APPENDIX I: INTRODUCTION TO CHARACTERS

Anthroposophist: Anthroposophy was founded early in the twentieth century by the Austrian thinker and spiritual innovator Rudolph Steiner (1861-1925). Steiner attempted to develop a spiritual science, applying the rigor and logic of the material sciences to the realms of soul and spirit. He saw the danger of imagination untempered by reason, and encouraged cultivation of a clear and compassionate intellect, both to identify inner truth and guard against fantasy and self-delusion.

Steiner wrote and spoke voluminously on cosmological history, especially the singular event he called the "Mystery of Golgotha". Without Christ's sacrifice, human awareness would have become totally enmeshed in matter, without hope of realizing higher states of consciousness.

At the turn of the century Steiner was editor of the leading literary magazine in Germany and had never openly expressed any interest in esoteric subjects. Then he shocked the Berlin intelligentsia by beginning to speak of esoteric matters, based on his own vast inner experiences. From about 1901 to 1907 he was head of the Theosophical Society in Germany, but left that organization to found the Anthroposophical Society. Steiner suggested that the leaders of the Theosophical Society did not embody the spiritual truths they were espousing. Since Steiner's departure there has been some tension between the two organizations, with the Anthroposophists usually on the attack. (See Richard Levington's "Imagination of Pentecost".) Today Steiner is probably most recognized for the applied aspects of his teaching, such as the Waldorf Schools (the largest independent school system in the world), Bio-Dynamic Agriculture (a unique approach to organic farming and gardening), and Anthroposophically extended medicine.

Astrosophist: Astrosophy is a theory and practice of astrology based on the teachings of Anthroposophy. Astrosophists disagree on many issues from other schools of astrology, but they generally agree on those astrological principles articulated by Rudolph Steiner.

Astrosophy is a very small movement within the field of astrology with only a handful of practitioners.

Buddhist Monk: Buddhism is a spiritual teaching founded by Gautama the Buddha in India in the sixth century B.C. as a reaction against the abuses of the ancient Hindu religion. Buddhism spread north to Tibet and China, and then to Japan and Southeast Asia. It is currently growing in popularity in the West. Many educated westerners are more comfortable with Buddhism than Hinduism because it welcomes rational inquiry and has no complex theology or caste system.

The current Dalai Lama, the religious and political leader of Tibetan Buddhism, is the best-known Buddhist figure in the world today. He fled to India when Communist China invaded Tibet in 1959. He had steadfastly worked to bring world attention to China's systematic annihilation of Tibetan culture, and was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts.

Catholic Priest: We assume readers have basic familiarity with Roman Catholicism. The priest in our dialogue may be more open-minded than most!

Christian Fundamentalist: Someone who believes that:

A. Salvation is possible only by accepting Jesus Christ as one's personal savior, and

B. The Bible is a complete and perfect revelation of all spiritual knowledge and must be accepted literally.

C. The devil (Satan) is always trying to tempt souls into either sensory indulgence or false paths to God, including all paths which reject literal interpretation of the Bible, or which honor other scriptures or sources of truth.

Hindu Monk: Hinduism is the largest religion of Vedic origin. It is hard to define Hinduism because Hindus have a way of absorbing the best of all religions into Hinduism. It is certainly the most tolerant of all major religions.

Hinduism is known for it elaborate worship of deities of all shapes and forms. These deities are properly understood as different attributes of the one attributeless God, not independent gods in conflict with each other.

Hinduism has retained the idea that there are many different paths to God. At the same time Hindus often fall into the mistaken and contradictory belief that one of these paths is best for all.

Quantum Physicist: Quantum physics got its name early in the twentieth century with the discovery that extremely small bundles of energy (photons) behave as discrete quanta with step-wise jumps in energy levels, rather than smooth gradations. Quantum physics is the physical science most directly concerned with the ultimate nature of matter. Many quantum physicists, such as David Bohm and Fritzof Capra, have connected their science with philosophical and spiritual concepts, especially Vedic, Buddhist and Taoist teachings.

Important philosophical concepts from quantum physics include:

1. The observer affects the object of observation -- there is no objective "reality" without reference to an observer. For example, photons behave as both waves and particles. You see whichever you look for.

2. Quantum events are non-deterministic. There is no certainty, only probability of outcome.

3. Energy levels increase at finer levels of creation. For example, a hydrogen bomb has many orders of magnitude more powerful than the same mass of dynamite. The subjective corollary is that finer levels of awareness are far more powerful than ordinary waking consciousness.

Quantum physicists have widely divergent views about the philosophical implications of their science.

Rosicrucian: Rosicrucianism was an esoteric approach to Christianity founded by Christian Rosenkreutz (Rosenkrantz) in medieval times. The Rosicrucian Fellowship, founded by Max Heindel in California in the early twentieth century, is the most visible organization purportedly promoting Rosicrucianism. There may be other, less well-known Rosicrucian groups with very different views.

Scientific Materialist: Someone who believes that reality is essentially physical, and that mental events are only the by-product of matter. He sees consciousness and awareness as epiphenomena of biological processes. He attempts to explain all life in terms of physical matter and energy, and may try to quantify subjective qualities, such as love, creativity, and spontaneity. The physical sciences attempt to eliminate the variability and vagueness of mental phenomena, as well as all supernatural causation, from their methodology.

Scientific materialism is the dominant paradigm in modern academia, media, politics, and our culture as a whole.

Sri Aurobindo Disciple: Sri Aurobindo was born in India in the 1872 and studied in Europe for fourteen years. In his early adulthood he crusaded to restore India's political independence from England. While in prison for his political activism he reputedly gained enlightenment and thereafter founded a spiritual center in southern India along with his spiritual consort, "the Mother". Aurobindo was a gifted and prolific writer, and most of his books are still in print.

In contrast with many Indian gurus, he insisted that spirituality is incomplete unless the Divine is thoroughly integrated into all phases of life -- spiritual, mental, and physical. He saw renunciation as a denial of life, and taught the importance of bringing the spiritual force from above all the way down into the physical.

Tantric Practitioner: Tantra is a great tradition in India which is deemed separate from yoga as a form of spiritual practice and understanding. One can only understand tantra and its relationship to yoga properly if one realizes that tantra is governed by the two Nodes of the Moon, the North Node and the South Node, particularly the latter. The North Node represent the rebel and iconoclast; the South Node represents the hermit or recluse. Anyone whose spiritual nature is under their influence naturally shuns spiritual authority in favor of personal experience and experimentation. Bhagwan Sri Rajneesh (Osho) was a great tantric teacher of our age, and his books on tantra are an excellent guide to this spiritual discipline.

TM © Meditator: We use this term for any person who practices Transcendental Meditation (TM) and accepts the basic tenets of the TM movement, established by His Holiness Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. Maharishi teaches that there are two aspects of life, absolute or non-changing and relative, or ever-changing. The relative phase is enhanced and fulfilled through regular contact with the absolute in twice-daily practice of the simple mental technique known as TM. Maharishi further teaches that problems in society derive from problems in the individual, and that large groups of people practicing the TM and TM-sidhi programs can ameliorate war, crime, disease, and all other problems in society.

Maharishi has also attempted to revive and popularize other branches of Vedic knowledge, including Maharishi Ayurveda (the ancient Indian approach to health and longevity) and Maharishi Jyotish (ancient Indian astrology).

Theosophist: The Theosophical Society was founded around 1870 by Madame Blavatsky and Col. George Olcott. It was the first major attempt by westerners to unveil the inner mysteries of Indian wisdom. Some commentators feel that Blavatsky gained much of her knowledge, whether valid or not, through passive channeling. Although her life was surrounded by controversy, no one can deny her great influence in popularizing Indian metaphysics and the underlying unity of all religions.

The Theosophical movement rode the nineteenth century wave of spiritism and spiritualism. Although its numbers have declined, it remains a significant force in esoteric circles, and continues to publish valuable books in the field.

Western Astrologer: Western astrologers generally trace the origins of their craft to ancient Egypt and Babylonia, rather than India or China. The differences between eastern and western astrology are discussed in Chapter One and the next definition.

Yogananda Disciple: Paramahansa Yogananda the Self-Realization Fellowship (SRF) and author of the best-selling book "Autobiography of a Yogi". He taught what he called Kriya Yoga, a set of mental and physical exercises to purify the mind and body and raise the kundalini, or spinal energy. Yogananda's guru was Shri Yukteswar, a great sage who also practiced astrology. Yukteswar wrote "The Holy Science" and is known by astrologers for his "Yukteswar ayanamsha".

"Ayanamsha" is a mathematical calculation to distinguish the sidereal zodiac, used in most Indian astrology, from the tropical zodiac, used in most western astrology. The sidereal zodiac is based on the "fixed" stars of the heavens. The tropical zodiac is based on the sun's position at the time of the vernal equinox (the time in Spring when day and night are of equal length).