Witches Dictionary A-D

Dictionary

Adept: One that has studied and mastered the aspect of magical arts.

Aether (Or ether): Usually, in Greek Philosophy, Aether is the upper region of the Earth's atmosphere or the Spirit world. The Greek philosopher, Aristotle, included Aether as the fifth element. It is known as the element of heavenly bodies which now puts the element count to five instead of the original four elements.

Affirmations: The belief that positive thoughts could influence and motivate others in order to boost their self-esteem.

Ajasha Spirit: The fifth element, the omnipresent spiritual power that permeates the universe.

Alchemy: A branch of High Magick developed in the Middle Ages which sought to magickally and/or chemically turn base metals into gold.

Altar: A special, flat surface set aside exclusively for magickal workings or religious acknowledgment.

Amulet: A magically charged object which deflects specific, usually negative energies. A protective object. The most familiar form of an amulet would be a necklace or a bracelet.

Ankh: An Egyptian hieroglyphic widely used as a symbol of life, love, and reincarnation. It is a cross with a looped top.

Animism: From the Latin word "anima" which means breath, spirit, life. Animism is the belief that all forms of objects or nature, including inanimate objects, plants, and animals, all have life within them. While also, fire, wind, and lightening all have souls or spirits.

Arcana: The two halves of a tarot deck. The Major Arcana consists of 22 trumps, the Minor Arcana consists of 56 suit cards (sometimes called the lesser or lower Arcana).

Aspect: The particular principle or part of the Creative Life Force being worked with or acknowledged at any one time.

Asperger: A bundle of fresh herbs or a perforated object used to sprinkle water during or preceding ritual, for purification purposes.

Astral Plane: A place which is generally conceptualized as an invisible parallel world which remains unseen from our own solid world of form.

Astral Travel/Projection: The process of separating your astral body from your physical one in order to accomplish traveling in the astral plane.

Astrology: The study of and belief in the effects the movements and placements of planets and other heavenly bodies have on the lives and behavior of human beings.

Athame: A cleansed and consecrated ritual blade. Usually double edged, and black handled. It is never used to cut anything on the physical plane. Pronounced several ways: Ah-THAM-ee ATH-ah-may ah-THAW-may.

Aura: The life-energy field which surrounds all living things.

Automatic Writing: Form of divination where the channeler uses a pen, paper and an altered state of consciousness to receive messages.

Baculum: A term used to describe a wand or staff usually utilized during divination and fertility spells.

Balefire: A fire lit for magickal purposes, usually outdoors. They are traditional on Yule, Beltane, and Midsummer. In earlier times, the fire was used to burn animal bones in order to keep evil spirits away. They also used the fire for festival celebrations.

Bane: Destroys life, which is poisonous, destructive, dangerous. If you are "baneful" you are being hurtful.

Banish: To magickally end something or exorcise unwanted entities. To rid the presence of something, a powerful purification or cleansing act.

Bard: A poet that sings traditional songs while also entertaining and educating the public.

B.C.E.: Before Common Era. Synonymous with B.C. without religious bias.

Bells: Often used as ritual tools. They can be used to invoke directional energies, to ring in the sunrise on a Sabbat, or to frighten away faeries and baneful spirits.

Besom: A witch's broom. Usually used for spiritual cleansing.

Bidding: A prayer sent to all or any gods.

Bi-Location: A type of astral projection during which you maintain awareness of your present surroundings.

Bind: To magickally restrain something or someone, to cast a spell on someone.

Black Mirror: A scrying or divination tool that is often described as a solid black appearance with black paint or cloth. If one does not have this, a reflective mirror or a bowl of water, as well as a body of water such as a lake or pond, may be used as alternatives.

Black Moon: This is known as the second darkest moon, next to the new moon. During the black moon, it is the time for enormous magickal power to have risen.

Blood of the Moon: A woman's menstrual cycle. Should this cycle occur over a Full Moon or New Moon, she is far more powerful than during any other time of the month, as long as she acknowledges this strength within herself.

Blue moon: Usually refers to a second full moon in the same month. This eventually raised the phrase "once in a blue moon" which means that it normally doesn't occur as often or that it is somewhat rare for events like this to occur.

Book of Shadows: A witch's book of spells, rituals, magickal lore. Much akin to a magickal cookbook. Also known as a BOS.

Boline: A white-handled knife, used in magick and ritual for purposes such as cutting herbs or piercing a pomegranate.

Brazier: Incense censer or burner. Usually consists of metal and is usually suspended on a chain.

Burning Times: Reference to a historical time from around 1000 C.E. through the 17th century when it is said that up to 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 were seized from the accused individual and portions given to the accuser (in reward fashion) and the remainder seized by the church officials. Historians indicate that the majority of people tortured and murdered were woman and children.

Call: Invoking Divine forces.

Cauldron: Linked to witchcraft in the popular mind, this symbolizes the Goddess, the waters of rebirth. It usually is made of iron and is known to have three or four legs.

C.E.: Common Era. Synonymous with A.D. but without religious bias.

Censer: A heat-proof container in which incense is burned. It is associated with the element air.

Ceremonial Magick: A highly codified magickal tradition based upon Kabbala, the Jewish-Gnostic mystical teachings.

Chakras: Seven major energy vortexes found in the human body. Each is usually associated with a color. They are: crown - white; third-eye - purple; throat - blue; chest - pink or green; navel - yellow; abdomen - orange; groin - red. Smaller vortexes are located in the hands and feet as well.

Chalice: A ritual tool. It represents the female principals of creation.

Channeling: A New Age practice wherein you allow a discarnate entity to ''borrow'' your body to speak to others either through automatic writing or verbally.

Chaplet: A crown for the head usually made of flowers and worn at Beltane.

Charge: The Originally written in modern form by Doreen Valiente, it is a story of the message from Goddess to Her children.

Charging: To infuse an object with your personal power.

Charms: Either an amulet or talisman that has been charmed by saying an incantation over it and instilling it with energy for a specific task.

Circle: Sacred space wherein all magick is to be worked and all ritual contained. It both holds ritual energy until the witch is ready to release it, and provides protection for the witch.

Clairvoyance: The ability to see the future before it occurs. While clairsentience is "clear seeing" and clairaudience is "clear hearing".

Cleansing: Removing negative energies from an object or space.

Collective Unconsciousness: Term used to describe the sentient connection of all living things, past and present. See also Akashic Records.

Coming of Age Ritual: At age 13 for boys, and at the time of a girl's first menses, Pagan children are seen as spiritual adults. The ritual celebrates its new maturity. Generally, this is the age when they are permitted membership in covens.

Compass round: The act of creating a tool in order to focus which can also be used for keeping negative thoughts out and bringing in positive ones.

Conjure: Summoning an evil spirit

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

Conscious Mind: The analytical, materially-based, rational half of our consciousness. The part of our mind that is at work while we balance our checkbooks, theorize, communicate, and perform other acts related to the physical world.

Consecration: The act of blessing an object or place by instilling it with positive energy. Mostly an act of purification in order to get rid of the mundane attached to it and get it ready to be used in a specific ritual.

Coven: A group of thirteen or fewer witches that work together in an organized fashion for positive magickal endeavors or to perform religious ceremonies.

Covenstead: The meeting place of witches, often a fixed building or place where the witch can feel safe and at home.

Craft: Witchcraft

Crone: Aspect of the Goddess represented by the old woman. Symbolized by the waning moon, the carrion crow, the cauldron, the color black. Her Sabbats are Mabon and Samhain.

Cunning fire: This terms can be very difficult to define as it has many meanings. One, it enables men to act like gods as they will have the ability to create languages, music, and technology. And two, the awareness of a magickal practitioner that the spirits exist naturally, in other terms, it can be described as the heightening of spiritual union or accessing very high energy sources.

Dark moon: Also called the New Moon, it is a time where the moon becomes totally dark.

Days of Power: See Sabbat. They can also be days triggered by astrological occurrences - your birthday, a woman's menstrual cycle, your dedication/initiation anniversary.

Dedication: The process where an individual accepts the Craft as their path and vows to study and learn all that is necessary to reach the adept ship. It is a conscious preparation to accept something new into your life and stick with it, regardless of the highs and lows that may follow.

Deosil: Clockwise, the direction in which the shadow on a sundial moves as the Sun ''moves'' across the sky. Deosil is symbolic of life, positive magick, positive energies. Withershins is the opposite of Deosil. In the Southern Hemisphere, it is the opposite where Deosil is counterclockwise and Withershins is clockwise.

Directional/elementals: Spirits such as faeries and other natural spirits that related to the natural four elements (air, water, earth, and fire).

Dirk: Ritual knife of the Scottish tradition. Also can be called a dagger.

Divination: The magickal art of using tools and symbols to gather information from the Collective Unconsciousness. This can be on people, places, things and events past, present, and future.

Divine Power: The unmanifested, pure energy that exists within the Goddess and God. The life force, the ultimate source of all things.

Dowsing: The divinatory art of using a pendulum or stick to find the actual location of a person, place, thing, or element.

Drawing Down the Moon: A ritual performed during the Full Moon by witches to empower themselves and unite their essence with a particular deity, usually the Goddess.

Drawing Down the Sun: Lesser-known and lesser-used companion ritual to Drawing Down the Moon in which the essence of the Sun God is drawn into the body of a male witch.

Duality: The opposite of polarity. When used as a religious term, it separates two opposites such as good and evil and places those characteristics into two completely separate God-forms.

Likely subject to edit by the instructor

Witches Dictionary A-D

Witches Dictionary A-D by AstralFri Jun 28, 2019 5:28 pm

Dictionary

Witches Dictionary A-D by Astral
Fri Jun 28, 2019 5:28 pm