>My main problem is that I don't quite understand what illumination is
>all about, except that it accepts a balance between chaos and order.
>This balance can be understood in a pretty straightforward way, so
>I don't see why the mysticism of illumination is neccessary. What
>else does illumination teach you? Why is it such a sanity-wrenching
>event? Couldn't a practical army commander (for example) very sanely
>decide that accepting chaos is useful tactically, without blowing his
>mind on riddles first?
I assume you've read the FAQ for this list and the sources cited therein.
The following statements can also be understood in "a pretty straightforward way":
"What did your face look like before your parents conceived you?" (interpreted as "language can state nonsense")
"Jesus Christ is my personal Lord and Savior" (interpreted any way you like)
"An electron is both a wave and a particle."
"This statement is false."
And I could list others. Or, you could understand any of those statements through a soul-shattering experience. Why soul-shattering? Because the "you" you believe in is a self-organizing congeries of thoughts and ideas, and a sudden deep understanding of any of the above statements can alter who "you" are. Do "you" have any inkling of what I'm talking about?
Note that people who experience and understand a powerful statement all at once tend to be more committed to it than those who incorporate the idea slowly. Like an alpha particle aimed at an atomic nucleus, it penetrates right to the heart of the atom and changes the atom's nature.
Anyhow, in Glorantha a sane army commander would NOT come to a logical conclusion that it was OK to use chaos in a battle. That would be like a politician in a democracy deciding it was OK to assassinate a political opponent. Either is just beyond the bounds of what one does. Would a medieval European general have called on the power of Satan for military advantage? Someone who transgresses the rules is no longer what they once were. In some cases, the place where they are changes, becoming no longer a democracy, or no longer a Christian state, or no longer Orlanthi.
One thing about Illumination is that understanding it from a player's or GM's perspective requires that you understand the normal worldview of characters. They are not puppets, or should not be. They don't change their fundamental beliefs (like "Chaos is EVIL") the way they change their armor.
Illumination turns everything upside down. There is no fundamental difference between Law and Chaos. Other new-found beliefs may vary by culture and personality.
I'm not convinced that Illumination differs in kind, as opposed to degree, from other life-shattering experiences in Glorantha. If you could learn some of Subere's secrets and yet live, you'd experience something similar. (Tenebration?) If you could comprehend the World Machine, you'd never be the same again.
"Balance" is the Lunar spin, designed to give illuminants something to hang onto once all reference points spin away in free fall like the astronaut lost from the spaceship in "2001."
Freedom is a scary thing. And, as Peter Metcalfe points out, everyone has Buddha nature.
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