The Five Elements

Sy'Arrian Legacy

Jun 23

When I first began this blog in 2017, which has subsequently morphed into a website, one of my beginning posts spoke to how I settled on Akasha, the primary expression of how the Sy’Arrian’s view their connection to the known elements. I have provided a link to said blog entry in the references section of this post should you be interested in reviewing or reading it for the first time.

Many of you are aware I initially created the concept of this universe when I was 16. Since then, it has changed from being about a small handful of characters comprising one book to a vast universe eventually encompassing several books. As I have matured both in life and my writing, so has the story I now call, The Sy’Arrian Legacy Series. Applying the term legacy to it does not do it justice in my opinion. I consider it more of a continuous journey where I have learned humility related to a craft as old as time itself. Yet, calling it The Sy’Arrian Journey Series did not have the zing or cool factor I was looking for. Let’s be honest, it has to be cool, right?

Humor aside, I have brought you, the audience, along with me on this journey as I have navigated missing some glaringly obvious structural development pieces for my universe to jumping feet first into what it means to be published and navigating the fine art of self-promotion. I would be remiss in this stroll down amnesia lane if I left out my numerous and very pointed, fine-tuned criticisms of the poor treatment of characters, while beloved content is ruined by those who lack the ability to understand what it means to capture the essence of good storytelling.

In my September 2023 post, Originality: More Than Meets The Eye, which is also listed in the References section, I highlighted my struggle in keeping The Sy’Arrian Legacy Series as original as possible, while honoring those who have made it easier for creators to craft unique content. It spoke to my approach in how I conceptualized developing the concept of The Five and belief system of how Sy’Arrian culture has evolved to incorporate the five elements in their lives.

One of the very last, remaining pieces of fine-tuning my world since its original creation date, was settling on how the Sy’Arrian’s articulate their use of Akasha and, just to be clear, when I say articulate I am not using the word from an oratory perspective. Rather, through stylized and precise gesticulated movements reminiscent of the various forms encapsulated in the martial arts. Although I attempted to avoid such a system in my story, again struggling in my futile efforts to keep the Sy’Arrian Legacy Series unique from other content creators, I soon realized how utterly unrealistic my entire thought process was around it.

When viewed from purely a content creation perspective, one only needs to open their eyes and take a moment to peruse any number of their favorite streaming apps for content incorporating cultural mythos surrounding not just the individual use of the known elements but the very gods who use them to wreak havoc upon those who oppose them.

As of late, much of my newly infused inspiration has been coming from content by very talented Asian creators who infuse spectacular combat sequences and well staged dueling scenes put against breathtaking scenery, while pulling from cultural expressions such as the Chinese zodiac. Both the animated and live action series of Avatar: The Last Airbender incorporate bending, a stylized technique to control and manipulate their element of focus whether it be fire, water, air, or earth. Although the Sy’Arrians were created long before the Avatar series, I have been a big fan and respect how it has integrated the primary elements to tell a wonderfully crafted story.

Just a few weeks ago, while applying Zen to focus on a particularly difficult personal moment, the solution to my self-inflicted, creative dilemma hit me like a ton of bricks. This is why the more self-aware you become, the greater your ability to sift through all the noise life throws at you to come up with solutions based in rational thought. Once I had let go of one attachment, the proverbial light bulb came on, reminiscent of a scene from your comic strip of choice. When I began writing a dialogue scene in my mind as to how one of my main characters would articulate this newfound idea to another character, I knew I was on the right track.

My mind harkened back to the time I had been dating a wonderful man, who introduced me to the martial art, Wing Chun, a Southern Chinese kung fu, and a close-quarters system of self-defense. So, essentially, I was dating my Sifu, a Cantonese term for “teacher” and also has the connotation of “father,” but we will not go there. It was during this time I came upon and read the book, The Tao of Jeet Kune Do by Bruce Lee. This was a transformative read because it put some things I was struggling to understand into the proper perspective. Little did I realize at the time, how this experience would come back to aid me in the future.

The term Jeet Kune Do was coined and put into use by Bruce Lee in 1967, which is the same year I was born! It was his attempt to put a name to his marital expression, which focused on celebrating the cultivation and honest self-expression of the individual over any organized style of martial art. If you take the time to review information I provide below related to the Bruce Lee Foundation, it will be clear why this provided me with the necessary clarity to create how the Sy’Arrians will express their use of the five elements.

Taken directly from the Bruce Lee Foundation’s website, Jeet Kune Do consists of physical techniques and applied philosophies and requires the individual to train him or herself to their most cultivated state of being-ness so that when faced with a combat situation or a challenging personal situation, the tools needed are available in the moment and can be executed without thought. In essence, this speaks to the very heart of how Sy’Arrians used the myriad expressions of the martial arts from Earth to create their own, unique expression as they navigate the flow of Akasha within them and the universe.

In the original concept, I did not want the Sy’Arrians to do any type of stylization and performed my own stylized mental gymnastics to come up with how I would describe their abilities in written form. What I did not realize was by simply writing the combat sequences and ensuring they flowed well; I inadvertently created their style without applying a name to it.

Another twist during this time is I created the concept of Chi Lyn, a meditative martial art form developed in the initial stages of Sy’Arrian culture. Similar in focus to kata, it combines a variety of styles taken from Earth with emphasis placed on connecting to all the primary elements: fire, water, air, and earth. If the practitioner has entered a calm state, Akasha will surface to integrate each element seamlessly allowing the user to transcend their physical form.

As you may have noticed, I had put a name to their stylized approach but was so singularly focused on trying to keep my story original, I overlooked the fact most of the hard, development work had already been done. Had I not recently updated and fine-tuned many of the definitions in the glossary for book two, Destiny’s Shroud, I would have missed it.

Let’s bring this post full circle and to its inevitable close. During the course of developing content for The Sy’Arrian Legacy Series, you have seen/heard me refer to Akasha time after time. In reality, Chi Lyn is what encapsulates how the Sy’Arrians view their relationship with the primary elements from a cultural perspective. It is a lifestyle which speaks to a harmonious balance between physical, scientific and Zen like principles.

Much like Jeet Kune Do, Sy’Arrians believe the present moment dictates their approach to how they will interact with the elements of fire, water, air, earth, and Akasha. There is no static form when it comes to working with a specific element because the variables in place during the current moment will be vastly different. Practicing static forms in the past to address unknowns in the future allows assumption to replace being-ness. This does not mean the foundation for any martial art or approach to challenging personal situations is to be ignored. Practicing a strong stance to ensure the root of oneself is sturdy, grounds not only the body but the mind as well.

As I continue to create content for The Sy’Arrian Legacy Series, you very well may see me continue to use Akasha and Chi Lyn interchangeably; however, for the Sy’Arrians, Chi Lyn is embedded within their culture for its practice literally saved their lives when their abilities first began to surface. For them there is no dichotomy.

As the content consumer, reader or listener in this case, follow how the Sy’Arrians view their culture, not me. Although I am the creator of this universe, it does not mean I am always right. Trust characters to inform and lead you in the right direction because they will never steer you wrong.

In closing, your moment of Zen is to talk less, do more and be humble. This will allow wisdom to take hold and give you the ability to help yourself, while being effective in helping guide others to take their journey towards living in the moment.

Until next time, be safe, be well and let us get back to the fine art of creative writing.

References

Akasha

Akasha - Wikipedia

Akasha: How It Came To Be

Akasha: How It Came To Be — Aspects of Awen (gregorydcurrent.com)

Avatar: The Last Airbender (Animated Series)

Avatar: The Last Airbender - Wikipedia

Avatar: The Last Airbender (2024 TV Series)

Avatar: The Last Airbender (2024 TV series) - Wikipedia

Jeet Kune Do (Bruce Lee Foundation)

Jeet Kune Do - Bruce Lee Foundation