I thought about this initially but I think it goes against Rand's quote that the process is time consuming. It also fits in with the way in which the Finns drained Lanfear and Moiraine, and how the technology may have originated from them.
true ... I guess I assumed Rand was talking more about the process as a whole than the specific process of passing the seed power
Yes, but once again the quote about it being a time consuming process. I also believe that angreal of significant strength required several women, but considering I believe it took months, I can't imagine a circle being practical.
either way could work IMO ... certainly a circle would not be practical if the process of passing power took weeks/months to accomplish, but what little other evidence we have is around Wells and the 'Finns. We know Wells take only moments to store power, but the 'Finns may have been taking their time with Moiraine because they lost Lanfear. They also made her use the angreal so they had more power to drink from, which could have slowed down the process. We don't really know if the 'Finns could have drained Moiraine instantly or not.
I think that mixed circles were unlikely. We've never seen an angreal or sa'angreal that can be used by both males and females, despite constant rumors in the books and the BWB. One also has to ask what the point of the saidin would be in a circle led by a woman to make a female angreal. The only exception I can think of is that it is about creating the 'lattice' inside the angreal and it is a structure like anything else - and therefore it is more about the mass of Power used rather than which Power was used. The leader of the circle could attune it to males or females perhaps?
Yet we know all of the greatest achievements during the AoL were accomplished by men and women working together. Certainly something like the CK would be considered in this category. Perhaps saidin, is used to create the buffer for a saidar angreal?
I wonder if the production of a sa'angreal was similar to the production of the Eye of the World? Men and women did it but the taint killed them, but it gave strong channelers access to monumental amounts of saidin, much like a sa'angreal in some sort of way. The Eye seemed to be a hybrid between a well and a sa'angreal.
Maybe, I never really saw the Eye as much different than a Well ... on massive scale ... clearly there was no buffer on it since Aginor overdrew from it and Rand didn't seem to be able to wield more than his natural ability allowed him to. I suspect the Eye was a Well that had some kind of shielding on it to protect from the taint.
What we know from Rand is that Elayne's Talent is necessary but not in the initial stages, so I get the feeling that anyone can use a seed. It's the transference of the seed's power into an object needs the Talent in all likelihood.
Agreed ... it's obvious that Elayne's Talent is required at some point in the process and what you outlined above seems likely to me.
Domani Drag Queen in the White Tower ... Aran'gar watch out!
