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And that's where the Empty Circle comes in, these guys are specifically empty it seems and that makes a whole lot more possible. You might want to think of the Empty Circle as being a bit like the Ghosts and the Pirates except on the emptiness side, though I wouldn't exactly recommend that you do but hey, if you want to go right ahead only don't get stuck with it in your head. Actually though it's not such a surprise that there'd be some guys on the empty side in the way that you and me are here on the side of form. You're probably not so unfamiliar with this whole idea as you'd think. Christians have angels up in the sky, the buddhist guys have Bodhisattvas, the Greeks and the Romans had gods and goddesses messing around with whatever side they were siding with that day.
The Empty Circle isn't religious, it doesn't take sides and there's nothing prestigious about them at all. They're just simply there and they don't mind at all if you want some help doing what you do in the Territory. In fact that's exactly what they do, whenever the Territory gestures with you and responds to your actions, the Empty Circle is surely involved with the way it occurs. And because they're so specifically empty they're always there wherever you are. You can check in with them anytime that you want and they can also check in with you if you want them to. There are twelve empty seats in the Empty Circle and one of those seats is so entirely empty it's empty of emptiness. The guys that reside there and sit on the seats, they're all very neat just like W'ai-Yun Ch'ai. They're guides and teachers, they're never preachers, they'll tell you whatever you want to know even though you might not remember exactly just what you've been told cause it's hard to hold onto all that emptiness.
So I wanted to mention these guys to you. There's no sense in saying too much about them or saying too little as well. I only wanted to tell you they're there so you'll know when you see them and when you don't. And you'll certainly see them everywhere once you know that you can. They're there, right there, wherever you are; they're here, right here, right now. That's Garian there by the essence bar where the shadows of night meet the light of the lamps. Raoul is there by the back of the door that goes out to the sea and the tides, hoping to snatch an umbrella or two from the guys that come in. Maha Mundi is just outside on the back door step. Bahiar is there by the wall right now, but she doesn't stay long in one single place, she moves all around in a shaggy way wherever the emptiness starts to leak out. W'ai-Yun Ch'ai, he's here at this table, that's why I sit here whenever I can. It's a very nice thing to sit inside one of these empty guys, but I guess you know that anyhow cause you're sitting inside him right now.
These names that I've mentioned, they aren't the same ones as some others might say, they're only the names that have come to me. So when you notice the Empty Circle, let your own names for those guys come through so you'll know how to call them yourself when you want to. And if you really want to meet them all in the very same place, you can visit the Island of The Empty Twelve, they're there in a circle of twelve special trees. Actually though they're not trees at all, it's more like the trees are the shadows that fall from their specifically empty shapes.
Now there's one last big story that you should know. Wherever you go in the Territory and whatever you do, you're bound to take part in it some way or other because it contains all the other stories that make the rounds here in the Boaters Cafe. It has to do with expeditions. When you go on an expedition, it means that you go into the Territory with some special intent. For a while that might not apply to you, you'll be wanting to spend some time on your own learning to boat and to map. But from time to time you'll probably see a whole bunch of guys going off together with some common goal in mind. You might find yourself to be somewhat inclined to join them someday, and if that occurs you should go right ahead and be part of their crew. Expeditions are wonderful things, they give you the chance to follow a path that normally isn't so easy to see. The Territory always makes gestures to you when you look for a path on your own behalf. But the gesture it makes takes on deeper levels when you can meet and combine with some others who find they agree to look for a path they can follow together.