Glossary of Terms
Alchemical Weddings is a story of magical charms, dream destinations, travel through time pieces and other essential elements of true romance. This realm has only just been born, through an act of Tsimtsum.
Tsimtsum is, essentially, a Kabalistic term. The omnipotent God generated the void in which to create a universe by withdrawing from a certain space; a space that might then be filled by God’s creation. Tsimtsum is the act of that withdrawal, contraction or concentration of energy into a primordial point. Psychologically, tsimtsum relates to the shrinking of the self and the understanding that power does not make an individual infallible or the same as God. The act of tsimtsum in a by nature active individual through meditation might bring about a zen-like state of mind, thereby elevating the mind over matter.
Think of the tree of life, or the mystical place where the kabbalah meets yin and yang, where and when God arrives and departs again.
For as Lao Tzu said: “They who tell do not know, they who know do not tell.” Why then, one might ask, did he go so far as to reveal this much? The concept of Ying and Yang sheds light on this as this expresses the idea that two opposites contain between them the totality of all things in perfect harmony; Positive and negative combine to form a neutral state of calm, a diffusion of the turmoil of chaos arising as each force transmits its essence. Zen is strongly related - conceptually, at the very least - to the idea of Tsimtsum, as seen above.
Written of by Homer and Virgil. The Elysian fields refer to the classical notion of Heaven and the location of creativity. A place of perfect happiness and repose for divine beings and the souls of excellent people.
An idea developed by Plato and explored by Carl Jung in his theories of human psychology. An Archetype is, essentially, a primordial and ideal form, a prototype for all future manifestations of the idea of that form. This word incorporates the Greek term ‘arche’, which means source or origin. In Christian Gnosticism and Pauline theology, Christ is seen as the archetypal man, the spiritual Adam.
This is both a Platonic and a Gnostic philosophy. Most commonly understood in relation to time as being the age of a universe or immeasurable eternity. An aeon is an emanation of the supreme deity.
To an Aeon, Time would have no meaning and yet to mortals it is a measured construct with which we define our existence. Humans refer to their action as having occurred in the past, present or future, yet we often question the possibility of their being infinitely dimensional parallel universes through which each moment occurs perpetually for eternity. The modern, linear view of time inhibits human potential for frequenting parallel universes beyond the instances of personal experience. A more liberal and empowering view is the one in which time is more than a straightforward progression and is truthfully accompanied by an opposite karmic force, which is timeless.
Uncontrolled matter and energy without form or direction. Chaos theory, however, attempts to find an order in apparently random observed phenomenon or other data. Proposes that there is an underlying force, design or determination behind the behaviour of all things. The butterfly effect is one of the most famous aspects of chaos theory and is also known as sensitive dependence on initial conditions, proposing that minute changes in initial conditions can ultimately bring about far-reaching, long-term behaviour or conditions.
According to the Oxford English Dictionary, these are mentions in official dispatches.
A Mystery is that which defies understanding or attempts at rationalization and usually also arouses curiosity. It may be a profound secret, the unraveling of which might depend upon initiation into a particular group, sect or cult, or upon a personal revelation or experience of enlightenment. A mystery is something inexplicable. The word is also used to describe incidents in the life of Jesus and the Virgin Mary, including the incarnation, passion, crucifixion, resurrection, annunciation or ascension, as meditated upon during recitation of the Rosary in Roman Catholic tradition. In the ancient world deities such as Demeter, Cybele, Isis, Mithras and Dionysus stimulated the growth of mystery and mystical religions.
According to its etymology, ‘mystic’ implies relation to ‘mysteries’. An initiate into mysteries would therefore be considered a mystic and mysticism is concerned with the nature of reality and the individual’s struggle to achieve a clear vision of reality. A transformation of consciousness would accompany such a vision. Something mystical is spiritually allegorical or symbolic, is of an esoteric nature and contains hidden meanings. A Mystic is one who seeks by contemplation and self-surrender to obtain union with the divine and who believes in spiritual apprehension of truths beyond reason or understanding. Most major world religions contain mystical traditions, including Judaism (especially through the Kabbalah), Christianity (especially through Gnosticism), Islam/Sufism, Hinduism, Buddhism and Taoism. One famous English mystical text, written anonymously by a monk in the 14th Century, is called the Cloud of Unknowing. Mysticism has strongly influenced many philosophies, constituting either the basis of whole systems or specific elements of certain systems. For example, Plato’s world of ideas is a mystical construct. The Alexandrian Jew, Philo, taught that a human being, by freeing him or herself from matter and receiving illumination from God, might reach a prophetic state of mystical ecstasy. The most systematic attempt to form a mystical philosophical world view occurred at the Neo-Platonism School of Alexandria, particularly through the work of Plotinus, who proposed that the end of human life and philosophy itself is to realize the mystical return of the soul to God by freeing and purifying itself from the sensuous world.
A kingdom, sphere or domain. The word often has fantastical, romantic and spiritual connotations.
This means ownership. An individual would naturally wish to be in full possession of his or her own body, mind and soul. In a case of demonic possession, the soul, mind or spirit of an undesirable other might be said to have occupied the body of a particular person. Such an interloper may well prove difficult to expel without help from an intermediary.
An evil, malignant, destructive, fierce and supernatural force, to be avoided, repelled or defeated wherever possible. A devilish entity which might try to influence or even possess another being for no good reason.
Yin and Yang
Yin and Yang is an ancient Chinese, holistic concept about the way in which things work and which flow goes. The Yellow Emperor described it thus: "The principle of Yin and Yang is the foundation of the entire universe."
