Cultures Dictionary

Aromatherapy, Flower Remedies

Relatively new to this country, this technique was used in ancient Egypt and other cultures. It involves specialized knowledge of how various essences affect the body and psyche by purportedly altering brain activity. Often combined with massage or esthetics, or used alone, various essences are claimed to be able to affect many physical ailments.

(See also: Aromatherapy/ , Alternative Health, Healing, Body Mind and Soul)

Krishna:

An Incarnation of God whose life is given in the Bhagavata and in the Mahabharata.

(See also: Krishna , Sanskrit Dictionary, Body Mind and Soul)

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V X Y Z

Bears

A bear in a dream is a very rich and complicated dream symbol. In order to understand it, objective association need to be made. Bears are solitary animals and the females are solitary mothers. They hibernate in a cave and they are generally not predatory animals. A bear is only aggressive when provoked, and as such times he is dangerous and deadly. Bears in dreams may represent a period of introspection and depression. However, this may be a part of a healing cycle, where the dreamer has retreated into himself in order to regenerate and in order to create something new and valuable in his life. Bears are highly regarded symbols in a variety of cultures and traditions, including the Native American tradition. Carl Jung said that all wild animals represent latent affects (feelings and emotions). The interpretation of the bear in a dream may be influenced by your perception of it and by the events in the dream. The bear may represent qualities in your character or specific aspects of your personality. Bears are usually associated with danger and aggression, but this is a very narrow view of this powerful dream symbol.

Source: Dream Lover Incorporated, http://www.dreamloverinc.com

(See also: Dream Archives, Meaning of Dreams, Dream Interpretation, Dream Dictionary, Dream Dictionary - Bears , Meaning of Dreams about Bears , Dream Interpretation Bears )

Atharva-veda:

One of the section of the Vedas. (see Vedas)

(See also: Atharva-veda , Sanskrit Dictionary, Body Mind and Soul)

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V X Y Z

Out-of-body Experience

The out-of-body experience can be a dramatic one. Clinically, this falls into a phenomenon called "dissociative experience or disorder."

Often the experiences that create this feeling are powerfully ecstatic or traumatic. In either case, the feeling is similar to watching oneself in a film. Basically, whatever is going on in the dream is so powerful that the dreamer is separating herself from experiencing it directly. The result is a self watching the self in a moment of life. Dreams of this nature can be very revealing about the self at work in the world (see Medard Boss). Lucid dreaming can also create this feeling. In lucid dreaming, the dreamer is conscious of dreaming and may be watching herself in the dream.

Dreams of this nature may create a feeling that the dreamer has projected herself into another sphere of reality, creating a sense of astral projection. This idea has been popularised by certain paranormal studies on perceptions of reality.

Native American cultures view the out-of-body experience as a fuller unity of the soul with nature. As such, it is not surprising that they hold such experiences in high regard. It is in this sense that you can consider the out-of-body experience a brush with great power-in a world of physical limitations you suddenly have the ability to go wherever you wish to go. You have complete control regarding your place in the universe.

Conversely, another possible out-of-body experience involves a complete loss of power: seeing yourself lying on an operating table in a hospital.

Does your out-of-body experience empower or frighten you?

Do you choose your travel destination or do you simply appear somewhere through no choice of your own?

Source: iVillage, http://www.ivillage.co.uk

(See also: Dream Archives, Meaning of Dreams, Dream Interpretation, Dream Dictionary, Dream Dictionary - Out-of-body Experience , Meaning of Dreams about Out-of-body Experience , Dream Interpretation Out-of-body Experience )

conscience: The inner sense of right and wrong, sometimes called "the knowing voice of the soul." However, the conscience is affected by the individual's training and belief patterns, and is therefore not necessarily a perfect reflection of dharma.

In Sanskrit the conscience is known as

-       antaryamin, "inner guide," or

-       dharmabuddhi, "moral wisdom."

Other terms are

-       sadasadvichara shakti "good-bad reflective power" and

-       samjnana, "right conception."

It is the subconscious of the person -  the sum total of past impressions and training -  that defines the creedal structure and colors the conscience and either clearly reflects or distorts superconscious wisdom.

If the subconscious has been impressed with Western beliefs, for example, of Christianity, Judaism, existentialism or materialism, the conscience will be different than when schooled in the Vedic dharma of Shaktism, Smartism, Saivism or Vaishnavism. This psychological law has to do with the superconscious mind working through the subconscious (an interface known as the subsuperconscious) and explains why the dharma of one's sampradaya must be fully learned as a young child for the conscience to be free of conflict.

The Sanatana Dharma, fully and correctly understood provides the purest possible educational creedal structure, building a subconscious that is a clear, unobstructing channel for superconscious wisdom, the soul's innate intelligence, to be expressed through the conscience. Conscience is thus the sum of two things: the superconscious knowing (which is the same in all people) and the creedal belief structure through which the superconscious flows. This explains why people in different cultures have different consciences.

See: antaryamim, creed, dharma, mind (individual mind).

(See also: Conscience , Hinduism, Body Mind and Soul)

Mantra:

Holy Sanskrit text; the sacred formula used in japa, or repetition of God's name. Also one of the two main sections of the Vedas. (See  Vedas)

(See also: Mantra , Sanskrit Dictionary, Body Mind and Soul)

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V X Y Z

Reiki:

Reiki is believed to have begun in Tibet several thousand years ago. Seers in the Orient studied energies and developed a system of sounds and symbols for universal healing energies. Various healing systems, which crossed many different cultures, emerged from this single root system. Unfortunately, the original source itself was forgotten.

Reiki practitioners channel energy in a particular pattern to heal and harmonize. Unlike other healing therapies based on the premise of a human energy field, reiki seeks to restore order to the body whose vital energy has become unbalanced.

Reiki energy has several basic effects: it brings about deep relaxation, destroys energy blockages, detoxifies the system, provides new vitality in the form of healing universal life energy, and increases the vibrational frequency of the body.

The laying of hands is used in Reiki therapy also as in spiritual healing. There is a difference though. In spiritual healing, a person with a strong energy field places his or her hands above a particular part of the recipient’s body in order to release energy into it. So, here the healer is the one who is sending out the energy. In Reiki, however, the healer places the hands above the recipient; however, it is the recipient that draws the energy as needed. Thus, in this case, the individual being healed takes an active part in the healing process as opposed to having a passive part in spiritual healing. The individual takes responsibility for his or her healing. The recipient identifies the needs and caters to them by drawing energy as needed.

Although there are a few positions in which the practitioner is in contact with the patient (such as cradling the head), most Reiki treatments do not involve actual touching. The practitioner holds his or her hands a few inches or farther away from the patient’s body and manipulates the energy field from there.

(See also: Reiki , Alternative Health, Body Mind and Soul)

Cow

In our dreams, this simple domestic animal can represent a variety of very important and deeply-felt issues. In some cultures the cow is a sacred symbol, representing divine qualities of fertility, nourishment and motherhood. Consider the details in your dream and make attempts to identify the individual, (it could be yourself), to whom the symbolism applies. Additional characteristics to consider when interpreting a dream with cows as one of the primary symbols are passivity, docility and general contentment with life. The cow is mostly a positive dream symbol, and superstition-based dream interpretation say that grazing cows are symbols of prosperity, contentment and happiness.

See also: Meaning of Dreams about Animals

Source: Dream Lover Incorporated, http://www.dreamloverinc.com

(See also: Dream Archives, Meaning of Dreams, Dream Interpretation, Dream Dictionary, Dream Dictionary - Cow , Meaning of Dreams about Cow , Dream Interpretation Cow )

Dream FAQ Dictionary: Can Dream Predict the Future?

Can Dream Predict the Future?

Treat such dreams with caution and good sense. If you dream that your plane is crashing, there is no good reason to cancel your flight: the dream will simply be a reflection of your tension and a (perhaps unconscious) fear of flying. If you dream that that plane is piloted by a red-haired man with only one arm, and you are welcomed on board next day by a red-haired pilot with an empty sleeve, you might do well to be worried! However, most of them are only concidence according to statistics, although you think that the dream are predicting your future.

Practicality should always be underlined when we think of dream interpreatations. It is not a modern, untried theory - it has been used in many cultures throughout world history - though it is only in the present century that a general concensus has been reached about the way in which we should look at our dreams and discover how they can help us.

Source: http://library.thinkquest.org/C005545/english/dream/lucid.htm

(See also: Prophetic Dreams , Dream Interpretation FAQ, Dream Interpretation, Dream Dictionary, Meaning of Dreams)

Ethnography:

Part of social and cultural anthropology emphasizing descriptions of individual cultures rather than cross-cultural comparisons; when engaged in by the untrained, often degenerates into scrapbooking.

(See also: Ethnography , Pagan, Paganism, Pagan Dictionary)

Mahabharata:

A famous Hindu Epic.

(See also: Mahabharata , Sanskrit Dictionary, Body Mind and Soul)

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V X Y Z

Brahma:

The Creator God; the First Person of the Hindu Trinity, the other two being Vishnu and Siva.

(See also: Brahma , Sanskrit Dictionary, Body Mind and Soul)

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V X Y Z

Samadhi:

Ecstasy, trance, complete concentration, communion with God.

(See also: Samadhi , Sanskrit Dictionary, Body Mind and Soul)

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V X Y Z

Buddha:

(Lit., The Enlightened One) The founder of Buddhism.

(See also: Buddha , Sanskrit Dictionary, Body Mind and Soul)

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V X Y Z

Rain

Weather in dreams is generally a detail that may be left unanalyzed unless it is particularly noticeable to the dreamer for some reason. Rain is one of these notable exceptions. The reason comes from the relationship between water and fertility that many cultures affirm. In dreams where rain and water-fertility are identified, there is usually an unique feature to the rain. This can be as mundane as a drought that is broken to rain that only falls indoors on one or two particular people.

Does the rain cause you problems of some sort or is it a welcome addition to the scene?

Source: iVillage, http://www.ivillage.co.uk

(See also: Dream Archives, Meaning of Dreams, Dream Interpretation, Dream Dictionary, Dream Dictionary - Rain , Meaning of Dreams about Rain , Dream Interpretation Rain )

Stranger

The interpretation of seeing and interacting with a stranger, or strangers, in your dream depends on the details of your dream and on your personal belief system. Some Eastern cultures believe that the strangers in your dreams are spirits from another dimension. These spirits may be teaching you lessons or giving you specific messages. The more modern approach to interpreting a dream with strangers in it is that they represent different sides or unfamiliar aspects of our personality. The best way to tell is to "check inside" of yourself and simply try to understand the message of this dream. Whether the message is coming from your unconscious or from a different reality might be irrelevant. The lessons gained through a dream are far more important then where they came from. Just remember: The mind that dreamt the dream also knows its source and meaning (and that is YOUR own mind).

See also: Meaning of Dreams about People

Source: Dream Lover Incorporated, http://www.dreamloverinc.com

(See also: Dream Archives, Meaning of Dreams, Dream Interpretation, Dream Dictionary, Dream Dictionary - Stranger , Meaning of Dreams about Stranger , Dream Interpretation Stranger )

THEOLOGY: is Greek, meaning the 'Study of God and the religion and cultures effected by them. . Thealogy: new usage & spelling, the 'Study of Goddess'.

(See also: THEOLOGY , Witchcraft, Wicca, Paganism, Pagan Dictionary)

Dharma:

Righteousness, duty. The inner constitution of a thing, which governs its growth.

(See also: Dharma , Sanskrit Dictionary, Body Mind and Soul)

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V X Y Z

Karmakanda:

The part of the Vedas that deals with rituals and sacrifices.

(See also: Karmakanda , Sanskrit Dictionary, Body Mind and Soul)

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V X Y Z

Afterife - Life After Death

An encyclopedia of different cultures mythology  around afterlife, including : Adiri, Ama-No-Hashidate: , Asamando, Asgard, Astral Plane, Avalon, Bralgu, Chalmecacivati, Ching Tu, Chinvato Peretav, Dilum, Djanna, Elysium, Fortunate Isle, Gwenved, Happy Hunting Ground, Hawaiki, Inkolwe, Isle of the Blest, Kevala, Khun-Lun, Ki-Agpga-Pod, Kotluwalawa, Land of the Moon, Lewu Liau, Limbo, Mizumu, Moksha, Mormon Heaven, Mount Kailasa, Mount Meru , New Age Afterlife, New Jerusalem, Nirvana, Otherworld, Sheol, Summerland, Tain, Tamoanchan, The Pole Star, Tlalocan, Tum and Valhalla.

Read more here: » Afterlife: Encyclopedia of Afterlife Mythology in Different Cultures

Hindu - Zulu Tradition - Many Similarities

There are some striking similarities between the African and Indian cultures.

In both Hindu and Zulu cultures religion and culture have become inseparable. You cannot talk of culture without implying religion; and you can't talk of religion amongst the Zulus and the Hindus without implying culture.

Read more here: » Hinduism vs Zulu: Hindu - Zulu Tradition - Many Similarities