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redd956 · 10 months

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Do you have any advice for worldbuilding religions? I have an idea of what i want practice of a certain facet to look like, but beyond that I'm stuck

Yes!

A few major things to always think about when worldbuilding religion

Size of religion

Cultural influence

Rituals/Festivities

The first thing I try to decide is what tone am I gunning for, and what do I want religion to do/represent in my worldbuilding. I work from there. It decides how extensively I want to work on and plan.

Pantheons & Gods

Decide if the religion is Monotheistic or Polytheistic, and balance your pantheons

(Also note that monotheistic religions often times technically still have pantheons due to how the religions formed over time, take for instance Christianity, with its saints, prophets, god, great angels, and demons)

For polytheistic religions try to create a general idea of what role each god plays in the lives of its followers. A common thing people forget about, and a thing that plagued me with two years of plothole filling, is how do the believers use an overall pantheon.

Are believers separated into groups who worship a particular god, but also acknowledge the others?

Are believers set to primarily worship one god out of a pantheon, the others being sidelined in their beliefs?

Are believers worshipping the majority of the pantheon, perhaps viewing a handful as powerful necessary evils?

Are believers equally worshipping the entirety of the pantheon?

Festivities & Culture

If holidays aren't originating from historical events, they often derive from religion, mythology, and folklore. Big influential religions become intertwined with culture, whether people like it or not.

This could be Christmas going from various Pagan religion's celebration of the winter solstice to a Christian holiday celebrating Jesus' birthday to a national tradition of gift giving many celebrate despite not being Christian. Every country sees culture influenced by religion in one way or another.

Other examples IRL

Religious clothing & accessories: Hijab, fez, kapp, modest dressing, clergy robes, cross necklaces, etc.

Calendar & work day: Working the majority of the week except for Sunday, national holidays, length of the month, start of harvest, etc.

Laws & society standards: Isms, Anti-Cannibalism, cleanliness culture, food consumption rules, etc.

Rituals

Rituals are also a major thing people think of when going to worldbuild a religion. This is the praying, the blessing food at the table, the enchanting a knight's sword with holiness before they charge into battle, the sacrifice into a volcano, the donating entire sheeps to a god's altar...

Rituals in worldbuilding are what can help differentiate and make the worldbuilding unique! Game of Thrones, Six of Crows, and Metro are all popular series that utilize religion heavily in their hard worldbuilding. In soft worldbuilding we also see a lot of unique religion; Hollow Knight, Spirited Away, and Dark Souls.

Ruling out the rituals and their important to the worldbuilding can do wonders to making a religion feel more real for the world it is in

Conflict

Sadly with religion usually comes conflict. This includes Isms (racism, sexism, religion vs. religion). Either way religion can play a greater role in military, government, conflicts, and more.

Take for instance warrior religion culture! Whether it be the Norse Vikings of Europe, the Pagan Roman Soldiers of the early Roman Empire, the Christian Crusaders and the blood trail they left behind, or even deities of war seen all over the world throughout history

(Im a sucker for war gods in worldbuilding)

Religion can be conflict, and for us worldbuilders, conflict can be very fun to play with!

IRL Controversy

A growing difficulty with worldbuilding religion is what I call mimicry, religion bad, and censoring

Mimicry

It's easiest and often even advised to pull from what we know when creating anything. However there's a point where we're not jumping off the deep end enough, and sometimes unintentionally we just end up making a slightly altered copy of an already existing religion. This can not only be offensive to the religion or it's people, but also limiting to the worldbuilder's potential.

There are always moments where this can be intentional in worldbuilding, especially for Alternate History and futurism worlds that are just an extension of what we know. But if its not what you're going for its a major thing to try to avoid.

Religion Bad

For many people extremism has ruined religion, and this can bleed into their work positively and negatively. That's when we run into religion bad! Where every single time religion appears, it is only there to be an evil, a badness, a stain. (This an awful way to think about religion in general, including in worldbuilding) This can cause people to skip over cultural worldbuilding, as well as limit them by forcing them to never indulge in any potential goods religion can cause.

Censoring

Now taking the previous two in mind, don't hinder yourself! Modern day Puritan Culture and Cancel Culture makes this last part hard to stop yourself. Self censoring is becoming more and more common for creators of all types, including worldbuilders. If you want to something guttural and grim dark do it! If you want to do something gory and cult-like, do it! If you want to do something whimsical and Ghibli, do it!

#worldbuilding #redd answers #dezert answers #worldbuilding religion #writing religion #world building #world building religion

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what-even-is-thiss · 1 year

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hey roman do you have any resources about history of religion type thing ? i was raised christian and i'm an adult now (haven't gone to church in 5+) but lately i've been thinking a lot about mortality and human consciousness and how is life even possible and it makes me have bad thoughts about "going to hell" and all the shit that i was told in church when i was younger. i've seen your posts about religion and idk i thought maybe u had some insight?

Most of my knowledge is admittedly Eurocentric and has to do with story and legend rather than actual practices and spirituality.

If you’re interested in overviews and history I’d recommend the YouTube channels Let’s Talk Religion and Religion For Breakfast. Both are channels run by people with actual degrees in this stuff.

If you want my unprofessional opinion about hell, I don’t think it exists. The Bible is actually fairly vague about what happens after death and I don’t view God as a being that is centered around fear and punishment. I am a practicing Christian if that means anything to you.

If you’re interested in the history of Judaism and Christianity, Religion for Breakfast is especially good because he specializes in that. From what I know about it, Jewish people didn’t become strictly monotheistic until about the 6th century BC during the Babylonian exile. There’s also a lot of forms of early Christianity that didn’t follow the Trinitarian system we have now, where God is a single being with three major aspects. There were systems that actually had three different gods. Usually the gnostics. That one was really antisemitic if I’m remembering correctly. There were people who viewed Jesus as purely human, and some other stuff.

Idk dude the early history of the abrahamic religions is nothing like you expect. To the point where some people have a crisis of faith when they read into it. I don’t particularly care because I’m pretty secure at this point in what I believe but some people get weirded out by it because it doesn’t really fit the narrative that a lot of pastors and priests want to give you of it.

But yeah, basically I’m at the point with my knowledge of early Christianity where I know just enough to know that I know nothing. Which is more than most people know I guess but yeah go looking to actual experts in this field. It’s a lot.

#religion mention

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herald-divine-hell · 18 days

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Islam and Muslim, Christians and Jews - Does the Quran Denounce Judaism and Christianity?

Since we are on the topic, I believe since I have a fairly large following, I think I should take the time to have an educational lesson regarding Islam, since the times we live in are tense and often fraught with misinformation and understanding of the Prophet Muhammad, Islam, and the Quran's teachings, especially in regards to other monotheists of the Abrahamic tradition (of whom, Muhammad had likely extensive relationships with, not only in terms of combative but also allyship and communal relations.)

I originally posted this essay on the progressive Islam subreddit and will post it here just because it can reach a wider audience. Shortly, we will go back to our usual focus on Leliana and DA, but I think this just an important thing to talk about. New additions made to this essay would be utilized with a [word].

TW: Religion.

Hello, everyone. I wanted to make this little essay. Often when discussing Judaism and Christianity, many in the Islamic religious thought sphere believe that with the coming of the Prophet Muhammad's ministry, the pathway toward God via Judaism and Christianity were casted away, that the offer of salvation is given only to the Christians and Jews living before or during Muhammad's life. Yet, in my view, through the Quran, that cannot be further from the truth. The Quran itself considers the way of the Jews and Christians, while misguided, as still legitimate pathways to seeking the Divine, while otherwise critiquing their failing to recognize or join Muhammad's universal monotheistic movement.

What is islam, and how is it used in the Quran? Furthermore, what is a muslim in the Quran, and how is it used? Is Islam the religion of Muhammad, as it is believed in secular historical thought and Muslim scholars, being exclusive to those who proscribed to Muhammad's teachings? Or does the Quran view it as inherently different?

Although many translators often capitalize the Arabic word islam as a proper noun, in the form of the "Islam", it is an unlikely relationship in which the Quran views the word. The word islam come from the Arabic s-l-m, often translated as submission, with the usual connotation of the word to be "submission to God". From that root Arabic word s-l-m, we also receive the term muslim, translated into English as submitter. So, how does the Quran use these terms that have been incorporated as the faith of Muhammad's teachings?

The word islam is noted in the following verses:

2:208: "O, you who believe! Enter into l-sil'mi [peace, submission] all together, and follow not the footsteps of Satan. Truly he is a manifest enemy unto you."

3:19: "Truly the religion in the sight of God is l-is'lāmu [submission]. Those who were given the Book differed not until after knowledge had come to them, out of envy among themselves. And whosoever disbelieves in God’s signs, truly God is swift in reckoning."

3:85 "Whosoever seeks a religion other than l-is'lāmi [submission], it shall not be accepted of him, and in the Hereafter he shall be among the losers."

5:3 "Forbidden unto you are carrion and blood, the flesh of swine and that which has been offered to other than God, that which has been strangled or beaten to death, that which has been killed by falling or has been gored to death, that which has been mangled by beasts of prey—save that which you may purify—and that which is sacrificed on stone altars, and that which you allot with divining arrows; that is iniquity. This day those who disbelieve have despaired of your religion. So fear them not, but fear Me! This day I have perfected for you your religion, and completed My Blessing upon you, and have approved for you as religion, l-is'lāma [Submission]."

6: 125: "Whomsoever God wishes to guide, He expands his breast lil'is'lāmi [for submission]. And whomsoever He wishes to lead astray, He makes his breast narrow and constricted, as if he were climbing to the sky. Thus does God heap defilement upon those who do not believe."

9:74: "They swear by God that they said it not, but indeed they spoke the word of disbelief, and disbelieved after having is'lāmihim [submitted]."

39:22: "What of one whose breast God has expanded lil'is'lāmi [for submission], such that he follows a light from his Lord? Woe unto those whose hearts are hardened to the remembrance of God! They are in manifest error."

49:17: "They count it as a favor to thee that they have aslamū [submitted]. Say, “Do not count is'lāmakum [your submission] as a favor to me. Nay, rather God confers a favor upon you, in that He has guided you to belief, if you are truthful."

61: 7 Who does greater wrong than one who fabricates lies against God, while he is being called l-is'lāmi [to submission]? And God guides not wrongdoing people.

The triliteral root sin-lam-mim, often with a connotation with someone who is in submission, and especially often associated with the Prophets of the Jews, Christians, and Muslims. Perhaps the most famous example is 3:67:

3:67: Abraham was neither Jew nor Christian, but rather was a true [hanifan] mus'liman [Submitter], and he was not of the idolators.

But other verses highlight the universality of muslim as a one who follows the tradition of Abraham, or who are a true monotheist, regardless of their belief of Muhammad's prophethood, as these figures proceed him in histography, and would be continued, after Abraham, as Jewish or Christian.

3:52: And when Jesus sense rebelliousness in them, he said, 'Who are my helpers from God?'' The apostles [the disciples] said, 'We are God's helpers. We believe in God; bear witness that we mus'limuna [are Submitters].

Significantly, whereas the Quran uses the term muslim and islam in a generalized conception of the primordial faith of God and creation, and would include Jews and Christians, who specifically were allied with the Prophet and his community, such terms are not the designations of Muhammad's followers. Whenever addressed directly, the Quran refers to mu'minun, or as translated to English, as Believers [our quiet literally, 'O' you who believe']. But significantly, not only was "Believers" a title, it was a spiritual designation, a greater state of faith, as seen in 49:14:

49:14: "The Bedouin say, 'We believe.' Say, 'You believe not. Rather, say, 'We have submitted [aslamna]', for belief has not yet entered your hearts. If you obey God and His Messenger, He will not diminish for you aught of your deeds. Truly God is Forgiving, Merciful."

Yet, interestingly, many English translations of the Quran often translate islam as a proper noun, such as in 3:85, referring to the religion of God as the exclusive religion of Muhammad - Islam, a later post-Quranic development which differs in the many usage of the word islam and muslim designates, especially in regards to Pre-Muhammad figures such as Abraham and the Disciples of Jesus (who account as the first Christians). As Juan Cole pointed out in his biography on the Prophet Muhammad: Muhammad, the Prophet of Peace Amid the Clash of Empires:

"That Muhammad attracted Arab Christian admirers up north, and that he thought well of their values, is demonstrated by Stories 28:52-54. These verses contrast the hostile pagans to Christians who had received a revelation before the Qur'an and who therefore could recognize its truth: 'Those to whom we gave a Book before this one have believed in it. When it is recited to them they say, 'we have believed in it, it is the truth from our lord. Even before this, we were monotheists.' They will be given reward twice over inasmuch as they patiently endure and repel evil with good deeds and share the provisions we gave them.'

The Qur'an reaffirms Jesus's teachings in the Sermon on the Mount and holds them up as an example for all. The passage suggests Muhammad was already making Christian converts in places like the Transjordan, though it is possible that they simply acknowledged the virtues of the Qur'an. Muhammad's Believers movement was socially ecumenical, though he steadfastly insisted on his Unitarian theology.

The phrase 'we were monotheists' in Stories 28:53 is in the Arabic 'we were muslims.' The root of the Arabic here has to do with surrendering, that is, to God, but it is likely underlain by Aramaic and Greek words that have to do not only with submission but also with passing on or accepting a tradition. All those who submit to the one God and accept the Word or tradition of Abraham about his unicity are thus muslim with a small m, from Solomon to the disciples of Jesus. The Qur'ran does not employ the terms muslim and islam to refer to the religion of Muhammad in specific (it instead uses terminology also found in the letters of Paul, calling his followers 'those who have believed').

This concept is further highlighted in the Quran, regarding doctrinal disagreements that is considered a nuisance but should not really be a true problem, which the Jews and Christians leveled at one another.

2:111-113 notes: "And they say: 'None will enter Paradise expect who is a Jew or Christian.' These are their desires. Say, 'Bring your proof if you are truthful.' Nay. Whoever submits themselves to Allah and does good will have their reward with their Lord. And there will be no fear for them, nor will they grieve. The Jews say, 'The Christians have nothing to stand on' and the Christians say, 'The Jews have nothing to stand on,' although both recite the Scriptures, like those who do not know say similar sayings; but Allah will judge between them on the Day of Judgement in what they differ [dispute].

The phrase "and there will be no fear for them, nor will they grieve" is a constant affirmation by the Quran whenever it speaks on regards to the salvation of other monotheists outside Muhammad's religious community - 5:69, 2:62. Although many Muslims throughout history, and in the modern period, have tried to argue against such pluralistic salvation, the Quran refutes such exclusivity, as is noted in 2:111-113.

5:43-48: “And how is it that they come to thee for judgement, when they have the Torah, wherin God's Judgement? Yet even after that, they turn their backs, and they are not believers. Indeed, We revealed the Torah, containing guidance and light, by which the prophets, who submitted themselves to God, made judgments for Jews. So too did the rabbis and scholars judge according to God’s Book, with which they were entrusted and of which they were made keepers. So do not fear the people; fear Me! Nor trade my revelations for a fleeting gain. And those who do not judge by what Allah has revealed are ˹truly˺ the disbelievers. And therein We prescribed for them: a life for a life, an eye for an eye, a nose for a nose, an ear for an ear, a tooth for a tooth, and for wounds, retribution. But whoever forgoes it out of charity, it shall be an expiation for them. Whoever judges not by that which God has sent down - it is they who are wrongdoers. And in the their footsteps, We sent Jesus son of Mary, confirming the Torah that had come before him, and We gave him the Gospel, wherein is a guidance and light to the reverent. Let the people of the Gospel [the Christians] judge by what God has send down therein. Whoever judges not by that which God has sent down--it is they who are iniquitous. And We have sent down unto you the Book (the Quran) in truth, confirming the Books that came before, and as a protector [guardian] over them. So judge between them in accordance with what God has sent down, and follow not their caprices away from the truth that has come onto you. For each among you We have appointed a law and a way. And had God willed, He would have made you one community, but He willed otherwise, that He might try you in which He has given you. So vie with one another in good deeds. Unto God shall be your return all together, and He will inform you of what therein you differ."

Perhaps the most significant statement by God in regards to the validity of previous scriptures is the statement in verse 48: For each among you We have appointed a law and a way. And had God willed, He would have made you one community, but He willed otherwise, that He might try you in which He has given you. So vie with one another in good deeds.

[Yet, it is also important to note, the Quran does not differentiate between specific Jewish tribes whom Muhammad was clearly disputing with, either militarily or theologically, yet it seems clear through continuous analysis of the Quran that the Quran is referring to specific groups of Jewish tribes who allied and supported Mecca, and likely Sasanian Iran.]

Recall, muslim is not a inherently just a follower of Muhammad, it can be given to any Abrahamic faith, or any monotheist, who submit to the Divine Will of God, or follows the laws and ways given to the other scriptural communities, such as the Jews and Christians. And clearly, the favor of the Christians is noted numerous times in the Quran. In 30:2-4: "The Romans have been defeated, in a land nearby. Yet after being defeated they will prevail within a few years--unto God belongs the affair, and on that day the Believers will rejoice in God's help." Or in 3:55: "When He said, 'O Jesus, I shall take thee and raise thee unto Me, and purify thee of those who disbelieve, and place those who follow thee superior to those who disbelieve until the Day of Judgement." Given that Jesus was firmly established as Divine in the faith of Christianity in Rome, and such would have been counted among Muslim scholars as "infidels", it is significant that God's favor still is given to these "disbelievers" and that Muhammad's own followers would rejoice over her victory against Sasanian Iran. Such, Trinitarianism, while a misguided view, is not so costly as to remove Christians from God's divine favor. It would make no sense for the Quran to have the Believers rejoice over Rome's eventual victory over Iran if those same Romans were destined to Hell.

The Quran, of course, criticizes the previous communities for falling to join Muhammad's social-political entity in Medina, but it also urges them to follow their own given path, without the need to convert to the path given, evidently throughout the Quran, to the polytheistic Arabs, who bare the ultimate punishment as those who Muhammad was expected to deliver the message to, chiefly. Recall, whenever the Quran utilizes the term k-f-r it is in the verb kafara, and not the noun kafirun, it is often referring to the previous scriptural communities. Often the Quran refers to them in translated English as "those who kafaru from among the people of the Book." Such, it is referring to a distinct, perhaps even relatively tiny group who significantly threw in their lot with the pagans of Mecca rather than Muhammad and his monotheistic community.

Juan Cole also notes in his article, Infidel or Paganus? The Polysemy of kafara in the Quran (2020):

"While Christians as such are never called kafirun in the Quran, then, they are capable of engaging in acts for which it uses the verb kafara and which are on a sliding scale (just as with Muhammad's cowardly believers who avoided Uhud). Many of these acts appear to be venial sins. The processual character of the verbal form of the root is appropriate to sinful actions taken by a saved community in a way that the fixed noun is not. "

Conclusion:

The questions revolving around the acceptance of the Jews, Christians, the illusive Sabeans, and other unnamed monotheists as part of the primeval islam is clearly answered in the Quran: these groups are accepted if they submit to God, follow their laws, believe in God's divine judgement, and do good works, as it is proscribed in their divinely revealed texts. It critiques this view of an exclusive faith that restricts other pathways to God on the basis of holding "the absolute truth", and the terms in which is often associated with Islam - the religion of the Prophet Muhammad - is in fact a distortion of the truth. The Quran clearly does not expect other monotheists to convert to Islam - would it be preferable for them to follow Muhammad's unitarian theology, and ally with his Believer movement socially and politically? Absolutely. But terms of theological grace, Christianity and Judaism, expect for extreme forms that border on paganism, are valid pathways to God, even including Trinitarianism.

[Furthermore, the calls for conversion to Islam is considered negatable toward other monotheists, such as the Christians and Jews. Because of the Quran's universalistic conception of submission, monotheists of varying faiths are included, even if they are not directly submitting to Muhammad's political authority. Indeed, the Quran itself seems to seek to remedy the hostility between the Abrahamic sister faiths, Christianity and Judaism, but correcting doctrinal disagreements between the two - famously the Quran calls the Christians as the closest of friendships to Muhammad's followers, and the polytheists and Jews as the most hostile [5:82]. Of course, the Quran also does not hate Judaism - Muhammad had a clear friendship and admiration for the Jewish faith, and it seems more likely that Muhammad was allied with Talmudic, anti-Sasanian Jewish rabbinical tribes in Medina, and his main criticisms fall toward Jewish-Arab groups that began to become more paganistic during their time in Arabia, likely since the destruction of the Second Temple by the Romans. So, the supposed hostility of the 'Jews and polytheists" in which the Quran levels the Jews for should rather as the Jews allied with Muhammad's enemies, or supporting Muhammad's enemies. The Quran clearly seeks to help the Jewish people in one of the best things it could do: it exonerates them from the Christian ideology and accusation that the Jews were the one who killed Jesus. Rather, it accuses the Roman pagans as the ones who killed Jesus. To read more on this, please see Dr. Juan Cole's ‘It was made to appear to them so’: the crucifixion, Jews and Sasanian war propaganda in the Qur’ān and his' Infidel or Paganus? The Polysemy of kafara in the Quran.

I also wish to note, I am not critiquing or damning pagans to hell, either in this community or others. That is not my job, and I follow the Quran's urging to leave those who are pagans be if they are not hostile, physically that is, to me. Quite literally, the Quran tells us that we are forbidden to mock the gods of others [6:108], and to, in essence, turn the other cheek [109:1-7] and have a live and let live policy.]

Sources:

Cole, J. (2018). Repeal Evil with Good. In Muhammad: a Prophet of Peace Amid the Clash of Empires (pp. 78–79). essay, Bold Type Books.

Cole, J. (2020). Infidel or Paganus? The Polysemy of kafara in the Quran. The Journal of the American Oriental Society, 140(3), 1+. https://link-gale-com.libproxy.utdallas.edu/apps/doc/A641090321/AONE?u=txshracd2602&sid=bookmark-AONE&xid=ff740ada

Nasr, S. H. (2015). The study Quran: A new translation with notes and commentary. HarperOne, an imprint of Collins Publishers.

The Quranic Arabic Corpus - Quran dictionary. (n.d.). https://corpus.quran.com/qurandictionary.jsp?q=kfr#(2:217:45)

#essay #religion #tw religion #just tim rambling

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vanilla-cigarillos · 1 year

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“Oh How I Love Being A Woman”: The 1970s Goddess Movement

The 1970s were a time of incredible cultural shift, with many of the intense political changes in the United States taking the forefront. However, many female-centric movements have been largely ignored by the history books. The Goddess Movement of the 1970′s, emerging predominantly in North America, Western Europe, Australia, and New Zealand, is one of them.

The movement grew primarily as a reaction to Abrahamic religions that only have male gods, and makes use of goddess worship and can include a focus on women (or on one or more understandings of gender or femininity). This was a non-centralized movement in Neopaganism, therefore lacking any sort of central belief or tenets.

Beliefs

Some, such as Dianic Wiccan practitioners, exclusively worship female deities, while others do not. Belief systems range from monotheistic to polytheism to pantheistic, including a vast range of theological variety similar to that in the broader neopagan community.

A common statement within the Goddess Movement is that myths from supposed ancient matriarchal societies were behind key elements in Christianity, particularly in the beliefs that "matriarchies fostering goddess worship influenced the attitudes of early Christians toward Mary" and that "the Catholic Church was originally matriarchal with Mary Magdalene, not Peter, as its head." (McNally, Terrence 2009. What Every Catholic Should Know About Mary). The Goddess Movement views devotion to female Christian figures such as the female saints as a continuation of ancient Goddess worship.

Some people in the Goddess movement honor the Triple Goddess of Maiden, Mother, and Crone. The Maiden aspect of the Goddess is the archetype of a young woman or a child, representing independence and strength; the Mother aspect is the archetype of a nurturing mature woman; and the Crone aspect is the archetype of an old woman that represents wisdom, change, and transformation

Ethics

Despite the Goddess Movement having no specific code of behavior, there are commonly held concepts within the movement that form a basis for ethical behavior. Those participants in Goddess spirituality who identify as Wiccan usually follow what is known as the Wiccan Rede:

" 'An it harm none, do what ye will", ("an" being an archaic English word understood to mean "if", or "as long as").

Many also believe in the Threefold Law, which states that:

"what you send (or do), returns three times over"

Other commonly held beliefs within the Goddess Movement are that one should not harm the interconnected web of life, and that peace and partnership should be the goals, rather than war and domination.

#pagan #paganism #wicca #witchcraft #goddess #goddess movement #1970s #history #feminism #culture

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asanee44 · 11 months

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HOW TO PRACTICE IFA RELIGION

Many people come to me seeking out reputable priests and priestesses within traditional African systems. There are several available, but I know they can be difficult to find. That’s why I provide reputable Ifa readings through my website.

Since I started offering these services, a few of my clients have asked me to explain more about the beliefs and tenets of Ifa. So, I decided to cover this topic in more depth in a 16-part series. Since I don’t focus on Ifa as much on the African Spirit podcast, I will also address this topic in more depth over time. So, stay tuned if you want to know more about this sacred tradition.

It is important to note that Ifa is not a proselytizing religion. People do not actively seek to convert followers to Ifa. Instead, they focus on living their lives in accordance with Ifa principles. Therefore, it is unlikely that you will see signs and billboards pointing you to an Ifa temple or have random people approaching you with pamphlets about the religion.

Instead, you will have to search out Ifa resources on your own. It is a growing community but is not as easily visible as other religions. This is why this series and additional information about this system are crucial to new devotees.

ORISHAS OF THE IFA RELIGION

If you are new to Ifa, you should know a few things before you begin practicing the religion. First, it is vital to understand that Ifa is a monotheistic religion though devotees serve many deities. Some view the Ifa religion as polytheistic, meaning many gods or deities are worshiped.

However, the true essence of Ifa is monotheistic. Ifa devotees believe in a Supreme Creator referred to as Oludumare. Though, the Orishas and other forces created by Oludumare significantly impact our day-to-day lives. Therefore, they are reverenced or honored through offerings and sacrifices.

Some of the more well-known Orishas include the ones outlined below. But, there are many more Orishas that you will come in contact with as you develop your practice.

ORUNMILA

Also known as Orula or Orunla, this Orisha is associated with divination, wisdom, and prophecy and is often invoked for guidance and protection. Orunmila is one of the essential Orishas in the Yoruba religion and is widely revered among followers of other Orisha traditions in the Caribbean Islands and South America.

ESHU

Also referred to as Esu, this Orisha is considered the Orisha of mischief and change. Eshu is typically depicted as a man with two faces, one black and one red. These colors represent change and opposition. Eshu is often described as a trickster god, as he is known for playing tricks on people. He is also known for being very helpful as he is the god of crossroads, capable of opening doors of opportunity.

OBATALA

This is the Orisha of peace, purity, and creativity. Obatala is typically depicted in all white, which represents purity. He is known to be very fair and just, with little to no tolerance for immorality.

OSHUN

The Orisha of love, beauty, and fertility is known as Oshun or Osun in the Ifa and other diasporic traditions. Oshun is typically depicted as a beautiful woman with yellow or gold clothing, which symbolizes beauty and happiness.

OGUN

The Orisha of war and strength is popularly known as Ogun in many African diaspora traditions, including Ifa. Ogun is typically depicted as a man dressed in all black, carrying weapons. He is also associated with the colors green and black in Yoruba, which represent the forest or clearing a path. In diasporic traditions, he is most commonly associated with the color red, which embodies the energy of passion, power, and war.

SANGO

One of the most famous Orishas in Yorubaland, Sango, is the god of thunder and lightning. Sango is said to be a very powerful Orisha and is often considered to be the king of the Orishas in Yoruba. This Orisha is very passionate and can be both good and bad-tempered. Sango is usually depicted as a man carrying a double-headed ax and is often associated with the color red. Sango is also the patron of the Orisha of the Yoruba people.

OYA

Oya is a very important figure in the Ifa religion. She is the wife of Ogun, the god of war, and is also the goddess of the wind and storms. Oya is a powerful warrior goddess and is often depicted carrying a sword or spear. She is also associated with crows and birds of prey. Oya is a fierce and protective goddess who is sometimes invoked during trouble or conflict. She is also the patroness of women who experience difficult times, such as childbirth or menopause. Oya is a popular goddess. Her shrines can be found throughout Nigeria and other parts of West Africa.

These are just some of the few Orishas you should be aware of as you connect with Ifa. Some of them will be more prominent in your journey than others. However, all Orishas play a role in each of our lives in some way or another.

ANCESTOR VENERATION

It is also important to begin an ancestor veneration practice before starting any African spiritual system. This will help you connect to your African roots and the spirit world, as your ancestors will guide you along your journey.

This should be your first step before embarking on an Ifa spiritual journey. Your ancestors can help you find the right resources and connect with the right people along your path. But it may be necessary to do ancestor connection or elevation work before you begin venerating them. There are many ways to accomplish this goal.

STUDYING IFA

If you are interested in practicing Ifa, start by doing some research to learn more about the belief systems and the Orishas. Once you have a general understanding of the religion, begin incorporating Orisha worship into your own life in subtle ways. And finally, seek out an Ifa community that you can connect with and learn from.

To practice Ifa, followers must first learn about the Orishas that they may be working with. This can be done by reading religious texts, attending ceremonies, or speaking with a priest or priestess of the system. Once you have a general understanding of the system, you can begin to incorporate the principles and Orishas into your own life in healthy and productive ways.

By connecting with the system this way, you can begin to live your life according to Ifa principles. This includes living in harmony with nature, respecting your elders, and working hard to better yourself and your community.

Connecting with an Ifa community at the beginning of your journey is important. This can provide you with support and guidance as you learn more about the religion. There are Ifa temples in many parts of the world, so finding one near you should not be difficult. You can also find many resources online, such as books, articles, and websites dedicated to Ifa.

Here is a list of popular books about the Ifa tradition that you can get started with:

UNDERSTANDING IFA GUIDELINES

It is very important to understand Ifa guidelines before fully embracing the system. There is a strict set of rules and regulations that should be followed in order to avoid any negative consequences. Some of these guidelines include:

Do not engage in any activities that could result in spiritual or physical harm or abuse.

Do not abuse drugs or alcohol while participating in Ifa ceremonies or rituals.

Do not violate individual and community taboos.

You will become aware of many other guidelines as you continue your practice. But, do understand that Ifa is a tradition based on standards of moral conduct. Adherents are expected to live a life of good character to achieve success in life.

IFA RELIGION DIVINATION

Get as much information as you can about Ifa divination before you get a reading. Doing so will help you understand if your reading is legitimate or not. It will also help you understand what to expect during the process. If you have questions about Ifa, ask a knowledgeable priest, priestess, devotee, or mentor for guidance.

When you are ready to get your first Ifa reading, there are a few things you should keep in mind. First, it is important to find a reputable diviner who has been trained in the Ifa tradition. Second, you should be prepared to pay for the reading, as spiritual services are fee-based.

Finally, you should come with an open mind and be willing to accept whatever advice the diviner has to offer. By following these steps, you can ensure that you have a positive and productive experience with Ifa divination.

Once you feel ready, you should get your first Ifa reading. This will help you understand your relationship with the Orishas, your destiny, and what steps you need to take to lead a successful life. After your first reading, be sure to live your life according to Ifa principles so that you can succeed in all areas of your life.

CHOOSING A PRIEST OR PRIESTESS

Don’t be too hasty to commit to a Babalawo (Ifa priest) or Iyanifa (Ifa priestess) at first. Take your time, as this is a very important relationship. There are many Ifa priests and priestesses out there. Some are better than others. You want to find someone you can connect with personally and who you feel comfortable working with.

When you have found the right Babalawo or Iyanifa, it is important to build a relationship of trust with them. This means being honest about your goals and intentions and being open to their guidance. Being respectful of their time and energy is also important, as they offer you valuable services.

Once you have established a good relationship, you can receive Ifa readings and work towards your spiritual and life goals. By following these steps, you can begin practicing Ifa safely and effectively. Remember to respect the Orisha, live in accordance with Ifa principles, honor your taboos, and be open to different interpretations of the religion. By doing so, you will be well on your way to a successful Ifa practice.

Finally, continue to study and research as you practice Ifa. The more you know about Ifa, the easier it will be to follow its teachings and achieve success in all areas of your life.

#ifa religion #ifa tradition #Yoruba Religion #african spirituality

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maciek-jozefowicz · 3 months

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[57] “Sitting on the Edge” Oberon brush, Drawing group (Procreate app). Some people like to sit dangerously. While I was not consciously thinking of it when I was creating this image, looking at it now makes me recall Caspar David Friedrich’s “Wanderer above the Sea of Fog”. This drawing is not similar to the painting, so I can’t explain the association. Actually, I think of this drawing as an amalgam of the Friedrich’s painting and Rodin’s sculpture “The Thinker”.

The black and the white background can be interpreted as metaphors — as night and day; as evil and good; as female and male forces (as in yin and yang). Whichever way that one chooses to interpret them, the edge is where the two meet.

To better understand the kind of artist that I want to be and the kind of art that I want to create, I was thinking about the purpose of art — what is art used for? Here’s my list:

1) Art is used to decorate. It is used to decorate private residences, usually walls, and public spaces, both interior and exterior.

[Creating this type of art doesn’t interest me for two reasons. One reason is that art for private residences is art of privilege. It is so because only people with wealth can buy original art. I don’t want to create art strictly for the rich. Another reason is that art for public spaces need by necessity be banal and meaningless. Public art doesn’t have to please anyone, but it absolutely cannot displease anyone. It has to be “inclusive”; in other words, vapid.]

2) Art is used to illustrate. It is used to illustrate stories, poems, books, magazines, websites. It is used to illustrate information, directions.

There isn’t much difference between an illustrator and an artist. One key difference is that an illustrator illustrates someone else’s ideas; an artist illustrates his own ideas. The crucial difference is freedom — the artist has it, the illustrator doesn’t. One reason I love creating art is the experience of freedom I feel when I do. Another reason is that I have my own ideas that I prefer to illustrate. When illustrating ideas of others, I feel like a hired laborer; a hired craftsman, not an artist.

3) Art is used to entertain. But with the exception of single panel cartoons, single images, no matter how complex and detailed, offer limited entertainment. Sequential art, whether in the form of comics or in the form of animation (as in film or as in video games), has the most potential to entertain. But, strictly speaking, it is not the art that entertains in these instances, but the stories and words. Art is used to illustrate, or decorate, the words.

[ I have had a passion for comics since I was a child. I still have it. One reason is that sequential art, combined with words, has great potential to entertain and to express complex ideas. An artist can express his world view with comics in a way that s/he cannot with single images. ]

4) Art is used as propaganda. Or to put it in another way, art is used to express beliefs, or a system of beliefs that forms an ideology. Usually, art expresses religious beliefs, whether the religion is monotheistic, like Christianity, or polytheistic, like Greek mythology, or atheistic, like Buddhism, Liberalism or Progressivism. Communists in Soviet Union and in China, for example, used art to express their beliefs, their vision of what the world should look like, what the world that they are attempting to make would look like. Christians have used art to illustrate the Bible and through those illustrations express their beliefs. One of the most iconic, and most replicated, images in the history of Western art is the crucifixion of Jesus.

Today, much of fine art in the Western culture expresses the Progressive religion (Progressive beliefs or Progressive “truths”; Progressive interpretation of the world, society and life) — from identity power politics to “climate apocalypse”; “social inequality”, “social inequity”, “social injustice”, “human rights”, “victimhood”, “love”, “gender”, etc.

[Since I do not believe in the existence of God, I can’t consider myself a Christian. But while I acknowledge its flaws and its sins (no religion is free of sins, i.e. crimes committed in its name), I also appreciate and respect Christian wisdom, which, in many ways, complements physical reality, social reality, biology, and science.

I dislike Progressivism vehemently. I think of it as a religion of depravity, devoid of wisdom, that contradicts physical reality, social reality, biology and science. Its few insights are as shallow as a pool of spit. And the mindset that it represents is toxic.

I’m also not a communist nor a socialist nor a globalist nor fascist. Needless to say, I cannot sincerely be a religious artist. But art as a social commentary, or social critique, often presented through satire, interests me.]

5) Another purpose of art is self-expression. Art can express both feelings and/or thoughts. It can be used to express a personal vision of the world. It can be used to express ideas. It is believed by some psychologists that creating art can have a healing effect on persons suffering from some mental unhealth. (I use the clumsy word “unhealth” because I suspect that the word “disorder” will soon be deemed politically incorrect.) The creation of art is believed by some to lead to catharsis, the purging of negative emotions. Some psychotherapists have their patients create art in order to bring to the surface repressed memories, thoughts and feelings that are believed to be causing harm to the mental health of the patient. This process of releasing of hidden emotions is like a detoxification.

Ancient Greeks believed that watching tragedy (tragic drama) can lead to catharsis. If that is so, then one does not need to create art to benefit from its healing effect. Viewing art created by others can have similar effects. In other words, artists, through their art, can express our feelings and thoughts.

(An idea: isn’t Political Correctness a form of forced repression? It forces us to bottle-up certain feelings and thoughts that have been judged to be “inappropriate” or “wrong”. These “inappropriate” feelings and thoughts (and ideas) have become social taboos, the transgressions of which is punishable. We seem to be going through a kind of neo-Victorian period, in which we are expected to strictly adhere to a plethora of Progressive social proprieties, or be ostracized.)

[For me, art is an antidote to materialism; creating art is a rebellion against materialism (and against greed and avarice). This is one reason why I have so enthusiastically embraced digital art tools — digital art is not a one-of-a-kind precious object that materialists can treat as a commodity to be used as an investment to make profit.

But art is a popular form of rebellion that can be turned against anything one wants to rebel — generic things like stupidity, ignorance, narcissism, deceit, etc., or more specific social ills. Many artist seek notoriety by creating “shock art”. While shock art represents a type of rebellion, its purpose is usually to get attention, to be noticed. Generally, in the past four or five decades, shock art has been Progressive art that demeans Christianity. (Not surprisingly, Progressivism is a religion that wants to eliminate all other religions. Starting with Christianity.)]

#art #procreate art #digital drawing #digital art

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hekatean-frog · 1 year

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I've been trying to decide how I feel about monotheism, and like, the thoughts are complex. On the one hand I don't like to paint people with a broad brush, and I don't like to disrespect other peoples' religions or act as if I'm the final arbiter of religious truth. But on the other hand, it's of course a core feature of most monotheism to believe that all other religions are wrong, that all Gods but theirs are fake. So it's like, I'm giving the average monotheist grace that they often won't give to me and that feels weird. Like, I believe that despite being ignorant of most Gods, monotheists do at least worship a God, whereas the average monotheist believes that polytheists are worshipping demons or lesser spirits or are just pretending.

I think it is possible for monotheists to respect polytheism. For example, one can acknowledge an inherent incomprehensibility of the divine and say, "well, this is how I see it, but I can't say if you're wrong or I'm wrong," among other things. I prefer that view to the "all Gods are just aspects of one God" view, which to me just seems like another way of saying that monotheism is more correct.

I mean, I am (mostly) a neoplatonist, so I believe in the One, but the One is not a God. All Gods descend from it, but it is beyond being. It cannot think or act because it has no multiplicity, and it is not an individual, so it cannot be a God. The view that some Plato-inspired monotheists take that "my God = the One" cannot be true, at least if they attribute any amount of action or personhood to their God. It is especially incompatible with Christianity, since the One cannot be a trinity because it is One, and cannot incarnate. The only way to solve that problem necessitates not being monotheist.

But back to the topic at hand. Even in cases where monotheists respect my beliefs to my face, I can't help but wonder if they're just trying to avoid conflict and really believe that I'm either worshipping demons, or that I'm "less enlightened", or just faking it.

I've been in interfaith communities online that are focused on polytheism but allow monotheists as long as everyone respects one another, but like... I'll always have an internal wariness towards them, since monotheism often means believing that polytheists are completely wrong, whereas my belief at least acknowledges that monotheists (usually) have a relationship with a God even if they are ignorant of other Gods.

#polytheist #polytheism #hellenic polytheism #neoplatonism

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will-o-the-witch · 3 years

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EVERYTHING YOU WANT TO KNOW ABOUT LILITH

Lots of people are interested in Lilith, and understandably so: she’s fascinating! Unfortunately this interest often leads to a lot of cultural appropriation, misinformation, and even antisemitism, so here’s a quick (ok... medium) rundown of everybody’s favorite mythological femme fatale:

WHO IS LILITH?

The most central and most popular story of Lilith comes from a midrash, a Jewish Rabbinical text designed to fill holes/answer questions within Jewish teachings. Lilith was the world’s first woman, created alongside Adam from the same clay. Adam insisted that Lilith must “lie beneath him” (either literally during sex or figuratively through general submissiveness, depending on your translation/interpretation) but Lilith refused, asserting they were equals. When both sides refused to relent, Lilith spoke a sacred name of Gd and took flight, choosing to leave the Garden of Eden completely rather than stay and be subjugated by Adam. Here her role shifts to something traditionally more “villainous:” she becomes the mother of demons, corrupted seductress of human men, consort to Samael, and an explanation for infant mortality. Sometimes “big” Lilith (Demon Queen, demon mother) and “little” Lilith (succubus, baby killer) are separated as two different sheydim, but usually she’s treated as just one singular figure.

It’s easy to see why a figure like this would scare the shit out of a patriarchal society. Lilith was considered a threat to Jewish survival, killing babies, corrupting the women and emasculating the men. Her image scared people of all genders into submission. However, Lilith’s image has undergone a feminist shift in recent decades. While many Jewish communities to this day still perceive her as a totally evil active threat, she can also represent a more nuanced look at what Jewish femininity means, how a patriarchal society pushes and twists the narratives of Jewish women, standing up for ourselves even if we’re viewed as monstrous, and even bodily autonomy, sexual freedom, and abortion rights.

One thing to clear up right away- traditionally, Lilith is NOT a goddess. She is a sheyd, or a Jewish demon. While she often gets absorbed into the Wiccan goddess archetypes and conflated with other entities who ARE considered deities in their respective religions, Lilith was never considered a goddess herself in Jewish tradition. You will sometimes hear the claim that she was a Sumerian goddess that Judaism “stole” and demonized (we’ll come back to this) but the credibility of this take is….dubious, at best. Likely the class of Sumerians called the lilit/u helped influence her depictions, but there’s no evidence to suggest a singular Sumerian goddess figure named Lilith. Her stories come from texts exclusive to Judaism that are not shared with other Abrahamic religions. Her

CULTURAL APPROPRIATION

The fetishization of Judaism (and Lilith in particular) within ceremonial occultism and a new wave of New Age, goddess-focused spirituality created a perfect storm for Lilith to be picked up and flown away with. As you can imagine, Lilith is a deeply complicated figure, and most of those conversations are internal ones within the context of Judaism. Most of the time, Lilith gets reduced to nothing but a spooky sexy #BossBabe bone-thin white woman with absolutely zero nuance or self awareness. She’s the occult world’s imaginary goth girlfriend. She is declawed, forced into goddess archetypes she was never made for, nonchalantly twisted into whatever entity goyim want her to be, then passed along with ahistorical misinformation about her origins.

This content then floods the market, making it extraordinarily difficult for Jewish people to find accurate, reliable information about figures from their own culture.

Even better, sometimes people will take the idea that Judaism “stole” Lilith to perpetuate antisemitism, talking about how Jews were/are “rabid monotheists” (a genuine quote I heard once,) how we must all just be so sexist and terrible, The Jews™ ruined Paganism, etc.

WHAT IF I WANT TO WORK WITH LILITH?

There’s definitely nothing wrong with learning ABOUT Lilith, recognizing her or believing in her, but if you want to work with her consider more open, respectful alternatives. She often gets conflated with Ishtar, Hekate, the Morrigan, Nyx. Maybe you’re a spirit worker and can look into succubi or the Sumerian liilitu. Look at WHY she interests you; have you been taken in by the goyiche allure of a declawed goth #BossBabe? Can you simply take inspiration from her stories and use it to reflect on yourself/think about it without worshipping her? If you HAVE to work with SPECIFICALLY her, why? Are you willing to go through the proper channels and convert?

As always, please feel free to ask me any questions and I’ll do what I can to help!

FURTHER STUDY MATERIAL

Podcast: Throwing Sheyd, better living through Jewish demonology

Article: Origins of Lilith: Jewish or Not? by the wonderful @jewitchry

Article: Who is Lilith? (And Everything Else You’ve Ever Wanted to Ask About Lilith) by the wonderful @spiritroots

Book: Which Lilith?: Feminist Writers Re-Create the World's First Woman (edited by Enid Dame

#lilith #jewitch #jewitchery #witchcraft #witch community #cultural appropriation #lilith devotee

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alatismeni-theitsa · 3 years

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So happy to find another greek tumblr with actual interesting content??? Just as rare as a thessalokia without makeup in the center 😂 ( a diss on myself tbh δεν πάω κέντρο χωρίς να ντυθώ λες και πάω για βάφτιση).

I was wondering what are your opinions on ( usually from US ) foreigners using greek deities for their paganism? It always sort of bothered me to see videos of a girl from Minnesota , say that the deity she works with is Aphrodite or something ( while pronouncing the name with the most americanized accent ever) and then go on and describe how they look and how they act as if the god is a original character of theirs rather than an actual deity. It just doesn't make much sense to me...do they do that with other pantheons? Like do they take Ra and be like " ah yes my spiritual god" ? ?

( ps. I'm so happy that another person on this app despises LO , it's refreshing to see people standing up to the massacre that the creator has done to mythology)

Hello dear Thessalonikia (complimentary)! Κοιτα καποια βαφτιση ολο και καπου στον κοσμο γινεται, οποτε πρεπει να εισαι προετοιμασμενη... Κι εγω βαφομουν, γι αυτο εκανα τοσο καιρο να απαντησω το ask. Δε μου εβγαινε το eyeliner 😁

As I've answered in the past, I don't have a problem with foreigners who worship the Greek gods. And now I won't talk about the ones who read ancient texts and try to be as respectful as possible, but the ones you mentioned.

It's not "a good look" when they don't do their research and just worship them because of "vibes". They haven't studied at all and think their own knowledge and intuition are enough. They worship or "work" with one deity and bash the rest or badmouth other deities (because they usually have a background in a monotheistic religion, they think polytheism works the same, that you just choose one god as your patron and that's it), they don't have an idea about how respect in the Greek culture worked/works, they don't even read about how these gods have been worshiped and what their domains ACTUALLY are (and not what American pop culture tells them).

And it's also weird that they don't research about the Greek names of the gods despite them being "obsessed" about them. Religion is not a hobby and gods are not OCs or your pals. (Idk if their old church told them something like that about Jesus and now they think the Divine is like this but it's not the same for the Greek pantheon).

Many pagans are extremely selective with their paganism, creating a mix and match of gods and attributes that don’t exist in Greek culture. (I guess they don’t feel the need to search further?) That’s not bad exactly, but it can be weird. Honestly, anyone can worship however they want, I am not the one to dictate that. But when you come from the Greek culture and know certain rules about worship and respect about certain gods, it’s off putting to be cut off by a foreigner who thinks they know better because of “feelings”. Especially if it’s obvious that person hasn’t studied that deity within the context of the religion at all.

Imagine me working in my paganism with Shiva just like some Americans work with Aphrodite, let’s say -- without any contact with actual Hinduism, its principles and how the different branches view Shiva, without the rituals, without his proper clothing and symbols. Everyone would be (kinda rightfully :p) raging at me. There is free will and rights, but we also must be thoughtful about our actions. Just because something is legal and within our rights, it doesn’t mean that it’s the best action xD For example, Hindus are the ones who worshiped this deity for millennia and have constructed a proper set of rituals and prayers in order for the person to reach him better. Now, we can’t have a random person from Greece saying “umm yeah let me throw all that ancient knowledge aside. I just need my crystals and some tarot cards”. And, on top of that, imagine me not giving him respect as the great deity he is, but constantly saying “ommg Shiva would love feta because I just KNOW he likes salty food! He would drink karpouzi chai with me on the beach and he would also wear crocks because he is dorky heehee”

Perhaps some Americans view the Greek gods as American property and that’s why they don’t feel the need to search further into a different culture and practice.

And because a LOT of foreign Greek pantheon worshipers are like that, many Greeks are like "uuugh" when they hear about foreign worshipers. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

On the LO subject, you might have already found the anti lo tag (or anti lore Olympus) on my blog and on Tumblr in general. If you haven’t I urge to search it! There are many anti LO blogs. I don’t post as much but there are others who do. antiloreolympus is one of those blogs and has lists with other anti LO blogs!

#answered #worship

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under-the-lake · 3 years

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Samhain Part 1: Why We Have Hallowe’en

Hallowe’en, or Samhain (modern Irish - pronounce ‘sow-in’ or ‘sah-win’) or Samain (classical Irish), is a feast that takes place at the end of the harvest season. It is an ancient festival, predating the arrival of Christianity in the Celtic world. It was a very important festival, one of the two main marking changing points in the Celtic society. It was celebrated on or around 31st October - 1st November (that’s the dates in our modern calendar), which is, from an astronomical point of view, about mid-way between the autumn equinox and the winter solstice. It was also centered on the Hill of Tara and its banqueting hall (picture above, credit to https://heritageireland.ie/places-to-visit/hill-of-tara/ ) but not only.

How did that ancient society work? Why was Samhain so important? That is what this first short text is trying to summarise, (I say ‘trying’, because the sources as various and sometimes conflicting).

Origins of the Word(s)

Foreword: Since Celtic peoples have spread in many parts of Europe and the world, it is obvious that this short paper cannot tackle the variety of customs and traditions. So I will focus on the Irish, because it is the most documented and living, with occasional incursions into Cornwall, Wales or Scotland and the Isle of Man, but I won’t be dealing with the wider world. At least not this time.

Today many of us Humans call it Hallowe’en and imagine only trick-or-treating, sweets and scary costumes in a basically children’s party evening, not knowing that this word has a historical significance. Hallowe’en is a short form for All Hallows Even/Evening, which means the night before the Christian feast of All Saints, which takes place on 1st November in our modern Christian calendar. The feast, like many others in monotheistic religions, starts on the evening - the eve - preceding the actual day. Take Christmas or Rosh Hashanah, for instance. They start the evening before, usually at sundown, with a period either of feasting or waiting.

Hallowe’en aka Samhain was never a fully religious feast, in the sense we understand the word today. It was a celebration of new year, of harvest, of the merging of the worlds of the living, dead and spirits, and supernatural creatures and phenomena. Offerings were made to divinities and creatures, obviously, and druids were involved, but it was nothing religious as we consider the word today, Religion was not related to big buildings as places of worship, but more to natural spots, rural shrines associated with springs, rivers (like the Shannon or the Boyne), trees, water sources, rocks and other type of natural places. Druids were not only the mediators between porous worlds but educators and teachers.

Samhain (or its variations) means ‘end [fuin] of the summer [sam]’. This hints towards change of season rather than any sort of worship, or even of ritual. In other parts of the Celtic world, the name of the feast is different, because the languages are different, but the idea is the same: first day of winter in Wales (aka Hollantide or Calan Gaeaf), or beginning of November in Cornwall (aka Allantide) and Britany (aka Kala Goañv; kala and calan stand for calend, which, is the first day of any month). Btw don’t ask me how to pronounce those, I don’t know, and didn’t find out. However, what is to be noticed is, that whatever the language, the beginning of each quarter of the year was celebrated, and the names we use today are the names of the months corresponding to the ‘first of’. For instance, Beltaine is actually the month of May, and the feast was held on the eve of and on the day of 1st May.

The Celtic Year

It is a commonly shared preconception that all ancient societies have a yearly cycle based on the movements of the sun or the moon. It is often true, but not with the Celts. At the beginning, the Celtic year was regulated by seasons and agriculture (of course you could argue that seasons are an astronomical feature, but they didn’t know that 4 millenia ago- or did they?). Only later did the division become lunar, with the inclusion of a 30-day month every third year, to align on the solar cycle (Coligny Calendar, see picture of close-up, credit wikimedia commons). The Coligny Calendar even shows that some months were considered auspicious (and thus labelled MAT - good) and not good (ANM - for anmat), giving a wee insight into this culture’s proscriptions.

However, time was mainly measured by the moon, and, as mentioned in the Coligny Calendar, the night preceded the day (whereas we live in a conception that the day comes before night, which is a bit mental because midnight is the actual beginning of the new ‘day’, and, apart from polar regions, it’s actually dark at that moment at all times of year). It sort of makes sense to me in the way that it makes the day and year go from darkness and cold to light and warm rather than the contrary, and makes death something that is not fatal and horrible and to be dreaded, but more like the beginning of something new. I remember reading somewhere that some Celts believed in the fact that even if the body decays and is eaten by worms and other saprophyte friends in the soil, the soul travels to a new being. And since spirits of deceased people could come over to the world of the living at Samhain, there is a parallel belief of souls just remaining souls, I would say.

There are some remains of the tradition of starting things at nightfall in some sayings in English: the use of sennight (a week - seven nights) or fortnight (a couple of weeks - fourteen nights) tells us the time was calculated in nights and not in days. Following (actually preceding but you know) the same idea, the Celtic year started with the first day of winter, which opened at Samhain. The year was divided into two main parts, the winter half (Geimhreadh) and the summer half (Samhradh), each of which was divided into two quarters, the first of which was sort of more important because it held the opening festival for the winter/summer half. Each quarter started with a festival, but the most important were the ones opening the winter half (Samhain, 1st November) and the summer half (Beltane, 1st May). The table below summarises the Celtic year at the time when Samhain was important. I put the full ‘modern’ dates for all festivals, since as we know the ‘day’ started the night before.

The days in this calendar obviously have various names according to the country, culture and Celtic language spoken. Many of those correspondances in the main Celtic languages can be found, surprisingly, on a wikipedia page (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Celtic_calendar ).

None of the four festivals is connected with the times of equinox or solstice, because the calendar was mainly lunar and seasonal. However, the two main Celtic festivals were later merged into Christian ones, as usual. Samhain was made All Saints Day, and Beltane became St John the Baptist’s Day even if it has nothing to do with it date-wise. The latter also replaced Midsummer in the cultures in which it was an important festival (some sources say it was another version of Beltane, with similar rituals). Today Midsummer is still a very important festival in some parts of Europe, with many traditions that have nothing to do with Christianity, even if a church celebration usually follows the night of pagan feasting. Beltane and Midsummer aren’t the same festival. They may have arisen separately, one being the start of the summer, when herds are taken out to pastures, and midsummer being more of an agricultural festival, also marking the year’s longest day.

In the case of Samhain, the Christian Church first tried to move it to spring, in the early 7th century (Pope Boniface IV) and then back into autumn (Pope Gregory III) when it made 1st November All Saints’ Day, and Catholics made it one of the ‘obligatory feasts’ of the year for parishioners to attend. In that sense the ‘wiping off’ of Samhain is more significant than the replacement of Beltane by St John the Baptist’s Day. That is very visible in the fact that while Midsummer traditions have survived rather well in many European countries, Hallowe’en is not such a big thing on continental Europe, while Celts had dominated Europe in many ways during many centuries.. Sometimes, however, the Samhain rituals are found to be observed on St Martin’s day, which is 11th November.

Since the Celtic festivals were primarily agricultural and pastoral feasts, not only some sort of religious presence (aka druids) is involved, but, connected to druidism, also magic. The importance of magic was in helping or asking favours from the powers of life and growth, to help have good crops and flocks, and in the relationship with spirits, souls and creatures.

Samhain - the End of the Year, and a Liminal Festival

As said before, Samhain is probably the most important of the Celtic festivals, because it was the one that started the Celtic year, merging the end of the harvest season and the beginning of winter. It was a capital social and religious occasion. Many things happening at Samhain were believed to have an influence on the whole of the coming year.

Among those were the obvious agricultural pre-winter tasks, but also the settling of business matters including debts, and inauguration of new kings. Less savoury things like trials were also held at Samhain. Those events were important things in the running of the Celtic world, obviously, but also remember that peoples weren’t gathering that often, and were spread all over the country, meaning such big gatherings were a real opportunity.

In the Celtic world, the otherworld and the world of the living are not opposed and separated like they are in our monotheistic societies. They are more like parallel worlds with constant connection, but the period surrounding Samhain was believed to be the one when the barriers between the two worlds were at their thinnest, as well as the ones between the ‘human’, and ‘spirit and creatures’ world. Therefore many offerings and rituals were carried on, to keep relationships if not good, at least not bad. During the festival, gods, who became visible, were believed to play tricks on mere mortals, making the period also one of fear and supernatural presence, counteracted (or not) by the above mentioned offerings and sacrifices. Not only are the boundaries between dead and living at their thinnest, but Samhain is also the moment when the communities welcome those born during the past year in their midst. Both a festival of the dead and the living, it is, ultimately, a festival of life in all its forms and times. Remember that not all religions believe death to be something to fear or the dead spirits to be dreaded. That’s something very much linked to monotheistic religions (Harari, 2014).

All those things bring us to the importance of liminal spaces in the Celtic world. All the ‘in-between’ places were fundamental in Celtic society: shores, springs, hedges, but also dusk and dawn. Those transition places or times are neither nor, meaning some sort of chaos in the usual order. However, that doesn’t mean it was a time of quarrel. It is usually believed it was rather a time of peace. No need to show off such things when the spirits and gods are so close.

Let’s get a bit into details about what was done at Samhain.

Harvest Festival

Given the timing, it seems natural that Samhain would celebrate the end of the harvest season, and crops being safely stored for winter. Like at the end of any job well done, you deserve a pint and some onion rings, you start thinking about what is happening next and are in a mood that would open many doors should Sucellus (Celtic god of agriculture, forest and alcoholic drinks for the Gauls) or whomever deity or spirit open conversation.

By Samhain all crops would have had to be gathered in, everything cleaned for the start of the new year. Any leftovers would be contaminated by the púca. Some people also believed that some berries like blackberries, could not be eaten after Samhain because they would be made inedible by the púca, who would spread a nasty slime on them.

Bonfires were lit for many reasons, but one was to help the regenerative agricultural process. Of course, we know that biologically, fire is a provider of a ‘start back from scratch’ effect. When any kind of fire destroys landscape, the result is a decrease in biodiversity and nutrients, and there are also physical modifications to soil structure. However, those ‘desolate’ landscapes, as press coverage usually has it, although indeed being less rich at the time, are fertile land for new opportunist plants. Animals, and other living organisms, who make it their habitat for a while, until the soil is again rich enough to host a different ecosystem. Some plants have even adapted to fire so much that their seeds need it to germinate. That’s the case, for instance, for eucalyptus. So I see the use of fire in the ‘regenerative’ purpose as something that today makes sense biologically, though it was a metaphorical use in the ceremony. The parallel I draw is that where fire barrens the land and starts the whole colonisation process from scratch, so do farmers, when they plough the soil. The major difference resides in the fact that a farmer would choose what seeds they are planting, whilst nature would use whatever pioneering species are at hand to set life back in the destroyed place.

New Fire

New year, new fire, new start.

To have all that, all the old year’s stuff had to be completed. Debts settled, crops gathered in, and, most importantly, old fires extinguished before the night. So the night of Samhain would be the darkest of all, because there wouldn’t be fires in grates. However, a new fire would be lit by druids from the sparks of a spinning wheel, which in turn was considered a representation of the sun, which was one of the Celtic gods. Some say that sacrificial bones were tossed into the fire, giving the word bone-fire, and bonfire. In Ireland, the Great Fire Festival would be held on the Hill of Tlachtga (near Athboy, co Meath, Ireland; also known as the Hill of Ward, see picture; https://www.discoverboynevalley.ie/ ), the fire lit on the eve of Samhain (aka our modern 31st October), before the actual festival of Samhain would start on the hill of Tara, 12 miles east.

People took a flame of this new fire to light their own at home, after all fires had been extinguished as a sign of the ending year..

Some sources say that bonfires - or winter fires - were lit to commemorate Dagda’s ritual intercourse with three goddesses: the Morrígan, Boand, and the unnamed daughter of a Fomorian king and warrior called Indech. That might hint towards Samhain being a festival of fertility, but there are no records to back this up. Btw that bloke, the Dagda, is the ‘good god’, one of the leaders of the Tuatha Dé Danann, the people of immortals that preceded the mortals in Irish mythology. Rings a bell? What about the Valar in Tolkien’s world? The Morrígan, the Great Queen, is the goddess of war fury in early Ireland. There is a lot more to say about her (or them - since she is often represented as a trio with Badb and Macha) but it will be for another time. Boand (or Bóinn) is the goddess of the river Boyne, and her intercourse with the Dagda gave birth to the Irish love god..

Divination

The fact that the boundaries between the world of the living and that of the dead were basically dissolved during the Samhain period allowed, according to belief, the druids to make relevant predictions about the future. The stronger the bond with the otherworld, the better the predictions. Samhain was therefore the very best moment. That was not only the druids’ job, though they were the most able. Everyone could have a go.

Sacrifices

We know cattle sacrifices were made at the start of every important festival or event. There is no clear evidence (from what I read, at least, and from the most recent documentaries about Celtic culture I watched), and therefore there is much debate around, the fact that humans were ever sacrificed, apart maybe in times of famine. Entrail reading of sacrificed animals -haruspicy- was common practice before the setting of an event, and no doubt Samhain would have been one of them.

What next?

From what is written above, we know that originally, Samhain was a very important part of the year, a new beginning for everything from agriculture to social life. We also know that Samhain was a period of feasting, of sacrifice, of increased druidic activity, but also of more active communication between the realms of the living and the spirits and dead. A liminal period of time. That is for the anthropological part.

We also know that a lot of stories were told that happened at or around Samhain. Those are, for instance, the story of Fionn Mac Cumhaill and Aillén Mac Midgna, or How Tara Was Saved From Yearly Samhain Burning. The hero is Fionn, and the Burner is Aillén, one who dwells in a sídh, which is a barrow. Another one is the history of the Second Battle of Mag Tuired, between the Fomorians and the Túatha Dé Danann, in which the evil Balor, king of the Hebrides, was slain by his grandson Lug. All the Tuátha Dé usual people are present in that one story, including the Dagda and the Morrigan. Those two stories can be found in many places, but I summarised them from various sources in the next paper (Samhain Part 2 - Celtic Myths and Stories).

Obviously, if we have Hallowe’en as we have it in the 21st century (or say, as the United Statesian have it), there is a history to it. Monsters, Fright, Spirits, Haunting, Jack-o-Lanterns, those are not just commercial inventions (though today they are commercial invasions), but they have roots in ancient beliefs and rituals I want to dwell into. I also want to explore a bit how those traditions were used in the Harry Potter series. This will be the subject of the third Samhain paper: Samhain Part 3 - What Became of it Today?

Louhi

Sources

Online Sources:

https://brewminate.com/samhain-the-celtic-inspiration-for-modern-halloween/

Text of the Second Battle of Mag Tuired: https://celt.ucc.ie//published/T300010/index.html

https://celticmke.com/CelticMKE-Blog/Samhain-Tlachtga.htm

https://www.knowth.com/the-celts.htm

https://thefadingyear.wordpress.com/2016/11/01/the-puca-and-blackberries-after-halloween/

https://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/paganism/holydays/samhain.shtml

https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/articles/zbkdcqt

https://www.britannica.com/topic/Samhain

https://www.brown.edu/Departments/Joukowsky_Institute/courses/13things/7448.html

Coligny Calendar, wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coligny_calendar

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Celtic_calendar

https://www.history.com/topics/holidays/samhain

https://www2.nau.edu/~gaud/bio300w/frsl.htm

Bookses and Papers

Farrar, J., Farrar, S., & Bone, G. (2001). The Complete Dictionary of European Gods and Goddesses. Capall Bann Publishing, Berks, UK.

Harari, Y. N. (2014). Sapiens: A brief history of humankind. Random House.

MacKillop, J. (2006). Myths and Legends of the Celts. Penguin UK.

Meuleau, M. (2004). Les Celtes en Europe. Ed. Ouest-France.

Rees, A., & Rees, B. (1991). Celtic Heritage: Ancient Tradition in Ireland and Wales. 1961. Reprint.

Rowling, J. K. (2000). Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Bloomsbury, London.

Tolkien, J. R. R. (1954). The Fellowship of the Ring: Being the First Part of the Lord of the Rings. George Allen & Unwin. London.

Tolkien, J.R.R. (1977). The Silmarillion. George Allen & Unwin. London.

#halloween #samhain #louhi #celtic new year

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scarletarosa · 4 years

Text

The Passage into the Afterlife

Throughout history, the thought of what happens to someone after death has long fascinated and terrified the human race. One may be surprised to discover that every story holds some truth to it. The following documentation has been long researched by myself through both astral traveling and through communicating with Minos, one of the three Judges of the Underworld. This is not intended to force beliefs, but to prepare those who are open on this subject for what lies ahead.

The Ka and Ba

Before getting into what occurs after death, one must understand the difference between the Ka (spirit) and Ba (higher self/soul). This is a concept that can be read about further in Ancient Egyptian belief. Basically, the Ba is the higher self who is immortal and dwells in the realms of spirit. When the Ba chooses to incarnate onto a planet, they choose an “unborn spirit” to embody. These two entities then come together in the womb, and then the Ba closes their eyes, awaiting the time when their human will mature and seek higher knowledge (if they ever do).

If the Ba is fortunate, their human will begin seeking true knowledge of the spirit realms and of higher selves, causing the Ba to awaken and begin guiding the human they dwell within. So we as we are right now, are all Ka; our Ba (higher selves) dwell within us. Most humans have a higher self who is also human, but some have higher selves who might be angelic, demonic, draconic, elven, fae, etc.

The Moment of Death

When we die, we separate from this body and emerge on the spirit plane of Earth. This is temporary, for Earth is the transitioning place before we move on. During this period, there are several things that can happen: if we chose to be cremated, we immediately disconnect from our bodies, but if buried, we remain stuck next to our body for a period of time, depending on how long it takes for the connection to be lost. In a case where one commits suicide, the afterlife is not pleasant, and the Judges seek to punish the human for abandoning their purpose and will delete them from existence. For the humans who died a horrific death, they typically refuse to move on, causing them to become wraiths (hauntings). This action causes the Ka to be permanently separated from their Ba, eventually causing the Ka to go insane and then become a poltergeist.

Voyage to the Underworld

In most cases, the Ka emerges from their body and spends around three days (at least) wandering places on Earth that are familiar to them, as they will be restricted from going anywhere else. Most of the time, people do not realize that they have died. After these days, a psychopomp will arrive to collect the Ka and bring them to the Underworld. The Underworlds in every religion (not including Hell) are all the same place, but include many different kingdoms across the vast land. Once arriving in the Underworld, the Ka will wait to be seen at the Gaunt Palace, where they will confess their corrupt actions to the three Judges in front of a large council, then the council will discuss what fate they should have. The Judge, Minos, will have the final say. Once this is done, the three Judges will direct the Ka to be sent to a specific kingdom of the Underworld depending on what the persons’ beliefs were while alive. So while some may be approached by Hades, others might instead face Anubis and Osiris, or Hel, or Ereshkigal, etc. People who were Monotheists, however, will just arrive in a place similar to the gloom of the traditional Greek Underworld (Hades).

Once the Ka meets with their specific Underworld god, the deity will then give that spirit trials to undergo within their designated level of the Underworld (there are three main levels, but seven in total). The first layer is for people who were good-natured and healed from most of their traumas. The second is for more unmoral people or just those with negative attachments who underwent only some healing while alive, and the third is for people who have very strong attachments due to suffering and didn’t get the chance to heal. The first layer will seek to teach lessons in lesser tormenting ways in order to get the spirits there to understand the things they did wrong and to not do them again, as well as to sever their remaining attachments. The third layer, however, is full of tortures that will force the people strongly attached to their suffering to realize the illusion of their ways and that they can go free if they fight for it. There trials are meant for Rebirth, not always punishment.

The longer it takes for the Ka to fully understand their wrong-doings and their sufferings, the longer they will have to remain in the Underworld. If the spirit is exceptionally evil, however, the Judges will call upon the goddess Ammit. Ammit will then open her enormous jaws and devour the corrupt spirit, sending them to the realm of Hell, where one of the three High Kings (Lucifer, Satan, Leviathan) will decide what is done with them. Once in Hell, the spirit is usually tormented for eternity. So basically, the Underworld is meant to bring about a Rebirth; Hell is meant to punish.

The Shadow Self

While alive, we all experience traumas and negative circumstances. All of the emotions that arose from these things began to develop into an entity called “The Shadow”, which represents the darker half of us. Each person’s Shadow is different, depending on their negative experiences and how they reacted to them. I will get into the different types of Shadows in an additional post, but for now, it is good to analyze your own behaviours that are toxic, since these arise from the Shadow Self. Giving into negative behaviours empowers the Shadow.

When we die, the death of our brain causes the Shadow Self to become more than just a psychological counterpart, and they are now more free. They take on a terrifying form and seek to tear us apart. We all end up facing our Shadows while in the Underworld, and if we are not prepared, they will attack us repeatedly and cause our stay there to be greatly prolonged. In order to prevent this, we need to do shadow work in this life so we can understand our negative traits through in-depth analyzations . Look at your greatest burdens, how you view yourself and others, your self-destructive habits, your negative feelings- all of these come from the Shadow. We must understand this part of ourselves in order to understand how to mend them and eventually, overpower our Shadow Self. We will have to do this in the Underworld, otherwise, one will need to be able to hold it off long enough until the Judgment is over, which is when the Shadow will be destroyed.

Elysium

After a Ka successfully makes it through the trials of the Underworld, they are brought to Elysium, which is a realm of Paradise where we rest and wait for our Ba to come retrieve us. Most spirits will remain together in Elysium for a year, but if the spirit achieved Awakening (realization of their higher self’s identity) while still alive, they will be able to leave sooner. When the higher self arrives, they will approach the Ka and absorb them into themself, and then will return home. Thus, the Ba and Ka are united and the lifetime is completed.

If the higher self is a human, the Ba will have to reincarnate after a decade of being back in the spirit world, starting the process again with another unborn spirit (Ka) until they achieve Illumination. A human higher self will no longer need to reincarnate once Illumination is achieved by one of their embodiments. Other higher selves, such as those that are Higher beings than humans (demonic, angelic, draconic, etc.), will not have to reincarnate all the time; instead choosing to do so in order to help the world progress through their human.

Conclusion

Overall, it is extremely important to realize that our task in life is to achieve Awakening, which is done through seeking the identity of our higher self (Ba), bonding with our higher self through meditation and communication, and to seek true knowledge on the spirit world. We also must make certain to overcome our Shadows by keeping our actions and thoughts in check; thus allowing us to become the best we can be. If we manage to overcome our attachments, negative thinking, and toxic behaviours, we will have less trials to suffer through. All of these things will allow for a smooth transition through Death and to become one with our Ba.

The Underworld (in-depth description)

#the afterlife #death #spirit realms #ka #ba #higher selves #spirituality #the underworld

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urmomsstuntdouble · 3 years

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hi ceros! i saw your spamano post and the part about how the Church used to not trust/dislike the nations got me thinking, do you have any other headcanons about it?

i do, thanks for asking!

(the post in question)

i think the nations have a complicated relationship with the church (and honestly pretty much all religion..), and the main factors that contribute to that are their immortality and how people interpret and disagree about the bible. usually that relationship was characterized by a mild antagonism on the behalf of the church, as they felt threatened by the existence of nation people.

where immortality is concerned, i think the nations would have been perceived as relics of the past and something that could undermine the authority of the current leader, particularly in times and places where people believed in stuff like the divine rights of kings. seeing as the nation people don’t age or die like humans do, they would likely have been viewed as celestial or divine, which posed a major issue for political (and religious) figureheads who derived power and authority from claiming to be an executor of god’s will/an earthly extension of the divine. except. oh yeah the divine are among us and they’re all terrible, which kind of makes all political figures look less powerful. and on the note of them being sort of like The Divine Are Living Among Us, the nations might have also been seen as forms of paganism that needed to be eradicated. this takes on a different interpretation of nations than the ones typically held in the fandom, where they’re less of representations of their nations and more like the god of that nation. like you have the god of death and also swizterland, you know? and if they have been seen as lesser gods at some point, monotheists would have definitely had ill feelings towards nations.

their immortality may have also been seen as a relic of a bygone era. because i dont think the papal states had personifications, the church likely felt threatened by this, believing that people would hold more of an alleigiance to their nation personification than they would to god, regardless of if the nation was religious or not. because yeah nationalsim is a thing, but also it’s so much more tangible when you have nation personifications. like, i am loyal to fuckin. francis bonnefoy or whatever because he’s been here forever and seems more trustworhty on the surface than your bureaucracy and/or monarchy, so. i think allegiance to the nation personification was probably more strong during times of political turmoil, such as the protestant reformation, although there’s no telling how the existence of the nations would’ve changed history as we know it. another way immortality could’ve been a Threat is bc. if they dont die, then they’ll know about all the fucked up shit that happens behind the scenes in the church, like indulgences and corruption and stuff (secondary headcanon, but i think that nations may have been banned or otherwise prevented from participating in religion at times, because its not like you can just excommunicate them or execute them or something. you cannot do anything about nations when they’re not working with you and this was a huge issue for any humans who wanted to cultivate power fast).

I also think there’s just a natural suspiscion of anything that doesn’t follow god’s plan, which does include death. the nations are the odd ones out and would likely be seen as extra strange or abnormal because of it.

of course, all this extends to political organizations and entities as well, as most political entities were at some point controlled by religious institutions. i think its also more complicated in the modern day- perhaps the nation avatar would recieve excessive pandering during election years by certain candidates to prove how patriotic they are, or their presence would be requested at debates, and other little things like that. of course, all this applies to religions other than christianity as well (and things like confucianism that aren’t exactly religions).

theres more i could say about this, but i don’t really have anything in my brain right now, so i hope your day/night/whatever time it is when you read this is nice!

#sorry this took me a few days to answer but ye those are my thoughts #hetalia #hws #hws lore #ceros posting #ask #i think spain in particular has a weird relationship with the church because they both expect too much of each other #that is. the pope and antonio both expect too much of each other #but antonio is still the one on the lesser (?) side of the power dynamic because his faith is super strong and he doesn't want to disappoint #or piss off the church

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inky-duchess · 4 years

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Hi there ! So, I’m making a fictional religion for my story and was wondering what elements I should include to make it feel more realistic and like a real part of the lore

I can't find my original post so here:

Worldbuilding: Religion

All people follow some semblance of a god or deity or force. Call it Jesus, Allah, Apollo or positive energy, all worlds believe that there is something greater than themselves or that somebody is guiding their actions and the events that befall them. We all want someone to love, to blame, to talk to. So we create gods and powers that be.

Place of Religion

Before we get to the fun parts, we have to consider the place of the faith in your land. If we look around today, we see a patchwork of countries and their relationship with religion.

Some countries are a patchwork like America or France.

Some are predominantly one religion only and only that one is acceptable to practise.

Some have two religions vying for control such as Pakistan.

Believe in it or not, religion remains a major part of the woldbuilding. So with ever culture you must create you must think about its place in the everyday of your world. Perhaps there is love for religion and faith or perhaps there is fear or oppression. How do the people view religion in your land?

Another thing to consider, is the relationship between Church and State. Sometimes I find that the styles of government have different relationships with their faiths.

Theocracy- Religion is always a huge part. The government runs on it. The people breathe it.

Monarchy- Some monarchs claim to be gods or to be divinely chosen. This is good PR. But some kings and queens don't get on with religion. I'm looking at you Henry.

Government- May rely on the religion to prove their actions or detest them for going against them. Roman politicians often bribed augurs to fake omens to prove themselves right.

Pantheon

All faiths and religions have a force to look up to. We can have one singular god/force (monotheism) or a group of gods (polytheism).

Most Monotheistic religions focus on a singular theme. The being is all powerful, omnipresent and manages an expansive universe on their own. These gods are usually faultless and perfect and there are no embarrassing stories of them.

Polytheistic gods can be as perfect as their lonely friends but not always. Gather a bunch of all-powerful beings in a single room, you will get some funny stories. These gods are usually flawed. They will share the duties of running the universe, usually in charge of different factions of the world; war, love, death, water or fire.

Gods/forces usually come with stories. We will have an abundance of stories but mainly we will have:

A world creation tale

A human creating tale

A war against evil

Godly origin stories

Tale of a massive flood.

Ritual

We think of religion and we think of prayer. We no longer sacrifice goats or children or virgins to appease the things that be. But there are other things to do in order to honour the gods.

We usually have a few types of ritual.

The gesture

The offering

The sacrament

Gesture: Catholics bless themselves, Añjali Mudrā or the namaste is a sign of respect in India, Muslims perform the rakʿah/bowing cycles in ṣalāt/prayer

Offering: In Judaism, during Hanukkah they light candles to represent eight nights that an oil lamp burned. In Catholicism, candles are burned in memory of the dead, incense is burned. In Greek Mythology, young men were whipped before the statue of Artemis, their blood an offering to her.

Sacrament: Catholicism has seven levels (i once got thrown out of class for referring to it as pokemon evolution). In Islam and Judaism, we see coming of age sacraments.

Values and Ethics

Each religion teaches us something. Each has their own values. Most religions preach peace, love, truth, harmony (except when other relationships are involved in some).

Every religion has its own set of rules. Some are there to keep certain values entertained. If modesty is preached, the people don't make dick jokes or go about with tits out. If warriors are praised, the pacifist and conscientious objector will be shunned. How often are these rules broken? How are they enforced? What are the punishments for breaking the rules?

You must look at the message your religion conveys. We always hear about the peace and love. Mix it up and allow religions to send mixed messages. It makes it interesting.

Accessories

Every religion needs its accessories. A place to worship in, certain garments to wear and a symbol.

Places to worship can be any place. A building or outside in the open. You can have gilded temples with jewelled idols or your simple altar. You can have your field, forest and beach or river to pray beside.

Perhaps your religion has certain clothes one wears. Islam has the hijab or burka. Hindus have the bindi and the sari. Catholic women used to and still sometimes wear veils in mass. Judaism has their skull caps and rock awesome beards.

Symbols can be anything. It can be a circle. It can literally be a chair. But it needs a reason to be important. Perhaps the deity created the first Lay-Z boy or maybe the saviour likes good back support.

#ask answered

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raayllum · 3 years

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Do you think the human kingdoms are catholic/Jewish and any other religion and the elves are more like pagans?

I’ve actually talked about this here, though it was more in reference to monotheistic vs polytheistic possibilities. While peoples and fantasy world religions can be coded to be analogous to ones we have, we have so little information on any sort of religious beliefs in the world of Xadia that there’s not really anything we can say.

The only actual ‘religious’ indication we get, period, is Callum and Harrow believing in an afterlife. And even that is very common to a lot of different, varied religions, or can exist separately from any ‘religious’ view and be spiritual instead, and their beliefs can be an indication of their personal family views, and not anything more. You could maybe include Lady Justice as a religious figure, or she could be a figure like Lady Liberty or personifications of other concepts (like Truth and Wisdom) that often tend to be characterized with female pronouns and presentation anyway. But more on that in the link I’ve provided.

I would caution against conflating Catholicism and Judaism. Catholicism is a specific denomination of Christianity (which is already wildly different from Judaism) while Judaism is a much broader ethnic-religious group. Just about the only similarity between Judaism and Christianity is belief in a singular God, but just about everything in how that God is even conceptualized, let alone worshipped down to the concept of what ‘belief’ is, is very, very different between the two religions.

Pagan itself is also a very broad term, usually in reference to anyone who is not-Christian in historical texts (or sometimes just not monotheistic, but that usually goes hand in hand with the first bit). This means it includes but is not limited to being used in reference to people who follow Celtic, Slavic, Nordic, Greek, and Roman pantheons, all of which are very different from each other in concepts, myth structures, societal impact, inclusion, and ideals, etc.

TLDR; I don’t think prescribing any one set religion onto any particular kingdom or people in a fantasy world is going to usually work out, since religion (even when not also talking about ethnicity) is super complicated and varied and nothing is monolithic (different Christian denominations for example), so I would say no. But talking inspiration from different religions and pantheons when doing worldbuilding for anything, like a TDP fanfic? Go ahead, and if you’re going to write about one that’s not your own, make sure you’re down to do the research :)

#thanks for asking #writing advice #worldbuilding #Anonymous

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maireyart · 3 years

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I read part of a YOI fanfic where Viktor cheated on Yuuri with Yuri (gross and it was not even labeled) and it was pretty ... ehh. But I wanted to ask you - is cheating more common or accepted in Russia? The author seemed to think so. I could not tell if it was because they truly have a more realistic and gritty version of Russia or because of anti-Russian sentiment. It seems strange because my understanding was that cheating was actually way more common in Japan than Russia. Japan’s economy, it is said, would collapse without cheating culture (according to a Japanese YouTuber’s video on it). Yet Yuuri is constantly portrayed as cheated on and weak and submissive and clueless. This seems racist or stereotypical to me, but I am not Japanese so if any Japanese people want to talk about it? Also, my understanding was that in Russia cheating is seen as very bad culturally. It also seems like it would be more accurate for Yuuri to cheat on Vitya when considering culture and what is considered cheating. Do you have any thoughts about this? If I got anything wrong, I want to clear it up now.

Interesting question! I can’t say anything about how common it is in Russia (stats are unreliable), but it’s not culturally accepted and rarely forgiven if disclosed. It’s a serious reason to break up. And Victor cheating on Yuuri with Yuri... No idea what a more realistic version of Russia may have to do with it. This plotline is perhaps not about trying to portray some culture (be it in a good or bad light), I believe; sounds like it’s something subjective like the author’s dark fantasies or the desire to write angst or something similar. The author is probably processing their own issues through a story.

As for cheating in general, there are a few differences between Russia and Japan that play a role in the way cheating is seen. 1. Unlike Japan, Russia is permeated with Christianity (and not so long ago with Soviet moral ideals like ‘there’s no sex in the USSR’); there were no sexual revolutions or anything like that. Our culture is intervined with religion; cheating has always been viewed as a serious sin that requires repentance and is not normally accepted. Japan has never been under a heavy influence of monotheistic religions with a detailed concept of sin & repentance, so cultural codes are a bit different.

2. In Russia, relationships are usually committed and tend to be more on the possessive side (compared to, say, France where relationships between young people are usually less serious). Partners tend to ‘control’ each other xDDD So cheating is a full-blown betrayal. Open relationships, friends with benefits, casual sex are not mainstream, it’s still something out of the ordinary and very much disapproved of. In Japan, casual sex seems to be a more common thing, sex is not viewed as SUCH a big deal.

3. In Japan, cheating is also connected with the lack of sex between husband and wife, especially after she gives birth to children (not in every family, ofc, but in, let's say, typical or maybe stereotypical families...). Here’s an interesting sum-up of this. But they don’t divorce, b/c it’s convenient to stay married. For example, the wife doesn’t have to work full-time and gets the money earned by him, and the husband keeps the veneer of a respected married man in society xDD Being divorced may even hinder his career. So each of them may have affairs, but stay married for pragmatic reasons and for children. In Russia though divorces are more common, no one (at least at work) usually cares if you do it, and people divorce if they want to. And cheating is one of the reasons why they may do it. Usually there are no social ‘perks’ of being in a marriage that doesn’t work for either side (there may be some personal ones though)... Besides, the Japanese are one of the most asexual nations in the world, and the lack of sex between husband and wife is not concidered as some serious problem, while Russia is in the top 3 most sexually active nations, and in Russian marriages, sex plays a bigger role; it’s important for Russian couples to have sex with each other. I’ve seen some videos of Russian youtubers married to Japanese women, and they emotionally described how their wives, after a while, told them that sex was too troublesome and suggested that they found somebody else for this stuff. But the Japanese women had never fathomed that it was actually really that important for their Russian hubbies! They were used to Japanese men who would understand this idea, but most Russians just can’t 🤯 xD The suggestion to have sex with somebody else while staying (more or less happily) married sounded totally insane to the guys, so they and their Japanese wives divorced in the end. So for the Japanese, sex with each other is not automatically connected with satisfaction from family life, important aspect.

But all of this is related to heterosexual couples. When it comes to gay men, they’re within a different paradigm initially, and the concepts of open relationships & commitment & cheating may be... not different, but treated differently. However, I don’t think that Yuuri or Victor are the types to cheat on each other (even considering some cultural/subcultural moments) if we take their canon personalities, feelings and story, but if a fanfic is deeply AU and OOC (intentionally or not), anything may happen O_o

#meta #yoi

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