Where Mana Comes From

Manna is a substance that exists in Biblical history as well as a type of energy that exists in many magic systems, including that of Magic: the Gathering. In the Bible, manna came from Heaven, but in Magic, mana comes from the opposite direction, from lands. When a spellcaster in that game needs energy, they pull it straight out of the ground. This has previously prompted me to wonder how the mana got in the ground in the first place. One thought is that mana could be generated in the core of a planet, but there's a more scientific answer that I like a lot better.

I like imagining that the mana in Magic functions much like energy on Earth. On Earth, energy comes from the Sun. This energy is then absorbed by the ground and by the plants that grow in it. The plants use the energy for nourishment, and when we or other animals use those plants for nourishment, we are effectively absorbing energy that was ultimately derived from the Sun. If we consider all this energy "magical," then it's easy to think of magic infusing everything, especially the ground and plants that experience direct exposure to sunlight most of the day.

Yet, whether we're talking about bread from heaven or magical energy derived from the center of the planet or from the Sun, all of this originated from a single source, its Creator. The Bible's manna was created directly by God, as were the Sun and Earth, which then spread energy elsewhere. Magical energy is created by the imagination of those who dream it up, and those authors and creators were themselves created by God. God is the ultimate source of every substance and all the energy in the universe. So, no matter what kind of mana we're talking about, what form it takes, or where we find it, we can be certain that it ultimately came from God.