how could a nature spell need to remain constantly active?

Question

Angels are massively powerful entities that inhabit the astral plane, separated from our world through a metaphysical barrier. They can only enter our world by way of a summoning spell, a form of ritualized magic which relies on the power of nature. Unlike other forms of magic which depend on the mana level of the user, ritualized magic uses the unlimited mana of nature itself, allowing for the most powerful of spells. These spells are slow and complicated, requiring various items and multiple steps that must be carried out in a certain way.

The setup of a spell requires 7 female witches and one male warlock. The individuals enter a prepared ritual circle, with the 7 standing on the edges of it and the warlock inhabiting the center. The participants begin to sing and chant, forming a ritualized dance to summon the creature. Through this method, an angel can cross over into our realm and be made to do a number of things, such as answer questions, attack opposing forces, etc. The stronger the entity , the more ritual circles with the same setup are needed. Multiple circles must be connected with each other and work in tandem to summon more powerful entities.

However, even after the entity has crossed over, the summoning spell must continue. As the spell depends on the unlimited magic of nature rather than the individuals, the creature should be able to maintain its presence after being summoned. However, if the ritual doesn't remain active, the entity would lose its connection to our world and fade back to the astral plane. How can this be the case?

Answer 1

We have a practically unlimited power source (for our daily use at least) right at our fingertips. All we have to do to harness it is to plug in our devices to the wall and we get electricity!

The angels are our phones in this scenario and Nature is the power plant. All we need is the ritual to be the bridge for the power. Much like unplugging the phone, if you quit the ritual the angel stops receiving power.

Answer 2

The metaphysical plane exists at an energy state different from ours.

In atoms, the negatively charged electrons have a tendency to go towards the positive nucleus, however, instead they spin around it in their respective layers without ever falling to the center of the atom or out of it, always maintaining their positions at their respective layers (under normal circumstances). However, once you grant energy to these electrons, they're able to change their position in the elctrosphere, going to more external layers of the atom. Your 2 realms work very similarly, with the angels being at a different energy state than our world, and thus being incapable of interacting with it normally (this difference in energy state is what the metaphysical barrier actually is). The only way for them to cross through the barrier and remain here is through powerful spells that temporarily grant them the necessity energy to perform a "quantum jump" into the summoner's realm. However, as the angels aren't capable of maintaining this energized state by themselves, if the ritual is interrupted, they'll return to their natural energy state and, as a consequence, return to their natural plane. The reason behind this is that, not coming from the normal plane, these angels are in fact unstable entities and once the flow of energy (mana) that allowed them to remain ceases, their bodies naturally reject the extra energy they already received (may it be as light, heat or something else) and perform another "quantum jump" back to their realm, similarly to how an electron returns to its original layer once it stops receiving energy.

Answer 3

The question is not one of power, it's of direction. Unless the power is continually directed toward the purpose, it will dissipate, just like water directed into a watermill will, unless the mill is kept up to standard, fall less and less efficiently (as parts break) until it does not drive the mill at all.

Answer 4

The spell not only summons, but controls.

Angels are outraged at being summoned. They are royally pissed off when they are. They resent being made to answer or act against their will by inferior creatures. It is a colossal indignity and humiliating waste of their time.

The spell must continue because it maintains control over the angel. If control is lost for even a second, the angel will stop whatever it is doing, scoop up the beings which imposed on it and take them back to the astral plane.

Even if you are not one of those scooped up, you do not want to be anywhere nearby if this happens. One cannot unsee an angry angel.