SENSING POWER: RUYA

This power is unique in my universe (as far as I know). It has evolved as my story has evolved. As I train this power, I am learning more about it. Here is what I know so far…

GHOSTS OR SPIRITS:

A living person consists of three parts; the body, the mind, and the soul. Ghosts are the spiritual part of a person. They contain the mind and the soul of a being. The benign ghost can choose to be tied to an individual or a place until they decide to 'ascend' this plane of existence. This means to 'move on.' Ghosts usually move on when the person they are tied to dies. Ghosts who chose not to be tied to a place or a person are often referred to as restless ghosts. They are sometimes seen as vengeful, but they cannot do damage to the living.

Spirits of the dead, once they have decided to transcend this plane of existence, go to purgatory to be judged by The Source before they are given the option to return to the mortal plane in a new life, or ascend to their reward (some consider this to be Heaven). Only their soul is in purgatory, not their mind.

Evil spirits are not given the option to wait. They are forced into purgatory for judgment. Restless spirits are not evil, but more often confused. They often do not know that they are dead or refuse to see it. A ghost is considered benign. No evil ghosts exist.

Spirits that are tied to a person can travel for a short distance from that person, usually within a ten-mile radius. If that person is located within a Nexus, that distance is much greater. This is why a Nexus is known as a place that allows you to see ghosts. For example, Robert could tell what was happening anywhere on Lien Yu, but in Hong Kong, he was limited to a smaller distance. He helped Oliver find what he needed, even if they couldn't communicate yet.

NEXUS:

A mystical convergence zone is also called a Nexus. A Nexus forms at every location where two or more ley lines converge at a single location. The more ley lines that converge, and the more powerful the ley lines, the more powerful the Nexus. The availability of ley lines makes magic done in these places stronger. The sight is also stronger in a Nexus. Even the untrained can see ghosts.

Most Nexus points are Minor Nexus points. There are twelve Major Nexus points. But there are only two Great Nexus points; Nanda Parbat, Tibet and Tiahuanaco, Peru. These two points each connect directly or indirectly to every ley line on the planet Earth. Nanda Parbat in the Northern hemisphere and Tiahuanaco in the Southern hemisphere.

Nexus points often become sentient. The larger the Nexus point, the more likely that it has become sentient. All Ruya can communicate with a Nexus to some degree. The stronger the gift of the Ruya and the easier the communication is with the Nexus. The Nexus will often adopt the personality type of the spirits that become tied to the location of the Nexus. The humans without Ruya will often name the area similar to the Nexus' definition of itself.

For Example:

1) Lian Yu is a secure site to store magical items. The Nexus point is the keeper for those items. It enhances the magical protection of those artifacts. A type of prison for those artifacts. Human memory made the island a prison. The Major Nexus gained a wary personality for those who would come to the island. It would ensure hardships for those humans it did not like. Evil men often had misfortune on the island. It became known as a cursed prison.

2) Gotham is a gritty city with a high level of crime and an absurd number of mental disorders. Gotham was founded as an insane institution during the colonies. Arkham Asylum is the longest-running known insane asylum in the country. It sits directly over the center of the Nexus. Those insane spirits that are benign become tied to this nexus. The Nexus influences all those who live there. That is why Gotham has the personality it does as a city.

3) Starling is a bustling city of commerce and a port. It has been a successful city and business until recently. The main hub of the Nexus is at City Hall in downtown Starling. Those benign spirits that have become tied to this city are focused on expansion and growth. It is only Malcolm Merlyn who is unaffected by the Nexus. His manipulations have caused the Nexus to fight back. That is why so many grassroots heroes started in Starling. To fight the disease that is Malcolm Merlyn.

There are many Minor Nexus points around the world. Some are larger than others. There are only twelve Major Nexus points. Every headquarters for a branch of the League is situated above one of the twelve Major Nexus points.

Nanda Parbat - (Northern Great Nexus) Main League Headquarters. The Demon's Fang headquarters.

Tiahuanaco, Peru - (Southern Great Nexus) Found in ruins. No major cities nearby. Most of the spirits have ascended to a higher plane of existence.

Chiu Monastery, Tibet - The Demon's Claw headquarters (No nexus). Too close to Nanda Parbat. Ruya travel to Nanda Parbat to seek counsel with the Nexus.

Lima, Peru - The Demon's Venom headquarters. (Major)

Christ Church, New Zealand - The Demon's Spine headquarters. (Major)

Rome, Italy - The Demon's Horn headquarters. (Major)

Other known Nexus: Lian Yu (Major), China; Starling City, WA (Major), USA; Gotham, NJ (Major), USA; Hawaii, USA (Major); Easter Island (Rapa Nui) (Major); Moscow, Russia (Major); Glaston, England; (Major)

AURAS:

Auras are energy fields that surround every living being. Those energy fields changed color based on how our spirit reflects our energy. This energy can also be affected by the being's mood and emotional state. A trained Ruya can easily see the aura of a living being with their inner eye, even if that living being is not visible to the human eye.

Auras are only a 'snapshot' into the spiritual state of that being. A living being can change its aura in the future. Their aura can become more or less dark, based on their actions and intentions. This also allows the person who can read an aura to see if the being is lying or not. It only reflects the truth as the being knows it. Not as it is. If the being believes the lie, then it shows as telling the truth. If they believe the truth is a lie, it shows as a lie. It shows intention, not fact.

Red: Root Chakra, fiery, independent, action-oriented: Good [red, pale raspberry, dark pink] Evil [Dark red, maroon]

Orange: Sacral Chakra, creative, sexual, experience-oriented: Good [orange, peanut butter, turmeric] Evil [brown, dark brown, milk chocolate]

Yellow: Solar Plexus Chakra, charismatic, magnetic, empowered, confident: Good [yellow, yellow cheese, golden delicious] Evil [olive drab, tan, dark kelp]

Green: Heart Chakra, music, nature, compassion oriented: Good [green, granny smith, clover] Evil [zucchini, cucumber, malachite]

Pink: Heart Chakra, kind, caring, loving, compassion oriented: Good [pink, light pink, dog rose]

Blue: Throat Chakra, great mental depths, truth-oriented: Good [light blue, sky blue, turquoise] Evil [dark blue, dark royal blue, Prussian blue]

Indigo: Third-eye Chakra, absorbs the thoughts and feelings of others, empathic oriented: Good [lavender, rose de franc] Evil [dioxazine, Han purple]

Purple: Third-eye Chakra, psychic, intuition, sensitivity, intuition oriented: Good [mauve, lilac, musk] Evil [spectral violet, dark violet, amethyst]

White: Crown Chakra, quick-mind, perfectionism, whole thinker oriented: Good [white, translucent, ivory] Evil [slate gray, dark gray, dim gray]

* Black: fatigued, broken, allowed evil, exhausted, out of balance: THIS COLOR TINTS THE EXISTING COLORS TO A DARKER SHADE.

* Rainbow: two or more colors dominant, busy period, extra energy: THIS IS A SPLIT BETWEEN DOMINANT COLORS. The colors do not mix.

NOTES:

The aura colors can be looked up on the internet. The vast majority were positive. Sorry, but I'm trying to write about how to see evil people. So, I took some artistic license with the tint of the colors. I used a color wheel and picked the darker colors to show that person as leaning toward evil. The darker the lean the more black the color. Even sources of evil and demons are not a pure black color. Their auras would show their dominant color tinted dark.

Likewise, not everyone is just motivated by one factor. These other colors show other powerful factors in that person's soul. These colors don't blend. People with a dominant color that is 'shot with' other colors shows their most likely emphasis colors. i.e: Batman's aura: White (whole thinker) shot with blue (intellectual) and red (action).

~AU~AU~AU~AU~AU~AU~