One day, while sitting in a square and enjoying a meal, I was approached by a person handing out pamphlets. "Would you like to discover your three selves?" they asked while handing me the pamphlet. Curious, I decided to take it. As I flipped through it, I read the following:

Discover Your Three Selves

Are you ready to embark on a journey of spiritual self-discovery and improve the way you choose to live your life? Do you need more certainty about your future and where you belong? Would you like to be able to shape your life and realize all of your dreams and goals?

Welcome to Egotheism, where we explore the divinity that resides in each of our Three Selves.

The Three Selves:

Egotheism is the belief in one's "Three Selves" - the Past Self, the Present Self, and the Future Self. We acknowledge these as the sacred trinity that defines our lives and existence.

The Past Self holds the wisdom of our past experiences and the lessons that have shaped us into who we are today. We empower our Past Selves to make the choices that have led us toward positivity and success in this moment. Through Egotheism, you can learn to reach out and guide your Past Self through every difficulty you've overcome.

The Present Self is the divine incarnation of the now. We are all gifted with conscious existence and the unique ability to experience the beauty of life. Egotheism teaches us to live mindfully in the present moment and embrace our arrival here.

The Future Self guides us with the vision of our own future, offering guidance and glimpses into the paths we will take through life. We learn to listen to our Future Selves and become the architects of our destinies.

The Sacred Dialogue:

Through prayer and meditation, we communicate with our Three Selves. Egotheism teaches us the tools to connect through time and space, offer reassurance to our Past Selves, and seek guidance from our Future Selves. We believe that the power to shape our destinies lies within each of us.

You Are Your Own God

We celebrate Egotheism's divine truth: you are your own God. By practicing faith in your past, present, and future, you will shape your reality, manifest your dreams, and overcome all of life's challenges.

Join the Path of Self-Realization

We invite you to join our community of like-minded believers. Unlock your true potential that resides within you by embracing your Three Selves. Create your own destiny. Rejoice in the experience of existence. Explore your boundless possibilities.

Open your heart and mind to the divine wisdom of Egotheism. Your Three Selves await.

In most cases, I would toss out any kind of religious propaganda handed to me, but something about this pamphlet seemed different. Maybe it was the fact that I was weeks behind on multiple articles and was fresh out of leads, but I decided to investigate this Egotheism and see what it was all about. I tried to keep an open mind, but I was sure it was either another sex cult on the verge of a doomsday suicide pact or a simple tax evasion scam.

Despite my many life-changing experiences within The Conglomerate, I had yet to be convinced of any singular divine truth. Yes, meditation and faith can be helpful for some people, but to say that your own version of God or spirituality is the one truth is harmful and, frankly, quite rude. If you tell me your faith helps you to be a better person and live a more fulfilling life, fine, but don't tell me I'm a terrible person for not following your exact beliefs.

The kaleidoscope of experiences to be had throughout the strata of The Conglomerate is too vast to get tied up in any singular dogma. Part of why I enjoy my work as an archivist is the freedom it allows me to explore the unique ideas of all the various people I meet and decide which ones speak to me and which ones don't.

I looked up what I could on Egotheism and found that it was started by Ejiro Palignius. Only a little information was available on Ejiro. Still, I did learn that Egotheism was initially founded as a religion in The Conglomerate five years before I discovered it. They had approximately one thousand followers, half of whom resided together in a compound.

I contacted Ejiro to see if they would be interested in being interviewed. They said yes and invited me to the compound.

Upon arriving at the compound, I was invited to attend a presentation that Ejiro was giving to the new followers of Egotheism. Here is a summarized transcript of the speech by Ejiro:

I want you all to take a moment and look back on a specific moment in your life. Close your eyes. Take a deep breath in, and as you breathe out, feel yourself traveling backward in time. Breathe in... and out, feeling your consciousness being pulled back. As you continue to breathe like this, I want you to try to remember an important choice you made in your life, a choice that was difficult to make, a choice that brought you some kind of positivity or joy. And as you continue to breathe, try to imagine your consciousness sinking back into that time. Where were you when you were struggling with this decision? What did it feel like when you made the choice? I want you to imagine your consciousness next to that past version of yourself. This is your Past Self; they are unaware and unknowing, but you're about to guide them toward the right path. They don't know it yet, but their Future Self (your Present Self) is helping them make the right choice. Try speaking to your Past Self now, reassure them what the right choice is and that it will lead them toward a better place. If it's a physical act, you can move your Past Self's body and push them to complete the action. See them making the choice and completing the step. See that they are now moving toward the present that you are in now. Return your focus to your breath, and as you breathe in, feel your consciousness returning to the present. In your own time, become aware of your body and surroundings, and slowly open your eyes. You have now taken your first step to becoming your own God.

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Ejiro then turned the conversation over to one of his colleagues, who explained the more logistical things. The new followers were invited to join the residents for dinner, sign up for the mailing list and various other scheduled meetings and activities, and sign up for the residency waitlist. Ejiro invited me to join them for tea, and I obliged.

As we walked through the halls of the compound, Ejiro explained to me that it used to be a hotel. "I'm told it was on the market for quite a while because it was rumored to operate as a brothel previously. I had no qualms with this fact, and my Future Self reassured me that the location would be perfect for the compound."I was curious about the timeline of this past/future self interaction and asked if this was a Past Self that had already reassured the previous Past Self about the compound or had they yet to send this message to their past self."That's a great question. I actually still need to send this message to my Past Self. I should do that this evening. Thank you for reminding me."

We sat down in a lounge area where Ejiro prepared tea for us. "I was never a huge fan of tea," Ejiro said, "but one of the followers brought me some from their home planet, and it's more delicious than any tea I've ever tried."

"You're a transplant yourself, aren't you?" I asked.

"Is it that obvious?" Ejiro responded.

"I'm sorry, I've been through so many strata that I have a knack for noticing."

"No need to apologize. I'm proud of the fact. My people actually exiled me before The Conglomerate evicted us."

"May I ask why you were exiled?"

"Oh, it's not that exciting. I committed adultery with our enemy. We had been at war since before I was born. I never paid any attention to what the original conflict was about. I always thought the idea of war was so simple-minded. Maybe I was wrong, though. Maybe there was some justification for the war. All I know is I met someone I thought I was in love with. I tried to love them, and I lost everything I had."

"What's everything?"

"A partner, a family, a home; everything. The only thing I was allowed to keep was myself."

"Did you create Egotheism before or after you were exiled?"

"I had some vague idea of it before, but I wouldn't say it started to take root until after. I was all alone and began thinking back on my life and all the choices I had made that brought me to that point. I desperately tried to tell my Past Self not to make the same choices. I shouted at them day after day, but they didn't hear me. I had no memory of being sent these messages, so there was no way for me to change my past this way. So then I decided to look to the future and listen for my Future Self sending my Present Self a message. I was afraid I would hear an equally angry voice shouting at me to not do this or that, telling me how stupid I was. But as I continued to quiet my mind and listen more closely, I was surprised that the voice speaking to me was calm and kind. It told me that everything would be okay and that this method of meditation and prayer would lead me toward salvation."

"I'm guessing that when The Conglomerate came to your planet, that was a big question for your Future Self: whether to leave or stay."

"Yes, but it was also one of the clearest messages I've ever received."

I became more curious about the deterministic nature of sending and receiving messages from the future and past. "Do you keep a record of the messages you've received from your Future Self so you know what to tell your Past Self?" I asked.

"Sometimes, yes, if it's a complicated issue. It's more important to keep a record of the messages I've already sent back so that I don't accidentally send another message to the same Past Self and cause cross-talk."

"That can happen? Like two people trying to talk on a one-way radio simultaneously?"

"It doesn't sound like that, but yes, you can get interference when meditating sometimes."

"What's the difference between meditation and prayer?"

"Mostly linguistics. Some people prefer one word over the other. Meditation is more of a step-by-step routine to reach a state of mind, whereas prayer seems more emotional and desperate. In both cases, you speak to a part of yourself that you can't see or touch."

"Did you ask your Future Self about allowing me to visit today?"

"Yes."

"What did they tell you?"

"They told me not to answer that question until the end."

As we continued the tour through the compound, I witnessed a lack of hierarchy between Ejiro and the followers. They all greeted each other on a first-name basis and asked each other how they were doing, and there weren't any weird titles or rituals. When I asked how the residency worked, Ejiro explained that followers were asked to go through a formal application and interview process before being allowed to move in. It all seemed much more wholesome than any other cult or religion I had studied during my travels. I guess it didn't always have to be all bad, but I decided to stay for dinner just in case they were cannibals. Most of my body was mechanical then, so I wasn't worried about being on the menu.

At dinner, I took the opportunity to ask some of the residents why they had decided to live there. Most answered that their Future Self had sent them a message telling them it would be a good decision and lead them somewhere positive. As I dug deeper into some of those answers, I found that many followers came from lives lacking any community or family element. They had all previously been living alone. Most were freeloaders and had no contact with any family for various reasons. Beyond any personal gain, Egotheism also provided an essential social aspect that these people had been missing for a large part of their lives.

I thanked the residents for their hospitality and said goodbye. Ejiro walked me back through the halls of the compound to the exit.

"I'm curious, what did your Future Self tell you about allowing me to visit?" I asked Ejiro as I stood just outside the door to the compound.

"They told me not to answer that question until the end, Archivist. This is not the end." Ejiro replied and closed the door.