Like many religions, there are some terms and titles which are specific to The Assemblage of Areté. As you spend time with us, you may encounter some of these words and phrases.
Religion
Aretéanism
Areté (pronounced: ahr-uh-tay) is the Greek word for the virtue of excellence in all things, which we aspire to.
Organization
The Assemblage of Areté
An assemblage is the act of assembling, rather than an assembly itself. As an organization we will always be assembling new people of areté, so we are an assemblage rather than a completed assembly.
Adherents & Members
Aretéan
This externally used term describes anyone who believes in the foundational principles of Areté: The Three Tenets, The Six Qualities, The Thirty Aims, The Four Stages of Human Consciousness, The Scientific Method, and the use of ritual to cement commitment to these principles.
Hero
Internally, we refer to Aretéans in general, and Aretéans who are members of The Assemblage of Areté specifically, as "heroes". The word hero originally refers to the characters from ancient Greek mythology who were of such outstanding attributes that they pushed the bounds of mortality, becoming almost godlike. We believe that humans can be people of Areté, both individually and collectively; and the members of our religion take on sincere vows to pursue their own heroic destiny.
Congregation
Village
The Assemblage of Areté organizes the world into villages. Villages are groups of people who are geographically near to each other, who will congregate together. By spending time with our physical neighbors, we are able to build stronger communities and be present and active in the world around us.
Kindred
Aretéanism is a belief structure for the modern era, and we recognize that defining our associations and loyalties by biological ties is an arbitrary and often harmful social norm. Rather than focus on family units that not all people have, or which may be unhealthy for some people, The Assemblage of Areté focuses on what we call "kindred". Kindred are the people that you have chosen to be close to in your life, and with whom your life is intricately involved. While family members may often be in one's kindred, they might not necessarily be, and non-family members are frequently among those we consider kindred. By thinking of our kin before our blood-relatives, we keep our focus on the powerful element of choice we each possess in our lives.
Sunday Meeting and Services
Convocation
The word convocation means a meeting of those called together. Each week we are called together to strengthen our commitments to be excellent, to ourselves and to each other.
Meeting Location
Locus (Plural: Loci)
Locus is the Latin word for an exact, specific place. We believe in being mentally and emotionally present in all of our lives, and calling our meeting spaces loci reminds us to be especially present in the particular spaces we are each in.
Leaders
Narrator
We believe that leadership is service, and that heroes need narrators to turn their stories into the epics they ought to be. Narrators serve by directing the flow of our convocations, and the general business of each village.
Supreme Mugwump
The chief executive of The Assemblage of Areté for both administrative and religious affairs is called the Supreme Mugwump. While the term mugwump comes from Algonquin for "great chief", its modern usage is considered somewhat comical for English speakers due to its sound. Heroes of Areté take advantage of both meanings—while the position deserves some respect, mindless obedience to the Supreme Mugwump is laughable.
Closing Call and Response
"Be excellent to each other... ...and party on!"
Originally heard in the 11,989 HE film "Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure", the saying is portrayed as a farewell blessing for people in a future society that has achieved enlightenment, thanks to the sincere music of Bill and Ted. While the film might be a juvenile comedy to some, the saying perfectly conveys the hopes heroes of our assemblage have: to seek areté, and enjoy life!
When any speech is given in the context of an Aretéan gathering, the speaker indicates to their listeners that they have finished speaking by saying, “Be Excellent to Each Other…” to which the listeners enthusiastically respond: “and Party On!”
This call and response is also often used as a means of farewell, along with hand salutes. In social media communication, the hashtag #BETEOAPO is often used as an acronym. Sometimes the acronym is said out loud, in which case it is pronounced: beh-tee-oh-ah-poh.