Mystery and Meaning final review

the theory that there can be hidden meanings or interpretations behind literal texts or religious teachings

a syncretic saint from Guatemala and possibly Mayan religion who is worshipped with offerings of tobacco and beer

a premodern worldview of reality (according to Eliade)

the idea of a blended gender (e.g., fusing, splitting, two-in-one)

the study of the human mind and brain

view that attempts to view religion in terms of cognitive neural processes, also linked to evolutionary psychology

the belief in spiritual beings

former Union colonel of the Civil War with an interest in mesmerism, who co-founded the Theosophical Society

Russian medium and occult author who took an interest in Indian spirituality and helped found the Theosophical Society

a system of ideas and ideals (sometimes religious), especially one which forms the basis of economic or political theory

German scholar who developed the idea of the "numinous" and theories of spiritual awe and wonder

French Situationist who developed a theory of the spectacle as obscuring the reality of labor

when applied to religion, the study of how doctrines and teachings make logical sense or are structured intellectually

Marxist theorist who developed the idea of cultural hegemony, or dominant classes using culture to maintain power 

Sanskrit word meaning yoking or union, often includes physical practices and breathing techniques to still the mind

a world religion originating in the Near East in which Jesus is usually worshipped as equal to God himself

conversations in which certain religious traditions are believed to be more culturally authentic than others

thirteenth-century Sufi saint from present-day Turkmenistan who taught visualizations of various colors and lights

Sufi recitation of spiritual words, often from the Qu'ran

theory that seeks to explain how people explain events

any number of theories that attempt to critique power relations at work in human culture, society, and religion

a movement dating to the late nineteenth-century that encourages universal brotherhood and human spirituality

the idea of a Western gaze on the East that "otherizes" for the sake of political and economic gain

an archaic form of science that uses rules to understand the natural world (according to Frazer)

theory that seeks to analyze and dismantle historical colonial power structures in society (including religion)

author of Varieties of Religious Experience and pioneer of the psychology of religion

the study of religion through the lenses of its art or music or other creative output

an ancient religion of China that teaches manifestation of the world from a primal "Way" into Yin and Yang principles

"the Way" in Daoism

scholar of comparative mythology and pioneer of the history of religions and yoga studies

a mystical dimension of Islam that often stresses internal self-reflection and teachings on fana (dissolution)

German Indologist and philologist who was behind the Sacred Books of the East series 

the study of social communities or individuals and their interaction with others both human and non-human

a vast tradition of texts and deities often concerned with the afterlife, including the triad Isis, Osiris, and Horus

the study of God or gods, often from a "confessional" view or view from within a given religious tradition

the idea that "the West" itself is a relatively recent construction from the mid-1850s

the study of human culture and daily life

Esoteric teachings and practices of Jewish origin that include symbolic interpretations of the Hebrew alphabet

the study of how myths and legends affect and inspire human beings

a Christian saint whose bodily remains in southern Germany are believed to secrete a healing oil

schools developing out of Mahayana that used new forms of visualizing Buddhas, meditation and sometimes sexual practices

a movement founded in New York in 1875, with ties to occultism, which shifted its headquarters to India

a serpentine energy in Haṭha Yoga and Tantric texts, usually located in root-support chakra

beliefs and practices around spirits or deities, associated with nature, that often originated prior to Christianity

a South Asian religion associated with the Vedas, legends of gods and goddesses, and the Bhagavad Gita

the view that dominant classes use their power over media to influence society and maintain their position

anthropologist who developed the idea of animism or a pervading spirit in nature

the study of texts and languages

anthropologist and author of The Golden Bough who looked at the intersections of magic, religion, and science

asking a divine being or entity for assistance or seeking connection through loving devotion

an experience of awe that many people describe as religious

scholar who developed the theory of Orientalism