Dress

Purity comprises both external purity and internal purity. Purity implies both purity of body and purity of mind. Purity of body is only the preliminary to purity of mind.

Excerpt from All About Hinduism by Sri Swami Sivananda

Read more here: » Purity: Purity of Body and Mind

Swami Ranganathananda of the Ramakrishna Mission says that when a soul is uplifted, a worthwhile conversion takes place that takes the soul vertically upward - from bad to good. This conversion benefits both the individual and society. Organised religion has two sides to it: One is dogmatic, narrow, given to fanaticism, that insists on rituals, rules, regulations, disciplines. The other side, the spiritual, elevates and feeds the soul and accepts goodness in all religions. Rituals and prayers are merely means to rein in our senses to bring out our sattvic gunas.

(See also:   , God and Religion, Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)

Read more here: »  : Inspiring Tales of True Conversion  

Society of Friends

Better known as Quakers, an Anglo-American pacifist sectarian movement originating in the religious confusion of the English Civil War and Commonwealth era (1640-60). George Fox (1624-91), a "seeker" discontented with both the Church of England and the Puritan and other sectarian alternatives that flourished during the period, attracted a radical group of followers through his prophetic words and deeds.

According to one tradition, Fox and his followers became known as Quakers when, refusing to swear oaths or otherwise respect the status of the law courts, they urged magistrates to tremble before God rather than the law.

More correctly known as the "Society of Friends (of Truth)," they distinguished themselves theologically from other Christians through their doctrine of the "Inward" or "Inner Light," the manifestation of the divine within each individual that, when recognized and nurtured, inevitably led to religious truth. Friends in Britain flourished despite adversity. Many were jailed for their pacifist and other nonconforming ways, while others organized their resources to alleviate these sufferings until relief came in the form of the Toleration Act of 1689. Barred from the universities and professions, they benefited from their reputation for honesty and hard work and often were successful in business.

Friends rejected hierarchy and churchly authority, organizing instead according to local weekly meetings for worship and progressively less frequent and geographically more encompassing regional meetings for governance. Weekly meetings were not led by ministers, but a clerk was present to record their proceedings. Worship was conducted in silence in a bare meeting house, with individuals speaking only when prompted by the Inner Light. The "friendly persuasion" was transplanted to the New World in 1682 by William Penn, an aristocratic convert who secured a royal land grant in payment of debts owed his family.

The Pennsylvania colony was based on Quaker principles of consensus and fair dealing in its governance; its capital, Philadelphia-"the city of brotherly love"-reflected in its name and spacious layout Penn's hopes for a peaceable society. English demands for support in the French and Indian Wars, however, led to a series of compromises and finally, in 1756, the renunciation of governmental power by the Quakers, who nevertheless continued to constitute a commercial elite in the region. Quakers in the new American nation continued to cope with the problems engendered by their pacifism, which led to suffering but also proved instrumental in securing governmental recognition of the rights of conscientious objectors.

Quakers pursued a peacemaking role by opposing both violence and the injustices that provoked it. Their Inner Light doctrine was incompatible with social inequality, so that women enjoyed equal status to men. Quakers such as John Woolman, Anthony Benezet, and, later, Levi Coffin, were active in the lateeighteenth- and early-nineteenth-century campaign against slavery. Many contemporary British Quakers also became active in reform causes. Their plain speech and dress, modified over time, were also manifestations of this egalitarianism.

Internal divisions manifested themselves early in the nineteenth century in the United States, when social and geographical divisions expressed themselves in theological forms. From 1826 to 1827 followers of Elias Hicks (1748-1830) near Philadelphia rejected the local elite's embracing of evangelical Protestant tenets and symbols, and called for a return to early Quaker practice.

Joseph John Gurney (1788-1847), an English Friend, pressed the evangelical cause further, while John Wilbur's (1774-1856) followers tried to combine the two emphases. Richmond, Indiana, emerged, in the first half of the nineteenth century, as a focus of Gurneyite settlement that was later influenced by the Holiness movement. In the twentieth century, the Philadelphia Meeting-part of the larger General Conference-became the center for Friends concerned with philanthropic and peacemaking activity, while the Friends United Meeting (Richmond, Indiana) and Evangelical Friends Alliance (Cleveland, Ohio) represented more evangelical strains. In the 1990s, Friends in the United States of various affiliations numbered in excess of one hundred thousand; this was somewhat over half of the worldwide membership, with roughly 20 percent of the remainder in Britain.

(See also: Society of Friends , New Age Spirituality, Body Mind and Soul)

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If we meet no Gods, its because we harbour none, said Emerson. For us, God is not a remote, abstract figure; He is a living, loving Presence. The nirguna or formless God of Shankara’s Advaita is difficult to relate to - but give Him a sweet form and through saguna upasana or worship He can become your very own because of the wonderful ease it creates in human divine encounter.

The predominant religious motif of practising Hinduism is this archanam andpadasevanam - the worship and adoration of a God made visible to our eyes in beautiful images, in homes and in temples. It is the ornamental centrepiece of the Vaishnav bhakti tradition set in motion by acharyas like Ramanuja, Madhava and Vallabha.

(See also: Hindu Worship , God and Religion, Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)

Read more here: » Hindu Worship: Devotional Worship And Service to All  

Wound

• To dream that you are wounded, signals distress and an unfavorable turn in business.
• To see others wounded, denotes that injustice will be accorded you by your friends.
• To relieve or dress a wound, signifies that you will have occasion to congratulate yourself on your good fortune.

Source: 10 000 Dream Interpretations, by Gustavus Hindman Miller

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

For more dictionary entries, see » Dress Dictionary

Halloween is a celebration that has evolved from the combination of several different traditions.

 The roots of Halloween are unearthed in the rituals of Druids and Celtic priests of pre-Christian Ireland and Scotland. November 1 was the beginning of the new year, so Halloween, or "Samhain," (pronounced "sow'an") was like New Year's Eve. It was both a time of death and new beginnings, of harvest feasting and magic.

Read more here: » Halloween: The Gnarled Roots of Halloween

Children

• ``Dream of children sweet and fair, To you will come suave debonair, Fortune robed in shining dress, Bearing wealth and happiness.''
• To dream of seeing many beautiful children is portentous of great prosperity and blessings.
• For a mother to dream of seeing her child sick from slight cause, she may see it enjoying robust health, but trifles of another nature may harass her.
• To see children working or studying, denotes peaceful times and general prosperity.
• To dream of seeing your child desperately ill or dead, you have much to fear, for its welfare is sadly threatened.
• To dream of your dead child, denotes worry and disappointment in the near future.
• To dream of seeing disappointed children, denotes trouble from enemies, and anxious forebodings from underhanded work of seemingly friendly people.
• To romp and play with children, denotes that all your speculating and love enterprises will prevail.

Source: 10 000 Dream Interpretations, by Gustavus Hindman Miller

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

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Uniforms

Dreams of uniforms often point to self-awareness. Conformity through clothing is one of the unspoken rules of culture and we often perceive parts of our wardrobes as our "uniform" for particular roles we fill in life. In dreams of uniforms, it does not matter if the uniform is officially recognized or simply identical clothing on numerous persons.

If you are in uniform, and there are others dressed the same way, consider who is with you in the dream and what camaraderie you share with them. It may be that you are recalling a satisfying tenure in military service, employment, or identity with a particular group. If you are in uniform and others are not, it may reflect a feeling that you perceive yourself as more loyal than others.

A 24-year-old man reports dreaming: I am in the Navy. They have not trained me. I report to my ship with my only uniform, which is summer whites. Everyone around me is in dress blues. Nothing on the ship goes right. This dreamer, a college student, was contemplating an officer's commission in the navy. He was excited, but hedging his commitment. This dream reflected those concerns and warned him to examine the situation more closely.

Uniforms can also be a symbol of authority. Note the person wearing a uniform in your dream. Was it a logical situation for that person to be wearing a uniform?

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

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

For more dictionary entries, see » Dress Dictionary

A Dream Dictionary including dreams about:

Charcoal, Chariot, Charity, Chastise, Cheated , Checkers, Checks, Cheese, Chemise, Cherries, Cherubs , Chess, Chestnuts, Chickens, Chiffonier , Chilblain, Childbed, Children, Chimes, Chimney, China , China Store, Chocolate, Choir

For more dream interpretation, see: Dream Dictionary

For more about dreams, see: Dreams.

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neo-Indian religion: Navabharata Dharma.

A modern form of liberal Hinduism that carries forward basic Hindu cultural values - such as dress, diet and the arts - while allowing religious values to subside. It emerged after the British Raj, when India declared itself an independent, secular state. It was cultivated by the Macaulay education system, implanted in India by the British, which aggressively undermined Hindu thought and belief. Neo- Indian religion encourages Hindus to follow any combination of theological, scriptural, sadhana and worship patterns, regardless of sectarian or religious origin. Extending out of and beyond the Smarta system of worshiping the Gods of each major sect, it incorporates holy icons from all religions, including Jesus, Mother Mary and Buddha. Many Navabharatis choose to not call themselves Hindus but to declare themselves members of all the world's religions.

See: panchayatana puja, Smartism, Smarta Sampradaya, syncretism, universalist.

(See also: Neo-Indian religion , Hinduism, Body Mind and Soul)

For more dictionary entries, see » Dress Dictionary

Dream Interpretation Red, color , colour

Red is an active, affective colour, full of passion and emotion. It is also the colour of blood and fire. A softer red is a symbol of love, mercy and compassion. When intense, red can also indicate hatred. A red dress in a dream would be a sign of strong sexual desire. But red also means sin, rage and the devil. Dark red is a symbol of passion, greed, energy and anger. Light red stands for warmth and affection. Red can mean luck, joy, happiness, energy, action, but also hate, blood, greed, irritability and will power.

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

(See also: Dream Archives, Meaning of Dreams, Dream Interpretation, Dream Dictionary, Dream Dictionary - Red, color , colour , Meaning of Dreams about Red, color , colour , Dream Interpretation Red, color , colour )

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A Dream Dictionary including dreams about:

Archbishop, Architect, Arm, Aroma, Arrested, Arrow, Art Gallery, Ascend, Asceticism, Ashes, Asia, Asp, Asparagus, Ass , Assassin, Assistance, Astral, Asylum, Atlas, Atonement , Attic, Attorney, Auction, Augur, August , Aunt, Aura, Author, Automobile, Autumn, Awake, Axe

For more dream interpretation, see: Dream Dictionary

For more about dreams, see: Dreams.

For more dictionary entries, see » Dress Dictionary

A Dream Dictionary including dreams about:

Ambush , America, Amethyst, Ammonia, Ammunition, Amorous, Amputation, Anchor, Andirons, Anecdote , Angels, Anger, Angling, Annoy, Antelope, Ants, Anvil, Anxiety, Apes, Apparel, Apparition , Apples, Apprentice, Apricot, April , Apron, Arch

For more dream interpretation, see: Dream Dictionary

For more about dreams, see: Dreams.

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sari:

traditional dress for women consisting of a piece of material of five or six metres long which is draped around the body

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

For more dictionary entries, see » Dress Dictionary

This is the last part of the very personal journey of Awakening shared by the Author and teacher Kiara Windrider.

Ever since I can remember stories of holy men and women in the mountaintops and forests of India living in enlightened states of divine union have fascinated me. I looked to them with admiration and some envy, recognizing the longing deep in my heart to achieve a similar state of enlightenment, yet convinced I did not have the discipline nor stamina required to spend years in a cave hidden away from the world seeking this most precious of all pearls. In this article, Kiara Windrider share his experience from his personal journey and quest for Awakening.

Read more here: » Enlightenment: Journey into Awakening (part 3)

Turiya (Sanskrit) The fourth; the state of consciousness which the Buddhas and Christs, and occasionally great but less evolved people, reach in their times of spiritual ecstasy -- high samadhi. It is the fourth state of the famous Taraka-Raja-Yoga system in India, equivalent to a raising and temporary coalescence of the human consciousness with the atman, otherwise called nirvana. In this turiya state the divine self is perceived by the individual entitative self as its parent; and the atman thus is realized to be in its essence free of any mayavi distinction from its universal divine source. Turiya, the highest of all the states into which the consciousness may cast itself or be cast, "which is a practical annihilation of the ordinary human consciousness, is an attainment of union with atma-buddhi overshadowing or working through the higher manas. Actually, therefore, it is becoming at one with the monadic essence" (OG 72).

Turiya is a state or condition of consciousness which to the eye of an observer seems to be that of the deepest abstraction from things of the material world -- that state which to most people would seem to be a complete or perfect trance, physically speaking. The higher consciousness of the human being, often unconsciously to the brain-mind consciousness, enters into turiya and brings about for the physical person a condition of perfectly dreamless sleep; however, it is a state of the highest or most exalted spiritual and intellectual activity.

"In Pralaya, or the intermediate period between two manvantaras, it [the monad] loses its name, as it loses it when the real ONE self of man merges into Brahm in cases of high Samadhi (the Turiya state) or final Nirvana; 'when the disciple' in the words of Sankara, 'having attained that primeval consciousness, absolute bliss, of which the nature is truth, which is without form and action, abandons this illusive body that has been assumed by the atma just as an actor (abandons) the dress (put on)' " (SD 1:570).

See also JAGRAT; SUSHUPTI; SVAPNA

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

For more dictionary entries, see » Dress Dictionary

Sores

• To dream of seeing sores, denotes that illness will cause you loss and mental distress.
• To dress a sore, foretells that your personal wishes and desires will give place to the pleasure of others.
• To dream of an infant having a deep sore so that you can see the bone, denotes that distressing and annoying incidents will detract from your plans, and children will be threatened with contagion.
• To dream of sores on yourself, portends early decay of health and impaired mentality. Sickness and unsatisfactory business will follow this dream.

Source: 10 000 Dream Interpretations, by Gustavus Hindman Miller

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

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Birds : Dream Interpretation Dictionary - Various Bird Symbology:

Various Bird Symbology:

White Dove: well known symbol of peace; a symbol of the Holy Spirit descending on Christ, as depicted in many artistic works.  A pair of white doves is a common symbol of love and devotion.

Mourning Dove:  commonly thought of as a potential symbol of upcoming death to someone you know, but only if it is seen in unusual circumstances and not just eating at the bird feeder or sitting on a telephone line.

Eagle: Among the 7 mortal sins, depicts pride; among the 4 cardinal virtues, justice.  Symbol of John the Evangelist, depicting spiritual cognition, faith, healing and ascension.  Similar powerful symbol of the Great Spirit to the American Indians, who use it's feathers in many ceremonial dress & implements.

Goose: symbol of fidelity and loyalty.  Could also be a metaphor for

"being goosed" or "acting like a goose."

Ostrich:  closing eyes to unpleasant facts.  Just mentioning "Y2K" will make many ostriches out of you! <smile>  Also a symbol of meditation, since the Ostrich parent does not sit and hatch it's eggs, but lets the sun do it's work while it guards them vigilantly.

Owl: wisdom, as portrayed in so many children's stories and cartoons.

Peacock:  pride, vanity and showing off due to the male's proud strut; but the male does this as part of his mating ritual to get the attention of the female, so I would apply this as such.  It is used to symbolize the American CBS network, and a metaphor could be "showing your true colors."  The peacock also symbolizes joy in the afterlife.  True story:  my mother & I visited my grandmother's grave one afternoon to find a living, breathing peacock standing there staring at us.  When I found out that it symbolized "joy in the afterlife," you can imagine how special that was.   How often does one find a peacock standing on a grave?  Coincidence, my foot!

Nightingale:  symbolizes yearning and pain; in Christianity it

symbolizes the longing for heaven.

Raven: intelligence; oftentimes depicting things we really prefer not to hear.

Stork:  instantly recognizable in our culture as a symbol that a baby has been delivered or is due, possibly due to the young stork's habit of gratefully feeding it's parents when it becomes a fledgling; or due to the stork's return after winter migration, when nature begins anew.

Swan: transformation, as in from "ugly duckling" into a beautiful swan.  Also symbolizes loyalty and fidelity.

Turkey:  Is any American unfamiliar with the symbology of "Turkey Day?"  Also referred to as a metaphor often used to describe something as being silly, or an embarrassing failure or dud.

Vulture: impending death, or a metaphor for waiting to take advantage of someone in dire trouble, as in "the vultures are circling."

Egg: symbolizes primal beginnings from which all life springs forth;

also in Christianity this is a symbol of resurrection (ever wonder where the thought of Easter Eggs came from?), as in Christ breaking out of his tomb similar to a chick breaking free from it's egg.  Could also have metaphorical influence, such as the age-old question, "Which came first--the chicken or the egg?"  In this manner it could be saying, "Some questions can never be answered by mere humans, so quit agonizing over a problem without solutions and deal with what-is, as it is."

Other types of symbology involving birds:  metaphors such as

"bird-brain", "You eat like a bird", "birds of a feather flock

together," "that's for the birds", "A bird in the hand is worth 2 in the

bush", "feathered friends", etc.  Just apply the metaphor to the context of your dream to get the gist of what the symbology entails.  Also helpful is relating bird dream symbols to song lyrics.  Think of how many different songs mention birds in one way or another.

Courtesy to: http://www.readersdigest.ca

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

For more dictionary entries, see » Dress Dictionary

Chakras: Svadhisthana Chakra

Svadhisthana chakra is located a few inches above the root chakra in the general area of pelvic sexual arousal. Its element is water. It is associated with the endless seeds within seeds for all future incarnations and is the primary basis of conventional sexuality.

Read more here: » Chakras: Svadhisthana Chakra

Patch

• To dream that you have patches upon your clothing, denotes that you will show no false pride in the discharge of obligations.
• To see others wearing patches, denotes want and misery are near.
• If a young woman discovers a patch on her new dress, it indicates that she will find trouble facing her when she imagines her happiest moments are approaching near. If she tries to hide the patches, she will endeavor to keep some ugly trait in her character from her lover. If she is patching, she will assume duties for which she has no liking.
• For a woman to do family patching, denotes close and loving bonds in the family, but a scarcity of means is portended.

Source: 10 000 Dream Interpretations, by Gustavus Hindman Miller

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

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Quilts

• To dream of quilts, foretells pleasant and comfortable circumstances. For a young woman, this dream foretells that her practical and wise business-like ways will advance her into the favorable esteem of a man who will seek her for a wife.
• If the quilts are clean, but having holes in them, she will win a husband who appreciates her worth, but he will not be the one most desired by her for a companion. If the quilts are soiled, she will bear evidence of carelessness in her dress and manners, and thus fail to secure a very upright husband.

Source: 10 000 Dream Interpretations, by Gustavus Hindman Miller

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

For more dictionary entries, see » Dress Dictionary

Elementaries The earth-bound disimbodied human souls of people who were evil or depraved when imbodied: the conscious or quasi-conscious astral souls of people who on earth refused all spiritual light, remained and died deeply immersed in the mire of matter, and from whose souls or intermediate, personal nature the immortal spirit has gradually separated.

These may exist for centuries before completely dissolving. Blavatsky writes of the spiritual death leading to this condition:

"When one falls into a love of self and love of the world, with its pleasures, losing the divine love of God and of the neighbor, he falls from life to death. The higher principles which constitute the essential elements of his humanity perish, and he lives only on the natural plane of his faculties. Physically he exists, spiritually he is dead. . . . This spiritual death results from disobedience of the laws of spiritual life, which is followed by the same penalty as the disobedience of the laws of natural life. But the spiritually dead have still their delights; they have their intellectual endowments and power, and intense activities. All the animal delights are theirs, and to multitudes of men and women these constitute the highest ideal of human happiness. The tireless pursuit of riches, of the amusements and entertainments of social life; the cultivation of graces of manner, of taste in dress, of social preferment, of scientific distinction, intoxicate and enrapture these dead-alive . . ." (IU 1:318).

When highly developed, this class of people, during incarnation on earth, is known in the East as the Brothers of the Shadow, a title rightly applied also to their astral shades, which are often quite fully conscious in the lower parts of nature, "cunning, low, vindictive, and seeking to retaliate their sufferings upon humanity, they become, until final annihilation, vampires, ghouls, and prominent actors. These are the leading 'stars' on the great spiritual stage of 'materialization,' which phenomena they perform with the help of the more intelligent of the genuine-born 'elemental' creatures, which hover around and welcome them with delight in their own spheres" (IU 1:3l9).

In popular modern theosophical literature, the word has also been applied to the phantoms or kama-rupic shades of disimbodied persons in general, especially to the case of grossly materialistic humans whose evil impulses and appetites, still inhering in the kama-rupic phantom, draw these phantoms to physical spheres congenial to them. Even these last are a real danger to the psychological health and sanity of imbodied humans, and literally haunt living human beings possessing tendencies akin to their own. Such soulless astral shells are less dangerous than actual elementaries because far less conscious, but are still filled with energies of a depraved and ignoble type. Their destiny is like that of all other pretas or bhutas -- ultimate disintegration; for the gross astral atoms composing them slowly dissolve after the manner of a dissolving column of smoke.

Both these classes of astral souls or phantoms are attracted to and thickly cluster about the grossest and most material places and beings of the physical sphere. Any person of spiritual character and aspiring soul, however, repels these astral entities by a type of psychomagnetic antipathy.

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

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