#willism

What follows here is a lengthy explanation of the theological beliefs, history, and structure of the Church of Will. This catechism, which is presented in a casual form, as opposed to the typical formal register of the Catholic, Anglican, or Orthodox catechism, renders it ‘minor’. It is derived from the fourth edition of the Epistles of Will and the Sofia of Will, the main religious texts of Willism, as well as commentaries on the original, previous writings dating back to the fourth millennium BCE, and other, non-religious publications of the Church.

Note: this is not (yet) an official publication of the Church. It is a diamond-in-the-rough, and lacks any images to help illustrate portions that may be difficult to visualise.

Part I. The Theology

As with any religion, the theology is the most important part. The Church of Will is built on the theological system of ‘Willism’, of which it is the largest organised congregation. Willism can be described as a combination of Taoist alchemy and Valentinianist-Orthodox Christianity, with significant influence from Mahayana Buddhism.

Ia. The Godhead

At the centre of our understanding of the universe is our view of God. Willists belief in a single, albeit impersonal, capital-G God. As such, Willism is considered a monotheistic religion, and condemns polytheism as heresy. The Godhead is the structure of God as a series of concentric cycles, each containing a number of distinct entities which flow into one another, and affect the other adjacent to them. The numbers of entities in each cycle increase as one gets further away from the centre. The superstructure of the celestial system, the celestial world of the entities, is here developed in the most complicated way. These entities belong to the purely ideal, noumenal, intelligible, or supersensible world; they are immaterial, they are hypostatic ideas. Together with the source from which they emanate they form the Godhead. The transition from the immaterial to the material, from the noumenal to the sensible, is brought about by a movement in the celestial spheres. As we go through these entities, it is important to keep in mind that none of the names we ascribe to them are their true names, but simply a way to refer to them individually.

Ia-i. The Monad

The immortal centre of the Godhead, from which all else springs forth. It is called the Monad, or the One, or the Proarche, or, most often, the Flame Imperishable. It represents the unity of all things, and was the first being in existence. All the levels and cycles of the Godhead are reflections upon and magnifications of the Monad. It is the source of everything.

Ia-ii. First Circle / The Dyad / The Furies

The First Circle, also known as the Dyad, is the first cycle in the Godhead. It contains two entities, commonly referred to simply as ‘Yin’ and ‘Yang’. The names and natures of these entities, sometimes respectfully nicknamed the Great Furies, are derived from the teachings of Lao-tzi. They exist as perfect complementary opposites to each other, each containing part of the other. Yang is the male, or positive fury, full of extroversion, outward energy, and dominance. Yin is the female, or negative fury, full of introversion, inward energy, and submission. They are the most important of all the entities, and all the others are referred to by their relation in alignment with the Circle of Halves.

Ia-iii. Second Circle /The  Triad / The Primes

The Second Circle, also known as the Triad, is the next cycle. It contains three entities. Of all the Circles, except for maybe the seventh, the least is known about this circle, as its energies are difficult to differentiate from the first and third circles due to the number of entities. The entities that are believed to exist here are sometimes called the Three Primes, because they are believed to be the formative energies of all matter.

The First Prime is Mercury and it is aligned with Yang. As such, it inherits many of the properties and personality of Yang. It is the only prime which is perfectly aligned with one of the Furies. Mercury is associated mainly with spirit and spiritual, or post-nihilist, personalities. It flows from Sulfur and towards Salt. From a Christian perspective, Mercury is God the Father.

The Second Prime is Salt, and it is aligned between Yang and Yin. It is associated mainly with bodily pleasure and enlightened ignorance, or the pre-nihilist personality. It flows from Mercury and generates Sulfur. It is also analogous to God the Holy Spirit.

The Third Prime is Sulfur, and it is aligned between Yang and Yin. It is associated with the development of the soul, or the nihilist personality. It flows from Salt and generates Mercury. Finishing off the Trinity, it is the Willist-Christian analogue to God the Son.

Ia-iv. Third Circle / Tetrad / The Elements

The Third Circle, or the Tetrad, is one of the most widely-recognised and understood circles outside of Willist communities and congregations. The Four Elements are a holdover from pre-Socratic Greece, and is certainly the best contribution of Ancient Europe to the Willist system of thought.

The First Element is Fire. It is aligned, sensibly, with Yang, and therefore also with Mercury. It is both hot and dry, according to the Empedoclean system of classification. Fire is generated by Air and gives rise to Earth. It is associated with summer, yellow bile, and the choleric personality.

The Second Element is Earth. It is equidistant from Yin and Yang, but flows towards Yin. It is cold and dry. Earth flows from Fire and towards Water. It is associated with autumn, black bile, and the melancholic personality. The Third Element is Water. It is aligned with Yin. It is cold and wet, opposite from Fire. Water flows from Earth and to Air. It is associated with winter, phlegm, and the phlegmatic personality.

The Fourth Element is Air. It is equidistant from Yin and Yang, but unlike Earth it flows towards Yang. It is hot and wet, again opposite from Earth. It is associated with spring, blood, and the sanguine personality.

The Third Circle also contains more information, relating to the Sixth. Each of the Elements can also be represented by a series of three lines, either broken (yin), or solid (yang), collectively called a ‘trigram’. There are eight trigrams, four lining up with elements and four located at right angles to the elements. Each trigram has a Chinese name, rendered here in Wade-Giles Pinyin. Fire lines up with Ch’ien, water with K’un, earth with K’an, and air with Li. Between fire and earth is Sun, between earth and water is Kên, between water and air is Chên, and between air and fire is Tui. Multiplying these eight trigrams against themselves creates the sixty-four hexagrams of the Sixth Circle.

Ia-v. Fourth Circle / Heptad / The Archetypes

The Fourth Circle, or the Heptad, is one of the most interesting cycles in the Godhead. The entities in this cycle, often referred to as Archetypes, are the first to portray truly human personalities, as opposed to the ‘natural’ and impersonal attitudes of the previous entities. Because of the indivisible nature of the number 7, only one of these entities lines up with any others. All entities in this circle are described with two attributes: gender and age. These deities are most often referenced in Willist rituals, and are often prayed to in and of themselves. When a Dyad Fury descends, the Archetypes of the Heptad descend with them. For instance, when Jesus (a Yin Fury of the Dyad) was alive, he interacted with Pontius Pilate, an Archetype of the Father.

The First Archetype, located one-seventh away from the Seventh, is called the Maiden or the Virgin. She is female and young, and the partner of the Warrior. She represents beauty, innocence, purity, and love. In Dharmic traditions, the Maiden is associated with the Muladhara (root) Chakra. Its physical analogues are the adrenal glands.

The Second Archetype, located one-seventh away from the Maiden, is the Mother. She is female and middle aged, and the partner of the Father. She represents mercy, peace, fertility, maternal love, and the strength of women. The Mother is echoed in the sacral Chakra, called Svadhishthana. Its physical analogues are the sexual organs.

The Third Archetype, located just before Yang, is called the Crone. She is female and old, and the partner of the Smith. She represents wisdom, knowledge and foresight, and “knows the fate of all men”. The Chakra system places her in the navel or stomach, called Manipura. Its physical analogue is the stomach.

The Fourth Archetype, located just after Yang, is called the Warrior. He is male and young, and the partner of the Maiden. He represents strength and courage in battle. The heart, or Anahata Chakra, is the bodily home of this archetype. Its physical analogue is the thymus gland.

The Fifth Archetype, located one-seventh away from the Warrior, is called the Father, “who sits in judgement over souls”. He is male and middle aged, and the partner of the Mother. Being just a bit closer to Yin, he is older and more sober. He represents divine justice and paternal love. The throat, or Vishudda Chakra, represents the Father. Its physical analogue is the thyroid gland.

The Sixth Archetype, located one-seventh away from the Father, is the Smith. He is male and old, and the partner of the Crone. He represents creation, craftsmanship, and art. The Smith can be found in the third-eye or Ajna Chakra. Its physical analogue is the pituitary gland.

The Seventh Archetype, lined up with Yin, is the Stranger. Though the Stranger possesses neither age nor gender nor a partner, he is often referred to with male pronouns in liturgy and in prayer. He represents death, the unknown, and the poor. He is found outside the body in the crown, or Sahasrara Chakra. Its physical analogue is the pineal gland.

Ia-vi. Fifth Circle / The Dodecad / The Apostles

The Fifth Circle, or the Dodecad, contain a series of twelve entities, sometimes called the Apostles for their connection to the traditional disciples of Jesus of Nazareth, from the Christian traditions. Additionally, they are also connected to the twelve Zodiac signs, the symbols for which are often used to represent these entities.

Note: the order of these entities follows the Old Fifth. Some Willists, especially those coming from Western esoteric traditions, will order them according to the New Fifth.

The First Apostle, Aries, or Paul, is located at the top, lined up with Yang, Mercury, and Fire. It is the pure Fire Apostle. The Second Apostle, Leo, or John, is located just past Paul. It is primarily Fire and secondarily Earth.

The Third Apostle, Virgo, or Phillip, is located just past John. it is primarily Earth and secondarily Fire. The Fourth Apostle, Taurus, or Simon, is located at the perfect right, lined up with Earth. It is the pure Earth Apostle. The Fifth Apostle, Capricorn, or Matthew, is located just past Taurus, lined up with Salt. It is primarily Earth and secondarily Water.

The Sixth Apostle, Libra, or Bartholomew, is located just past Matthew. It is primarily Water and secondarily Earth. The Seventh Apostle, Gemini, or James, is located at the bottom, lined up with Yin, Water, and the Stranger. It is the pure Water Apostle. The Eighth Apostle, Aquarius, or Thaddeus, is located just past James. It is primarily Water and secondarily Air.

The Ninth Apostle, Scorpio, or Thomas, is located just past Aquarius, lined up with Sulfur. It is primarily Air and secondarily Water. The Tenth Apostle, Cancer, or Andrew, is located at the perfect left, lined up with Air. It is the pure Air Apostle. The Eleventh Apostle, Pisces, or Judas/Matthias, is located just after Andrew. It is primarily Air and secondarily Fire.

The Twelfth Apostle, Sagittarius, or James Zebedee, is located just after Matthias and just before Peter. It is primarily Fire and secondarily Air.

Ia-vii. Sixth Circle / Circle of Sixty-fourths / The Hexagrams

The Sixth Circle, also known as the Circle of Sixty-fourths, contains sixty-four entities, sometimes referred to as the Hexagrams (from the I Ching) or Loa (from Hatian vodou). These entities are often used, by believers from the humblest layman to the Patriarch himself, for divination and communication with parts of the Godhead. The names for the sixty-four entities come from the traditional Chinese practice of Taoist alchemy. The I Ching, or Book of Changes, first named them all, and provided a method for divination, which is still used today, nearly three and a half millennia after its writing.

Now, the order of these Hexagrams is still under contention. Though the discovery of a perfect Yi Globe order for them was a quantum leap in I Ching divination, there has as yet been no official method for flattening this globe into a single circle to line up with the other entities in the Godhead. What is known is that they must be in a cyclic order, probably with 1. Ch’ien at Yang and 2. K’un at Yin. Anything else is heavily contested. Below is a chart of all sixty-four hexagrams.

These are the names, in Chinese* (Wade-Giles) and English (Wilhelm translation), according to the Fuxi Bagua naming convention under the King Wen sequence. Because of the tonal nature of the language, some may appear to have identical Chinese names. As well, the English translations may seem goofy, because unlike the rest of the Godhead these entities represent states of being or complicated metaphors rather than concrete elements or anthropomorphised ideals. The numbers refer to the chart above.

Ch’ien - The Creative

K’un - The Receptive

Chun - Difficulty at the Beginning

Mêng - Youthful Folly

Hsü - Waiting

Sung - Conflict

Shih - The Army

Pi - Holding Together

Hsaio Ch’u - The Taming Power of the Small

Lü - Treading

T’ai - Peace

P’i - Standstill

T’ung Jên - Fellowship with Men

Ta Yu - Possession in Great Measure

Ch’ien - Modesty

Yü - Enthusiasm

Sui - Following

Ku - Work on What Has Been Spoiled

Lin - Approach

Kuan - Contemplation

Shih Ho - Biting Through

Pi - Grace

Po - Splitting Apart

Fu - Return

Wu Wang - Innocence

Ta Ch’u - The Taming Power of the Great

I - The Corners of the Mouth

Ta Kuo - Preponderance of the Great

K’an - The Abyssmal

Li - Clinging

Hsien - Influence

Hêng - Duration

Tun - Retreat

Ta Chuang - The Power of the Great

Chin - Progress

Ming I - Darkening of the Light

Chia Jên - The Family

K’uei - Opposition

Chien - Obstruction

Hsieh - Deliverance

Sun - Decrease

I - Increase

Kuai - Breakthrough

Kou - Coming to Meet

Ts’ui - Gathering Together

Shêng - Pushing Upward

K’un - Oppression

Ching - The Well

Ko - Revolution

Ting - The Cauldron

Chên - The Arousing

Kên - Keeping Still, Mountain

Chien - Development

Kuei Mei - The Marrying Maiden

Fêng - Abundance

Lü - The Wanderer

Sun - The Gentle

Tui - The Joyous

Huan - Dispersion

Chieh - Limitation

Chung Fu - Inner Truth

Hsiao Kuo - Preponderance of the Small

Chi Chi - After Completion

Wei Chi - Before Completion

Ia-viii. Seventh Circle

The Seventh Circle, as with several other things in the Godhead, remains a matter of contention within the Church.

This is what is known, and agreed upon:

The Godhead contains an infinite number of Circles.

Because of this, there must be a Seventh Circle.

As the number of Circles increase, so does the number of entities per circle, to positive infinity.

As the number of entities increases, the amount of degrees separating them, and therefore the amount of differentiation, decreases infinitesimally. This makes determining the number and nature of entities in circles beyond the Sixth very difficult.

Some theories include:

The Seventh Circle contains three-hundred and sixty-four entities for each day of the year. (Old theory, backed by Patriarch Augustus)

The Seventh Circle contains one-hundred and forty-four entities, or a gross. (New theory, backed by Exarch Zeno)

The Seventh Circle contains four-hundred and forty-eight entities, or sixty-four times seven. (Martinist School)

Discussion of the Seventh Circle and Circles beyond it will continue into the near future. We will only know for certain how many entities exist in these distant Circles through a combination of research, sacred geometry, complex mathematics, and lots of meditation.

Ib. The Mortal Furies

The Circles within the Godhead do not exist within a vacuum. The entities within have a way of reflecting themselves onto the ordinary lives of ordinary people. The most blatantly obvious example of this reflection is the theological idea of the Mortal Furies, who are Avatars of the entities in the First Circle. The two Furies (refer back to Part I, Section A, Subsection I), Yin and Yang, have, over the course of many millennia, reincarnated themselves into mortal people. These humans, being imbued with the power of the Godhead itself, have been important religious and political figures throughout history, and are revered by the Church.

Ib-i. The Mortal Yin

Mortals who are imbued with the Yin Fury in its whole are destined to become religious leaders. They were sent to advance the whole of humanity in its spiritual quest towards gnosis, or nirvana, by revealing more truths about the universe.

The major canonical Furies of this type include:

Zoroaster (circa 1200 BC)

Zoroaster, sometimes transliterated Zarathustra, was a Persian prophet sometime before the establishment of the Achaemenid empire. He composed the Avesta, which was later written down and became the central text of Zoroastrianism.

Lao Tzi (604 - 531 BC)

Lao Tzi and his successor, Siddharta Gautama, are the only two Yin Furies to have lived at the same time. He was a scholar in the Zhou court and often opposed Confucius there. Eventually he would leave society and tell all his knowledge to a guard named Yinxi, which eventually became the Tao Te Ching. Willists hold that he left China for northern India and became Siddhartha Gautama’s charioteer, called ‘Channa’ in Pali.

Siddhartha Gautama (563 - 483 BC)

One of the most important figures in Willism, the Buddha, born Siddhartha Gautama, was a sheltered prince in northern India. Eventually his charioteer (Lao Tzi) showed him the world, after which point Gautama left the palace and became an ascetic. Failing to find peace in this he then preached the Middle Way before sitting under a bodhi tree for a month and attaining enlightenment. He would go on to write the Sutras and found Buddhism.

Hermes Trismegistus (circa 2nd or 3rd century BC)

The founder of esoterism, this (possibly mythic) figure, Hermes the Thrice-Greatest, wrote a giant body of work called the Hermetica or Corpus Hermeticum. His contributions to modern Willism include the cyclic nature of the Godhead, and the idea of ‘as above, so below’. His personhod

Jesus of Nazareth (4 BC - 33 AD)

Certainly the most popular figure on this list, Jesus of Nazareth lived in first-century Judea, then a province of the Roman empire. He amassed a large group of followers preaching with him, before being executed by crucifixion. His followers would go on to write the Gospels, the central texts of Christianity.

Abdul al-Hazred (690 - 731 AD)

The least well-known on this list, Abdul al-Hazred was an Arabic shepherd who, upon witnessing the strange rituals of a cult near his town, became a wandering ascetic, writing and collecting a variety of pre-Islamic Arabic religious texts into what is called the Necronomicon (originally ‘Al Azif’). He amassed no followers, and his writings were only discovered centuries later. His death is mysterious, and appears to have been self-recounted and took place during the writing of the last part of the Necronomicon.

Bahá’u’lláh (1817 - 1892 AD)

The Bahá’u’lláh was another Arabic preacher during the time of the Ottoman Empire. He was exiled for preaching against the Islamic oppression of other religions at the time. He preached the idea of continual revelation, which is the basis for the idea of the Yin Fury in Willism. He would go on to found the Bahá’í Faith and write the Aqdas.

Will of Eden (circa 21st century AD)

Born William, this prophet, who is still alive, has had his real identity and location kept a close secret by the upper echelons of the Church. Willism and the Church of Will are named after him. During his two-year period of preaching in the town of Eden, he revealed the concepts of the eternal recurrence of the same, the cyclic nature of the Godhead, and the threefold nature of man. His most prominent followers founded the Church and wrote down his teachings in the Epistles of Will, part of the larger Darion. He is often given the surname “Maitreya”, alluding to his nature as the major successor to the Buddha. The Maitreya was said to be coming 2500 years after the Buddha, which lines up with Will’s birthday.

Ib-ii. The Mortal Yang

In addition to the Mortal Yin souls, the other side of the Tao, the Yang, is also reincarnated from time to time. Yang Furies are political and secular, as opposed to the religious and spiritual guardianship of the Yin Furies. They are great leaders, conquerors, and reformers.

Note: political leaders who also claim to be religious stewards are disingenuous. One cannot be both a Yin Fury and a Yang Fury. As such, Muhammad of Mecca is not a genuine prophet.

Major canonical Yang Furies include:

Huangdi of China (reigned 2698 - 2598 BC)

The Yellow Emperor, legendary founder of China, is often credited with a variety of inventions, including the calendar. He is one of the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors of ancient China. Little else is known about him.

Ramses II of Egypt (1303 - 1213 BC)

Ramses the Great, is often regarded as the greatest, most celebrated, and most powerful pharaoh of the Egyptian Empire. He ruled over Egypt for 66 years, a most impressive length of time for the second millennium BC. He expanded control of his empire well into the Levant, or modern-day Syria.

Alexander III of Macedon (356 - 323 BC)

A member of the Argead dynasty, Alexander the Great followed in his father’s footsteps of conquering the Greeks to lead an unprecedented military campaign all across the known world. He never lost a single battle, and at the age of 33, when he died, his empire stretched from Macedonia to Egypt and through the Middle East all the way to the Himalayas.

Gaius Julius Caesar (100 - 44 BC)

Julius Caesar was a high-ranking Roman politician who conquered all of Gaul and was highly respected by both his troops and his subjects. After defeating barbarian king Vercingetorix in the Gallic Wars, he crossed the Rubicon River and deposed the even more corrupt Roman Senate, installing himself as Dictator-for-life and ushering in a new age of prosperity in the Roman territories. His success was cut short by his famous murder at the hands of his fellow senators on the Ides of March in 44 BC.

William of Normandy (1028 - 1087 AD)

William of Normandy, eventually titled William I the Conqueror, was a Norman prince who ended the corrupt and morally bankrupt rule of the Anglo-Saxons in Britain. He invaded Great Britain across the Channel and defeated the last Saxon king, Harold II, at the Battle of Hastings in 1066, as well as driving off the last Viking king, Harold Hardrada. He was crowned king on Christmas Day 1066, and would reform England forever.

Constantine XI Palaiologos (1405 - 1453 AD)

The last Byzantine and Roman Empire. He ruled for four years until the Fall of Constantinople in 1453 to the Turks. Despite this, he was a powerful and noble leader of Christendom. He was given an offer to keep some of his lands in exchange for handing Constantinople to the Turks. He refused, saying:

To surrender the city to you is beyond my authority or anyone else’s who lives in it, for all of us, after taking the mutual decision, shall die out of free will without sparing our lives.

The ensuing battle would result, finally, in the outer wall of Constantinople being breached. Constantine drew his sword and jumped in to fill the gap, disappearing forever into legend as the Marble Emperor, who would come back to life at a Christian reconquering of the city.

Victoria of England (1819 - 1901 AD)

Queen of Great Britain and Empress of India, she presided over the greatest period of British expansion around the world. The unprecedented size of the British Empire would be united only in her. Her children married into royal families all across Europe, earning her the nickname “grandmother of Europe”.

Vladimir Putin (1952 AD - )

The only elected person on this list, Putin is the President of the Russian Federation, having ruled in some capacity for 18 years at the time of writing. He has overseen a massive resurgence of Russian power, free of both liberalism and atheism. He is beloved by his people for his power in both domestic and foreign affairs. His Russia has fought successful wars against Georgia and Ukraine, and reinforced post-Soviet ties with Kazakhstan, Armenia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, as well as building the BRIC alliance with Brazil, India, and China to rival NATO.

Ic. The Three Kinds of Souls

In Part Ia of this Catechism I made mention of three personalities, associated with the Three Primes of the Second Circle: pre-nihilist, nihilist, and post-nihilist. These personalities line up with the order of the primes: pre-nihilists are often referred to as having a ‘saline’ personality, nihilists are called ‘sulfuric’, and post-nihilists are ‘mercurial’.

Ic-i. Saline Personality

The earliest form of personality are the salines, also known as hylics or somatics in the Gnostic traditions, or pre-nihilists in the Omnist tradition. They are the lowest order of the three types of human beings. Humanity, being composed of matter-bound beings, matter-dwelling beings, and matter-freed beings, is innately separated into natural orders. The Saline are considered to be incapable of understanding the secret truths, and are deemed completely bound to matter. They are human in form, but since their entire focus was on the material world, such as eating, sleeping, mating or creature comforts, they are seen as doomed, for now.

Ic-ii. Sulfuric Personality

The sulfurics, also known as nihilists, or psychics, are considered to be both better off or worse off than the saline. They are full of anger, and hatred. Their rejection from the polite world has made them jaded, and they will constantly reject in vengeance all semblance of normalcy and morality. They will constantly bicker amongst themselves, changing friends and relationships constantly in a vain hope for immoral pleasure.

Ic-iii. Mercurial Personality

The mercurials, also known as post-nihilists, or pneumatics, are the highest order of humans. They are ex-nihilists, having seen the oppositional nature of the salines and the sulfurics as immature and ridiculous. They are capable of understanding the Truth, and of advancing up in the Realms.

Ic-iv. Saline Views

The most interesting aspect of the theory of social nihilism is how different types interact. Their interactions govern most of societal change and generational disparity. To examine the interactions between the saline, sulfuric, and mercurial personalities is to examine the human condition itself.

Saline-Saline: Pre-nihilists group themselves into arbitrary communities, often based on race, nationality, religion, income, or political opinion. Their relationships with other pre-nihilists depend on their preexisting convictions.

Saline-Sulfuric: Pre-nihilists commonly despise nihilists, seeing them as ridiculous, as outcasts, as losers. Usually this view develops if the pre-nihilist in question is an adult. Children who possess the pre-nihilist viewpoint, especially if they are anxious or transitional, will view nihilists in a positive light, as rebels, rather than outcasts.

Saline-Mercurial: Pre-nihilists are often unable to distinguish themselves from post-nihilists, they may simply see them as ‘reformed’ nihilists. Nonetheless, they usually hold post-nihilists in a special kind of esteem, either idolising them (sometimes in a romantic sense, but just as often as mere role models) or despising them. These views come from the general equity in thought between pre- and post-.

Saline-Fury: Pre-nihilists respect divinity and religion.

Ic-v. Sulfuric Views

Sulfuric-Saline: Nihilists hold pre-nihilists in utter disdain, viewing them as uninitiated plebs blinded by ideology. This is often derived from the nihilist hatred of polite, ordinary society. Obviously, pre-nihilists, who respect the current order of things, represent to the nihilist the culmination of the current time.

Sulfuric-Sulfuric: Nihilists dislike themselves, and so naturally dislike each other. They recognise nihilist traits in each other, while failing to recognise these traits in themselves. If they do recognise them (self-hating subtype), they will refuse to fix these traits. Nihilists can do nothing but fight and fight, among themselves, forever.

Sulfuric-Mercurial: Nihilists, especially of the toxic variety, despite post-nihilists, even more so than pre-nihilists. They see post-nihilists as nothing more than traitors to the nihilist viewpoint, or sell-outs. They see post-nihilists as haughty or uppity, and may espouse outright hostility towards them. Interactions here are commonly violent, which stems from the nihilist hatred of intellectual discussion. Strangely enough, however, some non-toxic nihilists can form meaningful friendships and relationships with post-nihilists.

Sulfuric-Fury: Nihilists do not believe in the divine. They may classify themselves  as ‘spiritual, but not religious’ or something similar. If they are not atheists, they may be part of a new-age religion or animistic practice. They may refer to all religions as ‘cults’, regardless of their actual size or practice.

Ic-vi. Mercurial Views

Mercurial-Saline: Most post-nihilists will respect pre-nihilists as equals, or take on some kind of paternalistic view, trying to prevent them from transitioning to nihilism. Some, more villainous post-nihilists, will manipulate unsuspecting pre-nihilists to their own gain (avoid these post-nihilists).

Mercurial-Sulfuric: Most post-nihilists generally avoid nihilists as pesky, or annoying. However, others will interact with them in some kind of David Attenborough-esque nature documentary-style study.

Mercurial-Mercurial: Post-nihilists more or less all get along, motivated by a shared understanding of their own status and the common experience of ex-nihilism. Any disagreements they have are normally civil, and without hostility. Fights that do occur are often driven more by boredom than hatred (Napoleon and Wellington, for instance).

Mercurial-Fury: The defining feature of post-nihilism is its respect for and understanding of the divine. The first followers and apostles of a religion are often post-nihilists.

Id. Afterlife

Like any religion, we have a clear and definite idea of the world ‘after the floor drops out’. The afterlife is divided into seven Realms, or portions of reality that one may reincarnate to after death. These realms have a level of visibility between each other (meaning that members of some realms can see those of others, or not). The realm into which one may reincarnate is determined by the soul type (saline, sulfuric, or mercurial) at the time of death.

Id-i. Realm of the Godhead (Deva)

The highest realm, which contains and is governed by the Godhead itself. The purest form of the Godhead can be found here, and across the rest of the universe, the images of the Godhead’s entities are reflected versions of the truest ones here. The souls which are allowed to reside here are those who have been released from the cycle of rebirth, and allowed to live forever, as well as pure Furies. In order to be reborn here, one must achieve enlightenment. These souls are called ‘deva’. This realm can see any of the others.

Willism here differentiates from mainstream Buddhism in that traditional Buddhism believes that once a soul achieves nirvana, it will attain to a level higher than that of the Deva. Willists maintain that an enlightened soul becomes one with the Godhead, as in, a Deva.

This realm is described as a ‘great void, upon which a heaven rests, with an invisible floor, such that the Deva, who may embark upon any journey into any realm, the entrances to which reside as tears in the void. Above the invisible plane reside those granted eternal life, and beneath it reside those damned to eternal death.’ –Will the Maitreya.

Note: Deva are NOT part of the Godhead. They simple reside with the Godhead but still experience reality in a personal sense, and have a different view of time.

Id-ii. Realm of the Heavenly (Asura)

Many mercurial souls may be reborn into the Realm of the Heavenly as an Asura, or demigod. These beings do not reside with the enlightened or with the Godhead, and retain no visibility with any other realm. This is the ‘heaven’ of traditional Judeo-Christian belief.

However, these beings still maintain the passions of ordinary men. They are driven by lust, greed, and wrath, and here they are allowed to act out these most vicious fantasies. These beings are not at peace, and desperately want to enter the realm of the Devas.

Id-iii. Realm of the Mortal Men (Manusya)

If you’re reading this, it’s too late. By which I mean that if you’re reading this, you inhabit this realm, that of Men. This realm can see the realm of the Animals, and sometimes also the realm of the Ghosts. The souls of this realm are that of the saline, who have yet to be judged as worthy either of eternal life or of eternal death.

Id-iv. Realm of the Animals (Tiryak)

Non-toxic nihilists and some pre-nihilists can end up in this realm. Some animals are placed above others, including the three animals which must never be killed or eaten: frogs, cats, and bees. The rest are fair game, and though Willism accepts vegetarianism as a legitimate diet, with no stigma, no Willist should ever feel as though it is mandatory. Humans possess what is called the ‘mortal prerogative’ to eat meat. Firstly, consuming animals functions as a punishment for the lesser souls that ended up here. Secondly, killing an animal sends its soul to reincarnation for the possibility of upward mobility. That being said: animals must be killed humanely, and as much as possible of the animal should be used. This realm has mutual visibility with the Realm of the Mortal Men.

Id-v. Realm of the Ghosts (Preta)

Nihilists, especially some toxic ones, may be reincarnated as Hungry Ghosts, or Preta. They are described as being similar to humans, but who suffer far more than humans, particularly an extreme form of hunger and thirst. They are usually afflicted with an insatiable hunger for some kind of substance or object. Traditionally it was something repugnant or disgusting, such as cadavers or feces, but it can be anything, no matter how bizarre. This realm has no visibility with any other.

Id-vi. Realm of the Devils (Naraka)

The Realm of the Devils is a somewhat misleading term. We do not mean that those nihilist souls unfortunate enough to be reborn here become devils, but rather that they are judged by devils. This is hell, plain and simple. Every soul here will receive a term, sort of like a prison sentence, of some kind of horrible punishment, after which point that punishment will kill them and they will again be judged of their value and reincarnated. This realm is not the lowest, and souls that end up here have one final chance to redeem themselves before the ultimate punishment. It has no visibility with any other.

Id-vii. Realm of the Void

The last stop. The Realm of the Void is the worst place in creation. Only the worst souls, branded as irredeemable by God, end up here. Once here, a soul is without form and vision, but is completely conscious and experiences both the unending pain of a Naraka and the infinite desire of a Preta, without any means to satiate them, even for an instant. These souls are alone, blind and deaf, floating amongst the endless oblivion of the Void, for all eternity. There is no reincarnation and no salvation for these souls. The Deva can view the Void and its beings, but not the other way around.

Ie. Time

The concept of time is of particular concern to Willists. The passage of time is seen as relating to the cyclical nature of the Godhead, so time itself is regarded as sacred. Of course, not all of the beings experience time in the same sense. Beings trapped in the void experience the whole infinity of time all at once, and the lower beings (Naraka, Preta, and Tiryak) have no sense of time because of their distance from the Godhead. The lowest scale of beings to experience time are the Manusya, or humans. From our sense of time, we can work out how the other realms experience its passage, using sacred geometry.

Ie-i. Timescale of the Asura

15 human days = 1 day (light only) of the Asura.

1 human month = 1 day and night of the Asura.

1 month of the Asura = 900 human days.

1 year of the Asura = 10800 human days.

Lifespan of the Asura (100 Asura-Years) = 3000 human years.

Ie-ii. Timescale of the Deva

1 day of the Deva = 1 human year.

1 month of the Deva = 30 human years.

1 year of the Deva = 360 human years, or a Divine Year.

Lifespan of the Deva (see below) = 1 Maha Yuga.

This is explained in Book I, Chapter III of the Visnu Purana as such:

The Satya Yuga (Age of Fire) = 4800 divine years = 1.728 million human years.

The Treta Yuga (Age of Earth) = 3600 divine years = 1.296 million human years.

The Dvapara Yuga (Age of Water) = 2400 divine years = 864,000 human years.

The Kali Yuga (Age of Air) = 1200 divine years = 432,000 human years.

1 Maha Yuga = 4 Yugas = 12,000 divine years = 4.32 million human years.

Ie-iii. Timescale of the Godhead

1 Day (day only) of the Godhead = 1 Kalpa = 1000 Maha Yugas.

2 Kalpas (a full day) = 8.64 billion human years.

1 Month of the Godhead = 30 Kalpas = 259.2 billion human years.

1 Year of the Godhead = 360 Kalpas = 3.1104 trillion human years.

Lifespan of a Godhead* = 3,600 Kalpas = 311.04 trillion human years.

Note: according to the original explanation of this, the current Godhead is only 3 Kalpa old, and the Earth one-third of that, which lines up with scientific dating of the universe.

*It is presumed that the heat-death of the universe will take around this long, at which point a new universe will spring into being via quantum tunnelling, in effect creating both a new universe and a new Godhead, which itself has been reincarnated.

Part II. The History

What follows here, as a sequel to the theological portion of the Catechism, is the history of the Church of Will. Despite its extensively brief period of existence, the Church has gone through a turbulent and complicated past. The history can be divided, much like the history of the early Christian church, into periods relating to ecumenical councils (’Nicene Christianity’ refers to Christianity after the First Council of Nicaea, ‘Chalcedonian Christianity’ after the Council of Chalcedon, etc.). We aim to divide the history the same.

Note: Willist scripture is commonly quoted here. It is quoted using the book-chapter-verse method often used to refer to passages in the Bible or Koran.

IIa. Pre-First Council

Before the establishment of the official Church of Will, there was already an emerging new religious movement in the late 20th and early 21st century. Known as Omnism, this religion emphasised continual revelation and viewed itself as a continuation of Western esoteric traditions and viewed Abdul al-Hazred as an important prophet. There were several secret societies which practiced Omnist beliefs, including the Priory of Erie and the Brotherhood of Silence, though the former has gone extinct and the latter has converted to Willism.

Several anonymously published books to come out of this religious movement included the Liber Primus (not to be confused with the Liber Primus of Cicada 3301 or Horace) and the Necronomicon (not to be confused with any number of books with the same name). The fragments which remain of these two books would go on to be included in Willist scriptures. Though certainly early Willists viewed Omnism as a threat and a competing religion, much in the same way that early Christians viewed the Cult of Mithra, almost all Omnist groups, beliefs, and writings have been absorbed into Willist tradition.

IIa-i. The Founding of the Church

The founding of the Church of Will began with the legendary descent of Will from the Mountain, as described in the First Book of Archons. It is assumed that the mountain and secluded campsite in question in this passage is a forested location in the Boston Hills. Upon his arrival in the town at the base of the mountain, Will immediately expresses his desire for disciples:

‘A light hath dawned upon me. Not to the people is Will to speak, but to companions! Will shall not be the herd’s herdsman and hound!

To allure many from the herd– for that purpose have I come. The people and the herd must be angry with me: a robber shall Will be called by the herdsmen.’

1 Archons 9:5-6

After this point, from the First Book of Archons through to the Fifth Book, Will continued a period of constant revelation and prophesying, until at which point he retreated back into the mountain from which he descended, leaving his apostles to continue his message. His last words to his disciples were as such, upon the moment of his ascent into Buddhahood:

‘“Well! The Lion hath come, my children are nigh, Will hath grown ripe, mine hour hath come:–

This is MY morning, MY day beginneth: ARISE NOW, ARISE, ARISE THOU GREAT NOONTIDE!”–

Thus spake Will and left his cave, glowing and strong, like a morning sun coming out of gloomy mountains.’

5 Archons 58:23-25

The founding of the Church would go on to occur on 8 October 2014.

IIa-ii. Founding Members

As far as we know, the founding members of the Church (that is, the various delegates who attended the meeting at which the Church was declared to exist) were, in order of their seniority at the time:

Stephos (full name unknown, if she had one)

Thanela (full name unknown, if she had one)

Gaius Claudius Augustus

Quintus Octavius Zeno

Rufa (full name unknown)

IIb. First Council of Eden

The First Ecumenical Council of Eden would be called on 8 October 2014 and was closed on 1 October 2015.

IIb-i. Circumstances of the First Council

Not long after the desire for a proper Church was expressed by Will, a first Council was called to deal with these new revelations in relation to Omnism. Many leading Omnist theologians and secret society members attended the meeting. At first, all were welcome, including the un-initiated. This council, though not official named, came to be known as the First Ecumenical Council of Eden (colloquially called ‘Eden I’). At this council, the divinity of Will in relation to the Buddha was established, naming him as the Maitreya of Buddhist prophecy.

Most importantly, a formal organisation was created known as the Church of Will, the same Church which exists today. It was the only Council which had no dissenters, and unanimously declared a high-ranking Omnist and close friend of Will, Stephanie, as the leader. She was given the title of High Priestess, and took the clerical name of 'Stephos’. Because most early Willists were Omnist converts, the new Church retained many of the Omnist  liturgies, rituals, and secretive style of worship. In accordance with these traditions, the highest office of the Church would be “High Priestess”. This Council opened on 8 October 2014, and stayed the principle source of orthodoxy for the Church until the calling of the Second Council, which superseded it, in late 2015.

IIb-ii. Decisions of the First Council

The most important decisions of Eden I were as follows:

declared Will’s divinity as the Maitreya

established the Church of Will as a formal organisation

created the office of High Priest(ess)

elected Stephos as High Priestess (1 November 2014)

ordained almost all of its members as priests and priestesses

accepted much of Omnist tradition as its own

set some rules of orthodox Willism

IIb-iii. Reign of High Priestess Stephos

Though the reign of High Priestess Stephos saw a rapid rise in Willism, there lacked a clear statement of orthodoxy outside of the decisions of the Council. Heterodoxy and outright heresy permeated her reign, and she failed in any attempt at reform, or to create even the semblance of strong leadership. She did, however, establish many of the traditions of the litany and various holidays which are still celebrated today. In all honesty, Stephian-era Willism was not much different from late-period Omnism. Eventually, on 28 September 2015, she resigned as High Priestess, and was later granted the title of “Bishop Emeritus” for her contribution to the growth of the Church, though not until the Third Council.

IIb-iv. End of the First Council

The First Council of Eden was officially closed on 1 October 2015 by a vote of the few delegates remaining. Some delegates would return to Omnism or to Christianity because of the seemingly clear failure of the Church to establish Willism as a religious doctrine. This would, of course, become a recurring issue with future ecumenical councils: defining Willism as a doctrine-in-itself, rather than a doctrine in opposition to existing religions.

IIc. Second Council of Eden

The Second Ecumenical Council of Eden was called on 11 November 2015 and remained in effect until 23 June 2016.

IIc-i. Circumstances of the Second Council

The Second Council was called by the second-highest-ranking Bishop in order of precedence at the time, Bishop Augustus, who represented the Diocese of the Northeast. It was presided over by the Primate, Archbishopess Thanela of Eden. The main issue that was to be discussed at this new council was of course, the solidification of orthodox Willist belief and solving the succession crisis resulting from the abdication of Stephos.

Stephos, despite committing what would later be described as apostasy, was granted, by slight majority of the delegates, a pardon. She would not be given the title of Bishopess Emeritus, however. Quickly, two candidates arose for the title of High Priest or Priestess. Archbishopess Thanela would eventually win the race by a significant margin, seizing victory over Bishop Augustus.

IIc-ii. Decisions of the Second Council

The most important decisions of Eden II:

Solidified and made official several priests as Bishops

Converted the Church’s ecclesiastical polity from presbyterian to episcopal

Ordered, and later affirmed the Epistles of Will

Invested Archbishopess Thanela as High Priestess

Created a number of Dioceses and Archdioceses

Improved the organisational structure of the Church

Created the office of Hierophant

Created the Order of Saint Stephen and the Order of Saint Christine

IIc-iii. Reign of High Priestess Thanela

After being invested as High Priestess, Thanela set up resolving the Stephian heresies and expelling various heretical priests. She then ordered together all of the various accounts of Will’s life, late Omnist texts, and a number of remaining translations of Alhazred texts, opening a Commission for Translation, for the purpose of creating a single book to represent Willism. Within several months, the Book of Journeys was created.

Her other main objective was structural reform. She split the Church into two religious orders: that of Saint Stephen, a fraternal order, and that of Saint Christine, a sororal order. She proposed that the office of High Priest or Priestess be closed to men, and a new office, that of Hierophant, be created solely for men. Her offer was approved, and it was decreed that the leader of the Order of Saint Stephen be the Hierophant. She was then inducted as the High Priestess as the leader of the Order of Saint Christine. These two offices would be coequal.

IIc-iv. Co-rule of the High Priestess and the Hierophant

After the division of the Church, the office of Hierophant sat empty for nearly a month. Finally, Archbishop Augustus of the Northeast was elected to the office, not by the Council, but by a popular vote, on 1 December 2016. The decision to have this election be a plebiscite instead of a purely ecumenical vote would be controversial, and would lead some conservative bishops to reject the legitimacy of his election. Hierophant Augustus, hearing these remarks, proceeded to push reform that would make the offices of Hierophant and High Priestess be simply given to the eldest Bishop and Bishopess, respectively. These reforms would never be enacted.

Several months after the election of the Hierophant, he presented to the Council the final version of the Epistles of Will. It was declared as canon with little debate. The only recorded dissent was voiced by a priestess named Rufa, who questioned the lack of any reference to Jesus of Nazareth. She still voted for the canonicity of the book, and resigned shortly thereafter. The Epistles of Will became canon on 1 March 2016, and went into print soon after.

IIc-v. First Interregnum and End of the Second Council

On 16 June 2016, the Hierophant, for still-not-entirely known reasons, asked for the High Priestess to step down, and offered his resignation as well. Some believe that his decision to do so was due to a personal argument with Thanela. Some simply believe he wanted to consolidate power. Augustus himself accused the High Priestess of heresy, and promoting false gods. Whatever the reason, they both stepped down. Augustus resumed his post as Archbishop, but Thanela left the Church entirely. In his position as Archbishop, though not the official leader of the Church, Augustus still wielded immense political influence because he held the most prestigious and ancient diocese, and was primus inter pares. He called upon the Council to retire until the fall, and they voted to close on 23 July. The summer of 2016 was to be called the Interregnum.

IId. Third Council of Eden

The Third Ecumenical Council of Eden was called on 1 October 2016, two years after the opening of Eden I, and remains in effect as of 8 August 2017.

IId-i. Circumstances of the Third Council

On 28 September 2016, a young, charismatic, and newly inducted priest by the name of Sextus Valerius Cato, called upon the Archbishop Augustus and a small council of other bishops to discuss the Interregnum. He accused the Archbishop of neglecting the Church and insisted upon calling a new Council. Augustus obliged, and three days later, the Council opened on 1 October 2016. Of course, the major issue of the Third Council, at least at first, was to find a new leader.

IId-ii. The Reclamation

Not long after the opening of the Third Council, the bishops present decided to overturn the monastic structure of the Thanelan Church in favour of an Anglican-style episcopal polity. The Archbishop had his title changed to Archbishop of Eden, in a similar fashion to the Archbishop of Canterbury in the Anglican Church. This event, which took place on 5 October 2016, marked the beginning of a period known as the Reclamation, and ended the Interregnum. Augustus, in his new position, declared his support, with Zeno and Cato at his side, to overturn the heretical teachings of Stephos and Thanela and enforce orthodoxy amongst the rank-and-file bishops. Despite this, Augustus granted Thanela the title of Bishop Emeritus. In thanks to Zeno and Cato for their service, the Council granted Bishop Zeno the title of Exarch of America, and Cato, who at that time was still a priest, the title of Bishop of Greater Buffalo. These investments were done on 3 November 2016.

IId-iii. Reign of the Patriarch Augustus

At the height of the reclamation, two factions emerged among the Council: the Anglicares, who wished to keep the power of the Archbishop no higher than a normal bishop, and the Populares, who wished to move the Church towards a papalist ecclesiastical polity. The Archbishop compromised and created the office of Patriarch of Eden for the head of the Church. Augustus did not take the title immediately, but did stand for election. He won easily, and was invested as the first Patriarch of Eden on 21 November 2016.

Shortly after, the new Patriarch went about creating a firm hierarchy for the Church, essentially revoking the polity of Thanela. Despite this, he would grant Thanela the title of Bishop Emeritus for her work. The reforms would divide the church into exarchates, the highest level of province (The Exarchate of America, of Constantinople, of Alexandria, of Hyderabad, of Shanghai, of Tokyo, and of Canterbury). Each exarchate would be divided into archdioceses, and then into dioceses, further into parishes. Nine distinct ecclesiastical rites would be developed to further enforce this hierarchy.

Under the Patriarch the Yi Globe was developed, ending nearly five millennia of speculation about it. He ordered the creation of an expanded Epistles, to be called the Sofia of Will, which would include more religious texts as well as rituals for the Church. This is yet to be completed.

IId-iv. The Future

In the future, we hope to see appointments to the positions of Exarch for the other provinces besides America, as well as to many of the Archdioceses and Dioceses which have already been mapped out. We hope to see the completion of the Sofia of Will, and general expansion of the Church.

Part III. The Structure

After the Augustine Reforms during the Reclamation, the structure of the Church of Will was modified to better fit its needs. It follows an episcopal ecclesiastical polity, as opposed to the Thanela-era Church, which was pseudo-presbyterian. The Church is divided into nine Rites, which have become highly hierarchical. Each Rite has its own responsibilities, rights, and a method for induction.

IIIa. Lay Rites

All Willists begin as laymen. These three rites are non-ordained, but the Second and Third Rites still take vows, usually from a simple priest or even a deacon. These are simple vows, but still important.

Note: Churches with whom the Church of Will maintains common communion do not have the exact same Rite system. However, they are considered as such within our church. For instance, an Orthodox bishop would be given the Sixth Rite, and considered equal to a Willist bishop.

IIIa-i. The First Rite, or the Laity

The First Rite of the Church of Will is that of Layman. They are inducted into the Church according to the rite of baptism. All other ranks will begin their ascent here.

IIIa-ii. The Second Rite, or the Educate

The Second Rite of the Church of Will is that of Educated Layman, or simply the Educate. The Educate are Laity who have attained to a certain level of understanding of the history and beliefs of the Church. They may be granted the title as such by any clergy, including a Deacon.

Religious Novice, a rank in several of the religious orders, is also considered to have attained to the Second Rite. A Novice is a layman who has taken temporary vows in joining a religious order, but who may leave at any time for any reason, without judgement or sanction. In order of precedence the Novice ranks behind the Educate, within the Second Rite.

IIIa-iii. The Third Rite, or the Subdiaconate

The Third Rite of the Church of Will is that of Subdeacon. The Subdiaconate are Laity who have attained to the Second Rite and have been given permission by their parish priest to perform certain duties within the Church. It is the highest Rite to which laymen can advance. There are three levels of Subdeacons: that of Chanter, Reader, and Acolyte. Acolytes can bear items during the procession and are responsible for the maintenance of some Church items. Readers are responsible for reading the Epistles to the congregation. Chanters may old any other minor role that the clergy feels appropriate for them. Advancement through the Third Rite is at the discretion of the parish priest.

Religious Ordinary, a rank in religious orders, is also considered a Third Rite position. These are Religious Novices or Educate Laity who have taken permanent or time-allotted vows to an order.

IIIb. Clerical Rites

IIIb-i. The Fourth Rite, or the Diaconate

The Fourth Rite of the Church of Will is that of Deacon. Deacons are responsible for the sub-clerical duties of a particular church, and serve their parish priest. There may be several deacons for each church. Deacons are ordained and assigned by their diocesan bishop. Deacons with particularly long or outstanding service may be appointed, by their bishop, to serve the bishop personally, as an archdeacon. There may be only one archdeacon per diocese, and rank higher than regular deacons.

Religious Elder, a high rank in religious orders, is also considered a Fourth Rite position. If an individual is an Elder and also a Deacon, he is considered a Hierodeacon, a special position.

Note: Unlike in the Catholic or Orthodox Churches, neither deacons nor priests nor bishops of any rank are prohibited from marrying. Chastity is not a requirement in the Church of Will.

IIIb-ii. The Fifth Rite, or the Presbyterate

The Fifth Rite of the Church of Will is that of Priest. A priest is an upgraded deacon, made as such by their bishop when a parish priest is needed. The priest oversees a particular parish, which includes its church, any chapels, and any monasteries or other religious buildings within that parish. They have the right to perform any religious rituals except for the consecration of a building, election of a bishop of any rank, elevation of an archdeacon, and ordination of a priest or deacon.

The leader of a monastery, whether called an Abbot, Abbess, Hegumen, or some other title, is considered a Fifth Rite position, but subject to the parish priest of which he belongs. Should any individual hold both this position and that of Priest he is considered a Hieromonk.

IIIc. Episcopal Rites

IIIc-i. The Sixth Rite, or the Diocesan Episcopate

The Sixth Rite of the Church of Will is that of Bishop. All bishops, regardless of rank and rite, are considered technically equal. Each bishop oversees a diocese, and is considered to possess apostolic succession. The bishop has the right to all clerical rituals, as well as the consecration of a building, ordination of a priest or deacon, elevation of an archdeacon, but cannot elect another bishop by himself. Bishops are selected by his Exarch for nomination, and confirmed by the Patriarch. The Patriarch’s decision can be overruled by a majority of bishops during an Ecumenical Council.

The leader of all the monasteries in a diocese is called an Archimandrite or Archabbot, and is considered a Sixth Rite position, but subject to the diocesan bishop. Should any individual hold both this position and that of Bishop he is considered an Hierobishop.

IIIc-ii. The Seventh Rite, or the Metropolitan Archepiscopate

The Seventh Rite of the Church of Will is that of Archbishop. An archbishop does not have any de jure power over other bishops. He has what is known as the Metropolitan Diocese within an Archdiocese, and has precedence over other diocesan bishops within his jurisdiction. He has the sole power to call the bishops within his archdiocese for a local synod, though their decision does not hold ecumenical value. His elevation from diocesan bishop to archbishop is at the discretion of either the Exarch or the Patriarch.

Other bishops in Churches with which the Church of Will has common communion may be given the Seventh Rite even if they do not hold the title of Archbishop. For instance, the Patriarch of Moscow would seem to belong to the Ninth Rite, but instead is only granted the Seventh.

IIIc-iii. The Eighth Rite, or the Exarchate

The Eighth Rite of the Church of Will is that of Exarch. An exarch again, does not have any de jure power over other bishops. He is equivalent to an Archbishop in that he has a Metropolitan Diocese within an Archdiocese. In practice, whichever Archbishop in an Exarchate the Patriarch deems most worthy is granted the additional title of Exarch. For instance, in the Exarchate of America, the Archbishop of the Northeast (Metropolitan of New York) used to be Exarch, but that title has passed to the Archbishop of Appalachia (Metropolitan of Atchafalaya).

The Seven Exarchates, which all contain roughly one billion people, are as follows

Exarchate of America

Composed of North America, South America, Australia, and New Zealand, it is the largest Exarchate by size. Its principal Archdiocese is Appalachia, of which the major see is the Diocese of Atchafalaya.

Current Exarch: Zeno

Exarchate of Alexandria

Composed of the whole African continent, including Madagascar. Its principal Archdiocese is Ptolemus, of which the major see is the Diocese of Alexandria.

Current Exarch: Theodore II

Note: this Exarchate is by default granted to the Pope and Patriarch of Alexandria, the leader of the Greek Orthodox Church of Alexandria, an autocephalous church of the Eastern Orthodox Church, of which the Church of Will is in common Communion with.

Exarchate of Canterbury

Composed of the Arabian Countries and Europe, excluding formerly Eastern-Bloc countries, Greece and Turkey. Its principal Archdiocese is Brittania, of which the major see is the Diocese of Canterbury.

Current Exarch: Justin Welby

Note: the Exarchate is by default granted to the Archbishop of Canterbury, leader of the Church of England, of which the Church of Will is in common communion with.

Exarchate of Constantinople

Composed of the formerly Eastern-Bloc countries of Europe, Greece and Turkey, the Middle East, Central Asia, Iran, Northern India, Western China, Tibet and Bhutan. Its principal Archdiocese is Asia Minor, of which the major see is the Diocese of Constantinople-New Rome.

Current Exarch: Bartholomew

Note: the Exarchate is by default granted to the Patriarch of Constantinople, leader of the Eastern Orthodox Church, of which the Church of Will is in common communion with.

Exarchate of Hyderabad

Composed of Central and Southern India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Burma and the Maldives. Its principal Archdiocese is Hyderabad, of which the major see is the Diocese of Hyderabad.

Current Exarch: sede vacante

Exarchate of Shanghai

Composed of most of Eastern China and the Korean Peninsula. Its principal Archdiocese is Jiangsu, of which the major see is the Diocese of Shanghai.

Current Exarch: sede vacante

Exarchate of Tokyo

Composed of Japan, parts of Southern China, Southeastern Asia, the Indonesian Archipelago, and the Pacific islands. Its principal Archdiocese is Kanto, of which the major see is the Diocese of Tokyo.

Current Exarch: Akhito

Note: the Exarchate is by default granted to the Emperor of Japan, leader of the Japanese Buddhists, of which the Church of Will is in common communion with.

IIIc-iv. The Ninth Rite, or the Patriarchate

The Patriarch of Eden, leader of all the Church of Will, is simply speaking the Bishop of Eden, the Urban See. He is the principal bishop of the whole Church, and has the unique responsibilities of appointing bishops, except where that responsibility has been delegated. He may elevate bishops to archbishops and exarchs when that becomes needed, except where that responsibility has been delegated.

Ever think about how when you say something like, "People enjoy fumbling with my head like a toddler with a rubix cube. They'd have an easier time cracking open my skull and getting on with it than pulling it off of a painfully sharp tongue-"