Draenic Discourses on the Inner Light (Updated 25-7-2013 with: "The Army of Light Marches On")

Melnerag wrote:one of their seniour officers is Knight-commander Greagoir....

I fear Bioware may be on my case for plagiarism soon enough.

I liked the Dragon age Greagoir.

It's alright people. The Chapter of Holy Anethion plan to form a Crusade against Thedas to purge our counterparts in the name of Anethion!

Thedas??

Edit: I have requested a split from Melnerag's Guide so I have my own little workspace here now. Time to delve deeper into this mess![/i]

As a continuation of my little...Project I've got going on here (not sure what to call it yet), here's an example of one of the many spiritual exercises that might logically follow from the foundations I layed out in my previous post.

Communal meditations on the Light I: The Luminous Orb

Seek out a quiet place together with several brothers and sisters. Seat yourselves in a circle as small as the amount of participants allows. Take each others hands and form a link around the circle. Synchronize your breathing until you breath as one. Once this is accomplished, open your mind's palm.

Imagine your mind as a vast expanse of water. You are swimming in the center. You feel warm, then cold, then lukewarm, then hot and back to cold again. You gasp for air; yet, you have no lounges to fill. The churning currents toss you to and fro as you struggle for some stability; yet, you have nowhere to swim to. You look about you in a frenzy, yet all you see are dozens of blurry lights trough the murky waters. Your muscles ache, your eyes sting, and your ears buzz – and for but a moment, the water appears to boil.

Now relax. Close your mind's eye, ears, and loosen your muscles. Take a deep breath trough your stomach. Seize breathing completely and become perfectly still, if only just for a moment. Now, open your mind's palm again. Imagine the waters you just swam in are now inside a large bowl. Take the bowl and peer into it. Admits the murky darkness you can see a brilliant light shining in the center. As you focus on this source, you will realize that the colorful lights were but reflections and distortions of this luminous orb. Focus on this one light. As the murkiness around it fades, you can make out a faint yet unmissable beam of light that shoots from the center of the globe upwards. Follow this beam as it leaves the bowl and cuts trough the abyss, connecting to another bowl far in the distance. Now follow the beam that shoots out that bowl to another, and to another, and to another, until the vast intricate web of beams becomes clear to you. Now return to looking at your own globe. The waters have cleared and you can now clearly see the source of light at the center. You can now make out many beams, shooting in all sots of directions, cutting trough a vast ocean of blackness to other dim sources of light in the distance. Enter the globe and swim towards the orb. Feel it's warmth flow over you as you enter the orb of light. Now, ride the beam trough the abyss, out of the orb and into the great dark beyond.

You may now open your eyes.

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Thelos' Commentary

This basic exercise is recommended to groups of inexperienced students, fresh converts, or heathen not yet familiar with their Inner Light. Even though the exercise might seem banal and elementary to masters, it will help even the most experience anchorite focus on the Light's connection between souls. That being said, the presence of more luminous beacons admits the group will surely help those with a weaker flame find the way to theirs more easily. It is important to remind students who fail at successfully picturing the spark at their first attempt that this is perfectly normal, as to not force them to strain themselves needlessly. Adequately connecting to the inner light takes years of practise.

The goal of this exercise is to raise one's awareness of one's inner spark trough employment of the imagination and the presence of a handful of fellow. The synchronized breathing helps the individual sense the inner lights of their brethren, and trough it, will focus them on finding their own, which will in turn of course open their hearts to their fellows.Ultimately though it is the subject's imagination that has to provide the stimuli. It is recommended that an experience Anchorite provides vocal support during the exercise, so the less experienced can follow his directions. After all, it can be quite daunting for the newcomer to make the journey trough the mind into the heart.

If you somehow sense that the group is struggling, even if it is just the individual, you can prolong the exercise by expanding upon different sensations. Some brothers and sisters might find it easier to picture sound and scent, rather than visuals For sound, it is recommended to stick to the most basic notes of K'ure's Echo. As for scent, this Anchorite must confess that he has never given the scent of Light much thought. I recommend you discuss it with the student in question who has a well developed sense of smell. Perhaps the scents associated with holy places, like the gentle burning of a candle or the specific alloy their communal temple is made of will help.

Once the students are confident with this exercise, it is recommended to move up to more advanced exercises that deal with sensing the flow of Light trough particular bodies.

Naaruvāda (Way of the Naaru)

After months of both thinking about the subject and feeling it out trough roleplay I have finally decided to start writing in character documents that go into the version of the Light I am developing in great detail. I have named this doctrine Naaruvāda in honor of it's major inspiration, Theravāda Buddhism, or “Way of the Elders”, most actively practiced in Sri Lanka and in the Southeast Asian nations of Thailand, Cambodia, Burma, and Laos. The link between the Light as a philosophy and Buddhism has often been made but has not been properly developed yet. I figured that if any Azerothian Lighty race would be fit to represent a form of Buddhism, it would be the peaceful and ancient Draenei. To a server that whose last and most succeful playermade attempt to expand upon the Light seems to be rooted in protestant Christianity, some of this talk will feel alien and strange. I ask you to bear with me though as I offer an alternative lingo and approach to the Light, one I think is more suited for the Draenei race. With all these disclaimers and warnings in mind, let us dive straight in.

First I will start by laying down some ground principles and interpretations of key concepts. After that I will move on to the actual practical and ethical ramifications of these insights.

On the origin and presence of the Holy Light and the Darkness that ever threatens to consume it

Every natural born creature is endowed with a soul. Every soul partakes in the glory of Light trough what we have come to known was our inner Light. This inner Light connects the soul to all other sources of Light and trough them all that is good in the universe. The Light is both in us and outside of us. The Light is a cosmic, eternal and perfectly benevolent force. It is endless, undying and infinite. It wishes only for the well being for all of it's children indiscriminately. It is perfectly altruistic. In the soul that dwells in loving kindness and has naught but benevolent intent, the inner Light will flourish, enlightening the soul and cascading in comforting warmth. These souls will find inner peace and happiness, and will be delivered from suffering.

Yet, the Light does not rule unopposed. Where there is Light, there is also Darkness that threatens to consume the soul and blind it to the inner light which is its birthright. The Darkness has been known to take many forms. It comes in the shape of venomous thoughts that disturb and numb the mind to the guidance of the Light. It comes in the shape of material distractions that seduce and murk the body to meaningless physical distractions who more than often will proof to be harmful. Where Darkness enters the soul, the Light is forced to withdraw. Those who forsake the Light are left in despair and in the loneliness of a soul trapped in the void. It is to these cold and and abandoned souls the Fel presents itself. It is in their weakest moments that the Souls mistake the diabolical flames of Fel for the warmth of the Light to which they have grown a stranger. The Fel will twist and corrupt these poor soul into an unrecognizable demonic form. Embittered they fall prey to the maddening whispers of Fel and vow to destroy the Light they mistakenly feel has abandoned them, while it was actually originally them who forsook it. It is from these souls the Light has been completely forced out.

How do we ward our souls from the forces of Darkness? Only the soul in which the Light shines luminously will be protected from evil. And how does one nourish their inner light? By acting in accordance of it's will and doing good in the world. How do we know what it's will is? By materializing it. Only by doing good we grow more sensitive to the Light’s faint whispers, and only by listening to it’s whispers and heeding to it’s loving guidance do we learn how to do good. Listening and acting, acting and listening; these two reinforce and strengthen one another, and both fuel the spark of Light to set the soul ablaze. This Sacred Wheel of deed and thought, once properly put in motion, will spark the inner Light and will fuel it until the soul becomes a Beacon of Light.

Only a soul born as pure as the Light itself will be able to make out the Light's faint whispers and distinguish it from the distractions of Darkness by its own. Even though the Light has been within the souls of every natural born creature since the dawn, almost none of the Light's children have been able to recognize their benefactor on their own. The Sacred Wheel must first be spun by an exterior force; we must be made aware of our inner Light. This is the Gift that the Naaru have so mercifully bestowed upon us. The Naaru are beings of pure unaltered Light. Just by being in their presence, feeling the warmth of their light wash over us and listening to their timeless song we are inspired to do and think good. The empty soul will open its heart to the Naaru by nature. Only a mind spoiled by evil thoughts or a body corrupted by foul influences will be blinded to the Naaru's magnificence. Creatures of such unfathomable purity are wholly incapable of dark thoughts and deeds. This is made obvious even to those yet unfamiliar to the voice of their inner Light trough their sublime splendor and magnificence. It is by accepting their warmth into our hearts that we first familiarize our souls with their inner Light. Even when removed from their direct presence, the mere memory of their song is so powerful that it will guide us to our inner lights. Besides the Naaru, we must also depend on the teachings of our peers that are further along the path of enlightenment. By adhering to the enlightened codes and dogma's laid down by our older siblings of the Light we will learn how to act in accordance to Light's will trough action. These codes and laws will substitute the voice of our inner light until we have grown sufficiently familiar with it. If we take the Naaru's song to heart and adhere to the code of our enlightened peers, ultimately our thoughts and deeds will synchronize with the Light. Our will becomes the will of the Light, our actions always the realization of this divine will. Our souls will become Beacons of Light, like the Naaru we seek to emulate, and also like the Naaru we in turn will guide our juniors along the Magnificent Path. We will become wholly incapable of dark thoughts and deeds.. Our enlightened souls will no longer have any need for the dogma's or codes, as they have perfectly synchronized with their source, and have become immune to the Darkness they were designed to ward off. In being freed of Darkness we also become freed of evil intent and thus from suffering. The souls who have achieved this level of enlightenment will find that their unity with the Light will persevere trough death.

oh my a new batch! I will read in moring with a fresh head... looking forward to it

That's it, I'm rolling a Draenei.

Sweet read, Thelossss.

I could almost say it touched my heart. Very interesting to read.
So....When will you create the church of your own?

Hippy Squid!

Hmm very nice

Skarain wrote:I could almost say it touched my heart. Very interesting to read.
So....When will you create the church of your own?

Not a church, but what I have been considering the possiblity of founding the Draenic equivalent of ISKCON (International Society for Krishna Consciousness), as in a group dedicated to spreading the spiritual techniques and expertise of the Draenei people to promote peace and unity between the races of the Alliance. When reading about the Hare Krishnas I once stumbled upon their seven purposes, some of which I was very charmed by and thought could easily be warped into Draenei/Naaru equivalents. After looking them over with scrutiny I was left with three core purposes.

• To systematically propagate spiritual knowledge to the races of the Alliance at large and to educate all races and people in the techniques of spiritual life in order to check the imbalance of values in life and to achieve real unity and peace in the world.
  
• To propagate a consciousness of The Light , as it is revealed by the Naaru to Velen and other chosen prophets.
  
• To bring the races of the Alliance together with each other and nearer to The Light, the prime entity, thus to develop the idea within the members, and the sentient races of Azeroth at large, that each soul is part and parcel of the quality of the cosmic Light
  

Perhaps an unholy mix of Hare Krishna with Buddhist teachings and flavors mixed in would be something to look in to, though only of course if there are other folks intested. I do not fancy founding a one-man guild. I have been chiefly writng on this subject in preperation to properly teach other characters about it trough IC means, and I intend to do just that for now. We'll see where that takes us.

I keep reading the tittle as Draenic Intercourses with Inner Light

Every
Time

>_>
<_<

Good stuff anyways.

and eople say I have a dirty mind lol

YOU FUCKING DO !!!!!

*bows*

On the hallowed Songs of the Naaru and the sacred Mantras of our Seniors

The hallowed presence of the Naaru is a comfort all Draenei are familiar with. It soothes our tempers, melts away poisonous thoughts and helps us focus and hear our inner Light. However, one cannot reach trough enlightenment by just soaking up the Naaru's warmth. Enlightenment is listening and acting; while the Naaru help us focus on the listening, we must travel far away from their reach to the Darkest places. To become a beacon ourselves, we must seek out contrast; we e travel to the Lightless corners of the world to spread our Light there. It is when on these missions, when we are send far away to combat the Darkness that echoing the Naaru's song will help one recall that brilliant warmth that first led one to the inner Light. Sing, play an instrument, and above all keep on shining and being merry no matter the Darkness that surrounds you. When the night has all but fallen, we take a deep breath and turn to face the Legions of demons and chant the Naaru's brilliant war cry to show we are unafraid. The Light does not abandon its champions.

Similar to how song can help to remember us to the Naaru's hallowed song, so too can the sacred words of our most esteemed seniors on the Path help to give us focus on ours. The most illuminated of all of these words we cal Mantras, and their power is so grand that by their mere utterance the speaker comes closer to the Light. They are the verbalization of the Light's will and their most direct expression in language. Different Mantras may be recited on different situations to strengthen our resolve or devotion in numerous ways. Though this list in these texts is by no means extensive, it offers an overview of some of the most commonly recited and best known Mantras.

Mantra of Understanding wrote:We meditate on the glory of the divine Light;
may it inspire our understanding.
may it inspire our intelligence.

The Mantra may be recited and repeated at times when the speaker finds himself unable to summon up sufficient empathy to understand anther’s point of view. The Light feels only loving-kindness for all of her children; even to those it has almost t completely withdrawn from. It is at times that the differences between the Faithful feel almost insurmountable that we recite the Mantra of Understanding to ask the Light to reinforce our intelligence, empathy and understanding, so that we may better materialize its will.

Mantra of Education wrote: Let the Studies that we together undertake be effulgent;
Let there be no Animosity amongst us;
Peace, Peace, Peace;

No soul walks the path of Light alone. Together we are stronger and wiser than we are apart. The juniors on the path will do well to listen and learn from their seniors, though while the seniors for their part will find that teaching their juniors will allow their inner lights to shine most luminously. This Mantra reminds the speak of this fact; that even though the relationship between teacher and student may seem asymmetrical, in that only the students gain by learning and the teacher by gains nothing by teaching, that in reality we are all equal under the Light and each, student and teacher, gains equally. Any tensions of powers between the learners and the teachers is therefore wholly irrational.

Universal Mantra of Peace wrote:May good befall all,
May there be peace for all
May all be fit for perfection,
May all experience that which is auspicious.

As the name would imply, the Universal Mantra of Peace is one fit or any occasion and can and should be uttered on occasions where one generally feel a need to strengthen the resolve of oneself and others. It expresses the general will of the Light that each and every one of its children may flourish and reach enlightenment; a goal the Faithful will never seize working towards.

Mantra of the Clear Mind wrote: The soul who dwells in loving-kindness,
who trusts in the Naaru's Teaching,
attains to that state of peace,
the blissful fading away of conditioned things.

This Mantra is often recited before a communal meditation session. It beseeches the Light's aid to purge the mind of any foul poisons and taints which threaten to drown out the inner Light's guiding voice. A clouded and disturbed mind will not find its way to the Light; one must keep a clear head at all times. This Mantra, and the meditation that often follows it, will help keep the mind clean.

Mantra of Illumination wrote:O Divine Light, our hearts are filled with darkness.
Please make this darkness distant from us
and promote illumination within us.

This Mantra may be recited when the Darkness has made itself known and the Faithful requires the aid and inspiration of the Light to combat it. We beseech it to strengthen our inner Light and ward the Darkness away from within, pushing it outwards so that it may be vanquished in a brilliant flash. Reciting this Manta, similar to echoing the Naaru's song, will help one focus on one's inner Light. The Mantra of Illumination however differs in that it does so specificity to ward and dispel a known darkness.

Once I start playing my brand new Draenei to these doctrines... I'll have to print some out. No way that I can remember all of this. I've been dreading the day... RP with notes. *shudders*

Delidah / Scuzy wrote:Once I start playing my brand new Draenei to these doctrines... I'll have to print some out. No way that I can remember all of this. I've been dreading the day... RP with notes. *shudders*

There's no need, considering that what most of what I write here are my personal additions and expansions of the lore. Like Maelmoor once said in the Community of Light thread; the Light is so broad and vaguely defined that you can pretty much mold it into whatever you want or need it to be. Though perhaps I can work on condensing some of this into a handy GHI book for in game use.

hmm yes that would make a nice handy item to help new blue humans to become more draenie like

If there are ever going to be any, monnie

hehe thats true

[OOC] Awnsering to the Lore: The Naaru's Singing.



You are safe here.

After having a brief discussion with Lexgrad about my little project here I became convinced of the necessity to have what I put down here answer to the lore. The previous few posts might have given off the impression that it is my goal to simply equate the Draenei's ancient Naarucentric religion with Theravada Buddhism. This however is not at all the case. Buddhism is my major source of inspiration, yes, but has always been my goal to put down an Azerothian doctrine. The laws of the lore, even if they contradict themselves from time to time, are absolute, and any roleplay, religious or not, needs to answer to it first and foremost. That's why I will be putting these OOC segments here and there. To explain how what I write here fits into the mold Azeroth has created for us. I might be pouring Buddhism and Hinduism juice into the top; but never forget that all of this runs trough the WoW-filter before we drink it, first.

Draenei Hymns

Lets start with something banal yet extremely important; the Naaru's singing and the role of Music in Draenei culture. Anyone who plays a priest is familiar with the Hymn of Hope spell. What many of you might not know was that this was originally the Draenei racial priest spells, back when we actually had those (the other one was Fear Ward, in case anyone is wondering). This was the first Hymn spell introduced into WoW. Wrath of the Lich King would also give us Divine Hymn and make Hymn of Hope available to all priest players, but we must never forget which race introduced the singing element into the priest class. Blizzard recently reminded us of this piece of lore when they introduced a new talent in the Holy tree, Heavenly Voice, with a Draenei female singing as its icon.

The Singing Naaru

Sadly this is, as far as I can tell, the only way to pin down singing to Draenei in particular, and it's a rather weak one at that, especially now that the other races also have access to the spell Hymn of Hope. Still, let us not forget that Naaruvada is supposed to be a doctrine based on the Naaru, with the Draenei rather arbitrarily being the race we was there to learn the lessons they had to teach. With that in mind, let's now look at Azeroth's best singers.



And there we have it: the Naaru's song in audio format, straight from the game. This clip always place when the player is close to a Naaru, implying that the creatures are in fact constantly emitting this sound. That's right: Just like they are emitting a strong beam of Light, they are constantly singing. In a way, the Naaru's song is one half if its sublimity, the other half being the Light they emanate itself. There clues that this sound is so pure and beautiful that it actually inspires certain almost supernatural affects. Let us take a look at some of the dialogue with Naaru in which their singing is emphasized, focusing on A'dal (the big one) in particular.

A'dal wrote: A soothing light fills you as you approach the naaru. Slow musical chimes echo within your mind and, though a word is not uttered, you feel an assurance of safety. You are welcome in Shattrath City.

(Bolds are mine)

I will often fall back on A'dal because I very much consider him the most important source of information on them, considering that he is the Naaru that has the most interaction with the players and other npcs it seems. Here you can see where I anchored the Naaru's special position in my dogma in. It always made the impression to me here that the echoing sounds of A'dal's song somehow comforted and soothed the listener. Of course I would be silly to base such an important assumption off of just one quote which could be interpreted as this being just a Naaru's way of saying “Hello, welcome to my city!”. With that in mind, let us take a look at some of the actual in game effects a Naaru's song can produce.

A'dal's song of battle wrote:In Tempest Keep: The Botanica, The Mechanar, and The Arcatraz, reputation gained with the Sha'tar from killing monsters is increased by 10%. Damage and Healing increased by 5%.

Much like buffs like Rallying cry of the Dragonslayer, this is bestowed on players after Keal'thas has been defeated in Tempest Keep. The actual effects are of little interest here but the name of the buff certainly is: “Song of battle”. A'dal's blessing is not called a Rallying Cry, a Boon or even a Blessing, no, it is expressed as a “Song”. This, I feel, is very significant and once more underlined by a different Naaru;

K'iru's song of victory wrote:K'iru's presence increases your Stamina by 79 and your Intellect by 40.

K'iru's presence is expressed in the word “Song”. This further cements how deeply the Naaru are identified trough their slow musical chimes. It is because this song is able to inspire and produce certain magical effects into its listeners that I have decided that imitating or emulating it would be a very logical thing for Draenei and other Naaru worshipers to do. The presence of a Naaru is soothing to one's temper, in particular to a Draenei's, so the attempt to channel it hopes to produce the same result. That is, inspire the hearers and remind them of the Naaru's soothing chimes. Perhaps the most devout Anchorites and the most talented musicians will be able to produce the same magical effects in due time. Regardless of this, they are sure to echo a watered down version of the same warmth and calm that the Naaru produce in us.

I leave you now with a piece of music that would attempt to do exactly this to the player: Remind them of the Naaru, and the Draenei's close connection to them. Similarly to the music in Shattrath, this reminds one that a powerful Naaru is near, and that you are under its protection, and trough it, that of the Light.

It is no coincidence that in the last post I decided to take a step back to look at the lore again, because the following writings will almost exclusively be based on the extrapolations of the lore I made earlier. Trough that it may seem that it is an air castle, and to an extent it is, but one which I hope will be quite magnificent in both it's apparent simplicity and depth. With that disclaimer in mind, let us take a look at some honest to good dogma.

The choice for un-virtues or Hindrances rather than virtues was to me a logical consequence of having the Light beeing seen as a continual source of revelation and truth inside of the Soul. If left untempered and natural, the Soul would no doubt find unity with the Light on its own and do good; it is only by being mislead by Darkness that we are lead to do evils. If there is such a thing as an obvious and present "Goodness" which is accesible to all, naturally the greatest evil must be Ignorance and things that would impair the soul from listening to the Light's whispers. There is only one true Virtue: The Light itself.



Warding the Darkness: On the Purification of the Mind's Waters.

The origin of all Light in our souls is good intent, and the root of all good intent in our souls is the Light. Likewise, the origin of all Darkness is malintent, and the root of all malintent is the Darkness. The Light brings us pleasure and joy. The Darkness only suffering and despair. Just as we learn to act in accordance with the Light by listening and acting, so can we fall from grace by entertaining ill intent and acting upon said intent. The Darkness can enter our souls trough two pathways, who open up due to our weaknesses of body and will. These are the paths of the body and passions on the one hand, and the path of the mind and thought on the other. Though distinct, these paths are certainly intertwined deeply, as faltering of the mind will often lead to bodily faltering and the other way around. Just as the mind instructs and guides the body, the body feeds and nourishes the mind.

The surest way to safeguard our souls against the darkness is by keeping a clear mind. The soul's vessel must remain pure at all times. One might see the mind as a vast expanse of water, with the inner light as a brilliant luminous globe at its center. When the waters grow murkier, the Light will become hidden amongst the muck, allowing the Darkness to slip in. We must keep our mind's waters clear. In their unfathomable wisdom, the wisest of sages that illuminate the path have identified five possible disturbances the mind may face in it's natural search for tranquility and purity. These are known as the Five Hindrances.

The Five Hindrances

Bodily desires taken on their own are healthy and natural. Every sound soul must inhabit a sound body, and our bodily desires, when pure and uncorrupted, will sustain a sound body. It t is when we consume or sense more than is naturally necessary to sustain a sound body that our desires will inflate accordingly. As our minds grow accustomed an increased intake, we shall once again be lead to consume more than our inflated senses desire, leading said desires to once more be inflated, which will lead us to consume more, and so forth. This vicious circle of increase in desires and consumption will always cause unrest, as we will inevitably run into the point that our consumption will no longer be able to answer to our inflated desires. This suffering may cast a vast Darkness upon our soul and lead us to acts of mali ntent in order to nourish our unnatural desires.

The taint of inflated bodily desires can be purged by reverting the viscous spiral of increased consumption and desire into a descending spiral of decreased consumption and decreased desire. This must be tackled trough the two paths; the bodily and the mental. We must reconnect our body and mind to rediscover our true sound and uncorrupted desires trough intensive meditation which focuses on the sensual and consuming parts of the body; the mouth, the stomach, the genitalia, and so forth. At the same time we must consume and sense less. These two activities, mental and bodily, will reinforce each other; though we must be careful not to let our desires and consumption drop under that which a sound body requires. To ensure this we must meditate on the matter profusely. With the desires synchronized with what it naturally requires to sustain a sound body, the tension between consumption and desire will be resolved in a natural equilibrium.

Anger or other wicked intentions directed at one's fellows are amongst the darkest of taints to threaten one's connection to the Light. Anger in the broadest sense are all feelings and thoughts based on harming our fellows in any shape or form trough any imaginable means. To inflict harm on others trough cruelty or violence rooted in anger is always an affront to the Light and a violation of its Divine Will.

Though anger will almost always be instigated by a flight of passions, it is one that always follows from a state and judgment of the mind. It is when said judgments are made in ignorance and insufficient empathy to our fellows that we are lead to feelings of anger. The Enlightened cannot become angry with the Light; for he knows It to be good and altruistic. Likewise, the Enlightened cannot become angry at his fellows, for he knows them to participate in the cosmic Light; trough it, they are part of it, and trough that part of himself. To inflict harm upon others is to inflict harm upon the Light, and trough that to the self. Therefore anger directed towards fellows cannot be anything but irrational.

One who is lead by his poisonous thoughts and ill passions to feel anger must never act upon this feeling. Trough a greater understanding of the circumstances that has lead one to feel such feelings it will be possible to remove them entirely; for anger is always irrational, and one who is wholly Enlightened will not feel it. If one is unable to achieve sufficient understanding of the circumstances and his fellows, one must place its faith in the Light and pray for guidance; if not by reason, then it must be by Faith that our feelings of anger must be overcome. The Light loves all of its children equally, and all naturalborn are its children. Though its children may squabble amongst themselves, by realizing that they spring from the same loving source they may overcome their malintent. Even if the source of the anger does not come to realize this and continues his relentless assault on our patience and compassion, we must stay vigilant and remember this natural fact obvious to all.

Though violence ought to be avoided as much as possible, there are times that the forces of Darkness leave us with little other options. Some souls of which the Light has all but withdrawn completely will not be able to heed its voice. With these souls it is nigh impossible to reach a mutual understanding of sorts. When these dark souls endanger their fellow children, they must be prevented from doing so; though not out of retribution or anger, but out of compassion. Violent and harmful actions based on violent and harmful thoughts will inspire more thoughts and deeds of the kind and will lead a soul further along the path of Darkness. To prevent these Souls from falling further we must impair their capacity to deeds of harm and violence. It is also trough this same compassion that we may be lead to vanquish lost souls and Demons. By ending their Lightless existence we grant these lost souls one last chance at peace trough unity with the Light in death.

When forced to harm and violence, it must always be motivated by pure intentions and compassion, like a parent disciplining their child, and never by anger or malintent.

To Doubt is the wavering of one's faith in the Light and its benevolence. The faithful are often caused to waver in their faith when faced with an overwhelming tragedy, be it on a personal or on a grander scale. One might be lead to thoughts like “If the Light is truly perfectly altruistic, everywhere and all powerful, how could it allow such a tragedy to occur?”. The souls who are lead to waver because of these thoughts do so because great ignorance or hubris. Ignorance, in that said thoughts deny the very real presence of the Darkness. The Light does not rule unopposed, and everywhere it is threatened by the Darkness we dedicate ourselves to combating. Ignorance, too, may lead one one to perceive a natural part of the cosmic harmony as an evil. Death, for example, is not an evil; it is very much part of the cycle of life and has its undeniable place in the cosmic order as a part of life and trough it love. These ignorances are most often wrought forth by great hubris; to think on behalf of the Light as its equal. Who are children who question their mother's loving-kindness? The Light loves all its children equally, and to reason that it is not is nothing short of great ignorance wrought forth by hubris. No one child is worth more or less than the other; and only a soul who thinks itself greater than its fellows would be lead to humor such a thought.

To doubt is to suffer the ultimate separation with the Light; it is the rejection of the Light's extended hand. Trough it, one will loose its comfort and warmth, leading one on a sure path of Darkness to loneliness and despair. Even a single doubt of the Light's benevolence might be enough to instigate this tragic wavering.

To abolish such doubts we need only to accept the Light's Divine authority. It is greater and grander than all of us; though it realized Its will trough us. This may tempt one to think that it is the will of the individual that is being realized when one does the Light's bidding. These are the poisonous thoughts that will lead an Anchorite blessed with the loving Light's healing powers to think that said powers are his own. It is in their pride these wayward souls think themselves greater than the Light and fit to manipulate it and mold it to their wills. These souls must be reminded by their peers that it is not them who heal the innocent and smite the wicked; but the Light itself, and to think oneself as an equal to the Light is the height of Hubris, leading eventually to Doubts and the flickering of the inner Light. The Light's ways are incomprehensible; but Its splendor and sublimity are not.

Apathy is the inability to appreciate and enjoy the world's gifts and pleasure, leading the soul to feeling empty and loosing touch with the Light. Feelings of purposelessness, like malintent, may lead one to wander away from the Light and into the clutches of Darkness. The feeling of purposelessness originates, like the name suggest, a severing of the connection to the soul's purposes. Apathy is the tension or rather lack of tension that is created when one's capacity to do Light far exceeds the amount of Good one does in practice.

While the other three hindrances all describe instances of the forces of Darkness impairing our connection to the Light, Apathy and Restlessness are instances of a lack of Light itself, rather than an encroaching of Darkness. It may be caused by a separation with the fellow faithful and the Naaru for an extended period of time, or it may be brought forth by a lack of opportunities to realize the Light's will trough deeds.

For those souls who have been lead to feel apathy trough boredom, it is advised to seek out Darkness to combat and trough it re-establish their connection to the Light trough a reaffirmation of their duties. Sometimes though a soul can be lead to feelings of apathy exactly because of their extended struggle against the force of Darkness and separation of the Light. For those souls who are in danger of forgetting what it is exactly they are struggling for it is advised to seek out the Light instead. Seek out one's friends, make music, have fun, laugh and be merry; strengthen the inner Light by reaffirming its connection to others.

Restlessness is the polar opposite of Apathy, being the result of too many impulses and stimulation overloading the mind. Restlessness is that state of which in wich the Lighttouched soul might feel overwhelmed by the struggle against Darkness by spending too much. While from a lack of stimulation we might grow apathetic and fall into a deep stupor, from an overload of stimulation we will grow restless and uneasy. Restlessness originates from a state in which one's practice of doing Light inspired deeds far exceed one's capacity for it and the strain from this great demand threatens to consume us.

And also in a reverse to Apathy, one can be lead to feel restless when one is overwhelmed by the forces of Darkness. For these souls it is advised to temporarily withdraw themselves from the struggle of Light versus Darkness and seek comfort amongst the warmth of ones fellows and the singing of the Naaru. For those souls who feel that the pressure and demands of the Light and his fellows overwhelms them, it is advised to temporarily retreat from society and withdraw for some solitary meditation. A soul strained to extremes must be allowed time to recover, unwind and relax, though if one spends too much time in withdrawal one might start feeling Apathetic, like one would start feeling Restless if one spends too much time in the fray of the battles against Darkness.

Awesome.