Layer 1
Canon
Source texts in books/ and the core Ethos chapters.
Governance
Change should preserve coherence.
Ethosism needs a way to grow without turning every local interpretation, attractive phrase, or temporary experiment into doctrine. Governance keeps canon, practice, language, and local use distinct.
Open Governance SourceAuthority layers
Layer 2
Practice
Worksheets, scripts, session formats, and applied guides.
Layer 3
Language
Ethra specs, corpus, lexicon, dictionary, style, and governance files.
Layer 4
Publication
Website, print outputs, release packets, and handoff evidence.
Layer 5
Local use
Study groups, households, facilitators, and institutions applying the material.
Change status
Label every substantive proposal.
Draft
Private or early work, not relied on publicly.
Proposed
Ready for review against canon, evidence, and practice use.
Experimental
Usable in bounded trials with clear review criteria.
Accepted
Incorporated into the relevant source of truth.
Deprecated
Retained for history but no longer recommended.
Rejected
Reviewed and declined with reasons.
Review questions
Accept only what improves use.
- 1. Does this make reality easier to see?
- 2. Does this clarify duty rather than hide it?
- 3. Does this reduce avoidable harm?
- 4. Does this improve repair when harm occurs?
- 5. Does this preserve memory across time?
- 6. Does this resist personality cults, coercion, and vague self-help drift?
Facilitator boundary
Local groups may apply Ethosism, not own it.
Facilitators may host study, practice, service, and repair sessions. They may not claim binding doctrine, require confession, sell spiritual authority, override professional care, or use the group to create dependence. Their duty is to keep interpretation text-grounded, participation non-coercive, and escalation honest when a matter exceeds the group's competence.