[Artemisia] FW: [SCA-RoyalPeers] A Lady of the Rose Speaks: Crown Tourne, Disillusionment, Rebirth of Spirit

[Allen Hall]

Greetings Artemisia,

I guess everyone must be on Facebook, as the discussions here have dropped to a pretty low level.  The below was forwarded to me from the Royal Peers List.  The letter is quite good, and brings some things back into focus...something most of us need once in a while.  With Crown Tourney coming up soon, this seemed especially important...

Read, enjoy, and most of all, consider carefully!

Alan



Subject: [SCA-RoyalPeers] A Lady of the Rose Speaks: Crown Tourne, Disillusionment, Rebirth of Spirit


















 



  


    
      
      
      There are times when people step lightly and gently upon the Field of Valor, and with the effortless placement of their presence, exalt the reasons Valor moves us to be more than we thought we could be.



Nothing in the SCA rivals the importance of Crown Tournament. It is the event that tests the mettle of those who will lead Our Kingdom, and the mettle of the ideals that inspire us. At that event, the Hearts of those who compete on the field (and their consorts) are laid open and shown to the populace in a way one does not see elsewhere.



- If the wanting of the thing outstrips Fairness, Truthfulness and personal Honor, it will be clear.



- If the having of the thing outstrips the ability to be Courteous, Poised, and Generous in our motives, it will be clear.



- If the getting of the thing shows the Chivalric code is second in your Heart to winning, it will broadcast throughout the Land.

 

When such things are exposed, the SCA become dark and painful. The Vision of the Game is forever changed for those who are new and disappointed for the first time -- for they never see the Current Middle Ages the same way again. And the Hearts of those who have played for many years become weary with efforts to comfort those newer to the game, and wearier still with trying to renew their own faith and belief that more is possible. The ache of that Loss of Spirit can become a virus that infects Joyous times.



Is there anything that can bring that Joy back? What can heal us when we expect a Time of Heroes, only to have the expectation sullied and exposed as folly?



So it was that I attended Crown Tournament last weekend, with the knowledge that there have been dark times in Our Lands over multiple years. Not just related to Crown Tournament or one set of circumstances, but to wide and varied events and awards and the running of things over many years. Enough things that once again (for I have seen this several times before) people speak of bitterness and disappointment and leaving the game. Why am I still here? What makes it different for me? I see the darkness, but am still here, and still playing. 25 years of my life invested. How is that done?



And then it happens – something I have learned before, but always forget. It is usually a small thing that goes by for others, but regenerates and justifies my love of the current Middle Ages. And it happened last weekend for me: I saw a man live the Chivalric Code effortlessly, in an unlabored way, like breathing. It took my breath away, and brought tears to my eyes. And when I started to walk away, it happened a second time – with different people – right in front of me in two different back-to-back matches between members of the Chivalry who did not final in the list.



In both bouts, one combatant struck another in the face -- a light, clean tap to the front of the grill. The blow was not hard – it did not rock the helmet or ring. But the fighter receiving the blow stopped, thought a moment, and with effortless Grace, acknowledged defeat.  Then he smiled, as did his consort. Because in his Heart, the way the game is played was first and winning was second.  That's the SCA. That's what we do.



Such moments make the SCA and what it stands for meaningful to me. They rejuvenate and wash away the disappointment, anger, jealousy, and petty squabbling over real and imagined hurts, and remind me that it is possible to be better than those feelings. It is possible to "mean what we say we mean", and "live by what we say we believe".



Everyone makes mistakes, and sometimes we accidentally hurt each other. But the ability to be more generous with forgiveness than with retribution, and to embrace the higher ground when it is hard to do, gives so much value to the way we all live.



So I would thank the members of the Chivalry who gifted me with those two moments this last weekend. Theirs were not the only worthy acts on or off the field at a wonderful event. But they were important and meaningful to me.  That's what we do.



Duchess Katerina O'Callaghan

Atenveldt






    
     

    
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