Cleansing - Part 2
Type of Missve: private, to the Kathrani
Basic Cleansing
Date: November 26, 1012 Responses: none Typically you will need to array one person for each point of the circle of Munuko that are lending to the cleansing. While that may seem to make working with the Shokensai more of a burden the mid points of that circle are meant to smooth the transitions from the primary compass points. But theoretically a circle of eight can do some things which a circle of four cannot and vice versa. Ideally an element is represented in the cleansing by a Kathrani that has passed all the Trials with the Munuko that are aiding in the cleansing. However, under trying circumstances it will be necessary to choose carefully from other groups wherever possible. Even completely unaffiliated people have stood in during cleansings to some effect. When you are cleansing with just one person at each necessary point these people necessarily are each of them a focus. A focus in a kathrani circle is one that actually is carried into the cleansing process spiritually. In communion with the Munuko a focus brings the ability of their specific element. An ichigiritorennin, ruken or completely unaffiliated person standing in as a focus is unlikely to present anything more in this endeavor. Whereas a particularly good focus might bring advantages over and above that. A poor focus might actually fail utterly. The Munuko may encourage or discourage some people from this role, but they don't necessarily know everyone that well. The attributes of a good focus are, in my opinion, imagination, drive, problem-solving and courage. And of course, each element will have some specific qualities that need to be answered. For instance, calculating and methodical can lend greatly to those who stand for To, while a good Ko will be both compassionate and implaceable. - - - I recommend that you prepare all of this before you approach a tainted being to begin. This is a very simple wisdom. Taint adds to irritabiltiy and frustration. If you find a tainted person and speak with them to acquire their agreement to cleansing and then go about selecting your circle you -ARE- asking for trouble. As with many other aspects of cleansing, the more taint involved the more harsh this truth becomes. So have your circle as ready as possible before you approach the victim. Their acquiesence is of paramount importance. The Munuko will help you to cleanse taint but if you force someone into the cleansing you will be widening rifts between yourself and them. You must also explain to the person that they will experience various sensations during the cleansing. Specifically, they will feel pain, though it is your hope that it will be brief. This pain has been described as the blood turning to fire. Seriously tainted individuals have turned violent towards the Kathrani when this pain was coupled with the knowledge that the kathrani had failed in the first attempt and must try again. The more taint, the higher the stakes. - - - Once you have your chosen foci in place and the victim of taint is readied you can begin the communion with the Munuko. Assuming the Munuko agree that you are ready many things can occur at this point. Among the common occurances where the different elemental representatives are not full Kathrani or are not all of the same circle is giving your full trust to the Munuko. This means you will not actually experience anything of the ritual after this point because the Munuko will work directly through you while your conscious mind is for all intents and purposes asleep. This requires less from you and more from the Munuko however. When communion is achieved and a cleansing begins there are aspects of the ritual which the foci will actively experience, though to the rest of the world they would seem in a trance surrounding the person or other recepticle of taint. This phase is where the Kathrani, empowered by the Munuko, will directly fight the taint. The Ma (protect and cleanse) will be responsible for protecting the others, the Ka most of all. The To (find and isolate) will be responsible for locating the taint and allowing the Ka to see it. The Ka (parry and strike) will be directly responsible for killing the taint and will almost always bear the brunt of the taint's retributive attacks, for the taint is aware that no other in the ritual can harm it. The Ko (stabilize and heal) is responsible for keeping the ritual on track and healing the subject infected with taint when the time comes. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Augmentations Anchors Where the foci are the active cleaners of taint anchors often seem like a second line of defense or reserves. In reality anchors can drastically change the effectiveness of the cleansing. Good anchors not only exemplify the characteristics of their element but are also patient, calm, and good leaders with a propensity for foresight. The anchors will physically stand behind the foci as the ritual begins. It is perhaps easy enough to assume that they anchor the focus that shares their element to the real world, but in truth they are anchoring their focus, their respective Munuko and a portion of the perimeter of the cleansing arena. The very best anchors working in communion with the Munuko and their foci will actually trap the taint within a specific area while the foci will not be caged. This is especially important when cleansing large amounts of taint all at once. The more taint the more powerful the foe the foci will be facing. Conversely, poor anchors can actually harm the ritual more than having no anchors. Enough poor anchors in the ritual can pin the foci to an area while the taint may come and go from it as it pleases. In addition to aiding in pinning down the taint there may be other advantages to good anchors. And all factors work dynamically with other factors. Other augmentations may have wildly positive effects in conjunction with well chosen teams of foci and anchors. Lastly, an anchor -can- step in for a disabled focus. All the requisites of a focus must be met, of course. And this substitution may, in fact, cause weakness in the communion as whole, if only briefly. Naturally, once an anchor steps forward he or she ceases to be an anchor and so any benefits from having had that anchor will be lost. Bonds Soul bonds between the participants in a cleansing can only aid in the effectiveness provided the bond is healthy and strong. The effects of bonds from one person to another even outside of cleansing are widely divergent and it will be even more so within a communion with the Munuko. Nevertheless, it is highly unlikely that the existence of such bonds will ever prove to be a liability. Multiple Foci and/or Anchors The theory of multiple foci is only that. Likely it would require more than a single circle of Munuko and likely will require some sort of preliminary communion between them and the representatives. Furthermore, attempting such may actually do more harm than good as the Munuko are expending exceptional power simply to keep everyone in the ritual. It is possible for a circle of four kathrani that are in excellent communion with their Munuko to cleanse a soul of taint that has nearly devoured it entirely. Striving for this standard is almost certainly more appropriate than seeking to add more foci than the four or eight already required by the circle. Extra anchors has been attempted in the past though in my experience to no great effect of disadvantage. The anchors that were in line beyond the first stepped in to anchor only when the first needed to enter the ritual as a focus. Nevertheless, the power behind all of this is built on communion, community and concert. Actually acquiring larger numbers into such a community should not be dismissed lightly. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Single Cleansing This is among the most risky ventures and I caution any would-be crusaders to think very hard and accept the guidance of the Munuko at all stages. Nevertheless there will be times, likely in the near future, in which the benefit outweighs the risk to a single person, either for reasons of timing or availability of Kathrani. The extent to which a single Kathrani can cleanse is less than that of a full circle. However, certain circles of Munuko are more aggressive than others with regards to this fight and so can impart greater capacity to their Kathrani. The steps are more or less the same. The responsibilities within the ritual all fall on the one focus and he or she will have no anchors. Furthermore, the less grasp that Kathrani has of the other elements the less effective he or she may be at performing those tasks. Here is where your ability to imagine and adapt will stand out. Before ever attempting this you should spend long hours meditating on all of the elements. You should definitely be a veteran of cleansing with a full circle accompanying you because otherwise you will have no examples to follow with elements beyond your chosen. Build an image in your mind and an accompanying process by which the elements cleanse taint. Consult your Munuko and share your thoughts. Listen to them. Adjust how you view the cleansing process. Repeat this ad nauseum. YOU are not meant to cleanse taint alone. Alone you draw more heavily on the Munuko, risk your own soul and further damage to the person or thing already afflicted with taint. So travel down this road only when all else fails. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Accepting Taint Sometimes we are far more enduring than the victims we see infected with taint. Sometimes. There are times when the opportunity and need arise in which we can take the hurt from another onto ourselves. In that endeavor consult with your Munuko and seek guidance in how to open your soul willing to the taint such that it may leap from the victim to you. However altruistic this might seem, the greater good is not served well by the diminishing of your own ability to reason soundly. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Dangers The most common danger on first setting about to cleanse taint is simple failure. This usually causes pain, exhaustion and frustration all around, including to the target and the Munuko. Nearly as common is acquiring the taint for your own. Foci are the ones at risk of this for they are the ones that enter into spiritual combat with taint. Typically, the anchors cannot aquire taint unless they move up into focus position. However, taint and that which cultivates it, have hardly played out all that can be done. There is the potential for taint to gain ground in the target of the cleansing due to colossal failure on the part of the Kathrani. And there is the possibility that the taint may completely reproduce itself in the Kathrani. That is to say that the victim loses no taint and the foci gain an equal amount between them. This has happened in the past and indicates a failure by the Kathrani that is so complete that they shouldn't even consider attempting the same cleansing under the same or worse circumstances. -Reeve |
Created by Faelinn Shadowmoon (Leanne Micciche) at 12-01-12 09:58 AM
Last Modified by Faelinn Shadowmoon (Leanne Micciche) at 12-01-12 09:58 AM