Patricia Ryczko's Blog, page 4

Agatha unravelled – part 1 of 2

What if the current multi-million venture to break out of the Matrix succeeded? What if we got our answers during a world upending event named The Fissure? But they turned out to be not the ones we wished for.

“Agatha Unravelled” is a short story which revolves around one man’s need to come to terms with his grief, while he attempts to unravel the secret behind his wife’s death and how it connects with the Fissure.

If you are interested in the current technological events that inspired this short story, please read my article “Venture me out of the Matrix”

This story appeared originally on my blog focusing on Narratives in Technology and Spirituality shaping our future: Storygeist.

“If you assume any rate of improvement at all then games will become indistinguishable from reality. Even if that rate of advancement drops by a thousand from what it is now, let’s just imagine it’s 10,000 years in the future, which is nothing on the evolutionary scale.” Given that we’re on that trajectory and that these games are increasingly playable on any device, the odds that we are living our lives in base reality — that is, “real” reality — is one in billions.”

– Elon Musk

The funeral wake

I was transfixed by the dog’s onyx eyes. Somewhere buried deep behind those eyes was Agatha’s secret. It had to be. It was her dog after all. And with that secret, the answers what happened with the love of my life.

Deep down inside me, I was certain Agatha was different. Tougher, more resilient, better than us all. She was the one who symbolised a new kind of faith, one hard to grasp in these times.

The times after the Fissure.

That’s why her presence was cherished and why people flocked to her. After all, she was the beacon which organised the support circles, she pulled the drowning ones back onto the surface, she took the near-suicide calls in the middle of the night. And nurtured them back to life. Ignited hope in us all. Repeated endlessly to us, we were repsonsible for our reality, despite the overwhelming facts of the Fissure.

She gave us a sense of momentum, and it spoke that however bad things got inside our souls, there was still a reason to push forward. To go on with life as usual. To have the courage to walk out the damned dog. To have that high cholerstorole barbecue and enjoy the hell out of it. To drink oneself into stupor.

Just so you could, at least for a moment, pretend it was all real. What a damned lie.

My hand cuddled Agatha’s dog’s ear. I glanced up and reminded myself where I was.

A funeral wake at my house.

I eyed the black draped guests as they slid listlessly around me. Their silence filled with reverence, just as one would expect at such an occasion. Yet this silence had an odd quality to itself. It drilled itself into my ear drums, punctured them with a painful, dull absence of sound.

Why was I sitting here, cuddling Agatha’s dog, shaking all these strangers’ hands, at Agatha’s own funeral? Why was I pretending her final check out was an accident? Was it just that? Or was it her last line of protest against the undeniable facts which the Fissure presented?

Why did she fail to give me an advanced warning? If she owed me anything for the twenty years together, wouldn’t that be it? A few words, a talk, even a hysterical cry for help. I would gladly embrace all of it.

Few simple words that she would vanish for good, from my life, from her family’s life, from the people that loved her. From the kid we never had, but which I longed for so deeply.

At least my dog was real

-You ok Jon?, one of the guests whispered to me and woke me up from my thoughts. I glanced up at her, but couldn’t remember her name. Someone on Agatha’s side, a dear and friendly face.

-As good as can be expected.

-Hang in there, huh…, she clapped my shoulder, gently enough to show her compassion, and was about to leave.

-Excuse me, I stopped her mid-stride.

-Yeah?

-Did Agatha talk about her dog? Did she…? You know..? her dog?, I stuttered out.

-What do you mean?

I was about to launch into an explanation but then I realized I was being downright silly. I shook my head and waved it away. The woman nodded, sent me a reassuring smile, then left.

But I felt everything wrench inside me, about to spew up a volcano. My mind was thrown back to the moment when Agatha had sat with her dog in the kitchen. She had smiled into those beady eyes. She had whispered, he was real, he was real.

Over and over again.

Then her face had glowed with happinness. If there ever was a disconcerting sign, maybe that had been it. Had she been hanging onto the semblance of her sanity? Had she hidden her own breakage so deeply, that no one saw it festering away inside her. Had the undeniable facts about our reality reached her mind? Blinded her will to go on.

Had the dog’s eyes, his carefree nature, and ignorance of it all, been her only rescue line?

Or was this all in my head? And her talking to the dog, repeating he was real, this had just been a simple and playful moment in her life?

The dog nudged himself into me, and I felt an ache shoot through my body. Ever since Agatha made her exit, he wouldn’t leave me, even for a split second. And when I stared into his eyes, I could almost feel them begging me. Clinging to me, needy, hurt, terrified, and outright demanding that I wouldn’t abandon him, the way his mistress did so abruptly.

No. This was not in my head. These beady eyes held the truth to my Agatha. And given time, diligence and empathy, I would comprehend.

“In afterthought, how could you blame them [the scientists] for The Fissure? It was sheer curiosity and genuine wonder for the mysteries of the universe which spurred them on. Yet what we got was a blasted Pandora Box. And this time, the lid would never shut.” – 2nd part of “Agatha unravelled”

To learn what happened during the Fissure, and the secrets behind Agatha’s choice, read the second part of “Agatha Unravelled”. Storygeist next week.

If you are interested in the current technological events that inspired this short story, please read my article “Venture me out of the Matrix”

London based publishing house “The Book Folks” signs the novel “A child made to order”

by Piotr Ryczko | Oct 25, 2016 | Books | 0 Comments

The London based publishing house has signed the novel “A child made to order” for a 2017 publication. “The Book Folks” specialize in genre and literary fiction and are geared mainly towards Amazon Kindle.

Norwegian producer Edelzek joins the lo-fi thriller “the PROGRAM”

by Piotr Ryczko | Aug 14, 2016 | Films | 0 Comments

The lo-fi dystopian thriller “The PROGRAM” has been joined by the norwegian producer duo from Oslo, Norway. The company Edelzek has produced one feature film and several shorts which were supported by the Norwegian Film Institute.

Magic Flute – VJ performance

by Piotr Ryczko | Jul 10, 2016 | Other | 0 Comments

With a band of professional singers and instrumentalists, I had the honour to perform a VJ live set which lasted for nearly two hours. The performance/live concert was organised by the Rosicrucian Foundation and had Hermetic underpinnings and symbolism which was commented by the Sanskrit specialist Joanna Sachse.

Lo-fi thriller “the PROGRAM” pitched at Pitch Fiesta 2016

by Piotr Ryczko | Apr 14, 2016 | Films | 0 Comments

The lo-fi thriller “The PROGRAM” was pitched to a dozen polish producer’s during the Pitch Fiesta in Warsaw. Thank you to all the great producers who praticipated. And gratitude goes out to the organizer’s of the Pitch Fiesta. Especially to Eva Kurzava and Agnieszka Kruk.

Rene v3.2 – part 1

by Piotr Ryczko | Jan 20, 2017 | Story, Storygeist | 0 Comments

“Rene v3.2” – a short story about a female robot companion. A woman made only to fulfill other’s needs. Seen through Rene’s eyes, the story takes the worn cliche of the dangerous Artificial Intelligence, and turns it on its head. It asks if A.I.’s will be able to replace true human relationships? Especially the ones of the intimate kind. How might we treat them? How will the Robot Companion react emotionally? What rights will she have if abused? And what is the nature of consciousness? The very thing that defines a human.

The emotional core of the story – part 2 of 2

by Piotr Ryczko | Dec 26, 2016 | Story, Storygeist | 0 Comments

Last time, I concluded at how important it is to arrive at a deeper emotional connection between us, the writers, and the characters in our stories. The true stuff of life, our hard earned emotional experience which has burnt its way into our subconscious, and made us into who we are. This time around I would like to go deeper into my own experience of enquiry about the main character of my novel. A protoganist which was as far away from my own personality as I could possibly imagine. Or so I thought initially. But more importantly I would like to break down my process of enquiry into some more manageable steps and conclusions. So others might hopefully take away something of value from this.

Storygeist – a bird’s eye view

by Piotr Ryczko | Dec 12, 2016 | Storygeist | 0 Comments

As the Sciences plunge into the impossibilities of Quantum physics, decipher the world of vibrations and frequencies, technology closes in on the ancient truths which the mystical traditions have spoken to us from the dawn of time. And as our world is hurled into a wrenching acceleration of change, we believe that stories are essential to our inner development. A ritual which passes timeless values from one generation to the next. And encapsulate not only intellectual meaning, but also a beating heart which can feed our souls. Join us and read this to get a bird’s eye view of our stories.

The emotional core of the story – part 1 of 2

by Piotr Ryczko | Nov 27, 2016 | Story, Storygeist | 0 Comments

Should we write only what we know? Play it safe and approach matters that we have lived through. Or should we take a wild chance, put everything on some fierce card, anything to blast our way out of the safe and comfy shell of ours. Out of our comfort zone. And what does that mean? Might it bring something deeper with it? Something which will bubble up from our subconscious, our heart(?), and attempt to enlighten our essence? To expand our inner cosmos?

read more

« Older Entries

Films & Books

The Program (novel)

Below the silence

Mila

Mila

Sprinter

Monster

Nano

The Program (movie)

A child made to order (movie)

View more on Patricia Ryczko's website »

Like • 0 comments • flag

Published on November 07, 2016 06:32

Venture me out of the Matrix

VR & Storytelling seen through a filmmaker’s eyes.

Two of the silicon Valley’s moguls latest project is to break us out of the Matrix, which they strongly believe exists and has the humanity enslaved. This is a perfect opportunity to look at the intersection of Technology and Spirituality and identify why these tech-billionaires have come to such a conclusion and what lies behind all of this, according to several ancient spiritual traditions.

This article appeared originally on my blog focusing on Narratives in Technology and Spirituality shaping our future: Storygeist.

“If you assume any rate of improvement at all then games will become indistinguishable from reality. Even if that rate of advancement drops by a thousand from what it is now, let’s just imagine it’s 10,000 years in the future, which is nothing on the evolutionary scale.” Given that we’re on that trajectory and that these games are increasingly playable on any device, the odds that we are living our lives in base reality — that is, “real” reality — is one in billions.”

– Elon Musk

Venture me, by way of tech, out of the Matrix

A tech-story has been making the rounds lately on the net, even reaching Poland and Norway, by way of translations. A lot of commotion and surprise has been created because of project set in motion by of two tech-moguls from the Silicon Valley. The project’s goal, to break us out of the Matrix, which they strongly believe exists and has the humanity enslaved. No one is naming names, but the media immediately pinpointed Elon Musk and Peter Thiel as the main suspects.

This doesn’t come as a shocker since Musk has been quoted countless times referring to our reality as a simulated one. What would seem as some kind of DMT induced semi-spiritual-psychedelic trip straight from the Wachowski’s trilogy, is now even being hailed by the Bank of America as being a 50% chance of being real.

All of this is quite fascinating to observe and I felt a strong urge to write about this because this is such a perfect opportunity to look at the intersection of Technology and Spirituality. Something which this blog is all about.

First of all, let’s get one thing out of the way. The reasons for the movie’s Matrix popularity. Many have claimed it was because of the special effects, or because of the dynamic storytelling, hell yeah, maybe even because of Keanu Reeves (??). And there were those who identified, more to the point, that it was because of the message behind this story. And this was getting closer the truth. But we need to go deeper than that. Because not all messages are created equal.

In my opinion, it wasn’t the flashy visuals, or the brilliant storytelling which lifted up the first movie into a cult classic. It was because the Wachowski brothers touched upon a theme which was a Universal Truth.

Whether this was a wholly conscious act or an unciounscious momentary enlighentment/madness, remains for another discussion. But the idea of our world being a prison which we have to escape from, resonnated deeply in the masses.

And apparently this idea’s Universal Truth just keeps infecting its way deeper into the collective counsciousness. Finally materializing itself into the present actions being undertaken by the tech-billionaires.

Now, I have two reasons to touch upon what is happening right now. First, it is to look at the source of the Matrix idea, which for many on the spiritual path is quite evident. Second, I want to look at what potential chances, the likes of Elon Musk have to break out of the Illusion, which is our world – with the technological means which he proposes.

And if not, are there any other means to escape?

“If you want to find the secrets of the universe, think in terms of energy, frequency and vibration.” – Nikola Tesla

The world as a penal colony

It’s no huge revelation that the ideas proposed by Matrix stem from an ancient Christian tradition of Gnostics. Parallell to the Orthodox christianity, it was a spiritual movement which evolved during the beginning of the Common Era. The Gnostics perceived the world they lived in as a prison made by a false God, named Yaldabaoth, who enslaved the humanity in a material world, named the Dialectical world, think The Matrix. This world served also as a penal colony for every being,

In order to free themselves from the shackles of this God, and the reincarnation wheel, which they saw as a never ending imprisonment, the Gnostics saw Gnosis as the escape. Gnosis being the insight, which was gained during a conciouss and mindful inner experience of the mind and spirit. In more relatable terms, think of gaining Gnosis as reaching Enlightenment. (For more on the Gnostic myths, please see below in this story).

There are quite a lot of parallells between this world view and the Buddhistic philosophy. Although the Buddhists perceive our world as one filled with suffering, their goal is the same, to break out of the Matrix, in other words, out of the Samsara cycle (the reincarnation wheel)

So with this in mind, let’s get back to Elon Musk.

“Every man has to react to the Gnosis. However, the way he does so is closely linked to his state of consciousness. The Gnosis will only be able to lift him above his state of being when, on the basis of true insight, he can say: ‘Thy will be done’..”

Jan van Rijckenborgh

The venture capital to break us free – the Elon Musk way

I think there are a couple of very admirable, and positive things about what Elon Musk is trying to do. First off, when he reasons our reality is not the base reality, it is the echo of Gnosis, the intuitive knowledge which whispers to him, something is not right. It is the world draped over our eyes – a fatamorgana begging to be revealed.

And just as Neo, it is Gnosis which pushes him towards a path of seeking for the answers.

But here it ends.

The Gnostics were very clear on one matter. There were no Dialectical means, meaning of this material world, which were able to break anyone out of the Matrix. If Musk hopes to find, by technological means, answers on how to escape the Matrix, he is interpreting this a bit too literally. Yes, we might be in a hyper realistic Virtual Reality created by some ancient civilization (the Absolute?), a huge experiment. It is also quite possible that when the Gnostics talk about their heaven or Buddhists mention their Nirvana, or even Matrix’s the Source, it is the same ultra high-vibratory state of pure Energy which Elon Musk points to as “The Base Reality” – the true reality.

But I would rather think of the Matrix as something entirely else and way less literal. I would rather perceive it as a state of conciousness.

And only by lifting ourselves up into a higher state of conciousness, in other words a deeper inner insight, are we able to realise that we are imprisoned. But the prison is again not literal. It is within us, it is self-constructed, self-ordained by our ego.

We are shackled by our own instinctive drives, desires, longings and other earthly attachments. And by attaining the kind of insight which culminates the first Matrix movie, Neo’s Enlightenment or Gnosis, we free ourselves from this world.

Not literaly. But within our heart.

We attain Universal Love.

The schackles of our ego, the artificial construct which has us imprisoned, in order to hinder us from the Absolute truth as taught by Dalai Lama and countless other spiritual traditions – Universal Love. (Image: Shutterstock)

The Gnostic myths

(excerpt taken from an article by Frances Flannery-Dailey, Hendrix CollegeandRachel Wagner, The University of Iowa)

In the Gnostic myth, the supreme god is completely perfect, a being of “immeasurable light which is pure, holy and immaculate”. In addition to this god there are others lesser divine beings in the Pleroma (akin to heaven, a division of the universe that is not earth).

A problem arises when one being named Sophia, a female, decides “to bring forth a likeness out of herself without the consent of the Spirit,” Sophia’s action produces an offspring that is imperfect, and she casts it away from the other divine beings in the Pleroma into a separate region of the cosmos.

This malformed, ignorant deity, named Yaldaboath, mistakenly believes himself to be the only god.

Gnostics identify Yaldabaoth as the Creator who decides to create the material world (earth) and human beings. Yaldabaoth is tricked into breathing the divine spark or spirit of his mother Sophia, that formerly resided in him, into the human being.

Therein lies the human dilemma. We are pearls in the mud, a divine spirit (good) trapped in a material body (bad) and a material realm (bad). Heaven is our true home, but we are in exile from our Divine state.

The Gnostic saw salvation in the form of Gnosis. which involves an understanding of our true nature and origin, the metaphysical reality hitherto unknown to us, resulting in the Gnostic’s escape from the enslaving material prison of the world and the body, into the upper regions of Spirit.

London based publishing house “The Book Folks” signs the novel “A child made to order”

by Piotr Ryczko | Oct 25, 2016 | Books | 0 Comments

The London based publishing house has signed the novel “A child made to order” for a 2017 publication. “The Book Folks” specialize in genre and literary fiction and are geared mainly towards Amazon Kindle.

Norwegian producer Edelzek joins the lo-fi thriller “the PROGRAM”

by Piotr Ryczko | Aug 14, 2016 | Films | 0 Comments

The lo-fi dystopian thriller “The PROGRAM” has been joined by the norwegian producer duo from Oslo, Norway. The company Edelzek has produced one feature film and several shorts which were supported by the Norwegian Film Institute.

Magic Flute – VJ performance

by Piotr Ryczko | Jul 10, 2016 | Other | 0 Comments

With a band of professional singers and instrumentalists, I had the honour to perform a VJ live set which lasted for nearly two hours. The performance/live concert was organised by the Rosicrucian Foundation and had Hermetic underpinnings and symbolism which was commented by the Sanskrit specialist Joanna Sachse.

Lo-fi thriller “the PROGRAM” pitched at Pitch Fiesta 2016

by Piotr Ryczko | Apr 14, 2016 | Films | 0 Comments

The lo-fi thriller “The PROGRAM” was pitched to a dozen polish producer’s during the Pitch Fiesta in Warsaw. Thank you to all the great producers who praticipated. And gratitude goes out to the organizer’s of the Pitch Fiesta. Especially to Eva Kurzava and Agnieszka Kruk.

Rene v3.2 – part 1

by Piotr Ryczko | Jan 20, 2017 | Story, Storygeist | 0 Comments

“Rene v3.2” – a short story about a female robot companion. A woman made only to fulfill other’s needs. Seen through Rene’s eyes, the story takes the worn cliche of the dangerous Artificial Intelligence, and turns it on its head. It asks if A.I.’s will be able to replace true human relationships? Especially the ones of the intimate kind. How might we treat them? How will the Robot Companion react emotionally? What rights will she have if abused? And what is the nature of consciousness? The very thing that defines a human.

The emotional core of the story – part 2 of 2

by Piotr Ryczko | Dec 26, 2016 | Story, Storygeist | 0 Comments

Last time, I concluded at how important it is to arrive at a deeper emotional connection between us, the writers, and the characters in our stories. The true stuff of life, our hard earned emotional experience which has burnt its way into our subconscious, and made us into who we are. This time around I would like to go deeper into my own experience of enquiry about the main character of my novel. A protoganist which was as far away from my own personality as I could possibly imagine. Or so I thought initially. But more importantly I would like to break down my process of enquiry into some more manageable steps and conclusions. So others might hopefully take away something of value from this.

Storygeist – a bird’s eye view

by Piotr Ryczko | Dec 12, 2016 | Storygeist | 0 Comments

As the Sciences plunge into the impossibilities of Quantum physics, decipher the world of vibrations and frequencies, technology closes in on the ancient truths which the mystical traditions have spoken to us from the dawn of time. And as our world is hurled into a wrenching acceleration of change, we believe that stories are essential to our inner development. A ritual which passes timeless values from one generation to the next. And encapsulate not only intellectual meaning, but also a beating heart which can feed our souls. Join us and read this to get a bird’s eye view of our stories.

The emotional core of the story – part 1 of 2

by Piotr Ryczko | Nov 27, 2016 | Story, Storygeist | 0 Comments

Should we write only what we know? Play it safe and approach matters that we have lived through. Or should we take a wild chance, put everything on some fierce card, anything to blast our way out of the safe and comfy shell of ours. Out of our comfort zone. And what does that mean? Might it bring something deeper with it? Something which will bubble up from our subconscious, our heart(?), and attempt to enlighten our essence? To expand our inner cosmos?

read more

« Older Entries

Films & Books

The Program (novel)

Below the silence

Mila

Mila

Sprinter

Monster

Nano

The Program (movie)

A child made to order (movie)

View more on Patricia Ryczko's website »

Like • 0 comments • flag

Published on October 30, 2016 13:41

London based publishing house “The Book Folks” signs the novel “A child made to order”

London based “The Book Folks” signs the novel “A child made to order” for publication in 2017.

The London based publishing house has signed “A child made to order” for a near future publication. “The Book Folks” specialize in genre and literary fiction and are geared mainly towards Kindle.

For more info on the project please see “A child made to order”. To read more about the publishing house go HERE.

book-folks

LOGLINE

“When an investigative journalist’s search for a missing woman turns up illegal gene therapy treatments, she has to choose if she wants to reveal the story publicly or fulfill her lifelong desire of being a mother.

The whats, the whys, and what fors

A child made to order is about Viola, an investigative journalist, whose search for a missing woman uncovers illegal gene therapy treatments. Viola is then faced with the dilemma of whether she wants to reveal the story publicly or fulfill her lifelong desire of being a mother.

This Norwegian/Polish film project is currently in development and has participated in MIDPOINT’s story development program organised by the Polish National Film School and Czech National Film School – FAMU. The production for this movie is planned as a Norwegian/Polish co-production.

A child made to order is a psychological thriller novel that tackles, not some far-off future technological themes, but the present reality of Genetics. Something that every parent will have to take a standpoint on. The novel also elaborates on the current difficulties infertile women face in their struggles to become mothers. Future parents and women coping with childlessness are whom I would like to reach with this story.

Through the story A child made to order, I would like to look at how biotechnology influences our world, the society we live in and most importantly the individual. The first thing that drew me to this matter is the moral ambivalence of the real live cases and the future of medical practice in this field. A subject matter which has rather a lot of gray shaded areas than pure black and whites, where there are no obvious moral stances. The second thing was how current this topic is. A future presented in Gattaca might have seemed distant but A child made to order shows we are right in the middle of it and it’s a revolution. So we need to ask, where do we set the limits both medically and ethically on how far we should intervene with mother nature? Are we prepared to give our children a better/more efficient head start with the biotech available. And at what cost? Based on what values do we bring our kids to the world? In what image and with which ideals do we conceive our children?

Finally on a more personal note. Although this project is a carefully plotted drama/thriller that is meant to engage and entertain the audience, it has also become an intensely personal journey for me. Overcoming my lifelong struggle with social anxiety has given me the emotional fuel to pen the inner journey of the main character of this novel, Viola, whose character arc is breaking out of the destructive mould caused by her infertility.

For more on the themes of this story, please see my blog: www.storygeist.com

To learn more about the novel, read a few free excerpts, please go here A child made to order

London based publishing house “The Book Folks” signs the novel “A child made to order”

by Piotr Ryczko | Oct 25, 2016 | Books | 0 Comments

The London based publishing house has signed the novel “A child made to order” for a 2017 publication. “The Book Folks” specialize in genre and literary fiction and are geared mainly towards Amazon Kindle.

Rene v3.2 – part 1

by Piotr Ryczko | Jan 20, 2017 | Story, Storygeist | 0 Comments

“Rene v3.2” – a short story about a female robot companion. A woman made only to fulfill other’s needs. Seen through Rene’s eyes, the story takes the worn cliche of the dangerous Artificial Intelligence, and turns it on its head. It asks if A.I.’s will be able to replace true human relationships? Especially the ones of the intimate kind. How might we treat them? How will the Robot Companion react emotionally? What rights will she have if abused? And what is the nature of consciousness? The very thing that defines a human.