path: Marga or pantha. A trail, road or way. In Hinduism there are various ways that the term path is used.

-       path of enlightenment salvation moksha: The way to the ultimate goals of Self Realization and liberation.

-       universal path: The spiritual path conceived as being followed by all of existence, marching on its way to Godhood.

-       path of dharma: Following principles of good conduct and virtue.

-       the two paths: The way of the monk and that of the householder, a choice to be made by each Hindu young man.

-       Peerless highest path: The spiritual path (or the path of renunciation) as the noblest of human undertakings.

-       the straight path: The way that goes directly to the goal, without distraction or karmic detour.

-       on the path: someone who is seriously studying, striving and performing sadhana to perfect the inner and outer nature.

-       our right path in life: The best way for us personally to proceed; personal dharma, svadharma. -

-       "Truth is one, paths are many:" Hinduism's affirmation for tolerance. It accepts that there are various ways to proceed toward the ultimate goal.

See: dharma, pada.

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

PATH: Spiritual and/or moral beliefs.

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

birth path number

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

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

PATH - see TRADITION

(See also: PATH , Wiccan, Wicca, Witchery, Pagan, Paganism, Pagan Dictionary)

Eightfold Path. See ARIYA ATTHANGIKA MAGGA; ARYASHTANGA-MARGA

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

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)

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)

Kundalini Awakening

Kundalini awakening or pranic awakening and its cross-tradition similars-the spontaneous spinal rockings known in Judaism as davening and in Sufisim as zikr; the "taken-over" gyrations of gospel "holy ghost" shaking and dancing and charismatic/pentacostal "mani-festations"; the Dionysian "revel"; QuakerismÕs and Shakerism's autonomic quaking and shaking; Tai Chi guided by chi itself; the shamanic trance-dance; BuddhismÕs and Raja-YogaÕs effortless "straight back" (uju-kaya) meditation; the yogically derived ecstatic belly-dance and Flamenco; and even the full-bodied, spontaneous Reichian "reflex"-literally embody the spiritual path.

Read more here: » Kundalini Awakening: Kundalini and Sahaja Yoga (Spontaneous Yoga)

A dictionary Of Siddha Yoga Terminology. From Abhanga to Yogini.

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.

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)

The four main spiritual paths for God-realisation are Karma Yoga, Bhakti Yoga, Raja Yoga and Jnana Yoga. Karma Yoga is suitable for a man of active temperament, Bhakti Yoga for a man of devotional temperament, Raja Yoga for a man of mystic temperament, and Jnana Yoga for a man of rational and philosophical temperament, or a man of enquiry.

Mantra Yoga, Laya Yoga or Kundalini Yoga, Lambika Yoga and Hatha Yoga, are other Yogas. Yoga, really, means union with God. The practice of Yoga leads to communion with the Lord. Whatever may be the starting point, the end reached is the same.

Excerpt from All About Hinduism by Sri Swami Sivananda

Read more here: » Hindu Yoga: The Four Paths of Hindu Yoga

A Dictionary of Spiritual Terms. From Acupuncture to Zoroaster.

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

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.

Evil Paths

The paths of hells, hungry ghosts, animality. These paths can be taken as states of mind; i.e., when someone has a vicious thought of maiming or killing another, he is effectively reborn, for that moment, in the hells.

 (See also: Evil Paths , Buddhism, Body Mind and Soul)

Path

• To dream that you are walking in a narrow and rough path, stumbling over rocks and other obstructions, denotes that you will have a rough encounter with adversity, and feverish excitement will weigh heavily upon you.
• To dream that you are trying to find your path, foretells that you will fail to accomplish some work that you have striven to push to desired ends.
• To walk through a pathway bordered with green grass and flowers, denotes your freedom from oppressing loves.

Source: 10 000 Dream Interpretations, by Gustavus Hindman Miller

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

Physical Medicine Path (the Medicine of the West): Mode of Cherokee healing.

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

Pratyeka-yana (Sanskrit) [from prati towards, for + eka one + yana vehicle, path]

The path of each one for himself, or the personal vehicle or ego, equivalent to the Pali pachcheka. Fully self-conscious being cannot ever be achieved by following the path for oneself, but solely by following the amrita-yana (immortal vehicle) or the path of self-consciousness in immortality, the spiritual path to a nirvana of high degree, the secret path as taught by the heart doctrine. The pratyeka-yana is the pathway of the personality, the vegetative or material path to a nirvana of a low degree, the open path, as taught by the eye doctrine. These two terms describe two kinds of advancement towards more spiritual things, and the two ultimate goals thereof: the amrita-yana of the Buddhas of Compassion, and the pratyeka-yana of the Pratyeka Buddhas.

Although advancing steadily in spirituality and upwards towards a lower nirvana, and therefore evolving on a path which is not only not harmful to humanity and others, but in a sense is even passively beneficial, the Pratyeka Buddha, precisely because his thoughts are involved in spiritual freedom and benefits for himself, is really enwrapped in a spiritual selfishness; and hence in the intuitive, albeit popular, consideration of Northern Buddhism is called by such names as the Solitary or the Rhinoceros -- applied in contrast to the Buddhas of Compassion, whose entire effort is to merge the individual into the universal, to expand their sympathies to include all that is, to follow the path of immortality (amrita), which is self-identification without loss of individuality with all that is.

When the sacrifice of the lower personal and inferior self, with all its hoard of selfish thought and impulses, for the sake of bringing into full and unfettered activity the ineffable glorious faculties and powers and functions of the higher nature -- not for the purpose of selfish personal advancement, but in order to become a helper of all that is -- the consequence is that as time passes, the disciple so living and dedicating himself finds himself becoming the very incarnation of his inner divinity. He becomes, as it were, a man-god on earth. This, however, is not the objective, for holding such an objective as the goal to be attained would be in itself a proof that selfishness still abides in the nature.

Abstractly, of course, pratyeka-yana can be used for sorcerers and the path of the Brothers of the Shadow, but such is not usual. Obviously the path of sorcery is a pratyeka path in the strictly logical sense. The path of the sorcerers is called the left-hand path, the path of darkness or of the shadows, the downward path, and is sometimes described by the term pratyeka-yana.

Actually, the path of the shadows and the path towards the light stretch in opposite directions; yet the ultimate goal of both is a nirvana. The path upwards, whether of the amrita or of the pratyeka, leads to the nirvana of spirit -- the amrita ultimately being far higher than that of the pratyeka; whereas the downward path of the Brothers of the Shadow leads also to a nirvana, but to enchainment in the avichi-nirvana of absolute matter for that hierarchy.

(See also: Pratyeka-yana , Mysticism, Mysticism Dictionary, Occultism, Occultism Dictionary)

Spiritual practices:

Activities that purify and strengthen the mind and body for the spiritual path. Siddha Yoga practices include chanting, meditation, mantra repetition, hatha yoga, seva (selfless service), and contemplation.

(See also: Spiritual practices , Yoga, Yoga Dictionary, Siddha Yoga, Siddha Yoga 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

LEFT-HAND PATH: Refers to the practice of using magick to control others, to change the will of others, for personal gain. Generally frowned upon by true Wiccans.

(See also: LEFT-HAND PATH , Paganism, Pagan, Pagan Dictionary)

ASPECT: The particular principle or part of the Creative Life Force being worked with or acknowledged at any one time.

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