Authentism

Authentism (Russian: Аутентизм), incorporated as the Tezaurus Non-Confessional Spiritual Union (Внеконфессиональный Духовный Союз "Тезаурус"), is a Rodnover new spiritual philosophy and psychological order originally founded in 1984 by Sergey Petrovich Semenov (b. 1952) in Saint Petersburg.[1] Members of the order are called Tezaurians, and they prefer not to qualify Authentism as a "religion", but rather as a "worldview".[2] The term "Authentism" derives from the Latin word authenticus, meaning "authentic, self-made, self-consistent". According to the doctrine, authenticity is acquired when one discovers his true divine nature, God-given and immortal.[2]

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The star symbol found on Authentism's books.

Beliefs

The Authentist movement is based on the teachings of the Russian Veda (Русской Веды), considered an expression of Slavic paganism, Russian cosmism and psychoanalysis. The aim of the philosophical practice is to reveal one's own true spiritual essence, which is identical with God, Rod — which is viewed as the complementary unity of Belobog/Sventovid and Chernobog/Veles — and therefore the unity of mankind and God, which characterises Russia's special mission opposed to Western individualism.[1]

History

Sergey Petrovich Semenov was born in Saint Petersburg in 1952, and graduated in 1976 at the First Pavlov State Medical University of St. Petersburg, then First Medical Institute of Leningrad.[2] In 1984, Semenov founded the "Studio of Psychic Culture", which one year later was transformed into the Mir club. The club was engaged in the dissemination of the Authentist ideas and published samizdat literature. In 1987 the club was closed by authorities, according to Semenov for its engagement in politics, and continued in informal ways. The original club had members focused on both ethnic Russian and Jewish cultures, organised respectively in the "Rus'" and "Sinai" subgroups. In 1989 the two groups diverged, and Semenov made a choice in favour of the "Rus'", which eventually developed into "Tezaurus". While Tezaurus is not registered as a religious organisation by the Russian government, in the 1990s it established educational, medical and political structures, all of which are recognised by the government.[2]

See also

References
  1. Popov 2016, Новые российские религии / New Russian religions.
  2. Alekseev 1999.

Bibliography
  • Alekseev, Vadim (1999). "Тезаурус" [Tezaurus] (PDF). In Shchipkov, A. V. (ed.). Петербургское язычество: сб. ст [Paganism in Petersburg. Collection of Articles] (PDF) (in Russian). Saint Petersburg: Apostolic City. ISBN 593112005X. Archived from the original on 3 November 2019.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • Popov, Igor (2016). Справочник всех религиозных течений и объединений в России [The Reference Book on All Religious Branches and Communities in Russia] (in Russian).CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
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