Moon Maiden Guidebook: The Chandrian Order Contents i. Introduction I. Keeping Custom A. Daily B. Moonthly C. Annually D. Occasionally II. Living the Link A. Chandrian Success Cycle B. Reciting Moontras C. Conducting Rituals D. Completing Phaseworks E. Generating Twinklings III. Degree Progression IV. Ring Participation V. Stars and Distinctions VI. Contests and Awards VII. Honor Circles VIII. Site Navigation i. Introduction Moon Maiden Guidebook. Every journey stands to benefit from the aid of a good guidebook and this one is no exception. There are as many ways to make The Chandrian Journey as there are members who make it. Nothing is required. However, Chandria suggests that you strive for a balance between fun and focus, or work and play. Still, how you make the journey is entirely up to you. This volume simply offers the common and recommended Chandrian practices to help you make the journey successfully. You should evaluate each aspect for yourself to determine whether it fits with your goals and beliefs, and pick and choose as you see fit. We wish you great success along this grand journey, and we sincerely hope that this and other Chandrian texts will help to guide you toward becoming the self you want to be. This guidebook for the Chandrian Journey provides you with an overview of how to practice Chandria and live the Moon Maiden life. Moon Maiden Living involves keeping custom, living the link, progressing through degrees and gaining honors, and making the journey alongside your sisters-in-spirit. I. Keeping Custom Also, known as our Chandrian practice, Moon Maiden Living involves keeping custom. To keep custom, Moon Maidens engage in Chandrian activities daily, moonthly--per lunar month, annually, and occasionally. We encourage you to keep custom, ever striving for balance, both in your Chandrian practice and in life itself, between fun and focus, or work and play. Just as if we only play and have fun on any journey, we may never get where we want to go, if we only focus on our work and never look around us, we miss all of the fun. Learn to strike a balance between fun and focus and your experience will be the most fulfilling. We wish you every success! What follows is an outline of the activities that amount to Moon Maiden Living. We encourage you to refer to these pages regularly to make sure that you are living the Moon Maiden life to the fullest. I.A. Daily -Perform the moondown meditation -Recite mantras and moontras -Use meditations and twinklings -Wear or carry the emblem and gem -Seek and greet other Chandrians -Perform the moonup meditation -Strive to be beautiful, powerful, and true! I.B. Moonthly -Perform moonthly rituals for your degree -Complete phaseworks -Post and recommend phaseworks -Take part in a ring -Post and recommend ring happenings -Offer the degree dedication -Observe moontide -Make referrals and earn stars! I.C. Annually -Observe Vernal Equinox -Observe Summer Solstice -Observe Autumnal Equinox -Observe Winter Solstice -Observe your birthday Chandrian style -Observe Chandria Day -Participate in the Miss Chandria Contest! I.D. Occasionally -Be initiated into the New Moon Maiden degree (NMN) -Progress through the prep. degrees (CMN, QMN, GMN) -Progress through the full member degrees (FMN1-4) -Celebrate Sweet Sixteen Step-Up to Seniors -Observe New Moontide and Eclipse -Have your FUN! - Fundamental Master -Get RiTC! "ritzy"- Ritual Master Conductress -Be ChIC! - Chandrian Inner Circle -Become a Stellar Sister! (STR) -Become a Blue Moon Maiden! (BLU) -Become a Penumbrian Princess! (PRS) -Become a Moon Moiselle when you turn 20! II. Living the Link Chandrian practice draws a connection between the phases of the moon and the stages of life. Each moon phase and life stage connection holds its own secrets for us to explore. We call this connection the link and we keep customs that embody it as we gain access through the degrees of Moon Maidenhood. Each phase and stage link has its own energy, or power, and action, or pursuit that it shares with its corresponding life stage. These are reflected in our phasework: the set of customs we keep on a moonthly basis, meaning per lunar month, that amount to living the link. Living the link, or keeping custom through phasework, includes: reciting moontras, conducting rituals, creating phaseworks, and generating twinklings around the phases of the moon. All together, Chandrian phasework, embodying the powers and pursuits, comprises the Chandrian Success Cycle. The following pages provide an overview of the success cycle and each of the four types of phasework mentioned above. II.A. Chandrian Success Cycle The Chandrian Success Cycle is the heart of Chandria. It is the process by which we work to fulfil our collective mission to become women of beauty, power, and truth. It is an eight step process we can apply to every activity and experience in our lives. Each step, or pursuit, is associated with a power (ex. love) and a phase of the moon, and is represented by a letter in C-H-A-N-D-R-I-A. This is why we call it phasework. There are four categories of phasework which are described in the pages that follow. The details for each step can be found in their corresponding phase books. It takes action to fulfil our goal of becoming women of beauty, power, and truth and these are the specific action steps we take: C onsider: Plan & take action (Hope) H ew: Create with tools (Wonder) A ffirm: Encourage & support (Love) N otice: Observe & adjust (Truth) D ance: Experience & enjoy (Joy) R eflect: Examine & appreciate (Faith) I ntuit: Meditate & understand (Wisdom) A ccept: Make amends & progress (Peace) II.B. Reciting Moontras Moontras are mantras that we memorize and recite whenever we spy the moon in the sky. There is one moontra for each phase of the moon. You will learn the moontra for each moon phase as you gain access to the book for that phase, by progressing to the appropriate degree of Moon Maidenhood. Until a Moon Maiden reaches the proper degree for a phase, she recites a general verse honoring the nightly presence of the moon. Once she learns the moontra for the phase, she may continue to use the generic verse in combination with the moontra. Chandrians use other mantras and verses as well on a regular basis, some common to the sisterhood and others that are more personal. We encourage you to use these mantras and verses regularly as fuel to feed your spirit, that it might keep pushing ever forward along the journey. II.C. Conducting Rituals Some activities, called rituals, are read or recited to build up our spirit with the qualities of each phase through mindful repetition. These rituals are intended as special way for us to connect with ourselves. They have no basis in religion, but they do have a certain mysticism about them because they aim to connect to our spirit: the innermost part of our being that compels us to do, have, and become, all that we desire to be. To connect to our spirit and infuse it with positive qualities, Chandrians conduct ritual nightly, moonthly-per lunar month, annually, and occasionally--for special events. You will learn the format and text of these rituals in the Ritual book, as well as the general Chandrian verses, once you have been initiated. D. Completing Phaseworks We use the term, phasework, in general to refer to the moontras, rituals, and twinklings, but the phaseworks themselves are the productive, written or recorded activities that apply the powers and pursuits in practical ways that advance us on our chosen path. We complete the phaseworks for all of the phases whose secrets we have discovered as we have progressed through the Moon Maiden degrees. We date and collect all of our phasework in a special album known as our Chandrian Chronicle, which is dividing into sections for the various types of phasework. We also keep a record of our membership activities, including our degree progression, distinctions, and honor circle inductions, in our chronicle. We encourage you to participate in the moonthly Phenomenal Phasework contest by posting your phaseworks in the appropriate forum and by recommending those of your sisters-in-spirit. See the Honors book for more information. II.E. Generating Twinklings We are all like the stars that twinkle around the moon. The way we twinkle is by being joyful, light, and loving spirits. But sometimes, the star of our spirit does not shine as brightly as it could and we are tempted to generate the twinkling of our star with fuel that does not fit the need or fulfill the earnest desire of our spirit, but only temporarily satisfies a craving. Over time, these temporary fixes-such as over-indulgence in food, sex, drugs, and spending or self-deprivation on the flip side; emotional outbursts and inbursts; general negativity; and various other behaviors-can grow into addictions. Chandrians know that when we are truly in harmony with ourselves, we are not at the mercy of cravings. To combat the fear and self-doubt that tempt us with temporary fixes, we slip into solitude and use momentary phase-specific activities, called twinklings, to connect with ourselves and honor the star of own unique spirit, that it might shine its brightest. III. Degree Progression Degrees are levels of membership through which Moon Maidens can advance. There are eight degrees in all. The first four are preparatory degrees on the way to Full Moon Maidenhood. They are: new, crescent, quarter, and gibbous. The other four are four full members. Once you are a Full Moon Maiden, you remain a Full Moon Maiden, but there are four degrees of Full Moon Maidenhood as well. Each degree you gain gives you access to more secrets and more areas of the site. To complete a degree and advance to the next, you must remain at your current degree for two moonths, complete the tasks provided, study the degree text, and pass a measure of mastery. IV. Ring Participation Chandria impresses upon her members the value of solitude for consideration and reflection, to deliberately carve our individual path, learn the wonders of our spirit, and reflect on the journey as it progresses. However, Chandria also teaches her members the value of sharing the journey. To share the journey with your sisters-in-spirit in an official way, you can form a ring with them or join an already existing ring, of which there are two types: local and virtual. Local rings are formed with friends in your area with whom you meet in person to practice Chandria. Virtual rings are formed with peers you meet online in a virtual forum. You can participate in one local ring and one virtual ring. Once you form or join a ring, you will gain access to the Rings book, which contains special rituals, called ring rites, and additional information exclusive to group Chandrian practice. It takes three active members to form a ring, either local or virtual. V. Stars and Distinctions Chandria awards members points, or stars, for active participation in the community forums, as well as for membership referrals. Stars come in platinum, gold, silver, and bronze, each color reflecting a different type of contribution or achievement. For a breakdown, see the Honors book. In addition, Chandria confers special titles, called distinctions on members who have proven their understanding of Chandrian concepts and customs. You prove your understanding by passing longer measures of mastery that cover more texts than those for the regular degree progression, which are limited to the degree text itself. VI. Contests and Awards Chandria holds a number of moonthly, seasonal, and annual contests for active Moon Maidens. The moonthly contests recognize star earners and outstanding phasework contributors. The seasonal contests are fun and simple ways to ring in each new season. The annual contests recognize year-long and other special contributions. The awards generally consist of gift certificates and/or free memberships, and special site commissions. For a description of each individual contest, see the Honors book. VII. Honor Circles Honor circles are special groups of Chandrians whose active participation in the community forums, and knowledge of Chandrian concepts and customs for more advanced honor circles, has earned them special recognition. Each honor circle requires a certain number of stars, and, for the more advanced honor circles, distinctions as well. VIII. Site Navigation Here are some secrets for navigating the site: Home - Gate To skip past the gate and plaque, press the UP arrow key, after first clicking somewhere else on the fully-loaded page to activate the browser window. Login - Left Outer Door To login, click on the left outer door at the end of the path. This admits you to the anteroom and enables you to access the areas of the site available at your current degree. Study - Anteroom Each book in the bookcases in the anteroom to the Great Meeting Hall will become accessible as you advance to the required degree. Ceremony - Left Inner Door To access a ceremony, such as initiation, click on the left inner door in the anteroom. You will need the proper password to enter any ceremony. Community - Right Inner Door The right inner door in the anteroom leads to all of the community pages and forums.