Excerpt from "Christos: A Metaphysical Thriller"

Sydney Harbor sparkled as the city’s evening lights reflected off its rippling surface. Although similar to many major ports across the globe, this one boasted two distinctive landmarks which set it apart. One was a bridge. The other was a building unlike any the world had ever seen.

With ten enormous roofs resembling zigzagging sails, the Sydney Opera House was not only an architectural achievement, it was a modern sculpture. Gently lit by strategically placed lights, its white tiles contrasted sharply against the black night, in what promised to be an enchanted evening.

Breaching the shell-like walls, the magic extended inside, seeping into the Opera Theatre—a sweeping auditorium furbished with brushbox timber floors and white birch seats upholstered in red wool. Currently filled with several hundred people, they all peered towards the stage and its 8 x 16 meter Curtain of the Sun. Created by artist John Coburn, the arresting wool tapestry featured abstract designs in warm colours such as pink, red, orange and brown. But it was the woman who stood in front of the impressive stage curtains who most captured the audience’s attention.

Dr Kate Yves was a 37-year-old research psychologist who specialized in the fields of modern spirituality and human potential. Standing by the podium, she wore a flowing evening dress which fell softly against her svelte body. Unassuming yet confident, her lush auburn hair was cut just below the shoulders, framing a serene face. When her crystal voice spoke into the microphone, there was a sense that the magic was about to escalate.

“I’m going to tell you a story so mind-blowing,” she began, “and so revolutionary that it has the potential to change not only your perceptions, but your entire life forever. This ancient tale, an epic older than all others, contains an ever-shifting plot set upon a grand scale of infinite proportions. Best of all, due to its unfolding and dynamic nature, it is a story in which you get to play a staring role.” Kate paused, reminded of a Shakespearean quote. All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players.

“Our story begins before time existed. It was a bygone period characterized by an absence of matter. There were no stars, no planets, no people, and no objects. Physically speaking, there was nothingness. It was an endless and empty void.

“But physicality is only one measure. From a nonphysical or spiritual perspective, there was plenty. In fact, there was more than plenty because interwoven within the nothingness was an indescribable somethingness. Existing like an endless breeze, it was conscious without having form, intelligent without having limits, loving without having judgments, and powerful without having boundaries. Likened to living energy, and capable of vibrating at imperceptibly high rates, it was the pure essence commonly referred to as God.

“This initial state of being, a paradoxical mix of nonphysical nothingness and vibrational somethingness, was sublime perfection. To borrow a much-used term, it was heaven. But there was a problem of sorts. The perfection paralleled a static image. There was no variation. No expansion. No actualization. It must have been like living in a perfect and eternal sunset. Initially this would be glorious, if not magical. But without contrast, change and tangible experience, the perfection would become blunted.

“To overcome this quandary—to sample the richness of diversity, expansion and tangible experience—an exquisite plan was put into action. A part of God, a tiny fragment of the whole, lowered its vibrational frequency to such a level that physical matter exploded into existence. In that moment the stars and planets were born.” From God’s perspective, the Big Bang was really a little shift, thought Kate.

“With the physical stage set, it was time to introduce the characters, time to populate some of the planets. By once again shifting vibrational frequency, part of God manifested as biological matter, much the same way as water vapour can solidify into ice. This new emergence heralded the beginning of single and multi cell organisms. It was the start of life as we know it.

“Regardless of shape or size, all cell systems—including our physical bodies—were designed to be temporary vessels. They were created to be filled. To accomplish this, part of God divided into tiny units called souls. Capable of individual consciousness, it was agreed that a segment of each soul would enter biological matter to animate it, like a driver entering a car.

“The segment of the soul which infuses with biological matter, the metaphorical driver of the vehicle, is typically known as the spirit or personality. Labels aside, it is our true identity. Like ghosts within the machines, we are magnificent nonphysical beings who temporarily inhabit purpose-built bodies on this purpose-built planet.” It is all by design because all is one.

Kate paused, aware that her next words would be the most controversial yet. “Not only are we individual aspects of God, we assist God in the creation, expansion and actualization process. Because of us, the perfect and eternal sunset has become a perfect and dynamic…unfolding. For this reason, no matter what we do, God loves each of us more than we could ever know. And nothing can ever change that.”

Somewhere in the audience, one person started clapping. The lone individual was quickly joined by others, until the entire auditorium was roaring with applause. Standing by the podium, Dr Kate Yves waited for the rapturous peal to end before continuing.

“To facilitate the smooth running of life, God created a number of universal principles. Also known as laws of nature, there are two different types. Scientific laws, such as the law of gravity, function independently of consciousness. Spiritual laws, such as the law of attraction, function because of consciousness.” The latter laws operate in response to us.

“For ease and simplicity, it was decided that spiritual laws should have their own overseer—a dedicated watchdog to uphold and enforce them. As before, a part of God volunteered to take on this role by changing its vibrational aspect. The result was the birth of a cosmic enforcer typically referred to as the Universe, spelt with a capital U.

“Unlike God proper—the original perfection which we can think of as pure unconditional love—the Universe has assumed an impersonal dynamic in order to fulfil its role without favour or prejudice. It is a rigid and strict administrator. Some of you may be surprised to learn that this mysterious force regulates every aspect of our lives.

“The Universe directly manipulates all inanimate matter. For example, it can move objects, change velocities, override machinery, cause appliances to function smoothly, or have devices breakdown. It can literally do anything. The reason we’re typically unaware of these interventions is because the Universe is subtle. It prefers to work alongside existing conditions to maintain the illusion of non-interference.

“On a larger scale, the Universe directly manipulates all planetary conditions. It controls the growth of all vegetation down to a single blade of grass, the degree of all weather conditions down to a single drop of rain, the output of all volcanic eruptions down to each gram of lava, and the force of all earthquakes down to each millimeter of land affected.

“To a lesser degree, the Universe can also manipulate certain less-developed life forms. Although all organisms have some level of free will, those lower on the evolutionary scale have more hardwiring. They have a greater amount of programmed responses, such as a moth being unable to resist the lure of a bright light, making them more amenable to influence. This means that being attacked by a shark, infected by a microbe, assisted by a dog, bitten by a spider, or whatever else, is actually the Universe in action.

“Finally, the Universe utilizes and ‘positions’ people. Although we each have free will, the Universe has high accuracy in predicting what people will do and when they will do it. Armed with this knowledge, it then craftily positions us—perhaps by manipulating the external world, schedules, transport etc—to experience the actions of certain others.” From a spiritual perspective, there is no such thing as being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Significant encounters with other people are never random.

“By manipulating a multitude of factors, the Universe is able to deliver experiences to us. It begs the question why? Why would the Universe conspire to cause an unsuspecting pedestrian to be hit by a car…a successful businessman to win the lottery…a loving mother to be killed by a flash flood…Why do life events unfold as they do?”

Kate smiled because she was about to reveal something the audience had never heard before, something that would change their lives forever.

Daniel Brako is a graduate of Newcastle University, where he studied psychology and philosophy. After working in the mental health field, he made a career change in order to pursue spirituality. By blending metaphysics with thrills, chills and other non-traditional elements (a style of writing that Daniel refers to as ‘dark spirituality’) he seeks to make esoteric wisdom more assessable to everyday readers. Daniel lives in Sydney, Australia. www.danielbrako.com

CHRISTOS can be purchased from bookstores and all major online retailers (such as Barnes and Nobles, Amazon etc) for $13.95. (240 pages, paperback)  ISBN: 978-0-9580491-2-2