Thoughts by Eredhen:
On the Nature of Sorcery (reply to Silvean)
(Sorcerer Discussion Board / April 23, 2002)
What is a Sorcerer? One must first understand Sorcery itself.
Sorcery is an Art. It is magic and mind. Only the strongest in both can become true Sorcerers. Weakness in either is a weakness on the whole. It is the meddling of the incompetent that caused changes to the flows of the Art.
Sorcery is power, the perfect understanding and blending of matter and spirit. This brings the greatest power available to mortals, yet it also brings the greatest responsibility.
The Art is in controlling that power, and weaving it into the tapestry as we see fit. One must know when to weave a new strand into the tapestry and when to cut one out. Indiscriminate use of that power only serves to mar the beauty of the pattern and makes one appear as a fool.
The weaving is not in merely casting a spell... spells are common and can be used by anyone with half a mind and little direction. Weaving speaks to intentions beyond a simple spell, it speaks to understanding the whole that is the Art and in knowing what part that action plays in the greater dance.
We are not dabblers. It takes much more to understand the combining of matter and spirit than a simple study of either alone. We do not rely on the gods for power, nor do we toss around random bits of the elements. The weaving of the two together is much more than merely understanding them individually.
Some say that the changes in the flow of our Art have lessened us. Yes, our Art has changed over the centuries, but does that mean we are less than we were before? It is our minds, our beliefs and our actions that make us powerful or strip that power away.
Yes, we have lost some of the power that we once had, but have we not gained understanding in other areas? Can we not now do things with our Art that those before us would never have imagined?
As for those who call us weak, too soon have they forgotten what the Sorcerers of old could call down upon them. We are no less capable than our forebears, though we must choose to use our power wisely. It is that which a person does not know well that strikes the greatest fear in the heart. Perception is the key.
Neither is Sorcery evil, no more than any other weapon. It is much more elegant than any simple sword, but it is a weapon when we choose it as such all the same. Can it be destructive? Most certainly. Can it make us appear dark? Yes, if we wish. Is it evil? No.
This is Sorcery. Few are Sorcerers.
Eredhen i'Larien
On the Nature of Sorcery (reply
to Silvean)
(Sorcerer Discussion Board / April 8, 2003)
Thank you, Silvean, for your thoughts on the Art. The truth is
in the dance, the weaving. Wisdom, enlightenment, is born of the journey.
I would argue, however, that the elemental and the spiritual are not
diametrically opposed. They are not forced together, for such would create a
hideous tapestry, troubled and unstable. Rather, these strands are woven
together with such complexity and varied design in a way that would be
impossible were they so volatile in combination. Some are delicate, to be sure,
and easily unwoven, but their fragility is a part of the design rather than a
weakness of the bond that brings them together.
That we have the potential to hold within our grasp the mysteries of this
weaving, that we alone can comprehend this force that allows the weaving of the
two into one, means that we stand on the verge of true understanding, and of
creation itself. Such knowledge allows us to go beyond just the spiritual or the
elemental, for those who hold just one see only in part. We have the capacity to
see the tapestry and each individual strand, and hold within our hands the
strings of life. By coming to this understanding, by learning how to weave or
unweave the tapestry, in all its complexity, we come to enlightenment.
Eredhen