Ruminations of Avalon of the Black Rocks

The Torch of the Heavens: Nar, Goddess of the Light

One cannot claim to see light without acknowledging darkness.
One cannot claim to see good without acknowledging evil.
To be light is to lose one’s root. To be restless is to lose one’s control.
Free of form and free of root, light and fire reach wide
Light’s reach may comfort the cold or spark ruinous flame
To master fire and light is to control the uncontrollable
To master light and fire is to be a humble guide
The humble guide forfeits all illusion of control
Light may drive out darkness, but the two must coexist, each chasing the tail of the other, like koi in a pond

All life must come to recognize the haunting guise of death
The living are no more than the coming dead
Filling life exceedingly is called ominous. Life must be open
The living control life as much as the snowflake controls the storm
Like drops in the ocean, all life is bound as one
Like grains of sand, all life is cut and divided
Acting without thought of one’s life is superior to valuing one’s life
Clamoring for life is like gripping handfuls of mud
Expecting much of life is to take death lightly, but the two must coexist, each chasing the tail of the other, like koi in a pond

The dead are fortunate, for they were the ones who once had life
The halls of the dead are filled the echoes of the living
Those who die without being forgotten get longevity
Those who would cheat death forfeit life
Like a great wheel, the end of life is only the beginning of death
Death lays the bed for all life yet to come
Acting without thought of one’s death is superior to fearing one’s death
Those clamoring for death have already died
Expecting much of death is to take life lightly, but the two must coexist, each chasing the tail of the other, like koi in a pond

Nature is the true balance of life and death
The felled tree will wither and rot to soil for new life
All things flourish, and each returns to its source
The blossoming flower may yield deadly poison
The ailing root may yield potent medicine
The woods and bogs are sacred vessels that cannot be changed
The mountains and valleys are hallowed grounds
Those who would tamper with nature are not fit to conquer the world.
In nature we find worldly heavens, but the two must coexist, each chasing the tail of the other, like koi in a pond

True knowledge is not sought, but found
Those who know do not speak. Those who speak do not know
Those who understand others are clever, those who understand themselves are wise
Knowledge resides in the minds of others, spread like butter
Knowledge without wisdom is a fly caught in a web
Wisdom without knowledge are the dreams of fools
Those who hoard knowledge tell only secrets and lies
Secrets and lies are blades sharpened against those that listen
Secrets are knowledge whispered one to the other, but the two must coexist, each chasing the tail of the other, like koi in a pond

War is the destruction of a soul for the creation of a warrior
War is never the result of true peace
True peace is never the result of war
The forceful and violent will not die from natural causes – this is the fate of the warrior
The learned warrior knows the fortunes of well-timed defeat
The learned warrior knows the costs of ill-timed victory
War taunts its soldiers to sacrifice honor for victory
Those who remains honorable through war find true victory
War and peace live in great conflict, but the two must coexist, each chasing the tail of the other, like koi in a pond

The clashing of the heavens and the Earth gives birth to the tempest
Gentle wind may turn wild and uproot the largest tree
Trickling rain may wear through the thickest stone
Lightning may clear the forest of ailing and cancerous trees
Blizzards leave the valleys in serene beauty
The tempest may quickly settle
Stillness may be swept away in a moment
Stillness is the ruler of haste.
Stillness exists in the eye of the tempest, but the two must coexist, each chasing the tail of the other, like koi in a pond

True deceit lies within genuine belief
All understanding is tainted with deceit
To be free of deceit, one must understand nothing
The truth is that which cannot be understood
Those who would hear deceit are tethered
The tethered must deceive themselves to be free
True freedom exists without tethers
Seeking freedom through the truth is a chain to the Earth
In all lies, some truth may be found, but the two must coexist, each chasing the tail of the other, like koi in a pond