| | |
|
Linking is a process used by channelers to create a flow of the One Power which is stronger than that which can be managed by a single channeler, without sacrificing the focus of the flow. A number of channelers link together to form a "circle", which can channel more strongly than any of the members can alone. CompositionThere are limits on the composition of the circle. There must be a certain number of women in the circle, and for larger circles there must also be a certain number of men. Men cannot form a circle without women, but up to thirteen women can link without any men. After that, with at least one man, an additional thirteen women can join the circle for a total of twenty-seven in the circle (twenty-six women, one man). Another man enables the total to go to thirty-six (thirty-four women, two men), a third man can bring the total to forty-five (forty-two women, three men), and so on, each man enabling an additional eight women to join the link, until the circle reaches seventy-two. Seventy-two is the maximum circle size, no matter how many more men are added. This is only a minimum number of men, however, and other combinations are possible, as long as there are enough women to maintain the link. The constraint is that there must always be at least one more woman than there are men, with three exceptions: one man linked with one woman, two men linked with one woman, and two men linked with two women.StrengthThe channeling strength of the circle is not as strong as the strengths of all of the members put together. It does, however, depend on the members. Stronger channelers obviously contribute more strength to the circle, as does anyone who is channeling through an angreal or sa'angreal. As well, larger circles, with more members, are stronger than smaller circles. Finally, the greatest possible balance of male and female channelers makes the strongest circle. In other words, potentially the strongest combination is a circle of seventy-two, with thirty-five men and thirty-seven women (maximum number of members, and greatest possible balance.)LeadershipThe main advantage of a linked circle is not in its strength, however, since the strength of all the members combined is much greater. Unfortunately, without linking individual channelers cannot focus all their flows into a single, carefully directed weave. This makes linking an important method for precisely directing very strong flows. The direction for the flows is provided by one of the members of the circle, and is called leading, focusing, or guiding. When the circle contains seventy-two members, or when it only contains one man and one woman, or for most circles of up to thirteen that have more than one man, the leader must be one of the men. Except for these combinations, one of the women must lead when there is a minimum number of men. Aside from these situations, the leader of the circle may be either a man or a woman. The woman (only women can initiate the link) who initiates and forms the link does not have to remain the leader, since she can pass the leadership on to any other member who is acceptable as a leader. In a group of thirteen women, it is possible for one member to take the leadership without having it passed to her, at least if the previous leader has not had much experience and/or is weaker in the Power.Linking in the Age of LegendsDuring the Age of Legends, linking was used far more often than it is now, and so channelers then probably had a much greater understanding of how best to utilize this technique than we do now. Size and composition of the circle varied for each task. Some tasks might require smaller circles, some required larger. Each purpose also seems to have required different combinations of men and women. The members themselves would be chosen for specific strengths in the Five Powers, and the leader would most likely be chosen for skill in weaving flows.
Theories about how linking works and what causes the limitations on it. Return to the Front Hall The Celtic weave art is developed from the work of Bradley W. Schenck - Long Playing Computer Graphics 1997 & 1998, and used with permission. |