Hades
The land of shadows, a place of darkness. The place where “shades”, astral forms go to after death, after crossing the river Styx. It was ruled over by Pluto and here many punishments were meted out to those who transgressed the Laws of love whilst incarnate, thus it was equated with the hell state, and indeed its qualities were that upon which the early Christians moulded their concept of Hell. Hades, of course, refers to the conditionings found upon the lower strata of the astral plane that serve as karmic purificatory realms for those that enter the after-death state with base qualities in their auras, who desire much, have the qualities of hate, spite, malice, etc., to others, or have fearful or obsessive auric qualities.
Hamsa
Or Hansa. Meaning swan or goose, “the eternal breath which ever goes”. When prefixed with the term Kala (infinite time), hence Kala-hamsa, it becomes the bird of space and time winging out the cycles and rhythms of all cycles of motion. It is the vehicle of Brahma.
Hangsa
A mantric syllable that is sounded out in relation to the cycles of breath, meaning “I am He”, or ahamsa. It is a version of the Tibetan HUM.
Hanuman
The monkey God of the Ramayana, the son of Vayu, the God of wind.
Hatha Yoga
The yoga (or form of union) that concentrates upon control of the bodily nature by means of austere postures and related breathing exercises. It is derived from the Sanskrit roots Ha = the Sun and tha = the Moon, which have a direct reference to the right and left hand nadis that are awakened during the breathing exercises associated with Hatha yoga. It should be noted that all forms of exercises and disciplines of the body can be considered forms of Hatha yoga, including all dietary concerns.
Head Centre
See Sahasrara Padma.
Heart Centre
See Anahata Chakra.
Heart of the Sun
This relates to that aspect of the Sun that emanates from its Heart Centre, but also to the Source of the quality of Love to our Solar System, the star system Sirius.
Hell
A place of punishment by fire and other forms of torture for the shades of the deceased. See also Hades.
Hercules
(Heracles = Hera’s glory.) The son of Zeus-Jupiter and Alcmena. He was noted for the overcoming of the twelve labours given to him to undertake. They are related to the symbolism of the twelve signs of the zodiac and which the Sun Hero, the aspirant for Initiation into the Mysteries of Hierarchical endeavour must also undertake. Specifically to be noted for the disciple are the testings associated with the eighth or Scorpionic labour, the battling of the nine-headed Hydra of desire.
Hermaphrodite
The union or fusion of Hermes, the intuition, and Aphrodite, the desire-mind. But more specifically, the fusion of male-female characteristics into one form. A being who can be seen as neither male nor female, but both at once.
Hermes
The Greek God of wisdom, and the messenger or mediator of the Gods, who thus embodies the functions of the intuition. He bears the rod of power, the Caduceus. He is the son of Zeus and Maia (the Great Mother – Earth). The Romans called him Mercury.
Hermetic
Any teaching or writing connected with the esoteric writings of Hermes/Thoth, the God of Wisdom. Hence this is another term representing that which is an aspect of the Wisdom Religion.
Hermes Trismegistus
The thrice great Hermes (or Thoth), the personification of Wisdom, and thus of the founder of the Hermetic tradition and related Wisdom.
Hierarchy of Enlightened Beings
The “Guides” that “are the dharmakāya” can be conceived as the higher echelons of the Council of Bodhisattvas, as well as the Buddhas of past epochs of evolutionary attainment. Thus we use the phrase “The Hierarchy” to represent the constituency of the present Council of Bodhisattvas, continuing right through to the “thus gone ones” of former aeons. They are responsible, amongst other things, for the wise direction of the course of evolution of the human kingdom.
Hiero-inspiration
Inspiration or awareness received from the Hierarchy of enlightened Being by means of the development of the inner hearing as a consequence of the awakening heart, an aspect of the intuition.
Hierophant
A Greek term, meaning “one who explains sacred things”, thus a revealer of the sacred science. It is a title belonging to the highest of the Adepts, or to the One who can admit and officiate for a candidate at the portals of Initiation into the Mysteries of Being. It is the Guru or Teacher of a disciple, who stands before him and the Most High (God).
Higher Self
This is a term representing the Soul, or Causal form of an individual. It can also represent the fusion between the Monad/Soul.
Himavat
The personification of the Himalayas, thus a lofty place, the Head centre, the Father of the river Ganges, the Sushumna Nadi.
Hinayana
The “smaller vehicle”, the proponents of the earliest form of Buddhism, and hence in a sense the most narrow, limited or dogmatic. They prefer the term “Theravadan”, meaning the doctrine of the elders. Generally this school of Buddhism is based in the south of India, Ceylon, Thailand and Burma, and base their doctrines on the old Pali texts.
The Mahayana, or “great Vehicle” form of Buddhism is found in northern India, Tibet, China, and Japan, and base their Philosophy generally upon Sanskrit texts, and upon the teachings of the many Initiates of high degree that came after the Buddha to upgrade and to reform aspects of the Wisdom Teachings according to the needs of the period. It is obviously in this form of Buddhism that the Wisdom Religion has been preserved throughout the ages.
Hiram Abiff
Important in Masonic philosophy as the superintendent and builder of Solomon’s temple, and later was one of its Hierophants.
Hiranya-Garbha
The radiant or Golden (Hiranya) egg or womb (Garba) of Brahma, through which all things came to be. H.P. Blavatsky states in her Esoteric Glossary that this term refers esoterically to “the luminous “fire mist” or ethereal stuff from which the Universe was formed”. Also Hiranyagarbha.
Holy of Holies
The Heart or most sacred part of any teaching. Technically it that which is hidden from the profane by a veil, the most sacred of all religious vestments hidden in the central shrine of the Temple of God, and officiated over by priests that have been consecrated for its guardianship. Esoterically, that which relates to the “jewel in the heart of the lotus”.
Horus
In Egyptian religion a Falcon-headed Sun God, part of the trinity of Osiris, Horus, Isis, and is thus the embodiment of the Christ-principle.
Hyperborean
A region around the north pole said by the Greeks to be inhabited by a joyous music loving race of immortals, the members of the first two root races of man, living in the “golden age”.
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