Martin:
> I am in favour of it being a pharoah like possession of a body, with that
> persons soul moving on, while the Emperor remains singular. If this is the
> way it turns out, then this should appease everyone methinks and reconcile
> the two views.
>
Just one thought (Without understanding everything that is going on ;-):
I think, this way makes it extremly uninteresting for anybody to become
the new Emperor, because he can't do all the great things he planned but
becomes replaced by another spirit/soul.
On the other hand, this would be very inline with the comments, that all
the ?incarnations? provide great continuity in politics.
This continuity is probably the k.o.-criterium when considering
ursurpers trying to replace/become the real emperor. If this would be
possible, there should have been distinctive changes in politics in
lunar history coming with the rise of a new incarnation. Any other way,
the ursupation would be pointless. These could have been explained
(concerning the declared continuity and oneness) as "The emperor having
understood that new situations demand new answers". This explanation
would emphasize the lunar flexibility.
I don't have the knowledge, whether these distinctive changes have
happened, but this would be a strong point for either side.
Cheers,
Andreas