Maya Calendar Dictionary

MAYAN CALENDAR

The Mayan year, beginning always on July 26, called a tun consisting of 360 days (called kin ) and 5 or 6 epagomenals called Vayeb , weeks, called Uinals , are 13 kin long and numbered perpetually over a span of 20 days, named as follows: Imix, Ik, Akbal, Kan, Chicchan, Cimi, Manik, Lamat, Muluc, Oc, Chuen, Eb, Ben, Ix, Men, Cib, Caban, Edznab, Cauac, Ahau. The months, which are 20 days long, but numbered from 0 to 19 are as follows: Pop, Yax, Vo, Zac, Zip, Ceh, Zotz, Mac, Xec, Kankin, Xul, Muan, Yaxkin, Pax, Mol, Kayab, Ch'en, Cumku. . . and the Vayeb intercalaries.

Time is reckoned in units of 20. Thus 20 tun make a katun, 20 katun make a baktun, 20 baktun make a pictun, 20 pictun make a calabtun, 20 calabtun make a kinchiltun, and 20 kinchiltun make an Alautun, which latter amounts to 163,040,000 years.

The present cycle began in the year 3113 B.C. and ending in 2012 A.D., is the final part of a 26,000 year cycle (a zodiacal age), and (according to José Argüelles) June 20, 1986 was "10 Ben, 9 Kayeb, 12.18.14.18.9" meaning baktun 12, katun 18, year 14, vinal 18, day 9 and kin 1862599 (number of days elapsed from the initiation point of the Great Cycle)."

The "Harmonic Convergence" of 1987 was the beginning of the end of the last five years of the Hell cycle. 1992 is the beginning of the final 20-year countdown to the completion of the 26,000 year galactic cycle. (The time it takes the sun to circle the Pleiades). One of the stars in the Pleiades is called "Maya."

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

Jose Arguelles

(1939 - ) New Age author whose book The Mayan Factor, published early 1987, argued that during a critical time (August 16-17 of that year) the prophecies of the Bible, Aztec and Mayan calendars indicated that the world would either begin a new age or be destroyed.

If 144,000 self-chosen people were "resonating" with peace during this important time, worldwide, though especially at the "power centers" like Mount Shasta, Arguelles believed the world could be saved from destruction. (see Harmonic Convergence).

He has a distinguished career as an educator, he taught at Princeton University, University of California, Evergreen State College, San Francisco State University, San Francisco Institute of Art, the Naropa Institute, the University of Colorado, and The Union Graduate School.

His pioneering books resulting from investigations into human whole systems include: Mandala (1972), A Psychophysical Aesthetic (1972), The Transformative Vision: Reflections on the Nature and History of Human Expression (1975) (1992), and, Earth Ascending: An illustrated Treatise on the Law Governing Whole Systems (1984, 1988). As one of the founders of Earth Day, 1970 (First Whole Earth Festival, Davis, California. 1970), Arguelles is a career activist for peace and the planetary transformation of consciousness.

With his wife and partner, Lloydine, they founded the Planet Art Network (1983), promoting the revival of the Nicholas Roerich Peace Pact and Banner of Peace (1935). Combining investigations of the Roerich Peace Pact with his lifetime study of the mathematics and prophesies of the Mayan Calendar.

(See also: Jose Arguelles , New Age Spirituality, Body Mind and Soul)

Maya:

Maya: The tangle of ignorance, the veil of illusion, (BV-1), (RRV-1), power to delude, (RRV-4) delusion, (BV-32) the Deluding Urge, the mother of all the worlds, (BV-33), taking the appearance as real (RRV-7b).

 - Avidyamaya: The Maya named Avidya is very vicious; she causes boundless misery. Those drawn by it will sink into the depths of flux, the eternal tangle of joy and grief (RRV2-2).

 - Vidyamaya: The Maya known as Vidya has created the Cosmos, under the prompting of the Lord. For, she has no innate force of her own. Only while in the Presence of the Lord can she create the three-stranded Cosmos (Prapancha) (RRV2-2).

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

Sanskrit dictionary. From Advaita to Yoga.

Please note that all words in grey, like "enlightenment" or "kundalini" are hyperlinked to archives further explaining the term. At the corresponding archive you will also find articles related to the term.

Queztalcoatl

(Aztec - "feathered-serpent")

 An Aztec god of the air or a sun-god and a benefactor of their race who instructed them in the use of agriculture, metals and the like.

According to one account, Quetzalcoatl was driven from the country by a superior god and on reaching the shores of the Mexican Gulf promised his followers that he would return. He then embarked on his magic skiff for the land of Tlapallan.

The Great Bird-Serpent is the most powerful figure in Mexican mythology, and it was known and accepted as a god in ancient Mexico and Central America. Accordingly, he dominated the great early American civilizations, from the land of the Incas in South America, to the Pueblo Indians of the our southwestern desert; from Teotihuacan (Mexico City) on the high plateau to Chichen Itza in Yucatan, he is a prevailing motif on ancient monuments.

Sometimes with his jaws open, bifid tongue, and articulated spinal column, he is easily recognizable. At others, he seems to have been coded in an almost infinite variety of formalized patterns derived from his famous scales, or feathers.

To the ancients, Quetzalcoatl became the force for understanding the universe, as it was known before the introduction of modern religion by the Conquistadors of Spain. The god Quetzalcoatl represented, to the ancient peoples of Central and South America, the very essence of life.

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

mysticism: Spirituality; the pursuit of direct spiritual or religious experience. Spiritual discipline aimed at union or communion with Ultimate Reality or God through deep meditation or trance-like contemplation. From the Greek mystikos, "of mysteries."

Characterized by the belief that Truth transcends intellectual processes and must be attained through transcendent means.

See: mysticism, occultism, clairaudient, clairvoyance, psychic, trance.psychic abilities, siddhi.

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

A Theosophical definition of Brothers of the Shadow :

Brother(s) of the Shadow

A term given in occultism and especially in modern esotericism to individuals, whether men or women, who follow the path of the shadows, the left-hand path. The term "shadow" is a technical expression and signifies more than appears on the surface: i.e., the expression is not to be understood of individuals who live in actual physical obscurity or actual physical shadows, which literalism would be simply absurd; but applies to those who follow the path of matter, which from time immemorial in the esoteric schools in both Orient and Occident has frequently been called shadow or shadows.

The term originally arose, without doubt, in the philosophical conception of the word maya, for in early Oriental esotericism maya, and more especially maha-maya, was a term applied in one of its many philosophical meanings to that which was contrary to and, indeed, in one sense a reflection of, light. Just as spirit may be considered to be pure energy, and matter, although essentially crystallized spirit, may be looked upon as the shadow world or vehicular world in which the energy or spirit or pure light works, just so is maya, as the garment or expression or sakti of the divine energy, the vehicle or shadow of the divine side of nature, in other words its negative or nether pole, as light is the upper or positive pole.

The Brothers of the Shadow are therefore those who, being essentially of the nature of matter, instinctively choose and follow the path along which they are most strongly drawn, that is, the path of matter or of the shadows. When it is recollected that matter is but a generalizing term, and that what this term comprises actually includes an almost infinite number of degrees of increasing ethereality from the grossest physical substance, or absolute matter, up to the most ethereal or spiritualized substance, we immediately see the subtle logic of this technical term  - shadows or, more fully, the Path of the Shadows, hence the Brothers of the Shadow.

They are the so-called black magicians of the Occident, and stand in sharp and notable contrast with the white magicians or the Sons of Light who follow the pathway of self-renunciation, self-sacrifice, self-conquest, perfect self-control, and an expansion of the heart and mind and consciousness in love and service for all that lives. (See also Right-hand Path)

The existence and aims of the Brothers of the Shadow are essentially selfish. It is commonly, but erroneously, supposed that the Brothers of the Shadow are men and women always of unpleasant or displeasing personal appearance, and no greater error than this could possibly be made. Multitudes of human beings are unconsciously treading the path of the shadows and, in comparison with these multitudes, it is relatively only a few who self-consciously lead and guide with subtle and nefast intelligence this army of unsuspecting victims of maya. The Brothers of the Shadow are often highly intellectual men and women, frequently individuals with apparent great personal charm, and to the ordinary observer, judging from their conversation and daily works, are fully as well able to "quote scripture" as are the Angels of Light!

See also: Brothers of the Shadow , Mysticism, Body Mind and Soul

Kundalini Dictionary

Dictionary over terms related to kundalini and kundalini awakening. Please note that words in grey like " Kundalini " are links to archives with related articles.

cupping (cupping method, cupping therapy; called the horn method in ancient China): Variable method akin to moxabustion.

The practitioner may use a cup made of glass, metal, or wood (notably bamboo) and burn alcohol, alcohol-soaked cotton wool, herbs, paper, or a taper therein. Before or after the burning is complete, the practitioner applies the cup upside-down to a relatively flat body surface and leaves it in this position for five to ten minutes. Results include erythema (reddening of the skin due to capillary expansion), edema (excessive fluid accumulation in tissue spaces), and ecchymoses (purple discoloration of the skin due to rupture of blood vessels).

The above description relates to fire cupping (the fire cupping method), which has several forms. Other forms of cupping include the acupuncture cupping method, the air pumping cupping method, and the water cupping method.

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

Bhaskara: n (Sanskrit) Philosopher (ca 950). His Bhaskarabhashya, a commentary on the Brahma Sutras, was the first elaborate criticism of Shankara's Advaitic doctrine of avidya-maya. See: Shankara,Vedanta, Vishishtadvaita.

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

Buddhahood

(Jpn.: bukkai)

The state of awakening that a Buddha has attained. The ultimate goal of Buddhist practice and the highest of the Ten Worlds. The word enlightenment is often used synonymously with Buddhahood. Buddhahood is regarded as a state of perfect freedom, in which one is awakened to the eternal and ultimate truth that is the reality of all things. This supreme state of life is characterized by boundless wisdom and infinite compassion. The Lotus Sutra reveals that Buddhahood is a potential in the lives of all beings.

See: attainment of Buddhahood

(See also: Buddhahood , Enlightenment, Buddhism Enlightenment, Buddhism Enlightenment Dictionary)

Jin Shin Jyutsu (jin shin jitsu): Subject of The Touch of Healing: Energizing Body, Mind, and Spirit with the Art of Jin Shin Jyutsu (Bantam Books, 1997).

Jin Shin Jyutsu is a non-massage form of shiatsu developed by Jiro Murai in Japan. It uses only 26 pressure points, termed energy locks. According to its theory, fatigue, tension, or illness can trap energy in these safety energy locks.

The design of Jin Shin Jyutsu is to harmonize the flow of energy through the body. Jin Shin Jyutsu involves either:

(a)           prolonged, gentle, manual pressing of these points; or

(b)           movements of the practitioner's hands over such areas without contact. The practitioner's hands function like booster cables. Jin shin jyutsu literally means the creator's art through knowing and compassionate man.

(See also: Jin Shin Jyutsu , Body Mind and Soul, Alternative Health, Alternative Health Dictionary)

Maya:

(1) Sanscrit for “illusion.”

(2) A tribe of Central American Indians.

(See also: Maya , Pagan, Paganism, Pagan Dictionary)

Chinese medicine (Traditional Chinese Medicine, TCM): Ancient holistic system whose basics include herbology, nutrition, and the concepts of acupuncture meridians, the Five Elements (Five Phases), and yin and yang.

Traditional Chinese Medicine theory posits both Organs (the Triple Burner, for example) and Substances (such as Shen, or Spirit) for which scientific evidence is absent. Variations and hybrids of Chinese medicine include Korean medicine, Tibetan medicine, and Vietnamese traditional medicine.

Chinese medicine probably originated about 2,000 years ago, but it became dogmatic and stagnated for centuries; overall its development has been slow. It probably stems from shamanism. The basis of Chinese medicine is Taoism, a religion according to which spirits (shen) inhabit the human body and take care of its functions. The foundational text of Chinese medicine - known as the Classic of Internal Medicine, the Huangdi Neijing, the Inner Classic, the Inner Classic of the Yellow Emperor, the Neiching, the Nei Jing, The Yellow Emperor's Classic, The Yellow Emperor's Classic of Internal Medicine, and the Yellow Emperor's Inner Canon - was completed by the first century C.E.

(See also: Chinese medicine , Body Mind and Soul, Alternative Health, Alternative Health Dictionary)

cause: Karana. Anything which produces an effect, a result.  - 

-       efficient cause: (nimitta karana) That which directly produces the effect; that which conceives, makes, shapes, etc., such as the potter who fashions a clay pot, or God who creates the world. 

-       material cause: (upadana karana) The matter from which the effect is formed, as the clay which is shaped into a pot, or God as primal substance becoming the world.

-       instrumental cause: (sahakari karana) That which serves as a means, mechanism or tool in producing the effect, such as the potter's wheel, necessary for making a pot, or God's generative Shakti.

See: maya, tattva.

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

Maya: Name attributed to Gautama Siddharta's mother. More importantly, maya is translated as illusion, and is used to describe reality.

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

chakra healing (chakra balancing, chakra energy balancing, chakra therapy, chakra work): Subject of The ABCs of Chakra Therapy: A Workbook (Samuel Weiser, Inc., 1998). chakra healing is any means of energy clearing that focuses on or has been geared to chakras, including aromatherapy, hatha yoga, reflexology, and visualization (see creative visualization).

(See also: Chakra healing , Body Mind and Soul, Alternative Health, Alternative Health Dictionary)

Maya (Sanskrit). Illusion ; the cosmic power which renders phenomenal existence and the perceptions thereof possible. In Hindu philosophy that alone which is changeless and eternal is called reality ; all that which is subject to change through decay and differentiation and which has therefore a begining and an end is regarded as maya - illusion.

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

Anna-maya kosha:

fleshy food-eating body

(See also: Anna-maya kosha , Kundalini, Kundalini Yoga, Kundalini Dictionary)

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V X Y Z

maya: (Sanskrit) "Consisting of; made of," as in manomaya, "made of mind."

From the verb root ma, "to measure, to limit, give form." The principle of appearance or manifestation of God's power or "mirific energy," "that which measures." The substance emanated from Siva through which the world of form is manifested. Hence all creation is also termed maya. It is the cosmic creative force, the principle of manifestation, ever in the process of creation, preservation and dissolution.

See: loka, mind (universal), mirific.

The Upanishads underscore maya's captivating nature, which blinds souls to the transcendent Truth. In Shankara's Vedantic interpretation, maya is taken as pure illusion or unreality. In Saivism it is one of the three bonds (pasha) that limit the soul and thereby facilitate its evolution. For Saivites and most other nondualists, it is understood not as illusion but as relative reality, in contrast to the unchanging Absolute Reality.

In the Saiva Siddhanta system, there are three main divisions of maya, the pure, the pure-impure and the impure realms. Pure or shuddha maya consists of the first five tattvas - Siva tattva, Shakti tattva, Sadasiva tattva, Ishvara tattva and Shuddhavidya tattva. The pure-impure realm consists of the next seven tattvas. The impure realm consists of the maya tattva and all of its evolutes - from the kala tattva to prithivi, the element earth. Thus, in relation to the physical universe, maya is the principle of ever-changing matter. In Vaishnavism, maya is one of the nine Shaktis of Vishnu.

See: loka, mind (universal), mirific, tattva, world.

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