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The order of the mysteries of the Church of Unity

Working translation. Synchronized with the Russian corpus as of 2026-10-25. Canonical formulas are binding only in the Russian original; publication — after human review.

Preface

The order of the mysteries is a description of the rites through which the community marks important moments in the life of its members and in the community itself. The mysteries are not magic rituals that automatically bring a result. They are a way to mark a passage, create a point of support in the flow of time, and strengthen the Echo of the One.

The word "community" in this document means what decides and answers: the core and the cared-for. At the common table and at the Quiet Evening there is nothing to be shy about in this word: behind it are already all who are in the circle — the guest no less than the others.

The mysteries are a game for memory and heart. They help remember what matters when everyday bustle distracts attention. They recall the goal when the path seems long and hard. They join hearts when minds scatter in different directions. But the mysteries do not replace creation; they only support it.

The mysteries are not a demand upon the One. The One does not answer with a voice and does not bargain: the words of the rite do not vanish — they return with you. A mystery is a way to attune yourself to the Echo of the One, to hear it more clearly and follow it more honestly.

See also: the Canon, Chapter 13. On Symbols and Mass Actions; the Covenant, Chapter 7. On rituals and gatherings.

1. Accepting the Covenant (initiation)

1.1. The meaning of the mystery

Accepting the Covenant is a voluntary and conscious obligation of a thinking being to live in accordance with the canon and the commandments, striving toward the One through creation, knowledge, and harmony. It is not a contract with an outer force but an inner decision confirmed publicly before the community.

Accepting the Covenant is an initiation, a passage from the state of seeking to the state of belonging. Whoever accepts the Covenant becomes part of the community, takes obligations upon himself, and receives the rights of a member of the community.

1.2. Preparation for accepting the Covenant

Preparation for accepting the Covenant consists of three parts:

Study of the canon and the commandments. The candidate must become acquainted with the canon, the commandments, and other texts of the canon and the Covenant of the Church of Unity. He must understand their meaning and be ready to follow them.

Honest self-analysis. The candidate must honestly ask himself questions about readiness to live by the commandments. He must listen to the Echo of the One and test his heart.

Consultation with a member of the community. The candidate must discuss his decision with a member of the community who can help him understand the obligations and answer questions.

The term. The Covenant is accepted no earlier than three months from coming into the community and not before the route of the first month has been passed. The term exists not to test patience: the decision is made in an ordinary state, not on the lift of the first months. The term is counted by the candidate and his mentor; the servant at the rite checks the rule of the calm decision.

1.3. The order

The acceptance of the Covenant takes place publicly before the gathering of the community. The rite is performed in sequence.

The invitation.

The servant invites the candidate to the center of the gathering. He presents the candidate to the community and announces his wish to accept the Covenant.

The public declaration.

The candidate speaks the public declaration:

"I, [name], voluntarily and consciously accept the Covenant of the Church of Unity. I bind myself to live in accordance with the canon and the commandments, striving toward the One through creation, knowledge, and harmony. I promise to strengthen Unity through knowledge and creation, to care for other thinking beings, to take force only as a debt — against greater wounds, as the last means, with the readiness to live through what is inflicted from inside, to preserve and multiply life, to live in truth and clarity, to work and develop for the future, to seek harmony in myself and in the community. This is my free choice, this is my path, this is my duty."

The questioning on the understanding of the texts.

The servant asks the candidate questions to test the understanding of the canon and the commandments:

The candidate answers the questions, showing his understanding.

The pause of silence.

A short pause: the candidate silently confirms the decision, the community quiets down.

The question of obstacles.

The servant asks the circle: "Does anyone have an obstacle?" The obstacle is only one: the candidate creates wounds and refuses the debt of healing. There are no other obstacles: the Covenant is a personal step of a person by conscience, and the community does not choose who may accept it — the community stops only wounds.

No obstacle — the servant announces:

"[Name], your word is accepted. Live in the Covenant."

There is an obstacle — the mystery is postponed, and after the gathering the servant speaks with the one who named the obstacle one on one: about the wounds, about the debt of healing, about how the Covenant differs from a boundary. There is no silent refusal before the circle.

The rule of the calm decision. The Covenant is not accepted on the same evening when a person first came to a gathering, and not on the lift — after a song, a common deed, or a strong talk. The declaration and the question of obstacles take place at a gathering no earlier than a day after the event that led the person to the decision. Before the declaration the servant asks the candidate: "When did you decide? Not this week, not after today's song?" If the decision is fresh — the mystery is postponed without discussion: the Covenant will lose nothing by it.

1.4. The completion of the mystery

After the acceptance of the Covenant the community greets the new member with the words of the master of the gathering:

"[Name], your Covenant is your word. We have seen how you have held it until now. Hold it further. Set it right while you live — and your passage will be lighter."

The mystery is complete.

2. Dedication into members of the community

2.1. The meaning of the mystery

Dedication into members of the community is the formal acknowledgment that a person already lives in accordance with the values of the Church of Unity and is ready to take deeper obligations upon himself. This is not the acceptance of the Covenant but the acknowledgment of an already existing path.

Dedication into members of the community is a passage from the state of guest to the state of full participant. Whoever is dedicated receives the full rights of a member of the community and takes the full obligations upon himself.

2.2. Preparation for the dedication

Preparation for the dedication consists of three parts:

Participation in the life of the community. The candidate must take an active part in the life of the community for no less than three months after accepting the Covenant. He must be present at gatherings, contribute to the common cause, and show his understanding of the values.

Study of the canon and the commandments. The candidate must deepen his understanding of the canon and the commandments through reading, discussion, and reflection.

A recommendation of a member of the community. The candidate must receive a recommendation from one or several members of the community who can confirm his readiness for the dedication.

2.3. The order

Dedication into members of the community takes place publicly before the gathering of the community.

The presentation of the candidate.

The servant presents the candidate to the community and announces his wish to be dedicated into members of the community. He briefly describes the candidate's participation in the life of the community.

The testimonies of members of the community.

The members of the community who recommend the candidate speak with brief testimonies. They describe the candidate's contribution, his understanding of the values, and his readiness for the dedication.

The public promise.

The candidate is already in the Covenant: to promise once more "to live by the commandments" is a repetition. The promise of dedication is about another thing: about what the person takes. He speaks:

"I, [name], take a share of the common: a voice in the affairs of the community and the debts of the common cause. What I decide by my voice — I answer for; what the circle decides — I acknowledge; what has been earned by the community — I serve and multiply. This is my power, and these are my debts."

The vote of the core.

The members of the core of the community vote for the dedication of the candidate. Each member has one vote. The decision is considered accepted if no less than two thirds of the members of the core voted for it. This is the transfer of powers by those who possess them: a voice in the core is power over the common, and it is not transferred in silence.

After the vote the servant announces the result:

"[Name], the community acknowledges you as its member. Welcome to full participation in the life of the Church of Unity."

2.4. The completion of the mystery

After the dedication the servant speaks the words of the community:

"[Name], the share of the common is now yours. We hold it together."

The community greets the new member. The mystery is complete.

2.5. How it is connected: the Covenant and membership

Two steps are not different depths but different dimensions:

Accepting the Covenant (ch. 1) — the vertical: the relation of the person to the teaching and the One. A personal step by conscience; the community testifies and stops only wounds. The covenant one answers for what is done himself; he cannot be "crossed out of the covenant ones" by silence, departure, or disappearance.

Dedication into members of the community (ch. 2) — the horizontal: the relation of the person to the common cause. The right of voice is power over the common (money, property, decisions of the circle); power is transferred by the decision of those who possess it, therefore here is the vote of the core. Membership is a state of living connection; it can be suspended (a departure, a hard life) and restored without a repeated rite.

Whoever accepted the Covenant but is not dedicated into members is a guest with a special status: at the common table — as an equal; at the common purse and voting — no. The boundary does not humiliate and does not measure: he accepted the vertical and did not take the keys of the common. The door of the core opens when he himself wishes to take it. The refusal of power is not a shortfall: by commandment 9 it is a pure position.

The route of the first month and mentorship lead to the Covenant; the Covenant — to the dedication; the dedication — to service. There are no other steps.

2.6. The pause and the exit

A person is not locked into the community from any side. The door of entry — by word; the doors of exit — also by word. Two doors, a different order.

The pause. Membership is suspended — by the word of the person or by itself, when the connection quiets down. A person departs, falls ill, takes time to think: he says this to any servant — and this is enough. The pause comes also without a statement: if there is no news of a person for a quarter of a year (the people of the community first go to him themselves — letters, calls, visits), the community transfers him into rest without offense and with a record. He returned — a talk, and the membership is alive. The Covenant is not touched by the pause.

The exit. A person lays down both the membership and the Covenant. The order is this:

  1. The declaration. Publicly at any gathering — "I leave the common circle." If he cannot come — in writing to any servant; the servant reads it at the nearest gathering. Reasons are not required; no one has the right to ask for them. One person may ask about them later, in person — with the full right to hear silence.
  2. The answer of the circle — only with gratitude for what the person did in the community. No persuasions before all; no accusations; no whispering.
  3. A talk by choice. The departing one is offered (not imposed) an exit talk — "what the community did wrong." Into the annual report go the fact of the exit and the fact of the talk; what was said — only with the consent of the one who said it, impersonal and aggregated.
  4. Property. A gift — is not returned and not discussed: what was contributed by strength continues to work, and the departed has the right to see where — the annual report is public. What was given for use — is returned by act and journal, in the order of the Regulation on property, within a month after the declaration.
  5. What the person did is not annulled. The exit does not erase his debts before people: the unhealed remains unhealed, and the wound left by the departure in the circle is also a wound. Set it right while you live — and your passage will be lighter; the community recalls this once and does not hold back.
  6. Return after the exit — through a new Covenant, aloud. This is not humiliation but the honesty of the word: the "no" was spoken aloud — and the "yes" is spoken aloud. The return is a feast.

Laying down the Covenant. The Covenant is not removed by silence, departure, or disappearance — only by word, just as publicly as it was taken. The dead are not "let out" and not excluded: the status ends with death naturally, the sending-off is the last record about the person, and there is no verdict in it.

The exit and the exclusion are different doors. The exit — by the word of the person himself, without explanations. The exclusion — against a person who creates wounds and refuses the debt of healing (see the disciplinary code); it removes the membership but leaves the Covenant: the door of the excluded opens by healing, and his return — by the procedure of restoration. Neither of the doors is locked.

3. Dedication into servants

3.1. The meaning of the mystery

Dedication into servants is the acknowledgment that a person is ready to take responsibility for leading gatherings and instructing the community. This is not power over others but service to the community.

Dedication into servants is a passage from the state of participant to the state of servant. Whoever is dedicated receives the duties to lead services, instruct others, and be an example for the community.

3.2. Preparation for the dedication

Preparation for dedication into servants consists of four parts:

Participation in the life of the community. The candidate must be an active member of the community for no less than one year. He must show a deep understanding of the values and faithfulness to the path.

Study of the liturgical documents. The candidate must study the Liturgical statute, the Prayer book, the Order of the mysteries, the Guide for servants, and other liturgical documents.

The practice of service. The candidate must practice leading parts of services under the guidance of an experienced servant. He must show the ability to lead services with dignity and respect.

A recommendation of servants. The candidate must receive a recommendation from one or several servants who can confirm his readiness for service.

3.3. The order

Dedication into servants takes place publicly before the gathering of the community.

The presentation of the candidate.

The servant presents the candidate to the community and announces his wish to be dedicated into servants. He briefly describes the candidate's preparation and his practice of service.

The testimonies of servants.

The servants who recommend the candidate speak with brief testimonies. They describe the candidate's preparation, his practice of service, and his readiness for service.

The public promise.

The candidate speaks the public promise:

"I, [name], promise to be a faithful servant of the Church of Unity. I promise to lead services with dignity and respect, to instruct the community with wisdom and love, to be an example in words and deeds, to follow the Echo of the One, to admit mistakes and correct them. I promise to serve the community, not myself, and to use service for the increase of completeness. This is my free choice, this is my path, this is my duty."

The pause of silence.

A short pause: the candidate silently confirms the decision, the community quiets down. Not meditation — simply silence before a step.

The vote of the community.

The members of the core of the community vote for the dedication of the candidate. Each member has one vote. The decision is considered accepted if no less than two thirds of the members of the core voted for it; at levels above the community the same share is voted by representatives (two thirds).

After the vote the servant announces the result:

"[Name], the community dedicates you into servants. Take this duty with dignity and serve faithfully."

3.4. The completion of the mystery

After the dedication the servant speaks the words of the community:

"[Name], service is not a rank but a duty by strength. Hold it openly: explain, do not decide for others, return the service when your strength ends. The community testifies."

The community greets the new servant. The mystery is complete.

3.5. The eight services

The general rite of dedication is one. What differs is the content of the preparation and that in which the oath is brought. The eight services:

  1. The Speaker — sendings-off and the Word. Preparation: no less than a year of gathering stories with a senior Speaker; the ability to keep silence in another's grief. The oath: "My word will be truth — without embellishment and without disparagement; the secrets of the gathered stories I will not give out."
  2. The Host — the Quiet Evening, the Evening of Unity, the minute of re-understanding. Preparation: practice under the guidance of a host; the ability to hold the minute — exactly a minute. The oath: "I am the frame, not the center."
  3. The Master of the Table — the Sunday table, the question of the week, the formulas of the beginning and the end. Preparation: the queue at the common table. The oath: "The table is laid for everyone; the food is simple; the table does not hide money."
  4. The Missionary — bringing to the One. Preparation: the missionary guide, the ethics of influence ("the hand of the doctor"). The oath: "Having brought a person, I will show how I did it — and teach to do the same for others."
  5. The Mentor — the path of the newcomer, preparation for the Covenant. Preparation: mentorship under a senior mentor. The oath: "I lead to independence, not to attachment to me."
  6. The Scribe — the register of the word, letters, documents of the community. Preparation: the writing of rules, work with the register. The oath: "I write as it was said; what was said in the circle will not leave the circle."
  7. The Gatherer of Gifts — the treasury, the annual report, the account of contributions by strength. Preparation: the financial statute, reporting. The oath: "Every gift I will name by the name of its giver, if he did not forbid; the secret of the giver I keep."
  8. The Chronicler — the annual report, the history of the community, the archive. Preparation: the rules of document flow. The oath: "I write history as it was — without embellishment and without disparagement."

Service is not a position. Service is confirmed by deed: a year without deeds of service — the service is removed by a talk, not by a court. One may combine two services, no more: service is not a distinguishing mark but a burden.

A passage from service to service — without a repeated rite: a talk with the community, preparation for the new service, a new oath at the end of an ordinary gathering.

4. The joining of union

4.1. The meaning of the mystery

The union is mutual debts of healing, taken by word, voluntarily and publicly. Not "a feeling sanctified by the community," not "a cell of society": people aloud take upon themselves the obligation to care for each other's wounds — and therefore this word lives in the Register of the word.

How the union differs from friendship — by volume and by everydayness. Friendship says: "I will help when you fall." The union says: "I will be near daily" — home, table, body, time, on a long horizon. Debts are of different volume; from this — any forms of union that hold on mutual word.

From this everything else is derived, not postulated:

The union — from two. A word to oneself — not a union but a vow; it lives in the diary, not in the Register.

Parents — those who raise. The word of the union does not create and does not abolish parenthood.

The maturity of consent. A "yes" of the immature is not a "yes" (the general frame of consent). Biological maturity and the acceptance of the One are sufficient: the difficulty of acceptance itself serves as a filter against psychological immaturity and irresponsibility. At the same time the church keeps to local laws and norms: where the state sets an age of legal capacity for a union, the community holds the same boundary. The registers are not to be mixed: in the union the canon looks at the maturity of consent; in the membership of the community — at the ability to bear responsibility; the state age the community holds by the same boundary in both cases.

Two spheres. The church word does not depend on the state: state registration — is neither required nor prohibited; inheritance, contracts, registration — the participants arrange as they agree. This is politics, not canon; the state acknowledges effects only for those unions it acknowledges — the church word does not become more valuable by this and does not become less by this.

4.2. Preparation

Preparation consists of three parts, for the whole composition — all participants equally.

A talk with the Mentor. The whole composition meets with the Mentor (or the Speaker): a talk about mutual expectations, about the wounds each carries, about the debts each takes. The Mentor tests the frame of consent — freedom, maturity, the absence of deceit — and does not decide "to be or not to be": they decide themselves.

The preparation of words. Each participant prepares his word — aloud. Not "an oath of faithfulness forever," but an honest answer to one question: "what I take and what I give." The words must be concrete and spoken by one's own.

The notification of the community. The composition announces its intention at a gathering and brings the union into the Register of the word — by a record for every taken word.

4.3. The rite

The rite takes place publicly, before the gathering of the community.

The gathering.

A gap for gathering and quieting — about a minute: not a ritual, but a passage from the noise of the street to the silence of the circle.

The presentation of the composition.

The servant presents the participants to the community and speaks a word about the union: the union is a community in miniature; here each other's wounds are healed first.

The words of the participants.

Each participant — around the circle, without "main" and "secondary" — speaks his word: what he takes and what he gives. An example:

"I, [name], take the word to be near daily. What is yours — let it hurt with me; what is mine — I will set right before you. I do not promise not to fall; I promise to heal. This is my free "yes": not bought and not frightened."

The test of exchange.

The servant asks each participant aloud: "Is this "yes" yours? What was it bought with?" The answer — in one's own words, before the circle. The circle keeps silence: this is not an interrogation but a frame.

The circle of gratitude.

The circle answers the union with gratitude — for the good the participants have already brought to the community; with wishes — without instructions.

The record and the table.

The words are brought into the Register of the word — by a line for each participant. The servant announces:

"[Names], the community heard your words and acknowledges your union. Keep the word — the circle is with you."

Then — the common table. The mystery is complete.

4.4. The completion

There is no blessing as a separate word: the circle has already said everything with gratitude. A prayer — by the choice of the composition, from the prayer book: "lead," "direct" — without "give."

4.5. The core and the circle

For compositions of different depth — two levels of acknowledgment, with separate words and separate lines in the Register:

The core — those who share the everydayness: home, table, body, time. The full rite, as above.

The circle — the close ones in a less dense bond: their own word, their own measure of daily debts, their own line. The circle is not lower than the core — it is of another depth: the measure of the word is determined by the volume of taken debts, not by status.

Both levels — are voluntary on both sides; the passage between the levels — by a new word, with a record in the Register.

4.6. When the word ends

The union holds on mutual "yes"es. About how the word is renewed, transformed, or laid down — see 4.7.

4.7. Divorce. Mediation

The task — is not to keep the union at any price and not to hasten the divorce, but so that the union ends healed: the charge of the event is determined by what it ended with.

The initiation. Any participant has the right to announce the wish to revise the word. This is not a statement and not a scandal — a request for a talk.

The mediation. The mediator — a servant, not a side (best of all the Speaker: his craft is others' stories without a court). Mediation is obligatory by procedure, free by outcome — and only where there is the common: children, household, common life in the circle. If there is nothing to divide — one talk of formalization. The mediator does not persuade to stay and does not push to part: he is a frame, not a coach. The term — from one talk to three months.

Four outcomes.

  1. The renewal of the word. The union continues — with a new word, aloud, with a record in the Register. A short rite at a gathering.
  2. The transformation of the union. The composition or depth changes (the core becomes the circle, the circle — the core, someone leaves the composition): re-formalization by words and lines, without a court over the past.
  3. An honest pause. A parting without a decision: the word is not laid down, both sides know that the pause is a pause. The pause is appointed with a term of revision — until a date or an event. A pause without a term — is not a pause but an escape that fears to name itself.
  4. The laying down of the word. Publicly, by symmetry with the entry: each names what he takes from the union in gratitude and what he returns. The circle answers with gratitude, not with a court.

One "no" — the word is laid down. The union holds on the "yes" of each; one "no" — the word is laid down: to hold a person in a word against his will — is violence. If within the term of revision no consent is found, the word is laid down at the demand of any side; the final talk is obligatory, the holding — is not.

Children — outside the bargain. The parental debt is not dissolved by divorce: "You may divorce a partner. With children there is no divorce." The child is not given to "choose a side": the community speaks with him simply, without advocacy.

The household after divorce. The former ones remain in one circle. The community does not choose a side; coalitions and whispering are prohibited (boundaries are public). If joint presence is impossible — the question is not "who is guilty" but "how do we organize the table": temporarily two shifts, if necessary. Property — by agreement; the mediator fixes, the community does not judge.

A repeated union — without limitations, but without lies about oneself: the new partner has the right to know the past.

Formulas: "A marriage ends not in a court but in a talk. Earlier — it does not end." "A pause is not a betrayal. The betrayal is a pause about which they keep silent." "How many people — so many words. No one will ask why you are three. We will ask one thing: is this "yes" yours?"

5. Children: from birth to the First Coming-out

5.0. The presentation of the newborn

The meaning. A child enters the world — the community meets him. This is not a mystery over a soul and not a dedication: the infant has chosen nothing. This is a promise of the community: we will accept him when he grows up and wants to walk himself. The child is not a member of the community; he is the child of his parents until he says his "yes."

How it happens. At the nearest Sunday table, after the meal.

  1. The word of the master of the table. "We have a new person. While he grows — we work: by the time of his age the world must become better than now."
  2. The name. The parents name the name aloud. The master repeats: "[Name]. Remember. In years he himself will tell us who this is."
  3. The promise of the circle. Whoever wants — lays on the tray near the child one thing: a note with a promise, an object, money for the child's future. Voluntarily; aloud it is not counted.
  4. The formula. The master of the table: "[Name], your place at this table exists. Come when you grow up."

The table continues. Nothing is played out beyond the meal.

If the infant died — before the presentation or after: the circle of grief by the rules of the sending-off (ch. 6) — without the Word, a short word of the parents. The name is pronounced always: a dead child has his own page, even if of one night.

5.1. The presentation of the child

The presentation of the child is the public acknowledgment of the child as cared-for by the community and the promise of the community to hold his boundary while he does not hold it himself. This is not baptism in the traditional sense and not acceptance into members: the child is not a member of the core and not a covenant one; he is a bearer of the inner world without legal capacity, under the care of the community. The word "blessing" is not used here: in the rite there is no address to the One — there are only the words of the community (see the decisions on the language of the rites).

The presentation of the child does not change his status: he is already part of the community. What changes is that the community says this aloud — and takes the word about care.

The distinction from 5.0. The presentation of the newborn (5.0) — a short frame at the table: the name and the place at the table. The presentation of the child (5.1–5.4) — the full rite with the promises of the parents and the community: for an older child, when the community takes the word about care aloud. This is one path in two steps, not two different mysteries.

5.2. Preparation for the presentation of the child

Preparation for the presentation of the child consists of two parts:

A consultation with the servant. The parents must meet with the servant to discuss the meaning of the mystery and the obligations. The servant helps the parents prepare for the mystery.

The notification of the community. The parents must notify the community of their intention to present the child to the community and invite the members of the community to the mystery.

5.3. The order

The presentation of the child takes place publicly before the gathering of the community.

The arrival and the greeting.

The parents with the child arrive at the place of the mystery. The participants greet each other, creating an atmosphere of unity and respect.

The gap and the quieting.

People gather, take their seats. When all are in place, the servant gives a short silence — about a minute: not a ritual, but a passage from the noise of the street to the silence of the circle.

The presentation of the child.

The servant presents the child to the community and announces the wish of the parents to present the child to the community. He briefly describes the hopes and expectations of the parents.

The promise of the parents.

The parents speak the promise:

"We, [the names of the parents], promise to care for [the name of the child], to love him/her, to teach him/her the path to the One, to be for him/her an example in words and deeds. We promise to support his/her development, to respect his/her freedom, to help him/her find his/her own path. This is our free choice, this is our path, this is our duty."

The promise of the community.

The servant speaks the promise of the community:

"The community of the Church of Unity promises to support [the name of the child] on his/her path to the One. We promise to be for him/her an example, to teach him/her, to help him/her, to respect his/her freedom. We promise to create a space where he/she can grow, learn, and develop. This is our free choice, this is our path, this is our duty."

5.4. The completion of the mystery

After the promises the servant speaks the words of the community:

"[Name of the child], we see you. Grow — the community is near. Your path is yours; our duty is to hold your boundary while you do not hold it yourself."

The community greets the child and the parents. The mystery is complete.

5.5. The First Coming-out (the declaration of the child)

The First Coming-out — the public declaration of the child: he himself, aloud, before the community says that he accepts the teaching and wants to walk with the community. This is not the circle of speakings and not a confession: the child does not repent — he declares his path. Repentance is the deed of adults, at the Evening of Unity; the declaration is the deed of the child, and its place is at the Sunday Table, in the common form where children are their own.

The First Coming-out is performed by the wish of the child and by the acknowledgment of the community.

How it happens:

  1. The wish of the child. The child himself says to the parents (or to those who raise him) that he wants to declare his path before the community. To force — one cannot: without the wish of the child there is no declaration.
  2. The consent of the community. The question is put before the community at the Sunday Table: is the child ready. Readiness is the ability to speak of one's decision in one's own words and answer questions honestly. The community answers with public discussion: it speaks of the child's readiness — what it saw, what it rejoiced at, what raises a question. The obstacle is one, as in the Covenant: "creates wounds and refuses the debt of healing" — if it is named, the preparation is postponed, and the community accompanies the child and the family. Readiness is acknowledged by the community: no one votes for the right of the child — the community names what it saw with its own eyes.
  3. Preparation (a month). One adult member — not a parent — meets with the child, so that the child can speak openly. He explains what a declaration is, what it means, and that it changes nothing in rights: the child remains cared-for; what changes is that his path became visible aloud.
  4. The First Coming-out. At the nearest Sunday Table the child is given the word. He speaks his declaration — in his own words, as he can: what he accepts, where he wants to go. The circle answers with gratitude and greeting — without an exam and without trials: the declaration is not judged, it is heard. From this evening the path of the child is manifest to the community; his status does not change: he is cared-for until his maturity and his Covenant.

What this gives: the child absorbs the main habit of the teaching — to speak of one's path aloud, among one's own, without fear, and to see that he is heard. An adult who grew with this habit does not know how to hide wounds: they are healed in him.

The boundaries: the child is not brought to the declaration against his will and not forced to say more than he can. At the table he sits as an equal with adults; the question of the week for him is still simplified — by age. Children do not come out at the Evening of Unity: the circle of speakings is a form of the legally capable.

6. The sending-off of the departed. The Speaker

6.1. The meaning of the mystery

The sending-off of the departed is the strongest mystery of the Church of Unity, because only here the teaching is seen whole. The dead does not vanish and does not wait for a judgment: before him — his own choice: to return or to re-live. The sending-off is our rehearsal of his re-living. The community gathers to show the dead aloud his whole life — to the last circle.

Whether the dead will return at once — the living are not given to know, and the sending-off does not guess about it: his deed, his choice. Our deed — to show him his whole life and not to forget ourselves.

The service of this mystery is called "the Speaker." The Speaker is not a priest and not a judge: he is a person who gathered the truth about the lived life and speaks it aloud — without embellishment and without disparagement. The sending-off happens to a person once — therefore they must be done properly.

The Speaker addresses the dead with "you": he does not tell about him, he speaks with him. By the teaching we know: now he does not hear us — and he will hear everything, from inside the One. We speak aloud not for him. We speak so as not to forget.

6.2. The Speaker

The Speaker — a servant of the word, set by the community. His deed — the truth about the lived life, not consolation.

The rule of service: the Speaker speaks only about those he knew in life. The full truth is gathered by common life; in the day between death and the sending-off only the visible will be gathered, and a Word out of the visible — is not a Word. Therefore the preparation of the Word begins in the life of the person — by his lifetime request (see below); either the Word is ready in advance, or it is not spoken. There are no urgent Words. A sending-off without a prepared Speaker — ordinary or small: the rite is not broken, but instead of the Word — the circle and silence. The Speaker does not work by an order from outside and does not serve for pay.

The duties of the Speaker:

The request for a Speaker. A person may in life ask the community to appoint him a Speaker — this is care for the near ones: the family at the sending-off must not gather his stories bit by bit in grief. The request is recorded in the community. The lifetime request — the only door to the Word: if the person did not ask and did not live near the community, a Speaker is not appointed, and the sending-off goes without the Word — the circle and silence (see the rule of service above). The meaning is one in both cases: the full truth is gathered by common life, there are no urgent Words.

6.2-a. While the person is alive

The sending-off does not begin after death. The last window of reparation — in life, and this window is dearer than any words after. The community does not wait for the sending-off to begin seeing off.

The first talk. After the news of a grave illness — by the call of the person or the near ones. The person himself decides how much truth to speak to him and whom to call: both a lie ("everything will be well") and an imposed truth — are a distortion of the lived life. The servant does not make it more painful for him and does not console with falsehood — he asks: "Whom do you wish to call?"

The Speaker comes before death. That Speaker who will lead the sending-off gathers the story in life, while the person can speak: this is both the preparation of the Word and work with the debts. The Speaker asks: "Whom do you wish to call, to close?" — and helps to call: meetings, calls, reparations the person wants to manage. What was set right in life is called set-right at the sending-off — by the order of repentance, the charge is determined by what it ended with.

The circle at the bedside. By the wish of the dying: guests, a talk, a prayer from the prayer book, the right to keep silence near. Beside the silent one the others speak and must speak: words do not vanish — they are brought into the One by the one who said them.

We have no last anointing — because there is no need. Faith does not save; the retribution is one for all — for the faithful and for the atheist. At the bedside of the dying we have nothing to sell and nothing to demand. We are simply near. If the dying one speaks of leaving — not a prohibition and not a sermon: a talk about debts ("let us close them, then decide").

We do not replace the doctors. Pain relief — always; prayer instead of treatment is not substituted and not encouraged: prayer — for direction ("lead me"), treatment — the deed of hands. The community helps by deed: shifts at the bedside by strength (not a duty), food, children, documents for the family.

Records — with consent. Words, audio, records of the dying are gathered during his life with his consent — and by the same consent may be withdrawn. After death the gathered serves the Word.

The care of the Speaker. The one who goes to the dying for weeks is himself a bearer and himself is wounded. The Speaker has the right to his own Speaker; burnout — is not a shame (the question of the diary: "does this pain heal me or hide my wound?"). A servant to whom it is forbidden to be weak will begin to conceal — and the secret at once ceases to be care.

Strangers and unbelievers. Accompaniment — to anyone who called: a neighbor, an atheist, a person of another faith; the hand of the doctor is not selective. Distinguish the doors: the accompaniment of the living — to anyone who called; the Word at the sending-off — only by the lifetime request and with the knowledge of the person (see 6.2). We do not replace another's ceremony (see 6.6). After death — an ordinary sending-off: the gathered story is already ready.

The formula: "Do not say to the dying 'hold on'. Ask: whom do you wish to call?"

6.3. Preparation

Preparation for the sending-off consists of four parts.

The gathering of stories. The Speaker meets with the near ones, the pupils, the friends, with those the person helped, and — where possible — with those to whom he caused pain. Stories, letters, deeds are gathered. By the rule of the canon the influence of a person is always wider than what is seen. The Speaker seeks also the unknown good of the departed — people whom he helped without knowing it.

The truth of wounds. The Speaker does not pass a verdict: he distinguishes the wound, the debt, and the correction. What was set right in life is called set-right — by the order of repentance, the charge is determined by what it ended with. The unhealed is called unhealed — without shame: we do not shame, we heal; shame — is a second wound over the first.

The place. Quiet, clean, with the circle and the point in the center. No pomp: the sending-off — is about the lived life, not about a ceremony.

The Word. The Speaker writes the Word about the life — a text for 15–20 minutes. Not an obituary: not a list of dates and positions, but an answer to one question — who this person was and what remained after him.

6.4. The order

The sending-off takes place publicly, before the gathering of the community and all who came.

The circle.

The participants stand or sit in a circle. The servant lights the light by the circle with the point and speaks:

"We gathered around [name]. His/her body finished the path. What he/she did — no. What [name] did does not die: it is not lost — it will join into the One, whole, to the last circle — sooner or later, by his choice."

The gap before the beginning.

From ten to fifteen minutes people gather and sit. This is not a part of the rite but simply time: to arrive, to sit down, to quiet after the road. The rite begins when the Speaker lights the light by the circle.

The Word of the Speaker.

The Speaker speaks the Word about the life. The Word is built of three parts:

The first part — "How he came." With what wounds the person lived, what fell to his lot, what he did not choose. This is not an excuse — this is a map: we show where he began.

The second part — "What he did." The whole life: good without exaggeration, wounds without omission. Who became warmer from him and who suffered. What he set right — and what remained unhealed. The Speaker holds one measure: he speaks of this person as he would of any of us.

The third part — "What he became for us." The circles of his influence in the community: in whom his deed, his words, his habits live. Who is obliged to him — and did not know it.

The circles.

The Speaker invites the community: everyone who wants names his own: what the departed left him — in one phrase: "You did such-and-such, and in me from this such-and-such." The phrase is spoken into the circle — not for a dispute. Honesty is obligatory: both "thank you" and "I am in your debt" — all is accepted without dispute.

The word to the dead.

The Speaker speaks the word in the second person — on behalf of all:

"[Name]. You do not hear us now — and you will hear everything. Everything we said you will hear from inside us: from inside those you helped and those to whom you caused pain. You now have your own choice: to return or to re-live. We do not know what you will choose, and this is yours. Having chosen re-living, you will hear everything said here from inside us — by all that you did. We do not let you go: we thank you and return you to yourself. What is set right is no longer a wound. The unhealed — is re-lived. A door without a corridor. Go."

The pause and the table.

Silence from five to ten minutes. After it the community sits at the common table: the sending-off ends with a meal, because death — is not a reason to abandon the living. At the table they speak of the deeds of the departed and of their own: what each intends to finish — in his honor or in his stead. An unfinished deed of the departed, taken by someone of the community — is the best memory: the deed continues by hands.

6.5. The anniversary of the sending-off

Once a year, on the day of the sending-off, the community remembers the departed in its own way — at the Quiet Evening or at the table.

The order (short, without a rite):

  1. The circle. Those who want sit in a circle. The Speaker (or the host) sets the light by the circle.
  2. The word of five minutes. A passage of the Word of the Speaker is read — one part by the choice of the near ones (in the first year — "What he did," further — whichever they ask).
  3. New circles. Everyone who wants says in one phrase: what grew from what he did in this year — what of his deed lives, who touched him through others.
  4. A deed in memory. On the anniversary it is right to do one deed in his memory — to finish what he began, to help where he helped. The deed is not shown and not counted.
  5. The table. Memory ends with food — as everything in the community.

The anniversary — is not an obligation. The near ones decide themselves whether to mark it; the community comes if invited.

6.6. The dead is not a member of the community

If a person near to a member of the community died — a parent, a friend, a neighbor — and he himself was not a member and did not call a Speaker:

6.7. The passage of the Head of the Church

The departure of the founder or the Head of the Church — a sending-off by the full rite of this chapter plus the church frame (the order of the passage of power — in the Regulation of the Council).

From the first day after the sending-off until the election of a successor:

Forty days — is not mysticism but a term: enough for all the communities of the network to arrive, and short enough that the question does not hang.

The small sending-off. If there is no body (a person vanished, perished far away), the rite is the same; the Word of the Speaker is spoken in the circle where an empty place is left. The ignorance of circumstances does not annul what was done.

Children at the sending-off. Children are present always: they are told the truth by age — "his life did not end: everything he did to people will return to him — sooner or later, by his choice." A child who grew with this rite does not fear death: he fears to remain un-lived. And so it should be.

7. The mystery of reconciliation

7.1. The meaning of the mystery

The mystery of reconciliation is the public acknowledgment of a conflict, the reconciliation of the sides, and the restoration of harmony in the community. This is not simply a formality but a spiritual action that helps the participants overcome division and restore unity.

The mystery of reconciliation is a passage from the state of conflict to the state of harmony. The sides admit their mistakes, forgive each other, and renew their relations on the basis of respect and creation.

7.2. Preparation for the mystery

Preparation for the mystery of reconciliation consists of four parts:

The acknowledgment of the conflict. The sides must acknowledge that a conflict exists that requires resolution. They must be ready for reconciliation, not for victory over the other side.

A consultation with the servant. The sides must meet with the servant to discuss the conflict and prepare for the mystery. The servant helps the sides prepare and ensures the justice of the process.

The preparation of promises. Each side must prepare its promises, the acknowledgment of its responsibility, the apology for the caused pain, the obligation of restoring the relations.

The notification of the community. If the conflict touches the community, the sides must notify the community of their intention to hold the mystery of reconciliation and invite the members of the community to the mystery.

7.3. The order

The mystery of reconciliation takes place publicly before the gathering of the community or in the presence of witnesses.

The arrival and the greeting.

The sides arrive at the place of the mystery. The participants greet each other, creating an atmosphere of respect and openness.

The gap and the quieting.

People gather, take their seats. When all are in place, the servant gives a short silence — about a minute: not a ritual, but a passage from the noise of the street to the silence of the circle.

The acknowledgment of the conflict.

The servant invites each side to acknowledge the conflict. Each side briefly describes its point of view, without accusing the other side.

The acknowledgment of responsibility.

Each side acknowledges its responsibility for the conflict. Each side speaks:

"I acknowledge that my actions/words contributed to the conflict. I acknowledge that I [concrete actions/words]. I acknowledge my responsibility and am ready to correct my mistakes."

The forgiveness.

Each side releases the debt of the other side. Each side speaks:

"Your repayment is yours; I do not carry your offense further. For [concrete actions/words] I release the offense and am ready to restore our relations on the basis of respect and creation."

The promises of reconciliation.

Each side speaks its promises of reconciliation:

"I, [name], promise to respect [the name of the other side], to be honest in our relations, to strive for understanding and harmony. I promise not to repeat [concrete mistakes] and to work on the restoration of trust. I promise to follow the Echo of the One in our relations. This is my free choice, this is my path, this is my duty."

The acknowledgment of reconciliation.

The servant announces:

"[Name] and [name] have reconciled. The community acknowledges their reconciliation and the restoration of harmony. May their relations be based on respect, honesty, and creation. The community wishes them a path in respect and honesty."

7.4. The completion of the mystery

After the acknowledgment of reconciliation the servant speaks the words of the community:

"[Name] and [name], your reconciliation is your repair, made by your own hands. The community testifies and will not forget."

The community greets the reconciled sides. The mystery is complete.

Conclusion

The order of the mysteries is a description of the rites through which the community marks important moments in the life of its members and in the community itself. The mysteries are not magic rituals; they are a way to mark a passage, create a point of support in the flow of time, and strengthen the Echo of the One.

The mysteries are a game for memory and heart. They help remember what matters, recall the goal, join hearts. But the mysteries do not replace creation; they only support it.

The mysteries are not a demand upon the One. The One does not answer with a voice and does not bargain: the words of the rite do not vanish — they return with you. A mystery is a way to attune yourself to the Echo of the One, to hear it more clearly and follow it more honestly.

Use these mysteries honestly and consciously. May they become not mere rituals but guides to action. May every mystery lead not to form but to essence, to creation, to knowledge, to harmony.

The matter is not in rituals — in true steps.