Altar: The ritual work area. It is erected before the ritual and put away afterward. Different from Shrine
Asperges: To purify with water.
Athame: A ritual knife, usually with a black handle. The tool of the South, associated with the Tarot suit swords, and (in the Braided Wheel Tradition) the element Fire.
Book of Shadows: 1. A book containing Magical formulas, spells, rites, and practices. 2. A Magicians handbook and personal journal.
Call: To Summon. Everything that is has a Name and must respond to that name. A Magical Name accurately describes its object.
Cast: v. 1. To create. 2. To throw.
Catma: If you think of a dogma as something that is followed doggedly you will realize that a catma is something followed in the manner of a cat.
Ceremonial: Any magical tradition that emphasizes form over content.
Chakra: 1. Wheel. 2. An Eastern Magical System. 3. Any of seven energy centers of the body. 4. Any of a number of energy centers in the body.
Chalice: 1. Ritual cup. 2. The tool of the West, associated with the Tarot suit cups and the element Water.
Circle: 1. A group of people who practice Magic together. 2. A Wiccan Ritual. 3. The Magical boundary around a Wiccan Ritual that defines and contains the Sacred Space.
Cross-Quarters: 1. The in between directions: Northeast, Southeast, Southwest and Northwest. 2. The Sabbats that fall between the Solstices and the Equinoxes: Candlemas, Beltane, Lammas and Samhain.
Dark Moon: A three day period when the moon is between the Earth and the Sun and cannot be seen. Sometimes called New Moon.
Deosil: Clockwise. To the left when facing the center of the circle.
Energy: Everything that is not matter.
Esbat: A ritual associated with the Moon. There can be as few as thirteen or as many as 365 a year.
Evoke: To call into your presence. To bring to mind. see Invoke.
Fam-Trad: Short for family tradition. A Tradition that is passed down through a family.
First Crescent: The first time the Moon is visible after the dark. It appears as a thin crescent low on the western horizon just after sunset. Sometimes called New Moon
Full Moon: The three day period when the earth is between the sun and the moon.
Gate: A passage through Magical space. Also called a doorway. Gates can lead to the astral plain, the fairy realms, innerspace, or any other type of alternative reality. They are ecessary in order to enter or leave a Circle once it is Cast.
God' (pronounced "god prime") Omnipotent, Omnicient, Ubiquitous Divinity. What we are talking about when we discibe "God" as: all powerfull, all knowing, and existing everywhere.
Gods: Any Anthropomorphic Personification of an Idea. An aspect of the energy that motivates the universe.
God/dess: Divinity in either/both feminine and masculine form.
Grimoire:see Book of Shadows.
Gramarye: Magic.
Grok: To understand through empathy with. (From "Stranger in a Strange Land" by Robert A. Heinlein Buy it from Amazon.com)
HP/S: High Priest/ess. A title used by people who have completed Third Degree training or by people who are calling the God and Goddess for a ritual. In Braided Wheel we generally title the person calling the Goddess the High Priestess, and the person calling the God the High Priest, regardless of sex.
Incense:v. 1) To Purify with smoke. Same as Smudge. 2) To set alight.
Invoke: To call into yourself. To invite possession. see Evoke.
Libation: An offering of food or drink to the spirits.
Magic: 1. The art of changing consciousness at will. 2. The art of attaining results out of proportion from the effort expended. 3. The art of attaining unexpected results. 4. Spell casting.
Name: That which describes what it calls.
New Moon: Can mean the Dark Moon or the First Crescent.
Path: 1. A way of behaving. 2. Any system of religious practice.
Pentacle: A five pointed star in a circle usually inscribed on a disk or plate. The tool of the North. Associated with the Tarot suit sometimes called discs.
Pentagon: A five sided polygon, not a star.
Pentagram: A five pointed star drawn in one continuous line.
Politics: 1.The movement of power between individuals or within and between groups. 2.All of human interactions.
Quarters: 1. The four directions: East, South, West and North. 2. The elemental representatives associated with the four directions. 3. The Sabbats that fall on the Solstices and the Equinoxes: Eostar, Litha, Mabon and Yule.
Sabbat: A seasonal ritual also called a fire festival. There are eight of them a year.
Shrine: A permanent sacred site. Different from Altar
Skyclad: Clad in the sky, nude.
Smudge: To purify with smoke. Usually associated with Native American traditions but practiced in many religions all over the world.
Soak and Smoke: Colloquial for asperges and smudge.
Solitary Practitioner: Some one who practices ritual alone. Also called solitaire or more humorously a Craft Single. The most common form of practice among Neopagans.
Tradition: A system of religious thought and teachings. The beliefs and practices of a group.
Wand: A short stick sometimes wood sometimes other materials. The tool of the East. Associated with the Tarot suit wands and the element Air.
Waning Moon: The time between the Full Moon and Dark Moon when the moon is getting smaller.
Waxing Moon: The time between Dark Moon and Full Moon when the Moon is getting larger.
Wicca: n. One of the Old English roots of the word Witch, used by some Neopagans instead of Witchcraft. ex. "I practice Wicca."
Wiccan: n. Someone who practices Wicca. ex. "He is a Wiccan." adj. Of or relating to Wicca. ex. "They are a Wiccan group."
Witch: 1. Someone who practices Witchcraft. 2.Someone who practices magic. 3.Someone who has psychic abilities. 4.Someone who does not share the conceptual system of their community.
Witchcraft: 1.The pre-Christian religious and shamanic practices of Europeans. 2.The practice of magic. 3. A system of ritual designed by Gerald Gardener. 4.The actions of someone who is using a different conseptual system than their community.
Worship: "To give energy to." This definition was given to me by my Teacher, Jill Price, in answer to one of my many questions.
Year and a Day: The measure of time from January 1 in one year to January 1 in the next year. Not from January 1 one year to January 2 the next year.
© 1999 Sheherazahde, Braided Wheel Tradition
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