Matthew Fox on Benedict’s Papal Legacy and why it makes Next History relevant

Recently, NPR’s Amy Goodman interviewed excommunicated priest and author Matthew Fox on the legacy of Pope Benedict for the Catholic Church. Some of Fox’s remarks go to the heart of why I wrote Next History: The Girl Who Hacked Tomorrow, why I saw an important flaw in the history and mythology around womankind, and the archetypal Lilith, the first female created by God in Babylonian and Hebrew mythology.

Here’s Fox on why he was excommunicated:

“Number one was that I was a feminist theologian, he said. I didn’t know that was a heresy. Number two, I called God ‘Mother.’ Well, I proved that all kinds of medieval mystics called God ‘Mother,’ and so does the Bible, although not often enough.

“Number three, I prefer ‘original blessing’ to ‘original sin.’ Jesus never heard of it; no Jews ever heard of it. And they accused me of not condemning homosexuals, which of course I do not.

“They’re really Rorschach tests about what really freaks out the Vatican. And, of course, above all, it’s women and sex. And that is the agenda. Whenever there’s fundamentalism and fascism, it’s about control. That’s why the Vatican, the Taliban and Pat Robertson have this in common: They’re all freaked out by the possibility of bringing the divine feminine back, and with it, of course, the equal rights of women.”

Fox’s ‘divine feminine’ remark resonated with me, because the construction of Next History: The Girl Who Hacked Tomorrow originated with a single question: What would it be like if we discovered a crystal clear record of our creation times, historically accurate and not mythologized or distorted by politics? I discovered that the Akashic Record could fill that need. How could humans find out about the Record in large numbers? The whales could deliver it.

The Whales? Oh yes, I forgot, it’s science fiction.

OK suppose all that stuff. What would we find out? Among other things, we might discover that the goddess feminine in the form of the mythical Lilith has been smeared and degraded since about 2300 BCE, beginning with the stories the Levite priests told about her.

Prior to that Lilith was revered for hundreds of thousands of years as the source of abundance, the font of human life, health, healing and wisdom. My pet theory is that some males cannot live with the jealousy.

Next History in the end is the story of how Lilith comes to be alive on Earth again, how women the world over rise in waking consciousness of the feminine divine and come to be seen as the equals of men in every way. Equals, not superiors, it’s how women roll. Too bad it has to be science fiction, but this is a small seed I wanted to plant for whoever reads the book.

 

A Cyber Attack On Your Brain…

 

…when the world’s favorite RPG hooks into your thoughts

Amid gritty realities of 2029 Amerika, conflict between ultra-rich elites and the rest of us reaches blinding rage. It is most intense within the avatar universe, Halcyon Dreamworlds… a permissive online rave with the morals of a beer commercial… where your avatar can mosh with millions of fellow addicts in secret lives of uncaring lust.

But when an elite mastermind corrupts your private heaven through an electronic mind-meld wired to your neocortex, you’ll be doing what he tells you… in real life. And as you fritter away each fun-filled nanosecond, your next instruction could be: go die.

MMORPG, LITRPG, or virtual reality? For ego-slaves of the Dreamworlds, it’s not virtual any more.

>>>> Fun in the Dreamworlds, Death in Real Life

Halcyon Dreamworlds is a multiplayer online roleplay universe with millions of player-addicts. To this sensual otherworld, everyone brings their secret desires, forbidden lust, and hungers for juicy domination.

The Dreamworlds provide a guilt-free alternate world populated by ethereal lovers and limitless satisfaction. Take your place in a perfect existence, where your avatar can touch another avatar, and feel touched. Your new private heaven, delivered your pleasure centers.

But too bad, when turf wars in the Dreamworlds lead to real-world deaths, it isn’t playtime anymore.

>>>> Drowning in a Hopeless Future

Caught in the downward spiral of 2029 Amerika, Logan Fischer struggles to cleanse herself of cyber addiction as players in their millions live their fantasies in the Dreamworlds. While an ultra-rich mastermind works to strip away her privacy, Logan must battle free of that alluring pleasure-pit and accept the challenge to win back a world’s future.

For that, the Ultras must destroy her.

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Lee Baldwin’s New Science Fiction Novel, 2015

Please Nominate on Kindle Scout

In this digital universe, players control exotic avatars with the power of thought.

They succumb to many hungers in a lawless sauna of jealousy, lust and murder.

Amid gritty realities of 2029 America, Logan Fischer struggles to rid herself of cyber addiction, while an ultra-rich mastermind plots the death of privacy.

Logan must battle free of that alluring pleasure-pit and accept the challenge to win back a world’s future. She’ll face death twice to do that.

It’s not ‘virtual’ anything.

When the poor take on the rich to simply survive, a desperate woman’s courage pries loose the talon grip of the strong. Find out for yourself when you nominate Halcyon Dreamworlds on Kindle Scout.

What Is Next History Made Of?

Next History, what’s it about? Alternative history, alternative futures, contemporary fantasy, epic science fiction… how would you categorize Next History? The narrative takes on themes around the nature of reality, of God and the Devil, of supernatural beings we sometimes understand as angels, and drives us face to face with the power humans are now developing from emerging consciousness.

Next History is based on contemporary philosophy and spirituality, such as from Deepak Chopra, Eben Alexander, Jack Kornfield, Caroline Myss, Ervin Lazlo, Alan Watts, Andrew Weil, Marianne Williamson and others.

I got the idea for Next History from a single question. What if we received a clear and accurate history of our beginnings, a history not manipulated by political ambition or belief? This led me to rewrite the story of the mythical Lilith into a tale that could provide hope. After all, do we actually know the truth? Do we?

What a Find – Absolutely AWESOME book!

I was looking for escape fiction, and while the book provided that, it is so much more. It made me think, and it is changing my life. If you want to know the deepest secrets of the universe, this book won’t spoon feed you, but will give you lots of terrific hints. Look over there! Consider this! What would you choose? And last, best, what will I choose?

Most important for me in a book of fiction is the characters. They have to be real people, and they have to make me care about them. The author created characters different than any I’ve seen anywhere, and many of them are folks I want to know better. (Of course, some of them are bad guys I want to squish between my thumb and forefinger.) Now I need to find another book by Lee Baldwin!

~ Maggie Uh-O, on Amazon

A Unique Voice in Story Telling.

Next History is humorous, a cliff hanger, a marvelous love story, and perfectly executed.

I usually dislike reviews comparing authors but Sheri Tepper comes to mind. Not in style but in subject matter and Mr. Baldwin’s heartfull take on subjects usually shied away from by those less brave.

~ Ernie Smitty (Orygun), on Amazon

Thank you for hope…

The reading of this book reinforced beliefs I have held for some time. Thank you for hope. I loved the book…

~ Dragonviolet, on Amazon

Beneath it all…

is a struggle between the divine feminine and the patriarchy, a surprising theme for a science fiction novel.

The descriptions of the “dreamtime” are lyrical and sensuously enjoyable, sometimes funny. The whole world is hallucinating…. beautifully written with insight and subtelty. The action is fast and totally engaging.

Tharcia is a lovable character, her struggle is heartbreaking…

~ Karuna Chapman on Amazon

Find out for yourself.