Soul Star Travelers of Elven World2024-03-28T17:55:03ZᏉℓἇ∂ἇ ኔጡ።https://elvenworld.ning.com/profile/VladaMikahlSchoonhttps://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/12392082697?profile=RESIZE_48X48&width=48&height=48&crop=1%3A1https://elvenworld.ning.com/group/elves/forum/topic/listForContributor?user=3l4ngxonnmh9p&feed=yes&xn_auth=noElves and Tolkientag:elvenworld.ning.com,2022-10-16:2735650:Topic:1095822022-10-16T17:33:13.017ZᏉℓἇ∂ἇ ኔጡ።https://elvenworld.ning.com/profile/VladaMikahlSchoon
<p>So, I've been thinking lately about work of Tolkien and material he had made about the elves. Let's put the toppic on the table in few questions</p>
<p>How is Tolkien acurate about the elves?</p>
<p>How seriously we should considre tales of Silmarilion, LOTR and Hobit? How they should matter for someone livien elven way?</p>
<p>So, I've been thinking lately about work of Tolkien and material he had made about the elves. Let's put the toppic on the table in few questions</p>
<p>How is Tolkien acurate about the elves?</p>
<p>How seriously we should considre tales of Silmarilion, LOTR and Hobit? How they should matter for someone livien elven way?</p> elven spiritualitytag:elvenworld.ning.com,2022-09-07:2735650:Topic:1089872022-09-07T16:07:55.734ZᏉℓἇ∂ἇ ኔጡ።https://elvenworld.ning.com/profile/VladaMikahlSchoon
<p>I still struggle with elven spirituality. How could it be defined, if it can even be defined? How can one be spiritual the elven way?</p>
<p>I still struggle with elven spirituality. How could it be defined, if it can even be defined? How can one be spiritual the elven way?</p> Blessed is the land where the trees growtag:elvenworld.ning.com,2020-08-30:2735650:Topic:727682020-08-30T07:45:01.623ZᏉℓἇ∂ἇ ኔጡ።https://elvenworld.ning.com/profile/VladaMikahlSchoon
<p><a href="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/piBwItX1yc4/maxresdefault.jpg" rel="noopener" target="_blank"><img class="align-full" src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/piBwItX1yc4/maxresdefault.jpg?profile=RESIZE_710x"></img></a></p>
<p>After watching the last vid of Calantiriel on studying Silmarillion like sort of bible I was meditating on value on such intake. In this state of mind I got information on what is trully valuable and needed to become part of our lives. It was incredibly short part of the text from the book...</p>
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<p><em>In reverence Yavanna is next to Varda among the Queens of the…</em></p>
<p><a href="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/piBwItX1yc4/maxresdefault.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/piBwItX1yc4/maxresdefault.jpg?profile=RESIZE_710x" class="align-full"/></a></p>
<p>After watching the last vid of Calantiriel on studying Silmarillion like sort of bible I was meditating on value on such intake. In this state of mind I got information on what is trully valuable and needed to become part of our lives. It was incredibly short part of the text from the book...</p>
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<p><em>In reverence Yavanna is next to Varda among the Queens of the Valar. In the form of a woman she is tall, and robed in green; but at times she takes other shapes. Some there are who have seen her standing like a tree under heaven, crowned with the Sun; and from all its branches there spilled a golden dew upon the barren earth, and it grew green with corn; but the roots of the tree were in the waters of Ulmo, and the winds of Manwë spoke in its leaves.</em></p>
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<p><a href="https://gostica.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/5-Things-You-Need-to-Know-About-The-Tree-of-Life.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://gostica.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/5-Things-You-Need-to-Know-About-The-Tree-of-Life.jpg?profile=RESIZE_710x" class="align-full"/></a></p>
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<p>Speaking about tree of life in different form indeed, but it reminds of how holy and needed the trees are. The tree, every tree is in truth guardian of all life. The trees nurture life with clean air with oxigen, remove toxins from it, they lift water from earth so it can evaporate easily and go into the sky so it can rain. Leaves falling down become fertilizer and I do not speak about fruit given to all the being that eat them, home for birds to make their nests, leaves, bark, wood and branches with thousands of uses from healing across food to various forms of art... even building homes. As I said, nests for birds, hideouts for bugs, small caves for bats and four-leggers, wooden buildings of humans...</p>
<p>If humans is microcosm, then he is, maybe separated mirror of it, while the tree is heart of earthly life, heart of ecosystem that is connected to all of it.</p>
<p>The tree is guardian and servant of all life and loves it being around, would never harm it, so it seems and in a way it is defenseless against humans and their axes, it cannot be any other way, because the tree is heart and the human here on Earth is now supposed to be the guardian of the tree and of the life... It is human's task to defend the tree and serve it and the life, as the tree does.</p>
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<p style="text-align: center;"><strong>The tree is sacred to the elves, I feel it is sacred to the Valar as well. They know this is beating heart of all life. Elves taught the ancient nations of humans about it, telling them of tree of life. Now you know it too.</strong></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong>Blessed is the land where the trees grow.</strong></p>
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<p><a href="https://pro2-bar-s3-cdn-cf2.myportfolio.com/6014b725e31a97e6a3d5f317416d6cca/38d2250f-188d-4b01-931a-ac7dac6b5f17_rw_1920.jpg?h=b81375704997dde90335fe661fe86457" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img src="https://pro2-bar-s3-cdn-cf2.myportfolio.com/6014b725e31a97e6a3d5f317416d6cca/38d2250f-188d-4b01-931a-ac7dac6b5f17_rw_1920.jpg?h=b81375704997dde90335fe661fe86457&profile=RESIZE_710x" class="align-full"/></a></p> Elven philosophytag:elvenworld.ning.com,2020-03-31:2735650:Topic:674042020-03-31T17:52:43.878ZᏉℓἇ∂ἇ ኔጡ።https://elvenworld.ning.com/profile/VladaMikahlSchoon
<p>How do you, elves, see the world? what is it for you? and what is your place in it?</p>
<p>I'm very interested, what you can tell.</p>
<p>How do you, elves, see the world? what is it for you? and what is your place in it?</p>
<p>I'm very interested, what you can tell.</p> Rialian - Synesthesia Symbiosistag:elvenworld.ning.com,2020-02-12:2735650:Topic:671412020-02-12T14:35:39.118ZᏉℓἇ∂ἇ ኔጡ።https://elvenworld.ning.com/profile/VladaMikahlSchoon
<p>Text from the main page</p>
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<p>Being elven seems to be a state of abstraction... of having a relation to the flows of things, rather than having a relation to the thing itself. Take emotions... elves tend to be very abstract in these things... I know I am. We are not so much passionate about people, but about the interactions and dynamics... the abstract things that make things work. We are not passionate about a thing, but in how it is interacting with…</p>
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<p>Being elven seems to be a state of abstraction... of having a relation to the flows of things, rather than having a relation to the thing itself. Take emotions... elves tend to be very abstract in these things... I know I am. We are not so much passionate about people, but about the interactions and dynamics... the abstract things that make things work. We are not passionate about a thing, but in how it is interacting with others.</p>
<p>Objects bother us... or, rather, that which makes something an "object" rather than a process. I have been noting this more as of late in my own mind, placing things in perspective. It has always bothered me when people are made into "objects"... when they are placed in the realm of "elder" or "role model"...it has always seemed to me to have a level of disrespect to it. Respecting their actions is one thing...making them BE their actions is another thing...then linking those things together to take that person away from the act of flow is in my mind very disturbing....</p>
<p>Elven currents strike me as not being particularly of an object, but the spaces BETWEEN objects. Not the emitter of forces... but the area of interplay between forces...so much so that one could think of that space between being it's own force... (yes, it is a bit odd).</p>
<p>Think of the space between two gravitational areas... which is not of one gravity or the other, but the area where they meet. That feeling of surface tension, that turbulent stillness.</p>
<p>That is the area where the senses mingle and cross their borders.... and where the living forms interact and strengthen each other. This is the mind of the elven sort...a realm where everything is deepened by the influences of other flows, where the turbulence brings it's own balance.</p>
<p>I tend to go with a paradigm of symbiosis and interaction...the images meet, there is a central being formed, which embodies the interaction, and information flows between the two through the jointly created filter...which of course has it's own sentience.... and moves on. (chuckle).</p>
<p>It gets pretty odd...but I see the essence of magick being in the interaction between the various symbioses we form with other's energies...</p> Rialian - The Elven Waytag:elvenworld.ning.com,2019-01-28:2735650:Topic:614072019-01-28T19:59:08.072ZᏉℓἇ∂ἇ ኔጡ።https://elvenworld.ning.com/profile/VladaMikahlSchoon
<p>by Ilon Bluesky <br></br> From Elven Glen: Vol. 1, Issue 1, page 3</p>
<p>Elves are of a special nature. They are sometimes gay and playful, sometimes musing and contemplative. Their magical Way is as difficult to describe as the way the wind whips your hair about on an autumn afternoon, or the way the forest smells on a spring morning. Utterly natural and largely spontaneous, the elven Way includes all others in its eclecticism while it excludes them in its lack of concrete…</p>
<p>by Ilon Bluesky <br/> From Elven Glen: Vol. 1, Issue 1, page 3</p>
<p>Elves are of a special nature. They are sometimes gay and playful, sometimes musing and contemplative. Their magical Way is as difficult to describe as the way the wind whips your hair about on an autumn afternoon, or the way the forest smells on a spring morning. Utterly natural and largely spontaneous, the elven Way includes all others in its eclecticism while it excludes them in its lack of concrete structure.</p>
<p>For this reason, it may be difficult to spot an elf right away. They may be engaged in activities which seem foreign to any elven stereotype. Since their movements coordinate with the underlying Song of Nature, however, given time even an engaged elf can be distinguished quite easily. Yet spotting an elf will not really allow a glimpse of their mystical Way, for such is their magick that it blends into their surroundings much as a cloud dissipates in the sky.</p>
<p>In fact, it is more accurate to say that elven magick is absorbed by, or becomes, their environment. Magick for elves is less a labor and more a part of their very being. Those skilled in magick dance in attunement to the essence of All in the very act of living their lives, whatever its form may be. Natural power flows out from them and heals everything it touches. To some in their sphere of influence this may seem uncomfortable or painful, while to others it is a joyous experience.</p>
<p>This doesn't mean that the elven Way is easy or that those who walk it face less of a challenge than those on more structured paths toward the Source.</p>
<p>Elves often begin their journey from little spiritual foundation. Their parents provide them with none, or that which their parents do provide is released in emotional abhorrence or dashed to pieces by critical intellect. Cut loose, they face a most challenging dilemma -- whether to begin an alternate path put forward by the Elders or to forge a new path through the wilderness of spirit. Most fall somewhere between these extremes, mixing together that which seems familiar and attempting to weave a fabric allowing them independence and freedom to express their sometimes unusual tastes.</p>
<p>Yet even these are only the initial steps along the elven Way. They may also develop relationships with the powers Faerie (by whatever name), and friends among the various nature spirits, travel the outer reaches of the elemental planes, locate and worship the Star Goddess or other worthy deities, seek out the Fountain of Immortality, or trespass the Summerlands, among many other courageous and potentially dangerous adventures.</p>
<p>None of these endeavors in and of themselves constitutes an exercise of elven magick. Each may provide a puzzle-piece, a key to unlock the door that leads toward the mystery known to some as the Secret of Merlin, the Art of the Elven Sages, and the lifeblood of Faerie children everywhere.</p>
<p>While these words may sound rather precise, they only hint at the nature of ways elven, especially regarding arts of true magick. Along the elven Way are signposts pointing toward an indescribable path of magick which participates greatly in the patterned, cosmic ebb and flow of Universal Tides. Those who navigate these waters do so without the aid of boat or sail. The waters have been called 'the sub-conscious realm', yet this minimizes the beauty and complexity of such an expanse.</p>
<p>Elves trained in the ways of Seeing and Exploring move within this dark demesne as an otter swims among the seaweed forests off the California coast. They learn the highways and byways, gradually losing themselves in the ecstasy of discovery, revealing the purest and deepest magick of their being.</p>
<p>The elven Way is not a particular form, it is a style. It is not exactly a well-worn path, but is more accurately an art of path-walking. It is not a mindset, it is an attitude, a commitment to eternal youth, the honoring of the Old Ones, and a vow to serve the Mystery of Life.</p> Rialian - Some Descriptions of Elvestag:elvenworld.ning.com,2018-12-31:2735650:Topic:609942018-12-31T13:28:10.850ZᏉℓἇ∂ἇ ኔጡ።https://elvenworld.ning.com/profile/VladaMikahlSchoon
<p>Elves (Ah Kin) live in Shamballa, the City of Eternal Bliss, also called `Foresthome', which lies deep within the forest and exists simultaneously on many planes. Within Shamballa all needs are met, all dreams are realized, and no wish is ungranted. Things seem dreamlike and intimately real at once, Adventurous elves visit the world outside Shamballa, inhabited by all types of plants and animals (called, sadly, `The Dying Realms'). When they do so they are often on spiritual journeys or…</p>
<p>Elves (Ah Kin) live in Shamballa, the City of Eternal Bliss, also called `Foresthome', which lies deep within the forest and exists simultaneously on many planes. Within Shamballa all needs are met, all dreams are realized, and no wish is ungranted. Things seem dreamlike and intimately real at once, Adventurous elves visit the world outside Shamballa, inhabited by all types of plants and animals (called, sadly, `The Dying Realms'). When they do so they are often on spiritual journeys or exploratory missions. Otherwise it is only the `half-elf' that braves such a challenge.</p>
<p>All elves are a family. All time for elves is long (and, arguably, short). They all greet one another with great big hugs. If the two have met before, then they sing songs of their travels since last meeting. Humans who hear an elf sing are enchanted by their voices and while within hearing distance cannot move, such is the ecstasy in which they are wrapt. Plants harmonize with all being and their song is the song of the universe.</p>
<p>Elves don't sleep. They meditate in trance for a few moments and then enter the world of dreams fully awake. Those elves who spend time with humans may be able to join in the human dreams and control them, to a certain extent, somewhat like the computer in Star Trek: The Next Generation controls the `holodeck'.</p>
<p>Humans who spend time with elves and encounter such dream-work will gradually transform into elves over time. Given shared dreams, they begin showing elven characteristics and attitudes. From this observation, it has been suggested by elven sages that humans are elven `eggs', which can be fertilized through dreams by an elf who wishes to see this `hatchling' through to `becoming', or full realization.</p>
<p>As some elves see it, then, humans are like children, some playing Mother Nature's game, and some not. Regardless, since elves live so long, it seems likely that all humans may eventually become elves.</p>
<p>Elves rarely eat outside Shamballa, living quite healthily on water and sunshine. Human food makes them queasy and human liquor is of unfortunately poor quality. Elven mead and wine are very strong and tasty.</p>
<p>Elves love trees because they are directly related to them. Elves are evolved plants, coming from the same `branch' of the geneological family. They understand that trees are intelligent, nonmobile sages of great wisdom, spending the entirety of their lives in meditation. Elven sages are said to become trees upon their final rebirth.</p>
<p>Elves don't die like humans do. They mature and then, after many journeys about the Great Star, (this process is not completely understood), they wither and are reborn in Shamballa with continued memory and a similar, though renewed body. This is the evolved state of the vegetative cycle of renewal (rebirth). It is said that rebirth requires a conscious choice, however, so that elves who venture into the Dying Realms and begin to doubt their ability to be reborn may be reborn as trees instead. Often rites of death and rebirth are performed in winter and spring, respectively, at Shamballa.</p>
<p>The entirety of the elven life, the Way, is one of fun, love and laughter. They delight in games and their childlike nature combines with their often advanced intellect to create some of the most sophisticated and challenging games of skill and chance, involving magical powers, spells, quests and mysteries. Some of those less fortunate young elves get lost in the Dying Realms and begin to take the games for reality, becoming dour and moody. A brief time in the company of other elves usually cures them of this, however.</p>
<p>Their `religion', if you will, is based on such games. Elves aren't required to believe anything, but are told a marvelous story which encompasses and enriches their lives.</p>
<p>This is the story which most elves are told upon their lingual maturity. It is understood, at the time, that it can help the individual understand hir place in the cosmos and give hir a basis for interaction with the World, but that there are other, equally valuable stories that will do the same.</p>
<p>``Ah and Kin were the first great trees. They stood atop the world and fruited Sun, Moon, Seas, Stars and the various plants and animals. In this way all things grew and ripened, falling off the branch of statelessness onto the ground of being. Once there, they crawled or moved to different parts of the world, where they were born from the seed, pod, egg or womb of their parents. Enjoying the movement of their offspring, Ah and Kin died and became the first elves - what humans might call `gods' and the elves call `The Elders', `The Ancient Onces', `The Celestial Masters', `The Old Ones', or countless thousands of other names of endearment. Gradually Ah and Kin, now unified in the elven race, are waking to their true essence and will grow to their old strength in a never-ending cycle.''</p>
<p>To the elves the Old Ones are less wholly other beings and more divine patterns of behavior. In `worshipping' them elves engage in activities with which the Old One is associated. This does not make the worshipper of greater value than the non-worshipper. Worship is not considered a show for others but an ecstatic experience. While the practice is considered serious business (if anything is for elves!), once one becomes acquainted with the stories, legends about the Elders, one begins to realized the value not only of acting but of watching, of listening to the new stories which they tell through their new worshippers. No harm is ever done in elven worship, and those who do so accidentally are advised to return to Shamballa immediately to renew their sacred vows. Little if anything is known about these vows, but often they are said to be ideal goals rather than adopted commandments. The Old Ones are innumerable in their variation. They have as many faces and names as there are days in life (and for an elf, this is a lot!). The Old Ones this adventurer knows of thus far are these:</p>
<p><strong>Varda, Star Mother</strong> (aka `Queen of the Stars'): Creatrix, Genetrix, Womb of life. She is associated with planting and/or defending trees.</p>
<p><strong>Leollyn, Dancing Father:</strong> Magick energy of being, the dancing Song of All. He is associated with magick, singing and dancing.</p>
<p><strong>Yow, the Teacher</strong> (aka `Uncle Yow'): The Trickster, the Fool. He is associated with deception and the revealing of wisdom, trickery and education.</p>
<p><strong>Cleowyn, Wizardress:</strong> Wise One, compassionate Lover. She is associated with magick and romance.</p>
<p><strong>Tufyl, Leader of the Festive Spirits:</strong> Partier, mirthmaker, intoxicator. Associated with merrymaking, drinking, smoking. The Festive Spirits include all those substances which trigger altered states of consciousness and levity.</p>
<p><strong>Snassis, Snake Beauty</strong>: Regenerator, renewer, rebirther. Associated with awe, `death' and knowledge (books), it is said that Snassis will be the final guide beyond the veil(?). Her sisters, Almuldhea and Cleowyin are alternatively said to accompany her in this function.</p>
<p><strong>Vitraya, Healer:</strong> Healer, vitalizer and restorer of life. She is associated with healing, aiding and service generally.</p>
<p><strong>Farrelon, The Game Hunter:</strong> Dedicated challenger and adventurer. He is associated with hunting and game playing.</p>
<p><strong>Kellon, the Silent (aka `Eternal Questor'):</strong> The keen eye, the sensitive ear. She is associated with searching, tracking and quests. She, paired with Almuldhea (below) are said to be neither male nor female, but both and neither. Both are rather seldom spoken of, actually, for it is thought that to do so is to bring them shame.</p>
<p><strong>Amuldhea, Mysterious Mystery, Darkness in its extreme:</strong> She is Death in the sense of eternal extinction. This is not a concept which elves understand well, and many find Hir difficult if not impossible to speak about. She is associated with sex, secrecy and hiding.</p>
<p>These are brief descriptions only. Each has countless tales told about them around deadwood fires and in mead-slick taverns late at night.</p>
<p>If you know of more or of some of the tales, please post them for the benefit of the elves in the audience. Thank you.</p>
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<center><strong>MORE ON TYPES OF ELVES</strong></center>
<p>My understanding is that he different `types' of elves correspond largely to the habitat that the elves developed within. This is sort of the 'flavor', if you will, of them. Much like humans, there is very little difference really between most elves. Sure, some skin colors are different, some have developed different physical characteristics to confront the immediate needs of their environments (gills for sea elves, for example), but all in all an elf is an elf.</p>
<p>This is not a popular theory among young elves, mind you. Sources which take the attitude of elven youth will tell you that there is a superiority among elves - that those born on the surface are somehow `better' than those born, for example, below the surface in caves.</p>
<p>This is patently untrue. I was born beneath the surface and raised in the Great Forest. I was fortunate enough to see both cultures personally. They are almost identical in nature, if not often in form.</p>
<p>Dark Elves: Dark Elves are generally thought to be the ones who live under surface of the earth. They have excellent night vision and have some difficulty with the sun. Sometimes these elves are called `Drow', though I don't know where this word originates.</p>
<p>Dark Elves are generally more counter-cultural, less respectful of humans, more often picked on by other elves (especially the immature ones), and tend (because of this picking) to have `a chip on their shoulder'.</p>
<p>Silver Elves: Silver Elves may be the same as Moon Elves, but I can't be sure. Moon and Silver often go together. Even if they are, I don't know much about them. I guess that Silver/Moon Elves live on the Moon. I've heard rumors to this effect from one lady elf who claims to be of their line. They probably have some magical means of coming to earth, but I'm not sure what that might be.</p>
<p>Shadow Elves: Shadow Elves I've never even heard of. I wonder if these elves are what are sometimes referred to as the `shadows' of the elven dead. Elves don't really die, but they are sometimes dormant and there is much speculation about exactly `where' elves are between dissolution and rebirth.</p>
<p>Courtly Elves: Courtly Elves seem a more social distinguishment as compared to `feral', which would be `wild' as opposed to `civilized'. I don't know an elf who fits neatly into either category, I'm afraid.</p>
<p>Feral Elves: Feral Elves sound like fun. I wonder if they're dangerous. Elves that grew up away from ForestHome, perhaps lost or kidnapped and left to grow in the wild? I can only guess.</p>
<p>Sea Elves: Sea Elves are fairly common where I'm from. They live underwater, usually ocean or seawaters. They can breathe air, however, so I suspect that the gills are a later development. They PREFER the water. I've noticed that these elves tend to be less friendly in general toward other elves and humans, and that they seem to have rather elitist attitudes, but this is true of many elves from a variety of environs. Perhaps these elves are more emotional than others, but I can't be sure.</p>
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<p>Source: <a href="http://www.rialian.com">www.rialian.com</a></p> LOTR inspired elven meditations (guided)tag:elvenworld.ning.com,2018-11-01:2735650:Topic:596422018-11-01T19:22:12.765ZᏉℓἇ∂ἇ ኔጡ።https://elvenworld.ning.com/profile/VladaMikahlSchoon
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</p> Rialian describes his elven kindtag:elvenworld.ning.com,2018-04-06:2735650:Topic:546262018-04-06T06:45:12.860ZᏉℓἇ∂ἇ ኔጡ።https://elvenworld.ning.com/profile/VladaMikahlSchoon
<p>Being elven seems to be a state of abstraction... of having a relation to the flows of things, rather than having a relation to the thing itself. Take emotions... elves tend to be very abstract in these things... I know I am. We are not so much passionate about people, but about the interactions and dynamics... the abstract things that make things work. We are not passionate about a thing, but in how it is interacting with others.</p>
<p>Objects bother us... or, rather, that which makes…</p>
<p>Being elven seems to be a state of abstraction... of having a relation to the flows of things, rather than having a relation to the thing itself. Take emotions... elves tend to be very abstract in these things... I know I am. We are not so much passionate about people, but about the interactions and dynamics... the abstract things that make things work. We are not passionate about a thing, but in how it is interacting with others.</p>
<p>Objects bother us... or, rather, that which makes something an "object" rather than a process. I have been noting this more as of late in my own mind, placing things in perspective. It has always bothered me when people are made into "objects"... when they are placed in the realm of "elder" or "role model"...it has always seemed to me to have a level of disrespect to it. Respecting their actions is one thing...making them BE their actions is another thing...then linking those things together to take that person away from the act of flow is in my mind very disturbing....</p>
<p>Elven currents strike me as not being particularly of an object, but the spaces BETWEEN objects. Not the emitter of forces... but the area of interplay between forces...so much so that one could think of that space between being it's own force... (yes, it is a bit odd).</p>
<p>Think of the space between two gravitational areas... which is not of one gravity or the other, but the area where they meet. That feeling of surface tension, that turbulent stillness.</p>
<p>That is the area where the senses mingle and cross their borders.... and where the living forms interact and strengthen each other. This is the mind of the elven sort...a realm where everything is deepened by the influences of other flows, where the turbulence brings it's own balance.</p>
<p>I tend to go with a paradigm of symbiosis and interaction...the images meet, there is a central being formed, which embodies the interaction, and information flows between the two through the jointly created filter...which of course has it's own sentience.... and moves on. (chuckle).</p>
<p>It gets pretty odd...but I see the essence of magick being in the interaction between the various symbioses we form with other's energies...</p>
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<p>Source:<a href="http://www.rialian.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">http://www.rialian.com/</a></p> Elven Musictag:elvenworld.ning.com,2017-05-03:2735650:Topic:487052017-05-03T18:39:39.553ZᏉℓἇ∂ἇ ኔጡ።https://elvenworld.ning.com/profile/VladaMikahlSchoon
<p><a href="http://www.angelfire.com/rpg2/vortexshadow/music.html">http://www.angelfire.com/rpg2/vortexshadow/music.html</a></p>
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<p><font color="#000000" face="Arabia" size="3">It is told that the Seldarine gave to the elves two priceless gifts. The first of these was the very long…</font></p>
<p><a href="http://www.angelfire.com/rpg2/vortexshadow/music.html">http://www.angelfire.com/rpg2/vortexshadow/music.html</a></p>
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<p><font color="#000000" size="3" face="Arabia">It is told that the Seldarine gave to the elves two priceless gifts. The first of these was the very long elven life span, and the second of these was music. Many say the second gift is indeed the greater, and that all the music played by other races is but a pale imitation of the music of the elves. It is true that elven music has great power and beauty, so much so that musicians of other races can despair at their own meagre skills. For this reason, many elven bards do not travel nor do they share their music with other races. For one thing, they don't want to destroy the enjoyment humans find in their own music. For another, they know humans would never leave the elf cities alone if they knew of the sublime beauty elves are capable of producing with music.</font></p>
<p><font color="#000000" size="3" face="Arabia">Song and dance play an important part in everyday elven life. They find that music provides an outlet for their centuries of experience, pain, and joy. The elf that does not have at least some experience with an instrument or some proficiency in dancing is a rare being, and one might suspect that he or she is somehow emotionally stunted.</font></p>
<p><font color="#000000" size="3" face="Arabia">Elven music is an incredibly complex and beautifully crafted art, although it is not often played around non-elves. Elves have learned that their tunes haunt anyone who has an ear for music, for it leaves these people with a vague, unsatisfied yearning that can never be filled with anything but elven music.</font></p>
<p><font color="#000000" size="3" face="Arabia">Those who have been fortunate enough to hear elven music claim that humans learned music from the elves. Although human music is but a poor imitation, the humans continually strive toward the ultimate musical experience that the elves provide. The best human and half-elf bards are those who have learned from elf masters, yet even they can only echo the elves. This is the reason, some sages surmise, that so many wonderful musicians remain dissatisfied with their work.</font></p>
<p><font color="#000000" size="3" face="Arabia">Elven songs of grief are often acappella wordless melodies. Those listening to such songs who are non-elves will find themselves in tears before the elves are halfway through, for the anguish expressed in the lilting voices of the elves transcends the human experience of heartfelt pain. Those who hear the elven mourning rituals are never quite the same, returning to the present sadder and somehow wiser. The sorrow that the songs express often haunts the listeners for the rest of their lives.</font></p>
<p><font color="#000000" size="3" face="Arabia">Music plays a pivotal role in the ritual, religion and magic of elves. It is important in the worship of all the Seldarine, but most especially in the worship of Correllon. The first of the Seldarine is not only a warrior god but a patron of all arts including music. Priest of Correllon are expected to encourage and foster music, and are often musicians themselves.</font></p>
<p><font color="#000000" size="3" face="Arabia">Much elven magic is bound up with music. The high mages often use song to aid them in forming there powerful circles, both as a way of focusing and of linking. Music is also an integral part of Bladesinging, which weaves magic, song and combat into a deadly mix. Some songs are magical in their own right. Spellsong is a form of magic that was originally uniquely elven, but of late it has been found that bards from other races can use Spellsong as well.</font></p>
<p><font color="#000000" size="3" face="Arabia">Music is also a form of historical record for the elves. The full version of a ballad may follow a storyline across the centuries and can be tens of hours long. The words are only part of the information – the melody and the accompaniment can convey a wealth of mood and imagery. Keeping the old songs unchanged is more than just preserving a tradition; it is a way of preserving the memories and stories of a race.</font></p>
<p><font color="#000000" size="3" face="Arabia">However, understanding all of this falls far short of understanding how important music and dance is to an elf. It is something that is as much a part of them as their blood and bone, and without it they will wither away. To dance under a starlit sky is something almost sacred to an elf. An elf without music is not truly an elf.</font></p>
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<h3><font color="#000000" size="3" face="Arabia">The History of Elven Music</font></h3>
<p><font color="#000000" size="3" face="Arabia">Though the ancient history of the elves is very unclear, it is certain that at least some of the elves came to this world from other planes of existance. They would have almost certainly brought musical traditions with them. In most races, even those with remarkable life spans, the passing of tens of thousands of years would have altered their music beyond all recognition. However elves have a very special relationship with their gods, and there is a two way flow of music between them. This means some of the styles and themes common to other worlds have been preserved here. These have mingled with the music of those elves already on this world to create a style of music that is unique.</font></p>
<p><font color="#000000" size="3" face="Arabia">There is a distinct possibility that the at least some of the ancient elven pictographic languages are a form of musical notation. The records may not have been meant to be spoken, they may have been meant to be sung or played. However attempts by humans to decipher and understand these languages have never been successful. Those scholars who have asked elven bards all received the same reply. They were told to study the ballads still sung by elves before even thinking of studying those of long ago.</font></p>
<p><font color="#000000" size="3" face="Arabia">Elves have a remarkable ability to remember melody, lyrics and arrangement in exact detail for centuries. The network of magical gates ensured that elven bards moved freely between the various centres, and this meant no one region developed a distinctive style. Elves also recognised the importance of keeping the old ballads unchanged. These factors all meant the style; mood and techniques of music remained essentially unchanged for many millennia.</font></p>
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<h3><font color="#000000" size="3" face="Arabia">Instruments Used by the Elves</font></h3>
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<li><font color="#000000" size="3" face="Arabia">Harp – A smaller version than the human instrument, triangular in shape with between 20 to 36 strings. They usually have a standard sounding box and curving fore-pillar.</font></li>
<li><font color="#000000" size="3" face="Arabia">Horn Harp – Although similar in size to the human instrument, it is made from the horn of some great beast. The sounds comeing from it are wholely dependent on the nature of the crafter as well as the type of horn used.</font></li>
<li><font color="#000000" size="3" face="Arabia">Flute - A long tube of metal, or metal reinforced wood; rarely of crystal. Some are played held horizontally, others vertically . The sound is made by blowing across a hole, and different notes are made by covering the holes with the fingers.</font></li>
<li><font color="#000000" size="3" face="Arabia">Crystal flute – similar in appearance to an Irish or Chinese flute but not made of wood. Formed by magic using same crystal used in many elven buildings</font></li>
<li><font color="#000000" size="3" face="Arabia">Twin flute – A single reed instrument that branches out into two arms, each similar in appearance to an Irish or Chinese flute. Formed by magic using metal, metal reinforced wood; clay or crystal. Both the arms have holes, and different notes are made by covering the holes with the fingers, allowing a skilled musician to play 2 different tunes using the same breath.</font></li>
<li><font color="#000000" size="3" face="Arabia">Birdpipes – similar to pan pipes. Popular with wood elven and even wild elven bards.</font></li>
<li><font color="#000000" size="3" face="Arabia">Shalaquin - a long-necked elven instrument played by plucking or strumming while changing the tension of the strings with a ratcheted wheel.</font></li>
<li><font color="#000000" size="3" face="Arabia">Elven Lyre - This stringed instrument produces a calming and exquisite sound, and is prized among bards of any race. The body is semi-sphereical and supports two arms that curve inward, with a crossbar keeping from 4 to 8 strings taut.</font></li>
<li><font color="#000000" size="3" face="Arabia">Lute –Generic name for a family of instruments with an oval or pear shaped body about half the size of a guitar. It has six metal strings, or four paired strings, and a long neck.</font></li>
<li><font color="#000000" size="3" face="Arabia">Mandolin – A much smaller instrument than the lute, usually with four strings, sometimes paired, and a shorter neck.</font></li>
<li><font color="#000000" size="3" face="Arabia">Hammer Dulcimer – This has a large flat body, with many paired metal strings stretched over a series of bridges. It is played flat on a frame or on the lap, using a small hammer in each hand to hit the strings.</font></li>
<li><font color="#000000" size="3" face="Arabia">Glaur – a short curved horn resembling a cornucopia, used by gold elves.</font></li>
<li><font color="#000000" size="3" face="Arabia">Longhorn – a kind of Faerunian flute common in civilised areas and among the elves.<br/></font></li>
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