Message no. 1

From:	The Deb Decker <RJR96326@****.UTULSA.EDU>
Subject:	Bitraditional Mage
Date:	Sun, 10 Oct 1993 19:16:16 -0500

>A follower of the shamanic tradition makes request of the spirits of the Earth.
>The spirits then respond immediately to that request.

>A follower of the hermetic tradition sets up an elaborate ritual with specially
>prepared materials and binds an element, a scientific concept, to his will.

>Entirely different process. Entirely different mind set.

Yes, but I still believe it's possible to have a person who straddles the
boundary, so to sepak. I myself often find myself between two camps of
thought on a variety of topics.

As an example, let me discuss how I get other people to do things. When it's
my little brothers, I am very forceful and use all the rules and procedures
available to me to bind them to my will. But among friends, I ask them for
favors and offer my services in return.

One could argue that spirits, being of the living environment, have a closer
kinship to humanity and therefore need only be asked properly in order to
set them to a task. Elementals, being of the very elements of nature, are
less inclined to work for someone merely upon request, and therefore require
the materials and rituals used to call them forth.

>This is reinforced by the fact that a magician cannot try to take control of a
>spirit summoned by the other tradition. They lack the mind set and skills to
>request service in a manner that will get the spirit to respond. The mage
>tries to bind the nature spirit into service. It sneers and ignores him. The
>shaman request the elemental to do a job for it. The elemental ignores him.

To which I say to both shaman and mage, "it's all in your head." They are so
bound up in their traditions and sense of how things are done that they
cannot see or understand how to do things the other way. I view Shadowrun
magic in a very holistic way; the character I propose does so as well.

The only difference I can see is that mAybe spirits only respect someone with
a totem at their side, and Elementals are too powerful for any but the focused,
analytical mind to control. To which I reply, perhaps my proposed character
has some sort of 'respect' among spirits that overrides his lack of totem,
and also has the ability to focus himself enough to control an elemental.

J Roberson
"It's Bob Dole, the Banana Guy!"
-Zach Roberson