THEOSOPHICAL
GLOSSARY
BY
H.
P. BLAVATSKY
First
Published 1892
S—The nineteenth letter; numerically, sixty. In
Hebrew it is the fifteenth letter, Samech, held as holy because “the sacred
name of god is Samech”. Its symbol is a prop, or a pillar, and a phallic
egg. In occult geometry it is represented as a circle quadrated by a cross, In
the Kabbalah the “divisions of
Gan-Eden or paradise” are similarly divided.
Sa
or Hea (Chald.). The
synthesis of the seven Gods in Babylonian mythology.
Sabalâswâs
(
Sabao
(Gr.). The Gnostic name of the
genius of Mars.
Sabaoth (Heb.). An army or host, from Sâbô go to war;
hence the name of the fighting god—the
“ Lord of Sabaoth ”.
Sabda
(
Sabda
Brahmam (
Sabhâ
(
Sabianism. The religion of the ancient Chaldees. The latter
believing in one impersonal, universal, deific Principle, never mentioned It,
but offered worship to the solar, lunar, and planetary gods and rulers,
regarding the stars and other celestial bodies as their respective symbols.
Sabians. Astrolaters, so called; those who worshipped
the stars, or rather their “regents ”.
(See “ Sabianism ”.)
Sacha
Kiriya (
Sacrarium (Lat.). The name of the room in the houses of
the ancient Romans, which contained the particular deity worshipped by the
family; also the adytum of a temple.
Sacred
Heart. In
Sacred
Science. The name given to the inner
esoteric philosophy, the secrets taught in days of old to the initiated
candidates, and divulged during the last and supreme Initiation by the
Hierophants.
Sadaikarűpa
(
Sadducees. A sect, the followers of one Zadok, a disciple of Anti-gonus
Saccho. They are accused of having denied the immortality of the (personal)
soul and that of the resurrection of the (physical and personal) body. Even so
do the Theosophists; though they deny neither the immortality of the Ego nor
the resurrection of all its numerous and successive lives, which survive in
the memory of the Ego. But together with the Sadducees—a sect of learned
philosophers who were to all the other Jews that which the polished and learned
Gnostics were to the rest of the Greeks during the early centuries of our
era—we certainly deny the immortality of the animal soul and the
resurrection of the physical body. The Sadducees were the scientists and the
learned men of
Sâdhyas
(
Sadik. The same as the Biblical Melchizedec, identified by
the mystic Bible-worshippers with Jehovah, and Jesus Christ. But Father Sadik’s
identity with Noah being proven, he can be further identified with
Kronos-Saturn.
Safekh (Eg.). Written also Sebek and Sebakh,
god of darkness and night, with the crocodile for his emblem. In the Typhonic
legend and transformation he is the same as Typhon. He is connected with both
Osiris and Horus, and is their great enemy on earth. We find him often called
the “triple crocodile ”. In astronomy he is the same as Mâkâra or Capricorn,
the most mystical of the signs of the Zodiac.
Saga (Scand.). The goddess “who sings of the deeds
of gods and heroes ”, and to whom the black ravens of Odin reveal the history
of the Past and of the Future in the Norsemen’s Edda.
Sâgara (
Sagardagan. One of the four paths to Nirvana.
Saha (
Sahampati (
Saharaksha (
Saka
(
Saka (
Sâka
Dwîpa (
Sakkayaditthi. Delusion of personality; the erroneous idea that “I
am I ”, a man or a woman with a special name, instead of being an inseparable
part of the whole.
Sakradagamin (
Sakshi
(
Sakti (
Sakti-Dhara (
Sakwala. This is a bana or “word” uttered by Gautama Buddha
in his oral instructions. Sakwala is a mundane, or rather a solar system, of
which there is an infinite number in the universe, and which denotes that space
to which the light of every sun extends. Each Sakwala contains earths, hells
and heavens (meaning good and bad spheres, our earth being considered as hell,
in Occultism); attains its prime, then falls into decay and is finally
destroyed at regularly recurring periods, in virtue of one immutable law. Upon
the earth, the Master taught that there have been already four great
“continents” (the Land of the Gods, Lemuria, Atlantis, and the present
“continent” divided into five parts of the Secret Doctrine), and
that three more have to appear. The former did not communicate with each
other ”, a sentence showing that Buddha was not speaking of the actual
continents known in his day (for Pâtâla or America was perfectly
familiar to the ancient Hindus), but of the four geological formations of the
earth, with their four distinct root-races which had already disappeared.
Sâkya (Sk.). A patronymic of Gautama Buddha.
Sâkyamuni
Buddha (Sk.). A name of the
founder of Buddhism, the great Sage, the Lord Gautama.
Salamanders. The Rosicrucian name for the Elementals of Fire. The
animal, as well as its name, is of most occult significance, and is widely used
in poetry. The name is almost identical in all languages. Thus, in Greek,
Latin, French, Spanish, Italian, etc., it is Salamandra, in Persian Samandel,
and in Sanskrit Salamandala.
Salmalî (Sk.). One of the seven zones; also a kind of
tree.
Sama (Sk.). One of the bhâva pushpas, or
“flowers of sanctity Sama is the fifth, or “resignation”. There are eight such
flowers, namely: clemency or charity, self-restraint, affection (or love for
others), patience, resignation, devotion, meditation and veracity. Sama is also
the repression of any mental perturbation,
Sâma
Veda (Sk.). Lit., “the Scripture, or Shâstra,
of peace”. One of the four Vedas.
Samâdhâna (Sk.). That state in which a Yogi can no longer
diverge from the path of spiritual progress; when everything terrestrial,
except the visible body, has ceased to exist for him.
Samâdhi (Sk.). A state of ecstatic and complete
trance. The term comes from the words Sam-âdha, “self-possession ”. He
who possesses this power is able to exercise an absolute control over all his
faculties, physical or mental; it is the highest state of Yoga.
Samâdhindriya (Sk.). Lit., “the root of concentration”; the
fourth of the five roots called Pancha Indriyâni, which are said in esoteric
philosophy to be the agents in producing a highly moral life, leading to
sanctity and liberation ; when these are reached, the two spiritual roots
lying latent in the body (Atmâ and Buddhi) will send out shoots and blossom. Samâdhindriya
is the organ of ecstatic meditation in
Râj-yoga practices.
Samael
(Heb.). The Kabbalistic title
of the Prince of those evil spirits who represent incarnations of human vices;
the angel of Death. From this the idea of Satan has been evolved. [w.w.w.]
Samajna
(Sk.). Lit., “an enlightened (or luminous)
Sage ”. Translated verbally, Samgharana Samajna, the famous Vihâra near
Kustana (China), means “the monastery of the luminous Sage”.
Samâna (Sk.). One of the five breaths (Prânas) which carry
on the chemical action in the animal body.
Sâmanęra. A novice; a postulant for the Buddhist priesthood.
Samanta
Bhadra (Sk.). Lit., “Universal
Sage ”. The name of one of the four Bodhisattvas of the Yogâchârya School, of
the Mâhâyana (the Great Vehicle) of Wisdom of that system. There are four
terrestrial and three celestial Bodhisattvas: the first four only act in the
present races, but in the middle of the fifth Root-race appeared the fifth
Bodhisattva, who, according to an esoteric legend, was Gautama Buddha, but who,
having appeared too early, had to disappear bodily from the world for a while.
Sâmanta
Prabhâsa (Sk.). Lit.,
“universal brightness” or dazzling light. The name under which each of the 500
perfected Arhats reappears on earth as Buddha.
Sâmânya (Sk.). Community, or commingling of qualities,
an abstract notion of genus, such as humanity.
Samâpatti
(Sk.). Absolute concentration in Râja-Yoga; the process
of development by which perfect indifference (Sams) is reached (apatti).This
state is the last stage of development before the possibility of entering into
Samâdhi is reached.
Samaya (Sk.). A religious precept.
S’ambhala (Sk). A very mysterious locality on account of
its future associations. A town or village mentioned in the Purânas, whence,
it is prophesied, the Kalki Avatar will appear. The “Kalki”is Vishnu, the
Messiah on the White Horse of the Brahmins; Maitreya Buddha of the
Buddhists, Sosiosh of the Parsis, and Jesus of the Christians (See Revelations).
All these “ messengers” are to appear “ before the destruction of the world “,
says the one; before the end of Kali Yuga say the others. It is in S’ambhala
that the future Messiah will be born. Some Orientalists make modern Murâdâbâd
in Rohilkhand (N.W.P.) identical with S’ambhala, while Occultism places it in
the Himalayas. It is pronounced Shambhala.
Sambhogakâya (Sk.). One of the three “Vestures” of glory,
or bodies, obtained by ascetics on the “Path”. Some sects hold it as the
second, while others as the third of the Buddhahshętras; or forms of
Buddha. Lit., the “Body of Compensation” (See Voice of the Silence,
Glossary iii). Of such Buddhakshętras there are seven, those of
Nirmanakâya, Sambhogakáya and Dharmakâya, belonging to the Trikâya, or
three-fold quality.
Samgha (Sk.). The corporate assembly, or a quorum of
priests; called also Bhikshu Samgha; the word “church” used in translation does
not at all express the real meaning.
Samkhara (Pali). One of the five Shandhas or attributes
in Buddhism.
Samkhara
(Pali). “Tendencies of mind”
(See“ Skandhas”).
Samma
Sambuddha (Pali). The
recollection of all of one’s past incarnations; a yoga phenomenon.
Samma
Sambuddha (Pali). A title of
the Lord Buddha, the “Lord of meekness and resignation”; it means “perfect
illumination ”.
Samothrace
(Gr.). An island famous for
its Mysteries, perhaps the oldest ever established in our present race. The
Samothracian Mysteries were renowned all over the world.
Samothraces
(Gr.). A designation of the
Five gods worshipped at the island of that name during the Mysteries. They are
considered as identical with the Cabeiri, Dioscuri and Corybantes. Their names
were mystical, denoting Pluto, Ceres or Proserpine, Bacchus and Ćsculapius, or
Hermes.
Sampajnâna (Sk.). A power of internal illumination.
Samskâra (Sk.). Lit., from Sam and Krî,
to improve, refine, impress. In Hindu philosophy the term is used to denote the
impressions left upon the mind by individual actions or external circumstances,
and capable of being developed on any future favourable occasion—even in a
future birth. The Samskâra denotes, therefore, the germs of propensities
and impulses from previous births to be developed in this, or the coming janmâs
or reincarnations. In Tibet, Samskâra is called Doodyed, and in China is defined
as, or at least connected with, action or Karma. It is, strictly speaking, a
metaphysical term, which in exoteric philosophies is variously defined; e.g.,
in Nepaul as illusion, in Tibet as notion, and in Ceylon as discrimination. The
true meaning is as given above, and as such is connected with Karma and its
working.
Samtan (Tib.). The same as Dhyâna or meditation.
Samvara (Sk.). A deity worshipped by the Tantrikas.
Samvarta (Sk.). A
minor Kalpa. A period in creation after
which a partial annihilation of the world occurs.
Samvartta
Kalpa (Sk.). The Kalpa or
period of destruction, the same as Pralaya. Every root-race and sub-race
is subject to such Kalpas of destruction; the fifth root-race having sixty-four
such Cataclysms periodically; namely: fifty-six by fire, seven by water, and
one small Kalpa by winds or cyclones.
Samvat
(Sk.). The name of an Indian
chronological era, supposed to have commenced fifty-seven years B.C.
Samvriti
(Sk.). False conception—the
origin of illusion.
Samvritisatya (Sk.). Truth mixed with false conceptions
(Samvriti); the reverse of absolute truth—or Paramârthasatya,
self-consciousness in absolute truth or reality.
Samyagâjiva (Sk.). Mendicancy for religious purposes: the
correct profession. It is the fourth Mârga (path), the vow of poverty,
obligatory on every Arhat and monk.
Samyagdrishti
(Sk.). The ability to discuss
truth. The first of the eight Mârga (paths) of the ascetic.
Samyakkarmânta (Sk.). The last of the eight Mârgas. Strict
purity and observance of honesty, disinterestedness and unselfishness, the
characteristic of every Arhat.
Samyaksamâdhi
(Sk.). Absolute mental coma.
The sixth of the eight Mârgas; the full attainment of Samâdhi.
Samyaksambuddha
(Sk.) or Sammâsambuddha
as pronounced in Ceylon. Lit., the Buddha of correct and harmonious knowledge,
and the third of the ten titles of Sâkyamuni.
Samyattaka
Nikaya (Pali). A Buddhist work
composed mostly of dialogues between Buddha and his disciples.
Sana (Sk.). One of the three esoteric
Kumâras, whose names are Sana, Kapila and Sanatsujâta, the mysterious triad
which contains the mystery of generation and reincarnation.
Sana
or Sanaischara (Sk.).
The same as Sani or Saturn the planet. In the Hindu Pantheon he is the son of
Surya, the Sun, and of Sanjna, Spiritual Consciousness, who is the daughter of
Visva-Karman, or rather of Chhâyâ the shadow left behind by Sanjna.
Sanaischara, the “slow- moving ”.
Sanaka
(Sk.). A sacred plant, the
fibres of which are woven into yellow robes for Buddhist priests.
Sanat
Kumâra (Sk.). The most
prominent of the seven Kumâras, the Vaidhâtra the first of which are called
Sanaka, Sananda, Sanâtana and Sanat Kumâra; which names are all significant
qualifications of the degrees of human intellect.
Sanat
Sujâtîya (Sk.). A work
treating of Krishna’s teachings, such as in Bhagavad Gitâ and Anugîta.
Sancha-Dwîpa
(Sk.). One of the seven great
islands Sapta-Dwîpa.
Sanchoniathon
(Gr.). A pre-christian writer
on Phśnician Cosmogony, whose works are no longer extant. Philo Byblus gives
only the so-called fragments of Sanchoniathon.
Sandalphon
(Heb.). The Kabbalistic Prince
of Angels, emblematically represented by one of the Cherubim of the Ark.
Sandhyâ
(Sk.). A period between two
Yugas, morning-evening; anything coming between and joining two others. Lit.,
“twilight”; the period between a full Manvantara, or a “Day ”, and a full
Pralaya or a “Night of Brahmâ”.
Sandhyâmsa
(Sk.). A period following a
Yuga.
Sanghai
Dag-po (Tib.). The “concealed
Lord”; a title of those who have merged into, and identified themselves with,
the Absolute. Used of the “ Nirvânees” and the “Jîvanmuktas
Sangye
Khado (Sk.). The Queen of the Khado
or female genii; the Dâkini of the Hindus and the Lilith of the
Hebrews.
Sanjnâ
(Sk.). Spiritual
Consciousness. The wife of Surya, the Sun.
Sankara
(Sk.). The name of Siva. Also a great
Vedantic philosopher.
Sânkhya
(Sk.). The system of
philosophy founded by Kapila Rishi, a system of analytical metaphysics, and one
of the six Darshanas or schools of philosophy. It discourses on
numerical categories and the meaning of the twenty-five tatwas (the
forces of nature in various degrees). This “atomistic school”, as some call it,
explains nature by the interaction of twenty-four elements with purusha
(spirit) modified by the three gunas (qualities), teaching the eternity of pradhâna
(primordial, homogeneous matter), or the self-transformation of nature and the
eternity of the human Egos.
Sânkhya
Kârikâ (Sk.). A work by
Kapila, containing his aphorisms.
Sânkhya
Yoga (Sk.). The system of Yoga
as set forth by the above school.
Sanna (Pali). One of the five Skandhas, namely the
attribute of abstract ideas.
Sannyâsi
(Sk.). A Hindu ascetic who has
reached the highest mystic knowledge; whose mind is fixed only upon the supreme
truth, and who has entirely renounced everything terrestrial and worldly.
Sansâra
(Sk.). Lit., “rotation”; the
ocean of births and deaths. Human rebirths represented as a continuous circle,
a wheel ever in motion.
Sanskrit
(Sk.). The classical language
of the Brahmans, never known nor spoken in its true systematized form
(given later approximately by Pânini), except by the initiated Brahmans,
as it was
pre-eminently “a mystery language”. It has now degenerated into the so-called
Prâkrita.
Santa (Sk.). Lit., “placidity ”. The primeval
quality of the latent, undifferentiated state of elementary matter.
Santatih (Sk.). The “offspring.”
Saphar
(Heb.). Sepharim; one of those
called in the Kabbalah— Sepher, Saphar and Sipur, or “Number, Numbers
and Numbered ”, by whose agency the world was formed.
Sapta (Sk.). Seven.
Sapta
Buddhaka (Sk.). An account in Mahânidâna
Sűtra of Sapta Buddha, the seven Buddhas of our Round, of which Gautama
Sâkyamuni is esoterically the fifth, and exoterically, as a blind, the seventh.
Sapta
Samudra (Sk.). The “seven
oceans ”. These have an occult significance on a higher plane.
Sapta
Sindhava (Sk.). The “seven sacred
rivers ”. A Vedic term. In Zend works they are called Hapta Heando.
These rivers are closely united with the esoteric teachings of the Eastern
schools, having a very occult significance.
Sapta
Tathâgata (Sk.). The chief
seven Nirmânakâyas among the numberless ancient world-guardians. Their
names are inscribed on a heptagonal pillar kept in a secret chamber in almost
all Buddhist temples in China and Tibet. The Orientalists are wrong in thinking
that these are “the seven Buddhist substitutes for the Rishis of the Brahmans.”
(See “Tathâgata-gupta”).
Saptadwîpa
(Sk.). The seven sacred islands or
“continents” in the Purânas.
Saptaloka
(Sk.). The seven higher
regions, beginning from the earth upwards.
Saptaparna (Sk.). The “sevenfold”. A plant which gave its
name to a famous cave, a Vihâra, in Râjâgriha, now near Buddhagaya,
where the Lord Buddha used to meditate and teach his Arhats, and where after
his death the first Synod was held. This cave had seven chambers, whence the
name. In Esotericism Saptaparna is the symbol of the “seven fold
Man-Plant”.
Saptarshi
(Sk.). The seven Rishis. As
stars they are the constellation of ‘the Great Bear, and called as such the Riksha
and Chitrasikhandinas, bright-crested.
Sar
or Saros (Chald.). A Chaldean
god from whose name, represented by a circular horizon, the Greeks borrowed
their word Saros, the cycle.
Saramâ (Sk.). In the Vedas, the dog of Indra
and mother of the two dogs called Sârameyas. Saramâ is the “divine
watchman” of the god and the same as he who watched “over the golden flock of
stars and solar rays”; the same as Mercury, the planet, and the Greek Hermes,
called Sârameyas.
Saraph (Heb.). A flying serpent.
Sarasvati (Sk.). The same as Vâch, wife and daughter of
Brahmâ produced from one of the two halves of his body. She is the goddess of
speech and of sacred or esoteric knowledge and wisdom. Also called Sri.
Sarcophagus (Gr.). A stone tomb, a receptacle for the
dead; sarc = flesh, and phagein = to eat. Lapis assius,
the stone of which the sarcophagi were made, is found in Lycia, and has the
property of consuming the bodies in a very few weeks. In Egypt sarcophagi were
made of various other stones, of black basalt, red granite, alabaster and other
materials, as they served only as outward receptacles for the wooden coffins
containing the mummies. The epitaphs on some of them are as remarkable as they
are highly ethical, and no Christian could wish for anything better. One
epitaph, dating thousands of years before the year one of our modern era, reads
:—“ I have given water to him who was thirsty, and clothing to him who was
naked. I have done harm to no man.” Another: “I have done actions desired by
men and those which are commanded by the gods”. The beauty of some of these
tombs may be judged by the alabaster sarcophagus of Oimenephthah I., at Sir
John Soane’s Museum, Lincoln’s Inn. “It was cut out of a single block of fine
alabaster stone, and is 9 ft. 4 in.. long, by 22 to 24 in. in width, and 27 to
32 in. in height. . . . Engraved dots, etc., outside were once filled with blue
copper to represent the heavens. To attempt a description of the wonderful
figures inside and out is beyond the scope of this work. Much of our knowledge
of the mythology of the people is derived from this precious monument, with its
hundreds of figures to illustrate the last judgment, and the life beyond the
grave. Gods, men, serpents, symbolical animals and plants are there most
beautifully carved.” (Funeral Rites of the Egyptians.)
Sargon (Chald.). A Babylonian king. The story is now
found to have been the original of Moses and the ark of bulrushes in the Nile.
Sarîra
(Sk.). Envelope or body.
Sarisripa
(Sk.). Serpents, crawling
insects, reptiles, “the infinitesimally small”.
Sarku (Chald.). Lit., the light race; that of the
gods in contradistinction to the dark race called
zahmat gagnadi, or the race that fell, i.e., mortal men.
Sarpas
(Sk.). Serpents, whose king was
Sesha, the serpent, or rather an aspect of Vishnu, who reigned in Pâtâla.
Sârpa-rajnî (Sk.). The queen of the serpents in the Brâhmanas.
Sarva
Mandala (Sk.) A name for the
“Egg of Brahmâ”.
Sarvada (Sk.). Lit., “all-sacrificing ” A title of
Buddha, who in a former Jataha (birth) sacrificed his kingdom, liberty, and
even life, to save others.
Sarvaga
(Sk.). The supreme
“World-Substance”.
Sarvâtmâ (Sk.). The supreme Soul; the all-pervading
Spirit.
Sarvęsha (Sk.). Supreme Being. Controller of every
action and force in the universe.
Sat
(Sk.). The one ever-present
Reality in the infinite world; the divine essence which is, but cannot be said
to exist, as it is Absoluteness, Be-ness itself.
Sata
rűpa (Sk.). The
“hundred-formed one”; applied to Vâch, who to be the female Brahmâ assumes a
hundred forms, i.e., Nature.
Sati (Eg.). The triadic goddess, with Anouki of the
Egyptian god Khnoum.
Sattâ (Sk.). The “one and sole Existence ”—Brahma
(neut.).
Satti
or Suttee, (Sk.). The burning
of living widows together with their dead husbands—a custom now happily
abolished in India; lit., “a chaste and devoted wife”.
Sattva (Sk.). Understanding; quiescence in divine
knowledge. It follows ‘generally the word Bodhi when used as a compound
word, e.g., “Bodhisattva”.
Sattva
or Satwa, (Sk.).
Goodness; the same as Sattva, or purity, one of the trigunas or three divisions
of nature.
Satya
(Sk.). Supreme truth.
Satya
Loka (Sk.). The world of
infinite purity and wisdom, the celestial abode of Brahmâ and the gods.
Satya
Yuga (Sk.). The golden age, or
the age of truth and purity; the first of the four Yugas, also called Krita
Yuga.
Satyas
(Sk.). One of the names of the
twelve great gods.
Scarabćus, In Egypt, the symbol of resurrection, and also of
rebirth; of resurrection for the mummy or rather of the highest aspects of the personality
which animated it, and of rebirth for the Ego, the “spiritual body” of the
lower, human Soul. Egyptologists give us but half of the truth, when in
speculating upon the meaning of certain inscriptions, they say, “the justified
soul, once arrived at a certain period of its peregrinations (simply at the
death of the physical body) should be united to its body (i.e., the Ego)
never more to be separated from it ”. (Rougé.) What is this so-called
body? Can it be the mummy? Certainly not, for the emptied mummified corpse can
never resurrect. It can only be the eternal, spiritual vestment, the EGO that
never dies but gives immortality to whatsoever becomes united with it. “The
delivered Intelligence (which) retakes its luminous envelope and (re)becomes
Daїmon ”, as Prof. Maspero says, is the spiritual Ego; the personal
Ego or Kâma Manas, its direct ray, or the lower soul, is that which
aspires to become Osirified, i.e., to unite itself with its “god ”; and
that portion of it which will succeed in so doing, will never more be separated
from it (the god), not even when the latter incarnates again and again,
descending periodically on earth in its pilgrimage, in search of further
experiences and following the decrees of Karma. Khem, “the sower of seed ”, is
shown on a stele in a picture of Resurrection after physical death, as the
creator and the sower of the grain of corn, which, after corruption, springs up
afresh each time into a new ear, on which a scarab beetle is seen poised; and
Deveria shows very justly that “Ptah is the inert, material form of Osiris, who
will become Sokari (the eternal Ego) to be reborn, and afterwards be Harmachus
”, or Horus in his transformation, the risen god. The prayer so often
found in the tumular inscriptions, “the wish for the resurrection in one’s
living soul” or the Higher Ego, has ever a scarabćus at the end, standing
for the personal soul. The scarabćus is the most honoured, as the most frequent
and familiar, of all Egyptian symbols. No mummy is without several of them; the
favourite ornament on engravings, house hold furniture and utensils is this
sacred beetle, and Pierret pertinently shows in his Livre des Morts that
the secret meaning of this hieroglyph is sufficiently explained in that the
Egyptian name for the scarabćus Kheper signifies to be, to become,
to build again.
Scheo (Eg.). The god who, conjointly with Tefnant
and Seb, inhabits Aanroo, the region called “the land of the rebirth of the
gods ”.
Schesoo-Hor
(Eg.). Lit., the servants of
Horus; the early people who settled in Egypt and who were Aryans.
Schools
of the Prophets. Schools established
by Samuel for the training of the Nabiim (prophets). Their method was pursued
on the same lines as that of a Chela or candidate for initiation into the
occult sciences, i.e., the development of abnormal faculties or clairvoyance
leading to Seership. Of such schools there were many in days of old in
Palestine and Asia Minor. That the Hebrews worshipped Nebo, the Chaldean god of
secret learning, is quite certain, since they adopted his name as an equivalent
of Wisdom.
Séance. A word which has come to mean with Theosophists and
Spiritualists a sitting with a medium for phenomena, the materialisation of
“spirits” and other manifestations.
Seb
(Eg.). The Egyptian Saturn;
the father of Osiris and Isis. Esoterically, the sole principle before
creation, nearer in meaning to Parabrahm than Brahmâ. From as early as the
second Dynasty, there were records of him, and statues of Seb are to be seen in
the museums represented with the goose or black swan that laid the egg of the
world on his head. Nout or Neith, the “Great Mother” and yet the “Immaculate
Virgin ”, is Seb’s wife; she is the oldest goddess on record, and is to be
found on monuments of the first dynasty, to which Mariette Bey assigns the date
of almost 7000 years B.c.
Secret
Doctrine. The general name given to
the esoteric teachings of antiquity.
Sedecla
(Heb.). The Obeah woman of
Endor.
Seer. One who is a clairvoyant; who can see things visible,
and invisible—for others—at any distance and time with his spiritual or inner
sight or perceptions.
Seir
Anpin, or Zauir Anpin (Heb.).
In the Kabbalah, “the Son of the concealed Father ”, he who unites in
himself all the Sephiroth. Adam Kadmon, or the first manifested “Heavenly Man
”, the Logos.
Sekhem
(Eg.). The same as Sekten.
Sekhet (Eg.). See “Pasht”.
Sekten
(Eg.). Dęvâchân; the place of post mortem
reward, a state of bliss, not a locality.
Senâ (Sk.). The female aspect or Sakti of
Kârttikeya; also called Kaumâra.
Senses. The ten organs of man. In the exoteric Pantheon and
the allegories of the. East, these are the emanations of ten minor gods, the
terrestrial Prajâpati or “ progenitors ”. They are called in contradistinction
to the five physical and the seven superphysical, the “elementary senses”. In
Occultism they are closely allied with various forces of nature, and with our inner
organisms, called
cells in physiology.
Senzar. The mystic name for the secret sacerdotal language
or the “Mystery-speech” of the initiated Adepts, all over the world.
Sepher
Sephiroth (Heb.). A
Kabbalistic treatise concerning the gradual evolution of Deity from negative
repose to active emanation and creation. [w.w.w.]
Sepher
Yetzirah (Heb.). “The Book of
Formation”. A very ancient Kabbalistic work ascribed to the patriarch Abraham.
It illustrates the creation of the universe by analogy with the twenty-two letters
of the Hebrew alphabet, distributed into a triad,, a heptad, and a dodecad,
corresponding with the-three mother letters, A, M, S, the seven planets, and
the twelve signs of the Zodiac. It is written in the Neo-Hebraic of the
Mishnah.
Sephira
(Heb.) An emanation of Deity;
the parent and synthesis of the ten Sephiroth when she stands at the head of
the Sephirothal Tree; in the Kabbalah, Sephira,or the “ Sacred Aged ”, is the
divine Intelligence (the same as Sophia or Metis), the first emanation from the
“Endless” or Ain-Suph.
Sephiroth (Heb.). The ten emanations of Deity; the
highest is formed by the concentration of the Ain Soph Aur, or the Limitless
Light, and each: Sephira produces by emanation another Sephira. The names of
the Ten Sephiroth are—1. Kether—The Crown; 2. Chokmah—Wisdom; 3.
Binah—Understanding;
4. Chesed-—Mercy; Geburah—Power; 6. Tiphereth—Beauty; 7. Netzach—Victory; 8.
Hod— Splendour;
9. Jesod_Foundation; and 10. Malkuth—The Kingdom.
The
conception of Deity embodied in the Ten Sephiroth is a very sublime one, and
each Sephira is a picture to the Kabbalist of a group of exalted ideas, titles
and attributes, which the name but faintly represents. Each Sephira is called
either active or passive, though this attribution may lead to error; passive
does not mean a return to negative existence; and the two words only express
the relation between individual Sephiroth, and not any absolute quality.
[w.w.w.]
Septerium (Lat.) A great religious festival held
in days of old every ninth year at Delphi, in honour of Helios, the Sun, or
Apollo, to commemorate his triumph over darkness, or Python; Apollo-Python
being the same as Osiris-Typhon in Egypt.
Seraphim
(Heb.). Celestial beings described
by Isaiah (vi., 2,) as of human form with the addition of three pair of wings.
The Hebrew word is ShRPIM, and apart from the above instance, is
translated serpents, and is related to the verbal root ShRP, to burn up . The
word is used for serpents in Numbers and Deuteronomy. Moses is
said to have raised in the wilderness a ShRP or Seraph of Brass as a type. This
bright serpent is also used as an emblem of Light. Compare the myth of
Ćsculapius, the healing deity, who is said to have been brought to Rome from
Epidaurus as a serpent, and whose statues show him holding a wand on which a
snake is twisted. (See Ovid, Metam., lib. xv.). The Seraphim of the Old
Testament seem to be related to the Cherubim (q.v.). In the Kabbalah
the Seraphim are a group of angelic powers allotted to the Sephira
Geburah—Severity. [w.w.w.]
Serapis (Eg.). A great solar god who replaced Osiris
in the popular worship, and in whose honour the seven vowels were sung. He was often
made to appear in his representations as a serpent, a “Dragon of Wisdom ”. The
greatest god of Egypt during the first centuries of Christianity.
Sesha (Sk.) Ananta, the great Serpent of
Eternity, the couch of Vishnu; the symbol of infinite Time in Space. In the
exoteric beliefs Sesha is represented as a thousand-headed and seven-headed
cobra; the former the king of the nether world, called Pâtâla, the latter the
carrier or support of Vishnu on the Ocean of Space.
Set
or Seth (Eg.). The same
as the Son of Noah and Typhon—who is the dark side of Osiris. The same as Thoth
and Satan, the adversary, not the devil represented by Christians.
Sevekh (Eg.). The god of time; Chronos; the same as Sefekh.
Some Orientalists translate it as the “Seventh”.
Shaberon (Tib.). The Mongolian Shaberon or Khubilgan
(or Khubilkhans) are the reincarnations of Buddha, according to the Lamaists;
great Saints and Avatars, so to say.
Shaddai, El (Heb.). A name of the Hebrew Deity,
usually translated God Almighty, found in Genesis, Exodus, Numbers,
Ruth and Job. Its Greek equivalent is Kurios Pantokrator; but by
Hebrew derivation it means rather “the pourer forth”, shad meaning a
breast, and indeed shdi is also used for “a nursing mother”.
Shamans. An order of Tartar or Mongolian priest-magicians, or
as some say, priest-sorcerers. They are not Buddhists, but a sect of the old
Bhon religion of Tibet. They live mostly in Siberia and its borderlands. Both
men and women may be Shamans. They are all magicians, or rather sensitives or
mediums artificially developed. At present those who act as priests among the
Tartars are generally very ignorant, and far below the fakirs in knowledge and
education.
Shânâh (Heb). The Lunar Year.
Shangna
(Sk.). A mysterious epithet
given to a robe or “vesture in a metaphorical sense”. To put on the “Shangna
robe” means the acquirement of Secret Wisdom, and Initiation.
(See Voice of the Silence, pp. 84 and 85, Glossary.)
Shâstra or S’âstra (Sk.). A treatise or book; any work
of divine or accepted authority, including law books. A Shâstri means to this
day, in India, a man learned in divine and human law.
Shedim (Heb.). See “Siddim ”.
Shekinah
(Heb.). A title applied to
Malkuth, the tenth Sephira, by the Kabbalists; but by the Jews to the cloud of
glory which rested on the Mercy-seat in the Holy of Holies. As taught, however,
by all the Rabbins of Asia Minor, its nature is of a more exalted kind,
Shekinah being the veil of Ain-Soph, the Endless and the Absolute; hence a kind
of Kabbalistic Műlaprakriti. [w.w.w.]
Shells. A Kabbalistic name for the phantoms of the dead, the
“spirits” of the Spiritualists, figuring in physical phenomena; so named on
account of their being simply illusive forms, empty of their higher principles.
Shemal (Chald.). Samâel, the spirit of the earth, its
presiding ruler and genius.
Shemhamphorash
(Heb.). The separated name.
The mirific name derived from the substance of deity and showing its self-existent
essence. Jesus was accused by the Jews of having stolen this name from the
Temple by magic arts, and of using it in the production of his miracles.
Sheol
(Heb.). The hell of the Hebrew
Pantheon; a region of stillness and inactivity as distinguished from Gehenna, (q.v.).
Shien-Sien
(Chin.). A state of bliss and
soul-freedom, during which a man can travel in spirit where he likes.
Shiites
(Pers.). A sect of Mussulmen
who place the prophet Ali higher than Mohammed, rejecting Sunnah or
tradition.
Shîla (Pali). The second virtue of the ten Pâramitâs
of perfection. Perfect harmony in words and acts.
Shinto (Jap.). The ancient religion of Japan before
Buddhism, based upon the worship of spirits and ancestors.
Shoel-ob (Heb.). A consulter with familiar “spirits”; a
necromancer, a raiser of the dead, or of their phantoms.
Shoo
(Eg.). A personification of
the god Ra; represented as the “great cat of the Basin of Persea in Anu”.
Shűdâla
Mâdan (Tam.) The vampire, the
ghoul, or graveyard spook.
Shűle
Mâdan (Tam.). The elemental
which is said to help the “jugglers” to grow mango trees and do other wonders.
Shutukt (Tib.). A collegiate monastery in Tibet of
great fame, containing over 30,000 monks and students.
Sibac (Quiché). The reed from the pith of which the
third race of men was created, according to the scripture of the Guatemalians,
called the Popol Vuh.
Sibikâ (Sk.). The weapon of Kuvera, god of wealth (a
Vedic deity living in Hades, hence a kind of Pluto), made out of the parts of
the divine splendour of Vishnu, residing in the Sun, and filed off by
Visvarkarman, the god Initiate.
Siddhânta
(Sk.). Any learned work on
astronomy or mathematics, in India.
Siddhârtha (Sk.). A name given to Gautama Buddha.
Siddhas (Sk.). Saints and sages who have become almost
divine also a hierarchy of Dhyan Chohans.
Siddhâsana (Sk.). A
posture in Hatha-yoga practices.
Siddha-Sena (Sk.). Lit., “the leader of Siddhas”; a title
of Kârttikeya, the “mysterious youth” (kumâra guha).
Siddhis
(Sk.). Lit., “attributes of perfection”; phenomenal
powers acquired through holiness by Yogis.
Siddim (Heb.). The Canaanites, we are told,
worshipped these evil powers as deities, the name meaning the “pourers forth”;
a valley was named after them. There seems to be a connection between these, as
types of Fertile Nature, and the many-bosomed Isis and Diana of Ephesus. In
Psalm cvi., 37, the word is translated “devils ”, and we are told that the
Canaanites shed the blood of their sons and daughters to them. Their title
seems to come from the same root ShD, from which the god name El Shaddai
is derived.
The
Arabic Shedim means “Nature Spirits ”, Elementals; they are the afrits
of modern Egypt and djins of Persia,.India, etc.
Sidereal. Anything relating to the stars, but also, in
Occultism, to various influences emanating from such regions, such as “sidereal
force ”, as taught by Paracelsus, and sidereal (luminous), ethereal body, etc.
Si-dzang
(Chin.). The Chinese name for
Tibet; mentioned in the Imperial Library of the capital of Fo Kien, as the
“great seat of Occult learning”, 2,207 years B.c. (Secret Doctrine, I.,
p. 271.)
Sige
(Gr.). “Silence”; a name.
adopted by the Gnostics to signify the root whence proceed the Ćons of the second
series.
Sighra
or Sighraga (Sk.). The
father of Moru, “who is still living through the power of Yoga, and will
manifest himself in the beginning of the Krita age in order to
re-establish the Kshattriyas in the nineteenth Yuga” say the Purânic
prophecies. “Moru” stands here for “Morya ”, the dynasty of the Buddhist
sovereigns of Pataliputra which began with the great King Chandragupta, the
grandsire of King Asoka. It is the first Buddhist Dynasty. (Secret Doctrine,
I., 378.)
Sigurd (Scand.). The hero who slew Fafnir, the
“Dragon”, roasted his heart and ate it, after which he became the wisest of
men. An allegory referring to Occult study and initiation.
Simeon-ben-Jochai. An Adept-Rabbin, who was the author of the Zohar,
(q.v.).
Simon
Magus. A very great Samaritan Gnostic
and Thaumaturgist, called “the great Power of God”.
Simorgh
(Pers.). The same as the
winged Siorgh, a kind of gigantic griffin, half phśnix, half lion, endowed in
the Iranian legends with oracular powers. Simorgh was the guardian of the
ancient Persian Mysteries. It is expected to reappear at the end of the cycle
as a gigantic bird-lion. Esoterically, it stands as the symbol of the
Manvantaric cycle. Its Arabic name is Rahshi.
Sinaї (Heb.). Mount Sinaї, the Nissi of Exodus
(xvii., ii), the birth place of almost all the solar gods of antiquity,
such as Dionysus, born at Nissa or Nysa, Zeus of Nysa, Bacchus and Osiris, (q.v.).
Some ancient people believed the Sun to be the progeny of the Moon, who was
herself a Sun once upon a time. Sin-aї is the “Moon Mountain ”,
hence the connexion.
Sing
Bonga. The Sun-spirit with the
Kollarian tribes.
Singha
(Sk.). The constellation of
Leo; Singh meaning “lion”.
Sinika (Sk.). Also Sinita and Sanika, etc., as
variants. The Vishnu Purâna gives it as the name of a future sage who
will be taught by him who will become Maitreya, at the end of Kali Yuga, and
adds that this is a great mystery.
Sinîvâlî (Sk.). The first day of the new moon, which is
greatly connected with Occult practices in India.
Siphra
Dtzeniouta (Chald.). The Book
of Concealed Mystery; one division of the Zohar.
(See Mathers’ Kabbalah Unveiled.)
Sirius
(Gr.). In Egyptian, Sothis.
The dog-star: the star worshipped in Egypt and reverenced by the Occultists; by
the former because its heliacal rising with the Sun was a sign of the
beneficent inundation of the Nile, and by the latter because it is mysteriously
associated with Thoth-Hermes, god of wisdom, and Mercury, in another form. Thus
Sothis-Sirius had, and still has, a mystic and direct influence over the whole living
heaven, and is connected with almost every god and goddess. It was “Isis in the
heaven ” and called Isis-Sothis, for Isis was “in the constellation of
the dog ”, as is declared on her monuments. “The soul of Osiris was believed to
reside in a personage who walks with great steps in front of Sothis,
sceptre in hand and a whip upon his shoulder.” Sirius is also Anuhis, and is
directly connected with the ring “Pass me not” ; it is, moreover, identical
with Mithra, the Persian Mystery god, and with Horus and even Hathor, called
sometimes the goddess Sothis. Being connected with the Pyramid, Sirius was,
therefore, connected with the initiations which took place in it. A temple to
Sirius-Sothis once existed within the great temple of Denderah. To sum up, all
religions are not, as Dufeu, the French Egyptologist, sought to prove, derived
from Sirius, the dog-star, but Sirius-Sothis is certainly found in connection
with every religion of antiquity.
Sishta (Sk.). The great elect or Sages, left after
every minor Pralaya (that which is called “obscuration” in Mr. Sinnett’s
Esoteric Buddhism), when the globe goes into its night or rest, to
become, on its re-awakening, the seed of the next humanity. Lit. “remnant.”
Sisthrus
(Chald.). According to
Berosus, the last of the ten kings of the dynasty of the divine kings, and the
“Noah” of Chaldea. Thus, as Vishnu foretells the coming deluge to
Vaivasvata-Manu, and, fore warning, commands him to build an ark, wherein he
and seven Rishis are saved ; so the god Hea foretells the same to Sisithrus (or
Xisuthrus) commanding him to prepare a vessel and save himself with a few
elect. Following suit, almost 800,000 years later, the Lord God of Israel
repeats the warning to Noah. Which is prior, therefore? The story of Xisuthrus,
now deciphered from the Assyrian tablets, corroborates that which was said of
the Chaldean deluge by Berosus, Apollodorus, Abydenus, etc., etc. (See eleventh
tablet in G. Smith’s Chaldean Account of Genesis, page 263, et seq.).
This tablet xi. covers every point treated of in chapters six and seven of
Genesis—the gods, the sins of men, the command to build an ark, the Flood, the
destruction of men, the dove and the raven sent out of the ark, and finally the
Mount of Salvation in Armenia (Nizi r-Ararat); all is there. The words “the god
Hea heard, and his liver was angry, because his men had corrupted his purity”,
and the story of his destroying all his seed, were engraved on stone tablets
many thousand years before the Assyrians reproduced them on their baked tiles,
and even these most assuredly antedate the Pentateuch, “written from memory” by
Ezra, hardly four centuries B.c.
Sistrum (Gr.). Egyptian ssesh or kemken.
An instrument, usually made of bronze but sometimes of gold or silver, of an
open circular form, with a handle, and four wires passed through holes, to the
end of which jingling pieces of metal were attached; its top was ornamented
with a figure of Isis, or of Hathor. It was a sacred instrument, used in
temples for the purpose of producing, by means of its combination of metals,
magnetic currents, and sounds. To this day it has survived in Christian
Abyssinia, under the name of sanasel, and the good priests use it to
“drive devils from the premises”, an act quite comprehensible to the Occultist,
even though it does provoke laughter in the sceptical Orientalist. The
priestess usually held it in her right hand during the ceremony of purification
of the air, or the “conjuration of the elements”, as E. Lévi would call it,
while the priests held the Sistrurn in their left hand, using the right to
manipulate the “key of life”—the handled cross or Tau.
Sisumara
(Sk.). An imaginary rotating
belt, upon which all the celestial bodies move. This host of stars and
constellations is represented under the figure of Sisumara, a tortoise
(some say a porpoise !), dragon, crocodile, and what not. But as it is a
symbol of the Yoga-meditation of holy Vasudeva or Krishna, it must be a
crocodile, or rather, a dolphin, since it is identical with the zodiacal
Makâra. Dhruva, the ancient pole-star, is placed at the tip of the tail of this
sidereal monster, whose head points southward and whose body bends in a ring.
Higher along the tail are the Prajâpati Agni, etc., and at its root are placed
Indra, Dharma, and the seven Rishis (the Great Bear), etc., etc. The meaning is
of course mystical.
Siva
(Sk.). The third person of the
Hindu Trinity (the Triműrti). He is a god of the first order, and in his
character of Destroyer higher than Vishnu, the Preserver, as he destroys only
to regenerate on a higher plane. He is born as Rudra, the Kumâra, and is the
patron of all the Yogis, being called, as such, Mahâdeva the great ascetic, His
titles are significant Trilochana, “the three-eyed”, Mahâdeva,
“the great god ”, Sankara, etc., etc., etc.
Siva-Rudra
(Sk.). Rudra is the Vedic name
of Siva, the latter being absent from the Veda.
Skandha
or Skhanda (Sk.). Lit.,
“bundles”, or groups of attributes; everything finite, inapplicable to the
eternal and the absolute. There are five—esoterically, seven—attributes
in every human living being, which are known as the Pancha Shandhas.
These are (1) form, rűpa; (2) perception, vidâna; (3)
consciousness, sanjnâ; (4) action, sanskâra; (5) knowledge,
vidyâna. These unite at the birth of man and constitute his personality. After
the maturity of these Skandhas, they begin to separate and weaken, and this is
followed by jarâmarana, or decrepitude and death.
Skrymir
(Scand.). One of the famous giants
in the Eddas.
Sloka, (Sk.). The Sanskrit epic metre formed of
thirty-two syllables: verses in four half-lines of eight, or in two lines of
sixteen syllables each.
Smaragdine
Tablet of Hermes. As expressed by
Eliphas Lévi,“this Tablet of Emerald is the whole of magic in a single page”;
but India has a single word which, when understood, contains “the whole of
magic ”. This is a tablet, however, alleged to have been found by Sarai,
Abraham’s wife (!) on the dead body of Hermes. So say the Masons
and Christian Kabbalists. But in Theosophy we call
it an allegory. May it not mean that Sarai-swati, the wife of Brahmâ, or
the goddess of secret wisdom and learning, finding still much of the ancient wisdom
latent in the dead body of Humanity, revivified that wisdom? This led to the
rebirth of the Occult Sciences, so long forgotten and neglected, the world
over. The tablet itself, however, although containing the “whole of magic ”, is
too long to be reproduced here.
Smârtava (Sk.). The Smârta Brahmans; a sect founded by
Sankarâchârya.
Smriti (Sk.). Traditional accounts imparted orally,
from the word Smriti, “Memory” a daughter of Daksha. They are now the
legal and ceremonial writings of the Hindus; the opposite of, and therefore
less sacred, than the Vedas, which are Sruti, or “ revelation ”.
Sod
(Heb.). An “Arcanum”, or
religious mystery. The Mysteries of Baal, Adonis and Bacchus, all sun-gods
having serpents as symbols, or, as in the case of Mithra, a “solar serpent”.
The ancient Jews had their Sod also, symbols not excluded, since they had the
“brazen serpent” lifted in the Wilderness, which particular serpent was the
Persian Mithra, the symbol of Moses as an Initiate, but was certainly never meant
to represent the historical Christ. “The secret (Sod) of the Lord is
with them that fear him ”, says David, in Psalm xxv., 14. But this reads
in the original Hebrew, “Sod Ihoh (or the Mysteries) of Jehovah are for those
who fear him”. So terribly is the Old Testament mistranslated, that verse 7 in
Psalm lxxxix., which stands in the original “Al (El) is
terrible in the great Sod of the Kedeshim” (the Galli, the
priests of the inner Jewish mysteries), reads now in the mutilated translation
“God is greatly to be feared in the assembly of the saints”. Simeon and Levi
held their Sod, and it is repeatedly mentioned in the Bible. “ Oh my
soul ”, exclaims the dying Jacob, “come not thou into their secret (Sod, in the
orig.), unto their assembly ”, i.e.. into the Sodalily of Simeon
and Levi (Gen. xlix., 6). (See Dunlap, Sôd, the Mysteries of
Adoni.)
Sodales
(Lat.). The members of the
Priest-colleges. (See Freund’s Latin Lexicon, iv., 448.) Cicero tells us
also (De Senectute, 13) that “ Sodalities were constituted in the
Idćn Mysteries of the MIGHTY MOTHER”. Those initiated into the Sod were termed
the“ Companions ”.
Sodalian
Oath. The most sacred of all oaths.
The penalty of death followed the breaking of the Sodalian oath or pledge. The
oath and the Sod (the secret learning) are earlier than the Kabbalah or
Tradition, and the ancient Midrashim treated fully of the Mysteries or
Sod before they passed into the Zohar. Now they are referred to as the Secret
Mysteries of the Thorah, or Law, to break which is fatal.
Soham (Sk.). A mystic syllable representing
involution: lit., “THAT I AM”.
Sokaris (Eg.). A fire-god; a solar deity of many
forms. He is Ptah Sokaris, when the symbol is purely cosmic, and “Ptah-Sokaris-Osiris”
when it is phallic. This deity is hermaphrodite, the sacred bull Apis being its
son, conceived in it by a solar ray. According to Smith’s History of the
East, Ptah is a “second Demiurgus, an emanation from the first creative
Principle” (the first Logos). The upright Ptah, with cross and staff, is
the “creator of the eggs of the sun and moon ”. Pierret thinks that he
represents the primordial Force that preceded the gods and “created the stars,
and the eggs of the sun and moon ”. Mariette Bey sees in him “Divine Wisdom
scattering the stars in immensity ”, and he is corroborated by the Targum of
Jerusalem, which states that the “Egyptians called the Wisdom of the First
Intellect Ptah”.
Sokhit (Eg.). A deity to whom the cat was sacred.
Solomon’s
Seal. The symbolical double triangle,
adopted by the T.S. and by many Theosophists. Why it should be called
“Solomon’s Seal” is a mystery, unless it came to Europe from Iran, where many
stories are told about that mythical personage and the magic seal used by him
to catch the djins and imprison them in old bottles. But this seal or
double triangle is also called in India the “Sign of Vishnu ”, and may be seen
on the houses in every village as a talisman against evil. The triangle was
sacred and used as a religious sign in the far East ages before Pythagoras
proclaimed it to be the first of the geometrical figures, as well as the most
mysterious. it is found on pyramid and obelisk, and is pregnant with occult
meaning, as are, in fact, all triangles. Thus the pentagram is the triple
triangle—the six-pointed being the hexalp ha. (See “Pentacle” and
“Pentagram”.) The way a triangle points determines its meaning. If upwards, it
means the male element and divine fire; downwards, the female and the waters
of matter; upright, but with a bar across the top, air and astral
light ; downwards, with a bar—the earth or gross matter, etc., etc. When a
Greek Christian priest in blessing holds his two fingers and thumb together, he
simply makes the magic sign—by the power of the triangle or “trinity ”.
Soma
(Sk.). The moon, and also the
juice of the plant of that name used in the temples for trance purposes; a
sacred beverage. Soma, the moon, is the symbol of the Secret Wisdom. In the Upanishads
the word is used to denote gross matter (with an association of moisture)
capable of producing life under the action of heat. (See “ Soma-drink ”.)
Soma-drink. Made from a rare mountain plant by initiated
Brahmans. This Hindu sacred beverage answers to the Greek ambrosia or nectar,
quaffed by the gods of Olympus. A cup of Kykeôn was also quaffed by the Mystes
at the Eleusinian initiation. He who drinks it easily reaches Bradhna,
or the place of splendour (Heaven). The Soma-drink known to Europeans is not
the genuine beverage, but its substitute; for the initiated priests
alone can taste of the real Soma; and even kings and Rajas, when sacrificing,
receive the substitute. Haug, by his own confession, shows in his Aitareya
Brâhmana, that it was not the Soma that he tasted and found nasty, but the
juice from the roots of the Nyagradha, a plant or bush which grows on the hills
of Poona. We were positively informed that the majority of the sacrificial
priests of the Dekkan have lost the secret of the true Soma. It can be found neither
in the ritual books nor through oral information. The true followers of the
primitive Vedic religion are very few; these are the alleged descendants of the
Rishis, the real Agnihôtris, the initiates of the great Mysteries. The Soma
drink is also commemorated in the Hindu Pantheon, for it is called King-Soma.
He who drinks thereof is made to participate in the heavenly king; he becomes
filled with his essence, as the Christian apostles and their converts were.
filled with the Holy Ghost, and purified of their sins. The Soma makes a new
man of the initiate; he is reborn and transformed, and his spiritual nature
overcomes the physical; it bestows the divine power of inspiration, and
develops the clairvoyant faculty to the utmost. According to the exoteric explanation
the soma is a plant, but at the same time it is an angel. It forcibly connects
the inner, highest “ spirit” of man, which spirit is an angel like the mystical
Soma, with his “irrational soul ”, or astral body, and thus united by the power
of the magic drink, they soar together above physical nature and participate
during life in the beatitude and ineffable glories of Heaven,
Thus
the Hindu Soma is mystically and in all respects the same that the Eucharist
supper is to the Christian. The idea is similar. By means of the sacrificial
prayers—the mantras—this liquor is supposed to be immediately transformed into
the real Soma, or the angel, and even into Brahmâ himself. Some missionaries
have expressed themselves with much indignation about this ceremony, the more
so, seeing that the Brahmans generally use a kind of spirituous liquor
as a substitute. But do the Christians believe less fervently in the
transubstantiation of the communion wine into the blood of Christ, because this
wine happens to be more or less spirituous? Is not the idea of the symbol
attached to it the same? But the missionaries say that this hour of
soma-drinking is the golden hour of Satan, who lurks at the bottom of the Hindu
sacrificial cup. (Isis Unveiled.)
Soma-loka (Sk.). A kind of lunar abode where the god
Soma, the regent of the moon, resides. The abode of the Lunar Pitris—or Pitriloka.
Somapa (Sk.). A class of Lunar Pitris. (See “
Trisuparna.”)
Somnambulism Lit., “sleep-walking ”, or moving, acting, writing,
reading and performing every function of waking consciousness in one’s sleep,
with utter oblivion of the fact on awakening. This is one of the great
psycho-physiological phenomena, the least understood as it is the most
puzzling, to which Occultism alone holds the key.
Son-kha-pa (Tib.). Written also Tsong-kha-pa. A
famous Tibetan reformer of the fourteenth century, who introduced a purified
Buddhism into his country. He was a great Adept, who being unable to witness
any longer the desecration of Buddhist philosophy by the false priests who made
of it a marketable commodity, put a forcible stop thereto by a timely
revolution and the exile of 40,000 sham monks and Lamas from the country. He is
regarded as an Avatar of Buddha, and is the founder of the Gelukpa (“
yellow-cap ”) Sect, and of the mystic Brotherhood connected with its chiefs.
The “tree of the 10,000 images” (khoom boom) has, it is said, sprung
from the long hair of this ascetic, who leaving it behind him disappeared for
ever from the view of the profane.
Sooniam. A magical ceremony for the purpose of removing a
sickness from one person to another. Black magic, sorcery.
Sophia (Gr.). Wisdom. The female Logos of the
Gnostics; the Universal Mind; and the female Holy Ghost with others.
Sophia
Achamoth (Gr.). The daughter
of Sophia. The personified Astral Light, or the lower plane of Ether.
Sortes
Sanctorum (Lat.). The “holy
casting of lots for purposes of divination”, practised by the early and
medićval Christian clergy. St. Augustine, who does not “disapprove of this
method of learning futurity, provided it be not used for worldly purposes,
practised it himself ” (Life of St. Gregory of Tours). If, however, “it is
practised by laymen, heretics, or heathen” of any sort, sortes sanctorum
become—if we believe the good and pious fathers—sortes diabolorum or
sortilegium—sorcery.
Sosiosh (Zend). The Mazdean Saviour who, like Vishnu,
Maitreya Buddha and others, is expected to appear on a white horse at the end
of the cycle to save mankind. (See “S´ambhala”.)
Soul. The yuch, or nephesh of the Bible;
the vital principle, or the breath of life, which every animal, down to the
infusoria, shares with man. In the translated Bible it stands indifferently for
life, blood and soul. “ Let us not kill his nephesh ”, says the
original text: “let us not kill him ”, translate the Christians (Genesis
xxxvii. 21), and so on.
Sowan
(Pali). The first of the “four
paths” which lead to Nirvâna, in Yoga practice.
Sowanee (Pali). He who entered upon that “path”.
Sparsa (Sk). The sense of touch.
Spenta
Armaita (Zend). The female
genius of the earth; the “fair daughter of Ahura Mazda ”. With the Mazdeans, Spenta
Armaita is the personified Earth.
Spirit. The lack of any mutual agreement between writers in
the use of this word has resulted in dire confusion. It is commonly made
synonymous with soul; and the lexicographers countenance the usage. In
Theosophical teachings. the term “Spirit” is applied solely to that which belongs
directly to Universal Consciousness, and which is its homogeneous
and unadulterated emanation. Thus, the higher Mind in Man or his Ego (Manas)
is, when linked indissolubly with Buddhi, a spirit; while the term “Soul”,
human or even animal (the lower Manas acting in animals as instinct), is
applied only to Kâma-Manas, and qualified as the living soul. This is nephesh,
in Hebrew, the “breath of life”. Spirit is formless and immaterial,
being, when individualised, of the highest spiritual substance—Suddasatwa,
the divine essence, of which the body of the manifesting highest Dhyanis
are formed. Therefore, the Theosophists reject the appellation “ Spirits” for
those phantoms which appear in the phenomenal manifestations of the
Spiritualists, and call them “shells”, and various other names. (See “Sukshma
Sarîra”.) Spirit, in short, is no entity in the sense of having form ; for, as
Buddhist philosophy has it, where there is a form, there is a cause for pain
and suffering. But each individual spirit—this individuality lasting
only throughout the manvantaric life-cycle—may be described as a centre of
consciousness, a self-sentient and self-conscious centre; a state, not a
conditioned individual. This is why there is such a wealth of words in Sanskrit
to express the different States of Being, Beings and Entities, each appellation
showing the philosophical difference, the plane to which such unit
belongs, and the degree of its spirituality or materiality. Unfortunately these
terms are almost untranslatable into our Western tongues.
Spiritualism. In philosophy, the state or condition of mind
opposed to materialism or a material conception of things. Theosophy, a
doctrine which teaches that all which exists is animated or informed by the
Universal Soul or Spirit, and that not an atom in our universe can be outside
of this omnipresent Principle—is pure Spiritualism. As to the belief that goes
under that name, namely, belief in the constant communication of the living
with the dead, whether through the mediumistic powers of oneself or a so-called
medium—it is no better than the materialisation of spirit, and the degradation
of the human and the divine, souls. Believers in such communications are simply
dishonouring the dead and performing constant sacrilege. It was well called
“Necromancy” in days of old. But our modern Spiritualists take offence at being
told this simple truth.
Spook. A ghost, a hobgoblin. Used of the various apparitions
in the seance-rooms of the Spiritualists.
Sraddha
(Sk). Lit., faith, respect,
reverence.
Srâddha
(Sk.). Devotion to the memory
and care for the welfare of the manes of dead relatives.
A post-mortem rite for newly kindred. There are also monthly rites of Srâddha.
Srâddhadeva (Sk.). An epithet of Yama, the god of death
and king of the nether world, or Hades.
Srâmana
(Sk.). Buddhist priests,
ascetics and postulants for Nirvâna, “they who have to place a restraint on
their thoughts ”. The word Saman, now “Shaman” is a corruption of this
primitive word.
Srastara
(Sk.). A couch consisting of a
mat or a tiger’s skin, strewn with darbha, kusa and other grasses, used
by ascetics—gurus and chelas— and spread on the floor.
Sravah
(Mazd.). The Amshaspends, in
their highest aspect.
Srâvaka
(Sk.). Lit., “he who causes to
hear ”; a preacher. But in Buddhism it denotes a disciple or chela.
Sri
Sankarâchârya (Sk.). The great
religious reformer of India, and teacher of the Vedânta philosophy—the greatest
of all such teachers, regarded by the Adwaitas (Non-dualists) as an
incarnation of Siva and a worker of miracles. He established many mathams (monasteries),
and founded the most learned sect among Brahmans, called the Smârtava. The
legends about him are as numerous as his philosophical writings. At the age of
thirty-two he went to Kashmir, and reaching Kedâranâth in the Himalayas,
entered a cave alone, whence he never returned. His followers claim that he did
not die, but only retired from the world.
Sringa
Giri (Sk.). A large and
wealthy monastery on the ridge of the Western Ghauts in Mysore (Southern India)
; the chief matham of the Adwaita and Smârta Brahmans, founded by
Sankarâchârya. There resides the religious head (the latter being called
Sankarâchârya) of all the Vedantic Adwaitas, credited by many with great
abnormal powers.
Sri-pâda
(Sk.). The impression of
Buddha’s foot. Lit., “the step or foot of the Master or exalted Lord”.
Srivatsa (Sk.). A mystical mark worn by Krishna, and
also adopted by the Jains.
Sriyantra
(Sk.). The double triangle or
the seal of Vishnu, called also “Solomon’s seal ”, and adopted by the T. S.
Srotâpatti (Sk) Lit., “ he who has entered the stream ”, i.e.,
the stream or path that leads to Nirvâna, or figuratively, to the Nirvânic
Ocean. The same as Sowanee.
Srotriya (Sk) The appellation of a Brahman who
practises the Vedic rites he studies, as distinguished from the Vedavit,
the Brahman who studies them only theoretically.
Sruti (Sk.). Sacred tradition received by
revelation; the Vedas are such a tradition as distinguished from “
Smriti ” (q.v.).
St.
Germain, the Count of.
Referred to as an enigmatical personage by modern writers. Frederic II., King
of Prussia, used to say of him that he was a man whom no one had ever been able
make out. Many are his “biographies”, and each is wilder than the other. By
some he was regarded as an incarnate god, by others as a clever Alsatian Jew.
One thing is certain, Count de St. Germain—whatever his real patronymic may
have been—had a right to his name and title, for he had bought a property
called San Germano, in the Italian Tyrol, and paid the Pope for the title. He
was uncommonly handsome, and his enormous erudition and linguistic capacities
are undeniable, for he spoke English, Italian, French, Spanish, Portuguese,
German, Russian, Swedish, Danish, and many Slavonian and Oriental languages,
with equal facility with a native. He was extremely wealthy, never received a sou
from anyone—in fact never accepted a glass of water or broke bread with anyone
made most extravagant presents of superb jewellery to all his friends, even to
the royal families of Europe. His proficiency in music was marvellous; he
played on every instrument, the violin being his favourite. “St. Germain
rivalled Paganini himself”, was said of him by an octogenarian Belgian in 1835,
after hearing the “Genoese maestro”. “It is St. Germain resurrected who
plays the violin in the body of an Italian skeleton ”, exclaimed a Lithuanian
baron who had heard both.
He
never laid claim to spiritual powers, but proved to have a right to such claim.
He used to pass into a dead trance from thirty-seven to forty-nine hours
without awakening, and then knew all he had to know, and demonstrated the fact
by prophesying futurity and never making a mistake. It is he who prophesied
before the Kings Louis XV. and XVI., and the unfortunate Marie Antoinette. Many
were the still living witnesses in the first quarter of this century who
testified to his marvellous memory; he could read a paper in the morning and,
though hardly glancing at it, could repeat its contents without missing one
word days afterwards; he could write with two hands at once, the right hand
writing a piece of poetry, the left a diplomatic paper of the greatest
importance. He read sealed letters without touching them, while still in the
hand of those who brought them to him. He was the greatest adept in transmuting
metals, making gold and the most marvellous diamonds, an art, he said, he had
learned from certain Brahmans in India, who taught him the artificial
crystallisation (“quickening”) of pure carbon. As our Brother Kenneth Mackenzie
has it :—“ In 1780, when on a visit to the French Ambassador to the Hague, he
broke to pieces with a hammer a superb diamond of his own manufacture, the
counterpart of which, also manufactured by himself, he had just before sold to
a jeweller for 5500 louis d’or”. He was the friend and confidant of Count
Orloff in 1772 at Vienna, whom he had helped and saved in St. Petersburg in
1762, when concerned in the famous political conspiracies of that time; he also
became intimate with Frederick the Great of Prussia. As a matter of course, he
had numerous enemies, and therefore it is not to be wondered at if all the
gossip invented about him is now attributed to his own confessions: e.g., that
he was over five hundred years old; also, that he claimed personal intimacy
“with the Saviour and his twelve Apostles, and that he had reproved Peter for
his bad temper ”—the latter clashing somewhat in point of time with the former,
if he had really claimed to be only five hundred years old. if he said that “he
had been born in Chaldea and professed to possess the secrets of the Egyptian
magicians and sages ”, he may have spoken truth without making any miraculous
claim. There are Initiates, and not the highest either, who are placed in a
condition to remember more than one of their past lives. But we have good
reason to know that St. Germain could never have claimed “personal intimacy ”
with the Saviour. How ever that may be, Count St. Germain was certainly the greatest
Oriental Adept Europe has seen during the last centuries. But Europe knew him
not. Perchance some may recognise him at the next Terreur which will
affect all Europe when it comes, and not one country alone.
Sthâla
Mâyâ (Sk.). Gross, concrete
and—because differentiated— an illusion.
Sthâna (Sk.). Also Ayâna; the place or abode
of a god.
Sthâvara
(Sk). From sthâ to stay
or remain motionless. The term for all conscious, sentient objects deprived of the
power of locomotion—fixed and rooted like the trees or plants; while all those
sentient things, which add motion to a certain degree of consciousness, are
called Jangama, from gam, to move, to go.
Sthâvirâh, or Sthâviranikaya (Sk.). One of the
earliest philosophical contemplative schools, founded 300 B.c. In the year 247
before the Christian era, it split into three divisions: the Mahâvihâra
Vâsinâh (School of the great monasteries), Jętavaniyâh, and Abhayagiri
Vâsinâh. It is one of the four branches of the Vaibhâchika School
founded by Kâtyâyana, one of the great disciples of Lord Gautama Buddha, the
author of the Abhidharma Jnana Prasthâna Shastra, who is expected to
reappear as a Buddha.
(See “Abhayagiri ”, etc.) All these schools are highly mystical. Lit.,
Stâviranikaya is translated the
“ School of the Chairman” or “President” (Chohan).
Sthirâtman (Sk.). Eternal, supreme, applied to the
Universal Soul.
Sthiti
(Sk.). The attribute of
preservation; stability.
Sthűla
(Sk.). Differentiated and conditioned
matter.
Sthűla
Sarîram (Sk.). In metaphysics,
the gross physical body.
Sthűlopadhi (Sk.). A “principle” answering to the lower
triad in man, i.e., body, astral form,
and life, in the Târaka Râja Yoga system, which names only three chief principles
in man. Sthűlopadhi corresponds to the jagrata, or waking
conscious state.
Stűpa
(Sk.). A conical monument, in
India and Ceylon, erected over relics of Buddha, Arhats, or other great men.
Subhâva (Sk.). Being; the self-forming substance, or that
“substance which gives substance to itself ”. (See the Ekasloha Shâstra of
Nâgârjuna.) Explained paradoxically, as “the nature which has no nature of its
own ”, and again as that which is with, and without, action. (See
“Svabhâvat”.) This is the Spirit within Substance, the ideal
cause of the potencies acting on the work of formative evolution (not
“creation” in the sense usually attached to the word); which potencies become
in turn the real causes. In the words used in the Vedânta and Vyâya Philosophies:
nimitta, the efficient, and upâdâna, the material, causes are
contained in Subhâva co-eternally. Says a Sanskrit Sloka:
“
Worthiest of ascetics, through its potency [ that of the “efficient” cause]
every created thing comes by its proper nature ”.
Substance. Theosophists use the word in a dual sense,
qualifying substance as perceptible and imperceptible; and making a distinction
between material, psychic and spiritual substances (see “Sudda Satwa”), into ideal (i.e.,
existing on higher planes) and real substance.
Suchi
(Sk.). A name of Indra; also
of the third son of Abhimânin, son of Agni; i.e., one of the primordial forty-nine
fires.
Su-darshana
(Sk.). The Discus of Krishna;
a flaming weapon that plays a great part in Krishna’s biographies.
Sudda
Satwa (Sk.). A substance not
subject to the qualities of matter; a luminiferous and (to us) invisible
substance, of which the bodies of the Gods and highest Dhyânis are formed.
Philosophically, Suddha Satwa is a conscious state of spiritual Ego-ship
rather than any essence.
Suddhodana
(Sk.). The King of
Kapilavastu; the father of Gautama Lord Buddha.
Sudhâ (Sk.). The food of the gods, akin to amrita
the substance that gives immortality.
S’udra
(Sk.). The last of the four
castes that sprang from Brahmâ’s body. The “servile caste” that issued from the
foot of the deity.
Sudyumna
(Sk.). An epithet of Ila
(or Ida), the offspring of Vaivasvata Manu and his fair daughter who
sprang from his sacrifice when he was left alone after the flood. Sudyumna was
an androgynous creature, one month a male and the other a female.
Suffism
(Gr.). From the root of Sophia,
“Wisdom ”. A mystical sect in Persia something like the Vedantins; though very
strong in numbers, none but very intelligent men join it. They claim, and very
justly, the possession of the esoteric philosophy and doctrine of true
Mohammedanism. The Suffi (or Sofi) doctrine is a good deal in touch with Theosophy,
inasmuch as it preaches one universal creed, and outward respect and tolerance
for every popular exoteric faith. It is also in touch with Masonry. The
Suffis have four degrees and four stages of initiation:1st, probationary, with
a strict outward observance of Mussulman rites, the hidden meaning of each
ceremony and dogma being explained to the candidate; 2nd, metaphysical
training; 3rd, the “Wisdom” degree, when the candidate is initiated into the
innermost nature of things; and 4th final Truth, when the Adept attains divine
powers, and complete union with the One Universal Deity in ecstacy or
Samâdhi.
Sugata
(Sk.). One of the Lord
Buddha’s titles, having many meanings.
Sukhab (Chald.). One of the seven Babylonian gods.
Sukhâvati
(Sk.). The Western Paradise of
the uneducated rabble. The popular notion is that there is a Western Paradise of
Amitâbha, wherein good men and saints revel in physical delights until they are
carried once more by Karma into the circle of rebirth. This is an exaggerated
and mistaken notion of Devâchân.
Suki
(Sk.). A daughter of Rishi Kashyapa, wife of Garuda, the
king of the birds, the vehicle of Vishnu; the mother of parrots, owls and
crows.
Sukra
(Sk.). A name of the planet Venus, called also Usanas. In
this impersonation Usanas is the Guru and preceptor of the Daityas—the giants
of the earth—in the Purânas.
Sűkshma
Sarîra (Sk.). The
dream-like, illusive body akin to Mânasarűpa or “thought-body ”. It is
the vesture of the gods, or the Dhyânis and the Devas. Written also Sukshama
Sharîra and called Sukshmopadhi by the Târaka Râja Yogis. (Secret
Doctrine, I.,157)
Sűkshmopadhi
(Sk.). In Târaka Râja Yoga the
“principle” containing both the higher and the lower Manas and Kâma. It
corresponds to the Manomaya Kosha of the Vedantic classification and to
the Svapna state. (See “Svapna ”.)
Su-Męru
(Sk.). The same as Meru, the
world-mountain. The prefix Su implies the laudation and exaltation of
the object or personal name which follows it.
Summerland. The name given by the American Spiritualists and
Phenomenalists to the land or region inhabited after death by their “Spirits”.
It is situated, says Andrew Jackson Davis, either within or beyond the Milky
Way. It is described as having cities and beautiful buildings, a Congress Hall,
museums and libraries for the instruction of the growing generations of young “
Spirits ”.
We
are not told whether the latter are subject to disease, decay and death; but
unless they are, the claim that the disembodied “Spirit” of a child and even
still-born babe grows and develops as an adult is hardly consistent with logic.
But that which we are distinctly told is, that in the Summerland Spirits are
given in marriage, beget spiritual (?) children, and are even concerned with
politics. All this is no satire or exaggeration of ours, since the numerous
works by Mr. A. Jackson Davis are there to prove it, e.g., the International
Congress of Spirits by that author, as well as we remember the title. It is
this grossly materialistic way of viewing a disembodied spirit that has turned
many of the present Theosophists away from Spiritualism and its “philosophy”.
The majesty of death is thus desecrated, and its awful and solemn mystery
becomes no better than a farce.
Sunasepha (Sk.). The Purânic “Isaac”; the son of the sage
Rishika who sold him for one hundred cows to King Ambarisha, for a sacrifice
and “burnt offering” to Varuna, as a substitute for the king’s son Rohita,
devoted by his father to the god. When already stretched on the altar Sunasepha
is saved by Rishi Visvâmitra, who calls upon his own hundred sons to take the
place of the victim, and upon their refusal degrades them to the condition of
Chândâlas. After which the Sage teaches the victim a mantram the
repetition of which brings the gods to his rescue; he then adopts Sunasepha for
his elder son.
(See Râmâyana.) There are different versions of this story.
Sung-Ming-Shu (Chin.). The Chinese tree of knowledge and
tree of life.
Sűnya (Sk.). Illusion, in the sense that all
existence is but a phantom, a dream, or a shadow.
Sunyatâ
(Sk.). Void, space,
nothingness. The name of our objective universe in the sense of its unreality
and illusiveness.
Suoyator (Fin.). In the epic poem of the Finns, the Kalevala,
the name for the primordial Spirit of Evil, from whose saliva the serpent of
sin was born.
Surabhi (Sk.). The “cow of plenty ”; a fabulous
creation, one of the fourteen precious things yielded by the ocean of milk when
churned by the gods. A “cow” which yields every desire to its possessor.
Surarânî (Sk.). A title of Aditi, the mother of the
gods or suras.
Suras (Sk.). A general term for gods, the same as
devas; the contrary to asuras or “no-gods“.
Su-rasâ
(Sk.). A daughter of Daksha,
Kashyapa’s wife, and the mother of a thousand many-headed serpents and dragons.
Surpa (Sk.). “Winnower.”
Surtur (Scand.). The leader of the fiery sons of
Muspel in the Eddas.
Surukâya
(Sk). One of the “Seven
Buddhas”, or Sapta Tathâgata.
Sűryâ
(Sk.). The Sun, worshipped in
the Vedas. The offspring of Aditi (Space), the mother of the gods. The
husband of Sanjnâ, or spiritual consciousness. The great god whom Visvakârman,
his father-in-law, the creator of the gods and men, and their “carpenter”,
crucifies on a lathe, and cutting off the eighth part of his rays, deprives his
head of its effulgency, creating round it a dark aureole. A mystery of the last
initiation, and an allegorical representation of it.
Sűryasiddhânta (Sk.). A Sanskrit treatise on astronomy.
Sűryavansa (Sk). The solar race. A Sűrayavansee is
one who claims descent from the lineage headed by Ikshvâku. Thus, while
Râma belonged to the Ayodhyâ Dynasty of the Sűryavansa, Krishna belonged to the
line of Yadu of the lunar race, or the Chandravansa, as did Gautama Buddha.
Sűryâvarta (Sk.). A degree or stage of Samâdhi.
Sushumnâ
(Sk.). The solar ray—the first
of the seven rays. Also the name of a spinal nerve which connects the heart
with the Brahmarandra, and plays a most important part in Yoga practices.
Sushupti
Avasthâ (Sk.). Deep sleep; one
of the four aspects of Prânava.
Sűtra
(Sk.). The second division of
the sacred writings, addressed to the Buddhist laity.
Sűtra
Period (Sk.). One of the
periods into which Vedic literature is divided.
Sűtrâtman
(Sk.). Lit., “the thread of
spirit”; the immortal Ego, the Individuality which incarnates in men one life
after the other, and upon which are strung, like beads on a string, his
countless Personalities. The universal life-supporting air, Samashti prau;
universal energy.
Svabhâvat (Sk.). Explained by the Orientalists as
“plastic substance”, which is an inadequate definition. Svabhâvat is the
world-substance and stuff, or rather that which is behind it—the spirit and
essence of substance. The name comes from Subhâva and is composed of
three words—su, good, perfect, fair, handsome; sva, self; and bkâva,
being, or state of being. From it all nature proceeds and into it all
returns at the end of the life-cycles. In Esotericism it is called
“Father-Mother”. It is the plastic essence of matter.
Svâbhâvika (Sk.). The oldest existing school of Buddhism.
They assigned the manifestation of the universe and physical phenomena to
Svabhâva or respective nature of things. According to Wilson the Svabhâvas of
things are “the inherent properties of the qualities by which they act, as
soothing, terrific or stupefying, and the forms Swarűpas are the
distinction of biped, quadruped, brute, fish, animal and the like ”.
Svadhâ (Sk.). Oblation; allegorically called “the
wife of the Pitris ”, the Agnishwattas and Barhishads.
Svâhâ
(Sk). A customary exclamation
meaning “May it be perpetuated” or rather, “so be it”. When used at ancestral
sacrifices (Brahmanic), it means “ May the race be perpetuated!”
Svapada
(Sk.). Protoplasm, cells, or
microscopic organisms.
Svapna
(Sk). A trance or dreamy
condition. Clairvoyance.
Svapna
Avasthâ (Sk.). A dreaming state; one
of the four aspects of Prânava; a Yoga practice.
Svarâj
(Sk.). The last or seventh
(synthetical) ray of the seven solar rays; the same as Brahmâ. These seven rays
are the entire gamut of the seven occult forces (or gods) of nature, as their
respective names well prove. These are: Sushumnâ (the ray which transmits
sunlight to the moon); Harikesha, Visvakarman, Visvatryarchas,
Sannadhas, Sarvâvasu, and Svarâj. As each stands for one of the
creative gods or Forces, it is easy to see how important were the functions of
the sun in the eyes of antiquity, and why it was deified by the profane.
Svarga (Sk.). A heavenly abode, the same as
Indra-loka; a paradise. It is the same as—
Svar-loka (Sk.). The paradise on Mount Meru.
Svasam
Vedanâ (Sk.). Lit., “the
reflection which analyses itself ”; a synonym of Paramârtha.
Svastika
(Sk.). In popular notions, it is the
Jaina cross, or the “four-footed” cross (croix cramponnée). In Masonic
teachings, “the most ancient Order of the Brotherhood of the Mystic Cross” is
said to have been founded by Fohi, 1,027 B.C., and introduced into China
fifty-two years later, consisting of the three degrees. In Esoteric Philosophy,
the most mystic and ancient diagram. It is “the originator of the fire by
friction, and of the ‘ Forty-nine Fires’.” Its symbol was stamped on Buddha’s
heart, and therefore called the “ Heart’s Seal”. It is laid on the breasts of
departed Initiates after their death ; and it is mentioned with the greatest
respect in the Râmâyana. Engraved on every rock, temple and prehistoric
building of India, and wherever Buddhists have left their landmarks; it is also
found in China, Tibet and Siam, and among the ancient Germanic nations as
Thor’s Hammer. As described by Eitel in his Hand-Book of Chinese
Buddhism. . (1) it is “found among Bonpas and Buddhists”; (2) it is “one of
the sixty-five figures of the Sripâda” ; ( it is “the symbol of esoteric
Buddhism” ; (4) “the special mark of all deities worshipped by the Lotus School
of China”. Finally, and in Occultism, it is as sacred to us as the Pythagorean Tetraktys,
of which it is indeed the double symbol.
Svastikâsana
(Sk.). The second of the four principal
postures of the eighty-four prescribed in Hatha Yoga practices.
Svayambhű (Sk.). A metaphysical and philosophical term, meaning
“the spontaneously self-produced” or the “self-existent being ”. An epithet of
Brahmâ. Svâyambhuva is also the name of the first Manu.
Svayambhű
Sűnyatâ (Sk.). Spontaneous
self-evolution; self-existence of the real in the unreal, i.e.,
of the Eternal Sat in the periodical Asat.
Sveta
(Sk.). A serpent-dragon; a son
of Kashyapa.
Sveta-dwîpa
(Sk.). Lit., the White Island
or Continent; one of the
Sapta-dwipa.
Colonel Wilford sought to identify it with Great Britain, but failed.
Sveta-lohita (Sk.). The name of Siva when he appears in the
29th Kalpa as “a moon-coloured Kumâra”.
Swedenborg,
Emmanuel. The great Swedish seer and
mystic. He was born on the 29th January, 1688, and was the son of Dr. Jasper
Swedberg, bishop of Skara, in West Gothland; and died in London, in Great Bath
Street, Clerkenwell, on March 29th, 1772. Of all mystics, Swedenborg has
certainly influenced “Theosophy” the
most, yet he left a far more profound impress on official science. For while as
an astronomer, mathematician, physiologist, naturalist, and philosopher he had
no rival, in psychology and metaphysics he was certainly behind his time. When
forty-six years of age, he became a “Theosophist”, and a “seer”; but, although
his life had been at all times blameless and respectable, he was never a true
philanthropist or an ascetic. His clairvoyant powers, however, were very
remarkable; but they did not go beyond this plane of matter; all that he says
of subjective worlds and spiritual beings is evidently far more the outcome of
his exuberant fancy, than of his spiritual insight. He left behind him numerous
works, which are sadly misinterpreted by his followers.
Sylphs. The Rosicrucian name for the elementals of the air.
Symbolism. The pictorial expression of an idea or a thought.
Primordial writing had at first no characters, but a symbol generally stood for
a whole phrase or sentence. A symbol is thus a recorded parable, and a parable
a spoken symbol. The Chinese written language is nothing more than symbolical
writing, each of its several thousand letters being-a symbol.
Syzygy
(Gr.). A Gnostic term, meaning
a pair or couple, one active, the other passive. Used especially of Ćons.
Find out more about
Theosophy
with these links
and there’s always a cup of tea
afterwards
The
Cardiff Theosophical Society Website
The
National Wales Theosophy Website
Theosophy Cardiff’s Instant
Guide to Theosophy
History of
the Theosophical Society in Wales
Theosophy and the
Number Seven
A selection of
articles relating to the esoteric
significance of the
Number 7 in Theosophy
Dave’s Streetwise Theosophy
Boards
The Most Basic
Theosophy Website in the Universe
If you run a
Theosophy Group, you can use
This as an introductory handout
One liners and quick explanations
About aspects of Theosophy
H P Blavatsky is usually the only
Theosophist that most people have ever
heard of. Let’s put that right
Lentil burgers, a thousand
press ups before breakfast and
the daily 25 mile run may put
it off for a while but death
seems to get most of us in the
end. We are pleased to
present for your
consideration, a definitive work on the
subject by a Student of
Katherine Tingley entitled
An Independent
Theosophical Republic
Links to Free Online
Theosophy
Study Resources; Courses, Writings,
The main criteria for the
inclusion of
links on this site is that
they have some
relationship (however tenuous)
to Theosophy
and are lightweight, amusing
or entertaining.
Topics include Quantum Theory
and Socks,
Dick Dastardly and Legendary Blues Singers.
An entertaining introduction to Theosophy
Blavatsky Calling and I
Don’t Wanna Shout
The Voice of the Silence Website
A selection of articles on Reincarnation
by Theosophical writers
Provided in response to the large
number of enquiries we receive at
No Aardvarks were harmed in the
The Spiritual Home of Urban Theosophy
The Earth Base for Evolutionary Theosophy
________________________
The Theosophy
The Theosophy
Cardiff Guide to
The Theosophy Cardiff
Guide to
The
Theosophy Cardiff Guide to
The
Terraced Maze of Glastonbury Tor
Glastonbury and Joseph of Arimathea
The
Grave of King Arthur & Guinevere
Views
of Glastonbury High Street
The
Theosophy Cardiff Guide to
_____________________
Camberley, Surrey, England GU15 - 2LF
Tekels Park to be Sold to a Developer
Concerns are raised about the fate of the wildlife as
The Spiritual Retreat, Tekels Park in Camberley,
Surrey, England is to be sold to a developer
Tekels Park is a 50 acre woodland park, purchased
for the Adyar
Theosophical Society in England in 1929.
In addition to concern about the park, many are
worried about
the future of the Tekels Park Deer
as they are not a protected species.
Many feel that the sale of a
sanctuary
for wildlife to a
developer can
only mean
disaster for the park’s animals
Confusion as the Theoversity moves out of
Tekels Park to Southampton, Glastonbury &
Chorley in Lancashire while the leadership claim
that the Theosophical Society will carry on
using
Tekels Park despite its sale to a developer
Future of Tekels Park Badgers in Doubt
Tekels Park & the Loch
Ness Monster
A Satirical view
of the sale of Tekels Park
in Camberley,
Surrey to a developer
The Toff’s Guide to the Sale
of Tekels Park
What the men in
top hats have to
say about the
sale of Tekels Park
____________________
Theosophy Cardiff
Nirvana Pages
Classic Introductory
Theosophy Text
A Text Book of Theosophy By
C
What
Theosophy Is From
the Absolute to Man
The
Formation of a Solar System The
Evolution of Life
The
Constitution of Man After
Death Reincarnation
The
Purpose of Life The
Planetary Chains
The
Result of Theosophical Study
An Outstanding
Introduction to Theosophy
By a student of
Katherine Tingley
Elementary
Theosophy Who
is the Man?
Body
and Soul Body,
Soul and Spirit
Preface Theosophy
and the Masters General
Principles
The Earth
Chain Body
and Astral Body Kama – Desire
Manas Of
Reincarnation Reincarnation
Continued
Karma Kama Loka Devachan Cycles
Arguments
Supporting Reincarnation
Differentiation
Of Species Missing
Links
Psychic
Laws, Forces, and
Phenomena
Psychic
Phenomena and Spiritualism
Quick Explanations with Links to More
Detailed Info
What
is Theosophy ? Theosophy
Defined (More Detail)
Three
Fundamental Propositions Key
Concepts of Theosophy
Cosmogenesis Anthropogenesis Root Races
Karma
Ascended
Masters After
Death States Reincarnation
The
Seven Principles of Man Helena
Petrovna Blavatsky
Colonel
Henry Steel Olcott William Quan
Judge
The
Start of the Theosophical Society Theosophical
Society Presidents
History
of the Theosophical Society Glossaries of
Theosophical Terms
History of
the Theosophical Society in Wales
The
Three Objectives of the Theosophical Society
Explanation of the
Theosophical Society Emblem
Karma Fundamental
Principles Laws:
Natural and Man-Made The Law of Laws
The Eternal
Now Succession Causation The Laws of
Nature A Lesson
of The Law
Karma
Does Not Crush Apply
This Law Man
in The Three Worlds Understand
The Truth
Man
and His Surroundings The Three
Fates The
Pair of Triplets Thought,
The Builder
Practical
Meditation Will and
Desire The
Mastery of Desire Two Other
Points
The Third
Thread Perfect
Justice Our
Environment Our Kith
and Kin Our Nation
The
Light for a Good Man Knowledge
of Law The
Opposing Schools
The More
Modern View Self-Examination Out of the
Past
Old
Friendships We Grow By
Giving Collective
Karma Family Karma
National
Karma India’s Karma National
Disasters
Try these if you are
looking for a
Local Theosophy Group or
Centre
UK Listing of
Theosophical Groups
Pages About
General pages about Wales,
Welsh History
and The History of Theosophy
in Wales
Wales is a
Principality within the United Kingdom
and has an
eastern border with England. The land
area is just over
8,000 square miles. Snowdon in
North Wales is
the highest mountain at 3,650 feet.
The coastline is
almost 750 miles long.
The population of
Wales as at the