Lecture Theatre on Moor

Discussion about Moor's Writings

Lecture Theatre on Moor

Topic: Introduction (1 of 1), Read 49 times
Conf: Dark Lecture Theatre: On Moor
From: Kissed by Shiva
Date: Wednesday, July 19, 2006 08:40 PM

Welcome to this lecture theatre.

The aim of the dark lecture theatres is to provide a focus of discussion deemed important to the education of a student of the darkness, available for the entire academy to benefit from.

To keep discussions on topic, to minimize unworthy digressions, and to guarantee a certain quality, the participants in discussion are limited within the forum. Please be aware this does not mean other views and digressions are not wanted or appreciated! they most certainly are, and will be valued by myself and other members of the academy just as much if you wish to post them in dark discussion.

The writers within a lecture theatre are chosen on merit proven within posts in and around the board, to qualify for such a position is a simple enough task, simply show your devotion and quality through your posting, in dark discussion, show your desire to participate in lecture theatres by proving youve read and understood the material posted in your posts in discussion. If a dark workshop emerges and you have the time, sign up, and show your commitment in terms of spending time replying to the exercises in the workshop.

The material presented within a specific time frame within a lecture theatre is non archiving and will be kept and stored for future benefits and studies, so if participating remember your posts will be around for many generations of the dark to come. How do you want people to look upon your name?

Each lecture theatre has a nominated leader whose role it is to direct the pace of discussion, chair threads and to post the beginning of each thread. We are well aware however of the distractions of life and how sometimes your attention can be lead elsewhere. In such a scenario other members of the theatres writing team are asked to step in. If a piece of material is later than the implied time of posting by a considerable amount of time (ie, a week), please post yourself the beginning thread. Remember, this is your chance to walk the walk, and act as an active participant of this site and working student, rather than a daydreaming watcher.

The most important thing i wish to say, is my hope that everyone will appreciate and enjoy these lecture theatres, but most of all, i hope that the people who put the effort in, benefit from them.

Kiss: Dark IC Rep and administrator

Topic: Discussion One: The Dark Adept (1 of 8), Read 264 times
Conf: Dark Lecture Theatre: On Moor
From: Cole -
Date: Thursday, June 29, 2006 01:10 AM

The following is Moor's lecture on the Dark Jedi. As a personal preference, I refer to a Dark Jedi as a "Dark Adept" and may use these terms interchangeably.

Please, feel free to add your own dissections and dissect other dissections ;)

----

Dark Jedi
Man has seen a millennium of religion and belief, decorating civilization during his evolution throughout the halls of time. What is true? What is false? What exists within the universe and what is merely an illusion constructed by our own fears of insignificance? Gods have appeared and faded throughout the balance of mystical belief and the epoch of physics. Yet when we are alone and when we gaze towards the sky we feel a slight breeze chill our soul at the indescribable premonition of there being more to the universe as can simply be described by the cold vacuum of mathematics and geometry. And while we know of the attempt of man�s logical tools to describe a past of phenomena, we all realize as an absolute truth, that these tools lack the dimension needed to truly grasp the rules behind the mist. Today we gaze towards a large number of magic's, presented to man on a numerous scale of world views. Yet, engraved with numerous names for the different sources of power, we have come together on this site in the belief that all powers in the last stance, originate from the same source of power; the mystical secret of the universe to enlighten those on the path of knowledge in denial to the logical tools of man: that which we have come to describe as the force.
As our ancestors, so do we strive towards the mystical heritage of man and search the depth of our souls for the answers that will lead us to understanding, power and enlightenment. We have come to recognize that different paths can lead to the same goal. Each of these paths shows advantages and disadvantages, but none is greater than the other on an objective scale of thought. What allows us to decide for one of the three defined paths of light, darkness and the shadows, lies in the substance of our ghost and soul. It is the aspect of self that decides on a subjective scale of view, which path to choose. We are all the same, yet we are different. And thus the first step to hearing the whispers of the universe lies within our capability to hear the whispering of our own souls.
We are born as children. Children are given a set of moral and ethical views with which they are to view their surrounding. These views are the sum of experiences of our race and are given to use to be able to interact with our society. The important detail, is to see these views as a guideline but not as an absolute truth. Many of our parents have taught us views towards society and religion that they no longer believe on account of their personal experience. And yet they teach us what is �commonly� appreciated as to assure our integration with humanity. The process of life allows us to gather new experiences and thus our views are changed. Yet, the question is to what degree can these views that were given to us be wrong? Assuming that there would be a general right and wrong to a view or truth. As for an example, I am sure that there are many people who would easily describe our force community as flawed by misconception. Yet if the person working at your local bank sees your views as wrong, would you be inclined to regret and refocus your perspective? Probably not. Yet man has taken a course of logic and neglected his focus on the mystical. He has turned away from intuition and instincts and decided to use his mathematical tools to understand his environment. Thus alone our presence on this site shows us to have strayed away from a common view of the universe. And this is the first obstacle on the path of self balance. The bank employee does not impress you to reconsider your path, yet what if it were a friend? What if it was your partner? What if most of your friends cling to their predefined view of reality? What if almost all mankind does so? We have all made the experience that we lack the ability to broadly communicate with our surroundings on this matter. Most people don�t believe in an alternative view, since it is much easier for them to cope with their fears when they believe to have a maximum of control over their environment. To belief in the mystical means to add new variables. It means to admit, �in the end, I know less than I dreamed to know�. And this frightens man. And thus they will not consider this aspect of possibility, since it would make them feel more insecure than before. This is the reason they will explain to you why you should see things the way they do, for it will reassure their views to be stated as �correct�, while you were simply �wrong�. A wanderer on the path of enlightenment, determined to go an uncertain path bearing an uncertain reward must decide in favor of his courage and serenity when following his path. Lest he only follow the desire for additional knowledge, but decline the price to be paid. Most people who hesitate in the moment of mystical consideration stop at this point. They decide that the price of spiritual loneliness, of misunderstanding when interacting with their surroundings is too much to bear. It allows their fear and insecurity to rise and at this point, the person unconsciously decides if he is of the sheep or of the wolf. The sheep have an easy life. They exist on a field of grass and live together in herds. They might wander a mile in one direction or the other, yet they are contempt at having one another and only secondarily discovering their surroundings. Thus being the price for the security of a community. On the other side we recognize the wolf in this example. I will speak of the first wolf to understand his own existence as to befit my example. The wolf is born and of a different substance. The wolf feels his urge to wander and so he passes through the land, discovering his environment and searching for others of his kind. The wolf wanders to the top of a hill and sees a herd of sheep in the valley. He gazes towards the sheep, noticing how they live in herds and watches them move. He sees how they wander a mile in one direction or the other and how they eat the grass, always looking down and only seldomnly gazing towards each other and thus understands their nature. He decides that they are something different and wanders closer to investigate them further. After slowly moving closer, he hesitates once more. For he sees the heard near a pond. He is unsure if it was merely a light reflection, yet he believes to have seen something strange. He recognizes another wolf within the depth of the heard. Slightly confused, yet glad to see a member of his kind he wanders over to the wolf. The sheep grow restless as the wolf comes closer and the heard opens to reveal the second wolf. The first wolf walks up to the second and watches the second with his tail between his legs eat the grass as do the sheep.
"Greetings, brother�, speaks the first of wolves.
The second gazes up, slightly confused and takes a step back, noticing that a wolf has neared him.
"Why do you step back from me, brother?�, asks the first of wolves. The second wolf looks slightly confused and speaks, "Why do you call me brother, wolf? I am not like you, I am a sheep like the others.�
The first of wolves, with his tail high grows further in his confusion, "What do you mean, brother? You are a wolf. How can you think to be of the sheep?�
"I was born within the heard, wolf. I have always been a sheep, as my parents before me.� , speaks the cowardly wolf.
The first of wolves ponders the situation and his gaze wanders towards the pond, "Look into the water, brother. Then you will see that you are of my kind and not of the sheep.�
The second lowers his head again to continue his meal of grass, "I do not need to look into the water, for I would only see my reflection. The same face I see in the sheep around me. I do not need to look. I am of the sheep.�
"And what of the grass you eat, brother? Wouldn�t a sheep be more to your liking?�, says the first wolf in vain.
The second gazes towards him in fear and speaks with a quavering voice "No.�, he lied, "I have always eaten grass and I know no other. To desire a sheep is against the law.�
The first of wolves watches the second as he nervously looks around. The other sheep are seemingly oblivious to what matters are being discussed here. "Yet you have considered eating one of the sheep, haven�t you?�, spoke the first.
The second dropped his tail further with a look of great guilt on his soul,�No, I would never think such a thing. And it would be appreciated if you leave us, for you are making the heard nervous.�
The first of wolves is engulfed by a silent moment of loneliness. Knowing that he is not of the sheep and has no heard. And knowing that his brother is also not of his kind. The first of wolves slowly turns, leaving his brother behind, hearing the second of wolves trying himself in a accord of �bah�. The other sheep acknowledge this sound, yet the first of wolves knows, that the second can not communicate with them, no matter how hard he tries.
Only the wolf that acknowledges his existence can understand the self. Lest he be blinded by his surroundings.
To use the powers of the force means to be of the wolf, or rather, to be born with a magical gift allowing this interaction. A man without this gift can study the force, as he can study any human knowledge. He can argument within the boundaries of logic, but he is excluded from the true depth of understanding. Some statistics I have raised, on the grounds of a given character similarity and other mystical and psychological studies has shown me a gifted person of the force to exist in a ratio of 1:50.000 to humankind. Yet, those of the wolf that have the courage and serenity to face the truth of their existence reduce this ratio to 1:5.000.000. Those between are born with a gift allowing them to feel different; to view differently towards their surroundings, and to know within the depth of their person that there is a truth behind the view of mystics. Yet they lack the courage to pay the price of serenity and therefore live with the sheep. These loses can be traced to the given moral and ethical views of our surroundings during childhood from our parents and given to us by our surroundings themselves. Thus a seeker must battle victorious against his own fear to follow the path of the force, regardless of the personal force aspect.
When this first step has been taken and the gifted user has cut the thread between himself and others, can the gifted commence to study themselves as the greatest potential for understanding they have at that time. They must now start to remove all the clamps chaining their body and must rediscover what they truly and personally believe. Some views will be kept, for the view they were taught and the view they believe are identical. Yet many people will discover that what they are truly inclined to believe differs greatly from what society expects them to see, to believe and to feel.
Many people, while discovering their souls, instincts and emotions, come to realize that they are darker than they had admitted towards themselves up this point. There is a desire to enjoy. There is an enjoyment in things shunned by society and unmoral behavior. There is a desire to raise the self before others. There is a lust for revenge. A hatred towards those of the sheep who trap our brothers and sisters and who rule our world, in which they state there is no place for us. There is the wish for conflict. To prove those who are weak and commend those who are strong. And then we ponder over these inner desires, if this is what we are, in a viewed moment of truth. Is this not the path we should follow? Granted, that we must control our desires for every society has its ways of punishing those who think differently. We must be mindful, for the farther we wander off from what this society would consider �normal�, the greater the chance of being discovered will be. To be discovered might only mean to lose your influence over your surrounding. To be discovered might also mean to be �corrected� under the usage of government power. At the beginning of this path should an apprentice of the dark side or dark knight, as I would call any gifted user to embrace his darker half and stand up for it in serenity before the self, learn to hide this mental morphosis behind a mask of �normality�. You may feel free to test otherwise, but you will quickly note that you only harvest disadvantages from it. Try to be as you were before you made your first step towards others. Yet your thoughts are free and your own. With no one given any right to punish you for them. Thus, the dark apprentice turns away from society. He no longer cares if he is wearing the correct clothing or likes the same things as his friends or as he is pressured to. While discovering the self , the dark knight notices the growing desire for power and knowledge. And based on these reasons for revenge, lust for power or on account of what he sees when he gazes into his soul, he turns to the dark side. His desire for knowledge draws him towards his path and his willingness to crush those who try to stand in his way details him. First we will gaze towards the knight, the heart and the soul of this divine will. The knight must face every truth, must gaze into the depth of the self and discover who he is. He must do this to achieve a balance of self. If there is no balance there is no knowledge and no power. Do not try to be what you are not, be what you are and be it gladly. Stand before humanity and proclaim your might before them. Proclaim your serenity and dive into the dark waters of emotion. Scan the depth of your darkness and allow it to flow through you. But be a perfectionist. Demand the most you can give, allowing your hate and rage to flow freely together with your lust and your demand for power, yet always be mindful. Never underestimate an opponent, no matter how simple he appears. To underestimate an opponent is a strategic failure and can not be tolerated. See yourself as your central weapon. Sharpen your mind and fill it with knowledge to aid you in your battle. Study strategy and tactics. Ponder over the phrases of Sun Tzu and elaborate on the scriptures of Machiavelli. Consider what they say you should do and what you do in everyday life. Find your mistakes and correct your views. Only when your mind achieves fundamental perfection can the knight reign supreme. Be ruthless towards yourself. This is the first of enemies: the mortal flesh and spirit. Mortals are weak, they quickly suffice when they have done half the job. Throw off the chains of imperfection and demand the ultimate functionality of every theory and construct; of every idea and strategy. Work on yourself until you have done all that you can at this time and then turn towards the world.

Topic: Discussion One: The Dark Adept (2 of 8), Read 239 times
Conf: Dark Lecture Theatre: On Moor
From: Cole -
Date: Thursday, June 29, 2006 01:10 AM

Moor begins his lecture on Dark Adepts by acknowledging a common feature of the human condition: wonder at the universe. Man seems so small, so insignificant � so through religion and science man seeks empowerment and meaning. He advocates individuality among the herd.

As children, we become indoctrinated into society. We learn the customs of the country (to borrow from Stephen King) so that we can be integrated into society. The ethics we are taught are based on history, and may or may not be correct. As we grow, these values are validated or invalidated, and (hopefully) we begin to question what we have been taught � we learn to become moral agents.

There may come a point when our beliefs contradict society�s � what happens then?

Moor returns to the topic of empowerment. In religion, even when one bows to a supreme deity, one feels empowered by this belief � a link to something better, more powerful, is created. The dark adept is not different from a light adept or shadow adept in empowerment � the difference is the source of empowerment. The dark adept should seek empowerment from himself first and foremost. He has courage to face himself, to find himself, and then to face society armed with himself. He is willing to pay the price of knowledge.

Moor speaks of an edge � his usage refers to discovering a mystical realm where new variables are introduced, but I rather think of it as discovering the self. Approaching the edge is discovering the inner self � the �shadow self� we hide from society. Sometimes this is found when we face extraordinary circumstances (car accident, baby trapped in burning building, physical confrontation) and we come to a wall: win or lose, fight or flight. One has the choice to become a sheep or a wolf � the dark adept chooses the wolf.

At this point, Moor tells the parable of the wolf who meets a cowardly brother. The moral of the story is that �only the wolf that acknowledges his existence can understand [him]self.� When one decides to pursue this path, he must face himself � his passions, his beliefs and opinions, whether or not they converge with society�s � and delve to the deepest reaches of his abilities.

While I disagree with Moor�s ratio of gifted: herd, I agree with him in principle � true wolves are rare, and necessarily so. Predators must always be outnumbered by their prey, lest they starve.

The key to the path of the dark adept is self examination. Crack open your shell and spill the contents onto the table. Shed the layers society has put upon you. Keep only what is true to yourself and necessary to live. Function over form. At the end of his lecture, he reiterates this necessity. The warrior must strip himself to bare truth and necessity, not pomp.

When Moor peered into himself, he felt intense desires, passions. Who does not feel the pull of their passions? The dark adept does not refuse his desires, but accepts them and seeks to pacify them with strategy.

Topic: Discussion One: The Dark Adept (3 of 8), Read 200 times
Conf: Dark Lecture Theatre: On Moor
From: Curtis V.
Date: Friday, June 30, 2006 09:12 PM

I can't really dissect this. It's pretty much everything I've experienced first hand put into a rather lengthy essay.

I, however, do not agree with studying Machiavelli or Sun Tzu, simply because I've not gained anything from them. I would suggest studying things closer to you, such as bodybuilding, endurance training, powerlifting for physical training, etc. These, in essence, are strategies. Furthermore you should realize, that what your life consists of will dictate your personal strategies. If you are a businessman, you might learn Neuro-linguistic programming to better influence your clients. Obviously, an English teacher has little use for classics which pertain to battlefield Generals, especially considering how war has changed and thus, those are outdated in some parts. Obviously, you wouldn't use a phalanx to rush riflemen who would slaughter them.

I would make this clearer by stating some strategies I use in life:

a) Weak Point physical training. Train weak points first, to fully stimulate muscle fibers before they are brought into play by other exercises.

b) When I need to drive all over the county to run errands, I make a list and group everything by relative distance to each other. That way, I can go in a relatively straight line from one town to another to minimize fuel usage and time taken for the total duration of the errands. Simple, yet still a strategy to save time and money.

c) Brush teeth in the morning and night to prevent tooth decay. Probably not what you think of when I say strategy, however it's designed to prevent tooth decay, therefore a strategy.

All three of those would benefit you much more than Machiavellian intrigue or learning about Greek phalanxes and hoplite tactics. Stragety is any plan designed to bring about results. Therefore, just start planning more efficiently.

Topic: Discussion One: The Dark Adept (4 of 8), Read 196 times
Conf: Dark Lecture Theatre: On Moor
From: Kissed by Shiva
Date: Saturday, July 01, 2006 09:04 AM

Curtis, some points on your reply:

Firstly, the art of war is a book of stratergy that is successfully used by business men, psycologists and many other disciplines! it has little to do with greek phalanxes and is a highly successful book on 'winning' and how to win, be it taking a fort, or making a deal; killing troops, or making money.

Machiavelli is a great book on many aspects, for example in how to manipulate the interests of crowds, forming allies, making people like you, persuading people to gang up on others.

Why is such stratergy useful?

Well, your weak point training is a stratergy, with a good underlying principle. But to what end are you improving these weak points? Is your end goal to be the perfect human being? If so surely putting yourself into effect is a desire. Why would you make the perfect cup of tea, if not to drink it? The greatest bbq sauce, if not to taste it?

It follows on that your better body should be put to use. And that is where stratergy comes in, your body is the tool, but how do you use the tool? If you have a hammer as your tool, it would be unwise to hold it by the head and use it.

Kiss: Dark IC Rep and administrator

Topic: Discussion One: The Dark Adept (5 of 8), Read 192 times
Conf: Dark Lecture Theatre: On Moor
From: Curtis V.
Date: Saturday, July 01, 2006 12:37 PM

I've never really liked it personally, though. Just doesn't vibe with me. Although I must confess, that perhaps Sun Tzu and Machiavelli are just stating a lot of what I know, considering I'm from a military family and a good portion of the males in my family on both my father's and mother's either did a term of service, or went the full 20 and retired. I more than likely gained little from it due to the fact that I've known pretty much nothing but the military life, and would be in the military were it not for a medical disqualification. I've associated with mostly other military children, spouses and active, reserve and retired military. Even though, I work a civilian job, I will be trying to overturn this medical disqualification, to most likely join the Marine Corps as the military life to me is much more ingrained. Therefore, I believe I would be much more efficient with that line of work. That should indicate my experience with the military and perhaps why those books put me to sleep and I gain nothing from them. It's like beating a dead horse. lol

And yes, there are strategies beyond those that I posted. To me, every small strategy has secondary and tertiary strategies to form what I call "ripple decision making": decisions made to bring about multiple results from a wide range of categories (such as sexual life, financial life, etc.) beyond just the beginning. Each decision makes a ripple. For example, weak point training. First off, it brings weak points up in strength. Secondly, it synchronizes the body more by having the weak points up to strength. As an offshoot, say biceps are a weak point. Working on those biceps will make your arms bigger and stronger. Bigger biceps will send messages to men that you are strong, and impress women (provided they aren't turned off by big muscles lol). Training the muscle also gets it to function more efficiently and you use less energy using it. In business, a healthy strong looking body, makes you look like a go-getter and hard worker, etc. All starts from a small decision, and reaps enormous rewards. A snowball effect if you will.

Topic: Discussion One: The Dark Adept (6 of 8), Read 177 times
Conf: Dark Lecture Theatre: On Moor
From: Kadaj .
Date: Monday, July 03, 2006 12:45 AM

"The key to the path of the dark adept is self examination. Crack open your shell and spill the contents onto the table. Shed the layers society has put upon you. Keep only what is true to yourself and necessary to live. Function over form. At the end of his lecture, he reiterates this necessity. The warrior must strip himself to bare truth and necessity, not pomp."

"When Moor peered into himself, he felt intense desires, passions. Who does not feel the pull of their passions? The dark adept does not refuse his desires, but accepts them and seeks to pacify them with strategy."

I agree with that, that sums up what I got from it too. However there is one part that I enjoyed the most.

It was when he talked about the sheep and the wolf. This interested me a lot because in many cases I found myself to be the wolf among the sheep. It seems a lot of people are like that now a days. Everybody wants to fit in of what society calls right. The right way to dress or act and people fall into that and become sheeps and follow their leader(society). Its sad really.

What makes it worse is that when a person denys society and embraces who they are and it differs from what society deems right, that person is looked upon as an outcast. I hate that most.

Well thats my ranting for now, I should have more posted later on. I am sleepy.

Kadaj

Topic: Discussion One: The Dark Adept (7 of 8), Read 155 times
Conf: Dark Lecture Theatre: On Moor
From: Lady Qadira
Date: Monday, July 03, 2006 09:14 PM

Just stopping in to say I've copied Moor's essay to the computer I'm currently using, and will hopefully have a coherant response (trust me when I say my current rendition is incomprehensible) posted in the next day or two. Family from out of town is visiting, and we've got an agenda filled with parades, too much food, and lots of things exploding for tomorrow. :D

Be Mindful,

Lady Qadira

Something is about to happen. The Malkavian only prepares himself thusly when he feels a new stage is at hand. It could be he is near a conceptual breakthrough; or it could be that his visions tell him to prepare for something unknown; or it could be that he has definite knowledge of some event near or far unfolding. Most likely, no one but Anatole will know the nature of the event, or at least its true nature, for many years to come. If ever. --Clan Novel: Malkavian by Stewart Wieck

Topic: Discussion One: The Dark Adept (8 of 8), Read 119 times
Conf: Dark Lecture Theatre: On Moor
From: Lady Qadira
Date: Sunday, July 16, 2006 01:11 PM
Originally Posted 16-Jul-2006 13:07

Apologies for the lateness of this response.

Dark Jedi --Such a small-seeming thing, a title for an essay. But is it? A skilled crafter of words, here Darth Moor is putting entire worlds of meaning into two words. Dark. Jedi. Jedi acknowledges our common understanding of Star Wars mythos, while Dark lends emphasis to those things we hold close to our hearts as deep Truths.--

Man has seen a millennium of religion and belief, decorating civilization during his evolution throughout the halls of time. What is true? What is false? What exists within the universe and what is merely an illusion constructed by our own fears of insignificance? Gods have appeared and faded throughout the balance of mystical belief and the epoch of physics. Yet when we are alone and when we gaze towards the sky we feel a slight breeze chill our soul at the indescribable premonition of there being more to the universe as can simply be described by the cold vacuum of mathematics and geometry. And while we know of the attempt of man�s logical tools to describe a past of phenomena, we all realize as an absolute truth, that these tools lack the dimension needed to truly grasp the rules behind the mist. Today we gaze towards a large number of magic's, presented to man on a numerous scale of world views. Yet, engraved with numerous names for the different sources of power, we have come together on this site in the belief that all powers in the last stance, originate from the same source of power; the mystical secret of the universe to enlighten those on the path of knowledge in denial to the logical tools of man: that which we have come to describe as the force.

--Establishing the antiquity of this spiriitual drive we share in common, and giving it a label which we can use to dialogue on the subject, even if we come from disparate backgrounds in the magical traditions. Power through authority, authority through longevity.--

As our ancestors, so do we strive towards the mystical heritage of man and search the depth of our souls for the answers that will lead us to understanding, power and enlightenment. We have come to recognize that different paths can lead to the same goal. Each of these paths shows advantages and disadvantages, but none is greater than the other on an objective scale of thought. What allows us to decide for one of the three defined paths of light, darkness and the shadows, lies in the substance of our ghost and soul. It is the aspect of self that decides on a subjective scale of view, which path to choose. We are all the same, yet we are different. And thus the first step to hearing the whispers of the universe lies within our capability to hear the whispering of our own souls.

--Some political niceties to soothe those of the Light and Shadow, whom we in the Dark tend to think of as inferior. The important point in this paragraph, however, is hearing our own soul, and stepping onto the Path in which we belong. What I think, or anyone else indeed, has no bearing or weight on this matter. Listen. Hear. If you do this, you will KNOW where your feet belong. Go there. Stay there. Don't waste precious mortal time chasing folly.--

We are born as children. Children are given a set of moral and ethical views with which they are to view their surrounding. These views are the sum of experiences of our race and are given to use to be able to interact with our society. The important detail, is to see these views as a guideline but not as an absolute truth. Many of our parents have taught us views towards society and religion that they no longer believe on account of their personal experience. And yet they teach us what is �commonly� appreciated as to assure our integration with humanity. The process of life allows us to gather new experiences and thus our views are changed. Yet, the question is to what degree can these views that were given to us be wrong? Assuming that there would be a general right and wrong to a view or truth. As for an example, I am sure that there are many people who would easily describe our force community as flawed by misconception. Yet if the person working at your local bank sees your views as wrong, would you be inclined to regret and refocus your perspective? Probably not. Yet man has taken a course of logic and neglected his focus on the mystical. He has turned away from intuition and instincts and decided to use his mathematical tools to understand his environment. Thus alone our presence on this site shows us to have strayed away from a common view of the universe. And this is the first obstacle on the path of self balance. The bank employee does not impress you to reconsider your path, yet what if it were a friend? What if it was your partner? What if most of your friends cling to their predefined view of reality? What if almost all mankind does so? We have all made the experience that we lack the ability to broadly communicate with our surroundings on this matter. Most people don�t believe in an alternative view, since it is much easier for them to cope with their fears when they believe to have a maximum of control over their environment. To belief in the mystical means to add new variables. It means to admit, �in the end, I know less than I dreamed to know�. And this frightens man. And thus they will not consider this aspect of possibility, since it would make them feel more insecure than before. This is the reason they will explain to you why you should see things the way they do, for it will reassure their views to be stated as �correct�, while you were simply �wrong�. A wanderer on the path of enlightenment, determined to go an uncertain path bearing an uncertain reward must decide in favor of his courage and serenity when following his path. Lest he only follow the desire for additional knowledge, but decline the price to be paid. Most people who hesitate in the moment of mystical consideration stop at this point. They decide that the price of spiritual loneliness, of misunderstanding when interacting with their surroundings is too much to bear. It allows their fear and insecurity to rise and at this point, the person unconsciously decides if he is of the sheep or of the wolf. The sheep have an easy life. They exist on a field of grass and live together in herds. They might wander a mile in one direction or the other, yet they are contempt at having one another and only secondarily discovering their surroundings. Thus being the price for the security of a community. On the other side we recognize the wolf in this example.

--We who come to places like the FA, are iin the minority to start with. We who are adherants of the Dark Path are in the minority of the minority. To be Dark, is to be alone, solitary, self-sufficient. If you cannot bear the seclusions the Path requires of you, you will forever live a half-life. You may convince yourself that your feet belonged upon a different Path, but to do so ignores your soul, and the only way you will succeed at this is to muffle that inner Voice, to put on blinders, and be Lesser.--

I will speak of the first wolf to ...(parable of wolf here)...
Only the wolf that acknowledges his existence can understand the self. Lest he be blinded by his surroundings.

--Parable of the Wolf illustrates the poinnt- either you can embrace your self or you can put on a costume, but once you've seen and heard your soul, and know what you are, to put on that costume is an act of cowardice. denial. ultimate self-destruction.--

To use the powers of the force means to be of the wolf, or rather, to be born with a magical gift allowing this interaction. A man without this gift can study the force, as he can study any human knowledge. He can argument within the boundaries of logic, but he is excluded from the true depth of understanding. Some statistics I have raised, on the grounds of a given character similarity and other mystical and psychological studies has shown me a gifted person of the force to exist in a ratio of 1:50.000 to humankind. Yet, those of the wolf that have the courage and serenity to face the truth of their existence reduce this ratio to 1:5.000.000. Those between are born with a gift allowing them to feel different; to view differently towards their surroundings, and to know within the depth of their person that there is a truth behind the view of mystics. Yet they lack the courage to pay the price of serenity and therefore live with the sheep. These loses can be traced to the given moral and ethical views of our surroundings during childhood from our parents and given to us by our surroundings themselves. Thus a seeker must battle victorious against his own fear to follow the path of the force, regardless of the personal force aspect.

--The age-old question, is power in-born, or learned, or can it be learned at all? After much personal research, I am inclined to be in agreement with Moor on this point. If you aren't born with this seed, this gift, contained within your soul, no amount of learning will ever allow a deep true understanding. You may come close, you may do great things, but it will not be from the same understanding that others have. It isn't an issue of those who lay claim to a gift wanting some exclusive specialness. It simply *is*.--

When this first step has been taken and the gifted user has cut the thread between himself and others, can the gifted commence to study themselves as the greatest potential for understanding they have at that time. They must now start to remove all the clamps chaining their body and must rediscover what they truly and personally believe. Some views will be kept, for the view they were taught and the view they believe are identical. Yet many people will discover that what they are truly inclined to believe differs greatly from what society expects them to see, to believe and to feel.

--Such a small paragraph for such a large undertaking. Cutting the thread requires an incredible amount of will, but this self-study and healing requires tremendous dedication, courage, and inner strength.--

Many people, while discovering their souls, instincts and emotions, come to realize that they are darker than they had admitted towards themselves up this point. There is a desire to enjoy. There is an enjoyment in things shunned by society and unmoral behavior. There is a desire to raise the self before others. There is a lust for revenge. A hatred towards those of the sheep who trap our brothers and sisters and who rule our world, in which they state there is no place for us. There is the wish for conflict. To prove those who are weak and commend those who are strong. And then we ponder over these inner desires, if this is what we are, in a viewed moment of truth. Is this not the path we should follow? Granted, that we must control our desires for every society has its ways of punishing those who think differently. We must be mindful, for the farther we wander off from what this society would consider �normal�, the greater the chance of being discovered will be. To be discovered might only mean to lose your influence over your surrounding. To be discovered might also mean to be �corrected� under the usage of government power. At the beginning of this path should an apprentice of the dark side or dark knight, as I would call any gifted user to embrace his darker half and stand up for it in serenity before the self, learn to hide this mental morphosis behind a mask of �normality�. You may feel free to test otherwise, but you will quickly note that you only harvest disadvantages from it. Try to be as you were before you made your first step towards others. Yet your thoughts are free and your own. With no one given any right to punish you for them. Thus, the dark apprentice turns away from society. He no longer cares if he is wearing the correct clothing or likes the same things as his friends or as he is pressured to. While discovering the self , the dark knight notices the growing desire for power and knowledge. And based on these reasons for revenge, lust for power or on account of what he sees when he gazes into his soul, he turns to the dark side. His desire for knowledge draws him towards his path and his willingness to crush those who try to stand in his way details him.

--This section highlights the phenomenon oof those who've escaped the clutches of anything which is negative for our soul. Often, that which chained us, becomes the target of our rage, our hurt, our disbelief that others don't see it for what it was. Religion, politics, family, faith, spiritual walk, educational systems, all those things which we are bound by. The caution to resist this outward reaction, to resist doing things that will draw attention upon us in a negative way, is one to heed. Throw off your chains, but don't raze the neighborhood while you do so.--

First we will gaze towards the knight, the heart and the soul of this divine will. The knight must face every truth, must gaze into the depth of the self and discover who he is. He must do this to achieve a balance of self. If there is no balance there is no knowledge and no power. Do not try to be what you are not, be what you are and be it gladly. Stand before humanity and proclaim your might before them. Proclaim your serenity and dive into the dark waters of emotion. Scan the depth of your darkness and allow it to flow through you. But be a perfectionist. Demand the most you can give, allowing your hate and rage to flow freely together with your lust and your demand for power, yet always be mindful. Never underestimate an opponent, no matter how simple he appears. To underestimate an opponent is a strategic failure and can not be tolerated. See yourself as your central weapon. Sharpen your mind and fill it with knowledge to aid you in your battle. Study strategy and tactics. Ponder over the phrases of Sun Tzu and elaborate on the scriptures of Machiavelli. Consider what they say you should do and what you do in everyday life. Find your mistakes and correct your views. Only when your mind achieves fundamental perfection can the knight reign supreme. Be ruthless towards yourself. This is the first of enemies: the mortal flesh and spirit. Mortals are weak, they quickly suffice when they have done half the job. Throw off the chains of imperfection and demand the ultimate functionality of every theory and construct; of every idea and strategy. Work on yourself until you have done all that you can at this time and then turn towards the world.

--The halls of this academy are littered wwith the ghosts of those who underestimated people, who drew the veil of obscurity over their own souls in order to flee from Paths which required more of them than they were willing to give. People from all Paths and none, have fallen prey to their own inability to be ruthless, and steadfast. Step one of nearly every Path which exists, is to Know Thyself. When you look within, and truly see, you will know fear. You will know loneliness. If these are things which you cannot bear, run now. Go back to where you came from. Choose another Path to walk, or shut your eyes and live out your years in blindness.--

So, to sum up, In this first essay, we are acquainted with the idea of how old this pursuit of spiritual knowledge and power really is. We are given an idea of the existence of many ways to the final conclusion, and a glimpse at how three specific archetypes of journey manifest here at the FA, with the focus upon the Dark. Through the metaphor of the wolf amid the sheep, we see into the solitary journey most of us within the Dark face and live each and every day. We are being given hints as to our first steps upon this path, and the things which we will need to work on in order to progress further. Much of the advancement within the Path comes from hard work. Self-driven studies. No one will hand you anything on a silver platter, everything you attain you will work for. Sweat, blood and tears; but also great shouts of joy, laughter from the belly, and a passionate embracing of all that it is which makes us human, makes us what we are. If you've made it this far, congratulations- but this is only the beginning, and what seemed hard before, will seem as nothing in the face of what comes.

Be Mindful,

Lady Qadira

Topic: Lecture 2: The Armor (1 of 5), Read 105 times
Conf: Dark Lecture Theatre: On Moor
From: Kissed by Shiva
Date: Thursday, July 20, 2006 07:26 PM

Lesson 2: The Armor

The knight is born with his goals and strategy to achieve those goals. Now he must study his surroundings. On the one hand he wishes to understand the rules of society that have appeared to him as laws for so long. To understand this, you must first realize that social interaction is a game and not a reality. We were or are all young, we know that every school class has the greatest boy and the prettiest girl. We notice the hierarchy of this. We are forced to take our place as dictated by the group, depending on how well we befit their demands of a certain physical appearance and a certain social behavior concerning a striving towards given goals.

We watched the hierarchy of girls, ruled by looks, by being with the cheerleaders, by being the girl friend of a certain guy with a certain rank in the social subculture. How much money she has, what kind of clothing she wares. But when you listen to what they speak of you will notice that they talk about all kinds of topics, but never does anyone ask: Who are we? What is there to know? What exists behind that which we perceive as reality? Not only to achieve power to control our surroundings and to change our stand in this subculture, but especially to search for knowledge in the plain desire of wishing to know and to understand.

When we look at the boys, usually the one with the strongest muscles or the best looks rules. Usually they make rank by behaving stupid in class, by playing football, by having a good looking girl friend, buy telling how many women they have fictionally slept with, by carrying on how they are going to get someone for something. But do they ever speak of true values? Of honor, of having real principles that don�t change as soon as someone decides that something new is now cool? Do they ever appear as if they would die for something they truly believe...We all know the answer. And this is the reality we are caught in. Where the mass suffers on account of pseudo rule making. We see no way to change these things for we perceive it as reality. Yet that is a mistake. A dark knight must look into the face of truth. He must look at himself and decide why he has the ranking he does. He must decide what he wants and he must find out how to achieve this with the subtlety of a mastermind. And here begins the study of our society. What rules exist, what happens if I do this? Which reaction will result from it? What interactions exist? What rules? And then you begin to construct your theories on this subculture. Be hard to yourself, be ruthless towards yourself, be mindful and always seek the face of truth no matter how uncomfortable it is. For this is the path of the strong. When the knight has built and tested his theories, when he has reconstructed and tuned them, he will have an instrument of mundane power. And with this power he can achieve the social peace he needs to turn towards other studies. But always keep in mind, that mundane power is the first of armor. It is the offensive part of the mask you carry towards the countenance of the world. And all weapons are to be collected, sharpened and used when it helps you to achieve your goal.

When examining a certain sheep, you will notice the mask that they carry around with them. The mask is what a human wishes another human to see. It is to secure our privacy and to make sure that no one comes closer to you than you would prefer at any moment. It is to hide the fear of the sheep. And the sheep carry these masks towards the inside, meaning that they hardly ever have knowledge of it. Granted, they know to a slight degree if they are making small talk or if they are talking about something truly important to them. Yet, the mask is also what protects them from thinking about mystical aspects, what protects them against feeling afraid. It is what would make them not believe you if you told them you had mystical power or knowledge. And it is what holds them a spiritual prisoner. It is what allows or forces them to live their little lives and to never think of anything truly greater than themselves.

The dark knight, by aiming towards self recognition and balance destroys this inner mask. He frees himself from it allowing him to perceive reality on a broader scale. Yet there is one aspect of the mask that shows value. The aspect of hiding that which is behind it. A warrior caries an outward mask, meaning that he, in full recognition of the functionality of a mask, tunes his behavior towards outsiders that have no right to his personal thoughts. It is the acting in everyday life to allow the sheep to believe that you are one of them, for the truth would make the heard nervous and cause aggression against you. And while the sheep are weak, there are many of them. The greater your understanding of society the better your acting will be. The more perfect your mask is the easier can you implement your will under the usage of your understanding of society. Until you easily fit into any subculture, leading the sheep to fulfill your desires.

Together they meld to the armor of the warrior. To hold off all that is unappreciated and to help shield him from his opponents.

Darth Moor

Topic: Lecture 2: The Armor (2 of 5), Read 79 times
Conf: Dark Lecture Theatre: On Moor
From: Curtis V.
Date: Saturday, July 22, 2006 01:58 PM

Curious, as I've been examining my own goals and ambitions through thoughts exactly similiar to all of this. However, the one thing I need to work on, is the mask. The part of myself that blends me into my surroundings so that undue confrontation is no longer apart of my life.

Funny how Moor's lectures are almost exactly my same thoughts, albeit different words used to describe the same things, yet I haven't read his stuff in... probably a year and I never bothered to memorize them.

Topic: Lecture 2: The Armor (3 of 5), Read 81 times
Conf: Dark Lecture Theatre: On Moor
From: Kadaj .
Date: Sunday, July 23, 2006 04:48 PM

I agree with curtis about the first part, Its how I have lived and how things have been for me, except not in the exact words that Moor used.

However when it comes to the mask, I have done that part fairly well. The hard part that I find is that when you are using the mask you have to remember the part when the dark adept also, so there has to be a balance. I know sometimes I get so caught up in the mask you lose sight of the reason behind the mask, and you become what you never intended to be. I guess thats when the be hard a ruthless on yourself comes in, so you don't fall prey to what you hoped not to be.

This lecture is a tricky one because there has to be a good foundation of understanding about yourself before you can use the mask to try and blend in with the society around you, or else you will be back were you started and be apart of the society the dark adept strives to be different from.

Kadaj

Topic: Lecture 2: The Armor (4 of 5), Read 67 times
Conf: Dark Lecture Theatre: On Moor
From: Cole -
Date: Wednesday, July 26, 2006 02:00 AM

The knight must study his surroundings. Social interaction is a game. He talks of greatest boys, prettiest girls, etc. Looks and money. The reasons behind status. We take a place in the hierarchy.

Moor acknowledges that the majority of people are ignorant. Ignorant of themselves, of the world they live in. They do not discuss knowledge, improvement, etc. This massive system (society) unknowingly attempts to oppress the dark adept through willy-nilly law-making.

Some people, who are regarded as losers by the in crowd, may have their wills broken. They come to a point where they don�t really care how people treat them, because they�re a loser. The dark adept looks into truth and asks why he has the social rank he does. Then he forms a goal (improve social standing?), and strategizes with the �subtlety of a mastermind�.

Part of the strategy is to understand the rules of social interactions. What happens if I do A, what consequences are there, what interactions are there, what are the rules? The adept theorizes an outline of the whys of social interaction based on observation and experience. Moor epitomizes the dark adept: �Be hard [on] yourself, be ruthless towards yourself, be mindful and always seek the face of truth no matter how uncomfortable it is.�

This is an instrument of �mundane power.� Power in the everyday. What day goes by where we do not interact with someone? Moor advocated the outsider to use this as a means to achieve �social peace� so other studies could be pursued. Moor says mundane power is the first armor, the offensive part of the mask that you carry face-first into the world. Moor says all weapons must be collected, sharpened, and used when it furthers your goal. Moor�s weapons are intellectual tools: critical thinking, strategizing, manipulation, etc. Study and practice sharpens these tools.

Ordinary people (sheep), carry masks. When they go along in uninteresting small talk, when they keep quiet about a personal opinion, etc. The mask is what one person wants another to see. The difference between dark knight and sheep is that the sheep wears one out of fear of rejection, and the dark knight wears one for stealth. He cares little of the herd which he�s infiltrating, and prefers to remain hidden until it is proper for him to announce himself. The knight�s mask is functional and known, whereas a sheep keeps his mask close to him so he hardly knows it�s there.

The mask should never be a prison. A sheep may remain locked into his mask, thinking he will never become anything greater. A knight would never stand for such thinking in his own mind. The mask of the knight is not a prison, but a wall behind which his true intentions hide. It has a positive function. As Moor says, remaining hidden amongst the herd will prove profitable, because exposure provides risk � sheep may be weak, but there are many of them.

Topic: Lecture 2: The Armor (5 of 5), Read 68 times
Conf: Dark Lecture Theatre: On Moor
From: Lady Qadira
Date: Wednesday, July 26, 2006 11:00 AM

For many people who are of the Darkside, everything about us that matters does not mirror the majority of humanity. Most people are indeed content to simply exist in their niche, and do not have a passion or interest in peeling back the cover, turning the page, exploring around the corner, not even to ask the basic question "why?"

Why indeed are we different, and how can we uncover our true self that lies hidden in a bunch of social conditioning? How can we see other people for who and what they are?

What is the main point of The Armor? It is to become aware of the Mask, both the instinctive masks we put on, and the masks we create with specific intention. It is to become aware of the Mask, so we do not fool ourselves into thinking that some social mandate imposed upon us, is what we really are. It is to learn to see Masks that other people wear, to be able to strip them aside and see those people for what and who they really are.

As Cole says, your goal is to be aware of your mask(s), to use them with purpose and reason, and not out of instinctive fears.

Some of you may say "but what are these masks people wear? what mask would I want to put on?" And to that I would answer that another way of looking at it is to picture yourself as a faceted jewel, a piece of cut obsidian perhaps. Who you are is contained within the center of the jewel. When someone else looks at you, they see only the facets, masks, which are on the side you show them. A knight, when looking at themself, sees through to the center. A sheep, when looking at themself, will often see the same thing that others see, and only rarely catch a glimpse of that inner self, the center.

People of other paths wear these masks as well, and one of the things they do is to try to mirror their inner self and outer masks so that they are the same. They do their utmost to allow all people to see all the facets of their jewel. The Darksider keeps some facets hidden from those who are not of the Dark, much as we on Earth see only one side of the Moon.

Specific masks- examples? One mask I wear is that of "daughter-in-law". Another is that of "mother". As a daughter-in-law, things which might be discussed with 'grandma' revolve around the grandchildren, the weather, basic polite conversation which you might have with any stranger whom you don't want to divulge your more inner self with. As a mother, the facets I show to my children are those which will give them the best odds at becoming functional adults- a strong sense of Self, the ability to think critically, concepts of honor and integrity, and how to be compassionate without being trampled upon to name just a few things. There are sides of me that I do not share with ~anyone~. ever. Many of my masks serve to keep those things deeply hidden from all but myself.

To think upon: what masks do you use? who are you?

As you are learning to put on masks, please try to refrain from running amok playing childish games on the webboards (which many spirited youth have done on these forums over the years) because none of us is fooled by those behaviors. ;)

Be Mindful,

Lady Qadira

Topic: Discussion Three: The Sword (1 of 6), Read 100 times
Conf: Dark Lecture Theatre: On Moor
From: Cole -
Date: Tuesday, August 01, 2006 01:50 PM

"The process of the armour is a steady process that evolves throughout the life of a knight. It is a weapon and therefore it must be kept and cared for. Yet that which the knight desires is the point of self balance and understanding when first his force powers appear."

As with the process of tuning the self to balance and further tuning one�s understanding to rule over his mundane surroundings, such is the process of discovering the powers that lie within. As mentioned, the dark knight is an emotional being. He attains balance to then further his dark side to engulf his soul and therefore nurture it with darkness to grow in strength and insight. When meditating (cross check Terminology) a knight stands feeling his hatred within him. It is a technique to strengthen the dark emotions flowing through him. Goal of this technique is to feel your dark emotions and draw them through your body upwards, until they surpass your head, engulfing you in an aura of darkness. Note, that this aura should be felt, as if you would be carrying a dark fog or smoke of constant movement around you. When you have reached this state and can feel your dark emotions radiating from your body, you slowly draw an emotion of pure evil from the second heart upwards. The second heart is a term invented by our order. It is placed around stomach height, sometimes it can be felt in the region of the lower stomach. This is the spot where you feel your intuition, when trying to ponder on a subject on the ground of intuition you will recognise the spot. The darkness is traditionally drawn from below, since the ground is often the strongest source of nature in the vicinity. This meditating practice should be done every day to attune your body and mind to it. As with all things using your gift can be seen as using any other muscle in your body. The more you use it the better you become. If you tend to use it only once in a while, or with long breaks containing several weeks, you will notice how it becomes more difficult again. This technique is the basic step before using any force power. It should be taken very seriously. It should be practised every day, about 15 minutes is sufficient.

The principle of discovering new force powers, when not personally taught to you by some one else, is to initiate the meditation. You will notice many different emotions flowing through you. The mixture of dark emotions and intuition breeds a soft wind, allowing your thoughts to circle around you.. A knight must first decide which power he wishes to learn. An important formula here is: Power + Technique = Force Result. You can achieve any imaginable result if you have enough power. Yet power is most often limited. When using a high technique or skill, you will only have to add a minimum of power. Of course, there are many results that can not be achieved for a lack in the additional sum. A second rule is common sense. The more subtle or invisible a force power is, the lower the additional sum. An example: feeling the emotions of another sentient being is easier than shooting lightning at someone. While both are possible, feeling emotions can be learned quicker than shooting lightning and should be preferred at the beginning. By all acknowledgement for our desire of absolute power, every force power learned shows you more insight towards the force. When the knight has decided on a certain force power he wishes to achieve, he must stay with it. When inventing new powers it can take up to one year to master them. If you try different things during the same period you will be slower than if you did them after one another. With the power you wish to achieve, you must now commence understanding it�s principle. While in meditation, consider what you wish to achieve. Allow the dark wind to circle your thoughts, emotions and intuition until they become a form of premonition, being slowly carried into place in the mental construct of your theory. You will have to �feel� your way and slowly discover how different aspects interact. Interaction is the key of understanding. And this is where a further rule grasps: Understanding and power come hand in hand. There is none without the other. While this rule might seem simple, you will realise the depth to it as you continue down your path of darkness.

The explained process will allow you to slowly adapt new powers. Yet realise this, we all know when we face our inner truths, that we wish for it to work. And this desire for a power to function can lead us into alluding ourselves if we are weak enough to allow it. Therefore it is always important to remain humble before the countenance of the dark side. If you do not worthy this relationship to the dark side of the force it will destroy you. If you remember your place and insignificance before the countenance then it will be a powerful master and ally. With some force powers it will be possible to statistically support the outcome, showing you if you are advancing towards a true and reliable power, or if you have followed a thread that requires too much power for your momentary situation, noting that your power will continuously grow from the point of your quest.

When following the threads of powers you can not support in this manner, you will have to rely on your intelligence, humbleness and caution. If you fail, the dark side will crush you, making your existence more miserable than even that of the sheep. Always bear this in mind. Yet, you must also be prepared to believe that you have this gift and that you can succeed. For if you doubt yourself you will live as a wolf trapped among the sheep. It is a difficult path. Yet the reward is more than I could describe in words.

Topic: Discussion Three: The Sword (2 of 6), Read 85 times
Conf: Dark Lecture Theatre: On Moor
From: Cole -
Date: Tuesday, August 01, 2006 01:54 PM

As training progresses, one begins to have everyday control over his surroundings. Begins with the self and moves outward into social situations. One begins to discover leadership qualities and other strengths of the dark side. One feels the pull of emotion more; it's not that they weren't there before, now the adept is in tune with himself.

The meditation of a warrior is done standing � eg: at the ready and easily able to feel power flow through his being. Drawing from the earth upward into body. The method is from foot to head, engulfed in an �aura of darkness.� Feel emotions all around you. The concentration of strength should be in �second heart� or Tan Tien, eg: abdomen. Just beneath navel. Meditation every day. The gift of emotion, of understanding and reading one�s feelings, is like a muscle � work it everyday so you can be in tune. If you fall back, like any muscle, it will be harder to use.

Moor speaks of Force Powers, and due to personal prejudices toward the Force I will slip this into my own personal views of how Moor�s words can be applied to my training. When attempting new strategies or training methods, it is important to remain grounded and with the goal clear in mind, lest you wander off the path. Moor�s formula for success is Power + Technique = Result. This mirrors my attitude in the gym. Technique is key (proper form is healthy and prevents injury, and shows skill in performance), and power is needed to achieve the end result, be it bigger muscles, leaner physique, more reps, whatever. Moor says to use common sense, which is sound enough advice. Trust your instincts, and take it easy. Training is like building a house, one needs a good foundation. Make it strong with knowledge and practice in everything you do. Then you can begin to create new programs, ideas, strategies, etc.

Meditate on goals. Always have a goal. That�s what strategy is about. Having a goal and the will and insight to attain it. Moor acknowledges that knowledge is power, which we all know.

Moor warns of ego. Ego is a great thing � it promotes confidence, strength, character, etc. However, it can also lead to delusion and failure. Delusion is a weakness, not a strength. One may take gambles over risks, which are two different things. Poor strategy. Moor cautions us to remain humble enough to have insight.

That said, remain confident in yourself and your abilities. There is a dichotomy between confidence and humility, intelligent risk-taking and foolhardy gambles. A good warrior should know the difference.

Topic: Discussion Three: The Sword (3 of 6), Read 77 times
Conf: Dark Lecture Theatre: On Moor
From: Kadaj .
Date: Wednesday, August 02, 2006 08:55 PM

I have read this lecture before, it was a few months ago. I have done this mediation and I has work in my opinion. One thing that I found it helped me in, is clarity when looking at the dark side itself. When walking the path there are a lot of misconceptions to get past and it helped me find a deeper meaning within the dark path. It also helped me find my own path, within the dark path.

When it comes to force power I don't know if there are such things as lighting or push/pull like in the movies however but I do belive that their are such things empathy, precognitive abilities, esp, etc..and these things come from the force. The formula helps out a lot because, like cole said, when working out you much have good technique and form to maximize the work out. When you have good technique then the end result will come faster because you will gain power faster.

Lastly, Ego is a big thing. I think that applies to all aspects really. However I think the difference in the dark path is that since it is more focused on the self, and finding out who you are at the core of your being, that if your ego becomes too much, it will consume you. When that happens the darkness will break you down and leave you high and dry. And who you thought you were, and what you thought you had will be gone. However this doesn't mean that you shouldn't be confident in your abilities, it just means that you need to be in control of yourself and abilities, or they will cause your ego to grow.

It seems like when you lack control, you begin to think you can do things that you can and when you lack understanding of yourself, you start to build yourself up in the head so much, that you start your own downfall.

Kadaj

Topic: Discussion Three: The Sword (4 of 6), Read 76 times
Conf: Dark Lecture Theatre: On Moor
From: Lady Qadira
Date: Thursday, August 03, 2006 11:58 AM

The Sword is one of those lectures which is worth re-visiting throughout the years. With each progression in your learning, your abilities, and your understanding of the way the world and the self, you will find yet another deeper level of meaning.

First point in the lecture is the Dark Meditation. This meditation has been quite controversial in the past, because it instructs the Dark Student to draw through themselves pure evil. This has alarmed many, and been reason enough for some to abandon the Dark Path. I will say now, that not all branches of the Dark Path find it desirable or necessary to embrace primordial evil. If such a concept is distasteful to you (that of drawing evil within) simply substitute in the raw energies of the earth itself.

An important mention on drawing from the earth:
In your studies you will be dealing with many chaotic things. Who you are. What you believe. Learning new ways of doing some things, discovering entirely new concepts with others. Earth is very grounding. Stable. And also powerful. Earth is not just the surface soil which we walk upon and plant things in. It is also the bedrock, the molten lava, and the inferno that is the core powerplant of our planet. Learn to sense and connect with this energy. The Dark Meditation will help you in this.

This Meditation is a key. It allows the user to reach out and take power (rather than waiting for a deity to bestow power on you). This power, combined with opening your thoughts to be receptive to deeper spiritual insights, is what fuels the whole process.

The warnings about being crushed if you misstep should be heeded. When the balance of power shifts, unwanted results can, and do, happen. I don't know the full story, but Roy of Siegfried & Roy, was mauled by one of their tigers a while back. These men have worked with tigers for a very long time, yet that time he was attacked. (google search if you don't know what the heck I'm talking about).

For a guide to working with magical abilities, this lecture and meditation is very handy. I would say that a negative of this lecture is the way it leaves the reader to believe that this is THE Darkside meditation. That there aren't others. I am of the belief that most any meditation can be useful. You should, however, know WHY you want to use a meditation, what results you want, and if that method will produce them. If the method won't give you the results you want, don't use it. Despite what some of the others may say, I don't believe that most of us spend every waking minute of every day actively honing our Darksider techniques. We have to do the other usual human things- such as eating and sleeping, working within family and work/school groups, socialising and having fun. A relaxing meditation may be helpful if you can't sleep. But if you can't sleep, perhaps it is because your mind has things it needs to figure out, and some other method would be better. It's about learning to use your judgment.

Be Mindful,

Topic: Discussion Three: The Sword (5 of 6), Read 44 times
Conf: Dark Lecture Theatre: On Moor
From: Curtis V.
Date: Sunday, August 13, 2006 06:04 PM

I don't really know what to say. I haven't done this. I must have glossed over this lecture before. Although, I'm not interested in the occult anymore (except for talismans and candles) so I've no real reason for this.

Topic: Discussion Three: The Sword (6 of 6), Read 21 times
Conf: Dark Lecture Theatre: On Moor
From: Curtis V.
Date: Friday, September 15, 2006 09:30 PM

The "second heart" term may be the sacral chakra of Hindu lore or the Dan Tien of Qi Gong or at least that's what it sounds like.

Topic: Discussion Four: Emotions (1 of 6), Read 65 times
Conf: Dark Lecture Theatre: On Moor
From: Cole -
Date: Monday, August 14, 2006 02:33 AM

Now the time has come to interact with the manifold powers of the force. We will begin with the 'reading of emotions'. Read the following slowly and thoroughly. Try to realize the meaning of each step. Reread the text if you are unsure as to the procedure.

To control man, means to understand his desires. While logic and observation shows you basic behavior patterns of an individual, they lack perfection, for they are assumptions in the end. While a mindful assumption can suffice to control a weaker victim, there are those enemies that are too powerful or wise to be simply manipulated by a transfer of personal experience.

The path of intrigue and manipulation is a path most highly underestimated by the light side. Yet many of those who see themselves as pure in heart, have only come to hide their darker sides. Perhaps they have buried them in a grave of principle, yet if they are there, then they can be found and exploited. And even if you should meet with an enemy truly pure in heart and mind with no desires to exploit, such individuals are often surrounded by loved ones that lack this complete control over their darker sides.

I have fought some battles in the past. Some of them were against foes superior in their strength towards the force. But a powerful body is nothing when it lacks the mind to understand the infinite combinations of movement. Intrigue and patience can allow the strongest guardian of light to sink on his knees, if his beliefs of the good in all men blinds his capabilities to protect them. For while he may be able to protect them from you, he can not protect them from themselves.

We begin with the meditation technique as described in lesson three. Our stage will be a cafe or bar, a place where many people are, where you can sit down and have the possibility of studying others around you. In the beginning it is best to see the eyes of your victim. Later, when you have gained some mastery over this power, it will no longer be necessary.

Initiating the meditation technique in a public surrounding requires a practised hand. This is why one should practice the meditation every day, as that this new 'muscle' can be applied at your command. A will have to apply a victim example. We will invent two girls, around 16-18 years of age, Sherry and Melissa. Will will state them to both have an acceptable, physical appearance. From what we can see in a glance is that Melissa is rambling on, speaking of some experience or idea, while Sherry silently stirs her coffee, without looking up. We further state that you have a good view from a different table, several feet away. It is a quiet day, so there are not many people walking through your view, yet enough as to be inconspicuous while watching them.

Now we commence.

We close our eyes, perhaps with a hand on our forehead, to allow the assumption that we have a head ache. Or we gaze towards a wall, yet not really seeing it.

We allow our anger to rise, our hate. Be it of it's own nature or be it while we deepen our anger to a certain fact, something that has made us angry in the past to help us build up our anger. The anger grows and leads to hate of a certain person or thing. The hate strengthens, further and further, perhaps with pictures of what you would do to that thing or person if it was now next to you. Deeper, and deeper, we induldge into our hate. Slowly we generalize our hate. Not only that certain person is despicable, but all who share his opinion. We think of another fraction we hate for similar reasons, the hate growing in strength but also in generalization, loosening its grip towards a certain target and leading us into a pure state of existence.

Now, we slowly allow evil to creep into our bodies. From down below, the ground, or the second heart it rises, stronger and stronger, pure and eternal, does it slowly rise through our body. Our sentient presence moves beyond the limits of our physical bodies. The fog or smoke engulfing our bodies. The evil rises slowly through our stomach to our chests. The surge of dark winds moving around our body. There are no barriers, the flesh can not limit your existence. Evil rises on the back of the dark winds containing your power, your hatred, the truth to your existence, the key to your soul. It rises past the chest expanding to the sides and the above. The fog grows denser. It surpasses the head up to about two feet above your body. You no longer feel your surroundings. You are the fog. The fog is you. The constant movement of the fog states your emotions, your desire to destroy, the demanding of limitless evil. And then you look at Sherry, stirring her coffee. You hate her. You despise her with your very existence. You despise her because of her very existence. You passively note the presence of others around you, but you are no longer part of them. You are not of the same existence and you see them as insects behind glass. You allow your emotions to flow towards Sherry, demanding to move through her. You allow the fog, as part of your sentience to move towards her and engulf her from all sides. You strengthen your hatred and let go of your consciousness, being a sentience without an own body. The fog covers her entire body, every inch. At this time you might begin to feel every small movement she makes as if it were your own, yet strangely distant. The fog moves into her body, entering it through her eyes, mouth and nose.

Concentrate on her head. And then the fog frictions from all sides, moving about half an inch into her body, as if you were tightening your clasp around her until there is no more room other than to move a bit into her. We hold this position, feeling her movement passively and we strengthen the evil within us. A second rising of evil from below, to strengthen the first flow is suggested. And then we let go, still, a bit further, and with a movement of eternal patience we feel for our second heart. At first we feel a movement, a pattern unlike the hatred and evil of the rest of your sentience. We feel every movement she makes when she makes it. We feel the slow current of her emotions leading to her every movement. We strengthen our hatred further, always feeling for the second heart. We demand that her secret be shown to us. And then we feel an emotion. At first, we feel several emotions. Different currents with different 'tastes' to them, moving in different directions with different speeds. Some of them are stronger than others, yet together they devise a pattern. We dive past the surface and into the depth of her feelings, searching for the key emotion. The emotion stronger than all others. We search and feel and we find...a sadness.

A sadness, we try to place this emotion and feel it might be sadness in the sense of a loss. Yet, it seems not to be a complete loss that is irrevocable. It is a sadness connected with fear. An uneasy feeling of a loss to come. Sherry glances around and looks at you, but you must not hesitate at this moment. Ignore it and you see that she looks away again. Not having obviously noticed that you are looking at her. She sighs and frowns slightly. We feel that her sadness deepens. We feel it is a sadness combined with fear and...pain. We feel the loss, the object of her sadness coming closer to the surface. It is love. Neglected love. Yet not in the tone of futility. She must partially have the subject of her love. A man, a man she has met, that she knows. A man that she has fallen in love with. A man that seemed to love her until...something. Something is not the way it should be with this man. He has neglected her. Offended her. He has given her doubt to their relationship. We search further. She has not lost him, yet she is unsure if she still 'has' him. A doubt. Another women? The possibility of another women. The possibility that his feelings have changed. Her fear of losing him. Her pain of losing her love. We see as her emotions move around. We feel how she considers her position. Her possibilities. But we feel that she is pessimistic. She feels herself incapable of changing the events to come. We feel no hatred. We understand that Sherry does not know her female competition. We feel her pain. How very deep that pain is. She thinks of him. We feel the emotions appearing, understanding what she loves in him and what not. We understand what she seeks in him. What she perhaps seeks in a man in general. We understand what type of man he might be. We can assume through our armor how this type of man probably thinks and feels. We understand the category he belongs to and have additional details. We understand Sherry. We understand what she seeks in a man. We understand what she would do for the man she loves. We understand how much control the man she loves has over her. We understand one of the keys to controlling her.

We allow the fog to pass towards Melissa, still rambling on about something not heard by Sherry. We dive into Melissa as described above. We see her interest in what she is telling Sherry. We feel that she knows that Sherry does not hear her, but Melissa does not mind. We feel sympathy and sorrow from Melissa towards Sherry's situation. We feel the same fear in Melissa, that the man is lost. The fear is not as great as in Sherry, but it has the same subject. We understand that Sherry is not feeling sorry for herself and that the situation with this man seems to be serious. We feel how Melissa feels helpless to help Sherry. We understand what Melissa would do for a friend. We understand how strong Melissa sympathizes with the ones that are dear to her. We understand one of Melissa's weaknesses. We understand the man to soon be lost and we know what type of man he probably is. We would have to see the man and read his emotions to be sure, but we have a first idea. The winds howl victorious. Their existence, so pathetic and trivial. Their desires unprotected towards our grasp. A surge of evil touches your predatory soul. You feel the power you have over the sheep. And thus, we release the two. We stand up and move towards them....

Perhaps we walk over to them and say, "You shouldn't allow him to bring such sorrow to your soul. The loss is great. Yet you will see the lack of his worth. For if he truly understands your heart, and would be worth that which you are prepared to give him, could he never impale your affection with such indifference."

And then we leave...
To meet her again.
To repair her relationship and allow her to owe you a favor.
To allow her to be your best friend.
To allow her to fall in love with you.
To take the man for yourself.
To be visited by her or Melissa. Wondering and wishing to know how you knew...

Feeling the emotions of others will allow you to perfectionize your armor. To use abstract constructs when evaluating behavior with a higher degree of detail. It will allow you to exploit those around you and bind those of your choice to seek your protection or friendship.
This is the scalpel of carving your closer environment.
This is the key to acquiring the women or man of your choice.
This is the key of understanding hidden desires, when scanning an individual on several occasions.
And that, will lead you to the key of corrupting their souls.

Practice this technique once a day.
You will soon be able to induct it quite fluently in all possible situations.

Topic: Discussion Four: Emotions (2 of 6), Read 61 times
Conf: Dark Lecture Theatre: On Moor
From: Cole -
Date: Monday, August 14, 2006 02:49 AM

Once the adept has worked to a certain level of self-mastery and confidence, naturally one wants to expand his borders. After a time of heavy weightlifting for a month or more, and gains have been reached, I enjoy changing things up. I do more cardio, and recently took up boxing with a friend of mine. Martial arts or any sport is good for putting one�s efforts into practice. Moor advocates this � one may use Robert Greene�s laws in the board room, etc.

To manipulate another person one must understand that person�s motivations. One can infer only so much since each individual is unique, and simple assumptions about behavior will work on mindless sheep but not a more advanced target. Fortunately, even strong opponents often have weaknesses � Moor points to their loved ones, but anything of value should suffice. It is a doorway to victory. Victory does not always have to be sought headfirst, sometimes stealth and intelligent poise will win the battle.

I have never practiced Moor�s anger meditation or tried to project this onto another person, so I�m simply going to transcribe what he�s written into another format that I find pleasant � bear with me ;)

Step One: Locate target and conduct intelligence. Watch from afar and see what clues to the target�s personality she will give away. How does she dress, how does she talk/act/respond to her environment? These are all clues.

Step Two: Infiltrate. Moor overheard the conversation and offered his bait. If you can use a hook that makes you look interesting, do it. Neil Strauss wrote a book called �The Game� where he became a pick up artist � it was a very interesting book, with many good points.

If all goes well, you have hooked your target and will then allow them to enter your trap. Sometimes, just interjecting into conversations like these will provide you with great insights into people. There are many people in this world, and many variations of personality. I have interjected, and been interjected upon, before in a similar manner � and if one is attentive one can learn a lot.

Through studying others and finding their motivations and objections, one may learn more about oneself. You can better tune your armor to your situation/location. With enough practice (be it picking up women or whatever), you will develop confidence through experience. Practice does make perfect. Fake it til you make it.

Topic: Discussion Four: Emotions (3 of 6), Read 50 times
Conf: Dark Lecture Theatre: On Moor
From: Lady Qadira
Date: Wednesday, August 16, 2006 12:14 PM

This lecture would have to be the consumate Dark work on how to stalk and manipulate another person. Generally, it is laudd with much praise, and supported as an excellent tool for learning to get what you want by controlling your environment/those around you.

I am not interested in adding another voice of support to this work. There is nothing honorable or warriorlike in using people as tools in the way which this work instructs. Without giving pause to their human nature or their spiritual self.

What I do see this work as, is an excellent guide as to why we as individuals should not simply accept a person at face value, but to take the time to ask ourselves "why is this person doing/saying XYZ?" This is a tutorial into how to avoid being a victim. A reason why it is even more important when we are going through times of trouble to keep our protections up, instead of letting them fall to the side in our weariness.

Whether you are Light, Dark or Grey, one ought to be cautious about whom you reveal all to, cautious about whom you trust with your soul.

The issue with this work, is that yes, in order for us to advance in our lives, to get the things we want, or go places we wish to see, or be with people we admire; we will need to learn how to read people. We will need to learn how to work with their emotional state. Understanding when you can ask for a raise, and get it, is highly beneficial. But this lecture doesn't serve to give a person the notion that these skills being taught/learned are applicable to life in general, but that they are for growing one's Darkness.

If you are intent on seeing how far down into the Dark you can go, you are probably a fan of this work. Don't expect it to -truly- get you to a place of great success in your life though.

Be Mindful,

Topic: Discussion Four: Emotions (4 of 6), Read 46 times
Conf: Dark Lecture Theatre: On Moor
From: Kadaj .
Date: Wednesday, August 16, 2006 07:56 PM

This was an interesting lecture. I had never considered anything like it before. While reading the part about creating a dark fog to consume the target and learning about them, their emotions and never speaking with this took me by surprise. I personally can read a person while talking to them, looking at their body language, listening to their response to question..etc. But never thought to try something like that.

Like Lady Qadira said, this would be an excellent post for understanding reasons why people do the things they do and why they act the way they act.

I guess my problem with this would wondering if the emotions I felt were the actually the emotions there were coming from the person. Emotions can be very tricky and when dealing with others emotions its good to make sure that your own don't get in the way and cloud things up, or even mix into what you are sensing from that person.

I would feel stupid thinking somebody is going through relationship problems because its what I felt, and my own emotions about my relationship problems got in the way and then asking them about it, and being totally wrong. Emotions can be off the charts and back on it the next second, so it takes some mindfulness to even begin to understand emotions fully if thats even possible.

Kadaj

Apprentice to Noel

Topic: Discussion Four: Emotions (5 of 6), Read 19 times
Conf: Dark Lecture Theatre: On Moor
From: Curtis V.
Date: Friday, September 15, 2006 09:26 PM

Has anyone tried above-mentioned technique? I have not tried this before, even though telepathy would be very beneficial to a Darksider.

Topic: Discussion Four: Emotions (6 of 6), Read 16 times
Conf: Dark Lecture Theatre: On Moor
From: Lady Qadira
Date: Sunday, September 17, 2006 12:05 AM

When I was taking classes on campus a few years ago I would have had a fair number of opportunities to try this one, but I was enamored of learning to see auras at the time and focused my efforts towards that.

~Lady Qadira

Topic: Discussion Five: Evil and the Dark Side (1 of 6), Read 104 times
Conf: Dark Lecture Theatre: On Moor
From: Cole -
Date: Monday, August 21, 2006 05:41 PM

Greetings,

In my time at the FA I have read many posts from members of the dark side and others as well, craving to find the correct interpendence between the lore of the dark side and what mankind has come to know as the forces and morality of evil.

I have never commented this search among the knowledge seekers, for not all knowledge is a gift when simply passed on to a younger generation. Some discoveries of truth grow fruits of far greater vigor, than any passed knowledge could hope to seed. But the young have turned to the leaders of the Dark Council to inspire their search and perchance share enlightment with them. In the thread of this discussion, the opinion of the presumed knights of the Krath is growing into an assumption of fact that can lead the mindful away from the initial connection of these two dogmas.

Let us begin and examine the nature of the force.

In these explanation, the shadows shall be removed, in order for us to bring the nature of the force closer to the known model of good and evil.

The force is around us and penetrates us. It is what sheds life onto the new born of man and beast and what brings death to these beings when their time has come. The currents of these misty waters are always in motion. And as such they bring the motion of constant change. The forebringing of the new and the destruction of the old is the wholeness of the cycle that we have come to call the essence of the force.

Yet, the force shows two sides to its inherent nature. As we see in the world and environment around us, there are the two major forces, in the sense of pattern and destiny, to be seen. The forces of creation and the forces of destruction.

Let us look at the light side of the force in nature. The currents dedicated to this stream bring life in the manifold of known and unknown existences. It brings life to man, to beast and to nature. As men are born and grow old, so do the trees and green of our childhood grow in strength and beauty. The current of the light side brings the desire in living beings to uphold life. And as such, the wolf takes care of the others in his pack, as do the birds take care of their young and the men and women take care of their children. It shows an essence of protection for the living and of harmony for the cultures and subcultures, the family and friends. These are the currents of creation and protection.

Yet, how could nature survive if all were only to grow? If everything was to spread in an eternal current of life force? Quickly would a species, be it sentient or not, over crowd its nishe in a global environment and the extinction of this species would be an inevitable result. Be it for the mere reason of overpopulation. Be it for the reason of the weak failing to lead the strong. It would be a horrid utopia of a world without rules.

And here the currents of the dark side emerge. Every life that is lived must come to an end. Every tree that grows must eventually die to make room for the next. Death and destruction are the patterns of the dark side. The necessity to take away where something has been given. Yet this task needs rules and arguments when to act and when not. A mindless extinction of life at a whim would bring no stability to an existing environment. As such rules must be determined. Rules that secure not only the further existence of a species but also their improvement, lest they die in weakness at any given time.

The force has decided on these rules. As we see in nature the rule of a given life span has been impressed on us. And the rules of the strong has been implemented into all genetic roots. A being is given life, but may only remain among its kind as long as it does not weaken either the species nor the coming generations of that species. And by abiding these rules do all living being find themselves in a permanent struggle for survival. A struggle against their brothers, sisters, friends and enemies. For only the strongest may survive if the next generation is to improve the essence of that species.

As a young jedi begins his path through the currents of the force, the first of tasks is to recognize the currents that exist and their meaning. These two main currents can be quickly identified, by the mindful student, as the strongest of all motion within the force. Although the jedi is a living being and carries both of these currents within his heart, will his knowledge and understanding of the force only grow if he can dedicate himself to the study of one component.

I have seen many jedis and seekers pass through the halls of the force academy. I have seen many who try to study the force by engaging an infinate amount of details within the force. Always spending little time with one detail and often even switching components at random in the illusion that seeing all the animals in a zoo would explain to him what nature is.

But to receive power and insight from within the force, you must be able to look past what you see. No matter how adept you are or how intelligent, you could spend your entire mortal existence studying one detail without ever completely understanding its nature in the woven pattern of all things. Therefore the mindful student must decide to find the detail with the strongest motion. For anything that lives, including the force and its currents, can be much more easily understood if it is in motion. For in this motion can you see its goals, necessities, behavior, strengths and weaknesses. The greater the motion, the more is to be seen and learned in a smaller amount of time than if it were simply a static picture.

On these grounds does the student recognize the glory and beauty of these two major currents. And in the hopes and desire to rise above the mortality of the own limited existence does the heart of passion throw itself into the current to be carried or washed away. For this is the path of the courageous.

Watching two currents simultaneously is a difficult task. Similar as if you studied the behavior of flowers and humans at the same time. Although some quick parallels could be drawn, would you miss the wealth of detail in your grasp and fail to understand the basic nature of one, for only trying to understand the interaction of the two.

So a decision must be made. Which component to study of the two? Since it is a long term investment, at least to those serious of intent, the student will choose the current closer to his own nature, in the correct assumption that the similarity will quicken the understanding of that path.

As the young apprentice begins his studies of the chosen current, will he begin to devise all details of behavior and intention, of strengths and weaknesses, in the attempt to understand the slow, rolling movement of the misty waves.

As his understanding of the initial pattern of his component grows, he will gain the insight to past and future behavior. He will see the similarities between the current and the world as we know it. Wisdom is gained as the behavior of man and nature is more and more understood as the parallel to the eternal current of his side. Granted, that his horizon will be limited at the same time, for his insight and wisdom will grow on the topics inherent to the nature of the current. Tactics are slowly understood, the goal of all life. And as the understanding and insight is drawn, so are the powers over the self. What is a man or a women but an equal extension of the currents of the force? While not only watching the environment around oneself to gain insight, the environment of the self, within the body, mind and spirit become a primary goal. For where can the lecture be completely understood if not within the smallest unit of existence, the living being of the self as the key to seeing and grasping the pattern of time.

As such the powers of the force unfold within the self. As the insight and understanding grows, so do the powers of the force within. Again here, the powers of the chosen current are the powers emerging, for the self in mind and spirit constantly continues to grow closer with the chosen current in the eternal search for merging the two in a moment of complete understanding. That is the goal. Yet, the path to that goal is the way.

As the student defines his world view ever more after the model of the current, as a foundation of a deeper truth, so will his attitudes and opinions change, for he himself is in a state of constant change. The essence of the force current grows stronger within that individual, as the two grow closer on the path of the one.

Not last, will the behavior, as an extension of attitude and opinion grow closer to the current.

A student of the light will come to understand the life giving and protecting influences among men and in his heart. The harmony of being in a community of many, as a guardian of utopia, will bring him the enlightment to act and lead men if these men chose to acknowledge the necessity of that path.

A student of the dark side will come to understand the necessity of death. The need for destruction and the highest principle of the strong existing among the leaders of mankind as a species to be brought into a new generation of strength and benefit for the genetic substance of our entire existence.

So far, these principles seem easy to understand. A basic grasp of the pattern of the two currents is given to nearly every mortal being. Yet, to follow these directives as these directives dictate all mankind to follow by choice as passive or active members. So is the upholding of the lore of a current a task best left to a machine.

A machine would define its priorities in opinion, behavior, and example and follow them to the letter. It would monotonously carry out the task it has brought upon itself to bear and would always keep a distance between its own programming and the set porogatives.

But man is no machine. Man is a being with emotions.

As the student follows his path, as he comes to follow the lore of his current in word, thought and task, will he begin to 'feel' the truth and merit of the wisdom given to him. He will 'be inclined' to emotionally relate to his quest and path. Is it not his right to do so? As a man who stands forth among many. As a man who dares lead a life of mortality yet crave for immortal knowledge?

As the principles of the chosen current draw closer and closer to becoming the principle of the self, does the continuous reward of truth and power result in a belief in the authenticity of his way as one of the ways of coming closer to the secrets of the universe. What begins as an example of a possible behavior pattern, turns into belief, as that mans stands tall accompanied by the elements of nature heeding the call of the force within him, does he rise to become something else, a true protector of the lore presented to him.

And as the principles turn into belief so does passion of his heart cross his path. What was mere knowledge is now a way. Perhaps not a way for all, but a chosen way by the self. What began as 'following devised instructions' now turns into 'being' in the heart, the body, the mind, the spirit and the soul. For a jedi not only 'does' but especially 'is'. And this feeling of being grows as life steps forward from the grey tones of ignorance and passivity and sheds its colors onto the soul of the new born protector.

A jedi, aiming to 'give' and to 'protect' life, the community and the moment, the present, will change from following abstract principles to being the bringer and protector. And in this mortality that gives him passion is the base for the transformation complete. For a man who aims and does all that can be seen as good, seen in the sense that his and any given psyche would translate the physical stimulus to these actions in emotions of love, of caring and caressing ones environment is what finally makes a jedi of the light side, in his own heart, a protector of good. And thus is the transformation complete.

A student of the dark, following the principles of death and destruction, following perhaps to begin a set of logical evaluations, follows on a path parallel to the light. He believes in the lore of the strong. He does all in his power to become the strongest his mortal limits will allow, for only if he follows his own principles can he dare speak to others of the principles he follows, if he wishes to convert or convince others. The dark side of the force hears his call for power and sees his course of action. It watches, in silence, as the student throws himself into the dark current to understand all there is to know. To gain insight, to find parallels to devise the strategy of the past and future, to know how, when and why nature takes its next action in the manifold of instruments among the legions of species.

The principles of the dark soon become his own. Devotion and mindfulness to logical objectives carves his path. The powers emerge and he may use them to follow the principles of the force and to 'be' as the light jedi strains to absorb the essence of life. The dark student will smite his enemies and convert the weak and strong. He will rise in power to achieve further power, for the strong must lead the species into a beneficial next generation.

Yet, here, too, does passion cross the heart. Where once logical evaluations stood, grows the passion of belief, for powers and knowledge, understanding is revealed and his craving and tasks are rewarded. Where belief stands in acting and being, so does passion fulfill the metamorphosis of mortality. A man doing deeds emotionally registered by his own body and mind as acts of evil, with the given desire to enjoy ones own existence, finally becomes a man of evil. For passion leads him on the road of mortality to emotionally embracing the principles he acts and lives by. The dark jedi is born.

This is the path that only the strongest in devotion can follow. Waisted is the time of humans wishing to receive power and insight by ordering them via catalog. No reward awaits those who merely dabble, who pretend, who perhaps believe what they pretend. This is why a student must go deep within himself to find if his heart carries the weight to follow with such devotion that all else matters not.

When considering the question now, whether the light and dark have to do with good and evil, a new questions arise. Is this connection intended, or is it a flaw or our own mortality? When considering this question, consider the inspiration of my words:

Do we feel and combine principle with belief and emotion, because of our flawed mortality, or is it intended as we ourselves are a species and child of the force.

On 05/23/2000 5:36:00 PM, Malacchi Cayuse wrote: (...) When it comes to meditating, #3 states, that you "draw an emotion of pure evil from the second heart". Must the aura be "evil"?

For a dark sider who wishes to embrace the possibilities of limitless knowledge and power it is important to embrace the dark side. In my opinion, you will never be able to successfully finish on that path if you deny emotion to pass your heart. The aspects you study are those of the dark side. That your body and mind will one day translate these objectives as evil is no reason for shame. For you are definitely a part of the force, and are possibly only able to follow this path because of your own mortality.
(...) My question is: may I rather, in evil's stead, harness my anger (and hatred, let's not forget that bad boy) to accomplish whatever is at hand?

If you feel more comfortable with these lesser emotions, then continue using them. If these emotions should change one day, then do not allow guilt to destroy your intention.
On the topic of 'raising negative emotions from certain pictures or people far away from the moment':
You wish to do that which mortals are not intended to do. You wish to understand what is being held back for you once you achieve death. To break down the barriers of your mortality, to strengthen the connection between yourself and the dark side, it is necessary to go to the extremes, on the emotional and mental scale. The point is, you need these dark emotions to increase your connection and insight. If you garner them from certain 'pictures' or from the moment is of little concern. Important is to be able to call them quickly in a needed situation for they are the current your consciousness rides on into the deeper realms of immortal tasks. Granted, that often used pictures will steadily lose their effect. But then you will have to simply seek out new ones.
On the topic of: 'Pretending to be evil' If you concur with my opinion and suggestions, if you also see evil as an emotion of greater motion than anger or hate, then strive to manifest this emotion in your heart. Evil, is no relativity of man. It is a fixed emotion, implanted on your genetic code. We all know how fear, sadness, and pride feel. All humans recognize these emotions without anyone being able to show them which is which. And as such we have an emotion of evil, deep within your mind and body. Try to achieve this emotion. At the beginning your logic, or relativity, your mortal philosophies will stand in the way of defining that emotion. But remember who you are and what you do and do not forget to enjoy being and doing, for otherwise you are merely punishing yourself and will find no insight or wisdom within the force. Your passion will make way for evil. For the decisions of your body and mind of what evil is, will be enrichend by the element of spirit and your connection to the dark side. You will find what you seek if you have the courage to find it.
Will a dark jedi move more quickly along the path of the dark side if he aims for evil instead of following basic principles?
I think yes. For deriving a deeper connection to the dark side is a matter of strengthening your intuition and emotional scale. The faster you condition or attune yourself to enjoying, being and following, the faster will the dark side react to your beckoning. When you are attuned with the force will all knowledge pass through you. If that can be achieved in life is a matter of little concern. We learn what we can and act along the limits of our mortality. Less more can be expected.
Lecture #4 talks about "diving into" someone but I'm unclear as to how this is actually done. I've yet to reach the state where I've a palpable aura about me but I'd rather have the knowledge of how things are done before jumping headlong into something.

In the end, you will have to decide if you can trust your intuition. If you feel unprepared then prepare yourself. If you feel prepared but hesitate, then you are touched by the cold hand of fear. If you truly wish to stand as a symbol of the dark side and a protector of its lore, then you must act after what you learn.
When it comes to a physical confrontation, I was taught that one must never enter combat in a state of anger for it clouds the mind.

A wrong assumption is, that a skillless individual can pick up a sword and kill a hundred men, just because of his anger. If your skill is good, then the dark side can carry you to being an inch better. You must try and learn to attune yourself for the dark side by carrying the darkness and hatred within you. Yet, you must flow with the force, body, mind and spirit. Your spirit is filled with hate and attunes you to the powers of survival. Your body carries out the commands given by mind and spirit to smite your foe. Yet the mind must be concentrated on carrying out the movements as you learned it. As such it will, not hold against, but with the spirit to merge into one and thus will victory be yours to cherish.
Be Mindful.

- Moor

Topic: Discussion Five: Evil and the Dark Side (2 of 6), Read 85 times
Conf: Dark Lecture Theatre: On Moor
From: Lady Qadira
Date: Wednesday, August 23, 2006 11:26 AM

The concepts of good/evil, light/dark, order/chaos have been linked in many minds as though they were carved in stone and unalterable. Picking through life to find what bits are perception and which bits are cold hard reality can be a task of immense proportions.

A few highlights from this lecture:

"The necessity of death" is something which many people flinch away from. All around the world we can find examples of people attempting to prevent or reverse death- from our human health, to the natural environment. Death is seen as "bad", Birth as "good", and I can only assume from the measures to which people are willing to go to prevent death, that they prefer stagnation to change.

Change *is* inevitable, and the ability to see this, and to understand the times in which we are servants of Change in order to take action, is part of what the Darksider trains for. Other paths also embrace Change, so if you are finding the mantle of Darksider an unpleasant fit, do not despair.

Where once logical evaluations stood, grows the passion of belief, for powers and knowledge, understanding is revealed and his craving and tasks are rewarded. Where belief stands in acting and being, so does passion fulfill the metamorphosis of mortality. A man doing deeds emotionally registered by his own body and mind as acts of evil, with the given desire to enjoy ones own existence, finally becomes a man of evil. For passion leads him on the road of mortality to emotionally embracing the principles he acts and lives by. The dark jedi is born.

To pursue a life which benefits the self, a life gathering comforts and pleasures, is viewed with negativity and derision. Think of the rich & famous, the incredibly wealthy people in our societies. Do they tend to be admired and looked to as a guide to "right living"? Not often.

Evil, if I extrapolate the meaning here correctly, could be the one-word summation of the portrait of a sociopath.

Antisocial personality disorder: A pervasive pattern of disregard for and violation of the rights of others and inability or unwillingness to conform to what are considered to be the norms of society.
The disorder involves a history of chronic antisocial behavior that begins before the age of 15 and continues into adulthood. The disorder is manifested by a pattern of irresponsible and antisocial behavior as indicated by academic failure, poor job performance, illegal activities, recklessness, and impulsive behavior. Symptoms may include dysphoria, an inability to tolerate boredom, feeling victimized, and a diminished capacity for intimacy.
Antisocial personality disorder, also known as psychopathic personality or sociopathic personality often brings a person into conflict with society as a consequence of a pattern of behavior that is amoral and unethical. Complications that might arise from having this disorder include: frequent imprisonment for unlawful behavior, alcoholism and drug abuse.
source: MedicineNet.com

In my opinion, you will never be able to successfully finish on that path if you deny emotion to pass your heart. The aspects you study are those of the dark side. That your body and mind will one day translate these objectives as evil is no reason for shame. For you are definitely a part of the force, and are possibly only able to follow this path because of your own mortality.

The flaw in this portion, it seems to me, is that there is an assumption that the only result from allowing emotion to access your deeper self, is evil. I would suggest that it depends entirely upon *which* emotions you encourage, and which you excise.

Shame has a worthy function, it is the mechanism which prevents us from doing stupid things that end in consequences which we did not desire. If you desire to be fully evil, know this: you will be sacrificing your humanity for power. There are no guarantees or contracts which will make certain that this power will stay with you, your Soul, for your lifetime, or for eternity. People who suggest there are certainties, are speculating. Just as any writings about what happens after our bodies die are speculation. Whatever amount of belief or faith or aeons of handed-down tradition there is, still cannot escape the fact that we are all still here. Living. Not dead. And thus, we do not know for certain.

Evil, is no relativity of man. It is a fixed emotion, implanted on your genetic code. We all know how fear, sadness, and pride feel. All humans recognize these emotions without anyone being able to show them which is which. And as such we have an emotion of evil, deep within your mind and body. Try to achieve this emotion. At the beginning your logic, or relativity, your mortal philosophies will stand in the way of defining that emotion. But remember who you are and what you do and do not forget to enjoy being and doing, for otherwise you are merely punishing yourself and will find no insight or wisdom within the force. Your passion will make way for evil. For the decisions of your body and mind of what evil is, will be enrichend by the element of spirit and your connection to the dark side. You will find what you seek if you have the courage to find it.

The talk of genetic imprinting is only relevant if one is analysing sociopaths. Which brings me to this question, if you are not born a sociopath, why would you choose to become one?

The people building the new reign of the Darkside here at the FA may want to consider what sort of a Darkside it is they seek to breathe life into. How far apart from Society do they wish to encourage the Darksiders to be. How inclusive/exclusive the lineages of teachings offered. For I can say this with certainty:

Few among us truly deeply wish to pursue and embrace a life of pure evil. Call it a lack of courage if one wishes- but from my perspective it is simply common sense.

~Lady Qadira

Topic: Discussion Five: Evil and the Dark Side (3 of 6), Read 41 times
Conf: Dark Lecture Theatre: On Moor
From: Curtis V.
Date: Friday, September 15, 2006 09:20 PM

I neglected to put in my opinions on this lecture. Sorry. I find this to be a rather beautiful lecture on the two currents of the Jedi. I must say that I believe when Moor says "evil", I think "evil" to mean the savage animal we all keep pinned up inside. The proverbial berserker or "werewolf".

Topic: Discussion Five: Evil and the Dark Side (4 of 6), Read 42 times
Conf: Dark Lecture Theatre: On Moor
From: Lady Qadira
Date: Sunday, September 17, 2006 12:13 AM
Originally Posted 17-Sep-2006 00:07

That interpretation for "evil" is one I really like, Curtis. :)

(edited to expand thought)
The reason I like this way of defining "evil", is that it takes the whole concept of "evil" outside of societal definitions. It takes away the human element altogether, and leaves us with just "what is".

By that I mean- our cultures tell us what morals are, how to define them, based on our place & time, knowledge & fears, and so much more. Words become loaded with meaning, and it is a difficult task to dig through those layers of meaning to find the core truth.

To skip over all the lengthy debates and questions about morality and good vs evil and so on, and go directly to the crux of the matter, is an excellent tool. You've done that for us Curtis, and that is something I for one appreciate. :)

~Lady Qadira

Topic: Discussion Five: Evil and the Dark Side (5 of 6), Read 35 times
Conf: Dark Lecture Theatre: On Moor
From: Curtis V.
Date: Sunday, September 17, 2006 12:26 PM

In my mind, it seems the distilled essence of evil, without the rendering of religious dogma. A fairly accurate description considering a lot of people would classify berzerkers, savages and werewolves as "evil." Another term, and one I like, that describes this term would be "atavism." Sort of a hearkening back to our ancestoral state of being: the hulking neanderthal compared to the prim and proper socialite.

Topic: Discussion Five: Evil and the Dark Side (6 of 6), Read 28 times
Conf: Dark Lecture Theatre: On Moor
From: Lady Qadira
Date: Tuesday, September 19, 2006 01:49 PM

Posting to add Satelle's chat snippet. ~Qadira ********************

--This-- a snippet of a conversation I keppt from a talk with Moor on duality in 2002. Only thing changed are names and a few words. I thought it would be of interest; I certainly kept it that long because it was to me. :)

Satelle 09.10.02 23:52 I have a basic problem with what I've read of the Force, and that's the concept of duality.

Moor 09.10.02 23:53 What's your problem with that?

Satelle 09.10.02 23:54 I don't believe that 'good' and 'evil' are the 'separate, opposite' things that a lot of people say they are. I think they are too tightly bound together, to the point of being the same, but our perception, values, etc see a difference.

Satelle 09.10.02 23:55 So while I am not an amoralist, because I have my own set of ethics, etc, to view things with, I don't think the Truth of it all is that they are universally divided.

Moor 09.10.02 23:56 Well, together they are a whole, but they are also opposites. The trick is basically, tipping the scale to an extreme to overcome the usuall mainstream the average mind works in. You have to push beyond mortal limits to reach a certain point and that does mean causing a purposeful unbalance in a first moment.

Satelle 09.10.02 23:57 Mmm, yes. But again, what I have read and heard you say on occasion sounds like a Rule of reality, that there's a karma thing going on, and I don't believe in that.

Moor 09.10.02 23:57 Define "karma thing".

Satelle 09.10.02 23:58 The idea that 'bad' actions bring 'bad', or that 'good' must balance out 'bad'. I'd say, to the latter one, that it's already the case with the action when it happens.

Satelle 09.10.02 23:58 It may be a semantics issue, dummied down for people to understand, but.

Moor 10.10.02 00:02 It's not the action, it's the intent. Imagine that becomming a Jedi was like listening to music. The fundamental hum of the universe can be divided into two rthyms. Listening to the whole thing is a possible way to bring you to power, but is too complex to find a corner to get into the groove. Splitting it makes it basically hearable in the first place. What you do is listen to your rythym of choice and behave as it does. With time your own "tune" changes to match the rythym of one of the origionals. This is what basically changes you. The intent of your behavior matches your moves to your divine rythym. In some parts, the rythyms are similar, but in some they are completely different. That is why choice is required.

Satelle 10.10.02 00:04 Right. So it's not some hard, fast Law going on that you believe in? That was my only concern, which may have come from Light Jedi stuff (who have a vested interest in scaring people away from 'bad' intent, I think.) I accept and understand that the underlying 'music' is all one song without the fragments. Good analogy. :)

--
Satelle
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