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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 P. 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.


Magical Petitions

A petition is a written statement of intent or desire, ritually created and used as a spell object. While specific methods vary by tradition, generally, the petition is written on a piece of paper, sealed and activated in some way. It may then be used in conjunction with other objects as part of a larger spell, or the act of creating the petition may stand as a spell in itself. While a petition is often addressed to an individual spirit being, such as a God or Saint or a group of spirit beings...

Pagan

See also What is Paganism Pagan is a word that has been used in a derogatory manner in the past to refer to those who were not Christian or who did not behave in a manner Christians believed to be appropriate. It has since been reclaimed by a specific group of people who are perfectly happy not to be Christian or approved of by Christians. One prevailing theory about the origin of the word Pagan comes from the Latin Paganus meaning country dweller , along the lines of the modern terms hick ...

Paganism

What is Paganism? At its most basic, the term Paganism, is an umbrella term covering all religions that are not related to the Judeo-Christian family of religions but it only really applies in situations where Judeo-Christian faiths are dominant. The word itself once denoted those “country folk” who were not up on, or didn’t care about, the fashions of the day, including the state religion. Since Judeo-Christianity has been the dominant, indeed, only acceptable religious choice for some time, it...

Paleopaganism

PaleoPaganism is a subdivision of Paganism put forth by the modern Druid scholar Isaac Bonewits. According to Bonewits, PaleoPaganism describes any native cultural polytheistic or animist traditions including those were, or still are practiced by native Africans, Americans, Australians and Asians. According to this definition, Hinduism, Taoism and Shinto are all PaleoPagan religions because they are rooted in ancient native tradition and remain relatively unpolluted by foreign influence....

Panentheist

Panentheism holds that God is in everything that exists. God may be the animating force behind life and the energetic force within all things, or not, but in everything, God is there. However, God also exists beyond all of these things. God is a separate entity or consciousness that infuses everything. This differs from the pantheist view which does not hold God as a separate entity but One with all things. Many, but not all Pagan religions hold this view. In the Pagan view, however, the God ...

Pantheist

The word Pantheist refers to the belief that God is everything. That is, everything that exist is part of the God body. God is the Universe, the Earth and all things and the Universe, the Earth and all things are God. Many Pagan religions are Pantheist in nature, but not all. In the Pagan view the God may be a Goddess. There may be multiple Gods as well, but these are all part of the One God(dess) who is All. See polytheism, soft polytheism For More Information Visit World Pantheism Universal...

Pantheon

The Pantheon is a temple in Rome dedicated to all the Gods of the Roman people. In modern usage the word Pantheon has come to describe the family of Gods itself. For example the Greek Pantheon consists of the twelve Olympian Gods and various Titans and Chthonic deities associated with ancient Greek religion. The Celtic Pantheon consists of various Gods associated with Celtic Lore and so on. Some Pagans believe that all Pantheons are basically the same group of Gods and Goddesses called by...

Paranormal

The word paranormal describes any phenomena that is well-known in popular culture but that has no scientific evidence to back up its existence either because the phenomena is unmeasurable by current means or because the phenomena is so rare and ephemeral that the opportunity to capture reliable measurements are not frequent enough for the phenomena to be properly examined using the scientific method, or possibly because some of these phenomena are explainable via scientific means but are...

pendulum

A pendulum is a weight, (often a ring, coin, a needle, a conical piece of stone, metal or wood or indeed any pendant will do), affixed to the end of a cord or chain that is used for divination or dowsing. The pendulum is generally dangled and observed. The nature of the swinging of the pendulum gives the user the answer to the their questions. Often, a pendulum is used to answer yes or no questions. To establish initial communication, a series of questions are asked of the pendulum, the answers...

Personal Gnosis

Personal gnosis is magickal or spiritual wisdom achieved through personal experience or revelation rather than through the study of accepted lore or receiving training from another person. See also unverified personal gnosis and gnosis.

Philtre

A philtre or a philter, is a magical potion, especially a love potion or aphrodisiac.

Planet

The word planet comes from the Greek meaning wanderer. There are 8 planets and at least five dwarf planets in our solar system. In astrology, each planet has its own personality and affect on individuals and societies based on its location in an astrological chart. Planets were first recorded and studied in ancient Babylon and the oldest surviving astronomical text is the Venus tablet of Ammisaduqa written in the 7th century BCE. The Enuma anu enlil, written during the Neo Assyrian period of...

Planetary Hour

The planetary hour is the planetary rulership of a period of time within a 24 hour period, the planetary day, which lasts from sunrise to sunrise and is divided into 12 equal daylight hours, and 12 equal night time hours. The first planetary hour of the day determines the rulership of the planetary day. Thus, sunrise on Sunday begins the planetary hour and day of the Sun. The length of each planetary hour is determined by the number of minutes between sunrise and sunset divided by 12. Each day...

Polytheism

Polytheism is any religious doctrine that embraces the idea of more than one God. This term has been further subdivided by the Pagan community with the terms Hard Polytheism which indicates the belief that all Gods are separate individuals and Soft Polytheism which indicates the belief that all Gods are different aspects or personalities of one, or of a few, or, in some cases, of the practitioner his or herself. Some forms of polytheism include monolatry and henotheism and soft polytheistic...

Poppet

More commonly (but less correctly) known as the Voodoo Doll, poppets are images that represent individuals for use in sympathetic magic spells. A poppet may also be fashioned represent an idea or a situation and be used as a sort of amulet to attract that which it represents. Poppets can be made out of wax, cloth, plant material, clay, paper mache or any other material on hand. It's often preferred to make them out of something flammable so they can be destroyed when you are done with them, but...

Poultice

A poultice is a moist, often warm, preparation of stuff, often herbs or grains, spread over a piece of cloth and placed over an inflamed area to affect relief and/or healing.

Prayer

A prayer is an address to a higher power, usually deity, but prayers are also offered to the Universe at large or fortune in the form of a fervent wish. Many magick users may offer prayers to their personal deities or the Universe at large for a variety of reasons. They pray for clarity and guidance or for deity to intercede in a matter, to assist with magical working or divination. Or they may simply pray to maintain their connection to deity or as a form of meditation. Many magic users offer...

Programming

The term programming in a magical context refers to infusing an object with energy toward a specific purpose. Basically, just like a computer program, you are giving it instructions for how it's supposed to act, that is, the sort of energy it is supposed to generate. See also charge

Psychic Attack

A psychic attack thought form powered by powerful negative emotions directed at you that can alter your vibration/mood. A psychic attack may be intentional or entirely unintentional and unconscious. The evil eye is a form of psychic attack.

Psychopomp

The word psychopomp literally means guide of souls . It derives from the Greek psychopompos or ψυχοπομπός Pscychopomps guide souls through the spirit world and into the afterlife. They may guide living practitioners through the spirit world as well and assist with astral projection. May Gods and spirit creatures are considered psychopomps. Many mundane creatures have been given this status as well including several species of birds, horses, dogs and rabbits.

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