Astral Space

Astral Space is the dimension in Mage: The Awakening formed by unconscious thoughts and ideals. It is composed of three Astral Stratum: The Oneiros, The Temenos, and The Anima Mundi. At one point, it was possible to travel from Astral Space to the Supernal Realms; however, The Abyss now prevents travel between the two.

Oneiros

The shallowest astral realm, the Oneiros is the realm of the astral traveller's own soul. The next deepest realm is the Temenos.

Temenos

The second deepest astral realm, the Temenos is the realm of all humanity, where all human knowledge could be found. Above the Temenos is the Oneiros, and beneath it is the Dreamtime.

Anima Mundi

The deepest astral realm is the Anima Mundi, or the world soul. Vastly impersonal to the human astral traveler, it is the realm of the entire world, human and not human. If one were to go deeper than the Anima Mundi, one would theoretically reach the Supernal Realms, but today, instead all one would find is the Abyss. Above the Anima Mundi is the Temenos.

Entering Astral Space

• A mage can enter Astral Space by meditating (Composure + Wits) within the grounds of a Demesne or a powerful Hallow (rated 5)^[1]
• As successes are collected for a mage, his consciousness progresses through the levels of his soul. Once he reaches one plane, he can continue meditating to travel deeper. Successes rolled are retained and applied to the total needed to reach deeper planes. For example, a mage already in his Oneiros needs only four more successes to reach the Temenos (he already has 12 successes, and only needs four more to get the 16 needed).^[2]
• During this time, the mage’s mind stays in his body; he does not mentally project (as he can do using the Mind Arcanum). He is in a deep mystical reverie. If a loud noise occurs nearby or something disturbs his body, a reflexive Resolve + Composure roll is required to stay within his meditation. If the roll fails, he immediately “wakes up,” yanked out of Astral Space.^[3]
• Some astral denizens can trap a mage within Astral Space. For this reason, some mages set an assistant to watch their meditating bodies, with instructions to shake them vigorously if they show any signs of distress. In this way, they can escape being held against their will. The needs of the body trump the desires of the soul.
• A mage can choose to exit an astral journey at any time with a successful Resolve + Composure roll and an instant action.^[4]