AVATAR STATE -Foreshadowing-

AVATAR STATE Foreshadowing
~A Serious Look at Aang’s True Destiny~

Even now people are still questioning whether Aang will use the Avatar State (AS) or not. Though we have two DVD cover pictures that clearly portray Aang in the AS, the question of whether he will use it and even how he will use it still seems to come up. As a Zutarian, I find it quite clear. It has been spelled out for us rather easily. And here’s where we find it:

Aang: (startled) What? Why would I let go of Katara? I...I..I love her.

Guru Pathik: (reasonably) Learn to let her go, or you cannot let the pure cosmic energy flow in from the universe.

Aang: (crossly) Why would I choose cosmic energy over Katara? How could it be a bad thing that I feel an attachment to her? Three chakras ago, that was a good thing.

Guru Pathik: (firmly) You must learn to let go.

***This is taken from the transcripts on AvatarSpirit.net.***

Interesting choice of words there. Even Aang realizes to some extent that he has an “attachment” to Katara. But the real moment to see here is that when Aang questions the Guru, Pathik doesn’t even hesitate in responding. He just states what Aang’s duty is. In other words, the Guru states it like it is a done deal, he must do it, there is no choice. Sure, Aang can choose, and he did choose. But if he is to fulfill his destiny, complete his mission, be the dutiful and selfless Avatar that he was born to be, he must do as the Guru instructed and let Katara go.

Guru Pathik: Aang, to master the Avatar State, you must open all the chakras. Surrender yourself.

Guru Pathik: No Aang! By choosing attachment, you have locked the chakra! If you leave now you won't be able to go into the Avatar State at all!

One argument that has come up about Aang not being able to use the Avatar State again is that Azula struck him down, so his chakra is blocked. Even Aang says that that is the reason.

Aang: I can’t. When Azula shot me with lightning, my 7th chakra was locked, cutting off my connection to all the cosmic energy in the Universe.

But as clearly stated by the Guru, it wasn’t Azula’s lightning that blocked his chakra, it was his choice of attaching himself to the world instead of letting go of his selfish desires. When Aang talks to Toph, you also see his face growing sad, almost like he feels guilty about his decision. Aang was merely making up a reason for the unused power of the Avatar State so as to avoid further confrontation. The real reason he can’t go into the AS is that he chose Katara over his duty.

But what about when Aang actually did go into the Avatar State under Ba Sing Se? He used it then. His chakra was fine until Azula shot him down.

But did he really go into the Avatar State? Did he truly let her go?

I am a firm believer that while Aang might have attempted to let go of Katara, he, in fact, did not. He might have thought that he had let go of her because it seemed to work, but then why couldn’t he predict and foresee Azula’s attack? If he were truly in line with the cosmic universe’s energies, wouldn’t he have been able to see Azula’s attack coming? With all that power and energy flowing through him, the Universe at its peak within him because he had mastered the AS, why did he miscalculate Azula? Why?

Because it’s quite simple. Aang did not let go. He merely pushed the memories of her aside for a brief moment because later we see that same attachment taking hold of him. If he had let go, things would have turned out differently. If it had truly worked, would he be as he is right now, even more attached to her, prone to kissing her because he just has to have her love? Because of that failed attempt, he is even more attached, not less. And because the Universe and its energies were not fully in harmony within him, he could not see Azula’s attack coming, and he failed.

Aang: This is the last chakra isn't it?

Guru Pathik: Yes. Once you open this chakra, you will be able go in and out of the Avatar State at will. And when you are in the Avatar State, you will have complete control and awareness of all your actions.

Aang: (confident) Let's do this.

Guru Pathik: The Thought chakra is located at the crown of the head. It deals with pure cosmic energy and is blocked by earthly attachment. Meditate on what attaches you to this world.

If you are still skeptical, look at what the Guru says. He tells Aang that the AS will give him COMPLETE CONTROL and AWARENESS of his actions. Does awareness just mean his movements, or does it also mean that he will be able to control what happens around him, to be alert and ready for any attacks that could be thrown? Also, the Guru says that it deals with PURE COSMIC ENERGY. The key word here is “pure.” Again, how pure was Aang’s energy and connection to the Universe? He had just seen Katara surrounded by guards, the situation looked hopeless, the Guru wasn’t there to help Aang along in this journey, and he was trying to let go of an attachment that had been with him since he woke up from that iceberg.

What makes you think that Aang let go of Katara fully? What is our clue to that? That he used the Avatar State? What if Aang can still use the AS, just he can’t control it, is not aware of it? What if even now he could still enter it but just not with consciousness? The Guru said that once he mastered it, he would have all the power of the Universe. What happened at Ba Sing Se didn’t look like all the power of the Universe. It looked like any other time he had entered the AS, and every other time, he was still attached to Katara.

One thing I find interesting is that this is the THOUGHT chakra. It isn’t the “love” that attaches Aang necessarily; it is more in his thoughts, his head, and his emotions. As shown by Aang leaving and flying back to Ba Sing Se, his emotions and thoughts of Katara got the better of him. And the reason he left was because she was in danger, so he had the emotion of fear clouding his mind. And it is these emotions or thoughts that attach him to her. He won’t let destiny rule its course in her life. He won’t let go in the sense of letting her live on her own. We can see this need for control that Aang has. He desires to be there for her all the time, through every horrible circumstance, so he can save her. But he can’t always be there because he has a duty to the world. And this creates the selfish attachment.

The purpose of letting go isn’t so much in letting go of “love,” but in letting go of that desire for control. Funny thing really. In order to gain control of the Avatar State, Aang must relinquish his hold on controlling Katara’s life. Ironic, isn’t it?

Some may find this as a loophole, and this has been shown by Roku’s story that indeed an Avatar can marry and have love in his life. But also shown through Roku’s story is a point in which Roku stays behind, choosing to let his wife go so he can fulfill his duties to the world. But although this may have worked for Roku, who’s to say it will work for Aang? For where Ta Min clearly liked Roku in return, no affection for Aang has been displayed from Katara’s side of the story. And this is the difference. No matter if there is a loophole or not, if Katara does not return the feelings, everything becomes mute.

But, you see, there is an underlying message in the whole “you must learn to let go” deal. Everything about Avatar involves twists and turns, the unexpected, the moments when you must keep an open mind and an open heart, those “funny” instances. With Aang letting go of Katara, he is letting go of the control he wants to have over her life and letting the unexpected happen. In other words, if Aang lets go of Katara, anything can happen, and he can’t control it.

Currently, Aang is trying to control Katara’s affections. It’s been shown once in The Day of Black Sun, and it will be shown again as seen on the Finale Trailer. He wants her to return his feelings, and he is trying to manipulate her into those affections. But it is not Aang who can decide for her. Only she can control where her heart leads. And so we see a measure of how far Aang will go to control her, and this is where the attachment lies. For if Aang’s attachment resides in controlling Katara’s affections, and letting go of that control is necessary in the end, then how will it end with Aang and Katara being together?

I can see it all coming down to this. Aang tries once again to change Katara’s outlook on him through a kiss. Basically, through this display, Aang is forcing himself (yes, forcing himself) on her and trying yet again to control her feelings for him. But Katara will finally tell Aang the truth, and the truth is that she has never seen him as more than a friend. This is the best way for Aang to let go of his thoughts and emotions on Katara, to begin releasing that attachment. For if she returns the feelings, how will Aang ever let go of her and fulfill his destiny?

A return of feelings would only strengthen his need for control because he would have realized that his “plan” had worked, and in the future he would only continue controlling her affections more. It would not help him let go of her, it would only make that attachment stronger. He would be thinking on her more and more, determined to be there for her at all times even if it cost him his duty. And because Aang is young and not entirely mature, he would not let anything come between them and he would work to keep that affection from her in-line with his own feelings. Basically, this would only further attach him, and who knows what he would do when his destiny confronted him. But I think it would be quite clear. He would choose Katara over his purpose as the Avatar, and that would only bring more pain and suffering into the world.

And on that note, we know who Katara is and we know who she isn’t. Katara has told Aang over and over that he needs to save the world, that he needs to fulfill his destiny as the Avatar. She even pushed for him to go see the Guru so he could learn about the Avatar State. She wants him to do the duty that has been assigned to him. So what makes you believe that Katara would ever let Aang do this? Let’s face it. She wouldn’t. Katara would never agree to Aang being attached to her while the world suffered in vain. It is not who she is.

And so from these simple facts, we can see that Aang will indeed use the Avatar State, and he will open his seventh chakra by letting go of his attachment to Katara. He will let her live her life. He will let the unexpected gently take her away from him. And he will grow up and mature, learning a valuable lesson in life. That we cannot always control what happens. That we cannot make someone love us. That sometimes in life sacrifices must be made for the greater good even though it may cost us. All of these are great lessons for Aang to learn, and he would never learn them, he would never grow, he would never become the great Avatar he is destined to be if he is attached to Katara. Thus, as the story of Avatar clearly portrays, Aang will make a great sacrifice, and Kataang will be no more.

It may be sad and hard for some people to accept, but Kataang will not happen. It can’t. In order for Aang to grow and fulfill his destiny, his attachment will be broken and he will move on. For even as Mike and Bryan said in an interview, everything in the show has a reason, a purpose to it, and so does Katara’s presence in Aang’s life. She has been there to teach him about his duty, to show him that sometimes sacrifice is the only way. His affection for her and later letting go of that will teach him a great lesson that only she could give him. And that is the meaning of not only the Avatar State but also of Katara herself. Their friendship has all the meaning in the world; it is just not the kind of relationship that is there to teach about love. It is there to teach about sacrifice.

LEARNING LEADS TO DOING & PATTERNS TELL ALL

One theme in Avatar that has been shown multiple times over is that if you learn something, you use it. First of all, we have Zuko learning how to redirect lightning. There is an entire episode devoted to his teaching on this subject, and as I’m sure several of you predicted, he later used what he learned against his father. Likewise, we also have Toph learning how to metalbend in one episode, and she continues to use it many times afterwards. Next we have Sokka discovering his knack for sword fighting. But does the sword disappear? No. He continues to use it, further developing his skills as the episodes progress. And soon we have Katara learning a very valuable ability. Bloodbending. An entire episode was devoted to this development of her waterbending skills, so don’t you think she will use it? Was it really just an interesting episode that will be forgotten later? No, that’s impossible. The pattern is that she learned it, she will use it. And as the Finale Trailer shows, it looks to me like she will indeed be exercising that skill yet again.

Everyone in the Gang has learned something that they will later use.

Zuko = lightning bending
Toph = metal bending
Sokka = sword fighting
Katara = bloodbending

So…what about Aang?

Where the other four members of the Gang learned something in only one episode that they later continued using, Aang has learned about one key thing for many episodes. And I’m sure you’ve already guessed it by now.

The Avatar State.

This subject has been talked about throughout all of the series and we have yet to see Aang actually use it to its full potential. Yes, he has used it, but he hasn’t learned the real purpose of it and hasn’t used it the way it was meant to be used. That is something that all the episodes are leading up to. And that, again, is where the “letting go” concept enters.

But, we’ve already discussed that, so let’s talk of patterns now.

The Avatar State follows many patterns throughout the show, but the key points are at the beginning and ending of the seasons. At the beginning of Season One, in the second episode, we see Aang swirling up out of the water with such ferocity and power that it surely made us all stare in awe. It sure made Sokka and Katara drop their jaws. But, in a nutshell, we are introduced to the POWER that the Avatar State holds and the easy destruction it can bring.

At the end of Season One, we see yet again the amazing POWER that this ability holds and how it can help in the most hopeless of situations. If Aang had kept going, the entire Fire Nation navy would have been effortlessly destroyed. Basically, throughout all of Season One, we learn about the awesome POWER that the Avatar State possesses, and we are shown many instances of this.

The beginning of Season Two starts off with more talk of this ability’s power and the amazing good it could do if let loose. But instead of keeping with the same pattern, it changes. In the very first episode, called The Avatar State no less, we learn not about its power but about its VULNERABILITY. And the rest of the season keeps to this lesson learned. Aang rarely uses the AS throughout the season. He only uses it when angered over Appa’s kidnapping. But even in that instance, we are shown Aang’s VULNERABILITY not necessarily over the AS but over his emotions. And so again it keeps in line with this concept.

And then we have the end of Season Two where we learn not only more about the Avatar State’s power but also about its WEAKNESSES. The only difference about the end of Season Two is that we don’t get so much into the powerful skills the AS holds, but instead there is more discussion on the VULNERABILITY and WEAKNESSES of it. So, in Season Two, we learn about the STRUGGLES Aang must overcome.

Next we have Season Three, and it starts out with Aang pretty much denying the fact that he could ever use it. He could still unlock his chakra, but at the moment his selfish desires are ruling over him, so he refuses to acknowledge its POWER or its WEAKNESSES. This has been the theme set out pretty much from the beginning, but we are quickly coming to a close, and Aang’s duty is to overcome the Avatar State’s WEAKNESSES and to harness its POWER.

As discussed above, the only way that Aang can do that is by letting go of his attachments, in other words, Katara. But another thing is that Aang has already denied his duty and chosen his attachment. This happened at the end of Season Two. This was a lead-in for the next season. But will it end that way? Considering that it already ended in denial, it is unlikely that Aang will repeat this.

So the pattern follows that Aang first learned about its power, next he learned about its weaknesses, he refused to overcome those weaknesses, and so he is currently at the state of making the ultimate decision, the biggest sacrifice. Will he make it?

Well, considering that once you learn something, you use it, what do you think? It is only logical that Aang will in fact use the Avatar State, overcoming its weaknesses, battling through its vulnerabilities (which were also shown at the end of Season Two), and harnessing its cosmic universal power. Everything he has learned throughout the seasons is all leading up to this one moment of truth, the one time he uses it to its full potential. And because there have been several episodes emphasizing this ability, it is impossible for it to just be overlooked and not even used.

The hard truth is:
Aang will use the Avatar State to its full potential!</i>

And that is just fact. It has been shown over and over how this one simple truth will happen, and I believe that it is time we stop overlooking it and start realizing that THIS IS AANG’S DESTINY! There is no explaining it away. It will happen. And when it does, it will be the epic sacrifice we have all been waiting for, a time for a great lesson to finally be learned, and that one moment when Aang will truly shine!