Mind

"The mind is a treasure trove of synapses and experiences. Moments and eternities. Impulses and strategies. To explore it all, it's like swimming in the middle of the ocean, beautiful and pure but terrifyingly deep at the same time."

-- Evie Brand, Cult of Ecstasy

Mind is the Sphere of, well, the Mind! Thought, perception, extrasensory abilities, precognition, you think it and it can do it. Unlike some of the other Spheres (Most notably Forces, Life, and Matter) Mind has a looser set of limits due to mainly dealing with ephemeral thoughts or more subtle domains like emotions. That doesn't mean there aren't any limits, nor that any aspiring Mind Mages should through caution to the wind, but the walls are a bit more open. Mind is a sphere that requires understanding and precision, to sift through the chaotic thoughts of others and to better defend your own Mind, and it's a valuable part of any Mages aresenal.   

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Planetary Alignment

Each of the Nine Spheres are associated with a Planet (technically). Much like how thoughts stretch out far and wide along their path, the realm of Mind within the Umbra is linked with the planet Neptune. While very few if any Mages travel that far, astrally or otherwise, many Mind Mages still make journeys to that realm for their own development, as the realm of Mind echoes every piece of your own psyche back at you, even more so if you are not alone.

Effect

Mind as a Sphere functions a little differently to the others we have seen so far. The mind is a powerful and varied thing, even between seconds, so it tracks that the Sphere that controls conciousness, emotion, perception, and thought would not be as formulaic as the others. We can still largely place the progression along the five-level system we have been using thus far, but the range for the first level goes far beyong mere perception, for example, showing that it won't be exactly the same.

• Entry Level: An early and awakening Mind Mage starts their journey by being able to sense nearby thoughts and emotions as well as being able to enhance, protect, and dive into their own minds first and foremost
• Training Level: As the Mind Mage begins to train in their thought, they will begin to reach out to other minds, being able to read surface thoughts, memories left in locations, and briefly manipulate and link together others emotional states
• Intermediate Level: At this level, the Mind Mage gains greater control over their own psyches and those of others, being able to establish psychic rapports between people, loosen their mind while sleeping, and even attack a target with painful thoughts
• Advanced Level: On the next stage of the Mind Mages journey they gain even further strength on the previous level, being able to fully invade and alter a targets mind while being able to send their own into various other Astral Realms within the Umbra
• Expert Level: At one of the many possible peaks of a Mind Mage's talent, they are able to fully control a subjects mind on a concious or unconcious level, untether their mind from their body completely, and even create new intelligences, even if by their lonesome they cannot anchor it anywhere

Higher levels of power, mostly the realm of stories and cautionary tales in the modern day, serve to broaden the scope and distance of these powers, but even within these first five levels the making of some terrifying arts is apparent.

Side/Secondary Effects

A Mind Mage in general will find themselves far from the edge of Vulgar Magick in most cases, but that doesn't mean it's impossible. If someone tries to stretch their mind too far, or change too much too quickly in too many people, then reality will just the same come after them and their attempts. Mind Mages who invoke the backlash of Paradox will find their minds turning inside out, being affected by the command they would force on others, or having their conciousness stripped and taken to a far off realm, becoming brain dead in the waking world.
On a personal level, Mind Mages tend to either be more frantic or calmer, and subtly pick up on information and guesses faster than the average person even without using their Magick.

Manifestation

The energy behind Mind Magick, which other Mind Mages can see more often than other Mages, tend to range from white to blue. As far as the look of that energy, that depends on the Mage, as each persons mind, method, and personality will lead to different psychic signatures when their Magick is detected.

Source

Mind Magick depends on your own conciousness and the conciousnesses of others for all but a few applications of the Sphere, meaning it'd be rather hard to accomplish much of anything if you were the only thinking creature around.

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Related Organizations

• Agents of the New World

Applied Restriction

Mind Magick cannot act physically on the world. To bring it to a place of superpowers, Mind as a Sphere is all about Telepathy. Telekinesis is not in it's wheelhouse unless combined with a Sphere like Matter, for example, that brings a physical element to the mental command. Similarly, it cannot do physical damage unless combined that way either, instead damaging a persons psyche or willpower.

Other Mind Focused Organizations:

Among the Council of Nine Mystic Traditions, the Akashayana are the representatives of the Mind Sphere, but they are not the only champions of the art in the modern day. Outside of them, we have:

• The Agents of the New World are one of the Technocracy's five Conventions who use Mind in careful, procedural ways on their own Mages and Sleepers alike
• The Brothers of St. Christopher: A branch of The Celestial Chorus who are younger, more liberal, and more optimistic in their actions
• Maenads: A branch-of-a-branch within the Cult of Ecstasy who take the Dionysian rituals to their ancient violent limits. They are not a popular branch of the sect
• Lifeweavers: One of the factions of The Verbena who focus on wildly living in the moment
• Moon-Seekers: Another faction of The Verbena who focus on reaching out to all sorts of other groups to share, spread, and improve their traditions