Otherfaith Practices

Otherfaith Practices

Yes.

Other People are allowed to participate in any other religious groups they wish to. They are not required to limit themselves to only the Otherfaith. The only member of the Otherfaith that must focus on the Otherfaith before other religions (not to the exclusion of) is the spokesperson, currently Aine Llewellyn.

Yes.

The Other People are not restricted to worshiping the Four+ Gods alone.

No.

An Other Person may choose which gods they wish to interact with in their own private practices. Knowing the gods' relationships with each other is often important to understanding individual deities better, but a practitioner does not need to engage with each god.

To become an Other Person, an individual performs a dedication ceremony to the Four+ Gods. After that is performed they may identify as an Other Person.

Participation in the community may be done through activity in the Discord server, blogging about the Otherfaith, or writing stories about the gods and spirits. Participation is not required to be an Other Person but is often helpful in developing one's practice.

The Four+ Gods may also be incorporated into an existing religious practice that you are already part of.

The simplest offering in the Otherfaith is light and water. The light can be a candle, whether flame or LED, or the light of the sun. Water may be poured into a small container or onto the ground depending on where the offering is given.

A good offering when beginning your practice is to lay out bread, honey, and cream or milk. Set this out, untouched, for a half hour to an hour, and then discard the food into the proper disposal.

You can participate through worship, writing stories and fanfiction, and contributing to community projects.

Private worship is a form of participation in the Otherfaith, and an Other Person should not feel obligated to share their religious lives with the community. Individual impressions of the gods and responses to religious practices help develop the Other People's understanding of the holy ones, though, and the open sharing of a Person's experiences is what advances the Otherfaith.

Writing stories/fanfiction, as well as analyses or breakdowns of existing stories, is another way to get involved in the Otherfaith. Our stories are published on Archive of Our Own under the 'Otherfaith Religion & Lore' tag. Analyses of stories can be posted on a blog - either your own or through an Otherfaith Wikia account - or submitted to the blog hosted here.

Community projects vary by month and availability. There are none currently running.

No. The Otherfaith does not restrict membership based on identity.
No. Other People may use religious names for privacy, but members are not required to change their names. If they are given a name by a god or spirit they are not required to share it.
No. An Other Person may leave the religion at any time, even after undergoing dedication and initiation. Members may also leave the religion for a time and then return, if desired. Members who stop practicing are not kicked out of community areas, and current members are allowed to talk to ex-members without fear of reprimand.
No. Members may leave the community and religion whenever they wish. They do not need the permission from leadership or the rest of the group.
No. Non-members are encouraged to participate in discussions and learn about the Otherfaith. Ex-members are similarly invited to continue participating in such spaces. Bad behavior, by members and non-members alike, can result in an individual being removed from a community, but leaving the religion is not considered bad or wrong.

Members who leave the religion may be removed from specific private group areas, such as spaces limited to initiates of certain deities or similar areas.

No. Members should maintain pre-existing friendships and develop relationships outside of the group as well as developing friendships within the Otherfaith

Association with hate groups may result in removal from Otherfaith communities, but this is a rare exception and has not been encountered in our history.

As a whole, no. Individual practitioners may enact such restrictions on themselves at the prompting or a deity or spirits. Such restrictions are considered highly personal and not applicable to the People as a whole. Religious fasting may be practiced during certain holy days, but it is not required and should not be used if it presents a health danger. A deity or spirit may be known to dislike certain foods, however, in which case the food items should be avoided as offerings to that entity.
No. Discussions of fashion that resonates with specific deities is sometimes a topic in the Otherfaith community, but such ideas should be used as inspiration and not as required dress codes. Some members choose to headcover for religious purposes while others do not; some may dress a certain way to honor a god while others do not feel the need.
No. The Otherfait has no medical restrictions of any kind. Members should seek proper medical care whenever possible. Any religious or spiritual practices should be used to aid the Person's soul and not in place of medically treating their body.