The process of shifting paradigms involves enriching the vocabulary to support the opportunities for a more profound self-expression and experience of reality. These definitions are tailored to assist in understanding the content of Simple Reality and are not meant to be valid in P-B. Nothing is valid in P-B.
allegory a figurative treatment of one subject under the guise of another such as the parables of the New Testament or Aesop’s fables wherein various animals personify human virtues and vices.
analogy a resemblance or similarity in some particulars between things otherwise dissimilar; a ground of comparison or inference that if two things agree or can compare with each other in some respects, they will likely agree in others, such as in tracing the analogy between the “heart and a machine.”
anima and animus the internalized images of the opposite sex, the soul-image in each person.
archetypes are innate, inherited structures in the unconscious which contain preformed characteristics, personal qualities and traits shared with all other human beings.
atheism indifference to a personal creator.
attitudes are the positions we take in life. It is through these stances that we give meaning and understanding to all of our experiences.
aura a distinctive air or quality that characterizes a person.
autopoiesis from the Greek auto “self” and poiesis “making” hence “self-making” referring to the autonomy of self-organizing systems.
avatar an incarnation of God in a human form, for example, Jesus of Nazareth.
awareness is being mindful or conscious psychologically, a non-judgmental observation. It is the ability of the mind to observe without criticism. With this ability, one sees things without condemnation or judgment, without craving or aversion (spiritual).
beauty the experience of beauty is an altered state of consciousness, an extraordinary moment of poetry and grace.
cognition the new concept of cognition, the process of knowing, involves perception, emotion, and action—the entire process of life.
complexes eternally recurring human patterns of behavior. An exaggerated or obsessive concern or fear.
consciousness is psychic substance connected to an ego.
conversion the process of disowning oneself or divesting oneself of ego in order to be filled with divine grace.
cybernetics the science of control and communication in the animal and the machine (from the Greek kybernetes “steersman”).
determinism the philosophic doctrine that every act, event, and decision is the inevitable consequence of antecedents that are independent of the human will.
dialogue from the Greek dia meaning “between” and logos meaning “word.” Hence, dialogue means the sharing feelings, beliefs, attitudes and values between or among peoples.
dissociation a split in the conscious process in which a group of mental activities breaks away from the mainstream of consciousness and functions as a separate unit, as if belonging to another person, i.e., the abnormal separation of related ideas, thoughts or emotions.
dualism the view that the world consists of two fundamental entities such as mind and matter or forces such as good and evil or that man has two basic natures, the physical and the spiritual.
ecology the science of relations between the organism and the surrounding world (from the Greek oikos (“household”). The new science of ecology (1866) enriched the emerging systemic way of thinking by introducing two new concepts—community and network.
ecosystem a community of organisms and their physical environment interacting as an ecological unit.
emotion is the body’s reaction to your mind.
enlightenment the state of an illumined mind that has “seen the light” or is equanimous because it sees things in a “new light.” It is a mind that is free of attachments and is able to accept life as it is and live in the present moment.
epiphany a sudden intuitive comprehension of reality, a shift or breakthrough.
equanimity composure, the quality of being calm and even-tempered, i.e., in response.
evil the avoidance of the paradigm shift by choosing to remaining unconscious and entrapped in the unsustainable old narrative with the old identity.
faith is the intuitive feeling that a higher spiritual power is at work in the universe and in our personal lives.
forgiveness is the ego surrendering all judgment of self and others in order to allow the healing power of inner serenity to manifest.
gestalt the German word for organic form (as distinct from Form, which denotes inanimate form). An irreducible perceptual pattern, in which the whole is more than the sum of its parts. (Which has become the key formula of systems thinkers.)
grace derives from the Latin gratis, meaning “free,” “with no price to be paid” hence, a gift.
group-think is the practice of conforming to group ethics or cultural standards.
happiness is a state of well-being where individuals are typically not motivated to change their state.
hypnogogic pertaining to the state preceding sleep. (also the synonym hypnopompic).
impressionism a form of art, literature and music in which the artist, writer or composer has an experience or “impression” of a profound truth and expresses it in his/her art form.
individuation (1) the process of a person becoming whole and unique—aims at embracing the light and dark simultaneously to create a constructive relationship between the ego and the self (C. G. Jung’s term for creating consciousness).
(2) the process whereby a series of psychic contents—complexes and archetypal images—make connection with an ego and thereby generate the psychic substance of consciousness.
integration to form into a whole; to reclaim, accept, and include what was previously separate from our “self.” Integration means accepting yourself and your feelings as you are. When something is not integrated, it causes sadness, resistance and conflict.
integrity is achieved with the integration of feelings, beliefs, attitudes and values with awareness.
intelligent design the hypothesis that the universe was created by some purposeful being or principle of order, the opposite of chaos.
intuition the power or faculty of attaining direct knowledge or cognition without rational thought.
liberation is a level of experience beyond pleasure and pain, beyond judgments of good and bad and even beyond time/space.
materialism the theory that physical matter is the only reality and that thought, feeling, mind, and will can be explained in terms of physical laws.
metaphor a figure of speech (from the Latin metaphora = transfer) in which a term or phrase is applied to something to which it is not literally applicable in order to suggest a resemblance of some kind as in “the strong arm of the law.” A different thing being spoken of as if it were the other thing as in “All the world’s a stage.”
mind from the Buddhist perspective mind is a faculty or organ like the eye but instead of sensing colors and forms it senses the world of ideas and thoughts and mental objects. Mind is not spirit as opposed to matter (true in most religions and philosophies).
mindfulness is a meditative awareness that cultivates the capacity to see things just as they are from moment to moment, a synonym for Simple Reality.
modernism is the collective worldview that dominated the nineteenth century and earlier twentieth century, characterized by an emphasis on scientific certainty, linear rationality, materialism, and universal truths. The era before post-modernism, i.e. today.
mystic one who has a present moment experience of reality.
mystical an experience of Simple Reality beyond the P-B illusion “provided” by the intellect or the senses.
myth is a psychological pattern of timeless validity, true always and everywhere in its archetypal nature. Myth and fable use unreal things to speak of real things; myth teaches divine truth (P-A) and fable teaches common sense and virtue (P-B).
negation is to deny what is false [while] not knowing what is truth. [It is] to see the false in the false and to see truth in the false, and it is the truth that denies the false. You see what is false, and the very seeing of what is false is the truth.
neurosis dysfunctions characterized by anxiety, compulsions, phobias, depressions, and dissociations.
noetic from the Greek nous, which means mind or ways of knowing.
non-locality a field independent of limitations of time and space within which consciousness and creation are connected and share energy and interact. The creative process involving the implicate order.
now is your only point of access into the timeless, birthless, deathless and formless realm of Being. Ultimately the Now is the power of your consciousness prior to thought, prior to forms arising out of it. http://members.surfeu.fi/wpk/links/Tolle/focus.
pantheism the world is a part of God.
panentheism the world is a part of God, but God is more than the world.
parable tells a story about common everyday things and at the same time draws a subtle analogy between the ordinary facts of the story and the deeper meaning which lies parallel to the facts; it is a simple story in which a moral lesson may be drawn; and it is usually an allegory.
paradigm a constellation of concepts, values, attitudes, beliefs, emotions, perceptions, and practices shared by a community, which forms a particular vision of reality that is the basis of the way the community organizes itself, and from which individuals derive their identity.
paradigm shift changes of paradigms occur in discontinuous, revolutionary breaks called paradigm shifts using the Point of Power Practice.
peak experience (1) an almost overwhelming sense of pleasure, euphoria, or joy; a deep sense of peacefulness or tranquility; feeling in tune, in harmony, or at one with the universe; a sense of wonder or awe; altered perceptions of time and/or space. . . a deep feeling of love, a greater awareness of beauty;. . . a sense that it would be difficult to describe adequately in words.
(2) living in the present moment or the Now.
Pentecost Sunday the day Catholics believe the Holy Spirit came to give power to Christians soon after Jesus ascended to heaven.
persona is a compromise between what society expects of us and our own personal identity, between individuality and self-image.
physics from the Greek physis meaning “Nature.” The science of matter and energy and the interactions between the two.
postmodernism is characterized by a recognition of the severe limitations of science and by its own complex rationality, its humanitarianism, and its emphasis on the universal relativity of truth in all domains.
processing is a psychological term that refers to the concept of accepting and staying with experience as it manifests, allowing it to unfold by itself in the here and now.
procrustean after Procrustes, a mythical giant who stretched or shortened captives to make them fit his beds, hence producing conformity by ruthless or arbitrary means. Having merciless disregard for individual differences or special circumstances.
projection seeing others as the source of my pain or happiness.
propaganda the systematic propagation of a given doctrine or of allegations reflecting its views and interests.
psyche is Greek for “soul.”
psychology the science of the “soul.”
psychoneurosis is the suffering of a soul which has not discovered its purpose or true identity.
reality that which never changes or ceases to exist.
reframing is a technique that means finding the proper context for any event, so that it is perceived positively rather than negatively.
religion an organized system of beliefs and rituals centering on a supernatural being or beings.
repression to keep out of the conscious mind.
sanity comes from the Latin sanus meaning “whole” or “healthy.”
schadenfreude pleasure or the embarrassing (ashamed) reaction of relief we feel when something bad happens to someone else instead of us. From the German, schaden (harm) + freude (joy).
self the psychological center of the human being, synonym for ego.
self-esteem is the disposition to experience oneself as competent to cope with the basic challenges of life and as worthy of happiness.
self-realization the complete development or fulfillment of one’s own potential (psychological).
self-realization the attainment of transcendent liberation (spiritual).
shadow those elements of the self such as feelings, emotions, ideas, and beliefs with which we cannot identify, which are then repressed due to education, culture, or value system.
shadow work the conscious and intentional process of integrating that which we have chosen to ignore or repress.
suffering results from our resistance to pain. The way I see it, if you want the rainbow, you gotta put up with the rain.—Dolly Parton
sustainable society a society that satisfies its needs without diminishing the prospects of future generations.
symbiosis close coordination of activities among different species resulting in living systems having the characteristics of single organisms.
symbol a symbol (from the Greek symbolon: “thrown together”) expressing something irrational and indescribable in ordinary speech and language.
synchronicity always deals with a thought, vision, dream or premonition that is non-causally connected to some outer event.
syndrome a group of symptoms that collectively indicate or characterize a disease, psychological disorder, or other abnormal condition.
system in both living organisms and social systems, an integrated whole whose essential properties arise from the relationships between its parts.
systems analysis to look at the entire problem, as a whole, in context, and to compare alternative choices in the light of their possible outcomes.
systems thinking the understanding of a phenomenon within the context of a larger whole. From the Greek synhistanai (to place together).
systemic the holistic perspective and the way of thinking it implies called “systems thinking,” sometimes used as a synonym of “ecological.”
theism God is separated from creation.
threshold an illness, depression, or a failed relationship when the psyche is speaking through the body, mind, or the heart about the need for change, the opportunity to move forward on the spiritual path.
typology the functions of consciousness.
Vedanta is the philosophy of transcendental knowledge based on the teachings of the Vedas, the ancient, revealed scriptures of the Hindus.
virtue virtus, in Latin, means “spiritual strength” Virtue, it is said, is its own reward. Virtues are therefore a form of preventative medicine.
war the wars we engage in are compulsive rituals, shadow dramas in which we continually try to kill those parts of ourselves we deny and despise.
worldview the feelings, beliefs, attitudes and values held by an individual or community of individuals.
zeitgeist the taste or outlook characteristic of a period or generation.
