Magickal Jargon
Adept: one who is highly proficient in a particular magickal system
Akashic Records: a spiritual database that can be accessed for information on topics such as past lives, healing & other spiritual & magickal practices. Only and experienced witch /psychic can access this data through Universal connections
Altar: a flat surface used exclusively for magickal workings or religious acknowledgment
Amulet: an object of protection that has been charged to deflect negative energies or thought forms
Ankh: an Egyptian relic symbolizing life, love & reincarnation. Depicted as a cross w/a looped top
Aradia: daughter of the mortal Diana & the Italian Sun God Lucifer. Referred to as Queen of the Witches
Arcana: the two half of a tarot deck. There are 22 major arcana & 56 minor arcana
Astral: aka the dreamscape
Astral Projection: the process of separating your spiritual body from your corporeal body for the purpose of walking in the dreamscape
Athame: a ceremonial black-handled double-edged steel dagger used in ritual work & to direct energy
Balefire: aka bonfire
Bane: aka bad/evil/destructive/etc...
Banish: to magickally end something or exorcize unwanted energies
Besom: aka broom
Bi-location: a more advanced form of astral projection
Bind: to magickally restrain something or someone
Blood of the Moon: a metaphor. When a woman is on her cycle it is her most powerful time, especially if it’s during a full moon
Book of Shadows: a witches most prized possession. It is their reference/spell book
Bolline: a ceremonial white-handled double-edged steel dagger used to harvest herbs, cut a branch for a wand, inscribe candles, etc...
Burning Times: a 700yr time span in which Witches, or those accused of being Witches, were hunted down & killed, mainly by the Christian Church. Thousands of men, women & children were tortured & murdered
Cabala: aka Kabbala(h) or Qabala. The ancient Hebrew magickal system
Call: invoke divine forces
Censer: a heat-proof container in which incense is smouldered. An incense burner. It symbolizes the element of Air
Chakras: seven energy points in the human body. Crown (white), forehead (purple), throat (blue), chest (pink or green), naval (yellow), abdomen (orange), groin (red)
Charge, the: one each from the Horned God & Mother Goddess. These are sacred messages to their children (witches)
Charge, To: to infuse an object with personal power
Channeling: to allow a disincarnate entity to “borrow” your body for the purpose of contacting someone living either via verbal communication or automatic writing
Charms: an object that has been instilled w/energy for a particular task
Cleansing: the act of removing negative energy
Cone of Power: raised psychic energy
Conscious Mind: the analytical, societal controlled, materialistic half of human consciousness. The conscious mind is at work when we add or subtract numbers, study a map, or struggle with ideas
Consecration: the act of blessing a person, place or thing
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 today. 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 witches who practice the Craft together
Curse: a conscious direction of negative energy toward a person, place or thing. Contrary to popular belief, curses are rare and usually have no effect. Also known as psychic attack
Days of Power: sacred days such as sabbats or festivals
Dedication: a ritual that tells Spirit you wish to practise the Craft, though it is not a necessity
Deosil: a clockwise direction
Divination: using magickal tools or symbols to gather information
Divine Power: the unmanifested, pure energy that exists within the Goddess and God. The life force, the ultimate source of all things
Dowsing: the art of using a pendulum or divining rod to pinpoint the actual location of a person, place, or thing
Drawing Down the Moon: a ritual performed during the full moon to empower & unite a spirit with a particular deity, usually the Mother Goddess
Earth Magick: energy that exists within stones, herbs, flames, wind, streams and other natural objects. In magick, Earth power is combined with personal power
Elders: experienced witches w/highly advanced abilities who oversee the operations of festivals &/or covens.
Elements: Earth, Air, Fire and Water. These are the four energies of our planet. Everything that exists (or that has the potential to exist) contains one or more of these energies. The elements hum within ourselves and are also in the world. The can be utilized to cause change through magick.
Energy: a general term for the currently unmeasurable (but real) power that exists within all natural objects and beings--including our own bodies. The ancient Hawaiians knew it as "mana" and it has been given many other names. This energy ultimately stems from the divine source of all that exists. It is the powerhouse, the fuel, of all forms of Magick
Esbat: a Wiccan/Pagan ritual, usually occurring on the Full Moon
Evocation: to call energy out from within
Familiar: an animal who has a spiritual bond w/a witch. They serve as guides in the dreamscape & guardians for the witches corporeal body
Fascination: aka mind-bending. Using it for a love spell would be unethical, as it would be considered committing psychological rape. But if you found yourself in a unsafe situation where you or a loved one are in genuine physical danger I could not in good conscience tell you not to use any skills or tools available to you
Gaea: aka Mother Earth
Green Man: aka the Horned God
Grounding: the process of temporarily shutting down Psychic awareness and reorienting the Conscious mind to the material world
Guardians: the protectors of magical forces. Some believe they are magickal creatures themselves
Handfasting: a wiccan marriage ceremony
Initiation: an experience that so transforms the individual that their concept of personal & worldly reality has been altered. A dedication ceremony should not be confused w/an initiation
Invocation: to bring energy in from without
Karma: the belief that ones thoughts & deeds can be either counted against or added to their spiritual path during several lifetimes. Follows the laws of cause & effect
Left-hand Path: a term that points to people who feel justified in using magick for purposes that are not constructive to other humans. A reference that they are self-serving individuals. Conversely, the right-hand path is considered positive in nature.
Macrocosm: the world around us
Microcosm: the world within us
Magick: the art & science of focusing your will & emotions to effect change. It is neither good nor evil, positive or negative. It is the use of the power which will determine the path it will take
Magick Circle: a protective area used while working magick
Magickal Systems: refers to differing wiccan sects
New Age: usually refers to mixing the metaphysical practices w/a structured religious path
Pagan/Neopagan: a nature-based life-affirming religion. The term Neopagan means “new pagan” & is not a popular term. It seems to be a direct result of the New Age lingo
Pantheon: a structured group of deities from a particular culture
Pentacle: a 5-pointed star
Pentagram: a five pointed star, always drawn with one point upward. The pentagram is rich in symbolism: the five senses, the elements combined with Akasha; the hand, the human body, the element of Earth and money, among other things. It has been used in magick, usually for protection, for at least 2,000 years. Today it is often also frequently associated with Wicca. Through misinformation or the transmission of outright lies, the pentagram is sometimes believed to be a symbol of Satanism. It has never possessed this symbolism, and still doesn't, save in the minds of those that would twist and pervert its true meaning for their own benefit
Priest/Priestess: leaders of a coven or organization who often play the roles of the God & Goddess in ceremonies
Projective Hand: the useful or talented hand, usually the one used for writing, through which personal power is sent from the body during magick
br>Psychic Awareness: the human state in which information from the psychic mind is available to the conscious mind.
Psychic Mind: the subconscious, unconscious, or deep conscious mind in which we receive psychic impulses. The psychic mind is at work when we sleep, dream, meditate or look into the future. When the psychic mind and the conscious mind are linked, we have access to information
that we couldn't otherwise obtain.
Receptive Hand: the opposite of the projective hand, through which outside energies are absorbed into the body during magick
Reincarnation: the belief that one has lived many lifetimes
Ritual: a focused mental/physical ceremony
Scrying: aka dowsing. A divination method using tools like a bowl of inked water, a crystal ball, a mirror, etc... where the diviner “sees” without outside stimuli
Sigil: aka a symbol
Skyfather: assigning definition to the sky as a male entity. Although shamanistic in origin, Skyfather is used in many Native American belief systems
Spiritual Nexus: a geographical point that is equal distance from the 5 spiritual elements, those being earth, air, fire, water & metal.
Talisman: a magickally charged object
Tarot Cards: a type of divination
Vision Questing: walking through the dreamscape for a particular reason
Wheel of the Year: a full cycle of the seasonal year, beginning with the Samhain celebration
Widdershins: a counter-clockwise direction
Wiccaning: a wiccan baptismal ceremony
Working: the process of using magick to reach a desired positive goal