A —The first letter in all the
world-alphabets save a few, such for instance as the Mongolian, the Japanese,
the Tibetan, the Ethiopian, etc. It is a letter of great mystic power and “magic
virtue” with those who have adopted it, and with whom its numerical value is
one. It is the Aleph of the Hebrews, symbolized by the Ox or Bull; the
Alpha of the Greeks, the one and the first the Az of the
Slavonians, signifying the pronoun “I” (referring to the “I am that I am”). Even
in Astrology, Taurus (the Ox or Bull or the Aleph) is the first of the
Zodiacal signs, its colour being white and yellow. The sacred Aleph
acquires a still more marked sanctity with the Christian Kabalists when they
learn that this letter typifies the Trinity in Unity, as it is composed of two
Yods, one upright, the other reversed with a slanting bar or nexus,
thus— a. Kenneth R. H. Mackenzie states
that “the St. Andrew cross is occultly connected therewith”. The divine name,
the first in the series corresponding with Aleph, is AêHêIêH or
Ahih when vowelless, and this is a Sanskrit root.
Aahla (Eg.). One of the
divisions of the Kerneter or infernal regions, or Amenti ; the word means
the “Field of Peace”.
Aanroo (Eg.). The second
division of Amenti. The celestial field of Aanroo is encircled by an iron wall.
The field is covered with wheat, and the “Defunct” are represented gleaning it,
for the “Master of Eternity”; some stalks being three, others five, and the
highest seven cubits high. Those who reached the last two numbers entered the
state of bliss (which is called in Theosophy Devachan) ; the disembodied spirits
whose harvest was but three cubits high went into lower regions
(Kâmaloka). Wheat was with the Egyptians the symbol of the Law of
retribution or Karma. The cubits had reference to the seven, five and
three human “principles.
Aaron (Heb.). The elder brother
of Moses and the first Initiate of the Hebrew Lawgiver. The name means
the Illuminated, or the Enlightened. Aaron thus heads the line, or
Hierarchy, of the initiated Nabim, or Seers.
Ab (Heb.). The eleventh
month of the Hebrew civil year; the fifth of the sacred year beginning in July.
[w.w.w.]
Abaddon (Heb.). An angel of Hell,
corresponding to the Greek Apollyon.
Abatur (Gn.). In the Nazarene
system the “Ancient of Days”, Antiquus Altus, the Father of the Demiurgus
of the Universe, is called the Third Life or “Abatur”. He corresponds to
the Third “Logos” in the Secret Doctrine. (See Codex
Nazaræus).
Abba Amona (Heb.). Lit.,
“Father-Mother”; the occult names of the two higher Sephiroth, Chokmah
and Binah, of the upper triad, the apex of which is Sephira or Kether.
From this triad issues the lower septenary of the Sephirothal Tree.
Abhâmsi (Sk.). A mystic name of the “four
orders of beings” which are, Gods, Demons, Pitris and Men. Orientalists somehow
connect the name with “waters”, but esoteric philosophy connects its symbolism
with Akâsa—the ethereal “waters of space”, since it is on the bosom and
on the seven planes of “space” that the “four orders of (lower) beings” and the
three higher Orders of Spiritual Beings are born. (See Secret Doctrine I.
p. 458, and “Ambhâmsi”.)
Abhâsvaras (Sk.). The Devas or “Gods” of
Light and Sound, the highest of the upper three celestial
regions (planes) of the second Dhyâna (q.v.) A class of gods
sixty-four in number, representing a certain cycle and an occult
number.
Abhâva (Sk.). Negation, or non-being of
individual objects; the noumenal substance, or abstract
objectivity.
Abhaya (Sk.). “Fearlessness”—a son of
Dharma; and also a religious life of duty. As an adjective, “Fearless,” Abhaya
is an epithet given to every Buddha.
Abhayagiri (Sk.). Lit., “Mount Fearless” in
Ceylon. It has an
ancient Vihâra or Monastery in which the well-known Chinese traveller
Fa-hien found 5,000 Buddhist priests and ascetics in the year 400 of our era,
and a School called Abhayagiri Vâsinah,, “School of the Secret Forest”.
This philosophical school was regarded as heretical, as the ascetics studied the
doctrines of both the “greater” and the “smaller” vehicles— or the Mahâyâna
and the Hinayâna systems and Triyâna or the three successive
degrees of Yoga; just as a certain Brotherhood does now beyond the Himalayas.
This proves that the “disciples of Kâtyâyana were and are as unsectarian
as their humble admirers the Theosophists are now. (See “Sthâvirâh"
School.) This was the most mystical of all the schools, and renowned for the
number of Arhats it produced. The Brotherhood of Abhayagiri called
themselves the disciples of Kâtyâyana, the favourite Chela of Gautama, the
Buddha. Tradition says that owing to bigoted intolerance and persecution, they
left Ceylon and
passed beyond the Himalayas, where they have remained ever since.
Abhidharma (Sk.). The metaphysical (third)
part of Tripitaka, a very philosophical Buddhist work by
Kâtyâyana.
Abhijñâ (Sk.). Six phenomenal (or
“supernatural”) gifts which Sâkyamuni Buddha acquired in the night on which he
reached Buddhaship. This is the “fourth” degree of Dhyâna (the seventh in
esoteric teachings) which has to be attained by every true Arhat. In
China, the
initiated Buddhist ascetics reckon six such powers, but in Ceylon they reckon
only five. The first Abhijñâ is Divyachakchus, the instantaneous view of
anything one wills to see; the second, is Divyasrotra, the power of
comprehending any sound whatever, etc., etc.
Abhimânim (Sk.). The name of Agni (fire) the
“eldest son of Brahmâ”, in other words, the first element or Force produced in
the universe at its evolution (the fire of creative desire). By his wife Swâhâ,
Abhimânim had three sons (the fires) Pâvaka, Pavamâna and Suchi, and these had
“forty-five sons, who, with the original son of Brahmâ and his three
descendants, constitute the forty-nine fires” of Occultism.
Abhimanyu (Sk.). A son of Arjuna. He killed
Lakshmana,in the great battle of the Mahâbhârata on its second day, but was
himself killed on the thirteenth.
Abhûtarajasas (Sk.). A class of gods or
Devas, during the period of the fifth Manvantara.
Abib (Heb.) The first
Jewish sacred month, begins in March; is also called Nisan.
Abiegnus Mons (Lat.). A mystic name, from whence as
from a certain mountain, Rosicrucian documents are often found to be issued—
“Monte Abiegno”. There is a connection with Mount Meru, and other sacred hills.
[w.w.w.]
Ab-i-hayat (Pers.). Water of
immortality. Supposed to give eternal youth and sempiternal life to him who
drinks of it.
Abiri (Gr.). See Kabiri, also
written Kabeiri, the Mighty Ones, celestials, sons of Zedec the just one, a
group of deities worshipped in Phœnicia: they seem to be identical with the
Titans, Corybantes, Curetes, Telchines and Dii Magni of Virgil.
[w.w.w.]
Ablanathanalba (Gn.). A term similar to
“Abracadabra”. It is said by C. W. King to have meant “thou art a father to us”;
it reads the same from either end and was used as
a charm in Egypt.
(See “Abracadabra”.)
Abracadabra (Gn.). This symbolic word
first occurs in a medical treatise in verse by Samonicus, who flourished in the
reign of the Emperor Septimus Seveus. Godfrey Higgins says it is from
Abra or Abar "God", in Celtic, and cad ‘‘holy;” it was
used as a charm, and engraved on Kameas as an amulet. [w.w.w.]
Godfrey Higgins was nearly
right, as the word “Abracadabra” is a later corruption of the sacred Gnostic
term “Abrasax”, the latter itself being a still earlier corruption of a sacred
and ancient Coptic or Egyptian word: a magic formula which meant in its
symbolism ‘‘Hurt me not”, and addressed the deity in its hieroglyphics as
“Father”. It was generally attached to an amulet or charm and worn as a Tat
(q.v.), on the breast under the garments.
Abraxas or Abrasax
(Gn.).
Mystic words which have been traced as far back as Basilides, the Pythagorean,
of Alexandria, AD.
90. He uses Abraxas as a title for Divinity, the supreme of Seven, and as having
365 virtues. In Greek numeration, a. 1, b. 2, r. 100, a. I, x 60, a. I, s. 200 = 365 days of the
year, solar year, a cycle of divine action. C. W. King, author of The Gnostics,
considers the word similar to the Hebrew Shemhamphorasch, a holy word,
the extended name of God. An Abraxas Gem usually shows a man’s body with the
head of a cock, one arm with a shield, the other with a whip.
[
w.w.w.]
Abraxas is the counterpart of
the Hindu Abhimânim (q.v.) and Brahmâ combined. It is these compound and mystic
qualities which caused Oliver, the great Masonic authority, to connect the name
of Abraxas with that of Abraham. This was unwarrantable ; the virtues and
attributes of Abraxas, which are 365 in number, ought to have shown him that the
deity was connected with the Sun and solar division of the year——nay, that
Abraxas is the antitype, and the Sun, the type.
Absoluteness. When predicated of the
UNIVERSAL PRINCIPLE, it denotes an abstract noun, which is more correct and
logical than to apply the adjective “absolute ” to that which has neither
attributes nor limitations, nor can IT have any.
Ab-Soo (Chald.). The mystic name
for Space, meaning the dwelling of Ab the “Father”, or the head of
the source of the Waters of Knowledge. The lore of the latter is concealed in
the invisible space or akasic regions.
Acacia (Gr.). Innocence; and
also a plant used in Freemasonry as a symbol of initiation, immortality, and
purity; the tree furnished the sacred Shittim wood of the Hebrews.
[w.w.w.]
Achamôth (Gn.). The name of the
second, the inferior Sophia. Esoterically and with the
Gnostics, the elder Sophia was the Holy Spirit (female Holy Ghost) or the
Sakti of the Unknown, and the Divine Spirit; while Sophia Achamôth is
but the personification of the female aspect of the creative male Force in
nature; also the Astral Light.
Achar (Heb.). The Gods over
whom (according to the Jews) Jehovah is the God.
Âchâra (Sk.). Personal and social
(religious) obligations.
Âchârya (Sk.). Spiritual teacher, Guru; as
Sankar-âchârya, lit., a “teacher of ethics”. A name generally given to
Initiates, etc., and meaning “Master”.
Achath (Heb.). The one,
the first, feminine; achad being masculine. A Talmudic word applied to
Jehovah. It is worthy of note that the Sanskrit term ak means one,
ekata being “unity”, Brahmâ being called ák, or eka, the
one, the first, whence the Hebrew word and application.
Acher (Heb.). The Talmudic name
of the Apostle Paul. The Talmud narrates the story of the four Tanaim,
who entered the Garden of Delight, i.e., came to he initiated; Ben Asai,
who looked and lost his sight; Ben Zoma, who looked and lost his reason; Acher,
who made depredations in the garden and failed; and Rabbi Akiba, who alone
succeeded. The Kabalists say that Acher is Paul.
Acheron (Gr.). One of the rivers
of Hades in Greek mythology.
Achit (Sk.). Absolute non-intelligence; as
Chit is—in contrast— absolute intelligence.
Achyuta (Sk.). That which is not subject to
change or fall; the opposite to Chyuta, “fallen”. A title of
Vishnu.
Acosmism (Gr.). The precreative
period, when there was no Kosmos but Chaos alone.
Ad (Assyr.). Ad, “the
Father”. In Aramean ad means one, and ad-ad “the only
one”.
Adah (Assyr.). Borrowed by the
Hebrews for the name of their Adah, father of Jubal, etc. But Adah meaning the
first, the one, is universal property. There are reasons to think that
Ak-ad, means the first-born or Son of Ad. Adon was
the first “Lord” of Syria. (See Isis Unv.
II., pp. 452, 453.)
Adam (Heb.). In the Kabalah
Adam is the “only-begotten”, and means also “red earth”. (See “Adam-Adami” in
the S.D. II p. 452.) It is almost identical with Athamas or
Thomas, and is rendered into Greek by Didumos, the “twin”—Adam,
“the first”, in chap. 1 of Genesis, being shown,
“male-female.”
Adam Kadmon (Heb). Archetypal Man; Humanity. The
“Heavenly Man” not fallen
into sin; Kabalists refer it to the Ten Sephiroth on the plane of human
perception. [w.w.w.]
In the Kabalah Adam
Kadmon is the manifested Logos corresponding to our Third Logos; the
Unmanifested being the first paradigmic ideal Man, and symbolizing the Universe
in abscondito, or in its “privation” in the Aristotelean sense. The First
Logos is the “Light of the World”, the Second and the Third—its gradually
deepening shadows.
Adamic Earth (Alch.). Called the “true
oil of gold” or the “primal element” in Alchemy. It is but one remove from the
pure homogeneous element.
Adbhuta Brâhmana (Sk.). The Brâhmana of miracles;
treats of marvels, auguries, and various phenomena.
Adbhuta Dharma (Sk.). The “law” of things never
heard before. A class of Buddhist works on miraculous or phenomenal
events.
Adept (Lat.). Adeptus,
“He who has obtained.” In Occultism one who has reached the stage of Initiation,
and become a Master in the science of Esoteric philosophy.
Adharma (Sk.). Unrighteousness, vice, the
opposite of Dharma.
Adhi (Sk.). Supreme,
paramount.
Adhi-bhautika duhkha
(Sk.). The second of the three
kinds of pain; lit., “Evil proceeding from external things or
beings”.
Adhi-daivika duhkha (Sk.). The third of the three kinds
of pain. “Evil proceeding from divine causes, or a just Karmic
punishment”.
Adhishtânam (Sk.). Basis; a principle in which
some other principle inheres.
Adhyâtmika duhkha (Sk.). The first of the three kinds
of pain; lit., “Evil proceeding from Self ”, an induced or a generated evil by
Self, or man himself.
Adhyâtma Vidyâ (Sk.). Lit., “the esoteric
luminary”. One of the Pancha Vidyâ Sastras, or the Scriptures of the Five
Sciences.
Âdi (Sk.) The First, the
primeval.
Âdi (the Sons of). In Esoteric
philosophy the “Sons of Adi” are called the “Sons of the Fire-mist”. A term used
of certain adepts.
Âdi-bhûta (Sk.). The first Being; also
primordial element. Adbhuta is a title of Vishnu, the “first Element”
containing all elements, “the unfathomable deity”.
Âdi-Buddha (Sk.). The First and Supreme
Buddha—not recognised in the Southern Church. The Eternal Light.
Âdi-budhi (Sk.). Primeval Intelligence or
Wisdom; the eternal Budhi or Universal Mind. Used of Divine Ideation,
“Mahâbuddhi” being synonymous with MAHAT.
Âdikrit (Sk.). Lit., the “first produced” or
made. The creative Force eternal and uncreate, but manifesting periodically.
Applied to Vishnu slumbering on the “waters of space” during “pralaya”
(q.v.).
Âdi-nâtha (Sk.). The “first” Lord”—Âdi
“first” (masc.), nâtha “Lord”.
Âdi-nidâna (Sk.). First and Supreme Causality,
from Âdi, the first, and Nidâna the principal cause (or the
concatenation of cause and effect).
Âdi-Sakti (Sk.). Primeval, divine Force; the
female creative power, and aspect in and of every male god. The Sakti in
the Hindu Pantheon is always the spouse of some god.
Âdi-Sanat (Sk.). Lit., “First Ancient”. The
term corresponds to the Kabalistic “ancient of days”, since it is a title of
Brahmâ—called in the Zohar the Atteekah d’Atteekeen, or “the
Ancient of the Ancients”, etc.
Âditi (Sk.). The Vedic name for the
Mûlaprakriti of the Vedantists; the abstract aspect of Parabrahman,
though both unmanifested and unknowable. In the Vedas Âditi is the
“Mother-Goddess”, her terrestrial symbol being infinite and shoreless
space.
Âditi-Gæa. A compound term, Sanskrit
and Latin, meaning dual, nature in theosophical writings—spiritual and physical,
as Gæa is the goddess of the earth and of objective nature.
Âditya (Sk.). A name of the Sun; as
Mârttânda he is the Son of Aditi.
Âdityas (Sk.). The seven sons of Âditi; the
seven planetary gods.
Âdi Varsha (Sk.). The first land; the
primordial country in which dwelt the first races.
Adonai (Heb.). The same as
Adonis. Commonly translated “Lord”. Astronomically—the Sun. When a Hebrew in
reading came to the name IHVH, which is called Jehovah, he paused and
substituted the word “Adonai”, (Adni); but when written with the points of
Alhim, he called it “Elohim”. [w.w.w.]
Adonim-Adonai,
Adon. The ancient Chaldeo-Hebrew
names for the Elohim or creative terrestrial forces, synthesized by
Jehovah.
Adwaita (Sk.). A Vedânta sect. The
non-dualistic (A-dwaita) school of Vedântic philosophy founded by Sankarâchârya,
the greatest of the historical Brahmin sages. The two other schools are the
Dwaita (dualistic) and the Visishtadwaita; all the three call themselves
Vedântic.
Adwaitin (Sk.). A follower of the said
school.
Adytum (Gr.). The Holy of Holies
in the pagan temples. A name for the secret and sacred precincts or the inner
chamber, into which no profane could enter; it
corresponds to the sanctuary of the altars of Christian Churches.
Æbe1-Zivo (Gn.). The Metatron or
anointed spirit with the Nazarene Gnostics; the same as the angel Gabriel.
Æolus (Gr.). The god who,
according to Hesiod, binds and looses the winds; the king of storms and winds. A
king of Æolia, the inventor of sails and a
great astronomer, and therefore deified by posterity.
Æon or Æons (Gr.). Periods of time;
emanations proceeding from the divine essence, and celestial beings; genii and
angels with the Gnostics.
Æsir (Scand.). The same as
Ases, the creative Forces personified. The gods who created the black
dwarfs or the Elves of Darkness in Asgard. The divine Æsir, the Ases are
the Elves of Light. An allegory bringing together darkness which comes from
light, and matter born of spirit.
Æther (Gr.). With the ancients
the divine luminiferous substance which pervades the whole universe, the
“garment” of the Supreme Deity, Zeus, or Jupiter. With the moderns, Ether, for
the meaning of which in physics and chemistry see Webster’s Dictionary or
any other. In esotericism Æther is the third principle of the Kosmic
Septenary; the Earth being the lowest, then the Astral light, Ether and
Âkâsa (phonetically Âkâsha) the highest.
Æthrobacy (Gr.). Lit., walking on,
or being lifted into the air with no visible agent at work; “levitation”. It may
be conscious or unconscious; in the one case it is magic, in the other either
disease
or a power which requires a few words of elucidation. We know that
the earth is a magnetic body; in fact, as some scientists have found, and as
Paracelsus affirmed some 300 years ago, it is one vast magnet. It is charged
with one form of electricity—let us call it positive—which it evolves
continuously by spontaneous action, in its interior or centre of motion. Human
bodies, in common with all other forms of matter, are charged with the opposite
form of electricity, the negative. That is to say, organic or inorganic bodies,
if left to themselves will constantly and involuntarily charge themselves with
and evolve the form of electricity opposite to that of the earth itself. Now,
what is weight? Simply the attraction of the earth. “Without the attraction of
the earth you would have no weight”, says Professor Stewart; “and if you had an
earth twice as heavy as this, you would have double the attraction”. How then,
can we get rid of this attraction? According to the electrical law above stated,
there is an attraction between our planet and the organisms upon it, which keeps
them upon the surface of the globe. But the law of gravitation has been
counteracted in many instances, by levitation of persons and inanimate objects.
How account for this? The condition
of our physical systems, say theurgic philosophers, is largely dependent upon
the action of our will. If well- regulated, it can produce “miracles”; among
others a change of this electrical polarity from negative to positive; the man’s
relations with the earth-magnet would then become repellent, and “gravity”for
him would have ceased to exist. It would then be as natural for him to rush into
the air until the repellent force had exhausted itself, as, before, it had been
for him to remain upon the ground. The altitude of his levitation would be
measured by his ability, greater or less, to charge his body with positive
electricity. This control over the physical forces once obtained, alteration of
his levity or gravity would be as easy as breathing. (See Isis Unveiled,
Vol. I., page xxiii.)
Afrits (Arab.). A name for
native spirits regarded as devils by Mussulmen. Elementals much dreaded in
Egypt.
Agapæ (Gr.). Love Feasts; the
early Christians kept such festivals in token of sympathy, love and mutual
benevolence. It became necessary to abolish them as an institution, because of
great abuse ; Paul in his First Epistle to the Corinthians complains of
misconduct at the feasts of the Christians. [w.w.w.].
Agastya (Sk.). The name of a great Rishi,
much revered in Southern India; the reputed
author of hymns in the Rig Veda, and a great hero in the Râmâyana.
In Tamil literature he is credited with having been the first instructor of the
Dravidians in science, religion and philosophy. It is also the name of the star
“Canopus”.
Agathodæmon (Gr.). The beneficent,
good Spirit as contrasted with the bad one, Kakodæmon. The
“Brazen Serpent”
of the Bible is the former; the flying serpents of fire are an aspect of
Kakodæmon. The Ophites called Agathodæmon the Logos and Divine Wisdom, which in
the Bacchanalian Mysteries was represented by a serpent erect on a
pole.
Agathon (Gr.). Plato’s Supreme
Deity. Lit., “The Good”, our ALAYA, or “Universal Soul”.
Aged (Kab.). One of the
Kabbalistic names for Sephira, called also the Crown, or
Kether.
Agla (Heb.). This Kabbalistic
word is a talisman composed of the initals of the four words “Ateh Gibor Leolam
Adonai”, meaning “Thou art mighty for ever 0 Lord”. MacGregor Mathers explains
it thus “A, the first; A, the last; G, the trinity in
unity; L, the completion of the great work”. [w.w.w.]
Agneyastra (Sk.). The fiery missiles or weapons
used by the Gods in the exoteric Purânas and the Mahâbhârata the
magic weapons said to have been wielded by the adept-race (the fourth), the
Atlanteans. This “weapon of fire” was given by
Bharadwâja to Agnivesa, the son of Agni, and by him to Drona, though the
Vishnu Purâna contradicts this, saying that it was given by the sage
Aurva to King Sagara, his chela. They are frequently mentioned in the
Mahâbhârata and the Râmâyana.
Agni (Sk.). The God of Fire in the Veda;
the oldest and the most revered of Gods in India. He is one of the three great
deities: Agni, Vâyu and Sûrya, and also all the three, as he is the triple
aspect of fire; in heaven as the Sun; in the atmosphere or air (Vâyu), as
Lightning; on. earth, as ordinary Fire. Agni belonged to the earlier Vedic
Trimûrti before Vishnu was given a place of honour and before Brahmâ and
Siva were invented.
Agni Bâhu (Sk.). An ascetic son of Manu
Swâyambhuva, the “Self-born”.
Agni Bhuvah (Sk.). Lit., “born of fire”, the
term is applied to the four races of Kshatriyas (the second or warrior
caste) whose ancestors are said to have sprung from fire. Agni Bhuvah is the son
of Agni, the God of Fire; Agni Bhuvah being the same as Kartti-keya, the God of
War. (See Sec.Doct., Vol. II., p. 550.)
Agni Dhätu Samâdhi (Sk.). A kind of contemplation in
Yoga practice, when Kundalini is raised to the extreme and the infinitude
appears as one sheet of fire. An ecstatic condition.
Agni Hotri (Sk.). The priests who served the
Fire-God in Aryan antiquity. The term Agni Hotri is one that denotes
oblation.
Agni-ratha (Sk.). A “Fiery Vehicle” literally.
A kind of flying machine. Spoken of in ancient works of magic in India and in
the epic poems.
Agnishwattas (Sk.). A class of Pitris, the
creators of the first ethereal race of men. Our solar ancestors as contrasted
with the Barhishads, the “lunar” Pitris or ancestors, though otherwise
explained in the Purânas.
Agnoia (Gr.). “Divested of
reason”, lit., “irrationality”, when speaking of the animal Soul. According to
Plutarch, Pythagoras and Plato divided the human soul into two parts (the higher
and lower manas)—the rational or noëtic and the irrational, or
agnoia, sometimes written “annoia”.
Agnostic (Gr.). A word claimed by
Mr. Huxley to have been coined by him to indicate one who believes nothing which
can not be demonstrated by the senses. The later schools of Agnosticism give
more philosophical definitions of the term.
Agra-Sandhânî (Sk.). The “Assessors” or
Recorders who read at the judgment of a disembodied Soul
the record of its life in the heart of that “Soul”. The same almost as the
Lipikas of the Secret Doctrine. (See Sec.Doct., Vol. I., p.
105.)
Agruerus ; A very ancient Phœnician god.
The same as Saturn.
Aham (Sk.). “I”—the basis of
Ahankâra, Self-hood.
Ahan (Sk.). “Day”;the Body of Brahmâ, in
the Purânas.
Ahankâra (Sk.). The conception of “I”,
Self-consciousness or Self- identity; the “I”, the egotistical and mâyâvic
principle in man, due to our ignorance which separates our “I” from the
Universal ONE-SELF Personality, Egoism.
Aheie (Heb.). Existence. He who
exists; corresponds to Kether and Macroprosopus.
Ah-hi (Sensar), Ahi (Sk.), or Serpents. Dhyân
Chohans. “Wise Serpents” or Dragons of Wisdom.
Ahi (Sk.). A serpent. A name of Vritra,
the Vedic demon of drought.
Ahti (Scand.). The “Dragon” in
the Eddas.
Ahu (Scand.). “One” and the
First.
Ahum (Zend). The first three
principles of septenary man in the Avesta ; the gross living man and his
vital and astral principles.
Ahura (Zend.). The same as
Asura, the holy, the Breath-like. Ahura Mazda, the Ormuzd of the
Zoroastrians or Parsis, is the Lord who bestows light and intelligence, whose
symbol is the Sun (See “Ahura Mazda”), and of whom Ahriman, a European form of
“Angra Mainyu” (q.v.), is the dark aspect.
Ahura Mazda (Zend). The personified
deity, the Principle of Universal Divine Light of the Parsis. From Ahura or
Asura, breath, “spiritual, divine” in the oldest Rig Veda,
degraded by the orthodox Brahmans into A -sura, “no gods”, just as the
Mazdeans have degraded the Hindu Devas (Gods) into Dæva (Devils).
Aidoneus (Gr.). The God and King
of the Nether World; Pluto or Dionysos Chthonios (subterranean).
Aij Talon. The supreme deity of the
Yakoot, a tribe in Northern Siberia.
Ain-Aior (Chald.). The only
“Self-existent” a mystic name for divine substance. [w.w.w.]
Ain (Heb.). The negatively
existent; deity in repose, and absolutely passive. [w.w.w.]
Aindrî (Sk.). Wife of Indra.
Aindriya (Sk.). Or Indrânî, Indriya;
Sakti. The female aspect or “wife” of Indra.
Ain Soph (Heb.). The “Boundless”
or Limitless; Deity emanating and extending. [w.w.w.]
Ain Soph is also written En
Soph and Ain Suph, no one, not even Rabbis, being sure of their
vowels. In the religious metaphysics of the old Hebrew philosophers, the ONE
Principle was an abstraction, like Parabrahmam, though modern Kabbalists have
succeeded now, by dint of mere sophistry and paradoxes, in making a “Supreme
God” of it and nothing higher. But with the early Chaldean Kabbalists Ain Soph
is “without form or being”, having “no likeness with anything else” (Franck,
Die Kabbala, p. 126). That Ain Soph has never been considered as the
“Creator” is proved by even such an orthodox Jew as Philo calling the “Creator”
the Logos, who stands next the “Limitless One”, and the “Second God”.
“The Second God is its (Ain Soph’s) wisdom”, says Philo (Quaest. et
Solut.). Deity is NO-THING; it is nameless, and therefore called Ain Soph;
the word Ain meaning NOTHING. (See Franck’s Kabbala, p. 153
ff.)
Ain Soph Aur (Heb.). The Boundless
Light which concentrates into the First and highest Sephira or Kether, the
Crown. [w. w. w.]
Airyamen Yaêgo (Zend). Or Airyana
Vaêgo; the primeval land of bliss referred to in the Vendîdâd, where
Ahura Mazda delivered his laws to Zoroaster (Spitama Zarathustra).
Airyana-ishejô (Zend). The name of a
prayer to the “holy Airyamen”, the divine aspect of Ahriman before the latter
became a dark opposing power, a Satan. For Ahriman is of the same essence with
Ahura Mazda, just as Typhon-Seth is of the same essence with Osiris
(q.v.).
Aish (Heb.). The word for
“Man".
Aisvarikas (Sk.). A theistic school of Nepaul,
which sets up Âdi Buddha as a supreme god ( Îsvara ), instead of seeing in the
name that of a principle, an abstract philosophical symbol.
Aitareya (Sk.). The name of an Aranyaka
(Brâhmana) and a Upanishad of the Rig Veda. Some of its portions are
purely Vedântic.
Aith-ur (Chald.). Solar fire,
divine Æther.
Aja (Sk.). “Unborn”, uncreated; an
epithet belonging to many of the primordial gods, but especially to the first
Logos—a radiation of the Absolute on the plane of illusion.
Ajitas (Sk.). One of the Occult names of
the twelve great gods incarnating in each Manvantara. The Occultists identify
them with the Kumâras. They are called Jnâna (or Gnâna) Devas. Also, a form of
Vishnu in the second Manvantara. Called also Jayas.
Ajnâna (Sk.) or Agyana
(Bengali). Non-knowledge; absence of knowledge rather than
“ignorance” as generally translated. An Ajnâni means a
“profane”.
Akar (Eg.). The proper name of
that division of the Ker-neter infernal regions, which may be called Hell. [w.
w. w.].
Akâsa (Sk.). The subtle, supersensuous
spiritual essence which pervades all space; the primordial substance erroneously
identified with Ether. But it is to Ether what Spirit is to Matter, or Âtmâ
to Kâma-rûpa. It is, in fact, the Universal Space in which lies
inherent the eternal Ideation of the Universe in its ever-changing aspects on
the planes of matter and objectivity, and from which radiates the First
Logos, or expressed thought. This is why it is stated in the Purânas
that Âkâsa has but one attribute, namely sound, for sound is but the
translated symbol of Logos—“Speech” in its mystic sense. In the same sacrifice
(the Jyotishtoma Agnishtoma) it is called the “God Âkâsa”. In these
sacrificial mysteries Âkâsa is the all-directing ‘and omnipotent Deva who plays
the part of Sadasya, the superintendent over the magical effects of the
religious performance, and it had its own appointed Hotri (priest) in days of
old, who took its name. The Âkâsa is the indispensable agent of every Krityâ
(magical performance) religious or profane. The expression “to stir up the
Brahmâ”, means to stir up the power which lies latent at the bottom of every
magical operation, Vedic sacrifices being in fact nothing if not ceremonial
magic. This power is the Âkâsa—in another aspect, Kundalini—occult
electricity, the alkahest of the alchemists in one sense, or the universal
solvent, the same anima mundi on the higher plane as the astral light
is on the lower. “At the moment of the sacrifice the priest becomes imbued
with the spirit of Brahmâ, is, for the time being, Brahmâ himself”.
(Isis
Unveiled).
Akbar. The great Mogul Emperor of
India, the famous
patron of religions, arts, and sciences, the most liberal of all the Mussulman
sovereigns. There has never been a more tolerant or enlightened ruler than the
Emperor Akbar, either in India or in any other Mahometan
country.
Akiba (Heb.). The only one of
the four Tanaim (initiated prophets) who entering the Garden of
Delight (of the
occult sciences) succeeded in getting himself initiated while all the others
failed. (See the Kabbalistic Rabbis).
Akshara (Sk.). Supreme Deity; lit.,
“indestructible”, ever perfect.
Akta (Sk.). Anointed: a title of Twashtri
or Visvakarman, the highest “Creator” and Logos in the
Rig -Veda. He
is called the “Father of the Gods” and “Father of the sacred Fire” (See note
page 101, Vol. II., Sec.Doct.).
Akûpâra (Sk.). The Tortoise, the symbolical
turtle on which the earth is said to rest.
Al or El (Heb.). This deity-name
is commonly translated “God’, meaning mighty, supreme. The plural is Elohim,
also translated in the Bible by the word God, in the singular.
[w.w.w.]
Al-ait (Phœn.). The God of Fire,
an ancient and very mystic name in Koptic Occultism.
Alaparus (Chald.). The second divine king
of Babylonia who
reigned.. “three Sari”. The first king of the divine Dynasty was Alorus
according to Berosus. He was “the appointed Shepherd of the people” and reigned
ten Sari (or 36,000 years, a Saros being 3,600 years).
Alaya (Sk.). The Universal Soul (See
Secret Doctrine Vol. I. pp. 47 et seq.). The name belongs to the
Tibetan system of the contemplative Mahâyâna School. Identical with Âkâsa
in its mystic sense, and with Mulâprâkriti, in its essence, as it is
the basis or root of all things.
Alba Petra (Lat.). The white stone
of Initiation. The “white cornelian” mentioned in St. John’s Revelation.
Al-Chazari (Arab.). A Prince-Philosopher and
Occultist. (See Book Al-Chazari.)
Alchemists; From Al
and Chemi, fire, or the god and patriarch, Kham,
also, the name of Egypt. The Rosicrucians of the
middle ages, such as Robertus de Fluctibus (Robert Fludd), Paracelsus, Thomas
Vaughan (Eugenius Philalethes), Van Helmont, and others, were all alchemists,
who sought for the hidden spirit in every inorganic matter. Some people—
nay, the great majority—have accused alchemists of charlatanry and false
pretending. Surely such men as Roger Bacon, Agrippa, Henry Khunrath, and the
Arabian Geber (the first to introduce into Europe some of the secrets of
chemistry), can hardly he treated as impostors— least of all as fools.
Scientists who are reforming the science of physics upon the basis of the atomic
theory of Democritus, as restated by John Dalton, conveniently forget that
Democritus, of Abdera, was an alchemist, and that the mind that was capable of
penetrating so far into the secret operations of nature in one direction must
have had good reasons to study and become a Hermetic philosopher. Olaus
Borrichius says that the cradle of alchemy is to be sought in the most distant
times. (Isis
Unveiled).
Alchemy ; in Arabic Ul-Khemi,
is, as the name suggests, the chemistry of nature. Ui-Khemi
or
Al-Kimia, however, is only an Arabianized word, taken from the
Greek chemeia, (chemeia) from
cumoz— “juice”, sap extracted from a
plant. Says Dr. Wynn Westcott: “The earliest use of the actual
term
‘alchemy’ is found in the works of Julius Firmicus Maternus, who lived in
the days of Constantine the Great. The Imperial Library in Paris contains the oldest-extant
alchemic treatise known in Europe;
it was written by
Zosimus the Panopolite about 400 A.D. in the Greek language, the next
oldest is by Æneas Gazeus, 480 A.D.” It deals with the finer forces of
nature and the various conditions in which they are found to operate. Seeking
under the veil of language, more or less artificial, to convey to the
uninitiated so much of the mysterium magnum as is safe in the hands
of a selfish world, the alchemist postulates as his first principle the
existence of a certain Universal Solvent by which all composite bodies are
resolved into the homogeneous substance from which they are evolved, which
substance he calls pure gold, or summa materia. This solvent, also
called menstvuum universale, possesses the power of removing all the
seeds of disease from the human body, of renewing youth and prolonging
life. Such is the lapis philosophorum (philosopher’s stone).
Alchemy first penetrated into Europe through Geber, the great Arabian sage
and philosopher, in the eighth century of our era; but it was known and
practised long ages ago in China and in Egypt, numerous papyri on alchemy
and other proofs of its being the favourite study of kings and priests
having been exhumed and preserved under the generic name of Hermetic treatises.
(See “Tabula Smaragdina”). Alchemy is studied under three distinct aspects,
which admit of many different interpretations, viz.: the Cosmic, Human, and
Terrestrial. These three methods were typified under the three alchemical
properties—sulphur, mercury, and salt. Different writers have stated that there
are three, seven, ten, and twelve processes respectively; but they are all
agreed that there is but one object in alchemy, which is to transmute gross
metals into pure gold. What that gold, however, really is, very few people
understand correctly. No doubt that there is such a thing in nature as
transmutation of the baser metals into the nobler, or gold. But this is only one
aspect of alchemy, the terrestrial or purely material, for we sense logically
the same process taking place in the bowels of the earth. Yet, besides and
beyond this interpretation, there is in alchemy a symbolical meaning, purely
psychic and spiritual. While the Kabbalist-Alchemist seeks for the realization
of the former, the Occultist-Alchemist, spurning the gold of the mines, gives
all his attention and directs his efforts only towards the transmutation of the
baser quaternary into the divine upper trinity of man, which when
finally blended are one. The spiritual, mental, psychic, and physical planes of
human existence are in alchemy compared to the four elements, fire, air, water
and earth, and are each capable of a threefold constitution, i.e., fixed,
mutable and volatile. Little or nothing is known by the word concerning the
origin of this archaic branch of philosophy; but it is certain that it antedates
the construction of any known Zodiac, and, as dealing with the personified
forces of nature, probably also any of the mythologies of the world; nor is
there any doubt that the true secret of transmutation (on the physical plane)
was known in days of old, and lost before the
dawn of the so-called historical period. Modern chemistry owes its best
fundamental discoveries to alchemy, but regardless of the undeniable truism of
the latter that there is but one element in the universe, chemistry has placed
metals in the class of elements and is only now beginning to find out its gross
mistake. Even sonic Encyclopædists are now forced to confess that if most of the
accounts of transmutations are fraud or delusion, “yet some of them are
accompanied by testimony which renders them probable. . . By means of the
galvanic battery even the alkalis have been discovered to have a metallic base.
The possibility of obtaining metal from other substances which contain the
ingredients composing it, and of changing one metal into another . . .
must therefore be left undecided. Nor are all alchemists to be considered
impostors. Many have laboured under the conviction of obtaining their object,
with indefatigable patience and purity of heart, which is earnestly recommended
by sound alchemists as the principal requisite for the success of their
labours.”
(Pop. Encyclop.)
Alcyone (Gr.), or Halcyone,
daughter of Æolus, and wife of Ceyx, who was drowned as he was journeying to
consult the oracle, upon which she threw herself into the sea. Accordingly both
were changed, through the mercy of the gods, into king-fishers. The female is
said to lay her eggs on the sea and keep it calm during the seven
days before and seven days after the winter solstice. It has a very occult
significance in ornithomancy.
Alectromancy (Gr.). Divination by
means of a cock, or other bird; a circle was drawn and divided into spaces, each
one allotted to a letter; corn was spread over these places and note was taken
of the successive lettered divisions from which the bird took grains of corn.
[w.w.w.]
Alethæ (Phœn) “Fire worshippers”
from Al-alt, the God of Fire. The same as the Kabiri or divine
Titans. As the seven emanations of Agruerus (Saturn) they are connected with all
the fire, solar and” storm gods (Maruts).
Aletheia (Gr.). Truth; also Alethia, one
of Apollo’s nurses.
Alexadrian School (of Philosophers). This famous
school arose in Alexandria (Egypt) which was for several
centuries the great seat of learning and philosophy. Famous for its library,
which bears the name of “Alexandrian”, founded by Ptolemy Soter, who died in 283
B.C., at the very beginning of his reign ; that library which once boasted of
700,000 rolls or volumes (Aulus Gellius); for its museum, the first real academy
of sciences and arts ; for its world-famous scholars, such as Euclid (the father
of scientific geometry), Apollonius of Perga (the author of the still extant
work on conic sections), Nicomachus (the arithmetician); astronomers, natural
philosophers, anatomists such as Herophilus and Erasistratus, physicians,
musicians, artists, etc., etc. ; it became still more famous for its Eclectic,
or the New Platonic school, founded in 193 A.D., by Ammonius Saccas, whose
disciples were Origen, Plotinus, and many others now famous in history. The most
celebrated schools of Gnostics had their origin in Alexandria. Philo Judæus Josephus,
lamblichus, Porphyry, Clement of Alexandria, Eratosthenes the astronomer,
Hypatia the virgin philosopher, and numberless other stars of second magnitude,
all belonged at various times to these great schools, and helped to make
Alexandria one of the most justly renowned seats of learning that the world has
ever produced.
Alhim (Heb.). See
“Elohim”.
Alkahest (Arab.). The universal
solvent in Alchemy (see "Alchemy "); but in mysticism, the Higher Self, the
union with which makes of matter (lead), gold, and restores all compound things
such as the human body and its attributes to their primæval essence.
Almadel; the Book. A treatise on
Theurgia or White Magic by an unknown mediæval European author; it is not
infrequently found in volumes of MSS. called Keys of Solomon. [
w.w.w.]
Almeh (Arab.). Dancing girls;
the same as the Indian nautchies, the temple and public
dancers.
Alpha Polaris (Lat.). The same as
Dhruva, the pole-star of 31,105 years ago.
Alswider (Scand.). ‘‘ All-swift’’,
the name of the horse of the moon, in the Eddas.
Altruism (Lat.). From alter =
other. A quality opposed to egoism. Actions tending to do good to others,
regardless of self.
Aize, Liber; de Lapide Philosophico.
An alchemic treatise by an unknown German author; dated 1677. It is to be found
reprinted in the Hermetic Museum; in it is the well known design of a man with
legs extended and his body hidden by a seven pointed star. Eliphaz Lévi has
copied it. [ w.w.w.]
Ama (Heb.)., Amia, (Chald.). Mother. A
title of Sephira Binah, whose “divine name is Jehovah” and who is called
“Supernal Mother”.
Amânasa (Sk.). The “ Mindless”, the early
races of this planet; also certain Hindu gods.
Amara-Kosha (Sk.). The “immortal vocabulary”.
The oldest dictionary known in the world and the most perfect vocabulary of
classical Sanskrit ; by Amara Sinha, a sage of the second century.
Ambâ (Sk.). The name of the eldest of
the seven Pleiades, the heavenly sisters married each to a Rishi
belonging to the Saptariksha or the seven Rishis of the constellation
known as the Great Bear.
Ambhâmsi (Sk.). A name of the chief of the
Kumâras Sanat-Sujâta, signifying the “waters”. This epithet will become more
comprehensible when we remember that the later type of Sanat-Sujâta was Michael,
the Archangel, who is called in the Talmud “the Prince of Waters”, and in
the Roman Catholic Church is regarded as the patron of gulfs and promontories.
Sanat-Sujâta is the immaculate son of the immaculate mother (Ambâ or Aditi,
chaos and space) or the “waters” of limitless space.
(See Secret
Doctrine-, Vol. I., p. 460.)
Amdo (Tib.). A sacred
locality, the birthplace of Tson-kha-pa, the great Tibetan reformer and the
founder of the Gelukpa (yellow caps), who is regarded as an Avatar of
Amita-buddha.
Amên. In Hebrew is formed of the
letters A M N = 1,40,50 =91,and is thus a simile of “Jehovah Adonai”=10, 5, 6, 5
and 1,4, 50,10 =91 together; it is one form of the Hebrew word for “truth”. In
common parlance Amen is said to mean “so be it”. [ w.w.w.]
But, in esoteric parlance
Amen means “the concealed”. Manetho Sebennites says the word signifies
that which is hidden and we know through Hecatæus and others that
the Egyptians used the word to call upon their great God of Mystery, Ammon (or
“Ammas, the hidden god ”) to make himself conspicuous and manifest to them.
Bonomi, the famous hieroglyphist, calls his worshippers very pertinently the
“Amenoph”, and Mr. Bonwick quotes a writer who says: “Ammon, the hidden god,
will remain for ever hidden till anthropomorphically revealed; gods who are afar
off are useless”. Amen is styled “Lord of the new-moon festival”. Jehovah-Adonai
is a new form of the ram-headed god Amoun or Ammon (q.v.) who was invoked by the
Egyptian priests under the name of Amen.
Amenti (Eg.). Esoterically and
literally, the dwelling of the God Amen, or Amoun, or the “hidden”, secret god.
Exoterically the kingdom of Osiris divided into
fourteen parts, each of which was set aside for some purpose connected with the
after state of the defunct. Among other things, in one of these was the Hall of
Judgment. It was the “Land of the West”, the “Secret Dwelling”, the dark
land, and the “doorless house”. But it was also Ker-noter, the “abode of
the gods”, and the “land of ghosts” like the “ Hades” of the Greeks (q.v.). It
was also the “Good Father’s House” (in which there are “many mansions”). The
fourteen divisions comprised, among many others, Aanroo (q.v.), the hall
of the Two Truths, the Land of Bliss, Neter-xev “the funeral (or burial)
place” Otamer-xev, the “Silence-loving Fields”, and also many other
mystical halls and dwellings, one like the Sheol of the Hebrews, another like
the Devachan of the Occultists, etc., etc. Out of the fifteen gates of the abode
of Osiris, there were two chief ones, the “gate of entrance” or
Rustu, and the “gate of exit” (reincarnation) Amh. But there was
no room in Amenti to represent the orthodox Christian Hell. The worst of all was
the Hall of the eternal Sleep and Darkness. As Lepsius has it, the defunct
“sleep (therein) in incorruptible forms, they wake not to see their
brethren, they recognize no longer father and mother, their hearts feel nought
toward their wife and children. This is the dwelling of the god All-Dead. . . .
Each trembles to pray to him, for he hears not. Nobody can praise him, for he
regards not those who adore him. Neither does he notice any offering brought to
him.” This god is Karmic Decree; the land of Silence—the abode of those
who die absolute disbelievers, those dead from accident before their allotted
time, and finally the dead on the threshold of Avitchi, which is never in
Amenti or any other subjective state, save in one case, but on this land of
forced re-birth. These tarried not very long even in their state of heavy sleep,
of oblivion and darkness, but, were carried more or less speedily toward
Amh the “exit gate”.
Amesha Spentas (Zend). Amshaspends. The
six angels or divine Forces personified as gods who attend upon Ahura Mazda, of
which he is the synthesis and the seventh. They are one of the prototypes of the
Roman Catholic “Seven Spirits” or Angels with Michael as chief, or the
“Celestial Host”; the “ Seven Angels of the Presence”. They are the Builders,
Cosmocratores, of the Gnostics and identical with the Seven Prajâpatis, the
Sephiroth, etc. (q.v.).
Amitâbha. The Chinese perversion of the
Sanskrit Amrita Buddha, or the “Immortal Enlightened”, a name of Gautama
Buddha. The name has such variations as Amita, Abida, Amitâya, etc., and. is
explained as meaning both “Boundless Age” and “Boundless Light”. The original
conception of the ideal of an impersonal divine light has been anthrdpomorphized
with time.
Ammon (Eg.). One of the great gods of
Egypt. Ammon or Amoun is far older than Amoun-Ra, and is identified with Baal.
Hammon, the Lord of Heaven. Amoun-Ra was Ra the Spiritual Sun, the “Sun of
Righteousness”, etc., for—“the Lord God is a Sun”. He is the God of Mystery and
the hieroglyphics of his name are often reversed. He is Pan, All-Nature
esoterically, and therefore the universe, and the “Lord of Eternity”. Ra, as
declared by an old inscription, was “begotten by Neith but not engendered”. He
is called the “self- begotten” Ra,, and created goodness from a glance of his
fiery eye, as Set-Typhon created evil from his. As Ammon (also Amoun and Amen),
Ra, he is “Lord of the worlds enthroned on the Sun’s disk and appears in the
abyss of heaven”. A very ancient hymn spells the name “Amen-ra”, and
hails the “Lord of the thrones of the earth...Lord of Truth, father of the gods,
maker of man, creator of the beasts, Lord of Existence, Enlightener of the
Earth, sailing in heaven in tranquillity. . . All hearts are softened at
