SPENCERISM
Translated from the holy stories of the Spencerism oral tradition of the West.
The Kivi tribe was young when they first met Spencer Rice. They tell that he was a great Shaman who taught them many secrets, in one such story, Spencer Rice saw how they suffered without food, and so he brought them food and taught them the agricultural skills to grow peas and corn. This saved their tribe from starvation and to this day they grow these crops in his honor. His teachings focused on the idea that man is as the world, and to temper their bodies resulted in a strengthening of the world around them. This belief has resulted in the martial arts that their tribe practices religiously, as a form of meditation.
The Kivi have only few recorded instances of Spencer's power, which are recorded in granite plates kept watch by the head Shaman of the tribe. In one, a neighboring tribe to the east had been experiencing a terrible drought, and when a young woman from the village came to request the help of the Kivi, Spencer Rice and his disciples went into the wilderness for three days, returning with knowledge of a spring the tribe could draw from, Spencer attributed the discovery to his mystic power of conversation with plants. Spencer also stressed the importance of violence being only ever used in defense of the tribe as a whole, they came to understand that every man is a force of nature, and the slaying of another man was a terrible crime against the harmony of the planet. In one of their Granite Stories, it speaks of how a band of raiders came to the Kivi, burning and stealing their crops. The Kivi called upon Spencer to stop them, and he subdued the bandit chieftain in battle, without causing loss of life.
During my time with the Kivi, I was lucky to witness what was known as the Calling to Growth, the Shamans would paint their faces green using special herbs, in emulation with Spencer Rice, and howl wildly in the crop fields, communicating with the plants and encouraging to grow tall and strong, like Spencer Rice himself. They told me that this was the last teaching of Spencer Rice, before the great Shaman left the village, to travel the wilderness and to strengthen the world and spread his teachings. They have not seen him since, but the images they have of him show him as a man, strong and tall, whose body and face are green.
Chapter Two: Sacred Granite Plates
There was silence for a moment after the arguments, until Rice spoke.
"My friends, please stop this fighting - it serves no one. Yes, your people suffer but we must go beyond this, for all our sakes. Be mindful now, and we shall meditate; the solution to our situation shall come in meditation." He and the five elders took solitary, and meditated. Moments passed before Rice emerged and called them to him. "What have we?"
They each responded in turn "I saw patience" "I saw wisdom" "I saw generosity" "I saw effort" The last elder spoke, saying "I concentrated, but saw nothing" Rice looked kindly at him, and said "Concentration was the lesson to learn. This is what you saw. We shall each take the virtues of others, and practice them. This will be our solution to the dangers we face." This lead the elders in their matters, and over the course of five days of constant practice, the rains came and their crops were watered, their animals fed, and their people survived. Rice said about this miracle, that the earth responded to their conduct, taking the effort as a tribute of dedicaton and granting their needs. These five tribes later disbanded and spread across the lands.
Rice urged them forward "There are few things left for me to teach you, each of you has taken my lessons to heart and grown with them and in turn allowing them to learn and grow from you. Earth has felt our hearts and blessed us, as she always will when we strengthen her. Remember though you will face trials, your strength, when given to the earth, will be magnified. Her virtues shall be ours, and we will be blessed by her. There is no truth in this world, save for that which we have seen." He in turn went to every person there, asking them what truth they have witnessed. One child, who was quickly becoming a powerful shaman, brought a tear to Spencer's face with his response.
"I have seen my mother come from the edge of death, and grow strong, she is like the earth in many ways. I have seen my friends die in battle, not understanding that death saddens the earth and brings us further from her. I learned many things, but most I have learned respect for life."