Glossary

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A Aboriginal: Pagan tradition of the native Australian people. Adept: An individual who through serious study and accomplishments is considered highly proficient in a particular magickal system. Akasha: The fifth and greatest element, formed by the combination of the ancient elements of Earth, Air, Fire and Water that were considered in classical times and by alchemists to be the components of all life and matter. The omnipresent spiritual power that permeates the universe. Also sometimes called Spirit or Ether. Akashic records: The collective memory bank on the spirit plane said to hold the experiences of all people, past, present and future. Alban Arthuran: The festival of the mid-winter solstice, named after King Arthur, the legendary Sun King, which takes place on or about 21 December in the northern hemisphere. Alchemy: A branch of High Magick developed in the Middle Ages which sought to magickally and/or chemically turn base metals into gold. Alpha waves: Brain waves, cultivated in psychic work, that are associated with a very relaxed state of mind in which it is possible for intuitive faculties to find expression. Altar: A special, flat surface set aside exclusively for magickal workings or religious acknowledgment. Amulet: A charm carried on a person or placed in a house to offer protection against danger and illness. When charged with healing energies, it becomes a talisman and can attract health and good fortune. Anima: The term coined by Carl Gustav Jung to represent the female power within men as well as women. Animus: Jung's term for the male power within women and men. Ankh: An Egyptian hieroglyphic widely used as a symbol of life, love, and reincarnation. It is a cross with a looped top. Arcana: The two halves of a tarot deck. The Major Arcana consists of 22 trumps, the Minor Arcana consists of 56 suit cards (sometimes called the lesser or lower Arcana). Archangels: Higher orders of angels, celestial beings featuring in the cosmologies of the three major religions of the Western world, Christianity, Judaism, and Islam, as well as many other world religions. Aspect: The particular principle or part of the Creative Life Force being worked with or acknowledged at any one time. Asperger: A bundle of fresh herbs or a perforated object used to sprinkle water during or preceding ritual, for purification purposes. Astral Plane: A place which is generally conceptualized as an invisible parallel world which remains unseen from our own solid world of form. Astral Travel/Projection: The process of separating your astral body from your physical one to accomplish travel in the astral plane or dream time. Astrology: The study of and belief in the effects the movements and placements of planets and other heavenly bodies have on the lives and behavior of human beings. Athame: A double-edged knife used in formal ritual magick. Auric field/aura: A cleansed and consecrated ritual blade. Usually double edged, and black handled. It is never used to cut anything on the physical plane. Pronounced several ways: Ah-THAM-ee ATH-ah-may ah-THAW-may. Automatic Writing: Form of divination where the channeler uses a pen, paper and an altered state of consciousness to receive messages. B Balefire: A fire lit for magickal purposes, usually outdoors. They are traditional on Yule, Beltane, and Midsummer. Bane: That which destroys life, which is poisonous, destructive, dangerous. Banish: To magickally end something or exorcise unwanted entities. To rid the presence of. B.C.E.: Before Common Era. Synonymous with B.C. without religious bias. Bells: Often used as ritual tools. They can be used to invoke directional energies, to ring in the sunrise on a Sabbat, or to frighten away faeries and baneful spirits. Beltain: The Celtic festival of summer, beginning on 30 April and lasting for three days. Besom: A witch's broom. Bicarmel mind: A way of thinking that uses both hemispheres of the mind, the logical and the intuitive, rather than the left (logical) hemisphere predominating as is normal in adults. Bi-Location: A type of astral projection during which you maintain awareness of your present surroundings. Bind: To magickally restrain something or someone. Bless: Comes from the Middle English word “Blessien” which was derived from the Anglo-Saxon “Bletsian”, which came from Anglo-Saxon “blod” or “blood” which meant “to consecrate by blood”. Blood of the Moon: A woman's menstrual cycle. Should this cycle occur over a Full Moon or New Moon, she is far more powerful than during any other time of the month, as long as she acknowledges this strength within herself. Book of Shadows: A witch's book of spells, rituals, magickal lore herbs, flowers, incenses and moon phases, etc. Much akin to a magickal cookbook. Also known as a BOS. Boline: A white-handled knife, used in magick and ritual for purposes such as cutting herbs or piercing a pomegranate. Burning Times: Reference to a historical time from around 1000 C.E. through the 17th century when it is said that up to nine million people were tortured and burned by church and public officials on the assumption that they were the Christian version of Witches. This turned into an extremely profitable venture, as all land and property was seized from the accused individual and portions given to the accuser (in reward fashion) and the remainder seized by the church officials. Historians indicate that the majority of people tortured and murdered were woman and children. C Caduceus: The staff of the classical messenger of the gods (Hermes to the Greeks and Mercury to the Romans), shaped like two snakes, entwined in a double circle. Call: Invoking Divine forces. Cardinal: Principal, as in the four cardinal directions set round a circle - North, South, East, and West. Also a term applied to the astrological signs of Aries, Cancer, Libra and Capricorn, because when the Sun moved into these signs it marked the start of a new season. Those born under a cardinal sign manifest this quality as a desire to initiate and to take command of people and situations. Cauldron of Undry: A magical cauldron, one of the original four Celtic treasures, that could provide an endless supply of nourishment and had great healing and restorative powers. Believed by some scholars to be the inspiration for the Holy Grail. this symbolizes the Goddess, the waters of rebirth. C.E.: Common Era. Synonymous with A.D. but without religious bias. Censer: A heat-proof container for granular incense that is burned on charcoal. It is associated with the element air. Also called a thurible. Ceremonial Magick: A highly codified magickal tradition based upon Kabbala, the Jewish-Gnostic mystical teachings. Chakras: Seven major energy vortexes found in the human body. Each is usually associated with a color. They are: crown - white; third-eye - purple; throat - blue; chest - pink or green; navel - yellow; abdomen - orange; groin - red. Smaller vortexes are located in the hands and feet as well. Chalice: A cup or goblet made of glass, crystal, pottery or metal, traditionally silver, used in ceremonies to represent the Water element and to hold wine, juice or water. It represents the female principals of creation. Channeling: A New Age practice wherein you allow a discarnate entity to "borrow" your body to speak to others either through automatic writing or verbally. Chaplet: A crown for the head usually made of flowers and worn at Beltane. Charge: A declaration of the power and benevolence of the Goddess (or god) in Wicca, similar to the Creed in other religions. It is spoken usually in the first person and is sometimes believed to be the words of the Goddess channelled through the speaker. The Originally written in modern form by Doreen Valiente, it is a story of the message from Goddess to Her children. Charging: To infuse an object with personal power. Charms: Either an amulet or talisman that has been charmed by saying an incantation over it and instilling it with energy for a specific task. Ch'i: The invisible life force, the flow of positive energy through everything, promoting growth, health and vitality. Circle: Sacred space wherein all magick is to be worked and all ritual contained. It both holds ritual energy until the witch is ready to release it, and provides protection for the witch. Clairaudience: A natural psychic ability to hear sounds beyond the range of the physical sounds and the physical ear, sometimes from other dimensions. Mediums often communicate with spirits by hearing their voices and so can convey messages to relatives or friends in whom the ability is not so developed. Cleansing: Removing negative energies from an object or space. Collective Unconsciousness: Term used to describe the sentient connection of all living things, past and present. See also Akashic Records. Coming of Age Ritual: At age 13 for boys, and at the time of a girl's first menses, Pagan children are seen as spiritual adults. The ritual celebrates their new maturity. Generally this is the age when they are permitted membership in covens. Cone of Power: Psychic energy raised and focused by either an individual or group mind (coven) to achieve a definite purpose. Conscious Mind: The analytical, materially-based, rational half of our consciousness. The part of our mind that is at work while we balance our checkbooks, theorize, communicate, and perform other acts related to the physical world. Consecration: The act of blessing an object or place by instilling it with positive energy. Coven: A meeting of any group, numbering from two to 13 witches that work together in an organized fashion for positive magickal endeavors or to perform religious ceremonies. Though many covens have been allow up to 20 witches, this usually includes the neophytes. Covenstead: The meeting place of witches, often a fixed building or place where the witch can feel safe and at home. Craft: Witchcraft Crone: Aspect of the Goddess represented by the old woman. Symbolized by the waning moon, the carrion crow, the cauldron, the color black. Her Sabbats are Mabon and Samhain. Cross-Quarter Days: Refers to Sabbats not falling on the solstices or equinoxes. Curfew: to cover; as in a fire D Days of Power: See Sabbat. They can also be days triggered by astrological occurrences - your birthday, a woman's menstrual cycle, your dedication/initiation anniversary. Dedication: The process where an individual accepts the Craft as their path and vows to study and learn all that is necessary to reach adept ship. It is a conscious preparation to accept something new into your life and stick with it, regardless of the highs and lows that may follow. Deosil: Clockwise, or, literally 'in the direction of the Sun'. The direction used in creating a circle, in all forms of attracting magic and for giving healing energies. The direction in which the shadow on a sundial moves as the Sun "moves" across the sky. Deosil is symbolic of life, positive magick, positive energies. See also Widdershins. Devas: The angelic beings who watch and direct the natural world. In formal magick, one Deva rules over each segment of a magical circle and one of the four elements of Fire, Water, Air and Earth. Also known as the Devic Lords of the Watchtower. Dhoop: An incense stick like a slender rope, from India. Dirk: Ritual knife of the Scottish tradition. Divination: The magickal art of using tools and symbols to gather information from the Collective Unconsciousness. This can be on people, places, things and events past, present, and future. Divine Power: The unmanifested, pure energy that exists within the Goddess and God. The life force, the ultimate source of all things. The Divinity: Generic term for the ultimate source of goodness, light and creation. Djinn: An invisible, shapeshifting creature of fire and air, originating in the Middle East. In Islamic tradition, djinns live in a parallel universe and so are invisible, created, it is said, before mortals from smokeless fire. Dowsing: The divinatory art of using a pendulum or stick to find the actual location of a person, place, thing, or element. Drawing Down the Moon: A ritual performed during the Full Moon by witches to empower themselves and unite their essence with a particular deity, usually the Goddess. Drawing Down the Sun: Lesser-known and lesser-used companion ritual to Drawing Down the Moon in which the essence of the Sun God is drawn into the body of a male witch. Druids: Celtic high priests and wise men (and women) who preserved a common culture, religion, history, laws, scholarship, healing, magic and science amongst the disparate Celtic tribes. There is historical evidence of Druids in Ireland, England, Wales and Gaul and it would seem that they also held sway in the Celtic settlements of Spain, Italy, Galatia and the Danube valley, although under a different name. Duality: The opposite of polarity. When used as a religious term, it separates two opposites such as good and evil and places those characteristics into two completely separate God-forms. E Earth Magick: The energy that exists within stones, herbs, flames, wind, and other natural objects. Earth Plane: Metaphor for your normal waking consciousness, or for the everyday, solid world we live in. Eightfold Wheel of the Year: An ancient magical and spiritual division of the year, formalised by the Celts, though possibly dating back to the first agricultural societies. Elements: Usually: Earth, air, fire, water. The building blocks of the universe. Everything that exists contains one or more of these energies. Some include a fifth element- spirit or Akasha. Elementals: The forces or energies that in nature and magick give shape to living things and bring thoughts and desires into actuality. Archetypical spirit beings associated with one of the four elements. Elementals are sometimes called Faeries. Enchantment: A magickal object that must be kept absolutely secret and hidden from all human eyes and affects a hidden aura. They must be charmed first. Gems and magickal writing are good items to use. Eostre's Eggs: Colored, decorated eggs of Ostara; named for the Teutonic Goddess Eostre. Equinox: The two times of the year when day and night are equal -namely, the spring equinox around 21 March (21 September in the southern hemisphere) and the autumn equinox around 22 September (22 March in the southern hemisphere). In Celtic myth these were the times when the twin gods of light and darkness fought each other for control. Esbat: A monthly coven meeting traditionally held 13 times a year during each full moon and dedicated to the Goddess in her lunar aspect. Evil eye: A way of transmitting negativity to another person, not as a deliberate curse, but through feelings of envy, jealousy or resentment. Evocation: To call something out from within. The summoning-up of angels (and sometimes demons) in order to bind them to perform tasks. F Faerie: An Elemental Faerie Burgh: Mound of earth which covers a faerie colony's underground home. Familiar: An animal that has a spiritual bone with a witch; many times a family witch. Familiars can also be entities that dwell on the astral plane. Fascination: A mental effort to control another animal or person's mind. Also known as "mind-bending". Often considered unethical. Fixed: In astrology, a term applied to the signs of Leo, Taurus, Aquarius and Scorpio because the Sun enters them in the middle of a season. Those born under these signs exhibit stability and a tendency to continue in a predetermined path. See also Cardinal, Mutable. Folklore: Traditional sayings, cures, faerie tales, and folk wisdom of a particular locale which is separate from their mythology. Folk Magick: The Practice of projecting personal power, as well as the energies within natural objects such as herbs, and crystals, to bring about needed changes. G Gaea/Gaia: Mother Earth. God: The archetype or source energy of the masculine ultimate power or principle. All the named gods are aspects of particular qualities of the God in different cultures. The Goddess: The archetype or source energy of the feminine ultimate power or principle. All the named goddesses are aspects of particular qualities of the Goddess in different cultures. Grail: The chalice that Christ used at the Last Supper, in which His blood was collected after the crucifixion. Grail guardians: Nine maidens, sometimes associated with the guardians of sacred wells or with the nine priestesses of the Isle of Avalon who included Morgan le Fay, Arthur's half-sister, and Vivien, the Lady of the Lake in Arthurian tradition who accompanied Arthur on his funeral barge. In some Grail legends, the Knights Templar were the traditional guardians of various holy relics, including the Grail Cup, that were brought back from the Crusades. Grail treasures: The main elemental ritual items in magick, associated with the treasures of the Celts, and having parallels in Christianity. Grain Dolly: Figure usually woven at Imbolc from dried sheaves of grain collected at the previous harvest. The dolly is traditionally burned at Yule and a new one made the following Imbolc. Great Rite: Symbolic sexual union (also sacred marriage) of the Goddess and God that is enacted at Beltane in many traditions, and other Sabbats in other traditions. It symbolizes the primal act of creation from which all life comes. Green Man: Another name for the God Grimorie: A magickal workbook containing ritual information, formulae, magickal properties of natural objects and preparation of ritual equipment. Often used interchangeably with Book of Shadows. Grounding: To disperse excess energy generated during magickal work by sending it into the earth. It also means the process of centering one's self in the physical world both before and after any ritual or astral experience. Grove: Synonymous with coven. Guardians: Ceremonial magicians use the Guardians of the Watchtowers or Four Quarters. Some witches use them, too. H Handfastings: A popular marriage rite among Wiccans, named after the focal point of the rite in which a couple's right hands are loosely joined by a cord to symbol the uniting of the two people, body, mind and soul. Hedge witches: Lone witches; the name comes from the practice of village wise women surrounding their homes with a hedge of hawthorn, a magical tree that afforded privacy from the curious. Herbalism: Art of using herbs to facilitate human needs both magickally and medicinally. Higher Self: That part of us which connects our corporeal minds to the Collective Unconscious and with the divine knowledge of the universe. High Magick: Magick that calls upon the aid of beneficent spirits and is akin to religion. It is called theurgy, from theourgia "working things pertaining to the gods". High Magick is based upon a blend of doctrines of Plato and other Greek philosophers, Oriental mysticism, Judaism and Christianity and currently is divided into three forms : Enochian, Thelemic and Eclectic. High Magick requires a rigorous discipline and has an intellectual appeal, the mage derives power from God (the Judeo-Christian God) through the successful control of spirits, usually demons, which are believed easier to control than angels. Demons may be good, evil, or neutral. In its highest sense, High Magick is a transcendental experience that takes the mage into mystical realms and into communication with the Higher Self. Also known as Ceremonial Magick, Ritual Magick, Theurgic Magick, Theurgy. Hiving Off: This term is used for a small coven which splits off from a larger one. Sometimes this is done to keep the gatherings of a manageable size, other times covens split over philosophical differences. The Horned God: The male principle in Wicca, Lord of the Hunt, the Herds, Winter and the Underworld. Known to the Celts as Cernunnos, the generic name for 'horned one'. One of the most prevalent God-images in Paganism. NOT Satan or the Devil!!! I Imbolc: The Celtic festival of early spring. A Fire festival, christianised as Candlemas on 1 February. Also known as Oimelc. Immanent: Usually refers to a god or the Goddess; indicating that they are manifest within the object of their creation, as the divine spark within people. See also Transcendent. Initiation: A process whereby an individual is introduced or admitted into a coven. Usually a ritual occasion. Not to be confused with dedication. Incense: Ritual burning of herbs, oils, or other aromatic items to scent the air during acts of magick and ritual, and to better help the witch attune to the goal of the working. Inner-plane teaching: Contacting through meditation or rituals the cosmic memory bank or Akashic records in order to tap into the great existing magical systems and wisdom without external formal teaching. Invocation: The process by which the wisdom and benign powers of the natural world and of higher planes of consciousness, associated with the evolved self and divine power, are drawn into oneself. Medieval magicians would invoke spirits to take over their bodies -dangerous and mind-blowing. J Jew-itch: Name coined by some Pagans of Jewish origin who are actively seeking out the pagan roots of their birth religion. K Karma: The concept that the good and bad deeds and thoughts accumulated in an individual lifetime may either progress us forwards to spiritual perfection or mean we need to learn lessons in subsequent lives in order to right our mistakes. Kabbala: Mystical teaching from the Jewish-Gnostic tradition. Ceremonial Magick and the Alexandrian traditions are based in these teachings. Also, Qabala. L Labrys: A double-headed ax which symbolizes the Goddess in Her Lunar aspect. Has roots in ancient Crete. Left-Hand Path: Refers to the practice of using magick to control others, to change the will of others, for personal gain. Generally frowned upon by true Wiccans and Witch's. Dark Magick. Libation:Ritually given portion of food or drink to a deity, nature spirit, or ghost. Litha: The Celtic festival of light, held around the midsummer solstice on 21 June. Low Magick: Magick practiced by people who are not trained in High Magick and does not involve the ritualized summoning of spirits. Spells, incantations and concocted philters and potions are the lowest forms of Low Magick. Lughnassadh: The Celtic festival of the first corn harvest, held from 31 July to 2 August in the northern hemisphere. Christianised as Lammas ('loaf mass'), the day on which loaves of bread were baked from the first grain harvest and placed on the altar to symbolise the first fruits. M Mabon: The second Celtic harvest festival of the autumn equinox, around 22 September. Macrocosm: The world around us. Magick: The projection of natural energies (such as personal power) to being about needed change. Energy exists in all things: us, plants, stones, colors, sounds, movements, words. Magick is the process of raising this energy, giving it purpose, and releasing it. Magick is a natural, not supernatural, practice, but is little understood. Magick is neither black nor white. It simply is. What the magician decides to do with the magick is another matter... Magick Circle: A sphere constructed of personal power in which rituals are usually performed. Within it the witch is protected from outside forces. The sphere extends both above and below the surface of the ground. Magickal System: The basic set of guidelines relating to the worship of specific Gods and Goddesses or cultural traditions. Male Mysteries: Pagan study which attempts to reclaim the power and mystery of the old Gods for today's Pagan males. Matrifocal: Term used to denote pre-patriarchal life when family clans centered around and lived near or on clan matriarch. May Pole: Sexual symbol of Beltane representing the phallus. Medicine Wheel: A concept central to all Native American magick. The wheels link the celestial, human and natural cycles. Also known as the Circle of Power. Meditation: Reflection, contemplation- turning inward toward the self, or outward toward Deity or nature. A quiet time in which the practitioner may either dwell upon particular thoughts or symbols, or allow them to come unbidden. Megalith: A huge stone monument or structure. Stonehenge is the best-known example of a megalith. Menhir: A huge stone probably erected by early peoples for religious, spiritual, or magickal reasons. Microcosm: The world within us. Monotheism: Belief in one supreme deity who has no other forms and/of displays no other aspects. Morphic resonance: The spreading of goodwill and positivity, through magick and good deeds, to increase the benign energies of the Earth and cosmos. Mother: The aspect of the Goddess representing motherhood, mid-life, and fertility. She is represented by the full moon, the egg, the colors red and green. Her Sabbats are Midsummer and Lughnasadh. Mother Goddess: The giver of all life and fertility and mother of the animals, worshipped by huntergatherer societies since paleolithic times. In the shamanic religions in Siberia and Lapland, the Mother of the Herds is still a central icon of power. During the neolithic period, the Mother Goddess was the bringer of fertility to the land as well as to animals and humans. Gradually, she came to be seen as the wife of the great Sky Gods. She survives in the form of Mary in the Christian religion. Mutable: The mutable signs of the zodiac are Sagittarius, Gemini, Virgo and Pisces, as when the Sun enters them the seasons are about to change. Those born under them are correspondingly versatile and ready to compromise. Myth: Cycles Body of lore about any land or people that makes up their mythology. N New Age: The mixing of metaphysical practices with a structured religion. New Religion: Pagan term used in reference to Christianity. Nursery Rhyme: Cute doggerel or poems supposedly written for the amusement of children. Much Pagan lore was hidden in these ditties during the years of witch persecutions. O Occult: Literal meaning is "hidden" and is broadly applied to a wide range of metaphysical topics which lie outside the accepted realm of mainstream theologies. Occultist: One who practices and or studies a variety of occult subjects. Ogham: Celtic equivalent of the Teutonic runes. The ancient alphabet of the Celtic people. Old Ones: The A term which refers to all aspects of the Goddess and God. Old Religion: A name for Paganism as it pre-dates Christianity by at least 20,000 years. Ostara: The Celtic festival of the spring equinox. P Pagan: From the Late Latin word “Paganus” meaning “of the country”. In Latin it meant “civilian or country dweller”. Akin to the Latin word “Pangere” which means to fix or fasten, and “Pacisci” which means “agree, contract”. (Pagus: country village, district) Pagan/Neo-Pagan: General term for followers of Wicca and other magickal, shamanistic, and polytheistic Earth-based religions. Also used to refer to pre-Christian religious and magickal systems. Paganing: When a baby is presented in circle to the Goddess and God, and given a craft name which s/he will keep until about 13 and can choose their own at their Coming of Age celebration. Pantheon: A collection or group of Gods and Goddesses in a particular religious or mythical structure. Pantheism: Belief in many deities who are really one because they are all merely aspects of the single creative life source. Paganism is pantheistic. Passion Over Ritual: Ritual observed when a loved one has dies. Past-Life Regression: Act of using meditation or guided meditation to pass through the veil of linear time and perceive experiences encountered in a previous existence. Path Working: Using astral projection, bi-location, or dream time to accomplish a specific goal. Also called vision questing. Patriarchal: Term used to apply to the world since the matrifocal clans that worshipped Goddesses were supplanted by codified religions that honor all-male deity(s). Pendulum: A divinatory device consisting of a string attached to a heavy object, such as a quartz crystal, root, or ring. The free end of the string is held in the hand, the elbows steadied against a flat surface, and a question is asked. The movement of the heavy object's swings determines the answer. It is a tool which contacts the psychic mind. Pentacle: A ritual item, symbol of the Earth, consisting of a flat, round disc, engraved with a pentagram. Worn as a symbol of a witch's beliefs. Many witches consider wearing it inverted to be blasphemy of their faith and is commonly associated with Satanism. Pentagram: A five-pointed diagram, one of the most sacred geometric forms in magick. Each of the five points represents one of the five elemental powers: Earth, Air, Fire, Water, and Spirit. The uppermost, single point is symbolic of Spirit, or Akasha. It is a symbol of power and protection. Personal Power: The energy which sustains our bodies. It originates within the Goddess and God. We first absorb it from our biological mother within the womb, and later from food, water, the Moon and Sun, and other natural objects. Polarity: The concept of equal, opposite energies. The Eastern Yin Yang is a perfect example. Yin is cold; yang is hot. Other examples: Goddess/God, night/day, Moon/Sun, birth/death, dark/light, psychic mind/unconscious mind. Universal balance. Polytheism: Belief in the existence of many unrelated deities each with their own dominion and interests who have no spiritual or familial relationships to one another. Poppet: An anthropomorphic, featureless doll made of cloth that is filled with herbs and used in healing or as a talisman to attract love or fertility. It may also be made of clay and used as a focus for positive magick to being health or happiness to the person represented by it. Power hand / Projective Hand: The hand thought to be the point through which personal power is sent from the body. Normally the hand used for manual activities such as writing, dialing the phone, etc. It is also the hand in which tools such as the athame and wand are held. See also Receptive hand. Psychic Mind: The subconscious, or unconscious mind, in which we receive psychic impressions. It is at work when we sleep, dream, and meditate. It is our direct link with the Divine, and with the larger, nonphysical world around us. Psychism: The act of being consciously psychic, in which the psychic mind and conscious mind are linked and working in harmony. Also known as psychic awareness. Q Quabala: See Kabbala Quarters: The four segments of a magical circle. Each is associated with specific archangels, colours, crystals, herbs, incenses, ritual tools, etc. R Receptive hand: The hand through which energy is received into the body. The left hand in right-handed persons and the reverse for left-handed persons. See also Power hand. Rede: A rule or moral code. The Wiccan Rede states: “An [If] it harm none, do what you will”, and so ensures all magick has a positive intent. Reincarnation: The process of repeated incarnations in human form to allow evolution of the sexless, ageless soul. Ritual Ceremony: A specific form of movement, a manipulation of objects or inner processes designed to produce desired effects. In religion ritual is geared toward union with the Divine. In magickal works it produces a specific state of consciousness that allows the magician to move energy toward needed goals. Ritual Consciousness: A specific, alternate state of awareness necessary to the successful practice of magick. This state is achieved through the use of visualization and ritual. The conscious mind becomes attuned with the psychic mind, a state in which the magician senses energies, gives them purpose, and releases them toward a specific goal. It is a heightening of senses, an expanded awareness of the nonphysical world, a linking with nature and with Deity. Ritual Tools: General name for magickal tools used by a witch or magician. They vary by tradition and usually represent one of the elements. Runes: A set of symbols used both in divination and magickal work. There are several types will different origins- Scandinavian, Norse, Germanic. S Sabbat: One of eight special days of the year on which Wiccan celebrations are held - the solstices, the equinoxes and the Celtic Fire festivals. Samhain: The Celtic Fire festival of the new year, celebrated at the end of summer. Satan: from the ancient Hebrew SATAN meaning “adversary” and base on SATAN meaning “to be adverse” or “to persecute”. In essence, if you are adverse to something you claim the title Satan. There was never an actually figure or being defined in the word. It is generally speaking about a characteristic or an action you take. Scourge: Small device made from leather or hemp which resembles a whip and is used in flagellation rites within some traditions. Scrying: A method of divination. To gaze at or into an object or seeing magical images in a reflective medium (a quartz crystal sphere, a pool of water, reflections, a candle flame) to still the conscious mind in order to contact the psychic mind. Scrying allows the scryer to become aware of events prior to their actual occurrence, as well as to perceive past or present events through other than the five senses. The word 'scry' comes from the Anglo-Saxon word descry, which means 'to perceive dimly'. Shaman: A man or woman who has obtained knowledge of the subtler dimensions of the Earth, usually through periods of alternate states of consciousness. Various types of ritual allow the shaman to pierce the veil of the physical world and to experience the realm of energies. This knowledge lends the shaman the power to change his or her world through magick. Shamanism: Possibly the oldest spiritual practice in the world, continued today in communities as far apart as India, Australia, Japan and China, Siberia and Mongolia, in Africa, among the Bedouins in the Middle East and in North, Central and South America. Shillelagh: Magickal tool corresponding to the staff in other traditions. Usually made from blackthorn wood. Sigil: Magically oriented seal, sign, glyph, or other device used in a magickal working. Ones you create yourself are the most effective. Sigils can be used on letters, packages, clothing, etc. Simple Feast: A ritual meal shared with the Goddess and God. Skyclad: The act of celebrating or performing magickal works in the nude. Considered deeply spiritual, NOT sexual. Sky Father: Shamanistic in origin. It assigns deification to the sky as a male entity. Sky Gods: The powerful patriarchal gods of the classical and Viking world, for example Zeus of the Greeks, Jupiter of the Romans, Odin of the Vikings and Thunor of the Anglo-Saxons. They gained supremacy over the Earth Mother who appears as their wife-consort, full of human foibles. Solitary: Pagan who works and worships alone. Solstice: One of the main astronomical points of the year. The summer solstice (21 June, or 21 December in the southern hemisphere) marks the Sun at its height and greatest power. The winter solstice (21 December or 21 June) is the shortest day when the Sun is at its weakest and it was feared by early humans that the Sun would die. Spell: A magickal ritual, usually non-religious in nature and often accompanied by spoken words. It should be clear, concise, focused and emotional. Need must be present. Spiral: Symbol of coming into being. Spirit guides: Guardians from another dimension who advise and protect humans. They may be deceased relatives, wise teachers, for example Native Americans, angels or evolved essences who never assumed mortal form. Staff: Ritual tool which corresponds to the wand or athame. Stang: Ritual tool from Pagan Rome which resembles a two-pronged trident. Often used in place of the wand or circle. Subconscious Mind: Part of the mind which functions below the levers we are able to access in the course of a normal working day. This area stores symbolic knowledge, dreams, the most minute details of every experience ever had by a person. Summerland: The Pagan Land of the Dead. Sympathetic Magick: Concept of likes attract. Most common way spells are worked. T Talisman: A charm or amulet that has been charged with specific healing or magical energies to make it powerful and to attract health, wealth or luck. It tends to become more powerful the more it is used. Tarot: A pack of 78 highly illustrated cards often used in rituals to represent people or qualities that are being sought in a spell; used to conned the diviner with the collective unconscious. Tarologist: One adept at the art and science of handling the Tarot. Threefold Law: Karmic principle that energy that is released is returned three times over. Whatever you do or send to others, good or bad, will be returned to you threefold - a great incentive to positive thought and action. Thurible: See Censer. Tradition: Branch of paganism followed by any individual Pagan or coven. Transcendent: Term used of god forms to express the belief that their existence extends beyond and is separate from creation. See also Immanent. Trilithon: A stone arch made from two upright slabs with one lying atop these. They are featured in Stonehenge. Triple God: One God in all of his three aspects: Son, Father, Sacred King or Hunter Triple Goddess: A concept of a deity found in many cultures. May represent the three main phases of the Moon - maiden, mother and crone - or, as in Celtic tradition especially, three sisters. Tulpa: A thought form created by medieval occultists seeking mastery over the elemental beings that they fashioned by their incantations. In extreme cases a tulpa might destroy its creator -hence the warnings of the Threefold Law. x XYZ- Xamine your zipper (ha ha right...) V Virgin: Youngest aspect of the Triple Goddess. Also know as the Maiden. Represented by the waxing moon, colors white and blue. Her Sabbats are Imbolc and Ostara. Virgin birth: to be born when your father is either dead or your parents were not married Vision Quest: Using astral projection, bi-location, or dream time to accomplish a specific goal. Also called path working. Visualization: The process of forming mental images. Magickal visualization consists of forming images of needed goals during ritual. It is also used to direct personal power and natural energies for various purposes during magick, including charging and forming of the magick circle. W Wand: Ritual tool brought to the craft from ritual magick. Warlock: Antiquated term misused in reference to a male Witch. It means oath-breaker or Liar. Most Pagans, Witch's find the term offensive. In Satanism, this means a male magician. Web Weaving: Networking with other magickal people via conversation, writing, e-mail, to gather information which will mutually assist each party. Wheel of the Year: One full cycle of the seasonal year. White Magick: A term used to identify some traditions where Magick is never used for destructive purposes. Also known as the Right Hand Path, Path of Light. Wicca: A contemporary, neo-pagan religion that regards the divine life source as a part of nature, not a force beyond creation with spiritual roots in the earliest expressions of reverence for nature. The divine source of life is manifest as the god and goddess within everything living, male and female, animal, bird, tree and flower. Some major identifying motifs are: reverence for both the Goddess and God; acceptance of reincarnation and magick; ritual observance of astronomical and agricultural phenomena; and the use of magickal circles for ritual purposes. Wiccan Rede: See Rede. Wicce: Synonymous with Wicca. In some circles, Wicce is used for women and Wicca is used for men. Widdershins: Anti-clockwise, moonwise, or against the Sun. The direction used in closing a circle, banishing or removing pain and in banishing magick generally. See also Deosil. Witch: A practitioner of folk magick, particularly that kind relating to herbs, stones, colors, wells, rivers, etc. It is used by some Wiccans to describe themselves. This term means a female magician in Satanism. Witchcraft: The craft of the witch- magick, especially magick utilizing personal power in conjunction with the energies within stones, herbs, colors, and other natural objects. This belief system also has nothing to do with Satanism. Y Yin and yang: The complementary components of everything in life, according to ancient Chinese philosophy. Yang is the original Sun concept of light, power, masculinity, assertiveness, logic and action. It controls heaven and all things positive. It is balanced by Yin, the original Moon concept of darkness, receptivity, femininity, intuition, acceptance and inaction. Yin controls the Earth and all things negative. Yggdrasil: One of the best known Tree of Life symbols. It unites all existence from the Underworld, to the Physical world. Z Zebra: I don't know (ha ha right...)