Wicca (26 page)
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The Cauldron
Mike Howard Treforgan
Mansion Uangeodmor
Cardigan, Dyfed SA43 2LB
Wales, UK
A Welsh newsletter devoted to Wicca, Druidism, Odinism, and earth mysteries. I don’t know how many issues are published each year, but the subscription rate is $28 annually in dollar bills only, no American checks. The editor asks that writers do not put “The Cauldron” on the envelope when addressing it to him.
Circle Magazine
(formerly
Circle Network News
)
P.O. Box 219
Mt.Horeb, WI 53572
(608) 924-2216
A publication devoted to Wicca, Shamanism, paganism, and earth mysteries. Rituals, invocations and incantations, herbcraft, contacts and reviews. Four issues annually, $19 sent bulk mail; $25 first-class mail.
The Unicorn
P.O. Box 8814
Minneapolis, MN 55408
Wicca, herbalism, shamanism. Write for information regarding subscription price.
I’VE INCLUDED THIS
glossary to provide easy access to definitions of some of the more obscure terms used in this book.
These are, of course, personal definitions, a reflection of my Wiccan involvement, and Wiccans may disagree with me on some small matters. This is to be expected, owing to our religion’s individualistic structure. I’ve tried to make it as nonsectarian and universal as possible, however.
Italicized terms within the body of each discussion refer to other, related entries in the glossary.
Akasha:
the fifth element, the omnipresent spiritual power that permeates the universe. It is the energy out of which the elements formed.
Amulet:
a magically
charged
object that deflects specific, usually negative energies. Generally, a protective object. (Compare with
talisman.
)
Asperger:
a bundle of fresh herbs or a perforated object used to sprinkle water during or preceding
ritual,
for purificatory purposes.
Athame:
a Wiccan ritual knife. It usually has a double-edged blade and a black handle. The athame is used to direct
personal power
during
ritual
workings. It is seldom (if ever) used for actual, physical cutting. The term is of obscure origin, has many variant spellings among Wiccans, and an even greater variety of pronunciations. American East-Coast Wiccans may pronounce it as “Ah-THAM-ee” (to rhyme with “whammy”); I was first taught to say “ATH-ah-may” and later “ah-THAW-may.” For various purposes currently unknown to me, I decided to substitute the term “magic knife” for athame in
The
Standing Stones Book of Shadows.
Either term, or simply “knife,”will do.
Balefire:
a fire lit for magical purposes, usually outdoors. Balefires are traditional on
Yule, Beltane,
and
Midsummer.
Bane:
that which destroys life, which is poisonous, destructive, evil, dangerous.
Beltane:
a Wiccan festival celebrated on April 30 or May 1 (traditions vary). Beltane is also known as May Eve, Roodmas,Walpurgis Night, Cethsamhain. Beltane celebrates the symbolic union, mat-ing, or marriage of the Goddess and God, and links in with the approaching summer months.
Besom
: broom.
Bolline:
the white-handled knife, used in magic and Wiccan ritual for practical purposes such as cutting herbs or piercing a pomegranate. Compare with
athame.
Book of Shadows:
a Wiccan book of rituals, spells, and magical lore. Once hand copied upon
initiation,
the Book of Shadows is now photocopied or typed in some
covens.
No one “true” Book of Shadows exists; all are relevant to their respective users.
Censer:
a heat-proof container in which incense is smoldered. An incense burner. It symbolizes the element of air.
Charge, To:
to infuse an object with
personal power.
“Charging” is an act of
magic.
Circle,Magic.
see
magic circle.
Circle of Stones:
see
magic circle.
Conscious Mind:
the analytical, materially based, rational half of our consciousness. The mind at work when we compute our taxes, theorize, or struggle with ideas. Compare with
psychic mind.
Corn Dolly:
a figure, often human-shaped, created by plaiting dried wheat or other grains. It represented the fertility of the earth and the Goddess in early European agricultural rituals and is still used in
Wicca.
Corn dollies aren’t made from cobs or husks; corn originally referred to any grain other than maize and still does in most English-speaking countries except the United States.
Coven:
a group of Wiccans, usually initiatory, and led by one or two leaders.
Craft, The:
Wicca. Witchcraft.
Folk magic.
Days of Power, The:
see
sabbat.
Deosil:
clockwise, the direction of the sun’s apparent motion in the sky. In Northern Hemisphere magic and religion, deosil movement is symbolic of life, positive energies, the “good.” It is much-used in spells and rituals; i.e., “walk deosil around the circle of stones.” Some Wiccan groups below the equator, notably in Australia, have switched from deosil to
widdershins
movements in their rituals, for the sun “moves” in an apparent counterclockwise motion from this vantage point. See also
widdershins.
Divination:
the magical art of discovering the unknown by interpreting random patterns or symbols through the use of tools such as clouds, tarot cards, flames, and smoke. Divination contacts the
psychic mind
by tricking or drowsing the
conscious mind
through
ritual
and observation or through manipulation of tools. Divination isn’t necessary for those who can easily attain communication with the psychic mind, though they may practice it.
Divine Power:
the unmanifested, pure energy that exists within the Goddess and God. The life force, the ultimate source of all things. Compare with
earth power
and
personal power.
Earth Power:
the energy that exists within stones, herbs, flames, wind, and other natural objects. It is manifested
divine power
and can be utilized during
magic
to create needed change. Compare with
personal power.
Elements, The:
earth, air, fire, and water. These four essences are the building blocks of the universe. Everything that exists (or that has potential to exist) contains one or more of these energies. The elements hum within ourselves and are also “at large” in the world. They can be utilized to cause change through
magic.
The four elements formed from the primal essence or power—
akasha.
Esbat:
a Wiccan ritual, usually occurring on the full moon.
Evocation:
calling up spirits or other nonphysical entities, either to visible appearance or invisible attendance. Compare with
invocation.
Grimoire:
a magical workbook containing ritual information, formulae, magical properties of natural objects, and preparation of ritual equipment.Many of these works include “catalogs of spirits.” The most famous of the old grimoires is probably
The Key of
Solomon.
*
Most first appeared in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, though they may be far older and contain traces of Roman, Greek, Babylonian, late Egyptian, and Sumerian rites.
Handfasting:
a Wiccan, pagan, or Gypsy wedding.
Imbolc:
a Wiccan festival celebrated on February 2, also known as Candlemas, Lupercalia, Feast of Pan, Feast of Torches, Feast of the Waxing Light, Oimelc, Brigit’s Day, and many other names. Imbolc celebrates the first stirrings of spring and the recovery of the Goddess from giving birth to the sun (the God) at
Yule.
Initiation:
a process whereby an individual is introduced or admitted into a group, interest, skill, or religion. Initiations may be ritual occasions but can also occur spontaneously.
Invocation:
an appeal or petition to a higher power (or powers), such as the Goddess and God. A prayer. Invocation is actually a method of establishing conscious ties with those aspects of the Goddess and God that dwell within us. In essence, then, we seemingly cause them to appear or make themselves known by becoming aware of them.
Kahuna:
a practitioner of the old Hawaiian philosophical, scientific, and magical system.
Labrys:
a double-headed axe that symbolized the Goddess in ancient Crete, still used by some Wiccans for this same purpose. The labrys may be placed on or leaned against the left side of the altar.
Lughnasadh:
a Wiccan festival celebrated on August 1, also known as August Eve, Lammas, Feast of Bread. Lughnasadh marks the first harvest, when the fruits of the earth are cut and stored for the dark winter months, and when the God also mysteriously weakens as the days grow shorter.
Mabon:
on or around September 21, the autumn equinox, Wiccans celebrate the second harvest. Nature is preparing for winter.Mabon is a vestige of ancient harvest festivals that, in some form or another, were once nearly universal among peoples of the earth.
Magic:
the movement of natural energies (such as
personal power
) to create needed change. Energy exists within all things—ourselves, plants, stones, colors, sounds, movements. Magic is the process of rousing or building up this energy, giving it purpose, and releasing it. Magic is a natural, not supernatural, practice, though it is little understood.
Magic Circle, The:
a sphere constructed of
personal power
in which Wiccan rituals are usually enacted. The term refers to the circle that marks the sphere’s penetration of the ground, for it extends both above and below it. It is created through
visualization
and
magic.
Magic Knife:
see
athame.
Meditation:
reflection, contemplation, turning inward toward the self or outward toward
deity
or nature. A quiet time in which the practitioner may dwell upon particular thoughts or symbols, or allow them to come unbidden.
Megalith:
a huge stone monument or structure. Stonehenge is perhaps the best-known example of megalithic construction.
Menhir:
a standing stone probably lifted by early peoples for religious, spiritual, or magical reasons.
Midsummer:
the summer solstice, usually on or near June 21, one of the Wiccan festivals and an excellent night for
magic.
Midsummer marks the point of the year when the sun is symbolically at the height of its powers, and so, too, the God. The longest day of the year.
Mighty Ones, The:
beings, deities, or presences often
invoked
during Wiccan ceremony to witness or guard the rituals. The Mighty Ones are thought to be either spiritually evolved beings, once human, or spiritual entities created by or charged by the Goddess and God to protect the earth and to watch over the four directions. They are sometimes linked with the elements.
Neo-Pagan:
literally, new-pagan. A member, follower, or sympathizer of one of the newly formed pagan religions now spreading throughout the world. All Wiccans are
pagan,
but not all pagans are Wiccan.
Old Ones, The:
a Wiccan term often used to encompass all aspects of the Goddess and God. I’ve used it in this context in
The Standing
Stones Book of Shadows.
Some Wiccans view it as an alternative of
The Mighty Ones.
Ostara:
occurring at the spring equinox, around March 21, Ostara marks the beginning of true, astronomical spring, when snow and ice make way for green. As such, it is a fire and fertility festival, celebrating the return of the sun, the God, and the fertility of the earth (the Goddess).
Pagan:
from the Latin
paganus,
country-dweller.Today used as a general term for followers of Wicca and other magical, shamanistic, and polytheistic religions. Naturally, Christians have their own peculiar definition of this word. It can be interchanged with
neo-pagan.
Pendulum:
a divinatory device consisting of a string attached to a heavy object, such as a quartz crystal, root, or ring. The free end of the string is held in the hand, the elbow steadied against a flat surface, and a question is asked. The movement of the heavy object’s swings determines the answer. A rotation indicates yes or positive energy. A back and forth swing signals the opposite. (There are many methods of deciphering the pendulum’s movements; use those that work best for you.) It is a tool that contacts the
psychic mind.
Pentacle:
a ritual object (usually a circular piece of wood, metal, clay, etc.) upon which a five-pointed star
(pentagram)
is inscribed, painted, or engraved. It represents the
element
of earth. The words “pentagram” and “pentacle” are not interchangeable, though they understandably cause some confusion.
Personal Power:
the energy that sustains our bodies. It ultimately originates from the Goddess and God (or, rather, the power behind them). We first absorb it from our biological mothers within the womb and, later, from food, water, the moon and sun, and other natural objects. We release personal power during stress, exercise, sex, conception, and childbirth. Magic is often a movement of personal power for a specific goal.
Polarity:
the concept of equal, opposite energies. The eastern yin/ yang is a perfect example. Yin is cold; yang is hot. Other examples of polarity: Goddess/God, night/day, moon/sun, birth/death, dark/light,
psychic mind/conscious mind.
Universal balance.
