The path

A way, a walk, or journey, usually depicting the spiritual story of our advancement

(See also: Path, Body Mind and Soul)

Spiritual Medicine Path (the Medicine for the Spiritual Direction): Mode of Cherokee healing that includes thanksgiving to the Great One and the Universal Spirit.

(See also: Spiritual Medicine Path, Body Mind and Soul, Alternative Health, Alternative Health Dictionary)

Left-hand Path or path of shadows, those taking it called in theosophy brothers of the shadow. One of the two fundamental paths or courses in nature, the left-hand path or path of matter in contrast to the right-hand path or path of spirit.

Shadow signifies matter, for 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, spirit, or pure light works. Matter is but a generalizing term, comprised of 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, providing the logic of calling this the path of shadows. Those on this path are often called black magicians in contrast to white magicians or sons of light who follow the path of self-renunciation, self-conquest, and an expansion of the heart, mind, and consciousness in love and service for all that lives.

A Sanskrit equivalent for the left-hand path is pratyeka-yana (from pratyeka every one for himself + yana path). Those who follow this path are also called vamacharins, and their school or course of life is known as vamachara or savyachara. They follow the easy but perilous path leading downwards into ever more confusing, horrifying stages of matter and final spiritual obscuration and personal annihilation.

After death the lower classes of those on the left-hand path become the terrestrial or earthly elementaries. Cunning, low, vindictive, and seeking to retaliate their sufferings upon imbodied humanity, they become, until final annihilation, astral vampires, and therefore a constant psychic and even physical menace to those who open the doors of communication with them.

The higher classes of the brothers of the shadow, those who may be called spiritual sorcerers, mentioned in the New Testament as entities of spiritual wickedness, have a longer life period than have the lower classes. These spiritual sorcerers, depending upon the degree of unfolding of spiritual energy which they have attained and prostituted to evil uses, may even endure till the end of the globe manvantara, reincarnating themselves at repeated, rapid intervals; but their pathway is downwards into still deeper ranges of matter, and involves a progressively greater loss of inner spiritual light reaching them from their spiritual monad.

"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 wicked 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!" (OG 22).

The warnings given to students of occultism about this matter have always been very solemn and urgent, and no one should at any moment consider himself safe or beyond the possibilities of taking the downward way until he has become at one with the divine monitor within, his own inner god. At every step, with every morn, at every choice, we face the right- or the left-hand path and are forced to choose.

(See also: Left-hand Path, Path of Shadows, Mysticism, Mysticism Dictionary, Occultism, Occultism Dictionary)

Nothing worthwhile in life is sudden. As a poet said, we wait for birth. We wait for love. We wait for life to reveal its meaning to us year after year, experience by experience.

Waiting is the law of life and the measure of love . 'Waiting' is a common Biblical theme. Simeon, who was waiting for Israel to be saved, and the prophet Anna, both find a lifetime of waiting for the Messiah worthwhile when Jesus is presented to them in the Temple.

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

 While quantum physics may be a modern development, pantheism is in fact an ancient spiritual path that holds everything in the Universe to be sacred. Eastern philosophies, Native American, pagan and Hawaiian beliefs that view all of nature as divine and interconnected can be said to be pantheistic. "God" here is not a bearded white man in the clouds, but more like "the Force" in Star Wars; the sum of all that is, and every aspect of existence at the same time. To pantheists, God is holographically everywhere at once.

Read more here: » Pantheism: Personal Responsibility, Religious Tolerance and Reverence for all Life

 While the ultimate result of any truly spiritual path is the negation of the individual ego-self, one cannot begin on one's own personal path of spiritual realization unless one establishes his/her individuality. That means freeing oneself from the demands of organized religions, creeds, socially accepted beliefs, the dictates of any prophet. All of these characteristics of religious participation establish only the group-identity, the body of like-minded believers. People can spend an entire lifetime following the teachings and beliefs of others, without ever finding the path that is right for them personally.

Read more here: » Spiritual Growth: The Individual Path

Kiara got enlightened finally! This is his letter from him less than two weeks after the process. Read it and you will get an almost first hand insight into what enlightenment is all about, or at least how it is perceived by one human that actually reached the state.

Read more here: » Spiritual Enlightenment: Journey of Enlightenment

Twenty-five years ago, in the light of a full moon, I sat facing the lying Buddha in Polonnaruwa in central Sri Lanka. It was Buddha Purnima . I noticed the Buddha’s smile as he lay dying, and the concern on his disciple, Ananda’s face, standing before him.

Buddha’s last words were: “Be lamps unto yourselves”. As he left us, the Sakyamuni did not ask us to pray to him or believe in him as a messiah. Unfortunately, over time, his life and teachings have become encrusted in layers of religiosity.

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

Trika (a concept of Kashmir Shaivism) in Sanskrit means trinity. On the other hand, Trika has been the name by which Kashmir Shaivism has been known before year 1900, because the concept of trinity is manifested in many ways and on multiple levels throughout its whole philosophical system. Trika - Siva Sakti and Anu. According to the Kashmir Shaivism there are three essential realities: The Supreme Transcendent - Siva The Supreme Creative Energy, immanent in ...

Including:

• Trika - Siva Sakti and Anu
• Trika - The Sakti trinity
• Trika - The trinity of energies of will knowledge and power
• Trika - The trinity of knowledge
• Trika - The three fundamental states of consciousness
• Trika - The three-fold spiritual path

Read more here: » Trika: Encyclopedia - Trika

Kashmir Shaivism is the philosophical school of consciousness that arose in Kashmir about 1200 years ago. The notion of Kashmir Shaivism originated in 1913 with the publication of J.C. Chatterji's text of the same name. Before that point the same thoughts would have been labeled Shaiva Monism, or the generic form Trika. Kashmir Shaivism is a tantric system with emphasis in areas which Navjivan Rastogi describes in his foreword for Dynamic Stillness by Swami Chetanananda, "The logical structure of Kashmir Shaivism ...

Including:

• Kashmir Shaivism - Siva the Great Initiator and Saviour
• Kashmir Shaivism - The Siva Sutra
• Kashmir Shaivism - Classification of the written tradition
• Kashmir Shaivism - Abhinavagupta the great initiate
• Kashmir Shaivism - Trika the concept of trinity
• Kashmir Shaivism - The Trika schools
• Kashmir Shaivism - History of Kashmir Shaivism
• Kashmir Shaivism - Shaivism in relation to other religions or spiritual paths
• Kashmir Shaivism - Possibilities of learning and practicing the Kashmir Shaivism today

Read more here: » Kashmir Shaivism: Encyclopedia - Kashmir Shaivism

Dark Spirituality is a broad term used to describe the Left Hand Path religions, however small groups of people are beginning to define themselves as dark spiritualist without identifying themselves as practicing any of the well known left hand paths. The religion believes all spiritualities divide into a dark spirituality/light spirituality dichotomy. Light spiritualist are believed to draw together into groups to seek out a higher being or beings to act as their Goddess/God or Goddesses/Gods. The dark approach is believed to be a solitary approach that leaves one responsible for their own spiritual growth with ...

Including:

• Dark Spirituality - Defining Dark Spirituality
• Dark Spirituality - Spiritual Goal
• Dark Spirituality - Morality
• Dark Spirituality - Occult Beliefs

Read more here: » Dark Spirituality: Encyclopedia - Dark Spirituality

Right-hand Path

A term used for a person whose practices and philosphy are beneficial to himself and others. Opposite of left-hand path.

(See also: Right-hand Path, New Age Spirituality, Body Mind and Soul)

Right-hand Path From time immemorial, in all countries and among all races, there have been recognized two antagonistic schools of occult training, known as the path of light and the path of darkness.

They represent two fundamental courses in nature, and are more commonly called the right-hand path and the left-hand path, as in Greek, Latin, English, and many other languages the word for right-hand also means propitious or skilled, or right as opposed to wrong. Hence in symbology it implies goodness, rightness, light: solar as opposed to lunar, spiritual as opposed to material, etc.

The right-hand path is sometimes known as amrita-yana (the immortal vehicle or path of immortality) or as dakshina-marga (right path), and those who practice the rules of conduct and manner of life enjoined upon those who follow the right-hand path are known as dakshinacharins and their course of life is known as dakshinachara. It is a path leading to an ever wider consciousness, and those whose feet are firmly planted thereon are known as Masters of Wisdom and Compassion.

See also LEFT-HAND PATH

(See also: Right-hand Path, Mysticism, Mysticism Dictionary)

Left-hand Path

A word for people who use what they consider to be evil or negative forces and rituals and who use they to harm others.

(See also: Left-hand Path, New Age Spirituality, Body Mind and Soul)

Left-hand Path

A word for people who use what they consider to be evil or negative forces and rituals and who use they to harm others.

(See also: Left-hand Path, New Age Spirituality, Body Mind and Soul)

Path.

See MARGA

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

Eightfold Path. See ARIYA ATTHANGIKA MAGGA; ARYASHTANGA-MARGA

(See also: Eightfold Path, Mysticism, Mysticism Dictionary, Occultism, Occultism Dictionary)

The schools of Shaivism have an attitude that most of the time do not conform to the accepted Brahmanic tradition. Shaivism is not exclusively based upon the Veda-s, therefore it cannot be said that Shaivism is a prolongation of the Veda-s. Shaivism has discovered a new path toward God that is even more profound than the one outlined in the Veda-s. The main differences between these two systems come from the introduction of the concept of Sakti, The Power or The Energy of God. This concept does not appear in the Veda-s with the same clarity. ...

See also:

Kashmir Shaivism, Kashmir Shaivism - Siva the Great Initiator and Saviour, Kashmir Shaivism - The Siva Sutra, Kashmir Shaivism - Classification of the written tradition, Kashmir Shaivism - Abhinavagupta the great initiate, Kashmir Shaivism - Trika the concept of trinity, Kashmir Shaivism - The Trika schools, Kashmir Shaivism - History of Kashmir Shaivism, Kashmir Shaivism - Shaivism in relation to other religions or spiritual paths, Kashmir Shaivism - Possibilities of learning and practicing the Kashmir Shaivism today

Read more here: » Kashmir Shaivism: Encyclopedia II - Kashmir Shaivism - Shaivism in relation to other religions or spiritual paths

left-hand path

Building personality and its attachments (versus right-hand mystical ascent) which leads to stronger ego and more experience on the outer-physical and material – to free us of karma or to dissolve the barriers within the non-self

(See also: Left-hand path, Body Mind and Soul)