About the Book
Standard dictionaries and grammar books do not offer adequate language when it comes to describing invisible mind impressions, internal body sensations, and altered states of consciousness. Newly awakened interest in psychics, mystics, shamans, mediums, their philosophy of life and their experiences within invisible dimensions has extended everywhere. Organizations, seminars, weekend workshops, classes, and therapies in para¬psychology and humanistic psychology spring up over night. Medical doctors and researchers in holistic health are assembling a startling body of evidence that intimately connects parapsychological theories with both physical and mental well-being. One may now "openly" speak about one's new attitudes, changes in beliefs, successful alternative healings, meditative and psychic experiences, and one's personal quest of a more qualitative lifestyle, without "under the breath" ridicule and harrassment.
This is a global shift in consciousness occurring in all levels of awareness. Legions of individuals and other living organisms are beginning to sense the surge of a consciousness shift within themselves, from the ant and the tree, to the layman and government official. Some name this shift in consciousness the "age of transformation." Whatever one names it, it is here! Changes....change....changed and semantic confusion! People are groping for words to express new dimensional concepts, sensations, and experiences with third-dimensional language. Instructors, authors, psychics, and laymen in this field are coining new words and giving standard words new meanings in trying to explain the variety of experiences of other levels of consciousness and new inner levels of awareness. Mankind has not yet evolved a language or a communication system that can adequately explain these new experiences, sensations, and concepts. This is quite normal in a pioneer field"but these descriptive terms are multiplying faster than research and study can evolve. The written media system is flooded with newly coined words.
The aim of this volume is to make the groping for words easier when describing noncustomary experiences and theories with the customary language. Any situational shift requires a shift in language variety. This book contains a concise grouping of the present day shift in language variety and a comparison of this new language variety to words and phrases used in the past in similar philosophies, activities, and inner-dimensional experiences. To accomplish this I have recorded words and phrases from 2000 B.C., the I Ching, to interviews of new-age workers such as seen on the "Phil Donahue Show." Terms used in the mystical and parapsychological field over the years are defined, described, annotated, or theorized.
This literary reference volume is a twofold book in which a textbook interweaves with a dictionary. The "same wordage" synchronizes a dictionary, a textbook, and a psychic skill development course. This means no unnecessary reading of valueless words. The material is concise and to the point. Every word is important! You could say, this volume is a shift in a literary style of writing to accommodate the new global shift in consciousness. It is a tool for an accelerated style of learning!
As a teacher in this field for over four decades, Dr. Bletzer found that students drawn to the study of parapsychology were people of all ages and all walks of life. She observed this human potential movement and consciousness shift becoming "alive" among her students with an accelerated speed in the later years of her life. From the sixteen hundred students she taught to develop psychically, the amount of time to acquire good psychic skills lessened by half during the last few years. She was finding that the public demand for information relating to parapsychology was coming faster than anyone could teach it. She found a strong desire to understand the multitude of new terms and new meanings for standard words used to describe new and rediscovered states of awareness and experiences as well as a concrete need for a comprehensive study of the parapsychological field. Human beings all over the world will continue to seek means to transform themselves under the new vibrations of the Aquarian Age and the common-ground on terminology given in this book will make this easier.
With no standard textbooks in this field, during her many years of teaching metaphysics and psychic development, she researched and prepared all her class lectures, experiments, and course material. With knowledge gleaned from this research, she taught psychic development, and received feedback from the students being instructed. She also read and scanned hundreds of additional books written in the past and present. Words and phrases were taken, not only from these books, but also from magazines, pamphlets, newspaper articles, lectures, seminars, television and radio programs, record jackets, and even from herb tea boxes. Therefore one will find colloquialisms, as well as technical and philosophical terms. The bibliography at the end of the volume describes many of these sources. Because astrology, demonology, psychology, mythology, and many religions have their own glossary, these words are not reprinted in this volume, unless the term frequently interfaces with parapsychology.
This book is intended to serve as a reference tool for the beginning student, the researcher, and the professional. First, consider this volume as an easy-to-use, comprehensive, annotated, technical dictionary, complete with cross references to ninety percent of the entries. The cross references add to the meaning, description, annotation, or sometimes simply presents another person's viewpoint to the reader. Although the definitions emphasize simplicity and clarity, I tried to retain and reflect the beauty and profoundness given by the mystic, philosopher, and parapsychologist. The annotations are concise and to the point in order to get all the categories in one volume. This gives a holistic view of the parapsychology field. One may feel there are too many relating subjects, but once one is open to this field, he or she will be exposed to many of these other fields.
There are guidelines as to the format used in the dictionary wordage. It is suggested that one turn to the categories of his or her interest to see what terms exist. In spite of acceleration of popular growth in this field, one can quickly acquaint her or himself with the many words which have recently come into usage. Also, consider this volume as a condensed, comprehensive, technical, para-psychology textbook, complete with "do-it-by-yourself" instructions. Because the entries are "categorized" under their particular field and in alphabetical order, one can very quickly find much information about the subject of their choice. And for a full basic, but in capsule form, education in this field, there are instructions outlining graduated steps for not only the individual just becoming interested but also the long-time instructor.
Language varies in different cultures, time periods, and even in small groups of one cause. It varies because the users of language change it to adapt to their needs. Words are alive, powerful, and constantly growing. As a dictionary researcher, Dr. Bletzer felt it her duty to record the words as they were used, not to pass judgment and offer corrections. She tried to keep the definition, description, or annotation as unvarnished and natural as possible so one can more easily understand the philosophy, or a new dimension, that may be completely foreign to him. The overall aim is to make some kind of common-ground, melding, psychic-knowledge-pot, which will bring together time periods and cultures showing similarities and differences in psychic skills and philosophies.
Language today is being individually designed, different meanings and different parts of speech are being given to standard words, and old words are being revitalized. The reason for this is because there is no common-ground, melding, psychic-knowledge-pot. Humankind needs a synthesization of communication in this discipline today more than ever before. Hosts of individuals are finding an inner desire to increase their psychic skills in order to better understand themselves, and to understand how and why the planet is bringing a consciousness shift. Psychic skills and parapsychological information are "tools" to help understand this consciousness shift and these accelerated times. They are also good tools for those who wish to add to the shift in the earth's consciousness.
The hope is that in some small way this volume will aid compatibility, co-operation, and conformity in parapsychological affairs among psychics, humanistic psychologists, holistic health practitioners, scientists, researchers, ministers, meditators, etc."and lessen the semantic confusion!
As you study from these references, the hope is that you find it as comforting and educational in learning that man, as a universal creature, has been using psychic skills, holistic health therapies, etheric world intelligences, etc., in other time periods and in every culture of the world. Confucius said: "Without knowing the force of words, it is impossible to know men."
