| Witchy Lingo
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Here's a few terms I hope you'll find helpful, be you a beginner or more experienced. If there's anything I missed that you'd like to see here, please let me know.
A | B | C |
D | E | F |
G | H | I |
J | K | L |
M | N | O |
P | Q | R |
S | T | U |
V | W | X |
Y | Z
A
alter: used alone or in a circle; a special place to put items of the Goddess and God including candles, statues, censor, water, salt, etc. May be used as a place for spell casting
athame: a ritual knive, generally black handled, used for directing energy when casting a circle
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B
bane: bad, negative
Beltane: sabbat celebrated in late spring; celebrates the merging of the Goddess and the God and the passing of the young God into Manhood. Her fertility is celebrated as well; May Poles represent the phallus of the God, while flowers and greenery represent the Goddess.
blue moon: when two full moons occur within the same calendar month. This is a a goal setting moon; time to set long-term goals for yourself and to review accomplishment and failures.
Book of Shadows (also BOS or Disk of Shadows): a book containing spells, rituals, invocations, and other things depending on its keeper. Some solitary Witches or covens keep their BOS very secret, while others are willing to share. Traditionally, BOS were copied by hand, but now many Witches keep their's on disk. To each their own!
broom: used for clearing space of bane energy
"broom closet": saying you are "in the broom closet" means that you aren not open about your Pagan or Craft beliefs
Burning Times: refers to when many men, women, and even some children were
imprisoned, burned, tortured, or otherwise killed in the United States, England, and Ireland because they were accused of practicing sorcery or witchcraft
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C
Candlemas: sabbat celebrated in February; festival of lights; also called Imbolic. Marks the recovery of the Goddess after giving birth to the God during Yule.
cauldron: a generally iron container used for fires, mixing things, holding flowers or burning items for spells. They come in all sizes and are a symbol of the Goddess
censor: used for burning incense
centering: a way of meditating as to connect yourself with the energy within you and to find your center. This is a common practice before ritual
chalice: a goblet made of any material used to hold water or ritual beverage
Circle: a sphere of energy extending above and below the Earth; sacred space for
ritual
coven: a group of people who worship together
Craft: another term for Witchcraft
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D
deosil: clockwise
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E
elements: earth, air, fire and water
esbat: full moon
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F
full moon: refered to as an esbat
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G
God: known as Pan, Zeus, The Horned One, The Great Father, and by many other names. Consort and son of the Goddess. Great hunter and protector. We see Him in the sun. (note: we do NOT worship the sun - it is only a symbol of the God)
Goddess: known as Gaia, Diana, Bast, Isis, and by many other names. We see her as the Maiden, Mother, and Crone. She is consort and mother of the God. We see Her in the moon.
grounding: a way of meditating to make yourself aware and part of all the Earth and its energy. Is common practice before ritual
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H
Handfasting: a Pagan marriage. Traditionally, an initial handfasting is done for a year and a day. This is not legally binding. At the end of the year and a day, the couple can choose to make it legal, renew the year and a day, or to go their seperate ways.
Horned One: a name for the God
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I
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J
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K
Kitchen Witch: a Witch who centers her practices on everyday, kitchen-type
items. For example, her athame may be her favorite kitchen knife - her cauldron, a dutch oven.
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L
Litha: see Midsummer
Lughnasagh: sabbat celebrated in late summer; time for the first harvest of the year. The Goddess sees the God lose strength as the days grow shorter, yet knows she is with Child from Their union at Beltane
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M
Mabon (Autumn Equinox): sabbat celebrated in early fall; completion of harvest started at Lughnasgh. Day and night are equal once more as the God prepares to travel toward renewal and rebirth from the Goddess
magick (also seen as magic or magik, spelled differently to distinguish it from slight of hand tricks): magick is simply redirectioning natural energy. Much of it uses visualization techniques or simple tools. Some people see it as a form of prayer. It is not used to turn people into frogs or to make someone fall in love with you. It should be an honest and sincere communication between you, the Goddess, and the God
Midsummer (Summer Solstice): sabbat celebrated in June; perfect time for all kinds of magick and spells. Powers of nature reach their hightest point. This is the time for the longest daylight hours, midsummer being the longest day of the year
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N
neo-paganism: not really an apt term, seeing as the Old Ways have been around longer than Christianity. "Neo" refers to the new fact that the Old Ways have been combined into what some call Wicca
new moon: cycle when the moon is dark; a time for rest (unless one is invoking Hectate)
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O
Ostara (Vernal Equinox): celebration of the arrival of Spring. The days begin to grow longer than the nights. Time of renewed life.
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P
pentacle: (made or created as in jewelry) five pointed star symbolizing the six senses; sight, hearing, smell, taste, touch, and the "sixth sense"; also, lower left corner--Earth; lower right corner--Fire; upper right corner--Water; upper left corner--Air; surmounted by Spirit
pentagram: (drawn)
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R
rede: the main "rule" or "law" of wicca: "An it harm none, do as ye will"
reincarnation: the belief that when we die, we are reborn as a different person. My personal belief is that we continue on this cycle until we have learned all we can or until we have completed all the Goddess and God have planned for us.
ritual: a time for celebration, worship, and/or spell casting
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S
sabbat: Witches holiday including Yule, Candlemas, Ostara, Beltane, Midsummer,
Lughnasagh, Mabon, and Samhain
sacred space: space free of bane energy, what you'll find inside a circle
Samhain: Sabbat celebrated November 1; also called Haloween or All Hollows Eve; time to bid the God farewell as He prepares to be reborn to the Goddess at Yule. Time of reflection of the past year and the coming of the greatest change in life--death. Remember ancestors who have passed on
solitary: a Witch who practives alone and does not belong to a coven
Summerlands: "heaven"; where we wind up after we have ceased to cycle through death and rebirth
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T
Tarot: a special deck of 72 cards used for divination.
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U
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W
wand: used to draw circles in the ground, and as an instrument of invocation. Often made of oak, apple, sherry, or Willow branches
waning: refers to a phase of the moon when it is getting smaller
Warlock: literally means "oath breaker" and is NOT what you call a male Witch. Both male and female practicioners can be refered to as Witches. Warlock would be considered an insult.
waxing: refers to the phase of the moon when it is getting bigger
white-handled knife (also known as a bolline): for working and cutting wands, herbs, carving symbols in candles or wood and for cutting cords in certain spells
Wicca: See Witchcraft. There are some who use these words inter-changabley, but I prefer Witchcraft and do not consider myself "Wiccan".
Wiccan: someone who follows the path of Wicca
widdershins: counterclockwise
Witch: A person whose faith is Witchcraft. Many people use this word carefully because of the media witches and general public ideas
Witchcraft: a pagan religion that believes in a God and a Goddess, celebrates the cycles of the Earth, and believes in magic through the redirection of natural energy. Wicca has been a recognized religion in the United States since 1985, though the Old Ways have been here even before Christianity.
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X
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Y
Yule: sabbat celebrated in December celebrating the birth of the God
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Z
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