Witchcraft Glossary
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Akasha: The fifth
element, the omnipresent spiritual power that permeates the universe. It
is the energy out of which the Elements formed.
Amulet: A magickally
charged object which deflects specific, usually negative energies. Generally,
a protective object.
Ankh: An Egyptian
hieroglyphic that is widely used as a symbol for life, love, and reincarnation.
It is depicted as a cross with a looped top. When worn or carried, the
ankh brings good health, promotes fertility, and strengthens the psychic
powers.
Asperger: A bundle
of fresh herbs or a perforated object used to sprinkle water during or
preceding ritual, for purificatory purposes.
Athame: "ah-THAW-may".
A Wiccan ritual knife. It usually has a double-edged blade and a dark handle.
The athame is used to direct personal power during ritual workings.
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Balefire: A fire
lit for magickal purposes, usually outdoors. Balefires are traditional
on Yule, Beltane and Midsummer.
Bane: That which
destroys life, which is poisonous, destructive, evil, dangerous.
Beltane: A Wiccan
festival celebrated on April 30th or May 1st. Beltane is also known as
May Eve, Roodmas. 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 magick and Wiccan ritual for practical purposes
such as cutting herbs.
Book of Shadows:
A Wiccan book of rituals, spells and magickal lore. Once hand copied upon
initiation, the BOS is now photocopied or typed in some covens. No one
"true" BOS exists; all are relevant to their respective users.
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Censer: A heat-proof
container in which incense is smouldered. An incense burner. It symbolized
the Element of Air.
Charge, To: To
infuse an object with personal power. "Charging" is an act of Magick.
Conscious Mind: The
analytical, materially-based, rational half or our consciousness. The mind
at work when we compute our taxes, theorize or struggle with ideas.
Coven: A group
of Wiccans, usually initiatory and led by one or two leaders.
Craft, The: Wicca.
Witchcraft. Folk magick.
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Deosil: Clockwise,
the direction of the Sun's apparent motion in the sky.
Divination: The
magickal art of discovering the unknown by interpreting random patterns
or symbols through the use of tools such as clouds, tarot cards, flames,
smoke. Divination contacts the psychic mind by tricking or drowsing the
conscious mind through ritual and observation or of manipulation of tools.
Divination isn't necessary for those who can easily attain communication
with the psychic mind, though they may practice it.
Divine Power:
The unmanifested, pure energy that exists within the Goddess and God. The
life force, the ultimate source of all things.
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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 magick
to create needed change.
Elements:The:
Earth, Air, Fire, Water. These four essences are the building blocks of
the universe. Everything that exists (or that has potential to exist) contains
one or more of these energies. The elements hum within ourselves and are
also "at large" in the world. They can be utilized to cause change through
magick. The four elements formed from the primal essence of power- Akasha.
Esbat: A Wiccan
ritual, usually occurring on the Full Moon.
Evocation: Calling
up spirits or other non-physical entities, either to visible appearence
or invisible attendance.
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Grimoire: A magickal
workbook containing ritual information, formulae, magickal properties of
natural objects and preparation of ritual equipment.
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Handfasting:
A Wiccan, Pagan or Gypsy wedding.
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Imbolc: A Wiccan
festival celebrated on February 2nd, also known as Candlemas, Feast of
Pan and many other names. Imbolc celebrates the first stirrings of spring
and recovery of the Goddess from giving birth to the Sun (the God) at Yule.
Initiation: A
process whereby an individual is introduced or admitted into a group, interest,
skill or religion. Initiations may be ritual occasions but can also occur
spontaneously.
Invocation: An
appeal or petition to a higher power (or powers), such as the Goddess and
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.
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Kahuna: A practitioner
of the old Hawaiian philosophical, scientific and magickal system.
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Labrys: A double-headed
axe which symbolized the Goddess in ancient Crete, still used by some Wiccans
for this same purpose. The labrys may be placed on or leaned against the
left side of the altar.
Lughnasadh: A
Wiccan festival celebrated on August 1st, also known as August Eve, Lammas.
Lughnasadh marks the first harvest, when the fruits of the Earth are cut
and stored for the dark winter months, when the God also mysteriously weakens
as the days grow shorter.
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Mabon: On or
around September 21st, the autumn equinox, Wiccans celebrate the second
harvest. Nature is preparing for winter. Mabon is a vestige of ancient
harvest festivals which, in some form or another, were once nearly universal
among peoples of the Earth.
Magick: The movement
of natural energies to create needed change. Energy exists within all things-
ourselves, plants, stones, colors, sounds, movements. Magick is the process
of rousing or building up this energy, giving it purpose, and releasing
it. Magick is a natural, not supernatural, practice, though it is little
understood.
Magick Circle, The:
A sphere constructed of personal power in which Wiccan rituals are usually
enacted. The term refers ti the circle that marks the sphere's penetration
of the ground, for it extends both above and below it. It is created through
visualization and magick.
Meditation: Reflection,
contemplation, turning inward toward the self or outward toward Deity or
nature. A quiet time in which the practitioner may dwell upon particular
thoughts or symbols, or allow them to come unbidden.
Megalith: A huge
stone monument or structure. Stonehenge is perhaps the best-known example
of megalithic construction.
Menhir: A standing
stone probably lifted by early peoples for religious, spiritual or magickal
reasons.
Midsummer: The
summer solstice, usually on or near June 21st, one of the Wiccan festivals
and an excellent night for magick. Midsummer marks the point of the year
when the Sun is symbolically at the height of its powers, and so too the
God. The longest day of the year.
Mighty Ones, The:
Being, deities or presences often invoked during Wiccan ceremony to witness
or guard the rituals. The Mighty Ones are thought to be either spiritually
evolved beings, once human, or spiritual entities created by or charged
by the Goddess and God to protect the Earth and to watch over the four
directions. They are sometimes linked with the Elements.
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Neo-Pagan: Literally,
new-Pagan. A member, follower or sympathizer of one of the newly formed
Pagan religions now spreading throughout the world. All Wiccans are Pagan,
but not all Pagans are Wiccan.
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Old Ones, The: A
Wiccan term often used to encompass all aspects of the Goddess and God.
Some Wiccans view it as an alternative of The Mighty Ones.
Ostara: Occurring
at the spring equinox, around March 21st, Ostara marks the beginning of
true, astronomical spring, when snow and ice make way for green. As such,
it is a fire and fertility festival, celebrating the return of the Sun,
and God and the fertility of the Earth (the Goddess).
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Pagan: From the
Latin paganus, country-dweller. Today used as a general term for followers
of Wicca and other magickal, shamanistic and polytheistic religions. Naturally,
Christians have their own peculiar definition of this word. It can be interchanged
with Neo-Pagan.
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,
and the elbow steadied against a flat surface, and a question is asked.
The movement of the heavy object's swing determines the answer. A rotation
indicates yes or positive energy. A back and forth swing signals the opposite.
(There are many methods of deciphering the pendulum's movement; use those
that work best for you.) It is a tool which contacts the psychic mind.
Pentacle: A ritual
object (usually a circular piece of wood, metal, clay, etc.) upon which
a five-pointed star (Pentagram) is inscribed, painted or engraved. It represents
the Element of Earth. The words "pentagam" and "pentacle" are not interchangeable,
though they understandable cause some confusion.
Personal Power:
That energy which sustains our bodies. It ultimately originates from the
Goddess and God (or, rather, the power behind Them). We first absorb it
from our biological mothers within the womb and, later, from food, water,
the Moon and Sun and other natural objects. We release personal power during
stress, exercise, sex, conception and childbirth. Magick is often a movement
of personal power for a specific goal.
Polarity: The
concept of equal, opposite energies. The Eastern yin/yang is a perfect
example. Yin is cold; yang is hot. Other examples of polarity: Goddess/God,
night/day, Moon/Sun, birth/death, dark/light, psychic mind/conscious mind.
Universal balance.
Projective Hand,
The: The hand that is normally used for manual activities such as writing,
peeling apples and dialing telephones is symbolically thought to be the
point at which personal power is sent from the body. In ritual, personal
power is visualized as streaming out form the palm or fingers of the hand
for various magickal goals. This is also the hand in which tool such as
the athame and wand are held. Ambidextrous persons simply choose which
hand to utilize for this purpose.
Psychic Mind:
The subconscious or unconscious mind, in which we receive psychic impulses.
The psychic mind is at work when we sleep, dream and meditate. It is our
direct link with the Goddess and God and with the larger, non-physical
world around up. Other related terms: Divination is a ritual process which
utilizes the Conscious Mind to contact the psychic mind. Intuition is a
term used to describe psychic information which unexpectedly reaches the
conscious mind.
Psychism: The
act of being consciously psychic, in which the psychic mind and conscious
mind are linked and working in harmony. Ritual consciousness is a form
of psychism.
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Receptive Hand:
The left hand in right-handed persons, the reverse for left-handed persons.
This is the hand through which energy is received into the body.
Reincarnation:
The doctrine of rebirth. The process of repeated incarnations in human
form to allow evolution of the sexless, ageless soul.
Ritual: Ceremony.
A specific form of movement, manipulation of objects or inner processes
designed to produce desired effects. In religion, ritual is geared toward
union with the divine. In magick it produces a specific state of consciousness
which allows the magician to move energy toward needed goals. A spell is
a magickal ritual.
Ritual Consciousness:
A specific, alternate state of awareness necessary to the successful practice
of magick. The magician achieves this through the use of visualization
and ritual. It denotes a state in which the conscious mind and psychic
mind are attuned, in which the magician sense energies, gives them purpose
and released them toward the magickal goal. It is a heightening of the
senses, an awareness-expansion of the seemingly non-physical world, a linking
with nature and with for forces behind all conceptions of Deity.
Runes: Stick-like
figures, some of which are remnants of the old Teutonic alphabets. Others
are pictographs. These symbols are once again widely being used in magick
and divination.
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Sabbat: A Wiccan
festival. See Beltane, Imbolc, Lughnasadh, Mabon, Midsummer, Ostara, Samhain
and Yule for specific descriptions.
Samhain: A Wiccan
festival celebrated on October 31st, also known as November Eve, Hallowmas,
Halloween, Feast of Souls. Samhain marks the symbolic death of the Sun
God and His passing into the "land of the young," where He awaits rebirth
of the Mother Goddess at Yule. This Celtic word is pronounced by Wiccan
as: SOW-wen; SEW-wen; SAHM-hain; SAHM-ain; SAV-een and other ways. The
first seems to be the one preferred among most Wiccans.
Scry, To: To
gaze at or into an object (a quartz crystal sphere, pool of water, reflection,
a candle flame) to still the conscious mind and to contact the psychic
mind. This allows the scryer to become aware of possible events prior to
their actual occurrence, as well as of previous or distant, simultaneous
events through other than the normally accepted senses. A form of divination.
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 her or his world through magick.
Shamanism: The
practice of shamans, usually ritualistic or magickal in nature, sometimes
religous.
Simple Feast, The:
A ritual meal shared with the Goddess and God.
Spell: A magickal
ritual, usually non-religious in nature and often accompanied by spoken
words.
Spirits of the Stones,
The: The elemental emergies naturally inherent at the four directions
of the magick circle, personified within the standing stones tradition
as the "Spirits of the Stones." They are linked with the Elements
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Talisman: An
object, such as an amethyst crystal, ritually charged with power to attract
a specific force or energy to its bearer.
Tradition, Wiccan:
An organized, structured, specific Wiccan subgroup, usually initiatory,
with often unique ritual practices. Many traditions have their own book
of shadows and may or may not recognize members of other traditions as
Wiccan. Most traditions are composed of a number of covens as well as solitary
practitioners.
Trilithon: A
stone arch made from two upright slabs with one lying atop these. Trilithons
are featured in Stonehenge as well as the circle visualization in The Standing
Stones Book of Shadows.
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Visualization:
The process of forming mental images. Magical visualization consists of
forming images of needed goals during ritual. Visualization is also used
to direct personal power and natural energies during magick for various
purposes, including charging and forming the magick circle. It is a function
of the conscious mind.
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White-Handled Knife:
A normal cutting knife, with a sharp blade and white handle. It is used
within Wicca to cut herbs and fruits, to slice bread during the simple
feast and for other functions. Sometimes called the bolline.
Wicca: A contemporary
Pagan religion with spiritual roots in Shamanism and the earliest expressions
of reverence of nature. Among its major motifs are: reverence for the Goddess
and God; reincarnation; magick; ritual observances of the Full Moon, astronomical
and agricultural phenomena; spheroid temples, created with personal power,
in which rituals occur.
Widdershins:
Anti-clockwise motion, usually used in the Northen Hemisphere for negative
magickal purposes or for dispersing negative energies or conditions such
as disease.
Witch: Anciently,
a European practitioner of the remnants of pre-Christian folk magick, particularly
that relating to herbs, healing, wells, rivers and stones. One who practiced
Witchcraft. Later, this term's meaning was deliberately altered to denote
demented, dangerous, supernatural beings who practiced destructive magick
and who threatened Christianity. This change was a political, monetary
and sexist move on the part of organized religion, not a change in the
practices of Witches. This later, erroneous meaning is still accepted by
many non-Witches. It is also, somewhat surprisingly, used by some members
of Wicca to describe themselves.
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. While this may have spiritual overtones, Witchcraft, using this
definition, isn't a religion. However, some followers of Wicca use this
word to denote their religion.
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Yule: A Wiccan
festival celebrate on or about December 21st, marking the rebirth of the
Sun God from the Earth Goddess. A time of joy and celebration during the
miseries of winter. Yule occurs on the winter solstice.
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