A Look Into Aidonism

The following article about the Aidonism faith was penned by Brother Lorgar Enth. When it was discovered by his home temple that it existed, he fled, and all efforts to locate him were fruitless. Despite the efforts of the church, copies had already been made and distributed. However, upon discovering that it did not describe the rituals, words and other such sacred things beyond those that are known, the church lessened the attempts to have it destroyed. It's now viewed as a heretical text to Aidonites, for using the words of the Do'ad outside of the temples.

- Barras Vine, University of None.

Aidonism:
Water has been(and will be) romanticized to the point where it's almost ridiculous, which isn't too hard to grasp when the peerless beauty of Aidon is recalled. As such, the main theme of the worship of Aidon, known as Aidonism, is the quest for perfection. Though at first glance it may sound shallow, it does not merely refer to only becoming the paragon of physical greatness. Rather, it's reaching the absolute pinnacle of physical, mental and spiritual excellence.

Stand upon the shoreline
And taste my gentle kiss
Sweet blue wonder
- From Poem #1.

Foundations of Aidonism:
As already stated, beauty in all things is the overall principle of the Water religion. Aidon watches over her school as they work hard at becoming one with their own vision of excellence; after all, not everyone has the exact same idea as to what beauty is. Aidon doesn't mind the differences of opinion (which are sometimes so great that it's ludicrous), as long as they all believe that the image they have fixed in their mind is the ultimate beauty that Aidonites seek. They seek this level through physical and spiritual cleansing, and long hours of silent meditation and contemplation.

Aidon, like all the Gods, blesses and curses as she deems fit. As to blessings, these are usually done silently, and fill the recipient with overflowing happiness and tranquility. Her curses, though, are like the shifting tides: calm and quiet, before building in fury and running rampant over everything in their path. Sufferer's of Aidon's wrath of likened it to poison, in that it can attack swiftly or slowly, but you won't know until it hits you.

Being the only Goddess of the pantheon, it is only natural that women (or Mothers, as they are called) are the ones who run the show in Aidonism. Strictly matriarchal, many of Aidon's temples are lead by generation after generation of women from the one family. It is the women who lead all ceremonies, with no exceptions ever being made. Mothers that themselves reach the third stage of Aidonism are called Grandmothers, and act as high priestesses.

Men serve within the religion, but as they serve a lesser role, they are called Brothers, as opposed to the equal moniker of father. A lot of the duties the Brothers perform are assisting the Mothers with the preparation of rites, general tasks, and the like.

For sacred occasions, Mothers don a robe of various blues, to reflect the shifting colors of the ocean. Grandmothers add a small crest of multicolored rings upon their left breast, which mimic the loveliness of the Rings of Farinthia. Brothers wear a similar shirt to the robes, though their pants are of a plain blue(with the shade being their choice, one of the few things brothers have control of in Aidonism).

Practicing Aidonism:
Worshipping Aidon involves different stages in which different things are learned in order to achieve completeness. Though not completely accurate, they can be likened to a beginning (The Teardrop), a middle (The River), and an end (The Ocean). Each level, as is expected, symbolizes the level of beauty the person has achieved.

I once watched my tear
Surge up to become a wall
Even the small may rise
And even the great must fall
For the whistle of the wind
Answers to my call
And waters will rise up
Just to devastate all
- From Poem #132.

The Teardrop: The humble teardrop is used to denote the start of the journey in an Aidonites life. The local priestess bathes the child immediately after birth with the Tears of Aidon, water that has been purified and sanctified, in order to create a connection with Aidon greater then the Elementus alone. From this point on, the child, now officially an Aidonite, spends their time learning of the beauty of the flesh. They are also given instruction in meditation, though they will eventually develop their own style of meditation, as meditation isn't really something that can be taught.

The River: A river is a pathway, a conduit from one large body of water to another. The second stage of Aidonism too is the pathway through life, the middle of the journey. During meditation in the first stage, an Aidonite will receive an "impulse" that informs them that the time has come. However, like birth, one must be bathed ritually by the church to pass on to the next level of life.

This is not as easy as birth, however, as the ritual must be performed by a Grandmother. Thus, the transition usually requires a pilgrimage, as Grandmothers are spread out across Andriath.

The ritual is rather lengthy, and takes place within a river, as the person is physically, mentally and spiritually cleansed many times throughout the ceremony. From this point on, focus is shifted from the body to the mind, as some meditation techniques are imparted by the clergy to help them on their path to perfection. Though physical beauty is still cared for, it's the mental beauty that dominates this stage.

The Ocean: Though they are few, oceans are great. Just like they, the ones who reach the final stage of Aidonism are few in number, but they are sublime, and viewed by the other two stages as somewhat demigods. There is no tangible ceremony, as reaching the third stage is more of a personal thing. Having achieved total physical and mental beauty, the Aidonite is inspired to take a bath. They claim to have been baptized by Aidon herself, but whether this is true or not isn't known. What's known, however, that after this bath, there is a noticeable difference in the Aidonite.

The third stage marks the accomplishment of the goal of Aidonism. Having achieved physical and mental perfection, their bath gives them spiritual beauty, thus completing the triad of the religion. Women in the church that reach this goal become the leaders of it, while men in the church gain no benefits from attaining the final level.

Beauty rests beneath the waves
Darkened grots and shadowed caves
Whispered sighs of shells of pearl
Paths of serenity my water paves
- From Poem #44.

Celebrations: The only festival of Aidon is held on the autumn equinox of each year. It takes place at the nearest and largest body of water (some places have had to create a water body specifically for the festival, and others construct a temporary lake/river for the duration). Prayers to Aidon are dedicated to the blessing of the water, before everyone bathes within it. After this, the congregation meditates, before a priestess leads the mass in reciting a dedication to Aidon.

This marks the end of the religious side of the gathering, before the celebration begins. A feast is prepared, and until the feast is ready, the only rule enforced is that everyone stays within the area of the feast. Impromptu plays, dances, games for children and other such entertainments abound until it's time to eat. Once the feast is over, everyone is obliged to help with the clean-up before dispersing back to their homes, places of work, etc.

Some Aidonites have a small self-ceremony on days they feel are significant to their steps towards perfect beauty, but this is a small number.

Houses of the Holy: Like a perfect pool, the temples of Aidon are shaped in a circle, and are always only one floor in height. In the centre of the temple rests Aidon's Mirror, a pool of sacred water where the flawless face of the Water Goddess is always reflected by magic. No roof rests above it, freely allowing her brothers to see the loveliness of her face within the pool. Once a day, the clergy of the temple gather around the pool in silence from a locked door in the Chapel of Aidon, and meditate in the serenity of the place.

The Chapel of Aidon is used for the shorter daily rituals, which are held with the rising of the sun and its setting. The rituals consist of a priestess leading those assembled in meditation. On the opposite side of the temple is the Hall of the Teardrop, where the first ritual an Aidonite experiences takes place. Between these two are the Ocean Chambers, which are reserved for special ceremonies which the church is reluctant to talk about. It's in these chambers that the ceremonies requiring magic take place.

The Divine Word: The sacred scripture of Aidonism is the "Do'ad", which is a large collection of poems said to have been written by Aidon herself. All poetry excerpts here are taken from the holy book.

Beauty is everywhere
Within, without
Cry of a babe or shine of a pearl
Find it, hold it, treasure it
Because someday
Like the tides
It will drift away
- From Poem #12.

Judging by the excerpts, the poems of the Do'ad have no official titles. Instead, they are merely numbered in ascending order. As well as having no titles, the works are also unaccredited by an author of any description. All speculations as to why this is so have so far reached no results.

- Elih Naskrat, University of None.