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Caacrinolaas: According to Wierius, Grand President of Hell, also known as Caasimolar and
Glasya. He is figured in the hape of a god with the wings of a griffon. He is
supposed to inspire knowledge of the liberal arts, and to incite homicides. It
is this fiend who can render man invisible. He commands thirty-six legions.
Cabinet: From
Spiritualism, a
cabinet is a curtain enclosed space in which
mediums claim to condense the psychic energy
which is necessary for seance-room
manifestations. Dr. Hereward Carrington
points out an analogy: less expenditure of
energy is required to charge a small
electric conductor to a given voltage than a
large one. So it may be with the cabinet
"which acts as a sort of storage battery,
retaining the energy and liberating it in
bundles of quanta during the seance." In
which connection a quotation from Allen
Putnam's Bible Marvel Workers may be
apt: "The ark of the covenant was
constructed expressly for use as a spirit
battery, or an instrument through which to
give forth the commands of the Lord. The
special care taken to have the ark and all
its appurtenances charged with the auras or
magnetisms of a selected class of workmen,
becomes very interesting in these days when
much wonder is expressed at the customary
stickling of spirits and mediums for right
conditions. Biblical history furnishes
precedent for great particularity, when
constructing a cabinet for manifestations."
The cabinet is usually of very simple
construction. It need not be more than a
curtain thrown across a corner of the room.
Cagliostro: one of the greatest occult figures (or charlatans) of all time. It was the
fashion during the latter half of the XlXth century to regard Cagliostro as a
charlatan and impostor, and this point of view was greatly aided by the savage
attack perpetrated on his memory by Carlyle, who alluded to him as the " Prince
of Quacks." Recent researches, however, go to show that if Cagliostro was not a
man of unimpeachable honour, he was by no means the scoundrel that so many have
made him out to be. In the first place it will be well to give a brief outline
of his life as known to us before Mr. Trowbridge's examination of the whole
question placed Cagliostro's circumstances in a different fight, and then to
check the details of his career in view of what may be termed Mr. Trowbridge's
discoveries.
[Read the full article]
Calundronius: A magic stone that resists demons
and nullifies enchantments.
Cambions: Offspring of the incubi and succubi, according to Bodin and Delamare. Some
are more kindly disposed to the human race than others. Luther says of them in
his Colloquies that they show no sign of life before seven years of age. He says
that he saw one which cried when he touched it.
Cambodia: The Cambodia of to-day is
bounded by French Cochin-China, Annam, Siam and the Gulf of Siam. Of its
population of 1,500,000 inhabitants, the main part is composed of the Khmèr
people, and Chinese, Annamese Malays and aboriginal elements are also
represented.
Magic. - Magic is mixed up
to a surprising degree with the daily life of this people. They consult
sorcerers upon the most trivial matters, and are constantly at great pains to
discover whether any small venture is likely to prove lucky or unlucky. There
are two kinds of sorcerers (or sorceresses), the soothsayers (àp thmop) and the
medicine-sorcerers (kru). Of these the latter enjoy the highest
reputation as healers and exorcists, while the former are less respected,
dealing, as they do in charms and philtres for the sake of gain, or in evil
incantations and spells to indulge their spite and hatred. The outcast kru,
however, can be ministers of destruction as well as of healing. One of the means
used to take the life on an enemy is the old device favoured by witches. They
make a wax figure of the victim, prick it at the spot where they wish to harm
him, and thus bring disease and death upon him. Another plan is to take two
skulls from which the tops have been removed, place them against each other, and
convey them secretly under the bed of a healthy man where they have very evil
results. Sometimes by means of spells they transform wood-shaving or grains of
rice into a large beetle, or into worms, which enter the body of their victim
and cause his illness, and, perhaps his death. If the man thus attacked happens
to possess the friendship of a more powerful sorcerer, however, the latter may
afford him his protection, and thus undo the mischief. The more harmless
occupations of the wizards consist in making philtres and amulets to insure the
admiration of women, the favour of the king, and success at play.
Evil Spirits. - The evil
spirits, to whom they ascribe the most malicious intent, are called pray.
Of these the most fearsome variety is the "wicked dead" (khmoc pray),
which includes the spirits of women who have died in childbed. From their
hiding-place in the trees these spirits torment inoffensive passers-by with
their hideous laughter, and shower down stones upon them. These practices are,
of course, calculated either to kill or to drive the unfortunate recipients of
their attentions insane. Among the trees there are also concealed mischievous
demons who inflict terrible and incurable diseases upon mankind.
Those who have suffered a violent
death are also greatly to be feared. From the nethermost regions they return,
wan and terrible, to demand food from human beings, who dare not deny it to
them. Their name beisac signifies "goblin," and they have the power to
inflict all manner of evil on those who refuse their request. So the good
Cambodian, to avert such happenings, puts his offering of rice or other food in
the brushwood to appease the goblins. The pray, it may be said, require
to have their offerings laid on the winnowing fan that enters so largely into
Cambodian superstition.
Werewolves, both male and
female, strike terror into the hearts of the natives. By the use of certain
magical rites and formulae, men can become endowed with supernatural powers,
such as the ability to swallow dishes, and are thereupon changed to were-wolves.
Women who have been rubbed with oil which a wizard has consecrated are said to
lose their reason, and to flee away to the woods. They retain their human shape
for seven days. If during that time a man shall undergo the same process of
being rubbed with consecrated oil, and shall follow the toman to the
woods, and strike her on the head with a heavy bar - then, the Cambodians say,
she shall recover her reason and may return home. If, on the other hand, no such
drastic remedy is to be found, at the end of seven days the woman shall turn
into a tigress. In order to cure men who have the powers of a were-wolf, one
must strike them on the shoulder with a hook.
The Cambodians believe that
ghosts issue from dead bodies during the process of decomposition. When this
ceases the ghosts are no longer seen, and the remains are changed into owls and
other nocturnal birds.
Most hideous of all the evil
spirits in Cambodia, are the srei ap or ghouls, who, represented
only by head and alimentary canal, prowl nightly in search of their gruesome
orgies. They are known by their terrible and blood-shot eyes, and are much
feared, since even their wish to harm can inflict injury. When anyone is
denounced as a ghoul she is treated with great severity, either by the
authorities, who may sentence her to banishment or death, or by the villagers,
who sometimes take the law into their own hands and punish the supposed
offender.
Astrology, etc. - The
science of astrology is not without its votaries in Cambodia.
Astrologers, or, as they are called, horas, are attached to the court,
and their direct employment by the king gives them some standing in the country.
At the beginning of each year they make a calendar, which contains, besides the
usual astronomical information, weather and other predictions. They are
consulted by the people on all sorts of subjects, and are believed to be able to
avert the calamities they predict.
It is not surprising that in such
a country, where good and evil powers are ascribed so lavishly, much attention
should be paid to omens, and much time spent in rites to avert misfortune. The
wind, the fog, the trees, are objects of fear and awe, and must be approached
with circumspection lest they send disease and misfortune, or withhold some
good. For instance, trees who roots grow under a house bring ill-luck to it. The
bamboo and cotton-plant are also dangerous when planted near a house, for should
they grow higher than the house, they would wish, out of a perverted sense of
gratitude, to provide a funeral cushion and matting for the occupants.
Animals receive their share of
superstitious veneration. Tigers are regarded as malevolent creatures, whose
whiskers are very poisonous. Elephants are looked upon as sacred, and
particularly so white elephants. Monkeys they will on no account destroy. Should
a butterfly enter the house, it is considered extremely unlucky, while a
grasshopper, on the contrary, indicates coming good-fortune. There are other
superstitions relating to household objects, customs, etc., which do not differ
greatly from those of other countries.
Camelot: the legendary capital of King Arthur's kingdom.
Cancer:
The fourth sign of the zodiac. v. Signs.
Candles Burning Blue: There is a superstition that
candles and other lights burn blue at the apparition of spirits, probably
because of the sulphurous atmosphere accompanying the spectres.
Cannibalism: kkkkk
Capnomancy: Divination by means of wreaths, which consisted in two principal methods. The
more important was the smoke o he sacrifices, which augured well if it rose
lightly from the altar, and ascended straight to the clouds; but the contrary if
it hung about. Another method was to throw a few jasmine or poppy seeds upon
burning coals. There was a third practice by breathing the smoke of the
sacrificial fire.
Capricorn:
The tenth sign of the zodiac. v. Signs.
Carbon Dioxide: A greenhouse gas frequently discussed in
environmental science. The burning of fossil fuel and deforestation is the main
cause of human-generated carbon dioxide.
Cardinal Signs:
Aries, Cancer, Libra and Capricorn -- whose cusps coincide with the cardinal
points of the compass: Aries, East; Cancer, North; Libra, West; and Capricorn,
South. Cardinal signs denote activity - motion, expression,
changeableness; they give alertness, restlessness,
flexibility, and suppleness. The cardinal quality
corresponds to the soul in its various conditions, animal,
human, or spiritual, as a modifying influence operating in
the world of form.
v. Signs.
Carey, Ken: a contemporary new age author and
channel, wrote the influential books: The Starseed
Transmissions, The Third Millennium, and others.
Caste: Originally the system of the four hereditary classes into which Indian population was divided: Brahmana, Kshatriya, Vaisya, and Sudra-(a) descendant of Brahmâ; (b) warrior; (c) mercantile, and (d) the lowest or agricultural Sudra class. From these four, hundreds of divisions and minor castes have sprung.
Casting the Horoscope:
The term used by astrologers to imply the calculations necessary to be made,
prior to the delineation of the nativity. v. Figure.
Castaneda, Carlos:
was the author of a series of books that purport
to describe his training in traditional
Mesoamerican
shamanism, which he referred to as a form of
sorcery. The books and Castaneda, who rarely
spoke in public about his work, have been
controversial for many years. Supporters claim the
books are either true or at least valuable works
of philosophy and practices enabling increased
awareness; critics claim the books are shams,
works of fiction, and not verifiable empirical
anthropology as claimed. In his books, Castaneda
narrates in
first person the events leading to and ensuing
after his meeting a
Yaqui
shaman named
Don
Juan Matus in
1960. Castaneda's experiences with Don Juan
allegedly inspired the works for which he is
known.
Catabolignes: Demons who bore men away, killed them, and broke and crushed them having this
power over them. We are told that a certain Campester wrote a book wherein it is
related how these demons treated their agents, the magicians and sorcerers.
Catopromancy, or Enoptromancy: is a species of divination by the mirror, whic Pausanius describes:"Before
the Temple of Ceres at Patras, there was a fountain, separated from the temple y
a wall, and there was an oracle, very truthful, not for events, but for the sick
only. The sick person let down a mirror, suspended by a thread, till its base
touched the surface of the water, having first prayed to the goddess and offered
incense. Then looking in the mirror, he saw the pressage of death or recovery,
or of a ghastly aspect."
Another method of using the mirror was to place it at the back of a boy's or
girl's head, whose eyes were bandaged. In Thessaly, the response appeared in
characters of blood on the face of the mon, probably represented in the mirror.
The Thessalian sorceresses derived their art from the Persians, who always
endeavored to plant their religion and mystic rites in the countries they
invaded.
Cats: The cat, "the first pet of civilization,"
has always been associated with magical powers. Of all
animals, the cat alone looks one in the eye. The glance of
the cat can terrify, and such a fear is known as
ailurophobia. Hitler had a fear of cats, and when Napoleon
saw a cat stalking through his palace, he called for help.
Joseph Bonaparte, King of Naples, while on a visit to
Saratoga Springs in 1825, collapsed in a guest's house. He
had sensed a cat's presence, although no animal was
visible. A search produced a kitten hiding in a sideboard.
Henry III used to faint at the sight of a cat. Buffon, the
French naturalist, dreaded the animal: as did Oliver
Goldsmith, and James Hoswell. Albert Einstein, on the
other hand, was fond of cats. So was Claude Debussy, the
famous French composer.
The cat was sacred in ancient India. In Sanskrit
literature, frequent reference is made to the animal and
to its influence on man. In ancient Britain the cat,
probably Introduced by the Romans, had great prestige,
with attendant sacred rites in its honor. Hywel Dda, a
prince of South Wales, enacted a law, in the tenth
century, for the 'protection of cats.
But it was the Egyptians who raised the cat to supreme
divinity. The Egyptian word for tomcat is kut, while a
tabby is kutta. The cat, as a deity, was the "Sayer of
Great Words." Hence killing a cat was punishable by death.
In Lower Egypt an entire city, Bubastis, was dedicated to
cat worship. The feeding of these sacred animals was
itself a high privilege. The cats fed on catfish. Every
year, some 700,000 pilgrims journeyed to Bubastis to the
cat festival in May. There was music, and wine ran
copiously. The temples were packed with penitents making
vows to the cat deities. Cat amulets were on sale in
public booths: figurines of cats in amethyst, calcite, and
red cornelian.
Among cat goddesses, the most prominent was Ubasti,
represented in bronze as a cat-headed woman. Prayers and
sacrifices were part of the ritual of cat worship. After
death, cats were embalmed and shipped to Bubastis for
burial.
When the Egyptian cat cult died out, cat influence, still
potent, spread to Europe, where Cat Clans sprang up in
Celtic and Teutonic regions. In the first century B.C. the
cat motif was dominant. Roman legionary soldiers bore a
cat sign on their shields. The crest of the Germanic tribe
of Catti was a brindled cat. The Cattani of Scotland
likewise had a cat on their crest.
The last remaining Cat Clan is still in force, in the
Scottish Highlands, where the Clan Chattan, a federation
of clans originally formed to settle disputes among member
clans, holds sway. Several of these clans bear on their
crest the motto: Touch not the cat bot (that is, without a
glove). Popularly, the members of the Clan Chattan are
known as the People of the Cat.
In Scandinavian countries Freya is the cat-goddess. She is
depicted as drawn in a chariot by two cats. Girls
contrived to wed on Freya's Day—Friday. If the day was
sunny, it was said that the bride had fed the cat well.
In Europe in the Middle Ages, cats, preferably black, were
associated with nocturnal magic. Along with witches, cats
were tortured as purveyors of evil. Cats were even
believed capable of speaking the language of their
mistresses. There was an eighteenth century English witch,
Moll White, whose cat was reputed to have talked in
English. The cat was also a symbol of efficiency, and was
consequently selected by European business men as a
trademark.
Cat influence is so rooted in folkways that all kinds of
expressions are derived from cat associations. In
mediaeval times a movable penthouse used in siege works
was called a cat—from the slow, catlike approach of the
engine of war. A cat-o-nine-tails tells its own story.
Cat's eyes are considered, in humans, magnetic and exotic.
An old Massachusetts law warns owners against keeping a
cat out of doors at night under penalty of a stiff fine.
Cattle Mutilations: Starting in the late 60s,
reports about the mutilation of livestock caught the
attention of the public. Authorities maintained that the
alleged mutilations -- the stripping of the hide and flesh
around the jaw; the removal of the eyes; the unusual
precision of cuts around the body that appeared to be the
work of a surgical instrument -- were from natural
processes. Many were not satisfied with this explanation,
however, insisting the mutilations were the work of aliens
and UFO, or secret military experiments.
Cauldron of Regeneration: A witch ceremony, held
on or near December 12: also called Drawing Down the
Moon. Into a cauldron set in the middle of a magic
circle are thrown leaves, over which spirit is poured and
ignited. The members present, led by the witch-priestess,
chant an invocation to the Moon, dancing in ecstasy and
exclaiming:
lo! Evohoel Blessed be lo Evohoe!
This is an invocation to Bacchus, the wine god, the god of
fertility. The rite, practiced in twentieth-century
England, is described in Witchcraft Today.
Causal plane:
The third plane of creation. Its medium is concrete intellectual energy. In the
Michael teachings it is
Michael's plane of existence.
Causimomancy: Divination by fire. It was a good omen when combustible objects cast into
the fire don't burn.
Cayce, Edgar: jjjjjjj
Celts: Magic among the Celtic peoples in
ancient times was so closely identified with Druidism that its origin may be
said to have been Druidic. That Druidism was of Celtic origin, however, is a
question upon which much discussion has been lavished, some authorities, among
them Rhys, believing it to have been of non-Celtic and even non-Aryan origin.
This is to say that the earliest non-Aryan or so-called "Iberian" or Megalithic
people of Britain introduced the immigrant Celts to the Druidic religion.
An argument in favor of this theory is that the continental Celts sent
their neophyte Druid priests to Britain to undergo a special training at the
hands of the Druids there, and there is little doubt that this island was
regarded as the headquarters of the cult. The people of Cisalpine Gaul, for
instance, had no Druidic priesthood.
Caesar has told us that in Gaul Druidic seminaries were
very numerous, and that in them severe study and
discipline were entailed upon the neophytes, the principal
business of whom was to commit to memory countless verses
enshrining Druidic knowledge and tradition. That this
instruction was astrological and magical we have the
fullest proof, and it is with these aspects of the Celtic
religion alone that we have to deal in this place.
The Druids were magi as they were hierophants in the same
sense that the American-Indian medicine-man is both magus
and priest. That is, they were medicine-men on a
higher-scale, and possessed a larger share of
transcendental knowledge than the shamans of more
barbarous races. Thus they may be said to be a link
between the shaman and the magus of mediaeval times. Many
of their practices were purely shamanistic, whilst others
were more closely connected with mediaeval magical rite.
But they were not the only magicians among the Celts, for
W3 find that magic power is frequently the possession of
women and the poetic craft. The art magic of Druidism had
many points of comparison with most magical systems, and
may be said to have approximated more to that black magic
which desires power for the sake of power alone, than to
any more transcendental type. Thus it included the power
to render oneself invisible, to change the bodily shape,
to produce an enchanted sleep, to induce lunacy, and the
utterance of spells and charms which caused death. Power
over the elements was also claimed, as in the case of
Broichan, a Caledonian Druid who opposed Saint Columbia,
as we read in Adamnan's Life of that saint as follows:
" Broichan, speaking one day to the holy man, sa37s: '
Tell me, Columba, at what time dost thou propose to sail
forth? "On the third day/ says the Saint, 'God willing and
life remaining, we propose to begin our voyage.' ' Thou
wilt not be able to do so,' says Broichan in reply, ' for
I can make the wind contrary for thee, and bring dark
clouds upon thee.' The Saint says : ' The omnipotence of
God rules over all things, in Whose Name all out
movements, He Himself governing them, are directed.' What
more need be said ? On the same day as he had purposed in
his heart the Saint carae to the long lake of the river
Ness, a great crowd following. But the Druids then began
to rejoice when they saw a gre.it darkness coming over,
and a contrary wind with a tempest. Nor should it be
wondered at that these tilings can be done by the art of
demons, God permitting it, so that even winds and waters
are roused to fury.
" For it was thus that legions of devils once met the holy
bishop Germanus in mid-ocean, what time he was sailing
from the Gallican Gulf (the British Channel) to Britain in
the cause of man's salvation, and stirred up dangerous
storms and spread darkness over the sky and obscured
daylight. All which storms, however, were stilled at the
prayer of St. Germanus, and, quicker than said, ceased,
and the darkness was swept away.
" Our Columba, therefore, seeing the furious elements
stirred up against him, calls upon Christ the Lord, and
entering the boat while the sailors are hesitating, he
with all the more confidence, orders the sail to be rigged
against the wind. Which being done, the whole crowd
looking on meanwhile, the boat is borne along against the
contrary winds with amazing velocity. And after no great
interval, the adverse winds veer round to the advantage of
the voyage amid the astonishment of all. And thus,
throughout that whole day, the blessed man's boat was
driven along by gentle favouring breezes, and reached the
desired haven. Let the reader, therefore, consider how
great and saintly was that venerable man through whom
Al-mighty God manifested His glorious Name by such
miraculous powers as have just been described in the
presence of a heathen people."
The art of rain-making, bringing down fire from the sky,
and causing mists, snow-storms and floods was also claimed
by the Druids. Many of the spells probably in use among
the Druids survived until a comparatively late period, and
are still in use in some remote Celtic localities—the
names of Saints being substituted for those of Celtic
deities, —as in Well-worship (q.v.) a possibly Drnidic
cultus, and certain ritual practices which are still
carried out in the vicinity of megalithic structures. In
pronouncing incantations, the usual method employed was to
stand upon one leg, to point to the person or object on
which the spell was to be laid with the fore-finger, at
the same time closing an eye, as if to concentrate the
force of the entire personality upon that which was to be
placed under ban. A manuscript preserved in the Monastery
of Si. Gall and dating from the eighth or ninth century,
has preserved magical formulae for the preservation of
butter and the healing of certain diseases in the name of
the Irish god Diancecht. These and others bear a close
resemblance to Babylonian and Etruscan spells, and this
goes to strengthen the hypothesis often put forward with
more or less ability that Druidism had an eastern origin.
All magical rites were accompanied by spells. Druids often
accompanied an army to assist by their magical art in
confounding the enemy.
There is little doubt that the conception of a Druidic
priesthood has descended down to our own time in a more or
less debased condition in British Celtic areas. Thus the
existence of guardians and keepers of wells said to
possess magical properties, and the fact that certain
familiar magical spells and formula? are handed down from
one gen ration to another, is a proof of the survival of
Druidic tradition, however feeble. Females are generally
the conservators of these mysteries, but that there were
Druid priestesses is fairly certain.
There are also indications that to some extent Scottish
witchcraft was a survival of Celtic religio-magical
practice. (See Witchcraft, Scottish in article Scotland.)
Amulets were extensively worn by the Celts, the principal
forms in use being phallic (against the evil eye), coral,
the " serpent's egg"—some description of fossil. The
person who passed a number of serpents together forming
such an '• egg " from their collected spume had to catch
it in his cloak ere it fell to earth, and then make all
speed over a running-stream where he was safe from the
reptiles' vengeance. Totemic amulets were also common.
[See Scotland and Ireland]
TO BE FINISHED.
Centers :
From the
Michael teachings,
one of the overleaves. Each person has seven centers:
emotional, higher emotional, intellectual, higher intellectual, physical,
moving, and instinctive. A person's primary center is the aspect of self from
which he dominantly experiences life and responds to stimuli-either the
emotional, intellectual, physical, or moving center (or rarely, the instinctive
center). The part of center is where his secondary responses originate. The
higher intellectual and higher emotional centers are rarely if ever dominant in
most people's experience.
Cephalomancy:
Divination by means of a donkey's head.
Ceramancy:
Divination by interpretation of melted wax dropped on the
floor.
Ceraunoscopy:
Divination practised by the ancients by the examination of
the phenomena of the air, thunder, and lightening.
Ceremonial Magic: Ceremonial magic is chiefly
occupied with the art of dealing with spirits. Its rites
are supposedly religious, and the rituals which contain it
partake largely of the nature of religious observances. It
is not, as generally supposed, a reversed Christianity or
Judaism, nor does it partake of the profanation of
religious ritual. It is in eftect an attempt to derive
power from God for the successful control of evil spirits.
In the Grimoires and Keys of Black Magic, the operator is
constantly reminded that he must meditate continually on
the undertaking in hand, and centre every hope in the
infinite goodness of the Great Adonai. The god invoked in
Black Magic is not Satan as is so often supposed, but the
Jehovah of the Jews, and the Trinity of the Christians.
The foundation of practical magic is almost certainly the
belief in the power of divine words to compel the
obedience of all spirits to those who could pronounce
them. Such words and names were supposed to invoke or
dismiss the denizens of the spirit world, and these with
suitable prayers were used in all magical ceremonies.
Again it was thought that it was easier to control evil
spirits than to enlist the sympathies of angels.
[Read the
full article] [See Magic] [Visit
Magic index]
Ceroscopy: Divination by wax. The process was as
follows. Fine wax was melted in a brass vessel until it
became a liquid of uniform consistence. It was then poured
slowly into another vessel filled with cold water, in such
a way that the wax congealed in tiny discs upon the
surface of the water. The magician then interpreted the
figures thus presented as he saw fit. [Visit
Divination index]
Chagrin or Cagrino:
An evil spirit believed in by the Continental Gypsies. It
has the form of a hedgehog, is yellow in colour, and is a
foot and a half in length and a span in breadth. " I am
certain," says Wlislocki, " that this creature is none
other than the equally demoniac being called Harginn,
still believed in by the inhabitants of Northwestern
India. Horses are the special prey of the Chagrin, who
rides them into a state of exhaustion, as does the Guecubu
(q.v.) of Chili. The next day they appear sick and weary,
with tangled manes and bathed in sweat. When this is
observed they are tethered to a stake which has been
rubbed with garlic juice, then a red thread is laid on the
ground in the form of a cross, or else some of the hair of
the animal is mixed with salt, meal and the blood of a bat
and cooked to bread, with which the hoof of the horse is
smeared. The empty vessel which contained the mixture is
put in the trunk of a high tree while these words are
uttered: " Tarry, pipkin, in
this tree, Till such time as full ye be."
Chaldea: A country
that was particularly rich and domi-nantly active in magic
cults and rituals. As early as the Book of Daniel the term
Chaldeans, Kasdim, was equated with magicians. The Romans,
too, called astrologers and adepts in the black arts by
the generic name of Chaldeans. In the first century A.D.
the Greek Strabo refers to the astrological skill of the
Chaldeans.
Chain, Forming a:
In spiritualism, a term denoting the joining of the hands
of the sitters round a table, whereby the magnetic current
is strengthened and reinforced. The Baron de Guldenstubbe
gives the following directions for forming a chain. " In
order to form a chain, the twelve persons each place their
right hand on the table, and their left hand on that of
their neighbour, thus making a circle round the table.
Observe that the medium or mediums if there be more than
one, are entirely isolated from those who form the chain."
Dr. Lapponi, in his Hypnotism and Spiritism (trans.
London, 1906), gives an account of the usual procedure for
the formation of a chain. " He (the medium) makes those
present choose a table, which they may examine as much as
they like, and may place in whatever part of the room they
choose. He then invites some of the assistants to place
their hands on the table in the following manner: Ihe two
thumbs of each person are to be touching each other, and
each little finger is to be in communication with the
little finger of the persons on either side. He himself
completes the chain with his two hands. The hands of all
altogether rest on the edge of the table.
[Spiritualism
MAIN]
Chakra:
An energy center in the body. There are seven main chakras. These are the sense
organs of the etheral body (q.v.) and receive their name from their appearance
which resembles vortices. Altogether there are ten chakras—visible only to
clairvoyants— but of these it is advisable to use only seven. They are situated,
not on the denser physical body, but opposite certain parts of it as follows : (i)
the top of the head, (2) between the eyebrows, (3) the throat, (4) the heart,
(5) .....................
Changelings: The substitution of a little old
mannikin of the elf race, for a young child. There are many tales representative
of this belief in Scotland. The changeling grows up peevish and
misshapen, always crying, and gives many proofs of its origin to those versed in
such matters. There are many ways of getting rid of him, such as sticking a
knife into him, making him sit on a gridiron with a fire below, dropping him
into a river, etc., - which one would imagine would prove fairly successful. The
changeling sometimes gives himself away by unthinking reference to his age.
Change of name: In the Middle Ages a sick person
often changed his name, with the intention of diverting
and confusing the spirit responsible for the malady.
Channeling:
The act of allowing an intelligence not in human form to express through
oneself. .........
[Channeling Index]
Chanting: jjjj
Chaos Magick:
is a type of Ritual Magick, loosely based on the work of
Austin Osman Spare, in which the use of Sigils for magical
purposes is central. The term was coined by Peter Carroll
in the work "Liber Null."
Charm: A magical formula, sung or recited to bring a supposedly beneficial result,
or to confer magical efficacy on an amulet. In popular usuage the same word is
employed to designate the incantation and the object which is charmed. For the
material object (see Amulet, for the recital see Spells).
Chela: (Sans.) A disciple. The pupil of a Guru or Sage, the follower of some Adept, or a school of philosophy.
Chelation Therapy: is an investigational therapy using a man-made
amino acid, called EDTA. It is added to the blood through a vein. An
international research study is now testing whether chelation therapy is safe
and effective for treating heart disease.
Cherubim: Certain mystic appearances of the angelic type, often represented as figures
wholly or partly human, and with wings proceeding from the shoulders. We find
the first mention of these beings in connection with the expulsion of Adam and
Eve from the Garden of Eden; and they are frequently spoken of in later biblical
history. Sometimes the cherubim have tow or more faces, or are of composite
animal form.
Chesed: Under this name the Jewish Kaballists signified the attribute of mercy.
Chevaliers de l' Enfer: These are demons more powerful than those of no rank, but less powerful than
titled demons -- counts, marquises, and dukes. They may be evoked from dawn to
sunrise, and from sunset to dark.
Ch'i: [See Universal life force]
Chief Feature:
From the Michael teachings, one of the overleaves. The
chief feature
is a person's primary stumbling block, the focus of his fears and illusions. A
person can also have a secondary chief feature. The seven chief features are
self-deprecation,
arrogance,
self-destruction,
greed,
martyrdom,
impatience,
and
stubbornness.
China (Occult in): Although it can hardly be said
that any system of magic worthy of the name ever originated in China, and though
magical practice was uncommon, yet instances are not wanting of the employment
of magical means in the Celestial Empire, and the belief in a supernatural world
peopled by gods, demons and other beings is very strong in the Popular Chinese
mind.
[Read the full article]
Chinese Medicine: is the current name for an ancient system of health
care from China. TCM is based on a concept of balanced qi (pronounced "chee"),
or vital energy, that is believed to flow throughout the body. Qi is proposed to
regulate a person's spiritual, emotional, mental, and physical balance and to be
influenced by the opposing forces of yin (negative energy) and yang (positive
energy). Disease is proposed to result from the flow of qi being disrupted and
yin and yang becoming imbalanced. Among the components of TCM are herbal and
nutritional therapy, restorative physical exercises, meditation,
acupuncture, and remedial massage.
Chiropractic: The word "chiropractic" combines
the Greek words cheir (hand) and praxis
(action) and means "done by hand." Chiropractic is an
alternative medical system and takes a different approach
from conventional medicine in diagnosing, classifying, and
treating medical problems. Chiropractic is most often used
to treat musculoskeletal conditions--problems with the
muscles, joints, bones, and connective tissue such as
cartilage, ligaments, and tendons.
Chréstos: (Gr.) The early gnostic term for Christ. This technical term was used in the fifth century bc by Aeschylus, Herodotus and others. The Manteumata pythocresta, or the "Oracles delivered by a Pythian God" through a pythoness, are mentioned by the former (Cho. 901), and Pythocréstos is derived from chrao. Chrésterion is not only "the test of an oracle," but an offering to, or for, the oracle. Chréstes is one who explains oracles, a "prophet and soothsayer," and Chrésterios, one who serves an oracle or a God. The earliest Christian writer, Justin Martyr, in his first Apology, calls his coreligionists Chréstians. "It is only through ignorance that men call themselves Christians, instead of Chréstians," says Lactantius The terms Christ and Christians, spelt originally Chrést and Chréstians, were borrowed from the Temple vocabulary of the Pagans. Chréstos meant, in that vocabulary, "a disciple on probation," a candidate for hierophantship; who, when he had attained it, through Initiation, long trials and suffering, and had been anointed (i.e., "rubbed with oil," as Initiates and even Idols of the Gods were, as the last touch of ritualistic observance), was changed into Christos-the "purified" in esoteric or mystery language. In mystic symbology, indeed, Christes or Christos meant that the "way," the Path, was already trodden and the goal reached; when the fruits of the arduous labor, uniting the personality of evanescent clay with the indestructible Individuality, transformed it thereby into the immortal Ego. "At the end of the way stands the Christes," the Purifier; and the union once accomplished, the Chréstos, the "man of sorrow" became Christos himself. Paul, the Initiate, knew this, and meant this precisely, when he is made to say in bad translation, "I travail in birth again until Christ be formed in you," the true rendering of which is, "… until you form the Christos within yourselves." But the profane, who knew only that Chréstos was in some way connected with priest and prophet, and knew nothing about the hidden meaning of Christos, insisted, as did Lactantius and Justin Martyr, on being called Chréstians instead of Christians. Every good individual, therefore, may find Christ in his "inner man," as Paul expresses it, whether he be Jew, Muslim, Hindu, or Christian.
Christ, Jesus: kkkk
Christianity: gggggg
Christian Science: [See Church of Christ,
Scientist]
Chupacabra: kkkkk
Church of Scientology: [See Scientology]
Clairaudience ("Clear
Hearing") The ability to hear sounds
inaudible to the normal ear, such as "spirit" voices; a faculty analogous to
clairvoyance, (q.v.) but considerably less frequently met with. If
clairaudience be ascribed to auditory, as clairvoyance to visual,
hallucination, its comparative rareness is accounted for, since visual
hallucination is the more common of the two. At the same time there are a goodly
number of instances of the clairaudient faculty on record, some of them of a
very picturesque nature. (See Spirit Music). Perhaps the best
known case is that of Joan of Arc, but she was not the only martyr who heard the
voices of saints and angels urging them to the performance of some special task.
In spiritualistic circles of faculty is frequently claimed by mediums, but
distinction must be made between the "inner voice," in which the latter are
supposed to receive communications from the denizens of the other world, and as
externalised voice comparable to an actual physical sound. Frequently some such
physical sounds from the basis of an auditory hallucination, just as the points
of light in a crystal are said to form points de repère round which the
hallucination of the visualiser may shape itself.
Clairvoyance (i.e.
"Clear Vision") A term denoting the supposed
supernormal faculty of seeing persons and events which are distant in time or
place, and of which no knowledge can reach the seer through the normal
sense-channels. Clairvoyance may be roughly divided into three classes -
retrocognition and premonition, or the perception of past and future events
respectively, and the perception of contemporary events happening at a distance,
or outside the range of the normal vision. Clairvoyance may include
psychometry, second sight, and crystal-gazing, all of which see. For the early
history of clairvoyance, see Divination. In
prophecy, we have a form of clairvoyance extending back into antiquity,
and second-sight also is an ancient form. It is notable that spiritualism in
Great Britain was directly heralded, about the third decade of the nineteenth
century, by an outbreak of clairvoyance. Among the clairvoyants of that
period may be mentioned Alexis Didier (q.v.), whose phenomena suggested that
telepathy at least entered into his feats, which included the reading of letters
enclosed in sealed packets, the playing of écarté with bandaged eyes, and
others of a like nature. Clairvoyance remains to the present day a
prominent feature of the spiritualistic seánce. Though there exists a quantity
of evidence, collected by the members of the Society for Psychical Research and
other scientific investigators, which would seem to support the theory of a
supernormal vision, yet at the same time it must be acknowledged that many cases
of clairvoyance lend themselves to a more mundane explanation. For
instance, it has been shown that it is almost, if not quite, impossible so to
bandage the eyes of the medium that he cannot make some use of his normal
vision. The possibility of hyperæsthesia during trance must also be taken into
account, nor must we overlook the hypothetical factor of telepathy, which may
conceivably play a part in clairvoyant performances. A private enquiry agency
might also be suggested as a possible source of some of the knowledge displayed
by the professional clairvoyant. The crystal is, as has been indicated, a
favourite mode of exercising the clairvoyant faculty, presumably because the
hypnotic state is favourable to the development of the supernormal vision,
though it might also be suggested that the condition thus induced favoured the
rising into the upper consciousness of knowledge sub-consciously gleaned. The
term clairvoyance is also used to cover the power to see discarnate
spirits, and is thus applied to mediumship generally.
Cledonism, or in full,
Cledonismantia:
is the good or evil pressage of certain words uttered without premeditation
when persons come together in any way. It also regulated the words to be used on
particular occasions. Cicero says the Pythagoreans were very attentive to these
pressages; and according to Pausanius, it was a favorite method of divination at
Smyrna, where the oracles of Apollo were this interpreted.
Cleromancy: was practiced by throwing black and white beans, little bones or dice, and
perhaps stones: anything, in short, suitable for lots. A method of practicing
cleromancy in the streets of Egypt is mentioned under the head of Sortilege, and
the same thing was common in Rome. The Thriaen lots, named before, meant
indifferently the same thing as cleromancy: it was nothing than dicing, only
that the objects used bore particular marks or characters, and were consecrated
to Mercury, who was regarded as the patron of this method of divination. For
this reason an olive leaf, caled "the lot of Mercury," was generally put in the
urn in order to propitiate his favor.
Clidomancy: should be exercised when the sun or moon is in Virgo, the name should be
written upon a key, the key should be tied to a Bible, and both should be hung
upon the nail of the ring-finger of a virgin, who must thrice softly repeat
certain words. According as the key and book turns or is stationary, the name is
to be considered right or wrong. Some ancients added the seven Psalms with
litanies and sacred prayers, and then more fearful effects were produced upon
him, or he lost an eye. Another method of practicing with the Bible and key, is
to place the street door key on the fiftieth-psalm, close the volume and fasten
it tightly with the garter of a female; it is then suspended to a nail and will
turn when the name of the thier is mentioned. By a third method, two persons
suspend the Bible between them; holding the rig of the key by their two
forefingers.
Cloven Foot: There is an old belief, butressed by countless tales of apparitions, that the
Devil always appears with a cloven foot, as a sort of distinguishing mark. It
has been suggested that the Evil One, having fallen lower than any man, is not
permitted to take the perfect human form, but must have some sort of deformity,
i.e., the cloven foot.
Cock: The cock has always been
connected with magical practice in the various parts of the world throughout the
ages, and is to be considered in more than one light in this connection. He is
the herald of the dawn, and many examples might be cited of assemblies of demons
and sorcerers where his shrill cry, announcing dayspring, has put the infernal
Sabbath to rout. It is said that for the purpose of averting such a contingency,
sorcerers were wont to smear the head and breast of the cock with olive
oil, or else to place around his neck a collar of vine-branches. In many cases
the future was divined through the instrumentality of this bird. (See Alectryomancy). It was also believed that in the stomach of the cock
was found a stone, called Lappilus Alectorius, from the Greek name of the
bird, the virtue which was to give strength and courage, and which is said to
have inspired the gigantic might of Milo of Crotona.
Originally a native of India, the
cock arrived in Europe in early times, via Persia, where we find him
alluded to in the Zoroastrian books as the beadle of Sraosa, the sun, and
affrighter of demons. Among the Arabs, it is said that he crows when he becomes
aware of the presence of jinns. The Jews received their conception of the
cock as a scarer of evil spirits from the Persians, as did the Armenians,
who say that he greets with his clarion call the guardian angels, who descend to
earth with the day, and that he gives the key-note to the angelic choirs of
heaven to commence their daily round of song. In India, too, and among the Pagan
Slavs, he was supposed to scare away demons from dwelling places, and was often
the first living creature introduced into a newly-built house. The Jews,
however, believe that it is possible for the cock to become the victim of
demons, and they say that if he upsets a dish he should be killed. The cock
is often used directly in magical practice. Thus, in Scotland, he is buried
under the patients' bed in cases of epilepsy. The Germans believed that if a
sorcerer throws a black cock into the air, thunder and lightning will
follow, and among the Chams of Cambodia, a woman who wishes to become a
sorceress sacrifices a live cock on a termite's nest, cutting the bird in
two from the head to the tail, and placing it on an altar, in front of which she
dances and signs, until the two halves of the bird come together again, and it
comes to life and crows. His name was often pronounced by the Greeks as a cure
for the diseases of animals, and it was said by the Romans that locked doors
could be opened with his tail feathers. The bird was often pictures on amulets
in early times, and figured as the symbol of Abraxas, the principal deity of a
Gnostic sect.
The cock is often regarded
as the guide of souls to the underworld, and in this respect was associated by
the Greeks with Persephone and Hermes, and the Slavs of pagan times often
sacrificed cocks to the dead, and to the household serpents in which they
believed their ancestors to be reincarnated. Conversely, the cock was
sometimes pictured as having an infernal connection, especially if his colour be
black. Indeed he is often employed in black magic, perhaps the earliest instance
of this being in the Atharia Veda. A black cock is offered up to
propitiate the Devil in Hungary, and a black hen was used for the same purpose
in Germany. The Greek syrens, the Shedim of the Talmud, and the Izpuzteque, whom
the dead Aztec encounters on the road to Mictlan, the Place of the Dead, all
have cock's feet. There is a widespread folk-belief that once in seven
years the cock lays a little egg. In Germany it is necessary to
throw this over the roof, or tempests will wreck the homestead, but should the
egg be hatched, it will produce a cockatrice or basilisk. In Lithuania they put
the cock's egg in a pot, and place it in the oven. From this egg is
hatched a Kauks, a bird with a tail like that of a golden pheasant, which, if
properly tended, will bring its owner great good luck. Gross mentions in a
chronicle of Bâle, in Schwitzerland, that in the month of August, 1474, a
cock of that town was accused and convicted of laying an egg, and was
condemned to death. He was publicly burned along with his egg, at a place called
Kablenberg, in sight of a great multitude of people.
The cock was also regarded
as having a connection with light and with the sun, probably because of the
redness of his comb, and the fiery sheen of this plumage, or perhaps because he
heralds of the day. It is the cock who daily wakens the heroes in the
Scandinavians Asgard. (See Alectromancy.)
Cock Lane Ghost: The supposed cause of a
mysterious outbreak of rappings, apparitions, and similar
manifestations which broke out at a house in Cock Lane,
Smithfield, London, in 1762. The disturbance was of the
usual character of poltergeist hauntings, but for some
reason or other it attracted wide-spread attention in
London. Crowds flocked to the haunted spot, and claimed to
have witnessed the manifestations. The ghost purported to
be the spirit of a former resident in the Cock Lane house,
a Mrs. Kent, and stated that she had been murdered by her
husband, The tenant of the house at the time of the
disturbance was a man named Parsons, and it was more than
surmised that he had invented the ghost for the purpose of
blackmailing the deceased's woman's husband. The
disturbance was finally traced to Parson's daughter, a
girl of eleven, and
Parsons himself was prosecuted and pilloried. (See Andrew
Lang's Cock Lane and Common Sense, (1894).
Coffin Nails: In Devonshire it is said that a ring
made from three nails or screws that have been used to
fasten a coffin, and dug up in a churchyard, will act as a
charm against convulsions and fits of every kind.
Colburn, Nettie: (d. 1892) kkkkk
Cold Spots: ffffff\
Coleridge, Samuel Taylor: English author and
mystic (1772-1834). Samuel Tayior Coleridge, one of the
greatest of English poets and critics, was born in the
year 1772 at Ottery St. Mary, Devonshire, his father being
John Coleridge, a clergyman and schoolmaster, who enjoyed
considerable reputation as a theological scholar, and was
author of a Latin grammar. Samuel's childhood was mostly
spent at the native village, and from the first his
parents observed that his was no ordinary temperament, for
he showed a marked aversion to games, he even eschewed the
company of other children, and instead gave his time
chiefly to promiscuous reading. "'At six years of age," he
writes in one of his letters to his friend, Thomas Poole,
" I remember to have read Belisariits, Robinson Crusoe,
and Philip Quarll, and then I found the Arabian Nights
Entertainments," while in this same letter he tells how
the boys around him despised him for his eccentricity, the
result being that he soon became a confirmed dreamer,
finding in the kingdom of his mind a welcome haven of
refuge from the scorn thus levelled at him.
By the time he was nine years old, Coleridge had shown a
marked predilection for mysticism, in consequence whereof
his father decided to make him a clergyman; and in 1782
the boy left home to go to Christ's Hospital, London...
[Read the full article]
Colloidal Silver: Colloidal silver
products consist of tiny silver particles suspended in
liquid. They are usually marketed as dietary supplements.
Claims made about the effectiveness of colloidal silver
products for numerous diseases are unsupported
scientifically.
Over-the-counter colloidal silver products are not
considered safe by the U.S. Food and Drug
Administration (FDA). The FDA has taken action against a number of
colloidal silver companies (such as Web sites) for
making drug-like claims about their products.
Colloidal silver can cause serious side effects: one
is argyria, a bluish-gray discoloration of the face
and body. Argyria is not treatable or reversible.Other
side effects from using colloidal silver products may
include neurologic problems (such as seizures), kidney
damage, stomach distress, headaches, fatigue, and skin
irritation. Colloidal silver may interfere with the body's
absorption of the following drugs: penacillamine,
quinolones, tetracyclines, and thyroxine.
Community of Sensation: The term applied by the
early mesmerists to a phenomenon of the hypnotic trance,
wherein the somnambule seemed to share the sensations of
the operator. Thus an hypnotic subject, insensible to pain
and utterly indifferent to any stimulus applied to his own
organism, would immediately respond to such stimuli
applied to the hypnotist. If the latter had his nose
tweaked or his hair pulled, the entranced subject, though
in a separate apartment, would rub the corresponding part
of his own person, with every sign of pain and
indignation. The most common sensations shared in this
wise were those of tasting and smelling, but apparent
community of sight and even hearing were not unknown. In
the days of Reichenbach such experiences were largely
attributed to fraud, but they have since been proved to be
genuine trance phenomena, probably arising from
unconscious suggestion and hyperaesthesia, or, in the few
cases where that hypothesis will not cover the ground,
telepathic communication between operator and subject.
Community of sensation is not, however, confined to the
trance condition. Many instances of community of sensation
arising spontaneously in the cases of persons in rapport
with one another are to be found in the Journal and
Proceedings of the Society for Psychical Research.
Configuration:
(a) Three or more planets in a birth map, that are joined together by aspects,
whereby. any stimulation will result in the combined action of all the planets
which enter into the configuration. (b) A similar combination of mutual aspects
between transitory planets.
Conjunction: Conjoined to:
Phraseology to indicate the mutual relation of two planets occupying
longitudinal positions separated by less than 7°. The exact limits, and the
relative strength at different degrees of separation, constitutes a
controversial point. Strictly speaking, the conjunction takes place when both
occupy exactly the same degree position; although it begins to be operative when
they arrive within orbs. v. Aspect.
Conscious Creation:
the phrase
“conscious creation” has been used for decades, possibly
longer. Applying the term to the Seth Material can be
traced to Lynda Dahl, who published three books in the
1990s that used “conscious creation” to mean “you create
your own reality.” The latter phrase was coined by Jane
Roberts in The Nature of Personal Reality (1974).
It went on to become a New Age mantra most recently
uttered by Amit Goswami in the New Age hit What the
F%#? Do We Know? (2004). So it’s popular in the Seth
community to use the phrase “conscious creation,” and
sometimes YCYOR (you create your own reality) to represent
the core ideas in the Seth material.
However,
this concept has been around for millennia. It’s traceable
back to the New Thought movement founded by Phineas Quimby
in mid-19th century America. Moreover, it extends all the
way back in some form to the Idealist philosophers, from
Plato to Plotinus and Nagarjuna, onwards to Fichte,
Schelling, Schopenhauer, Hegel, Berdyaev, and others. Seen
in this light, Jane Roberts’s The Physical Universe as
Idea Construction (1963) is actually a variation of
Western idealism. Thus, the Seth material is a form of
idealism found in twenty-three Seth-dictated books
(1970-2004). As such, the phrase “conscious creation”
doesn’t accurately define what makes the Seth material
unique from or related to other bodies of work.
Control:
the operator on the other side in
charge of seance proceedings. This operator may also be called a "guide," and
generally the term implies enduring attendance by a distinct and continuous
personality to use the entranced medium's body, to deliver direct or relayed
messages to sitters. See CONTROL.
Conversations With God: jjjj
Cook, Florence: kk
Cooke, Grace: hhhhh
Cordovero: A famous Kabbalist of the sixteenth century.
Corpse Candles: Mysterious lights supposed to presage death. They are also called
fetch-lights and dead man's candles.
Coscinomancy: is practiced with a sieve, and a pair of tongs or shears, which are supported
upon the thumb nails of two persons, who look one upon the other, or the nails
of the middle finger may be used. Potter, in his Greek Antiquities, says: "It
was generally used to discover thieves, or others suspected of any crime, in
this manner: they tied a thread to the sieve by which it was upheld, or else
placed a pair of shears, which they held up by two fingers, then prayed to the
gods to direct and assist them; after that they repeated the names of the
persons under suspicion, and he, at whose name the sieve whirled round or moved,
was thought guilty." In the Athenian Oracle it is called: "the trick of the
sieve and scissors, the coskiomancy of the ancients, as old as Theocritus."
It was used to discover love secrets as well as unknown persons.
Counter charms: Charms employed to counteract the
effect of other charms. When magicians wish to disenchant animals they sprinkle
salt in a porringer with some blood from one of the bewitched creatures, and
repeat certain formulæ for nine days.
Counterparts –
simultaneous “reincarnational
selves” that share or overlap within the same periods of
history. For instance, we can have four or more lifetimes
that share this PRESENT/present, and simultaneously four
more that may have been born decades before our birth but
died in our PAST/present or are still alive, and four more
who will be born during our PRESENT/present but continue
after we die in a FUTURE/present. This thesis, as Robert
Butts called it, further expands how Seth defines
reincarnation more as simultaneous multiple incarnations.
Seth also hints that there can be temporary counterpart
relationships between people that do not share the same
entity.
Creative Visualization: kkkkkk
Critomancy: Divination by means of observing viands and cakes. The paste of cakes which
are offered in sacrifice, is closely examined, and from the flour which is
spread upon them, omens are drawn.
Crookes, William: lllllll
Crop Circles: kkkkkk
Cross, and Crucifixion: (Lat. crux, crucis1): The meaning
ordinarily attached to the word cross is that of a figure composed of
two or more lines which intersect, or touch each other transversely.
Thus, two pieces of wood, or other material, so placed in juxtaposition
to one another, are understood to form a cross. It should be noted,
however, that Lipsius and other writers speak of the single upright
stake to which criminals were bound as a cross, and to such a stake the
name of crux simplex has been applied. The usual conception, however, of
a cross is that of a compound figure. Punishment by crucifixion was
widely employed in ancient times. It is known to have been used by
nations such as those of Assyria, Egypt, Persia, by the Greeks,
Carthaginians, Macedonians, and from very early times by the Romans. It
has been thought, too, that crucifixion was also used by the Jews
themselves, and that there is an allusion to it (Deut. xxi. 22, 23) as a
punishment to be inflicted.
Two methods were followed in the infliction of the punishment of
crucifixion. In both of these the criminal was first of all usually
stripped naked, and bound to an upright stake, where he was so cruelly
scourged with an implement, formed of strips of leather having pieces of
iron, or some other hard material, at their ends, that not merely was
the flesh often stripped from the bones, but even the entrails partly
protruded, and the anatomy of the body was disclosed. In this pitiable
state he was reclothed, and, if able to do so, was made to drag the
stake to the place of execution, where he was either fastened to it, or
impaled upon it, and left to die.
[Read the
full article]
Cross Correspondence: kkkkkkkk
Crow: It was once believed that the cawing of a crow was an
omen of evil.
Crowley, Aleister: llllll
Cryptozoology: the search for animals that are rumored to exist, but
for which conclusive proof is missing.
Crystal Gazing (Crystallomancy): A mode of divination practised
from very early times with the aid of a crystal globe, a pool of water, a
mirror, or indeed any transparent object. Divinations by means of water, ink,
and such substances are also known by the name of hydromancy (q.v.). Crystal
gazing may be a very simple or a very elaborate performance, according to
the period in which it was practised, but in every case the object is to induce
in the clairvoyant a form of hypnosis, so that he may see visions in the
crystal. The "crystal" most in favour among modern crystal gazers is a spherical
or oval globe, about four inches in diameter, and preferably a genuine crystal;
but as a crystal of this size and shape is necessarily expensive, a sphere of
glass is frequently substituted, and with very good results. It must, however,
be a perfect sphere of oval, free from speck or flaw, highly polished, and
contained in a stand of polished ebony, ivory or boxwood. Among the Hindus, a
cup of treacle or a pool of ink is made to serve the same purpose. Precious
stones were much used by crystallomancers in the past, the favourite stone being
the beryl in pale sea green or reddish tints. By the ancients crystallomancy
was practised with a view to the invocation of spirits, and very elaborate
preparations and ceremonials were considered necessary. He who would practise
invocations in this wise must, in the first instance, be a man of pure life and
religious disposition. For the few days immediately preceding the inspection of
the crystal, as well as the stand on which it rests, must be inscribed with
sacred characters, as must also the floor of the room in which the invocation is
to take place. A quiet, retired spot is suggested for the purpose, where the
magician may be free from all disturbance. Besides these matters of solitude and
cleanliness, there is the question of the mental attitude to be considered, and
this is no less important than the material preparations. A perfect faith is an
essential condition of success. If the magician would be accompanied by one or
two of his friends, they also must conform to the same rules and be guided by
the same principles. The time of the invocation is chosen according to the
position in the heavens of the various planets, all preparations having been
made during the increase of the moon. All the instruments and accessories used
in the performance - the sword, rod and compasses, the fire and the perfume to
be burned thereon, as well as the crystal itself - are consecrated or "charged"
prior to the actual ceremony.
During the process of invocation,
the magician faces the east and summons from the crystal the spirit he desires.
Magic circles have previously been inscribed on the floor, and it is desirable
that the crystallomancer remain within these for some little time after the
spirit has been dismissed. It was essential that no part of the ceremonial be
omitted, otherwise the invocation would be a failure. Paracelsus, however, and
other declared that all such elaborate ceremonies were unnecessary, and that the
magnes microcosmi, the magnetic principle in man, was in itself
sufficient to achieve the desired object. At a later period, though the
ceremonial was not abolished, it became decidedly less imposing. If the person
on whose behalf the divination was to be performed was not himself gifted with
the clairvoyant faculty, he sought for a suitable medium, the best for the
purpose being a young boy or girl, born in wedlock, and perfectly pure and
innocent. Prayers and magical words were pronounced prior to the ceremony, and
incense and perfumes were pronounced prior to the ceremony, and incense and
perfumes were burned. Sometimes the child's forehead was anointed, and he
himself provided with garments suitable to the impressive nature of the
ceremony. Some writers mention a formula of prayers, known as the Call, which
preceded the inspection of the crystal. Finally, the latter having been charged,
it was handed over to the medium. The first indication of the clairvoyant vision
was the appearance of a mist or cloud in the crystal. This gradually cleared
away, and the vision made its appearance.
Modern Crystal Gazing is
carried on in much the same manner, though the preparations are simper. The
crystal is spherical and of the of an orange; when in use it may be held between
the agent's finger and thumb, or, if the end be slightly flattened, placed on a
table; alternatively it may be held in the palm of the hand against a background
of black cloth. The operation may be more readily carried out in a subdued
light. A medium or clairvoyant person acts as the seer and if the divination be
made for anyone else it is advisable that he be allowed to hold the crystal in
his hand for a few minutes before it is passed into the hands of the
clairvoyant. The object of crystal gazing is, as has been said, the induction of
an hypnotic state giving rise to visionary hallucinations, the reflection of
light in the crystal forming points de repère for such hallucinations.
The value of elaborate ceremonials and impressive rituals thus lies in their
potency to affect the mind and imagination of the seer. So far, the mystery of
crystal vision is no mystery at all. But the remarkable frequency with
which, according to reliable witnesses, visions seen in the crystal have tallied
with events happening elsewhere at the same moment, or even with future events,
is a fact for which science has not yet found an adequate explanation. It has
been suggested that if telepathy operates with greater freedom during the
hypnotic state, so it may also be with self-induced hypnosis of crystal gazing.
And this, though it cannot be said to cover the entire ground, is perhaps, on
the whole, the best explanation yet offered. There are many well-attested cases
wherein the crystal has been successfully used for the purpose of tracing
criminals, or recovering lots or stolen property. The telepathic theory,
however, will hardly apply to these instances wherein events have been witnessed
in the crystal before their actual occurrence. Such mysteries as these
must be left to the art of the psychical researcher to unravel.
[See
Divination]
Crystals: kkkkkkkkk
Cults: kkkkkk
Curse: kjjjj
Cursed Bread: Used for purposes of divination, or ordeal by flour or bread. A piece of
bread, about an ounce in weight, over which a spell had been cast, was
administered to the suspected person. Should it cause sickness or choking the
man was said to be guilty, but if he remained well he was regarded as innocent.
Barley bread was often used for this form of divination, being more likely to
cause choking. This method of trial was practiced amongst the Anglo-Saxons.
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