Chakranism

Chakranism is a religion that hails from the distant and exotic lands of Iron Country. Through its turbulent history, a woman has gained the spotlight and attention of not only the peasantry but managed to captivate even the ruthless hearts of the warriors with her teachings of hope and unity, which were two things that the country lacked the most at the time she had emerged.

Yonahami was the name of the messiah of this religion, a young woman that had the supernatural ability to have visions of the close and distant future, with such precision that her first clairvoyance saved hundreds of citizens from perishing thanks to an avalanche that would have dropped on their village.

The people began gathering around her. She was constantly “whispered” to by chakra which she considered to be the consciousness of all living beings. This gave her immense knowledge as thousands of voices could whisper her the answers to many questions, and said answers were very often correct or helped her followers achieve success in businesses, battles, or family issues.

Yonahami had 12 disciples. The closest sponsors and friends, her future husband being one of them, known as the Samurai commander Yasuke. Her disciples were from various backgrounds. Nobles, peasants, merchants, business people, samurai, and more. They kept her protected and provided her with sustainment and luxuries. At first, they were eager to charge “pilgrims” that would visit her for advice, but she had declined this offer.

The main ideals of Yonahami were ones of equality, harmony and justice. She was no pacifist, as she saw that violence and action were justified when tyrants arose or your loved ones were at risk, but the loss of life would be something unnecessary and to be avoided as much as possible.

These ideas kept the elitist pre-shogunate samurai groups unrestful, as they saw her as a populist that would eventually lead a peasant revolution against the samurai chaste, which was the highest in the pyramid.

Chakranism came to its foundation after Yonahami was martyred, even after her contributions and proven worth as a commander. She had a huge following in Iron Country, and this would enrage the peasants and even noble followers to the point of nearly making the country fall into total anarchy if the samurai had not been quick enough to contain these revolts.

The remaining disciples formed the church of Chakranism and proposed the descendants of Yonahami to be the future leaders of Iron Country, as they interpreted her prediction of Iron Country to be unified once again only if her bloodline or relatives were on the lead.

This institution held itself through centuries in the Boshen region at Ikkoro, Yonahami’s fortress, and managed to survive up to the present day, consolidating itself not only as a prosperous and functional religious institution but also as a formidable political force.

### **Chakranism mantra**

The Chakranist mantra was built from the codex of Yonahami which is stored at Ikkoro’s library for everyone to read. This codex collected the main “whispers” from the chakra and “Mother” which is the highest being in the universe and the one that is constantly writing the present and modifying the future depending on every individual action. This is why Chakranism is a collective religion and encourages its followers to group and act as one, as individual good actions have little impact but collective good actions can change the future.

The Mother’s Decree is a set of rules the Mother had told Yonahami through the years to achieve ascension in the afterlife and to save the world from a fall into darkness:

1- Nature and its resources are sacred gifts, and they are to be used as much as possible to not waste any and to not exploit them causing harm to the environment. It is said the state of nature, flora and fauna of a place determines the state of the soul and the level of greed and self-destruction a group of people have. Do as much as possible to live among trees, animals, water and stay in touch with nature in your daily life.

2- Justice is above all, and your might and fury should be released on those who abuse the weak and their authority over their subordinates. Tyrants and cowards will have a place in darkness forever, and men and women of justice will be forever heroes in the eyes of the Mother.

3- Wealth and greed are temptations the weak-minded will succumb to. To achieve your true self, you will distribute it, as you will only enjoy the fruits of your wealth if your whole world benefits from it, as if you hoard it you will only be adding weight and vices into your life.

4- Bless the food before consumption, thank the Mother before every first sip of sake. The celestial being favours the grateful for the most mundane aspects of our lives.

5- Judge injustice, bigotry and tyranny.

6- Stealing is a disgusting action, as we are obliged to share our wealth and material goods, but always with consent and on our own terms. It is especially harmful if you steal from a position of authority (being corrupt).

7- Those who dwell in violence, death and subjugation will be constantly hunted and forced to embrace Chakranism, as it is the only way to prevent humanity from turning into monsters that kill and oppress without remorse. And if they cannot be converted, they shall perish and return their consciousness to the Mother to be judged by her and sent to the Void.

8- Lying is unnecessary as truth shall always prevail and it's the trail of the righteous.

Negative aspects of a person’s life are: greed, nihilism, laziness, vices, a life of excessive luxuries, egoistic goals, bloodlust.

Chakranism has many orders, with the main one being in Ikkoro, which is the biggest and most important. Inside said order, the 12 disciples take the biggest decisions and organize the campaigns of the church.

Every order establishes itself in a region by building a settlement and provides: sanctuary, food, education, protection and even in some cases law enforcement in places where there’s anarchy. In exchange, residents are given an introduction to Chakranist ideals and encouraged to drop their archaic religions to embrace the equality, justice and harmony of Chakranism and Yonahami the saviour.

### **Practices**

**Tanjo:** Tanjo is the initiation of Chakranism, in which the person is purified from the original corruption all humans carry and marks a “new beginning” in a more righteous way for the sake of humanity and justice. Normally, it’s practised in a temple, but any member of the church may host this ceremony. The person is normally brought by their parents to be purified and introduced into the faith. The practice consists of drinking a cup of blessed sake and saying rites among the host, reaffirming their faith and compromise with what they stand for. Normally, those who belong to this religion are given an object, in some cases gold praying beads, but it can be any gold accessory related to chakranism that can be used as a memory of this special day.

**Kakunin:** When a person that has initiated Tanjo, becomes 21 years old, a celebration is held to mark the start of their adult life. Friends and family gather and a ceremony is made to make the person confirm their faith and announce they are now available for marriage. Celebrations can endure for a week. The personal data of the believer gets sent to the 12 disciples in Ikkoro to be stored and ready to be updated once they marry, divorce, or pass away.

**Praying and pilgrimage:**

Chakranism praying has relative freedom, you mainly need praying beads and go one by one meditating about good memories, moments where you could have failed your faith and loved ones, visions of a better future and your goals.

Some prefer to organize their prayings in personalized chants that involve all of what they consider worth praying for.

Temples host ceremonies throughout the year along popular celebrations to “sanctify them” and even celebrations within themselves to attract new potential members of this religion.

People normally make pilgrimage to Yonahami’s fortress in Iron Country and visit her crypt, a holy place for this religion, but places like Earth country are starting to gain certain fervor as the locals see chakranism as a solution to their chaotic culture.

Some temples have resort, market, entertainment and or spa areas which incentivises pilgrimage and allows them to sustain themselves and gain local influence with these businesses.

**Culture:**

**Marriages:** A ceremony is held, with a member of the church as host. In it the couple merge their souls into one, binded for all their lives. The couple have to drink blessed sake from the same cup and kiss afterwards to confirm their decision, this happening after they both confess their unconditional love to each other. The couple and guests should use traditional robes and normally a feast endures after this union is made to symbolize the alliance between two families by the fusion of these two souls. A ring or collar is often exchanged by the couple as a reminder of their union.

Only the death of one, can allow the surviving member to marry again. Though the 12 disciples can evaluate a breach of their marriage if one of them abandons the other or are harmful to their partner.

**Funerals:**

A pyre is made, with the deceased on top of it. Their loved ones witness as they turn into ashes and these fly away. Witnessing it became archaic by this recent century and some families opt for witnessing the body, which would be wearing ceremonial clothes and items they held dear, and then leaving it burning in the pyre to return later.

**Holidays:**

***Season of life (November - December):*** This season is meaningful, as the chakranist church organizes the biggest festivals and celebrations to invite families to gather and foes to reconcile to celebrate and dine on the same table, to follow the example of Yonohami. Every region has their way to celebrate it, with their particular dishes, music and what not, the main point is the reconciliation and the celebration of the collective good that we may achieve.

***Crops celebration*** ***(September - October):*** This celebration revolves around celebrating the end of the harvesting seasons, the beginning of Autumn and to enjoy the profits of them. Feasts and county fairs are held to sell and enjoy the products alike and praying is constant to thank nature for its contribution to our lives.

***Spring Pyres (March-April)***: A season of reflection and praying, around this time of the year, Yonahami commited her martyrization to save everyone’s souls. Pyres are burned and feasts are held to honor her sacrifice. It’s a tradition to write down bad memories, experiences you have experienced into the pyre as a way to give closure to these chapters of their lives.

***Forest Calling (June-August):***  Pilgrims are encouraged to camp in the forest, organize feasts and celebrations there hosted by a member of the church and to connect with nature as much as possible. It is necessary that the festivities are as respectful as possible with the environment and the wild beings. Hunting is entirely forbidden around these months unless it’s enforced by military duties or oaths of loyalty, but a monk should be visited afterwards to pray and meditate about it. A vegan diet is also encouraged on these months but not enforced.

In all celebrations, it’s encouraged to share food, shelter and whatever your fellow attendants need. It’s also normally encouraged that the people attending wear traditional attires (kimono).