Witchcraft Dictionary of Craft Terms

ABORIFACIENT- Herb which brings on an abortion. Usually must be taken in very large, nearly toxic doses. WARNING. Aborifacient herbs are dangerous to be taken without a physician's advice.

ACOLYTE: 1) a beginner or "novice" as used in many magickal orders.

2) sometimes used to denote the lowest rank in the group.

See POND SCUM. ADEPT: 1) a master of the magickal arts. A skilled occult practitioner.

2) One who has reached true enlightenment. In some Craft traditions, it designates a particular stage of initiation.

AFFIRMATIONS: 1) a belief that repetitive "Positive Assertive Thoughts" will influence people & reality.

2) Also known as "Power of Positive Thinking."

AKASHA: 1) the omnipresent fifth occult element and omnipresent spiritual power that permeates the universe. It is the energy out of which the Elements formed and which embraces the other fourearth, air, fire, and water; and from which they stem. This is the realm of pattern" or causality, from which the realm the normally thought of "five senses manifests. Some define it is the "other" of the "two worlds" that the witch or magician walks between.- the spiritual ether (or Aether)

AKASHIC RECORDS 1) the plane where all time and space meet, where one may find the answer to all things.

2) the source of "past life" memories.

ALCHEMY: 1) Science of transmuting metals.

2)transmutation of Inner Self to a higher more Spiritual plane

ALEXANDRIAN TRADITION: A Wiccan religious tradition which traces its linage to Alex Sanders of England, who died in 1988. Alex and Maxine Sanders were the founders; The Alexandrian tradition is an offshoot of Gardnerian Wicca, but also includes traces of Ceremonial Magick, Egyptian & Classical religions, Qabala, and the teachings of Aleister Crowley. This tradition has become the most popular in England because of its openness which makes it more accessible to seekers.

ALGARD TRADITION: A Wiccan religious tradition founded by Mary Nesnick, of N.Y. City, in late 70's. Their Book of Shadows includes a combination of Gardnerian and Alexandrian components.

ALLAH: `God' in Islamic theology; originally `Al-Lat', the Moon. ALRAUN: a talismanic image made of rowan wood.

ALTAR: a table or sometimes any flat surface used to hold the symbols and tools during the performance of religious and magickal rituals. Sometimes the altar is round to Symbolize the Goddess, or square to represent the Elements. Best made of wood, and facing North East toward the rising of both Sun and Moon. Druid Altar is a flat stone laying across two upright stones. A Ceremonial Altar is wood and is constructed of two or three cubes stacked. Traditionally, the left 1/3 is reserved for the Goddess, the center for both Dieties, and the right 1/3, for the God.

AMERICAN TRADITION: This Wiccan tradition is an offshoot of Gardnerian Wicca, founded by Ed Fitch and several Southern Californian Gardnerians in the late 70's. The tradition includes Gardnerian material and additional material supplied by the founders. This tradition is sometimes known as Mohsian, after two of the founders whose last name was Mohs.

AMULET: a magically empowered object that deflects (sends away) specific, usually negative, energies. Generally, a protective object. See Talisman.

ANAPHRODISIAC: a substance, such as camphor, that reduces sexual desires.

ANGLO-SAXON: English of c.5th - 11th centuries.

ANIMA / ANIMUS: Jungarian concept that ANIMA, is the buried feminine element in a man's psyche & that ANIMUS is the buried masculine element in the female. This then fits to the Pagan views that Self and/or Soul, is both male & female, and with the concepts of reincarnation.

ANIMISTIC: the belief that all forms of Nature have a Divine Spirit within.

APHORISM: a sparsely worded, and direct little saying. Ex.: `As above, So below.'

APHRODISIAC: a substance that produces sexual excitement. Similar to Viagra.

ARADIA: 1) was the Goddess daughter of Diana, & the Goddess of choice of Italian (STREGA) traditions.

2) A book by Charles Leland, purporting to be an actual "book of Shadows of an Italian Witch. Commonly used in many Wiccan traditions today.

ARCADIAN TRADITION: A Male oriented worship of the Horned God, less sexist than Dianic Wicca, as most Arcadian groups admit women.

ARCANA: 1) Secret knowledge.

2) used to denote a classification of the cards in a TAROT deck of cards. The Major Arcana being the "trumps" numbered from 0 to 21, the Minor Arcana being the 56 "court" cards.

ARCHETYPES: extremely basic forms within the human psyche; the archaic "racial memories"

AROMATHERAPY: 1) use of various flower, herb, oil and incense fragrances and smells.

2) HOLISTIC AROMA: uses massage and smell.

3) MAGICKAL AROMA: uses smell and visualization.

"AS ABOVE, SO BELOW.": this saying means that universal & natural laws apply to inner & outer consciousness. That everything is connected and is part of everything else. ASPECTS: qualities or characteristics of something or Diety, etc. Ex.: Luna is an aspect of the Moon Goddess. Orion is an aspect of the antlered or Horned God. ASPECTING: when a person during a ritual or magickal exercise, manifests ASPECTS of a God/dess, with/in themselves. ASPERGER: a bundle of fresh herbs or a perforated object, used for purificatory purposes to sprinkle water during or proceeding ritual.

ASSOCIATION OF CYMRY WICCAE: One of the oldest Witchcraft associations in the U.S. Founded in 1967, it provides member Churches, Covens or Groves with Federal I.R.S. Tax Exempt status. It has included every major Wicca tradition in its membership at one time or another. It consists of member Witch and Wiccan churches whose traditions derive most of their religious philosophy from Celtic sources. See also WELSH TRADITION and Y TYLWYTH TEG.

ASTRAL: 1) a realm of existence parallel to physical reality but slightly apart from it. In this realm, both time and space may be traversed by the nonmaterial body. A wide variety of entities inhabit the astral; elementals, phantasms, ghosts and the conscious or dreaming presences of living individuals.

ASTRAL BODY: a duplicate of and existing within the physical body, but made of a substance not physical. However, this body can sometimes leave the physical body, and in some cases can temporarily create a separate physical body.

ASTRAL PLANES: various worlds of other dimensions which are co-existent with the earth plane.

ASTRAL PROJECTION: Out-of-Body-Experience (OOBE); transferring the consciousness from the physical body to the Astral Body. The act of separating the consciousness from the physical body and moving it about at will.

ASTROLOGY: 1) the belief that the relative positions of planets, planetoids and stars, can influence events & behavior surrounding us.

2) the method used in calculating these related happenings.

ASTRONOMY is the hard science.

ASTROLOGY, NATAL: refers to calculating the planetary influences at the time of the subject's birth.

ATAVISM, ATAVISTIC: refers to characteristics of all living organisms, that has a hereditary characteristic trait or deformity which shows up after having skipped a generation or more. The reversion to the original type, like if you plant a hybrid seed but it grows up like its wild ancestor.

ATHAME: "a-THAY-me" the Witch's traditional magical tool, the consecrated, black-handled dagger. It is never used to cut, but can be used to defend; a personal knife, usually made of steel and is double bladed or edged; with a black handle. Double edged to Symbolize that power works both ways: healing & harming, creation & destruction; light & dark. Both sides necessary & both sides needing to be controlled. The black absorbs power. The owner often engraves magick symbols into the metal. A magickal tool associated with change makes it the symbol of the Element Fire, and its phallic nature links it to the God. It's direction is the South. AURA: the colored, low level energy field that surrounds living tissue.

AUTUMN EQUINOX SABBAT: Alban Elfed - Mabon Sabbat; also see GWYL HYDREF.