Resources

Resources

Below is a collection of information about many of the items listed and issues raised on this site.

Astrology

Astrology (from Greek: astron,"star" logos, "word") is any of several traditions or systems in which knowledge of the apparent positions of celestial bodies is held to be useful in understanding, interpreting and organizing knowledge about reality and human existence on earth. All are based on the relative positions and movements of various real and construed celestial bodies, chiefly the Sun, Moon, planets, Ascendant & Midheaven axes, and lunar nodes as seen at the time and place of the birth or other event being studied.

Alexander Technique

The Alexander Technique is a study of freeing response that is taught by studying one's own mannerisms of posture. It takes its name from F. Matthias Alexander (1869–1955), a former Shakespearean recitalist, who first observed and formulated its principles during 1890 – 1900. F.M. Alexander trained teachers of his Technique from 1931 until 1955.

Pilate's

The Pilate's Method is a physical fitness system developed in the early 20th Century by German-American Joseph Pilates. Joseph Pilates called the method The Art of Contrology, which refers to the way the method encourages the use of the mind to control the muscles

Aromatherapy

Aromatherapy is the use of essential oils, absolutes, carrier oils and other fragrances from plants to affect someone's mood or health, and is commonly associated with alternative medicine.

Reflexology

The concept of reflexology is to self-heal and correct ailments by instructing and reconditioning the neural system of the body. It is a complementary, biological, integrative health science where pressure is applied to reflex areas, thus persuading the body to biologically strengthen itself. Reflex areas can be found in the feet and hands and these correspond to the different glands and organs of the body. The most interesting part about this therapy is that the only equipment required here are your fingers!

Shiatsu

Shiatsu (Japanese - is a hands on technique originating in Japan. Shiatsu therapy was developed by Tokujiro Namikoshi. It follows similar principles to western massage using anatomy and physiology sciences, in which the thumbs, palms, and fingers (no knees or elbows are used in the foundation form of shiatsu therapy) are used to apply pressure to designated areas of the body.

Buddhism

Buddhism is a religion and philosophy based on the teachings of the Buddha, Siddhartha Gautama (Sanskrit; in Pali, Siddhattha Gotama), who lived between approximately 563 and 483 BCE. Originating in India, Buddhism gradually spread throughout Asia to Central Asia, Tibet, Sri Lanka, Southeast Asia, as well as the East Asian countries of China, Mongolia, Korea, and Japan. The aim of buddhist practices is to become free of suffering (dukkha). Some schools emphasize awakening the practitioner to the realization of anatta (egolessness, the absence of a permanent or substantial self) and achieve enlightenment and Nirvana.

Crystal Healing

Crystal healing is the belief that crystals have energies and properties that are able to improve health. It is not part of standard medical theory, but it is included in a broader view of Crystal power that says crystals, which are minerals with a periodic atomic structure, possess metaphysical abilities. Quartz crystalCrystal healers say that it works because everything is energy and vibrates at various frequencies and that crystals work via these vibrations. Every living thing has a vibrational energy system, which includes chakras, subtle bodies and meridians. By using the appropriate crystals one can allegedly retune an energy system or rebalance a body's energies, thus improving well-being.

Dreams and the Mind

Dreaming is the subjective experience of imaginary images, sounds/voices, thoughts or sensations during sleep, usually involuntarily. The scientific discipline of dream research is oneirology. Dreaming is associated with rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, a lighter form of sleep that occurs during the later portion of the sleep cycle, characterized by rapid horizontal eye movements, stimulation of the pons, increased respiratory and heart rate, and temporary paralysis of the body. Dreams are a language of imagery. This imagery ranges from the normal to the surreal; in fact, dreams often provoke artistic and other forms of inspiration. Forms of dream include the frightening or upsetting nightmare and erotic dreams with sexual images and nocturnal emission.

Celtic

The first literary reference to the Celtic people, as keltoi or hidden people, is by the Greek Hecataeus in 517 BC. In ancient times, the Celts were a number of interrelated peoples in central Europe sharing a branch of Indo-European languages indicative of a common origin.

Druid

Druidry or Druidism was the religion of the ancient druids, the priestly class in ancient Celtic and Gaulish societies through much of Western Europe north of the Alps and in the British Isles. Druidic practices were part of the culture of all the tribal peoples called Keltoi and Galatai by Greeks and Celtae and Galli by Romans, cultures we identify by the modern words "Celtic" and "Gaelic".

Goddess

A goddess, a female deity, contrasts with male deities, known as "gods". A great many cultures have their own goddesses, sometimes alone, but more often as part of a larger pantheon that includes both of the conventional genders and in some cases even hermaphroditic deities. The Goddess can provide a female version of or analogue to God; sometimes, the relationship is more rooted in monism, as opposed to a straight-cut monotheism or polytheism, and the Goddess and God are seen as part of one transcendental monad.

Healing

In Hinduism and its spiritual systems of yoga and in some related eastern cultures, as well as in some segments of the New Age movement, a chakra (from the Sanskrit word meaning "wheel, circle") is thought to be an energy node in the human body. The seven main chakras are described as being aligned in an ascending column from the base of the spine to the top of the head. Each chakra is associated with a certain color, multiple specific functions, an aspect of consciousness, a classical element, and other distinguishing characteristics. The chakras are thought to vitalise the physical body and to be associated with interactions of both a physical and mental nature. They are considered loci of life energy, or prana, which is thought to flow among them along pathways called nadis.

Islam

Islam (Arabic word meaning , "submission (to God)") is a monotheistic faith and the world's second-largest religion. Followers of Islam, known as Muslims, believe that God (or, in Arabic, Allah) revealed His Will to Muhammad (c. 570–632) and other prophets, including Adam, Abraham, Moses, and Jesus. The Muslims hold that the main written record of revelation to mankind is the Qur'an. In Arabic, Islam means "submission" and is described as a Din, meaning "way of life" and/or "religion." Etymologically, it is derived from the same root as, for example, Salam meaning "peace" (also a common salutation). The word Muslim is also related to the word Islam and means "one who surrenders" or "submits" to God, or a "vassal" of God.

Mediation

Meditation usually refers to a state of extreme relaxation and concentration, in which the body is generally at rest and the mind quieted of surface thoughts. Several major religions include ritual meditation; however, meditation itself need not be a religious or spiritual activity. Most of the more popular systems of meditation are of Eastern origin.

Reiki

Reiki is a holistic alternative therapy based on Eastern concepts of energy flow and the seven chakras (energy centers) in the human body. Reiki was formulated by a Japanese teacher, Mikao Usui, around 1890, but incorporates meditation techniques, beliefs, and symbols that are considerably older. It is distinctive among alternative therapies in its emphasis on self- healing, its five spiritual principles, and its accreditation of healers through a system of initiation.

Self Help

Though the term self-help can refer to any case whereby an individual or a group betters themselves economically, intellectually or emotionally, the connotations of the phrase have come to apply particularly to psychological or psychotherapeutic nostrums, often purveyed through the popular genre of the "self-help" book.

Shamanism and Native American

Shamanism is a range of traditional beliefs and practices that involve the ability to diagnose, cure, and sometimes cause human suffering because of a special relationship with, or control over, spirits. This tradition has existed all over the world since prehistoric times. Shamanism is based on the premise that the visible world is pervaded by invisible forces or spirits that affect the lives of the living.

Spiritual Yoga and Eastern thought

Yôga, meaning union or yoking in Sanskrit, is the primary focus of Hinduism's diverse darshans or "points of view". Yôga is a science of the body, the mind, the consciousness and the soul. Yôga is a teaching of wisdom and knowledge which has been transmitted to mankind from the great Yogis and Rishis of ancient times, though its geographical origin lies in India, it is universal, all-valid, eternal knowledge.

Spirituality

Spirituality may include belief in supernatural powers, as in religion, but the emphasis is on experience. What is referred to as "religion" and what is referred to as "spirituality" are often the same. In recent years, "spirituality" has often carried connotations of the believer's faith being more personal, less dogmatic, more open to new ideas and myriad influences, and more pluralistic than the faiths of established religions. Those given to speaking of "spirituality" rather than "religion" are apt to believe that there are many "spiritual paths" and that there is no objective truth about which is the best path to follow. On the other hand, there are many adherents of orthodox religions who consider spirituality to be an aspect of their religious experience, and they are more likely to contrast spirituality with secular "worldliness" than with the ritual expression of their religion. Others of a more New Age disposition hold that spirituality is not religion, per se, but the active and vital connection to a force, power, or sense of the deep self.

Tai Chi

T'ai Chi Ch'uan, commonly known as T'ai Chi or Taiji (literally supreme ultimate fist.), is a nei chia ("internal") Chinese martial art which is known for the claims of health and longevity benefits made by its practitioners and in some recent medical studies. T'ai Chi Ch'üan is known as a soft style martial art, an art applied with as complete a relaxation or "softness" in the musculature as possible, to distinguish its theory and application from that of the hard styles which use a degree of tension in the muscles.

Tarot and Divination

Tarot (Tar-oh) is a system of symbolical images. Whatever their original significance, they have been used since they first surfaced as much for divinatory purposes as for trick-taking card games. Tarot is currently used as tool for reflection on one's personal life, as well as an aid to meditation. Divination is the practice of ascertaining information by supernatural means. If a distinction is to be made with fortune-telling, divination has a formal or ritual and often social character, usually in a religious context; while fortune-telling is a more everyday practice for personal purposes. Divination is a universal cultural phenomenon which anthropologists have observed as being present in many religions and cultures in all ages up to the present day.

Taoism

Taoism or Daoism, is usually described as an Asian philosophy and religion, although it is also said to be neither but rather an aspect of Chinese wisdom.

Zen

Zen is the Japanese name of a well known branch of Mahayana Buddhism, practiced especially in China, Japan, Vietnam and Korea. It stresses the role of meditation in pursuing enlightenment. But besides this, it has been termed, by one Western commentator, "a way of life, work, and art ." Because Zen is the common name for this branch in Japanese as well as in English, this article will concern itself both with Zen as practiced in Japan and with Zen as an international phenomenon.

Magic

Magic is a supposed way of influencing the world through supernatural, mystical, or paranormal means.

Wicca

Contrary to popular belief, Wicca is all about crafting a peaceful and balanced life, in harmony with the elements of nature. The revered Wiccan deities, the Triple Moon Goddess and her consort, the Horned God, represent the feminine and the masculine aspects of the Earth Mother's creative energies—rather than Satanic practices and Black Magic. Despite being a fairly modern, Neo-pagan religion, Wiccan sources predate the Christian era by a couple of centuries. With roots going back to ancient fertility cults, Celtic traditions, magical rituals, healing arts and northern European pagan rites—Wicca is rapidly gaining in popularity all over the world.

Runes

A method of divination involving the use of counters displaying symbols from the runic alphabet.

Buddha's

Buddha can refer to the historical Buddha, Siddhartha Gautama, or to anyone who has attained the same depth and quality of enlightenment. Buddhas are frequently represented in the form of statues. Commonly seen designs include: Seated Buddha Reclining Buddha Standing Buddha Hotei, the obese, laughing Buddha, usually seen in China.

Dreamcatchers

A simple description can be found in the Frances Densmore book, Chippewa Customs, published by the Minnesota Historical Society Press (St. Paul) in 1929 and reprinted in 1979. She described articles looking like spider webs that were usually hung from the hoop of a child's cradle board. She said that 'they catch and hold everything evil as a spider's web catches and holds everything that comes into contact with it'. Traditionally, these 'dream catchers' were wooden hoops with a 3 1/2 in. diameter, woven with a web made of nettle-stalk fiber that was dyed red with the red sap of the root of bloodroot or the inner bark of the wild plum tree.

Feng Shui

Feng Shui (– literally, wind and water pronounced "fung shuway"), which may be more than 3000 years old, is the ancient practice of placement to achieve harmony with the environment. Traditional or classical Feng Shui is an ancient Chinese proto/pseudo/ethnoscience that addresses the layout of cities, villages, dwellings, and buildings. In 1960s, Feng Shui was introduced in the West. Regardless of the country of practice, East or West, businesses use Feng Shui to increase sales and boost morale. Homeowners use Feng Shui to bring peace and harmony to their surroundings.

Hindu Deities

Hinduism is a monist and monotheist religion that understands different deities as representing various aspects and principles of one supreme entity, Brahman or parabrahman.

Soapstone Carvings

Soapstone is a very soft mineral consisting mostly of talc. Soapstone which is almost entirely talc is also known as steatite. It may feel soapy when touched, hence the name. Usually associated with Eskimo art, carved seals, whales and polar bears, but it should be realized that ancient soapstone carvings have been found all over the world. It is difficult to attribute soapstone carvings to any one race. The Egyptians and Babylonians carved raised stamps out of soapstone. These stamps were used to make imprints in wet clay. India was known for carving cooking pots, statues, and even building palaces out of soapstone. The Chinese are best known for their jade figurines, but they also carve soapstone. Apprentice carvers often start learning to carve using soapstone.

Copper Bangles

Fiesta Real Copper Bangles. It is widely believed that both magnetic therapy and copper are beneficial towards good health. Ancient philosophy suggests that universal energy is made up of opposite forces. Yin and Yang, and that magnetic energy can balance the yin and yang restoring harmony in the human body. Copper bangles have long been offered as a help to suffers of arthritic and rheumatic pains with well known personalities advocating their benefits.