A traveler can move around the skin of the mortal realm from here, which is how an astral traveler can project his consciousness from a monastery in Tibet to a classroom in New Orleans. The silver, nude, idealized form of that traveler exists in the same Penumbra as the shaman who steps sideways and the gloomy Goth who sees that realm as a beautifully decaying mess.

To move past that reflection of the mortal realm and ascend higher into the Astral Reaches, those adventurers must find an astral doorway: a shining pool, a vivid window, a mirror, or a literal doorway that provides passage into one of the High Umbral Realms. Stepping through one takes you out of the mortal realm’s reflection. That’s where the real challenges begin.