Ave, Sandum Citizens!
Following in the theme of cultural advancement in the State, the Sôgmô, acting as Sacra Flameno, shall begin several new projects for the creation of religious and spiritual expression found amongst the Sovereign People. Though State policy and the culture and society of the Sovereign People provide for the freedom of all citizens in terms of religion and conscience, following the rights of the Founding Law, it is a fact that the majority of Sandum citizens are polytheist or polytheist-leaning individuals. Following this, the Sôgmô has endeavoured to fulfil a plan for the expression of common Sandum People’s religious beliefs that shall be undertaken in the beginning quarter or third of the Winter season, following the Armilustrium on XIX Octobro (19 October).
Whereas the drawers beside the bureau of the Sôgmô stand the shrine to the Buddha and is dedicated to Buddhism, the Sôgmô shall create plans to reorganise the physical Office of the Sôgmô with defined spaces for personal measures and official ones, such as areas for the Buddhist and Polytheist shrines and the bureau of the Sôgmô. This plan shall be published on Veritum Sandus and the State’s Facebook group. At the moment, the Polytheist shrine shall most likely be placed in the closet of the Office of the Sôgmô, manifesting the fact that the Sôgmô remains closeted as a Polytheist in his daily life — as do many other Sandum citizens. Following these plans, a statue of the Sandum matron Athena will be purchased and sat on the cleaned drawer — of the same variety the Buddhist altar — in the closet of the Office.
Both drawers upon which these altars shall be found will be cleaned out and reorganised.
Following the created plans, work shall be done to create a small lararium or a small shrine to family and household deities; to create a lucerna, a paterna, a turibulum, an accera, a salinum, and a gutus: all tools useful for a Roman polytheist shrine. Work shall also be done to research necessary implements for Abenaki or other Native American, Kemetic, and Greek religious rites, amongst others. It is the intention of the Office of the Sôgmô to make the implements and structures, such as the small lararium, for the altar or otherwise purchase similar and economically-efficient implements.
With the construction of the Polytheist shrine completed, perhaps even after the plans completed, the Sacra Flameno shall write all necessary information for the running of common practices at the Polytheist shrine and shall also begin to incorporate daily and weekly rites before both shrines. Such reports shall have to include the Sandum adoratio, a Roman religious salute taken before religious images, structures, and altars; the daily lararium rite, including the process for abulations; and, over time, a library of prayers and rites to be published by the Collegio Sacerdae through Sacerdotium.
And, finally, the act of management and administration must be kept up and applied, as well, to the Buddhist shrine. Specific days of the month may be selected in order to manage and clean the shrines — such as the Kalends, Nones, or Ides — and every two or three months rites may be held.
The concise plan, for the upcoming policy projection to begin on XVII A Septembro:
- Draw a plan of the two national shrines in relation to the bureau of the Sôgmô in the Office of the Sôgmô.
- Create a layout for the Polytheist shrine.
- Conduct research on implements required for non-Roman religious rites (Abenaki, Greek, Kemetic).
- Clean the closet in which the Polytheist shrine shall located in, as well as clean out both drawers.
- Work on gathering necessary tools, implements, and structures for the shrine.
- Write reports on the tools needed, the Sandum adoratio, Sandum prayers and rites, daily rites before the lararium, and daily rites for the Buddhist shrine; all other topics that must be clarified should be expounded on and written about as well. Create videos for the rites and rituals that are necessary, especially the adoratio.
- Construct the shrine.
- Create a calendar of dates when rites should be observed and religious festivals carried out, include dates for cleaning both the Polytheist and Buddhist altars.
May the State continue to pursue cultural and social advancement in the Winter and into next Summer!
— Sôgmô Sörgel.
sandus.org 