Font of the Radical Ego

Public sociocultural record
Property of the Royal Atheneum of Hövnís, Eörpe

Nontheistic Sect The Vicissitude Vicissism / Vicissite

Founded by former psiconoclast Many-Hands, the Font of the Radical Ego is the youngest sect within the Vicissitude.
Openly practicing their beliefs and overtly naming their lifestance while proselytizing made them become regarded as the 'archetypical vicissite'. In most states today, when the general public hear or speak of the Vicissitude, they are typically drawing knowledge from material made available by the Font of the Radical Ego.

Etymology & Definition

I believe that many of us forgot the true meaning of being a vicissite. Our name was meant to illuminate our return to the right path, where focus should lie on giving individuals the means of reaching a perpetual state of self-harmony. Our purpose is to help them return to the radical ego.

— Many-Hands, Hierarch of the Font of the Radical Ego

The term 'radical ego' is made synonymous to the 'essential self' or 'original wholeness' in older vicissite scriptures.

History Under Construction

Origin

The Font of the Radical Ego split from the Psiconolatry circa fifty years ago, after some of its members felt it failed to properly follow the Vicissitude.
The formal founder of the Font of the Radical Ego, Many-Hands, has on numerous occasions publicly criticized the Psiconolatry to be 'corrupted by capitalism' and for 'twisting the public's image of the Vicissitude in the name of profit'. They have also openly criticized other sects for continuing to obfuscate their belonging as vicissites, claiming it 'only serves to perpetuate old misconceptions and prejudices'.

Ventures & Activities

Depending on their location, size, and expressed interest, a sanctuary receives an annual budget to spend on organizing different activities for its members, holding educational lectures for members and/or the public, or running charity services.

Member-Only Activities Under Construction

Rights Movements

Many members of the Font of the Radical Ego are actively participating in movements advocating the right for any individual to transmogrify themselves through traditional medical surgery or bioengineering. The main argument being its place as a crucial medical treatment of certain dysphoric and dysmorphic conditions.
Members are discouraged from participating in more extreme activist movements.

Open Sanctuary

Some sanctuaries have also chosen to proactively work on improving the public's view of them and the Vicissitude, by having 'open days'.
During an open day, any non-vicissites are welcome to visit the sanctuary, and have the opportunity learn and ask questions about the Font of the Radical Ego and their interpretation of the Vicissitude.

Educational Lectures Under Construction

Charity Services

Charity work has grown to become an integral aspect of many sanctuaries' culture, where volunteers either offer their professional expertise to run a number specialized services or help with fundraising through different donation drives.
Some examples of services that are offered to the general public:

Psychiatric Care & Spiritual Guidance

All supervising roles within a sanctuary requires education in social work, psychology, sociology, or human services, and both the hierarch and clerks are expected to be able to offer appropriate support to members in need of it.
Sanctuaries located in regions lacking a welfare system that covers specialist psychiatric care, may set up their own subsidiaries in form of clinics, centers etc. if it has enough willing volunteers with the appropriate education and certifications. They are focused on counseling dysphoric and dysmorphic conditions, but will also treat peripheral afflictions that may arise from these conditions.
The economically challenged, who won't be able to pay for treatments themselves, can apply to have their expenses covered by the Journey to Wholeness Charity.

The Journey to Wholeness Charity

A charity that collects donations from the public to fund their ventures and offer grants to individuals in need of financial support to complete their Journey to Wholeness. The applicant doesn't have to be a member of the Font of the Radical Ego, and they don't have to be a vicissite, but should be able to sufficiently prove they are on the way toward self-healing.
Applicants will usually have to go through one or more interviews with a psychiatrist, appointed by the charity, to ensure they are applying for the right reasons. And they may have to provide sufficient proof that the grant they're applying for will be used for its intended purpose. The charity reserves the right to deny applications where the outcome of a procedure could be harmful and/or dangerous to the charity, the applicant, or other people. An example would be bioengineering grafts that may be used as weapons.
The majority of applications the charity receives are for transmogrifying surgery and bioengineering in states that don't have a welfare system to cover such expenses.

Structure

Sanctuaries

The Font of the Radical Ego organize themselves in physical congregations called sanctuaries, each hosting anywhere between 10 to 20.000 members. Each sanctuary is supervised by at least one hierarch, who in turn ideally is assisted by one clerk per 10-50 members.
A sanctuary is meant to serve as a physical location where vicissites can meet likeminded individuals at any time of day. Though the Font of the Radical Ego is nontheistic - and some argue even an eupraxophy - its sanctuaries are considered sites of religious practice under the governing law of most states.

Forming a Sanctuary

A member can at any point approach the current circle of hierarchs and request to have a new sanctuary set up. This will only be approved if it's a) at a sufficient distance from already existing sanctuaries b) will have at least ten members regularly attending it c) has an individual meeting the requirements that's willing to run it as its hierarch.
After the request to raise a new sanctuary is approved, and its hierarch appointed, the circle of hierarchs will go through the required motions to ensure it's properly registered as a religious congregation with the local government. The newly appointed hierarch is responsible for finding a suitable location to set up in, and their choice has to be vetoed by the circle of hierarchs. As a last step, they are asked to appoint the new sanctuary's first clerk.

Ranks

I am not the leader. I am a leader. One of many.
… I do enjoy talking a whole lot, though, which is why they put me up at the podium so often.

— Many-Hands, Hierarch of the Font of the Radical Ego

The Font of the Radical Ego has two ranks to distinguish members that have agreed to take on an organizational and guiding role within the sect, and a third rank that exist for administrative purposes. If a ranked member dedicate more than 25% of their weekly work hours at a sanctuary, they are eligible for recompense by the sect.
Members can be demoted from their rank if they opt to step down themselves, or have been judged to abuse their position.

Hierarch

A hierarch has the highest level of responsibility over a sanctuary. Most sanctuaries will only have a single appointed hierarch, but very large or active ones may appoint more to split the workload. All hierarchs have equal rights to make decisions and of equal levels of responsibility, encouraging the appointment of individuals that have a democratic mindset.
To be eligible for the role of a hierarch, an individual needs to have been a member of the Font of the Radical Ego for a minimum of five years, have a basic education in administration, and be certified in a profession practicing social and/or health care. An individual can be endorsed by their peers, or volunteer, for the role of a hierarch, but it's the circle of hierarchs that decide to appoint them or not.

Clerk

A sanctuary is recommended to have one clerk on staff per 10-50 members, and the only requirement to be eligible for the role is a basic education in social and/or health care.
The hierarch(s) of the sanctuary are responsible for appointing a sufficient number of clerks and it's up to their discretion who they appoint as long as the educational requirement is met. They may, however, not demote a clerk unless they have a very strong reason for doing so.

Service Employee

A purely administrative rank introduced to track members that have a) volunteered to offer their professional expertise through a subsidiary run by the Font of the Radical Ego b) work more than 25% of a week's normal working hours at that subsidiary.
Service employees will typically be asked to sign a formal employment contract with the subsidiary. It makes them eligible for the same social securities other employed citizens of the state have access to, and also lets them receive fair recompense in the form of a normal, taxable salary.

Recruitment

Upon becoming a member of the Font of the Radical Ego, an individual will be asked to choose a local sanctuary to belong to. Typically they will be offered to sign up with the sanctuary closest to their current residence, but a member is free to choose to attend to whichever one they want. They may also change their belonging at any point in time, with no questions asked.

Quitting

A member is free to leave the Font of the Radical Ego whenever they want to, temporarily or permanently, and are under no obligation to give any form explanation for doing so. They are also welcome to return to their sanctuary, or join a new one, whenever they want.
Harassing a former member in any way, shape, or form - including coaxing them into explaining their choice - is considered a violation of personal integrity and freedom of choice. This is considered a serious offense and can be grounds for demotion and/or a sanctuary ban. Repeated offenses may lead to full ex-communication from the Font of the Radical Ego.

Bans & Ex-Communication

A hierarch has the right to ban a disruptive member from their sanctuary. They only need to provide an acceptable reason and evidence of misconduct if their decision is questioned by a third party.
Ex-communicating a member entirely from the Font of the Radical Ego is only be done for two reasons. Either through majority vote in the circle of hierarchs, or if the member is found guilty of a serious criminal offense in the state's official court of law.
Sanctuaries are expected to comply with regional laws and regulations, and to not harbor known or suspected criminals within their premises.

Culture Under Construction

Assets Under Construction

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