Mathic World

First Appearance and Context

The mathic world denotes the social and institutional life within the walls, contrasted with the worldly realm outside in the Sæculum (the secular world). The term is used in reference works and everyday speech to frame how cloistered practice differs from outside customs and authorities.

Concept and Description

The mathic world comprises avout (cloistered scholars) living under a shared Discipline (rule set for avout) within walled communities often called concents (walled mathic communities). Life emphasizes restrained devices, study, liturgy, and craft within cloistered grounds. Formal discourse commonly uses Orth (formal mathic language) intramuros (inside the walls) and may shift to vernacular speech extramuros (outside the walls) when needed. Accounts note that its view of time can differ markedly from extramuros perspectives.

Use in Current Discourse

Reports describe how the mathic world operates when exceptional travel is ordered: - Under a Convox (large assembly of avout), many Evoked avout assemble and travel together so they can preserve elements of the Discipline while on Peregrin (sanctioned journey). Participants frequently note that such a Convox is political by nature and that decisions emerge from compromise. - Plenary sessions (full‑assembly addresses) may be called so that everyone hears the same announcement; rules are sometimes relaxed and recorded “speelies” are shown to convey events of common concern. - At large Convox gatherings, avout refer to the presence of Sæcular “Panjandrums” (senior officials) alongside mathic hierarchs, underscoring the joint Mathic/Sæcular interface during extraordinary periods.

Practices and Gate Customs

• Gatekeepers at cloistered walls sometimes deliver a formal warning that entry is into “a world that is not your own,” followed by a requirement to swear a vow (pledge not to depart) before admission. This formula is said to date back to Cartas (revered reformer).
• There are variations in the Discipline from one math to the next, so practices may differ across communities.
• Guests from the Sæculum may be admitted to lodge in a separate guest house set apart from the cloister. Hosts often brief newcomers on mathic etiquette (expected conduct inside the walls). Outside goods and devices may be kept in the guest area and left behind when joining communal activities.

Boundaries and gray areas

Some cloistered communities outwardly resemble maths but state they are not maths under the Discipline. One example is a walled community at Orithena, where a Lineage (very old tradition) maintains avout‑like tools and customs and (by report) “pretends” to be a math for clarity when interacting with outsiders, while remaining dedicated to its work. Such cases highlight the cultural boundary of the mathic world and its neighbors.

Governance and cooperation with the Sæculum

• Certain sites tied to cloistered work are administered by foundations with mixed Mathic/Sæcular boards of governors (joint oversight). Accounts emphasize durable bylaws and carefully controlled visitor access.
• At Tredegarh, the Inviolateness of the Precipice (granite escarpment and working clock) is attributed to a standing arrangement between the mathic world and the Sæcular Power (outside‑world authority). Speakers also describe tunnels beneath the rock used for storage of nuclear waste, underscoring the practical stakes behind the pact.
• Cultural perception can lag reality: people in the mathic world are said to think of Tredegarh as a “woodsy retreat,” even though the surrounding grounds include arboretums, lawns, and nearby Sæcular houses.

Related Concepts and Affiliations

• Counterpart: the Sæculum, the worldly realm outside the walls.
• Inhabitants and language: avout and Orth as the formal register.
• Extraordinary assemblies: Convox.

Current Status

A Convox centered at Tredegarh is receiving avout from many concents, with formal inductions and shared briefings bringing disparate maths into coordinated work while maintaining mathic customs during travel and assembly.