Complexion

• To dream that you have a beautiful complexion is lucky. You will pass through pleasing incidents.
• To dream that you have bad and dark complexion, denotes disappointment and sickness.

Source: 10 000 Dream Interpretations, by Gustavus Hindman Miller

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

Dream Dictionary Index with links to 10.000 dream interpretations from many different sources.

Please note that all words in grey are hyperlinked to an archive with articles related to that word, including dream interpretations.

For more dream interpretation, see: Meaning of Dreams or Dream Dictionary

For articles about dreams, see: Dreams

Read more here: » Dream Interpretation Index: Dream Interpretation Index including links to 10.000 dream interpretations

Role of Taste

It is as important to realise that every food's unique combination of attributes will influence its taste and the action it causes in the body. With every taste having a different action – as detailed below. Astanga Hrdayam clearly describes the characteristics of each of the six tastes and problems that might be experienced from its habitual over-consumption. Most foods being a combination of two or more of these tastes e.g. coffee is bitter and pungent.

Sour

Comprised of the elements earth & fire, it increases pitta and kapha and is good for heart and digestion. Stimulates agni, moves inactive Vata energy down the pelvic cavity, sets the teeth on edge and increases salivation. Excess use may cause looseness and flabbiness, loss of strength, giddiness, itching, irritation, a whitish yellow pallor, herpetiform lesions, swelling thirsts and fever, and diseases arising from excess pitta and kapha.

Sweet

Related to earth & water, it mitigates pitta and vata, producing greater strength in the tissues and of value to the aged, wounded, emaciated and children. Universally liked, it often adheres to the inside of the mouth, giving a feeling of pleasure, contentment and comfort. Good for the complexion, hair, senses and ojas, it also increases breast milk and helps unite broke parts like bones. By its virtue it prolongs life and helps life activities. In excess however it may cause diseases arising from fat and excess kapha e.g. obesity, dyspepsia, unconsciousness, diabetes, enlargement of neck glands or malignant tumors.

Salt

The water & fire in salty taste increases pitta and kapha. It clears obstruction of channels and pores and increases the digestive activity and salivation. Also responsible for lubrication and sweating, it penetrates the tissues. An excess of it may cause baldness and graying of the hair, wrinkles, thirst, skin diseases, blood disorders, herpetiform leisons and loss of body strength

Pungent

Fire & air in pungent increases vata and pitta and mitigates kapha. Increases hunger, is digestive, causes irritation, brings secretion from the eyes, nose & mouth, and gives a burning sensation to the mouth. Dilating the channels and breaking up the hard masses. But an excess use of it may cause thirst, depletion of reproductive tissue and strength, fainting, contracture, tremors, pain in the waist and back, and other disorders related to excess of pitta and kapha.

Bitter

Air & space being its elements, it mitigates pitta and kapha. Drying up moisture from fat, muscles, faeces and urine. It cleans the mouth and destroys the perception of taste. It is said to cure anorexia, worms, bacteria, parasites, thirst, skin diseases, loss of consciousness, fever, nausea, burning sensation. But in excess, it increases vata, causing diseases of vata origin and depletion of tissues.

Astringent

Air & earth increases vata and mitigates increased pitta and kapha. It cleans the blood and causes healing of ulcers. Like bitter, it too dries up moisture from fat. It absorbs water, causing constipation and hindering digestion of undigested food. Its excess use causes stasis of food without digestion, flatulance, pain in the cardiac region, emaciation, loss of virility, obstruction of channels and constipation.

(See also: Diet , Ayurveda, Ayurvedic Dictionary, Alternative Health, Body Mind and Soul)

Orpheus (Ancient Greek). Lit., the "tawny one". Mythology makes him the son of Eager and the muse Calliope. Esoteric tradition identifies him with Arjuna, the son of Indra and the disciple of Krishna. He went round the world teaching the nations wisdom and sciences, and establishing mysteries. The very story of his losing his Eurydice and finding her in the underworld or Hades, is another point of resemblance with the story of Arjuna, who goes to Patàla (Hades or hell, but in reality the Antipodes or America) and finds there and marries Ulupi, the daughter of the Naga king. This is as suggestive as the fact that he was considered dark in complexion even by the Greeks, who were never very fair-skinned themselves.

(See also: Orpheus , Theosophy, Spirituality, Body mind and Soul, Spiritual Dictionary,)

aditya-varna:

aditya-varna (aadhithya-varna). Complexion like the sun.

(See also: aditya-varna , Hinduism, Hinduism Dictionary, Sanskrit Dictionary, Body Mind and Soul)

Siva, Shiva (Sanskrit) The third god of the Hindu Trimurti (trinity): Brahma the evolver; Vishnu the preserver; and Siva the regenerator or destroyer.

Siva is one of the three loftiest divinities of our solar system, and in his character of destroyer stands higher than Vishnu for he is "the destroying deity, evolution and PROGRESS personified, who is the regenerator at the same time; who destroys things under one form but to recall them to life under another more perfect type" (SD 2:182). As the destroyer of outward forms he is called Vamadeva. Endowed with so many powers and attributes, Siva possesses a great number of names, and is represented under a corresponding variety of forms. He corresponds to the Palestinian Ba`al or Moloch, Saturn, the Phoenician El, the Egyptian Seth, and the Biblical Chiun of Amos, and Greek Typhon.

"In the Rig Veda the name Siva is unknown, but the god is called Rudra, which is a word used for Agni, the fire god . . ."; "In the Vedas he is the divine Ego aspiring to return to its pure, deific state, and at the same time that divine ego imprisoned in earthly form, whose fierce passions make of him the 'roarer,' the 'terrible' " (SD 2:613, 548).

Siva is often spoken of as the patron deity of esotericists, occultists, and ascetics; he is called the Mahayogin (the great ascetic), from whom the highest spiritual knowledge is acquired, and union with the great spirit of the universe is eventually gained. Here he is "the howling and terrific destroyer of human passions and physical senses, which are ever in the way of the development of the higher spiritual perceptions and the growth of the inner eternal man -- mystically . . . Siva-Rudra is the Destroyer, as Vishnu is the preserver; and both are the regenerators of spiritual as well as of physical nature. To live as a plant, the seed must die. To live as a conscious entity in the Eternity, the passions and senses of man must first die before his body does. 'To live is to die and to die is to live,' has been too little understood in the West. Siva, the destroyer, is the creator and the Saviour of Spiritual man, as he is the good gardener of nature. He weeds out the plants, human and cosmic, and kills the passions of the physical, to call to life the perceptions of the spiritual, man" (SD 1:459&n).

Though Siva is often called Maha-kala (great time) which, while being the great formative factor in manvantara is also the great dissolving power, to the Hindu mind destruction implies reproduction; so Siva is also called Sankara (the auspicious), for he is the reproductive power which is perpetually restoring that which has been dissolved, and hence is also called Mahadeva (the great god). Under this character of restorer he was often represented by the symbol of the linga or phallus: "the Lingham and Yoni of Siva-worship stand too high philosophically, its modern degeneration notwithstanding, to be called a simple phallic worship" (SD 2:588). It is under the form of the linga, either alone or combined with the yoni (female organ, the representative of his sakti or female energy), that Siva is so often worshiped today in India.

In the Linga-Purana, Siva is said to take repeated births, in one kalpa possessing a white complexion, in another that of a black color, in still another that of a red color, after which he becomes four youths of a yellow color. This allegory is an ethnological account of the different races of mankind and their varying types and colors (cf SD 1:324).

Siva is known under more than a thousand names or titles and is represented under many different forms in Hindu writings. As the god of generation and of justice, he is represented riding a white bull; his own color, as well as that of the bull, is generally white, referring probably to the unsullied purity of abstract justice. He is sometimes seen with two hands, sometimes with four, eight, or ten; and with five faces, representing among other things his power over the five elements.

He has three eyes, one placed in the centre of his forehead, and shaped as a vertical oval. These three eyes are said to denote his view of the three divisions of time: past, present, and future. He holds a trident in his hand to denote his three great attributes of emanator, destroyer, and regenerator, thus combining all the usual qualities or functions attributed to the Trimurti. In his character of time, he not only presides over its beginning and its extinction, but also over its present functioning as represented in astronomical and astrological calculations.

A crescent or half-moon on his forehead indicates time measured by the phases of the moon; a serpent forms one of his necklaces to denote the measure of time by cycles, and a second necklace of human skulls signifies the extinction and succession of the races of mankind. He is often pictures as entirely covered with serpents, which are at once emblems of spiritual immortality and his standing as the patron of the nagas or initiates. He is often mystically personated by Mount Meru, which esoterically is both the cosmic and terrestrial axis with their respective poles.

According to the belief of most Advaita-Vedantists, Sankaracharya, the great Indian philosopher and sage, is held to be an avatara of Siva.

See also Shiva, Siva

(See also: Siva, Shiva , Mysticism, Mysticism Dictionary)

Yellow Race, Yellow Races The intermingling of races is very complicated, and has been an ethnological fact for almost innumerable millennia in the past, so that we can only use the term in the plural and say yellow races, in reference to peoples in which a yellow or near-yellow skin is predominant and characteristic.

Even during the fourth root-race on Atlantis "there were brown, red, yellow, white and black Atlanteans," "who represented several humanities, and almost a countless number of races and nations"; "The present yellow races are the descendants, however, of the early branches of the Fourth Race" (SD 2:433; 199). Certain European ethnologists say that three fundamental colors enter into the human complexion -- red, yellow, and black -- and that these mingle in various proportions, giving the numerous other shades.

The first physical or "solid" race (in contradistinction to the previous ethereal or astral races) appeared after the middle of the third root-race after the fall into generation. In its very beginnings, its color was light yellow or golden cream. This race gave birth to the fourth, and Siva transformed that part of humanity which became black with sin into red-yellow, whose descendants are Amerindians and Mongolians; and finally into brown-white races, which together with the yellow races, form the great bulk of present humanity (SD 2:250).

(See also: Yellow Race, Yellow Races , Mysticism, Mysticism Dictionary, Body mind and Soul)

Pitta: “to heat”. It is only the fire which in pitta brings on good and bad results, according to normal or abnormal conditions of the organs. The normal function of pitta causes: power of cognition, fire of digestion, fresh complexion, clarity of thought, body temperature, hunger and thirst, and nimbleness of mind.

(See also: Pitta , Hinduism, Yoga, Sanskrit Dictionary, Body Mind and Soul)

Ascendant: The ascendant or rising sign reflects your persona – what you choose to show to the world. Whereas the Sun sign is your individuality and does not change a great deal, you have the capacity to choose the nature and level of expression of your Ascendant. You can choose the most destructive expression, or you may choose to show a side of yourself to the world that is full of optimism and promise.

The Ascendant is frequently useful in describing your physical characteristics and general health. Aside from geographical and ethnic realities, the rising sign shows complexion, hair and eye color, stature and weight. A Gemini would be rather taller than average, and Taurus might be on the stocky side, within the range of family tendencies.

The Ascendant offers suggestions for what kind of clothing looks good, what colors will make you seem stronger. The general shape of the head and face are linked to the Ascendant. The sign also indicates a part of the body that you can show off to good advantage. It may not be your favorite part of yourself, but it is one that will respond to careful treatment in terms of clothing, movement, etc. The Taurus may not think about the throat very much, but this is a key area to focus on to create a strong effect on others. Aquarians can benefit from careful selection of shoes, as the ankles are “the thing.”

As you learn about your Ascendant, you will find a whole array of new considerations for how to present yourself to the world. Should you be flippant or stern, gregarious or darkly serious? The rising sign can provide a wealth of imaginative possibilities.

Because the Ascendant is the way others see you, physically and in every other way, it pays to understand what they are seeing. You can develop a whole range of clothing, movements, communication styles and general attitudes based on your rising sign. You can overcome limitations in other areas by emphasizing the positives here. In this way you actively participate in creating the impression you want others to have, and you become more influential as you project a well thought-out image.

(See also: Ascendant , Magic, Shamanism, Paganism, Wicca)

Rising Sign: The ascendant or rising sign reflects your persona – what you choose to show to the world. Whereas the Sun sign is your individuality and does not change a great deal, you have the capacity to choose the nature and level of expression of your Ascendant. You can choose the most destructive expression, or you may choose to show a side of yourself to the world that is full of optimism and promise.

The Ascendant is frequently useful in describing your physical characteristics and general health. Aside from geographical and ethnic realities, the rising sign shows complexion, hair and eye color, stature and weight. A Gemini would be rather taller than average, and Taurus might be on the stocky side, within the range of family tendencies.

The Ascendant offers suggestions for what kind of clothing looks good, what colors will make you seem stronger. The general shape of the head and face are linked to the Ascendant. The sign also indicates a part of the body that you can show off to good advantage. It may not be your favorite part of yourself, but it is one that will respond to careful treatment in terms of clothing, movement, etc. The Taurus may not think about the throat very much, but this is a key area to focus on to create a strong effect on others. Aquarians can benefit from careful selection of shoes, as the ankles are "the thing."

As you learn about your Ascendant, you will find a whole array of new considerations for how to present yourself to the world. Should you be flippant or stern, gregarious or darkly serious? The rising sign can provide a wealth of imaginative possibilities.

Because the Ascendant is the way others see you, physically and in every other way, it pays to understand what they are seeing. You can develop a whole range of clothing, movements, communication styles and general attitudes based on your rising sign. You can overcome limitations in other areas by emphasizing the positives here. In this way you actively participate in creating the impression you want others to have, and you become more influential as you project a well thought-out image.

(See also: Rising Sign , Magic, Shamanism, Paganism, Wicca)

Sweet

Related to earth & water, it mitigates pitta and vata, producing greater strength in the tissues and of value to the aged, wounded, emaciated and children. Universally liked, it often adheres to the inside of the mouth, giving a feeling of pleasure, contentment and comfort. Good for the complexion, hair, senses and ojas, it also increases breast milk and helps unite broke parts like bones. By its virtue it prolongs life and helps life activities. In excess however it may cause diseases arising from fat and excess kapha e.g. obesity, dyspepsia, unconsciousness, diabetes, enlargement of neck glands or malignant tumors.

(See also: Sweet , Ayurveda, Ayurvedic Dictionary, Alternative Health, Body Mind and Soul)

Balarama (Sanskrit) Elder brother of Krishna, regarded by some as an avatara of Vishnu, by others as the incarnation of the great serpent Sesha. He spent his childhood with Krishna and during his life performed many daring exploits. Krishna, the indigo-complexioned, was considered to be a relatively full avataric manifestation of Vishnu, while Balarama, said to have been of fairer complexion, is known as a partial avataric incarnation of Vishnu.

(See also: Balarama , Mysticism, Mysticism Dictionary, Occultism, Occultism Dictionary)

Sacred Sites: Temples as Places Of Deep Insight

Temples and other places of worship play a significant role in cultural reformation. The innate vibrations, cultural complexion, and spiritual qualities resonate all around the devotee. So they are more than places of worship; they are cultural rendezvous centres for traditional community activities. They are also meeting places for families and friends.

Read more here: » Sacred Sites: Temples as Places Of Deep Insight

There is a distinction between personality and individuality. Many have no clear understanding of these two terms. They get these mixed up and are confused. Some people think that personality is individuality and individuality is personality. That which distinguishes a person from a thing or one person from another is personality. Personality in common parlance refers to the body. When a man is tall, has good complexion and beautiful features, when his face has a fine cut, we say that Mr. So-and-so has a charming personality. When one is able to influence others, people say that such-and-such a man has strong personality. When one is timid and shy we say that such and such a man has weak personality; he must develop his personality. Personality counts much in society for success in life.

The death and dying and the life after death has always fascinated man. This is an excerpt from the book What Becomes Of The Soul After Death by Sri Swami Sivananda.

Read more here: » Soul After Death: Personality And Individuality

There are 40 to 60 tons of amalgam in the teeth of Sweden's population. About 50 percent of this is mercury. Everyone agrees that mercury is not good for the environment or for health, but still a majority of people have amalgam in their teeths. The homeopath Lars Lonnerud knows what mercury does to us and how we can have it removed without getting sick.

Read more here: » Spiritual Health – Amalgam from an homeopathic view

The Sanskrit word 'yoga' is derived from the root verb yuj, which means union. The supreme union of individual mind and cosmic mind is yoga. In his Yogasutras , Patanjali advocated the eight-fold path of astanga yoga . Its eight limbs are: yama (self-restraint), niyama (life-regulating moral rules and observances), asana (postures of bodily restfulness), pranayama (breath control), pratyahar (withdrawal of senses), dharana (fixing the mind on the Supreme), dhyana (absorption of self), and samadhi (liberation of the soul).

Read more here: » Patanjali Yoga Sutras: Supreme Union of Body, Mind, Soul with the Patanjali Yoga Sutras

The world is regulated by universal laws. One of the laws is constancy or eternality. Anything true is constant or eternal. The second law of the world is changeability or variability. Anything true is variable. The world has changed or transformed and will continue to change on the basis of this law. Therefore, something changes and something becomes the cause of change.

Read more here: » Universal Laws: The Universal Laws of Cosmos

Brahmacharya is very very essential Even in dreams you must be free from lustful thoughts. It requires long practice and careful watch over the mind and Indriyas. Foolish people hastily jump up to the higher courses in Yoga in vain without having this important item which is very useful for spiritual Sadhana.

From "Kundalini Yoga" by Sri Swami Sivananda

Read more here: » Yoga: Hints On Yoga

Four Asanas are prescribed for the purpose of Japa and meditation. They are Padmasana, Siddhasana, Svastikasana and Sukhasana. You must be able to sit in any one of these four Asanas at a stretch for full three hours without shaking the body. Then only you will get Asana-Jaya, mastery over the Asana.

From "Kundalini Yoga" by Sri Swami Sivananda

Read more here: » Asanas: Most important Yoga Positions - Yoga Asanas

A full introduction to the practise of meditation.

From "Easy Steps to Yoga" by Sri Swami Sivananda.

Read more here: » Meditation: Practice of Meditation