Pillars
In general, a pillar is a structural principle of a Rock or Water Body, a preference of the Body like its priorities, goals, or form of governance. There are no maximum number of pillars a Body might have, but with each addition, the Body becomes more diluted in its focus. New pillars should be added only when they support the TOP.
Each Body of the Cult (Love or Power) has a minimum of Three Organizing Pillars (TOP). The first pillar for all Bodies is the same: the ritual practice and academic study of the Novel Universe Model. The second pillar is a plan for how the individual Body venerates their chosen frame (Love or Power) within the Cult. For Bodies of Rocks, this pillar also includes their form of Power (Tower or Square). The third pillar symbolizes the Body’s choice to venerate its specific form of Love or Power as its Primary Organizing Pillar (POP). For example, a Tribe’s POP, or choice to venerate Power, can be any concept of Power– a religion, sport, business, machine, etc. that supports the extraction of novelty. On the other hand, a Community’s POP can be any experiential aspect of life that connects individuals– designing dwellings, artistic constructions, inventing games, or research that might benefit the membership or planet. Examples include housing the homeless, erecting elaborate art installations, or studying intracellular mechanics.
Water and Rock POPs may share a common theme, like the sport of football, each with their own take. For instance, a Tribe might only care about certain stats, like the number of goals, victories, or penalties; while a Community might focus their attention on specific aspects, like ways to prevent injury, enhance gender inclusion, or diversify the roles of player positions. Tribes and Communities might even play each other, and when they’re done, the Tribes may obsess over whether they scored the most goals, while the Community spends their time evaluating the results of their theories on various player formations or ball-passing techniques. No matter the result, both sides’ POPs benefit from their exposure to the other.
The primary idea behind a pillar of Love is the enhancement of connection between Citizens, but that connection might also extend to the entire Cult or wider world. For pillars of Power, their purpose is the sustainable extraction of novelty from their environment, effectively exchanging value between Freemen, while possibly creating real-world profit.
No pillar will be approved by the River Sage(s) if it interferes with the expression of any other Bodies’ pillars. In some rare cases, pillars are denied if deemed harmful to the Cult, its members, or this planet we all share.
First, read our philosophy to better understand our Creed.