Foriscism

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Foriscism [fɔ:.ʀɪʒ.kɪ.ʒəm] (from Arvonnic from fariskja, "clarity") is an Acassian pantheistic-deistic religion based on the teachings and doctrines articulated and elucidated by the Heavenly Apostles through their Apostolic Statements to the Heligand, compiled together as the Book of Sight. Various denominations have further articulations of their faith called Creeds, and further specified in the collection of writings of Holies called Baltaekai. It is among the Great Religions and one of the two principal faiths of Antraea. Its adherents are called Foriscians.

Foriscism as an institution does not have a single unified dogma and tends to keep its deeper doctrines secret to most of its adherents, preferring to show their rites and true meanings among the more proficient and initiated. However, based upon knowledge that is known (Korkonton), it is predicated towards the goal of dividing the self into the dualistic communion between Brilliance and Void, taking the brilliant consciousness to a higher state of existence towards the heavenly plane. This is done through the renunciantion of defiling the soul through good deeds and cultivation of personal awareness, "taking on clarity". Usually collectivist in its goals, Foriscians are implored to do good deeds and intentions to others, for the hopes of them transcending towards the heavenly plane in the future.

Compared to the externalistic cosmologia of Amatorism, Foriscian thaumatological insight is greatly internalistic, believing in the sacred concerns of the potential self. Its deities (ajonôs) are interpreted as the qualities of the soul in which oneself must cultivate and contemplate upon in order for it to attain Clarity, a state of spiritual awareness in which the spirit transcends its physical self (the body), making it above the laws of its plane and fully within of its own. It is suspected that the higher phases of initiation has found greater and more effective ways of achieving clarity.

Principles

A heavenly bird (usually a dove), commonly depicted in radiant light is a popular representation of Tevas, the odýgajon, or the "absolute".

There is no exact philosophical and spiritual guideline that is espoused in modern Foriscism, and supposedly the fullest model of the faith's concepts is kept secret, shown only to the fully initiated. However, all of its adherents and rites agree to an articulated goal and a central cosmological and theological tradition, while simultaneously accepting of their doctrinal differences as merely slightly different paths to their common goal. These denominations articulate their primary doctrines in the form of Creeds. This article only shows the most common denominative beliefs and traditions underlying the Foriscian faith, through comparative study and citation of the Book of Sight (taunvidešk, or waīdawas for short), the near-universal religious text of Forisciandom.

The Book of Sight is divided in three parts: the Svetis (ešvetisôs), a sprawling epic describing the history of the world and pastimes of the ajonôs, and the Apostolic Statements (parvījôs vitjôs), a detailed commentary on the former by the Heavenly Apostles, introducing ideas that constitute much of Foriscian philosophical thought, such as the Kakistrion, Foriscy and Forviring.

There are two concepts in which the Foriscian rites assume unity, centrality and coherence—the Kakistrion, and the equally dual Clarity and Confusion. What is written within this article is considered exoterica (šinvatodosôs, "known wisdom"). The faith's organization and proselytization, owing to its ancient secrecy during the Classical period, deeper knowledge of Foriscian philosophy and thaumatology are made exclusive only towards higher levels of religious initiation. These esoteric rites and doctrines, referred to as Vatscatodos (vatskantodosôs, "hidden truth, gnosis"), have been the core basis of Foriscian clerical hierarchy.

Theology and philosophy

Theologically, Foriscism is radically dualistic. The Foriscians believe that the world is based around the Kakistrion (Kýkištenar, "cosmic duality"), where two essences, Brilliance (ûget) and Void (pejmut) are sovereign but opposite essences that emanate throughout the universe. Adia exists in a particular conflict-synergy of the Duality that sustains a flawed essence of being. In this world, Brilliance, the pure manifestation of life, creation, existence, emptiness, and light is inevitably fated to oppose Void, the pure manifestation of death, decay, non-existence, occupied space, and darkness. The soul, a manifestation of Brilliance, naturally return to it, and the body, borne of the Void, dissipates back to it. (In this context, Void is used to describe a dense vacuum, akin to a black hole.

Humanity and animals (fenjetôs, mortals) are said to be the result of this anomalous relationship, the unity of the brilliant soul made impure by void and the decaying body. With the corruption of the soul, it is essentially volatile, susceptible to the radiance of Brilliance and the temptation of void. This wild and volatile nature will tend itself to be corrupted by void, making them spiritually blind to their potential to regain their natural brilliance, a state known as confusion (kûmpinos). Without the ability towards ascension, the soul—bound to the material realm—shall reincarnate continuously without rest, unable to return to Brilliance and thus perpetuating its own suffering.

Thus, the central goal to the Foriscian is to break free of the continuous cycle of reincarnation and regain their brilliance by the cultivation of clarity (fariskja), the innate capability of souls to reach brilliance. The human soul, bearing coherence and sapience, has greater susceptibility towards clarity. Attunement towards the thaumic sphere of the world is considered a quality of clarity, if not its very manifestation. Through the renunciation of whatever contributes to one's confusion (such as sin, vice or impiety), the conscious observance of arete, piety and deep spiritual contemplation one may reach towards full clarity, a state of potent being characterized by heightened spiritual awareness and great attunement to the pure essence of Brilliance.

Through clarity souls can now break free of the material world and may return to Brilliance, alegorically pictured in the Korkonton as a resplendent and holy paradise (aštan, "heaven"). Souls that have attained Brilliance are referred to as the Hosts (âksti, "highest"), beings equal to the deities of eastern provenance by divinity and potence, thus worshipped as such by the faithful. Every person who has transcended towards Brilliance is considered a Host, though the most important and fundamental to the is considered an Ajon (plural ajonôs), a metaphysical divinity that manifests to both sides of the Duality, in particular to the confused soul in which they contemplate towards their wisdom as an aid towards clarity.

While the Hosts and Ajonôs serves a central role in the faith, Foriscism does have an actual deity: Tevas (Tivast, oldform Tajvast). Tevas is the highest Ajon, the "primal being", the absolute essence, also referred to as "The Magnificence" being the totalized embodiment of Brilliance. Within its faculty as a divine entity, it is an omnibenevolent, ultrapotent and ultrascient deity that manifests in the self's quest for clarity. It is Tevas which separated himself from the essence of void, creating the Duality. He is the manifestation of the natural and divine order within Brilliance, which upholds clarity and coherence. He is vitality and existence, the universal God.

Cosmology

A Makajl depicted in the Imperial Ottonian style. The Makajlôs are divine cohorts of the Ajonôs, aiding both mortals and the divine in service of Brilliance.

Foriscians do not give concern much to cosmology unlike their Amatorian counterparts, mainly focusing on the essence of the self. Foriscian cosmology goes in line with the broader Acassian cosmology, linking it to the religious traditions of the Amatorians, Neroën, Waitanism and Zandarists, mainly in regards to its focus towards cosmic dualism in the form of the Kakistrion. However, historical attempts to construct a cohesive conception of the world under a Foriscian lens has been noted from time to time, the most comprehensive being the Kaivic scholar Tebocharis, with his seminal esoterica On The Spheres of the Dual outlining an expansive and detailed model of the Foriscian universe. Much of these attempts are considered apocrypha to the common canon, and actual further knowledge of Foriscian cosmology rests within the realm of Analosunism.

Within Exoteric Foriscism, the Kakistrion is central to all the universe. In Adia, there exists two spheres of Thaumic form: the Radiant and the Obscure. The Radiant sphere is the abode of Brilliance, and is the fount of life. The radiant sphere, in colloquial interpretations, is where paradise (astan) dwells, a realm of great beauty where the Hosts enjoy bliss in the prescence of Tevas. In contrast, the Obscure sphere is the abode of Void, the fount of all horrors and the domain of demons. Souls who have wandered too close within these realms are bound to be ripped apart and absorbed within it. Commonly depicted within the arts as a desolate, chaotic realm of both nothingness, death and suffering, such conceptualizations are considered metaphorical or allegorical in doctrine, meant both to contrast the glories Radiant sphere and illustrate its qualities.

There exists set hierarchies between the radiant and obscure spheres, though the former, having order as its fundamental quality, has it more defined than the latter. These hierarchies, referred to as the Cantoria (debgrema, "great music"), is based upon the power, capacity and significance of these essential manifestations to the cosmos. All souls and spirits are manifestations of Brilliance, thus putting them within the jurisdiction of its Cantoria, called the radiant sphere. At the highest of this hierarchy is Tevas, being the absolute being that is Brilliance itself personified. Just below him are The Ajonos and the Hosts, and below them are the Makajlos, spirits in servitude to its Brilliant superiors. Mortals fall between the middle of the spheres, though are closer to Brilliance due to having souls. This clear defined order of the radiant sphere is representative of the essence of Clarity. In contrast, the Cantoria of Void is not truly set, mainly divided between cohorts of demons and the arch-anathema, Azare.

[...]

..the duality created matter, in which Tevas, in his capacity as the absolute essence, organized the sphere of Adia in order to preclude his own clarity... usually

Practice

Given that Foriscism is an active, thaumaturgical system to achieve spiritual clarity and transcension, ritual itself forms a major part in Foriscisn life. In a way, the rites are a sort of an individual's spiritual path, a form of active self-cultivation that must be maintained whenever possible. [...]

Initiation

Devotion

Main article: Devotion (Foriscism)
File:Guthblostr.jpg
A depiction of a Lapuja, specifically the Belgrish Rite celebration of the Holy Consort.

REWRITE

Monasticism

Holidays

Organisation

Main article: Covenant (Foriscism)

History

Main article: History of Foriscism

Denominations

Main article: Rite (Foriscism)

Rite

Relations with other faiths

References

Bibliography

Citations and Notes