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I Ching (Book of Change) : Chinese book for fortunetelling. Part of the Confucianistic canon, the quasireligious philosophy dominating China until the early twentieth century. "I Ching" comes from the Mandarin words: yi (divination) and jing (classic or book). The I Ching features sixty-four hexagrams which symbolize quintessential conditions, such as happiness, humility, innocence, and tranquillity.

illusion : something perceived as real but without basis in reality.

immortality : Life without death anytime in the future. Not exactly the same as eternal. Eternal means without being or end, immortal allows for a beginning.

indigo children : or Violet Children. Children that do not respond to tried and true techniques and won't be molded. Some are willful, precocious and brilliant, others have their own language or become easily detached.

initiation : 1. An event that acts as an expansion or transformation of a person's consciousness. An initiate's consciousness has to some degree been transformed so that he now perceives reality from a higher perspective. There are many types of initiation, either of spiritual or social nature. 2. a ritual elevating an individual to a higher office in a social or religious organization.

inner self : Refers to the inner divinity from which the being and personality evolve. The Unconscious, the Subconscious and the Higher Self.

inner smile : A component of the Tao System. Inner Smile is a relaxation technique that increases the flow of chi. Practitioners "smile inwardly" at organs and glands.

integrated body work : Massage, Energy and Bodywork therapies assisting with healing. They include Swedish, Thai, deep tissue and lymphatic massage therapies; CranialSacral, breathwork and Feldenkrais, bodywork techniques; Therapeutic Touch, Reiki and Jin Shin Jitsu energy therapies.

integrative medicine : Combines conventional Western medicine with alternative practices, which also include the inner healing processes of mind and spirit. Treatment plans offer personalized approaches, e.g. combining surgery and medications with imagery, nutritional supplements and lifestyle counseling.

intention : In magic and affirmation, the sense of purpose that leads to action.

intervention : In healthcare, any attempt (particularly one that is professional), or mode of attempting, to modify a medical situation.

intestine : Also called bowels, the portion of the digestive tract between the stomach and anus. In humans the intestine is divided into two major sections: the small intestine, which is about 6 m long, where the most extensive part of digestion occurs and where most food products are absorbed; and the large intestine, which has a larger diameter and is about 1.5 m long, where water is absorbed and from which solid waste material is excreted. Food and waste material are moved along the length of the intestine by rhythmic contractions of intestinal muscles; these contractions are called peristaltic movements.

invocation : The bringing of an exterior divine power into a ritual or magical working through chant or prayer. An invocation is generally an acknowledgment of the deity and a request that they be present for the working.

inward silence : The silencing of the emotions and thoughts that disturb the effectiveness of a ritual.

iridology : is a homeopathic diagnostic tool. The right and left iris correlates to the right and left body side. The iris is divided into a concentric and radial segments. The iridologist interprets iris signs based on pigmentation and pattern change.

islam : A world religion based on the teachings of Mohammed (570-632 AD) in Mecca and Medina, Saudi Arabia. Islam is the 2nd largest world religion. Islam is composed of two major divisions: the mainstream Sunni and the more radical Shi'ites. The Quran (or, Koran) is considered the uncorrupted holy book.

jin shin jitsu : A Japanese system of energy work that can be administered to oneself or by a practitioner who places their fingertips along 26 “safe energy locks” similar to the meridian system followed in acupuncture and acupressure.

K

karma : Karma is formed when you violate your own or another's domain, creating an energy imbalance seeking resolution. A karmic debt is repaid in kind. For example, if A murders B, B may murder A or A will save the life of B in a subsequent lifetime.

karma cleansing : Deleting old patterns and reactivity, energetically.

ki : Japanese word for the universal life force (same as Chi and Prana).

kidney : The kidneys are located at the rear wall of the abdomen, on either side of the spine below the liver on the right and the spleen on the left. Their function includes removing waste products from the blood and regulating the fluid content.

Kinesiology : ways to obtain information from the position, movement, and tension of body parts, especially from the nerves, muscles, tendons, and joints. A diagnosis of a physical ailment can be obtained by naming the ailment, tensing a body part and noting whether or not the tension remains when the body part is depressed.

kirlian photography (corona-discharge photography, electrography) : Purported means of recording one's aura. Soviet electrician Semyon Davidovich Kirlian and his wife, Valentina, developed Kirlian photography in the early 1940's.

korean medicine :Oriental medicine that encompasses acupuncture and moxibustion.

kundalini : Elemental, feminine energy that is ordinarily asleep and coiled at the human coccyx and whose activation can purify the activator. The word "kundalini" stems from a Sanskrit term meaning "circular, coiled." The male and female forces are exactly balanced in the Ida and Pingala subtle channels. Everyone uses Kundalini power to think with and to maintain consciousness, but it very seldom rises up the central spinal channel of Sushumna beyond the first center. Various disciplines are used to arouse the "sleeping serpent" to ascend to the higher centers.

kundalini yoga (Shakti Yoga, tantra yoga) : A means of activating kundalini. When kundalini is awake, it enriches human lives emotionally, intellectually, physically, and spiritually. Moreover, its arousal allegedly contributes to the cure of many intractable diseases.

lao-tzu : The "founder" of Taoism. Thought of as the author one of the most important and influential Chinese texts: Tao Te Ching.

larrea tridentata herb : Shegoi Native American Indians called it "Shegoi" meaning "Mother of all Plants". It was revered as their most important plant medicine, naming it their "Medicine Chest". The plant is Larrea tridentata and it plays a prominent role in the creation stories of the Pima tribe. They believe that Larrea was the first plant placed on the Earth by the creator, shortly after Earth itself was created. The wide array of natural chemicals in Larrea allegedly provides protection against viruses, bacteria, fungi, insects, rodents, weedy competitors, and other potentially destructive agents in the environment.

laserpuncture (laser based acupuncture, laser acupuncture) : Technique characterized by the application of a laser beam to acupoints.

laying on of hands : Contact healing.

levitation : The supernatural phenomenon involving suspending a body in midair without physical bolster.

life energy : vital force.

light (Light, Sound and Color Color Therapy) : Light is the source of Life. Etheric and physical light and color are excellent theraputic tools.

lightbody : A vehicle akin to the spirit.

lithomancy : Divination by stones.

living water : Moving water, as in a stream or river, as opposed to water in a pond or pool.

liver : Largest internal organ in the body. The liver, which is part of the digestive system, performs more than 500 different functions, all of which are essential to life. Its functions include digesting fats, storing nutrient reserves, filtering poisons and wastes from the blood, synthesizing a variety of proteins, and regulating the levels of many chemicals found in the bloodstream. The liver is unique among the body's vital organs in that it can regenerate, or grow back, cells that have been destroyed by some short-term injury or disease.

L.M.T. : Licensed Massage Therapist.

lomi-lomi : Originating in the Hawaiian Islands, Lomi-Lomi is a spiritual form of massage done to ceremonial music in which the practitioner uses sweeping arm gestures and pressure applied with their elbows, forearms and fingertips.

lourdes (France) : Village in southern France, where purportedly the Virgin Mary appeared before Bernadette. A shrine was built and ever since, numerous miraculous healings have been reported through the drinking of the spring water. Lourdes became one of the major pilgrimage destinations in the world. Bernadette was beatified in 1925 and canonized in 1933 by Pope Pius XI.

lungs : A pair of elastic, spongy organs used for breathing and respiration. In humans the lungs occupy a large portion of the chest cavity from the collarbone down to the diapragm a dome-shaped sheet of muscle that walls off the chest cavity from the abdominal cavity. Although the words breathing and respiration are sometimes used interchangeably, they have distinct meanings. Breathing is the process of moving oxygen rich air into and out of the lungs. Respiration refers to all of the processes involved in getting oxygen to tissues, including breathing, diffusion of oxygen from the lungs to the blood, transport by the blood, and diffusion from the blood to tissues. Because body cells are constantly using up oxygen and producing carbon dioxide, the lungs work continuously. An adult normally breathes from 14 to 20 times per minute.