SeaJay
Contributor
Okay, y'all might think that with a title like that, this would be another thread about DIR...
Nope.
I just got finished writing one of my final term papers for one of my classes at the Univeristy of South Carolina. This particular class was "Religion 203."
Believe me, it was a completely painful experience! You wanna talk about positively HATING a class? Yuck! Couldn't help it, though... It's a required class!
Anyway, we were given the opportunity to choose one of six term paper topics. I chose one that I thought was interesting... I had to create my own religion. I thought it more fun than a compare/contrast on Hindu vs. Buddhism!
Anyway... And here's why I'm posting this to the board... I created the religion of "Atlantisism." Thought y'all might get a kick out of this:
WARNING: This was a large report, and so this post is huge. Feel free to read if you like, and if you find it entertaining. If you don't feel like reading, or if you find it too long, then don't read it. Please take all complaints for my very long post to the closest natural body of water and drown them.
Atlantisism:
A Religion for the New Millennium
By SeaJay Bayne
April 30th, 2003
Religion 203
FIRST ENCOUNTER
Youve been anticipating this arrival for many weeks now Your ship has finally arrived in Nassau, Bahamas.
Shaking off last nights rolling seas, you walk down the gangplank and onto the massive dock. There are many other ships around, not unlike the behemoth that brought you across the Atlantic last night. People of all colors and races are talking loudly all over the place. Large African-looking women are offering to braid everyones hair in the popular fashion of the Bahamas. You make your way toward a gated entranceway, past a customs agent who is wearing pleated and pressed shorts and a very official-looking hat, and into the streets of Nassau.
It doesnt take you long to find a taxi, who is more than willing to take you anywhere in the world youd like to go So long as yucan dryve dere, mon! At unnerving speeds, he whisks you down the street on the left side of the road, even more unnerving to your American heritage, and asks you if youd like to stop off to geta beermon. His accent is uncannily distinct, and you know that youre in the Caribbean islands.
Arriving in a small, thriving marketplace, you tip your driver who offers to pick you up later. Idll be oveah in an oursir, he slurs. A big, white smile comes to his face. Cahn I pickyuhup laateh? Excellent sahvice de best in da Caribbean.
Agreeing, you step into the heat of the marketplace and calypso music fills your ears as you make your way toward the Pahti, the focus of Atlantisee worship.
THE ATLANTISEE BELIEF SYSTEM
Until recently, Atlantisees have kept a fairly quiet existence, preferring to co-mingle amongst other religions without much fanfare. Their belief system, oddly enough, stems from a scientific standpoint, offering a simple and cohesive, common sense view of how man came to existence. Atlanisism offers this in conjunction with its worldview, in a set of beliefs known collectively as the Manta.
Stories from the Manta revolve around the idea that human beings as we know them today have changed to be land-based mammals only recently, and the Manta does support the concepts of evolution first introduced by Charles Darwin, a well-known Atlantisee. However, even in Darwins day, the theory of evolution created a problem which was addressed by later scientists: The models for evolution suggested that while the Earth was 4.8 billion years old, the theory of evolution suggests that it would have taken much longer for humans to evolve. Thus, Atlantisees believe that while we have evolved, we did not do so on planet Earth.
The name given to this place was deemed Arya by Atlantisee leaders and prophets living in Egypt around 3000 B.C. During this time, it is believed that these prophets began the writings of the Manta, based on mythical stories handed down to them by their ancestors.
The mythical Arya, according to the Manta, was a place transcendent of time and space. It is said that it was neither planet nor moon, and that it did not rotate around another celestial body as our own Earth does. Instead, Arya was said to be a sort of bubble of silica, held together with the force of its own gravity and adrift in space. The Manta teaches that the bubble was actually in and of itself a living organism, with one mind, whos collective conscience was called Gala. It is said that Gala, seeking to amuse himself, split his consciousness, but not his physical being, much as cells in the human body do today. Once there was more than one consciousness, thought patterns began to emerge, and since there were more than one, a sharing of thought between them began to occur, and Gala was able to converse. The Manta teaches that the first child of Gala was named Farreogh, and was neither male nor female, and existed only in consciousness and thought.
According to the Manta, being adrift in a vast, black void was quite dangerous And after several million years Gala had created a large population of children, all existing only in terms of consciousness and thought. When the existence of Gala was threatened by a nearby star collapsing, Gala told his children to leave, as he was inhibited by his physical form and unable to move on his own accord though the void. He seemed doomed, but his children need not be. He showed fear of being consumed.
Thus, his children thought about it for a time (of which there was no measure, because there had never been a need for measurement before) and left Gala in search of a safe haven. Unable to exist outside of a physical form, they sought a local body, carbon based instead of silica based, which would take them on a collision course with another celestial body.
It is unknown today exactly how long it took for Farreogh and the children to travel to this new and foreign celestial body, but when they arrived they became aware of the fact that this new celestial body was not uninhabited. In a reaction to fear an emotion which theyd never felt prior to Gala expressing it Farreogh and the children separated themselves into six equal parts as they hurtled though space, and called themselves what we know today as A, Ei, Ahch, Ehmon, Areh, and Tee. Five of the sections struck the celestial body, and all life on it ceased to exist. The sixth section narrowly missed the celestial body, and instead was simultaneously pulled toward it while speeding past. The result was what we know today as orbit.
For the first time, the children of Ehmon saw the end of their colleagues, and they were very afraid and awed. They had never before experienced the end of a beings existence before. They wondered if the same fate had happened to Gala. Out of memory of their five counterparts, they named the celestial body EiAArehTeeAch, better known today as EARTH. Even today, the Ehmon, or Moon in todays English language, still rotates around Earth.
Recent scientists have given weight to the Manta, pointing at a young Moon which seems as if it was introduced to the solar system at a later date.
It is unclear, exactly, how the children of the Moon made their way from the Moon to the Earths surface, but its been suggested by Atlantisee latter-day saints that, unencumbered by a physical form, the children were able to release themselves from the Moon and instead fall to Earth in an event known as The Fall of Mon. It is unclear why, exactly, the children decided to leave the Moon and travel to Earth, for surely they were content and safe where they were. Some theorists suggest, however, that the children were attracted by the activity happening on Earth at the time, especially the cycle of life and death which they saw in the fruit of plants, which were growing on a small portion of one of the original five fragments which had struck Earth. This is a heralded chapter in the Manta, for it signifies the beginning of mankind. Later religions would tell of a story of The Fall of Man and how it centered around the fruit of the Garden of Eden. (In old Manta scripture, there is no definitive difference between the letters arth and den.)
The big problem, the Manta says, was when a child consumed of the fruit himself. Slowly, this child began to exist in a physical form, not unlike Gala. The other children were awed and also consumed fruit and became physical in form. Of course, this introduced a new problem death. Physical existence is for a limited time only, and thus, the story of how it came to be that mans time to live was limited, was born. It also explains how the activity of consumption, which effectively separated the children from Gala, also resulted in the limited lifespan we know today as death.
It is interesting to note that this piece of one of the original five fragments which had struck Earth indeed the Garden of Earth, (Eden in other scripture) was originally named Salan, meaning, those who sacrificed in memorial to those who gave of themselves such that the other children could exist. Of course, there is question as to whether or not those who gave of their existence were aware that they were doing so, but it does explain the origin of the word Salan, which was later revised to Atlantis as those who consumed evolved mouths and tongues.
Unfortunately for the Aryans, Atlantis was not a stable place. It had fallen from space, and was rather poorly situated in the middle of the great ocean which encircled the Earth. The force of it falling had also created a large fissure in the surface of the planet, and often the island would shift, causing great fear amongst the Aryans. Now bound to Earth in physical form (and evolving nicely to accommodate the mostly liquid world around them), they were quite accustomed to a world of semi-submerged land. When the island collapsed far into the ocean with a great roar, many were killed, as they were dependent on the shallow waters offered by the land. Many died; but there were a few that survived; the strongest of the swimmers who were able to make it thousands of miles to the nearest land masses. Later, this story would be retold by various persons, including Plato and Aristotle, as well as biblical scholars who glorified the occurrence by adding a large storm to induce fear and telling the story of Noahs Ark. (Our amphibious origins were largely misunderstood by early scholars.) Regardless of whether or not one believes that the story included 40 days and 40 nights of rain and a human who was prepared with a boat, or the collapse of an entire land mass followed by an incredible swim, the result was the same: at one point in time, mankind was reduced to but a few individuals who were lucky enough and strong enough to survive the catastrophe. For this reason, Aryans feel a very special, close bond with water and its purifying effects. This comes as no surprise, as many individuals still gravitate towards water.
Nobody really knows what became of Gala, but many have suggested an attempt for us to communicate with him. Countless have attempted to simply think to him, in a manner deeply inbred in our collective psyche, left over from millions of years of being able to do this while still with him at Arya. Still others, understanding that Gala exists in a physical sense as well, have attempted to utilize whatever physical means they have to focus thought toward him. The most well-known example of this is in the deserts of Egypt. Many thousands of years ago, a huge silica disk was placed atop several structures and aimed at the celestial body where Gala was last known to exist. Unfortunately, contact was never made, and eventually the silica disk deteriorated into tiny bits of quartzite, commonly known as sand. The foundation, however, still exists in part, known collectively as the Great Pyramids of Egypt. Even today, it can still be seen that during certain parts of the year, the Great Pyramids are accurately pointed toward the constellation of Orion. (Originally Arya, but sometimes confused with Aryan, which more accurately describes an individual from Arya.)
ATLANTISISM TODAY
It is unclear, exactly, how many individuals were able to swim away from the sinking island of Atlantis, and what directions they took away from the disaster. However, it is generally accepted that individuals were able to make it to the Americas, Bermuda, the Bahamas, and Eurasia. With only a scant few actually able to survive the massive distance, it is no wonder that a shallow gene pool existed at each location. With few able to reproduce, and a significant climatological difference between each location, these individuals evolved to be significantly different from each other, and different races of humans was the result. There was also a significant difference in the way that religion, a way to tie the present to the past, evolved. However, it is argued that the most pure form of Aryan today evolved on the smallest of land masses, due to confined areas and lesser climatological differences. Simply put, a consistency in climate produced a human that was less diverse in terms of evolution. For this reason, its generally thought that Bermuda and the Caribbean Islands including the Bahamas is the focus of the Aryan race and the religion of Atlantisism.
Contrary to popular belief, Atlantisees, who celebrate purity of lineage in the Aryan race, do not generally feel that all Aryans had pale skin, blue eyes, or blonde hair. Rather, they understand that different Aryans were able to survive, and eventually developed appearance characteristics and abilities that were beneficial to their unique climate. The last known recorded history of an aggressive Aryan movement occurred during World War II, where purity was so celebrated as to enforce the extermination of those who were said to be unpure. Unfortunately, this group of extremist Aryan supporters was unusual, and held views contrary to what most Atlantisees believed at the time. Interestingly, and quite hypocritically, Adolf Hitler was not an Atlantisee, although he sought many times to be included in the sect. Most Atlantisees denounce Hitlers aggressive viewpoints, and instead focus on the purity of lineage within each persons respective race.
Atlantisees, as the knowledge of their history has become better understood, have strived most recently to reject that of the material world that is, they generally feel that consumption is the root of all evil. As such, most Atlantisees prefer to commence their Pahtis privately and by invitation, which usually involves an enjoyable celebration of the spirit. Their rituals are heavily influenced by activity, rather than in a church or synagogue. Commonly, their rituals include activities surrounded by high emotion and water, and many of them feel that boating, swimming, diving, surfing, and even simple trips to the beach are spiritually soothing and healing, and as such seek these activities in droves. Consumption is generally kept to a minimum, and excessive drinking, eating, smoking, or other worldly pleasures are generally viewed with distaste. Sloth, obesity, complacency, and over-indulgence are considered illnesses, with the cure being activity, enjoyment, celebration, and a spiritual high.
There are few places as sacred to an Atlantisee as the beach, but some of these places include the Bermuda Triangle, where it is generally thought that a great spiritual vortex, fueled by the original Aryan children, exists. The Bimini Road, thought to be an ancient path by which Aryan people traveled, is another such sacred place. Likewise, the Sargasso Sea, often though of as the remains of the Garden of Eden, is a holy place. People from all over the world feel a sense of awe and inspiration when they visit these places. For Atlantisees, these places are holy ground.
Todays Manta teaches the budding Atlantisee that there are four basic ethical principles to follow:
Nope.
I just got finished writing one of my final term papers for one of my classes at the Univeristy of South Carolina. This particular class was "Religion 203."
Believe me, it was a completely painful experience! You wanna talk about positively HATING a class? Yuck! Couldn't help it, though... It's a required class!
Anyway, we were given the opportunity to choose one of six term paper topics. I chose one that I thought was interesting... I had to create my own religion. I thought it more fun than a compare/contrast on Hindu vs. Buddhism!
Anyway... And here's why I'm posting this to the board... I created the religion of "Atlantisism." Thought y'all might get a kick out of this:
WARNING: This was a large report, and so this post is huge. Feel free to read if you like, and if you find it entertaining. If you don't feel like reading, or if you find it too long, then don't read it. Please take all complaints for my very long post to the closest natural body of water and drown them.
Atlantisism:
A Religion for the New Millennium
By SeaJay Bayne
April 30th, 2003
Religion 203
FIRST ENCOUNTER
Youve been anticipating this arrival for many weeks now Your ship has finally arrived in Nassau, Bahamas.
Shaking off last nights rolling seas, you walk down the gangplank and onto the massive dock. There are many other ships around, not unlike the behemoth that brought you across the Atlantic last night. People of all colors and races are talking loudly all over the place. Large African-looking women are offering to braid everyones hair in the popular fashion of the Bahamas. You make your way toward a gated entranceway, past a customs agent who is wearing pleated and pressed shorts and a very official-looking hat, and into the streets of Nassau.
It doesnt take you long to find a taxi, who is more than willing to take you anywhere in the world youd like to go So long as yucan dryve dere, mon! At unnerving speeds, he whisks you down the street on the left side of the road, even more unnerving to your American heritage, and asks you if youd like to stop off to geta beermon. His accent is uncannily distinct, and you know that youre in the Caribbean islands.
Arriving in a small, thriving marketplace, you tip your driver who offers to pick you up later. Idll be oveah in an oursir, he slurs. A big, white smile comes to his face. Cahn I pickyuhup laateh? Excellent sahvice de best in da Caribbean.
Agreeing, you step into the heat of the marketplace and calypso music fills your ears as you make your way toward the Pahti, the focus of Atlantisee worship.
THE ATLANTISEE BELIEF SYSTEM
Until recently, Atlantisees have kept a fairly quiet existence, preferring to co-mingle amongst other religions without much fanfare. Their belief system, oddly enough, stems from a scientific standpoint, offering a simple and cohesive, common sense view of how man came to existence. Atlanisism offers this in conjunction with its worldview, in a set of beliefs known collectively as the Manta.
Stories from the Manta revolve around the idea that human beings as we know them today have changed to be land-based mammals only recently, and the Manta does support the concepts of evolution first introduced by Charles Darwin, a well-known Atlantisee. However, even in Darwins day, the theory of evolution created a problem which was addressed by later scientists: The models for evolution suggested that while the Earth was 4.8 billion years old, the theory of evolution suggests that it would have taken much longer for humans to evolve. Thus, Atlantisees believe that while we have evolved, we did not do so on planet Earth.
The name given to this place was deemed Arya by Atlantisee leaders and prophets living in Egypt around 3000 B.C. During this time, it is believed that these prophets began the writings of the Manta, based on mythical stories handed down to them by their ancestors.
The mythical Arya, according to the Manta, was a place transcendent of time and space. It is said that it was neither planet nor moon, and that it did not rotate around another celestial body as our own Earth does. Instead, Arya was said to be a sort of bubble of silica, held together with the force of its own gravity and adrift in space. The Manta teaches that the bubble was actually in and of itself a living organism, with one mind, whos collective conscience was called Gala. It is said that Gala, seeking to amuse himself, split his consciousness, but not his physical being, much as cells in the human body do today. Once there was more than one consciousness, thought patterns began to emerge, and since there were more than one, a sharing of thought between them began to occur, and Gala was able to converse. The Manta teaches that the first child of Gala was named Farreogh, and was neither male nor female, and existed only in consciousness and thought.
According to the Manta, being adrift in a vast, black void was quite dangerous And after several million years Gala had created a large population of children, all existing only in terms of consciousness and thought. When the existence of Gala was threatened by a nearby star collapsing, Gala told his children to leave, as he was inhibited by his physical form and unable to move on his own accord though the void. He seemed doomed, but his children need not be. He showed fear of being consumed.
Thus, his children thought about it for a time (of which there was no measure, because there had never been a need for measurement before) and left Gala in search of a safe haven. Unable to exist outside of a physical form, they sought a local body, carbon based instead of silica based, which would take them on a collision course with another celestial body.
It is unknown today exactly how long it took for Farreogh and the children to travel to this new and foreign celestial body, but when they arrived they became aware of the fact that this new celestial body was not uninhabited. In a reaction to fear an emotion which theyd never felt prior to Gala expressing it Farreogh and the children separated themselves into six equal parts as they hurtled though space, and called themselves what we know today as A, Ei, Ahch, Ehmon, Areh, and Tee. Five of the sections struck the celestial body, and all life on it ceased to exist. The sixth section narrowly missed the celestial body, and instead was simultaneously pulled toward it while speeding past. The result was what we know today as orbit.
For the first time, the children of Ehmon saw the end of their colleagues, and they were very afraid and awed. They had never before experienced the end of a beings existence before. They wondered if the same fate had happened to Gala. Out of memory of their five counterparts, they named the celestial body EiAArehTeeAch, better known today as EARTH. Even today, the Ehmon, or Moon in todays English language, still rotates around Earth.
Recent scientists have given weight to the Manta, pointing at a young Moon which seems as if it was introduced to the solar system at a later date.
It is unclear, exactly, how the children of the Moon made their way from the Moon to the Earths surface, but its been suggested by Atlantisee latter-day saints that, unencumbered by a physical form, the children were able to release themselves from the Moon and instead fall to Earth in an event known as The Fall of Mon. It is unclear why, exactly, the children decided to leave the Moon and travel to Earth, for surely they were content and safe where they were. Some theorists suggest, however, that the children were attracted by the activity happening on Earth at the time, especially the cycle of life and death which they saw in the fruit of plants, which were growing on a small portion of one of the original five fragments which had struck Earth. This is a heralded chapter in the Manta, for it signifies the beginning of mankind. Later religions would tell of a story of The Fall of Man and how it centered around the fruit of the Garden of Eden. (In old Manta scripture, there is no definitive difference between the letters arth and den.)
The big problem, the Manta says, was when a child consumed of the fruit himself. Slowly, this child began to exist in a physical form, not unlike Gala. The other children were awed and also consumed fruit and became physical in form. Of course, this introduced a new problem death. Physical existence is for a limited time only, and thus, the story of how it came to be that mans time to live was limited, was born. It also explains how the activity of consumption, which effectively separated the children from Gala, also resulted in the limited lifespan we know today as death.
It is interesting to note that this piece of one of the original five fragments which had struck Earth indeed the Garden of Earth, (Eden in other scripture) was originally named Salan, meaning, those who sacrificed in memorial to those who gave of themselves such that the other children could exist. Of course, there is question as to whether or not those who gave of their existence were aware that they were doing so, but it does explain the origin of the word Salan, which was later revised to Atlantis as those who consumed evolved mouths and tongues.
Unfortunately for the Aryans, Atlantis was not a stable place. It had fallen from space, and was rather poorly situated in the middle of the great ocean which encircled the Earth. The force of it falling had also created a large fissure in the surface of the planet, and often the island would shift, causing great fear amongst the Aryans. Now bound to Earth in physical form (and evolving nicely to accommodate the mostly liquid world around them), they were quite accustomed to a world of semi-submerged land. When the island collapsed far into the ocean with a great roar, many were killed, as they were dependent on the shallow waters offered by the land. Many died; but there were a few that survived; the strongest of the swimmers who were able to make it thousands of miles to the nearest land masses. Later, this story would be retold by various persons, including Plato and Aristotle, as well as biblical scholars who glorified the occurrence by adding a large storm to induce fear and telling the story of Noahs Ark. (Our amphibious origins were largely misunderstood by early scholars.) Regardless of whether or not one believes that the story included 40 days and 40 nights of rain and a human who was prepared with a boat, or the collapse of an entire land mass followed by an incredible swim, the result was the same: at one point in time, mankind was reduced to but a few individuals who were lucky enough and strong enough to survive the catastrophe. For this reason, Aryans feel a very special, close bond with water and its purifying effects. This comes as no surprise, as many individuals still gravitate towards water.
Nobody really knows what became of Gala, but many have suggested an attempt for us to communicate with him. Countless have attempted to simply think to him, in a manner deeply inbred in our collective psyche, left over from millions of years of being able to do this while still with him at Arya. Still others, understanding that Gala exists in a physical sense as well, have attempted to utilize whatever physical means they have to focus thought toward him. The most well-known example of this is in the deserts of Egypt. Many thousands of years ago, a huge silica disk was placed atop several structures and aimed at the celestial body where Gala was last known to exist. Unfortunately, contact was never made, and eventually the silica disk deteriorated into tiny bits of quartzite, commonly known as sand. The foundation, however, still exists in part, known collectively as the Great Pyramids of Egypt. Even today, it can still be seen that during certain parts of the year, the Great Pyramids are accurately pointed toward the constellation of Orion. (Originally Arya, but sometimes confused with Aryan, which more accurately describes an individual from Arya.)
ATLANTISISM TODAY
It is unclear, exactly, how many individuals were able to swim away from the sinking island of Atlantis, and what directions they took away from the disaster. However, it is generally accepted that individuals were able to make it to the Americas, Bermuda, the Bahamas, and Eurasia. With only a scant few actually able to survive the massive distance, it is no wonder that a shallow gene pool existed at each location. With few able to reproduce, and a significant climatological difference between each location, these individuals evolved to be significantly different from each other, and different races of humans was the result. There was also a significant difference in the way that religion, a way to tie the present to the past, evolved. However, it is argued that the most pure form of Aryan today evolved on the smallest of land masses, due to confined areas and lesser climatological differences. Simply put, a consistency in climate produced a human that was less diverse in terms of evolution. For this reason, its generally thought that Bermuda and the Caribbean Islands including the Bahamas is the focus of the Aryan race and the religion of Atlantisism.
Contrary to popular belief, Atlantisees, who celebrate purity of lineage in the Aryan race, do not generally feel that all Aryans had pale skin, blue eyes, or blonde hair. Rather, they understand that different Aryans were able to survive, and eventually developed appearance characteristics and abilities that were beneficial to their unique climate. The last known recorded history of an aggressive Aryan movement occurred during World War II, where purity was so celebrated as to enforce the extermination of those who were said to be unpure. Unfortunately, this group of extremist Aryan supporters was unusual, and held views contrary to what most Atlantisees believed at the time. Interestingly, and quite hypocritically, Adolf Hitler was not an Atlantisee, although he sought many times to be included in the sect. Most Atlantisees denounce Hitlers aggressive viewpoints, and instead focus on the purity of lineage within each persons respective race.
Atlantisees, as the knowledge of their history has become better understood, have strived most recently to reject that of the material world that is, they generally feel that consumption is the root of all evil. As such, most Atlantisees prefer to commence their Pahtis privately and by invitation, which usually involves an enjoyable celebration of the spirit. Their rituals are heavily influenced by activity, rather than in a church or synagogue. Commonly, their rituals include activities surrounded by high emotion and water, and many of them feel that boating, swimming, diving, surfing, and even simple trips to the beach are spiritually soothing and healing, and as such seek these activities in droves. Consumption is generally kept to a minimum, and excessive drinking, eating, smoking, or other worldly pleasures are generally viewed with distaste. Sloth, obesity, complacency, and over-indulgence are considered illnesses, with the cure being activity, enjoyment, celebration, and a spiritual high.
There are few places as sacred to an Atlantisee as the beach, but some of these places include the Bermuda Triangle, where it is generally thought that a great spiritual vortex, fueled by the original Aryan children, exists. The Bimini Road, thought to be an ancient path by which Aryan people traveled, is another such sacred place. Likewise, the Sargasso Sea, often though of as the remains of the Garden of Eden, is a holy place. People from all over the world feel a sense of awe and inspiration when they visit these places. For Atlantisees, these places are holy ground.
Todays Manta teaches the budding Atlantisee that there are four basic ethical principles to follow:
- Always treat each other as if you are brothers and sisters, for your ancestors life may have been saved by anothers. Honesty and integrity are paramount.
- At least twice a day relax and ponder the oceans and all that are in them, for they are the path to your past.
- Make a voyage to a natural body of water at least four times annually and become completely submerged in it. Emerge refreshed and reborn.
- Constantly learn and be aware, for we have no way of knowing when or how Gala will attempt to speak to us.
[/list=1]
THE REST OF THE STORY
With these four teachings of the Manta running though your mind, you step off of the boat and into a liquid world of weightlessness. You and the rest of your Pahti descend amongst the beauty that reminds you of the swim which others were forced to take so that you would live. A feeling of awe and happiness comes over you, and you inhale from your scuba tanks deeply. Its too bad that weve evolved out of gills, you think to yourself. What a wonderful world Arya must have been, with Gala, free of all substance.
