Welcome to Gaia! ::

merry meet,
here are my answers xd

pagan-paganus-originally villiage dweller, now anyone basically not christian

heathen-originally was a word meaning from the heaths or heather as in field-when the christian church went to convert an area basically plan of attack was to convert the ruling body,once coverted the ruling heads could make a law over the people they governed to change religions, since the village dwellers and average person was converted last heathen and pagan ended up associated with the old religion of the lord and lady

witch/wiccan-one who follows the old ways of worship and reverance to what the lord and lady places in our care, its a gift with great responisbility.wiccan could derive from many words meaning to bend or to bend to ones will, meaning we use the energy to shape action,ideals or things. just remember the 3 times rule. i added them together because to me its the same, most people prefer to be called wiccans due to the negativity that the word witch implies to those who do not understand

druid- i will admit i dont touch much into druidism, to my knowledge they hold the trees sacred usually associated with stonehenge and started in great britian, gathers of knowledge, did not write their knowledge down but mainly passes it by word of mouth, during the roman occupation in great britan most were driven out,or became more known as bards,i know that one roman soilder kept a druid in his company for advice but i dont remember their names at 2 am

hedgewitch-may be a new term for certian type of wicaan group, judging by the name i would think this particular group would be more practice intertwined with gardening or woodsie, but if i meet one i would have to ask them

kitchen witch- one whom practices in the kitchen,mainly works with food majick or in the home

hellenismos- again at 2 am not sure gonna leave this one as is

reconstructionism- seeing this is a gathering of different paths- this term to me can be so many things but due to the history of prejudice for all pagans, we have seen a reemergance of the worship of the lord and lady in recent times where we are being slightly more accepted- so maybe the reconstruction or rebirth of our fellowship

shaman- wise person usually in tribal areas, the one who walks between worlds to help their people, mostly associated with native americans but that is a sterio type.

vodou (voodoo,voudon and ive actually seen it spelled with a w too)- again not too versed on this-basically from what i know its a mixture of haitian beliefs/tribal afrian/ and catholic mytisism.

preist- a spiritual leader in any religion. usually appointed by a group or by the groups organization

coven- a group,usually one preist and one preistess and coven members,some say you have to have 13 to be a coven, ive been part where there were over 30 members and then been to some with only 4 members. but i would say its a group of pagans whether its be all wiccans/witches or for all that share a fellowship and learn from eachother, a family

church- a gathering place to worship, does not have to be a building

sacred- something that is special, touched by the devine, personal

profane- to treat something with abuse or contempt, to debase by vulgar actions or verbally

gnosis-spiritual truth

altar- a place usually a table top or podium set for the the deities in their honor, can be stationary or movable

shrine- a place that is sacred and or where sacred items are stored, can also be a place for the dead as a rememberance

worship- reverance to a person or deity. ie hero worship and goddess worship. its also the practice of the creed and ritual of your path

prayer- dialog between you and your deity, communication or petition, basically one on one time with your deity

i tried to be general but still keep in mind that the topic asked for our personal definition smile bb

just to point out that druidism has it's roots in gaul(france)

re: Heathen -
Like the Latin 'paganus', the word 'heathen has its' roots in the fact that those who lived on the heath, in the country, were uncivilized people. People outside the 'civilized' cities were more likely to practice older faiths, rather than whatever was new and popular in the urban centers.

But - What 'old religion of the lord and lady' are you talking about? There's no historical proof for such a thing, and the theories surrounding such were debunked years ago.

re: Witch/Wiccan -
They're not synonymous. Don't lump them together, because not all witches are Wiccan, and you can't use the terms interchangebly.

Wicca is not ancient. It is not a long-practiced faith. It is, at best, between 50 and 70 years old.

Wicca does not involve a "Rule of Three". The Rule of Three is not even probable. The only thing I consider a "Law of Returns" is this: that really has any sort of basis is this - "For each action, there is an equal and opposite reaction".

love how everyone quoted me, im flattered. but remember it was around 3 am and i wrote it broadly. plus the fact i was the only one whom actually submitted answers to the definition. never claimed they had to be what you believe. these are my beliefs, and lord and lady, most older cultures have a god and goddess until we reach christianity. and yes i did say most. and in most circles its alot easier to call to the the lord aka god and lady aka goddess as to reach across all pathenons. and if i misspelled that opps.. i never claimed to have all knowledge. just as the post stated we all come from different backgrounds. as far as wicca and witches, you define them for yourselves. they are the same, just christians gave witches a bad name. if you dont feel comfortable with that term, blessed be to you. oh and your more than welcome to post your own definitions.......

Would you like to name which ancient cultures worshiped only a Lord and Lady? I'm pretty sure most pantheons we learn about have a whole damn pantheon.

Come from different backgrounds, yes. But I do not think that means the definition of some words has a totally different, radical meaning. And it certainly doesn't write off or insert the existence of various gods where they do not belong.

Oh hahaha. Ha.
No, they are not. Wicca is specific - it is a faith. A Wiccan is someone who follows this faith. A witch is someone who practices witchcraft. They are not inherently religious. Most witches aren't even Wiccan, I'd wager.

Erm, no thanks. I don't feel that your or your Lady's blessing is appropriate or helpful at the moment.

Pagan: Practitioner of non-Abrahamic, non-Eastern faith.
Heathen: One who lives on the heath. Strongly tied to Nordic Paganism.
Witch: One who practices witchcraft.
Wiccan: Priest or priestess of the Lord and Lady of the Isles.
Druid: Caste in Celt society that encompassed the roles of historian, architect, lawyer, doctor, and I *think* priest sometimes.
Hedgewitch: A witch who incorporates a lot of otherwordly travel in his/her practice.
Kitchen witch: One who uses food as his/her magical medium. Infuses his/her food with his/her intentions, etc...
Hellenismos: Hellenic Recon!
Reconstructionism: Revival of pre-Christian faiths. This isn't so much a "Let's do things exactly the way they did them before Christianity set in!" so much as it is "Let's try to see if we can rebuild practices as though they hadn't been wiped out and continued to evolve naturally over the course of time until the present day."
Shaman: Eastern Asian journeying tradition practitioner.
Vodou (Voodoo, Voudon): Syncretic faith that fuses Catholicism and indigenous African beliefs.
Priest: Holy leader.
Coven: A group coming together to do magical practices or workings of one sort or another.
Church: A centralized building of religious importance.
Sacred: Holy; not profaned.
Profane: Made unholy; unfit for use or participation in ritual.
Gnosis: Personal knowledge gained through experiences that don't utterly and totally contradict existing lore.
Altar: Space to do magical or religious workings.
Shrine: Space set up in honor of deity or an intention in magical workings.
Worship: Praising, thanking, honoring the god(s) in set ritual.
Prayer: Communication with one's god(s), be it asking for something, giving thanks, praise, apologizing, etc...

Pagan: non-abrahamic. Debatable as to whether the term applies to some non-abrahamic faiths. From Latin 'paganus', meaning 'rustic, villager, civilian'. Basically used by Romans originally to denote a hick, someone who wasn't a skilled soldier, someone from the country. Evolved a religious meaning once cities became largely Christian - rural communities were more likely to worship older Gods. Applied to modern usage in 1908.

Heathen: Like 'paganus', a term that denotes someone who lives in the country, 'the heaths'. Modern usage applies to the practice of a Northern European/Germanic/Saxon-based path.

Witch: Someone who practices witchcraft.

Wiccan: an initiate of an Orthopraxic, Oathbound, Initiatory, Mystery-based, Experiential, Coven-based, Fertility-focused, Dithesitic Witch-cult whose members are all Clergy within a Lineaged Tradition.

Druid: Member of a caste of Celtic society; essentially a white-collar caste. Roles of said caste have largely been absorbed into different parts of modern life; the caste no longer exists. Ancient Druids died out

Hedgewitch: Witchcraft that incorporates an Otherworld tradition; 'Riding the Hedge' as part of your craft.

Kitchen witch: Witchcraft done with materials available in the common kitchen, often through cooking or baking into food and drink.

Hellenismos: Greek reconstructionism.

Reconstructionism: Creating religious practices out of ancient ones, by adapting them to modern living. Such paths tend to be more scholarly than others, using archaeological and anthropological source materials as guides, along with any primary source writings available.

Shaman: An individual trained in the religious practices of the indigenous peoples of Siberia. The term is commonly misapplied to all sorts of similar indigenous practices, and frequently misused by individuals to describe their Otherworld-journeying based paths. This is due to cultural appropriation.

Vodou (Voodoo, Voudon): Afro-Caribbean, a member of a group of West African faiths syncresized with Roman Catholicism; specifically Haitian. Slaves brought to the Caribbean in the 16th C. to work plantations were forced to convert to Catholicism, but hid their indigenous faiths within that structure.

Priest: an individual specifically initated or consecrated to the service of a Deity or group of Deities. Can include services offered
to a lay community.

Coven: A group of witches practicing together; may or may not be religious in nature.

Church: A physical structure used for religious meetings.

Sacred: That which is holy, something that has a particular significance or usage by a religious group or culture.

Profane: That which is unholy; something considered unwelcome, undesirable, dirty, or wrong by a religious group or culture.

Altar: A specific area or object dedicated to the honouring of a particular Deity or pantheon through religious observance and offerings; often the centerpiece of an area or building used for religious services.

Shrine: An area dedicated to a specific Deity or pantheon that is used solely to make offerings, prayers, petitions, and commune with said Deity or pantheon. May be less formal than an altar. Not the main focal point of religious service or workings, as an altar might be.