Axes Of Power

Established power sources:

• Invocation (warlock)
• Thaumaturgy (witch)
• Elementalism (elementalist)

Less well established:

• Psionics (psion)
• Evocation (arcanist)
• Faith (priest)

Basic tenets of each:

• Invocation: power comes from the Outer Planes. Humans, as residents of the Prime Material with souls, have the ability to invite that power into the Prime, and shape its effect. This can have profound side effects on the Prime and upon the Invoker, especially since the Outer Planes actively want to be invited in, and will offer anything in exchange for that vitally-important invitation.
• Thaumaturgy: the Sympathy Principle means that Thaumaturgists can do amazing things with magic--tracking someone with a hair they left behind, controlling someone's body with their blood, etc. Of course, they also recognize the karmic nature of magic, understanding that any ill-willed spell will rebound upon them in due time. Magic, to them, is opinionated, and extremely consequential.
• Elementalism: power comes from the elements, which in the abstract form the foundation of reality, and in the physical world literally exist all around us. Earth, fire, wind, and water abound, and can be shaped into magic by one who lives in harmony with the elements. One must humble themselves before nature, accepting the differences and peculiarities of each element--never forcing their will upon them, but guiding them to do what is in their nature.
• Psionics: power comes from the mind, perhaps that same divine spark that allows anyone with a soul to invite the magic of the Outer Planes into our world. While the disciplines are abstract, the magic is quite concrete: psions understand actual physics, providing energy to spookily act at a distance, while using their consciousness to provide the crucial physical connection between cause and effect. Size matters not, not because lifting a starfighter takes less energy than lifting a pebble, but because the Universe is full beyond measure of energy that can be borrowed for the purpose.
• Evocation: power comes from the Universe, and the way it was engineered. While strange and unknowable to us, that engineering is revealed through geometry, numbers, and symbols, the mnemomics of the Arcane that make it possible to "hack" the Universe. Who knows why that particular symbol makes light happen, or this particular syllable makes force missiles? They do, and knowing them gives the Arcanist power. There is no morality or consequence in the power itself, merely in the intent; the Universe cares not if one wields the Arcane or wields a knife. It sheds no tears for spilled blood--that is the realm of humans and their gods, and the means shouldn't matter more than the motive.
• Faith: power comes from the gods, who made the Universe in their image. If the Universe has magic words, outer planes, or elements that lead to power, the gods put them there. It is wiser to humble before the gods, and to look to them not only for power, but for the purpose for which that power should be put to use. Each god may disagree on the particulars, but every practitioner of Faith obeys them with conviction, whether or not they understand the higher purpose.

One potential axis system:

• Planar axis: invocation (outer planes) <-> also invocation, but called elementalism (inner planes)
• Human axis (power comes from within): abstract (thaumaturgy) <-> concrete (psionics? druidism?)
• ??? axis: evocation <-> faith ???

Highly similar:

• Invocation and Evocation
• Arcane and Psionic
• Invocation and Faith
• Thaumaturgy and Faith

Highly dissimilar:

• Thaumaturgy and Arcane
• Thaumaturgy and Psionics

Take 1

• Axis 1: Communion (power comes from without) / (who do you deal with)
  • Invocation: power is bargained
  • Faith: power is bestowed
• Axis 2: Balance (power comes from the laws of reality) / (what do you align with)
  • Elementalism: ledger of matter
  • Thaumaturgy: ledger of deeds/intent
• Axis 3: Will (power comes from the will) / (what do you master)
  • Psionics: physics
  • Evocation: the arcane