Ayleah Journal Entry #3

 Telon gave me this nice little book, and said I should try keeping a journal, but I admit I forgot about it during the travels here and now I've barely written in it at all.

I've been at the Sanctuary for more than a year now, taking classes and experiencing the life of a (small, they tell me) city. Telon set me up in a dormitory on the upper floor and gave me a city card to cover my food, travel, and whatever else I might need while in the city. There's a lot more here of everything than back home, because they get shipments in from metro trading centers all over the place. Everything within the city walls is free or at lowered cost if you have a city card for the Sanctuary, and it allows access to the outlying township as well. The township is like a rural village that gets support from the city since it's co close by.

I've been spending a lot of time outside the city walls, partially because Telon said that I should make sure to “stay in contact with the land” while I'm here. To be honest, I would have wanted to explore anyway – the land here is so different from Silver Cove. It can be a little boring, since all around the city are flat open fields, and the trails into the tall grass beyond have few features along them. There are some really amazing places around here though, like the Green Bend Park I went to on a field trip (I've been taking a class here on land-work). We saw where an entire small river flowed from the end of a huge pipe sticking out from under a bridge. Above the bridge a wetland trickled down to join the torrent, but below the water coursed through a muddy chasm twisting into the reeds. The land around the streams slopes in interesting thickets, and sometimes water even bubbles right out of the ground!

There are also the places where a watchtower looks out over the land. I went to see the local fortress- I wanted to see what warriors of a sanctuary were like. When I told them who I was, they were nice enough, and gave me a tour of the walls. The walls of the fort are nothing like the city walls, just simple improvements on the trees and branches that are already there. We did eventually climb up really high though, and got to look out across the fields.

From the tower, the fields really didn't look that jungle-like, as they are when you try to go through them on the ground. They just seemed soft and warmly waving in the breeze. Out to the east the fields are very large: there is almost nothing on that sea of grass until a dark hill rises up on the horizon. Those hills are the real thing to mention though. A dark forest-covered bluff, much like the ones from home, but much much higher, and rising over waving silky green instead of waves. A couple lines cross each other: ranges of massive hills overlapping, each one rising a little higher than the last. Then, barely in view above them all, above all of us, I saw tall mountains far far away etched in a rich light blue. Something about the way those peaks reached into the sky gave me a yearning to stand up there, on top of everything. I have such a desire now to explore those dark and intricate folds of the land. Whatever is up there must be magical, because it is so far removed from everything else, and has climbed so high from the primordial waters.

Maybe this yearning for the mountains is why I've been having such strange dreams lately. It could also just be from living in such a different place though. A couple nights ago I had a dream that I was a tree, or that I was looking at a tree, or thinking about trees...it probably doesn't matter exactly. It was more of a sensation: I dreamt of peeling bark, each layer slowly stripping away and revealing some new horizon of existence. It wasn't painful, but I kept thinking it should have been. Eventually it all kind of swirled into a reality-muddle, and as the last layer got peeled away I woke up.

I went to ask Telon about the dreams, but they told me he had gone away on some errand. He should be back in a week or two though, and I'll bring it up then. Hopefully he'll have a good story from his time on the road.

---

 

Log 10055 School of Bioecology

08/13/2167

Student Name: Ayleah Pine

Subj: Environment, Local.

Introduction of Athyrium Filix-femina

in a Local Ecology – Cohabitation in Marsh Ferns

-for Discussion Section:

In this study we transplanted a single bulb of the fern plant Athyrium Filix-femina (Lady Fern) into an area already supporting a sizable community of Thelypteris palustris (Marsh Fern) in Willow Park. After successful implantation, we observed the fern community for one and a half growing cycles. Considering the nature of the area (wet, partially-shaded), we speculated that the Lady Fern would be a good fit and would hopefully prosper.

Initial results have been positive, with the introduced species producing both a fruiting body and a healthy dormant stage. Upon renewal of the growing cycle, the Lady Fern maintained good form and is adapting well to its new environment. We have also recorded secondary results. Among survey responses of residents near to the study area and visitors to Willow Park we found an effect on well-being. The introduction of a new (noninvasive) species to the community provided residents and visitors with a point of interest and even may have motivated more visits to the park.

Further research will, in the immediate sense, take the form of our continued observation of the fern community. We will be monitoring the health and spread of Athyrium Filix-femina, and its potential interactions with the existing Thelypteris palustris. If the interaction proves positive for both species, there may be an opportunity for future introductions. A working marsh fern arboretum would be a benefit to future bioecology studies, and would also provide a pleasant and calming point of interest.

Personal Notes:

-AP—Working on this project has been a wonderful experience. Coming from a background in very different sort of nature, I have thoroughly enjoyed gaining knowledge and experience about the marshes and plains. My understanding of plants and the places they live has grown exponentially in the past few moons. I have also greatly appreciated the help I have received from both my peers in the school and the locals of the Sanctuary. In particular on this project I want to thank Heln Borringar, the head of the Pond Shoreline Team this past cycle. They were instrumental in aiding our efforts to get the fern bulb planted and keep it safe during the study. Our two groups even developed a bit of a friendship, so thank you to Heln and his crew.

One Journal

 

“The last entry is dated a week before his disappearance”

“Go on, let me hear it.”

The day was an overcast one, unusual for this side of the growing cycle. Even just in the past two days it has rained quite a bit, and our efforts by the pond edge are mired for now. Work was canceled today again while we wait for things to dry out, so I went for a walk out in the groves to get some fresh air and relaxation. I must admit that time got away from me and I returned a good half hour past when I intended. Not unusual in itself, as I often lose myself in thought while out in nature.

I entered the city again and got some lunch before heading to my afternoon philosophy class. Class was unimpressive, but stimulating enough I suppose. It was on the way back home that the interesting thing happened. As I walked back to my apartment building a flash of reddish-orange light appeared for a split second in my periphery. I quickly checked in its direction, but found that it had disappeared, and my mind was quickly forming an impression that I had only imagined it. Or perhaps a light or the setting sun had reflected for an instant off some shiny surface, but no, upon inspection no such reflecting object could be seen either. In the place where I had seen the light was only a corner of the city wall. I turned the corner onto my street and still there was no sign of anything potentially bright-colored. It was as if a red squirrel had just darted behind this corner and, characteristic of squirrels, was watching me from somewhere cleverly out of sight. There are no squirrels in the city though.

I returned home, thinking less of the earlier trick of the light. As I sat at my table after finishing dinner however, I was struck by another odd visual sensation. The whole world around my seemed to darken and increase in vividness, as if the contrast between light and shadow had warped. A darkness seemed ready to envelop my vision, but it was not accompanied by the typical feeling of faintness. I mentally held my ground and the whole experience passed in under a minute.

These sights today I assume are nothing more than visual quirks, and I would perhaps be better off seeking an eye-doctor, but something in me wonders what interpretation the mystics would have. Unless these sights persist in a concerning way, I may have to pursue my curiosity in the coming days..

The scholar finished reading and looked up at the other. Lucan's eyes betrayed a meaningful look for only a split second before becoming impassive again. “And how long now has he been missing?”

“Heln has not reported for his last three shifts, or to any of the classes he would normally take between them. All attempts at contacting him have elicited no response, and his friends have reportedly not seen him either. On this the fourth day, we became especially concerned. His name has also not been found in any shuttle manifests for the past week, so if he left the city that way he would have been in disguise.”

Lucan met his gaze evenly. “We must find him, or any trace we can. Send word to the outposts and the shuttle stations to report anything they might know, and Davai- could you stay a minute? As the rest of the small council gave their bows and filed out, Lucan drew to the House-Sage's side. “Davai, I want you to secure the city in all ways, can you do that for me? Not just the usual attention to the physical barriers, but something else.” Davai caught the gleam of his eyes in the darkening room as he continued. “I want this place to truly be a sanctuary, should anything drastic happen in the greater world. I want to know the inhabitants of these walls are surrounded by the best sort of protection energies we can muster. I know you are up to this challenge.” Davai gave a short bow as he replied. “I would be honored maester. It will take some time and effort to gather the proper materials, but it can be done easily enough, and we will all sleep the better for it.”

With that assurance, Davai left the Head Sage's office to go and make the evening rounds, and Lucan was left alone with the journal. He gazed at Heln's writing, still relatively fresh on the page, and wondered what was going through the man's mind right now, wherever he might be.

Snow Angels

 

Crunch. Crunch. Crunch.

Swaddled in protective layers, the body moves steadily and surely over snow and ice and frozen blades of grass. Little is regarded by the subtle senses of the soles, percepting through rubber and wool in this season. A trunk, tree-like yet in motion across the plain, it culminates above in a gaze, filtered and protected by a polarized lens. The sight sweeps back and forth at times, turning the whole of the body in the process, neck constrained to one degree in the warm padding. The gaze takes in the wondrous world around: hazes of dormant plants hiding in veils of wind-blown crystals. The sun is hiding too, a soft dim glow in the midst of the clouds. The body continues across the landscape, crunching firm even ground with every step. Amid squall and weather swirl, a feeling of command suffuses consciousness, borne from the steady travel of the body through space.

In the thicket there is a slight calm. Not quite enough crossing branches to elicit the true calm of the woods on a day like this, but still a respite from the blowing charge of the fields. A path, drifted in places and winding in a treaded course softened by time and sun. It leads eventually to a window, an opening on the world downwind. Out on the plain you see them, blowing across the open flats, swirling in their charge. The dancing stampede. Like unyielding bison the snow devils, pirouetting in crashing flocks; sweeping the storm winds along. They play and scamper, rein and snarl, all in furious pace. Their feet leave no trace upon the tundra floor but a wisp of icy shadow; a light swirl of crystals that scatter their essence back into the whole.

The clouds shift and dance above the scene, an intricate stage lighting for the show. Without warning or too much suddenness, there is an opening in the clouds and she rises, coalescing. A stillness comes to the mind and the gaze is fixed on ethereal angelic presence in garb of glowing silver. The shepherd of this wild flock is glorious over her range. An angel held in the open space the sun has made. The ephemeral deity is nothing but a shaft of light-filled flurries tinged golden by the western rays. Yet this here is the truth of the divine. Where else could it be sought if not here in the raw forces, where else could she be real if not in the reality? For a moment the sight beholds something truly exalted, though the mind cannot fully grasp its meaning. Consciousness holds itself in a suspension of reason, in pure communion with the magic of base perception. Inhaling, the body breathes the divinity and accepts itself as a part of the storm. Consciousness perceives itself in that moment as but one small moving part in the grand flow of reality. The angel is turning along her path. She gestures out and embraces her swirling charges, and absorbing, falls back into the oneness of the storm again.

The eyes closed, the body relaxed into the embrace of the wind. It speaks in unceasing whispers that roar through the halls of inner space. The calls of the wind hint at all the places it has been. It beckons to the promise of distant mysteries waiting to be found and realms beyond the salient world. Relaxing into these possibilities, the mind meditates. The body is protected, and the tension of the building squall all around awakens a deep calm within. Peace is found in the midst of the storm. It is a peace that tests and secures the wisdom within. The security is cold and sure as deep clear ice. Breathe, and receive the crisp life of the winter air. Held and released, it is the breath of reality itself. Listen carefully as it flows with you.

Eyes open again, the sun has dimmed. A fresh darkening of cloud is bringing thicker flakes again. The wind rises here and there, insistent in its raucous cries. Crows always seem to have a little too much intelligence for comfort. The body moves, consciousness acknowledging the gift it has been given by being in this spot at this moment in time. Steadily, the self seeks home again for recuperation. Glorious as it always is, the divine comes at a cost. No true communion is not sought out in a journey away from rest. Moving through the growing snow, the peace holds still in the heart, and is secured with each crunching step.

Welcome, Heln of the Plains

         Wonderful and unique, that feeling of mud squelching between ones toes. In his youth he and some others had found a patch off in the corner of a field where fresh water-course lost its banks. The thick grass was stained with shallow pools, and the kids delighted in splashing around until it was all a brown mess. There would be places in the muck where a plate of earth held together and could be rocked back and forth with comical sounds adding to the playground effect. The smell of cool splashed mud and trampled grass under a clear sun were among his favorite memories of childhood.

Though the weather and place could hardly be more similar, he found it difficult to compare the joys of then and now. The mud made the same sound, as they dredged it up from the hole, but the smell was different. Coming from so deep, and forced from its bed in the marsh, it had an overpowering richness that stank of decay. It was good earth, as much as the clay-plain could offer, but it resisted its transition to the open light of day and the process gave none of that childhood sense of ease. The sun burnt down, more noticeable now in his older age. Every now and then he would feel the coolness of the water, dirty yet soothing all the same.

In crews of four they worked, spaced along the muddy shoreline, in part creating it as they progressed. Reeds towered up on either side, sheltering the open expanse of their work-pit. Between the shore and the shallows of the marsh stood an open expanse of muddied water, dug out steadily by their efforts. As they brought the rich clay up from the depths, other crews came to take it away for use in various places. The mine served a dual purpose of providing earthen material and solidifying a long-overgrown shoreline of the swampy lake. Where the crew had already been, the shoreline was clear and solid; a rough open lawn with a view to the cattail forest.

Tough work, and he would be covered with mud by the time his shift was done, but Heln Borringar enjoyed his assignment. His interest lay in the historical studies, specifically those relating to the Natural Cults. Residence at the Sanctuary's academy was an obvious choice, and he had since spent much of his time working hands-on with the local cultural artifacts. There were many aspects to the maintenance of a natural temple, especially one as large as the labyrinth here at the Sanctuary. Much as when he was a child, he delighted in working with the land and building something meaningful in union with that land. That it had a spiritual and cultural connection to a storied past (and future?) of mystery cults only deepened his commitment. He relished his studies in the library nearly as much as his work out in the muddy fields.

The digger plunged back into the water, gliding as smooth as the machinery could manage, and scraped for another load of clay. Uncountable insects called from the forest of cattails and marsh grass, and the distant shadows of birds flitted across the golden sun. the scoop came up only partially full this time, and that was an indication that they would be moving position soon. The open pool would be left to regrow vegetation, and the new shoreline monitored for stability. The digger, anchored out in the marsh, slowly moved toward its next spot, and soon the work had begun again. At the end of his shift, Heln climbed the grassy bank and stood looking west across the roadway. An irregular line of rocks, thirty feet tall or so, stood beyond: the outermost ring of the labyrinth. Most of the rocks were overgrown with grass between them and along their sides, so only the jagged peaks showed through. Here and there though places had been cleared, and he knew that a lot more work had been done in the inner rings. Eventually the whole labyrinth would be cleared, cleaned, and fortified so that maintenance might be easier in the future. A well-maintained labyrinth could bring pilgrims here for both worship and study – all to the continued health of this sanctuary community. As the sun gleamed golden in the western sky, Heln felt grateful to be a part of this work, and for the place he had found in the world.

Green Sea

Students filed out of classroom buildings arranged under the tall sweetwood tree. Little dark ants down on the green lawn. Some hung around, gathering in small groups or heading off to read in a nearby grove. Others boarded hoverbikes and shuttles bound into the city or off to an afternoon class in some other part of the Sanctuary.

This place has such a different feel to its school atmosphere, Ayleah thought as she sat watching the scene. With her morning off, she was relaxing at her favorite spot on the sunset deck. The sun didn't reach this side of the city until after lunch, so it stayed pleasantly cool later into the day. From here there was an excellent view of the entire lower boulevard, the long-distance landing pad, and the outdoor classroom pod with its pretty groves. In the distance, out to the west, vast green fields stretched as far as she could see, rising to a higher horizon capped with forest. The tall grasses of the field waved hypnotically against the wind, and bushes bloomed like mysterious islands on the valley floor. The Sanctuary sat in a great shallow bowl of land, its sweeping fields dotted with small groves of verdancy and crossed by lanes cut into the grass. It was so different from where she had come on the shores of the lake, and it took some getting used to not having so many trees nearby. Ayleah's favorite places were on the decks that extended out from the city. Here she could feel like she was on the edge of a cliff, with something solid behind and above her. The city walls were not at all like a tree or a rock, but there was a comfort to their presence nevertheless. From the inspiring vantage points on the decks, she enjoyed watching the people of the Sanctuary going about their business. All around the city the workmen, scholars, monks, and other interesting folk went about their days in a communal coexistence. It was a wonderful place, full of life and honest promise.

At Telon's request, Ayleah had now spent a couple of weeks getting to know the land of the Sanctuary, and trying to understand its energy. She had hardly seen him since though, and it was frustrating not having someone with whom to discuss her insights. The land here was so different from what she had known her whole life, and was consequently giving her difficulty. For one thing there were no rocks here. What few she had seen had all come from somewhere else, trucked in from glens in the mountains. Instead the land of this place was a foundation of deep, fine-grained clay. It clumped, and stuck when unearthed. It was like always being on a very firm wet sponge that slowly sucked everything under- the energy below was hard to sense. Water, wind, and sun were plentiful everywhere one went in the Sanctuary though, and even the non-scholarly folk of the city seemed to enjoy their life in this place.

For Ayleah, it was still difficult to get used to the openness as well. She had lived her whole life up to this point under the shelter of trees, only knowing the open sky on those occasions she had been on boats off the shore. Here the trees rarely grew close enough together to create any sort of canopy. They were few, and placed far apart, each on its own. Many of the groves had gathering spots, or buildings clustered near their trunks, and it was clear that even people out here preferred to be under the trees. Perhaps, she thought, it was also due to their landmark status. Out beyond the city lawn the fields are an impenetrable jungle, with grass growing over two hundred feet high, and so thick that it becomes an impossible tangle to walk through. The calm grassy roads that snake out into the Sanctuary provide access in an otherwise bewildering landscape. High above it all rises the city, a prominent bubble of a structure dominating the surrounding fields, the trees and groves nestling it in the picturesque valley.

Within the city it was a closed-in bustle that Ayleah visited only out of necessity. She much preferred being outside in the open air, even if the expanse of blue was a little unnerving. When she did look up at the sky, she would marvel at the sight of huge, fluffy clouds; their billowing flanks uninterrupted by branches and leaves.

Lesson I

 

“Well yes, in a sense that's right, but let's expand on that. The magician invokes the three colors because of their relation to light, but why is that relation significant?

The professor, himself dressed in a light robe of mottled green and brown designs, continued: “Light is half of the essence of all things. It is the creative side; the side of manifestation into what we usually call 'the world' or 'reality'. Again, none of this is in the strict meta- physical sense, but rather in the perhaps more real sense of our lived relationship with reality.

“When the natural light we perceive is broken down into its most basic spectrum, we meet with the qualities of red, blue, and green, or some variation of the same from which all other coloration stems. Coloration of the world, combined with how we have learned to interpret those designs, leads us to the understanding of consensual reality that we have.

“The three elemental qualities are relevant beyond the simple optical associations because of the basic importance of light to our wider reality and its effects on our own beings. The most common understanding of this is in the psychologies that deal with color associations. Most of us know that certain colors, when encountered as qualities of a part of our reality, can affect emotional or other mental states. Could it be though that these effects are not just a superficial conditioned response to stimuli; that the influence of a color is actually invoking a deeper aspect of our lived experience, and that any change to our conscious state is nothing more than a symptom of the underlying encounter?”

The teacher paused to allow his students to catch up, and pressed a button on his remote. The lighting in the classroom changed.

“Red usually invokes a primal, animal feeling. We think of blood, and earth, and the rawness of mortal things. It is deeply connected to our life-force; the fire within us that makes us continue to be. It can be the electrical sparks that propel your body and thoughts forward. It can at the same time be the internal sun some of you may call a soul, that produces no heat, yet constantly seeks purpose. It is our metabolism and the warmth of our veins. It is a never-ceasing element of our existence that presents itself concisely here, in this quality.”

The lighting in the room changed again. “What about blue? What does blue invoke for us magicians?”

A hand raised in the dim light. “It feels relaxing, and yet scary. Like when you can't see the bottom of an otherwise very pleasant lake.”

The teacher gave a slight nod. “While there are no right or wrong answers here, I daresay that is a very good one. You have identified the underlying duality that exists in perhaps all qualities, and it is in this manner that we should be generally thinking in our work.

“To the point though, blue is the color of seeing beyond. The unknown is potential knowledge, and that is frightening. We never quite know how what we may soon learn will affect our reality. Nevertheless, knowledge can be a relief when it reassures us or allows us to plan for what is to come. Furthermore, by referencing the future, this blue is giving us reason to hope, which allows us to plan a reality we want to come into being. While red brings us into this reality, blue shows us that it is infinite.”

“Based on what we have now said about the first two qualities, what might we be able to say about green?”

When a student finally responded there was hesitation in his voice. “Logically...it should be some form of control. I mean, we don't just all go expanding into infinity.”

The teacher gave the thought a nudge: “Right, so what's the underlying principle behind our organization?”

“Looking around at much of the world there doesn't seem to be one. Everyone organizes things differently based on their codes, whether they're moral, scientific, or philosophical. Shouldn't a unifying element have some harmony to it?”

“Well there you've hit it right on the head!” the teacher grinned. “Green represents the harmony of this reality as inhabited by all these forces engaging in the activities of living and learning. Now you notice where it often fails, and we find conflict, disruption and consequently, suffering. Where the quality of harmony succeeds though, in those places we have a vision of what an ideal reality may be.

“You must not however, mistake this green element for a placidity. The turbulence of the world, insofar as it does not bring harm to the inhabitants of reality (which are not separate from it anyway), is a necessary component of proper harmony. It is the double-sided coin again; each quality in the world carries its extreme state and the opposite. It is in the balancing and the middle path that our lives should take their course. It is in understanding the shifting of that balance that we succeed.

“When all three of the elemental aspects are engaged in a positive way, the manifestation of reality will be only in a positive light. It is part of our job as practitioners of this way of seeing to engage with our life force, seek clear knowledge, and establish harmony as much as we can in the world. It is humble task, because in taking on these pursuits, we realize that we are not taking any special perspective on the world. These three elements of life are so basic that they are taken for granted in the complications of peoples' consciousness. We are seeking a path towards paradise by re-focusing on what is really real, and building the world from that point.”