Spiritual realm

The spiritual realm (Ugaritic: Napšānu or Šamūma) is the spiritual plane of existence. It is inhabited by incorporeal spirits and its functions primarily occur through the use and exchange of naphsha.

Satano-Grigorist cosmology conceptualizes the spiritual realm as existing alongside the physical realm. These two realms are thought to intersect in a way; this is why spirits can affect the physical realm, and why contact between humans and spirits is possible.

Name

Satano-Grigorists often refer to this plane simply as the spiritual realm, but it also has Ugaritic names, which may be used in regular conversation as well as in ritual contexts.

Šamūma

Šamūma, which translates to "heavens," is the most widely used term in ancient Semitic texts. It is cognate to the ancient Hebrew word for the spiritual realm, šāmāyīm (sometimes romanized as shamayim), which is frequently used throughout the Hebrew Bible and Parabiblica (apocrypha and pseudepigrapha). It possibly shares a root with the name of Samyaza.

Napšānu

Napšānu, which means "place of souls" or "place of naphsha," is much less common; its use most often pertains to death and the afterlife, although it can refer to the spiritual realm in any context.

Symbolism

Symbolically, the spiritual realm is typically associated with the sky, in contrast to the physical realm, which is associated with the earth.

See also

• Physical realm (Arṣu)