When Obi-Wan Kenobi was instructing young Luke Skywalker about the Force, he made sure to tell his student about the two sides of the Force: the Light Side, and the Dark Side. While the Light Side required a Zen-like calm, the Dark Side encouraged rashness, high emotion, and a nasty disposition. Needless to say, it was far easier to use the Dark Side of the Force.

In The Wheel of Time, there is the One Power, an energy force that drives the Pattern forward, and then there is the True Power, which we know little about. Here's what I've managed to figure out so far:

- Lanfear (Mierin) and Beidomon were searching for this True Power when they created the Bore to the Dark One's prison.

There is a description of Mierin and Beidomon's effort to find an alternate source for the One Power as being 'totally separate' from saidin and saidar. While we would all love some more information about the Age of Legends, what we have so far is quite muddled and disjointed.

- channelers can only use the True Power with the permission of the Dark One.

There are a few references to this 'permission' concept; Moghedien is quite amazed when she realizes that Moridin uses the True Power constantly. The idea of permission is intended to suggest that the power comes directly from the Dark One himself, and is separate from the One Power. There is a theory that the dark cords that Rand has seen linked to Forsaken are actually links to the True Power, but there isn't enough evidence to prove or disprove it.

- therefore, True Power users are likely Darkfriends at the least, and the Forsaken at the most.

At the very least, you're not going to find one of the good guys/girls channeling the True Power, not unless they've given up their soul to Leafblighter without letting us know. Since Moridin is very likely Ishamael reborn, all of the True Power users we've seen are Forsaken. None of the Black Ajah, though, seem to have access, since they're all taking orders from Forsaken, not the Big Guy.

- True Power flows are invisible to One Power channelers, much like saidin and saidar are invisible to each other.

This assumption doesn't have much hard evidence behind it; it's more of a response to logic. We've seen it so rarely that it's difficult to know for sure. Although...

- At the end of TCOS, when mystery guy channels balefire at Mashadar at the same time that Rand does, the crossing of the streams has an effect similar to crossing the streams in Ghostbusters; knocks you flat on your butt.

Rand never sees the flows from the mystery guy (Moridin, probably) that creates the balefire; it seems to burst from his hand spontaneously. Of course, we've never seen two streams of balefire hit each other before - maybe the above effect has nothing to do with the True Power. And remember, when Moridin leaves, Rand never sees the gateway flows, nor does he feel anyone channeling.

- constant use of the True Power results in saa, a strange side effect that has your pupils appear to flick across your cornea like they're playing Eyeball Pong.

Moghedien is our source for this bit of info, remarking how deeply Moridin must be using the True Power for his saa to be so advanced. It has been theorized that Ishamael's eyes of fire that were observed in the first three books are the end result of saa.

- there is a possibility that the True Power can do things the One Power cannot (or is hard-pressed to duplicate)

It is generally thought that in the prologue to TEOTW, Ishamael uses the True Power to Heal Lews Therin:

His sudden smile was cruel. "But I fear Shai'tan's healing is different from the sort you know. Be healed, Lews Therin!" He extended his hands, and the light dimmed as if a shadow had been laid across the sun.

Pain blazed in Lews Therin, and he screamed, a scream that came from his depths, a scream he could not stop. Fire seared his marrow; acid rushed along his veins. He toppled backwards, crashing to the marble floor; his head struck the stone and rebounded. His heart pounded, trying to beat its way out of his chest, and every pulse gushed new flame through him. Helplessly he convulsed, thrashing, his skull a sphere of purest agony on the point of bursting. His hoarse screams reverberated through the palace.

What happened to Lews Therin there? Ishamael cleansed part of the saidin's taint from Lews Therin's body and soul, lifted the taint's madness from Kinslayer's mind so he could understand what had really happened. The Forsaken calls it 'Shai'tan's healing' (and I thought calling the Dark One by his true name was blasphemy - what's up with that, Elan Morin?), and such a name is well-earned. If the True Power could cleanse the madness from Lews Therin (and perhaps the taint's effects), then it seems reasonable to suggest that it was the True Power that put the taint in saidin. The Dark One using the True Power, natch.

As we saw in 'Winter's Heart', Rand used the Choedan Kal with Nynaeve's help to use saidar as a taint-sieve, cleaning the taint scum off the surface of saidin. This didn't really answer the question of how the taint got there in the first place (or whether or not it will come back), but I would like to point out that while most of the Forsaken showed up at Shadar Logoth to try and stop Rand, Moridin was conspicuous in his absence. Would his constant use of the True Power have anything to do with that?

It's been pointed out to me that the One Power and the True Power could be two halves of one whole, like how saidin and saidar are two halves of the One Power. This is an attractive idea, and while we've only seen the True Power used with the Dark One's permission, perhaps this is because the Dark One is the only sentient being besides the Creator who knows how to tap the Source.

If the True Power is truly separate from the One Power, but uses the flows in similar ways, this presents all sorts of possibilities... and questions.

Can you use the True Power in a stedding?

If the Bore was sealed with the One Power by a hundred channelers, why can't the Dark One bust through the seal with the True Power? Surely the Dark One is at least as powerful as a hundred channelers. Or does it take three thousand years of constant True Power assault to wear away the seal to its current state of disrepair?

What is Mat's medallion made of, and how was it created? What force could create something that absorbs One Power flows, if not the True Power?

How were the Gholam created? With the True Power? If so, then wouldn't the True Power kill them? Mat's medallion burned a Gholam, remember.

Ishamael's healing of Lews Therin suggests that madness can be healed. Is this only possible with the True Power?

Does anyone in Randland besides the Forsaken know about the True Power? Does Cadsuane know? Does Verin know?

Does Moiraine know?

If the Dark One can resurrect the dead, and he is also the source for the True Power, can someone use the True Power to resurrect the dead?

As you can see, there are many questions concerning the True Power, and I doubt that most will be answered by the time the WOT series has ended.