Property:CTD term description

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D
A Mussulman—Turkish or Persian—ascetic. A nomadic and wandering monk. Dervishes, however, sometimes live in communities. They are often called the “whirling charmers”. Apart from his austerities of life, prayer and contemplation, the Turkish, Egyptian, or Arabic devotee presents but little similarity with the Hindu fakir, who is also a Mussulman. The latter may become a saint and holy mendicant the former will never reach beyond his second class of occult manifestations. The dervish may also be a strong mesmerizer, but he will never voluntarily submit to the abominable and almost incredible self‐punishment which the fakir invents for himself with an ever‐increasing avidity, until nature succumbs and he dies in slow and excruciating tortures. The most dreadful operations, such as flaying the limbs alive; cutting off the toes, feet, and legs ; tearing out the eyes and causing one’s self to be buried alive up to the chin in the earth, and passing whole months in this posture, seem child’s play to them. The Dervish must not be confused with the Hindu ''sanyâsi or yogi. ''(See “Fakir”) [[Category: Theosophical Glossary (CTD terms)]]<span style="color: grey; font-size: 90%; font-style: italic;"> (<span style="font-style: italic; border-bottom:1px dotted gray; cursor:help;" title="'Theosophical Glossary' by H. P. Blavatsky">TG</span>)</span>.  +
A
A Platonic philosopher of Athens, who wrote a Greek Apology for the Christians in A.D. 177, addressed to the Emperor Marcus Aurelius, to prove that the accusations brought against them, namely that they were incestuous and ate murdered children, were untrue [[Category: Theosophical Glossary (CTD terms)]]<span style="color: grey; font-size: 90%; font-style: italic;"> (<span style="font-style: italic; border-bottom:1px dotted gray; cursor:help;" title="'Theosophical Glossary' by H. P. Blavatsky">TG</span>)</span>.  +
N
A Platonic term for the Higher Mind or Soul. It means Spirit as distinct from animal Soul—''psyche''; divine consciousness or mind in man: ''Nous ''was the designation given to the Supreme deity (third ''logos'') by Anaxagoras. Taken from Egypt where it was called ''Nout'', it was adopted by the Gnostics for their first conscious Æon which, with the Occultists, is the third ''logos'', cosmically, and the third “principle” (from above) or ''manas, ''in man. (See “Nout”.) [[Category: Theosophical Glossary (CTD terms)]]<span style="color: grey; font-size: 90%; font-style: italic;"> (<span style="font-style: italic; border-bottom:1px dotted gray; cursor:help;" title="'Theosophical Glossary' by H. P. Blavatsky">TG</span>)</span>.  +
O
A Platonic term meaning “vehicle” or body [[Category: Theosophical Glossary (CTD terms)]]<span style="color: grey; font-size: 90%; font-style: italic;"> (<span style="font-style: italic; border-bottom:1px dotted gray; cursor:help;" title="'Theosophical Glossary' by H. P. Blavatsky">TG</span>)</span>.  +
A
A Prince‐Philosopher and Occultist. (See Book ''Al‐Chazari.'') [[Category: Theosophical Glossary (CTD terms)]]<span style="color: grey; font-size: 90%; font-style: italic;"> (<span style="font-style: italic; border-bottom:1px dotted gray; cursor:help;" title="'Theosophical Glossary' by H. P. Blavatsky">TG</span>)</span>.  +
A Purânic personage, the “nephew of 60,000 uncles” King Sagara’s sons, who were reduced to ashes by a single glance from Kapila Rishi’s “Eye” [[Category: Theosophical Glossary (CTD terms)]]<span style="color: grey; font-size: 90%; font-style: italic;"> (<span style="font-style: italic; border-bottom:1px dotted gray; cursor:help;" title="'Theosophical Glossary' by H. P. Blavatsky">TG</span>)</span>.  +
B
A Roman goddess, the patroness of female Initiates and Occultists. Called also Fauna after her father Faunus. She was worshipped as a prophetic and chaste divinity, and her cult was confined solely to women, men not being allowed to even pronounce her name. She revealed her oracles only to women, and the ceremonies of her Sanctuary (a grotto in the Aventine) were conducted by the Vestals, every 1st of May. Her aversion to men was so great that no male person was permitted to approach the house of the consuls where her festival was sometimes held, and even the portraits and the busts of men were carried out for the time from the building. Clodius, who once profaned such a sacred festival by entering the house of Caesar where it was held, in a female disguise, brought grief upon himself. Flowers and foliage decorated her temple and women made libations from a vessel (mellarium) full of milk. It is not true that the mellarium contained wine, as asserted by some writers, who being men thus tried to revenge themselves [[Category: Theosophical Glossary (CTD terms)]]<span style="color: grey; font-size: 90%; font-style: italic;"> (<span style="font-style: italic; border-bottom:1px dotted gray; cursor:help;" title="'Theosophical Glossary' by H. P. Blavatsky">TG</span>)</span>.  +
L
A Roman saint, solemnly beatified a few years ago. His great holiness consisted in sitting at one of the gates of Rome night and day for forty years, and remaining unwashed through the whole of that time. He was eaten by vermin to his bones [[Category: Theosophical Glossary (CTD terms)]]<span style="color: grey; font-size: 90%; font-style: italic;"> (<span style="font-style: italic; border-bottom:1px dotted gray; cursor:help;" title="'Theosophical Glossary' by H. P. Blavatsky">TG</span>)</span>.  +
N
A Saint; a glorified Adept [[Category: Theosophical Glossary (CTD terms)]]<span style="color: grey; font-size: 90%; font-style: italic;"> (<span style="font-style: italic; border-bottom:1px dotted gray; cursor:help;" title="'Theosophical Glossary' by H. P. Blavatsky">TG</span>)</span>.  +
D
A Sanskrit Sage of the race of Kuru, who, together with another Sage (Moru), is supposed to live throughout the four ages and until the coming of ''Maitreya Buddha, ''or ''Kalki ''(the last Avatar of Vishnu) ; who, like all the Saviours of the World in their last appearance, like Sosiosh of the Zoroastrians and the ''Rider ''of St. Johns ''Revelation, ''will appear seated on a ''White Horse''. The two, Devapi and Moru, are supposed to live in a Himalayan retreat called ''Kalapa ''or ''Katapa''. This is a Purânic allegory [[Category: Theosophical Glossary (CTD terms)]]<span style="color: grey; font-size: 90%; font-style: italic;"> (<span style="font-style: italic; border-bottom:1px dotted gray; cursor:help;" title="'Theosophical Glossary' by H. P. Blavatsky">TG</span>)</span>.  +
K
A Sanskrit epic, celebrating the strife and prowess of Arjuna with the god Siva disguised as a forester [[Category: Theosophical Glossary (CTD terms)]]<span style="color: grey; font-size: 90%; font-style: italic;"> (<span style="font-style: italic; border-bottom:1px dotted gray; cursor:help;" title="'Theosophical Glossary' by H. P. Blavatsky">TG</span>)</span>.  +
G
A Singhalese priest who has not yet been ordained—from ''gana'', an assemblage or brotherhood. The higher ordained priests “are called ''terunnânse ''from the Pali ''théro'', an elder”(Hardy) [[Category: Theosophical Glossary (CTD terms)]]<span style="color: grey; font-size: 90%; font-style: italic;"> (<span style="font-style: italic; border-bottom:1px dotted gray; cursor:help;" title="'Theosophical Glossary' by H. P. Blavatsky">TG</span>)</span>.  +
M
A Society in France, founded by a great mystic called the Marquis de St. Martin, a disciple of Martinez Pasqualis. It was first established at Lyons as a kind of occult Masonic Society, its members believing in the possibility of communicating with Planetary Spirits and minor Gods and genii of the ultramundane Spheres. Louis Claude de St. Martin, born in 1743, had commenced life as a brilliant officer in the army, but left it to devote himself to study and the ''belles lettres'', ending his career by becoming an ardent Theosophist and a disciple of Jacob Boehmen. He tried to bring back Masonry to its primeval character of Occultism and Theurgy, but failed. He first made his “Rectified Rite” to consist of ten degrees, but these were brought down owing to the study of the original Masonic orders—to seven. Masons complain that he introduced certain ideas and adopted rites “at variance with the archæological history of Masonry”; but so did Cagliostro and St Germain before him, as all those who knew well the origin of Free masonry [[Category: Theosophical Glossary (CTD terms)]]<span style="color: grey; font-size: 90%; font-style: italic;"> (<span style="font-style: italic; border-bottom:1px dotted gray; cursor:help;" title="'Theosophical Glossary' by H. P. Blavatsky">TG</span>)</span>.  +
J
A Sorcerer, or Wizard [[Category: Theosophical Glossary (CTD terms)]]<span style="color: grey; font-size: 90%; font-style: italic;"> (<span style="font-style: italic; border-bottom:1px dotted gray; cursor:help;" title="'Theosophical Glossary' by H. P. Blavatsky">TG</span>)</span>.  +
B
A Syrian Gnostic, erroneously regarded as a Christian theologian, born at Edessa (''Edessene Chronicle'') in 155 of our era (Assemani ''Bibl.. Orient. ''i. 389). He was a great astrologer following the Eastern Occult System. According to Porphyry (who calls him the Babylonian, probably on account of his ''Chaldeeism ''or astrology), “Bardesanes . . . . held intercourse with the Indians that had been sent to the Cæsar with Damadamis at their head” (''De Abst. ''iv. 17), and had his information from the Indian gymnosophists. The fact is that most of his teachings, however much they may have been altered by his numerous Gnostic followers, can be traced to Indian philosophy, and still more to the Occult teachings of the Secret System. Thus in his Hymns he speaks of the creative Deity as “Father‐ Mother”, and elsewhere of “Astral Destiny” (Karma) of “Minds of Fire” (the ''Agni‐Devas'') &c. He connected the Soul (the personal Manas) with the Seven Stars, ''deriving its origin ''from the Higher Beings (the divine Ego); and therefore “admitted spiritual resurrection but denied the resurrection of the body”, as charged with by the Church Fathers. Ephraim shows him preaching the signs of the Zodiac, the importance of the birth‐hours and “proclaiming the seven”. Calling the Sun the “Father of Life” and the Moon the “Mother of Life”, he shows the latter “laying aside her garment of light (principles) for the renewal of the Earth”. Photius cannot understand how, while accepting “the Soul free from the power of genesis (destiny of birth)” and possessing free will, he still placed the body under the rule of birth (genesis). For “they (the Bardesanists) say, that wealth and poverty and sickness and health and death and all things not within our control are works of destiny” (''Bibl. Cod. ''223, p.221— f). This is Karma, most evidently, which does not preclude at all free‐will. Hippolytus makes him a representative of the Eastern School. Speaking of Baptism, Bardesanes is made to say (''loc. cit''. pp. 985‐ff “It is not however the Bath alone which makes us free, but the Knowledge of who we are, what we are become, where we were before, whither we are hastening, whence we are redeemed; what is generation (birth), what is re‐ generation (re.birth)”. This points plainly to the doctrine of re‐incarnation. His conversation (''Dialogue'') with Awida and Barjamina on Destiny and Free Will shows it. “What is called Destiny, is an order of outflow given to the Rulers (Gods) and the Elements, according to which order the Intelligences (Spirit‐Egos) are changed by their descent into the Soul, and the Soul by its descent into the body”. (See Treatise, found in its Syriac original, and published with English translation in 1855 by Dr. Cureton, ''Spicileg. Syriac''. in British Museum.) [[Category: Theosophical Glossary (CTD terms)]]<span style="color: grey; font-size: 90%; font-style: italic;"> (<span style="font-style: italic; border-bottom:1px dotted gray; cursor:help;" title="'Theosophical Glossary' by H. P. Blavatsky">TG</span>)</span>.  
A Tamil Scripture on Astronomy and other matters [[Category: Theosophical Glossary (CTD terms)]]<span style="color: grey; font-size: 90%; font-style: italic;"> (<span style="font-style: italic; border-bottom:1px dotted gray; cursor:help;" title="'Theosophical Glossary' by H. P. Blavatsky">TG</span>)</span>.  +
M
A Vedantic term, meaning the ''Sheath ''(''Kosha'') of the ''Manomaya'', an equivalent for fourth and fifth “principles” in man. In esoteric philosophy this “Kosha” corresponds to the dual ''Manas.'' [[Category: Theosophical Glossary (CTD terms)]]<span style="color: grey; font-size: 90%; font-style: italic;"> (<span style="font-style: italic; border-bottom:1px dotted gray; cursor:help;" title="'Theosophical Glossary' by H. P. Blavatsky">TG</span>)</span>.  +
A
A Vedantic term. The same as ''Sthûla Sharîra ''or the physical body. It is the first “sheath” of the ''five ''sheaths accepted by the Vedantins, a sheath being the same as that which is called “principle” in Theosophy [[Category: Theosophical Glossary (CTD terms)]]<span style="color: grey; font-size: 90%; font-style: italic;"> (<span style="font-style: italic; border-bottom:1px dotted gray; cursor:help;" title="'Theosophical Glossary' by H. P. Blavatsky">TG</span>)</span>.  +
K
A Vedic Sage; in the words of ''Atharva Veda'', “The self‐born who sprang from Time”. Besides being the father of the Adityas headed by Indra, Kasyapa is also the progenitor of serpents, reptiles, birds and other walking, flying and creeping beings [[Category: Theosophical Glossary (CTD terms)]]<span style="color: grey; font-size: 90%; font-style: italic;"> (<span style="font-style: italic; border-bottom:1px dotted gray; cursor:help;" title="'Theosophical Glossary' by H. P. Blavatsky">TG</span>)</span>.  +
D
A Vedic term. The unrevealed Deity, or that which reveals Itself only as light and the bright day—metaphorically [[Category: Theosophical Glossary (CTD terms)]]<span style="color: grey; font-size: 90%; font-style: italic;"> (<span style="font-style: italic; border-bottom:1px dotted gray; cursor:help;" title="'Theosophical Glossary' by H. P. Blavatsky">TG</span>)</span>.  +