It is said that the sweetest melodies can only be played if one has suffered in pursuit of them. The harp should have chords as strong and woven as a rough steel bow. The voice of the singer should be parched and cracked. In this way the tunes of the chorus and faith of those who sing have been put to the test, and been deemed worthy.
The Architect
"You may cry, weep and wail, but do not prostrate yourselves on my account. The forms and movements of a rigid body pale in comparison to the fluid and invisible beauty that escapes the mold containing them."
The scriptures of the Architect speak of duality in all things upon the mortal realm as a sad truth of the fundamental nature of existence. In writing the holy texts themselves, ink must be put to parchment, a confluence of the ethereal and fluid, and the rigid and fragile (paper), coming together to form creation. Just as the magic of the arcane originates from the bowels of the ground itself, the nature of the divine is of aether, unbound by the weight of that which makes all fall.
This duality, while recognized fundamental, is considered to be a necessary evil with the state of existence as we know it. Followers of the faith know themselves to be of clay and that which is held, but only so much as is necessary to hold the air of their lungs and that which can not be held. In this way, even the Architect is bound, as all creatives are, with the medium of their creations. Striving to overcome this limitation is the eternal puzzle that the faithful struggle with. It is impossible, if the teachings are to be believed, but it is the pursuit of this enigmatic state that brings one closer to being Incorporated into the Heavenly Body.
Curing
"One drinks long and deep of their wine, yet sets the cup down when they are finished with their meal. In this way, it is foolish to over-indulge the vessel, for then the drink within would surely fester and spoil."
To live is to be cured, like a creation placed within the kiln for the final time. To live life virtuously, is to cure like a bolt or gear, turned over at just the right times, with just the right heat; emboldened and strengthened by the process. Without tarnish, rust, or blemish, this is what a virtuous life lends itself to.
Those who are less than virtuous, or who simply fail in their life's calling, are said to be recycled and cast within molds anew in their next life upon death, the Architect ever working to refine their souls. While the theologians debate the details, such as if it is possible for a soul to ever become broken to the point of being unable to be recast, most agree that every soul that has failed its curing in life will reincarnate with similar purpose and trials they must face.
Some doctrines speak of those so wicked as to be cast to the floor of the Architect's workshop, to be tread upon for all eternity. These teachings primarily reemerge during times of great upheaval within the followers of the Architect, such as in great schisms, and tend to be pushed to the back of the junk drawer once the upheavals can be properly reconciled.
Incorporation
"The Architect has no psalms, for there is no voice with which he speaks. His is the tune of wind upon holy brass, sacred iron ringing with vibrations, and comprising therein the Divine Organ. The apparatus through which his melody is created, and his intent made clearer than any lyric or chant ever could."
Those that have been properly cured will, following their death, be judged by the keen eye of the Architect, and found to be worthy. These souls, saintly and without blemish, will be taken up out of the cycle of forging and curing, and Incorporated into the Divine Organ for their true purpose. In this way they will aid their creator so that they might add their will to his own, the old, impure vessel they once occupied, their mold, cast off and bearing the splendor of oneness.
No longer possessing a duality of soul and body, the component they have been forged and cured into can stand as a singular part of the grand assembly. The whole comprised of many parts, and many parts comprising the Divine Organ of the Heavenly Body.
While the details of how one's own purpose in life will shape the part they are meant to become, the following are commonly held beliefs among those that ascribe to the teachings.
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