There are other worlds. Many many many other worlds. Some are pretty close to ours, and some are pretty far away. Think of it like layers of an onion, with the ‘core’ being the first world (what we call ‘Heaven’ or ‘Nirvana’), and moving out from there. Every layer is another world.
Some worlds are easy to get to through gates/portals/etc, and some are almost impossible to reach. The nearer to our own, the easier, usually. Of course you’d need to have the skill to get there, or know how to use a portal. And for that you have to know where they are.
Worlds are different to dimensions. Just to confuse matters even more. Each world has untold dimensions…but they are another matter entirely (sometimes literally so) and a better topic of discussion amongst physicists. Dimensions can also be traveled to via portals, and but the layers between them are so very thin, and the consequences of intentional dimensional travel so possibly dire, it isn’t at all recommended.
There are a good few portals in Ireland (and some in other places around the world) but they are very few and far between and they are always guarded, either by magic or by guards or both.
Portals are world-specific. You can take a portal to Fairy/Arcadia but that same portal won’t get you to Hell. Sometimes the best way to get to a farther-away world is to go through another one that’s a bit closer. Sometimes that is the only way into another world.
Time moves differently in the different worlds as well. So journeying between is hazardous to say the least. Every world has its own rules, which travelers really should learn before they go. So that they don’t break them. Also so they don’t get lost. Or stuck. Or ‘un-alived’.
None of these supernatural worlds are known to the general human/mortal world. Although, as always, there are stories and myths. And there are a couple of secret human societies that know.
Below is some of what we know about some of the worlds that exist…
Heaven (The 1st World)
Also called Aaru, Elysium, Asgard, Shambhala, Vyraj and a myriad of other names, this is the first world ever created by The Word, the home of Angels and some gods and demigods. It is also a world a few enlightened souls may be invited to dwell for eternity, on occasion, should they so desire.
Heaven is a place of perfect peace and beauty; a place outside of time, the end and beginning of all things. It is a place where thought becomes reality with ease, which is why it is heavily guarded against those with imperfect thoughts.
Angels dwell in heaven, and all angels can come and go as they please. All other beings must be invited, and those invitations are very hard to come by.
Arcadia (The 2nd World)
Also called Tír na Nóg, Annwn, Alfheim, Svarga, and Fusang, among other names, this is the land where Fairies and other mythological beings come from. From Elves to Fae to Gnomes to Giants and Dragons, all such ‘fairytale’ creatures are allowed a home within it’s bounds.
Earth (The 3rd World)
Ah, Earth. Good Ol’ Terra Firma. Also known as ‘The World’, The Globe, Sol III, Terra, Tellus, and Gaia. This is the world we, and everyone else on Earth, is most familiar with. Naturally. Earth is full of humans. And humans are pretty full of themselves. Other beings often make earth their home, or at least their eatery. For every single otherwise feeds upon humans…in one way or another.
Humans, for the most part, remain blissfully unaware of this fact, and keep on thinking they are the apex predators of their world. We know a lot about Earth, and all its different places and faces, times and changes. For example:
ANCIENT MESOPOTAMIA.
The Sumerians, Elamites and Akkadians (including Assyrians and Babylonians), were ancient civilizations that thrived in Mesopotamia from the start of recorded history around 3100 BC until the fall of Babylon in 539 BC, when it was overtaken by the Achaemenid Empire. Following that, Mesopotamia fell under the control of Alexander the Great in 332 BC, and after his death, became a part of the Seleucid Empire.
DUBLIN, IRELAND. ON THE WESTERN EDGE OF EUROPE.
Dublin is the capital and largest city of Ireland, situated by the River Liffey and bordered by the Dublin Mountains. It has a population of 592,713 within the city council area, but the wider Dublin City and suburbs boast a population of 1,263,219, with County Dublin reaching 1,501,500 citizens as per the 2022 census. Originally a Gaelic settlement, it became a prominent city following a Viking establishment and further expanded after the Anglo-Norman invasion of Ireland. Dublin grew significantly from the 17th century, especially after the Acts of Union in 1800. It became the capital of the Irish Free State upon independence in 1922 and has been recognized as an important global city.
The Underworld (The 4th World)
Also called The Netherworld, Purgatory, and Hel, the Underworld is a world right next to ours, and in some places even intermingled with ours (we call these places ‘haunted’).