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Message no. 1
From: "Jason Carter, Nightstalker" <CARTER@***.EDU>
Subject: Shamans, Totems and religion
Date: Tue, 27 Jul 1993 17:25:06 -0700
This discussion about the nature of Totems is nice, but unanswerable. The boys
at FASA intensionally leave this question unanswered. To actually tell what
makes a Totem a totem would be a disservice to them.

To foster this confusion FASA fills SRII and Grimoire II with nice things like
these:

From "Totems" SRII page 119

"To be a shaman, one must have a totem. To a shaman, the totem is an ideal
to be emulated.... The totem represents the shaman's perfect self."

"The totem is the way of life. Life is the way of the totem."

From "Choosing a Totem" SRII page 119

"Techincally, it is the totem that does the choosing. Sometime early in life,
though occasionally later, the would-be shaman feels the call of the totem.
Often it will be an event or incident that symbolizes this call and begins the
relationship of the shaman and the totem. Though it may take some time for the
individual to find the path, the totem is always there waiting for the shaman
to walk it."

Here we have two different explainations (way or life/perfect self versus
a force that chooses you) on one page. Flip over to the Grimoire and this is
what you find.

From "Way of the Shaman" Grimoire II page 16

"The exact nature of totems is the subject of extensive debate. Are they free
spirits that have taken an interest in humanity (or at least certain humans)?
Alien, but seemingly sympathetic? Are they merely subconscious constructs of
the shaman's mind? The will made reality? Are they formed from the collective
mind of humanity, humanity's darkest dreams and brightest hopes manifest as
energy to be called upon?

These questions are unanswerable, and ultimately, (to the shaman) unimportant.
Totems behave in the same way as free spirits, and that is how all shamans
reguard them."

Thus the question goes unanswered. However given the nature of totems and how
Shamans and Druids relate to them (mentors, friends, and/or forces to be
reveared but not worshipped) I would think that gods like Thor, Kali, Apollo
and others would not have shamans. Not only is it inconsistant to the shaman
mindset, but it has shades of magical (read AD&D) priesthood. Remember that
the totems are nature, but gods are man.

Also for your reading pleasure I'm going to waste my time by typing in the
Magic and Religion section from Grimoire II for your reading pleasure.

Magic and Religion

The initial reaction of most major religions to the Awakening was one of
profound shock. Though some church leaders at first behaved as through the
Apoclypse had come, most faiths eventually came to terms with the situation,
dealing with the changes in a humane and sane fashion.

Christianity, in particular, had to stuggle with the resurgence of magic on
Earth. For centuries, Christian churches had taught that magic was a forbidden
study, a vain deceit of the devil. In 2024, however, Pope John XXV, the Roman
Catholic pontiff, issued an historic encyclical, "In Imago Dei" ("In the
Image
of God"), which set forth the following statement as official Church doctrine.

* That metahumans are possessed of souls and capable of salvation.
Discrimination against metahumans is not Christian.
* That magical abilities are not, by nature, evil. Rather, like any other
human ability, they may be used for good or evil ends.
* That spirits are living manifestations of nature. Thus, conjuring is not
in itself evil.

Expanding somewhat on the last point, John XXV declared that conjuring touches
so many questions of faith and doctrine that Catholics may not practice it
without specific permission of the Church. Rome usually grants permission to
conjure only to clergy, and only under unique circumstances.

Most Christian churches followed Rome's lead. Indeed, some sects, most notable
Unitarianism, had already taken more liberal positions. Only the most rigidly
fundamental sects still maintain their traditional abhorrance of magic, spirits,
and the Awakened.

The three main sects of Judaism recognize that magical phenomena can come from
the Lord. Orthodox Judaism restricts magical efforts to healing and defense
against hostile magic and spirits. Certain esoteric, ultra-orthodox sects with
a tradition of cabalistic study and wonder-working "tzaddikim" do not observe
these restrictions. Conservative and Reform Judaism do not restrict their
members' magical activities, though use of magic on the Sabbath is forbidden in
all three sects. All persuasuions, of course, consider it sinful to use magic
for evil ends. Judaism upholds full equality for metahumans.

In the Islamic world, the return of magic recalled the great days of Moorish
magic in Renaissance Spain and North Africa, when Arab magicians and alchemists
dominated the art. Today, the magical arts are accepted and studied widely by
the children of Islam. Though some prejudice exist against metahumans in Sunni-
dominated areas, it is more social than religious.

The more conservative Shiite sect of Islam maintains that the Koran forbids
dabbling in magical powers, and the use of magic remains a capital crime in
Shiite-controlled areas. Metahumans are barely tolerated. Orks and dwarfs are
reguarded as particularly accursed. Lynchings are common.

Hinduism, Buddhism, and Shintoism, the great religions of the East, take a
neutral stand on the subject of magical workings. Indeed, some of the more
mystical sects number powerful magicians among their followers. The lack of
acceptance of metahumans in the Far East is more a social than a religious
phenomenon; higher-cast Hindus are particualarly prejudiced against metahumans.

The last few years have seen new religions arise, some more magically oriented
than others. In North America, the Church of Whole Earth, Inc., began as a
loose coalition of urban shamans, Wiccans, eco-activist, and others of like
mind. The group embraces a liberal, pantheistic attitude, but tends toward
worship of Gaia, the Mother Goddess. A typical services shows an interesting
blend of traditional American Protestant practices and typically shamanic
celebration.

Another new "religion" that has been growing quickly is the Universal
Brotherhood, active in the Americas and many parts of Europe. This sect,
numbering several hundred-thousand members in North America alone, teaches
members mental systems of self-help, backing this up with financial aid,
employment, education, charitable work, and other similar benefits. The
Brotherhood's mass revivals are noted for their positive effect on both the
faithful and visitors alike. Though the group has no overt magical connection,
they encourage magically capable members to fulfill their potential.

See Ya in Shadows,
Jason J Carter
The Nightstalker

Further Reading

If you enjoyed reading about Shamans, Totems and religion, you may also be interested in:

Disclaimer

These messages were posted a long time ago on a mailing list far, far away. The copyright to their contents probably lies with the original authors of the individual messages, but since they were published in an electronic forum that anyone could subscribe to, and the logs were available to subscribers and most likely non-subscribers as well, it's felt that re-publishing them here is a kind of public service.