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)

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)

The path

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

(See also: Path, 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)

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

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)

birth path number

Number in numerology derived from month, date and year of birth

(See also: Birth path number, Body Mind and Soul)

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 Ð to free us of karma or to dissolve the barriers within the non-self

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

Noble Eightfold Path

Way to end suffering taught by Buddharight view, right speech, right resolve, right conduct, right livelihood, right effort, right recollection, right contemplation

(See also: Noble Eightfold Path, Body Mind and Soul)

Eight-fold path

Buddha's teaching of the way of the Middle Path. Right-belief, right-thought, right-speech, right-action, right-livelihood, right-endeavor, right-rememberance, right-meditation/concentration

(See also: Eight-fold path, Body Mind and Soul)

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)

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)

Paths of Wisdom or Ways of Wisdom Used in the Hebrew Qabbalah, especially in the Sepher Yetsirah (the book of formation) in which formation or creation is set forth in a series of numbers. The Zohar (iii, 290a), as well as the Sepher Yetsirah (1, i), state that Wisdom (Hochmah) generates or arranges all things by means of "thirty-two wonderful paths of wisdom." The number 32 consists of the ten Sephiroth added to the 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet -- the latter represented in the Zohar as the 22 utterances of the Divine Speech. Again man is regarded as being the synthesis of the 22 letters, which with the addition of the ten Sephiroth makes the complete synthesis of creation.

The idea in this curious mixing of alphabetic characters and numbers with living beings, such as the world or man, is that just as alphabetic characters are the structure of vocal speech, words, sounds, and therefore of the communication of intelligence made by words built of the alphabetic characters, so these characters symbolically stand for the elements of the universe: in either case in, above, and around the elements and principles of the universe there is the divine hierarchy, of which the element-principles are the outward manifestations or expressions.

(See also: Paths of Wisdom, Ways of Wisdom, Mysticism, Mysticism Dictionary, Occultism, Occultism Dictionary)

PATH: Spiritual and/or moral beliefs.

(See also: PATH, Magickal Traditions, Magickal Paths, Paganism, Pagan Dictionary)

Marga (Sanskrit) Path; in Buddhism the noble eightfold path that leads to nirvana.

There are four commonly recognized margas, forms of yoga or spiritual and intellectual training:

1)    karma yoga (path of action);

2)    bhakti yoga (path of faith or love);

3)    raja yoga (path of kingly yoga); and

4)    jnana yoga (wisdom path).

These four pathways correspond with the four Hindu castes: Sudra (the agricultural); Vaisya (commercial); Kshattriya (administrative, military, ruler); and Brahmana (philosopher, sage).

(See also: Marga, Mysticism, Mysticism Dictionary)

Cherokee healing (Cherokee Medicine): Traditional medicine of the Cherokees, a Native American people.

Its apparent principle is that, if one holds back the light in one's being, one causes:

(a)           occlusion of one's meridians and rivers of life and

(b)           suffering of mother Earth. Cherokee Medicine includes crystal healing, Eagle Medicine, Mental Medicine, the Natural Medicine Path, the Physical Medicine Path, and the Spiritual Medicine Path.

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

Path:

A method, system or approach to magical or mystical knowledge.

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