| Afterlife |
a multileveled
nonphysical reality that one is said to enter following death of the
physical body. Sometimes called bardo or devachan, it is where human
spirits dwell between (and following all) earthly incarnations. |
| Akashic
records |
said to
be the nonphysical "cosmic memory bank" of all that has occurred,
which can be tapped by certain individuals, physical and nonphysical. |
| Astral |
the nonphysical
level of reality characterized primarily by emotion and considered
to be where most humans go after they die and where they exist not
only between earthly incarnations but after incarnations as well,
prior to ascending higher. |
| Channel |
to receive
and convey information (or energy) that is said to come from neither
one's own self nor from other embodied minds, nor from physical reality
(as defined by current physics and psychophysiology). |
| Consciousness |
mental awareness
or present knowing; awareness or perception on one's inner self (of
psychological or spiritual material), or inward awareness of external
objects or facts. |
| Discarnate |
not incarnated
in a body living on the physical plane. |
| Guardian
Spirit/Power Animal |
a spiritual
being that not only protects and serves the shaman, but becomes another
identity or alter ego. Any individual can discover their guardian
spirit or power animal. |
| Higher Self |
the most
spiritual and knowing part of oneself, said to lie beyond the ego,
the day-to-day personality or self, and beyond the personal unconscious,
and which can be channeled for wisdom and guidance; variations include
the oversoul, the superconscious, the Atman, Christ (or Krishna or
Buddha) Consciousness, the God within, or the God Self. |
| Hypnosis |
a relaxed,
altered state of consciousness induced by suggestion' characterized
as being like reverie or sleep yet open to suggestion and able to
be focused by suggestion away from the external environment and consensus
reality. |
| Incarnate |
living in
a body on the physical plane. |
| Karma |
the force
generated by a person's actions held in Hinduism or Buddhism to perpetuate
transmigration and to determine the nature of the person's next existence. |
| Medium |
an earlier
term for a channel; some use the term only to refer to trance mediums,
while others use it only for mediums that communicate with deceased
(discarnate) human spirits. |
| Mysticism |
the belief
that direct knowledge of God, spiritual truth, or ultimate reality
can be attained through subjective experience such as intuition or
insight. |
| Nonordinary
Reality (Spirit World) |
when shamans
enter nonordinary reality the rules of the outer world are suspended.
Horses fly, plants talk, fairies and leprechauns abound. Time as we
know it is suspended. With the aid of a spirit helper, great distances
can be crossed in a moment or two of outer time. Shamans may in ordinary
time, spend half an hour journeying but during that journey they may
watch the sunrise and set. Outer rules of space are equally voided
in these nonordinary worlds. |
| Nonphysical |
that which
falls outside of the definition of physical established by a consensus
of contemporary physicists; that which is considered neither matter
nor energy (not objectively real) as detectable by the normal senses
or their extension by way of instruments of measurement acceptable
in current scientific practice. |
| Past Life
Regression Therapy |
the use
of hypnotic trance to move backward in time to tap memories of previous
lives. |
| Psychospiritual |
understanding
the mind, behavior, and emotions from an immaterial, intelligent,
sentient part of a person. |
| Reincarnation |
rebirth
in another body. |
| Shaman |
a man or
woman who enters an altered state of consciousness, at will, to contact
and utilize an ordinarily hidden reality in order to acquire knowledge,
power and to help other persons. |
| Shamanic
Journey |
in changing
awareness and shifting consciousness, the soul leaves the body in
order to enter nonordinary reality. It is the soul that does the traveling
in the shamanic journey. The shamanic journey is at will. |
| Soul Retrieval |
when parts
of a soul split off and vanish into nonordinary reality, leaving a
person in a weakened, dispirited condition, it is the job of the shaman
to restore wholeness. In order to bring back what is missing the shaman
must leave everyday consciousness and venture into the spirit world
to obtain information for healing and to retrieve the lost souls of
patients. |
| Spirit |
sometimes
used to refer to any nonphysical being or entity that can be channeled'
more specifically, the spirit of a deceased human being; that aspect
of a person that is other than the physical body and that survives
the death of the body; or beings who have never been human or existed
in physical reality; The Universal Being (or God). |
| Spiritual |
the nonphysical;
they realm that lies beyond (and some say underlies and is responsible
for) physical reality; the realm of the good, the most true, the eternal
(or timeless), and the infinite (or immeasurable). |
| Trance |
a term used
by some for any hypnotic-type altered state of consciousness; characterized
by conscious attention being turned away from the normal senses and
consensus reality. |
| Transformation |
the operation of changing one attitude, belief or way of life into
another.
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