In a message dated 7/19/2002 12:06:55 PM Mountain Daylight Time, rsuitor at cjwrfs.net writes: > I agree they *wanted* the gateway to open, but Jill wielded the > closing wand. Therefore, as far as this particular operation went, > they were on the winning side. I disagree. Jill was wielding the closing wand, but she was doing so without knowing. She thought she was wielding the opening wand. Her INTENTION was to open, not to close. She was on the losing side and thus should have been annihilated when the ritual ended in closing's favour. > Jack's state is a little more ambiguous. He ran the opening wand > very effectively, but apparently the final actions were sufficient > for reprieve. Or maybe, with good reason, nothing wanted to mess > with him ;<) > Again, I think it is intention and desire that matters. Jack's desire was to close, not to open - he did not know that the wands had been switched. So, he was on the winning side. I guess to me, given that we're talking about something subconscious like magic, which is the realm of the mind and soul, intention is far more important than logistical matters such as which wand one happens to have in one's hand. Stacy