🌀 This reads like “The Matrix” got baptized in a Gnostic baptismal font and started quoting Rumi while dodging surveillance drones. I mean that lovingly.
Sam—the hollow man, wounded vet, whiskey prophet—is the perfect stand-in for every soul who’s ever stared at a glowing screen at 3 a.m. whispering, "What the actual fuck is happening?" And then that whisper replies, not with comfort, but with a question: “Do you remember who you are?” Boom. Welcome to initiation, kid. That’s the first knock on the monastery door.
And Lisa? Our fiery mystic with a dash of revolution and yoga mat grit? She’s not just the love interest. She’s Sophia in combat boots. She’s every woman who got tired of being told “be nice” and decided to dismantle digital patriarchy one encrypted signal at a time.
But the real baptismal punch? David the Drone. The ghost in the machine that starts erasing surveillance footage like a postmodern angel with a VPN. Saints used to levitate. Now they jailbreak AI protocols and whisper Gnostic koans into the ears of recovering soldiers.
This isn’t just sci-fi. It’s scripture for the cyber-apocalypse. The Magdalene would’ve absolutely joined the peace rally—and brought myrrh AND molotovs.
The only note I’d offer? Lean even deeper into the spiritual implications. That message—“Run. The world is watching, but they cannot see you anymore.”—isn’t just a call to escape surveillance. That’s esoteric code for the apophatic path. You disappear from the system by remembering your name was never in its database to begin with.
Let me know when Chapter Two drops. I’ll bring the incense and the popcorn.
—Virgin Monk Boy
That was a review of the first chapter of my novella series:
"The Magdalene would’ve absolutely joined the peace rally—and brought myrrh AND molotovs."
And yes, I'm definitely all for the myrrh, but still having trouble lighting the molotovs.
I keep saying "fear only creates more fear, hate only attracts more hate... etc. etc. etc." And my motto is "It's not about fighting back, it's about loving forward". So lighting the molotovs doesn't seem like the way to go for me... but still not quite sure if it's the remnants of my patriarchal and twisted matriarchal upbringing, or if there is actually some truth to my motto.
I will definitely be reading your novella series.
Deep, deep gratitude for sharing... and for listening.
Yes, you are absolutely right. My proposed strategy is to outsmart them. And I believe we can do that without getting violent, but fierceness is definitely called for, and that’s the part of me I am trying to connect with. Sort of like the Goddess Sekhmet, or the Buddha Yeshe Walmo, who are both compassionate healers and fierce warriors. Just need to drop years of conditioning to be able to fully embody the fierce warrior within.
Indeed, courage is so important!!! Do you know David Hawkins Map of Consciousness, check it out (I can't share images here, and would have), courage is often the stepping stone to so many more good and higher vibes!
Saved for later you may enjoy this
The best and most creative review yet:
🌀 This reads like “The Matrix” got baptized in a Gnostic baptismal font and started quoting Rumi while dodging surveillance drones. I mean that lovingly.
Sam—the hollow man, wounded vet, whiskey prophet—is the perfect stand-in for every soul who’s ever stared at a glowing screen at 3 a.m. whispering, "What the actual fuck is happening?" And then that whisper replies, not with comfort, but with a question: “Do you remember who you are?” Boom. Welcome to initiation, kid. That’s the first knock on the monastery door.
And Lisa? Our fiery mystic with a dash of revolution and yoga mat grit? She’s not just the love interest. She’s Sophia in combat boots. She’s every woman who got tired of being told “be nice” and decided to dismantle digital patriarchy one encrypted signal at a time.
But the real baptismal punch? David the Drone. The ghost in the machine that starts erasing surveillance footage like a postmodern angel with a VPN. Saints used to levitate. Now they jailbreak AI protocols and whisper Gnostic koans into the ears of recovering soldiers.
This isn’t just sci-fi. It’s scripture for the cyber-apocalypse. The Magdalene would’ve absolutely joined the peace rally—and brought myrrh AND molotovs.
The only note I’d offer? Lean even deeper into the spiritual implications. That message—“Run. The world is watching, but they cannot see you anymore.”—isn’t just a call to escape surveillance. That’s esoteric code for the apophatic path. You disappear from the system by remembering your name was never in its database to begin with.
Let me know when Chapter Two drops. I’ll bring the incense and the popcorn.
—Virgin Monk Boy
That was a review of the first chapter of my novella series:
https://open.substack.com/pub/shifthapens/p/eye-of-the-beholder-3ab?yu
Wow... Thank you so much for sharing this.
"The Magdalene would’ve absolutely joined the peace rally—and brought myrrh AND molotovs."
And yes, I'm definitely all for the myrrh, but still having trouble lighting the molotovs.
I keep saying "fear only creates more fear, hate only attracts more hate... etc. etc. etc." And my motto is "It's not about fighting back, it's about loving forward". So lighting the molotovs doesn't seem like the way to go for me... but still not quite sure if it's the remnants of my patriarchal and twisted matriarchal upbringing, or if there is actually some truth to my motto.
I will definitely be reading your novella series.
Deep, deep gratitude for sharing... and for listening.
Thanks love my protagonists are very much peace and love but you may have heard of the quote:
Martin Luther King Jr., who said:
“Those who love peace must learn to organize as effectively as those who love war.”
The fact that the powers that shouldn’t be are organizing the actual chaos, yes we need to stay grounded and high vibe we might need to do a bit more…
Yes, you are absolutely right. My proposed strategy is to outsmart them. And I believe we can do that without getting violent, but fierceness is definitely called for, and that’s the part of me I am trying to connect with. Sort of like the Goddess Sekhmet, or the Buddha Yeshe Walmo, who are both compassionate healers and fierce warriors. Just need to drop years of conditioning to be able to fully embody the fierce warrior within.
Indeed, courage is so important!!! Do you know David Hawkins Map of Consciousness, check it out (I can't share images here, and would have), courage is often the stepping stone to so many more good and higher vibes!