I've ordered the relevant issue, & thanks, Lindil, for sparking my interest, but as I'm still waiting for it I don't really want to comment too deeply.
One thing that has struck me is a (vague) similarity between Osanwe & Tolkien's fellow inkling, Charles Williams', concept of co-inherence. I can't comment on
how similar the two are till I've read the essay, but I'd appreciate the comments of anyone who has read it.
A good account of co-inherence is at:
http://www.polarissite.net/page27.html
(short quote from the essay:
"Simply stated, co-inherence is the concept that all human beings are spiritually interconnected and totally dependent on each other. "No man is an island" and so every thought and every action affects other people. In another terminology, humanity shares a "vast spiritual reservoir".).
I'm not saying that they are exactly alike, or that Tolkien 'lifted' the idea from Williams, but this idea of a unity of mind/spirit between individuals is a possible indication that despite Tolkien's assertions, the two men were not all that far apart in their worldview.