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THE MYTHOS AND ETHOS
A forgotten civilisation
We
call this land Aspergia. We pronounce it so because no one knows
what its real name was, or the tongue spoken by its people.
Aspergia; a land surrounded by oceans, as far as the eye can
see. A land of sea-gazing people, Aspergians, who venture into
the great waters for fishing, but never the great distances
required to find others, although they fiercely believe they
exist..
Many, Many eons
in the past, this new civilisation was founded, building great
towers and dwellings, and thriving in a social structure, very
different to that which we observe today. The Aspergians celebrated
an individual's uniqueness and devotion to their cause. They
taught their young that each and every person is born with a
very specific talent, their "special gift", which
they must identify if they are to live a full and fulfilling
life. Because you are born with this talent you will excel
in it and find it rewarding and enriching. Anything else you
choose to do will not bring you as much happiness, and once
you have found and attained this direction in life,
you are respected by your people for achieving a oneness with
your destiny. The Aspergians held an annual "destiny ceremony"
to celebrate the transformation of the Seekers into the
Initiated. This can happen at any age, and some Aspergians
have found their destiny at 13 whilst others did so towards
the end of their lives.
Despite being
surrounded by oceans and no knowledge of another land, far or near,
the Aspergians strongly held that there are others beyond the
great waters. They had a social class of priests named Gazers,
who were self-appointed, after finding their destiny was to serve their
community in this role. They gazed daily into the blueness of the
water, awaiting to record the every sign that life is there beyond.
Each Gazer held records of every sighting and possible sighting. They
have done so for generations, and were revered by their community for
this important role.
There were ancient
stories told of encounters with other peoples from beyond the sea, who
landed on Aspergia and even took some of its residents with them. They
were described as looking similar to the Aspergians, but having
different customs, and producing very loud sounds, which were painful
to the ears of the Aspergians. But these were old stories, and time
has passed since there was a sighting of a tiny image on the horizon.
The Aspergians did
not build their dwellings close to each other. They had a complex
social structure which allowed individuals to invest most of their seeker
years in searching for their destiny, and most of their time as Initiated
in fulfilling it. This helped their culture to achieve great
things.
Their weekly
conventions and annual gatherings always obeyed strict rules of
ceremony, and each member knew exactly what their ceremonial role
would be. Although solitude is a central pillar of the Aspergian life,
it can not be real solitude unless it is defined by "Communitude".
Communitude allows for kinship, and relationship. It also
ensures the continuity to the next generation. Communitude ensured
Aspergians had a plentiful dose of company, in a defined and easy to
manage way, and without complications. It also allowed them to spend
their solitude time by themselves, observing the concept of Stillness.
The Aspergian dispersal
It
may be that the tales of the great flood, all go back to the
Aspergian story. After the civilisation of Aspergia survived
for millennia without danger or strife, the ocean itself sought
its own destiny and found that it had to take over the land
on which the Aspergians lived. The water rose and rose, until
there was no doubt that Aspergia would cease to exist within
a short period of time.
The Aspergians were
not ever faced with the task of building a boat that was bigger than
for the purpose of local fishing. Other than the oft told story of the
great Son of Aspergia, who set to sea in search of other lands, and
was never seen again, they had not dared try and
go beyond the borders of the visible waters, because they knew there
were great currents there; currents which take you to sea and never let you
return.
But now there was no
choice and dozens of bigger boats were constructed in haste by the
talented architects and builders of the land. As the full moon set
into the sea, the Aspergian people had one last Communitude gathering
on their beloved land.
They left at dawn, in
utter silence, their minds were full of fear and focussed on the task
ahead.
The boats reached the
high currents and drifted apart, each to its own direction. The
Aspergian civilisation started a journey into the unknown, and not all
of its sons and daughters would make it safely to the world beyond.
The Diaspora and accommodation
The
boats that did survive had finally reached many a dispersed
shore, and it was always the Gazers in every boat that
identified the approaching land first. When they landed, they
started by huddling together after the ordeal of the jouney,
but this was against the nature of Aspergians.
The peoples they came
across were very different to them: they valued a sort of constant Communitude,
they were afraid of their destiny, and were afraid of being alone or
pursuing their talents. But the Aspergians were a minority everywhere
they went,. and their nature dictated that they integrate, and learn
the ways of the land.
Integrating was not
easy, but they had a talent for it, and after a few generations any
trace of Aspergians and their culture had all but disappeared. Their
story was swallowed into the general mythology, and made a part of
human heritage. They intermarried with the people of their new lands
and their children would sometimes express Aspergian traits, and
sometimes not. Occasionally their children were born with a severe
Aspergian gaze that never went away, and an inability to speak or act independently.
In early generations these were recognised as the results of
intermarriage. Later on, even this realisation had been forgotten.
Nevertheless,
throughout history, those who were born with a strong Aspergian
persona, mostly knew that something was different. The sound of the
ocean would calm them down, and they needed a great deal of solitude.
They did not understand the practice of "constant Communitude",
and did not know how they should behave in the social structure they
were born to, with strange and taxing ways of interaction. They were
mostly saved if they managed to seek and find their destiny-interest
and excel in it. This was always revered by the people around them,
and allowed them to be a little "different". Not all
Aspergians immediately understood they had strengths rather than
weaknesses. Being a minority always creates unease and alienation. It
took great courage for those who did to tell themselves that they were
different, and that it was fine to be so. Others spent their lives
fighting it, and one who fights oneself always loses.
The heritage
The
Aspergian civilisation has all but disappeared, but its biological
and genetic heritage is still very much with us. Their genes
are strong and persistent, reminding us throughout our history,
that there were other ways of being, and other possibilities.
In some periods of
history, Aspergian manifestations were hunted down and destroyed.
Aspergian women burned at the stake as witches, Aspergian inventors
and creative minds persecuted for daring to be different. There were
Aspergians who discovered a destiny-talent for design and formulation,
and secretly created ancient Aspergian symbols in crop circles. There
are Aspergians that are Gazers to this day, watching for
trains, planes, boats or searching for life in outer space. These traits
are so
different to "normal" human ones that they persisted through their
genes.
And those of us
who have, against all odds, found their destiny and their pride, are
now ready to revive that notion that we have a proud ethos to relate
to - and we can once again build a proud heritage. Aspergia lives on -
and we will be the lost sons and daughters, coming home to our
history, our heritage and our future.
see
also: the scrolls of Dingir and Kmosh
© Edan and
Aspergia.com The content of this page is copyrighted and may not
be replicated in any form without prior written consent.
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