I have to ponder...
Aether is an energy source throughout Eorzea. It's something that can be refined and condensed for use as power in technology (i.e. Garlean magitech). Awesome. So it's sourcestone, or oil (or perhaps more appropriate: geothermal energy).
So we have aether, which is an external power source, and then we have mana. I posit, entirely theoretically, that mana is fundamentally different than aether in terms of energetics and other physics-related and application traits. Mana could be the magical or life energy that exists within a living organism, while aether is that without and an innate part of the abiotic world.
So everyone has mana, though not everyone has the skill or even capability of tapping into their mana (such as the Garleans). I wonder at potential similarities of mana flow in living bodies to spiritual energy flow in Hindu metaphysical philosophies related to chakras and vital points within a body. When one casts a spell utilizing mana from their body, the draining effect may come from pulling on different "chakra" points - or more generically "mana nodes". This could explain the difference between casting fire spells and ice spells in thaumaturgy; perhaps fire spells pull on a very central mana node in their body that serves as a hub sourcing mana to other nodes, but ice spells pull from nodes on the outer reaches of their body, which can thus be continually replenished by the more central nodes.
Arcanists are an extremely interesting complication. The geometric shapes they utilize likely act as mathemagical (hah, see what I did there) foci for magical energies - but do they utilize external aether or internal mana... Or perhaps a combination of both! That they can summon representatives from energy makes me think they are pulling at least partially on external aether. I can't wait to learn more about them.
Aether is an energy source throughout Eorzea. It's something that can be refined and condensed for use as power in technology (i.e. Garlean magitech). Awesome. So it's sourcestone, or oil (or perhaps more appropriate: geothermal energy).
So we have aether, which is an external power source, and then we have mana. I posit, entirely theoretically, that mana is fundamentally different than aether in terms of energetics and other physics-related and application traits. Mana could be the magical or life energy that exists within a living organism, while aether is that without and an innate part of the abiotic world.
So everyone has mana, though not everyone has the skill or even capability of tapping into their mana (such as the Garleans). I wonder at potential similarities of mana flow in living bodies to spiritual energy flow in Hindu metaphysical philosophies related to chakras and vital points within a body. When one casts a spell utilizing mana from their body, the draining effect may come from pulling on different "chakra" points - or more generically "mana nodes". This could explain the difference between casting fire spells and ice spells in thaumaturgy; perhaps fire spells pull on a very central mana node in their body that serves as a hub sourcing mana to other nodes, but ice spells pull from nodes on the outer reaches of their body, which can thus be continually replenished by the more central nodes.
Arcanists are an extremely interesting complication. The geometric shapes they utilize likely act as mathemagical (hah, see what I did there) foci for magical energies - but do they utilize external aether or internal mana... Or perhaps a combination of both! That they can summon representatives from energy makes me think they are pulling at least partially on external aether. I can't wait to learn more about them.
![[Image: AntiThalSig.png]](https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/179079766/AntiThalSig.png)
"Song dogs barking at the break of dawn, lightning pushes the edges of a thunderstorm; and these streets, quiet as a sleeping army, send their battered dreams to heaven."
Hipparion Tribe (Sagolii)Â - Â Antimony Jhanhi's Wiki
