By Winged Wolf
Psi genetics have most likely been floating around the human gene pool for quite some time. For all of that time, there has never been any widespread recognition of what that means for those who are born-psi. Psi culture, at least in the US, is practically nonexistent–it bears resemblance to a sort of anarchistic feudalism, comprised of fierce individuals–survivors, who have chosen their paths of cruelty or kindness based on the rigors of necessity or idealism, rather than on a foundation of any sort of history or thought for the future. There are those who choose to see themselves as servants of humanity, obligated or compelled to use their gifts to aid others at all costs. There are those who see themselves as “Homo superior”, using to gain advantage over others, to carve out a place for themselves with Darwinistic idealism. Others wish that these abilities did not exist, and see them as a curse, something to be borne rather than used. They suppress them, ignore them, try not to think about them, even deny them.
These are the survivors…all too many fall before they reach adulthood, to suicide, drugs, or madness. Truly, only the strongest have survived, and this has bred a people who are unrelentingly stubborn, wearing the scars of their past with shame or pride. Very few psis had the opportunity to grow up in an environment which was truly supportive of them, or to receive the training necessary to control their abilities at an early age. Those who CHOOSE to learn psionics, not as a genetic legacy but as an ability they wish to practice, find themselves cast into a sea of these walking wounded, a stereotype of tinfoil-hat wearing conspiracy theorists, newagers who talk to aliens, and feudal psi masters.
This is not to say that all psis end up insane, disaffected, or so badly scarred–but far too many of them do. The Guild is a chance to build a REAL society. A culture to provide shelter to those who have weathered these storms, a safe-haven free of censure for simply being what you are. Not everyone will appreciate what it offers, and not all psis will wish to ally themselves with it–many enjoy their hard won independence, or the excitement of the tooth-and-claw world they live in now.
What we will create is a place where the value of every outlook can be appreciated–the self-sacrificing and the Darwinistic, the fearful and the weary, all can find a place where they will be accepted as they are. All that is asked of them in return is respect for other members, and actions which will not bring harm or censure back upon the Guild. It’s a chance to build a real culture, and most likely we who found it will witness a new type of psi arising from our creation, to look back on us with a cocked eyebrow, seeing us for the kooks we are.
We have an opportunity few others in history have had–the opportunity to decide what type of culture we wish to build, and to build it in the midst of others. We can create a home for ourselves, wherever we happen to live, by forging connections with others who share with us something few others can understand.
Those who wish to devote their lives to mastery of psi, will be welcome here–those who want to develop their abilities for a specific purpose, simply to a practical level, will be welcome here–and those who merely want to learn how to quiet the voices, or shut out the storm for a while, they too will be welcome here. This is not a church, not a physical place, and not company. It is something that will be here for all those who need it, and as we grow, more and more of them will be able to find it. The Guild will not dictate morality, religion, or private behavior–we will not discriminate on the basis of beliefs, race, sex, sexual preferences, or station. We’ll simply be here to offer support to all who need it, with these very special and little understood abilities. What we learn from this will be invaluable. What we do with it will be entirely up to us, in years to come.