Glossary of Wiccan and Witchcraft Terms

Altar: A surface used for ritualistic, magickal or spiritual purposes. Often used as a medium to focus energies for any amount of purposes.

Amulet: An object more often a piece of jewelry consecrated and charged with a specific magickal intent.

Anointing Oil: A scented oil sometimes also consecrated and charged with energy to anoint objects or people or dress candle. Made from a variety of plants and herbs.

Aspects: Facets or different forms of a deity. Example: All goddesses are the Goddess.

Aspecting: A magickal activity when a practioner takes on an aspect of the Goddess or God for different purposes. Aspecting includes feelings, behavior, appearance, mannerisms,

Asperger: Rolled up Herbs used to sprinkle water in a purification. Sometimes metal rods are used.

Athame: A bladed object often in a form of a dagger used to direct energies of the user. Believed to be not to use in the physical plane in the action of cutting. I.E: Not cutting herbs but cutting energies.

Aura: The field of energy that surrounds living creatures and some objects. In living creatures generated by the Chakras.

Balefire: Ritualistic fire generally used outdoors..

Beltane: Pagan festival celebrated between April 30th to May 2nd often called the Great Rite. Often used to celebrate marriage or union between the Goddess and God. Often associated with a spring welcome festival,

Besom: A broom used for ritual purposes. Mostly for "Sweeping" energies away in a purification ritual. Shouldn't be used for practical sweeping much like the Athame.

Blessing: The act of imbuing a object, person, or a place with divine energies of the elements or the God and Goddess.

Bolline: A bladed object opposite of a Athame. To be used in the physical world.

Book of Shadows (BoS): A sacred book used to contain spells, rituals, and other magickal information. Two types: Personal and Coven. Coven is usually passed to initiates. A personal one is for solitary and separate work. Often always added and there is no universal Book of Shadows. Some people publish their own. Often Grimoire is used in its place.

Calling the Quarters: Act in invoking the four cardinal directions that represent the four elements for ritualistic purposes.

Casting a circle: The act of creating a circle. See Magick Circle

Cardinal directions: North South East West. Used in many rituals.

Cauldron: A large often Iron pot used for many purposes. Brewing, Candles, burning, potion making.

Censer: Used to burn incense.

Centering: The act of attuning the chakras, aura and self with the earth and the universe for energy.

Chakra: Points of the body that which energy flows into and governs the body and the spirit. Broken down into: Crown: White. Third eye or forehead : Purple. Throat: Blue. Heart: Green. Solar Plexus or under the sternum: Yellow. Sacral or abdomen: Orange Root or groin: Red. They align in the center of the body or the spine. Alternate colours for the chakras: Crown: purple. Third eye: Indigo or dark blue. Throat: Blue or a light blue.

Chalice: A ritualistic, consecrated, charged and blessed cup. Often use for ritual drink.

Charging: To charge an object with a magickal purpose or just with general pure energy.

Clan: A group of covens who follow the same practices. Often headed by a "Witch Queen" or "Witch King" as the executive branch and Elders as the Legislative branch from which they represent their coven. Usually a democratic system.

Clair: "Clear" Usually abilities that come from psychic mental abilities.

Clairadudience: Clear hearing. Able to hear things or hear sounds that are not usually there. Hearing spirits for example.

Clairempathy: Clear emotion. Able to feel the emotions of others or other entities.

Clairgustance: Clear taste. Able to taste things that aren't actually in one's mouth. Example: Ask a spirit their favourite food. Blueberry taste.

Clairscent: Clear Smell. Able to smell fragances. Such as the favourite perfume of a ghost when in life.

Clairsenteince: Clear feeling. Able to feel things on the skin. Or ability to touch things and get psychic impressions

Clairvoyance: Clear Seeing. Ability to see things that are not physical. Such as spirits.

Cleansing: The act of removing negative or unwanted energies from the self, person, object of place
by using wanted or positive energies. Similar to Purification.

Clock: Clockwise is positive and building of energy or creating. Counter is the opposite.

Cone of power: Power that is gathered by witches and is sent out to work.

Consecration: A ritualistic purification of an object or self for ritual.

Correspondence: An item or a concept that has association with another item or concept. Example: Amethyst has a correspondence of the zodiac sign of Aquarius and the colour purple.

Coven: A group of people with varying amounts depending on the tradition (2, 3, 4, 5, 9, 11, 12, 13, 22, 33) of similar beliefs or tradition who work, practice, help, share information together. Lead by a High Priest(ess) or both.

Covenstead: The place in which a coven gathers regularly. A building, a place outdoors. Anywhere.

Craft: Witchcraft, the art of magick.

Crone: The final Stage of the Goddess. Represents death, wisdom, the end, night twilight. Old Woman.

Crystal Ball: A ball made out of glass or gemstone for scrying purposes.

Curse: A spell or ritual or just pure negative energy directed at a person, object place, organization for generally negative intents. Not always negative however.
Example: Cursing a cancerous tumor.

Dedication: A ritual in which a witch acknowledges their path with the Goddess and the God.

Degree: The rank or level of experience or measurement in journey of a Wiccan individual.

Divination: The magickal art predicting the future or revealing the past or looking deeper into the present. Many ways of divination some include, tarot, dreams, scrying, astrology, dowsing, runes.

Divine power: The energy and power of the Goddess and the God.

Drawing down the Moon: A ritual that helps the person utilize the full power of the moon or the Goddess.

Earth Power: The power and energies of the earth and nature.

Elements: Air, Fire, Earth, Water. The fifth element is the spirit. Other name for the fifth element: Akasha, Aether, Mana, Chi, Prana.

Empowering see charging.

Esbat: A ritual or celebration for the new or full moon.

Evocation: Calling of spirits or divine beings

Familiar: A animal that is often the pet of a Witch. They often help the witch in their craft. Example: adding their energy.

Father: The middle phase of the God. Middle Aged man. Protection, nurturing, strength.

Gnome: A earth Spirit.

God/Goddess: Titles for divine beings that embody the universe. The beings of creation.

Great Rite: A intimate Rite that is immensely powerful.

Grimoire: Similar to a Book of Shadows. Sometimes seen separately to catalogue information.

Grounding: The act of removing excess energy.

Handfasting: A wedding.

Hex: See curse.

High Priest(ess) The leader(s) of a coven. A witch who usually has received the 3rd degree.

Holy Water: Or blessed water. Water that has been blessed and purified for magickal purposes. Many different way to make Blessed water. Most common method is sea salt and spring water.

Imbolc: A pagan Sabat called the festival of lights. Usually between Feb 1st to Feb 2nd. Wiccans use it to celebrate the retreat of winter and the rejuvenation of nature and the Goddess.

Initiation: A ritual that admits a Witch into a coven.

Infusion: A liquid created by soaking herbs or plants in hot or boiling water.

Invocation: Calling Spirit or divine beings into a circle or into the self.

Labrys: A ritualistic Axe.

Lady: Goddess

Lord: God

Lughnasadh: A Sabat that falls usually on Aug 1st. Also called Lammas. Celebrates the first harvest.

Mabon: Sabat held on the Autumn Equinox. September 20th-September 23th. End of the harvests.
The gradual death of the God and the death of nature.

Magick: The act of using the energies of the universe for various purposes.

Magick Circle: A sphere constructed by the power of the self or personal power. It is Created by visualization and magickical energies. It is used to surround a magickal work space or sacred space. The main purpose is to focus energies and keep unwanted ones out.

Maiden (Coven): Assistant to the High Priestess(es)

Maiden (Goddess): A phase in the life of the Goddess in which she is young and beautiful. Filled with life and wonder.

Meditation: An act that has many purposes and methods. Usually for mental focus.

Midsummer: A Sabat held on the Summer solstice or the longest day of the year. June 20th-23th. The triumph of Light over darkness.

Moon: The Symbol of the Goddess. The moon phases also indicate her life phases.

Mother: The middle stage of the Goddess, middle aged woman. Motherly instincts, nurturing, protection

Neo-Pagan: Neo meaning New. Is a person who follows one of the newly formed pagan based or ressurected religions.

Ostara: The Sabat of the Spring Equinox. March 20th- 23rd. Celebrate the complete return of nature.

Pagan: The original meaning meant country dweller but now it is used to describe people who practice polytheistic or nature based religions.

Pendulum: A device used for dowsing. Often a object suspended on a string or chain.

Pentacle: The primary symbol of the craft. It is a Geometric symbol with 5 points resembling a star. It represents the 5 Elements. Upright pentacle: The Goddess. Upside: The God

Personal power: Power of the self.

Phases of the moon: The stages of the moon as it rotates around the earth. New, waxing, full, and wanning. The moon has 13 cycles of 28 days every year.

Planetary Hour: Hours that correspond to a zodiac or a planet.

Polarity: The concept of two things being opposites of each other. Male/Female, Positive/Negative/ Push/Pull. Yang/Yin and so on.

Potion: A magickal brew used for many purposes. Usually consumable.

Projective hand: The dominant hand. Sometimes only the right hand. It is used to direct energy.

Psychic: The ability of having psychic abilities or abilities of the mind.. Clairvoyance, Clairaudience, Clairsentience, Clairscent, Clairtangency, Clairgustance, Clairempathy. Some other abilities are Telepathy, Psychokinesis.

Receptive Hand: The subdominant hand. Sometimes only the left hand. Used to absorb energy.

Rede: Law or Rule.

Reincarnation: The belief of rebirth of the soul into a new body.

Retrograde: The appearance of a planet moving backwards. The planets have opposite effects than normal.

Ritual: A ceremonious magickal activity.

Robe: Clothing that is usually used in magickal workings.

Runes: Stones, wood, or bones with the script of Elder Furthark.

Sabbat: A Pagan/Wiccan ceremony or celebration in one of the 8 segments of the wheel of the year. Yule, Imbolc, Ostra, Beltane, Litha, Lughnasad, Mabon, and Samhain.

Sacred Space: A area in which it is only used for magickal purposes. It can be anywhere.

Sage: The final stage of the God. Old man. Represents Knowledge, Wisom, Death.

Salamander: A fire spirit.

Samhain: The witches new year. October 31st. Celebrates the death of the God and his descent into the unseen.

Scrying: A method of divination by gazing into an object such a crystal ball, gemstones, fire, or mirrors.

Scrying mirror. A mirror used for scrying or divination. Often black.

Sigil: A magickal symbol or device that is used in magick.

Solstice: Longest day or the Longest night

Spell: A magickal act that has many uses and many structures. Helps the user(s) focus on the purpose.

Staff: A long item often wood used to channel energy much like a wand. Usually used for Group work

Summoner: Male equivalent to the Maiden. Assists the High Priest(s)

Sword: A long bladed item sometimes used in replacement of a Athame. Usually for group work.

Sylph: A air spirit.

Talisman: See Amulet

Tarot Cards: A deck of cards used for divination. A typical tarot deck contains 78 cards. They contain symbols used in divination. Broken up into: Major Arcana 22 Cards. Minor Arcana: 56 cards. The minor Arcana is broken up into 4 suits. Staff/wands, swords/daggers, pentacles/coins, cup/chalice in sets of 14

Telepathy: The ability to receive, read and sent out thoughts.

Three fold law: A law in which what you send out shall return to you three times in power.

Tradition: A sect of Wiccan or Pagan beliefs.

Triquetra: A symbol representing the number 3. The number which is very sacred in Wicca

Undine: Water spirit

Visualization: Using the mind's eye or mental images to bring them into the physical world and "see" them.

Wand: A piece of wood or gemstone used to direct or channel energy.

Wanning Moon: Phase of the moon when the Full Moon turns into a New Moon gradually.

Warrior: The Young phase of the God. Sometimes known as the Satyr. Sexuality, adventure, power.

Waxing Moon: Phase of the moon when a New Moon turns into a Full Moon gradually.

Wicca: A pagan religion that revers nature and the God and Goddess.

Wiccan: A person who practices the religion of Wicca

Wiccaning: Presentation of a child to the Goddess and God for blessings. Similar to a Baptism without being forced into the religion.

Witch: A person who practices witchcraft. Also Wiccans. Note: All Wiccans are witches but not all witches are Wiccans

Witchcraft: The practice of magickal works.

Wheel of the Year: One full cycle of the Wiccan/Pagan year.

Yule: The sabbat celebrating the rebirth of the God. The winter Solstice December 20-23rd.

Last updated 11/19/2010

Feel free to use this in whatever way you want. This is general knowledge. Somethings maybe wrong or missing I will change or add things later. Or post your additions.

holy shit thats is a TON of info looks lile you got everything down to me

Thanks Bodhi for posting so many terms for us.

Thanks Bodhi, I'm definitly copying this down on my book of shadows!

I need to buy a BoS then I'll be good to copy what I didnt already know down....

Great Post Bodhi! So detailed, thanks alot.

No problem guys. More info and posts to come.

Tiger-eye wrote:

I need to buy a BoS then I'll be good to copy what I didnt already know down....

go buy one foo!

Or make one

Re:Glossary of Wiccan and Witchcraft Terms;
I take alot of notes it helps me to remember the terms of the words also a great book I am readingright now has alot of Wiccan and Witchcraftterms also :THE BOOK IS CALLED:
TO RIDE A SIVER BROOMSTICK AUTHOR:SiILVER RAVEN WOLF SHE IS AN EXCELENT AUTHOR WHO ALSO TEACHES YOU ALONG THE WAY IN THE BOOK .Just thought I would share that. BLESSED BE....Deb

I personally hate Silver Ravenwolf with a passion, but realize I will never win on that front. So I'll just say, I dislike her works, her philosophies, her teachings, her shoddy scholarship, and if anyone wants to hear me go on a long rant about it, feel free to PM me. I will also throw out this awesome article in the Wild Hunt that's against her too. If you like her, awesome, hope that works for you. But if we ever are talking about witchcraft, don't expect me to be following a path anything remotely like hers. That's all.

Deb, whereabouts Ohio are you? I'm in Kent myself...

Aliyn, this isn't a forum to spam hate or distaste, or to discredit any person or Author. You may not like her, and I respect that, but we all follow different beliefs and paths, so it is really no ones right to criticize their works. Personally "The Ultimate book of Shadows" really push me on my own spiritual path. No one should be following her path, or your path, or my path, or anyone's path, everyone should follow their own, and what feels right to them. So when speaking about any witch, or Author, think of them on members of this site, and what we strive for here. Accepts for those who follow all paths, weather we like or agree with them or not.

^_^

Ok, I guess "hate" is the wrong word to use. I don't hate her as a person, I hate what she puts out there. I completely disagree her views. If you can't criticize a viewpoint, you aren't learning anything. Nothing I argue against her is anything but her printed works. You're right, everyone is entitled to their own path, but in my path, we objectively and critically look at authors and scholars for decent material. If we can't find it, we haven't discredited them, they've done it to themselves. Just because I criticize something, doesn't mean I'm attacking that person, and if they can't tell the difference, then they are a sad excuse for a human. I can accept the person and still dislike or disagree with the path. I don't believe any religion or philosophy is sacred and held above questioning.

Critism is no more than opinion. And with that in mind opinion is just that an opinion. However if you do not structure you apparent criticisms properly many bodies of law will actually label this "Slander" and you do not have what most of the laws will call "Privilege" to criticize the such. Your opinions must fall within a fair comment unless you are given consent to do so by the author as they would give a real book or theologist critic. You must becareful of the apparent status of the individual you attempting to "discredit, after all it is them who are in question about their security regarding their intellectual property. You are however right nothing is above questioning but certain questions will be considered of negative intent, and therefore questionable in itselfs. So they are a sad exucse if a person find feedback negative? In certain regards they need to be mature enough to accept the such but I would then question the validity and the intended intentions of the party that is providing the feed back in their apparent righteousness for apparent truth. Unless something is really factual in which case most of the occult studies virtually nothing is. Then we must accept the fact someone else's feedback isn't correct either. There is no greater truth than we choose to believe no matter how corrupted another party may view that particular truth. We are not here to look down at any point in humanity for their apparent personality. Keep that in mind.

Bodhisattva wrote:

So they are a sad exucse if a person find feedback negative?

No, they are sad if they can't tell the difference between a personal attack and criticism of their work. Also, slander involves a certain amount of deceit, and of all the arguments I have against SRW, they are all based on things she has written and printed in her books.

Regardless if they cannot or they can it is them who decides they are being attack just as much A country may see they are liberating while the other is being seen as invaded, it is with these two points do we see conflict of interest. When this happen it is better not to get involved to a certain point. Slander doesn't have to always involve deceit. For instance in Britain even if its not true say a politician is cheating on his wife, I put foward that hes being unfaithful. Despite It is true and I do it in non-constructive ways I am still very much liable for it. It is her intellectual property which is a byproduct of her own creative forces which is then a part of her.

Ok, say the politician is cheating on his wife. If he publishes something stating he is an adulterer or has no regard for the institution of marriage, then you coming out saying "Look, this guy cheats on his wife." would not be considered slander. Or if he says the opposite, yet one finds out that his statement does not coincide with his actions, it shows that he is a liar, and would be for the benefit of the people to know that he does not act on what he says he believes. Also, I find her works to be lying, misleading, and deceitful, and I feel that to not speak out against them would be for the worst.

Ahh, but you have no proof that she is lying, misleading, and deceitful, only she is in you're own opinion, and which, for saying so, if she came here by some reason and saw it, should could have you charged with Slander and Besmirchment of her name.

She states in her books that all witches are Wiccan. I am a witch and not Wiccan. Therefor, its a lie. She also says in Teen Witch that when explaining to your parents about Wicca, tell them you are working with angels. I've never once worked with angels, and that is horrible advice to tell a kid to lie to their parents about their beliefs. First off, you should be able to understand some of the underlying concepts of your religion before you begin a debate with people you are relatively sure will not support you. Or don't bring it up at all.

Tat, if she could do that, The Wild Hunt would be shut down. Its not yet, nor are any other sites that criticize her works.

First, in the copy of Book of shadows, she says not all Witches are Wiccan, but all Wiccan's are Witches. Also, as Witches, we might not work with what would be called Angels by us, but are what could be understood as Witches. Also, there are many Witches and Wiccan's who believe in Angels, like myself for one. Also, even if she says all Witches are Wiccan, in her opinion, that is a truth, as, in a way, it is true, as Wicca is a General body who people who follow most of the Ancient religions.

In Hinduism, they teach that everyone is Hindu, they just do not know it yet.

So again, you're just criticizing biased on opinion. So now someones religious beliefs make them lairs. It might not be true to everyone, but it is true to them. Christan's way we are evil as devil worshipers, are they lying? No, technically not. To them, we follow a being other then God, who gives us Magick, and abilities, so, in their religion, Goddess worship is in fact, Devil worship. Just because her personal beliefs do not agree with you, does not mean you have the right to go around and judge her.

A perfectly well debate about her works could be had here, with no problem, when stating PURE facts, and not just opinion. Furthermore, one can not criticize advice, as advice is given by opinion. I can tell a young person to keep their beliefs secret until they no longer rely on the support of their parent's, where, for example, you would disagree because you should always be true to yourself, and never give in to oppression. So, in this situation you would disagree with me, but then, you find is bad advice because, it is only bad in your personal opinion and has no basis to fact or truth.

In both "To Stir a Magic Cauldron" and "Teen Witch", she does state that all Witches are Wiccan. Not my problem that she decided to changer her mind and caught herself up in print saying two different things. Nothing about Wicca is an ancient religion, we know when it was founded, by Gardner in the 1940's, in Great Britain. Yes, he claims to be trained by the New Forest Clan, who never claimed to be Wicca. Wicca was never a term until the 40-50's when Gardner created it based on some base Old English or Middle English term.

Again, her beliefs do not make her a liar. Her all inclusive statements and contradictions make her a liar. Not all Witches are Wiccan, fact. I am Witch, there are Satanists that are Witches, there are Atheists that are Witches, all of whom ARE NOT Wiccan. I never said you couldn't be a Wiccan Witch, but you don't have to be. Also, there are Wiccans who aren't Witches.

Coming from a very influential spiritual leader, advice to go out and LIE to your parents about your beliefs is pretty horrid advice, especially from someone who claims that truth is a virtue. Again, my opinion. Her stating all Witches are Wiccan, not an opinion. Its in print, from the author.