Pillar System

A system of government mentioned in the fictional manga created by Clamp, Magic Knight Rayearth. The Pillar system involves a single strong-willed person who is capable of wishing or praying for peace with other countries. The Pillar system only exists in Cephiro, though it could perhaps be used to describe any theocratic monarchy which completely traps its ruler in duties. See Papalism and Dalai Lama, for instance.

Powers of the Original Pillar
In addition to praying for peace (which involves two things, calming the people within and keeping other countries from invading), the Pillar of Cephiro had a number of other powers. The Pillar could calm the weather, keeping a stormy weather and earthquakes at bay. In addition, the monsters of Cephiro (being creations of the heart) were turned into cute forest animals by the Pillar. Finally, if a disaster hit, the Magic Knights might be summoned, even from another dimension. The Pillar could also grant wishes to some extent.

The Pillar could only be destroyed by the Magic Knights themselves, and so one of the duties of the Magic Knights might actually be to end the life of the Pillar.

Abolition of Pillar System
The Pillar was kidnapped by the High Priest Zagato, as he loved her and wanted her to be free to love him back. The Pillar needing to support others at all times, is completely unable to do this, so he locked her away from the rest of Cephiro and prevented her from praying. As a result Cephiro began to crumble.

When the Magic Knights arrived on the scene, it was discovered that the current Pillar, Princess Emeraude, actually sent them there so that she herself could be killed. They returned to Earth, only to find out later that while they were gone, Cephiro rather than crumbling, with the complete absence of a Pillar was actually disappearing. In order to restore Cephiro to its former state someone with a strong will needed to claim the crown of the Pillar. But Lantis, Zagato's brother, advised Hikaru against simply restoring the Pillar system.

After Hikaru managed to claim the Pillar, her wish was instead to abolish the Pillar system and leave Cephiro in the hands of the people.

Pillars in Modern Governments
The Pope is an elected official who is dictated as the leader of the entire Catholic church, and is made is the Bishop of Rome, the spiritual leader of the Roman Catholic Church and head of state of Vatican City. As such, most Catholics view the word of the Pope as absolute, even though instances of papal infallibility are rare

The Dalai Lama is the title given to an individual who is the spiritual and, sometimes, temporal leader of Tibetan Buddhists worldwide. This person is believed to be the current incarnation of a long line of Tulkus, or Buddhist Masters, who have chosen of their own free will to be reborn to this plane in order that they might continue teaching humanity. The successive Dalai Lamas form a lineage of tulku magistrates and religious leaders which traces back to 1391. Between the 17th century and 1959, the Dalai Lama was the head of the Tibetan Government, administering a large portion of the country from the capital Lhasa. Since 1959, the Dalai Lama has presided over the Central Tibetan Administration. The Dalai Lama effectively is the leader of a particular form of Buddhism, which would probably not thrive in this area without him.

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