"...Banner, will you help me in turn? I'll need you to strengthen my wits against Erannda's. Banner, send your voice back into my head. Soon. Please." (p. 135)
How many kinds of prayer are there?
The prayer of monotheist faith;
pagan prayers to a god or all gods;
agnostic prayer to whatever gods may be.
Before meditating, I say the agnostic prayer. Sf readers know that it is at least conceivable that superhuman beings can telepathically tune in to our unspoken thoughts and respond somehow. I am not relying on this. Prayers can express aspiration. Thus:
"From delusion, lead us to truth.
"From darkness, lead us to light..."
- expresses aspiration toward truth and light.
Yewwl prays, knowing the Banner cannot hear her at that time. At other times, she experiences inner dialogue as some religious practitioners claim to do. She knows that Banner is wise but finite, like a pagan god.
1 comment:
Kaor, Paul!
True, what we see Yewwl doing is to earnestly beseech or supplicate Miriam to respond to her. That IS to pray to someone.
Yes, I have seen SF stories about superhuman, but not supernatural, beings able to telepathically tune in to people's thoughts. And we see Anderson using that in some of his earlier stories.
And some Christians have claimed to have directly experienced or seen Jesus Christ or one of His saints. Such as what Dame Julian of Norwich wrote about in her REVELATIONS OF DIVINE LOVE.
Ad astra! Sean
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