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Metaphysical Dictionary

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Jacob's Ladder: According to the kaballistic view, Jacob's Ladder, which was disclosed to him in a vision, is a metaphorical representation of the power of alchemy, operating through visible nature. The "Ladder" was a "Rainbow" or prismatic staircase, set up between heaven and earth. Jacob's dream implied a history of the whole hermetic creation.

Jakin and Boas: The name of the two symbolical pillars of Solomon's Kabbalistic temple, and which were believed to explain all mysteries. The one was black and the other white, and they represented the powers of good and evil. It is said that they symbolize the need of "two" in the world: Human equilibrium requires two feet; the worlds gravitate by means of two forces; generation needs two sexes.

Japan (Occultism in): All that the word " magic " defines is to be found amongst the Japanese, in their religious beliefs and rites in their conception of Nature and in the national customs. To them all forms and objects animate or inanimate possess, equally with man, a soul with good or evil tendencies, and these entities, either of their own volition or by evocation, come into close touch with man either to his advantage or detriment. Their folklore and traditions are wrought of the marvelous and the Japanese thought of to-day is still permeated with a belief in the supernatural.

Jasper: Prevents fever and dropsy, strengthens the brain, and proraots eloquence; it is a preservative against defluxions, the nightmare, and epilepsy, and is often met with in the east as a counter-charm. Marbodaeus mentions seventeen species of this stone, but that" like the emerald " is most noted for its magical virtues.

Jesodoth: The angel through which Elohim, the source of knowledge, understanding and wisdom, was imparted to the earth. This belief is of Jewish origin.

Joan of Arc: Jeanne d'Arc was born in the village of Domremy, near Vaucouleurs, on the border of Champagne and Lorraine, on Jan. 6th, 1412. She was taught to spin and sew, but not to read or write, these accomplishments being unusual and unnecessary to people in her station of life. Her parents were devout, and she was brought up piously. Her nature was gentle, modest, and religious ; but with no physical weakness or morbidity; on the contrary, she was exceptionally strong, as her later history shows.

At or about the age of thirteen, Jeanne began to experience what psychology now calls " auditory hallucinations." In other words, she heard " voices "—usually accompanied by a bright light—when no visible person was present. This, of course, is a common symptom of impending mental disorder ; but no insanity developed in Jeanne d'Arc. Startled she naturally was at first, but continuation led to familiarity and trust. The voices gave good counsel of a very commonplace kind, as, for instance, that she " must be a good girl and go often to church." Soon, however, she began to have visions ; saw St. Michael, St. Catharine, and St. Margaret; was given instructions as to her mission ; eventually made her way to the Dauphin, put herself at the head of 6,000 men, and advanced to the relief of Orleans, which was surrounded by the victorious English. After a fortnight of hard fighting, the siege was raised, and the enemy driven off. The tide of war had turned, and in three months the Dauphin was crowned king at Rheims as Charles the Seventh.

At this point, Jeanne felt that her mission was accomplished. But her wish to return to her family was over-ruled by king and archbishop, and she took part in the further fighting against the allied English and Burgundian forces, showing great bravery and tactical skill. But in November, 1430, in a desperate sally from Compiegne— which was besieged by the Duke of Burgundy—she fell into the enemy's hands, was sold to the English, and thrown into a dungeon at their headquarters in Rouen.

After a year's imprisonment she was brought to trial before the Bishop of Beauvais, in an ecclesiastical court. The charges were heresy and sorcery. Learned doctors of the Church, subtle lawyers, did their best to entangle the simple girl in their dialectical toils ; but she showed a remarkable power of keeping to her affirmations and of avoiding heretical statements. "God has always been my Lord in all that I have done," she said. But the trial was only pretence, for her fate was already decided. She was condemned to the stake. To the end, she solemnly affirmed the reality of her " voices," and the truth of her depositions. Her last word, as the smoke and flame rolled round her, was "Jesus." Said an English soldier, awestruck by the manner of her passing: "We are lost; we have burned a Saint." The idea was corroborated in popular opinion by events which followed, for speedy death—as if by Heaven's anger—overtook her judges and accusers. Inspired by her example and claims, and helped by dissension and weakening on the side of the enemy, the French took heart once more; and the English were ail-but swept out of the country.

Jeanne's family was rewarded by ennoblement, under the name of De Lys. Twenty-five years after her death, the Pope acceded to a petition that the process by which she was condemned should be re-examined. The result was that the judgment was reversed, and her innocence established and proclaimed. The life of the Maid supplies a problem which orthodox science cannot solve. She was a simple peasant girl, with no ambitious hankering after a career. She rebelled pathetically against her mission. "I had far rather rest and spin by my mother's side, for this is no work of my choosing, but I must go and do it, for my Lord wills it." She cannot be dismissed on the il simple idiot "theory of Voltaire, for her genius in war and her aptitude in repartee undoubtedly prove exceptional mental powers, unschooled though she was in what we call education. We cannot call her a mere hysteric, for her health and strength were superb. It is on record that a man of science said to an Abbe :— "Come to the Salpetriere Hospital, and I will show you twenty Jeannes d'Arc." To which the Abbe responded : " Has one of them given us back Alsace and Lorraine ?" The retort was certainly neat. Still, though the Salpetriere hysterics have not won back Alsace and Lorraine, it is nevertheless true that many great movements have sprung from fraud or hallucination. May it not have been so with Jeanne? She delivered France, and her importance in history is great; but may not her mission and her doings have been the outcome of merely subjective hallucinations, induced by the brooding of her specially religious and patriotic mind on the woes of her country? The army, being ignorant and superstitious, would readily believe in the supernatural nature of her mission, and great energy and valor would result—for a man fights well when he feels that Providence is on his side.

This is the most usual kind of theory in explanation of the facts. But it is not fully satisfactory. How came it—one may ask—that this untutored peasant girl could persuade not only the rude soldiery, but also the Dauphin and the Court, of her Divine appointment ? How came she to be given the command of an army? Surely a post of such responsibility and power would not be given to an ignorant girl of eighteen, on the mere strength of her own claim to inspiration. It seems, at least, very improbable. Now it so happens (though the materialistic school of historians conveniently ignore or belittle it) that there is strong evidence in support of the idea that Jeanne gave the Dauphin some proof of the possession of supernormal faculties. In fact, the evidence is so strong that Mr. Andrew Lang called it "unimpeachable"—and Mr. Lang did not usually err on the side of credulity in these matters. Among other curious things, Jeanne seems to have repeated to Charles the words of a prayer which he had made mentally; and she also made some kind of clairvoyant discovery of a sword hidden behind the altar of Fierbois church. Schiller's magnificent dramatic poem—" Die Jungfrau von Orleans"—though unhistorical in some details, is substantially accurate on these points concerning clairvoyance and mind-reading.

Jung, Carl Gustav: (26 July 1875 – 6 June 1961) was a Swiss psychiatrist and writer. He created many theories and ideas that are still used in psychology today. Psychology is the science of how people think and feel. His kind of psychology was called analytical psychology or Jungian Analysis.

Jung is famous for many things that he did for psychology. The work he did was important for measuring what kind of personality people have. The test called the Myers Briggs Type Indicator is based on his ideas. He is also famous because of his ideas about the ancients - people from many years ago.

Jung liked to study strange books and sciences. He thought he could learn important things about psychology from them. For example, he liked to study alchemy. Alchemy was an old kind of magic that tried to create gold.

He wrote in academic German, for doctors and psychologists, meaning he could be hard to understand. Most people who study Jung start with his book Man and His Symbols. Jung wrote this book so that people would be able understand him.