Vatoral
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Vatoral is an indigenous panentheistic and polytheistic nature religion originating from Ayaupia. The adherents of Vatoral, named Vatorans, believe the universe is possessed by genderless and bodyless spirits who live through the elements and phenomenons of nature. Divided into three branches, each ayaupian species follows a prophet from their community, whose dictated their view of the religion and lead to unique interpretations.
| Vatoral | |
|---|---|
 The symbol of Vatoral | |
| Belief | Panentheism Polytheism |
| Deity | Spirits |
| Region(s) | Ayaupia and northern Libertanny |
| Founder | None |
| Founded | 5th century CE |
| Origin | Vatoral mythology, elemental balance |
| Temples | 250,450 |
| Followers | 15 millions |
| Denominations | Vatoran |
Elemental balance
The religion is founded on balance between the four elements - fire, water, air, earth - that are believed to be inhabited by spirits, who foundated the world as it is. The balance is based on opposite and complementary forces : fire is opposed to water, as air is opposed to earth, which are the major oppositions, as earth and water as well as fire and air are secondary opposites, while earth and fire, also air and water, are complementing each others. There are two attributes to these elements : earth and air are mineral, as they are static and completed, water and fire are organic, as they are moving and formating.
Are related to the four elements, two "human elements" : the body, linked to earth and water, the spirit, linked to air and fire. It is said that humans were made from a mix of earth and water, as modelled by mud, and were made alive by infusing them a breathe of fire and air, which gave them a mind.
It is believed that these forces are how the world is made, and that life couldn't exist without them.
Origins
At the very beginning of all things, the world was inanimate. Although continents, oceans, atmosphere existed, they were lifeless and static, as eternally stuck in the same state of being. In this world, spirits were freely moving around. Those were without body and mind, in a form that transcended any form of life we knew today. They were perfect, complete and without any default or degradations, and were eternal.
At one moment, an anomaly made one of the spirits desiring to be above others and be the unique spirit among all. That entity trapped those into the ground, the ocean, the air and the the underworld, making the world of Urth alive. The earthquake and landslides, the tempest, the waves, the forest fires, and all natural phenomenons, are the spirits trying to escape the elements they've been trapped into. By animating elements, they made them in opposite or complementary forces.
To punish the egoistic spirit, the four others transformed them into an element that, if animated, wouldn't have any power and couldn't do anything against them, thereform turned into a single human. That human was made by a bit of each element, as he couldn't be a unique and pure essence, therefore losing its power. As to be sure to lower its abilities, he was divided into two humans completely opposed, a wan and a woman. Since then, that spirit tries to obtain power again by making men and women attracted by each other, thus populating Urth with humans, which are multiple forms of himself. It is believed that if humans want to reproduce, it can only be explained by the condemned spirit desperate to get a revenge on the elemental spirits.
Beliefs
Internal conflict solving
Each humans being constitued of a bit of every element, and being separated in a binary opposition of the body and the mind, has to get through internal conflicts and issues, caused by every elements wanting to separate from each other. The individual has to resolve its own problems and contradictions, to become a unified being. This goes through religious duty, as prayers and confessions, and personal achievement, such as knowing and understanding more about itself, learning about its failures, confessing and repenting its mistakes, and reducing its own bad side. If someone did progress into the research of himself, and finally accomplished its unity, they will be purified after their death and become a pure and eternal spirit free of any matter. On the contrary, if someone didn't progressed at all and kept being subject of contradictions and errors (such as hypocrisy, lie, perversion, etc), the person will be separated into each of its elements after his death and will be torn apart several elements accross all the world for eternity.
Elemental personality
All traits of personality and character are due to the four elements.
- Earth : realism and down to earth thoughts, seriousness, as well as powerfulness and activity.
- Air : idealism and dreams, lightness, powerlessness and passivity.
- Fire : passion and hot tempered thoughts, optimism, as well as unsubmissive and aggressivity.
- Water : temperance and calm, pessimism, submissive and friendly.
When a person has such character, ideas and behaviors, this is due to being made of more of some elements than others. For example : a hot tempered and idealistic person is believed to be made of more air and fire than earth and water.
In Ayaupia, people identify by gathering into a group sharing the same character, forming into a tribe. That tribe has to embodies the elements and character it identifies to, therefore using a wood or stone carved totem to depict them. Each aspect of the totem indicates something about the people rallying under them.
Priests, prayers and rituals
There is no unique established sovereign power ruling over every followers, but rather a network of influential priests and scholars known as the "Federal Masters", which was created in 1957. Each tribe had traditionally a master, which was a priest considered to have the most knowledge and to be the most wise person of the religious community. They were chosen by the people and kept their role until their death. They were the most eminent in representing a tribe and used to act as diplomats, as they were, for instance, invoked to manage conflictual matters and promote alliances.
Every follower has to pray two times in a week, where they have to first praise the elements they were attributed to, then praise those left other, and finally praise them to unify into one pure element. This comprise the four natural elements and the two human elements. This is done while sitting on a sheet of wood whith the religious symbol drawn on the visible side. These prayers are done at home and at any moment of the day, from the morning to the evening.
At every last day of the week, the followers gather into the local temple with a priest affiliated to the tribe's master to pray "the unity inside all of us", as this is the catchphrase that begin all ceremonies.