Glossary

Wicca- religion involving rituals and herbs. Often known as witch craft

Paga- another word for Wicca

Cauldron- iron pot used in rituals

Incense- very fragrant. sometimes used for meditation and/or religious rituals. light the end and it slowly smoulders to the bottom leaving the room smelling of whatever you just burnt.

Adept- Someone experienced in magick. A person who has studied and worked hard enough to be proficient in a particular magickal system.

Arcane- Refers to any secret and occult knowledge.

Aura- The energy field that surrounds every object in the universe

Beltane- {bee-yel-TUNE-ah} One of the Four Greater Sabbats of Witchcraft. It was originally dedicated to the Celtic God Bel or Belinus, but now a fertility festival that celebrates the coming of Summer, the union of the God and Goddess and rampant sexuality. Generally, it is celebrated with Bonfire jumping, Maypole dances and Love chases.

Book of Shadows- (Gardnerian) THE Sacred Book of Witchcraft. Within its pages are kept the rituals, laws, spells and any other information that is used by the Witch or Coven. It is traditionally hand-copied by each Witch and so each Witch will have a slightly different version.

Coven- The church, school and extended family of the Wicca. This is where the Witch studies the religion, performs the rites and spells and goes to for suppport. As Covens vary in belief, structure and attitude, it becomes important to choose the right one for you to join. Careful examination of the locals is useful.

DEJA VU- From the French word 'already seen', this is the idea or feeling that you have experienceed this situation before.

Sabbat- The major religious festivals of Wicca which celebrate the major actions of the year. There are eight of them: 31 Oct., 21 Dec, 31 Jan., 21 Mar, 30 Apr., 21 Jun, 31 Jul. and 21 Sep. They are generally dedicated to the Horned God/Sun and are primarily celebratory.

Samhain- In most Wiccan Traditions, THE most important day of the year. It celebrates the New Year, those who have died and the end of Summer . It is pronounced "SOW-wen" and bigoted fundamentalist christians constantly invent lies about the 'great god sam' myth as a means of attacking the Craft. Samhain means literally 'summers end' (Gaelic) as anyone who calls up a Scot or Irishman can tell (unless you want to look in a good Gaelic-English dictionary). It is also called Hallows, All Hallows Eve, Halloween, Hallowmas, Feast of the Dead and the Feast of Apples