There is a Primary Mover who is responsible for the autonomic functions of the universe. It is impersonal, possibly not even aware of us as individuals, and while it may 'love' us in some capacity (for a given value of that term), its concept of love is so removed from ours and so inhuman that it's probably a good thing that it doesn't seem to 'see' us at a personal level. It isn't malevolent, per se, but it hears no prayers. Its motives and desires are inscrutable and vast and alien--I conceptualize it as something like an Eldritch Abomination.
That said, it seems to provide a kind of rough framework for reality to cling to. Reality is like being inside a globe, with 'struts' that hold up reality itself. The struts seem to be universal constants or near-constants. Most cultures seem to have some rough agreement around what these look like. It might be possible for some of these struts to bend--this is not a good thing. Humans get hurt on the occasions this happens--it's a radical failure of reality itself.
Within the struts, the world is moldable, and people who know how can influence reality to an extent. We cannot (usually) bend the struts, and certain actions are functionally impossible--a human will not transform physically into an oak tree, no matter what magical interventions are applied. A human might be able to interface with the tree's consciousness, or know its spirit, or work with the spirit of the tree itself, but the human will not gain leaves, grow to a great height, etc.
The PM also seems to be the source of the River of Reality. Most humans exist in this river, floating along asleep. The River has a current, but most humans are sleeping too hard to notice it. Mages are people who woke up and are able, to varying extent, to work with the current. It's possible to go against the current, but it's hard to do, and most people get better results working with the current. (The best explanation of this I ever read was from Mage, by White Wolf. Yes, the tabletop gaming system.)
Between the PM and humans, there are infinite entities. Some of them are benevolent; some of them aren't. Interestingly, most cultures seem to independently evolve a roughly similar pantheon with gods who control the same functions grouped together. These beings are willing and able to intervene in human affairs and are sometimes inclined to do so. They are ancient cosmic intelligences--they often have their own agendas and can be either helpers or enemies depending on many factors.
Entities can be benevolent, malevolent, or indifferent. Humans perceive them the way they would if looking through a silk screen. We perceive the shape of certain things but our brains are not configured to see the whole all at once. Behaving cautiously with non-human intelligences is wise--great intelligence yoked to an alien understanding of things can be wildly dangerous for humans. Some entities are parasites and will, if able, drain a human's energy.
Some places and objects seem to possess a kind of presence I call 'rough sentience'. Typically, through long use or strong emotional activity, they seem to acquire a personality and a limited ability to interact with the world around them. Usually, these are things that are very 'personal' in nature--a carpenter's tools, a stuffed animal, or a location associated with strong emotions. These things are often benevolent but can be malevolent.
Places, in particular, can become malevolent, either through hosting an entity or simply because that's its nature. The best course of action is typically to shun them, destroy them, and to make others aware of the dangers. Certain other things--specifically certain actions--seem to provoke a negative response from reality itself, or to attract malevolent entities--tremendous violence, acts of deliberate depravity, violating a sacred space or ritual, kinslaying or violating guest right--all seem to be near-universally decried as especially ritually impure. These things seem to carry a cosmic stain that pollutes individuals and places.
