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| | Of all the methods of worship, I would suggest that the chalice is the least emphasised. This is wrong. The faith is perceived by outsiders as having put too much of the sword into action; perhaps this has been so. In any case, Astrum's war against the Torenists amply fulfils this necessary part of the faith. At the heart of the faith, however, great strides have been made in opening the hand. Peace, generally speaking, reigns over the eastern theocracies. With the founding of Niselur, the faith has finally reached the Western Continent in force. This is not to say that we cannot extend the faith's hand further, merely that this is already well underway. | | Of all the methods of worship, I would suggest that the chalice is the least emphasised. This is wrong. The faith is perceived by outsiders as having put too much of the sword into action; perhaps this has been so. In any case, Astrum's war against the Torenists amply fulfils this necessary part of the faith. At the heart of the faith, however, great strides have been made in opening the hand. Peace, generally speaking, reigns over the eastern theocracies. With the founding of Niselur, the faith has finally reached the Western Continent in force. This is not to say that we cannot extend the faith's hand further, merely that this is already well underway. |
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| − | The cup of reflective water, on the other hand, has been sadly neglected. The Excellence Treatise and my own humble writings perhaps go some way to remedy this, but I believe that there is too little reflection and meditation generally. | + | The cup of reflective water, on the other hand, has been sadly neglected. The Excellence Treatise and my own humble writings perhaps go some way to remedy this, but I believe that there is too little reflection and meditation on an everyday basis. Those who follow the stars have been given relatively little direct guidance as to how exactly they should follow them. The Aquiliean experiment, attempting to suffuse society with divinity in such a way that reference will no longer have to be directly made to religion, is a fascinating one, but it has its dangers. The greatest of these is clearly that the 'democratic theocracy' will simply become one ''without'' reference to divinity. In any case, this treatise will attempt to lay some guidelines for the actual practise of properly worshipping the Bloodstars, in an everyday, practical sense. |
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| − | === Auspicious === | + | === The Natures of Auspicious, Austere and Maddening === |
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| − | http://www.traption.org/images/morek/auspicious_Bright.png
| + | Before, I lay down my guidelines for proper worship, I must establish what I consider to be the most accurate view of the natures of the stars. Some of the most radical suggestions made in the Excellence Treatise are those pertaining to the exact roles of the stars in guiding us. It is here that my opinions must separate themselves most radically from Asterion Artemesia. While he makes many important insights, the conclusions he reaches about the stars' natures appear to directly contradict the revelations of the Holy Prophet Mathurin. |
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| − | <i>Auspicious is the mind that is fertile. Knowledge in true belief shall be clear to the one who understands.</i>
| + | On Auspicious, the Asterion has a correct view, I believe. Reducing it to something as plain as helping us "thinking correctly" is an oversimplification, but perhaps a necessary one. |
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| − | The term "auspicious" often describes fortune, but the celestial vocabulary is far above and separated from crude human terminology. Although Auspicious is frequently brightest during times of peace, prosperity, and sometimes victory, it is more precisely the brightest during the height of excellence, as are all the stars. Auspicious most readily and most prominently (but not always, as any one star can affect humans in the same manner as any other star, and these effects are always subject to human misinterpretation) guides humans to achieve the right intentions. That is, Auspicious guides people to more readily intend to do good for the sake of good and not as a means to another end.
| + | Maddening, on the other hand is somewhat misinterpreted in the Excellence Treatise, to the extent that it is simply impossible that the star stirs men's passions most strongly during its dark phase. It plainly does not. As the Prophet said, the star "calls to the impetuous side" of us. Although strong emotions are possible in the dark phase, these are natural and I have never heard it claimed (apart from by the Asterion) that these emotions are due to the lack of Maddening. I was present in Thulsoma, where the influence of the Maddening star can most keenly be felt, and I can assure you that during Maddening's superiority my blood near boiled with emotion. The Asterion does have one thing correct; one under the influences of "rage, fanaticism and insanity" during Madenning's brightness is not attuned to the star. Instead, it can be said that Maddening influences us greatly, but it is our own duty to align ourselves with the star. Only then will purer and more excellent emotions come to the fore. If you fail to channel Maddening in the correct fashion, its emotional energies will still coarse through your veins; you will be filled with the non-excellent emotions of anger and bloodlust, however, since Maddening "is strong, but not focussed" as the Prophet has said. |
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| − | It is said that proper mindset is required to be truly termed excellent, for a person who does an act of good but thinks of personal gain is not deemed truly excellent, as his mindset is wrong. A person who does good as a mistake when truly desiring evil is not excellent either for his intention was wrong from the beginning and his actions were unintentional results of chance not intent. | + | It would be wrong to describe Austere as the primary arbiter of our actions. The Holy Prophet describes it as the controller of our "spirit", instead. As I will detail later, our actions (which the Asterion attributes solely to Austere) are influenced by the combination of the three stars' effects. Austere is the star that balances Auspicious and Maddening, so it has perhaps the most direct effect upon our actions, but it is not the sole (or even the greatest) arbiter. Austere is best described as a meditative star that enhances our self-knowledge and our interaction with the stars. Where Auspicious governs our knowledge of the external world, Austere allows us to look within ourselves and to access a more spiritual dimension of understanding. Through this contemplation we can come to attune ourselves more readily to Auspicious and Maddening, and better combine our logic and intuition to create conscious knowledge. Interpreting Austere in this fashion gives us a picture of a star that is more contemplative than proactive. |
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| − | In a summary, Auspicious leads people to have a better chance of "thinking correctly".
| + | == On Proper Worship == |
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| − | === Austere ===
| + | ''"To see the harmony of self with the whole of the Bloodstars is to pursue excellence, to rise above the self-imposed limitations of the earthbound mortal existence; to allow any less than the whole harmony of the Bloodstars voluntarily is to perpetuate the failures of the flesh that is contrary to the opportunities granted by the guidance of the Bloodstars."'' - Asterion Artemesia of Aquilieia |
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| − | http://www.traption.org/images/morek/austere_Bright.png
| + | It is only to be expected that |
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| − | <i>The human spirit is one for action. In activity the spirit thrives; and thus is virtue practiced.</i>
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| − | In common human speech, Austere means "seriousness", and can usually be seen in the form of heightened loyalty, responsibility, and dedication. In celestial terms, Austere usually (again, any one star of the trinity can to an extent exert the same effects as any other star of the trinity, and all effects are subject to human misinterpretation) guides people to make the right choices, or the manifestation of intention.
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| − | For example, a person who thinks about doing good is not excellent if he never does anything tangibly good. Though he has the right mindset, the world is not composed of intangible ideals but tangible objects and real consequences. A more simple example is a farmer's field. No crops of the farmer's choice will ever grow (and if they do it is a matter of improbable luck) just by the farmer's intention to grow crops to harvest. The farmer must till the field, plant the seeds, aerate the soil, water the field, and protect against weeds and pests, until finally the crops grow. The same applies to excellence. In order to achieve excellence, one must not only think about pursuing it, but also actually pursue it.
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| − | In summary, Austere leads people to have a better chance of "acting correctly".
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| − | === Maddening ===
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| − | http://www.traption.org/images/morek/maddening_Bright.png
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| − | <i>The passions flow in harmony from within the body and throughout. Beneath the glowing light is a beauty rarely witnessed.</i>
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| − | A lot of misunderstanding has been caused by he misconceptions of the Maddening star, which should be dispelled once we know what Maddening really does, and does not do (I suggest reading the section on the Dark Maddening to gain a full perspective of any potential misconceptions and why the commonly held wrong idea of the Maddening star actually refers to the absence, not the presence, of the Maddening star).
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| − | First, let us rid ourselves of our prejudgments. Rage, fanaticism, and insanity are carnal conditions of the human body, caused by natural flaws in the mind and body. The celestial influence of the Maddening star, and in fact, all stars of the Scarlet Trinity, do not recognize the existence of such human imperfections. To the celestial plane, those flaws do not exist. So the actions of zealots that might have purportedly been influenced by the Maddening star in fact have nothing to do with the star itself, perhaps with its absence (which I will explain in the section about the Dark Maddening, but often are caused by individual imbalances, stemming from birth or developmental defects, trauma to the brain, or poisoning, and has absolutely nothing to do with the Maddening star.
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| − | That said, what does the Maddening star actually do? It usually (once more, any one star can exert to an extent the same effects as any other star, and is subject to human misinterpretation) associated with the guidance of emotions. Here we can see why Maddening is the one element of the trinity that often is subject to the greatest misconception.
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| − | Emotions are naturally mercurial. That the Maddening guides such volatile features of humanity more so than the other stars means that people generally have a higher chance of misinterpreting a change in their emotional states as a product of the Maddening star's guidance. However the Maddening star functions in far subtler ways, and in fact, a person who is suddenly affected by strong emotions is least resonant with the Maddening star. Why?
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| − | The reason why a person strongly affected by emotions is least resonant with the Maddening star is because the Maddening guides people to have emotions that are harmonious with the intentions and actions that are formed through human interpretation of the guidance from the Auspicious and Austere stars, respectively. A person who expresses anger or distaste at performing a good action, even if he has the right mindset, is not excellent because his emotional state is in discord with his mental and physical states. Maddening guides human emotions to better synchronize with the right intentions and the right actions. Strong emotions are rarely required, for they risk overpowering the right intentions and the right actions, such that the emotional volatility might transform intention and action into forms that are wrong. That is why people who suddenly find themselves with strong emotions and claim it to come from the Maddening star are actually wrong. They are, however, right that it has to do with the Maddening star, or lack thereof, which I will explain later in the section to the Dark Maddening star.
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| − | In summary, Maddening leads people to be in emotional harmony with intending to do good and with acting good.
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| − | === Bright and Dark Phases ===
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| − | We now come to a larger picture of the faith. The individual stars of the Scarlet Trinity, or the Bloodstars, have bright and dark phases. In the bright phase, guidance of the stars is clear, such that if all stars were bright, humans would have only their individual imperfections to blame for not achieving true excellence. However, that is rarely the case. During the dark phases, the guidance of the stars is clouded, as the "Darkness" overcomes the Light. It is important to note that the Darkness is not necessarily good or evil, and that it does not exist as an independent entity, but rather as a feature, derivative or rather extant in the absence, of the Light.
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| − | What happens during the dark phases? A person who can see because he lives in the brightness of day, when thrust into a dark cell, will be blinded by the sudden darkness. He cannot see things as those who have always lived in the cell can, because he was accustomed to the brightness of the light, and not to the darkness of the cell. Likewise, a person who has been guided by the stars will feel a certain loss during the dark phases when the guidance is lessened, or even absent, such that his intentions, or actions, or emotions, or any combination of those, are sent more easily into chaos than one who had never been in contact with the perfection of the stars.
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| − | There is the saying, "An angel who descends upon the earth cannot walk for in the Heavens one flies. Thus men should not judge an angel for having weak legs, when men do not have wings." Non-believers should be aware that they had always been accustomed to dealing with their human imperfections alone, whether successfully or not, and have known no different state, whereas those who properly followed the Bloodstars have at least known, if not understood, perfection. It is hard when such perfect guidance is suddenly absent.
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| − | Now I will examine the effects of the dark phases of each star. When I do so however, it is important to remember that I do not mean that the "Dark Stars" exert any influence on their own. What I mean for each Dark Star is to list some of the common consequences, that sudden absence of positive guidance from the stars, result.
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| − | === Dark Auspicious ===
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| − | http://www.traption.org/images/morek/auspicious_Hidden.png
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| − | <i>The twilight settles into night, and once good intentions of the knowing mind suddenly darken. What a wrong mindset to have, whatever happened to the purity of knowledge?</i>
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| − | The lack of guidance for proper intentions of good for the sake of good and not as a means to another end leads to incorrect intentions. One does things out of greed, or one allows changing emotions to affect one's thoughts. Intention is no longer rational nor consistent. Rather, intentions become twisted. Deviant thoughts abound during the dark phase of Auspicious.
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| − | === Dark Austere ===
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| − | http://www.traption.org/images/morek/austere_Hidden.png
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| − | <i>No good comes from virtue when it is not practiced. But the darkening makes the undetermined spirit sleep, and even in morning the spirit does not wake.</i>
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| − | When there is no guidance to act correctly, then even if intent is correct, at times people will act incorrectly. People sometimes act wrongly when Austere is bright as well, but the chances are even higher during dark Austere. Laziness is a common result. Without the gentle guidance of the Austere to act right, some people simply fail to act at all. Other, more extreme results, which are telling of some individuals' natural mental deficiencies, resort to crime and violence, actions which are completely wrong and not good in any sense.
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| − | === Dark Maddening ===
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| − | http://www.traption.org/images/morek/maddening_Hidden.png
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| − | <i>In darkness the body is consumed and once harmonious emotions become distorted as to make what was once so beautiful now so ugly.</i>
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| − | Without the Maddening star's guidance to keep emotions harmonious with good intentions and good actions, such that one feels good sentiments, then one's emotional state reverts to natural chaos. In fact, most times this chaos is more severe than in people who have never felt the calming guidance of the Maddening star.
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| − | What exactly happens in Dark Maddening? Ironically, most people who have wrongly interpreted the faith claim that effects due to the '''absence''' of the Maddening star are effects of the Maddening star. If such a misconception did not have potentially destructive consequences, such an idea would be comical. During the dark phase of the Maddening star, emotions are left unchecked, and often are dissonant with the right intentions and right actions. People will angrily do things, or they will think an act impulsively due only to emotions. The rage and "fanaticism" that believers sometimes devolve into is often due to natural defects in character, as not everyone acts overly emotionally during times when the Maddening star is dark.
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| − | So why is it that some people act most rashly and in a most insane manner when Maddening is bright, when in fact such consequences result from the dark phase? I believe that it is one of, or a combination of, 1: Gross misinterpretation of the Maddening star due to human imperfection exacerbated to the extent that one is unable to comprehend nor to separate the guiding force of the Maddening star from individual tendencies; 2: A natural predisposition to being insane anyways in which case said individual is "mad" to begin with and the bright Maddening star cannot influence such an utterly insane person to have harmonious emotions anyway; 3: A political ploy by some fanatical believers who wish to misuse elements of the faith to further their own goals. However, this is a religious treatise and not a sociopolitical one, so I will not entertain the possibility of the third possibility.
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| − | === Prominence (Stars in the Superior) ===
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| − | Quite simply, a star that is "superior", will have a much more widespread and somewhat stronger effect on people. The opposite applies to the dark phases, where a superior dark phase causes an even greater difficulty in making the right intentions, actions, and emotional harmony. For example, Superior Austere will lead one to make the right choices more often and in more situations than normally. Superior Dark Maddening will lead one to become even more emotional and unpredictable than usual.
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| − | === The Supreme Cycle ===
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| − | There is Light, and there is Darkness. From the cycle of bright and dark phases, we can begin to see the smallest parts of a ubiquitous, invisible, intangible, yet undeniable and underlying subtlety that courses through everything, not just the Scarlet Trinity, and the celestial darkness, but also the earthbound forces of life. This is the Supreme Cycle, the Balance of All. But such an idea is difficult to conceive, so it is better to realize that in all things there is an opposite.
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| − | === Conclusion ===
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| − | Having examined the natures of each star's bright and dark phases, and touched upon the concept of an All Balance, what are we to do now? First we should consider that true excellence is attainable only through the harmonious combination of intention, action, and sentiment, as guided along their proper and right directions by the Auspicious, Austere, and Maddening stars, respectively, in the celestial plane, and pursued individually by humans in the earthbound plane.
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| − | Too often we see believers focus too heavily on only one star. That is the equivalent of shutting one's eyes and using only one's ears when one's vision and hearing are both functional. What is better is a concept of the Bloodstars, or the Scarlet Trinity, as an inseparable but dynamic whole unit. Although fluctuations occur within the unit, it is important to appreciate the changes and the effects holistically.
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| − | So to close, I leave with a final statement: "To see the harmony of self with the whole of the Bloodstars is to pursue excellence, to rise above the self-imposed limitations of the earthbound mortal existence; to allow any less than the whole harmony of the Bloodstars voluntarily is to perpetuate the failures of the flesh that is contrary to the opportunities granted by the guidance of the Bloodstars."
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| − | May we Warders of Aquilegia pledge ourselves to be the truly excellent guardians of the faith.
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Redressing the Balance
Introduction
The faith has undergone much upheaval of late. The Thulsoman worship of the Maddening Star conflicts directly with the Church of the Scarlet Trinity's re-evaluation of the stars' effects. Meanwhile, theocracies have been created and destroyed, and the faith has had to come to a decision as to how those of other faiths (in particular, Torenists) must be dealt with.
This investigation will attempt to reconcile some of the more radical claims of the Excellence Treatise with the main body of the Prophet's work, while simultaneously pointing out where I believe that worship and focus is lacking for the proper three-legged balance of the stool that is our faith. I have seen the extremes of Maddening worship that the Church of the Scarlet Trinity rejects, and I can only wholeheartedly agree with the basic premise that this is not the way that faith should operate. The proposal that excellence should be our focus is an enlightening one, but also one that requires further analysis, I believe.
On Excellence
One of the claims that the Excellence Treatise makes is that "Sanguis Astroism is not about the worship of three stars". I respectfully disagree. While "the proper pursuit of excellence" is a worthy goal for the faith, I would posit the position that this is identical to, in fact inherent in, the proper worship of the stars. It is indeed a misconception to think that worship involves conquering the world in the name of the stars (the hand and the cup must be given their dues), but it would be wrong to separate 'excellence' from worship.
While Asterion Artemesia calls the term Bloodstar 'implicitly violent', this would be an incorrect understanding of the word's meaning. They are named so because "it is our very blood that they affect with their divine influence", as the Prophet has made clear. It may be that there are dark connotations of 'blood', but it is our job to change this. The pursuit of excellence makes perfect sense, when combined with an understanding of the influence the stars have on us. According to this reading, 'excellence' is merely another term for harmonising our blood with the stars' influences. This is what is meant by the proper worship of the stars. The greatest follower of the stars will be the one who can properly align himself with their influences, allowing himself to be guided by their positions, and therefore ultimately becoming an instrument of their divine will.
The Cup
An extract from a sermon delivered by the Holy Prophet in Mimer
"We can present the Faith with the Cup, showing the simple perfection the Stars reflected in a cupful of water, for in this most act we sweep away all that is unecessary and show ourselves to be likewise a simple mirror of the Bloodstars."
Of all the methods of worship, I would suggest that the chalice is the least emphasised. This is wrong. The faith is perceived by outsiders as having put too much of the sword into action; perhaps this has been so. In any case, Astrum's war against the Torenists amply fulfils this necessary part of the faith. At the heart of the faith, however, great strides have been made in opening the hand. Peace, generally speaking, reigns over the eastern theocracies. With the founding of Niselur, the faith has finally reached the Western Continent in force. This is not to say that we cannot extend the faith's hand further, merely that this is already well underway.
The cup of reflective water, on the other hand, has been sadly neglected. The Excellence Treatise and my own humble writings perhaps go some way to remedy this, but I believe that there is too little reflection and meditation on an everyday basis. Those who follow the stars have been given relatively little direct guidance as to how exactly they should follow them. The Aquiliean experiment, attempting to suffuse society with divinity in such a way that reference will no longer have to be directly made to religion, is a fascinating one, but it has its dangers. The greatest of these is clearly that the 'democratic theocracy' will simply become one without reference to divinity. In any case, this treatise will attempt to lay some guidelines for the actual practise of properly worshipping the Bloodstars, in an everyday, practical sense.
The Natures of Auspicious, Austere and Maddening
Before, I lay down my guidelines for proper worship, I must establish what I consider to be the most accurate view of the natures of the stars. Some of the most radical suggestions made in the Excellence Treatise are those pertaining to the exact roles of the stars in guiding us. It is here that my opinions must separate themselves most radically from Asterion Artemesia. While he makes many important insights, the conclusions he reaches about the stars' natures appear to directly contradict the revelations of the Holy Prophet Mathurin.
On Auspicious, the Asterion has a correct view, I believe. Reducing it to something as plain as helping us "thinking correctly" is an oversimplification, but perhaps a necessary one.
Maddening, on the other hand is somewhat misinterpreted in the Excellence Treatise, to the extent that it is simply impossible that the star stirs men's passions most strongly during its dark phase. It plainly does not. As the Prophet said, the star "calls to the impetuous side" of us. Although strong emotions are possible in the dark phase, these are natural and I have never heard it claimed (apart from by the Asterion) that these emotions are due to the lack of Maddening. I was present in Thulsoma, where the influence of the Maddening star can most keenly be felt, and I can assure you that during Maddening's superiority my blood near boiled with emotion. The Asterion does have one thing correct; one under the influences of "rage, fanaticism and insanity" during Madenning's brightness is not attuned to the star. Instead, it can be said that Maddening influences us greatly, but it is our own duty to align ourselves with the star. Only then will purer and more excellent emotions come to the fore. If you fail to channel Maddening in the correct fashion, its emotional energies will still coarse through your veins; you will be filled with the non-excellent emotions of anger and bloodlust, however, since Maddening "is strong, but not focussed" as the Prophet has said.
It would be wrong to describe Austere as the primary arbiter of our actions. The Holy Prophet describes it as the controller of our "spirit", instead. As I will detail later, our actions (which the Asterion attributes solely to Austere) are influenced by the combination of the three stars' effects. Austere is the star that balances Auspicious and Maddening, so it has perhaps the most direct effect upon our actions, but it is not the sole (or even the greatest) arbiter. Austere is best described as a meditative star that enhances our self-knowledge and our interaction with the stars. Where Auspicious governs our knowledge of the external world, Austere allows us to look within ourselves and to access a more spiritual dimension of understanding. Through this contemplation we can come to attune ourselves more readily to Auspicious and Maddening, and better combine our logic and intuition to create conscious knowledge. Interpreting Austere in this fashion gives us a picture of a star that is more contemplative than proactive.
On Proper Worship
"To see the harmony of self with the whole of the Bloodstars is to pursue excellence, to rise above the self-imposed limitations of the earthbound mortal existence; to allow any less than the whole harmony of the Bloodstars voluntarily is to perpetuate the failures of the flesh that is contrary to the opportunities granted by the guidance of the Bloodstars." - Asterion Artemesia of Aquilieia
It is only to be expected that
