Xoxtris' Breath (zɒkstrɪs)
Xoxtris' Breath is a seminal children's story written by Naen the Learned, the First Messenger of The Aspects. This ancient text is considered a creation story by many cultures and is passed down to children through the Xoxtris Pantheon.
As the world entered the technological age of the Nuceda Era, reports of a spiritual emptiness among religious leaders and clergy began to surface. Many believed that Xoxtris had abandoned Eivrall, leaving it to face an ominous fate.
However, Naen the Learned reappeared after disappearing for several years, insisting that Xoxtris still remained with them. He brought this story as a reminder of the deity's continued presence and a source of hope for a world that had begun to experience shorter lifespans for all species:
I
n the beginning...
Xoxtris was the first to exist before all creation, and all things existed within them. Long before the concept of time was created, they slept. Then, they stirred, and woke from their slumber, whole and aware. They found they liked the feeling of awareness and wished to share that feeling with others. However, they knew that they needed to understand themselves first before sharing themselves with what existed beyond them.
When they were ready, they sent their energy out into the place around them, and all was complete, both Seen and Unseen. Sharing that part of themselves allowed the Seen of creation, the things that exist within the realm of Human knowledge, to form and with this sharing of energy, it exploded into existence. The Unseen, however, continued to expand, unaffected by the explosions and sparks caused by them. Since then, the Unseen has continued to grow, sensed in its own way by the universe. This sudden outpouring of creation is known as Xoxtris' Breath.
Xoxtris looked at their creation and deemed it good. They had been able to share themselves with the places that existed around them and they watched as their Breath took on different forms throughout the ages. The heat from the explosions stretched out in all directions through the primordial void. The fire cooled into stars, then into planets. What was left of the explosion slowed and dispersed, some of the bright light fading from the universe. Neither Up nor Down, there was no direction in the place it left.
The unseen Darkness did not want to be separated from the Light, and the seen Light had nothing to allow it to shine brighter. It was the Breath that brought these concepts to life, and they knew that they were a gift, but they could not stop the events that had been set in motion. The Darkness, still expanding, sent out pieces of itself after what remained of the Light, in hopes of bringing all of it back to where it had once been born from. The Light could not fully see the Darkness given to it and wanted a way to communicate with the Darkness. With that urge present in both the Light and the Dark, two beings were brought into existence: Laen, Goddess of the Skies, and Aohr, God of Worlds.
Laen had been split in half, one half remaining with Xoxtris, the other half pursuing the Light. The half of Laen who stayed with Xoxtris asked how they could bring the Light back. With all their Knowing, Xoxtris told her:
Aohr drifted through the Breath, confusion and fear getting the better of him. That which was neither Up nor Down became for him only one direction, and he fell through the Breath without an anchor. Laen followed him as he traveled, knowing that their reunion meant the Light would once again reuinte with the Dark. Laen pledged to be Aohr's anchor, remaining with him as he fell through the Breath.
“How are you not falling?” Aohr asked, “You follow me, but you are purposeful. You are not falling at all!"
“I am not falling because we are not in a place to fall,” Laen answered, “I am focused on Being, and because of this, I am not falling.”
Aohr forced the fear and confusion from his mind, allowing himself to Be in the present. In that moment, he was no longer falling, but once again within the space of neither Up nor Down.
This was the first example of magic being performed. Aohr's thoughts became an energy, a Breath, of his own, allowing him to focus on what he wished to do. The numen within us all presents itself in a similar way; it is whatever we define it as, but until we do so, it is both all possibilities and none of them.
Because Aohr and Laen were finally reunited, the Darkness and the Light together again, they began to sing. They united in both Spirit and Substance and their happiness began to influence the existence around them. Laen's song formed the cosmos that we exist in and Aohr's song formed the worldly things that can be touched. Although the two had stopped Aohr from falling, his Descent brought forth new worlds and changes to existing worlds. Xoxtris observed all and marveled at the creation taking place, glad that their Breath had brought such beauty to the universe.
After they sang their individual songs, Laen and Aohr's voices joined in unison, and their duet was so powerful that they gave birth to life. They were glad when we were born, and we were delighted to have our own existence. They are called our True Mother and True Father for that reason. But, as children do, we call on them as we grow. We ask why they do not come to us, as they gave us life and the knowledge we needed to survive, but they never fully reveal themselves. Mother and Father respond with unending patience:
We don't understand this, so we ask more questions as we suffer through loss and tragedy.
"Why don't you help?" we scream, “Why don't you love your children and would watch them suffer?"
We know now that it's wrong to blame them for what happens. Our True Parents have been through the Descent and know what we face: the fear, the confusion, the insecurity. They are unfazed by our ignorance, and Xoxtris, through them, says once more:
Xoxtris' Breath never ends because Xoxtris is both the beginning and the end. Life is eternal, and our spirits go through many changes as our physical bodies grow old and give out. The purpose of our incarnation is to gain knowledge; we must learn everything there is to know in order to just Be. Then, we'll be able to return to the primordial void. We can't learn the good without learning the bad, and the bad without learning the good. This is the duality of all things.
We must all do our part to listen while we are looking for answers. We are Xoxtris, and Xoxtris is us. Xoxtris has gifted their Breath and knows how we reside within it. They try to speak to us, sometimes through our minds, sometimes through others. We must be open to our creator's voice and listen. Those who have grown spiritually and have reincarnated several times have shared their knowledge with us through writings and stories, as I do now. This is also a way for our creator to reach us, as Xoxtris helps these people to teach the rest of us what we cannot yet comprehend.
It is our responsibility to evolve and grow. To gain knowledge. We must, in any way we can, listen to every whisper from the ground and every murmur from the heavens. We understand things like gravity, how our numen flows, and the best seasons to grow and harvest when we listen. Because learning is our goal, one message from Laen and Aohr stands out above the rest.
If nothing else, keep this in mind:
"I am you, and you are me. I speak every language until you no longer need words. Listen to me however you can, in any language you understand. Hearing me is part of your learning, too.
Learn what you can, then rest. Death, like birth, is a transition, not an end. It is necessary to sustain life, do not fear it. You'll know how to come back home once you've learned everything there is to learn and felt everything there is to feel. You may be uncomfortable with the thought right now, but when the time comes, you will not be sad. You're not going anywhere, or leaving anyone behind, because you are them and they are you."
After the creation story, Naen the Learned goes on to discuss morals, practices, and worship. A large section of the book discusses Xoxtris' bloodline, something that had only been speculation before. There were many people, both clergy and non-clergy, who believed that Xoxtris was the one and only deity and that worshipping, or even speaking of, any others was sacrilegious. Xoxtris' Breath quashes the argument by explaining that the various gods that existed were merely different facets of the same diamond. These facets were their way of interpreting an infinitely complex concept, but understanding it in any way they could was important. Naen the Learned assures readers that praying to one god was praying to Xoxtris, and therefore not heresy. With that comfort, he then outlines the bloodline in an expansive, and somewhat confusing, family tree.
The release of Xoxtris' Breath spurred the building of the very first Order of Twilight Union, First Church of the Children, Congregation of the Black Hand, and Followers of the Four Aspects.
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Clouds and painting by Gabrielle Decker