Dwilight University/Theology/Falsebound Trinity

The Scarlet Trinity of Excellence

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They told me it was impossible to reconcile human impurity with absolute perfection. I told them to observe, and after countless observations and thoughts, I have arrived at this. -Garret Artemesia, First Asterion of Aquilegia

Foreword

Philosophy is not meant for everyone. Some will like it; others will not. Some might find certain ideas very complex and deep, and at a moment grasp all the intricacies. Others might see only the surface. Regardless, it is not our place to judge who is allowed to read this text, however, one should be alert to keep in mind several things when reading this text:

The Scarlet Trinity of Excellence: Almost idiosyncratically an Aquilegian concept, yet from a deeper look through the veil of language would reveal that its core is one of the same as the Prophet's teachings. But it is very easy for a new reader of the Excellence Treatise to completely miss the actual concept of the Scarlet Trinity. The first mistake is to think that the Trinity is in any way separable. The Austere, Auspicious, and Maddening Stars do not act in the absence of one another. Even if two stars are dark and one bright, the dark pair do not vanish. Granted, the effects are extremely hard to put into human language, but there is still a concerted effect due to the whole Trinity and not as individual stars. Only after realizing this fact can one even hope to begin to read the Excellence Treatise with any real understanding.

The three components of the Trinity were given separate categories for the sake of human readers. It is impossible for the average reader of the treatise to read in the true nature of the Bloodstars. Likewise, it is impossible for the author, myself, to write in such a way in the first place. It is important to remember then, that at any point where any one star is explained at length, to keep in mind that the effects and domains stated do not refer to that individual star, but rather as the expected effect that comes about when the other Stars are in phase.

Here is where there is a little vagueness in the Excellence Treatise that all but the most perceptive readers will catch. The Excellence Treatise was written to cover only two forms of the Trinity: All Bright, and all Dark. In the real world, of course the Bloodstars would not always be in the same phase. However, the effects stated in the Treatise only refer to the effects as occurring when all Stars are bright, or when all Stars are dark. That is the second most important thing to remember.

The Prophet is able to understand the theoretical effects of the individual stars in isolation. But I cannot so the effects I state would naturally be the whole of the Trinity, even if I can give some more precision as to the general effects of each component of the Trinity. It is much like a vial of sand. I can tell where there are light bands, and where there are dark bands. But no matter how hard I try, I cannot tell you how many grains must compose the light band, or exactly how many grains must compose the dark band.

I know full well where most disagreement comes in. Kalos Kagathos Vetinari had this conversation with me, as did a foreign writer who made an evaluation on the Treatise. Bright Maddening and Dark Maddening. The Prophet says that the Maddening Star inspires one's emotions to increase, to have men enter into passions. The Excellence Treatise says that when Bright Maddening exists, emotions are tempered to be harmonious with reason and action. Some people might say that this is contrary to the Prophet's words. But remember the second most important thing to remember: All effects stated in the Scarlet Trinity are interdependent and inseparable within the same phase. So Bright Maddening exerts equal effects as Bright Austere and Bright Auspicious. The Excellence Treatise makes no claim to the other phase combinations except to all Dark stars. In that, there is no Austere influence, and so emotions can once more run amok as it can happen normally among humans, and even among beasts. And because emotions are generally linked to the body, which the Prophet has associated with the Maddening star, I categorized it as generally due to Dark Maddening. Of course this is by far not as perfect as the Prophet's but in the extremities of the phases, the Treatise attempts to provide as best a description in as accessible a way.

So to summarize, two important things must be learned and remembered before true understanding of the Excellence Treatise can commence: 1. The Trinity is inseparable; any and all effects of each star is at all times linked to the other two stars, and it is the Trinity as a whole that finally exerts the effects that humans in the end feel. 2. The Excellence Treatise is not precise enough to offer effects of each individual star at each phase combination. Rather, it presents only the relative effects of each star when all of the Trinity is in phase, either all Bright or all Dark.

Introduction

There have been several misconceptions about the faith of Sanguis Astroism, both by believers and non-believers. I seek to correct here those misplaced ideas.

First, we must look at one of the central tenets of the faith: the Bloodstars, or as I would like to call them, in a less implicitly violent but still accurate term, the Scarlet Trinity. This trinity is composed of three distinct stars that have differing periods of bright and dark phases. Before analyzing the bright and dark phases, I would like to examine the stars themselves.

Sanguis Astroism is not about the worship of three stars, as most non-believers and even some believers are misled to believe. Nor is it about screaming in fanatical rage, conquering or threatening to conquer the world. The first misconception is an imprecision; the second misconception is outright confusion of religion and individual mental illness. We will see soon enough that the faith deals with the subtle guiding tendencies often associated with certain members of the trinity rather than the stars themselves. We will also see that those moments where some individuals have been quick to ascribe actions as being "influenced by the Maddening star" are grossly incorrect and that the Maddening star has quite the contrary purpose.

The faith truly purports the proper pursuit of excellence, that is, the intentions, actions, and emotional synchronicity, to form a synergistic approach to doing the right thing, or to doing "good" in all situations. That is the most important thing to note about the Church of Sanguis Astroism. Now, let us examine each star.

Auspicious

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Auspicious is the mind that is fertile. Knowledge in true belief shall be clear to the one who understands.

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.

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.

In a summary, Auspicious leads people to have a better chance of "thinking correctly".

Austere

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The human spirit is one for action. In activity the spirit thrives; and thus is virtue practiced.

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.

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.

In summary, Austere leads people to have a better chance of "acting correctly".

Maddening

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The passions flow in harmony from within the body and throughout. Beneath the glowing light is a beauty rarely witnessed.

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).

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.

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.

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?

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.

In summary, Maddening leads people to be in emotional harmony with intending to do good and with acting good.

Bright and Dark Phases

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.

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.

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.

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.

Dark Auspicious

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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?

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.

Dark Austere

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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.

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.

Dark Maddening

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In darkness the body is consumed and once harmonious emotions become distorted as to make what was once so beautiful now so ugly.

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.

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.

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.

Waxing Phases

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There are extremes in the world, and so too are there inevitably ranges between them. The waxing phases of the stars are such gradual shifts, for one is easily blinded, when, coming out of absolute darkness, one suddenly sees a bright pure light. That runs parallel to the cycle of the Trinity. After the Dark phase, were that Star to suddenly brighten and restore its radiance, those resonant with said Star would be crippled, as much disabled and blinded by sheer radiance as they had been in absolute darkness. The waxing phases are transitions, where a mean of dark and bright exists, and eventually, the believer becomes able and ready to once more live under the light of the Stars.

Prominence (Stars in the Superior)

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.

The Supreme Cycle

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.

Conclusion

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.

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.

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."

May we Warders of Aquilegia pledge ourselves to be the truly excellent guardians of the faith.