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A Glossary of Pagan Terms
| Athame: A ritual tool- They have thier own page here. |
| Bell: A ritual tool- They have thier own page here. |
| Besom: A ritual tool- They have thier own page here. |
| Boline: A ritual tool- They have thier own page here. |
| Book of Shadows: A ritual tool- They have thier own page here. |
| Burning Times: The period of persecution, notably the crusades, that Wiccans credit with the repression of Pagan beliefs. Named for the practice of burning witches at the stake. |
| Cakes and Ale: Found especially in Wiccan ceremonies, this is essentially a type of communion. It serves as a blessing and a reminder that the divine will provide. In practice, Cakes and Ale can refer to any food and drink consumed in this manner, but most often takes the form of sweet baked breads and wine or mead (although many groups use non-alcoholic beverages), usually incorporating seasonal ingredients. Also could be considered a ritual tool- that definition is here. |
| Candles: A ritual tool- They have thier own page here. |
| Cauldron: A ritual tool- They have thier own page here. |
| Chalice: A ritual tool- They have thier own page here. |
| Circle, The: A term often used to describe a Pagan ritual space. Rather than a permanant church, most Pagans create a temporary sacred space to worship- usually round. In this context, the space is only a circle while actually in use. |
| Consecrate: To clean an object or place of unwanted energies and make it sacred for ritual use. |
| Coven: A group of Wiccans. This is the primary organization form for most groups- Generally small and intimate, it is sort of a combination study group / surrogate family / congregation. Some non-Wiccans use the term as well, and each coven is likely to have it's own unique ceremonies, goals, teachings, and etiquite. |
| Craft, The: Magick, specifically witchcraft, although some do not like the connotations of the word. |
| Fuzzy Bunny: A somewhat derogatory term for someone whose knowledge of magick is not up to the level they try to participate at. A newbie, poser, or someone not committed to their path. Also, someone whose brand of Paganism is all "sweetness and light"- and doesn't recognise the balance of life and death, light and dark found in all things. |
| Great Rite: The central Wiccan ritual, the Great Rite symbolizes the joining of the male and female aspects of the divine in sexual union. It is most often performed symbolicly, by the High Priest plunging an athame in to a chalice held by the High Priestess. |
| Ground: To 'flush' unwanted or excess energy, calm, and refocus back to a normal state. |
| Incense: A ritual tool- They have thier own page here. |
| Muggle: A non-Pagan who is ignorant of our ways. Yes, we stole this one from JK Rowling. |
| Oathbound: Information that someone has sworn to keep secret from outsiders- most often this would be the inner teachings of a coven. |
| Pantacle: A ritual tool- They have thier own page here. |
| Path: The way a person worships, practices, and finds a connection to the divine. Right here, we get to the major central difference between Paganism and the monotheistic religions: We believe that there is more than one way to find god. The way that you do that is your path, whether it's a Christian path, a Druidic path, or one that you blaze yourself. |
| Reconstructionist: One who follows a religion such as Druidism, that has been lost and reconstructed from historical or archeological information. |
| Rede, The: (see Wiccan Rede) |
| Scrying: A form of divination using a visual focus point, usually reflective. One looks in until they see some sort of image or message . The stereotypical crystal ball is the most recognizable object used for scrying, but many people use a black mirror, bowl of water, or even smoke or fire. |
| Staff / Stave: A ritual tool- They have thier own page here. |
| Threefold Law: A Wiccan belief held by many Pagans that whatever action or energy you send out into the world will return to you three times over. It's sort of like karma, but with a quicker turnaround. |
| Wand: A ritual tool- They have thier own page here. |
| Ward: A protective spell placed around a person, object, or place to repel harm or unwanted intrusion. |
| Wiccan Rede: The primary Wiccan ethic, stated: "If it harm none, do what thou will", or some similar variant. Basicaly, it means that you can do whatever you want as long as it doesn't hurt anyone, self included. It's a little light for serious ethical debate, but generally a worthwhile rule of thumb- kind of like "do unto others..." |
| Witch: One who practices magick. Most, but not all Wiccans refer to themselves as witches, but non-Wiccans will use the term to describe themselves as well. |