RAVENQUEST is full of gems of wisdom and philosophy. As we have said ‘It is more than a story’. Here you will find many of those gems as quoted from each of the books. I do have to issue a spoiler alert though. Enjoy but be sure to read the books. You will be glad you did!

“Shall I tell you how to recognize the breath that you breathe? Shall I teach you how to recognize your own heart’s beat? I am the essence of all created things. If you have seen me you have seen the Creator. I am that I am.—Eli, Book 1 of RAVENQUEST ‘Here Be Dragons’

“Evil’s power has been broken but as long as the creatures of Terra Zem have the power to choose unfortunately some will choose evil. It is as it should be though until that final day, for goodness cannot truly be goodness or have the power to bring hope if it is not of a willing choice to do so. Evil is not a power unto itself. It is only the absence of goodness just as darkness is not a power unto itself it is only the absence of light. It is for us all to spread the light and even the tiniest light can dispel the darkness.”—Eris, Book 1 of RAVENQUEST, ‘Here Be Dragons’

“If you wish to be a great hunter, learn to listen with all your senses. Terra Zem will speak to all who are listening. She speaks in every break of a branch, she speaks in the sounds and the silence of the forest, she speaks through every track and sign…listen…listen she does speak always. Learn to observe the four-leggeds, prey as well as predator. This way you not only learn to hunt but you learn the ways of the creatures you wish to eat. Respect all living things. We are all responsible and have part in maintaining the great circle of life. Take only what you need and leave the rest. Use all parts of your kill if possible and share with the rest of the forest that which you cannot use. Give respect to the spirit of your prey no matter how small. Be thankful to your prey and the Creator for the sustenance you will receive from your kill. Before a hunt make yourself invisible as possible by camouflaging yourself and covering your smell. Be aware of the direction of the wind and always hunt downwind or above your prey if possible,” I said as I picked up some dried grass and dropped it from my hand watching which direction it blew. “Everyone look at your claws. Now look at your teeth. Do you have wings like the eagle?” I said jokingly and all laughed. “Now look at Altair, Alkul and Platis’ teeth and claws.” Altair seemed more than glad to show his teeth and snarl a little. “We do not have the claws and teeth of the forest creatures that is why we need our weapons. The blade by your side is your teeth. The blowgun, atlatl and the arrow are your wings to swoop down upon your prey. The sling and the throwing stick give you strength to strike down prey larger and stronger than you. Your traps and snares are your stealth and ability to strike without being seen. Now secure your weapons.”—Raven, Book 2 of RAVENQUEST, ‘The Scroll & The Key’

“Dear Raven. You know that Yesu laid down his life willingly, no one took his life from him. It was all in the Great Spirit’s plan. He ultimately orchestrates all things. Why doesn’t the enemies of Terra Zem see this?” Daystar replied.

“Why doesn’t the Creator just take care of all things himself? Why does he involve us at all? It is because his true power and harmony is displayed when even the creation shows forth his power in the midst of adversity and overcomes. It shows forth how powerful he really is. It is why he chooses those that the people of Terra Zem may overlook. He chooses the small like Kwyjene to defeat the Abysmas of this world, he chooses the lambs to slay the lions.” I told her.

“Well said, Raven, well said. We are all connected to the Creator more intimately than I think we can even comprehend.” Said Daystar.—Raven and Daystar, Book 2 of RAVENQUEST, ‘The Scroll & The Key’

“The time of the Skyebara has come….Some of you know of that which we speak. Some of you do not. So, we shall explain. The Skyebara is a world cleansing. It is not a war or a crusade. Although I am sure there will be battles to fight. It shall be a planting not an uprooting… And though it be called by other names know that world change has come and though we are many we shall be one.” And all the people spoke in unison, “From the many….one.”— Eris, Book 2 of RAVENQUEST, ‘The Scroll & The Key’

“For any civilization to survive and thrive you must have four things. One, you must have something in common you are willing to die to defend … Two, you must treat everyone as you would treat yourself and be willing to enforce laws to protect all from those who do not. Three, you must have a warrior clan whose sole focus is on training and defending the tribe. They should be supported by the tribe so they do not have to be distracted by having to work and support themselves. And four, you must trust in a higher power than yourself.”—- Raven, Book 2 of RAVENQUEST, ‘The Scroll & The Key’

“Erikaarn, we heard moanings and growlings and we felt we were in the grip of something evil. What was it?” I asked.

He paused then spoke, “You must understand children. This moment has sent further pains of travail throughout Terra Zem. All of creation senses and reacts to such moments in time as these as one who is about to give birth. This travail is like an energy sensed by all created things. Some sense it and rejoice, others sense it and don’t understand but there are also those forces who sense it and fear it for they know it signals an end to their reign. Their power is only an illusion for no darkness can stand when the light is come. Yet they will rail and resist. This is what you felt. They were not spirit beings but the resistance and rebellion of evil as it sensed that which was stronger than they. Never fear these forces. They are deluded and have no power at all except that which you give them by your fear.” Erikaarn solemnly explained. “Never give your power away. Never.”—- Erikaarn, Book 2 of RAVENQUEST, ‘The Scroll & The Key’

“You perceived Fera as a threat. By appearances I suppose he seemed scary by the standards you had in your mind. You found out differently though and that is good. I can read your heart and I can tell you have learned and will not judge what is dangerous by appearance again.

“How often we judge that we see and hear and then create an image that we fear when in reality we have nothing to base such fears upon. There is such a thing as danger and it must be dealt with but even danger should be dealt with courageously. Fear is a feeling. You feel hot. You feel cold. You feel afraid. Too much hot, too much cold….too much fear can kill you. It can kill you not only physically but long before it kills you physically it will kill your heart, mind, spirit and soul. It can turn the most valiant of heroes into a blubbering, thumb sucking weakling.

“Here is the reality though. Fear is an illusion. It is a figment of your imagination, a product of your mind. It is your imagination used wrongly. To control your imagination and to be untouchable by fear though struck down by real danger you still win. To respond in fear to any situation, you have already lost, unless you recognize it soon enough and pull out of its vortex that will surely drag you down to destruction if you allow it. The battle is not won or lost on the battlefield. It is won or lost right here.” He said as he pointed to his head. I cannot even explain the effect his words had upon me. It wasn’t that I could not speak, there was just no need to speak.

“When you sit upon a chair believing it will hold you, this is faith. If you begin to over analyze and create all kinds of made up reasons in your mind why you think the chair will not hold you this only results in you being very tired from standing when you could have just sat down and rested. Then someone comes along and sits in the chair and you feel really stupid. This is fear. It is the opposite of faith. Sometimes the Oraquist glows letting you know Eli is near,” The Oraquist began to glow in response, “and sometimes it does not. Yet you still trust that Eli is with you. This too is faith as it should be.” Then he asked us a strange question, “When you fight with your weapons do you have to be as strong as your opponent and push against the attacker and push him back?I answered, “No, we have found it easier and more effective to redirect the motion of an attack and use the attacker’s force and momentum to our advantage.” I said.

“It is the same with fear. You should redirect its force and turn that which was meant to destroy you into something that serves you. Fear should be your slave, not your master. As it is engraved upon Ravensgaard, ‘Defender of Truth’. You deflect every attack and win every battle when fear and the enemy’s lies are not defended in your own strength or perceived as things seem to appear but are defended with truth. You trust your quest will succeed and you proceed from a place of confidence and a trust in he who has called you. In this you do well. Do so in all things. For is life itself not a quest?”— Jazeer, Book 2 of RAVENQUEST, ‘The Scroll & The Key’

Surrounding Arkos were the temples of the clans of those who had dedicated their lives to spiritual things like prayer and meditation. These great temples were private sanctuaries connected by suspension bridges, but even they did not stay stuck in some monastery. They often came down to Arkos to visit, play with the children, comfort the elderly and share spiritual revelations and visions, which was as it should be. For if something is truly of and from the Great Spirit then it was to be shared gladly. There would be no closed, exclusive dogmas or religions here. Though the Creator appeared in many forms all understood that the Creator was still one and if one then of one voice and one way for all creatures for all time.—Raven, Book 3 of RAVENQUEST, ‘A Ripple In The Ether’

“Speak to us more of this ‘Great Balance’, Eli.” I inquired.

“It is the ether all about us and in every living thing. It is a vast invisible ocean that fills us all with life and connects us to the Creator. Within it there are often storms but it is always filled with the ripples caused by each created being’s choices good and evil and even those things that are basically neither good nor evil. The most peaceful and enlightened among us still send forth a steady ripple, an energy that stabilizes the instability in the ether. We are all connected. All we do affects every other thing. Our actions cause the greatest ripples of all but have no doubt our very thoughts also affect all living things and all creation. For all actions are preceded by thoughts. Potential actions present themselves every day to the courtroom of our minds to be tried by us, then we make our choices. It all begins with a thought. Some would say there are some things that affect our world more than others and it may seem so but the reality is every thought, every action, every choice has no less effect than another. How can it? We are all created and began as a thought in the Creator’s great mind.” Eli was the embodiment of the Creator to our world he knew of that which he spoke and we knew it to be truth.

“What is this ether you speak of my friend?” Skyeyes inquired.

“It is truth. From it every living thing proceeds. And everything is a living thing. Truth is from the Creator and the Creator is truth.” Eli answered as he leaned back and puffed his pipe once more and you could tell he was pondering something deeply. These were some of my most favorite times when I could sit at his feet, so to speak, and hear his words of life and light. “Just as you heard the howling of the wolf afar today his howl was part of the ether and that which he sensed so keenly aware. There is a ripple in the ether and it will change everything when it happens. It will increase in strength one Solaris after another but be assured it will affect us all. In the midst of the darkness the light does rise. That which cannot be is so.”

“What is this ripple? Is it a person?” I asked.

“Indeed. It is a person and it is not.” Eli responded.

“How will we know him?” I asked.

“You will know.” He said. Ahh, yes, those famous words once again. I had learned to accept them and trust them but it still was no less frustrating to hear them each and every time. But my frustration was always overcome by the love and trust I had of Eli. Eli puffed once more upon his pipe and the smoke from the fire seemed to rise and combine with his smoke and when the smoke cleared he was gone once again. Perhaps he had once again risen into the ether for he was the ether and the very embodiment of it. —Eli, Book 3 of RAVENQUEST, ‘A Ripple In The Ether’

“Ravensgaard, forged in the furnace of creation before Terra Zem was created. Forged of the Creator himself. And the Oraquist containing the very dragons’ breath, even the breath of the Creator. The power to destroy or to heal.” —Aelron, Book 3 of RAVENQUEST, ‘A Ripple In The Ether’

There was hardly a day went by that I did not allow my bare feet to feel the soil beneath my feet. There was something about my bare feet walking upon the surface of Terra Zem that was like my skin touching the skin of my closest friend as I walked. I am glad we are not of some city with paved streets. It is out here in the wild where I feel most alive. It is out here that I can feel the energy of all creation and feel the Creator’s blood as it pumps through every living thing we touch, for he has truly connected all things. His breath is in the wind. His embrace is felt in the warmth of the Great Light as it shines upon us. His heartbeat is one with ours as our feet walk upon the surface of Terra Zem like the beating upon the skin of a drum. We see his smile in the night when Lunas is upon its final phase. He waves at us from the wings of the eagle and the dove. He sings to us from every babbling brook and the wind in the trees and the crackling of the fire. His blood flows through ours as we feed upon the food he has gave from his own hand. And he loves us through that one special one that he sends into our lives. It is because of his gift of love that Skyeyes and I are one with each other and one with the Creator and all living things.”—Raven, Book 3 of RAVENQUEST, ‘A Ripple In The Ether’

“There was a ripple in the ether. It was not good or evil, it just was. It was a battle in the stillness. It was a warning and a call. It was an awareness of a change about to take place. It could be a good change, an empowering change….or, it could be darkness at the door waiting for an opening.” —Raven, Book 3 of RAVENQUEST, ‘A Ripple In The Ether’

“How foolish to think that something is evil only because its kind have been assumed to be so. Does a seed that lie in the good ground die and rot away? No, it can become the greatest of trees though small in size. All things become new. All things rise to life. All things experience the warmth of the Great Light and the rain that falls equally. There are those creatures who know and accomplish only the purpose for which they were created and never deviate from that path…but there are those in creation who have been given the power to choose.” —Eli, Book 3 of RAVENQUEST, ‘A Ripple In The Ether’

“Aelwick has chosen evil so what is to be done about that?” Zaildra said.

“He is but a pebble dropped in a pond. His ripples are emanating from where he fell. But just as every ripple eventually ceases and the pebble becomes part of the still water so it shall be with him. See with your spirit eyes. Look through what seems to be and you will see me there…always…always directing your every step, drying your every tear, being a lamp to your darkened path.”—Eli, Book 3 of RAVENQUEST, ‘A Ripple In The Ether’

“Enemies of the Zmaj, enemies of Terra Zem, enemies of Eli. These things we must always defend against whatever creature that evil uses. But always look into creation’s heart, look in their eyes and try to read their souls and intents. These are things you will learn as a warrior in time but you will never master them in and of yourself. That is why we need the Great Spirit. We must always strive to be one with him. Then he will favor us and direct our path. It is he who lays our enemies waste, though he use our blades, it is he who conquers through us. Let him be the judge of the motives of the hearts.” —Raven, Book 3 of RAVENQUEST, ‘A Ripple In The Ether’

“All that we do or say or even think affects the still in the ether. Ether is truth. Truth is life. The ether is the life that runs through all things and though it runs through us it also is All things are one. We are all part of the great mind. The Great Spirit is in us all. He only can make the claim to be perfect truth. As we abide in him we are part of that grand design. If we depart from the light then in light’s absence the darkness becomes our guide. And darkness is a blind guide that only leads to more darkness until it overtakes you.” —Skyeyes, Book 3 of RAVENQUEST, ‘A Ripple In The Ether’

“These are yours. Feel their weight and purpose. Become one with these weapons. They shall become an extension of you. They shall become the last thing your enemy sees or feels…Become one with the weapon you wield. It cannot be some separate thing apart from you. It must become you and you must become the weapon.” —Skyeyes, Book 3 of RAVENQUEST, ‘A Ripple In The Ether’

“You have witnessed the power of transformation. You have seen that which only knew darkness generation after generation become new. You have witnessed the redemption of an entire race. You have witnessed first-hand that the light within is greater than the darkness that surrounds us. You have witnessed the shedding of a garment so that all could see the creature of light that Drogan was all along. Though you friends of Drogan needed not the shedding of a garment to see what was beneath his skin for you have already seen with spirit eyes deep into his heart…but now the rest of the world can also see and know the power of the ether as it reveals all truth and makes light visible even to the blindest among us.”—Eli, Book 3 of RAVENQUEST, ‘A Ripple In The Ether’

We spoke of our battles and our friends and we pondered how far we had came since our days at Ravensway. And we both agreed that in battle or at rest it seemed in some ways it was all the same. One was not greater or lesser than the other for deep down we knew what mattered was knowing who we were and always enjoyed the journey, the adventure of just living from day to day. It was like reading some exciting story wondering what would happen next and taking peace in knowing that the story of our lives is never really out of control but somehow contained within the pages of a book we call life pinned by a master author and creator of all things. And we wondered how many laid down the book of their life and never bothered to read on to what it could have been or perhaps picked up another book  and were drawn into some other story that seemed more pleasant at first but only lead them into a darker and darker place.  … And we thought of Drogan who was a living testimony of one who had shook off the scales of darkness and refused to be bound to the death sentence of his people and picked up the book of his life and walked into the great light of  a story all his own. And as we walk in the power of the Skyebara we shall cause many to see once again and to find themselves walking where there is light rather than stumble around in the darkness…whatever their darkness be. —Raven, Book 4 of RAVENQUEST, ‘This Ever Present Moment’

“Ha, ha, ha! Raven it matters not to me whether the Great Light rises from east to west or west to east. It is all the same for me. It is who I am to always keep time before all creatures…to remind them of a past they cannot change and a future full of hope or hopelessness. Very few know anything more than my voice that keeps them awake at night and dwells in their dreams on the brink of their sanity. It is I who drives them to their edge and bids them jump over the precipice of hope or hopelessness…it is all the same as long as thinking beings choose to look back or into a future abyss. Therein is my power, therein is my control, therein is my greatness!” Kronos bragged and laughed. “I offer you a rare gift, Shadow Reavers. Few have known this place and been offered this opportunity…” He said, then under his breath in a whisper he mockingly said, “…or have they?”

“You are a deceiver and a liar. You are a tormentor of thoughts and dreams. It is you who causes many to focus upon what could have been and what might be rather than to focus on what is. No one has power over any moment but the one they stand in…the present moment, yet with your lies you cause all created beings to be full of regret, worry and fear. You rob them of the joy of this present moment for you know by doing so you rob them of their strength. For it is trust in the strength given to us to live moment by moment and not waste the strength given us in a past we have no control over or to worry about a future that has not been or indeed may never be. We all are beings of this ever present moment…and that includes you, Kronos…that includes you!” I spoke boldly. —Raven dealing with Kronos, Book 4 of RAVENQUEST, ‘This Ever Present Moment’

 “We have never met any Necians in all the fires we have made and we have made many. Are you only native to the flames of this place?” Skyeyes inquired.

“We do reside in many realms and there are times we are there though you do not see us with your eyes. How often have you felt the companionship of fire and the fellowship of the flame? How often have you felt our arms about you as you warmed yourself at your hearth? How often have you peered into our depths and smiled as a story was revealed to your heart? How often have you felt our soothing warmth all about you calming your fears? How often have we drove away harm from your camp while you slept? Oh yes, you have known us and yet have not known us. This is but a form. We are more real than any embodiment your eyes can perceive.” Vesta continued. Her voice was so soothing and smooth. I so identified with her every word and had known the fellowship of fire she spoke of. I had often thought of it as a living thing and now I knew it was so. And I knew that I would never look at fire the same ever again. —Vesta of the Necians, Book 4 of RAVENQUEST, ‘This Ever Present Moment’

 “Listen to the voice of the Creator. He speaks in every breath of every living thing. He has breathed the Skyebara upon us, a world cleansing but a planting not an uprooting. What has the Creator planted in you? Have you taken time to meditate and hear the voice he casts upon the wind? Have you heard his roar in the waterfall and the water that flows? Though we are many yet we are one. There are those of us who have scales, some skin, some fur, some feathered but we all have the same blood that flows, pumped by the very heart of the Creator. There are warriors and there are poets among us. But I show you a mystery for within every poet is a warrior and in every warrior is a poet. Every warrior does not carry a weapon of steel in his hand or bends a bow. Some carry weapons in the words they speak and write. Can a word be mightier than a sword? I say yea it is so! For every sword raised to defend the innocent the bearer must first hear a word within. Our thoughts become our deeds. It is the poet that empowers the heart of the warrior. It is the warrior who empowers the heart of the poet. Say not that it is the poet who is weak and the warrior that is strong. Yea, I say unto you they are one in the same. One wields a sword and another a pen but they are one in the heart of the Creator and one in the ether and one in the Skyebara. Ponder these words. Let them be fire shut up in your bones but also let them be a pillow your head rests upon in the darkness and be at peace. Now come. Let us feast together. There is plenty at the table of the Creator. Come one and all. Bring what you have to the table. Call not what you bring small or large, call it not nothing or something just come and be filled.” —Mitra the Oracle, Book 5 of RAVENQUEST, ‘Stars Will Fall’

“If a message is truly the truth then no temple made by the hands of any created being will be able to contain it. Real truth is big enough to cover all of creation. To try to contain truth in a temple or to even try to organize it under one roof or one people or one set of beliefs is like caging a wild animal. It is cruel, it is against its natural design and eventually will only weaken as it loses its wild side and conform to its captivity and as a result it would only produce other caged animals. Truth by design should set one free not put one in a cage.” —Mitra the Oracle, Book 5 of RAVENQUEST, ‘Stars Will Fall’

We spoke no words only laughter and tears, excitement and peace all together at one time. Refreshed beyond what any mere sleep could give we were living in a moment that can only be described as a dream within a dream and we did not want this moment to ever end. Yet along with this moment we also felt its destiny before us and though we had no clue at this moment where it would take us we were confident that there would be a lamp for our feet and a light upon our path as it opened before us and how we anticipated the days ahead with a great joy and an intensity like some thing between pain, fulfillment and destiny. —Raven, Book 5 of RAVENQUEST, ‘Stars Will Fall’

It was amazing the spirit of unity in this village without boundaries, this temple without walls. All the creatures that came to this place just seemed to get caught up in its contagious spirit of peace and unity. Without being asked many pitched in and cooked bread and fish and other good things to eat and made sure everyone ate their fill. The lame and the halt, the aging and the sick were all taken care of. In many ways this place reminded me of a city of refuge. And as I thought this thought the Oraquist glowed. And when it glowed it occurred to me that this is what all of Terra Zem was meant to be as the cities of refuge were but uncaged and unwalled. This was the effect that real truth would always have anything less only bind its followers and produce death and not life.—Raven, Book 5 of RAVENQUEST, ‘Stars Will Fall’

“This place of darkness that you have created is nothing more than the result of a people who live so closely together that even the Great Light cannot penetrate. There may be warmth and security in closeness and truly these are moments to cherish, however, I tell you for a fact that the warmth and security of closeness is not diminished when you are apart if you are truly one. Nay, there is a power that increases when you realize that security and closeness is carried in our hearts and is strong even when apart. Think about the trust and love and relationship we have with the Creator. Sure he does appear in many forms from time to time and how precious are those moments when we can interact face to face but do we love him any less when we are apart? Nay, for we know that though we are apart in a physical form we are still together and that he is as close as our heart’s beat or our next breath. There is indeed an ever present moment that is beyond time and space. Yet you will never know this place if the only peace you know is artificially created only when you congregate. The Creator walks among wanderers, misfits and thieves. He fellowships with the wise and the unwise, the warrior and the poet, the big and the small. And he draws them to himself, into the great oneness of the ether, for the ether is the essence of all living things. All that he creates are the very blood vessels that carry his very essence and life. Is an eye any less a part of the body than some other part? I say they are not, however, when someone somewhere elevates the position of one of us over the other the division it causes only brings weakness not greatness.” —Raven, Book 5 of RAVENQUEST, ‘Stars Will Fall’

I cannot imagine anyone thinking evil of a warrior clan. What evil it would be not to have those who defended the weaker and those who were not warriors. For it is the Creator himself that teaches our fingers to war; for it is only when the Creator teaches our fingers to war that we recognize the true enemy and not to war for gain. —Raven, Book 5 of RAVENQUEST, ‘Stars Will Fall’

I never ceased to be amazed when he [Eli]appeared in his various forms. And though these were times I cherished I had learned to recognize his presence all about me in the ether that surrounded and inhabited us all. I had learned to practice his presence and hear his breath on the wind and his voice in the sound of the brook or the leaves that crackled across the surface of Terra Zem. All attempts to describe him or attach a name to him would always fall short of who he was. He was not male or female, two-legged or four-legged, human or any other creature and yet he was all these things and more. —Raven, Book 5 of RAVENQUEST, ‘Stars Will Fall’

Beware those you label fools for they may be an oracle unrevealed. There are doors to realms that were never meant to be opened and there are doors that never will open to some. This is as it should be for every realm has a purpose and brings stability to all the other realms and serves its purpose in the Great Ether. —Eli, Book 5 of RAVENQUEST, ‘Stars Will Fall’

“My children, you have done well. You have faced your enemy with great courage. And as you have defeated him today you will ultimately defeat and destroy him at the appointed time. Behold I have prepared a table before you in the presence of your enemies beside the cool, still waters. I have caused you to sit upon life giving green of Terra Zem. I have rained life giving rain upon you and have healed all your wounds and my kiss is as an anointing of oil. Know that the death your enemy threatens you with is only a shadow for you are hidden in me, surrounded by my presence, protected by my very own armor. Of whom shall you be afraid? Go my children and fear not for no weapon formed against you shall prosper and every attack of your enemy shall only build more power to finally rain upon their head in that appointed day and you shall stand upon that day…you shall stand.”—Eli, Book 5 of RAVENQUEST, ‘Stars Will Fall’

“It is what is in your heart that makes you a warrior not the weapon in your hand.” —Eli, Book 6 RAVENQUEST, ‘Shadows End’

“Terra Zem is made up of warriors, poets and bards…servants, artists and craftsmen…masters of sea, land and sky and even the realms beneath our feet…spirits, guides and masters of that which heals and kills…Behold I show you a mystery for all of these are not many…they are one! It is our unity that makes us Terra Zem. Our enemies crumble not because we are vast in numbers but because we are ONE!” —Eli, Book 6 RAVENQUEST, ‘Shadows End’

The cities of refuge are within the hearts of every peaceful child of Terra Zem. For of truth refuge is found in the hearts of all. —Eli, Book 6 RAVENQUEST, ‘Shadows End’

“My Spirit shall always surround you. I will be the fortress you run into always. It is I who will teach your fingers to war. My Spirit is in all things even the Archane that surround you like invisible walls. Though you see yourself as lambs you are lambs with the face of a lion and no enemy can withstand you. Though you face impossible odds you will not fail!” —Eli, Book 6 RAVENQUEST, ‘Shadows End’

Do you feel it?” I waited to listen until I heard many say they felt it. “This is your shield. This is your great wall of protection. Not the metal in your hand but the hand to your metal as it takes the hand of another and another and as all take the hand of their Creator. This is our strength. If you learn every fighting technique taught here and don’t learn this you are defeated before you even raise a sword to your enemy. All things have a spiritual dimension.” As I completed my words I heard the most beautiful sound as all voices were raised in the same syllables like a battle cry and a song and a voice as one though many; unintelligible syllables if only you listened with your ears of flesh but a cry of power to those who had spiritual ears to hear. Then a rushing and mighty wind travelled all about us and yet did not even blow a single hair out of place for it was as if it blew through us instead of at us. “Know my young warriors, that this wind that fills us with its essence and is of us and of the Great Spirit shall clear away the fog the enemy hides behind and shall blow against them indeed until they all are destroyed! Acknowledge and know this baptism of power, note it well! We are not warriors who only stand in ourselves. We are Valkyrie Veritas, Warriors of Truth and Light!”—Raven, Book 6 RAVENQUEST, ‘Shadows End’

How foolish is the thinking of one who thinks life is only what they see before them. How foolish to think that it is all about one place or race or gender or people. These are the chains I speak of, chains that many have held their wrists out willingly to receive. These chains are not metal shackles on physical wrists; these are chains that bind the mind and spirit and enslave the soul. These chains are the illusions that some build around them. They blindly create a world of their own making and then label it as the true world when in reality they are enslaved in a cell of their own making and sadly it is never a cell where they are alone for they usually reside with others they have deceived into receiving the chains of their illusion. We have seen it under Shinar’s rule. Skyeyes and I have witnessed it in our own towns of birth. People seem all too willing to bow before an illusion of power especially when they are promised a throne. —Raven, Book 6 RAVENQUEST, ‘Shadows End’

Can the bird fly without the air? Can the fish swim without the water? Can plants and trees grow without the soil? This world is a place built upon the needs of all. It is a great circle of life. The lion runs down a wildebeest and kills it and eats it. Immediately following the kill the rest of the wildebeests do not continue to run and hide, they will settle down in close proximity of where one of their own was killed and begin to graze again. They recognize, rather don’t even consider, that the lion was cruel and was superior to them or proclaiming itself king over the wildebeest. They recognize he caught the slowest and most genetically inferior one among them which keeps their herd healthy and strong. They also recognize that the lion only takes what it needs and provides for himself and his offspring and the scavengers that eat what is left. Eventually all die and become food for the worms who make dirt that is needed to grow plants that is needed for grazers like the wildebeest to eat…a beautiful circle of life. If it is about who eats who then I would have the say the worm is king for they are the ones that get the last bite of us all! —Raven, Book 6 RAVENQUEST, ‘Shadows End’

Community is what we are called to. Community is not a small group here or there or a town. It is all living things mutually benefitting one another, acknowledging in their own way their appreciation for what one another are giving. When a culture is built on taking all lose. When a culture is built on giving all win. —Raven, Book 6 RAVENQUEST, ‘Shadows End’

We are all in the Creator’s hand and we all have a journey, a path to follow. There are many who live out their entire existence in one realm and know not another until they cross over by way of death. There are also those who are prophets, poets and warriors that cannot help but walk from one realm to another. Sometimes it is a walk in our physical bodies and other times it is a dream within a dream. Sometimes it is in a prayer or meditation that they cross over. Every realm has its own passage of time. We have been in realms that many complete Solaris have went by and returned to our previous realm and no time had passed at all. We have been old in some realms only to return young as when we left. Such is the way of the World Walker. —Raven, Book 6 RAVENQUEST, ‘Shadows End’

“All things are interconnected like the roots of a bamboo forest or the algae that covers a pond. To look upon a tree and say it is only a tree is to have eyes that are truly blind! The great standing ones are more than bark and leaves. They have their own blood that flows through them and draw nourishment from the very soil of Terra Zem. Many tiny crawling things, some too small for us to see, travel upon it busier than any highway created by human. They take the Great Light’s rays and turn its very light to food for its leaves and fruit. It processes every drop of water that falls from the sky upon it to feed itself and all who inhabit it. They are a complete cycle of life feeding on soil and sky equally. In the time of great cold many drop their leaves to give back to the soil that which they have given. Their fruit falls upon the ground for those who cannot climb to be nourished and yet in all of this its arms are raised to the Creator! Should we not learn from our standing brothers, the trees?” —Skyeyes, Book 6 RAVENQUEST, ‘Shadows End’

Have you ever felt such a deep feeling of hope and could not explain it? Have you ever felt like something great was about to happen and maybe didn’t even know what it was but somehow didn’t care? Have you ever felt you had the answer yet could not verbalize it, you just knew? That is a dreaming time.– Book 6 RAVENQUEST, ‘Shadows End’

“The Sleepwalker is neither evil or good in as much as we understand the meanings of these words. Yet as the fire can burn you though it be your friend so is this Sleepwalker neutral until he comes too close and he weakens you when he is near. He often appears when there has been peace for long periods of time and people have become complacent. He will walk among those whom are nodding on the edges of spiritual sleep, lulled to sleep by their own illusion of some comfort zone they have surrounded themselves with. As the Creator spoke long ago, ‘Let not your blades dull and rust in times of peace for the enemy is always near waiting for you to fall asleep in the arms of false security’. This makes the Sleepwalker neither bad or good for his coming near can be a warning to rise up and be alert or he has the right or perhaps I should say an opening, to close your eyes. Should he take your strength, should he rock you to sleep with his presence, beware for when you awaken you may not recognize the world you awaken in. It is his sleep that you may not awaken from at all and by doing so indirectly you invite the enemy to your camp.”

“So what should be our response, Faoturk? Do we go on a quest to destroy or chain this Sleepwalker?” I asked.

“He is not one to chain or destroy for he is and is not. His presence is but evidence of complacency in our world. If you would seek out anyone seek out those who have called him with their complacency.” Faoturk responded.—Faoturk Firedorn, Book 7 RAVENQUEST, ‘The Weeping Warrior’

So is the danger of words of truth giving way to legends and tarnishing with time until they be meaningless words to the people and powerless stories for children. Know this though my children that truth does not tarnish with time and will always be as powerful as the first day it was spoken yesterday, today and forever. —Greydawn,Book 7 RAVENQUEST, ‘The Weeping Warrior’

The labyrinth is still with you but you fear it and it has become a place guarded by the horrors of your imaginations. It is a place that has grown over with thorns and is inhabited by jackals. This should not be but so it is that our sacred places are abandoned when our truths become only stories to be told. —Greydawn,Book 7 RAVENQUEST, ‘The Weeping Warrior’

“True Spirituality. Just saying it brings to mind a myriad of responses and reactions, some very emotionally charged and most polar opposites of each other. It is said if you want to start an argument then mention religion or politics. I have to agree. However, I propose to you that true spirituality has nothing to do with religion. I think a big part of the problem is the messed up definition most of us have of what it means. True spirituality has nothing to do with religion or any particular set of beliefs. It is an all-encompassing view of life and not denying that things are more connected than most want to accept. True spirituality carries over into every aspect of your life. It’s not something you have to stir up, pay up or wind up. It becomes as real as the air you breathe, invisible in many ways but so real and vital to you as an individual. True spirituality is something that comes alongside everything you do, every thought you think and everything you see. It becomes a filter through which you view all things on a level that just makes sense.”—The oracle, Andromeda Book 7 RAVENQUEST, ‘The Weeping Warrior’

 Why anyone in the world would ever adhere to a set of beliefs that put someone over you or under you. We all need one another and no one is better or superior to one another or better than another. We need a culture based on mutual submission and service to one another and serving one another. We need leadership that honors our past, learns from our past, honors the wisdom and wise elders of our past. We need leadership that lives in consideration of the world that is left to our children. As a wise oracle once said, “We do not inherit the Earth from our ancestors. We borrow it from our children.”—Book 7 RAVENQUEST, ‘The Weeping Warrior’

“No one is above anyone else! It is possible to have a mutually submissive society. Sure there will be those who are better at some things than someone else and that person’s gifts should be submitted to without having to come under their authority or be oppressed by them in order to benefit from their gift. If we would just look at everything we have as, just that, a gift, then we would not claim it as our own and allow others to benefit from the gift given to us whether it is an invention, a skill, a philosophy or whatever it may be. Any time we take something as our own and not acknowledge it as a gift we elevate ourselves with a much higher importance than we should and we have to constantly prop up this illusion by ego, oppression, superiority or whatever tactics we have to use to gain advantage over another and make them subservient to us if they want to benefit from the gift they have convinced themselves is of them.”—The Oracle, Andromeda Book 7 RAVENQUEST, ‘The Weeping Warrior’

“Truth is not something just to sit around a table and discuss. People will talk and talk and convolute some of the simplest truths till it is a quagmire that they all are prisoners of and still keep stirring it into something worse. Beware of pseudo, super religious, scholarly discussions that are nothing more than circular logic seeing who can outwit whom and come out on top and be crowned self-righteous pompous hypocrite of the day!

“Truth should be and is the most beautiful and cherished one. Truth is not only the watchman that cries out upon the wall but is the wall itself protecting those within and shielding them from the enemies without. If a ‘truth’ can be debated then it is not truth at all. Truth is absolute. To say there is no absolute truth is to ludicrously say ‘I am absolutely sure there is no such thing as absolutes’.” Kira spoke wisely and we all laughed a little at her statement at the end.

“Truth is for all people for all time or it is not truth at all. This may seem like a hard saying but how can it be any other way? Truth is not a story to be told. Truth does not have to be explained. Truth is as tangible as a person to be embraced and yet truth is also the image you behold in a mirror or the reflection in the water. It is so real it cannot help but reflect anything else but itself.” Myrios added. ––Kira & Myrios, Book 7 RAVENQUEST, ‘The Weeping Warrior’

“Behold, Raven. The universe is made up of worlds within worlds.” It was Eli who spoke but I can only attempt to describe what he had me looking upon. It was as if I floated in some starry space. It was a little disconcerting not being able to feel anything beneath my feet to say the least. I saw indescribable orbs of colored lights. Each orb was circled by many other orbs. “There, Raven, there is Terra Zem,” He said as he pointed to a green and blue swirled orb surrounded by a smaller lit orb which if I was interpreting what I looked upon correctly to be Lunas itself. Terra Zem and Lunas also circled a greater light concentrically and there were also three similar orbs circling the same great light and some of them had more than one satellite encircling them. “This space that you are in is a vast ocean of more worlds than you could possibly number. Each of these worlds are different realms. Some you would recognize for you have visited them already in a World Walk or a dream within a dream come true. And yet there are realms that cannot be defined or even looked upon, only experienced…but no one will ever visit them all. That’s not all though, Raven…Behold!” I then felt the sensation that I was being drawn very quickly to Terra Zem and was a little frightful as I saw the surface coming up to meet me. I had just enough time to look into the face of Eli and his smile and calm demeanor let me know it was alright though. We did not strike the surface but it was as if we were absorbed into it! I saw those wiggly ones in the soil for a brief moment and then the very grains of soil themselves became larger than I was…then I realized it was not the elements of the soil getting bigger but it was I who was getting smaller. The smaller I got the more I was aware of another vast universe and it also had colorful orbs that glowed with a different quality than those out in space but there were some similarities for they circled other orbs and these systems of orbs also floated in a vast ocean of other systems of orbs. “These are the very building blocks of all matter. What you have seen large and small is the manifestation of the very ether itself. If you were to similarly travel inside another human being you would see similarities…worlds within worlds, even within you.” And as I looked into the eyes of Eli I saw as it were a vastness that was all I had seen and more. Everything was made of Eli, everything was made of the Creator himself who was neither male nor female, animal, plant or mineral…and yet he was all these things and more. I was looking into the very ether itself! I watched as every ripple seemed to emanate from his very own mind. Every ripple was composed of every thought and every action, every breath of every living thing; and all things breathed in its own way emanating an energy signature as unique as they were yet still of the Creator. And not only that which I considered alive for even those things I would call dead became only energy rearranged, refitted, returned to the mind of the Creator where he could create more. Then I felt a calm like I have never felt before as I felt myself realizing I was one with the ether and was like a leaf floating upon its celestial wind. I felt myself drifting off into a restful sleep. I do not know how long I was in this state of awareness, forever and the present seemed to be one. This awareness and state of rest continued like a steady ripple of energy rolling through me until I awakened upon the bank of a river we were encamped by. I opened my eyes slowly, smiling and feeling more restful and at peace than I ever dreamed possible. Skyeyes was already over me looking into my eyes with that beautiful vastness of blue and we connected as we usually did when we held each other in our eyes but somehow it was even deeper than usual and I could tell she felt it too.—Eli, Book 7 RAVENQUEST, ‘The Weeping Warrior’

Times like these always make me realize how spiritually connected all things are. We are all but physical manifestations of the ether. How sad that there are so many that try to make sense of the things in this world with only their physical senses. It can’t be done! It only frustrates a situation more and only brings the living death of stress and fear. If there is even to be a chance of success understanding something it must start from a spiritual level and then emanate outward to what must be done in the mental and physical realm. We are spirit beings who live in a physical body. We are not physical beings who have a spirit. This distinction is so important and will go far in understanding all things. It will revolutionize how you think and react.—Raven, Book 7 RAVENQUEST, ‘The Weeping Warrior’

“It is always difficult to put into words that which can only truly be understood on a spiritual level. But I shall try. But even as I speak you must truly listen with spiritual ears to truly understand. First of all, have no doubt, all we say or do is a prayer to the Creator and a ‘joining’ with the ether. All we do or say blesses or curses someone or something somewhere. But there are those times when our prayers become intentional. These prayers open a portal into the ether and join a realm of energy and power that can only be truly understood by the Creator himself. I say ‘himself’ but he is neither male or female, human or animal…he is all these things and more. This portal is a looking glass for the Creator in which he sees himself as viewed by his creation. Then there are some that are like lenses that focus the prayers and energies of creation, channels, if you will, that know the very heart beat of creation and all that they do, say and hear is according to that focus on eternity. So is the Aevian Sisterhood as well as other orders throughout Terra Zem. Raven, even the times when Ravensgaard, Orion or the Batrayne Crystals are drawn these times become times of focused intercession, energy and power. And behold I show you a mystery that not only these organized and called orders but whenever as little as two or even three come into agreement, to focus upon some particular thing, they draw their own powerful spiritual sword of spirit. Know this also, the energies in the ether are neither good nor evil but are powers to be focused and channeled for the use of good or evil.” Kira explained.

“Aye, we are very familiar with what you speak. We have seen the very fabric of creation gone wrong in the Dreadbane and manifested even in created ones such as Shinar.” I added.

“Indeed, Raven, it is so. And it is forces like the Shadow Reavers that the Creator uses to bring things back into balance and it is the intercessor who has part in channeling the power they need as we join the great mind of the ether with our prayers.

“There are also times that prayers become manifested in a realm where all can behold such as the mist you see surrounding the mountain in the distance where the tower does rise and contains our sister. The Sleep Walker deceives even himself though if he thinks he truly imprisons her. He deceives himself in thinking that dividing the Aevian Sisters weakens them, nay, for it only allows his subterfuge to be exposed to those who have become complacent so that even those who have become blind can be healed and truly see him for what he truly is. His deception exposes itself and though it can bring to ruin more times than not in reality it calls all to awaken and be restored.

There are those who think the sword is not needed in times of peace but I say it is especially needed in times of peace. For even carrying a sword or whatever weapon it may be has power. Our weapons during times of peace always sing songs of triumph, songs of hope and keep the enemies of our souls at bay by their very presence. We are all spirit beings that strike fear into the hearts of our enemies. Preparedness, always ready for battle, always aware, always training, keeping our weapons polished and ready, rightly dividing and understanding truth…all these things combine to manifest our strength in the ether and our enemies tremble and flee long before they have a chance to manifest themselves in this physical realm.”—Kira, Book 7 RAVENQUEST, ‘The Weeping Warrior’

“We are Aevian. We focus all the prayers of all creation. We are one in our purpose and power given to us. We hold back the SleepWalker from entering our world. It is the scattered energies emanating from prayers that are not one or are of no effect because of those who think they can court the complacency of the Sleep Walker and yet still have power in the spirit realm where all prayers become one.” Kira explained.—Kira, Book 7 RAVENQUEST, ‘The Weeping Warrior’

ARTWORK BY Mandy Strickland Gilley