Axioms of the Order of the One

Volume 2

We have seen, we have heard, we have touched, and still there is much we may never understand.  Between us lies the confusion of words, deeds, and interpretation.  In the depths of contemplation we who participate in the One must put aside these illusions of uncertainty and embrace the freedom of our ignorance.  It is there that we communicate without reason.  It is there we understand connections without logic.  That unity and solidarity are mere artefacts is the only true wisdom ascension will ever offer.  There is One.                                                           Zemetrieius the Wise

This is the testament of the Order, in the pages of this volume are the collected thoughts of all who have risen to the 9 and beyond.  There is much that is forgotten, and there is much undone, we here are poised between these limits to our understanding.  This is who you are and what you will become.  This is your purpose and your goal.  This is your passion and your conviction.  But most importantly, this is your path as well as your distraction, for this must also be your consumption.     

1)      Flesh and divinity are consumed and die for belief, and in the dust that remains, belief is never found.  Ours is not a testament of faith but a participation in truth, we are action leading to certainty eternal, we are One.

2)      Each of us is expected to die, but some few among us are expected to live as well.  It is to those, the chosen and the tasked, that falls the hope of so many.  Learn the signs of this mark, and take no measure to refuse it for surely it will be, willingly or otherwise.

3)      As a member of the Order you will be expected to trust your intuition and face the consequences of the resulting action.  That you might do this, you must know everything, and you must understand that you know nothing at all.  The certainty of action is the lover that may someday slay you, embrace this and you will know a freedom that others might never imagine.

4)      One heart and two eyes, that you will recognize Truth from a distance.  One mouth and two ears, that you will understand the questions you answer.  One head and two hands, that you might do much more than contemplate.  One soul and two legs, that you may travel far whilst you seek within.  There are many such truths to be found, if you chance to attend them.

5)      Those who have not understanding of the roles of the Gods, can only worship and believe.  There cannot be understanding where the light is thus reflected.  It is not your place to change this, nor is such change desired by the ignorant.  We have seen the result of such actions and it does not serve the One.  No more is necessary.

6)      It is within the choices you make that your friends and enemies will be determined.  Choose often, that you may always know with whom it is you travel.

7)      She who dons the raiment of leadership must wear her reason and her heart so that all may clearly see them.

8)      That the dark and filthy serve some purpose is not redemptive.  That illumination passes over them is not cause for pity.  That circumstance betray them is not worthy of understanding.  Attend to them not, they are lower than beasts.

9)      Many have expected evil to be harsh, only to find its gentle touch upon their hearts.  Some have thought it to be rough, only to find its smooth blade has penetrated.  This is no brutish thug, no craven idiot, no rapid bitch, for how could it be, after all we are no simple militia.

10)  Those who threaten must be marked closely, if it is clear that they have potency to make words into deeds they should be treated as if the deed had already occurred.  Threats are made by the weak who cannot act, the foolish for which words are the act, and the arrogant who intend to act.  Mistaking one for the other can be grave.

11)  It is understanding, rather than knowledge, that is the key to vigilance.  For the most horrific atrocities may occur in a single day.  Failure to understand this is a blindness that has doomed even the most learned of men.

12)  Those who speak in riddles are either weak of mind, full of fear, or guilty.  Words spoken plainly are a measure of understanding and conviction, attend to them as you would the deeds that follow. 

13)  The profundity of a moment is lost upon those who need to examine it.  All insights are open to she who is ready to see them.

14)  The promises of the doomed man, if unchallenged, will doom all who listen.

15)  It has been said, by the ignorant, that light cannot exist without darkness, that evil is required to balance and understand good, that there is no idea of law without its opposite in chaos.  These are the excuses of those who feel powerless to change the state of affairs, and the hawking cry of those who would profit from such weakness in men.  Truth illuminates, all is One, One is luminous and darkness will abate. 

16)  Standing fast with man or beast that has shown themselves to be ignorant is not always a choice.  In truth there is much good that is blind to its own potential and it is here in particular that we should lend wisdom and guidance.  This must be done not by words, for they will simply confuse the ignorant mind, but by deeds wherein we become the exemplar. 

17)  Spells that are not cast and power that is not used can be the defeat of any mage.  However, the waste of resources can also lead to downfall.  You must be vigilant, you must know your limits and what needs be done both now and after.  This is the line we walk, the only mistake you ever make will likely be your last.

18)  There is I tale I would share with those who come after.  It is of Iserius a greedy and powerful noble who sought to slay his rivals.  Iserius procured a potent magic that granted him immunity to the caustic breath of the black dragon and set off to a great swamp where he had heard there was such a beast.  Iserius wandered for months in search of the beast until at last he found it.  Iserius faced the creature and subdued it with the aid of his immunity and his prowess as a warrior.  For many years Iserius used the dragon as a thrall and together they destroyed entire kingdoms.  At the end of his life, Iserius,  had no lover and no friend, having consumed them all with his malignant greed.  As sometimes happens close to death, Iserius lamented much, and thought that at the very least he should show a kindness to the dragon, his thrall for over 50 years, and the closest companion he had known.  Iserius summoned the beast and proclaimed that it was free.  Iserius was surprised and angered when the dragon merely laughed at his kind gesture, the only one he had ever made.  Iserius reached for his sword but the dragon merely knocked him to the ground and held him there.  Then the dragon spoke “Fool, I have always been free, you have provided me with protection, food, and the means to destroy kingdoms that many of my elders could never have considered.  I am a legend to my kin, and I have grown far more powerful than I might have otherwise.  This was always my intention.  Your lifetime is merely a pond while mine is an ocean, I will have all that you have laboured for, and I will have reign over these lands for centuries, for there are none left to stop me.”  And Iserius died. 

19)  Your magic and your gold are means of illumination, but they are not illumination unto themselves.

20)  Downward fall those who are burdened with responsibility, while others forge wings from their tasks and duties.

21)  The uncertain man will teach but will not act or will act but be unwilling to teach.  He who has certainty is compelled to do both, mark yourself and all those you would learn from with such a measure.

22)  It is the tell of a great ballad that those who hear it weep.  It is the tell of a great painting that those who see it are awed.  It is the tell of an illuminated soul that those who encounter it are trued. 

23)  There are four types of men, those that are taken, those that are found, those that are made, and those that choose.

24)  Trust cannot be earned, it must be given.  To trust with certainty is to be free, to trust wrongly is to die.  Understand this and you can act, for trust you must in any event.

25)  A candle can produce as much heat as dragon fire, given enough time to accumulate.  So it is with minor evils as well.

26)  Own your mistakes and your failures, for ignored and uncollected they will lie at your feet to trip you each time you move.

27)  It is sometimes true that the expectations of tomorrow can wisely guide you today.  It is also true, however, that things expected tomorrow are transformed by today.  Certainty maintains that we must first attend to now, lest tomorrow not come at all.