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AFFERMATION: This is a belief often employed by Wiccans; that repetitive "Positive Assertive Thoughts" will influence people & reality. Use to be called "Positive Thinking."
AFFLICTED: When a planet sends or receives negative dialog from another planet. Typical affliction includes squares and oppositions.
AIR SIGNS: Gemini, Libra, and Aquarius are the three signs of the zodiac attributed to the qualities of the element of air. Also known as the air triplicity.
AKASHA: The fifth element, the omnipresent spiritual power. It is the energy out of which the elements formed.
AKASHA RECORDS: Records of the spirit. The universal library that records every thought, word, deed of each individual, which can only be accessed through meditation.
ALTAR: Go to Tools.
ALTERED STATE OF CONSCIOUSNESS: Accidental or planned process in which the brain accesses information that is otherwise unavailable. An altered state of consciousness can be reached through meditation, ritual, self hypnosis, etc.
AMULET: Go to Tools.
ANGLES: The four angles of any astrological chart are the ascendent, the descendent, the midheaven, and the I.C. or immum coeli.
ANGULAR HOUSES: The first, fourth, seventh, and tenth house in a horoscope. When a planet passes over one of these mythical lines, stuff happens in your life that you didn’t necessarily expect or were waiting for.
ANIMISM: The belief that the forces of nature are inhabited be spirits.
ANIMISTIC: The belief that all forms of Nature has a Divine Spirit within.
ANKH: (angk) An Egyptian hieroglyphic, the Ankh symbolizes life, love and reincarnation. It is often worn around the neck and is shaped like a cross with a loop on top.
ANTHROPOSMANCY: Reading a persons character by studying his or her face, expressions, and body movement.
APHORISM: a sparsely worded, and direct little saying. Ex.: 'As above, So below.'
AROMATHERAPY: The use of various flower, herb, oil and incense fragrances and smells. HOLISTIC AROMA: uses massage and smell. MAGICKAL AROMA: uses smell and visualization.
ASCENDENT: First sign to rise on the left-hand side of a zodiac chart, usually associated with the first house; 180° or opposite the descendent.
ASPECT: When planets are in certain angles from each other, the planetary energies interact depending on the nature of the planet, the angle, and the speed at which each planet is moving. The critical angles are called aspects. Each aspect has a name and common attributes. Traditional astrology commonly use the Ptolemaic set of aspects; however, there can be hundreds of angles, depending on what astrological system you use.
ASPERGER: A bundle of fresh herbs or a perforated object used to sprinkle water during or before Ritual, for purification purposes.
ASTRAL: Other existing dimensions of reality.
ASTRAL BODY: The energy of a soul or person.
ASTRAL PROJECTION: The separation of your spiritual (astral) body from your physical body. Your consciousness and awareness travel with your astral body. While your astral body is free, you can travel around in this world, or leave the physical plane altogether and explore other planes in the astral.
Astral projection takes practice, and not all methods work for everyone. Meditation and lucid dreaming are two techniques that can lead to astral travel.
Also Known As: Out of Body Experience, Astral Travel .
ASTROLOGY: “Speech of the stars,” derived form the Greek word astron, meaning “star” and logos, which means “discource” or :speech.” The study of the energy influence of heavenly bodies on any behavior, activity, or condition on people, places and things.
ATHAME: (AH-tha-may) Got to Tools.
AURA: An aura is an energy field that surrounds all living things. Most people are not able to see this field, but some people do have that ability. Your aura is bright and colored, with the colors reflecting your emotional/spiritual state.
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BALEFIRE: A fire lit for magickal purposes, usually outdoors. Balefires are traditional on Yule, Beltane and Midsummer.
BANE: A negative force or energy. Another word for bad, negative, or in opposition.
BANISH: The removal of negative energy or force. To rid the presence of unwanted entities.
BCE:BeforeCommonEra is the nonreligious equivalent of BC.
BELTANE: (b' YALt'n) A grand Sabbat celebrated on April 30th or May 1st. It celebrates the maturity of the God to manhood and the union of the God and Goddess, and her fertility. Also called May Day, the old English May Pole tradition was of a phallic symbol, marking the return of vitality, passion and consummate hopes.
BESOM: (Beh-som) Go to Tools.
BIND: Restraining one's self or someone, using magick.
BILOCATION: Being seen in two places at one time, or being able to visit a place with your mind while your body remains in a different place.
BOLINE: (Bowl-in) Go to Tools
BOOK of SHADOWS: Go to Tools
BURNING TIMES: A reference of time between approximately 1500 B.C.E. and the 1600's where many millions of people were murdered by the Christian church simply because they were 'non-believers'. Their possessions and assets seized at death, the Christian church often profited on the killings of witches.
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CADENT HOUSES: The second, fifth, eighth, and eleventh houses.
CANON: Rule, law, model, or standard; often used by the early Christian church to squash people's rights, especially in dictating what they could and could not believe.
CARDINAL SIGNS: Aries, Cancer, Libra and Capricorn. These signs usher the equinoxes and solstices, and are therefore seen as “starter” energies. All four elements are represented: Aries = fire; Cancer = water; Libra = air; and Capricorn = earth.
CAULDRON: Go to Tools
CE: Common Era is the nonreligious equivalent of AD.
CENSER: Go to Tools
CENTERING: The act of feeling solid, balanced and focused emotionally.
CHAKRAS: One of the seven major energy centers in the human body. These are at the head, third eye, throat, chest, navel, abdomen and groin. Each resonates with a different color, and corresponds to a particular kind of energy.
CHALDEAN ORDER: Ancient lineup of the planets, beginning with Saturn, Jupiter, Mars, Sun, Venus, Mercury, and the Moon.
CHALICE: Go to Tools
CHARGE, TO: To infuse an object with personal power. "Charging" is an act of magick.
CHI: Life energy.
CLAIRVOYANCE: Seeing objects, people, or situations as they occur without conventional vision.
CONE OF POWER: Some raise power during ritual, then form it into CONE shape & send it out on the world in a magickal spell.
CONJUNCTION: When one planet occupies the same degree of the same astrological sign.
CONSECRATION: Blessing an object (usually a ritual tool) to purify it and empowering it with positive energy.
CONSCIOUS MIND: The analytical, material-based, rational half of our consciousness. The mind at work when we theorize or struggle with ideas. Compare with Psychic Mind.
CONSTELLATION: A group of stars in the same section of the heavens. Usually associated with a mythical animal, person, or circumstance.
COVEN: (Kuhv-en) A group of Wiccans/Witches that gather for ritual on a somewhat regular basis. Covens usually celebrate the Sabbats and Esbats together, as well as other rituals. A coven does not require 13 members as some may think. Some groups are strictly structured (Alexandrian or Gardnerian) but some are more open and casual.
CRAFT, THE: Another name for the Wicca Religion.
CRONE: Third aspect of the Mother Goddess.
CROSS-QUARTERS: These are the 4 holidays that fall between the Quarter holidays, they are the midpoints of the season or Quarters & relate to lambing, harvest, planting, & slaughter times. As opposed to Solar dates of QUARTERS, these being the 4 holidays that recognize Solstices & Equinoxes.
CULMINATING: An ancient term for reaching the midheaven in an astrological chart.
CULTURE The sum total of those things (including traditions, techniques, material goods, and symbol systems) that people have invented, developed and transmitted to each other.
CUSP: The degree at the beginning of a house.
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DAYS OF POWER: See Sabbat.
DEDICATION: The acceptance of the craft (of any way), as one's path and religion, followed by intense study to gain the necessary knowledge and preparation to be adept at this tradition.
DEITY: A God or a Goddess, though also used to encompass ALL Gods & Goddesses in one concept.
DEOSIL: (Jesh-il) Clockwise. Used to describe movement around a circle during ritual.
DIVINATION: Using a toll, such as Tarot cards, a crystal ball, coins, etc., to examine the past and view possible future events.
DIVINE POWER: The unmanifested, pure energy that exists within the Goddess and God. The life force, the ultimate source of all things. Also see Deity.
DOGMA: Established doctrine, code or opinion concerning faith, formally dictated by a religious body, like the Christian church.
DOWSING: Sensing the hidden presence of water, minerals, people, animals, objects, or energy.
DRAWING DOWN THE MOON: The bringing of Goddess Power into one's Self, especially during ritual. Physical changes such as voice pitch or aura brilliance can occur.
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EARTH POWER: The energy which exists within stones, herbs, flames, wind and other natural objects.
ECLECTIC: Any Wiccan who doesn't not strictly follow one particular tradition is often referred to as "eclectic". Eclectic Wiccans sometimes mix pantheons as well.
ELEMENTS: The primary elements are earth, air, fire, water and spirit. Each of these 5 represents a point on the pentagram. The elements and their directions are extremely important in Pagan/Wiccan ritual.
ESBAT: A Wiccan ritual usually held on the full moon. These are the days that covens usually meet, but solitaries can hold Esbats rituals as well.
EVOCATION:The act of summoning the presence of spirits, deities or elementals to your sacred space.
EXTRASENSORY PERCEPTION (ESP): Telepathy, precognition, clairvoyance, and psychokinesis.
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FAMILIAR: Most commonly an animal, a familiar is a witch's working helper. Often advantageous to ritual, they can also become a liability and much thought should be given to taking a familiar.
FOLK MAGICK: The practice of combining Personal Power with Natural Energies, to create a specific purpose.
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GAIAN: A term which recognizes the Earth Goddess Gaia, as a living, breathing organism. Then everything else, is PART of it, rather than APART from it.
GOD: The aspect of a masculine deity.
GODDESS: The aspect of a feminine deity.
GRAPHOLOGY: Examining a person's character by studying their handwriting.
GRIMOIRE: A magical workbook with information on rituals, magickal properties of natural objects, preparation of ritual equipment. Many include a, 'catalog of spirits'. One of the most famous is 'The Key of Solomon'. (Similar to the Book of shadows)
GROUNDING: Dispersing excess energy from your body, frequently done with visualization that directs this energy into the ground. Grounding is done after a spell or ritual, or after astral work, or whenever you feel the need to focus yourself.
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HANDFASTING: A Wiccan, Pagan, or Gypsy wedding.
HERB: Go to Tools
HIGH PRIEST/ESS: Technically a High Priest (male) or High Priestess (female) is someone who has reached the 3rd degree level within their coven. But the term is often used more loosely to describe the leader of a coven.
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IMBOLC: (IM bulk) The festival celebrated Feb. 2nd marking the first stirring of Spring as the Goddess recovers from giving birth to the God. Also called: Candlemas, Lupercalia, Feast of Pan, Feast of Torches, Feast of Waxing Light, Oimelc, Brigit's Day, Snowdrop Festival, among others. Often a traditional time for self dedication or initiation.
INFUSION: A liquid produced by soaking herbs in very hot water (not boiling!). A tea, brew, or potion.
INITIATION: The transformation of ones ideals and values into the ideals and values of a particular path. Please note one can be in dedication but is not yet initiated while an initiated is always in dedication.
INTUITION: A term describing psychic information that unexpectedly reaches the Conscious Mind.
INVOCATION: The drawing of an aspect of a deity into one's self using magickal ritual.
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KARMA: A Sanskrit word that means "deed"--the law says that one's deed determine one's future. The idea is that all actions have reactions, both positive and negative. Doing good things builds up good karma, and doing evil creates bad karma. The karma you accumulate during your lifetime travels with you into your next incarnation and will effect your lives to come.
KUNDALINI: The free-flowing energy of consciousness.
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LITHA: (Lith-ah) Also known as Midsummer, Litha is the summer solstice which honors the sun god at his peak power.
LAMMAS: The festival celebrated Aug. 1, marking the first harvest of winter food and ebbing of the Sun's (God's) energies and days grow short. A time to remember the bounty of food we eat and each meal an attunement to Nature. Also called: Aug. Eve, Lughnasadh, and Feast of Bread.
LEY LINES: Paths of energy that travel the surface of the earth.
LUCID DREAMING: Vivid dreams that are totally under the dreamer's control.
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MABON: (May-bun) The festival celebrated around Sept. 21, on the Autumnal Equinox, marking the second harvest and change of Autumn toward Winter, when Nature prepares for the time to come. A time of thanks and reflection by many old & new civilizations.
MAGICK: Aleister Crowley said it best: "Magick is the science and art of causing change to occur in conformity to will." It is spelled 'magic', but many Wiccans ad the 'k' at the end to distinguish true magick from stage performance magic.
MAGICK CIRCLE: A sphere constructed of personal power in which Wiccan rituals are usually preformed. The term refers to the circle that marks the sphere's penetration of the ground. It is created though visualization and magick.
MAIDEN: The 1st aspect of the Threefold Goddess, symbolic for creation & beginnings.
MEDITATION: The focus of the mind. A quiet time in which the practitioner may dwell upon particular thoughts or symbols, or allow them to come unbidden.
MEDIUM: A psychic individual who can speak with the deceased.
MID-SUMMER: The festival celebrated about June 21, on the Summer Solstice. An excellent time for magick and is the height of the God's (Sun) strength and power, being the longest day of the year. Also called Litha, bonfire leaping encouraged fertility, purity, health and love. Fire being the symbol of the God.
MINDPOWER: The energy of human intelligence.
MONOTHEISM: The belief in only one god.
MOTHER: One of the aspects of the Triple Goddess, in this aspect She rules from Beltane to Lughnasadh.
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NEAR DEATH EXPERIENCE (NDE): An out-of-body experience at the moment of death, followed by a physical recovery.
NEO-PAGAN: Modern Pagan beliefs such a Wicca are sometimes called 'neo-pagan' because they are actually new versions of older beliefs. Not everyone bothers to make the distinction between Pagan and Neo-Pagan.
NUMEROLOGY: The practice of using numbers as a divination tool.
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OLD ONES, THE: A Wiccan term often used to encompass all aspects of the Goddess and God.
OSTARA: (Oh-star-ah) The festival occurring at the Spring Equinox, about March 21, marking the start of Spring. This fire festival celebrates the Mother Earth's fertility and return of the God (Sun). A time of new beginnings and reproduction.
OUT-OF-BODY EXPERIENCE(OBE): Voyages of the human spirit experiences in astral travel.
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PAGAN: (Pay-gun) One who follows or practices an earth-based or nature religion. Wicca is one Pagan religion, as is Asatru, Santeria, Voodoo, or Shamanism. Pagan religions are often referred to as "nature-oriented" but that is a misconception.
PALMISTRY: Learning the character of an individual by studying the size and shape of hands, and fingers and reviewing the lines in his or her hands.
PATHEON: Family trees of gods and goddesses linked by cultural belief. A group of deities that belong to one specific culture and/or time period. The Egyptian pantheon consists of deities such as Isis, Ra, Osiris, and Anubis. The Norse pantheon has Odin, Thor and Freya.
PANTHEISM: The belief that a Divine Spirit encompassed all thinks in the universe.
PENTACLE/PENTAGRAM: Many who are not familiar with Wicca use either term, but there is a difference. A pentagram is a 5-pointed star, and the pentacle is a 5-pointed star in a circle. The pentacle is always oriented with one point upwards. The points each represent an element, and the 5th (topmost) point is the spirit. Pagans of many paths wear the pentacle as a sign of their faith, and there is no relation to Satanism. In some traditions, an 'upside down' pentacle represents a 2nd degree Wiccan.
PERSONAL POWER: The energy which sustains our body.
POLYTHEISM: The belief in many gods.
PREHISTORY: The study of history before written records.
PROJECTIVE HAND: he hand that is normally used for manual activities such as writing, peeling an apple and dialing the phone is symbolically thought to be the point at which Personal Power is sent from the body.
PSYCHIC MIND: The subconscious or the unconscious mind, in which we receive psychic impulses. The psychic mind is at work when we sleep, dream and meditate.
PSYCHISM: The act of being consciously psychic, in which the psychic mind and conscious mind are linked and working in harmony.
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RECEPTIVE HAND: The left hand in the right-handed person, the reverse for a left-handed person. This is the hand that energy is received into the body.
REDE: The Rede is a rule or law that most Wiccans live by. The short version is:
Eight Words the Wiccan Rede Fulfil:
An It Harm None, Do What You Will.
REINCARNATION: The process of repeated incarnations (lives), in physical form to allow the evolution of the soul. And this gem of a description - 'the recycling for souls', Ashleen O'Gaea.
RITUAL: A ritual is any ceremony that has spiritual meaning for the person performing it. Rituals can be simple or elaborate and complex. A ritual with a specific intent is more often referred to as a 'spell', but rituals can also be used for celebration, worship, meditation or other astral work.
RUNES: Runes are symbols from an ancient Nordic alphabet. Each symbol has a meaning and these symbols are often inscribed on jewelry or altar tools. A set of wooden pieces each bearing a single rune are used in divination.
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SABBATS: (Sabb-at) A Wiccan festival. One of the days of Power. These are comprised of the eight solar festivals that celebrate the wheel of the year.
SAGE: Sometimes used term for a male 'Crone'.
SAHMAIN: (Sa-wein) October 31, is the grand sabbat marking the beginning of winter and the Celtic new year. It is also a time strongly believed where the veil between the living and the dead is at its thinnest.
SCRYING: A form of divination using mirror and bowls where the user "sees" images, pictures of thoughts themselves.
SKYCLAD: Nudity in ritual is said to be done "skyclad".
SMUDGE: To use the smoke from burning herbs or incense to cleanse negative energy. It's a Native American term, and white sage or sweetgrass are typically used. A bundle of these herbs is called a 'smudge stick'.
SPELL: A specific ritual designed to change one condition or thing. Also known as spinning, weaving, casting and spellcraft.
SUMMERLANDS: The Summerlands is the place where your spirit goes after you die, before your next reincarnation. Here your spirit (or soul) rests between lifetimes and reflects on the things learned. You may be reunited with friends and loved ones here before your next life begins. Not all Pagans believe in this version of the afterlife, and there are many variations.
SUN CYCLES: When the sun moves from sign to sign.
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TALISAM: Go to Tools.
TATOT: (Tair-oh) Divination using a set of 78 tarot cards which are laid out in such a fashion that the diviner interprets them to answer the question at hand. A traditional deck has 78 cards and is split into 2 sections, the Major Arcana and the Minor Arcana.
THEOCRATIC MONARCH: A human being who rules as the representative of a god or gods, and believes that he or she is the divine made flesh (and therefore better than the common rabble).
TRIPPLE GODDESS: The 3 aspects of the mother goddess in one, maiden, mother and crone. A symbol widely found throughout the civilized world. The representation of the triple goddess is the waxing, full and waning moon. )O(
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WARLOCK: A warlock is NOT the term for a male witch. A male witch is just a witch. The term has been picked up by popular culture, and people who don't really know anything about witchcraft like to use it.
What the word really means is frequently and vehemently debated amongst modern-day witches. The usual explanation is that it's an old English word for 'oath-breaker' and was used for a witch who betrayed their coven.
WATCH TOWERS: The Watchtowers refer to the elements and their corresponding directions, and are often called upon for protection when casting a circle. They are also referred to as Guardians, or the corners of the circle.
WHEEL of the YEAR: The never ending seasonal shift throughout the 8 Sabbats or days of power. In Pagan mythos, the goddess turns the wheel bringing everything to season.
WICCA: (Wik-uh) Wicca represents an ancient religion of love for life and nature. Wicca is easily one of the most irrepressible religions in the world because it stimulates the intellect, promotes a simple, practical way of life and, most importantly, is emotionally satisfying. Brought into the public eye in the 1950's by Gerald Gardner after the repeal of British anti-witchcraft laws, Wicca is now a strong, healthy and popular religion and movement.
Some feel that Wicca and Witchcraft are the same thing, some do not. My own thoughts are that Wicca is a religion, whereas Witchcraft is simply the act of doing magick without the spiritual overtones.
WICCAN: Someone who follows the religion of Wicca. May or may not also be a witch.
WICCANING: A wiccaning is like a christening, but to present the infant to the God and Goddess for protection. The child is not necessarily expected to chose a Pagan path for themselves as they grow older.
WIDDERSHINS: (Widd-er-shins) The working act usually in ritual or song of moving or dancing in a counter-clockwise motion. This is used for banishing or negative works. This is the opposite of deosil.
WITCH: A witch is someone who practices witchcraft (either male or female), regardless of their religious standing.
WITCHCRAFT: Witchcraft is the art of doing magick, casting spells and performing rituals. It doesn't not involve the summoning of demons, as some might think.
Some feel that Wicca and Witchcraft are the same thing, some do not. My own thoughts are that Wicca is a religion, whereas Witchcraft is simply the act of doing magick without the spiritual overtones.
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YULE: (Yool) The winter solstice and the shortest day of the year, Yule is when the goddess gives birth to the god. This is also the Norse New Year.
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