Akasha: Sometimes known as the fifth element, Akasha
is actually the omnipresent spiritual power that permeates the
universe. It is the energy out of which the Elements formed.
Astral Projection: The act of separating the
conciousness from the physical body and moving it about at will.
Balefire: A fire lit for magical purposes, usually outdoors.
Balefires are traditional on Yule, Beltane and Midsummer.
Bane: That which destroys life: poisonous, dangerous,
destructive, evil. The term also includes negative habits as well
as threats of all kinds.
Beltane: A Wiccan/Pagan festival celebrated on April 30th
or May 1st (traditions vary). Beltane is also known as May Eve,
Roodmas, Walpurgis Night, Cethsamhain, etc. Beltane celebrates
the symbolic union, mating or marriage of the Goddess and God, and
links in with the approaching summer months.
Besom: Broom.
Bolline: The white-handled knife, used in magic and pagan
ritual for practical purposes such as cutting herbs.
Book of Shadows: A Wiccan/Pagan book of rituals, spells and
magickal lore. Once handcopied upon initiation, the B.O.S. can
now be found kept on computer disk, photocopied or typed. No "one
true" Book of Shadows exists; all are relevant to their respective
users.
Censer: A heat-proof container in which incense is smouldered.
An incense burner. It symbolizes the element of Air.
Charge, To: To infuse an object with personal power.
"Charging" is an act of Magic.
Conscious Mind: The analytical, societally controlled,
materialistic half of human consciousness. The conscious mind is
at work when we add or subtract numbers, study a map, or struggle
with ideas.
Corn Dolly: A figure, often human-shaped, created by plaiting
dried wheat or other grains. It represented the fertility of the
Earth and the Goddess in early European agricultural rituals and is
still used today. Corn dollies aren't made from cobs or husks;
corn originally referred to any grain other than maize and still does
in most English-speaking countries except the United States.
Curse: A conscious direction of negative energy twoard
a person, place or thing. Contrary to popular belief, curses
are rare and usually have no effect. Also known as psychic attack.
Deosil: Clockwise, the direction of the Sun's apparent motion
in the sky. In northern hemisphere magick and religion, doesil move
ment is symbolic of life, positive energies, good.
Divination: The magickal art of discovering the unknown through
interpretation of seemingly random patterns or symbols, including the
use of tools such as clouds, tarot cards, flames and smoke. Divination
contacts the Psychic mind by tricking or drowsing the Conscious mind
through ritual and by observing or manipulating tools. Many practitioners
of Natural magick perform divination before a ritual to gain a true
insight into the condition.
Divine Power: The unmanifested, pure energy that exists within
the Goddess and God. The life force, the ultimate source of all things.
Earth Power: The energy that exists within stones, herbs,
flames, wind, streams and other natural objects. In magick, Earth
power is combined with personal power.
Elements, The: Earth, Air, Fire and Water. These are the four
energies of our planet. Everything that exists (or that has the potential
to exist) contains one or more of these energies. The elements hum within
ourselves and are also in the world. The can be utilized to cause change
through magick. The four elements are formed from the primal universal
power--Akasha.
Energy: A general term for the currently unmeasurable (but real)
power that exists within all natural objects and beings--including our own
bodies. The ancient Hawaiians knew it as "mana" and it has been given
many other names. This energy ultimately stems from the divine source
of all that exists. It is the powerhouse, the fuel, of all forms of Magick.
Esbat: A Wiccan/Pagan ritual, usually occuring on the Full Moon.
Evocation: Calling up spirits or other non-physical entities,
either to visible appearance or invisible attendance.
Grounding: The process of temporarily shutting down Psychic awareness
and reorienting the Conscious mind to the material world.
Magick: The movement of natural energies to create needed change.
Magick is the practice of rousing and building up this energy; giving it
purpose, through visualization, and releasing it to manifest the practitioner's
need. Magick is natural, not supernatural, process, though it is little understood.
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.
Natural Magick: The practice of using personal power in
conjunction with earth power to cause needed change. Magick is a
positive, loving, transformitive process.
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.
Pentacle: A tool of magick, consisting of a disc inscribed with a
five pointed star.
Pentagram: A five pointed star, always drawn with one point upward.
The pentagram is rich in symbolism: the five senses, the elements combined
with Akasha; the hand, the human body, the element of Earth and money, among
other things. It has been used in magick, ususally for protection, for at least
2,000 years. Today it is often also frequently associated with Wicca.
Through misinformation or the transmission of outright lies, the pentagram
is sometimes believed to be a symbol of Satanism. It has never possessed this
symbolism, and still doesn't, save in the minds of those that
would twist and pervert its true meaning for their own benefit.
Personal Power: The energy that sustains our bodies. We first
absorb it from our biological mother within the womb, and later from food,
water, sunlight and other natural objects and sources. We release personal
power during physical movement, exercise, sex, conception, childbirth, emotion,
thought and Magick.
Projective Hand: The useful or talented hand, usually the one used
for writing, through which personal power is sent from the body during
magick.
Psychic Awareness: The human state in which information from the psychic mind
is available to the concsious 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.
Receptive Hand: The opposite of the projective hand, through
which outside energies are absorbed into the body during magick.
Ritual: Ceremony. A specific form of movement, manipulation of
objects and /or inner processes designed to produce specific results. In
religion, ritual is geared toward union with the divine. In magick, it's a
series of simple actions (both external and internal) that allow the practitioner
to move energy toward the need.
Scrying: The process of gazing at or into an object (
a pool of water, flames, reflections) to still the conscious mind
and to contact the psychic mind, to create psychic awareness.
So Mote It Be: An affirmation that ends many chants and magickal
rhymes. This has been in common usage for many years. A transliteration
might be: "So must it be."
Spell: A magickal ritual usually involving spoken words.
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.
