The Psychic Guide
Part 4: S-Z
The Psychic Guide was a popular and integral part of the Diary for many years. I’m not sure which year it first appeared – it ‘s in the 1994 Diary, the earliest that I have in my archives (f you have any of the earlier Elfin Diaries, I’d love to see them!) Originally subtitled “A Miscellany of Curious Information”, it was just that – items that Caroline thought were interesting and / or odd. It was edited, updated and added to every year, and I intend to likewise keep this web version regularly updated.
Scientology
Also known as Dianetics, this is a ‘science of mind’ invented by the sci-fi writer L. Ron Hubbard. It is partly derived from classical psychoanalysis; the Scientology terms analytical mind, reactive mind, engrams and clearing are used in place of the psychoanalytical terms conscious mind, unconscious mind, trauma and catharsis, but mean the same thing. Hubbard thought that many illnesses are caused by engrams (traumas) occurring before birth and claimed to have cured himself of several ailments by ‘clearing’ himself of such engrams (i.e., cathartically recalling the original traumas). The Church of Scientology was incorporated in America in 1953, when the engram concept was developed to incorporate past lives going back many millennia. In Scientology teachings, each individual human being is said to consist of a transient genetic entity (the physical body) inhabited by an eternal ‘Thetan’. A Thetan is an ancient soul-being from another star-system trapped on this planet by engrams that originated in the primitive life-forms that were our distant Earth ancestors; it has been helplessly reincarnating in physical form over and over again for untold millions of years. Clearing all these engrams will, it is said, enable each person’s inner Thetan to regain full consciousness and escape materiality.
Serendipity
This is the art of making a fortunate discovery by accident. The word was coined by the author Horace Walpole on January 28th 1754. The exact date is from a letter he wrote to his friend Horace Mann, explaining that he had coined the word from a Persian fairy story called The Three Princes of Serendip, whose heroes “were always making discoveries, by accidents and sagacity, of things they were not in quest of.”
Shamanism
Shamanism is a spiritual practice that involves the shaman interacting with the spirit world through altered states of consciousness, achieved by self-induced trance or mind-altering substances.
Solar Wind
This is a stream of plasma – electrons, protons, ions, isotopes and charged particles – continually ejected from the Sun’s corona, its outer layer. travelling at supersonic speeds, it spreads thoughout the Solar System. When it hits Earth’s atmosphere, it produces aroras at the North and South poles, Earth’s magnetic fields protects us from it most of the time, but ‘solar storms’ can play havoc with electronic communications, GPS and satellites.
Sufism
Sufism is a mystical form of Islam whose followers seek spiritual perfection and direct contact with God via prayer, meditation, study and – in the case of Dervishes – dance. Sufism originated in the first century after Islam was established, probably as a backlash against the materialism and political ambitions of early Muslim rulers. Sufis aren’t a separate sect and any Muslim can be a Sufi.
Telepathy
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Theosophy
The Theosophical Society was founded in the USA in 1875 by Helena P. Blavatsky (1831-1891) and Colonel Henry Olcott (1832-1907); they later went to Madras in India to establish the headquarters. She was Russian; after a brief marriage at 17, she left her husband General NV Blavatsky and travelled in Egypt, India and Tibet. Henry Olcott was a barrister and an agriculturalist who was interested in the occult. Helena is believed to have met and been guided by Masters or adepts. Her first publication was an attempt to equate ancient mythology and religion. Her most famous work The Secret Doctrine caused a stir when it was published as it incorporated eastern teachings which were a strange new concept for the Western world. Theosophy taught that we have four bodies: the Physical, the Astral, the Etheric and the Self; it also discussed religion, science and philosophy in a completely new way for the time.
Thought
Thouhgt and thinking are cognitive processes, taking place in the brain and involving reasoning, memory, and intention. A thought can be said to be the strongest power in the universe, everything comes from thought: philosophy, art, invention and healing. Everything we do or have has been created by thought.
UFO
“UFO” stands for Unidentified Flying Object. Most people think that it means an alien craft (a flying saucer), but it’s simply the term for anything seen in the sky and that is not immediately undentifiable. Most UFOs have eventually been shown to be misidentification of known objects or atmospheric phenomena, and there is no concrete evidence that the unidentified ones are of alien origin. Most people think that it means an alien craft, but it simply the term for anything seen in the sky and that is not immediately undentifiable. Most UFOs have eventually been shown to be misidentification of known objects or atmospheric phenomena, and there is no concrete evidence that the unidentified ones are of alien origin. Nowadays, the preferred term is UAP (Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena)
World Contact Day
World Contact Day was first declared in March 1953 by an organization called the International Flying Saucer Bureau (IFSB), as a day on which all IFSB members worldwide would attempt to send a telepathic message into space, aimed at any aliens who may e out there. This was the message they concentrated on:
Calling occupants of interplanetary craft! Calling occupants of interplanetary craft that have been observing our planet EARTH. We of IFSB wish to make contact with you. We are your friends, and would like you to make an appearance here on EARTH. Your presence before us will be welcomed with the utmost friendship. We will do all in our power to promote mutual understanding between your people and the people of EARTH. Please come in peace and help us in our EARTHLY problems. Give us some sign that you have received our message. Be responsible for creating a miracle here on our planet to wake up the ignorant ones to reality. Let us hear from you. We are your friends.
World Contact Day is still observed on the 15th March every year, with people in many parts of the world attempting mass telepathic communications with aliens.
The Wow! Signal
This is a true scientific mystery. On August 15 1977, Dr. Jerry R. Ehman was working on a SETI project at Ohio State University, analysing radio waves picked up from the Sagittarius region of deep interstellar space. Noticing a sudden 72-second spike in a continuous narrowband radio signal, he drew a circle around it on the printout and scribbled “WOW!” next to it. It has never been repeated since, so what was it? A signal from some extraterrestrial civilisation? A top-secret secret military operation in space? Or just a malfunctioning radio in the next room? There are plenty of ideas, but nobody knows for sure. Perhaps we’ll find out one day….
Ying & Yang
This is the Chinese representation of the duality of life and the symbol shows the passive and active forces of the universe. Yin is female and negative and Yang is male and positive; between them they cover all types of existence and all types of relating. Their basic rule is that life’s only certainty is hope.
Zemblanity
Coined by novelist William Boyd, this is “the faculty of makeing unhappy, unlucky and entirely expected discoveries by design”. It’s the autonym (opposite) of serendipity.
Zen Buddhism
This is a fusion of Buddhism and Taoism that began in the 6thC AD. Zen practitioners attempt to encounter and understand the meaning of life directly, without the filters of thought and language; this is called enlightenment and is to be achieved through meditation and the practice of ‘mindfulness’ and other spiritual disciplines. In Zen, all humans are capable of finding enlightenment within themselves, without the mediation of priests, teachers or gurus.