Epiphenomenalism is a position on the mind–body problem which holds that subjective mental events are completely dependent for their existence on corresponding physical and biochemical events within the human body, yet themselves have no influence over physical events. The appearance that subjective mental states influence physical events is merely an illusion, consciousness being a by-product of physical states of the world. For instance, fear seems to make the heart beat faster, but according to epiphenomenalism the biochemical secretions of the brain and nervous system —not the experience of fear—is what raises the heartbeat. Because mental events are a kind of overflow that cannot cause anything physical, yet have non-physical properties, epiphenomenalism is viewed as a form of property dualism.
The mind is that which thinks, imagines, remembers, wills, and senses, or is the set of faculties responsible for such phenomena. The mind is also associated with experiencing perception, pleasure and pain, belief, desire, intention, and emotion. The mind can include conscious and non-conscious states as well as sensory and non-sensory experiences.
In many religious and philosophical traditions, the soul is the spiritual essence of a person, which includes one's identity, personality, and memories, an immaterial aspect or essence of a living being that is believed to be able to survive physical death. The concept of the soul is generally applied to humans, though it can also be applied to other living or even non-living entities, as in animism.
Astral projection is a term used in esotericism to describe an intentional out-of-body experience (OBE) that assumes the existence of a subtle body, known as the astral body or body of light, through which consciousness can function separately from the physical body and travel throughout the astral plane.
Franz Bardon was a Czech occultist and student and teacher of Hermetics.
The astral plane, also called the astral realm or the astral world, is a plane of existence postulated by classical, medieval, oriental, and esoteric philosophies and mystery religions. It is the world of the celestial spheres, crossed by the soul in its astral body on the way to being born and after death, and is generally believed to be populated by angels, spirits or other immaterial beings. In the late 19th and early 20th century the term was popularised by Theosophy and neo-Rosicrucianism.
Contemporary Sant Mat Movements, mostly among the Radha Soami tradition, are esoteric philosophy movements active in the United States, Europe, Australia, Latin America, and especially India. These movements assert that Sant Mat shares a lineage with Sikhism and contains elements of thought found in Hinduism, such as karma and reincarnation. They further assert that Sant Mat also contains elements found in Sufism and has inspired and influenced a number of religious groups and organizations. They refer to this spiritual path as the "Science of the Soul" or 'Sant Mat', meaning 'teachings of the saints'. More recently it has been described as "The Way of Life" or "Living the Life of Soul". It incorporates a practical yoga system known as Surat Shabd Yoga.
In esoteric cosmology, a plane is conceived as a subtle state, level, or region of reality, each plane corresponding to some type, kind, or category of being.
The term involution has various meanings. In some instances it refers to a process prior to evolution which gives rise to the cosmos, in others it is an aspect of evolution, and in still others it is a process that follows the completion of evolution in the human form.
Integral yoga, sometimes also called supramental yoga, is the yoga-based philosophy and practice of Sri Aurobindo and The Mother. Central to Integral yoga is the idea that Spirit manifests itself in a process of involution, meanwhile forgetting its origins. The reverse process of evolution is driven toward a complete manifestation of spirit.
Murāqabah is an Islamic methodology, whose aim is a transcendental union with God. Through murāqabah, a person watches over their heart and soul, to gain insight into one's relation with their creator and their surroundings. Murāqabah is a tradition commonly found in ṭarīqas. The objective of murāqabah is to purge one's base characters and develop lofty character in its place. According to tradition, it is said to have been the practice of Muhammad during his stay in the Cave of Hira before he met Jibreel.
Ahaṁkāra, 'I-making' is a Sanskrit term in Saṃkhyā philosophy that refers to the identification of Self or Being with 'Nature' or any impermanent 'thing'. It is referred to as ego and evolves from Mahat-tattva, It is one of the four Antaḥkaraṇa.
God Speaks: The Theme of Creation and Its Purpose is the principal book by Meher Baba, and the most significant book used by his followers. It covers Meher Baba's view of the process of creation and its purpose and has been in print continuously since 1955.
Active imagination refers to a process or technique of engaging with the ideas or images in one's imagination, and is used as a mental strategy to communicate with the subconscious mind. In Jungian psychology, it is a method for bridging the conscious and unconscious minds. Instead of being linked to the Jungian process, the word "active imagination" in modern psychology is most frequently used to describe a propensity to have a very creative and present imagination. By examining the most evident manifestations of the unconscious mind—dreams—a person can learn how to execute this method on themselves. It is thought to be a crucial aid in the process of individuation. It employs creative imagination as an organ for "perceiving outside your mental boxes". For the first hundred years of active imagination, it was applied primarily by individuals for exploring their sub- and unconscious; hence its value in psycho-therapeutic settings. Until the "inner child" theme in the 1970s, active imagination was most closely associated with C. G. Jung's experiments with himself and with clients emphasizing its therapeutic value. In the 1980s, active imagination found uses in commercial disciplines, for example, architecture and molecular biology. Where active imagination seeks to perceive what is already present, fantasy intends to create where nothing yet exists.
Karma is the basic principle within an overarching psycho-cosmology in Jainism. Human moral actions form the basis of the transmigration of the soul. The soul is constrained to a cycle of rebirth, trapped within the temporal world, until it finally achieves liberation. Liberation is achieved by following a path of purification.
The mind–body problem is a philosophical problem concerning the relationship between thought and consciousness in the human mind, and the body.
The spirit world, according to spiritualism, is the world or realm inhabited by spirits, both good or evil of various spiritual manifestations. This spirit world is regarded as an external environment for spirits. The Spiritualism religious movement in the nineteenth century espoused a belief in an afterlife where individual's awareness persists beyond death. Although independent from one another, both the spirit world and the physical world are in constant interaction. Through séances, trances, and other forms of mediumship these worlds can consciously communicate with each other.
The United States of Mind is a compilation album by jazz pianist Horace Silver, released on the Blue Note label in 2004 compiling the three separate 'Phases' previously released as That Healin' Feelin' (1970), Total Response (1971) and All (1972). It features performances by Silver with Randy Brecker, George Coleman, Houston Person, Cecil Bridgewater, Harold Vick, Richie Resnicoff, Bob Cranshaw, Jimmy Lewis, Mickey Roker and Idris Muhammad, with vocals by Andy Bey, Salome Bey, Gail Nelson and Jackie Verdell.
This is a glossary of terms used in New Thought.
Occult Science in Medicine is a book by the German doctor and theosophist Franz Hartmann (1838-1912), published in 1893. The aim of the book was to raise awareness amongst doctors and medical students about valuable medical knowledge from the past that has been ignored and catalogued as occult. The treasures of the past, that the author is concerned with and on which he develops his argument, are mostly extracted from the work and perspective of Theophrastus Paracelsus. On a broad level, the book is a comparison between the medical knowledge, practices and system contemporary to the author and those predicated by Theophrastus Paracelsus and supported by Theosophy in general. Additionally, an implicit underlying theme of the book is the nature of science and knowledge - the author advocates against conservative science and contrasts it with progressive science. From a psychological perspective, there is a dualistic representation of the mind and of the body in relation to the constitution of man, diseases and their place in contemporary medicine.
