THE FAITH:
GLIOCA'S COMPASSION AND HOW IT lights the path
I begin this essay by describing Gliocan Compassion to serve as a foundation for comparison with the other Gods. I will explain Compassion's depth of meaning and its effect on our relationships with both friends and strangers, seeing that Glioca herself is well-known in these lands as the Goddess of Love and Compassion. This introduction is, of course, by no means exhaustive.
Glioca, The Goddess of Compassion
To put the legends simply, Glioca is an essence that sprang from Danaan and formed into its own. We know that she is gentle, she does not know hate, and her love is eternal and never yielding. Glioca is the moon itself, and is the goddess that shines from the darkest of all abysses. She lights Temuair and the entire universe, together with all its inhabitants.
Glioca, The Goddess of Compassion
To put the legends simply, Glioca is an essence that sprang from Danaan and formed into its own. We know that she is gentle, she does not know hate, and her love is eternal and never yielding. Glioca is the moon itself, and is the goddess that shines from the darkest of all abysses. She lights Temuair and the entire universe, together with all its inhabitants.
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Being the followers of the Goddess of Compassion, others look to us Gliocans to display this compassion in vast quantities. Gliocans, for the vast majority of the time, believe that showing love and kindness is its very own reward. Our commitment to an ethic based on Compassion creates the firm Gliocan belief that honesty, openness, and integrity need to be expressed in public and private spheres. By choosing to be Compassionate Individuals, Gliocans honor the importance of possessing an ethos of love. We do this by choosing to work with all Aislings, and finding ways to admire and respect each Aisling. By choosing to be Compassionate, we commit to give our all to relationships. We do that by embracing a Temuairian vision, wherein we see our lives and our fate as intimately connected to those of everyone else in Temuair. |
Bentic Stedwinn, "Glioca's Vigil".
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Defining Compassion
What is Compassion? And, how is it different from Pity? This is one of the most common questions I field as a Priestess. Compassion has always been a difficult term to define, for it is easy to identify, but difficult to explain properly. Let me attempt by using an illustration.
Picture an Aisling stuck deep in the Mileth Crypt. There are many ways out, and with various resources he or she could use. And yet, this person is, for some reason, unable to make his way out.
Feeling Pity is the equivalent of standing above the Crypt, in the bright light, making comments, such as, "... Oh dear, poor person, he has all of these resources. If only he could see it." Or perhaps the more punitive, "...Why doesn't he just walk out of the Mileth crypt, and into the bright, green and lush land of Mileth? It is so obvious!".
Compassion, on the other hand, is being able to venture into that Dark Crypt, sit with that Aisling, feel what they are feeling, attempt to experience their difficulties, and say, "I am not you, and I cannot ever be you... but I can sort of understand how you feel. I am happy to help in any way possible, and I am also glad that you have allowed me to sit here with you."
In short, Pity is introspective and about processing one's own emotional angst, whereas Compassion requires us to relate externally, and empathize with our fellow beings. At our very best, when Gliocans are most compassionate, we act as a mirror, reflecting the reality that others experience. Compassion allows us to absorb, empathize and reflect emotions in a non-judgmental fashion.
What is Compassion? And, how is it different from Pity? This is one of the most common questions I field as a Priestess. Compassion has always been a difficult term to define, for it is easy to identify, but difficult to explain properly. Let me attempt by using an illustration.
Picture an Aisling stuck deep in the Mileth Crypt. There are many ways out, and with various resources he or she could use. And yet, this person is, for some reason, unable to make his way out.
Feeling Pity is the equivalent of standing above the Crypt, in the bright light, making comments, such as, "... Oh dear, poor person, he has all of these resources. If only he could see it." Or perhaps the more punitive, "...Why doesn't he just walk out of the Mileth crypt, and into the bright, green and lush land of Mileth? It is so obvious!".
Compassion, on the other hand, is being able to venture into that Dark Crypt, sit with that Aisling, feel what they are feeling, attempt to experience their difficulties, and say, "I am not you, and I cannot ever be you... but I can sort of understand how you feel. I am happy to help in any way possible, and I am also glad that you have allowed me to sit here with you."
In short, Pity is introspective and about processing one's own emotional angst, whereas Compassion requires us to relate externally, and empathize with our fellow beings. At our very best, when Gliocans are most compassionate, we act as a mirror, reflecting the reality that others experience. Compassion allows us to absorb, empathize and reflect emotions in a non-judgmental fashion.
The Fundamental Gliocan Belief: Being Compassionate to Others
In a society as diverse as the one that we dwell in, with our own creative sparks, it is perhaps not surprising to come across Aislings of multiple stripes and ilk. It is similarly not uncommon to come across fellow Aislings - sometimes even ourselves - who may fall into darkness. In the same vein, there is a common myth that "Glioca is always positivity. What does she, or any Gliocan, know about hate?". Far from that, Gliocans have often been the target of vitriol and negativity. We experience these emotions just as much as any other Aisling of any other faith (or not).
Being able to display compassion is critical, as it allows us to shine a light into the darkest abyss in ourselves and others. And yet, it is something horribly difficult to do: when faced with darkness, most of us lash out against it, fighting darkness with violence. Yet, we miss the point that Darkness feeds off these exact material: violence, hatred, and anger. More violence will only further fuel it. I contend that the only way to truly fend off darkness is to be Compassionate. To allow the light to shine bright and clear from oneself, to live by one’s heart and allow one’s compassion to show openly to all.
That said, many of us can think of someone in our lives who has refused our attempts to help them. When a heart surrounded by darkness catches a glimpse of this new light, more often than not, it recoils in surprise and fear. How this manifests itself are behaviors such as anger, violence, and self-abandonment, for to show love to an enemy is something that people living in the darkness can rarely comprehend. Our jobs then, is to reach out regardless, and shine our lights upon them. If, and when they feel the Light, then their hearts can grow in strength. With love, our hope the light within the walls will be strong enough to breach them, and light will once again shine from where their was once nothing but a black heart. It falls to all of us Aislings to reach out repeatedly to other Aislings who are surrounded by darkness.
This advice rings ever so true in the Temuair that we live in today: it is far too easy to feel demoralized and turn against one another.
A Common Gliocan Difficulty: Being Compassionate To Ourselves
In addition to loving others, it is similarly important to love ourselves. Gliocans do a great job of loving others unconditionally, but struggle with doing so with themselves. However, we are deserving of the same kind of unconditional love to ourselves. While we often preach words of Unconditional Love to others - “I will love you, no matter what you do" -- we often use words such as, "I will love myself if I..." on ourselves. How many of us have said these conditional “if”s to ourselves? Indeed, one definite way to to limit love is by exerting conditions on it.
To be able to spread Compassion to other Aislings in Temuair, Gliocans need to understand the concepts of Respect, Acceptance, and Compassion, and apply them to ourselves. Let me explain.
To respect our feelings means to honor the existence of our emotions, thoughts, and behaviors. They have formed to help us in some way (now or in the past) and all of these are ultimately trying to assist us. This is just like respecting another Aisling. We certainly do not have to love the actions of other Aislings, and yet we can accept who they are innately. In a similar vein, with our emotions, we do not have to love how they feel, but we can respect their existence.
With Respect, comes the acceptance of our feelings next. It means, when we feel something, we let it be. We don’t try to stuff it down or deny it. Instead we say “I’m still valid, even when I’m angry.” Or, when examining a past mistake, we accept that it happened and recognize that our past actions do not dictate our future reactions.
And finally... Compassion that Gliocans stand for. When we no longer fight ourselves for who we are, we instead realize that it is easier to love ourselves than to fight it. Compassion is all about choosing Love to fill the Void that self-rejection used to fill.
The truth is this: All of us already have all we need to fully love ourselves. It is my humble belief that Gliocans struggle the most with this concept, in spite of being the ones who are most inclined to love others unconditionally.
In addition to loving others, it is similarly important to love ourselves. Gliocans do a great job of loving others unconditionally, but struggle with doing so with themselves. However, we are deserving of the same kind of unconditional love to ourselves. While we often preach words of Unconditional Love to others - “I will love you, no matter what you do" -- we often use words such as, "I will love myself if I..." on ourselves. How many of us have said these conditional “if”s to ourselves? Indeed, one definite way to to limit love is by exerting conditions on it.
To be able to spread Compassion to other Aislings in Temuair, Gliocans need to understand the concepts of Respect, Acceptance, and Compassion, and apply them to ourselves. Let me explain.
To respect our feelings means to honor the existence of our emotions, thoughts, and behaviors. They have formed to help us in some way (now or in the past) and all of these are ultimately trying to assist us. This is just like respecting another Aisling. We certainly do not have to love the actions of other Aislings, and yet we can accept who they are innately. In a similar vein, with our emotions, we do not have to love how they feel, but we can respect their existence.
With Respect, comes the acceptance of our feelings next. It means, when we feel something, we let it be. We don’t try to stuff it down or deny it. Instead we say “I’m still valid, even when I’m angry.” Or, when examining a past mistake, we accept that it happened and recognize that our past actions do not dictate our future reactions.
And finally... Compassion that Gliocans stand for. When we no longer fight ourselves for who we are, we instead realize that it is easier to love ourselves than to fight it. Compassion is all about choosing Love to fill the Void that self-rejection used to fill.
The truth is this: All of us already have all we need to fully love ourselves. It is my humble belief that Gliocans struggle the most with this concept, in spite of being the ones who are most inclined to love others unconditionally.
Compassion Is The Only Way Forward
In sum, Compassion brings an Aisling the happiness they strive so hard to achieve. Ironically, the process of feeling what others feel, is a purity that compassion brings to one’s spirit and heart. As our first Glioca High Priestess, Angelic Stedwinn, shares,
"...with this purity realized, the mere wish to spread it to others brings a happiness which is nearly impossible to find elsewhere. This light breeds a happiness which the darkness tries fruitlessly to emulate."
I feel truly privileged and lucky to be able to show love towards, as well as receive love from our fellow Aislings.
Having explained the foundation of Gliocan Compassion, I now discuss how Glioca's Allies enables her Compassion to flourish, and how Aislings may be able to tap on those qualities. I will begin by discussing Cail.
