> > > I could accept something like "after death,
> > > our ancestors split off from our core self" but that to me would
> > > imply that all other integrated spirits also split off as it is
> > > extremely unlikely that a culture has two integration techniques.
>
> >I'm sorry, but I don't understand this.
>
> Why would Ancestors split off at death and not the other integrated
> spirits?
Ah ; I see.
Because Ancestors for part of a magical bloodline that is transmitted through Sex & Death ; and the 'simple' act of procreation creates a Descendant who is transcendentally imbued with the Ancestors' Magic, and the power to contact them, unless (perhaps) they are currently Integrated or otherwise Manifest/Imprisoned elsewhere than in the ordinary Otherside of your Ancestors ? But another Integrated Spirit isn't part of the bloodline, and therefore remains bound within the magical aura of the dead one, as a Spirit captured into the Tradition by your Ancestor ?
> > > >Come to think of it, Ancestral shamanism is poorly represented by
> > > >the GL World-View. It should probably be a Borderline magic,
> > > >half-way between shamanism & theism ...
>
> > > Just because you worship something doesn't make it theistic.
>
> >Not what I'm saying.
>
> Then what parts of ancestor worship look theistic to you? Worship
> is not a theistic act.
Hmmm ... I'm more or less happy to game with such HW roolz distinctions, but they're not entirely satisfying.
As an illustration of what I'm trying to say (but we seem to have reached un unfortunate barrier of HW terminology) the Worship of his Ancestors by Raus of Rone, and the Worship of the Ancestral Baboons by their descendants are both forms of Ancestor Worship. It appears logical, then, that Ancestor Worship is a borderline religious technique.
As to which parts of ancestor worship look theistic to me, well : that's trickier, because Ancestor Worship isn't a parti-coloured philosophy of magic from any POV, but a cohesive and internally coherent one : the Ancestors live in the Otherworld ; They are Us & We are They ; they live on through us, as we will live on in the blood of our descendants ; & they are the source of our magic.
Now ; this obviously resembles HW animism more than anything else ; but, if your Ancestors happen to be a clan of sorcerors with their own Grimoire ; or if the Founder of your Family is a demigod, providing Theistic Feats to his descendants ; or if you are a grunting baboon ; in any case, there must be some rules for Ancestor Worship common to all of these particular cases (although it shouldn't be necessary to come up with an extra non-4/5/X-Worlds method of magic for AW).
does that make sense ?
cheers,
Julian Lord
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