Ascend to Malinor: The Numen [Part II]

[The Order of Malin 63]

 

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[!] As you peruse further down the scroll, you continue to unlock the author's secrets on his studies and writings of the soul. Descript details now accompany broad subjects from earlier in the scroll, diagrams and measures reveal an accompanying science and study of the subject.

 

Numen: The Empowered Mali Soul

'We once knew them in the flesh, from our Father Malin to the heroes of today. They walked amongst us as lliran. They ate with us at the table of friendship, led and fought with us in battle. Yet only the worthy, the most deserving of us shall transcend . In apotheosis they try to rise on the power and hope of our prayers and worship to ascend to Malin’or; We owe it to them and our Father to provide them the best chance to do so’' 

- Saneyir Melphestaus , The 2nd Lecture of Numeri and Malin’or , SA 75

 

Terminology 

Apotheosis: The act of shedding one's physical self and transcending into their spiritual self. 

Numen: Soul-mended Elves who through ritual shed their physical bodies through Apotheosis and now exist in a more purified spiritual form. 
Numeni (Adj: Numenic): The source of spiritual power that Numen and Deities use to perform divine powers.

 

Apotheosis & The Power of Mali Worship

 

Preparing a Mali for apotheosis into a Numen is an innately difficult process to achieve. As described earlier in this text, the Mali soul is fractured into three fragments. Before any Mali can undergo Apotheosis, they must be soul-mended with a fully whole soul. This, alone, is not enough. The body, mind, and soul must be prepared further for the very divine experience a Mali undergoing apotheosis is going to undergo. An overwhelming amount of mana must be used to protect the vessel of the Mali soul as it transfers from a physical body into a pure spirit. The source of this divine spiritual power is Numeri. Lastly, the ritual requires the correct liturgical words of power, Mali, to serve as the catalyst for Numeri to activate. 

 

When the tripartite soul is mended, the Malis body and mind are fortified, enough Numeri is available and the correct words of power are used - a successful apotheosis will follow. 

 

Numeni

Latent spiritual power exists in all beings capable of worship and it may also be stored or amplified in artifacts and objects. 

 

Numeni is a source of mana, though it differs in some notable aspects. 

 

• Numeni dissipates and must constantly be regenerated. Like water in the hot sun, it will evaporate away unless replenished.
• Numeni requires a catalyst to activate; it is dormant and otherwise useless without it. 
• An individual's mana reservoir is restricted, where an individual's Numeni is limitless - capable of drawing from it no matter how much they have. 

 

The Power of Reverent Belief. 

When any intelligent soul gives worship to another being, roughly a single Numeni is generated. This is the source of power for both Numen and the Mali Gods of Malin'or. This justifiably explains why those Numen and Mali Gods who have more worshippers have more power over the mortal realm. As Mali attempting apotheosis will need a large source of Numeni for their initial transformation, a wellspring of believers is required to establish the Numens Cult and prevent the Malis soul from being sent into oblivion. Each deed sung in the Malis name, every sacrifice offered at their shrine, every prayer offered on their behalf provides them new and refreshed power.

The Power of Reverent Objects.

Numen and Gods with excessive Numeni may channel their Numeni into objects that serve as stones of numenic power. Sometimes kept as charms of good luck, or embedded into objects as artifacts, if an Mali undergoing apotheosis were to come into possession of a Numenic Stone, they would be granted a significant source of energy to aid in the ritual. 

 

The author has written in detail the minimal design specifications for the construction of a Numenic shrine. At a minimum, it has  an enclosed location, a location for offerings, a statue of the Numen’s avatar, and an underground area of at least 5x5 to house the Numen’s artifacts.

 

Numen are aided greatly by objects that amplify the output of a soul's Numeni. This is the reason for the creation of sites of worship and altars of offering. When believers conduct worship at the Temple or the Shrines of their home - they act as a focus to amplify their Numeni. In this case, size and material matter. Silver and bronze are the minimum-quality required to amplify Numeni but high quality lumber is also appropriate. Lesser metals, such as Gold, are even known to blunt the prayers of worshippers. 

 

The Power of the Industrious Self

Numeni is also generated to a lesser extent by the individual themselves. A pursuit of perfection of the mind and body, the accrual of innate powers that expand their connection to their own mana wells generates passive Numeni. One must be careful and mindful of Voidal poisoning. While greater magic prowess aids in tapping into one's mana, too much Voidal poisoning can damage the body and the soul. 

Alchemic potions that purify the body are highly encouraged. Specialized concoctions should be prepared as a way to expedite the transference of the soul in apotheosis. A regime of a precise concoction of alchemical ingredients designed to create elasticity of the soul to the physical body is necessary in the weeks leading up to the ritual of apotheosis.

 

Cults must worship with the right offerings, times, and locations to best enhance the power of the Numen they worship - and thus confer the most boons upon them. Although worship is a highly individual and private affair for most followers of The Way , the Saneyir and the clergy of the Temple of Malin have a critical role in helping believers know the right method for practice.

Words of Power
“Words have power. They shape the stone and wind around us, they ascribe meaning to things where there was once nothing. Words are creation; and our ancient tongue molds the most primal of things”

The catalyst of any numenic  ritual is the ancient words of power that take all this latent numenic potential and activate it into raw deific power and energy. These words of power are the Mali language, and any Malinist ritual should use the primordial tongue in its prayers. Though in apotheosis the accuracy of the language is especially important, as improper use is doomed to condemn the Mali soul to oblivion. Everything from rituals and objects require the correct ancient Mali tongue to unlock the power of Numeni.

 

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Edited January 16, 2023 by The Order of Malin