The Mindscape

The mindscape is a realm where collective thoughts, emotions, and vibrations converge to shape a mental/astral reality. It's a complex tapestry woven from the collective unconscious, with the strongest causes affecting the principles and phenomena within this realm. Though it was once only perceivable by those disciplined in the mystical arts, the ‘Astral Pulse’ phenomena heightened an awareness in the psyche, gradually accumulating until all life became drawn to the overpowering influence of the mindscape.

The mindscape can be divided into three layers: the Superconscious, the Selfconscious, the Subconscious.

• Selfconscious: The ‘default’ layer, the one that is most familiar to the mundane senses, albeit a dreamy composition.

• Subconscious: The low-vibration layer. ‘Reptilian’, hindbrain, primal, instincts, deepest depths.

• Superconscious: The high-vibration layer. Transcendent, forebrain, godforms, idealism, artistry.

The Astral Pulse

The ‘Astral Pulse’ was a cosmic event that amplified conscious awareness of the mindscape, heightening the mental and spiritual senses of many and therefore an intuition towards psychic phenomena.

Awareness of the pulse was initially only present to a small margin of mystics and organisations that were able to plan around the impending event, and the faint vibrations from the gradually emerging pulse had an indirect influence over civilisations that resulted in the rise of new age movements, apocalyptic cults, and an interest in the supernatural and alternative sciences. No matter how many times claims of superstitious phenomena were disproven, all of these moments had an influence towards the incoming presence of the Astral Pulse: through sheer belief.

With this event, the future of humanity and the cosmos laid in the hands and minds of believers and the initiated. As many of those who were already awakened to the phenomena were working in shadowy organisations, their preemptive operations forged an influence that would set in place the ecosystem that established the 'collectives' and principles that many psychics would abide by (See: Noospheres). One by one, individuals would spontaneously awaken to the vastness of the mindscape, most of them entering the Shugendo pipeline.

This caused a rampant amount of issues that would gradually force psychics to reveal themselves beyond secrecy, revolutionise entire civilisations and tear the world apart, only to transmute itself into a new age of living, beyond the mundane and into the astral.

Noospheres

The mindscape is inherently wild and lawless, formulating into chaotic vibrations that would tear the uninitiated apart by incomprehensible forces. Thus, ‘noospheres’ were established by organisational forces as a means of stabilising portions of the astral atmosphere into spaces where fellow psychics could freely roam the mindscape with as little risk as possible.

Noospheres are used by collectives and other psychic societies to establish borders and distinguish themselves from one another. With this stabilisation, a powerful governing force can have an influence over principles and phenomena present within their respective noosphere, be it beneficial or corruptive.

Labyrinths

(Noo)spheres can eventually go into abandonment if they are not maintained or inhabited, causing them to destabilise and warp into cavernous remains in the mindscape known as ‘labyrinths’. A labyrinth may undergo expeditions for the common reasons of either pilgrimaging to seek important insight or to be pillaged of whatever psychic resources remain. They are often disorienting and house no more than the echoes of the collective unconscious that once populated the area, though they may be ridden with astral specimens and abodes set up by outlaws.

Pleasure Hits

Pleasure hits (or pleasure cities) are spheres entirely dedicated to districts of dopamine-inducing activities and venues. It is a hangout for many voyaging Shugendo, as well as a space to hold meetings over operation deals and making Auric transactions. The most bustling pleasure hit is the ‘Kaleidoscope’, which attracts a plethora of ‘Frontals’ and the most high-end astral substances for having a good time. 

The Enceph

The Encephalon, or just the ‘Enceph’, is a network that connects various noospheres and domains within the mindscape, utilised by psychics and clientele to relay data and make communication. Although interconnected, many points of contact with the Enceph are encrypted as they consist of private databases and astral clusters with enough power to relay an entire living being from one point to another. Thus, a specific ‘address’ and the masking of identity and location is often required to make use of the network. The Shugendo are the go-to community for acquiring these addresses and making connections with valuable clientele.

Pocket Spaces

Mind Palace

Experienced psychics with an impressionable influence over the astral can acquire their own estate in the mindscape, referred to as a ‘mind palace’. Acting as an extensive base of operations doubling as a sanctuary, the psychic may amass a wide storage of mental information and constructs as well as spaces of privacy and leisure. If they so desire, one may invite mutuals to their domain to hang out and discuss operations. So long as the higher causes are satisfied, the mind palace is well-reserved and invested.

The ‘Hypothesis’

A pocket space that acts as a simulation, a hypothesis is a sandbox for psychics to play out scenarios and manifest to their mind’s content within the space. Hypotheses tend to be found within the facilities of the collectives, but can be acquired as an extension to one’s mind palace.

Forests and ‘Zen’ gardens mixed with geometric spaces appear to be a popular aesthetic for the theming of the hypothesis space amongst Shugendo.

Mind Tombs

Simply put, a mind tomb is a personal pocket space akin to a labyrinth, but once belonged to a now-deceased psychic. Now abandoned and drifting across the outskirts of the mindscape, a mind tomb may hold great value depending on the individual, but they all consist of a tortuous echo chamber where dwellers will be haunted by the last remaining traces of said individual’s life.

Auric

‘Auric’ is the universal currency of the mindscape, consisting of energetic astral clusters that can be converted into a resource that is bartered and traded. 

Auric transactions are scribed into the Enceph so that they may be verified and broadcasted. This requires a psychically intensive process known as ‘channelling’ to decrypt clusters and verify the presence of Auric into the Enceph. Fellow psychics may store Auric within their astral bodies and pockets to preserve the energies. Due to its decentralised nature, Auric can be exchanged anonymously and freely amongst psychics, though many collectives prioritise their own currencies due to the ever-changing value of Auric and its lack of regulation, being prone to psionic disruption.