New Age Dictionary M

Mabon:

Pagan holiday or Wiccan sabbat celebrated in early autumn.

Macrobiotics: (Literally, the Great Life)

A healthful way to live according to the natural order of the universe. The application of this order to daily life is through a diet which affects the whole person and which is based primarily on whole grains, vegetables, beans and sea vegetables, with moderate amounts of fish, seeds and nuts.

Macrocosm:

The greater world or universe.

Madanam:

The Hindu  god of love, akin to the Roman Cupid

Mage:

A master magician; often a mage is a scholarly and skilled practitioner who prefers that the only tools of their magick be their mind, ability, and spirit.  A priest of Zoroastrianism

Magick:

Real or ritual magic, as opposed to fake or stage magic. Willful use of psychic skills to activate subtle forces to obey; use of ceremony, ritual, incantations, natural and human-made objects of correct vibrational frequency for desired outcome.

Magic Circle:

Ring drawn by occultists to protect them from the spirits and demons they call up by incantations and rituals.

Magnetic Therapy:

Mahadeva:

The great god,  Shiva

Maharishi Mahesh Yogi:

Founder of Transcendental Meditation.

Mahasamadhi:

The conscious leaving of the body at death and total merging with the Divine.

Mahatma: (Sanskrit)

A great man.

Mahavira:

Founder of  Jainism.

Maithuna:(Sanskrit)

Sacramental intercourse

Maitreya

The name has its roots in a legendary Buddha figure. Some New Age advocates believe that the "second coming of Christ" occurred in 1977 when the  Maitreya began teaching in London.

Mala: 

A string of beads used as an aid for mantra repetition. Also, such a string of beads  worn as a token of one's guru. Some believe that  a mala can also protect the one who wears it.

Malcolm X: 

See Nation of Islam.

Mandala:

(Sanskrit - circle) A design of lines, forms and colors, usually circular, used in meditation to focus attention to a single point.

Mandi:

A mathematical point in Vedic astrology that arises every day a certain number of hours after sunset. Used in electional astrology or Muhurtha

Mandir: (Sanskrit)

A temple or spiritual center.

Mandukasana:(Sanskrit)

The yoga frog posture

Manipura:(Sanskrit)

The chakra near or at the navel

Mantra:

A spell, a word or phrase that is to be chanted repetitively in an effort to attain mental peace, empty the mind and raise one's consciousness toward the Self or God; often called "names of God."   Mantra is a sound or set of sounds which are believed to have the unique power to restore us to a state of pristine harmony. Mantra Yoga is traditionally regarded as a complete and perfect yoga path. 

Manu:

In Hindu tradition, the father of the human race

Marriage:

An ancient practice of taking a life's companion or long term sexual/social partner.

Marut: 

One of the 49 Hindu demons of the wind.

Masonry: 

See Freemasonry.

Mass Incarnation:

An incarnation of the Christ in all of humanity. Advocates say that this incarnation is presently taking place on a planetary scale, and is not unlike the incarnation of the Cosmic Christ in the body of Jesus 2000 years ago.

Matsyasana: (Sanskrit)

The yoga fish posture

Maya: 

1)Unreality, illusion, prakriti  2)The Hindu principle that all is an illusion and that ultimately the physical world, contacted through the conscious mind and the five senses, does not represent reality. This philosophy is also taught by A Course in Miracles.

Mayurasana:(Sanskrit) 

The yoga peacock posture

Mediator:

One who intervenes, someone who conveys and conciliates. The word is used in Christian theology.  It  is not found in the O.T., but it occurs a few times in the N.T. God gave the Law to the people through a mediator, Moses.  Jesus is the mediator of a better covenant in the  N.T.

Medicine Wheel

Native American sacred circle representing the Universe and the balance of all creation. It is cast to contain, project and raise energy to transform, balance and heal.

Meditation:

A technique of mind control that leads to inner feelings of calm and peacefulness and may result in experiences of transcendental awareness and self-realization. The two main types of meditation are: (1) the focusing type, similar to self-hypnosis, in which the meditator focuses on a repetitive sound or chant, an image, or pattern of breathing; (2) the "opening-up" type which emphasizes the detached observation of mental events as they occur.

Medium:

A psychic or sensitive living person whose body is used as a vehicle for communicating with spirits, as in a seance. Also called channels, or channelers.

Memories, Recovered: (see Memories, Repressed)

Memories, Repressed:   

A repressed memory is the memory of a traumatic event unconsciously retained in the mind, where it is said to adversely affect conscious thought, desire, and action. It is common to consciously repress unpleasant experiences. Many psychologists believe that unconscious repression of traumatic experiences such as sexual abuse or rape is a defense mechanism which backfires. The unpleasant experience is forgotten but not forgiven. It lurks beneath consciousness and allegedly causes a myriad of psychological and physical problems from bulimia to insomnia to suicide. The theory of unconsciously repressing the memory of traumatic experiences is controversial. There is little scientific evidence to support either the notion that traumatic experiences are typically unconsciously repressed or that unconscious memories of traumatic events are significant causal factors in physical or mental illness. Most people do not forget traumatic experiences unless they are rendered unconscious at the time of the experience. No one has identified a single case where a specific traumatic experience in childhood was repressed and the repressed memory of the event, rather than the event itself, caused a specific psychiatric or physical disorder in adulthood. Often the memory that is recovered is false or greatly altered by the influences of the psychiatrist or hypnotist. Most psychologists accept as fact that it is quite common to consciously repress unpleasant experiences, even sexual abuse, and to spontaneously remember such events long afterward. Most of the controversy centers around recovered memories during repressed memory therapy (RMT). Critics of RMT maintain that many therapists are not helping patients recover repressed memories, but are suggesting and planting false memories of alien abductions of alien abduction, sexual abuse, and  satanic rituals. 

Menhir: 

�Long Stone.� See Stonehenge.

Meridians: 

See Chi, Yin and Yang, Acupuncture.

Merkabah: (also Merkabah)

Developed from Jewish mysticism: 1)the divine light vehicle used by the Masters to connect with and reach those in tune with the higher realms. The Mer-Ka-Ba is the vehicle of Light mentioned in the Bible by Ezekiel. 2) the soul / body surrounded by counter-rotating fields of Light, (wheels within wheels), spirals of energy as in DNA, which transports soul / body from one dimension to another.

Mesmer, Franz:

Founder of Mesmerism.

Mesmerism:

 An 18th century movement begun in France by the Austrian doctor Franz Anton Mesmer, who believed that astrological influence on humans was conveyed through a force or substance similar to magnetism.  He first began treating patients with magnets or charged fluids but quickly modified his position, theorizing that cures were actually coming from an energy or mysterious �magnetic fluid� coming from the hands, voice, or nervous system of the practitioner.  This invisible substance or magnetism was thought to be similar to electro-magnetism and was dubbed �Animal Magnetism.�  Mesmer�s pupils were later able to induce a �magnetic sleep� (trance state or hypnotic condition) in their patients. The term Mesmerism eventually became analogous with hypnosis .

Messiah

(Hebrew - anointed, as a prince - an heir apparent) 1) according to Jewish tradition, a prince who would occupy the throne of David and lead the Jewish nation to become a world power  Early Christian theologians quickly noted the similarity in meaning between Messiah  and Christ and reached the conclusion that  Jesus, being a Messiah, must also have been a Christ.

Metaphysics: (Meta, after or beyond; physics, physical)

Originally, the study or philosophy dealing with cause - i.e. non-physical, spiritual, or non-material realities.. Currently,  it usually means the practice of  magick, psychic, or the occult.

Middle Path or Middle Way:

The descriptive term that Buddha used to describe the character of the path that led to liberation. He used it in first teaching in Deer Park.  Buddha describes the middle way as a path of moderation between the extremes of sensual indulgence and self-mortification. This, he said, was the path of wisdom. 

Millennium:     

Literally, this word means 1000 years. In the study of end times doctrines (eschatology) the millennium is the duration of Christ's rule over the earth. The debate has been over when the millennium would take place and what it actually is. The terms that have arisen out of this debate are premillennialism, amillennialism, and postmillennialism. Premillennialism teaches that the millennium is yet future and that upon Jesus' return he will set up the divine Kingdom of David again. Amillennialism teaches that the millennium is a figurative period and that Jesus' rule began when he first became man. Postmillennialism teaches that through the preaching of the Word of God, the world will be converted and will then usher in Christ and the kingdom of God. There are good arguments for each position.

Miller, William:

Baptist lay minister from Low Hampton, New York who was excommunicated for teachings that Christ would return in 1844. Although Miller repented after his prediction failed and opposed further speculations, his teachings gave rise to Adventism.

Mind Control:

Specific methods of brain-washing that can be employed by political or  spiritual leaders that may result in a diminished capacity for critical thinking and suppression of autonomy in their followers.  These methods are believed to involve an intense social influence conditioning program which may include a closed system of authoritarian control, manipulative, group dynamics, a system of punishment and rewards, induced dissociation or trance induction, information control, fraud, coercion, and double binds. Depending on the number and intensity of undue influence elements, and a person's own unique susceptibilities, one may experience a pseudo personality change and marked debilitation, compliance, and servitude. 

Mind Power Technique:

The process through which one can develop increased mental powers, i.e. to read  minds, see auras  and perceive the future.

Mind Sciences:

 A generic, general classification of religious groups that teach that human beings are inherently divine and that mind or thoughts are energy forms that can create and/or alter reality. Most often used in reference to the American religions formed since the middle of the 19th century, especially the New Thought Movement that denies the actuality of sin, sickness, and/or death and promotes health though mental practices.

Modalism:

 Originally, a second and third century heresy that teaches there is only one Person in the Godhead. While the Trinity doctrine teaches three distinct Persons, modalism maintains that one Person (usually the Father) has manifested Himself at different times under different names (Jesus/Spirit) or modes. Thus, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost are three names for the same Person. Originally taught in various forms by Noetus, Praxeas and Sabellius.

Mohammed:

Founder of the world religion of Islam.

Moksha:

Liberation, emancipation of the soul from rebirth, same as resurection in NT.

Moral Relativism:

See: Ethical Relativism

Mother Ruth:

 See Science of Man.

Monarchianism: 

View found primarily in the third century that argued that because God�s nature is one He cannot exist eternally in three Persons as the Trinitarians claimed. The two most popular forms of monarchianism were dynamic monarchianism and modalism.

Monergism:     

The Christian teaching that God alone is the one who saves. It is opposed to synergism which teaches that God and man work together in salvation.

Monism:

The metaphysical view that sees all that exists is derived from a single divine source. . Everything in the universe is seen as being made of the same etheric substance. 

Monolatry:   

The belief that there is more than one God, but only one is served and worshiped. Monolatry is a division of polytheism, 

Monophycitism:     

A Christian teaching about the two natures of Jesus (See Hypostatic Union). It states that Jesus' two natures are combined into one new one. (Other ideas regarding the two natures of Christ are Nestorianism and Eutychianism.)

Monotheism:    

 The belief that there is only one God in all places at all times.  Islam is monotheistic.

Moon, Sun Myung:

Founder of the Unification Church.

Moonies: 

Nickname for followers of Rev. Sun Myung Moon�s Unification Church. Considered a derogatory term by members.

Morality

Ethics or a conduct of behavior based on an inner conviction.(see Morality)

Mormon: 

Common name for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Mormon Fundamentalism: 

A loose collection of doctrines and practices maintained by splinter groups of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS). These splinter groups attempt to adhere to the tenets of earlier LDS leaders such as Joseph Smith and Brigham Young. Expressions of Mormon fundamentalism may include polygamy (discontinued by the LDS Church in the 1890s), communal living, and the doctrine of blood atonement.

Moses: (c. 1572 -1452 BC)

Legendary founder of the Jewish religion and author of the first five books of the Bible (The Torah) (Thothmoses II - prince and high-priest of Egypt) Moses "simply means 'born of' in Egyptian, his native language.. The name normally requires another name prefixed to it, such as  Rameses (born of Ra) or Amenmosis (born of Amen) It seems very likely to us that either Moses himself or some later scribe dropped the name of an Egyptian god from the front of his name." 

Moses de Leon:: 

See Kabbalah.: 

Mudra:(Sanskrit)

1)A seal, 2) yoga postures especially with hands and face

Muhammad:

See Mohammed.

Muhammad, Elijah: 

See Nation of Islam.

Muktahasta-shirshasana: (Sanskrit) 

In yoga, the freehand headstand posture

Mulabandhasana: (Sanskrit)

The ankle-twist posture in yoga. 

Mulatrikona: 

A root trine in Vedic astrology. Especially favorable sign positions for planets. Almost as good as an exaltation

Muscle Testing:

See Applied Kinesiology.

Muslim:

Follower of the religion of Islam.

Myofacscial Release

A gentle hands-on physical therapy in which the therapist applies a small amount of pressure and an extremely mild form of stretching to the client's body. This releases the restrictive grip of the tight fascia, or connective tissue, thereby relieving the body's soft tissue of pain.

Mystery School:

A group of magicians and/or mystics who have gathered together to share their wisdom and secrets with each other and with new seekers. (Mystery Schools)

Mysticism

A word originally derived from the Greek and having a wide range of meaning in modern  religion and philosophy. A mystic may be said to be someone who has intuitions or intimations of the existence of inner and superior worlds, and who attempts to achieve conscious communion with them and the beings inhabiting these inner and invisible worlds.

From the theosophical or occult point of view,  a mystic is one who has inner convictions often based on inner vision and knowledge of the existence of spiritual and ethereal worlds of which our outer physical world is but a manifestation; and who has some inner knowledge that these worlds or planes or spheres, with their hosts of inhabitants, are intimately connected with the origin, destiny, and even present nature of the world which surrounds us.

The average mystic, however, is one who lacks the direct guidance derived from personal teaching received from a master or spiritual superior.

Mythology:

Age old stories of humanity's concepts about the universe, including their relationships to their deities.  They differ from legends in that they convey a deeper truth.

N

Nabhipedasana: (Sanskrit)

 The upward ankle-twist posture in yoga

Nada: (Sanskrit)

The Universal Sound. Vibration

Nadabrahma: (Sanskrit)

The perfect, blissful tone. 

Nadi: (Sanskrit)

A channel within the astral body

Nadishodhana: (Sanskrit)

The purification of the nadis

Naga: (Sanskrit)

Ancient hooded serpent, associated with Kundalini and the chakras.

Nahash: (Hebrew - serpent)

In Hebrew this word is associated with magic and enchantment.  It is related to and pronounced almost the same as the Sanskrit word naga. Most authorities agree that, as it is used in the first of Genesis, this word cannot mean simply a snake. It is the ego which indeed winds about the heart of a man and envelops it in its coils, having nothing to do with a serpent except as a metaphor.  In various usages one may read it as ego or as kundalini or as something not quite one nor the other.

Nakshatra: 

In Vedic astrology,  a division of the Zodiac into 27 parts. There were originally 28 parts but one seems to have been dropped. Each Division is ruled by a planet and is further divided into Padas or quarters. The nakshatra contains 9 navaa.nshas and forms the base position for lunar Dasha systems

Namaste: (Sanskrit)  can be translated as obeisance to you.

Among many Hindus, the greeting of choice. The two hands pressed together and held near the heart with the head gently bowed as one says, "Namaste". The hands held in union signify the oneness of an apparently dual cosmos, the bringing together of spirit and matter, or the self meeting the Self.

Nataraja: 

Lord of the dancers, a name of Shiva

Natarajasana: (Sanskrit)

The Lord of the Dance posture  in yoga

Nation of Islam: 

A sect of Islam originating in America composed of black Americans. Followers, sometimes called Black Muslims, believe that Allah (God) appeared in 1930 to the last great prophet Elijah Muhammad, in the person of Wallace D. Fard. Elijah Muhammad borrowed many beliefs from traditional Islam but introduced important differences. Most notable was the focus on black oppression and equating Satan and evil with the white race. Malcolm X became a notable leader of the movement in the 1960s and the focus on black supremacy and militancy escalated. Malcolm X later converted to traditional Islam and rejected radical black supremacy and was subsequently murdered. The current leader of the Nation is Islam is Louis Farrakhan. 

National Spiritualist Association of Churches: 

A national spiritualist organization headquartered at Cassadaga, FL:

Native American Spirituality: 

 The religious beliefs, practices, and rituals associated with Native Americans.  Early Native American beliefs, though diverse, often shared common religious ideas.  Many believed in a �Great Spirit,� that nature in all of its forms possesses spirits, and that all life is interconnected.  Seasons and moons often were viewed as marking times of evocation for spirits and prosperity. Some New Age believers promote revival of Native American spirituality, seeing obvious parallels with their own views.

Natural Law Party:

A political party started by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, the father of Transcendental Meditation (TM). 

Nature Spirits:

Various types of beings that are said to be the "soul" of natural forms.  Belief in the existence of nature spirits is common to all cultures throughout history. They are usually attached to a specific place, such as a tree, river, plant or mountain. They come in a variety of shapes and temperaments. Some are described as human in form, others are like animals or are half-human, half animal; some are helpful, others deceitful or malevolent. They are normally invisible to humans, except to those with the gift of clairvoyance. Elementals are a sub-class of nature spirits that are a part of the life force of all things in nature. They are ruled by archangels and are generally regarded as benevolent. The Neoplatonic Greeks categorized elementals according to the four elements: Earth elementals are gnomes; air elementals are sylphs; Water elementals are undines; and Fire elementals are salamanders. In the Middle Ages interest in these main groups was revived and alchemists and magicians sought to control and manipulate the forces of nature and the universe. Other elementals include elves, who live in the woods, and household spirits such as brownies, goblins and bogies. Fairies are also sometimes included in this category.

Naturopathy:

A healing system acknowledging the body's natural healing power. Fosters health through education and the use of natural substances such as herbs, foods, air and sunshine

Navasana: (Sanskrit)

The boat posture in yoga

Neanderthal:

A species of Palaeolithic man inhabiting Europe during the Mousterian period. It was named for the Neander Valley in Germany, near D�sseldorf,  where in 1856 one of the earliest skulls was found. They occupied parts of Europe and the Middle East from 100,000 years ago until about 35,000 to 40,000 years ago, when they disappeared from the fossil record. The most significant feature of Neanderthal anatomy, as with all others hominids, is the skull. Specimens vary, but typical features include a wide, vaulted cranium, heavy 'beetle brow' ridges above the eyes, a big jaw, and large teeth.  Neanderthals may have looked faintly apelike, but their brain capacity was as large as, and in some cases larger than, that of modern human beings. As a whole, Neanderthals seem to have been tough and stocky individuals.Many believe that the Neanderthal is the ancenter of Sasquatch.

Near-death experience (NDE):

Any paranormal or supernatural experience had when a person is near death, including experiences when a person thinks he or she has died and returned from death. Reports of NDEs have become numerous in recent decades due to advances in medical technology that make it possible to revive people from comas and other critical conditions. Many patients report having out-of-body experiences (OBEs) while they were unconscious or comatose.

Necromancy:(from Greek words meaning �dead' and 'divination'), 

A form of divination by communication with the dead, one of the "black arts". The classic case of necromancy is the witch of Endor, described in the Bible (1 Samuel 28), who summoned the spirit of Samuel in the presence of Saul.  Necromancy  can be divided into two main branches: divination by means of ghosts, and divination from corpses, both of which represent related forms of forbidden knowledge. The second method led to the disinterment of corpses and rifling of graves for the grisly charms which magicians and witches considered necessary for the effective performance of the magical arts.  To evoke the dead the magician needed to obtain the help of powerful spirits, both for his own protection and to compel the corpse or ghost to submit to his will. A spell from ancient Greece calls upon the powers of the mighty Kore, Persephone, Ereshkigal, Adonis, Hermes and Thoth, to bind the dead. According to a ritual described by Seneca, the Roman dramatist, the summoning of the dead involved not only a burnt sacrifice but a blood-drenched altar. 

Necronomicon: {Latin - literally: :Book of Dead Names"')

The Necronomicon of Alhazred is not, as popularly believed, a grimoire, or sorcerer's spell-book; it was conceived as a history, and hence "a book of things now dead and gone", but the author had a tendency to garner and stitch together fact, rumor, speculation, and complete balderdash, and the result is a vast and almost unreadable compendium of near-nonsense. In times past the book has been referred to guardedly as Al Azif, or The Book of the Mad Arab. It was written in Damascus in 730 AD by Abdul Alhazred, in seven volumes, and runs to over 900 pages in the Latin edition. The book is best known for its antediluvian speculations. Alhazred appears to have had access to many sources now lost, and events which are only hinted at in the Book of Genesis or the apocryphal Book of Enoch, or disguised as mythology in other sources, are explored in great detail.  His speculations are remarkably modern, and this may account for his current popularity: he believed that many species besides the human race had inhabited the Earth, and that much knowledge was passed to mankind in encounters with being from other "spheres". He shared with some neo-platonists the belief that stars are like our sun, and have their own unseen planets with their own life-forms, but elaborated this belief with a good deal of metaphysical speculation in which these beings were part of a cosmic hierarchy of spiritual evolution. He was also convinced that he had contacted these "Old Ones" using magical invocations, and warned of terrible powers waiting to return to re-claim the Earth � he interpreted this belief in the light of the Apocalypse of St. John, but reversed the ending so that the Beast triumphs after a great war in which the earth is laid waste. The famous H.P. Lovecraft's Necronomicon is a work of fiction, undoubtedly based on the Necronomicon of Alhazred, which is believed Lovecraft never read, but learned of its existence and content through his wife, Sonia Greene, which had been one of Aleister Crowley's disciples, and possibly his lover. There is no question that Crowley read John Dee's translation of the Necromonicon in the Ashmolean; too many passages in Crowley's The Book of the Law read like a transcription of passages in that translation. He was surprisingly reticent about his real sources - there is a strong suspicion that 777, which Crowley claimed to have written, was largely plagiarized from Allan Bennet's notes. 

Neo-Orthodox Christianity:

Development associated with the strong reaction of Swiss theologians Karl Barth and Emil Brunner against the barrenness of liberal Christianity. They felt that Scripture, although a flawed, fallible, human product, could still be used by God to accomplish His purposes. Thus the Bible becomes inspired in its proclamation when the Holy Spirit quickens faith and obedience in its hearers. .

Neo-Paganism: 

The modern revival of paganism, emphasizing witchcraft (see Wicca), goddess worship, and nature worship.

:   ( from Nestorius), Patriarch of Constantinople). 

The Christian doctrine that Jesus was two distinct persons, one human and one divine, closely and inseparably united. God begot Jesus as God, but Mary bore him as a man. Its name comes from its leading proponent, Nestorius, Patriarch of Constantinople.  Nestorianism was rejected as a heresy  by the Council of Chalcedon in 451 A.D., which held that Christ consisted of only one person with two natures, one human and one divine. Nestorian churches exist today within  Eastern Orthodox Cathollic Church..

Nettles, Bonnie Lou:

See Heaven�s Gate.

Networking

An informal, decentralized organization created by like-minded individuals who are interested in address-ing specific problems and offering possible solutions. All of this takes place outside of conventional institutions.

Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP)

A system developed by Richard Bandler and Dr. John Grinder toCalled �software for the brain,� it is supposed to be faster and more powerful than traditional clinical counseling and can work without the subject�s conscious knowledge

Neuromuscular Therapy:

A form of deep massage using pressure to certain trigger points on the body to release emotions and relieve pain by breaking the stress-tension-pain cycle.

New Age:

A term coined by Alice Bailey in the first part of the 20th Century to decribe the age to follow the Piscean - The Age of Aquarius, beginning between Jan 1, 1981 and May 5 2012.  Also, the philosophical and/or religious systems arising form or believing in the coming of a new age.  

New Age Community Church:

A New Age church founded by Rev. Dr. John Rodgers in 1971. with three congregations, West Valley, Blessed Circle and the mother church. Publishers of the Omega Directory. Founders of the New Age Seminary Program and Psychic Massage.

New Age Medicine:  

See Holistic Health

New Age Movement

A loose organization of people, many of them "Yuppies," who espouse a variety of beliefs, primarily that the world has entered the Aquarian Age.  As a rule, they reject Judeo-Christian orthodoxy. Among them may be found environmentalists,  ESP cultists, spiritists, Pagans, and others using magical rites. (See New Age)

New Age Music:  

Music composed to facilitate altered states of consciousness and meditation.  Stephen Halpern's Spectrum Suite, is the finest example of this genre.  Also, a light jazz, instrumental music category.

Newbrough, John:

See OAHSPE.

New Church:

See Swedenborg Foundation

New Life Foundation:

Organization founded by Vernon Howard to promote his teachings.  Located in Pine AZ

New Thought:

One of the branches of the mind sciences; though related to Christian Science, New Thought usually maintains the reality of matter and is more liberal and pluralistic in its views. Teaches that the Christ is only a principle that was embodied in Jesus and other religious figures

New World Order:

The belief that: as the new Age of Aquarius unfolds, a new order of things will come into being.. This will be a utopia in which there is world government, and end to wars, disease, hunger, pollution, and poverty. Gender, racial, religious and other forms of discrimination will cease. People's allegiance to their tribe or nation will be replaced by a concern for the entire world and its people. Probably derived from the writings of Alice A. Bailey. Said by some Christians to be an anti-Christ world dictatorship. 

New World Translation:  

Official Bible translation published by the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society. The beauty of the King James Version has been sacrificed for accuracy's sake.

Nichiren Shoshu of America (NSA):   

Former name of Soka Gakkai International (SGI).

Nirvana:

Hindu state of enlightenment or liberation from earthly things; bliss, freedom of the personal soul from the physical world..

NLP:  (See Neuro-Linguistic Programming)

Nostrodamus, Michel: (1503-1566)

French physician and astrologer whose predictions of the future have fascinated people for centuries.   Nostradamus acquired fame as a doctor by treating victims of the plague, but he eventually turned more to astrology and metaphysics. In 1555 he completed the Centuries, a book of more than 900 predictions about the fate of France, the world, and celebrated persons of his time. The title of the book refers to the fact that the contents are arranged in sections of 100 verses each. An expanded version was published in 1558. His prophecies are written as four-lined rhymed verses (quatrains) in vague, often cryptic language. The fact that they are written in a French dialect that has not been spoken for 400 years  complicates interpretation of his predictions. Some interpreters say the verses can be applied to anything, or nothing, whereas others claim that various verses foretold the Great Fire of London in 1666, the deaths of several monarchs, details of the French Revolution, the rise of Napoleon and Hitler and World War II.  Because Nostradamus included very few dates in his prophecies and because, additionally, he did not organize them into a chronological order, the verses have been constantly reinterpreted since their publication. The Centuries remains a classic of the occult literature and hundreds of studies of it have been published.

Numerology:

The divination art of numbers based upon qualitative values given to letters of the alphabet which are interpreted in shaping one's destiny as well as offering guidance in daily living.Often associated with the Kabbalah,