Divine Realm

The Divine Realm is the supernatural Realm associated with the Judeo-Christian God. In Fifth Edition, the monotheistic religions of Mythic Europe -- Judaism, Christianity, and Islam -- are all affiliated with the Divine Realm. So are other monotheistic faiths, such as the ancient Roman cult of Sol Invictus (see RoPD page 70). In canonical Ars Magica, the Divine Realm is demonstrably real and practically everyone in Mythic Europe believes in it.

The Divine Realm manifests in Mythic Europe primarily through the Dominion, a very widespread supernatural Aura. The Dominion encompasses holy places such as churches, consecrated ground, and the sites of miracles, and even extends to the living and working areas of the devout. Naturally holy sites such as sacred wells or hilltops are also possible. There are creatures who belong to the Divine Realm: angels of various levels of power, but also other creatures such as the Nephilim. Holy relics are objects imbued with Divine power.

Relative Power of the Divine

Compared to the other Realms, the Divine Realm is clearly the most powerful. Some players don't like that and change it with a House Rule. According to canon, God has an infinite Might Score and can do anything He wants; there is no defense or resistance possible against a direct miracle. However, the Divine more commonly acts indirectly through supernatural beings (such as angels) or mortals (prophets, saints, and very occasionally pious individuals).

The Fifth Edition Realm Interaction rules favor the Divine Realm in the sense that a Divine Aura imposes stiff penalties on creatures and powers from other Realms (including Hermetic Magic), but Divine creatures don't suffer any penalties at all when they are surrounded by non-Divine Auras.

Heaven

Whereas the Magic and Faerie Realms are relatively accessible to powerful or resourceful magi, Heaven lies beyond the Lunar Sphere and is usually utterly unapproachable. The canon provides only a vague description of it, mostly implied between the lines.

Heaven, also known as the Divine Realm or the True Empyrean, is a place of eternal, incorruptible truth. It is divided into Seven Heavens, each ruled by an Archangel Prince. The highest heaven is Araboth, the closest thing in Creation to God. This is where the Thrones absorb the glory of god, and the Cherubim sing his glory, at the feet of His throne.

Lower heavens have different occupants and a different composition. There is something of a hierarchy, with members of higher choirs tending to reside in higher heavens. In addition to angels, across the Seven Heavens are to be found Divine creatures such as phoenixes, saints, the souls of the righteous dead, planets, the stars, the Garden of Eden, heavenly Jerusalem, lavish trees and fields, ice palaces, and more.

The Divine Realm in Past Editions

Before ArM5, the Christian faith was clearly associated with the Divine Realm but the status of Judiasm and especially Islam was left unclear. This led to the occasional flame war on the Berk List when someone thought that the medieval paradigm required anti-Semitic or anti-Islamic beliefs from real history to be treated as in-game reality. You can still play things that way if you really want to, but in practice most members of the fan community don't want to role-play intolerance.

In ArM4 and earlier, the Dominion was considerably less of a hindrance to magi than it is in Fifth Edition.

According to the Fourth Edition supplement Ordo Nobilis, page 9, kings acquired Divine Might upon coronation due to their divine right to rule. This rule was expanded to also grant an Aura of Rightful Authority and a small increase to Soak in RoPD pages 42-43.

References

Realm Interaction Table, ArM5 page 183
The Divine Realm, ArM5 pages 188-189
Creatures of the Divine, ArM5 page 198
Heaven and Earth, RoPD pages 7-12

Divine Realm

Relative Power of the Divine

Heaven

The Divine Realm in Past Editions

References

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