Deoch Mass - 3-20-2019

It is a honor to stand here, giving praise to Deoch once again.

May you embrace that which makes you an Aisling, the gift of Deoch and the Inspiration you have fostered within yourself.

There were more than a few occasions in the distant past where I was thrown out of masses because I was a priest of an enemy deity. Honestly, I wasn’t all that surprised, it wasn’t uncommon for there to be open animosity between those of opposing faiths. Perhaps that sounds strange now because these types of hatreds are all but non-existent in the present day.

I have talked with priests of nearly all religions contemplating reviving their temples and they have expressed nothing but enthusiasm for getting as many attendees as they can, regardless of where they come from.

Be it out of necessity because of our smaller population or some sense of genuine togetherness…. things are different than they used to be and I am happy for it.

But that is not to say that I have always been an idealist.

Back when I was but a newly Sparked Aisling, I joined Deoch’s fellowship early on. For a long while, I turned away from people who walked with enemy gods and even Gramail followers… especially Gramail followers. I recall delighting in finding a cache of Fiosachd prayer necklaces; not simply because I could offer them up as tribute to Deoch but instead because I was getting the opportunity to destroy something from a fellowship I loathed simply because that’s what I thought I was supposed to feel.

And yes, maybe in my more rebellious days, I tried to attend enemy masses simply because my presence would stir up trouble.


But...

This is a Luathas prayer necklace. This necklace belonged to my wife, Flyss, a Luathian Priestess, and she left it to me before she crossed the veil. It wasn’t until I first met her that I began to understand a very simple concept that I had been avoiding… we are all children of Deoch; we are all Aislings.

I wear this necklace not just in memory of her but also as an important reminder that the hatreds that stem from our differences aren’t as strong as the bonds of similarity that we share.

Now the Aisling population is smaller and more tight knit, but let us not be content with the status quo. Let us continue to welcome new Aislings into our community and if, by some chance, our numbers begin to swell again… let us remember to teach that simple truth: We are brothers and sisters of the Spark, we are a family.

Let us never forget that.

[Remarks as written, not as delivered.]

Deoch Mass - 3-13-2019

It is a honor to stand here, giving praise to Deoch once again.

May you embrace that which makes you an Aisling, the gift of Deoch and the Inspiration you have fostered within yourself.

It has been one hundred and sixty two Deochs since the dawn of Aisling kind. That is an astonishing fact to think about. I can assure you that even the most forward thinking Aislings of that first crop could not have imagined that Temuair would still be here after all this time.

If there has been one constant during this long road it would be that many Aislings through the cycles have left Temuair dismayed by what they saw as a degrading of the Aisling Spark. Every new generation starting with the first had Dreamers that found faults with their peers and prophesied 

the end of Temuair. Yet despite everything, just as the Light stands against the Darkness… just as we all stand here now... the Aisling Spark Endures.

Twenty cycles since the dawning and there are Aislings still shining their creativity and inspiration in Temuair. Smaller numbers, yes, but still motivated and exercising the gifts of Deoch with words and actions.

Sometimes I feel like a Dreamer whose time has long passed but yet I find myself continually surprised by encounters of kindness and heartened by the creativity of those Aislings who still find their way into Temuair . These encounters leave me inspired and hopeful that Temuair will continue to defy those that forecasted the end of the Spark.

Those of you that remain, Temuair is in your hands. Continue to surprise those that heralded the doom of this world. Your Light illuminates Temuair and the Aisling Spark endures because of you and your actions.

Go forward and spread the word of Deoch. Mass is cast.

[ Remarks as written, not as delivered. ]

Deoch Mass 3-6-2019

It is a honor to stand here, giving praise to Deoch once again.

May you embrace that which makes you an Aisling, the gift of Deoch and the Inspiration you have fostered within yourself.

Darkness. 

There are two types that we face every day; that from within and that from without.

Unlike its ghastly extravagant scions on the battlefield, the Darkness inside of us is subtle and patient. It is insidiously watching for a stray thought or feeling to latch on to for its opportunity to grow into something bigger.

And once it gains control it can be stifling, controlling, all encompassing. A relentless predator, from which escape is no easy task.

The Dark delights in solitude and in denial, because it knows .. it fears... the power of the Light. It knows that it can’t snuff out even a dim light of its own accord. And once exposed, the Darkness is vulnerable to outside Lights coming in aid.

So, for those of us struggling with the Darkness inside, I say: do not hide your struggles. Share them with someone you trust, so that they may reach out their hands to you and connect their Light to yours.

Sometimes the Darkness swirls as fierce as the Maelstrom. It’s roar and winds do not subside quietly in the face of opposition. But within that storm, the Light persists… boosted by Lights bonded together… to await the break in the storm that sits over the horizon.

Go forward and spread the word of Deoch. Mass is cast.

[ Remarks as written, not as delivered. ]