> Jonas :
> > If Spirit Cults occur in all or most animistic
> > cultures, the definition of "animism" needs overhaul. :-)
>
> Funny you should say that...
>
> Greg uses 'animist' (and pretty much interchangeably, 'shamanic') in
> a manner that's rather too broad for my tastes.
Mine too.
But let's at least *try* and keep this a 'rules' issue ?
> I think that at the least, there are 'primitive animists', ...
'Ecstatic' shamanists perhaps, for coherence' sake ?
> then there are the 'totemic shamanists', ...
Yes : bad ellipsis there IMO.
> One might also suggest that there's a somewhat 'animist sorcery' thread,
Hmmm : a kind of 'primitive' sorcery maybe ? I can definitely see a need for a magic system(s) that seemed to directly manipulate Inner worldstuff without being philosophically (nor, indeed, rules-wise) attached to any particular Otherworld, and far less powerful because of such a huge limitation. ie some second-rate spells, but no Grimoires, Totems, or Otherworld allies ; not to mention heroquesting ...
... but could still affect any Otherworldstuff that happened to be embodied, or transitionally present within the Inner World.
Low Magic, anyone ?
cheers,
Julian Lord
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