Systemic Theophysics: An Introductory Guide

You open a personal journal entitled, "Systemic Theophysics: An Introductory Guide" to the bookmark, on page 1, and begin reading.

------------------------ Table of Contents---------------------------
Preface: Myd Tepatep, im Neirin- The Universe, a Seed...........Page 2
Chapter 1: Im Haijan je Uira - A Ladder of Air...................Page 3
Chapter 2: Warana Jata di Jerne Joka - Sky Above and Earth Below.Page 5
Chapter 3: Myd Juit je Juit'a - The Art of Arts..................Page 6
Chapter 4: Je Aegatek'a di Chita'a - Of Gods and Grasshoppers....Page 7
Chapter 5: Vitro'a dzi Ater - Circles in Time....................Page 8
Chapter 6: Qitretap di Zhatepere - Forever and Everywhere........Page 9
Chapter 7: Naridinith Komen - Anything Goes......................Page 10
Chapter 8: Fandare myd Afnir Zeirusa - Tying the Final Knots.....Page 11

You open a personal journal entitled, "Systemic Theophysics: An Introductory Guide" to the bookmark, on page 2, and begin reading.

Preface: Myd Tepatep, im Neirin - The Universe, a Seed
We live in a world of stunning complexity. There are aspects of our existence which, on the whole, have been taken completely for granted by the majority of individuals for their entire lives, with little more than idle speculation from those few who would seek a broader understanding of the world in which they live. The true nature of our existence, whether defined as individuals apart from the fabric of the rest of the world or as intertwining parts of a larger, unified whole, has eluded philosophers and scientists for ages beyond any of our memory.

Many of the hurdles faced by said individuals can be seen as a part of our everyday lives. The degree of entropy which exists even at the highest levels of our most advanced societies are anathema to the intensive study required for most pursuits of scientific inquiry. In response to this, many individuals, the common and the "enlightened" alike, find comfort more in the broad-armed embrace of religion than in the oft-perceived cold, mechanical formalities of the sciences.

Yet the relatively acute frame of the majority of our religions, although each is without doubt validated to some degree or another by the very presence of the Divinity to which each religion subscribes, fails in many ways to accurately describe the vast majority of our world's existence. They attempt, through the teachings and philosophies of the Celestial Entity which embodies the core of their belief system, to ascribe to various parts of our world explanations and rationale for its necessity of existence and to some degree a rudimentary examination of the underlying principles of its manifestation.

The various parts of our world which each religion attempts valiantly to explain are far too often left separated, as though their existences are unique and unaffected by each other. As we see in the politics of our world, however, this is never the case. Economic policies dictate the developmental status of city militias, and military might oft times dictates the political prowess with which a city is regarded, and said prowess further influences the ability of the city leaders to garner support from the masses, thereby increasing the pool upon which the city's economic stature is based. This is just one familiar example of the underlying cyclic nature of our world that, unnoticed by us all, permeates the very fabric of space and time itself.

Though there exists many things in our world that to a common man unfamiliar with the intricacies of the powers of magic and the Divine Presences would easily call miracles, they can each and all be understood within a single underlying framework. This framework, this system, encompasses each of the spheres of the Celestial Entities which our variegated religions worship, and each can be understood as but a sub-system of the universal whole of which we are all, though not always equally, a part of.

Governed by an unyielding yet all-allowing formality, even the very essence which the fabric of our planes is constructed can be interpreted as the manifestation of the system's unchanging form. Within it, all things can, and will, be realized, and perhaps most surprisingly, provides for our philosophers an absolute notion of the beginning and end of objective time. And most mysteriously, conjures into existence the notion of space-outside-space, and the impending transformation of our world into something entirely unrecognizable and imperceivable.

You open a personal journal entitled, "Systemic Theophysics: An Introductory Guide" to the bookmark, on page 3, and begin reading.

Chapter 1: Im Haijan je Uira - A Ladder of Air
Picture a monk in meditation among the hills of the Dakhota. He is dressed in fine silks, his head shaved of all but a thick cord, held in place by a strand of fern. His calm demeanor hides the turmoil threatening to overcome his steady mind. He is human. His is an existence both strained by the pursuit of enlightenment and free from the bonds of servitude. Yet still, turmoil rests within him. For he is human. He is imperfect, and is perfectly aware of this fact. But the turmoil is not what is important in this picture. Rather, it is the monk's awareness, or more specifically, his self-awareness.

Consider the notion of self-awareness. We take it for granted every day that we know we exist. We recognize our individuality among the hundreds of others with whom we share so much with every day. To attempt to prove our existence as false would be foolish, for one needs simply reach out and stroke the cheek of he would argue otherwise to prove him wrong. The entire notion is so engrained within our culture, and most likely within our very souls, that to question it seems illogical, even insane. Yet attempt to define what this existence is that we are so sure of, and few if any will know even where to begin.

As our own existence seems so concrete yet so mysterious, so too is the nature of the world which surrounds us. We see small bees and hummingbirds flying swiftly through the sky, their complex bodies able to propel them in flight, a feat as yet unachieved by the brightest minds of our age without the use of magic. We see the dragon Yudhishthira, her massive form able to spew forth the fires of rage within her, yet remain unscathed by the heat. And we see the sirens of the deep, their voices ringing clear, the clarity unfettered by the water that surrounds them. These seeming miracles of nature are to us so wondrous, that we fail to take note of the simplest things which we have yet no explanation for. Take the air through which hummingbirds fly. We cannot see it, but we know of its presence from its movement in the winds, and we know of its importance from the constant exercise of breathing. Without it, our world would be undeniably different, and simply to deny its existence because it cannot be seen would be as certain a folly as denying one's own existence. Yet because it is so ever-present, few take time to consider it, or even to seek an understanding of the implications it has on our world.

This is our Physical Reality. We are more familiar with it than any other aspect of the universe, yet it is in many ways so artificially simple that we ignore its presence as but a part of a greater whole and assume that it is, indeed, Everything. Even after great thought on the subject, many laymen would quickly reach the conclusion that the world they can see, hear, taste, touch, and smell is surely the only world that could exist. Thankfully, many of our more upstanding citizens are not so ignorant.

Even the most poorly trained Priest is familiar with magic. Magic is an undeniable force in our world, able to seemingly circumvent many of the physical laws and properties of nature that seem undeniable in the face of scrutiny based purely on natural science. Of course, this is obvious, given that the system itself is being probed purely by elements from within it. However, while the use of magic is prevalent among the more privileged members of society in some form or another, be it the pure Elemental manipulation of the Magi or the darker delights of Demonic manipulation practiced by the Indorani, few themselves claim to understand the mechanism by which their techniques take effect. Again, the artificial simplicity of the system breeds ignorance of its underlying nature.

This is the Ethereal Reality. Imagine, if you will, a tapestry, woven purely of black and white strands. The tapestry, however, is woven not into some intricate design, but rather a blank sheet of gray, the culmination of the black and white lain against each other. The white strands in this analogy represents our Physical Reality, and the black, the Ethereal Reality. Though it is only an approximation, this analogy helps to visualize the manner in which the two Realities co-exist. The Physical and Ethereal are so interwoven that their interplay is a near constant force in the lives of those familiar with the techniques for the manipulation of the Ethereal strands, as it were. Generally, the Ethereal and the Physical are the only realms upon which we as mortals cause a significant impact. But as our esteemed Religions teach us, there is more to our world than earth and magic.

Shrines to the various Divinities of the realm are a common sight. Be they to the Hunter, Lord Haern, or to Chakrasul, the Lady of Forbidden Delights, shrines serve similar purposes that are familiar in theory if not function to the populous. Ignoring for the moment their role as weapons, shrines can be effectively described as conduits to the Divine which they seek to empower. Of course, it is not the shrine that brings power to a Divinity, it is the various offerings made unto the Divine.
The shrine, again, serves as but a conduit. But by definition, conduits must transmit something, in this case, essence (the nature of which is itself a topic of debate), from one place to another. The shrine, then, is not a conduit in and of itself, but merely a manifestation of one end of a conduit, the other side of which must surely lead to the Divine themselves.

These are the Planary Realities. The Divine with which we are familiar, save the Creator, Lord Varian, are themselves mere projections into our familiar Physical Reality of their true forms which themselves are based in the Planary. Planary Realities are unique in that they seem to coexist as both a single Plane and a multitude of "Island" Planes.
Though they are specific in their nature and ultimately independent of each other, they each and all exist parallel to the intertwined Physical and Ethereal Realities with which we are familiar. Planary Realities serve a multitude of purposes, most notably as the ultimate resting places of the true forms of the Divine we are so familiar with. It is difficult to speculate how such Divine Realities may depend upon the Divine for which they exist, and the opposite is as difficult. Other examples of Planary Realities include the Shadow Plane, whose inhabitants the realm is all too familiar with, and the Chaos Plane.

Because of the familiar passage of the Indorani and the Cabalists into the Chaos Plane, it is obvious that some travel between the Physical and Ethereal Realities and the Planar Realities must be possible, but the mechanism for such is as mysterious to most as the Planes themselves.

Watch the sun or the moon traverse the sky. These celestial objects seem both constant and ever-changing. Their change, however, has been taken advantage of by every culture known to the world, via the measurement of Time. Time, if considered outside the realm of the Physical Reality, is an intriguing concept. It is an ever-present Deity, yet unprobable and in many ways insurmountable. But like the air we breath, we know that it exists, and we know of its importance to the world around us. Some magics, such as the Aeon Tarot of the Indorani, have even found ways in which to manipulate its passage over specific regions of space. Because of this, one can conclude that Time cannot be either an abstract concept or an invisible Deity, but must have its own unique existence in our world.

This is the Temporal Reality. Continuing with the tapestry analogy, one can picture the Temporal Reality as existing as a near-infinite number of threads, woven through all points along the Physical/Ethereal Reality tapestry, as well as through all points within the Planary Realities.
Because these temporal threads run through the Ethereal and Physical Realities, sufficient manipulation of the fabric of either the Ethereal or the Physical can be enough to stretch or compress the threads woven through that specific area of the lower Realities. This in effect allows for the type of "magic" utilized in the Aeon Tarot. Of course, the magic does not directly affect the Temporal Reality, as it is of the Ethereal, a lower Reality than the Temporal, but instead sufficiently manipulates the Ethereal to stretch the temporal threads in the Physical area surrounding the victim, thus causing time to appear to pass at a slower rate. Temporal threads are also responsible for the ability to travel to and from the Planar Realities, but this will be examined in detail later on.

Earlier it was noted that the Planary Realities contained the true forms of all Divine save Lord Varian. It is to be expected that as a Deity of His Stature, the nature of His Existence would be somehow separate and absolute in nature. Intuition in this case is correct, as the realm occupied by Lord Varian not only transcends all lower Realities, it interpolates them as well.

The Sublime Reality is occupied solely by the Creator, Varian. It surrounds and encompasses the Physical, Ethereal, Planary, and Temporal Reality in such a way as to permeate every aspect of their structure.
While mortals can occupy only a single Reality at any given time, magical constructs two Realities, the Divine and Extra-Planar creatures three, the Creator Varian manages to occupy the five invariant Realities simultaneous. The breadth of this Reality is near Infinite in nature, and may theoretically not only contain the Creator, but, it is speculated, may be the Creator Himself in His base realization.

Standard religious doctrine would necessarily limit the scope of science to this Sublime Reality, its apparent Infinitude a limiting factor on how far beyond our Physical Reality the realm of possibility even extends. However, given the nature of the Grand Artifice and the actions taken by the Creator and the god Severn during the period in which the Grand Artifice was enacted, a final system has arisen that is singularly unique among all other Realities, and manages to place a limit on the false infinity which has been ascribed to our Creator and the world we know.

The Variant Reality differs from all other Realities in that its existence is not absolute. Governed by the sum of fluctuations between all other Realities, it is nevertheless -finite-. Its finite nature forces the conclusion that, as it is a sum of all other Realities, no invariant Reality could claim true Infinity either. Its existence then is a limiting factor on the world we are able to conceive. The Variant Reality, however, is hierarchically superior to the Sublime. The consequence of this is that, although its existing is both finite and non-absolute, it nonetheless is able to manifest not only within the various lower Realities, it can also exist outside of the Sublime Reality, limiting even the Creator from the information contained within the Variant Reality system.

The exotic nature of the Variant Reality begs further analysis, but it is as important to understand the structural differences between each of the invariant Realities as well. The miracles of our world would fill volumes, yet they are all based on many of the same principles and underlying structures of even the most common sights in our realm. Each level of Reality has its own unique aspects, and each builds upon the last in both complexity and beauty.

You open a personal journal entitled, "Systemic Theophysics: An Introductory Guide" to the bookmark, on page 4, and begin reading.

Chapter 2: Warana Jata di Jerne Joka - Sky Above and Earth Below
The Physical Reality we inhabit is perhaps the best charted of all Realities, as can be expected due to the relative ease with which we can access information concerning it. Our everyday experiences are governed by the laws of the Physical Reality, and these laws are immutable save when influenced by higher Realities.

While we can easily observe and appreciate the full range of physical phenomenon in the lowest Reality, it is another matter entirely to actively describe these phenomenon in terms of their constituent parts and causes. As an example, try to explain in familiar terms why a plant such as bloodroot grows, while a stone does not. The facts themselves are obvious, but beyond the mere fact the waters become quickly muddied.
Fortunately, the entire range of complex activities within the Physical Reality can be explained through the concepts of the Elements and Polar Energy.

Our Physical Reality is comprised of five distinct Elements. These elements, most familiar to those trained in the arts of Elementalism and Spirituality, form the material basis of the world we see, smell, hear, touch, and taste. The five Elements are: Earth, Wind, Water, Fire, and Spirit. Most are generally familiar with manifestations of the first four, and how their interplay brings about the variety of complex materials we find, but the fifth Element, Spirit, is somewhat less known.

Elements exist as minute particles, called modicums. Vast numbers of modicums in varying ratios with each other comprise the materials of our world. For instance, the rock previously discussed is comprised almost entirely of Earth modicums, with some small number of Water modicums as well. The bloodroot plant, on the other hand, is comprised of Earth, Water, and Spirit modicum. The Spirit modicum is the answer to the previously posed question. It is the Element of Spirit which provides the so-called "spark of life" that allows for growth, reproduction, and, in some cases, consciousness.

Alongside the material modicums, the Physical Reality is also constituted by ten separate particles of energy, called corpuscles. Each corpuscle corresponds to an Element, thus there are two Earth corpuscles, two Wind corpuscles, etc. These two corpuscles differ in their polarity, that is, in the force aspect to which they are ascribed.
This is either Positive or Negative. The concept is extremely simple, for unlike quasi-polar concepts such as "Good" and "Evil", polar energy is absolute. The corpuscles are either Positive, or Negative. There is no gray area for misinterpretation.

The interplay of corpuscles and modicums is a subject of intense continuing study, but much information has already been gleaned. For instance, Positive Fire corpuscles can interact with Water modicums to form steam, while Negative Fire corpuscles interact with Water modicum to create ice. Corpuscles can also act as bonding agents between unlike modicums, such as the presence of Positive Water corpuscles bonding with Negative Earth corpuscles, and each corpuscle bonding to a corresponding modicum, within the stem of a plant, giving the stem its firm structure.
Although many such interactions have been catalogued, a near infinite amount exists, and it will take scientists years to fully understand how these corpuscles and modicums allow the full range of phenomenon in our Physical Reality.

You open a personal journal entitled, "Systemic Theophysics: An Introductory Guide" to the bookmark, on page 5, and begin reading.

Chapter 3: Myd Juit je Juit'a - The Art of Arts
Magic has existed in many forms throughout the ages, some undoubtedly lost behind the veil of the Grand Artifice, others surviving in the vast range of skills and abilities taught in guilds across the continent. Yet the knowledge of how this magic was actually manifesting itself in our familiar Physical Reality has never been common. Even today, much of the work done by the finest scholars in the field of magic has been refuted in some form or another, and few can come to a consensus on exactly how the Ethereal Reality is brought to affect the Physical Reality we inhabit.

Ultimately, though, the complexity seems to become once more simple, as is always desired, if some of the same properties are ascribed to the Ethereal as to the Physical. In fact, this should not seem far fetched by any means, considering the interwoven nature of the two Realities.

Thus, the Ethereal Reality is, much like the Physical, comprised of Elements. These Elements are not, in fact, markedly different from those of the Physical Reality. Called Versic Elements, there are as many of them, five, as there are Base Elements in the Physical Reality. However, Versic Elements do not generally interact with the Base Elements we are more familiar with. This issue is overcome, as should be expected, by an unexpected property of the corpuscles earlier examined. When in specific geometrical arrangements, corpuscles are able to pass uninhibited between the Ethereal and Physical Realities.

The consequence of this passage is that, where Versic Elements had hitherto been unable to affect the Physical Reality in any way, their affects can be felt via the bonding of corpuscles to like Versic and Base elements. As an example, a Magi is able to summon a Water Weird elemental via the bonding of Positive Water corpuscles and Negative Spirit corpuscles, with the Positive Water corpuscles bonding to their like Versic Water modicum in the Ethereal Reality and the Negative Spirit corpuscles bonding with their like Spirit corpuscles in the Physical Reality.

Through the inter-Reality exchange of Positive and Negative corpuscles, modicums of Versic and Base Elementals can co-exist between the Realities. This effectively creates an identical effect in the Ethereal realm of any magic that takes is made manifest within the Physical. This unexpected consequence belies the extremely dangerous atmosphere that is sure to exist within the Ethereal Reality.

You open a personal journal entitled, "Systemic Theophysics: An Introductory Guide" to the bookmark, on page 6, and begin reading.

Chapter 4: Je Aegatek'a di Chita'a - Of Gods and Grasshoppers
The Planary Realities are, as previously written, akin to islands.
Within each, the laws governing the behavior of the entire Reality can be entirely different, and to describe even one among the many would do injustice to all of the others. It will suffice to say, of Planary Realities, that they have the possibility of being distinctly different from any sense of logical structure that we have the capacity to imagine.

One should remember, however, that this is still but a possibility. As can be seen in the case of the Chaos Plane, some Planary Realities abide by much of the same physical laws and structure that we are used to.
Still others, however, such as the Elemental Planes, seem comprised solely of one or another aspect of our Physical Reality. This is thought to be true of the Planes of the Divine, wherein the perfect embodiment of all things associated with the Divinity in question may be found. Of course, whether such Planes could ever be breached by mortals of the Physical Reality is an open question. Hope of such, however, may be found in the presence of creatures from the Shadow Plane manifest within our own Physical Reality.

Because the Shadow spawn seem to have manifest themselves in a state far from the purity of Shadow known in their own realm, their power was severely weakened. From this, we can assume that it was out of necessity, rather than choice, that they undertook the forms they did in our Reality. As such, it may be that mortals one day traveling to the Shadow Plane themselves, via a supra-Planar mechanism such as temporal threads, will manifest themselves within the destination Reality in as close an approximation to their normal form as is possible within the laws and structure of the relevant Reality.

You open a personal journal entitled, "Systemic Theophysics: An Introductory Guide" to the bookmark, on page 7, and begin reading.

Chapter 5: Vitro'a dzi Ater - Circles in Time
Due to the linear structure of the Temporal Reality, it is often difficult to conceive of any internal structure whatsoever, and indeed this seems to be the case, amazing as it may be. The Temporal Reality exists, as far as can be determined, completely of its own accord. It permeates all aspects of the lower Realities in such a fashion as to affect all points within their system simultaneous.

The Temporal Reality can, however, be influenced via manipulation of the geometries of the Ethereal and Physical Realities. Sufficient skill in the utilization of corpuscles to enact interference between modicums of the Versic and Base Elements, for example, can cause strain between the fabric of the two Realities. This strain, in turn, causes the fabric of the Temporal Reality to stretch and contract as the Realities it interpolates twist and bend around it. The individual threads of the Temporal Reality, if sufficiently manipulated, can also be made to bend together to meet at common endpoints.

It is this final technique, the bending of temporal threads to meet at common endpoints, that allows for the possibility of Planary travel. The ability of an Indorani to pass into the Chaos Plane, for instance, is only possible because of an enormous number of temporal threads having been bound together through some unknown force in the Chaos Plane. These threads cross into the Physical Reality at points all across the realm, thus allowing the gate to the Chaos Plane to be opened by any proficiency Indorani at any point.

This travel through temporal threads should not, however, be confused with any notion of time travel. Travel through a temporal thread is instantaneous, and there is no sensation of movement through an alternate Reality by the traveler. Time travel is, for all intents and purposes, impossible. The Temporal Reality is dimensionally limited, and Time itself seems only able to pass in one direction - into the future.

You open a personal journal entitled, "Systemic Theophysics: An Introductory Guide" to the bookmark, on page 8, and begin reading.

Chapter 6: Qitretap di Zhatepere - Forever and Everywhere
What can be said of the realm inhabited by Varian, the Celestine? It is all-encompassing, all-observing, all-knowing. What can be known by mortal minds is known by Varian, and the geometry of His Sublime Reality is what permits his omniscience.

The notion of travel into and out of the Sublime Reality generally falls apart based on the simple fact that it exists Everywhere and Forever. It encapsulates all temporal threads, all Planary Realities, all Ethereal and Physical phenomenon. It Is as He Is.

It is limited only by the Variant Reality.

You open a personal journal entitled, "Systemic Theophysics: An Introductory Guide" to the bookmark, on page 9, and begin reading.

Chapter 7: Naridinith Komen - Anything Goes
The nature of the Variant Reality is entirely up to speculation. Its existence is pure conjecture, supported only by circumstantial evidence that is suspect at best. Nevertheless, given the nature of the rest of our world, the existence of the Variant Reality would be almost unsurprising.

The philosophical connotations of the Variant Reality are perhaps more important than any scientific inquiry into it. The prospect of peoples, places, or things existing and ceasing to exist based entirely on the interplay of various unknown aspects of the more familiar Realities is almost as disturbing as the prospect of knowledge out of reach of even the Creator Himself. Of course, it should be clarified that such concepts are entirely theoretical, and until further methods of probing this hidden Reality are developed and further study of the known Realities are made, further consideration of the implications the Variant Reality may hold would be foolish.

You open a personal journal entitled, "Systemic Theophysics: An Introductory Guide" to the bookmark, on page 10, and begin reading.

Chapter 8: Fandare myd Afnir Zeirusa - Tying the Final Knots
Knowledge of our Physical Reality is for many people entirely sufficient for a prosperous lifestyle. Others find talent in the manipulation of the Ethereal Reality extremely useful in their pursuits of glory. Fewer still take advantage of the creatures of the Planary Realities for their own ends. Even the Temporal Reality is in some ways used by denizens of our culture for their pursuits.

Yet all of these people recognize the necessity of knowledge. If one does not know how magic is achieved, one cannot perform magic. It is that simple. Unfortunately, far too many individuals stop short of peering into the unknown, instead going only so far as they need to achieve their goals. This is an unfortunate condition that permeates all aspects of our society.

Though much progress has been made in the fields of society, there are an infinity of questions left unanswered, an infinity of problems left to solve. The world thirsts for knowledge, even where it knows not what knowledge will quench its thirst. But this thirst will never be quenched if others do not step up to the task of seeking out the secrets of our world.

Some day, perhaps our culture will tie the final knots of the tapestry that is our Reality. None can say what may occur when such knowledge is readily available to our finest. But even then, it can be assured that, although our spatial realm may be finite, the metaphysical areas to explore are infinite and infinitely wondrous. Though such exploration may be more difficult than an evening trip to Ulangi, it is far more worthwhile. My associates and I implore any who seek to aide in the pursuit of greater knowledge of our realm to seek out those, such as myself, who are willing to aide in such ventures.

Our world is too grand to be left undiscovered, and no amount of walking will ever trek its boundless face.