Glossary of terms

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See also: Wiccan/Pagan New Age Dictionary

P

PAGANDOM: Part of the world inhabited primarily by pagans.

PAGANISM: Any religion other than Christianity, Islam, or Judaism. Generally categorized as an earth religion. Most are polytheistic (have more than one god or goddess). Literally means "country dweller".

PAGAN STANDARD TIME: A slang term for when people cannot arrive or get an event going on time. Almost extinct because it was a poor excuse to begin with. Abbreviated as PST.

PALLOMANCY: Divination with a pendulum.

PANTHEON: A Collection or group of Gods and Goddesses in a particular religious or mythical structure. Example are: Greek pantheon, Roman pantheon, Egyptian pantheon, Teutonic pantheon, etc.

PAST LIFE REGRESSION: A technique used by hypnotists to lead a person in a trance which allows them to supposedly recall events from previous lives, when their soul was in a different physical body at another time period and place. Assuming belief in the human soul, this is actually very logical, and can be explained as simply a matter of helping the human mind connect to the soul mind and read the memories stored there. [For more information see http://www.spiritonline.com/meditation/medpast.html]

PENDULUM: A tool often used to communicate with spirits or divine. See also divination.

PENTACLE: A circle surrounding a five-pointed, upright star (known as a pentagram). Worn as a symbol of a Witch's belief and used in magickal workings and ceremonies. Each point on the star has a specific meaning: Earth, Air, Fire, Water and Spirit. Pentacles are never worn inverted in the Craft. Witches consider this blasphemy of their faith. However, an inverted pentagram is used in some second degree initiations, not to indicate evil, but to fulfill a function of growth.

PENTAGRAM: A five-pointed star drawn with a single line. Upright, it resembles a human figure, with spirit taking the highest importance. Inverted (upside-down) it is often considered a Satanic symbol. This is not always true, though. In Wicca an inverted pentagram is a sign used by a second degree initiate to symbolise their progress and the facing of the "dark" side of life. When inverted, it represents the elements taking precedence over spirit.

PECTI-WITA: A Scottish tradition of Wicca, see also Wita.

PHILTRE: A potion, especially for love.

PHRENOLOGY: Character analysis by studying the shape and surface of the skull.

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 Goddess in certain ceremonies. A solitary Witch can be a Priestess by dedicating herself to a particular God or Goddess.

PRIEST: A male dedicated to both the service of his chosen deity(ies) and humankind. a High Priest is the male leader of a coven or Wiccan organization and plays the role of the God in certain ceremonies.
 

(NOTE) Neither male nor female has dominion over the other in the Craft. The High Priest and High Priestess in a coven environment should work as a balanced team. On occasion they draw the energy of the God and Goddess respective to their sex in order to further a positive magickal working or celebrate a holiday. These people must be skilled in magick and ceremony, but they also need maturity, wisdom and a great deal of humility. They are required to be diplomatic and merciful when the situation demands. Their job is not an easy one. You will hear reference to the Great Rite, wherein the High Priest and High Priestess magickally draw the energy of the God and Goddess through sexual interaction, either simulated or real. However, if intercourse actually takes place, it is almost always done in privacy, out of sight of the other coven members. In the 1970s sexual intercourse among coven members was prominent in some traditions. In the 1990s with the threat of the AIDS virus and society's shift to more conservative views on sexuality, actual intercourse is not as widely practiced. Sex magick is NOT a requirement for any individual to practice Witchcraft.

PROJECTIVE HAND: A term often used in ritualism to describe your most powerful hand, generally the one you write with.

PROPHET: One who receives inspiration, information, or insights into the future from a divine source.

PSYCHIC AWARENESS: The open state of awareness in which the conscious mind can tap into the psychic mind.

PSYCHIC MIND: The sub- or un- conscious mind which is receptive of psychic messages. When we are psychically aware, the two minds link and we can intercept these messages.

PYROMANCY: Divination by fire.
 
 

QUARTER DAYS: The solstices and equinoxes.

QUARTERS: The north, east, south, and west parts of the circle, often representative of the four watchtowers.

RECEPTIVE ENERGY: The opposite of Projective Energy; magnetic, soothing, attracting energy often used for meditation, promoting love, calm and quiet.

RECEPTIVE HAND: The hand which has less power, generally whichever hand you do not write with. This hand is used less in holding and charging ritual items, however, it receives outside energy which is used to feed the magick.

REDE: A tenet, rule, doctrine, or law.

REINCARNATION: The belief that one has lived before in another lifetime.

RIGHT-HAND PATH: A term used for a person who practices magick that is beneficial to others. Opposite of left-hand path.

RITE: A ritual.

RITUAL: A focused mental/physical ceremony to either honor or thank one's chosen pantheon, or to perform a specific magickal working or act.

RUNES: A set of symbols that are used both in divination and magickal workings. There are several types of runes with different origins. A few are the Norse, Scandinavian and Germanic runes. Unlike the Tarot, they are an integral part of the magickal system with its own pantheon, should you care to use it. They can function as an alphabet and are useful in vision questing, dream recall and controlling your environment.
 
 

SABBAT: One of the eight celebrations  or holidays of paganism.

SALAMANDER: The elemental who dwells in the fire plane.

SAMHAIN: Sabbat held on the eve of Nov. 1st, also called Halloween and celebrated by most people (religiously or not) on October 31.

SCRYING: A divination method using specific tools such as a bowl of inked water, a mirror, crystal ball, etc., where the diviner "sees" either normal visual pictures, mental visual pictures, or information without any pictures at all!

SHADE: The spirit of a being which refuses to leave the physical plane.

SHAMANISM: The religion of the ancient peoples of northern Europe and Asia, generally characterised by the ability of the Shaman to communicate with the spirit world. Major facets of Shamanism are animism, possession, prophecy/revelations, shapeshifting, and soul travel.

SHAPESHIFTING: A very esoteric practice involving changing the human form. This can be practiced while on the astral plane, this alone is a great accomplishment. It is said that one can also shapeshift on the physical plane, though documented proof of this is nonexistent. Few books are published on the subject as it is an art mainly for certain people, and teachers prefer to find these people and teach them their art secretively rather than let the public know their ways.

SHOWSTONE: A crystal sphere used for divination, especially scrying. Also called a crystal ball.
 

SIGIL: A magickally oriented seal, sign, glyph, or other device used in a magickal working. The most powerful sigils are those that you create yourself. Sigils can be used on letters, packages, clothing, on paper tucked in your pocket, etc.

SKYFATHER: Assigning deification to the sky as a male entity. Although shamanistic in its origin, it compliments Earth Mother perfectly. Skyfather is also used by several Native American belief systems.

SKYCLAD: In some traditions, for example the Alexandrian, it is the act of celebrating or doing a magickal working in the nude. This should not be misconstrued with sexual contact. There are many solitaries that prefer to work skyclad, feeling that he absence of clothing leaves their energy unhindered during the ceremony.

SOLITARY: A witch who practices alone instead of within a coven.

SO MOTE IT BE: A phrase used often in rituals to close a chant or incantation. It literally means, "It must be so" or "So it shall be".

SORCERY: Magickal practice which involves summoning, binding, or banishing deities. Often a sorcerer (practitioner of sorcery) uses no tools.

SOUL:The true identity of a human being, the immortal self which surpasses death and lives on into the otherworld, perchance to be reincarnated.

SPELL: Extended mental and emotional energy spoken aloud, written, spoken to oneself, drawn or even danced. To work, it should be clear, concise, focused and emotional. The need must be present to bring any spell to a successful culmination.

SPELLCRAFTING: The practice of creating spells by writing outlines, arranging correspondences, and authoring incantations.

SPIRAL: The sacred spiral plays an important part in magickal workings. It is the symbol of "coming into being." A spiral dance celebrates the spiral symbolism.

SUMMONER: Like a male version of the maiden, a member of the coven who is an assistant to the High Priest.

SYLPH: The elemental of air.

SYMBOL: A sign which represents something else. Symbols are used commonly in rituals to represent gods, elements, goals, and more. Many tools are symbols, for example, the chalice is a symbol of the goddess and the giving of life.

SYNCHRONICITY: A Jungian term describing a coincidence which seems to have meaning yet no connection is clear.

TALISMAN: An object that has been magickally charged in order it bring something to the bearer. Such an item could be a gemstone to win a court case, or a drawing to put in your pocket that will bring good luck.

TAROLOGIST: One who is adept at the art and science of handling the Tarot.

TAROT CARDS: A set of 78 cards which carry pictures and symbols used to connect the diviner with the collective unconscious. On one knows the specific origin of the cards, and there are many beautiful decks now on the market. Although the Rider/Waite deck is well known. Silver prefers the Witches' Tarot or the Robin Wood Deck. The cards can be used to determine the past, present and future of an event or person and can become powerful tools in magickal workings and rituals.

TASSEOGRAPHY: Divination by reading tea leaves.

TELEKINESIS: A form of psychokinesis which involves moving objects with the mind without ever physically coming in contact with them.

TELEPATHY: Unspoken (psychic) communication between two minds.

THELEMA: Religious beliefs that are founded on magic within the Christian pantheon.

THEURGY: Magick involving the use of divine spirits and oneness or closeness with one's God/Deitie(s).

THIRD EYE: The psychic eye, not physically visible, but mental. Located in the middle of the forehead.

THREE-FOLD LAW: Also known as the Rule of Three, A Wiccan principle which originated from the teachings of Gerald Gardner. It states that any action made by a person will be returned them three times as powerfully, whether the action was good or bad. By this law, you are encouraged to do good things so that you will be rewarded later on with three times the benevolence, as opposed to bad things which result in thrice the consequence.

TOTEM ANIMAL: A spirit guide in the form of an animal who chooses to accompany you. This tradition is derived from Native American spirituality.

TRADITIONS: Sects or groups which practice Wicca. Each tradition has a different set of rules and guidelines by which it follows, so when one chooses a tradition, one much be aware of the facets of the tradition and believe that the rules suit them best. Some examples of traditions are Gardnerian, Alexandrian, Celtic, Faery, and Strega.

TRANSMUTATION: The work of alchemy, changing base metals and elements into precious things.

TREE CALENDAR: Celtic system which recognizes 13 lunar months, each represented by a sacred tree.
 
 

ULULATION: The part of an incantation or chant which demands full vocal force and volume.

UNCASTING: Opening the circle at the end of a ritual.

UNDINE: The elemental spirit who dwells on the water plane, such as a mermaid.

UNMANIFEST: The unknown source of existence, it is said that magicians take their power from the unmanifest to use it within the manifest.