Back to Lavendise
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To: tiernan@mad.scientist.com
Subject: TirNanOc, Issue #107
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Date: Mon, 24 Nov 1997 14:54:40 -0800
From: silver elves <elve@jps.net>
Subject: Realization*MAGICAL ELVEN LOVE LETTERS
The Elfin...
Elyna (beloved),
.....will celebrate nearly anything. Christmas...sure,
Yule...absolutely. The Easter bunny...you betcha. Birthdays...love
'em. Any holiday you name, we are willing to share with you. We are
particularly fond of holidays that unite people...which emphasize the
unity of all people and the upliftment of the soul and spirit. There is
an old elven joke which goes: How many elves does it take to change a
light bulb? 100....one to change the bulb and 99 to help hir celebrate!
Some folks think that this willingness to celebrate indicates a
certain frivolousness on our part...however, we can assure you that you
intent is quite serious. We celebrate for a purpose...like the catholic
mass or "celebration", each gathering is a sacred act of evocation. We
are calling forth the ancient elfin spirits to smile upon us and aid us
in our efforts to overcome the darkness and ignorance that separates
people. We are evoking union.
There is an urge to try to escape from the darkness by withdrawing
from it and we can certainly understand those who do so. It is surely
not everyone's path to transform this world from the realm of fear,
terror and paranoia into the Eald of love, harmony and magic. There are
many elves who simply wish to escape from the world, althogether,
finding a Stargate to Elfland. But as A. E. Waite wrote in his book
the "Quest of the Golden Stairs" : "Faerie is not there by here, it is
not then but now." Our elfland manifests as we make it real by our own
elfiness.
We have encountered those who think that the darkness might be
overcome in a single glorious act of victory. But in our experience,
this is not so. We can not master it through violence, for it thrives
on violence...we cannot overcome it through retreat...for separation is
its game...indeed, the violence and tension of the Disease can only be
soothed by gentleness and love...it can not be conquered, it can only be
tamed and transformed. Its energies can not be destroyed (energy can
neither be created nor destroyed) but it can be channeled into more
productive and harmonious pathways. And this can never happen suddenly
by only through long and continued effort..we msut stroke it in the
right direction and in time it will conform (after all it has been
trained all its life toward obedience and conformity).
In the Piscean Age which is now slowly passing...everything
functioned in dichotomies...love vs. hate, capitalism vs. communism,
individuality and freedom vs. security and conformity, us vs. them,
etc. Even the idea that we hear bandied about so much that good cannot
exist without evil is a Piscean concept. However, the incoming Age of
Aquarius is an age which synthesizes everything, one can be an
individual and also part of a group...one can be a capitalist and still
act in harmony with the greater concerns of society...good does not
require evil to exist but thrives in the absence of evil, just as health
manifests in place of disease...good does not need bad, it only needs
better and best.
It would seem convenient if we could just snap our fingers and have
the world transform instantly into our precious elfland. However,
anything that is created so quickly can be undone even faster. And the
truth is that the essence of our magical elfin realm is not something we
can create by building palaces nor forest sanctuaries...the true faerie
abides within us...it is not out there but in here and to find it we
must reach into our very souls and become those magical beings we know
ours'elves to truly be. Elfland is born from the inside out, it is
brought to life by our own radiant being. Elfland is built not by wood
nor concrete but by light (literally) woven together by our love.
Elfland is not a world of countries and nations but of friends and
lovers and families.
So the vital question is: How do we become increasingly in touch
with our Immortal (elven) Soul? We use a process we call Vanisdir
(Attunement). First there is the Vasadas (awakening)...this is usually
an instinctual recognition of our fae, otherkin, being. As this
recognition becomes more and more conscious we are faced with the
decision to "cross over" through the mists of uncertainly and enter the
Shining Realms ...or to retreat and find refuge in the security of the
mundane. It is a free choice and it does not matter which way we pick
nor when we choose it as long as we are true to our own inner
being...for if our time has come we will inevitably initiate that
process which opens our neural pathways to the infusion of our soul
(elf). The next step requires persistence and perseverance...it is what
some call "positive meditation", others call "creative visualiztion" and
others still entitle "white magic"...but we elves refer to it as
Tajilodas (envisioning). We must see ours'elf in the purity of our
elfiness...we must feel our elfiness, then we must take a cold, clear
hard look at who we are now, who we are meant to be and envision the
pathway between the two.
Then finally, the most difficult and timeconsuming yet also the
most rewarding step of all...Alisnadur (realization)...making it
real...we must be an elf, day to day, moment to moment...this is not
always easy to do. Did we say that this was an easy path...NO!...this
is the Gentle Way...but not necessarily the easy way. For while it is
easy to think of ours'elves in a more perfected state of being it is
often difficult, particularly when faced with the tensions and stress of
mundane existence not to fall into habitual patterns of behavior...for
to truly become our higher s'elves we must give up our grumpiness, our
griping, our nagging, bitching, fingerpointing, whining tendencies to
spread the tension in negative ways to others...habits which not only do
not really decrease our own stress but make things even worse. As we
say, this is not always an easy thing to do (at least that is our
experience) however, the more we apply ours'elves to this task the
easier it and life in general eventually becomes. We must replace these
negative habits with positive manifestations of elfiness. Ultimately,
we will transform ours'elves Utterly...Everything we say, everything we
do, everything we think and feel.
There are those who think that elfland is a place where we can go
and then be elves...but the TRUTH is: It is not Elfland that creates
the elves....It is we Elves who create Elfland!
kyela,
the SILVER ELVES
P.S.
We now have our own web site at
as yet but as the old adage goes...be it ever so humble there is not
place like home.
======================================================
Date: Mon, 24 Nov 1997 13:28:16 -0500
From: Kira <sidhe@thevortex.com>
Reply-To: sidhe@thevortex.com
X-Mailer: Mozilla 3.01Gold (Win95; I)
To: tiernan@mad.scientist.com
Subject: Alt.folklore.faery
Hello, just wanted to make a quick announcement:
Alt.folklore.faery, for the discussion of faery topics, has been
created. I sent the command message about four days ago, and my server
hasn't picked it up yet, but it's out there somewhere... (I hope.)
I mostly created the group because the lists and digests are hard to
find, and all of them are moderated, which can be annoying sometimes.
And the messages don't get posted right away.
Anyway, please check your servers for the group, and post something
when you see it; that will hopefully make other servers pick it up, as
it gives proof of traffic.
Many thanks,
Kira (aka Windlight now and then)
======================================================================
X-Sender: tmills@a.psc.edu
Date: Tue, 25 Nov 1997 14:19:58 -0500
To: tiernan@mad.scientist.com
From: tmills@psc.edu (Tracy Muffett Mills)
Subject: Re: fwd: TirNanOc, Issue #106
Hullo, all -
This would be, what, my second time posting here? -People will say I'm
verbose. ;> -it's Shirl's post that drags me out of lurk mode:
>Over the course of the past four months various situations including the
>deaths of a 16-year-old friend of mine and my grandfather have led to a
>massive spiritual crisis in my life.
Ouch, that would do it, yes. I'm sorry to hear of these.
>I have naturally always been deeply
>spiritual and religious, but now I am having great trouble being spititual
>or even believing in God.
Spirituality has its seasons, just like this outer physical world; winter
is one of these seasons. It comes to everyone, many times in life. And,
like physical winter, it's cold and dark, weary and dreary and hard for a
summerborn creature to outwait. But: it doesn't last forever. Sooner,
later, dramatically or imperceptibly, the inner springtide will rise again
within. We "only" (!) need watch, and wait, and trust that it will happen.
Have I had experiences like this? Hell yes. -I'm almost thirty, and have
been cycling in and out of spiritual winters since I was about twelve or
thirteen (so you're not too young for this, no). I'm currently on a long
wending way into being something of a Christian cleric, and I *still* cycle
through them. Nobody's exempt. St. Teresa D'Avila went through one that
lasted eighteen years. St. John of the Cross' whole 'dark night of the
soul' collection of writing came out of periods like this.
It's never fun to be there, but at least we've got a lot of company there
when we are. :}
How do I get through them? -better than I used to, since I learned to quit
fighting them so damned hard. Relentless answer-seeking and thrashing
about for that warm glowy feeling can be like struggling against quicksand,
after awhile. I had to learn to relax, to just go with where I was at the
time, to trust I wouldn't be there forever.
my god has never left me there forever.
And it's the unexpected things that get me out: a chance conversation, a
particular book I happen to nose through, something caught on the 'Net or
on television, even. Occasionally I get a capital-D Dream that breaks the
ice, or those little collections of small synchronicities that Tell Me
Something. I get a lot from being out in nature, when I can be; and from
striking that right balance between solitude and community. The
faith-community to which I belong, and the spiritual direction and counsel
provided by my pastor/mentor, has been invaluable to me as well, though not
everyone finds such things to be of help.
But mostly, I've just kinda had to learn to live on through these dry times
and await the springtide. That's not a quick or easy answer; but little
about living in the realm of Spirit is quick or easy. :} (which is my
greatest problem with fundie "Jesus freaks", with their distressing habit
of throwing spiritual Twinkies at starving people and then berating said
people for still being malnourished; but I digress....)
> please respond
>if you have absolutely any thoughts that might help.
It occurs to me to suggest you spend some time becoming very intimate with
this physical-world winter season. (Which, if you live in Southern CA or
Florida or somesuch, might be a bit of a problem, but if you live someplace
where winter is wintery....)
Stand by night under the stars; listen to the wind; take in the stark
monochromatic beauty of browned land and bared trees against varigreyed
sky; watch the snowfall, walk in it where you can. Listen to the silence,
smell the cold, taste the frozenness of everything. Open yourself to the
lessons they have to teach you, make them part of you. Then, too, place
your hand upon the bare ground, or on the trunk of a sleeping tree.....and
*listen*......feel....faintly beneath your palm, the sap rising through the
roots, the stirring of the flower bulbs, the breathing of small burrowed
animals. Feel the springtide stirring, rising slowly, awaiting its right
time. And remember: as below, so above; likewise, as without, so
within.
And that's quite deep in-It enough for one posting....
Take care -- and may the Creator's Fire warm you and light your way.....
Tuck
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
'God be in my head, and in my understanding;
God be in my eyes, and in my looking;
God be in my mouth and in my speaking;
God be in my heart, and in my knowing;
God be at mine end, at my departing.' -Sarum Primer-
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
====================================================================
ED. NOTE: For the sake of brevity, I've trimmed some of the original post that
was left in with this reply. I have left the original post's summary
paragraph intact to preserve the context of the reply. Due to the length
of the issues, it's sometimes necessary to snip for brevity :)... T.
From: "elena ashline" <bamalama@worldnet.att.net>
To: "Tiernan" <tiernan@mad.scientist.com>
Subject: Re: TirNanOc, Issue #106
Date: Sun, 30 Nov 1997 03:01:14 -0600
X-MSMail-Priority: Normal
X-Mailer: Microsoft Internet Mail 4.70.1157
>Sender: Sonja Kassal <110174.2763@compuserve.com>
>To: Tiernan <tiernan@mad.scientist.com>
(snip)
>It's been a very long and painful four months, and just when I think I'm
>feeling like myself again something else happens to bring me back down.
>In this state I am not any good to myself or to anyone else, so please
>respond if you have absolutely any thoughts that might help. You can
email me
>privately, too, if you want (110174@compuserve.com) Thanks a lot for
>reading, and it is good to be back despite everything else.
>
>Tihr a' Lahn,
>Shirl
Greetings,
I just joined the list, and saw your message, and was
deeply touched and
concerned. First of all, you do have the strength to endure this, even
though it probibly doesn't seem like it now. Though you have already
heard this before, here goes. Make sure to do a purification ritual at
least once a day(more often if you need it). If you don't know one
already, I will be more than happy to teach you one. Also try to talk to
someone about what is happening, the pain and confusion that you are
feeling will poision you if you don't let it out somehow, if not through
talking then through other means(physical activity, art,whatever). I am
sorry if I seem to be coming out of nowhere, offering you advice that you
probibly have already heard, but I hope that I have been able to help in
some small way.
Later
Viator
PLUR-AMGD
Knight Errant
P.S.-
Here is my Introduction
Name-James Jones(I am borrowing a friend's e-mail account, I maxed out my
cred card, I can't get one myself)
Species-Uncertian, supposed human.
Profession-Do-gooder
Reason for being here-well, to do-good, to learn more about the Fae(I have
researched the Fae for a number of years now)
Any other questions, please feel free to ask.
========================================================================
Date: Mon, 01 Dec 1997 14:56:16 -0600
To: Joanne Kline <tiernan@mail2.nai.net>
From: Lanthinel <lanthinel@softhome.net>
Subject: The Dreaming (An Actual TNO Post)
Maybe a bit rambling, but...
The Dreaming is a manifestation of our connections to
each other, the
multiverse, and the whole. While our id touches it and the rest of
creation mentally and spiritually, we at the same time touch each other.
We often talk about the Dreaming and the Physical
(mistakenly called the
"Waking" world), and how the Dreaming is immaterial and ephemeral. In a
sense, this is true--but it misses the ultimate point!
The Dreaming is our spiritual and mental connection to
EVERYTHING! There
are myriad other worlds and times other than this, and they are as real and
solid as Earth. However, our typical connection to those worlds is via our
extraphysical senses, filtered to us via the Dreaming and our subconscious.
Thus, the Dreaming is the pathway and mysterious door
to the Multiverse.
We can shift ourselves through the Dreaming to other worlds and times, both
mentally and potentially physically.
Thus was the power of the Fae made manifest.
The Dreaming is our door to the astral pathways to
Infinity. Because all
things can be seen or made manifest, the Dreaming and Multiverse are
thought of as a chaotic and amorphous place.
Knowing this means one knows how to open his eyes--it
does not mean he
knows how to see.
It is not our destiny, respectfully, as some have
suggested to "pick up a
part and play it" in some larger work of theatre. This is what we have
been reduced to since the Sundering or whatever. Our destiny lies not just
in the stars, but in our hearts, as well. It lies in knowing the Dream,
walking the Dream, and expressing one's ka (our truest will which weaves
our Fate) in the Dreams around us.
Masters of maybe not the Dreaming, but at least of our
own Dreams. Just
because you know how to open your eyes, does not mean you know how to see.
Just because you know how to sleep, does not mean you know how to Dream.
Just a few not really random passing thoughts for the world at large.
Dream well,
-------------------------------------------------------
Lanthinel Devir
"Understanding is a three-edged sword." -- Kosh
"I believe in the multiverse and all that it implies." -- Michael Moorcock
======================================================================
Date: Fri, 28 Nov 1997 15:24:23 +0000
From: Chiller <chiller@the.fridge>
Reply-To: chiller@the.fridge
Organization: Coldfish
To: Tiernan <tiernan@mad.scientist.com>
Subject: Re: TirNanOc, Issue #106
I apologise in advance for the length of this post - but
Shirl's plea in last week's TNO really touched me, and once
I started writing I found I could not stop until I had tried
to say all I could. Anyway, maybe Tiernan (please?) will
put my ramblings at the bottom of TNO this week, so that the
people who don't want to read my waffle don't have to scroll
through 15 yards of it to get to the interesting stuff other
people write. ;)
Hello and welcome to Luinelen :)Sileniel said: -
> It's
> been my experience that the Silver Elves speak of the
> ideal of the Elven
> state.
In fact my opinion of the Silver Elves is that their
philosophy is rather more far-reaching than perhaps people
want it to be. The ideal they speak of can equally be
applied to humans as it can elves, and indeed, to any
sentient creature.
Sil also said (re non-violent ideals and violent urges): -
> We are not the creatures we were when
> we were wholly spirit, and not physical. I long to return
> to that spiritual
> state, and see these ideals as guidelines.
When the body has been fully appreciated, it is time to
return to the spiritual... until then, I believe we remain
here, all, learning the lessons we have turned our faces
from for so long.Also, Sil- thank you for your good wishes.
I don't believe one *must* suffer to learn, but it certainly
seems to get some dramatic (and quick) results. ;)The Silver
Elves said: -
> ....that reality often confronts idealism in a most
> startling and
> sometimes painful way as your idealist, chivalristic and
> perhaps
> romantic defence of a girl you hardly knew demonstrated.
> But we must
> applaud you in this because it was surely an elfin thing
> to do
Actually, although I agree with the gist of everything the
Silver Elves have to say, about 99% of the time - in fact
this action which Trynn took is not simply an Elven thing to
do - it can equally be called a very human thing to do. It
was basically just a selfless act, and as such does not
require any further labelling, in my opinion.
And then wisely they continued ....
> And as to our divine nature...that is something that
> not only comes
> from the mythos and legends of our people but is part and
> parcel of the
> nature of faerie...all of life is connected and all of
> life, everyone
> and thing bears within it the potential for the divine.
I agree with this, and again would ask that people heed the
Silver Elves' words in the middle "all of life is connected"
- this does not just mean the Elven and Fae. Pardon me for
picking this point up a few times here, but I am not Elven,
yet a lot of the Silver Elves' words apply to me too.
Shirl reached out and said:
> Let met try
> to sum up a very complicated and painful situation in a
> few sentences...
> Over the course of the past four months various situations
> including the
> deaths of a 16-year-old friend of mine and my grandfather
> have led to a
> massive spiritual crisis in my life. I have naturally
> always been deeply
> spiritual and religious, but now I am having great trouble
> being spititual
> or even believing in God. I desperately want to, though!
> I need there to
> be a God, a greater force, and a greater purpose to our
> lives and to the
> world, but my faith has been deeply shaken. If I lose
> these beliefs
> totally, then nothing in my life - friends, love, music,
> nature, family -
> will really have meaning anymore. I'm really not sure
> what the problem is.
> I've witnessed suffering and experienced loss before, but
> this has never
> happened. Now I don't know what to do. The winter
> holidays are coming on
> fast, and I don't want to miss them because of this
> sickness in my soul!
> I've tried meditating, praying, and seeking help from
> others. I've talked
> to extreme Chistian "Jesus-freaks," more moderate
> Catholics, and a friend
> who is Russian Orthodox. I've read a book ("When Bad
> Things Happen to Good
> People") written by a rabbi. I've had long discussions
> with friends who
> are Wiccan and agnostic and written to my best friend, who
> is elven and
> very spiritual, though not set in any particular faith. I
> don't think that
> any more talking can really help me, but I was wondering
> if anyone has had
> any experiences like this and is willing to share how they
> recovered.
Hello Shirl.
Over the last year I have lost both my grandparents, who
raised me from very young (around 3 y/o), and with whom I
had a very close, if complex relationship. It has been my
first experience of the death of someone close to me, in
this life. I expected to experience grief and confusion
after the deaths, but at the time, was surprised to note
that I was very calm about everything. I assumed that (as
is my way with strong emotions), the grief was hiding, and
would come out in its own good time - and it has - it
has.... but not the way I expected it to. No tears, no
pain. I have learnt that one does not *need* to feel those
things. The lesson continues, for me ...
I'll tell you the conclusions I have come to (thus far) ...
and I hope they may provoke some thoughts for you, although
I hardly expect you to shout, "I've seen the light!" and
agree with me. The following are my very personal thoughts
on death and spirituality, and they require no agreement
from anyone else to remain valid for *me*... and that is all
I can tell you, in brief. You must formulate an answer for
yourself, and that no amount of talking to other people can
give you that answer, though it can provide interesting food
for thought:-
The concept of death is one we are taught to be very
familiar with in this world - through television, books,
newspapers and films, and it often comes as a hard shock
when we suddenly face the *reality* of death, particularly
if we have known the person well, and have a clear idea of
exactly what has been lost to the world.
There are emotions more complex than pure grief to be
expressed ... guilt, regret, anger, loneliness, each of
these - and many others - must be accepted in turn, and must
find its rightful place within your subjective world. There
is room there too for joy (remembering how wonderful people
were), and for love, and for hope ... in short, all the
components which make up a person, and your relationship
with that person - both negative and positive - must be
valued and accepted before the death itself can be realised
in full. This is something one cannot rush - one's
emotional clock ticks at its own speed. For some people the
disturbing process of initial grief lasts only a short while
- a matter of months - while for others, it can go on for
years. I suppose it depends how hard you resist accepting
those negative elements - because it seems to me that once
they are accepted - truly accepted - one is left with the
positive, and the feeling of confusion (which may not be
obviously linked to the death...) seems to wither and go
away, leaving calmness in its wake.
To accept that the loss is at once subjectively vast, and
yet (to the world) utterly insignificant, is a very hard
balancing trick to pull off. Dealing with death, then,
requires that one develop a far more concrete grasp of how
important the *subjective* is to each of us. In learning
that, it is easy to become convinced that we are all very
separate, and the whole thing (existance) is rather chaotic
and pointless.
My philosophy is that we choose our own lives, as
individuals ... that has made it rather easier for me to
come to terms with the deaths of both my Grandparents, as I
believe they chose their own lives (and deaths) for reasons
of their own, and to learn lessons that I may know nothing
of. But below this, on a more fundamental level, I also
believe that we are all One, and that we are simply
experiencing every possible subjective viewpoint there *can*
be - which is why we seem to be many ... so my Grandparents
can never be lost to me, they are with me always, as part of
the universe, in all its splendour.
This concept of "One" is not incompatible with the concept
of God. To explain: obviously I, as subjective being, with
a very limited point of view (to my knowledge), need to
accept that there are things which happen in my life which I
do not have direct control of - whether or not I chose this
life, which I *believe* I did. I do not have "Godlike"
powers within my conscious control! But perhaps, on another
level ... perhaps I can acknowledge that I do have Godlike
powers. And that they are good. I have just not chosen to
live at a level which allows me to consciously exercise them
...
Whether one wishes to acknowledge that a "higher
consciousness" is part of oneself (or vice versa), or
whether one wishes to completely externlise that higher
consciousness, and call it God, makes little difference. We
are, so God is, also. We are each the force which balances
the other; God (if you want to call It that) in the
spiritual, yet manifest in the wonder of the phsyical, and
we, here, mostly in the physical but also demonstrating the
spiritual ourselves.
That's my take on this last year, anyway, and it sounds as
though my year has been similar enough to yours, Shirl, that
I can get away with rambling like this.
If I were to give you advice it would be this: be calm,
wait. Things will become clear in their own time, and while
I appreciate that you are experiencing a period of deep
confusion and conflict (spirtually), try not to let this
upset you, because it is natural. The truth - YOUR truth -
will come in its own time, whether or not you choose to hunt
it down, or wait for it to find you.
A good friend told me a week or so ago: Buddhists have two
statues outside their temple doors, and they are called
"Paradox" and "Confusion". The Buddhists believe that to
gain the calm peace of the temple, everyone must pass
through these states. I find this a very helpful thing to
bear in mind, when the world seems painful or confusing.
I hope my babblings help you, somehow.
Chiller
Ice and a Slice?
chiller@cold.demon.co.uk
==================================================================
Moderator's Note: I wanted to comment a little on ideals...
It comes to mind primarily because of the comments of the past couple of
weeks regarding the Silver Elves, and the ideals they put forth in thier
posts. I agree with Chiller, in that the principles they speak of so
eloquently apply equally to all sentient creatures... of which we Otherkin
are but a few among many notes in an orchestra... we contribute to the
Whole, but we are not the Whole in and of ourselves. And yet, to me, that
is the essential beauty of Being, this consonance. The ways in which we
are woven into the greater Tapestry as well as the ways in which we are
woven into one another's lives and hearts and souls. How wonderous, how
mysterious and lovely this infinite diversity of Being. What a joy to find
that there are so many of us so different and yet at the heart of things,
so similar.
The Silver Elves speak of ideals... and yet it is no bad thing at all to
have high ideals, even if we do not always quite manage to live up to them.
My wise old grandfather used to say it another way... It is better to aim
for the stars and hit the fence, than to aim for the fence and hit the ground.
Until Next Time,
Blessings Upon Your Ways
Tiernan
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ .|.
TirNanOc - An Email List in Digest Form - * -
Focused on Elven/Otherkindred Magick `|\ O/)
And the Humankin who Believe ~X>}
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