Wicca A to Z: A Guide to the Magickal World
Author: Gerina Dunwich
Date: 2018-11-30T23:00:00+00:00
Keywords: Body; Mind & Spirit; Witchcraft; Religion; Wicca
Description: A must for the modern Wiccan’s library, this comprehensive resource explores the fascinating world of Witchcraft from ancient legend to contemporary paganism. No aspect of Wicca is overlooked, with well over 500 entries and numerous illustrations on the traditions, rituals, folklore, amulets and talismans, herbs and gemstones, and pagan goddesses of the Wiccan lifestyle. This unique encyclopedia is an excellent guide for all who are interested in Goddess worship, folklore, the New Age, the occult sciences, and the Wiccan Craft as a positive spiritual path and way of life.
Publisher: Citadel Press
Rights: Copyright ©

Also by Gerina Dunwich

Candlelight Spells

The Concise Lexicon of the Occult

Circle of Shadows: Goddess-Inspired Poetry and Magickal Verse

Wicca Craft

The Wicca Spellbook

The Wicca Book of Days

The Wicca Garden

The Wicca Source Book

Wicca Candle Magick

Wicca Love Spells

Everyday Wicca

A Wiccan’s Guide to Prophecy and Divination

Wicca A to Z

A Modern Witch's Encyclopedia

Gerina Dunwich

A Citadel Press Book
Published by Kensington Publishing Corp.

This book is dedicated with much love to my mother; Al; the Mandragora Coven; and all my sisters and brothers in the Craft. May the Goddess and the Horned God bless each and every one of you.

Also, I wish to express my heartfelt thanks to all at Citadel Press for helping to make this book a reality and for continuing to support my work.

Blessed Be!

Contents

Also by Gerina Dunwich

Title Page

Dedication

Introduction

Part One: Magick, Myth, and Mysticism

A

B

C

D

E

F

G
h

I

J

K

L

M
n

O

P

Q

R

S

T

U

V

W

Y

Z

Part Two: Goddesses From Around the World

Bibliography

About the Author

Copyright

Wicca A to Z is a unique encyclopedia for the modern Witch, as well as for anyone who is interested in the Earth’s oldest religion.

Arranged alphabetically, this book is divided into two sections: Magick, Myth, and Mysticism and Goddesses From Around the World. The first focuses on every imaginable aspect of Wicca and the magickal arts. The different traditions, Sabbats and rituals of the Wiccan spiritual path, as well as Wiccan jargon, enchanting folklore, amulets and talismans, and the numerous herbs associated with Witchcraft are but a small sampling of the wealth of material covered within the pages of this extensively researched book.

As Wicca is essentially a Goddess-oriented religion and craft, the second section of this encyclopedia is devoted entirely to the many Pagan goddesses from around the world who collectively represent the power, the beauty, and the magick of the Divine Feminine. Arranged alphabetically by name, the Goddess entries detail each unique deity and often reveal how each one relates to, or has influenced, contemporary Paganism and the Wiccan Craft.

ABLANATHANALBA A Gnostic charm triangle, similar to the ABRACADABRA triangle and used by magicians in ancient times for protection against evil forces. It was traditionally written on parchment, using a special ink obtained from the acorn of a valonia oak tree. It was written out as follows:

A B L A N A T H A N A L B A

B L A N A T H A N A L B

L A N A T H A N A L

A N A T H A N A

N A T H A N

A T H A

T H

ABRACADABRA A cabalistic word derived from the name Abraxas, a mighty Gnostic deity whose name means “hurt me not.” The word Abracadabra, when chanted or when its letters are arranged in an inverted pyramid (a holy figure and symbol of trinity) and worn around the neck as a talisman for nine days, is said to possess the magickal power to ward off illness and to cure fever. At the end of that time, it is taken off and tossed over the shoulder into a stream flowing east. It is believed that the cool, rushing waters draw the heat of the fever away from the sick person and back to the rising sun, the source of all warmth.

A B R A C A D A B R A

A B R A C A D A B R

A B R A C A D A B

A B R A C A D A

A B R A C A D

A B R A C A

A B R A C

A B R A

A B R

A B

A

The ancient charm triangle known as the Abracadabra. It is reputed to posses great healing powers, especially in reducing fevers.

ABRAMELIN MAGICK A medieval practice of both white and black Ceremonial Magick involving spirit communication, word magick, and palindromic magickal squares. Abramelin is a system based mainly on Hellenistic theurgy of the lamblichan type, but with Jewish increments from the Kabbalah. Abramelin Magick sets forth the semi-Gnostic doctrine that the world was created and is maintained by demons (or Powers of Darkness) who work under the command of angelic spirits. With the proper purifications, tools, prayers, and formulas, an Abramelin magician, with the help of angels, can control the demons of darkness and command them to do his or her will.

ABSENT HEALING A form of faith healing that involves the projection of positive healing energy to an ill person (or animal) by a healer who is not present at the time of the healing.

The most renowned of twentieth century absent healers was the American psychic Edgar Cayce (1877 – 1945) who used his remarkable powers to diagnose illnesses and prescribe treatment. Throughout the course of his life, he gave readings for approximately 30,000 men, women, and children from all over the world. It is said that the rate of his accuracy was over 90 percent. Edgar Cayce also possessed another gift—the ability to experience visions of the future. Because he always practiced his psychic work while under a sleep-like, self-induced hypnotic trance, he came to be known as the “Sleeping Prophet.”

ADEPT An individual, male or female, who has gained profound magickal powers and insights, usually through initiation; a word used to describe an initiate or occult master.

AFTERWORLD The world of the dead; the place where human souls go to after death: a concept shared by all human mythologies and religions. The afterworld is usually perceived as a dark and gloomy underground region or as a bright and happy world in the sky.

“Summerland” is the Wiccan name of the paradiselike afterworld where the soul or spirit is believed to go after physical death and remain until it reincarnates.

AIR One of the four ancient and alchemical elements, which corresponds to the East Watchtower of the magick circle. The spirits of Air are known as Sylphs. See also ELEMENTALS.

ALCHEMY The ancient occult science of transmutation of base metals into gold or silver by both chemical and spiritual processes. The other major aims of alchemy were to find an elixir that could make humans immortal, and to acquire various methods of creating life artificially. One who practices alchemy is called an alchemist.

Legend holds that alchemy was founded by the god Hermes Trismegistus; however, it is known that the basic fundamentals of alchemy were actually developed by the Egyptians, who combined metallurgy with Hermetic philosophy hundreds of years before the birth of Christ. In ancient China, where the Eastern alchemical arts were highly developed, the first alchemical text was written by Ko Hung and published around the year 320 A.D. In the 12th century A.D. alchemy was brought to Spain by the Muslims, and from there its practice spread throughout much of Europe, where it was regarded as a highly respected, although mysterious, science.

Those who practiced alchemy often used dream-revelations and visions to base their studies upon, and their works were written and drawn in obscure symbols instead of in words. They also believed that everything on Earth possessed a “hermaphroditic composition” of sulfur (the male principle and the soul) and mercury (the female principle and the spirit), as well as salt (representative of the physical body.) Working in harmony with astrological influences, the alchemists were confident that these three “essentials” (sulfur, mercury, salt) could be separated and then put back together in a different form.

The height of alchemy’s extensive popularity occured from the latter part of the Middle Ages through the Renaissance. But when the non-metallic element of oxygen and the composition of water were discovered in the early nineteenth century, the alchemical sciences were discredited and replaced by physics. Although the alchemists of old never did succeed in making true gold or discovering the elusive “philosopher’s stone” which they believed held the secret power to life immortal, their other contributions helped to pave the way for modern chemistry and medicine.

Another name for alchemy is the “spagyric art.” (The word “spagyric” derives from the Greek terms for “to tear” and “to bring together.”) Its usage can be traced back to the Gnostics of the second century A.D.; however, it is seldom, if ever, used in modern times.

Contemporary Western alchemy for the most part is no longer concerned with the making of gold or fabulous elixirs of immortality. Instead, its focus is upon spiritual and psychological transformation, union with the Divine, and the evolution into higher states of consciousness through the symbolic “death” and “rebirth” of elements. Its personification, the hermaphrodite, represents the process of becoming whole by the joining of opposites, such as male and female, God and Goddess, yin and yang, and so forth.

ALL HALLOW’S EVE Another name for the Pagan festival and Witches’ Sabbat of Samhain, which is traditionally celebrated on the last day of October. See also SAMHAIN.

ALMADEL A talisman fashioned in white wax, inscribed with the names of spirits or angels, and used in various rituals by practitioners of Ceremonial Magick.

ALRAUN In European folk magick, a small good-luck image shaped from the root of a mandrake or bryony. According to tradition, a Witch’s alraun had to be dressed in clothing and presented with daily offerings of food and wine. If not treated properly, it held the power to bring bad luck to the household of its possessor. The alraun takes its name from the shapeshifting sorceresses of Teutonic myth known as the Alrunes.

ALTAR Any table or raised structure on which, during rituals and spellcastings, candles and incense are burned, tools of magick are kept, and offerings of any kind are made to the Goddess, Horned God, or other deities. The arrangement of altars varies from Witch to Witch and coven to coven. However, the usual items found on most Wiccan altars include candles, a pentacle, chalice, salt, incense, bell, athame, and a Goddess or Horned God symbol. Nearly any piece of furniture with a flat surface can be used as an altar, and with a little bit of imagination, outdoor altars can easily be made out of such things as garden benches, tree stumps, and large stones with flat tops.

AMULET A consecrated object, usually a small colored stone or a piece of metal inscribed with runes or other magickal symbols, that possesses the power: to protect a person or thing from threatening influences; to inspire love; and to attract good luck. Astrological jewelry, four-leaf clovers, and a rabbit’s foot are several examples of modern amulets popular among Witches and non-Witches alike.

ANATHEMA A sorcerer’s curse or an offering to a Pagan deity. It is also the word used in the Roman Catholic Church as part of the formula in the excommunication of heretics. To anathematize is to place a curse upon.

ANGAKOK A Central Eskimo Shaman, medicine man, or magician who uses various sacred songs, invocations, and incantations to cure the ill, control the weather, and drive away evil spirits from the village.

ANGELICA A mystical plant associated with early Nordic magick. It was worn as a charm in the fifteenth century to protect against the dreaded plague. (According to folklore, an archangel revealed in a vision that the plant would cure the plague.) In many parts of the world, country peasants believed that angelica possessed the power to guard against evil, and they hung its leaves around their children’s necks to protect them against the spells and enchantments of sorcerers. Angelica is both a culinary and a medicinal herb, and according to the seventeenth century herbalist Nicholas Culpepper, it should be gathered when the moon is in Leo.

ANJARA In Hispanic folklore, a type of supernatural Witch who appears in the guise of an elderly woman to test out the charity of mortals. The Anjara watches over animals and is believed to possess a golden staff which has the magickal power to transform everything it comes into contact with into riches.

ANIMISM The spiritual belief that everything in nature, animate and inanimate, possesses an innate soul in addition to a body.

ANKH An ancient Egyptian symbol resembling a cross with a loop at the top. It symbolizes life and cosmic knowledge, and every major god and goddess of Egyptian mythology is depicted in works of art carrying it. Also known as the crux ansata, the ankh is used by many contemporary Witches (especially Wiccans of the Egyptian tradition) in spells and rituals involving health, fertility, and divination.

AN-SHET Another word for a Witch’s magick wand.

APPARITION The appearance of a person’s phantom, living or dead, seen in a dream, trance, or in the waking state as the result of astral projection or clairvoyance.

AQUARIUS In astrology, the eleventh sign of the zodiac, symbolized by the Water Bearer. Aquarius is an Air sign, and is ruled by the planet Uranus. Its energies are masculine-yang-positive-active, and its polarity (its opposite sign of the zodiac which expresses the opposite characteristics) is Leo. The quadruplicity (quality) of Aquarius is Fixed (meaning resistant to change and a natural perfector.) Persons born between January 20 and February 18 are under the sign of Aquarius and are said to possess the following traits: unconventionalism, self-expression, friendliness, independence and a rational, analytical mind. Aquarians are often temperamental and have a tendency to daydream, which often gets them into trouble at work or at school. In matters of love, Aquarius is believed to be most compatible with Aquarius, Gemini, Libra, and those with Moon in Aquarius. The parts of the human body said to be ruled by Aquarius are the shins, ankles, and the circulatory system.

ARIES In astrology, the first sign of the zodiac, symbolized by the Ram. Aries is a Fire sign, and is ruled by the planet Mars. Its energies are masculine-yang-positive-active, and its polarity (its opposite sign of the zodiac which expresses the opposite characteristics) is Libra. The quadruplicity (quality) of Aries is Cardinal, (meaning enterprising, outgoing, and a natural-born initiator). Persons born between March 21 and April 19 are under the sign of Aries and are said to possess the following traits: independence, courage, intelligence, pride, optimism, short-temperedness, and sometimes self-centeredness. In matters of love, Aries is believed to be most compatible with Aries, Leo, Sagittarius, and those with Moon in Aries. The part of the human body said to be ruled by Aries is the head.

ASTRAL BODY The double of the physical human body, but made of a much finer substance with a shining and luminous appearance. It is connected to the physical body by an etheric umbilical cord and is able to pass through solid obstructions and float about unhindered by gravity, space, or time.

ASTRAL PLANE The plane of existence and perception which parallels the dimension of the physical and is the plane that the astral body reaches during astral projection and death.

ASTRAL PROJECTION An out-of-the-body experience achieved by any number of trance-inducing methods or imagination techniques; the separation of the consciousness from the physical body resulting in an altered state of consciousness. Also known as astral travel.

ASTRAL TWINS Two or more unrelated persons who share the exact same birthdate and are said to possess identical personality traits and sometimes even matching physical appearances. Both individuals must be born on the same month, day, year, and hour to be considered true astral twins.

ASTROLOGY Stargazing; the ancient occult art, science, and practice of divination and prophecy by interpreting certain celestial patterns. In astrology, the influence of the Sun, Moon, or the planets in the solar system upon the course of human affairs varies according to which section of the zodiac they are positioned in.

The majority of modern day Witches, Neo-Pagans, and New Agers in the United States and Europe believe in the power of astrology. Many are skilled stargazers who cast astrological charts; use astrology for prediction, counseling, daily guidance or discovering past lives; or perform magick in accordance with the astrological positioning of the Moon, which exerts a powerful influence over the casting of spells.

ATHAME A black-handled ritual dagger with a double-edged blade, used by many Witches to draw their magick circles and to both store and direct energy during magickal rituals. Before using, an athame must be properly cleansed and consecrated to remove any traces of negative spiritual, magickal, or psychic energy. The athame is a sacred tool and is never used for the drawing of blood, either human or animal. The athame, which is used in most Wiccan rituals as well as spellcraft, is a symbol of the masculine aspect, and corresponds to the ancient element of Air.

AURA A single-or multi-colored light produced by heat energy and electromagnetic energy that emanates from the bodies of all living things; a psychic field of energy surrounding both animate and inanimate bodies.

Witches, and others, who are gifted with the ability to see auras with the naked eye are said to possess aura-vision—a form of clairvoyance. The reading of the aura has been practiced since ancient times and is known to all cultures. It has often been used for analyzing hidden character traits, diagnosing illness and disease, and prognostication. (For more information on the reading of auras read A Wiccan’s Guide to Prophecy and Divination, Gerina Dunwich, Citadel Press, 1997.)

AUREOLE A circle of mystical light, similar to an aura, which is said to surround the head or body of a mystic, saint or deity; a halo.

AUTUMN EQUINOX SABBAT Also known as the Fall Sabbat, Alban Elfed, and the Second Festival of Harvest, this is one of the eight Sabbats celebrated yearly by many modern Witches, Wiccans, and Neo-Pagans throughout the world. It is held on the first day of Autumn, which normally occurs on or near September 22, and is a time for thanksgiving, meditation, and introspection. On this sacred day, many Witches re-dedicate themselves to the Craft, and Wiccan initiation ceremonies are performed by the High Priestesses and High Priests of covens. Many Wiccan traditions also perform a special rite for the Goddess Persephone’s descent into the Underworld as part of their Autumn Equinox celebration.

AZIZA In Dahomean folk belief, elflike spirits of the forest known as the “little people,” who give to humans the power of magick and knowledge of the worship of the gods.

BALEFIRE A sacred outdoor fire burned by Witches as part of a Sabbat celebration, particularly the festivals of Beltane, Summer Solstice, Lammas, and Autumn Equinox. Dancing deosil (the Wiccan term for “clockwise”) around a balefire often takes place to invoke the deities, raise magickal energy, or celebrate the turning of the Wheel of the Year. Slips of paper, upon which prayers, wishes, thanksgivings, and requests for healings have been written, are sometimes cast into the fire. Many Witches use a balefire for fire-scrying (the divinatory art of gazing into vision-producing flames), and in many instances libations are poured onto the flames or coals to honor a particular deity or ancestor. The following day, long after the balefire has burned out, the remaining ashes can be used for divination, or are collected for use in spells and potions.

BANE A deadly herb that possesses poisonous properties. The term is often used in combination, as in “henbane,” “wolfsbane,” “baneberry,” and so forth. Since early times, sorcerers in just about every culture around the world have been known to be clever in the forbidden art of poison-craft, and in the Middle Ages, Witches were said to have done away with their enemies and rivals with various herbal banes. The most popular magickal poisons were made with belladonna, henbane, and mandrake.

BANISH To release or drive away a conjured spirit from the power of the magick circle.

BANISHING RITUAL In Ceremonial Magick, a ritual performed by a magician to remove negative or evil influences from the circle. In the banishing ritual of the Lesser Pentagram, a consecrated ceremonial sword is used to inscribe pentagrams in the air, archangels are invoked at the four quarters, and a special prayer known as the “Kabbalistic Cross” is recited.

BANSHEE In Gaelic folklore, a female nature-spirit who takes the form of an old woman and presages a death in the family by wailing a mournful tune that sounds like the melancholy moaning of the wind. As a herald of death, the banshee is usually heard at night under the window of the person who is about to die.

BAPHOMET A demonic deity envisaged as a goat-headed creature with wings, the breasts of a woman, and an illuminated torch between its horns. Baphomet was said to have been worshipped by the inner circles of several occult brotherhoods in the Middle Ages, and was identified with the Devil card of the Tarot by the nineteenth century magickal philosopher Eliphas Levi.

The symbol of Baphomet, also known as the mysterious “Bearded Demon” and the “Satanic Goat,” has often been misinterpreted as one of the Craft in general; however, Wiccans and Neo-Pagans do not use this symbol in their rituals, nor do they believe in or worship the Devil of the Christian faith (whom practitioners of Satanism and Devil-worshipping cults revere and associate the symbol of Baphomet with).

BARREN SIGNS In astrology (and especially the astrologically-based practice of lunar gardening), the three signs of the zodiac which indicate a tendency toward barrenness: Gemini, Leo, and Virgo.

BASKANION A phallus-shaped ornament worn on a necklace by children of ancient Greece for magickal protection against the evil eye. The baskanion (which was also known as probaskanion and fascinum) was often used as an amulet to protect homes, gardens, blacksmith forges, and chariots. In ancient Rome, this amulet was called the satyrica sigma.

BELL A hollow, metallic instrument, usually cup-shaped with a flared opening, which emits a tone when struck by a clapper suspended from within or by a separate stick or hammer. Bells have been used by nearly all cultures throughout history as magickal talismans, fertility charms, summons to a deity, and as instruments for sacred music and religious rituals of widely varying beliefs. Many Witches and Wiccans use a consecrated bell as an altar tool to signal the beginning or close of a ritual or Sabbat. Houngans and mambos of Haiti’s Voodoo religion, as well as the tribal priests of Africa, use bells and dancing to invoke their gods. Chinese magicians summon the rain and other forces of nature with special magickal bells, while Siberian Shamans wear them for incantations and prophecies. Bells have also served as magickal or sacred tools to “ring out Witches,” exorcise demons and ghosts, protect animals and children from the power of the evil eye, as well as to bless, and to divine the future.

BELTANE One of the eight annual Witches’ Sabbats, normally celebrated by Wiccans and Neo-Pagans on the first day of May. Also known as May Day, Rood Day, Rudemas, Festival of Tana (especially among Witches of the Strega Tradition), and Walpurgisnacht (meaning “Walpurga’s Night” and named after the old German goddess Walpurga—the May Queen), Beltane is derived from an ancient Druid fire festival celebrating the “Sacred Marriage” (the union of the Goddess and Her consort, the Horned God.) It merrily celebrates the annual “rebirth” of the Sun, marking the symbolic death of Winter and the symbolic birth of Spring. Legend holds that it is a time of the year when the fairy-folk abound in force.

It is a Beltane tradition among many modern Witches to gather morning dew from grass and wildflowers to be used in good-luck potions and spells.

Beltane is a time for celebrating Mother Nature by feasts of traditional Pagan foods, poetry recitals, and clockwise dancing around a brightly-decorated Maypole (which is an ancient and obvious fertility symbol and represents both the phallus and the procreative power of the Horned God.) The Maypole placed in the “womb” of the Mother Earth is symbolic of the sacred sexual union of the male and female aspects of Nature. The entwining of ribbons around the Maypole by those dancing in a circle around it serves to strengthen its magick and to raise what is known as a “cone of power.”

Another custom associated with the Sabbat of Beltane and reaching back to the most ancient of times is the bonfire, which is traditionally kindled on the top of a hill. According to old Celtic tradition, a Beltane bonfire must be started with nine pieces of wood, collected by nine men from nine different trees.

Other Beltane customs practiced around the world include: bathing in morning dew for good luck; the practice of various methods of divination (especially those involving the Beltane cake, also known as a carline); reenactments of Lady Godiva’s legendary naked ride through the streets of Coventry, England; and pilgrimages to sacred wells to partake of the healing water or to make offerings (such as the tossing in of coins, usually accompanied by a secretly made wish).

BESOM A straw broom used by Witches in certain Wiccan ceremonies such as Handfasting and the Sabbat of Candlemas. Although the broom has always been associated with Witches, it was never actually used for flying as the legends of olden times claim. Instead, according to one theory, Witches practicing sympathetic magick (which works on the basic principle that like produces like) would straddle the broom and jump up and down in order to show their crops how high to grow. The majority of modern Witches who own besoms use them as altar decorations and as magickal tools to symbolize fertility and to sweep the magick circle clean of any traces of negative magickal, spiritual, or psychic energy. The besom is also used in various spells and weather workings.

BEWITCHMENT The act of gaining power or casting a spell over another person, place, or object by means of either white, gray, or black magick; the act of enchanting a man, woman, child, animal, place, or object. In days gone by, bewitchment was regarded as an act against God and was punishable by fines, imprisonment, torture, and execution.

BIGGHES In certain traditions of Wicca, a set of ceremonial jewelry consisting of a leather garter, silver crown with crescent moon, bracelet and necklace. It is traditionally worn by the High Priestess of a coven.

BILOCATION An unusual phenomenon in which a person and his or her spiritual or astral “double” appears in two different, often distant, places at the same exact moment. The double may appear either in solid physical form or as a silent ghostlike apparition. Very little is understood about bilocation; however, its existence had been known to humanity since ancient times and it has been said that certain mystics, saints, holy men, and magicians experience bilocation and some are even capable of practicing it at will. Often involuntary bilocation is interpreted as an omen of death for the person whose double has been seen.

BINDING In Witchcraft, a magickal spell which usually involves the tying of knots on a cord, and is performed to control the actions of another or to render a sorcerer or sorceress magickally powerless. Bindings are used by some Wiccans for the purpose of preventing evil, negativity, or disaster of some kind from occurring, and also to put an end to the harm caused by gossips, troublemakers, and those who commit crimes. Interestingly, there exists a controversy among Wiccans over how ethical the casting of bindings are. Some Wiccans feel that such spells violate the Wiccan Rede, while others feel that they are perfectly acceptable when warranted, especially if the binding is directed at a situation rather than a specific person.

BINDRUNES A powerful magickal talisman, usually made from metal or wood and inscribed or painted with two or more different rune symbols which are superimposed upon one another in an aesthetically pleasing fashion. Bindrunes are sometimes placed on ritual tools (such as the blade or handle of a Witch’s athame), candles, and jewelry.

BIRTHSTONE A jewel associated with a specific month or astrological sign of the zodiac. A birthstone is believed to attract good luck and repel negative or evil influences; however, it is said to be unlucky to wear the stone of a month or astrological sign other than one’s own. The two exceptions to this rule are jade and crystal, which are believed to bring good luck to all who wear or carry them as charms.

BLACK ARTS Another word for black magick; the practices of demonology and sorcery; a general term often extended to apply to the entire spectrum of occult subjects, including magick and Witchcraft. Wiccans and Neo-Pagans take strong offense to being classified as practitioners of the black arts, as the term possesses sinister connotations. To the average person it brings to mind frightful images of the evil cauldron-stirring hags of Macbeth, Devil-worshipping orgies, necromancy, and a multitude of demonic horrors which no doubt existed nowhere else but in the fertile imaginations of superstitious God-fearing peasants and churchmen of the Middle Ages.

BLACK MAGICK Negative magick performed with evil or selfish intent; any form of magick that signifies the destructive element, invokes malevolent forces, and is practiced to deliberately cause injury, misfortune, or death to another living thing.

Most Wiccans and Neo-Pagans avoid the use of black magick in any form (also known as “sorcery”) to keep from violating the Wiccan Rede and setting into motion the threefold (and in some cases, sevenfold or greater) negative karma which return to haunt them.

BLACK MASS In Satanism, a travesty of the Roman Catholic Mass in which sacred bread known as the “host” (representing the body of Jesus Christ in a Communion Service) is stolen from a church and desecrated. The Satanic Black Mass ceremony includes the backwards recitation of the Lord’s Prayer and the alleged sacrifice of unbaptized children to the Devil.

Contrary to popular misconception, modern day Witches, Wiccans, and Neo-Pagans do not perform any type of a Black Mass. Nor do they worship or even acknowledge the existence of Satan (other than perhaps in the minds of those who fear or worship him.) The Sabbats of the Witches’ year are not related in any way to the Black Mass, which was a notion first popularized by churchmen of the Middle Ages. They are celebrations of the sacred Earth, Mother Nature, the seasonal transitions, and the myth cycle of the Goddess and Her consort, the Horned God. See also SABBAT, WHEEL OF THE YEAR, and individual Sabbat entries, such as BELTANE, SAMHAIN, and so forth.

BLASTING A term used in medieval times for a malicious act of sorcery believed to have been practiced by Witches and designed mainly to destroy the fertility of crops, animals, and even humans. According to ancient legend, to blast crops, a Witch needed to make a magickal powder from the ashes of a flayed cat, lizard, snake, or toad that had been incinerated over hot coals. The powder would then be scattered over the crop fields, causing them to fail. Blastings were usually carried out as an act of revenge.

Modern Witches do not perform blastings or any other form of black magick that violates the Wiccan Rede. If anything, the majority have been known to cast spells and perform special rites that promote fertility, not destroy it.

BOLLINE A practical white-hilted working knife used by Witches to harvest sacred herbs, cut wooden wands, slice bread, and carve magickal symbols in candles and talismans. Unlike the Witches’ ritual dagger known as an athame, the bolline is generally not used for the storing or directing of energy in spells and rituals. Compare ATHAME.

BOMOR A Malay Shaman (or medicine man) who uses various forms of divination to determine the treatment of sick patients. The bomor also uses counter-charms, makes propitiatory offerings of food to the spirits, and brings back the soul of the patient which is believed to be wandering in limbo during illness.

BOOK OF SHADOWS A secret diary of magickal spells and potions kept by many individual Witches or covens. In certain Wiccan traditions, a Witch’s Book of Shadows must be burned in the event of his or her death in order to protect the secrets of the Craft. In others, it is buried with the Witch or passed down to the surviving children or other heirs. Although a Book of Shadows is traditionally kept confidential, there are a number of modern Witches who elect to have their Book of Shadows published in order to share their knowledge and magickal spells with other Witches.

BOTTLE IMP Mainly in Arabian folklore, a supernatural genielike creature who is confined to a bottle and invoked as needed by a sorcerer’s magickal incantation. Bottle imps have also appeared in some folktales from Estonia, Finland, the Philippines, Sweden, and Switzerland.

BRUJA A name used by the people of Mexico, Central America, and the Hispanic communities throughout the United States for a female Witch. (The name used for a Witch of the male gender is brujo.) The bruja, who is generally regarded as having a much greater power than her male counterpart, is often contacted by individuals in need of healings, charms, the breaking of curses, and the casting of various spells. She is said to work powerful folk magick, handed down to her by many generations of ancestors.

BULLA A round hollow object, inscribed with certain magickal words or symbols, and filled with various substances. Bullas were popular among the ancient Romans and early Christians who used them as amulets for protection against all evil-natured entities.

BUNE WAND An old Scottish nickname given to the legendary Witches’ broomstick, or any object supposedly used by Witches as a flying instrument. See also BESOM.

BURIN An engraving tool used by many Witches and practitioners of the magickal arts to mark names or symbols ritually on athames, swords, bells, and other magickal tools.

BURNING TIMES A term often used by Wiccans and Neo-Pagans alike in reference to the days of the past when it was commonplace in many parts of the world for Witches (or at least those accused of being Witches) to be hunted, tortured, and executed—usually by being burning alive at the stake in a public square. The term “burning times” generally refers to the mid-fifteenth to early eighteenth centuries. It was during this dark and violent period in history that the Christian Church and its infamous Inquisition put to death an estimated 30,000 to nine million people (most of whom were innocent women and children) in their fanatical effort to rid the world of heretics and Devil-worshippers. While it was believed by most during that time that “purification by fire” was the only true way to destroy the evil that was said to be intrinsic of Witches. Some places (such as England and Colonial America) employed public hangings as punishment for those who they believed were in league with the Devil.

CAKES FOR THE DEAD Throughout the country of Belgium, it was at one time a popular Samhain (Halloween) custom for families to prepare special, small white cakes or cookies known as “Cakes for the Dead.” One would be consumed for each deceased loved one being honored, and it was believed that the more cakes a person ate, the more he or she would be blessed by the spirits.

CANCER In astrology, the fourth sign of the zodiac, symbolized by the Crab. Cancer is a Water sign and is ruled by the Moon. Its energies are feminine-yin-negative-passive and its polarity (its opposite sign of the zodiac which expresses the opposite characteristics) is Capricorn. The quadruplicity (quality) of Cancer is Cardinal (meaning enterprising, outgoing, and a natural initiator.) Persons born between June 21 and July 22 are under the sign of Cancer and are said to possess the following traits: sensitivity, persistence, loyalty, devotion (especially to family and home), psychic awareness, and a tendency for mood swings, acting temperamental, and excessive worrying. In matters of love, Cancer is believed to be most compatible with Cancer, Scorpio, Pisces and those with Moon in Cancer. The parts of the human body said to be ruled by Cancer are the breasts and stomach.

CANDLE MAGICK A form of sympathetic magick that uses colored candles to represent the people and things at which its spells are directed. Each color symbolizes a different attribute, influence, and emotion. Candles are anointed with special oils, carved or painted with magickal intents, meditated upon, and chanted over.

Many practitioners of candle magick prefer to work with their own handcrafted candles, but store-bought candles can be just as effective in spellwork.

A candle used for one type of spell should not be reused for a spell of a different nature as the remnants of magickal or psychic energy trapped in the candle’s wax could possibly interfere with or even reverse the outcome of the new spell.

In the popular practice of candle magick, different candle colors correspond to different magickal intents. For instance, purple is a color associated with all matters of a psychic nature, including divination; red is a color for passionate love and sexual affairs; white is for healing and is also associated with all matters of a spiritual nature; silver is a Moon Goddess–lunar energy color; black is for banishing negativity as well as for cursing; green is associated with healing, fertility, and prosperity; and so forth.

Additionally, there are different astral colors for each of the twelve signs of the zodiac, colors corresponding to the days of the week and the Sabbats, etc. (For more information about candle magick read Wicca Candle Magick, Gerina Dunwich, Citadel Press, 1996.)

CANDLEMAS One of the eight Witches Sabbats observed yearly. Also known as Imbolc, Oimelc, Lupercus, Candelaria and Disting (February 14 in the Teutonic Tradition of Wicca), Candlemas is traditionally celebrated on February 2 and is a fire festival celebrating both the Goddess of fertility and the Horned God. In ancient times, Candlemas was celebrated as the Feast of Pan.

At this time of the year, Witches, Wiccans, and Neo-Pagans celebrate change (which equates to growth) and bid farewell to that which is no longer needed. Candlemas Sabbat rituals often include the sweeping of the circle with a besom to symbolize the “sweeping away of the old” in order to make room for the new and that which is yet to be born. Candles are traditionally lit on this night as offerings to the Mother Earth so that her divine power of fertility may soon awaken from its long winter slumber and bring forth springtime.

CAPRICORN In astrology, the tenth sign of the zodiac, symbolized by the Goat or Goat-Fish. Capricorn is an Earth sign and is ruled by the planet Saturn. Its energies are feminine-yin-negative-passive and its polarity (its opposite sign of the zodiac which expresses the opposite characteristics) is Cancer. The quadruplicity of Capricorn is Cardinal (meaning enterprising, outgoing, and a natural initiator.) Persons born between December 22 and January 19 are under the sign of Capricorn and are said to possess the following traits: determination; prudence; faithfulness; ambition with a tendency to be materialistic, pessimistic, shy, or overly-conservative (especially in younger years; however, usually more liberal later in life.) In matters of love, Capricorn is believed to be most compatible with Capricorn, Taurus, Virgo, and those with Moon in Capricorn. The parts of the human body said to be ruled by Capricorn are the bones, joints, knees, skin, and teeth.

CAULDRON A small or large, black cast-iron pot used by Witches that symbolically combines the influences of the four ancient elements, represents the womb of the Goddess, and is used for various purposes including brewing potions, burning incense, and holding charcoal or herbs.

CENSER A metal vessel with a perforated lid, used as an incense burner in many Wiccan rituals, Sabbats, and magickal spellwork. The censer, which is often carried by a chain and swung so as to spread the incense fumes, is symbolic of the ancient element of Air. It is normally used by either the High Priestess or High Priest of a coven at the beginning of a ritual to purify the circle of any negative energies, and also as a tool for invoking the elemental guardians of the East Watchtower (Sylphs).

CEREMONIAL MAGICK The art and practice of controlling the powers of Nature, which are conceived of as being either angelic or demonic, by conjuration of spirits with words of power or sacred god names. Ceremonial Magick, which often employs Christian concepts, typically involves the use of elaborate rituals, dramatic invocations of spirits, and mystic sacraments. It has been practiced since ancient times, and predominantly by men seeking mystical enlightenment or power. Abramelin Magick and the Kaballah are two examples of Ceremonial Magick which continue to be practiced by magicians in contemporary times.

CERNUNNOS The ancient Celtic horned nature god of all wild animals, hunting, and fertility; “Lord of All Living Creatures,” and consort of the Great Mother. He is depicted as a hirsute man with antlers and hoofs, and his name literally means “the Horned One.” In ancient times, he was worshipped in Britain and in Celtic Europe. As a Neo-Pagan god, he is often worshipped by Wiccans of the Gardnerian tradition. See also HORNED GOD.

CHAKRA Any of the special points of psychic-spiritual energy located within the human body. Each chakra (a Sanskrit word meaning “wheel”) is said to be a whirling lotus petal-shaped vortex of multicolored energy. They are not visible to the naked human eye and can only be perceived through clairvoyant means. It is said that chakras can indicate changes in health months or years before problems actually show up in the physical body. Many clairvoyants and psychic healers claim that an accurate diagnosis of a person’s present or future health condition can be made by “reading” the energy of the chakras with the hands or by using a special dowsing pendulum.

The names of the seven major chakras and their locations in the body are as follows: Root Chakra (base of the spine); Sacral Chakra (genital region); Solar Plexus Chakra (between rib cage and navel); Heart Chakra (between center of chest and the shoulder blades); Throat Chakra (forepart of the neck); Third Eye or Brow Chakra (forehead between the eyebrows); and Crown Chakra (top of the head). In addition, there are said to be chakras of lesser energy located in the feet and hands, and hundreds of minor ones throughout the body.

It is believed that the Crown Chakra is the portal where the universal life force enters into the body, and the Root Chakra is the center of kundalini. See also KUNDALINI.

CHALDEAN A seventeenth century general term for a magician or a person versed in occult learning; an astrologer, soothsayer, or practitioner of the Black Art of sorcery. In ancient times, Chaldea (a region in southern Babylonia) was regarded as the center of magickal arts.

CHALICE In Wiccan rituals, a sacred cup or goblet used to hold consecrated water or wine, and normally kept on the west side of the altar. The chalice symbolizes the ancient element of Water. During monthly rituals known as “Drawing Down the Moon,” some High Priestesses “lunar energize” a chalice of wine, water or juice by holding it up to the rays of the full moon. The chalice is then passed around the coven so that all members can partake of its energizing liquid.

CHANNELER A gifted person who, while in a trancelike altered state of consciousness, communicates with or serves as a channel for non-physical beings, ghosts, deities, guardian spirits, or extraterrestrials; a spiritualist medium. See also CHANNELING, SPIRIT, and SPIRITUALISM.

CHANNELING The spontaneous or induced act of communicating with or serving as a channel for non-physical beings, ghosts, deities, guardian spirits, or extraterrestrials while in a trancelike altered state of consciousness. Although channeling is a mystical art often associated with the modern New Age movement in the United States, it is actually a very old practice dating back to ancient times and practiced by nearly all cultures around the world. See also NEW AGE, SPIRITUALISM.

CHARGE OF THE GODDESS During the Wiccan ritual known as Drawing Down the Moon, many High Priestesses of covens (especially those of the Gardnerian and Alexandrian traditions) enter a trancelike state and become a channel through which the Goddess Herself speaks. The address She delivers to the coven is often poetic and inspiring, and is known as the Charge of the Goddess.

The original version of the Charge was written in the 1950s by English Witch Gerald B. Gardner and based upon both Charles Godfrey Leland’s nineteenth-century work Aradia: The Gospel of the Witches and the writings of occultist Aleister Crowley. High Priestess Doreen Valiente rewrote Gardner’s version in verse and took out most of the Aleister Crowley material. She later wrote a final version of the Charge in prose from, which has since become one of the most popular writings in the Craft.

CHARM A highly magickal object that not only works like an amulet or talisman to counteract misfortune, but also can be used to bewitch others; a magickal song or incantation which is often chanted over an amulet or talisman to consecrate it and charge it with magickal energy; to bewitch or seduce by powers of Witchcraft.

CHTHONIC Pertaining to the spirits and deities associated with the Underworld. The word “chthonic,” with a silent “ch,” is pronounced as “thonic” (to rhyme with “tonic”).

CINGULUM In certain traditions of Wicca, a consecrated cord (nine feet long and often of the color red) used by Witches when dancing to raise power. Nine knots on the cord are used for storing built-up power for future magickal use. To release the power, the knots must be untied in the exact order in which they were tied. The cingulum is often worn around the waist on the outside of the robe of the High Priestess or High Priest of a coven. It is also used for measuring a circle to be cast, as the traditional Witches’ circle is said to be nine feet wide.

CIRCUMAMBULATION The ancient and widespread practice of walking around a person, object, or site with the right hand toward it, either as a magickal rite, a religious ceremony, or an act of reverence. Also known as the “sunwise turn” and the “holy round,” circumambulation has been performed by various cultures throughout history to bring good luck, cure diseases, bless the dead, wipe out sins, acquire magickal powers or transformation, and insure the continuation of the solar cycle.

CLOC COSANCA A flat, round, green stone with a hole in the middle. According to ancient Celtic tradition, it offers good fortune and protects against evil when worn or carried as a charm. The cloc cosanca is popular among many Neo-Pagans and Wiccans who are of Irish heritage or belong to a Celtic or Druidic tradition.

Made from alexandrite, aventurine, jade, malachite, peridot, or other green-colored gemstone, a cloc cosanca is normally fashioned by human hand; however, one made exclusively by Mother Nature herself and found in the wild is regarded as a natural amulet of the utmost magickal power.

CONE OF POWER A name for the cone of psychically powered energy that Witches (either Solitaries or those within a coven) conjure up from the Earth into themselves, aim with intent at a specific goal, and then release. The raising of a cone of power is the ritual act of visualizing energy in the form of a spiral or light rising from the Earth or the magick circle into the body, and directing it toward a specific goal or task.

Many psychic-sensitive individuals who are able to perceive auras have actually witnessed the cone of power and described it to be a light with a silvery-blue tint.

After raising, directing, and releasing a cone of power, it is necessary for the good of all to “ground” any remaining energy by either kneeling and slapping the ground repeatedly, rubbing salt between the hands or placing them for several minutes under cold running water or into a bowl filled with soil, sand, or small pieces of crystals and gemstones (especially those which possess strong grounding attributes).

CONJURATION In Ceremonial Magick, the act of evoking spirits by means of formulas or words of power. See also EVOCATION.

CONSECRATION The act, process, or ceremony of making something sacred; the ritual use of water and salt to exorcise negative energies or evil influences from ritual tools, the magick circle, and so forth.

COPAL A sacred incense made of the gum secreted from the trees of the genus Elapbrium. Copal was used by native Middle Americans in pre-conquest times, and is widely used today in many Christian and Neo-Pagan ceremonies.

CORN DOLLY In Witchcraft and folk-legend, a human or animal figure fashioned from the last sheaf of corn from a harvest and used in Lammas and Autumn Equinox Sabbats as a sacred symbol of the Goddess and the fertility of the Earth. In England, Germany, and Scotland, the corn dolly is kept to ensure a bountiful harvest for the following year.

COUNTER MAGICK Two examples of counter magick are countercharms and counterspells. The first is a powerful and protective charm or amulet that is used by Witches, magicians, and Shamans to either neutralize or reverse the effects of another’s charm or spell—usually one that is malevolent in nature. The counterspell is a powerful and protective magickal spell or incantation that has the same function as the countercharm.

Counter magick is employed when one suspects being victimized by another’s imprecation or is being magickally manipulated in one way or another against one’s own free will. Often, white light visualizations to shield oneself against what is known as “psychic attack” from others are performed in conjunction with counter magick.

The use of countercharms and counterspells is ancient in origin and is known to Witches, magicians, and Shamans in all cultures.

COVEN A group of Witches, also known as a “circle” and traditionally (though not necessarily) thirteen in number, who gather together to work magick and perform ceremonies at Sabbats and Esbats. A covener is a woman or man who is a member of a coven, and a covenstead is the place where a coven holds its regular meetings, which can be either indoors or out in nature.

COWAN Among Witches, any individual who is not a follower of the Old Religion or of any Pagan spiritual path. This word is used by Witches in much the same manner as the word “gentile” is used by Jews when referring to someone who is not of the Jewish faith.

THE CRAFT A term used for Witchcraft, Wicca, or the Craft of the Wise; the Old Religion; the practice of folk magick. See also WICCA, WITCHCRAFT.

CREATRIX (or CREATRESS) A name for any female deity who is believed to have given birth to the cosmos, to other goddesses and gods, and to mankind. The belief in a creator goddess is shared by many Wiccans and Neo-Pagans of various spiritual paths; however, the concept of God as being a woman is far from being a newly-invented idea. In fact the ancient pre-Christian religions of many cultures from around the world attributed the creation of the universe and all living things to a Mother Goddess. For example, Nammu was a Mesopotamian creatrix who was said to have made the human race out of molded clay. From circa 3000 B.C. to circa A.D. 400 the Egyptian goddess Nut was worshipped as a creator goddess, as was Neith (“who emerged from the primeval ocean to create the world.”) The Aztec’s version of a creator goddess was a toadlike deity called Tlaltecuhtli, while the Babylonian creation myth centered around the primordial goddess Tiamat. The Japanese (Shinto) goddess Izanami-No-Kami, the Mayan goddess Ix Zacal Nok, and the Nigerian goddess Oduduwa are all said to have given birth to the world.

CRONE The third aspect of the Triple Goddess. She corresponds to the waning and dark phases of the moon, and is usually depicted in works of art as an aged, haglike woman, often quite terrifying in Her appearance. To Wiccans, the Crone (who is also known as the Dark Goddess) represents maturity, wisdom, spiritual peace, a time of endings that lead to new beginnings, and death that brings forth new life.

In various cultures, many different crone goddesses have been worshipped as the third aspect of a divine feminine trinity; however, in Neo-Paganism and the Craft of Wicca, the most popular goddess who represents the Crone is the Greek lunar goddess Hecate. See also MAIDEN, MOTHER, and TRIPLE GODDESS.

CROSS The cross is one of the oldest of mystical symbols, and in Encyclopoedia Heraldica, there are over 385 different varieties listed. In Christianity, the cross is an important symbol of Jesus Christ’s death and resurrection. However, the symbol of the cross is actually not of Christian origin, as many believe. It was widely used by Pagan cultures in pre-Christian times as both a religious symbol and magickal tool, and did not become a symbol of the Christian tradition until about the fifth century. When worn as an amulet, the cross protects the wearer from the dark forces of evil, jinx, and bad luck. Crosses are used in many Voodoo rituals and Hoodoo spells, and they are often worn as protective amulets by spiritual healers and Tarot card readers to dispel negative influences. For best results, a cross should be made out of gold and anointed once a day with either myrrh oil or holy water.

CRYSTAL BALL A sphere of crystal or glass used for scrying—an ancient method of divination popular among many Wiccans, especially on the night of Samhain. Crystal balls come in all sizes and colors, and the images seen within them may be either actual or symbolic and relate to either the past, present, or future. The crystal ball is the focus for the scryers psychic perception and does not, in itself, cause the visions to materialize. The art and practice of divination by gazing into a crystal ball is known as crystalomancy.

CURSE In black magick and sorcery, a deliberate concentration of destructive negative energy, often accompanied by the evocation of evil spirits or demons, and intended to harm a particular person, thing, or place; an imprecation.

Most modern Witches and those who follow the path of Wicca do not dabble in curses for such malevolent magick violates the Wiccan Rede and causes the rebounding of bad karma, which many Wiccans believe is threefold or greater. There are certain instances, however, when a special type of curse known as a “binding” is necessary and is almost always done to stop an evil or misguided individual from continuing to do harm (either magickally or by some other means) upon others.

A small number of Witches feel that cursing is acceptable when warranted, such as in the case of avenging a serious crime which has gone unpunished or making even the score with one who has worked black magick to cause severe harm to the Witch or her loved ones. However, most in the Craft today feel that cursing is unethical and self-destructive no matter how or for what reason it is performed, and many do not even feel that bindings are an acceptable practice.

Outside of Wicca, in many other cultures around the world where magick or Shamanism is practiced, justified cursing is not regarded as being unethical or subject to karmic consequences, and a person supposedly skilled in the magickal arts who could not, or would not, cast a curse to stop criminals or enemies from doing harm would be considered totally useless to society. See also BINDING.

DAGHDA The principal god of the Pagan tribes of Ireland, Lord of Great Knowledge, and a god of fertility and the Earth. He was believed to have controlled life and death with a great club and had a mysterious cauldron with magickal powers.

DEITY A supreme or divine being; a god or goddess. In most traditions of Wicca, followers are encouraged to connect with one or more patron deities from any pantheon of their own choosing, providing that they feel in complete harmony with that particular goddess or god. Many Wiccans elect to work with deities from pantheons which reflect their ethnic heritage; others select a deity based primarily on that deity’s attributes (especially when spellcasting is involved.) For instance, when casting a love spell, a deity who is associated with love (such as Aphrodite or Venus) should be chosen for invocation.

Normally a patron deity would possess some or all of the qualities which a Wiccan was striving to develop, improve, or maintain within her or himself. A woman seeking to be more independent and strong like a warrioress would do well with Diana or Artemis as her patron deity. A teacher or seeker of knowledge would be well guided with Minerva or Ganesha—two deities associated with wisdom. Hecate would be an appropriate deity for Crones and individuals (especially women) who are interested in the occult arts, and so forth. Still, other Wiccans are content with just the simple concept of the Goddess or the God as their sole deities of worship and inspiration. (For those who wish to choose a patron deity, the second half of this book is a good place to start.)

DÉJÀVU The feeling of having previously experienced something actually being experienced for the first time. Déjà vu almost always occurs without warning or explanation, and most people have felt what they consider to be déjà vu at least once in their lives. Some experience it frequently and others only from time to time. It is common for déjà vu to last anywhere from a fleeting moment to several seconds; however, certain individuals experience this strange and unexplained phenomenon for longer durations. Déjà vu (French for “already seen”) is regarded by many to be evidence of reincarnation—a religious concept shared by most who follow the Wiccan path. See also REINCARNATION.

DEOSIL A word used by Wiccans to indicate a clockwise motion. In most spells and rituals, deosil movement (also known as “sunwise”) symbolizes life and positive energy, and is the way in which circles are cast. The opposite of deosil is widdershins, which means counterclockwise, and is the way in which circles are uncast at the end of rituals.

DIANIC WICCA See WICCAN TRADITIONS.

DIVINATION The occult science, art, and practice of discovering the unknown and foretelling events of the future by interpreting omens or by various methods such as Tarot cards, dice, crystal balls, Ouija boards, astrology, runestones, dream interpretation, and so forth.

Many Wiccans and Neo-Pagans take a strong interest in divination, often performing any of its numerous methods prior to spellcasting in order to determine the outcome of their magick. Divination is also a practice traditionally associated with the Witches’ Sabbats, especially Samhain.

DIVINE A word with three meanings: 1. To foretell future events or reveal hidden knowledge through any form of divination. See DIVINATION above. 2. To locate underground water, buried treasure, or any hidden or lost object with a divining rod (a forked stick, branch, or metal rod which vibrates or bends downward when held directly over the source.) 3. Of, relating to, emanating from, or being the expression of a divine being, such as a god, goddess, Creator, Great Spirit, and so forth.

DÖPPELGANGER The human double, astral body, or ghost resembling a living person. The word is derived from a German expression meaning “Double Walker.” A döppelganger is visible to the person it resembles and can also appear to others as an apparition.

DRAGON’S BLOOD The resin from the palm tree Daemonorops draco is used by Witches as a magickal incense for various enchantments. Dragon’s blood is highly valued as an herb of love magick and protection. It dispels negativity and is good for the exorcism of evil supernatural entities. It is said to restore lost manhood to men who suffer from an impaired sex drive. A magickal ink made from dragon’s blood is traditionally used by Witches and magicians for drawing magick word squares and talismans.

DRAWING DOWN THE MOON In Wicca and Witchcraft, the ritual invocation of the Goddess spirit-force into the High Priestess of a coven by the High Priest who uses his male polarity to conjure forth the divine essence in the female polarity of the High Priestess. During this modern ritual (also known as “Calling Down the Moon”), the High Priestess enters a trancelike altered state of consciousness, and draws the power of the Goddess into herself. The High Priestess then functions as a channel of the Goddess or as the Goddess incarnate in the circle until it has been uncast.

DRAWING DOWN THE SUN In Wicca and Witchcraft, the ritual invocation of the Horned God spirit-force into the High Priest of a coven by the High Priestess who uses her female polarity to conjure forth the divine essence in the male polarity of the High Priest. During this modern ritual (which is also known as “Calling Down the Sun” or “Drawing Down the Horned God”), the High Priest enters a trancelike altered state of consciousness, and draws the power of the Horned God into himself. The High Priest then functions as a channel of the Horned God or as the Horned God incarnate within the circle until it has been uncast.

DRUIDS Priests of pre-Christian religion among the ancient Celtic nations in Gaul, Britain, and Germany; believed by some to be either colonists from the fabled continent of Atlantis or descendants of Atlantean priests. The three classes of Druids that existed were the Prophets, the Priests, and the Bards. The Druids identified their supreme god “Be’al” with the sun, worshipped in sacred groves, and also prayed to numerous inferior deities. They performed both animal and human sacrifices to their gods, and observed two festivals each year: Beltane (“fire of God”), which took place on the first day in May, and Samhain (“fire of peace”), which was held on October 31 and celebrated as the ancient Celtic New Year. The Druids performed the functions of priests, religious teachers, judges, and civil administrators, and were skilled in the arts of magick, astrology, and herbalism. They also believed that the soul was immortal and continuously renewed itself by passing into the physical body of a newborn baby upon the death of an individual. The oak tree and the mistletoe (known as the “Golden Bough”) were sacred to the Druids and regarded as being highly magickal. On the sixth day of the full moon, Druid priests, garbed in flowing white robes, carefully harvested the mistletoe with a golden sickle and used it in healing rituals and fertility rites. Druidism flourished from the second century B.C. until the Roman conquest in the second century A.D.; however, in many parts of Ireland and Scotland, Druidism continued until the coming of the Christian missionaries many centuries later. After many Druids were converted to Christianity, the old Celtic tribal religion declined.

A renewed interest in Druidism in the Middle Ages eventually led to the founding of modern Druidism in eighteenth-century England. At least five major Druid organizations had been established by the early twentieth century. Their members were taught many of the ancient ways from worshipping in groves (worshipping groups similar to Wiccan covens) to incorporating magickal workings and divination into their spirituality just as the Druidic priests and priestesses had done nearly two thousand years earlier. However, unlike their ancient (and barbaric) counterparts, the religious practices of the new Druids did not include the act of human sacrifice. Neo-Druidism soon made its way to the United States and in 1963 a group called the Reformed Druids of North America came into existence. From the RDNA, numerous groves branched out coast to coast.

EARTH One of the four ancient and alchemical elements which corresponds to the North Watchtower of the magick circle. The spirits of the element Earth are known as gnomes. See also ELEMENTALS.

EARTH SIGNS In astrology, the three signs of the zodiac attributed to the element of Earth: Capricorn, Taurus, and Virgo.

EKE-NAME In Witchcraft and Wicca, a Witch’s secret name, also known as a Witch-Name. Many Witches take on one or more secret names to signify their rebirth and new life within the Craft. Eke-names are most sacred and are used only among brothers and sisters of the same path. When a Witch takes on a new name, he or she must be careful to choose one that harmonizes in one way or another with numerological namenumbers, birth-numbers, or runic numbers. A well-chosen name vibrates with that individual and directly links him or her to the Craft.

ELEMENTALS Also known as the “Guardians of the Watchtowers” (or of the four directional points at the perimeter of a magick circle), the elements are perceived by Witches and practitioners of the magickal arts as spirit-creatures that personify the qualities attributed to the four ancient elements of Air, Fire, Water, and Earth. Sylphs are the elemental spirits of Air, which corresponds to the East and symbolizes consciousness, freedom, communication, and the powers of the mind. Salamanders are the elemental spirits of Fire, which corresponds to the South and symbolizes the spirit, energy, individuality, and identity. Undines are the elemental spirits of Water, which corresponds to the West and symbolizes life, the emotions, the subconscious, psychic powers, and the soul. Gnomes are the elemental spirits of Earth, which corresponds to the North, and symbolizes form, strength, stability, fertility, and the physical. The elements of Air and Fire are associated with yang-masculine-positive energies; while the elements of Water and Earth are associated with yin-feminine-negative energies. In the Tarot, the element of Air corresponds to the suit of Swords, the element of Fire to the suit of Wands, the element of Water to the suit of Cups (also known as Chalices), and the element of Earth to the suit of Pentacles (also known as Coins).

ENCHANTMENT Another word for magick; the act of bewitching or casting a spell upon someone or something.

ESBAT A regular meeting of a Witches’ coven or circle that is traditionally held during the full moon approximately thirteen times a year. At an esbat, the coveners exchange ideas, discuss problems and important issues, perform special rites, work magick and healings, and give thanks to or request help from the Goddess and Horned God.

The esbat should not be confused with the Sabbat, which takes place eight times within the course of a year and corresponds with the seasonal cycle of Sun and Earth.

EVIL EYE In folk legend and sorcery, the inborn supernatural power to cause bewitchment, harm, misfortune, or death to others by an angry or venomous glance. Throughout history, many Witches have been accused of possessing the power of the evil eye, and numerous methods were devised by different cultures to guard against it. Some of these old methods included the wearing or carrying of garlic, feathers, bells, beads and various other countercharms, the painting of the eyelids with black makeup (a practice dating back to the ancient Egyptians), and the making of obscene hand gestures (popular in Italy).

EVOCATION In Ceremonial Magick, the summoning of a spirit, angel, demon, or other non-physical entity by using commands and words of power, often in conjunction with certain ritual tools. Evocations are performed by magicians within a magick circle of protection and usually to cause a spirit to materialize in a triangle outside of the circle. Once evoked, the spirit serves to do the magician’s bidding. Many ancient grimoires and other archaic books written about magickal practices contain detailed ritual outlines for evoking spirits. This often elaborate ritual is seldom, if ever, performed by Wiccans, and is considered by many to be potentially dangerous if carried out by one who does not possess the required knowledge and expertise of ceremonial workings. Compare INVOCATION.

EXORCISM According to Christian tradition, demonic exorcism is the expulsion of an evil spirit, demon, or Satanic force from a possessed person or place by special prayers, rituals, and commands made in the name of Jesus Christ. The demonic entity is then condemned by the exorcist to eternal damnation.

In spirit exorcism (which differs in many ways from demonic exorcism and which many Witches are called upon to carry out), Earthbound spirits are released with love, and remnants of unwanted energies of a psychic or spiritual nature are cleared from “haunted” houses and other places where such disturbances occur. This is accomplished by various magickal means, smudging with sacred herbs of purification, or the use of psychic persuasion. Witches do not believe in the Devil or in demons (which play a role in Christianity, but not in Wicca or NeoPaganism.) In spirit exorcism there is no exiling of a spirit to the eternal fires of Hell and no use of the Roman Catholic Church’s Rituale Romanum.

EYE OF HORUS An ancient Egyptian symbol which depicts the divine eye of the god Horus, represents both solar and lunar energies, and is often used in contemporary Witchcraft as a symbol of spiritual protection as well as the clairvoyant power of the Third Eye.

The name used by the ancient Egyptians for the Eye of Horus symbol was the udjat (“Eye of God”). They believed strongly in the power of the udjat to protect against the evil eye (an “eye for an eye,” perhaps?) and often placed the design on amulets, talismans, jewelry, paraphernalia of both a magickal and religious nature, pottery, and works of art. Additionally, the magickal, all-seeing udjat was believed to bring good health and used as a funerary amulet.

FAET FIADA A powerful magickal spell used by the ancient Druids to either make themselves invisible or to enable them to see others who were. The faet fiada was also used to transform men into animals, according to legend.

FAMILIAR A Witch’s pet. In the Middle Ages (especially in Europe, Great Britain, and the New England region of the United States) it was believed by many that all Witches had one or more familiars, which were actually demons or attendant spirits that manifested themselves usually in the form of a cat, dog, lizard, bat, hare, raven, toad, or some other small animal. They were also said to be able to assume the form of an ordinary insect. In exchange for aiding a Witch in her magickal practices, it was required to feed the familiar daily a drop of blood from the pricked finger of the Witch. If she was lactating, she would sometimes allow it to breastfeed from her. Male Witches (or “warlocks” as they were called by the Church and Inquisition) also were said to possess familiars. It was common for many warlocks to have dogs as familiars, and for female Witches to have cats (which were known as “malkins”). After the “burning times” reached its demise in the early eighteenth century, fear of and belief in the Witches’ demonic familiar subsided.

Many modern Witches refer to their cats and dogs (and other pets) as familiars. They no doubt have a strong loving and spiritual bond with their animals, and may or may not cast spells and perform rituals with their familiars by their side. Of course the familiars that belong to modern Witches are not really demons or the Devil in disguise (as Christians of days gone by once believed) and Witches do not feed them their blood or breast milk in exchange for their services.

FASCINATION The act of using the evil eye to mesmerize victims so that one can cause ill health to befall them; another name for the evil eye. See also EVIL EYE.

FETCH Another name for a Witch’s astral body; in folklore, the ghostly apparition or double of a living person, believed to be an omen of their death.

FETISH A symbolic material object or talisman believed among many primitive cultures to possess the magickal or supernatural power to protect and ward off evil. The belief in and worship of fetishes is known as fetishism.

FIRE One of the four ancient and alchemical elements which corresponds to the South Watchtower of the magick circle. The spirits of Fire are known as Salamanders. See also ELEMENTALS.

FIRE SIGNS In astrology, the three signs of the zodiac attributed to the ancient element of Fire: Aries, Leo, and Sagittarius.

FIRESTICK Another name for a Witch’s magick wand, denoting its correspondence to the element of Fire: See also WAND.

FLAGAE Familiar-spirits that are said to appear in mirrors and reveal obscure information or esoteric truths to Witches and magicians alike. To conjure the Flagae, according to occult tradition, a person must gaze steadily into a mirror by candlelight during the witching hour (which, of course, is the midnight hour of the first night of the Full Moon). The belief in mirror-spirits dates back to ancient times when it was commonly thought that mirrors were the gateway to the realm of the supernatural.

FLAGELLATION The art or practice of ritual scourging, which is often used by some Wiccan traditions (particularly the Gardnerians) as one of the many methods to raise magickal energy. The technique of flagellation is normally applied in a gentle, but steady, manner for the purpose of altering consciousness by drawing blood away from the brain. In such an altered state, the opening of a Witch’s Third Eye (the forehead chakra, or power point) is believed to be facilitated, thus allowing his or her psychic and magickal powers to manifest or strengthen. Since the 1960s, the controversial use of flagellation in Witchcraft rituals has greatly declined.

FLYING OINTMENT In medieval Witchcraft, an ointment containing fat (supposedly of an unbaptized infant) and various hallucinogenic herbs such as henbane, belladonna, and mandrake. The flying ointment was rubbed on the body to enable a Witch to fly through the air on a broomstick, master invisibility, or shapeshift. There is little doubt among Witchcraft historians that after absorbing the poisonous flying ointment through the skin, many Witches on psychedelic trips experienced sights, sounds, and sensations that led them to believe they were actually flying, were invisible, or were going through physical transformations. Additionally, the old bizarre stories of demonic, orgiastic Sabbats which Witches supposedly flew off in the night on broomsticks to attend, in all probability were nothing more than hallucinatory delusions brought on by the mind-altering components of the flying ointment.

FUTHORC The name of the “alphabet” of the runes, and an acronym of the first six runic characters of the Anglo-Saxon (or Celtic) system: Feoh, Ur, Thorn, Os, Rad, Cen.

FYLFOT CROSS In Ceremonial Magick, an ornamental symbol resembling a swastika which is divided into squares bearing the twelve signs of the zodiac and the four signs of the ancient alchemical elements with a solar symbol in the center.

FYLGJA In Norwegian folklore, a tutelary spirit regarded as either a person’s double which is conceived of in animal form, a guardian spirit which appears in dreams to give advice or warning, or a person’s soul which passes to another member of the family after death. According to folk belief, it is considered an omen of death to see one’s own fylgja, except in a dream.

GARTERS In certain traditions of Wicca, special garters made of snakeskin, leather, or velvet (often decorated with a silver buckle) that are tied around the leg above the knee and regarded as a sign of rank among Witches. Garters are usually worn by High Priestesses of covens or by those who become Witch Queens (a name given to High Priestesses whose covens have “given birth” to new covens.) Solitary Witches as a rule do not use garters in their religious or magickal practices.

The wearing of garters in rituals is believed to be a custom dating as far back as Paleolithic times. In the Middle Ages, it was said to be a practice associated with the worship of the Devil.

GEMINI In astrology, the third sign of the zodiac, symbolized by the Twins. Gemini is an Air sign and is ruled by the planet Mercury. Its energies are masculine-yang-positive-active, and its polarity (its opposite sign of the zodiac which expresses the opposite characteristics) is Sagittarius. The quadruplicity (quality) of Gemini is Mutable (meaning flexible and able to adapt). Persons born between May 21 and June 20 are under the sign of Gemini and are said to possess the following traits: generosity, charm, an energetic personality, adaptability, and versatility. Geminis make wonderful artists, athletes, musicians, and public speakers; however, they are often prone to fickleness, restlessness, and the weakness of superficiality. In matters of love, Gemini is believed to be most compatible with Gemini, Libra, Aquarius, and those with Moon in Gemini. The parts of the human body said to be ruled by Gemini are the hands, arms, shoulders, and lungs.

GLYPH A powerful magickal symbol representing the name and date of birth of a person, and often worn as a charm to protect against bad luck or disease.

GNOMES Elemental spirits of the Earth; in folklore, mischievous and ugly dwarflike creatures associated with buried treasures and believed to inhabit underground regions. Also known as elves and goblins. See also ELEMENTALS.

THE GODDESS The supreme female aspect of the Divine; the consort of the Horned God (the male aspect of the Divine); and the main deity honored and invoked by many Wiccans. Worship of the Goddess has been traced back as far as primitive times and She has been known by thousands of names throughout the various cultures, past and present, from around the world.

GRAY MAGICK The art and practice of any form of magick that is neither totally white nor totally black; magick that combines elements of both white and black; or white magick that borders on being black magick, but is not necessarily performed with evil or malicious intent. Love spells that are of a manipulative nature, a death spell to end the long and painful suffering of a terminally ill loved one, and a self-defense spell that returns a curse to its sender are several examples of gray magick.

THE GREAT RITE A name used for ritual sexual intercourse which is performed either actually or symbolically as a sublime religious experience. This major male-female “polarity” ritual (also known as the “Sacred Marriage”) is often enacted at major Sabbats (especially Samhain) by the High Priestess and the High Priest of a coven who draw down into themselves the spirits of the Goddess and the Horned God, respectively, and experience a divine union that is both spiritual and physical. In certain Wiccan traditions (such as Gardnerian), the Great Rite is performed as part of the Third Degree Initiation, which promotes a Witch to the highest of the three grades of the Craft.

The performing of the Great Rite is by no means a mandatory requirement in the Wiccan Craft, nor is it merely just an excuse to indulge in sexual pleasures under the guise of religion. It is in fact an extremely serious ritual, as it releases an enormous amount of power which is directed with magickal intent. It is traditionally performed (in private) only by a consenting High Priestess and High Priest, and never sexually involves other members of the coven. It is also important to point out that in this age of fatal sexually-transmitted diseases, many Wiccans choose to perform the Great Rite in symbolic fashion only. This calls for the High Priest to plunge the blade of his athame (symbol of the phallus and male energy) into the High Priestess’ wine-filled chalice (symbol of the vagina and female energy).

GREEN WITCH A nickname for a female or male Witch who is skilled in the art of wortcunning (the knowledge and use of the secret healing and magickal properties of herbs). The herb magick practiced by a Green Witch is called “the Green Arts” or “Green Magick,” and the use of medicinal herbs is known as “Green Healing.”

GRIMOIRE A type of magickal workbook containing various spells, formulas, rituals, and incantations; any collection of magickal spells and formulas. One of the most famous of all grimoires is the medieval Key of Solomon, which contains conjurations, prayers, detailed pentacles for each of the planets, and detailed commentaries on the nature of spirits invoked in Ceremonial Magick, Witchcraft, and necromancy. See also KEY OF SOLOMON.

HALLOWEEN Another name for Samhain—one of the eight Sabbats celebrated yearly by Witches, Wiccans, and NeoPagans. See also SAMHAIN.

HANDFASTING A Wiccan wedding ceremony that joins a man and a woman “for as long as love shall last” and allows them to freely go their separate ways should they ever fall out of love with each other. Handfasting is usually performed during the waxing moon by a High Priestess or High Priest of a coven. White robes and flowers are normally worn by all attending the ceremony, although some covens prefer to work skyclad (nude). Rings of gold or silver with the names of the bride and groom inscribed on them in runes (or other magickal alphabets) are traditionally exchanged in addition to the vows of love. Often the hands of the bride and groom are tied together with a consecrated knotted cord to signify that they have been joined together in matrimonial union. A handfasting may be performed as either a legally binding wedding or as a non-legally binding spiritual commitment rite.

The opposite of a handfasting is a handparting. This is a Wiccan ceremony that dissolves the marriage partnership between an estranged couple.

HAND OF GLORY In Medieval sorcery, a gruesome charm made from the mummified hand of a hanged criminal. It was used mainly by thieves as a magickal tool to paralyze or put their victims to sleep so that they could easily rob them. The Hand of Glory was an extremely popular element in evil spells and is one of the most famous charms in the history of black magick. To make a Hand of Glory, according to an ancient grimoire of magick and sorcery, the severed hand of a gibbeted felon must be wrapped in a piece of burial shroud, squeezed tightly to remove any remaining blood, pickled in an earthenware pot with salt, saltpeter, and long peppers for two weeks, and then dried in full sunlight or in an oven with vervain and fern. A candle made from virgin wax, Lapland sesame, and the fat from the hanged man is then placed in the hand, and as long as the flame of the candle burns, the power of the charm will work. According to legend, the only way to protect oneself against the Hand of Glory and to render the charm powerless is to extinguish the candle flame by dowsing it with milk.

HARVEST DOLL A special doll made from the last sheaf of the harvest and regarded as the embodiment of the spirit of the crops. Harvest dolls, which are also called “corn dollies” and “kirn babies” are used by many Wiccans as both altar decorations and symbolic sacrifices in their Lammas or Autumn Equinox Sabbat rituals.

HELL-BROTH In medieval Witchcraft and sorcery, the nickname for a magickal potion boiled in a cauldron and consisting of various repulsive ingredients such as animal entrails, urine, powdered skulls, black widow spiders, and so forth.

HERMES TRISMEGISTUS “Hermes the thrice greatest”—the Greek name for the Egyptian god Thoth, who, as scribe of the gods, was credited with all sacred writings. He was the patron of the magickal arts and a powerful deity associated with healing. His symbols were the caduceus (which represents mystical illumination) and the emerald (upon which was recorded all of philosophy.)

In the ancient Egyptian Mysteries, Hermes Trismegistus was said to have been the giver of “the wisdom of the light.” The forty-two sacred books of mystical wisdom known as the Hermetica were attributed to him and had a major influence on Western occultism and the arts of magick.

HERMETIC A word with three meanings: 1. Of or relating to Hermes Trismegistus. 2. Of or pertaining to the occult sciences, especially alchemy and Ceremonial Magick. 3. A magician or priest of the Hermetic tradition.

HERMETIC MAGICK A form of magick, dating back to the first century A.D., that combines Egyptian magickal knowledge with other occult traditions.

HEX 1. In American folk belief, an evil spell or curse. Hexing involves the casting of spells (usually by a professional sorcerer known as a “hex doctor”) through magickal formulas based mainly on Gypsy folk magick and medieval church rituals. Although hexes are usually performed as black magick to inflict illness, misfortune, or even death, they can also be used in a positive manner to cure sickness, bring good luck, or break the powers of the evil eye and the jinx.

The belief in hexerai (the Pennsylvania Dutch version of sorcery) continues to be widespread in modern times. As late as 1949, a lawsuit for “alienation of affections by hexing” was brought in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania. Hex signs, which are painted on barns to protect animals from the evil eye and the workings of spells, are still common today in eastern Pennsylvania. The term “hex” is found in various parts of the United States, especially among the Pennsylvania Dutch, and stems from the German hexe, meaning witch. 2. To bewitch or cast an evil spell upon a particular person, animal, or property. 3. A man or woman who practices powwow. Also known as a hexter or a hex-doctor, such a person is skilled in the making of magickal antidotes such as amulets and talismans to ward off the evil power of hexes. 4. Any individual who possesses the supernatural power of the evil eye. See also POWWOW, WARDING.

HEXAGRAM In Western magick and mysticism, a powerful occult symbol made up of two triangles, one superimposed on the other, and used to master spirits and banish influences of evil. The two triangles symbolize man and God; the symbol of the “Seal of Solomon” or the “Star of David”; in alchemy, the triangles symbolize the elements of Fire and Water, distillation, and the Philosopher’s Stone which is said to be composed of both Fire and Water.

HEX SIGN In Pennsylvania Dutch folk belief, a brightly-colored symbol of a five, six, or eight-pointed star within a circle, described as a “painted prayer.” Hex signs, at one time known as sechs, are painted on the sides of barns and on the doors and window shutters of farmhouses in many parts of eastern Pennsylvania to protect the home, farm, or animals against sorcery and to keep evil spirits at bay. See also HEX, POWWOW, WARDING.

HEXTER See HEX.

HIGH MAGICK Another name for Ceremonial Magick. The opposite of High Magick is Low Magick, also known as folk magick and practical magick. See also CEREMONIAL MAGICK.

HOLEY STONES In folk magick, small stones with naturally occurring holes that are strung together on a thick cord like a necklace and hung in a window as an amulet to attract good luck and keep evil influences away from a house.

HOODOO A type of folk magick which combines European techniques with the Voodoo rituals brought to the New World by African slaves. Hoodoo is practiced mainly by African Americans in rural areas of the southern United States, especially Louisiana.

HOODOO HANDS In the art and practice of hoodoo, magickal charms that are used to bring the wearer good luck, or to bring illness and death if directed against an enemy.

HORNED GOD In Wicca and Witchcraft, the consort of the Goddess and the symbol of male sexuality as well as the Divine Masculine. The Horned God presides over woodlands, wild animals, and the hunt. The Sun is His sacred symbol (as the Moon is the Goddess’s) and He is regarded as the lord of life, death, and the Underworld. The Horned God plays an equally important role in Wicca as does the Goddess, for without His essence to keep nature in balance, the perfect harmony of yin and yang cannot be achieved.

According to the ancient myth cycle of God(dess) which corresponds to the changing of the seasons, the Goddess gives birth to the Horned God at the Winter Solstice when the daily hours of sunlight begin to slowly increase. The Horned God unites with Her at Beltane (May Day), and at the Summer Solstice when the daily hours of sunlight begin to wane, He sacrifices Himself to benefit all living things. He returns to the divine womb of the Goddess and remains there until He is once again reborn at the next Winter Solstice. Some Wiccan traditions observe His sacrificial death at the harvest Sabbats (Lammas and Autumn Equinox) or at Samhain, while some do not incorporate the myth cycle into their worship at all.

Like the Goddess, the Horned God is known by many names. In many Wiccan traditions, He is identified with the Greek nature god Pan, Herne the Hunter, Tammuz, Dionysus, or Cernunnos (the Celtic god of fertility, and all things wild and free). His horns are symbolic of the crescent moon as well as being symbolic of His domain of the forests. In works of art He is often depicted in a satyrical form.

The Horned God has never been worshipped by Pagans as an evil or demonic deity; however, with the advent of the Christian faith, the Catholic Church in their attempt to bastardize the Old Religion, took the image of the gentle and loving Horned God, contaminated it with hellish attributes, and called it their Devil.

HOROSCOPE In astrology, a chart of the heavenly bodies that shows the relative positions of the planets at a certain moment in time. Given the exact time and place of an individual’s birth, an astrologer can cast a horoscope from which to define the subject’s character and advise them on future courses of action.

IDOL An image or inanimate object representing a god or goddess. In certain beliefs, an idol is thought to possess power in itself and is often worshipped in rituals as if it was the actual deity. One who worships idols is called an “idolater.”

ILLUMINATION Mystical or spiritual enlightenment.

IMAGE MAGICK A primitive but potent form of magick, which works on the basic principle that like produces like. The most common objects used in this practice are small enchanted figures created to represent enemies in the belief that anything done to the effigy similarly affects the man or woman whom it represents. These figures, or image dolls, can be made of wax or clay, carved of wood, or plaited from straw. Wax image dolls are most commonly used since they can easily kill an enemy by being placed in a fire or over a candle to melt, dissolved in hot water to cause the victim a prolonged, agonizing death, or stuck with pins, nails, or blades to make various parts of the victim’s body burn with excruciating pain. A sorcerer can also use an image doll to bring impotency, blindness, or insanity to an enemy simply by stabbing the appropriate body part of the doll. The practice of image magick is common among practitioners of Voodoo and African tribal magick. Although image dolls are generally associated with black magick and evil sorcery, they can also be used in love magick and in white (or positive) magick rituals to heal sickness, stimulate fertility, etc. (Also called SYMPATHETIC MAGICK.)

IMBOLC In certain Wiccan traditions, the Celtic name used for Candlemas—one of the eight Sabbats celebrated yearly by Wiccans, Witches, and Neo-Pagans. See also CANDLEMAS.

IMP In medieval Witchcraft, a Witch’s familiar; a small demonic goblin-like creature. During the “burning times,” it was believed by many that imps were dispatched to Earth by the Devil to serve Witches in their supposed “evil-doings.” Being shapeshifting supernatural creatures, imps often took the form of small animals or insects in order to guard their true identities from all with the exception of the Witch herself (or himself, as the case may have been). When not incognito as Earthly creatures, imps were said to be hideous gargoylelike monsters with serpentlike tails, pointed ears, claws, hoofed feet, scaly or furry bodies, and horned heads.

IMPRECATION A curse; the act of invoking a curse upon someone or something, or the recitation of any prayer with evil intent. The word “imprecation” (which derives from the Latin imprecari, meaning to “invoke by prayer”) was commonly used in the Middle Ages, especially by Witch hunters of the Inquisition. In contemporary times, it is seldom, if ever, used.

INCANTATION The ritual recitation of words of power or special phrases, usually rhymed, in order to produce a magickal effect. Incantations (which are also known as chants, spoken charms, and sometimes as runes) can be used in spells and rituals for either beneficial or harmful purposes, depending upon the intent of the spellcaster. In order to be effective, an incantation must be done during the correct lunar phase (See also MOON) and accompanied by a visualization of the intent and the raising-directing-releasing of magickal energy. Not all Witches recite incantations when spellcasting; however, the majority of those who do find that the speaking of words aids the mind in focusing upon the desired goal and facilitates the building up of energy.

A sample incantation for the breaking of a curse and the turning back of its negative energy threefold upon the curser follows:

By magickal verse

I now break this curse.

By law of the three

I return it to thee.

INCANTATRIX A name, once popular in days of yore, for a female Witch or sorceress who was skilled in the magickal art of incantation.

INCUBUS In medieval folk legend, a demon or evil entity (or in some cases, the ghost or fetch of an evil male Witch) that takes on the shape of a handsome man and seduces women as they sleep in order to possess their souls or drain them of their life-sustaining energies. The female equivalent of the incubus is the succubus. See also SUCCUBUS.

INVOCATION The art of summoning or conjuring a spirit, elemental, or deity, usually as part of a religious ceremony or magickal rite. In Wicca and Neo-Paganism, invocations are traditionally made to the elemental spirits of Air, Fire, Water, and Earth when the magick circle is cast. They are called upon to guard the circle and to witness the magickal workings taking place within it. In many Wiccan rites, the Goddess or the Horned God are also invoked, or in other words, invited to be present. In a coven, the High Priestess normally invokes the Goddess, and the High Priest the Horned God, except in the rituals known as Drawing Down the Moon and Drawing Down the Sun. In these, the Goddess is invoked by the High Priest, and the Horned God by the High Priestess. See also EVOCATION.

ITHYPHALLIC 1. A term used to describe sculptural representations and other religious images possessing exaggerated sexual organs, and associated with the worship of the phallus as an embodiment of generative power. 2. of or pertaining to the phallus carried in the ancient Roman orgy-festival of Bacchus known as the Bacchanalia. 3. relating to the sacred hymns to the wine-god Bacchus.

JACK AMULET A powerful amulet used by practitioners of folk magick in the Southern regions of the United States (especially Mississippi). A jack amulet consists of a piece of red flannel shaped like a human finger, stuffed with coal dust and dirt, and often containing a silver dime. After being charged with magickal power by an incantation invoking the presence and help of the old gods, a jack amulet can be worn or carried to prevent a traveler from losing his or her way.

JETTATURA An Italian term used to describe an individual who has been possessed by, or cursed by, the power of the evil eye. See also EVIL EYE.

JINX A person or thing that is believed to attract bad luck or misfortune; to bring bad luck or misfortune to. Throughout the course of history, numerous spells, amulets, and superstitious customs have been devised by nearly all cultures to protect against the jinx and to break its power. The word “jinx” may derive from jinks, which are shapeshifting, wish-granting spirits (jinnis or genies) of Mohammedan mythology.

JUJU In West African magick, an object used as an amulet, magickal charm, or fetish by sorcerers; also, a word used for certain African rites involving witch doctors, black magick, and the casting out of demons from possessed persons and places.

KABBALAH A secret occult theosophy of rabbinical origin based on esoteric interpretations of the Hebrew Scriptures. It appears as an elaborate system of magick, but is actually a tool for achieving mystic union with God. The Kabbalah teaches that there are seventy-two different names of God and that the universe is made up of four planes of being.

The symbolic and mystical system of the Kabbalah (which at one time was strictly the domain of male practitioners of Ceremonial Magick) is used in modern times by some Witches, as are the ancient arts of gemetria and numerology which also derive from Jewish mysticism. While the majority of Wiccans from around the world would no doubt have difficulty accepting Judaism’s authoritative monotheism and strict codes of behavior, there are at the same time many facets of the Kabbalah that are actually quite compatible with the beliefs and practices of the nature-oriented craft of Wicca.

(Other spellings of Kabbalah include: Cabala, Cabbala, Kabala and Qabbalah.)

KABBALIST One who practices the Kabbalah.

KAHUNA A practitioner of Huna—an old esoteric tradition, native to the Hawaiian Islands. (The meaning of the word Huna is “that which is hidden, or not obvious.”) The three main things associated with the Kahunas are healing, psychic abilities, and magickal skills which are acquired only after many years of mental disciplines and learning how to manipulate the universal life force known as “mana.” Black magick is not linked with the magickal workings of the Kahunas. According to ancient tradition, a Kahuna (which translates to “priest, minister, sorcerer, expert in a profession”) must be properly initiated into Huna by one or both of his or her parents. An individual who possesses healing, psychic, or magickal powers but has not been initiated is not regarded as a true Kahuna.

KARMA The law of cause and effect that applies to all of our actions and their consequences either in this life or in future incarnations. In Wicca, karma (both good and bad) is regarded by many as being threefold (in some cases sevenfold or greater) and is called the “Threefold Law” or “The Law of Three.” Threefold karma works in the following way: If one sends out positive or negative energy by either magickal or non-magickal ways, this energy will eventually return to the sender either three times or tripled in intensity. To prevent bad karma from rebounding, Wiccans are cautious not to work any form of black magick or put into motion any action that would send out negative energies and violate the Wiccan Rede.

KEY OF SOLOMON The title of a famous grimoire (magickal workbook) which contains prayers, detailed pentacles for each of the planets, instructions for summoning and making pacts with demons, and detailed commentaries on the nature of spirits invoked in Ceremonial Magick. Also included are insights into body-wizardry which is another term for the art and practice of necromancy—the use of reanimated corpses or spirits of the dead for purposes of divining the future. The Key of Solomon is attributed to the legendary King Solomon and is a work of the greatest antiquity.

Many of the consecration rituals performed by contemporary Witches bear a striking resemblance to those found within Solomon’s magickal grimoire; however, the Key of Solomon is by far appreciated by most Wiccans more for its historic value and curiosity appeal than for its magickal teachings.

Although at one time condemned by the Catholic Church as being “dangerous,” the rituals of the Key of Solomon are heavily influenced by Christian concepts.

KUNDALINI A powerful “psycho-spiritual” energy which is said to lie dormant in all human beings in their root chakra at the base of the spine, coiled like a snake until it is awakened. Kundalini is regarded as divine female energy in the practice of Tantric yoga, and is often said by those who experience it to resemble “liquid fire” or “liquid light.” When this energy is liberated (usually through Indian yoga, meditation, or the sacred ritual of Tantric sex), it uncoils and rises up through each of the seven chakras. When it reaches the crown chakra (usually within the time span of a fleeting moment, but in some cases lasting as long as several minutes), new states of consciousness and mystical illumination are said to be achieved. At this point, heightened psychic powers and visions are often experienced. See also TANTRA.

LABRYS In Goddess worship, the ancient and sacred symbol of a double-headed axe used to represent the Goddess in Her aspect as a lunar deity.

LAMMAS One of the eight Sabbats celebrated each year by Wiccans, Witches, and Neo-Pagans. Also known as Lughnasadh, August Eve, Cornucopia, and Thingtide, it is the first festival of the harvest season, and is normally celebrated on the first day of August. Lammas was originally celebrated as Lughnasadh to pay homage to Lugh, the Celtic solar deity. In other pre-Christian cultures, it was commemorated as a festival of bread and as a day to honor the sacrificial death of the fertility god. On Lammas, homemade breads and berry pies are traditionally baked by many Witches and eaten in honor of the harvest. The making of harvest dolls (also known as “corn dollies” and “kirn babies”) is another old custom associated with the Lammas Sabbat. See also CORN DOLLY, HARVEST DOLL, and HORNED GOD.

LEFT-HAND PATH Another name for the practice of black or negative magick and sorcery; the opposite of the right-hand path of white or positive magick. Sometimes the term “left-hand path” is used to indicate the practice of Satanic worship, which is not linked in any way to the Goddess–Earth-oriented Craft of Wicca, whose followers do not worship or believe in the existence of Satan.

LEO In astrology, the fifth sign of the zodiac, symbolized by the Lion. Leo is a Fire sign and is ruled by the Sun. Its energies are masculine-yang-positive-active and its polarity (its opposite sign of the zodiac which expresses the opposite characteristics) is Aquarius. The quadruplicity (quality) of Leo is Fixed (meaning resistant to change and a natural perfector). Persons born between July 23 and August 22 are under the sign of Leo and are said to possess the following positive and negative traits: enthusiasm, creativity, generosity, vitality, pride, flamboyance, and a tendency to be arrogant, self-centered, and easily bored. In matters of love, Leo is believed to be most compatible with Leo, Sagittarius, Aries, and those with Moon in Leo. The parts of the human body said to be ruled by Leo are the heart, back, and spine.

LEVITATION The raising and floating of objects or people by means of supernatural forces, magick, or telekinetic powers.

LEY-LINES Invisible lines of energy which are believed by many to run through the Earth, connecting various sacred sites and locations of magickal or spiritual importance. According to many psychics and dowsers, ley-lines (also known as leys) can be located by using a divining rod. Unexplained phenomena and UFO sightings are said to frequently take place at the points where the energy paths of ley-lines cross. In China, leylines are called dragon lines.

LIBATION In Wicca and other Neo-Pagan religions, water or wine which is ritually poured on an altar, on the ground, or on a sacred fire as an offering to the Goddess, the Horned God, or any other deity.

LIBRA In astrology, the seventh sign of the zodiac, symbolized by the Scales or the Balance. Libra is an Air sign and is ruled by the planet Venus. Its energies are masculine-yang-positive-active and its polarity (its opposite sign of the zodiac which expresses the opposite characteristics) is Aries. The quadruplicity (quality) of Libra is Cardinal (meaning enterprising, outgoing, and a natural initiator). Persons born between September 23 and October 22 are under the sign of Libra and are said to possess the following traits: honesty, fairness, diplomacy, an artistic nature, and a tendency for indecision, idealism, and imbalance. In matters of love, Libra is believed to be most compatible with Libra, Aquarius, Gemini, and those with Moon in Libra. The parts of the human body said to be ruled by Libra are the lower back, kidneys, and the buttocks.

LOVE MAGICK Any method of magick which is performed by a Wiccan, Witch, or other practitioner of magick during the proper phase of the moon to either attract, strengthen, or restore love. Love potions (also known as philtres) and love charms are two popular methods of love magick which have been used worldwide since ancient times. When performing love magick, Witches often use herbs and gemstones which are believed to possess strong love-drawing energies. The castings of spells to inspire new love or rekindle the flames of a past one are normally carried out on a Friday (the day of the week ruled by Venus), Saint Agnes’s Eve, Saint Valentine’s Day, and when the moon is in a new, waxing, or full phase in order to be effective. Spells to reverse love magick must be done during a waning moon. Occasionally, the use of candle magick and poppets is incorporated into the workings of love magick, which (along with spells to draw money) is probably the most common type of spellwork Witches are sought to perform.

In order to avoid violating the Wiccan Rede by casting love spells which may manipulate the free will of others, many Witches cast general love spells to attract such persons as “the perfect lover,” “a karmically-correct soul mate,” “a man or woman who possesses the following traits …” and so forth without actually naming, concentrating upon, or directing an intent at any particular individual.

Love magick is also performed for the benefit of platonic love between friends and family members in addition to romantic love and affairs of an erotic nature. (For more information about love magick read Wicca Love Spells by Gerina Dunwich, published by Citadel Press, 1996.)

LOVE POTION A specially-prepared brew or liquid aphrodisiac used in magickal spells with incantations to arouse love or sexual passion in another person. In days of old, many love potions (also known as “philtres” in the Middle Ages and the Victorian era) were said to have contained such vile ingredients as animal parts, hallucinogenic substances, and certain bodily fluids. In modern times, a love potion is more likely to be made from wine, fruit juice, or an herbal brew similar to a tea into which a magickal intent has been directed. Love potions are often given in secret to the object of one’s desire or affections to drink, added to the food of an intended lover, or sometimes sprinkled upon his or her clothing. Like all aspects of love magick, love potions for attracting love must be properly prepared and used during the time of the new moon through the full moon. See also LOVE MAGICK and PHILTRE.

LOW MAGICK Practical magick; the arts of Witchcraft, spellcraft, hexcraft, and hoodoo which utilize herbs, amulets, wax images, and other simple material objects in conjunction with incantations and visualizations to bring about a desired result; the folk magick of rural populations often performed for a fee; the casting of spells for either good or evil, as opposed to High Magick (also known as Ceremonial Magick) which is performed for the supreme purpose of union with the Divine. Low Magick is often referred to as “Natural Magick.”

LUGH An early Celtic sun-god worshipped by the ancient Druids as the “Bountiful Giver of Harvest.” The Pagan Sabbat festival of Lughnasadh (which translates to “Commemoration of Lugh”) was originated by Druids to pay homage to their solar deity. According to Celtic mythology, Lugh was a handsome, shapeshifting tribal deity who possessed a massive spear and a sling which were both endowed with the most invincible of magickal powers. His known period of worship in Ireland and elsewhere in Continental Europe extended from primitive times until the advent of Christianity (circa A.D. 400 or later).

MABON The old Celtic name for the Autumn Equinox—one of the eight Witches’ Sabbats celebrated yearly. It is used primarily by followers of the Celtic Wiccan traditions and Druidic Neo-Paganism.

MAGE A Master Magician. See also CEREMONIAL MAGICK.

MAGICIAN A non-religious practitioner of ceremonial or ritual magick; one who summons elementals, demons, or spirits to work magick but does not worship deities, celebrate Sabbats, or follow any Wiccan tradition.

MAGICK The art, science, and practice of producing “supernatural” effects, causing change to occur in conformity, and controlling events in Nature with will. As a tool of Witchcraft, the old spelling of the word with a final “k” is used to distinguish it from the magic of stage conjuring and illusion which has nothing to do with ceremonial workings or the magickal states of consciousness produced by ritual.

MAGICK CANDLE In medieval sorcery, a special candle composed of human tallow, and used by sorcerers and diviners as a divinatory tool to locate buried treasure. It was believed that when the candle sparkled brightly with a good deal of noise, it was a sign that treasure was close by. The closer one approached the treasure, the brighter the candle would sparkle, going out completely when directly above the spot where the treasure was buried.

MAGICK SQUARES In Abramelin magick, powerful magickal talismans made from rows of numbers or letters of the alphabet arranged so that the words may read horizontally or vertically as palindromes and the numbers total the same when added up in either direction. In order for a magick square to work properly, it must include every consecutive number from one until the square is filled, and according to the rules of numerology, each number can only be used once.

MAIDEN The first aspect of the Triple Goddess, who corresponds to the new and waxing moon. In certain Wiccan traditions She is considered the Virgin, while in others She is the Warrioress or a combination of the two. To most Wiccans the Maiden represents youth, new beginnings, the thrill of the chase, virginity, innocence, and a time for necessary growth and learning.

In various cultures, many different maiden-goddesses have been worshipped; however, in Neo-Paganism and the Craft of Wicca, the most popular goddess who represents the Maiden is the Roman goddess Diana, whose Greek counterpart is Artemis. See also CRONE, MOTHER, and TRIPLE GODDESS.

MALEDICT In sorcery and black magick, to pronounce a curse against; to hex or direct negative psychic energy against another person with evil intent. Such a curse, hex, or negative psychic energy is known as a malediction—a word once common in the Middle Ages. See also BLACK MAGICK, CURSE, and LEFT-HAND PATH.

MALEFICIA Unexplained misfortunes, injuries, sicknesses, or calamities that were attributed in early times to the supposedly vindictive malice of Witches; another word used for the practice of black magick and sorcery.

During the the Middle Ages, many people blamed just about any bad thing that happened to them—from a simple toothache to the curdling of milk to a failed corn crop—on the maleficia of Witches. If “strange passions” were experienced in “men’s bodies,” the evil-doings of a Witch who was “in league with the Devil” was almost always believed to have been responsible, rather than the man’s own overactive libido.

Other acts of maleficia, which were mentioned in William Perkins’s Discourse of the Damned Art of Witchcraft (1608), include stormraising, the poisoning of air, the killing of livestock, the blasting of crops, and the “annoying of men, women, and children.”

MALKIN A word once popular in the Middle Ages for a Witch’s familiar that manifests itself in the form of a cat. Although familiars were believed to have assumed many different animal shapes (including toads, owls, and black dogs), the ordinary house cat familiars, or malkins, appear to have had the strongest association with Witches. See also FAMILIAR.

MANDRAGORA 1. In herbalism, a mandrake plant or root believed to possess great magickal powers. See also MANDRAKE. 2. In ancient folklore, spirits or demons in the form of tiny, beardless men with black skin who roam among humans and assist sorcerers in the practice of black magick.

MANDRAKE A poisonous, narcotic plant associated with medieval Witchcraft and sorcery, and believed to be the most magickal of all plants and herbs. It is potent in all forms of enchantment and is regarded as a powerful aphrodisiac by the Orientals. Mandrake, ruled by the planet Venus, possess purple flowers and a narcotic-producing human-shaped root which, according to legend, screams when it is plucked from the soil. There are “male” mandrakes with roots shaped like a man’s body, and “female” mandrakes with roots that resemble the body of a woman. In ancient times, Europeans and Asians alike believed that powerful familiar-spirits inhabited the plant—a belief arising out of the likeness of its root to the human form. Mandrake has been used in spells and rituals to increase psychic powers as well as in love spells, fertility rites, and sorcery. The roots have also been used to divine the future. It is said that they shake their heads when questions are put to them. Caution should always be exercised when using mandrake in potions, brews, and philtres, for it is a very magickal plant and misuse of it can result in sickness, delirium, or slow, agonizing death.

MEDICINE MAN In primitive societies, a Shaman or witch doctor believed to possess supernatural powers for healing, invoking spirit guides, preparing effective magickal remedies, and exorcising evil spirits from possessed persons. See also SHAMAN, SHAMANESS, and SHAMANIC STATE OF CONSCIOUSNESS.

MEDITATION In various religions, including Wicca, a technique of mind control that produces a feeling of tranquility and peacefulness, and often leads to transcendental awareness. Meditation, which is practiced universally and through various techniques, is an ideal tool for both self-improvement and spiritual growth. It is used by many individuals for relaxation, empowerment, and even the strengthening of magickal and/or psychic abilities, among other things. Recent scientific research has even confirmed that meditation on a daily basis can often have a positive effect on one’s health. The first written work on formalized meditation was the fourth century Taoist work, the Tao Teh Ching; however, many believe that the practice of meditation dates back to the Stone Age.

A spiritual discipline in the Far East, popular interest in meditation initially spread throughout the West in the decade of the 1960s as the psychedelic hippie counter-culture with its love for the exotic gained momentum. With the advent of the New Age in the 1980s, Western interest in meditation arose once again.

MISTLETOE A parasitic plant associated with the oak tree and considered sacred to the god Apollo. At one time it was believed to possess special virtues as a healer and was given the nickname of all-heal. The ancient Druids regarded the mistletoe as a very powerful plant and used it in their solemn fertility rites. Clad in white robes, they used a golden sickle to cut and gather it on the sixth day of the new moon. Mistletoe has long been associated with the Winter Solstice and is symbolic of the sun’s rebirth. Its power for good is said to be the greatest when it is gathered on Saint John’s Eve. In medieval England, mistletoe was hung in stables to protect horses against evil and sorcery, while in Sweden, the withered, yellow branches of the plant were used as divining rods by drowsers to locate buried treasure. According to dream interpreters, when mistletoe appears in a dream, it is an omen of good health, happiness, and great rejoicing.

MOJO BAG A small leather or flannel bag filled with a variety of magickal items such as herbs, stones, feathers, bones, etc., and carried or worn as a charm to attract or dispel certain influences. The use of mojo bags is popular among practitioners of Hoodoo folk magick. See also HOODOO.

MOON 1. In astrology, the planetary ruler of Cancer the Crab (the fourth sign of the zodiac and one which is also known as, appropriately, Moonchild.) In a horoscope, the Moon holds dominion over an individual’s emotions, instinctive reactions and personality. It is the second most important planet next to the Sun, which determines the actual sign of the zodiac one is born under. 2. In Witchcraft and Wicca, the Moon is the sacred symbol of the Goddess, as well as one of fertility, feminine energy, the Craft, and the secret powers and/or occult side of Nature. Since the earliest of times, the Moon has been linked with Witches and the mysterious world of magick. Many contemporary Witches continue the ancient practice of “drawing down” the energy and essence of the Full Moon for spiritual and magickal empowerment, and perform their art of spellcasting in accordance to the lunar phases: A Waxing Moon is the ideal time for magick that causes things to increase, grow, strengthen, or attract. The Waning Moon is the ideal time for magick that causes things to decrease, weaken, come to an end, or be banished. The Full Moon is the most favorable phase during which to perform divinations, fertility magick, and all things of a psychic nature. The New (or Crescent) Moon traditionally lends power to spells that are designed to begin something. The only phase of the Moon not conducive to magick is the dark of the Moon.

MOONCHILD In astrology, a person born under the sign of Cancer.

MOTHER The second aspect of the Triple Goddess, who corresponds to the full moon. To most Wiccans the Mother represents fertility, nurturing, creation, protection, increased wisdom, and the peak of power.

In various cultures, many different mother-goddesses have been worshipped; however, in Neo-Paganism and the Craft of Wicca, the most popular goddess who represents the Mother is the Greek goddess Selene. It is Her aspect that is invoked by many Wiccan High Priestesses in Drawing Down the Moon rituals. See also CRONE, MAIDEN, and TRIPLE GODDESS.

MUGWORT An herb associated with Witchcraft and healing. It is known as “Saint John’s plant” in Holland and Germany as its powers are said to be the most potent when it is gathered on Saint John’s Eve. According to legend, a girdle made of mugwort was worn by John the Baptist to protect him from harm in the wilderness. A sachet filled with mugwort is said to offer a traveler protection against fatigue, sunstroke, wild beasts, and evil spirits. A pillow stuffed with mugwort induces psychic dreams. In China during the time of the Dragon Festival (the fifth day of the fifth moon), mugwort is hung up to keep away evil demons, while in other parts of the world, a special crown made from the sprays of the plant protects the wearer against possession by demonic forces. Brewed as a tea, often with lemon balm, mugwort is consumed to aid divination, meditation, and psychic development. Mugwort tea is also used by many Witches as a ceremonial potion for Samhain and full moon rituals, and as a wash to cleanse and consecrate crystal balls, magick mirrors, and quartz crystal amulets and wands.

MUMBO JUMBO 1. Among the Mandingo peoples of the western Sudan in Africa, a priest or Shaman who possesses the supernatural power to protect his village from sorcery and evil spirits. The word Mumbo Jumbo derives from the Mandingo ma-ma-gyo-mbo, meaning “magician who makes the troubled spirits of ancestors go away.” 2. An object possessing supernatural or magickal powers; a fetish. 3. Any meaningless or pretentious magickal ritual; an unintelligible incantation.

NAGALISM The ancient occult practice of serpent worship. Nagalism is normally not a part of Wicca, although there are a small handful of known Neo-Pagan groups who incorporate it into their spiritual-magickal practices.

While most Christians equate the image of the snake with evil, temptation, and the Devil in disguise, the majority of Neo-Pagans perceive it to be a symbol of transformation, unification (especially of women), sexuality, the phallus, vitality, and procreation. The snake is also a symbol of Kundalini energy (which is said to lie dormant at the base of the spine, coiled like a snake until it is awakened), and a Shamanic totem animal which represents great wisdom, the mysterious, and the presence of a benevolent guardian spirit.

NATURAL MAGICK Another name for the practice of Low Magick. See also LOW MAGICK.

NEO-PAGANISM The practice of modern-day Paganism; a contemporary and eclectic movement that aims to revive pre-Christian Nature religions, Goddess-worship, and mystery traditions by infusing them with modern concepts. All Wiccans and modern Witches are regarded as Neo-Pagans; however, not all Neo-Pagans are necessarily Wiccans or Witches. The classification of Neo-Pagan also applies to (but is not limited to) such diverse paths as: Druidism, the New Age, Shamanism, Ceremonial Magick, the occult sciences, Voodoo, and the revival of any pre-Christian mystery tradition.

NEW AGE A modern term used to describe a spiritual and social movement which originated in the late 1960s underground hippie culture, but gained widespread popularity in the United States in the mid-1980s. New Agers (as the followers of the New Age are frequently called) share the beliefs that a person creates his or her own reality, and that God and Goddess exist within. The beliefs in reincarnation and in the existence of extraterrestrial beings are also shared by most who follow the New Age path to enlightenment, and many feel that there is a need for renewed recognition of the feminine side of divinity in order to achieve spiritual balance in the world. Non-conventional religion, mysticism, the channeling of spirits, and an interest in the occult arts make up a large part of the New Age movement. Most followers are ecological minded and many seek alternative methods for healing the body, mind, and spirit. These methods include (but are not limited to): acupuncture, holistic medicine, psychic healing, various massage techniques, aromatherapy, color therapy, herbal medicine, use of crystals and gemstones, vegetarianism, biofeedback, and creative visualization.

NOVEMBER EVE Another name for Samhain—one of the eight Witches’ Sabbats celebrated annually. See also SAMHAIN.

NUMEROLOGY An ancient occult method of divination that analyzes the symbolism of numbers and ascribes numerical values to the letters of the alphabet. It is common for Witches to employ numerology when choosing a Craft name (see EKE-NAME) or the name of a coven, as well as for divining future and fate, character analysis, and finding the ideal times for decision making and putting plans into motion. Numbers are regarded as sacred and used by both past and present-day practitioners of the Kabbalah for creating amuletic-talismanic magick squares and for establishing “names of power” which are used in ceremonial workings.

OCCULTA A name given to the secret ceremonies of the esoteric mystery cults which, in medieval times, became almost synonymous with magickal practices, Witchcraft, heresy, and so forth.

OCCULTISM The study of occult powers, supernatural influences, and other phenomena beyond the realm of ordinary human comprehension. A person, male or female, who studies or practices any form of the “occult sciences” (such as divination, magick, mysticism, spiritualism, and so forth) is called an “occultist.”

ODIC FORCE An energy phenomenon which emanates from magnets and crystals, and is perceived by psychic sensitive persons usually as a blue (negative) or yellowish-red (positive) glowing light. It can be physically transferred from one substance to another and from one person to another as well. Odic Force (sometimes called “Od Force” or just “Od” for short) was discovered by German scientist Baron Karl von Reichenback (1788–1869) who named it after the old Nordic-Teutonic god Odin.

OFFERING In Wicca and modern Witchcraft, a presentation (such as the pouring of a wine libation; the burning of incense, magickal herbs or a corn dolly; and so forth) made to the Goddess, the Horned God, or any other deity as an act of religious worship or symbolic sacrifice. The performing of actual blood sacrifices or the taking of animal or human lives in the name of religion is a violation of the Wiccan Rede and is not linked in any way to Wicca or the Craft practiced by contemporary Witches.

OGHAM Rune-casting; an ancient Celtic system of divination popular among many modern Witches and Neo-Pagans which is based on the casting and reading of line patterns or characters carved into or painted on small stones, beans, pieces of wood, bones, and so forth.

THE OLD ONES The gods of the Old Religion, also known as “The Ancients.” In Wicca, all aspects of the Goddess and Her consort, the Horned God. The term “Old Ones” can refer to any or all Pagan deities; however, it does not, nor has it ever, refer to demons or the Devil as defined by Christianity.

THE OLD RELIGION Another name for Witchcraft. The Pagan “Craft of the Wise” had been practiced around the world by most people for many centuries before the advent of the Christian faith. It became known as the “Old Religion” when the Catholic Church (regarded then as the “New Religion”) first came into power and boldly attempted to either convert or put to death all followers of Paganism and eradicate the practice of Witchcraft (along with Native American spirituality, African religion, Shamanism, and just about everything else the early Christians considered to be “heathen” or in league with the dark forces of the occult).

OSTARA Another name for the Spring Equinox Sabbat which occurs annually on or around March 21. Ostara celebrates the birth of Spring and pays homage to Eostre, a fertility goddess who was worshipped in ancient times by the Saxons. See also SPRING EQUINOX.

OVERLOOK An old-fashioned word meaning “to cast an evil spell or curse a victim by the power of the evil eye.” See also EVIL EYE, JETTATURA.

PAGAN A word stemming from the Latin paganus, meaning “a country dweller” and used in a derogatory fashion by the Catholic Church to describe a follower of the Old Religion, or any person who was not a Christian, Jew, or Moslem; a follower of the nature-oriented Craft of Wicca and other polytheistic religions.

Many modern Pagans prefer to call themselves “Neo-Pagans” in order to be distinguished from the Pagans of ancient times who conjure forth dreadful mental images of barbarity and human sacrifice in the minds of confused Christians and individuals who are unfamiliar with the contemporary Neo-Paganism movement.

PAN A Greek horned god of woodlands, fields, shepherds, and fertility, in ancient times associated with the cult of Dionysus. Pan is depicted in works of art as a bearded man with the legs, horns, and ears of a goat, and is the equivalent to the Roman nature deity Faunus. In many traditions of Wicca, Pan is identified with the Horned God.

PENTACLE This is a word with three similar yet different meanings: 1. The symbol of the five-pointed star (often within a circle) which represents the four ancient elements of Air, Fire, Water, and Earth, surmounted by the Spirit. The pentacle symbol is used by many Witches in spells and magickal ceremonies.

2. A flat wood, wax, metal, or clay disc bearing the motif of the mystical five-pointed star, and used in magickal ceremonies and spells to represent feminine energy and the ancient element of Earth. It is known also as a “magician’s pentacle” and a “Pentacle of Solomon.” 3. One of the four suits of the Minor Arcana of the Tarot (also known as “Coins”).

PENTAGRAM Any written or drawn pentacle symbol, including both invoking and banishing pentagrams which are “drawn” in the air with an athame or sword.

Also known as a “Witches’ Star” and a “Goblin’s Cross” (as it was called by clergymen of the Middle Ages), the pentagram symbolizes protection, power, life forces, a Witch’s belief, and human spiritual aspirations when it is used with its point facing upwards. When its point faces down, the pentagram is generally regarded as a symbol of negativity, black magick, and Satanism. However, in some traditions of Wicca, an upright pentagram stands for the Goddess, while a reversed one represents the Horned God. Additionally, the two types of pentagram are used by some covens to denote a covener’s initiation into the rank of second degree.

PENTALPHA A powerful magickal design, similar to a pentagram and used both in divination and the conjuration of spirits. Pentalpha talismans (which are ancient in origin and found in many old grimoires of magick) are more commonly used in the rituals of Ceremonial Magicians than in those of modern Witches and Wiccans.

PHILOSOPHERS’ STONE In alchemy, a mystical substance manufactured through long and complicated alchemical processes that was believed to possess the power to perfect matter and turn other materials into gold when mixed with them. See also ALCHEMY.

PHILTRE An herbal aphrodisiac which is used in magickal spells with incantations to arouse love or sexual desire. Also known as “love potions,” philtres have been used by Witches since ancient times and have consisted of many different herbal ingredients. They are often put in foods or drinks and work best when prepared and used on a Friday (the day of the week most sacred to Venus, the Goddess of Love) or at the time of the month when the moon is positioned in the astrological sign of Taurus. See also LOVE MAGICK and LOVE POTION.

PHYLACTERY A small leather box containing strips of parchment inscribed with magickal symbols or words of power and worn or carried as an amulet for protection, healing, or drawing good luck.

PISCES In astrology, the twelfth sign of the zodiac, symbolized by the Two Fishes. Pisces is a Water sign and is ruled by the planets Jupiter and Neptune. Its energies are feminine-yin-negative-passive, and its polarity (its opposite sign of the zodiac which expresses the opposite characteristics) is Virgo. The quadruplicity (quality) of Pisces is Mutable (meaning flexible and able to adapt). Persons born between February 19 and March 20 are under the sign of Pisces and are said to possess the following traits: compassion, refinement, unselfishness, loyalty, creativity, a romantic or emotional nature, and intuitiveness (most Pisceans are highly psychic). However, they can sometimes be impractical, overindulgent, and overly emotional. In matters of love, Pisces is believed to be most compatible with Pisces, Cancer, Scorpio, and those with Moon in Pisces. The parts of the human body said to be ruled by Pisces are the feet.

POLYTHEISM The belief in or worship of more than one god (or goddess, as the case may be). Wicca is considered to be a polytheistic as well as pantheistic religion.

POOKA In Irish folklore, a nocturnal, shapeshifting hobgoblin that appears in the form of an animal, usually an ugly black horse. The pooka has been known to protect wild animals against evil spirits, do household or yard chores at night while people sleep, and give human beings the ability to understand animals’ speech. The pooka is generally regarded as a harmless but mischievous being; however, it was greatly feared by the Druid priests of Ireland who believed that it was responsible for destroying or contaminating any crops not gathered by the last day of October, the ancient Celtic New Year known as Samhain.

POPPET A specially prepared herb-stuffed cloth doll that is used in “sympathetic” magick rituals to represent a person at whom a spell is directed. It is common for many Wiccans and modern Witches to use poppets for purposes of healing and, when called for, binding. Although poppets may resemble Voodoo dolls, Witches do not stick pins in them or use them in any type of cursing spell which would deliberately violate the Wiccan Rede.

POTION An herbal tea or brew used by Witches in many magickal or healing rituals. In order to work properly, a potion must be prepared during the appropriate phase of the moon and made with herbal ingredients possessing the correct magickal properties. Potions are traditionally brewed in cauldrons and are used in all facets of the magickal arts. Potions concocted for the workings of love magick are often called “philtres.”

POWWOW Also known as hexcraft, the powwow is a term used for the type of folk magick based on 400-year-old Elite German Witchcraft (known as hexerei) and indigenous to the Dutch Country of Pennsylvania. Brought to the United States in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries by German settlers who colonized the south-central region of Pennsylvania, the powwow combined Old Teutonic spellcraft with Native American magickal practices and Christian faith healing. In her book Hexcraft, author Silver Raven Wolf states that the powwow “is the root of American Witchcraft.”

Although officially against the law in the state of Pennsylvania, the art of powwowing continues to be discreetly practiced in modern times by skilled women and men known as hex doctors, hexenmeisters, brauchers, or simply powwowers. Many consider themselves to be Christians who possess the supernatural power to heal as well as to harm.

Among most practitioners of the powwow, it is believed that this power is handed down from one generation to the next, usually from mother to son and from father to daughter. It is also believed that the seventh son of a seventh son is born with extremely powerful magickal abilities. It is common for most powwow artists to cast spells and work charms to remedy various ailments in both humans and livestock, and to cast or remove hexes. The use of spells and charms for the purpose of protection is known as warding.

The Sixth and Seventh Books of Moses (written anonymously) and the nineteenth century book Long Lost Friend by John George Hohman are considered to be the “bibles” of the powwow. Many of the spells and charms used in this unique system of magick have been taken from, or somehow relate to, these two important books. See also HEX, HEX SIGN, and WARDING.

PRACTICAL MAGICK Witchcraft, folk magick; magick that is concerned with things of the Earth, harmony with Nature, seasons, and cycles. Unlike Ceremonial Magick which requires complicated rituals and elaborate (and often expensive) ritual tools and ceremonial clothing, practical magick is performed with the aid of simple, common implements.

PRANA A powerful healing energy which emanates from the human body. It is controlled by the mind, possesses polarity, and has properties similar to other forms of energy but is a distinct force unto itself.

PRIAPIC A term used to describe deities possessing erect or exaggerated sexual organs. The Greek love god Eros, the Scandinavian fertility god Frey, and the Vodoun god (or loa) Ghede are several examples of priapic deities. (The word “priapic” derives from Priapus, the name of an ancient Roman fertility god.)

PRIAPUS A faunlike nature god of gardens and fertility, whose sacrifice was the first fruits of the farm; a son of Aphrodite. In ancient Rome, figures of Priapus were used as magickal amulets to protect the wearer against the powers of the evil eye, and to insure the fertility of crops, animals, and women.

PROPHECY A prediction made by a prophet.

PROPHESY To predict the future or to speak as a prophet.

PROPHET A gifted person who speaks as the interpreter through whom a divinity expresses its will; a soothsayer or predictor; a person who receives symbolic spiritual messages from a god or goddess.

PROPHETESS A female prophet.

QABBALAH See KABBALAH.

QUADRUPEDALS In astrology, the five zodiac signs represented by four-footed creatures: Aries, Capricorn, Leo, Sagittarius, and Taurus.

QUADRUPLICITIES In astrology, the division of the twelve zodiac signs into threefold classification of cardinal signs (Aries, Cancer, Capricorn, Libra), fixed signs (Aquarius, Leo, Scorpio, Taurus), and mutable signs (Gemini, Pisces, Sagittarius, Virgo).

QUERENT In astrology and divination, a man or woman who asks questions of the astrologer or fortuneteller.

QUINCUNX In astrology, an aspect characterized by a 150 degree angle between planets.

QUINTESSENCE In ancient and medieval philosophy, the fifth and highest essence (after the four elements of Fire, Water, Air, and Earth) also known as Aether or Spirit, and believed to be the substance of the heavenly bodies and latent in all things; in alchemy, the Philosopher’s Stone.

REINCARNATION The repeated birth of the same soul in different physical bodies. Reincarnation is an ancient and mystical belief that is part of many religions, including Wicca, and is commonly associated with the concept of spiritual evolution.

RETRIBUTION The reward or punishment given in a future life or incarnation based on the performance of good or evil in the present lifetime; karma. See also THREE-FOLD LAW.

RIGHT-HAND PATH The practice of white magick.

RING OF GYGES In medieval sorcery, an invisibility ring made of fixed mercury, set with a stone from a lapwing’s nest and engraved with magickal words or Biblical verses. It was believed that when it was worn on the finger, the wearer of the ring could become invisible or visible at will simply by turning the stone outward or inward.

RITUAL A religious or magickal ceremony characterized by symbolic attire and formalized behavior, and designed to produce desired effects such as spiritual illumination or supernatural power, or to invoke a specific deity.

RITUAL MAGICK Ceremonial Magick.

RUNES Letters of a secret magickal alphabet that spell words of power and are widely used in magick and divination. Runes can be written, painted, or carved into ritual tools, magicians’ robes, talismans, amulets, ceremonial jewelry, and other things to charge the object with power. They also can be marked on flat wooden sticks or stones and used to divine future events or unknown circumstances. There are three main types of runes: Anglo-Saxon, Germanic, and Scandinavian. Their variations and subdivisions include the Druidic Ogam Bethluisnion, Egyptian hieroglyphics, Theban Script, Pictish, Celestial, Malachim, and Passing the River.

SABBAT One of the eight Wiccan festivals celebrated annually; the gathering of Witches, Wiccans, and Neo-Pagans to celebrate at specific times of the year that mark transitions in the seasons. The four major (or Grand) Sabbats are: Candlemas (February 2), Beltane (May 1), Lammas (August 1), and Samhain or Halloween (October 31). The four minor (or Lesser) Sabbats are: Spring Equinox, Summer Solstice, Autumn Equinox, and Winter Solstice which is also known as Yule. See also WHEEL OF THE YEAR, as well as the individual Sabbat entries.

SACRIFICE In Voodoo and other primitive religions, the ritual slaughter of an animal as an offering to a deity for fertility, magickal power, protection, and so forth. In many ancient cultures, including the Celtic Druids, both animals and humans were sacrificed as ritual offerings to appease the gods.

In Wicca and modern Witchcraft, the actual sacrifice of any living thing is never performed, and the spilling of blood for magickal or religious purposes is generally frowned upon. In certain traditions of Wicca, sacrifices of a symbolic nature only are sometimes performed such as the burning of the harvest doll at Lammas or Autumn Equinox, which serves as an offering to the spirit of the harvest or to represent the self-sacrifice of the Horned God.

SAGITTARIUS In astrology, the ninth sign of the zodiac, symbolized by the Centaur Archer. Sagittarius is a Fire sign and is ruled by the planet Jupiter. Its energies are masculine-yang-positive-active and its polarity (its opposite sign of the zodiac which expresses the opposite characteristics) is Gemini. The quadruplicity (quality) of Sagittarius is Mutable (meaning flexible and able to adapt). Persons born between November 22 and December 21 are under the sign of Sagittarius and said to possess the following positive and negative traits: optimism, independence, ambition, versatility, open-mindedness, outspokenness, and a sometimes irresponsible nature and tendency to hurt others with words. In matters of love, Sagittarius is believed to be most compatible with Sagittarius, Aries, Leo, and those with Moon in Sagittarius. The parts of the human body said to be ruled by Sagittarius are the liver, hips, and thighs.

SAINT AGNES’ EVE The night of January 20, when, according to folk legend, an unmarried woman will see her future husband or lover in a dream. Saint Agnes’ Eve (named after the Roman Catholic child martyr who was beheaded in A.D. 304 for refusing to marry) was also the time when medieval Witches cast spells of a romantic nature, performed love divinations, and prepared love philtres and charms. In Great Britain and Europe (more so than in the United States) there exists a number of present-day Witches who continue to practice the Saint Agnes’ Eve magickal traditions.

SAINT JOHN’S EVE The night before Midsummer’s Day. Saint John’s Eve (June 23) is a traditional time for Witches to gather herbs for spells and potions, for it is believed that the magickal properties of plants are the greatest on this night. In many parts of Scandinavia, bonfires were lit at crossroads on Saint John’s Eve to scare away the dark forces of trolls and evil ghosts. In the Middle Ages, Saint John’s wort was hung on doors and windows on Saint John’s Eve to keep the Devil away, and worn around the necks of children and animals to protect them from illness during the entire year. Countless other folk customs and superstitions are associated with Saint John’s Eve.

SAINT JOHN’S WORT A healing herb associated with magick and Witchcraft. Saint John’s wort, so called because it was gathered on Saint John’s Eve to ward off evil spirits, was hung in doors and windows during the Middle Ages to protect against demonic influences, and is a common herb used in exorcisms and anti-sorcery charms.

SALAMANDERS The elemental spirits of Fire. See also ELEMENTALS.

SAMHAIN The Celtic name for Halloween—the most important of the eight annual Sabbats celebrated by Witches, Wiccans, and Neo-Pagans throughout the world. Samhain (which is pronounced “sow-en”) is one of the four major (or Grand) Sabbats and is also known as Shadowfest, Old Hallowmas, All Hallow’s Eve, Calangaeaf, Festival of the Dead, and the Third Festival of Harvest. It is celebrated on the night of October 31, and is the ancient Druid’s New Year, an old Celtic festival marking the birth of the winter season, the last of the three harvest festivals, and a time when spirits of deceased loved ones and friends are honored.

It is said that the “veil” that separates the world of the living from the world of the dead is the thinnest on this night, making it easier for the two to communicate with each other. At one time in history, many believed that the dead returned to walk among the living on Samhain night. The ghost-fearing Druids would carve grotesque faces in pumpkins and other gourds and illuminate them with small torches to scare away spirits that were evil-natured—a custom which has survived in modern times in the form of Halloween jack-o’-lanterns. Nearly all Halloween-related activities (such as trick-or-treating and bobbing for apples) are Pagan in origin.

The divinatory arts of scrying crystal balls and rune casting are Samhain traditions among many modern Witches. Some use Ouija boards, spirit channeling, and other communicative methods to make contact with the other side, usually for the purpose of receiving guidance or to offer blessings and words of love to cherished ancestors and other dearly departeds. Black and orange are traditional colors for this important Sabbat, and traditional Samhain foods include apple cider and pumpkin pie.

Although Samhain is a mysterious night associated with the dark realm of the dead and filled with many frightening and morbid images expressed through costumes and decorations, it is not a time of evil as many who do not truly understand the meaning and traditions of Samhain have been led to believe. Unfortunately, certain horror movies, the sensationalism-thriving media along with the lunatic fringe who appear as guests on television talk shows, anti-Pagan Church propaganda, and the growing number of juvenile deliquents who choose this most sacred of nights to maliciously vandalize property and commit acts of arson, are all major factors that only serve to reinforce the negative stereotypes and misconceptions surrounding Samhain and Witches in general.

SATAN In Christianity, the enemy of God and a personification of supreme evil, envisaged as a bearded man with horns and a serpent’s tail who tempts mortals with sin and bargains for human souls. He is also known as the Devil, Lucifer, Beelzebub, Old Scratch, the Lord of Hell, the Prince of Darkness, and hundreds of other names.

In medieval times and especially in the bloody centuries dominated by the Inquisition, Witches were commonly accused of being in league with Satan. According to the Catholic Church, Witches celebrated a Black Mass in honor of the Devil and signed away their souls to him in blood. They were also said to have received their knowledge of the magickal, healing, and divinatory arts from “his diabolical majesty.”

Witches, Wiccans, Neo-Pagans, Neo-Druids, and followers of the New Age do not worship, sign pacts with, or receive powers from Satan or any other evil entity. Modern Witches do not even acknowledge the existence of Satan as he is a product of Christianity. Witchcraft is a pre-Christian religion which never embraced the concept of a Satanic fallen angel who ruled over a fiery pit called Hell.

Those who choose to worship Satan are practitioners of the cult of Satanism, not Witchcraft or the Goddess-honoring Earth religion of Wicca (which are both as different from Satanism as day is from night!). Those that are true Witches are not, have never been, will never be, and can never be Satanists, and vice versa. Never shall the twain meet, for the belief system of the Satanist is totally incompatible with that of modern Witches, and the practices associated with Satanism are the antithesis of the Wiccan Rede which stresses the importance of harming none. See also BLACK MASS.

SATIRE In old Irish mythology and folk legend, a magickal and rhyming curse that was believed to possess the power to bring illness or death to an enemy when recited either silently or out loud. It was a form of incantation and was a powerful method of magick said to have been employed by the ancient Celtic priests and priestesses known as the Druids.

The word “satire” (which derives from the Latin satira, meaning a “literary medley”) has taken on a new meaning since the early days of Druidism. Defined in the dictionary in contemporary times to mean either a “literary composition holding up to ridicule vice or folly of the times” or the “use of irony, sarcasm, invective, or wit.”

SATYR In Greek mythology, an anthropomorphic woodland deity having the pointed ears, legs, and short horns of a goat. Satyrs were said to have been fond of sensual pleasures and, like Pan and Faunus, were linked to ancient cults which celebrated Pagan fertility rites. The Horned God of Wicca, who serves as the consort of the Goddess and personifies the masculine side of Nature’s energies, is classified as a satyrical deity. See also HORNED GOD.

SCEPTER A wand used by Witches and other practitioners of the magickal arts in certain spells and rituals. See also WAND.

SCORPIO In astrology, the eighth sign of the zodiac, symbolized by the Scorpion. Scorpion is a Water sign and is ruled by the planets Mars and Pluto. Its energies are feminine-yin-negative-passive and its polarity (its opposite sign of the zodiac which expresses the opposite characteristics) is Taurus. The quadruplicity (quality) of Scorpio is Fixed (meaning resistant to change and a natural perfector). Persons born between October 23 and November 21 are under the sign of Scorpio and are said to possess the following positive and negative traits: sensitivity (both emotional and psychic), intelligence, persistence, passion, as well as a tendency for secrecy, manipulation, and vindictiveness. In matters of love, Scorpio is believed to be most compatible with Scorpio, Pisces, Cancer, and those with Moon in Scorpio. The parts of the human body said to be ruled by Scorpio are the sexual organs.

SCRYING The art and practice of interpreting the future, past, or present from images seen while gazing into a crystal ball, candle flame, pool of water, or gazing mirror; crystal gazing; mirror gazing.

Scrying is one of many Samhain traditions among a large number of Witches in modern times. Crystal balls are the most popular type of objects employed. (For more information about scrying and other divinatory arts, read A Wiccan’s Guide to Prophecy and Divination, Gerina Dunwich, Citadel Press, 1997.)

SEAL OF SOLOMON A hexagram consisting of two interlocking triangles, one facing up and the other facing down. It symbolizes the human soul and is used by many Witches and magicians in spells and rituals involving spirit communication, wisdom, purification, or the strengthening of psychic powers.

SEANCE In spiritualism, a gathering of persons to contact and receive messages from discarnate beings or spirits of the dead. A seance is held in the dark or by candlelight at a table where all persons attending are seated with hands joined together to form a circle. At all seances, at least one medium must be present to serve as a channel for communications.

SEPHIROT In the Kabbalah, the ten emanations of God on the Tree of Life which represent different levels of spiritual reality in humankind and the cosmos, and are meditated upon as the central part of Kabbalistic doctrine. The ten Sephirot consist of: Crown, Wisdom, Intelligence, Love, Justice, Beauty, Firmness, Splendor, Foundation, and Kingdom.

SEX MAGICK A potent form of magick that uses the sexual experience and orgasm to generate the power needed to work magick. Also known as Tantric magick, it is typically performed by some solitary Witches (either solo or with a partner) and by a coven’s High Priestess and High Priest in a discreet manner, usually not in the same room where other coven members are present. Sex magick is regarded by most Witches as a sacred act which may be enjoyed by heterosexual and same-sex couples as well.

The old notion of lustful, naked Witches engaging in wild sexual orgies at Sabbat gatherings more than likely originated in ancient times in the overactive imaginations of sexually frustrated Churchmen. In actuality, orgiastic rituals are seldom, if ever, engaged in by contemporary Witches for religious or magickal purposes. Although sex magick and sexually-oriented fertility rituals such as the Great Rite are regarded as valid practices in the Craft, they are not by any means a requirement for all individuals who choose to follow the Old Religion. See also THE GREAT RITE.

SHAMAN A priest, priestess, medicine man, spirit healer, or other person of psychic sensitivity who possesses arcane knowledge and the ability to enter a trance state, control the spirit forces, and communicate with the divine through the ritual use of drumming and various states of consciousness.

SHAMANESS A female Shaman; a priestess skilled in the art of Shamanism; a woman who practices any form of “primitive spiritualism,” such as that practiced among certain Native Peoples in Asia and certain Native American tribes. The primary functions of the Shamaness are to heal the sick and divine the future by entering an altered state of consciousness and communicating with beneficent spirit guides.

SHAMANIC STATE OF CONSCIOUSNESS In Shamanism, an altered state of consciousness which is achieved through various techniques such as drumming, chanting, dancing, rattling, fasting, visualization, and isolation. In this Shamanic state, also known as “non-ordinary reality,” a Shaman is able to mystically travel to different dimensions of reality where he can acquire the powers to heal, divine the future, communicate with guiding spirits, and perform great feats of magick.

SHAPESHIFTING The act of transforming from human into animal or mythic creature, and vice versa. Throughout the pantheons of many cultures there exist many goddesses and gods known for their shapeshifting abilities. Sometimes deities bestowed upon a mortal the gift (or curse) of shapeshifting. Legends of shapeshifters abound in Native American Shamanism, Voodoo, and Pagan tribal religions around the world.

There are two main types of shapeshifting that exist. The first concerns a literal transformation of the physical form, such as in the case of lycanthropy. This is the transformation of a human being into a wolf or werewolf by supernatural means, typically as the result of some type of wicked curse. According to legend, if a person is bitten or scratched by another who possesses the mark of the werewolf, he or she will also become one every time the moon is full. Apparently, the shapeshifting phenomenon of the lycanthrope is not only created by black magick, but can be transferred or spread from one person to the next thorough the blood like a virus or blood-born disease.

The second type of shapeshifting concerns a transformation of an individual’s astral body into his or her power animal (a totem guardian spirit in the form of an animal, according to Native American tradition) in order to become empowered by that animal’s attributes. This type of shapeshifting, which is associated with the practice of Shamanism, takes place on the astral plane, whereas the first type of shapeshifting is restricted to the Earth plane. See also ZOOMORPHISM.

SIGIL In Ceremonial Magick, an image that symbolizes a specific spirit, deity, angel, or supernatural being. Sigils are used in evocations to summon the entity which they represent.

SIGN An omen or portent; in astrology, the twelve divisions of the zodiac, each named for a constellation or represented by a symbol. The twelve signs of the zodiac are: Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius, and Pisces.

SIMPLE This is an archaic word used by Witches of olden times to mean a medicinal plant or the medicine obtained from it. Simples, which are a mainstay of many folk healers and country Witches, are usually very mild and indigenous plants. They are used completely by themselves to prevent or treat disease.

SIXTH SENSE Another name for extrasensory perception (ESP).

SKYCLAD This is a term used by Witches to mean ritual nudity (clad only by the sky). Skyclad worshipping is common among certain traditions of Wicca (such as the Alexandrians and strict Gardnerians) and is carried out in the belief that nudity brings a Witch closer to the divine forces of Nature and equalizes all members of a coven. However, many Wiccans (especially those who work with others in a circle) choose not to worship skyclad as they personally feel more comfortable and nonetheless close to Nature and equality wearing ceremonial robes or even everyday attire.

SMUDGING The burning of incense or an herb bundle to drive away negative forces, exorcise evil entities, and purify the space in which beneficial magick or healing is to be performed.

The most common herb used by Wiccans and Shamans for smudging is sage.

SOLITARY A name used for the type of Witch who, either by circumstances or by choice, practices the Craft without belonging to a coven.

There are by far more solitary Witches than coven Witches who practice the Craft, and despite the fact that some feel the magick created by solitaries is not as powerful as the groupeffort magick of a coven, there are many advantages to being a solitary Witch. These include being able to enjoy the freedom to work magick when, where, and how one pleases without having to compromise with others, being able to work skyclad (nude) without being self-conscious, and not having to get involved in the conflicts, jealousies, competitions, or personality clashes which occur in covens from time to time, as well as in other group situations.

That said, when an individual connects with a coven that he or she is compatible with in every way, the spiritual rewards and learning experience by far exceed any minor negativities that may have to be dealt with and straightened out every once in a while.

Additionally, it is possible for a Witch to be a member of a coven and still remain a solitary Witch when working spells or performing private rituals on his or her own outside of the circle. This is especially true for those who belong to covens that meet only occasionally.

SORCERY The use of supernatural, magickal, or psychic power for either material gain or to harm others, often with the assistance of evil spirits or demons; another word for black magick or the left-hand path; often used to mean Witchcraft in general or the Witchcraft that was practiced in medieval times. Although sorcery has been associated with the spellcasting of Witches, it should not be confused with Wicca, which does not condone or use any form of magick which violates the Wiccan Rede. Practitioners of sorcery have often been called Witches (another example of how the word “Witch” has been and still is misused); however, it would be more accurate to refer to such individuals as sorcerers and sorceresses.

SPELL An incantational formula; a Wiccan prayer; a nonreligious magickal ritual performed by a Witch or other practitioner of the magickal arts for either good or evil purposes. In Wicca, spells are often called “working rituals.” See also MAGICK, SPELLCRAFT.

SPELLCASTER A Witch, sorcerer, or magician; one who casts spells.

SPELLCRAFT The performing of magickal spells in any form for either good or evil; magick in general; the art and practice of folk magick common among rural populations; the art and practice of sorcery. In most Wiccan traditions, the practice of spellcraft is regarded as secondary in importance to the worship of the Goddess and/or the Horned God. Wiccan spellcraft is generally utilized for positive and non-harmful purposes such as healings (physical as well as spiritual), attracting love, the strengthening of psychic abilities, self-improvement, and so forth.

SPIRIT This is a word having two meanings: 1. The vital principle, divine essence, or animating force within all living persons. Many individuals who follow esoteric spiritual paths also believe that animals, trees, flowers, and all living things, including the Earth, possess a spirit. 2. A discarnate entity, ghost, or apparition. See also CHANNELING, SEANCE, SPIRITUALISM.

SPIRITUALISM Also known as spiritism, this is the belief that the spirits of the deceased are able to communicate with the living through a person known as a medium in a state of trance, or by other means.

The spiritualist movement first became popular in the United States during the middle of the nineteenth century and advocated such methods of communicating with the spirit world as table turning and automatic writing.

In modern times, it is not uncommon for some Witches to communicate with the dead or enable the dead to speak through them by a form of spiritualism known as channeling. Connecting with the spirits of deceased loved ones is traditionally done by many Wiccans, in one way or another, on Samhain—the night of the year when the “veil” between the world of the living and the world of the dead is said to be the thinnest. See also CHANNELING, SEANCE, and SPIRIT.

SPIRITUALIST A medium who channels spirits of the dead. See also SPIRITUALISM.

SPRING EQUINOX One of the eight Sabbats celebrated each year by Witches; the vernal equinox. The Spring Equinox Sabbat, also known as Ostara, Alban Eiler, and Rite of Eostre, celebrates the rebirth of spring and the reawakening of Mother Nature’s green magick. Apart from being a fertility ritual, Spring Equinox Sabbat is a special time for celebrating balance, for on this day of the year the hours of daylight and the hours of darkness are of equal length. It is also the traditional time for seeds to be blessed and for brooms and staffs to be crafted (or bought), consecrated, and then given a magickal name. See also OSTARA, and EOSTRE in Part Two.

STARGAZER One who practices astrology; another name for an astrologer.

STONEHENGE A prehistoric ceremonial ruin and one of the most famous and controversial megalithic sites in the world. Stonehenge is located sixteen miles south of Silbury Hill on the Salisbury Plain in the English county of Wiltshire. Constructed at its first stage of construction in the megalithic period (1900–1700 B.C.) of circular formations of huge upright stone slabs and lintels, the shape and size of Stonehenge has changed throughout the centuries. Stonehenge forms a magick circle and is aligned with certain celestial constellations. It represents a seasonal and human life cycle, and is carved with numerous symbolic and magickal signs. The original purpose of the Stonehenge site to this day remains a mystery; however, over the course of centuries, many theories to explain this archaeological and architectural wonder have evolved. One theory claims that Stonehenge was built by the Romans as a shrine to honor the god Uranus. Others claim that it was originally used as a temple for the worship of the sun or the moon, a coronation court for Danish kings, an altar for human sacrifice, a sacred burial ground, an elaborate circle for goddess worship, an ancient astronomical observatory, and even a landing site for extraterrestrial spacecraft. The legends and myths surrounding Stonehenge are also numerous. One popular legend holds that the giant bluestones of Stonehenge were actually magickal healing stones transported to the Salisbury Plain from Ireland through the great magickal powers of Merlin, the legendary Arthurian wizard. In other myths, the stones were human beings who had been magickally petrified by the gods as punishment for some great offense, or turned to stone for other reasons. Stonehenge is often associated with the ancient Druids and, at one time, due mainly to the (now-disproved) theory of British antiquarian John Aubrey, it was commonly believed that Stonehenge was built by the Druids themselves—a misconception that continues to live on into the present day. But even though the Druids actually had nothing to do with the creation of Stonehenge (its erection pre-dates their existence), there is little doubt that at one time they used the mysterious stone structure in the practice of their magickal and religious rites. Up until the mid-1980s, modern-day Druids, Wiccans, Neo-Pagans and other magickally-minded people gathered regularly at Stonehenge to worship the ancient gods and goddesses and to celebrate the seasonal Sabbats. However, as a result of the growing vandalism brought on by heckling onlookers and anti-Pagan fundamentalist fanatics, the Stonehenge festivals and Neo-Pagan gatherings were legally banned by the English government in 1985. See also DRUIDS.

STRIX A term used in the Middle Ages for a sorceress or female Witch. (The plural form of this word is “striges.”) According to European folklore, a strix could change from human to animal form at will, and vice versa. She possessed untold supernatural power and was greatly feared by peasantry and royalty alike. If she so desired, a strix could change those who crossed her into animals or even insects. However, such victims of physical transformation were seldom, if ever, changed back into humans.

SUCCUBUS In medieval folklore, a demon or evil entity (or in some cases, the ghost or fetch of an evil female Witch) that takes on the shape of a beautiful woman and seduces men as they sleep in order to possess their souls or life force. The male equivalent of the succubus is the incubus.

SUFFUMIGATIONS Magickal incenses made from herbs, and burned by Witches, Shamans, and magicians to attract spirits and enable them to materialize. Suffumigations are used in Ceremonial Magick, seances, and necromancy, as well as in the Craft of Wicca.

SUMMER SOLSTICE One of the eight Sabbats celebrated annually by Witches. The Summer Solstice, also known as Midsummer Festival, Litha, and Alban Hefin, marks the longest day of the year when the sun is at its zenith, and is the traditional time when Witches harvest magickal herbs for spells and potions, for it is believed that the innate power of herbs is strongest on this day. In certain Wiccan traditions, the Summer Solstice symbolizes the end of the reign of the Oak-King who is now replaced by his successor the Holly-King who will rule until the Sabbat of Yule, which marks the shortest day of the year.

SUN 1. In astrology, the planetary ruler of the zodiac sign Leo. 2. In Wicca, the symbol of the consort of the Goddess who is known as the Horned God. In general, the Sun is an ancient symbol of yang energy, the masculine forces of nature, and the male aspect of divinity. It is the opposite of the moon, which symbolizes yin energy, the feminine forces of nature, and the female aspect of divinity.

SUN SIGN In astrology, the sign of the zodiac that an individual is born under; the birth sign. See also ASTROLOGY and the individual zodiac sign entries (listed under SIGN).

SWASTIKA An ancient cosmic or religious symbol formed by a Greek cross with the ends of the arms bent at right angles in either a clockwise or counterclockwise direction.

Before being adopted in 1935 as the infamous official emblem of Nazi Germany, the swastika was used as a sacred religious symbol and a good luck talisman in pre-Christian Europe and in many other cultures across the world including the Orientals, Egyptians, and the Indian tribes of North, Central, and South America.

In Hinduism, the swastika was associated with the sun and also with the elephant-headed god Ganesha, one of the most popular Hindu deities. In many traditions of Norse Paganism (or Nordic-Teutonic Wicca), the swastika represents both the Wheel of the Sun and the hammer of the mighty god Thor. It is also said to be the rune of the Earth Mother.

The word “swastika” stems from the Sanskrit svastika, meaning a sign of good luck. There are over 1200 known swastika designs, the oldest dating back to 12,000 B.C.

SYLPHS The elemental spirits of Air. See also ELEMENTALS.

SYMPATHETIC MAGICK Another name for the ancient practice of image magick, which works on the basic principle that like attracts like. See also IMAGE MAGICK and POPPET.

TALISMAN A manmade object of any shape or material charged with magickal properties to bring good luck, fertility, and ward off evil. To formally charge a talisman with power, it must first be inscribed and then consecrated. Inscribing the talisman with a sun sign, moon sign, birth date, runic name, or other magickal symbol personalizes it and gives it purpose.

TANTRA 1. One of a comparatively recent class of approximately 64 Buddhist or Hindu written scriptures concerned with sex magick, mysticism, and the postures of love. 2. A form of Kundalini yoga in which a woman’s divine spiritual energy is aroused and a man’s realization of the divinity is achieved through ceremonial emotional and sexual union without male orgasm.

TANTRISM A religious system of yoni-worship or female-centered sex-worship associated with the Hindu religious texts known as the Tantras. One of the prayer mantras (spoken formulas incorporating “words of power”) most sacred in Tantrism is om mani padme hum which translates to: “So be it! O jewel [symbol of the male penis] in the lotus [symbol of the female vulva]. Amen” and refers to the sexual union of the god Shiva and the goddess Shakti. See also TANTRA.

TAROT A deck of 78 cards used for reading the past, the future, and fortune. It is divided into two parts: the Minor Arcana and the Major Arcana. The Minor Arcana consists of 56 divinatory cards divided into four suits of 14 cards each: Wands, Cups, Swords, and Pentacles. Wands corresponds to the suit of Clubs in regular playing cards and to the element of Fire. They traditionally represent enterprise, distinction, executive power, and organization. Cups correspond to the suit of Hearts and to the element of Water. They traditionally represent good fortune, love, the emotions, and social relationships. Swords correspond to the suit of Spades and to the element of Air. They traditionally represent misfortune, obstacles, opposition, and external forces. Pentacles corresponds to the suit of Diamonds and to the element of Earth. They traditionally represent wealth, material success, and physical well-being.

The Major Arcana consists of twenty-two highly symbolic trump cards with colorful allegorical figures. Numbered from Zero to Twentyone, they are: The Fool, The Magician, The High Priestess, The Empress, The Emperor, The Hierophant (High Priest or Pope), The Lovers, The Chariot, Strength (or Fortitude), The Hermit, Wheel of Fortune, Justice, The Hanged Man (or Sacrifice), Death, Temperance, The Devil, The Tower, The Star, The Moon, The Sun, The Last Judgment, and The World. The cards of the Major Arcana are regarded as the most important ones in a Tarot deck, and some cartomancers (card readers) choose to work with them only—especially if the reading pertains to a crucial matter. Others prefer to use all seventy-eight cards whenever they do a reading for themselves or for others.

Some Tarot readers use a special pre-selected card known as a “significator” to represent the querent during a reading. This is usually one of the court cards from the Minor Arcana, chosen for its physical resemblance or astrological correspondence to the querent. For instance, if the querent was a dark-featured woman or one born under an Earth sign, a suitable significator card would be the Queen of Pentacles; a young man born under a Water sign would choose the Page of Cups, and so forth. Any card from the Major Arcana can also be used as a significator, especially if it pertains to the focus of the reading.

The various methods of Tarot card reading include the popular Celtic Cross method which uses ten cards, the Golden Dawn method (modified by occultist Aleister Crowley), three-card spreads, seven-card spreads, Spiral spreads, and the Oracles of Julia Orsini, which is an ancient French method that uses a significator card plus forty-two other cards.

The most famous and widely used of all Tarot decks is the one known as the Rider-Waite. It was first published in the year 1910 by English occultist Arthur Edward Waite, and designed by Pamela Colman Smith, who was also an occultist. The cards’ colorful and renaissance-styled illustrations are based in part upon the secret occult symbols of the Hermetic Kabbalah.

The Tarot is one of the most popular methods of divination among most modern Witches, who use it not only for prediction, but as a powerful tool for spiritual guidance, dreamscaping (the ability to control dreams while in the dream state) and magickal workings.

TAURUS In astrology, the second sign of the zodiac, symbolized by the Bull. Taurus is an Earth sign and is ruled by the planet Venus. Its energies are feminine-yin-negative-passive, and its polarity (its opposite sign of the zodiac which expresses the opposite characteristics) is Scorpio. The quadruplicity (quality) of Taurus is Fixed (meaning resistant to change and a natural perfector.) Persons born between April 20 and May 20 are under the sign of Taurus and are said to possess the following traits: loyalty, stability, determination, and patience. There is a strong tendency for stubbornness, occasional laziness, and unwillingness to accept change. In matters of love, Taurus is believed to be most compatible with Taurus, Virgo, Capricorn, and those with Moon in Taurus. The parts of the human body said to be ruled by Taurus are the neck and throat.

THEISM Belief in the existence of gods or goddesses. Most individuals who follow the spiritual path of Wicca are considered to be both pantheists and polytheists (those who believe that the Divine is imminent in all of Nature, and those who believe that the Divine manifests itself in more than one form, respectively).

THERIOMORPHISM The belief in, or the ability of, gods or goddesses who manifest themselves in animal form. Theriomorphic deities have existed in numerous pantheons (especially in those of Africa and ancient Egypt). They have been associated with virtually all animals known to mankind, appearing either wholly or partly in animal form, and sometimes shapeshifting back and forth between animal, anthropomorphic, and spiritual form.

THIRD EYE In Kundalini yoga, the sixth of the seven chakras known as the Ajna chakra; the human body’s highest source of power, supernormal sight, and clairvoyant vision. The Third Eye is invisible and is said to be located above the eyebrows in the middle of the forehead. See also CHAKRA.

THREEFOLD LAW In Wicca, the belief that if one does good, he or she will get it back three times as powerfully in the same lifetime, and often immediately. By the same token, whatever harm one does to others is also returned as three times greater. Also known as “Triple Karma” and the “Law of Three,” the concept of the Threefold Law can be traced back to Gerald Gardner, the English Witch who founded the Gardnerian tradition of Wicca. (Incidentally, prior to the publication in 1970 of Raymond Buckland’s book, Witchcraft Ancient and Modern, there were no known references made to threefold karma ever to appear in print.)

Most Wiccans have adopted the Threefold Law; however, there are some who perceive karmic retribution to be sevenfold or greater, and others who believe that the reaction for every action in life (whether it be good or evil) is of equal measure—no more and no less.

THURIBLE A shallow, three-legged dish used by Witches and Wiccans in magickal workings as an incense burner. The thurible symbolically corresponds to the ancient element of Air.

T.M. Transcendental meditation.

TRAITEURS Folk doctors who treat snakebites, illnesses, and spells with old-fashioned herbal and occult remedies.

TRANSCENDENTAL MEDITATION A form of meditation requiring total relaxation and concentration upon a personal (often secret) mantra to reduce stress and heighten self-awareness. Also known as “T.M.” for short, this technique of meditation was introduced to the West in the 1960s by the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. Practitioners, who are not required to follow any specific religious path, are taught to meditate for fifteen to twenty minutes each day—once in the morning and once in the evening.

TRANSMIGRATION Another word for metempsychosis, the passing of a soul after death into a different physical body, either human or animal.

TRIANGLE A symbol of finite manifestation in Western magick, used in rituals to evoke spirits when the seal or sign of the entity to be summoned is placed in the center of the triangle. The triangle, equivalent to the number three (a powerful magickal number) is also a symbol of the Triple Goddess: Maiden, Mother, Crone. Inverted, it represents the male principle.

TRICK In Trinidad and southern United States folk magick, a magickal charm bag, variously known as a tricken bag, mojo bag, hoodoo hand, gris-gris, etc. When used in black magick for evil purposes, the trick is called a root bag or fingers-of-death.

TRIDENT 1. In Paganism, a sacred triple-phallus symbol displayed by any male deity whose function is to sexually unite with the Triple Goddess. 2. The triple-pronged spear carried by the mythological sea-gods Neptune and Poseidon.

TRIPLE GOD Just as goddess trinities have appeared in the pantheons of many cultures around the world, so too have male god trinities, also known as Triple Gods. Several examples are the Hindu trimurti of Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva; the Greek sun god triad of Apollo, Helios, and Phoebus; and the well-known Christian union of three divine figures, the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, in one godhead.

In Wicca, the Horned God is generally not perceived or worshipped as a multiple aspect deity in the same manner as the Goddess, who manifests in three aspects (Maiden, Mother, Crone) which correspond to the waxing, full, and waning lunar phases. See also TRIPLE GODDESS.

TRIPLE GODDESS A goddess trinity having three different aspects and three different names, usually corresponding to the three lunar phases. In her waxing phase, she is the Maiden (Virgin or Warrioress). In her full moon phase, she is the Mother. In her waning or dark moon phase, she is the Crone who personifies wisdom, death, and darkness.

In Norse mythos, the Triple Goddess trinity is: Freya (goddess of love and beauty), Frigga (mother goddess), and Hel (queen of death and ruler of the Underworld). The multiple aspects of the Celtic goddess Morrigan are: Macha, Badb, and Neman. Even Mary of the Christian mythos is as much a trinity as any ancient Pagan goddess for she embodies the attributes found in female deities of other cultures: Virgin, Mother, and Saint. See also TRIPLE GOD.

TRUE MAGICK Magick that is performed for good purposes such as to heal or help others; another name for the practice of white magick; the opposite of black magick.

UDJAT See EYE OF HORUS.

UNCROSSING RITUAL In both Ceremonial Magick and Wicca, a special ritual designed to break the power of negative spells, black magick, or evil influences. In many cases, uncrossings are performed when the moon is in a waning phase, which is the appropriate time for the casting of magick that banishes such things as negativity, illness, and malevolent spirits, and brings things to an end. Depending upon the intent of the individual magician, Witch, or coven, the negative or evil energy may or may not be willed back to the perpetrator.

UNCTION The act of anointing a person or ritual tool with an herbal ointment or oil as part of a consecration, magickal ceremony, or healing ritual. Unctions are commonly performed in the spells and rituals of the Wiccan Craft. The term “unction” is also used for a balm, oil, or salve.

UNDERWORLD In various ancient mythologies, a region, realm, or dwelling place conceived to be below the surface of the Earth and separate from the world of the living where the souls of the deceased go after death; the world of the dead.

UNDINES Female elemental spirits of Water. Also known as nymphs, mermaids, nereids, and oceanides. See also ELEMENTALS.

UNGUENT A special ointment or salve used by Witches to promote healing and to induce astral projections and psychic dreams. Also known as flying ointment and sorcerers’ grease. In the Middle Ages, unguents containing various hallucinogenic ingredients were believed to give a Witch the powers of flight, invisibility, and transformation.

UNICORN A fabled creature in folk legend and heraldry, represented as a gentle, horselike beast with a single spiraled horn extending from its forehead, and often with a lion’s tail and a goat’s beard. The unicorn symbolized chastity, virginity, fierceness, and the power of love, and it was said that only the touch of a virgin could tame it. The horn of the unicorn (which has a white base, a black middle, and a red tip) was regarded to be extremely magickal, and it was believed to possess the powers to detect poisons and to make water pure, among other things. At one time the unicorn was believed to be a native of India, later of Africa.

VENEFICA A term used in the Middle Ages for a Witch (usually of the female gender) who uses magickal poisons to bring illness or death to enemies, and love philtres to manipulate the emotions of others.

VERNAL EQUINOX Another name for the Spring Equinox—one of the eight Witches’ Sabbats celebrated annually. See also SPRING EQUINOX.

VERVAIN A spiky wayside plant with purplish-blue flowers and a magickal, mystical past. Vervain has been associated with Witches, sorcerers, and magick since the beginning of history. In ancient times, the plant was bruised and worn as a charm against venomous bites and headaches. It was also believed to possess the power to cure grief. Today, vervain is used mainly in sleep potions, antisorcery spells, and love magick.

VIRGO In astrology, the sixth sign of the zodiac, symbolized by the Virgin. Virgo is an Earth sign, and is ruled by the planet Mercury. Its energies are feminine-yin-negative-passive, and its polarity (its opposite sign of the zodiac which expresses the opposite characteristics) is Pisces. The quadruplicity (quality) of Virgo is Mutable (meaning flexible and able to adapt). Persons born between August 23 and September 22 are under the sign of Virgo and are said to possess the following traits: genorosity, intelligence, efficiency, modesty, a romantic nature, and often a tendency to be a perfectionist and overly analytical. In matters of love, Virgo is believed to be most compatible with Virgo, Capricorn, Taurus, and those with Moon in Virgo. The parts of the human body said to be ruled by Virgo are the nervous system and the intestines.

VISION An altered state of consciousness in which a sacred or prophetic image is perceived; a mental image that appears in a dream, while in a trance, or while scrying a crystal ball, magick mirror, or some other reflective surface.

VISIONARY A human being, of either male or female gender, who is gifted with paranormal vision.

VISUALIZATION In magickal practices (both Ceremonial and practical), the process of forming mental images of needed goals during rituals and spellcastings. Also called “creative visualization” and “magickal visualization,” the art of visualizing one’s intent is one of the key factors of spellwork. The power of the focused mind is great and not only used for obtaining that which is needed or desired, but for accomplishing important goals and transformations, creating protective shields against all forms of negativity or evil, and aiding in centering meditations, invokings, and banishings as well.

VITKA Another name for a rune mistress; a Pagan priestess or seeress who divines the future or fate by casting rune stones into a circle drawn on the ground and then interpreting the patterns formed by the stones.

WALPURGISNACHT Another name for the Sabbat of Beltane (May 1) or May Eve (April 30). See also BELTANE.

WAND In Ceremonial Magick and Witchcraft, a stick (usually made of wood) used to trace circles, draw magickal symbols on the ground, direct energy, and stir cauldron brews; any stick, baton, or rod used by a diviner or conjurer. The wand is the emblem of magickal power. It normally represents the element of Air (although some ascribe it to Fire), and is sacred to all Pagan deities.

WARDING A word used (especially by practitioners of Pennsylvania Dutch Country powwow magick) for the art of protection magick; the casting of spells that are beneficial for guarding against illness, bad luck, the evil eye, and all manner of negativity. Wardings have been used to protect people, animals, homes, personal property, crops, situations, and even reputations. Basically any spell or charm that “wards” off bad things can be considered a form of warding magick. See also HEX, HEX SIGN, and POWWOW.

WARLOCK A word stemming from the Old English waerloga (meaning an “oath-breaker”) and at one time used derogatorily by the Catholic Church as a name for a male Witch. However, in Wicca, the word “warlock” is seldom if ever used; most male Wiccans would take strong offense to being called one. Both male and female practitioners of the Craft are called Wiccans (or Witches). Individuals who use the word “warlock” are merely calling attention to their limited knowledge about the Craft or watching too many reruns of Bewitched.

WATCHTOWERS Also known as the Directions or the Quarters, these are the four directional points at the perimeter of a magick circle to which each of the four spirits of the elements are called as guardians during the beginning of a ritual. In some Wiccan traditions, the candles that are placed at the East, South, West, and North points of the circle are regarded as the Watchtowers.

WATER One of the four ancient and alchemical elements that correspond to the West Watchtower of the magick circle. The spirits of Water are known as Undines. See also ELEMENTALS.

WATER SIGNS In astrology, the three signs of the zodiac attributed to the ancient element of Water: Cancer, Pisces, and Scorpio.

WATER WITCH A nickname used to describe a man or woman who is skilled at using a divining rod to locate underground water; a dowser. Water Witches are not necessarily real Witches in the magickal or religious sense of the word.

WEATHERWORKING The art and practice of controlling atmospheric conditions by means of magick, prayer, or supernatural power; magickal control of the weather; rainmaking. A medieval Witch’s cauldron spell to raise a tempest; a magician’s incantation to summon the wind; rain-attracting lava stone amulets, and Native American rain dances to promote rain are just a few examples of weatherworking.

WHEEL OF THE YEAR A term used by Wiccans and Neo-Pagans to mean one complete cycle of the seasonal year, usually starting with the Sabbat of Samhain (October 31) and followed by Winter Solstice, Candlemas (Oimelc or Imbolc), Spring Equinox, Beltane (or Walpurgisnacht), Summer Solstice, Lammas (or Lughnasadh), and Autumn Equinox.

The sun and the seasons it rules are symbolized by a wheel having eight spokes. The wheel itself represents the never-ending cycle of birth, death, and rebirth, and each of its spokes represents one of the eight Wiccan–-Pagan Sabbats celebrated yearly.

As the seasons change, the Wheel of the Year is said to turn.

WHITE-HANDLED KNIFE See BOLLINE.

WHITE MAGICK The opposite of black magick; positive magick that is practiced only for good purposes or as a counter to evil. Love spells, healing rituals, and luck-attracting amulets are several examples of white magick. Also known as true magick.

WICCA An alternative name for modern Witchcraft; a Neo-Pagan Nature religion with spiritual roots in Shamanism, having one main tenet: the Wiccan Rede. The Goddess and Her consort the Horned God are the two main deities honored and worshipped in Wiccan rites. Their names vary from one Wiccan tradition to the next. Wicca includes the practice of various forms of white magick, as well as rites to attune oneself with the natural rhythm of life forces marked by the phases of the moon and the seasons.

WICCAN A follower of Wicca.

WICCANING A Wiccan birth rite by which a baby is given a name by its parents, anointed on the forehead with salted water by a coven Priestess, and then passed through the smoke of incense by its mother as a gesture of purification.

THE WICCAN REDE A simple and benevolent moral code of Wiccans that is as follows: “An it harm none, do what thou wilt.” The exact origin of the Wiccan Rede is not known, but some have suggested that it is the Pagan version of the Christians’ “love thy neighbor.” It has been interpreted as meaning: Be free to do (magickally or mundanely) what you feel in your heart is right, provided no harm be brought to anyone as a result. Most Wiccans live by the Wiccan Rede and believe that if they violate it, even unintentionally, they will have to contend with a negative karmic return.

WICCAN TRADITIONS Just as Christianity is made up of different denominations, so too are there various traditions practiced by Wiccans. The most well known and widely practiced of the Wiccan traditions is the Gardnerian Tradition, which is named after the English Witch Gerald B. Gardner (1884–1964). Gardner is credited as being highly influential in the revival of the modern Witchcraft movement in western culture. Gardnerianism was imported to the United States in the 1960s by Raymond Buckland and his then wife Rosemary. It centers on the worship of the Goddess and the Horned God, involves formal initiation into covens, and uses three degrees of advancement. It has been described by some as a blending of Golden Dawn ritual magick, Masonry, Rosicrucianism, Pagan folklore, and ancient mythology. Strict followers of this tradition normally worship skyclad (nude) and practice ritual scourging and blood control with binding cords as two means of raising magickal power.

British Traditional Witchcraft is a tradition of Wicca which blends together Celtic and Gardnerian beliefs and practices, and is also known for its training of coven members through the degree process. Presently, the most well-known Wiccan church-organization in the United States that follows this tradition is the International Red Garters, headquartered in Sacramento, California.

The Seax-Wica Tradition was founded by Raymond Buckland in 1973. It has a Saxon basis, uses only one degree of rank and is considerably less strict than the Gardnerian tradition.

The Pictish Tradition is based on Scottish Witchcraft and focuses primarily on the magickal energies of all aspects of Nature. There is little, if any, emphasis placed on religion.

Covens and solitary Witches who follow the Dianic Tradition (named after the Roman goddess Diana) worship only the feminine aspect of the Divine or accord the Horned God secondary status to the Goddess. Dianic feminist Wicca encourages female leadership and involves its practitioners in feminist issues. Although some covens of the Dianic tradition include both female and male members, most exclude men and some are open only to lesbians.

Hereditary Witchcraft (also known as the Family tradition, or Fam-Trad for short) is a pre-Gardnerian form of Wicca, prevalent in Great Britain and Europe, although Hereditary Witches exist in all parts of the world. To be an authentic Hereditary Witch, one must be able to trace the practice of the Old Religion through their family tree and also be initiated into the Craft by a family member, usually a parent or grandparent. It is common for most Hereditary Witches to be born with clairvoyant or healing powers.

The Alexandrian Tradition was founded in England in the 1960s by a man named Alexander Sanders (1926–1988), a flamboyant psychic and self-proclaimed “King of the Witches.” The Alexandrian rituals are described by some as “modified Gardnerian” and are almost always performed skyclad. There is a strong emphasis on Ceremonial Magick and the use of cords. For some reason this tradition seems to have a stronger following in the United Kingdom and Canada than in the United States, where its popularity declined in the 1970s. Those who practice Alexandrian Wicca are referred to as Alexandrians.

Celtic Wicca is a widely followed tradition of Wicca which is based on the ancient Celtic pantheon and Druidic magick and rites. There are some similarities between many Celtic and Gardnerian rituals; however, the covens-circles of these two traditions are usually not organized in the same manner. Celtic Wicca embraces old Irish myths, natural healing methods, and wortcunning.

Some may argue that Eclectic Wicca is not really a tradition, but rather a Pagan potpourri of bits and pieces from different magickal traditions all rolled into one. While it may be true that Eclectic Wicca is based on the premise that “variety is the spice of life,” the Eclectics have just as much right as the next group to be considered a valid tradition. The only difference between Eclectic Wicca and other Wiccan traditions is that the Eclectic tradition is a custom-made one based on an individual’s (or group’s) varied interests, religious beliefs, personal style of magick making, or ethnic heritage.

The tradition known as the Strega is another pre-Gardnerian form of Witchcraft with roots dating back to mid-fourteenth century Italy and based on the teachings of Aradia. Strega is the Latin word for “Witch.” The followers of this tradition are usually of Italian heritage.

Teutonic Wicca, also known as the Nordic or Neo-Viking tradition, is based on many of the magickal customs and ancient myths of pre-Christian Iceland and Scandinavia. Strongly associated with this tradition are the magickal and divinatory casting of the runes, Norse-Germanic symbology, and the worship and invocation of the ancient Norse deities (such as Thor, Freya, Odin, Frigga, and others). Twentieth century interest in the revival of Norse Paganism was first sparked in the 1970s, and since then, many related organizations and covens have been established and numerous books on the subject have made it to the shelves of bookstores and libraries.

The Egyptian Tradition is another popular tradition available to those who call Wicca their spiritual path. The goddesses and gods of the ancient Egyptian pantheon are invoked and honored, and both spells and rituals are often performed in a style similar to Ceremonial Magick.

The Love Craft Tradition (which has no connection to the horror writer H.P. Lovecraft) is a new tradition of Wicca, created by Gerina Dunwich and based on the simple tenet that “Love is the law.” As love is healing, nurturing, motivating, and empowering, it is by far the most powerful of all human emotions (apart from hate, which is nothing more than the reversal of love). Love is said to be able to “conquer all.” It is not only the greatest source of magickal power, it is, in itself, magick. In the Love Craft tradition, the Goddess in Her guise of the Greek love goddess Aphrodite or Her Roman counterpart Venus is invoked and honored in Pagan rituals. The ritual invocation of the Horned God as the male aspect of Divinity is not necessary, although male-female polarities are recognized. Aphrodite is regarded as an androgynous deity, encompassing both the yin (female) and yang (male) energies of both Nature and the Divine. There is, however, a greater emphasis placed on healings, divinations, and magickal workings than on religion alone. If an invocation of a male deity is desired, then one who personifies Love (such as Eros, Amor, Adonis, and so forth) is appropriate and compatible with the tradition.

Love Crafters can utilize various visualization techniques in conjunction with the raising, directing, and releasing of Love energy (either in a Platonic or Tantric fashion) in the casting of spells. Regardless of the goal of the spell (whether it be for healing, prosperity, obtaining affection or passion, breaking curses, promoting fertility, or awakening psychic powers) it is always powered by Love—the strongest, most positive, and highest sacred power of all. The ancient and empowering ritual known as Drawing Down the Moon is not limited to being performed by a coven’s High Priestess alone. All coven members, female and male, are encouraged to participate during monthly full moon Esbats. (Solitary Love Craft Witches are also encouraged to Draw Down the Moon.) The purpose of this rite is to absorb the powerful energy and essence of the full moon through each of the opened chakras for spiritual-magickal empowerment and monthly rechargings. (Incidentally, Greek myth traces this Wiccan lunar rite to the goddess Aphrodite, who taught her son Jason how to draw down the moon when he needed magick.)

In the Love Craft tradition, covens are open to both women and men, regardless of race or sexual orientation, and headed by a High Priestess or a High Priest. There are no degrees of advancement and no use of such other Gardnerian hallmarks as ritual flogging, the use of binding cords for blood control, or strict guidelines regarding the initiation of coveners or the structure of the coven. Ritual nudity is not a requirement. The eight Sabbats of the “Wheel of the Year” are observed in addition to the ancient Greek and Roman festivals that honor Aphrodite and Venus, respectively. The Wiccan Rede is strongly adhered to, and karmic retribution is acknowledged, though not necessarily as being threefold (which is basically a Gardnerian concept, believed to have originated in the 1950s by Gerald Gardner and first put into print in 1970 by Raymond Buckland).

In addition to the aforementioned traditions of Wicca, there is Faery Wicca, Scientific Witchcraft, Wiccan Shamanism, and many more (perhaps hundreds) of lesser known traditions that exist throughout the world today with new ones being established all the time.

WIDDERSHINS A word used by Wiccans to mean counterclockwise. This motion symbolizes negative magickal purposes and is mainly used in banishings and to uncast the circle at the end of a ritual. (The opposite of widdershins is deosil, and is the way in which circles are cast at the start of rituals, i.e, clockwise.)

WINTER SOLSTICE SABBAT One of the eight Sabbats celebrated each year by Witches. See also YULE.

WITCH Any individual, of either gender, who practices Witchcraft; one who worships or invokes the gods of the Old Religion; a Wiccan.

The word “Witch” derives from the Old English wicce, which means “wise woman” according to many modern-day Witches. Some followers of the Old Religion feel that the word “Witch” has been tainted by too many negative connotations and prefer themselves to be called Wiccans (or Neo-Pagans, followers of Earth Spirituality, and so forth). However, many Witches are proud to be identified as Witches, and there are many feminist Witches who agree that reclaiming the word “Witch” from the evil stigmas that have attached themselves to it over the centuries is one important way for magickal women to reclaim the power that once was, and rightfully is, theirs.

WITCH BALL A mirrorlike ball of silver glass hung in a dark corner or suspended in a window to avert the harmful influences of the evil eye either by attracting to itself the negative influences that would otherwise have fallen upon the household, or by casting back the negative influence upon the person who sent it forth.

WITCH BOTTLE Any type of glass bottle or jar which is filled with a variety of objects, charged with magickal power, and used for either good or evil. For example, a Witch bottle used in the art of love magick might contain such items as a lock of hair from the man or woman whose affections are desired, rose petals, heart-shaped candles, love amulets, Venus ruled herbs, and other love related goodies. After a Witch bottle has been filled, it is usually capped tightly and sealed with wax from an appropriately colored or scented candle. A magickal incantation is recited over the bottle and then it is either buried in the ground or hidden in some secret place until the Witch who cast the spell decides to break it, usually by smashing the bottle when the moon is in a waning phase, or by emptying its contents into a moving body of water.

WITCHCRAFT The Old Religion; the Craft of the Wise; the practice of folk religion that combines magick, Nature-worship, divination, and herbalism with bits and pieces of various pre-Christian religious beliefs such as those of the Druids and the ancient Egyptians. In sixteenth-century Europe, organized religion felt that the ways of the Old Religion were a threat to their belief system and as a result, the practice of Witchcraft in England was made an illegal offense in the year 1541. In 1604, a law decreeing capital punishment for Witches was adopted and the pulpit became a platform for the denunciation and extermination of anyone suspected of worshipping the old gods. Forty years later, the thirteen colonies in America also made Witchcraft a crime punishable by death. By the end of the seventeenth century, Witches were in hiding and the Old Religion had become a secret underground religion after an estimated one million Europeans had been put to death and more than thirty condemned at Salem, Massachusetts, in the name of Christianity. Not until 1951 were the laws against Witchcraft in England finally repealed.

WITCH DOCTOR Among the primitive cultures in Africa, Australia, Central America, Haiti, Melanesia, Polynesia, and South America, a practitioner of magick who uses spells and charms to cure the ill and exorcise evil spirits from possessed persons and places.

WITCH-DRAUGHT In medieval Witchcraft and sorcery, a magickal potion, brew, or philtre, used to control or manipulate the emotions or thoughts of others.

WITCHES’ LADDER In sorcery, a knotted triple cord, string, or rope, usually with a feather in each knot, used by sorcerers as a powerful magickal charm to bring nightmares, misfortune, illness, or death to enemies. Also called a Witches’ garland.

WITCHES’ SABBAT See SABBAT.

WITCHLING The child of a Witch.

WIZARD An adept, sage, or magician skilled in summoning supernatural powers; a name sometimes used for a male Witch. The word “wizard” derives from the Middle English wis, meaning “wise.” The art, skill, or practice of a wizard is known as wizardry.

WORDS OF POWER In Ceremonial Magick, conjurations and invocations used in rituals and ceremonies, often consisting of Jewish god-names.

WORSHIP Reverence or homage to the Goddess, the Horned God, or any other Pagan deity, which may involve rituals, prayer, incantation, dancing, singing, drumming, or the chanting of certain magickal words or rhymes.

WORTCUNNING The knowledge and use of the secret healing and magickal properties of herbs; a word used by folk healers, Witches, and Wiccans of all traditions to mean the practice of herbalism. Wortcunning has been associated with the Old Religion since ancient times and is practiced in our contemporary times by many in the Craft who refer to themselves as Green Witches or Kitchen Witches. Many magickally-minded folks prefer growing and harvesting their own herbs rather than purchasing store-bought ones because home-grown herbs, apart from being fresher and more pure, are believed to be more magickally potent. (For more information about wortcunning, read The Wicca Garden by Gerina Dunwich, Citadel Press, 1996.)

YANG In Taoism, the active, masculine, and positive cosmic principle that is opposite but always complimentary to yin. In Wicca and Neo-Paganism, yang energy corresponds to the Horned God, the ancient elements of Air and Fire, the Air and Wands suits of the Tarot, and the astrological signs of Aries, Gemini, Leo, Libra, Sagittarius, and Aquarius. See also YIN.

YARROW A medicinal and culinary herb long associated with the practice of Witchcraft and used in love spells, protection spells, exorcisms, and rituals to increase the psychic powers. Dried yarrow sticks are traditionally used in the ancient Chinese system of oracular divination known as the I Ching (or “Book of Changes”).

YGGDRASIL In Norse mythology and in contemporary Teutonic-Nordic Paganism, a sacred ash tree that unites Earth, Heaven, and the Underworld by its roots and branches. Yggdrasil is regarded as the great tree of knowledge and is a symbol of the generation of life.

YIN In Taoism, the passive, feminine, and negative cosmic principle that is opposite but always complimentary to yang. In Wicca and Neo-Paganism, yin energy corresponds to the Goddess, the ancient elements of Water and Earth, the Cups and Pentacles suits of the Tarot, and the astrological signs of Taurus, Cancer, Virgo, Scorpio, Capricorn, and Pisces. See also YANG.

YONI 1. In Tibetan and Indian religion, the sacred symbol of the female principle or female creative energy. 2. The external female genitalia, associated with concepts of the Mother Goddess, the Earth, fertility, and reproduction.

YULE One of the four lesser Witches’ Sabbats which takes place on the Winter Solstice on or about December 21, originally marking the rebirth of the Sun God from the Earth Goddess. During the Yule Sabbat, Yule logs are burned, mistletoe is hung in doorways and on altars, gifts are exchanged, and the Great Horned God, who rules the dark half of the year, is honored.

YULE LOG A log ritually burned at Yule to mark the death of winter and the rebirth of the sun. The burning of the Yule log stems from the ancient Pagan custom of the Yule bonfire which was burned to give life and power to the sun, which was thought of as being reborn at the Winter Solstice. In later times, the outdoor bonfire custom was replaced by the indoor burning of logs and red candles etched with carvings of suns and other magickal symbols. As the oak tree was considered to be the Cosmic Tree of the ancient Druids, the Yule log is traditionally oak; however, some Wiccan traditions burn a pine Yule log to symbolize the dying god Attis, Dionysus, or Woden. In days of old, the ashes of the Yule log were mixed with cow fodder to aid in symbolic reproduction and was sprinkled over the fields to insure new life and a fertile spring.

ZODIAC An invisible circular band in the sky through which the planets are seen to move. It is divided into twelve equal sections called zodiac signs, each 30 degrees wide and bearing the name of a constellation for which it was originally named but with which it no longer coincides due to the precession of the vernal and autumnal equinoxes. The twelve signs of the zodiac are: Aries the ram, Taurus the bull, Gemini the twins, Cancer the crab, Leo the lion, Virgo the virgin, Libra the balance, Scorpio the scorpion, Sagittarius the archer, Capricorn the goat, Aquarius the water-bearer, and Pisces the fish.

ZODIACAL MAN In astrology, the concept that different parts of the human anatomy are ruled by the twelve signs of the zodiac: Aries rules the head and brain; Taurus rules the throat and neck; Gemini rules the shoulders, arms, and lungs; Cancer rules the chest and stomach; Leo rules the upper back, spine, and heart; Virgo rules the intestines and nervous system; Libra rules the lower back and kidneys; Scorpio rules the sex organs; Sagittarius rules the liver, thighs, and hips; Capricorn rules the knees, bones, teeth, and skin; Aquarius rules the calves, ankles, and blood; and Pisces rules the feet and lymph glands.

THE ZOHAR The bible of Mysticism first published in the thirteenth century and believed to be the composition of Rabbi Simon ben Yochai, a second-century Jewish luminary renowned as a great mystic. The Zohar deals with nearly every aspect and theme of the occult, and its teachings have exerted a great influence on the Kabbalah as well as all other areas of the occult.

ZOOMORPHISM The ability to change from human to animal form (or vice versa) by means of charms, magickal incantations, or supernatural powers. The most common forms of zoomorphism are: aeluranthropy (human to cat), boanthropy (human to cow or bull), cynanthropy (human to dog), lepanthropy (human to rabbit or hare), and lycanthropy (human to wolf). Human to animal transformations (as well as animal to human) have been performed since ancient times by sorcerers in nearly every part of the world, especially South America, Africa, and Haiti. See also SHAPESHIFTING.

ABNOBA A Romano-Celtic goddess who presided over forests and rivers. Her worship is believed to have originated in Germany’s Black Forest region. The name “Avon” (which has been given to numerous rivers throughout Europe) derives from Abnoba’s name.

ABUNDANTIA A Roman goddess of fertility and the personification of abundance. According to mythology, Abundantia is a lady who enters houses in the middle of the night when all inside are sleeping, and brings prosperity.

ADITI An Archaic Hindu mother goddess who was believed by some to take on the appearance of a cow. She was also a guardian goddess, the bringer of prosperity, and the remover of obstacles.

AHURANI A Persian (Zoroastrian) goddess of fertility who was also the mistress of Ahura Mazda, the god of light. She was often invoked by those seeking prosperity and women who wished to have children. Water libations were an important aspect of the rituals associated with her.

AJE A goddess of wealth who was worshipped throughout Nigeria. In the creation myth associated with her, Aje was sent down to Earth, along with the creator goddess Oduduwa. It was believed by her followers that she appeared to humans in the form of a fowl scratching the dirt.

AKONADI A Ghanaian oracular goddess who was worshipped by many West Africans. In Accra, she had a celebrated oracular shrine. Akonadi is also a deity associated with justice and the protection of women.

ALA A Nigerian goddess of fertility. She also rules the Underworld, and it is believed that the souls of the dead rest within her sacred womb. The crescent moon is her symbol and she is often depicted in works of art as a seated woman holding a small child in her arms. Each year her followers pay homage to her with an event known as the Yam Festival.

ALCYONE A Greek goddess who was changed into a kingfisher by the gods after she threw herself into the sea upon finding the body of her drowned husband Ceyx washed up on the shore. The seven days preceding the Winter Solstice and the seven days after it are known as the Halcyon Days, named after Alcyone. It was during this time, according to ancient Greek mythology, that Alcyone kept the waters peaceful and calm so that she could build her nest upon the surface of the sea and sit on it until her eggs hatched.

ALPAN Also known as Alpanu, she was the Etruscan goddess of the art of sexual love, as well as a deity who ruled over the Underworld. In works of art, she is depicted as a winged woman clad in nothing more than a loose cloak, sandals, and jewels.

AMATERASU The Japanese goddess of the golden sun. She is the central figure of Shintoism and was the tutelary goddess (protectress) of the emperor. Her father was the primordial god lzanagi, and Susano-Wo, the god of storms, was her brother. Many identify her with the Buddhist god Vairocana.

AMAUNET A goddess of fertility who was worshipped in ancient times throughout the region of Upper Egypt. She is a benign protective deity who was often invoked at times of royal accession. Her name means “the hidden one” and the red crown of the Delta is one of her attributes. She is sometimes identified with the Egyptian creatress known as Neith.

AMMAVARU A Hindu-Dravidian primordial mother goddess. According to mythology, she generated the cosmic egg in the sea of milk which gave birth to the gods Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva.

AMMUT An Egyptian Underworld goddess who possessed the head of a lion and a body that was part lion and part hippopotamus. According to the Egyptian Book of the Dead, Ammut was called the devouress of the dead for she consumed the souls of all deceased men and women whose hearts were found to be weighted down with guilt.

ANAITIS A Persian goddess of fertility. Although her cult was centered at Acilisena in pre-Christian Armenia, she had a great influence upon the religious practices and beliefs throughout much of eastern Europe.

ANAT A Canaanite and Phoenician goddess of fertility who was also regarded as an aggressive goddess of battle. Known as the “Lady of the Mountain,” she was worshipped throughout northern Israel, Lebanon, and Syria from prehistoric times (circa 2500 B.C. until around the first century A.D.). In works of art, she is often depicted as a nude young woman having exaggerated breasts and genitalia. She is regarded as part of a goddess trinity, along with the fertility goddess Athirat and the great mother goddess Aserah.

ANNA PERENNA A Roman goddess of protection who, according to ancient Roman mythology, saved the plebeians from famine. She was honored annually with an open-air festival that took place on the fifteenth day of March in a sacred grove near the city of Rome.

ANTU A Mesopotamian creator goddess who was worshipped from circa 2000 B.C. to circa 200 B.C. Her cult was centered in Uruk and Babylon, and she was believed to have been the consort of the creator god Anu, who ruled heaven.

ANUKIS An Egyptian goddess of birth and midwifery who was believed to have dwelled in the cataracts of the Lower Nile. Also known as Anuket, she was depicted in ancient works of art as a woman wearing a turban adorned with ostrich feathers. The gazelle is the animal most sacred to her.

APHRODITE The ancient Greek goddess of love and beauty, and a deity who presided over human love, marriage ceremonies, and married life. She is depicted in works of art as a golden-haired, blue-eyed woman with pale skin and a beautiful face. Her name means “risen from the sea,” and among her children were: Aeneas, Eros, Hymen, Harmonia, Priapus, and Hermaphroditus, who was half male and half female. Aphrodite was one of the Twelve Great Olympians, and the rival of the goddess Persephone for the love of the handsome Greek youth Adonis.

In Homer’s epic poem, The Iliad, Aphrodite is said to be the daughter of Zeus and his consort Dione, and through her mother she was associated with the ancient worship at Dodona. However, in later legends, Aphrodite is described as the offspring of Uranos, coming forth from the foam of the sea and arriving in her scallop shell at the myrtle grove in Cypress. According to Homer, the Graces were the three Triple Goddess aspects of Aphrodite in triad. The cult of Aphrodite was universal in the Mediterranean lands, and Aphrodisia (festivals in her honor) were celebrated frequently at her temples near the sea.

The colors sacred to Aphrodite are white, green, blue, and scarlet. Her sacred love-drawing gemstone is lapis lazuli; her metal is copper; and the trees sacred to her are the myrtle, myrrh, and palm. The aphrodisiacs sacred to her and used by the Greeks were the tunny, sturgeon, scallop, periwinkle, and mandrake.

Aphrodite (and her Roman counterpart, Venus) are the goddesses most invoked by modern Witches for the casting of love spells and for rituals involving the making of aphrodisiacs, philtres, and love charms.

ARACHNE A Roman goddess who presided over the craft of weaving, and whose name is the Greek word for “spider”. According to mythology, Arachne was a woman of Colophon who wove beautifully. She unwisely challenged the goddess Minerva to a trial of skill, but was defeated and hanged herself in despair. Afterward, Minerva changed Arachne into a spider so she could forever weave her webs of silk.

ARADIA An ancient Italian goddess, considered to be the “Messiah of Witches.” According to Tuscan legend, Aradia was the daughter of the moon goddess Diana and Lucifer (whose name means the “light bearer”). After dwelling in Heaven for part of her life, Aradia’s mother sent her down to Earth to teach the arts of magick to all Witches of the human race. When her mission was completed, she was recalled to Heaven and bestowed with the power to grant the desires of worthy Witches who invoked her.

According to Charles Godfrey Leland’s Aradia: The Gospel of the Witches, to call upon Aradia, a Witch must enter a field at midnight bearing water, wine, a talisman, and a small red bag that is filled with salt and at all times held in the hand. Before asking a favor from Aradia, the Witch must bless herself with the water and wine, and then recite her devotion to the goddess.

It is said that Aradia can bestow upon a Witch the secret knowledge and ability to conjure and communicate with spirits of the dead, locate lost or hidden treasure, transform water into wine, divine the future by cards and palm reading, heal the sick, transform ugliness into beauty, tame wild beasts, curse enemies, bless friends, and cast love spells.

Many Wiccans and Neo-Pagans consider Aradia to be a lunar deity like her mother Diana, and invoke her at Full Moon Esbats, as well as in other rituals and spellcastings.

ARAWA An East African goddess of the moon, and daughter of Tororut (the creator god) and his consort, the fertility goddess Seta. Arawa is worshipped by the Suk and Pokot tribes of Kenya and Uganda, respectively.

ARDUINNA A Romano-Celtic goddess of forests and also of the art of hunting. She is depicted in works of art as a woman riding on the back of a wild boar (her sacred animal). In many ways she is similar to the Roman goddess Diana.

ARIADNE A Greek vegetation goddess and, according to Homer and Hesiod, a daughter of the bull god Minos. She is also the consort of the wine god Dionysus. The Corona Borealis is said to be her crown, a gift from the god Zeus.

ARRIANRHOD A Celtic Earth goddess and the daughter of Beli. She was worshipped primarily throughout pre-Christian Wales. She presides over all aspects of fertility and also initiates the souls of the dead into the “otherworld” in the tower of Caer Sidi.

ARTEMIS The Greek goddess of the moon, hunting, and wild beasts. As a lunar goddess, she has been an influential archetype for Witches and worshippers of the contemporary Goddess religion. She is equivalent to the Roman moon goddess Diana, and is regarded by many as the Maiden aspect of the divine feminine trinity known as the Triple Goddess.

ARTO OF MURI A Romano-Celtic goddess of fertility, prosperity, and harvest. She is also known as Artemis Brauronia. The bear is the animal most sacred to her, and in works of art she is depicted as a woman offering fruit to a bear.

ASASE YAA Also known as Asase Efua, she is a major West African goddess who presides over fertility, truth, and the dead. The Earth is her womb, and she is traditionally honored on Thursday. It is on this day each week that all plowing is forbidden. The annual blood sacrifice of a cockerel is made to her by farmers of the region to ensure a harvest of plenty.

ASERAH A goddess of love of the Semitic Amorites, and the great mother goddess of Canaan. She is identified with the Phoenician goddess Astarte, and in the Ras Shamra texts, she is described as the consort of El (the supreme god) and also as the “creatress of the gods.” She was worshipped from pre-historic times until circa A.D. 400 and was linked to Pagan fertility rites.

ASTARTE The ancient Phoenician goddess of love and fruitfulness, and the supreme female divinity of the Phoenician nations. She symbolizes all aspects of the female principle, just as her male counterpart, Baal, symbolizes the male principle. Astarte was worshipped at Tyre and Sidon, and was identified with various lunar and fertility deities, the Greek Aphrodite, the Babylonian Ishtar, and the androgynous Baalith. The Israelites worshipped her after the conquest of Canaan, and her cult was also adopted by the Philistines.

In works of Phoenician art, Astarte is depicted as a woman robed in flames, armed with a bow and sword, and wearing the horns of a cow upon her head to symbolize her powers of fertility. (Because her horns are crescent shaped, she is often mistakenly identified as a lunar goddess.) Sometimes she is depicted with a serpent or a child. The first fruits of the season, along with newborn animals and firstborn children, were sacrificed to her in primitive times in order to increase fertility in women, animals, and the Earth. Animals sacred to her are the gazelle, the cat, and the dove. Her sacred tree is the myrtle.

ASTORETH A Palestinian and Philistine horned goddess of love, fertility, and battle. She was worshipped in ancient times (from circa 1200 B.C. until circa 200 B.C.) in the Palestine coastal region, including Jerusalem. She is identified with the goddesses Astarte and Ishtar.

ASTRAEA The Greek goddess of innocence and purity, daughter of Themis, and a deity associated with justice. It is said that after leaving Earth, Astraea was placed among the stars where she became the constellation Virgo the Virgin.

ATARGATIS A mother goddess who was worshipped in ancient times throughout northern Syria. In some works of art, she is depicted as a mermaid, while in others she is a woman carrying a cornucopia. Atargatis is said to have possessed nine different aspects. Her sacred animals are the lion, the fish, and the dolphin.

ATETE A goddess of fertility who was worshipped by the women of Ethiopia. Before being assimilated into the Christian cult of the Virgin Mary, Atete was invoked by Pagans during ancient fertility rituals known as the Astar yo Mariam.

ATHENA The Greek goddess of war, wisdom, and the arts. She is one of the Twelve Great Olympians and is identified with the Roman goddess Minerva. She is also known as Pallas Athena (the maiden goddess of Athens). The olive is her sacred tree and the aigis (the skin of a sacrificial goat) is her sacred symbol.

AURORA The Roman goddess of the dawn, and the daughter of Hyperion and Thia. (However, in some myths her father is said to have been Pallas; hence her surname of Pallantias.) Her Greek counterpart is the goddess Eos, and the appropriate time to honor or invoke her is at sunrise.

AVETA A Romano-Celtic goddess who presided over birth and midwifery. She is the patroness of all nursing mothers, and the animal most sacred to her is the dog.

AYA A Babylonian mother goddess and the consort of the sun god Shamash (or Samas). In ancient times, the Babylonians annually celebrated the sacred marriage of Aya and Shamash as part of their New Year’s festivities.

AYIDA WEDO The Haitian-Dahomean Voodoo goddess (or loa as the deities of the Vodoun pantheon are called) envisaged as a rainbow serpent of many bright colors. She is the consort of the serpent god Damballah, and is often symbolized by a snake, serpent, or dragon. She inhabits the waters and dines daily on bananas, which are her favorite food. Her bright rainbow colors adorn Vodoun temples, particularly their central support poles which are said to be symbolic of the axis of the world that unites the three realms of Heaven, Earth, and the Underworld.

BALA A Hindu mother goddess who is often depicted in works of art as a youthful-looking woman seated upon a throne made of lotus blossoms, holding a book and a rosary (her sacred attributes).

BAST An ancient fertility goddess and the daughter of Isis. She was known as the “Lady of the Light” and was associated with the vengeance of the sun. In ancient times, she was worshipped in the form of a cat. In later times, she was envisaged as a feline-headed woman. Bast (or Bastet as she is also known) is one of the most popular of ancient Egyptian goddesses in modern-day sex-magick cults and Witchcraft. The cat is her sacred animal.

BAT An Egyptian fertility goddess who, like Hathor, was depicted as a cow, and sometimes as a cow-headed woman. Also known as Bata, she was worshipped in Upper Egypt from circa 2700 B.C. until circa 1500 B.C.

BAU A Sumerian fertility goddess; the Great Mother and consort of the god Ningirsu. As a creatrix, she is identified with the serpent goddess Nintu and Gula the Healer.

BELILI A Sumerian deity who preceded Ishtar as the beautiful goddess of love. She was also a lunar goddess, a goddess of trees, wells, and springs, and the ruler of the Underworld. Belili, who is also known as Queen Belili, is both the sister and the lover of the pomegranate god Du’uzu. Her divinatory son Beli (identified with the Babylonian Earth god Bel) was originally the god of willow trees, and later became the Great God of Light.

BELLONA A Roman mother goddess who was also a deity who presided over battle. The first known temple dedicated to her was erected in the year 296 B.C. and attended by Asiatic priests who engaged in frenzied dances and performed blood sacrifices upon her sacred altar.

BENTEN-SAN The Japanese goddess of good luck and the only female deity belonging to the group of deities known as the Seven Shinto Gods of Good Fortune. She also presides over femininity, music, literature, and the sea.

BOLDOGASSZONY A tutelary goddess worshipped in pre-Christian Hungary as the protectress of women and children. After the advent of Christianity in the country, Boldogasszony became syncretized with the Virgin Mary.

BONA DEA An ancient Roman goddess of fertility and chastity, also known as Damia, Fatua, and Oma. She is identified with the Phrygian goddess Cybele. Her annual festival was celebrated in the night on the first day of May, and her worship was restricted to women. She was often depicted in works of art as an elderly woman with pointed ears, holding a snake.

BRIGIT A major Celtic goddess of fertility, fire, wisdom, poetry, and sacred wells. She was also a deity associated with prophecy, divination, and healing. Brigit was worshipped from prehistoric times until the advent of Christianity (circa A.D. 1100). She was honored annually in Ireland during the sacred fire festival of Imbolc, which the Celts celebrated on the first day of February. She is also known as Brigid, Bride, and Banfile the Poetess.

BUK A river goddess worshipped by the people of Sudan. Buk is believed to protect humans against ferocious crocodiles, and invoked by the spilt blood of a sacrificial goat. Many of her followers regard her as the “daughter of the fireflies.”

CAILLEACH BHEUR A Celtic goddess of the Winter season who was worshipped in pre-Christian Scotland, and depicted in works of art as a cronelike woman with a blue face. According to mythology, each year on Samhain (October 31) she is reborn as the bringer of the snows. She reigns until the eve of Beltane (April 30) when she turns into stone and the goddess Brigit deposes her.

CERES A Roman goddess of harvest and fertility, and also a mother goddess. According to mythology, during the Winter part of the year when her daughter Proserpina remains in the Underworld as the consort of Pluto, Ceres grieves and causes all vegetation on Earth to wither and become barren. In the Spring when Proserpina returns to her, Ceres rejoices and makes all the flowers and trees return to life.

In Greek mythology, Ceres is called Demeter and is the goddess of agriculture, whose daughter Persephone (like Proserpina) must spend part of the year in the Underworld in a nearly identical myth.

CERRIDWEN A Celtic (Welsh) goddess of mountains and fertility who brewed a “Sacred Cauldron of Inspiration” (or “Knowledge”) with an assortment of magickal herbs. She is sometimes associated with the moon, and is regarded as the Crone aspect of the Mother Goddess.

CHANTICO An Aztec goddess who was regarded as a household guardian and the personification of the hearth fire. Her name means “in the house.”

CHIBIRIAS A Mayan Earth goddess, the consort of the creator god Itzam Na, and the patroness of all weavers. According to mythology, she is the sender of the rains, and she is said to sometimes appear on Earth in the form of an iguana.

CIPACTLI An Aztec primordial goddess who was worshipped in Mexico from circa A.D. 750 until circa A.D. 1500. Stone carvings depict her as a huge alligatorlike deity.

CITLALICUE An Aztec creator goddess who, along with her consort Citlalatonac, is said to have created the stars that light up the evening sky. Her name means “her skirt is a star.”

COATLICUE An Aztec mother goddess who created both the Earth and mankind. She is the female aspect of the supreme deity Ometeotl, and the patron goddess of florists. Coatlicue is shown in ancient works of art as a humanlike being wearing a skirt fashioned from serpents. According to mythology, she was beheaded by her own children. Her sons (all four hundred of them) are the stars of the southern sky.

CONCORDIA The Roman goddess of peace and harmony, whose symbols are the herald’s staff entwined by serpents and two clasped hands. She is identified with the Greek goddesses Aphrodite, Pandemos, and Harmonia. In ancient works of art, Concordia is depicted as a matronly woman holding an olive branch in her right hand and the cornucopia in her left.

COVENTINA A Romano-Celtic tutelary and water goddess who was worshipped at a sacred spring in Carrawburgh. Her cult flourished from circa 200 B.C. until A.D. 500. From various ancient objects retrieved from her sacred well and believed to be votive offerings, there is evidence to support the theory that Coventina may have also been a goddess connected to Pagan fertility rites and childbirth. In ancient works of art, she is depicted as a nymphlike figure, standing upon a leaf and holding a vessel which pours forth a stream of water.

CREIRWY The Celtic goddess of love and beauty, and the daughter of the poetry goddess Keridwen. According to Celtic mythology, Creirwy was the most beautiful woman in the world, and her brother, Avaggdu, was the ugliest man.

CYBELE A Phrygian goddess of Nature and fertility, consort of the god Attis, and the equivalent to the Greek goddess Rhea. Cybele is symbolically associated with wild animals and mountains, and is depicted in ancient works of art as a woman riding in a chariot drawn by lions.

DEMETER A Greek goddess of fertility, husbandry, and harvest, and an important deity in the mysteries of the Eleusis. In mythology, Demeter is the mother of Persephone and is identified with the Roman goddess Ceres.

DEVAKI A Hindu mother goddess who was said to have given birth to eight sons, including Krishna and Balarama. Her name means “divine.”

DIANA A Roman goddess of the moon who was also a forest-dwelling goddess of the hunt, the protectress of wild beasts, and the guardian of virginity. She was also the mother of the Witches’ goddess Aradia. Diana closely resembles the Greek goddess Artemis and is one of the most revered goddesses and archetypes among modern-day Witches and Neo-Pagans. She is the personification of the moon’s positive attributes, and a role model for many feminist Witches as representative of female strength, independence, self-esteem, and warriorlike aggressiveness. Her name is invoked by many Witches for protection and nurturing, and she is the principal goddess worshipped by those who follow the Dianic tradition of Wicca.

DISANI A Kafir fertlity and mother goddess who is said to have dwelled in a golden fortress with seven doors that opened to seven roads. She is depicted in works of art as a female huntress with breasts pouring forth streams of milk. Disani can shapeshift into a goat or a tree whose roots reach down into the Underworld. She brings comfort to women whose menfolk have gone off to fight battles. She protects the bonds of kinship and family loyality, and carries the souls of the dead into the House of the Great Mother.

DURGA A Hindu warrior goddess who has been worshipped throughout India (but especially in Bengal) from circa A.D. 400 until the present day. She is the consort of the god Shiva, and in some instances is worshipped as both a fertility and mother goddess. In works of Indian art, she is often depicted as a multiarmed slayer of dragons and demons, who rides upon the back of a tiger or a lion. She is a beautiful goddess with golden colored skin, and usually wears a necklace made of human skulls. Although Durga is a ferocious deity, it is said that she is loving and gentle to those who worship her.

EILEITHYIA A Greek goddess of birth who was worshipped mainly by women and invoked to alleviate the pain and danger associated with childbirth. It is said that her divine presence was only summoned by the cries of women in labor. She was known to the Romans as Ilithyia, and to the Minoans as Eleuthyia. The center of her cult (which flourished for nearly two thousand years before the advent of Christianity) was in Crete.

EOS The Greek winged goddess of the dawn. She is identified with the Roman goddess Aurora and is the consort of the storm god Aeolos. She is known for giving birth to six children who preside over the various winds. According to legend, the morning dew is made from her fallen tears.

EOSTRE An Anglo-Saxon goddess of fertility and Springtime who is said to be the bringer of the light of day and for whom the holiday of Easter (originally a pre-Christian fertility festival) was named. Many of the old folk customs associated with Easter and surviving into the present day are actually remnants of the ancient Pagan rites linked with Eostre.

EPONA A Celtic equestrian goddess who was associated with healing and the fertility of domestic animals. She was worshipped from circa 400 B.C. until circa A.D. 400 and was the only Celtic goddess to be worshipped in ancient Rome.

ERESHKIGAL A Sumerian horned goddess and queen of the Underworld. She is identified with the Greek goddess Hecate, and is often depicted in works of art as a deity having the body of a fish with serpentlike scales and the ears of a sheep. Her sacred color is black.

ERZULIE The Voodoo goddess (loa) of love, beauty, and femininity. Her primary attribute is luxury and she is envisaged as a young, beautiful, wealthy lady wearing many golden rings and necklaces. Her favorite drink is champagne and, like the Virgin Mary, her symbol is that of a pierced heart. But unlike the Virgin Mary, Erzulie possesses a highly erotic character. She is the consort of both Agwe and Ogoun. White and pink are her sacred colors and her sacred day of the week is Friday.

ESTSANATLEHI A powerful goddess of fertility, worshipped by the Native American tribe of the Navajo. Her name means “woman that changes” and it is said that she was born from an image carved in a small piece of turquoise. She possesses a benevolent nature and is the sender of warm Spring winds and gentle Summer rains.

FJORGYN An ancient Nordic goddess of fertility who was worshipped throughout Iceland from the Viking period (or earlier) until the advent of Christianity. She is also known as lord and is said to be the mother of the god Thor.

FLORA The Roman goddess of flowers, and the consort of Zephyrus, the lord of the south winds who announces the advent of the Spring season each year. In ancient Rome, offerings of fruit and flowers were often presented to Flora by her devoted worshippers, most of whom were young girls. The major festival celebrated in her honor was called the Floralia, and it took place annually from April 28 through early May. Bearing a strong sexual overtone, Floralia closely resembled the Druidic fire festival of Beltane, which was (and still is) celebrated around the same time of year, indicating that the Floralia may actually have derived from it.

FORTUNA The Roman goddess of happiness, good fortune, and chance who was said to possess the power to bestow upon mortals either wealth or poverty, pleasures or pains. She is identified with the Greek goddess Tyche, and her principle symbol is the Wheel of Fate (also known as the Wheel of Fortune).

FREYA A Nordic-Germanic goddess of fertility, prosperity, love, and beauty, whose sacred symbols and familiars were cats. She is represented in myth as a beautiful woman riding in a golden chariot drawn by cats. In the darkness of night, Freya was said to roam in the form of a she-goat or fly through the heavens in the form of a falcon. She was also a queen of the Underworld, and both the sister and consort of the god Frey. There exists a strong connection between Freya and the arts of Witchcraft and divination. As a Neo-Pagan goddess, she is worshipped by many who follow the Teutonic or Nordic traditions of Wicca.

FRIGGA A Nordic-Germanic mother goddess and consort of the god Odin. She was also the patroness of marriage and fecundity, and is represented in myth riding in a chariot drawn by sacred rams. She is regarded as the Queen of Heaven, and the sixth day of the week (Friday) is named after her.

GAIA (or GAEA) A Greek Earth mother and goddess of fertility whose cult was widespread in ancient Greece. She is the personification of the Earth, and in Rome she was worshipped as the goddess Terra. The center of her cult was an oracle at Delphi that predated that of Apollo. In mythology, she was the consort of Uranus and the mother of the Titans, the Furies, and the Cyclopes. Many Wiccans and Neo-Pagans invoke Gaia when planting herbs or casting spells that concern the Earth. Rituals, Earth healings, and libations are often performed in her honor, especially on Earth Day and during the Sabbats.

GULA The ancient Sumerian-Babylonian goddess of healing. Her name means “great one” and she was the consort of Ninurtha, the god of thunderstorms and the plough. The animal most sacred to her is the dog. She is identified with the Mesopotamian goddess Nintinugga.

HATHOR An ancient Egyptian mother goddess and a goddess of love, beauty, and the heavens. She is also the patroness of fecundity, infants, and music. Hathor is often depicted as a woman with a cow’s head, wearing the headdress of two plumes and a solar disc decorated with stars and surmounted by the curved horns of a cow. The “mother of all Egyptian pharaohs,” her sacred symbols include the lion, the snake, and the papyrus reed. According to many ancient writings, Hathor possessed seven aspects known as the “Seven Hathors.” They were often invoked by special magickal incantations and spells in order to predict the fate of newborn children.

HEBAT A mother goddess of Hittite and Hurrian origin, who was worshipped from circa 2000 B.C. until circa 1300 B.C. She is called the Great Goddess and was believed to have been the principal goddess of the Hittite Empire. She is depicted in ancient works of art as a matronly woman, often accompanied by a lion (her sacred animal and symbol).

HECATE A Greek moon goddess, queen of the Underworld, and the protectress of all Witches. Hecate is the Crone aspect of the divine feminine triad, symbolized by the waning and dark moon and representing the darker side of the Triple Goddess. She presides over all magickal arts and is a popular deity among many modern Witches, especially older female ones. In ancient times, she was worshipped at crossroads in Thessaly by occult bands of female moon-worshippers, and invoked throughout Greece by those seeking wealth and favor. To honor or summon Hecate, according to ancient Greek tradition, an offering of some sort must be left in a roadside shrine or at a crossroads at the Witching hour (midnight).

HEKET An Egyptian goddess who is associated with childbirth. She is depicted in ancient works of art as a frog or as a woman with a froglike head. She was invoked to ease the pains of labor and to guard against the dangers associated with the act of childbirth. Numerous amulets and other magickal objects associated with childbirth were engraved with her image or name.

HERA A Greek goddess known as the Queen of Heaven, a creatrix, and the consort of the great god Zeus. She represents the power of inspiration. She was honored annually in ancient times by a New Year’s festival called the Heraia and also every four years by a women’s games festival which took place on Olympus.

HINE-AHU-ONE A Polynesian chthonic goddess whose name means “maiden formed of the Earth.” According to mythology, she was created “out of the red Earth” by the god of light, Tane (her consort), who “breathed life into her.” She bore a jade-eyed, seaweed-haired daughter, Hine-Nui-Te-Po (“great woman of the night”) who descended to become a ruler of the Underworld.

HSI WANG MU A Chinese goddess of longevity, who has been worshipped from prehistoric times into the present. She is perhaps the most ancient goddess known to the Chinese, and is often depicted in Oriental works of art as a woman with the tail and fanglike teeth of a cat. She rules the West and the Autumn season. The crane (a Chinese symbol of longevity) is the animal most sacred to her, and her symbol is the phoenix (a mythical bird that rose from the ashes of its own funeral pyre to live again). Her name means “Queen of the Western Heaven.”

IDUN In Teutonic mythology, the goddess of Spring who possessed the golden apples of eternal youth. She was the consort of Bragi (the god of poetry), and dwelled in Asgard, the sacred space reserved for the abode of the gods and goddesses. She is also known as Idhunn, Ithunn, and Ithun.

INANNA A Sumerian goddess who presided over fertility, love, and war. Known as “Queen of Heaven,” she is depicted in ancient works of art as a winged warrioress wearing a horned headdress and tiered skirt. Offerings were traditionally made to her at sunrise. After the sun sank beneath the horizon and darkness veiled the night sky, she transformed into the patroness of temple prostitutes. She is identified with the Babylonian goddess Ishtar.

IPY A mother goddess who was worshipped in ancient Egypt. She was a benevolent guardian to the king, according to the Pyramid Texts, and was depicted in works of art as either a hippopotamus or a hippopotamus-headed woman. She was often invoked by practitioners of the magickal arts to bless and charge amulets and other tools of magick with her benign influence.

ISHTAR An Asyrian and Babylonian goddess of love, fertility, and war, who personifies the planet Venus. She is also a mother goddess and the consort of Tammuz, the god of grain and bread who died each Winter and was reborn the following Spring. As a Triple Goddess, Ishtar represents birth, death, and rebirth. In her aspect as Mother, she is the giver of all life. In her aspect as Warrioress, she is the bringer of death. In her aspect as Crone, she brings rebirth and resurrection. The crescent of the new moon rising is one of her sacred symbols and she is often depicted in works of art as a woman with birdlike facial features and braided hair, wearing bull’s horns and many jeweled necklaces, bracelets, and anklets. She is associated with the Sumerian goddess Inanna and the Phoenician goddess Astarte. Her sacred colors are red and green.

ISIS An ancient Egyptian goddess of fertility who was also associated with magick and enchantment. In Egyptian mythology, Isis was the sister and consort of the sun god Osiris, and was at times identified with the goddess Hathor. She is the symbol of divine motherhood and was regarded in her mysteries as the single form of all gods and goddesses. Isis is often called the “goddess of ten thousand names” and in Hellespont (now Dardanelles) she was known as Mystis, the Lady of the Mysteries. She was one of the most important deities of the Egyptian pantheon and remains popular among many who follow the Egyptian-oriented traditions of Wicca and the magickal arts. Her sacred symbol (which often appears on bloodstone amulets) is called the “Isis knot” and is similar in appearance and meaning to the ankh.

IX CHEL A Mayan goddess of the moon who was also a deity who presided over childbirth, medicine, rainbows, weaving, fertility, and lovemaking. In ancient times, it was believed that a lunar eclipse was a great threat to the safety of pregnant women and their unborn children, often affecting them with disease and deformity. Women who were going through labor during an eclipse were said to be at the greatest risk of danger. For protection, special amulets in the shape of Ix Chel would be placed underneath the bed, and incantations and prayers recited to the goddess until the eclipse passed.

JUNO In Roman mythology, the patroness of marriage and the well-being of all females, the sister and consort of the supreme god Jupiter, and principal goddess of the pantheon. Juno was identified with the Greek goddess Hera. Her sacred month is June (the traditional time for marriage ceremonies) and her sacred symbols are the peacock, the cowrie shell, and the lily.

JUTURNA In Roman mythology, a nymph goddess who presided over healing springs and wells. She was also known as a protectress against fire. A sacred feast, the Juturnalia, was celebrated in her honor each year on the eleventh day of January in Rome.

KALI The Hindu goddess of death and destruction, consort of Shiva, and the personification of the dark and terrifying forces of Nature. Also known as the Black One, she is often depicted in Indian works of art as a fanged, dark-skinned warrioress wearing a necklace of human skulls. She possesses ten arms (sometimes eighteen) and hands that resemble the claws of an animal.

In spite of Kali’s gruesome appearance and the association she has with death, disease, and gore, she does possess many benign aspects. She slays evil demons who threaten mankind, offers blessings to those who are loyal to her, and from the death and destruction she brings, springs forth rebirth.

KALTESH A goddess of fertility who was worshipped in ancient times throughout western Siberia. She was the consort of the sky god Num, and was often invoked to protect women during childbirth and also to bestow blessings upon the life of the newborn baby. Her symbol was the birch tree and the animals most sacred to her were the goose and the hare (two animals symbolic of fertility and procreation).

KUAN YIN A benevolent Chinese guardian goddess who also presided over fertility and childbirth. Known for her great compassion and protectiveness, she was originally worshipped as a male deity and was not perceived as being of the female gender until about five hundred years after her introduction into China. She is often invoked in times of danger and by newlywed couples who desire to be blessed with children.

KUBABA An ancient love goddess and mother goddess of Asia Minor, who was worshipped in the Upper Mesopotamia as Gubaba. The center of her cult was at Carchemish, and she was identified with the Hurrian love goddess Sauska. The mirror and the pomegranate are said to have been very sacred to her.

LAKSHMI In Hindu mythology, the goddess of the lotus and a consort of the god Vishnu. She was originally regarded as a mother goddess and has been worshipped from circa 300 B.C. to the present day. She is often depicted in works of Indian religious art as a beautiful woman with four arms and skin of gold. She is honored annually throughout India by a festival of ancient origin known as the Feast of Lamps.

LETO A Greek mother goddess who is said to have given birth to the deities Artemis and Apollo. She is also a goddess who guards over the graves of the dead. The Romans identified her with Latona, and she was worshipped as the principal goddess by the people of Lycia.

LUNA A Roman goddess of the moon, (translation of the Latin luna). She is regarded as the equivalent of the Greek lunar goddess Selene. In ancient Rome, a major temple was constructed for her worship on the Aventine Hill. Like other lunar goddesses, Luna is associated by Witches with moon magick, transformations, the psychic, and the feminine. Alchemists gave her name to silver (her sacred metal) and used the crescent moon as their symbol for it.

MACHA A red-haired Celtic goddess of fertility and battle, and one of the three aspects of the war-goddess Morrigan. She possesses the power of shapeshifting, often transforming from maiden to crone, or from woman into crow—the harbinger of death in old Irish folklore. She uses various magickal means to influence the outcome of war, and red is her sacred color.

MAIA A Greco-Roman Earth goddess and the personification of Springtime. She was one of the consorts of Zeus, the mother of the messenger god Mercury, and also one of the Pleiades (the seven daughters of Atlas who were turned into the constellation of the same name after their deaths). She is also known as Tellus and Terra, and is identified with the Greek goddess Gaia. It is believed that the month of May is named after her.

MAMI A Sumerian and Babylonian mother goddess, also known as “Mama.” According to a Mesopotamian creation myth, she used clay and blood to create the human race. It is from her name that “Mama” (another name for a mother) derives.

MELUSINE 1. A love goddess who took on the appearance of a beautiful woman with the tail of a fish. This mermaidlike deity was worshipped by the followers of the medieval love cults in southern France. 2. In folk legend and heraldry, a two-tailed mermaid or water spirit.

METIS A Greek goddess of wisdom, celebrated for her prudence and sagacity. According to mythology, she was devoured by the great god Zeus because he feared that she would bring forth into the world a child who was more cunning and powerful than himself.

MINNE An ancient Pagan goddess who is said to have granted women and men permission to engage in lovemaking. Her name was a synonym for “love,” and she was often called Lofn (“Goddess of Love”). In medieval times, Minne (like Melusine) was worshipped as a mermaid-tailed Aphrodite by followers known as Minnesingers and Minstrels.

MORRIGAN Celtic war-goddess of death and destruction and the mother of all Irish gods. She is said to appear in the form of a raven (a bird of ill-omen in the Celtic tradition) before and during battles. She is also known as the “Spectre Queen” and “Great Queen Morgan.” As a Goddess Trinity, she was called Macha when she worked magick with the blood of the slain; Badb, when she appeared in the form of a giantess on the eve of war to warn soldiers of their fates; and Neman, when she appeared as a shapeshifting crone. Her sacred candle colors are scarlet and black.

MUJAJI A South African rain goddess who was said to have dwelled in the northern Drakensberg Mountains. She brings gentle rains to the land when she is happy, and destructive tempests when she is angry. At one time it was common for the sacrifices of cattle (and sometimes young female virgins as well) to be made in order to appease her.

THE MUSES In Greek mythology, the nine daughters of Zeus and Mnemosyne who presided over all forms of poetry, music, dance, and astronomy. They were originally regarded as musician-nymphs, but in later writings they were given the status of minor deities. The nine Muses (Calliope, Clio, Erato, Euterpe, Melpomene, Polyhymnia, Terpsichore, Thalia, and Urania) were invoked by poets as well as royalty for inspiration in all artistic endeavors.

MUSO KORONI A multibreasted goddess of fertility who is worshipped in Mali, West Africa. She is believed to be the mother of all living things and each month she takes the form of a great black panther who uses her sharp claws to make women menstruate.

MUT The patron goddess of Thebes (Egypt) and a deity associated with fertility. She was said to be the divine mother of the Theban kings, and was often depicted in ancient works of art as a woman either with the head of a lion, or wearing upon her human head a vulture headdress surmounted by the twin crowns of Upper and Lower Egypt.

MYLITTA An ancient Babylonian goddess of fertility, identified with the goddesses Ishtar and Aphrodite, to whom women sacrificed their virginity. Her name means “she who causes to bear.”

NAMMU See CREATRIX in Part One.

NANAJA An ancient Mesopotamian goddess of love and sexuality, whose cult spread to Syria and Persia (now Iran) during the Hellenistic period. Like the Babylonian goddess Ishtar, Nanaja was also a deity who governed both love and war.

NARISAH A Manichaean goddess of light, who is also known as the “virgin of the light.” Some sources suggest that she may in fact be an androgynous deity who fathered the virgins of light who correspond with the twelve astrological signs of the zodiac.

NEITH See CREATRIX in Part One.

NERTHUS An ancient goddess of fertility, believed to be of Danish origin. Her name means “north” and she was worshipped at a sacred grove on an undisclosed island from circa A.D. 100 until circa A.D. 400. Some sources suggest that she may in fact be the female counterpart of Njord, the Viking god of the sea and of the winds. Nerthus is also a deity associated with peace.

NINHURSAGA A Sumerian and Babylonian mother goddess who was worshipped from circa 3500 B.C. until circa 1750 B.C. In ancient works of art, she is often depicted in human form, wearing a tiered skirt and a horned headdress. She is at times accompanied by a lion cub. Her name means “queen of the mountain” and she was one of the seven great deities worshipped by the ancient Sumerians.

NUT (also NUIT) An ancient Egyptian sky goddess, creator goddess, and the mother of the deities Osiris, Isis, Set, and Nephthys. In early works of Egyptian art, she is often depicted as a celestial cow, stretching across the heavens. She is sometimes portrayed in human form.

Nut is regarded as the most significant goddess of the creation force in Egyptian cosmogony, giving birth to many other gods and goddesses of the pantheon. According to legend, the sound of thunder is her laughter, and the darkness of night falls when the “solar boat” sails into her mouth. It passes through her body and sails out from her vulva at dawn.

NYX A primordial Greek goddess who personifies the essence of night and darkness. In mythology, she was both the sister and consort of Erebus, the lord of darkness, and the mother of the twin sons Thanatos (the god of death) and Hypnos (the god of sleep).

ODUDUWA See CREATRIX in Part One.

OPS An ancient Roman goddess of harvests and fertility, who was worshipped on August 25 at the Volcanalia festival and on December 19 at the Opalia. Her name was often invoked by farmers throughout Italy to bless seeds before planting.

OSHUN In the Afro-Cuban religion of Santeria, a beautiful river goddess and the patroness of love, marriage, and fertility. She is essentially the archetype of joy and pleasure, and the lover of many deities, including Chango—the master of thunder, lightning, and fire who symbolizes passion and desire. Oshun rules the abdominal region and the sexual organs of the human body. Her sacred number is five; her sacred colors are yellow and white; and her Feast Day is September 8. The pumpkin is sacred to her as are seashells, honey, and mirrors, and many of her love spells and rituals call for the use of pumpkins. Her sacred symbols are fans, mirrors, and boats. Oshun is also regarded as a goddess with great healing powers, and is a popular deity among women in particular.

OSTARA An ancient Germanic sun goddess who is associated with the birth of Spring and the Pagan fertility rites of Easter before it became Christianized as a holy holiday commemorating the resurrection of the crucified Jesus Christ. The traditional time for Ostara’s prayers, invocations, and offerings to be made was at dawn. She is identified with the Anglo-Saxon goddess Eostre. Many Neo-Pagans and Wiccans honor Ostara by giving her name to their Sabbat of the Spring Equinox, which normally occurs on or close to March 20 each year.

PARVATI A Hindu mother goddess and the consort of Shiva. She is known as the ruler of elves and Nature spirits, the daughter of the Himalayas, and the personification of cosmic energy. In works of Indian art, she is often depicted as a four-armed woman, sometimes with the head of an elephant. Her known period of worship extends from circa A.D. 400 to the present.

PATTINI An ancient Hindu mother goddess (also known as Pattinidevi) who is worshipped in Sri Lanka and India, and by the Singhalese of Ceylon. According to myth, she was born from a mango which had been struck by a divine arrow. Her name means “queen of goddesses” and she is often invoked during fire-walking rituals. The cobra and the lotus are her sacred symbols.

PELE A Polynesian volcano goddess who is currently believed to reside in Kilauea on the main island of Mauna Loa, Hawaii, where she is worshipped as the essence of earthly fire. To this day, various offerings such as flowers, sugarcane, white birds, juniper berries, money, and gin are made to her whenever volcanic eruptions threaten the Hawaiian islands.

PERSEPHONE See CERES.

PISTIS A benign Gnostic Christian goddess and the primordial female force, who was worshipped from circa 200 B.C. until circa A.D. 400. Her exact origin is unknown; however, one literary source reveals that she was “formed out of infinity” and ruled long before the creation of the cosmos took place.

PROSERPINA See CERES.

RHIANNON A Celtic (Welsh) mother goddess, called Rigantona by the ancient Romans (a name which means “great queen”), and identified with the mare goddess Epona. Rhiannon is represented in myth as a beautiful woman who rides a pale white mare and carries a magickal bag of abundance. She is also associated with the Underworld and ancient fertility rites.

SARASVATI A Hindu river goddess, worshipped throughout India for her purifying and fertilizing powers. In later mythology, Sarasvati was regarded as the goddess of wisdom and eloquence, a patroness of the arts, and consort of the god Brahma. She is the bringer of fertility, purification, and prosperity, whose unending source of power is the primeval waters of the Earth.

SAULE A goddess of the sun who was worshipped by the Latvians in pre-Christian times. She is the consort of both Dievs (the god who rules the sky) and Meness (the god of the moon). She is also associated with agriculture and was often invoked by farmers throughout the region to promote the fertility and ripening of their crops. According to legend, Saule’s heavenly abode is a farm situated high atop a legendary mountain.

SAUSKA A winged Hittite and Hurrian goddess of fertility, love, and beauty, who was also renowned for her great healing power. She was worshipped in ancient times throughout Asia Minor, and is identified with the goddess Ishtar. She is also known as Sawuska or Sausga, and the lion is her sacred animal, often accompanying her when she is depicted in works of art.

SELENE A Greek lunar goddess who is identified with the Roman moon goddess Luna. The sun god Hellios is her brother who falls asleep when she rises at the end of the day (and vice versa). According to legend, two beautiful horses draw her silver chariot across the evening sky. She corresponds to the full moon phase and to the Mother aspect of the Triple Goddess. She is also a guardian goddess who watches over those who practice the arts of magick.

SHEELA-NA-GIG A primal Earth mother and fertility goddess who was worshipped in ancient times by the Celtic tribes of Pagan Ireland. She is depicted on ancient amulets and carvings (which are often found, of all places, on the doorways of many pre-sixteenth century Irish churches) as a nude female figure with pronounced breasts, squatting and holding open her private parts. It was believed that her image could not only promote fertility, but guard against bad luck and bewitchment as well.

SOL Just as the ancient Romans had a powerful sun god by the name of Sol, so did the ancient people of Iceland. However, their sun god was a female deity who was one of the Aesir goddesses.

According to Nordic legend, Sol rides her horse-drawn sun chariot of gold across the sky each day from sunrise to sunset. Each year in northern Norway, a joyous Winter festival, which has been held annually since pre-Christian times, takes place to honor the ancient Pagan goddess who rules the sun.

TOUIA FATUNA A Polynesian Earth goddess whose name means iron stone. Natives of the island of Tonga once believed that she dwelled deep within the rocks of the Earth and was the bringer of earthquakes (caused by her periodically going into labor to give birth to more children).

TYCHE The Greek goddess of fortune, and the daughter of Zeus and Hera. Tyche is the Greek counterpart to the Roman goddess Fortuna, and in Homer’s Hymn to Demeter, she is described as a Nereid (a sea-nymph of the Mediterranean waters). According to historic records, sacrifices were carried out by Emperor Julian in the years A.D. 361 and 362 in honor of the goddess Tyche.

TZU SUN NIANGNIANG A Chinese mother goddess who is often invoked at wedding ceremonies to bless the bride and groom with healthy and happy children (especially sons). She is regarded as one of the “nine dark ladies” who are the protective goddesses of the pantheon. The Yin Yang Stone on the island of Taiwan is her most popular shrine.

USAS An early Hindu goddess—the bringer of the dawn, who chases away the darkness and all spirits of an evil nature. She is said to be “the all-seeing eye of the gods.” She rides in a hundred chariots, often appears in the form of a cow, and bestows upon devotees who invoke her the blessings of strength, fame, and longevity.

UTTU A Mesopotamian vegetation goddess who was also a goddess of weaving and of spiders. She was born from the mother goddess Ninkurra after nine days of gestation. Uttu teaches the spiders how to weave their silken webs and is the patroness of all weavers.

VENUS The Roman goddess of love, romance, sexual intercourse, and beauty. She is the Roman counterpart of the Greek goddess Aphrodite, and her period of worship lasted from circa 400 B.C. to circa A.D. 400. She personifies sensuality, fertility, prosperity, and good fortune. She is also the goddess after whom the planet Venus (considered to be the planet that astrologically influences matters of love) is named. Her sacred festival, the Veneralia, was celebrated annually in ancient Rome on the first day of April. Like Aphrodite, Venus is often invoked by modern Witches and Neo-Pagans in love spells and love divinations.

VESTA A Roman goddess of Fire and the hearth whose circular temple in ancient Rome was lit by a sacred fire tended by six virgin priestesses known as the Vestal Virgins. (It is said that being buried alive was the punishment for any Vestal Virgin who broke her vows of chastity.) Vesta was also a popular guardian of Roman households. Like the majority of both Roman and Greek deities, she was depicted in works of art in human form as a beautiful woman, holding a burning torch in one hand and a votive bowl in the other.

XOCHIQUETZAL An ancient Aztec goddess of love, beauty, and flowers; consort of the Mexican sun god; moon virgin; and fairy queen. Her sacred flower is the marigold, and like many of the ancient Indo-European love goddesses, her sacred symbol is the white dove. She presided over the twentieth day of the Aztec calendar, and according to mythology, lived high on a mountaintop, surrounded by musicians and dancers. Her name means “upright flower.”

ZARA-MAMA A South American goddess of corn. To ensure the success of their corn crop, farmers would traditionally fashion a poppetlike figure of their beloved goddess from the leaves of one of their corn plants. The figure would be saved for one entire year, and then burned in a special ritual as an offering to Zara-Mama. The remaining ashes would then be scattered throughout the corn field.

The fertility-oriented Wiccan custom of burning the previous year’s corn dolly (or kirn baby) as part of the annual Lammas or Autumn Equinox Sabbat ritual bears a strong resemblance to, and perhaps even derives from, the ancient harvest rite dedicated to Zara-Mama.

ZOE According to Gnostic Christian mythology, Zoe was the goddess of life. She was born from the goddess Pistis, the primordial female force, and was destined to become the consort of the creator god Sabaoth. She was a most powerful deity and the creatrix of Israel, the angels, and Jesus Christ.

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Gerina Dunwich is the author of over two-dozen books on witchcraft and the occult. Her articles, poetry and interviews have appeared in numerous publications, including Playgirl, American Woman, Moving Words, and in Llewellyn's calendars and datebooks. She lives in Upstate New York.

Originally published by Carol Publishing Group.

Copyright © 1997 Gerina Dunwich

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form, except by a newspaper or magazine reviewer who wishes to quote brief passages in connection with a review.

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ISBN 13: 978-0-8065-3976-8

ISBN 10: 0-8065-3976-3
eISBN 13: 978-0-8065-3958-4
eISBN 10: 0-8065-3958-5

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Dunwich, Gerina.

Wicca A to Z : a modern witch’s encyclopedia / Gerina Dunwich.

p. cm.

“A Citadel Press book.”

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN 0-8065-1930-4 (pbk.)

1. Witchcraft—Encyclopedias. 2. Goddesses—Encyclopedias.

1. Title.

BF 1588.D85 1997

133.4’3’03—dc21   97-25999

CIP