At one point or another you will encounter someone who will tell you that the Light is dead as are the Gods you knew from your youth. Some would take the chance to call upon the Light or their Gods to prove their existence. Others would seize the chance to prove them wrong through debate.
If you are reading this tome then you are either someone who believes in the Light or the Gods. Your beliefs will be different. From the first fanatic you meet to a novice or high priest whose belief is weak and faltering. We will never share the same experience in the Light with another. But you will come to understand with time that the Light speaks to us all differently.
When told the Light and Gods are dead recall this: the Light welcomes all and is kind and just like many of the deities that come to mind. The Light is just, grace and kindness. Mercy and Forgiveness. It’s the love that will warm your soul on a darkened day. Even if you or another do not follow the Light the Light will always be this.
However, if the Light and the Gods are unjust then you should not want to worship them. There is no higher power deserving of your devotion if it is unjust. A just higher power will welcome you based on the virtues you live by as evidenced by the Light.
If there are truly no Gods and the Light is dead then this is the life you have. But rest assured that you will have lived a noble life in the memories of your loved ones. That will be your legacy that will continue on, affecting countless sentients as others act upon the memories you left behind.
The Light is not for everyone. Even a healing spell cast with the purest intent will render harm to even the most virtuous Death Knight or Illidari that is beyond reproach. Even if those you affect with the Light’s healing and blessings might not believe and still call it dead.
Do not force belief upon them to appease yourself. Exemplify the best virtues of the Light. The Light exists and it is with you always.
The Light can be called on by anyone- from undead to trolls to humans, elves and dwarves and more. Doubtless more than one person reading this has fought against a Light wielding enemy or seen them on the opposing side of a battle. But from this comes one of the Light’s most important characteristic: Ambiguity.
The Light can come to your aide as easily as it can to anyone on Azeroth. The Light may come from you in searing flames of retribution or you might find the Light weaving itself as a shield in front of you as you charge, or you might feel its gentle warmth as it mends together flesh. But others can do the same- the Light comes to them in varying degrees of strength and they perform actions that can be kind, evil or appalling acts of cruelty.
Thus we arrive at a seeming contradiction. Is the Light good and if so then why does it allow your enemy to use it? Why does it allow the undead to call upon it even though the Light burns them? Does it mean that the Light could favor your enemy or another more than you and leave?
The Light will only leave you if you reject it entirely.
If you believe and you are sure of your belief then the Light will never not come when you call. It rests over my head now as I write, a halo that gives me light and when i listen I can hear the Light’s wordless whisper. I can feel it in my hands when I heal. Warm, gentle, and soothing.
If we try to define who and what should be able to call upon the Light and the circumstances proper for it we would limit it to such an extend that the Light would no longer be as it was.
It is easy to figure out that what you believe will differ from one sentient to the next. One man might worship the moon, believing her to be more worthy than his sister who worships the Sunwell. It is the nature of things that symbols will have more than one meaning and that divine will mean different things from one culture to the next.
The Light will come to anyone who calls it and believes they are ‘good’. What good is and how it is defined will change from race, person, and viewpoint of the world. If we began to set rules to this it would make the Light so rigid it would no longer be what it is.
So while the Light is ambiguous it is ambiguous for our, and for many others, own benefit.
For my fellow Blood Elves who read this I encourage them to remember that the light and the Arcane both are our birthright. Many of us are disillusioned with the Light after the third war. Who has not yet heard of M’uru at this point? Regardless there are not as many who follow the teachings of the Church of Holy Light or what we learned from our paladin brethren.
Many incorporate the notion of bending the Light or weaving what we want into being. I will admit I’ve never worshiped the Light and from talking to many of my fellow priests I have seen many share the opinion of the Blood Knights and many continue to embrace the Light in the same manner they did before the third war.
“The Light sustains us, and it will ease even the heaviest of burdens. To think it has abandoned us is pure folly.”
We have never had the same following that they have had in the Human and Dwarven lands. The Light’s ambiguity applies to us as well though many seem to wish the Light would abandon us entirely.
The ultimate form of prayer in motion is dance. Each position of the dance is intended to communicate something, individual motions working together to form a complete message in the same way you combine words to make a sentence. Dances can be simple, they can be elaborate, but if you’ve ever seen prayer through dance- I don’t have words to describe it. Not properly.
When I first started to learn my way as a Priest I was invited to a small ceremony with my teacher. I was still young for an elf- in my thirties- and I was eager to see what a group of stuffy humans could do. We accepted the invite and came to an area with standing stones, well tended grass and flowers. I do not remember the words or their speeches but I do remember standing to the side and watching as they put on ceremonial robes, calling the Light down as they danced. It felt like minutes but in truth they danced for hours. It was a beautiful and wondrous sight to behold and I’ve yet to see any other man or woman of the Light dance so.
Dance is meant to express emotion. It does not require words to express emotion- joy, grief, awe, and ecstasy. The emotion you feel will tell you the right way to move if you wish to participate or listen.
It can also express an attribute of the divine invoked, or be a way of calling such down itself. For instance, when I watched the ceremony The Light radiated from the priests as they danced. And as they changed their danced the light seemed to shift and adjust. From forgiveness and mercy to retribution and conflagration to protection and honor.
I was told dance was also used to invoke blessings as well but I’ve never seen such before. They also told me they considered dancing an offering- it expended time and energy, and was a form of art. The honor and recognition they recieved when me and my teacher watched was dedicated to the Light. When they danced to the point of exhaustion, it served not only as a offering, but also opened themselves up to the Light.
Through dancing, they gave all of themselves, creating a space for the Light to fill.
I commend my Blade and magic to the Light
May I bring victory in its name,
bringing with me retibution through conflagration
Mercy through a blade
May i die gloriously on the field
in the name of the Light
Battle is my calling!
Death is my end!
Ascension my reward!
Oath of the Ordinator
Those who oppose the Light
Through me shall know retribution
My mace shall end their delusions
My magic shall rain from the sky
Their homes and fields shall burn
And before they are removed from this life
They shall cry out
And hear only silence.
The voice of the heathen is heard across the land
It shall not be allowed to endure
Its obscenity shall not profane the Lighte
for without mercy shall my blade find
the heretic and the blasphemer alike.
When Darkness gathers
Be Vigilant.
When corruption spreads
Be Righteous.
When evil craves for War
Be Just.
Remember what you are
Retribution.
Stubbornly leaves cling to their branches
Until spring when their successors are ready to come
Death, for the sake of my duty
Give me time
Until I am no longer needed
And then, take me willingly
For then gladly will I go
To enjoy my long rest
But for now I am needed here
There will be a time Light
When I will be pulled by you to the next world
At the right time
But not before
To those who have died, we say:
“Thank you for your sacrifice, may the Light guide your way.”
And to those who have come here to see them a last time, we say:
“Light give you fortitude; we have been blessed to know them.”
From the Dawnspire to it’s welcoming sea
Head homeward Leoc Blacksquall,
May the Light guide you across the shattering shoal
And gently come, joyful stay
From violent ocean, into the calming bay
Past this life and guide your boat to the next
Tie the rope to it’s pillared pier
From violent ocean into the calming bay
Go homeward Sailor, son of the sea
Gently come and joyful stay
I never knew the man nor much of him. But like so many others who have fallen defending the Dawnspire I feel a need to pray nontheless- S. Silversword
A weary traveler am I, trudging slowly from this life to the next
The light shines down on my path
Giving me strength and brightening it so I find my way
Merciful Light, lead the way
Do not lead me lost
Make my road bright
As I leave this life to the next
“You have chosen a path less traveled. You lift up your chosen weapon not to take on the path of redistribution or healing, but to be a guardian for your allies. Know now that this path is stained with blood and sacrifice. But know that the Light is with you and as you go on this path it will stay with you, giving you fortitude.
The path of the protector is to serve their allies, to protect them with their magic, their shields, and if needed, their lives. The Light has helped guide you to this path, for within you it sees that you are able to shoulder the heavy burden that comes with these choices. Few are blessed with such inner strength and fewer still are those able to carry the burden. But with this burden the Light bestows some of its greatest gifts. You are the guardian of the weak and the helpless, the ardent defender of your allies, the shield of the righteous.
Remember that you are of the Light. No more do you trod the path of the normal man. You walk the path of Light, ever climbing from shadow to shadow, to the highest realm of existence. But others do not see the sacrifice you make and the burdens you carry. But everytime when you do your vigil listen to the Light for the comfort and love it offers with the wisdom it gives.
When you are wounded and broken in soul, when your heart bleeds and your strength is fading then remember this: Your path is never easy. But when the burden you carry causes you to stumble do not forget you are never alone. In your allies seek out their strength. We cannot carry on forever on our own strength- to do is the highest peaks of hubris. Seek out your allies for the bons of companionship will strengthen you. For it is when you are weakened that others will try to tempt you off the righteous path.
Remember that these bonds and the Light will be what keeps you through the worst of times.
Do not forget, however, to live. Do not refrain from enjoying your life For it is from these small joys and sorrows that you will grow in the path of the protector, until such a time when you are called home by the Light.
Taken from an excerpt of a Night Elven Priest’s personal writings:
“Live Fully for that is the purpose of life. Refrain not from your existence. For it is we grow to learn and understand, until such time as we leave our body, spiraling up the lunar pathway to the Emerald Dream and Beyond.
Walk the fields and forests; see the moonwells and be refreshed by the cool winds and touch of the moonlight. The Goddess and White Child sing in the ancient places: The deserted seashore, the wilds ofAzsuna, the roaring waterfalls. We are blessed to feel the moonlight on us and should rever Her, so do Her honor.
Celebrate the rites on the approriate days and seasons, but fear not if one is missed. The Goddess knows and she understands. When you call upon her power, do so when you need it and not for frivolous ends. Know that using her power for cruelty and in anger is a perversion and she shall remind you, with the face of a mother whose heart is broken, that she will not tolerate it.
But for those who love and magnify love, the richness of life and the blessings of Elune will be your reward. Nature will celebrate.
Love Elune, follow in her way and never will you walk alone.”
Being satisfied with little, you can gain much. Seeking much you will go astray. The wise heeds this precept. If it could be so with all people!
The wise trusts not only to his physical eyes — thus he can see clearly.
The wise does not think that only he is right —thus he knows the truth.
He does not seek glory — yet people respect him.
He does not seek power — yet people follow him.
He does not struggle with anyone — thus no one can vanquish him.
He does not feel pity for himself — thus he can successfully develop.
Only he who does not seek to be ahead of others is capable of living in harmony with everyone.
The wise cares about everyone, and he becomes an example to all.
He does not praise himself — yet he is respectable.
He does not elevate himself — yet he is esteemed by others.
The Light is beyond words. Words may be used to speak of it, but they cannot contain it. The Light existed before words and names, before the idea of things. It is the unlimited birth and origin of all limited things. Therefore, to see beyond boundaries to the subtle heart of things, dispense with names, with concepts, with expectations and ambitions and differences. The Light and its many manifestations arise from the same source: subtle wonder within mysterious darkness. This is the beginning of all understanding.
In place of Gods, the Light, shadows, spirits and other beings we communicate with I’ll simply use Divine. We communicate to them through words, prayer, and vigils. Talking to them, as I’ve wrote before, is using a different style of speech. Just as you call call your best friend ‘that jackass’ you will also change your speech when talking to, say, your friend’s mother: ‘Hello Miss’. You set aside your normal speech to speak to the Divine, making it more special.
Identifying Who You Speak to
The deities, spirits, elements, and other divine help to define the world as you see it. Do you recognize the deity of the moon? That deity’s name can tell you a lot about them. Most people outside of Kalimdor are not very familiar with Elune are not aware of how she’s connected to the druids- Cenarius is said ro be her son and she’s credited with transforming Aviana into a demigoddess for being a good messenger. Druids see that connection, and when calling upon her they recognize it.
Please keep in mind we live in a world where even the person with the most kind intentions can fall prey to terrible things. Therefore, I would recommend unless you know a name or what they are or represent, do not call or pray to it. In over five centuries of life I’ve seen three cases where it ended poorly and one creepy corn-based cult in Arathi highlands that grew from such a thing. I’ve never fled a small town so fast.
You do not have to address your chosen divine by name. You may use title or function as well. The Light may simply be addressed as ‘The light’ and Priests of the Sunwell will address the Sunwell as ‘Our Birthright, Holy well of Arcana and Light’.
Remember that the name or title should come easily in your prayer. No need to build up to much suspense or trip over something you thought sounded really fancy to say. In most cases it serves you best to use a name and a title. It gets the attention of the Divine you’re reaching out to and showing some more respect. It serves no purpose addressing several divines that are not related to your prayer on the chance it maybe involves them.
In your studies you’ll note the names of he divine are often used more than once in a prayer but not in the same way. You want your prayer to be good, not tedious and dull. The divine is complicated and making a prayer something that becomes on dimensional and dull as dishwater serves nobody. For instance when I address the Light I might say:
“Holy light, hear me. I come before you with my hands reaching towards you. I ask that you help me gracious Light: heal my own patient.”
More ancient prayers are often little more than a long list of titles and achievements for the divine. They are good for calling and praising the divine but it can become quite boring for you. It is good to turn off the mind sometimes. When your prayer works and you feel your divine it quickly stops being boring. Building up by piling title after title and achievement after achievement can help build up the presence you feel and reinforce your belief.
Tyleril Silversword 
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