1.
ancestors: for the Australian Aboriginal religion, they were supernatural beings (or deities) who emerged and roamed the earth during the time of the Dreaming, giving shape to the landscape and creating various forms of life.
2.
axis mundi: an entity such as a mountain, tree, or pole that is believed to connect the heavens and the earth, and is sometimes regarded as the center of the world
3.
cosmology: the understanding of the nature of the universe
4.
divination: The practice of seeking to foretell future events by interpreting divine signs, which could appear in various forms, such as in entrails of animals, in patterns in smoke, or in dreams.
5.
diviners: individuals who by virtue of their innate abilities or extensive training had the power to mediate between humanity and supernatural beings
6.
empathy: Identification with and understanding of another's situation, feelings, and motives
7.
ethics: The principles of right and wrong that guide an individual in making decisions.
8.
faith: experience of the divine or holy presence, sometimes involving intellectual belief and sometimes emphasizing personal trust
9.
monotheism: the belief in one god
10.
mysticism: a category of religious experiences characterized by communing or uniting with the divine through inward contemplation
11.
myth: A traditional story that presents supernatural beings and situations that attempt to explain and/or interpret natural events
12.
orishas: the hundred of various Yoruba deities who are the main objects of ritual attention, including Orisha-nla, the creator god; Ogun, the god of iron and war; and Esu, the trickster figure
13.
pantheism: the belief that the divine reality exists in everything
14.
polytheism: belief in many gods
15.
Quetzalcoatl: Aztec nature god, feathered serpent, his disappearance and promised return coincided with the arrival of Cortes
16.
revelation: the transmission of the divine will or knowledge to human beings, typically through myths or some form of religious experience
17.
ritual: Formal worship practice, often based on the reenactment of a myth.
18.
Sun Dance: ritual of the Lakota and other tribes of the North American Plains that celebrates the new year and prepares the tribe for the annual buffalo hunt; performed in the late spring or early summer in a specially constructed lodge.
19.
taboo: an act, word, or object that is forbidden on grounds of morality or taste
20.
Tenochtitlan: Capital of the Aztec Empire, located on an island in Lake Texcoco. Its population was about 150,000 on the eve of Spanish conquest. Mexico City was constructed on its ruins. (p. 305)
21.
The Dreaming: the mythic time of Australian Aboriginal religion when the Ancestors inhabited the earth
22.
totem: a natural entity, such as an animal or a feature of the landscape, that symbolizes an individual or group and that has special significance for the religious life of that individual or group
23.
transcendence: The overcoming of the normal limitations imposed by the human condition, whether temporarily or abidingly.
24.
trickster figure: A type of supernatural being who tends to disrupt the normal course of life, found among many primal peoples; for example, Esu among the Yoruba and Inktomi among the Lakota.
25.
vision quest: A means of seeking spiritual power through an encounter with a guardian spirit or other medium, usually in the form of an animal or other natural entity, following a period of fasting and other forms of self-denial; common to many primal peoples, including the Lakota and other tribes of the North American Plains.
26.
Wakan Tanka: Lakota name for the supreme reality, often referring collectively to sixteen separate deities
