Illumination and The Mind

From: David B. Henderson <db.henderson_at_dcs.napier.ac.uk>
Date: Wed, 22 May 1996 11:28:40 +0100 (BST)


Further to the Illumination thread:

If an Illuminate's mind is somehow eaten, as in the Bagog ritual of Devouring or the Thanatar Consume Mind (right name?), does this give a chance of Illumination for the consumer?

These spells/rituals give a chance of learning skills possessed by the victim, and spells, which raises the question of the nature of Illumination. Obviously it is not as simple as a skill or spell, as objective, but by the same token surely gaining insight into an Illuminates mind causes at least as profound questioning of your self etc. as riddling. If one person posing riddles for another to answer can cause enough (questioning? conflict? profound insight?) in the other to provoke Illumination, then even exploring the surface of an Illuminates reality should have a similar effect.

Illumination, IMO, is an entirely individual thing, but allowing it to be facilitated by others means that there must be some commonality, or the others' riddles (frex) would be meaningless. If this commonality betwen minds does exist, then being inside an Illuminate's, which is how the above rituals seem to work, should be a fairly dramatic/traumatic experience, and give a fairly good chance of Illumination.

Of course, this then causes problems about other beliefs. If Illumination can influence another when they are inside the Illuminate's mind, then other strong ideas/beliefs could have a similar (though lesser) effect. For example: Brug the Atyar worshipper eats a Chalanna Arroy Healer's head. A contest of wills ensues, wherein the Healer manages to win Brug over to his worldview, at least temporarily, and Brug then feels a trifle upset at what he has done ...

This would then explain much of the insanity among the various brain-eaters, if such exists, as they are swayed between the different worldviews they have experienced. I seem to recall a similar idea in the Wild Healer story, although I can't remember which digest it was in, or who posted it.

Anyway, to cut a long story shorter than it might be if I keep going on, do you think a world view has enough power to sway someone experiencing it in this way, in Glorantha, and if so, would illumination (being so profound), have an even better chance?

David Henderson


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