“A Beginning is a Very Delicate Time …”
“Two paths diverged in a wood …” or maybe two gates open in an enchanted grove. Another way to look at it is that a forge and a cauldron are two pages on the same leaf: two approaches, one place.
First, let it be known that one is the all; two the modes; three the paths; four the phases; five the partitions; six the fruitful chords; seven the precepts; eight the foundations; and nine the disciplines.
– From Chapter 1 of the Liber De Fundamentis
This quote is from Book 1 of the Libri de Speculo Mirabile, the foundational Manticorian text that sits between the ninefold phasal boundary of the Counterverses. It would be disingenuous to say that this text will be explained or even presented in full over the coming months as the Speculum Mirabile is a work that defies more than just classification. After all, four of the seven principles of the Manticore are listed in the same chapter as:
veritas in occultis; (truth in the hidden)
unitas semper fallet ; (unity always deceives)
mendacium est simplicitas; (simplicity is a lie)
studium advenit eccentris (interest comes from beyond)
More intimidating than all these is the principle that lugubria doctricinaria est. Pasting this into Google Translate will return a translation that “mourning is doctrinal,” but this can hardly be accurate. Combining all the precepts together would suggest that something more is going on than simple definitions by precept, but what that might be … ?
Perhaps a clue, though, may be found in the Speculum’s explication of the “two modes.”
What are the two modes? Not hard: they are practica and theoretica. Practica are those things that are real and objective while theoretica are notional and ideal. The practica are hard and of the past while theoretica are immaterial and conducive to producing practica. For this reason we say that the theoretica are of the future since practica are the products of theoretica that once were.
You will find on this site two paths which you can follow. One is curated toward those interested in seanchas, the Gaelic word for traditional lore. This includes history, traditional poetics and tales, Classical Gaelic, and all those marvelous facets of our pre-modern world that have been forgotten in the mad rush into industrialization and oligarchic technocracy.
Craos Ceardaigheachta
The image for this path is the forge and foundry: the bellows to inspire, the fire for transformative energy, the hammer and anvil to shape and the quenching water to harden and cool. We collect our raw materials from the practica of the past and, in combination with the theoretica that comes with the studium advenit eccentris, we may forge the practica of the future.
Go here if you enjoy Highland Games and Celtic Festivals.
For those interested more in modern fantasy, gaming, speculative art and all their infinite possibilities, there is the path of the Tor Druidheachta — the Wizard’s Tower. From there you will find the workings of the forge and all that the adhbhair seachais have been crafted into.
Tor Druidheachta
We could also call this the Coire Aislingeach but that seems a little presumptuous.
Whatever we call it, here you will find matter of interest to popular culture, video games, sci-fi/fantasy etc. Go here if you’re into Renaissance Faires and Fan Conventions.