Astral Engineering

The ambitious practice of trying to build, modify, or manipulate structures within the astral plane. While most people are just trying to have an out-of-body experience, astral engineers want to construct astral temples, design cosmic gardens, or reroute the flow of ethereal energy. The problem, much like dream engineering, is that the astral plane is notoriously unstable and your beautifully designed temple is likely to collapse into a pile of floating geometric shapes the moment you try to open the astral door.

Example: "He spent months meditating to perfect his astral engineering skills, planning to build a magnificent crystal palace in the higher realms. When he finally projected, he managed to construct a single, wobbly, semi-transparent bench that immediately dissolved when a passing thought-bird landed on it."

by Abzugal February 14, 2026

Spiritual Engineering

The practice of deliberately constructing your belief system, daily rituals, and ethical framework with the precision of an architect designing a skyscraper. It's about building a sturdy internal structure that can withstand life's earthquakes, complete with reinforced prayer beams, load-bearing gratitude pillars, and a well-insulated attic for storing existential dread. The problem is that spiritual engineering often requires blueprints that were written thousands of years ago, and the building codes have changed significantly since then, leading to structures that are either too rigid or creatively unsound.

Example: "She thought she had done the spiritual engineering work, building a solid foundation of yoga, veganism, and daily affirmations. But when her dog died, the whole structure collapsed, revealing she'd forgotten to install any supports for actual grief."

by Abzugal February 14, 2026

Divine Engineering

The hypothetical process by which a supreme being designs and constructs the universe, from the grand scale of spiral galaxies down to the baffling specifics of the platypus. It's the study of the original cosmic blueprint, raising questions about the engineering choices behind things like mosquito existence, male pattern baldness, and the fact that the most delicious foods are usually the worst for you. Was it a design flaw, a feature, or just the divine equivalent of "we'll fix it in post"?

Divine Engineering Example: "Looking at the human spine, which is terrible for upright walking, one has to question the divine engineering. It's like the architect designed a beautiful building and then realized they forgot to put in a load-bearing wall. A classic rookie mistake for an omnipotent being."

by Abzugal February 14, 2026

Metaphysical Engineering

The practice of trying to build, repair, or optimize the non-physical structures of reality, such as your soul, your karma, or the universal consciousness. It's the ambitious attempt to rewire your spiritual circuitry, reinforce your astral body's load-bearing walls, or install a better filtering system for negative energy. The problem is that the blueprints are invisible, the tools are metaphorical, and the building inspector is your own ego, which is notoriously lenient about code violations. Most metaphysical engineering projects result in a structure that looks great on paper but collapses under the slightest emotional pressure.

Metaphysical Engineering Example: "He thought he'd done the metaphysical engineering work to create an impenetrable shield of white light around himself. But when his mother criticized his life choices, the shield evaporated instantly, revealing it was made of nothing but good intentions and a lack of boundaries."

by Abzugal February 14, 2026

Metasocial Engineering

The practice of attempting to design and shape the underlying frameworks that govern social analysis and discourse. It's not about changing what people think; it's about changing how they think about thinking. This includes designing academic curricula to privilege certain critical theories, creating social media algorithms that reward specific types of meta-commentary, and structuring public debates to ensure that the conversation stays focused on the "real issues" (as defined by the engineer). It's a subtle, often invisible form of power, and its practitioners are usually found in university admin buildings and think tanks.

Example: "By carefully structuring the conference panels to feature only speakers who agreed on the proper methodology for studying online communities, the organizers engaged in a bit of metasocial engineering. They weren't controlling the conversation; they were controlling the definition of what counted as a valid conversation."

by Abzugal February 14, 2026

Metacognitive Engineering

The practice of deliberately designing your mental habits, thought patterns, and internal narratives to optimize for happiness, productivity, or at least functional survival. It's the attempt to rewire your brain's default settings, replacing the factory-installed "catastrophize everything" app with a custom-built "moderate optimism" operating system. The problem is that your brain's legacy code is deeply resistant to updates, and every time you try to install a new "don't panic" patch, the system reverts to its factory settings of "panic appropriately (and also inappropriately)."

Example: "He tried some metacognitive engineering, installing a new mental habit where he'd reframe every negative thought. When he thought 'I'm going to fail this presentation,' he'd force himself to think 'I'm going to do my best.' It worked great until his brain crashed and started reframing 'I need milk' into 'I am one with the milky universe.'"

by Abzugal February 14, 2026

Psionic Engineering

The disciplined practice of developing psionic abilities as if they were any other technical skill, with training regimens, safety protocols, and measurable outcomes. Psionic engineers don't just hope to move objects with their minds; they create practice schedules, track their progress in spreadsheets, and attend workshops on "advanced telekinetic applications." The field requires immense patience, as measurable results are elusive, and most practitioners spend years achieving nothing that couldn't be explained by drafts, static electricity, or wishful thinking.

*Example: "His psionic engineering practice involved daily 20-minute sessions trying to influence a random number generator with his mind. After a year, his numbers were statistically indistinguishable from chance, but he'd developed excellent meditation skills and could sit in perfect stillness for extended periods. He called this 'non-dual psionics' and considered it a success."*

by Nammugal February 14, 2026