Whirling Souls Used in reference to the Hebrew Gilgulim, the cyclic journeys or whirlings of the monad, and the Qabbalistic teaching that during the course of these peregrinations or transmigrations it enters body after body.

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

Khepra (Egypt, Egyptian). An Egyptian god presiding over rebirth and transmigration. He is represented with a scarabeus instead of a head.

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

Reincarnation: Also known as transmigration of the soul, reincarnation is the belief that after a person dies that person’s personality or soul is reborn in a new body.

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

Obryn (Welsh) The second stage in Abred or the circle of transmigration, intermediate between Annwn (the elemental kingdoms) and Cydfil (the animal kingdom). It therefore includes the mineral and vegetable kingdoms.

(See also: Obryn, Mysticism, Mysticism Dictionary)

Gnostic

"One who knows", adherent of an ancient Hellenistic way of life teaching transmigration of souls and a struggle between the forces of light and darkness

(See also: Gnostic, Body Mind and Soul)

René Guénon dedicates a whole chapter of his 1923 book The Spiritist Fallacy to the concept of Reincarnation. According to him, there is no such concept in any traditional religion. He claims that reincarnation is instead a modern concept created by spiritist and theosophist authors, mainly Allan Kardec, apparently inspired by a fatally flawed understanding of the traditional concepts of transmigration and metempsychosis. Some may argue that transmigration of human souls ...

See also:

Metempsychosis, Metempsychosis - Controversy, Metempsychosis - Metempsychosis vs. Reincarnation

Read more here: » Metempsychosis: Encyclopedia II - Metempsychosis - Controversy

Hinayana (Sanskrit). The " Smaller Vehicle"; a Scripture and a School of the Northern Buddhists, opposed to the Mahayana, "the Greater Vehicle", in Tibet. Both schools are mystical. (See "Mahayana".) Also in exoteric superstition the lowest form of transmigration.

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

Metempsychosis Commonly used for the entry of the soul into a new body or reimbodiment; but etymologically it means the clothing of a monad with a new soul, while metensomatosis means the clothing of that ensouled monad with a new body.

The new psychic vesture with which the monad is clothed -- its metempsychosis in this case -- is evolved from the monad itself. Metempsychosis is in one sense a transmigration, but transmigration is not necessarily metempsychosis; for transmigration merely means changing or passing over from one condition to another, and therefore may include metensomatosis.

Metempsychosis also means that the soul "is an indivisible entity in its inmost essence, which is pursuing a course along its own particular evolutionary path as an individual monad, taking upon itself 'soul' after 'soul'; and it is the adventures which befall the soul, in its assumption of, or assuming, 'soul' after 'soul,' which in their aggregate are grouped together under this word Metempsychosis.

"In ordinary language metempsychosis is supposed to be a synonym for transmigration, reincarnation, pre-existence, and palingenesis, etc., but all these words in the Esoteric Philosophy have specific meanings of their own, and should not be confused" (OG 105).

(See also: Metempsychosis, Mysticism, Mysticism Dictionary)

A Theosophical definition of Metempsychosis :

Metempsychosis

(Greek) A compound vocable which may be rendered briefly by "insouling after insouling," or "changing soul after soul." Metempsychosis contains the specific meaning that the soul of an entity, human or other, moves not merely from condition to condition, migrates not merely from state to state or from body to body; but also that it is an indivisible entity in its inmost essence, which is pursuing a course along its own particular evolutionary path as an individual monad, taking upon itself soul after soul; and it is the adventures which befall the soul, in assuming soul after soul, which in their aggregate are grouped together under this word metempsychosis.

In ordinary language metempsychosis is supposed to be a synonym for transmigration, reincarnation, preexistence, and palingenesis, etc., but all these words in the esoteric philosophy have specific meanings of their own, and should not be confused. It is of course evident that these words have strict relations with each other, as, for instance, every soul in its metempsychosis also transmigrates in its own particular sense; and inversely every transmigrating entity also has its metempsychosis or soul-changings in its own particular sense. But these connections or interminglings of meanings must not be confused with the specific significance attached to each one of these words.

The essential meaning of metempsychosis can perhaps be briefly described by saying that a monad during the course of its evolutionary peregrinations throws forth from itself periodically a new soul-garment or soul-sheath, and this changing of souls or soul-sheaths as the ages pass is called metempsychosis. (See also Transmigration, Reincarnation, Preexistence, Palingenesis)

See also: Metempsychosis, Mysticism, Body Mind and Soul)

samsari: (Sanskrit) "One in samsara; wanderer."

A soul during transmigration, immersed in or attached to mundane existence, hence not striving for liberation (moksha). A samsari is someone who is not "on the path."

See: materialism, samsara, San Marga, worldly.

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

moksha: (Sanskrit) "Liberation."

Release from transmigration, samsara, the round of births and deaths, which occurs after karma has been resolved and nirvikalpa samadhi - realization of the Self, Parasiva - has been attained. Same as mukti.

See: jivanmukta, kaivalya, kundalini, nirvikalpa samadhi, Parasiva, raja yoga, videhamukti.

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

According to the Vijñānavādins, embedded at the heart of Buddhism lies a seeming paradox. In contrast to the Brahmanic teachings of the Upanishads, the Buddha stated quite clearly that the self (atman) is an illusion and that man thus has no soul (anatman). However, there is transmigration (samsara) from one body to another. This poses a difficult question: "If there is no soul, what is it that reincarnates?" The theory of consciousness-only starts by explaining the regularity and coherence of sense impressions ...

See also:

Consciousness-only, Consciousness-only - Doctrine, Consciousness-only - History

Read more here: » Consciousness-only: Encyclopedia II - Consciousness-only - Doctrine

Reincarnation

Belief that after a person dies, he returns again to the earth, inhabits a new body, and does this as many times as needed to acheive spiritual perfection.

Whereas Hindus typically believe that reincarnation includes transmigration of souls between animal, plant, and even inanimate forms, New Agers believe reincarnation is limited to human and celestial forms. Reincarnation generally assumes a doctrine of karma. The idea is the basis for the practice of attempting past life regression

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

Empedocles (c 490-430 BC) Greek philosopher and poet, whose system was based on the interaction of the four elements (fire, air, earth, and water), called by him rhizomata (roots), under the influence of love and hate (attraction and repulsion). His doctrines, such as transmigration, agree with those of Pythagoras. (BCW, SD 1:497-8; FSO 228)

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

Pythagoras' followers were commonly called "Pythagoreans." For the most part we remember them as philosophical mathematicians who had an influence on the beginning of axiomatic geometry, which after two hundred years of development was written down by Euclid in The Elements. The Pythagoreans are known for their theory of the transmigration of souls, and also for their theory that numbers constitute the true nature of things. They performed purification rites and followed ascetic, dietary and moral rules which they believed would enable their soul to ...

See also:

Pythagoras, Pythagoras - Biography, Pythagoras - Pythagoreans, Pythagoras - Literary works, Pythagoras - Scientific contributions

Read more here: » Pythagoras: Encyclopedia II - Pythagoras - Pythagoreans