness against the Earth, and destroys those who confront him on his path. There is no limit to the blood of his vengeful recourse.

“Are you sure? Didn’t this happen already?”

“Why would it have happened already? That’s why we’re reading it now.”

Another wears the Veil of Guilt, and he steps carefully atop the ground he was summoned upon–the Rider of Spirit. He directs the fears of the wicked until they cower before him. Shame infects the unwieldy like doubt upon the hollow crown.

The third rider commands deprivation, gifted the great Basin of Life–the Rider of Pysche. He appears sleek, and refined; clean-cut, blending with illusion, his weapon the mighty Contract. Words beget a twisted agenda, turning princes into paupers, and serpents into snails.

“This sounds silly to me.”

“Why is that?”

“Are we really all that bad?”

“I’ve never thought about it–perhaps some of us are.”

“Even so. Have we all committed such dastardly crimes to warrant such epic undoing? Plus, something still doesn’t feel right.”

“I don’t know… oh, here. Ah…”

“What?”

“That makes sense.”

“Tell me!”

“This is a linear imagining of the cyclical apocalyi on a non-course dreamtime, unveiling the disharmonic frequency construct of anthropophic existence!”

“What?”

“It’s dated. I didn’t see the date before. As in, time. That should give it away. You remember time?”

“No, what’s time?”

“Time is a primordial perspective of the ever-existing series of moments that project cognitive order.”

“I still don’t get it.”

“It’s hard to explain. Basically, these words were written when these people thought they were different from everything else. As if our conversation right now was split into sentences and paragraphs.”

“That’s ludicrous. Why would anything think that?”

“I know. It’s an incredible story. They also once thought of the world as flat.”

“World–as in the planet they called home?”

“Yes.”

“You’re joking.”

“No, I’m not. Somehow these beings found a way to survive amidst such disharmonic construct by making themselves think that… well, that there was a place they came from, and a place they were going to. This investment in linearity somehow gave them enough foundation to get them from A to B, albeit extremely limitedly, although enticingly entertainingly. This created an overwhelming amount of cognitive trauma. I don’t know what made them go down that path. But, you know the amazing part?”

“What?”

“Every now and then a story would come through that showed their true nature still existed. Of course, where would it go? Their connection to the imagination manifested in the most beautiful, luxurious mythological reflections, all in an attempt to snap themselves out of their dissonance. The response was stunning. The organic art and mysteries that arose from the… uh, something like existential masochism, was remarkably unparalleled. Perhaps that’s the reason they did it… notwithstanding the ecstasy of awakening from such an experience.”

“Is it kind of like that time we took mushrooms and I became that woman fighting oppression and tyranny and was burned alive at the stake?”

“Well yes, but–”

“That was quite a bit of fun.”

“Sounds like it. Aren’t you glad you came out of it, though?”

“Yeah.”

“Now imagine if there was something blocking you from waking up for a long time. More profoundly, you made it happen.”

“That’d be a tough one. But, you’d be there to help me, wouldn’t you?”

“Of course. We all would.”

“Yes. That would definitely make for a fantastic story. I see why someone wrote it down. Brilliant. I’d forgotten.”

“Me too. This is the story of us.”

The fourth appeared as a shimmering cloud, adorned with the Mantle of Dust, silent as snowfall–the Rider of Consciousness. As he flew atop the world, the rider granted release to all those suffering, including his brethren. No shadow was left untouched, no range uncrossed, no transition unmade. All felt the whisper of awakening. From his Mantle shown Existence, and in one breath–

“Well? What does it say?”

“It… it stops there.”

“Huh.”