It would have been the first section of the article, FWIW.
THE THREE REALMS OF GLORANTHA The Lunars know that there are three ways of viewing the Gloranthan Cosmos, and although they may appear mutually contradictory, all of them are equally true. The Red Goddess binds together the three realms of the Cosmos: she exists within each of them, has mastered all their secrets, and is willing to share this knowledge with her followers. The purpose of the Lunar Way is to bring individuals closer to the infinite reality of the Cosmos. Those who have succeeded most in this endeavour are the new deities of the Lunar pantheon.
The Mortal Realm
The mortal realm consists of all that is measurable, finite and
destructible: it is the world within which we exist, the place of matter,
time and history. It is ruled by Malakinus, God of Logic. We who live within
the mortal realm are limited beings, and must strive to understand the
divine and mystical worlds with our limited faculties. If we perceive an
impossibility in the other realms, it is only because our own limited
perceptions and understanding make it appear so.
The Divine Realm
The divine realm consists of all that is infinite, cyclical and
unchangeable: it is the eternally recurring world of Godtime and myth. It is
ruled by Yelm, Emperor of the Universe. When we reach out to contact beings
from the infinite realm, they reach down to meet us part-way: because these
entities are so much greater than we are, we cannot fully comprehend all
that their nature encompasses.
The Mystical Realm
The mystical realm consists of all that is transcendent, mysterious and
unknowable. It is, perhaps, a mirror, or an illusion, or a veil before the
great Mystery. It is ruled by Nysalor, God of Illumination. Barbarians
sometimes refer to the Mystical Realm as "Chaos", though there is far more
to it than that. The Westerners may know it as "Solace". Earlier
civilisations neglected the mystical world-view, and suffered from that
neglect.
BOXMEBOXMEBOXMEBOXME
"The Mortal World is a reflection of the Divine World, yet the Divine World
in turn can be seen to reflect the Mortal World. The Transcendent World of
Self, then, can be seen as a mirror between the two. But on which side do we
stand? Where is Reality to be found?"
The other major section that was trimmed was this slightly cruder bit, on the Lunar Mission. I thought it important to distinguish between the aims of the Lunar Empire and that of its founding religion. (The article also lost loads of neat quotations -- some old, some new -- and a boxed bit on other kinds of Moon worship, unrelated to the Lunar Empire. I can send all this material through, if there's interest).
THE LUNAR MISSION The Lunar Empire is a means to an end, not an end in itself. Its actions are calculated to protect the Lunar Way while bringing insight and Illumination to the greatest possible number, whether this is done through the blunt tools of expansion and conversion, or through more covert means. Imperial policy is determined by Illuminated Masters and transcendent beings, who have attained the true insight and understanding which can only come to those most steeped in the mysteries of the Lunar Way.
The goal of the Lunar Way is not a worldwide Empire ruled from Glamour, but a fundamental transformation of the whole Gloranthan cosmos. This has already met with partial success, during the mortal life of the Red Goddess and again since her death: devotees of the Lunar Way have effected grandiose changes to the nature of the world, and there are more to come.
One effect of this is the apparent uncertainty of many aspects of Lunar doctrine. The Lunar Cosmos is still evolving - to give one obvious example, during the life of the Goddess there was no Red Moon for the souls of her followers to reside upon post mortem, and no mention of the physical moon itself (or the Wanes, the Glowline, and sundry other matters) appears in records from the Zero Wane.
This does not trouble the faithful, however. They take their Goddess' own death, dismemberment, rebirth, disappearance, and subsequent return as ample proof of her knowledge of life after death, and view Lunar history as an ongoing process of constant improvement: temporary setbacks are outweighed by major advances, and the future looks rosier with every passing Wane.
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Nick
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