mooring

noun

Etymology: English surname, from a derivative diminutive of Moore.

A place to moor a vessel.
“Then did the comet break loose from his moorings and the eclipse roamed about the sky, and down on the earth did Death’s three children—Famine, Pestilence, and Drought—come out to feed.”
“On the Lincolnshire side of the Humber, the Pier Station at New Holland was put out of action when the ferry boat plying to and from Hull broke loose from its moorings.”
The act of securing a vessel with a cable or anchor etc.
Something to which one adheres, or the means that helps one to maintain a stable position and keep one's identity - moral, intellectual, political, etc.
“1890, John George Nicolay and John Hay, Abraham Lincoln: A History The party of pro-slavery reaction was for the moment in the ascendant; and as by an irresistible impulse, the Supreme Court of the United States was swept from its hitherto impartial judicial moorings into the dangerous seas of polities.”
“1898, Coates, Florence Earle, song: "Friendship from its Moorings Strays" Friendship from its moorings strays, Love binds fast together; Friendship is for balmy days, Love for stormy weather.”