Glossary

Here is a list of various words that you will run across in your studies of the Craft.

A

Akasha- The fifth element, the omnipresent spiritual power that permeates the universe. It is the energy out of which the Elements formed.

Altar- A special, flat surface set aside exclusively for magical workings or religious acknowledgment.

Amulet- A magically 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.

Arcana- The two halves of a Tarot deck. The Major Arcana consists of 22 trumps depicting dominant occurrences in our lives. The Minor Arcana consists of 56 suit cards (sometimes called lesser Arcana) that assist in fleshing out the trump situations, or indicate smaller occurrences in our lives.

Asperger- A bundle of fresh herbs or a perforated object used to sprinkle water during or preceding Ritual, for purificatory purposes.

Astral- Another dimension of reality. It has been referred to as "dream-time'. This reference is from the Australian Aboriginal people and their teachings.

Astral Travel/Projection- The process of separating your astral body from your physical one to accomplish travel in the astral plane or dreamtime.

Athame- A Wiccan ritual knife. It usually has a double-edged blade and a black handle. The athame is used to direct Personal Power during ritual workings. It is seldom (if ever) used for actual, physical cutting. The term is of obscure origin, has many variant spellings among Wiccans, and an even greater variety of pronunciations. "Ah-THAM-ee" ; "ATH-ah-may" or ah THAW-may."

B

Balefire- A fire lit for magical purposes, usually outdoors. Balefires are traditional on Yule, Beltane and Midsummer celebrations.

Bane- That which destroys life, which is poisonous, destructive, evil, dangerous.

Banish- To magically end something or exorcise unwanted entities. To rid the presence of.

Beltane- A Wiccan festival celebrated on April 30th or May 1st (traditions vary). Beltane is also known as May Eve, Roodmas, Walpurgis Night, Cethsamhain. Beltane celebrates the symbolic union, mating or marriage of the Goddess and God, and links in with the approaching summer months.

Besom- Broom

Bi-Location- The practice of using a type of astral projection to travel in everyday reality by retaining the capability to be aware of your present surroundings. Synonymous terms are over-looking and mind-travel.

Bind- To magically restrain something or someone.

Bolline- The white-handled knife, used in magic and Wiccan ritual for practical purposes such as cutting herbs or piercing a pomegranate.

Book of Shadows- A Wiccan book of rituals, spells and magical lore. Once hand copied upon Initiation, the B.O.S. is now photocopied or typed in some Covens. No one "true' Book of Shadows exists; all are relevant to their respective users.

Burning Times- It is is reference to a historical time from around 1000 ce through the 17th century when it is said that over nine million people were tortured and burned by church and public officials on the assumption that they were the Christian version of Witches. This turned into an extremely profitable venture, as all land and property was seized from the accused individual and and portions given to the accuser (in reward fashion) and the remainder seized by the church officials. Historians indicated that the majority of people tortured and murdered were women and children.

C

Censer- A heat-proof container in which incense is smoldered. An incense burner. It symbolizes the Element of Air.

Chakras- Seven major energy vortexes found in the human body. Each is usually associated with a color.

Charge, To- To infuse and object with Personal Power. "Charging" is an act of Magic.

Cone of Power- Psychic energy raised and focused by either an individual or group mind (coven) to achieve a definite purpose.

Cleansing- The act of removing any negative energy, vibrations or images from an object or place by utilizing positive, psychic energy.

Conscious Mind- The analytical, materially-based, rational half of our consciouseness. The mind at work when we compute our taxes, theorize or struggle with ideas.

Concecration- The act of blessing an object or place by instilling it with positive energy.

Corn Dolly- A figure, often human-shaped, created by plaiting dried wheat or grains. It represented the fertility of the Earth and used in Wicca. Corn dollies aren't made from cobs or husks; corn origianally referred to any grain other than maize and still does in most English speaking countries.

Coven- A group of thirteen or fewer Witches that work together in an organized fashion for positive magickal endeavorsor to perform religious ceramonies. The covenstead is the meeting place of the Withces.

Craft, The- Wicca. Witchcraft. Folk magick.

D

Dedication- Unlike the initiation ceramony that brings one into an order, the dedication of a Witch is that process where ther individual accepts the Craft as their path, and vows to study and learn all that is necessary to reach adeptship in a given tradition. In a dedication, you consciously prepare yourself to accept something new into your life and stick with it, regarless of the highs and lows this action may produce.

Deosil- Clockwise, the direction of the Sun's apparent motion in the sky. Pronounced "JESS-ul". In norther hemisphere magic and religion, deosil movement is symbolic of life, positive energies, good. It is much-used in spells and rituals; i.e. "walk deosil around the Circle of Stones." Some Wiccan groups below the equator, notably in Austrailia, hhave switched from deosil to Widdershins movements in their rituals, for the Sun "moves" in apparent counter-clockwise motion from this vantage point.

Divination- The magical art of discovering the unknown by interpreting random patterns or symbols through the use of tools such as clouds, tarot cards, flames, pendulums, runes and smoke. Divination contacts the Psychic Mind by tricking or drowsing the Counscious 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.

Dowsing- The art/science of using a pendulum or stick to find the actual location of a person, place, thing or element. Dowsing can also be used to answer yes or no questions.

Drawing Down the Moon- A ritual used during the Full Moon by Witches to empower themselves and unite their essence with a particular diety, usually the Goddess.

E

Earth Magick- A practical form of magick wherein the powers and forces of Earth Mother are used to conduct magickal workings or celebrations.

Elder- Many Wiccan organizations have a group or board of Elders who over see the operations of the church and its variety of functions. These people have usually gained their positions through a combination of their abilities which may include education, experience, magical adedtship and counselling.

Elements, The- Earth, Air, Fire, Water. These four essences are the building blocks of the universe. Wverythin that exists (or has the potential to exist) contains one or more of these energies. The elements hum within ourselves and are also "at large" in the workd. They can be utilized to cause change through magic. The four elements forned from the primal essence or power-Akasha.

Esbat- A Wiccan ritual, usually occurring on the Full Moon.

Evocation- Calling up spirits or other non-physical entities, either to visible appearance or invisible attendance.

G

Grimoire- A magical workbook containing ritual information, formulae, magical properties of natural objects and preparation of ritual equipment. Many of these works include "catalogues of spirits." The most famous of the old grimoires is probably The Key of Solomon. Most first appeared in the 16th and 17th centuries, though they may be far older and contain traces of Roman, Greek, Babylonian, late Egyptian and Sumerian rites. Another word used to describe Book of Shadows.

H

Handfasting- A Wiccan, Pagan or Gypsy wedding.

I

Initiation- A process whereby an individual is introduced or admitted into a group, interest, skell 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 sware of them.

K

Kahuna- A practitioner of the old Hawaiian philosphical, scientific and magical system.

Karma- The belief that one's thoughts and deeds can be either counted against them or added to their spiritual path during several life times. It follows the law of cause and effect.

L

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 celevrated on August 1st, also known as August Eve, Lammas, Feast of Bread. It marks the first harvest, when the fruits of the Warth are cut and stored for the dark winter months, and when the God also mysteriously weakens as the days grow shorter.

M

Mabon- On or around Septenber 21, 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, we once nearly universal amoung peoples of the Earth.

Magic/Magick- The movement of natual energies (such as Personal Power) to create needed change. Energy exists within all things- ourselves, plants, stones, colors, sounds, movements. Magic is the process of rousing or building up this energy, givig it purpose, and realeasing it. Magic is a natural, not supernatural, practice, though it is little understood.

Magic Circle, The- 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 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 magalithic construction.

Menhir- A standing stone probably lifted by early peoples for religious, spiritual or magical reasons.

Mighty Ones, The- Beings, 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 aor charged by the Goddess and God to protect the Earth and to watch over the four directions. They are sometimes linked with the Elements.

N

Neo-Pagan- Literally, new-Pagan. A member, follower or sympathizer of one of the newly formed Pagan religions now spreading thoughout the world. All Wiccans are Pagan, but not all Pagans are Wiccan.

O

Old Ones, The- A Wiccan tern often used to encompass all aspects of the Goddes 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 befinning of true, stronomical spring, when snow and ice make way for green. As such, it is a fire and fertility festival, celebrating the return of the Sun, the God and the fertility of the Earth (the Goddess).

P

Pagan- From the Latin paganus, country-dweller. Today used as a general term for followers of Wicca and other magical, shamanistic and poytheistic religions. 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, the elbow steadied against a flat surface , and a question is asked. The movement of the heavy object's swings determines the answer. A rotation indicates yes or positive energy. Aback and forth swing signals the opposite. (There anr many methods of deciphering the pendulun's movements; 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 "pentacle" and "pentegram" are not interchangeable, theough the understandabl cause some confusion.

Personal Power- That energy wich sustains out bodies. It ultimately originates from the Goddess and the God (or rather, the power behind Them). We first absorb it from our biological mothers withing the womb and , later, from food, water, the Moon and Sun and other natural objects. We realease personal power during stress, exercise, sex, conception and childbirth. Magic is othen a moement 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, Psychich Mind/Conscious Mind. Universal balance.

Priestess- A female dedicated to both the service of her chosen deity(ies) and humankind. A High Priestess is the feminine leader of a coven or Wiccan organization and plays the role of Goddes in certain ceramonies. A solitary Witch can be a Priestess by dedicating herself to a particular God or Goddess.

Priest- Is a male and plays the God role in certain ceramonies. Priestess and Priest are equal in every aspect, the only difference is their gender.

Projective Hand- The hand that is normally used for manual activites. The hand you favour i.e. right or left handed. It is symbolically thought to be the point at wich personal power is sent from the body. In ritual, personal power is visualized as streaming out from the palm or fingers of the hand for various magical goals. This is also the hand in which tools such as the athame and wand are held. Ambidextrous persons simply choos which hand to utilize for this purpose. The hand used for giving gifts.

Psychic Mind- The suconscious or unconscious mind, in which we sleep, dream and meditate, It is our direct lnk with the Goddess and God and with the larger, non-physical world around us.

Psychism- The act of being consciously psychich, in which the psychic mind and conscious mind are linked and working in harmony. Ritual Consciousness is a form of psychism.

R

Receptive Hand- The left hand in right-handed persons, the reverse for left-handed persons. This is the hand through which energy is recieved into the body. The hand that is used when recieving gifts.

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 grared toward union with the diving. In magic it produces a specitic state of consciousness which aligns with personal power, in which rituals occur.

W

Widdershins- Anti-clockwise motion, usually used in the Northern Hemisphere for negative magical purposes or for dispersing negative energies or conditions such as disease. Southern Hemisphere Wiccans my use widdershins motions for the exact opposite purpose; namely for positive ends. The use of widdershins and deosil in Wicca stems form ancient European rituals practicd by peoples who watched and reverenced the Sun and Moon in their daily revolutions. Some Wiccans walk widdershins around an altar to symbolise the end of a ritual.

Y

Yule- A Wiccan festival celebrated circa December 21st, marking the rebirth of the Sun God from the Earth Goddess. Yule occurs on the winter solstice.