The Chorus of One
Once upon a time, there was a great tree that grew in the center of a vast forest. This tree was the source of life for all creatures in the forest, providing shade, nourishment, and shelter to all who sought it.
One day, a small bird came to the tree, seeking refuge from a storm. The bird asked the tree, "Great tree, how can you allow the rain to fall on me, causing me pain and discomfort?"
The tree replied, "My dear bird, the rain is a natural and necessary part of life, just as the sun is. Without rain, the forest cannot grow and thrive. Your pain and discomfort are but temporary, and they serve a greater purpose. Just as you are a part of me, I am a part of you, and everything in the forest is connected."
The bird understood, and from that day on, it no longer feared the rain, for it saw it as a part of the greater good.
So too, must we understand that all living things, including ourselves, are part of the Greater Self, and that pain, death, and all other experiences are natural and expected parts of life. To harm or kill another creature, then, is not blasphemy, but rather a necessary and inevitable aspect of the cycle of life, serving a greater purpose in the grand scheme of things.
Description
The Chorus of One, a strange and isolated faith, exists in small, seemingly unrelated pockets scattered across the land. Beliefs vary significantly between these groups, but overall, adherents believe all of creation, mortal and otherwise, to be fragments of the same divine consciousness, torn asunder at birth, and joyously reunited in death before beginning the cycle anew.
Every life is as a droplet cast from a wave: it might feel individual in a moment, but as soon as it falls it will be indistinguishable and indivisible from the whole, and will return to the whole the discoveries of that lifetime. The faithful usually live communally, valuing connection and community above all else and seeking to know the divine whole as fully as possible through acts of communion and reflection.
A side effect of this communal life is that adherents often spend their entire lives seeking depth of fellowship and understanding between themselves and their immediate community, and rarely venture forth, as their work of Understanding at home is unfinished. Those who do emerge are typically unworldly and desperately seeking to know and be known. They are often seen as naive and over-curious, asking questions and sometimes sharing information that others would consider indiscreet.
"The beating of a butterfly's wings is the pulse of the divine, and all life is connected through it."
The Accord does not abhor violence; pain, like joy, is a necessary part of existence, and it is no violation of their beliefs to inflict it, though in excess it is viewed as an inadvisable form of self-harm by the greater community. Death is a natural part of the cycle of life, and though the loss of a connection is painful, a funeral is also cause for rejoicing, as the departed has rejoined the Whole, and is granted unfettered access to its depths. When it is necessary to hasten the demise of another, it is no sin to do so.
The Gathering
Followers of the Chorus tend to be very open to the input of other religions: to them all Gods are One God, and to know one of divinity’s many faces is to come nearer to a comprehension of the greater whole. As such, it is very common for them to join celebrations of a variety of religious festivals without reservation, but they do hold one festival of their own, at midsummer, referred to simply as “The Gathering.”
This festival celebrates the opportunity to join hearts and hands with a community, and is celebrated in many ways, often including shared meditation, the joyful sharing of food and customs among those who may not have originated from the same culture and geography, and the sharing of song, dance, and art.
Some outsiders have dismissed this as a “fertility” festival due to practices of connection that does sometimes extend to the physical, but the emphasis is on bonding and common understanding, and this is a very common and traditional time for marriages, adoptions, and other lifelong bonds to be formed and celebrated as a community.
The Eternal Reunification
"Self-loathing can be a natural consequence of the human condition and the limitations of our individual perspectives. It is a result of the disconnection we feel from our true nature as part of the greater self.
However, it is important to remember that self-loathing only perpetuates this disconnection, making it even more difficult to tap into the divinity within us.
Rather than condemning those who experience it, we must strive to understand it, embrace it, and ultimately transform it through a deeper connection to the greater self and the love and acceptance that come with it."
While adherents treat others with the respect and kindness due to any extension of the Self, those that devolve into self-loathing or feelings of unworthiness run the risk of extending those feelings universally as well. The faithful are abjured to treat all others as they would treat themselves, but it would be an error to assume that everyone treats themself with compassion and kindness.
There have been stories of isolated collectives who believed that the greatest good is to stay eternally reunited with the Whole, and that the path to ending the cycle of life and death is for all life to end simultaneously, allowing the Whole to fully reunite and harmonize, truly eternal at last. These are only whispers, however, as no cult of this mindset has yet risen to substantial power.
Tenets of Faith
- Connection: The faithful seek bonds and connection with others, and abhor the breaking of these bonds. Relationships are often polyamorous and/or polygamous, and the dissolution of a marriage, familial relationship, or bond of friendship is profane.
- Compassion: “I am you, and you are me.” The faithful treat others as they would treat themselves, and grant them the same grace.
- Understanding: To understand One is to understand incrementally more of the Whole. The faithful seek to understand other religions, cultures, and individuals, believing this is the most direct path to comprehending the Highest Self that encompasses all.
- Reflection: The first and most accessible fragment of the Whole is oneself. The Faithful spend some time every day in meditation, seeking to comprehend the self.
- Equity: Status is an illusion, as all are parts of the same whole. The faithful reject hierarchy and hold the needs of all equal, including their own.
Official Name: The Chorus of One
Primary Eye: Arcanorum
Accent: Mind
Qualifier: “Follower of the Chorus”
Leader Title: N/A
Population: ~120,000
Old age should burn and rave at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light."
Though wise men at their end know dark is right,
Because their words had forked no lightning they
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Good men, the last wave by, crying how bright
Their frail deeds might have danced in a green bay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
Wild men who caught and sang the sun in flight,
And learn, too late, they grieved it on its way,
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Grave men, near death, who see with blinding sight
Blind eyes could blaze like meteors and be gay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
And you, my father, there on the sad height,
Curse, bless, me now with your fierce tears, I pray.
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
~ Dylan Thomas