Teoism
Teoism is a philosophical or religious tradition of Nepantian origin which is centered around the concept of Teotl. The teotl was a fundamental concept in most Nepantian religions, but as a Mystery only studied by priests and scholars. In Teoism however, it became a central aspect of their religious philosophy as the source and pattern of all that exist, an energy, or “movement”, provoking and symbolizing the unity and constant change of time and space. This Teotl is generated by the Unknown God, the “Fundamentally One”, “Ruler of the External and Internal Rings of the World”, whom is thus the Creator of Time and the Universe.
The roots of Teoism goes back to the 16th century, with the reign of Nezahualocelotl, tlatoani of Acolhuan, whom was, even during his lifetime, revered as a King-philosopher and grand patron of sciences and the arts. He also built a temple dedicated to an Unknown God and greatly promoted this new cult that distinguished itself from other Nepantian movements by not practicing human or animal sacrifices. This early religion would lose its privilegied position after Nezahualocelotl’s death and become a minor cult among many others.
Nonetheless, in 1650 a priest of the Unknown God, Tepicoyotl, wrote a compilation of songs called the "Secret Teachings of the Tlamacazqui". These songs, many of which are attributed either to Nezahualocelotl or Tepicoyotl, described the nature of divinehood, and how the gods are really merely aspects of a greater energy, the Teotl. While widely accepted by the Nepantian clergy, it was the first time these ideas were put into a form easily understandable by commoners and non-clercs. Worst still, he considered that there was no other god than the Unknown God, who was the sole being responsible for the creation and motion of Teotl. Everything else was merely aspect of the Teotl, be it gods, trees, or humans. Despite persecution, Tepicoyotl managed to form a number of disciples, who then continued to spread his ideas and songs in secret.
Today, it is very difficult to know exactly how many Teoists practitioners there are or even how many currents exist within the religion. Centuries of secrecy have made their movements difficult to grasp for official institutions. It has known a regain of popularity in Nepantia following the creation of the Coalition of Coconeh Calpotlin, as the religious persecutions known as the "Anti-Drugs Campaigns" relatively spared the Teoists because of their way of life and organization. Even if some masters and practitioners were caught, none of the religious structures were profoundly harmed, contrary to other cults who required a very hierarchized clergy and public ceremonies and sacrifices. Teoism also spread thourough the Daeshan Ocean and communities can be found in Koh-Jeol and Pavirata. In the latter, they are also under heavy persecutions, and live in similar conditions to their Calpullali brethren.
History
Tepicoyotl is traditionally regarded as the first priest and philosopher (tlamatini) to develop a purely Teoist theology. But the conceptions of the universe, of the arts, poetry, ethics, and metaphysics are very close to that of his time. In fact, while the “pure monotheism”, abandoning the dual nature of the primordial god, he developed was shocking for his contemporary, what truly made him the target of the rest of the Azcapotzalco clergy was his idea that to truly be virtuous, commoners and worshippers had to understand the nature of Teotl and of the universe. Even if they did not study both physics and metaphysics, as well as ethics and morale, they had to understand the underlying principles of it to fully harmonize themselves with the Teotl.
Beyond this, the core elements of Teoism were already present in Azcapotzalco during Tepicoyotl’s time : from debates on the immanent or transcending nature of the Teotl, on dualism, Monism, esthetic, the sense of life… to develop his teachings Tepicoyotl could count on a dense collection of written works and long oral tradition of philosophy developed since the First Tulla and that had known a real rebirth under the rule of Nezahualocelotl the Poet-King.
Teoist “legends” say that Tepicoyotl formed 56 disciples, all of whom continued his work of spreading the knowledge of Teotl and of the Unknown God to the population despite the opposition of the clergy and of the authorities.
After Tepicoyotl death, two movements started to emerge inside the secret cult, generally dubbed the “revealed” and the “occult” movements. The former focused on communal study of the Teotl and worship of the Unknown God through the help of a priest-teacher, and was mostly focused on the spreading of “the truth” to the masses. The latter took inspirations from the Nepantian shamanic traditions, with an individual dedication to magic, medicine, divination and ecstatic wanderings.
During the 19th century, Teoism returned to the forefront as other cults slowly fell from graces and some Nezahualids Huehuetlatoani decided to imitiate their prestigious ancestor, Nezahualocelotl, and support the Cult of Unknown God. Before the Flowers and Clouds Revolution, a small but important group of reformators was openly Teoist and tried to encourage the Huehuetlatoani and his court to instigate deep reforms to religion and social practices, in accord with Teoist principles such as the abandon of human and animal sacrifices, of religious self-harm, and other violent practices. Even if this group failed to instigate any meaningful change, the second half of the century was nonetheless a prosperous period for the Teoists, whom could openly gather in public ceremonies, have their masters meet and discuss without the risk of arrestation, and write down compilation of their numerous interpretations and commentaries of Tepicoyotl’s teachings.
The Thousand Colors War was a difficult period for the religion, but even moreso was the victory of the Calpullists and their “Anti-Drug Campaigns” aiming to get rid of the Opium of the People. Many teachers and texts were lost, and Teoism returned to illegality and secrecy. Today, Teoist groups operate openly in Koh-Jeol, where small communities have managed to form, and in Othaea where an estimated 600,000 Teoists practitioners have found refuge. But groups are present all around the Daeshan Sea : in Keiyan, Pavirata, and even the Calpotlin Coalition still.
Doctrines
Teoism opposed the Dialectical monism proper to Nahuatl philosophy and instead prefered a purely Monist view, where the Unknown God replace Ometeotl as the central figure of their cosmology. Most, if not all, Teoists schools since Tepicoyotl hold Panentheist views.
The Unknown God
Central figure of the religion, the Unknown God is explained differently depending on the school. He is either the soul of the universe, the universal spirit present everywhere transcending all things it created, or the original creative will. It is however, universally considered to be both Immanent and transcendent.
Historically, the title of "Lord of the Outer and Inner Rings of the Universe" is associated to the Unknown God, but also to Ometeotl which may point out to them still being considered to be a single entity at the time of Nezahualocelotl. But each has since become a distinct figure of either Teoism or of the Traditional Tepanec Religion (TTR).
Teotl
In the Traditional Tepanec Religion (TTR), Teotl is a term often translated as "god" or "divine", but which hold more abstract aspects as it's capable of designing natural forces of the universe or a divine energy that can coalesce in certain beings or objets, creating gods, miracles, and avatars in the process. Teoists meanwhile, understand the word as a verb, meaning the continuous process of transformation and reformation of the universe which is essentially an unstructured and unordered, seamless totality given sense and meaning in the eye of humanity by the action of the Teotl and its regularity, explaining the cyclical nature of the seasons, of the days, ties, and other natural phenomenons. Since Tepicoyotl, it is taught that the Teotl is generated by the "movements" of the Unknown God and is how mankind can perceive Him.