<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" version="2.0" xmlns:itunes="http://www.itunes.com/dtds/podcast-1.0.dtd" xmlns:googleplay="http://www.google.com/schemas/play-podcasts/1.0"><channel><title><![CDATA[Wizardry Sphere]]></title><description><![CDATA[Wizardry Sphere explores what it means to develop wisdom and self-mastery in the present and emerging world. You can subscribe to Wizardry Sphere for free, or as a paid member for greater access.]]></description><link>https://read.wizardrysphere.com</link><image><url>https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!4yLN!,w_256,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fdab4a342-5430-43ed-8c46-ed588b61fc76_1080x1080.png</url><title>Wizardry Sphere</title><link>https://read.wizardrysphere.com</link></image><generator>Substack</generator><lastBuildDate>Mon, 19 Oct 2026 11:14:48 GMT</lastBuildDate><atom:link href="https://read.wizardrysphere.com/feed" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml"/><copyright><![CDATA[Genius Authoring Pty Ltd trading as Wizardry Sphere]]></copyright><language><![CDATA[en]]></language><webMaster><![CDATA[wizardrysphere@substack.com]]></webMaster><itunes:owner><itunes:email><![CDATA[wizardrysphere@substack.com]]></itunes:email><itunes:name><![CDATA[Dr Todd William Dearing]]></itunes:name></itunes:owner><itunes:author><![CDATA[Dr Todd William Dearing]]></itunes:author><googleplay:owner><![CDATA[wizardrysphere@substack.com]]></googleplay:owner><googleplay:email><![CDATA[wizardrysphere@substack.com]]></googleplay:email><googleplay:author><![CDATA[Dr Todd William Dearing]]></googleplay:author><itunes:block><![CDATA[Yes]]></itunes:block><item><title><![CDATA[15 – Meeting at restaurants]]></title><description><![CDATA[Loquilian, The Alacritous Fox &#8211; Chapter 15]]></description><link>https://read.wizardrysphere.com/p/15-meeting-at-restaurants</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://read.wizardrysphere.com/p/15-meeting-at-restaurants</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Dr Todd William Dearing]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Thu, 15 Oct 2026 06:18:15 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/7c87fa47-5231-452f-a782-d47208e96e12_1200x630.webp" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><em>Here is the next instalment of my novel </em><a href="https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/1763514536?tag=wizardryspher-22">Loquilian, The Alacritous Fox</a><em>. I will release a new chapter each week&#8212;available exclusively to paid subscribers. So, if you&#8217;re not yet a paid subscriber, upgrade below.</em></p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://read.wizardrysphere.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Upgrade to paid&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:&quot;button-wrapper&quot;}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary button-wrapper" href="https://read.wizardrysphere.com/subscribe?"><span>Upgrade to paid</span></a></p><p><em>Experience the journey of wizards on their quest for greater wisdom and self-mastery. Set in a parallel world in an earlier age, it tells of the adventures of the fox alchemist Loquilian and the two wizards who join him along the way. It&#8217;s lyrical and visionary, mixed with humour and adventure, and you can <a href="https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/1763514536?tag=wizardryspher-22">purchase a copy here</a>.</em></p><p><em>As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.</em></p><p><em>Want a sample? <a href="https://read.wizardrysphere.com/p/a-fox-on-the-road">Chapter 1</a>  is available to read for free.</em></p><div><hr></div><h4>Previous&#8212;Chapter 13, Dungeon</h4><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://read.wizardrysphere.com/14-the-distractions-of-towns&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Read Chapter 14&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://read.wizardrysphere.com/14-the-distractions-of-towns"><span>Read Chapter 14</span></a></p><p>You can also see the <a href="https://read.wizardrysphere.com/t/loquilian-the-alacritous-fox">full list of available chapters</a>.</p><div><hr></div><h1>Meeting at restaurants</h1><h2><em>Loquilian, The Alacritous Fox</em> &#8211; Chapter 15</h2>
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   ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Intensity, vitality, and good complexion]]></title><description><![CDATA[The gifts of &#243;&#240;r, &#246;nd, l&#225; and litu g&#243;&#240;a]]></description><link>https://read.wizardrysphere.com/p/intensity-vitality-and-good-complexion</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://read.wizardrysphere.com/p/intensity-vitality-and-good-complexion</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Dr Todd William Dearing]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Sun, 11 Oct 2026 09:09:59 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!iP5V!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F315075a9-2d49-4a22-a2dd-9a52c4558543_1712x1152.webp" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>The three mighty and vibrant gods &#211;&#240;inn, H&#339;nir, and L&#243;&#240;urr are one day wandering the countryside when they encounter two trees by the seashore. These trees are Ask and Embla, who are to be the first man and the first woman. But they are devoid of purpose and destiny. Seeing this, &#211;&#240;inn gives them vitality (&#246;nd), H&#339;nir gives them inspiration (&#243;&#240;r), and L&#243;&#240;urr gives them vital fluids (l&#225;) and good complexion (litu g&#243;&#240;a). They become the first humans. (From the V&#246;lusp&#225; 17&#8211;18, a prominent poem within the <em>Poetic Edda</em>.)</p><p>These three &#8216;gifts of the gods&#8217; to humankind can be taken as a mythical understanding of the animating faculties of human nature. They have broad meaning and multiple-layered relevance, making them important foundational concepts for understanding one&#8217;s own nature as a human being. This article will explore the meaning of each of these gifts, and how they can promote the development of one&#8217;s greater human potential.</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!pjmX!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F8eb8fa1e-7948-453a-854d-21806de2ec57_1168x784.webp" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!pjmX!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F8eb8fa1e-7948-453a-854d-21806de2ec57_1168x784.webp 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!pjmX!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F8eb8fa1e-7948-453a-854d-21806de2ec57_1168x784.webp 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!pjmX!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F8eb8fa1e-7948-453a-854d-21806de2ec57_1168x784.webp 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!pjmX!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F8eb8fa1e-7948-453a-854d-21806de2ec57_1168x784.webp 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!pjmX!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F8eb8fa1e-7948-453a-854d-21806de2ec57_1168x784.webp" width="1168" height="784" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/8eb8fa1e-7948-453a-854d-21806de2ec57_1168x784.webp&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:784,&quot;width&quot;:1168,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:360200,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/webp&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:true,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://read.wizardrysphere.com/i/219840302?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F8eb8fa1e-7948-453a-854d-21806de2ec57_1168x784.webp&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!pjmX!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F8eb8fa1e-7948-453a-854d-21806de2ec57_1168x784.webp 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!pjmX!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F8eb8fa1e-7948-453a-854d-21806de2ec57_1168x784.webp 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!pjmX!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F8eb8fa1e-7948-453a-854d-21806de2ec57_1168x784.webp 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!pjmX!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F8eb8fa1e-7948-453a-854d-21806de2ec57_1168x784.webp 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image buttonBase-GK1x3M"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" class="icon-noB79L"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image buttonBase-GK1x3M"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2 icon-noB79L"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><div><hr></div><p><em>Subscribe to Wizardry Sphere for free, or as a paid member for greater access. Support our work to build wisdom culture for the emerging world.</em></p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://read.wizardrysphere.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Upgrade to paid&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:&quot;button-wrapper&quot;}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary button-wrapper" href="https://read.wizardrysphere.com/subscribe?"><span>Upgrade to paid</span></a></p><div><hr></div><h1><strong>&#211;&#240;r</strong></h1><p>&#211;&#240;r refers to the mind, soul, wit, and sense&#8212;the basic human faculties for functioning sentience in the world. It represents mental acuity and focus. And it has more extraordinary associations with intensity, inspiration, fury, madness, and poetry.</p><p>Those unfamiliar with poetic tradition may wonder why poetry is included here. The ancient poets were essentially vessels for higher powers, which they opened themselves to through various practices, similar to the shamans of other cultures. Hence we have the ancient Roman term <em>furor poeticus </em>(&#8216;poetic fury&#8217;) and the ancient Greek equivalent &#960;&#959;&#953;&#951;&#964;&#953;&#954;&#8052; &#956;&#945;&#957;&#943;&#945; (<em>poietik&#275; mania</em>, &#8216;poetic mania&#8217;), which Socrates, in Plato&#8217;s <em>Phaedrus</em>, identifies as one of the four kinds of divine madness.</p><p>We can see this poetic madness, fury, and inspiration across all ages of humanity, from the ancient shamans to the inspired bards to the energised singer on stage. Lyrics of songs are closely tied to poetry. When the music takes over, something changes within&#8212;an exaltation, a state of flow, extreme bliss, fearlessness, a sense of wholeness, and a deep connection with everything else. This is the result of increased &#243;&#240;r. It is an intensity of simultaneous presence and transcendence.</p><p>It is also related to the Greek &#7952;&#957;&#952;&#959;&#965;&#963;&#953;&#945;&#963;&#956;&#972;&#962; (<em>enthousiasmos</em>), which is the source of the English word &#8216;enthusiasm&#8217;. The word literally means &#8216;having a god within&#8217; (en + theos). And we can see the connection here with &#243;&#240;r as the gift from the god H&#339;nir. At its most fundamental level, &#243;&#240;r connects the human with the infinite, inspiring a daimonic intensity in all that one does.</p><p>Yet an excess of &#243;&#240;r can be hard to bear. It can be too intense, leading to excess energy and stress on the mind and body. The analogy is that of driving a higher voltage through a circuit not built to bear it&#8212;something will eventually break. Mystics, shamans, yogis and the like all know such things, which is why they spend many years training their bodies and minds to become stronger in order to handle the intense energies of the sacred.</p><p>At the same time, insufficient &#243;&#240;r makes one dull, lethargic, and depressed. Such people appear defeated before the day even starts and they have a lot of inertia when it comes to getting things done. In the Nordic myth, the two trees were of the vegetable kingdom before the gods gifted them with &#243;&#240;r and the other gifts.</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!iP5V!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F315075a9-2d49-4a22-a2dd-9a52c4558543_1712x1152.webp" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!iP5V!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F315075a9-2d49-4a22-a2dd-9a52c4558543_1712x1152.webp 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!iP5V!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F315075a9-2d49-4a22-a2dd-9a52c4558543_1712x1152.webp 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!iP5V!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F315075a9-2d49-4a22-a2dd-9a52c4558543_1712x1152.webp 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!iP5V!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F315075a9-2d49-4a22-a2dd-9a52c4558543_1712x1152.webp 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!iP5V!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F315075a9-2d49-4a22-a2dd-9a52c4558543_1712x1152.webp" width="1456" height="980" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/315075a9-2d49-4a22-a2dd-9a52c4558543_1712x1152.webp&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:980,&quot;width&quot;:1456,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:711248,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/webp&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://read.wizardrysphere.com/i/219840302?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F315075a9-2d49-4a22-a2dd-9a52c4558543_1712x1152.webp&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!iP5V!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F315075a9-2d49-4a22-a2dd-9a52c4558543_1712x1152.webp 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!iP5V!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F315075a9-2d49-4a22-a2dd-9a52c4558543_1712x1152.webp 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!iP5V!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F315075a9-2d49-4a22-a2dd-9a52c4558543_1712x1152.webp 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!iP5V!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F315075a9-2d49-4a22-a2dd-9a52c4558543_1712x1152.webp 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image buttonBase-GK1x3M"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" class="icon-noB79L"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image buttonBase-GK1x3M"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2 icon-noB79L"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>&#211;&#240;r has a common etymology with the name of &#211;&#240;inn, the ruler of the Aesir gods. &#211;&#240;inn is the wandering wizard who is inspired by the deep mysteries of existence.</p><p>&#211;&#240;r is generally related to the Vedic &#2340;&#2375;&#2332;&#2360;&#2381; (tejas, &#8216;radiance&#8217;) and the ancient Chinese &#31070; (sh&#233;n, &#8216;spirit, clarity, presence&#8217;). It is the fire of consciousness applied through words and action. It is seen in great geniuses throughout history, who experience peaks of &#243;&#240;r during their most profound discoveries. It can exalt a person to perform extraordinary deeds, yet must be tempered with balanced vital energy and good health&#8212;the first of which we will now explore.</p><h1><strong>&#214;nd</strong></h1><p>&#214;nd is life force and vitality. Similar concepts are represented in a wide range of ancient cultures: Sanskrit &#2346;&#2381;&#2352;&#2366;&#2339; (<em>pr&#257;&#7751;a</em>), Chinese &#27683; (<em>q&#236;</em>), Greek &#960;&#957;&#949;&#8166;&#956;&#945; (<em>pneuma)</em>, Latin <em>spiritus</em>, Japanese &#27671; (<em>ki</em>), Korean &#44592; (<em>gi</em>), Egyptian <em>ka</em>, Finnish <em>henki</em>, Polynesian <em>mana</em>, and so on. The concept&#8217;s pervasiveness highlights a common understanding of life force across the ancient world, prior to the modern reductionist materialist way of seeing. Yet the concept lives on in those cultures that uphold a vitalistic understanding of the universe.</p><p>On an individual level, &#246;nd is inherited and cultivated vitality. Increasing it brings energy, health, and power of action. Breathing practices are one of the main ways to develop &#246;nd, but &#246;nd itself is not simply the respiratory system; it underlies all the body&#8217;s systems, including at a cellular level, and is the vitality within the mind and deeper consciousness. &#214;nd for the individual originates at the deepest core of the self, as the living energy of the individual soul. Individuals who tap into this inner power gain greater vitality at all levels of being. They exude life and have seemingly inexhaustible energy. We can recognise such people as having great &#246;nd.</p><p>Personal power (m&#230;gen) and cultivated luck (hamingja)&#8212;see our <a href="https://read.wizardrysphere.com/p/cultivating-luck">article on these topics</a>&#8212;are closely related to an individual&#8217;s &#246;nd. A person with high m&#230;gen and hamingja will similarly have great vitality, power of action, and resilience, increasing the likelihood of success in their endeavours. Those who overflow with intensity and vitality, who are inspired and aligned with their passion and purpose, and who are attentive to their own health, wholeness, and integrity become vessels for powerful energies to apply through their action in the world. They make themselves worthy of the original &#8216;gifts of the gods&#8217; and may have a dynamic influence upon the world.</p><p>Beyond the individual, &#246;nd pervades all of nature and animates the entire universe. It is the energy underlying all forms&#8212;with form itself being more closely related to l&#225; and litu g&#243;&#240;a in the context of this article, which we will discuss soon.</p><p>&#214;nd as life force goes beyond the scope of living things being limited to plants, animals, and human beings. The Northern cosmos is itself a living form, the great world tree Yggdrasil, upon whose branches all the worlds sit. The Earth is the living Goddess J&#246;r&#240;, and innumerable <em>v&#230;ttir</em> (&#8216;wights&#8217;) inhabit natural formations. These natural formations do not exist as isolated objects. They are an integral part of the natural world in which they exist, exchanging energies with their surroundings, performing various functions, and in some cases forming especially powerful focal points for those energies. This way of understanding the animistic natural world is shared among indigenous cultures worldwide.</p><p>This mythic view presents an animistic universe, where everything is alive in its own way and manner. Rocks for example, while not living as we commonly understand &#8216;alive&#8217; today, nonetheless have their mineral and crystal structures, where chemical, radiogenic, elastic, thermal and piezoelectric energies move within and through them according to the patterns of nature. &#214;nd can be understood as the movement of energy within rocks, and within every other natural material.</p><p>&#214;nd also connects everything in existence, as the underlying awareness of all that is, shaping the becoming of all things (for more on this, see our article on <a href="https://read.wizardrysphere.com/p/claiming-your-destiny">&#248;rl&#246;g and wyrd</a>).</p><h1><strong>L&#225; and litu g&#243;&#240;a</strong></h1><p>L&#243;&#240;urr&#8217;s gifts of l&#225; (vital fluids) and litu g&#243;&#240;a (good hue) can be treated as a single cluster. L&#225; represents embodied vitality and is associated with warm blood (a sign of the living) and may be associated also with the shoreline or a liquid film, denoting the boundaries of the body. Litu g&#243;&#240;a is the complexion of a living being; the skin&#8217;s brightness, a rosy hue. The difference between &#246;nd and these two is that l&#225; and litu g&#243;&#240;a are embodied, thus representing the form rather than its underlying energy. The human body when alive has a certain warmth and lustre to it; all the more so when it is healthier. These two are not limited to physical form; psychologically, they represent the warmth and hue of the mind and heart.</p><p>Being associated with blood and the boundaries of blood, they also represent the family and the extended clan. As the most embodied aspect of the three gifts of the gods, they tie one to a specific ancestral lineage, whose genetics one inherits, and often whose culture one is raised within. Complexion relates to appearance, and more broadly l&#225; and litu g&#243;&#240;a highlight the likeness in appearance of family members, not simply as physical features, but also as the underlying vitality and qualities of this appearance.</p><p>A vital complexion is a measure of good health, and these two reflect the physical and psychological health of the individual. When sick, a person can appear dull, frail and lacking. The health qualities of these gifts are a much bigger topic than can be covered here, although it is interesting to observe the relationship between what we typically call a person&#8217;s natural glow and their health. A person&#8217;s complexion is also closely related to certain emotions&#8212;we may blush when embarrassed, become red with anger, or become pale when frightened. We could also suggest that a natural glow highlights human goodness in a person, another topic beyond this article&#8217;s scope. And while the eyes can be said to have a sparkle or a shine in a healthy person, this is more likely to reveal a person&#8217;s &#243;&#240;r, as a measure of high inspiration, than their l&#225; and litu g&#243;&#240;a&#8212;the eyes being the window to the soul.</p><p>In terms of equivalents in other cultures, we have the Sanskrit &#2323;&#2332;&#2360;&#2381; (ojas) and the Chinese &#31934; (j&#299;ng), both indicating the underlying stamina of a person, responsible for their glow, inner joy, capacity for endurance, and ability to ward off ill health. The Greek &#967;&#961;&#974;&#962; (<em>chr&#333;s</em>) also has a similar meaning, as a measure of healthy colour and humoral warmth, as well as meaning the body or frame. This is not to say these concepts are identical to the Northern equivalent. There are differences. The important point here is that they often form a triad with the previously discussed equivalent concepts, as we will soon see, which can be very useful as a framework for self-mastery practices.</p><h1><strong>Integrating the three gifts</strong></h1><p>These three &#8216;gifts of the gods&#8217; bring mental acuity, vitality, and natural glow. They make us human in the sense of being animated, sentient, and warm blooded. Lacking any one of these means we are either dead, unhealthy, or incapacitated. So the Old Nordic story makes sense in this perspective, and there is much more that could be explored on these three.</p><p>The three gifts also have a general cross-cultural alignment with a mind&#8211;breath&#8211;form triad. Mind is &#243;&#240;r, breath is &#246;nd, and form is l&#225; and litu g&#243;&#240;a. The Vedic triad of <em>tejas</em>, <em>pr&#257;&#7751;a</em>, and <em>ojas</em>, or the Chinese triad of <em>sh&#233;n</em>, <em>q&#236;</em>, and <em>j&#299;ng</em>, broadly corresponds with these three. They are not precise equivalents, but in all cases they show a system for practical development. Those who have practised yoga, ayurveda, tai chi or qi gong will be familiar with these other concepts. The Northern set is of the same nature, while also unique in its cultural orientation. Likewise ancient Greek and Roman cultures would have similar systems, as would many other cultures&#8212;which goes beyond the scope of this article. The Vedic and Chinese systems are very well developed and can be useful for understanding areas where the Northern, or other, cultures have fragmented knowledge, systems or practices.</p><p>In due course, Wizardry Sphere will write an article outlining practices for developing these three gifts of the Northern mythos.</p><h1><strong>Epilogue: the value of ancestral lore</strong></h1><p>We must remember that traditions are living things to this day, not rigid relics of our past nor fantasies to mimic. They are part of us, woven into our genetics, into our strengths, weaknesses, hopes, fears, and dreams. Each of us is a continuation of our own ancestral traditions, even if we are not aware of the extent of this. A line continues from the original ancestor down through the many many many generations to you today, and it is important to honour the gifts and self-sacrifice your ancestors made so that you can exist.</p><p>One way to do this is to understand the ancient lore of your people, because for most of your collective ancestors&#8217; existence, that is what they understood. Such knowledge over many generations has survived the test of time&#8212;else you would not be here&#8212;and you carry this primal understanding in your own body. It is only very recently that we modern humans have diverged from that ancient foundation of lore that served us for hundreds of thousands of years living with the natural world. And the enduring wisdom of our ancestors will continue to strengthen us as we face new challenges into the future.</p><p>Yet we need to be creative with the wisdom of the past for it to be useful today and into the future. Some people prefer more fixed interpretations of the ancient lore. Wizardry Sphere prefers to apply wisdom creatively, which is why some of what we write goes beyond historical tradition. This is nonetheless an adaptation based on the author&#8217;s wide-ranging study and decades of practical experience.</p><p>Wizardry Sphere is sharing these foundational concepts for the world ahead. You may find a way to adapt them to your own daily practices and in doing so, frame your self-mastery within a deeper lore that resonates with your own physical body and heritage.</p><p>This is not a return to the past; it is about building an enduring culture of wisdom for the future. It is the wisdom of the <a href="https://read.wizardrysphere.com/p/the-ancient-future">ancient future</a>, empowering individuals toward their own self-mastery, aligning each to their embodied ancient heritage, to further human flourishing on Earth and beyond.</p><div><hr></div><p><em>Subscribe to Wizardry Sphere for free, or as a paid member for greater access. 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fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2 icon-noB79L"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p><em>Some images in this article are generated by Grok AI.</em></p><p><em><strong>Disclaimer:</strong> Wizardry Sphere content and tools support the personal practice of developing wisdom and self-mastery through reflection and philosophical exploration. They are educational and inspirational in nature. Individual results vary and no specific outcomes are guaranteed. This material is not a substitute for professional advice.</em></p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.wizardrysphere.com/">www.wizardrysphere.com</a> | <a href="https://wizardrysphere.com/terms/">Terms and conditions</a> | <a href="https://wizardrysphere.com/privacy/">Privacy policy</a></p><p>Copyright &#169; 2026 Genius Authoring Pty Ltd trading as Wizardry Sphere | ABN 85 669 120 978</p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[14 – The distractions of towns]]></title><description><![CDATA[Loquilian, The Alacritous Fox &#8211; Chapter 14]]></description><link>https://read.wizardrysphere.com/p/14-the-distractions-of-towns</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://read.wizardrysphere.com/p/14-the-distractions-of-towns</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Dr Todd William Dearing]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Thu, 08 Oct 2026 07:00:53 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/476706dc-b441-468d-9c9b-6f6cf41f6e76_1200x630.webp" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><em>Here is the next instalment of my novel </em><a href="https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/1763514536?tag=wizardryspher-22">Loquilian, The Alacritous Fox</a><em>. I will release a new chapter each week&#8212;available exclusively to paid subscribers. So, if you&#8217;re not yet a paid subscriber, upgrade below.</em></p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://read.wizardrysphere.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Upgrade to paid&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:&quot;button-wrapper&quot;}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary button-wrapper" href="https://read.wizardrysphere.com/subscribe?"><span>Upgrade to paid</span></a></p><p><em>Experience the journey of wizards on their quest for greater wisdom and self-mastery. Set in a parallel world in an earlier age, it tells of the adventures of the fox alchemist Loquilian and the two wizards who join him along the way. It&#8217;s lyrical and visionary, mixed with humour and adventure, and you can <a href="https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/1763514536?tag=wizardryspher-22">purchase a copy here</a>.</em></p><p><em>As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.</em></p><p><em>Want a sample? <a href="https://read.wizardrysphere.com/p/a-fox-on-the-road">Chapter 1</a>  is available to read for free.</em></p><div><hr></div><h4>Previous&#8212;Chapter 13, Dungeon</h4><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://read.wizardrysphere.com/p/13-dungeon&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Read Chapter 13&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://read.wizardrysphere.com/p/13-dungeon"><span>Read Chapter 13</span></a></p><p>You can also see the <a href="https://read.wizardrysphere.com/t/loquilian-the-alacritous-fox">full list of available chapters</a>.</p><div><hr></div><h1>The distractions of towns</h1><h2><em>Loquilian, The Alacritous Fox</em> &#8211; Chapter 14</h2>
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   ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Wisdom and accelerating technology]]></title><description><![CDATA[Watch the video article]]></description><link>https://read.wizardrysphere.com/p/wisdom-and-accelerating-technology</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://read.wizardrysphere.com/p/wisdom-and-accelerating-technology</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Dr Todd William Dearing]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Wed, 07 Oct 2026 10:42:44 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://api.substack.com/feed/podcast/218171891/bc40a3b52a19f112ea88120f07bdbb2d.mp3" length="0" type="audio/mpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Wisdom is the essential counterbalance to accelerating technology&#8212;from the atom bomb to artificial intelligence and beyond. Only a culture with wise self-awareness can endure extreme technological power.</p><p>Read the <a href="https://wizardrysphere.com/the-counterbalance-to-technology/">original article</a>.</p><div id="youtube2-e_0Zp1XZBkQ" class="youtube-wrap" data-attrs="{&quot;videoId&quot;:&quot;e_0Zp1XZBkQ&quot;,&quot;startTime&quot;:null,&quot;endTime&quot;:null}" data-component-name="Youtube2ToDOM"><div class="youtube-inner"><iframe src="https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/e_0Zp1XZBkQ?rel=0&amp;autoplay=0&amp;showinfo=0&amp;enablejsapi=0" frameborder="0" loading="lazy" gesture="media" allow="autoplay; fullscreen" allowautoplay="true" allowfullscreen="true" width="728" height="409"></iframe></div></div><p>Like what you see? Subscribe to Wizardry Sphere for our latest work.</p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://read.wizardrysphere.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe now&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://read.wizardrysphere.com/subscribe?"><span>Subscribe now</span></a></p><div><hr></div><p><em>Background music:<br>&#8216;Spaekona - Viking Background Music&#8217; by OB-LIX Original Music via Pixabay.<br>&#8216;Freyja - Viking Nordic Background Music&#8217; by OB-LIX via Pixabay.<br>&#8216;Fjord nordic&#8217; by RenilsonB via Pixabay.<br><br>Background footage via Pexels.<br><br>Voice created using Kokoro TTS.<br><br>Thumbnail background image via Grok AI.</em></p><div><hr></div><p><em><strong>Disclaimer:</strong> Wizardry Sphere content and tools support the personal practice of developing wisdom and self-mastery through reflection and philosophical exploration. They are educational and inspirational in nature. Individual results vary and no specific outcomes are guaranteed. This material is not a substitute for professional advice.</em></p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.wizardrysphere.com">www.wizardrysphere.com</a> | <a href="https://wizardrysphere.com/terms/">Terms and conditions</a> | <a href="https://wizardrysphere.com/privacy/">Privacy policy</a></p><p>Copyright &#169; 2026 Genius Authoring Pty Ltd trading as Wizardry Sphere | ABN 85 669 120 978</p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[13 – Dungeon]]></title><description><![CDATA[Loquilian, The Alacritous Fox &#8211; Chapter 13]]></description><link>https://read.wizardrysphere.com/p/13-dungeon</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://read.wizardrysphere.com/p/13-dungeon</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Dr Todd William Dearing]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Thu, 01 Oct 2026 10:30:48 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/ea1b702b-77e2-410e-9a85-a8aac2d51bea_1200x630.webp" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><em>Here is the next instalment of my novel </em><a href="https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/1763514536?tag=wizardryspher-22">Loquilian, The Alacritous Fox</a><em>. I will release a new chapter each week&#8212;available exclusively to paid subscribers. So, if you&#8217;re not yet a paid subscriber, upgrade below.</em></p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://read.wizardrysphere.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Upgrade to paid&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:&quot;button-wrapper&quot;}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary button-wrapper" href="https://read.wizardrysphere.com/subscribe?"><span>Upgrade to paid</span></a></p><p><em>It&#8217;s a novel about wizards and their quest for self-mastery and greater wisdom. Set in a parallel world in an earlier age, it tells of the journeys of the fox alchemist Loquilian and the two wizards who join him along the way. It&#8217;s lyrical and visionary, mixed with humour and adventure, and you can <a href="https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/1763514536?tag=wizardryspher-22">purchase a copy here</a>.</em></p><p><em>As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.</em></p><p><em>Want a sample? <a href="https://read.wizardrysphere.com/p/a-fox-on-the-road">Chapter 1</a>  is available to read for free.</em></p><div><hr></div><h4>Previous&#8212;Chapter 12, Honest work</h4><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://read.wizardrysphere.com/p/12-honest-work&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Chapter 12&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://read.wizardrysphere.com/p/12-honest-work"><span>Chapter 12</span></a></p><p>You can also see the <a href="https://read.wizardrysphere.com/t/loquilian-the-alacritous-fox">full list of available chapters</a>.</p><div><hr></div><h1>Dungeon</h1><h2><em>Loquilian, The Alacritous Fox</em> &#8211; Chapter 13</h2>
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   ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Claiming your destiny: Orlæg, wyrd, and an awakened fate]]></title><description><![CDATA[Watch the video article]]></description><link>https://read.wizardrysphere.com/p/claiming-your-destiny-orlg-wyrd-and</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://read.wizardrysphere.com/p/claiming-your-destiny-orlg-wyrd-and</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Dr Todd William Dearing]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Wed, 30 Sep 2026 14:02:47 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://api.substack.com/feed/podcast/218169752/5a237950c1f522af8e2cb1c452d7128c.mp3" length="0" type="audio/mpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Read the <a href="https://wizardrysphere.com/claiming-your-destiny/">original article</a>.</p><div id="youtube2-NtZYiWUHpVo" class="youtube-wrap" data-attrs="{&quot;videoId&quot;:&quot;NtZYiWUHpVo&quot;,&quot;startTime&quot;:null,&quot;endTime&quot;:null}" data-component-name="Youtube2ToDOM"><div class="youtube-inner"><iframe src="https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/NtZYiWUHpVo?rel=0&amp;autoplay=0&amp;showinfo=0&amp;enablejsapi=0" frameborder="0" loading="lazy" gesture="media" allow="autoplay; fullscreen" allowautoplay="true" allowfullscreen="true" width="728" height="409"></iframe></div></div><p>Like what you see? Subscribe to Wizardry Sphere for our latest work.</p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://read.wizardrysphere.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe now&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://read.wizardrysphere.com/subscribe?"><span>Subscribe now</span></a></p><div><hr></div><p><em>Background music:<br>&#8216;Spaekona - Viking Background Music&#8217; by OB-LIX Original Music via Pixabay.<br>&#8216;Documentary Calm&#8217; by leberch via Pixabay.<br>&#8216;Northern Island&#8217; by SergePavkinMusic via Pixabay.<br>&#8216;Beneath the Ice&#8217; by ChestnutMusicStudios via Pixabay.<br><br>Background footage via Pexels.<br><br>Voice created using Kokoro TTS.<br><br>Thumbnail background image via Grok AI.</em></p><div><hr></div><p><em><strong>Disclaimer:</strong> Wizardry Sphere content and tools support the personal practice of developing wisdom and self-mastery through reflection and philosophical exploration. They are educational and inspirational in nature. Individual results vary and no specific outcomes are guaranteed. This material is not a substitute for professional advice.</em></p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.wizardrysphere.com">www.wizardrysphere.com</a> | <a href="https://wizardrysphere.com/terms/">Terms and conditions</a> | <a href="https://wizardrysphere.com/privacy/">Privacy policy</a></p><p>Copyright &#169; 2026 Genius Authoring Pty Ltd trading as Wizardry Sphere | ABN 85 669 120 978</p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[12 – Honest work]]></title><description><![CDATA[Loquilian, The Alacritous Fox &#8211; Chapter 12]]></description><link>https://read.wizardrysphere.com/p/12-honest-work</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://read.wizardrysphere.com/p/12-honest-work</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Dr Todd William Dearing]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Thu, 24 Sep 2026 05:07:58 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/6e92afe4-488b-408f-8dbc-84c84d45df83_1200x630.webp" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><em>Here is the next instalment of my novel </em><a href="https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/1763514536?tag=wizardryspher-22">Loquilian, The Alacritous Fox</a><em>. I will release a new chapter each week&#8212;available exclusively to paid subscribers. So, if you&#8217;re not yet a paid subscriber, upgrade below.</em></p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://read.wizardrysphere.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Upgrade to paid&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:&quot;button-wrapper&quot;}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary button-wrapper" href="https://read.wizardrysphere.com/subscribe?"><span>Upgrade to paid</span></a></p><p><em>It&#8217;s a novel about wizards and their quest for self-mastery and greater wisdom. Set in a parallel world in an earlier age, it tells of the journeys of the fox alchemist Loquilian and the two wizards who join him along the way. It&#8217;s lyrical and visionary, mixed with humour and adventure, and you can <a href="https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/1763514536?tag=wizardryspher-22">purchase a copy here</a>.</em></p><p><em>As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.</em></p><p><em>Want a sample? <a href="https://read.wizardrysphere.com/p/a-fox-on-the-road">Chapter 1</a>  is available to read for free.</em></p><div><hr></div><h4>Previous&#8212;Chapter 11, An architecture of ancient voices</h4><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://read.wizardrysphere.com/p/11-an-architecture-of-ancient-voices&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Read Chapter 11&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://read.wizardrysphere.com/p/11-an-architecture-of-ancient-voices"><span>Read Chapter 11</span></a></p><p>You can also see the <a href="https://read.wizardrysphere.com/t/loquilian-the-alacritous-fox">full list of available chapters</a>.</p><div><hr></div><h1>Honest work</h1><h2><em>Loquilian, The Alacritous Fox</em> &#8211; Chapter 12</h2>
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   ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[11 – An architecture of ancient voices]]></title><description><![CDATA[Loquilian, The Alacritous Fox &#8211; Chapter 11]]></description><link>https://read.wizardrysphere.com/p/11-an-architecture-of-ancient-voices</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://read.wizardrysphere.com/p/11-an-architecture-of-ancient-voices</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Dr Todd William Dearing]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Sun, 20 Sep 2026 03:04:00 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/e4cbf8ab-3138-4deb-8e88-ffe0a919bdb1_1200x630.webp" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><em>Here is the next instalment of my novel </em><a href="https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/1763514536?tag=wizardryspher-22">Loquilian, The Alacritous Fox</a><em>. I will release a new chapter each week&#8212;available exclusively to paid subscribers. So, if you&#8217;re not yet a paid subscriber, upgrade below.</em></p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://read.wizardrysphere.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Upgrade to paid&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:&quot;button-wrapper&quot;}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary button-wrapper" href="https://read.wizardrysphere.com/subscribe?"><span>Upgrade to paid</span></a></p><p><em>It&#8217;s a novel about wizards and their quest for self-mastery and greater wisdom. Set in a parallel world in an earlier age, it tells of the journeys of the fox alchemist Loquilian and the two wizards who join him along the way. It&#8217;s lyrical and visionary, mixed with humour and adventure, and you can <a href="https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/1763514536?tag=wizardryspher-22">purchase a copy here</a>.</em></p><p><em>As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.</em></p><p><em>Want a sample? <a href="https://read.wizardrysphere.com/p/a-fox-on-the-road">Chapter 1</a>  is available to read for free.</em></p><div><hr></div><h4>Previous&#8212;Chapter 10, Aliak</h4><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://read.wizardrysphere.com/p/10-aliak&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Read Chapter 10&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://read.wizardrysphere.com/p/10-aliak"><span>Read Chapter 10</span></a></p><p>You can also see the <a href="https://read.wizardrysphere.com/t/loquilian-the-alacritous-fox">full list of available chapters</a>.</p><div><hr></div><h1>An architecture of ancient voices</h1><h2><em>Loquilian, The Alacritous Fox</em> &#8211; Chapter 11</h2>
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   ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[The ancient future]]></title><description><![CDATA[Eternal vision for an enduring interstellar civilisation]]></description><link>https://read.wizardrysphere.com/p/the-ancient-future</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://read.wizardrysphere.com/p/the-ancient-future</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Dr Todd William Dearing]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Sun, 13 Sep 2026 06:50:26 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!CMJE!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F70658cbe-fe57-4793-8ea6-7b4781145f32_1168x784.jpeg" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>What we know about the ancient world is often limited by present conventional thinking.</p><p>Our ancient ancestors understood the world as a mystery. Not as superstition because we didn&#8217;t know any better, but as a deeper philosophical acceptance that we can never truly know everything. Nature is infinite, while our knowledge is directional and mostly utilitarian, and time has a way of eroding knowledge that no longer fits our needs. Our world paradigm has shifted dramatically over the past three thousand years. So has our knowledge base.</p><div><hr></div><p><em>Subscribe to Wizardry Sphere for free, or as a paid member for greater access. Support our work to build wisdom culture for the emerging world.</em></p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://read.wizardrysphere.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Upgrade to paid&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:&quot;button-wrapper&quot;}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary button-wrapper" href="https://read.wizardrysphere.com/subscribe?"><span>Upgrade to paid</span></a></p><div><hr></div><p>As an example, take modern city dwellers versus an ancient indigenous tribe living in the wilderness. Both have different sets of knowledge that support their survival, social arrangements, culture, and traditions, founded upon their particular mythological framework. Armed with only this knowledge, each group would likely find it difficult to survive in the others&#8217; environment. Yet the ancestors of those city dwellers were an ancient indigenous tribe themselves. Over time their mythological framework shifted with society&#8217;s direction and changing needs: from animistic immersion in a sacred natural pagan world through a hierarchical Classical-Christian-Cartesian order to the atomised post-modern nihilism that appears widespread today.</p><p>The result of this shift is that now when we think of the mystery of our earliest ancestors, we rarely access it from their worldview. Our own knowledge infiltrates who they were, what they did, and why they did it. We end up only seeing ourselves in them, and may wonder why they were so primitive.</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!HHrR!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F58046f21-1598-4f0a-a2a5-5b3c4f754361_1168x784.webp" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!HHrR!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F58046f21-1598-4f0a-a2a5-5b3c4f754361_1168x784.webp 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!HHrR!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F58046f21-1598-4f0a-a2a5-5b3c4f754361_1168x784.webp 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!HHrR!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F58046f21-1598-4f0a-a2a5-5b3c4f754361_1168x784.webp 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!HHrR!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F58046f21-1598-4f0a-a2a5-5b3c4f754361_1168x784.webp 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!HHrR!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F58046f21-1598-4f0a-a2a5-5b3c4f754361_1168x784.webp" width="1168" height="784" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/58046f21-1598-4f0a-a2a5-5b3c4f754361_1168x784.webp&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:784,&quot;width&quot;:1168,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:432286,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/webp&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:true,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://read.wizardrysphere.com/i/215463546?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F58046f21-1598-4f0a-a2a5-5b3c4f754361_1168x784.webp&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!HHrR!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F58046f21-1598-4f0a-a2a5-5b3c4f754361_1168x784.webp 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!HHrR!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F58046f21-1598-4f0a-a2a5-5b3c4f754361_1168x784.webp 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!HHrR!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F58046f21-1598-4f0a-a2a5-5b3c4f754361_1168x784.webp 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!HHrR!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F58046f21-1598-4f0a-a2a5-5b3c4f754361_1168x784.webp 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image buttonBase-GK1x3M"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" class="icon-noB79L"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image buttonBase-GK1x3M"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2 icon-noB79L"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>This limited framing dissolves when we take a larger view of human existence, which begins by contextualising our present society as a tiny sliver of human history. To think we are the most knowledgeable human society that has ever lived is hubris. Yes, we know a lot, but it remains within the constraints of our present knowledge framework. True knowledge has widespread utility and enduring relevance. Yet some of our present knowledge will be out of date in one hundred years&#8212;perhaps even ten years.</p><p>The real value in what we know is our system of knowing it, which is largely a cerebral activity enhanced by technologies built upon modern science. This system generates knowledge. It moves forward with us. Yet it also renders older knowledge obsolete&#8212;if only because our technology has taken on a greater load. It is a useful system, yet if we lost all our technology tomorrow, how much would we know in a practical way?</p><p>The hard sciences provide the foundation for our technological advancement, which couples with the Enlightenment paradigm that we are progressing toward an ever-improved world. According to sites such as <a href="https://humanprogress.org/">Human Progress</a>, there is much evidence that many things on Earth are getting better. Today, this progressive Enlightenment paradigm overlaps with mythologies that also see time as a linear progression towards an ultimate utopia, such as Christian or Marxist worldviews. Interestingly both Christianity and Marxism posit that a rupture (a judgement or revolution) is required before humanity can reach that perfect state. History shows us this rarely turns out for the better.</p><p>In contrast, the Enlightenment, fuelled by science, tends to view progression as smooth, gradual, and without end. However, science should be distinguished from the Enlightenment. Science is rightly a method, rather than a linear narrative.</p><p>While I understand these are big topics and many nuances exist, the main point I am making here is the underlying <em>mythology of linear progression</em>. The linear worldview is an inevitable move from A to B.</p><p>The opposite but equally linear view is linear <em>decline</em><span>, a move from B to A.</span> The universe started as paradise at the dawn of time, then everything got worse, sometimes through declining world ages, and here we are, fallen, sinful degenerates. This view on its own is less common. More often decline is mixed with linear progress. Christianity has both a fall from Eden and a future paradise, but remains a linear trajectory. And while modern science is a primary engine behind linear human progress, it also theorises the Heat Death, where the fate of the universe is extrapolated to gradually expand, cool, and darken, as the stars die and matter and energy settle into a state of maximum entropy after about 10<sup>100</sup> years&#8212;a long slow linear decline.</p><p>But does nature ever move as a unique historical plot toward a known final state? Natural systems are complex, interconnected, and rhyme over cycles. Their beginnings and endings are measured arbitrarily within a vaster cosmos. While our calendars count the years linearly through a series of identical days and months, numbering them from a designated year-zero, time in nature does not move in this way. Nature turns in rhythmic cycles of growth, decay, and renewal, not under some clockwork system or narrow ideal narrative, but as the phenomenon itself.</p><p>Such cyclical views of time are found among Hindus, Buddhists, Taoists, Classical civilisations and many indigenous worldviews, including the Northern traditions. These paradigms are far older than linear-progressive views. They treat time as the recurring natural cosmos, which often includes an underworld and upperworld where the dead go to live until they are reborn in this world. The seasons, generations, and greater sun cycles and world ages move as a rhythmic pulse, not repeating exactly (unlike Nietzsche&#8217;s <em>die ewige Wiederkunft</em>, &#8216;the eternal return&#8217;) but eternally rhyming, just as history tends to do, with an underlying mythic reality. This mythic reality is the deep narrative tapestry that explains the cosmos and one&#8217;s place in it through story.</p><p>In these ancient and indigenous views, the past becomes the ancestors and the land&#8212;nature&#8217;s living patterns of story and belonging. The Northern mythos understands this process through <a href="https://wizardrysphere.com/claiming-your-destiny/">the concepts of &#248;rl&#246;g and wyrd</a>. Ragnar&#246;k in Norse mythology is a turning of time, not a final exit into a manufactured paradise. In this way, time moves with the cycles of life, not as a planned project. It is based on direct observation and experience of nature, not abstracted ideas of some distant perfection.</p><p>Of course, people will have different reasons for believing a particular paradigm about time, how it moves, and where it is ultimately going. But we should be aware that linear views of time are not the universally adopted view. Viewing time as the future ahead, the past behind, and progress or decline as we move through it is the exception to most cultures across human history.</p><p>Nevertheless, there are crossovers in these paradigms. Linear cultures still plant by the seasons, and cyclical cultures remember unique events of the past and hope for a better future. The crucial difference is that linear culture tears up the old for the sake of a promised future. And while we may not know the future, we can look to the past for how often widely-believed predictions, prophecies, and promises actually occurred&#8212;which is basically zero for dated events. We can also recognise that some linear narratives remain open by design&#8212;the second coming that never arrives, every failed revolution is still &#8216;the transition&#8217;, and so on.</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!pVwF!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2f113afe-f01b-4464-a182-32d95773bf7f_1168x784.webp" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!pVwF!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2f113afe-f01b-4464-a182-32d95773bf7f_1168x784.webp 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!pVwF!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2f113afe-f01b-4464-a182-32d95773bf7f_1168x784.webp 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!pVwF!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2f113afe-f01b-4464-a182-32d95773bf7f_1168x784.webp 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!pVwF!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2f113afe-f01b-4464-a182-32d95773bf7f_1168x784.webp 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!pVwF!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2f113afe-f01b-4464-a182-32d95773bf7f_1168x784.webp" width="1168" height="784" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/2f113afe-f01b-4464-a182-32d95773bf7f_1168x784.webp&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:784,&quot;width&quot;:1168,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:432566,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/webp&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://read.wizardrysphere.com/i/215463546?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2f113afe-f01b-4464-a182-32d95773bf7f_1168x784.webp&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!pVwF!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2f113afe-f01b-4464-a182-32d95773bf7f_1168x784.webp 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!pVwF!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2f113afe-f01b-4464-a182-32d95773bf7f_1168x784.webp 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!pVwF!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2f113afe-f01b-4464-a182-32d95773bf7f_1168x784.webp 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!pVwF!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2f113afe-f01b-4464-a182-32d95773bf7f_1168x784.webp 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image buttonBase-GK1x3M"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" class="icon-noB79L"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image buttonBase-GK1x3M"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2 icon-noB79L"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>The exception here is science, which has a demonstrable track record of human progress within its own domain and remains subject to revision based on new discoveries. While science has yet to address all human problems (greed, envy, death, what is consciousness? and the like) and has also brought with it new problems (nuclear threats, bio-weapons, materialistic nihilism), it nonetheless presents a method for improving humanity without the ideological need to believe in a coming utopia.</p><p>Science leaves room for being realistic; for the individual to think for themselves, adopt different philosophical or religious points of view if they so choose, and critically test their own thinking. The same cannot be said for some religions and ideologies. Salvation narratives punish critical questions, while a method that expects revision does not. An inquisitive, pragmatic, broad-minded approach to science presents the possibility for genuine human improvement in certain areas. This is not the case, however, for the dystopic side of science, the cold positivist-materialist approach that seeks absolute control over nature, denies anything science cannot grasp within its methods, and views its conclusions as superior truth.</p><p>We need to be wise in this regard. A human culture of wisdom is required to properly orientate the power of science and technology, to prevent it from overriding our humanity and our need for beauty, meaning, purpose, belonging, and coexistence with the natural world. Science cannot fulfil every human need. Problems arise when science attempts to override cultural, spiritual, religious, or philosophical traditions. These serve distinct purposes&#8212;science explains the what and how of matter and energy, for utilitarian purposes; the others encompass deeper, personal aspects of our humanity. When such distinctions are properly understood, the scientific method can (and does) coexist with traditional worldviews. We can have a future that is inclusive of all that is human.</p><p>In trying to understand the world of our ancient ancestors using our own modern linear measures and ways of thinking, we may miss the point: they didn&#8217;t use those ways. They acknowledged the world as mysterious&#8212;riddled throughout their myth and lore. We may think we know better because our knowledge is fixed, certain, rational. But in thinking this way, the world becomes a lifeless object to conquer. Only we haven&#8217;t conquered it. We have swallowed ourselves in the world we have created from our worldview. We become the conquered world we conquered.</p><p>Our own ancient mythological foundations have been forgotten over time, lost in the noise of politics and overridden by the blanket control of mechanised society. In such a world there is no longer mystery, only certainty within the constraints of the known; beyond that, it&#8217;s expected that the untamed will one day be conquered (assumed known and ideologised) or otherwise considered void. The glaring blind-spot here is that while technology advances and the official narrative is ideologically intact, the real human nature is ignored, and builds up until it bubbles over. Ignoring our deeper humanity is not a stable position. For civilisation to endure, we need a paradigm that encompasses all that we are. We need a sense of the <em>ancient future</em><span>: the coexistence of ancient wisdom with future technology.</span></p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!C36I!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F82cdc55c-0c97-4c8e-8c1d-59bdb28c5cf6_1168x784.webp" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!C36I!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F82cdc55c-0c97-4c8e-8c1d-59bdb28c5cf6_1168x784.webp 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!C36I!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F82cdc55c-0c97-4c8e-8c1d-59bdb28c5cf6_1168x784.webp 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!C36I!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F82cdc55c-0c97-4c8e-8c1d-59bdb28c5cf6_1168x784.webp 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!C36I!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F82cdc55c-0c97-4c8e-8c1d-59bdb28c5cf6_1168x784.webp 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!C36I!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F82cdc55c-0c97-4c8e-8c1d-59bdb28c5cf6_1168x784.webp" width="1168" height="784" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/82cdc55c-0c97-4c8e-8c1d-59bdb28c5cf6_1168x784.webp&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:784,&quot;width&quot;:1168,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:479884,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/webp&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://read.wizardrysphere.com/i/215463546?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F82cdc55c-0c97-4c8e-8c1d-59bdb28c5cf6_1168x784.webp&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!C36I!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F82cdc55c-0c97-4c8e-8c1d-59bdb28c5cf6_1168x784.webp 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!C36I!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F82cdc55c-0c97-4c8e-8c1d-59bdb28c5cf6_1168x784.webp 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!C36I!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F82cdc55c-0c97-4c8e-8c1d-59bdb28c5cf6_1168x784.webp 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!C36I!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F82cdc55c-0c97-4c8e-8c1d-59bdb28c5cf6_1168x784.webp 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image buttonBase-GK1x3M"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" class="icon-noB79L"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image buttonBase-GK1x3M"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2 icon-noB79L"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>The man with the wisdom of the ancient future does not imprison himself in a limiting worldview. He is free because he recognises the liberating qualities of nature: mystery, beauty, power, perfection, intelligence&#8212;and aspires to cultivate these (and other qualities) in himself. He understands science in the context it is designed for&#8212;as a tool to understand and shape the material world through technology, not an all-encompassing worldview. He knows the complete human being is far more than science in its current paradigm can ever understand. He understands that wisdom must guide science.</p><p>Our civilisation must include depth, meaning, and belonging to the greater universe. We must harmonise with nature in its fullest sense&#8212;not merely as matter but as living spirit, autonomous interconnected existence. Technology, however useful, must be encompassed within a greater worldview and applied wisely for it to be sustainable. It must coexist with humanity and with nature over greater periods of time, which is essential if we are to become an interstellar species. Widening our thinking allows us to recognise that ancient people also had their own sophisticated understandings of the world, in ways different to our own.</p><p>As we mature as a species, we must mature our view of time and our place in the cosmos. Progress is not simply linear; &#8216;out with the old, in with the new&#8217; is very shallow, short-term thinking about our human nature. Attunement to a cyclical paradigm of time is more likely to bring sustained permanence to civilisation. We no longer run on the vapours of endless progress, but prepare for the inevitable winter, and trust that spring will follow. Our ability to sustain our civilisation across natural cycles depends on our ability to survive the recurring disruptions within such cycles.</p><p>Mythologically, humans have always attributed such disruptions to cosmic events&#8212;the acts of primordial beings, the gods, goddesses, dragons, giants, land spirits, and so forth. These should not be taken literally in a material sense. They are powerful stories etched into the deeper collective human psyche&#8212;the enduring wisdom of collective mythology. This wisdom has evolved with humanity from our deep prehistory and shapes the foundational values of civilisations.</p><p>Current linear paradigms that promise a future utopia or dystopia are the modern equivalent of such myths. They attempt to orientate us to a greater story about our existence, but their scope is often limited to materialism or politics. We should recognise that by thinking in linear terms, modern humanity is an outlier from most cultures that have existed before us. Modern linear mythologies lack the hard-won organic wisdom of the ages. Our attempts to debunk all other mythologies while we remain blind to our own doesn&#8217;t make us more advanced as a civilisation&#8212;it simply shows that we do not see ourselves deeply enough.</p><p>What is important is that we awaken to our mythic consciousness (our mythos), while awake to our powers of logic and reasoning (logos). The two need not contradict&#8212;each brings a complementary power to being a complete human being. The modern whose abstract reason overrides their deeper mythological being is no better than the stereotypical primitive whose superstition overrides their reason. If we are to endure the ages as an interstellar species, we must awaken and integrate both logos and mythos, emerging science and ancient wisdom. We must become complete human beings if we are to build an enduring civilisation. This is our ancient future.</p><div><hr></div><p><em>Subscribe to Wizardry Sphere for free, or as a paid member for greater access. Support our work to build wisdom culture for the emerging world.</em></p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://read.wizardrysphere.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Upgrade to paid&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:&quot;button-wrapper&quot;}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary button-wrapper" href="https://read.wizardrysphere.com/subscribe?"><span>Upgrade to paid</span></a></p><div><hr></div><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!V-F9!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F327e46d5-0609-4ece-97f5-bc6a3d93a83b_1128x768.webp" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!V-F9!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F327e46d5-0609-4ece-97f5-bc6a3d93a83b_1128x768.webp 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!V-F9!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F327e46d5-0609-4ece-97f5-bc6a3d93a83b_1128x768.webp 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!V-F9!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F327e46d5-0609-4ece-97f5-bc6a3d93a83b_1128x768.webp 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!V-F9!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F327e46d5-0609-4ece-97f5-bc6a3d93a83b_1128x768.webp 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img 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srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!V-F9!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F327e46d5-0609-4ece-97f5-bc6a3d93a83b_1128x768.webp 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!V-F9!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F327e46d5-0609-4ece-97f5-bc6a3d93a83b_1128x768.webp 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!V-F9!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F327e46d5-0609-4ece-97f5-bc6a3d93a83b_1128x768.webp 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!V-F9!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F327e46d5-0609-4ece-97f5-bc6a3d93a83b_1128x768.webp 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image buttonBase-GK1x3M"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" class="icon-noB79L"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image buttonBase-GK1x3M"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2 icon-noB79L"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p><em>Some images in this article are generated by Grok AI.</em></p><p><strong>Disclaimer:</strong><em> Wizardry Sphere content and tools support the personal practice of developing wisdom and self-mastery through reflection and philosophical exploration. They are educational and inspirational in nature. Individual results vary and no specific outcomes are guaranteed. This material is not a substitute for professional advice.</em></p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.wizardrysphere.com/">www.wizardrysphere.com</a> | <a href="https://wizardrysphere.com/terms/">Terms and conditions</a> | <a href="https://wizardrysphere.com/privacy/">Privacy policy</a></p><p>Copyright &#169; 2026 Genius Authoring Pty Ltd trading as Wizardry Sphere | ABN 85 669 120 978</p><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://read.wizardrysphere.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">Wizardry Sphere is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[10 – Aliak]]></title><description><![CDATA[Loquilian, The Alacritous Fox &#8211; Chapter 10]]></description><link>https://read.wizardrysphere.com/p/10-aliak</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://read.wizardrysphere.com/p/10-aliak</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Dr Todd William Dearing]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Thu, 10 Sep 2026 05:04:54 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/8364afd1-b14c-40a1-9a62-f4504f4c36a3_1200x630.webp" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><em>Here is the next instalment of my novel </em><a href="https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/1763514536?tag=wizardryspher-22">Loquilian, The Alacritous Fox</a><em>. I will release a new chapter each week&#8212;available exclusively to paid subscribers. So, if you&#8217;re not yet a paid subscriber, upgrade below.</em></p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://read.wizardrysphere.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Upgrade to paid&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:&quot;button-wrapper&quot;}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary button-wrapper" href="https://read.wizardrysphere.com/subscribe?"><span>Upgrade to paid</span></a></p><p><em>It&#8217;s a novel about wizards and their quest for self-mastery and greater wisdom. Set in a parallel world in an earlier age, it tells of the journeys of the fox alchemist Loquilian and the two wizards who join him along the way. It&#8217;s lyrical and visionary, mixed with humour and adventure, and you can <a href="https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/1763514536?tag=wizardryspher-22">purchase a copy here</a>.</em></p><p><em>As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.</em></p><p><em>Want a sample? <a href="https://read.wizardrysphere.com/p/a-fox-on-the-road">Chapter 1</a>  is available to read for free.</em></p><div><hr></div><h4>Previous&#8212;Chapter 9, Learning magic</h4><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://read.wizardrysphere.com/p/9-learning-magic&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Read Chapter 9&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://read.wizardrysphere.com/p/9-learning-magic"><span>Read Chapter 9</span></a></p><p>You can also see the <a href="https://read.wizardrysphere.com/t/loquilian-the-alacritous-fox">full list of available chapters</a>.</p><div><hr></div><h1>Aliak</h1><h2><em>Loquilian, The Alacritous Fox</em> &#8211; Chapter 10</h2>
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   ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[9 – Learning magic]]></title><description><![CDATA[Loquilian, The Alacritous Fox &#8211; Chapter 9]]></description><link>https://read.wizardrysphere.com/p/9-learning-magic</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://read.wizardrysphere.com/p/9-learning-magic</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Dr Todd William Dearing]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Thu, 03 Sep 2026 01:33:27 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/5cb856a7-629b-46fa-bebf-7376480765af_1200x630.webp" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><em>Here is the next instalment of my novel </em><a href="https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/1763514536?tag=wizardryspher-22">Loquilian, The Alacritous Fox</a><em>. I will release a new chapter each week&#8212;available exclusively to paid subscribers. So, if you&#8217;re not yet a paid subscriber, upgrade below.</em></p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://read.wizardrysphere.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Upgrade to paid&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:&quot;button-wrapper&quot;}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary button-wrapper" href="https://read.wizardrysphere.com/subscribe?"><span>Upgrade to paid</span></a></p><p><em>It&#8217;s a novel about wizards and their quest for self-mastery and greater wisdom. Set in a parallel world in an earlier age, it tells of the journeys of the fox alchemist Loquilian and the two wizards who join him along the way. It&#8217;s lyrical and visionary, mixed with humour and adventure, and you can <a href="https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/1763514536?tag=wizardryspher-22">purchase a copy here</a>.</em></p><p><em>As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.</em></p><p><em>Want a sample? <a href="https://read.wizardrysphere.com/p/a-fox-on-the-road">Chapter 1</a>  is available to read for free.</em></p><div><hr></div><h4>Previous&#8212;Chapter 8, Awaken and rise</h4><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://read.wizardrysphere.com/p/8-north&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Read Chapter 8&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://read.wizardrysphere.com/p/8-north"><span>Read Chapter 8</span></a></p><p>You can also see the <a href="https://read.wizardrysphere.com/t/loquilian-the-alacritous-fox">full list of available chapters</a>.</p><div><hr></div><h1>Learning magic</h1><h2><em>Loquilian, The Alacritous Fox</em> &#8211; Chapter 9</h2>
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   ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[8 – North]]></title><description><![CDATA[Loquilian, The Alacritous Fox &#8211; Chapter 8]]></description><link>https://read.wizardrysphere.com/p/8-north</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://read.wizardrysphere.com/p/8-north</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Dr Todd William Dearing]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Fri, 28 Aug 2026 09:10:35 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/cf510514-e689-4fc1-9e54-f5fd046c568a_484x322.webp" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><em>Here is the next instalment of my novel </em><a href="https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/1763514536?tag=wizardryspher-22">Loquilian, The Alacritous Fox</a><em>. I will release a new chapter each week&#8212;available exclusively to paid subscribers. So, if you&#8217;re not yet a paid subscriber, upgrade below.</em></p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://read.wizardrysphere.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Upgrade to paid&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:&quot;button-wrapper&quot;}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary button-wrapper" href="https://read.wizardrysphere.com/subscribe?"><span>Upgrade to paid</span></a></p><p><em>It&#8217;s a novel about wizards and their quest for self-mastery and greater wisdom. Set in a parallel world in an earlier age, it tells of the journeys of the fox alchemist Loquilian and the two wizards who join him along the way. It&#8217;s lyrical and visionary, mixed with humour and adventure, and you can <a href="https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/1763514536?tag=wizardryspher-22">purchase a copy here</a>.</em></p><p><em>As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.</em></p><p><em>Want a sample? <a href="https://read.wizardrysphere.com/p/a-fox-on-the-road">Chapter 1</a>  is available to read for free.</em></p><div><hr></div><h4>Previous&#8212;Chapter 7, Awaken and rise</h4><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://read.wizardrysphere.com/p/7-awaken-and-rise&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Read Chapter 7&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://read.wizardrysphere.com/p/7-awaken-and-rise"><span>Read Chapter 7</span></a></p><p>You can also see the <a href="https://read.wizardrysphere.com/t/loquilian-the-alacritous-fox">full list of available chapters</a>.</p><div><hr></div><h1>North</h1><h2><em>Loquilian, The Alacritous Fox</em> &#8211; Chapter 8</h2>
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   ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[A review of my novel—Loquilian, The Alacritous Fox]]></title><description><![CDATA[Watch the video review]]></description><link>https://read.wizardrysphere.com/p/a-review-of-loquilian</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://read.wizardrysphere.com/p/a-review-of-loquilian</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Dr Todd William Dearing]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Fri, 28 Aug 2026 08:57:58 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://api.substack.com/feed/podcast/213113295/45981e41ac470f8e7763e149fc5e8041.mp3" length="0" type="audio/mpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Read the <a href="https://read.wizardrysphere.com/p/destinys-crucible">original article</a>.</p><div id="youtube2-T_RTAaR3xew" class="youtube-wrap" data-attrs="{&quot;videoId&quot;:&quot;T_RTAaR3xew&quot;,&quot;startTime&quot;:null,&quot;endTime&quot;:null}" data-component-name="Youtube2ToDOM"><div class="youtube-inner"><iframe src="https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/T_RTAaR3xew?rel=0&amp;autoplay=0&amp;showinfo=0&amp;enablejsapi=0" frameborder="0" loading="lazy" gesture="media" allow="autoplay; fullscreen" allowautoplay="true" allowfullscreen="true" width="728" height="409"></iframe></div></div><p>Like what you see? Subscribe to Wizardry Sphere for our latest work.</p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://read.wizardrysphere.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe now&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://read.wizardrysphere.com/subscribe?"><span>Subscribe now</span></a></p><div><hr></div><p><em><strong><span>Background music</span></strong><span><br>&#8216;Spaekona - Viking Background Music&#8217; by OB-LIX Original Music via Pixabay.</span></em></p><p><em><span>'Reaching The Sky (Long Version)' by Alexander Nakarada | https://creatorchords.com<br>Music promoted by https://www.chosic.com/free-music/all/<br>Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)<br>https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/</span></em></p><p><em><strong><span>Background footage</span></strong><span> via Pexels and Grok AI.</span></em></p><p><em><strong><span>Voice</span></strong><span> created using Kokoro TTS.</span></em></p><p><em><strong><span>Review</span></strong><span> written by Grok AI.</span></em></p><div><hr></div><p><em><strong>Disclaimer:</strong> Wizardry Sphere content and tools support the personal practice of developing wisdom and self-mastery through reflection and philosophical exploration. They are educational and inspirational in nature. Individual results vary and no specific outcomes are guaranteed. This material is not a substitute for professional advice.</em></p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.wizardrysphere.com">www.wizardrysphere.com</a> | <a href="https://wizardrysphere.com/terms/">Terms and conditions</a> | <a href="https://wizardrysphere.com/privacy/">Privacy policy</a></p><p>Copyright &#169; 2026 Genius Authoring Pty Ltd trading as Wizardry Sphere | ABN 85 669 120 978</p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[7 – Awaken and rise]]></title><description><![CDATA[Loquilian, The Alacritous Fox &#8211; Chapter 7]]></description><link>https://read.wizardrysphere.com/p/7-awaken-and-rise</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://read.wizardrysphere.com/p/7-awaken-and-rise</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Dr Todd William Dearing]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Thu, 20 Aug 2026 01:51:24 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/ee2a7f5a-58ac-4bee-9eab-4d20ce7aa4e7_484x322.webp" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><em>Here is the next instalment of my novel </em><a href="https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/1763514536?tag=wizardryspher-22">Loquilian, The Alacritous Fox</a><em>. I will release a new chapter each week&#8212;available exclusively to paid subscribers. So, if you&#8217;re not yet a paid subscriber, upgrade below.</em></p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://read.wizardrysphere.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Upgrade to paid&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:&quot;button-wrapper&quot;}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary button-wrapper" href="https://read.wizardrysphere.com/subscribe?"><span>Upgrade to paid</span></a></p><p><em>It&#8217;s a novel about wizards and their quest for self-mastery and greater wisdom. Set in a parallel world in an earlier age, it tells of the journeys of the fox alchemist Loquilian and the two wizards who join him along the way. It&#8217;s lyrical and visionary, mixed with humour and adventure, and you can <a href="https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/1763514536?tag=wizardryspher-22">purchase a copy here</a>.</em></p><p><em>As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.</em></p><p><em>Want a sample? <a href="https://read.wizardrysphere.com/p/a-fox-on-the-road">Chapter 1</a>  is available to read for free.</em></p><div><hr></div><h4>Previous&#8212;Chapter 6, The northern wizard</h4><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://read.wizardrysphere.com/p/6-the-northern-wizard&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Read Chapter 6&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://read.wizardrysphere.com/p/6-the-northern-wizard"><span>Read Chapter 6</span></a></p><p>You can also see the <a href="https://read.wizardrysphere.com/t/loquilian-the-alacritous-fox">full list of available chapters</a>.</p><div><hr></div><h1>Awaken and rise</h1><h2><em>Loquilian, The Alacritous Fox</em> &#8211; Chapter 7</h2>
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   ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Journaling]]></title><description><![CDATA[Self-awareness and self-determination]]></description><link>https://read.wizardrysphere.com/p/journaling</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://read.wizardrysphere.com/p/journaling</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Dr Todd William Dearing]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Sun, 16 Aug 2026 09:20:32 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/7900febf-5c1d-4863-aed4-9a208ea41411_1024x682.png" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<blockquote><p>&#8220;The greatest amount of knowledge, if not elaborated by our own thoughts, is worth much less than a far smaller volume that has been abundantly and repeatedly thought over.&#8221;</p><p>&#8211; <span>Arthur Schopenhauer, </span><em>Parerga and Paralipomena</em><span> (1851)</span></p></blockquote><h2>Introduction</h2><p>Writing is an extension of thinking. Learning to write is learning to think, and when you write well, you not only think well, but you think for yourself, as the Schopenhauer quote implies. Because as much as one believes themselves to be free in their own thoughts&#8212;and the choices and actions that follow from these&#8212;until the patterns of one&#8217;s mind have been thoroughly examined, self-determination may be an illusion.</p><p>Journaling is one practice that can enable this deeper introspection. It can also enable external activities such as goal setting, planning and strategising, problem solving or reflecting on the world. In all such approaches, journaling provides a technique with the potential to increase self-awareness and self-determination.</p><p>Self-awareness is the insight and understanding you have into your own thinking, emotions, habits, assumptions, biases, and other internal patterns. Self-determination is your capacity to determine and direct your own life, to overcome obstacles and challenges and achieve desired outcomes. Journaling is a useful practice for activating both self-awareness and self-determination, such that both approaches support one another.</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!kb1N!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff84a913c-641a-4543-bf3b-a473b31c8cb6_1024x1024.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!kb1N!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff84a913c-641a-4543-bf3b-a473b31c8cb6_1024x1024.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!kb1N!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff84a913c-641a-4543-bf3b-a473b31c8cb6_1024x1024.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!kb1N!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff84a913c-641a-4543-bf3b-a473b31c8cb6_1024x1024.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!kb1N!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff84a913c-641a-4543-bf3b-a473b31c8cb6_1024x1024.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!kb1N!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff84a913c-641a-4543-bf3b-a473b31c8cb6_1024x1024.jpeg" width="1024" height="1024" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/f84a913c-641a-4543-bf3b-a473b31c8cb6_1024x1024.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:1024,&quot;width&quot;:1024,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:262868,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:true,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://read.wizardrysphere.com/i/211396763?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff84a913c-641a-4543-bf3b-a473b31c8cb6_1024x1024.jpeg&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!kb1N!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff84a913c-641a-4543-bf3b-a473b31c8cb6_1024x1024.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!kb1N!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff84a913c-641a-4543-bf3b-a473b31c8cb6_1024x1024.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!kb1N!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff84a913c-641a-4543-bf3b-a473b31c8cb6_1024x1024.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!kb1N!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff84a913c-641a-4543-bf3b-a473b31c8cb6_1024x1024.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image buttonBase-GK1x3M"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" class="icon-noB79L"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image buttonBase-GK1x3M"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2 icon-noB79L"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div>
      <p>
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   ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[6 – The northern wizard]]></title><description><![CDATA[Loquilian, The Alacritous Fox &#8211; Chapter 6]]></description><link>https://read.wizardrysphere.com/p/6-the-northern-wizard</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://read.wizardrysphere.com/p/6-the-northern-wizard</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Dr Todd William Dearing]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Thu, 13 Aug 2026 03:03:54 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/57e4a449-5fc6-4c05-9fa2-d4067c80b4e5_484x322.webp" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><em>Here is the next instalment of my novel </em><a href="https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/1763514536?tag=wizardryspher-22">Loquilian, The Alacritous Fox</a><em>. I will release a new chapter each week&#8212;available exclusively to paid subscribers. So, if you&#8217;re not yet a paid subscriber, upgrade below.</em></p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://read.wizardrysphere.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Upgrade to paid&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:&quot;button-wrapper&quot;}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary button-wrapper" href="https://read.wizardrysphere.com/subscribe?"><span>Upgrade to paid</span></a></p><p><em>It&#8217;s a novel about wizards and their quest for self-mastery and greater wisdom. Set in a parallel world in an earlier age, it tells of the journeys of the fox alchemist Loquilian and the two wizards who join him along the way. It&#8217;s lyrical and visionary, mixed with humour and adventure, and you can <a href="https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/1763514536?tag=wizardryspher-22">purchase a copy here</a>.</em></p><p><em>As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.</em></p><p><em>Want a sample? <a href="https://read.wizardrysphere.com/p/a-fox-on-the-road">Chapter 1</a>  is available to read for free.</em></p><div><hr></div><h4>Previous&#8212;Chapter 5, Jeom&#8217;s beginning</h4><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://read.wizardrysphere.com/p/5-jeoms-beginning&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Read Chapter 5&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://read.wizardrysphere.com/p/5-jeoms-beginning"><span>Read Chapter 5</span></a></p><p>You can also see the <a href="https://read.wizardrysphere.com/t/loquilian-the-alacritous-fox">full list of available chapters</a>.</p><div><hr></div><h1>The northern wizard</h1><h2><em>Loquilian, The Alacritous Fox</em> &#8211; Chapter 6</h2>
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   ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Mythos and symbolism of the Northern Sun cross]]></title><description><![CDATA[Watch the video article]]></description><link>https://read.wizardrysphere.com/p/mythos-and-symbolism-of-the-northern</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://read.wizardrysphere.com/p/mythos-and-symbolism-of-the-northern</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Dr Todd William Dearing]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Mon, 10 Aug 2026 12:34:32 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://api.substack.com/feed/podcast/210594048/6cb566349964d65b8f894bcb068e590c.mp3" length="0" type="audio/mpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Read the <a href="https://wizardrysphere.com/ancient-sun/">original article</a>.</p><div id="youtube2-n7dWJbjuAu0" class="youtube-wrap" data-attrs="{&quot;videoId&quot;:&quot;n7dWJbjuAu0&quot;,&quot;startTime&quot;:null,&quot;endTime&quot;:null}" data-component-name="Youtube2ToDOM"><div class="youtube-inner"><iframe src="https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/n7dWJbjuAu0?rel=0&amp;autoplay=0&amp;showinfo=0&amp;enablejsapi=0" frameborder="0" loading="lazy" gesture="media" allow="autoplay; fullscreen" allowautoplay="true" allowfullscreen="true" width="728" height="409"></iframe></div></div><p>Like what you see? Subscribe to Wizardry Sphere for our latest work.</p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://read.wizardrysphere.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe now&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://read.wizardrysphere.com/subscribe?"><span>Subscribe now</span></a></p><div><hr></div><p><em><strong><span>Background music</span></strong><span><br>&#8216;Spaekona - Viking Background Music&#8217; by OB-LIX Original Music via Pixabay.<br><br>Vopna by Alexander Nakarada | </span>https://creatorchords.com<br><span>Music promoted by https://www.chosic.com/free-music/all/<br>Creative Commons CC BY 4.0<br>https://creativecommons.org/licenses/....<br><br>Hymn To The Gods by Alexander Nakarada | </span>https://creatorchords.com<br><span>Music promoted by https://www.chosic.com/free-music/all/<br>Creative Commons CC BY 4.0<br>https://creativecommons.org/licenses/...<br><br></span><strong><span>Background footage</span></strong><span><br>via Pexels.</span></em></p><p><em><strong>Voice</strong> created using Kokoro TTS.</em></p><div><hr></div><p><em><strong>Disclaimer:</strong> Wizardry Sphere content and tools support the personal practice of developing wisdom and self-mastery through reflection and philosophical exploration. They are educational and inspirational in nature. Individual results vary and no specific outcomes are guaranteed. This material is not a substitute for professional advice.</em></p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.wizardrysphere.com">www.wizardrysphere.com</a> | <a href="https://wizardrysphere.com/terms/">Terms and conditions</a> | <a href="https://wizardrysphere.com/privacy/">Privacy policy</a></p><p>Copyright &#169; 2026 Genius Authoring Pty Ltd trading as Wizardry Sphere | ABN 85 669 120 978</p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[5 – Jeom's beginning]]></title><description><![CDATA[Loquilian, The Alacritous Fox &#8211; Chapter 5]]></description><link>https://read.wizardrysphere.com/p/5-jeoms-beginning</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://read.wizardrysphere.com/p/5-jeoms-beginning</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Dr Todd William Dearing]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Thu, 06 Aug 2026 10:35:41 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/76205c3d-c274-40e0-be67-34935c4e498f_484x322.webp" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><em>Here is the next instalment of my novel </em><a href="https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/1763514536?tag=wizardryspher-22">Loquilian, The Alacritous Fox</a><em>. I will release a new chapter each week&#8212;available exclusively to paid subscribers. So, if you&#8217;re not yet a paid subscriber, upgrade below.</em></p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://read.wizardrysphere.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Upgrade to paid&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:&quot;button-wrapper&quot;}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary button-wrapper" href="https://read.wizardrysphere.com/subscribe?"><span>Upgrade to paid</span></a></p><p><em>It&#8217;s a novel about wizards and their quest for self-mastery and greater wisdom. Set in a parallel world in an earlier age, it tells of the journeys of the fox alchemist Loquilian and the two wizards who join him along the way. It&#8217;s lyrical and visionary, mixed with humour and adventure, and you can <a href="https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/1763514536?tag=wizardryspher-22">purchase a copy here</a>.</em></p><p><em>As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.</em></p><p><em>Want a sample? <a href="https://read.wizardrysphere.com/p/a-fox-on-the-road">Chapter 1</a>  is available to read for free.</em></p><div><hr></div><h4>Previous&#8212;Chapter 4, In love with the wild</h4><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://read.wizardrysphere.com/p/4-in-love-with-the-wild&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Read Chapter 4&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://read.wizardrysphere.com/p/4-in-love-with-the-wild"><span>Read Chapter 4</span></a></p><p>You can also see the <a href="https://read.wizardrysphere.com/t/loquilian-the-alacritous-fox">full list of available chapters</a>.</p><div><hr></div><h1>Jeom&#8217;s beginning</h1><h2><em>Loquilian, The Alacritous Fox</em> &#8211; Chapter 5</h2>
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   ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Cultivating luck]]></title><description><![CDATA[The ancient Northern concepts of M&#230;gen and Hamingja as keys to personal power.]]></description><link>https://read.wizardrysphere.com/p/cultivating-luck</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://read.wizardrysphere.com/p/cultivating-luck</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Dr Todd William Dearing]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Thu, 06 Aug 2026 10:24:49 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!_U3E!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F020fa202-392b-4aa6-a33d-6a8585e17f52_784x1168.jpeg" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Here, we explore the Northern concepts <em>m&#230;gen</em> and <em>hamingja</em><span> as keys to awakening greater agency and success in the world</span>. M&#230;gen is the Old English term for personal power. Hamingja is the Old Norse term for personal luck. These are important concepts within the ancient cultural traditions of the Anglo, Nordic, and Germanic peoples&#8212;adapted here to the current and emerging world.</p><p>This article follows from a previous article where I explored the ancient Northern concepts of <a href="https://wizardrysphere.com/claiming-your-destiny/"><span>orl&#230;g, wyrd, and fylgja</span></a><span> as keys to</span> empower you to better align to your purpose in life. The material here avoids both scholarly pedantry and dogmatic traditionalism. Instead, I focus creatively on these ancient concepts as pragmatic tools and knowledge for self-development (see the disclaimer at the end of this article).</p><p>M&#230;gen is personal power, strength, might, force, and vigour and encompasses one&#8217;s entire being&#8212;physical, psychological, and spiritual. Hamingja is luck, not in the modern sense of chance happenings (as I will explain soon), but as a personal force that can be cultivated. M&#230;gen and hamingja are closely connected through the individual&#8217;s &#246;nd (vitality). A person with high m&#230;gen and hamingja will have great vitality, power of action, resilience, and often success in their chosen pursuits.</p><p>Let&#8217;s go deeper into these concepts.</p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://read.wizardrysphere.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe now&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://read.wizardrysphere.com/subscribe?"><span>Subscribe now</span></a></p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!WDkr!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff17d9a0e-bbd0-49b8-8677-9c1498a23f95_1080x1080.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!WDkr!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff17d9a0e-bbd0-49b8-8677-9c1498a23f95_1080x1080.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!WDkr!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff17d9a0e-bbd0-49b8-8677-9c1498a23f95_1080x1080.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!WDkr!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff17d9a0e-bbd0-49b8-8677-9c1498a23f95_1080x1080.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!WDkr!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff17d9a0e-bbd0-49b8-8677-9c1498a23f95_1080x1080.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img 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data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/f17d9a0e-bbd0-49b8-8677-9c1498a23f95_1080x1080.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:1080,&quot;width&quot;:1080,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:700734,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:true,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://read.wizardrysphere.com/i/210052316?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff17d9a0e-bbd0-49b8-8677-9c1498a23f95_1080x1080.jpeg&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!WDkr!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff17d9a0e-bbd0-49b8-8677-9c1498a23f95_1080x1080.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!WDkr!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff17d9a0e-bbd0-49b8-8677-9c1498a23f95_1080x1080.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!WDkr!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff17d9a0e-bbd0-49b8-8677-9c1498a23f95_1080x1080.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!WDkr!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff17d9a0e-bbd0-49b8-8677-9c1498a23f95_1080x1080.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image buttonBase-GK1x3M"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" class="icon-noB79L"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image buttonBase-GK1x3M"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2 icon-noB79L"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><h1><strong>Harnessing personal power</strong></h1><p>Think of m&#230;gen as a single quality that pervades your entire being. It should not be isolated as only physical might. It includes psychological strength. It also includes spiritual power. Everything in the universe has its own m&#230;gen, its own personal power. You are born with a certain m&#230;gen and carry this through life, building upon it or diminishing it through your actions. Noble deeds increase it, misdeeds decrease it. Who you associate with shapes your m&#230;gen&#8212;powerful positive individuals and groups will expand it, while negative associations will reduce it.</p><p>In the Northern mythos, m&#230;gen underlies the power of great wizards, seers, kings and heroes. Strong m&#230;gen brings success, effectiveness, and prestige. While modern culture tends to avoid directly talking about personal power in this way, it has always been a key to any successful human life.</p><p>Think about our modern heroes&#8212;those who courageously put themselves in danger to protect others; the soldier in battle, our police and frontline emergency services personnel, the random bystander who stops an attacker in a public shopping mall (and becomes famous overnight). We naturally respond to such courage with great honour and respect. We exalt such people because they have demonstrated their m&#230;gen. M&#230;gen is honourable power. It is not brutish force or mere muscle.</p><p>It is also psychological strength. Ernest Shackleton and his team survived 633 days in and around Antarctica before returning to civilisation. Survivors of the 1972 Andes flight disaster endured 72 days of starvation and extreme cold in the mountains. J. K. Rowling persevered through poverty, depression, and multiple rejections when starting the Harry Potter series. These individuals realised their own power&#8212;their m&#230;gen&#8212;through such ordeals, while those with less would have quit. Any great endeavour requires m&#230;gen to endure the challenges, overcome obstacles, and succeed despite the odds.</p><p>Beyond the physical and psychological, m&#230;gen is spiritual power. Often less understood, spiritual power comes from individual integrity, self-awareness, and universality. Those rare individuals&#8212;the genius, sage, mystic, yogi, shaman, philosopher, or artist&#8212;who develop a direct conscious connection with existence become centred in the depths of their being, unshakeable in their true self. They access insights beyond the normal human range and create brilliant works to benefit the world. Such <span>m&#230;gen</span> is universal, bridging humanity with the eternal and the infinite.</p><p><span>This deeper m&#230;gen is applied pragmatically through attunement to natural law&#8212;to orl&#230;g&#8212;where being is in accord with the greater patterns of nature. The wizard cultivates such power through self-awakening and their direct connection to the universe. This is the power of self-mastery, and provides a foundation for action and success in the world. At this level a person can appear almost magical, but this is more the result of understanding orl&#230;g and having the capacity to act skilfully among it&#8212;known as wyrd, the art of becoming. We see this in stories where a wizard lives in harmony with the universe, speaks of things that may come to be, senses distant occurrences, has greater freedom to act, and so on&#8212;examples are the Brythonic tales of Merlin, Gandalf in Tolkien&#8217;s mythos, or Obi-Wan Kenobi in Star Wars. Today, we see similar power in the engineer who understands the laws of physics and is able to build things that harness these laws to create seemingly magical effects&#8212;like a mobile phone to communicate over a distance.</span></p><p><span>M&#230;gen is the root of all aspects of personal power. While it may be developed physically, psychologically, or spiritually, and expressed in many different ways, it abides at one&#8217;s core. The balance of great physical, psychological and spiritual power in an individual is extremely rare, and shows a complete, integrated m&#230;gen.</span></p><h1><strong>The modern dismissal of luck</strong></h1><p>That luck can be cultivated may seem an unusual idea to us moderns. Since the scientific revolution of the 16<sup>th</sup> and 17<sup>th</sup> centuries, we have come to view the universe as a chance arrangement of matter and energy set in motion 13.8 billion years ago, where we humans just happen to live on the one planet that met the right conditions for life, where that life has survived to this day through random natural selection. Astronomer Fred Hoyle gives the likelihood that matter could somehow arrange itself out of randomness into living beings as effectively zero, comparing this to the chances of a tornado ripping through a junkyard to create a perfectly made aeroplane. Biologists then countered this idea by stating that the evolution of life is not completely random, but builds (randomly) upon those traits that increase the chances of life surviving over billions of years.</p><p>Both these views are within the modern mindset, where the official narrative is that life in the universe is a meaningless, purposeless accident (with notable exceptions among some scientists and philosophers). In this framework, all your experiences of life&#8217;s richness and beauty&#8212;the insights, the pain and joy, the deep yearning, dreams, and reminiscing&#8212;along with those of billions upon billions of other people, are officially pointless. In a word: nihilism.</p><p>While some parents may be reluctant to tell their child that his or her birth was an accident, one must ask: Is the universe also this way?</p><p>Before you sink into existential ennui, recall how things once were. The notion of life as the result of randomness is a far outlier among the 300,000 year history of sapient humans. Every culture but the modern seems to have always considered the universe as purposeful, ordered, and sacred&#8212;with a few exceptions among schools of philosophical thought here and there. Even today, while a nihilistic worldview tends to dominate collectively, modern society itself is intermixed with many different worldviews from various religions, cultures, subcultures, and individuals. So while we may think that the modern view is just how things are, such thinking is limited to a single culture across a narrow slice of time.</p><p>How then did other cultures view the world? The creation stories of great civilisations tell how the world was made from the body of an original being&#8212;the Norse Ymir, Babylonian Tiamat, Vedic Purusha, and Chinese Pangu are prominent examples. But to really understand this requires stepping out of the modern framework and its reductionist view of mythology. Myth is closer to story, like a profound movie or book. It need not be taken literally for it to inspire, guide, build understanding, spark insights, and shape our world.</p><p>Furthermore, indigenous cultures worldwide&#8212;including Northern cultures&#8212;consider the universe to be widely populated by non-human people, spirits and forces that animate the natural world, including the land, sea, plants, animals, and celestial bodies, with whom we humans have an ancient kinship and reciprocal obligations. The indigenous worldview is often that of a living, inter-related universe whose existence is innately meaningful and built on individual and collective responsibility.</p><p>So when it comes to luck, the modern world teaches us to think of it as chance. Luck is just a random thing that happens to you. So when a rock falls off a cliff and hits you right on the head, that&#8217;s pure chance&#8212;and bad luck. The very concept of luck is treated suspiciously&#8212;it&#8217;s not something any rationalist would take seriously. Luck is replaced with randomness in the modern world, stripping the universe of agency and reinforcing its meaninglessness and our pointless role within that.</p><p>Yet our culture still carries vestiges of wiser times. We may talk of a person being born lucky, or that bad luck follows someone. These are ancient ways of thinking, and we must re-examine the modern nihilistic worldview to go beyond the idea of luck as random chance. The ancient understanding of luck opens the door to powerful ways of building beneficial momentum in your own life. This is encapsulated in the ancient concept of hamingja.</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!cHsk!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F6e5f5af6-a8aa-49cd-9b15-7b00ec622666_1620x1080.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!cHsk!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F6e5f5af6-a8aa-49cd-9b15-7b00ec622666_1620x1080.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!cHsk!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F6e5f5af6-a8aa-49cd-9b15-7b00ec622666_1620x1080.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!cHsk!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F6e5f5af6-a8aa-49cd-9b15-7b00ec622666_1620x1080.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!cHsk!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F6e5f5af6-a8aa-49cd-9b15-7b00ec622666_1620x1080.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!cHsk!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F6e5f5af6-a8aa-49cd-9b15-7b00ec622666_1620x1080.jpeg" width="1456" height="971" 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srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!cHsk!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F6e5f5af6-a8aa-49cd-9b15-7b00ec622666_1620x1080.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!cHsk!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F6e5f5af6-a8aa-49cd-9b15-7b00ec622666_1620x1080.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!cHsk!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F6e5f5af6-a8aa-49cd-9b15-7b00ec622666_1620x1080.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!cHsk!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F6e5f5af6-a8aa-49cd-9b15-7b00ec622666_1620x1080.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image buttonBase-GK1x3M"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" class="icon-noB79L"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image buttonBase-GK1x3M"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2 icon-noB79L"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><h1><strong>Luck is an ancient idea</strong></h1><p><span>In the Northern traditions, hamingja is the inherent luck that an individual carries. It is built through self-awareness and noble deeds and is weakened by dishonour, carelessness, and evil actions. It can be inherited or lent, is strongly based on one&#8217;s family or clan, and is passed across generations. One is born with a certain hamingja and how one dies reflects what they have done with that across their life.</span></p><p><span>Similar concepts of luck are found around the world. Luck in the ancient view is built upon relationships with natural and spiritual forces, personal agency and fate, ritual, and ancestral influence. From the Roman Goddess Fortuna to the Tibetan &#3938;&#4019;&#3956;&#3908;&#3851;&#3938;&#3999;&#3851; (</span><em>lungta</em><span>, &#8216;windhorse&#8217;) and the Chinese &#36816;&#27668; (</span><em>y&#249;nqi</em><span>, &#8216;fortune&#8217;), to the many terms for luck among the Siberian, Melanesian, African, and Native American peoples, luck was never about random chance. It was always about relationship, balance and how one acts.</span></p><p><span>While it is easy for us moderns to dismiss these concepts as irrational superstition or magical thinking, we should be careful in ignoring such a widespread understanding of our ancestors that is extremely old, predating written records. Our modern mind tends to want to understand such concepts literally, and when this seems nonsensical, dismiss them. But they are mythopoetic concepts, interweaving powerful stories, primal archetypes, and deep symbolism into a creative, sacred, experiential relationship with our present. We have become so accustomed to thinking in the modern way that we remain closed to other ways of seeing. Put simply, we can consider such concepts as hamingja (and m&#230;gen) as creative tools for self-transformation.</span></p><p><span>Those with greater personal power and spiritual attunement tend to have greater hamingja. They have increased vitality and act with honour. Things tend to go their way, or if not, they have the confidence to face and surmount any obstacles. Such people are often exuberant, have high agency, and uplift those around them.</span></p><h1><strong>Hamingja is relational</strong></h1><p>Hamingja is deeply relational. It is continually shaped by how we act toward other beings (human or otherwise). Luck is realised when those beings respond by offering something beneficial&#8212;a physical gift, knowledge, protection, health, or favour. Examples include an ancestral spirit protecting a family member, a plant offering its healing properties, or a friend deciding support you after a hard day.</p><p>The realisation of hamingja has two criteria. The first is that someone gives something. The second is that the person who receives that is deserving. Where the gift is tainted, forced, or insincere, or the receiver is not deserving or ungrateful, the luck will not be pure&#8212;it will carry some kind of catch or will come at a price. The ancient cosmos works through natural laws, <span>orl&#230;g, which balances all things accordingly.</span></p><p>Those with great hamingja seem to have luck follow them wherever they go. The world bends to them. Because of their actions, they carry an aura of good influence, which others recognise and respond to more positively. Hamingja can similarly be weakened through bad relationships. If you act poorly towards another, you&#8217;re unlikely to gain their favour. And if you are filled with hatred and resentment, your &#8216;bad vibe&#8217; is not going to do you any favours among other people. And in an animistic universe, which the Northern mythos presents, the results of both positive and negative hamingja apply across many layers of relationship, including the natural elements, plants, animals, humans, and other beings (gods, goddesses, giants, wights, elves, dwarves, house spirits, water beings, etc.).</p><h1><strong>Combining power and luck</strong></h1><p><span>M&#230;gen is absolute. It is cultivated through actions aligned to reality. When you act truly and in alignment with the universe, you have the absolute power of the universe behind you. Whenever you act at odds with existence, power is diminished and things tend not to work. The key here is self-awareness&#8212;the experiential recognition of yourself as innately and uniquely part of the whole. </span><a href="https://read.wizardrysphere.com/p/meditation"><span>Meditation</span></a><span> is the best practice for self-awareness, and from this comes the capacity to act as your true self.</span></p><p><span>Hamingja is cultivated through how you act towards others. It is realised in how other beings act towards you. The power of your deeds may be enhanced or constrained by other beings in various ways. Having more power, in the sense of overpowering others, may not be the best way to achieve what you want. Mistreating others will inevitably harm your hamingja and will have broader reputational consequences, which will further diminish your hamingja. Likewise, not committing to action and instead relying on your luck, including the good will of others, to achieve an outcome is more likely to be ineffective. In such passivity, you give away your agency by not exercising your m&#230;gen.</span></p><p>When hamingja combines with m&#230;gen they increase the &#8216;gifts of the gods&#8217;&#8212;in the Northern mythos, these are &#243;&#240;r (inspiration), &#246;nd (breath), l&#225; (vital fluids), and litu go&#240;a (good hue). In large measure, these create heroic power. They empower action and provide the capacity to endure difficulties, overcome obstacles, and persist until the end. The old stories tell of the gods testing heroes, withholding something from them or deliberately making a task harder. We can see this as a metaphor for how the universe responds when you take on a large difficult goal. Rewards do not come easy, they take time, and often the difficulties are necessary to bring out the best in you. If you started a great journey and instantly without effort reached your end goal, you would not have changed and grown as a person. You would not know what you are capable of, and you would most likely not value the result. There is wisdom in the difficult ways of the universe.</p><p><span>And there is an art to cultivating m&#230;gen and hamingja, and to combining them wisely. Here, we have explored these two concepts as a basis for personal power, agency, and success. Much more could be written on them, but it is their practice that brings the real experience and understanding.</span></p><div><hr></div><p><em>A practice article on this topic is on the way. <a href="https://read.wizardrysphere.com/subscribe">Subscribe to Wizardry Sphere</a> for free, or as a paid member for full access.</em></p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!_U3E!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F020fa202-392b-4aa6-a33d-6a8585e17f52_784x1168.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!_U3E!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F020fa202-392b-4aa6-a33d-6a8585e17f52_784x1168.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!_U3E!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F020fa202-392b-4aa6-a33d-6a8585e17f52_784x1168.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!_U3E!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F020fa202-392b-4aa6-a33d-6a8585e17f52_784x1168.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!_U3E!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F020fa202-392b-4aa6-a33d-6a8585e17f52_784x1168.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!_U3E!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F020fa202-392b-4aa6-a33d-6a8585e17f52_784x1168.jpeg" width="784" height="1168" 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class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image buttonBase-GK1x3M"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" class="icon-noB79L"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image buttonBase-GK1x3M"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2 icon-noB79L"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p><strong>Disclaimer:</strong><em> Wizardry Sphere content and tools support the personal practice of developing wisdom and self-mastery through reflection and philosophical exploration. They are educational and inspirational in nature. Individual results vary and no specific outcomes are guaranteed. This material is not a substitute for professional advice.</em></p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.wizardrysphere.com/"><span>www.wizardrysphere.com</span></a> | <a href="https://wizardrysphere.com/terms/"><span>Terms and conditions</span></a> | <a href="https://wizardrysphere.com/privacy/"><span>Privacy policy</span></a></p><p>Copyright &#169; 2026 Genius Authoring Pty Ltd trading as Wizardry Sphere | ABN 85 669 120 978</p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[4 – In love with the wild]]></title><description><![CDATA[Loquilian, The Alacritous Fox &#8211; Chapter 4]]></description><link>https://read.wizardrysphere.com/p/4-in-love-with-the-wild</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://read.wizardrysphere.com/p/4-in-love-with-the-wild</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Dr Todd William Dearing]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Thu, 30 Jul 2026 09:15:19 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/5e858fd7-5532-495b-85f7-26e2e7244062_484x322.webp" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><em>Here is the next instalment of my novel </em><a href="https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/1763514536?tag=wizardryspher-22">Loquilian, The Alacritous Fox</a><em>. I will release a new chapter each week&#8212;available exclusively to paid subscribers. So, if you&#8217;re not yet a paid subscriber, upgrade below.</em></p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://read.wizardrysphere.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Upgrade to paid&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:&quot;button-wrapper&quot;}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary button-wrapper" href="https://read.wizardrysphere.com/subscribe?"><span>Upgrade to paid</span></a></p><p><em>It&#8217;s a novel about wizards and their quest for self-mastery and greater wisdom. Set in a parallel world in an earlier age, it tells of the journeys of the fox alchemist Loquilian and the two wizards who join him along the way. It&#8217;s lyrical and visionary, mixed with humour and adventure, and you can <a href="https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/1763514536?tag=wizardryspher-22">purchase a copy here</a>.</em></p><p><em>As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.</em></p><p><em>Want a sample? <a href="https://read.wizardrysphere.com/p/a-fox-on-the-road">Chapter 1</a>  is available to read for free.</em></p><div><hr></div><h4>Previous&#8212;Chapter 3, A storm to be missed</h4><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://read.wizardrysphere.com/p/3-a-storm-to-be-missed&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Read Chapter 3&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://read.wizardrysphere.com/p/3-a-storm-to-be-missed"><span>Read Chapter 3</span></a></p><p>You can also see the <a href="https://read.wizardrysphere.com/t/loquilian-the-alacritous-fox">full list of available chapters</a>.</p><div><hr></div><h1>In love with the wild</h1><h2><em>Loquilian, The Alacritous Fox</em> &#8211; Chapter 4</h2>
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