Glossary

The glossary

Every word you meet in a reading, defined clearly and then set back in its context. We start with astrology, and the other practices join in over the coming weeks.

Astrology

55 terms

Sun: The Sun is the central luminary of the birth chart in Western astrology. Its sign, house and aspects describe a person's core identity, their sense of self, their vitality and the direction in which they seek to shine. Tradition treats it as the symbol of conscious spirit and will; psychological astrology reads it as the nucleus of the personality, what one is trying to become over the course of a life. Read →
Moon: The Moon is the second luminary of the birth chart in Western astrology. Its sign and house describe a person's emotional life, their deep needs, their instinctive reflexes and their sense of safety. Tradition links it to the mother, to childhood and to the inner world; psychological astrology reads it as the emotional unconscious, the memory held in the body, and the way one soothes and cares for oneself. Read →
Mercury: Mercury is the planet of mind and communication in Western astrology. Its sign and house describe how a person thinks, learns, speaks and exchanges with others, along with their relationship to information and travel. Tradition casts it as the messenger of the gods, tied to the intellect and to commerce; psychological astrology reads it as the cognitive style, the way one links ideas and puts the world into words. Read →
Venus: Venus is the planet of love, pleasure and values in Western astrology. Its sign and house describe how a person loves, what draws them, what they find beautiful and how they seek harmony in their relationships. Tradition counts it among the benefics, tied to sweetness and to art; psychological astrology reads it as the sense of worth, taste, and the capacity to receive as much as to give. Read →
Mars: Mars is the planet of action, desire and self-assertion in Western astrology. Its place in the birth chart, its sign and house, describes how a person goes after what they want, defends their ground, and handles anger or conflict. Tradition tied it to courage and war; psychological astrology reads it as the instinct to assert oneself and the drive to act. Read →
Jupiter: Jupiter is the planet of expansion, growth and meaning in Western astrology. Its place in the birth chart, its sign and house, describes the area where a person seeks to grow, to understand, and to trust life. Tradition named it the greater benefic, tied to luck and abundance; its shadow side is excess, exaggeration, and promising more than one can deliver. Read →
Saturn: Saturn is the planet of limits, structure and time in Western astrology. Its place in the birth chart, its sign and house, describes the area where a person meets effort, responsibility, and the slow building of maturity. Tradition counted it among the malefics, tied to hardship and lack; the modern reading sees it as the inner teacher that turns fear into lasting competence. Read →
Uranus: Uranus is the planet of rupture, freedom and awakening in Western astrology. The first of the slow planets, it lingers for years in a single sign and so carries a generational coloring; its house in the birth chart locates the area where a person seeks independence, originality, and sudden change. It is linked to innovation, rebellion, and the unexpected that breaks settled routines. Read →
Neptune: Neptune is the planet of dream, imagination and the ideal in Western astrology. A slow, generationally tinged planet, it crosses a sign over some fourteen years; its house in the birth chart marks the area where a person longs for the infinite, draws inspiration, or loses themselves in illusion. It is linked to compassion, spirituality, and art, but also to confusion and escape. Read →
Pluto: Pluto is the planet of depth, power and transformation in Western astrology. The slowest planet, strongly generational in tone, it can stay some twenty years in a single sign; its house in the birth chart shows the area where a person moves through crises, symbolic deaths, and rebirths. It is linked to the unconscious, to intensity, and to everything that plays out in the shadows. Read →
Aries: Aries is the first sign of the zodiac, a cardinal fire sign ruled by Mars, covering roughly 21 March to 19 April. In Western astrology it is tied to drive, initiative and the courage to begin. Having the Sun in Aries describes a person drawn to direct action, self-assertion and fresh starts, sometimes at the cost of patience. Read →
Taurus: Taurus is the second sign of the zodiac, a fixed earth sign ruled by Venus, covering roughly 20 April to 20 May. In Western astrology it is tied to stability, patience and the pleasure of the senses. Having the Sun in Taurus describes a person drawn to security, constancy and the concrete, who builds slowly and keeps what has been built. Read →
Gemini: Gemini is the third sign of the zodiac, a mutable air sign ruled by Mercury, covering roughly 21 May to 20 June. In Western astrology it is tied to curiosity, exchange and mental agility. Having the Sun in Gemini describes a person drawn to communication, learning and the movement of ideas, sometimes scattered from wanting to explore everything at once. Read →
Cancer: Cancer is the fourth sign of the zodiac, a cardinal water sign ruled by the Moon, covering roughly 21 June to 22 July. In Western astrology it is tied to sensitivity, memory and the need to protect loved ones. Having the Sun in Cancer describes a person attuned to their own feelings and to other people's, attached to home, who cares for people before stepping forward. Read →
Leo: Leo is the fifth sign of the zodiac, a fixed fire sign ruled by the Sun, covering roughly 23 July to 22 August. In Western astrology it is tied to radiance, generosity and the need to create. Having the Sun in Leo describes a person drawn to self-expression, warmth and pride, someone who seeks to be seen and recognized for who they truly are. Read →
Virgo: Virgo is the sixth sign of the zodiac, a mutable earth sign ruled by Mercury, covering roughly 23 August to 22 September. In Western astrology it is tied to discernment, service and care for detail. Having the Sun in Virgo describes a person drawn to analysis, practical improvement and usefulness, someone who seeks to make everyday life fairer and more functional. Read →
Libra: Libra is the seventh sign of the zodiac, a cardinal air sign ruled by Venus, covering roughly 23 September to 22 October. In Western astrology it is tied to harmony, relationship and a sense of balance. Having the Sun in Libra describes a person drawn to connection, beauty and the search for the fair middle ground, someone who often defines themselves through their bond with others. Read →
Scorpio: Scorpio is the eighth sign of the zodiac, a fixed water sign traditionally ruled by Mars and, in modern astrology, by Pluto, covering roughly 23 October to 21 November. It is tied to intensity, transformation and hidden depths. Having the Sun in Scorpio describes a person drawn to truth, total commitment and metamorphosis, someone who is never content with the surface of things. Read →
Sagittarius: Sagittarius is the ninth sign of the zodiac, a mutable fire sign ruled by Jupiter, covering roughly 22 November to 21 December. In Western astrology it is tied to the search for meaning, expansion and a hunger for distant horizons. Having the Sun in Sagittarius describes a person drawn to adventure, freedom and the pursuit of truth, sometimes at the cost of restraint and lasting commitment. Read →
Capricorn: Capricorn is the tenth sign of the zodiac, a cardinal earth sign ruled by Saturn, covering roughly 22 December to 19 January. In Western astrology it is tied to ambition, structure and long-term patience. Having the Sun in Capricorn describes a person drawn to responsibility, mastery and lasting achievement, sometimes at the cost of lightness and rest. Read →
Aquarius: Aquarius is the eleventh sign of the zodiac, a fixed air sign whose traditional ruler is Saturn and modern ruler Uranus, covering roughly 20 January to 18 February. In Western astrology it is tied to independence, ideas and a sense of the collective. Having the Sun in Aquarius describes a person drawn to originality, freedom of thought and shared progress, sometimes at the cost of emotional distance. Read →
Pisces: Pisces is the twelfth sign of the zodiac, a mutable water sign whose traditional ruler is Jupiter and modern ruler Neptune, covering roughly 19 February to 20 March. In Western astrology it is tied to sensitivity, imagination and compassion. Having the Sun in Pisces describes a person drawn to empathy, dreaming and inner life, sometimes at the cost of blurred boundaries with the world. Read →
Fire (element): Fire is one of the four elements of Western astrology, shared by Aries, Leo and Sagittarius. It stands for spirit, drive and enthusiasm: a forward-moving energy, quick and spontaneous. Tradition links it to heat, light and the will that fuels action. The Fire signs are described as intuitive, expansive and carried by the desire to move ahead rather than by caution. It is the spark behind beginnings. Read →
Earth (element): Earth is one of the four elements of Western astrology, shared by Taurus, Virgo and Capricorn. It stands for the body, the concrete and stability: an energy that builds, lasts and takes shape in the real world. Tradition links it to matter, the senses and patient work. The Earth signs are described as reliable, grounded and attentive to tangible results rather than to promises. Read →
Air (element): Air is one of the four elements of Western astrology, shared by Gemini, Libra and Aquarius. It stands for the mind, ideas and relationship: an energy turned toward exchange, thought and social connection. Tradition links it to breath, speech and the circulation of concepts. The Air signs are described as curious, communicative and drawn toward others rather than toward silent inwardness. Read →
Water (element): Water is one of the four elements of Western astrology, shared by Cancer, Scorpio and Pisces. It stands for emotion, intuition and depth: a receptive energy that feels and connects through sentiment. Tradition links it to the moon, the tides and the inner world. The Water signs are described as sensitive, empathetic and turned toward what is lived beneath the surface rather than on display. Read →
Cardinal signs: The cardinal signs are one of the three modalities of Western astrology, alongside the fixed and mutable signs. They are Aries, Cancer, Libra and Capricorn. Their role is to initiate: each one opens a season, Aries the spring, Cancer the summer, Libra the autumn, Capricorn the winter. Tradition links them to beginnings, to impulse and to the capacity to set things in motion. Read →
Fixed signs: The fixed signs are one of the three modalities of Western astrology, alongside the cardinal and mutable signs. They are Taurus, Leo, Scorpio and Aquarius. Their role is to stabilize: they hold and sustain what the cardinal signs began, at the heart of each season. Tradition links them to perseverance, loyalty and the strength to keep a steady course over time. Read →
Mutable signs: The mutable signs are one of the three modalities of Western astrology, alongside the cardinal and fixed signs. They are Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius and Pisces. Their role is to adapt: they close each season and prepare the next, carrying the transition. Tradition links them to flexibility, versatility and the art of working with change rather than resisting it. Read →
North Node (lunar): The North Node is one of the two points where the Moon’s orbit crosses the ecliptic, always opposite the South Node. These are not bodies but calculated points. In modern astrology, the North Node marks the direction of growth, what a person is invited to develop. The karmic reading sees it as a compass pointing forward, toward qualities still uncomfortable yet carrying evolution in this life. Read →
South Node (lunar): The South Node is one of the two points where the Moon’s orbit crosses the ecliptic, always opposite the North Node. These are not bodies but calculated points. In modern astrology, the South Node represents the familiar: the innate gifts, the reflexes and the old patterns a person is invited to release. The karmic reading sees it as already-mastered baggage, comfortable but not to be mistaken for one’s life direction. Read →
Ascendant (Rising sign): The Ascendant is the zodiac sign rising on the eastern horizon at the exact moment of birth. It marks the starting point of the birth chart and its twelve houses. Depending on the precise birth time and place, it describes how a person comes across to the world, their first impression and their instinctive approach to life, distinct from the inner Sun sign. Read →
Astrological house: The astrological houses are the twelve sectors of the birth chart, each tied to an area of life: identity, money, relationships, work, home. Calculated from the time and place of birth, they divide the sky around the horizon. Planets fall into these houses, showing the areas of life where their energy expresses itself most concretely. Read →
Aspect: An aspect is the geometric angle formed between two planets in the birth chart, measured along the zodiac. Astrologers read it as the way two energies talk to each other: some angles are flowing and easy, others tense and stimulating. The five major aspects are the conjunction, sextile, square, trine and opposition, the foundation of any reading of a chart's dynamics. Read →
Birth chart: The birth chart is the map of the sky drawn for the exact moment and place of a birth. It places the Sun, the Moon, the planets, the Ascendant and the twelve houses as they stood at that precise time. It is the foundational document of Western astrology, the reference point from which personality, inner dynamics and upcoming transits are read. Read →
Retrograde: Retrograde motion is the apparent backward movement by which a planet seems to reverse course in the sky, seen from Earth. It is an optical effect caused by differing orbital speeds, not a real reversal. In astrology, a retrograde planet invites a return, a review and an inward turn toward whatever it governs. Mercury retrograde is the best-known case. Read →
Transit: A transit is the current position of a planet in the sky, set against a person's birth chart. By comparing where the planets are today to the points of the birth chart, astrology reads the present moment and its timing. Transits are used to illuminate cycles, phases and periods of life, where the birth chart itself stays fixed. Read →
Cazimi: Cazimi describes a planet located at the exact heart of the Sun, within one degree of its position, sometimes tightened to sixteen minutes of arc. In traditional astrology this planet is said to be in the heart of the king and considered strengthened rather than weakened, unlike a planet merely burned by its closeness to the Sun. The term comes from the Arabic kasmimi, itself drawn from Greek. Read →
Combustion: Combustion describes a planet so close to the Sun that it is, in effect, burned, usually between one degree and roughly eight and a half degrees from its position. Invisible, drowned in solar glare, this planet is held to be weakened in traditional astrology: its function stays alive but overrun by the solar will. Further out, to about seventeen degrees, the planet is said to be under the beams, a milder state. Read →
Sect: Sect is a distinction in Hellenistic astrology between day charts and night charts, based on whether the Sun sits above or below the horizon at birth. In a day chart the Sun, Jupiter and Saturn are in sect; in a night chart the Moon, Venus and Mars are. A planet in sect expresses its nature more serenely, a nuance that shades the reading of any chart. Read →
Decan: A decan is a ten-degree subdivision within a zodiac sign, which spans thirty degrees. Each sign therefore breaks into three decans, and astrology traditionally assigns each a ruling planet that colors its tone. This division, inherited from ancient Egypt where each decan answered to a constellation, allows a finer reading of a planet according to its exact position within its sign. Read →
Orb: The orb is the margin of degrees tolerated around an exact aspect for it to count as active. A perfect trine spans one hundred and twenty degrees; with a six-degree orb it stays valid between one hundred and fourteen and one hundred and twenty-six degrees. The smaller the gap to the exact angle, the stronger the aspect is held to be. The orb allowed varies with the planets involved and the astrological school. Read →
Mutual reception: Mutual reception describes two planets each placed in the sign the other governs. Mars in Cancer and the Moon in Aries are in mutual reception, since the Moon rules Cancer and Mars rules Aries. Astrologers read it as an exchange of good offices: each planet, host to the other, welcomes and eases it, like two neighbors doing each other a favor even with no direct aspect between them. Read →
Domicile: Domicile is the sign a planet governs and where it sits most at ease. Mars is in domicile in Aries and Scorpio, Venus in Taurus and Libra, and so on. A planet at home acts with strength and clarity, unhindered: it is the highest of the essential dignities in traditional astrology, the opposite of detriment, where the planet sits in the contrary sign. Read →
Exaltation: Exaltation is the sign where a planet, without being at home, finds itself honored and shown to advantage. The Sun is exalted in Aries, the Moon in Taurus, Saturn in Libra. An exalted planet acts with brilliance and dignity, sometimes with an excess of zeal, like a guest of honor. It is the second essential dignity after domicile, and its opposite is fall, in the opposite sign. Read →
Detriment: Detriment, also called exile, is the sign opposite a planet's domicile, where it feels least at ease. Mars is in detriment in Libra and Taurus, Venus in Aries and Scorpio. Far from home, the planet acts with less assurance and its function meets friction there. It is one of the two essential debilities in traditional astrology, alongside fall. Read →
Fall: Fall is the sign opposite a planet's exaltation, where it is most disregarded. The Sun is in fall in Libra, Saturn in Aries, Venus in Virgo. A planet in fall struggles to be recognized, its function seeming lessened or awkward there. It is one of the two essential debilities in traditional astrology, the inverted mirror of exaltation, where the same planet was held in honor. Read →
Void of course Moon: The Moon is said to be void of course when it will form no further major aspect with another planet before leaving its sign. This window runs from the last exact aspect until the Moon enters the next sign. Horary and electional astrology watch it closely: decisions and launches are traditionally avoided then, treated as an in-between where nothing quite takes. Read →
Ingress: An ingress is the moment a planet enters a new zodiac sign. The Sun's ingress into Aries, for instance, marks the spring equinox and the start of the astrological year. Every sign change of a planet redistributes the sky's emphases and becomes a subject of reading, whether the slow passages of Saturn or the more frequent entries of the Moon and Mercury. Read →
Station: A station is the moment a planet appears motionless in the sky, just before changing its apparent direction. It is called a retrograde station when the planet is about to turn back, and a direct station when it resumes its normal course. Seen from Earth, the planet seems to halt for a few days around the same degree. Astrologers hold this stationary degree to be especially intense and emphasized. Read →
Part of Fortune: The Part of Fortune is a calculated point in the chart, not a celestial body, derived from the positions of the Sun, the Moon and the Ascendant. The best known of the Arabic parts, it traditionally marks an area of well-being, prosperity and bodily ease. Its formula reverses depending on whether the chart is diurnal or nocturnal, tying it directly to the notion of sect inherited from Hellenistic astrology. Read →
Solar return: The solar return is the chart drawn for the exact moment the Sun comes back each year to its natal position, around the birthday. Read as a map of the year ahead, it is compared with the birth chart to draw out its emphases: the Sun's house, the year's Ascendant, the dominant planets. It is one of the oldest and most widely used predictive techniques in astrology. Read →
Profection: The annual profection is a Hellenistic predictive technique that advances a point of the chart by one house for each year of life. At age zero the point starts from the Ascendant, in the first house; at one year it moves to the second house, and so on, completing the zodiac every twelve years. The house thus activated and its lord mark the themes brought forward for the year. Read →
Triplicity: Triplicity groups the three signs of one element, for instance Aries, Leo and Sagittarius for fire. To each of these trios, traditional astrology assigns ruling planets, often distinct depending on whether the chart is diurnal or nocturnal. Triplicity is one of the minor essential dignities: a planet placed there gains a moderate support, less marked than in domicile or exaltation. Read →
Fixed star: Fixed stars are the distant stars of the background sky, as opposed to the wandering planets that move in front of them. Astrology keeps a few dozen, such as Regulus, Algol, Spica or Aldebaran, to which tradition lends marked meanings. When a fixed star conjoins a planet, an angle or a sensitive point of the chart, it is held to color its meaning strongly, for good or ill according to its nature. Read →

Chinese astrology

10 terms

Five Elements (Wuxing 五行): The five elements (wuxing 五行) are the five phases that structure Chinese astrology: Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water. Two cycles bind them. The generating cycle (sheng) runs Wood→Fire→Earth→Metal→Water→Wood, each feeding the next: Wood fuels Fire, Fire leaves ash (Earth), Earth bears Metal, Metal condenses Water, Water nourishes Wood. The controlling cycle (ke) skips one step: Wood→Earth→Water→Fire→Metal→Wood, each phase subduing the one it crosses. Read →
Yin and Yang (陰陽): Yin and yang (陰陽) are the two complementary polarities of Chinese thought, and in astrology they tint every element and every year. Yang is active, bright, expansive; yin is receptive, dark, contracting. Across the sixty-year cycle, polarity alternates strictly year by year: a yang year is always followed by a yin year. Years ending in an even digit are yang, those ending in an odd digit are yin, which pairs each animal with a single fixed polarity. Read →
Earthly Branches (Dizhi 地支): The twelve earthly branches (dizhi 地支) are the series of twelve signs that carry the twelve animals of the Chinese zodiac and divide time into twelve parts. In order: Zi (Rat), Chou (Ox), Yin (Tiger), Mao (Rabbit), Chen (Dragon), Si (Snake), Wu (Horse), Wei (Goat), Shen (Monkey), You (Rooster), Xu (Dog), Hai (Pig). Each branch governs one year, one month, and one two-hour slot of the day, making it the underlying clock of the Ba Zi. Read →
Heavenly Stems (Tiangan 天干): The ten heavenly stems (tiangan 天干) are the series of ten signs that express the five elements doubled by yin and yang. Each element appears twice, first yang then yin: Jia and Yi (Wood), Bing and Ding (Fire), Wu and Ji (Earth), Geng and Xin (Metal), Ren and Gui (Water). In the calendar these ten stems pair with the twelve earthly branches to form the sixty-year cycle. The stem brings the elemental quality and polarity of each pillar. Read →
Sexagenary cycle (Ganzhi 干支): The sexagenary cycle (ganzhi 干支) is the wheel of sixty combinations pairing the ten heavenly stems with the twelve earthly branches. Its length of sixty is no arbitrary choice: it is the least common multiple of 10 and 12, that is 60. Stem and branch each advance one step every year, but since one counts by ten and the other by twelve, it takes sixty years for an exact combination to return. This wheel is what blends an animal with an element for any given year. Read →
Secret animal (hour animal): The secret animal, or inner animal, is the Chinese sign set by the hour of birth rather than the year. The day is split into twelve two-hour slots, each ruled by an earthly branch and its animal. The hour of the Rat covers 11pm-1am, the Ox 1am-3am, and so on through to the Pig (9pm-11pm). A birth at 9am falls under the Snake (hour of Si, 9am-11am). It is called secret because it reveals the most intimate part, hidden behind the year animal. Read →
Affinity triangles (compatibility): The four affinity triangles (san he 三合) group the twelve Chinese animals into four trios held to be naturally compatible. Each trio gathers signs set four steps apart on the wheel: Rat, Dragon and Monkey (the doers); Ox, Snake and Rooster (the strategists); Tiger, Horse and Dog (the independents); Rabbit, Goat and Pig (the diplomats). Conversely, animals opposite by six ranks are said to clash. This pattern is the basis for reading compatibility. Read →
Fixed element of the sign vs element of the year: Each Chinese animal carries a fixed element, bound to it forever, distinct from the variable element given by the birth year. The fixed element comes from the branch’s season: Tiger and Rabbit are Wood (spring), Snake and Horse are Fire (summer), Monkey and Rooster are Metal (autumn), Pig and Rat are Water (winter), while Ox, Dragon, Goat and Dog are Earth (the between-seasons). The year element, by contrast, changes with the heavenly stem and turns every sixty years. Read →
Ba Zi (八字, the four pillars of destiny): The Ba Zi (八字), or four pillars of destiny, is the birth chart of Chinese astrology. It is built from four pillars, one for the year, month, day and hour of birth, each made of a heavenly stem set upon an earthly branch. This yields eight characters in all, which is literally what ba zi means: "eight characters". The stem of the day pillar, called the day master, stands for the person; the balance of the five elements across the eight is then read to grasp temperament and destiny. Read →
Chinese New Year (movable date): Chinese New Year marks the change of zodiac animal, and its date shifts each year between 21 January and 20 February. The traditional rule fixes it to the second new moon after the winter solstice, anchoring it to the Chinese luni-solar calendar. The direct consequence for astrology: someone born in late January or early February may belong to the previous year’s animal, as long as the new year has not yet arrived. The date is therefore never 1 January. Read →

Lunar calendar

18 terms

Lunar phase: A lunar phase is one of the shapes the Moon takes across a roughly 29.5-day cycle, as the angle between the Sun, Earth and Moon shifts. The visible lit portion moves from the new moon (a dark disc) to the full moon (a fully lit disc) and back toward darkness. Tradition reads this cycle as a kind of breathing, from first impulse to ripeness and then release. Read →
New moon: The new moon is the phase when the Sun and Moon are aligned on the same side of Earth (in conjunction). The Moon’s lit face then turns away from us, so its disc stays dark and is almost invisible in the sky. This is the dark moon, the start of the cycle. Many traditions treat it as a threshold for beginnings and for setting intentions. Read →
Full moon: The full moon is the phase when the Sun and Moon sit on opposite sides of Earth, in opposition. The face of the Moon turned toward us is then fully lit and appears as a round, bright disc all night long. This is the peak of the cycle. Tradition links it to culmination, to what has come to ripeness, and to the moment of releasing what has run its course. Read →
First quarter: The first quarter is the waxing half-moon, seen about a week after the new moon. The Sun and Moon then form a right angle as viewed from Earth, and exactly half of the visible disc appears lit. The bright part keeps growing toward the full moon. Tradition links this point in the cycle to tension, decision, and stepping into action. Read →
Last quarter: The last quarter is the waning half-moon, seen about a week after the full moon. The Sun and Moon again form a right angle as viewed from Earth, and half of the visible disc appears lit, but the bright part is now shrinking toward the new moon. Tradition links this moment to review, sorting, and letting go of what no longer fits. Read →
Waxing moon: The waxing moon refers to the whole half of the cycle running from the new moon to the full moon. Evening after evening, the lit part of the visible disc grows, as the Moon moves away from the Sun in the sky. It covers the first crescent, the first quarter and the waxing gibbous moon. Tradition sees it as a phase of momentum, when you build and gather. Read →
Waning moon: The waning moon refers to the whole half of the cycle running from the full moon to the new moon. Evening after evening, the lit part of the visible disc shrinks, as the Moon moves back toward the Sun in the sky. It covers the waning gibbous moon, the last quarter and the final crescent. Tradition sees it as a phase of release and rest, when you cut back and settle. Read →
Eclipse: An eclipse happens when a new moon or full moon falls near the lunar nodes, the two points where the Moon’s orbit crosses Earth’s path around the Sun. At a new moon, the Moon then hides the Sun (a solar eclipse); at a full moon, Earth’s shadow veils the Moon (a lunar eclipse). Tradition sees it as a threshold moment, heightened, that marks a turning point. Read →
Lunar nodes: The lunar nodes are the two points where the Moon’s orbit crosses the ecliptic, the plane of the Sun’s apparent path. The north node marks where the Moon climbs above that plane, the south node where it dips below. They are not bodies but geometric points, and they drift backward through the zodiac over roughly 18.6 years. Astrology reads their axis as a line of growth, between the familiar and the calling. Read →
Black Moon Lilith: Black Moon Lilith is a calculated point in the birth chart, not a body: it corresponds to the apogee of the Moon’s orbit, the spot where the Moon swings farthest from Earth. There are two definitions: mean Black Moon Lilith, which smooths the apogee’s motion, and true (osculating) Black Moon Lilith, which follows its actual wobble. Astrology reads this point as a wild, unsubdued part of the personality. Read →
Eclipse season: An eclipse season is the window of about thirty-five days during which the Sun travels close to a lunar node. Every new moon in it becomes a solar eclipse, every full moon a lunar eclipse: eclipses therefore arrive in pairs, sometimes threes, roughly twice a year. Because the nodal axis slowly drifts backward, each season shifts about ten days earlier from one year to the next. Astrology reads these as weeks of concentrated change. Read →
Void-of-course Moon: A void-of-course Moon is the stretch when the Moon, before it leaves a zodiac sign, has already made its last major aspect to the other planets. Until it enters the next sign, it travels without forming any new connection. The idea comes from classical horary astrology, where a void Moon flagged a question that would come to nothing. The span ranges from a few minutes to more than a day. Read →
Lunar return: A lunar return is the moment the Moon comes back to the exact position it held in the natal chart, which happens roughly every 27.3 days, the length of the sidereal month. Predictive astrology casts a chart for that precise instant and reads it as the emotional weather of the month ahead. It is the lunar counterpart of the solar return, which is calculated for the birthday instead. Read →
Lunar gardening: Lunar gardening is the practice of timing garden work, sowing, transplanting, pruning, harvesting, to the Moon’s cycle: waxing and waning phases, ascending and descending moon, sometimes the zodiac sign it is crossing. This country tradition, carried on by biodynamic calendars, organizes the gardener’s month. Controlled agronomic trials have found no reproducible effect of the Moon on crops, and the practice mostly works as a rhythm of attention. Read →
Ascending moon: The ascending moon is the roughly thirteen-day stretch when the Moon rises a little higher in the sky each day, its declination climbing along the zodiac. It is not the same as the waxing moon, which describes the lit portion of the disc: ascending is about height, waxing is about light. Gardening tradition reads it as sap rising toward the aerial parts of plants. Read →
Descending moon: The descending moon is the roughly thirteen-day stretch when the Moon rises a little lower in the sky each day, its height falling along the zodiac. It is not the same as the waning moon, which describes the disc losing its lit portion: descending is about height, waning is about light. Gardening tradition reads it as sap sinking back toward the roots. Read →
Red moon (lune rousse): The lune rousse is, in French rural tradition, the lunation that begins just after Easter, roughly between late April and late May. Its name comes from the belief that its light scorches young shoots. In reality the damage comes from late frosts on clear spring nights, not from the Moon: a folk concept grafted onto a very real weather phenomenon. Read →
Blue moon: A blue moon is, in the modern popular sense, the second full moon in a single calendar month; in the older almanac sense, the third full moon in a season that has four. It happens because the 29.5-day lunar month is slightly shorter than most calendar months. The phrase once in a blue moon marks the same rarity, which returns roughly every two to three years. Read →

Tarot

20 terms

Major Arcana: The Major Arcana are the 22 master cards of the tarot, numbered from The Fool (0) to The World (21), also called trumps. Each one embodies a great archetypal figure, and together they trace what is often called the Fool’s journey: a symbolic passage through life’s major inner stages. In a reading, their presence points to deep themes rather than everyday details. Read →
Minor Arcana: The Minor Arcana are the 56 tarot cards divided into four suits: Cups, Swords, Wands and Pentacles. Each suit runs from Ace to Ten and is completed by four court cards (Page, Knight, Queen, King). Where the Major Arcana speak of great themes, the Minor Arcana tell the story of daily life: concrete situations, gestures, relationships and the practical tasks of everyday living. Read →
Cups (tarot): Cups are one of the four suits of the tarot’s Minor Arcana, tied to the element Water. They speak of the heart: emotions, bonds, love, intuition. In a reading, a majority of Cups turns the focus toward emotional life and feeling rather than action or material matters. The suit runs from Ace to Ten, completed by its four court cards. Read →
Swords (tarot): Swords are one of the four suits of the tarot’s Minor Arcana, tied to the element Air. They speak of the mind: thought, ideas, speech, but also conflict, choices and the search for truth. In a reading, a majority of Swords turns the focus toward the mental realm and tension rather than the heart or material life. The suit runs from Ace to Ten. Read →
Wands (tarot): Wands are one of the four suits of the tarot’s Minor Arcana, tied to the element Fire. They speak of momentum: energy, action, creativity, desire, projects that are getting started. In a reading, a majority of Wands turns the focus toward movement and initiative rather than feeling or material concerns. The suit runs from Ace to Ten, completed by its four court cards. Read →
Pentacles (tarot): Pentacles are one of the four suits of the tarot’s Minor Arcana, tied to the element Earth. They are also called Coins or Deniers. They speak of the concrete: work, the body, money, home, all that is built over time. In a reading, a majority of Pentacles anchors the focus in the real and the material rather than in emotion or idea. The suit runs from Ace to Ten. Read →
Reversed card: A reversed card is one drawn upside down, its image appearing inverted to the reader. Far from being bad news, it brings a nuance: a softened or delayed meaning, a turn inward, or a blockage to loosen. Not every method reads reversals, and some readers prefer to keep all cards upright. It is a reading option, not a rule. Read →
Marseille Tarot: The Marseille Tarot is the classic 78-card deck, descended from patterns printed in Europe from the 17th and 18th centuries onward. It gathers 22 Major Arcana and 56 Minor Arcana across four suits. Recognizable by its clean lines and flat color blocks, it is readily read as a mirror of the self rather than a tool of prediction. It is one of the most widespread tarot families. Read →
Cross spread (five cards): The cross spread, or five-card cross, is the most common tarot reading method in the French tradition. Five cards form a cross: on the left the favorable forces, on the right the obstacles, at the top what sheds light on the question, at the bottom the possible outcome, and at the center the synthesis. Often drawn with the Major Arcana of the Marseille Tarot alone, it offers a simple frame for exploring one precise question. Read →
Asking the tarot a question: A tarot question is the way a query is framed for the cards before a reading. Tradition favors open questions (what is at play in this relationship, how to approach this change) over closed ones that call for a yes or a no. A clear question shapes the whole reading: it sets the frame in which each card will be interpreted and turns the draw into an exploration rather than a binary answer. Read →
Court cards: The court cards are the sixteen character cards of the tarot’s Minor Arcana: Page, Knight, Queen and King in each of the four suits. They can stand for people around you, facets of your own personality, or attitudes toward a situation. Each court card combines the maturity of its rank with the element of its suit, forming a gallery of sixteen characters that a reading brings to life. Read →
Rider-Waite-Smith: The Rider-Waite-Smith is the tarot deck conceived by A.E. Waite, drawn by Pamela Colman Smith and published in London by the Rider company in 1909. Its great innovation: the 56 Minor Arcana are illustrated with full scenes, where earlier decks showed only repeated symbols. It became the dominant model of English-language tarot and has inspired the majority of contemporary decks. Read →
The Fool’s journey: The Fool’s journey is a symbolic reading of the 22 Major Arcana as a path of initiation: from The Magician (I), the young energy that already holds every tool, to The World (XXI), the figure of fulfillment, with The Fool wandering freely through each stage. Every arcanum becomes a station of inner ripening. This reading frame, carried by the psychological approach to tarot, turns the deck into a story of growth. Read →
Tarot and psychology: Tarot and psychology meet around the notion of the archetype developed by Carl Gustav Jung: the figures of the tarot are seen as embodying universal patterns of the psyche (the Mother, the Sage, the Shadow). In this approach the reading works through projection: the images serve as a support for what the person places upon them, and the draw becomes a tool for self-exploration, a mirror, never a verdict. Read →
Celtic Cross: The Celtic Cross is the most widespread tarot spread in the English-speaking world, popularized by A.E. Waite in 1911. It lays out ten cards in fixed positions: 1 the situation, 2 what crosses it, 3 the foundation, 4 the recent past, 5 the conscious aim, 6 the near future, then a column of four (7 the querent’s attitude, 8 the surroundings, 9 hopes and fears, 10 the outcome). Each position steers the meaning of its card. Read →
Tarot numerology: Tarot numerology reads a card’s number as a stage in a cycle from one to ten. The classic pattern: 1 (Ace) the seed and potential, 2 balance and choice, 3 creation and growth, 4 stability, 5 crisis and change, 6 harmony, 7 testing and reflection, 8 movement and power, 9 near-fulfillment, 10 completion that begins a new cycle. The same number links all four suits. Read →
Tarot and astrology: Tarot and astrology meet through a system of correspondences fixed by the Golden Dawn esoteric society around 1888. Each Major Arcanum receives a planet, sign or element: The Empress to Venus, The Emperor to Aries, The Moon to Pisces, The Sun to the Sun. The numbered Minor Arcana are spread across the twelve signs by decans, each card from two to ten covering ten degrees of the zodiac. Read →
Three-card spread: The three-card spread is the tarot’s most-used short reading: three cards in a row, each holding a position decided in advance. The best-known frame is past, present, future, but others serve just as well: situation, action, outcome; body, heart, mind; you, the other, the relationship. The method’s strength is its constraint: only three positions force a single clear angle. Read →
Reversed meaning: The reversed meaning is the sense given to a card drawn upside down. Rather than a flat negative, tradition offers several frames: blocked or repressed energy, a softened or delayed sense, a movement turned inward, or an excess and imbalance of the card’s quality. Statistically, a well-shuffled card comes up reversed about half the time; some methods choose never to read reversals at all. Read →
Ace (tarot): An Ace is the first numbered card of each of the four Minor Arcana suits, four Aces in a 78-card deck. It carries the number 1: the pure seed of its element, potential not yet unfolded. Ace of Wands the creative spark (Fire), Ace of Cups the source of feeling (Water), Ace of Swords the cutting idea (Air), Ace of Pentacles the material seed (Earth). It is the raw gift of the suit. Read →

Numerology

18 terms

Life path number: The life path number is the central figure of Pythagorean numerology. It is calculated by adding every digit of the full birth date (day, month, year), then reducing the total to a single digit from 1 to 9, unless a master number appears. It describes the main route of a life, its recurring lessons and the underlying direction a person tends toward across the years. Read →
Expression number: The expression number is calculated from all the letters of the full birth name, given names and surname. In the Pythagorean tradition, each letter receives a value from 1 to 9, and the sum is reduced to a single digit. Also called the destiny number, it describes a person’s natural talents, abilities and the way they act and unfold in the world. Read →
Soul urge number: The soul urge number is calculated from the vowels alone of the full birth name. Each vowel receives its value from 1 to 9 in the Pythagorean table, and the sum is reduced to a single digit. Often called the heart’s desire number, it describes a person’s deep longing, their hidden motivation and what truly moves them, beneath the image they present to others. Read →
Personality number: The personality number is calculated from the consonants alone of the full birth name. Each consonant receives its value from 1 to 9 in the Pythagorean table, and the sum is reduced to a single digit. It describes a person’s outward image, the first impression they give and the part of themselves they spontaneously show to others before being known more deeply. Read →
Personal year: The personal year is calculated by adding the day and month of birth to the current calendar year, then reducing the total to a digit from 1 to 9. It describes the climate of a given year, its dominant tone and the kind of experiences that tend to arise within it. It belongs to a recurring nine-year cycle, from the initiating 1 to the closing 9. Read →
Master numbers: The master numbers are 11, 22 and 33. In the Pythagorean tradition, they are not reduced to a single digit when they arise in a calculation, unlike other totals. Made of doubled digits, they carry a vibration held to be higher and more demanding: an enlarged potential, but also a tension to inhabit, where 11 amplifies the 2, 22 the 4 and 33 the 6. Read →
Numerological reduction: Numerological reduction is the basic operation of Pythagorean numerology: the digits of a number are added together, again and again, until only a single digit from 1 to 9 remains. For example, 1987 gives 1+9+8+7 = 25, then 2+5 = 7. The one exception is the master numbers 11, 22 and 33, which are kept without reducing them. This is how a date or a name becomes a single readable figure. Read →
Master number: A master number is one of the three double-digit numbers of Pythagorean numerology: 11, 22 and 33. Unlike other totals, it is not reduced to a single digit when it appears in a calculation. Tradition gives each its own calling: 11 is called the inspired one or the messenger, 22 the builder, 33 the master teacher. Each amplifies the simple number it sits over: 2, 4 and 6. Read →
Soul number: The soul number is found by adding the values of the vowels in the full birth name, using the Pythagorean table where each letter is worth 1 to 9, then reducing the sum to a single digit or a master number. Also called the soul urge or the heart’s desire number, it describes a person’s deeper motivation: what they truly want, beyond their visible talents and the image they project. Read →
Karmic debt numbers: In modern numerology, the karmic debt numbers are the totals 13, 14, 16 and 19 met during a calculation before reduction. Tradition reads them as karmic debts: lessons left unfinished that ask to be worked on again in this life, 13 touching effort, 14 freedom, 16 bonds and 19 power. Reduced, they give 4, 5, 7 and 1, which they color with a particular demand. Read →
Nine-year cycle: The nine-year cycle is the underlying rhythm of Pythagorean numerology: the personal years follow one another from 1 to 9, then the cycle starts over. Each position carries its own tone, from the 1 of beginnings to the 9 of taking stock and clearing out, passing through the 4 of groundwork and the 7 of inwardness. This repeated movement draws seasons of life: sowing, growth, harvest, release. Read →
Theosophical reduction: Theosophical reduction is the founding operation of numerology: adding the digits of a number, then starting again on the result, until a single digit from 1 to 9 remains. So 1987 gives 1+9+8+7 = 25, then 2+5 = 7. Inherited from the Pythagorean tradition, it has a counterpart in theosophical addition, which sums every whole number from 1 up to the number studied. Only the master numbers 11, 22 and 33 escape reduction. Read →
Pythagorean table: The Pythagorean table is the grid assigning each letter of the alphabet a value from 1 to 9 by position: A=1, B=2, C=3, D=4, E=5, F=6, G=7, H=8, I=9, then J starts again at 1, K=2, and so on through Z=8. It is the basic tool of modern Western numerology: it converts a name into numbers to calculate the expression, soul urge and personality numbers. Read →
Personal month: The personal month is calculated by adding the figure of the current personal year to the calendar month number, then reducing the total to a digit from 1 to 9. For example, in a personal year 5, the month of March (3) gives 5+3 = 8, a personal month 8. It refines the personal year by giving it a shorter tone, month after month, within the nine-year cycle. Read →
Personal day: The personal day is calculated by adding the figure of the current personal month to the calendar day number, then reducing the total to a digit from 1 to 9. For example, in a personal month 8, the 6th of the month gives 8+6 = 14, then 1+4 = 5, a personal day 5. It is the finest scale of cyclic numerology: the tone of a single day, nested in the month, itself within the year. Read →
Active number: The active number is calculated from the letters of the given name alone, the one a person introduces themselves by and is called. Each letter receives its value from 1 to 9 in the Pythagorean table, and the sum is reduced to a single digit. Also called the first-name number, it describes the most active and immediate part of the personality, the natural way of acting and getting into motion day to day. Read →
Hereditary number: The hereditary number is calculated from the letters of the surname alone. Each letter receives its value from 1 to 9 in the Pythagorean table, and the sum is reduced to a single digit. It describes the family inheritance carried by the family name: the traits, resources and patterns passed down through the lineage. Paired with the active number drawn from the given name, it completes the expression number of the full name. Read →
Birth day number: The birth day number is the day of the month a person was born on, reduced to a digit from 1 to 9, unless it is a master number. For a birth on the 27th, you do 2+7 = 9; for the 22nd, you keep 22. Distinct from the life path, which uses the whole date, it highlights a particular talent or innate gift tied to the day of birth alone. Read →

Lithotherapy

12 terms

Lithotherapy: Lithotherapy is a symbolic, cultural practice of using stones and crystals to support intentions and a sense of wellbeing. Inherited from ancient traditions, it associates each mineral with qualities drawn from its color and symbolism. It is a tradition of wellbeing and symbolism: a stone is chosen here much as one might choose any object that carries personal meaning, for its feel and its intention. Read →
Chakra: In the Indian tradition, the chakras are seven energy centers aligned along the spine, from the root to the crown of the head. Each is linked to a color, a life theme and a part of the body. In lithotherapy, stones are mapped to the chakras by their color and symbolism: a pink crystal for the heart, a violet crystal for the crown. It is a symbolic framework, not an anatomy. Read →
Cleansing a stone: Cleansing a stone is the ritual of clearing it and then recharging it in lithotherapy. Clearing is done with water, herb smoke or sound; recharging, with moonlight or a cluster of quartz. In the tradition this is above all a gesture of renewed intention, a way to reset the stone before entrusting it with a new wish. No physical change to the mineral is involved. Read →
Amethyst: Amethyst is a purple variety of quartz, ranging in tone from pale mauve to deep violet. In lithotherapy, tradition associates it with calm, intuition and restful sleep, and links it to the third-eye and crown chakras. Widespread and easy to find, it often appears as geodes or points. These correspondences belong to symbolism and culture, not to any demonstrated effect on the body. Read →
Rose quartz: Rose quartz is a pale pink variety of quartz, sometimes deepening to a stronger rose. In lithotherapy, tradition associates it with tenderness, self-love and gentleness, and links it to the heart chakra. Often milky and translucent, it appears as polished pebbles or rough blocks. These associations are symbolic and cultural, with no proven effect on health or emotions. Read →
Obsidian: Obsidian is a natural volcanic glass, most often deep glossy black, formed by the rapid cooling of lava. In lithotherapy, tradition associates it with protection and grounding, and links it to the root chakra. Its smooth, mirror-like surface has been used since ancient times to make tools and mirrors. These correspondences belong to symbolism and culture, not to any verified effect on the body. Read →
Citrine: Citrine is a yellow to golden variety of quartz, its tone recalling honey or autumn sunlight. In lithotherapy, tradition associates it with joy, confidence and abundance, and links it to the solar plexus chakra. Naturally rare, it is often produced by heating amethyst. These correspondences belong to symbolism and culture, to an old imagination rather than a science. Read →
Mohs scale: The Mohs scale is a scale of mineral hardness devised in 1812 by the German mineralogist Friedrich Mohs. It ranks ten reference minerals, from talc (1) to diamond (10), by their ability to scratch one another: each mineral scratches all those below it. Still used in mineralogy and gemmology, it also helps in everyday practice to know which stones can take water, salt or friction. Read →
Quartz: Quartz is one of the most abundant minerals in the Earth's crust, made of crystallized silicon dioxide (SiO₂). With a hardness of 7 on the Mohs scale, it comes in many varieties: colorless rock crystal, purple amethyst, golden citrine, rose and smoky quartz. In lithotherapy, lapidaries have credited it since antiquity as an amplifier and an all-purpose stone, the bedrock of most collections. Read →
Geode: A geode is a rock cavity whose inner walls are lined with crystals, formed over millennia by underground waters rich in dissolved minerals. The best known are the amethyst geodes of Brazil and Uruguay, sometimes as tall as a person. In lithotherapy, tradition treats it as a centerpiece, set in a living space for its presence, and as a natural support for recharging other stones. Read →
Tumbled stone: A tumbled stone is a piece of rough mineral mechanically polished in a rotating drum with progressively finer abrasives, until it takes on a rounded shape that is smooth to the touch. It is the most common format in lithotherapy, valued for its affordable price and the ease with which it slips into a pocket or sits in the hand. Polishing changes nothing in the nature of the mineral, only its surface. Read →
Crystal elixir: A crystal elixir is water in which a stone has rested, or to which it has been presented, so as to pass on, in the lithotherapy tradition, the imprint of the mineral. Medieval lapidaries already prepared such gem waters. The modern method favors indirect infusion: the stone sits in a separate glass container, because some minerals dissolve in water or release elements such as copper or aluminum into it. Read →

Enneagram

18 terms

Enneagram: The Enneagram is a personality model that describes nine core types, numbered 1 through 9 and arranged on a nine-pointed geometric figure. Each type organizes around a basic fear and a basic desire that steer its deepest motivations. Structured by Claudio Naranjo and later popularized by Helen Palmer and by Riso and Hudson, the model connects the types through wings and arrows, which makes it a dynamic map rather than a simple classification. Read →
The nine personality types: The Enneagram distinguishes nine personality types, defined by their deep motivation rather than their visible behaviors: the 1 Perfectionist, the 2 Helper, the 3 Achiever, the 4 Individualist, the 5 Investigator, the 6 Loyalist, the 7 Enthusiast, the 8 Challenger, and the 9 Peacemaker. The labels vary from author to author, but the logic stays the same: each type organizes around a basic fear and a basic desire, then shades into nuance through its wings and arrows. Read →
Gut center (instinctive triad): The gut center gathers types 8, 9, and 1 of the Enneagram. Also called the body center or the instinctive triad, it brings together the personalities whose dominant intelligence runs through instinct, action, and physical presence. Its underlying emotion is anger: the 8 expresses it openly, the 9 numbs it to keep the peace, and the 1 turns it inward as demanding standards. With the heart and head centers, it forms one of the model's three founding triads. Read →
Heart center (feeling triad): The heart center gathers types 2, 3, and 4 of the Enneagram. Also called the feeling triad, it brings together the personalities whose dominant intelligence runs through connection, image, and emotional resonance. Its underlying emotion is shame: the 2 compensates by becoming indispensable, the 3 by collecting achievements, and the 4 by cultivating its singularity. With the gut and head centers, it forms one of the model's three founding triads. Read →
Head center (thinking triad): The head center gathers types 5, 6, and 7 of the Enneagram. Also called the thinking triad, it brings together the personalities whose dominant intelligence runs through thought, anticipation, and the search for solid footing. Its underlying emotion is fear: the 5 guards against it through knowledge, the 6 through vigilance, and the 7 through flight toward possibility. With the gut and heart centers, it completes the model's three founding triads. Read →
Wing (Enneagram): A wing is one of the two types adjacent to the main type on the Enneagram circle. A type 4 can thus carry a 3 wing or a 5 wing, which colors the personality without replacing it. Most authors hold that one wing dominates, which yields noticeably different profiles within a single type. This idea explains why two people of the same type can look so unalike at first glance. Read →
Direction of integration (growth arrow): The direction of integration is, for each Enneagram type, the inner line that points toward its path of growth. As a person gains security and maturity, they reach the healthy qualities of the connected type: the 1 opens to the spontaneity of the 7, the 5 to the quiet strength of the 8, the 9 to the drive of the 3. Riso and Hudson call this the direction of integration: not a change of type, but a widening of the repertoire. Read →
Direction of disintegration (stress arrow): The direction of disintegration is, for each Enneagram type, the inner line traveled under prolonged stress. The person then takes on certain reflexes of the connected type, often in their least settled form: the 1 slides toward the melancholy of the 4, the 9 toward the anxiety of the 6, the 2 toward the harshness of the 8. Riso and Hudson call this the direction of disintegration: a valuable warning signal rather than a fate. Read →
Basic fear: The basic fear is, in the Enneagram, the fundamental dread that structures each of the nine types. Formalized by Don Richard Riso and Russ Hudson, it names what the type tries to avoid at all costs: being corrupt or defective for the 1, being unworthy of love for the 2, being without value for the 3, or loss and separation for the 9. Together with the basic desire, it forms the type's motivational core. Read →
Basic desire: The basic desire is, in the Enneagram, the fundamental longing that answers each type's basic fear. In Riso and Hudson, it names what the personality seeks most deeply: integrity for the 1, love for the 2, recognized worth for the 3, inner peace for the 9. Pursued rigidly, this desire tenses into compulsion; recognized and welcomed, it becomes a compass again. Read →
Triad (Enneagram): A triad is a grouping of three Enneagram types that share a common dynamic. The best-known split distinguishes three centers: gut (8, 9, 1), heart (2, 3, 4), and head (5, 6, 7), each tied to a structuring emotion of anger, shame, or fear. Riso and Hudson propose other triads, such as the Hornevian groups (assertive, compliant, withdrawn), which cut across the grid differently. These three-by-three readings give the model its depth. Read →
Enneagram test: An Enneagram test is a questionnaire meant to identify a person's dominant type among the nine of the model. The best known, the RHETI (Riso-Hudson Enneagram Type Indicator), is a registered trademark of the Enneagram Institute. Every questionnaire shares a structural limit: it measures reported behaviors, while the type is defined by a deep motivation that is sometimes invisible to the person. The result works as a starting hypothesis, to be confirmed through self-observation. Read →
Self-preservation subtype: The self-preservation subtype is one of three instincts that combine with each of the nine Enneagram types. This instinct directs attention toward material survival: health, safety, resources, and comfort of home. Combined with the other two instincts (social and sexual), it produces the twenty-seven subtypes described by Claudio Naranjo. A person dominated by self-preservation watches first for what secures continuity and concrete autonomy, before social standing or the intensity of bonding. Read →
Social subtype: The social subtype is one of the three Enneagram instincts, combined with each of the nine types. This instinct directs attention toward the group: belonging, place in the community, recognition, and a sense of collective usefulness. With the self-preservation and sexual instincts, it forms the twenty-seven subtypes described by Claudio Naranjo. A person dominated by the social instinct reads group dynamics, status, and contribution first, before material security or one-to-one intensity. Read →
Sexual subtype (one-to-one): The sexual subtype, also called one-to-one, is one of the three Enneagram instincts combined with each of the nine types. This instinct directs attention toward intensity and merging: attraction, privileged connection, stimulation, and chemistry with one person or subject. With the self-preservation and social instincts, it forms the twenty-seven subtypes described by Claudio Naranjo. A person dominated by the sexual instinct seeks the depth of an intense bond first, before material security or place in the group. Read →
Passion (Enneagram): In Naranjo’s Enneagram, the passion is the vice-emotion that dominates each type’s heart, drawn from the seven deadly sins expanded to nine. Each type has its own: anger for the 1, pride for the 2, vanity for the 3, envy for the 4, avarice for the 5, fear for the 6, gluttony for the 7, excess or lust for the 8, and self-forgetting sloth (acedia) for the 9. The passion is the emotional distortion; the fixation is its mental counterpart. Read →
Fixation (Enneagram): In Naranjo’s Enneagram, the fixation is the recurring mental pattern that keeps each type inside its own logic: the automatic thought twinned with the emotional passion. Each type has its own: resentment for the 1, flattery for the 2, vanity for the 3, melancholy for the 4, retention for the 5, doubt or blame for the 6, anticipation for the 7, vengeance or justice for the 8, indolence for the 9. The fixation spins in the head, the passion burns in the heart. Read →
Hornevian groups: The Hornevian groups are three Enneagram triads describing how each type positions itself toward others, drawn from the interpersonal stances of psychoanalyst Karen Horney. Riso and Hudson apply them as follows: the assertive types, who move forward (3, 7, 8); the compliant types, who move toward others (1, 2, 6); and the withdrawn types, who move away (4, 5, 9). This grid cuts across the centers and refines how a type’s relational dynamic is read. Read →

Dream analysis

10 terms

Lucid dreaming: Lucid dreaming is a dream in which the sleeper becomes aware that they are dreaming, sometimes to the point of shaping how the scene unfolds. Described since antiquity and named by the Dutch psychiatrist Frederik van Eeden in 1913, it most often arises during REM sleep, the stage when dreams are most vivid. Awareness coexists with the dreaming state without breaking the sleep itself. Read →
Nightmare: A nightmare is a dream charged with enough dread to wake the sleeper, who often keeps a sharp memory of it. It tends to strike late in the night, during REM sleep, when dream activity is richest. Universal and common in childhood, it stages fear, pursuit, falling or loss. Traditions long read it as a message from the soul, where modern research sees an emotional overflow seeking release. Read →
Sleep paralysis: Sleep paralysis is a brief, harmless state in which the mind wakes before the body regains its mobility, at the edge of falling asleep or waking up. For a few seconds to a few minutes, the sleeper is aware yet unable to move or speak, sometimes alongside images or a felt presence. It reflects the muscular atonia of REM sleep lingering while consciousness has already returned. Very common, it fades on its own. Read →
REM sleep: REM sleep, named for the rapid eye movement that defines it, is the stage of sleep where the most vivid and story-like dreams arise. Discovered in 1953 by Aserinsky and Kleitman, it owes its alternate name, paradoxical sleep, to a striking contrast: the brain is nearly as active as in waking while the body’s muscles go slack, with only the eyes darting beneath the lids. It returns in cycles throughout the night. Read →
Dream interpretation: Dream interpretation is the practice of seeking meaning in the images of sleep by tying them to the dreamer’s inner life and experience. Present in nearly every culture, from the dream books of antiquity to the modern schools, it takes a decisive turn in 1900 with Freud, who saw the dream as the royal road to the unconscious. Jung carried it further, reading the dream as a language of symbols. It lights up the dreamer like a mirror, never a verdict. Read →
Dream symbol: A dream symbol is an image in a dream that carries meaning beyond its surface: a house, a staircase, water, an animal that point to an inner reality. For Jung, these symbols form the natural language of the dream, at once personal and fed by images shared across humanity. Their meaning is never fixed: it depends on the dreamer, their life and their feeling. The same symbol can speak very differently from one person to the next. Read →
Recurring dream: A recurring dream is one that returns several times, identical or with variations, sometimes over years. Very common, it often stages universal themes: being chased, falling, losing teeth, sitting an exam, finding yourself naked. Traditions read it as an insistent message, where contemporary research most often sees an unresolved concern knocking at the door until it has been heard. Its repetition draws attention to a theme of life. Read →
Dream journal: A dream journal is a notebook where the dreamer records their dreams on waking, as close to sleep as possible, before memory wipes them away. An old tool still recommended by the schools of interpretation, it sharpens recall, surfaces recurring themes and symbols, and tracks how dreams shift over time. Regular practice noticeably increases dream recall and feeds the work of interpretation. Read →
Archetype: An archetype, in the sense of Carl Gustav Jung, is a universal image or pattern present in the unconscious of every human being: the Mother, the Hero, the Shadow, the Wise Old Man, the Child. Inherited from the shared ground of humanity, archetypes are not memories but empty forms that fill with each person’s experience. They surface in dreams, myths, fairy tales and art, where they give body to the great figures of the psyche. Read →
Collective unconscious: The collective unconscious is, in the thought of Carl Gustav Jung, the deepest layer of the psyche, shared by all of humanity and distinct from the personal unconscious belonging to each individual. It houses the archetypes, those great inherited images found in myths, religions and dreams the world over. Jung made it the shared ground from which universal symbols rise. This hypothesis, central to his psychology, remains debated and particular to his school. Read →

Spirit animal

8 terms

Animal totem: In contemporary usage, an animal totem is an animal whose symbolic qualities become an inner reference point: strength, gentleness, cunning, endurance. The word comes from the Ojibwe doodem, which names the kinship bond between a clan and a being of the natural world, a social and spiritual reality of the Algonquian peoples. The modern reading, popularized by personal-development culture, borrows the idea freely as a symbolic mirror, never a verdict. Read →
Totemism: Totemism is an anthropological concept describing systems in which human groups, often clans, associate themselves with animal or plant species to organize their kinship, alliances, and taboos. In Le Totémisme aujourd’hui (1962), Claude Lévi-Strauss argued that it is less a worship of animals than a way of thinking: species offer a grid for classifying the social world, ‘good to think with’ more than good to revere. Read →
Power animal: A power animal is a notion drawn from shamanic practice, where an animal spirit accompanies a person and lends its qualities: the eagle’s sight, the wolf’s endurance, the snake’s caution. Shamanic traditions describe it as an ally met in dreams or on an inner journey. The contemporary reading, spread by neoshamanism, keeps an image of an intimate resource: a symbolic support you call on through demanding passages. Read →
Bestiary: A bestiary is a collection that describes animals, real or fabled, and lends each one a moral or spiritual meaning. The genre flourished in the Middle Ages out of the Physiologus, a Greek text of the early centuries where every creature becomes a lesson: the lion, the phoenix, the unicorn. These works set much of the Western animal symbolism still found today in heraldry, in folktales, and in the contemporary imagination. Read →
Animal symbolism: Animal symbolism is the body of meanings that cultures attach to animals: the lion for sovereignty, the owl for wisdom, the snake for transformation. Each civilization composes its own lexicon, at times contradictory from one cultural area to the next: the raven, an omen of doom in Europe, is a messenger and creator in several traditions of North America. This reading runs through myths, coats of arms, dreams, and the arts. Read →
Animal guide: In contemporary spirituality, an animal guide is an animal felt as a symbolic companion along a life path or through a given season. Where the animal totem suggests a lasting bond and the power animal a resource, the guide shows up at a precise moment: repeated sightings, insistent dreams, a sudden pull toward one species. The symbolic reading sees in it an invitation to notice what that species embodies and what it stirs awake. Read →
Spirit animal: In many cosmologies, a spirit animal is the invisible dimension of a species: not an individual creature but the essence of the Wolf, the Bear, or the Raven, with which humans can enter into relationship. Shamanic traditions, from Siberia to the Americas, describe these spirits as allies met in trance or in dreams. Today the expression is used more loosely, often as a synonym for animal totem, to name an inner animal presence. Read →
Animal archetype: An animal archetype is an animal figure that recurs across cultures and eras with a stable symbolic charge: the snake of transformation, the solar lion, the bird as messenger. Carl Gustav Jung’s psychology sheds light on the pattern: these images would belong to a shared reservoir of the human imagination, the collective unconscious, surfacing in myths as in dreams. The animal often stands for the instinctive part of the psyche. Read →

Palmistry

16 terms

Palmistry (chiromancy): Palmistry, also called chiromancy, is the art of reading the lines, mounts, and shapes of the hand to draw a portrait of a person: temperament, drives, inner resources. Practiced from ancient India to the Greece of Aristotle, then revived in the West in the 19th century by Cheiro and William Benham, it differs from chirognomy, which studies the overall shape of the hands. Tradition reads it as a mirror of the self, never as a verdict. Read →
Life line: The life line is the line that arcs around the base of the thumb, from the edge of the palm between thumb and index finger down toward the wrist. Palmistry tradition reads it as vitality: the quality of one’s energy, grounding in the body, the way one moves through life’s major stages. It does not measure the length of a life, a stubborn misconception: a short line suggests more concentrated energy, never a brief existence. Read →
Heart line: The heart line is the highest horizontal line on the palm, running beneath the base of the fingers from the edge of the hand toward the index or middle finger. Palmistry tradition reads it as the emotional life: the way one loves, attaches, expresses or holds back feeling. Its curve, depth, and ending point shade the reading, somewhere between a demonstrative heart and a more reserved tenderness. Read →
Head line: The head line is the middle line of the palm, starting between the thumb and index finger and crossing the hand toward the opposite edge. Palmistry tradition reads it as the workings of the mind: the way one thinks, decides, imagines. A straight line would suggest a practical mind, a line sloping downward a more imaginative way of thinking. It speaks of mental style, never of level of intelligence. Read →
Fate line: The fate line, also called the line of Saturn, is the vertical line rising from the base of the palm toward the middle finger. Palmistry tradition reads it as one’s relationship to a life path: vocation, direction, the sense of moving toward what matters. Many hands carry none, or only in fragments, without that saying anything about the worth of a journey. Read →
Mounts of the hand: The mounts of the hand are the fleshy pads of the palm, found at the base of the fingers and along its edges. Palmistry tradition names them after the planets: Venus, Jupiter, Saturn, Apollo, Mercury, Mars, and the Moon. Their relief, more or less developed, is read as a map of temperaments: each mount lends the hand a tone, from Venusian warmth to lunar imagination. Read →
Chirognomy: Chirognomy is the study of the overall shape of the hands: the length of the fingers, the width of the palm, the texture of the skin, the shape of the nails. Codified in the 19th century by Casimir d’Arpentigny and later taken up by Cheiro, it distinguishes broad hand types (square, conic, spatulate, pointed) tied to temperaments. It complements palmistry, which focuses on the lines and mounts of the palm. Read →
Dominant hand: The dominant hand, in palmistry, is the one a person uses to write and act: it is also called the active hand. Tradition reads it as the present in motion, what each person does with their resources, while the passive hand (the non-dominant one) would keep the trace of the starting temperament. Comparing the two palms shows the gap between what was inherited and the path actually taken. Read →
Palmar creases: Palmar creases are the furrows that score the palm. They form in utero, during the first trimester of pregnancy, marking the zones where the hand folds. Anatomy describes three main ones, which palmistry names the life, head, and heart lines. These creases are not fixed: they deepen, branch, and change with age and with how the hand is used. Read →
Hasta samudrika shastra: Hasta samudrika shastra is the Indian branch of hand reading, drawn from samudrika shastra, the traditional science of the body’s signs attributed to the sage Samudra. Often counted among the oldest traditions of its kind, it reads the hand as a whole: shape, fingers, lines, but also marks deemed auspicious (lotus, conch, fish). It belongs to the Vedic world, alongside jyotish astrology, whose planetary vocabulary it shares. Read →
Sun line (Apollo line): The Sun line, also called the Apollo line, is a vertical line rising from the base of the palm toward the ring finger, the finger of Apollo. It runs parallel to the fate line but closer to the outer edge of the hand. Palmistry tradition reads it as radiance, recognized talent, and a sense of fulfillment. Often short or absent, it is read mainly on its upper portion, near the mount of Apollo, beneath the ring finger. Read →
Mount of Venus: The mount of Venus is the fleshy pad at the base of the thumb, the rounded rise that the life line encircles in an arc. It is the largest of the palm’s mounts. Palmistry tradition reads it as emotional vitality: warmth, sensuality, love of life, and the capacity to reach toward others. It is read by touch: a full, firm mount speaks of overflowing energy, a flat, soft one of a more withdrawn emotional life. Read →
Mount of Jupiter: The mount of Jupiter is the pad at the base of the index finger, the finger of Jupiter. Palmistry tradition reads it as ambition, self-confidence, and one’s relationship to leadership and ideals. A well-developed mount suggests the leader and a sense of fair authority; a faint one, a quieter assurance. Its reading is completed by the length of the index finger: a long index plus a full mount together reinforce the theme of self-assertion. Read →
Mount of Apollo (mount of the Sun): The mount of Apollo, or mount of the Sun, is the pad at the base of the ring finger, the finger of Apollo. Palmistry tradition reads it as a sense of beauty, creativity, and a taste for recognition and light. It is beneath this mount that the Sun line ends. A full mount suggests the artist and the radiant soul; a faint one, a more private creativity, less turned toward the eyes of others. Read →
Hand types by element: The elemental classification sorts hands into four types using two measurements: the shape of the palm (square or oblong) and the length of the fingers compared to the palm. Earth hand: square palm, short fingers. Air hand: square palm, long fingers. Fire hand: oblong palm, short fingers. Water hand: oblong palm, long fingers. Each type is tied to a temperament, from grounded Earth practicality to watery sensitivity. Read →
Ring of Solomon: The Ring of Solomon is a curved line encircling the base of the index finger, running in a half-circle around the mount of Jupiter. A rare special marking, palmistry tradition reads it as a gift for understanding people: psychological intuition, wisdom, and an attraction to teaching, counsel, or the disciplines of the mind. You find it by looking for an isolated arc at the root of the index finger, distinct from a mere flexion crease of the finger. Read →