Catechism

 The Catechism is here to teach the basics of the religion of Cerva Madriana; it is a preliminary writing and one that may be updated to include sacraments and devotional practices. For now, it is to teach basic concepts of the faith.

• Origin of Soul

• From whence do you come and where is your first origin?

• I was created from before the beginning of time by God out of the overflowing of Her divine love.

• What is the nature of your being?

• I am the reflection of a fragment of Her eternal Spirit, borne from a peal of Her laughter.

• What have been your actions since the beginning of time?

• I have passed through many states of existence and many forms of life (although I can remember but a little).

• How came you upon this wheel of countless existences?

• In the beginning, my soul went into the material plane that I may have knowledge of experience.

• What is the natural state of your soul?

• The natural state of my soul is Perfect Union with God, which is the state of pure delight.

• Deity

• What is the first cause of existence?

• God is the first cause of existence, for She created the manifest universe.

• What is God?

• God is the one Spirit of the universe, complete in Herself, uncreated, and infinite in potency, perception and perfection.

• What is the Mystery of the Divine Trinity?

• That there is only one God, yet She is three Persons.

• What is a Mystery?

• A Mystery is a truth beyond the grasp of reason which God has nonetheless revealed to us; a Holy Paradox.

• Who are the three Persons of the Trinity?

• Our Celestial Mother Mari, Her Divine Daughter Anna, and the Dark Mother Mysteria Who is Absolute Deity.

• Who is our Celestial Mother, Mari?

• Mari is the Creator of the world and Ground of all being.

• What is Her Nature?

• She is pure Life, pure Light and pure Energy.

• What are Her Acts?

• All life, all action, and all thought flows from Her.

• Who is Her Daughter, Anna?

• Anna is the Sustainer, the Redemptress, and Queen of Heaven.

• What is Her Nature?

• She is pure Love.

• What are Her Acts?

• To bring souls closer to God, as through Her scattering of Her soul throughout the manifest universe.

• Who is the Dark Mother?

• She is Absolute Deity, Who existed before the beginning of existence and is beyond being and unbeing.

• What is Her Nature?

• She is outside space and time; She is all that is and all that is not.

• What are Her Acts?

• The exhalation of Her breath or Spirit is our Mother Mari, the Creator of the world. Of Her other Acts, our minds cannot conceive.

• Nature of Deity

• Does Trinity last only for the period of manifest creation?

• No, Trinity is the eternal Nature of Deity.

• Has God any beginning?

• God had no beginning and will have no end.

• When did God create the world?

• She creates it now and in every moment; if She ceased to create it, it would cease to exist.

• Where is God?

• She is in every place at all times.

• What is the name of God?

• She has been given many names by many different peoples.

• Yet are there many Gods?

• No, there is only one God.

• Are there any other Deities?

• There are not other Deities, however the Geniae, as the seven powers of God, are both of Her and also Celestial Intelligences.

• What is the nature of the Geniae?

• They are the seven powers of God that She set in the firmament; as Her Light is emanated to us, it as through a prism that the seven colors of the rainbow emerge, much as the seven powers and holy virtues are emanated to us.

• What are the powers of God?

• The powers of God are infinite; no thing is impossible to Her.

• What is the knowledge of God?

• The knowledge of God is infinite; She knows all that is, all that has been and all that is to come.

• Nature of Self

• What is the highest good of all beings?

• The highest good of all creatures is Perfect Union with God.

• When we speak of moving closer to God, do we speak of the material plane or of the spiritual plane?

• Primarily of the spiritual plane; however, our actions on the material plane affect this.

• What do you mean by moving closer to God on the spiritual plane?

• I mean that I become more like my true self and more in harmony with Her.

• What do you mean by moving further from God on the spiritual plane?

• I mean that I become more unlike my true self and more out of harmony with Her.

• What is your true self ?

• My true self is the perfect expression of a facet of Deity.

• What is the general nature of your true self ?

• My true self is a creature of infinite beauty, existing in a state of perfect happiness and complete harmony with God, and subject to no limitation of any kind.

• What is the particular nature of your true self ?

• Every facet of Deity is utterly unique; so also are the creatures which express them.

• Virtues

• What are the Three Primary Virtues?

• They are Life, or Wholeness; Light, or Energy; and Love, or Harmony.

• What are the five Rules of Life by which we may achieve these virtues?

• To love God.

• To love all Her creations.

• To love my true self.

• To seek to make my every act a perfect gift to Her, and to offer to Her all my happiness and all my suffering.

•  To seek to bring all souls closer to Her.

• What are the Seven Virtues of the Geniae?

• Generosity

• Reflection

• Courage

• Wisdom

• Compassion

• Harmony

• Humility