Spiritual Paths Dictionary

dharma: (Sanskrit) "Righteousness." From dhri, "to sustain; carry, hold."

Hence dharma is "that which contains or upholds the cosmos." Dharma, religion, is a complex and all-inclusive term with many meanings, including: divine law, law of being, way of righteousness, religion, ethics, duty, responsibility, virtue, justice, goodness and truth. Essentially, dharma is the orderly fulfillment of an inherent nature or destiny. Relating to the soul, it is the mode of conduct most conducive to spiritual advancement, the right and righteous path.

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

ARCHETYPES: (EF) Extremely basic forms within the human psyche; the archaic "racial memories." Refer to the works of Dr.Carl Jung.

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

Six Planes of Existence (Six Paths)

The paths within the realm of Birth and Death. Includes the three Evil Paths (hells, hungry ghosts, animality) and the paths of humans, asuras and celestials. These paths can be understood as states of mind.

See also "Evil Paths."

 (See also: Six Planes of Existence (Six Paths) , Buddhism, Body Mind and Soul)

BIND: To magickally restrain something or someone.

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

BALEFIRE: A fire lit for magickal purposes, usually outdoors. They are traditional on Yule, Beltane, and Midsummer.

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

ALCHEMY: A branch of High Magick developed in the Middle Ages which sought to magickally and/or chemically turn base metals into gold.

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

Bhagavad Gita: n (Sanskrit) "Song of the Lord." One of the most popular of Hindu writings, a conversation between Lord Krishna and Arjuna on the brink of the great battle at Kurukshetra.

In this central episode of the epic Mahabharata (part of the sixth book), Krishna illumines the warrior-prince Arjuna on yoga, asceticism, dharma and the manifold spiritual path.

See: Itihasa, Mahabharata.

(See also: Bhagavad Gita , Hinduism, Body Mind and Soul)

sakthi-path:

sakthi-path (shakthi-paath). Descent of divine energy.

(See also: sakthi-path , Hinduism, Hinduism Dictionary, Sanskrit Dictionary, Body Mind and Soul)

ARADIA: Daughter of the Goddess Diana, and a name for the Goddess used by Italian witches or Strega, commonly used in many Wiccan traditions today.

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

BANISH: To make go away, To magically end something or exorcise unwanted entities. To rid the presence of, to cast out ,etc.

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

ASTROLOGY: The study of and belief in the effects the movements and placements of planets and other heavenly bodies have on the lives and behavior of human beings.

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

Poverty

Most spiritual paths respect or require material poverty so that spiritual wealth may be acquired. "Blessed are the poor" said Matthew in 5:3. In medieval times they called it a "perfect poverty," where the individual would give up material wealth and seek spiritual development. In Islam, this quest for spiritual development through material poverty is called "faqr." If in real life you are not poor, dreaming that you live in poverty or experiencing great poverty in your dreams may be considered a dream of the contrary or a compensatory dream. Superstition based dream interpretations would say that if you are poor in your dream you will gain material luck in the near future. Dreaming about poverty may be interpreted in the light of what is going on in your daily life (as do most dream interpretations). Thus, if you are on a upward swing and are doing really well financially, you may have a compensatory dream of being poor. This is simply a way by which you obtain psychic balance. However, if you are experiencing financial stress, dreaming of being poor may be a way for you to cope with fear and anxiety that you are unable to cope with directly.

Source: Dream Lover Incorporated, http://www.dreamloverinc.com

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

Easy Path of Practice

Refers to Pure Land practice. The Easy Path involves reliance on the power of the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, in particular Buddha Amitabha ("other-power") in addition to one's own cultivation ("self-power").

Usually contrasted with primary reliance on self-power (Difficult Path of Practice), taught in other Buddhist schools. Equal reliance on self-power and other-power distinguishes the Pure Land School from most other schools of Buddhism.

The distinction is, however, a matter of emphasis, as all schools of Buddhism rely, to a greater or lesser extent, on both self-power and otherpower.

See also "Other-power".

 (See also: Easy Path of Practice , Buddhism, Body Mind and Soul)

HINDUISM: The main religious and social system in India. Hinduism has various sects with the commonality of the belief in reincarnation, polytheism and an ordained caste system as its social base.

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

Tiruvasagam: (Tamil) "Holy Utterances."

The lyrical Tamil scripture by Saint Manikkavasagar (ca 850). Considered one of the most profound and beautiful devotional works in the Tamil language, it discusses every phase of the spiritual path from doubt and anguish to perfect faith in God Siva, from earthly experience to the guru-disciple relationship and freedom from rebirth. The work is partly autobiographical, describing how Manikkavasagar, the prime minister to the Pandyan King, renounced the world after experiencing an extraordinary vision of Siva seated beneath a tree. The 658 hymns of Tiruvasagam together with the 400 hymns of Tirukovaiyar by the same author make up the eighth Tirumurai of Saiva Siddhanta scripture.

See: Manikkavasagar, Tirumurai.

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

ASPERGER: A bundle of fresh herbs or a perforated object used to sprinkle water during or preceding ritual, for purification purposes.

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

ALTAR: A special, flat surface set aside exclusively for magickal workings or religious acknowledgment.

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

bhakti yoga: n (Sanskrit) "Union through devotion." Bhakti yoga is the practice of devotional disciplines, worship, prayer, chanting and singing with the aim of awakening love in the heart and opening oneself to God's grace. Bhakti may be directed toward God, Gods or one's spiritual preceptor.

Bhakti yoga seeks communion and ever closer rapport with the Divine, developing qualities that make communion possible, such as love, selflessness and purity. Saint Sambandar described bhakti as religion's essence and the surest means to divine union and liberation. He advised heartfelt worship, unstinting devotion and complete surrender to God in humble, committed service. From the beginning practice of bhakti to advanced devotion, called prapatti, self-effacement is an intricate part of Hindu, even all Indian, culture.

Bhakti yoga is embodied in Patanjali's Yoga Darshana in the second limb, niyamas (observances), as devotion (Ishvarapranidhana). Bhakti yoga is practiced in many Hindu schools, and highly developed in Vaishnavism as a spiritual path in itself, leading to perfection and liberation. In Saiva Siddhanta, its cultivation is the primary focus during the kriya pada (stage of worship).

See: bhakti yoga, prapatti, sacrifice, surrender, yajna.

(See also: Bhakti yoga , Hinduism, Body Mind and Soul)

Marga (Sanskrit). "The "Path", The Ashthanga marga, the "holy" or sacred path is the one that leads to Nirvana. The eight-fold path has grown out of the seven-fold path, by the addition of the (now) first of the eight Marga; i.e., "the possession of orthodox views"; with which a real Yogacharya would have nothing to do.

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

Yoga practice:

It means establishing a link for union between between an Atman (Soul) with Brahman (the Creator). In Hindu Scriptures yoga means trying to establish a synthesis between two things. Human beings who proceed on the Spiritual path find yoga as the only path towards Realization. Meditation is only a part of yoga. Yoga involves full cleansing of the body so that Atman can be liberated from the body forever.

See also Yoga .

(See also: Yoga practice , Psychic, Psychic Dictionary, Parapsychology, Parapsychology Dictionary)

Universal Religion

The belief that, since all is God, then only one reality exists, and all religions are simply different paths to that ultimate reality. The universal religion can be visualized as a mountain, with many spiritual paths to the summit. Some are hard; others easy. There is no one correct path. All paths eventually reach the top. Believers anticipate that a new universal religion which contains elements of all faiths will evolve and become generally accepted worldwide. (See Bahai)

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

AUTOMATIC WRITING: Form of divination where the channeler uses a pen, paper, and an altered state of consciousness to receive messages.

(See also: AUTOMATIC WRITING , Paganism, Pagan, Pagan Dictionary)