Afayi

Afayi (from Zekaisei af "holy" and ayi "come together") is a Shavist term for a person's relationship with God that is so profoundly intimate that s/he and God are said to have "come together" in a spiritual unity. This is more than following commandments and abstaining from sin; when one is afayi, God loves him/her and he/she therefore loves God and others for their own good.
== Etymology ==
Afayi is derived from af which means "holy, divine, the God" and ayi "together, united" which shares root with ui "people, friends, family".
== Significance in Shavist theology ==
According to Shavists, afayi is a virtue for which all man should strive. They believe that one should develop an intimate relationship with God, not simply to glorify him but to "love God, his fellows, and himself."
Sachi, a renown theologian, writes:
This afayi, this concept of being in absolute communion with God, of being friends with God – it really is virtuous and should be the utmost goal of humanity, to love God, hence his fellows, hence himself. To improve the human condition and effect reformation of society and in order to bring about righteousness within himself and without, one must communicate with God and become one with him in essence, in mind, not as a slave submits to his master, a child his parents, a subject his king, but as a friend with his friend. 
The Shavi Council of Arzjhia proclaims that "it is in the arms of God that man takes his rest, for God is friend to man and brings only peace to him."
The Friends proclaims in its Vital Manifesto that "it is God's will that man draw nigh unto him, to love him as a friend that he might enrich his life."
==Characteristics of afayi==
According to Shavist scriptures and tradition, afayi are righteous, albeit imperfect. They are conscious of the Truth (Zk. ji) and they are committed to loving others. As a result, they typically:
*consider others before themselves, willingly sacrificing their lives for others
*strive against wickedness with rational arguments, resorting to force only when absolutely necessary
*are slow to judge others, as they realize their own wickedness
*maintain a strong familial and social culture, as they value intimate personal relationships
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