A
Abracadabra: Fictitous word said to invoke magic. Originally thought to be from the Cabala.Acolyte: Someone who follows and/or serves another. R.C Church defines such a
person as being attendant on a Priest.Act: Decree or law. A done thing. Acts of The Apostles. A comprehensive supplement to Luke’s Gospel. It can be divided into two parts; the Home Missions and the Foreign Missions. Its text provided the blueprint for the Christian-based Churches to go out and convert the world. (Conversion of Paul Ch.9 1-30). Outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Caesarea, Ch.10. A fascinating account of the events and spiritual power!
Acupuncture: Origins in ancient China. Massive subject. Not fully accepted by Western medicine, though certainly growing steadily in popularity. Inversely proportional to this is its decline in Chinese hospitals. It advocates the use of meridian lines of energy in the body to channel [the body's own] healing power. Fine gold needles are placed at various points on the patient’s body and manipulated skilfully by the Consultant. The Acupuncturist will refer to traditional texts as to the exact point of entry. It is still held in low esteem by Western medicine because of its apparent lack of logical needle placement. There is no theory consistent with orthodox medicine to explain its effects. Practitioners of this ancient art maintain that western medicine is blinkered, dogmatic, whereas its practises go back to antiquity. Whatever one may think of the practise of Acupuncture, its true value, its nature and its full story are yet to be told.
A.D.: Anno Domini. After the birth of Christ.
Address: Public Speaking. In the Spiritualist movement, taken to mean an address by the Speaker of the day concerning matters of the Spirit. As part of the Divine Service, the visiting speaker will call on their Inspirers, Helpers and Guides to give a philosophy on the teachings of the Spirit. As with prayer, it is the allowing of the Spirit to speak through us, though not, it must be maintained, in a state of total insensibility or trance.
Adam & Eve: Old Testament story. Genesis 1: 'So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them'. Taken by most attuned exponents to be largely symbolic, i.e.; the fall from grace, the temptation, nakedness, and the Garden of Eden. Whether considered symbolic or not, its lessons and teachings still have great relevance for today’s world every bit as much now as then.
Aether: See ‘Ether’.
Affinity: Sometimes a spirit presence will have an ‘affinity’ because like attracts like. That is spirit Law. A Guide or Helper from the other side of life will have an affinity with you because of a particular characteristic in their [and your] spiritual nature. If there was no affinity, there would be no ‘blending’.
Afterlife: Simply put, ‘life after death’ ~ death of the physical body, that is. Referred to also as The Spirit World, Heaven, Nirvana, Valhalla, Happy Hunting Ground, etc. A life every bit as real as this life but without the worry, free of the trammels of this world and the physical life and all that that means. Sometimes called the Hereafter. The next phase of life. All religions teach us that there is eternal life in one form or another.
Agnosticism: God and Man. A term coined by T.H. Huxley, the 19th century biologist and contemporary of Darwin. It means that “You cannot know whether God exists or not”.
Akashic Record/Library/Chronicles: According to Theosophists, these are the historical records of all the world events and personal experiences of all thoughts and deeds that have taken place on the earth. Linked strongly to AKASHA in Hinduism and Buddhism. Akasha, simply put, is the ether - the space between the atoms. The records are indelibly imprinted upon the Akasha and may under normal circumstances be accessed only by initiates or adepts. Rudolph Steiner, for example, claimed to have accessed the records for his descriptions of Atlantis and Lemuria.
Aleatory: Completely dependant of chance.
Alchemy: Psuedo-science of medieval times used to try to fine the elixir of life.
Alien: Massive subject. From another world. Extraterrestrial. A being of super intelligence who has grown up and evolved alongside mankind and takes an interest in human affairs. A being from another world. A cosmic brother/sister. God’s creation from the heavens. Our cosmic guardians. Thought to be the inspiration behind much of today’s technology. Other phenomena connected: abductions, etc.
Allah: ‘GOD’ in Islam.
Allejuleah: See ‘H’.
Almanac: Yearly calendar using tidal patterns and phases of the Moon.
Almighty: [God] having absolute power of all things.
Alter: Raised platform/table/slab on which sacrificial religious rites are performed. Communion table for the joining of the Spirit of Christ and the congregation.
Altered States of Consciousness or A.S.C.: Can be achieved by circle development, drugs or meditation. Altered Consciousness Perceptions. The ability to discern events, beings and/or revelations through inducement, practice or ritual. A.S.C = Sleep, trance, hypnosis or pre-sleep consciousness, ie; the lucid state. Gazing into objects such as a crystal ball, a fire, a candle or the Sun itself. A.S.C also includes Total Sensory Deprivation. This is where the subject sit in a sealed vessel filled with water at human body temperature, wearing dark goggles, earmuffs and is monitored by sensors which relay brainwaves to a microprocessor. Total Sensory Deprivation induces an Altered State. Not only of interest to Psychologists but also Physiologists. Also see ‘Psi-experiments’. When any kind of psychic awareness takes place, i.e.; prediction, spirit perception etc, A.S.C. is said to have occurred. William James offers perhaps the best explanation of ASC when he wrote nearly one hundred years ago:
“… One conclusion is forced upon my mind at this time and my impression of it’s truth has ever since remained unshaken. It is that our normal waking consciousness as we call it, is but one special type of consciousness, whilst all about it, parted from it by the flimsiest of screens there lie potential forms of consciousness entirely different”.
Amaranth: Immortal flower. Never changing in beauty of colour.Amen: So be it, according to the will of God. Prayer ending.
Amulet: Charm or carved object used to ward off evil. Ancient Egyptians would empower these carvings with spells and use them as symbols of power. Early man must have used animal and fertility carvings in much the same manner. Amulets were buried with the Pharaohs.
Angels: Various definitions and beliefs attached to these Spiritual beings. Messengers of God. The ancient biblical texts are filled with angelic visions, visitations and revelation. There is also a school of thought which refers to angelic beings as evolving alongside humanity but in some other parallel dimension. Another school of thought refers to them as being cosmic, of the stars in origin. The bible, for those interested, puts them into numerous categories.
Ministering Angels: Genesis 16.7; 19.16; 22.11. Ex. 14.19, And the Angel of God, which went before the camp of Israel, removed and went behind them, and the pillar of the cloud went before their face and stood behind them: (Ex. 23.20, 1 K 19.5).In recent times contact with angels is on the increase. The Kundalini Ring is said to be the Angels’ wings when fully developed. See Kundalini.
Psalms 91.11: For He shall give His Angels charge over thee in all thy ways.
(Is 63.9; Da 3.28).
Daniel 6.22. My God hath sent his Angel and hath shut the lions’ mouths, that they have not hurt me: forasmuch as before Him innocency was found in me; and also before thee, O King, have I done no hurt.
(Mk 1.13; Luke 16.22; Ac. 5.19).
Ac. 12.7: And behold, the angel of the lord came upon him, and a light shined in the prison: and he smote Peter on the side and raised him up saying, Arise up quickly, and his chains fell off from his hands.
Ac. 27.23: For there stood by me this night the Angel of God, whose I am and who I serve.
He. 1.14: Are they not all ministering spirits sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation.Angels of the Lord. Appearance to men. Ge. 32.1. Nu 22.31. Jud 2.1. 6.11. 13.3. 13 ; Zec 1.9 (Cosmic). Mt 1.20. 2.13. 28.2. Lu 1.11 – 28. 2.9; Jn 20.12. Ac 8.26. 10.3.
Wait Upon Christ. 24.31. 25.31. 26.53. Lu 2.13. 22.43. Jn 1.51. 2 Th 1.7; He 1.6. Re 5.11.Angels of Wrath. Executing the judgement of God. Ge 19.1. Jud 5.23. 2 S 24.16. 1 Chr 21.15. 2 Chr 32.21. Is 37.36. Ac 12.23.
Fallen Angels Jb 4.18. Mt. 25.41. 2 Pe. 2.4; Jude 6; Rev 12.9.
Angels in Heaven. Mk 12.25. Lu 12.8. 15.10. He 12.22. Rev 7.11. 8.2.
Angels of the Churches. Rev 1.20. 2.1, 8, 12, 18; 3.1. 7. 14.
Angelus: Morning, day and evening prayer in the R.C Church. Bell ringing used as a time signal for said prayers.
Anglican: A member of the Church of England. A follower of Anglican teachings and doctrine.
Anglicanism: Adherence to the Church’s teachings as the true Catholic Church. The ‘higher’ Church has introduced and accepted most of the R.C.’s practices and rejects the term ‘protestant’. Few, including R.C.’s accept the infallibility of the Pope.
Annimism: In early man, if it moved it was alive, i.e.; the sea, the wind, the clouds, in fact animate and inanimate objects were thought alive. For example, if there was a thunder storm then the god of the sky was angry. The same applies to the volcano and the earthquake. Ancient tribes of the world believed that natural objects were the home of the spirits of the dead. This is a truer definition Annimism. In fact today we see allusions to this idea in how we associate human characteristics in inanimate objects such as vehicles, ornaments and other similar items. We give them 'personalities'.
Annunciation: When Gabriel came unto Mary and told her of the immaculate conception of Jesus Christ. Few, if any Spiritualists believe in the virging birth. Further to this, that premise being so, then the conclusion drawn is that the only perfect woman is a mother and a virgin ~ something which no woman can aspire to, thereby declaring all women somehow as second class citizens.
Antediluvian: Of the times before the biblical flood.
Anthropology: Study of the origins of humanity, its institutions and belief systems.
Anthropomorphism: There is a plethora of study concerning this subject but simply put it is the attribution of human-like qualities to objects, animals or gods.
Anthroposophy: A breakaway from the Madame Blavatsky’s Theosophy movement lead initially by Mystic Rudolph Steiner (1861-1925). Uses colour therapy art and music to help in the training of mentally handicapped children. A chequered history starting with Steiners disagreement with Blavatsky over the divinity of the boy Krishna. Steiner followed Goethe’s philosophy that art in whatever form is the key to spiritual development. Goetheanum was a ‘temple’ constructed to the arts and sciences. This was to be the society’s headquarters. The Goetheanum was an innovative piece of architecture that burnt down in 1922. It was revolutionary in style as befitted its symbolism and was later replaced with a work that was even more dramatic and striking and still stands to this day. There are many well-established schools all over the world and also clinics to promulgate the therapeutic and educational theories of the movement. Despite the fact that these schools have acquired a reputation for success in the training of mentally handicapped children, anthroposophy seems to have made little impact on the educational ideas of the 20th century. Bywords for anthroposophy could be ‘patience’ and ‘tolerance’. Despite its apparent eccentricities it has made its mark of art and architecture. Kandinsky was particularly influenced by Steiner’s ideas.
Goetheanum:
Anticlericalism Historical: Essentially it is the resentment of Priests’ powers over all areas of life, i.e.; education, scriptural interpretation, the laity, etc. Wycliffe in the 14th century declared the right of all men to have access to the scriptures! This was condemned by the Church of Rome only to be accepted during the Reformation. In Tudor times there were motives on the part of greed for the opulent wealth of the Church but also a genuine dislike of its Spiritual Courts whose task it was to decide on points of doctrine. This was a time established in peoples’ hearts and minds to decide these matters for themselves.
Apocolypse: Quite a big subject. Most people think of this as the end of the world and mass destruction but many bible scholars and ‘Revelationists’ regard it as a rebirth. A bringing in of the new order. Last Book of the New Testament, the Book of Revelations. The Apocolypse is the only book in the Bible that contains a special promise to obedient readers and a cures on those who tamper with its contents! (Chp 22, 18-19). Also see ‘Revelations’. This is just one of its peculiarities.
Apocypha: 14 books of the Old Testament not accepted as part of the Hebrew Scriptures.
Apogee: Astrology. Point at which the Moon’s orbit is furthest from Earth. Opposite = Perigee.
Apostle: Jesus chose twelve apostles to discipline and whose mission it was to go out and preach the gospel. Each apostle had a particular spiritual gift or gifts. They were natural mediums, healers and teachers. See ‘Corinthians’. They were notable for t heir diverse backgrounds such as taxman, fisherman, etc.
Apparition: Ghost like spectre or an appearance of. Apparitions per se fall into a number of categories;
Collective ~ Hallucination of person or persons dead or living, involving more than one observer of the phenomena. Collective apparitions by virtue of being collective obviously carry more weight than do individual apparitions, simply on the grounds of more than one view point. Some schools of thought say that these are telepathically transmitted between the observers but this is questionable to explain all cases when collectively people have observed different aspects of the same apparition, i.e.; people who have witnessed appearances by figures, say, in a room, the observers have witnessed, according to their position in the room, the left hand side whilst the other person has observed the right hand side. This gives substance to the theory that apparitions actually occupy the spaces they appear to.Crisis Apparitions ~ Usually occurring when a loved one has just passed over and appears suddenly and without warning to those left behind thereby notifying them of their passing.
Apport: An object transported through matter by use of psychic power. Evidential, tangable artefact materialised in the séance room. These can actually appear at any time and place and literally to anyone. They are forms of communication. Some apports are ancient and are dated as such. Classed under physical phenomena.Arcane: That which is kept hidden and secret. Similar to occult.
Archangel: First reference in Bible 1 Thess. 4.16. Jude 9. Superior Chief Angel.
A.R.E.: Association of Research and Enlightenment. [Edgar Cayce]. One of the most successful groups in actively establishing themselves at Giza. Actually based in Norfolk, Virginia, USA, this society is also known throughout the world as the Edgar Cayce Foundation [ECF]. Since 1973, they have put into practice a bizarre and daring plan to find the fabled Hall of Records at Giza. It was their founder, so-called 'sleeping' prophet, Edgar Cayce (1877-1945), who had predicted in 1932 that this Hall of Records would be rediscovered by the year 2000. The ARE, either directly of indirectly fronted by another group, have managed to secure several exploration licences to probe the Giza plateau with radar and other sonar equipment. Indeed, as predicted, in 1998 two rectilinear chambers were discovered at the hind of the Sphinx and between the paws of the Sphinx, buried deep in the ground. Should both or either of these chambers prove to be the lost cache, then they believe this discovery, as outlined by Cayce's prediction, heralds the second coming of The Christ. Further reading and research essential.../
Ark: Old Testament. Noah’s boat built to survive the flood. Dimensions 525ft length, 87ft width and 52ft high. These measurements are dependant upon the ancient value in length of the cubit. It came to rest in the mountains of Arrarat where satellite photography has clearly revealed an immense fossilised structure in the form of an ark. Farmers and locals have always regarded the site as holy and sacred. A number of research teams have lead expeditions to the area and carried out seismic and sonar tests to reveal that it is indeed a ribbed boat structure of immense size and age. However, it is situated in a civil war zone, making furter surveys questionable.
Ark of the Covenant: In Judaism the Ark is a chest containing the written law of the Jews.
Armageddon: The last great battle between the forces of good and evil in the end times of the world. Often mixed up with the apocolypse. Recorded through the astral visions of John in the Book of Revelations.
Ashram: Hinduism. Religious retreat or home of a Hindu Holy Man.
Asteroid: Small ‘O’ atmosphere planets/collision debris floating in space. The Asteroid Belt is situated in our Solar System between Mars and Jupiter. Velikovsky sighted it as the evidence for the missing fifth planet theory. See 'Velikovsky'.
Astral: This can mean 'of the stars or spirit world alike'. In the spirit world it is the Astral plane. Considered a lower plane where one travels to for some specific spiritual purpose. The spirit leaves the physical body attached only by the Silver Cord (See under S). That which is of the Astral Planes.
Astral Plane: The Spirit World. A spirit plane of existence after and before the physical world. Reached by Death of the body, Transcendental Meditation TM, Out of Body Experience OBE, and dream state.
Astral Travel: To travel and transverse the Astral Plane. Usually during the sleep state, the spirit will come and take you to the Astral Plane always for some specific purpose and only with your conscious or subconscious consent. As with all things Astral, it is that which IS outside of space and time as we know it.
Astro-Archaeology: A new science which is rapidly gaining many respected converts from the world of science. Essentially concerned with the celestial interests of the ancients. For example, Stonehenge, the Great Pyramid, etc. How these structures are temples of science, mathematics and orbital mechanics.
Astrology: Massive subject. The study of how the moon, stars, planets and galaxies have an invisible
affect on human beings, their affairs and their destiny. In ancient times it was the closest thing to a science of the stars.Natural Astrology – dealt with calculations, mechanics and movements of the heavenly bodies.
Judicial Astrology – dealt with human life and fate.It is interesting to note that the former grew into Astronomy and the latter grew into Astrology. They are now as far apart from one another as alchemy is from chemistry. Mostly beginning with the Babylonians, it is thought to have started by observing their almost perfectly clear skies, hardly ever obscured by cloud.
Divine energy is manifested in the movements of the stars and the Sun, this they readily accepted. The relative positions of stars to one another became important as regards portents and omens. If a particular event took place whilst the stars were in a particular zone of the sky and a significant event took place like a flood, earthquake or storm, then the following year when the same configuration appeared, the event was likely to happen again. Up until medieval times, the planets were associated with certain parts of the body. Not only was the planet or star considered important but also the ‘House’ it occupied. It was also possible to calculate the destiny of the individual concerned by working out what other bodies were in the ascendant. Astrologers throughout many cultures such as the Chinese, the Romans and the Egyptians, were highly respected at times.
Also, even today, many highly respected figures take its study, its basis and its findings seriously. Carl Jung’s study of astrology has often been sighted as an example of the ‘best’ being converted upon deeper reading. Perhaps it is fair to say that it only strengthened his theories of ‘Synchronicity’. To many it is a great source of entertainment. It is also only natural that we would be curious about our own future. Perhaps this explains its never ending appeal? Finally, if God created the universe and we are all made form the same ‘stuff’, then surely there must be something that binds us together; some kind of relationship between all matter contained within, i.e; if I can see the light from billions of miles away then that in itself produces an affect on us!
Atheism: (See Agnosticism). The belief that there is no God.Atom: Fundamental particle of matter with a nucleus of protons and neutrons and an orbiting electron. Groups of combination of atoms form molecules, some simple, some complex. It is the space between atoms that Spiritualists and paranormal investigators sight as being where the various phenomena take place.
Atlantis: Mythical continent generally thought to be situated somewhere in the Atlantic Ocean. The best and most recent works on the Atlantean mystery are from the likes of British author, Graham Hancock ~ 'Fingerprints Of The Gods', and other titles. An advanced civilisation with superior powers in areas such as science, technology and human understanding. A number of reasons are given as to why they disappeared, namely;
Self-destruction
Natural catastrophe
Addiction to the Black Arts
The legend has remarkable staying power. Atlantis existed between 10,000 and 20,000 years ago. Little evidence exists to give the Atlantean legend any real substance, but Graham Hancock, Bauval, Anthony John West, Schoch (Geologist who proved the Sphinx is aged somewhere around 20,000 years old) and so forth, now challenge that same alleged poverty of knowledge in a series of extraordinary, articulate and scientific works which look at various site maps around the ancient world as all having that same origins and are detailed star-maps in themselves, i.e.; that the Giza site perfectly matches how Orion would have looked in 12,500BC. The temple at Angkor Wat in Cambodia is a perfect map of the constellation Draco in 12,500BC. The same can be said for the Mexican and South American pyramids.Plato, author of Timaeus and Critias, is the only real detailed account of Atlantis. Others have suggested that the biblical flood of antiquity is the fragmented account of the Golden Land. In his book, “The Story of Atlantic”, W.Scott Elliot has been able to contact the spirits of dead Atlanteans through his clairvoyance and they have confirmed their demise through Black Art addiction.
By any measure, this is a huge subject with UFO, angelic and numerous other connotations to it. Further reading is essential. Who knows where to begin? Perhaps with the earliest accounts?
Attunement: It is the linking in with the aura of an individual by attuning your own vibration or level of consciousness with that of a ‘sitter’. A ‘Sympathetic Vibration’ of thought.
Augur: Omen or portent. Foretelling ~ fortune telling. Future events.
Auras: Click Me!
Aureole/Aureola: ‘Gloriosity’ or Halo. This figures in much Biblical artwork relating to Christ, the Saints, etc. Often said to be depicted because many of the old masters were close to spirit anyway.
Automatic Writing: Takes various forms. Not to be confused with 'Inspirational Writing'. Defined as ‘The
production of writing by a Medium without his/her conscious volition’. A fascinating way in which the Spirit World impart their teachings. Also a valued way to relay messages from the other side from friends, relatives, guides and helpers. Automatic writing is where the medium’s conscious mind plays little part in the movement of the arm. In other words, the medium’s arm moves independently of the medium’s will. The more the medium’s own thoughts are sublimated, the purer the writing will be!Sometimes the question is asked, ‘How do you eliminate the affect of the conscious mind’? The answer for mediums is to develop Trance, thereby reducing their conscious mind’s effect. This is why proper development of the medium is essential. The Spirit gets in touch with the creative faculty if the subconscious mind and the spirit messages are made manifest through any of the five senses, in this case through the physiology of the hand.
Inspirational Writing is often mistaken for Automatic Writing because the hand of the writer can at times move so fast. It should never be discounted or overlooked. You cannot say that one is better than the other. They are just different manifestations. (see Automatism).
Automatism: Part of the perplexing phenomena of Automatic Writing, Art, Speaking, etc. Defined as the production of material written, illustrated or spoken, apparently not under the conscious or volitional control of the individual. It has occurred throughout the ages producing some of the worlds greatest works, i.e.; the Bible, or much William Blake’s poetry, Coleridge’s “Kubla Khan”. However, there is a lot of questionable material produced … though none worthy of mention.
We must look here at the wider implications of this phenomena as the non-Spiritualist world views it. What no one can argue with is its ability to reveal the fund and wealth of the of subconscious mind. Some people with little or no training at all have managed to produce works of art and philosophy and music from some of The Greats! On the downside, critics have heaped scorn and ridicule on these works and variously called them pastiches and barely comparable to the originals’ works. One Psychologist actually trained himself to accept Automatic Writing and became aware of an unusual “Secondary Personality”. He managed to produce reams of rhyming verse but apparently was professional enough not to be disappointed at its abysmal quality.
Avatar: Hinduism. This is where a god takes on an animal or human form.
Awareness Classes: These are held in Spiritualist Churches and are designed to encourage the development of the individual. They are meant to be great fun but have a deeper underlying significance for the student. Variety is the spice of the Awareness class or group. It is the nurturing of psychic and spiritual awareness in the individual. The chosen teachers of awareness must be sympathetic to the needs of all participants, giving love and encouragement all the way and steering those not suitable for one thing into another area where they are best suited. Ideally, should always be run by an experienced medium. The same as Workshop.
Aztec: Native Mexicans before being conquered by the Spanish. Great civilisation whose loss is greatly felt even to this day. Great architects, alchemists, astronomers and philosophers.
