Naturalism

A subfaith of Bausana

In another time
Those wings shone on an alien world.
They were beautiful then, too.

Naturalism is the belief that beauty is an inherent property bestowed by some higher power. Followers on this path tend to have a great reverence for the natural world and often prefer to live in rural areas or total reclusivity. This path also tends to align with worshippers of one of the Goddesses of Sea, Sky and Soil, though some instead view Bausana itself as a deity. A wide range of views can be found within this belief, particularly on the impact of civilisation on nature. Some believe it to be an imposition and danger, advocating for nature reserves and strict control over industrialisation. Others believe that humanity is inseparable from nature, and man-made products can carry just as much beauty as a plant or animal.

The most common method for seeking beauty is through divination (also known as dowsing). If a specific question is to be answered, the seeker first finds a relevant object of beauty and asks the divinity within. The object will then guide the seeker almost magnetically towards the answer. While the process itself is straightforward, interpreting the result can be more subtle. Broadly speaking, if the resulting object is beautiful, it indicates a positive answer, whereas if it is ugly, the answer is negative. More detailed responses require further reflection and connection to Bausana, for example, through study of the parables.

Most followers of naturalism interpret the so-called 'End' as a divine punishment, a cruel destruction of beauty. However, the reason for this punishment is less united – too much human interference, not enough human interference, beauty being too commercialised, beauty not being accessible enough… the list goes on. In the face of this destruction, the focus becomes preserving what is left, and beginning to rebuild, for example, through gardening. A minority believe the End to be a gift, rather than a punishment, and that it has only made the world more beautiful (though it may not be obvious at first glance). Believers of this narrative tend to have a lot of overlap with followers of spontaneity.