A ● B ● C ● D ● E ● F ● G ● H ● I ● J ● K ● L ● M ● N ● O ● P ● Q ● R ● S ● T ● U ● V ● W ● X ● Y ● Z
A
Aether
Aether is considered the fifth element, representing spirit or the divine essence that connects all things. It symbolizes purity, spiritual transcendence, and the unifying force beyond the physical elements of Earth, Air, Fire, and Water.
Air Element
A primary building block of manifestation in Wicca, the element of Air symbolizes intellect, communication, and knowledge. It is often associated with mental clarity, wisdom, and the power of thought. In some traditions, it lives in the East quarter of a protection circle.
Altar
A center point of your sacred space that is decorated with symbols and tools that align with your ritual work. Your altar can be as large as a table, as small as a hidden drawer, or as tiny as a mint tin.
Amulet
An object believed to have the power to protect its holder from danger or harm.
It can be a natural item like a crystal or herb, or a crafted object like a pendant or charm, often inscribed with symbols or infused with specific energies.
Athame
A ceremonial knife used in rituals to direct energy, cast a protection circle, or cut through energy. Traditionally, an athame is double-bladed and not sharp.
B
Banishing
The spiritual action of sending away energies.
Typically banishing is used to remove harmful energies and entities or to send away any energies and entities that have enetered your space.
Banishing is an important practice in Wicca, as the practice of banishing is used to help close the protection circle and release the four elements.
Beltane
A festival from the Celtic tradition that is held on May 1st. Its focus is celebrating fertility and spring.
Besom
A broom that is used in ritual cleansing. The action of sweeping is said to move energy around, so it’s traditional for Wiccans to sweep harmful energy out of a sacred space.
Binding
The action of restricting someone’s actions or energy through magic and spellwork.
Boline
A traditional harvest knife that is ritualistically used for cutting herbs and cords.
Book of Shadows
A personal journal of spells, rituals, results, and reflections.
C
Cauldron
Traditionally a three-legged cooking pot, this ritual item symbolizes the element of water and the womb of the Goddess when used in rituals.
Censer
An incense burner that hangs from a string.
Chalice
A cup, goblet, or wine glass that represents the element of water.
Charging
The act of empowering an object with energy to attune it to a specific purpose.
Circle Casting
The act of creating a sacred space for rituals and magic that helps protect your focused spell’s energy from outside influences.
Consecration
Blessing an item for sacred use.
Correspondences
The symbolic connections between various items, plants, elements, deities, and more.
Correspondences help you match a ritual or spell ingredient’s energy to your intent.
Coven
A group of Witches practicing together.
Traditionally, a coven is composed of 13 Witches, but a coven can be made up of as many members as you’d like.
Crossroads
Symbolic places where choices are made, often used in magic.
D
Dedication
A commitment that you willingly make to anything on your spiritual path, such as a specific Wiccan tradition or a connection with a deity.
Deity
Any gods and goddesses.
Divination
The practice of seeking knowledge that could not be possibly known from unknown, often described as divine, sources.
E
Earth Element
A primary building block of manifestation in Wicca, the element of Earth represents stability, grounding, and physicality. It is associated with nurturing energy, material abundance, and the physical world, including nature and the body.
Elementals
Spirits or beings that represent or are comprised of the elements (earth, air, fire, water).
Elixir
A brew, such as a tea, tincture, or decoction, that has energetic or medicinal qualities.
Esbat
A ritual during the full or new moon to celebrate the energies and cycle of the moon. Many covens choose these times to meet.
F
Fae
Also known as Fay, Fairies, and Faeries, the Fae refers to fairies or fairy-like beings.
Familiar
An animal that has spiritual significance to you in your life or practice.
Fire Element
A primary building block of manifestation in Wicca, the element of Fire symbolizes passion, energy, and transformation. It represents creativity, motivation, and the drive that spurs action and change.
G
Gardnerian Wicca
A tradition of Wicca founded by Gerald Gardner.
Great Rite
A ritual symbolizing the union of the masculine and feminine that represents the energy that creates something new.
It’s typically included in many circle casting rituals before manifestation spells are cast.
Grounding
Releasing excess energy after a ritual by eating grounding foods, meditating, or standing barefoot on natural ground.
H
Handfasting
A Wiccan wedding ceremony that involves the symbolic bonding of two people by gently tying a consecrated cord around their wrists as they hold hands.
I
Imbolc
Imbolc, celebrated on February 1st or 2nd, is a significant festival in Wicca marking the beginning of spring and the halfway point between the winter solstice and the spring equinox.
It is a time for purification and renewal, often involving rituals to honor the goddess Brigid.
Incantation
The spoken part of any spell.
Initiation
A ritual marking entry into a coven or tradition.
Invocation
A call to a deity or spirit into a specific area to participate in a ritual.
J
Journeying
The act of spiritual or meditative travel to other realms or areas.
K
Knot Magic
The use of knots in spellwork in such a way where the practitioner ties knots in a cord while focusing on their intention or desire, believing that the knots hold and release the energy when untied.
L
Lammas
Lammas, also known as Lughnasadh, is a Wiccan and pagan festival celebrated on August 1st to mark the beginning of the harvest season. It is a time to give thanks for the abundance of the earth and to celebrate the first fruits of the harvest, often with feasts, rituals, and bread-making.
Libation
An offering of liquid to deities or spirits.
Litha
Litha, also known as Midsummer or the Summer Solstice, is a Wiccan and pagan festival celebrated around June 21st, marking the longest day of the year.
It is a time of balance and abundance, where the power of the sun is at its peak, and is often celebrated with bonfires, feasting, and rituals to honor the full strength of the sun and the fertility of the earth.
Lughnasadh
Another name for the Lammas festival. It’s a festival celebrated by Wiccans and Pagans on August 1st, marking the beginning of the harvest season.
This festival honors the first fruits of the harvest, symbolizing the abundance of the earth, and is often celebrated with feasts, baking bread, and rituals of gratitude and reflection.
M
Mabon
Mabon, also known as the Autumn Equinox, is a Wiccan and pagan festival celebrated around September 21st, marking the balance between day and night.
It is a time of thanksgiving for the second harvest and recognition of the coming of winter, often celebrated with feasting, sharing, and reflecting on the balance of life.
Magic Circle
A space marked out for ritual and magical work. Its functions are to keep you protected in a spiritually clean and purified space, as well as to bottle your spell’s energy up before releasing it into the universe.
Meditation
A practice of focused thought and awareness.
Moon Phases
The stages of the moon, which influence magic in different ways.
N
Neo-Paganism
A modern movement that includes religions like Wicca.
O
Occult
Knowledge of the hidden or supernatural.
Oracle
A person or means through which divine insight is received.
Oracle Deck
A spiritual tool used for divination, similar to Tarot cards, but often without the traditional structure of Tarot decks.
They typically feature a variety of themes and symbols relevant to various beliefs and are used for guidance, introspection, and decision-making.
Ostara
A festival that celebrates the Spring Equinox, marking the arrival of spring and the balance of day and night.
It is a time for honoring new beginnings, fertility, and the renewal of life, often celebrated with symbols like eggs, rabbits, and flowers.
P
Pagan
A follower of a polytheistic or nature-based religion.
Paganism
A broad term for religions outside of the main world religions.
Pathworking
A meditative exercise where practitioners mentally journey through symbolic landscapes, often corresponding to the pathways of the Kabbalistic Tree of Life or other mystical frameworks.
This practice is used for self-exploration, spiritual growth, and to gain deeper insights into the mysteries of the universe and one’s own psyche.
Pentacle
A five-pointed star within a circle, a symbol of faith.
Petition Magic
A type of spell where the practitioner writes down a specific request or desire on a piece of paper, essentially creating a written petition to the divine, the universe, or specific deities.
This spell often involves focusing one’s intention, sometimes while burning candles, herbs, or incense, and then either burning, burying, or otherwise releasing the petition as a way to send the request out into the universe.
Poppet
A doll used in sympathetic magic.
Q
Quarters
The four cardinal points, north, south, east, and west, in a magic circle representing elements.
R
Rede
A Wiccan ethical statement, often summarized as “An it harm none, do what ye will.”
Reincarnation
The belief in the rebirth of the soul.
Ritual
A ceremonial act performed for a specific purpose.
Rune
A symbol from ancient alphabets used in magic and divination.
S
Sabbat
A seasonal festival or celebration.
Samhain
An ancient Celtic festival and a significant sabbat in the Wiccan calendars, celebrated on October 31st.
It marks the end of the harvest season and the beginning of winter or the “darker half” of the year.
This festival is a time to honor ancestors and the dead, often involving rituals that reflect themes of death and rebirth, and the thinning of the veil between the physical and spiritual worlds.
Scrying
The practice of looking into a medium to predict the future.
Sigil
Symbolic designs created to represent a specific intention, desire, or magical goal.
They are usually crafted by combining letters or abstract shapes and are charged with energy through focus, meditation, or ritual.
Sigils are often used as focal points in spellwork, as talismans, or in meditation, serving as a physical embodiment of a practitioner’s will or desire.
Skyclad
The act of performing rituals unclothed.
Solitary Wiccan
A Wiccan who practices alone.
Spell
A magical ritual intended to bring about a specific result.
Sympathetic Magic
Based on the belief that like affects like, this type of magic operates on the premise that performing actions or rituals on a symbolic object or representation can influence the actual thing it represents.
T
Talisman
An object, often inscribed with symbols or figures, believed to possess specific magical properties or energies.
Unlike amulets, which are mainly for protection, talismans are created to attract or amplify certain energies, such as good luck, prosperity, or love.
They are usually consecrated for a particular purpose and are often personalized to the individual’s intentions or needs.
Tarot
A set of cards used for divination, meditation, and spiritual guidance.
A typical tarot deck consists of 78 cards, divided into the Major Arcana (22 cards representing significant life themes and lessons) and the Minor Arcana (56 cards reflecting day-to-day events).
Tradition
A specific system of practices within Wicca.
Triple Goddess
The concept of the Goddess in three aspects: Maiden, Mother, and Crone.
U
Uncrossing
The act of removing a curse or negative energy.
Underworld
A realm of existence that lies beyond the living world.
It is often perceived as a place where souls go after death, and is typically associated with deities or powers that govern life, death, and rebirth. In these traditions, the underworld is not necessarily seen as a place of punishment, but rather as a domain of transformation, reflection, and sometimes, the source of esoteric knowledge and wisdom.
V
Veil
The boundary between the physical world and the spiritual realm.
Visualization
The process of forming mental images to aid in manifestation.
W
Wand
A tool representing the element of air.
Water Element
One of the fundamental components of the universe, representing emotion, intuition, healing, and the subconscious mind.
It is associated with qualities like fluidity, adaptability, and depth.
Water is often symbolized by the chalice or cup in ritual practices and is connected to the direction of the west, the season of autumn, and the moon. It plays a key role in rituals and magic related to love, healing, purification, and psychic abilities.
Wheel of the Year
The annual cycle of Wiccan Sabbats.
Wiccan Rede
The basic moral guideline of Wicca.
Wortcunning
Knowledge of herbs and their magical uses.
X
Xenophilia
Love for the unknown or unfamiliar, often in the context of deities or spirits but includes unfamiliar cultures and customs.
Y
Yule
A festival that marks the winter solstice, the shortest day and longest night of the year. This holiday, typically observed around December 21st or 22nd in the Northern Hemisphere, celebrates the rebirth of the Sun, the return of light, and the promise of the coming spring.
Yule traditions often include lighting candles or a Yule log, decorating with evergreens, and rituals that honor the renewal of light and life during the darkest time of the year.
Year and a Day
A traditional period of study before initiation in some Wiccan traditions.
Z
Zodiac
A system within astrology.
Zephyr
A gentle breeze, sometimes recognized in rituals as a spirit of Air.
