Intermission: The Apostles of Hiranyagarbha
The Apostles of Hiranyagarbha (Indus: हिरण्यगर्भ : trans. Golden Womb) are a religious organization operating mainly in Higashi and the Indus Confederation. Their core tenets are a belief in reincarnation and communion with God. The Apostles are a successor group of the Tenchishinri (Higashi: 天地真理 trans. Truth of Heaven and Earth) cult. Activity of the organization is highly restricted and monitored by authorities worldwide since the Shangjing Incident in 4007 A.C.
Background
The Apostles of Hiranyagarbha were founded in 4007 A.C. as a more moderate offshoot of the Tenchishinri. The founding leader of the Apostles is the Great Mother Saeko Wakayama, a Higashi citizen that was formerly a high ranking member in the inner circle of the Tenchishinri.
Beliefs
The Apostles of Hiranyagarbha believe that all life is interconnected and the energy of life flows from one being to another at every moment. To them, even inanimate objects such as rocks contain life energy, though in far lesser quantities than actual organisms. The primary message of their creed is that by diverting this life energy in certain ways, believers will be able to gain health, wisdom and prosperity. The ability to gather life energy is accrued within the souls of the believers, and higher ranking members have more memories of their past reincarnations unlocked by the Great Mother, granting them more power.
Another aspect of their beliefs, albeit a more controversial one carried over from the Tenchishinri, revolves around communion with God, who they refer to as feminine. They believe that God who lives outside the universe has turned Her ears away from the world, and to attract Her attention they must create God within this universe. The Golden Womb refers to the universe as egg and nurturer. By performing rituals to gather life energy, the Great Mother will transform her womb into a suitable receptacle for God and give birth to Her. The resulting child will attain divine transcendence, at the same time both inside and outside the universe. It is prophesized that after an Age of Strife, she will bring salvation to humanity.
The rituals of the Apostles commonly involve the use of Inanna flowers, which they deem to be a compound that allows them to get closer to God. Though the claimed hallucinogenic properties of Inanna flowers have yet to be proven, it has not stopped the Apostles from coming into conflict with the Imperial Shinar Corporation over ownership of the flowers.
Organization & Influence
The organization is divided into a hierarchy of nine levels. At the top resides the Great Mother. She is aided by a council of nine high priests, who make up the second level and are said to be in charge of the day-to-day administration of the Apostles. Eighty one priests form the third level and usually serve as spokespersons for the organization. The total members of the organization, as well as the amount of devotees at each subsequent level are unknown.
The organization runs several foundations worldwide, including the Atman Foundation and the Golden Charity groups. These foundations have invested plenty of resources into helping the poor and advancing scientific research, as well as becoming a significant lobbying force in Higashi, the Indus Confederation and the United Nations of Shulgiland.
Although the Apostles’ activities are monitored, their foundations do not fall under the same restrictions.
Controversy
As a branch group that was formed shortly after the Shangjing Incident, some suspicion has fallen upon them after the Tenchishinri became defunct in the aftermath of that event. Some surviving members of the Tenchishinri that were not co-opted by the Apostles have denounced the successor group in public, accusing the Great Mother of manipulating the Tenchishinri. Investigations by the authorities have produced nothing that can directly relate the Apostles to the incident.
Allegations of orgiastic rituals and child abuse have been made against the Apostles over the years. In 4011 A.C., these accusations became the focus of the award-winning documentary Inside the Womb by noted investigative journalist and director Kade Payson, culminating in a series of worldwide crackdowns on the Apostles in 4012 A.C. Six priests of the third level were arrested for counts of child abuse, and the organization launched a successful information campaign portraying those priests as deviants and not representatives of the Apostles.