Welcome to Gaia! ::

umm wats a sabbat?

I had some extra time...
A's-

Adept:
An individual who through serious study and accomplishments is considered highly proficient in a particular magickal system.
Akasha Spirit:
The fifth element, the omnipresent spiritual power that permeates the universe.
Alchemy:
A branch of High Magick developed in the Middle Ages which sought to magickally and/or chemically transmute objects and materials from one form to another.
Altar:
A special, flat surface set aside exclusively for magickal workings or religious acknowledgment.
Amulet:
A magically charged object which deflects specific, usually negative energies. A protective object.
Ankh:
An Egyptian hieroglyphic widely used as a symbol of life, love, and reincarnation. It is a cross with a looped top.
Arcana:
The two halves of a tarot deck. The Major Arcana consists of 22 trumps, the Minor Arcana consists of 56 suit cards (sometimes called the lesser or lower Arcana).
Aspect:
The particular principle or part of the Creative Life Force being worked with or acknowledged at any one time.
Asperge- To gently spritz with water, sometimes using a plant our bushel of flowers.
Asperger:
A bundle of fresh herbs or a perforated object used to sprinkle water during or preceding ritual, for purification purposes.
Astral Plane:
A place which is generally conceptualized as an invisible parallel world which remains unseen from our own solid world of form.
Astral Travel/Projection:
The process of separating your astral body from your physical one to accomplish travel in the astral plane or dream time.
Astrology:
The study of and belief in the effects the movements and placements of planets and other heavenly bodies have on the lives and behavior of human beings.
Athame:
A cleansed and consecrated ritual blade. Usually double edged, and black handled. It is never used to cut anything on the physical plane. Pronounced several ways: Ah-THAM-ee ATH-ah-may ah-THAW-may.
Aura:
The life-energy field which surrounds all living things.
Automatic Writing:
Form of divination where the channeler uses a pen, paper and an altered state of consciousness to receive messages.


B's-

Balefire:
A fire lit for magickal purposes, usually outdoors. They are traditional on Yule, Beltane, and Midsummer.
Bane:
That which destroys life, which is poisonous, destructive, dangerous.
Banish:
To magickally end something or exorcise unwanted entities. To rid the presence of.
B.C.E.:
Before Common Era. Synonymous with B.C. without religious bias.
Bells:
Often used as ritual tools. They can be used to invoke directional energies, to ring in the sunrise on a Sabbat, or to frighten away faeries and baneful spirits.
Besom:
A witch's broom.
Bi-Location:
A type of astral projection during which you maintain awareness of your present surroundings.
Bind:
To magickally restrain something or someone.
Book of Shadows/Secrets:
A witch's book of spells, rituals, magickal lore. Much akin to a magickal cookbook. Also known as a BOS.
Boline:
A white-handled knife (typically in Wicca and Neo-Paganism), used in magick and ritual for purposes such as cutting physical items.
Burning Times:
Reference to a historical time from around 1000 C.E. through the 17th century when it is said that up to nine million people were tortured and burned by church and public officials on the assumption that they were the Christian version of Witches. This turned into an extremely profitable venture, as all land and property was seized from the accused individual and portions given to the accuser (in reward fashion) and the remainder seized by the church officials. Historians indicate that the majority of people tortured and murdered were woman and children, and that Historical Revisionism has greatly inflated the number of actual victims.

C's-
Call:
Invoking Divine forces.
Cauldron:
Linked to witchcraft in the popular mind, this symbolizes the Goddess, the waters of rebirth. It can be used by some to replace the chalice.
Censer:
A heat-proof container in which incense is burned. It is associated with the element air.
Ceremonial Magick:
A highly codified magickal tradition based upon Kabbala, the Jewish-Gnostic mystical teachings.
Chakras:
Seven major energy vortexes found in the human body. Each is usually associated with a color. They are: crown - white; third-eye - purple; throat - blue; chest - pink or green; navel - yellow; abdomen - orange; groin - red. Smaller vortexes are located in the hands and feet as well.
Chalice:
A ritual tool. It represents the female principals of creation.
Channeling:
A New Age practice wherein you allow a discarnate entity to "borrow" your body to speak to others either through automatic writing or verbally.
Chaplet:
A crown for the head usually made of flowers and worn at Beltane. Also: Circlet
Charging:
To infuse an object with personal power.
Charms:
Either an amulet or talisman that has been charmed by saying an incantation over it and instilling it with energy for a specific task.
Circle:
Sacred space wherein magick is worked and ritual contained. It both holds ritual energy until the witch is ready to release it, and provides protection for the witch.
Cleansing:
Removing energies from an object or space.
Collective Unconsciousness:
Term used to describe the sentient connection of all living things, past and present. See also Akashic Records.
Cone of Power:
Psychic energy raised and focused by either an individual or group mind (coven) to achieve a definite purpose.
Conscious Mind:
The analytical, materially-based, rational half of our consciousness. The part of our mind that is at work while we balance our checkbooks, theorize, communicate, and perform other acts related to the physical world.
Consecration:
The act of blessing an object or place by instilling it with positive energy.
Coven:
A group individuals that work together in an organized fashion for magickal endeavors or to perform religious ceremonies.
Covenstead:
The meeting place of witches, often a fixed building or place where the witch can feel safe and at home.
Cross-Quarter Days:
Refers to Sabbats not falling on the solstices or equinoxes. The exact cross-quarter days are not celebrated as much as their Gregorian-marked cousins.

Crossing- see cursing.

Cursing- the use of magick to affect another's will or life in a way that is based on infernal (or base) emotions.

D's-

Days of Power:
See Sabbat. They can also be days triggered by astrological occurrences - your birthday, a woman's menstrual cycle, your dedication/initiation anniversary.
Dedication:
The process where an individual accepts the Craft as their path and vows to study and learn all that is necessary to reach adept ship. It is a conscious preparation to accept something new into your life and stick with it, regardless of the highs and lows that may follow.
Deosil:
Clockwise, the direction in which the shadow on a sundial moves as the Sun "moves" across the sky. Deosil is symbolic of life, positive magick, positive energies.
Dharma:
An individuals life path. The measure by which all exchanges of energy serve or detract from your life.

Dirk:
Ritual knife of the Scottish tradition.
Divination:
The magickal art of using tools and symbols to gather information from the Collective Unconsciousness. This can be on people, places, things and events past, present, and future.
Dowsing:
The divinatory art of using a pendulum or stick to find the actual location of a person, place, thing, or element. A form of Divination.
Drawing Down the Moon: A ritual performed during the by pagans to empower themselves and unite their essence with a particular deity, usually a Goddess.
Drawing Down the Sun:
Lesser-known and lesser-used companion ritual to Drawing Down the Moon in which the essence of a God is drawn into the body.


E's-
Earth Magick:
The energy that exists within stones, herbs, flames, wind, and other natural objects. The use of such energy to manifest a desired result through will.
Elder(s)- 1) One's living ancestors. 2) Those that practice your spiritual path, and have been doing so for longer than you have.
Elements:
Usually: Earth, air, fire, water. The building blocks of the universe. Everything that exists contains one or more of these energies. Some include a fifth element- spirit or Akasha. Different pagan paths recognize different elements, such as the Asatru Land and Sea, Fire and Ice.
Elementals:
Spirits associated with one the elements.
Enchantment:
A magickal object that must be kept absolutely secret and hidden from all human eyes and affects a hidden aura. They must be charmed first. Gems and magickal writing are good items to use.
Eostre's Eggs:
Colored, decorated eggs of Ostara; named for the Teutonic Goddess Eostre.
Esbat:
A ritual usually occurring on the Full Moon and dedicated to goddesses.
Evocation:
To call something out from within.



F's-
Fae, Faerie, Fairy- A type of spirit common throughout Europe and subsequently in America. An umbrella term for many forms of spirits that are thought to come from a specific part of the Otherworld.
Faerie Burgh:
Mound of earth which covers a faerie colony's underground home.
Familiar:
An animal that has a spiritual bond with a witch. Familiars can also be entities that dwell on the astral plane.
Fascination:
A mental effort to control another animal or person's mind. Also known as "mind-bending". Often considered unethical.
Folklore:
Traditional sayings, cures, faerie tales, and folk wisdom of a particular locale which is separate from their mythology.
Folk Magick:
The Practice of projecting personal power, as well as the energies within natural objects such as herbs, and crystals, to bring about needed changes


G's-
Gaea/Gaia:
Mother Earth.
Grain Dolly:
Figure usually woven at Imbolc from dried sheaves of grain collected at the previous harvest. The dolly is traditionally burned at Yule and a new one made the following Imbolc.
Great Rite:
The sexual union (also sacred marriage) of gods and goddesses that is enacted in rituals in many traditions. It symbolizes the primal act of creation from which all life comes from.
Grimorie:
A magickal workbook containing ritual information, formulae, magickal properties of natural objects and preparation of ritual equipment. Often used interchangeably with Book of Shadows.
Grounding:
To disperse excess energy generated during magickal work by sending it into the earth. It also means the process of centering one's self in the physical world both before and after any ritual or astral experience.
Grove:
Synonymous with coven.
Guardians:
Ceremonial magicians use the Guardians of the Watchtowers or Four Quarters. Some witches use them, as well. Also spirits from which a practitioner has an affinity with to the point where the spirit protects the individual.

Gods- Any individual or group of individuals that have powers beyond our complete understanding and have made themselves known to mankind.

H's-
Hand Fasting:
A Pagan wedding.
Herbalism:
Art of using herbs to facilitate human needs both magickally and medicinally.
Higher Self:
That part of us which connects our corporeal minds to the Collective Unconscious and with the divine knowledge of the universe.
Hiving Off:
This term is used for a small coven which splits off from a larger one. Sometimes this is done to keep the gatherings of a manageable size, other times covens split over philosophical differences.
I's-
Initiation:
A process whereby an individual is introduced or admitted into a coven or path. Usually a ritual occasion. Not to be confused with dedication.
Incense:
Ritual burning of herbs, oils, or other aromatic items to scent the air during acts of magick and ritual, and to better help the witch attune to the goal of the working.
Invocation:
To bring something in from without.

J's-

K's- Karma:
Action. The exchange of energy in any given situation. Karma is not good nor bad, merely inline or out of line with one’s Dharma.
Kabbala:
Mystical teaching from the Jewish-Gnostic tradition. Ceremonial Magick and the Alexandrian traditions are based in these teachings.


L's-
Labrys:
A double-headed ax which symbolizes the Goddess in Her Lunar aspect. Has roots in ancient Crete.
Left-Hand Path:
Refers to the practice of using magick to control others, to change the will of others, for personal gain. Generally frowned upon by true Wiccans.
Libation:
Ritually given portion of food or drink to a deity, nature spirit, or ghost.
M's-
Macrocosm:
The world around us.
Magick:
The projection of natural energies (such as personal power) to being about needed change. Energy exists in all things: us, plants, stones, colors, sounds, movements, words. Magick is the process of raising this energy, giving it purpose, and releasing it. Magick is a natural, not supernatural, practice, but is little understood. Magick is neither black nor white. It simply is. Also, the Art and Science of affecting change through will.
Magick Circle:
A sphere constructed of personal power in which rituals are usually performed. Within it the witch is protected from outside forces. The sphere extends both above and below the surface of the ground.
Magickal System:
The basic set of guidelines relating to the worship of specific Gods and Goddesses or cultural traditions. Also, Religion..
May Pole:
Sexual symbol of Beltane representing the phallus and vulva used to represent the union of Gods and Goddesses.
Meditation:
Reflection, contemplation- turning inward toward the self, or outward towards the Gods or nature. A personal time in which the practitioner may either dwell upon particular thoughts or symbols, or allow them to come unbidden.
Monotheism:
Belief in one supreme deity who has no other forms and/of displays no other aspects.


N's-
Noodles- carbs that are yummy.


O's-
Occult:
Literal meaning is "hidden" and is broadly applied to a wide range of metaphysical topics which lie outside the accepted realm of mainstream theologies.
Occultist:
One who practices and or studies a variety of occult subjects.
Ogham:
Celtic equivalent of the Futhark runes. The ancient alphabet of the Celtic people.
Old Religion:
A name for Paganism as it pre-dates Christianity by at least 20,000 years.

P's-
Pagan:
General term for followers of Wicca and other magickal, shamanistic, and polytheistic Earth-based religions. Also used to refer to pre-Christian religious and magickal systems.
Pantheon:
A collection or group of Gods and Goddesses in a particular religious or ethnic structure.
Pantheism:
Belief in many deities who are really one because they are all merely aspects of the single creative life source.
PAST-LIFE REGRESSION:
Act of using meditation or guided meditation to pass through the veil of linear time and perceive experiences encountered in a previous existence.
Path Working:
Using astral projection, bi-location, or dream time to accomplish a specific goal. Also called vision questing.
Pendulum:
A divinatory device consisting of a string attached to a heavy object, such as a quartz crystal, root, or ring. The free end of the string is held in the hand, the elbows steadied against a flat surface, and a question is asked. The movement of the heavy object's swings determines the answer. It is a tool which contacts the psychic mind.
Pentacle:
A circle surrounding a five-pointed star (pentagram). Worn as a symbol of a witch's beliefs.
Pentagram:
The basic interlaces five-pointed star. It represents the five elements: Earth, Air, Fire, Water, and Spirit. It is a symbol of power and protection.
Polytheism:
Belief in the existence of many unrelated deities each with their own dominion and interests who have no spiritual or familial relationships to one another.
Poppets:
Anthropomorphic dolls used to represent certain human beings in magick spells.
Projective Hand:
The hand thought to be the point through which personal power is sent from the body. Normally the hand used for manual activities such as writing, dialing the phone, etc. It is also the hand in which tools such as the athame and wand are held.
Psychic Mind:
The subconscious, or unconscious mind, in which we receive psychic impressions. It is at work when we sleep, dream, and meditate. It is our direct link with the Divine, and with the larger, nonphysical world around us.
Psychism:
The act of being consciously psychic, in which the psychic mind and conscious mind are linked and working in harmony. Also known as psychic awareness.


Q's-

Quiet- Isn’t silence golden?

R's-
Receptive Hand:
The hand through which energy is received into the body. The left hand in right-handed persons, the reverse for left-handed persons.
Rede:
The Basic tenet of Wicca. "Rede the Wiccan law ye must, in perfect love, in perfect trust. Eight words the Wiccan Rede fulfill, an it harm none, do as ye will. And ever mind the rule of three- what ye sends out comes back to thee. Follow this in mind and heart, and merry ye meet and merry ye part.”
Reincarnation:
The process of repeated incarnations in physical form to allow evolution of the soul.
Ritual Ceremony:
A specific form of movement, a manipulation of objects or inner processes designed to produce desired effects. In religion ritual is geared toward union with the Divine. In magickal works it produces a specific state of consciousness that allows the magician to move energy toward needed goals.
Ritual Consciousness:
A specific, alternate state of awareness necessary to the successful practice of magick. This state is achieved through the use of visualization and ritual. The conscious mind becomes attuned with the psychic mind, a state in which the magician senses energies, gives them purpose, and releases them toward a specific goal. It is a heightening of senses, an expanded awareness of the nonphysical world, a linking with nature and with Deity.
Ritual Tools:
General name for magickal tools used by a practitioner. They vary by tradition and usually represent one of the elements.
Runes:
A set of symbols used both in divination and magickal work. There are several types with different origins- Scandinavian, Norse, Germanic, commonly the Elder Futhark is referred to when one speaks of Runes.
S's-
Sabbat:
A pagan festival.
Scourge:
Small device made from leather or hemp which resembles a whip and is used in flagellation rites within some traditions.
Scrying:
A method of divination. To gaze at or into an object (a quartz crystal sphere, a pool of water, reflections, a candle flame) to still the conscious mind in order to contact the psychic mind. Scrying allows the scryer to become aware of events prior to their actual occurrence, as well as to perceive past or present events through other than the five senses.
Shaman:
A man or woman who has obtained knowledge of the subtler dimensions of the Earth, usually through periods of alternate states of consciousness. Various types of ritual allow the shaman to pierce the veil of the physical world and to experience other realms. This knowledge lends the shaman the power to change his or her world through or practical actions.
Shamanism:
The practice of shamans, usually ritualistic or magickal in nature, sometimes religious.
Sigil:
Magically oriented seal, sign, glyph, or other device used in a magickal working. Ones you create yourself are the most effective. Sigils can be used on letters, packages, clothing, etc.
Simple Feast:
A ritual meal shared with the Goddess and God.
Skyclad:
The act of celebrating or performing magickal works in the nude. Considered deeply spiritual, NOT sexual.
Solitary:
Pagan who works and worships alone.
Spell:
A magickal ritual, usually non-religious in nature and often accompanied by spoken words. It should be clear, concise, focused and emotional. Need must be present.
Spiral:
Symbol of coming into being.
Staff:
Ritual tool which corresponds to the wand.
Stang:
Ritual tool from Pagan Rome which resembles a two-pronged trident. Often used in place of the wand or circle.
Subconscious Mind:
Part of the mind which functions below the levers we are able to access in the course of a normal working day. This area stores symbolic knowledge, dreams, the most minute details of every experience ever had by a person.
Summerland:
The Wiccan Land of the Dead.
Sympathetic Magick:
Concept of likes attract. Most common way spells are worked.
T's-
Talisman:
An object charged with personal power to attract a specific force or energy to its bearer.
Tarot Cards:
Set of 78 cards which feature pictures and symbols used to conned the diviner with the collective unconscious.
Threefold Law:
Wiccan principle that energy that is released is returned three times over.
Tradition:
Branch of paganism followed by any individual Pagan or coven.


U's-

V's-
Vision Quest:
Using astral projection, bi-location, or dream time to accomplish a specific goal. Also called path working.
Visualization:
The process of forming mental images. Magickal visualization consists of forming images of needed goals during ritual. It is also used to direct personal power and natural energies for various purposes during magick, including charging and forming of the magick circle.

W's-
Wand:
Ritual tool brought to the craft from ritual magick.
Warlock:
Antiquated term misused in reference to a male Witch. It means oath-breaker or Liar. Most Pagans, Witch's find the term offensive.
Web Weaving:
Networking with other magickal people via conversation, writing, e-mail, to gather information which will mutually assist each party.
Wheel of the Year:
One full cycle of the seasonal year.
Wicca:
A modern Pagan religion with spiritual roots in the earliest expressions of reverence for nature. Some major identifying motifs are: reverence for both the Goddess and God; acceptance of reincarnation and magick; ritual observance of astronomical and agricultural phenomena; and the use of magickal circles for ritual purposes.
Wicce:
Synonymous with Wicca. In some circles, Wicce is used for women and Wicca is used for men.
Widdershins:
Counter-clockwise motion, usually used for negative magickal purposes, or for dispersing negative energies or conditions such as disease.
Witch:
A practitioner of folk magick, particularly that kind relating to herbs, stones, colors, wells, rivers, etc. It is used by some Wiccans to describe themselves
Witchcraft:
The craft of the witch- magick, especially magick utilizing personal power in conjunction with the energies within stones, herbs, colors, and other natural objects. This belief system also has nothing to do with Satanism.


X's-

Y's-

Z's-

eek oh my gosh. Tea...you feeling okay? Thanks for that whole thing anyway. 3nodding ...*still in a state of shock*