New Terms

The Chinese name for vital energy, comparable to the Hindu Prana.

A technique used in NLP where the practitioner gives a client new insights by reinterpreting something for the client. For example, if the client says, "I'm lazy," the reframe might be, "So you're saying that you're so effective and get things done so quickly that you have lots of spare time."

One of the most famous—and least understood—aspects of Neuro-Linguistic Programming. When a person first thinks about something, their eyes will instantly dart to the left or right and either high, low, or to the middle. This can indicate whether the memory is visual or aural and whether they are actually remembering it or creating it in their minds. This has been called a type of lie detection, but that is inaccurate. For example, merely because someone is creating a visual thought doesn't mean that they are creating a lie. It could simply mean that they need to recreate the thoughts they were having when they saw something in order to remember it. So just looking at a person's eye accessing cues won't tell you if they are lying.

So what good are they? First, you ask a person several questions to see how they naturally respond. This procedure is called calibration. Then, when asking questions about the issue where the person is seeking change or clarity, you can determine their mode of thinking and how to be more effective in your work with that person.

Pacing is a technique used by hypnotists and NLP practitioners to check the relative level of rapport the have with a client who has come to them seeking behavioral change. After the therapist uses rapport building techniques such as mirroring and matching, he or she checks on their success by doing some action first. If the other person does something similar—follows the pace set by the therapist—it is considered a sign of effective rapport indicating that the work they will do has a good chance of being successful.

A technique used by hypnotists and NLP practitioners to establish and increase rapport with a client to obtain positive and stronger responses to suggestions. When a person is matching, he or she subtly matches the actions or another person using the same part of his or her body. Thus, if a person raises their right hand, the person who is matching might raise their right hand, arm, finger, wrist, or eyebrow, etc. You are metaphorically matching what they are doing. This process must be done subtly, otherwise the person being matched may feel you are making fun of them and break the rapport.

A technique used by hypnotists and NLP practitioners to establish and increase rapport with a client to obtain positive and stronger responses to suggestions. When a person is mirroring, he or she subtly matches the actions or another person using the opposite part of his or her body. Thus, if a person raises their right hand, the person who is mirroring might raise their left hand, arm, finger, wrist, or eyebrow, etc. It is as if they are looking in a mirror. This process must be done subtly, otherwise the person being mirrored may feel you are making fun of them and break the rapport.

A technique that may be used in hypnotherapeutic and NLP therapeutic interventions. Although the mind is actually unitary, it can be conceived of as having multiple aspects, or "parts." During the therapy, a part that is responsible for an undesired behavior or belief is asked to come forward. It may be simply integrated into the personality or it may be asked to change the instructions it is following to better help the body, mind, and spirit of the person it believes it is protecting.

Greek term meaning "the destroyer." Obviously derived from the name of the Greek solar deity (and hence, god of growth), Apollo. This implies that the ancients understood that with energy of growth necessarily came the energy of destruction. With the rise of Christianity, Apollyon became a synonym of Satan. Although the name Apollyon appears in many grimoires, it is up to the magician using the grimoire to determine whether the use represents the positive and necessary energy of dissolution or is simply a Satanic alias.

Although technically meaning a hermaphrodite, in occultism it refers to concepts and things that blend opposing aspects into one homogenous entity.

Title given to those who followed the teachings of Ammonius Saccas. They received this name because they used analogies and correspondences when they interpreted myths and symbols, much as many occultists do today.