That pipe mystery…possible explanation?

[Lightfriendsocialmistress]

Hi fellow WoT fans! I’m new to the community so I please forgive me if I may have missed this potential discussion in a thread posted previously. Is it just me, or did anyone else interpret the lighting of Rands pipe as almost a nod to the Aiel and one other culture (tremalking perhaps? I am only on first reread so my memory of initial read isn’t the best) who viewed life as a dream, combined with what we know about tel’aran’rhod. If you become a master of the world of dreams, whatever you think becomes so. Could it be that Rand conquered the next level of “the dream”? Seeing the world as the aiel so much so that thought becomes reality?

[wotfan4472]

If Rand truly believed in seeing the world as the Aiel do, then it is entirely possible that the pipe is an extension of that culture view of life according to Rand himself.

I think, however, that he will be the only one to do this in this way if it is that answer. 

[Lightfriendsocialmistress]

Thank you for sharing your thoughts on this. I tend to agree with you that if his lighting the pipe in that way is because he has mastered the ability to shape or even control reality by thought (much the way tel’aran’rhiod works), potentially pointing to the possibility that the way to awakening or enlightenment or mastery or whatever is to realize the world is much like a dream, and it’s his dream, so he would be the only one to exhibit that ability. It’s a pretty common theme/belief in metaphysics and spirituality in our world as well, “reality” being illusion/dream/simulation etc

[Sir_Charrid]

I see it slightly differently, I see it as him mastering his abilities as Ta'veren. Those have not gone away, but now, instead of it being random he has complete mastery and can just control the wheel as he wishes. He wants the pipe to be lit, so it is. He can make almost anything happen, and won’t have to worry about random weddings, or deaths. 

[Lightfriendsocialmistress]

AHHHH I like that a lot. It makes me consider the nature of taveren and the apparent strength differences, kind of like how channelers are all able to touch the source but there is a vast and broad variation in terms of their strength. We have 3 known taveren, but only Rand seems to have fully embraced it at the highest level. Thanks for your perspective.