Sanskrit for “illusion.” In spiritual traditions it is sometimes mistakenly used to mean that the physical world is an illusion. Traditionally, however, it simply means that since everything we know about the world comes through our senses, we can misinterpret reality. Therefore, it is only our interpretation of the world that is an illusion. For example, both ancient mysticism and modern science acknowledge that everything is made of vibration. However, we see the physical world as solid and not vibration. Because we can become enveloped and entangled in the illusion of reality, we can be led away from the true, inner reality of the universe. Sometimes, this process is described as the goddess Maya who casts her spell of illusion upon us.