The belief that a spirit or divinity resides within every object, controlling its existence and influencing human life and events in the natural world.
In Theosophy, a subtle body that is the substrate for feelings and desires. The astral body is believed to be capable of separating from the physical body in
out-of-body experiences or astral projection, when it is experienced as a replica of the physical body
The separation of the astral body from the physical body and its travelling to other places. Also refers to techniques for inducing such
out-of-body experiences.
The period from around 800 BCE to 200 BCE which Karl Jaspers argues involved a major cultural and psychological paradigm shift in which there developed a focus on the individual and self-consciousness.
A therapeutic approach that uses body work (e.g., breathing, movement) to encourage the expression of feelings and to relieve emotional and physical blockages.
Religion based on the teachings of the
Buddha. Denies the existence of a Supreme Being and emphasises the achievement of
enlightenment and liberation from suffering.
In Vedanta and Theosophy the 'sheath' or
subtle body that persists in dreamless sleep. The causal body does not experience mental forms but exists in a state of bliss.
Sanskrit word for wheel. Chakras are believed to be centres of energy within the
subtle body that are associated with different levels of consciousness.
A movement in Christianity that emphasises personal experience of the Holy Spirit, which is often expressed through healing, prophecy or
speaking in tongues.
A term coined by Richard Bucke to refer to exalted and joyous experiences of our own deep connection to the whole universe, felt as a living and ordered Presence.
(1) The Platonic or
Cartesian doctrine that mind/spirit and matter/body are fundamentally separate realities. (2) The religious belief in separate and antagonistic forces of good and evil.
A movement that emphasises the ways in which both women and nature have been dominated by men and which promotes the values of women, the body, and nature.
(1) An eighteenth century philosophical movement that emphasised rationality and humanitarian values. (2) In Indian religions, a sublime state of blissful
self-realization and knowledge.
A nineteenth and twentieth century philosophical movement that emphasises the implications of human freedom and responsibility and our capacity for self-knowledge.
A philosophical or (more usually) religious perspective which advocates a rigid adherence to certain fundamental beliefs or principles, and is generally associated with intolerance of alternative views.
A religious-philosophical tradition, originating in the period before Christianity, that emphasises
salvation through higher knowledge. A central theme in Gnosticism is the evil that is manifest in the material world and the need to escape this through
magical or mystical practices.
A diverse Indian religion that believes in a Supreme Being (Brahman) who manifests in many forms. Hinduism teaches the doctrines of
karma and reincarnation.
Term coined by Stan Grof meaning 'orientated towards wholeness' that he applies to a range of
altered experiences that may, for example, by induced by
psychoactive drugs, by Holotropic Breathwork, or other activities.
A mind-altering technique developed by Stan and Christina Grof that involves lengthy sessions of altered breathing combined with loud evocative music and body work.
An educational and philosophical outlook that emphasises the personal worth of the individual and the central importance of human values as opposed to religious belief.
The 'third force' in psychology that focuses on developing the capacity of human beings for
self-realization and other 'positive' qualities such as love, empathy, creativity, and altruism.
Traditional religious beliefs and practices found among descendants of peoples who originally inhabited a territory prior to any colonization or settlement from outside Generally used to refer to native religious traditions that are not represented in the major world religions.
In religious, esoteric and
magical traditions, a formal introduction to the mysteries, to the hidden powers, or to a select community of practitioners.
A long-term programme of disciplined practice developed by George Leonard and Michael Murphy that aims to work on developing positive
transformation and integration of body, mind, heart, and soul.
An Indian religion that emphasises asceticism and the perfectibility of the human soul. Jainism teaches the doctrine of
reincarnation and denies the existence of a Supreme Being.
A Yoga practice that focuses on the gaining of spiritual knowledge and
liberation through the intensive study of scriptures and the deep
contemplation of spiritual ideas.
A term used by Aanstoos and Roll to refer to our experience of a larger soul that extends beyond individual identity to include our deep connection to significant others, the land and posssessions.
As used by Wilber, primitive or prepersonal superstitious thinking in which there is a failure to differentiate fully the self from the natural and social worlds.
Sanskrit for 'Greater Vehicle'. One of the three major schools of
Buddhism which is found mainly in Northern India, China, Tibet and Japan. Mahayana
Buddhism emphasises the universal quest for
enlightenment which may be achieved in many ways, including the path of faith.
A profound pattern of experience that may occur when a person has nearly died or has clinically died and then been resuscitated. Typical features of the NDE include a sense of peace,
out-of-body experience, moving through a dark tunnel, the encounter with a loving light, meeting deceased relatives or friends, or spiritual beings, and a life review.
Term used for a variety of new religious movements that are based on the revival of pre-Christian religion. Neopagan religions often emphasise nature,
magic, and the worship of the Goddess and/or Horned God.
A philosophical school developed by Plotinus and others from the 3rd century CE which postulates the existence of a single spiritual source of all things (the One) with which the individual soul may be united in
mystical experience.
An umbrella term for a loose collection of alternative philosophies, religions and practices that emphasize spiritual development and a
holistic perspective.
Religious groupings that have developed outside the mainstream traditions or that offer radically different interpretations of traditional religious belief and practice.
Term used by Jung to refer to the disturbing but ultimately
transformational process in which the person is forced to confront the depths of the
unconscious.
A state of consciousness or being in which there is no awareness of the distinction between subject and object, or self and other. A condition in which everything is experienced arising as the self.
The belief that everything is divine, that God is not separate from but totally identified with the world, and that God does not possess personality or
transcendence.
(1) Relating to the individual person. (2) In Wilber's model, a
structural level based on
mental-egoic consciousness and the development of the individual personality.
In Jung's psychology, the realm of the unconscious that contains elements deriving from personal experience, such as repressed memories and emotional complexes.
Wilber's suggestion that many approaches to spirituality fail to distinguish correctly between
prepersonal and transpersonal structures because both share the property of being non-personal.
Term used in psychodynamic theory to refer to the whole of a person's psychological nature and experience, including both conscious and
unconscious layers.
Lit. 'revealing the psyche'. A term coined by the British psychiatrist Humphrey Osmond to refer to mind-altering drugs such as mescaline and LSD. Also used to refer to the experiences induced by these drugs.
Psychological and psychotherapeutic approach developed by Roberto Assagioli which emphasises the need to explore and integrate all areas and levels of the
psyche.
Wilber's suggestion that a truly integral approach must recognize that all phenomena should be examined from a perspective that considers both (1) insides and outsides, and (2) the singular and the plural.
Also see AQAL.
A system of practice based on the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali which emphasises control of the body and mind, the practice of
meditation and the realization of samadhi.
Term used in Buddhism to refer to some kind of personal continuation from one life to the next. Since
Buddhism does not accept the notion of a permanent self, this is not literally a
reincarnation of the same fixed entity.
The belief in transmigration, or the progress of the individual soul from life to life. This progress is often seen as serving the purpose of spiritual evolution.
(1) In Christianity, the condition of being saved or delivered by Jesus or God. (2) Used more generally to refer to the achievement of spiritual perfection or
liberation.
School of Hindu philosophy that forms the basis of
Yoga. It argues for the reality of two basic principles:
purusha and prakriti. The purpose of spiritual practice is to realize our true nature as
purusha.
A dogmatic perspective that proposes that only the material world is real and that all phenomena can be fully explained using the principles and methods of a materialist science.
(1) For Maslow, the transcendence of personal identity in
peak experiences or through metamotivation. (2) For Frankl, the actualization of meanings and purposes that go beyond the self.
A healing practice in which the person undertakes a journey in imagination during which help is sought from spirit helpers or
spirit guides who often appear in the form of animals.
An indigenous spiritual tradition in which the shaman (seer or sorcerer) undergoes, in
trance, a journey to the spirit world to bring back knowledge or power to heal the community.
An approach, illustrated in the theories of Jung, Grof and Washburn, which argues that
transpersonal development involves recontacting the dynamic potentials within the
unconscious.
A term used in a variety of different senses including: (1) an animating principle, (2) a supernatural being, (3) consciousness, (4) the soul, (5) the
transcendent witness, (6) the essence of the Divine.
Term used by Stan and Christina Grof for disturbing and often overwhelming crises that may be indistinguishable from
psychosis, but which represent a process of
transformation and spiritual opportunity.
A spiritist movement that originated in America in the 1840s and became fashionable on both sides of the Atlantic in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
An ancient tradition, which is found in both Hinduism and
Buddhism, that focuses on awareness and use of the energies of the body, relationships and the cosmos for spiritual purposes. Tantra uses ritual and
magic and is often associated in the West with sexual spiritual practice.
A philosophical system that derives from the writings of Helena P. Blavatsky who founded the Theosophical Society in 1875. Theosophical teachings are based on an
esoteric interpretation of Hinduism and
Buddhism and on the belief in the perennial philosophy at the core of all religions.
Pali for 'Elder Doctrine'. One of the three major schools of
Buddhism, Theravada adheres closely to the original teachings of the
Buddha. It proposes that enlightenment is achieved through one's own spiritual effort and, especially, through the monastic life. Found chiefly in Southeast Asia and Sri Lanka.
A Tibetan meditation practice in which the meditator
visualizes taking negative and harmful influences into the self and sending out positive and beneficial influences.
An approach that emphasises the importance of expanding our concern and sense of self outwards to achieve a wider and deeper identification with the natural world or
Gaia.
Hindu philosophical school that emphasises the divinity of the soul (Atman) and the achievement of salvation through service,
meditation and self-knowledge.
A Buddhist form of mindfulness meditation which aims at gaining insight into the nature of mind. Vipassana entails witnessing the physical sensations and mental activity as these arise in consciousness.
In some Native American cultures, the ritual seeking of guidance from the spirit world through visions induced by isolation or fasting. Often undertaken by males as a rite of
initiation at puberty.
Wilber's term for a higher mode of systemic thinking that is capable of holding and integrating different perspectives that may formerly have been considered contradictory or incompatible. Wilber argues that vision-logic arises at the
Centaur stage of development.
