Witchcraft Glossary
Words commonly used by witchcraft practitioners and their meanings.
Altar
A special surface set aside for magickal workings. Amulet An object that deflects unwanted, usually negative, energies. A protective object, the opposite of a Talisman. Animistic The belief that everything in nature has it's own spirit. Bind To magically restrain something or someone. Also used when talking about binding spirit, astral- or ethereal entities to objects with mutual consent. Candle Magic One of the simplest forms of Spellcasting. The act of burning candles can also be used as a form of Divination. Cleansing The act of removing negative energy from an object or place by replacing it with positive energy instead. Coven A group of witches working together in an organized fashion for magickal endeavours. A Covenstead is a safe and homely meeting place for such a group. Divination the art of foretelling the future or revealing knowledge with the aid of spiritual entities . Usually performed by way of a stardardized process or ritual. Dowsing The art or using a Pendulum or a stick to find something that's missing. Dowsing can also be used to answer yes or no questions. It is a type of Divination. Evocation To bring something out from within. Familiar An animal spirit or other entity in the Spirit or Astral Realm that has a bond to the witch and helps them perform magick. Grimoire A Grimoire (Also known as "Book of Spells") is a text book of magic, typically including instructions on how to summon supernatural entities and create magickal objects. incantation A ritual recitation of a verbal spell. Invocation To bring fromething in from without. Magic/Magick Utilizing occult methods to leverage your inherent energy to alter the course of the present and the future. Magick effects both the world around and within the practitioner. Magic Circle A circular boundary that protects the witch from outside forces while performing magick. Oracle Cards An oracle card typically has a picture and a statement or word that goes with it. Similar to Tarot Cards, they can be arranged in any way and are often used as tools of Divination. Pendulum A weight suspendet from a pivot so it can swing freely. It is used in Dowsing as a Divination tool. |
Pentacle
A circle surrounding a five-pointed upright star known as a Pentagram. It is a neutral symbol of magickal workings. Each point represents an element: Earth, Air, Fire, Water and Spirit. The pentagram also represent Christ's five wounds and served as the Catholic Church's major emblem during the first few hundred years following the death of Christ. It was adapted and turned upside-down by Satanists as a symbol of rebellion. A pentacle is also used to illustrate the relationship of the Five Elements of the Chinese system of Qi. Power The subtle energy that comes from the mind. It has different names in different cultures. Ritual A focused ceremony to honor or thank one's chosen pantheon of deities or to perform a specific magickal working or act. Runes A set of alphabetic symbols used in divination or magick workings. There are several types of runes, such as Scandinavian and Germanic runes. Scrying A divination method using specific tools such as a mirror or crystal ball. The diviner sees physical pictures, mental pictures or receives other non-visual information. Spell/Spellcasting A technique for doing magick of some kind; a way to influence events magically. An action in which a practitioner directs and bends natural energy to achieve a specific goal. Spell Bottle/ Spell jar Bottles that contain the magic ingredients of Spell. Spirit Keeping Please check out our What is Spirit Keeping? page! Spirit Work A notion that embraces many forms of contact with non-material beings and the gaining and transmission of otherwise hidden knowledge. Talisman An object empowered with magickal energy to attract a certain force or energy. The opposite of an Amulet. Tarot Cards There are 78 cards in the Tarot deck, each with unique artwork, symbolism, and narrative. The 56 Minor Arcana cards symbolize the struggles we face on a daily basis, while the 22 Major Arcana cards represent the spiritual teachings we learn in life. Tarot Cards are often used for Divination. Working/Magickal Working The process of using magick to reach a desired goal. White Arts / Black Arts Black and white, negative and positive, are commonly used to represent good and evil. The same way that the electricity in a wall socket is neither good nor evil in and of itself, magick is also neutral energy. The user determines the "black" and "white" of it; it can accomplish either good or bad things. Witch Since there were essentially no doctors in the middle ages, locals who were "cunning" would help and heal fellow villagers and townspeople. These people were known as "the wise ones" and were thought to be able to change the future at will. These were the tens of thousands of people who were burnt at the stake as witches during the 200-year-long Inquisition. The Old English/Anglo-Saxon words "wicce" for women and "wicca" for men (through the Middle English term "wycche") gave rise to the modern English word "witch". |
Sources cited: The Magic Power of White Witchcraft by Gavin & Yvonne Frost