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BY ALEEN
Prophetess of White Wind
Prophecy is a strange sort of gift. It is bestowed in unequal measure—some contain within them a greater gift of prophecy than others. Some can see whole years beyond the current moment, while some can only see a day or two beyond. Some see in clear pictures. Some see with a haze over the picture.
Some of the minor prophets in the land can only see something a moment before it happens and can only hope that their course of action or interference will do some good in the world.
It is not guaranteed that all who choose to become prophets will become prophets. Only those with the most powerful gifts of magic are given the gift of prophecy, and even powerful magic is not guarantee. Prophecy, you see, is quite powerful and has a mind of its own.
It is not a gift that can be easily carried but must be weighed and used for the good of the land as a whole. Not all people need to know the future, but when some do, it is the prophets’ responsibility to tell them. This is not always easy, but it is required of a prophet. So a prophet, more than anything else, must be judicious and discerning.
With shifting visions, difficult decisions, and the weight that can come from knowing something that others do not know, there is a delicate art to mastering prophecy.
Here are my best tips:
1. Do not force it.
There is not a gift on earth that can be forced into being. Some are simply not given the gift, even after they choose to become a prophet. It is not worthwhile to force yourself to see the future. Some parents believe that their children must have this gift and so will painstakingly prepare them for it right along with their regular education. At least, this is how prophecy worked in the old days, before magic became something suspicious in the minds of the people.
A gift of prophecy can never be forced. It can only be channeled.
2. Use your gift always for good.
This is one of the sacred rules surrounding prophecy, but it is not always clear what “good” means. Good means different things to different people. For example, is it good to use your gift of prophecy to save someone you love? Is it good to use your gift of prophecy to further the advance of dark magic if you have Seen the light win in the end? Is it good to use your gift of prophecy to gift another sorceress with your entire store of dark magic so that she might save the realm—or not?
The shifting winds of good must be weighed carefully in the mind and heart of every prophet.
3. Be as unaffected by what you have seen as you possibly can be.
I admit that this can be one of the most difficult parts of being a prophet. Sometimes a prophet will see death and destruction, and it is difficult not to give in to fear and weeping and the nearly uncontrollable urge to change it all for the better. Sometimes what you see is so wonderful that you cannot help but tell those to whom good things are coming, but this is not always best, either. How significantly is joy diminished by knowing that something is coming before it comes?
4. Do not worry about what other people think.
As a prophet, you will be called many untrue things. You will be called mad, which is the gentlest of the people’s bellicose names. You will also be called traitor, liar, dark sorcerer, and you must not let any of these sway your decision to share your Vision. A prophet must be brave at all costs.
Not only this, but prophets have some strange tendencies. For example, when receiving a Vision, a prophet’s eyes will glaze over and appear completely empty, as though no one is home. Sometimes a prophet is shaken physically by a Vision, and limbs will do whatever limbs will do. Sometimes a prophet will be unable to control what comes from her mouth, often chanting for hours on end. Do not concern yourself with what others think of you. You are called to something greater.
Prophecy, as you can see, is not for the faint of heart. It is a gift that must be received and held with great care.
And if you should find yourself a prophet, welcome to the fold.