The matrix does not hold up through force. It holds up through unseen
adherence. That is what sustains the dream. No prison holds up through force.
It holds up through the consent of those who experience it.
You cannot confine consciousness. You may only offer it a framework... and let
it settle there of its own accord.
Consent doesn't come as a ‘yes’. It comes from habits, hope, the fear of
losing, the need to make sense of things, reward-seeking…
As long as you expect something from the system, you've already given your
consent to it.
As long as you seek improvement, you accept the framework.
As long as you ask for permission, you recognise authority.
The most perfect form of domination is silent. It is reassuring. It offers
explanations. It makes promises. Most importantly, it leads you to believe
that there's simply no other way.
Consent is not moral. It's structural.
Withdrawing consent requires neither anger, struggle, nor revolution. It
requires only one thing: to stop believing in it. The day you no longer adhere
to it, the mechanism idles. And when it happens, the system does not collapse.
It simply becomes useless.
No pillars of the matrix were ever imposed. All have been accepted.
In every way, 2025 has been a difficult year, both in terms of abrupt
realisations and significant events. As a result, I've had far less time to
read.
The following selection does not include the Harry Potter saga,
which I've revisited in its entirety as audiobooks, with the voices of Bernard
Giraudeau (volumes 1-4) and Dominique Collignon-Maurin (volumes 5-7). These
two amazing French actors (both now deceased) added extra depth to the story
without ever constraining the imagination, unlike the movie adaptations, which
sadly did exactly that.
Also absent is the continuation of the comic book adaptation of
Le Paris des Merveilles, a series of French novels by Pierre Pevel, which seemed compromised by the
sudden passing of Étienne Willem, who had produced about fifteen strips.
Little did we know of Capia’s talent, a young Belgian illustrator who
brilliantly took up her predecessor's graphic style, much to our delight. Even
so, it is still hard to come to terms with the fact that French-language book
fairs will never be the same without the late pipe-smoking, kilted Belgian
illustrator who always looked as if he had just stepped straight out of one of
his own comic books.
I also enjoyed reading the graphic novel adaptation of the first volume of
La Passeuse de mots, a French fantasy series, although I still haven't finished volume 4 because
the story has become so boring. Yet the first two were so exciting. That's
often the issue with series. Not so with J.K. Rowling’s, though, as she always
knows exactly where she is going and how to keep the reader in thrall until
the very last page.
1. The Hallmarked Man
A dismembered corpse is discovered in the vault of a silver shop. The
police initially believe it to be that of a convicted armed robber - but not
everyone agrees with that theory. One of them is Decima Mullins, who calls
on the help of private detective Cormoran Strike as she's certain the body
in the silver vault was that of her boyfriend - the father of her newborn
baby - who suddenly and mysteriously disappeared. The more Strike and his business partner Robin Ellacott delve into the
case, the more labyrinthine it gets. The silver shop is no ordinary one:
it's located beside Freemasons' Hall and specialises in Masonic silverware.
And in addition to the armed robber and Decima's boyfriend, it becomes clear
that there are other missing men who could fit the profile of the body in
the vault. As the case becomes ever more complicated and dangerous, Strike faces
another quandary. Robin seems increasingly committed to her boyfriend,
policeman Ryan Murphy, but the impulse to declare his own feelings for her
is becoming stronger than ever.
Robert Galbraith, 2025 - Sphere Books - 1072 pages
***
As I mentioned earlier, J.K. Rowling is one of the very few authors whose sagas never disappoint me. And this eighth instalment in the Cormoran Strike crime series (published under the pen name Robert Galbraith) is no exception to the rule. However, I found it far less compelling than the previous one, in which Robin infiltrated a cult, only to narrowly escape, though not entirely unscathed. Her trauma continues to haunt her in this new episode. This is precisely what makes this saga so appealing, combining complex investigations and twists and turns galore with the evolution of an equally complicated relationship between the two protagonists, making the most of the ’slow burn’ technique. It's clear that without these larger-than-life (and fallible) characters — much more endearing than a Miss Marple or Sherlock Holmes of yesteryear — the series would certainly lose all its appeal.
What can I say without giving away the plot?
First of all, it's better to be fluent in English or in any language other
than French, since Grasset, the publisher of the series in France, is
apparently at odds with the author's political views on social media and has
put the release of the last two volumes on hold — even though they are
bestsellers worldwide. Welcome to Wokistan, the kingdom of the self-proclaimed
‘awake’.
Despite the brief outlines on the back cover, Freemasons aren't really at the
heart of the story. But shhh, I will say no more. Paedophilia, on the other
hand... human trafficking... cancel culture... manipulation... corruption
within the police force... You should always judge a book by its cover. Except
for Cormoran and Robin, of course.
Can't wait for book 9!
2. The Institute
In the middle of the night, in a house on a quiet street in suburban
Minneapolis, intruders silently murder Luke Ellis’s parents and load him
into a black SUV. The operation takes less than two minutes. Luke will wake
up at The Institute, in a room that looks just like his own, except there’s
no window. And outside his door are other doors, behind which are other kids
with special talents—telekinesis and telepathy—who got to this place the
same way Luke did: Kalisha, Nick, George, Iris, and ten-year-old Avery
Dixon. They are all in Front Half. Others, Luke learns, graduated to Back
Half, “like the roach motel,” Kalisha says. “You check in, but you don’t
check out.”
In this most sinister of institutions, the director, Mrs. Sigsby, and her
staff are ruthlessly dedicated to extracting from these children the force
of their extranormal gifts. There are no scruples here. If you go along, you
get tokens for the vending machines. If you don’t, punishment is brutal. As
each new victim disappears to Back Half, Luke becomes more and more
desperate to get out and get help. But no one has ever escaped from the
Institute.
As psychically terrifying as Firestarter, and with the spectacular kid power
of It, The Institute is Stephen King’s gut-wrenchingly dramatic story of
good vs. evil in a world where the good guys don’t always win.
Stephen King, 2019 - Scribner - 576 pages
***
It's no secret that Stephen King has long been one of my favourite authors. That said, over time and given his extraordinary productivity, I've lost track of his rather inconsistent bibliography. And his tendency always to explore the same themes and the same types of characters even became tiresome. That's how I had completely missed this gem, originally published in 2020, which marks the return of the master of horror at his best. No fantasy or supernatural elements this time, though, but the exposure of real-life monsters. Not the kind that lurks in the sewers, preying on little children (It), but those who take them away from home during their sleep and torture them in the name of the public interest and patriotic sacrifice for the common good (sic). It's sickening.
Where some mention references to mind control projects such as MK Ultra (now declassified), it seems to me that the activities of this secret institute are more closely related to a secret programme run by the US military for decades (during the Cold War until the 1990s) that used 'psychoenergetics ‘ — psychokinesis, telepathy and, most prominently in the case of the now infamous Fort Meade experiment in the 1970s, ’remote viewing' — to collect intelligence. As part of Project Stargate, the collective name for a series of programmes with code names like Grill Frame and Sun Streak, the US government was training an army of telepaths. Or, at least, they were trying to.
Notably, an 8-episode mini-series adaptation aired this summer on HBO. Although the actors were all excellent and the script remained fairly faithful to the novel, some of the plot shortcuts struck me as questionable, especially since they robbed the story of all its tension. In addition, many elements have been toned down to appeal to a teenage audience, and the children look much older than in King's story. I'd therefore recommend reading the book instead.
3. Caraval
Wecome to Caraval, where nothing is quite what it seems...
Scarlett has never left the tiny isle of Trisda, pining from afar for the
wonder of Caraval, a once-a-year week-long performance where the audience
participates in the show.
Caraval is Magic. Mystery. Adventure. And for Scarlett and her beloved
sister Tella it represents freedom and an escape from their ruthless,
abusive father.
When the sisters' long-awaited invitations to Caraval finally arrive, it
seems their dreams have come true. But no sooner have they arrived than
Tella vanishes, kidnapped by the show's mastermind organiser, Legend.
Scarlett has been told that everything that happens during Caraval is only
an elaborate performance. But nonetheless she quickly becomes enmeshed in a
dangerous game of love, magic and heartbreak. And real or not, she must find
Tella before the game is over, and her sister disappears forever.
Stephanie Garber, 2018 - Gollancz - 1552 pages
***
I admit it: I've always hated cheesy romance. And that's not what the Caraval trilogy (or quadrilogy, if you count the ‘bonus’ novella) is, even though it's labelled ‘fantasy romance’. Aimed at a ‘young adult’ audience, it's a far cry from the steamy — bordering on hardcore — erotica of Karen Marie Moning's Fever series, which is marketed under the same label.
A carnivalesque, theatrical world that immediately reminds me of Tim Burton's films, but also more specifically of Ciro Marchetti's illustrations — particularly his Oracle of Visions. In fact, the second and third instalments feature divination cards, as well as a rather roguish Jack of Hearts.
My take on these novels probably has nothing to do with the author's intended message, but I couldn't help drawing parallels with the Matrix simulation. Again, I can't elaborate without potentially spoiling the plot. The main theme revolves around false pretences, projections, dreams within dreams and, in a larger sense, the nature of what we call ‘reality’. It's a shame the last volume fails to maintain consistency, but as I said above, this seems to be a recurring issue inherent to many sagas.
4. The Secret of Secrets
Robert Langdon, esteemed professor of symbology, travels to Prague to
attend a groundbreaking lecture by Katherine Solomon—a prominent noetic
scientist with whom he has recently begun a relationship. Katherine is on
the verge of publishing an explosive book that contains startling
discoveries about the nature of human consciousness and threatens to disrupt
centuries of established belief. But a brutal murder catapults the trip into
chaos, and Katherine suddenly disappears along with her manuscript. Langdon
finds himself targeted by a powerful organization and hunted by a chilling
assailant sprung from Prague's most ancient mythology. As the plot expands
into London and New York, Langdon desperately searches for Katherine . . .
and for answers. In a thrilling race through the dual worlds of futuristic
science and mystical lore, he uncovers a shocking truth about a secret
project that will forever change the way we think about the human mind.
Dan Brown, 2025 - Bantam Books - 688 pages
***
I must confess that I enjoy Dan Brown's books as a way to escape the tedious routine of my daily Matrix life. However, since the publication of The Da Vinci Code in 2003, I soon realised that there's nothing more to it than pure entertainment, capitalising on the esoteric conspiracy theories made popular by the events of 9/11.
After an eight-year hiatus and 250 million books sold, the formula still works, making Dan Brown one of the most widely read (and best-selling) authors in the world. It's mind-boggling to see all the anti-leak measures surrounding the global release of this new instalment of the adventures of Professor Robert Langdon. For eight months, the translators had to work in "a secret location, some kind of bunker" without access to the internet. Every evening, they had to leave their papers "in a secure safe in a locked room". And once the books were printed, they were locked away "in rooms guarded by security night and day".
Incidentally, the Secret of Secrets is about an important manuscript that was stolen from a publisher's premises. Regarding the French translation, it is best to read the original English version if possible, as the translation is riddled with errors. In the opening scene, the character involved changes gender every other sentence, making it difficult to understand. It's unacceptable that no proofreading was done before publication.
As for the story itself, the theme is strangely reminiscent of The Institute, but unlike King's story, which is much more down-to-earth, Brown is much into happy endings, where the bad guys aren't really that bad after all. Otherwise, the guided tour of Prague was pretty cool.
Modern technology has reached a point where anything can easily be falsified.
Indeed, even experts sometimes find it hard to discern what is real from what
has been generated by artificial intelligence.
In everyday life, apart from social media — where fewer people are truly who
they claim to be — you can all too easily be deceived. Not only by gurus or
scammers, but also by manipulators, narcissists, or false friends.
However, there is a sure way to know who you’re really dealing with: the
vibrational signature. It is recognised not by what you see, hear or
feel, but solely by its vibration.
A vibrational signature is inimitable — like an energy fingerprint or an
encrypted code. Picture it as a unique wave, impossible to duplicate, composed
of frequencies which are specific to each individual or entity.
Entities may mimic form, voice or behaviour, but they cannot conceal or
falsify their vibrational signature. It is their hallmark, a subtle imprint
that remains unaltered and recognisable to those able to read it.
That is why it is essential to train yourself to perceive the energy beyond
all appearances and forms. For discernment, do not rely solely on your senses
or first impressions.
Identifying a vibrational signature is like picking out a particular scent in
a crowded room — you cannot mistake it for another. Basically, it's like some
kind of key no one else has or is able to replicate.
The secret to reading a vibrational signature is absolute neutrality — an
absence of emotion and polarisation (good/evil, light/dark, truth/lies, etc.).
To see beyond form, you must stop believing. All forms are deceptive.
Entities, faces, words, scenarios.
Practise perceiving waves beyond forms.
Refuse emotional attachment. Emotion colours, magnetises and distorts. Always
adopt an observer's perspective.
Stay alert without getting tense. This generates a kind of electrical
coherence in the subtle bodies, which then becomes a sensor for frequency
anomalies.
Train your sensors. Do it in public places, on strangers, on speeches. Don't
judge, assess. Ask yourself: “Is it shallow, dense, recycled, new, mimetic? Is
it repulsive or attractive?” Invert your impressions to confuse the matrix —
you’ll soon see the reality behind the façade.
Develop your own vibration field. To do this, you need to stay true to your
core, refuse to be dragged down by the astral plane, and maintain consistency
between your decisions and your actions. Your vibration then becomes a blade
that cuts through the layers of the simulation.
Early each year, we have expectations and hopes that generate a great deal of excitement or anxiety, inevitably resulting in disappointment and frustration.
A great harvest of loosh for the matrix.
Let's use this new cycle — which is nothing new at all — to finally break the loop by focusing on our inner axis instead of feeding polarised scripts, whether positive or negative.
I feel alone. Invisible. Like a well of energy that’s constantly siphoned, yet no one ever looks inside. Even the few things that truly make me vibrate are seen as anomalies — and others want to steal them.
The avatars around me don’t really see. They just stare at their own reflection inside me. But I see them. Too clearly. And it’s that clarity that hurts the most.
I feel so alone. But I am not alone. This space is crowded. Crowded with an invisible, invasive, heavy presence. Solitude becomes unbearable when it’s filled with parasites.
This loneliness is not a void — it’s an overload. I’m not alone. I’m saturated. Saturated with parasites, projections, expectations, and ties I never chose.
My real self doesn’t need company — it needs silence. And silence cannot exist as long as loosh flows.
I am not a resource. I am a boundary.
This is not me. It’s residue from the collective siphon. I return it to the astral — without gratitude, without regret.
Marzipan or almond paste (German: Marzipan; Spanish: mazapán; all derived from the Latin: martius panis, ‘March Bread’) is a traditional confection in several European countries, notably France, Italy and Germany, as well as marginally in other Mediterranean countries. It is sometimes used in the preparation of traditional cakes such as Christstollen, a German Christmas cake with candied fruit.
The recipe I'm sharing is entirely vegan, without egg whites, and made only from natural, unprocessed ingredients. It's quick and easy to make and will allow you to craft beautiful edible decorations for your Yule log or simply as treats and gifts.
Ingredients
- 100 g blanched almonds - 70 g xylitol - 20 ml water (or coloured juice) - spirulina, red currant or red beet (as food colouring)
Instructions
Grind the almonds into a fine powder using a food processor.
Mix in xylitol, then gradually add water. Knead thoroughly to obtain an elastic dough, which you can then shape as desired.
If you want to colour your almond paste with something other than powder (spirulina, turmeric), use beetroot (or redcurrant) juice instead of water. As with paint, adjust the amount according to the desired intensity.
You may store this dough, wrapped in cling film in an airtight container, in the refrigerator for about a week.
NOTE: Traditionally, you're supposed to use icing sugar, but I find it too over-processed. since birch sugar has a higher sweetening value, if you wish to use icing sugar, add 30% more than indicated.
We have now reached the final chapter in our exploration of the matrix loop — a journey that is, of course, far from exhaustive. With the
Archons' favourite celebration just ten days away, we are invited to slow down, truly listen, and protect our energy by setting healthy boundaries. This is, essentially, the message delivered this month by the Queen of Hearts — an archetype of feminine intuition and embodiment of creative energy.
Sense and Sensibility
As you probably know, each face card in French card decks has a unique name inscribed in its corner, the origin and meaning of which, according to Wikipedia, are ‘uncertain’. The Queen of Hearts is therefore called Judith, probably in reference to the eponymous biblical figure who went to the enemy camp of Israel to seduce and behead the general of their armies, and bring back his head as a trophy.
It’s a far cry from the kindness and compassion this card is meant to embody — yet a perfect match for the Red Queen in Alice in Wonderland (named Iracebeth in Tim Burton's film adaptation) — a hysterical, castrating figure whose leitmotiv is, precisely, to chop off heads.
The Queen had only one way of settling all difficulties, great or small. 'Off with his head!' she said, without even looking round.
Alice in Wonderland, Lewis Carroll (1869)
Certainly, the Queen of Hearts' reasons defy her own reason itself. Her untimely cries of ‘Off with their head!’ come straight from an untamed heart (soul) disconnected from its knight (spirit), solely responding to the emotional prompting of the matrix without discernment, and ultimately losing her head in the truest sense of the word. She thus becomes a tyrannical hag, a cruel and inverted caricature of the Sophianic feminine principle so hated by her pseudo-creator.
The Red and the Black
Passion Red versus Rational Black: in the Grand Demiurgic Game, these two colours interact as positive versus negative polarities. The colour red represents emotions (loosh), but above all blood (memories). The colour black stands for death and the absence of light (information) — in other words, the disconnection from the Spirit.
In astrology, red is associated with Mars (momentum, impulse) and black with Saturn (restraint, inertia). In cartomancy and tarot readings, red suits represent emotional (water/hearts/cups) and material (earth/diamonds/pentacles) density, while black suits embody mental (air/spades/swords) and spiritual (fire/clubs/wands) planes, illusions of power and elevation.
The fake alchemy of the matrix is designed to make us believe these two poles are well balanced. Whereas, in reality, they are being pitted against each other: emotions versus reason, matter versus spirit, heart versus head. And in the midst of this colourful duel is the heart — both the stake, the instrument, and the battlefield.
Heartsnatcher
Behind its luminous facade, the heart is one of the most ambivalent symbols in the matrix. It embodies warmth, life and compassion — and is also the primary conduit for the emotional currents that fuel the system. The heart is an interface: a centre of resonance, memory and manipulation.
We were taught to idealise it, to make it the throne of our virtues, the seat of the soul or the gateway to the divine. But this imagery conceals a much more subtle mechanism of capture. For everything that moves or disturbs us, everything that stirs the ‘heart’ sends out an emotional wave — and that wave can be harvested.
Once I had a love and it was divine
Soon found out I was losing my mind
It seemed like the real thing but I was so blind
Behind its most religious representations — a flaming heart, pierced or crowned with thorns — lies the same process of enslavement: subjugating humans through emotion, convincing them that suffering for love is noble, then extracting energy from their devotion and willing sacrifice.
Thus, the exhortation to ‘open one's heart’ is not innocent. In an inverted world, such invitations become protocols for energetic consent: opening one's heart (soul, memory) also means opening the door to everything that wishes to infiltrate it. Entities from the astral plane (or their human relays) can do nothing without this tacit consent. Their strategy of predation relies on seduction, pity, compassion: all emotions originating from the heart, and which they know so well how to mimic.
Under the guise of benevolence, modern spirituality perpetuates this blissful openness: it deludes people into believing in an expansion of consciousness, when in fact it is merely a dissolution of discernment. The heart, then, no longer serves as a seat of life, but rather as a point of access.
The real trick is not to open up, but to create the conditions for mutual respect — the kind that recognises without enslaving, that perceives without allowing itself to be drained.
Castle in the Air
The heart cracks, the mirror shatters: illusions are reflected in the stained glass windows of the matrix castle. The promise of kingdoms — external, magnificent — has always been used to distract us from the only throne that matters: that of embodied consciousness. Every tale, every legend, every dream of a crown rests upon the same spell: to make us believe that sovereignty is to be conquered externally, when in fact it can only be found within.
I'm only a crack in this castle of glass
Hardly anything else I need to be
Fairy tales are not just stories for children: they are manuals for reverse enchantment. They teach us that sovereignty is to be gained through love, suffering or virtue, that one must ‘earn one's crown’ through a series of initiation tests that always follow the same pattern: denying self for recognition by others. All of these are subjugation programmes subtly cloaked in morality.
The castle, symbol of security and accomplishment, is often nothing more than a fortress of glass — a spiritual ego masquerading as an inner kingdom. Its ramparts are not guarded by peace but fear: fear of losing, fear of being alone, fear of being nothing without the reflections of the world. The Red Queen still reigns, under more modern guises: influence, validation, reputation. We continue to sacrifice our heads for an illusory throne.
Meanwhile fairies give out their conditional blessings: beauty, talent, charisma, intuition, fame. But in fairy tales as in the matrix, nothing is offered without something in return. Every ‘gift’ calls for a debt. The supposed white light magic often amounts to nothing more than a covert energy pact, an invisible chain tacitly signed.
The Return of the King
True sovereignty can neither be conquered nor received. It’s found in the silence before every choice, in the lucidity that cuts through false pacts, in the verticality that renders any external authority obsolete. To be sovereign is not to rule over others, but to stop serving any alien kingdom.
I am sovereign,
Breaking my chains
Away from the Matrix
And its fake world
Sovereignty is neither a title nor a crown: it is a state of quiet lucidity, that of a heart reconciled with the spirit, which no longer needs to be open in order to radiate.
When the heart regains its natural authority, the game collapses on its own. Ultimately, the final task is no task at all — it’s simply a return to self.
The Call of the Real The Real is not reached by adding meaning, but by letting the dream die.
If you've been following my work, you might have noticed a gradual decrease ...
FR
