From:	"Gary L. Kelley" <gkelley@*****.NET>
Subject:	Re: Interesting Idea
Date:	Fri, 15 Sep 1995 01:03:05 -0500

>Yeah - but you all forget one important point: All non-shamans don't
>believe in the existence of totems, because noone ever saw one.

Your forgeting that just because you can`t "see" something you can beleive
it is there and real.

>The only way people can see them is being a shaman in trance - but who
>knows whether they just form the picture in their head or whether they
>meet an existing totem. This is quite important. If totems gave prove
>of their existence (like covering the body with tattoos and giving
>magic resistance) even the hermetic mages would try to contact
>them/work with them/use them.

It wouldn`t matter if they tried to contact them or not they would have as
much luck doing so as any *norm* would.

>This does not happen because totems
>never give prove of their existence - if you ask a mage he would tell
>you that they only exist in the imagination of some weed-smoking
>shamans. So the concept that totems do not affect the real world
>directly and that they never give prove of their existence is
>important for the whole Shadowrun-world.
>The story is O.K. - but A.) instead of the tattoos he should have
>something noone could really percieve - something that only he can
>see/feel and B.) this immunity agains snake shamans is imbalancing the
>system - so you should remove it. I didn't say the story is total crap
>(although if anyone ever read/heard something about how shamans become
>shamans he would know that the indians made vision quests, which means
>they were seeking the totem CONSCIOUSLY - but only if they thought
>they heard them calling) - you could even say: There is no easy way to
>come to the totems, so the state he is in at the moment IS a kind of
>vision quest - but it shouldn't be noticeable for others.
>
>O.K. - that's it - I think this topic was discussed enough now, I
>think... bye...
> Georg
>
I can agree with the vision quest stuff but just remember that when the
majority of that was going on the world had yet to re*Awaken*
I imagin it would be easier in the awakened world than back then.

Just a thought or to, what do you think(everybody)

Kevin R. Kelley

"He who learns but does not think
is lost; he who thinks but does
not learn is in danger." -Confucius 'Analects'- 2:15
(food for thought)