Spirituality And Science Dictionary

Vedic Science: integral spiritual science of the Vedas

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

Science:

Accumulated and accepted knowledge that has been systematized and formulated with reference to the discovery of general truths or the operation of general laws; knowledge classified and made available in work, life or the search for truth; comprehensive, profound or philosophical knowledge, especially knowledge obtained and tested through the use of the scientific method.

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

Science [from Latin scientia from scire to know]

In its widest sense formulated knowledge, a knowledge of structure, laws, and operations. The unity of human knowledge may be artificially divided into religion, philosophy, and science. Science and philosophy, as presently understood, have in common the quality of being speculative, as opposed to religion, which in the West is supposed to be founded merely on faith and moral sentiments.

The present distinction between science and philosophy lies largely in their respective fields of speculation. What is known as modern science investigates the phenomena of physical nature and by inferential reasoning formulates general laws therefrom. Its method is called inductive and its data are so-called facts -- i.e., sensory observations; whereas deductive philosophy starts from axioms. Yet a scientist, in order to reason from his data at all, must necessarily use both induction and deduction.

Modern science has limited its field of study to the laws of physical nature; but in the 20th century the illusive and entirely phenomenal nature of matter and energy, formerly assumed to be eternal and indestructible, is better realized by scientists who have traced the chain of physical causation to a point beyond physical limits altogether and admit that the physical world consists of phenomena occurring in an ultraphysical substance.

In modern sciences dealing with biology, evolution, and anthropology, legitimate inference from facts has been much interfered with by preconceived ideas. Modern science suffers from its failure to see the necessity of postulating an astral or formative world behind the physical, this astral world being in itself but one stage in a rising scale or ladder of invisible worlds. To ascertain the facts upon which to build a true inductive system, we must admit the existence in man of means of direct perception other than those afforded by the physical senses.

(See also: Science , Mysticism, Mysticism Dictionary)

Unarius Academy of Science/Unarius Education Foundation

A UFO/Space Brothers organization formed by Ruth and Ernest Norman in El Cajon, CA

(See also: Unarius Academy of Science , New Age Spirituality, Body Mind and Soul)

Combine Spirituality and Psychotherapy: Eclectic integrative system developed and practiced by author Bernard Green, Ph.D. It includes consciousness expansion, Eastern psychotherapy (see Eastern psychology), nutritional psychology, psychosynthesis, Simonton techniques (see Simonton method), and Sufi psychology (see Sufi healing).

(See also: Combine Spirituality and Psychotherapy , Body Mind and Soul, Alternative Health, Alternative Health Dictionary)

Swedenborg, Emmanuel ( 1688-1772)

A Swedish scientist, theosophist, and mystic, a pioneer in both scientific, religious and spiritual thought.

For most of his life Swedenborg pursued a conventional, albeit brilliant, career. Educated at Uppsala University he first became a natural scientist and official with the Swedish Royal College of mines (1710-45), concentrating on research and theory. His foremost scientific writing is 'Opera Philosophica et Mineralia' (Philosophical and Mineralogical Works, three volumes, 1734), a unique combination of metaphysics, cosmology, and science.

A first-rate scientific theorist and inventor, Swedenborg, in some of his insights, anticipated scientific progress by more than a century. Visited by a mystic illumination in 1745, Swedenborg claimed a direct vision of a spiritual world underlying the natural sphere. He began having dreams, ecstatic visions, trances and mystical illusions in which he communicated with Jesus Christ and God and was granted a view of the order of the universe that was radically different from the teachings of the Christian church.

He resigned his job to concentrate full-time on his ecstatic visions and transcribing the knowledge imparted to him from the spiritual world. His voluminous works from this period are presented as divinely revealed biblical interpretations. In his system, best reflected in 'Divine Love and Wisdom' (1763), Swedenborg conceived of three spheres: divine mind, spiritual world, and natural world. Each corresponds to a degree of being in God and in humankind: love, wisdom, and use (end, cause, and effect). Through devotion to each degree, unification with it takes place and a person obtains his or her destiny, which is union with creator and creation.

Unlike many mystics, Swedenborg proposed an approach to spiritual reality and God through, rather than in rejection of, material nature. His 12-volume compendium 'The Heavenly Arcana' (1747-56) represents a unique synthesis between modern science and religion.

In response to a vision of the 'last judgment' and the 'return of Christ', Swedenborg proclaimed the advent of the New Church, an idea that found social expression in the Swedenborgian societies and in the foundation of the Church Of The New Jerusalem in England in 1778, and in the United States in 1792. Many of his views were adopted by 19th century spiritualism and many of his ideas were also disseminated in the works of writers and poets such as William Blake , Samuel Taylor Coleridge and Henry James .

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

BARBARA BRENNAN HEALING SCIENCE

The Barbara Brennan Healing Science program focuses on clearing blocked energy and balancing the body’s energy field through hands-on work and deep healing techniques.

Emphasis is placed on enabling the therapist to discover her own healing process and thus personalize her healing approach. Channeling, use of spiritual guidance, healing with color and sound, and work with auras are among the techniques used. Through the unblocking and balancing of energy fields, the client has access to healing on all levels of functioning - emotional, physical, spiritual, and mental.

(See also: BARBARA BRENNAN HEALING SCIENCE , Alternative Health, Massage, Bodywork, Body Mind and Soul)

Vastu Shastra

Vastu Shastra is an ancient science energy flow throughout the house/office/factory that allows inflow of fresh air and natural light that promotes health, wealth, peace and happiness.

The most ancient science of architecture that goes back to the Vedic ages, it is composed of specific rules and regulations, set down by sages of those times, that an architect / builder / owner was expected to religiously follow to avoid coming under negative or evil influences. Today, it is looked upon as a highly evolved, comprehensive building philosophy in which directions and shapes are the most vital aspects of designing.

Right from the selection of site to correct slope of land down to the shape of the building, this oldest form of architecture covers nearly every aspect of construction. Not only for houses but temples, palaces, forts, offices...just about every possible form of construction. Often providing relief if not cures to physical or emotional problems simply by relocating an entrance, window or room.

Some of the important points made therein are:

• Directional Alignment
• Shape Of The Site
• Slope Of The Land Surface
• Impact of Gates At Various Locations
• Brahmasthan (Central Zone of the Building)
• The Staircase
• Inner Planning of a House
• Inner Planning of an Office
• Internal Planning of any Industrial Building

See also: Vastu Shastra

(See also: Vastu Shastra , Ayurveda, Ayurvedic Dictionary, Alternative Health, Body Mind and Soul)

Chi

(Chinese, "ether," "matter-energy," "vital energy," "material force")

An important and multifaceted term in Chinese religion, philosophy, and science, the root meaning of which is "moist vapor" or "breath. "

• Early Chinese teachers spoke of chi as a vital spirit or energy that animated living beings. As such, it had to be properly nourished.
• For Confucians, that required moral cultivation so that one's chi, undistracted by external things, would conform to the dictates of will.
• For Taoists, it required mastery of the self through meditation, breath control, diet, yoga, and other techniques so as to harmonize one's chi with the material force of the universe ordered by the Tao (undifferentiated unity).

Traditional Chinese medicine attributed illnesses primarily to imbalances in the chi that pulsed through the body. Acupuncture, moxibustion (placing burning cones made of the dried leaves of the Artemisia moxa plant on the patient's skin), and other techniques helped to restore its balanced circulation.

Chi was also an important concept in the correlative philosophy that blossomed in the early Han dynasty (206 BC-AD 8) systematizing the correspondences between like things that explained their mutual interactions.

In the Neo-Confucian metaphysics of the Northern and Southern Sung dynasties (960-1279), all phenomena were said to be manifest through the intrinsic relation of principle (li) and material force (chi). Li constituted the essential, unchanging, perfect nature of all things, while chi represented their corporeal, transitory, and potentially flawed aspect. Individuals were instructed to perfect their humanity, to purify and harmonize their chi with their true Heavenendowed nature through the external investigation of things and mental introspection. Also Ki.

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

Secret Science, Wisdom.

See WISDOM RELIGION; OCCULTISM

(See also: Secret Science, Wisdom , Mysticism, Mysticism Dictionary)

iridology (eye analysis, iridiagnosis, irido-diagnosis, iris diagnosis): Ostensibly diagnostic system whose principle is that every bodily organ corresponds to a location on the iris (the colored portion of the eye surrounding the pupil). According to iridology theory, the iris serves as a map of the body and gives warning signs of physical, mental, and spiritual problems. Proponents ascribe modern iridology to Hungarian physician Ignatz von Peczely (1826-1911), author of The Discovery in Natural History and Medical Science, a Guide to the Study and Diagnosis from the Eye (1881). , von Peczely discovered the iris-body connection in his childhood, when he broke the leg of an owl and a black stripe spontaneously appeared on the owl's iris. Probably the leading proponent of iridology in the United States is author and nutritionist J. Bernard Jensen, D.C., Ph.D.

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

Christian Science (Science): Religion founded in 1879 by Mary (Morse) Baker Eddy (1821-1910).

Christian Science basic principle is: mind is the only reality; illness, pain, and death are illusory. Christian Science practitioners engage in absent healing and can bring about resurrections. Members of The First Church of Christ, Scientist generally choose Christianly scientific prayer over medical treatment. Church officials accept their religion's association with alternative healthcare.

(See also: Christian Science , Body Mind and Soul, Alternative Health, Alternative Health 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)

Kalaripayat: Form of Marma Chikitsa promoted by Joseph Kurian (see marma science). It eliminates toxins, overpowers blocks, and restores full circulation.

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

vedic science:

integral spiritual science of the vedas

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

Christian Fundamentalism

Fundamentalism is a Protestant view that affirms the absolute and unerring authority of the Bible, rules out a scientific or critical study of the scriptures, denies the theory of evolution, and holds that alternate religious views within Christianity or outside are false.

A Bible conference of conservative Protestants at Niagara, New York, in 1895 affirmed five doctrinal points that were later named the "five fundamentals":

• the verbal inerrancy of scripture,
• the divinity of Jesus,
• the virgin birth,
• the substitutionary atonement, and
• Jesus' bodily resurrection and physical return.

Although these points do not include all the elements of Protestant fundamentalism, they are regularly present in fundamentalist views.

A series of volumes entitled The Fundamentals by American, Canadian, and British writers (1910-15) carried the discussion further by attacking Catholic doctrine, Christian Science, Mormon teachings, Darwin's theory of evolution, and liberal theology's critical study of the Bible and denial of miracles. In 1920 C. L. Laws used the term fundamentalist in the Baptist Watchman-Examiner to identify these views. In the North during the 1920s and following, Presbyterians and Baptists, among others, were torn by controversies over fundamentalism. From this struggle came institutions like Westminster Theological Seminary (1929) and new denominations such as the Orthodox Presbyterian Church and the Conservative Baptist Association of America (1947).

Interdenominational organizations were also formed, e. g. , the American Council of Christian Churches (1941, to offset the National Council of Churches) and the National Association of Evangelicals (1942). By the 1950s, Neo-Orthodox theology with its emphasis on biblical revelation had changed the theological situation from a standoff between fundamentalists and liberals by developing a middle ground between them. Since the more militant fundamentalist leaders had settled into their own organizations by then, the basis for intragroup fights lessened, and the controversy waned. With the political swing to the Right in the 1980s fundamentalist voices found new support. Attacks on evolution and liberal scholarship fell into the background as some fundamentalists emphasized more positive themes such as conversion, personal and social morality, and a right-wing political agenda. In other groups, however, attacks on nonfundamentalist scholarship came with new vigor. Fundamentalism is characteristically evangelistic. Some ministries combine evangelism with healing.

Premillennialism, the view that Jesus will return to earth in visible form and establish a thousand-year kingdom, has frequently been an aspect of the fundamentalist movement. Finally, since the Scopes trial (1925) fundamentalism has waged a war against contemporary science, particularly the theory of evolution. Scientific creationism is one form of the attack. In an attempt to harmonize Genesis 1 and certain scientific arguments, this school holds, for example, that the geologic layers of the earth cannot be used to support the vast time sequences of standard earth science because the catastrophic flood of Noah's day was the source of much of the layering. Core beliefs of the movement are virtually identical with evangelical Christianity.

Some fundamentalists, however, later distinguished themselves from evangelicals (or neo-evangelicals) whom they saw as too compromising and ecumenical. The term ÒfundamentalistÓ is a synonym for one who is narrow-minded, bigoted, antiintellectual or divisive.

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

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)

Theosophy

A school of philosophy founded by Helena P. Blavatsky. that promotes the ideas of Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, Annie Besant and others. Objectives are to form a universal brotherhood, investigate man's latent psychic and spiritual powers, and study philosophy, comparative religion and science. The term literally means "divine wisdom. "

The goals of Theosophy are to (

1)    form a universal brother-hood;

2)    do comparative study of world religions, science, and philosophy; and,

3)    investigate the psychic and spir- itual powers latent in man. Theosophy is the forerunner of much New Age thought.

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

Upaveda: (Sanskrit) "Secondary Vedas."

A class of texts on sacred sciences, composed by rishis over the course of time to amplify and apply the Vedic knowledge. The four prominent Upavedas (each encompassing numerous texts) are:

á      Arthaveda (statecraft),

á      Ayurveda (health),

á      Dhanurveda (military science) and

á      Gandharvaveda (music and the arts).

Also sometimes classed as Upavedas are the

á      Sthapatyaveda (on architecture) and the

á      Kama Shastras (texts on erotic love).

See: Arthaveda, Ayurveda, Dhanurveda, Kama Sutra, Gandharvaveda, purushartha, Stapatyaveda.

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

Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures

Principal scripture of Christian Science.

(See also: Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures , New Age Spirituality, Body Mind and Soul)