SACHET: a cloth bag, usually of natural fibers; filled with herbs.

SACRAMENT: food, drink or sexual love which is partaken in the honor of the deity in either a formal or informal rite.

SAGE: a sometimes used term for a male `Crone'.

SAGING: is the ritual for a man reaching this status.

SAINING: naming and presentation of an infant before the Gods by the parents, usually assisted by high priestess and high priest. This is customarily done between an infant's third and thirteenth month of life.

SAINT JOHNS EVE: Also see Midsummer Sabbat.

SAMHAIN: the festival celebrated on Oct. 31. The Wiccan New Year. It marks the `death' of the Sun God into Summerland (Land of the Young), where He awaits His Rebirth. As Wiccans bid the God a temporary farewell, they reflect at this time, over the past year. Pronounced: SOW wen / SEW wen / SAHM hain / SAHM ain / SAV een. Also called: Nov. Eve, Hallowmas, Halloween, All Hallow's Eve, Feast of Soul's, Feast of the Dead, Feast of Apples. November Eve Witch Sabbat. Also see NOSWYL CALAN GAEF.

SATAN: 1) means an opponent or adversary in Hebrew. Ha-satan designates a supreme evil entity; Greek: diabolos. 2) This is a Christian concept. The Prince of Darkness; Evil incarnate; The negative side of the Good/Evil duality; Pagans and Witches do not believe in this being, nor do they worship such a concept.

SATANIST: This is a person who has decided to identify with evil, negativity, and worships the dark forces of nature; This is a Christian Heresy and has nothing to do with Paganism and/or Witchcraft.

SCA / SOCIETY FOR CREATIVE ANACHRONISM: this group historically recreates ancient battles and lifestyles; much like those that participate in Civil War enactments. Use authentic dress & weapons.

SCRY / SCRYING: 1) the act of gazing into an object to still Conscious Mind, allowing contact with Psychic Mind. 2) to practice divination by crystal ball, mirror or other transparent/ reflective surface. See DIVINATION. SCRYING STONE: a stone or crystal used to see the future.

SEAL: representation of an entity, physical or non-physical.

SEALING: this term is used when a spell is `sealed' by gestures or chant, etc; this to contain the raised energy into the spell.

SEAX WICCA: is a very modern reconstruction of the Saxon Tradition, founded by Raymond Buckland who originally helped bring the Gardnerian tradition to the U.S. It is derived from the Pictish tradition of Scotland and the Saxon tradition of England.

SECULAR: material & worldly as opposed to spiritual; thus ANYTHING not religious.

SELF: with a capital `S' is reference to one's entirety of person, the spirit & soul, if you will.

SEPTAGRAM: a 7 point star symbol used in ceremonial magick, representing 7 tenets of: Balance, Harmony, Humility, Learning, Reincarnation, Tolerance, Trust. (Don't know the correct order.) Once it represented 7 angels who became 7 planets (the ones then known), called the Mystic Star. Other 7's include Days of the Week, Deadly Sins, Mounts of the Hand, Pillars of Wisdom, Sacraments, Virtues, & Wonders of the World.

SEVEN PLANES OF EXISTENCE: some people follow the belief: that you reincarnate at least 7 times within 7 Basic Soul Stages. The stages are: infant, baby, youth, mature, old, transcendental, & infinite. The 7 ROLES: sage, artisan, priest, slave, king, warrior, scholar.

SHAMAN: a practitioner of SHAMANISM. Person who has obtained knowledge of the subtler aspects of the World by periods of alternate states of consciousness. Native Americans are quite adamant that only an `Indian' can truly practice such with any real knowledge & others are just fakes & game players, who `practice' at the expense of respect & truth of what Shamanism is really about. A title given to either a male or female initiate of a religious priesthood usually associated with native American, African, Asian or Australian traditions. Pagan rather than Wiccan.

SHAMANIC TRADITION: a very individualistic tradition of Wicca as typified by the practice of Shan of the House of the Goddess in London, England. Chanting, Drumming, and simple dance is their way of expressing love for the Goddess. Most Shaman Traditions take their ideas from various sources: Tibet, Finland, North America, South America and Celtic to name a few. They incorporate these aspects into their own rituals. Some groups use natural hallucinogenics such as marihuana and peyote. This path needs an expert teacher if natural intoxicants are involved.

SHAPE-SHIFTING: the ability of a person to change into animal form or otherwise altar one's physical features, either physically or as seen by others. It is a magickal technique of great antiquity.

SIDERAL TIME / ST: an astrology term, this is the apparent movement of the sky as a whole but which movement is caused by theEarth rotating. 360 degree of RA pass over a location in 24 SIDEREAL HOURS (which equals 1 SIDEREAL DAY);1 hour of sidereal time equals 15 degree of RA; 1 degree of RA equals 4 minutes of time. SIDERITE: lodestone or meteorite.

SIGHT: refers to SECOND SIGHT, or CLAIRVOYANCE.

SIGIL: old word for seal; those written symbols related to spirits, etc. of each planet.

SIMPLE FEAST: a ritual meal of sharing with the God and Goddess.

SKY CLAD: a term meaning naked, usually referring to state of undress while doing rituals.

SOLSTICE: occur twice a year, midway between the 2 EQUINOXES, producing a day with the shortest light & longest dark hours in Dec. & a day of longest light & shortest dark hours in June; both occur about the 21st in their months.

SORCERER: see Magician or Wizard.

SORTILEGE: noun, having to do with `sorcery', may be the easiest way to understand this word.

SOUND MAGICK: has to do with energy raised by musicle notes, or pitchs, etc.

SPELL: 1) A way of working some type of Magick; to make things happen by paranormal means. 2) a magical ritual or an act wherin a person actively bends & gives directive to natural energies for a needed purpose.

SPINNING: archaic means by which raw fiber is spun into thread with a distaff or spindle. In archaic times, it was figuratively believed that the Great Goddess spun all of existence from raw chaos into reality. Spinning Magick was used among the ancient Norse and Germans as a solitary or group ritual. The Norns, the crone-goddesses of north and east Europe, were said to spin fates and destinies.

SPIRITS OF THE STONES: the naturally inherent elemental energies, of the four corners of a Circle, personified. They are linked to the Elements.

SPIRIT SUBJECTS: other words having to do with Spirit or Soul, are WRAITH (Raith) which is Spirit ECTOPLASM; ETHEREAL which is Spirit Matter or Ectoplasm. A Spirit emits these substances when it manifests in this dimension.

SPIRITUALISM: is the belief that the spirits (or `dead' people) can talk to us in this dimension.

SPRING EQUINOX FESTIVAL: Alban Elfed, Eostar Sabbat, Also see GWYL GWENWYNOL.

STAFF: a magickal tool, traditionally made of well-seasoned hardwood, straight, and owners height in length. Sometimes, chakra crystals are inbedded at the appropriate heights. A phallic and Solar symbol. If entwined with a vine, such as ivy or ribbons, and surmounted by a pine cone; then this tool is a THYROS.

STANG: Pagan staff, forked at one end.

STARS, FIXED / WANDERING: in Astrology; a Fixed Star is a regular star like makes up the constellations but a Wandering Star was a term meant for planets & our moon. Some Astrologers & horoscopes still refer to these as `The Stars', which is just a romanticism now.

STAR OF DAVID: this well known Jewish symbol, represents the united male & female. Consisting of 2 triangles, the one pointing up is the `male' & the downward pointing one, represents the `female'; thus overlapping to form the `Star', it represents ELOHIM (God).

STAR/ING ONESELF: a Self Blessing exercise that one does by taking Projective Hand & making a Pentacle motion, touching yourself: forehead, left breast, right shoulder, left shoulder, right breast, forehead. Resembles the Blessing exercised by Catholics. You want to visualize yourself protected & `Blessed' during this exercise. STAR, 7 POINT...see SEPTAGRAM.

STREGA OR STREGHA: the Italian tradition of the Craft, derived from Etruscan Tradition; also used as an Italian word forWitch...SEE ARADIA

SUCCUBUS: 1) an oversexed female demon or spirit. 2) said to be a female wraith form projected for the purpose of sexual intercourse. In historical writings these Succubi seem to be associated with Christians who have psycho/sexual problems.

SUMMONER: in some Traditions, this is a male who is the counter- part of the MAIDEN. He is the assistant HP. See CANDLEBEARER

SUN WHEEL: ancient eight-spoked wheel which symbolized the year, each spoke symbolizing one of the seasonal or cross-quarter festivals. It also bespoke the cyclical nature of all things. The sun wheel is still used as a protective talisman with many metaphysical meanings.

SWORD: used to refer to any magickal sword used by a Pagan, Witch or magician, in conjuration or ceremonial work.

SYMPATHETIC MAGICK: Magick that makes use of the rule that anything owned or used by a person retains a magickal link even when separated from the person.

T'AI CHI: is an exercise to learn how to regulate one's breathing, relax, and meditate. It calms.

TABARDS: ritual robes.

TABOO: forbidden object or exercise.

TALISMAN: 1) an object empowered with magickal energy to attract a specific force or energy. Opposite of Amulet. 2) an object with protective powers or the ability to affect chance or luck, usually worn as a necklace.

TAPES: a slang for the psychological conditioning received by children from adults. The "do's & don'ts"...

TAROT: a special deck of cards used for divination; a system of divination claimed to have originated in Egypt in ancient times. These cards are the ancestors of modern playing cards. Traditionally numbering 78 cards, of which 21 make up the Major Arcana & the rest are divided into 4 suits (cups, wands, pentacles, & swords) of Minor Arcana. The Major Arcana or GREATER SECRETS were lost through the efforts of the Christian clergy.

TASSEOGRAPHY: the act of `reading' tea leaves in divination work.