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Lancaster Metaphysical Chapel Website Dictionary.
Glossary for LMC website We welcome contributions from the LMC membership. Please email to Dave Nelson at ixode@comcast.net with any questions or contributions.
| Agape | God's love. |
| Ahimsa | Sanskrit for non-violence - is the first step toward learning to love! |
| Angel | A heavenly envoy or messenger who can communicate with the earth. A spiritual helper for humankind. |
| Atlantis | A continent with an advanced civilization lost to the ages but said to be under the Atlantic Ocean. The notion of a sunken continent is scientifically verifiable. Caves have been found under the Atlantic with stalagmites and stalactites proving the land was at one time above ground. The legend, known to over 200 civilization in more modern times including the Hopi Indians, lives on in the Bible as the story of Noah's Ark. This story was handed down from civilization to civilization. The farther back in time we look, the more concise and believable the story becomes. |
| Atma | Sanskrit for Self. |
| Augustine | (354-430) Sainted early Christian Church father who wrote about reincarnation. |
| Aura | An energy field or measurable magnetic field that emanates from all living organisms. It consists of seven distinctive layers of varying colors. An Auras' strength can be seen to change in healing situations as healers lose energy and the patient receives energy. The aura was measured in an experiment at Yale University. |
| Automatic Writing | Writing produced when a person goes into a trance and their guide causes the medium to write messages. |
| Besant, Annie | (1847-1933) Former wife of a clergyman, Ms Besant joined the London School Board, reforming practices and instituting free meals for malnourished and medical exams for elementary students. She became interested in Theosophy, founded by Madame Blavetsky. Theosophy was based on Hindu ideas of karma and reincarnation with the final goal, achievement of Nirvana. Well educated she had degrees in Sanskrit Literature, English Literature, and Indian (the country of) history. Besant authored numerous books and pamphlets on Theosophy. |
| Bhagavad-Gita | In the main, The Bhagavad-Gita is an ethical work. It presents teachings one could use in his or her daily life. Understand that it was compiled for the era in which it was written. It should also be examined from the standpoint of two highly philosophical systems of thought which were then prominent, namely, the Sankhya and the Yoga. The background of The Bhagavad-Gita is the mythology of ancient India, a consideration of which is necessary for a complete understanding it. |
| Bible | Some of esoteric bent claim the Bible dates back to Ante-deluvian times. Biblical scholars date the oldest book, Genesis to 1657 B.C.E. The Greek scriptures, New Testament date back only as far as 43 C.E. when the Gospel of Mark was written. The Bible has been assembled based on political agendas, such as the King James version. It exists today in many different versions, with numerous other gospels and texts excluded, such as the 1 and 2 Maccabees, The Gospel of St. Thomas, The Gospel of Mary and others. The Bible as we know it was written in three languages; Aramaic, Greek, and Hebrew. When the classic translations of the existing texts were made over 100 years ago numerous technical words in common usage today were not available to the translators. Conversely some colloquialisms in use in the day were not known to the translators. Thus apparent errors have crept in. |
| Billet | A statement written on paper and folded up so as not to be seen by a medium. It is to be handled by the medium giving them energy to make contact with the querent or that person's guides in a psychic reading. |
| Blavatsky, Madame | Madame Blavatsky's given name was Helena Petrova Blavatsky. She was born to aristocratic parents in 1831 in what is now the Ukraine. She had a very charming personality, and found she had psychic abilities at an early age. She brought metaphysics and occultism out of the shadows and reached many mainstream citizens, writers, historians, theologians and philosphers. She was an author and co-founder of the Theosophical Society. Her transition was 1891. |
| Cayce, Edgar | (1877-1945). Called the sleeping prophet Cayce was the most documented psychic of the 20th century. He was a trance medium, philosopher and healer. His readings were notarized and are stored at the A.R.E., The Association for Research and Enlightenment in Virginia Beach, VA. The A.R.E. also conducts seminars worldwide, has a holistic clinic in Arizona, and maintains a library and bookstore devoted to metaphysical topics. |
| Chakra | The word chakra means wheel. Later it became associated with the term "wheel of light" which is the modern usage of the word. The seven chakras were first described nearly 2600 years ago, in the ancient sacred texts. The seven chakras are the root, spleen, solar plexus, heart, throat, brow or 3rd eye, and crown. It is interesting to note that the seven chakras described thousands of years ago actually have a basis in anatomy - they correspond to five main nerve ganglia of the spinal column and two areas of the brain (upper and lower). So in effect, in accordance with the chakra definition, they truly are "energy centers!" |
| Channel | Person who is used to transmit communications, energies, thoughts, or deeds from a discarnate soul or entity. |
| Chapel | The definitions vary from source to source as to be subjective at best. One definition is: A chapel can be either a physically small structure or a room where worship services, prayer, meditation, or some form of spiritual activity is held. |
| Christ | Many meanings exist and there is much confusion. Many believe the term means Jesus. Many think it means "our Lord." Some think it is part of of Jesus' name, ie: Jesus Christ. Other meanings include, Messiah, Anointed One, or even ruler. Metaphysics teaches that the term "Christ" is a title. For each "age," pisces, aquarius, and etc. there is a Christ. Our elder brother Jesus was the Piscean Christ, others came before him and others will follow him. We believe the correct way to use the title "Christ" is to define which Christ you mean. We might say "Jesus the Christ," Christ Jesus, or Jesus who became the Christ. |
| Christ Consciousness | A physical state of existence on the Earth that is the embodiment of the teachings of the Master Jesus, namely peace beyond human understanding, God-love between all beings, compassion for all beings, and full awareness of the need for soul growth. |
| Christed Plane | Sometimes called the ninth dimension, it is the highest plane of existence below that of Mother Father God. Some have it melding with Mother father God as a pure white light. Some differentiate as Gold for The God-plane and light blue for the Christed Plane. Nevertheless it is an extremely high state of consciousness |
| Church | A house of worship, diffeing in some definitions from chapel, see above. The term might refer to a larger free standing structure. |
| Clairaudience | Extrasensory information "heard" by the medium. |
| Clairvoyance | The ability to perceive extrasensory information |
| Clement of Alexandria, St. | Became sainted. Date of birth unknown; died about the year 215. St. Clement was an early Greek theologian and head of the catechetical school of Alexandria. An early church father, he wrote extensively about metampsychosis, pre existence of soul, and lot in life based on past deeds. |
| Course In Miracles | In this enlightening program, you’ll discover why forgiveness is the key to universal happiness ... why love depends on your willingness to give, rather than your desire to receive ... why changing the way you see the world works better than trying to change the world itself ... and why service is necessary for personal fulfillment. Three locations in Lancaster County (PA) including this establishment. |
| Crowley, Aleister | (1875-1947) Well known occultist and probable devil worshipper. Crowley reveled in cocaine, heroin, and unchecked intimate behavior. He is rumored to have summoned demons to counteract an demonic "attack" from a rival. Channeling information from an entity called ‘Aiwass,' he wrote a book, "The Book of the Law." 3 key philosophical ideas outlined in the book are: 1.) Do What Thou Wilt Shall Be The Whole Of The Law. 2.) Love Is The Law, Love Under Will. 3.) Every Man And Every Woman Is A Star. He coined the term, "magick" by adding a k to magic. Item #2 parallels the Christian "Law" as given in the Bible at Galations 5:14, "You must love your neighbor as yourself." |
| Dalai Lama | The spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhism, now in exile in India. His Holiness the 14th and current Dalai is Gejong Tenzin Gyatsho, 1935-. His Holiness has 3 commitments in life, the promotion of human values, the promotion of religious harmony amongst the world religions, and being free spokesman for the Tibetans in their struggle for justice against the Chinese. The Dalai Lama's website is http://www.dalailama.com |
| Death | The cessation of all vital signs without the possibility of resuscitation. The permanent release of a spiritual being from the body in which it has been residing. |
| De ja vous | (French) "already seen", The memory of having seen or experienced something before while in a past life. |
| Devil | In Christianity, an angel who left Heaven to oppose Jesus the Christ and become a tempter of all mankind. Blamed by Christians as the cause for all the evil in the world. In metaphysics, we believe the thoughts and deeds of mankind cause the evil and not a being. We see the devil is a fictional character that is the personification of evil thoughts. We might say, "The devil made me do it" as a figure of speech. |
| Discarnate | Syn.-ghost. A spiritual entity on the Earth Plane that should have moved "to the light" after the death of its host body. |
| Extra Sensory Perception | Extrasensory perception, also called ESP is perception occurring independently of the physical senses. People who possess this ability are said to be psychic. They can also be called mediums or clairvoyants. The term psychic was coined in 1927 by J.B. Rhine of Duke University. |
| Faith Healing | A method of energy healing where the person believes that they will be healed. The form of energy healing found in most Christian churches where hands are "laid" on another. |
| Feng Shui | Also The Art of Placement, this classic Chinese form of geomancy teaches that the home and workplace, environment and landscape can help the individual to be more alive, receptive, and focused. The technique tries to balance the ying/yang energies in the person's space. |
| Fortune Teller | A medium, or psychic who tries to predict for another events that will happen in the future. |
| Freemasonry | Fraternal and occult movement originating in 18th century England. Many of the United States' founding fathers were freemasons. |
| Gaia | Greek and Roman Goddess of Earth. |
| God | See also the discussion of Yahweh (Jehovah). Most Christians and countless others accept the notion, "God always was." Many think that in the beginning there was nothing. This nothingness realized that it existed and became the Infinite Intelligence we metaphysicians call God. We also believe God to be sexless. We believe a spirit can have no gender assignment. Thus we refer to God as "Mother-Father God." We believe God will allow reformation to grace at any stage of an individual's existence. In other words, no entity will be cast into a place of eternal torments. |
| Holistic Health | Natural approach to health and freedom from dis-ease. The patient uses diet, herbal supplements, macrobiotics , chiropractic, exercise, meditation, acupuncture, rife machines, or other noninvasive therapies. |
| Holy Spirit | God's active force. A false belief that crept into Christianity prior to 300 C.E is that God's energy or "force" is part of a "trinity" expressed as God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. This so called trinity was never taught by Jesus. |
| I Ching | An ancient Chinese book consisting of 64 interrelated hexagrams along with commentaries attributed to Confucius. A means of divination to get answers to specific questions, not unlike tarot Cards. |
| Jehovah | Jehovah. See Yahweh below. |
| Jerome, St. | (340-420) An early church father believed in pre-existence of the soul. He did have some issues with Origen's writings. The church elevated him to the status of Bishop. |
| Jesus | He was the Son of God and part of the Godhead (trinity) according to Christians. Jesus taught us how to pray to a singular God, not to a Triune or even to Himself, at Matthew 6:9. Metaphysicians see him as an ascended master, or a master teacher. Born to a carpenter in Nazareth, Jesus traveled the world during the years missing from the Bible. He spent his time learning from the mystery schools of many different peoples and teaching metaphysics wherever he went. After his crucifixion Jesus reappeared in different bodies but was recognized by his mannerisms. This appears to be a means of illustrating reincarnation. |
| Kabbalah (Qabalah) | Jewish mysticism. A source of power that reveals spiritual laws, reveals the human soul, creates order in ones life. The knowledge of Kabbalah, heals people and has the capacity to transform the live of the initiate. |
| Koran | The sacred scriptures of Islam. It contains revelations given to Mohammed between 610 and 632. These revelations were copied down and compiled, creating the Koran, into the 650's. Ancient Arabic was written without dots leaving many look-alike letters causing some confusion in meaning. The Koran is divided into 114 "Suras." There is no chronology which appears in the Christian Bible. |
| Lancaster, PA | Home of the Amish and related history. A light center in the Susquehanna Valley. Home to Lancaster Metaphysical Chapel, a metaphysical church. |
| Lancaster Metaphysical Chapel | A non denominational spiritualist church and light center at 610 2d St., Lancaster, PA 17603, 717-399-4733. A member church under the umbrella of United Metaphysical Churches, Roanoke, VA. |
| Leadbeater, Charles W. | (1854-1934) Leadbeater was born in Chesahire, England. He was an author, clairvoyant, student of theosophy and contemporary of Annie Besant. He was active in the early work of the "Theosophical Society." |
| Lemuria | An ancient, very spiritual, civilization reported to have existed in the Pacific on a continent there; supposedly contemporarily with Atlantis. Like Atlantis, the existence of a Pacific continent is scientifically valid. Reviewing oceanographic sounding information of the Pacific floor, Russian oceanographers were amazed at what the data showed. They saw a map of a large riverbed that ran west to east with a large tributary system, the mouth of the riverbed being near modern day Peru. An American University looking at the sea bed near Peru found ruins of buildings nearly 30,000 feet deep. |
| Livingston, Michelle | A world-renowned medium, author, artist, and speaker. Michelle has a show on Comcast channel 8. She has spoken at Lancaster Metaphysical Chapel a couple of times and given workshops there. |
| Medium | A person who relays messages from spirit to a querent. A psychic, a claiurvoyant. |
| Metaphysics |
That which is beyond sight, from the ancient Greek meta, too see, and phusika, the physical. Metaphysics as we at LMC have come to understand mandates an acceptance of the gift of mediumship. Also a branch of philosophy concerned with the ultimate nature of existence. |
| Mu | See Lemuria. |
| Near Death Experience | Sometimes during trauma or illness, the soul leaves the body prematurely. When the victim regains consciousness and describes their experiences, typically involving a tunnel of light, the phenomena is known as a near death experience. Skeptics point out research that shows that oxygen loss to the brain produces hallucinations and that's what the person experienced. The skeptics can't account for experiences where the soul left the body and heard and/or saw remote events that actually transpired. One such case involved a soul that left the body, left the hospital, and accurately recounted an incident at a service station, involving damage to a customer's car, caused by a repair tech. |
| New Age | A genre of spirituality indicating study of metaphysics, the occult, and other esoteric teachings believing in paradise like conditions soon to come in the Aquarian age. It parallels the Bible's paradise, "New Heavens and New earth." In the Bible refer to 2Peter 3:13, Psalm 37:29, and related verses. |
| Nirvana | Buddhism-The highest state of consciousness, in which the soul is freed from all desires and attachments. Nirvana is sometimes inaccurately used as a synonym for heaven or paradise. Hinduism- Emancipation from ignorance and the extinction of all attachment. |
| Numerology | A form of mediumship based on numbers and their influence on human life. Typically numerical representation of letters in names, places of birth, and addresses are tallied to give information. There are annual cycles, monthly cycles, weekly cycles and even daily cycles. |
| Occult | Literal definition; hidden, or secret. Unfortunately, "occult" has been given a sinister twist and has come to be a synonym of "satanic," which is far from the truth. Jesus taught the occult to his apostles. Mark 4:11 differs from translation to translation, but the emphasis is that Jesus taught in parables to the masses, but taught mystical secrets to his disciples. |
| Orb | The soul of a once living person or animal that appears in photographs as a circle of light. The orb can be almost anything from helpful spirits, so called ghosts who do not return to the light, or spiritual entities "just passing through." For example, our church attic produced numerous orbs on film. The pictures were snapped by roofing engineers who apologized for the "strange circles." Many people capture orbs on film at nearby Gettysburg National Park. Skeptics claim the orbs are reflected light from the flash, however orbs can occasionally appear on film even when no flash is used. Also, orbs can appear quite large. Skeptics cannot always account for the wide variety of orb sizes. |
| Origen | Circa 185-254 C.E. An extremely prolific writer within the Early Christian Church. Origen is estimated, by St. Jerome, to have penned 800 texts. St. Gregory called him, "The prince of Christian learning in the 3rd century. Unfortunately Origen, a promoter of reincarnation, fell into such disfavor his works were later destroyed or rewritten in whole or in part, just as the Bible appears to have been. Two hundred fifty years after Origen's death, the 5th Ecumenical Councuil drew up the 10 "Anathemas (curses) against Origen." |
| Ouija | Some users believe that paranormal or supernatural forces are at work in spelling out ouija board answers. Skeptics believe that those using the board either consciously or unconsciously select what is read. To prove this, simply try it blindfolded for some time, having an innocent bystander take notes on what letters are selected. Much of the time, the "reading" is gibberish, however many times intelligible messages are displayed. Edgar Cayce warns that discarnates use the ouija as a portal and can give incorrect information. |
| Out of Body | When the essence of a being, soul or spirit, leaves the physical body for some reason. |
| Out of Body Experience | When soul leaves the body during meditation, sleep, or unconciousness. When the victim regains consciousness they might describe their experiences. Skeptics point out research that shows that oxygen loss, as in near death experiences, to the brain produces hallucinations and that's what the person experienced. The skeptics can't account for experiences where the person was simply meditating and had no oxygen loss. See near death experience. |
| Other Side | The spiritual realms. |
| Pagan | Pagan means one who is not a Christian, Muslim, or Jew, derived from the Latin "paganus", country dweller. Paganism was the foundation upon which many Judeo-Christian traditions were built. Christian holidays were made to coincide with pagan rituals. Ostera became Easter, Saturnalia became Christmas, etc etc. Interestingly, Easter's name is traceable back to the Babylonians. It is likely a tradition practiced before there were written records. |
| Polesky, Carl | Minister of Lancaster Metaphysical Chapel, 610 Second St., Lancaster, PA 17603 |
| Psychic Fair | Many spiritualist organizations hold psychic fairs for fundraising. Here at Lancaster Metaphysical Chapel we hold one in the spring and one in the fall. Call us at 717-399-4733 for the dates. The event is usually published in area periodicals before the event. Once there, note that there is no admission. Pay only for the services you want. One can expect mediums, readers, pet psychics, handwriting analysts, chair massage, tachyon energy cocoon, food, all for loads of fun. |
| Qabalah | see Kabbalah |
| Qi Gong | A gentle form of exercise, meditation, and posturing dating back to ancient China. Similar to T'ai Chi, the practitioner has been shown through studies to generate improved health compared to the general population. |
| Qur'an | See Koran. |
| Reader | One who possesses enough sensitivity to be able to read, i.e., receive and pass along a psychic message to the querent using cards, personal articles of the enquirer, or simply mental impressions. |
| Reading | A written or spoken discourse prepared for a querent by someone who acts as a "go between," connecting the other side to the "here and now" physical. |
| Sanskrit | An ancient language of India (the language of the Vedas and of Hinduism); an official language of India although it is now used only for religious purposes |
| Sodom & Gomorrah | Biblical cities supposedly destroyed because of perverted sexual practices. Described in 2d Peter 2:6. This Bible story gets increasingly more accurate as one looks further back in time. Before the Akkadians and even Sumerians, Tibetans told a tale describing a nuclear attack on an Earth City in pre-history. This is recorded in the Book of Dzyan. Loss of detail and poor translations have occurred as the accounts have been handed down generation to generation or civilization to civilization. |
| T'ai Chi | A gentle form of exercise involving slow tranquil sweeping motions that stimulate the flow of chi to bring improved health to the practitioner. It's roots trace back to ancient China. |
| Talisman | A Talisman is an inanimate object like a Spiritual Magnet which draws and invites all Cosmic and Benefic powers of the Universe to help the beneficiary attain what he/she desires in life. |
| Theosophical Society | (Paraphrased from their website) A non-sectarian worldwide organization devoted to bringing peoples of the world together through unification of religion, philosophy, and science. Their mission/visions/ethics sound very metaphysical. |
| Theosophy | From wikipedia.org "Theosophy is a body of ideas which holds that all religions are attempts by man to ascertain "the Divine," and as such each religion has a portion of the truth. |
| UFO | Literally, an unidentified flying object. The term has gradually shifted in its meaning over the years to lean more towards the assumed meaning of a non terrestrial craft |
| Ufology | The study of UFO's and related physical phenomena. |
| Vedas | Ancient scriptures or revelations (Shruti) of the Hindu teachings. They are considered by adherents of Hinduism to be revealed knowledge. There are two differing views on the Vedas. One,They are the language of the Gods that created and rule over us. Second, many Hindus believe that the Vedas were not written by anyone (including God), but are eternally existing. There are four vedas each consisting of four parts. The Vedas were compiled around 3500 BCE. Some historians put a less ancient date on their compilation. They are veiled and symbolic, requiring special "vision" to understand. |
| Veil | In spiritual circles, the separation between the physical world and the spiritual realms. In texts, a reference to a hidden or partially obscured meaning, requiring some psychic ability to understand. |
| Vision | A picture received by spirit mediums where there is no physical stimuli, but they "see" something anyway. |
| Webb, James | Senior Minister of the Takoma Park Metaphysical Chapel in Maryland. Author of The Keys to Enlightened Living: Channeled Messages from the Masters. |
| Wiccan | Wiccans practice rites to attune themselves with the natural rhythm of life forces marked by the phases of the Moon and the seasonal quarters and cross-quarters. They do not worship nor do they even believe in a devil. Wicca means "Wise One," Wicca is masculine, Wicce is feminine; both refer to practitioners of the Craft of the Wise. Wicca initially was a term used to refer to the old-European, pre-Christian religion. In modern times it has come to describe many nature based religions, the beliefs of which incorporate a God and/or Goddess and the cycles of the Earth. |
| Xenography | A kind of automatic writing written in a tongue foreign (unknown) to the scribe. |
| Yahweh | Also called Jehovah, literal meaning," He who causes to become." Yahweh is the name of the God of Christians and Jews. Many Christians argue that God's name does not exist in the Bible. If you look in Bibles printed before 1955, they all state Jehovah is God's name in at least 3 places. In older versions of the Bible, God's name, represented as the "Tetragrammatron"-YHWH or JHWH appears over 7000 times. The modern Bibles most likely to still have God's name would have it at one or more of the following verses; Exodus 6:3, Psalm 83:18, Isaiah 12:12, and Isaiah 26.4. |
| Zen | Many people are confused because they are unaware that the term "Zen" has a few meanings. Zen is short for Zen Buddhism. It is sometimes called a religion and sometimes called a philosophy. Others may define it as meditation. It's inconsequential which meaning you prefer; it simply doesn't matter. Zen was first transmitted from master to master in India, brought to China by Bodhidharma, and later spread to Japan and the world. But the word "Zen", not its meaning or concept, is Japanese. One of the central points of Zen is intuitive understanding. As a result, words and sentences have no fast or rigid meaning, and logic is often irrelevant. |
| Zodiac | (Simplistic explanation) A segment of a stellar circle, each segment making up about 8% of the 360º total. A name is assigned to each segment. Readings and predictions can be done based on one's time of birth as it relates to the segment under which the individual was born. Western astrology is not the true zodiac as not all the names are of animals or even living things (Libra for example.). |