Reverend Mother

Name: Reverend Mother

Function: Bene Gesserit Adept

Affiliation: Bene Gesserit Sisterhood

"This is the Revererend Mother Gaius Helen Mohiam. She's going to examine you..."
-Jessica

Summarising Information

A noted maturity stage of a Bene Gesserit adept. Not all Bene Gesserit are Reverend Mothers but almost all Reverend Mothers are Bene Gesserits. A Bene Gesserit adept becomes a Reverend Mother by surviving the "Spice Agony", a state of mind induced by consumtion of

Spice Agony

The Spice Agony is a process by which a Bene Gesserit Adept is heavily dosed with Spice and "goes within" to confront her ancestral memories while coping with the physiological mayhem that such a heavy dose creates. This procedure is done before witnesses, usually friends of the Candidate, and by other interested parties. Many may prepare for the process of the Spice Agony. One is invited to participate in it by their Instructor, the Proctors or the Mother Superior. The candidate's life, her training, the Spice and morale of the Order is quite dear to the BG. The Candidate is strapped into a table. Their mouths are gagged to prevent damage to their tongue. The Spice is injected into the mouth using a large syringe. The process begins as the Spice solution perfuses the candidate's body. Some BG adepts do not survive the Spice Agony. Most BG adepts train in various disciplines to cope with the physical and emotional stresses that the Spice Agony creates. There is a very real prospect of death from the process. The witnesses thus either observe the birth of a new Reverend Mother or the death of one of their Sisters and a friend. In some ways the emotional stresses are far more dangerous than the physiological stresses caused by the heavy spice dosage, especially the very graphic realization of what generations of ancestors had to do to survive. The revulsion and emotional pain that these memories can engender probably disrupt the Adept's training, leaving them vulnerable to the Spice's physical dangers.

Life

Upon surviving the "Agony" the Reverend Mother is able to contact her "Other Memory" or memories of female ancestors. She may also receive the ancestral memories of other Reverend Mothers by direct contact. She becomes dependent upon Spice for the remainder of her life and obtains "Eyes of the Ibad", a condition that is emblematic of Fremen above the age of puberty. In all likelihood the status of Reverend Mother is one of achieving the fruition of training rather than a goal of status or power. However many members of the Bene Gessirit leadership are survivors of the Spice Agony. Doubtless there has never been a case of the BG electing a Mother Superior or member of the Proctors who has not first undergone and survived the Spice Agony.Aside the "Kwisatz Haderach" males cannot endure the Spice Agony and so there are no "Reverend Fathers".

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