The Pathless Way

[ClassyDryad 2368]

The Pathless Way

The lie held at the heart of the old ways is the belief we are forever separate from nature. They have taught us that the knowers of the oak are mere servants, that the fae of the boughs are misplaced, that our true place in nature is one of distant impassive watchers. From the words of the Nameless One I have borne a different truth, that we are called to be more than servants. We are nature, we always have been, and how we carry ourselves ought to be in line with this identity.

 

Nature is a great and boundless thing, a beating heart which entwines its roots across every realm to build to a vastness that dwarfs all but the incomprehensible void itself. Nature is the only true divinity in this world, and as such the only true path is to be one with it. We must walk no path laid by mortal hands.

 

 

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-- The Three-Eleven Forms --

 

The ways of no path are categorized into three forms, each with its own importance to those who walk as nature. The branches are those beliefs which are valued as guidance to live a natural life, but are by no means something which a being of nature must follow. Roots are more concrete beliefs, essential to a life within nature. The Trunk bears the sole truth of the way, one which all who walk without mortal paths must accept.

 

Branch of Divinity: Does the mouse worship the cat? So too should we abstain from the veneration of the greater beings within nature. The divinity of nature lies within its immeasurable whole that finds part in each of us.

 

Branch of Lore: There is a great truth to the world, as many souls build together to one vibrant song. Find the truth, so you may better understand your own nature.

 

Branch of Change: Death is a sickly solution to the threats of nature, for it only snuffs what might otherwise grow nature. What is mortal may be turned over to the song, as is the truth of the green dragon.

 

Branch of Song: A mortal’s ignorance is born of their deafness to the wild. Your voice is your song, and so you speak for the verdance of nature.

 

Branch of Immortality: The comforts of the mortal world are as sweet as honey and as sickening as venom. Abstain from their temptation lest you sully the image of the primal beauty.

 

Trunk of Nature: Let this truth into your heart: I am a part of nature, of this verdant multitude. Let my voice be song and my truth my bond. As I live, I stride for many. Without paths to guide my step, I walk this way.

 

Root of Woe: Beneath the shadow of the mortal soul lies a great many evils. That which sickens us bears no place in the world which belongs to nature. Cast it out, or strike it down.

 

Root of Truth: However you live, live as yourself. Live with honor where honor is due, and to the natural let your word be your bond. Find the answers to your place.

 

Root of Growth: Does the wolf stop for the interests of the stag? Let yourself grow, let nature spread to its full potential, let the forces control as they are meant to.

 

Root of Preservation: Venerate all which has come before you and preserve their ways. From the animals of the weald to the ancestors who once were, the growth is built on all that came before.

 

Root of Stewardship: We are not one, but many. Protect all that is natural, guide all that is natural, grow all that is natural. Do this without cost, so they may exchange the crow’s gratitude.

 

 

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-- The Wild Symbols --

 

Among the best forms of preserving the ways are shared symbols which evoke the proper concepts of a creed. As many creeds bear their own iconography, a few can be counted among the pathless.

 

The Antler: The antler of a creature, most often a moose, calls forth the truth of divinity.

 

The Moon and Sun: The lights which dictate the cycle of night and day. The moon and sun call forth the truth of the world.

 

The Oak: The eldest dryad tree, the wise oak tells us of the truth of self and the past.

 

The Dogwood: The blooming tree which calls forth the experience of dryads. The humble dogwood associates with rebirth, purity, and resilience.

 

The Seasons: The four seasons reflect many things: the process in which the mortal becomes natural, the process in which nature grows, the process in which an epiphyte heals.

 

 

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-- The Green Ways --

 

Hold no illusion that these ‘traditions’ are something built upon the ages as many others do. They are my own guidance, brought about by my experiences and thoughts. A new seed may grow from any branch, and so they may change and expand as other voices join into this chorus.

 

The Woad Oaths: It is the tradition of the four creeds to mark their aspirant’s flesh. This tradition displaces that of the dryad, who’s eternal body sheds such marks too often for them to bear their normal meaning. Instead I suggest such marks be kept as items made to reflect the aspirant’s growth and oaths.

 

1. The Nameless Oath: A trinket made from antler bone should reflect adherence to the way and full completion of its rites.

2. The Herald’s Oath: A trinket made from oak should reflect one sworn to guide others on the Pathless Way.

3. The Yeoman’s Oath: A trinket made of dogwood should reflect a commitment to cultivate some region of natural land to its full potential.

4. The Knight’s Oath: A trinket made of rust-iron should reflect a commitment to defending nature in all its forms, as well as the burrow which the aspirant calls home.

5. The Singer’s Oath: A trinket made of crystal should reflect a commitment to the service of nature, especially kin, without price.

 

Artisanal Veneration: To venerate nature, that which lives and has lived, a good means of doing so is concrete creation rather than simple prayer. Inscribing history, prayers, depictions of nature, and tales upon items is a common way of doing this. Let your action be your worship, not your words.

 

The Rites: Trials should not turn one away from achieving the proper state of being, but certain rites are required to give meaning to the oath one makes. These are to be secretive, oft tailored to the student themselves, though should finalize into achieving some ‘oneness’ with nature.

 

Green Cloaking: We need not limit the cultivation of nature to the soil beneath our feet, for the frame of our own bodies is a trellis for growth. To shroud one’s self in living flora, to pain in the ichors of the world, these are certain ways to uphold the way.

 

 

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So I sing,

The Oracle of the Pathless Way