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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Yaarel" data-source="post: 7471814" data-attributes="member: 58172">‘crystal spheres’ = gravitational orbitsAristoteles along with other Hellenists observed how the planets seemed to orbit around the sky. He explained that they were fixed to ‘crystal spheres’ that rotated. The notion of the sphere shape derives from highest celestial sphere of stars − the starry globe similar to our ‘celestial sphere’ star map that we use today.The sphere came to be characterized as ‘crystal’ only in the sense that whatever it was was transparent and symmetric. However, Aristoteles described it as being made out of ‘ether’, a defacto heavenly  element that is unlike the four elements of matter, namely earth, water, air, and fire.During the Medieval Period, the scholar Rambam described this fifth element ‘ether’ as being ‘force’. This force is completely invisible and insubstantial yet in someways like fire but in other ways like water. (Kinda reminds me of our modern descriptions of ‘particle-wave’ and ‘gravity waves’.) He characterized the shape of the planetary motion as a ‘cycle’ rather than a sphere. He characterizes Aristoteles as actually describing ‘cycles of force’ − what we would call gravitational orbits.Regarding the four elements, earth, water, air, and fire. Rambam described  them as states of matter, rather than elements − in other words, solid, liquid, gas, and arguably plasma − as he associates fire with lightning and the sun which are both plasma to various degrees.So during the 1100s, for Rambam, the five ‘elements’ are: solid, liquid, gas, plasma, plus gravity.For D&D purposes ...• ‘crystal spheres’ are gravitational forces that cause solar and lunar systems to cycle round• gravity = force = ether• ethereal plane is made out of force (!)Phlogiston is ether − is gravity − the gravitational forces that can still be slightly detected even in remotest empty space. This ‘phlogistonic’ gravity holds solar systems and galaxies together. The difference between ‘phlogiston’ and ‘crystal sphere’ is the difference between ‘gravity’ and ‘orbit’.Understanding ‘crystal spheres’ as a metaphor for gravitational orbits, clarifies the relationship between official D&D worlds as literally being space travel from the planet of Forgotten Realms to the planet of Eberron to the planet of Ravnica. Importantly, these planets are in different solar systems. So they are quite remote − practicably requiring faster-than-light travel, wormholes, or ... teleportation.The material plane is empty space with all the matter within it. This matter moves around according physical forces, lives, and consciousnesses.To sail thru space, the spelljammer ship can be explained as the ship magically bringing a bubble of breathable air and a gravity spell along with it.I notice, the Hellenists such as Aristoteles were doing real science. And the careful assessment of his findings by Rambam and other later scholars remains true even today.</blockquote>

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