Sgrios Mass: Vulnerability of Darkness

 

Our temple is a stronghold for creativity and thought. Yes, look around at this grim facade - take note of the dungeonous trappings and the persistent, musty smell of decay. Water drips from the craggy walls and the floor is an uneven mess of gravel and stone - no soul has ever made the mistake of confusing this as a place of comfort - not with the torture racks and abundance of  tombstones.

Yet there is something compelling about this shrine, and it is not uncommon to find scholars here working silently on their next paper, or studying tomes from the library in the corner. There were times in the past when you could even find priests from other temples in here penning masses to deliver in their own shrines. But why?

If not for the atmosphere, if not for the comfort, if not for the closeness to our Lord - what is it that brings Temuair’s bright minds to such a dreadful corner of the lands? I believe they’re drawn to the darkness. Not because they're sinister or seeking some forsaken place to engage in macabre endeavors, but because darkness offers us space in which to be vulnerable.

One of our dear temple priests just submitted his first work to the college for consideration of an award. I know for certain the suffering he experienced: the exhilaration, the hopelessness, the sudden insight - the pain and the delight that went into the writing of that piece because, by and large, he sat here by my side and penned it here at the altar. And perhaps even more torturous than birthing our passions onto the page is the excruciating pain that comes with the waiting, that comes with the critique, that comes with the feedback – both the commendation and condemnation grate the skin of our ego, which is tender from the very act of creation. 

Writing is an act of bearing one’s spark to the cruelties of the world, yet, as Aislings we are compelled to share our gifts. As such, I am not surprised that countless seeds of ideas have germinated here, under Sgrios’ watchful eye, for the charnel grounds are fertile fields for thought. Here, in the shadows, we find the safety in which to let our sparks shine, we find shelter for the seedlings of our mind to find purchase and take root. And, whereas Luathas or Gramail may seek to preserve for eternity the knowledge that we harvest from the Aisling mind, Sgrios seeks to turn that mountain of stone into fresh soil, allowing for the perpetuation of fresh and new ideas.

Oh, great lord - Great Sgrios, how often have you stood in the dark corners of this hall and guided the pen of the wisest among us? How frequently have you set to feast on the tired old ideas so that a fresh perspective may illuminate the world? Praise be to your wisdom in knowing which fires to stoke, and which to smother.

To publish a work, to give a sermon, to teach a class - these are defiant acts of bravery, and so often that courage is fostered here, in the darkness. The soft and forgiving night, the very same that hides our flaws, that gives a blank canvas to the world of our dreams - my friends, it is the darkness that allows the vulnerability of the soul to create, to share and to shape the world. For this, and for all his gifts, let us join in worship of our Lord Sgrios.