There are a number of magical [Paradigm]s in both [Boston] and [Camrish].  In Camrish these are well defined, but in Boston they are not.

Magic in the EarthDawn setting is practiced by the following known groups of people:

* [Adept]s use [Talents] to achieve magical effects.  They gain these abilities by devoting themselves to a certain aspect of reality, called their [Discipline].  Examples include the [Archer], the [Beastmaster], the [Warrior], the [Theif], and the [Troubador], amond many others.  Most simply accept their powers, but some seek to understand how and why they work. *insert some theories here*

* Some [Adept]s belong to a [Spellcasting Discipline], and have distinct views on how the world (and magic) work.

* [Wizard]s have discerned that the world operates by a set of rules which can be discovered, and so focus their talents on learning and discovering those universal laws.

* [Illusionist]s hold that that reality is not only malleable, but that much of the time what we consider "real" is simply the effects of willful beings on their surroundings.  This allows for both super-optimists (since reality is malleable, you can change things you don't like) and for Illusionists who shun reality entirely and focus only on the workings of the mind. (Since nothing in the physical world is real, there's no reason bothering with it).

* [Elementalist]s state that *insert information about the world and magical rules here*

* [Nethermancer]s believe *insert information about the world and magical rules here*

* Earthdawn shamen also seem to have a particular worldview and magic.

* Some other disciplines may have distinct ideas, notable enough to be part of a distinct [Paradigm].  Feel free to add here.


In [Boston], theings aren't nearly so cut and dried.  There are many, many paradigms, some of which are compatable with others, some of which are not.  One's chose of paradigm is likely to influence what sorts of powers one has, and had a great deal of affect on what kinds of [Spirit]s one summons.  See SpiritTypes for more details.

Some known paradigms in boston include

* [Hermetic] magic, practiced by most "scientific" magi.  Subfields include Kabbalism.

* [Shaman] magic is often split between street shamans and nature shamans.  Insect shamen are another group that seems to share some beliefs about the world, but are notably distinct from the other two.

* [Voodoo] includes several branches, including Chirstian hybrids, pure African bush voodoo, and some more eclectic branches.

* [AsianMystic] practices draw from old traditions of martial arts training and manipulation of the five Wui, or elemental stems.

* [Druid]s practice a "rediscovered" form of magic hearkening back to ancient Europe.  They often follow different totems.

* [MiracleWorker]s do magic in a context of faith, usually Christian or Muslim (most Jewish mages are Hermetic variants), and have been known to claim  that what they do is not magic but a God-given gift, sometimes adding that magic is an evil practice and should be abolished.

* [Psionics] is an odd practice, holding that magic is really just the expression of "the untapped powers of the human mind."  They are usually considered crackpots, for many people see their denial of magic as a contradiction of their own powers.  Psionics has some roots in the AsianMystic traditions.

* [Aztek] blood-priests work in the Amazon, bringing back the old ways of blood sacrifice to the gods.

* Other paradigms may exist...ChaosMagick is a catch-all term for those who try to work a modern, eclectic blend of traditions, and many minor traditions have grown out of the magical revolution--perhaps worship of old egyptian gods, alchemy, norse rune magic...anything *might* be out there.  Feel free to add aditional commentary here.

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were spellsingers developed enough to have their own paradigm? --zebediah