Although directionality when discussing Umbrae is an exercise in futility, if one were to step back and look at the universe from a four-dimensional perspective, then such things as direction may apply.
That said, if one were to go "up" from the Penumbra, one would eventually arrive at the Astral Reaches, also called the Astral Plane, the Astral Umbra, the High Umbra, or simply the Upper Umbra. The Astral Reaches are the realms of thought, of idea, of concept and emotion. This is the Umbra most frequently travelled by mages.
The High Umbra or Astral Umbra is a place that can broadly be considered a reflection of the consciousness of every living being on the surface of the Earth. It can be divided into the Vulgate (a region where various common ideas (e.g. invention, love, or hand-to-hand combat) form small microcosmic realms that interact frequently with one another as human ideas and beliefs change), the Spires (a region where major abstract ideas such as War or Love form sizable realms), the Courts (where major societies such as the Mount Olympus of myth and the Court of the Hindu pantheon, gods included, can be found), and the Epiphanies (a realm of ultimate abstraction, unattainable by most mortals). According to the Wraith, while certain afterlives (such as realms that are apparently the Christian Heaven and Hell) seem to play themselves out here, they are not populated by the souls of the dead, but instead by beings who exist as a fundamental part of the realm.
Realms found within the High Umbra include:
- The Grand Hall (in the Vulgate)
- The Inventium (in the Spires)
- The Elemental Courts (in the Courts, nearer the Spires)
- The Afterworlds (in the Courts, nearer the Epiphanies)
- The Epiphany (above the spires)