#Mage, Awakening to Ascension, pt 4: The Paradox Paradox
The Paradox Paradox:
How the World Reacts to magic, and why, in the merged setting of Awakening and Ascenscion.
The Diamond Orders believe Paradox is caused by Hubris, when a mage's reach exceeds their grasp, when they try things that are beyond them, or when they provoke too much dissonance in the Sleepers around them by use of obvious magic in their presence. They believe the stress opens the world to the influence of the Abyss, and that drawing down Supernal Magic from the Realms beyond the Abyss always carries some risk.
The Traditions believe Paradox is the reaction of consensus reality to a mage trying to twist it too far from what is understood to be possible, that Reality itself tries to maintain stability within the Consensus of what is. Paradox is not blamed on the Abyss, which may not even be recognized as existing, but on the two conflicting realities literally struggling for primacy.
They are, of course, both correct.
Everything is true, nothing is forbidden.
Since reality is what you believe and will it to be, both explanations (all explanations, there are far more than these two) are equally true.
What truly matters is that Paradox exists. If you reach too far, if you are too 'vulgar' in your magic, if too many people who don't believe see you cast spells, maybe if you just do too much magic too quickly...the cosmos reacts, sometimes violently. It may some spirits of Paradox or 'abyssal' entities.
It may warp your body, or your mind. It may taint your magic forever. The risk are high . . . but if no magic is ever practiced that is hard to believe, how can the Consensus be shifted? How can the gap between Supernal and Fallen be crossed if you don't Reach across? Magic becomes a difficult balancing act between necessity and risk, but the risk must be taken sometimes. Even if failure (or too good a success!) drops you back two steps, reinforcing the current Consensus or feeding Disbelief, or harming those you meant to save, or destroying you directly...if you don't ever take that risk, nothing changes, and mages just walk the world barely changing anything, and the world marches ever on toward a sterile future empty of Wonder...or a blasted wasteland Fallen ever further from the Supernal, and magic will fade, more and more.
