The Warriors of Light: Understanding the Pathika
A Quick Taste: What is this Blog About?
Along with building the worlds and realms of The Jar of Dreams, creating and developing the characters has been a part of the craft of writing that I have loved learning.
So much so that for two-years, I embarked on a period of method-writing, where I travelled back to their early childhood of each character, one at a time. I inhabited their mind, heart and spirit. I wanted to know and feel everything that they had experienced, their good times and their traumas. To me this intuitively felt like a way to truly understand them, to know what shapes their emotions, their psychology, their values and ultimately their character.
If you would like to know more about method writing and the lessons it taught me, let me know in the comments or via a message and I would be very happy to share more.
For now, though, back to the topic of this blog – the Pathika. In this blog you will discover a tribe that early readers of The Jar of Dreams love. The Pathika are warriors who fight for good, but they are also more than a warrior race. I hope that you enjoy discovering the inspiration behind Nahah, Mehran and these strong characters, and discovering Pathika philosophy, traditions and their culture.
The Banquet Begins Here: Discover the Pathika
How an Idea Developed into these Much-Loved Characters
Of all the characters that I have developed over the past 24 years, the Pathika are a tribe very close to my heart.
The Pathika emerged slowly, over many mornings, from a question I kept returning to. What would it look like if the most powerful people in a world were not the ones with the biggest armies or the most gold or political influence, but the ones who had cultivated a deep and powerful connection with the realms that exist beyond our logical minds, and that were able to commune with nature.
What if wisdom, real wisdom, cultivated over lifetimes, passed on from generation to generation was the most formidable force in the universe?
The Pathika are my answer to that question. They are warriors, yes. But they are also philosophers, teachers, healers and wanderers. They are, above all else, a tribe who has chosen to serve and to commit to a cause bigger than themselves, to the wellbeing of nature, of their fellow people and to the lifelong practice to find the light within them and within all people and all things.
Who are the Pathika?
The Pathika are known by the people of Vaniya as the Warriors of Light. But calling them warriors, while accurate, captures only part of what they are. The Pathika belong to a centuries-old way of being in the world that weaves together philosophy, ceremony, language, service, ecology and combat into something that is greater than the sum of its parts.
The Path to Becoming a Pathika
The journey toward becoming a Pathika begins in childhood, and it is a rigorous, lifelong commitment.
A potential Pathika is identified early in life by an Ankhuur, a Pathika elder or teacher. The Ankhuur becomes the young person's guide, preparing them for the first great milestone on their path, their Hamisi.
Hamisi is the Pathika coming-of-age ceremony, typically occurring around the age of fourteen, though the Ankhuur will not set the date until they are certain the student is ready. The Ankhuur observes their student, patiently waiting for the moment that the student reveals their readiness. For some students, this moment never arrives. Becoming a Pathika is never guaranteed.
After their Hamisi, the student becomes a Nah-ku: a Pathika initiate. Their Ankhuur continues to teach them Pathika philosophy and the practices that deepen their connection with Mother Elsaru (their Mother planet) and with Mah’rai (the light that exists in all people and all things).
What comes next is the Sarung: the initiation ceremony that determines whether a Nah-ku will become a fully-fledged Pathika. I will not spoil what the Sarung involves. I will say only that it is not passed by everyone who attempts it, and that those who pass it are changed by it in ways you cannot imagine before experiencing this transformative rite of passage.
Pathika who pass the Sarung receive their Wahagani, arrow-shaped scarring on the back of their hands. A permanent mark of their commitment. Then they take the Oath of Chetahnu, a lifelong promise to fight for good, to protect nature and to work against Uhrtax (the dark energy of the universe) in all its forms.
The Yahaqra: Going Where the Darkness Is
The first act of every new Pathika is a Yahaqra, a mission to liberate a community that has fallen under the influence of Uhrtax. Service to others and to Mah’rai is a deep commitment, woven into the fabric of a Pathika's life for as long as they live.
When Pathika arrive in a place that has fallen into darkness, they fight the forces of Uhrtax until the community are liberated. With the battle won, Pathika do not move on. They know that Fear, the dark poison of Uhrtax hides in the recesses of the mind and that a people who have lived under the spell of Uhrtax are not truly liberated until the Fear is banished from their community. As a central tenet of a Yahaqra, Pathika remain to help restore balance and unity in places where greed and division have poisoned the minds of people. This takes far longer than simply winning in combat, and the training each Pathika receives in the Sarung is fundamental to their ability to bring light back into the places that have fallen under the shadow of Uhrtax and Malazhiim, the devourer of dreams.
During the Age of Dahara, Pathika were many and they would embed themselves in communities, even where there was no darkness, teaching, sharing, guiding. This is why even now, in the Age of Tzan, many people across the Lands of Vaniya still understand some Pathika language and traditions.
The seeds planted by generations of Pathika continue to bloom, quietly and stubbornly, even in these darkest times.
The Philosophy that makes Pathika Formidable
The great secret of the Pathika, and I think it is a secret that applies as much to our world as to Vaniya, is that their power comes from their inner strength and deep, clear connection to the voice of their intuition.
Here is a taste for Pathika language, philosophy and practice. Drop me a message if you would like to know more
Lohkut [low-khoot]: is a Pathika meditation practice. Simple to learn, but profoundly transformative over years of committed practice. It is about stilling the business of the mind and reconnecting with nature and the spirit that is alive in all things. In a world drowning in noise, distraction and negativity, whether that world is the Age of Tzan or our own, the Pathika insist that stillness is not passive. Stillness is a form of resistance.
Nusuun [noo-suhn]: is an ancient practice of communing directly with creatures, plants, rocks, the wind and all of nature. I think of it as a form of radical, disciplined attention, the kind of listening that we all have the ability to do, but that most of us have forgotten.
Gathu [gah-tooh]: the ability to communicate without speaking. Once taught to all children by their grandparents and elders before the Age of Tzan, when logic and rational thinking narrowed peoples’ minds. The Pathika maintain the art of Gathu, and teach those that are open to it, to quieten their minds and access the language that travels through stillness.
That, to me, is one of the most quietly radical ideas that is threaded into the epic quests of The Dream Chronicles. The extraordinary is available to everyone. We simply have to allow ourselves to remember, by moving from a state of distraction into being present.
Safut [sah-foot]: is the practice of taking only what you need and nothing more. Once widely observed across Vaniya, it has nearly disappeared in the Age of Tzan. But a handful of families, communities and wandering Pathika still practise it, holding the flame.
Duyun [doo-yoon]: is the Pathika tradition of finding new purpose for old things. In today’s world, we might call it upcycling. The Pathika call it a philosophy, a recognition that nothing is truly finished. That what seems worn out or obsolete can be transformed into something valuable again. It was embraced warmly by many cultures during the Age of Dahara. I hope it is a philosophy we can bring closer to the centre of our way of daily being.
Tehpalpu [theh-pahl-pooh] is the Pathika belief that the spirit of a person's ancestor is passed on from generation to generation. You are not just yourself. You carry your lineage within you. Every Pathika who came before you, walks alongside you.
A Culture That Refuses to Die
By the time of the Age of Tzan, the Pathika have suffered devastating losses. The Great Wars reduced their numbers. Many communities they protected were destroyed. The world they fought to preserve was fundamentally reshaped by forces of Malazhiim’s darkness and the greed of the Khans.
And yet they persist.
Because the Way of the Pathika is not just a set of skills or a military tradition. It is a constant cycle of learning and growth, of life and rebirth. One that is bigger than the self, one that connects the material with the spiritual.
I hope that you enjoy discovering the Pathika. If you ever have any questions, or if you would like to hear more about any aspect of The Jar of Dreams, drop me a message. I love sharing these worlds that I have lived in for the last 24 years.
Next up: Sacred Spaces: Some of the Most Extraordinary Locations in The Jar of Dreams
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