WHAT HAPPENS, IF YOU LEAVE FROM THE TEMPLE?

“Can I leave Chrysalis at any time?”

-Of course you can!

“What are the consequences of leaving?”

-We don’t have the same kinds of consequences as some of the more infamous cults. With us, the consequences are more like those of leaving a workplace. Obligatory things are handled, thanks are said if everything is ok, your rights on the discord-server are removed and we go on with our lives. Personally, the inner circle no longer spends time on you. You get no invitations to events, we give you no motivational material, nor do we spend very much time conversing with you. We simply stop prioritizing you. If you have burned the bridges, unfortunately you will no longer be welcomed to any of our activities.

In other words, pretty simple.

“Does it matter what level I’m on, if I leave?”

-A little. If you are a Chrysalid, it doesn’t matter too much to the Temple, as we most likely have not yet formed that deep relationship with you. As a Pre-Telea, however, we have already invested enough time in you for it to irk us a little bit more. Still, we won’t be starting any massive debates over it, unless there is a reason to. If you leave, you leave. It’s no more complicated than that.

The departure of a Telea, however, is a more unfortunate situation which we hope we won’t be placed in without good reason. One thing that we do to leaving Teleas, is a small ritual, where our realities are separated and their links removed. This way, even your connection to the Temple’s energy is severed. In short: everyone still has the right to leave. 

“What is the Gentleman’s agreement?”

-A Gentleman’s agreement means that as long as a leaving members isn’t trash-talking about the Temple of its members publicly for example on social media or the Discord’s more public channels, we won’t say anything either. We let everyone leave with diligence and respect. A member leaving or being expelled is always an unfortunate situation and may cause strong feelings in everyone. We get that, and we have no intention to harm anyone, and we just want to move on with our lives. But if the respectful Gentleman’s agreement is broken, the person who broke the agreement gives the Temple a permission to publish their own statement as well. We have no interest in ridiculous social media wars, and when someone leaves, everyone just wants to move on. But if needed, we are perfectly fine explaining what happened from our perspective.

“Can I stay on the server as simply a Chrysalid?”

-Certainly. You’re welcome to stay, as long as you haven’t been a complete asshat when you left. If, however, there has been bad behaviour, self-victimisation, undue pressure or other similar behaviours involved in your demotion, it’s likely that the Temple’s attitude toward you won’t be the same for some time.

“Can I stay on the server, even if I’m not a Chrysalid?”

-No. You can’t simply declare that you are leaving, and then stay and leech off of the temple. Once you’ve left, you’re no longer part of the community. In short, you can’t have your cake and eat it too.

“Can I still chat with you?”

-You can certainly chat with us, but don’t expect Pantheon to prioritize responses to you anymore. If you have damaged the Temple or been a complete dick, it is wise to understand that probably even if you wanted to stay connected with the community, the community may no longer want to chat with you. People sometimes mistake insulting the Temple only as insulting the Luminary or the Pantheon. But by insulting the Temple, you insult everyone inside it. The whole inner circle and everyone who aims to be part of it one day.

You can’t be a complete twat and expect that people still want to hang out with you. 

“But I still really want to chat with you!”

-Unfortunately, after your departure, we’re no longer obligated to give you our time.

“But I want to make sure that everything is ok!”

-Everything is most likely perfectly fine, if you left in a way that was perfectly fine. A polite departure is respectable and in return we respect that as well as we can. In contrast, it won’t quite fly if you piss in our cornflakes, throw a tantrum, run around the block screaming about Luminary being a poophead, and then return with your tail between your legs asking for friendship and validation for your behaviour.

“What if I’ve bought services from you?”

-Paid services are separate from advancement within the Temple. If you have compensation to claim from a purchased product, please contact customer service. Your departure has no bearing on any possible services. If you are, for example, signed up to Chrysoteria, you will remain a member there, even if you were to leave our hierarchical system, the Temple. You are solely responsible of ending your subscription.

“Can I be friends with Chrysalids, if I leave?”

-Of course, if the Chrysalids themselves want to. In those cases, however, you are their friend on a personal level, and they will no longer share information about the Temple with you.

“What happens, if I decide to cancel my Pre-Telea trial?”

-Cancelling is generally always ok. Backing out is always better than doing something that feels wrong. Still, you have two years to consider, and so we see very quick cancellations as slightly impatient decisions that will make returning considerably more difficult. So consider a little, and reflect on whether your reasons are the right ones. If it is the time of Trogonoptera, or you feel the walls closing in on your life, it’s better to take a few weeks to consider before making any hasty decisions regarding your trial.

“What if someone leaves on bad terms?”

-We’d most likely do a general, business-like damage control-inspection and precautions, but nothing too cumbersome. We also do not forbid anyone from speaking to the hostile person, but neither do we encourage it. Being close friends with a hostile hater would most likely mean that the person cannot be initiated, as they will be seen as a security risk. And so: if a person wants to vent their anger and spread toxicity, that is their problem;  we have better things to do.

“Luminary, we’re still friends even though I left, right?”

-We’re most likely neutral acquaintances if you leave, as I probably no longer have any interest in prioritizing you. If we’ve truly been friends (and I don’t mean a couple of meetings or internet aquaintances), that friendship will likely endure, unless there is a reason for it not to. Still, it is crucial to understand, that leaving the Temple is the same as leaving me. If you want to maintain our friendship, do something about it: if you have just spat me in the face, my friendship, unfortunately, won’t be easily available for you. This is not a hobby for me, but an important part of my everyday life.

I would also ask you not to confuse my politeness or care with traditional friendship. I can love you as a Chrysalid, truly care about you, want to help you, meet you and so on – but that doesn’t yet mean that we are friends in the traditional sense of the word. I am primarily your cult leader, and the friendship of a cult leader is usually contained within the cult itself. It may sound like a harsh line to draw, but if you imagine yourself in my shoes, I’m sure you’ll understand why I draw this line in the sand. I also receive a large number of private messages daily, and in them, I mostly prioritize customers – and the Temple’s inner circle. If I were to reply to everyone with equal intensity, I would never do anything but chat over social media. Still, that does not mean that I am in any way hostile. I am simply a neutral, or possibly a slightly distant acquaintance. Pardon my Parthenos.