Introduction: Welcome to our guidebook. For you to best understand the nature of our philosophy, it is best to first explain a few of the institutions that have been set within our organization. We are a group based on the Philosophy called "The Doctrine of Rectitude," upon which this booklet is based. The underlying symbol used by all of the members is the Ankh, which is the ancient egyptian symbol for life. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Doctrine of Rectitude: To fully understand the doctrine, it is usually best to consult those who have been following already for a decent period of time, since it is quite difficult to sum up all of the concepts into one easy to understand description. But it is not absolutely necessary, since the doctrine is designed to allow for individualism. Every person is an individual, physically and mentally. A philosophy designed to have profound impacts on one's life cannot be expected to work the same way for everyone, and hence the doctrine is built on the concept of changing and flexing to suit the needs and desires of the individual. You can delve into it as much or as little as you like. There are no rules that say how much you need to do. When you decide to join in our beleifs and follow the doctrine, you are by no means obligated to very much at all. You can back out at anytime, especially since the doctrine can't work for you if you don't feel comfortable with it. The first order of business is to view the description of how the doctrine works, and what it is all about. The doctrine is founded upon a system of virtues. The doctrine simply states that by applying these virtues to your every-day life, and attempting to uphold them as best you can, that you can greatly improve your relationships with other people and the world around you, as well as bring a sense of fullfillment into your life. But no one is grading your success except yourself, and no one is expected to uphold all of the virtues all of the time, for that is something we would not even expect of a divine entity. You must also note that this is merely a philosophy, and that you don't have to have concerns about it conflicting with your religion. The doctrine includes nothing about worship, for it is simply a system through which those who are willing can enlighten themselves and increase the quality of their life. The virtues are what the doctrine is all about! There are ten virtues in all. This is devided into a group of nine virtues, with the tenth standing on it's own. The reason for this will become apparent when you read their descriptions. Each Virtue is named after the word which best describes it, but is by no means a complete description. To fully understand each one, you must read the entire listing for it, and reflect upon it in your own thoughts. Using your own intuition is very important, since the doctrine requires you to do what YOU think is best for YOU. Below is the list of virtues: The first 9 virtues: 1. Compassion. -This virtue represents every form of caring and understanding. It includes kindness, politeness, and Love. Understanding is an integral part of this virtue. To be able to put yourself into someone else's shoes and view things from their viewpoint is highly valued under this virtue. 2. Courage. -This virtue is the concept of being courageous and valorous. To be capable of making the correct decisions, no matter how frightening they may be and the like is this virtue's major focus. To be able to persevere in the face of a difficult task is highly valued. 3. Truth. -This virtue includes the concepts of honesty, Decisiveness, Knowlege, perceptiveness, and observance. Honesty is one of the most highly valued concepts of the Doctrine of Rectitude, and is thus the main focus of this virtue. This virtue also means that it is always good to be knowlegable about things you are involved in, and to be capable of making decisions based upon that knowlege. Also you must be aware that it is not possible to know everything and to pick out all the truths from the falisies, and thus you must be ready to see new influences as they occur, and pick out as much information as possible from your environment. Truth is one of the more difficult virtues to follow, but is also one of the more highly valued. 4. Honor. -The virtue of Honor includes Loyalty, Trust, Trustworthiness, responsibility, Composure, and dignity. To be honorable, one must maintain their loyalties, and not "backstab" people. To be able to trust, and to earn the trust of others is honorable. To hold a level of honor, one must also keep their composure and dignity, despite what others may say or do. 5. Wisdom. -Wisdom is the ability to make educated decisons based upon previous knowlege, and to know what is true or right through good judgement. Wisdom can be attained through experience, as well as a consistent attempt to use good judgement. This virtue also includes patience, tact, and foresight. To be able to figure out what lies ahead based on the matters at hand is valuable indeed! 6. Selflessness. -This virtue includes all forms of aiding others. Note that to be selfless does not necessarily require a sacrifice, although sacrifices are quite virtuous. Generosity and philanthropy are also valuable qualities classified under this virtue. Any action that does not aid yourself any more than it does for others, especially ones that don't aid yourself at all or even hurt you are what this virtue is about. 7. Justice. -This virtue is the idea of being able to make fair and just decisions based on all available information, especially if you were the one to gain from a dishonest situation. This virtue also includes one's ability to forgive others, and to exhibit a quality of temperance. Overkill is almost never necessary, and to be able to get the point across without over-doing it is highly respectable. 8. Humility. -To remain humble is quite valued. Vanity, greed, and arrogance are abhorred to the extreme within the doctrine, and this virtue represents the ability to avoid those vices. Modesty and Protagonsim are things to be upheld with dignity. 9. Strength. -This virtue represents mental strength (physical strength is irrelevant, neither virtuous, nor unvirtuous). This includes the ability to build up courage (which is another virtue in itself) when it is necessary. It also includes your resilience to what other people say and think of you, since their thoughts of you are not as important as your own. This aslo represents your will power. It is always important to maintain enough will power to do what is necessary, and what is right. The last virtue: 10. Unity. -This represents the binding of the virtues into one unified force acting upon the self. It is your ability to deal with and uphold all of the other nine virtues simultaneously. To be able to handle all the virtues together is in itself a virtue. Unity goes beyond the other virtues, for it is the ultimate goal of the doctrine. Unity is what we all strive for in our lives as we follow the Doctrine of Rectitude. It is impossible for it to be reached with perfection, since we are all human. But it is a goal, and it is the attempt that brings the rewards and fullfillment into our lives. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Following the Doctrine: Once you have a working understanding of the doctrine, to start using it within your life, you simply have to try to think of it when you make decisions, and talk to other people, and generally at anytime you feel it necessary, then simply use it as a tool to aid you in your journey through life. To be fully considered a follower of the doctrine, you must undergo what we call "The Affirmation of the Virtues". To do this, you simply decide on something to do as a symbol of your taking the virtues into your existance. This task may be something extremely simple, or it can be a real test of your abilities. One thing you can do is "The Tests of Virtue", described below. The Tests of Virtue: It would be innappropriate for me to suggest something that I have not done myself, since the doctrine is fundamentally designed to work for individuals. So the Tests of Virtue is the only thing listed here as a sample Affirmation of the Virtues. The Tests of Virtue is simply a preiod of time (70 days) in which you try to take on the virtues one at a time and live up to them. You spend a week on each one, in any order that you choose, as long as Unity is saved for last. If you feel at the end of the week that you didn't do as well on that virtue as you would have liked, then you spend a few more days on it before starting the next virtue. This test isn't hard, since you will be striving for unity all the time anyway, and this simply focuses you to one virtue at a time. But it is a good way for you to familiarize yourself with each virtue. It is not necessary that you spend a week on each one. If you wish, you could spend a day on each one, or perhaps a month. Whatever you decide, you should try to stick to it as best you can. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Organization: The organization has a simple system. Each chapter of the organization has it's own leader(s), customs, ceremonies, and perhaps even their own set of amulet designs. In the following sections about Acceptance, and the Amulets, it is assumed that you will be following the setup within my chapter. At the time of writing this, mine is the only one in existance. The chapters are run in a monarchial system. This works because there is always the possibility of starting a new chapter or joining another chapter if you are dissatisfied with your present one. Each chapter maintains a manifest of all of it's members, and how to contact them. No chapter is responsible for the members of another. The possible reasons for starting seperate chapters numerous. The most important is distance. It would be rediculous to try to have a meeting with people who are scattered all across the country for example. Other than that, it is mostly for a dissagreement on how the ceremonies and amulets should be set up, or because a particular chapter gets too large. To start a chapter, you must first clear it with me. It is always possible to start your own group anyway, but in order to be considered an official chapter of the Doctrine of Rectitude, it must be cleared through me first. It also must uphold the Doctrine, without changing it. All the ceremonies, Amulets, and other such details may be changed to suit the chapter. Another thing that can be changed is the chapters government. A chapter may be run in any way. Note that I reserve the right to revoke a chapters title of being and official chapter if I feel it is not living up to the status it should. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Acceptance into a Chapter of the Organization: -Note that you do not have to join to follow the Doctrine of Rectitude, however you must follow the Doctrine of Rectitude in order to be a member. First, you must meet with the leaders so that they may decide if you would be a beneficial member. Once you have been accepted, you can then proceed with your acceptance. You will need to choose an Amulet Bearer. Usually it is the person who first introduced you to the group, but it may be anyone of your choosing. This person will hold onto your amulet (which we will go into detail about shortly) until the acceptance ceremony is held. The next step is to choose what you will do as your Affirmation of the Virtues, if you have not already done it. It is possible to be accepted into the group when you are simply starting with the doctrine. The final step of preparation is to buy an amulet. You are free to choose any one you want, as long as it is an Ankh, and is worn around the neck. Most jewelry shops these days sell Ankh pendants of all sizes, proportions, and colors. Choose it wisely, for it must be one that you feel comfortable wearing in public places. Some people like to announce to the world that they are being virtuous, and thus like large reflective ones, while others prefer more subtle appraoches by using small dark ones. The Acceptance Ceremony: The ceremony is quite simple indeed. It will usually be held as part of a larger meeting, since it does not take long. The Amulet Bearer will have your Amulet, and hold it in a nice, aesthetically pleasing case, with the Amulet lying upon some nice fabric (silk or satin are preferable). When the time arrives, one of the leaders will call both you and the Amulet Bearer forward. The Amulet Bearer will step up and open the case, holding it so that the leader may remove the amulet with ease. The leader will then place the amulet around your neck and welcome you into the group. Records are kept of all members. Your acceptance date and your Amulet Bearer are recorded with your name, and it will be recorded under your name the names of all those for whom you are an Amulet Bearer. After the ceremony, and whatever else is to be done at that meeting, you will be given a token of membership (varies from chapter to chapter) and will be asked to sign an agreement stating that the tokein doesn't belong to you, and it is property of the chapter, and it may be revoked at any time that the leaders see fit (which is basically either a suspension or a dismissal from the chapter). The Amulet: There are no requirements as to how often or how much you wear your amulet, except that it must be worn at all meetings and get-togethers. This is why you need to get one that you are confortable with. If we decide to have a trip to an amusement park as a fun-packed retreat for instance, you'll have to have it on. If you are unfamiliar with Ankh's and this sort of thing, I would like to clarify something. Many new-age people out there wear an Ankh because they like to, so don't think that everyone who is wearing an Ankh is a member! We are definitely not that widespread. -----------------------------------------------------------------------------