Kingship and kingdom of God. Great Architect of the Universe. Science, and particularly geometry and astronomy, was linked directly to the divine for most medieval scholars. Since God created the universe after geometric and harmonic principles, to seek these principles was therefore to seek and worship God. The Great Architect of the Universe (also Grand Architect of the Universe or Supreme Architect of the Universe) is a conception of God discussed by many Christian theologians and apologists. As a designation it is used within Freemasonry to neutrally represent deity (in whatever form, and by whatever name each member may individually believe in).
It is also a Rosicrucian conception of God, as expressed by Max Heindel. Christianity[edit] The concept of God as the (Great) Architect of the Universe has been employed many times in Christianity. Saint Thomas Aquinas said in the Summa: "God, Who is the first principle of all things, may be compared to things created as the architect is to things designed (ut artifex ad artificiata) Freemasonry[edit]
The Celestine Prophecy. The Celestine Prophecy is a 1993 novel by James Redfield that discusses various psychological and spiritual ideas which are rooted in many ancient Eastern Traditions and New Age spirituality. The main character of the novel undertakes a journey to find and understand a series of nine spiritual insights on an ancient manuscript in Peru. The book is a first-person narrative of the narrator's spiritual awakening as he goes through a transitional period of his life. Summary[edit] The book discusses various psychological and spiritual ideas that are rooted in many ancient Eastern Traditions, such as how opening to new possibilities can help an individual to establish a connection with the Divine.
The story opens with the male narrator becoming reacquainted with an old female friend, who tells him about the Insights, which are contained in a manuscript dating to 600 BC, which has been only recently translated. Influences[edit] Publishing history, adaptations and sequels[edit] References[edit] Creationism. Today, the American Scientific Affiliation, a prominent religious organisation in the United States, recognizes that there are different opinions among creationists on the method of creation, while acknowledging unity on the Abrahamic belief that God "created the universe. "[7][8] Since the 1920s, literalist creationism in America has contested scientific theories, such as that of evolution,[9][10][11] which derive from natural observations of the universe and life. Literalist creationists[12] believe that evolution cannot adequately account for the history, diversity, and complexity of life on Earth.[13] Fundamentalist creationists of the Christian faith usually base their belief on a literal reading of the Genesis creation narrative.[12][14] Other religions have different deity-led creation myths,[note 1][15][16][17] while different members of individual faiths vary in their acceptance of scientific findings.
History[edit] Early and medieval times[edit] Impact of the Reformation[edit] Saint Peter and Judaism. The relationship between Saint Peter and Judaism is thought to have been fairly positive. Saint Peter, whom Roman Catholics regard as the first Pope, is mentioned in Jewish folklore as a learned and holy man. Toledot Yeshu[edit] Shimeon Kepha Ha-Tzadik, a character found in the Toledot Yeshu, appears to be based on Peter, although the story is set in the Hasmonean era. According to the account he had a pristine reputation as a greatly learned and holy man who sought to bring about the end of one hundred years of strife in Israel.
"The Sages desired to separate from Israel those who continued to claim Yeshu as the Messiah, and they called upon a greatly learned man, Simeon Kepha, for help. Apostle to the Jews[edit] St Paul says that Peter had the special charge of being apostle to the Jews, just as he was apostle to the Gentiles. Incident at Antioch[edit] Council of Jerusalem[edit] Tosaphists[edit] Vitry Machzor[edit] References[edit] Left-hand path and right-hand path. The Baphomet, from Eliphas Levi's "Dogme et Rituel de la Haute Magie", 1854, adopted symbol of some "Left-Hand Path" belief systems. The terms Left-Hand Path and Right-Hand Path refer to a dichotomy between two opposing approaches found in Western esotericism, which itself covers various groups involved in the occult and ceremonial magic. In some definitions, the Left-Hand Path is equated with malicious Black magic and the Right-Hand Path with benevolent White magic.[1]:152 Other occultists have criticised this definition, believing that the Left-Right dichotomy refers merely to different kinds of working, and does not necessarily connote good or bad magical actions.[1]:176 Terminology[edit] There is no set accepted definition of what comprises the Left-Hand Path and what comprises the Right.
Early proponents of the terms, such as Madame Blavatsky, believed that they were essentially conflatable with Black Magic and White, although some later occultists have criticized this notion. Abraxas. Abraxas (Gk. ΑΒΡΑΣΑΞ, which is far more common in the sources than the variant form Abraxas, ΑΒΡΑΞΑΣ)[citation needed] was a word of mystic meaning in the system of the Gnostic Basilides, being there applied to the “Great Archon” (Gk., megas archōn), the princeps of the 365 spheres (Gk., ouranoi).[1] The seven letters spelling its name may represent each of the seven classic planets—Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn.[2] There are similarities and differences between such figures in reports about Basilides's teaching, ancient Gnostic texts, the larger Greco-Roman magical traditions, and modern magical and esoteric writings.
Opinions abound on Abraxas, who in recent centuries has been claimed to be both an Egyptian god and a demon.[3] The Swiss Psychologist Carl Jung wrote a short Gnostic treatise in 1916 called The Seven Sermons to the Dead, which called Abraxas a god higher than the Christian God and devil that combines all opposites into one being. Sources[edit] Miracle of the Sun. Location of Fátima, Portugal The Miracle of the Sun (Portuguese: O Milagre do Sol) was an event which occurred on 13 October 1917, attended by 30,000 to 100,000 people gathered near Fátima, Portugal.
Several newspaper reporters were in attendance and they took testimony from many people who claimed to have witnessed extraordinary solar activity. This recorded testimony was later added to by an Italian Catholic priest and researcher in the 1940s. According to these reports, the event lasted approximately ten minutes. The event was officially accepted as a miracle by the Catholic Church on 13 October 1930.
The event[edit] People witnessing the event. The people had gathered because three young shepherd children had predicted that at high noon the "lady" who had appeared to them several times would perform a great miracle in a field near Fátima called Cova da Iria. De Marchi accounts[edit] Some of the witness statements follow below. Critical evaluation of the event[edit] Stanley L. Media[edit] Spiritualism (beliefs) It is also a term commonly used for various psychic or paranormal practices and beliefs recorded throughout humanity's history[2][3] and in a variety of cultures.[4][5] Spiritualistic traditions appear deeply rooted in shamanism and perhaps are one of the oldest forms of religion.
Mediumship is a modern form of shamanism and such ideas are very much like those developed by Edward Burnett Tylor in his theory of animism,[6] in which there are other parallel worlds to our own, though invisible to us and not accessible to us in our state. A psychic is to be one of the connecting link between these worlds. A psychic is defined as someone endowed with exceptional sensitivity to the occult dimension, who experiences visions and revelations. Many reference works [2] also use the term spiritism to mean the same thing as "spiritualism" but Spiritism is more accurately used to mean Kardecist spiritism. Spiritualism is used in English to mean either; Noted as early as 1850 by J.
Bilocation. Mental plane. Predecessors of the concept[edit] In India in the seventh century b.c.e., the Taittiriya Upanishad referred to five levels of self, of which the middle one is the "self made of mind" (manas) Although the text is describing the nature of the individual rather than the cosmos as a whole, it established the concept of mind as only one of a series of ontological layers of being. The Taittiriyan concept of the five selves would represent an important element of Vedantic ontology, for example the five koshas of Advaita Vedanta. Theosophical and Hermetic interpretations[edit] The esoteric conception of the Mental Plane had to wait till the occult revival of the late 19th century, with the development of modern Theosophical, Hermetic, and Kabbalistic ideas that were to serve as the foundation for the current New Age movement.
Around the turn of the twentieth century, Max and Alma Theon were producing The Tradition. The world of thought in the Western Wisdom Teachings[edit] See also[edit] Banned from the Bible. Books in the documentary[edit] See also[edit] Notes[edit] Jump up ^ George Fox University library catalog External links[edit] Shinto. Shinto priest and priestess. Shinto (神道, Shintō?) , also kami-no-michi,[note 1] is the indigenous religion of Japan and the people of Japan.[2] It is defined as an action-centered religion,[3] focused on ritual practices to be carried out diligently, to establish a connection between present-day Japan and its ancient past.[4] Founded in 660 BC according to Japanese mythology,[5] Shinto practices were first recorded and codified in the written historical records of the Kojiki and Nihon Shoki in the 8th century.
Still, these earliest Japanese writings do not refer to a unified "Shinto religion", but rather to a collection of native beliefs and mythology.[6] Shinto today is a term that applies to the religion of public shrines devoted to the worship of a multitude of gods (kami),[7] suited to various purposes such as war memorials and harvest festivals, and applies as well to various sectarian organizations. According to Inoue (2003): Types of Shinto Shrine Shinto (神社神道, Jinja-Shintō?) Kami. Devil (Islam) In Islam, the Devil is known as Iblīs (Arabic: إبليس, plural: ابالسة abālisah) or Shayṭān (Arabic: شيطان, plural: شياطين shayāṭīn). In Islam Iblis is a jinni who refused to bow to Adam (ʾĀdam).
The primary characteristic of the Devil, besides hubris, is that he has no power other than the power to cast evil suggestions into the chests of men, women, and jinn, although the Quran does mention appointing jinn to assist those who are far from God in a general context. "We made the evil ones friends (only) to those without faith. "[1] Iblis probably comes from the Greek Diabolos (Devil, Satan; literally, the accuser) but Islam traditionally derived the name from the Arabic verbal root balasa بَلَسَ, meaning 'he despaired'; therefore, the meaning of Iblīs would be 'he/it that causes despair'.[2] In popular Islamic culture, "Shaytan" (Arabic: شيطان), is often simply translated as "the Devil," but the term can refer to any of the jinn who disobeyed God and followed Iblīs.
G. "Iblis". Araf (Islam) Araf is the Muslim sheol or borderland between heaven and hell for those who are, from incapacity, neither morally bad nor morally good. Araf is also a partition. Between hell and paradise there is a high wall, an a'raf. On this partition stand men who have escaped from hell but who are not (yet) permitted to enter paradise.
They yearn to enter paradise, but their sins and virtues are evenly balanced. Obsession (Spiritism) Obsession, also known as spirit obsession, is a technical term within the Spiritist belief and practice defined by the author Allan Kardec as the interference of a subjugating spirit with a weaker spirit (cf. Latin obsidere, "besiege").[1][2] Although the term most commonly refers to the negative influence of the spirit of an evil deceased person on the mind or spirit of a living person, obsession can occur in either direction. Obsession is believed by many Spiritists to be a major danger to unprepared and untrained mediums. It is also believed to be one of the most frequent causes of mental illness and criminal behaviour.[1][2] Because the danger of obsession is a core belief within Spiritism, dealing with it is one of the cornerstones of Spiritist religious activity, and it is treated at Spiritist centres by means of prayer and teaching.
A spirit influences a living person,a living person influences someone else,a living person influences a spirit,a spirit influences another spirit. Kali Yuga. Not to be confused with Kali Yug, a 1963 Italian film Current Yuga[edit] The duration and chronological starting point in human history of Kali Yuga has given rise to different evaluations and interpretations. According to the Surya Siddhanta, Kali Yuga began at midnight (00:00) on 18 February 3102 BCE[1] in the proleptic Julian calendar, or 14 January 3102 BCE in the proleptic Gregorian calendar. This date is also considered by many Hindus to be the day that Krishna left Earth to return to his abode. Most interpreters of Hindu scriptures believe that Earth is currently in Kali Yuga.
Other authors such as Swami Sri Yukteswar,[2] and Paramhansa Yogananda[3] believe that it is now an ascending Dvapara Yuga, indicating levels of cycles within each major Yuga period as each being a development, the smaller cycles within cycles eventually leading to full development of the qualities of the ages. Attributes of Kali Yuga[edit] References in the Mahabharata[edit] Avarice and wrath will be common.
Hylics. Nondualism. Theodicy.
Seven Factors of Enlightenment. Axis mundi. Spiritual practice. Atheism. Messiah ben Joseph. Cosmic consciousness. Spiritual direction. Shi'ur Qomah. Esotericism. Anima mundi. Hoʻoponopono. Theosophy. Higher consciousness. Omnism.