#fleurism

[littledoomwitch]

is it alright to be a Fleurist without signing up for Fleurism?

that is currently literally the only way you can do it.

-- Mod D

[littledoomwitch]

What exactly is fleurism? I ask as a Chaote who likes learning and studying things, particularly in terms of spirits. I scrolled through your entire tag but a lot of the links were broken so I'm kind of confused and don't have a decent picture of whats going on.

it’s a spiritual practice myself and Mod D made something like 4 or 5 years ago meant to work through death as a practice, kind of animate it and give it a more physical form? just different representations of death and respecting it within our lives as opposed to fearing it.

– Mod D

EDIT: it is also pretty much completely dissolved by us and y’all can do whatever you want with what has been made available.

[littledoomwitch]

Super quick and dirty fleurism FAQ that I’m throwing together now:

Fleurism does not have any preference to being above/below other deities in other practices/religions. consult whatever you are currently doing first, then see how Fleurism fits in.

you can write/draw/pitch in however you please. I definitely don’t have the time to contribute much anymore, so you guys are all welcome to.

the titles you see for each of the beings are titles, and any *true names* will not be given, period. sorry folks. also I won’t tolerate stuff like “oh the judge came to me and said his true name was billy”, I don’t care. that’s not how that works (also that’s wrong, whatev). all of them are perfectly content being referred to as their titles.

since the information is being updated now, anyone can jump in. no biggie on my end.

[littledoomwitch]

On “Judge of the Soul”

The Judge of the Soul is a rather essential piece in how we look on the Afterlife process. He is settled as a perfect middle. He is the deity who looks upon our soul and decides whether or not we are ready to move on, where we go, and just what happens with us.

This, obviously, is a huge act of trust between you and an outside deity. It is him who looks through everything you’ve done, and ultimately, he is the one who is making the big decision for you. Yet, we do not see him as someone who has done no wrong and is above us. The Judge is very well known for falling from his position of power and having to climb his way back to the top in order to regain his position. He sympathizes with those who have fallen from any “true” path, and understands their plight and rewards them for their efforts. He may be the Judge of the Soul, but he does not Judge in the way that most expect.

He breaks down a soul and weighs the need for an individualist lifestyle versus a completionist one. He memorizes their history and looks to find correlations and explanations for what made them into who they are and what led to their death. Finally, he takes their Afterlife into account. Be it Heaven, Hell, Nirvana, or the Left and Right House, this is the last thing he must know before he sends them off to where they belong. Those who hold no belief in an Afterlife are not met with him, and those who do not believe in a final Judgement do not meet him as well. Only those who wish to be criticized by one who has experienced what they have; a deity who understands humanity. He is not All Knowing, All Powerful, and Just.

Here is a fable about his history:

JoS was once a human who lived within the Center Plane [this is the term used for the plane we exist on]. He had died in war, and died valiantly. He was awarded a high place of power as an Judge of Spirit: it was his place to decide which plane that souls moved to. He encountered a spirit who he had grown with, but had left him abruptly. When he questioned her, she gave answers that did not comfort him: as a human, the Judge had grown prideful and rude. Her words were biting as he realized how he had mistreated her in another life. She left him, and soon after, he entered war and died for a nobler cause. He was overcome with rage at both her truth and his lies to himself and struck out, which brought about a transformation. Vengeance wracked through his body, and from his High pedestal, he descended. Now a being of chaos, he judged improperly and acted in haste. Only when he could look upon them with Love and Understanding did he realize the chaos was not what bound his soul: it was himself. A final transformation took place, and no longer was he Light or Chaos. He became that of an Impartial Judge, looking upon everyone with half cast eyes and a small scale in his hands.

here is a poem about him:

The Judge finds himself fighting in a war He is young, he is brave, he does not know He is unable to escape before He is just another body in tow

His soul is now fit to decide the fate Of those who died and seek a safe plane He sees a friend approach him at the gate His anger at her harsh words caused him pain

He emerged out of chaos and attacked He lost his title and hid in his shame Once he got his penance, his guise had cracked He returned to his post and took his name

He is [REDACTED], the Judge of the Soul He may have broken, but he sees us Whole As we take the time to learn our spirits grow and then, in turn

we outgrow our bodies and feel quite trapped with the thought of death, our minds grow wrapped but our body is what incubates, deep within us, the soul it creates Death aims to show us that flesh is not constant That spirit can move freely in an instant

[littledoomwitch]

On “The Unfortunate Child”

The Unfortunate Child exists in whispered tales told by children past their bedtimes. She’s the scary doll who laughs at you when the lights are off, the little girl caked in blood and tears and babbling nonsense until you’re crying as well. She’s a danger, a menace, but it is all she knows how to do. Even those who know Her well understand that she is nearly impossible just to speak with.

Other names for her are Eastern Nightfall, The Rotted Doll, and The Fallen Lace. She is best known for wandering about the many planes of existence and finding herself nice places to settle down and slaughter as many people as she can. She does not know why she does this, and no one else seems to understand either.  All that is known is that she is a lost spirit who finds solace in the deaths of others. Other beings of Death understand her existence, and allow her to continue because Untimely Death will exist just as Timely and Violent Death do. She is a necessary part of the cycle, even if it is not the preferred end.

The Unfortunate Child haunts those with suicidal idealizations, and seeks to bring them with her. She is not kind, she is not reasonable. She is brash and quick to act. Those who are haunted by Her are no less strong if they listen or entertain Her words, but it is understood that Her death is a fierce one.

Other than suicide, due to her upbringing, she enjoys beauty and all sorts of fashion very much. She will happily watch over someone as they dress themselves up and apply makeup, simply because it reminds her so much of how her loving mother would do the same. She is depicted in many outfits, as even a young child can be filled with vanity.

The Unfortunate Child’s outrages can come from a variety of different things, but She is best known for getting upset by being ignored. It is imperative that if you are to ever entertain her presence that you listen to anything She says, even if She speaks in tongues. Always be prepared for her company, and always be prepared for if She grows upset with you for any reason at all. Just because She is a child is no reason to underestimate her. Someone who can listen to Her words and remain on the path of a Timely/Violent Death are incredibly strong willed and are not to be underestimated either.

I will be rewriting her fable when I feel like revisiting this post.

[littledoomwitch]

The Woman of the Trees

Woman of the Trees is a young nature spirit who delights earthly happenings, running around in forests, and interactions with other earthly beings. She patrons the life and death cycle of plantlife, which we show through taking care of plantlife through the seasons.

She is known best as the Tree of Promises, due to being a rather talkative spirit and delighting in tricking people into believing her deluded tales. She is equally famous for leading men astray. Despite being sweet and silly, she is definitely not a being to be taken lightly, as she can be rather manipulative.

She brings Life to the Earth, enchants the minds of the innocent, and tells stories to all who listen. She is best for gardening, plant life, or any sort of taunting or teasing the weak minded.

Parable about Woman of the Trees and Seasons:

The Gardener spent his days outside, trying his hardest to grow plants on his tiny, decrepit plot of land outside an old mansion that smelled of Death. Try as he might, nothing seemed to grow. He tended to the withering plants one day and looked up to see a woman carved out of wood with long, curving vines for hair. She grinned at his pitiful plot and laughed at his dead flowers. She knelt down and buried her hands in the soil, letting enchanted roots spring from her fingertips. The Gardener was shocked to find that the once dead area was now filled with lush plantlife! He thanked the woman repeatedly, asking for her name and her company. She denied him both, and left the very next day. He looked to see his plants, withered and dying once more. Many times she would do this; entertain his company for a short period and give his garden life, only to vanish suddenly. One day, he swore that he’d find a way to keep her there for good. 

She made her entrance, as always and he asked for her to step forward, so he could greet her with a kind embrace. The vain woman agreed, walking right through the garden to him. Suddenly, her feet were trapped in a thick mud, unable to move or escape. He watched her grow into a lovely tree and would give her all of his attention. Before long, her leaves began to wilt and her color dimmed. Before long, the beautiful woman who blessed his garden now had left him for good. The cursed soil had rooted her for good, but had caused a temporary death to occur. He held the thick trunk and sobbed at the loss, wishing desperately for death to return her to him. With no such luck, he would spend his days staring onward at the tree, praying and begging for magic to fill his land once more. The Gardener woke one sunny morning to find her full of life, and he held her once more in joy. He felt her dislodge herself from the old mud and she fought and argued with the Old Man for holding her hostage. After threatening to leave for good, he asked only for a short time with her. To this day, the Gardener prepares his plot at the end of every winter, waiting for the lovely Woman of the Trees to grace his soil and give him good harvest. 

[littledoomwitch]

“Lesson 3″ Entities within Fleurism

Blurb: explanation of how to address the spirits: not as gods, but as helpers, patrons, or even messengers. As a general rule they are to be honored or invoked, not worshiped.

Breakdown: Within Fleurism, we work with three different types of entities: spirits, deities, and symbols. A spirit is on the same level as the Fleurist, and can be spoken to plainly. They should still be treated with respect, but it should be known that a spirit was once something more tangible and should never be worshiped. For example, while The Unfortunate Child is the patron of Untimely Death, she is not treated as an all powerful being. She (and the other spirits) are not on the same level as the deities within the practice, and should not be treated as such. Deities are the next highest level, and would be honored and treated highly. They are seen as a guest and a mentor more often than a comrade, and should be treated as such. Symbols are the highest level of being within Fleurism, and can be seen however the practitioner chooses. They are not treated as beings, as they have ascended above that. This title belongs mainly to Death, but also to the patron of the four elements. She will be addressed in later lessons.

Spirits -

Spirit of the Grave: Patron of Graveyards

The Unfortunate Child: Patron of Untimely Death

Woman of the Trees: Patron of the Natural Cycle of Plants

Deities -

The Timeless Man: Patron of Timely Death

The Faceless Woman: Patron of Violent Death

The Friendly Host: Pyschopomp of the Death Cycle (one of two)

Judge of the Soul: Judge of Souls within the Death Cycle

The Excellent Host: Psychopomp of the Death Cycle (two of two)

Symbols -

Death

The Patron of the Four Elements

[littledoomwitch]

“Lesson One”: Death as a Symbol

Study Blurb: Death is a symbol for an unknowable power or force and if death is a deity it’s not one we can experience. 

Fleurist Text: The goal and meaning behind Fleurism is to be a force of death until death approaches. Understanding, accepting, embracing. Death is not only the Final and End All, but the start of a journey of the Spirit. In this event, our period of life is the understanding of the Spirit vs the Self. One's body does not matter. One is one with Death. One's spirit is what matters. The body is obsolete. Despite this, Life is important! Life is needed to enrich the Spirit, but we must use our life to flirt with and embrace Death. Flirtation with Death is necessary, as one must become close to truly understand Death. The highest form of this (and the given example) is Mithridatism. Death is not a deity, but a single, overarching symbol.

Breakdown: We are all, in some way, going to achieve death. No one can avoid this, no one should be doing so to begin with. We’re all working together to make ourselves out to be the best we can before this occurs, and to accept and understand what will happen. The understanding of the Spirit vs the Self is this process. Our physical bodies are not constant, and will grow and change as we get older and closer to Death. Our spirit, on the other hand, can take the time to learn and adjust itself. While the body is obsolete and the spirit is where we place our importance, the body should not just be forgotten, as it is the incubator of the Spirit. Love death just as you love life. A fear of life is dangerous, even if you love death. To fear life and to end it before it is finished is seen as Untimely. This time could have been taken to learn and understand more about your Spirit! A Timely death is preferred within Fleurism, as you can use your time to learn. Untimely Death is not evil, simply a different way to become One with Death. As you can already tell, Death is achieved in many ways, which will be established in future writings. Because of this, we do not see Death as a single being. Death is within all of us, as we all are forces of Death. Death is to be seen as a symbol for each of us to take in and adapt to, because of this. We all live life and flirt with death, and we do not condone any method of harming yourself to become closer to death. To live your life as you are ready and willing to die at any moment is suitable for this lifestyle. The highest form of flirtation with death is Mithridatism, which is defined as taking trace amounts of poisons and becoming immune to them. This is not a necessary act of devotion, but is seen as the most powerful.

Death will always be a symbol, and will never be hidden from you, as you must know Death to progress. It should also be known that you are free to work with any god, deity, or spirit as you practice. We will simply teach of the spirits, deities, and symbols of our practice and how they influence what we do. They will not fault or harm you for working with anyone else, though please make it known if your specific entity is not so comfortable with this arrangement.