(M.J.E. Spirit / Glossary / A - B)

Spirit Dialogues

Explorations of Spirit
by Michael Edwards

Front page: Foreword - Site Map
Introduction
Glossary
A - B (this page)
C - G
H - L
M - Z
First dialogue -->

Glossary

(Still under construction - some entries are still partly or entirely unwritten)

Go quickly to alphabetic sections with the following links (letters in bold, larger type are on a different page from this; smaller letters are further down on this page):

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

Links to all entries in the Glossary follow now, with the entries for the four pages grouped separately. Entries for pages other than the present one are in bold type, and entries for this page are in normal (large) type.
Notes on the perspective from which I wrote the Glossary can be found on the front page for the Glossary.

A - B

akashic - angel - The Apostle Paul - archangel - Archangel Michael - Ascended Masters - Ascension - Ashtar, Ashtar Command - astral plane - Atlantis - aura - Bivalia

C - G

channelling - Christ - clairaudient - clairsentient - clairvoyant - deva - dimensions (3rd, 4th, 5th, etc.) - El Morya - fairy - God - Ground Ascension

H - L

Higher Self / higher self - Hilarion - Hilarion, Lady - I AM / I AM Presence - Jehovah's Witnesses - Jesus - karma - Koot Hoomi - Kuthumi - Lady Hilarion - light / the Light - light-body

M - Z

Masters - Maya - mental body - merkabah - Michael, Archangel - nature spirit - New Age - Paul - Paul the Apostle - reincarnation - St. Paul - Sananda - soul - starseed - St. Germain - Theosophy

A akashic
This term normally crops up in references to the akashic records. The theory behind this is that the universe is permeated by a subtle substance which is infinitely malleable, and on which all events or even thoughts that take place on any level of existence leave indelible impressions, in something like the same way that people or vehicles might leave marks on sand (although obviously not indelibly in that case).
Reportedly these impressions can be read by persons who are sensitive to these higher levels of existence (that is, who are clairvoyant, clairaudient, or clairsentient), and events and facts interpreted from these impressions. Thus, according to this theory, no memory or event or fact or knowledge is ever truly lost from the universe - something I at least find comforting, although gaining access to these akashic records is entirely a different matter.
There are various techniques of meditation and altered consciousness by which one is supposed to be able to gain the ability to read the akashic records, although they are usually acknowledged to be extremely difficult to master. Also, it is commonly believed that access to the akashic records is not granted to anyone until they are spiritually developed enough to use that knowledge properly. This might seem appropriate, because it is clear upon a moment's thought that access to knowledge of anything that has ever occurred would give an individual tremendous power, which could be used for incalculable evil, just as it could be used for great good.
The form "akasha" may be occasionally encountered, although I have only ever heard it once, in the Master Sananda's account of my own past-life history, so I cannot be totally sure of its proper usage. I imagine it is simply the noun form of "akashic", and that its proper usage would be derived in the usual ways for noun forms of adjectives.
Therefore, according to the context, I imagine that the "akasha" is one of the following:
the akashic records themselves;
the information in the akashic records in general;
the information in the akashic records pertaining to a particular person or event;
perhaps even the subtle substance in which the records are imprinted.
While I cannot be totally sure which of these meanings is implied by the form "akasha", Sananda's use of the term in the above-mentioned past-life history, taken in context, seems reasonably clear: basically that he consulted the akashic records to obtain my past-life history which he was relating to me.

angel
[... description to appear later.]

The Apostle Paul
See Paul the Apostle.

archangel
[... description to appear later.]

Archangel Michael
See Michael, Archangel.

Ascended Masters
See Masters.

Ascension
[... description to appear later.]

Ashtar, Ashtar Command
In certain areas of the New-Age movement, there is an interest in extraterrestrial beings who are supposed to exist on other planets. Some of them are supposed to be representing the dark forces, and are supposed to be trying to corrupt affairs on earth: for instance, you sometimes hear people talk about the "Greys", rather sinister aliens who are supposed to be trying to destroy humanity, and who are sometimes linked with the supposed "Illuminati", or other similar human conspiracies to totally enslave and dominate humanity by means of economic and political control, and even, at a more particular level, technological control (by means of brainwashing, implants in one's body, and so on).
But other extraterrestrials are supposed to far more highly evolved than humanity, and it is believed these beings are assisting the evolution of earth (and sometimes also supposed to be actively working against the Greys, the Illuminati, and their ilk). Sometimes it is claimed that these benevolent, highly-evolved extraterrestrials are watching over the earth, with their spaceships some way off; they are clever enough, and their technology advanced enough, to ensure their ships are not detected unless they want to be seen. Also, they are sometimes supposed to be higher-dimensional beings whose bodies and technology would be physically invisible anyway, even without being explicitly hidden; thus the concepts of the alien being from other planets and the being from the realm of spirit become blurred to some extent.
One of the alien beings some people believe in is one known as Ashtar, who is sometimes supposed to come from a Venusian civilization. (In the way I just mentioned how alien and spirit beings can be confused to some extent, Ashtar sometimes appears to be depicted as an alien, and sometimes as a being in the spirit realm; sometimes he even seems to be both at the same time, which I suppose is not inconceivable.) Ashtar is sometimes portrayed as being in charge of a vast extraterrestrial/spiritual organization known as the Ashtar Command. (The name may be a bit misleading, using a slightly military image, with the title "Commander" being used for high officers of the organization; but, as far as I can make out from what I've heard and read, the Ashtar Command does not seem in the least militaristic, and seems to uphold spiritual values I would support myself, such as unconditional love, freedom, personal autonomy, and the like.)
As well as the Masters, Ashtar sometimes channels messages in New-Age channelling sessions, and seems to be intimately linked with the Ascension movement. When I attended a channelling workshop in October, 1993 (which is what got me into the New-Age/channelling arena, and led to my writing many of the dialogues), I heard Ashtar channel, and learned of the Ashtar Command. I didn't know whether to believe in this or not, and I still don't, but Ashtar seemed to intrigue me somehow (perhaps appealing to my interest in science fiction), and he became a part of my spiritual landscape.
As a result of this, he is mentioned occasionally in the dialogues, hence my need to explain a bit about him here.
If you want to find out more about Ashtar and the Ashtar Command, there is no shortage of information on the Internet. Just enter "Ashtar" or "Ashtar Command" in a search engine, and you will likely get tens of thousands of references. Or see the following web sites for more information:

SpiritWeb: various documents - use the search facility and enter "ashtar" or "ashtar command";
http://www.ashtar.org, http://ashtar.org -
no site there yet, but the U.R.L. is reserved, which suggests that there may be content later on - there used to be a web site at http://ashtar.org, which is now gone;
Commander Soltec's Ashtar Command Communications World Site;
Ashtar Command web site - claims to be the official Ashtar Command web site.

[... description not yet complete.]

astral plane
Various metaphysical views of life, including Theosophy and the New-Age and Ascension movements that have influenced my recent spiritual outlook, view the universe as existing on a hierarchy of levels of existence of varying degrees of refinement or rapidity of vibration, of which the physical plane that science tells us about is merely the lowest. Anything on any level is invisible to a being on a lower level, unless that being is clairvoyant; but the various planes are often viewed as interpenetrating each other in the same space, each more or less uninfluenced by the others because they vibrate at different rates (in much the same way that sound or radio waves can intermingle, yet remain pure, because of their differing frequencies). Yet on a metaphysical level the planes are regarded as being interconnected and having influence on each other in ways that are not normally visible. This is alluded to in the old saying sometimes heard in mystical circles, "As above, so below", which is saying that there are definite correspondences between the various levels of existence, and that what happens on one level influences what happens on the others.
According to this view, it is believed that a human being, and indeed any creature, or even any object whatsoever, exists on all levels simultaneously; one has not only a physical body, but also an etheric body, an astral body, a mental one, and so on. They all interpenetrate each other in the same place, but don't interfere with each other for the most part because of their vibrating at different frequencies, although it would certainly be conceded that these various bodies can influence each other in various ways.
The astral plane is usually regarded as the plane immediately above the physical plane, and it is the level of the after-life, where we go after dying. The physical body dies and the entity leaves the physical plane, but the astral and higher bodies continue to exist. (Some regard the etheric plane as a separate level in its own right, above the physical but below the astral, yet the etheric often seems to be regarded by others as the finer (upper) level of the physical, and not regarded as a plane in its own right. Rather it is seen as embodying the vital energy that powers the physical world.)
The astral plane is usually regarded as the plane of emotion and of desire, and in the astral anything you think becomes immediately so, purely as a result of the thought energy you put into it. The recent film What Dreams May Come, based loosely on Richard Matheson's 1978 novel of the same name, shows this most graphically, and I recommend that anyone who is interested in anything relating to the astral plane or the after-life both read the novel and see the movie. The book is based on extensive psychic research into out-of-body and near-death experiences, and the sources are listed in the back. The books explains the metaphysics of it better than the film, and seems to me quite a good exposition of the basic teachings in this area that are widely accepted.

Atlantis
Supposed continent in the Atlantic Ocean which sank several millennia ago. It was supposed to have reached a high level of technological and spiritual development, but then became corrupted by power, which created karma which led to its sinking and destruction. (Some sources say it sank three times, rising and developing again after the first two sinkings.)
The origin of the idea of Atlantis seems a little obscure to me (not having researched it), but apparently Plato wrote about it, and various books have been written about it more recently, some of this material claiming to be channelled from the spirit realm. However, I am not aware of any hard scientific evidence that Atlantis ever existed, and no scientists that I am aware of give the idea any credence at all.
I am not sure whether I believe in it or not. While there seems to be no evidence, I am also aware that one's spiritual life need not be confined to matters for which hard scientific evidence exists.
The concept is of some importance to me because I was told in a channelled message from Sananda in October, 1993 that I had lived in Atlantis and worked with the Master Hilarion in Atlantis, and indeed escaped with him when Atlantis sank for the third and final time.

aura
A person's astral body, visible to a clairvoyant as a halo surrounding the person. It is usually accepted that any living being has an aura, and maybe even any object has one, although of a less developed kind. (Some regard everything as alive, or regard the distinction between "alive" and "inanimate" as irrelevant or non-existent, the quality we call "life" merely being differences in degree.)
One's astral body interpenetrates one's physical body, but also extends out beyond its bounds. It is usually considered to extend out a foot or two, and it is thus visible to a clairvoyant as a multi-coloured halo around the person. Various colours are considered to signify various emotions or states of mind, and thus, if a clairvoyant studies a person's aura, he or she can determine much about the person's emotions or states of mind, and even appear to read the person's mind to some degree.

B Bivalia
My own Higher-Self name, according to Lady Hilarion.
I used it in all dialogues from 1994 to 1998 to represent the part spoken by my Higher Self. However, I have recently stopped using it, beginning in December, 2000: I never felt deeply inside that it was my real Higher Self name, although I seemed content to use it as a convenient label in the dialogues until I thought of something better to use; but more recently my feeling that it was not my Higher-Self name grew stronger, and reached the point that I decided to stop using it, and substituted it simply with "Higher Self", clumsy though that may be, especially to address my Higher Self in the vocative case. (See the 9 December, 2000 dialogue for a discussion of the reasons for this.) However, until I arrive at some other name that seems right, I cannot think of anything better to use.

Front page: Foreword - Site Map
Introduction
Glossary
A - B (this page)
C - G
H - L
M - Z
First dialogue -->

This page created on Wednesday, 25 July, 2001, as part of a reorganization of the formerly one-page Glossary.