Shaman: A medicine man/woman or witch doctor.  

Shamanism: The religion of the ancient peoples of northern Europe and Asia, generally characterized by the ability of the Shaman to communicate with the spirit world. Major facets of Shamanism are animism, possession, prophecy/revelations, shape shifting, and soul travel.  

Shanti: Calmness, serenity, peace  

Shapeshifting: A very esoteric practice involving changing the human form. This can be practiced while on the astral plane this alone is a great accomplishment. It is said that one can also shapeshift on the physical plane, though documented proof of this is nonexistent. Few books are published on the subject as it is an art mainly for certain people, and teachers prefer to find these people and teach them their art secretively rather than let the public know their ways.  

Shiatsu (acupressure, schiatsu, shiatsu massage therapy, shiatsu therapy, shiatzu): Healing art whose major types are acupressure, shiatsu massage, and Zen Shiatsu. Its theory posits ki (vital energy), meridians (energy pathways), and tsubos: vital"points or "holes" on the body that are susceptible to healthful stimulation. Shiatsu is the abbreviation of a Japanese word that literally means "finger pressure treatment".  

Skandhas: Five elements each individual is composed of.  

Sonopuncture : Technique that involves application of ultrasound to classical acupuncture points.  

Soul: The true identity of a human being, the immortal self that surpasses death and lives on into the other world.  

Spell: A magical action. The ritual direction of energies towards some certain goal, generally with the use of spoken words.  

Spirit: The true, non-physical part of an individual.  

Spirit Guide: A spiritual entity who teaches a medium or channel and who guides them in their spiritual work.  

Spleen: Flattened, oblong organ that removes disease-producing organisms and worn-out red blood cells from the bloodstream. The spleen is situated in the upper left abdominal cavity, in contact with the pancreas, the diaphragm, and the left kidney. The spleen removes iron from the hemoglobin of red blood cells for use in the body. It also removes such waste materials as bile pigments for excretion as bile by the liver. The spleen produces antibodies against various disease organisms and manufactures a variety of blood cells.  

Stomach: Part of the digestive system. The outer surface of the stomach is smooth; the inner surface is folded into numerous complex ridges, which assist in the mixing of food with digestive juices and channel this material through the stomach into the intestines. Only water, alcohol, and certain drugs seem to be absorbed from the stomach; most food absorption takes place in the small intestine. In humans the stomach is situated in the upper part of the abdominal cavity, mostly to the left of the midline.  

Stupa: A dome, or pagoda, in which sacred relics are deposited.  

Subliminal Messages: Words or messages communicated at a level below the conscious mind's ability to perceive. Allegedly, messages can enter directly into the subconscious mind, thus by-passing the rational/logical center of the individual's brain .  

Sufi healing: Tradition of faith healing based on Sufism, an Islamic form of mysticism that developed mainly in Persia (Iran). It is based particularly on the teachings of one of the largest Sufi orders, the Chishti order. Sufi healing includes abjad, breathwork, fasting, and prayer.  

Sutra: Literally, "thread" or "string." A scripture containing the teachings of Buddha.  

Symbol: A sign which represents something else. Symbols are used commonly in rituals to represent gods, elements, goals, and more. See Reiki symbols. 

T  

Tai chi (other names: Tai chi chuan, Tai Ji, tai ji chuan, Tai Ji Juan, Tai ji quan, Taiqi): Variation of self-healing. Tai chi is an ancient, yoga-like Chinese system of ballet-like exercises designed for health, self-defense, and spiritual development. Practicing tai chi supposedly facilitates the flow of chi through the body by dissolving blockages both within the body and between the body and the environment. Traditional Tai Chi prescribes about 108 to 128 postures, including repetitions.  

Talisman: A magically charged object used to attract a certain type of energy or a particular type of person.  

Tantra (Tantra Yoga): Mode of lovemaking that involves breath control, energy exchange meditations, techniques of sexual healing, and transformative touch.  

Tao: (Chinese, The Way) The continual cosmic process of harmonious motions and activity between the yin and the yang.  

Taoism: A Chinese religion and philosophy that sees the universe as engaged in ceaseless motion and activity. All is considered to be in continual flux. The universe is intrinsically dynamic. The process is described in terms of Yin and Yang that should be balanced or harmonized through yoga, meditation, etc., to promote spiritual wholeness. According to legend, Taoism founder Lao-tzu wrote Tao Te Ching ("The Way and Its Power") about 550 BC. His teaching was developed and spread in the third century BC by Chuang-Tzu, whose writings inspired the Tao Tsang, 1200 volumes of Taoist scripture.  

Tao Te Ching: Sacred scripture of Taoism.  

Tarot: A form of divination using a set of cards, usually 76 cards.  

Telekinesis: A form of psychokinesis which involves moving objects with the mind without ever physically coming in contact with them.  

Telepathy: Unspoken (psychic) communication between two minds.  

Testicles: The male gonads: produce spermatozoa and male sex hormones.  

Thai Massage: Millennia-old, sacred form of bodywork that resembles shiatsu and is related to Nadi Sutra Kriya. It draws from acupressure, passive yoga therapy, and reflexology. Thai Massage makes recipients feel more balanced physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually.  

Third Eye: The psychic eye: not physically visible but mental. Located in the middle of the forehead.  

Thyroid: The thyroid gland produces hormones that are essential for normal body metabolism. This gland is located in the lower part of the neck, below the Adam's apple. The gland wraps around the windpipe (trachea).  

Tibetan medicine: (Amchi, Emchi): A system that mostly stems from Ayurveda, Chinese medicine, and Unani. Tibetan medicine encompasses acupuncture and moxibustion and heals both the physical and the psychic being. It includes reincarnation, evil spirits, tutelary gods, and three physiological principles (bodily energies): wind, bile  and phlegm. According to Tibetan medical theory, karma strongly influences 101 disorders caused by afflictive emotions (e.g., desire or hatred); another 101 disorders caused by such emotions involve spirits (harmful unseen forces); and it is appropriate to expose certain medical substances to the light of the full moon.  

Tincture: A liquid usually made by soaking a whole herb or its parts in a mixture of water and ethyl alcohol (such as vodka). The alcohol helps extract the herb's active components, concentrating and preserving them.  

Totem: Non human entity, usually but not always an animal, that symbolizes the spiritual essence, and often the first ancestor, of a group.  

Trance: One of the most common altered states of consciousness. It is characterized by extreme disassociation often to the point of appearing unconscious.  

Transcendental Meditation: Maharishi Mahesh Yogi founded TM in 1957. TM is a means of experiencing "pure awareness." It involves sitting comfortably, with eyes closed, for 15 to 20 minutes twice a day while one mentally repeats a mantra. In TM, a mantra purportedly is a "thought-sound" that has a known vibratory effect but does not have a designative meaning. The TM teacher chooses a mantra suitable for the initiate.  

U  

V  

Vajra: Sanskrit: One of the channels in the astral spine  

Vedas: 1. The four Vedas of the earliest Sanskrit hymns and verses: Rig Veda, Sama Veda, Yajur Veda, and Atharva Veda. 2. Equivalent to shruti, "revelation," comprising the Vedas, Brahmanas, Aranyakas, and Upanishads as the eternal and unauthored source of Hinduism.  

Vedic Astrology: Ancient system that allegedly helps to resolve doubts concerning children, health, spiritual growth, and other subjects. Suggestions regarding donations, gemstones, herbs, mantras, yantras (mystic diagrams), and rituals are integral to the system.  

Vibrational medicine:  The expressions "energy healing," "energy work," and "energetic healing work" appear synonymous with "vibrational medicine." Healing philosophy whose main tenet is that humans are "dynamic energy systems" ("body/mind/spirit" complexes) and reflect evolutionary patterns of soul growth. Its postulates include the following. (a ) Health and illness originate in subtle energy systems. (b) These systems coordinate the life-force and the physical body. (c) Emotions, spirituality, and nutritional and environmental factors affect the subtle energy systems. Vibrational medicine embraces acupuncture, aromatherapy, Bach flower therapy, chakra rebalancing, channeling, color therapy, crystal healing, absent healing, electro acupuncture,  flower essence therapy, homeopathy, Kirlian photography, laserpuncture, the laying on of hands, meridian therapy, mesmerism, moxibustion, Past-life Regression, Polarity Therapy, psychic healing, psychic surgery, Reiki, sonopuncture, Toning, Transcendental Meditation, and Therapeutic Touch.  

Virtues: Magical properties of objects like herbs, stones, and creatures as was assigned to them during their divine creation.  

Visualization: 1. Forming clear mental images often used in magic to focus and direct energy to a visualized goal. 2. Imagining a scene, a person, or an object with intense clarity, this is often done through a meditation.  

W  

Ward: A protection spell.  

Wicca: A neo-pagan reconstruction of witchcraft. Most Wiccans call themselves witches, but not all witches are necessarily Wiccan.  

Witch: A member of the Wicca religion. A practitioner of witchcraft. There are many types and traditions of witches. A witch is not necessarily a Wiccan, though if a Wiccan practices witchcraft they can be called a witch.  

Witchcraft: The practice of spells and magic, often involving the worship of deities or a god and/or goddess 

X  

Y  

Yantra Yoga (Tibetan Yantra Yoga, Yantra Tibetan Yoga): Tibetan Buddhist variation of hatha yoga. The benefits of practicing Yantra Yoga include balanced energy and spiritual development.  

Yin/Yang Taoist terms referring to the active and passive principles of the universe. Yin refers to the female or inactive negative force; Yang to the male or active force. These two polar forces continually interplay with each other. Both are necessary and both must be harmonized for proper function. Yin and Yang flows through the human body so that a balance is required to maintain health.  

Yoga (from Sanskrit meaning "discipline," ) Yoga is an ancient philosophy of life as well as a system of exercises that encourages the union of mind, body, and spirit. The ultimate aim of yoga is to achieve a state of balance and harmony between mind and body. There is evidence that yoga was practiced as early as 5,000 years ago, although the first written description is found in the Yoga Sutras, a book from the second century B.C. The Yoga Sutras describe a multifold path to spiritual enlightenment that includes Hatha Yoga, the system of physical exercises that is most often followed by Western yoga practitioners today. The discipline of Hatha Yoga combines deep breathing, physical postures known as asanas, and meditation. Practiced widely by people of all ages, hatha yoga is often recommended for stress reduction and as a way to improve overall health and well being.  

Z  

Zen Buddhism: A Japanese branch of Mahayana Buddhism believed to have originated in India from the teachings of a Buddhist master, Bodhidharma, about 600 BC, but traced back by advocates to the Buddha himself. Practitioners seek satori (sudden illumination enabling bliss and harmony), which cannot be explained but only experienced. Techniques include zazen (sitting meditation techniques) and koans, which are short riddles or sayings. The koans (which number about 1700) are not designed to have cognitive answers but to promote the experience of Zen.  

Zodiac: The band of twelve constellations along the plane of the ecliptic through which pass the sun, moon and planets across the sky. Each constellation, or sign, is attributed symbolic significance and associations that describe or affect various aspects of life on Earth.  

Zone Therapy: Reflexology