Aetheris Pyrism/Beliefs

Flamma

The symbol of the flamma, as can be seen flying on each church of Aetheris Pyrism

Literally translated as "flame", the concept flamma is used to designate the spiritual essences, the immaterial beings of both the spiritual and mortal worlds.

Imus Flamma

The imus flamma is the interior/innermost flamma of a living being: its soul. It is thought to be made of the same essence as the gods themselves, immortal and transcendent. It is thought that through the cultivation of one's imus flamma does one get closer to the gods, both in life and in the afterlife.

Exter Flamma

Not only there is in the living a presence of the flamma in the mortal world. Signs of it can be seen everywhere: in the humidity, in the warmth and even in the nourishment. Such presence, much more subtle, is called the exter flamma. These are seen as the lower spirits residing in the things and objects. These lower spirits have their own personality, and can take offense if disrespected. For example, committing impure acts in the area might make diseases spread or turn the living infertile if the local spirits are angered. Certain spirits, like the ones of the fire and certain alchemical compounds, are normally always angered, so they will show themselves hostiles no matter how respectfully they are treated if one gets too close to them.

There are places in where the spiritual world touches the mortal, and there can been sensed the presence of an uncommon, purer perhaps, aura of the exter flamma. These can be the souls of those who already departed, usually found in family shrines and temples, or the essences of very strong lower spirits, found in sacred places, commonly in unusual natural accidents, not rarely home of a shrine or temple themselves.

Soul Dualism

The flamma is made of two principles, each of which autonomous spirit beings in their own right.

The favilla could be translated as the personality, the 'self'. A man can live temporarily lose its favilla, such in certain cases of unconsciousness and trance-like states, in where the favilla leaves the body for various reasons. It is thought that the deeper one sleeps, the less attached its favilla is to the body. Evil spirits can take advantage of that to replace a man's favilla with its own, creating what are known as spirit-possessions.

The subo can be roughly translated as the life, breath, warmth or stamina. It's the raw principle of material life, without which a body cannot survive.

It is debated where an Undead has lost their favilla and/or their subo, or if they have had them simply corrupted them.

The Natural Order

Everything in this world is a member of a caste. The higher castes rule over the lower ones, in order to preserve the natural balance. From the lowest to the highest, this are the castes:

Things

Those that are. They make up all the material things in the world, and provide it with substance.

Beings

Those that live. They make up all the moving things in the world, and provide it with life.

Animals

Those that sense. They make up all the sensing things in the world, and provide men with their work, products and ultimately with their mortal vessels.

Humanity

Those that feel. They make up all the feeling beings, that is, the men. They work under the leadership of their superiors to ensure the Gods way is preserved.

Nobility

Those that reason. They make up all the noble blooded men, whose divine mandate gave them the ability to reason and govern their passions. Their task is to guide humanity towards the Gods' way, and be an example for their inferiors.

Champions

Those who bring divinity upon the world. They are a select group of divinely-touched men who have came into closer communion with the spiritual world. They serve as the bridge to the Spirits, to have the will of the Gods known.

The Spiritual Order

Like the natural world, the spiritual has its own order. There are castes that determine their spiritual powers, and the worship that its due to them by the mortals. From the lowest to the highest, this are the castes:

Ancestors

Those who watch over their living offspring, even after their deaths. Even the commoners have ancestors, who they ought to pay the due respect. The worship of the ancestors occurs regularly as a duty to show respect (lack of which would trigger the anger and curse from the deceased), and occasionally to ask for personal aid in important tasks (examples: courage in the battle, a steady hand in a duel, inspiration for writing, wit for a debate).

Lower Spirits

They are the lowest of the divine beings and a tool of the Gods. They are guardians of divine places and objects in the mortal realm, and the dealings with them are not advised but to the proficient and spiritually trained ones, for they might be extremely dangerous to the common mind and heart. They can be mischievous, benevolent or plainly evil. Though dealings with them are not recommended, often men will make pacts with them, sacrificing something (examples: sacrifice an animal to request good weather for the ships, throw treasure into a natural pool to ask protection in a travel, burning food to tribute the spirits of plague to leave).

Saints

The Heroes who have passed away and transcended mortality, who occasionally return to grant their graces upon the world. They live in the Solar Realm along with the rest of the higher divine beings, enjoying the after-life of the Heroes. Saints will be prayed for the most varied reasons, in order to request their aid whenever should they pay visit again to the mortal realm (examples: pray for a daughter to find a rich husband, ask for intervention to grant a good harvest, plea for the saint's intervention to get the favors of the gods in a battle).

Higher Spirits

The highest grade of divine presence a human mind can bear to meet, only the highest spiritual authorities have contact with such beings. They are the messengers of the Gods, who enforce their will. The higher spirits' nature and deep motivations are beyond the human comprehension, and yet they are the higher we can achieve to communicate with. They are very rarely worshiped directly, but rather are object of communion by the clergymen, who attempt to gain indirect access to the Gods through them. This is done in the presence of stars, through deep states of meditation, and altered states of consciousness, ofter induced by the aid of natural substances.

Gods

The divine ones, creators and rulers of all. Their will is obscure for us simple minds, but through effort and the aid of those above us we are able to get hints of it. These we follow. The Gods are usually worshiped in every aspect of the daily life, being in carrying a holy symbol, dressing in an appropriate manner, thanking for the everyday graces or holding a festival in the Gods' (or in a particular God's) honor. Though pleas might eventually happen, trying to negotiate wit or ask for things to the Gods is considered extremely offensive and dangerous.