a
Adi: Primordial energy; Supreme.
Adi-Kali: Kali as the Supreme.
Adi-Shaktis: Kali, Tara, Lalita.
Adya: The Supreme Goddess.
Aghori: A mystic tantric who practices many rituals that appear bizarre or repulsive on the surface, in an attempt to transcend fears, etc...moving towards "liberation".
Agni: Fire; God of Fire.
Amrita: Soma; nectar; ambrosia. Also sexual fluids; female ejaculate; nectar of the Goddess; fountain of youth.
Ananda: Divine bliss; oneness with higher realms of holyy peace.
Anahata: 4th Chakra; the heart center. Also, see Chakra.
Ajna: 6th Chakra; the third eye. Also, see Chakra.
Apana: Vital energy in the lower part of the body, below the navel.
Arati: Evening worship of Deities with light, often making up the ending of a chant or ritual; multitiered lamp used in these rituals.
Asana: A steady and comfortable position of the body.. Yoga related.
Ashram: A yogic community where the residents live and work under the guidance of the Guru.
Atman: Soul.
Aushadhi: Awakening of spiritual power through the use of herbs or plant preparations.
Avidya: Beyond Knowledge; ignorance. Followers of Vamamarg were called by the orthodoxy, "avidya" denoting ignorance. The Vamacharins gladly accepted this title and said, "Yes, 'a-vidya', beyond knowledge."
Atman: The essence of perfection ingerent to all creation.
b
Banda: Muscular lock, used to direct and intensify sacred energy. My experience is to use them during breath work.
Mulabanda:
banda:
Bhav(a): Heart Power; emotive energy or the desired "intense" feeling used to "charge" sadhana (spiritual practice) with all available resources.
Bhuta:
Bija: Seed; semen; a compound sound structure of a particular deity or power; the driving force of a mantra.
Bindu: Point; drop; a center at the back of the head; the second vibratory phase in the unfolding of creation; a solidified form of Nada. See also: Visarga.
Brama:
Bramacharya: Freedom from all kinds of sexual enjoyment in thought, word and deed.
Braman:
c
Chakras: Tons of information on these. Easiest to call them energetic centers in our bodies. The average person would say that there are seven Chakras, but depending who you're talking to, there can be many more. Wikipedia can break it down with colors and pictures and Deitys, but this is a Glossary, not an encyclopedia. I will give you their order and some quick stuff here..
7th is the Sahasrara or Crown Chakra. It's our connection to "spirit", what we might look as "something greater than us". Its color is white.
6th is the Ajna, or Third Eye Chakra. It governs our intuition. Its colors are indigo, white, deep violet
5th is the Vishudha or Throat chakra. It governs our voice and how we give voice to ourselves. Its color is usually sky blue and is in the throat.
4th is the Anahata or Heart Chakra. It governs our ability to love and heal. It has two colors, green and pink and is located at the heart.
3rd is the Manipurna, or Power Chakra. It governs our digestive system and is where we say "NO" from. It's yellow and is located in the solar plexus, near the navel.
2nd is the Svadhishthana, or Base chakra. It governs sex and reproduction, creativity, joy and enthusiasm. It's orange in color and located in the sacral area near the reproductive organs.
1st is the Muladhara, or Root chakra. It governs instinct, groundedness, survival mode, it's earthy, red in color and located in the base of the spine.
Chela: Disciple.
Chita: Mind: conscious, subconscious and unconscious levels of the brain.
d
Daka: Male Priest; healer.
Dakini: Female Priestess; healer.
Dakshina-marg(a): "Righthand path"; south; orthodoxy.
Darma: Soul's purpose, a completion of karma through Divine servitude.
Darshan: Inner vision; to see a great or holy individual, either human or divine.
Dasha Mahavidyas: The "Ten Wisdom Goddesses". They represent 10 phases of Cosmogenesis, metamorghosing from one form to the other. There are different orders in different teachings. This is Matthew Wiley's:
Kali
Tara
Lalita or Sodashi
Bhuvaneshwari
Chinnamasta
Bhairavi
Dhumavati
Bagalamukhi
Mantangi
Kamala
Deva: A God, Deity, or cosmic power.
Devi: Goddess, Deity, or holy creative power.
Diksha: Initiation.
Dhyana Sloka: Meditation verse used to establish the "link" with the Deity to be invoked.
Dharma: Divine duty; highest spiritual path.
Dorge:
Durga:
e
Ekagrata: "One pointed"; complete focus.
f
G
Guru: Gu - darkness; ru - light. Dispeller of darkness. "A person who leads his disciples, devotees and students from darkness to light, ignorance to Self-knowledge, bondage to freedom, humanity to divintiy, confusion to solution, and perplexity to hilarity is a guru."Swami Vishnudevananda Saraswati
H
Hatha: Union of Ha: the Sun and Tha: the Moon. "Yoga is union.", A. Crowely.
I
Iccha-Shakti: Desire; direction; will or will power.
Ida: The left astral channel that carries the tha astral force; feminine force of lunar energy.
Ipsalu Tantra Kriya Yoga:
Ishtadevata: Personal or chosen Deity to work with for the attainment of one's Will or whimsy. When one reiefes "mantra-diksha", the God or Goddess of the mantra becomes the sadhaka's IshtaDevata.
Indra: The chief of the hosts of angelic beings.
J
K
Kama: Desire; Hindu form of Cupid (Kama Deva).
Kavacha: Armor; that which protects the body. Protective astral field created with mantra to ward off nefarious acts ad psychic attack. The protective mantra that can be worn on the arm as a talisman.
Kunda:
Kundalini: Latent energy located at the base of the spine often symbolized as a coiled, sleeping serpent; one's personal Shakti.
Krishna:
Kriya:
Kshetrem:
l
Lakshmi: Goddess of abundance, wealth, happiness and prosperity. The consort of Lord Vishnu.
Lalita: Also called the Red Goddess. Goddess of Divine Play. She has a bow of sugar cane and five flower arrows representing the senses, I believe..She is everything and contains within her Shiva, Brama and Vishnu.
Lalita Mantra: (with opening and closing) //Om Shrim Hrim Klim Aim Sauh Om Hrim// KA E I LA HRIM, HA SA KA HALA HRIM, SA KA LA HRIM //Saoh Aim Klim Hrim Shrim//
Lila: Divine play.
Lingam:
m
Maha: Great; mighty one;
Mahakala: Lord of Death; death incarnate.
Maithuna: Elaborate Tantric ritual with many parts, usually culminating in some form of sacred sexual union.
Magic: Though this is a more common spelling, I like the definition below. Ceremonial magic can look much like a puja with robes, colors, flowers, ritual tools, etc.. Another word used for more tribal tantric techniques is sorcery.
Magick: Aleister Crowely uses this spelling and definition: "The Science and Art of causing Change to occur in conformity with Will."
Manipura: 3rd Chakra; the power center, located around the navel.
Mantra: A sacred phrase of spiritual significance and power; a verbal chant. Examples are:
Om Nama Shivaya
Om Mani Padme Hum
Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare
We are the Champioins my friends, And We'll keep on fightin' till the end. Cause We are the Champions....
Cumbaya my Lord, Cumbaya...
Amen, Amen, Amen, Amen Amen!
Maya: The illusion that one's personality uses to limit or chalenge the soul.
Mudra: Gesture; seal; sign. There are five classes:
Hasta - hand
Mana - head, face and eyes
Kaya - postural
Bandha - energy locks
Adhara - perineal
Muladhara: 1st Chakra; the root center. Located at the anus or perineum.
Mula Triconam: .
Murti: Iconographic representation of a Deity. Any statue of a God or Goddess used to invoke the Deity into.
n
Nada: The subtlest vibration; the first stirring of movement in the universe (spandhanam). Nada, coupled with Bindu creates Bija.
Nada-Bindu: The joy of coitus (maithuna); the union of Ha and Tha, the Sun and Moon.
Nadis: Subtle nerve channels related to physical body and energy healing.
Naga: Serpent or water spirit. As a serpent, Naga represents "awakened Kundalini". As such, they are sacred in Tantric symbology.
Nama-Rupa: Name and form.
Namaste: Greeting or salute representing various forms of "The Highest in Me, Honors the Highest in You.", and often accompanied by hands in prayer position (a mudra) at the heart, especially between beloveds.
Nirvana: Ultimate spiritual peace, a place that transcends birth and death and absolute freedom from attachment is achieved. The Vedas say when you reach the attainment, your soul no longer needs to incarnate on the earth plane.
o
Ojas: Subtle vital force within the body; virility
Ortho-Bionomy: See Page.
Omkara: The vehicle of sound; another name for AUM or OM.
p
Para-Shakti: The primordial Goddess behind the feil of creation's split.
Pingala: The right astral channel that carries the ha astral force; the masculine force of solar energy.
Prana: Energy; air; breath; life force; recieved by the body from pure food, nurturing, healing and self transformation. There are five Pranas:
Prana:
Apana:
Vyana:
Udana:
Samana:
Pranayama: Yogic breath techniques; consciously controlling breath patterns to quiet the mind and balance the body's natural energies.
Pranava: Another name for AUM or OM.
Pratyahara: Withdrawal of the senses.
Puja: A worshipfull activity or spiritual celebration
q
r
Raga-Dwesha: Likes and disslikes; opposites.
Rahasya: Secret; hidden; veiled.
Rasayana: The alchemical limb of Tantra.
Reiki: Japanese healing modality which employs "Universal Healing Energy".
Ritual:
s
Sadhaka: One who practices sadhana.
Sadhana: Endeavor; discipline; practice. The spiritual-magical regimen of a Tantric Practitioner.
Sahasara: 7th Chakra; the crown center, located at the top of the head.
Samarasa: The union of Shiva and Shakti, either sexually or inwardly.
Samadhi:
Sampridaya: Lineage; school; teaching; doctrine.
Sankalp(a): Resolve; statement of intent; magical motto; Will. Unflinching determination directed towards a specific goal.
Sattva: Blissful illumination; joy.
Shakti: Animation; feminine force. A woman is sometimes called a Shakti being a manifestation of the Divine Feminine. Life cannot exist without Shakti.
Creation is: "... the result of the union of three Shaktis:
Iccha Shakti - Desire for cosmic creation.
Jnana Shakti - Knowledge for cosmic creation.
Kriya Shakti - Free Will for cosmic creation." Amarananda Bhairavan
Shaktipat: A transmission of spiritual energy, usually given by a guru.
Shaman:
Shankar:
Shava: Corpse.
Shavasana: Corpse pose; a lying yoga pose.
Shiva:
Shi-va and Va-shi breaths:
Sky Dancing: A translated Tantric term used to describe transcendental love making where partners overcome their differences and dance in cosmic space.
Sky Dancing Tantra:
Soma: "Psychotropic plant mixture used by the aboriginals of the Indus Valley, most likely containing "DMT" and similar compounds. This later became the Soma of the Deda. The pressing and preparation of Soma described in the Vedas bares a striking resemblance to the preparation of Yage or Ayahuasca of the Amazonian Rainforest." Says MaTThew Wiley.
Sushumna: The central astral channel that begins at the root chakra and ends in the uppermost chakra.
Swadistana: 2nd Chakra; the sexual center, located at the genitals; or between belly button and pelvic bone. Some say just anterior to the sacrum.
t
Tantsu: Tantric Shiatsu. See Page.
Tejas: Fire element of the body which can burn out with excessive toxin intake, drug use, cigarette smoking, or even everyday city life.
u
Upanishads: Literally "secret teachings"; the last portion of the Vedas.
v
Vama-marg(a): Left hand path; against the grain; heterodoxy; forbidden; north; the jungle; the path of Nivritti or return to the source which is beyond polar opposites.
Vajra:
Vidya: Wisdom; magic; a name for the Goddess.
Virya: Vital force who's physical manifestation is the sexual fluids.
Vishnu:
Vissuddi: 5th Chakra; the throat center.
w
Watsu: See Page.
x
y
Yab-Yum: An asana for two, usually a man and a woman with the man sitting crosslegged and the woman sitting in his lap facing him. Some have the woman sitting with the soles of her feet touching. I believe in comfort. The more the Chakras are alligned the better with one hand on the heart and the other at the sacrum.
Yakshas: A broad class of Vegetation Spirits which, to some extent, bacame demonized over time.
Yakshini: A female Yaksha.
Yama: Lord of Death.
Yang: Masculine
Yantra: "... The geometrical domain of a particular Deity... used for healing meditation." says, MaTThew Wiley.
Yin: Feminine
Yoni: Name for the female genitalia meaning: Sacred space; womb;
Yuga: Era epoch which divides manifest time into particular segments . We are considered to be in the Kali Yuga.