Vulcan Religion
A common misconception among humans and other races is that all Vulcan are
alike. Vulcan have a culture obsessed with logic, after all. Therefore, if faced with a
dilemma, all Vulcan would logically come to the same conclusion.
However, nothing could be further from the truth. To the Vulcan race, logic is
almost a religion and, like any other religion, it is filled with sects and schools of
thought, each with wildly differing opinions on nearly every subject. Vulcan religion
was born in the fires of Vulcan's legendary and violent past, and it has transformed
over the centuries.
THE TWlLlGHT OF THE GODS
The ancient religion of the Vulcan contained a wide pantheon of gods, each
with a dual character. Sculptures and portraits of the gods revealed two natures: one
wrathful, the other joyful. This duality pervaded ancient Vulcan belief for thousands of
years.
At the Time of the Awakening, the focus of Vulcan thought turned away from
deities and toward reason. It was a difficult turn, for unlike psionically deaf humanity,
Vulcan had already done much research in the realm of the spiritual. Methods of
tapping into the katra, the Vulcan soul, had already been developed, and power from it
exploited.
Vulcan philosophers and holy men were forced to seek a compromise between
reason and faith. They found it in the heart of their own religion. Vulcan stopped
looking to the skies and mountains for their gods and started looking within. Even now,
traditionalist cults still hold to the worship of the Vulcan gods, but such Vulcan interact
little with the technological utopia of the Federation.
THE INNER CHORUS
With the help of their elders, Vulcan began to understand their own emotions
as manifestations of their gods. They began to call these powers within themselves Ka-
ta-pak, or "the Inner Chorus." Each emotion was a manifestation of the gods of old.
Vulcan religion taught that the gods were not simple analogies but living beings,
a part of the Vulcan psyche. Each god was also a demon, a trickster spirit seeking to
fool the Vulcan into irrational, dangerous emotion. Meditation became a kind of prayer,
an exercise in taming the inner demons with the help of their rational counterparts. As
time moved on, different schools of thought developed, each with its own meditations
and techniques for dealing with the demons of the Inner Chorus.
Among the most prominent voices within the Chorus are emotions Vulcan have
been struggling with for many thousands of years. The brightest of the voices is Tel-
alep, the Watcher. He is the personification of curiosity, the desire for knowledge. He is
the kindliest of the Chorus. He is often represented as an ancient Vulcan chained to a
great book. Within the book is all the knowledge in the world.
His wrathful aspect is Alep-tel, the Bitter. He is jaded and embittered by all he
has seen and is very eager to give advice. The advice he gives is poisoned by centuries
of cynicism and futility.
Kir-alep, the god of peace and acceptance, still holds a place in Vulcan thoughts
and hearts. His priesthood's acceptance of Tu-Surak helped inestimably in converting
the conservative and traditional Vulcan to the new ways. His wrathful aspect is Alep-kir,
the Sullen. This god draws Vulcan into apathy and pessimistic cynicism. Alep-kir is often
represented as the enervating heat of the high desert draining energy from the body.
The dancing young maiden is Valdena, represent ing love, joy, and beauty. Her
slender and athletic body dances among a veil of clouds, rejoicing in the beauty of the
world. In her eyes is the magical glory of discovery. Every time a child tastes the rain for
the first time, every time a scientist finds the missing link to curing a horrible disease,
every time a couple fall in love, her light shines in their eyes.
Dena-ve/ is the covetous aspect of joy. Like a spider, she traps the things she
loves and hides them away from the rest of the world, so that only she may enjoy their
beauty. Then, when they betray her, she transforms into the creature she represents
and drinks every drop of their lifeblood, destroying them forever.
One of the most dangerous voices, Kal-ap-ton, is the personification of grief.
Depicted as a tall, gaunt, and pale young man in mourning clothes, Kal-ap-ton is never
shown in public, only in places of mourning. Kal-ap-ton carries a small pouch, filled
with tears, wherever he goes. Temples to Kal-ap-ton (where the dead are laid to rest)
are the only appropriate places for Vulcan to cry.
While most Vulcan understand that grief is an illogical emotion (for all Vulcan
shall meet again one day in the afterlife), they do recognize that it is a logical and
essential part of life. In order for a soul to remain healthy, it must say goodbye.
However, when that grief is carried out into the world, that is when Tyr-al-pep takes
control.
Tyr-al-tep is the unforgiver, the whisperer. He whispers into a brother's ear, "You
should have saved him." He whispers into the mother's ear, "You never told him you
loved him." He is the one who makes a Vulcan forget about what is and brood only on
what might have been.
Anger is personified as Ket-cheleb, the Destroyer and Blood-Drinker. He killed
his joyful aspect long ago and hung him on a great tree in the center of the world. Ket-
che/eb is the most powerful of the dark voices and the most dangerous. The Vulcan
mind is too easily seduced by the cries of Ket-cheleb, and it requires a great deal of
willpower to hold him at bay.
While the different schools of Vulcan thought depict the passions the same way,
they do not treat them all the same. Each school teaches its students different
techniques for dealing with the gods that live within their hearts and minds.
Disagreeing schools do not discount out of hand the theories and practices of their
rivals, but their discussions are some of the most heated debates in the history of any
Federation culture.
T'plana-Hath and the Biron of Vulcan Logic
T'plana-Hath was the head of a school of Vulcan historians in ShirKahr during
the wars against Sudoc. She was famous for the wide-ranging nature of her school,
which examined issues from philosophy to mathematics to agriculture, all refracted
through the prism of history. The finest minds and noblest-born youth of Vulcan
competed to join her collegiums and her reputation spread throughout the world.
She saw the work of history as the separation of rational fact from legend,
propaganda, and wishful thinking, of which Vulcan had a great surplus in her era. She
once said (in a phrase that later generations of Vulcan historians have taken all too
seriously), "The history of Vulcan logically predates my birth, but l could not attest to it
with the evidence at hand.”
Eventually, she came to see the development of logic (including mathematics,
science, and rhetoric) itself as the supreme triumph of Vulcan civilization. Her History
of Logic remains a standard text in Vulcan universities to this day. Her dictum, "Logic is
the cement of our civilization, with which we ascend from chaos using reason as our
guide," inf.ormed all of her students, especially her two prize pupils, Surak and jarok.
Although Vulcan venerate Surak today as the Father of Logic, he himself always
referred to T'plana-Hath as the "Prime Mover."
THE SCHOOL OF SURAK
“The outcome of our actions is entirely out of our control. Only intent remains entirely
within our con trot.”
-The Scrolls of Surak
The first major school of Vulcan thought is also the largest. Most Vulcan are part
of the Surak sect, which is why so many people believe that Vulcan are devoid of
emotion. The School of Surak teaches uncompromising repression of emotion. Even
the slightest surrender to the voices of the Inner Chorus is considered a great failure.
To tame the voices, the way of Surak-called Tu Surak-teaches its students to
divorce themselves completely from their egos or, as the school's name sake referred
to them, the pach-te. The pack-te is the strongest of all desires and the root of
emotion. To explain pack-te as "selfishness" is simplifying Surak's philosophy, but it's a
good start. Once the student has freed himself from pach-te, he will cease to be
concerned with himself, focusing all of his concern on the welfare of others. Surak's
teachings had a profound effect on Vulcan philosophy and culture. His famous debates
with his rival Jarok are some of the most important works of Vulcan literature.
Surak maintained that discipline could not be enforced upon others, it had to
come from within. Peace, for Surak, was the foundation of everything worth achieving,
both on a political level ("The spear in the enemy's side is the spear in your own.") and
a rational level ("The calm mind is the one that truly knows."). "The only noble desire,"
he said desire to serve others." He further argued that selfless ness was the only way to
find true inner peace. “Once you have thrown away your pack-te, you have found the
true center, the golden river, the lifeblood of the world.”
Surak's philosophy begins with the student learning deep meditations, prayers,
and stories that remind him of the tragic power of emotion. He learns that morality-
reason devoid of emotion-is often con trary to self-interest, and it is this self-interest
that interferes with our ability to be better than what we are. In this way, the student
begins to shed his pach-te.
Surak also told his students to cast away the traditional moral training of the
native Vulcan religion which included a set of commandments not unlike the Ten
Commandments of Earth's history. Instead of teaching his students what not to do, he
decided to teach them what to do. Surak's virtues gave students a path to follow,
rather than several paths not to follow.
The six virtues of Tu-Surak are: Courage (protect others), Temperance (exercise
the will), Charity (give when you have too much), Truthfulness (a virtue all
Vulcan cling to, connected inextricably in Surak's teaching with logical
observation of what is and not what we wish), Justice (the fair treatment of others),
and finally Shame. This last virtue is the most controversial teaching in Surak's school.
When a student on Surak's path fails, it is because he is weak and he should feel
shameful for his weakness. Other schools feel Surak's emphasis of shame is too
extreme, but the followers of Surak's path adamantly defend the unforgiving discipline
the virtues teach. "Animals have no virtue," Surak once said. "And if we are not careful,
we shall degenerate into animals once again."
THE WAY OF JAROK
Surak's chief rival was jarok, a Vulcan who disagreed with Surak on nearly every
philosophical point. The two students of T'plana-Hath agreed on one and only one
tenet: that emotions must be mastered at all costs. While Surak choose his own path to
mastery, jarok choose another. Tu-Jarok, Jarok's path, sought mastery over the Inner
Chorus by embracing emotion, understanding it, and finally coming to terms with it.
The followers of Jarok are not madmen who run through the streets laughing, crying,
and shouting. They retreat to the wastelands of Vulcan and face their emotions there,
and they face them alone. Jarok's path is an individual one; since no Vulcan can truly
hear the Chorus of another, no one else can aid in its understanding or interpretation.
A Vulcan following Tu-Jarok is usually brought into the desert by other, more
experienced, followers. All sit together around a great fire in silence as they prepare for
the arduous ritual. The fire is usually built from a specific wood called tin-nuk. The
smoke from this fire has a profound effect on the senses of the Vulcan, throwing him
into a heightened state of consciousness.
After days of meditation and fasting, the student finally encounters a voice from the
Chorus. He spends long days talking with the voice, debating for hours at a time until
the experience is over. When it ends, the student has either gained insight or he has
failed. Unlike the school of Surak, failure is not looked upon as shameful, only a waste
of an opportunity that can be attempted again later.
Like Surak, Jarok also compiled a list of virtues, although his only contained the three
which he considered most important. The first, Compassion, Jarok defined as "the
ability to see suffering selflessly." However, Jarok's definition of "selfless" should not be
confused with Surak's denial of pach-te. Jarok taught that selflessness came from an
understanding that suffering was universal, not unique to any individual. When the
student realizes this-that his own suffering is no different, better, or worse than anyone
else's-it is easier to recognize when others are in pain, and that pain becomes easier to
comfort. Compassion was Jarok's answer to his chief reservation with Surak's
teachings. He felt they left no room in the Vulcan heart for understanding. Through
compassion, the Vulcan heart could help others in pain.
The second virtue, Temperance, was one Jarok and Surak agreed on-or so it would
seem on the surface. Jarok's definition of temperance differs slightly from Surak's in
that jarok sought it through understanding, while Surak sought it through refusal. Both
Surak and Jarok saw patience as an important component of temperance.
The last virtue, Justice, is also a virtue the two rivals held in common. justice, as Jarok
saw it, was the ability for a Vulcan to understand that he belonged to a greater
organism than just his own body. He was a Vulcan, one of millions, and it was his duty
to help protect and serve that great body. The expression of Jarok's virtues reflected a
deeper meaning in his philosophy. He sought to bring Vulcan together, to make them
realize that they were part of something greater and to serve that greater purpose
selflessly and fearlessly. At his funeral Surak, his greatest rival, said, "He was a great
Vulcan with great ideals. And it is still not too late to tell him."
THE SCHOOL OF NIRAK
Nirak was one of Surak's first students and perhaps his greatest. He was also a
great admirer of Jarok's teachings, and tried to bring compromise to the two seemingly
disparate schools. Whether he was successful or not could be (and has been) debated
for generations.
While Nirak did not agree with ]amok's "reveling," he also did not agree with his
own master's unforgiving attitude toward failure and intolerance. He taught that the
more violent emotions (most notably anger) were to be repressed, but virtue could be
found in the less destructive passions, particularly curiosity and joy. However, he still
maintained that a high degree of temperance was necessary to keep even the most
encouraging of emotions in check.
According to Nirak, it is proper for Vulcan to feel joyful, but not ecstatic. Grief
must be let go at Kal-ap-ton's gates. More importantly, a Vulcan cannot drop his guard
against fear, rage, and jealousy for even a moment. Nirak's school is not as widespread
as his mentor's, but it does have a small following devoted to his philosophies.
THE ONE MIND SCHOOL
One of the more esoteric schools, the One Mind School was founded by T'mor,
another student of Surak. While her mentor sought a way to subdue all emotion, T'mor
truggled with a way to remove emotion entirely. She found it in an ancient Vulcan
belief, one centering around predestination.
The concept of predestination is not unique to Vulcan. Many human religious
sects also use it as one of their main tenets of faith. Predestination is the belief that all
actions and events are already predetermined and cannot be changed. T'mor taught
that emotion-specifically curiosity-clouded a Vulcan's sight, making it difficult to see
the ways of the universe.
If the student could throw away emotion, he would be able to see the grand
pattern of the universe and watch it unfold. "All problems have already been solved,"
T'mor once said. "We only lack the vision to see." Despite T'mor's dedication and many
thousands of years of development, the One Mind School is still considered one of the
"fringe schools" of Vulcan thought.
THE KOLINAHR PATH
While other paths seek to repress emotion, Kolinahr attempts to rid the mind
and soul of every passion, be it joyful or wrathful. One by one, using the process known
as t'san s'at, every emotion is men tally deconstructed and purged from the psyche
leaving only the Vulcan's intellect. The founder of Kolinahr was a strange hermit who
called himself Sanshiin." His path is called Ko/inahr after the moon rain he sat on
during the 277 years he taught.
Sanshiin never sought students. All the tales of his lessons come from those
who sought him. lt is said that he was originally a warlord, a mighty adept and leader of
the feared Kolinahru mind lords, who bathed himself in blood every night in a personal
quest for immortality. But one day, while sitting in a field of fallen enemies, he looked
up at the rock he was leaning against and realized that while millions of men were
born, lived, and died, the planet remained. "I shall become as the stone," he said, and
began seeking the wisdom he would need to attain his immortality.
The stories of his journeys fill nearly fifty books, but the lessons he taught at the
top of the Kolinahr mountain are those that are studied by philosophers. Sanshiin
taught that all emotion was a trick to keep us from seeing the universe as it truly was.
Once emotion was cast away, a Vulcan would be one with all creation.
THE HAKIHR WAY
Descended from a martial order of mind lords, the disciples of Hakihr (centered on the
Tins ha Monastery in northern Khomi) took to heart Surak's famous saying: "The mind
controls the body; control the mind and the body will follow." They practice mind-body
unification in the hope of preventing hormonal surges or other limbic reactions that
might involuntarily trigger an emotional response. Like the T'Shen, Hakihr adepts also
teach the use of biofeedback to strengthen the mesiofrontal cortex, that area of the
brain associated with self-control. The Hakihr are famous for their psionic body control
disciplines.
KATRA: THE VULCAN SOUL
While Vulcan have all but completely recast their religious beliefs, a few still remain.
Many Vulcan believe all Vulcan have souls, called the katra, while others refute its
existence. Among conservative Vulcans, it is customary to craft a ritual vessel, called
the vre-katra, to remind the family of the departed relalive. Most often made of
volcanic glass, jasif crystal or polished tin-nuk wood, the vre-katra is then kept at
a family shrine. There might be hundreds of these spin it vessels in a Vulcan's home,
dating back to antiquity Some older families have entire houses full of spirit vessels,
usually far off in a desert portion of their lands. Vulcan, especially more conservative
and traditionalist Vulcan, treat these ancestor spirits with veneration and respect.
Commonly, Vulcan meditate upon these ritual vessels, seeking guidance in the
accomplishments of the deceased. Some Vulcan believe it is possible to transfer the
katra to the vie-katra in a ritual similar to the mythological la/-tor-pan. Just prior to
death, these traditionalists go so far as to mind-meld with a friend who becomes
responsible for transporting the kafra to the individual's home. The katra is then
transferred to the vre-katra. More rational Vulcan find no proof for the existence of the
kara and consider all this to be illogical superstition, yet in the spirit of IDIC keep their
objections to themselves.
An ancient ritual called la/-tor-pan, the "refusion," provides strange proof of the
existence of the soul. This ritual is thousands of years old and has only been performed
once during the last five centuries, in 2285 by T'Lar on the regrown body of Spock, son
of Sarek. Just before death, if a Vulcan is able, he passes his katra on to another while
sinking into a biofeedback trance deeper than any coma to heal both the wounds and
death itself. Then, when the flesh is repaired (which takes a level of mastery that no
Vulcan has reached in centuries, and then only in legend), a Master replaces the katra
in the newly whole body.
Some Vulcan scientists are skeptical of fal-tor-pan, claiming it is merely a powerful
mind-meld allowing the psyche of the dying Vulcan to be preserved, or even that it
involves projection of memories and not the restoration of true selfhood at all.
Whichever explanation the skeptics use, they maintain that the ritual has nothing to do
with the soul. Many Vulcan consider Spock's la/-tor-pan merely a myth associated with
a larger-than-life figure, and deem it no proof at all of the existence of the katra.
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