Spiritual Practice Dictionary

Witchcraft: Among modern practitioners Witchcraft can be defined as the practice of magick and Paganism as it relates to pre-Christian European Paganism. The arts of Witchcraft include herbalism, divination, magick, ceremonial ritual, healing, potions, and spirit-world contact (familiars, elementals, etc.). Witchcraft, as depicted by the Church during the Middle Ages and Renaissance periods, is considered by many modern Witches to be a deliberate distortion of the facts.

(See also: Witchcraft , Magic, Shamanism, Paganism, Wicca)

Sadhana: Spiritual practice.

(See also: Sadhana , Hinduism, Hinduism Dictionary, Sanskrit Dictionary, Body Mind and Soul)

Dana

The practice of generosity or charity: one of the Paramitas as well as one of the All- Embracing Virtues, where it means, in the latter, giving others what they want just to lead them towards the truth.

 (See also: Dana , Buddhism, Body Mind and Soul)

Mesmerism Named for Friedrich Anton Mesmer (1734-1815), a Viennese physician who conceived the idea that diseases could be healed by stroking the afflicted parts of the patient's body with magnets. Later he discovered that the same healing effect could be produced by stroking or making passes over the afflicted parts with the hands. Hence the name animal magnetism as descriptive of this method of healing which today is generally called mesmerism.

Mesmer's fundamental idea was that there resides in man a power, an odic force or nerve energy, which can be projected by the will and directed either to heal and cure, or to harm and kill. All people possess this power in varying degrees. The very life-atoms which continually enter and leave not only our physical bodies, but the higher parts of our composite nature, are charged with and carry with them this odic force or mesmeric influence. We continually exchange these life-atoms with other beings, unconsciously to ourselves, and with those kingdoms according to their respective natures or planes.

Mesmerism, however, means the conscious or unconscious projection by a human being of this odic or vital nerve force or magnetic fluid. But the possession of this power depends upon the physical vitality and health rather than the moral or spiritual status of the operator; while the quality of this power is very greatly influenced by the moral or spiritual status of the operator. In this lies the danger of the practice of mesmerism, for unless the operator is pure minded and of high moral character, the physical vitality or magnetic fluid which he projects to the patient will be morally tainted and may constitute a grave danger to the patient who, while apparently deriving physical benefit from the treatment, may become morally weakened by it, be it in however small degree.

In accordance with the constant transmigration of life-atoms between person and person, and among all the kingdoms of nature; and, as those life-atoms are of all planes -- physical, vital-astral, psychic, intellectual, and spiritual, each being of the nature of that plane and hence the carrier of the life-essence, prana, odic force, or magnetism of that plane -- it follows that no person can live to himself alone; but that all people influence one another either for good or ill, particularly those who are closely associated together. This is the occult significance of the power of example good or bad, the power of a cheerful, courageous, optimistic nature, or of a nature of opposite character. Hence we may speak of the mesmeric influence as operative theoretically on all planes; but when used for purposes of physical or psychic healing, it operates on the physical and psychic planes alone, because of the vital carriers or life-atoms in question.

Even so considered, the mesmeric influence not only supplements and thus arouses to renewed activity the latent vitality of the patient, but acts indirectly upon the patient's mind and will, by helping to remove the inhibitions upon the action of these due to physical suffering and lack of physical health; and can be used for either good or immoral ends when the influence is directed to the mental and psychic nature of the patient.

But mesmerism is not necessarily psychologization, which is control by psychic force of another's mind and will, resulting in a dislocation of the psychic nature of the latter, a usurpation or forcible direction of the thought and will of another by the psychologizer, an invasion of that other's most sacred rights -- immoral and evil in its results, whatever immediate appearances may be, and whatever be the motive, for it cripples that part in man without which he is not fully human. Nevertheless the psychologizer, as well as the so-called hypnotizer, invariably makes use of mesmeric influence, odic force, and the pranas, for these are the carriers of thought-energy and will, without which these latter could not reach and dominate the mind and will of the subject. Mesmerism, purely as such, depends solely upon the inherent natures of the pranas, and is solely a transference of pranic energy from the operator to the subject. Thus, according to the health, physical and moral, of the operator so will the subject be affected either for good or ill.

The greatest and only sure safeguard against baneful mesmeric influence, whether consciously directed against one or unconsciously exercised by another, is one's own aspirations, positive will, and endeavor to think and live one's best and noblest. If all people were spiritually enlightened, the true mesmeric power could be safely used for the healing of disease and even for aid in bringing about a rectification, by the patient's own will, of distortions and weaknesses in the patient's character or constitution. But as matters stand, the danger in meddling with the subtle pranic energies is invariably both very real and great. One may always use the power of suggestion when this is elevated to, and employed solely on, the high moral and intellectual planes, such as by lofty spiritual and ethical teaching, precept, and especially the power of high example -- because these instill thoughts and ideals in the patient's mind arousing his own desire to follow them. These facts also demonstrate the real danger of suggestion when employed as it so often is on the lower planes, thus frequently taking the form of what are commonly called temptations.

Because mesmerism, psychologization, suggestion, and hypnotism are interlinked, all these have their respective play and place in any usage by one person of his vitality upon another.

(See also: Mesmerism , Mysticism, Mysticism Dictionary)

Church of All Worlds

An eclectic Neo-Pagan organization begun in 1967 by Tim Zell (also known as Otter G'Zell) and inspired by the science-fictional church in Robert Heinlein's Stranger in a Strange Land. Celebrating nature and worshiping the Earth Mother and her consort, the Horned God, members seek advancement of personal spiritual awareness through ritual practice, individualistic philosophy, and intense study. Their are centers or "nests" throughout the U. S. Headquartered today in Berkely, Cal, the idea for. it all began on April 7, 1962. Publish a popular New Age/Pagan magazine, Green Egg.

(See also: Church of All Worlds , New Age Spirituality, Body Mind and Soul)

Bharata:

Bharata (Jada): the son of Maharaja Dusyanta who renounced his kingdom and family at an early age. He became very advanced in spiritual practice, but later became attached to a pet deer and had to take two more births before achieving liberation.

(See also: Bharata , Hinduism, Hinduism Dictionary, Sanskrit Dictionary, Body Mind and Soul)

Quietists. A religious sect founded by a Spanish monk named Molinos. Their chief doctrine was that contemplation (an internal state of complete rest and passivity) was the only religious practice possible, and constituted the whole of religious observances. They were the Western Hatha Yogis and passed their time in trying to separate their minds from the objects of sense. The practice became a fashion in France and also in Russia during the early portion of this century.

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

Abhyasa:

practice - the act of practicing

(See also: Abhyasa ,Yoga, Yoga Dictionary)

Taimni, I. K.: A professor of chemistry in India. He wrote many excellent books on philosophy and spiritual practice, including The Science of Yoga, a commentary on the Yoga Sutras. For many years he was the spiritual head of the Esoteric Section of the Theosphical Society headquartered in Adyar, Madras (Tamilnadu), and traveled the world without publicity or notoriety, quietly instructing many sincere aspirants in the path to supreme consciousness.

(See also: Taimni , Hinduism, Hinduism Dictionary, Sanskrit Dictionary, Body Mind and Soul)

Apana (Sanskrit). "Inspirational breath"; a practice in Yoga. Prana and apana are the "expirational" and the "inspirational" breaths. It is called "vital wind" in Anugita.

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

WITCHCRAFT: The craft, or magickal arts and practices, of witches; as with witch, and Witch, the lower-case or upper-case letter indicates witchcraft as a practice outside of (lower-case), or as an intrinsic part of (upper-case), a religious belief or practice.

(See also: WITCHCRAFT , Pagan Organisations, Paganism, Pagan Dictionary, Wicca,)

Ascetic, Asceticism Originally exercise, practice, applied to monastic discipline and self-mortification, very much as was the Sanskrit tapas. But the true ascetic is not one who mortifies his passions, abuses his body, or suppresses his instincts, but one whose earthly desires have been consumed or transformed in the fire of devotion and knowledge. It is used in The Secret Doctrine with special reference to Siva, the "Great Ascetic," and to kumaras who have maintained their purity by refusing to create.

(See also: Ascetic, Asceticism , Mysticism, Mysticism Dictionary, Occultism, Occultism Dictionary)

Communion

The Lord's Supper The central rite of Christian worship, called variously the Eucharist, Holy Communion, Divine Mysteries (Eastern Orthodox), and the Mass (Roman Catholic)

This ritual is said to have developed out of the Last Supper of Jesus and his Apostles just before the crucifixion. Some Christians believe that the wine and bread actually transmutate into the actual flesh and blood of Jesus (see transubstantiation), others do it in memory of Jesus' passion.

The practice is believed by Christians to have evolved from the Jewish Passover. Many scholars claim that communion, also with the word Mass, is derived from the practice of the Zoroastrians. New Agers celebrate a similar ritual which is called Communion with All Life.

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

proprioceptive

"From within", a meditational writing practice with roots in stream-of-consciousness, free writing

(See also: Proprioceptive , Body Mind and Soul)

Medical Astrology: In this second part of the article, Ingrid Naiman further explain the dynamics of Medical Astrology.

Read more here: » Medical Astrology: What is Medical Astrology? II

Initiation. From the same root as the Latin initia, which means the basic or first principles of any Science. The practice of initiation or admission into the sacred Mysteries, taught by the Hierophants and learned priests of the Temples, is one of the most ancient customs. This was practised in every old national religion. In Europe it was abolished with the fall of the last pagan temple.

There exists at present but one kind of initiation known to the public, namely that into the Masonic rites. Masonry, however, has no more secrets to give out or conceal. In the palmy days of old, the Mysteries, according to the greatest Greek and Roman philosophers, were the most sacred of all solemnities as well as the most beneficent, and greatly promoted virtue. The Mysteries represented the passage from mortal life into finite death, and the experiences of the disembodied Spirit and Soul in the world of subjectivity. In our own day, as the secret is lost, the candidate passes through sundry meaningless ceremonies and is initiated into the solar allegory of Hiram Abiff, the "Widow’s Son".

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

Divination: The word divination is based on a Latin word that means "the faculty of foreseeing.” The word comes from the Latin word for "divine power," or "of the gods." This indicates that the true meaning of the word divination is "to make divine."

Far from being a superstitious practice, the art of divination reveals itself as a spiritual science that seeks to discover the divine meaning behind "chance" events. Divination has existed as a tool for psychic well-being and spiritual health long before modern psychology was born, although the later science has often borrowed heavily from the former.

(See also: Divination , Magic, Shamanism, Paganism, Wicca)

Suttee [from Sanskrit sati faithful wife, one who burns herself on a funeral pyre, either on the same pyre as her husbands corpse or at a distance]

The practice of voluntary self-immolation by widows was prohibited by the British in India and finally abolished. When its cessation was first commanded, the Brahmins -- who were principally responsible for the continuance of this dreadful custom -- maintained that their sacred scriptures approved of the practice, but Orientalists have demonstrated that the texts so cited had been altered. "Professor Wilson was the first to point out the falsification of the text and the change of 'yonim agre' into 'yonim agneh' [womb of fire]

. . . According to the hymns of the 'Rig-Veda,' and the Vaidic ceremonial contained in the 'Grihya-Sutras,' the wife accompanies the corpse of her husband to the funeral pile, but she is there addressed with a verse taken from the 'Rig-Veda,' and ordered to leave her husband, and to return to the world of the living" (Max Muller, Chips from a German Workshop 2:35).

The original Sanskrit of the Rig-Veda, supported by the Commentaries and the ceremonials without variation of text or meaning, is: a rohantu janayo yonim agre, "the wives (or mothers, i.e., women) may first ascend to the sacred place." These words finally were misread by the Brahmins as: a rohantu janayo yonim agneh, "wives (mothers, women) may or should ascend to the sacred place of fire" i.e., womb of fire -- construed as the funeral pyre).

Suttee therefore has been confused by the West as the custom of the burning of widows itself; but the word really means the widow herself who, because of her great virtue in unfailing fidelity to her one husband, prefers to sacrifice her life on the funeral pyre rather than to live on earth alone after his death. The custom is not commanded or even approved by Vedic or other Hindu scriptural authority, but on the contrary is, indirectly if not directly, forbidden. How the custom ever arose is still obscure, but may be ascribed to a mixture of priestcraft and unreasoning sentimental and religious devotion on the part of the ignorant masses.

(See also: Suttee , Mysticism, Mysticism Dictionary, Body mind and Soul)

sadhana: spiritual practice; any discipline performed for the purpose of turning one's mind from the world and applying it to the spiritual truths.

(See also: sadhana , Hinduism, Yoga, Body Mind and Soul)

siddha

One who has perfected one’s spiritual practice.

(See also: siddha , Bhakti, Bhakti Yoga, Bhakti Dictionary, Body Mind and Soul)

sahasra lekhana sadhana: (Sanskrit) "Thousand-times writing discipline." The spiritual practice of writing a sacred mantra 1,008 times.

(See also: Sahasra lekhana sadhana , Hinduism, Body Mind and Soul)

WICCA

(Old English wicca, "male witch",  wicce,  "female witch", and wiccan,  "witchcraft"):

an Initiatory, Oathbound, Pagan Mystery religion celebrating the Mysteries contained in the Legend of the Descent of the Goddess and in the Charge of the Goddess, in which every Initiate is consecrated as a Priest or Priestess as well as a Witch;there is also a different, although related, religious movement calling itself "Wicca" - one that sprang from, and is loosely based upon the Mystery Religion, but that is more exoteric and oriented toward worship and devotion and public celebration, rather than toward a specific initiatory path, magickal practice, and spiritual discipline; this religious movement has been aptly described as "Wicca-based Paganism".

(See also: WICCA , Pagan Organisations, Paganism, Pagan Dictionary, Wicca,)