Harmony Dictionary

FENG SHUI (pronounced Fung Schway)

Also known as Geomancy, is the art of placement. The meaning of which, is literally, “wind and water.” It was studied and developed in China about 4,000 years ago. Everything in creation is “energy.”

The natural elements have their own electro-magnetic energy field, just like humans do. These magnetic fields interact with each other, and with awareness we can harmonize them, and in this harmony everything can serve its purpose for the highest good of the individual and the whole. Natural elements and electromagnetic energies do affect the quality of people's lives.

The ancient Chinese learned how to live in harmony with these forces in order to maximize their health, wealth and harmonious relationships. This art form is used to locate the most suitable site for a new building, to make simple interior adjustments and major architectural choices for homes and places of business. An office with improved Feng Shui can help increase internal and external harmony, productivity and income, more harmonious relationships, resolve conflicts and help one feel more energized in life.

(See also: FENG SHUI , Alternative Health, Holistic Health, Body Mind and Soul)

FENG SHUI

Feng shui (translated as “wind and water”) is the Chinese system of balancing the energy patterns of the physical environment. A composite of mystical beliefs, astrology, folklore, and common sense, the Chinese believe feng shui blends ancient wisdom with cultural tradition.

The laws of feng shui provide for positioning homes/businesses and designing room and office layouts in ways that promise to enhance the quality of their owners’ lives and businesses by channeling energy in positive ways. These principles strive for creating balanced, peaceful dwellings by bringing together the external and internal and living in harmony with natural and man-made environments.

Good feng shui promises occupants health, happiness, prosperity, and long life - a conscious connection between the outside environment and the world within. These same principles can also be applied to the human body (called min xiang shue) to promote inner character and restore harmony to areas of imbalance. Through meditation and daily exercises, min xiang shue can allow a deeper self-awareness and regeneration.

(See also: FENG SHUI , Alternative Health, Massage, Bodywork, Body Mind and Soul)

Disease Broadly stated, disease is a disordered or inharmonious vital state of the organism, with more of less excess, defect, or perversion of functional activity. The condition may be some chemical or mechanical wrong which renders the body unable to respond naturally to the psychoelectric and other forces which play through and sustain the physical person.

Moreover, the material and immaterial elements of the human constitution react upon each other for health or disease, because the mind and emotions on the one hand, and the organs and their functions on the other, are interrelated parts of the same entity. As a rule, this interplay between the material and the conscious person becomes a vicious circle in disease. Mental or emotional shock or strain can so affect function as to result in organic disease. Long continued selfish emotions cause a distorted and inharmonious interaction of the pranic or vital currents of the body, resulting in one or another disorder, according to the type of the emotions and the individual karma.

In view of the electric nature of matter, physical disorder may be regarded as an electrical disharmony or wrong, since disease always changes the polarity of the body, more or less. The vital currents of human electricity connect the conscious person with his body by the living wires of nerves. The rhythmic motion or natural harmony vibrating in each cell and organ at its own rate, is responsive to the universal vibration or Great Breath which in other modes of motion manifests as heat, light, sound, density, etc. But beyond the electrical and vibrational states of the body, and above the mental influence, is the essential self, the source of all harmony or rhythmic procedures in all below it, keyed to harmony and striving to raise the lower nature to act in unison with its finer and greater powers. When the instinct of the animal body, the mental reasoning faculties, and the reimbodying ego's intuition are functioning together, the person is keyed to health, sanity, and wisdom. Otherwise, the real inner conflict manifests in some form of disorder.

As the human being, then, is a dynamo of balanced forces, some disorder in their operation is the basic wrong in human diseases. Moreover, as all matter is alive, conscious in some degree, and vibrationally responsive to the laws of nature, the same general principle applies also to disease in the animal, vegetable, and mineral kingdoms. In mankind, the organic vital fluid of the reimbodying ego is the cohering factor for the entire constitution, dominating over all minor vital expressions of the life-atoms. The intense and ceaseless activity of these life-atoms builds and composes the body, and as age comes on, and the physical vehicle naturally and normally weakens, the uninterrupted activity of the vital power becomes too strong to be held in check by the gripping influence of the vital-electrical field. Thus the atomic forces, really the vital energies, continuing unabated within the body structure, slowly weaken it and finally destroy it, and this is death.

"It is likewise these internal vital activities of the life-atoms held in insufficient check by the organic vitality which bring about many if perhaps not all of the various forms of disease of a lasting character. Cases of malignant disease are due to the same general cause but on account of specific and unusual circumstances are localized in some portion of the body where the power or control of the organic vitality becomes greatly weakened" (ET 813n).

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

AYURVEDIC MEDICINE

Ayurvedic (pronounced eye yur VEH dik) medicine stresses a holistic approach to health. It means “science of life.” It places equal emphasis on body, mind and spirit and its main goal is to restore the innate harmony of the individual.

Ayurvedic medicine defines disease as the result of climatic extremes, bacterial attack, nutritional deviance, and stress, as well as other forms of emotional imbalance. Optimal health is achieved by cultivating mental and physical habits that are conducive to physical and spiritual well-being. Treatment often includes yoga, diet, and the development of positive attitude

Ayurvedic medicine evolved among the Brahmin sages of ancient India some 3000-5000 years ago. There are specific aspects of this system of medicine that distinguish it from other approaches to health care. It focuses on establishing and maintaining balance of the life energies within us, rather than focusing on individual symptoms.

"Constitution” is the keystone of Auruvedic medicine. Constitution refers to the overall health profile of the individual, including strength and susceptibilities. Ayurvedic doctors determine each metabolic body type and then specify a treatment plan to guide one back into harmony with the environment. 

Underlying Ayurveda is the view that everything is composed of five basic elements: ether/space, air, fire, water and earth. These are similar to the elements in traditional Chinese medicine. These elements combine to form the metabolic body types, or doshas (pronounced DOE shas). Ayurveda describes three body types. Even though each person’s metabolic type is determined by a predominant dosha, all three doshas are present in varying degrees in every cell, tissue and organ of the body.

The three doshas are vata, pitta and kapha. Vata is motion that activates the physical system, physical activity, and nerve force. It allows the body to breathe and circulate blood. The seats of the vata are the large intestine, pelvic cavity, bones , skin, ears and thighs. Pitta processes food, air and water and is responsible for charging the endocrine and enzymatic activities throughout the body. The seats of the pitta are the small intestines, stomach, sweat glands, blood, skin and eyes. Kapha involves the structure of bones, tendons, muscles and the fat that holds the body together. It offers nourishment and protection. The chest, lungs, and fluid surrounding the spinal cord are the seats of kapha.

When the doshas are balanced in accordance with the individual’s constitution, the result is vibrant heath and energy. When the balance is disturbed the body becomes susceptible to disease. Imbalance in the doshas is the first sign that the mind and body are not perfectly coordinated.

Ayurvedic medicine believes that once people understand the characteristics and qualities of their body type they can make changes in their lifestyle and environment to restore dosha balance. Ayurveda seeks to heal the fragmentation and disorder of the mind-body complex and restore wholeness and harmony to all people of all ages, from young children to the elderly.

(See also: AYURVEDIC MEDICINE , Alternative Health, Holistic Health, Body Mind and Soul)

Karma (Sanskrit) (from the verbal root kri to do, make, denoting action)

Action, the causes and consequences of action; that which produces change. One of the primary postulates of every comprehensive system of philosophy, described as a universal law, unceasingly active throughout universal nature and rooted in cosmic harmony, in its operations existing from eternity, inevitable, inherent in the very nature of things. It is action, absolute harmony, the adjuster; it preserves equilibrium by compensating and adjusting all actions, excessive or defective.

Hence it is called the law of retribution, implying neither reward nor punishment, based on nature's own urge of harmonious equilibrium. As such it has been personalized as Nemesis and by many other names, a practice which lends itself to popular imagining of avenging deities, such as God or Gods, Furies, Fates, Destiny, etc. As there are no such things as inanimate beings in the universe, it is not surprising to hear of karmic agents and of scribes or lipika who record karma. Karma must necessarily be transmitted by living beings of one grade or another, because there is no other means possible, and universal nature is but a vast, virtually frontierless being whose entire structure, laws, and operations are the innumerable hierarchies of beings in all-various grades, which thus not only condition nature, but are in fact universal nature itself. By our acts we create living beings which act upon other people and ultimately react upon ourselves. These beings, then, are agents of karma on one plane; on higher planes other orders of beings are such agents.

"An Occultist or a philosopher will not speak of the goodness or cruelty of Providence; but, identifying it with Karma-Nemesis, he will teach that nevertheless it guards the good and watches over them in this, as in future lives; and that it punishes the evil-doer -- aye, even to his seventh rebirth. So long, in short, as the effect of his having thrown into perturbation even the smallest atom in the Infinite World of harmony, has not been finally readjusted. For the only decree of Karma -- an eternal and immutable decree -- is absolute Harmony in the world of matter as it is in the world of Spirit. It is not, therefore, Karma that rewards or punishes, but it is we, who reward or punish ourselves according to whether we work with, through and along with nature, abiding by the laws on which that Harmony depends, or -- break them.

"Nor would the ways of Karma be inscrutable were men to work in union and harmony, instead of disunion and strife. For our ignorance of those ways -- which one portion of mankind calls the ways of Providence, dark and intricate; while another sees in them the action of blind Fatalism; and a third, simple chance, with neither gods nor devils to guide them -- would surely disappear, if we would but attribute all these to their correct cause. With right knowledge, or at any rate with a confident conviction that our neighbours will no more work to hurt us than we would think of harming them, the two-thirds of the World's evil would vanish into thin air. Were no man to hurt his brother, Karma-Nemesis would have neither cause to work for, nor weapons to act through. . . . We stand bewildered before the mystery of our own making, and the riddles of life that we will not solve, and then accuse the great Sphinx of devouring us. But verily there is not an accident in our lives, not a misshapen day, or a misfortune, that could not be traced back to our own doings in this or in another life" (SD 1:643-4).

The effect of karma on human beings is merely the natural reaction from their actions, which may be described as only half-actions, for they are not completed until the reaction has ensued. Since the consequences of acts do not necessarily ensue immediately, it follows that at any stage of our career we may experience the results of actions performed a long time in the past.

Karma does not obviate free will or imply fatalism or mechanistic determinism. It is not merely a mechanical or mechanistic chain of linked cause and effect, by which every act is predetermined by some previous act and by no other cause. Man is a divine spark expressing itself through a series of vehicles, forming by means of these vehicles a series of egos, each conscious and operative on its own plane. Through his contract with higher planes, he has the power of bringing new forces into operation, so he is not inexorably bound in a mechanistic sense by his karma. On the other hand, to speak of an absolutely free will is meaningless; the will becomes more and more emancipated from conditions as we penetrate deeper into the recesses of our nature; but it must always be actuated by motive of some kind, and hence, being conditioned by motive, it comes under the operation of the universal law of karma.

There are many types of karma, such as human, racial, national, family, individual, etc. A chain of causation, stretched out in time, will be intersected by any given present moment; so that in speaking of a person, we may say he sums up in himself both his past and his future, he is his own karma. Since the whole universe and all the beings which compose it are linked and blended together, it follows that no person can have exclusive interests and that the karma of all beings is linked and, in a profound sense, identical. Karma in its moral aspect is cosmic justice. It should not interfere in any way with helping others, nor does it render futile the exercise of compassion, for we incur as much responsibility by refraining from action as by acting.

"Sow kindly acts and thou shalt reap their fruition. Inaction in a deed of mercy becomes an action in a deadly sin" (VS 31).

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

Music of the Spheres An extremely archaic teaching repeated by Pythagoras, and therefore in the West commonly associated with his doctrine, for he taught that the world had been called forth out of Chaos by sound or harmony, and that the universe is constructed on harmonic proportions.

He further taught that the planets were arranged in relation to each other and to the Sun in the progression of a musical scale; thus the distance of the Moon from the Earth was called a tone, from Moon to Mercury half a tone, Mercury to Venus half a tone, Venus to Sun one and a half tones, Sun to Mars a tone, Mars to Jupiter half a tone, Jupiter to Saturn half a tone, Saturn to the zodiac a tone -- thus completing the seven tones of the scale or the diapason-harmony, as it is reported that Pythagoras reckoned -- although the actual addition of the half-tones and tones includes only 6 1/2 tones. As Censorinus (De die natali 13) expressed it, "the intervals correspond to musical diastemes, rendering various sounds, so perfectly consonant, that they produce the sweetest melody, which is inaudible to us, only by reason of the greatness of the sound, which our ears are incapable of receiving" (SD 1:433).

Theosophy teaches that every body, indeed every monad or life-atom, is in constant motion, and as it moves emits a sound, its own keynote, and that this sound is in musical harmony with nature's all-inclusive harmonic symphonies.

Furthermore, every particle of matter, every physical atom even, in its incessant movements produces a sound which is indeed a song, so that had we the power of spiritual hearing (genuine clairaudience), we would be able to hear this unimaginably grand symphony of sounds: we would hear the grass growing -- as the ancient Welsh mystic has it; and the opening of a flower would itself be a marvelous natural orchestral performance.

(See also: Music of the Spheres , Mysticism, Mysticism Dictionary)

Nirvana (Nibbana): The ultimate state of awareness, and the penultimate state of harmony. It is second in harmony to para-nirvana.

 (See also: Nirvana , Buddhism, Body Mind and Soul)

Libra: The Judge

Keyword Phrase: I BALANCE

Libra’s refined sensibilities are seen in artistry of all forms. Social and diplomatic, Libra can be highly impartial. As the Cardinal Air sign of the zodiac, Libra represents the need to initiate relationships and make connections. Yet Libra can also be distant, inconsiderate, and conceited. Symbolized by the Scales, Libra strives for balance and harmony, but is sometimes caught in indecision. Libran energy tends toward a high degree of logic and consideration, but can also be expressed through placating or argumentative attitudes. Ruled by the planet Venus, Libra is continually judging the value of everything. Libra knows there are two sides to every story, and when called upon to mediate, can be an exceptional arbitrator. Where you see Libra in the chart, there is a need for harmony, beauty, and refinement.

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

Joy

• To dream that you feel joy over any event, denotes harmony among friends.

Source: 10 000 Dream Interpretations, by Gustavus Hindman Miller

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

Twins

If your dream entails giving birth to twins, or if you are dreaming about baby twins, please see " birth ". Twins in astrology represent opposites, and we may use this symbolism to explain our dream. The twins could suggest a duality in thoughts, ideas, feelings, or states of consciousness. The details of the dream will give you a clue to whether or not these varying aspects are in harmony or in conflict with each other. The twins could also represent the balance that is extremely important to our emotional and psychological health. Old dream interpretation books say that dreaming about adult twins foretells of "double trouble followed by double joy."

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

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

Quarrel

If you are quarreling or arguing in your dream you may be experiencing some inner conflict. The quarrel may reflect your own inability to resolve important issues, ideas, or values. Most likely, you may be experiencing ongoing difficulty with making decisions, cannot accept authority, or you may have carried an argument from your daily life into your dream. Very old dream interpretation books say that quarreling is a dream of the contrary and that you will have peace and harmony with your loved ones.

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

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

aikido: Spiritual discipline and self-defense method that uses grappling, throws, and nonresistance to debilitate opponents. The name aikido combines three Japanese words: ai (union or harmony), ki (breath, spirit or life force), and do (way). Proponents translate aikido as the way of unifying ki or the way of harmony with the spirit of the universe (or universal energy). Morihei Ueshiba (1883-1969), a Japanese farmer and master martial artist, founded aikido sometime between 1922 and 1931, after a divine revelation. Ueshiba claimed supernatural power. (His surname is also spelled Oyeshiba and Uyeshiba.) Practitioners may be called aikidoists.

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

Bedroom

A strange bedroom, pleasantly furnished, indicates a change for the better; your own bedroom signifies harmony in current affairs.

Source: Swoon, http://www.swoon.com

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

Violin

• To see, or hear a violin in dreams, foretells harmony and peace in the family, and financial affairs will cause no apprehension.
• For a young woman to play on one in her dreams, denotes that she will be honored and receive lavish gifts.
• If her attempt to play is unsuccessful, she will lose favor, and aspire to things she never can possess.
• A broken one, indicates sad bereavement and separation.

Source: 10 000 Dream Interpretations, by Gustavus Hindman Miller

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

TAI CHI

Tai Chi (pronounced tie-chee) emphasizes complete relaxation, and is essentially a form of mediation, or what has been called "meditation in motion." Unlike the hard martial arts, Tai Chi is characterized by soft, slow, flowing movements that emphasize force, rather than brute strength. Though it is soft, slow, and flowing, the movements are executed precisely. 

Tai Chi history is not well documented; however, aspects of it date back at least 2000 years B.C. in ancient India. In the 13th century A.D., a Taoist (pronounced DOW-ist) monk, Chang Sang Feng, developed what is known as Tai Chi. Then Tai Chi came to be associated with different families in China, and each family’s name designated a different style of Tai Chi. The Chen family developed the Tai Chi style upon which all other modern styles are based. A man by the name of Yang, who studied with the Chen family, later modified the Chen style, thus developing the Yang style of Tai Chi Chuan. The Yang style is the most common traditional style of Tai Chi Chuan practiced today. The Yang style has three different forms that are practiced: Simplified form, short form, and long form.

Chi is an ancient Chinese concept that designates a form of energy. The term literally means "breath," as does the ancient Greek word from which we get the word "spirit." According to the philosophy of Tai Chi, this energy, which flows throughout every body, can become blocked. Tai Chi philosophy states that illness is due to the flow of the chi through the body becoming blocked. The Chinese recognize several means for freeing up the flow of chi. Two of the more commonly known forms in this country are acupuncture and Tai Chi.

Tai Chi, as also used as form of meditation to develop self-understanding. Learning to control oneself enables one to deal with others. This self-control can come about through two principal notions found in the Tao Te Ching (pronounced DOW tay ching) and I Ching (pronounced EE- ching). These two notions are the fundamental concepts of yin and yang. The philosophy of Taoism (DOW-ism) understands everything in terms of these two opposing principles. Though these two principles are seen as opposites, the one necessarily merges into the other, creating the natural balance of self and world, hence the classic symbol of Tai Chi . The Tai Chi form is meant to enable one to bring the principles of yin and yang back into their fundamental, natural harmony. The ultimate effect of this harmony, according to Taoism and Tai Chi, is one's physical and spiritual well-being.

(See also: TAI CHI , Alternative Health, Holistic Health, Body Mind and Soul)

Dream Interpretation Rainbow

The rainbow is a symbol of inner peace and harmony of body, soul and spirit. It also represent the bridge between heaven and earth. Seeing a rainbow is a warning saying that good fortune could be an illusion. In spiritual terms, however the colourful arc of rainbow shows that you are at peace with God and the world. It is always a sign that an important reconciliation is possible.

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

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

Sundaram:

Sundaram: He is the light, the splendor, the harmony, the melody, the Ananda; the Sundaram (SSS) Sundaram; beauty, harmony, melody, symmetry (SSS-II) [see: sathyam Sivam sundaram]

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

Sathyam Sivam Sundaram:

Sathyam Sivam Sundaram: Sathyam, S'ivam, Sundaram" speaks of Me, as immanent in every one of you. For, Sathyam is Truth; you resent any imputation of untruth. The real 'you' is Sathyam. How then will it accept any other appellation? So too, you are Sivam; joy, happiness, goodness, contentment, auspiciousness. You are not Savam; dead, miserable, weak; you are S'ivam. Then again, the real 'you' is Sundaram; beauty, harmony, melody, symmetry. (SSS-II) "Follow the Karma-marga with the harmony and charm of Sundaram; follow the Bakthi-marga with the exhilaration and exaltation of S'ivam; follow the Jnana-marga with the directness and steadfastness of Sathyam." (SSS-II) (SSS-IV) "Sathyam is the feet, S'ivam is the trunk and Sundaram the head. On Sathyam we stand, on S'ivam we act and on Sundaram we think. In Truth we are born, in Goodness we live and into Beauty we merge." (SSS-IV)

(See also: Sathyam Sivam Sundaram , Hinduism, Hinduism Dictionary, Sanskrit Dictionary, Body Mind and Soul)

accordant: In agreement or harmony with.

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

Meditation

According to Swami Vishnu Devananda, meditation is "….a continuous flow of perception or thought, just like the flow of water in a river." A practice wherein there is constant observation of the mind, meditation brings awareness, harmony and natural order into life. It helps you dig deep into your inner self to discover the wisdom and tranquility that lie within.

Principles of Meditation

The basic points to be kept in mind in practicing meditation are:

·      Have a special place and specific time for meditation. Try doing it daily.

·      Choose a time when your mind is not clouded with worries.

·      Sit up straight with your back, neck and head in one line. Facing north or east.

·      Condition your mind such so as to remain quiet for the duration of your meditation session.

·      Regulate your breathing. Start with 5 minutes of deep breathing. Then gradually slow it down.

·      Follow a rhythmic breathing pattern - inhale and exhale.

·      Initially let your mind wander. It grows more restless if you force to concentrate.

·      Then slowly bring it to rest on the focal point of your choice.

·      Hold your object of concentration at this focal point throughout your session.

·      Meditation happens when you reach a state of pure thought. Even while retaining an awareness of duel self.

Followed diligently you will soon be able to attain a super-conscious state.

Tips on Concentration

·      At the outset, it is hard to keep your attention to keep focussed on one object.

·      So it is better to start off by limiting your field of concentration to a category of objects.

·      Choose your objects with care e.g. any four flowers, fruits, trees...etc. You must feel at ease with what you choose.

·      After concentrating on one, you can move on to the next, if & when your mind starts wandering.

This style of meditative exercise will help you control your mind down to a finer focus, teaching you the principle of single point concentration.

Meditative Postures

Yoni Mudra

·  Close your ears with thumbs.

·  Cover your eyes with your index finger.

·  Close your nostrils with your middle fingers.

·  Press your lips together with your remaining fingers.

·  Release the middle fingers gently to inhale and exhale while you meditate.

Frontal & Nasal Gazing

·  Gaze at a point between your eyebrows, seat of the 'Third Eye' or at the tip or your nose.

·  This would improve your level of concentration. At the same time, strengthening your eye muscles. Nasal gazing has a positive effect on the central nervous system.

·  Remember not to strain your eyes. Start with one minute of gazing and then slowly build it up to ten minutes.

Candle Gazing

• Place a candle at eye-level in a darkened, draught-free room.
• Close your eyes and hold an after-image of the bright flame.
• The practice steadies the wandering mind, leading you to focus with pin-point accuracy.

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