Getting Started

User Account Basics

Matrix accounts have identity providers known as home servers. If you create your account with Occident, Occident will be your home server. Once you create your account, you cannot change your username. You can change your display name, but your username will be permanent, so choose carefully. Due to the smaller size of the server, it is likely that your chosen nickname will be available without numbers or symbols, so try something like "raven" instead of "raven1683". When you create your account, you will need to provide an email address that can be used to verify your account. This address will not be visible to other users on Occident, it is necessary to prevent spam accounts from being created on our server.

Using Element

Element is a chat client for Matrix. There are several ways to use it, directions for each are listed below.

Using the Browser Version of Element

Click on "Chat" in the tabs above. This will take you to chat.occident.dev, which is a custom version of Element provided by the Server. Click "Continue", then set up your account.

Using the Desktop Version of Element

Download "Element Desktop" for your system by navigating to Element Downloads. Once it has installed, launch it. Change your homeserver/identity provider to: occident.dev. You will then be able to go through the process of creating an account.

Using the Mobile version of Element

Download "Element X" for your device, it is in the Apple App Store as well as the Google Play store. One it has installed, launch it. Change your homeserver/identity provider to: occident.dev. You will then be able to go through the process of creating an account. It may open a browser window in your phone to allow you to complete registration.

Frequently Asked Questions

Welcome to the Occident Matrix Community!

This community is a continuation of a community which existed on Discord under various names, including Save Christendom, The Alexandrian School, and IHS | By This Sign. It is a community of conservative and Christian people who wish to save the West by living good lives, doing what they can do for their communities, and helping others to come to the truth. This page includes many FAQs. If something is not covered here, please feel free to join and ask!

What is Matrix?

Occident uses a chat protocol called "Matrix". Matrix is "a rich ecosystem of clients, servers, bots, and application services". It allows for chat to be decentralized, federated, and self-hosted. This means it fills a function similar to that of something like Teamspeak or Discord, but without being beholden to a corporation or tying your data to any specific client, server, or company.

How do I join?

Navigate to Chat. This opens a web client called Element, from which you can make an account. If you already have an account on Matrix, you can use an existing account to connect with Occident. Most users will need to create a new account following the prompts on chat.occident.dev. Be careful when selecting a username. While you can change your display name, you cannot change your username without making a new account. Usernames are local to Occident if you make your account with Occident, so you may not need to add numbers to the end of your username as you usually would with larger services.

Okay, I have an account. What next?

Once you have an account, you will end up in the "Landing" chat. Matrix organizes chatrooms into groups called "Spaces" (compare with Discord's "Servers"). Within a space, channels can be open or closed. You will be able to join any open channel you want by right clicking on the space on the left side of your screen and selecting "Space Home". This will show you rooms you are eligible to join without restriction. There are also private rooms, but to join those, you will need an invite. Participate around the server for a while and eventually you'll be invited to some of the private rooms. Private rooms typically include more detailed discussion than public rooms, and can have quite specific topics, so don't worry that you're missing out on too much just because you haven't been invited to the "argue about the First Seven Ecumenical Councils" channel!

What should I expect coming from Discord?

Matrix is not as feature-rich as Discord. Unlike Discord, Matrix does not have a user role system. It also does not have role icons. Matrix is organized more on a room-by-room basis than on Discord, where a large server may have lots of channels that are access-controlled by the role system. Discord also has a larger (and younger) userbase. Matrix takes slightly more effort both to get signed up and to use, so you should expect Occident to have a slightly older and more mature crowd than Discord, which caters more to teenagers and even children. One benefit of Matrix compared to Discord is the lack of censorship. On Occident, we censor and moderate any content that is illegal, and any content that violates our own censorship policy - a policy determined not by liberal corporations that hate our users, but by the leaders of our community itself. Overall, you should expect that Matrix will have fewer features than you are used to on Discord, but will make up for this lack by being a more conducive place to have meaningful conversations.

Okay, so Matrix is missing some features from Discord. What about Voice Chat?

Matrix has an implementation of voice chat called Element Call. Element Call requires the use of an Element client (available on Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS, and Android, also as a web client) and functions similar to Zoom. It has a screensharing feature as well as the ability to video chat with cameras, but can be used just as easily as a VC. We encourage a healthy VC atmosphere in Occident, because often meaningful conversations are better with voices over someone's Minecraft gameplay stream than they are in text chatrooms.

What is the political makeup of Occident?

Occident is heavily conservative and right-wing. Most users vote for conservative political parties in their home countries and hold conservative opinions on most issues. That said, as a discussion-oriented server, we do not wish to be an echo-chamber and we welcome viewpoints from anyone who can express their views politely and rationally. Just please expect that if you are not a conservative, you will likely find yourself holding the minority opinion on most topics in the Server.

What is the religious makeup of Occident?

Like our namesake Western civilization, we are majority Christian. The owners of the server are both Catholic and take their Catholic faith seriously. You should expect that our community will be organized and moderated in accordance with Catholic Social Teaching and Moral Theology. This does NOT mean that we do not permit non-Catholic or non-Christian points of view - anyone is welcome if they can be polite. However, you should expect that we will manage the server consistent with our own Catholic understanding of the world. Aside from the many Catholics, we also have a substantial proportion of Eastern Orthodox users who are serious about their faith, and many Protestant Christians as well. We also welcome atheists, agnostics, Jews, Muslims, and any other individuals who are polite and comfortable with participating in a Catholic managed space. If you are an agnostic curious about Christianity, or someone curious about becoming Catholic or Eastern Orthodox, Occident may be a perfect place for you to learn more and speak with real people who can help you get involved!

What is the purpose of Occident?

This community exists for the purpose of educating, encouraging, and providing community for those who are interested in saving our Western Civilization. We believe that it is the responsibility of each new generation to carry the torch forward, standing on the shoulders of their ancestors and looking toward the good of their children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. We wish to be a resource to young men and young women who feel exhausted by the modern world - influencer culture, doomscrolling, degeneracy, and political radicalism - and to help them discover the beauty of our Western history and heritage for themselves. We believe that a key part of doing so will be by evangelizing to others the Christian Faith which is the bedrock of all that makes the West what it is.

Who should join?

We have a lot of different types of users. If you're slightly autistic and you love to talk about theology, history, politics, or culture, we are the perfect place for you. If you are a college student who grew up Catholic but never really understood much about your faith, we are the perfect place for you to ask questions and learn more in a low-stakes environment. If you're someone who feels tired of doomscrolling on right-wing Twitter and you want to encourage and be encouraged by others in our shared community, please join us! In order to accomplish our mission, we need teachers and learners alike to join and bring their own set of talents and circumstances to bear.