Fiat Monas

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ffetcher

For some, the word from my sponsor is a trifle academic in its approach. By my standards, it is experiential, but just in case, here's a different response. You either know what it is, or you don't. If you do, then you'll work out that compressing it to nine hours rather than days will entail a real journey, starting in darkness. Even if you can find a short one, please plan this appropriately and and take care.


   
day one

 

It begins in darkness:
from the darkness comes hope;

from the darkenss comes desire;
from the darkness we will draw down light.

It is a dark road, and a long road, and a trying road,
with the You, my Lady, at its beginning and its end.

But the darkness gives ecstasy, and shares ecstasy,
for all acts of pleasure are her rituals.

The road will connect beginning and end:
what is important is the journey, not the road or the darkness

Lady. look upon our journey with favour,
and allow that we arrive welcome.

We have known you by many names,
and by all names, and by none.

You have stood for us,
and stood with us,
wept for us and wept with us.
For all this and more, we thank You.


   
day two

 

A briar rose for the Lady:
Autumn roses are blood-dark,

The brandy-darkness gives shade,
and adds contrast to the view.

Soon, we know, new buds will be full of promise,
We know this, but cannot Know it fully,
even though we have Your assurance.

For now, the roses are blood-dark,
and the spring roses will still have thorns,
and the blood will still be red.

As the moon starts to wax, we bring you a rose.
A rose with sharp thorns. You bring us gifts. Fine gifts.
We know that we do not need to bleed twice for you.

Stand with us, Lady.
Protect us from those who would act against us.
Protect us from those who would harm our kith and kin.

There will be blood in the wine.
Lady, accept the wine as blood.


   
day three

 

Once, She wept tears of blood.
Now we bring Her flowers

each dark rose something endured,
then given as an offering

Dark roses, the briar in the blood
Dark Blood; dark wine - accept our offering
Days of wine and roses.

You have fought for us, and stood for us.
And we have brought You only a gift of fragile flowers,
however dearly bought.

Autumn roses dance, the last blooms, leaves falling.
Always sadness, datk blooms like congealed blood on the thorns.
The brandy-darkness lends shade and contrast to the view.

Your soothsayer-lawyers
and your storyteller-priests
were warriors too.

They stood with you, as we stand with you,
and you stood for them, as you stand for us.


   
day four

 

The moon is our guide and our guardian.
The full moon guides us safely home.

But even when She is hidden, She still guides,
so we light candles to the wine.

Even though there is no need, we will bleed for you.
Our bodies are Yours: our forms are Yours.

It is lighting the candle,
rather than the candle itself, that matters.
Lighting the candle, and snuffing it out
Or lighting the candle and letting it burn

You are present even when we cannot see you,
candle-light and promises -
Your light so strong, our promises so fickle.
For now, candle-light must stand for the moon.

The light is also Your guidance, Your comfort,
when You wrap us in Your cloak, enfolding us in love.
Never virgin, You remain ritually untouched.
This is a wonderful. comforting place, in Your presence.


   
day five

 

This space stands between the worlds,
It contains our souls.

The whole world is in this space,
stretching to the ends of the light.

The candlelight makes a gentle cage
from the dappled leaves of the trees.
The moon's guiding light is outside,
but the comfort of the cage is within.

Rather than constraining, the cage is a safe place
where we can follow our path without fear,
follow Your guiding hand. leading us outward.

And follow You we must,
if we are to move beyond and meet You fully.
The candles and the wine anchor us,
allowing us to move within ourselves, outside the safe space.

Wherever You are with us, the space is sacred:
drinking the last of the wine,
from the darkness of the moon may we drink down the light


   
day six

 

We cannot stop the leaves falling
and revealing the thorns,

but we know that She will return,
sated with her pure exchange.

You are only slipping away to a love tryst,
and we should be glad rather than sad.
When You return with the moon,
it will be with the promise of fulfilment and of growth.
For we too have trysted,
and tasted the pure pleasure of union.

Your soft hair catches the light
even when there is no sun.
You are both handsome and beautiful.

Your soft hands are those who care and love,
and have gentle, terrifying compassion.

You admonish us when we do something wrong,
particularly if we know that it is wrong.

As a lover, Your forgiveness is hard-won.


   
day seven

 

We are falling in darkness
hidden from the light.

Falling from nowehere to nowhere,
it feels as if we will fall forever,

We have loved you
longing for you, yearning for you
searching for you ever further.

until at last in the gathering light we see
that you are as much within us as we are within you.

Finally, we realise that unless we know what is within
we cannot know anything else.
and in that blind union is the ecstasy of the dark road.

Knowledge without need of knowledge,
Stirred up fully, union without need of union.

We would dance for you, and be merry;
We would love and laugh;
And finally, we would bring you more roses;
and more blood-red wine.


   
day eight

 

We were close as companions
comfortable as lovers,

asking no more than we could give.
Then, suddenly, She has withdrawn herself.

Suddenly, You will not speak.
The road, which we thought almost complete, is much longer still
and without you, it is unendurably lonely.

Give us the courage to accept your will
The moon is hidden, The darkness is silent, The light gives no comfort.

You have been everything.
You stand alone.
We do not invoke You.
We do not bind You.
We do not dismiss You.

Beautiful one, radiant lady.
Your dark-edged radiance of superliminal Newton's rings.


   
day nine

 

It ends with the sunrise:
More than just survival, a token.

The sunrise balances the steel moon, setting.
blood-red giving way gradually to fine weather.

Finally, we sleep
And even the darkest night ends with the dawn.
The journey has had purpose.

When we awaken, You are there with us,
having watched us sleep,
even when we believed we were alone.

You do not dominate.
You do not control.
You guard Your people.
You guide Your people.
You gently chide Your people.

You need not bind your enemies;
you need only bind your friends;

All the dead women will help us sleep.


 

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