Cluster Virtues
These eight virtues collectively represent the underlying value of ‘Impartial Love and Caring.’

This is vital for the harmony and happiness of all circles within a cluster.
The traditional Four Circle/Cluster Virtues are ‘Kindness, ‘Comfort,’ ‘Openness,' and ‘Patience.’ These were formulated before the beginning of the Primary Epoch
by the Tolku
and continued by the Koru in the Secondary Epoch. Each virtue has many images associated with it. There are also a few images meant to symbolize all four combined. Each of these may also be linked to one, two or more Tatchlan Faces
and one of the moons in full or partial phase. The Danam Yelda added four virtues, ‘Reciprocity,’ ‘Interlacing,’ ‘Ensemble,’ and ‘Equilibrium,’ bringing them to eight. This second group of four virtues usually does not have any reference to the Faces or moons associated with them.
Original Tolku/Koru Virtues
Kindness, Danam Yelda Kindness MaskThe Second Set of Danam Yeldic Virtues
Kindness
The Tolku
and Koru
symbol of Kindness is a sexual arrangement of all eight circle members. This may take many forms, but the most common is a male at either end kneeling and entering into a second-bending male in front who enters into a third male who enters a female. She kneels and has her hands flat on the Living Loam. She faces the other woman in the circle and kisses her. She is attached to a mirror formation. As is one of the basic formations of The Nine Petals, this Yeldic Icon
mirrors these templates, with the only modification being the skin colour of the circle of eight.
As with each Virtue, three of the Principal Faces of Tatchlan
are associated with Kindness: Kava-Kura, the Face of Vital Delight; Hesha Vira, the Face of Raw Life; and Naprahath, the Face of Completeness. These are usually arranged beneath the circle to signify the underlying system’s role in the circle’s harmony. Another symbol of this virtue is the Initial or First moon, Xica Nu, formally named Vindaviran, the Teacher. Convention finds this depicted above the circle.
As with many venerable images from the Primary
and early Secondary
Epochs, the Danam Yelda employs this Icon
of Kindness. The distinguishing feature here is the skin colour. The flesh of Koru figures are shown in shades of white but are Yeldic in tone.
Danam Yelda Kindness Mask
For cluster ceremonials, one member of each Yeldic circle of eight wears an insignia or mask design of the open Memanu flower or a grouping of spiralling stems and flowers of Memanu beings, depicting this virtue. The one carrying this designation uses a flat stick to rub a rippled board coloured bright red, which they will rapidly rub to produce a ‘thrumming’ sound similar to the noise of the creatures as they emerge at dawn. ‘Kindness aids the receiver and ennobles the bestower.’
Comfort
This is one of the rare occasions where pre-Tatchlan
images are predominant in this series. The hands of Samajalas, the Fashioner, the second of the Four Grand Menem, not only fill the top quadrant of the Primary Epoch Square
but also end an undulating arm flowing between the circle of eight,
linking them for a common purpose.
Hands have always been a symbol for Uses and a universal symbol of Healers and Soothers. Here, the hands stand in for the vast spectrum of activity of the Cluster-of-Clusters Nation. Members of the circle move forward together and are linked hand in hand, symbolizing the harmony of Uses within the individual circle of eight and the larger cluster. Each head wears an emblem of the seasons, repeated twice for the entire circle. This is meant to symbolize the continuity of Uses from year to year. The blue hands of Samajalas are closely associated with the Second Moon Lya Nu
and stand as an Emblem
for the Doubles and Vats Bureau
of the Wellbeing Ministry.
The three Tatchlan Faces associated with the Virtue of Comfort are Neferdush, the Face of Perception; Humma, the Face of Recollection; and Skarashing, the Face which discerns all polarities.
Danam Yelda Comfort Mask
A mask depicting the Gandahatapan insect colony, the ‘Perfection of the Air,’ symbolizes this second Virtue. Often, the Queen rises between the eyes and a select group facing inward towards each mask’s eyes. There are a variety of other mask design formations. Along with the mask, cluster mates will use a particular set of rattles to recall their musical passage through the air. A separate cluster-mate would employ these ceremonial implements within a circle of eight to the one with the first Virtue icon. ‘Comfort banishes isolation and welcomes perfection.’
Openness
Infant-rearing has always been associated with this virtue. Its icon shows a complex arrangement of four pre-adults and eight Fresh Adults
wearing masks of each Principal Face of the Living System. This has a symbolic and historical meaning. The symbol is of the Living System
manifesting itself anew with each generation. The well-known historical reference is to a familiar set of ceremonies involving pre-adults and Fresh Adults donning these masks and acting out various parts of most-ancient tableaus and simple plays designed for them. These rituals date very early in the Greater Era
of the Primary Epoch.
The four pre-adults and the eight Fresh Adults rest their feet on the symbol of their state before coming into existence. The Fresh Adults rest their heads in the open palms of the eight Ripe Adults in their circle. While not otherwise depicted, the eight Ripe Adults form the sheltering structure the younger participants perform in.
This virtue is also depicted as Bekma Nu, the fourth of the four moons, formally named Yuyutar, the Guide. Unlike other icons, this design is at the bottom of the Primary Epoch Square, with the three Faces associated with the virtue at the top. These are Gavaduru, the Face of Protection; Muramal, who locates and conducts to trouble; and Vashivonos, the Face of Necessity.
Danam Yelda Openness Mask
The mask for this virtue is two Varox
head profiles and three of her chicks. This elegant water bird is a beloved symbol in Danam Yeldic culture for its graceful appearance, beautiful call, and practice of carrying their eggs and hatched chicks on its back. The image of the Varox appears in art and architecture throughout Statos-Vey
and is best known for the monumental statues on the Imperial Way
just outside Upata-Shepsus. These regal birds also serve many uses within Fishery Craft
clusters. Those donning this mask will also use a high-pitched whistle to imitate the distinctive call of the Varox.
Patience
This icon
depicts the circle tending to the ailing and dying. It focuses on the moment of death. The Venerable Koru
reworked this after they created the Healing Vat, which did not exist during the Primary Epoch. In the Koru and Danam Yeldic
Cluster-of-Clusters Nations, the Healing Vat forms the core of such sombre tableaus.
Submerged and visible within it are three cluster mates. The darker form in the centre is the one who is dying. On either side, two figures hug the dying close to them; a third is behind, and only their hands and two legs are visible. It is the sad final embrace, echoing happier times, such as a circle’s enacting of The Nine Petals. The other four members of this circle of eight
have darkened themselves and bowed their heads in mourning around the Healing Vat. Were the cluster-mate just seriously ill, all members would fit into the Healing Vat to lend their juices to the vat’s mix to assist in recovery.
The Virtue of Patience has a grim association with Myka Nu, the third of Anu’s four moons. He is named Tarunachit, the Devastator. He is beneath, looking up at the scene as if beaconing the soon-to-be-deceased to join him in the Living Loam. For this reason, he is given prominence at the bottom of the Primary Epoch Square Icon. Above this portrayal is the calm visage of Alatanda, the Bridge and Gateway; Sukakap, the Face of Truth; and Hashahanu, the Face of Contemplation.
Danam Yelda Patience Mask
A badge or mask in the shape of two Pathuda heads in profile. They face each other, and the mask eye openings are roughly where their eyes would be. Their mains form eyelashes over the mask eyes. The Pathuda is a gentle beast of burden, symbolizing bearing the load of illness and death, and represents the fourth Cluster Virtue of Patience.
This linkage of Pathuda with the Virtue of Patience is said to date back to the Ceremonial Walk
of the Danam Yelda
from Dalinantu
to Upata-Shepsus
when the venerably aged refused to die before reaching the Primary Mountain Circle and lay atop gentle Pathuda mounts who bore them to the gates. These events are witnessed in the third novel of this series, ‘Dalinantu Emergence.’ Those representing Patience use a small horn to sound the call of the Pathuda.
The Second, or Danam Yeldic set of Four Virtues
The second half of these icons represent core values shared by all clusters to benefit the entire Cluster-of-Clusters Nation
as fashioned by the Danam Yelda
at the beginning of the Nantu Age.

Reciprocity, Interlacing, Ensemble and Equilibrium
This second series of four virtues appears in a different border to the first four. ‘Kindness,’ ‘Comfort,’ ‘Openness,’ and ‘Patience’ were fashioned in the Primary Epoch
and, with the one exception of the Koru
modification of the Patience Virtue icon, appear with little change from those most-ancient times. What follows, Reciprocity, Interlacing, Ensemble and Equilibrium, are known as the ‘Reclining Tear’ formation, being the traditional Yeldic tear icon border
set on its side. This is reserved for these Danam Yelda
Virtues, envisioned on the eve of the completion of their Ceremonial Walk to Upata-Shepsus
and the commencement of the Danam Yelda’s Cluster-of-Cluster’s Nation.
Reciprocity
Reciprocity
between clusters
involves exchanging services or goods determined as of equal value. In this icon, two circles of eight from two different clusters are linked together. The cluster is symbolized by the circle to which each set of eight pairs of hands is bound. These two circles' colours and patterns differ, so they are from two separate clusters. The differing sizes and thicknesses of the circles indicate that one cluster is larger than the other.
Despite these distinctions and the fact one set of hands is more prominent than the other, all the hands are icons of the Eighth Face of the Tatchlan System, Gavaduru.
She is the Face of Dignity, Protection and Honour and thus is closely associated with this virtue. Beyond this image, there may be many variations of colour and other elements, and other designs are more ancient and recent.
On Gavaduru Day,
Day Eighty-Eight in Month Six, The Torch, the celebrant’s hands are either painted red with Gavaduru’s Eye appearing in the centre of each hand, or gloves are worn with this design. The ones embodying this icon clap their hands to form the base of all other activities. Traditionally, those representing Reciprocity are Betweens, as they determine the base rhythm and control its subsequent modulation through the entire event.
Interlacing
The Interlacing of clusters
refers to various activities where two or more clusters combine their efforts to benefit all. This can range from assisting each other while planting crops to joining for a Cluster-of-Clusters Dance.
Amongst rural clusters, Interlacing is integral to successfully working during peak periods. Cluster Elders
take great care in balancing the growing and harvesting schedules with their neighbours to ensure that others have yet to start or have completed their work during a cluster's time of need.
Sufficient rest time is also scheduled between each call. Giftings are often held at the end of this period to strengthen bonds and ease tensions. Interlacing is also vital to large-scale urban and rural public works along with provincial and national enterprises and is therefore keenly monitored by several ministries.
This value is symbolized as a full face of four pairs of eyes. This is meant to represent many acting as one. Those carrying this image have mirrors that move together in sequence, as many eyes follow a single sight.
Ensemble
Ensemble refers to a large group of clusters
performing distinctive uses that complement and combine. Unlike Interlacing, Ensemble takes place on a much larger scale, usually involving an entire Encirclement, a portion or all of a provincial centre, a province, or two or more provinces.
As such, this is the most profound of Daman Yelda’s Four Virtues and falls under one or more provincial or Cluster-of-Clusters ministries. It is often directed from within the Living System, takes place over one or more generations, and may see direct involvement from the Majastas.
A Majastas may commence the process within the Resplendent Work
by fashioning a ‘Collective Pull’ that moves large populations by increments towards particular inclinations. This allows Operants
and Invocates to fine-tune specific cluster populations within Tatchlan, which in turn readies them for directives, for example, from Preeminent Works or other ministries. Given the scale and scope of these events, this is invisible to an individual circle of eight
playing their part in these events, often preceding their birth and continuing after their death.
The icon
for this Cluster-of-Clusters
value shows a fundamental relationship between all children of the Living Tatchlan System
and the Living Loam. The ‘open foot resting on Living Loam’ represents the most fundamental connection between each cluster-mate and the entire Resplendent Work. A single tendril rises within the dynamic layers of the Living Loam to link with the Yelda’s internal chemistry via that most connected portion of all bodies, the feet. Footprint images are also a sign of this connection and appear in countless instances to illustrate the bliss of rootedness.
Equilibrium
When a cluster
finds itself in distress, particularly if they are suffering a ‘Malaise,’ other clusters work to balance by creating opposing tendencies all around the affected cluster. While on a smaller scale than the Ensemble
Virtue, this is by far the most intricate Virtue and requires the assistance of Invocates
to see the distressed cluster’s patterns within the Living System
and prescribe the necessary balancing measures the one or more attending clusters may take to assist them. The Wellbeing Ministry
is kept apprised of all such operations as there may be broader implications to the individual cluster’s disorder needing to be tracked to ensure any disparity within Tatchlan does not affect other clusters within or beyond their region. The Majastas
attend to the situation directly if the issue affects multiple clusters.
This icon
contains the four moons of Anu
arranged in an ordered row. The first is the pale blue Face of Xica Nu, the ‘Koru
Moon.’ He presented in its closing crescent, or last quarter face, on the left. Next to Xica Nu is Lya Nu, or ‘Little Nu’ in full golden Face. The third is Myka Nu, the ‘Wounded Angry Moon,’ also in full red Face with distinguishing blue ‘lakes’ and yellow scars. Finally, on the right side is Bekma Nu, the ‘Peaceful Moon,’ its white Face with green and blue spots in an opening crescent or first quarter face. The formation of ‘cool’ crescents, each facing outward as a pair of horns at either end enclosing the two ‘hot’ moons, has become an acknowledged symbol of equilibrium among the Danam Yelda
and the Koru.
