Cosmology 101 and the Angelic Hierarchy

Professor Rom Lonewolf,  a wolf in a shirt and sweatervest stands before the class, adjusting his glasses.  “All right Class, today I'm going to give you the basics on the Nature of Reality.    So, let's start with the first thing you need to know: reality is an illusion, the universe is a hologram, and the 'laws of nature' you all heard about in your old brick schoolrooms are purely local laws, superseded by higher authority all the time.”

“Okay, if all of you science genius kids will stop grinding your teeth at me, time to clarify.”  He pulls down a chart [insert map pic here] to show.  “The world as we know it can be considered a hologram constructed from 36 component images.  These images represent mystical energies of various natures, frequencies, and indexes of perceptibility.  Thaumatologists have named these images, and hence their enegies, the decans.  Each decan governs (or creates, energizes, empowers, however you want to see it) a certain type of experience or existence.  Everything Anthrokind can sense about the world derives from these energies, from Life and Death and Fire to Rebellion, Delight and the Unknown. Ultimately, no matter what magical tradition a spellcaster hails from, or which entities they invoke, their power ultimately taps into the might of the decans.  And the decans derive their energies from a single source; The Source of All, the Prime Mover, what religious people term the Godhead.  In short, the Source is the Lamp from which the energies of existence shine, and the decans are the prisims that shape that light into the Universe we percieve.  ...or at least that's how we Mystics conceptualize it.  For you Science-types, consider this a very elaborate version of the Universe Simulation Argument.”

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“But there is more to the World then the physical plane you see outside the window, as you can see from the Map.  The Cosmos can actually be split into Four Realms.  The Physical world you experience every day is the Material Realm, which we Western Mages refer to as Assiah.  The physical world of dirt and rocks and bacteria, but also the energies of sunlight and plate tectonics and cosmic rays, and the indefinables of a collector's passion or panicked fury.  If a “normal” sentient being can experience it, it is an aspect of Assiah.  But Assiah not only incompasses our material universe, but ~all~ material universe in the Infinite Multiverse.  It is also the least “magical” realm, paradoxically because so many of the decan's energies concentrate on it.  Technomancers see an analogy to radio gamming; because the decans are so thoroughly mixed and omnipresent through Assiah, detecting any specific energies becomes more diffilcut.”  

“Now, directionality is essentially meaningless outside the Material realm, but mystics traditionally conceive of the Four Realms as four concentric rings.  Assiah is the outermost ring.  Located “above” the Material Realm is the Astral Realm, which I know as Yetzirah.  Others call it the Border, or the Ethereal Plane. The Astral plane is further divided into an “outer” and “inner layer.  The outer layer mirrors the Material, although in more exagerated forms, and is more or less what most people assume the “spirit world” to be.  Many astral projectors, magi and ghosts never move beyond this outer layer.  In deeper zones, Yetzirah appears misty and indistinct, separating from depictions of the Physical realm to show areas and structures shaped by more powerful spiritual entities.”

“Deeper into the the Astral plane, into the Reaches (again, only using directions for ease of description), you enter a more misty, cloudy realm navigated through the power of will and magic, until you reach more distinct Astral Dominions.  While these appear to mimic various real-world or alien landscapes, they are harmless to visitors.  There are various locations of note in the Astral realm, such as the land of Faerie, the Nereid city of Tritonis, the Djinn City of Brass, and the Sea of Dreams, where float the bubbles of Every Dreamworld ever dreamt by any sapient being.”

“The next realm, the Depths of Briah, is the Iconic Realm, the Realm of Forms.  Here, things get...  weird.  This is the realm of gods and godlike beings, embodiments of concepts like Law, Order, Craft, and Nature.  The decans are more distinctly clear and separate here, and the various iconic beings derive their power more clearly.  Stranger dominions can also be found here, such as the Dimension of Doors, which is actually a Nexus that connects to almost all other location across the Four Realms.  The four cornerstones or compass points of  Briah are the Elemental planes of Earth, Air, Fire and Water.”

“At the edge of Briah, there is a vast chasm.  The Abyss.  An endless chasm in which the failed and negative energies are strongest, where the very stuff of dreams rain into and turn into nightmares.  The Abyss is also known by many names, but the one that will hold the most weight here is Hell.  This is the realm of Demons and Devils, and more dangerously, the Qlippoth, who lurk in the Vale of Hinnom, a crack at the very bottom channel of the Abyss, although like all the Realms, the Abyss itself is infinite, containing entire realms, subrealms and even whole planets within it's depths.  It is here that those fiendish beings are emprisoned.  It holds nearly countless features and subrealms, such as the cities of Dis and Shal-Mari, the pits of Abaddon and the Gorge of Fire and Ice, the Flamepits of Sheol, the rivers Styx and Acheron, and the Suicide Grove, among many others.”

“Now, it is possible to cross the Abyss to reach the other side, without having to climb down and up again.  Some travelers report a Bridge of Swords, where one literally walks on a razor's edge, or a single thread srretched across.  Others say the crossing requires a leap of faith, and that those who plunge into darkness simply lacked faith.  I, for one, have never attempted to cross the Abyss on my own, so I can't say.”

“The final Realm, the Core of the Cosmos, is Atziluth, the Realm of Pure Spirit, the Seat of the Godhead itself.  Travellers who claim to have visited it describe it as, is perfection.  Golden sunlight, endless glowing whitness, a serried row of hypergeometrical forms..  ...all these terms have been invoked.  Of course, verifying the claims of self-proclaimed visitors is impossible.  Especially cynical (or paranoid) mystics believe that everyone who has claimed to visit Atziluth is luying, and that no living being who has entered it has ever returned.  Why, they ask, would a magus reject perfection and walk in the cruder Realms having once tasted the ultimate?   I, for one, choose not to dwell on such questions too much.”

“Now, while I have mentioned gods and demons, I can tell those of you with a more religious bent are wondering, 'where is Heaven and where are the angels in all this?'  Well, be reassured, there are angels aplenty across the Four Realms.  And there is no one Heaven.  Rather, there are Seven Heavens, spread across the Realms, tended by various angels, serving numerous tasks.  To define angelic beings, or Celestials, in simple terms, is difficult, as they come in a myriad of forms, and are arranged in a wide hierarchy of ranks and roles.  But at their core, they all share certain traits; all Angels derive from the very substance of the Source of All, beings of pure ethereal quintessence, given form either by the Source itself, shaped by another angelic being, or by one of those gods that have allied with the Heavens.  They can usually be found in service to a higher power, such as an archangel or a deity, though many are also free, serving none but their own selfless nature.”

“Now, angels are not perfect, far from it.  Although by nature they are normally good and selfless, sometimes an angel can be corrupted by selfish ideas or twisted notions of right or wrong.  This may lead an angel to become rebellious, or even worse, to Fall, becoming a devil.  Not a demon, I should specify.  Devils are fallen Angels.  Demons were never Angels to begin with.  Although calling one or the other the wrong name is a good way of pissing off either kind of fiend.”

“As for the geography of the Heavens, it is divided into seven parts, spread across the Four Realms.  The First Heaven, the home of the stars, is basically the Astral Plane spread across space.  The Second Heaven, the anchor of the planets, is a deeper astral realm.  It essentially sits 'below' the first heaven, holding huge invisible anchors that extend away to infinity, crossing into the Material where they attach and support the motions of the planets.  Some Technomancers hypothesize that the Second Heaven might be Hyperspace as seen through magic.”

“The Third Heaven is the first layer that resembles the familiar mortal world, although parts of it resemble your cliched cloudy realm.  It is where most good souls dwell in Personal Heavens, sub-realms shaped by the soul's desires.  Here is also the location of Eden, relocated from the Earthly realm after Adam and Eve were cast out, as well as the Manna Fields, and the Celestial Sea.”

“The Fourth Heaven is at the outer edge of Yetzirah, bordering into Briah.  It lies at the foot of celestial mountains, partially hilly and partially flat.  The home of many prominent angels, it is the location of the Elysian Fields, where many of the msot blessed souls dwell in a pastoral realm, and the Gilded City, which is what most people think of when they imagine Heaven as a great city warded by a pair of pearly gates.”

“The Fifth Heaven lies deeper into Briah, and rests fully upon the celestial mountains, in a mixture of slopes and terraces.  The souls residing in the fifth Heaven are of people who made special efforts to serve the cause of good and light.  Most of them live in the various crystal domes strewn about the Plane, or in smaller, more rural settlements on mountain terraces.”

“The Sixth Heaven is the highest layer to which mortal souls are normally allowed, home to the souls who made the greatest of sacrifices in the name of good.  It is also the seat of the Celestial Council, where the highest ranking angels and archangels run the day-to-day affairs of the Heavens, decide the fate of the Four Realms, and conduct their war on the Hellish Hordes, as the Golden Citadel overlooks the Abyss.”

“The Seventh Heaven is essentially what the angels call Atziluth, and only the Archangels have ever visited there and returned.  And they don't talk about what they've witnessed there.  On occasion, a few truly pure souls have been summoned to the Seventh Heaven, never to return.  ...So so I've been told.”

The wolf smiles.  “Now then, this concludes our introduction to the Mystical Realms of the cosmos.  Next lesson, we shall explore some of the individual realms of the gods, discover the numerous Netherworlds and their Dark Lords,  as well as various methods of occult travel.”