Between the Veiled Realms.

Today, I wish to tell you of the Veiled Realms; how could I speak of Ethecorra, and not speak of them? They are the Realms that overlap with the physical world. The esoteric planes of existence, if you will. There are six, not including the physical planet, that overlap one another with only a thin barrier, known as the Veil, existing between them and keeping them separate. There is an additional Veil that Ethecorran’s are not aware of. They don’t see it, but I do; the one that separates Ethecorra from your Earth. The one that means I can bring you the stories and tales of the lives of those who call this planet home.

It’s these Veils that I linger between, often stepping through them unseen. Most on the planet have accessed the six Realms at one point in their life through dream, trance, ritual, death, initiation or even devotion. Although not all Realms should be accessed, and the consequences for doing so without intense preparation is often deadly.

Yet there are some that, to them, the Veiled Realms is not even a thought. They dream at night, not realising that they walk through a different Realm. For some, the only acknowledgement they receive is upon death, when they enter Velithor. Some spend their entire lives not knowing about the Veiled Realms.

But you would like to know, wouldn’t you?

Ethecorra is the physical Realm, the living plane of existence that anchors all other Realms. It’s a living world made of earth, sea, sky, stone, flesh and time. It’s a beautiful world, for it formed with the thought of ‘Beauty’. Time here is linear, and all living things are bound to a body in which they live, love, or experience hunger and pain. Death is but the final journey that sends them beyond this Realm.

There are places here, certain locations or even certain objects, that weaken the Veil that acts as a barrier between the Realms. Ethecorra is the anchor, and so all other Realms overlap with this one, and sometimes, the strange occurrences make for the most interesting of stories.

The Veilspace, the liminal Realm between waking and death, is perhaps my favourite of them all. If I were to choose. Often referred to as the Dream Realm, its Veils are the ones that are most commonly accessed, though not all who enter this Realm realise that they do.
Some enter it consciously when they scry, or through astral journeying. Some Dreamwalk here, slipping into the dreamscapes of others. Dreamwalking is a practice I find most intriguing, but I watch from a safe distance, for I have seen the veiled figure of the Bloodmother here more often than anywhere else. She, too, can Dreamwalk here. I have seen many a mortal too, wandering it unknowingly in their sleep.

It’s not just those from the physical plane that wander through this landscape though. Some entities call this Realm home, such as the Lupersena.

The Echo Veil is the mirror-shadow of Ethecorra. Another liminal space, much like the Veilspace, but one in which ghosts, shades, revenants and the unclaimed souls drift. You may think of this Realm as a form of an afterlife, but it is not. It’s a place of in-between and through which I have seen many witches walk – always at great risk. Here is also where the Death God and his Riders travel through during the Wild Hunt.

I have marvelled at this Realm the most; it appears almost identical to Ethecorra but those who have witnessed it describe it with the distinct impression of it being ‘off’. Everything here appears as a muted version of itself, with leaves that don’t rustle, water that doesn’t splash and the only sounds made are by those who visit.

Velithor is the Soul-Keeper’s realm, where collected souls are held for an eternity. I do not venture here often, out of respect and reverence for the Soul-Keeper. I have glimpsed the Blood Rivers that run through Velithor though, and heard the cries when the Velmarked are taken for judgement. I have heard the laughter from within the Eternal City, and seen the flowers that bloom, flora that is said to have been planted in dedication to the Blood Mother.

This is one of the most sacred of the Veiled Realms – not to say that the others aren’t sacred. Myrath is the Realm in which the elemental forces exist in a pure and undiluted form. It’s raw, primal, and chaotic in nature. It’s here that the Leyweave, the magic of Ethecorra, originates. It’s a place of extremes, its intensity described as overwhelming to any who try to interact with it.

Its anchor is in the physical Realm of Ethecorra, guarded still by its Elemental Guardians, though few have ever glimpsed it. It is not easily entered, that anchor- nor should it be. To witness the chaotic birthing and rebirthing of the elemental energies that created the planet is a thing that no mortal mind is meant to see.

The Atralum is the Realm of celestial order and from here, all fates are governed- past, present or future. This Realm overlaps the physical Realm, and its prominent feature is that of the great Star Rivers that flow throughout the Realm. Literal currents that, in theory, are possible to swim. However, alike The Veil Space, entities call this Realm home.

Predators, who swim the rivers, protect the fates that drift through the currents. They do not distinguish between good and bad, humen or god; so the Tide-Fates, humanoid figures that maintain the weaves of fates, never enter the rivers. They work along the banks instead, so that they are never subjected to their laws and are hunted by the predators.

This is perhaps one of the few Realms in which very few humens, magical or otherwise, have accessed.

Also known as The Archive, this Realm is one of all events, thoughts and emotions to have ever occured, or yet to occur. Described as a sentient being, a price is always asked upon entry. The Archive will demand an offering of something of equal value for the knowledge held within its books. That price, however, is never known before entry. Many have attempted entry and lost themselves in doing so.

With the cost so high, access to this Realm is usually forbidden. Those that do have trained for decades, and even then, may not make it back home.

~Nerien