New Age Dictionary  E

Ea: (Akkadian, "the Living One")

 The Babylonian creator god, identified with the Sumerian Enki, god of subterranean waters, magic, and manual skills.  

Earth Changes:

New Age term for the cataclysmic events predicted by Edgar Cayce and others to happen as the earth moves from the Piscean Age into the Aquarian Age.  (see Edgar Cayce,)

Earth Logos:

A great spiritual being who is the ensouling life of planet earth. The earth is considered a physical manifestation (or body) of this spiritual intelligence.

Earth Magick:

A practical form of magick which involves drawing energy from Mother Earth (or Gaia) and the element or elementals of Earth for rituals.  

Earthmother:  

1) Feminine goddess, partner in a divine pair with father sky. 2) The earth as a manifestion of consciousness and as an object of ritual and adoration. 3) Eve, Isis, ect.

Easter: (derived from Egyptian Ast - Isis)

1)The central feast of Christianity celebrating the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the tomb on the third day after his crucifixion. Until the sixth century, both Western and Eastern churches celebrated a night vigil before Easter Sunday at which converts were received in the church by baptism.   2) The ancient celebration of Spring and the Goddess, celebrated with eggs, rabbits, new clothes,  flowers, etc.,  

Eckankar:  

Religious system introduced by Paul Twitchell, said to be based on  the ancient science of soul travel or ability to raise one's consciousness to higher planes of awareness to realize the divine consciousness of one's soul

Eckhart, John "Meister": (1260-1327)

 German Christian mystic. A Dominican, Eckhart was a powerful preacher and mystical author, in both Latin and German, who was suspected of heresy toward the end of his life. Although many of his writings have been lost, his thought is constantly being rediscovered by diverse groups of Christian thinkers. Although he found new vocabulary for describing the traditional stages of the soul's ascent to God, he was unusual in that he both affirmed a close identity with God (third stage) and suggested a fourth stage beyond God to an experience of the Godhead. Influential on a contemporary group of Rhineland mystics, Eckhart has been considered a source of nearly every subsequent Christian movement from Protestant Pietism to religious existentialism.  

Ecological Responsibility: 

The belief in the importance of uniting to preserve the health of the earth, which is often looked upon as Gaia, (Mother Earth) a living entity. Some Christians see (Genesis 1:28) as God giving man stewardship over the Earth.

Ectoplasm:

A white filmy substance pouring from a medium's bodily openings.  Some believe it denotes the presence of a disembodied spirit.   Others that it is an extention of the etheric body.  

Eddy, Mary Baker: (1821-1910)  

American founder of Christian Science. She is best known for her work Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures (1875).(See Christian Science)

Eden: (From Hebrew- Adam)

In Bible myth, a garden planted by God and containing the tree of knowledge of good and evil and the tree of life. Adam and Eve, first man and first woman, lived in Eden until their disobedience and expulsion  See Adam and Eve.  

Egg, Cosmic:   

A cosmogonic motif in which all things are contained in potential form within a single primordial egg.. 

Egyptian Alphabet and Grammar:

A amll book compiled by the Mormon Prophet Joseph Smith while he was :"translating" The Book of Abraham

Egyptian Book of the Dead:

A collection of over two hundred prayers, spells, and illustrations from the second millennium BC believed to ensure a joyous afterlife for the souls of the dead. Knowledge or possession of these spells facilitated a verdict of innocence of earthly sins in postmortem judgment and provided protection against divine punishment.  

Egyptology:

The study of all aspects of ancient Egypt such as its culture, language, architecture and history.  

Elder:

A common translation of the Greek word in the New Testament (presbyteros) used to refer to a person ordained for teaching or governance in a Christian church. 2) The proper title given to holders of the Melchizedek Priesthood. The title is used for members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, the First Quorum of the Seventy and for full time missionaries.

Elect, Election:

According to Christian doctrine, the elect are those called by God to salvation. This election occurs before the foundation of the world.  This view of election is especially held by Calvinists who also hold to the doctrine of predestination.  

Elemental:

 1) The spirit consciousness that ensouls a plant or location.   2)A spirit formed of one of the elements. The four elementals are salamanders (fire), sylphs (air), undines (water), and gnomes (earth). See fairies

Elements:  

 In ritual, the four elements in nature - earth, water, fire, and air,.  Some say there is the element of spirit  which encompasses all of the other elements and is not visible.   In alchemy, the four natures which are used to characterize matter, again, earth, water, fire and air.  In New Age science, the four states of matter, earth (solid), water(liquid), air(gas) and fire(plasma).  

Eleusinian Mysteries:

A Greek initiatory cult honoring Demeter and Persephone celebrated in the town of Eleusis from prehistoric times through the fifth century.  

Elixir:  

A magically charged liquid which has to have a crystal or gem sitting in it for a specific amount of time before it is ready to drink.

Elohim: (Hebrew, pl. form, "godesses" or "mother/father god") 

 In the Hebrew Bible, divine name translated as "God" in English.

El Shaddai: (Hebrew - God of many breasts))

One of the many names of God in the Old Testament.  Translated God Almighty in the King James Version.  

Empath:

A person who can psychically tune in to the emotional experience of a person, place or animal.  

Empowerment:

The state or condition of having received power, energy, force, and strength in any fields - spiritual, physical, mental or  magickal.

Enchantment:

A method of spellcasting which involves, generally, spoken words of power. An enchantment can be put on something to gain control or authority over it. Enchanted objects generally "carry" the magick put upon them with them, so it does not cease to work but is continually having its effect.  

 Energy Healing/Balancing:

 Healing technique which involves working in the body's energy field to promote mental, emotional, physical, or spiritual healing.  

Enlightenment:  

 A higher state of consciousness in which the person seems to transcend his or her ego, and becomes aware  of  his/her divinity, and that he/she is one with God

Enneagram:

The Enneagram symbol is a nine-pointed star. The nine lines comprise a perfect triangle and a twisted hexagon contained within a circle.  It forms the basis for an exploration of human evolution, including the evolution of consciousness and self-development. The actual ancient origin of the symbol is unknown. References to an Enneagram-like figure exist in many spiritual traditions. Recently, many have come to believe that it was known to the Sufis. 

Enoch:  

A figure in the Bible, taken up to heaven while still alive (Genesis 5:18-24). In later tradition, many books containing heavenly journeys and secret teachings are attributed to him.  The word Phoenix may be Greco-Egyptian for "after the order of Enoch"  Even the word Sphinx may be Greco-Egyptian for "That which is (s) after the order of Enoch (phnx)." 

Epicureans:  

 Followers of the Greek philosopher Epicurus (341-270 BC). The Epicurean school in Athens consisted of a number of people living together in accordance with the master's teachings. Most of our knowledge of these teachings comes from Diogenes Laertius's Lives of the Philosophers and Lucretius's On Nature.   Epicurean physics derived from the atomism of Democritus: there exists nothing but atoms moving in void, and their rearrangement accounts for all change. Our cosmos is one of many such temporary arrangements of atoms, brought into being by purely natural forces. Our souls are also perishable collections of atoms, perceiving the world by means of the atoms emanating from the surfaces of objects. Perfect, imperishable, blessed gods exist, but, contrary to popular opinion, their perfection entails that they cannot have any projects or concerns and so do not intervene in our world. It is good for human beings to respect and admire these beings but not to expect rewards or punishments from them.   Epicureanism was concerned, above all, with ethics, with providing a practical guide to living a happy life. Notoriously, Epicureans saw this as a matter of fulfilling the natural human desire for pleasure. But contrary to the ancient prejudices against them, they did not advocate a life of reckless, sensual pleasure seeking. Rather, they recommended only those pleasures caused by the satisfaction of natural, necessary desires (e.g., for food) and not those that are unnecessary or involve pain (e.g., desire for delicious but unhealthy food). The ideally happy life was one of bodily health and "freedom from anxiety."

 Erasmus, Desiderius:

 Dutch humanist who anticipated the Reformation in many aspects of his thought, but remained a staunch Catholic and Augustinian priest. Erasmus is best known as a brilliant satirist and controversialist against aspects of Catholic devotion (e.g., the cult of the saints, monasticism), as a student and editor of both classical and patristic authors, and as the editor of the first printed edition of the Greek New Testament (1516).

 Erhard, Warner:  See est.

Esalen Institute:

An eclectic New Age educational center near Big Sur, California, begun in 1962 by Michael Murphy and Richard Price. Part of the Human Potential movement, the institute has offered consultation, communal retreats, and a wide range of instruction in Asian practices of meditation and contemplation, emphasizing the divergent paths to spiritual enlightenment.  

Esbat:

A Wiccan gathering for ritual work, generally during the full or new moon.

Eschatology:  

 General term for teachings concerning the "last things," the end of the world and processes of salvation.   In Christianity, eschatology includes teachings concerning death, judgment, heaven, hell, and the coming of Christ (Gk. parousia). The term itself was first used in the nineteenth century with the rise of critical biblical studies. One significant early finding was that both Jesus and the apostle Paul seemed convinced that God would terminate history soon. Studies of Jesus' use of "the reign of God" and of Paul's treatment of the return of Christ brought a reevaluation of the relations between the end of history and the new era that Jesus had ushered in.   For current Christian theology, eschatology raises important issues about history. If Christian faith says that the crucial victory occurred in Christ's death, resurrection, and sending of the Holy Spirit, what value should believers place on temporal matters? The mainstream of theologians seems to have reached a consensus that both the New Testament and subsequent faith seek a balance between "now" and "not yet." The substance of salvation (God's forgiveness and eternal life) is available now, in virtue of Christ. But the full expression of salvation can only occur beyond history, where God is all in all, and so does not yet exist.The study of the teachings in the Bible concerning the end times, or of the period of time dealing with the return of Christ and the events that follow. Eschatological subjects include the Resurrection, the Rapture, the Tribulation, the Millennium, the Binding of Satan, the Three witnesses, the Final Judgment, Armageddon, and The New Heavens and the New Earth.  In one form or another most of the books of the Bible deal with end times subjects. But some that are more prominently eschatological are Daniel, Ezekiel, Isaiah, Joel, Zechariah, Matthew, Mark, Luke, 2 Thessalonians, and of course Revelation. 

Esoteric:  

Hidden or deeper knowledge or teachings that are possessed or understood only by a few.  

Esoteric Christianity:

A mystical form of Christianity that sees its "core truth" as identical to the "core truth" of every other religion (i.e., man is divine). This form of Christianity is at home with Aldous Huxley's "perennial philosophy."   

Esoteric Movements:

Religious and philosophical groups centered on knowledge or experience accessible only to those who have received a special initiation or attained a special level of spiritual awareness. Esoteric refers to what is "inner," restricted to persons or groups who are in some way on the "inside" of a secret or process.   Esotericists believe they are custodians of an important truth about reality that is unknown to most people either because it has been lost or concealed or because by its nature it is unknowable without special training or induction into its mysteries. In this context, initiation or induction implies a set of experiences designed not only to convey knowledge but also to induce an intuitive awareness of unfamiliar dimensions of reality.  Because of the cognitive and initiatory emphases, esoteric movements are likely to employ study more than devotion, the lecture more than the devotional sermon, and tightly controlled initiatory scenarios more than devotional practice. Precision of information and technical skill in the use of esoteric knowledge are significant, for these features conform the objective nature and practical importance of its insights.  Esoteric movements in the West have flourished at least from the pre-Christian Gnostics on down to the present. Rosicrucian groups. More recent ones are the Order of the Golden Dawn. 

 Esoteric Wisdom:

Esoteric wisdom characteristically concerns little-known laws of nature, extraordinary psychic and spiritual abilities latent in human beings, and superhuman hierarchies of gods, spirits, and masters. (See Ancient Wisdom)

ESP:

Acronym for Extra-Sensory Perception.  It encompasses most paranormal abilities such as telepathy, precognition, and clairvoyance.  

 ESP Cards:  

 A pack of twenty-five cards bearing five symbols, including stars, squares, circles, crosses, and waves. Zenner cars.

 Essenes:

An early Jewish sect (second century BC-AD first century) known for their communism, apparent celibacy, and concern for purity. It is commonly believed that they were the authors of the Dead Sea Scrolls, but \tTheir identification with Qumran is controversial.  

Essential Oil:  

A natural oil which is extracted from plants or flowers through a very complex process that generally yields very little product, making it costly.   Absolute is at least 10% pure plant juice.  .

EST:  

Erhard Seminar Training. Created by Warner Erhard, it is a personal transformation seminar promising individual growth, business management skills, stress reduction, etc. After much legal difficulties, Est was discontinued and replaced by The Forum. 

Eternal:  

A divine attribute; without beginning or end, unaffected by time, outside time. One  of the names of God, i.e. The Eternal. 

Eternal life:

  1) To be immortal, 2) To live with God (Eternal being one of God;s names)  

Etheric Body:

A term sometimes used to refer to the Astral Body, but which actually refers to that vehicle or body whose density lies between that of the astral and physical bodies.  

Eucharist: 

The principal act of worship of the Christian religion, otherwise known as the Divine Liturgy, Holy Communion, Lord's Supper, or Mass. This name has been used from at least the second century, and comes from the thanksgiving prayer that constitutes a principal element in the rite.   Christian myths tells the story of the last supper eaten by Jesus with his disciples on the night before he died, when he performed a Jewish grace-ritual before the meal (taking bread into his hands, saying a short blessing of God for it, breaking the bread, and sharing it with those present) and the customary festal thanksgiving prayer over a shared cup of wine at the end of the meal . The myth relates that these actions signified his imminent death, interpreting the bread as his body "given for you" and the wine as his blood, and as having instructed his disciples to perform them in future in remembrance of him. The eucharistic observances of the earliest Christians were more than a memorial meal: in some traditions believers claimed to experience the living presence of the resurrected Christ in these communal gatherings.  Historically, the rite of Mass (Mazd) was adopted by the Catholic Church from the religion of Sol Invictus in which is was a reinactment of a sacramental meal performed by Mithras.

  Eunuch:

A castrated male. Voluntary castration is associated either with ascetic vows, resulting in permanent celibacy, or with some forms of priesthood. 

Eusebius: (ca. 260-340)  

The most important early Christian church historian.  He was trained in the school in Caesaria established by Origen.  He became bishop of Caesaria in 311.  He arrived at the Council of Nicaea in 325 a convicted  Arian heretic, but left it as the official historian an biographer of the Emperor Constantine (Life of Constantine). He is known as the "father of Church history" (Ecclesiastical History)  His writings are not reliable, being merely propaganda for Constantine and his Roman Church. 

 Eutychianism:

This is a Christian doctrine similar to Monophycitism. It states that Jesus' divine and human natures were so thoroughly combined -- in a sense scrambled together -- that the result was that Jesus was not really truly able to relate to us as humans.  Therefore, he would be unable to act as mediator and unable to truly atone for our sins. (See Hypostatic Union,  and also Nestorianism and Monophycitism.) 

Evangelical Christianity:  

A widespread trans-denominational shift towards more conservative Christian doctrine that developed after World War II, usually associated with televangelism. An evangel is a missionary, a proselytizer.  The term can be used to describe all churches that hold to or give heavy emphasis to conservative Protestant beliefs. (In Germany, �Evangelical� is basically synonymous with �Lutheran.�) These include: the infallibility of the Bible, the sinful and fallen state of humanity, and salvation through faith in Jesus. See Fundamental Christianity. 

Evil::

Primarily a Judeo-Christian concept which says that sin is doing that which is contrary to the will of God. This doctrine treats evil as if it were an actual substance or being.  It states that there is natural evil (floods, storms, famines, etc.) and moral evil (adultery, murder, idolatry, etc.). Christians teach that natural evil is a result of moral evil - i.e. Adam's sin.  When Adam sinned,  sin entered into the world allowing floods, storms, famines, etc. According to Christians evil originated with Satan and is carried on by man . (See Theodicy.)

 Evil Eye: 

 The belief in several traditional cultures that certain persons or spirits could cause harm to others simply by looking intently at them. It is often related to envy.   

Evocation: 

The act of ritually calling forth spirits or  elementals.

 Evolution:

The teaching that life developed its complexity through the process of genetic change and natural selection.  First propounded by Charles Darwin in the early 1800's,  the theory has undergone anumber of modifications since its inception   The Bible does not speak against evolution but instead indicates that God created all things through the process .  

Exaltation: (fr.Latin- "raised  up)

In the teaching of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the highest form of salvation. It means to become a God and to produce and rule over one�s offspring throughout eternity 

Excommunication:

 A religious sanction that removes an individual from the ritual and social community of the church when that member has transgressed some law or regulation of the church.  In some churches,  upon repentance, the person is welcomed back into fellowship within the church.  Because Judaism has no central authority, excommunication, forced isolation from the Jewish community to punish improper behavior or belief, is usually decreed by a local rabbinical court and applies primarily within that community. There is no formal court procedure or presentation of evidence for excommunication, and any rabbinical court can lift a decree.   Under the ordinary form of excommunication, called nidduy (Heb.), the excommunicant behaves like a mourner (except for the ritual tearing of clothes), lives only with family, is shunned by others, and is not counted for the quorum required for worship. The excommunicant's coffin is stoned at burial. Nidduy is announced by the head of the court.   A more severe form, called herem ("devoted thing," something forbidden for common use) requires, in addition, that the excommunicant study alone and make a living only from a small shop. The procedure for decreeing a herem entails a proclamation in the synagogue either before the open ark or with Torah scroll in hand, the sounding of the shofar (ram's horn), the congregational extinguishing of candles, and the recitation of biblical curses against and warnings about associating with the excommunicant.   In medieval times, the excommunicant was treated as a non-Jew. That status often was extended to the excommunicant's spouse and children, who might also be ostracized.   Talmudic and medieval rabbinic literature lists various reasons for excommunication. Among other causes, a person could be ostracized for causing the public profanation of God's name, ignoring prescribed religious behavior or hindering the public performance of it, incorrect business practices, breaking a vow, improper sexual conduct, violating the Torah on the basis of spurious analogies, insulting a scholar, or decreeing excommunication without sufficient reason.   Over time, particularly in Orthodox communities, excommunication was applied so routinely and automatically to any unacceptable behavior that it lost its punitive and coercive effect.   Excommunication in the Christian tradition is an action taken by church authorities by which a person is cut off from participation in the worship life of a congregation because of some serious fault or breach of church discipline. Most commonly, the individual is barred from the sacraments. In certain communities such persons are also socially ostracized in a practice called "shunning.". 

Exegesis:

 General term for the interpretation of scriptural texts.

Existentialism:

A complex movement in twentieth-century continental philosophy and literature, which flourished in Europe after World War I and in the United States after World War II. Religious existentialism is usually thought to begin in the nineteenth century with Soren Kierkegaard ("leap of faith"), and antireligious existentialism with Friedrich Nietzsche ("death of God"). All existentialist authors presuppose the priority of existence over essence and emphasize the distinctive humanness of the person, arguing that human nature has no essence but only a history. They select as most characteristic of the human condition such categories as anguish, contradiction, nothingness, and absurdity. Typical existentialist themes include the anxiety of decision, the radical nature of freedom, the tragic sense of life, the objectifying tendency of thought, the human invention of values forged in freedom, the difficulty of achieving authentic existence, and the importance of subjectivity and individuality as a protest against the claims of universal reason and conformity to the crowd. 

Exit Counseling:  

A less coercive program of deprogramming designed to "save"  members of spiritual groups that are considered false, harmful, or dangerous.  The program usually involves a two to three day voluntary counseling session emphasizing education and dialogue, often with a licensed mental health professional, a former member of the group, and/or a specialist on cult dynamics. The approach stresses true personal and religious freedom in the context of providing additional information and full disclosure, which facilitates more informed decision-making. Family counseling and intervention techniques may also be incorporated. 

Exorcism:  

 The act of ritual expulsion of demons or evil spirits  or negative forces from an individual or place .  In the New Testament, exorcisms are a central part of the public ministry of Jesus. Christianity has utilized exorcisms in a variety of ways: as an integral part of baptismal liturgies in which prayers and rites are used to symbolize the person's departure from sin and entrance into the body of Christians; as blessings to separate material things from profane use in order to dedicate them to divine use (e.g., the exorcism of water used in baptism); and as a rite to free persons from demonic possession. In the Roman Catholic Church this rite can only be done with episcopal authorization. Fundamentalist and Pentecostal churches attempt to drive out the demonic with sessions of prayer, the laying on of hands, and the reading of scripture.   In some forms of early Christianity there was a separate clerical office for the exorcist.

Expiation:

Primarily in Christian doctrine. The cancellation of sin. Expiation and propitiation are similar but expiation does not carry the implication of dealing with wrath, of appeasing it through a sacrifice. Generally speaking, propitiation cancels sin and deals with God's wrath. Expiation is simply the cancellation of sin.Christians say the crucifixion of  Jesus was propitiation  

 Extrasensory Perception (ESP):

Knowledge of an experience or a response to an external event apart from the five senses. This experience can take place either in a wakeful or dream state. It encompasses most paranormal abilities such as telepathy, precognition, and clairvoyance.