Equipped with the tools of reason, and training in sciences, explorers will always fall short of finding proof for anything...
Until we actually bother to go look and actually follow the scientific method (*EXPERIMENTS YO!). I dropped a small mountain of "easter eggs" in this thread. I invite you to go hunting. if you don't want to, you don't have to.
(*which emoji is the disappointed face?)

to sum up my posts:
1. Psionics is an internal art. The methods and techniques of psionics are not those of spell casters. The stuff of magic is gathered and manipulated according to various practices of each tradition... the Magic practices, do things externally (like ecstatic dancing with chicken carcasses). Psionics is internal.
2. Psionics is not superpowers. watching a guy start to slip into "theta state" is as boring as watching potatoes grow. The result of gathering actionable intelligence, from nap-time mumbling... is definitely unexpected though.
3. Psionic ability is not a mutation or evolution. the pineal gland is vestigial like the appendix, and no one is born without one.
4. Psionics is weird as weird as higher-dimensional geometry, maybe more so. it is easily misconstrued as magic by people who know nothing about it.
5. Few have the potential for psionic ability psionics requires some sort of natural talent, akin to artistic talent.
6. Psionics develops with practice one does not spend ten minutes inside a Karate studio, and come out able to punch holes in fence posts.
7. Psionics differs from magic in that it is subtle, unseen, invisible, easily blamed on something else, excused away by the science of modern "excusology".
8. There is a huge body of scientific evidence for psionics. at best, it is being ignored and derided for the sake of reputations and fragile egos.

Could your game world be improved by some of these speculations?
Could your writing be improved by drawing on research?
Could your writing be improved by citing a credible source?
Can personal experience improve your ability to convey a topic?

that is something we writers should pursue, INTIMATE knowledge of our topic.
lest we talk out our ace venturas...

Quote from: PSIandCO on May 02, 2022, 03:00:13 PM
Matter+mind= Arcane magic (wizards, sorcerers)
Matter+life= Primal magic (Druids, shamans, rune casters)
Life+spirit= Divine magic (clerics, priests, "champions" [paladins, liberators, redeemers])
Mind+spirit=Occult magic (psychics, bards, exorcists, ghost hunters)

the book makes no mention of Disputes between the traditions.
The book glosses over issues with spells that can do things the essences say they shouldn't (such as a divine caster summoning "Food and Drink" *clearly the province of Matter).
The book implies that there may be other combinations, as the "Four Essences" seem based in Ethereal mechanics...

With four particles, there are six possible pairings. Missing from the list are: Matter+Mind & Mind+Life.

I never read the book, but I'm not suprised it "glosses over" things. The author apparently wasn't smart enough to figure out the system they were trying to present. If they instead made groupings of three particles, they would have solved the problems they "glossed over."

Out of Matter, Mind, Life, Spirit, we'd get:
Matter+Mind+Spirit (arcane magic)
Matter+Mind+Life (primal magic)
Matter+Life+Spirit (divine magic)
Mind+Life+Spirit (occult magic)

Psionics could be something entirely separate from magic, or it could be the combination of all four particles, however a setting wants to define the interaction.

Quote from: Effete on May 02, 2022, 05:24:08 PM

Quote from: PSIandCO on May 02, 2022, 03:00:13 PM
Matter+mind= Arcane magic (wizards, sorcerers)
Matter+life= Primal magic (Druids, shamans, rune casters)
Life+spirit= Divine magic (clerics, priests, "champions" [paladins, liberators, redeemers])
Mind+spirit=Occult magic (psychics, bards, exorcists, ghost hunters)

the book makes no mention of Disputes between the traditions.
The book glosses over issues with spells that can do things the essences say they shouldn't (such as a divine caster summoning "Food and Drink" *clearly the province of Matter).
The book implies that there may be other combinations, as the "Four Essences" seem based in Ethereal mechanics...

With four particles, there are six possible pairings. Missing from the list are: Matter+Mind & Mind+Life.

I never read the book, but I'm not suprised it "glosses over" things. The author apparently wasn't smart enough to figure out the system they were trying to present. If they instead made groupings of three particles, they would have solved the problems they "glossed over."

Out of Matter, Mind, Life, Spirit, we'd get:
Matter+Mind+Spirit (arcane magic)
Matter+Mind+Life (primal magic)
Matter+Life+Spirit (divine magic)
Mind+Life+Spirit (occult magic)

Psionics could be something entirely separate from magic, or it could be the combination of all four particles, however a setting wants to define the interaction.

It also only applies to whichever fictional settings you choose to apply it to. You could also have a system based on all magic is either miracles from God or bargains with the Devil. You could have a system like some of the old Ultima games where different forms of magic are tied to the elements (ex. necromancy is earth magic while healing is water magic in one game for example).

Quote from: Chris24601 on May 02, 2022, 07:48:26 PM

Quote from: Effete on May 02, 2022, 05:24:08 PM

Quote from: PSIandCO on May 02, 2022, 03:00:13 PM
Matter+mind= Arcane magic (wizards, sorcerers)
Matter+life= Primal magic (Druids, shamans, rune casters)
Life+spirit= Divine magic (clerics, priests, "champions" [paladins, liberators, redeemers])
Mind+spirit=Occult magic (psychics, bards, exorcists, ghost hunters)

the book makes no mention of Disputes between the traditions.
The book glosses over issues with spells that can do things the essences say they shouldn't (such as a divine caster summoning "Food and Drink" *clearly the province of Matter).
The book implies that there may be other combinations, as the "Four Essences" seem based in Ethereal mechanics...

With four particles, there are six possible pairings. Missing from the list are: Matter+Mind & Mind+Life.

I never read the book, but I'm not suprised it "glosses over" things. The author apparently wasn't smart enough to figure out the system they were trying to present. If they instead made groupings of three particles, they would have solved the problems they "glossed over."

Out of Matter, Mind, Life, Spirit, we'd get:
Matter+Mind+Spirit (arcane magic)
Matter+Mind+Life (primal magic)
Matter+Life+Spirit (divine magic)
Mind+Life+Spirit (occult magic)

Psionics could be something entirely separate from magic, or it could be the combination of all four particles, however a setting wants to define the interaction.

It also only applies to whichever fictional settings you choose to apply it to. You could also have a system based on all magic is either miracles from God or bargains with the Devil. You could have a system like some of the old Ultima games where different forms of magic are tied to the elements (ex. necromancy is earth magic while healing is water magic in one game for example).

Oh, definitely!
I'm guessing since this was written for PF it was intended to explain the "core" traditions.

Honestly, over the decades I've been gaming, I found that less-is-more, especially when it comes to magic. You'll want to setup a clear distinction, both narratively and in the mechanics, but attempting any sort of in-depth explanation is futile. Most players won't care, most explanations would be filled with flaws and contradictions, and if you're publishing a book, it's a waste of page-space. Just say, "THIS is magic, THIS is miracles, THIS is psionics" and leave it at that. Players that care can fill in the blanks themselves.

QuoteWith four particles, there are six possible pairings. Missing from the list are: Matter+Mind & Mind+Life.

I never read the book, but I'm not suprised it "glosses over" things. The author apparently wasn't smart enough to figure out the system they were trying to present. If they instead made groupings of three particles, they would have solved the problems they "glossed over."

Out of Matter, Mind, Life, Spirit, we'd get:
Matter+Mind+Spirit (arcane magic)
Matter+Mind+Life (primal magic)
Matter+Life+Spirit (divine magic)
Mind+Life+Spirit (occult magic)

Psionics could be something entirely separate from magic, or it could be the combination of all four particles, however a setting wants to define the interaction.

It's also possible that Matter + Spirit and Mind + Life are impossibility like they are anti-essences for each other. Just random idea.

TBH considering eccentric beliefs of our PsiUser - I'm not sure if this MindLife thing was ever in official Pathfinder lore, or was it just his invention.