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What is a Showstone?
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| A crystal sphere used for divination, especially scrying. Also called a crystal ball. |
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| What is a Shillelagh ?
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| Magickal tool corresponding to the staff in other traditions. Usually made from blackthorn wood. |
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| What is a Sigel?
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| Magically
oriented seal, sign, glyph, or other device used in a magickal working.
Ones you create yourself are the most effective. Sigils can be used on
letters, packages, clothing, etc. |
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| Simple Feast |
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| A ritual meal shared with the Goddess and God. |
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| Sky Father |
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| Shamanistic in origin. It assigns deification to the sky as a male entity. |
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| What is a Solitary ? (Example: Solitary Witch)
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Pagan who works and worships outside the structure of a coven
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| What does "So Mote It Be" mean? |
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| A phrase used often in rituals to close a chant or incantation. Mote being the future tense of may or might, to say "It Will Be" |
| What is a "Spell"?
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| A working of magick that employs many different ingrediants, with the purpose of attaining some goal. |
| What is Spellcrafting ? |
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| The practice of creating spells by writing outlines, arranging correspondences, and authoring incantations. |
| What does a Spiral mean? |
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| Symbol of coming into being. |
| What is a Staff?
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Ritual tool which corresponds to the wand or athame.
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| What is a Stang ?
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| Ritual tool from Pagan Rome which resembles a two-pronged trident. Often used in place of the wand or circle. |
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| What are Symbols?
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| A
sign or item or idea which represents something else. Symbols are used
commonly in rituals to represent gods, elements, goals, and more. Many
tools are symbols, for example, the chalice is a symbol of the goddess
and the giving of life. |
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| What is Sympathetic Magick ?
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| Concept of likes attract. Using one object to represent another. Most common way spells are worked. |
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| What does Synchronicity mean? |
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| A Jungian term describing a coincidence which seems to have meaning yet no connection is clear. |
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| What is a Talisman?
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| A magickally charged object used to attract or repell a specific type of energy or thing. |
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| What are Tarot Cards?
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| A
form of divination using a set of cards. Set of cards (usually
78) which feature pictures and symbols used to connect the diviner with
the collective unconscious. |
| What is Third Eye?
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| The
psychic eye, not physically visible, but mental. Located in the middle
of the forehead, known scientifically as the pineal gland. |
| What is a Totem Animal ? |
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| A spirit guide in the form of an animal who chooses to accompany you. |
| What is a Tree Calendar ? |
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| Celtic system which recognizes 13 lunar months, each represented by a sacred tree. |
| What is Ululation ? |
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| The part of an incantation or chant which demands full vocal force and volume. |
| Uncasting |
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| Opening the circle at the end of a ritual. |
| Undine |
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| The elemental spirit who dwells on the water plane. |
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| Unmanifest |
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| The unknown, the spiritual, the non-corporal, and the magickal. |
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| Vision Quest |
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| Using astral projection, bi-location, or dream time to accomplish a specific goal. Also called path working. |
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| Visualization |
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1.
Forming clear mental images often used in magick to focus and direct
energy to a visualized goal, including charging and forming of the
magick circle.
2.
Imagining a scene, a person, or an object with intense clarity. This is
often done through a meditation with a written "visualization journey"
which allows the practitioner to enter an imagined place to make
personal discoveries. |
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| Wand |
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| A tool in magick which resembles a rod and is used to direct energy towards a goal, brought to the craft from ritual magick. |
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| Waning |
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| The
lunar phase when the moon is getting "smaller" (more crescent-like).
This is the time when magick that involves banishing things, breaking
habits, and getting rid of things is to be performed. Opposite of
waxing. |
| Waxing |
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| The
lunar phase when the moon is getting "larger" (nearing the full moon).
This is the time when magick that involves growth and bringing things
to you is best performed. Opposite of waning. |
| Wheel of the Year |
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| One full cycle of the seasons, a year, often beginning on Samhain or Beltain, instead of January |
| Wicce |
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| Synonymous with Wicca. In some circles, Wicce is used for women and Wicca is used for men. |
| Wise (wo)man |
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| A solitary practitioner of witchcraft who gave charms, spells, and healing to villagers in Europe. |
| Wita |
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| Scottish Wicca. See also Pecti-Wita. |
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| Witch Ball |
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An
18th century tradition; a glass sphere hung in windows to ward off evil
spirits. This is where the Christian concept of the Christmas tree
ornament came from.
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| Witta |
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Irish Wicca.
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| Wizard |
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A name for male ceremonial magicians, rarely used for Wiccans unless they are eclectic and use ceremonial magick as well.
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| Word of Power |
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A
word or name which is supposed to have great power when spoken, most
are almost impossible to pronounce and have no meaning in any language.
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| Are Wicca and Witchcraft the same thing? |
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In
general, Wiccans feel free to review different belief systems, such as
Celtic, Norse, Essene, Gnosis, or Shamanism, and then blend together
any points that "feel" right into their own personal path. Pure
Witchcraft on the other hand, may focus a little more tightly on using
Magick and ritual to work with the elemental and spiritual forces in
nature. Wicca and Witchcraft both work to achieve balance and
harmony within nature and self.
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Who do Witches Worship?
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There
is a single power defined as the One or All, which is composed of
everything it has ever created. This supreme energy force does not rule
over the Universe, it IS the Universe. Since most find it difficult to
talk to or call upon a faceless mass of Divine energy, this supreme
power is personified into male and female aspects as the Goddess and
God. This simply makes the concept easier for the human mind to
comprehend and relate to. Some take this concept a step further and use
actual names, like Astarte, Isis, Odin, Pan, Dianna, Cernunnos, etc.,
when invoking the Goddess and God. In the end, it is a personal
preference and what a Witch uses depends on what "feels" right for them
individually.
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How do Witches view Christianity. Are Witches Anti-Christian?
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Not necessarily. Witchcraft, overall, is very tolerant of
other religious views, and does not engage itself in criticizing the
beliefs of other people, providing that their beliefs do not violate
the basic tenant of "Harm None." Witches do object to religions that
attempt to suppress the religious beliefs of others, or every human's
right to seek spirituality in their own way. This is why there is a
slight rub between Wiccans, Pagans, Witches, and some Christians. Many
of them feel they have exclusive rights to the divine.
Imagine a beautiful meadow in the forest, and there are many
paths leading to this meadow. It really does not matter which path you
take to get there, the important thing is that you get there without
harming anyone or anything along the way.
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If Wicca and Witchcraft are not evil, why do you wear black robes?
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This
is another baseless superstition and Witches wear clothing and robes of
every color. Black is the combination of all colors and all vibrational
rates of light on the material plane. It is known that black is a very
good conductor of their thought forms. energy, therefore wearing
black simply helps Witches absorb natural energy to increase the power
of their thought forms.
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| Is Witchcraft a cult? |
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No.
Cults are groups that trade a sense of salvation and belonging for the
ability to think for oneself. They indulge in extravagant homage or
adoration (Webster's Dictionary), usually of an earthly leader of some
sort. If you know a real Witch, you'll quickly come to find the term
"Cult" could not apply. Most Wiccans, Witches and pagans come to the
Craft individually through reading and communing with nature. They
often will remain solitary in their beliefs but other will also find
like-minded people to celebrate seasonal cycles or monthly moons with.
Witches are extremely individualistic, self sufficient and defend the
right of free will without hesitation.
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| Do Witches have a bible? |
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No.
A bible is supposedly the word of a deity revealed through a prophet.
Witchcraft is a Pagan folk-religion of personal experience. Witchcraft
in the old times was much the same as the beliefs of the Essenes,
Gnostics, Druids, and many other religions. The teachings were passed
along by spoken word through long periods of one-on-one instruction
with an Elder of the Craft. This approach was taken because the power
and knowledge could be misused in the wrong hands. Therefore, by using
only the spoken word, the old masters could ensure those who wished to
follow the path had a true understanding and their hearts were in the
right place as their knowledge of the mysteries grew. Unfortunately,
when the medieval church began its attempts to convert and eliminate
rival belief systems, the teachers were either killed outright or went
underground resulting in much of the ancient knowledge being lost.
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| If Witches don't have a bible, what do you use? |
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Most
modern Witches keep a Book of Shadows, (BOS) or Grimoire, which is more
like an individuals workbook, journal, or diary, meaningful to the
person who keeps it. This book contains rituals, discoveries, spells,
poetry, herb lore, etc. Covens almost always keep a similar group book.
I am not exactly sure how the name "Book of Shadows" came to be, but I
would assume that this also ties into the Burning Times when the church
set out to eliminate all texts along with the followers of the old
ways. The writings that existed were more than likely were taken into
the shadows and hidden with the survivors.
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