Contrary to old philosophies that consider the Cause-Effect relation like a continuous chain - A is the cause of B, and B the cause of C and so on, a deeper insight shows the Cause-Effect relation weaves a network of relations in all directions so that, as Blunden says, the Cause bends on itself and the Cause becomes its own Effect. An analogy is the Pascal's saying "the universe is a circle with its center everywhere and its periphery nowhere".
Another thing, I think, Cause-Effect relation is only applicable to process not to things as they exist. In other words, we can search for a cause and effect when a phenomenon and process is concerned by not when a thing is studied. For instance, we can question "what is the cause of boiling?" but it is meaningless to ask "what is the cause of water or what is the cause of fire?"
As Will is concerned, Hegel believes that "free choice" is only the form of Will and therefore a mere supposition, and that the content of Will is dependent on outward circumstances. In this view, the form and content of Will stand as opposites.
Free will seems to be completely free from necessity when it comes to collision with rigid outward facts. For instance, a person may try the exercise of his/her free will when he/she feels hunger. Whether he/she eats something or not seems to be completely a choice - something that is not observed in animals, but in higher levels of thinking, thought-objects appear in the form of words and act as causes that stimulate thinking processes and affect man's will. So, the Free Will depends on external objects, in the form of either sensual and material things or thought-objects.
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