Glossary
I have provided this glossary for your use. If you find a word that you do not understand and is not in this glossary, please let me know so I can add it. Thanks.
Aeromancy - The use of stars for divination.
Akasha - The spirit. It is the fifth element which embraces the other four. See the pentagram/Pentacle Page for more info.
Alcehmy (Al-kem-ee) a form of high magick which aims to turn metals into gold either physically or magickally.
Alignment - The practice of putting into synch mental and spiritual energies with a deity or an astronomical body.
Altar - A small shrine that some pagans have. Lots of other religions have them too. They are dedicated to the God and Goddess.
Amulet - A magickally charged object which gets rid of negative energies. A protective object.
Aspect - Forms, facets, or personas of Deity: for example, Brighid, Iseult, Eos, and Kore are all aspects of the Maiden, and the Maiden is an aspect of the Goddess.
Astral Plane - An invisible plane which parallels the physical world which can be traveled through.
Astral Projection - the process of travelling through the astral plane by lucid dreaming or other forms of "leaving the body." Also known as Out-of-Body Experiences.
Astrology - The art of revealing the future behaviour and lives of people at a given time and place on the earth, by the placement and movements or astronomical objects such as stars and planets. Not all witches use astrology.
Athame - the dagger used in rituals by some Wiccans.
Aura - A field of energy which surrounds living beings, animals and plants. The energy field can be recorded using special photographic techniques. Often the color of the aura indicates the state of health and emotion.
BCE - Before Common Era. Dating system used by scholars and pagans without any religious connotations that is synonymous with "BC"
Balefire - A fire lit for magical purposes, usually outdoors. Balefires are traditional on Yule, Beltane and Midsummer.
Bane - That which destroys life, which is poisonous, destructive, evil, dangerous.
Bell - Bells have been used by nearly all cultures throughout history as magickal talismans, fertility charms, summons to a deity, and as instruments for sacred music. Many Wiccans use a consecrated bell as an altar tool to signal the beginning and/or close of a ritual.
Beltane - A Wiccan sabbat/festival celebrated on April 30th or May 1st (traditions vary). Beltane is also known as May Eve, Roodmas, Walpurgis Night and Cethsamhain. Beltane celebrates the symbolic union, matting or marriage of the Goddess and God, and links in with the approaching summer months. See Sabbats for more info.
Besom - Pronounced Bee-sum. Basically a broomstick. But no, we do not fly on it. It is used to sweep negative energies as well as dirt from our sacred space.
Binding - The action to magickally restrain someone or something. Remember the movie The Craft? "I bind you Nancy, I bind you from doing harm to yourself, and to other people."
Blue Moon - When two full moons occur within the same calendar month, the second is known as a blue moon. This is a a goal setting moon; time to set long-term goals for yourself and to review accomplishment and failures.
Bolline - The working knife of a Witch. Traditionally white-handled and sometimes curved. It is used to carve symbols in candles, cut herbs, and is traditionally only used in a Circle.
Book of Shadows - Also called a Book of light. A book that contains a witches thoughts, dreams, poems, traditions, rituals, prayers, spells, records, and other stuff. It was called book of shadows because back in the Burning Times, witches had to keep their traditions in the 'shadows' so they wouldn't be found out. Usually, the book of shadows is a private book. For a coven, there is usually a coven book of shadows with the particular tradition info in it. Also, every coven member usually has their own. See Book of Shadows for more info.
Broom Closet - Saying you are in the broom closet means that you are not open about your Pagan or Craft beliefs.
Burning Times- A term used by some Witches for the period of persecution in the Middle Ages and later. It is in fact a misnomer in some places, as Witches were only burned in Scotland, and on the continent of Europe. In England and the U.S., they were hanged.
Candlemas - Festival held on Feb. 1. One of the 4 Celtic Fire Festivals. Commemorates the changing of the Goddess from the Crone to the Maiden. Celebrates the first signs of Spring. Also called Imbolc; (the old Celtic name). This is the seasonal change where the first signs of spring and the return of the sun are noted, i.e. the first sprouting of leaves, the sprouting of the Crocus flowers etc. See Sabbats for more info. C
ardinal Points - North, South, East, and West, often marked with candles of colors associated with each point. The Circle is drawn to connect these four points.
Cauldron - A generally iron container used for fires, mixing things, holding flowers or burning items for spells. They come in all sizes and are a symbolof the Goddess.
Censer - A heat-proof container in which incense is smoldered. An incense burner. It symbolizes the Element of Air.
Centering - A way of meditating as to connect yourself with the energy within you and to find your center. This is a common practice before ritual.
Chakras - Energy centers of the body. Chakra means wheel. In Western magic, the most important are usually said to be seven in number and located along the spine from the perineum to the crown of the head. Opening the chakras is believed to result in the attainment of various magical powers.
Chalice - another name for the cup or goblet used in ritual.
Chanting - The rhythmic repetition of sounds or words to induce an altered mental state and produce a magical effect.
Charge,To - To infuse an object with Personal Power. Charging is an act of Magic.
Charge of the Goddess - The Traditional words of the Goddess to her followers, or hidden children.
Cheiromancy/Chiromancy - The divination by examination of the hand.
Circle - The area in which the magickal worship and spells takes place. Can also be used to designate a particular group of Witches or Pagans such as Silver Acorn Circle.
Cleansing - Purification. Includes both physical washing and psychic cleaning.
Color Therapy - The use of color to induce mental and emotional changes, usually for a therapeutic purpose.
Cone of Power - Power raised in the circle by the Witches assembled, and sent out into the world to work magick, is usually visualized as being retained and built in the form of a cone prior to release.
Consecration - Make holy. Empower(see empowerment des. 2) sacred symbol with the power of the four elements.
Coven - An organized group of Witches, led by a High Priestess and/or a High Priest who meet regularly for worship and fellowship. The traditional membership is 13, but in fact most covens numbers considerably less. However, there are a few that have more.
Covenstead - Regular meeting place for a coven. Usually the home of the High Priestess or High Priest.
Cowan - A non-Witch. Formerly used in a very derogatory manner. Still used in Masonic Ritual to indicate the non initiate and/or pretender to real craft. Not often used today among most Witches.
Collective Unconscious - the psychic connection between people, plants, animals, insects and spirit.
Deities - the god(s) and goddess(es). also known as the lord and lady, mother and father...
Deosil - Clockwise, the direction of the Sun's apparent motion in the sky. In northern hemisphere magic and religion, deosil movement is symbolic of life, positive energies, good. It is much-used in spells and rituals; i.e. walk deosil around the Circle of Stones. Traditional direction for working building magick and moving within a circle. See also Widdershins.
Desire - The emotional motivation that gives rise to and drives particular ritual expression. The ritual desire is what the ritualist seeks to fulfill by conducting the ritual.
Divination - Magical method of exploration or inquiry into a situation via such methods as Tarot cards, runestones, I- Ching, etc.
Divine Power - The unmanifested, pure energy that exists within the Goddess and God. The life force, the ultimate source of all things. Compare with Earth Power and Personal Power.
Drawing Down the Moon - Ritual invocation of the spirit of the Goddess into the body of the High Priestess by the High Priest. Not to be attempted by the newcomer.
Earth Power - That energy which exists within stones, herbs, flames, wind and other natural objects. It is manifested Divine Power and can be utilized during Magic to create needed change.
Elder - Oversees operations of the church and its functions. Someone who has been a pagan for a long time.
Elements - Earth, air, fire, and water, plus spirit, which includes them all. These are regarded as realms or categories of nature (both material and non-material) and are not to be confused with the physicists table of elements, which the modern witch, of course, accepts.
Empowerment - The assumption of responsibility and control by the individual over his or her life. Also, the giving of power to a person, place, or thing.
Enchant - The act of casting a magical spell, especially through the use of muttered, recited, or chanted words of power.
Esbat - A lesser gathering of Witches for the purposes of celebration and works of magic. It usually occurs on the nights of the full or new Moon.
Evocation - Calling up spirits or other non-physical entities, either to visible appearance or invisible attendance. Compare with Invocation.
Familiars - A spirit that has established a close relationship with a human being, usually of a beneficial or benign nature. Often the spirit communicates through the physical body of a pet animal such as a cat.
Fate - The end result of the actions of life, either good or bad.
Gnomes - An entity or elemental that is said to dwell in the plane of Earth or is associated with the EARTH Element.
Gods - Powerful, immortal, spiritual beings who command the lesser spirits and living creatures of the Earth and are worshipped by humanity with prayers, offerings, and the erection of temples and images.
Grimoire - A magickal workbook containing ritual information, formulae, magical properties of natural objects and preparation of ritual equipment. Also used as another name for a Book of Shadows.
Grounding - Dispersing excess energy generated during any magickal rite or working by sending it into the earth.
HandFasting - Wiccan equivalent of a wedding. It can be made legal if the Priestess and/or Priest are registered as clergy with the local authorities, or it may only be considered binding within the coven.
Handparting - Wiccan equivalent of a divorce or separation. It has no legal bonding, but is rather more a symbolic or ritualized way of dealing with a separation.
Hereditary Witch - A person who claims to have learned their Path from an ancestor.
Hierophant - Originally the high priest of the Greek Mysteries at Eleusis. More generally, any priest of the Mysteries who reveals sacred secrets to initiates.
High Magic - Ceremonial magic involving the actions of gods or spirits. The Greeks called it theurgy, which literally means god work.
High Priest - Technically speaking, a male Witch who has received the 3rd. degree initiation. More usually, the male leader of a coven or sometimes just of that particular ritual. Abbreviated as HP.
High Priestess - Technically speaking, a female Witch who has received the 3rd. degree initiation. More usually, the female leader of a coven or sometimes just of that particular ritual. Abbreviated as HPS.
Higher Self - What you really are, as opposed to what you think you are. The purest identity of the individual unwrapped of all transitory veils.
Imbolc - A Wiccan festival celebrated on February 2nd, also known as Candlemas, Lupercalia, Feast of Pan, Feast of Torches, Feast of The Waxing Light, Oimelc, Brigit's Day and many other names. Imbolc celebrates the first stirrings of spring and the recovery of the Goddess from giving birth to the Sun (the God) at Yule. Celtic name for Candlemas. Sometimes spelled Imbolg.
Initiate - A person who has undergone, or is about to undergo, the primary rite of entry into a pagan organization.
Initiation - An experience that transforms the individual so that their concept of personal and worldly reality is changed permanently (paradigm shift).
Invocation - An appeal or petition to a higher power (or powers), such as the Goddess or God. a prayer. Invocation is actually a method of establishing conscious ties with those aspects of the Goddess and God that dwell within us. In essence, then, we seemingly cause them to appear or make themselves known by becoming aware of them.
Karma - A very important concept in Hindu philosophy that is used to justify apparent injustices in the world. Karma is cause and effect extended to its widest possible scope. By karma a crime in this life may be punished in the next. By karma every action, however small, has its inescapable consequence. Sooner or later each good action is repaid by good and each bad action by bad. In Sanskrit karma means action. Pagans sometimes associate this with the threefold law.
Kitchen Witch - A Path which uses every day objects in the place of Magical Tools.
Lammas - August 1st. One of the Eight Sabbats or Witch Festivals. The Old Celtic name for this festival is Lughnassadh. It is the Festival of the First Fruits, and is the first of the 3 harvests. This festival also marks the change of the Threefold Goddess energies from that of Mother to Crone.
Levitation - The magical suspension of a physical body without apparent support. Usually applied to the suspension of a human being.
Mabon(AutumnEquinox) - Sabbat celebrated in early fall; completion of harvest started at Lughnasgh. Day and night are equal once more as the God prepares to travel toward renewal and rebirth from the Goddess.
Magic - The art of causing change in the manifest world through the Unmanifest, sometimes referred to as Magick. Magic is neither good nor evil, positive nor negative. It is the use of the power that determines the path it will take.
Magical Name - A name given to an initiate, or chosen by the one who is self-initiated, to signify the death of the old life and the birth into the magical life. Also referred to the Craft Name.
Magickal Voice, The - That which is used in pronouncing words during a Spell. This is a strong, sure voice, free of doubt and insecurity. In some cases, the magickal voice may also be a forced, powerful whisper.
Maiden - This term is also the descriptive term used to describe the first of the aspects of the Threefold Goddess Energies (Maiden, Mother, and Crone).
Meditation - The act of turning the mind inward with focused attention. There are many forms of meditation which are distinguished by the immediate object the mind focuses itself upon. Meditation upon silence seeks stillness of the mind, whereas meditation upon a specific idea or problem necessitates mental activity.
Midsummer(SummerSolstice) - Sabbat celebrated in June; perfect time for all kinds of magick and spells. Powers of nature reach their highest point. This is the time for the longest daylight hours, midsummer being the longest day of the year. Also called Litha.
NaturalLaw - A sequence of events in nature that has been observed to occur without variation under the same conditions. Natural law is the basis of the experimental method in science, and is dependent upon cause and effect.
Necromancy - 1. the art or practice of magically revealing the future, of ally attaining other purposes esp. through communication with and the intervention of the dead. 2. the art or practice of magically conjuring up the souls of the dead.
Need,The - The purpose of a Spell or Ritual; a vacuum or unhappy condition in the practitioner's life. The need may be love, health, peace, the banishment of harmful habits or thoughts, or one of many other changes.
Ogham - A magical alphabet of the Celts composed of 20 letters called fews, each standing for a different kind of tree. It is very simple in appearance, being made up of short vertical or diagonal strokes set against or across a horizontal line.
Old Religion - When used to refer to Wicca, it is indicitive of the fact that parts of Wicca may have come from pre-christian times. It would be more correct to say that Witchcraft is the Old Religion, even if one does not count Witchcraft as a religion.
Omen - Any phenomenon or thing that is interpreted as a sign of good luck or misfortune.
Oneiroscopy/Oneiromancy - The divination by means of dreams.
Ostara (Vernal Equinox) - Celebration of the arrival of Spring. The days begin to grow longer than the nights. Time of renewed life. One of the eight Sabbats.
Pagan - Country Religion, Follower of a nature-based religion. Also used to mean anyone who is not Christian, Jewish or Muslim.
Paganing - Presentation of an infant to the Circle and to the Gods. Also called a Wiccaning when specifically being performed as a Wiccan Ceremony.
Pantheon - A collection or group of Gods and Goddesses in a particular religious or mythical structure, commonly regional i.e. the Greek Pantheon.
Past Life Regression - A hypnotic technique in which a person in trance is led to imagine that he or she is remembering events that occurred in past lives, when the soul of the person inhabited other bodies.
Pendulum - The motions of a pendulum, a small weight at the end of a short length of thread or fine chain, are sometimes used to communicate with spirits.
Pentacle - A symbolic diagram, usually circular in shape, that is inscribed, painted or engraved with a five pointed star (pentagram). It is used as a symbol for protection.
Pentagram - The five-pointed star. With a single point uppermost, it represents the human being. Also called the pentalpha because it can be formed by five capital A's. Inverted, with two points uppermost, it can have Satanist associations; but not necessarily. Some traditions of Wicca use the inverted pentagram to signify an initiate of the second degree.
Psychic Awareness - The human state in which information from the psychic mind is available to the conscious mind.
Psychic Mind - The subconscious, unconscious, or deep conscious mind in which we receive psychic impulses. The psychic mind is at work when we sleep, dream, meditate or look into the future. When the psychic mind and the conscious mind are linked, we have access to information that we couldn't otherwise obtain.
Pyromancy - The art of divination through the use of fire.
Quarter Days - The solstices and equinoxes, which fall at quarter intervals around the wheel of the year.
Quarters - The North, East, South, and West parts of a magickal circle or other ritual area. (See also Watchtowers)
Rede - Advice, counsel.For more: http://www.draknetfree.com/sheathomas/definition.html
Reflexology - Based on the notion that the body is one independent whole, it is a form of remote massage. By massaging certain points on the hands or feet, therapeutic effects are assumed for the internal organs and other parts of the body that are connected to these points via the nervous system.
Reincarnation - The rebirth of human souls into other bodies, either human or animal, after death.
Ritual - A formalized series of actions both mental and physical by which magical potency is released and directed toward the fulfillment of a specific desire.
Runes - Angular glyphs used both as magical symbols and as letters of writing by the ancient peoples of northern Europe.
Sabbat - One of the eight festivals or high holy days of Wicca; The general gathering of Witches for the purpose of worship, it occurs on the eight pagan festivals of the year recognized in Wicca.
Samhain - The festival of remembrance for the dead, held on the eve of Nov. 1st. It is the last of the three harvests. This festival also marks the transition of rulership of the Wheel of the Year from that of the Goddess to that of the God. One of the eight sabbats. This day is also known as Halloween.
Scrying - Divination, usually using such methods as crystal gazing, or divination via incense smoke, or water as opposed to tarot or other manipulative means.
Shamanism - The religion of the ancient peoples of northern Europe and Asia, and more generally of nature-based cultures around the world. Key features include animism, possession, soul travel, oracular revelations and shape changing.
Skyclad - Naked while performing ritual, clad only by the sky. Most witches in fact wear robes.
So Mote It Be - An affirmation that ends many chants and magickal rhymes. This has been in common usage for many years. A literal translation might be: So must it be.
Soul - Here the word is used to indicate the personal identity of a living being, its feelings, thoughts, impulses, memories, and sense of self.
Spell - A prayer, or verbal direction of magickal energies toward the accomplishment of some goal.
Spirit, Human - The vitalizing energy that powers within each individual and is one with the divine radiance.
Spirits - Self aware beings that lack a physical body.
Talisman - A magickally enhanced object designed to attract a specific type of energy.
Tarot - A set of divining cards, most commonly 78 in number, of which 22, called the Greater Arcana, bear emblematic images that have been related in modern magic to the letters of the Hebrew alphabet. Many pagan writers claim an Egyptian origin for the tarot, but it appears to have originated in Italy around the 15th century.
Thelema, Thelemic - Any of a number of religious beliefs that have at the core of the belief a focus on the use of Magick through the use of the hierarchy of the Christian Pantheon; Anyone that follows any of the above mentioned beliefs of, or having to do with any of the above mentioned beliefs.
Third Eye - An imaginary eye located on the forehead between the eyebrows which sees psychically.
Three Fold Law - Wiccan concept. You are responsible for what you do. If you do good then the goodness returns three fold. However if you do harm then that returns three fold as well.
Totem Animal - A Spirit Guide in animal form for which you have a particular affinity, please note that the guide chooses you not the other way round. You may be surprised as to who chooses you!
Traditions - Any of the various sects of Wicca such as Gardnerian, Alexandrian, Seax, etc.
Tree Calendar - The Celtic system of reckoning the 13 lunar months of the year by assigning each a sacred tree.
Visualization - The process of forming mental images. Magickal visualization consists of forming images of the practitioner's need during ritual. Visualization is also used to direct personal power and other forms of energy for various purposes during magick.
Wand - A rod or staff that is prepared so that it may be used for magickal or psychic purposes, usually to project some form of power.
Waning - Refers to a phase of the moon when it is getting smaller (darker).
Warlock - Originally an oathbreaker or traitor. NOT the name for a male Witch. It's origin is Scottish. Because of the negative connotations, it is not used by most Wiccans today.
Watch Towers - Originally from the Enochian branch of Ceremonial Magick, now incorporated into many Traditions of Wicca, these are the four elemental directions or quarters (corresponding to the appropriate points on the compass) called to protect the Circle during its establishment. Each of them have a correspondence between the compass point, an element, and (varying amongst different traditions) color associated with them.
Waxing - Refers to the phase of the moon when it is getting bigger (fuller).
Webweaving - Networking with other pagans and magickal fold for everything from fellowship to group study.
Wheel of the Year - One full cycle of the seasons in a year, in many traditions it begins on Samhain.
Wicca - A Pagan religion created by Gerald Gardner in the 40's/50's by mixing together items from various sources. Wicca is NOT millions of years old.
Wicce - Wicce is synonymous with Wicca. Wicca is an Anglo-Saxon word, and is the older of the two. Wicce is the Old English version of the same word, but it is sometimes used to refer to an English tradition where the Saxon influences have been eliminated wherever possible.
Widdershins - Counter clock wise. Used for tearing down or banishing magick. This word is from the Teutonic tradition. It means to go backwards, and is the act of moving, working or dancing counterclockwise in order to banish, diminish, or counter some negative force.
Wise Woman - The solitary female Witch who dispensed charms and prescribed healing herbs to the common inhabitants of rural villages in Europe.
Wita - The witchcraft tradition of Celtic Scotland. The term Wita is a Gaelicised version of the older Anglo-Saxon word Wicca.
Witch Ball - A hollow sphere of plain or striated glass hung in cottage windows in the 18th century to ward off evil spirits but later often posted on top of a vase or suspended by a cord (as from the mantel piece or rafters) for a decorative effect. (forerunner of the current Christmas tree ornament)
Witchcraft - A hard term to describe, it's definition is different depending on who you ask. I see it as the practice of magick.
Witta - Pronounced Weed-ah. The witchcraft tradition of Celtic Ireland. The term Witta is a Gaelic-ised version of the older Anglo-Saxon word Wicca.
Wizard - A name sometimes applied to male Ceremonial Magicians, but rarely to pagans.
Yule Log - A log burned with traditional ceremonies during the medieval celebrations of Christmas, perhaps a survival of an ancient pagan festival of the winter solstice, in which fire resprented the sun.
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