All Power: A name used to refer to the great power, or life force, of which the God and Goddess are a part of.Amulet: A natural object which is supposed to protect whoever carries it. An example would be a stone with a natural hole in it.
Animistic: The belief that everything in nature has the great power within it.
Ankh: An Egyptian symbol which resembles a crucifix with a loop on top. Brings fertility and health.
Archetype: Universal symbols which communicate with the sub-conscious mind. Often found in dreams to represent events or things in the waking world. They are also important in divination for the same reasons. For example, if you see an anchor in either your dreams or in a divination session, it may indicate the need for stability in one's life.
Aspect: A particular part of the great power being worked with or acknowledged at one time. For example, the Goddess has three aspects: Maiden, Mother, and Crone. The God has the aspects of Sun King, Horned God, and Dark King.
Athame: A ritual knife often associated with the element Air and the direction East, but sometimes Fire and South. It is double edged, dull, and black-handled (to absorb power). It is not used to cut anything, merely to concentrate power. It can be as simple as a fancy letter opener with black electrical tape around the handle.
Avatar: 1) All that is spirit 2)an advanced soul, who chooses to return to a physical body in order to teach the less evolved.
Aura: (from Greek aura, "breath") The colored low level energy field that surrounds living tissues.
Balefire: A sacred outdoor fire burned by Witches as part of a Sabbat celebration. Dancing clockwise around a balefire often takes place to invoke the deities, raise magickal energy, or to celebrate the turning of the Wheel of the Year.Banish: To release or drive away a conjured spirit from the power of the magick circle.
Beltane: A Sabbat celebrated on May 1st. A celebration of the sacred marriage of the God and Goddess.
Besom: The witch's broomstick. A tool used to sweep a sacred area, ground a circle, or to rid a place of negative energy.
Biddy: A "doll" made from the last corn husk of the last harvest. Sometimes called a corn dolly. Represents Mother Earth's fertility.
Binding:A magickal spell performed to control the actions of another. There is much controversy over the morality of these spells.
Bolline: A practical working knife used by witches to harvest herbs, cut wands, slice bread, and carve magickal symbols into candles and talismans.
Book of Shadows: The spell book, diary, and ritual guide used by an individual witch or coven. Anything else of spiritual or magickal value can be written down.
Burning Times, The: The period of time from the Spanish Inquisition to about the mid-nineteenth century in which much religious persecution and killings took place by the hands of the Christians. It is not definite how many were killed during this time, but figures range from fifty thousand to about nine million. IT SHOULDN'T HAVE HAPPENED.
Calling the Quarters: To invite the elemental spirits to attend a ritual.Candle Magick: A form of magick that used colored candles to represent things and people at which the spells are directed. Each color symbolizes a different attribute, influence, and emotion.
Cauldron: (from Norman French caudiere, "cooking pot" A black, usually cast iron pot used by witches that represents the womb of the Goddess. Used for various purposes, like holding herbs, burning incense, etc. Symbolizes Water.
Censer: An incense burner for rituals, Sabbats, and spellwork. Symbolizes Air.
Chalice: Holds consecrated water or wine, symbolic of Water and of the female principle of creation.
Chaplet: A crown of flowers, vines, or any similar materials worn at Beltane.
Charging: The act of infusing an object with your own energies for a magickal purpose. Can also be called enchanting or empowering.
Charm: A magickal object (like an amulet or talisman) that keeps away misfortune.
Cheiromancy: palmistry, reading palms.
Circle: The sacred space in which all magick and ritual is performed. Contains raised energy and protects the witch from negative influences.
Coming of Age Ritual: At age thirteen for boys, and at the time of a girl's first menstruation, Pagan children are considered spiritual adults. They are permitted full membership into covens, and ritual tools are received or chosen.
Cone of Power: The ritual raising of a cone shaped mass of energy by an individual or coven. When the energy reaches its peak, it is released to do its work. dancing clockwise while chanting or singing is the most common method.
Consecration: The act of making something sacred. The removal of negative influences from an object or place.
Coven: A group of witches who worship and work together.
Covenstead: Home of a coven.
Cowan: A derogitory word meaning a "fake pagan", a person who doesn't know what he/she is talking about regarding pagan beliefs.
Crone: The aspect of the Goddess represented by an old woman. She is symbolized by the waning moon, the carrion crow, the cauldron, and the color black. Her sabbats are Mabon and Samhain.
Croning: A ritual celebrating those who have reached the age of "full wisdom" (50+ years). Males are Sages, females are Crones.
Cross-Quarters: A name sometimes given to the Sabbats falling on solstices or equinoxes.
Deosil: a word used to indicate a clockwise motion. The direction in which circles are cast and creative rituals and magick are done. Symbolizes life and positive energy. Also referrred to as "Sunwise".
Divination: The practice of discovering the unknown and foretelling future events. Common divination tools include Tarot cards, runes, crystal balls, and dice.
Drawing Down the Moon: An pagan ritual, conducted at Esbats, of drawing the power of the full moon into the body of a female witch.
Drawing Down the Sun: A lesser known and lesser used ritual similar to that of Drawing Down the Sun. The power of the God is drawn into the body of a male Witch.
Duality: Seperates two opposites and puts them into two different forms.The God and Goddess are a duality because male and female are opposite.
Deity: A supreme or devine being; a Goddess or God.
Earth Power: Divine power found in natural things.
Eclectic: A mixture of beliefs borrowed from different traditions.
Elements: The five essences that are the basic building blocks of the universe. Earth=North, Air=East, Fire=South, Water=West, and Spirit. Everything that exists, or has the potential to exist, contains one or more of these energies. Considered the basis of life.
Elementals: The Guardians of the four elements.
Energy: Natural vibration or power that is tapped during spells and rituals.
Equinox: Occurs twice a year when the sun is exactly over the Equator. The hours of light and dark are equal on these days.
Esbat: (from Old French s'esbattre, "to frolic") A holy festival which coincides with the full moon. Held 13 approximately 13 times a year.
Evocation: The act of summoning the presence of deities, friendly spirits, or elementals to your circle.
Familar: A witch's helper that is not human. Common familiars are animals, spirits of the dead, spirit guides, or elementals. You do not have to have a familiar, but if you do, respect the wishes of that being.
Fourth Face of the Goddess: That which is never seen, the unknown(Myst). Possibly the source of her power.
God: The divine counterpart of the Goddess. His main symbol is the Sun, and he is honored through the Sabbats. His sacred lands are those which are untouched, and the stars belong to him. His other symbols are swords, horns, spears, wands, knives, arrows, and sickles.
Goddess: The divine counterpart of the God. The God and Goddess are equals. Her main symbol is the Moon, and she is honored through the Esbats. Some other symbols include the chalice, the cauldron, water, wine, pentacle disk, and salt.
Grounding: To disperse extra energy generated during a rite by sending it back to the earth. It can also mean centering, clearing one's head of negative or interruptive thought before a ritual.
Handfasting: The pagan rite of marriage.
Imbolc: Observed on or around Feb. 2nd, and it honors the Maiden aspect of the Goddess and the Sun God aspect of the God.
Invocation: The act of drawing the aspect of a particular deity into one's self (i.e., Drawing Down the Moon).
Karma: The law of cause and effect. Meaning- if you do something, whatever effect it has (good or bad) will come back to you. In most pagan traditions, this is also called the Threefold Law or the Law of Three. If you perform a good spell, you will receive goodness times three. This also holds true with bad actions).
Lammas: Also known as "Lughnasadh(LOO-nas-sah)" and "August Eve". Celebrated on or around August 1st, and it marks the first harvest.
Libation: An offering ritually given to a deity, nature spirit, or dead soul.
Mabon: Observed at the autumnal equinox. Celebrates the second harvest, wine, and balance.
Magick: "Magick is the science and art of causing change to occur in conformity to will".-Aleister Crowley. Not to be performed on Sabbats, because it is work and one should not work on a Sabbat.
Meditation: A technique of mind control that makes one feel peaceful, and leads to heightened awareness.
Midsummer: A Sabbat observed at the Summer Solstice. Honors the God at the height of his power, and the pregnancy of the Goddess.
Mother: The second aspect of the Goddess. Represented by the full moon, the color red, and the Sabbats of Midsummer and Yule.
Niam-Lann(NEEM-lawn): A headpiece, usually of metal, worn like a headband around the forehead. Often carries an emblem of religious or mystical significance in the center.
Ostara: The Sabbat observed at the Spring Equinox. Celebrates balance and renewed life. Symbolized by the egg and was adapted by the X-ians into Easter. Also Eostra.
Pagan: (from Latin paganus, "country dweller") A follower of a polytheistic religion.
Pantheistic: The belief that divine power is present everywhere, in everything.
Passing Over Ritual: A ceremony conducted when a loved one has died.
Pentacle: A pentagram inside of a circle. When used on the altar, it's sometimes called a "disk" or a "shield".
Pentagram: The five pointed star, with its point up, which has different meanings. The four side points represent the four elements, and the top point represents the fifth element of Spirit. Also can represent mind over matter, or the creative principle. NOT A SATANIC SYMBOL!!! It was inverted by the Satanic cults to signify matter over spirit.
Quarters: Another name for the four major Sabbats (Imbolc, Beltane, Lammas and Samhain). There are also four cross quarters, which are the minor Sabbats (Yule, Ostara, Midsummer, and Mabon). Cross quarters fall on solstices or equinoxes, while quarters do not.
Reincarnation: The belief that the souls of humans return to earth in another body after death.
Sabbat: (from sabat, to cease or rest) One of eight holidays during the pagan year. There are four greater and four lesser celebrations (see "Quarters" for their names).
Simple Feast: A ritual in which a meal is shared with the God and Goddess.
Skyclad: The state of being nude in some rituals. Some wiccan traditions dictate that it is necessary to be nude in all rites, but I personally feel that it's a matter of preference. Some pagan traditions even believe that it is rude to go naked before the gods.
Solitary: A Pagan who works and worships without the aid of a coven.
Spell: A ritual which aims to utilize magick for a specific purpose.
Talisman: Same as the amulet except it is man-made rather than natural.
Tradition: A branch of Paganism. Synonymous with "path".
Triple Goddess: The goddess in her three aspects-Maiden, Mother, and Crone. The aspects are represented by the waxing, full, and waning phases of the moon.
Virgin: Also known as "Maiden". The youngest aspect of the Goddess-represented by the waxing moon, the colors white and blue, and Imbolc and Ostara.
Warlock: Means "oathbreaker" or "not to be trusted". Is sometimes taken as an insult by male Witches-call them Witches.
Wheel of the Year: The concept of the eternal cycle of time. Sometimes symbolized by an eight-spoked wheel, which helps to reckon the Sabbats. Also represented by a wreath, a ring, or a snake holding its tail in its mouth.
Widdershins: The acting of moving or working in a counter-clockwise direction to banish or lessen the effects of negative energy.
Witch: (from Old English wicce, "magician") Someone who practices magick and/or is a follower of an earth religion.
Yule: Sabbat celebrated at Winter Solstice. Celebrates the return of the Sun God to the earth.
