Amitan
I’ve been toying with this for a little while — a fictional religion which feels whole and complex, with its own worldview distinct from what you get in most pseudo-medieval fantasy settings. I’ve excluded any discussion of the religion’s history or any inter-denominational conflict. That doesn’t mean those aren’t there, but I wanted to get the basics down first. Consider this an introduction.
Traditional religion in Osolam is known as Amitan (lit. “approaching” or “approaching truth”). Foreign scholars sometimes call its practitioners Amitanists, although adherents rarely use that term themselves. Its teachings focus on the cultivation of divine truth through ethical behavior and ritual practice.
The Dual World
Amitanists believe in impermanence. They believe that human lives — along with farms and buildings, plant and animal life, even the weather — are but fleeting patterns atop a perfect, immortal world. They see mountains, rivers, forests (but not individual trees), the sky and stars, gods and spirits, as fundamentally more “real” than their own temporary selves. These things are far more grounded in eternal truth than the perishable, mortal lives of humans, and they exist free from pain, suffering, age, and death.
Because humans inhabit mortal bodies with mortal senses, they are only imperfectly capable of perceiving and understanding the world as it actually exists. In this conception, there is no heaven or hell. There is only one world, of which there is a “real” part — all things viewed as immortal, impermeable, and unchanging — and a “false” part — things which can die or change.
In this understanding, life’s fundamental problem is illusion — the suffering caused by humanity’s separation from undying reality. Sickness, injury, war, and poverty are all products of this separation. The solution to this problem is enlightenment — freedom from human fallibility required to experience the true universe.
Approaching Truth
Human beings live in an untrustworthy, inconstant layer of reality, but through their actions, they have the ability to better understand the world as it is. By living in harmony with the supernatural, by cleansing themselves of falsehood, and by following correct moral and ritual practice, human beings can shed some of their ordinary delusions.
That said, some truths are fundamentally unknowable, as perfect awareness is functionally equivalent to godhood. Even the wisest scholars lack the ability to fully shed their imperfect senses. Humans, being mortal, are imperfect by nature. They are relegated to approach, but never fully meet, the unencumbered truth of the world.
Amitan is the code of thoughts, behaviors, and practices through which individuals and communities shed their mortal delusions. These prescriptions are recorded in the Canon, a collection of scriptures considered to have authoritative guidance on the cultivation of sacred truth.
Afterlife and the Soul
What separates humanity from the rest of the perishable world is the existence of the soul — the impression of a person’s life which endures beyond bodily death. While the human body is understood to be shrouded in falsehood, the soul is considered to be perfect and immortal. The principal function of Amitan is to cultivate this inner spark of divinity. Those who adhere to the Amitan code leave behind a deeper imprint after death than those who live in ignorance and illusion.
Gods, Spirits, and Magic
Supernatural beings live beyond mortal perception, but reside in this world and exist rooted in fundamental truth. The boundaries between a god, a spirit, an ancestor ghost, or a nature manifestation are extremely blurry. What unites them all is that they are unseen, yet conscious and acting. They can produce results without directly affecting them, in ways beyond human understanding. This power is magic, and they can bestow that magic to humans who properly propitiate them.
However, it would be a mistake to think of divine beings as merely dispensers of magical power. As conscious actors in the world, they serve as windows into the realm of fundamental truth. Harmony with the supernatural is one of the principal concerns of the Amitan code, and divine revelation plays a key role in debates over the evolution of the Canon.
Supernatural beings have altars which serve as their worldly home. These altars are the center of ritual veneration, and are where humans may bargain for favors and services. Smaller divinities — godlings, spirits, ghosts and the like — might have just one or two altars, while the mightiest of gods may have hundreds.
The power of great mortals — those who lead lives of exceptional virtue — can shade into divinity. Every clan has a collection of innumerable ancestor-ghosts who protect and bless their descendants. Their power is collective, only strong enough to carry influence when totaled together. Some individuals, however, can achieve a degree of divinity on an individual basis.
Witchcraft and Annihilation
In Amitanist tradition, the concept of witchcraft encompasses two phenomena: the use of magic for malevolent or selfish purposes, and the use of magic to draw people astray from Amitan.
While harmony with the divine is a key element of Amitan practice, it lies somewhat outside the process of self-cultivation. Supernatural beings are rooted in unyielding reality, but they have their own motivations and concerns. Bargaining for magical assistance does nothing to bring humans closer to gnosis. It may be necessary, because divine beings exist and have real power, but it is a morally neutral act. Magic can be used for positive or negative purposes.
In fact, some supernatural beings jealously guard their place in the real world, and actively seek to deter humans from achieving their level of awareness. These beings are referred to as demons, and they’re said to lure people further into untruth with deceptive promises of power, riches, and earthly delights. They also curse communities with disease, famine, violence, and general ill fortune. Their power is great, but they are endlessly selfish and perfectly willing to betray their followers.
While engaging in witchcraft is dangerous on its own, there’s a broader cost to it that lasts well beyond a person’s natural life. Those who go astray from Amitan will have more of themselves die out than those who continue working toward enlightenment. At worst, witches and demon-followers might find that nothing is left of them beyond their temporary corporeal existence. They have chosen to snuff out that small spark of divinity which exists inside every person. This is annihilation — the complete death of the soul.
Those who go astray can be brought back into the fold, however. This is a category of ritual practice designed to return people to the practice of Amitan and even reignite that inner spark of divinity.
The Canon
The Canon is an ever-evolving collection of works in a wide variety of genres, including poems, histories, songs, ritual procedures, and astrological instructions. The Canon spells out how to treat one another, how to organize family and society, how to negotiate with supernatural beings, and how to draw closer to fundamental awareness. Broadly, it forms the core of Amitan.
However, there is no broadly-accepted composition of the Canon. Schools of thought include or omit different texts as they see fit, emphasizing some practices over others and borrowing from a number of competing teachers. The exact composition of the Canon is the basis of disagreement between different schools of Amitan, as it is the Canon which prescribes the methods by which humans can approach sacred truth.
Generally speaking, there are three main categories of knowledge in the Canon:
- Emanations: Oral tradition passed through the ages, now solidified in written form.
- Revelations: Direct communications from the divine, recorded as they are discovered.
- Commentaries: Scholarly explanations and interpretations of the above.
Seers and Mages
The Amitan code has an uneasy relationship with magic. Divine beings have an unobstructed view of reality, yet they are capricious and unreliable. The power they provide is typically worldly, meant to address practical concerns — yet the knowledge they share has dramatically affected the development of Amitan practice. They can help or hinder the process of self-cultivation, or ignore it entirely.
Harmony with the divine is important, but it’s only one aspect of Amitan practice. It is difficult and time-consuming to perform the right rituals to appease supernatural beings. Their favor is hard to earn and easy to take away, as one person’s misdeeds might arouse anger toward an entire community. So who should be responsible for maintaining those relationships, and how does this fit with the rest of Amitan?
The answer is to bestow a unique role upon those who commune with the supernatural. The task is essentially this-worldly, and thus is undertaken by those who can speak on behalf of others. House heads, community leaders, aristocrats and monarchs — these people are seers, tasked with maintaining that all-important relationship with divinity. This is one of the key functions of political leadership in Osolam, and an important way in which these figures establish their legitimacy.
By contrast, mages are people tasked with mentoring their community in Amitan practice. They are typically trained at monastic schools, centers of learning which advance Canonical scholarship and study philosophical principles. Disciples reside in the monastery for the duration of their training, before going out to the world in order to serve the broader community. Mages are expected to adhere to a strict code of conduct and serve as exemplars of moral virtue.
Each monastery typically has its own interpretation of the Canon, and is connected to a network of temples where alumni oversee congregants’ journey toward sacred truth. These schools are often given patronage by local political leaders, who invite mages to come and mentor the populace in their particular understanding of Amitan practice. Rulers are expected to have a court mage on retainer to oversee the realm’s religious affairs, provide advice on matters of law and justice, and maintain temples in their jurisdiction.
The Five Techniques
A person’s self-cultivation is never complete, because fallibility is an essential part of being human. There is always more to learn, always a new experience to reframe everything that came before. With each new insight, it becomes impossible to imagine how one could live so long without seeing the obvious. Divine awareness is layered and infinite, just out of reach yet still worth pursuing.
In other words, the search is the thing.
But how does somebody approach truth? What does it mean to cultivate that inner spark of divinity? What does it mean to learn, when all knowledge is an approximation of something ineffable and elusive? For this, practitioners turn to the Canon, which explains how to peel back the layers of illusion which prevent them from seeing the world as it really is.
The different ways of learning in the Canon are collectively known as the Five Techniques. Each is a well-developed discipline, but they are meant to work together. Each one enhances the effect of the others, adds missing pieces, and opens up new ways of thinking and seeing.
The first technique is recitation — learning directly from the Canon. Recitation is the foundational ritual of Amitan and is expected of all practitioners. All other techniques are more or less optional — advanced methods for skilled mages and devotees — but recitation is obligatory.
The second is divination — learning from gods, spirits, and other supernatural beings. This doesn’t just involve divine revelation — it also involves maintaining harmony with the divine through regular appeasement and supplication. This is mostly the job of a seer negotiating on behalf of a community, but mages often attempt to communicate with the divine in order to receive novel truths.
The third is astrology — learning from the sky and stars. The movement of celestial objects is an ever-present reminder that the universe is much bigger and older than humankind. Peering into the stars can provide insight into the nature of both the universe and the human soul.
The fourth is introspection — learning from oneself. This encompasses a broad swath of practices meant to make practitioners more aware of their divine essence. This can be a quiet, meditative process, but it can also be loud, active, and deeply emotive.
The final technique is pilgrimage — learning from the world. Places of natural wonder are typical pilgrimage destinations, as their beauty is a reminder of the universe’s vitality and perfection. By contrast, even the grandest human constructions will never be more than ephemeral patterns.
These techniques all flow into one another — somebody might observe an auspicious calendrical date (astrology) by making the journey to a particularly significant mountain (pilgrimage). There, they might attend a weekly service (recitation), provide an offering to the ghost of that mountain (divination), and spend time in meditative dance (introspection) before returning home.
Recitation
According to all varieties of Amitan, a person’s journey of self-cultivation begins with fire. It is fire that burns incense for purification, fire that comingles with sky and stars, and fire that releases soul from body after death. Fire is the principle which joins mortal with immortal.
It is fitting that fire lies at the heart of recitation, the first precept of the Amitan code. A quest for knowledge begins with learning the material, and congregants gather each week to perform their studies. This is almost always a call and response — a teacher recites verses from the Canon, and the congregation recites back. This rhythmic back and forth is the foundation of a worship service, but recitation by itself is insufficient. Gnosis is experienced as much as it is understood, and the role of fire is to provide that experiential element.
An Amitanist temple is arranged in a circle around a large censer or brazier. Service begins shortly after nightfall at the end of each week. The brazier is filled with incense and sweet-smelling wood, the fire is lit, and attendees are welcomed. After washing their face and hands, the congregants proceed in circuits around that central fire, chanting and reciting as they go.
The fire acts as a ritual purificant, cleansing the congregants of falsehood and directing their eyes up toward the stars. Circumambulation imitates the regular movement of celestial objects — the night sky being a window into the unyielding existence that continues long before and after humanity. By immersing the congregation in the cyclical rhythms of the universe, recitation is meant to cultivate an experiential knowledge that is deeper and more meaningful than mere memorization.
The specifics of recitation vary dramatically from school to school, but the rite lies at the heart of most interpretations of the Amitan code.
Divination
A seer’s role is fundamentally diplomatic. The world is full of magical beings unencumbered by mortality, and they can do great good or harm depending on their disposition. Their appeasement is key to a good harvest, successful hunt, easy childbirth, profitable voyage, or victorious battle. Their anger can levy all sorts of disasters upon a household, community, or entire nation. Much of the work of political leadership goes into managing relationships with different beings so that the community remains healthy.
The basic dynamic of a ritual is a bargain. The seer offers, and the divine being gives in return. The tense here is negotiable; it might be a vow to give later if the god gives now, a promise to give now if the ghost gives later, or an offering now as thanks because the spirit gave earlier. So part of a seer’s job is to set the terms of the bargain — to pray. It is, of course, up to the supernatural being to accept or reject the offer. Nothing is guaranteed, which is why it is important for the seer to maintain an ongoing reciprocal relationship.
Of course, to make a bargain, a seer must have something to offer. Different beings want different things, delivered in different ways, in different forms, at different times. The rituals, however arbitrary they may seem, must be carried out with exactitude, or else the bargain will be denied. And whatever the seer offers becomes property of the recipient spirit. Sacred objects, temples, even people belong to the god in question, and that imposes special rules for their handling.
What about those who seek ineffable truth through communion with the supernatural? These people are not speaking on behalf of a community — merely for themselves, and perhaps a school of disciples. Divine revelation is often given as a reward for good service. Those who seek revelation are known to give themselves over as property to the ghost they are propitiating.
Some revelations are intentionally kept secret, passed down from teacher to student in a chain of tradition going back centuries. Other revelations are made public, subject to intense scrutiny as a result. Those suspected of spreading false information are often accused of witchcraft, and debates over the veracity of a given revelation have led to bitter, violent feuds. As a result, divination is the most divisive of the Five Techniques — a powerful way to receive novel truths, but with high risk of being led astray by demons or false prophets.
Astrology
Every night, people look up at the sky and are greeted with the same view their ancestors had hundreds of generations ago. The sun rises and sets, the moon cycles through its phases, and stars process across the heavens. This celestial tapestry has existed for longer than anyone can remember or articulate. It is a fixture of the universe, a window into something so vast and ancient that it defies human comprehension. And it is there for anybody to see.
The practice of astrology is how humans use the sky’s cyclical patterns to attain a glimpse of the universe unobstructed by their mortal senses. By tracking the phases of the moon and the relative positions of the sun and stars, people can learn how these cycles influence earthly affairs. There are auspicious and inauspicious days for practically any action a person could take, from holding weddings to waging war to making offerings and sacrifices. While outcomes are never guaranteed, astrology allows people to take more control over the inscrutable forces affecting their lives.
The basic tool for this task is a star chart — a diagram of the night sky plotting the positions of various celestial bodies. This includes the time of year, the phase of the moon, the location of each planet, and the sun’s position among the stars. Each of these items has a particular character, and together they reveal precise details about a person, place, or event.
Importantly, this practice can be used to look inward as well as outward. The astrological circumstances of a person’s birth can reveal details about their fundamental self. Most people are unaware of their soul — it lies beneath the surface, the invisible foundation of their personhood. Astrology is one way people might learn about their soul. It takes that which was hidden and makes it obvious, impossible not to see.
Introspection
Day by day, most people’s thoughts are preoccupied with ordinary things — work, family and friends, life circumstances, goings-on in their community. This is natural, but it leaves their mind overwhelmed with temporary phenomena. Their thoughts come and go like waves atop the ocean, ignorant of the knowledge which slumbers beneath the surface. They rarely stop and look beneath the surface layer of their everyday thoughts, that part of themselves which is permanent and unyielding.
Introspection — the practice of Amitanist meditation — is meant to bring the soul out from the subconscious and into active thought. The techniques involved in this process are varied. Some practitioners aim to create a tranquil environment where they can sit and cultivate boredom. By giving themselves time for inaction, they clear the mind of distractions and allow it to think.
Other practitioners, however, eschew quiet contemplation for a louder and more emotive form of introspection. Through meditative dance and wailing chants, participants shed their inhibitions and give themselves over to their core selves. Free of ordinary doubts, they lay their soul bare to the world, a mystical experience which brings them closer to their true selves.
There are other methods of introspection as well. Some groups practice self-flagellation in order to discipline the body and strip away the flesh which conceals their inner being. Other groups accentuate their practices with sensory deprivation, cutting off external stimuli to better focus on the soul. Introspection is a diverse technique in Amitan, and practitioners have wide room to pursue the method best suited for their journey of self-discovery.
Pilgrimage
At times, eternal truth can feel impossibly distant. Despite generations of effort, the human perspective remains stubbornly distorted. What understanding that exists is hard-won, inscribed in the Canon and derived from various ritual techniques. Even then, this corpus of knowledge is merely a drop in the sea of human ignorance. The entire effort can, at times, feel hopeless.
And yet, all around there exist reminders that the immortal world of non-suffering is right here, accessible to all who care to look. In every region there lies a site of natural beauty whose grandeur humbles even the mightiest mortals. The wonder of nature is incomparable, a glimmer of something profound beyond words. To experience it is to open the mind to that which cannot be fully perceived — the ageless perfection of the earth.
While the other four techniques are complex disciplines, pilgrimage is powerfully simple. It is well-known that awe is a form of gnosis, an experiential knowledge that can only imperfectly be described. Neither taught nor studied, it is an innate feature of the soul. Natural beauty brings awe to the surface of conscious thought, a reminder that while human awareness is flawed, the world around them is perfect all the same.
Sites of Amitan pilgrimage are where the barrier between reality and irreality is thin. They are particularly beautiful mountains, rivers, forests, and coastlines — places that inspire wonder in their visitors. Virtuous rulers are expected to protect these sites from human encroachment, and to support the maintenance of pilgrimage roads. Desperate or greedy rulers, however, are known to levy extra tolls on incoming pilgrims, and to allow the routes to fall into disrepair. Regardless, Osolam is crisscrossed with roads and hostels, which are used not only for pilgrimage but also for trade and transit.
Ethical Behavior
Amitan is understood to be an ongoing practice of replacing mortal delusion with immortal truth. This is a two-part process — in order to close the gap between perception and reality, one must first release that which keeps them shrouded in illusion. Amitanist ethics are how practitioners rid themselves of falsehood, creating space inside them for truth.
It is essential for those practicing Amitan to reject a worldly lifestyle, which prizes temporary gratification over accordance with imperishable truth. Right conduct cleans the soul of delusion, and opens the senses to that which is and always will be. Ethical conduct begins with the Six Morals, habits which nourish the soul and make it fertile ground for the cultivation of knowledge. Each moral has two aspects as well as a corresponding corruption.
The first moral is honesty. Those who are honest display consistency between their thoughts, words, and actions. They can be trusted to say what they believe and to align their behavior with that belief. They treat others in a fair and equitable manner, and display a commitment to factual truth. The two aspects of honesty are sincerity — action in accordance with one’s beliefs — and integrity — consistency in belief and action. The corruption of honesty is deceit, the state of discordance between one’s thoughts, words, and actions.
The second moral is humility, the recognition of one’s own insignificance, and the adjustment of behavior to consider those around them. A humble person acknowledges their strengths and weaknesses without dwelling on them, and works to do good without regard for the praise of others. The two aspects of humility are modesty and confidence, freedom respectively from self-aggrandizement and self-loathing. The corruption of humility is self-obsession, the excessive focus on one’s own needs at the expense of others.
The third moral is temperance, the ability to control thought and behavior so as to refrain from excess. Those who are temperate have command over their emotions, desires, and impulses. They satisfy their cravings only in moderation, and do not allow their consumption to harm others. The two aspects of temperance are control over one’s emotions and control over one’s senses. The corruption of temperance is indulgence, the weakness of will which lets one’s impulses run free.
The fourth moral is flexibility. A mentally flexible person is willing to consider new ideas and differing perspectives. They are aware of their unconscious biases, and work to limit dogmatic thought. The two aspects of flexibility are curiosity and impartiality — the pursuit of knowledge necessary for gnosis, and the suspension of judgment needed to consider that knowledge fairly. The corruption of flexibility is obstinacy, the fear of ambiguity which closes the mind.
The fifth moral is patience. Those who are patient remain calm in the face of adversity. They are undisturbed by delay, annoyance, and provocation. When met with unexpected misfortune, they confront their fear and act with a clear mind. The two aspects of patience are endurance through difficulty, and deliberation in thought and action. The corruption of patience is agitation, the brittle mental discipline which cracks under pressure.
The sixth moral is contentment. Those who are content are at peace with themselves, comfortable with who they are and what they have. They find what is noble about themselves and others, and embrace it. They accept their flaws and work to be better, but they pursue improvement for its own sake and not merely to escape self-pity. The two aspects of contentment are acceptance of themselves and acceptance of others. The corruption of contentment is envy, the resentment caused by the sight of another’s good fortune.