Flashback Meditation at the Lectern

[Asha]

Time Stamp: 73 Summer, 505 Asha seated herself comfortably near the back of the group of meditators gathered around Lectern of Eyris. She had taken to meditating there several times a season and listening to what those around her debated on. Sometimes the topic was interesting and provocative but on occasion it was uninformed and shallow. On those occasions the speaker went home shamed. Asha settled her bulk as best she could and closed her eyes. Turning her focus inward, she thrust all of her attention into her breath. Deep inhale through her nose and a long exhale through her mouth. Inhale through the nose and exhale through the mouth. Inhale through the nose and exhale through the mouth. Over and over again she cycled her breath and allowed her mind to empty. Her attention in her breath deepened as each thought slowly slipped away. A birdcall ruffled her concentration but she acknowledged the noise mentally and returned to her breathing. She had always been instructed to never ignore noises but instead acknowledge them and then move on. There was no point in ignoring reality. There was only acceptance. Asha had always had a difficult time emptying her mind but today she found success. Usually her mind raced with questions, thoughts, and decisions as she was assaulted with information from the world around her. Slowing down the deluge was always a monstrous task. Fortunately her mind seemed happy to shed its thoughts and find clarity in emptiness. Emptiness was a special something, it was a strange lack. But she had no time to explore that thought. Oops! A thought. Asha let the inner words and musings slide away as she brought her awareness back into her breath. Inhale in through the nose, exhale out through the mouth. Inhale in through the nose, exhale out through the mouth. It was a cycle. Like the great cycle that Caihya produced in nature, with the help of Kihala and Dira. Inhale in through the nose, exhale out through the mouth. Asha longed for the stillness inside her that many of her brethren spoke of. Why couldn’t she calm the strange flurry of emotion and words when she encountered something new? Others were able to approach situations with a calm head and take their time. But she didn’t seem to be able to; she was just too eager. She wanted to know and she wanted to know NOW. Perhaps if she cultivated stillness and emptiness in her mind she would be able to control herself better. She hoped so anyways. Inhale in through the nose, exhale out through the mouth. Her physical body was still and her eyes closed. Her large hands rested peacefully on her thighs. She appeared the same as the other meditating Jamoura around her but she was unsure if they faced the same difficulty in finding clarity. The breathing calmed her though. It was so gentle and personal. The breath cycled over and over and over endlessly. Well, it wasn’t endless, but at least it appeared so.

[Asha]

Distantly, Asha heard the sound of a throat being cleared. It took a few moments for her to bring awareness back into her body before she opened her eyes. Her meditation had brought her into a sort of trance state and she was loath to leave. Her meditation abilities were spotty at best and it annoyed her to be interrupted on one of the rare occasions she had succeed in emptying her rapidly moving mind. With her eyes opened she saw that the speaker seated on the stump was prepared to speak. The speaker was a young male Jamoura, it was probably his first time being invited to sit at the stump. Asha remembered her first time on the stump only a scant twenty years earlier. Inwardly she wished the male luck. He opened his mouth and began to speak. Asha listened patiently to his wobbly monologue, had she been that unsure sounding? Probably. The male spoke about the power of the written word and implored the elders to dedicate more of their efforts to writing down their knowledge and memory. Who knew when they might get stricken down and all that was stored in their minds would be lost. He emphasized how Qalaya had given the written word to the world and meant it to be used for the good of all. Asha has heard of this Qalaya before, she was worshiped by many Jamoura who placed much importance on memory. Well, almost all Jamoura placed great importance on memory but there were those who worshiped the concept embodied by the goddess. Asha had long been intrigued by her but had not sought out her shrine. The male finished his speech and a brief silence fell over the crowd as they collected their thoughts into question form. “I agree with the notion that knowledge should be written. However, I think that we must be careful that what we write is good and true. We ought not store that which is untested or questionable. The written word is powerful as it is the device and gift of a goddess. We must take it seriously as such and not use it to suit our whims.” Asha said though her voice surprised her. She had not anticipated speaking or even having an opinion. Apparently she had opinions she wasn’t aware of, or at least she wasn’t aware of until now. “What of the shopkeepers who write out their sums or poets who write their poems? Would you say that these people ought not write on their whim?” a voice called out in challenge of Asha’s response. “Those are not whims. A shopkeeper records his daily sums to track his sums and supply his customers with what is in greatest demand. That is not a whim. A poet writes the truth that we would hide from ourselves. That is not a whim. A whim is to write a lie or an untested opinion and not realize the great danger there is in that. A written lie has the potential to last as long as the paper is well-kept and damage centuries of knowledge seekers. A written lie can last longer then the eldest Jamoura among us.” Asha argued back. She had leaned forward in her seat with her words, breathless with excitement as she pursued her thought. Her words came to a close and she fell back into her seat. She allowed the debate to spill over her though she participated in it no more. She felt drained from the excitement of her speech. She had never much been one for speaking in front of large groups. Her own words had lit a certain flame inside of her. She wanted to go home and practice her writing skills. She had not practiced writing in common for quite some time. Writing seemed a skill worth the effort of practicing.

[Asha]

The debate finished quickly after that and the group around the Lectern dispersed. Asha stood and stretched her limbs wearily, meditating for lengthy times still made her limbs ache. She wished she could sit for hours with the ease of her elders but she knew only time would allow that to happen. Asha nodded politely in greeting to those around her as she moved away from the Lectern. A few younger Jamoura clapped her on the shoulder for a well spoken opinion, she usually kept silent as such debates. Asha moved quickly away from the Meditation Petal. Each stretch of her legs brought a groan of satisfaction rumbling up out of her throat as the knots in her thighs and calves loosened. Perhaps now would be a good time for further meditation. She had not practiced walking meditation in some time and at least it didn’t cause her legs to cramp. Asha clasped her hands gently behind her back and slowed her steps to a steady, measured gait. She looked down and slightly ahead at the wooden petal floor supporting her. It wouldn’t do to run into anyone or fall off the petals into the nets like a small child. She let her breath fall into an even rhythm but did not concentrate too deeply on it. Instead, she concentrated on her legs. She considered the way each muscle group tightened and relaxed as she stepped. The way warmth tickled at her muscles when they were tight and cooled quickly when they relaxed. Her leg muscles were thick and strong by nature of her being and they supported her great weight with ease. She considered the way her thick legs were like tree trunks, rooting her to the ground like the bloodwoods that sheltered her community. When she was young she had felt some embarrassment at her legs and their thickness. She had felt embarrassed at how ungainly they were, very different from the lithe and slender legs of human species. But now she felt proud of her thick legs. They were powerful legs, legs that could carry her through the forest and scale up trees. Her mind focused solely on her legs as she walked, any thoughts apart from them melting away like fog in the sun. She pleasured in the feeling of awareness of her body. Often she concentrated so heavily on her mind and what she fed it that she often forgot her body altogether. But she knew that those habits were not the right way of things. Balance must be found between mind and body and she could not ignore the physical shell that held the knowledge and memories she so treasured. The pride she felt about her thick legs seemed well deserved. They were made exactly for her and she exulted in that, the utter rightness of their being. Asha was interrupted from her bodily meditation by the shadow of a structure. Looking up she recognized the shop before her, but she knew not whether her unconscious had been drawing her there the entire time or if her path was a result of chance. She had walked far from the Meditation Petal by this time, a quarter bell had passed quicker then she had realized as she walked. Asha let her hands drop to her sides and entered the paper store in front of her.

[Asha]

Asha approached the shopkeeper quietly and with respect. She waited patiently until the keeper noticed her presence and inquired as to her purpose. “I would like to buy some writing supplies. A scrollcase, some parchment, and some writing utensils.” She said quietly. The shopkeeper nodded and quoted a price which Asha agreed to. She had not brought coins with her to her meditation practice, so instead she signed a promissory note to bring the appropriate coinage to the shopkeeper within the day. The shopkeeper handed her a scrollcase, parchment, quill and a vial of ink. She accepted them with a grateful thanks and exited the store. Walking a few paces until she found a root formation that would serve as a useable stool, Asha sat down patiently. She set aside the scrollcase and laid out a sheet of parchment in her lap. Dipping the quill in the ink vial, she placed it to paper and hesitated. What would she write about? After her speech that day she felt as though she ought to write something profound and thought provoking. But nothing of great import entered her mind. Perhaps she ought to just practice her alphabet first. She had not written in common for quite some time and could probably use the practice. With jerky lines and poorly formed loops she painstakingly wrote out the basic letters of the common language. She was rustier at this then she thought. She wrote the letters again, this time they seemed a little better formed her lines more controlled. This quill was a pesky, slender thing for her thick fingers to grasp. It would take some getting used to get the grip right. Already her hand muscles felt tight from these strange motions they were unused to. Tiring of writing plain letters she decided to attempt something a little complex, a few sentences perhaps. Dipping her quill again for fresh ink she began to write with some difficulty but the words appeared nonetheless. “Writing is more then an art, it is a method of preservation. It is a way we may speak to those we will never live to see. Our written words can haunt or comfort as we choose. As powerful as the written word is, it is incredibly fragile. Enraged hands, fire, spilled ink may all destroy the wisdom of centuries written to inform and persuade. We must protect the truthfully written word as best we can. The wisdom of centuries may be stored there, long forgotten in the minds of the wise to be rediscovered and consumed again. Writing must continue, and it must continue with truth and conviction.” Asha wrote each letter painstakingly, trying her to best to write clearly and legibly. Though her sentences certainly looked better then her alphabets a few letters were still difficult to comprehend. She felt pleased with her efforts and knew that they would continue to improve and she imagined that one day soon she would write beautiful letters that everyone would look upon with pleasure. Bought Items : The following costs have been deducted from Asha’s ledger and the following items added to her inventory: Watertight Scrollcase 5gm, ten Sheets of Parchment 20 sp, two Quills 10 cm, 2 Vials of Ink 4gm = - 11gm 10cm

[Capricious]

Asha

Award

Skill	XP Earned	Lore Earned
Meditation	3	• I Do Have Opinions!
Philosophy	2	• Writing the ABCs
Rhetoric	1	• Writing Stores Wisdom
Writing	2	•
Observation	2	•

Other

-	11 GM, 10 CM
+	Watertight Scrollcase
+	10 Sheets of Parchment
+	2 Quills
+	2 Vials of Ink

Witty Remark Here

All skills should be self-explanatory. I did give you two points in observation for noticing how nervous the young speaker was and for noticing around you. This was an interesting read and I enjoyed seeing Asha succeed in clearing her mind!

If you have any questions or concerns regarding your grade, please send me a PM and we can figure it out.