Eden Religion - Distorted Mirror
For my BloodyMary fic, one of the things I really want to do is format the religion of Eden. I'm at the very basic and barren level of world-building right now, but I'm going somewhere with all of this, trust.
I imagine everything is very plant, animal, and light oriented. That is the main thing I focused on when I started this.
The Gardener/Gardenkeeper:
The God of Eden, who has no particular gender. They are believed to have created the universe, though it is still debated whether or not they caused the Quiet Rapture. It is pretty much up to the individual to decide their beliefs about the Quiet Rapture.
The Caretakers/Arborists:
They are sometimes, but rarely, referred to as angels (pronounced the Russian way, as ahn-gyels). They are the servants of the Gardener, who protect the Grove. They are believed to be spirits made of starlight, which take the form of Earth animals unless they are presenting themselves to living mortals, in which case they appear as humans. It is believed that they can see the souls of living beings by meeting their eye.
The Grove is the afterlife, which is divided into many smaller parts, each for souls with a different level of "goodness." The levels of morality are split into: good and did good, good but did bad, neutral and did good, neutral and did bad, bad but did good, and finally bad and did bad. Doing bad is defined as having a net negative impact on society. Doing good is defined as having a net positive impact on society. Eden doesn't believe that people can have a perfectly neutral impact on the world and people around them.
Eden believes that the internal being of a human is as empty as the universe they live in. Much like the universe they live in, at the beginning of their life, their soul has stardust. The worse a person is, the more stardust they lose throughout their life, which cannot be regained. This can be through actions and reactions or thoughts and feelings. (A person could be an ungrateful altruist, always helping others, but their ungratefulness would make them lose stardust.) When someone dies, the stardust in their soul is weighed and their impact is judged, determining their place in the Grove.
The dark souls (ones with less stardust) are generally used as fertilizer for the plants in the Grove. It is believed that sometimes a dark soul can do enough good to earn their place in the Forest, but it has to be a lot.
The Nursery is the place where souls are created and sent to the living plane. It is also the first point at which dead souls are welcomed back into Grove and are subsequently judged for the lives they led.
The Forest is where dim souls (they have a medium amount of stardust left) who had a bad impact reside. On rare occasions, dark souls might also reside here. The Forest has almost no light break through the leaf canopy and there are few animals. Eden believes the souls of animals get to freely wander the Grove, but prefer to remain nearer to the heart. (The Forest is most comparable to Purgatory.)
The Wood is where dim souls that had a positive impact remain. There is far more light than in the Forest and a few more animals. It is a peaceful enough existence, especially since those within are blessed to feel the warmth of starlight. (The Wood is most comparable to the component of the Greek Underworld known as Asphodel.)
The Orchard is where bright souls (souls which maintain most of their stardust) who had an overall negative impact get to exist. This part of the Grove is not only bright and usually has many diverse animal species running about, but it is also the first point at which edible plants grow. It is, in many ways, paradise. (The Orchard is comparable to Heaven.)
The Garden is the heart of the Grove. It is where bright souls with a positive impact reside. Most often, the souls here died as children. It is believed that the Gardener themself watches over the souls in the Garden. This is the brightest, warmest, most floral and faunal diverse point in the Grove. (The Garden is like Heaven, but better, I guess.)
Do not waste. Waste is the worst offense against the Gardener.
Do not hoard. To hoard more than one needs is to waste.
I still need to add stuff, of course, but I'm happy where this is at so far.
Anygays, have a nice day or night, y'all.
