Like Fire and Water, one should often be arbitrary in their approach to life in the cosmos. This isn't new in regard to humanity. After all, how often has civilization embraced both wrath and love, war and peace, creation and destruction, Fire and Water.
Stigma the Seeker
The Aysh-Maiyeem Faith is a syncretic religion with an emphasis on the inner balance of individual souls, cosmological observation, spiritual introspection, and a pragmatic and often arbitrary approach to both prayer and the world. Adherents of the Faith believe that the cosmos is populated by Spirits (some of which are worshiped as deities). All Spirits are acknowledged, but the Spirits of Fire and Water, Aysh and Maiyeem respectively, are the most important.
Spiritual Beliefs[]
Adherents of Aysh-Maiyeem believe the cosmos is full of a great many Spirits. Some of these Spirits are worshiped as gods by others. As far as the Faith is concerned; all Spirits are acknowledged as ethereal beings with power over the very cosmos they inhabit. However, the Spirits Aysh and Maiyeem, the Spirits of Fire and Water, are regarded as more important (though not necessarily more powerful).
After one experiences their Final Death, their nefesh ("soul") ends up before Aysh and Maiyeem, who then judge the soul by what is called: the Trials of Fire & Water. What happens as a result of this judgement is unknown.
Other deities are not refuted by adherents of Aysh-Maiyeem, as such "gods" are merely Spirits known by different names. While mythos could be mistaken, misinterpreted or actually a matter-of-fact, the Spirits' existence and subtle influence is beyond dispute.
Spiritual Pluralism (Syncretism)[]
Adherents can easily coexist with those of other religions by discerning the true names of the Spirits involved. Examples of this Spiritual association include:
- Solaris, Hadstur and Auron as Aysh
- Sylene, Aeder and Khanih as Maiyeem
- Elsad and Palovich as Errets
- Solaris, Lux, Tlahatepa and Auron as Uer (Spirit of Light) or Shemesh (Spirit of the Sun)
- Tenebris, Xoalcoatl, Afton and Caligo as Hoshekeh (Spirit of Darkness)
- Baldemar and Hicarys as Zal Mavet (Lesser Spirit of Darkness or "Spirit of Shadow")
- Luna, Ankar, and Sylene as Yah Rayak (Spirit of Night or "Spirit of Moonlife"... whatever that means)
One pair of Spirits, Aursen Tahneen and Isilyn Tahneen, are either lesser Spirits who share Aysh and Maiyeem's aspects or different species of Spirit who are equal in power and aspect to the other two.
It has been suggested that Pullus, Garf and Entropy are guises of the Ίř¡ĉḳśեҿɽ Spirit, Yahacov; but this has yet to be confirmed or disproven
Moral Beliefs[]
The morality of Aysh-Maiyeem adherents is not out-of-the-ordinary. Most consider theft, assault, malicious coercion, murder and wanton destruction to be wrong. However, the social values and philosophies of zealous adherents are regarded as merciful, vindictive and often arbitrary. This is to be expected, as the aspects of Aysh and Maiyeem are commonly perceived as "eternal opposites" despite how often they're perceived acting in concert.
By adherence to the way of Aysh, one can be expected to value strength, decisive action, vengeance, passion, adventure and power.
By adherence to the way of Maiyeem, one instead values dexterity, wisdom, creativity, mercy, love, patience and serenity.
As neither way is more beneficial than the other, and both sets of values can be essential under certain circumstances, both ways are considered equally virtuous. A zealous adherent is capable of waging furious warfare in the morning and negotiating a ten-year peace in the afternoon.
Origin[]
Being a mostly philosophical and esoteric religion, there is currently no organized effort devoted to the cultivation of the Faith. The first adherent (not to mention main advocate) of Aysh-Maiyeem is the scribe Stigma, who crafted the first written work of the Faith, called: Reeshon Meelah ("the first word" in the deep language of the cosmos), in January of 2022 (3rd year of the Uldarash Era; UE 3).
In his travels, and being lost in the Nether twice, Stigma maintains that he encountered various Spirits via dream and apparition who guided him through the wilderness. Most of these Spirits were less than helpful, but a few were able to guide him to the city of Sanctuary. The most consistent Spirits were Aysh and Maiyeem, to which he now ardently devotes himself as the First Adherent.
Written Works[]
Adherents are encouraged, though not required, to contribute to the faith. This is generally done, not by persistent proselytism or crusade, but by submission of recorded knowledge, dialogs, and observations of the Spirits. Cordial debate is encouraged and expected, otherwise the knowledge of the Spiritual realm could not be refined and/or amended.
| Title | Meaning (when applicable) | Author | Type | Brief Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reeshon Meelah | "first word" | Stigma the Seeker | primer | A basic introduction to the faith. |
| Spirits Codex | Stigma the Seeker* | reference | Compendium of known Spirits and associated aspects. This work is constantly being updated and revised. | |
| Ma'azan Nefesh | "balance of the soul" | Stigma the Seeker | philosophy | A thesis on the moral philosophy of those who live by the aspects of Aysh and Maiyeem. |
| Sefer ha-Tekaseem | "book of rites" | Stigma the Seeker | treatise | A treatise on prayer, shrines, temples and other forms of ritualized worship. Includes advise on when one should pray to the Spirits, tributes and their meanings, and whether-or-not one should even expect miracles in the first place. |
*Stigma solely wrote the first edition, but all subsequent editions are compiled with input from other adherent observers