GHOST
Popular term for supposed apparition of the dead, [psychical
researchers tend to use the term apparition]. Ghosts are often
depicted as resembling human form and described as frog like,
misty, silver, transparent and the like. They can be visible
but they can make their presence felt with strange noises,
smells, and cold air, the switching of lights on and off and
by movement of objects.
The ancient meaning of the term ghost typically refers to
the disembodied soul, which after death is thought to travel
to the underworld or afterlife. Beliefs vary as to what happens
to the soul after death but virtually every culture has believed
at some point that the ghost can return to the world of the
living and when they return they can have either good or bad
intent.
In the West, those who believe in ghosts sometimes hold that
they are the souls of those who cannot find peace in death
or realise they are dead, and so they linger on earth. Their
inability to find peace is often explained as a need to deal
with unfinished business, to deliver advice or information,
to protect or stay close to loved ones or simply to re-enact
death. In some cases the unfinished business involves a victim
seeking justice or revenge after death. The ghosts of criminals
are sometimes thought to linger to avoid purgatory, hell or
limbo.
In Asian cultures [such as China] many people believe in reincarnation
and ghosts are thought to be souls that refuse to be reborn
because they have unfinished business, similar to those in
Western belief.
Although there are reports of appearances during the day,
the majority seem to appear at night. Its possible that a
person is more sensitive to clairvoyance when relaxed or asleep
at night - many ghosts also appear during reams. However,
some believe that ghosts reported to have been seen at night
when a person is wide-awake may actually be hallucinations
that occur when they are drifting off to sleep.
Frederick Myers, one of the founders of the Society for Psychical
research in London, believed that ghosts were 'manifestations
of persistent personal energy, or an indication that some
kind of force is being exercised after death which is in some
way connected, with a person previously known on earth. Myers
believed that ghosts were projections of consciousness without
a conscious identity, but more recent research has argued
that ghost may possess some kind of awareness.
Ghost investigators have found that in the majority of cases
there are natural explanations for sightings, but this still
leaves a tiny number - perhaps a small as 2 per cent - that
just cant be explained naturally, however skeptical or unconvinced
the investigator. There is as yet no definitive answer as
to whether ghosts are genuine or figments of the imagination,
or if they have personality or are flashbacks of the past.
GNOSTICISM
From the Greek ghosts meaning 'known'; Gnosticism was a school
of mysticism that flourished in the early years of Christianity.
It was based on the idea that it was the search for hidden
spiritual knowledge rather than faith or conduct that could
save a person.
Gnostic sects varied in their approach to esoteric truth;
some focused on techniques like astrology or numerology, while
others concentrated on the secret teachings of Jesus. All
seem to have been influenced by the controversial belief that
God has a dual nature - that is both masculine and feminine
- and his feminine counterpart takes the form of Sophia, the
divine wisdom.
Gnostic practice was forbidden by orthodox Christianity but
the movement never lost its influence and survived in the
followers of Kabbalah, and in secret societies such as the
Rosicrucian's and Freemasonry. Then, in 1945 the 'Gnostic
Gospels' were discovered in Nag Hammadi, Egypt. The discovery
confirmed that Gnosticism was a part of early Christian practice
and that many gospels has been suppressed by later Church
factions. As a result there has been a revival of interest
in Gnostic Christian traditions.
Another significant influence on the revival of Gnosticism
was the work of pro-Gnostic writers and thinkers such as existentialist
Hans Jonas and historian Kurt Randolph. Perhaps the most influential
was psychiatrist Carl Jung who found in early Gnostic through
a prototype for depth psychology. He believed that Christianity
had suffered as a result of the suppression of Gnostic ideas
and that alchemy might be a way to reintroduce them to a modern
public.
GOD-IMAGE
From
C.G. Jung 'Memories, Dreams and Refelections p 413 - 414
A
term derived from the Church Fathers, according to whom the
imago Dei is imprinted on the human soul. When such
an image is spontaneously produced in dreams, fantasies, visions,
etc. it is from the psychological point of view, a symbol
of the self (q.v. ), of psychic wholeness.
C.G.
Jung : "It is only through the psyche that we can establish
that God acts upon us, but we are unable to distnighish whether
border-line concepts for transcendtal contents. But empirically
it can be established, with a sufficient degree of probability,
that there is in the unconscious an archetype of wholeness
which manifests itself spontaneously in dreams, etc., and
a tendency, independent of the conscious will, to relate other
archetypes to this centre. Consequently, it does not seem
improbable that the acrhetype produces a symbolism which has
always characterised and expressed the Deity. . . The God-image
does not coincide with the unconscious as such, but with a
special content of it, namely the archteype of the self. It
is this archetype from which we can no longer distinguish
the God-image empirically." ( Psychology and Religions
West and East, Coll. Works, Vol. 11, pp.468 ff.)
"One
can, then, explain the God-image . . . as a reflection of
the self, or, conversely, explain the self as an imago
Dei in man." (Ibid, p. 190)
HOLY
GRAIL
The Holy Grail is thought to be the cup used by Christ at
the Last Supper and for that reason it is considered a symbol
of perfection and virtue by Christians. As a pagan motif,
the Grail is the cup of healing and new life, which symbolises
the body of the Goddess. In esoteric traditions the Grail
is believed to be a point of contact with both the spiritual
and the supernatural realm. It is said to possess magical
powers of healing and communion with the divine force. In
alchemy the grail is likened to gold, the philosophers stone
that represents comprehension of the divine. According to
tradition the grail can only be seen by those who have reached
certain level of spiritual awareness. It is not known whether
such an object ever existed or still exists.
There are various versions of the Grail legends. One of the
most well known suggest that one of Jesus' followers, Joseph
of Arimathea, supposedly brought the Grail to Britain and
hid it somewhere in the vicinity of Glastonbury Tor. In another
Joseph passed the Grail to Bron, his sisters husband, and
it is eventually housed in a temple on Munsalvaesche, the
mountain of salvation, where it is guarded by an order of
Grail knights. The Grail keeper, who is known as the Fisher
King, is wounded and as a result the kingdom becomes a wasterland
that can only be restored when the Kings health is restored.
This sets the scene for the legendary quests for the Holy
Grail by Kind Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table. Early
origins of the Grail legends can also be found in the ancient
and universal feminine image of a cup as a symbol of power,
rebirth and inspiration, but this is complicated by the fact
that the Grail sometimes appears as a dish, a womb, a cauldron
and a stone.
Whatever the source of the legend, the real importance of
the Holy Grail lies in its mysterious power to fascinate the
human mind. Psychiatrist Carl Jung said that the story of
the Holy Grail represents a search for meaning and the inner
self, seen in this light there can be no doubt that the quest
for the Holy Grail is psychically very much alive today.
GROUNDING
The terms used to describe reconnecting with ones sense of
self and the physical world after psychic development.
Grounding is a way to get rid of the disconnected or spaced-out
feelings that sometimes occurs with meditation or visualistion
work. Experts in the psychic development field believe it
is vitally important after any meditation or visualisation
exercise to return to daily life and reconnect with the physical
world. This can be done with simple activities, such a yawning
and stretching, making a cup of tea, eating a light snack,
writing in a journal or anything that helps the body and mind
focus on the physical rather than the spiritual or mystical.
GUIDE
Term used to refer to inner guidance that can help a person
discover wisdom and/or psychic guidance and assistance from
inside him or herself.
The term also refers to spirit guides. Spirit guides are thought
to be angels, fairies, ghosts or spirits whose function is
to help and guide people on their spiritual path. In contrast
to intuitive guidance, help from a spirit guide is thought
to come from an outside source, although some people think
that their spirit guide is somehow connected to their intuition.
GUIDED
IMAGERY
The idea that a person can improve their health and their
life by imagining it in more positive terms. Guided imagery
is a term used to refer to a kind of directed daydreaming,
creative visualisation, hypnosis or meditation which allows
a person to enter a state in which they can picture and experience
images that help to heal or motivate them. For example a cancer
patient may picture army tanks or arrows shooting down cancer
cells. In other words the imagination is used in a
directed way to help achieve goals.
Imagery
has long been considered
a healing tool in virtually all of the world's cultures. For
example, Navajo Indians practice an elaborate form of imagery
that encourages a sick person to 'see' himself as healthy.
The Egyptians and ancient Greeks believed that images released
spirits in the brain that aroused the heart and other
parts of the body.
In
the last 1960's guided imagery came to public attention with
encouraging reports from oncologist Carl Simonton of unexpected
longevity in cancer patients following the use of imagery
and visualisation to stimulate immune response. Although
Simonton's work created controversy in medicine, it wasn't
until the late 1980's, with the development of psychoneuroimmunology
as a field of study, that researchers began to research the
effects of the mind on physiology and healing in earnest.
While
this research is still continuing, Simonton's early hypothesis
that people can stimulate their immune response through imagery
has been validated. Study after study shows that when performed
correctly guided imagery can help lower blood pressure, reduce
anxiety and depression, boost the immune system, ease physical
pain and nausea during chemotherapy, reduce stress, balance
hormones, speed recovery from cuts, burns, fractures and surgery
and lower allergic responses. It also improve performance
in sport and business, as well as learning.
Today
guided imagery is a term variously used to describe a range
of techniques from simple visualisation and direct imagery-based
suggestion through metaphor and storytelling. In medicine
guided imagery is used to help teach psychophysiologic relaxation
to relive symptoms, to stimulate healing responses in the
body and to help people tolerate procedures and treatments
more easily.
In
addition to using thoughts and images, guided imagery also
involves imagining how things sound, feel, taste and smell.
It is thought that because sensory input is how the mind takes
in information, guided imagery goes straight to the unconscious
mind. It is particularly powerful when it involves emotions,
because emotions also by-pass words and logic and go straight
to the unconscious. In addition, emotions carry a history
with them that interacts with the image. For example, if you
imagine you are on a happy holiday with people you love, your
body re-expereinces the same joyful physical response.
Some
people prefer to use imagery created by someone else, and
a person (or a tape recording of the person) talks them thorough
the visualisation, while others prefer to make up their own.
Whatever method is used, the most important thing is to relax
and let your imagination work. Imagery, whether guided or
not, is most effective when it encourages someone to imagine
with all their senses. See also Pathworking.
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