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| Altar |
An area or surface built
or designed exclusively for magickal or religous workings and ritual. |
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| Amulet |
A natural object, often
of stone or fossil used as a protection device to the holder. |
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| Ankh |
(Angk) |
The most famous Egyptian
hieroglyphic, the Ankh symbolizes life, love and reincarnation.
It is often worn around the neck and is shaped like a cross with a loop
on top. |
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| Arcana |
Half of a tarot
deck which is divided into two aracanas: the major arcana
consisting of the 22 trumps of importance and the lesser arcana of 56
suit cards that help to divinate the trump cards to a lesser degree. |
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| Astrology |
The belief and study of
the effects of the movements and placements of planets and other
heavenly bodies have on the lives and behavior of human beings.
Please see our Astrology
section. |
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| Athame |
(AH-tha-may) |
The ritual knife often
associated with the element of air and the direction of east, thought
some traditions attribute it to fire and the south. The handle is
traditionally black or of natural wood. Please see our tools page. |
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| Balefire |
A synonymous word of
'Bonfire', a balefire is a communal bonfire of the sabbats, most
notably used at Beltane, Litha and Lughnassadh. |
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| Bane |
A negative force or
energy. Another word for bad, negative, or in
opposition. |
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| Banish |
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The removal of negative
energy or force. To rid the presence of unwanted entities. |
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| Bealtaine |
(Bee-Al-tin-aye) |
The old Irish word for
'Beltain'. Please see our Sabbats page. |
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| Beltain |
(Bell-tain) |
A grand sabbat also known as Walpurgis night, May eve, Roodmas, celebrates the symbolic union and mating of the goddess and the god. Often celebrated April 30 or May 1, the true occurrence is more often May 5-7th. A time of fertility and growth. A very important day to most Pagan paths. Please see our Sabbats page. | ||
| Besom |
(Beh-som) |
A witches broom
used to sweep a sacred area and in effect, purify the sacred
space. Legend comes from early fertility rites where besoms were
'ridden' over crops to enhance the coming bounty. Please see our Besom page. |
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| Bind |
Restraining one's self or
someone, using magick. |
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| Bolline |
(Bowl-in) |
A curved knife, often white hilted, used for the magickal gathering of herbs and other natural reagents. Where as the athame is a religious knife, the bolline is it's practical working sister. Please see our tools page. | ||
| Book
of
Shadows |
A witches book of reference where all magickal date, information, times, aspects, formulas and spells are enscribed. One of the most important tools as recorded happenings cannot be forgotten. Also known as a grimoire. Please see our tools page. | |||
| The
Burning
Times |
A reference of time
between approximately 1500 B.C.E. and the 1600's where many
millions of people were murdered by the Christian church simply because
they were 'non-believers'. Their possessions and assets seized at
death, the Christian church often profited on the killings of
witches. Vast information can be found in our Burning Times section. |
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| Cauldron |
Often replaced by the cup or chalice in ritual, this tool is used for making brews or magickal potions. Its symbolizes the womb of the Goddess. Please see our tools page. | |||
| Celtic |
(Kel-tik) |
Of or for the old
subfamily of the Indo-European language family comprised of the peoples
of England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Brittany and some teutonic lands. |
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| Censer |
A ritual tool
used for burning incense during spellwork or ritual. Please
see our tools
page. |
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| Chalice |
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A ritual tool used in libation, this feminine principle tool represents the element water and the west. Please see our tools page. | ||
| Chakra |
One of the seven major
energy centers in the human body. These are at the third eye,
head, throat, chest, navel, abdomen and groin. |
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| Circle |
Sacred space where all
magickal rituals and workings are performed. The circle not
only protects the practitioner from outside energies but contains the
working energies within. Please see our Ritual page. |
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| Consecration |
Blessing an object (usually a ritual tool) to purify it and empowering it with positive energy. Please see our Ritual page. | |||
| Coven |
(Kuhv-en) |
A group of witches who
work and rite together utilizing the greater empowerment of the sum of
its members, as opposed to the power of those members added
individually. Containing both male and female members,
traditionally a coven has 13 members but may contain any number of
members. |
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| Dedication |
The acceptance of the craft (of any way), as one's path and religion, followed by intense study to gain the necessary knowledge and preparation to be adept at this tradition. Please see our Ritual page. | |||
| Deity |
Synonymous with a god,
goddess or godhead. |
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| Deosil |
(Jesh-il) |
The working act usually
in ritual or song of moving or dancing in a clockwise
motion. This is used for positive works and is also known
as
"Sunwise". |
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| Divination |
Any method used to
foretell or inform of the future. Many popular forms include
Astrology, Runes, Tarot, tea leaves, the pendulum, scrying, meditation
and many more. A common practice in one form or another with
Pagans of any path. Please see our divination page. |
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| Dowsing |
A divination method using
a pendulum or stick to answer questions similar to the popular "Ouija"
board. Some forms of this include water finding where a dowser
uses a forked stick or the like to find water underground. |
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| Drawing
down the moon |
Used primarily during an esbat to draw down the powers of the moon into a female witch. Very powerful when a sabbat and esbat conjuct. Please see our Ritual page. | |||
| Drawing
down the sun |
Used to draw down
the powers of the sun into a male witch. Very powerful on
the Equinoxes and Solstices. |
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| Element |
The primary elements are earth, air, fire, water and spirit. Each of these 5 represents a point on the pentagram. The elements and their directions are extremely important in Pagan ritual. Please see our Ritual page. | |||
| Esbat |
(Es-bat) |
From the french word,
esbattre, meaning to frolic, the esbat is the powerful ritual time of
the full moon. There are 13 esbats in a year, all known by moon
names. Please see our Moon
page. |
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| Evocation |
The act of summoning the
presence of spirits, dieties or elementals to your sacred space. |
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| Familiar |
Most commonly an animal,
a familiar is a witch's working helper. Often advantageous
to ritual, they can also become a liability and much thought should be
given to taking a familiar. |
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| God |
The aspect of a masculine
deity.. |
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| Goddess |
The aspect of a feminine
deity. |
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| Handfasting |
A Pagan or Wiccan
marriage ceremony which traditionally takes place at a specified period
of time depending on one's tradition. |
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| Herbalism |
The magickal and
medicinal art of using herbs for the practitioner's use or benefit. |
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| Imbolc |
(Im-Bolc) |
Observed on February 2nd,
Imbolc is the early spring sabbat which honors the virgin goddess as
the young bride of the returning sun god. |
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| Initiation |
The tranformation of ones
ideals and values into the ideals and values of a particular
path. Please note one can be in dedication but is not yet
initiated whilst an initiated is always in dedication. |
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| Invocation |
The drawing of an aspect
of a diety into one's self using magickal ritual. |
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| Karma |
Karma follows the law of
cause an effect. It is the belief that what one's actions
do in this life, will carry over to the next life and lives to come. |
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| Libation |
Drink or sometimes food,
given to a deity, or spirit during magickal ritual. |
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| Litha |
(Lith-ah) |
Also known as Midsummer, Litha is the summer solstice which honors the sun god at his peak power. Please see our Sabbats page. | ||
| Lughnassadh |
(Loo-nuh-sa) |
The Pagan first harvest, or harvest of corn. Lughnassadh usually falls on August 1st. It is the first of the harvests. Please see our Sabbats page. | ||
| Mabon |
(May-bun) |
The Pagan Thanksgiving, or second harvest. Mabon falls on the autumnal equinox, when the light of the year shifts toward darkness. It is a traditional time for feasting. Please see our Sabbats page. | ||
| Magick |
Aleister Crowley said it
best: "Magick is the science and art of causing change to occur
in conformity to will" |
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| Neo-Pagan |
Applies to the various
movements incepted since the 1950's, when the British anti-witchcraft
laws were finally repealed. |
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| Ostara |
(Oh-star-ah) |
Observed at the vernal equinox, Ostara represents life and balance. Please see our Sabbats page. | ||
| Pagan |
(Pay-gun) |
One who follows or
practices an earth-based or nature religion. |
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| Pagan
Rede |
Summed up as "An ye harm
none, do what thou will". Please see our Wicca section for more
information. |
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| Pendulum |
A divination device consisting of a string attached to a heavy object such as a crystal or the like. Questions are divined by noting the motion of the pendulum during divination. Please see our tools page. | |||
| Pentacle |
A pentagram surrounded by
a circle and fashioned usually into a pendant. The pentacle
is used in some covens to represent the element of earth. |
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| Pentagram |
Always seen with the apex
(point) upwards, the pentagram is the five pointed star symbolizing
western Paganism. It represents the elements of earth, air,
fire, water and spirit and also creative principle over all creation. |
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| Polytheism |
The belief in the
existence of multiple deites or godheads, as opposed to monotheism,
where only a single god or godhead is revered. |
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| Reincarnation |
The belief that we all
return, after death, to the earth in the form of another human
body. A result of a major Pagan principle that energy never
dies. |
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| Ritual |
A mental ceremony using a
prescribed set of rites and tools to perform magickal acts or workings. |
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| Runes |
Both an alphabet and a divination tool, runes are a set of symbols used similiarly to tarot, although they can be used in a much broader spectrum of divination. Please see our divination page. | |||
| Sabbat |
(Sabb-at) |
One of the days of Power. These are comprised of the eight solar festivals that celebrate the wheel of the year. Please see our Sabbats page. | ||
| Samhain |
(Sow-in) |
October 31, is the grand
sabbat marking the beginning of winter and the Celtic new year. It
is also a time strongly believed where the veil between the living and
the dead is at its thinnest. Please see our Samhain
page. |
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| Scrying |
A form of divination using mirror and bowls where the user "sees" images, pictures of thoughts themselves. Please see our divination page. | |||
| Sidhe |
(Shee) |
The name generally
applied to all the faery races of Ireland and Scotland. |
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| Skyclad |
Nudity in ritual is said
to be done "skyclad". |
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| Solitary |
The practicing lone witch
who worships without a coven. |
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| Spell |
A specific ritual designed to change one condition or thing. Also known as spinning, weaving, casting and spellcraft. Please see our Ritual page. | |||
| Talisman |
An object empowered to
protect its wearer. Note this differs from the amulet as it is
empowered, not naturally protective as is the amulet. |
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| Tarot |
(Tair-oh) |
Divination using a set of 78 tarot cards which are laid out in such a fashion that the diviner interprets them to answer the question at hand. Please see our divination page. | ||
| Triple
Goddess |
The 3 aspects of
the mother goddess in one, maiden, mother and crone. A
symbol widely found throughout the civilized world. The
representation of the triple goddess is the waxing, full and waning
moon. )O( |
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| Wheel
of the
Year |
The never ending seasonal shift throughout the 8 sabbats or days of power. In Pagan mythos, the goddess turns the wheel bringing everything to season. Please see our Sabbats page. | |||
| Wicca |
(Wik-uh) |
Wicca represents an ancient religion of love for life and nature. Wicca is easily one of the most irrepressible religions in the world because it stimulates the intellect, promotes a simple, practical way of life and, most importantly, is emotionally satisfying. Brought into the public eye in the 1950's by Gerald Gardner after the repeal of British anti-witchcraft laws, Wicca is now a strong, healthy and popular religion and movement. Please see our Wicca section for more information. | ||
| Widdershins |
(Widd-er-shins) |
The working act usually
in ritual or song of moving or dancing in a counter-clockwise
motion. This is used for banishing or negative
works. This is the opposite of deosil. |
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| Witch |
A general word for Pagans
worlwide although traditionally those of Anglo-Celtic, Celtic or
Teutonic tradtions. |
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| Yule |
(Yool) |
The winter solstice and
the shortest day of the year, Yule is when the goddess gives birth to
the god. This is also the Norse New Year. |