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 titles and first paragraph of the articles in our occult glossary whose titles begin with the letter M. 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.
Maenad
The Maenads are female followers of Dionysus who followed in his retinue. They wore animal skins and carried thrysus and sometimes snakes as they drank wine and danced themselves into a state of religious ecstasy. The name Maenad comes from the Greek meaning raving one .
Magi
A Magi is a Zoroastrian priest, philosopher, astrologer.
Magical Journaling
Journaling is an exercise practiced by many magic-users for a variety of purposes and in many different methods. Journaling can be an exercise in focus, it can help us broaden our view of things, helps us make connections and helps us keep track of our growth, or lack thereof. The Book of Shadows is probably the most well-known journal that a witch keeps. It is generally a book outlining a witch's magical experiments, reference notes and observations, though many witches keep a scrap journal for...
Magick
The definition of magic(k) is somewhat of a challenge. For some, magick is the science of the impossible. For others magick is the possibilities beyond science. For some magick exists beyond nature. For others, magick is working with nature. Etymology The word magic comes to us from the Latin magicus and the Greek magikos which in turn came from the the Persian Magi or Magians which was applied to Zoroastrian astrologer priests. The k in Magick was adopted by Aleister Crowley, a 20th century...
Magico-religious
A magico-religious practice combines elements of religion, as in propitiating a divine entity while engaging in ceremonial acts to bring about a desired result. A magico-religious belief system combines elements of religion and magical practice into a single whole- drawing upon the assistance of the Gods for magical practices and/or performing magic as part of religious ceremonies / worship.
Magus
Magus is the singular form of the word Magi. It was once used specifically to refer to the sorcerer priests of Zoroaster and has evolved to mean any practitioner of ceremonial magic.
Masculine
When something is said to be masculine in nature or to present masculine energy in the metaphysical sense, it is being described as an active, forward moving energy. It is aggressive; it doesn't just accept what comes but imposes its will. Masculine energy tends to be more focused on the spiritual or mental aspects of things. In the Yin-Yang polarity, masculine energy is symbolized by the bright white Yang. In Astrology, the fire and air signs are considered masculine. In magick, masculine...
May Pole
A maypole is a tall pole with ribbons attached to the top around which people dance to celebrate springtime celebrations, particularly May Eve or Beltane but also occasionally Midsummer. The tradition has its roots in Germanic tradition and continues on the British Isles today. The Pole The pole is traditionally made of maple, hawthorn or birch. Ribbons may be all colors of the rainbow or certain symbolic colors according to the tradition. The pole itself may be plain or decorated with wreathes...
Mead
Mead is a fermented alcoholic beverage made of honey, water and yeast. It may also contain various other flavorings, such us herbs and spices, in which case it is called metheglin. Mead flavored with fruit and fruit juices is called melomel. Mead made with grape juice is called pyment. Mulled mead is a popular winter and autumn holiday beverage. Herbs and spices (especially cinnamon, cloves, allspice) are steeped in mead and warmed. Cold mead is a traditional Midsummer beverage. Mead is the...
Meditation
Meditation is a method of stilling the mind, either by emptying it of thought or by focusing on one thing in order to reach a state of relaxation or an altered state of consciousness. There are many purposes for and benefits of meditation. Meditation increases self-discipline, strengthens the mind and relaxes the body. It also allows us to move deeper into a state of no mind, or to journey on the astral plane. The word meditation is from the Latin meditari meaning to ponder and it relates to...
Medium
A medium is a person who serves as a conduit for communication between the material world and the spirit world. Mediumship may take any of several forms based on who is being contacted and how the contact manifests. A medium may mediate communication between living humans and spirits of the deceased or between material humans and spirit beings, including Gods, angels or the medium's own spirit guide or Ascended Master. This is most often done while the medium is in a trance state, but the actual...
Mesopaganism
See also PaleoPaganism, Neo-Paganism, What is Paganism? The term MesoPagan was first put forth by Isaac-Bonewits in an attempt to categorize modern Paganism. According to Bonewits, MesoPagan religions are those that developed from PaleoPagan or native Pagan religions that were influenced by Monotheistic, dualist or Nontheistic philosophies. These include all synchretic religions including Christo-Paganism, many Afro-Diasporic faiths, such as Voudun, Santeria and Candomble, and Sikhism as well as...
Mithraism
Mithraism or the Cult of Mithras was a secretive male-only mystery religion in Rome in 2nd 3rd centuries CE loosely based on Persian Zoroastrian beliefs, but probably did not strongly resemble the original. The primary God Mithras may have been a Greco-Roman rebirth of the Indo-Iranian God, Mithra, though the connection, besides the similarity of the name and the representation of Mithras as a Persian in imagery and writing, is not clear. The Cult of Mithra appeared in Rome in the early 2nd...
Mojo Bag
A mojo bag is a small bag containing herbs, stones, runes or other magical items and charged and/or prayed over to serve as an amulet or talisman for luck or protection in Hoodoo tradition. The fabric used to create mojo bags is traditionally flannel. Red flannel is popular, but some practitioners choose different colors based on the intention of the bag. Items placed inside the bag are symbolic of the intention as well as the target and may include herbs, minerals, coins, animal parts and other...
Monolatry
Monolatry is the worship of a single God while still accepting the existence of other Gods.
Moon Sign
Your moon sign is determined by the zodiac constellation the moon is passing through at the moment of your birth. This sign relates to your unconscious and the feminine or receptive side of your personality. Your moon sign reflects your inner nature.
Moon Water
Moon water is water that has been charged with the energies of the moon. It is a popular way to charge water to be used during a ceremony or spell working or to brew magical potions and may be used for anything you are directed to use water for. While moon water is charged with lunar energies, it may also be charged with the energies of the zodiac sign the moon is passing through at the time and thus may be used to enhance magical workings related to the sign. Creating Moon Water To create moon...
mortar
A mortar is a cup-like receptacle, usually made of stone. It is used in combination with a pestle to crush and grind things, especially ingredients for cooking, alchemy and pharmacy. The mortar holds the objects, the pestle crushes them. See mortar and pestle
Mortar and Pestle
A mortar and pestle is a tool for crushing herbs and other materials. It consists of a bowl (the mortar), usually made of stone or ceramic and a heavy pounding tool (the pestle), usually made of the same material. The pestle fits inside the bowl and crushes materials inside the bowl. A mortar and pestle may be used for pounding grains to remove the hulls or to make flour. Magic-users normally use mortar and pestles to grind ingredients for magical spells, kitchen witchery, incense and alchemy....
Mutable Sign
In astrology, a mutable sign is one that is changeable, adaptable or can be adjusted. Zodiac signs are categorized in a number of ways including by quality. Zodiac qualities are fixed, cardinal and mutable. Mutable signs occur toward the end of a season and symbolize the changes associated with the close of the season. Each mutable sign is associated with a different element representing how the change comes about. Sagittarius End of Autumn - fire - active change through seeking new knowledge...
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