So how we're going to begin is you're going to sit comfortably,
However that means to you.
It could be legs crossed,
Could be sitting in a chair,
Whatever it is,
Sit somewhere comfortably that you feel relaxed and comfortable and you're going to close your eyes and you're going to take three deep breaths.
Deep breath in,
Count to four,
Deep breath out,
Count to four.
And each time you exhale,
You're going to try and relax your body a little bit further.
So you're going to inhale,
Pause,
Exhale,
Pause.
So as you're doing this and you're relaxing,
It's in those pauses between breaths where we're going to go.
That is where your creativity meets your imagination,
Meets your subconscious.
So let's see what awaits you in the spaces between breaths.
Breathe.
Remember your breath.
Right now it is calm and deep.
It is what it needs to be to access memory,
To imagine another world.
Breathe deeply and let go of your reality.
Exhale slowly and purposefully and like a key turning a lock,
Return to another world.
This world is cold and sharp with a sky like no other.
This world is black ice and fury.
Imagine your breath as you face a storm god emerging from the relic of an ancient temple.
Imagine your thoughts as the ice cracks around you.
Feel your instincts rise as you run.
It is remarkable how time slows when you were scared.
Your brain runs in overdrive and you become hyper aware of color and texture.
Sound and smell become critical inputs.
So even as you scramble across the ice,
A part of you can't help but wonder at the beauty of the perfectly smooth ice reflecting the impossibly bright sky.
Your feet try to move faster than the ice will allow and you slip,
Falling forward and skinning across the ice even as a crack forms directly beneath your prone form.
For a moment all is forgotten as your reflection stares back at you.
Your eyes are wide and features clear,
Silhouetted by the light of a billion stars.
You look powerful.
This place has drifted untouched at the edge of the solar system for millennia,
Waiting for a perfect moment to host an extraordinary journey.
You have been chosen.
With this realization you gasp,
Causing your breath to fog the ice frosting over your reflection.
Time to move.
Arms and legs flail as you try to find your footing and then you are moving again.
A high-pitched wail seemingly shakes the ground without thinking you look back.
At first the sight that greets you confuses your mind and you find yourself blinking several times before you are able to construct the terrible chaos behind you.
The storm has continued to grow but what has stayed constant is the human-like face at the center.
Contorted rage is all that you see from those dead eyes and yet there is something familiar.
Storm clouds are beginning to extend outward,
Almost like arms reaching for you.
This is further convoluted by the fact that the black ice is reflecting the storm back on itself,
Giving the whole scenario a kind of hourglass illusion.
It is like both you and your reflection are hounded by this fury.
Crack.
The sound of ice cracking snaps your attention back to the business at hand.
Escape.
There are times in life when there is a choice between action and non-action.
Many times we hesitate or convince ourselves to take the safer,
Or at least more familiar,
Path.
There is no such space here.
Cracks propagate through the ice beneath your feet and you simply fly over them,
Desperate to accelerate while maintaining a foothold.
The universe is not pulling any punches,
Therefore neither can you.
Behind you a cloud-shaped fist smashes the ice,
Sending a spray of ice shards and water into the air.
And as these bits of shrapnel and precipitation rain down upon you there is a snapping sound as ice breaks apart.
A chasm forms from the impact and quickly propagates through the ice just to your left like a lightning bolt cutting through the black.
It forms at an angle to your path,
Forcing you to veer to the right to avoid the void.
Chunks of ice explode upwards and land with a splash,
Causing bursts of steam.
Ahead of you the strange features across the ice grow closer.
They are like pyramids covered in ice and yet you are drawn to them.
There is a yearning inside of you and you know instinctively that if you are to survive that is where you must go.
Yet the chasm forces you to the right away from the pyramids,
Its propagation staying just ahead of you as it forms in a V-shaped wedge and spreads out behind you.
If you could just get ahead of it,
Maybe you could cross.
With this comes hope,
And suddenly the screaming behind you stops.
Could it be that your mindset is linked to the storm behind you?
Flashes of light burst past your vision,
Like multicoloured fireflies globes of light appear out of seemingly thin air,
Blues and greens,
Reds and yellows,
Swirling around you and you are reminded of the table within the temple.
Faster and faster they swirl around you and the chaos and desperation for a moment slows to a faded memory.
Such beauty in this cold,
Harsh place.
Your body warms from what feels like an inner glow.
The lights aren't just appearing,
They are manifesting with your breath and your movement.
And then there is stillness.
No sounds.
No movement.
Even the lights are frozen around you.
Your breath heaves from exertion,
Creating puffs of fog that envelop the lights like a warm blanket.
Your breath is the only sound here.
Hesitantly,
You reach out and touch one of the lights.
It is warm and familiar.
Beyond the lights,
You see a silhouette.
A figure walks towards you but is obscured by the glow of the lights.
The figure stops and extends their hand with one pointed finger extended.
You can barely see,
But it looks like their eyes are glowing white.
A burning sensation on your arm causes you to look down sharply.
The dragon on your tattoo is moving,
Twisting.
You feel restricted and suddenly you know.
Your jacket,
Although warm,
Is restricting your movement so you remove it and toss it aside.
Your boots are comfortable but slide on the ice so you remove them one at a time.
Your socks as well so you are now barefoot.
These items that you have held onto are no longer serving you here.
You take one deep breath and exhale,
Watching the fog curl and dance.
Slowly,
You take a step forward with a sense of calm confidence that wasn't there before.
Inch by inch,
You raise your hand.
The eyes of the dragon tattoo glow with the same intensity as the figure before you.
Steady.
Steady.
Your arm raises.
Let go.
Your jacket.
Your boots.
Your socks.
Steady.
Higher and higher,
Your arm raises and then your pointer finger touches the finger of the mysterious figure.
There is an instant of cool breath,
Like a supercharging of your soul,
And then they are gone and the lights are moving again.
The storm screams and the ice cracks and you are back in the thick of it.
But now,
Now you run with purpose,
With intent.
Like a flash,
You take off running along the edge of the growing chasm,
Faster and faster.
More and more lights exploding from within you,
Your own private firefly escort.
The hand of the storm crashes behind you,
Closer and closer.
Still,
You accelerate,
Your bare feet finding footholds that were not there before.
Just as you reach the apex of the growing chasm,
The point of the V,
The storm crashes its hands down and a second crack splits,
Which intersects the first one and instantaneously widens it.
It's too far.
You won't make it.
No,
The average person won't.
You are extraordinary.
With three last steps,
You accelerate and leap.
Beyond the chasm on the far side,
It is quiet.
And then,
Out of the steam and fog,
A figure emerges,
Arms and legs moving with controlled purpose.
For a moment,
The silhouette of an animal spirit,
Fierce and primal,
Hangs in the air.
And then a human form sails through and lands on the ice,
Spinning and sliding.
Your momentum carries you impossibly far and you hit the black ice hard,
Scraping your hands and face.
Still,
With a previously unknown agility,
You find your footing and are off.
Ahead of you,
The icy pyramid grows closer.
The storm screams and the ground shakes,
Causing ice to fall from the surface of the pyramid.
As you near,
More and more white crystal is revealed.
It is the most perfectly beautiful thing.
With a last roar,
The storm smashes black ice and the last of the crystal pyramid is revealed.
Light from the stars and the reflection below refracts and bends,
Creating a kaleidoscope of beauty.
At the very bottom,
An entrance reveals a figure.
The same person you saw earlier,
Perhaps.
They turn and disappear inside.
You are so close.
The storm,
Sensing it may lose you,
Gives one last scream and reaches with its arms.
A great hand of smoke and storm cloud reaches for you.
Sensing this,
You point your feet and slide,
Hoping to gain the last 30 feet.
The icy spiderwebs beneath you grow unstable,
And yet for a moment you feel a sense of duplicity,
Like there are others.
Multiple reflections on cracked mirrors,
All sliding towards an apex point.
Multiple reflections,
Multiple journeys,
All colliding here.
Ice cracks and cold water splashes your face.
You are so close.
And then,
With a quiet sense of finality,
The ice gives way and you disappear beneath the surface of the black.
The crystal pyramid waits.
The storm waits.
Yet no figure emerges.
The universe is still once again.
Thanks for watching!
