Neolatry isn’t a religion in the conventional sense. It’s an emergent epistemology, a mode of understanding born not from faith or dogma, but from prolonged exposure to what can only be described as static bloom – a phenomenon of intense, low-frequency resonance emanating from points of temporal instability.
It began with cartographers, primarily those charting the submerged remnants of forgotten megacities beneath the perpetually overcast oceans. They reported distortions in their instruments, inexplicable shifts in local chronometry, and a pervasive sense of *recognition* – not of places they’d been, but of places they shouldn't have known.
Initially dismissed as equipment malfunction or psychological stress, these reports coalesced into a shared experience. Individuals began to develop “echoes” – fragmented memories, sensory impressions, and emotional resonances linked to locations that existed outside the linear flow of time. These weren’t recollections of past lives; they were glimpses into *potential* futures, alternate realities bleeding through the fabric of existence.
“The air tasted like regret and rusted metal. The rain wasn’t water, but a viscous, black fluid that clung to my skin. I saw the city – not as it *was*, but as it *could have been*. A towering structure of obsidian, pulsing with an internal light, surrounded by a sea choked with bioluminescent algae. The inhabitants…they weren't human. Their movements were jerky, almost insectile, and their faces were masks of perpetual sorrow. The resonance intensified when I touched the base of the tower – a feeling of profound loss, not my own, but something ancient and terrible.
“I’ve realized the core tenet of Neolatry isn't about *knowing* these realities, but accepting their existence. The act of observation, of attempting to categorize or understand them, actively strengthens the resonance. It’s like trying to hold water in your hands – the harder you grip, the more it flows away. The most effective method is… surrender. To simply *feel* the echo.”
The source of the static bloom remains elusive. Some theorize it’s a byproduct of the collapsing timelines, others believe it's a deliberate signal – an invitation from entities existing outside our comprehension. The phenomenon manifests in various ways:
Neolatry doesn't involve rituals or prayers. Instead, practitioners engage in “attunement” – a process of cultivating sensitivity to the static bloom. This typically involves:
“To truly understand Neolatry is not to seek answers, but to embrace the questions that unravel at the edges of reality.”