Interlude: Into the Mystics
"I am here today to tell you that there is no Shirac race. ‘What?!’ you will say. Of course there is a Shirac race. They are tall and thin and their hair is like the fine feathers of a delicate bird. They are all witches; they live in Marimbra and sell priceless goods, even magic, in the Great Bazaar.
I will proceed to demonstrate why these are falsehoods. First, there is no Shirac race because being Shirac is not a matter of parentage. Surely most Shirac are born of Shirac. They are tall, and thin, and have hair like delicate feathers. They have beautiful eyes that can see in the faintest starlight. They posses what appears to be witchcraft to those who have never drawn away the Veil, except perhaps in their dreams. Surely these are the Shirac.
But this is not always the case. It is also true that there are Shirac who have been born to humans. This is sure? Absolutely, it is a I say. And Shirac born to Ruhk, and to creatures for whom you have no name. There are Shirac with hair like fine feathers, and those with the shells of turtles, and the eyes of cats, as well as those with the shapes of men.
So I have shown you there is no Shirac race, only the Great Ummab of the Shirac. Say it, as it is our proper name. The Ummab is not family, nor tribe, nor nation, it is simply the sum of all those who follow the Way. For the Great Ummab of the Shirac is itself a journey. A migration towards Heaven. Just as birds seek the warmer places as the winter approaches, so the Shirac seek the warmth of Paradise. And it has been so for half an eternity.
Are we all witches? No, that is not the case. We are simply travelers. And in our travels we have seen many worlds, and thus passed through the Veil many times over. This is not witchcraft. It is only experience. You may call the fruits of our experience witchcraft, but you are motivated only by your love of falsehoods. Perhaps you should learn to embrace truth. Or find better words.
Surely, you say, at least the Shirac live in Marimbra, where you sell your beautiful wares? Again, a misrepresentation. The Shirac move through Marimbra, so some are always there, and yet it is never the same ones, year after year, for the Way is a journey. You say we sell you wares, I say we give you priceless gifts. We only charge for them because if we did not you would assume they have no value. And the gifts of the Way have value beyond measure.
So many untruths spoken about the Shirac. Some say the Way is like a heavy yoke made of many strange laws, that we are not a people but a cult. This is not so! There is but one Shirac law: Honor the Seeker. For they will open the Way to Heaven.
Not bad, eh?
Would you join with us? For the Great Ummab of the Shirac is open to all seekers. Join us, for we welcome you, and we fly towards Heaven. As our great poet Wudi Al-Harazed once said “I do not want to achieve Paradise through death, I want to walk there on my own two feet”.
-- taken from Mommud Harb-Houri’s “The Preface to the Way”, Hrazbo-Y lectures, 288 MSY.
"I am here today to tell you that there is no Shirac race. ‘What?!’ you will say. Of course there is a Shirac race. They are tall and thin and their hair is like the fine feathers of a delicate bird. They are all witches; they live in Marimbra and sell priceless goods, even magic, in the Great Bazaar.
I will proceed to demonstrate why these are falsehoods. First, there is no Shirac race because being Shirac is not a matter of parentage. Surely most Shirac are born of Shirac. They are tall, and thin, and have hair like delicate feathers. They have beautiful eyes that can see in the faintest starlight. They posses what appears to be witchcraft to those who have never drawn away the Veil, except perhaps in their dreams. Surely these are the Shirac.
But this is not always the case. It is also true that there are Shirac who have been born to humans. This is sure? Absolutely, it is a I say. And Shirac born to Ruhk, and to creatures for whom you have no name. There are Shirac with hair like fine feathers, and those with the shells of turtles, and the eyes of cats, as well as those with the shapes of men.
So I have shown you there is no Shirac race, only the Great Ummab of the Shirac. Say it, as it is our proper name. The Ummab is not family, nor tribe, nor nation, it is simply the sum of all those who follow the Way. For the Great Ummab of the Shirac is itself a journey. A migration towards Heaven. Just as birds seek the warmer places as the winter approaches, so the Shirac seek the warmth of Paradise. And it has been so for half an eternity.
Are we all witches? No, that is not the case. We are simply travelers. And in our travels we have seen many worlds, and thus passed through the Veil many times over. This is not witchcraft. It is only experience. You may call the fruits of our experience witchcraft, but you are motivated only by your love of falsehoods. Perhaps you should learn to embrace truth. Or find better words.
Surely, you say, at least the Shirac live in Marimbra, where you sell your beautiful wares? Again, a misrepresentation. The Shirac move through Marimbra, so some are always there, and yet it is never the same ones, year after year, for the Way is a journey. You say we sell you wares, I say we give you priceless gifts. We only charge for them because if we did not you would assume they have no value. And the gifts of the Way have value beyond measure.
So many untruths spoken about the Shirac. Some say the Way is like a heavy yoke made of many strange laws, that we are not a people but a cult. This is not so! There is but one Shirac law: Honor the Seeker. For they will open the Way to Heaven.
Not bad, eh?
Would you join with us? For the Great Ummab of the Shirac is open to all seekers. Join us, for we welcome you, and we fly towards Heaven. As our great poet Wudi Al-Harazed once said “I do not want to achieve Paradise through death, I want to walk there on my own two feet”.
-- taken from Mommud Harb-Houri’s “The Preface to the Way”, Hrazbo-Y lectures, 288 MSY.