alyssum – Longest Night Midwinter Masque

Video: A Quiet Moment – Cyrille nó Alyssum writes to a lover

(click image to open video)

My dearest Amelie,

You do not know how much your letter warmed my heart and brought joy to these chilly nights. There is much happening in the Court and amongst us flowers but you will have heard all the gossip by now and you know I am not one to share other’s secrets but do know I have heard most of the current whispers as always. What you will not have heard about is my health. I am unwell and we do not yet know the cause so you do not need to worry about something too well known. Most days I am alright and am able to maintain my duties and loves as I wish and on the days I am not my darling Amarante steps in and helps care for me. I could not ask for a better Second. The rest of my news can keep until I see you on the Longest Night but I do beg of you that you keep me in your prayers to Eisheth.

With all my heart,

Cyrille nó Alyssum

What is Alyssum?

Sweet Alyssum plant
Alyssum or Alisons (Lobularia maritima syn. Alyssum maritimum)

House Alyssum :: With Eyes Averted

Alyssum is one of the most difficult to reconcile Houses in The Court of Night-Blooming Flowers. Modesty? With Eyes Averted? How do these co-exist in a world that places such high value on Love As Thou Will?

If you follow Imriel’s line of thinking, Alyssum lies in the same area as Valerian only instead of physical discomfort, Alyssum provides shame to its patrons.

I’d like to offer another way of looking at it, taken from the ideas of modesty and the characteristics of the plant as well as it’s meaning and the lore of Terre d’Ange.

Modesty isn’t an inherently negative thing, it is often based in the desire to keep things away from people that will not appreciate them as they deserve. In this way, Alyssum is the same; you go to Alyssum for what is kept hidden from the eyes of the undeserving.

House Alyssum is approached via a drive lined with cypress trees; cypress trees are revered in many traditions for their upright growth and their resistance to fire. What shame can survive a fire? Rather than shame, a knowledge of one’s own value is what survives, particularly if we are to assume that the Adepts of Alyssum are consenting in their trysts.

The Alyssum plant itself is incredibly hardy, surviving drought and flood when other perennial plants do not. This is not a plant that symbolizes weakness or susceptibility to outside influence.

An Adept that displays the virtues of House Alyssum is not an Adept that is weak as many assume modesty to imply. The Adept Imriel sees isn’t shamed by her desires or his, she isn’t uncertain. To me, this is a House of hidden strength, a House of Adepts that, though they may blush to speak what they wish, know what they desire. They know themselves in a way we all can aspire to.

The Quiet, Private Love of House Alyssum

Alyssum is the house of modesty, a surprising trait in a society that doesn’t shame love. But for some love is quiet, private. We value the quiet intimacy of love and we honor Naamah in keeping that privacy. “Love as thou wilt,” means that we make room for all types of people and love is not only the bold and brash lover singing their heart out to the person of their affection. It’s also seen the rose blushes on cheeks and the whisper of veils and the soft sound of lovers in the dark. Alyssum doesn’t shout it’s joys from the rooftops rather cherishes them in their hearts. In Alyssum house we were taught that when Naamah went to the King of Persis, whom she lay with to secure Blessed Elua’s freedom, that she trembled to lay aside her modesty. alyssum flower To offer something so personal is no easy task and because of it, her sacrifice on Elua’s behalf is honored in our efforts to mimic and value that modesty. Just as the other houses offer her worship through their choices so do we in our own way.

Some see shame in modesty. Shame of our bodies that we try to hide them, shame of sex and sexuality that we whisper our desires. But modesty does not need to be derived from a sense that something is wrong so much that something is valuable. We view our bodies and the things we do with them as special in much the same way that all of Terre d’Ange does. However we view them as gifts that are reserved for the right time and place and person, shyly shared and privately enjoyed. Closed doors and covered bodies do not ruin the joy in the experience. We want our lovers to come away from the encounter just as fulfilled and pleased as others.

Those who choose to visit Alyssum house come seeking these treasures like a gift wrapped in silk and bows. Some choose to keep their encounters and tastes and loves to themselves not for shame of them but because it is something personal for them. Privacy is something to be respected as much as any other aspect of consent. Some enjoy the blushes and embarrassment of the modest exposed. They come to admire and love those with shy smiles and averted eyes. Finding the erotic teasing of skin hidden behind veils and desires revealed in whispered confessions is an allure for others. Alyssum offers muffled giggles and quiet sighs that do not need to be shared with anyone else. There is beauty in the shared private intimacy that is different than the love that is spoken of freely. Different but no less or more valuable.

~Cyrille nó Alyssum

Dowayne