Illumination & the Otherworld from Nils Weinander on 1996-03-22 (Glorantha Digest Vol 02)

From: Nils Weinander <niwe_at_ppvku.ericsson.se>
Date: Fri, 22 Mar 1996 16:09:08 +0100

Sandy:
>Illumination is not an intellectual or an emotional experience. It
>is a spiritual one.

...
>You have to experience it in your soul, not your brain or your heart.

Illumination as Gnosis? That's probably the best exlpanation of the phenomenon I have seen. It's also a very good argument against power-gamers who want to force Illumination into game mechanics so they can (ab)use it.

The Otherworld:

I don't think there are separate spirit, hero and god planes. However, some cultures may perceive that the gods reside in a distinct place. The homes of the gods should definitely be harder to reach, but IMO the Otherworld is a continuum.

The East Islanders call it the Dreamworld. They perceive it as weird and disjointed, with abrupt changes and impossible occurrences, just as dreams are. The Dreamworld is the place of possibilities, where cause does not necessarily precede effect. Lucid dreamers and dragonewts can see both the Dreamworld and the waking world at one time, superimposed on each other.

Nils W				| Here we are!
Office: niwe_at_einku.ericsson.se	| We sail on a ship made of dreams.

Home: nilsw_at_ibm.net