Date: Sunday, 24-Nov-96 08:07 PM
From: Tal Leonan \ Internet: ([email protected])
To: Tiernan \ Internet: ([email protected])
Subject: Submission for Tir Na nOc, issue #59
Well met, all. I am Tal Leonan ap Rhys Gil Gilad. Before I get around to making a propper<sp?> introduction, I would like to thank Tiernan for making this gathering possible.</sp?>
Now, I have noticed some discussion on what has come to be known as “The Sundering” and the High Council in the previous issue. I believe I may be able to offer some insight. For reasons I cannot begin to comprehend, my memory of the before times are quite clear, while memories of relatively recent times remain foggy at best.
We are not originally of this realm. In the before times we dwealt not only on another word or other plane, but in another state of existence all together. We lived in peace and harmony with each other, and our greatest ambitions were driven by a desire to craft works of beauty and truth, not by hatred or jealousy.
Then a darkness fell upon the realm. At first it appeared in minor forms.. .a squabble here, a hurtful slander there. But as time passed, the darkness spread, and in time it came to take a physical form. The green, living things would either wither and die, or, more often, become warped and twisted parodies of their former selves. Soon this distortion, this corruption, spread to the works of our crafts, and then to the citizens themselves.
For a long time, we worked to battle this darkness, this corruption, but to no availail. It became apparent that the only way to save our people was to flee, to travel to a distant realm, where, hopefully, the darkness could not reach us, and from there find a way to defeat the darkness and return to free our world.
The magic which was to be used could only transport 13. It was decided that the Council Twelve, representing each of the Twelve Great Crafts of our people would travel forth, The SpellSinger, The Sage, The Wizard, The Healer , The Seer, The Ranger, The Teacher, The Warrior, The Weaver, The SwordSmith , The Bard, The Empath and The Maiden, lead by our king. At first the king refused to travel forth, to abandon his people to their fate, but the queen was able to convince him that he would serve the populace far better by joining the Council of Twelve in finding a way to defeat their enemy than by dieing with them.
I am sorry. I cannot continue. Perhaps I will write more later. But before I go I do wish to add one last thing. I know it may seem trivial, but for some reason I do not, for the life of me understand it IS important. In the home realm, before the darkness came, the sky was the most lovely shade of lavendar.
Blessed Be,
Tal
Date: Friday, 29-Nov-96 06:09 AM
From: [email protected] \ America On-Line: (TalLeon)
To: Tiernan \ Internet: ([email protected])
Subject: Submision to Tir Na nOc — Communing with Nature
I remember time…though I cannot say for certain whether or not it was before the crossing…when we dwelt within a forested realm. I believe this may have been teh Aelfheim which I read of in literature. We lived in villages of sorts, though they were not the invasive creations of man which destroy one realm to make room for another. Rather, they were living things , a part of the world they existed within. I recall sleeping beneath the boughs and stars, and this seems perfectly natural.
We knew, instinctively, just how to walk, where and when to hunt, which plants and berries to pick, so as not to disturb the delicate balance of nature. There were some (scouts and trackers) who had refined this ‘instinct’, but all possesed it to one degree or another. So too, the healers used not only magic, but were knoledgable of the healing proberties of various herbs.
When we communicated with the other creatures of our realms, it was more than just a verbal form of communication. It was almost as if we ‘thought’ at them, and they at us.
We also had another form of communication, reserved specifically for ourselves. It was verbal, in part, but that was only one element of the language. It also included projected thought and manipulations within the astral, such that one could speak the exact same words, with the exact same inflection, and if the accompanying thoughts and astral manipulations were different, it could have an entirely different meaning.
Well, that is all for now…
Blessed Be,
Tal
Date: Monday, 25-Nov-96 10:29 AM
From: [email protected] \ Internet: (TalLeon)
To: Tiernan \ Internet: ([email protected])
Subject: Thirteen
Tiernan, This is a poem wrote about the stages of an elf’s life. I thought you might enjoy it.
Blessed Be,
Tal
or in ink upon parchment,
but in the very hearts and souls
of all good men (and women)
THIRTEEN
by
Tal Leonan
Thirteen glances at Luna’s face
Thirteen years doth a cycle make
Thirteen cycles to a generation belongs
Thirteen sons an age is strong
Thirteen ages until time is done
And when day is done, and night has come
And darkness fills the air
Do not sorrow, do not weep,
Be filled not with despair
Turn your head up to the sky
And howl to the lady fair
by
Tal LeonanTwo spirits whole
In arms entwined
Unto forever dance
With motion slow
As if in a dream
They catch another’s glance
In fear and doubt
He breaks the motionless stride
In pain and grief
Beyond belief
Two worlds suddenly collide
“My People! My People! What have I done?!
Who will save the arrogant one?!
Perhaps, perhaps, may I one last chance
To join back in the dance?”
Date: Monday, 16-Dec-96 06:40 PM
From: [email protected] \ America On-Line: (TalLeon)
To: Tiernan \ Internet: ([email protected])
Recently, while in a discussion of pagan traditions, the subject of The Elven Way was brought up, and the question was asked, how does one recognize an elf? The following is my attempt to answer that question. I make no claims at proprietary knowledge. These are merely my own personal thoughts and observations. Any comments or corrections are welcomed and encouraged.
While the clasic description of elves (i.e. tall, slender build, elongated ears coming to a distinct point, chiseled features, etc.) does not necesarrily hold true, there are certain characteristics, some physical, some otherwise, which are common to most, if not all, modern-day elves.
While elves do tend towards a more slender build, and sometimes even have elongated ears or narrow, upswept eyebrows, these features are all within excepted human norms. Most do not stound out considerably, other than perhaps the occasional idle observation. Also many elves, particularly those born in more recent times, where the magical level is higher, tend to age more gracefully. On more than one occasion, I have been mistaken for a teen-ager. (I am currently 28 years old in this incarnation).
Perhaps the most striking features are our eyes and voice. An elf’s eyes posses a certain ‘depth’ which is lacking in humans. And an elf’s voice carries with it the individual’s deepest thoughts and emotions. With a minimum of effort, an elf can convey feelings of love, anger, joy, contempt, with nothing more than his or her voice. It has been said that humans speak where elves resonate. I think this describes things well.
For those elves with limited dealings with humanity, it is often disconcerting to listen to speech which is all but devoid of emotion. Not to worry. In most cases, that person is not beeing cold or cruel. It is merely the way they communicate. They tend to express emotions with words, body language, or drastic changes in tone. With some practice, it is possible to interpret a human’s mood through these external signals, but it does take some practice.
Blessed Be,
Tal
Date: Saturday, 14-Dec-96 03:27 AM
From: [email protected] \ America On-Line: (TalLeon)
To: Tiernan \ Internet: ([email protected])
Shortly after the crossing, I sought out the Lords of Avalon, to aid us in our fight against the darkness. The Lords said they would help, in their way, for a price. I was to stay with them for “thirteen thirteens”. I assumed this meant thirteen cycles of thirteen years, the standard elven generation. It wasn’t until much later that I realized just how eroneous my assumption was.
These are the words that were spoken to me: “When the time is right, you will be returned to your people. Upon completion of the first aging, we will grant the strength of the bear, the ferocity of the lion, the unity of the pack. Upon the completion of the second aging, we will grant you the powers of vision and hindsight. Upon the third and final aging, the gates will be re-opened, but it is up to you whether they will be a way home, or a path to your final battlefield…”
I hope this information is of use to some of you.
Blessed Be,
Tal
From: [email protected] \ America On-Line: (LordandLdy)
To: Tiernan \ Internet: ([email protected])
Subject: re: Tir Na nOc, #60
Bright Blessings, Kith & Kin!
In issue 60 of Tir na Noc, Amanjaku ([email protected]) wrote:
It most certainly is! This is owr world too, is it not? This war could
destroy it, at the very least millions will die needlessly. This is owr
fight too, are you willing to site back and watch innocent people die when
you might be able to prevent some of those deaths?
Good gentle, may I ask specifically what you intend to do? And, since you
seem to be trying to rally others, what specifically would you ask them to do?
When I first started reading this thread, I thought it a joke. Surely no elf would seriously consider NOT battling the Darkness! But it appears that such is the case. I will not pass judgement as far as whether such an attitude is right or wrong. I will save that for those who write the history after we are gone, one way or another. Instead, I will attempt to address some of the questions which have been raised.
What is planned for the upcoming battle? Many folk will play different roles. We are not all warriors in the classic sense. To be certain, warriors, mages, and healers will have their hands full. But it is important to understand, this battle is not like anything any of us have faced before. The battle will take place on the astral, and within the physical realms. Indeed, initial maneuvers have already begun on both sides. However, it is not a physical or spiritual enemy we face, though the Darkness does employ such agents. No, the enemy’s true face is the weakness, the corruption which we see around us every day. Until we can look into our own hearts, and those of our brothers and sisters, regardless of the face they may wear, and say “I like what we I see”, we can not possibly hope to face the Darkness with any chance of victory.
What is it that is intended for others? I believe this question is based on the belief in some form of hierarchical command, of leaders and followers. Well, let me tell you, the time for followers has passed. What is needed now are seekers, brothers and sisters who are willing to stand side by side, as equals, against the coming Darkness, risking all so that those that come after us may live in peace and harmony, in the home of their choosing, not in exile.
I hope this clears up some of your questions.
Blessed Be,
Tal Leonan ap Rhys Gil Gilad,
Sidhe Verai,
Enrai ap Sidhe
Here there was a response from Sileniel which I believe bears hearing at this point. It agrees with Tal’s statement that “Until we can look into our own hearts, and those of our brothers and sisters, regardless of the face they may wear, and say “I like what we I see”, we can not possibly hope to face the Darkness with any chance of victory.” Then Sileniel takes that one step further:
Date: Tuesday, 10-Dec-96 05:25 PM
From: Tracey Clark\ Internet: ([email protected])
To: Tiernan\ Internet: ([email protected])
>Subject: Re: TirNanOc, Issue #60
Now, about this war in the astral, I’m going to group all the information about this together. I’ve thought of something.
From: Amanjaku: Good gentle, may I ask specifically what you intend to do? And, since you seem to be trying to rally others, what specifically would you ask them to do?
From: [email protected]: Are you willing to sit back and watch innocent people die when you might be able to prevent some of those deaths?
From Amanjaku: Indeed m’lady, it is not the way of a warrior to allow innocence to languish but neither is it the way to grab one’s sword and ride off without knowing more of the why. if for no other reason, then to ensure that one is fighting to protect those who cannot help themselves, rather than to further the ambitions of some power-grabbing idjit…..my apologies if I offend….
Sileniel answers: It seems we have only been given a very little information. As these two reponses point out, not enough to go riding off sword-waving about.
You know, this world, and especially the astral, is influenced by our beliefs. If we all go believing in a war on the astral, and in this Force of Darkness, we only stregnthen it.
As for corruption, personally, I believe that the only way one can be corrupted is to allow the darkness into your heart in the form of untruth, dishonor, or fear. Fear is a powerful force. For instance, it can turn love into co-dependancy in an attempt at controlling what you fear you might lose . If you don’t let it control you, though, you can work through situations. Hokey as this might seem, I would think that if we were to project love at an astral enemy, it would lose effectiveness. Astral creations and entities feed of of the energy we send. If we fight against something that is motivated by negativity, it has something to fight against, and so is stronger. How does this sound?
Selendria was noted as saying: The war here is likely to start within the next year or so, that doesn’t mean it will, but it is likely to.
Sileniel: As I said, the likelyhood of it spilling over, IMO, is going to be mostly influenced by out intentions and expectations. If we intend and expect the Darkness to have no hold over us, and to throw Love at it instead, we may deflate it. I’m still wondering if this Darkness wasn’t created by us originally. Follow my logic on this: Splinter personalities in mentally ill people are formed when that person denies a part of hirself. That part becomes the splinter personality. Since it can’t not exist, and is denied by the conscious, it splits off. It is possible that back in Aelfheim, we denied parts of ourselves as people and as a society. We denied corruption and fear, so they gained a hold. Is it possible, being the magically active creatures we are, in the magically active world we lived in, that what we denied splintered off and gained a life of it’s own? What if we were to face the things we denied and work through them? Would the splinter be healed and the “enemy” disappear? More brain munchies.
Silendriel: But I do wish to warn as many as I can ( I don’t mean to preach doom, this is how things sit at this point in time). This war will involve nuclear weapons, and many other nasty forms of killing a large number of people at once. Many key players in this war have great influence over the government and political matters, although I do not think many of them are in the government itself.
Sileniel: We also have influence in the world around us with our intentions. What we intend and expect to happen will. I’d really suggest anyone interested go read “The Tenth Insight”, which is the sequel to the Celestine Prophecy.
No offense, but it does sound like you are expecting us to hurry up and wait , for what you won’t tell us, but it’s REALLY BAD ™. I’ll be intending differently.
From: Brightshade: Everday I watch the world around me die a little bit. In the little uneccesary cruelties, and the petty violences. There is a great movement back toward the “true sciences” (to coin a phrase), but will it come in
great enough force, in enough time to thwart the extinction of man by his own hand? It may sound cold of me, but I hope not.
Sileniel: Ah, but hope is just what may prevent the destruction. When we give up hope and succumb to despair, that is part of the Darkness. That is how it gains a hold in people. That is why we must hope no matter how frustrated we get.
Brightshade: This world was ours long before it was man’s, and it will be again.
It was the dinosaurs before it was ours. You don’t see them around anymore.
Brightshade: Fight it where I see it, but not with my whole heart, as I know it is inevitable. And possibly needed.
It *isn’t* needed, and the more people that get it together and quit moping around and intend positively instead of with negativaty, the less it’s needed.
Here Treesinger puts something Tal said together with what Sileniel said and gets the following:
Tal says: Upon the third and final aging, the gates will be re-opened, but it is up to you whether they will be a way home, or a path to your final battlefield…”
Sileniel says: You know, this world, and especially the astral, is influenced by our beliefs. If we all go believing in a war on the astral, and in this Force of Darkness, we only stregnthen it. What if we were to face the things we denied and work through them? Would the splinter be healed and the “enemy” disappear? More brain munchies.
I believe Sileniel’s statement holds a good portion of the answer to Tal’s riddle…
Treesinger
Date: Tuesday, 10-Dec-96 06:56 AM
From: [email protected] \ America On-Line: (TalLeon)
To: Tiernan \ Internet: ([email protected])
Subject: Submission to Tir Na nOc — Not My Reflection
Tiernan,
This poem is about the surprise I sometimes get when I see myself in a mirror or picture as I am now, as opposed to how I used to be.
Blessed Be,
Tal
by
Tal Leonan
Who is it that I see?
Surely, that is not my own reflection
looking back at me
My build is not so bulky
My ears so round or small
And eyes so dark and somber
Could not belong to me at all
Where are my chiseled features
My grace, finesse, my speed
Pray tell, who is this stranger
Looking back at me
Date: Wednesday, 01-Jan-97 01:10 PM
From: [email protected] \ America Online: (TALLEON)
To: Tiernan \ Internet: ([email protected])
Subject: re:Tir Na nOc
In issue 62 of Tir Na nOc, Rialian ([email protected]) wrote:
====Is the fire in our living hearth the symbol for our hope? Is the sound of the fire heating our abode a memory we shall always cherish? Then why do we so often forget that the wanderer soul that all of us has needs to rest at times? That always there is a home in this world for the many of us who call out for a place to rest? The hearth, the kitchen, that place of rest and comfort, is a place for us all. Why only dream of the home we had once? Are there not worthy places to lie our heads here? We must not only work the magick of the gates, not only begin the awakening in others. We must make our abodes “home”, make them feel as magickal as we are in spirit. In doing this, we have made this world so much the better, and we will have prepared ourselves for what we most cherish-home.
Such lovely, heartfealt words! You make me homesick! While I know there are many who’s duty requires them back within our home realm, I have no doubts that many will choose to remain in this, our new home. But, until we have beaten the Darkness, whether it be with sword and magic, or love and kindness, we cannot truly call this world home. For now, we are but refugees, living in exile, away from loved ones. Until we have earned the right of self-determination, of declaring that yes, this is where I want to be, not because I have no other choice, but because it is MY choice.
Thank you once again for sharing your thoughts with us, and send over some of that bread when you’re done… ; )
Blessed Be,
Tal
by
Tal LeonanDark, forboding shadows steal my sleep and night
Leave me with an empty gnawing at first morning’s light
Memories of forgotten times laying just beyond recall
Teasing my memory and sanity, hauntingly they call
Glimpses caught out of the corner of my eye,
Turning around, they’re not there.
Long buried thoughts and memories,
Nightmares come to life
Burst of fear and woe and loss and grief,
Indecision, doubt, and strife
Or are they merely senseless images?
Imaginationation become real
Flights of boyhood fancy?
Someone tell me. How do I tell?
Date: Monday, 06-Jan-97 09:14 PM
From: [email protected] \ America Online: (TALLEON)
To: Tiernan \ Internet: ([email protected])
Subject: Submission to Tir Na nOc — A Translation
In issue # 62, Sileniel ([email protected]) wrote:
“Tal Leonan ap Rhys Gil Gilad,
Sidhe Verai,
Enrai ap Sidhe ”
Could you translate all that? I’d be interested to know.
Tal Leonan ap Rhys Gil Gilad: This is my full name…the first is my given name, the rest are honorifics, meaning “Lion of the Chiefs, Guardian (or Champion) of the Wyrm Gilad”
Sidhe Verai: translated literally, means “True Fae”…before everyone starts making a commotion, this is to differentiate between those who came here from Aelfheim, during the Sundering, and those who were born here. In a social context it has very little significance, save perhaps slightly more clout <sp?>, but in magical circles it can be quite important…</sp?>
Enrai ap Sidhe: This title translates as “King of The Elves”, though of course it does no justice to elven word, which conveys, not only the title itself, but also the relationship which exists between king and citizens, the responsibilities of the king, and even how the individual may feel about the king in a political, personal or social aspect…
Hope this information is useful…
Blessed Be,
Tal