This year’s Bios party wasn’t (at least from the viewpoint of our psychedelic decorations crew Vytvarny Krouzek Ctverecek) as hectic and full of work as previous years, and so I used the time to prepare a slightly different kind of project.
The party was in the middle of beautiful woods, but most people tend to spend the whole day around the camp, drinking beer and socializing. Not that there’s something bad about it, I just thought they could like a change. So I prepared a game, a “treasure hunt”, like those played in summer camps for kids. The goal was to introduce a story, which would engage people a bit and give them a challenge, and take them for a walk. I also wanted the story to help with a proper set & setting for the night, so it’s in my favorite “psy-fi” (psychedelic fiction :) style.
Only a fragment of people went for the walk – I knew about 6 groups, but perhaps a few more went too. But this was expected, and I was curious whether someone would like the idea at all. The reactions were “OK” to “very good”, just one team complained that the “walk” was actually quite long (about 2 hours) and not trivial – however, that was the point, and it seems that I managed to strike the balance quite well – it wasn’t too easy, but it wasn’t hard either. Most of the game was about following colored-paper marks, and I was pleased when I was told that it was quite possible to use intuition to find the next mark.
The story itself was composed of two parts. First, there were messages and comments left by someone, who went ahead of the players. The second part was information, leaking from the “Information Artifact”, which advanced the story itself.
First comment was available in the camp, together with the key to first cypher, which was placed on a rock above the camp valley and contained first part of the actual story.
Those are the messages as you would meet them on the way. By the way, if anyone has photos from the game, please let me know.
Introduction in camp (commentary)
As you could notice, during last night a channel opened between several layers of reality.
This configuration, besides making visits to other levels of existence easier, has also had another interesting effect.
In the hillside above the camp, a glowing object appeared, with a strange message. It seems to be coming from something called information artifact, and while such occurence is quite extraordinary by itself, it’s probably just a part of something much stronger.
I don’t have the decyphered version of the text yet, but it is probable that it will be decoded during the day. However, a glow also appeared in the valley on the opposite side of the road, so if you want to investigate further, you should go there after decyphering the first message, if you want to know more about information artifacts (or objects).
I’ll be ahead of you and I will try to leave comments, if I encounter anything interesting.
The phenomenon is very strong and should probably stay with us another day or so, so you should have enough time for your journey.
During the journey just follow the direction of the artifact effects.
First cypher (story)
We have lived happily for many generations. We were excited with the possibilities offered to us in this new world. And while we enjoyed the depths of our relationships and interactions with the world and each other, a creeping change was sweeping through our lives. We began to settle for comfort instead of freedom.
While going after security (like death was something bad!) we began to forget the fundamental truths – that we’re like drops of water, thrown into the air and coming back towards the surface. We all fall, and inevitably will dissolve in water, but we all decide, whether we happily explore the unique possibilities of our lives, or whether we let ourselves be bound by someone else.
It took us very long to realize what is happening.
First stop (commentary)
Congratulations, you solved the first riddle. I’m glad you decided to go after the fragments, however as you can already see, we learned just a little, so I’ll try to help you with whatever I know about information objects and such things.
Until now it was supposed, that information objects have no “physical” existence. The materialized fragments all around show, that it doesn’t have to be true. However, it’s also obvious that the artifact has to be very powerful, otherwise it wouldn’t manifest in such a strong way.
Information objects serve as storage of information. It accepts conscious connections, and then you can perceive the stored information on the form of stories. Sometimes the objects themselves can be alive and have consciousness. Judging by the strength of effects, this could be one of them.
Every being has a “connector”, through which it is connected to a conscious information field, which is at the base of all existence. Our brains then interpret these multidimensional, abstract fields, and create what we then perceive.
Second stop (story)
On the outside, everything was in order. The forms we built to support our world kept going.
For many generations we watched, as our civilizations looses it’s ways – and we were unable to stop it even when we knew something is happening.
Something crept into the structures of our culture and our thinking, and began to change them from inside ourselves.
At first we thought it was just the way we were, but soon we realized we’re not the people from legends anymore. We became mundane.
The whole thing came to a point, when the majority was engaged and enchanted so much, that the option to simply snap out of it was not possible anymore.
It took us very long before we could precisely formulate, what our problem is, what is the cause and what can be done with it.
Third stop (commentary)
I believe you have already noticed that the physical manifestation of the fragments has a strange radiation. Besides the visible parts, this radiation makes consciousness around the shards more intense. Notice, that in the surroundings, your consciousness becomes more clear. Everything becomes more real, but at the same time it’s like in a dream. It can happen, that you’ll feel very strongly the situation you’re in, or even notice your own attention, jumping from object to object.
But intensive consciousness radiation has a broader range of effects. Some can be even unpleasant, increased nervousness, tendency to get lost in thinking, urge to delve into old habits.
The best thing to do is not to take those effects seriously. Notice them, acknowledge them, but don’t think they somehow belong to you – they’ll be gone, if you don’t feed them with your attention.
Also, the time you spend in intense consciousness has flashbacks, which return later in waves. By spending time around the information object fragments, those effects may last for quite a while. But don’t worry, it’s not permanent – many people would even pay for the possibility to be in such a field.
Third stop (story)
We learned, that the protuberance of reality, in which we were staying, is somehow contaminated. It was difficult to find out, because the contamination had effect particularly on our mind and the way in which we reflected reality.
How can you fight an influence, which takes hold of your language, thinking and culture, and because of which whole generations work on creating structures to more effectively enforce the whole thing?
It took hold of our attention completely. We became shortsighted – so involved in our petty personal things, that we became unable to reflect, what is really happening.
Moreover, each reaction based on the urge to block the contamination actually confirms and strengthens the existing effects, thus causing the opposite of what it intended. The chaos grows with each step, and quickly becomes opaque. Suddenly, no one seems to remember, that the veil doesn’t need to exist.
That
Everything
Could
Be
Clear
Fourth stop (commentary)
I’ll try to explain, how to connect to the information object itself. It’s thing that seems difficult on the surface, but is in fact quite trivial. You only need to do one thing – stop depending on what you think you know, and redirect the most of your attention to what really exists here and now.
Are you asking, what does really exist?
Can words capture the entirety of reality? Words are just symbols, and the map is not the terrain. We want to get to the basis of reality, and in order to connect, you have to return to your center, and stay there.
On the journey back to center, there are no obstacles, just opportunities. With each moment, you can be more attentive, or choose to give up because of laziness. However, each moment in which you perceive everything as new will refresh you and bring you new energy, while staying in the tracks of what you consider to be your self just brings heaviness, dullness and boredom.
It’s doesn’t matter, how you see your self, you are not it, you’re not your role. Despite all real limits, you have unlimited possibilities, and the life you’re living will never repeat itself. With each moment you’re choosing, how you will react to whatever is happening. You can focus on your reflection, on what you think about reality, or on reality itself by following the present moment, and not taking your thoughts and judgments seriously.
Next step after getting back some of your energy and bringing your attention into the present, is silence.
Stop thinking about what other people think about you – because that’s just you imagining things again. Choose your role so that you can be comfortable in it, play it as good as you can, and when the situation changes, readapt.
Let all the tension out. Remember, that there’s nothing to be afraid of – nothing is important, because everything dies in the end. Isn’t it better to appreciate this, and gain power and courage from it, then to be afraid? What could possibly happen – you’ll die, and so what?
Stop your self, stop trying to make sense of things, and everything will make sense by itself.
And you’ll be free. Your consciousness and attention won’t be limited by words, structures and concepts, made by others, often just to get you under their influence, and you’ll see the world as it really is, ever changing and evading static description.
It will be clear, that trying to fulfill every little need of your “me” (which has nothing in common with what you really are in the core of your being) just gets you further from reality. You’ll see the process of loosing yourself in thought, and how easy it is to become one with the flow.
Notice the infinite possibilities to which the center of your being has access. While you’re a branch of life itself, you’re the point on which the entire universe is balanced. You’re the one, who has to be the first to let go and connect. And with you, people around you will also change.
Still, everyone is the center itself. There is only one true “self”, and it takes form of all beings at the same time.
If you change the way you act, perceive and react, everything changes with you.
And from this state of mind you can access the information object.
You don’t have to force it, think about it or try to make something happen. Just stop, let go and stay in silence. The base will manifest, and on it lies the information object.
Fifth stop (commentary)
Our satellite images show, that this is the last big artifact in the surroundings. The only thing that remains is to connect to the main information object, and that is something you each need to do by yourself.
The shards of the object increased your level of consciousness and helped put together your attention. Information contained in them can help you with navigation after you become part of the flow.
You can either begin your journey back to the camp, or visit another small fragment. For increasing the effects of consciousness radiation, you could walk the final part alone.
Fifth stop (story)
Just a few of us remained, who had overview of everything that our ancestors knew and could do. It was a hard time. When we tried to teach others about our true nature, we often met sad smiles, fear and even hostility. We had no choice then to work in secret and infiltrate our own culture to try and change things. However, all attempts to regain control over the course of our civilization turned into the opposite of what we intended. We tried everything, and nothing worked.
In the end we decided to do the only thing, which we didn’t consider before. We realized, that we can’t change the situation. By holding on to the idea that we have to somehow help those, who chose captivity because of the contamination, we ourselves become contaminated.
And so we stopped caring. Many of us live, teach and help to improve the conditions of our civilization, but we understand now, that it’s each individuals choice, what they do with their lives. Contamination makes it harder to see some choices, and so many of us became travelers again, nomads.
We know now, thanks to our experience with contamination, which enhanced those tendencies so we could study them, that trying to secure our temporary incarnations often leads to stagnation, and stagnation is too high a price for a bit of comfort and an illusion of security. Exploring new possibilities and endless forms of the universe and of ourselves is what really makes us feel complete and at ease.
This is just a short reminder, an intro. Feel free to delve deeper into the information object to learn more.