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Visit to the Cave of the Winds |
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Visit to the Cave of the Winds |
December 23, 2001
I had planned on visiting Cardea to continue a conversation we'd been having but as soon as I walked into the room she took my elbow and said "Come, there's something I want to show you." We chatted companionably as we walked from the castle out into the woods and then Cardea made a sign with her fingers. One moment we were on a trail by the castle and the next we were on a steep mountain trail. Since the physical time and exertion have no place in the other world (for the most part) this part of the journey was no more arduous than walking down a perfectly flat city street. After a few minutes we came to the mouth of a small cave.
"Welcome to the cave of the winds" Cardea said with a flourish
"I don't understand" I said. "I thought that the tower housed the winds." I was of course referring to the massive structure that existed as part of the castle where all the winds resided, a sort of a grand central station for the kingdom of air. For those who knew how to use the power of the winds the tower in fact served as a transport station; allowing almost instantaneous access from one land to another.
"The tower houses the winds in Corcra but we've crossed into the central mountain range." She replied. "My father Aeolos originally guarded the four winds in this cave. Over time as the consciousness of man expanded so did the number of winds and the uses to which people could put the energy. After a while father got tired of hanging out in the cave and built the palace of the winds and constructed the tower so he could more easily manage what had by that time become 12 winds."
I knew that, I muttered to myself. The fact that I'd completely forgotten the old story, and had never given much thought about how the old myth might actually relate to Cardea and the Many Colored Land as I knew it, unfortunately happens to me a lot. I've learned over the years the difference between a normal nimble mind and true genius, is that the gifted among us simply have an enormous amount of RAM whereas the rest of us have to shunt most things off to our mental hard disk and then try and retrieve it based on a system that probably looks way too much like windows file manager for comfort.
"Come on" Cardea shouted back over her shoulder as she walked in to the cave. "And be careful, the landings are not very big."
As I walk into the cave and I find myself teetering on the edge of a precipice. The phrase "under statement" begins to take on a whole new meaning, and I'm tempted to shout something down toward Cardea but the wind is blowing so strongly I know my voice won't carry. The mouth of the cave opens up directly into a hole in the mountain, with only a two foot landing between the entrance and a multi-story drop. Directly to the right of the cave entrance I find a narrow flight of stairs cut into the mountain that winds its way down to the bottom in a spiral path. I hurry after Cardea.
When we finally reach the bottom of the cave, she hands me a small shimmering bag. "Here, catch some wind and I'll show you how to make a Séideán."
Gingerly I stepped off the last step, took the bag from Cardea and watched the swirling tendrils of colored wind as they rose from nothing and gained strength and color as they headed to the top of the cave. After a moment, I swooped downward with the bag and got a puff of navy blue air.
Holding a now squirming sack you look toward Cardea for some indication of the next step.
"Well seal it silly and let's head back" She said motioning toward the bag.
Taking the bag firmly in hand I mutter "Dún" (simply telling the bag to shut would have worked just as well, but my early magical training said that it was easier to put more force behind a word that is used only for a magical purpose then it was to try and keep clear intention with a language with as many intricacies as English and old habits die hard.
*****
Back in the palace now safely settled into Cardea's solar with a pot of fragrant tea steeping in front of me I pulled out my bag. "Ok, now tell me what I'm suppose to do with my captured piece of wind"
"Well, it occurred to me that you humans are always invoking the elements, or the watchtowers or the elementals or the old ones without any understanding of what your doing, present company aside of course." She added quickly "Any way I think you should explain it to people. After all everyone asks you about elemental magic."
"Cardea, I promise to write up the creation story some other time, but what's that got to do with this puff ball I'm carrying around?"
"All elementals are nothing more than the essence of the element itself given enough structure and personality to hold it together. Also you have to tell them that the Sylphs, the Undines, and the Gnomes aren't simple elementals that they can call and order about. The Old Ones do as they chose without interference from humans."
"Of course and anyone with enough power to come to the notice of an Old One knows that too. How about I promise to update the elemental page? Now will you tell me what it is you want me to understand about a Séideán?"
Cardea cradled her cup of tea and sat further back in her chair. All right you know what a Gal is of course?"
I nod my head since every student of Draiochtgé understands the basic building block of air is a puff which in Gaelic is call Gal.
"So you know that's what you have in your sack. Now what you need to do is to give it an identity so that it can evolve to the next level which is a Séideán or gust of air." Cardea sipped her tea and looked at me expectantly.
"All in the name of evolution." Looking down at the sack in my hand I understand that again while I knew something intellectually I had failed to understand it emotionally. Is that part of the lesson I'm being taught? I asked myself. Within the world of air the building blocks are Gal at the most basic (sort of equivalent to a human cell), Séideáns (with a life form standing of anything between an amoeba and a dog), a Siogai (with a life form standing of a cat if you're a human and a human if you're a cat
) Séideáns come into existence through the auspices of either a Sidhe or a human and a Siogai is simply a Séideán that has moved beyond their creator and into the realm of general human consciousness. The Sidhe were created by Danu (the great mother) just as humans were and exist outside of this particular evolutionary spectrum or at least so you thought.
"Cardea, is there something I've been missing? Do you want more Séideáns and Siogai? Is it only because they are denizens of your realm or is there another reason?" I very carefully watch her body language as I ask the question. I can feel that there is something more here than is obvious on the surface. Why else would she have practically dragged me to the cave and made sure I captured a Gal?
"A Soigai's essence, if it's sufficiently strong and well developed, can evolve into the spirit born into one of our children. At that point their life force does not need to be powered by human or Sidhe energy. Since the old ways aren't kept any more we've been stagnating just a little, " she adds dryly. "There are those who chose to pass beyond the worlds and to rejoin with the mother and no one is born to replace them. You're showing people how to do air magic and now you need to show them how to help us stay vital as a land and as a people."
"So I should tell my beginning students to work with the Siogai and my advanced students to take responsibility for a Séideán. " I ask knowing I've understood but still seeking confirmation.
"Yes." She responded enthusiastically. "And you can start with yourself."
"As you wish, my Lady."