An Overview of the Planes of Existence
Various Types of Planes of Existence
Every plane is first characterized by the nature of the energies that constitute it and, in some cases, that emanate from it. A plane is characterized next by how those energies combine to create various patterns that can be percieved. The third feature that characterizes a plane is whether it is finite or infinite.
There are five general categories of planes. The fist two categories are called the "emanative planes" certain types of energy or forces are created in these planes, and emanate from them. Planes in one category, which are often called the "outer planes", are made up of spiritual/mental energies. Those energies emanate from these planes. Planes in a second category, often called the "inner planes", are made up of elemental/physical energies which emanate from them. The last three categories are prime material planes, demiplanes and transitive planes. The planes in these categories, which are almost always described in cosmologies as "in between" the spiritual and elemental planes in some way, are made up of varying levels and types of spritual and elemental energy. Energies do not emanate from these planes, but instead flow into them from the planes where they do emanate. Planes with equal levels of all energies are called "prime planes". "Partial" planes with only some types of energies are called "demiplanes". Transitive planes are usually vast, empty places that the other energies flow through but where no forms, shapes or complex energy patterns coallesce.
Emanative Planes
- The Inner/Elemental/Physical Planes
- The Outer/Spiritual/Mental Planes
The Other Planes
- The Transitive Planes
- The Demiplanes
- The Prime Material Planes
The most commonly known transitive planes are the Astral, Ethereal, Shadow and Aether Planes. Transitive planes have more of some types of energy and/or little to none of the other energy types. For example, the Aether Plane has extremely low, trace levels of all types of energy. The Ethereal Plane has high levels of the physical/elemental energies, but low to non-existant levels of spirtual/mental energies. It is the place where elemental energy flows from the inner planes to the prime planes and demiplanes. The Astral Plane is to spiritual/mental energy what the Ethereal Plane is to elemental/physical energy. It has trace levels or no levels of elemental/physical energies and high levels of mental/spiritual energies. The Shadow Plane has high levels of negative energy, low levels of evil and positive energy and even lower levels of good. There are none of the other kinds of energies outside of the Shadow Plane's border areas.
Demiplanes are partial or embryonic planes. They are known to form in two ways.
The first formation process is called "coalescence". In this process, a demiplane will form from energy that drifts around in a transitive plane. For example, large globs of proto-matter swirl about in the Ethereal Plane, gathering other proto-matter until a critical size is reached. At that time, the matter begins to pull away from the plane and grows its own border ethereal around it. This mass of proto-matter then becomes a demiplane. In the same way, thought forms can coalesce in the Astral Plane until they reach a critical mass. At that time, they pull away and form into demiplanes. These demiplanes are sometimes refered to as "island demiplanes" by sages, because they exist like a finite island drifting inside a transitive plane.
The second way a demiplane can form is called "transformation". In this process, an entire transitive plane, called a "way plane" transforms into a demiplane. Way Planes, also called "The Ways", are transitive planes that only touch on a finite number of other planes, as opposed to the Ethereal, Astral or Aether planes, which touch on infinite other planes. Energy from the planes a way plane is coterminous with seep into that way plane, affecting its nature. Sometimes so much energy seeps into the way plane that the way changes from a simple, empty place with no shapes or forms into a demiplane. Examples are the Seelie/Unseelie Realms and the Gulguthgor Realms. These types of demiplanes are sometimes refered to as "web demiplanes" or "web planes" by sages, because they spread like a web between inner, outer or prime material planes. Unlike island demiplanes, which are always finite, web demiplanes may be either finite or infinite.
Demiplanes are not inner or outer planes, though some of them may appear to be because they are closer to the astral or ethereal and have more of the associated energy types. Nor are they small prime planes, although some are not hostile to prime material life. Some demiplanes collapse in on themselves and break up. Others merge with an inner plane, outer plane or prime material plane when their energy patterns become similar enough. When they merge with other planes they immediately become part of the larger planes and are subject to all the laws that govern those planes. Sages say that if a demiplane grew strong enough it could envelop a large portion of a prime plane or separate to form its own universe. In addition, some demiplanes gather strange mixtures of energy, and develop to a certain point and where they stop, and do not devolve or advance. These planes often have strange charcteristics, and are essentially partial prime planes that are missing certain types or patterns of energy that would make them a complete prime.
Each demiplane operates on its own rules; gravity, vision, material make-up, and inhabitants all vary. The only guarantee is that each demi-plane is an area where rules break down.
The prime material planes are the planes most of us are familiar with. They are infinite, and are made up of equal amounts of energy from the emanative planes. This energy may be spread out unevenly, with more or less of various energy types in certain places, but over the entire plane there are equal amounts of all energy types present. Not only is each prime material plane infinite, there is also an infinite number of prime material planes. The energy from the inner and outer planes combines here in an infinite number of patterns, creating an infinite number of planes.