Ha Dictionary

Idra Zuta. See HA'IDRA' ZUTA' QADDISHA'

(See also: Idra Zuta , Mysticism, Mysticism Dictionary, Occultism, Occultism Dictionary)

Coach ha-Guf. See KOAH HAG-GUPH

(See also: Coach ha-Guf , Mysticism, Mysticism Dictionary, Occultism, Occultism Dictionary)

Haimavatas. See HIMAVAT

(See also: Ha-Hoser , Mysticism, Mysticism Dictionary, Occultism, Occultism Dictionary)

Ha-'Idra' Zuta' Qaddisha' (Chaldean) The Less (or Small) Holy Assembly; a small treatise of the Zohar, containing the discourses of Rabbi Shim`on to his remaining six disciples upon the Sephiroth; based upon the Ha-'Idra' Rabba' Qaddisha'.

(See also: Ha-'Indra' Rabba' Qaddisha' , Mysticism, Mysticism Dictionary, Occultism, Occultism Dictionary)

STREGA OR STREGHA: the Italian tradition of the Craft, derived from Etruscan Tradition; also used as an Italian word for Witch...SEE ARADIA

(See also: STREGA, STREGHA , Witchcraft, Wicca, Paganism, Pagan Dictionary)

hatha yoga: (Sanskrit) "Forceful yoga."

Hatha yoga is a system of physical and mental exercise developed in ancient times as a means of rejuvenation by rishis and tapasvins who meditated for long hours, and used today in preparing the body and mind for meditation.

Its elements are

1)    postures (asana),

2)    cleansing practices (dhauti or shodhana),

3)    breath control (pranayama),

4)    locks (bandha, which temporarily restrict local flows of prana) and

5)    hand gestures (mudra), all of which regulate the flow of prana and purify the inner and outer bodies.

Hatha yoga is broadly practiced in many traditions. It is the third limb (anga) of Patanjali's raja yoga. It is integral to the Saiva and Shakta tantra traditions, and part of modern ayurveda treatment. In the West, hatha yoga has been superficially adopted as a health-promoting, limbering, stress-reducing form of exercise, often included in aerobic routines.

Esoterically, ha and tha, respectively, indicate the microcosmic sun (ha) and moon (tha), which symbolize the masculine current, pingala nadi, and feminine current, ida nadi, in the human body. The most popular hatha yoga manuals are Hatha Yoga Pradipika and the Gheranda Samhita.

See: hatha yoga, asana, kundalini, nadi, yoga, raja yoga.

(See also: Hatha yoga , Hinduism, Body Mind and Soul)

Qabalistic Worlds: Cabala speaks of the Four Worlds, from the most spiritual to the most material, which correspond to the consonants of Tetragrammaton.

Yod - Olam Atziluth (World of Nobility) - Divine names

Heh - Olam ha-Briah (World of Creation) - Archangels

Vau - Olam ha-Yetzirah (World of Formation) - Angels

Heh - Olam ha-Assiah (Material World) - Heavenly Spheres

Some attempt to divide the Tree of Life into four parts that correspond to the Four Worlds (Kether, Chokmah and Binah, Chesed through Yesod, and Malkuth). Others say that a complete Tree exists in each World. These two approaches are not necessarily mutually exclusive.

(See also: Qabalistic Worlds , Magic, Shamanism, Paganism, Wicca)

Dugdha neti:

nasal irrigation or cleansing technique using milk

(See also: Dugdha neti ,Yoga, Yoga Dictionary)

2005-04-23

Yetsirah (Hebrew) [from the verbal root yatsar to form, fashion]

Also Yetzirah, Jesirah, Jetzirah. `Olam hay-yetsirah is the sphere of formation, the third of the four worlds or `olam of the Qabbalah. It is an emanation or continuation of the second world, `olam hab-beri'ah. It is considered as the abode of the angels or intelligences which preside over the celestial bodies, including the sun and planets; further, on earth, over all the manifestations of nature such as fire, light, wind, rain, change of seasons, etc. It is also called the world of the builders, constructive as opposed to ideally planning architects, reminiscent of the architects and builders of The Secret Doctrine; therefore `olam hay-yetsirah is frequently referred to by its Chaldean name for angels (messengers or builders) -- Mal'achayya'.

Following the division into ten, as is the case in the superior spheres, the angelic hosts are grouped into ten classes as:

Mal'achim Messengers, Angels, Builders

'Er'elim Heroes or Mighty Ones

Seraphim Fiery Ones

Hayyoth Lives

'Ophanim Wheels

Hashmallim Shining Ones

'Elim Imbodied Divinities

'Elohim Gods

Benei 'Elohim Sons of the Gods

'Ishim Men (cf Zohar ii, 43a)

In this `olam there is little taint of the earthly matter found in the world of action, the fourth world, `olam ha-`asiyyah, emanated from the yetsiratic world.

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

Vaibhachikas (Sanskrit). The followers of the Vibhacha Shastra, an ancient school of materialism ; a philosophy that held that no mental concept can be formed except through direct contact between the mind, via the senses, such as sight, touch, taste, etc., and external objects. There are Vaibhachikas, to this day, in India.

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

Rabbis (Hebrew, Jewish). Originally teachers of the Secret Mysteries, the Qabbalah; later, every Levite of the priestly caste became a teacher and a Rabbin. (See the series of Kabbalistic Rabbis by w.w.w.)

1 Rabbi Abulafia of Saragossa born in 1240, formed a school of Kabbalah named after him; his chief works were The Seven Paths of the Law and The Epistle to Rabbi Solomon.

2 Rabbi Akiba. Author of a famous Kabbalistic work, the "Alphabet of R.A.", which treats every letter as a symbol of an idea and an emblem of some sentiment; the Book of Enoch was originally a portion of this work, which appeared at the close of the eighth century. It was not purely a Kabbalistic treatise.

3 Rabbi Azariel ben Menachem (A.D. 1160). The author of the Commentary on the Ten

Sephiroth, which is the oldest purely Kabbalistic work extant, setting aside the Sepher Yetzirah, which although older, is not concerned with the Kabbalistic Sephiroth. He was the pupil of Isaac the Blind, who is the reputed father of the European Kabbalah, and he was the teacher of the equally famous R. Moses Nachmanides.

4 Rabbi Moses Botarel (1480). Author of a famous commentary on the Sepher Yetzirah; he taught that by ascetic life and the use of invocations, a man’s dreams might be made prophetic.

5 Rabbi Chajim Vital (1600) ( The great exponent of the Kabbalah as taught R. Isaac Loria: author of one of the most famous works, Otz Chiim, or Tree of Life; from this Knorr von Rosenroth has taken the Book on the Rashith ha Gilgalim, revolutions of souls, or scheme of reincarnations.

6 Rabbi Ibn Gebirol. A famous Hebrew Rabbi, author of the hymn Kether Malchuth, or Royal Diadem, which appeared about 1050; it is a beautiful poem, embodying the cosmic doctrines of Aristotle, and it even now forms part of the Jewish special service for the evening preceding the great annual Day of Atonement (See Ginsburg and Sachs on the Religious Poetry of the Spanish Jews). This author is also known as Avicebron.

7 Rabbi Gikatilla. A distinguished Kabbalist who flourished about 1300: he wrote the famous books, The Garden of Nuts, The Gate to the Vowel Points, The mystery of the shining Metal, and The Gates of Righteousness. He laid especial stress on the use of Gematria, Notaricon and Temura.

8 Rabbi Isaac the Blind of Posquiero. The first who publicly taught in Europe, about A.D. 1200, the Theosophic doctrines of the Kabbalah.

9 Rabbi Loria (also written Luria, and also named Ari from his initials). Founded a school of the Kabbalah circa 1560. He did not write any works, but his disciples treasured up his teachings, and R. Chajim Vital published them.

10 Rabbi Moses Cordovero (A.D.1550). The author of several Kabbalistic works of a wide reputation, viz., A Sweet Light, The Book of Retirement, and The Garden of Pomegranates; this latter can be read in Latin in Knorr von Rosenroth’s Kabbalah Denudata, entitled Tractatus de Animo, ex libro Pardes Rimmonim. Cordovero is notable for an adherence to the strictly metaphysical part, ignoring the wonder-working branch which Rabbi Sabbatai Zevi practised, and almost perished in the pursuit of.

11 Rabbi Moses de Leon (circa 1290 A,D.). The editor and first publisher of the Zohar, or "Splendour", the most famous of all the Kabbalistic volumes, and almost the only one of which any large part has been translated into English. This Zohar is asserted to be in the main the production of the still more famous Rabbi Simon ben Jochai, who lived in the reign of the Emperor Titus.

12 Rabbi Moses Maimonides (died 1304). A famous Hebrew Rabbi and author, who condemned the use of charms and amulets, and objected to the Kabbalistic use of the divine names.

13 Rabbi Sabbatai Zevi (born 1641). A very famous Kabbalist, who passing beyond the dogma became of great reputation as a thaumaturgist, working wonders by the divine names. Later in life he claimed Messiahship and fell into the hands of the Sultan Mohammed IV. of Turkey, and would have been murdered, but saved his life by adopting the Mohammedan religion. (See Jost on Judaism and its Sects.)

14 Rabbi Simon ben Jochai (circa A.D. 70-80). It is round this name that cluster the mystery and poetry of the origin of the Kabbalah as a gift of the deity to mankind.

Tradition has it that the Kabbalah was a divine theosophy first taught by God to a company of angels, and that some glimpses of its perfection were conferred upon Adam; that the wisdom passed from him unto Noah; thence to Abraham, from whom the Egyptians of his era learned a portion of the doctrine. Moses derived a partial initiation from the land of his birth, and this was perfected by direct communications with the deity. From Moses it passed to the seventy elders of the Jewish nation, and from them the theosophic scheme was handed from generation to generation; David and Solomon especially became masters of this concealed doctrine. No attempt, the legends tell us, was made to commit the sacred knowledge to writing until the time of the destruction of the second Temple by Titus, when Rabbi Simon ben Jochai, escaping from the besieged Jerusalem, concealed himself in a cave, where he remained for twelve years. Here he, a Kabbalist already, was further instructed by the prophet Elias. Here Simon taught his disciples, and his chief pupils, Rabbi Eliezer and Rabbi Abba, committed to writing those teachings which in later ages became known as the Zohar, and were certainly published afresh in Spain by Rabbi Moses de Leon, about 1280. A fierce contest has raged for centuries between the learned Rabbis of Europe around the origin of the legend, and it seems quite hopeless to expect ever to arrive at an accurate decision as to what portion of the Zohar, if any, is as old as Simon ben Jochai. (See "Zohar".)

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

Malkuth: And from the rays of this Triad there appear three colours in Malkuth together with a fourth which is their synthesis. Thus from the orange tawny of Hod and the green nature of Netzach, there goeth forth a certain greenish 'citrine' colour, yet pure and translucent withal. From the orange tawny of Hod mingled with the puce of Yesod there goeth forth a certain red russet brown, 'russet' yet gleaming with a hidden fire. And from the green of Netzach and the puce of Yesod there goeth forth a certain other darkening green 'olive' yet rich and glowing withal. And the synthesis of all these is a blackness which bordereth upon the Qlippoth.

In Malkuth, Adonai ha-Aretz is God, the Lord and King, ruling over the Kingdom and Empire which is the Visible Universe.

And Cholem Yesodoth the Breaker of Foundations, (or Olam Yesodoth--the World of the Elements) is the Name of the Sphere of Operation of Malkuth which is called the Sphere of the Elements from which all things are formed, and its Archangels are three:--Metatron, the Prince of Countenance reflected from Kether, and Sandalphon, the Prince of Prayer (feminine), and Nephesch ha Messiah, the Soul of the Reconciler for Earth. And the Order of Angels is Ashim or Flames of Fire, as it is written 'Who maketh his Angels Spirits and his Ministers as a flaming Fire,' and these are also called the Order of Blessed Souls, or of the Souls of the Just made Perfect.

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

An Irish Myth Concordance

The following concordance is based on 'Gods and Fighting Men' by Lady Augusta Gregory, first published in 1904. Page number references are to the 1976 trade paperback edition published by the MacMillan Company of Canada Limited. Breif supplimentary material is taken from 'Dictionary of Irish Myth and Legend' by Ronan Coghlan, published in 1979 by Donard Publishing Comapany, and referenced as 'DIM' in the following text.

TETRAMORPH

Chayoth Ha-Qadesh: "Animals of the Sacred Place." The four-beasted figure surrounding the Wheel of Fortune (Man, Bull, Lion and Eagle), standing for the four Hebrew letters of the Tetragrammaton (IHVH) and mimicked by Xtianity in its attributions of these animals to Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. The tetramorph symbolizes the quaternity running through everything in both the manifest and unmanifest worlds.

The four principles of which the world consists are the four elements of alchemy, the four sacred words, the beasts of the Apocalypse and the four animals contained in the sphinx:

(See also: TETRAMORPH , Magick, Mysticism, Mysticism Dictionary, Body Mind and Soul,)

Shakti: (Sanskrit) "Power, energy," from the root shak, "to be able."

The active power or manifest energy of Siva that pervades all of existence. Its most refined aspect is Parashakti, or Satchidananda, the pure consciousness and primal substratum of all form.

This pristine, divine energy unfolds as ic�ha shakti (the power of desire, will, love), kriya shakti (the power of action) and jnana shakti (the power of wisdom, knowing), represented as the three prongs of Siva's trishula, or trident. From these arise the five powers of revealment, concealment, dissolution, preservation and creation.

In Saiva Siddhanta, Siva is All, and His divine energy, Shakti, is inseparable from Him. This unity is symbolized in the image of Ardhanarishvara, "half-female God." In popular, village Hinduism, the unity of Siva and Shakti is replaced with the concept of Siva and Shakti as separate entities. Shakti is represented as female, and Siva as male. In Hindu temples, art and mythology, they are everywhere seen as the divine couple. This depiction has its source in the folk-narrative sections of the Puranas, where it is given elaborate expression. Shakti is personified in many forms as the consorts of the Gods. For example, the Goddesses Parvati, Lakshmi and Sarasvati are the respective mythological consorts of Siva, Vishnu and Brahma. Philosophically, however, the caution is always made that God and God's energy are One, and the metaphor of the inseparable divine couple serves only to illustrate this Oneness.

Within the Shakta religion, the worship of the Goddess is paramount, in Her many fierce and benign forms. Shakti is the Divine Mother of manifest creation, visualized as a female form, and Siva is specifically the Unmanifest Absolute. The fierce or black (asita) forms of the Goddess include Kali, Durga, Chandi, Chamundi, Bhadrakali and Bhairavi. The benign or white (sita) forms include Uma, Gauri, Ambika, Parvati, Maheshvari, Lalita and Annapurna. As Rajarajeshvari ("divine queen of kings"). She is the presiding Deity of the Sri Chakra yantra. She is also worshiped as the ten Mahavidyas, manifestations of the highest knowledge - Kali, Tara, Shodashi, Bhuvaneshvari, Chinnamasta, Bhairavi, Dhumavati, Bagata, Matangi and Kamala. While some Shaktas view these as individual beings, most revere them as manifestations of the singular Devi. There are also numerous minor Goddess forms, in the category of gramadevata ("village Deity"). These include Pitari, "snake-catcher" (usually represented by a simple stone), and Mariyamman, "smallpox Goddess."

In the yoga mysticism of all traditions, divine energy, shakti, is experienced within the human body in three aspects:

1)    the feminine force, ida shakti,

2)    the masculine force, pingala shakti, and

3)    the pure androgynous force, kundalini shakti, that flows through the sushumna nadi.

Shakti is most easily experienced by devotees as the sublime, bliss-inspiring energy that emanates from a holy person or sanctified Hindu temple.

See: Amman, Ardhanarishvara, Goddess, Parashakti, Shaktism.

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

Ha-Hoser (Hebrew) The diminished, implying derivation and reflection; reflected lights is a Qabbalistic term for a minor hierarchy of builders of inferior power.

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

Saivism (Saiva): (Sanskrit) The religion followed by those who worship Siva as supreme God. Oldest of the four sects of Hinduism. The earliest historical evidence of Saivism is from the 8,000-year-old Indus Valley civilization in the form of the famous seal of Siva as Lord Pashupati, seated in a yogic pose. In the Ramayana, Lord Rama worshiped Siva, as did his rival Ravana. Buddha in 624 bce was born into a Saivite family, and records of his time speak of the Saiva ascetics who wandered the hills looking much as they do today.

There are many schools of Saivism, six of which are

-       Saiva Shiddhanta,

-       Pashupata Saivism,

-       Kashmir Saivism,

-       Vira Saivism,

-       Siddha Siddhanta and

-       Siva Advaita.

They are based firmly on the Vedas and Saiva Agamas, and thus have much in common, including the following principle doctrines:

1)    the five powers of Siva - creation, preservation, destruction, revealing and concealing grace;

2)    The three categories: Pati, pashu and pasha ("God, souls and bonds");

3)    the three bonds: anava, karma and maya;

4)    the three-fold power of Siva: ic�ha shakti, kriya shakti and jnana shakti;

5)    the thirty-six tattvas, or categories of existence;

6)    the need for initiation from a satguru;

7)    the power of mantra;

8)    8the four padas (stages): charya (selfless service), kriya (devotion), yoga (meditation), and jnana (illumination);

9)    the belief in the Panchakshara as the foremost mantra, and in rudraksha and vibhuti as sacred aids to faith;

10)               the beliefs in satguru (preceptor), Sivalinga (object of worship) and sangama (company of holy persons).

See: individual school entries, Saivism (Saivism six schools), Saiva.

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

Sarpa (Sanskrit) [from the verbal root srip to wriggle, creep, crawl]

Serpent; the serpent has ever symbolized in occultism wisdom, immortality -- therefore renewed birth -- and secret knowledge; hence sarpa is applied to an initiate, as is naga (Sanskrit serpent). "There is a notable difference esoterically between the words Sarpa and Naga, though they are both used indiscriminately. Sarpa (serpent) is from the root Srip, serpo to creep; and they are called 'Ahi,' from Ha, to abandon. 'The sarpa was produced from Brahma's hair, which, owing to his fright at beholding the Yakshas, whom he had created horrible to behold, fell off from the head, each hair becoming a serpent. They are called Sarpa from their creeping and Ahi because they had deserted the head' (Wilson). But the Nagas, their serpent's tail notwithstanding, do not creep, but manage to walk, run and fight in the allegories" (SD 2:181-2n).

Sarpa was the original Sanskrit term for a snake or serpent, whereas naga, although likewise signifying a snake or serpent -- which it does consistently throughout the range of Sanskrit literature -- nevertheless early became identified in mystical thought with initiates because of their power of casting off physical body after physical body almost at will. Both terms therefore signify serpent or snake, and both later were used almost indiscriminately to signify initiates; nevertheless, because of habit or use, naga is the more common term for a full initiate, sarpa in this sense being of less frequent usage.

Just as the forces of nature are in themselves neutral, and become "good" or "bad" as they are used by individuals, similarly so is a symbol usable in a good or a bad sense. In the use of nagas and sarpas, the Brothers of Light are properly called nagas, and the Brothers of Darkness are more properly called sarpas, as the root srip which means to wriggle, hence to insinuate, to creep in by stealth and deceive.

Both the Brothers of Light and of Darkness are focuses of power, subtlety, wisdom, and knowledge; in the one case rightly and nobly applied, and in the other wrongly applied. The former are the nagas or serpents of light: subtle, wise, and with power to cast off the garment or vehicle when the body has grown old and to assume another at will. The latter are more strictly the sarpas or serpents of darkness, insinuating, worldly wise, selfishly shrewd, deceitful, venomous, and dangerous, and yet possessing the same powers, but in less degree, and using them wrongly, thus deceiving human hearts and succeeding in their work often by lies and misrepresentations. Nevertheless, precisely because nagas and sarpas are used almost indiscriminately, either word may apply both to the servants of light or of darkness.

(See also: Sarpa , Mysticism, Mysticism Dictionary)

ashuddha tattvas: Odic, or magnetic, energy. These 24 categories make up the "world" of ashuddha (impure) maya. This is the realm of the astral and physical planes, in which souls function through the manomaya, pranamaya and

annamaya koshas, depending on their level of embodiment.

1.    prakriti tattva: primal nature, the gross energy of which all lower tattvas are formed. Prakriti, also called pradhana, is expressed as three gunas (qualities) - sattva, rajas and tamas. These manifest as light, activity and inertia, respectively; and on the subtle level as pleasure, sorrow and delusion. These gunas dominate the soul's powers of knowledge, action and desire (jnana, kriya and ic�ha), and form the guna body, manomaya kosha. - antahkarana: the mental faculty.

2.     buddhi tattva: judgment, intellect, the faculty of discrimination.

3.     ahamkara tattva: egoism, sense of I-ness in the external form. It is the fundamental principle of individuality.

4.     manas tattva: the instinctive mind, the receiving and directing link between the outer senses and the inner faculties. - jnanendriya: the five cognitive senses, of the nature of sattva guna. Each has a subtle and physical aspect.

5.     shrotra tattva: hearing (ears).

6.     tvak tattva: touching (skin).

7.     chakshu tattva: seeing (eyes).

8.     rasana tattva: tasting (tongue).

9.     ghrana tattva: smelling (nose). - karmendriya: the five organs of action, of the nature of rajaguna. Each has a subtle and physical aspect.

10.  vak tattva: speech (voice).

11.  pani tattva: grasping (hands).

12.  pada tattva: walking (feet).

13.  payu tattva: excretion (anus).

14.  upastha tattva: procreation (genitals). - tanmatra: the five subtle elements, of the nature of tamaguna.

15.  shabda tattva: sound.

16.  sparsha tattva: feel.

17.  rupa tattva: form.

18.  rasa tattva: taste.

19.  gandha tattva: odor. These are the subtle characteristics of the five gross elements, akasha, vayu, tejas, apas and prithivi, respectively. - panchabhuta: the five gross elements.

20.  akasha tattva: ether or space.

21.  vayu tattva: air.

22.  tejas tattva: fire.

23.  apas tattva (or jala): water.

24.  prithivi tattva: earth.

See:tattvas, tattva, atattva, antahkarana, guna, kosha, Siva

(See also: Ashuddha tattvas , Hinduism, Body Mind and Soul)

Bne' Alhim, B'ne Aleim, Bnei (ha-)Elohim. See BENEI 'ELOHIM

(See also: Bne Alhim, Bne Aleim, Bnei , Mysticism, Mysticism Dictionary, Occultism, Occultism Dictionary)