A MAGIC RATIONALE

by
Marc Carlson
<imc@[Link]>

COPYRIGHT CRAP
The author of this thingy retains full copyright of the material, while hereby
granting full permission for it to be reprinted in any format whatsoever, with the
provisos that his name be forever attached to it, the text of the document be
forever unaltered, and if anyone manages to figure out how to make big bucks off of
it, the above mentioned author wants a cut. Oh, yes, and lest I forget, this
notice must remain attached to the main text.

I. Marc Carlson
IMC@[Link]
26 January 1994

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A MAGICAL RATIONALE
I. Marc Carlson

This paper is an attempt to collate my notes, and codify the rationale and
rationalizations behind Magic and related things in my fiction and games. I shall
begin by laying a general groundwork, then progress into specific applications of
gaming material. This essay is an examination of how the universe could work if
magic worked the way it's supposed to, based on the teachings of occultists
throughout history. This paper should by no means be taken as a direct statement
of my actual personal beliefs, although it impossible to totally keep those from
influencing this design, and, at times, those beliefs may shine through.
In any discussion of the nature of life, the universe, ad nauseam, it is best
to begin by establishing the assumptions upon which that discussion is to be built.
In this case, we can begin with the assumption that the writer knows whereof he
speaks, if for no other reason than to save on footnotes. Further assumptions
include a) there is an overall order to chaos, b) Man does not rule the universe,
but is nothing more than a facet of the vast crystalline structure of said order,
and c) at a certain point in the evolution of the Mind, a sentient becomes able to
affect the universe around itself, at first physically and tangibly, then later, in
more abstract fashions. This being established, I shall begin, then, at the most
basic level and build upwards.

UNIFIED FIELD THEORY

The universe around us, with all its levels and planes, is composed of a pattern of
varying forces of what might loosely be called "Energy." There are 21 fields of
this energy in what we will call the Dynamic Field Lattice of the Universe. There
are 3 Matrix fields and 18 Generative fields labeled Alpha, Beta and Gamma (Matrix
Fields of the Prime Structural Lattice), and Delta through Omega (the Generative
Fields of the Primary Aspects of reality). The matrix fields are static and are
the structure upon which the rest of the universe is built. All reality, from the
particle "zoo" to the sentient soul, is based on six combinations, or nodes, of six
of the 18 generative fields each.
These lattices and their nodes should be thought of as a series of quasi-
mathematical equations that govern reality, balanced in the lattice of the "Great
Equation of Reality." These equations can be changed, though at great cost, and
thereby changes can be made in the universe. It is the possibility of changing the
balance of these mathematical patterns that establishes the possibility for an
apparently non-causal change in reality as we know and perceive it.
The primary nodes of the lattice of the universe can be expressed as Space,
Time, Matter, Energy, Vril, and Mind. It will be noted that descriptions do not
exist for all of these fields and nodes, and it should be stressed that the
descriptions that are given are grossly over-simplified. The true elegance of this
theory cannot be appreciated by non-mathematical thinkers, and an explication
coherent enough for a complete understanding of all of the details involved would
have to be undertaken by someone more skilled than I.
What interests us here are the various manifestations of "Vril." Vril is a
basic energy, one of the basic building blocks of reality. Vril, by differing its
rates of vibratory motion, is perceived as matter, motion, gravitation, magnetism,
physical life, thought, and divine spirit. Vril is the lattice combination through
which the mental, vital, and most magical processes operate. It is the "Ambient
Magical Energy" of the Universe, as well as that energy which empowers existence,
the power of life. As the "Luminiferous Ether" that it pervades the universe,
binding and linking all things together as a whole.
Matter and energy in the universe are most often perceived as one of the Four
Elemental States: Solid, Liquid, Gas, and Plasma, from the most stable to the
least.

VRIL AND ITS BIOLOGICAL MANIFESTATIONS

Vril, as the vital energy of life, is expressed in everything from the motion of
living beings, or the creation of new life in the form of birth, to the highest
Metapsychic functions. In living beings, this manifestation of energy often takes
the form of a system of Chakras and Channels.
Chakras are those centers of the body that collect the Vril for use in
maintaining a person's life, for sex, the replication of life, growth, thought,
etc. Everyone has a system of Chakras, undeveloped in childhood, but fully matured
in the adult. Chakras can be likened somewhat to "Solar Panels" that collect the
Sun's energy, except that Chakras collect Vril and process the energy of Life.
Chakras are often visualized as colored flowers, blossoming with energy. While
there are no actual bodily organs for this energy collection, nor bodily pathways
for the flow of this energy, the Vril acts as though there were.
Between the Chakras are channels, or conduits, for the energy passing between
these collection points. The Chakras, in times of stress, fear or excitement,
gather even greater supplies of energy for immediate use, in order to cope with the
situation. If that energy's use is frustrated in some way, if for example you do
not perform whatever function that this energy was gathered for, these channels can
become blocked, causing discomfort or other signs of physical distress.
Also, if this energy is used too quickly, or without adequate preparation and
spiritual cleansing, the channels may again become blocked, clogged by the psychic
residue that a body gathers in daily life.
In psychics, Metapsychics, and Magical Adepts these force centers have been
"awakened," or enhanced, supercharged, and are able to collect and process more
Vril than those of other people. This ability is gained and refined either through
training or the development of natural talent. The development of natural talents,
such as the Metapsychic capability, usually develops at puberty with the
development of the adult Chakratic system, and its more efficient channeling.
Using the body's Vril energy is, by definition, taxing. In magic use, or
using a metability, a person is often using the power of their own life force to
create an effect. Sometimes this energy is tapped incorrectly, or without
prepartation, is pushed too far, or by use of some specific spells, taps into the
basic energy of the energy user's existence. This tapping, either by straining the
chakratic system, or else shorting it out, can alter not only the body's energy,
but damage the adept's ability to use Vril, either temporarily or permanently.
The "Subtle body" of the Chakratic system is the second of the four bodies of
a being. The four bodies of a living being are the Gross, or physical; the Subtle,
or Etheral or Chakratic; the Astral, the Mental; and the Egoic, or the
consciousness, spirit or soul. The vital life force of a body emanates in the
forms of the aura and in thoughtforms, both of which are apparent on the Astral
Plane. The Astral body is the thoughtform representation of the being's physical
body. The Astral body houses the being's Egoic body when they are projected into
the collective hallucination that makes up the Astral Plane. The Astral body
exists after the death of the Gross body, but gradually decays after the Egoic body
has moved on. The astral senses form part of the Astral body, and reflect the
physical senses. As the physical senses operate in the physical world, the astral
senses operate in the Astral Plane, even when the adept is not projected into that
plane. An adept can "see" things that occur in the first Astral Border Area
(q.v.), as well as see with his eyes. Rather than touch, however, an adept gains a
sense of "feeling" that allows them to get impressions of an abstract nature.

METAPSYCHIC FUNCTIONS

Metafunctions are high mental operations involving the interaction of the mental
lattices with other principle aspects of reality to yield phenomena not dependent
on physical causation. The primary metafunctions are Farsensing, Coersion,
Creativity, Prolepsis, Prospropensis, Psychokinesis, and Redaction.
Every living being has the potential for metabilities, but in a non-operant
milieu only those few with strong talents will achieve them. The metafunctions,
like the lower mind functions, must usually be developed through training.
One might view the mind as a programmable computer. Training produces mental
"computer programs" or "software," called "Structions" to perform the task trained
for. Metapsychic training produces structions for the use of psychic energy.
Structions exist for all things a person learns in their life, although eventually,
when the skill becomes fully automatic, the programming becomes "hardwired" into
the brain.
There are times when structions spontaneously emerge, without training, in
those areas where a great talent for the skill exists. They are rare occurrences,
but serve to explain those people who can do something while never having had a
lesson in their life, as well as those people who have strange talents and
abilities of a Metapsychic nature.

THE POWER OF BELIEF

Magic is based on the fact that Vril is susceptible to manipulation by the mind and
will, under specific circumstances. The first circumstance to be fulfilled, after
that metapsychic ability to use magic, is belief. In fact, the most difficult
aspect of mastery of magic and metapsychic phenomena is belief. An adept must
absolutely believe that magic, metafunctions, etc. are real, and that he or she has
the knowledge and skill to manipulate the Vril. This must be an unwavering
conviction, not merely self-confidence. The tiniest nuance of uncertainty can
destroy the mind's ability to operate on the levels necessary for this
manipulation. Belief is an obstacle that most people, even those with
metafunctions, can not overcome.
In the modern world, the belief that magic and psychic phenomena are things of
fantasy is just too strong to overcome. Since most people do not truly believe in
this stuff, it is lost to them, and they live their lives oblivious to the powers
and worlds that lurk in the shadows.
Obviously, the subconscious beliefs, ethos, and desires of the adept, as well
as the culture and belief systems that the adept has still have a great effect on
the magic that a adept performs. The subconsciously generated thoughtforms of
hundreds of believers or more, up to whole cultures, warp the Vril in an area and
reshape it to match the psychic configuration that matches their cultural
worldview. The traditions of magic are so varied because of the myriad of cultural
milieu and their symbols place restrictions upon the adept's mind and the local
Vril. Adepts are limited in their abilities by the tradition in which they were
trained. The tradition can mandate the spells that the adept can use, the forms,
the symbology, and types of magic, etc. For instance, if the adept's tradition
doesn't utilize talismanic magic, then the adept can not use magical items of any
nature. Another example might be that an adept can not cast a spell by the use of
sand painting and story telling, unless he has been trained in a tradition that
uses these symbolic forms.
However, the same adept might still be affected by sand paintings and singing,
regardless of whether or not they shared that worldview. All that matters is that
the spell's caster believed in that worldview. For example, although vampires are
susceptible to holy power, they are not hurt by crosses or holy symbols, per se.
Rather, they are wounded by the psychic power of belief, generated by the wielder,
placed in that holy symbol and the deity that it represents. If the wielder is an
atheist, no amount of holy paraphernalia, short of blessed or religiously enchanted
items, will help them.

MAGIC

The commonly held view, magic is something which is intended as something to work
miracles, to set aside nature, is wrong. Magic uses natural laws and rules that
aren't generally known to perform its functions, and a number of systems have
arisen to help define and order the manner in which magic is used.
Unfortunately, the use of magic is essentially an art, and like other arts can
not be taught, although it can be learned. The "secrets" can not be simply
explained to the learner. The knowledge must be contemplated, experienced,
mastered by each person for his or herself.
Magic is, paradoxically, both simple and complex. The complexity lies in the
difficult mental disciplines that must be mastered, and the lifetime study to find
"true," usable, knowledge. The actual use of magic is easy, once one has learned
how. To utilize magic, the adept must learn mental disciplines akin to Zen or
Oriental meditation. The individual must be able to rid himself of distracting
thoughts and emotions, to concentrate on one thought, one sharp focus, in order to
direct the Vril. To be effective, an adept must be able to take this art of
concentration one step further and be able to relax, clear his mind, and focus
under the most distracting of conditions. It is a meditative art that must be
learned to perfection before an approach to the magical processes can be attempted.
The magical processes are derived from three sources: evocation, incantation,
or invocation.
Evocation, is the "calling out" of the spell caster's personal Vril force as
stored in their Chakratic system. Belief in the will's power, its training to
control and manipulate this energy is central to this process. A trained will can
accomplish anything. Evocation rituals are merely tools to manipulate psychic
powers that the adept may not otherwise be able to use. For example, scrying,
using an evocative spell, focuses the adept's farsenses even though the adept may
not actually possess structions for using their farsenses. The spell carries
within it the struction needed. It should be noted that in order to use a spell
that evokes power from the adept, the adept must have at least a minimal
metapsychic potential in the area needed. An adept who didn't have any farsensing
potential could never succeed in evoking a scrying spell.
Incantation is the second source of power. Incantation is the summoning up
and controlling of energy by the power of words, as well as actions, to tap the
ambient Vril energy of the universe and to either channel it through the adept or
manipulate it from without. The words of the spell are the actual struction used
to control the power. Incantation is very similar to Evocation. Generally, they
differ only in the source of the power used.
Invocation, or Conjuration, the third source of power, is that power gained by
the summoning of Vril from deities, entities or objects of power. At this point,
Invocation and Conjuration differ.
Invocation is the "calling down" into, and through, the Adept, Vril
originating with spirits or powers other than the adept. This power has been at
times termed "megamagic," referring to the infinite potential of the invocable
power. Similar to Incantation, Invocation focuses that power through the adept.
Priests and clerics invoke this sort of power as well, but in their case the Power
invoked has ultimate control over the actual results of the invocation.
Conjuration, also called Summoning is the power to call on, summon, and
command or compel spirits, powers, devils, etc. to perform an action, at the will
of the adept. Please note that the Vril energy thus controlled never enters, and
quite often never comes anywhere near the Adept's body.

TYPES OF MAGIC

Vril, then, is an energy that can be controlled and manipulated by the mind and
force of will. It is a force that does not require an external casing or an
internal mechanism to use; only the mind. It seems to be an inexhaustible energy
that continually renews itself. Throughout history, across the planet, we see
countless beliefs, religions, rituals, and legends of magic. We find mention of
particularly driven individuals who learned to draw on the incredible energy.
Whatever methods, rules and practices they used became the whispered and coveted
way to magic.
In many instances, these methods were believed to be the only forms of usable
magic, the only apparent means to the "Power." Secret traditions and rituals were
created to preserve, protect and conceal the secret way. Over the centuries, a
dozen or so different, dominant types of magic have been developed. Each method is
restricted by its own laws, purpose and perceptions, much like the schools of
philosophy, or the vast variety of martial arts. Each is similar in some respects,
but very different in others; although the uninitiated may see little or no
difference.
Each tradition, each school of magic, has its own philosophy and approach to
harnessing magic. The philosophy, practices and rituals serve very important,
concealed functions. The words of a spell or ritual are usually designed to
intentionally focus the participant's concentration. Sometimes there is
repetition, like a mantra, to clear the adept's mind and focus it on one particular
thought, or perhaps nothing. Often the chant will be paced to build a mental or
emotional momentum. The various specific types of magic provide their practitioner
with an immediate orientation, focus, and that all-important confidence that magic
is real and attainable because it has existed for centuries in this form.
The true student of magic may study several types of magic in order to learn
more, but in general, they will select and practice a single type
There are a variety of forms that spells can take. These are Abjuration,
Alteration, the Divination complex, Enchantments and Charms, Illusions and
Phantasms, and Necromantic spells.
Abjuration can either be a focusing of power to negate an effect, or
canceling a spell. It can be used to prevent or banish some magical or nonmagical
effect or creature. Abjurative spells are often used to provide safety in times of
great danger, or while attempting some other, particularly dangerous, spell.
Alteration is a type of spell that causes direct and specific changes in the
physical reality that surrounds the adept. Alteration can effect a subject's form,
weight, abilities, or even physical well being.
Divination is the gaining of knowledge that might not be accessible to the
adept. The information comes to the adept either from a greater being, psychic
emanations and recordings, or applied use of the laws of magic. For example, a
spell to detect evil could tell you that someone was evil because a deity says so,
because they emit "bad vibes," or because the spell compares the person to
something that it knows to be evil determines a similarity, all depending on the
version of the spell that was cast. Note that Divination spells relying on psychic
impressions or some specific uses of the laws of magic may be inaccurate after
Invocation spells of any nature have been used in the area, because the strength of
the power invoked may mask other impressions.
Lesser Divination spells include the most basic and vital spells of a Adept,
such as the detection of specific magic forces. Greater Divination spells are less
general and often much more powerful. These spells enable the adept to learn
things that are long forgotten, predict the future, learn things that are hidden or
protected.
Enchantment or Charm spells cause a change in the mind and attitude of a
creature or person. Where Illusion/Phantasms attempt to mislead, Enchantments can
control the mind of the victim.
Illusion or Phantasm is the generation of an image that has no actual reality,
to create an apparent change in the environment, beings or creatures by changing
the way that creatures or people perceive reality. Illusions create an appearance
of reality while Phantasms, rather than create images, induce responses. As the
sophistication of the Illusion increases, however, the greater power it causes the
Adept's mind to evoke, simulating many of the effects that a real version of the
Illusion might provoke. The victim's mind is never controlled by a Phantasm, but
it is misled.
Necromancy spells deal with the control over death and the dead. These spells
can drain vitality from the living and restore life to unliving creatures. This
control may be used to heal, but usually it is not. Necromancy is held by some to
be evil and unnatural.

THE SYSTEMS OF MAGIC

LOW MAGIC, OR SPELLS AND HEXES

In Low Magic, the variables are many, and the control of the power is highly
individual. Because it is impossible to control all possible variables within a
spell, many things may go awry. To perform cast spells or create hexes, the Adept
must have conquered the mental disciplines to be able to reach into himself, and
draw upon his own Vril energy, which may then be supplemented by other sources, and
focus that power to create magic.
The spell itself may be a string of words, like a meditative mantra, somatic
gestures and possibly some minor material components. All the minor rituals and
symbols that serve to help the adept to concentrate, and focus his thoughts and
power, as well as control as many of the "variables" in the Great Equation as
possible, and create the effects desired. The adept must be truly confident and
absolutely positive that the words and the rituals will create magic, or else
nothing will happen: or worse, something uncontrolled and uncontrollable may
happen.
Only an exceptional person is so supremely confident that he can produce his
own brand of magic and create his own series of working spells. Such individuals
might appear every few centuries. And so, most adepts must unearth spells that
were created by other magicians, or handed down from antiquity, which the adept can
believe is a true spell because history has shown it to be so, or the adept has
personally seen it to work. Spells are excellent in that they can be used
relatively quickly, without a lot of pomp, ceremony or components. Also, because
of the relative simplicity of the occult programming, spells may be stored, in
items or talismans created for spell storage such as scrolls, rings, etc. This is
similar to, but different from the Talismanic Magic discussed below.

HIGH, CEREMONIAL OR RITUAL MAGIC

Unlike Low Magic, in High Magic everything is ritualized, using a large number of
material components, and taking a considerable amount of time. These rituals are
designed to utilize large amounts of power, to create tremendous effects, and as
many of the variables and potential variables and ramifications as possible are
considered and controlled long before any ritual is begun. However, this leaves
little room for spontaneity, or spell storage, as the ritual slowly and
methodically builds the energy and provides the focus for that energy. At the
climax of the ceremony, the Vril energy, at its maximum, is unleashed with an act
or verse from the celebrant.
Much of ritual and ceremonial magic is intended to be vehicles for group
involvement. Effectively, the individuals are made to act as one, with one goal,
and the leader is then able to draw upon the full amount of energy rendered by the
ensemble. Ley lines and places of power can contribute vast amounts of energy, but
these are relegated to specific locations and moments of celestial alignments.

TALISMANIC MAGIC OR ALCHEMY

In Talismanic Magic, all possible variables are controlled, but as with all the
higher sciences, there is no room for any personal elements -- simply formulae and
equations. Talismanic Magic, or Alchemy, focuses and infuses items and potions
with magic designed for a specific effect. Properly utilized, the human element is
negated entirely. It is the most balanced of all the forms of magic, the most
technical, and in many ways the least utilized form of magic.

SPELLS

The search for, and mastery of, real magical spells, rituals, artifacts and places,
is a difficult task that challenges the adept throughout his life.
As mentioned earlier, it is very difficult for a adept to create his own
spells and rituals. It is much easier and safer to find and utilize magical
recipes that were created by others, and have proven themselves to be functional.
Yet, even this can be a task. There is a great deal of time and energy involved in
ferreting out truth from myth. Real spells are difficult to find. Those who
possess the knowledge intentionally keep it hidden and refuse to share it. Much
magical knowledge has been destroyed, lost and forgotten. What knowledge does
remain is buried within superstitions, myths and blatant fictions. Often it is
distorted, or fragmentary. There is so much mistaken, misleading, and incorrect
information concerning magic that it is hard work to simply recognize elements of
authentic material.
Other difficulties arise from the sources of knowledge that must be consulted.
The books, scrolls and manuscripts that actually contain spells are often
handwritten by paranoids and madmen in cramped, archaic scripts and foreign
alphabets. They are written to record knowledge while hiding that knowledge from
other adepts and occultists who might want to steal that knowledge, and from
hostile, overzealous churchmen. Even if the writer wrote for other people, he
wrote for other adepts and cultists of his tradition, and not for laymen. Large
portions of these books may not even be in clear language, but rather written in
occult ciphers, symbols and metaphors. They use strange terms without explanation.
Valuable annotations and marginalia might be made by various owners, each with
different aims and in different languages or ciphers. These works aren't indexed,
possess no glossary, nor even tables of contents. There may not be chapters,
paragraphs, breaks between words, or even any punctuation of any sort. Different
books are written centuries apart from each other, and by authors from widely
differing cultural and philosophical persuasions, using completely different
technical terminology and jargon, attempting to prove wildly different theses. It
takes time to learn from an ordinary textbook, and so it is little wonder that
learning from these books can take a tremendous amount of time. These books are
vague and unclear, and they must be read deeply, comparing ideas and procedures
with other materials. Finally, these tomes, books,and scrolls are physically
difficult to read because they are often very old, crumbling and faded with age, or
obscured by foxing or acid stains. Great care must be taken with them to keep them
intact and in order.
 BLACK MAGIC AND WHITE

It is the intangible, metaphysical aspect of the "Power" that has eluded or

confused mankind for aeons. Vril is a natural resource; it exists silently,
waiting to be used. The energy has no ethical stance, no good or evil. Rather it
is a force that can be molded by intelligent creatures for any purpose, exalted or
despicable. It is the user of the magic that dictates good or evil.
Morality and ethics impose great restrictions upon the use of magic,
particularly for High Magic. Those whose ethical stance is darker than others may
care less for the maintaining the balance of the Great Equation.
The black or grey magician often looks to other planes of existence for their
powers and knowledge. These planes are inhabited by entities other than human
beings, to which names such as "secret chiefs', "Oliponthic forces', "Great Old
Ones', "spirits', "Loa', "gods', etc. are given. Adepts may attempt to employ
these supernatural allies to attain such power as few adepts can hope to exceed,
although not without certain risks.
White Adepts prefer not to Invoke or Conjure power because of the difficulties
in balancing good intent with the domination of another entity, although there are
races of good creatures that may be controlled.
Intent is often the only difference between black and white magic. Because
combat and killing show an intent to do harm to another living creature, they are
evil and will affect the purity of a white Adept's power.
Only the most disciplined Adepts can avoid the temptations of playing all
sides against themselves in order to increase their personal power. Such endeavors
run a degree of risk commensurate with the power of creatures being Invoked or
Conjured.
Black Magic will eventually destroy the user. Black magic, as well as white,
is a matter of symbolism and intent. By intent, I mean the purpose behind the
activity, whatever that activity is, and whatever the person performing the
activity's attitude toward the effect is determines the whole meaning behind the
activity. Using black magic draws the caster away from the "Good" end of the
spectrum, and eventually taint and pervert them.
Of course, the only truly evil things are those things that either come from
beyond the universe in some way actually pervert of threaten the balance of
reality.

THE ASTRAL PLANES

Also called the Astral Light, Astral dimension, astral realm, spirit world, etc.,
the Astral plane does not exist physically, but mentally. Seemingly, the Astral
plane often appears as an alternate universe where all matter is composed of
ectoplasm. However, it is an conceptualization, an abstract representation of the
relationships between minds, inhabited by disembodied consciousness sharing in the
interpretive hallucination and thoughtforms, of an apparently, at least partially,
extradimensional nature imprinted upon mental/spiritual aspects of the Vril
concentration about the planet. It encircles the material plane and interconnects
with it, extending to the edge of the planetary biosphere. The Astral Plane is the
layer of primary pseudo-energy from which mental reality is formed, and it takes
its apparent form from millennia of conceptual thoughtforms and beliefs. On the
Astral Plane, the life energies and consciousnesses of other beings are visible.
The organization of the Astral Plane is fairly straight-forward. "Entering"
the plane via some form of Astral Projection, the first place we come to is the
First Border Astral Area. This is an area of planar interface that overlaps the
physical world, and can be seen by an adept's astral senses. Entities existing in
this area are intangible and invisible to most entities on the material plane.
Those beings, whether sentient or not, that have some form of psychic awareness can
"see" into the plane to this level. This is the "place" where most magical
processes occur, and so adepts can reach into the astral plane by psychic or
magical means as if it were a real place.
In the Second Border Astral Area, also called the "Grey Road", the physical
surroundings may be dimly seen. Bioelectrical and gravitational auras extend to
this level and may be seen. This is a region of persona residue, where the astral
bodies of those entities that have refused to pass on tend to remain. This is the
primary level used by adepts in Astral projection. This is also where one is most
likely to find creatures that are waiting to manifest onto the material plane, such
as "Beasts," Lloiger, Loa, and other metaspirits. Separating the Border regions
from the true Astral Planes is the Astral Curtain, a dense wall of energy.
The first Astral Plane, also called the "2nd Road" or the "High Road" is
fairly uninhabited. The physical plane can be dimly seen, and it appears to be
littered with "astral shells," or empty astral bodies, decomposing back into the
native Vril, after the souls have "gone on." There are also vague remnants of
personae that have gone on, but left portions of themselves still active and
partially aware.
The second Astral Plane is the last where one finds untended residue of past
lives. Here wander "shades" in a dream state, and those that are too firmly
attached to their existances on the material world.
The third Astral plane is also the first "Purgatory Plane," that is a plane
where the dead prepare themselves to go on. An interesting aspect to this plain,
which has nexi to the material plane, various conceptual planes, and the outer
planes, is the "Night Gallery effect," or paintings hanging in space. These are
reflections of fixed points in time. All points in time are recorded in the
"Akashic record" as psychic images of the past reverberate here.
Also on the this level are the Realms of Dream, the coalesced manifestation of
humanity's thoughtforms. These are so intense that they could be considered as
real pocket dimensions. As such, it is possible to visit these Realms either
physically, or Astrally, with equal efficacy.
The fourth Astral Plane, the second Purgatory Plane, is a vulgar, depraved and
bestial place. The darkest, most nightmarish aspects of the material plane can be
seen in the background. This is a realm of temporary, individual hells, where the
dead who feel they must be punished serve out their time.
The fifth Astral Plane, the third Purgatory Plane, on the other hand is
suffused with feelings of love and peace. Heavily guarded, it is full of hundreds
of thousands of sleeping spirits, waiting to pass one way or the other, to the
Outer Planes or to be reincarnated.
The sixth Astral Plane is made up of the Otherworlds, the outer Planes, the
homes of the gods and the lands of the dead. These lands sometimes appear to lie
in a gigantic wheel or spiral surrounding the Celestial Axis, and rotating once
every 26,000 years. The highest and lowest of souls exist here, many seeking what
lies "beyond the veil."
The seventh and final Astral Plane, the "Elder outer Planes," or the "Highest
Heavens" show what becomes of the outer Planes when their gods are no longer
worshipped, when they are pushed aside by younger, more aggressive pantheons.
These lonely places are inhabited only by ancient, forgotten gods in their quest to
go "beyond the veil."

THE ETHERAL PLANES

The term "Etheral Plane" is, I admit, a holdover from a gaming context, but its use
is traditional in my notes. As it is used here, it should not be confused with
either the concept "Ether" as discussed earlier, or "Etheral" as becoming
physically intangible by means of lowering the density of the body's atoms so that
it can pass through another physical mass, an act unfortunately known as "phasing."
I say unfortunately because I also use the term "Phasing" to mean "becoming
Etheral," but the context is somewhat different.
In this context the Etheral planes refer to those areas of differing physical
laws in the superficy, or wall, between reality and True Limbo. True Limbo is that
"sea" in which all realities, alternate worlds, divergent worlds, parallel worlds,
etc. in the multiverse exist. All time and all space exist there simultaneously.
By passage through there, a traveller is able to reappear anywhere, in any
universe, at any time.
If one views the transition between our reality and Limbo as a "movement"
through the boundary layer, one discovers a variety of different "Zones" with a
variety of differing laws that gradually approach those of True Limbo. It should
be noted that the further one goes, the faster transit through these layers
becomes. These layers are the Border Etheral Zone, the Deep Etheral Zone,
Subspace, Superspace, finally reaching True Limbo itself.
The Border Etheral Zone is an area of planar interface that overlaps the
physical world. Entities existing in this zone are intangible and invisible to
enitites on the material plane. Communication by psionic or magical means is
impossible here because the Astral Plane has no contact with this place. It is
possible that some universal forces, such as gravity, can have effect here.
The Deep Etheral Zone is the layer of primary pseudo-energy from which
physical reality is formed. There are nexi here to some alternate worlds as well
as the Demiplanes, Fractional/Fragmentary Planes, Conceptual Realms as well as the
Realms of Dreams and the Outer Planes. These nexi often appear as "things"
floating in space.
Subspace, sometimes called hyperspace, is a quasi-dimensional medium nodally
integrated with "Normal" space, and, like it, generated by spatio- temporal dynamic
field lattices. Subspace has its own time frame and space frame and may be thought
of as lying "outside" of normal space-time. It is a dimension accessable from
normal space, whose physical laws differ from ours in a number of ways. It is
possible to surpass the speed of light within Subspace, and, in fact, it is
impossible to travel any lower than lightspeed there, the greater the speed
traveled the closer one gets to the Superspace superficies.
Superspace, also called N-space, near-hyperspace, the hyperspatial matrix,
etc., is a quasi-dimensional medium nodally integrated with "Normal" space, and,
like it, generated by spatio-temporal dynamic field lattices. Superspace has its
own time frame and space frame and may be thought of as lying "outside" of normal
space-time. It can be seen as a dimension accessable from normal space, whose
physical laws differ from ours in a number of ways. It is possible to instantly
travel from one point in real space to another by passing through Superspace. There
are a number of Limbo realms in superspace. They are often characterized by a
static or unchanging quality.

DYNAMICS OF MAGIC

1st Law. The Law of Continuity.

"Vril can't be created or destroyed, but it can be converted from one form
to another."
2nd Law.
"Vril van be stored, channeled or modified."
3rd Law.
"Vril is morally non-aligned, a force of nature, uncaring of the desires of
Man."
1st Corollary to 3rd Law. Law of Intent.
"Magic, black and white, is a matter of symbolism and intent." "The purpose
behind whatever activity, one's attitude toward the effect determines the
whole meaning behind the activity."
2nd Corollary to 3rd Law. Law of Imitation.
"The real can be influence through the similar." "A difference which makes
no difference, is no difference." "If one acts a part well enough, one
becomes the part."
Law of Absorption
 "All matter in the universe absorbs emanations from all other matter."
Law of Association
"The closer two things are alike, the more one can be used to influence the
other."
Law of Attraction
"Like attracts like."
Law of Cause and Effect
"For every action in the universe there is an equal and opposite reaction."
Law of Consequences
"Because you have free will, the outcome of whatever you do is your
responsibility."
Law of Contagion
"Things once in contact will continue to act upon each other even though
they are at a distance from each other."
Law of Counterpart Free will
"High mentalities and metaspirits also have free will, and so will probably
not come to your aid unless you ask them very nicely."
Law of Dichotomy
"Dominance or Submission"
Law of Differences
"No two things are exactly alike, nor should they try to be."
Law of Dominion
"Sentients have the power to reshape reality with their minds, so
therefore, reality is theirs to do with what they want."
Law of Experiences
"An entity is the sum of its experiences." In other words, you are what
you eat.
Law of Free Will
"Every entity has absolute, pure freedom of choice, every minute of every
day. In fact they are never free from making decisions."
Law of Good and Evil
"Because everything that naturally occurs within the universal equation,
everything has a reason for existance. Therefore, 'Good' and 'Evil' are
merely discrete values along a continuum (i.e., Good and Less Good). Evil
implies only those things from outside the continuum."
Law of Karma
"What goes around, comes around."
Law of Microcosm/Macrocosm
"As above, so below."
Law of Reality
"Reality is a function of Belief."
Law of Similarity
"If two things are alike, one can be used to effect the other."

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This document has been edited for legibility purposes by

OLIK / Ole A. Ringdal

olear@[Link] / [Link]
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