Below I hope to eventually list all the general terms one needs to get started in Wicca. I will be putting terms into my wording from how I understand the terms.
Adept: A person who through study and accomplishment has become highly proficient in at least one magickal system.
Altar: Special flat surface set aside specifically for magical workings or religous acknoledgments.
Amulet: an object of protection eg: Horseshoe that has been charged to deflect negative energies.
Ankh: Egyptian heriogliphic used as a symbol of life and reincarnation.
Arcana: Parts of the tero deck. Major arcana are 22 trump cards. They depict dominant occurances in our lives. Minor Arcana in 56 cards, 4 suits. They are smaller occurances and help flush out the major. (See also TAROT CARDS).
Astral: another demension of reality.
Astral Projections: Process of seperating your astral body from your physical one. To accomplish travel in the astral plane or dream time.
Athame: Clensed and consencrated ceremonial knige. Used in ritual work. The knife is never used to blood letting, and rarley ever used to even cut.
Bind: To magickally restrain someone or something.
Book Of Shadows: New term for the collection of information in book form for a Witches Refrence. Another name for it would be a grimoire. Usually information gathered for use by the witch him/er self.
Burning Times: Historical refrence 1000CE through 17th century. Over nine million people were torchered and burned by the church and public officials on assumption that they were the Christian versions of Witches. Was a profitable venue as all lands and property were seized from the accused. The accuser was given a portion with the remainder going to the church. Majority of people tortured and murdered were woman and children.
Call: Invoking divine forces.
Chakras: Seven jamor energy vortexes in the human body. Each is associated with a colour. Crown: white, Forehead: purple, Throat: blue, Chest: pink/green, Navel: yellow, Abdomen: orange, Groin: red. There are small vortexes in the hands and feet.
Charge, The: Story of the message from the Goddess to her children by Doreen Valiente.
Channeling: New age practice. Allows a disincarnate to "borrow" your body to speak to others. This is done through automatic writing or verbally.
Charms: Amulet or talisman that has been charmed by saying an incatation over it and instilling it with energy for a specific task.
Cone of Power: Psychic energy raised and focused by an individual or group to achieve a definate purpose.
Cleansing: The act of removing negative energies, vibrations or images from an object or place, by utalizing positive psychic energy.
Coven: Group of witches. They work together for positive magickal endeavors, preform religous ceremonies.
Deosil: Clockwise movement.
Divination: Art of using magickal tools and gymbols to gather imformation from collective unconscious on nature of people, places, things, events in the past, present and future.
Dowsing: Art of science of using a dendulum or stick to find the location of a person, place, thing or element.
Drawing Down the Moon: Ritual used during the full moon by Withces to empower themselves, unite their essence with a specific diety, usually a goddess.
Earth Magic: Particualr form of magick where in powers and forces of Mother Earth are used to do magickal workings or celebrations. Items associated with Earth and Nature hold a particular significance in the ritual.
Elements: Usually counted as four, but many add spirit or akasha. Each also have a direction associated with it. Earth= Air South= Fire West= Water North=Earth Center=Spirit/Akasha.
Evocation: To call something out from within.
Familiar: An animal who has a spiritual bond with a witch. Often the family pet. They can also be entities who are created to protect your home fromt he Astral.
Enchantment: Magickal object that must be kept absolutely secret and hidden from all human eyes & affects a hidden aura. Enchantments must be charmed first. Gems & magickal writings are good items to use for Enchantmenst.
Gaea/Gaia: Greek Goddess, now meaning Earth Mother, or Mother Earth.
GreenMan: Another name for the God as in his kingdom of the forest.
Guardians: Ceremonial magicians use "Guardians of the Watchtowers" or "Guardians of the Four Quarteres". There are many forms of Guardians: Lizards, dragons, or the angles: Michael, Ariel, Raphael & Gabriel.
Handfasting: Wiccan or Pagan wedding.
Karma: When one believes that their deeds and thoughts can be counted against them or added to their spiritual path over many lifetimes. In sanskrit it means "action". Karma follows the laws of cause and effect.
Pantheon: Collection of Gods & Goddesses in particular religous or mythical structures. EG: Greek Pantheon, Roman Pantheon, Egyptian Pantheon, Teutonic Pantheon.
Pentical: A circle surrounding a five pointed star upright. Also known as a pentagram. Worn as a symbol of a witches belief. Used in magickal workings, ceromonies. Each point has a specific meaning.
Reincarnation: The belief that one has lived other lives before this one.
Ritual: Focused mental and Physical ceremony to either honor or than ones chosen pantheon, or to preform specific magickal workings or act.
Runes: Set of symbols used in divination and magickal work. They can function as an alphabet and are useful for vision questing, dream recall and controlling your enviroment.
Vision Quest: Using astral projection, bi-location or dream time to accomplish a specific goal. Also called pathwork.
More to follow at a later date
