The Multicaste Ronin

[Aislin Ni MorRhiaghan]

The Multi~caste Ronin

Most of us are more one caste than the other. Some only choose one caste while others may at various times within a Household choose to study all three castes. Even so, within Families there is always one or the other to rely on other than oneself. As Ronin there is only oneself. They must be priest, altar, and guardian all at once. Without even realizing it, the Ronin must embody all three castes in order to move successfully within the community and to evolve on a personal and spiritual level. They must educate themselves about the community, contribute to their own spiritual growth and evolution, act as a conduit of energy and pleasure, and also guard this energy that both come into and out of their personal spheres. Nightkind that have trouble balancing these many facets of themselves often find that they get burned out quickly, aggravated with others, hostile or take frequent breaks from the community in general.

This happens to all of us whether we choose to become a part of a Family or whether we choose to be solitary. It is a difficult path and at some point, whether one remains Ronin or not, we all ultimately choose to associate with others of our kind. It is within our nature to seek out those who are similar to us and who we can learn from and who can learn from us. Even though one aspect will likely be dominant to another, if the vampyre doesn't seek spirituality (whether it is in the form of communion, active spiritual practice, or life philosophy), they may tip the scales so that the physical life is more prevalent than the other half of them. There is an old saying that we are spiritual beings experiencing physical life, this is very true of Nightkind. As living descendants of the Ancients we are driven to mysticism, magick, and life affirming philosophies. If a vampyre doesn't seek out pleasure and stoke the fires of creativity and passion, they become cold and lackluster. Our physical lives must also be important and presence, especially as Ronin, is of the essence. The balance between the two must be maintained if the energy level of the Ronin is to be maintained. One simply can not be lacking without the other being out of balance. All in all, the Ronin must also be their own strength and fortress. To better understand why the Ronin needs to be proficient in all three castes and how each one affects the other, a good understanding of the caste system is important.

The Ramkt is the spiritual center of the community so to speak. This path is the path of the mystic, the one who teaches, who mentors, and who leads ritual. This is the path of the one who studies the nature of the spirit and who understands that the realms of the physical and the spiritual must be in balance in order to thrive in a healthy manner. They are also the oracles, the future priests and priestesses, the ones who lead the community in a grounded manner. The Ramkt is the essence of the dragon, the higher force that stabilizes and educates the community.


As a solitary vampyre, he or she is responsible for his or her education, research, spiritual evolution, and ascension. Upon reaching adulthood within the community, the Ronin many times without even realizing it may become a magnet for other solitary Nightkind. He or she may find their self in a position of mentorship within the community. As a source of information and wisdom, the Ronin Ramkt may find more and more are drawn to them for guidance, advice, and tutelage. They may find themselves being asked to do lectures, workshops, or lead circles. It is then as Ramkt that the solitary vampyre is recognized as a spiritual source within the community. As more and more time is invested in counseling the community they find that another side of them emerges. The Kitra is born within the Ronin.

As a source of creation and inspiration, the Ronin Kitra is often a walking bundle of fire. The breath of the dragon, this caste carries the spark that ignites the community with passion, pleasure, and hope. She inspires those around her to reach for their dreams while being realistic about their goals. The Ronin Kitra often finds herself in service not only to the vampyre members of the community, but also the donors of the community. As any mother dragon, she may feel protective, even nurturing of these precious jewels and may take special care to raise community awareness of donor safety and appropriate behavior.


Solitary vampyres often find themselves in the position of the listener, the mother figure to the community. They may find that having no Familial attachments, they can move easily between the Households and act as counselor for many within the community. The Ronin Kitra may be as any other Kitra, deeply empathic, nurturing, and caring. He or she may have studied Tantra, forms of dance or music, and have a knack for both soothing and entertaining. However, because they are of a nurturing, charismatic, and empathic nature they also can become easily overwhelmed by events and emotions around them without this familiar support. The Kitra as Ronin will likely not have a guardian and will have to handle the overflow of emotions, energy fluxes, and find him or herself burning out often. Because of their generous nature they may also find themselves the target of drama queens, instigators and generally unhealthy relationships. It is very important that a Ronin who is actively Kitra be knowledgeable in filtering and shielding techniques before engaging the community. One simply cannot help anyone else if he or she can't help their self.

Without the support and aid of a Family unit, the Kitra can often find his or her self overwhelmed and mentally and emotionally fatigued. The Ronin Kitra must rely on his or her own ability to master their energy levels and comfort zones. The ability to filter and shield is important, but the emotional and mental support that is necessary to help deal with overwhelming bouts of empathy are equally important. Only within the Family structure will someone find this kind of support.


Ronin as Mradu


The path of the Mradu is not only that of a warrior, but the path of the watcher, the one who sees silently without being noticed, and the one who guards the energies of the Kitra and the circle. They are the holders of the sacred space as they ground and protect not only the Altar but also the energies that come into and out of the space. The Mradu is often called the warrior; however this path is one of diplomacy. The Mradu trains his or her mind as well as his body. They are the fierce dragon that is disciplined, powerful, and intelligent. If the Kitra is the living altar, the Mradu is certainly the living circle of the ritual space.


The Ronin Mradu has the difficult duty of guarding his or her own energies, filtering and grounding, and disciplining their own mind and body without the aid of others of like mind. Often the Ronin Mradu experiences bouts of aggression and sensory overload. Without the soothing energies of the Kitra and the spiritual balance of the Ramkt, the Ronin may feel out of whack, as if something is off kilter.

The castes are not in place to segregate the community or elevate one member over another, but instead it is intended to balance members of households and community so that empowerment and twilight is more easily achieved. Within households that maintain some sort of caste system, the members are aided with more experienced members that are trained and well versed in all aspects of castes and energy work. The Ronin does not have this advantage.


Finding positive, life affirming, and correct information regarding any aspect of vampirism and Nightkind community is challenging at best. For the Ronin it can be more so. The Ronin is responsible for his or her own empowerment, education, and path. They may or may not have access to correct mentoring. Families are created by members of the community that opt to no longer walk the path alone, but instead choose to share their wisdom and partake in the wisdom of others. Mentors and families are similar, but Families are normally there for a more long term period of time. Mentors usually mentor someone until they reach adulthood and are capable of furthering their study on their own. They may choose to stay in contact with their ward as they develop and possibly advise them, but initially their job is not to form a family unit with their ward but to advise, teach, and train him or her to be a productive and strong unit.

A Ronin no matter of how independent they are, are inevitably drawn to others and to other members of the community through events, lectures, or night side gatherings. Knowing how to balance the nature of one caste with the other, or the sole caste is of importance at these functions. Often the solitary vampyre will seek out e ~ groups, forums, and newsletters to keep them informed of events and new techniques and discoveries. In the end the groups, forums, and newsletters only leave the solitary wanting for more constant involvement. An email or message board is certainly not a fair exchange for personal contact. Loneliness is certainly an aspect that must be dealt with. Knowing how to balance the fine line between wishing to hold on to solitary paths and wanting to be a part of something else does not always come easy. Without support the solitary can become very frustrated and may leave the community altogether.

A couple of years ago I prided myself on choosing a solitary path after leaving the community for several years. I was an almost exclusive solitary practitioner of magick and as far as I knew, the only vampyre in the area. Eventually I began attending events and circles in the area which were also made up of almost exclusively solitary practitioners and met several others. It wasn’t long before an Elder in the magickal community pointed out that I could not consider myself solitary any longer because I had become more involved in my community and was attending regular circles. Even though the majority of my practice was solitary, I found that she was right. Soon after, I found myself questioning my solitary status completely. I belonged to several e ~ forums, ran several forums myself, and was very active in the community. I had to admit to myself that I missed the companionship of others like myself. The myth of the solitary vampire is just that. In the end, we all crave to be understood, to be held in esteem by our peers, to have someone tell us that we are just undergoing another transition and are not losing our minds. We crave others of our kind.

In the end we must all find this balance between our inner castes and our relationship between ourselves and the community. Whether we choose to remain Ronin or member of a Household, we all are members of the community and as such it’s important that either way we acknowledge that we are not an island unto oneself. We belong to a greater whole. Being a positive part of that whole is just as important as solitary as it is as member.

[Syngin]

[Aislin Ni MorRhiaghan]

[deacongray]

[ShadowEyes]

[Aislin Ni MorRhiaghan]

[deacongray]

[DARKEND DIVERSITY]

[b]Thanks Madame X.

This Article and comments very well understood and said. It helped me grow and learn more, as well as confirm my already inner knowledge and being.

Deacon, I agree with you and also felt the same experience with another House. And I had such good intentions with suggestions and how I felt, that my post got deleted without any warning, and ignored such. So some people just want to go with what he or she only want to hear. I'll leave it to that. I was only giving my opinion, defense, and suggestion for improvement giving only their opinion to accept or not. But it didn't happen that way lol. Also some taken the really wrong way wow. Oh well. So I relate Deacon at least in that way. I think I know what you are getting at - as your opinion and experience.

I really appreicate my Matriarch in referring me to these Articles - topic related which I requested. They are helping me emmensely.

If I am correct with labelling: I am finding that my Path has been in core and in major aspect Mradu, of Nightkind/Ancient. After that, some of Kitra. For years and growing up, I've been known by others as "dominant personalty, leadership, and some who see it another way can describe sometimes as 'bossy' lol" Anything I do and am about It is just my intention for the good and well-being of myself as well as others. I am Vampire/Wolf, Dragon, Witch/Wizard, Gargoyle and Phoenix. So that should help too in what I am about somewhat with a few variances of coarse.

Kudos,
Nocturnally,
DARKEND DIVERSITY
(aka: Darkend Diversitykin)
[/b]

[Hellkat]

You did an especially awesome jobe with that. If I would have tryed to write it wouldn't be anywhere as close to as comprehensive.

[Aislin Ni MorRhiaghan]

Thank you Hellcat. One thing that I'd like to mention that I may have missed is that Kitra, Mradu, and Ramkt need each other for both balancing and support. Those who belong to the ronin community often do not have each other as a source for those things. These three castes are designed to be balancing and to compliment each other so that they are all empowered and strengthened by their relationship. Kitra need other Kitra as they often find themselves in the role of mediator or counselor for not only kitral but also for others within the community. It helps if they are in contact with other Kitra to aid them and strengthen them as well. The Mradu need other Mradu so that they may effectively develope their strengths and caste abilities. There is always a new technique or wisdom that may be gleaned from others who share our path. Ramkt also need other Ramkt for the same reason. All in all, those who belong to these roads should not travel them alone, but be in contact and good faith with others of the same path.

Eternally,

Aislin

[EzikielTempted]

perhaps I've misunderstood, but aren't the castes archetypes of the vampire "genus," showcasing the talents of specifically talented vampires?

[Aislin Ni MorRhiaghan]

Not in this instance. A ronin member of the community must know how to effectively function in each of these roles. He or she must hone the gifts and acquire them even if they do not come naturally to them in order to be balanced. In short they have to work so much harder than someone who is in a position to only function in one of those castes versus having to handle everything theirself. If the ronin joins a House or coven they are generally chosen or guided in accordance to their specific talents and energies.

Eternally,

Aislin

[EzikielTempted]

I see, well that's easily enough understood. thanks for the extra bit of detail.

[Aislin Ni MorRhiaghan]

*bump for Rhen*