INTRODUCTION

Welcome to the ideology and worldview of Novumism. Very simply we are a group of like-minded people who seek knowledge and camaraderie in uncertain times. The knowledge we seek we pass on to one another and in times of global catastrophe, we will help the world rebuild through this knowledge transfer.

Novumism is a religion and a philosophy that blends Hermeticism, Buddhism, and spiritual thought and casts it in a polytheistic worldview. The religious texts of Novumism are called the Novum Carta.

The word Novum has many connotations that can mean political innovations, novel, revolution, or new. Carta on the other hand means charter or record. Novum Carta means New Charter. This framework of beliefs attempts to help throw off the modern notions of nihilism, consumer culture, and cast life in a new light.

People who follow Novumism are called Novumists. As Novumists, we advocate for following the 2 States, 3 Truths, and the 6 Paths of Self-Discipline. In that philosophical framework, we practice balanced existence and Simple Living techniques to Prepare for a tomorrow where the Limits of Complexity in society falter.

Our societal Duty is bound to help rebuild the world in such an event, where the knowledge we’ve gathered along our path will help guide those in The Coming Age. Contained within these pages is a new charter of philosophical and ideological beliefs, borrowing from the old to create the new.

These beliefs, like any ideology, fall within different categories. Within this book, we cover the core topics of Religion, Philosophy, Political, and Cultural. These concepts overlap and many of which are to a great degree much like any belief structure. Let’s go into a brief introduction of these topics now.

RELIGION INTRODUCTION

Novumists religiously believe in a few points that may seem familiar from other religious texts: The Doctrine, The Way, Deity, Simple Living, and Preparedness.

The Doctrine consists of The Source, The Mother, The One, and The Teacher. These concepts originate from Gnosticism but are given new names and purposes in the Novum Carta.

The Way consists of following The Middle Way and the 2 States, 3 Truths, and 6 Paths. The Way is similar to that of the Taoist Dao and is a way of achieving the flow of being through the least resistance. It is the way of finding the middle of two extremes. It is the way of honing self-virtue. It is the way of putting the future over profits. It is the way of taking only from society what you need.

Novumists are pagan, adhering to the discipleship of gods and goddesses for which there are twelve. These are a recompilation of the gods of old brought into new times, with new names, and new focuses. Novumists are encouraged to choose a discipleship when they join and learn about their god. As life changes a Novumist’s God may change. A Christian believes in Jesus Christ. A Novumist believes in the mythos. The two cannot stand on the same footing. Christians are welcome to learn from the practical side.

We follow the Middle Way in all aspects of how we live. Novumists believe in living simply between that of Amish living and that of abundance. It is not uncommon for a Novumist to participate in alternative living styles and be van lifers, RVers, off-gridders, and hermits.

We are secure in our lives because we are prepared for the future. Novumists prepare for the events of man and those of The Cycles by having a ready supply of goods for survival for themselves and their loved ones. This is where we deviate from the Buddhist thought of living in the now – the present moment. Although we do strive to live in the present, for much of our practice the reality of existence is somewhat at odds with this notion. As such we ready ourselves for what may come, and where Buddhism asks us to accept our thoughts as they come, we choose to discipline them.

PHILOSOPHY INTRODUCTION

As a Novumist, philosophy is interwoven with the religious aspects and these consist of the 2 States of Self, 3 Truths of Living, and 6 Paths of Self-Discipline. With that are also the concepts of Limits of Complexity, Human Nature, and an emphasis on historical knowledge of humankind. This latter point bleeds into The Duty that all take.

A central point of the Novum Carta is to Walk the Paths while maintaining a Middle Way in all things we do. These concepts of paths and the Middle Way are found in Buddhism, and we have our own rendition of it.

The 2 States of Self are defined as the state of The Hero and the state of The Antihero. The Hero possesses all the noble and productive qualities of a person. The state of The Antihero is darker and has the traits of neurosis, fears, insecurities, and anger. A productive person chooses the Hero way. We will show you how to walk the correct path.

The 3 Truths of Living are borrowed from Buddhist beliefs. It advocates that life is suffering, and to end suffering one must Walk the Paths: the 6 Paths of Self-Discipline.

These 6 paths are Livelihood, Thought, Action, Speech, Effort, and Understanding. Much of our study and discipline comes from these paths because these are what give us our virtue. We will explain each and give guidance on how to navigate them in a chapter dedicated to them later.

The Limits of Complexity advocate the need for a Simple Life. The belief states that nature and the systems created by man have hard limits to how complex they can be. It is our duty then to be wary of these systems and prepare for their failures.

Human Nature is an objective exploration of the biological and psychological states of humankind. We explore what needs to drive us, compel us, and what history tells of our pasts may influence our futures to some degree or another. We explore the concept of The Cycles and humans’ past experiences with it. Ultimately, it paints a concept of collective individuality.

The last part of the philosophy called The Duty. Simply put, The Duty is where we as members seek knowledge for knowledge’s sake. We study the sciences, history, and partake in learning skills. We do this so that if and when a cataclysmic shift to our world occurs, we can transfer these skills and the knowledge we’ve gleaned which will be needed for the necessities of civil society.

POLITICS INTRODUCTION

Novumists consider themselves as politically neutral, contrarians, and simply a stop-gap between the Right and the Left. The best prevention of radicalism on either side is a strong center, in fact possibly even a slightly radical center. In terms of preferred political structure, we prefer that of a Skillsocracy. This is by no means necessary for a Novumist to hold these beliefs, but these are our stated positions. We will go over this concept in detail.

CULTURE INTRODUCTION

Culture is a large part of a Novumist’s life. A Novumist adheres to a cultural element that permeates society. The religious element of the Novum Carta is further refined by espousing the concept of Shared Experiences.

These experiences bind cohesive groups of people, independent of race or economic background, to central lived experience. Humans need shared experiences to feel a part of a group, whether that be small tribal bands or those as large as a nation.

It is the aim of the Novum Carta for each member to contribute so that each member can live these Shared Experiences. It is these experiences that bind us like no other philosophical religious ideology. We will describe this in further detail and give examples of experiences for which to follow.

Now that you have a general idea as to what a Novumist is, and what we believe, let us begin with a little more detail. This is the Novum Carta.