(1) the balance of elements,
(2) the Doctrine of Signatures,
(3) and Astrology.
I can think of three others all of which have possiblities in a Gloranthan environment:
(4) Voodoo, Obeah, and Rootwork. Native Africans kidnapped into slavery
took with them their magic, music, crafts, and folklore. All of these were
tied in some way to herbal medicine. They believed that each plant and each
plant's parts were inherently magical. Integral to the Afro-American root
doctor's practice was her belief that the "shield" of a plant would
protect, kill, free, conjure, rescue, and heal all manner of problems.
(5) Idolatry. Native Americans have a well documented and rich history of
invoking the spirits of plants and animals. Prayers and conversations
asking for help, simply confiding in a plant, or possibly entrusting the
plant with a task were and are still common in native American cultures.
All things have a spirit in this belief system. There are some incredible
stories told of how plants helped Native Americans fight the angered
spirits of animals.
(6) Plant Magic. Based on (religiously biased) accounts from Spanish church
men, it appears that Aztecs revered plants highly, though not in the same
manner as Native Americans. Where Native Americans believed that all things
had a spirit, Aztecs may have believed that certain plants provided an
alternative reality or existence. The Aztec word for hallucinogenic
mushroom translates roughly to "flesh from the gods" and it is theorized
that certain psychoactive plants were truly believed to be the flesh of the
Aztec gods. The ability of a psychoactive plants to alter perception so
radically was believed to give Aztecs who consumed these special plants the
ability to view the world of the gods.
Steven Martin said:
>A lot of this theory depends on what you consider to be
>the "elements" of the creation.
Very true. I wrote Jane an e-mail about the same topic. Virtually all cultures with a documented herbal history, either written or oral, have addressed herbal medicine in this way.
I believe that all six of the theories that Jane and I have posted center around the belief that medicinal treatment fundamentally addresses imbalance of some kind. Left unchecked, this imbalance would result in ultimate chaos. And as a CA, this is completely unacceptable. Treatment of every imaginable ailment or life experience with herbal medicine seems to me the very essence of a CA struggle against the chaotic nature of illness.
In the same thought, fellow list member Robert McArthur very astutely pointed out that treating illness when illness happens is a very western concept. Bravo! I believe that certain portions of Glorantha (though I'm willing to believe not all) follow the eastern method of "stay healthy in the first place" the vast majority of the time. I can easily see the CA becoming a counselor of sorts in addition to her magical healing abilities.
Couple counselor, healer, and in-depth training at the Uleria temple and you've got quite a powerful combination.
Gaylin
gaylin_at_infoengine.com
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