Lotus Pod

The Lotus Pod is a device used for sensory deprivation and social control within Devic society. Many of these are publicly accessible for meditative worship and calming the mind in exchange for lending spiritual energy.

Overview

Located within public temple grounds are 'meditation chambers', underground sanctuaries where citizens can seclude themselves in a Lotus Pod provided to them by the priest that operates the sanctuary and its pods. Upon assignment to a pod and entering it, the user sits cross-legged on a cushioned floor and is embraced by a psionic bubble that warps their conscience into an illusory reality only described as 'heavenly' - this reality being a vibrant garden submerged in a pond of lily pads and lotus flowers, surging with a peaceful aura that closes the user off from their senses and calms the mind into blissful, solitary contemplation, whilst suspending their seated body in levitation, gently hovering.
Outside of the illusion, a thin hook harmlessly penetrates the user's pineal gland, suspending their conscience in comatose whilst within the illusion. The hook harnesses the user's mind to extract potent spiritual energy from their kundalini and transfer it into supply tanks located within the Deva's citadel. This is an act of worship that empowers the needs of the Deva as well as pacifies the population. Seclusion with the pod can last as long as the user desires, but the process may abort in the event that the pods are full and need occupying by newly-arrived users. Any force disrupting the process without the managing priest's surveillance will either paralyse the user's psyche at the risk of death or lockdown the pod permanently.