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Author Topic: KOS:1 Definitions and Explanations  (Read 6151 times)

Emerald

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KOS:1 Definitions and Explanations
« on: February 02, 2013, 10:44:10 am »
Lets start this off with the first essay in the book: Definitions and Explanations.

Prompt: Rewrite each of the definitions in your own words.

I'll add mine when my brain is awake. :p

Annie Roonie

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Re: Shad's book: first essay
« Reply #1 on: February 02, 2013, 02:31:52 pm »
Quote from: Emerald;94675
Prompt: Rewrite each of the definitions in your own words.

Soul Is Flame - A metaphor of the soul. A soul, like a Flame can be split as with having children and the original soul is not less for the split. It can be snuffed out as in death. And my own addition would be that the Flame, the soul, reacts to its environment and does well with awareness of environment to know where protection is necessary or where good environments are for the Flame in order to keep it thriving.

Dark Flame - When I first read this I thought it was very like the unconscious except it is something of which I am aware. It is the inside, the internal dialogue, the place where personal growth happens and applications for it found, the seat of creation and creativity.

Bright Flame - What we show the world and/or what we bring into existence. It is the application of growth and learning. I think it also must be that part of me that does, that takes action and that absorbs information and experience that the Dark Flame can then assimilate.

Balance of Flame - Since these two are intertwined similar to the conscious and unconscious, in order for best absorption (bright driven by dark); finding application and making meaning (dark); and actual application (bright) it is necessary to feed both flames and not disregard one or over feed one. Methods of balance will vary for each individual.

One technique I use to balance is here. When my dark flame is lacking in information or in some other way, I can react poorly with my bright flame. In order to avoid this and to feed both, it requires me to kind of reboot the system. I didn't use Flamekeeping terminology because I formed the practice prior to reading about it, but it fits the framework for me as I've discovered many things do.
« Last Edit: February 02, 2013, 02:33:13 pm by Annie Roonie »

Emerald

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Re: Shad's book: first essay
« Reply #2 on: February 03, 2013, 02:28:06 pm »
Quote from: Emerald;94675

Prompt: Rewrite each of the definitions in your own words.


I closed my eyes when I was thinking about these, so I could look inside and see how things look to me. I hope I didn't do too badly. ;)
 
Soul Is Flame: The inner spark and awareness that makes us Human. This light shines out to illuminate the things around us, like fire does.

Dark Flame: The boundless inner space where new thoughts and ideas are created. This creativity fuels our Bright Flame. It is the private inner space where I am most free to be myself.

Bright Flame: That which shines from us into the world. It is what is seen by others when we reach outside of ourselves to interact, the light that we share when we help others. It is our inner creativity, put into action.

Balance of Flame: It's important to feed both our Dark and Bright flames. If our creativity and connectedness fades then our dark flame gutters, leaving less to feed our bright flame. If our bright flame isn't being fed we sink into apathy. We need to do things to feed our flames, so that we can be the best and brightest we can, and so feed the Divine and change the world around us.

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Re: Shad's book: first essay
« Reply #3 on: February 03, 2013, 05:37:41 pm »
Quote from: Emerald;94675
Lets start this off with the first essay in the book: Definitions and Explanations.

Prompt: Rewrite each of the definitions in your own words.


Soul Is Flame
The Universe is the Great Cosmic Whole. It is complete, one, all-that-is. But it is made up of smaller parts, and each of those parts has a spark that connects it back to the Whole. That spark is the soul, the Flame.
We each have a Flame and with it we can connect to the other parts. When we deny our Flame, when we think of ourselves only as separate individuals, we deny our divinity. It is harder for us to connect to the Whole. On the other hand, when we recognize our divinity and reach out to others we can find the connection. Our Flames burn brighter.

Dark Flame
This it the Flame that drives and sustains me. I keep it hidden, private. It is the Flame that fuels all my hopes and dreams. It burns strong on days when I am happy and motivated, but it gutters when I am depressed or sick. It is the Flame that must be tended to first, before I can go further.

Bright Flame
This is the Flame I show to others. Through it I communicate my passions and share my enthusiasm. My Bright Flame can spark creativity, inspiration, and love in others. And in turn my own Bright Flame is fed by that of my peers.

Balance of Flame

When my Dark Flame is weak it is a struggle for me to even get out of bed, or leave the house. With out a strong Dark Flame I can't interact with others and so the opportunity to share my Bright Flame doesn't arise. It must be nurtured first. However, too much attention on the Dark Flame, leading to the neglect of the Bright, is no good either. If I don't reach out and connect, I deny my position as a hand of the Universe. I deny the connection. I deny my divinity.

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Re: Shad's book: first essay
« Reply #4 on: February 03, 2013, 10:20:56 pm »
Quote from: Emerald;94675

Prompt: Rewrite each of the definitions in your own words.

 
Soul is Flame
I think Flame is a pretty good metaphor for the soul. It is the self which is without permanent form.

Dark Flame/Light Flame
I equate these with yin and yang, or what I call the dragon and firebird in my personal practice. The Dark Flame is the personal - what you are when you're alone. Like the dark of the moon, it is who you are when you are not reflecting anyone else. The Bright Flame, then, is the social self; it is who you are around other people.

Balance of Flame
The Balance of Flame is the work of finding that balance between the two sides - being true to both flames, finding ways to make your outward self an honest reflection of your inner self, and taking what you learn from others into yourself.
Hail Mara, Lady of Good Things!
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Dark Midnight

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Re: Shad's book: first essay
« Reply #5 on: February 04, 2013, 01:06:55 am »
Quote from: Emerald;94675
Lets start this off with the first essay in the book: Definitions and Explanations.

Prompt: Rewrite each of the definitions in your own words.

I'll add mine when my brain is awake. :p

 
Soul is Flame: The inner self. The part of you that makes you what you are. Also the part of you that is also a part of the Divine. The light and fire that is inside.

Dark Flame: The part that deals with self. That part that can almost be described as the selfish side of your nature. It is the part of you that allows you to look after yourself and put yourself first when you need to.

Bright Flame: Pure unselfishness. The part that always puts others first, no matter what.

Balance of Flame: Truly essential, yet the most difficult part of being a Flamekeeper. You cannot help others if you are falling apart because you have not sustained yourself.  Yet, you cannot be counted as part of the Divine by selfishness. Flamekeeping is about enhancing life for others , and yourself, in any way that you can.
"No matter how dark the fur, the bunny is still fluffy." (Melamphoros)
AKA Thundercougarfalconbird..... (Thanks Nyktipolos!)

dionysiandame

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Re: Shad's book: first essay
« Reply #6 on: February 06, 2013, 08:30:46 pm »
Quote from: Emerald;94675
Lets start this off with the first essay in the book: Definitions and Explanations.

Prompt: Rewrite each of the definitions in your own words.

I'll add mine when my brain is awake. :p

 

Soul is Flame- To me, the Soul as flame forms the ego, the essential self, nourished and/or malnourished by the many spiritual variables it comes into contact with.

Dark Flame - The Id. The deep, dark, impulses that push humanity towards sex, food, and violence. The dark flame is a necessary, but maligned, aspect of the human soul. It's what encourages us to succeed at all costs, to not mind a few dried bones in our wake, and to ultimately become "King of the Mountain." The Dark Flame is that part of us nurtured by a self-serving narcissistic consumerist culture; snapping back from the sacrifice demanded of past generations. When I look at the Dark Flame from a macroscopic perspective, I see the constant quest for "growth" and a willful ignorance of the concept of "the finite" as symptoms of a dark flame out of balance.

Bright Flame- The Super Ego. The Angelic. The conscience. The omniscient divine's contribution to the human BEING. The Bright Flame represents the spiritual/mental/philosophical ideal and strives towards that goal. It remembers the connection with something "above" what we are and seeks to become, wholly, that again despite flesh and mortality being a hindrance to this quest. The bright flame, however, has a weakness in relying on morality (aside from ethics, which can come about when the dark and bright flames come together in balance) and wishes to "witness" to others.  A Bright Flame out of balance can lead to fundamentalism or willful ignorance.

Balance of Flame- When the Dark and Bright flames are in balance, they balance out the extremes of the other and form a cohesive, functioning, self that is capable of interacting with its fellow human beings, daemons, and divinity.
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veggiewolf

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Re: Shad's book: first essay
« Reply #7 on: February 08, 2013, 11:30:27 am »
Quote from: Emerald;94675
...
Prompt: Rewrite each of the definitions in your own words...

 
Soul Is Flame

Metaphor for the movement of the soul - it flares, it grows, it dims, it dies.  Sometimes it startles us with its radiance and crackle; sometimes it disappoints us as its glow dies down.  

Dark Flame

Our inner self; our core.  This core, this essential bit of individuality, is our true self.  It is the face we keep hidden from the world, the bit that makes us, well, US.  It is our spark, of which others get only glimpses.  It is the “quois” in Je ne sais quois.

Bright Flame

Our outer self; our "face" in the world.  This part of us is seen readily by others for we use it to interact with the rest of the Divine.  I might even go so far as to call it our known self; our name to others.  It identifies us to other parts of the Universe.

Balancing Flame

This is the work we do to ensure both our Flames are nurtured and that one does not overwhelm the other.  I personally believe that we need to work on our Dark Flame in order to work on our Bright Flame...but other people have differing opinions on that.
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Sophia C

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Re: Shad's book: first essay
« Reply #8 on: February 16, 2013, 04:54:03 am »
Quote from: Emerald;94675
Prompt: Rewrite each of the definitions in your own words


Well, I'm not so good at clear definitions, as you can tell from the fact that trying to answer this led me to post a whole other thread. But let's have a go.

Soul Is Flame


I find this very useful, as a metaphor for the soul. It allows me to conceive of it in visual terms - something that must be tended, and that has a purpose in the world. I'm a pantheist and have no trouble believing that we're divine, and in that sense, the idea of the soul as a flame resonates with the idea of the divine light of the universe, of which we are all a part. Flame can separate out from its source but, in a sense, remains part of it. For me, that resonates with the Gnostic idea of the illusion of the self. In the end, while we experience this reality as individuals, we're all (also) still part of the universal divine flame.

Dark Flame

It may be a misunderstanding, but I see this as our 'true self' or our 'deeper self'. We don't show it to the world, and there's a reason for that. It needs protecting, nurturing and tending - in the dark, in the silence, and in the secret places far away from the world. If we don't look after it in those places, we can't take it into the light.

Bright Flame

This is the side of ourselves that we show to the world. I personally identify it with social justice work, community work, supporting others, giving of myself to the world, honouring and protecting life wherever I find it. This includes my teaching (some of which is voluntary), my disability rights work, conservation projects, and my friendship with/support of the people in my druid grove... Even things like learning the language that my in-laws speak is part of this - learning a language is really hard for me, but I keep doing it, because it's a way that I can show that I respect and value them as my family.

I imagine Bright Flame having Dark Flame at its core - that (for me) is the reason why we need to tend Dark Flame if we want to burn brightly in the world. I feel like Bright Flame can burn out quickly if we don't have a strong central core - if we don't know who we are, alone, in the dark. A strong Dark Flame means the Bright Flame can burn brighter.

Balancing Flame

As I keep hinting above, I think that the two Flames are strongly linked. For me, if my Dark Flame doesn't burn brightly, neither can my Bright Flame. I need a lot of time alone, meditation time and thinking time before I can go out into the world and shine. On the other hand, it's really important for me to tend my Bright Flame too, mainly by practicing: work out in the community, connecting with people, honouring life wherever I find it and working to support and protect it.
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Fier

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Re: Shad's book: first essay
« Reply #9 on: February 16, 2013, 11:12:51 am »
Quote from: Sophia Catherine;96469

I imagine Bright Flame having Dark Flame at its core - that (for me) is the reason why we need to tend Dark Flame if we want to burn brightly in the world.

 
Yes! This!

veggiewolf

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Re: Shad's book: first essay
« Reply #10 on: February 18, 2013, 11:27:28 am »
Quote from: FierFlye;96478
Yes! This!

 
Absolutely!
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Re: KOS:1 Definitions and Explanations
« Reply #11 on: August 11, 2014, 11:16:19 am »
Quote from: Emerald;94675
Prompt: Rewrite each of the definitions in your own words.

 
Soul Is Flame: This metaphor works for me because fire already has such a connection with religious/spiritual/metaphysical/numinous/whatever feelings in my head already. Fire has physical properties that can be seen, examined, and studied. It can die out or spin wildly out of control if not carefully tended to or respected. It transformed inedible or even dangerous materials into edible delicious things that sustain us. It keeps us warm and provides immediate safety that allows the rest of life to function.

Now I don't live in a society where keeping a fire going means the difference between life and death and I've never personally relied on a fire to actually keep me warm or cook my food, short camping trips aside. But I think this is where the metaphor of fire can be stretched. Fire is what kept (and still keeps) individual humans alive and safe long enough to work together and build something beautiful. The personal and collective are incredibly intertwined.


Dark Flame: The star-stuff inside you. Take a camera, aim it at your heart, and start zooming in. Go far enough and you start seeing the swirl of constellations that's secretly been inside you the whole time. It turns into an infinite looping gif: always zooming in, always coming back to your heart, always returning to the constellations. That's Dark Flame stuff.


Bright Flame: Same thing as above but in reverse. Start at your heart and zoom out. See the connections between you and the rest of society, with all existence. Eventually merge into a giant ball of light and return right back to the heart where it started.


Balancing Flame: So it seems to me the primary difference between Bright and Dark Flame stuff is the direction my looping gif metaphor goes. The direction, of course, radically alters your perspective. Spend too much time in either direction and you'd get dizzy, mesmerized - or worse, forget the other direction is important as well. Focusing on the Bright Flame reminds you that you're not in fact the center of the universe. Focusing on the Dark Flame reminds you that you are kinda the center of the universe (and so is everyone else) so you might as well act like it and treat yourself well.
Maker, though the darkness comes upon me,
I shall embrace the light. I shall weather the storm.
I shall endure.
What you have created, no one can tear asunder.

-Canticle of Trials 1:10

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