SEANCE: An event in which a medium contacts the spirit world. The usual procedure is that the medium enters an altered state of conciousness and reaches a spirit, called a control by psychical researchers and "spirit friends" or "spirit helper" by modern mediums. The control either communicates mentally with the medium or speaks directly through his or her vocal cords conveying information from other spirits to those present or assisting in healing or manifesting physical phenomena such as apports.

The term has fallen out of favor partly due to negative associations caused by fraud. The term "sitting" has been adopted by researchers.

The term is sometimes applied to the trance events of shamans. There are marked differences between shamanic seances and mediumistic seances. The medium usually enters a trance quietly through self-hypnosis and breath control. The Shaman achieves an altered state through fasting, ecstatic dancing (which produces hyperventilation) and drumming, and occasionally with the help of drugs. The medium often has little or no control over what takes place once the trance has been entered; the shaman retains a high degree of control, remaining lucid enough to command the spirits invoked, go out-of-body, and perform healings, including psychic surgery.

SEIKI-JUTSU: (Click here)

SHAMANISM: Magico-spiritual systems in which an adept enters an altered state of consciousness and travels to nonworldly realities in order to heal, divine, communicate with the spirits of the dead, and perform other supernatural feats.

SHIATSU: (Click here)

SIDDHA: Perfected one, realized one, adept who has attained siddhi in Buddhism.

SIDDHIS: Paranormal and extra ordinary powers attained through spiritual development, especially in Tantric and yogic practices.

SOCIETY FOR PSYCHICAL RESEARCH (SPR): Britain's leading organization for research into the paranormal.

SOURCE: Sometimes called "Divine Source" or "Source of All" and primarily means the Deity, whatever you perceive that to be.  It is meant to be a spiritual term indicating that all energy comes from one Great Point which is so vast the human mind cannot conceive of it.

SPIRITUALISM: Religious movement that began in 1848 in the United States and swept both America and Britain which provided purported evidence of survival after death.

SPIRITUALITY: Spirituality is different from religion in that it has no labels, dogma or doctrine.  It means the deep, inner belief system you have developed from your life experiences.  Spirituality encompasses your perception of a Deity, what you think your purpose is for being on Earth and how you feel you fit into the scheme of nature and the Universe.

SYNCHRONICITY: The unifying principle behind "meaningful coincidences" or "an acausal connecting principle" that links seemingly unrelated and unconnected events.  The principle is integral to Eastern thought; however, in Western thought runs contrary to cause and effect.