Adept ~ An individual who is considered highly proficient in a particular magickal system.  This is accomplished by serious study.

 

Air ~ See Elements

 

Akasha ~ See Elements

 

Akashic Records ~ A data base of sorts which holds information about past lives, the future, healing and other practices.  This data base is accessed by the mind of a psychic or Witch through harmonious universal connections.  Many may open these records during dreams or astral projection.

 

The All~ For most nature based religions it is the God and the Goddess combined, Mother Nature and Sky Father.  They are all around, in all things natural.

 

Altar ~ The altar serves three purposes.  It helps to centralize your personal power.  Each item on it should have a specific purpose.  It can serve as a worktable for making talismans or mixing herbs.  It is also a place to honor dieties.  Your altar can be made out of anything.  For a table altar you can use your coffee table, or even a plank of wood held up by blocks.  Wall altars are usually wooden shelves.  The stang is a type of altar which is made out of a branch of wood.  It is usually stuck in the ground outside by the door for protection.  It can also be decorated for the season at hand.  Choose which is best for you.  You wouldn't want a stang if you are going to be doing a lot of ritual work.  And you can have all three if you want; one for working, one for reverence, and the stang outside.

  

 

Amulet ~ An object of protection that has been charged to deflect negative energies.

 

Arcana ~ Two halves of a Tarot deck.  The Major arcana has 22 trumps which depict dominant occurrences in life.  The Minor arcana has 56 cards in a 4 suits which indicate smaller occurrences.

 

Astral ~ The next dimension of reality closet to the physical.  Sometimes called dream time.

 

Astral Projection ~ Separating your astral body from the physical body to travel in the astral or dream time.  It is done unconsciously in sleep and can be learned to do consciously.

 

Athame ~ A cleansed and consecrated cermonial knife.  Used to cut things in the astral/spiritual plane (eg:  casting the circle).  Never used for cutting physical items.

 

Balefire ~ A ritual bonfire.  When it is used you would see it at Betltane, Midsummer, Lughnasadh, and Mabon.  It represents the God.  These holidays are at the summer times.  The times when the God's power is most abundant.

 

Bane ~ bad, evil, destructive

 

Beltane ~ see Holidays

 

Bi-location ~ A type of astral projection used to view another place while still aware and able to do other things in your present surroundings.

 

Bind ~ To magickally restrain someone from doing harm to others or to themselves.  This is debated in the Wiccan community as to whether it is moral or not.

 

Blood of the Moon ~ A women's menstrual cycle.  If this occurs during a full or new moon she is most powerful at this time of the month than any other.  It can be arranged so that she will have her period at one of these times.

 

Bolline ~ A curved, white handled knife used for cutting physical things of a magickal nature. (eg:  carving symbols into a candle, or cutting branches to be used in ritual.)

 

Book of Shadows ~ Also called a BoS, it is a personal book that one would fill with their own rituals and workings.  Like what feelings you get from colors, about your workings with herbs, or the tarot, rituals you've made up or ones you really like and have worked, etc.

 

 

Broom ~ Also called a bossume, bossom, or besom.  Used for decoration, magick, or ritual.  Used as a psychic sweep of an area to clear off negative energies.  "Jumping the broom" is used at handfasting ceremonies and some holidays.  It is a symbol of the female witch.  It represents the vehicle into dream time.  A lot of witches name their brooms to give it character.

 

Burning Times ~ A historical time from about 1000 CE to the 17 century.  This was when around 9 million people (mostly women) were tortured and killed by the church and public officials because they were accused of being witches.

 

Cabala ~ Also seen as Kabbalah and Qabala.  It is an ancient Hebrew magickal system.

 

Call ~ Invoking Divine forces.  Calling upon the power of nature within yourself.  It is in all things and so it is within you.

 

Chakras ~ These are seven major energy points of the human body.  Each one is associated with a color.  Crown (top of the head) is white, forehead (the third-eye above and between the eyes) is purple, throat is blue, chest is green, navel is yellow, abdomen is orange, groin is red.  There are also smaller energy points at the hands and feet.  These smaller ones are usually white.  The chakras are recognized and brought together in harmony (and cleansed) before magickal workings or astral projection.  When you have an ailment, such as a sore throat the chakra reflects that.  You can help in healing by cleansing the corresponding chakra.

 

The Charge ~ This is the Charge of the Goddess.  It is how the Goddess comes into your life and how the Goddess speaks to her children.  This is different for each person but one of the most loved tales of it is by Doreen Valients.  It was originally written for Gardnarian rituals. 

 

Charms ~ It can either be an amulet or a talisman which is charmed by saying an incantation over it  and instilling it with energy for a specific task.

 

Cone of Power ~ This is psychic energy that is raised by an individual or a coven.  It is focused to achieve a specific purpose.

 

Cleansing ~ Removing negative vibrations or energy from any object or place by using clear, positive energy.  Water is a common cleansing tool.

 

Consecrating ~ The act of blessing an object or place by instilling it with positive energy.

 

Coven ~ A group of witches who come together to work positive rituals and ceremonies in an organized manner.

 

Covenstead ~ A meeting place of the coven.  A place where they can feel safe and at home.  A very peaceful place.

 

Days of Power ~ Usually referred to as the Sabbats but days of power can also be personal.  They can be your birthday, your anniversary, or a woman's menstrual cycle (see blood of the moon).  In short these are the days when personal power and all power is at a high.

 

Dedication ~ Usually a person takes a year and a day of studying Wicca to decide it it is the right path for them and which Tradition to take within it.  After this time they may dedicate themselves or have a dedication ceremony to say that this is their chosen path and they will stick with it through the highs and lows.  Of course you don't have to take a year and a day to reach this, it can be more time or less.  Whenever it feels right for you. Make sure it is what you really want.

 

Deosil ~ It is a clockwise movement.  You move deosil to cast to circle.

 

Divination ~ The art of using tools; runes, tarot cards, etc...to delve into the collective unconscious.  It helps to tell about the past and to help give insight about a possible future based on what is going on in the present.  Nothing is set in stone.  The cards and stones help you see what has and is now happening.  It is up to you to take charge and change what you are doing in the present if you don't like what the cards or stones day about your future.

 

Dowsing ~ Using a pendulum or a stick to find a place, someone or something.  Can also be used to answer yes or no questions.

 

Drawing Down the Moon ~ A point in a full moon ritual in which the person or coven invokes and joins the essence of the Goddess with their own.  Empowering themselves.  The full moon is the Goddess' time.