In the novel I’m writing, there is a place called the Mindgrove. It is accessed telepathically by those who have this ability. All humans CAN get there, but only some have chosen to hone those skills. It is an ethereal place, full of soft colors, ideal landscapes, and lots of love and support.

My protagonist, Naia, loves going there. Individuals appear more as apparitions, not human forms. The more experienced you are in getting there, the slightly more recognizable you are to others. They communicate silently, more with emotions than words. Naia is trying to help two of her pod mates (Astra and Xander) develop their skills, with limited success so far. Two others in her pod (Lya and Orion) are unable to access the Mindgrove, despite efforts. Orion (our antagonist) is skeptical that it even exists. He suspects that she (and all the others) have made it up – a sort of collective dream. He also suspects that a trip she took when she was very young – a rare train ride with her family up to the Northern Forests, where you could walk outside during the daytime and not die from sun and heat exposure – was a dream. He thinks that she spends too much time “meditating” or “Mindgroving” and that she’s warped her own memories.

But Naia knows it’s real, all of it – the trip, the Mindgrove, and everyone who can access it. And after a global catastrophe decimates her pod, she holds on to the hope that she’ll be able to contact and find one or more of her lost partners there, and finally convince them to move to the Northern Forests with her.

What do you think? Might such a place really exist? Now or some day in the future? I believe our minds have infinite untapped resources waiting to be accessed. I would love a beautiful space like the Mindgrove to wander at will while meditating… would you?