Greetings!

This post is an annotated version of a discussion that Zaoria and myself
held on behalf of the Contraho Sapientia. I hope that it is easy enough
to follow and that it serves to stimulate some of your minds. I mean
that truly.

The manner of this discussion was largely question and answer. First, a
brief introduction was offered by both of us. I will provide those and
then follow the same question-answer format.

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Zaoria - "The Light is the realm of two Divine the physical aspect to
Lady Sol, and the spiritual aspect to Lord Pentharian. It's philosophies
are focused on virtue and Good; harm no innocent, defend Creation from
it's enemies, be truthful and honourable in your dealings."
"To those in the Church and Shallam, the Light is both illuminator and
beacon, guiding all persons along the path of Good."
"Most importantly, perhaps, it promotes sustainable growth within our
world, as well as the moral code outline in the Codeces and Precepts."

Thaddeus - "Darkness is generally represented in the Pentad by Twilight.
It has, as its tenets, an unyielding sense of personal responsibility
and self-determination. Though Darkness is not represented by any House
or City directly, it is highly regarded as a founding "force" within
Creation."

QUESTION - "Again, mainly for [Zaoria]. Where does Lady Lorielan fit
into your scheme of the Light?"

Z - "Light is spiritual as well as physical. Whereas others may wish to
conceal information or research, such as the Occultist House, we do not
hide in the shadows as such; we see to share our knowledge with the
world, so that all may see only truth. Lady Lorielan's realm is very
much a term one could describe as any mind whom has accepted Light and
dispelled all falsehoods within themselves."


QUESTION - "I know that light and dark are opposing... but why do they
have to dislike each other so much? Isn't it without light you can't
KNOW darkness? And same for light? You just spoke of shadows.. but
without both... there can be no shadows. So why are the two sides so...
viscous towards each other?"

T - "Darkness does not teach "love" or "hate" for anything. Darkness
actually advocates a much more unified idea of Creation. The simple
duality that you mention is something that is very explicitly explored
by Darkness. One of the most basic tenets of Darkness is "As below, so
above. So above, as below.""

Z - "As Thaddeus mentioned, Light too advocates a much more unified idea
of Creation. But we seek to do so with truth, not the shroud of deceit.
Darkness is only found in the absence of Light. In the darkest corridor,
does not a candle dispel the Darkness? The Light illuminates the
illusions from our mental and physical environs. Out in the open desert,
during the day, there is no darkness, no shade. You see only what is,
you see reality in it's fullest. Light and Dark are not relative;
Darkness may only exist where Light does not, but Light may be brought
to all aspects of life; mental, physical, spiritual."

Q - "How would you know truth if you did not experience deceit though?"
Z - "Truth is made apparent by the Light; by accepting it's teachings in
one's mind, you begin to understand philosophical and scholastic truth.
With the body, the Light guides our mortal eyes to see what surrounds
us. In the Night, the shapes of trees, animals, even other mortals are
often blurred if not obscured entirely. In the light of day, one may see
their environment for what it truly is. One does not need to be blinded
to know that they can see, physically or otherwise."
"We do not need it, it merely provides an ever-returning example for the
purpose of this discussion."

QUESTION - "You mention truth ... how would you define truth? It is not
a word that can be used lightly."

T - "Truth is dependant on a great deal of external cues to be defined.
In terms of Darkness, it is most often a personal matter. What you
believe to be true is not necessarily true. Proof of this is in the
simple fact that facts change. Look to the "unchanging" natures of the
Divine Themselves for a good example of this."
"So, it is almost a fruitless endeavor to "define" truth."

Z - "Truth can be simply defined as that which Is. Our reality is the
ultimate truth, the value by which we weigh all information in the
logical mind. In that same vein, intangible truths such as philosophies
and ideals would be defined as that which best presents reality to one's
mind."
"One particular truth that has always resonated with me is the Eighth
precept of the Anointed; Save that which can be saved, destroy that
which cannot. Be secure in Light will all be restored."

Q - "But why is that true? Surely that is more an command than a Truth."
T - "Remember what I said about truth? You will find your answer there."
Z - "It is true because it is how reality works; even in the face of a
mass of Chaos poised to destroy the entire Jewel of the East, the powers
of Light from Lady Sol destroyed the taint. The enemies of Light are
always eventually crushed, though I will admit that the Mhaldorians
certainly make us pay for it at home."
T - "I believe that reality as evidence of truth is shifting, at best.
There is but one truth, and that is not necessarily -this- reality. The
Divine know of a great many more realities than we could ever hope to."


QUESTION - "We were discussing Light and Darkness as polar opposites
before. I don't think it's quite like that. I think there's a range of
shadow there, like how light through a window is filtered and not quite
as bright. And a shadow is still lit by its surroundings. Can you both
elaborate on that thread of thought?"

T - "You actually mention something that I had wanted to point out
earlier. The idea of stars shining against the darkness of the night is
an oft cited "weakness" of Darkness. However, I believe that, as I have
said before, it speaks more to the shared nature of the two forces.
Rather than seeing a sea of Darkness with a few randomly spaced bits of
light interspersed, I see but one whole. That is the underlying idea
behind Darkness."
"Proponents of Light will often admit a bit of Darkness in all things.
Does that not suggest that Darkness and Light are merely two sides of
the same coin?"

Z - "Indeed, there is a great deal of shadow and theoretical grey area
when discussing the two. Logically, the brighter the surroundings, the
weaker the shadow. The same thing occurs when light is filtered through
a piece of painted glass or the canopies of high-up trees; the more
Light we surround ourselves with, the fewer shadows and vague area we
encounter. In this, the Light continues to ensure that we never fall
prey to manipulation or deceit. Admittedly, while the Light is perfect,
mortals are not, so I do not normally think it a failure servant of
Light to have been fooled in the past. Now, my opponent speaks of Light
and Darkness being opposite sides of the same coin. As nice of an ideal
as this is, it is simply not true. The Light is not threatened by
Darkness; the mortal mind is. Where Light creates, Darkness does not
destroy. Where Light illuminates, Darkness manipulates and conceals
truth."
"Darkness and Light, even for their difference, are still ideologies of
Creation. I would say that the two are perversions of each other,
depending on whose standpoint one is in."
"But I would definitely say that Chaos is the opposite of Light in our
world, not Darkness."

QUESTION - "When you, Thaddeus, speak of Darkness, and how it coexists
with light, that sounds convincing, because it is good to have the day
and the night to also sleep in. But when you, Zaoria, speak of the Light
as purely good and the darkness as a lack, that too is convincing. May
it not be that different things are true of light and darkness literally
than of Light and Darkness as spiritual principles?"

Z - "I would say that is quite accurate, young Sentinel. Each aspect of
Light is patroned by a different divine, is it not? The physical
manifestation of the aforementioned ideals serves mostly as a metaphor
for the two, but I would say that there is indeed a difference between
one's shadow on the highway and an ideology based around deception and
secrecy, just as a candle's embers differ from the cleansing fires of a
religion based upon growth and Creation's continuation."
"Ultimately, they are words to be duelled with in these sort of
situations. Words to be spoken. Ideals to be lived by."
"Ultimately, they are words to be dueled with in these sort of
situations. Words to be spoken. Ideals to be lived by."

T - "I believe that there is more to be said about the differences
between the spiritual principles than there is about the physical
manifestations of each. Though Darkness is often characterized by blind
ambition and destruction, as I have stated previously, it is actually
more about self-determination and about the realization of the
inter-connectedness of all things. Further, precepts of the Light
advocate deception and subterfuge to advance the ideals of the Light. If
Darkness can be Light, why not vice versa?"

QUESTION - "Just a comment, but is light not stronger than darkness?
Darkness does not cover up the light, but light will always shine
through the darkness."

T - "I wish that I had a candle. I would show you something
interesting."

Z - "Would one of the necromancers here please call upon the Darkness?"

[Unholy darkness is called down which Zaoria dispells with the help of
her angel]

"You are correct in noting that the Light dispels Darkness, both in
their physical manifestations and their ideological premises."

T - "And yet, the two have not destroyed one another to date."

QUESTION - "Isn't it sometimes good to hide things? Nobody would say
that an utter lack of secrecy is good all the time."

Z - "The Light, the faithful, and Creation have absolutely nothing to
fear from the world knowing our truths. While some matters of security
for our mortal organizations are on a need-to-know basis, we simply have
nothing to hide. That, however, is my personal answer, as each servant
of Light must choose whether or not they wish to follow the Dawnstriders
in toeing the line between the two."
"Philosophically speaking? The Light hides no truths. Mortals hide
organizational and matters of security, but our knowledge is open to all
who would seek it."

T - "Though I would say the same for Darkness."

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That concludes it. Thank you to all those that participated and
attended! We will be letting you know about future events!

On behalf of the Contraho Sapientia, I hope you enjoyed!

Yours,


Unlearned Thaddeus, the Five-Fingered

Penned by my hand on the 1st of Lupar, in the year 504 AF.