Dictionary of Terms
Aromatherapy--the use of essential oils, herbs, flowers and fruits to heal the body, mind and spirit, and to promote well-being.
Astral Travel--the art of sending forth the consciousness at will to a more refined level of existence that lies beyond this level of physical existence: experiencing the astral plane, a realm often perceived as being parallel to, and interwoven with, our physical world: also known as lucid dreaming, soul travel and mental projection.
Astrology--astrology embraces the idea that there is a causal connection between the heavens and earth: it is the study of how the movements of the planets and stars reflect events in our daily lives.
Auras--the distinctive atmosphere surrounding a given source: an energy field that is held to emanate from a living being: the colors of the aura and their intensity reflect emotions, health and state of mind: a healthy aura radiates the colors of the rainbow: thin, weak, or broken auras signify illness, stress and other ailments.
Chakras--spinning vortexes of energy located in the body from the base of the spine to the crown of the head: the "master programs" that govern our life, loves, learning and illumination: from the "root," controlling hunger and reproduction, to the "crown," influencing our spiritual selves, each chakra governs a specific area of body-mind-spirit; by using the chakra system, you can gain energy, improve health and reclaim wholeness.
Divination--the art or practice of foretelling future events or discovering hidden knowledge, usually by the interpretation of omens or visions, by formal methods like card or coin readings, or by the aid of supernatural powers.
Dowsing--divining for something that is desired: the technique of using a rod or tool to find gold, oil, or more commonly, water: modern dowsers use this ancient practice to diagnose ailments, locate valuable items, and improve their lives in different ways.
Dreams-- on average, two out of eight hours are spent dreaming, during the third of our life we spend sleeping: the world of dreams is the world of the subconscious, a place of symbolism, archetypes, fantasy and hidden memories.
Druid--a member of a pre-Christian priesthood.
Enochian--a school of magick with the purpose of spiritualization of the consciousness: a system of angel magick conveyed to John Dee through medium Edward Kelley in the 16th century.
Esoteric--inner teachings: of or relating to knowledge that is restricted to a small group: designed for or understood by the specially initiated.
Feng Shui--means "wind and water," or living in harmony with the environment: a 5,000 year old Chinese practice in which a structure or site is chosen or configured so as to harmonize with the spiritual forces that inhabit it.
Geomancy-- a traditional Western method of divination based on intuitive contact with the subtle energies of the Earth: from the Greek words "Earth prophecy," the system is based on binary mathematics and patterns of cause and effect.
Graphology--the study of handwriting, especially for the purpose of character or personality analysis.
Gypsy--originating in India, these tribes of nomadic peoples were presumably forced out of their homeland and traveled westward to south and southwest Asia, Europe and North America: their skin color and colorful dress prompted fifteenth century observers to imagine them descendants of ancient Egyptians, later shortened to gypsies.
Herbalism--the use of plants to promote good health and well-being and to utilize the energy of the earth to produce, direct, and change the energies of man: the study and knowledge of the medicinal powers of nature, once the domain of shamans and witches.
Holistic--relating to or concerned with wholes or with complete systems rather than with the analysis of , treatment of, or dissection into parts: mind, body and environment of a single system.
Kabbalah (Qabalah, Cabala)--based on the Jewish scripture, the Zohar, a system of mysticism and magick marked by belief in creation through emanation: the basis of gematria, a numerical method of interpreting words.
Karma—the force generated by a person’s actions: held in Hinduism and Buddhism to perpetuate transmigration and in its ethical consequences to determine the nature of the person’s next existence, an idea also shared by Wiccans.
Kundalini—the yogic life force that is held to lie coiled at the base of the spine until it is aroused and sent to the head to trigger enlightenment.
Magick, Magic—the art of invoking change in accordance with one’s will: the recognition that all things are connected, and the use of this web of universal energies to create change and manifest desires: folk magick is based on the everyday practices of various ethnic groups and tends to be nature oriented: ritual magic involves the performance of a structured magical act for a desired effect: ceremonial magic links the practitioner, through interaction with angelic and elemental beings, to the power and knowledge of Universal Forces.
Metaphysical—relating to the transcendent, or to a reality beyond what is perceptible to the senses.
Mythology—a popular belief or assumption that has grown up around someone or something, oftentimes dealing with gods, demigods, or legendary heroes of a particular people.
Nastradamus—French physician and astrologer who produced rhymed predictions of the future.
Occult—matters regarded as involving the action or influence of supernatural or supernormal powers, or some secret knowledge of them.
Odin—the supreme god and creator in Norse mythology and the name of Victoria’s favorite black cat (Freya being her other favorite cat and familiar).
Ogham—the alphabetical system of fifth and sixth century Irish which is known principally from inscriptions cut on the edges of rough standing tombstones.
Oracle—a symbolic system to help one attune to their inner power: a person through whom a deity is believed to speak.
Pagan—originally derived from the word “pagani,” meaning a dweller of the land, the term has come to mean a follower of one of the nature religions practiced in past times: one who honors both god and goddess energy in nature: to be responsive to the forces of nature, and utilize this knowledge to live in harmony with these forces.
Palmistry—the art or practice of reading a person’s character or future from the lines on the palms of the hand: the belief that the hands contain the map of our unconscious knowledge, or intuitions, resulting from the brain monitoring our environment.
Parapsychology—the branch of psychology that investigates psychic phenomenon such as telepathy, clairvoyance, or extrasensory perception: it is said that everyone has some innate psychic ability, and this: sixth sense” can be developed with practice: may include such subjects as channeling, automatic writing, telekinesis, clairaudience, prophecy, hypnosis, hauntings, reincarnation, and time travel.
Psychic—related to telepathy or clairvoyance: lying outside the sphere of physical science or knowledge: immaterial, moral, or spiritual in origin or force.
Reiki—a system of “hands-on” healing developed in Japan during the 1800’s with its roots in Buddhism, reiki translates to “universal life force energy.”
Runes—the characters of any of several alphabets used by Nordic and Germanic peoples from about the third to the thirteenth century: runes were used primarily as a form of divination, and secondly as a form of writing: a magical system of pictographs, runes represent forces and objects in nature: by calling on a particular rune, one can make contact with the force it represents.
Scrying—gazing into an object such as a crystal ball, mirror, or other shiny surface in order to open the subconscious mind to images that will help solve a problem or foretell the future.
Shamanism—a religion originally practiced by indigenous people of far northern Europe and Siberia that is characterized by belief in an unseen world of gods, demons, and ancestral spirits responsive only to the shamans.
Tantra—one of the later Hindu or Buddhist scriptures dealing especially with techniques and rituals including meditative and sexual practices.
Toa—the Eastern concept of the unconditional and unknowable source and guiding principle of all reality: the process of nature by which all things change and which is to be followed for a life of harmony.
Tarot—believed by most scholars to have originated in ancient Egypt and brought to Europe in the fourteenth century by Gypsies, the modern Tarot is a tool for divination and awakening our intuitive faculties: the Major Arcana, consisting of twenty-two cards, depicts the fool’s journey towards enlightenment: the fifty-six cards of the Minor Arcana depict events and relationships in everyday life.
Tattwas—ancient Hindu symbols of the five elements: air, earth, fire, water, and ether.
Tetragrammaton—the four Hebrew letters usually transliterated YHWH or JHVH that form a biblical proper name of God.
Wicca—a contemporary religion whose practitioners are men and women of every professional, cultural, and religious background: Wiccans revere the Goddess and God as creators of the universe and generally accept a belief in reincarnation: Wiccans celebrate seasonal cycles and practice various forms of magic: Wicca is descended from European Witchcraft, whose magical practices have been traced back to Paleolithic times: then, animism was used to explain natural forces, and sympathetic magic was performed by hunters and shamans: modern Wiccans fight negative stereotypes and misconceptions regarding their faith: Wicca has become one of the fastest growing non-proselytizing religions in the world.
Yoga—meaning “union,” a philosophy teaching the suppression of all activity of body, mind, and will in order that the self may realize its distinction from them and attain liberation: a system of exercises to attain this state.
