A – Esoteric Glossary

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Abhidharma

The metaphysical system of Buddhism, the higher (abhi) Dharma, that pertaining to the highest consciousness, buddhi-manas.

Āchārya (Ācārya)

A spiritual teacher, one who sets forth to explain the religious doctrines.

Adept

One who has mastered all aspects of the three planes of human livingness, and thus is technically an Initiate of the fourth degree or greater.

Ādi (Adi)

The first, primeval Cause. It refers to the first plane of percep­tion, the highest of the seven systemic planes, corre­sponding to the first of the four Ethers of the cosmic Dense Physical plane. This is sometimes called the atomic plane (as is the first subplane of all the other planes of perception), because here atomic sub­stance is at its most undifferentiated, singular state.

Ādi Buddha

The primordial enlightened one, the essence of the buddhadharma, of which all other Jinas (Buddhas of meditation) are attributes.

Aditi

The boundless whole, Eternal Space, the infinite abstract Space, which contains the potential space. The Mother of the Gods.

Aditya

The eight sons of Aditi. The seven planets plus the Sun.

Advaita

A philosophy stressing Unity, absolute Monism. From A = not, and dvaita = dual.

Adytum

From the Greek term referring to the sanctuary where only priests are permitted.

Aeon

An age or very long period of time. A manvantara.

Aether

The fifth and most sublime of the alchemical elements. Equated with the properties of the fifth plane of perception, atma.

Agni/Fire

The term Agni refers to the Lord of Fire, the energy of mind/Mind, incorporating transcendental awareness. All is constructed of Fire, transmuted by Fire and the liberated one rides through cosmos upon the steed of the most rarefied Fire. Such Fire lies at the heart of all mantras of liberating poise, producing a Fiery pledge (samaya) beckoning all on, through and to the great beyond.

In the Hindu Vedas he is the God of Fire, and is the oldest and most revered of the Deities in India. He rules the substance of the mental plane, and all arenas wherein the Mind of God can be found manifest, and thus is all pervasive, for, as Hebrews 12:29 states “God is a con­suming fire”. Under Him stand three orders of Devas, as explained in my book on the Externali­sation process of the Hierarchy:
Agnichaitans – the (fire) Devas embodying the substance of the mental plane.
Agnisuryans – the (fire) Devas embodying the substance of the as­tral plane.
Agnishvattas – the (fire) Devas embodying the substance of the physical plane.

Agni-Putra

A Son or form (putra) of Agni.

Āh-Hi

Liberated beings, from the Sanskrit Āhi = “one who de­stroys on all sides, a serpent”. They are “wise serpents” or “Dragons of Wisdom”, the Destroyers of all forms of attachment to the formed realms. They can also be viewed as the embodiers of the ceaseless Logoic Breath with its inflowing (Āh) and out­flowing (Hi) motion. They are thus the per­vaders of Space with the sub­stance of the enlightened Mind, and are also the ab­stracters of the essence of life (Consciousness) from out of the material forms. They are the Greater Builders, the Lords work­ing out the Will aspect of a Solar Logos, and work mainly from two planes of perception, Anupadaka and Ādi.

Ahamkara

Thought of selfhood, that the individ­ual contains some immortal and unchanging faculty of the Soul, when in reality there is no such thing, for everything is in per­petual flux and changes in relation to everything else around it. There is however, a higher ver­sion of this concept of “selfhood”. This concerns the drawing down of the qualities of the highest principle within the man, the Father or Monadic as­pect (which is relatively eternal), for the purpose of awaken­ing the highest spiritual possibilities, making the “individual­ity” of the Master, Arhant, or Adept possible.

Ahamsa

See Hangsa. Aham = I am, sa = he or That.

Air

This Element is the fourth in order. It is the substance of bud­dhic/intuitional impression, and is often symbolised by the wind. It can also be seen as the vital breath that flows through the nadi system, prana.

Ajna centre

This is the Third Eye centred between the eye­brows. There are 96 petals to this centre divided into two parts of 48 petals each. It coordinates the inte­gration between personality and Soul forces, as well as relating the various Ele­ments to­gether. Thus it gives us the ability to vision on many levels of being (dimensions of percep­tion) when unfolded. The right and left nadis are said to unite here. The Head Centre and the ajna chakra are esoterically considered a unit.

Akasha

This is the higher correspondence to the prana that vivifies our etheric forms. It is that subtle su­persensuous essence that pervades the space of the four cosmic Ethers, our higher planes of per­ception, specifically the “electricity” associ­ated with bud­dhi. The term is derived from the Sanskrit root “kas“, meaning to radiate, shine. The word Akasha also directly translates as “space”, in the sense that space is that through which things must manifest in order to make a visible appearance. Through this “space” things thus come into being, but Akasha can really be here considered the “space of consciousness”.

Akashic Records

These are the “records” im­pressed upon the ethers, the sheath of Akashic substance sur­rounding all manifest beings, that are the effect of all actions in thought word or deed, subtle or gross. They are essentially the records of karmic interrela­tions. All happenings of the past, plus their tendencies in the future, can be in­stantly contacted by the enlightened one and seen and experienced ex­actly as they even­tuated.
The “akashic records” that most “seers”, mediums and clair­voyants contact is the astral plane reflection of the impression upon buddhic realms, and are accordingly distorted by the state of agitation and colour­ing of the “waters”, both of the person’s own astral body, and upon the subplane of the astral from where such impressions are de­rived. They generally “see” through veils of glamour, they see only fleeting images, and their desire bodies add the missing portions, thus the many erroneous pronouncements and “cryptic” impressions from such sources.
Universal storehouse of consciousness, the mind as basis-of-all in the Yogācāra philosophy. Here ālaya is a store of mental images gained from the faculty of distinguishing or discerning (vijñāna). The ālaya can be conceived to be ever-present in one respect and also as being subject to evolutionary progression. The ability of the ālaya to evolve produces the many attributes of manas. The ālaya that remains in and by itself can also be considered an aspect of the abstract Mind.

Akshobhya

The second of the five Dhyani Buddhas. He reflects the Dharmadhatu wisdom of Vairocana on to the fi­nite planes by means of embodying the “mirror-like wisdom”. He is the gate to the dharma, the “eye” or focal point to the ob­taining of Revelation. On the manifest realms, reality can only be known by its reflection. Thus Ak­sobhya’s action is like a pure unstained mirror that reflects things ex­actly as they are – pure, unsullied, unmodified. He is the “enlightened mind” and repre­sents the transmuted correspondence of the herd or group in­stinct.

Ālayavijñāna

Universal storehouse of consciousness, the mind as basis-of-all in the Yogācāra philosophy. Here ālaya is a store of mental images gained from the faculty of distinguishing or discerning (vijñāna). The ālaya can be conceived to be ever-present in one respect and also as being subject to evolutionary progression. The ability of the ālaya to evolve produces the many attributes of manas. The ālaya that remains in and by itself can also be considered an aspect of the abstract Mind.

Alchemy

The precursor of modern chemistry, but this science con­cerned the desire to transmute base substances (lead or mercury) into spiritual gold, “the philosopher’s stone”, which became a wish-fulfilling gem to the possessor, and brings about the Reve­lation of the nature of the highest Mysteries. Alchemy is literally the transmutative effect of the fires of the mind wilfully directed upon the atoms of substance, with exact knowledge of the nature of the elemental dævic lives embodying that substance. It is a most ancient science, and effectively concerns the path trod­den by all on the path to enlightenment, for all Initiates are internal al­chemists.

Alta Major centre

An important minor chakra at the back of the head, (on top of the spinal column) and associated with the third aspect of Deity, the Mother. It interrelates the rising kundalini energy with the forces of the head centre proper. It is related to the throat centre.

Amitabha

(Amida in Japan.) The Buddha of infi­nite Light. (As Amitayus.) The fourth of the five Dhyani Bud­dhas. He embodies the mental plane and the transmutation of the intel­lect into illumination by means of wis­dom and the “discriminating inner vision” (which is the quality of this entity). Amitabha represents the lotus in full flower, showing that now the receptacle of knowledge has been completed and filled. Its body of expression is symbolically the square on the lower men­tal plane. This reflects as an image on the physical plane where it be­comes an octagon  – the eight spokes of the “Wheel of the Law”, the Buddha’s Noble Eightfold Path. This octagon can also be seen in terms of the symbolism of the eight points of the compass, giving us an idea of direction in Space. Amitabha ex­presses the higher cor­respondence of the sexual instinct.
In the pure land sects of China and Japan Amitabha is said to be the intermediary between Supreme Reality and humanity, and faith in him ensures birth into His Paradise realm (Sukhavati). This concerns awakening to bodhicitta, the enlight­enment mind.

Amoghasiddhi

The fifth Dhyani Buddha. If the “discriminating wisdom” of Amitabha is applied to the physical plane as a direct path of action and all the forces inherent in Nature are utilised constructively, then the work of Amoghasiddhi, who embodies the “all accomplishing wisdom”, is effected. He expresses the transmuted correspondence of the instinct of self-preservation. Therefore, he has in his palm a double Vajra, the Buddhist “thunderbolt”, the symbol of indestructible power.
Because Ratnasambhava’s Equalising Wisdom – giving equally to all, without discrimination is reflected on the physical plane through Amitabha’s Wisdom of Right Discrimination, and trans­formed as a di­rect path of action by Amoghasiddhi, so this unfold­ment of wisdom can only be by the path of active love and compas­sion, as a direct ap­plication of the harmony and law that stems from the Ineffable. Amoghasiddhi represents the unfold­ment of applied wisdom that   al­lows the person to travel the path of the Great Libera­tion.

Amṛta

Is defined as “deathless state”, the elixir of immortality, soma, ambrosia. A purified, transmuted mixture of the saṃskāras that were formerly productive of ego-clinging.

Anahata Chakra (Heart centre)

The Heart Centre, with its twelve golden coloured petals. It is situated between the shoul­der blades and unfolds in all dynamically active, compassionate people who are associated with groups, or concerned with the many. The Life-energy is anchored here, thus it is the centre where the Guru or Christ, is said to reside, wherein the “Voice of Silence” can be heard. It is therefore, the centre from which the Intuition emanates, thus is associated with the control of the Element Air.

Ananda

This word means bliss, joy, and is the name of the Bud­dha’s cousin and “favourite” disciple, the one who recorded the sutra

Angelic being

The Christian term equivalent to the Sanskrit word Deva. It derives from the Greek angelos = a messenger or en­voy, one who an­nounces. There are said to be nine orders and three groupings of angelic entities:
The highest order, relating to the Father aspect are:

Cherubim
Seraphim
Thrones.

The middle order, relating to the Son aspect are:

Kriotes, or Dominations
Dynamies or Virtues
Excusai or Powers.

The third order, relating to the Mother aspect are:

Principalities
Archangels
Angels.

The highest order are concerned with the evolution of the Solar System as a whole, the totality of karma. They constitute the “Head Centres” of the Heavenly Men, the Planetary Regents. They are Lords of Power.

The middle order is basically concerned with the human Soul-Group, with our psychic unfoldment, and are associated with the Spiri­tual Hierarchy or Heart Centre of a Heavenly Man. They represent man­ifest Love-Wisdom.

The lowest order is basically concerned with the evolution of the mineral, plant, and animal kingdoms and with the physical, emotional, and mental bodies in man. They control the karmic adjustment of our physical affairs, racial unfoldment, national and international events on the physical plane. They help make manifest all terrestrial changes, earthquakes, etc. They represent embodied activity.

Angel of the Presence

The Solar Angel, the Dævic or angelic aspect of the Causal form of a person. It is seen as a body of compas­sionate Light.

Anima Mundi

(From the latin, Anima = that which breathes or blows, and Mundi = world) The Soul of the World, that which embodies the sum of the consciousness-aspect. Thus it is that which the Christ em­bodies.

Antaḥkaraṇa

Consciousness-link. Literally it is that which bridges or links the abstracted Mind to the concreted aspects of mind. It has been depicted as a “rainbow bridge” because of the Rays of energies it conveys. At a later stage of meditative development it is consciously built through a sea of consciousness, bypassing the Sambhogakāya Flower, allowing linkage with the dharmakāya and the wisdoms of the five Dhyāni Buddhas. Its build­ing is that which allows the attainment of the fourth Initiation.

Anu

An atom, the infinitesimally small.

Anupadaka

Meaning “parentless”, self-existing, hav­ing no progen­itors. This term is applied to the second of the cosmic Dense Physical subplanes, or the second highest of our systemic planes, counting from below up. It is the home of the Monad, which is also literally “parentless”, as also the many lib­erated Beings (Dhyan Chohans) that can function con­sciously from that realm.

Anuttarayogatantra

Highest (unsurpassed) yoga Tantra. Concerns the visualising of the chosen deities: any of the Dhyāni Buddhas and Vajradhara, usually centred upon Akṣobhya or Vairocana. Involves the union of Father and Mother Deities, thus the evocation of pristine cognition through the fusion of skilful means and discriminative awareness, whereby the qualities of the five Jinas come to be embodied. Non-dual classes of Tantras. The four classes of tantra are kriyātantra or action Tantra which involves mastery of physical plane conditions, caryātantra, which deal specifically with astral plane conditionings, yogatantra the focus being on dealing with the rules governing all attributes of mind and the fourth being the Anuttarayogatantra.

Apana

The third of the five breaths (Vayu’s) in yoga phi­losophy. The nadi from the solar plexus to the feet, and is re­lated to the physical plane, the Base of Spine and Sacral cen­tres. It con­trols the various secretions associated with the organs of elimi­nation and of birth (the reproductive system), and in­volves the right handling of one’s external impact to the envi­ronment, to one’s circle of friends and to society in general. It implies that the “child” to which one gives birth is ade­quately nourished and rightly directed in its path of life. It thus involves the full use of one’s discriminatory capacity. Its colour is or­ange-green.

Apas

Water.

Apsaras

(Ap = waters, sri = to flow or to blow). The wives of the Gandhar­vas, the Airy Devas of Music.

Archangel

Arch = chief, principal, first in time. Hence, the chief angel, one of the highest rank.

Ares

Mars, the God of war.

Arhat

From the root arh, meaning worthy or deserving, worthy one, foe destroyer also, “arhan”. One who has attained freedom from the cycles of existence, associated with the Theravādin (śravakayāna) tradition. A solitary meditator. A title given to those who have journeyed to the “other shore” of saṁsāra by this tradition, thus a “non-returner”. However, they must yet “return” to incarnation as Bodhisattvas, despite the Theravādin concept of being a “non-returner” given above. There is literally no stopping the evolutionary process.

Ariadne

The daughter of King Minos of Crete, who gave Theseus the thread that allowed him to navigate the Minotaur’s maze (the concrete mind). Ariadne symbolises the Nadi system.

Ariel

This Hebrew name means “the Lion of the Lord”. In our teachings Ariel is one of the Archangels or Rajalords, the great Deva Lord that governs and embodies the sum of the plane Adi and thus the substance of the first subplane of the six other planes of perception. He is the first of the five fingers of Varuna, embodying the Aetheric Element. The colour attributed to him is red.

Armageddon

From Rev. 16:16. This word refers to the great deci­sive battle between the forces of Light and of darkness, between good and evil. It primarily concerns the destruction of civilisa­tion as we know it by means of the element Fire at the end of the fifth Root Race cycle, when the Lords of materialistic might, of massed fear, selfish and separative aggression, do their utmost to prevent the establishment of the New Era community by the members of the Hierarchy of Love, headed by the Christ. This Battle is most terrific in the Subtle Realms, for the hosts of evil come from all portions of the Body of the Greater Logos to as­sert their might. The battle is raging NOW, and the planet con­vulses with the effect of tensed fire, with conflagration and war manifesting all over the face of the Earth. This must inevitably lead to one final Battle that will end in the full sealing of the “Door where evil dwells”.

Army of the Voice

These are the lesser grades of deva lives, the lesser builders and elementals in their myriads on the lower planes, who work unconsciously, being guided and directed by mantric words and sounds.

Arupa

Formless, having no perceivable shape, as distinct to the word “rupa” meaning form. The entities residing above the mental are often designated “arupa” in contradistinc­tion to those that are “mind formed”.

Arupa Devas

Those angelic lives without form. They herald from planes above the lower mental, and are associ­ated with evolu­tionary space above that of the di­aphragm, esoterically consid­ered. They are the greater Deva Lives.

Aryan

In esotericism this term is used to denote the present fifth Root Race humanity. Those whose purpose is to evolve the qualities of the mind aspect in all its attributes. See Root Race.

Aryasanga

The name of a noted Buddhist philosopher, the founder of the Yogacharya School.

Aryavarta

This refers to the country of the Aryans, and is the ancient name of Northern India, where after the destruc­tion of Atlantis the seeds of the fifth Root Race set­tled. The name refers principally to the mountain valleys of the Hi­malayas. The Indo-Aryan people call themsellves Aryavartas. Hence the phrase “the fire of Aryavarta”    refers to the harbingers of the element Fire.

Asana

A prescribed posture of meditation.

Asat

A = non, and sat = the eternal or immutable Being. Thus the term refers to that which is “not-Being”.

Ashvattha

The tree of enlightenment, or fig tree. Also equated with the staff of Hermes.

Astral (Emotional) Body

This is a subtle vehicle interpenetrating the dense physical, and which takes the alchemical properties of the element Wa­ter. (There are five “Elements”, Earth = dense physi­cal body. Water = astral/emotional body. Fire = mental body. Air = intuitional/buddhic sheath. Aether = spiritual Will/Atmic sheath. They are the qualities of the five planes of perception wherein the human unit evolves in time and space.)
The astral body is essentially the form or sheath embodying the qualities of our desires, feeling perceptions, and emotions. When stilled, like a quiet pool of water it can reflect the qualities from “above” down into the realms of form. However, it is normally in a state of constant agitation, with muddied auric colouring, that distorts all impressions cast upon it, to create the untrue, the world of glamour, illusion, fanati­cal and fanciful perceptions, and forceful reactions, in which we all live. One of the major objectives of true meditation teachings is to work to “still” this body, so that Reality can be seen for what it is.

Astral Light

The astral plane is auto-luminous, as are all the subjec­tive planes of perception. It is lit by the Light from the Heart of the Sun. Often the astral light is confused with that of the etheric plane, for the two are virtually synonymous. (The word astral is derived from the Greek root aster, meaning a star or starry.)

Asura

The dynamic, incorporeal subjective Deities, literally Devas of the higher classes. They were created from the Breath of Brahma/Prajapati, Asu, meaning “breath”. Exoterically, they have been equated with fallen, or evil deities, but esoterically the opposite. Note the relation of the word sura to surya, meaning Sun.
H.P. Blavatsky states that “the Collective Mind – the Univer­sal – composed of various and numberless Hosts of Cre­ative Powers, how­ever infinite in Manifested Time, is still finite when contrasted with the Unborn and Undecaying Space in its supreme essential aspect. That which is finite cannot be perfect. Therefore there are inferior Beings among these Hosts, but there never have been any Devils or “disobedient Angels”, for the simple reason that they are all governed by Law. The Asuras (call them by any other name you will) who incar­nated, followed in this a law as implacable as any other. They had manifested prior to the Pitris, and as Time (in Space) proceeds in Cy­cles, their turn had come – hence the numerous allegories.
The Hebrew Elohim, called “God” in the translations, who create “Light,” are identical with the Aryan Asuras. They are also referred to as the “Sons of Darkness,” as a philosophical and logical contrast to Light Immutable and Eternal.” (From The Secret Doctrine, Volume 4, pages 55-6.)

Atlanteans

The fourth Root Race humanity that evolved emotional aspects of consciousness upon the Atlantean continent.

Atlantis

The continent that was submerged during the time of the fourth Root Race of Humanity, who were thus the Atlanteans. They developed the (watery) emotional body of humanity, just as our present fifth Root Race (Aryan) humanity has its objective in the development of the fifth principle, the fires of the mind. The At­lantis that was mentioned by Plato (Poseidonis) was the last portion of that ancient continent to be sunk.

Atma

The Mother of all manifest things, the breath of fire. The sub­stance of the fifth of the planes of per­ception (counting from be­low up), from whence originates pri­mordial karma. Thus the quality of self-hood, which such karma bequeaths (for karma must work through points of focussed ac­tion), and which is the orthodox Hindu rendering of this term. Note also its derivative Atman, meaning “Self”, the individu­alised Ego. There is much debate amongst Hindus and Bud­dhists concerning this, the Hindus consider it something perma­nent, unchanging, whilst the Buddhists stress the mutability and imperma­nence of all things.
Esoterically, the atmic plane, the fifth counting from below up­wards, and the third from above down, is the plane wherein resides the accomplished Master of Wisdom, who can be con­sidered to have at­tained a reflection within himself of a fragment of Cosmic Mind, for the Atmic plane reflects into Systemic Space the qualities of the cosmic Mental Plane (the substance of the Mind Structure of THAT Logos). The Master thus embodies cosmic Purpose as far as His Ray line and placing within the Hi­erarchy of enlightened Being permits. He wields the karma thereof, according to his degree of contact with the Mind of the Greater Logos. The Thought of That Thinker is the Creator and De­stroyer of all that is, hence the Source (or Mother) of all Karma.

Ātman

Self-identity, the innermost essence or “soul” of the individual, seen to be eternal, unchanging, as well as the universal “Self”.

Atom

In esotericism, a quantified unit of energy conditioned or bound by the Mind of the Creator. It consists of seven major spirals of energy, with four groupings of lesser spirillae or con­duits of energy moving at right angles to each other. These relate to the evolution of the con­sciousness aspect, conveying the pranas thereof in respect to the degree of attainment of the indi­viduality of the atom concerned. There are also two groupings of three spirals moving in a counter direction to the seven major ones, and which are responsible for the internal motion of the atom itself, with the fires of matter per se.
All incarnate beings can be viewed in terms of the atoms that con­stitute their forms, from the atomic structure of a Solar or Planetary Logos to that of man, thence to the little elementary lives that we call the atoms of substance. All is sentient and evolving together within the atomic structure of the Greater Atomic Life. We (humanity) can be con­sidered the component part of one of the Spirillae of That Atom, etc. The etheric body is essentially but an expression of the spirals and spirillae of an atom. The Principles of Light and Colour by Edwin D. Babbitt (1878). is still the best source for a detailed description of this subjective atomic structure, and A Treatise on Cosmic Fire by A.A. Bailey.
The “atom” of the scientist is really constituted of a large number of these little atomic lives, as described above. See also Permanent Atoms.

Atomic Substance

Esoterically, the substance of the highest sub­plane of each of the planes of perception. The basic atomic parti­cles from which the grosser atoms of the other planes “congeal”.

Augoeides

The luminous divine radiation of the Causal form, its aura. (From the Greek terms augo = radiant sunlight, and eidos = form or shape.)

AUM

The triple Word of the Creative Deity, and the three letters stand for the Hindu trimurti – Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva, the Father-Son-Mother, the Creater-Preserver-Destroyer. It also has a sevenfold ap­plication. See also Pranava.

Aura

The aura is literally a field of light around an object. The colouring of the subtle astral body clairvoyantly seen extending from the physical body. All individuals have auras. They get more luminous, vibrant, and intense as the conditionings of the astral body are transcended, and we look at the colourings of the higher sheaths, such as that of the mental body. Auras are spheres of radiatory activity.

Auric Egg

An appellation given to the Causal body, because of its form and colourings.

Avalokitesvara

The down­ward or onward looking Lord, the em­bodiment of Com­passion in the Bud­dhist philosophy, thus He embodies the Christ princi­ple. He is also called Padmapani (Tibetan Chen­risig Padma­pani), meaning the Lotus bearer, for he holds the Lotus that rep­resents the Heart of Life in his hands. He is often depicted with 1,000 arms, each of which is said to touch the hearts of all sentient beings. He is the Bodhisattva as­pect of the Buddha of Infinite Light, Amitabha. His specific mantram is OM MANI PADME HUM!, and has great esoteric significance in relation to the awakening of the compassionate understanding. Often titled Alaya Avalokitesvara, which em­phasises the ocean of compassion, the repos­itory of the con­sciousness-as­pect (Alaya) associated with this Being.

Avatar

Is one who “descends from above”. A divine Incarnation. That aspect of divinity which descends from above and incarnates into a form for the purpose of salvage and service, but gains nothing “personally” from that act of sacrifice and limitation, having long since transcended the related state of evolution into which it incarnates. From the Sanskrit roots, ava, to come down, or become less, and tri, meaning to cross over a river, to fulfil, save etc.

Avidya

Ignorance, the opposite of Vidya, knowl­edge.

Avitchi

A state of consciousness seen as virtual uninterrupted hell, but not without hope for final redemption. Also a zone or resi­dence for mem­bers of the dark brotherhood, the transgressors of the Law, in which they reside during prayala periods. The con­ditionings inside the eighth sphere.

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