Flood

Floods are caused by heavy rain and the melting of snow. Water in any form, including rain and snow, symbolizes emotions. Dreaming about being in a flood is an indication that the dreamer is currently experiencing powerful emotions that may be overwhelming. The flood in your dream could represent a very powerful, or even violent, emotionally cleansing experience. But don't worry, just like in an actual flood, waters reside and so do emotions. Water at times represents the flow of life and this dream may point to your feelings of being overwhelmed by it. Depending on the content of the dream and your emotional experience in it, the flood could also represent sexuality and be a sexual dream symbol.

See also: Meaning of Dreams about Disasters   Source: Dream Lover Incorporated, http://www.dreamloverinc.com   (See also: Dream Archives, Meaning of Dreams, Dream Interpretation, Dream Dictionary, Dream Dictionary - Flood, Meaning of Dreams about Flood, Dream Interpretation Flood)

Flood

1. Water is a universal symbol for emotion, and thus a dream of a flood indicates that a plethora of deep feelings is coming the dreamer’s way. If the flood is warm, gentle and comforting, the feelings will be positive, and possibly could involve romance. But if the flood is dark, cold, and overwhelming, be prepared for emotional turmoil.

2. Being swept away by a flood warns that someone of the opposite sex whom you trust may be trying to use you.

3. Escaping from the flood, especially if you continue to reach high ground, indicates overcoming a great difficulty.

Source: Astrocenter, http://astrocenter.astrology.msn.com/msn/DreamDictionary.aspx

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

Dream Interpretation Flood

A flood stands for some emotions and cravings which are so strong that they overrun you. The clear flood water means a positive outcome and a dirty water is not a good omen. Watching a flood means that you are dealing with people who you are bothering you with petitions and requests. Seeing a flooded room predicts bad luck and fighting. If you are trying to outrun the flood, you are running away from yourself.

Source: Dream-Land, http://www.dream-land.info

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

Flood Dream Symbols:

(Source: Myths - Dreams - Symbols)

Related pages: Dream Symbols, Dream Interpretation, Dream Symbol Flood, Dream Dictionary Flood, Meaning of dreams about Flood, Dream Interpretation Flood, Dream Analysis Flood, Dreaming of Flood

Flood, Overwhelming emotions, Water, Swept away by a flood

Flood: Judgment on those who use whatever power they have to inflict violence on others; sin judged; overcome; to be overcome and unable to recover; enticed to sin and fall; overcoming sadness and grief; great destruction and trouble; worldly powers that are hostile; invading army; trial; persecution. (Ps. 29:10; 32:6; 93:3; Jer. 46:7, 8; Dan. 9:26; Matt. 7:25-27; Rev. 12:15-16; Is. 28:15-17; 43:2; 59:19; Gen. 6:17)

(Source: Tehillah Ministries)

Related pages: Christian Dream Interpretation, Dream Symbols, Dream Interpretation, Dream Symbol Flood, Dream Dictionary Flood, Meaning of dreams about Flood, Dream Interpretation Flood, Dream Analysis Flood, Dreaming of Flood

flood, judgment, power, inflict violence on others, violence, sin judged, sin, judged, overcome, to be overcome, recover, enticed to sin, fall, overcoming sadness, overcoming grief, sadness, grief, destruction, trouble, worldly powers, hostile, invading army, invading, invasion, army, trial, persecution,

Dam Dream Symbols:

(Source: Myths - Dreams - Symbols)

Related pages: Dream Symbols, Dream Interpretation, Dream Symbol Dam, Dream Dictionary Dam, Meaning of dreams about Dam, Dream Interpretation Dam, Dream Analysis Dam, Dreaming of Dam

Dam, Water, River, Flood

Disaster : Dream Interpretation Dictionary - Dream: I am in a natural or manmade disaster

Dream: I am in a natural or manmade disaster

Description: You are confronted with overwhelming natural or man-made disasters. The dream may involve a flood, torrential rain or tidal wave. Variations include earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, lava, firestorms, lightning strikes, tornadoes, typhoons, cyclones, hurricanes, or some other desolation. Man-made disasters include attacks by atomic bombs, chemical warfare, and so forth. You are usually terrified in a catastrophe dream, as you rlife seems in jeopardy. (Dreams of drowning that are not connected with a disaster are classified with Falling or Drowning dreams. Dreams about getting wounded or dying that do not involve a calamity are classed with Injury or Death dreams.)

Frequency: Disaster dreams are fairly common. Some people have them often, others only in times of crisis. They typically occur when you feel that some waking life emergency is impending or has just taken place.

Usual meanings: You may believe that something in your waking life feels like a disaster or that you feel destroyed by circumstances and fear that you cannot survive this catastrophe. You may be feeling overwhelmed by something that seems chaotic.

Questions to ask yourself:

Earthquake or disaster variation:

• What situations in your waking life feel at risk?
• What did you do in the dream to escape destruction?
• How can you get the help you need in the waking world to stabilize the situation and yourself?
• Is there any possible benefit from the drastic change that's underway?

Flood variation:

• What situation in waking life is making you feel overwhelmed?
• Do you feel profoundly sad about current life circumstances?
• What did you do in the dream to save yourself?
• What can you do in the waking situation to improve it or get support? Tornado or great wind variation:
• What is it in waking life that is making you feel storm-tossed?
• What did you do in your dream to protect yourself from the storm?
• How can you improve your waking life situation?
• How can you resolve your inner turmoil and return to a stable state?

Fire or volcano variation:

• What is waking life is making you feel hotly aroused right now? Anger? Passion? Fever? Inflammation?
• What did you do to cope with the destructive fire in the dream?
• What do you need to do about the waking circumstances?
• How can you calm your internal fire?

Snowstorm or ice storm variation:

• What situation in your waking life might be making you feel frozen out or loveless at this time?
• Is there any circumstance at present that makes you feel frozen with grief?
• Is there something in your environment making you feel cold with fear?
• How did I cope with the ice and cold in my dream? Did I take action?
• What can I learn about my waking life situation to thaw out any icy feelings or invite warm, loving ones?

War and explosion variations:

• What is making me feel under angry attack at the moment?
• What did you do in the dream to protect yourself and others?
• What could you have done in the dream to protect yourself and others better?
• How can you best resolve or cope in the waking state with the anger present in you or others?
• What might you learn from this period of inner and/or outer conflict?

Source: http://health.discovery.com

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

Flying

• To dream of flying high through a space, denotes marital calamities.
• To fly low, almost to the ground, indicates sickness and uneasy states from which the dreamer will recover.
• To fly over muddy water, warns you to keep close with your private affairs, as enemies are watching to enthrall you.
• To fly over broken places, signifies ill luck and gloomy surroundings. If you notice green trees and vegetation below you in flying, you will suffer temporary embarrassment, but will have a flood of prosperity upon you.
• To dream of seeing the sun while flying, signifies useless worries, as your affairs will succeed despite your fears of evil.
• To dream of flying through the firmament passing the moon and other planets; foretells famine, wars, and troubles of all kinds.
• To dream that you fly with black wings, portends bitter disappointments. To fall while flying, signifies your downfall. If you wake while falling, you will succeed in reinstating yourself.
• For a young man to dream that he is flying with white wings above green foliage, foretells advancement in business, and he will also be successful in love. If he dreams this often it is a sign of increasing prosperity and the fulfilment of desires. If the trees appear barren or dead, there will be obstacles to combat in obtaining desires. He will get along, but his work will bring small results.
• For a woman to dream of flying from one city to another, and alighting on church spires, foretells she will have much to contend against in the way of false persuasions and declarations of love. She will be threatened with a disastrous season of ill health, and the death of some one near to her may follow.
• For a young woman to dream that she is shot at while flying, denotes enemies will endeavor to restrain her advancement into higher spheres of usefulness and prosperity.

Source: 10 000 Dream Interpretations, by Gustavus Hindman Miller

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

Disasters

Dreaming about natural disasters, such as earthquakes and floods, is not that uncommon. People usually have these dreams at a time of many changes in their lives. Most people have ambivalent feelings about change and some resist even positive changes. Therefore, quick shifts in life style or some type of crisis may bring about dreams of natural disasters. Please look up a specific disaster by name.

See also: Meaning of Dreams about Flood, Earthquake, Tornado   Source: Dream Lover Incorporated, http://www.dreamloverinc.com   (See also: Dream Archives, Meaning of Dreams, Dream Interpretation, Dream Dictionary, Dream Dictionary - Disasters, Meaning of Dreams about Disasters, Dream Interpretation Disasters)

This is a sitemap for Dream Dictionary - F . Click on a link and you will find multiple dream interpretations and the meaning behind this particular dream.

Dream Dictionary - F
 fables, face, faces, factory, faeces, fagot, failing a test or exam, failure, fainting, fair, fairy, faithless, fakir, falcon, fall, falling, falling, falling, fame, family, family, famine, famish, famous people, fan, farewell, farm, farmer, fat, fates, father, father-in-law, fatigue, favor, fawn, fear, fears, feast, feather, february, feces, feeble, feet, fence, fences, ferns, ferris wheel, ferry, festival, fever, fiddle, field, fiend, fife, fight, fighting, figs, figure, filbert, file, finding new rooms, finding new spaces in old houses, finger, finger-nails, fingers, fire, fire budget, firebrand, fire-engine, fireman, fireworks, firmament, first, fish, fish market, fisherman, fishhooks, fish-net, fish-pond, fits, five, flag, flame, flax, flax spinning, fleas, fleeing, fleet, flies, flight, floating, flood, floodlights, floods, flour, flower, flowers, flowers, flute, flux, fly, flying, flying, flying machine, fly-paper, fly-trap, foal, fog, fogs, food, food, football, foot-log, forbidden rooms, forehead, foreign country, foreigner, forest, forest, forget-me-not, fork, form, forsaking, fort, fortress, fortune-telling, fountain, four, fowl, fox, foxes, fraud, freckles, friend, friends, frightened, frog, frogs, frost, fruit, fruit seller, fuel, funeral, fur, furnace, furniture, furs, future,

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Disasters : Dream Interpretation Dictionary - Disasters, Natural or Manmade

Disasters, Natural or Manmade

Definition: You dream about being confronted with overwhelming natural or manmade disasters. The dream may involve a flood, torrential rain, or a tidal wave. You may see yourself or another dream character drowning. Natural disaster variations include earthquakes, typhoons, hurricanes, volcanic eruptions, firestorms and other devastations. Manmade disasters include attacks by atom bombs, hydrogen bombs, chemical warfare, and so forth.

Examples:

• I am at the beach when suddenly a huge tsunami appears on the horizon--the whole seacoast will be devastated.
• The mountain begins to smoke and rumble, about to erupt.
• There is a great flash of light like an atomic bomb--it's an attack.

Source: Patricia Garfield, Ph.D., President of ASD

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

Flood. A story found in various forms in every cosmology. The Chaldean and Sumerian versions antedate the Hebrew; India, China, and other Asiatic countries furnish their own versions. It occurs in the Popol Vuh, the sacred book of the QuichŽs of Central American, as well as among many ancient American tribes; the story is found among the ancient Scandinavians, the Polynesian peoples, and among African tribes, such as the Masai of East Africa.

These stories refer in part to an actual great deluge in the world's history, mainly to the sinking of the great and smaller islands of the Atlantean continental stretches. In many if not all the versions, we find that a race had become so corrupt that nature or the gods would no longer tolerate it, and destroyed it and brought forth a new race. There is usually a type-figure, like the Hebrew Noah, who builds an ark or other vessel of salvation, thus saving from the waters the righteous few to be the seeds of the new race. In many versions are traditions of the destruction of the preceding root-race, Atlantis, by water, and of the saving of various groups of human remnants to found new civilizations on lands, then or shortly later geologically speaking, emerging from the ocean.

But besides the particular application to this latest cataclysm in the earth's history, the story refers to cataclysms in general, to the death of old races and the birth of new ones. The evolution of the earth goes on pari passu with that of the beings upon it. These stories are evidently allegorical as well, with reference to cosmological facts.

See also ARK

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

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When we dream of death, our emotions run high. Feelings of terror, anxiety or even liberation can dominate our mood upon waking. As with any other type of dream, there is no one answer for what the dream means. Generally speaking, however, dreams about death signify much needed change in our lives. Such dreams typically herald symbolic rather than literal death. In this way, death dreams let us know that some part of the self needs to be radically reworked, whether it be one's attitudes, emotions, or relationships.

Read more here: » Meaning of Dream about Death: The Dreamscape of Death - Meaning of dreams and dreaming about death

Ghost Dance

A new religious movement among Native Americans of the western United States.

The Ghost Dance had two distinct phases, both of which originated in the visions of a Paiute shaman living in western Nevada.

The Ghost Dance of 1870: Wodziwob (d. ca. 1872), the prophet of the 1870 dance, proclaimed that the world would soon be destroyed, then renewed; the dead would be brought back to life and game animals restored. He instructed his followers to dance a nocturnal circle dance.

This dance was similar to both older Paiute traditions and an earlier regional movement, the Plateau Prophet Dance, but it addressed very present conditions of deprivation resulting from white incursions into tribal territories. It spread to California, Oregon, and Idaho but, with the death of Wodziwob and the nonfulfillment of his prophecies, died out within a few years. The Shoshone and Bannock of Fort Hall, Idaho, however, continued to perform the Ghost Dance at least intermittently up to 1890.

The Ghost Dance of 1890: Wovoka (ca. 1856-1932), a Paiute Native American prophet, inaugurated the Ghost Dance of 1890 on the basis of a vision he had received during a total eclipse of the sun. His message was in direct continuity with the 1870 dance: there was to be an immanent renewal of the world in which dead Native Americans would be resurrected and the living would no longer be subject to sickness and old age, game animals would be restored to their former abundance, and the old way of life would once more flourish. Euro-Americans, by this time firmly in control, would be eliminated by supernatural means, such as a flood or earthquake. It is uncertain whether Wovoka announced a specific date for these events, but many expected them in the spring of 1891.

Wovoka's message also contained ethical admonitions (e. g. , members of different tribes should live in peace with each other; they should cooperate with, not war against, the whites). In anticipation of the great event and to speed its arrival, Wovoka instructed his followers to perform circle dances periodically. They did so in large numbers, and (especially among Plains tribes) dancers often fell into trances, subsequently reporting that they had visited the spirit world and spoken with dead relatives, who were living a life like the one that had flourished before the coming of the whites. The 1890 dance spread mainly eastward along the length of the Rocky Mountains and Great Plains. In some tribes (e. g. , Paiute, Cheyenne, Shoshone, Pawnee) acceptance was almost unanimous; in others (like the Sioux) only segments of the population became believers. No Pueblo (except at Taos) or Navajo accepted it, the latter because of a culturally conditioned aversion to ghosts. As news of the Paiute prophet Wovoka began to spread, tribes sent delegations to the Walker Lake Reservation in western Nevada to see him. They returned with versions of his teachings that were sometimes shaped by the particular needs of their tribe.

Among the Pawnee, the dance provided the basis for an important cultural renewal, for the visions of the dancers made possible the revival of old ceremonial activities that had fallen into disuse because knowledge of their correct performance had been lost. The Sioux, who had a number of current grievances against the government (e. g. , loss of reservation lands, cuts in rations), altered Wovoka's message in the direction of greater hostility toward the whites. Delegates like Short Bull and Kicking Bear advocated the use of "ghost shirts" (special garments that were supposed to make the wearer invulnerable to bullets) and spoke of the possibility of armed conflict with the government soldiers.

During 1890, newspapers around the country carried often sensational stories about the "messiah craze" (Wovoka was often called the "Indian messiah") and the possibility of renewed warfare with the Sioux. Violence did erupt in December: during an attempt to arrest him, Chief Sitting Bull was shot to death, and Chief Big Foot and almost three hundred of his band were massacred by the cavalry at Wounded Knee. These events were more the result of government blunders than of a Sioux outbreak. Following the violence among the Sioux and the failure of the expected transformations the next spring, the popularity of the dance began to fade. However, it did not die out altogether.

Wovoka remained active, but shifted his message in the direction of ethical admonitions. As late as 1896 some Kiowa were still dancing, and one of the early Northern Cheyenne delegates, Porcupine, led a brief revival of the dance in 1900. The movement continued elsewhere in a more substantive way. In the first decade of the twentieth century, Fred Robinson, an Assiniboin who had been instructed in the Ghost Dance by Kicking Bear and had corresponded with Wovoka, brought the dance to a small community of Sioux living in Saskatchewan. Combined with a traditional Medicine Feast, apocalyptic elements disappeared and the themes of ethical admonition and community solidarity predominated.

Among the Wind River Shoshone (Wyoming), the Ghost Dance apparently combined with an earlier ceremony (the Father Dance) of thanksgiving to God for food. As a result, the annual renewal of nature took on a cosmic dimension: shamans reported dreams in which they saw the dead assembled in heaven waiting to return to earth at some unspecified time in the future. The people on earth anticipated this event and performed a dance thought to imitate that of the dead. In both these places the Ghost Dance continued to be performed into the 1950s.

In the 1970s the dance was revived by the activist American Indian Movement. Even among persons and groups who no longer practice it, knowledge of the Ghost Dance has not died out and lessons are still derived from it. Thus ca. 1970 the Sioux medicine man Lame Deer reinterpreted an old Ghost Dance song about straightening arrows and killing and butchering buffalo to mean that individuals must live upright lives in order to help bring about a new earth.

(See also: Ghost Dance, New Age Spirituality, Body Mind and Soul)

Kabiri, Kabeiri, Kabeiroi, Kabarim, Kabirim, Kabiria (Greek) Cabiri (Latin) Plural name of certain very mysterious divinities, revered in nearly all the countries of the Near East. They were worshiped as divinities in Samothrace and on Lemnos (the island sacred to Vulcan) and were popularly represented as cosmic dwarves, the sons of Vulcan (Hephaestos), and masters of the art of working metals.

Kabiri was a generic title: as the mighty they were of both sexes, gods and mortals, terrestrial, celestial, and kosmic. Blavatsky describes the kabiri as the seven divine titans identical with the seven rishis saved from the flood by Vaivasvta-Manu (SD 2:142). The "mighty men of renown" (gibborim) who date from the days of the earliest Atlantean subraces while yet Lemuria had not wholly disappeared -- became in the fifth root-race the teachers whom the Egyptians and Phoenicians called kabiri, the Greeks titans, and the Hindus rakshasas and daityas.

In short, the kabeiroi, identical with the kumaras and rudras, classed with the dhyani-buddhas and with the 'elohim of Jewish theology, directing "the mind with which they endued men" to the arts and sciences that build civilization, and closely linked with solar and earthly fires, are no other than the kumara-agnishvatta-manasaputras of theosophy: kumaras in their unsoiled divinity; agnisvattas (those who have tasted the fire) or solar lhas; and manasaputras (sons of mind) who in pity took upon themselves the heavy cross of incarnation that they might help struggling humanity to come up higher. They are classed as three, four, or seven; the names of four being Axieros, Axiokersa, Axiokersos, and Kadmilos.

These very mysterious and powerful divinities of the archaic ages, whatever name may be given to them, are in the cosmic hierarchies the same as the dhyani-buddhas and the dhyanis of modern theosophy, equivalent to the archangels and angels of the Christian hierarchical scheme. Thus they are the children of cosmic spiritual fire, this fire in its turn being equivalent to the luminous and warming effulgence of action of the hierarchies of cosmic mind. They are the most occult divinities of the archaic wisdom-religion, and the worship of them under whatever name they were known was invariably marked by a high degree of spiritual and philosophic profundity and deep religious devotion.

(See also: Kabiri, Kabeiri, Kabeiroi, Kabarim, Kabirim, Kabiria, Mysticism, Mysticism Dictionary, Occultism, Occultism Dictionary)

Yudhishthira Yudhisthira (Sanskrit) One of the principal heroes of the Mahabharata, eldest of the five Pandavas, son of Kunti by the god of justice, Dharma. Because he possessed virtuous character and all the attributes of a model ruler, he was selected as heir apparent to the throne of Hastinapura by his uncle Dhritarashtra: this choice led to the enmity of his cousin Duryodhana and his followers (the Kauravas or Kurus), and eventually to the great conflict on the field of Kurukshetra described in the opening chapter of the Bhagavad-Gita. The Pandavas were victorious in this struggle, and Yudhishthira was crowned king.

One section of the Mahabharata is devoted to the attainment of svarga (heaven) by Yudhishthira. He set out on this pilgrimage with his dog, four brothers, and their wife Draupadi, who one by one fell by the way. Alone Yudhishthira and the dog ascended to svarga to be met by Dharma, who said the dog was not permitted to enter. Yudhishthira refused to enter without his dog and turned away from the goal, but Dharma explained that it was only a test of his compassion. Yudhishthira also descended into the underworld successfully, aiding his brothers and wife whom he found there, and they all ascended to svarga.

Orientalists have speculated as to whether there was a monarch named Yudhishthira at the time of the commencement of the kali yuga (3102 BC). The computation of periods in Hindu accounts, however, applied to cosmic events as well as to terrestrial catastrophes, and names were used in the same manner. Thus Yudhishthira, "the first King of the Sacea, who opens the Kali Yuga era, which has to last 432,000 years -- 'an actual King and man who lives 3,102 years BC,' applies also, name and all, to the great Deluge at the time of the first sinking of Atlantis. He is the 'Yudishthira born on the mountain of the hundred peaks at the extremity of the world beyond which nobody can go' and 'immediately after the flood' " (SD 1:369-70). About the time of the reign of Yudhishthira the epic tells of a small flood which destroyed the Yadavas. Yudhishthira is both an eponymous hero, and an epic hero, an historical character, such as were also Arjuna, Krishna, and the many other heroes mentioned in the Mahabharata, stated to have lived when kali yuga began, now some 5,000 years ago.

(See also: Yudhishthira, Yudhisthira, Mysticism, Mysticism Dictionary, Body mind and Soul)

Ark (from Latin arca chest)

A chest, covered basket, or other closed receptacle; the womb of nature, wherein are preserved the seeds of preceding ages which at a later date inaugurate and unfold into a new system of evolutionary development. Thus reappears after its periodic rest a new universe, solar system, planet, or being such as man; each such entity being the reimbodiment of a previously living entity. The connection with sishtas is apparent.

The ark or argha was used by the high priests in ceremonials connected with nature goddesses such as Ishtar or Astarte: at such times the representative emblem or ark was shaped as an oblong vessel, and occasionally fish-shaped, the most familiar instance being the Ark of the Covenant. Oftentimes a mystical flame representing reproducing life was associated with the ark, which thus became a distinctly phallic emblem of maternal reproduction, and also referred to the spiritually and intellectually generative power of the upper triad working in and through the lower quaternary of the septenary principles of either nature or man.

The crescent moon, because of its curved form, either represented the mystic ark itself or was conjoined with it in various manners, for the moon in archaic teaching was the fecund yet presently dead mother of our earth, the latter being its reimbodiment. Thus the moon stood as an emblem of the cosmic matrix or ark floating in and on the watery abyss of space -- just as the ark in the Jewish form of this cosmogonic legend was associated with the flood waters as the bearer of all the seeds of lives. In the view of the later rather materialistic Hebrew rabbis the human womb became the maqom or ark, the place representative on earth of what the moon was in the cosmic sphere.

It was natural in time to connect the ark with a ship, as in the symbolism of the ancient Egyptian boat, on which the chest or typical ark was so prominently placed as the repository or womb of the seeds of lives.

Thus the ark has both a cosmic and a human significance. In one sense it is man himself who is the ark; for, having appeared at the beginning of sentient life, man (as he then was) became the living and animal unit, whose cast-off clothes determined the shape of every life and animal in this round. In its widest sense the symbolism refers to the first cosmic flood, the primary creation, and so the ark also is Mother Nature; but it likewise refers to terrestrial deluges where its application is twofold, for it means the saving of mankind through physical generation, and also cyclic deluges, especially the Atlantean one.

The ark is argha in Chaldean, vara in Persian, and is referred to in the stories about Noah, Deucalion, Xisuthrus, Yima, etc. The ark in which the infant Moses is saved is an instance of many similar legends conveying the same root idea. The ark, therefore, is the receptive aspect of the principle of reproduction and regeneration, ranging from the most fundamental Mother Nature to her every correspondence on the various planes.

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

Ur 'ur (Chaldean?) Light, city of light; a town famous in ancient times as one of the chief seats of lunar worship in Babylonia, being an important center of the worship of the masculine god of the moon. It was commonly called among the Chaldeans 'ur khasdim (Ur of the Chaldeans).

The meaning of city of light is not merely that it was a town which revered the light of the moon, but refers to ceremonials of occult instruction and initiation which evidently were conducted in this ancient place. Ur is supposed to be the capital of the Sumerian civilization, situated on the south bank of the Euphrates near the Persian Gulf. More than 5,000 years ago it had reached a highly advanced cultural and commercial prominence.

Positive proof was found at Ur of a flood which completely broke up the continuity of the history of the Mesopotamian plain dwellers, and which confirms the Babylonian, Sumerian, and Biblical traditions of a devastating flood, though of course it was only a local catastrophe. Christian Biblical scholars generally believe that Abraham's birth in "Ur of the Chaldees" took place about 1900 or 2000 BC, but the excavations have produced nothing referable to him.

(See also: Ur 'ur, Mysticism, Mysticism Dictionary, Body mind and Soul)

cosmic cycle: One of the infinitely recurring periods of the universe, comprising its creation, preservation and dissolution. These cycles are measured in periods of progressive ages, called yugas. Satya (or Krita), Treta, Dvapara and Kali are the names of these four divisions, and they repeat themselves in that order, with the Satya Yuga being the longest and the Kali Yuga the shortest. The comparison is often made of these ages with the cycles of the day: Satya Yuga being morning until noon, the period of greatest light or enlightenment, Treta Yuga afternoon, Dvapara evening, and Kali Yuga the darkest part of the night. Four yugas equal one mahayuga.

Theories vary, but by traditional astronomical calculation, a mahayuga equals 4,320,000 solar years (or 12,000 "divine years;" one divine year is 360 solar years) -  with the

• Satya Yuga lasting 1,728,000 years,
• Treta Yuga 1,296,000 years,
• Dvapara Yuga 864,000 years, and
• Kali Yuga 432,000 years.

Mankind is now experiencing the Kali Yuga, which began at midnight, February 18, 3102 bce (year one on the Hindu calendar [see Hindu Timeline]) and will end in approximately 427,000 years. (By another reckoning, one mahayuga equals approximately two million solar years.) A dissolution called laya occurs at the end of each mahayuga, when the physical world is destroyed by flood and fire. Each destructive period is followed by the succession of creation (srishti), evolution or preservation (sthiti) and dissolution (laya).

A summary of the periods in the cosmic cycles:

• 1 mahayuga = 4,320,000 years (four yugas)
• 71 mahayugas = 1 manvantara or manu (we are in the 28th mahayuga)
• 14 manvantaras = 1 kalpa or day of Brahma (we are in the 7th manvantara)
• 2 kalpas = 1 ahoratra or day and night of Brahma 360 ahoratras = 1 year of Brahma
• 100 Brahma years = 309,173,760,000,000 years (one "lifetime" of Brahma, or the universe).

We are in Brahma Year 51 of the current cycle. At the end of every kalpa or day of Brahma a greater dissolution, called pralaya (or kalpanta, "end of an eon"), occurs when both the physical and subtle worlds are absorbed into the causal world, where souls rest until the next kalpa begins. This state of withdrawal or "night of Brahma," continues for the length of an entire kalpa until creation again issues forth.

After 36,000 of these dissolutions and creations there is a total, universal annihilation, mahapralaya, when all three worlds, all time, form and space, are withdrawn into God Siva. After a period of total withdrawal a new universe or lifespan of Brahma begins. This entire cycle repeats infinitely. This view of cosmic time is recorded in the Puranas and the Dharma Shastras.

See: mahapralaya.

(See also: Cosmic cycle, Hinduism, Body Mind and Soul)

Ararat 'ararat (Hebrew) The mount on which the ark is supposed to have rested at the first subsiding of the flood. Mystically, the earth, in reference to the preservation of the human seed by incarnation on earth. The Chaldean equivalent is Nizir; the Arabian, Jebel Judi; the Hindu, Himalaya (SD 2:145). The Biblical flood is symbolic, as there never was a universal deluge covering all the earth.

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