Verdant Truth

(Before we begin, I just want to put out to any people that this is purely fictional, and I don't want to sound weird if you think it is weird or pagan or anything. This is just a thing I made up, so it goes with my Star Reader) The Rite of Verdant Truth is more of a ceremony planting. It is a sacred planting ceremony practiced exclusively by adherents of Veritas, the divine embodiment of celestial truth. Celebrated each spring beneath the first full moon after the equinox, this ritual marks the beginning of the growing season, a time when clarity, intention, and divine insight converge in the soil. Only those devoted to Veritas may participate, and each moment within the rite is considered spiritually significant. The ceremony unfolds in a consecrated ring of freshly tilled earth, known as the Circle of Knowing, where the Star Reader—Veritas’s chosen interpreter—leads the ritual. The planters, respectfully titled the Hands of Truth, stand ready to serve. Before any planting begins, participants cleanse their hands in Clarity Draught, a basin of moonlit water infused with ivy leaves. This act symbolizes purification of motive, ensuring that only truth-guided intentions will enter the soil. Once cleansed, the Star Reader lifts their gaze to the heavens and performs a Reading of the Stars. Through this divination, they determine which seeds are cosmically favored for the season. These choices guide both the crop selection and how the resulting harvest will be used in the year to come. Following the reading, the blessed seeds are held aloft, passing briefly through moonlight. For each seed, the Star Reader speaks the sacred mantra: “From Veritas, through me, to the earth.” This invocation aligns each planting with divine clarity. The ritual continues as a crescent-shaped symbol, representing Veritas, is drawn in white ash at the center of the Circle. Seeds must be planted within this symbol for their growth to be recognized as sanctified. The ceremony concludes with a quiet communion feast, where participants share a simple meal made only from the previous year's harvest. No spices or embellishments are permitted; the food must be consumed in its purest form, honoring Veritas’s insistence on authenticity. Through this rite, followers reaffirm their spiritual stewardship of both the land and their inner truth. To plant in the Circle of Knowing is to declare one’s readiness to cultivate honesty, guided by the stars and sustained by the soil.