T

Tai Chi Ch'uan: Despite its literal translation as 'supreme ultimate first'.Tai Chi Ch'uan is as much a form of spiritual development (hence a valid yoga) as it is a Martial Art. Training in the system takes the form of slow graceful, somewhat stylized movements through which the individual aligns himself with the natural flow of universal Ch' i. The practice of Tai Ch'i is extraordinarily popular in modern China where it is almost universally used as a means of keeping fit

Talisman: Specially prepared objects of stone, metal, wood, parchment etc. - inscribed with magical signs, characters or drawings.Once endowed with magical properties, the object is believed to bring the owner good luck, success, health and virility on their owners.The power of the Talisman can derive from nature, directly from God, or from a magical ritual, such as those described in the Grimoires, textbooks of cermonial magic.King Arthur's sword, Excalibur, is and example of a talisman.Precious stones, magic wands and holy relics are all regarded as talismans.Although ancient talismans were often inscribed with a god-name or written spell, their modern counterparts are more often artifacts charged with the personal power of their creator through concentration and / or ritual.Unlike like Amulets-which are passive - Talismans are active.Endowed with supernatural power

Tantra: A body of yoga doctrines originated in India in ancient times, which has profoundly influenced the development of sexual magic throughout a broad spectrum of differing cultures, including the Western Esoteric Tradition.Tantircs seek to arouse shakti, the divine feminine energy, through acts of ritual intercourse in which, however, orgasm is withheld in order to stimulate the upward movement of kundalini. An important aspect of the process is often the mediation of specific Hindu divinities, while intercourese is taking place

Tao: Although usually translated as 'The Way', the term Tao, is an embodiment of three aspects of Mystical Chinese thought, which has no real English equivalent. It unifies the concepts of 1. Ultimate reality, inexpressible, ineffable and unimaginable 2. Universal energy that makes and maintains all manifestation 3. Wise order in an individual life, which harmonizes with the Universal whole

Tao Te Ching: The Book of the Way - a collection of 81 poems pennedby the Chinese sage and mystic Lao Tzu, which is now the fundamental scripture of Taoism and is studied with great interest by those New Age thinkers concerned with spiritual develpment.That the Tao Te Ching speaks directly to the modern age is clearly shown by the following lines which mount a potent attack on traditional Western values

Tarot: A deck of cards designed for Psychic purposes to help interpret past, present and future.Used in divination and other form of magical practice

The Tarot is a deck of playing cards used for Divination and fortunetelling.The Tarot was brought from the East to Italy in the 14th century by gypsies or returning Crusaders.The origin of the cards is obscure, and theories that the Tarot is based on the Hebrew alphabet or on Egyptian or Hindu mythology have not been conclusively proved.It seems likely that it first began as a card game and gained further significance later, and is still the basis of a game, 'les tarots ' in french 'tarocchi(trumps) in Italian, played in France and Italy

In 1781 a French Occultist, Antoine Court de Gebelin linked the Tarot pack to what he called 'The Book of Troth'- the divine Egyptian founder of all magic.In the 19th century the occultist Eliphas Levi further linked the Tarot pack to the Kabbalah,finding many symmetries, although there is nothing in the Kabbalah that corresponds to Tarot cards.These ideas were taken up by some of the members of the Order of the Golden Dawn, notably Arthur Edward Waite and Aleister Crowley, and their work has given us the divinatory Tarot pack still in very widespread use today

The Tarot deck consists of 78 cards, which are divided into two groups.The Minor, Or Lesser Arcana -the precursor of the modern deck, is made up of 56 cards divided into four suits.The wands suit corresponds to the modern clubs suit- cups to hearts, swords to spades and pentacles to diamonds.Each suit has 14 cards, with numbered cards from ace to ten and four unnumbered face cards,king,queen,knight and knave.(The four knight cards have been eliminated in the modern deck).The Major, or Greater Arcana consists of 22 cards, each bearing a title and a picture, such as the Hanged Man, the Wheel of Fortune, Judgement and the Moon, rich in occult and astronomical symbolism. 21 of the cards are numbered.The twenty-second card the Fool - numered 0, is analogous to the modern joker

In fortune-telling either the full pack or the Major Arcana alone is used.The relationship of one cared to another, as laid out in number of different configurations, is as important as the significance of each individual card. As can be seen, the Tarot is not a fixed system.New variants are always being brought forward, seeking to make the Tarot relevant to cultures where it was not previously known, like that of the American Indians.It is very much and evolving tradition.

Taurus: The second sign of the Zodiac. 21 April - 21 May.Origin & Glyph: the bull's head, which has links with early civilisations in Egypt.Ruling planet & grouping:Venus, feminine, fixed and Earth.Associational colour-Pale Shades,especially Blue,Pink & Green,Flowers-Rose,poppy & Foxglove.Gemstones-Emerald,Trees-Apple,Pear &Ash,Food-generally like their food

Tava (Buddhist, Hindu, Jainist, Lamaist - Diety): Also known as Green Tara, White Tara.It is said that when Avalokitesvara, the bodhisattva (enlightened one) of compassion and protection, shed tears that formed a lake, a lotus flower rose to the top of the water.When the flower opened, a beautiful goddess stepped out of the middle and her name wa Tara.She's the female counterpart and consort of Avalokitesvara.Tara has many different sides and personalities to her, representing by different-coloured Taras (Green Tara, White Tara, Ree Tara, Blue Tara & Yellow Tara). In her Yellow, Blue and Red personas, Tara is temperamental, but as White & Green Tara, she's loving and very helpful

Tara's name means 'star' and like stars that provide navigation for sailors and travelers.Tara helps us travel smoothly and safely and find our wya- whether on a trip, on our spiritual path, or just during daily life

Green Tara is known as a 'speedy' goddess who rapidly induces insight and who quickly comes to your aid.If you need emergency help physically or spiritually , call upon Green Tara.White Tara helps increase life ecpectancy and if you call upon her, she will bring you longevity.She also is a bringer of Enlightenment.Green Tara is very intense, yet she's a very loving warrior spirit.Green Tara is a no-nonsense, divintiy who conducts rapid energy exchanges to help and assist those who ask her help.In contrast White Tara, is gentle, peaceful, patient, doting,nurturing and maternal.She is the essence of purity.She approaches problems with prayer and by holding a steady focus on the beauty of Divine love.Her eyes overflow with gratitude,joy and love.She feels and sees only love, so that's what comes forth in her presence.Green & White Tara helps with:Compassion,Protection & removing & avoiding obstacles.Green Tara helps with: Emergency aid, Overcoming fear, Understanding and insight,White Tara helps with: Enlightenment & Longevity

Telekinesis: This is the ability to influence matter with the power of thought - such as bending teaspoons,lifting objects,stopping clocks - without physical contact

Telepathy: Psychic ability.Communication of one mind with another by some means beyond normal sensory perception.Telepathy is seen as the transfer of thoughts, images and sensations between minds without conventional verbal,written or physical means of communication.Although not scientifically proven the phenomenon has been described and often accepted as normal, in many cultures and societies throughout history.It was the first psychic phenomenon to be studied by members of the newly created Society for Psychic Research, established in London in 1884.More recent research indicates that telepathy often occurs spontaneously during crises, when an individual at a distance is in danger.Information may be transfered as fragmentary images, dreams, visions or words that suddenly pop into the mind.It is more common among women that men, perhaps because telepathy is closely tied to the emotions.No satisfactory theory has yet been advanced to explain the phenomenon

Teleport: The supposed ability to transport physical bodies instantaneously to a new location without moving through the intervening space, Teleportation has long been considered the exclusive province of science fiction. A whole generation of Star Trek enthusiasts adopted the catch-phrase 'Beam me up Scottie', but for all this, there remain some indication that Teleportation may actually be possible.The seance room phenomena of Victorian Spiritualism, for instance included Apports, in which small items such as flowers, pieces of personal jewellelry or stones materialized from thin air during a sitting.Investigation strongly suggested that these items were not created by the spirits, but were somehow 'taken' from other locations and transported instantaneously to the seance room.Researchers noted they often grew warm in the process

Teresa of Avila (St): Generally acknowledge as one of the greatest Christian saints and mystics.Teresa of Avila (Teresa de Cepeda y Ahumada) actually had to fight the opposition of her father when in 1535, at the age of 20, she became a nun of the Carmelite Order.During her years in the Convent of the Incarnation at Avila, she underwent a series of mystical experiences which persuaded her to found her own convent of strict observance, something she finally succeeded in doing in 1562.Five years later, the General of the Carmelite Order instructed her to make other foundations and she spent the remaining years of her life establishing 17 convents and two monasteries.She died in 1582.In copious writings 'Life, R+The Way of Perfection' and The Interior Castle', St Teresa, distinguished two main stages in the process of mystical union.One in which the emphasis is on human effort, the other in which all progress depends on a gift from God

Teutonic Knights: A German order of chivalry, which was formed at the time of the Crusaders.Its aim was to spread Christianity into the still pagan lands to the East of Prussia.The order was open only to those of noble birth and for centuries it exercised great power in what are now Eastern Germany and Poland.Their badge was the Jerusalem Cross, or cross-potent (with an additional cross-piece at the end of each arm).Much semi-mystical legend has grown up aroudn the order, which was abolished by Napoleon in 1809, and in a perverted manner its forms and supposed rituals were re-enacted by Nazi leaders such as Heinrich Himmler

Thanatology: The study of the psychology of death and dying, very much poineerd in the West (where is has been a taboo subject) - by the psychiatrist Elisabeth Kubler-Ross.Ancient Egyptian and Tibetan cultures have a far more enlightened attitude to death and both have their own Book of the Dead, designed to be read to the dying to ease their passae into the world beyond

Theosophy: A term derived from the Greek 'theos' (God) and 'sophia' (wisdom), which means mystical wisdom of or about the divine God.In a general sense, Theosophy refers to a broad spectrum of occult or mystical philosophies, often pantheistic in nature.The Western Theosophical tradition may be said to be derived from the Hermetic tradition of the Renaissance and post-Renaissance and is characterised by an emphasis on the hidden tradition passed down in a succession from the ancients.This tradition is thought to provide a key to nature and to humanity's place in the Universe

More specifically, the term refers to the Theosophical Society, its offshoots, and the doctrines held by its members.The most important early figure in the movement was Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, who, along with Colonel Henry Steel Olcott (1832-1907) and William Q.Judge (1851-1896) founded the society in New York City in 1875.In numerous works, including Isis Unveiled-1877 and The Secret Doctrine-1888,Blavatsky elaborated an amalgamation of previous theories that were claimed to be derived from the Mahatmas of ancient India.The Theosophical Society, grew rapidly in Europe and the U.S, its two most influential adherents being Annie Besant, & Rudolf Steiner

According to Madame Blavatsky, the Doctrines of Theosophy rest on 3 fundamental propositions. The first postulates an omnipresent, boundless and immutable principle that transcends human understanding.It is the one unchanging reality, or infinite potentiality, inherent in all life and covers all that humans have tried to say about God

The second deals with the universality of the law of periodicity recorded by science as found in all nature.As morning, noon and night are succeeded by morning again, so birth, youth, adulthood and death are succeeded by rebirth. Reincarnation is the process of human development, in which all growth is governed by the law of justice or Karma

The third proposition declares the fundamental identity of all souls with universal Over-Soul, suggesting that brotherhood is a fact in nature and the obligatory pilgrimage for every soul through numerous cycles of incarnation

Theosophy admits of no privileges or special gifts in humans except those won by effort and merit.Perfected individuals and Great Teachers, such as Jesus Christ & Buddha and the mahatmas, are Univesal Beings - the flower of evolution

After the death of Madam Blavatsky in 1891, a battle for leadership of the society ensued from which Annie Besant emerged as leader in Europe and Asia, whereas William Judge led a secessionist movement in th U.S.Under Beasnt, the society flourished. In 1911, she up forward a young Indian, Jiddu Krishnamurti, as a World Teacher, around whom she founded the Order of the Star of India.This action, seems to have provoked Steiner, who, with a large number of followers, left to found the Anthroposophical Society.The various divisions and subdivisions have continued since that time and have influenced numerous literary and intelectual figures.The groups continue to carry on active meetings

Therapeutic Touch: A method of healing developed by Dolores Krieger, professor of nursing at New York University.The hands are used to identify and balance disturbances in the energy field around the individual.It helps to alleviate and even eradicate pain and accelerates the healing process

Third Eye (Brow Chakra): Between the eyebrows in the middle of forehead. Certain schemes of Esoteric evolution insist that in the far reaches of prehistory, the predecessors of humanity were equipped with a third eye, in the middle of their foreheads, which permitted them to see directly into spirit realms.Over millions of years, the occult theory goes, the organ atrophied, was gradually covered and sank into the folds of the brain, so that spiritual perception was all but lost

Remarkably, there is some scientific indication that all this may be more than an engaging fable.The pineal gland, a smallish body buried within the brain at the approximate site of the traditional third eye, has been found to retain a certain degree of light sensitivity, leaving scientists to theorize that it might indeed be an evolutionary remnant of an organ of sight.Occultists generally believe that the pineal gland is unusually active in psychics and many also insist that it can be stimulated in order to produce psychism.In an internationally best-selling book, the esoteric author Lobsang Rampa, claimed that on his initiation as a Tibetan lama, he underwent a surgical operation in which a sliver of wood was inserted into his skull to awaken the third eye

Other authorities believe substantially a point between the eyebrows known to the Chinese as the 'Gateway of the Precious Square Inch' or even by simply massaging the same area vigorously.For many yoga practitioners, physical intervention is unnecessary and the organ is awakened by a regime of concentration and visualization.Until comparatively recently,science was unable to discover the function of the pineal gland, but in recent years it was found to be one of the factors in physical growth and a trigger for the hormonal changes of puberty.The gland secretes a substance known as serotonin which was itself a certain esoteric linkage in that it is found in concentrated quantities in the fruit of the tree under which the Buddha sat when he finally achievedd enlightenment

Thoth (Egyptian - Deity): Also known as Aah,Aah Tehuti,Djehuti, Tehuti, Thout, Zehuti.The Greek name for the Egyptian god of learning, wisdom,high magic, manifestation,symbols,geometry, writing, music & astronomy.In late Egyptian mythology he was the creator and orderer of the Universe of writing, arithmetic & astonomy.Thoth was depicted as an ibis-headed man carrying a pen and an ink holder or as a dog-headed baboon.In the Hellenistic period he was identified with the Greek god Hermes and in later European lore with Hermes Trismegistus, a patron of magicians. 'The Book of Thoth' is a traditional name for Tarot Cards

It is also said that Thoth was the scribe of the gods and he penned many books about Hermetic secrets of magic and manifestation. Legend say that one of his books, 'The Emerald Tablets' was written when Thoth was a priest-king in Atlantis. Thoth and the book survived Atlantis's demise, and he founded an Egyptian colony based on Atlantean wisdom

It is said tht Thoth's symbols are the basis for modern Freemasonry, and that he designed many Egyptian pyramids and temples.Thoth was believed to materialize and heal with the use of chants, toning and sound - along with sacred geometry, symbolism and artithmetic. He taught the mood goddess, Isis, how to practise high magic, and he's credited with being the inventor of writing in ancient Egypt.He helps with Divine magic,Life Purpose,Mathematics,Prophecy & divination,Psychic abilities,Sacred geometry,Teaching & writing

Thule Society: An occult society, founded in Germany in 1916, by Rudolf Blauer and others.Its ideas were a strange mixture of Theosophism, anit-semitism and Nordic mythology.It assumed the existence of a lost island in the far north, called Thule, which had been like Atlantis - a high civilisation of superiour forms of humanity that had perished in catastrohe. However, some of its teachings and craft had been preserved through the Mysterious Masters and the unveiling of these secrets could lead to the restitution of the Nordic 'master race' . Adolf Hitler became a member of this society.Its emblem was the Swastika, and this, together with much of its racist doctrines, was to become part of the trappings of the National Socialist (Nazi) movement

Tibetan Book of the Dead: Also known as the Bardo Thodol.It is said to be a guide to the soul, charting its expectations in the afterlife state. Oddly the work describes a succession of inner planes very similar to those described by practitioners of Astral Projection. It suggests that following death, the soul is faced with the possibility of absroption into the pure light of mystical union with the godhead or Nirvana. But for the average individual,this possibility is terrifying,so that the soul flees through a succession of dream worlds in which the environment is unconsciously created by the expectations of the dreamer.The unevolved soul eventually begins to pine for the pleasures of the flesh and thus draws closer to the physical world again. Sexual fantasies attract it as a voyeur towards couples engaged in intercourse and it is trapped in the womb for another incarnation

Time Bending: Merging different time periods for the purpose of healing the past

Trance: An altered state of consciousness in which the unconscious mind is open to suggestion and loses its ability to make crucial decisions

Transactional Analysis: A new style of psychiatry developed in the early 1960's by Dr Eric Berne, based on his insights into th alternating personality aspects of Parent, Adult and Child which arose in his patients in response to circumstances, and into the ritualized (unconscious) games played by people in their personal relationships

Transcendental Meditation (TM): This was introduced to the West by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi in the 1960s.It consists of two 20min sessions of meditation a day, during which a specific given mantra is repeated.Research has shown that TM does have beneficial effects, both physically - in the form of lower blood-pressure, slower heart beat and decreased oxygen intake - and psychologically. TM has contributed greatly to the present in meditation in the West and making the practise accessible.TM courses are still widely available

Transcendentalist Movement: An early precursor of the New Age. In 1836, a group of American intellectuals got together to exlplore the Quaker and Puritan traditions, the German and Greek philosophers and the Eastern religions.They included Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry Thoreau, and were to influence many, including the poets Emily Dickinson and Walt Whitman, the founders of the British Labour Party,Gandhi and Martin Luther King.Transcendentalism was a philosophy which stressed an inner search for meaning

Transfiguration: During a Trance,the spirit or the entity uses astral matter and the ectoplasm that emanates from the medium - to cause the figure of the medium to resemble that of the entity that is speaking through him/her

Transpersonal Psychology: The first force in psychiatry was classical psychoanalytical theory in the Freudian mould.The second force was behaviourism, the third humanistic psychology.Transpersonal psychology is now known as the fourth force, a psycholigical model appropriate to the New Age in that it concerns itself primarily with transcendent states, mystical and other peak experiences.The term 'transpersonal psychology' was coined during a lecture by Stanislave Grof, and taken up by Abraham Maslow and Anthony Sutich.It remains closely associated with the human potential movement and Esalen

Tree Of Life: In the Kabbalah, the Sepher Yetzira proclaims the 'ineffable Serhiroth' to be 10 in number, with each of them in control of a section, of the cosmos.They are envisaged as forming a cosmic Tree of Life, symbolic of the essential unity of the whole Universe and of its patterns of interaction.Nine of the 10 Sephiroth are set in triangles formed of two opposing and one harmonising forces.On the left are the female and 'negtive' forces.Binah (understanding) Geburah (power), Hod (majesty) on the left the male and 'positive' forces, Hokma (wisdom), Hesed (love), Netsah (endurance) in the centre are the ambivalent forces, Kether (supreme crown), Tiphereth (beauty) and Yesod (foundation).Not directly linked to these triangular harmonisations is the tenth force, Malkuth (kingdom). The Tree is sometimes depicted in the form of a male human body to indicate the micro/macro aspects of the Universe.Kether stands for the Prime Mover, creation.Hokmah is the active principle that drives the cosmos.Binah is the passibe principle, the understanding of God, Hesed is fatherly loe and authority.Geburah is severe and harsh.Tiphereth is the Sun, the life-force.Netsah is the force of nature.Hod is the force of mental power.Yesod is the sphere of the Moon, of hidden depths.Malkuth is the principle of earth and subsumes within itself the whole divine Cosmos.Its number is 10, meaning all things

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A Central to New Age Kabbalah / Qabalah is the glyph known as the Tree of Life, which incorporates ten circles, symbolizing spheres of function in the nature of reality, and the various paths which join them, indicating, among other things, the complex interrelationships of the Tree.The ten numbred circles, known as Sephiroth (singular Sephirah) are usually perceived as energies or states on the physical level, but exist as defined places on the Astral Plane

The bottom Sephirah (sphere) of the Tree, called Malkuth by Qabalists, signifies the physical aspect of reality, the world in which we live.Directly above Malkuth is the sphere of Yesod, associated with lunar function and symbolizing the astral plane. The English title of Yesod is Foundation, chosen because the word is indicative of the essential nature of the sphere.To Qabalists, Yesod, the sphere of imagination and astral light, is the literal foundation on which physical reality rests

As the Qabalist proceeds upwards through the numbered spheres, more and more subtle aspects of reality are reached, including the Christ sphere of Tiphareth (numbered 6 on the diagram) and culminating in the topmost sphere of all, Kether, which symbolizes the essential unity of the Universe

There are 22 paths on the Tree of Life.On the second diagram they are shown as the lines joining the Sephiroth.Each path is a specific astral track and may be investigated using the esoteric technique of Pathworking

Trevelyan,George (Sir): Sir George Trevelyan has been one of the pioneers of the New Age movement, introducing to many the work and ideas of healers, mystics and philosophers through the educational charity which he founded, the Wrekin Trust

Triangular Lodge: A building that is said to be the most occult building in England, at least in terms of its design and decoration.Situated at Rushton, Northamptonshire, it was built in the late 16th century by Sir Thomas Tresham - a Roman Catholic squire who was obsessed by Numerology, particularly the number 3, which is that of the Trinity.Thus the building is triangular in plan, with three triangular gables on each face. But there is much more numerological lore woven into the design, every number below 72 may be discovered by multiplication, reduction and extension. 72 is a special number in the Kabbalah, a secret number

Trigrams: Three-lined figures comprising broken (yin) and unbroken (yang) lines which are the fundamental building blocks of I Ching hexagrams

Trismegistus, Hermes: Literally Thrice-Greates Hermes, this compound of the Greek Hermes and the Egyptian Thoth is the mystical hero of the Hermetica, a prophet with the ability to save the world from evil

Triple Goddess: Three aspects of Femininity, the Virgin, the Mother and Crone.Triple goddesses have personlity or behaviour aspects of the virgin, who represents purity, sweetness and innocence.The same goddess may also have a side to her that is the mother, which menas she acts matronly and nurturing.A third aspect of the same goddess that may show up is the 'crone' which means, that she may have a dark and angry side to her, as well as a wise teacher aspect

Trungpa Rinpoche, Chogyam: TBorn in Tibet in 1939 into the Kagy lineage, Chogyam Trungpa was later to become revered as a meditation master, scholar and artist.With the Chinese invasion of Tibetin 1959, Trungpa led a large party of 300 refugees out o East Tibet into India in a dramatic escape.In 1963 he arrived in England with a scholarship to attend Oxford Univesity, where he studied comparative religion and philosophy and pursued his interest in art. He went on to establish a meditation centre in Dumfrieshire, Scotland, called Samye-Ling Meditation Centre, after the first Tibetan monastery founded by Padmasambhava in the 8th century. In 197- Trungpa arrived in North America, where he was to live and teach until until his death in 1987.He attracted an enormous following and centres were set up throughout the country.Themain centres were at Boulder, Colorado and finally at Halifax, Nova Scotia.He wrote numerous books, but his most influential have been 'Cutting through Spiritual Materialism-Shambhala Publications-1987 and 'The Myth of Freedom and the Way of Meditation-Shambhala Publications1976.He undoubtedly had a unique ability to express the essence of Budhhist teachings in the language and imagery of Western Culture

Tulpa Creation: When Madame Alexanra David-Neel journeyed through Tibet, one of the many mystical techniques she studied was that of Tulpa creation.The method, similar in some respects to the mystic adoration of the Tibetan Yidam, was virtually unknown outside Tibet until she publicized it in one of her books

A 'tulpa' according to traditional Tibetan doctrines, is an entity created by an act of imagination, rather like the fictional characters of a novelist, except that tulpas are not written down.Madame David-Neel became so interested in the concept that she decided to try to create one.The method involved was essentially intense concentration and visualization. Madame David-Neel's tulpa began its existence as a plump, benign little monk, similar to Friar Tuck. It was at first entirely subjective, but gradually, with practise, she was able to visualize the tulpa out there, like an imaginary ghost flitting about the real world In time the vision grew in clarity and substance until it was indistinguishable from physical reality, a sort of self-induced hallucination.But the day came that when she discovered that the monk would appear from time to time when she had not willed it.Futhermore her friendly little figure was slimming down and taking on a distinctly sinister aspect.Eventually her companions, who were unaware of the mental disciplines she was practising, began to ask about 'the stanger' who had turned up in their camp- a clear indication that a creature which was no more than solidified imagination had definite objective reality.At his point Madame David-Neel decided things had gone too far, and applied different lamaist techniques to reabsorb the creature into her own mind.The tulpa proved very unwilling to face destruction in this way so that the process took several weeks and left its creator exhausted

Tumo: The Tibetan yoga of body heat which allows practitioners to endure extremes of cold while naked or dressed only in a thin cotton robe.The technique involves a series of vivid visualizations at a level with the navel along with some mantric chanting.As the heat is generated, it is then channelled outward through the rest of the body.Western practitioners of the art have included Alexandra David-Neel, and more recently, the American film actress Shirley Maclaine

The Turin Shroud: TFor centuries a 14ft 6inch piece of twill linen in Turin catherdral has been venerated as a relic.On the cloth are the seemingly convincing marks of a crucified corpse, bloodstained from a crown of thorns, with what appears to be a lance wounc to the chest and scourging on the back.According to the Gospels, 'They took the body of Jesus, and wound it in linen clothes' and this, say those who believe in the authenticity of the Shroud, left the image.The image is no ordinary painting, but is like a photographic negative.When photographed originally in 1898 it was discovered that reversing the highlights and shadows gave a far more realistic image.However in 1988, an advanced form of carbon 14 dating carried out by three seperate laboratories in the USA, Britain & Switzerland - revealed the Shroud to be a medieval fake

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