Dictionary of Terms

Akashic Records: astral records of everything that has ever been done.

Amulet: Something that is worn for protection; usually jewelry

Astral Projection: altered state; often acheived via trance in which the consciousness is freed from the physical body.

Athame: Ceremonial knife used in magic and rituals; must have a black handle

Aura: Bio-energy field of a living creature

Banishing: Magickal working performed to remove evil, threats, darkness, negativity, or people possesing those qualities.

Book of Shadows: Hand-written book of spells, rituals, and magical information

Botanica: Shop that sells herbs, charms, candles, religious statues, etc.

The Burning Times: Historical period in Europe when Christians persecuted and                  tortured witches or alleged witches; thousands were put to death, usually by hanging or burned at the stake.

Chalice: Ceremonial goblet that represents the element of Water.

Charm: Magickal object, action, or incantation that effect magic, averts evil or danger.

Circle: Group, less formal than a coven, of witches who practice, worship, celebrate,            and/or study together.

Coming out of the broom closet: Living openly as a witch.

Consecration: Ceremony that dedicates a thing or place for sacred use.

Coven: Organized group of witches who practice, worship, and/or celebrate together; traditionally consist of no more than 13 members.

Covenstead: Place where a coven of witches usually meets, often the home of the High Priest/ess

Craft, The: Witchcraft.

Crystallomancy: Divination by crystals,

Dedicant: New witch in the period of study and apprenticeship before initiation; period of study is a year and a day.

Deosil: Clockwise.

Divination: Any practice that reveals the future or unknown things; tarot cards, runes,          and crystal balls are all means of divination.

Eclectic: Witch who works with deities from or worships within more than one culture or mythological system.

Elder:
     1. Witch who has attained a position of respect in the Craft.
     2. Coven member who has attained the highest degree of intiation.

Esbat:
     1. Coven meetings held at full moons.
     2. Lesser Sabbat, celebrating Spring Equinox, Summer Solstice, Autumn Equinox, or        Winter Solstice.

Evocation: Calling upon spirits, elementals, oe entities.

Faerie: Alternative spelling for Fairy

Familiar: An animal, usually a cat, with whom a witch establishes a special physical/magical relationship; offer help, companionship, protection, and usually unconditional love as well.

Five-fold bond: Ritual tie that links wrists, neck, and ankles.

Five-fold kiss: Ritual greeting of eight kisses between witches of opposite genders on the feet, knees, pelvis, breast, and lips.

Folk Magic: Culture's traditional magical practices.

Gardenarian:
     1. Relating to Gerald Gardner, who is credited with creating Wicca from traditional Pagan practices in modern times.
     2. Any formal Wiccan tradition that follows Gerald Gardner's system.

Hedgewitch: A walker between worlds; non-Wiccan witch with a shamanistic path.

Hidden Childen: Witches who must keep their religion secret.

High Priest/ess: Witch who has attained a tradition's highest degrees of initiation and leads a coven.

HP/HPS: High Priest/High Priestess.

Incubus: Maleovent male entity that takes sexual possesion of sleeping women.

Invocation: Calling upon a god/dess for help or to empower a spell.

Kitchen Witch: Witch who mainly uses practical magick centering on the home, hearth, and family.

Libation: Liquid offering to a god/dess, such as wine or milk; usually poured upon the Earth, but may me poured into a fire or offered in another way.

Mage/Magus:
     1. Someone who is adept at magic but is not a witch.
     2. A male witch who has attained more than the first level of initiation.

Maiden:
     1. Stage of a woman's life between mernarche and motherhood or mentoring.
     2. Assistant High Priestess in a traditional coven.

Necromancy: Divination via the spirits of the dead.

Novice: Someone who has just began studying the Craft.

OBE: Out-of body-experience; astral projection

Ogham: Any ancient Celtic magical alphabet.

Old Soul: Person who has been reincarnated several times.

Omen: Anything which may be interpreted as a sign, positive or negative, from the               universe.

Ouija Board: Board printed with letters and simple words that are used for                          communicating with spirits; operated by two or more people touching a planchette that moves around the board pointing to letters or words.

Pentacle:
     1. A 5-pointed star inside a circle.
     2. One of the suits of a tarot deck.

Pentagram: A pentacle that is written, printed, or drawn.

Postulant/Neophyte: New member of a coven, someone not yet initiated.

Poppet: Humanoid figure that is used to represent someone for a spell or other magical working.

Psychpomp: A god/dess who guides souls to the Otherworld.

Runes:
     1. Acient Nordic alphabet, marked on stones or sticks and used for divination.
     2. Magical chants or songs.
     3. Any magical alphabet.

Sabbaths: The eight annual Wiccan festivals.

Scrying: Divination by means of gazing into water, dark mirror, crystal ball, or a bowl of      black ink.

Seance: Gathering of people for the purpose of communicating with spirits.

Sigil: Mystical sign.

Skyclad: Ritual nudity.

Solitary/Solitaire: Witch who practices alone without a coven.

Sorcerer/sorceress:
     1. Person who practices magic; aided by malevolent spirits.
     2. Term used by some magic users to seperate themselves from witches.

Succubus: Malevolent female entity that takes sexual possesion of sleeping men.

Summerlands: The Otherworld.

Synchronicity: Menaingful coincidence.

Talisman: Magical object, usually one made or carved at an astrological moment                 suitable to its purpose.

Tarot: Ancient system of cards used for divination.

Warlock: Old term for a male who pretended to be witches in order to penetrate covens and betray witches during the Burning Times.

Wheel of the Year: Annual cycle of the Sun, Moon, seasons, and the Zodiac.

Widdershins: Counter-clockwise.

Witch's ball:
     1. Mass of dried entwined herbs blown about by the wind.
     2. Glass ball with a mottled surface that is hung ina window to thwart witches and trap their spells.
     3. Fancy dress party attended by witches.

Witch's bottle: Sealed bottle placed in the house or buried on the property for protecton.

Witch Queen: High Priestess whose coven has hived off two or more new covens.

Wizard: Someone who practices magick but is not a witch.

Wort/Wortcraft: Herb/herbalism.

Yoni: Female genitalia as a sacred symbol of life, creation, fertility, sexuality, the                  Goddess, etc.