Hall, Manly P: Born in 1901 in Ontario,Hall is the author of over 100 books. His most famous work is 'The Secret Teachings of All Ages', an encyclopaedic volume on the Western Esoteric Tradition, published in 1928.In 1934 Manly P,Hall founded the Philosophical Research Society in Los Angeles

Halloween: All Hallows Eve, 31 October, the day before All Saints' Day and traditionally the time when evil spirits were free to roam abroad.It marked the end of the year in the ancient Celtic calender, and its significance goes back far before Christianity. It's modern 'trick' or 'treat' aspect goes back to a time when children dressed up, perhaps to propitiate the roving spirits or make them believe that the houses had already been visited

Haniel (Babylonian, Cabalistic - Archangel): Also known as Anael, Aniel, Hamiel, Onoel. Haniel's name means 'glory of God' or 'grace of God'.In ancient Babylon, a group of men known as 'priests-astronomers' worked with astrology, astronomy, moon & energy and various deities for their divination and spiritual healing work.One of the archangels with whom they worked was Haniel, who was associated with the planet Venus

Some Cabalistic text credit Haniel as escorting Enoch to the spirit world.Enoch was one of the only two humans to ever be transformed into archangels - his hs case, into the Archangel Metraton.The other case was the prophet Elijah ascending into the archangel Sandalphon.Haniel helps to recover the lost secrets of natural healing remedies especially involving the harnessing of the moon's energy in potions, powders and crystals.Haniel also helps us enjoy more grace in our lives.To add beauty, harmony and the company of wonderful friends to your life. This archangel also help you stay poised and centered before and during any important event, such as a speech, performance, first date or job intervies.He also helps with healing abilities, Moon energy,Poise & Psychic abilities, especially clairvoyance

Harmonic Convergence: On 16 & 17 August 1987 - the world's largest New Age participatory event to date took place. Many thousands of people all over the world gathered at such Sacred places as Glastonbury in England, the Pyramid of the Sun in Mexico and Mount Shasta in California According to Dr Jose Arguelles, who is credited with originating the idea for the celebration, the date was set long ago by the ancient Mayans. According to Arguelles calculations, the Earth is entering a new period and the uniting of minds in harmony creates a special energy field which helps promote world peace and make possible contact with beings from other planets

Harner, Michael: In 1959, Michael Harner, then Associate Professor of Anthropology at the New School for Social Research in New York, was invited by the American Museum of Natural History to study the Conibo Indians of the Peruvian Amazon.He accepted - set off the following year and quickly established a close rapport with the indians. He became one of the world's leading authorities on Shamanism and has studied among the Cost Salish, Jivaro,Lakota Sioux,Pomo, and Wintun peoples. On the academic front he has been a visiting professor at Columbia, Yale and the University of California.He published a number of books including The Jivaro-Doubleday/Natural History Press 1972, Hallucinogens and Shamansim-Oxford University Press 1973, and The Way of theShaman-Harper & Row 1980, travels extensively to give workshops on Shamanic development and healing

Haruspex: The Latin name for a diviner, originally derived from the Etruscan method of Divination, which involved the foretelling of future events from an examination of the entrails of slaughtered animals.The word may have been derived from the Sanskrit root hira (entrails). A synonymous term is Extispicy

Hasidism: A Jewish mystical movement drawing its name from the Hebrew hasid, meaning 'pious.The movement was founded in 18th century Poland - by Eliezer Ba'al Shem Tov, who as a firm believer in joyful service of God, conducted services noted for wild singing, dancing and drinking Ba'al Shem was himself an ecstatic who seemed to enter trance states during prayer, his body shaking like that of a primitive Shaman.The movement he founded drew heavily on the doctrines of the Qabalah and survives today as a movement within mainstream Judaism

Hathor (Egypt - Deity): Also sknown as Athor, Athyr, Hat-hor, Hat-Mehit, Hawthor, Tanetu, The Celestial Cow, Queen of the Earth, Mother of Light, The Eye of Ra. Hathor is the ancient and beloved Egyptian goddess of the sun, sky, newborns and the dead.Her celebrations were marked with a lot of drinking, musci and dancing. so Hathor is considered to be a patron of music, dance and mirth.She's also associated with feminine beauty, cosmetics, fashionable clothing, and romantic relationships.Hathor is a love and fertility goddess who helps bring soulmates together, oversees conception, protects pregnant mothers, acts as a midwife, and helps with raising children.As a multipurpose goddess responsible for nurturing all newborns, as well as helping the dead cross peacefully to the underworld.Hathor divided herself into seven goddesses to get everything done.She helps with Artistic projects, Beauty, attractiveness and cosmetics, Celebrations, music, parties and dancing,Children-conceiving,pregnancy & parenting,Decision-making,finding one's Soulmate

Haunting: Mysterious happening attributed to the presence of ghosts or spirits. Phenomena include apparitions, noises, smells, tactile sensations, extremes in temperature, movement of objects and the like. Despite much scientific inquiry since the late 19th century, very little is known about the nature of hauntings and why they happen.The term 'haunt' is derived from the same root as 'home' and refers to the occupation of homes by the spirits of deceased people and animals who lived there.Other haunted sites seem to be places merely frequented or liked by the deceased, or places where violent deaths has occured. Most hauntings have no clear reason or purpose.Some are continual and others are active only on certain dates that correspond to the deaths or major events in the lives of the deceased.Some hauntings are brief, lasting only a few weeks, months or years, while others continue for centuries.Haunted places often are pervaded by an oppressive atmosphere

Not everyone who goes to a haunted place experiences paranormal phenomena.The theory is that only individuals with certain Psychic attunements or emotional states are receptive. Few hauntings involve seeing Apparitions.In those that do, a Ghost may be seen by a single individual or collectively by several people present at the same time.Thousands of hauntings have been investigated by psychial researchers and parapsychologists over the last hundred years or so

Numerous theories have been advanced, all inconclusive. Some early psychic researchers thought that ghosts were meaningless fragments of energy left behind in death. Others have theorised that hauntings are a form of psychometry, vibrations of events and emotions imbued into a house, site or object. One popular spiritualist theory hold that hauntings occur when the spirit of the dead person or animal is trapped on the earth plane for various reasons, doesn't know it is dead or is reluctant to leave. Gentle exorcism will send the spirit on to the afterworld

Researchers employ three basic techiques to investigate a haunting. these are description, experimentation and detection. Critics say ghost inveestigation is imprecise and not a true science because it is heavily reliant upon eyewitness testimony

Hecate: Originally one of the giant Titans of Greek Mythology who were subdued by Zeus. She was thE only one to retain her powers, to become the triple-headed demon goddess regarded by the ancient Greeks as thE queen of darkness, death, sexual perversity and most of all, witchcraft

Hellerwork: Form of bodywork.Treating of muscular rigidity & tension through massage and physical manipulations. Along with Rolfing and certain other forms of bodywork, Hellerwork, shares the premise that physical and emotional traumas accumulate in the body over a person''s lifetime,resulting in muscular rigidity and tension.Such tensions can be broken down and the body restored to a more supple state via massage and physical manipulations, but Hellrwork goes further in that its clients are taught to link the problems arising in their bodies with problems arising in their lives, so that a therapeutic approach to one automatically influences the other

Henotheism: The worshop of just one God, while acknowledging that other gods exist ( or at least, being open to the possibility)

Herbalism: One of the oldest form of medical practice. Makes use of natural plant extracts.Herbalism is enjoying an unprecedented revival of interest and practice in the New Age. Part of this development has been occasioned by an increasing realization of the side-effects frequenhtly caused by the use of drugs in conventional medical practice. Although not without its own dangers - Herbalism - which makes use of natural plant extracts rather than chemicals, is much less prone to negative interactions and side-effects.It is also quite capable of achieving results where orthodox medicine has failed

Herba Sacra: From Latin 'sacred weed', a name for the herb Verbena, vervain, which was once believed to have magical powers to avert sorcery and to cure the bite of rabid animals, as well as the plague

Hermann Prophecies: A series of prophecies (first printed around 1722) supposedly by a monk called Hermann.These consisted of a hundred sentences of a predictive nature and gained much popularity in France, especially during World War I as they prophesied the eventual downfall of Germany and the Hohenzollern Empire and the redistribution of German lands

Hermes Trismegistus: The name means 'thrice-greatest Hermes'. It was given by Neo-Platonic philosophers to the supposed founder of Alchemy, the ancient Egyptian god Thoth

Hermetica: A body of magical doctrine / wisdom, mainly Greek in origin that with the Kabbalah formed the foundation of Western occultism.The fragments present a synthesis of Kabbalistic, Neo-Platonic and Christian mystical and spiritual traditions. This mystical philosphical work was allegedly written by Hermes Trismegistus, a mythical composite of the Egyptian god Thoth and the Greek god Hermes. The cornerstone of the Hermetica is the principle - 'as above , so below'. Central to the literature of the Hermetica is the figure of Hermes Trismegistus, the Greek name for the Egyptian god,Thoth - the scribe of the gods and the inventor of writing and all the arts. Not all of the Hermetica texts have survived,According to legend, the Hermetic books were written on papyrus and stored in one of the great libraries in Alexandria. Most were lost when the library was burned.Surviving fragments supposedly were buried in a secret desert location known only to select initiates but those remaining have been the subject of several English language translations, among the best of which is that published in 1906 by G.R.S. Mead, C.G.Jung found much of value in the Hermetic writings and drew on them in his work

Herne The Hunter: In the English version of the commmon European legend of the 'wild huntsman, his name is Herne or Hern.A spectral figure who rides through the forest wiht a ghost-apck of hound, he strikes terror into the mortals who catch sight of him

Hexagram: Special figures comprising broken (yin) and unbroken (yang) lines used in I Ching divination. A name given to a six-line figure made from two trigrams ( a triple combination of Yin and Yang lines. Within this figure the Chinese diviner will trace a second pair of trigrams,called the nuclear trigrams.The hexagram, its basic and nuclear trigrams, and the associations drawn between these three elements are combined by the diviner to give responses to questions. Sometimes a consultation of the classical text of the I Ching is also resorted to

Hidden Masters: In 1887, Madame H.P.Blavatsky published a peculiar two-volume book which was destined to become an unlikely best-seller.The book was called 'Isis Unveiled' and claimed to be the 'master-key' to the mysteries of ancient and modern science and theology. It slso claimed as did Blavatsky's later work 'The Secret Doctrine', that the welfare of humanity was watched over and guided by an esoteric Brother hood of Hidden Masters

These Masters were described as superhuman beings with mystic powers hidden in the Himalayan fastness of Tibet. Blavatsky herself was supposed to have met them face to face, learned much of their ancient wisdom and indeed, to have been chosen to break the news of their existence to the Western World Public interest in he Hidden Masters, which peaked with the growth of Blavatsky's Theosophical Society, was to prove remarkably enduring

The Hidden Masters were bery definitely a part of the Eastern Esoteric Tradition, accepted more or less as Blavatsky potrayed them by those interested in such matters throughout the Orient. There is however, a Western Esoteric Tradition, rooted in the Qabalah, which propounds a remarkably similar doctrine.This teaching first became public knowledge in Renaissance times with the distribution of a pamphlet entitled the Fama Fraternitatis, describing the existence of a secret 'Rosicrucian Brotherhood comprising occult adepts who were subtly guiding the destinies of Europe.The concept of Hidden Masters was further extended in the mid-nineteenth century with the formation of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Age. Dion Fortune (Violet Penry-Evans) founder of the Society of the Inner Light in Britain, insisted on the existence of Hidden Masters - whom she calle Inner Plane Adepti, and claimed her own society was ultimately run by them.She openly stated that her 'Inner Plane Adepti' included both Blavatsky's Hidden Master and the Secret Chiefs of S.L.MacGregor Mathers, one of the colourful leaders of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn. She felt that the natural habitat of the Masters was the Astral plane and several other even more spiritual environments and that they seldom took on physical bodies any more.At first Dion Fortune's society used trance mediums similar to Spiritualist mediums in order to talk to the Masters, but later a special breed of psychic, called a mediator was developed. They were individuals, usually women, with the special ability of seeing into the Astral Plane.Since they did not go into trance, the messages they bough back from the Hidden masters were supposed to be less subject to distortion. Several other New Age organizations claim to be 'contacted' i.e. to function under the guidance of one or more Hidden Masters

Higher Self: The concept of a Higher Self is commonplace in esoteric thought where it is linked with the theory of reincarnation and not all that rare in religion either, where it is often though of as Conscience or the god within. There is a growing body of evidence within orthodox psychology for the existence of a Higher Self

Hildegard of Bingen: A twelfth-century German abbess who was known as 'the Sibyl of the Rhine', because of her visions and prophecies which occured throughout her life.She was a remarkable woman, founding two convents, getting involved in ecclesiastical politics, travelling long distances in pursuit of her duties writing hymns and a herbal. She died in 1179

Hinduism: World religion.Also one of the world's greatest and in many ways most subtle religions. It is the product of an ancient wisdom almost certainly rooted in the mystical experiences of its founders, the semi-legendary Vedic Sages.It encourages the practise of Yoga, the various Indian systems of which were almost exclusively Hindu developments.And the ultimate aim of the individual practitioner is openly defined as mystical transcendence.Against this mystical background, there are several interesting and important overlays.Despite the ultimate Unity of Brahma, Hinduism has developed for practical purposes a vast pantheon of gods and populated the universe with an even larger multitude of spirits and devils

Of the various deities, the two which stand supreme under Brahma are Vishnu the Preserver and Shiva the Destroyer. The Brahma-Vishnu-Shiva triad has, in its abstracts essence, much in common with the ancient Chinese concept of Tao manifesting in the complementary forces of yin and yang. Fundamental to the practice of Hinduism are the intrlocked beliefs of Karma & Reincarnation.The latter is held to be such an absolute that even gods reincarnate.The great hero Krishna was believed to be an incarnation of Vishnu.A great many Hindu concepts are familiar to, and accepted by, followers of Buddhism, which stands in almost exactly the same relationship to Hinduism as Christianity does to Judaism

Hologram: A three-dimensional image

Holographic Theory: Deriving from holography (three-dimensional photography by laser, whereby any part of the holographic plate can be used to reproduce the whole image) holographic theory postulates that as well as a whole containing parts, the parts also contain the whole. David Bohm has developed a theoretical model of the universe as holographic while Karl Pribram has applied holographic theory to his study of the brain. The holographic paradigm is an attractive one to those who subscribe to the idea of a New Age and makes sense of the paradoxical says of mystic

Holy Grail: Although the Holy Grail is usually referred to as the cup used by Jesus Christ at the Last Supper, there are clear indications that the myths and legends which encrust this mystical vessel are substantially older than the advent of Christ himself. The Holy Grail, is also seen as a symbolic Talisman around which numerous medieval legends and poems revolve, probably originated in Celtic pagan tradition as the cup of plenty and regeneration, symbol of the Great Mother. In Christian era, the Grail, became associated with the cup used at the Last Supper in which Joseph of Arimathea collected blood from Christ's wounds.Joseph was said to have brought the grail to Glastonbury.The Grail was sought by the knights of King Arthur in several medieval romances, the earliest of which was the late 12th -century Perceval by Chretien de Troyes

Homoeopathy: An alternative therapy now so widely accepted as valid that it has almost become part of Establishment medical practise, Homoeopathy stands traditional theory on its head with its insistence that like shoule be used to cure like .The system was developed by the German doctor Samuel Hahnemann (1755-1843) who came to believe that drugs and even poisons which caused certain symptoms when ingested could be used to cure diseases showing those same symptoms if administed in tiny doses.The belief was based on the idea, now widely accepted, that disease resulted primarily from an imbalance in the body Hahnemann experimented with such deadly toxins as aconite and strychnine, but used a eechnique known as 'potentizing' to create dosages so minute that not a single molecule of the original substance could be chemically detected in the actual medicine.When his system worked, he concluded he was actually stimulating the body to call upon its own substantial reserves of healing. Because of its effectiveness, homoeopathy is now practised world-wide and continues to gain New Age popularity since it avoids many of the side-effects associated with more orthodox drug usage

Horary Astrology: The astrological art of interpreting specific questions in terms of a chart erected for the moment when the question is formulated - the word 'horary' meaning 'realing to the hours'

Horned God: Consort of the Goddesss in witchcraft, the Horned God is often associated with the Celtic Cernunnos and represents the balancing male principle in what is essentially a feminine religion.There are fairly obvious links with the classical Pan, who signified the totality of Nature, but historically the orthodox Christian Churches have required little more than the horns and their traditional antipathy to witchcraft in order to equate the Horned God direclty with Satan

Horoscope: A chart developed from your birth date that includes the patterns of the heavens at the exact time of your birth. Your personal horoscope is meant to be your guide to the future, providing predictions of what might happen. A Horoscope are is also an important element in Astrology which interprets the character and destiny of a person - occasionally a larger group- according to the position of the planets, usually at the time of the person's birth. A horoscope is cast on the basis of information given by the person and it is then interpreted according to systematic principles.The horoscope takes into account two main considerations - the circle of signs of the Zodiac (Aries, Taurus,Gemini,Cancer, Leo, Virgo,Libra,Scorpio, Sagittarius,Capricorn, Aquarius,Pisces) are they are crossed by the Sun, Moon an planets at different periods.And the Circle of 12 Houses around which the circle of the Zodiac turns

Casting a Horoscope is a complicated procedure that depends upon getting data and times right. Relevant factors are the position of Sun,Moon,planets and signs of the Zodiac - the ASPECTS of Sun,Moon and planets in relation to each other and the position of Sun,Moon,planets and signs of the Zodiac against the circle of 12 Houses

Certain planets are thought to be allied with certain activities and human propensities e.g Venus with love, the 12 Houses are though to be connected with certain areas of life, e.g the 2nd house with money, and the aspects are thought to be associated with helpful or unhelpful situations and possibiliites.Horoscopes remain important in the East and are growing in popular significance in the West despite scientific scepticism

Horus (Egypt - Deity): Also known as Har, Harendotes, Harmakhet, Haroeris, Har-pa-Neb-Taui, Harseisis, Harpokrates,Hor, Horos, Ra-Harakhte.Horus is a powerful falcon-headed sky and sun god representing strength and victory.His father, Osiris was killed by his uncle, Seth.His mother Isis, magically brought Osiris back to life just long enough to conceive Horus.Then Seth killed Osiris again and dismembered his body so that he couldn't be revived.To avoid Seth's murderous actions, Isis bore and raised Horus in the papyrus marshes of Buto. Isis used the magical skills she'd learned from Ra and Thoth to keep Horus safe

When Horus was a young man, he fought Seth to avenge his father's death.During the battle, one of Horus's eyes was injured.Eventually, Horus won the throne of both upper and lower Egypt.After that Horus represented strength, victory and justice.Every pharaoh in ancient Egypt was considered a living incarnation of Horus.Horus appears as a falcon head with a large eye 9the uninjured eye) representing the third eye of clairvoyance.This all-seeing eye also helps us see the truth in all situations.He helps you see the current truth about issues and how to heal the situation.Horus's magical healing formula is to see all people in the situation through the eyes of love.See them as being sweet, loving and pure, which they are in spiritual truth.He also helps with Clairvoyance,Courage,Mother-son relationships, Standing your ground, Strength,Vision, physical and psychic

Hospitallers, Knights: Founded in 1070 as part of the Crusading Movement, the Knights Hospitallers (Knights of St John of Jerusalem) were a brotherhood who maintained the lodging for pilgrams at Jerusalem while it was not occupied by the Moors and also ran a hospital.They were also at later dates granted the islands of Rhodes and then Malta.As a brotherhood, they had their rites and secrets, many of the latter concerned with the methods of Eastern Medicine they had learned from Arabs & Indians

Houses: In Astrology, the traditional HOROSCOPES figure is divided into 12 arcs, which are symbolically presented as being equal either in a spatial system or in a time system. This division is superimposed upon the projected celestial sphere, with the symbolic horizon line (usually) marking the cusps of the 1ste and 7th houses (the east point and west point respectively) The 10th house cusp marks the symbolic zenith, called the medium coeli, while the 4th house cusp marks the symbolic nadir, called the imum coeli

Houston, Jean: She is one of the best-known names in the field of Transpersonal Psychology. As Director of the Foundation for Mind Research in Pomona, New York, she has spent many years researching the development of human potential. Her training programmes in Spiritual studies are modelled on the ancient Mystery schools. She is particularly interested in the role of myth in shaping consciousness. Her most recent books are The Possible Human-Jeremy P.Tarcher 1982, The Search for the Beloved-Jeremy P. Tarcher 1987

H.P.B: Human Potential Movement. Increasing dissatisfaction with Freudian theory and a variety of existing psychological models led to the development in America of a vital movement known as Humanistic Psychology, which sought to expand the perception of the human psyche held by the more orthodox systems

Under the dynamic leadership of Abraham Maslow, humanistic psychologists preferred the study of healthy individuals to the pathological studies on which many earlier psychologies were founded. A holistic approach was taken with emphasis on personal growth, self-actualization, the recognition of human potential and a focus on experience as distinct from intellectual anlysis.Other key figures were Carl Rogers, Fritz Perls, Roberto Assagioli, Viginia Satir, Ira Progoff and Jean Houston.The term 'human potential ' was first used at Esalen - the major growth centre in the USA in 1962. Numerous new Psychotherapies and Body Work schools have been developed, now collectively referred to as Human Potential Movement

Humanistic Psychology: The third force in psychology (psychoanalysis- being the first, behaviourism-the second, and transpersonal psychology- the fourth).The pioneer figure in its emergence was Abraham Maslow. In 1949 Anthony Sutish and Maslow agreed to work together on developing a psychology which would deal with the healthy human being. Humanistic psychology deals with personal growth, existential choice and the fulfilment of human potential

Humphreys, Christmas: Lawyer and judge known in his lifetime as the 'Dean of English Buddhism' He founded the Buddhist Society, the West's oldest, most respected organization of its kind in 1929

Huna: The native religion of the Hawaiian islands, outlawed, suppressed, but not entirely obliterated following the arrival of Christian missionaries in 1820. Max Freedom Long, the leading 20th century investigator of Huna, believed it to contain a very potent system of ancient magic based on a highly sophisticated model of the human psyche. Practitioner Kahunas, the 'Keeeprs of the Secret', were able to cure or curse, develop immunity to fire, see and change the future and even raise the dead by application of the ancient methods Extravagant though the claims for Huna might seem, Kahuna doctrines of twin souls and a spirit as the essential inner structure of humanity continue to be studied with considerable interest in the New Age and there seems substantial evidence to suggest that the few Kahuna initiates remaining on the island, still exhibit unusual psychic powers

Huxley, Aldousa: It was his ideas on the nature of psychedelic experiences and mysticism which have made Huxley of such importance to the New Age. In two essays, 'The Doors of Perception and Heaven and Hell', he described and analysed his mescaline visions, elating them to the development of the religious impulse in hummanity.Huxley believed that the brain was a reducing valve for something he called 'mind at large' ensuring that in normal consciousness were are only able to sense such information as is useful for physical survival. Certain drugs like mescaline and certain proactices like fasting, yoga and even self-mortification, recude the efficiency of the brain as a filter, allowing a much wider perception of reality to flood through.Aldous Huxley died in 1963

Hydromancy: A name given to various different methods of predicting the future by means of water.One technique supposedly involved a basin full of water which, at the command of the diviner, is activated by spirits in order to vibrate to a point where it appears to boil and give off meaningul sounds.Methods of disturbing water - by means of suspended rings or by means of pebbles being dropped into the bowl - are also describe as legitimate hydromantic techniques and some diviners are supposed to read from the reflections on the surface or from the colour of water as well as from the movement of water in fountains

Hypnosis: An altered state of consciousness in which the unconscious mind accepts suggestions. It is possible to find reference world which refer to the 18th century's Franz Anton Mesmer as an early exponent of Hypnosis.In fact he was nothing of the sort.Mesmer, who believed he was using a mysterious force he called 'Animal Magnetism' induced violent convulsions in his patients far distant from the passive 'trance' known as Hypnosis today

But if Mesmer never practised Hypnosis, like the phenomenon seems to have been discovered or, more properly rediscovered by one of his followers, the Marquis de Puysegeur.His method bore no resemblance to the familiar Mesmeric crisis, but de Puysegeur soon discovered it had its own benefits: notably the fact that the subject was hyper-susceptible to suggestion

James Braid, a 19th century medical practritioner of the art, also noticed the similarity to the trance state to sleep and coined the word 'hypnotism'- from the Greek word hypnos -meaning sleep, subjects do not even lose consciousness, although they often suffer from Post-Hypnotic Amnesia which leads them to believe that they had lost consciousness

While the techniques of hypnosis have been known and used for millennia, it seems to have been practised in Ancient Greece & Egypt and ever earlier, in Ancient India, any genuine understanding of the phenomenon remains elusive

An older, more descriptive term for hypnosis is 'mekhenis', meaning 'the taking away of responsibility' which pin-point one of the most important characteristics of the 'trance state'.When someone is placed under hypnosis, their responsibility for their actions is removed and placed in the hands of the hypnostist

Scientists often refer to a fivefold categorization of Hypnotic reaction as follows: Insusceptible,Hypnoidal,Light Trance,Medium Trance,Deep Trance

Statistical analysis caused to sugget that about 15% of the population are insusceptible, 10% can achieve either light trance of the hypnoidal state 25% reach medium trance and 20 % are capable of going all the way to deep trance

Hypnotherapy: The use of hypnosis as a curative agent has a long, but somewhat chequered history.The ability of hypnosis to control pain is so dramatic that the technique was originally used as an Anaesthetic in surgical operations, but largely abandoned following the discovery of Ether. In recent years, however hypnosis has been making a come back in this area since its use with suitable patients substantially reduces incidences of post-operative shock and bleeding

Freud used hypnosis extensively in his early early Psychiatric Practise, although he largely abandoned it in later years in favour of Psychoanalysis.It is still used fairly extensively in Psychiatry, however, as an aid to relaxation and a door to the unconscious. Many forms of hysterical illness react directly to suggestion.Hypnosis has been shown to be effective in enhancing memory and learning and in treating various physical and psychological disorders

But one of the most promising areas of investigation in the New Age will undoubtedly be the use of hypnosis as a therapy in purely physical illnesses. It has long been recognized that hypnosis can get rid of warts, a virus ailment and help in various other types of skin conditions. This has led to cautious experimentation in other forms of illness, with at least some evidence to suggest hypnosis may be useful even in severe maladies like cancer Hypnosis an relaxation exercises have been integrated into many alternative treatments.Some mediums use self-hypnosis to communicate with Spirits during Channelling and during parapsychological experiments it has been used to enhance the abilities of those psychics who specialise in REMOTE VIEWING

Main info sources:

The Aquarian Guide to the New Age - Eileen Campbell & J.H.Brennan

Dictionary of the Occult-Geddes & Grosset

Archangels & Ascended Masters -Doreen Virtue,Ph.D