Progression
Life and the universe, in general, appear to be made up of many multiples of linear progressions. These are themselves parts of larger cycles which are in turn, pieces of even larger cycles and progressions.
It is important here to note that even if an individual linear progression seems insignificant on the grandest scale, that does not render that progression or evolution inconsequential. Nor, in fact, does it remove any of its importance or make it less meaningful.
Fascinating still is that, insofar as our human minds can conceive of such concepts, we can expand or contract these progressions and cycles in an infinite number of ways. We can view and visualize the full picture, the large and the small.
Let us contemplate common actions such as practicing to throw a ball, learning to strike with a blade, or learning to walk as an infant. Each of these actions is made up of many thousands of micro-actions within the larger macro actions.
These micro-actions would be something as small as the twitch of a muscle, shifting your weight slightly from one foot to another, or slight adjustments of your hand placement upon the blade… these can be easy to forget, overlook, or label as inconsequential. We recognize that each micro-action can be identified as a mistake and adjusted against to execute a given task in a more efficient or practiced way.
We make many of these adjustments and modifications subconsciously. You don’t actively think about the twitch of a muscle, you focus on adjusting the larger actions and the micro-actions normally follow suit. Our brains are amazing in the ways that they learn and adjust. This applies to all areas of our lives and the lives of every sentient being in the universe.
Purpose of Tenets
All of this leads to the Tenets of The Order or any belief system or philosophy. We attempt to work these Tenets into our lives, day by day and degree by degree. Many might think of replacing the word Tenets with commandments, although this would not be accurate. Tenets are principles of belief or philosophy and not something that another person would be demanding of you or “commanding”. If anything, you make these demands of yourself.
The word commandment is also inaccurate because it is commonly recognized to be associated with Christianity (which does not normally mesh with The Order). Secondly, the idea of commanding other humans in that way grinds against an existing VéRúnian Tenet regarding the respect of personal autonomy.
However, one similarity might be this: One does not read through the entire Bible or collection of gospels only to arrive at the Commandments and be turned off from the whole religion. Those commandments are already ingrained in the core philosophy of Christianity as a whole. Tenets and commandments are both intended to communicate the most vital principles of a religion, organization, or sacred order in a succinct manner.
We have included the Tenets in an easy-to-process, list-type fashion. We’ve also clarified and expanded upon each point so that there is no misunderstanding as to the purpose of each degree. If one were to read no other portion of these documents except for the Stones and Degrees, this would be the perfect starting point to convey core principles.
If I were evaluating an organization or Sacred Order that I thought related to the way I desired to build and live my life, I would first want to understand their core philosophies. It is the intent of this section and those that follow to lay bare the core philosophies and ideas that cradle The Order as a whole.
Stones and Degrees
We’ve discussed the linear progression and cycles that the world appears to be based on and around. So too, are the tenets outlined in a specific order or progression. It is after all not enough to simply read through a list of guidelines and attempt to half-heartedly incorporate these ideas into your life. That would be incredibly difficult to do all at once. This may be why many Christians fail to adhere to their own God’s commandments and teachings.
As a member of the human race, one will find that the journey to the destination is often enjoyed more than the destination of arrival. The Order offers a guideline as to the sequence you should take to allow you to adopt and work through a single Segment (Stone) and its micro-components (Degrees).
The sequential Stones and their internal Degrees could be thought of similarly to the colored belts one might earn whilst progressing through a martial art along with their intermediary stripes between belts. Internalizing the Tenets of the Order will allow you to gradually improve many aspects of your psyche and your life as a whole.
It is important to understand that one should still strive to learn and follow every Degree within every Stone, above and below your present level. You should only start this journey if the complete philosophy is understood and you feel the calling to undertake the process. There are no hidden agendas nor surprises, only a way to improve and move forward in ways that may not have been possible for you in the past.
The reasoning for the explicit linear progression is this: Although it already takes dedication to officially decide to commit yourself and your life to The Order, to put forth that level of dedication to self-improvement, you will likely need to journey through intermediary levels. You will often need to have tackled the previous levels of dedication and Degrees/Stones to fully realize the potential of the ones to come. There is no timeline by which to complete any journey of the self.
All should be practiced, but only one will be fully focused on in a given moment (in the beginning).
After skimming through the next few sections, and possibly by this point, many will decide that The Order is not for them. This culling process is expected and most welcome. One should not dedicate oneself to following a path that does not intimately connect with their life. If these words do not speak to you, I encourage you to walk the other way.
Even as the author/founder, I started this full progression from the 1st Stone. As I finalized these texts I began to work my way through the same progression and path that I would expect anyone to take. You cannot speak to a virtue or belief that you have not fully meditated upon yourself. You cannot claim that the way is the way without having walked that path yourself.
Pretend for a moment, that a stranger picked an action from your life at random. This stranger then asked you to explain the exact reasoning behind that action. What would your answer be? It depends on the action, of course, but my thought is that if a succinct and immediate answer cannot be provided then it brings into question the validity of taking such an action, to begin with. Should this common occurrence, this action without purpose, even be present in your life? The path to improvement is to consciously identify those tasks without merit and focus on the important elements that can be improved upon.
Continue to the Nine Noble Virtues.