Day of Solitude

Hidden from the world

I can't complete the Embrace again. But I can fast in solitude, and that helps bring me a little closer to that feeling.

— Runce Virn, modern Zinua worshipper

The Day of Solitude is, like many aspects of modern Fullblooded worship, discontiguous. It is not practiced by any sects that survived the Glesseal-Imperial war, and it only exists today because of texts found on Lutonia.

Practices

The Day of Solitude was a holiday celebrated by followers of Zinua, Goddess of the Hidden. After the Glesseal-Imperial war, hers was not one of the sects that survived, and so the practices of this holiday can be cleanly split into two groups: Historical, which are determined by texts recovered from the ruins of Lutonia, where Zinua's temple was likely located; and Modern, the practices of people today who profess some belief in the goddess.

Historical

There are two texts that hold most of the information about this holiday. The first one, simply titled Lonliness, seems to be the basis of the holiday, as well as just general musings on the sect as a whole. It posits that to be closest to the Goddess, one must be completely hidden from the world, and from all others. The easiest way to do this is to spend a day completely alone. The other text, known as Zinua's Embrace, talks about other ways to focus on the sensation of being alone. It suggests avoiding light, as well as food. It is unknown how widely practiced any of this was.

Modern

The modern version of this holiday has several teirs. The first, and simplest, is just what the name says it is: a day alone. This is not very widely practiced, however, likely because those who decide to follow one of the 'dead' sects are looking for a more spiritual experience than that. The second requires much more dedication, and involves giving up everything that could leave an impact on the world. No creating anything, no eating anything, just a day of self-reflection and thought. This is the most widely-followed tier, as most followers of Zinua do not have the fortitutde for the third tier. The third tier, often confusingly called Zinua's Embrace, requires participants to spend the day in complete darkness, silence, and inaction. It is very difficult, and few do it more than once.

Neodeism

Modern worship of the Fullblooded is very different from its origins. Excepting the three surviving sects, it is completely discontiguous, and banned in the Empire. Neodeists, despite their name, do not always believe that the Fullblooded existed as gods, as the surviving sects do. Often, they simply find meaning in the texts and practices of the ancient religion. Some small groups have formed around particular gods, but nothing as centralized as either the Fullblooded worship of old or the surviving sects.

Related Articles