ANYWAY, this is the glossary of terms for use in Ritual Magick. If anyone has a term they'd like me to define that isn't here, drop me a line and I'll do my best to define it for you!
I'm gonna split this page into two sections: General Terms and Ritual Items. Makes it easier to read that way.
And don't be surprised if I'm not too good at staying alphabetical.
Blessed be,
Firedrake
-July 22, 1998
Adept: Someone who is very highly regarded as an expert in a specific magickal system, for instance, kitchen magick.
Astral Plane: The primary "alternate dimension," usually only accessed by non-witches/pagans while dreaming. Sometimes called the "dream world."
Astral Travel: Travelling through the Astral Plane on your own initiative (as opposed to in a dream).
Bane: Another word for destructive, bad, evil.
Banish: To magickally get rid of an entity
Bind: To magickally restrain someone or something from doing harm to others.
Binding Spell: A spell that Binds someone.
Blood of the Moon: Women's special time of the month. I'm not a woman, but according to Silver Ravenwolf (and why doubt her?) "If this cycle occurs over the New Moon or the Full Moon (and you can arrange that) she [the woman] is more powerful than during any other time of the month, as long as she acknowledges this strength within herself."
Burning Times: Historical period between about 1000 CE and the 17th century where millions and millions of people were tortured and burned by the Catholic Church as witches. Jokes about this period are generally in pretty poor taste. Most Witchcraft organizations exist only to help prevent another Burning Times.
Call: Invoking the Divine.
Chakras: Major energy vortexes found in the human body. There's seven, but for some reason I only count six: Crown, Third Eye, Throat, Heart, Abdomen, and Groin. Oops, wait...**looking it up** There's one just above the Abdomen at the Navel. Nevermind, there's seven.
Cleansing: Removing negative energy from yourself.
Coven: A group of witches, generally numbering no larger than 13
Desoil: Clockwise.
Divination: The art of seeing the future. Basically.
Evocation: To call something out from within
Familiar: An animal with a spiritual bond to a witch.
Handfasting: A Pagan marriage ceremony.
Invokation: To bring something in from without.
Karma: The belief that your deeds can be counted for or against you. Taking candy from a baby gives you bad Karma because the action was bad. Or something like that. It's hard for me to define without sounding silly, mainly because I relate it to a Role Playing term...
Reincarnation: Being re-born after your current body dies.
Skyclad: Naked
Widdershins: Counter-clockwise.
Athame (usually pronounced ATH-a-may): Ceremonial knife used by Witches. NEVER EVER EVER cuts things on the material plane. Used mainly for casting a circle.
Altar (usually pronounced AL-tar): A special surface used only for magickal workings
Book of Shadows: Basically, a spell book. Used by Witches to record spells and their results, as well as dreams, formulas for magickal items like holy water, and other things.
Bolline: A knife used for practical magickal purposes, such as carving runes or chopping herbs (sorry, kid, look somewhere else for human sacrifice).
Charm: Jewlery of some sort that's been infused with magickal energy for a specific task
Pentacle: An upright, five-pointed star surrounded by a circle. Sometimes called a "pentagram" (usually by non-Witches). Although usually never worn inverted, some traditions use the inverted pentacle as a sumbol of second-degree initiation (sorry kid, go somewhere else for satanism).
Runes: Set of symbols used in divination and magickal working.