"Time as a Partner of the Spark" ((Inuyoko Mass #15))

"Time as a Partner of the Spark"

by Inuyoko

Originally read in deoch 214 on the 24th sun of the 11th moon.

((09/25/2025))

Hello everyone. My name is Inuyoko T’Alveni. I am a Ministress of this Shrine and a member of its clergy since deoch 53. Last double-moon, we held a special Mass at the Mileth Fair where we discussed some of the basic understandings and philosophies of the faith. Today, I’d like to talk a bit about time, and change. You may think that it is odd for me to speak about time, considering that it is often thought of as part of Gramail’s domain. Danu has a lovely, short work from the the deoch 90’s, I can’t say exactly when…where he discusses this very subject. Gramail’s control of time and space. And perhaps it is true that Gramail has some level of power over these natural laws. After all, many of us have experienced Gramail’s influence at the Mileth altar and felt time and space bend around us, teleporting us to the other end of the village. The songs which our gods bless us with, Gramail has some degree of universal influence over. But these are only a few facets of the immense domain that is time.

I have often thought about why Deoch and Gramail stand opposite each other. Not only on the octave, but in the halls of Kadath. Many often mistake this positioning as equivalent to the “enemy” gods, in our case Luathas and Fiosachd, but this is a misconception. And in fact, it is my belief that gods positioned as opposites often share more similarities than one might be initially inclined to think. However, this is a theory to be developed another day. Instead, today I want to focus on this connection of time, because we know that to some extent, Deoch also exhibits control over space and time. How else would He be able to hold us in our liminal state in Kadath, and subsequently return us to this grey realm? Again, though, this is just one facet. What interests me more is time as a force of transformation, and thus Deoch’s relationship to it. 

If you look around, you may notice that time alone is not always enough to enact change. A static system may exist unchanged for millenia without other forces to act upon it. But while wind or water may erode stones with the help of time, they do not choose to do so. These forces complement time in order to achieve transformation, but they do so passively. But it takes a special type of force to achieve a deliberate and focused transformation. The gods have this power. To change the mundane to the enkindled. And this is where Deoch’s power burns the brightest. 

Now, you may say: “Ministress T’Alveni, that is not nearly as impressive as bending time to one’s will!” but I believe you would be mistaken. It is surely awe-inspiring, but it is again a fundamentally useless, or at least unfocused ability without other forces to shape the result. And while you may also be tempted to say: “Inuyoko, people have been *doing things* since long before the Spark!” and you would be correct, the real transformational moments in our history have come from the influence of the outside. The whisperings of Kadath. The pacts of devils. Danaan herself. And sure, you could argue that that is fundamentally the same as Deoch gifting us the Spark, but there is one fundamental difference that is paramount: once gifted, it belongs to us and us alone. If historical figures gleaned the secrets of darkness from the realm of the gods, but didn’t understand how to truly control it, was it really theirs? When the Sidh shared the secrets of harnessing the elements with our ancestors, they drowned the world with it. Was it really theirs?

But the Spark gives us the means to seek knowledge without the guarantee of self-destruction. It allows us to see across the veils of this world, to other realms, without succumbing to madness. We can see this shared dream for what it is and with our collective spark and time, shape it into what we desire. There are of course limitations – Loures has not yet fallen, after all *grins* But this immense power that we have been gifted means that we can truly call this world ours. The gods rely on us just as we rely on them. Is this too much power? Can we be trusted with it? Perhaps, perhaps not. But Deoch and Danaan believed in us, and I do too. I believe in each and every one of you. Our highest calling as Deochans is to preserve the Spark, and help to strengthen it in one another. Beyond this, the possibilities are endless. And that, we celebrate.

Mass is cast.