Re: concentration counter to membership?

From: Paul Andrew King <paul_at_...>
Date: Fri, 4 Jun 2004 16:37:01 +0100

>Can you be a lay member/communal worshipper/spiritist, if you are
>counter-concentrated? What about higher levels? That is, assume
>that you are concentrated in innate magic (talents), could you:
>
>1) be a spiritist, not gain charms, but have a relationship with
>your shaman?
>2) Be a communal worshipper? Presumably not praying directly
>for divine aid, but could you offer community support in this regard?
>3) Be a lay member of a wizardish congregation? If so, would
>you benefit from blessings?
>

Interesting question. Generally it is going to be rather difficult to find compatible religions except for people like the Lunars so maybe it doesn't matter much.

I would have thought that usually it wouldn't be possible to successfully worship in the "wrong" way - perhaps why misapplied worship prevents concentration.

In that case the answer to 2) would be "no" - if you can't worship you can't attract the God's attention.

The answer to 3) is less clear. If all you have to do is turn up and go through the motions to get the Blessing then it doesn't matter if you can worship in the right way or not. But if you have to actually "successfully" worship then it would make a difference.

And what happens to people concentrated on Lunar magic taking part in a "wrong" sort of Lunar worship is a question I would like to see answered.

-- 
--
"The T'ang emperors were strong believers in the pills of 
immortality.  More emperors died of poisoning from ingesting minerals 
in the T'ang than in any other dynasty" - Eva Wong _The Shambhala 
Guide to Taoism_

Paul K.