Way of the Mystic Moon

[eenock]

[[An ongoing story dedicated to the path of self-realization and discovery that Alfakyn Finiarel, a male Drow with a troubled past, has committed to undertaking in service to the Dark Maiden. Inspired by the exemplars of their race, elven bladesingers of old, who held philosophy and wisdom beyond their years. Shepherding a new age and understanding for the Dark Dancers on the surface, would be the first step towards his dream of a united people once again.]]

Moonlights Mirror: The Light, the Vessel and the Reflection

The end of the day closing in, Alfakyn searches around for an area to settle down for the night, a light rain beginning to come down as he does so. Searching for another 20-30 minutes, Alfa eventually comes upon a small cave, a shelf of rock overhanging it's entrance, and providing shelter. Checking that it was in fact empty, he huddles in, and explores it further

It was mostly empty, some loose rocks and leaves littering the floor. It was quickly apparent that it'd once served as a haunt of sorts, perhaps for a wandering Hermit. There was some clay bowls, torn leaves and shaped branches that'd served as a tool of some kind. There were two bowls near the entrance, just inside the overhang. One of them was full of water, the other was cracked and sitting just outside, the pattering rain splashing into it, as well as a drip from the overhang

The untouched bowl, hadn't long been filled, judging by the surface of the water, free of dust or debris. Maybe only a week, possibly longer. It's contents were perfectly still, and the fading light gave it a dark, inky appearance, which was reflecting the dim light of the cloud-covered moon above.

The cracked bowl, lying just outside the entrance, was only filled about half of the way, the crack stretching up to it's rim leaking water out, as well as the splashing dribble from the rain constantly disturbing the surface. Whatever reflection it might have cast, it was hopelessly marred by the poor integrity of the bowl, as well as the constant disturbance of the splashing water

Munching slowly on a bit of dried meat, Alfa allowed himself to 'day-dream', his thoughts wondering aimlessly, but inevitably always returning to those thoughts of the past few days; the elven tradition of bladesinging, and the thought that it was not the right match for his current 'self', his current ideals and ambitions. That is, Drow did not hold such traditions now, and the ways of old were not compatible with the people they had become.

While these thoughts passed through his mind, a Koi fish in the still waters bordering the rapids of the river, came to mind, and he let that image play out in front of his eyes, overlaying it against the bowls on the cave floor

A sliver of light peaked through the clouds, as Alfa looked up to catch sight of the Moon before it disappeared behind the clouds again. That sliver of moonlight grew however, as the clouds parted further, and he found his gaze drawn to a brightening reflection on the surface of the untouched bowl... it's surface, inky black, and perfectly still, was reflecting perfectly the rays of the moon. Minute particulates within the water even gave the slightest impression of the scarred surface as well, his mind filling in the blanks, and he was momentarily awestruck, entranced by the sight.

Curiously, he turned his gaze to the blemished bowl, hoping to see the same reflection, but was disappointed, as the cracked surface, and dripping water only set the water inside into agitation, and there was but a distorted white blob at it's center. The phenomenon puzzled him for some reason, and he felt like there was something just beneath the surface, something that he was failing to see, or comprehend

Returning his gaze to the intact bowl once again, the full moons reflection still present, he allowed the fantasy, the images of the koi flit across his vision, image looking like the fish were in the water itself; trying the same with the damaged bowl, only frustrated him, as the image of the 'dancing' fish, within the tumultuous water felt... wrong, unnatural. Their graceful movements could never disturb the water so. The slowness of their circling was subtle, it almost gave the impression of none-movement, and yet when you but blinked, it was nearly complete in a full revolution

Displayed against the intact bowl, it felt natural, truthful.. he could believe that such a creature could swim and not disturb the water
feeling as though he were on the cusp of some deeper understanding, he meditated, and allowed that vision, ghostly and etheric in his mind now, to replay over and over, and he reviewed it against his own teachings, his visions he'd been seeing recently, and the lessons of his late master, of the masters he'd come to know and see in practice throughout his life

Difficult at first, as his excitement was agitating his own mind, it was not until he allowed it to quiet, that he brought his mental being into alignment with his physical, unmoving being, that it dawned on him, the striking similarity. The novel, and profound parallel between his own mind, and body, when presented in contrast to what he'd just seen; the moons reflection upon the still water, and it's reflection upon agitated water, in addition to the phantasm of the koi fish swimming within both.

The bubbling excitement within him, which threatened to destroy the mental image, and serene state of meditation he'd acquired, only served to prove his point, his own musings;

In this, the Moons was reflecting off of the water; His mind then, was like water, his intentions and will being like the moon... a disturbed surface could never hope to hold the reflection that your intentions, your will cast upon it; Where the mind goes, the energy, or the body, follows. This was impossible if the water was not still

Calmly continuing further down this train of thought thinking smaller in scale, more practically; he explored it deeper, thinking now of the broken bowl, and was pleased to find another analogy that made sense, and worked within his working theory;

The bowl was a vessel, and as much as the splashing water had disturbed it's surface, the very integrity of the bowl had doomed its' ability to cast reflections as well. water without a vessel capable of containing it, could cast no true reflection

In this, the body and intellect could be likened to the vessel itself... if both are not nurtured, it cannot hold the water that casts the reflection;
Pleased, he explored deeper, regarding the koi upon it's surface, and it's relationship with the water, the vessel, the reflection;

The kois slow, subtle movements were also contained, minimal, and precise. They did not overexert, or battle against the space it was given. They did not rush, were unhurried, their movements almost seeming to rush towards their inevitable conclusion due to their slowness and fluidity, as seen by the watching eye. Without all of that, it would disturb the water, the reflection, and the magic would be lost.

Inspiration flowing in earnest, he ran through this all, again, and again, and every time found that it made sense within the context, and he could even find applications within every day life, that could find relations between water, reflections, and the vessel holding both.

It was only later, when the morning had come, that Alfa realized he'd slipped into a trance, holding him there for nearly 8 hours as he'd pondered and worked through the realizations he'd had, and internalized them. They were the foundation of what he'd use to create his own tradition, that was fully, and entirely dedicated to the Dark Maiden

[[Feel free to comment or give your thoughts in an OOC thread, this is the best starting point I could think for his story! More will follow, and we will see this philosophy, his own understanding of a 'Mirror Principle', evolve and take on new meaning with how he practices his faith, and engages with the world]]