A Treatise on the Philosophy of Cedrism

[Shyriath]

Author's Note: This should not be considered canon, as such, without some form of authentication from the Head Priest, or (even better) the beloved Prophet Brrapa Lu'Eraro. But it is at least a vaguely self-consistent interpretation of Cedrist thought that, I hope, will add some depth to our religion.IntroductionIn the name of B'caw, the Spicy, the Flavorful, and all His siblings in the Celestial Temple.With the many new immigrants entering into our nation, it is undeniable that they look upon our Temple, our Gods, and our faith and ask: "What's all this about? What IS Cedrism? What's the point of it supposed to be? What the hell, in short, is going on?"Therefore I have taken it upon myself to speculate upon the deeper meanings of our faith, about the "why" of Cedrism, so that newcomers will understand our ways, and maybe help us convert a few unbelievers.Let us begin first by looking at the way Cedrism perceives the Universe. All that is, is divided into three planes. On the one hand, there is the Divine Realm, which some believe to correspond to a Plane of Order; on the other hand, the Daemonic Realm, which may corrspond to a Plane of Chaos; and between them, our own Mortal Realm, where the effects of the other two planes meet and interact in a Plane of Balance.The essence of Cedrism lies in the ways that these three realms interact with each other. For the forces of the Divine Realm and those of the Daemonic Realm are utterly opposed, each the antithesis of the other, and they are in constant struggle; but because the Mortal Realm lies between them, is it there that the struggle manifests itself, with we mortals often playing a role in the process. For by our own actions we tend to be driven to one side or another, over one lifetime or over many, by the karmic balance we strike.For a Cedrist, this taking of cosmic sides occurs in the form of the Path of Transcendence. Each and every mortal, upon death, is reborn into a new life, and over the course of one's lives one has the chance to accumulate karma, either good or bad. One who accumulates enough good karma over their lives, through good deeds and kindness and exemplary behavior, will eventually leave the cycle of rebirth, taking up abode in the Celestial Temple as one of the Transcendi, the angelic avatars of good; and sometimes, beings of exceptional merit even join the ranks of the Gods. On the other hand, one who commits foul deeds, who harms others and lacks remorse, will accumulate bad karma, their soul blackening until they are taken down into Balgurd by the Daemon Fish, to become Descendi, twisted manifestations of evil. It is even possible that the great Daemons themselves were once mortal men, so corrupted with evil as to be beyond redemption, though others say that only Balgurd could spawn beings so evil.The Web of LifeNow, one might be justified in asking: why is this so? Why does this division exist at all, and why does one choose sides? What does it mean to Transcend, or Descend? How does one define the good or evil deeds that one does to travel along the Path; why is one better than the other?Good and evil are concepts that are often easy to see when one beholds them, but difficult to describe when called upon to explain them. But much meditation and communing with the God B'caw has, I think, granted me an insight into how best to put these things into words.I ask the reader, in their minds, to picture the universe as a great web, a vast array of connections. Each strand of the web is delicate and sensitive to disturbances, but as a whole the web is resilient. And upon this web are we, the mortals, and all other things and events in our realm. Now as we live our lives, we move about on the web, each step making vibrations through the strands; and eventually, these vibrations reach others. Sometimes they knock those others off their paths; sometimes, they help them find their paths.Now, when two beings effect each other positively with these vibrations, the connection between them strengthens, because they can be more sure to rely upon one another; and with enough beings acting in concert, for the general good of all, the entire web strengthens. Whereas when beings tend too often to disrupt one another in their paths, the connections between them weaken and break; and enough beings engaging in this behavior tend to damage the web, to the detriment of those living upon it.This may sound elementary in some respects; anyone can see, for example, that a society that in some way encourages people to mistreat one another will eventually collapse from within. But matters go deeper than that; the web is not merely physical, but spiritual. Actions and events that fit well with the needs of those around them, that are in harmony with the universe, help strengthen not only physical societies and environments but the universe as a whole, both as a physical entity and a psychic unity. Actions and events that disrupt those around them, on the other hand, not only destabilize societies and environments, but also the universe itself.Good, then, can be loosely defined as performing actions that promote harmony with those around oneself, and evil as performing actions that destroy that same harmony. Being good inspires good to be directed back toward oneself, and encourages better well-being for all those around oneself; being evil does the opposite. Fair enough; but what, then, does this have to do with Transcendence? Surely, one might think, there is a limit to the good deeds one can do in life, however desirable it might be for all involved. What is the "higher state" afforded by rebirth through higher karma? What does it mean to Transcend?Transcendence Through AwarenessWe all learn lessons in life, drawing upon our experiences to make generalizations about the way the world works. When faced with having to do a whole bunch of work right before a deadline, we learn that it's better to get it done early. Through the passing of loved ones, we learn how to deal with death. When we get in a motorcycle crash, we learn it's better to wear a helmet (assuming we lived through that particular episode, of course). Life is full of these little lessons, and they help us to life a proper life.So too do we learn from our own good deeds, and those of others. We learn what makes others happy, what helps society, what is good for the environment, what limits harm. Going back to the analogy of the web, we gain a bit of insight into how different pieces of the web interact with each other.But suppose that, unlike other things that might have to be relearned after reincarnation, this understanding, this instinct as to how to behave in harmony with the universe, stayed with a person after death and into a new life? Suppose that in each new life, a person could actually continue to build upon their knowledge of the web of life, increasing and enriching it? And that such knowledge could be used to improve their own actions with respect to the harmony?This, then, is a vital part of the Path of Transcendence. It is not merely doing more good deeds; it is gaining an understanding of the consequences of what one does, instinctively picking actions that do the most good, and deriving yet more understanding from the experience. As one progresses along the Path, one learns to understand more and more of the web of life and how to act in harmony, and to minimize the effects of one's own actions that might lead, either accidentally or intentionally, to disharmony. And each rebirth leads to another step up in understanding, until finally, one's understanding of the harmony of the universe becomes so great as to allow one to leave the cycle of rebirth, to become a manifestation of harmony oneself as a Transcendus... or, in cases of particularly deep understanding, a very God.This, then, also helps us define the Gods and Transcendi of Cedrism, why they are so powerful, and what it is they do. Their deeds seem to us like magic, or miracles, and mortals marvel at how such things could be accomplished. But understood in the context of the ideas I have been discussing above, it seems likely that the Gods have no great need of magic in the sense that mortals use it.The Gods are beings whose understanding of the workings of the Universe has become so deep that they have, in a sense, merged with the web; they are not merely upon it, but in it. Thus they are in the perfect position to affect events with the lightest of touches, to make something happen HERE and set off a reaction that causes something greater THERE. In this sense, the idea that "knowledge is power" has become very literal; the Gods have immense power and knowledge, but the power derives directly from the knowledge, for it is their knowledge that allows them to manipulate events, to know what it is that must be done in order for an outcome to be achieved.And Now For the Bad NewsThis conception of the Path of Transcendence, in turn, suggests things about the other direction, the way of evil... the way to Balgurd. For in nearly all respects, the process of becoming a Descendus is entirely the opposite of the holy path.If Transcendence is the process of doing good and in doing so gaining ever-increasing understanding of (and power over) harmony and the web of life, then it stands to reason that Descendence involves the lessening of this understanding. A person who is evil, who routinely does misdeeds and puts others into positions of harm, has a tendency to put aside, disregard, and eventually forget whatever knowledge of the web of life zie gains in life. In short, evil people slowly lose a sense of their place in the greater whole, and the benefits of supporting the harmony of the web.Up to a point, a darkening soul can still regain this sense of connection and turn back around, toward the Path of Transcendence, realizing the futility and misery of the way to Balgurd. (Indeed, on the other hand, a soul on the way to Transcendence may also turn toward evil, attempting to abuse their understanding of the web for personal gain and sending themselves toward ruin.) But some souls, regrettably, drift further and further away from a sense of the greater whole, turning inward upon themselves. They turn to self-gratification, taking ever more perverse pleasure in gaining at the expense of others. And as virtuous souls gradually merge with the web, participating fully in the universe and serving the whole, these wicked souls instead gradually leave the web, falling through the holes they themselves have torn through the delicate strands. And as they cut themselves off from the web of life, they look for sustenance in their own egos and their own desires, gnawing away at themselves until nothing is left but hollow shells... and then the Daemon Fish of Balgurd come to take them away, dragging them into the Daemonic Realm, to become Descendi, and perhaps Daemons.Now the Descendi and the Daemons, cut off from the web of life, have no such power over the universe as the Gods do. The denizens of Balgurd no longer have any memory of the workings of the universe, are no longer capable of understanding it; they are incapable of attaining the empowerment that comes of working with Creation rather than against it. Therefore, instead, these wretched avatars of evil gain their power from their position outside the web; not bound by its rules, they can summon unnatural energies and improbable events. Rather than effecting changes through subtlety and care, as do the Gods, they make changes through brute force, smashing aside the delicate strands of the web. Indeed, some believe that the manner in which humans do magic is much like this, in that it brings in unnatural force from beyond the web of life; if so, this would explain the ancient stories of magic bringing about disasters and corrupting its users, and the warnings of the Technomages against its use.The Daemons care not that they disrupt so much through their actions; indeed, they rejoice. They both long for and hate the web of life. They long for it, because their souls still remember the happier times they once had as living beings; and they hate it, because they are forever barred from retrieving that happiness, even though it was their own actions that brought about that banishment.The End TimesSo it goes on. The Gods and the Transcendi, seeking to maintain the stability of the universe, building connections, promoting harmony; the Daemons and the Descendi, seeking to attack and destroy the universe that they hate for its perceived rejection of them. This is why the Mortal Realm corresponds with the Plane of Balance; it is the place where the effects of the two sides meet and struggle, forever counteracting one another. One could imagine this going on forever.Yet it is believed that this will not be the case. For although the Gods are content to defend the workings of the web of life, the forces of Balgurd are not so willing to be thwarted forever. The Descendi, remembering their former lives and their exile from the joy of a harmonious universe, have no greater ambition than to return to our plane, and either rule it or see it destroyed. Therefore, each side constantly prepares for the inevitable confrontation. For one day, when they are ready, the Daemons shall break the seals and march forth from the Gate of Balgurd to invade this world, and the Gods shall appear in all their glory to stand against them. The prophet Brrapa Lu'Eraro, who was granted a vision of the End Times by Hasan, God of Wisdom, could not foresee the outcome of the battle, for not even the Gods know how it shall end. And even if the Gods win, it is hard to say would come after.But it is certain that the Daemons must be defeated. For without returning to the Path of Transcendence, can beings of such evil do otherwise than ruin the web of life? Surely their rule would only transform our entire universe into an expanded Balgurd, composed of ruin and waste. And in that uttermost end, only the Daemons and their minions would be left to inhabit the remnants, their vengeance wreaked, but their souls no more eased, and doomed to their endless torture in a universe with nowhere left to go.

[Brrapa Lu Eraro]

I have read your words,Oh' Priest of B'Caw.And am pleased.Surely you have divined much,And through the powers of your god.Learned much that is.The Gods smile upon this work,For even with mortal error considered,It is in truth and wisdom.So my Blessing,I do impart.For gods that smile,Surely must aprove. Brrapa Lu'Eraro"Not all who wander are lost.."

[AngelGuardian93]

A holy siting of the ancient of prophets! With a divine blessing no less!*bows* There are no flowers, no not this time. There will be no angels gracing the lines, just these stark words I find.

[Hunter Sagittarius]

O Great Horjin, guide our arrows so we may feast tonight on the mighty herds of octoclucks. The Followers of B'Caw are visiting from the next island over, and we want to show them a terrific feast of spicy eight-legged chicken. Bearbeitet von: Fax Celestis  am: 9/12/05 12:30

[Zirandorthel]

As only a heathen I'm sure I'm not worthy to ask, but how does the life of a person who does neither good works nor bad works in their life, and neither increases in awareness nor ignorance, fit into the Web of Life? Do the Cedrist gods view this as an evil? Is it the Cedrist gods that decide whether someone's actions are good or evil?There should be a god of the Web of Life itself. I propose Neharab, the Spider God. Wil Nider to the HyperboreansEoin to the restZirandorthel to the ages

[AngelGuardian93]

Quote:but how does the life of a person who does neither good works nor bad works in their life, and neither increases in awareness nor ignorance, fit into the Web of Life?Impossible. We allways do either bad, or good deeds, even if they're small. One who does small deeds like this, will simply take ALOT longer to descend or ascend to either the Celestial Temple or Balgurd, and will just keep on being reincarnated.Quote:Do the Cedrist gods view this as an evil?No, but its not desirable none the less.Quote:Is it the Cedrist gods that decide whether someone's actions are good or evil?Good question. I must consult Brappa! There are no flowers, no not this time. There will be no angels gracing the lines, just these stark words I find.

[Zirandorthel]

Quote:Impossible. We allways do either bad, or good deeds, even if they're small. One who does small deeds like this, will simply take ALOT longer to descend or ascend to either the Celestial Temple or Balgurd, and will just keep on being reincarnated.Nothing is impossible. It's a philosophical question. This is what religion is all about. You cannot expect to engender faith if you can't give true-seeming answers. Questions of faith that are brushed off as "impossible" just fester and spawn heresies..In fact, the idea of a Cedrist sage who resolves to spend all his lives doing absolutely nothing bar eating, drinking, defecating and procreating, not even to speak, just to see what happens to him, would be novel if nothing else.. Wil Nider to the HyperboreansEoin to the restZirandorthel to the ages

[AngelGuardian93]

Ok, that's a completely different scenario then what I pictured in my head the first time. I was talking about living an average life, not some boomist hermit crab who has dedicated himself to that end! If he did neither good nor bad he would keep being reincarnated again and again and again untill his soul got sick of it. That's all. No major revalations, just reincarnation. Over and over and over and over. *shrugs* There are no flowers, no not this time. There will be no angels gracing the lines, just these stark words I find.

[Shyriath]

Quote:As only a heathen I'm sure I'm not worthy to ask, but how does the life of a person who does neither good works nor bad works in their life, and neither increases in awareness nor ignorance, fit into the Web of Life? Do the Cedrist gods view this as an evil? Is it the Cedrist gods that decide whether someone's actions are good or evil?*Thinks on this*I do not deem myself so knowledgeable as to say that the following answers are true, but I have some guesses of my own.The way my construction of the philosophy goes, there is (normally) no action that is neither "bad" nor "good", since these concepts are defined by the ways in which someone affects the people and living things around oneself. Since every action, every choice, has a consequence, and is bound to do something to someone in some small way, the chances of getting by without going at least a bit in one way or the other, all in all, are pretty small. In this, I agree with Greg; it could happen, theoretically, but even if it did, it would effectively mean just being stuck on the slow track of the Path. Not evil, but something that shouldn't be encouraged. Now, apparently in the Cedrist mythos there are beings (vampires) who can leave the restrictions of the Path entirely, and are abominations for doing so, but that doesn't appear to be the same thing.As for who decides whether actions are good or evil, I can't say much. I, like the High Priest, would prefer to wait for a judgement by the Prophet. Still, my intuition says not; the Gods can try to influence mortals toward good, but not declare them good or evil. I think it might be better to say that the definition of what's good and evil is built into the universe, so to speak.

[AngelGuardian93]

No moral reletivism With Cedrism, which I suppose would be a contention point with Solaralism... There are no flowers, no not this time. There will be no angels gracing the lines, just these stark words I find.

[Brrapa Lu Eraro]

Path of Ascent?Path of Descent?Path of Nuetrality?Can we have all?Can it be three paths exist?One to Build.One to Destroy.One to Be.Ascend the Web.Descend the Web.Walk the Web.What is moral?What is this word?But a word.Constructed for speach.Constructed for Mortals.Constructed by Mortals.Is there Morality?Is there a Universal?There is no Morality.For Moral is a word.Decided by Mortals.What is Good?Good is a word.What is Evil?Evil is a word.Look past the words.See the action.With no word.Does it build?Does it destroy?...Or does it maintain?Without Order,There is only loss.Never gain.Without Chaos,There is only stasis.Never gain.Stasis is preferable,To destruction.For in destruction,There is nothing.But in Statis,Nothing can change,Nothing can grow,Nothing can move forward.What is this?What do we see here?By the Gods!Is there a third path? Brrapa Lu'Eraro"Not all who wander are lost.."

[Shyriath]

Hmmmmmm. So, maybe there IS a third path... or maybe the Prophet is having a crisis of faith. Or maybe he's just singing something he heard on the radio?O Head Priest, how shall we incorporate this new revelation? Shall we ask the Prophet to clarify?

[Fax Celestis]

The Path of Mediocrity? Blindness Is A Blessing

[Zirandorthel]

Perhaps there are some beings whose past lives have had such an equality of good and evil, one life of malice followed by a life of virtue, that their spirit is so changed from other spirits that when they next reincarnate they become a different sort of being, neither good nor evil, but fully neutral. These would be able to see the Web, perhaps, able to perceive how any action affects any other thing, thanks to the guidance of Neharab, the Spider God of the Web, who guards its vital strands from those who would seek to do it harm.The gods would be wary of these Immoti, but since they are as much part of the Web as any other mortal, they cannot quench their lifeforce.An Immoti, different from any other mortal, at the end of their current life-cycle, is given a choice. To be born, or to drop out of the web. Obviously one is good, and the other evil. Some of the more powerful daemons in Balgurd were once Immoti. They saw how their past evil actions affected everything around them, and yet still chose to rip themselves from the Web.This is why Neharab is the foe of all daemons, and especially those ex-Immoti, who he appropriated special knowledge to, and yet still chose to spurn him.[/semi-heretical creation. Can I be Neharab's High Priest? Can Neharab exist?] Wil Nider to the HyperboreansEoin to the restZirandorthel to the ages

[AngelGuardian93]

Shyriath: Ask the mighty Prophet to explain his riddles and he might fart in your face and call it a clarification. You're welcome to try if you wish though.Fax: Not so much that I think.Zir: Only Brappa is worthy to recognize undiscovered gods. He is the man you must take counsel with. I am but the humble one who watches the temple faithfull and performs the festival rituals. There are no flowers, no not this time. There will be no angels gracing the lines, just these stark words I find.

[Zirandorthel]

What do you guys think of the concept of Immoti? I think it's a good addition, as Transcendi/Descendi is too clear-cut for Bo0o/\/\ism, which after all has deities such as Rrakanychan, tricksters and riddle-makers, who won't necessarily interfere in a battle between good and evil. There is no black and white in Bo0o/\/\ism, and there never has been, not since the old Audentior days. Wil Nider to the HyperboreansEoin to the restZirandorthel to the ages

[AngelGuardian93]

That's one of the mysteries Brappa never explained. *shrugs* There are no flowers, no not this time. There will be no angels gracing the lines, just these stark words I find.

[Fax Celestis]

I like your god and your Immoti idea. Viatax Sitadi Axdivijink Regigoraauk

[Shyriath]

*Finds himself liking the idea too... and the god, though we should still see if Brrapa will come out and make a judgement on Neharab*So, a brief reformulation of the Treatise, to see how this all might work...1. We have the workings of the universe as web-of-life, representing the sum of all the events and interactions that occur. Actions send ripples through the web, effecting events and lives beyond the origin point, and can effect them positively or negatively.2. As mortals go through the cycle of reincarnation, we are now supposing them to have THREE possible paths rather than two.3. It is established that one possible path leads to Transcendence. This is achieved by, over many lives, performing good deeds... defined in this scheme as those which promote the connections of the web-of-life (acts of harmony, in other words) and by so doing, accumulating an instinctive understanding of how to more effectively harmonize with the web. Eventually, a threshold of understanding is reached in which a person ceases to be human, and becomes a Transcendus.4. It is also established that another possible path leads to Descendence (which would probably be more correctly Descent, but I like symmetry too much). This consists of active denial or ignorance of the harmony of the web. Over many lifetimes, if an individual refuses more and more to consider the implications of their actions for those around them, and focus more and more on the self, they finally reach a threshold where they cease to be human, and surrounded by the holes they themselves have torn in the web, they fall out of it altogether, becoming tortured and bitterly vengeful Descendi.5. Now, then, we have the newly proposed third path, that of the Immoti (which, I'm guessing, means "those who do not move"?). These are souls that, by chance, have experienced equally lives of good and evil, and this exact balance changes their nature. The Immoti become neutral beings, not required to participate in the great struggle between the Gods and Balgurd; although, unique to mortal souls, they have the choice of being reborn or spurning the web and going down into Balgurd.Now, all this suggests something to me about the Immoti... and, for that matter, about Neharab. Consider something Eoin said:Quote:These would be able to see the Web, perhaps, able to perceive how any action affects any other thing, thanks to the guidance of Neharab, the Spider God of the Web, who guards its vital strands from those who would seek to do it harm.Now, it occurs to me that this web-sight (giving it aname for the sake of efficiency) should be different in nature from the advanced perceptions of the Gods and Transcendi. The latter beings gain their understanding, and their power, result from the Path of Transcendence, which the Immoti would not have taken. Now, admittedly, it could be that if Neharab is considered a God, he himself would have Transcended once, and so he may be able to impart some part of this understanding to the Immoti he's chosen to associate with.However, I think it might fit the idea of a separate path better if we considered another option. Let us suppose that the web-sight is qualitatively different from the advanced perceptions of the Gods, but that, like the latter, is a unique product of the Path they tread.The Path of Transcendence, it would be safe to say, is a path of learning. It's a gradual accumulation of lessons learned through the illustrations provided by your acts in life. Perhaps, then, we should characterize the Third Path as one of more immediate experience; the neutral status of the Immoti allows them a view of the web different from the Gods. The Gods are still a part of the web, but are in a sense above it, while the Immoti are uniquely grounded in the reality of the web itself. One could postulate that the Gods' perceptions might be based more upon seeing the "map" of connections that make up the web; they perceive the whole, as if seeing it from above. Maybe, then, what the Immoti perceive is more of a sense of locality, the view from within; they can sense the web around them, perhaps not seeing its true "shape", but having a subjective experience of its existence (and current state) that the Gods would be removed from.Of course, if this is so, it leads one to wonder what Neharab would be. Would he be a God of the same origin as the other Gods, but who decided to align himself with the Immoti? Or would he be a different sort of being, a sort of ultra-Immotus?

[AngelGuardian93]

Quote:There is no black and white in Bo0o/\/\ism, and there never has been, not since the old Audentior days. If there are no moral absolutes there's no point in even having a religion, since by definition a religion (or even a simple moral code) needs moral constants.*ponders some more...* There are no flowers, no not this time. There will be no angels gracing the lines, just these stark words I find.

[Fax Celestis]

Perhaps Neharab is the Keeper of the Web, the first Immoti...or perhaps he is the web itself. Viatax Sitadi Axdivijink Regigoraauk