Parting the Veils

Two souls.

One story.

And when one awakens…
…the other remembers.

Inner Awakening Demands New Myths

Spiritual awakening begins when our surroundings, and the stories we draw from to make sense of our world, don't nourish our souls and echo what we know inside to be true. Whatever it is that might fill those holes must be sought. Lack and dissatisfaction activates us.

Sometimes, this impetus goes beyond mere dissatisfaction. It is rooted in core traumas and deep wounds. The wound compels spiritual seekers to connect with the unseen world to regain spiritual equilibrium. That’s why trauma and solitude recur in the stories of ancient shamans and medicine men. Something sets the person apart from the society they live in, whatever kind of society that may be, and that's where the initiation begins.

Sometimes it feels like such inner visions are as impossible to live with as without. They draw us away from the familiar, homey signposts where many other people find comfort, support, and companionship. Our vision has few champions and supporters because it does not yet exist in ways that others may see and touch. We’re manifesting it in the face of “what is.” 

But few people are really satisfied and fulfilled by “what is” these days.

Epic Fantasy for a Time of Uncertainty: “Ophia’s Sister-Soul” and the Bridge Between Worlds

More people would probably devote themselves to the journey of self-discovery if they knew that there was a precious treasure waiting to be found on the other side. By and large, our cultural education insists that there is no inner world, or that it's a dangerous place to venture into. It doesn't tell us that this place that we bear within us is an inexhaustible source of wisdom, knowledge, and healing.

Fantasy Fiction vs. "Reality"

Speculative fiction has always engaged the issues of its time, but many modern books and films can feel heavy-handed, turning secondary worlds into thinly veiled allegories or propaganda. What I miss is deeper mythic resonance—timeless, enduring stories that grapple with questions of purpose and the nature of the human soul.

Contemporary fantasy novels that strive for too much “reality” can feel inwardly hollow: impeccably constructed worlds orbiting characters whose journeys never quite pierce the surface, or whose brushes with the numinous are delivered with a sly wink towards readers. “We know this is ‘just fantasy’, right? So let’s just enjoy the ride and not scrutinize it too much.” It’s reminiscent of Tolkien’s criticism in his “On Fairy Stories” essay where he identified the kinds of stories he found particularly repugnant: tales intended for children written with one eye on the adults in the room.

Colleen Addison, my protagonist, explains why she journals her soul journey. “The words on the page always remind me that the contours of my mind will never fit into any neat package or label. This is me, Colleen Addison, Glorious Misfit. On the page, I can transform into a mythic version of myself. Though I'm still grounded in the world of ‘facts,’ I feel the dreamy sunburst of a reality that is too deep, wide, and unfathomable to be contained within any realm of fact.”

Longing for Soul and the Sacred

The Ophian word Sorsajna, the fire of creation, names that very pulse.

Without a sense of purpose, without belief in individual significance, our struggles feel fruitless.

To really fulfill ourselves, we need to experience our own capacity for heroism. If the social structure denies us opportunities to do this, and our popular myths gloss over the issue, a sense of hopelessness and powerlessness fills that vacuum. Where are the opportunities and challenges that call upon our gifts and hidden resources of strength? Do our struggles have value and meaning? 

We must find the kind of existential dramas our souls crave. 

A threshold between worlds. On the edge of a broken bridge, Colleen must choose whether to follow the serpent of light into Ophia—or let fear hold her to a crumbling Earth.

Found family—and the powers that oppose them. Wanderers, healers, priests, and a serpent-speaker gather around Colleen and Esperidi as their vow draws allies and enemies across two worlds.

Many popular fantasies are characterized by brutal settings, “gray” heroes, systemic corruption, and even glorified cruelty. Grimdark fans argue that this is “necessary realism,” but the same argument is often used to silence anyone who wants to transform society and offer a new vision of how things could be. 

“This is just the way of the world.” 

Such thinking produces a kind of spiritual exhaustion. These books seem locked into an endless circle of nihilism where gestures toward hope and transcendence are framed as sentimental or naïve. Fantasy stories can acknowledge suffering without pretending it’s the only truth.

Fellow seekers, our souls manifested in this physical life to push the frontiers of consciousness. We wanted to embrace more than just a reflection of the world that surrounds us. We wanted to enter this civilization, in its advanced state of decay and dissolution, and offer new visions of what human society could be. New visions of how we can relate to ourselves, each other, and the life of the Earth,

Inner awakening may lead us away from the world at times because the answers we seek are not yet reflected here. But the point is—like in the classic hero’s journey—to return and express its wisdom here, in ways that spark that awakening in others. It’s a quest to reach critical mass. We’re called to enrich the world, not escape from it.

One vow coils around two souls. Their soul-bond could heal them both—or let two worlds fall into darkness.