The Alchemist
Abracadabra--A mystical word or collocation of letters. . . . worn on an amulet. It was supposed to ward off fever. At present the word is used chiefly in jest to denote something without meaning; jargon.
Abominable Snowman (Bigfoot, Sasquatch, Yeti)--a large hairy humanoid creature said to live in the Himalayas.
Acupuncture--The insertion of needles into the living tissues for remedial purposes.
Ad hoc hypothesis--an interpretation of facts that explains away evidence that contradicts a favored idea or belief (the author).
Akashic record--a spiritual or incorporeal plane upon which all knowledge is stored (the author).
Alchemy--An imaginary art which aimed to transmute the baser metals into gold, to find the panacea, or universal remedy for diseases, etc. It led the way to modern chemistry.
Alien (Extraterrestrial Biological Entities, EBEs)--a form of life assumed to exist outside the Earth or its atmosphere.
Allopathy--That system of medical practice which aims to combat disease by the use of remedies which produce effects different from those produced by the special disease treated; -- a term invented by Hahnemann to designate the ordinary practice, as opposed to homeopathy.
Alpha wave--the normal brainwave in the electroencephalogram of a person who is awake but relaxed; occurs with a frequency of 8-12 hertz.
Altered state of consciousness--a trance or trance-like state of mind (the author)
Amityville (New York) haunting--a hoax; the Lutz family, owners of a Dutch Colonial house in Amityville, NY, claimed their residence was haunted; prior to their purchase and residence in the house, Ronald DeFeo, Jr., killed six of his family members in the same house (the author).
Amulet--An ornament, gem, or scroll, or a package containing a relic, etc., worn as a charm or preservative against evils or mischief, such as diseases and witchcraft, and generally inscribed with mystic forms or characters.
Angel--spiritual being attendant upon God.
Animal ghost--the ghost of an animal.
Animism--the doctrine that all natural objects and the universe itself have souls.
Anomaly--deviation from the normal or common order or form or rule.
Appeal to authority fallacy: the idea or belief that the credibility or authority of an expert is sufficient cause to accept the claims of an argument (the author).
Apollo--Greek god of light; god of prophesy and poetry and music and healing; son of Zeus and Leto; twin brother of Artemis.
Apparition--the appearance of a ghostlike figure.
Apport--the transference of an article from an unknown source, to you, or another place by unknown means (Wikipedia).
Argo--The name of the ship which carried Jason and his fifty-four companions to Colchis, in quest of the Golden Fleece.
Argonaut--one of the heroes who sailed with Jason on the Argo in search of the Golden Fleece
Argument from design (teleological argument)--the argument that the order the universe and the inetraction of its myriad parts necessitates the belief in God as a ominscient and omnipotent designer (the author).
Argument from incredulity--see "Divine fallacy."
Artemis--the virgin goddess of the hunt and the moon; daughter of Leto and twin sister of Apollo; identified with Roman Diana.
Astarte--a Phoenician goddess; counterpart of Ashtoreth and Ishtar.
Astral plane--an otherworldly plane of existence or one in a parallel dimension (the author).
Astral projection--the spiritual body’s travel from the physical body (the author).
Astronauts, ancient--extraterrestrial visitors to earth (sometimes mistaken for gods) during prehistoric times to manipulate or control human evolution or culture (the author).
Aura--a distinctive but intangible quality surrounding a person or thing.
Aural hallucination--hearing things (that aren’t there) (the author).
Autism--an abnormal absorption with the self; marked by communication disorders and short attention span and inability to treat others as people.
Autokinetic effect--the apparent movement of a stationary light in an otherwise dark environment (the author).
Automatic writing--writing produced without conscious thought; often considered a means of channeling (the author).
B
Baal--any of numerous local fertility and nature deities worshipped by ancient Semitic peoples; the Hebrews considered Baal a false god.
Backward Satanic messages--supposedly diabolical communications created by backmasking (the author).
Ball lightning
Ball lightning--a rare form of lightning sometimes seen as a globe of fire moving from the clouds to the earth.
Banshee--In Irish folklore, a female spirit who wails to warn of impending death.
Begging the question--circular reasoning (the author).
“Believe It Or Not” strip--a comic strip in which the artist-writer Robert Ripley recounted strange and mysterious incidents and recorded odd facts and trivia.
Benzene molecule--a ring-shaped chemical molecule the structure of which was perceived by Friedrich August Kekulé, a German chemist, during a dream in which he saw a snake biting its own tail (the author),
Bermuda Triangle--an area in the western Atlantic Ocean where many ships and planes are spposed to have been mysteriously lost.
Bible Code--information patterns said to exist in encrypted or coded form in the text of the Bible, or, more specifically, in the Hebrew Torah, the first five books of Old Testament (Wikipedia).
Biorhythm--a hypothetical cycle in physiological, emotional, or intellectual well-being or prowess (Wikipedia).
Blavatsky, Madame Helene Petrovna--founder of the Theosophy Society (the author).
Book of shadows--a witch's personal collection of spells and incantations (the author).
Brainwashing--forcible indoctrination into a new set of attitudes and beliefs.
C
Cardiff giant--a hoax perpetuated by P. T. Barnum in which it was claimed that a giant “petrified man” had been dug up on Cardiff, NY, by laborers digging a well (the author); this alleged giant is the basis of “A Ghost Story” by Mark Twain (the author).
Cartomancy--the art of telling fortunes with cards.
Castenada, Carlos--a Peruvian mystic (the author).
Cayce, Edgar--an American psychic who claimed to channel messages from the dead concerning health, reincarnation, Atlantis, and other matters (the author).
Cattle mutilation--the evisceration of cattle, often on isolated farms, allegedly by extraterrestrials, presumably for research purposes (the author).
Celestine Prophecy--a 1993 novel by James Redfield which discusses various psychological and spiritual ideas which are rooted in many ancient Eastern Traditions (Wikipedia) .
Centaur--a mythical being that is half man and half horse.
Cerberus--three-headed dog guarding the entrance to Hades; son of Typhon.
Chakra--a anatomical energy center (the author).
Channeling--opening oneself as a medium for the receipt of messages from spirits, often during séances (the author).
Chariot of the Gods--book by Erich von Daniken in which the author claims ancient humans were visited by extraterrestrial beings (ancient astronauts) (the author).
Chemtrail--gaseous trails released by aircraft; they are believed to consist of dangerous, but unidentified, chemicals sprayed by the government as part of a nationwide (possibly worldwide) clandestine mission (the author).
Chiropractic--a method of treatment that manipulates body structures (especially the spine) to relieve low back pain or even headache or high blood pressure.
Chopra, Deepak--Indian mystic and author who influenced the New Thought movement in America and elsewhere (the author).
Christ, foreskin of--a holy relic.
Chupacabra--a legendary beast that roams North, Central, and South America, attacking goats and other animals, from which it sucks blood; also known as a “goatsucker” (the author).
Close Encounters of the Second Kind (CE2)--an observation of a UFO and associated physical effects (heat, radiation, damaged terrain, human paralysis, frightened animals, interference with engines or TV or radio reception, and/or crop circles found in the vicinity of the UFO (Wikipedia).
Close Encounters of the Third Kind (CE3)--an observation of. . . “animate beings” in association with a UFO sighting (Wikipedia).
Coelacanth--a supposedly extinct fish caught (several times) by Japanese fishermen and others (the author).
Cold reading--a medium or other’s use of people’s innate need and tendency to make sense of experiences by imposing order and cause upon otherwise random or seemingly random incidents as a means by which to ascertain information and to seem credible as fortunetellers or others who are adept in the use of allegedly paranormal or supernatural abilities (the author).
Collective hallucination (mass hallucination)--the same hallucination, shared by several (often many) people (the author).
Conspiracy theory--the belief that many individuals or organizations are involved in an attempt to conceal evidence, mislead the public, discredit individuals, secure power, promote a hidden agenda, or otherwise extend influence and socio-economic and political power over the unsuspecting masses (the author).
Cosmobiology--the metaphysical study of the universe; the astronomical study of the universe (the author).
Course in Miracles, A--a book that Helen Schucman (1909-1981) claims was dictated to her by Jesus Christ (the author).
Crop circle
Crop circle--geometrical patterns cut into the crops or grass of a field, allegedly by extraterrestrials, possibly as messages or navigational aids; some have been revealed as elaborate hoaxes (the author).
Crowley, Aleister--author of several books of occult mysticism, including Magick in Theory and Practice and The Book of the Law (the author).
Cryptomnesia--forgotten or repressed memories (the author).
Cryptozoology--the study of legendary, mythical, or unknown animals (the author).
Crystal skull--skulls carved in quartz or other stone and sometimes alleged to be endowed with magical powers of various kinds (the author).
Cult--adherents of an exclusive system of religious beliefs and practices.
Cupping--a treatment in which evacuated cups are applied to the skin to draw blood through the surface.
Curse--an evil spell.
Cyclops--In Greek mythology, one of a race of giants having a single eye in the middle of their forehead.