Glossary of Terms

Definitions are based on historical references, common practice and the particulars of the Lycian Tradition of Wicca. Some definitions have been updated with material from "Triumph of the Moon."


Altar - the sacred worktable of a witch or coven. Usually contains the primary tools of the Craft, along with personal magickal items & God/dess representations.

Amulet - an object worn as a protective charm

Arcane - hidden or secret; esoteric

Athame - the Witch's sacred magickal knife. This particular tool is considered highly personal and should not be touched without permission. ----- It was termed by Gardner as "the true Witch's weapon," a concentrated version of the traditional sword, but there is no historical evidence that it was essential to witchcraft practices. In the Lycian Tradition, this tool symbolizes Air and the Mind.

Besom - Literally a bundle of twigs attached to a handle; a broom.

Blessed Be - common Wiccan/Pagan salutation. Origin unknown.

Bolline - sickle-shaped blade, usually used to cut herbs for ritual

Book of Shadows - personal journal of a witch, containing rituals, spells, Tradition particulars, personal poetry/misc, etc. Many covens maintain a coven BoS. ----- The term was coined by Gerald Gardner to replace "grimoire." Doreen Valiente's research found the origin in a 1949 article in the "Occult Observer," used to describe an ancient Sanskrit manual.

Broom Closet - term used to describe someone who is not public with their pagan practices; they are "still in the broom closet."

Cakes & Ale - the practice of ritually blessing symbolic cakes & ale to share in circle. They are passed around with the spoken words, "May you never hunger" and "May you never thirst."

Casting - The act of marking the boundary of a circle

Cauldron - A fireproof pot or kettle, traditionally with 3 feet. Symbolic of the womb of the Goddess, particularly Cerridwen's Cauldron of Regeneration.

Censor - heatproof container for incense burning

Centering - Grounding personal energies through meditation, usually done before a ritual

Chalice - One of the 4 basic working tools of a Witch. In the Lycian Tradition, this tool symbolizes Water and the North.

Chant - Repetition of magickal phrases, syllables or words to bring a person or group to a deeper meditative state

Charge - spoken or chanted words of magickal intent; such words written or inscribed

Circle - the sacred working space of an individual or group, formed and protected by ritual, in which magick is performed

Consecrate - to make sacred

Coven - an organized group of Witches that meets and works together regularly. Usually limited to 13 members for both practical and symbolic reasons. The word is not English, but Scottish, according to the Oxford English Dictionary.

Covenstead - the place where the Coven regularly meets, usually the home of the Priest/ess

Craft, the - the arts & practices of Witchcraft

"Craft of the Wise" - term used by Gardner for Wicca. ----- The phrase's origin is Hugh Ross Williamson's novel "The Silver Bowl," used by members of a 17th century witch cult (based on the theories of Margaret Murray) to describe their faith.

Degrees - levels of magickal and Tradition training undergone by a coven initiate. Based on the Craft degrees of Freemasonry.

Deosil - (with the sun); clockwise or sunwise motion

Divination - the discovery of unknown information through occult means

"Drawing Down the Moon" - the ritual of the Goddess being invoked into the priestess. ----- Hutton's book gives an origin of an earlier tradition of the Thessalian witches, whose malign powers were so great that "the mightiest of them could pluck the moon from the sky and force it to the earth."

Eclectic - selecting from various systems, doctrines, or sources; composed of materialgathered from various sources, systems, etc.

Ecstasy - (Greek "ekstasis", "being out of its place, distraction, trance")

Elemental - the primitive non-human and non-material entity of the nature of one of the four elements

Equinox - ("equal night") the two times of the year when the sun is directly over the Earth's equator, when the day and night have equal hours. The two Equinox Sabbats are the Vernal (Spring) in March and the Fall (Autumn) in September.

Esbat - meeting time of a coven, often held during the full moon.

Esoteric - (Greek "esoterikos", "inner") beyond ordinary knowledge or understanding

Evocation - the "calling up" or summoning of a non-material force or entity of a lower order of being than oneself

Familiar - an animal with whom the Witch has a psychic link

Fetch - a thoughtform sent to bring something or someone

Glyph - a sigil imbued with magick.

God - the Divine Masculine

Goddess - the Divine Feminine

Great Rite - the Craft's ritual of the "Hieros Gamos", or Sacred Marriage of the Goddess and the God. In the Lycian Tradition, this is performed symbolically in circle using the chalice & wand.

Grimoire - the medieval books of magickal procedures written by, or ascribed to, famous magicians. A magickal workbook.

Grounding - the act of dispelling negative emotions & energies from the physical body.

Handfasting - a pagan wedding or commitment ceremony. These can done legally or for a specified amount of time ("as long as love shall last")

Incantation - words ritually spoken or chanted in a magickal spell or ritual

Initiation - there are 3 types of initiation.

Formal - a ceremony or rite performed by an initiator or group upon an individual.

Natural - a spontaneous experience by an individual (such as a child touching a candle flame and discovering it is hot) or a biological rite of passage (such as a girl's first menstrual cycle).

Visionary - an inner experience in the astral realm that reveals a Mystery or teaching, induced by whatever means.

Karma - the Law of cause & effect; for every action, there is a reaction.

Lady - A term of respect for the Priestess who leads a coven or group.

Lord - A term of respect for the Priest who leads a coven or group.
Mage - Old English for the singular "Magus" and plural "Magi." A wise person.

Occult - "hidden"

Pagan Standard Time (PST) - slang term for persons habitually late arriving at, or beginning, an event. A poor excuse for not respecting the time of others, or the sacredness of ritual.

Pantheon - A hierarchy of Gods & Goddesses in a particular religious structure.

Pentacle - a round wooden or metal disk usually enscribed with a pentagram, often with other magickal signs and symbols. (In the Lycian Tradition, this tool represents East and the Earth, and is pronounced "Pantacle")

Pentagram - the five-pointed star surrounded by a circle, symbolizing the four material elements and the fifth element of spirit. It has an ancient and varied history, used in Christian, pagan and other religious traditions.

Sigil - A magickal seal or glyph.

Skyclad - Nude. Used in some Traditions to remove the physical trappings of social rank and render all within the circle as equals.

"So Mote It Be" - standard Middle English for "so must it be." Derived from Freemasonry.

Solitary - A Witch who practices the Craft alone.

Spirit Guide - A non-corporeal entity

Stang - forked staff, often topped with antlers

Summerlands - used by many Wiccans/Pagans to describe the resting place of the spirit between reincarnations. ----- The term originated from the Spiritualist movement at the turn of the century.

Talisman - A protective object or amulet.

Threefold Return, the Law of - another way to term the law of cause and effect.

Totem Animal - A Spirit Guide in animal form for which you have a particular affinity

Tradition - a sub-group under a broader religious heading. Traditions have the same basic tenets as other Trads in the religion, but differ on doctrine interpretations. Wiccan Traditions include Gardnerian, Alexandrian, Dianic, Lycian etc.

Wand - One of the standard working tools of a Wiccan. In the Lycian Tradition, this tool symbolizes Fire and the South.

Warlock - from the Scottish "waer-loga," meaning oath-breaker. It is considered a slur to use this term for a male Witch.

Wheel of the Year - The collective name for all eight holy days which make up the pagan year. Usually has a storyline/legend that explains mythologically what is going on seasonally during that time of year.

Widdershins - to move counterclockwise or moonwise

Witch - used for both male and female practitioners of the Craft

Witch Ball - a glass sphere hung in the window to ward off evil spirits (an 18th century tradition).