Pagan Glossary

Since paganism has a language of its own, here are definitions for some common terms

Akasha: the fifth element, spirit.

Altar: a flat surface used for religious rituals or magickal workings. I have a formal altar constructed of a mirror top with winged lion columns for legs that I designed for my personal use. When I work with others, I use my coffee table because it allows more room. If you work outdoors, a flat rock or a stump can be consecrated and used as an altar. Some people prefer to use trunks or other storage devices, because then your altar tools can be stored inside when not in use.

Amulet: Although amulet and talisman are often used interchangeably (and I often use them that way, also), an amulet is usually defined as something that repels negativity. For example, an amulet could be worn to ward off bad luck.

Ankh: An Egyptian symbol, shaped like a cross with a looped top. Although the meaning is debated, it is most often defined as representing eternal life or reincarnation. My techno-witch and techno-pagan logos use an ankh as part of their design.

Astral projection: seperation of your physical body from your inner/spiritual or "higher" self for the purpose of traveling the astral plane or otherworlds.

Athame: a ceremonial knife used as an altar tool but rarely actually used as a "working" tool (in other words, rarely used for actual cutting). Depending on the tradition you follow, the athame can represent East (air) or South (fire). I use my athame to represent the South (metal forged in fire). Since the athame is one of the major altar tools, you should choose one carefully.

Besom: fancy name for broom. Some witches have them, while others do not (I personally don't). The broom is often used as part of a home blessing/protection spell. Some witches make this a yearly ritual, buying and blessing a new broom every new year, while others believe you should keep the same broom year after year.

Bind: to magickally restrain someone or something (generally felt to be contrary to the Rede's value of "harm none").

Blessed Be: common pagan salutation or good luck wish. Often said at the close to rituals to wish blessings on all the participants.

Book of Shadows, aka BOS, aka grimoire: a book of spells and rituals. Depending on the tradition, a coven may have a single BOS that all members receive a copy of, or there may be a coven BOS kept only for coven-work (while each member has their own seperate BOS with some similar content to the coven BOS). Some witches have two, one called a BOS (with spells), and the other called a Book of Light (with a more religious focus, containing devotions and such). My BOS is a all-in-one personal journal, containing spells, rituals, poems and devotions, meditations, etc. A BOS can be a purchased book (available at many pagan shops), or you can make your own. I have one copy on Disk (which I guess makes it a "DOS"), and one copy in hard copy. I print out the pages for the hard copy using the computer (so I can add pagan graphics to the pages). My binder is actually a three-ring binder that I covered with velvet and added charms too (pewter moons and stars that I picked up at a craft store). It's a personal book, so choose (or make) one that is pleasing to you.

Boline: the "working" knife, usually with a white handle. Some witches use these as their actual cutting knife for cutting herbs and such. I personally don't use one.

Burning Times: the times of witch trials, such as those at Salem.

Call: used in phrases such as "call the quarters." Generally means to invite or invoke forces. When I do a circle, I call the four elements to lend me their aid and protection.

Chakras: the main energy centers in the human body. Through meditation and concentration, the chakras can be used to focus energy to help achieve specific purposes. I don't work with these nearly as much as I should.

Charge: when used in the context of an item being charged, it means "filling" an item with intent or purpose. For example, one might charge a necklace (by magickal workings) so that it will lend strength and confidence to the wearer. I hate to fly but had to, so I charged a necklace by casting a protection spell on it so it would protect me while I hurtled through the air in a metal deathtrap (commonly known as an airplane).

Charms: items charged to bring something to the bearer of the item (for example, my protection necklace described above under "charge" is a charm). Another example is love charms.

Circle: used by most witches, but not all. The non-physical space where rituals and magick are performed. Some folks always work within a circle, while others do not. How the circle is cast (created) depends on your tradition.

Cone of Power: energy raised and focused for a specific purpose, usually in conjunction with a spell or magickal working.

Cleansing: removing negative or residual energy from an object or space. For example, stones that are to be used in a spell (but were used in a spell last week) would need to be cleansed before use in order to remove any residual energy from the last use. It's also a good idea to cleanse your tools after someone else has touched them to remove any residual energy the person may have left behind.

Consecration: usually goes hand-in-hand with cleansing. Consecration is the act of blessing an object and/or charging it with positive energy. For example, I would cleanse my stones in running river water and then consecrate them with an oil blend.

Coven: a group of witches who do rituals together. The number required to make a coven depends on the tradition. Some witches work as solitaries and never join a coven.

Deosil: clockwise movement. Most circles are cast deosil.

Divination: using consecrated and charged tools (such as tarot cards, crystal balls, etc.) to gain answers to questions.

Drawing Down the Moon: a ritual done to empower oneself and to unite with the goddess. Some tradtions do this during every circle, while others only do it on certain occassions. The method also varies by tradition. I do not do a formal "drawing down", but instead do more of a "call" asking the goddess to join my in my circle.

Elements: The pentacle represents all five elements: earth, air, fire, water, and spirit. They are the five "powers" that drive the universe.

Empower: synonym for charge; to "fill" an object with intent or purpose.

Esbats: the moon holidays. Some traditions consider only the full moons as esbats, while others include the new moon. There are 13 full-moon esbats each year.

Familiar: this is a debated term. "Familiar" and "spirit guide" are often used interchangeably. But, generally, a familiar is a domesticated pet in the same household as the witch. This animal has a very close working relationship with his/her owner. A spirit guide is generally an animal (domestic or wild) that is not in the household with the witch, and thus has to "communicate" with the witch through dreams or distance. One of my cats is my familiar, while my spirit guides include animals such as crows and badgers.

Five-Fold Kiss: used by some traditions during rituals or as a greeting/blessing. Involves kissing of each foot, each knee, the womb area, each breast, and the lips.

Grimoire: see "Book of Shadows".

Handfasting: a pagan marriage-ceremony. Usually, these are done "for a year and a day", and redone on each anniversary.

Invoke: to bring something or call something to you. An invocation to the goddess is a poem or recitation asking the goddess to come join you.

Karma: the belief that good actions bring good results to a person, while bad actions bring bad results. In essence, you get what you give. In some traditions, Karma and reincarnation go hand in hand, with actions in this life affecting a person's next lifetimes.

Left-hand path: a debated term, often considered a negative term. Some people call their path or belief system a "left-hand path" if they acknowledge both positive and negative forces. But the common connotation is of the left-hand path being associated with satan-worship (and thus, solely associated with negative energies).

Magick: using force of will to make changes in the world around you, often with the aid of tools (such as herbs, oils, etc.).

Merry Meet: another pagan salutation or parting greeting: Merry Meet and Merry Part and Merry Meet again. It's a way to wish someone best wishes upon parting.

Pagan: generic term for a follower of an earth or nature based religion.

Pantheon: a collection of gods and goddesses in a particular religious or mythical belief system. Some traditions adhere to one pantheon (for example, worship Celtic gods exclusively or Kemetic gods exclusively) while others blend pantheons (worship some Celtic gods, some Kemetic, some Norse, etc.).

Reincarnation: the belief in multiple lifetimes.

Ritual: a focused ceremony, using following a set course of action or method of being performed. Can be religious in nature (honoring a deity) or magickal (casting a spell).

Runes: set of symbols, often used for divination and as an alphabet (as a sort of "secret code."

Sabbats: the eight common major pagan holidays. They are: Imbolc, Ostara, Beltane, Midsummer, Lammas, Mabon, Samhain, and Yule.

Scrying: divination, usually using a dark mirror or water.

Sigil: a magick sign or symbol, often used by a pagan as his or her "signature." For example, I have a sigil that looks somewhat like a lion, and I mark this symbol on my tools and on handwritten correspondence.

Skyclad: followed by some traditions, but not all; the practice of working in the nude.

Spell: focused energy and will to achieve specific results, often aided with tools (herbs, oils, etc.)

Talisman: an object charged with intent for the purpose of bringing something to the holder (for example, a necklace for prosperity).

Tarot: set of cards used for divination and magick. Most people use intricately decorated specialty cards, while other make their own decorated cards (and still others use a method of divination using common playing cards).

Tradition: a belief system, either relating to religious beliefs or methods for doing magick workings. Strega is a tradition of Italian witchcraft, and Eclectic is a tradition that is made up of pieces of other traditions.

Wheel of the Year: a calendar cycle. The wheel is generally considered to begin at Samhain (the generally accepted ancient celtic new year). It marks the passing of the seasons and symbolizes the circular nature of all life.

Widdershins: counter-clockwise motion, commonly used for undoing or reversing.

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