2.  Margaret Ann Lembo(Boynton Beach, FL) is a spiritual practitioner and owner of The Crystal Garden, a spiritual center and gift shop. For more than twenty years, she has led workshops and classes around the country. Her audio CDs (guided meditations and more) are distributed nationally. She is also the president of the Coalition of Visionary Resources (COVR). Visit her online at www.margaretannlembo.com.

3.  In Wicca, a derogatory term for a person who joins a coven to discover their secrets for his or her own use, or to cause discord and strife within that coven or tradition.  On internet forums, including those frequented by Pagans, a term describing a person who makes posts designed to stir up angry responses from or disagreements between those who regularly post to the form.

4.  Kristoffer Hughes (Wales) is Chief of the Anglesey Druid Order, a Mount Haemus Scholar, and a member of the Order of Bards Ovates and Druids. He is a teacher, writer, workshop leader, and guest speaker at Paganconferences, camps, and festivals throughout the United Kingdom and Europe. Hughes is also a frequent contributor and consultant to Welsh and English television companies and France 5 network.

Hughes is the author of From the Cauldron Born.

5.  Jody Baron (Plainfield, VT) has written over a dozen books as a ghostwriter of spiritual and New Age material. She is the founding moderator of The Abe Forum, an online discussion of the teachings of the Abraham-Hicks organization.

6.  Large scale. Pertaining to the universe.

"Consciousness activation in the three lowest natural kingdoms is an unconscious and automatic process which gradually becomes a conscious one in the human kingdom. In higher kingdoms it is the result of self-initiated consciousness activity."

Laurency, H.T. The Knowledge of Reality, 1979, The Henry T. Laurency Publishing Foundation

Hebrew translated as "[My] Lord of the Earth." In the Kabalah, this is the god name associated with the tenth sephirah, Malkuth, and is associated with elemental Earth.

Transliteration of the Hebrew word for "love." Sometimes transliterated as ahavah. Via Gematria, a form of Kabalistic numerology, it equals 13, also the numeration of the Hebrew letters in the word for "one." As the Kabalah holds there is only one deity, the number one represents God, and since the numeration of the letters in the word equal the numeration of those in "ahevah," this is taken to prove that God is love.

A Kabalistic method of Biblical interpretation and system for making codes. See Temurah.

(175?—242) A Greek philosopher from Alexandria, Egypt; little is known about him. However, he founded the school of Neoplatonism in Alexandria and is thus considered one of the founders of that system. There are no records of his writing, and we know of his teachings through his students, especially Plotinus.

Title given to those who followed the teachings of Ammonius Saccas. They received this name because they used analogies and correspondences when they interpreted myths and symbols, much as many occultists do today.

The “Soul of the World.” There has been a dual usage for this phrase:

1) As the World Mind or Global Consciousness, divided into spiritus mundi or world vital force and corpus mundi or the world physical body;

2) The divine essence that permeates everything, also known as Astral Light, Prana, Animal Magnetism, Spirit.

Individual animal awareness is primarily physical and emotional, but sharing in the mental substance of the species Group Soul. It is generally believed that accumulated mental activity leads individual animals to transmigrate into the human kingdom—but only those animals such as Cats, Dogs, Elephants and Monkeys that have been in close and constant association with human “owners.”

The rejection of socially established morality or religious laws. 

An enormous disaster. The name comes from the last book of the Christian Bible and is from the Greek where it actually means “revelation.” That book has the revelations of St. John resulting from visions. Those visions describe the violent end of the age. Highly symbolic, numerous interpreters give different versions of the meanings of the book.

Greek word that means “to become divine” or “to ascend to a divine level.” Originally described the way a king was made divine in some ancient religions. In France and England this may have led to the belief in the Royal Touch (which see).

Early Christians changed the meaning of the word to mean that a person or group could partake of the divine nature and not that they could become divine.

The (usually) physical form of an archetype for a particular culture, mythology, religion, or individual. For example, the archetypal image of the universal mother deity can take the form of the Christian Mary.

A square stone block. In Freemasonry it represents the Mason and his spiritual advancement. There are two kinds, the rough ashlar and the smooth ashlar. It is also symbolic of the alchemical Philosopher's Stone, a representation of inner transformation as a result of spiritual work.

Remember that your Personal Human Consciousness is modeled on the Body of God. The Powers of the Universe are yours to learn and earn. You do have the Power, but you have to learn it, understand it, believe it, use it, and—above all—have faith in its reality. 

The aspiration of the student (we are all students) towards growth and the attainment of Initiation should be a burning flame like a lover’s desire for his beloved.

Through astral projection and increased awareness, we accelerate our growth and gain understanding of the nature of our existence.

Like astral sex, astral love and romance are emotional and emotion is the substance of the astral plane.

The astral body—in contrast to a constructed thought form—is a non-physical replica of the physical body and can be used as an organizing matrix perceived to be ideally healthy. Upon re-engagement with the physical body, health images can be transferred for healing and rejuvenation.

Anything on the physical plane is replicated on the astral plane in non-solid astral substance that responds to feeing and thought. 

Every physical action has an astral reaction, and nearly everything sexual is accompanied by emotion, the very substance of the astral plane. Love and Romance are likewise emotional, and these three are mostly associated together and function through the exchange of magnetic and electrical energies that engender excitement, pleasure, and built the magical potentials fundament to Sex Magick.

1.  Instead of physical substance the astral world has its own unique substance that some writers refer to as “emotional” because it is the foundation for our emotional consciousness just as the physical substance is the foundation for our physical consciousness, and the mental world substance is the foundation of our mental consciousness.  

A range of energy/matter substance of lessening density as the range of vibrations increases.

2.  A generic term used to describe the malleable or "plastic" substance that comprises the astral plane.

A nine-step Out-of-Body induction and telepathic sending system.

In Astral Walk, a stage in which the astral body disengages the biological body. See: Astral Walk.

Suggested Reading – Slate, J.H. & Weschcke, C.L.: Astral Projection for Psychic Empowerment, 2012, Llewellyn

A person who believes there are no Gods. Although among some self-described "skeptics" atheism includes the lack of belief in anything not fitting into 19^th-century materialistic philosophy, there are some people today who would note that this simply does not allow for the belief in ultimate deities. It can allow for the belief in other non-material things including spirits, ghosts, survival of the personality after death, and magick.

See Astral Telepathy System.

Focused awareness. Concentration. To "pay attention" is a conscious choice to limit perception and the work of consciousness to something specific.

2.  Greek term meaning The Higher Ego or Individuality of Man; the “Father in Heaven.”

5.  The human aura is the body’s external energy field which is a manifestation of the internal energy system’s central core.

An Eastern concept that we should our attention in our lives on the present, not dwelling on the past or the future. In this way we will supposedly achieve the most happiness.

A phrase coined by Carl Llewellyn Weschcke to express that concept of self-directed evolution. You, we all, are a "work-in-progress" towards fulfilling the potential of the Whole Person already existent as a "matrix" of consciousness into which we are evolving. To "Become more than You are" is the goal of everyone who accepts the opportunity and responsibility of accelerated development and Self-Empowerment.

From the reincarnation perspective, the continuum for individual existence is endless, with neither beginning nor end. 

Disrespectful or disparaging of religious beliefs, irreverent, sacrilegious. 

Something that shows disrespect or is disparaging of a religion.

The use of restraints, real or imagined, for power exchange during erotic play. 

2.  God, the supreme Godhead or universal soul. Despite the fact that Hinduism is described as a polytheistic religion, there are certain monotheistic aspects underlying the concept of Brahman. Interestingly enough the literal meaning of the word is growth or expansion. 

The definition varies somewhat in different branches of Buddhism, but it can be understood as suggesting that the potential for Buddhahood is intrinsic in all beings and that it can be awakened through practice. 

A preparatory OBE exercise helpful in developing concentration skills required to induce and guide the experience.

Like the other five planes of the three lower levels, there is “substance” as well as “laws” relating to its specific nature. The Causal shares the third level with the Mental Plane—which likewise has its unique substance, but the two share the characteristic of five dimensions (in contrast to the familiar three of the Physical and Etheric Planes of the first and lowest  level).

2.  Part of the soul located in Chokmah. It is Divine Will, the source of action.

3.  That part of the soul in the Qabalah attributed to Chokmah manifesting as wisdom. The Divine Will. The Theosophical Buddhic Body.

Name for a circle with a single dot in the center. In astrology it is used to represent the Sun. Anciently, it was a symbol of the Egyptian solar deity Ra. In Neoplatonism it represented the soul in the spiritual world.

1.  The spirit who acts as a kind of manager through which other spirits communicate to the medium during a séance.

2.  In science (and in the scientific investigation of the paranormal—parapsychology), experimental proceedures instituted to prevent extraneous factors from influencing the results of an experiment.

The comprehensive records of the cosmos, which include our personal archives.

A phrase coined by Richard Bucke to describe his own experience of unity with the universal consciousness of the cosmos. Bucke believed this to be the goal of human evolution.

Each individual’s unique spiritual or cosmic makeup, which remains unchanged from lifetime to lifetime. Also known as a Spiritual Genotype.

Suggested Reading:

• Beyond Reincarnation, by Joe H. Slate, Ph.D.

The soul’s unique spiritual identity that exists in perpetuity.

Suggested Reading:

• Beyond Reincarnation

Raised awareness of the cosmic scheme of our existence, accompanied by increased knowledge of our higher self. See Cosmic Actualization.

The universal language of the spirit realm.

The energizing foundation of all reality, both tangible and intangible.

A way of explaining the universe and its processes. The word can be used in both scientific and religious contexts. 

Modeled after the World Wide Web (WWW) of the Internet, the CWW recognizes existence of the Akashic Records imagined as “infinite-sized and capable data banks and servers, accurately accessed through a speed-of-light fast astral search engine using an imaginary keyboard and large monitor to call up and see those records we desire.

Also known as Crystallomancy, a technique typically using a crystal ball to engage and liberate the mind's psychic powers while promoting a state of general self-empowerment. Crystal gazing opens the channels of the mind and permits the free expression of multiple inner faculties.

A meditational technique generating an empowered mental state conducive not only to increased psychic awareness but personal insight as well.

A program to stimulate psychic faculties and awareness expansion using a crystal ball.

The collective name for ancient Roman local or personal deities of profit. They were worshiped and evoked to ensure successful business ventures. The deity Mercury eventually took over their functions.

The supposed taking over of the personality by an evil, non-physical entity.

Alternate name of the Astral (aka Emotional) Body.

“Men are not all mystics, though all must one day attain to the mystical union, each following his own road to bliss of which there are said to be seven. Upon one of them, especially, and possibly upon others, direct knowledge of the forces and intelligences of Nature and acquirement of the faculty of cooperating with them in which is sometimes called the Great Work which can be of much value.” 

Raised awareness and understanding of past-life influences on our present growth and enlightenment.

1.  Being given the right to do something, such as lead a magickal group. Sometimes a dispensation is given without having to go through usual trainings and/or initiations.

Name of the vehicle for functioning consciously at the 6^th level or plane up from the physical. Alternate names include Submanifestal, Monadic, and Anupadaka.

Name for the sixth plane or level up from the Physical. Alternate names include Submanifestal and Monadic.

Alternate name for the Astral (or Emotional) Body, but also the specific term for astral body that has separated from the physical body during sleep. Becoming conscious while in the Dream Body facilitates one particular form of Astral Projection known as “Lucid Dreaming.”

See Dream Journal.

A belief in two deities. They may be complementary, such as in the God and Goddess of Wicca, or in opposition such as a deity of creation and one of destruction. 

Spiritual beliefs and practices that center on the planet Earth. Some followers view the Earth as divine (see Gaia Hypothesis). The Earth may be related to as a goddess such as "Mother Earth." Others may view the Earth as being a source of spirituality and due respect and honor, often manifesting in the form of ecological awareness.

1.  An altered state of consciousness that is unclearly defined but typified by sensations described as rapture, loss of self-control, trance, etc.

2.  Bliss, an intense emotional state in which the individual is transported beyond the bounds of everyday consciousness. 

1.  A Latin term meaning "I."

1. In Theosophical teachings it is the part of us that is aware of the self. 
2. In Tantric traditions the ego is a false sense of who we are.

2.  That function of the Personal Consciousness that confronts the outer world.

The interpretation of a text in a way that seeks to prove or support presuppositions, opinions, biases, notions, beliefs, etc. about the text, rather than objectively and critically examining the meaning of the text. An exegesis attempts to discover the meaning of a text as written by the author or authors. An eisegesis filters the text through the beliefs of the interpreter.

Vital Energy, Prana, Chi. A term originally created by philosopher Henri Bergson (1859-1941) in his book, Creative Evolution (1907). Bergson's sister, Mina (AKA Moina), was married to one of the original heads of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn and eventually became the head of the order.

An alternate name for the Astral Plane or World, because the nature and substance of the astral (emotional) plane or world may be best defined as emotional, i.e. “matter in motion,” and it responds to human feelings and emotions.

Also called the aura, the energetic field that surrounds the physical body; some believe it can be seen by the psychically gifted. 

A substance such as a drug (or less often, a technique) used to create altered states of consciousness that allow us to experience the divine directly.

The vehicle for consciousness at the fourth level up from the physical. Here the self-identity of the individual as Monad or Soul is permanent and at the same time can experience others’ consciousness as his own and can also experience oneness with Universal Consciousness. The Essential Self no longer needs to incarnate in the physical world

The World at the fourth level up from the physical, and is characterized by six dimensions of Matter and Motion. It is the lowest for the four higher planes of our Solar System.

In the incarnation process, the “information” needed for the whole physical body and associated subtle bodies is brought down from the Causal level, through the Mental and Astral levels to form an actual “template” at the Etheric level to guide the formation of the embryo and its birth in relation to the pre-determined birth horoscope. It is this Template that provides the blueprint for the physical life.

The process by which living things develop, change, and diversify.

The interpretation of a text. Although this can mean a critical examination of any text (where "critical" means an in-depth analysis rather than a denunciation), it is especially associated with a study of a spiritual text such as the Bible. 

A belief in a thing or idea, often without proof that what you believe in is valid or true, or in spite of evidence that it is not valid or true.

An expression describing Carl Llewellyn Weschcke due to his "behind the scenes" impact on bringing the "New Age" into manifestation.

An instinctive response conveying some "truth" about a person or situation. It is a kind of filter through which we experience reality. Also see "Operating System."

Of limited duration. This term especially relates to the idea of having a fixed ending. Opposite of infinite.

3.  Together, the effluvia of the Lion and the Eagle, is the "First Matter," the original Creation. This First Matter is to be transmuted by the magickal imagination, by aspiration and inspiration and by the "Fire" which is the ecstasy. Ecstasy is, as it were, the magickal fire for transforming all into inspiration and aspiration.

The belief, fostered by Carl Llewellyn Weschcke among others, that humanity in the twentieth century struggled to create the first global civilization based on a commonality of Hollywood centered entertainment, international political organizations growing out of World War II and the Cold War, the European Union, a world economy, a common currency, universal education, universal human law, and free trade. 

Global empowerment must begin somewhere. Becoming personally empowered can be seen as the first step toward empowering the globe and making the world a better place for present and future generations. The starting point is personal empowerment and grows person-by-person as psychic development leads from personal growth and development to the continued evolution of humanity as a whole in partnership with planetary consciousness.

A name for the halo or other indication of spirituality surrounding a person (or just their head) in spiritual and religious art.

The Greek word for "Knowledge," it came to mean a special knowledge of spiritual mysteries. People seeking this spiritual knowledge directly from the Divine were known as Gnostics. In Chaos Magick the Gnostic Trance is an intense state where you are deeply focused on your magickal goal.

We are told that we are made in God’s image: "So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them." (Genesis 1:26-27) Therefore we are to understand that the pattern of our Personal Consciousness was structured by Mother/Father/Creator/Source at the beginning of Existence itself.

The pool of life force. In Voodoo it is believed that when you die your life force returns to this pool, waiting to incarnate again. 

The “Higher” always controls the “Lower.” What is magically created on the higher planes—Causal, Mental, and Astral—will precipitate action on the next lower plane, and if so “instructed” through ritual and intention will manifest as physical reality.

The highest level of Causal Consciousness functioning as the permanent “soul” that continues from incarnation to incarnation. It is designated as 47:1 in the Cosmic Involution Scale.

The highest level of the Causal Plane, designated as 47:1 in the Cosmic Involution Scale.

The collective consciousness of a community, herd, nation, ethnic group, or nation, reflecting and then reinforcing distinctive behavior, thoughts, and culture.

The lowest part of the soul, centered in Malkuth. A low level of subconscious intelligence allied to the physical body. The autonomic nervous system. Also spelled G'uph.

See Etheric Aura.

1.  A specific polytheistic reconstructionist path based on aboriginal Germanic tradition.

2.  Any polytheistic reconstructionist path which is also based on aboriginal traditions from Western Europe. Although this may include the British Isles, it is often primarily associated with Northern Europe including Scandinavia, as well as much of what is modern Germany. Examples include Asatru and Odinism, as well as some sects of Druidry. Although these groups can fall under the broad definition of Pagan, some people who follow the path of Heathenry do not consider themselves Pagan.

An adjective attached to things that have Greece, especially ancient Greece, as their source.

Beliefs, theories, or practices that are different from the beliefs, theories, or practices of some mainstream concept. Thus, the idea of what is now called continental drift was, at one time, considered a heresy. Today it is an accepted scientific belief. Often, heresies are not only different from mainstream concepts, but they are considered challenges. Most of the people killed during the Spanish Inquisition were accused of heresy by challenging the beliefs of the Catholic Church.

1) A general reference to levels above the physical—generally meaning Etheric, Astral, Mental and Spiritual.

2) A reference to levels above that being discussed, and generally meaning planes above the Spiritual or that our commonly grouped into the Spiritual Plane. Planes refer to a) levels of manifestation and b) levels of the Whole Person—as "bodies."

3.  According to Donald Tyson, that which you really are, as opposed to what you think you are. The truest identity of the individual stripped of all transitory veils.

The Whole View. Seeing things from a fully organic perspective inclusive of all the levels of life, consciousness and manifestation. It’s all the "connections" seen at once.

An image wherein any fragment of the whole contains all essential elements of the whole, but to a lesser degree. Modern theorists, noting the holographic quality of DNA (i.e., every DNA molecule has the genetic code for the entire body), note that the body has holographic qualities and the mind may also be holographic. Symbolic of the concept that all things in the universe are infinitely interconnected.

Sacred. This can be used to refer to an object, place, image, ritual, or vision.

Christianity: water that has been blessed by a priest. Used for

• Baptism
• Blessings of people, places, or things
• To dispel or protect from evil.

Magick: water used for blessings, banishing, purification, etc. Often combined with salt to represent the union of water and earth. May be blessed by leader of ritual or (among Pagans) by High Priest or High Priestess. My be replaced by wine or fruit juice.

Extreme pride or arrogance that often involves assuming greater skill or knowledge than one actually possesses. Typically used as a description of the cause of a fall from a position of power.

In some Wiccan traditions, an honest self-assessment, including an understanding of one’s true greatness and smallness, and admitting where one is lacking. With this appraisal it is possible to see where one can work to spiritually advance.

Traditional Polynesian, especially Hawaiian, spiritual system that includes theological, psychological, practical, and magickal concepts.

In many Western traditions, illumination means an ecstatic state resulting from contemplation of the divine. In many Eastern traditions, it means the experience of dissolving into the divine.

A spiritual belief that God (or Gods) exist as part of the physical world and can have direct interaction with humans. Many Pagan religions believe in an immanent deity or deities. The opposite of a belief in the transcendency of deity. See: Transcendent.

A record of one's past incarnations on this earth plane. 

A process of preparation in the spirit realm for embodiment on the earth plane.

Suggested Reading:

Slate: Beyond Reincarnation

The sense of what makes a person different from all things external to himself or herself.

The belief that each person has a "Divine Spark" or part of the Divine Creator at his or her core. As the person evolves and grows in wholeness, he or she becomes more and more closely identified with that Divinity until an ultimate unity is accomplished.

An innate behavior, especially as a response to a given stimulus. Instincts may exist since birth–implying a genetic or past life influence—or may result from conscious or subconscious mental programming. As a general rule, animals with lesser or damaged frontal brain lobes tend to function instinctually whereas animals with greater thinking capabilities can choose to act contrary to instinctual prompts.

A group procedure designed to merge the physical realm with the spiritual without the involvement of a spiritual medium.

Suggested Reading:

Slate: Beyond Reincarnation

An expression used by some to indicate a state of mind where we “turn off” or silence our emotions, thoughts, and daily cares so that we may participate more effectively in a ritual.

Ancient Egyptian term. The astral body.

1.  An Egyptian word that directly translates as "star." In Thelemic concepts it is the actual identity of the physical self, your real essential personality as opposed the the personality you generally present. See Khu.

See Khabs.

Ancient Egyptian term. The etheric double. Food, incense, oils, etc. were left in the tomb to prolong the existence of the KA. Attributed to Malkuth.

In Egyptian mythology, the Khu is a combination of your life force or spirit (the Ka) and the soul (the Ba). In Thelemic spirituality it is the part of you that creates a physical form, your body, so it can gain experience and self-consciousness. See Khabs.

This motto was inscribed on the 6th-century B.C.E. temple of Apollo at Delphi and quoted by several ancient writers, some of whom attributed it to Solon. It has been since been quoted thousands if not millions of self-help, motivational and spiritual writers and teachers.

The process of self-discovery, of self-knowledge, of self-understanding is endless until such time as we become one with the Highest Self. The process of self-knowledge is the process of becoming more than you are. 

Transliterated from the Hebrew in multiple ways, its meaning is dependent upon the context wherein it appears. Thus, it can mean world, universe, or forever.

Aleister Crowley’s Book of the Law, channeled to Crowley by an entity known as Aiwaz, and considered the holy book of the Aeon of Horus and the foundation of Crowley’s spiritual tradition, Thelema.

A weak electric field surrounding every living organism that acts like a "matrix" to guide its development. It is the Etheric Body.

The energy that is possessed by all living things. 

The "journey" through life that each person makes. It is the "story" of one single  life-time.

The Light that is characteristic of the astral and higher planes. It is this “Living Light” that is the foundation of the Cosmos itself and the source of Spirit or Akasha, the element from which all the other elements are derived. It gives meaning to the phrase “Let there be Light” that is the true beginning of all.

Associating an I AM sentence and symbol with a full description and image of that which is desired. Then the sentence and symbol are vehicles for the entire operation and are used in self-hypnosis to convey the desired goal to the subconscious.