Welcome to the Witchipedia's glossary of occult terms. Here you will find terms often used in the Pagan, Heathen, magical and occult communities that may confuse a newcomer. This encyclopedia of magical terminology is a wonderful place to get started if you don't know where to start in the Witchipedia. If you don't see the term you are looking for here, feel free to bring your question to the community in our forums or Ask A Witch!
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We have 331 terms listed in our glossary with more being added each day.
What you see on this page is the name and first paragraph of the articles in our occult glossary. To view the full article, please click on the title. You will also be able to comment, ask questions and add more information to the article once you've navigated to its page.
chaldean sequence - The Chaldean sequence or Chaldean order is an ordering of the seven classical planets in order from the slowest moving to the fastest moving as viewed from Earth: Saturn, Jupiter, Mars, Sun, Venus, Mercury, Moon. The planetary hours are based on this sequence.
Chalice - The Chalice is a magical tool used in many magickal rituals in a variety of traditions. It is used to represent the female element and the element of water.
Channel - A channel is the person or thing through which energy or information flows.
Chant - A chant is a phrase, usually quite short, that is spoken over and over repeatedly in order to raise energy or induce a trance-like state. A chant may include words or simply syllables and is often spoken or sung to very simple rhythm so that some chants may seem song-like. Some chants include several lines varying on a theme to form a song-like structure, but all include repetition.
Charge - To charge an item means to apply its energy toward a specific purpose. For example, you would charge a talisman for protection. Some use the word "program" to describe this process.
Charm - A charm is any item worn by an individual for magickal effect, especially one that bears magic words, an incantation or a magical symbol. This could include an amulet or talisman or any piece of magical jewelry.
Circle - The word Circle is used for more than one purpose within the magickal community. It is used to describe an important element of magickal ritual and also a group of people who perform magick together, or gather for Pagan worship.
Circling group - A circling group is a group of Pagans or witches that gather for specific spiritual activities, which often take place in a circle. Circling groups tend to be considerably less formal and structured than covens or temples and do not usually have formal clergy or require oaths or offer degrees. Their specific nature varies according to the needs of their members.
Cleanse - Cleansing an item for magick removes the any energies the item may have absorbed from previous magickal workings, from contact with a previous owner or from the environment. Cleansing may also be performed on an area to prepare it to serve as sacred space. There are a number of ways to do this.
Compress - A compress is a cloth soaked in hot or cold liquid that is applied to the body for healing purposes. It may simply be used to apply pressure or to apply heat or cold to an affected area or it may be used to apply medication.
Cone of power - The Cone of Power is a symbolic phrase describing the vortex of energy created by witches raising energy within a magic circle. The base of the vortex is the base of the circle, marked by witches standing (dancing) along its border. The energy raised by each individual combines in the center, above the Circle, thus the cone.
Consecrate - To consecrate something is to make it holy and dedicate it to the service of the divine. This may be done to an area as in creating sacred space, a ceremonial tool or offering or a person, such as clergy.
contagion - The magical concept of contagion describes the tendency for entities once in close physical or emotional contact with one another to each affect the energy of the other and to continue to affect one another's energy after separation.
Container spells - A container spell is a spell that involves the ritual creation of a spell object consisting of a container of some sort with several items placed within it in order to create a magically charged environment. A container spell may result in an amulet or a talisman designed to affect the immediate vicinity of the container or it may contain one or more taglocks in addition to other magical items in order to create an energetic environment that affects the person(s) represented by the taglock. Container spells are generally meant to continue acting for a long period of time.
Corn Dolly - A corn dolly, also called a corn maiden, corn mother or old woman is a decorative object made from weaving grain stalks together. It is traditionally made of the final sheaf of wheat harvested preserved throughout the winter as a temporary home for the spirit of the grain until the following planting season when it would be ploughed into the fields to ensure a good harvest.
Cannot fetch Flickr photo (id: 2832110329). The photo either does not exist, or is privateCottage Witch - A Cottage Witch is a witch whose magickal practice focuses mainly on the home, similar to a Kitchen Witch but with less of a specific food/kitchen focus and more of a general home focus. A Cottage Witch considers her home sacred space and housekeeping a sacred act. A Cottage Witch may follow any religious or spiritual path or none.
Counting Crows - Of the many superstitions associated with crows and their corvid cousins, the ravens and the magpies, counting crows seems to be the most popular. The tradition began sometime in the 1600s, it would seem, with the appearance of the earliest rhymes referencing magpies in Europe. We humans like alliteration, so counting crows it is. Keep in mind that this form of augury can be applied to either crows or magpies.
Coven - A coven is a tight-knit, usually small (3-13 traditionally, occasionally up to 20) community of Witches, Wiccans or Vampires who gather regularly for religious and/or social occasion. Covens may gather for training purposes, or to celebrate Sabbats or Esbats and/or to work magic spells. They also gather to celebrate important rites of passage for their members.
crystal ball - Please see crystal sphere.
If you wish to discuss a specific article in this glossary, please click on the article's title and submit your comments in the article's comment section.
How can we improve this section?
Thanks for this glossary. It's great, helpful and beautiful. :)
Thank you and Blessed Be.
Just what I'm looking for.
Love and Light.
Love the site and the glossary. Just stumbled upon it today. Thank you so much, the glossary will help much as I'm new to Wiccan ways.
One suggestion would be to allow the reader/viewer to view it 'all', rather than hit button after button to see more glossary terms.
Thank you again.
The website is great! An app would be really helpful/convenient! :)
What exactly would you like such an app to do?
I ask, because it lies within the realm of possibility. I've thought about it- but what would it look like?
Perhaps like a quick users guide? Something like a mobile search engine, type in a rite you are doing and it brings up a list of suggested items to go along with it, type in a stone to be reminded of its properties, personalized book of shadows (you can save certain things you like and edit parts). I think that type of thing would be helpful in app form :)
I really like the idea of saving sections and the ability to edit and add notes. I'm a recent widow with 2 very young children and 2 jobs, so that would help greatly since I'm always on the go without much free time.
With regard to an app, I want you to know that I have been doing research and talking to people who know more about this sort of thing than I do. (I don't even own a mobile device.) The app still lies within the realm of possibility (though it will probably be multiple apps, not just one) but it's not likely to happen very soon. Do keep posting your thoughts and ideas, I am taking note of them all.
I am still thinking about the app. It is on my list of things to do this winter once the harvest is in. I have to get a new computer, as I will need to download software and the Chromebook I normally use is strictly for web based applications, but I'm confident that once I have the right equipment I will be cranking out apps like nobody's business. I just got my first Smartphone this spring and have been playing with apps so I finally know what you're asking for and how I'm going to go about doing it.
Thank you for this wonderful website!
Your translation of "atheist" is incorrect although completely acceptable in common use. Roughly: A = Not, no, is not, against and Theist = one who is with gods. In this sense "with" is in the possessive form. So it is actually possible, by this definition, for an atheist to believe that there are gods but none that they will worship or pursue. I admit that this is both an archaic and hair-splitting definition, but I just thought I would point it out. The common definition seems to have drifted from the "not" form of the prefix "A" into the "against" form for some reason or another. All things evolve and have new fruit for new seasons I suppose.
Comments should really go on the article itself. (this is mentioned twice on this page) Only the first paragraph of each article is listed here- the summary paragraph(this is also mentioned twice). You will find that the definition is quite thorough should you choose to read the entire thing.
Doing an app is very possible. I've found a wiccan app before that had several sections to it using links and ran off of wifi. I'm not sure how they did it. I quit using it because they wanted to start charging fir it and I can't afford that. Also a chat room on the site would be awesome. A safe place for Wiccan chats. With moderators to keep peace and kick trouble makers.
Only you can change you.
Emerald Wolfpaw
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A way to improve the Glossary page would be to have a "clickable alphabet" at the top and bottom of the glossary terms, that jumped to the letter you were looking for. Instead of the "page 1,2,3 next" and have all terms with that letter displayed in full, ie all the A's on a page etc.
Okay, my darlings. We have alphabet links as requested.It took me a whole day and long into the night and I absolutely deserve a cookie. I may have been sleeping near the end so if something looks weird, please do let me know. You will still have to scroll through to the next page on some of the alphabet links if there are a lot of entries with that letter.