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Venus and Her Lover

Page 52

by Becca Tzigany


  Tenets of this theory include the following: Time is an illusion, therefore so is everything else. The universe is a consciousness hologram. Reality is projected illusion within the hologram. It is a virtual experiment created in linear time to study emotions. Our hologram is composed of grids created by a source consciousness brought into awareness by electromagnetic energy at the physical level. The hologram is created and linked through a web, or grid matrixes based on the patterns of sacred geometry. The hologram had a beginning and it has an end, as consciousness evolves in the alchemy of time. As the grids collapse, everything within the hologram will end as it Fades to Black. [“The Holographic Universe,” http://www.crystalinks.com/holographic.html]

  hookahwaterpipe; an Eastern smoking pipe designed with a long tube passing through an urn of water that cools the smoke as it is drawn through. [Arabic: , ḥuqqah] Also: narghile, arghila, qalyān, or shisha.

  hornooven [Spanish]

  huacaplace or natural object revered in the Andean traditions for its spiritual power, such as a boulder or ceremonial grounds. [Quechua] See also: apu, paqarina.

  hula Hawaiian dance form; a Polynesian dance characterized by undulating hips, miming movements of the arms and hands, and usually accompanied by rhythmic drumbeats and chants. Performed for prayer, ritual, or in celebration, traditional hula includes percussion and chanting, while modern hula may be accompanied by musicians playing guitar, ukulele, and bass. Body movements may communicate emotion or signify aspects of Nature, such as the sea or wind. [Hawaiian]

  ida“comfort;” one of the three major channels (nadis) of subtle energy, which circulates life force for the body. Ida is associated with the left nostril, right brain (creativity), and the Feminine. [Sanskrit: ] See also: pingala.

  i.e.,“id est” (“that is”). The abbreviation indicates that an explanation or paraphrase is about to follow. [Latin]

  immanencedivine presence throughout the material world; Spirit as it permeates the mundane world. Immanence contrasts with transcendence, the belief that God or Spirit exists apart from or outside the material world.

  immanentinherent; existing or operating within. See: immanence.

  Inanna“Lady of Heaven;” Sumerian goddess of love, the most widely-worshipped female deity in ancient Mesopotamia. Inanna’s city was Uruk (4000–3100 BCE) in present-day Iraq. The goddess legitimized political power of male rulers, and as Babylonian Ishtar, was accomplished in war. In her astral aspect, she was equated with the planet Venus, the morning and evening star. [Sumerian: in cuneiform]

  inipisweat lodge; a Native American rite of purification [Sioux]

  Integrala metatheory of existence that is multidisciplinary, encompassing science, spirituality, culture, psychology, and systems theory. Basic Integral concepts include the AQAL (all quadrants, lines, levels, states, and types of knowledge and experience) framework, multi-perspective methodology (i.e., internal meditative realization as well as empirical scientific research), and holons and holography (every entity and concept is both an entity on its own, and a hierarchical part of a larger whole). American philosopher Ken Wilber expanded the Integral philosophy originally put forth by Indian yogi Sri Aurobindo, weaving together Eastern mysticism and Western science (especially psychology) and anticipating the next steps in the evolution of thought of the world’s great philosophers. The personal application of Integral theories, called Integral Life Practice (ILP), promotes the development in four domains: physical (the body), mental (cognitive), spiritual, and the Shadow (psycho-spiritual self-knowledge).While not yet mainstream, Integral philosophy is being advanced on several fronts, such as Integral Psychology, Integral Education, Integral Ecology, Integral Health, and Integral Business Management. See also: kosmology, Kosmos, meme, vision-logic

  IntiAndean sun god and mythological progenitor of the Inca people. His wife/sister was the goddess of the moon, Quilla. Together they bestowed fertility to Incan agriculture, according to myth. [Quechua]

  Isis“Queen of the Throne;” Divine Feminine archetype of ancient Egypt; companion (sister/wife) of god Osiris and mother of Horus; Egyptian goddess of creation, fertility, and motherhood, as well as water, earth, grains, the stars (especially Sirius), magic, and the Underworld. Isis is still honored as Goddess today by many pagans. [Greek: ; Egyptian: Aset or Eset]

  Eset in Egyptian hieroglyphs:

  Isla del Encanto“Enchanted Island,” a popular moniker for the island of Puerto Rico. [Spanish]

  ithyphallichaving an erect penis; relating to the phallus carried aloft in processions and festivals of the god Dionysus/Bacchus.

  Jainism Indian religion that promotes non-violence towards all living beings and emphasizes spiritual independence and equality between all forms of life. Self-control, asceticism, education/literacy, and right action are considered paths to spiritual liberation. Jainism dates to the sixth century BCE in India. [Sanskrit]

  japa mala “garland;” Hindu prayer beads, similar to a rosary. Often 108 wooden beads in the form of a necklace, japa mala help the Buddhist or Hindu worshipper keep count when repeating a mantra. [Sanskrit: ]

  jíbaro“free people;” mountain-dwelling peasant; traditional agricultural Puerto Rican culture; hillbilly. Jíbaro comes from the name given to the indigenous Arawak people of the Bahamas, Greater Antilles, and the northern Lesser Antilles of the Caribbean. They were ones who fled into the mountains during the Conquest. [Taíno]

  jing essential energy, nutritive essence; refined, perfected; extract; spirit; sexual energy, sperm, seed. One of the “Three Treasures” of Taoist thought and Traditional Chinese Medicine. [Chinese: ]

  kahunamaster of a craft, expert at his/her profession. Recently refers more to spiritual craft; sorcerer, magician, priest/priestess, shaman. [Hawaiian]

  Kali“the black one;” Hindu goddess of death, rebirth, and transformation; consort of Lord Shiva. She is worshipped as the dark, fierce goddess of the destructive power of Time, who grants the ability of transcendence. [Sanskrit: ]

  Kali Yuga current age; the most degenerated of the four kosmic ages, full of ignorance and materialism. Some say the Kali Yuga began in 3100 BCE, and will end in the destruction of our world, then to be followed by another Golden Age (Krita or Satya Yuga). [Sanskrit: ]

  kalpa“world period,” an aeon, a very long period of time, according to Hindu and Buddhist cosmology. In the Puranas, it describes a kalpa as 4.32 billion years long. It takes four yugas to make a kalpa. [Sanskrit: ]

  kama“enjoyment,” “sensual desire,” “longing;” lust, sexual pleasure, impulse to create good. [Sanskrit: ]

  Kama DevaHindu god of love, lust, and desire, akin to the Greco-Roman Cupid. He is eternally youthful and handsome. Son of Vishnu and Lakshmi; husband of Rati. [Sanskrit: ]

  Kamashastras the art and science of love-making, as detailed in Indian literature; tradition of works on Kāma: love, erotics, or sensual pleasures. The oldest and most well-known text is the Kama Sutra. [Sanskrit]

  Kama Sutra“manual of the erotic art;” Indian text of sexual morals, techniques, concepts, and wisdom. Compiled by Vatsyayana (third-fourth centuries, CE), it details the erotic arts from much earlier in India, 1000 BCE – 400 CE. [Sanskrit: ]

  karma“deed;” mental or physical action; consequences of action; natural law of action and reaction; cause and effect. According to Eastern thought, people reap the consequences (which can be joyful or sorrowful) of their past actions from this or past lifetimes. Karma drives reincarnation. [Sanskrit: कर्म]

  katoey“ladyboy,” a transgender or an effeminate gay male, known for her ultra-feminine and seductive dress and behavior. [Thai: ]

  kavaa plant from the western Pacific islands and Hawai’i, considered sacred for its psychoactive properties in those traditional cultures. A drink made from the kava root produces sedating, relaxing effects without disrupting mental clarity. [Tongan,
Marquesan] Also: kava kava.

  kawsaylife force energy, the energy that animates everything in the Universe, according to traditional Andean thought. [Quechua]

  KephtiuEgyptian name for the “Islands of the Great Green” [Islands of the Sea?] and their people. Many scholars believe this to be a reference to Crete and the Minoans, in ancient times when there was a lot of trade between Egypt and these islands (around 1600-1500 BCE). [Egyptian]

  kivaa Pueblo Indian ceremonial chamber that is usually round and at least partly underground. In modern Native American use, men meet in the kiva for ritual or for council.

  —kiva:a dome or beehive shaped fireplace made of adobe bricks, sculptured into a round shape, and covered with plaster. Usually located in the corner of a room, the kiva walls radiate heat. It has a broad base, narrow top, and arched firebox door. [Hopi]

  koa“brave, bold, fearless, warrior;” a member of the genus Acacia, Koa is the largest native tree in the Hawaiian Islands. In the wild, the tree can attain heights of about 115 feet (33 m). The reddish wood was prized by ancient Hawaiians for its use in dugout outrigger canoes, surfboards, and in ukuleles (since it is a tonewood). Nowadays koa is one of the most expensive woods in the world. [Hawaiian]

  kosmologya physical and metaphysical study into the origin and nature of the Universe; a theory that explains the objective and subjective domains of existence. According to Ken Wilber’s Integral theories, the “Big Three” elements (another version of the Four Quadrants) must be present in an accurate kosmology: the True (physical sciences), the Good (Humanities), and the Beautiful (spirituality). See also: Kosmos.

  Kosmos“orderly arrangement;” existence; how form emerges from the Formless/Emptiness/the Void; sum total of the cosmos (physiosphere) + biosphere + psyche or nous (noosphere) + the Divine (theosphere).

  Philosopher Ken Wilber, in his theory of consciousness and its evolution, defines Kosmos (with a capital K) through his Integral AQAL framework: all quadrants, all levels (stages of development), all lines (intelligences), all states (temporary vs. permanent stages), and types (distinctions of kind). The quadrants include not only the physical cosmos but all dimensions and realms of existence: manifest and unmanifest; matter, body, mind, and spirit. Emphasizing that everything is holonic in nature, Wilber maps the Kosmos through the four quadrants:

  1. Interior Individual – intentional. “I”

  2. Interior Collective – cultural.“We”

  3. Exterior Individual – behavioral. “It”

  4. Exterior Collective – social. “Its”

  “I” space

  emotions

  thoughts

  meditative states

  “It” space

  behaviors

  bodies/energies

  organism

  “We” space

  shared meaning

  relationships

  mutual understanding

  “Its” space

  systems

  environments

  technology

  The 4 Quadrants, from Integral Life Practice, p. 73

  [from Greek: , kosmos, “well-ordered,” “ornament”] See also: cosmos, holon, Integral.

  Krishna“dark blue,” “the dark one;” Hindu god, the eighth incarnation of Vishnu, who embodies playfulness, eternal youth, and male eroticism. On a more esoteric level, he symbolizes the infinite space of the Universe. [Sanskrit: ]

  Kuan Yin“hears the cries of the world;” Buddhist goddess of compassion. She is the feminine version of Avalokiteshvara and therefore a bodhisattva who has mercy on humanity and is willing to help. With a dual masculine/feminine nature, the deity is often depicted as androgynous. Kuan Yin is sometimes shown with 1000 arms, indicating her miraculous powers and skillful means to help all that ask her. [Chinese: , Guanyin Bodhisattva] Also: Guanyin, Guanshiyin, Kwun Yam, Quan Yin, Kannon, Chenrézik.

  kundalini“snake,” “serpent power;” life-force energy that lies coiled up, sleeping at the base of the spine. Once awakened, it can rise up the energy pathways (nadis), through the chakras, to unite with Kosmic consciousness in the crown chakra. Kundalini is sometimes differentiated from prana in that its awakening and rising up the spine can feel more overwhelming and “kosmic” than the normal flow of prana/chi/life force through the body. Properly directed, awakened kundalini bestows wisdom and bliss. [Sanskrit: ] Also: kundalini shakti.

  kung fu“achievement through intense effort;” Chinese martial arts; traditional method of self-defense using fluid movements of the hands and legs to strike blows at vulnerable areas of an attacker’s body. [Chinese: ] Also: gung fu; wushu.

  lagunalagoon, lake [Spanish]

  laissez-faire“let do;” noninterventionist; an attitude of letting things take their own course; an economic policy in which the government allows businesses to operate without interference (such as tariffs and subsidies). The phrase means broadly, “Let them do as they will.” [French]

  Lakshmi“fortune;” Hindu goddess of wealth, luck, happiness, abundance. Like her consort Vishnu, she embodies the principle of preservation and sustenance of existence. Her four arms remind the devotee of the four goals considered important to the Hindu way of life – dharma (conduct in alignment with kosmic order), kāma (love, passion), artha (purpose, worldy affairs), and moksha (liberation). [Sanskrit: ] Also: Shri

  lama“none above;” spiritual leader of Vajrayana (Tantric/Tibetan) Buddhism, monk, priest, head of a monastery. Lama is a title given to a spiritual master who embodies Buddhist virtues and is capable of teaching others. [Tibetan: བླ་མ་]

  lanaiveranda, roofed patio, covered porch. A lanai often acts as a room of the house, and is furnished as a dining room or living room. – Lānaʻi an island of central Hawai’i, west of Maui. [Hawaiian]

  latino/latinaa person of Latin-American ancestry. Latino is shortened from latinoamericano (“Latin American”), referring to the people and cultures of Central and South America, and the Spanish-speaking Caribbean Islands. Latina is the feminine form; a latina is a Latin American female. [Spanish]

  leigarland of flowers or leaves worn around the neck; wreath of flowers, leaves, vines, seeds, ferns or even shells, fish teeth, bones, feathers, or paper, given as a sign of affection. Hula dancers adorn themselves with leis. [Hawaiian]

  LGBTacronym for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender. The initialism LGBT is intended to emphasize a diversity of sexuality and gender identity-based cultures. It may be used to refer to anyone who is non-heterosexual or who is questioning their sexual identity. Sometimes appears as LGBTIQ. (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Intersex, Queer). See: lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender.

  lesbian a woman whose primary sexual and affectional orientation is toward women.

  lhamanaZuni transgender man who traditionally lived as a woman, performing “feminine” work, such as weaving and other crafts, and served the tribe as mediator or teacher. Zuni/Zuñi are a Pueblo people. In the Native American tradition, Two Spirits (gay or transgender individuals) were respected and considered blessed to be able to harbor both genders, like the Great Spirit itself. [Zuni] See also: winkte.

  Liga Ecológica

  Puertorriqueña“Puerto Rican Ecological League;” grassroots environmental group in Puerto Rico. Founded in 1990 on the basis of beach preservation, its activities expanded into recycling, ecotourism, education, anti-nukes, clean energy, organic agriculture, and protection of trees, cetaceans, turtles, and habitats. [Spanish]

  lila“play, charm;” play, pastime, sport, creative activity of the Divine. In Hindu philosophy, Brahman (the Divine Absolute, the All That Is) creates the manifest realm in a playful spirit, not out of necessity but out of the freedom
to do anything It may desire. [Sanskrit लीला] Also: leela.

  lingarepresentation of a phallus, symbolic of the Hindu god Shiva; strength, energy; cosmic pillar. [Sanskrit: ] Also: Shiv ling, Shiva linga.

  lingammale sexual organ, penis, phallus. [Sanskrit] Also: lingham, linga, ling.

  linguinepasta in the form of narrow ribbons [Italian]

  liracurrency of Italy until 2002, when it was replaced by the euro. Plural: lire. Symbol: ₤ [Italian]

  llamaa domesticated South American camelid. Andean indigenous people have used this animal as a beast of burden and a source of meat, and have kept herds for their soft, fleecy wool. [Quechua] See also: alpaca, vicuña.

  lotusa perennial aquatic plant, similar to a water lily, known for the beauty of its fragrant flower (often pink). In addition to the flower, seeds, young leaves, and rhizomes all being edible, they have important uses in Traditional Chinese Medicine. In both Hindu and Buddhist traditions, the lotus is a spiritual symbol for purity. The Sanskrit name Padma means “lotus.” It is the national flower of India. Many Asian deities have been depicted resting on lotuses – Lakshmi, Vishnu, Brahma, and Sarasvati most prominently. The crown chakra, symbolized as a “thousand-petalled lotus” represents the expansion of consciousness. The “jewel in the lotus,” reflected in the Tibetan chant, “Om Mani Padme Hum,” has, in some Tantric circles, been said to symbolize the phallus (jewel) in the yoni (lotus).

  luchastruggle, dispute, battle, fight. [Spanish]

  luminariafestival light or fire; vigil bonfire. While Native American in origin, building and burning luminarias during Christmastime is also a Catholic tradition in Northern New Mexico. [Spanish]

  ma but. Often used in Italian conversation as an exclamation. “Ma!” = “Well!” [Italian].

  —ma: the syllable associated with “mother.”

  machoshowing aggressive pride in one’s masculinity; male, when contrasted with the word “hembra” (female). [Spanish]

 

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