Astrallism
A wise man is he who does not grieve for the things which he has not, but rejoices for those which he has
The pantheist religion of
Preomona characterized by the study and woship of the stars and other celestial bodies. Astrallists believe that the world is made of a single, immutable substance called Lir, which also coordinates the workings of reality. It is said that, just like a beehive or a man's organism, the cosmos works in an orderly, precise way, this transcedental reason is called Ælir. And so, to explain the infinite number of different objects and species in the land, the belief states that Lir is a mutable and devoid of form, like a stream of molten glass. However, when the Lir finally stabilizes, it hardens in that specific shape until it receives enough energy or "potency" to trn back to the pure state of Lir.
In this context, Astrallists believe the stars and the Sun to be the only source of raw Lir, which still emanates it's potency-force. Because of this, they believe the world behaves and reacts accordingly to the positions of the stars. A famous sage from Artacia once proposed an interesting analogy:
"Imagine you are standing before a lake, with a toy boat in the middle. The water is calm, still. Nothing happens.If you toss a stone on the water, it will create ripples that, if they're strong enough, will rock and sway the boat very lightly. The bigger the stone, the bigger the ripples. Should two land at the same time, you'll get different reactions, and so on. Just like that, our world behaves to the ripples of the stars, reacting to the potency of the raw Lir."
Because of such example, it is widely accepted between Astrallists that the world is an enormous sphere floating on the currents of space, rocking, turning and swaying in response to the stars around.
Nevertheless, another belief is that of the innate sacredness of nature: as the raw Lir that makes up the world once started to cool, it did so very slowly, and some bits cooled and hardened more while others still hold some of their potency. Amongst the hardened ones are the inanimate objects, such as the rocks and stones that make up the mountains, while others still emanate some Lir, like water and plants, who keep animals and humans alive. Finally, living beings are taken as a special kind of shape, which are half-inanimate and half-eternal: the flesh and bones are made of hardened Lir, while the soul is holds almost all the qualities of the raw substance, and thus still emanates its potency. The astrallians believe that the way a person lives will impact on the state of their soul's material. Hedonism, cowardice, dishonesty and other vices will cause the soul to harden its Lir, bringing men closer to the animals and finally, to the dead rocks. On the other hand, virtues and the use of reason will keep the Lir more mutable, emanating potency and thus collaborating with the Ælir.
Culture
Astrallists will often study the skies in search for answers. They believe the intricate positions of the constellations with the celestial bodies dictate the events of the mundane world. At the same, they keep track of their own astral ancestry, a constellation or star that stood the highest in the sky in the previous or current night they were born.
Tenets of Faith
-Acceptance of the Natural Order - Everything that happens, does so accordingly to the stars, and thus, with the Ælir, which is always good.
-Endurance and Resilience - The hardships that make up life exist for the betterment of the cosmos, a hardy man is a man with higher potency.
-Understanding the Transience of Life - The Lir in every living being longs to harden itself, and thus cannot sustain itself in its mutable form forever, meaning death is inevitable and a part of the Ælir's cycle.
-Self-Reflection and Self-Improvement - Potency is what drives the world, the Ælir is fuelled not only by the potency of the stars, but also of living beings. The practice of virtue and ambition to improve keep this potency alive, which in turn colaborates with the innate reason of the cosmos.
-Cultivation of Virtue - Opposite to cowardice and dishonesty, the practice of virtues halts or even shifts the Lir's hardening process, which makes a man emanate a higher, stronger potency.
Worship
There are no acts of worship, given there are no deities to be worshipped. Thus, a "holy" act would instead be something simpler, particular, such as the betterment of the self or the preservation of life and nature.
Priesthood
Priests and Preachers do not exist, but people sometimes consult with Stargazers in search of answers. Stargazers are scholars and mystics that seek to understand the workings of the stars and fate.
