Post by Leif on Aug 23, 2010 22:01:08 GMT -8
To understand magic, one must first understand the nature of the underlying processes.
Ether is the substance a magus uses to alter the world around him. It is not physical, nor is it spiritual in nature. Rather, it is somewhere in between, a combination of both that has the characteristics of neither. The important part about that is that ether is a combination. It exists only so long as the spiritual and physical overlap, and is at no point in either. It does not come from the spirit world as many think; it is a product of the spirit world interacting with the physical. When there is no overlap between the two realms, there is no ether.
Ether does not exist spiritually or physically, and as a result it cannot be accessed through spiritual or physical means. It exists in the void, and is nothing more than an abstract concept within the two realms, leaving it inaccessible without special means. The special means are the souls which every man has been gifted by the inventor, Ris.
Souls are another combination of the physical and spiritual, but are in effect the opposite of ether; they exist fully in either world. They do not however, bridge the two, and thus souls on their own do not produce ether. Instead they are a conduit between the mind and the void, and are able to draw ether from the void, and into the mind.
The mind is the greatest creation of the artist, Rac, each one a completely unique and self contained realm. The products of the mind, thoughts, emotions, and memories, are abstracts within the physical and spiritual, just as ether is, and thus can interact with it. By utilizing these products of the mental realms, ether can be shaped to the will of the magus, given meaning, and sent back through the soul.
The soul is ingenious in its design, and is able to interpret this meaning. The clearer the emotions and thoughts used to shape the magic, the better it will be able to understand the instructions imparted onto the ether, and the more effective it will be in realizing the will of the magi. At this point, the soul begins its most incredible function.
It turns the ether into physical and spiritual energy, through a process which is knowable only to the divine. The energy corresponding with the realm the magus inhabits is released as magic, and the energy of the other realm dissipates back into the void.
Ether is the substance a magus uses to alter the world around him. It is not physical, nor is it spiritual in nature. Rather, it is somewhere in between, a combination of both that has the characteristics of neither. The important part about that is that ether is a combination. It exists only so long as the spiritual and physical overlap, and is at no point in either. It does not come from the spirit world as many think; it is a product of the spirit world interacting with the physical. When there is no overlap between the two realms, there is no ether.
Ether does not exist spiritually or physically, and as a result it cannot be accessed through spiritual or physical means. It exists in the void, and is nothing more than an abstract concept within the two realms, leaving it inaccessible without special means. The special means are the souls which every man has been gifted by the inventor, Ris.
Souls are another combination of the physical and spiritual, but are in effect the opposite of ether; they exist fully in either world. They do not however, bridge the two, and thus souls on their own do not produce ether. Instead they are a conduit between the mind and the void, and are able to draw ether from the void, and into the mind.
The mind is the greatest creation of the artist, Rac, each one a completely unique and self contained realm. The products of the mind, thoughts, emotions, and memories, are abstracts within the physical and spiritual, just as ether is, and thus can interact with it. By utilizing these products of the mental realms, ether can be shaped to the will of the magus, given meaning, and sent back through the soul.
The soul is ingenious in its design, and is able to interpret this meaning. The clearer the emotions and thoughts used to shape the magic, the better it will be able to understand the instructions imparted onto the ether, and the more effective it will be in realizing the will of the magi. At this point, the soul begins its most incredible function.
It turns the ether into physical and spiritual energy, through a process which is knowable only to the divine. The energy corresponding with the realm the magus inhabits is released as magic, and the energy of the other realm dissipates back into the void.
- Student Magi Handbook