FESTIVALS: times for Pagan and Witch celebrations; high holidays and cross-quarter days.

(See also: FESTIVALS , Witchcraft, Wicca, Paganism, Pagan Dictionary)

The Vedas 

The Vedas are the Divine scriptures of ancient India and in modern times can be traced as least as far back as 12,OOO B.C. a lthough it is generally accepted tat the Vedas appear at different times of the cosmic creation forte benefit of human society. They are considered to be the revelations of the Divine nature, and its relationship within and without us. "Mantra" is the term used to mean Divine sound vibration or the word of God. There are teachings of mantras (hymns), teachings of ritual, theology, and philosophy at the root of all the vedic sciences. The point of all is the knowledge of the soul called "atma vidya", being our real "self" and separate and distinct from the material body , and the material world which surrounds us.

Read more here: » The Vedas: Divine scriptures of ancient India - The Vedas

Karma: Depending on the culture, the concept of karma has several different interpretations. While some schools of thought use the term to mean a sort of payback for our good and bad deeds, others (notably Buddhist scholars) maintain that karma never means the effect of a good or bad deed, but the deed itself. This initial deed, they argue, sets into motion a chain of events that leads to eiher good or bad situations, depending on the nature of the original deed. Edgar Cayce, on the other hand, taught that the consequences of our actions in this life were not karma, but simply cause and effect. He said that karma was always what we bring into this life as consequences from a past life.

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

festival: A time of religious celebration and special observances. Festivals generally recur yearly, their dates varying slightly according to astrological calculations. They are characterized by acts of piety (elaborate pujas, penance, fasting, pilgrimage) and rejoicing (songs, dance, music, parades, storytelling and scriptural reading).

See: sound, teradi.

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

spiritual healing: A form of channeling and energy medicine (vibrational medicine) that involves the transference (commonly through the hands) of healing energy from its spiritual source to one who needs help. Its theory posits a spiritual body.

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

mysticism: Spirituality; the pursuit of direct spiritual or religious experience. Spiritual discipline aimed at union or communion with Ultimate Reality or God through deep meditation or trance-like contemplation. From the Greek mystikos, "of mysteries."

Characterized by the belief that Truth transcends intellectual processes and must be attained through transcendent means.

See: mysticism, occultism, clairaudient, clairvoyance, psychic, trance.psychic abilities, siddhi.

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

Truth

Only that which you know and experience consciously within yourself

(See also: Truth , Body Mind and Soul)

Chinese medicine (Traditional Chinese Medicine, TCM): Ancient holistic system whose basics include herbology, nutrition, and the concepts of acupuncture meridians, the Five Elements (Five Phases), and yin and yang.

Traditional Chinese Medicine theory posits both Organs (the Triple Burner, for example) and Substances (such as Shen, or Spirit) for which scientific evidence is absent. Variations and hybrids of Chinese medicine include Korean medicine, Tibetan medicine, and Vietnamese traditional medicine.

Chinese medicine probably originated about 2,000 years ago, but it became dogmatic and stagnated for centuries; overall its development has been slow. It probably stems from shamanism. The basis of Chinese medicine is Taoism, a religion according to which spirits (shen) inhabit the human body and take care of its functions. The foundational text of Chinese medicine - known as the Classic of Internal Medicine, the Huangdi Neijing, the Inner Classic, the Inner Classic of the Yellow Emperor, the Neiching, the Nei Jing, The Yellow Emperor's Classic, The Yellow Emperor's Classic of Internal Medicine, and the Yellow Emperor's Inner Canon - was completed by the first century C.E.

(See also: Chinese medicine , Body Mind and Soul, Alternative Health, Alternative Health Dictionary)

A Theosophical definition of Brahma :

Brahma

(Sanskrit) A word of which the root, brih, means "expansion." It stands for the spiritual energy-consciousness side of our solar universe, i.e., our solar system, and the Egg of Brahma is that solar system.

A Day of Brahma or a maha-manvantara is composed of seven rounds, a period of 4,320,000,000 terrestrial years; this period is also called a kalpa. A Night of Brahma, the planetary rest period, which is also called the parinirvanic period, is of equal length.

Seven Days of Brahma make one solar kalpa; or, in other words, seven planetary cycles, each cycle consisting of seven rounds (or seven planetary manvantaras), form one solar manvantara.

One Year of Brahma consists of 360 Divine Days, each day being the duration of a planet's life, i.e., of a planetary chain of seven globes. The Life of Brahma (or the life of the universal system) consists of one hundred Divine Years, i.e., 4,320,000,000 years times 36,000 x 2.

The Life of Brahma is half ended: that is, fifty of his years are gone  - a period of 155,520,000,000,000 of our years have passed away since our solar system, with its sun, first began its manvantaric course. There remain, therefore, fifty more such Years of Brahma before the system sinks into rest or pralaya. As only half of the evolutionary journey is accomplished, we are, therefore, at the bottom of the kosmic cycle, i.e., on the lowest plane.

See also: Brahma , Mysticism, Body Mind and Soul

cosmic

(from Greek) Universe as a whole

(See also: Cosmic , Body Mind and Soul)

A dictionary Of Commonly Used Sanskrit terms. From Lac to Omkarasana.

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.

Reincarnation Reimbodiment; specifically reinfleshment, the repeated imbodiment of the reincarnating ego in vehicles of human flesh on this earth. The unexhausted desire for earth-life draws the ego back to this globe, where it gathers to itself the material for a reincarnation and thus is finally born from a human womb. The process is repeated almost numberless times until the evolution of the inspiriting monad has reached a stage when reincarnation is no longer required. The interval between successive incarnations may be roughly estimated at 100 times the length of the preceding earth-life -- a rule obviously subject to many exceptions.

(See also: Reincarnation , Mysticism, Mysticism Dictionary)

feng shui: The science and study of the effect of environmental factors on living. Includes guidelines for determining the best location and direction of your home and workplace; where the rooms in your home should be to best facilitate energy flow; and how to create a garden that will bring positive energy and good luck into your home.

Includes two major schools of thought. The Form School examines the shape of the land, the shape of your building, and even its direction in relation to the land around it.

The Compass School is based on the pa-kua, an octagonal symbol surrounding the famous yin-yang. Each side is related to one of the eight trigrams from the I Ching, and is related to certain energies. If you are planning a house, you can put a pa-kua over the plans and determine which direction your home should face and the best way to arrange the rooms.

(See also: feng shui , Magic, Shamanism, Paganism, Wicca)

Mysticism: The direct personal contact with one's concept of God, the Divine, or the Ground of Being.

Natal Chart: Your natal (birth) chart, or horoscope, is drawn from calculations based upon the date, time, and place of your birth. Every element of the horoscope (which, if it’s like most Western horoscopes, will be drawn on a circular wheel) is expressed symbolically. Each symbol in the chart represents a celestial body, sign, house, or aspect.

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

Prana (Sanskrit). Life-Principle ; the breath of Life.

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

Astrology: Astrology is a science that examines the action of celestial bodies upon all living beings, non-living objects, and earthly conditions, as well as their reactions to such influences. The study of the stars is one of the oldest sciences known to humankind, tracing its origins back to ancient Sumer and even earlier. The astrological arts were well known to the Egyptians, Hindus, Chinese, Persians, and the great civilizations of the ancient Americas.

Astrology is the progenitor of astronomy, and for many years the two existed as one science. Nowadays, astronomy is considered an "objective" science of distances, masses, speeds, etc., while astrology is a "subjective" and intuitive science that not only deals which the astronomical delineation of horoscopes, but can also be called a philosophy which helps to explain the spiritual essence of life.

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

Guru:

Refers to the 'Spiritual Master'. One who has attained perfection in yoga. Also refers to the name for Jupiter as well as the general title for a 'teacher'. Guru literally means 'heavy' and refers to 'heavy with knowledge'. Jupiter is also the largest planet.

The blessings of the real guru are totally necessary for material and spiritual advancement. This stands for Jupiter as well as teacher or guru in life. Guru ninda, or guru aparadha, offenses to the guru for a follower of the pure vedic path are completely detrimental for all aspects of life. In the vedic tradition when approaching one's guru and requesting spiritual instructions, one should approach very humbly and bow down.

In the Bhagavad-Gita Lord Krishna recommends approaching a real guru, asking sincere meaningful questions ready to render menial services in return and thus receive from the tattva-darshini or seer of the truth the real meaning and essence of life.

(See also: Guru , Psychic, Psychic Dictionary, Parapsychology, Parapsychology Dictionary)

Kundalini: Kundalini is a concept often spoken of in relation to the charkas. Mythologically, Kundalini is a serpent Goddess who lies asleep at the base of the spine, coiled three and one half times around the first chakra, awaiting unfoldment. When she is awakened through any of a number of techniques, she unfolds and rises through the center of the body, piercing and wakening each chakra as she goes. When she has risen to the top or crown chakra, then all of the chakras have been opened, and a person is said to experience enlightenment.

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

essential oils

Fluid extracted from botanical sources and preserved in pure form. Some are poisonous when taken internally, and many report irritations when applied directly to the skin. Used in Aromatherapy, usually in blends diluted with basic carrier oils.

(See also: Essential oils , Body Mind and Soul)

Dream Interpretation Walking

The act of walking stands for your life at present. If you are walking forward with some purpose, with your determination and confidence you'll be able to make things happen. Walking backward in the dream signifies that your past experiences and events are holding you back. Walking through pleasant nature views denotes success in personal and professional life which you will enjoy and pleased with.

Source: Dream-Land, http://www.dream-land.info

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