Faith Within and Faith Without

[WuHanXianShi14 0]

The Ink On My Flesh, and the Spirit Within Me

 

Sermon of The Oracle Hawk

13th of the First Seed, 1660

 

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Through study of our past and observing our present, el’Naelurir re-establishes the sacred tenets of faith within, and faith without, which stand as follow.

 

Wear upon your skin the mark of the Father if ye be one who stains the soil with blood. If ye be one who lives by the bow, and fights for his kin.

 

Wear upon your skin the mark of the mother if ye be one who tends to the feeble. If ye be a master of the cauldron, and guardian of the sick.

 

If ye be a warrior of the old rite, carry upon you a flask containing the blood of a fully grown stag. Drink but a sip before all instances where blood must be spilled, and let the Horned Man bless you with his sacred essense.

 

If ye be a healer of the old rite, carry upon you a flask containing the waters of an attunement spring. Drink but a few drops before applying your healing hands to the sick and needy, and let the Green Lady bless you with his sacred essense.

 

In our hayday, our ancestors bore their allegiances both within themselves, and displayed them for all to see. This was done from practicality, for Irrin led the mali’ame into the deep woods, but did not keep us together. Some of our ancestors went to roam the mountains and the plains, some became coastal sea-dwellers, some plied the great inland rivers, and some remained in the deep woods.

 

In the early days after Malin’s passing, our people were seperated. Each seed’s way of life diverged further and further from the others as a byproduct of isolation, and although the seeds often fought amongst themselves as brothers do, they agreed that a common mali’ame identity had to be preserved among the many nomadic clans that made up our lineal predecessors. So, a great omentahu, a tribal gathering was called. Irrin herself attended, and the radiant Watcher of the Wilds, our green dragon, kept peace among all the Seeds that attended.

 

At this great omentahu, it was decided that no matter how far apart the Seeds of the mali’ame drifted from one another, two pillars of belonging would unite us as a people. The ink displayed upon our flesh, and the faith of the Aspects instilled within our hearts.

 

And so, the Seeds marked themselves, each tribe baring their own Seed Markings. The ink on our flesh varied from tribe to tribe, but all knew that should two elves baring different ilmyumier encounter one another, they would understand that they both shared a common heritage, that of the forgotten folk and the Aspectist rite. These markings would transcend beyond indicating clan allegiance, and later ritualistic patterns to display one’s role in society became a prominent feature of many Seeds.

 

To show the faith within their hearts, our ancestors came to keep vials of sacred essense on their persons. So should they encounter a mali’ame of another seed, they could simply show them that they carried either blood of the father’s hunt, or water of the mother’s grove. In doing so proving that they were of once and the same lineage. We must remember that blood and water are the sacred essences of our people. Blood is the essense of the father, and water of the mother. Today, our oaths are sealed in blood and we seek spiritual rebirth in the spring pools of attunement.

 

I tell you of this history, elves of the rite, because this is a practice we aim to bring back among our people. For we have lost much, but year by year and piece by piece we recover the way of life that our ancestors lived. We have retained the ilmyumier and the bloodlines of the old Seeds, but it is time we also began to bore the mark of the Warrior and the Healer once more upon our flesh, and carried the essense of the mother and the father on our persons. We must remember the truth that those mali’ame who came before us knew- what binds us together is the ink on our flesh and the spirit in our hearts.

 

The Father’s Mark

Wear upon your skin the mark of the Father if ye be one who stains the soil with blood. If ye be one who lives by the bow, and fights for his kin.

 

The father’s mark is a tattoo, much like the ilmyumier indicating the Seed one belongs to. The father’s mark, however, holds no tribal affiliations. It is for any and all of the Aspectist rite who consider themselves warriors and hunters.

 

The father’s mark is crimson, like blood. It may either curve like a blade, or bare the jagged outcroppings of the stag’s horns, the sacred symbol of the huntslord Cernunnos. The mark must be worn upon the face, or upon the hand that does the killing. To wear the mark of the Father is to honour the lord of the hunt. To display your allegiance to your people and your people’s faith by designating yourself as both a worshipper of the old Aspectist rite, and a warrior.

 

The Mother’s Mark

Wear upon your skin the mark of the mother if ye be one who tends to the feeble. If ye be a master of the cauldron, and guardian of the sick.

 

The mother’s mark is a flesh inking as well, the mirror of the Father’s mark. It is for any and all of the Aspectist rite whom consider themselves caretakers and healers.

 

The mother’s mark is teal, like spring water. It may twist like a river or bloom into floral patterns and pomegranate domes, the sacred symbol of the green lady Cerridwen. The mark must be worn either upon the face or upon the hands of the healing touch. To wear the mark of the Mother is to honour the lady of life. To display your allegiance to your people and your people’s faith by desginating yourself both as a worshipper of the old Aspectist rite, and a healer.

 

The Father’s Essense

If ye be a warrior of the old rite, carry upon you a flask containing the blood of a fully grown stag. Drink but a sip before all instances where blood must be spilled, and let the Horned Man bless you with his sacred essense.

 

The father’s essense is a vial of blood that is to be carried upon the person of an Aspectist warrior at all times. The blood of the stag is the symbolic manifestation of the spirit and faith within our hearts, and when consumed, imbues us with the blessing of the Father, and instills bravery in our hearts when we face the prospect of death in the line of protecting our faith and kin.

 

The Mother’s Essense

If ye be a healer of the old rite, carry upon you a flask containing the waters of an attunement spring. Drink but a few drops before applying your healing hands to the sick and needy, and let the Green Lady bless you with his sacred essense.

 

The mother’s essense is a vial of springwater to be carried upon the person of an Aspectist healer at all times. The water gleamed from an attunement pool of a druidic grove is the symbolic manifestation of the spirit and faith within our hearts, and when consumed, imbues us with the blessing of the Mother, and instills compassion and gentleness in our hearts when we tend to the injured, the sick, the old, and the young.

 

[osumanduas 1442]

Moved to The Great Library. It shall be sorted into the appropriate category shortly.

 

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