“Come in ladies, take a seat,” Teacher beckoned from within.
Teacher was at her usual place, but no one else was in the room.
Marr and Luna entered the room and took a seat each in the circle.
“What an exciting time it is! Luna, what occurs to you at this moment in your journey?”
Luna stared back.
“Marr?” Teacher continued.
“Am I ready, is what is on my mind, Teacher,” Marr replied.
“Good thought but wasted. Of course, you are ready. You are always ready. You can never be more ready for the moment at hand than you are when you are at that moment,” Teacher shared smiling, self-congratulating herself on her own brilliance.
Marr smiled back.
“However, I can remind you of something that may help ease your mind. And Luna, this will help you find more ease with your path. Luna, Marr will share this daily with you until you too have memorised it and can pass it on.”
With that, Teacher settled back in her chair and began to talk in a reverend manner.
“The Creator’s Experiment. Before the beginning there was a mountain. Hovering above that mountain was a huge orb. Contained within the orb was all the wisdom of the universe.
There was nothing unknown. There was nothing more to know. Or was there? It was hard to tell. It was accepted that learning creates further wisdom. It was accepted that the process of seeking wisdom produces wisdom. So, if the wisdom was just idle in this orb, how could one be certain that it contained all the wisdom. What if there was more that could be discovered through the use of that wisdom?
So, the orb’s creator decided to conduct an experiment. The Creator hit the top of the orb. A crack appeared and out poured all the wisdom contained. The wisdom erupted out into the sky and split into tiny fragments. Each fragment duplicated itself, many times. Each duplicate contained a small piece of each piece of wisdom. The fragments formed as tiny droplets. These droplets rained down on the plain that surrounded the mountain. When the droplets reached the ground, they would cycle back up into the sky and then rain down again. It didn’t rain over the mountain, only the plain. Thus, no wisdom would ever return to the orb automatically. It would need to be collected, carried up the mountain and put back into the orb.
The Creator then put all manner of creatures on the plain surrounding the mountain.
The Creator suspected that any singular piece of wisdom may be too great for any creature to grasp. So, the Creator gave each creature a thimble sized cup to catch the fragments that rained down. The idea being that each creature would then carry the droplets back up the side of the mountain and at the top, merge the fragments back into the orb.
The Creator constructed the experiment such that the process of climbing the mountain would enable said creatures to look at the fragments they carried. Through this process, they would learn and obtain growth in themselves. And perhaps, as they considered the fragments of wisdom, they would see something new or different in those fragments. This would then enable the fragments to embody the adjustment or addition to the overall piece of wisdom when the fragments were reunited with other fragments within the orb.
“To help reduce the risk of corruption of the experiment, the Creator added some extra safety measures.
“First, the Creator hid the design from the creatures. Many would barely notice the mountain or the orb, and only a few would ever attempt to climb the mountain. The Creator even hid the knowledge of the cup. The Creator made the cups invisible and only observable by each cup’s owner. Most creatures would never know they even had a cup, let alone know what it was for.
“Secondly, the Creator added time to the mix. Time gave the experiment boundaries and ensured that at some point the results could be assessed. While seemingly infinitely long and starting with a big bang, the experiment would eventually end.
In addition, the Creator gave each creature a life that lasted only a miniscule fraction of the overall time to maximise the potential for variety and evolution.
“Thirdly, the Creator wanted to give the creatures something to do that encouraged them to search for meaning, for something else. So, the Creator made life on the plain hard. The Creator made time on the plain a toil of survival.
“Forth, the creator gave the creatures the ability to choose. The freedom to choose how they approached their toil would ensure wisdom was observed and considered with an open and free mind. The creator designed things so the creatures could choose if and when they engaged with their purpose.
“And finally, the Creator designed a flaw into the creature’s psyche. The flaw would cause the creatures to self-sabotage their own experience should they try to cheat the design. The Creator called this flaw the Ego, the servant of the non-authentic. The non-authentic would eventually fail at any attempt to climb the mountain, and instead would perish on the plain. Thus, only the authentically oriented would contribute to the process of returning the wisdom to the orb.”
“The Creator wanted to maximise the potential for wisdom to create wisdom, so the Creator constructed the cups so they would increase in size. They would increase in size as the creatures traversed the mountain. They then had a choice to return to the plain and collect more fragments before reaching the summit and merging their cup with the orb. Also, the Creator designed the experiment such that the cup would grow and fill faster as a creature took on more engagement with their path, and even more so when that engagement related to the task of prolonging their species. The logic being that this added complexity gave that creature a different perspective and increased the potential for new wisdom to be uncovered.
“The Creator knew that completing this task would require enormous effort on the part of the creatures. It would take every bit of their strengths, down to the last breath. As a reward for working hard to complete this task and reach the orb, the Creator made available three gifts. Firstly, only those that pursued their purpose or honestly endeavoured to grasp it, and did so authentically, would receive one hundred percent of what was due to them for their toil on the plain. Secondly, cup size growth would result in a greater sense of joy, wellness, and ease with the toil on the plain. Thirdly, the creatures would be given a glimpse of all the wisdom of the universe, as they completed their purpose.
“And to help things go in the right direction for those that engaged fully, the Creator etched into the side of each cup, the details of the design, plus a set of hints of the overall wisdom. These design details and hints of the overall wisdom would be readable only by a few. It was only visible to those who engaged fully with the toil of their purpose, such that they lived in fulness and died before they died. For most these hidden etchings would serve another purpose. Should they find themselves on or close to the right path, the hidden etchings would help the creature sense the correct path without the need for external confirmation.
“Initially, the creatures were too simplistic to grasp their true purpose. For a time, no creature even noticed the mountain or orb, let alone went near it. While still oblivious to the cup, the mountain, the orb, and their purpose, over time some sets of creatures, found ways to reduce the toil and prolong their time a little longer. They joined with others. They increased their numbers. They found new capabilities within themselves. They evolved new skills. This all enabled them to be better able to cope with the toil on the plain. They also got to know the plain better. They used its resources to add comforts and reduce the apparent futility of their existence.”
“Eventually some of these evolved creatures noticed their cup and tried to fill them. After even more time, some ventured onto the mountain. It was rocky and steep. There were many perils. A wrongly placed foot or hand and the creature would topple down the path and even fall from the mountain entirely. Many died on the mountain as on the plain. Never reaching the top or realising their purpose.
“Those that didn't die on the way up the mountain, extracted learning. When that happened, they observed that their thimble sized cup got slightly bigger. They found it could hold more of the droplets. The creatures also found they could help others up the paths, and that that act of sacrifice also increased the size of the cup. This all gave them the incentive to keep trying.
“Over time paths were added. And then interlinking ladders and ropes for support. And they eventually got to the top.
“Once at the top they realised and completed their purpose, in the same moment. They saw both the meaning of the toil on the plain and the toil of the climb. As life left them, they merged the contents of their cup into the orb. In that final moment they also saw all that the orb contained, all the wisdom of the universe. They fulfilled their purpose.
“As time passed and to move things along, the creator left further treasure, or mysteries. These were miniscule, well-hidden, and only discoverable by those who had devoted a lifetime to climbing the mountain. The mysteries opened a creature’s eyes to the design. This would cause them to delay their final ascent. Instead, they would choose to stay on the mountain a little longer, sharing the knowledge of this treasure, helping others make the climb and ensuring their cup was completely full before they reached the top and completed their purpose.
“Climbing the mountain was not only a risky business, but it was something that had to be done over and over again. Creatures still had to maintain their bodies. They still had to return to the plain to work and toil. This enabled them to create the means for which they could nourish their bodies and then return to the climb, day after day.
“The creatures also discovered that there were no shortcuts. Only those that walk the path themselves ever made it to the top. Only those that climbed the mountain under their own steam, got to touch the orb and obtain the riches.
“Many felt the climb was too hard compared to the comforts on the plain. These creatures chose to embrace the plain and entertain themselves to pass their time.
Some felt cheated by those who were making the climb. They would block their path. Spread lies. Do what they could to prevent others from filling their cups.
At times, the number of detractors would swell, and they would wreak havoc on the mountain’s paths. Tearing down the ropes and ladders and slaughtering the helpers on the mountains. These black spots in the course of time would eventually correct as sufficient believers stood up and fought back.
“Some tried to cheat the system. They built great structures using other creatures. They used the resources on the plain to reenforce the structures. They used the structures to propel themselves high into the sky so they could reach the orb. It never worked. Eventually the structures would collapse. As the structures grew in height and the prize appeared near, those close to the top would jostle for position. As they did that, they put more and more weight and pressure on those below. The resulting instability would bring the structures down before any creature got close enough to the orb.”
Teacher paused for a moment, looking at both Marr and Luna.
Then she continued, “for those that turn their back on the climb, life becomes a meaningless toil, even with comforts to distract them. For these a different end awaits. At the last moment, when their time is up, they will see the design and realise the folly of their choices. Their cup will shatter as their body is no more, and anything contained within the cup is recycled back into the sky to rain down again.
“For those creatures that embrace the responsibility gifted to them by the Creator, riches await. Their choice to toil both on the plain and on the mountain, is rewarded. In engaging in the Creator’s Experiment, they earn the right to know all the wisdom of the universe.”
With the story shared, Teacher closed her eyes. Moments later Teachers’ head dropped forward, and she started to snore gently.
Marr and Luna, looked at each other briefly, nodded, got up and left quietly.
Excerpt from Rule of Twelve, Book 1 - Double take, Chapter 6
