Principles

Principles, also known as Aspects, are the underlying powers of the world. Each embodies a complex set of symbols, concepts, and elements, and are present to some degree in almost everything in the Secret Histories universe, from the things most mundane to the highest mysteries of the Invisible World. Each of the Hours has influence over one or more Principles - but no more than three, in most cases.

The exact nature or source of Principles is unknown and debated among adepts: some suggest principles are just generalizations of the Hours' acts, some that principles are dispersion of the Glory-light or the Wood-shroud, and still others claim that principles have a nature of their own.

By aligning oneself to a specific principle, and with the support or patronage of an appropriate Hour, mortals can undergo a process to become an immortal Long. While their path of ascension may vary based on the presiding Hour, Long are categorized primarily by the aspect they invoked, which determines the details of their immortality and current form, such as how Lantern-Long give up their physical bodies to dwell as spirits in the Mansus.

There are eight standard Principles: Lantern, Forge, Edge, Winter, Heart, Grail, Moth, and Knock. Secret Histories is often counted as a ninth Principle, though its status is intentionally ambiguous and often disputed due to its apparent difference - while all others can be described as "forces", or "drives", and have distinctive practices related to them, Secret Histories seem to exist only as theoretical knowledge.

Nine Principles

Lantern is the Principle of the Glory, heavily associated with light, knowledge, and truth. It is heavily tied to the gods-from-Light, though other Hours also embody some element of its power.

Forge is the Principle of transformation and destruction, found in the applications of fire and the practice of alchemy.

Edge is the Principle of conflict and struggle, of violence and victory. The Hours of Edge are locked in an internal struggle with one another known as the Corrivality.

Winter is the Principle of death, memory, and silence. It is one of the aspects most closely tied to the dark, mysterious realm of Nowhere.

Heart is the Principle of life and motion, found in the beating of thunder, the beating of drums, the beating of the heart. It is often called upon for protection and preservation.

Grail is the Principle of birth and blood, focused on temptation, desire, and hunger.

Moth is the Principle of the Wood, wild and chaotic, erratic, and impulsive. It is another aspect close to Nowhere, which exists below the edges of the dark Wood.

Knock is the Principle which Opens, associated with the uncovering of secrets and hidden things. It commonly acts as an intermediary aspect, connecting the Wake to the Mansus and overseeing all forms of passage.

Secret Histories is unique among the Principles, focused on the study of the five Histories and their thousand demi-real branches.

Powers

Powers are a concept introduced in Book of Hours, a set of thirteen different occult aspects which are recognized by scholars of the Invisible Arts and can be utilized in some form by the Librarian. They include eight of the Principles from Cultist Simulator—Lantern, Forge, Edge, Winter, Heart, Grail, Moth, and Knock—and five “New/Old” aspects which are exclusive to Book of Hours—Sky, Moon, Nectar, Scale and Rose. Notably, Secret Histories, the contested ninth principle of Cultist Simulator, is absent.

The developer has stated that the distinction between “Powers” and “Principles” is intentional, leading to speculation as to how these different aspects affect the previous understanding and interpretations of occult forces in the Secret Histories Universe.

Sky is the old power of the lower heavens, presiding over music and weather, mathematics and order. It is implied to be aligned with the forces of Eternity in support of the current hierarchy of existence, though in a manner that emphasizes harmony and tranquility.

Scale embodies the ancient forces of the earth and what lies buried beneath. Its name appears to be a reference to the old phrase “Worms of a Scale”, denoting those aligned with the forces of History against the Eternal rule of the Hours.

Moon is the power of secrets, the sea, and the night. It also appears heavily associated with the House of the Moon.

Nectar represents the forces of nature and the wild. It is the only one of the New/Old Powers explicitly stated to have once been a principle, then known as Blood. Presumably this was the principle superseded by Heart, and which the ink Marakat draws its color from.

Rose functionally appears very similar to Secret Histories as an aspect of discovery and exploration. Its symbol and name are a reference to a compass rose.

Apollonian and Dionysian

Many of the Principles appear tied to Apollonian and Dionysian concepts (the distinction is semi-official and never used within the game itself - but is used by AK). The Apollonian represents ideas such as logic, order, and reason, while the Dionysian is tied to instinct, chaos, and passion. This can be seen in the structure of the Mansus, with the Glory at the top representing the “higher” pursuit of Apollonian ideals juxtaposed against the Wood, which embodies the Dionysian.

Grail, Moth, and Heart are very clearly Dionysian Principles, focused on emotions, instinct, and primal urges. A number of Hours share some combination of these aspects and are almost all Hours of the Wood. They are also the Principles used in Cultist Simulator to upgrade Passion to the highest tier.

Lantern and Forge are similarly very obviously Apollonian in nature. Lantern is the principle of the Glory, and the Forge of Days herself is one of the original gods-from-Light, with her aspect now shared with several Children of the Sun. Winter and Edge, while less obvious, also appear to be Apollonian in nature, and alongside Lantern and Forge are among the aspects used in Cultist Simulator to upgrade Reason to the highest Tier.

Knock is often presented as being somehow transcendent or above the other Principles. All other principles subvert into it, and it is the only one that can be used in Cultist Simulator to upgrade both Reason and Passion. As such, it seems to exist outside of the Apollonian/Dionysian dichotomy.

Secret Histories may be Apollonian in nature, as it is an aspect focused on knowledge and can also be used in Cultist Simulator to upgrade Reason. However, its special status among the Principles and limited representation among the Hours makes it difficult to be certain.

For the New/Old Powers, Sky and Rose appear to be Apollonian in nature (the developer has even referred to Rose as "Apollonian Moth") while Scale and Nectar appear to be Dionysian as chthonic, earthly powers. Where Moon falls on this spectrum is uncertain.

Precursor Aspects

It was long theorized that the Principles are not static forces that have existed always in their current form. This has since been confirmed by an entry in the Weather Factory Catalog which makes reference to an aspect which once occupied the place of Heart, and reinforced in Book of Hours with the existence of Blood, now Nectar. The gods-from-stone, who have since passed, are implied to have governed a number of different Principles that changed or split apart after the Lithomachy—for example, The Manner in which the Alchemist was Spared uses the word "Flint" to quite clearly describe what is currently known as principle of the Forge. Some argue that the new/old Powers represent the old aspects that existed during the time of the gods-from-stone, though only Nectar is specified as such. It is not clear though which powers would correspond to which of the old Hours.

• The principle of the Egg is speculated to precede Lantern. General lack of information about the Egg Unhatching makes it hard to see meaningful connections between him and Lantern imagery, but his position as the Sun and succession by the Watchman and the Sun-in-Splendour imply that the Glory-seeking was previously illuminated by him.

• As was noted before, the arts of Flint were almost certainly reshaped into Forge practices, since both deal heavily with fire, craftsmanship and alchemy. As in most other cases, the Forge of Days, primary Forge Hour, is a killer and usurper of the previous principle-holder.

• The draining of the Tide by the Red Grail, and how “pleasure is different in every age and every hour”, suggests that the current aspect of Grail which presides over desires and pleasure was different in the times of Tide.

• Wheel's restless movement appear to persist within both Moth and Heart, as they all share themes of wildness and motion, with the Moth usurping the position of the chiefest Wood Hour, and the Thunderskin becoming the protector of the world. The Dancer ascensions for Moth and Heart follow very similar paths in pursuit of Change, and when balanced give another hint at a common origin with the Wheel..

• Coils' end opened the way for both Knock and Edge. It's not clear how much they changed after the Mother of Ants and the Colonel took over, but, at the very least, Knock doctrine still sacralizes serpents, and furious dragon fits well to the themes of the Edge. Secret Histories are also hinted to be tied with it or its death, although those hints are vague at best.

Even “modern” Principles may not be immutable. The Corrivality that serves as the current focus of the Edge powers may not have existed before the rise of the Lionsmith to challenge the Colonel, who until then would not have had a clear single enemy to battle against since the fall of the Seven-Coils some thousand years prior.

Other Notes

• Certain themes and elements are shared among several Principles. Dreams are particularly prominent in relation to the aspects of Lantern and Knock; scars and wounds have symbolism for Knock and Edge, as well as Winter and Lantern to some degree; Grail and Moth are both aspects of yearning in some form. This suggests some overlap in the domains of the Principles, which is understandable given their somewhat philosophical nature.
• In the earliest stages of Cultist Simulator’s development, the Principles and Hours were the same, hence the aspects of Moth, Grail, Forge, and Heart sharing names with Hours who generally act as their primary embodiments. The original concept for the "Lantern Hour" became the Watchman, and the "Knock Hour" the Mother of Ants. Edge appeared later in development, with the first "Edge Hour" conceptualized becoming the Colonel before being paired with the Lionsmith. Winter was the last aspect added, after the direct correlation between Principles and Hours was abandoned, which explains why there isn’t as much of a “primary” Hour governing it.
• Two other Powers, Feather and Bale, were planned for Book of Hours before being scrapped. Feather likely became largely absorbed into Sky, as an aspect of order and Eternity, aligned with the Birds of a Feather. Bale would have been related to the deep sea and was ultimately incorporated into Moon rather than remaining as a distinct Power.

Theories and Questions

• There is the possibility that Powers should be treated simple as a different form of taxonomy to understand and interpret the forces of the Occult, and expansion beyond what the Nine Principles were cable of describing. This is reinforced by Book of Hours’ own description of Powers and would align with one of the proposals in the rulebook for The Lady Afterwards that aspects are simply “a post-facto invention of scholars of the invisible arts”. In such a case, redistributing the Powers to all of the Hours leads to a number of questions and contentions.
• The absence of Secret Histories from the Powers of Book of Hours is never explained, likely due to its purpose being absorbed and distributed among other aspects, or because as the Principle of the Histories its influence could be interpreted as being present as a primary theme of the game as whole.

Sources