Ambrosia- feminine mysteries of menstrual cycle; called soma among Hindus, red claret of the faeries, wise blood

Amulet- magickally charged object which deflects specific, usually negative energies; generally a projective object

Asperger- bundle of fresh herbs or perforated object used to sprinkle water during or preceding a ritual; for purificatory purposes

Astral Projection- act of separating the consciousness from the physical body and moving it about at will

Athame- a Wicca ritual knife; usually double-edged blade with a black handle. The athame is used to direct Personal Power during ritual workings; seldom(if ever) used for actual physical cutting. The term is of obscure origin, has many variant spellings among Wiccans and variety of pronunciations

Aura- energy field existing around all living things

Balefire- fire lit for magickal purposes, usually outdoors; traditional on Yule, Beltane, and Midsummer

Bane- that which destroys life; poisonous, dangerous, destructive, evil; term also includes negative habits as well as threats of all kinds

Bat- creature often associated with the Moon and darkness; in China, good fortune and happiness; in Europe, companion of the goddess Hel; Christians made the bat evil and demonic in an attempt to dissociate the people from the Goddess

B.C.E.- Before Common Era; non-religious equivalent of B.C.

Beltane- Wiccan festival celebrated on April 30th or May 1st; also known as May Eve, Roodmas, Walpurgis Night, Cethsamhain; celebrates symbolic union, mating or marriage of the Goddess and God; links in with the approaching summer months

Besom- broom; a magickal broom

Blessing, to Bless- act of conferring positive energy upon a person, place, or thing; it's a spiritual or religious practice

Blood- the words "blessings" and "blood" are related; red was always considered the color of life; also the color of the Mother aspect of the Triple Goddess, a sign of Her fruitfulness through menstruation and birth; straining of the hands and feet with henna was practiced by followers of Hecate, Anath, and many Hindu goddesses; originally altars and people were consecrated by sprinkling with blood; now objects and people are sprinkled with salt water

Bolline- whit-handled knife; used in magick and Wiccan ritual for practical purposes such as cutting herbs or piercing a pomegranate

Book of Shadows- a Wiccan book of rituals, spells, magickal lore, and advice. No one "true" Book of Shadows exists, all are relevant to their perspective users

C.E.- Common Era; non-religious equivalent of A.D.

Censer- incense burner; symbolizes element of Air

Centering, to Center- to find an internal point of balance

Chalice- a ritual goblet; symbolizes element of Water

Charge- to infuse an object with Personal Power; "charging" is an act of magick

Circle- a sphere constructed to Personal Power in which Wiccan rituals are usually enacted; area inside the circle is seen as being common ground on which Wiccans and their Deities can meet; the term refers to the circle that marks the spheres penetration of the ground, for it extends both above and below it. The magick circle is created through magick

Circle Casting- process of moving positive energy from the body and forming it into a large, non-physical sphere of power in which Wiccan rituals usually occur; circle casting usually begin each Wiccan ritual; process also known as "laying the circle" and "creating sacred space," among other terms

Cleansing, to Cleanse- to remove negative energy; to purify

Conscious Mind- analytical, societally controlled, materialistic half of human consciousness

Consecration- act of conferring sanctity; in Wicca, tools used in religious and magickal rites are consecrated with energy during specific rituals

Coven- a group of Wiccans that gather together for religious and magickal workings; like that of a church

Craft, The- Wicca, Witchcraft; Folk magick or natural magick

Curse- a conscious direction of negative energy toward a person, place or thing; contrary to poplular belief, curses are rare and usually have no effect; also known as psychic attack

Deosil- clockwise

Deva- a powerful Faerie, land, plant, or mineral spirit; a collective oversoul

Devoke, Devocation- formal farewell in ritual; usually to Gods or elements

Divine Power- unmanifested, pure energy that exists within the Goddess and God; the life force; the ultimate source of all things; it is this energy that Wiccans contact during ritual

Divination- magichal art of discovering the unknown by interpreting random patterns or symbols through the use of tools such as clouds, tarot cards, flames; contacts the Psychic Mind by tricking or drowsing the Conscious Mind through ritual and observation or of manipulation of tools; isn't necessary for those who can easily attain communication with the Psychic Mind, though they may practice it

Earth Power- energy which exists within stones, herbs, flames, wind and other natural objects; manifested Divine Power and can be utilized during magick to create needed change

Elements- Earth, Air, Fire, Water; the four energies of our planet; everything that exists or has potential to exist contains one or more of these energies; the elements hum within ourselves and are also "at large" in the world; can be utilized to cause change through magick; four elements are formed from the primal universal power Akasha

Empowering- act of moving energy into an object

Energy- general term fro the currently unmeasurable but real power that exists within all natural objects and beings, including our own bodies; ancient Hawaiians knew it as "mana," and has been given many other names; this energy ultimately stems from the divine source of all that exists; the powerhouse, fuel, of all forms of magick

Esbat- Wiccan ritual; usually occuring on the Full Moon

Evocation- Calling up spirits or other non-physical entities, either to visible appearance or invisible attendance

Faerie- one of many nature spirits that inhabit a realm or dimension next to our own

Fey- to be like or of the Faerie

Folk Magick- practice of magick utilizing Personal Power, in conjunction with natural tools, in a non-religious framework, to cause positive change

God, the- generally, in Wicca, the God is the male principle; perfect compliment to the Goddess; often identified with the sun; with deserts and forests, and with wild animals; some see Him as the Lord of Death and Resurrection; in the eight Sabbats the Wiccans celebrated His birth, maturity, union with the Goddess, and His death; the God is not to be confused with the common Christian conception of "God"

Goddess, the- many definitions of the Goddess as there are Wiccans; generally, She's seen as the Creatress of the Universe; the unfaltering, ultimate source of fertility, wisdom, love, compassion, healing, and power; often associated with the Moon, the seas, and Earth in Wiccan thought, the Goddess has been worshipped in many religions across the globe and throughout time

Grimoire- magickal workbook containing ritual infromation, formulae, magickal properties of natural objects and preparation of ritual equipment; many of these works include "catalogues of spirits"; most famous of the old grimoires is probably The Key of Solomon; most first appeared in the 16th and 17th centuries, though they maybe far older and contain traces of Roman, Greek, Babylonian, late Egyptian, and Sumerian rites

Grounding- process of temporarily shutting down Psychic Awareness and reorienting the Conscious Mind to the material world

Handfasting- within Wicca, a ritual joining of two human beings in a bond of love, and before the Goddess and God

High Priest- in a coven, either one of two visible leaders of a coven; a man who co-leads the rituals, or has reached a certain level of proficiency, achievement and wisdom

High Priestess- highly experienced leader of a Coven; woman who leads or co-leads rituals or has reached a certain level of Wiccan proficiency, achievement and wisdom

Imbolc- Wiccan festival celebrated on February 1st or 2nd, also known as Candlemas, Lupercalia, Feast of Pan, Feast of Torches, Feast of the Waxing Light, Oimelc, Brigit's Day, and many others; celebrates first stirrings of spring and recovery of the Goddess from giving birth to the Sun(the God) at Yule