[Glorantha] Re: Benefits of Illumination

Peter:

Given the limitations on Lunar Illumination that has
> been presented in ILH-2, I don't think the acquisition
> of magics is cost-free at a personal level. Instead
> once the illuminate has successfully proven the
> god is unreal, he acquires a vice which is the
> opposite of that religion's virtues (thus cowardly
> for a Heortling god, sacrilegious for a Praxian
> spirit etc) as a mark of his rejection of that
> religion's mores.
>

That's quite neat, and one possible consequence.

One problem with avoiding 'cult requirements' and such is that the Illuminate does so for the benefit of their personal self. IMHO one of the reasons why cult practices are magically effective is because they are a mundane technique for suppressing, or perhaps moulding the personal self - the worshiper subsumes their personality to the All in such a way that they become vessels or conduits for cosmic powers which manifest as magic.

An Illuminate should realize that by avoiding the responsibilities of divine worship they are, if anything, clinging even more firmly to their personal self than un-illuminated worshipers are. This is why eastern mystics disavow all magic, because if your ego doesn't betray you in one way, it'll just betray you in another.

Hence I think that illuminates can (given a suitable contest vs. the All) use magic gained through worship, and avoid the cult and devotional behaviours that go with them, but run a serious risk of becoming occluded if they aren't already.

Simon Hibbs Received on Mon 05 Feb 2007 - 11:03:35 EET