Ixaumaika

Ixaum Aika

Ixaumaika (lit. feminine love spirit) - also known as Aika for short - is the spiritual entity associated with romance, love, and family in Rostran Esotericism. Ixaumaika is venerated by many Rostrans, especially among High Rostrans, romantic seekers, and those with strong family ties.

Divine Domains

Good, Protection, Healing, Magic; Charm, Family

Divine Symbols & Sigils

Ixaumaika is venerated for her iormapu (endurance), iparda (perception) and ivonela (charisma). Ritual sigils attuned to Aika are typically executed in the violet and bright pink hues provided by floral pigments. Colors derived from flowers ground on Eurymaxim by people in the full flush of romantic love are most prized by practitioners for this purpose, as these pigments are believed to be 'enlivened' by close proximity to such powerful positive emotions.

Flowers in general are regarded as both strong foci and sacrificial items for ritual sigils attuned to Ixaumaika. If used as a focus, a flower must be living and well-tended for the ritual sigil to be considered binding. Typically, this means that public and private ritual sigils are often executed on the grounds surrounding a large flowering plant or topiary. Household ritual spaces may thus be located outdoors or, if the practitioner is in a part of the Manifold too densely populated to support a private garden, a large indoor planter may be used instead. In any case, the plant must be fed, watered, trimmed, and given plenty of sunlight. Edible flowering plants are most often chosen as foci, as these can be used as ingredients to 'transpose' Ixaumaika's good will onto any who partake in meals shared with the practitioner (i.e. the practitioner's family).

by Jamie Street

Tenets of Faith

The concept of aika (love) in Iuxat is best understood as a unitary concept which encapsulates the strong, positive and caring one feels towards a loved one. Aika does not distinguish between romantic love, familial love, or friendly love, but simply denotes that the person is near and dear to the speaker; mere acquaintances and others who are not within (or prospective members of) the close personal circle of the speaker are not generally accorded aika unless the speaker actively wishes to develop an interpersonal relationship with them. Aika can be a noun or a verb and can take on many different shades of meaning depending on the context or idiom in which it appears. Examples include:

• "Ami nonaika erovalu" - meaning "I love them (third person singular familiar)" - could simply mean that the speaker has positive feelings towards someone in their social sphere, though not what the subject might be to them. The familiar case is the important nuance in this construction.


• "Ami nonaika aumalugai" - meaning "I love her" in an unfamiliar context - might be an indication that the speaker finds a woman he doesn't know attractive and is interested in incorporating her into his familiar sphere. The unfamiliar case is the important nuance in this construction.


• "Ami nonaika aumalu" - meaning "I love her" in a familiar context - indicates that the woman in question is in the speaker's friend or family group, though not the specific nature of the relationship. This sort of construction is often reserverd for siblings or offspring within a family; unlike with the first example, the person in question is known well enough to not have to clarify that they are an individual and a person.


• "Ami nonaika aumalu asami" - meaning "I love her (who is like me)" is likely a statement of personal friendship. The semblative case is the important nuance in this construction, the idiom implying that the speaker and their loved one are 'birds of a feather.'


• "Ami agranaika aumalu adami," meaning "I love that woman (who belongs to me) and will in the future" (or, more concisely, "I'll love my woman forever") indicates a deep romantic love, likely in the context of a marriage. The possessive case and use of verb tenses to suggest continuous time are the important nuances in this construction.

Because Ixaumaika thus represents the concept of aika in its totality, the spirit is most often called upon by practitioners to draw one or more individuals closer together, whether as friends, family, or lovers. In the course of calling upon Ixamaika's blessings in the interpersonal sphere, one must put their own best efforts forwards, as the spirit is believed to manifest in intentional actions rather than simple desires - Ixaumaika is believed to 'help those who help themselves' first and foremost. A practitioner may rely on Ixaumaika to increase their charm, grant them an outsider's insight with regards to their romantic compatibility with prospective partners, improve their interpersonal mediation skills, reveal viable compromises in negotiations, and help them steer clear of untrustworthy people.
All Rostran cultures put a high value on familial connections, regarding them as sometimes more important than even spiritual or political connections. These connections are meant to be cemented through mutual loyalty, trust, and respect; to break a bond built on these foundations is to incur the wrath of the spirit, whether as a member of such a bond or as an outsider to it. Intentionally calling upon Ixaumaika to break someone else's well-earned relationship is regarded as a grievous sin, though seeking the spirit's blessing in overcoming an equally-matched romantic rival or revealing a manipulator to their would-be victim is not. This latter caveat has led to an unexpected population of Ixaumaika purists among investigators in the Rostran Archipelago Confederacy and New Cobalt Protectorate, as the spirit is believed to preside over sudden realizations of unseen interpersonal connections or motives.

Holidays

Like Ixeunvatio, Ixaumaika is often venerated during Eurymaxim festivities for her ability to unite lovers and rededicate romantic bonds.

by BCGR_Wurth

Divine Classification

Conceptual Spirit

Religions

• Rostran Esotericism

Alignment

Lawful Good

Species

Rostran

Ethnicity

High Rostran

Church/Cult

Rostran Esotericism

Gender

Female

Eyes

Blue

Hair

Red

Skin Tone/Pigmentation

Rosy