Mysticism.

From: Alex Ferguson <abf_at_cs.ucc.ie>
Date: Thu, 22 Apr 2004 20:30:57 +0100

On Thu, Apr 22, 2004 at 11:27:53AM +0100, glorantha-request_at_rpglist.org wrote:
> From: Chris Lemens <chrislemens_at_yahoo.com>
> > What is it about Glorantha that means you can't
> > play 'maystical' kung fu types without knowing
> > for a fact that your character is a deluded
> > fool spouting meaningless drivel?
>
> Ease up, there, amigo. I never said or implied any
> such thing. I don't think martial arts are
> particularly mystical. Common magic seems like the
> most natural description for it.

And if a character with such a practice _does_ think they're on a mystical path, are they or are they not "deluded"?

> From: "Andrew Solovay" <asolovay_at_rubberducky.com>
> I think the solution for that is to write up a cult that uses one of the
> three vanilla Otherworlds, and just have the cult's beliefs be what we
> Earthlings would call "mystical".

I think there's something to be said for that approach, and it's what I thought Greg was saying on the subject, at least until recently.  

> I expect that's what we'll end up doing with most or all of the HW mystical
> cults, at least the active, engage-with-the-world ones (like Taraltara).

A danger is that if the rules say one thing, and the text says another, it may give the _impression_ that the practitioners are indeed deluded. Especially if the text doesn't say all that much on the topic.

This is even moreso if Issaries produces a "mystical magical system" which describes only the 'orthodox' types, and proceeds to describe others in terms of theism, animism, etc, _regardless of self-perception_. (e.g. we end up with some "Lunar mystics" that are "HQ mystics" and some "Lunar mystics" that are "HQ theists", just as Greg says (that by his definition) would be the case for Buddhists.)

One approach might be to use less loaded terminology. If we wree to talk in more practice-oriented oriented terms, like "Asceticism", or "Renunciate" rather than "Mysticism" and "Mystic", we might have fewer cross purposes.

Cheers,
Alex.

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