Astral Plane

David Haller and Oliver Bird on the Astral Plane

“	You know he can create a kind of mental projection space, something between reality and dream. An astral plane.	”
	— Ptonomy and Melanie.[src]

The Astral Plane is a metaphysical location that can be accessed by mutants with psychic powers.

History

“	It's remarkable, isn't it? A vast other-dimensional realm unbound by anything but one's imagination. I call it the astral plane....This place. It exists between time and space.	”
	— Amahl Farouk to Charles Xavier[src]

The Astral Plane is a place lying somewhere between dream and reality. In its normal appearance, there is no definite "ground", instead there appears to be a black mist with tiny green lights the covers surface. Everything in the Astral Plane takes on a green hue, whether this is due to the light source of the Astral Plane being green or the air that the light passes through being green it is hard to say. Oliver refers the slopping green hills as the "vast subconscious" implying that the environment of the Astral Plane is warped by the user's thoughts and memories subconsciously. Occasionally, a forest like background can be seen instead of hills.

The Astral Plane can also be shaped with conscious effort by the psychic residing there. It is due to this that a variety of environments, illusions and constructs can be made manifest. Commonly, the realm can take the form of an empty void of varying colors whenever a psychic creates their illusory, "mental space" in it, similar to a blank canvas. Everyday is the same in the Astral Plane and though the mutants there can imagine whatever they wish, nothing will ever be truly real, only simulated. The reason for this is that their mind is in the Astral Plane while their body remains in reality--comatose. If a psychic spends too long in the Astral Plane they risk becoming trapped there. Also, if an individual becomes trapped in the Astral Plane their memories and thoughts will begin to drift due to the lack of human contact.

Additionally, due to the realm being outside the limits of conventional space and time, psychics can use it perceive and interact both, such as Farouk noticing and intercepting Jia-Yi with a constructed environment within the Astral Plane despite her time traveling. This aspect of the Astral Plane also allows powerful enough psychics to negate the Time Eaters abilities to consume history, as well as access the Time Between Time, a dimension home to the Time Eaters, Farouk explaining there to be a rift within the Astral Plane to this realm.

Visitors

“	I'm not supposed to be here, wherever this is. This is....the Astral Plane, a world beyond the world, made of pure energy. Very few can see it.	”
	— Amahl Farouk to Jia-Yi[src]

David Haller's father psychically fought and defeated Amahl Farouk, the Shadow King, on the Astral Plane . Oliver Bird, the co-founder of Summerland, regularly visited the Astral Plane until he was unable to return to the physical world. His body was cryogenically frozen to preserve him until he could return. During one session of memory work, David Haller became trapped in the Astral Plane. Oliver brought Cary Loudermilk into the Astral Plane in order to communicate with him and develop a plan to defeat Farouk.

Known visitors & inhabitants

• Amahl Farouk
• Cary Loudermilk
• Charles Xavier
• David Haller
• Melanie Bird
• Oliver Bird
• Sydney Barrett
• Jerome Wolf