Mazeway: what is a Mazeway?

The defining quality of a religion is the presence or absence of a Mazeway. Anything that has a Mazeway is a religion, anything that doesn’t have a Mazeway is not a religion.

All religions have something in common: a Mazeway. All religions, without exception, seek to answer the "Big Questions", e.g., "How do I live a better life?"

We go through our lives and are forced to make all kinds of decisions about it, the ultimate consequences of which are unknown to us until the cusp or point of choice is long behind us, and can not be normally recalled and the choice made over again. Hence we all perceive our lives as being lived in a maze.

  When life is easy, and we find plenty of food, shelter, family, love, sex etc., then there is little need for a Mazeway—the "map" to the maze of our lives—and therefore little need for religion. During such times, a few people may keep a certain religion alive until there is greater need for it, either from personal needs, or because of the love of its style or practices.

 But when life becomes tough and needs are not fulfilled, then we all need a map to our maze, a Mazeway.

 When things get tough, and needs are not being met, then we can say that the individual or society has lost Mazeway. In other words, they have lost themselves.

Under such circumstances, there is a shrill desire to look to the past for clues to where needs were fulfilled before. This results in atavistic religious movements.

 The unfortunate thing is that most of these atavistic religious movements, because they are so shrill, tend to be externalizing. In that sense they tend to lead to fundamentalism, and in its leaders, fanaticism. This also means that they come under the general dynamics of organizations set forth in Dr. Eric Berne’s book, “The Structure and Dynamics of Groups and Organizations”. In other words, such movements tend to need to have hard defined borders of who is and is not a member of the group. And this includes the development of an external apparatus to deal with outsiders, and an internal apparatus to deal with the membership of the group.

 On the other hand, a religion that is internalized can afford to be relaxed, and doesn’t need to define itself through who it excludes.

All religions which are internalizing concern themselves with the question, ‘How do I live a better life?’. Unfortunately, externalizing religions, while pretending to pander to that idea, are really about, ‘How do I force that outsider to live up to the religious standards which I have accepted and may or may not be living up to?”

This is always at least jealousy, but it many times leads a person into envy. In jealousy one covets what another person has, who has not lived up to the person’s own self-imposed standards. While in envy the other person is hated because they have what the other person secretly wants. This is like two people coveting another’s new car. The jealousy motivated person will merely resent the owner, the envious one will attack the car, perhaps scratching it with his key, in effect saying, “if I can’t have that car, then neither can you.”

The internalizing person is too busy trying to learn how to drive his new car better to have the time to be either envious or jealous.

Then there is the "Believer". A believer is one who is starting on a certain religious Path, but has long way to go. He studies, he finds fellow travelers for companionship on the way. Many times a teaching will conflict with his or her previously held beliefs. This causes "Cognitive Dissonance". This forms the great cusp as to the style one takes on his Path.  

The fanatic is one who uses his religion to bolster his already held prejudices. On the other hand, another style is what one author I read calls a “True Faith Holder”. As the fanatic, he or she is willing to die for his religion. The difference is that the True Faith Holder has internalized the teachings of his religion. He allows that teaching to inform his conscience. And when he runs into conflicts with the Teaching and his own previously held prejudices, he will drop those prejudices, and allow himself to be taught by his religion.

The person who externalizes his religion spends his time “correcting” other people’s behaviors. The person who internalizes his religion doesn’t have the spare time to run after others—he’s too busy working on himself.

The Fanatic and the True Faith Holder may both become leaders in their respective religions. Both may die for them, or lead others. But only the True Faith Holder will prevail in leading a better life for himself, and those who follow him.

The True Faith Holder---Kanaka Makua in Huna terms---has become his religion. Through resolving his religion's teachings, when they oppose what he already believes, creating Cogitative Dissonance, by replacing his prejudices with the new teaching. Thus inculcating them.

 Probably one way to distinguish a Fanatic from a True Faith Holder is that the latter leads primarily by example, and doesn’t ask that anyone else follow him or her. While the Fanatic needs the crowd.

In short: a Mazeway is the set of Moral teachings or Doctrines of a religion.

The Way to a better life, as the founders of that particular religion conceives of it.

So then to summarize:

Each religion teaches a certain set of instructions or understandings about who you are, what you are, and why you're here.

With those understandings, come later teachings in that religion, some of which are traceable to the common understanding or teachings of that religion—the Group Canon. These new teachings are an attempt to connect the elements of the Group Canon to your life, and are called "Doctrines".

Sometimes new innovations come into being which, while maintaining a certain harmony with that religious Path, can not be traced back to the Group Canon, all of which has already been accepted, these new or innovative doctrines must be accepted, if they are to be accepted at all, on faith and faith alone.

A "beginner" on a religious Path is called a "Believer". There are two things there, a person's Path or religion and himself, the Believer.

Since there are two objects, they can be separated or "divorced". A person who is separated through his own will from a religious Path is an "apostate" to that Path.

A person who attempts to change or alter a Path, and can't get a general approval to those changes is a "heretic".

A person who uses elements of a Group Canon to bolster his previously held prejudices, and attempts to promulgate that understanding is a "Fanatic".

A person who is on his Path, who allows his Path to teach him, slowly, by insensible degrees, actually becomes his Path. He is, or is in the process of becoming a "True Faith Holder. He and his Path are no longer two separate things, they are the same thing. They can no longer be separated.

To become a True Faith Holder is to become an expert in a Path, to see the spiritual "landscape" from that religious  POV, It is only, perhaps, from that POV that the spiritual "rewards" of that religion can truly be known and appreciated.

And it is good to note that people are far more complex than any Mazeway. So even when a Path is completely internalized, individuality remains. Idiosyncratic behavior will always remain, and most elements of a person's personality or way of being in the world, will not come into conflict with his religious Path or Mazeway. Hence, Remain undisturbed.

This gradual subconscious or Aunihipili acceptance of the Group Canon is called, "inculcation". Without it, there is no Path.

Therefore: to have the most reward from your religion or religious Path it is necessary to inculcate its POVs or teachings.

Whether or not you will ever become a True Faith Holder or just a Believer or Fanatic depends entirely upon your reactance to the times when the Group Canon causes "cognitive dissonance" in your mind.

A cognitive dissonance happens when you are attempting to hold two contradictory beliefs at once.

The Fanatic will actually change the new religious teaching in his mind to reflect his previous held convictions. An example would be people who believe themselves to be Christians, and who uphold that teaching to hate homosexuals.

The Believer will simply reject the new teaching or understanding of the Group Canon. Thus avoiding the question entirely.

And the True Faith Holder will change his old beliefs into the new teaching. Thus inculcating that belief.

The most important parts of any religion are the elements of its Mazeway, and the same is true for Huna.

To make the most progress in Huna, or any other Path, it is profitable to seek out where you and the Path you are on conflict. Then you are faced with the three religious choices: ignore the conflict, change the teaching to agree with you, change you to agree with your Path.

As Max Freedom Long said of this matter:

HUNA DOGMA

  TO HAVE FAITH IS ANOTHER NECESSITY. Every religion has taught this. If we do not believe that there is an Aumakua, or that we evolve upward toward its level, we certainly will not try for Graduation. Even if we order our belief in Huna and pin our faith to this system while some items are not fully understood, this will make but little difference. What if we cannot be sure what is signified by the "speaking with tongues"? Will that hinder us from passing the grade on the greatest and most vital accomplishment which leads to Graduation---living of the hurtless and kindly life [living our lives in a state of Lokahi  -Lani]. It will not. Fortunately for us all, the basic thing is so simple that it can be understood by men and women of all levels. The Golden Rule covers the necessary basic effort on every level. One can plod through a whole series incarnations under this set of simple requirements. But, as we approach Graduation, our intelligence must be open to receive the instructions which will be given by the Aumakua. We must be ready with understanding to LOVE [through ALOHA-Lani] and to welcome with open arms the drawing near of the MATE, our Belovèd. We must have learned to give everything, holding nothing back nothing of ourselves. We must be eager to learn and serve and love.

  -Max Freedom Long,   April, 1963