Soken/Web
Scroll of the Web
Considering who and what I am, I almost thought my time on the Path of Life to be complete before I began, however my days as a blacksmith showed me just how removed I was from the normal workings of the world. My time in the shadows had removed me from the daily life of my peers, those few who remained, and so I realized that I needed, now more than ever, to walk the Path of Life.
The Path of Life appears at one and the same time obvious and unknowable to the supplicants who find themselves at the river mouth. Understanding the totality of life seems the most daunting task a man or woman can set for themselves, a task that cannot possibly be fulfilled in a single phase of existence. Many others go through their time on this world merely existing. They have friends, a job, children and many of the trappings of life, but they hold these things in contempt of their true value, instead placing worth in knowledge and the higher world of spirituality. The preoccupation with what will remain after life has fled, the focusing on the higher wills of the gods or ideals, the slavish devotion to a cause or lord, bleeds the vitality of life itself until nothing remains. For those who walk the path of life, these trials and questions will not deter them. They will seek understanding and find enriching fulfilment in all they do, bringing peace and tranquillity.
To begin within, at the source, brings only uncertainty and confusion. To truly understand the beginning one must walk the length of the river before gazing upon the spring. The inner self cannot be understood easily, it defies such attempts by its very nature and those who persist gain only frustration. To truly reach enlightenment one starts by looking not within but without. To learn of life one must experience it, and so the supplicant who truly begins to walk the path starts by seeking to indulge all of life's gifts. Throwing caution to the wind the supplicant seeks one joy after another, one thrill to replace the next, usually leading a life of steadily increasing decadence as they explore the marshlands of the river mouth. It is the first trial of the suplicant to realize the purpose of their lack of restraint, the method to the madness. Many do not wish to move beyond their first taste of life, feeling that the rewards of the moment sufficient for all their needs. Those who realize that a life of meaningless joy and revelry will leave one hollow begin to hear the voices around them that before they had only sought to claim experience from. It is when the supplicant realizes the sublime happiness that comes from helping others to the joy of a child's laughter, that they begin to see the web of life.
My time in the marshlands was not easy, which may surprise some people. I've spent so long removed from the flow of life that my first tentative steps were rather bland compared to most. I spent many days just enjoying the bustle of a market place, or the quite of a flower garden, always worried that any one of my enemies would punish me for stepping out of the shadows. Eventually I made up for lost time however, immersing myself in such wanton behaviour that even the dreaded Philippe would have raised an eyebrow. I won't deny that I enjoyed myself, but I knew it wasn't for me even as I trudged on through the marsh.
At this stage the supplicant must learn of the connections between people, the effect each has on the other to bring joy or sorrow. The supplicant has felt the hollow nature of life devoted solely to life's urgings and begins to truly feel the pull of the web of life. The babble of all the voices around them brings the realization that true life exists as the connection between each other and the fulfilment that those connections bring. At this stage the supplicant often begins to provide aid to the community at large, which can be difficult depending on the time in the marshlands, and yet with perseverance and understanding the connections between the supplicant, the community, and the individuals grow. The supplicant begins to experience the joy and sorrow of life in ways they could not in the marshlands. The hollow pleasure of an enemy suffering, or the hungry forced laughter of the fearful, are replaced by the martyrs last stand and the laughter of children. The inner peace that comes from accepting the wonder of the world, the miracle that is life and the unbridled laughter and tears it evokes, brings a sense of hope. At the same time the realization that people are not alone dawns. A beloved dog will bring joy and the bill of the tax collector sorrow. Understanding that the connection extends beyond the realm of people, that all things living and unliving are part of the same great web the supplicant truly feels the power of life.
I'd always known about the importance of community and the strength of bonds, except for me it was the honour among theives and the cage of mutual fear. Learning to open myself to people again seemed to take an age. No matter who it was I always expected them to be yet another goon of my many enemies, and sought to uncover their secrets to increase my hold over them. I tried to join the community, but in the end I merely surrounded myself with them even as they danced to the pull of my strings. In the end it was my closest friend who broke my cycle of corruption and control, allowing me to look beyond the paranoia and puppetry. Even with his help I was often considered the jaded outcast by many, and an outright witch by some, and their jeers often had me wishing to make them fear me again.
As the power of life becomes apparent the supplicant is often overwhelmed by the feelings of being trapped and exposed at the same time. The supplicant learns that their every action shapes the lives of those around them, the current and direction of the each life can be altered without thought. Yet the supplicant also sees how each thing acts upon their own life, how the very nature of their being can be shaped by the web around them. Soon the supplicant sees how their actions, the effects they have on other lives, changes the effect other lives have on them. What they do, or don't do, what others do or don't do, can change everything. This is the foundation of destiny. The gradual shift of life around the supplicant, constantly shaping what was into what will be, outlines one's place in the world. Those who work with the flow, shaping the web around them to effect their own life, can seemingly alter their fate and the fate of others. Yet many would take the shorter path, over reaching their place in the web out of greed, desire, noble ideals and optimism. To violate one's purpose or live beyond one's destined ending tear the web and it is this corruption that brings much of the world's ills.
I came to realize that the scorn directed at me was my destiny as a woman of shadows struggling to return to the light. Yet the web taught me that fate was not immutable, I could change my lot in life if I but bent myself to the task. And that I did
Eventually the panic induced by this awareness fades, and, in a supplicant that has reached understanding, it is replaced by a firm resolve to refrain from acting with abandon. To guide the shape of their own life the supplicant must carefully consider their every action for it's effects on others, which inevitably leads to a life of balanced morality. The supplicant gains a deep respect for all life, no matter how small it might be, learning to treasure and protect. Yet at the same time the nature of the web shows the supplicant the importance of suffering and the darker aspects of life, for they play a role of equal importance. Thus a supplicant who truly understands learns to act with equal parts heroic virtue and villainous vice, in accordance to the needs of the web. Always mindful of the line between necessary evil and self-serving cruelty. They become a force of the web, gaining a grace that derives from a perfect sense of the flow of actions rather than from a refinement of the body or mind. The suplicant realizes that rather then fighting the power of the web, they are to guide it to best serve those around them and thus themselves in turn.
Ones place is determined by the shape of the Web.
The Web is shaped by the actions and inactions of all around one, weather living or unliving.
The actions and inactions of those around you are shaped by the actions and inactions of those around them, such as you.
It is now that the supplicant can study the spring. Armed with the understanding they have gained the supplicant can come to realize who and what they are, laying bare their hopes and desires, no matter how secret, and coming to terms with their nature. What was hidden, can now be seen, the ever changing flow at the fingertips of the supplicant, and only the test of proving remains.
Life is shaped by all in the web and so when the Path of Life is finished a supplicant undertakes a journey at the direction of a Soken. Sent to explore a distant land with many odd practises and wonders, the supplicant are to immerse themselves in the alien environment, shaping and being shaped in turn. The supplicant thus interact with their new home, through displays of compassion, standing for the right of people they do not yet know, to live, love and create until they become one of the people. When the supplicant feels they have become one with the web, having undergone the changes such connections bring, the supplicant then returns to their distant homes filled with new visions and experiences, only to see how the they have changed, and that friends and family can no longer understand them. Once again the supplicant must immerse themselves into the web and begin the process anew, thus is the way of the web, ever changing, ever growing. When all this has been done, then they are truly masters of the Path of Life.
