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<v Speaker 1>Hello, and welcome to Mythic Mind. We pursue wisdom of

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<v Speaker 1>the past between primary secondary worlds. I'm your host, Angel Snyder,

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<v Speaker 1>and I heartily welcome your company. As I prepare for

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<v Speaker 1>the next podcast series, I miss all the other things

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<v Speaker 1>that I'm doing. I'm going to provide you with one

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<v Speaker 1>of the recent lessons from the ongoing Lord of the

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<v Speaker 1>Ring study. And by the way, we just finished up

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<v Speaker 1>with the Fellowship, and so if you want to join

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<v Speaker 1>with us for the Two Towers and the Return of

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<v Speaker 1>the King, then head over to patreon dot com slash

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<v Speaker 1>Mythic Mind and become a Tier three patron and you

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<v Speaker 1>can find that link in the show notes. Each of

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<v Speaker 1>these weeks includes a short video that explores some aspect

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<v Speaker 1>of law or philosophy and a longer video that serves

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<v Speaker 1>as a companion for the reading, and we also have

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<v Speaker 1>weekly live meetings. Well, today I'm going to provide you

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<v Speaker 1>with one of the short lessons, and this takes a

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<v Speaker 1>look at Saluron's background in motivations and you can also

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<v Speaker 1>watch this as a video by clicking the YouTube link

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<v Speaker 1>in the show notes, and be sure to subscribe to

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<v Speaker 1>my YouTube channel. As I'm currently building up that platform

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<v Speaker 1>with some fresh content, but for now onto the show.

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<v Speaker 1>Many casual fans of Tolkien assume that Suran is the

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<v Speaker 1>greatest villain in tolkien story, but that title actually goes

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<v Speaker 1>to his former master, Morgoth, although, aside from brief references,

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<v Speaker 1>more God does not appear in The Lord of the Rings. However,

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<v Speaker 1>understanding a bit about this original villain will shed some

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<v Speaker 1>light on the nature of evil in the character of Suran.

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<v Speaker 1>Before he was known as Morgoth, which means something like

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<v Speaker 1>dark enemy, he was Melchor. The Vala. The Valor are

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<v Speaker 1>the angelic like figures that were created to serve the

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<v Speaker 1>good designs of Eru a Lubatar, the monotheistic god of

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<v Speaker 1>Tolkien's mythos. The original form of the material world was

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<v Speaker 1>framed through the singing of the Valar, or perhaps the

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<v Speaker 1>einor more broadly, who harmonize in recognition of Alluvatar's goodness.

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<v Speaker 1>In their recognition of divine honor, beauty abounded, and all

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<v Speaker 1>things flourished around the goodness the truth in the beauty

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<v Speaker 1>of Eru Alluvatar. However, Melcor was not content with his station,

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<v Speaker 1>and instead decided to introduce his own themes into the song,

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<v Speaker 1>attempting to bend the music toward himself rather than toward

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<v Speaker 1>a louvatar. Thus, the first disharmony in the story, the

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<v Speaker 1>first Evil is explicitly portrayed as an attempt to seize

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<v Speaker 1>divine honor. From that point forward, Melcor, later named Morgoth

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<v Speaker 1>by the Elves, would continue to so disharmony in suffering

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<v Speaker 1>throughout the otherwise good world. Sauron, or Myron, as he

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<v Speaker 1>was originally named, belongs to a class of beings that

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<v Speaker 1>Tolkien calls the Mayar, which are something like lesser angels

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<v Speaker 1>that serve the Valar. The Mayar include count other superhuman characters,

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<v Speaker 1>including wizards such as Gandolf and Saramon, and even the balrogs,

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<v Speaker 1>the most famous of which pulled Gandalf off the bridge

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<v Speaker 1>of Kazadum. Along with other creative beings. Sauron was originally good,

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<v Speaker 1>and he served Alay, the valor most concerned with craftsmanship. This,

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<v Speaker 1>of course, will be important when it comes time for

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<v Speaker 1>Suron to do some crafting of his own. Early in

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<v Speaker 1>this prehistory, Sauron was seduced into the service of Morgoth

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<v Speaker 1>and became one of his chief lieutenants. Despite this cosmic rebellion,

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<v Speaker 1>he was not wholly without virtue, As Tolkien tells us

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<v Speaker 1>that in all the deeds of Melchor and Morgoth upon Arda,

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<v Speaker 1>in his vast works, and in the deceits of his cunning,

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<v Speaker 1>Sauron had a part, and was only less evil than

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<v Speaker 1>his master in that for long he served another, and

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<v Speaker 1>not himself. Serving the villainous Morgoth was not a great move,

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<v Speaker 1>but Sauron was at least willing to humble himself beneath something,

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<v Speaker 1>and that is better than nothing. Service always has the

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<v Speaker 1>potential to be re ordered, but rejecting service altogether leaves

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<v Speaker 1>you with nothing but isolation and out of harmony with

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<v Speaker 1>the great dance of the cosmos. Furthermore, Sauron had a

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<v Speaker 1>desire for order, which continued even after the defeat of Morgoth.

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<v Speaker 1>Service and order are good things, but as with all

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<v Speaker 1>good things, they become bad things when they are removed

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<v Speaker 1>from the proper context. Without an understanding as to what

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<v Speaker 1>makes order good. Such a desire, even if well intended,

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<v Speaker 1>can easily turn into tyranny that at best mimics true peace.

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<v Speaker 1>The First Age of Middle Earth came to a close

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<v Speaker 1>when Elves men and even the Valor assembled to defeat

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<v Speaker 1>Morgoth and cast him into the void. Saaran escaped the

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<v Speaker 1>fate of his master, and for a time he appeared

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<v Speaker 1>to be repentant, that the very least out of fear. However,

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<v Speaker 1>he was too ashamed to turn himself over for judgment,

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<v Speaker 1>and so instead he slipped back into the rebellion of

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<v Speaker 1>his former master by isolating himself from the goodness that

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<v Speaker 1>could have secured his redemption. Desiring freedom, he rejected the

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<v Speaker 1>very means of gaining freedom to live in harmony with

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<v Speaker 1>his design, which is another way of saying that he

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<v Speaker 1>refused the hard path of virtue. Taking up Morgoth's mantle.

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<v Speaker 1>Sauron would become the great villain from this point until

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<v Speaker 1>the conclusion of the Lord of the Rings. During the

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<v Speaker 1>Second Age, Sauron was moved by the desolation of the

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<v Speaker 1>world that had taken place in the Great War against Morgoth.

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<v Speaker 1>So his desire for order again moved him to action,

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<v Speaker 1>as he developed a plan to bring Middle Earth into

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<v Speaker 1>harmony with himself at the center. Disguising himself as the

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<v Speaker 1>good natured Anotar, the Lord of Gifts, he worked with

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<v Speaker 1>the Elve to create and distribute great rings of power

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<v Speaker 1>that he would distribute to people of significance throughout Middle Earth.

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<v Speaker 1>These rings had various effects on those who wore them.

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<v Speaker 1>The three rings for the elves provided the power to

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<v Speaker 1>preserve nature. The seven rings for the dwarf stoked their

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<v Speaker 1>desire for wealth. The nine rings for men provided power

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<v Speaker 1>and visibility and a version of immortality. The one ring

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<v Speaker 1>for Souron was meant to control all the other. Now

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<v Speaker 1>is worth noting that Sauran as the ring lord is

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<v Speaker 1>surely based on the old Germanic tradition of lords giving

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<v Speaker 1>rings their nobles as a means of securing their loyalty.

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<v Speaker 1>By uniting the great forces of the world within his will,

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<v Speaker 1>Sauron believed that he could finally bring order and healing

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<v Speaker 1>to the fractured Middle Earth. Fortunately, things did not go

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<v Speaker 1>quite as he planned. When Sauran forged his ruling ring,

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<v Speaker 1>the elves felt his presence and hid their own rings.

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<v Speaker 1>At the end of the Second Age, a host of

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<v Speaker 1>elves and men allied in a calm desire to purge

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<v Speaker 1>Middle Earth of his counterfeit order by meeting Sauron in

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<v Speaker 1>battle with great sacrifice, including of Alendel Ankle Galad, the

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<v Speaker 1>free peoples gained victory as a sill door cut the

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<v Speaker 1>ring bearing finger from Sauran's hand and brought it back

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<v Speaker 1>as a trophy for his people. With this artifact of

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<v Speaker 1>power removed, Sauron was defeated, but his will still whispered

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<v Speaker 1>through the ring. The silver story will be told another time,

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<v Speaker 1>But of course he did not choose to destroy the ring,

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<v Speaker 1>which allowed Saron's evil to continue brooding until it again

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<v Speaker 1>haunted Middle Earth in a more tangible form in the

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<v Speaker 1>Third Age. But with his defeat and the loss of

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<v Speaker 1>his ring by the hand of a sil door, Saron

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<v Speaker 1>was reduced to the shadow that he had in fact

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<v Speaker 1>already been for quite some time. By abandoning virtue in

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<v Speaker 1>the broader context of reality beyond himself, he lost something

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<v Speaker 1>of his personhood. He was reduced to an obscured image

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<v Speaker 1>of what he was meant to be, an agent of

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<v Speaker 1>glory that reflected divine honour above him. Augustine states this

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<v Speaker 1>well in his City of God, by aiming at more,

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<v Speaker 1>a man is diminished when he elects to be self

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<v Speaker 1>sufficient and defects from the one who is really sufficient

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<v Speaker 1>for him. This, then, is the original evil man. Regards

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<v Speaker 1>himself as his own light, and turns away from that

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<v Speaker 1>light which would make man himself a light if he

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<v Speaker 1>has set his heart on it. This evil came first

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<v Speaker 1>in secret, and the result was the other evil which

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<v Speaker 1>was committed in the opening. In his secret evil, Saron

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<v Speaker 1>turned away from the light of God that gives life

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<v Speaker 1>to the soul, and, desiring to be his own life,

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<v Speaker 1>he became a mere shadow, alongside Morgat before him. With

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<v Speaker 1>the loss of his ring, Sauron's inner reality was exposed.

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<v Speaker 1>Throughout the story of the Lord of the Rings, the

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<v Speaker 1>once great and powerful Sauron is reduced to a whisper.

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<v Speaker 1>By nature, he was greater than any of his would

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<v Speaker 1>be servants, but by consequence of his lust for self sufficiency,

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<v Speaker 1>he became nearly nothing. He has an influence, he plots,

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<v Speaker 1>and he wages war, but he does not make a

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<v Speaker 1>physical appearance in the third age, at the very least

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<v Speaker 1>in the actual narrative of the story, even if there

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<v Speaker 1>are rumors that such an appearance was beginning to take place.

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<v Speaker 1>The shadow may have been growing, but it could only

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<v Speaker 1>ever become but so strong as long as it attempted

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<v Speaker 1>to hold on to its own strength. Real strength comes

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<v Speaker 1>through the humble path of virtue that surrenders power only

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<v Speaker 1>to receive it anew in the right way. This is

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<v Speaker 1>something that Sauron can no longer understand, and this is

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<v Speaker 1>something that would bring his final doom as lowly hobbits

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<v Speaker 1>of the shire escape the vision of his great eye.

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<v Speaker 1>Thank you for listening, and thank you to all my patrons,

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<v Speaker 1>and by name, I would like to thank all Tier

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<v Speaker 1>three patrons and higher and so many thanks to Mark

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<v Speaker 1>by Aaron, Jamie, Mariah, Paul Tyler, Ann William And if

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<v Speaker 1>you would like to support my work, you can go

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<v Speaker 1>to patreon dot com slash Mythicmind. Any amount of support helps,

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<v Speaker 1>but be sure to sign on at Tier three if

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<v Speaker 1>you would like to join the Lord of the Ring study.

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<v Speaker 1>But that's it for now, until next time, God speak

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<v Speaker 1>on the co The poll is an