Hello, everyone. Once again, I am Kedian, and you find yourself in a philosophy class.
This is the fourth class in my ongoing series. Today, I'm going to talk to you about the spark. All present, indeed, every Aisling, who has felt the touch of Deoch knows exactly what the spark is. It is life, our life.
We know well enough that Danaan's sacrifice brought the Aisling into the world and that Deoch's flame carries on that work, every day. Danaan illuminated the path, bringing the Aisling into being; Deoch was responsible for infusing each of us with his flame, the thing that brought vivid color to our lives. Our spark is the precious and amazing thing which made us free and set us apart from the Mundane.
The spark is the flame of Deoch living on in all of us. Danaan's sacrifice enabled a new type of people in Temuair. Although we are of the Tuatha - literally, the "Children of Danaan" - we are marked and set apart by the power of that sacrifice, that spark.
Danaan's Era, which lasted almost thirty two hundred cycles, marks the first appearance of magic and the dance of the elements in Temuair. During the Eighth Aeon, darkness was discovered. Along with that discovery came the Dubhaimid, Chadul, and Sgrios. During this time, the immortality of the Tuatha was lost; mortals could slip into Chadul's realm. The Pact of Anaman allowed those lost to Chadul to escape his realm; civilizations sprang up, conquered, and were lost.
The great Shadows War lasted almost a hundred years. During this time, Deoch fell in love with Danaan, forsaking his pact to Chadul. The sixth element, Light, Danaan's most enduring legacy to our world, was discovered. This drew the shadows war to an end. Danaan's greatest work during this time was keeping away the gibbering darkness - bringing light into this world.
Danaan, however, knew that something new would be needed to draw the world towards progress and keep that most precious light alive. For it is not simply the light of lamps that we speak of; it is the light of creativity, and of the act of creation itself, in opposition to the forces that would rip Temuair asunder and drive us all mad.
Danaan sacrificed her immortality for our world, and for us, the Aisling, her most important legacy. Deoch, her lover, decided to carry on that work. His spark infuses each of us with that light, so that we may carry on her work of bringing more light into this world.
The first Aislings arrived in Temuair with this legacy alive in their blood. We've talked a lot previously in my lectures about how, simply put, our age is a much different age and theirs was a wonderous one.
If you've listened to my previous lectures - I've described both the wondrous nature of the old ages, but also, about the problems that plague our age. I don't like to rant about things and not propose solutions - so the question we must begin to ask ourselves is: how do we bring about a new wondrous age?
If we proceed from fundamentals, we could begin by saying that the nurturement of Deoch's gift in each Aisling is and should be their highest and most successful art. The reason why, being, that all Aisling life, all experience and existence as an Aisling, is due to that flame. Our very consciousness would not exist without it.
We currently live in a society in which these flames are dim. However - each of us makes decisions every day which allow that flame to slowly fade - myself included. We've spoken much about how to bring about renewal. We've spoken about how we can begin - and how we desperately need to begin - a new cycle. Realistically, I have come to believe that each of us needs to begin that work on their own, Whether in public, or in secret - and according to their will, their heart, their fears, and strengths, &c.
Each of us needs to begin that work. Today. Now. Not tomorrow, not a double moon or a Deoch from now - but Right. Now.
Simply by coming and listening to my words, if you are indeed listening, you are engaged in that constructive work. By taking that step and then participating in Danaan's great experiment - we can become more than the sum of our mundane part. We become more than the sum of our individuals. We become that wondrous thing: a collective, a group Aisling, that group flame.
THAT flame can search out other, even larger flames. And so our society grows, and thrives.
That process of renewal, of course, involves release. We want to begin a new cycle, we agree we must - so we must let go - end our current cycle. Release. But, how? What does this mean? If you interpret philosophy too literally - you may be tempted to believe it means we have to die. But, really, I've come to believe that it means giving up all the previous things that brought us no joy, or are simply rote behaviors we engage in to fill time.
Each of us carries on various activities due to misguided concepts of duty, or honor, or requirement, as I discussed in my last class about the futility of politics. Ask yourselves: how many Aislings carry on with an endeavor because of selfless love, or simply put: joy?
This is a concept that has been covered by many other people, in great detail. I walk no unique path. I will simply say that I truly believe that the highest and most important requirement of an Aisling is that they are doing what makes them happy - what brings them joy.
From my own experiences over the length of my existence - I submit that by creating an environment in which that miraculous spark, that flame, can be seen widely, it will draw it out of others. I have witnessed this myself time and time again in the act of teaching classes, when students ask me amazingly thoughtful questions, or simply exchange idaes with me.
I believe that is the most enduring lesson of the Atavism age: that in the presence of outstanding, amazing people, even mediocre wrecks like myself can shine very bright. All of us can ascend to embrace the fire of Deoch and create a light that can be seen through time. It was done before - it is why we are all here, right now. Without it, the memories of these walls, and its people, would never have endured. They would have simply been extinguished.
We have to return to the question: If this, the greatest work of our age, is not worth it, then what exactly is your spark for? I invite all of you to think about this and discuss with me after class. I've wrestled with this question for long periods of time.
I believe that the high art of communion with our spark not only infuses us, personally - allowing us to return to the source of our Aisling life - but it also allows us to distill creavity and bring it downwards into our realm from the realm of the beyond; from the realm of that unknown Kadath, or Aosda.
Simply put: one of the greatest purposes of our spark, our gift, is to transmute what may be into what is. To bring down thoughts, feelings, characters, dialogue - into this realm, to share with others. To bring joy. To allow us to feel the joy of creation, of sharing, and the joy of others receiving our efforts.
As I have repeatedly said, one of the main problems of our age is boredom. What we are really discussing is methods for bringing about an end to boredom: bringing novelty to our lives and world. Our flames, much like Deoch himself, primarily seek and desire novelty. Boredom is a plague, like Sgrios himself. What is worse than simply existing, with no art, no love, no wisdom, no compassion, no fortune or courage? Could it not be said that in that state we are dead, or perhaps that we shamble on without life, as zombies?
In each of us, that flame, that spark, once represented something new; something that may have never been seen before. That spark represents raw, unshaped potential - the most powerful force known. It could change our world, and, as we have seen, it can also do nothing. But our spark, that potential still exists. We, in communion with Deoch, have brought it into being. Even if we don't decide to utilize it, it is still that communion between our daily lives and his flame that allows us to express ourselves in the artistic realm, or, for instance, the philosophic realm, the one I'm using right now in this moment as Kedian.
I would say to anyone who listens or who reads this later, we need you. Your world needs you. The Octave needs you. We were not made to make little progress; we are not mundanes. We were not infused with this flame to go unnoticed. We were not infused with this gift to remain standing in lines saying nothing.
Of course, saying something turns out to be the hardest thing of all. And it may be the case that you have nothing to say. After all, nothing should force you to speak. However, we can surely agree, you can, and should, allow others to speak. As I said before; the act of not voting is just as important as voting; the act of not harassing those who are expressing their spark, to me, even supporting and welcoming them, that - that should be a bare minimum to be an Aisling.
I would ask all of you to attempt to return to this great work and make our world brighter. To make Danaan's sacrifice meaningful and to continue to carry on the great work which Deoch started in each of us as that light brightened in our eyes.
Refuse that which dulls your spark. Return to the well, return to the flame, to again live and breathe as we all once did. Find renewal in that flame. Find redemption. Find hope. Find splendor, and wonderment. The world that we find ourselves in represents so very little, and makes so little sense, when it is stripped of its great majesty and its art.
I suggest trying it once, or even perhaps twice, and you will fall in love with it, and it will be as natural to you as putting on a cloak.
The alternative is to admit to ourselves that standing in lines is the highest art we can achieve, and I, for one, am not ready to admit that.
I would love to hear your thoughts on the spark, or, any questions you would like me to answer. Is this perhaps a moment in which you might find a bit of inspiration? Have you been waiting to be heard? We wait, as we all do, for the Octave to complete.