On 30 Jun 2013, at 15:41, David Cake <dave_at_difference.com.au> wrote:
> Right - so essentially, shamanic integration is the process of becoming a shaman -- which is interesting as the fetch is now the only sort of spirit remaining in the current conception of animism that is really 'integrated' with the shamanic self rather than being just 'something you have'.
Fetches are a cool bit of colour to the shaman's background, and it depends where the fetch comes from. I don't think it's the same for all Gloranthan traditions. Some fetches are an extra bit the shaman already has, some are added later as part of the initiation, some are one of the shaman's pre-existing charms or sidekicks, some are gifts from the great spirits/ gods of the tradition etc. My feeling is that Greg picked the wrong word with integration - connected and supportive is a better concept.
> > Beyond this, becoming a more powerful shaman is not just dependent on having greater spirits helping you. A different state of mind is needed to transcend the boundaries of your tradition's spirit world. This is akin to illumination/enlightenment/transcendence, it's a narrative effect and should be the result of a hard quest, that results in the discovery of the spirit realm beyond the current one, Getting help to do this is very important.
>
> Akin to illumination/enlightenment only in that its primarily a state of mind with mostly narrative effects, do you mean?
No the result is a form of illumination, it allows you to see beyond the normal constraints of your traditions spirit world.
> And quite possibly, often this deeper understanding does grant access (perhaps indirectly) to greater powers not granted to lesser shamans - the Soul Winds accessed by great Praxian shamans would perhaps be one example?
Yes, the Soul Winds come from beyond the normal tradition boundaries,
Praxian spirit world -> The Larger Herd -> Larger realm of Animals (gods and Great spirits)-> Genert's ancient demesne (The Green Age) -> Earthmaker's demesne (The Primal Plasma).
The Horned Man is in Earthmaker's realm he can teach the secrets of the soul winds, some would say he's Earthmaker's fetch. Tribal shaman are immensely powerful and few.
Just reaching these other demesnes should give the opportunity to meet new spirits and negotiate with them. You can see what Harrek broke through to.
This is going to quickly get boring for the other players in the group with a shaman hero, they are going to end up sidekicks if you're not careful.
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