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Title: Terms & Definitions Coven - A coven is a group of practicing Witches. Covens are usually lead by a high priestess, a high priest, or both. A coven meets together regularly to perform spells and worship. Blessed Be - Used as a farewell. Broom Closet - Witches who do not publicly announce their beliefs are said to be "in the broom closet". Craft, The - The Craft is the practice of Witchcraft. Eclectic - An eclectic Witch or Pagan is one that doesn't follow any particular tradition or religion. He/she will mostly borrow pieces from various other traditions or religions, and maybe write a few, until they have made a tradition or religion for themselves. Magic - Magic is taking something that you visualize in your mind, and bringing it into being in the physical world. This is done by the force of will. This is what we often refer to as spell work. It is often spelled with the final 'k' (magic) as to not be confused with stage magic, such as David Copperfield performs. Magic is the conscious use of psychic energy to accomplish a goal. The art and science of focusing your will and emotions to effect change both in the world around you and the world within you. Magic is neither good nor evil, positive nor negative. It is the use of the power that determines the path it will take. Merry Meet! - A Pagan greeting taken from an old saying: "Merry meet, merry part and merry meet again!" Once again emphasizing that all things come full circle. Neo-Pagan - The prefix 'neo-' means new or modern, so a 'Neo-Pagan' is a modern Pagan. The word Neo-Pagan is not a widely popular term. It seems to be a direct result of the New Age lingo. Unless you're pretending to live in the 16th century, all of today's Pagans are Neo-Pagan. Pagan - This word originally comes from Latin. 'Pagus' means a canton or district, or in other words a parcel of land, usually in rural area. A 'paganus' was one who lived on this parcel of land, usually working it as a farm or performing other rural tasks. 'Paganus' came to mean country folk. As Christianity came to various parts of Europe, the people in the towns and cities were converted, but those in the country were not. So country folk were non-Christian and still practiced their own spirituality. The word 'pagan', which originally meant country person, came to mean non-believer and worse. Today some people still believe the original misconceptions, but in actually a Pagan is anyone who practices a non-Christian, Jewish or Muslim religion, which worships multiple gods and/or nature. Spell (Cast a Spell) - A form of magic that involved extended mental and emotional energy spoken aloud, written, spoken to oneself, drawn or even danced. Solitary - A solitary Witch is one, who by preference or circumstance practices their path alone. A solitary does not belong to a coven. Warlock - This is a word that is not used much by Witches today. The original meaning of the word is one that breaks an oath or breaks faith. It is a derogatory term. During the Burning Times it was used to denote someone who broke their faith with God. Witches also used it to refer to a Witch who revealed too much and brought the Witch hunters down upon his fellows. This would fit with the 'oath breaker' meaning. Either way, it is not a nice word. Thanks to the media, it is now often used by the public to refer to a male witch. I don't know of any true Witches who would use the word to describe a practitioner of the Craft. Witch - A Witch is someone who practices Witchcraft. Witchcraft - Witchcraft is, for the most part, the use of Magic. Witchcraft is a practice, a lifestyle, an action, a craft, and an art. It is not a religion. Many Pagans use witchcraft and don't mind being called both a Pagan and a Witch. The reason so many Pagans also practice Witchcraft, in addition to their religious practices, is because witchcraft and Paganism are both drenched in nature and share other parallels. In some Pagan religions, like Wicca, it's hard to tell where the religion ends and the craft begin. None-the-less, it is important to know that you do not have to be a Witch and be Pagan or vice versa. You can be one and not the other.
Feel free to add other terms if you feel the need to, this is just a very basic abrided version. If seeking more, there are countless websites and books that will both define and be more indepth than I could ever been in a lifetime. Students of mine; if you have questions, please do ask - that's what I'm here for. Please also note that I would like you to read and review the following four pages, but you do not need to take notes unless you want to. |