Each kingdom claims a particular deity as their specific protector and patron, and the primacy of the patron colors and shapes the local modes of worship from the greatest religious festivals down to the private rites carried out in homes. The Mugrobi rituals of the blessing of the waters and of ritual baths and other ablutions are quite foreign to most other kingdoms. The Anaxi rituals of the counting of the hours, of circumambulation in clockwise fashion only, and of the sacred measuring is also quite distinctive. And many a kingdom has found the masked processions of the faithful in Bastia, in all their riotous cheer, to be utterly baffling.
It can therefore be said that Circlism is a single religious tradition which contains multitudes.
On the Divine Forms
Each of the divinities the Decad is worshiped in a variety of forms, representing different aspects of their nature. Alioe may be worshiped as Domina Horalis - The Lady of the Hours - in rituals and hymns venerating her in the role as the keeper of the procession of events and the shaping of the direction of mortal lives. In her role as patroness of Anaxas she is known as Alioe Magna Patrona - The Great Patroness - and in this name she is beseeched to grant blessing to that nation. Bash may appear as the Lord of Boundaries, the god who defines the borders of sacred spaces and polities, as well as the Old Man of the Mountain, where he is venerated as a vessel of hard-earned wisdom.Hulali has forms both generous and kind, as well as fiercely protective.
Each of the divinities is known by many names, each fitted to their role and aspect, but all are aspects of the same god. A single divine being which contains multitudes.
On the Nameless Gods
chaos, hunger, and madness who gnaw forever at the walls of Vita. Some, it is said, desire to enter
into the sphere of the world, dethrone the Decad, and make themselves masters of the last shards of perfection. Others, according to songs of such antiquity that their origins have been lost, wish only to devour all existence in their infinite hunger. The gods of the Decad act as guardians of the world against these nameless horrors.
However potent the Decad are in their vigil, by their actions alone the perfection of the world cannot be maintained. Active participation of sapient beings is needed in the form of prayers, sacrifices, rituals, and constructive actions. All of these strengthen the world and enable its continuation and preservation.
On the Wrathful Forms
On the Monic Will
the Monic Will. Even the gods themselves are subject to this, and though their understanding of it surpasses any ten times ten thousand mortal minds, they still do not fully comprehend it.
Nevertheless, the flow and desires of the Mona can be partly discerned via divinations, in trances and in dreams, and one may act in accordance with the Monic Will through the proper observance of ritual and practice.
The revelations of the deities, of ecstatic poets, of seers, and of saints and sages over the centuries serve as guides for aligning life with the Monic Will.
On Rituals
For all the variety in Circlist belief and practice, there are a number of rituals and practices which
are quite common. The fine specifics may vary, but the overall forms remain recognizable.
- Offerings and sacrifices - though in ancient days animal sacrifices were common (and sapient sacrifice not unknown), most sacrifices in the present age are considerably less bloodthirsty. Special wheat cakes may be left as offerings to the gods in various shrines, libations poured out, and candles and incense burned.
- Consumption of entheogens - Chan and opium are commonly consumed in divinatory rituals. These practices often contain invocations to Hurte, in her role as the goddess of visions. Other entheogens and stimulants are also used in various rituals
- Recitation of particular hymns and sacred text fragments - Often quite ancient texts, written in old languages and difficult to understand. Certain lines are emphasized and often repeated over and over in precise patterns
- Circumambulation - In temples and in other sacred spaces, it is common for both priests and worshipers to proceed around a divine image in ever-decreasing circular patterns.
- Processions of the Divine Images - During various holidays, divine images are carried out from temples and great processions are made, often accompanied by music, dance, and
- The ten-days mourning - This set of mourning rituals is often carried out by close family and friends of the deceased. Fasting is traditional as is the extinguishing of lamps and the wearing of mourning colors. The most ancient tradition of the chief mourner smearing their face with white clay or with ashes, is rarely observed outside of some very isolated areas. However, some traditions of mourning colors do remain. On the tenth day, final rituals are performed and often the official interment of the body is observed.
- Demarcation of sacred spaces - Rituals and divinations are performed in sacred spaces created by the seer. In ancient times and still among certain priesthoods these spaces are marked by the laying of stones or the pouring out of fine white or black sand. These spaces are almost always circular.
- Ritual Meals - A very ancient tradition, most forms of Circlism have a number of rituals surrounding a communal meal. In the oldest descriptions of the meals involve each guest being welcomed by name and by the sharing of drinks, the passing of particular foods to be consumed by all the guests, the ritual washing of hands ten times, and special dishes set aside for the gods. Bastia maintains the strongest affinity for these meals as a common form of ritual devotion. In most other kingdoms, the ritual meals are associated with specific holidays.
On Ethics
Much of the ethical structure of Circlism is based on notions of reciprocal, if asymmetric duty. A master has the duty to teach a student, a student a duty to heed the master and to learn. A parent has the duty to prepare a child for ethical life, and to care and provide guidance. A child has the duty to honor the parent and heed their commands. There are many such relations. Between the governed and the governors, between the galdori and the lower races, between allies and enemies, between guests and hosts, and on and on.
It is of the utmost importance that the duties be reciprocally followed, for the dereliction of one party is an invitation for the other party to likewise depart from their duties and obligations. A teacher who does not teach but merely commands, a patron who only demands of clients but gives little or no support, a parent who offers no kind guidance, all of these may, and indeed must be defied, for to act otherwise is to act contrary to the Monic Will. To act otherwise is to invite chaos and destruction.
On Temples, Churches, and Shrines
Temples are primarily priestly institutions which hold sacred objects, divine images, and very often archives and repositories. Laypersons are generally not permitted within the inner precincts of a temple and what public rituals are performed in such places are done outside on public altars. Temple priests can be an odd lot, often rather cut off from public life. Senior priests have particular duties they are ritually bound to perform according to ancient custom and tradition. In the modern day, many temple rituals are viewed as bizarre, archaic, and often inscrutable.
In contrast to the temples, churches act as places of lay gatherings where communal worship, the singing of songs, and the performance of public rituals. They are gathering places as well as sanctuaries. Often smaller churches have no resident priest and are instead the province of religiously-inclined teachers and community members. In Anaxas, there is a curious custom for clockmakers to fill this role, or to stand in for priests if none is to be had.
Shrines are the last major form of sacred space and exist as a sort of mid-way point between a temple and a church. Like a temple, a shrine may be tended by a priest but the divine images are not held in sanctuaries but instead visible and accessible to the public at large. Some of the largest shrines rival temples in their size and grandiosity, but they tend more often to gardens and courtyards than grand buildings. By contrast, the smallest of shrines may be little more than a statue set in a niche with a small shelf acting as a place for offerings.