The stories are so old and worn, we have forgotten or diminished their power. Read through a single lens and see truth in focus.

Long ago, but not so far away, a flat world was created and separated into a grid of many squares.

Each square was defined by walls composed of a thick, almost impenetrable material. The walls were as tall as they were wide, with one arched opening in each segment. Quite magically, the color of the interior walls would change to reflect the dominant characteristic of a square’s contents.

The First Times

When the Grid first appeared in the Cosmos, much of it was empty. The Grid was colorful by nature, but one set of vibrant green squares stood out from all the rest. People were placed in the Vibrant Squares and given everything they needed to live in contentment. Above all pleasures, they enjoyed a loving friendship with the Great Creators.  Speaking with the Great Creators kept them alive and as vibrant as the squares in which they lived.

Shortly after people arrived on the Grid, they were shown the perimeter of the Vibrant Squares. They learned how to move between squares.  It was easy.  Later, they were shown the Grid outside the Vibrant Squares, which appeared to the people to be barren and forsaken. Plus, it smelled horrible out there. They much preferred the pleasant beauty and fragrant air of the Vibrant Squares.

The Dark Square

In one corner of the Vibrant Squares was a single black square. The Great Creators said, “Do not go into the Dark Square. Trust us; if you go in there, you will regret it.” The Rule of Trust seemed somewhat silly to the people because the Dark Square had no doorway. The Great Creators had good reasons for restricting the people’s access to that square. For one, the Dark Square was inhabited by the GridMaster. And, when entering a square, one is strongly influenced to take on the characteristics of that square. People were inexperienced and needed time to mature before facing the powerful GridMaster and his dark ways. Even so, the Great Creators granted people the Power of Choice. They were not forced to be friends with the Great Creators or even to remain in the Vibrant Squares. Heeding the warning not to enter the Dark Square was evidence of their decision to trust the Great Creators. For years, the people did not venture near that corner.

The Lure

Over time, though, the people got complacent and began to wonder what was inside the Dark Square. Each day they would wander closer until, one day, they were right next to it. They tried to climb high enough to peer over the wall, but they could not. While they sat nearby and discussed their frustration about the Great Creators’ restriction, a creature they had never seen before passed nearby. They watched in fascination as the creature slithered over to the wall and disappeared into the ground beneath it. They looked closer and discovered the creature had gone under the wall through a small opening. They used their hands and nearby sticks to dig the opening big enough for their bodies to slip through. It was indeed dark within the square. Their eyes were accustomed to brightness, so they could not see anything. But they could still hear. From the other side of the wall came the sound of a familiar Voice. “Where are you?” it called. It was one of the Great Creators! They did not answer, but hid themselves in the cloak of darkness. When they could not hear the Voice anymore, they decided to crawl back out. As they returned to the light side, they were dismayed to find a Great Creator standing beside the opening. The look on his face crushed them to the core of their souls. He was so disappointed that they broke the Rule of Trust. As tears streamed down their faces, the Great Creators told the people they could not live in the Vibrant Squares anymore. As the Great Creators sadly ushered the weeping people to the outer wall of the Vibrant Squares, the creature that first led them to disobedient discontent shifted shape and smiled.

Struggle to Survive

People struggled for survival in the empty Grid. Without all the wonderful provisions of the Vibrant Squares, they were almost helpless. The ground was hard and resistant. The air was foul with the stench of death. Their lungs were created to breathe the fragrant air of the Vibrant Squares, so every breath drawn from the desolation was damaging to them. The purifying nature of their blood was the only thing that kept them alive. The people were cold, separated, exposed, and miserable. How they regretted entering the Dark Square!  Despite the Great Creators’ broken hearts and disappointment, they did not completely abandon their creation. The people were taught how to feed and clothe themselves, build shelters, and care for their children.

Separation from Life

Without the purity of the Vibrant Squares as a communication bridge, people could only speak with the Great Creators from a distance.  When people felt themselves dying, they implored the emptiness without knowing if a Great Creator was nearby to hear. Of course, the Great Creators heard everything, but without visible evidence, people doubted.  Doubt was the seed of disobedience that enabled the lure into the Dark Square to work.  Thus, people had used the Power of Choice to negate the Great Creator’s truth. If the doubt was not replaced with trust, the person eventually perished to the Grid’s toxicity. Most people perished.

The Performance Model

Troubled by the losses, the Great Creators countered the doubt by occasionally appearing visibly in the Grid. At one such appearance, a long list of tasks was provided that detailed how a person could obtain more life from the Great Creators. Perfect performance on every task was required. If perfection was not attained, the person suffered the pain of separation from all contact with the Great Creators. People tried to perform perfectly, but the influence of their time in the Dark Square inevitably caused failure.  The Great Creators agreed that the Performance Model was not working. Another solution was required. They found the answer within themselves. One of the Great Creators, the one named the Commander, took on flesh and entered the Grid to make things right again.

The Middle Times

The arrival of the Commander into the Grid was the beginning of the Middle Times. He radically influenced the Grid. He was the first one to change the color of a square by direct command. He was the first one to give people hope of reuniting with the Great Creators. He was the first one to live in the Grid but not let it control him. He was the first one to perfectly perform all the tasks on the Performance Model. He was the first one to demonstrate the Great Creators’ loving intentions toward people by removing the need for the Performance Model. He explained the way for people to be free like they were in the Vibrant Squares. Before he removed his flesh and left the Grid, he declared war on the GridMaster and invented the Church of the Real to fight it.

Church of the Real

For hundreds of years, people lived according to the Commander’s ways and were content with life, no matter how difficult their circumstances. A standard for behavior so pervaded the Grid that goodness was innately understood. Any square occupied by a Church of the Real was white as snow.  People could compare the white to other colors and know what was pure. The GridMaster had to work diligently to persuade anyone to his side. The Commander’s champions who changed squares to white just by being in them kept the GridMaster cornered. The Church of the Real was so influential that much of the Grid appeared to be white.

Subtle Rebellion

However, that’s not what it looked like at the end of the Middle Times.  As it was in the First Times, people eventually became complacent and forgot what the Commander said. Few champions remained who were willing to dedicate their lives to creating white squares.  Church people preferred to argue about the Commander and what he did when he was in the Grid. They invented their own Performance Models and demanded obedience to them while criticizing the models of other church squares. This caused dissention and separation in the Commander’s ranks.  The GridMaster seized the opportunity.  White squares turned to gray as the GridMaster’s subtle rebellion against the Commander infiltrated their purity. The gray squares were not so different from the squares that surrounded them; they actually provided a pleasant background of neutrality to the area. They were instrumental in demoting the Commander to the same level of importance as Wise Ones in Grid lore.

So, the Grid eventually developed into a quilt of muddled colors with a few blocks of white here and there. The white squares that did exist stood out as very different and were often shunned for being so. Without the whiteness to compare with other colors, people no longer innately understood purity.

Gridlings

Without enough true remembrance of the Commander, the people became so entrenched in the Grid’s reality that they turned into Gridlings. Everything that was real to them involved the Grid. They rarely considered what might exist beyond the Grid. Concepts of the Great Creators were confused with the Cosmos and reduced to sources of occasional curiosity. Gridlings were completely controlled by the Grid’s parameters.

Inception of Slavery

Because of the age-old attempts to appease the Great Creators, Gridlings were so performance oriented that they would serve almost anyone who required them to perform. The GridMaster took advantage of this tendency and made slaves of the Gridlings. Gridlings didn’t even know they were slaves of the GridMaster because he cleverly disguised himself and his methods of revenge against the Great Creators. He knew the Great Creators loved Gridlings and wanted them to experience freedom. So, the GridMaster did everything he could to keep Gridlings either content or trapped in the Grid. It was not an easy task, since Gridlings had an innate desire to be free.  Most, if not all, Gridlings initially tried to fulfill their deepest needs from within the Grid. They filled their squares with all sorts of items. They tried owning or controlling more squares. They collected and controlled other Gridlings. Their creativity in seeking was admirable, but their efforts were fruitless. They could never seem to get enough to fill the emptiness inside.  Despite the despair, they ate, lived, and breathed the Grid. They went to their jobs, paid their taxes, complained about everything, yelled at their kids, and adapted to the stench of rotting flesh that pervaded the Grid. They had breathed the foul air for so long they no longer smelled it or felt it killing them slowly with its toxicity.

Control Mechanisms

Travel between squares used to be as easy as walking through a doorway, but after the Middle Times, the GridMaster installed doors that only he controlled. Gridlings could request a transfer from one square to another, but the governmental requirements delayed fulfillment for months and sometimes years. Most Gridlings were trapped inside the square they received on Career Day. Once in a square, they were influenced to view the Grid from its single perspective. 

Numbered

In order to track each Gridling’s activities, the GridMaster required every Gridling to have a registration number. The number was required to do anything on the Grid. Without the number Gridlings could not buy a shelter or accept a work detail. The number was required to attend school and move between squares on the Grid. The number identified a Gridling’s affiliations, square location, finances, relationships to other Gridlings, and his or her existence.  Every Gridling was assigned a number when they entered the Grid.

Society Rules

Gridlings under the control of the GridMaster carried out enforcement of the Gridmaster’s many rules.  Another word for this form of control is “Society.”  Society consisted of a collective mind into which each Gridling was trained to connect at a young age. Together, all the small minds created one big mind that limited or allowed movement, as it deemed appropriate for the moment. The collective mind frequently and randomly changed the standard of life for Gridlings. The clothing and hairstyles to be worn by the Gridlings was changed by the collective mind about four times a year.  Many Gridlings tried to appease the collective mind, enslaving themselves to its whims. Those whims influenced more than clothing. They also were used to determine education, body composition, transportation, housing, family relationships, careers, international policies, and even religion. Society dictated to Gridlings what they should think about themselves, their families, their government, their Grid, and their gods.

Portals of Indoctrination

The indoctrination procedures were carried out through communication devices called “portals.” Portals were installed in every square of the Grid and linked to the Control Network. Some squares had hundreds of portals. Gridlings spent hours every day staring at the portals and ingesting Society’s propaganda.  Their minds became numbed and their perception of reality twisted to match the portals. Society’s words became their words.  The life of many a Gridling revolved around the portals. Any information that came through the portal was believed without question. Gridlings, themselves, eventually became nothing more than portals to other Gridlings. This was the ultimate form of mind control employed by the GridMaster. He used the portals to keep Gridlings satiated with his fantasies and distracted from the realities of their slavery. Worst of all, he used the portals to distort the highest truths. Gridlings learned to distrust, demean, and even dismiss the Great Creators.

Any Gridlings that stepped outside Society’s dictates found themselves to be outcasts, wandering the Grid disdained by those who “fit in.” Of course, any Wanderer who conformed again to the collective mind was welcomed back. This was the lure that promised happiness while hiding the exorbitant cost – loss of freedom.

Restless Gridlings

Most Gridlings remained content with the limitations of their imprisonment, but once in awhile, some Gridlings came to the realization that “Something is not right.” Stuck as they were within the Grid, smelling the stench, yet not being able to see, there seemed only one way out of the Grid and that was self-annihilation. Too many took that route and unintentionally added to the stench. For the ones who did not give up, the first step to freedom was to start looking for the way out of the Grid. That was when they were almost ready to wake up.  The Great Creators called such Gridlings “Searchers.”

Searchers

Searchers in the Middle Times were often misunderstood and they also tended to misunderstand. They were misunderstood when they tried to point out the incongruities of life on the Grid. No one seemed to get the point a Searcher tried to make, no matter what the point was. Gridlings listened for a while, but then just shook their heads and returned to the comfort of their square. Searchers commonly had misunderstandings about higher truth because of their indoctrination against the Great Creator. Something inside told them they held the seeds of peace and grace, as opposed to the contentious tendencies of Gridlings. The Gridlings sensed the differences, too, which is why Gridlings tended to ostracize and criticize Searchers. 

GridMaster Attacks Searchers

The discontent in Searchers and their readiness to leave the Grid triggered orchestrated attack maneuvers by the GridMaster’s minions and Society to trap Searchers in the Grid. The GridMaster had many tricks and the power to put them into play. He increased the negative energy in the Searchers’ square to try and distract them with life’s cares. Or, he gave them greater success on the Grid to soothe their discontent. He surrounded them with other more entrenched Gridlings who implanted fear and distrust of the Great Creators into the Searcher’s heart. However, Gridlings also had a power – more than most of them knew. In the First Times, the Great Creators gave people the Power of Choice. Even the GridMaster could not defeat this power.  He did his best to keep the Gridlings unaware of the power they held.

Searchers Try Religion Squares

The majority of Searchers overcame the GridMaster’s initial attempts.  When they decided to search in earnest for how to be free from the Grid, their first action was to look through other squares for answers. Something inside told a Searcher to try the religion dominated squares first. Many different kinds of religion squares existed on the Grid. Religion squares contained groups of people who agreed on a particular explanation of what the Grid was, why Gridlings exist, and what they must do to obtain contentment. Most of the religion squares offered some level of comfort or at the very least required a set of performance tasks that were palatable to the average Gridling who already knew about performance. Over time, though, each Searcher failed in the performances, became disillusioned with the faulty reasoning, and despaired as the old emptiness and discontent returned.

The Pretenders

Many Searchers went to the church squares because Beyonders were rumored to hang out in such places. Beyonders were freed Gridlings who knew how to manipulate the Grid.  Searchers who happened to go to a gray church square found no Beyonders, only Pretenders. Pretenders were Gridlings who acted like Beyonders. Searchers sat in gray square churches and wondered why they felt uncomfortable on the cushioned seat. They almost wished for discomfort. They sensed the raging of an invisible battle, but when they looked around the square, no one seemed to know there was a war going on. They were baffled by this lack of awareness. They possessed a willingness to fight for right, but didn’t know where the battle was being fought. So, they sat and fidgeted. They heard faint battle cries, but the droning of the pontiff over the loudspeaker about living happily in the Grid drowned out the call to arms.  “Something is not right,” they thought for the thousandth time. When the timer sounded, they filed out with all the Pretenders, feeling more like zombies than the warriors they knew they were. 

Finding Beyonders

Once Searchers realized the gray churches were full of actors, they abandoned the gray church squares. Searchers are never content, though. The fortunate ones – the brave ones – seek until they find what they are looking for.  When a Searcher entered a white Church of the Real square, he or she was surrounded and encouraged by true Beyonders. Searchers who chose to become Beyonders were freed from the slavery of the GridMaster. However, because so few white squares existed at the end of the Middle Times, many Searchers either endured the religion squares or melded back into the Grid. Those are the sad stories that thrilled the GridMaster.

Beyonders

Occupants of a Church of the Real square rehearsed the exact words and intent of the Commander. The writings from the time of the Commander’s entrance to the Grid described a way of escaping the Gridmaster’s restrictions.  A diligent reader of the Text eventually learned how to hover above the Grid and reconnect directly with the Commander. A Gridling who aligned with the Commander and developed the capacity for expanded movement was called a “Beyonder.”

Beyonders in the Grid

Beyonders learned from the Text and the Commander how to affect the Grid without being enslaved by it. The Grid’s rules and constraints did not apply to Beyonders unless they chose to comply with them.  Portals had no effect on them.  Beyonders were not connected to the collective mind unless they needed information about the status of the Grid. Although they lived in the Grid, they were more like strangers and wanderers within it.  They preferred to hover.

Hovering above the Grid meant Beyonders were not restricted by a single viewpoint, so perceptions of reality about the Grid and the Cosmos were expanded. One could see which areas of the Grid held the most Gridlings and how the various colors were increasing or decreasing in number. Best of all, they could observe the movements of the GridMaster and his minions.  They learned how to be warriors in the invisible battle. Without the bondage of the Grid, they stood at the ready and responded immediately when the Commander gave an order to move or perform a mission.  “They know My voice,” the Commander often said. 

Beyonders lived what they believed.  They did not need to speak to be noticed.  They had the smell of freedom on them, which made them extremely attractive to Searchers and some Gridlings.  Just being with a Beyonder tended to stoke ancient internal fires, namely, the desire to be free.  Many a Gridling became a Searcher after just moments in the presence of a Beyonder.

Anointed Destiny

Beyonders possessed anointed destiny. The destiny was the purpose for which the Great Creators created the person and the anointing was the power to fulfill the destiny. Any Gridling had the potential to become a Beyonder, but few took advantage of the opportunity because of the dangers involved. Beyonders were highest on the GridMaster’s destruction list.  Some Gridlings had their anointed destiny placed upon them before entry into the Grid, but most received their anointed destiny when they chose to disconnect from the Grid and were appointed a vital position within the Beyonder Fellowship.  Beyonders always operated and cooperated as a group according to the individual’s anointed destiny.

Mysteriously, all the anointed destinies worked together as if they were part of an intricate living machine. When a new Beyonder arrived, his or her anointing fit perfectly, enhancing the function of the whole. This is why Beyonders stick together, even to this day. Beyonders share a fellowship impossible to replicate within the Grid. They love, encourage, and strengthen each other so that, as one, they can fulfill the Master Plan of the Great Creators.

The Voice from Within

It was near the end of the Middle Times that the Great Creators began telling Searchers what Beyonders already knew.  It was time to disconnect from the Grid. The Great Creators used the Searcher’s mental voice.  At first, many did not believe what they heard in their heads. Yet, the Voice from Within continued to speak. It told them amazing things about the future, the Grid, and required actions. All Searchers were hearing the same instructions, but what they heard left many unanswered questions.

Searchers Become Beyonders

Beyonders had the answers the Searchers sought.  They taught all who heeded the Voice from Within how to live a radical lifestyle. They methodically detached themselves from Grid connections and became less and less dependent on the Grid for survival. They abandoned its temporary comforts because everything the Grid offered paled to what was in store for those who overcame during the Dark Times.  Beyonders knew the Great Creators were building a place where everyone could live like they did in the Vibrant Squares, without the walls. 

Those who did not heed the Voice from Within stayed imprisoned by the Grid. This was unfortunate because the Grid would eventually disintegrate in the fire that never goes out. Those who remained in the Grid died in the Grid.

As for the Gridlings, most of them were unaware of the Grid’s future.  Even when they were told, they did not believe it. They thought the Grid had always existed and would, therefore, always exist.

Time Before Times

Once, before the First Times, the GridMaster and the Great Creators were friends. The GridMaster was not confined to the Grid, but enjoyed the freedom of roaming the Cosmos. He had another name and another role. The Great Creators were his best friends. He was lovely and loved. With one selfish thought, his existence and future changed. He mounted a coup against his best friends in the attempt to rule from the White Throne. He failed. He became ugly as a result. The Great Creators could have ended his existence, but chose instead to banish him and all those who followed him to the Grid where they all would be restricted. This punishment was worse than death. No longer capable of traveling the Cosmos without permission, he determined to exact revenge for his punishment by overtaking the Grid. Which he did, making him the GridMaster.  One of his worst acts occurred in the Vibrant Squares. He was the creature who showed the people the way of discontentment. Of course, the Great Creators did not give him complete control over the Grid. The goodness of the Great Creators was still evident and thus a gigantic battle has been fought throughout all times between the armies of the Great Creators and the armies of the GridMaster.

War Tactics

The GridMaster attempted to prove his supremacy within the Grid by undermining the Great Creators’ efforts to bless the Grid and those within it. Though the GridMaster was restricted, he was powerful and not one to be trifled with. His control over the Grid was insidious and far-reaching. He gave commands of destruction through his minions and the collective mind of Society.  Strife, selfishness, murder, hatred, robbery, and snobbery were just a few of his tactics. He got Gridlings entrenched in competitions of all kinds – playing them, watching them, betting on them, and fantasizing about them – so that they would be distracted and unaware of his manipulation of Grid events. He lured Gridlings into accumulating unnecessary objects, larger than life dwellings, and overly mechanized transportation pods. One of his most clever ideas came when he devised a way for Gridlings to have what they wanted without paying for it at the time of purchase. He ushered them deeper into slavery when they agreed to pay back not only the purchase price, but the daily accruing usury fee.  Gridlings struggled to pay the fee, not to mention the purchase price.  Most Gridlings never escaped the trap; pouring their life’s blood out to pay the GridMaster. It was common to see Gridlings unable to pay their monthly ticket and having everything taken away from them. The GridMaster licked his lips at the prospect of destroying Gridlings by disintegrating their families and stealing the best years of their lives. He detested Gridlings.

The GridMaster particularly hated Beyonders. They posed the greatest threat to his control. They saw and decoded his harmful plans before anyone else did. In retaliation, the GridMaster influenced Society to attack and demean Beyonders as much as possible. And, he relentlessly attempted to infiltrate Churches of the Real to turn them from white to gray.

The Master Plan

Every Beyonder was vital to the accomplishment of the Master Plan. The Great Creators drew up this plan as a way to reclaim the Grid and make it good again – like it was before the GridMaster took over and Gridlings decided to comply with his control. The Master Plan included almost everything Beyonders needed to fulfill their corporate and individual roles. Not included were the specific direct commands of the Voice from Within, which were generated by the Commander when adjustments were necessary to address a particular battle. Otherwise, the Master Plan detailed perfectly what it took to overcome and succeed. 

The Master Plan was widely distributed throughout the Grid, which meant it was available to every Gridling. When a Gridling first looked at the Master Plan, all they saw were symbols they did not understand. But if they gazed at it long enough, the symbols turned into letters that turned into words. Many a Beyonder tells of a sudden sensation of floating they felt when they first understood a part of the Master Plan.

Excerpts from the Master Plan

Becoming a Beyonder:

1. Accept and return the love of the Great Creator

2. Believe in the Commander and what he did

Detaching from the Grid:

1. Become a Beyonder

2. Befriend the Commander

3. Float often with the Beyonder Fellowship

4. Fulfill your destiny according to your anointing

5. Forsake the dictates of Society and the GridMaster

Fighting the War:

1. Know the Master Plan

2. Listen for and heed the voice of the Commander

3. Have no fear

4. Be willing to bleed and ready to heal

5. Exist above the Grid and only go back in as directed

6. Protect and honor other Beyonders

7. Enjoy the experience – it only happens once

Recruitment Efforts

To some Gridlings, the difference between Beyonders and Gridlings was not important. To others, it was repulsive. A Beyonder quickly learned to leave the repulsed Gridlings alone and to befriend the Searchers. Recruitment into the Beyonder Fellowship was a serious endeavor – one that took finesse, intelligence, and compassion. Beyonders were always looking for Gridlings who displayed characteristics of a Searcher. Like a sleeper who is about to wake up, Gridlings on the verge of change would fidget or thrash about. They lived in a state between sleeping and awakening. They sensed something was not right, but they were not sure they wanted to find out what it was. Beyonders came to such a person and poured the Great Creators’ loving energy over them. The square the Gridling occupied suddenly brightened. If they opened their eyes to the Light, a moment of decision came upon them. If they chose to become a Beyonder, they suddenly felt a floating sensation. If they chose not to awaken, it was like they rolled over and went back to sleep. Some Gridlings who fell back asleep did eventually awaken, but not many. The Beyonders in such a situation sadly left and sought the next Searcher. 

The Beyonders were diligent in their search efforts for several reasons. One is that the GridMaster had many minions, entrenched Gridlings, and a stronghold with Society.  Beyonders needed more Beyonders to wage war effectively against so massive a force. The second reason is that Beyonders had compassion for Gridlings since they were once caught in the Grid themselves. They knew what it felt like to be trapped and didn’t want anyone to live like that who had not chosen it. The third reason is that, at the end of the First Times and the beginning of the Middle Times, the Great Creators sent the Commander into the Grid to show Gridlings the way out. In an attempt to stop the Commander from succeeding, the GridMaster recruited Gridlings willing to murder the Commander. The GridMaster did not know that killing the Commander would release His spirit to flow through anyone who accepted its power.  The Commander’s death was the key that unlocked the power of the Grid. The power of the Grid was grounded in its ability to extract the life out of Gridlings before they used their Power of Choice to become Beyonders. The Commander was the only one to die and return to the Grid alive. His return broke the power of the Grid forever – the GridMaster no longer was the keeper of the key.  Beyonders sought new Beyonders to assure the Commander’s efforts were not in vain. They, like the Commander, wanted everyone to feel the freedom of being a Beyonder.

Transition from Performance

Before the Commander took the key of power, the transition from Gridling to Beyonder was so arduous that very few ever made it. The Master Plan tells of the few that did so to show how difficult it used to be. To become a Beyonder, a Gridling had to perform a multitude of tasks to perfection. Failure was not tolerated. Because Gridlings are prone to mistakes and willfulness, they often failed. The situation was hopeless, especially for those who sincerely desired to be Beyonders but could not consistently perform the tasks perfectly.  Once the Commander had the key of power, becoming a Beyonder required only one thing: believing that the Commander held the key. Most Gridlings thought the GridMaster and Society were in charge and would always be in charge. To become a Beyonder, a Gridling had to believe that the Commander was real and that his way was the way out of the Grid. Transcendence based on decision rather than performance was unknown to the majority of Gridlings before the Commander entered the Grid. Making the decision was so easy that most Gridlings disregarded it because they were so entrenched in the ancient, defunct Performance Model of the Grid.

Middle Times Closed

The war raged on throughout the Middle Times. It was fought in the Cosmos, in the Grid, in each square and in each heart.  As the Middle Times drew to a close, the majority of Gridlings were in slavery to the GridMaster. Outlanders from remote parts of the Grid had been safe for many years from the influence of the Grid, but as the GridMaster’s spider web-like Control Network reached the farthest corners, Outlanders saw the apparent affluence of the Gridlings and longed to be Gridlings. They began selling their precious resources and importing Gridling products and lifestyles, thus enslaving themselves to the GridMaster. Searchers were restricted by Society and relentlessly hunted by the GridMaster. The reality of freedom in the Grid became a complete fantasy.  Beyonder numbers were growing, but too slowly to make a viable impact in the war.

As successful as the GridMaster had been, there was one problem that was ever in the back of his mind. His days were numbered. The Great Creators had chosen the exact date on which the Grid would be destroyed and the GridMaster imprisoned. Therefore, the GridMaster knew he must find a way to defeat the Great Creator and take control of the Cosmos. Furiously, he worked to increase his power and control over the Grid, supposing it to be a stepping-stone to control of the Cosmos. As a side task, he did as much damage as he could to the poor Gridlings because he knew how much the Great Creators cared about them.  Ultimately, his efforts at destruction were his downfall. The Beyonders knew this was the case and used it to their advantage. 

The Dark Times

When the Commander walked the Grid, he told of signs and wonders that would indicate when the Grid was about to be destroyed. The GridMaster listened carefully to what the Commander said. He worked his destructive crafts for thousands of years, but then one day he started to notice the signs and wonders appearing on the Grid. Whole sections of the Grid were disintegrating due to extreme weather and Gridling wars. Gridlings were collecting squares and fighting monumental battles to gain more. The number of red squares was increasing exponentially.  It was as if the whole Grid was rupturing and bleeding. The GridMaster suddenly realized that these events were a direct result of the work he and his minions had been doing. Unknowingly, he had been bringing forth the time of his own imprisonment and the destruction of the Grid he worked so diligently to control. The realization of the Great Creators’ trick infuriated the GridMaster.  “Well, if they want to see destruction come, I’ll show them destruction!” the GridMaster screamed. 

He unleashed all his fury on the Grid. Inciting one slave faction into murderous rages toward other slave factions, he directed them to destroy each other. He interfered with the Gridling infrastructure, causing widespread suffering to Gridlings, none of whom knew how to survive without the Grid. He evicted hundreds of thousands of Gridlings from their squares, leaving vast portions of the Grid desolate. Refugees were everywhere. Explosions, fires, earthquakes, riots, murder, genocide, and all manner of destruction raged through the Grid. Gridlings were dying without their comforts, their medications, their processed foods, and their fantasies. As is the Gridling nature, they turned on each other and stole what they needed, even to the point of killing. Every square for miles around was black, blue, or red. When the day came that a powerfully entrenched Gridling unleashed fire from the sky, there arose such a cloud that the light of the sun and moon could no longer be seen. Gridlings were running for their lives in every direction. A great wailing rose from the Grid. Without intervention, the Grid would collapse in on itself and all living things would die.

The only ones who heard the wailing and saw the destruction without fear were the Great Creators and the Beyonders. The ancients had repeated the Commander’s words, so the Beyonders knew well the signs and wonders. They had waited expectantly for this time and were well prepared to not only survive in it, but fight in it. Bases were already established from which Beyonders operated. These bases were usually in the wilderness areas of the Grid. They were sustained separate from the Grid using technology and knowledge from across all ages. From these bases, Beyonders were sent out to collect wandering Gridlings and bring them to safety. They were able to counterattack the GridMaster’s armies long enough for more Gridlings to escape.

One advantage the Beyonder’s gained in the GridMaster’s rage was the collapse of Society. Once wide-scale panic broke out, the collective mind was fractured. Without Society and the Control Network in place, the GridMaster had lost his most potent weapons. Released from Society, thousands upon thousands of Gridlings woke up, smelled the foul stench of the Grid, and started searching for Beyonders. The number of Beyonders grew much faster than the GridMaster could believe. He was losing slaves and gaining enemies by the thousands. How horribly his plan had failed!

Even in his failure, the GridMaster wreaked havoc. He and his minions, along with entrenched Gridlings, began burning all the white squares and murdering every Beyonder caught in the Grid. He went about as a roaring lion devouring everything in his path. Bodies of Gridlings and Beyonders, large and small, were strewn throughout the Grid. They could be seen from far away because most of the Grid walls were torn down or blown up. The smell of rotting flesh was worse than ever before. It was truly a time of darkness.

The Kingdom Times

As the war raged on for several years, the Grid was practically destroyed. The Great Creators stepped into time and ended the conflict. They put unbreakable chains on the GridMaster and cast him into a lightless prison. The Commander physically returned to the Grid and ushered in the Age of the King. The wailing turned to rejoicing! He was given complete authority over the Grid and immediately began repairs. He established a new form of communication that promoted freedom rather than control. The Grid was cleaned up and restored, this time with bigger squares. White once again was the dominant color of the Grid and the other colors were brightened. Without the brainwashing of the GridMaster and his Society, all Gridlings could easily see the reality of the Commander’s right to reign. It was a time of peace and joy. However, the foundation of the Grid was aging and slowly crumbling as a result of the first rejection of the Great Creators’ ways in the Vibrant Squares.  A new Grid needed to be built.

The Last Times

The Great Creator gave the GridMaster one more chance at restoration and released the old devil from prison, allowing him to move within the Grid again. He had the choice to either destroy or comply. No one was surprised when he chose to destroy. Hate had consumed him entirely. His rampage was actually good for the people living in the time of peace. They had nearly forgotten the Dark Times and were growing complacent.  The terrible acts he perpetrated reminded everyone of what had happened in the Middle Times and why they loved the Commander so much.  The demoted GridMaster raged through the Grid until the time of the White Throne, which wasn’t long after his release from the lightless prison.

The White Throne was established at the center of the Cosmos from before the First Times. The Great Creators sat on the White Throne and ruled from it. No Gridling could approach it and live, that is until the date of the White Throne Court when every person, whether Gridling, Searcher, Pretender, or Beyonder, who existed from the First Times to the Last Times was required to stand before it. All motives, thoughts, and deeds were reviewed and evaluated according to the First Time’s Performance Model. Every Gridling, Searcher and Pretender knew he or she had no chance to meet the requirement of perfection. Only perfection in fulfilling all the rules would allow the Gridling to avoid the fate of joining the GridMaster in his punishment. The only ones who did not fear the White Throne were the Beyonders. As the person approached the White Throne, the Great Creators would look at his or her heart.  If He saw that the lock of love had been opened by the Commander’s key, the person was immediately ushered with celebration into the eternal city. If the lock was still closed, the person was immediately cast into the lightless prison where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth. This may sound ruthless, but it is in keeping with the omnipotence of love that will not force anyone to enter the eternal city who does not want to be there.  The Great Creators honored each person’s Power of Choice.

After every person had stood before the White Throne and been put into the place of their choosing, the Great Creators obliterated the old Grid and the Cosmos along with it. They then began again the magnificent act of creation and made a new Grid and a new Cosmos. This time the Grid had no walls and it wasn’t flat. Grid lines were used more for keeping time and positioning objects than separating people. The new Cosmos had more stars and planets than the first one so that the sky was filled with lights. They built a special city with a special building where they resided with their creation in a tangible way.  Thus was the beginning of the next First Times.

Copyright © 2008, 3 Thirds, Inc.

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