─ Chapter Twenty-three ─ Altered States
Charles got up around 6am, as he usually does, and
got ready for his morning walk. He loved the Castlethorpe grounds and he and
George were planning to move there in two weeks.
He approached the Labyrinth, shrouded in the early morning mist and gasped at the beautiful spider webs glistening with dew in the evergreen hedges. He stared at them in wonderment for several minutes before sitting down for a while. His sitting triggered the Labyrinth lights and he watched as the intensity of the yellow, gold and brown lights poked through the mist to reveal today’s pattern. ‘I understand now what Callum sees in these.’ he mused. He continued on his way towards Eleanor’s cottage—loving every minute of his walk. It may have been slow but it was most definitely a walk. He hoped he would never shuffle. He considered it to be undignified—and a sign of having given in to decrepitude. He breathed deeply—the cool air eager to reach every part of his lungs as it passed through his nasal passages. His diaphragm was in good nick. He had seen many people stare vacantly with their mouth permanently open as though life had totally overwhelmed them. He was determined never to have that look. He exhaled, deliberately squeezing out every last bit of air. It was his meditation with his Beloved.
He approached the Labyrinth, shrouded in the early morning mist and gasped at the beautiful spider webs glistening with dew in the evergreen hedges. He stared at them in wonderment for several minutes before sitting down for a while. His sitting triggered the Labyrinth lights and he watched as the intensity of the yellow, gold and brown lights poked through the mist to reveal today’s pattern. ‘I understand now what Callum sees in these.’ he mused. He continued on his way towards Eleanor’s cottage—loving every minute of his walk. It may have been slow but it was most definitely a walk. He hoped he would never shuffle. He considered it to be undignified—and a sign of having given in to decrepitude. He breathed deeply—the cool air eager to reach every part of his lungs as it passed through his nasal passages. His diaphragm was in good nick. He had seen many people stare vacantly with their mouth permanently open as though life had totally overwhelmed them. He was determined never to have that look. He exhaled, deliberately squeezing out every last bit of air. It was his meditation with his Beloved.
A young
deer, grazing under a large elm tree, looked up and stared at Charles. It
continued munching as it stared. Charles stopped and breathed in deeply once
more. As he exhaled he gently lifted his arms with up-turned palms towards the
dear in greeting and as invitation to approach. It did not hesitate—accepting
the genuine call, it walked towards Charles with its head held high. It stopped
a few feet away. George bowed. The dear bowed and then drew close. George
stroked its neck. Their communion was deep. Their respect—mutual. Their love—Divine.
After
several minutes the dear stepped back, as did Charles. They both bowed and each
went on with their day. It was a close encounter of the Holy kind. It was one
of the many moments that Charles stored up in his heart and memory—a treasure
trove of love.
Eleanor
opened the door.
‘Charles
darling, come in, come in—the coffee is brewing, the porridge is just about
ready—just how you like it.’
Sixty
years ago they were lovers. She knew he was gay but she didn’t care—they were
in love and that’s what counted. Eleanor thought it was about time she
introduced herself to Castlethorpe’s neighbour at Childwickbury
Manor and was greeted by its butler, Charles. It was lust at first sight that
evolved into love and then into a spiritual relationship of mutual respect.
They did not talk about being lovers in front of people though the Seven had
become aware through the close bond between Charles and Callum—one of the
better products to come out of Childwickbury Manor.
Eleanor had excelled herself with the porridge—the
addition of clotted cream just before serving was a stroke of genius. Just like
the French appear to take an hour or more over a coffee and croissant so this
breakfast extended almost to lunch time. Eleanor served a full English 45
minutes after the porridge, accompanied by sourdough toast and Duerr’s—it just
had to be Duerr’s—orange marmalade. Charles’ mother had grown up with Frederick
Duerr, the company’s founder and her best friend, Mary Naylor, who married Frederick.
‘Frederick would have been quiet a catch,
you know, Eleanor. He was a handsome fellow and my mother’s eyes used to get
slightly watery when she talked about him.’
‘So the Duerr’s really are one of the oldest homegrown businesses in the UK?’
‘So the Duerr’s really are one of the oldest homegrown businesses in the UK?’
‘Indeed it is, many memories come rushing
into my mind every time I bite into some toast with their marmalade on it.’
‘I do love your eccentricities Charles—particularly
the way you spread it on your toast. Do you want anymore?’
‘Wanting and needing are two different
things so no thankyou though I would love some more of your delicious Blue
Mountain coffee.’
They talked for a couple more hours about
the previous day’s gathering with the Seven and Jorge. There were several comfortable
silences during their conversation—they allowed them to be open to what Spirit
wanted them to discuss next. Eleanor spoke after one of these.
‘ I think Llewellyn Vaughan-Lee is a very
understated yet remarkable spiritual teacher. Many Castlethorpe students have
attended his group in London. I first met him when Irina Tweedie was alive and
leading the group. People were scared of her because she was occasionally
abrupt—definitely forthright yet, when you got to know her there was a lovely
timidity about her—she was a delightful paradox. She disappointed many who came
to the group expecting a quick fix on the way to Nirvana! She earnestly desired
that they fall in love with the Beloved and then committed themselves to nothing
other than being consumed by the Divine Creator. She understood the nature of
surrender more than any other human being I have met. Llewellyn accepted the
mantle from Irina Tweedie to bring the teachings of the Naqshbandiyya-Mujaddidiyya
Sufi order to the West. His books are a symphony of Divine love, poetry—a
profound yearning for people to go deep and ever deeper into their Divine
nature.’
‘Indeed, did you listen to the recording
I sent you?’
‘Yes, it was a very different Llewellyn wasn’t it?
‘I have not told you this but I was there
when he gave what, so far, has turned out to be his final talk in the UK in
August 2018. There were about 70 people there and we had all known both Irina
Tweedie and Llewellyn—a motley, aging group of people. He told stories of the meetings
held in the small room in north London and ended with what I can only describe
as a melancholic bowing out speech. I formed the impression that he was weary
of teaching and writing and yearned to be at home so he could grow, and more
importantly eat, his own tomatoes. This may appear superficially to be a rather
sad ending to a uniformed person but to those that knew him it was a very
powerful reminder and exhortation. It was as though he had preached his heart
out. The congregations—we know they were no such thing, they were just
groups—had everything they needed. He has written many books and nearly all his
talks, articles and interviews are freely available on the Golden Sufi Centre
website. I’m sure we will continue to hear from him but he had to cut the
umbilical chord so that people would not become followers of Llewellyn but
lovers of the Beloved Spirit, which is of course, themselves. You could sense
his frustration and disappointment that so many people listened to what he said
but did not take the message into the innermost chambers of their hearts. It’s
like when Jesus exclaimed “...how long shall I stay with you? How long shall
I put up with you? And again “These people honor me with their lips, but
their hearts are far from me.”
‘Now you know how a crotchety old former
principal like me feels about many students that have passed through
Castlethorpe?’
‘But Castlethorpe has such an amazing
record.’
‘Records mean diddly squat—I have seen
inside many of their hearts and they are far from the Divine. I know exactly how
Llewellyn feels.’
‘He has invited George you and I to stay
with him in California for a while, would you like that?’
Eleanor’s face lit up.
‘Anything to get away from December in
England—I hate December. If we can stay into the New Year, so much the better—we
would avoid Christmas!’
‘I’ll let him know.’
‘You realise Charles that we are being
called to lead—even in our advancing years in our human form—to demonstrate the
degree to which we have evolved as human beings—connected to the Source of All
Life. We will be joining with beings from other worlds in this most peculiar epoch
of forgetfulness and danger. We should not be shocked by the growing knowledge
of our impending extinction on this wonderful planet—a Divine being which we
are intimately connected with.’
‘As usual Eleanor you echo what is in my
own heart and soul. The soul groups will transcend planetary limitations. What
a privilege to live in this form or to die and return to our glorious
pre-carnate existence. We learn from Divine youngsters as well as aging souls.’
He then shared what had happened with the
dear earlier. They both wept with joy.
‘I have some reading to do before we meet
for afternoon tea with the rest.’ Said Eleanor.
‘Yes I too have some studying and I have
just been prompted to write a letter to my niece. So, Sarah is going to talk
about her legs this afternoon, is that right?’
‘Yes, she is going to tell the story and,
more importantly, what it means for her and us.’
‘You knew did you not?’
‘Yes Charles, I knew. Us principals stick
together you know.’ She responded with a cheeky grin.
‘Oh, George sends his love to you by the
way.’
‘Thank you. What’s he up to?’
‘He’s lecturing at Cambridge
University—some Divinity thing or other. Mind you he has been rather coy lately
about some research he is leading on. He has a group of post grads who are scouring
all sorts of ancient texts for him—all unaware of each other—as though they are
just doing it as individuals, when in fact, they are all working to some kind
of common goal. George has given very little away apart from saying that it is
vital they do not talk to each other. He choose them because they all live and
work in very different places and do not know each other hardly at all. I guess
we will have to wait and see.’
‘Indeed, sounds mysterious. I love
mysteries.’
She helped him with his coat and he left
after offering many thanks for the delightful breakfast and company.
Eleanor watched him walk slowly down the
path, stop to smell a winter rose, then open the gate and return to the Manor
House. She noticed he was walking a little faster and with greater ease. ‘That
man is a walking miracle’ she thought as she closed the door on the chilly wind.
*
Sarah
wanted the conversation about her legs to be as relaxed as possible so she had
invited them for afternoon tea in one of the Manor House’s lounges that looked
out towards the apple orchard. There were bound to be many questions and
although these were important she knew that what had happened was not just
about her—it was about the next phase of the Ten’s evolution. As usual the
Castlethorpe catering team had excelled themselves and everyone had their
favourite cake served to them. Sarah was still in her wheelchair. As soon as Caleb
left the room Sarah stood.
‘First of all I think its high time we
dispensed with describing ourselves as “The Seven”—Leonard, Eleanor, Jorge and
Charles are part of our soul group. As for our pact to have a reunion every
five years—well that was broken a long time ago and as we are all now living at
Castlethorpe most of the time I think I can safely declare it to be formally
dissolved.
Let me tell you the story of my legs. I
remember what I said yesterday—“four
weeks ago. I felt a hot and cold tingling and was lifted to my feet as I
watched a talk by our friend, Llwewllyn Vaughan-Lee. He had paused, you know
that look of his when he looks upwards for what can last for a few to many
seconds. By the time I was up and could feel every toe and muscle he was into
his next sentence. I walked around the room—it was a wonderfully strange yet
unexciting experience.”
I knew that
I would get full feeling and use of my legs again several months before it
happened. Spirit wanted me to prepare myself for this huge change and to tell
my consultant about it straight away. She was a spiritually inquisitive person
but had not yet had an awakening experience. Her reaction surprised me. I was
expecting incredulity instead she told me that the previous night she had
dreamed that she was a microscopic nerve worker, busily reconnecting nerves, neurons
and tissue at the top of a person’s spine. It was painstaking work and she was
working to a tight schedule. An informer approached her and said “Hi, I’m going
to let her know she will get her legs back in ten weeks.” This news put even
more pressure on her but she was mightily relieved when a throng of workers
arrived to assist her—so much so she could relax and simply tell them what to
do though they seemed to know this instinctively anyway. Everything was ready two
weeks before the planned date when the final connection would be made—an honour
left for the key nerve worker. I remember the conversation word for word
following her disclosure.
“Does
my dream surprise you Sarah?” she said.
“You
bet it does!” I replied. “You have monitored me all these years. You said I
would never walk again and I had totally accepted it.”
“It
hasn’t yet—it may not but I’ll say one thing, I have never had a dream like it
and, considering everything you tell me about your life at Castlethorpe it is,
perhaps, no surprise that this event may come to pass.”
What
struck me was how Spirit had involved my consultant but none of you. In fact the
Beloved asked me not to mention anything to you and, after it happened, to
continue to use the wheelchair until this afternoon. I’ll never have to use a
wheelchair again in this human form.
So
here’s the thing. Imagine I had been a Charismatic Christian and went to a
healing service. I wheel myself forward towards the stage. A group of people
lay hands on me, pray and sing in tongues and ask Jesus to heal me—in fact they
almost command Him to heal me—“In the precious name of Jesus we beseech you, oh
Lord, to heal your daughter!” Their earnest prayers continue for some time and then
two of them help me to my feet. Miraculously I am healed and start to walk, a
little wobbly at first but then at a steady walking pace. “Praise the Lord for
this miracle”. I get emboldened and start to walk around the stage faster and
faster and then start running. It feels amazing. Everyone is cheering and
clapping and “Praise Jesus” resonates around the meeting hall. The next day I
get a call from one of the Church leaders asking how I am. “Went jogging this
morning—it was fantastic”. He asked me to write down my story, which I did, and
to accompany him on a speaking tour to testify what God had done for me. Within
a year my book was published and I had become a spiritual celebrity. Although I
was healed I felt empty inside and separate from God. Get the picture? See the
trap?
I was
determined that I would not go down that path and Spirit was showing me that in
the big scheme of things my healing was just a healing. Its purpose was to draw
me deeper into the arms of my beloved and to experience pure love with an
intensity that could consume a person—unless they were prepared. During the
weeks before I got my legs back the Lord embraced me and showed me things that
are so wonderful that I cried and cried and cried silent tears. I was so happy.
It was an extraordinary preparation.
Spirit
is inviting you to go deeper and deeper into the inner chambers of your hearts.
Together we will emanate an energy that will transcend all our limited thinking
and experience to date. I had and still have no clue why my healing would play
a part in this—but I’m totally convinced that it does. The preparation was to
prevent me from taking my eyes off my Beloved—to stay sane—secure in Divine
love. It would soon become a matter of fact that would cause excitement but I
was not to get excited. I was instructed to treat it all so matter of factly. I
found that to be a most difficult request but knew, deep within me, that it was
essential.
I met
with my consultant weekly up to and following the healing. She did every
possible test throughout this period and has meticulously recorded all the
data. She videoed our conversations and, on my insistence, allowed me to tell
my story as I have told it to you today. We prepared a non-disclosure agreement
and none of the material will be released until Spirit prompts me to give
permission for it to be released in a specifically detailed way, ensuring that
other doctors at the National Spinal Injuries Centre at Stoke Mandeville have
had an opportunity to peer review all the material. It is not important whether
they are convinced or not. It is important to follow what Spirit has shown me
and this feels right at the very core of my being.’
Sarah
paused and looked at her friends who were calm, receptive and at one with her.
‘You
know it feels very odd to say this but are there any questions?’
Hannah
got up and went over to Sarah and hugged her.
‘I have
loads but I they can wait for the right time, which isn’t now.
‘Can
you tell us a little more how it felt when it happened and is there anything we
need to do in the next few days?’
‘Of
course Patrick—both parts of your question are important. So there I was four
weeks ago—the day had come but I had no idea when or how. I just knew, without
a shadow of a doubt, that I would walk upstairs to my bed that night without
using the stair lift. It was about 3pm as I started to watch Llewellyn’s awakening
talk on YouTube. In one of his characteristic pauses I felt myself being lifted
up from my chair to a standing position. At the same time I could feel a hot a
cold tingling in my legs—it was as though ice and molten metal were coursing
through my veins. It was a totally marvellous and out of this world experience.
I felt completely relaxed and made no effort to move—in fact I couldn’t move
yet I was not restrained in any way. Llewellyn’s talk had been paused somehow.
Gradually I become aware that my legs were keeping me upright and I could move
them. The tingling subsided and I heard a tapping on the window, I turned and
saw a robin cleaning its beak. It nodded and flew away. My little friend approved.
I had prepared
myself for this moment yet was totally unprepared for how normal I now felt. I
had wondered what state my muscles would be in having not moved them for forty-four
years. My consultant had warned me about this and how it would take a long time
to build their strength. I drew the curtains and took off my jeans and socks
and felt every muscle in my feet and legs. They were strong, supple and
responsive for a sixty-four year old. I was amazed my sense of balance and deeper
breathing. I ran up and down the stairs—allowing myself some excitement—revelling
in this wonderful gift. I also allowed my mind to race for a while about the
things I could do again like walking in woods, visiting ancient buildings—climbing
crumbling stone staircases—and, best of all—to learn to shoot a long bow again with
Callum. In fact last week I went to see Alice, the Mistress of Long
Bow Makers. It was a chore
to use my wheelchair and she was befuddled by my request to make me a new bow
as I would “soon be walking”—little did she know I already could but she knew
me well enough and, being an awakened soul herself, she accepted my request
without hesitation.
At that
point Spirit encouraged me to carry on listening to Llewellyn and that, as far
as the outside world was concerned, nothing had happened. I was to continue
using my wheelchair and reveal my healing only to you until today. The talk had
an even deeper impact on me than I imagined but that’s another story. So this
is the plan. I prepared an email to all the students and Castlethorpe family to
be sent at 5pm today—just about now in fact. Tomorrow at the Principals Talk at
4pm I will not speak on soul groups, the advertised topic, but share my story in
much the same way as I have done today. So, from now on I can discard my
wheelchair and walk about Castlethorpe using my legs for propulsion!’
Sarah
laughed. Everyone laughed. Everyone gathered was acutely aware of their responsibility
to watch and listen to Spirit about would happen in the weeks ahead. For now
they embraced and celebrated with Sarah and treasured each moment in their
hearts—storing them just like Mary, the mother of Jesus, had done many years
ago.
*
The following morning the Ten gathered in the recently
unveiled Virtual Experience Centre. This was a new building that comprised of a
large virtual reality suite, control room, four meeting rooms and an open plan research and development area. Jorge
had been working on this major project on and off for the past 17 years. 95% of
the funding came from several major legacies, five benefactors and many trusts.
To describe this facility as cutting-edge is an understatement. Jeremy
Bailenson, Jorge’s friend at Stanford University in California had been
involved in the project from its conception and was impressed by its scale and
sophistication. Jorge stepped forward.
‘You may be wondering whether this
Virtual Experience Centre has any place at Castlethorpe. I too have asked
myself this question many times—particularly as the technological developments
are advancing at such a dizzying pace—it’s easy to get sucked into the
limitless possibilities and potentialities that virtual reality in all its
forms has to offer. Spirit kept my feet firmly on the ground, my ego in check
and steered us to creating something that I believe—yes, for once I’ll use the
“B” word—that I believe has a most definite place and Castlethorpe and for the
soul groups in particular. It will also provide a significant source of income
and I’ve already received nine bookings that will bring in £22,000.’
Charles had taken a special interest in
the project and Callum had kept him informed of its progress and every stage as
he was one of several people who had tested it and was a convert from the
start.
‘It may be helpful if I present a
contextual overview that also gives me an opportunity to demonstrate the multi-faceted
nature of this Centre. To do this I want to acknowledge the support we received
from Sutton Life Centre who use immersive projection technology to help young
people learn life skills in a very innovative way.’
He took out a digital device, swiped the
screen and touched “Go”. The lights dimmed and the whole of the fifteen foot
high wall and domed ceiling of the circular room was illuminated with a soft
golden glow. It gradually changed colour, the sound of birds could be heard all
around them. It was a dawn chorus. The sun rose and gradually moved towards the
centre of the ceiling. The floor looked like lush grass. All of this was a
digital projection. The sun moved steadily to the other side of the room and
then set as the light turned from day to twilight then to night. An owl hooted
and rustling could be heard in the bushes that could just be seen. They looked
up and could see hundreds of stars. The temperature had shifted to reflect the
day that had passed by in five minutes.
The nine stood and clapped.
‘Jorge, that was utterly amazing.’
‘The Sutton Life Centre was opened by
Nick Clegg, the Deputy Prime Minister in 2010 and the technology has advanced
considerably since then. We have been delighted to work with then in a
collaborative way to help them enhance their systems.
That, my dear friends, is simply a
tiny taster of what this element of the Centre can do.
Now, on with the overview. I’m just going
to use my voice for this—tempted though I am to present a bells and whistles
presentation to show off the technology.
Seventeen years ago Spirit revealed to me
that immersive virtual technologies will play a part in the evolution of human
beings. I must admit that I found it very hard to believe what Spirit was
showing me and I resisted for several months. That might sound strange to you because
you know how much I love gizmos and gadgets. Computer technology has made many
people very rich. It has transformed the way we work and play. But has our
species evolved as a result? We could feed every human being on planet earth
yet there are still millions of people dying of starvation and millions more
who have no access to clean water. These facts are inescapable yet Spirit was
insistent that I start work on this project. It is easy to get sucked into
technology for its own sake. I was being shown a way that would keep my feet on
the ground and only proceed with each step when I sensed it was right.
Immersive virtual technologies can suck you in and spit you out battered,
bewildered and, if you are not careful, broken mentally and spiritually. If,
however, we treat it as a gift, a tool and use it with great care it can enhance
the evolution of human life.
I use the word “gift” very deliberately.
Humans are given spiritual gifts. They are many and various. I’m sure we could quickly
come up with a list that may include: clairvoyance, clairsentience, clairaudience,
claircognizance, clairalience, clairgustance, wisdom, knowledge, discernment, faith,
healing, miraculous powers, prophecy, distinguishing between spirits, speaking
in different languages, interpretation of languages, extra-sensory perception,
telepathy, teleportation, telekinesis, astral travel, precognition, retrocognition,
remote-viewing, teaching, evangelism, serving, transfiguration, etherialisation,
psychic painting, psychic photography, psychic surgery, levitation, instrumental
transcommunication, communicographing, apporting etc, etc.
Are you breathing?!’
Everyone laughed.
‘We have all used and manifested some of
these gifts. They are given to us by the Giver of Life. We did not create them.
It is essential that they are used responsibly. I love the passage in 1 Corinthians 13 that says:
If
I speak in the tongues[a] of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only
a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 2If I have the gift of
prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith
that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. 3If I
give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may
boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing. 4Love is patient, love
is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5It
does not dishonour others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it
keeps no record of wrongs. 6Love does not delight in evil but
rejoices with the truth. 7It always protects, always trusts, always
hopes, always perseveres. 8Love never fails. But where there are
prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled;
where there is knowledge, it will pass away. 9For we know in part
and we prophesy in part, 10but when completeness comes, what is in
part disappears. 11When I was a child, I talked like a child, I
thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the
ways of childhood behind me. 12For now we see only a reflection as
in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall
know fully, even as I am fully known. 13And now these three remain:
faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.
So, this is the context—these wonderful
spiritual gifts—these temporary gifts that we can use to help human beings to evolve.
Their misuse can harm rather than heal. There are people who have made a lot of
money by using their spiritual gifts. I do not judge them but the development
of this centre is based on the essence of that passage—to help people to
develop their gifts for the evolution of human beings—to demonstrate the Divine
love of the Beloved.
Is this too bold a claim? How can this
happen with computer technology? Surely it is, in the end just a simulation—it
is not real, is it?
Let’s revisit a scene in the Matrix movie
where Morpheus is talking with Neo about what is real.’
INT.
CONSTRUCT
Neo is
standing in an empty, blank-white space.
MORPHEUS
This
is the Construct.
Startled,
Neo whips around and finds Morpheus now in the
room
with him.
MORPHEUS
It
is our loading program. We can
load
anything from clothes, to
weapons,
to training simulations.
Anything
we need.
Morpheus
walks past Neo and when Neo turns he sees the
two
leather chairs from the hotel set up in front of a
large-screen
television.
MORPHEUS
Sit
down.
Neo
stands at the back of the chair as Morpheus sits.
NEO
Right
now, we're inside a computer
program?
MORPHEUS
Wild,
isn't it?
Neo's
hands run over the cracked leather.
NEO
This
isn't real?
MORPHEUS
What
is real? How do you define
real? If you're talking about
your
senses, what you feel, taste,
smell,
or see, then all you're
talking
about are electrical
signals
interpreted by your brain.
‘An antagonist might say “But that’s just
a movie—I live in the real world”. This is a natural response though any
scientist worth their salt could write a paper proving that what we think of as
reality is just how we perceive it to be. Now I’m not trying to tie us in knots
here with philosophical paradoxes and conundrums—this is simply illustrating a
point. The techno world is a continuum and “Virtual Reality” is about half way
along it.
At one end consider movies. Have you ever
noticed how you get drawn into a film and even though you know it’s not real
you cry, laugh, scream or tremble with fear, depending on what’s going on? I
know I do—perhaps I’m just emotionally susceptible but at the end of a good
movie it takes me a while to come back to the real world. I am always puzzled
how, as soon as the credits begin to roll, people start to leave. If it’s been
a great movie I can hardly move—I’m glued to my seat even though I may not be particularly
interested in the credits. Okay, there is occasionally a practical reason, if I
have cried it gives me some time to compose myself; but generally it’s that the
energy of the film is still with me—I still feel part of the action—I’m
immersed in the story and have unanswered questions. These feelings are not
confined to movies; music, novels, theatre can also have this impact on us.
Consider next the science of simulation.
Airline pilots have been tested to the limit in flight simulators and even
though it is not real—if they crash nobody dies—yet pilots say that it is as
real as it gets and these simulators are becoming more real as new technologies
are developed. They can create extreme scenarios that they, thankfully, will
probably never have to deal with in real life; yet if they do happen then they
are better equipped to deal with the situation to avoid loss of life, injury
and other catastrophic consequences. Modern flight simulators cost more than ten
million pounds. It is absolutely extraordinary therefore that Microsoft’s first
version of Flight Simulator, a game that was released in 1982 was praised
by pilots for how realistic it was. The 2020 version of Flight Simulator has
taken this longest running “game” to a new level with its stunning graphics and
realistic handling—the six Deluxe DVD package was priced on Amazon at £9.99.
This virtual reality is within easy reach of every child who aspires to become
a pilot!
Moving along the continuum we come to
virtual reality. Now this usually involves wearing a headset of some kind,
gloves and other accoutrement and can either be used at home on in a special
room where other stimuli can be introduced to deepen the experience. On my visit
to Jeremy Bailenson’s experiental lab at Stanford in 2019 I walked along a twenty
foot long, eight-inch wide beam across a chasm—just like Mark Zuckerberg, the
founder of Facebook, had done a few weeks before. I was terrified. It felt
totally real—I could feel the wind blowing in my face, the sound of birds
flying around me but I dared not look—one false move and I would fall. I
sweated profusely. The beam creaked, I started to shake, Folina stretched out
her hands—she was as white as a sheet. I took two final paces and fell in to
her arms—sobbing my heart out that I was still alive. The paraphernalia was
removed. It wasn’t Folina, it was one of Jeremy’s technicians wearing a head
set and gloves. I could have sworn it
was really Folina. It shook me to the core. I had heard about it and was
impressed by what I read but actually being immersed in it was a transformative
experience. It took me a couple of hours to come back to reality.
Virtual reality technology is changing
all the time and its applications are seemingly never ending—particularly in
medical care
Virtual Reality has the ability to
transport a surgeon inside the human body—to access and view areas that
otherwise would be impossible to reach. With virtual reality you can view
minute detail of any part of the body in stunning 360° computer generated
imagery to create training scenarios which replicate common surgical
procedures. Patients can be taken through their surgical plan by virtually
stepping into a reconstruction of their anatomy and pathology. Robotic surgery
is a recent innovation in which surgery is performed using a robotic device,
e.g. robotic arm which is controlled by a human surgeon. This means fewer risks
of complications during surgery and a faster procedure—the robotic device is
accurate, meaning smaller incisions, reduced blood loss and speedier recovery.
It is also being used in remote diagnosis, counselling, pain management,
physical therapy, disease awareness and health promotion. It’s may not be “real”
but this technology is helping medical staff to save lives and prevent disease.
It is unchartered territory and, the thing is, it’s still in its infancy!
That’s not quite yet at the end of the
continuum. Jeremy introduced me to a form of VR that takes even what I have
just described to a new level—a rather scary yet exciting level that I’ve not
yet got my head around. In this “world” you don’t need an experimental lab, you
don’t even need a TV screen—just a smart ‘phone or some other device that can connect
to the internet—all you need is a bog-standard game controller, a micro chip
that holds the content that you insert into the game controller and an
experience disk that is slightly smaller than a 1p coin that you attach to the
side of your head. Once you sync this with the controller you immediately become
semi-unconscious and are immersed into an environment where you manipulate your
avatar and interact with other people who are online in the same environment
and. You can touch and talk with the other person and feel physical and
emotional sensations. The experience disk connects with your brain’s neural
pathways. You don’t need to move or speak though it will seem to you that you
are. Test subjects have reacted physically even though they are in a
semi-conscious state to what is going on in their brains—yea, I know, this does
sound a bit freaky and there are heaps of questions that you could ask; a big
one being what happens to you if you “die” in the virtual world? I’m assured
that you don’t die. If you sustain an injury you feel a sensation of pain but
there is no actual physical harm.
Have you heard of Second Life? It
was launched in 2003 and had over one million subscribers by 2017. There is no
plot, no script and no conflict to resolve. Second Life users, also
called residents, create virtual representations of themselves, called avatars,
and are able to interact with places, objects and other avatars. They explore
the world (known as the grid), meet other residents, socialize, participate in
both individual and group activities, build, create, shop, and trade virtual
property and services with one another.
What I’m talking about here takes this
idea and makes it real—really, really real.
There is a TV series called Black
Mirror that may illustrate how this works. It was created by Charlie
Brooker and first screened in the UK in 2011. It examines modern society,
particularly with regard to the unanticipated consequences of new technologies.
Episodes are standalone, usually set in an alternative present or the near
future, often with a dark and satirical tone, although some are more
experimental and lighter. The first episode in the fifth series called Striking
Vipers has a fascinating storyline that may throw some light on this cutting-edge
technology that I have described. Here is a synopsis:
Twenty-seven-year-old
Danny and his girlfriend Theo go to a bar and pretend to be strangers. They
meet his friend Karl and a young woman he has just met. They go back to Danny
and Karl’s flat and each couple has sex in separate rooms. Afterwards the two
men leave their rooms and play a computer fighting game called Striking
Vipers using controllers to play their avatars on the large TV screen—Danny
is Lance and Karl is Roxette.
Eleven
years later, Danny hosts his birthday barbecue party at his house with Theo,
with whom he is married and has a five-year-old child. He has fallen out of
contact with Karl, who arrives at the party and gives him a birthday present: Striking
Vipers X along with the virtual reality kit needed to play this newest
version of the game.
That
night Danny, who is losing interest in having sex with Theo, starts playing a dull
computer game when Karl sends him an invite to play the new Striking Vipers
X online game that he gave him earlier. Each player inserts the game chip into
their controller, places a small experience disk to their temple and then gets
ready to sync with the other player and enter the fighting arena. After
pressing a button on the controller they each fall motionless into a
semi-unconscious state and enter their respective avatars.
After
one fighting bout in which they experience their respective characters' pain
from fighting blows, Karl and Danny's characters fall onto each other and kiss.
Visibly distraught, Karl and Danny exit the game.
Over
the next few weeks, Danny and Karl begin regularly logging online and entering
the game in order to have sex with each other. Danny becomes even more withdrawn
from his relationship with Theo. She calls him out on their wedding anniversary
and accuses him of having an affair while pointing out that she has remained
faithful and regularly rebuffs other guys' advances; even though she likes the
attention. Danny promises that no infidelity is going on. Later on, he locks
the Striking Vipers X game in a cabinet and tells Karl over the phone that they
need to stop.
At
Danny's next birthday, Theo invites Karl for dinner as a surprise. Karl reveals
to Danny that he has been unable to recreate the feelings with other players as
he had with Danny. That night, the pair enter the game and have sex again.
Danny then asks to meet up in real life. At his insistence, they kiss in their
normal bodies to see if there is any real connection between them, but both of
them say they feel nothing. Danny insists that since they felt nothing from
kissing each other, they should stop. Karl insists they should continue. Danny
becomes agitated and a fight between them ensues just as a passing police car
notices and arrests them. Frustrated at having to pick Danny up, Theo insists
that Danny tell her what caused the fight.
In the
final scene, it is revealed that Danny and his wife have an arrangement where
for one night a year, he can play Striking Vipers X with Karl while Theo can go
out to a bar and meet up with a stranger.
Another
example is Avatar, an immensely successful movie—it was the highest-grossing
film worldwide for nearly a decade, before being overtaken by Avengers:
Endgame in 2019. On the lush alien world of Pandora live the Na'vi, highly evolved
spiritual beings. Because the planet's environment is poisonous to humans,
human/Na'vi hybrids, called avatars, must link to human minds to allow for free
movement on Pandora. Jake Sully, a paralyzed former Marine, becomes mobile
again through one such Avatar and falls in love with a Na'vi woman. As a bond
with her grows, he is drawn into a battle for the survival of her world that he
has come to love and honour.
Of
course, this is science fiction but a great deal of yesterday’s science fiction
is now part of today’s reality. I mention Avatar for completeness even
though current technology is not capable of creating this kind of virtual experience...
yet!
‘I must
also mention Artificial Intelligence or AI as it has become known. There is a
distinct difference between this and virtual reality. AI is an evolving
technology that enables computerised machines—robots—to learn and think for
themselves--adapting to their surroundings. Humans may create and programme
them but then they become autonomous in varying degrees. AI is forcing
scientists to enter an ethical arena where the dilemmas and consequences are
very very profound and far-reaching. AI is not virtual reality where the human
being is most definitely in control. The challenge however is shifting due to
the gradual blurring of the edges that formally defined them.
Consider,
for example, robotic or cybernetic implants where a person and a computerised
machine work in tandem with each other, such as artificial limbs and organs.
The pace of development in this field is increasing exponentially and even
though we are a long way off from a bionic human being it is difficult not to
see that as destination. Is that what the human race wants? Is that part of our
evolution? The Borg in Star Trek are a terrifying race who were almost
unstoppable. They were made up of humanoid beings from different planets and violently
assimilated into the Borg Collective by having different cybernetic implants
inserted into their bodies. They communicated
with one cybernetic mind. “Resistance is Futile” was their haunting frequently
used phrase and they demonstrated it relentlessly. Do we resist the onward
march of AI or acknowledge that to do so would be futile?
Okay
time for some fun. I would like you all to experience what virtual reality
feels like. We are all aware that many ancient texts and spoken traditions have
been lost. Visiting experts in this field have told us so here at Castlethorpe on
several occasions. Deep down I was never completely convinced that these texts have
all been lost. It’s that little word “all” the Divine keeps on bringing
me back to. I believe that virtual reality is one of the tools that will help
us to discover where some of these ancient texts are and I have had a repeating
dream that some of these are going to be found very close to where we are
standing right now!’
Val
knew immediately what Jorge was talking about though sensed that now was not
the time to say anything.
Simone
entered the room and asked everyone to stand. She removed the chairs and took
them away.
‘Please
spread out.’ Asked Jorge. ‘What do you think this floor made of?’
Hannah
knelt down to examine the light brown surface and then knocked on it using her
fist.
‘It
feels very hard yet it has a kind of vinyl feel to it.’
‘Close
your eyes everyone,’ said Jorge.
He took
out his device and pressed the screen a couple of times.
‘Now
open them.’
‘Oh my
word,’ declared Patrick loudly.
The
entire floor had turned into a sea with bobbing waves. Suddenly a dolphin broke
the water and then re-entered with a playful splash.
‘That
was a 3D projection—great sound effects eh!’
‘Totally
impressive—I feel all at sea,’ remarked Sarah.
They
laughed.
‘That’s
the idea. Lets add the walls.’
‘They
became immersed into the English Channel. Patrick pointed out the cliffs of
Dover. Folina said that the ships were getting too close to them.’
The
scene switched and now they were in a huge room standing on an ornately patterned
Axminster carpet.
‘Hannah,
please feel the carpet.’
She
bent down then laid down.
‘It’s
soft and warm. How can it be?’
‘This
entire floor is made of panels made of a unique polymer and sheets of ultra-strong
glass. You could say that it is a load of TV screens though this does not quite
do the technology justice. The surface can be illuminated, heated, vibrated and projected onto and
through—like the dolphin—that create different images and sensations.’
‘I
really felt like I was lying on a ridiculously expensive carpet—it was, it was
just lovely and overwhelming. I imagined I was in some opulent stately home.’
As Hannah
said that the walls revealed suits of armour, huge paintings, ornate coving,
long arched corridors fading into the distance, dark wood furnishings with ruby
red upholstery. Chandeliers hung from the off-white and ornate plastered
ceiling. Dogs were barking outside and the sound of approaching footsteps could
be heard coming from one of the corridors. A door opened.
Jorge
returned the room to its previous state.
‘The
applications of this are endless. Imagine a play; the audience is sat at one
end or in the middle. The actors perform a play and the scene changes are
instant. Any of the floor panels can be lowered and props introduced. Or imagine
a building planning exercise where digital drawings are projected and manipulated
on the floor, projected into a 3D image and then transferred onto the walls and
ceiling for an immersive 360° experience. Or imagine we have created what we
know of the Great Library Alexandria.’
The
room transformed into a glorious image of what it might have looked at its
height around 200 years BC. The causes of its gradual demise and re-building
only to be destroyed again are shrouded in myth and legend. More than 350,000 papyrus
scrolls were housed in this literary wonderland.
Everyone
gasped at the grandeur that surrounded them. Val’s mouth went dry.
‘Let’s
take a peek inside shall we?’
Simone
came in carrying a box and distributed a head set with built-in headphones, gloves
and foot tags to everyone. Jorge explained how to attach the tags to their
shoes, then put on the gloves and finally the headset. The shoe tags and gloves
were already synchronised with the headset and all the headsets were synchronised
with the others.
‘I
would like you to find The Thebaid, an epic poem that is attributed to
Homer. It has a blue piece of material wrapped around it—that is your only
clue.
The
Nine were spread around the room. Jorge touched his device and then moved to
one side. To an on-looker you would have seen nine people milling about in a
strange kind of way. Folina and Charles realised who each other were straight
away and that they could talk with each other though their voices sounded
different through the headphones.
‘I love
challenges said Charles—look at us—who would have though it, a group of people
wandering around the Great Library. Oh, here’s a ladder.’
Folina
was concerned that Charles would hurt himself. She need not have worried. She
could see him climb the ladder with ease. He was, in fact, just lifting each
leg a little—sufficient to ascend the virtual ladder. He descended, looking
somewhat disappointed as it was not there. Sarah, Val and Patrick were the
other side of the room. Val left them and moved to the centre of the room. She
could see everyone and most of the alcoves—some of them reaching as high as
twenty-five feet high. She walked purposefully towards one of the pillars, moved
a ladder and placed it to her left then climbed to the top.
‘I have
it’ she roared triumphantly!
There
was an air of excitement in the room.
‘Please
keep all the equipment on for a little while longer,’ urged Jorge.
Val
climbed down and walked towards her eight fellow searchers and then placed the
scroll on a stone table. They all moved towards the table as Val removed the
blue material and unrolled the scroll. It was written in ancient Greek and
smelled rather musty.
‘Okay,
that’s the end of the simulation—you can now remove the equipment.’
Simone
collected the equipment and her colleagues brought back the chairs.
‘So, what
do you think?’ asked Jorge.
‘Bloody
brilliant!’ said Sarah, uncharacteristically using a swear word.
‘Let’s
add some cream on it shall we?’ said Jorge with a cheeky smile—he was in his
element.
As
Jorge spoke the entire room was transformed into the scene they had just
visited and then the walls changed to reveal some Homer’s Thebaid. The
walls then changed again showing an interlinear translation and commentary on
the side of each section.
‘We can
do anything with this—zoom in and out, bring up alternative translations,
transliterations and renderings. We can study one word or pick up how a word or
phrase is repeated throughout the entire text. We can place them anywhere we want
for comparison purposes. We can access online esoteric databases and project
our findings next to specific sections. In short the applications are
absolutely limitless!’
Jorge
had got their attention in a most profound way and the Nine got it immediately.
You could see their minds whirring as ideas rushed into their consciousness
from deep within their beings. They spent the next hour asking questions and then
started to think of ways that they would use the technology in the months ahead.
It was time to bring the session to a close.
‘I
would just like to say something Jorge,’ said Val ‘...it’s actually a
confession. As soon as you mentioned the scroll with the blue material on it I
knew exactly where it would be. You see in a previous form I was a junior
scroll attendant in The Great Library. The VR experience was remarkably similar
to how I remembered it—I have no idea how the VR writers created it but I can
tell you it was inspired! Anyway I waited a while and then climbed to where I
knew it would be and there it was.’
Nobody spoke. They knew that Spirit was inviting them to
use these tools and was entrusting them to do so with great care and love—above
all with love.