Mysticism Glossary - M

Noun.

See NUT

(See also: Noun , Mysticism, Mysticism Dictionary)

MAGICK

Stands for theurgy of "god" work, i.e. the hexagram. "M/magic(k)," which is my own spelling, is intended to cover all contingencies with a standard designation. (Similarly, Qabalah = the traditional work, whereas Cabala refers to any derivative, Gentile system). M/magic(k) should not be confused with "sorcery", which is the practice of using formulas and rituals by the ordinary mind to affect reality in self-seeking ways. "Magic", on the other hand, is active participation of the higher consciousness in creative experiences and mystical understanding.

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

Per-M-Rhu (Egypt, Egyptian). This name is the recognised pronunciation of the ancient title of the collection of mystical lectures, called in English The Book of the Dead. Several almost complete papyri have been found, and there are numberless extant copies of portions of the work.

(See also: Per-M-Rhu , Theosophy, Spirituality, Body mind and Soul, Spiritual Dictionary,)

INITIATE

One who has been "initiated" into the mysteries, an official Epopt, a magus. For such a one, initiation is an ongoing process which is never completed. It has been said, "An initiate is not one who knows everything, but one who knows that he has everything to know."

Initiates know the meaning of the terms "Black," "White" and "Yellow" M/magic(k) but realize that, in fact, all M/magic(k) is one. No magus ever ceases to be an Initiate, no matter how far into the wildernesses of technocratic society life may lure him.

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

conscious mind: Jagrat chitta ("wakeful consciousness").

The ordinary, waking, thinking state of mind in which the majority of people function most of the day.

See: awareness, mind, chitta, consciousness, maya, tattva, world, Three phases of mind, Five states of the mind.

(See also: Conscious mind , Hinduism, Body Mind and Soul)

Reincarnation Reimbodiment; specifically reinfleshment, the repeated imbodiment of the reincarnating ego in vehicles of human flesh on this earth. The unexhausted desire for earth-life draws the ego back to this globe, where it gathers to itself the material for a reincarnation and thus is finally born from a human womb. The process is repeated almost numberless times until the evolution of the inspiriting monad has reached a stage when reincarnation is no longer required. The interval between successive incarnations may be roughly estimated at 100 times the length of the preceding earth-life -- a rule obviously subject to many exceptions.

(See also: Reincarnation , Mysticism, Mysticism Dictionary)

MIRROR

As one of the tools for "knowing" the self, mirrors are highly important. Although for a person possessed of youth and beauty the deliberate breaking of a mirror can serve as a symbolic sacrifice to Venus, to break a mirror accidentally is a sign that one has ceased to look "within" for one of the long, seven-year "Ages of Man". Hathor's mirror is defensive (like Perseus's shield) and used to reflect evil back upon itself. It is believed by the uninitiated that witches and warlocks fear mirrors, will not have them in their houses and, in any case, witches have no reflection! Like most superstitions, there is something behind it, though the truth is far from ordinary people imagine. One of the sine qua nons of M/magic(k) is that the initiate keep to his own boundaries of selfdom until his unorthodox procedures and formulae have been completely worked out. External "consensus" reality is a distraction from "the wisdom of the self" during this creative period. Strictly as devices for knowing the self, mirrors are no longer of much use to the advanced magician (except for very rare rituals), who dwells more and more in his center.

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

Om or Aum (Sanskrit). A mystic syllable, the most solemn of all words in India. It is "an invocation, a benediction, an affirmation and a promise and it is so sacred, as to be indeed the word at low breath of occult, primitive masonry. No one must be near when the syllable is pronounced for a purpose.

 This word is usually placed at the beginning of sacred Scriptures, and is prefixed to prayers. It is a compound of three letters a,u,m, which, in the popular belief, are typical of the three Vedas, also of three gods - A (Agni) V (Varuna) and M (Maruts) or Fire, Water and Air. In esoteric philosophy these are the three sacred fires, or the "triple fire"in the Universe and Man, besides many other things. Occultly, this "triple fire" represents the highest Tetraktys also, as it is typified by the Agni named Abhimanin and his transformation into his three sons, Pavana, Pavamana and Suchi, "who drinks up water", i.e., destroys material desires. This monosyllable is called Udgitta, and is sacred with both Brahmins and Buddhists.

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

TRINITY, CHRISTIAN

The Trinity derives from the Neoplatonic, Gnostic understandings of ancient philosophy in which 3 basic facts prevail:

a) There is one Immutable, Ineffable, Pre-manifestational Reality.

b)  Everything is periodic or cyclic.

c) The cosmos is a hologram in which each  part is a reflection of the whole.

These 3 facts are symbolized in Hinduism by Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva; in Egypt by the Uas, the Ank and the Djed and in Xtianity by "Father, Son and Holy Ghost." In my own system, I sometimes refer to them symbolically as Abraxas, Khronos and Isis.

Spiritus Sanctus est Spiritus in Materia. Id Est Aqua Hydor Theon Hypostatis Metres. The sanctified spirit is that which has been made into matter, that is put into water. Mary impregnated by the Holy Ghost is just another way of saying that many are conceived naturally. To be baptized is to be born into the body, i.e., to manifest.

Speaking out of the "Holy Ghost," which is apparently what all masses, communions, oblations and sacrifices refer to, any sexual act itself joins or reaffirms the "hologram" to the Unity. In the embrace of another, the Holy Ghost re-connects, in a physical way, its separations. The two, formerly separate and opposed, have created a third thing, which is their union. (What happens on the physical level is simple reproduction and is of no metaphysical concern, except insofar as it paralyzes spiritual "reproduction"). The Xtians prefer to do all this symbolically, what with their "brides of Christ" and all. Moreover, when we speak of Mary as "conceived by the Holy Ghost," we simply mean metaphorically that she has conceived "naturally." The Satanists, therefore, assume (incorrectly) that overt, gross public copulation or multiple orgies constitute a defilement of Christ, when in fact, the Son is hardly involved with sex at any level and the Holy Ghost, actually, is exalted by "publicity." The true "sin against the Holy Ghost" is not blasphemy per se, but commercial advertising (including Church propaganda) or special interest exploitation which seeks to use, abuse, pollute, destroy, subvert or pervert the unity, ecology or collective holo-mind/body/spirit of the world for the sake of personal, private gain.

The "sacrifice of the child" -- that is, not the actual, living child, but merely the protoplasm of conception --which is what takes place in redirected or deferred heterosexual orgasm (can we refer to this as "tantric" sex?) should be especially appealing to us in today's crisis of pathological Mega-Birth. That is, it has much needed Neo-Catharist overtones. But the creation of a Moonchild (described by Crowley, Grant, Parsons, et al.) would apparently be the opposite goal, resulting in the "psychic foetus" of an astral entity.

We mustn't overlook the meaning of homosexuality and masturbation, however, since these lead to culminations without any question of issue from outset, and so, constitute refinements on sex magick. Grant, in his Nightside of Eden says that the "qliphotic" version of Arcanum XIII, "Death," is sodomy. In other words, sex which avoids the production of life is absolutely restricted to physical re-union of Self with Other. And the only other "physical" way we can "reunite" is to pass through the gates of Death. Thus heterosexual "tantric" sex and homosexuality are exactly the same thing so far as the physical plane goes. The union of homosexuality, however, extends beyond Eros into brotherhood and thus is closer to the "spirit" of the "Holy Ghost."

Since the union of self with other is specifically what we're concerned with, masturbation would seem to be pointless until we recall that the purpose of union is not orgasm. Orgasm merely affirms the authenticity of the union. Whether the "other" is another person (or thing!) or one's own body, scarcely matters. Mind and body are reunited in all cases. The physical is simply the mirror of the spiritual. For the solitary union of self with other, the orgasm is not just the ultimate and most subtle link, its the only link between the physical and spiritual planes. As a device for astral impregnation, moonchildren aside, masturbation obviously ought to be considerably more effective than sex with a physical partner (provided it doesn't degenerate into sense-gratification). But as a substitute for "transcendental sodomy" it is much less satisfactory.

Finally, I'm bound to say that those who have closed and forever locked the sexual door may still be able to unite self and other in a number of asexual, exotic and abstract ways, some of which may have a certain limited but unique value.

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

Abif, Hiram. See HIRAM ABIF

(See also: Abif, Hiram , Mysticism, Mysticism Dictionary, Occultism, Occultism Dictionary)

Alhim 'elim (Hebrew) (plural of 'el god)

One method of transliterating 'elim, although the insertion of the h is incorrect. The number-values of the letters of 'Elohim, transliterated as alhim are 13514: when used anagrammatically they may be read as 31415, the value of pi.

See also ELOHIM

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

twelve stages of healing: extraordinary approach to healing physical, mental, and spiritual ills. Its developer, Donald M. Epstein, founded Network Spinal Analysis. His theory posits twelve stages of consciousness common to all humanity.

Nearly all of Epstein's stages involve:

(a)   yoga- or Qigong-like exercises, and

(b)  ) declarations.

For example, the first stage (Suffering) involves declaring: Right now, I am helpless and Nothing works at this time. In The Twelve Stages of Healing: A Network Approach to Wholeness (1994), Epstein states: The most appropriate response to Suffering is to stop thinking about its causes. The seventh stage involves declaring: Oooh, Ahhh, and Whooosh. The ninth stage involves declaring, I experience my vital force; and the eleventh stage, May it be on Earth as it is in Heaven.

(See also: Twelve stages of healing , Body Mind and Soul, Alternative Health, Alternative Health Dictionary)

AUM

This is the holy word (OM) in its tripartite form, representing the Hindu Trinity. A = Vishnu (the self). U = Brahma (Not-Self). M = Shiva (location).

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

Airyana-Vaego, Airyamen Vaego, Airyana-Varsedya. See AIRYANMEN VAEJA

(See also: Airyana-Vaego, Airyamen Vaego, Airyana-Varsedya , Mysticism, Mysticism Dictionary, Occultism, Occultism Dictionary)

Horsusi. See HARPOCRATES; HORUS

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

LANGUAGE

Maurice Nicoll in Living Time says: "We communicate badly, partly because we never notice how we are doing it, and partly because it is an extremely difficult matter to communicate anything save the simplest observations, without the danger of our signals being misinterpreted. Also, as often as not, we do not exactly know what it is we are trying to communicate. Finally, nearly everything of importance cannot be expressed."

Since this is so, doesn't it stand to reason that we should devote a good deal more time to language than we do? And since the more tongues we learn the better we understand our own, shouldn't learning other languages have a high priority? Part of the teaching we should impart to our chelas is never to stop struggling with language, recognizing that it must always be welcomed as a challenge. In every M/magic(k)al community - whether in a sophisticated modern city or in the midst of a Stone Age tribe, the magician is always the one who knows the longest words and can use them. What is a "spell", after all? What is gematria, but an attempt to dissect words and rebuild them? A "grimoire" was originally a "grammar." "Vedanta" is actually the "grammar" of the Sanskrit Vedas! As we begin to understand more about the Past and the necessity to turn back to it, we see that language looms larger and larger in human consciousness. The ancients understood what we have forgotten - birds fly and lions predate, but language is what man does. It is language that lies behind everything we make, which is why the word "poet" derives from a Greek word meaning "one who makes," the most important thing being, for the Greeks, to make words and which is why in the bible it is said, "In the beginning was the word." Words, like all things that are made, come out of the Void, magically. And words come before the thing! A spider may weave a web but it is always the same web built on the same blueprint resident in her instincts, no different from the eggs she lays instinctively. Compare that to the variety of human works! By the same token, the man who has no language is not just a spider that can't weave webs. He is a frog that can't leap, a seal that can't swim, a deer that can't run.

The reason Latin, Greek and Sanskrit are hard to learn is that they are ancient tongues and our linguistically-diminished consciousness is no longer able to deal with convolutions of thought and esoteric syntax. Nevertheless, it's still true that if you really want to understand Plato or the author of Genesis you must learn Ancient Greek and Hebrew. There was a time when English also used conjugations and declensions as highly structured as Latin. Today we can barely translate Shakespeare. The progress of language always mirrors the deterioration of the human spirit and moves downward from difficult to easy. And in return, as language decays it brings civilization down with it. Already it's virtually impossible for all but a handful of scholars in the world even to attempt to master anything bizarre, like Babylonian cuneiform or Mayan hieroglyphs - although a century ago, when all well-educated people knew Latin and Greek, such studies, had the material been available, would have been relatively common. If the day ever comes that we should actually encounter an extraterrestrial civilization, we will discover to our dismay that our technology is useless. Because we have lost our sense of language, to attempt to learn what they are saying may be completely beyond our capacity. We've traded communication for the ease of machines.

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

Mysticism:

Religious or spiritual doctrines which argue that the human mind or soul can directly experience the divine. See also mystical experience, transpersonal psychology.

(See also: Mysticism , Psychic, Psychic Dictionary, Parapsychology, Parapsychology Dictionary)

Future. See TIME; PREVISION

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

metaphysics:

1)    The branch of philosophy dealing with first causes and nature of reality.

2)    The science of mysticism.

See: darshana, mysticism.

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

Instructors, Divine. See DYNASTIES

(See also: Instructors, Divine , Mysticism, Mysticism Dictionary, Occultism, Occultism Dictionary)

Depth. See BYTHOS

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