Heaven and Earth (phrase)
Heaven and Earth is a spiritual concept and poetic phrase occurring frequently in Creation, though its meaning and merit have shifted over time and culture.
Generally, it is used as a term for Creation, including both the lands between the five Elemental Poles and Yu-shan, but not the realms considered unnatural, the Underworld or Hell... though few in Creation would admit this, the term refers to the parts of Creation created by the Primordials, rather than merely OF them.
The phrase first saw use amongst the ranks of the gods during the Primordial Era. At this time, the gods dwelt upon the Blessed Isle, and mortals in the Threshold, but even amongst gods there was much competition: with the Primordials still forging the gods, and before the wave of casualties that came in the war against them, bureaucratic advancement was difficult for most spirits, and ambition instead expressed itself in jockeying for social and geographic, not ministerial, position. On the Blessed Isle, those dwelling in the great city on the slopes of Mount Meru were said to dwell in the Heavens, for here they were closest to the Heavenly City (though the Primordials themselves did not use such a term), and the best and most sought place for residences and offices, while those less fortunate or influential dwelt upon the Earth, on the land extending from the foot of Meru to the coasts.
When the gods ascended to Yu-shan, ‘heaven’ ascended with them, leaving all Creation as the Earth. This definition continues to hold amongst spirits, tying closely to the view of Celestial spirits as superior to Terrestrial ones (a view extending to the Exalted as well): ‘Heaven and Earth’ carries with it implication of relations between master and subordinate, for Heaven is undeniably greater than Earth, and mortals ought be obedient to the will of the gods.
While some in Creation share this view (particularly the priests and adherents of divine cults), it is not universal. The Immaculate Order, and the poetic pens of the Scarlet Dynasty which exist under its influence, make use of an identical term with far different meaning.
The Immaculates view Heaven and Earth not arranged one atop the other, but side-by-side, as equals. It is the duty of the gods to regulate Creation, and the duty of Creation to regulate the gods, each behaving in its proper place for the betterment of all. When one forgets its place, Heaven and Earth draw apart, be it distance along the same plane or one ascending above the other, and the balance between them is broken.
These two distinctive interpretations, as well as the tendency of poets to play with language and meaning in their works, has meant that several works of poetry exist (notably Songs of the Heavens and the Earth and the namesake prose work Heaven and Earth), whose message can be interpreted in entirely different, incompatible ways, cited in support of both divine cults and the Order.
