I originally wanted to do a separate entry on these two, but they are both linked together, so it seemed rather odd to do so. Hence, here I’ll be talking about the both of them. :)
Arien and Tilion by niliram @ Deviantart
Arien and Tilion are the maiar (or Spirits, as I like to refer to them when being patently vague about my path) of the Sun and the Moon, respectively. In the lore (or nóre) of my path, the Sun and the Moon are the final flowers of Laurelin and Telperion, the Two Trees which gave the world light before the coming of the Children of Ilúvatar. The Trees themselves were struck down by Morgoth and the hideous spider Ungoliant, but from their dying forms two flowers could be coaxed forth. These two flowers were taken, put into vessels crafted by Aulë, and then Arien and Tilion were chosen to guide these vessels through the sky at the proper times.
I have found that while Arien and Tilion, while not the light of the Sun and Moon themselves but instead the guardians and guides thereof, still have their own power and magnificence, possibly because they have been twined with their vessels for so many, many countless years. It’s a sort of symbiosis — neither could exist without the other, not in the state we know them in. The power of the Sun itself and the power of Arien herself is inextricable, as are the powers of the Moon and Tilion. When I call on them in ritual or prayer or spell, I’m calling upon them as whole beings, not just one part.
I have a tiny section of my altar set aside for them both, currently only represented with a sunstone and yellow silk flower for Arien, and a moonstone and white silk flower for Tilion. I’d like to expand it, I think, over the coming year. I have a few ideas forming; we’ll see what comes of things.
Arien is of greater power than Tilion. Her power can be of such great intensity that it can sometimes border on destructive. (And being in Australia currently, with half the country on fire and temperatures soaring above 35C/95F, I can attest to her near-damaging power right now…) She is honoured greatly in festivals, particularly Tarnin Austa, the near-equivalent of summer solstice. On the longest day of the year, after midnight, I will not speak a word until sunrise. When Arien rises, I’ll raise my voice in song and in thanks to her, and in joy for summer.
Being allergic to the sun (and yet I’m living in Australia! Fate will never cease to be amusing :P), I am not as close to Arien as I am to Tilion. I honour and respect Arien deeply, of course, and sun magic itself is a very joyous thing, but I always feel more…magical? magically awake?…when I work with Tilion.
Tilion is a gentler power, and not as often honoured as Arien. He is fickle, and doesn’t follow a set course, but changes every night. Sometimes he’ll be shadowed by the Earth itself, or in the sky at the same time as the sun, and sometimes eclipses Arien’s light, trying to get close to her — in the nóre it’s said that he is deeply in love with her, and often strays close to her; even though her brilliant fire scars, as can be seen on the face of the Moon.
I feel very close to Tilion, probably for primarily emotional reasons — I have bipolar disorder, which makes me as inconsistent as Tilion’s path, in a way. I have been burned for love, and I have been in the shadows of others quite often. The light of the full moon at night is a great comfort to me, not simply a magically powerful time. I’ve been known to sleep with my curtains drawn back on full moon nights, just letting the light fall into my room and tingling with spirit and magic.
Recently in my part of the world, there was a partial eclipse of the sun. Apart from being a wonder to see, it also sent magic dancing through the air — it happened during the morning, when the bright sunlight should be touching everything, well over the horizon, yet everything was ever-so-slightly shadowed. It was one of the strangest but most brilliant things I’d ever seen (I’d never seen a solar eclipse before in my life!); it made my fingertips tingle with the odd beautiful energy of it all. While gazing at the eclipse during its peak (through protective eye gear, of course), it was as if a tiny slice had been scooped out of the sun. All I could imagine was Tilion leaning over to press a kiss to Arien’s fiery face, before they both continued along their intended paths.
Starlight Song 