Learning The Terms
AKASHA: The omnipresent spiritual power that permeates the universe.
It is the energy out of which the Elements formed.
ASPERGER: This is used for purificatory purposes. It is a bundle of
fresh herbs or a perforated object used to sprinkle water
during or preceding a Ritual.
BALEFIRE: A fire lit for magical purposes, usually outdoors. A
balefire is traditional on Yule, Beltane and Midsummer.
BANE: That which destroys life, which is poisonous, destructive, evil,
dangerous.
CHARGE: To infuse an object with personal power.
CONSCIOUS MIND: The analytical, materially-based, rational half of our
consiousness.
DIVINATION: The magical art of discovering the unknown by interpreting
random patterns or symbols through the use of tools such
as, tarot cards, runes, smoke, clouds, etc. Divination
contacts the psychic mind by drowsing the conscious mind
through ritual and observation or of manipulation of tools.
DIVINE POWER: The unmanifested, pure energy that exists within the
Goddess and God. The life force, the ultimate source of
all things.
ELEMENTS: Earth, Air, Fire, Water. These four essences are the
building blocks of the universe. Everything that exists
(or has potential to exist) contains one or more of these
energies.
EVOCATION: Calling up spirits or other non-physical entities, either
to visible appearance or invisible attendance.
HANDFASTING: A Wiccan, Pagan or Gypsy wedding.
INITIATION: A process whereby an individual is introduced or admitted
into a group, interest, skill or religion.
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.
KAHUNA: A practitioner of the old Hawaiian philosophical, scientific
and magical system.
MAGIC CIRCLE: A sphere constructed of personal power in which Wiccan
rituals are usually enacted. The term refers to 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 magic.
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.
PERSONAL POWER: That energy which sustains our bodies. It ultimately
originates from the Goddess and God. We release
personal power during stress, exercise, sex,
conception and childbirth. Magic is often a movement
of personal power for a specific goal.
POLARITY: The concept of equal, opposite energies. Universal balance.
PROJECTIVE HAND: The hand that is normally used for manual activities
such as writing, etc. It 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
from the palm or fingers of the hand vor various magical
goals.
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 us.
PSYCHISM: The act of being consciously psychic, in which the psychic
mind and conscious mind are linked and working in harmony.
RECEPTIVE HAND: The non-dominant hand. This is the hand through which
energy is received into the body.
RITUAL: Ceremony. A specific form of movement, manipulation of
objects or inner processes designed to produce desired effect.
In religion, ritual is geared toward union with the divine.
In magic, it produces a specific state of consciousness which
allows a person to move energy toward needed goals. A spell
is a magical ritual.
SCRY: To gaze at or into an object such as a crystal sphere, pool of
water, reflections, a candle flame, etc., 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 events through other than
normally accepted senses. A form of divination.
SPELL: A magical ritual, usually non-religious in nature and often
accompanied by spoken words.
TRILITHON: A stone arch made from two upright slabs with one lying
atop these.
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 magic
for various purposes.
WITCH: One who practices witchcraft. A practitioner of the remnants
of pre-Christian folk magic, particularly that relating to
herbs, healing, wells, rivers and stones. This term was
deliberately altered to denote demented, dangerous,
supernatural beings who practiced destructive magic 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.
WITCHCRAFT: The craft of the witch - magic, especially magic 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.