User:Skaa/Cognitive Realm
In Realmatic Theory, the Cognitive Realm is the realm between the Spiritual and the Physical. It is described as the world of the mind[1] Because even non-living things can have a Cognitive aspect in the cosmere, it is possible to communicate with or at least listen to non-living things while in the Cognitive Realm.
Space on the Cognitive Realm is heavily distorted such that locations that have little to no Cognitive presence are shrunk down. This means that the vast empty space between planets in the Physical Realm do not exist in the Cognitive Realm. Different worlds sit right to each other in this Realm, allowing someone to travel from one world to another just by walking. The surface of planets also appears to be flattened out as on a map.
Some beings like Soulcasters and Shards can have their consciousness or even their whole body appear on the Cognitive Realm using their Invested ability. It is also possible to use Perpendicularities to move to and from the Cognitive Realm.
The few regions in the Cognitive Realm revealed so far has shown major differences in composition, but there are consistent characteristics:
- Fluid-Solid reversal
- Bodies of water in the Physical Realm appear as solid in the Cognitive, whereas land on the Physical Realm appear as a vast sea, the composition of which differs for each region.
- A tiny sun
- There appears to be a sun in the Cognitive Realm's sky, but it appears smaller than the sun of the planet on the Physical Realm.
- Investiture-based illumination
- All Invested Physical objects glow in the Cognitive Realm. Since life itself appears to be a form of Investiture, living things glow as well. Certain objects might also glow even though they are not Invested, as in the case of metal in Scadrial, though why this is so has not yet been revealed.
- Plants on Cognitive land
- Some areas in the Cognitive land (which is water on the Physical Realm) appear to have plants or plant-shaped objects on them, the type of which differe in each region.
On Roshar
- Main article: Shadesmar
Rosharan scholars call the Cognitive Realm Shadesmar. Non-living things on the Physical Realm appear as dark glass beads in Shadesmar, while living things appear as flames. Bodies of water in the Physical Realm appear as dark obsidian land in Shadesmar, while Physical land appear as a dynamic sea of glass beads. Shadesmar's sky is black, with narrow clouds lining up towards a tiny sun.
Shadesmar is the natural habitat of the spren, and is where their true form can be seen. There are spren cities around Shadesmar, presumably on obsidian lands that are bodies of water in the Physical Realm. Trees made of crystal grow on this obsidian land.
On Scadrial
Physical things on the Cognitive Realm on Scadrial appear shrouded in mist. Living things, as well as metallic objects, appear to glow. The Physical land appear misty and fluid, while bodies of water on the Physical Realm appear as solid, dark, smoky stone where mist-emitting plants grow.
On Sel
The Shards of Dominion and Devotion was Splintered and trapped in the Cognitive Realm by Odium. This trapped power of two Shards, collectively called the Dor, makes the Cognitive Realm on Sel extremely dangerous, as anyone who comes here unprepared would be shredded by the raging uncontrolled power.
It is unknown if the region of Cognitive land where the Ire are positioned during the events of Mistborn: Secret History is in Sel, though the Ire appear to be Elantrians.
Silverlight
- Main article: Silverlight
Silverlight is a city fully located on the Cognitive Realm.
An Empty Region
According to an interview with Brandon Sanderson, there is a Shardworld whose Cognitive Realm is mostly empty.