Kerrin Gaile

The seasons are changing as we watch trees that once flourished in the green of life now wear the colors of fall. They, along with other plant life, are becoming dormant.

Is there a season for faith? Has our once vibrant life of faith fallen into a state of dormancy?

Dormant: lying asleep; inactive; latent but capable of life and normal growth under proper conditions; capable of being active.

The Word of the Gods make it clear that faith is not to be dormant and asleep, but active and growing. Faith always hammers away. It is not to be dormant. Faith never listens to the voice of human reason. Do you have the God-given faith to stand against the prevailing winds of our time?

Our faith victory in this life is not geared to what we believe or think, but upon what the Gods have said to do in their Words. Don't debate it! Believe it and do it by faith! Where is your faith? When we are captured by the truth of just how big our Gods are, faith begins to grow and develop. Faith is an all season product of walking with your God.

A short parable... This farmer has a mule. And he has two loads that need to go into town. Now, he's really fond of his mule and wouldn't want anything bad to happen to it. So he says to the mule, "Mule, I want you to carry the bigger of those two loads," and he points to this enormous burlap sack. But the mule isn't having any of it. He refuses to carry the enormous burlap sack and will only let the farmer put the smaller burlap sack on his back.

The smaller burlap sack is full of bricks, and the mule dies of heat exhaustion on the way to town, while the farmer takes the larger burlap sack that was full of feathers by wagon. The farmer was just looking out for the mule's best interests. The mule just thought the farmer wanted him to carry this ridiculous load. It wasn't ridiculous it turns out, because it was only feathers.

The mule didn't know as much as the farmer. He didn't know there were only feathers in that big sack. He thought it would make more sense to carry the smaller sack. He didn't have faith that the farmer was doing what was best for him.

So, my fellow mortals, let's not let ourselves become like this poor mule, but let us have faith in our Gods though they sometimes seem to burden us with inexplicable tasks. He, in our hearts of sin and woe makes living streams of grace arise, which into boundless glory flow.

A raindrop hit the ground but there was nothing immediately above me so it must have fallen from high above. To think of what it has seen on the way down...what it has felt. The wind caressing its surface on the way down. Moving through the thick cotton of the skies. The warmth of the sun. Watching the earth where it was going to land in all its splendour...flowers, trees, oceans, and bees.

Ever since it rolled off the finger of its mighty creator 'til it landed and became one with the rich soil beneath my feet it has been witness to the marvel that surrounds us. The symbiotic world.

The raindrop sank deep into the ground, found a root and slowly began climbing up the root again thereby giving life to a plant. The plant was visited by a bee that buzzed home and helped the hive produce honey that was later consumed by a child that had fallen ill. The child went and sat in a tree where it spoke to a bird that accidentally bumped a leaf so it fell to the ground nurturing it for another year of planting.

The reason we are here today is to celebrate the combined forces of Silvanus and Erosia and the outcome. Today we harvest what they made possible for the farmers to plant in the spring and therefore we should show our appreciation and thanks to them as they ensure our very existance. This food we eat and the drinks we drink are a gift from Silvanus and Erosia. They are a part of a cycle, just as we are a part of the very same cycle, and just as is the raindrop.

The tree of existence has its roots deepdown in the kingdoms of life! Its trunk reaches up heaven high, spreads its boughs over the whole Universe. At the foot of it, sits the Past, Present and Future! Watering its roots from the Sacred Well, Its "boughs", with their buddings and disleafings, events, things suffered, things done, catastrophes, stretch through all lands and times.

Is not every leaf of it a biography, every fiber there an act or word?

Its boughs are the Histories of Nations. The rustle of it is the noise of Human Existence, onwards from of old ... I find no similitude so true as this of a Tree.

The sacred tree, the sacred stone are not adored as stone or tree; they are worshipped precisely because they are hierophanies, because they show something that is no longer stone or tree but sacred, or wholly other.

We have nothing to fear and a great deal to learn from trees, that vigorous and forest tribe which without stint produces strengthening essences for us, soothing balms, and in whose gracious company we spend so many cool, silent and intimate hours.

A few minutes ago every tree was excited, bowing to the roaring storm, waving, swirling, tossing their branches in glorious enthusiasm like worship. But though to the outer ear these trees are now silent, their songs never cease.

These stout members of the vegetable kingdom may stand for as long as a thousand years, and tower far above our mortal heads. As such they are symbols and keepers of unlimited power, longevity, and timelessness

An untouched forest, studded with trees of all ages, sizes and types, is more than a mysterious, magical place. It is one of the energy reservoirs of nature. Within its boundaries stand ancient and new sentinels, guardians of the universal force which has manifested on the Earth.

When you enter a grove peopled with ancient trees, higher than the ordinary, and shutting out the sky with their thickly inter-twined branches, do not the stately shadows of the wood, the stillness of the place, and the majesty of it all then strike you with the presence of a deity?

Generations of animals, oppression, recovery, friendship of sun and wind, will pour forth each day in the song of its rustling foliage, in the friendly gesture of its gently swaying crown, in the delicate sweet scent of resinous sap moistening the sleep-glued buds, and the eternal game of lights and shadows it plays with itself, content.

Every hidden cell is throbbing with music and life, every fiber thrilling like harp strings, while incense is ever flowing from the balsam bells and leaves. No wonder the hills and groves were once Silvanus's first temple!

Being thus prepared for us in all ways, and made beautiful, and good for food, and for building, and for instruments of our hands, this race of plants, deserving boundless affection and admiration from us!

The tree which moves some to tears of joy is in the eyes of others only a green thing that stands in the way. Some see Nature all ridicule and deformity, and some scarce see Nature at all. But to the eyes of the man of imagination, Nature is Imagination itself.

Let loggers be druids specially trained and rewarded to sacrifice trees at auspicious times! Let carpenters be master artisans! Let lumber be treasured like gold! Let soldiers on maneuvers plant trees! Give justicars and criminals a shovel and a thousand seedlings! Let business owners carry pocketfuls of acorns!

Alone with myself... The trees bend to caress me... The shade hugs my heart...

Following the deities is not a easy task. One must not only appease their chosen god, but they must search for a way to appease the Aether. I bring this point up for one reason: whenever a mortal has a important task, they are faced with temptation, also known as vice. A vice is a feeling, or object that makes you act completely differently then you normally would.

I would like to focus on the worst of all vices.....Greed. Man is taught at a early age that material possessions mean more then anything else in the world. The more you have the richer you are. But what is this theory when you really break it down? Greed. What are material items really though?

Besides a way to show how prosperous you are. The truth about material items, and their value is all in the minds of man. If man did not give them value, would we covet them so? So man goes out in search of more wealth, by what ever means necessary. Meaning they will lie, cheat and steal if they need to, to get ahead. This ideal has a very serious impact on nature. This is best explained in a story:

There were two hunters, they both lived on the same mountain, one on the left face of the mountain, the other on the right. For years they were isolated from civilization and had no knowledge of what society considers riches. The hunter on the left face of the mountain encountered a group of merchants and they taught him of material wealth. He embraced the concept and told them to come back to him the following season, so he could barter with them.

The same caravan went to the other side of the mountain and the hunter there turned them away, telling them nature had always provided all that he needed. The season came and went and the hunter on the right only took what he needed from the land. Provided and cared for nature when it needed help and generally continued living as he always had. The hunter on the left face of the mountain became obsessed with hunting, and gathering as many skins as he could before the caravan came back.

This went on for five years, the hunter on the right changed very little, and his land continued to prosper and provide for him, as he did for it. The hunter on the left face had become very rich. Had many coffers filled with gold and silver, but he began to notice that his hunts were becoming harder. Game was scarce and the land was dying.

As time went, his land became worse, and he had to spend all of his wealth to survive. The hunter on the right face, however had continued to live from nature, and his life was as prosperous as ever. When winter came, the left face hunter was hungry, broke, and his land was dead. He passed away that same winter. The desire for these possessions killed the land, AND the man who wanted them so badly.

What do we learn from this though? This should give everyone a understanding of what greed can cause and it should teach us this very important fact. Man is not above nature. We do not own it, we do not control it. Man is one with nature, equals. If man can not learn this simple fact, they are on the road to share the same fate as the hunter on the left face of the mountain. This will conclude my interpretations of the Scriptures and the Word of Silvanus, as they pertain to mortal vices and the destruction of nature.

Some of our greatest lessons can come when we observe the ebb and flow of the world around us. Through the study of the glorious natural realm, we can learn how to live our lives in harmony. When looking at nature closely, we can see the importance of balance to the vitality of the world around us.

Balance is greatly important in nature. There are many forces that in extreme create disaster but in harmony with each other the natural realm flourishes. Two such forces are light and darkness. Plants need the rays of sunlight to grow. With a healthy amount of sunlight, they flourish. But if plants are given too much light, they shrivel and die. The light robs them of vital moisture and its constant rays sear the precious vegetation. It is in the coolness of darkness that plants get a chance to rest and restore themselves.

But in absolute darkness plants to do not grow and can not survive. In our realm where there is a perfect balance of both sunlight and darkness, the jungles, meadows, plains, and forests are invigorated. There is a wonderful diversity present in the natural world that is important to the health of all creatures.

The continued existence of one form of life can be important to many other life forms. By observing a simple cycle, we can see how the disruption of one link can cause the weakening of other links and perhaps even the destruction of the whole chain. The favorite food of the woodland bunny is the wild clover. In turn, the red-tailed fox's diet consists primarily of woodland bunny. The fierce grizzly bear hunts the red tailed fox. If a blight were to come upon the wild clover, many woodland bunnies would die of starvation. As there were less woodland bunnies, the population of red-tailed foxes would diminish, and the grizzly bear would suffer as well.

Just as the natural world is dependent on diversity for survival, so is mortal kind dependent on each other for our own well being. There is a wonderful variety of sentient beings in our realm who follow different ethical paths. The woodland creatures that I described though they may appear to be foes are still dependent on each other for survival. We are not unlike these woodland creatures, though our interdependence is different.

Some mortals walk in darkness, others in the light, and many have embraced the middle path. Despite our differences or how much we may be repelled by those who are unlike us, without the existence of all paths none would exist. If either evil or goodness were destroyed, all would perish. The very fabric of the Aether which is composed of all dualities, would unravel. It is only in sublime balance that our realm survives and thrives. When all forces are in perfect balance, our world is truly divine.

We should all be unendingly grateful to the Deities who have devoted their divine existence to protecting the Balance ... Silvanus who watches over the balance of nature and ensures the existence of the living beauty around us, and Bilanx who watches over the Great Balance of our realm and ensures the existence of all. We should pay homage to all the other Deities that have embraced Neutrality and by so doing help to ensure the Balance and the survival of our realm....Belphegore, Calypso, Chronos, Loviatar, Mortis, and Tempest. I am continually awed that the Deities with such power and gloriousness would grant us with such protection and provide us with so many blessings. May we all see the wisdom that is the Great Balance! May we never forget to lift our voices to praise the holiness that is the Gods!

I come here today to speak to you about the stewardship of a home. A very Herastian concept... but I wish to share it with you in light of certain concerns a Silvanite might have. And perhaps, in doing so, reveal a new way of growth and a model for us all... Herastian, Silvanite, or any ANYONE.

What is a steward?

A steward is one who is placed in charge of a household, often a servant. He himself owns nothing. Yet, all the goods and possessions of his boss are entrusted to his hands to care for and to use to the best possible advantage. The coin, the possessions, the other servants, even the children of his lord were given to him to rule over them as he would do to his own. Yet they were not his own. He is to be faithful, committed to his lord, unswerving in his loyalty. And he is to be resourceful, cunning, quick of mind to see his lord's best interests and to accomplish that best interest.

We are stewards in this life. That is the fact that has to sink down into our souls.

There is nothing insignificant. There is nothing of which you can say, "Well, it doesn't really matter." There is no talent you possess, no time that you have, no possession that you have which is something that you may squander. You may not slouch or slack. You may not have the thought that it does not matter what you do with those talents of mind, coin, children, goods, clothes, whatever it may be.

Why must we do these things? To build big, fancy homes? To impress our neighbors with our power and our riches? To glory in our inventions and take pride in our ability to bend things to our will?

No. This is why. Because we are stewards of the things, time, talents of the Aether.

Mortals wield so much power over the Aether's creations. Do we know what we are doing? Rest assured, we shall be held accountable for how we use it. For these riches are not ours... they have simply been entrusted to our care, as stewards.

We have not been commanded to have dominion over the earth and to rule and subdue it. Mortals cannot continue to survive without a healthy realm. We must act to preserve the natural world in order to assure the future of our children.

Invention is wondrous. As technology increases, we are able to improve our crop production and our harvesting techniques, our homes grow larger and more elaborate... but we must pay heed. This view is ultimately destructive if we do not remember that there are OTHER homes around us, housing plants, animals and other mortals. Our advance should not obliterate the other homes around us.

In its proper sense, the mortal role is that of a steward or a caretaker, not a reckless exploiter. We are not sovereign over the other orders of creation. Ownership is in the hands of the Aether. So, in honoring Herastia and trying to build warm, stable homes, we are ever mindful of the world around us... home to many other beings.

We cultivate and keep the garden, and we may certainly use nature for our benefit, but we may only use to the overall benefit of the Aether. An effective steward understands that which he oversees, and research can help us discover the intricacies of nature. Our inventions and advances might improve our quality of life, but if we are not mindful of the impact of our activities, it can yield unnecessary waste and damage the land we live on.

As our homes slowly advance into the Ironwoods, into the base of the Dragonspine... even into the great swamplands to the north... I ask you to remember that a Herastian home aims always to be stable. And stablity is not achieved by wrestling the land out of it's natural form simply to serve our will. We are stewards, caretakers... not the ultimate OWNERS of the Aether's creations.

When building your homes, use caution and move slowly. Greed and haste lead to the deterioration of the environment. While it might be faster and easier to cut down all the trees that are growing on the site of your home, this is not the way. Even if the uprooted trees are replaced with saplings once the house is built, the loss of the mature trees enhances erosion, providing shade and a wind-break, and produces a scar that heals slowly if at all.

Building around the trees, while more expensive and time-consuming, minimizes the destructive impact of mortals on the Aether's creation. Just as Herastia and Silvanus exist above, we should find a stable arrangement below.

Herastians will learn to treat nature as having value in itself, and we must be careful to exercise growth without being destructive. And, in doing so, we can extend our creative energies and the results of our inspiration to the Silvanite community, to promote new ways of living that use our resources wisely.

Herastians of all people should not be destroyers. We may cut down a tree to build a house or to make a fire, but not just to cut it down. We have the right to rid our house of ants, but we should not forget to honor the ant in its right habitat.

When the church puts belief into practice, our sense of beauty and connection to the bigger "home" under the Aether is restored.

As the Aether keeps and sustains us, so must we keep and sustain the Aether's creation.

We must provide for creation's rests. All things need a period of rest. Let your fields lie fallow every few years, just as you retire to your home to sit by the fire and enjoy your spare time. Much as you regain creative energies in this rest time with your families, so does the land when we give it a break from the till.

Silvanus touches our lives every day. Not a minute goes by where He has not helped us to some degree. From the water we drink, to the sirloins that weigh down our pouch, Silvanus' tedious work at ensuring the delicate balance of nature ensures our daily survival.

Lord Silvanus presides over Nature, Weather, and the Sea, three things which we call upon daily in our lives. Silvanus' rule over the ocean is well known to many of us, especially those who travel overseas to Thrace and Qetesh. We are very blessed for all the safe travels we have had on the Brigantine, the Sloop, and the Cutter. If it were not for the dedicated work of Silvanites and the blessings of Silvanus, who knows what horrible accidents could take place on such trips.

I'm not sure if you are all aware of the great things He does for us, but His ever tedious work is evident in every breath we take. I know many Sableans, myself included, love to fish in the ocean, whether from the docks or on a charter boat, which is evident by the yearly competitions derived from the most popular pastime. Each and every fish that Sableans catch is a gift from Silvanus, and should be treated as such. Whether it is caught that you or I may eat them, or that we might give them to those less able, that they too might benefit from the bounties of the ocean.

He is also overseer of the weather, bringing the rains to quaff natures thirst, and the clouds, that the land does not bake under the sun. If the clouds did not come, or the rain did not fall, the land would surely dry and crack, and nothing would be able to grow. All life depends on these rains, and on the fields and forests it falls upon. That is where we derive our food.

I can see by your gear and clothing that many of you are hunters, or fighters, whichever the case may be. That you venture into the wilds to challenge the strongest of nature to fight to the death; either in proof of your personal strength and bravery, or to provide food and clothing for yourself. I would like to charge you all with a duty, perhaps even a challenge. I charge you all to help in the survial of all specie of animal for years to come, indefinately, as long as mortals may walk these lands. That you not challenge all creatures you come upon, and to leave be some of each specie you hunt.

If all the people of Sable were to go and challenge all the rabbits, surely we would eventually kill them all, and there would be no rabbits to take their place. Thus the balance would be upset, and it would cause drastic changes in the food chain, and the environment, the like of which we could never recover from. If even once piece of the circle is missing, it cannot continue to flow, and the delicate balance of nature would be upset eternally.

Why do we speak vows?

When we commmit ourselves to something we do it to serve a cause greater than ourselves. Religiously, we prepare and research a path towards a divine ideal. Through friendship and the vow of the bloodoath we create bonds. Bonds that strengthen.

We give in order to receive.

We do these things for many reasons. One is the desire to show our worth through will. We do it to seek that which fullfills us, makes us whole. Perhaps even for inner peace. And we do it to show who we are. We shout to the realm and the heavens "THIS IS ME. THIS IS WHO I AM."

We commit vows to seal the unspoken promise.

The vow we make when we marry someone is of great importance. Not only because we commit ourselves to another mortal but also because we ask for a divine blessing. We ask that the Aether itself give its acceptance of a mortal union. We ask for a gift. Pure and flawless in its ideal...and we ask it from the AETHER itself.

There is no higher ideal to seek. There is no higher ideal to make a commitment to. Therefore we have a responsibility to show the greatest respect and treat that vow with the utmost humility.

The ideal marriage is a Journey. As silvanites we bless this union with the acorn, the water, the root and the staff. These blessings express the ideal of what we hold sacred in the silvanite marriage.

The acorn holds the promise of Growth. The ideal of growth is the first of the three cornerstones in any silvanite marriage. Growth ensures strength and fertility...survival. Growth is a nescessity for the continuance of the cycle.

The water holds the promise of Nurturing. The ideal of Nurturing is the second of the three cornerstones in any silvanite marriage. Nurturing is nescessary to survive. Nurturing ensures growth. Nurturing is giving and receiving between two beings who have chosen to complete each other.

The root holds the promise of Symbioses. The ideal of Symbioses is the third of the three cornerstones in any silvanite marriage. Giving all the energy within one self to the other, allowing the other to feed from you...and standing upon the rock the other becomes for you, giving you strength.

The staff holds the promise of the Journey. The ideal Journey contains the three cornerstones. The Journey is for two. We Journey on a path that leads us through valleys, over mountains, through deserts and across lush meadows. Taking the Journey requires that we support each other, share our strength and become each other's guides.

Growth, Nurture and Symbioses are the three cornerstones that ensure the Journey that is the silvanite marriage. To a silvanite a marriage is not true unless these three cornerstones are visible...and a marriage is not a marriage unless it is a Journey.

The union between two people is like the union between water and the seed.

Together they have the ability to create something more grand that either could have created alone. They reach a symbiotic stage.

We chose to grow together, to nourish each other and take the journey towards this stage together. The path is long and can be hard at times but when obstacles are overcome together the bounty will be worth it. Together we have chosen to be one. We will be symbionts.

To begin with I would like to tell you about what inspired this sermon. In the past few years I have been travelling a lot to distant parts of the realm. The journeys have had one purpose, namely to help me define myself.

Call it a personal crisis or soulsearhing, I had an urge to find me and the specific path within the scriptures of Silvanus that I wanted to follow... the path within the path.

The scriptures of the deities show us their path. But within these scriptures lie many small paths, ways to reflect upon that specific deity and ways that explain that deity. A path I found was the relationship between the hunter and the prey in the natural world and the hunter/gatherers place within the natural cycle.

That I wanted to follow this path became clear to me after I had spent several months following a wolf across the lands and watch its gracious dance within the natural cycle. It became clear to me that the wolf ensured its existance by keeping its place within the cycle. And by keeping that place it also kept the balance in the realm around it.

Then one night while resting in a tree I had a dream. And it is that dream that inspired this sermon.

My heartbeat, my breath, the smell of the forest. The wind is in my hair, my hands are sweaty. I look at them, my club and shield, and as I look up at the sky through the leaves a feeling overcomes me. Rattling leaves, tickling grass, my senses on fire.

I am a hunter. Unlimited breath. A heartbeat that never comes to rest. I hunt for food, for survival, I hunt to keep the balance...within me and around me.

I see footprints before me in the soil. My heart a drum pounding the rhytm to a dance. A dance of the hunter and its prey. I enter the dance, adjust my moves to those of my prey. Gracefully, slow, fast. My prey emits a snarl of acceptance as we begin. There is no hate or pain. We both acknowledge the nescessity of this battle. We are hungry, we hunt to survive and must continue to do so....until we cannot survive any longer. Until it is our time to return to the soil and ensure the balance of the cycle.

Slowly we move towards each other, my senses on fire, my soul alive. And as the wolf attacks me I feel its energy, its peace. It is a part of the cycle and so am I. Everything is clear, time not important. Only the adversary in front of me as the dance slows down and is suddenly brought to a halt.

And as I stand over the corpse of my prey I offer a prayer to the wilds, my blood mixed with that of the wolf. I am a hunter. Unlimited breath. I am a heartbeat that never comes to rest. I am a part of the cycle.

The hunt continues into distant lands...hours and days, weeks and years. My body tired, my soul alive. The cycle renewing itself, forming the picture of a wheel ever continuing.

I find a footprint of an animal I haven't seen before and suddenly the feeling is there again, the blood pumping, my senses on fire. I follow the track for a while untill another feeling overcomes me. The feeling of being watched. I stop, my senses on fire, pine needles tickling my feet.

A chirping bird stops abruptly. I hear heavy breathing behind me. And as I turn towards the huge black bear it becomes clear to me that it has been stalking me for days. There is no joy, no fear, no anger. Just a universal feeling of being a tiny part of an enormous whole. And as the bear lunges towards me and darkness creeps over me I sigh with satisfaction. Now I am the prey. I am the hunted...new moves to an ancient dance, my heart still pounding. It is my turn to give myself to the cycle and for the cycle to complete itself.

And that was the dream.

Within nature there is a cycle. This cycle is like a thread connecting all and everything that is natural within it. Everything is affected, everything is touched. From the lumbering bear to the bird singing in the tree there is a close connection. Neither will survive if they step out of the cycle. The bear knows that if he clears the river of fish for his own benefit he will eventually starve to death because they will rot away before he can eat them all and the river will not be filled up in time for him to survive.

The life of the hunter/gatherer is one that demands great understanding and responsibility. The hunter understands that in order to survive he must keep a perfect balance...a balance within him and around him.

Looking at himself he must come to the understanding that life is as important as death, no more no less. All things wither and die only to enter the natural cycle and be born anew, perhaps in the same form, perhaps as a part of something else. Another thing he must accept is his own place in the cycle. He himself is not above anything in nature, nor is he below it. Granted he might have a certain place in the food chain...but as such he holds the same importance as the carrot in the earth. And therein lies the demand for understanding. He must see himself as nescessity to the cycle both in terms of taking and giving.

Regarding what is around him the demands for responsibility are great. Nature is powerful but the balance within it can easily be upset. Hunting a species to extinction can result in the overpopulation of another species. That might kill the plant life, and the absence of plant life would result in the death of other species.

All actions have a consequence...we know that. No matter if it is a religious matter of if it is on a daily basis. Some try and escape those consequences, some are just not mindful of them, but some live their life by them. The hunterer/gatherer must be mindful of the consequences of his actions at all times. He has chosen to be a part of a cycle and has accepted to live his life in this cycle. That means he must embrace the meaning of the cycle. When he hunts he must beware not to endanger a species, he must be mindful of the animals that are sick. Not to try and protect them but to let nature take its course.

All parts of the natural realm fall under Silvanus' dominion. In ancient myths it has been told how He himself has come down to right things that have been wronged by mortals but mostly balance is restored through the powers of nature. Storms and such are a way of cleansing a natural habitat that has fallen out of balance. But as we all know prevention is better than curing and that is one of the most important tasks of the hunter/gatherer.

The hunter at his best serves as a vessel of Silvanus. He helps monitoring a natural habitat and makes sure that everything is in place. He is mindful that his house does not interfere with nature, that it is not built at the expense of it. He takes no more than he needs and gives the same back to nature.

He hunts animals to provide food and clothes for himself and his loved ones. He hunts with the wolf as well as the mouse because within their ways wisdom can be found. The wolf teaches him to read the prints in the forest and the mouse shows him how to preserve fruit for the winter.

He does all this because he knows it will ensure his existance. And he does only this because he knows that both too much and too little will ensure his destruction. He has deliberately chosen to live not at the expense of nature but as a symbiont entity...a part of nature. Unlimited breath. A heartbeat that never comes to rest.