Aboriginal: The native pagan tradition of  particulair region. Usually thought of as Australian.

Achromatics: The “colors” black, grey and white; used occasionally to refer to moralistic schools of occultism.

Active Ritual: One in which those persons raising and focussing the psychic energies are not the main targets intended to be changed.

Adept: One who is very skilled in magic or mysticism.

Agent: The person or animal exercising a psychic talent.

Air: One of the main “elements” in occultism; associated in the West with thought, knowledge, yellow, blue, swords, activity, daring, light, communication, heat, dampness, etc.

Akasa or Akasha: One of the “elements” in Indian and Tantric occultism, equivalent in most ways to the “ether” concept and/or that of “astral” matter.

Akasic Records: A concept in Indian metaphysics, of a gigantic repository of all the memories of every incarnation of every being; some gifted ones are said to be able to “read” these records (possibly through retrocognition or the clair senses) and to gain data about past events. See Switchboard.

Alchemy: A specific form of magic using chemical and incatations with the ultimate formual and spell being the ability to turn lead into gold.

Alexandrian Witches: Modern Witches who follow the teachings and use the Book of Shadows composed by Alex Sanders. This tradition combines the teachings of the Hebrew Kaballah and those of Anglo-Celtic witchcraft.

Alignment: to make in a line or to merge with, to be in balance. Often refering to planets coming into alingment with each other or other astonomical bodies

Amplification: A psi or antipsi talent for boosting the power levels of psychic energy fields.

Amulet: A pendant or charm carried as a protection from evil or illness, usually magically charged to protect from a specific threat.

Anachronism: Something that appears to be from a time period other than the one in which it is perceived; as in medieval knights and ladies in modern America or astronomical computers in the Stone Age.

Angel: A personification of what we consider good or pleasant. In theoilogy, a being just below the main god(s) in power for good. In some magical systems, a sort of “psychic robot.”

Angelology: Medieval science of studying angels. Question: how many angels can dance on the head of a photon? Answer: give the physicists who are working on quantizing consciousness another decade or two.

Animal-Psi or Anpsi: A little-used term for psychic phenomena involving the interactions of animals with humans, each other and the environment.

Animism: The belief that everything is alive. The Law of Personification taken as a statement of universal reality rather than as one of psychic convenience.

ankh: An Egyptian heiroglyph, representing life, and used as a universal life charm. It represents the union of male and female, as its shape suggests a superimposition of both female and male genitalia. The ankh symbol is a cross with a looped, oval top, frequently worn as a pendant. Sometimes referred to as The Key of the Nile.

Ansuz: The Rune of Odin, the Rune of the Ash tree, and the Rune of Release. In traditional references it is the "God rune".

Anthropomancy: Divination from human entrails.

Aradia Daughter of the Goddess Diana, and a name for the Goddess used by Italian Witches or Strega, commonly used in many Wiccan traditions today. Also, the title of a book (Aradia, or the Gospel of the Witches) by Charles G. Leland, claiming to be an Strega's book of shadows.

arcana    ar-KAY-n? Secret or hidden knowledge; secrets or mysteries. Also refers to the two portions of a Tarot deck. The Major Arcana consists of the 22 trumps, the Minor (or lesser) Arcana consists of the 56 suit cards.

Archetype:    (1) Original astral form of a phenomenon; (2) In the psychology of C. G. Jung, an inherited idea or mode of thought derived from the experiences of the species and present in the unconscious of the individual who picks it up from the collective unconscious of the species.

Asceticism:    A method of altering the state of one’s consciousness through the avoidance of comfort and pleasure; when extreme, may become masochism.

Aspect, Astrological:    An angle formed between two items on an astrological chart.

Asperger: used to sprinkle water or oils in rituals it has holes or fingers so it will lightly sprinkle

Association, Law of:    “If any two or more patterns have elements in common, the patterns interact ‘through’ those common elements and control of one pattern facilitates control over the other(s), depending (among other factors) upon the number of common elements involved.”

Astral Plane: Depending on cultural views the Astral plane consists of several levels, one of which we enter while dreaming. The astral plane is at a different vibrational level than our reality so we can travel to it at will during times of astral projection.

Astral Projection:    An OOBE or Psi talent that may involve traveling GESP with the image of a body and/or the separation of a “less dense” body from the normal physical one.

Astral Temple: The place of ritual working that is created in the astral realm, or imagination, be repeated intense acts ofvisualization and meditation. The true temple of which the material temple is only a reflection.

Astrology:    Divination through the correlation of earthly events with celestial patterns.

Athame:    Ritual dagger used by Neopagan Witches, borrowed by Gerald Gardner from medieval grimoires. Probably was originally “athane.” May be pronounced as “ATH-ah-may” or “ah-THUH-may” (it's all “ah-THAYM” to me).

Augury:    Divination by means of whatever is most handy at the time.

Aura:    One or more energy fields supposedly generated by and surrounding all beings and many objects; those persons blessed with clairvoyance or other psychic talents can “read” the patterns of energy and determine information about the person or object. See Kirlian Photography.

Balefire: A fire lit for magical purposes, usually outdoors. Balefires are traditional on Yule, Beltane and Midsummer.

Bane: That which destroys life: poisonous, dangerous, destructive, evil. The term also includes negative habits as well as threats  of all kinds.

Baphomet A corruption of the name Muhammed, The name Baphomet was first seen in transcripts of trials (during the Inquisition) of Knights Templar in the 12th century. The classic drawing of a goat-headed God, inscribed in an inverted pentagram, drawn by Eliphas Levi (which he called the "Sabbatic Goat of Mendes") in the 19th century, seems to have been inspired by some of the works of Spanish painter Francisco Goya. It has no relation to Muhammed, or the Templars (or the goat of Mendes, for that matter), except perhaps in the mind of Levi. It has been adopted by Satanists, as it is suitably "scary" for their purposes.

Beltane: A Wiccan/Pagan festival celebrated on April 30th or May 1st (traditions vary). Beltane is also known as May Eve, Roodmas, Walpurgis Night, Cethsamhain, etc. Beltane celebrates the symbolic union, mating or marriage of the Goddess and  God, and links in with the approaching summer months.

besom A broom, more particularly the broom of a witch. Instead of (or in addition to) broomcorn, it is frequently made of twigs selected for their magical attributes, bound into a round form. The besom is used to sweep sacred areas, ground a circle, or to brush away negative influences.

Bibliomancy:    Divination through the random selection of words or phrases taken out of books, especially the Bible.

Binding: The action to magickally restrain someone or something.

Black Magic:    A racist, sexist, creedist and classist term used to refer to magic being done for “evil” purposes or by people of whom the user of the term disapproves.

Blessing:    The use of magic to benefit an object or being.

boline The Wiccan white handled knife, single edged, and used magically for cutting string or cord, trimming herbs, or engraving candles; the blade is frequently in the form of miniature scythe, a curved bladed tool or a sickle. Some traditions prefer a copper or bronze boline.

Bon:    The native Tibetan religion that later merged with Buddhism and Tantrism.

Book of Shadows: The rules and rituals of witches. A magical diary. A collection of spells.

Boomerang Curse:    Spell designed to make an attacker suffer the effects of whatever hostile magic they may have launched at the user; a variation of the “mirror effect,” probably operates through reddopsi.

Brighid: Brighid was the goddess of all things perceived to be "elevated" such as high-rising flames, highlands, hill-forts and upland areas; and of activities and such lofty human attributes as wisdom, intelligence, eloquence, craftsmanship (especially blacksmithing), healing ability, and skill in warfare. She is largely associated with the concepts of home and hearth.

Buddhism:    A variety of religions founded by a man named Gautama Siddhartha, the Buddha (“Enlightened One”). An outgrowth of Vedic Paleopagan mysticism, rooted in the “Four Noble Truths:” (1) Existence is suffering, (2) Suffering is caused by desire, (3) Desire can be overcome, (4) by following the Eightfold Path (right belief, right thought, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness and right meditation).

Cartomancy:    Divination through the use of cards, especially Tarot Cards.

Casting Runes:    (1) Divination through the use of small objects which have been inscribed with runic letters. (2) A method of focusing or firing a spell through the carving or writing of runes.

cauldron  A large three-legged metal (usually iron) pot or kettle for cooking over an open fire, generally attached to a hanger with the shape of an arc, called a bail. Witches may use a cauldron to cook potions, for scrying, for needfires/balefires, and as a censer. On an altar, the cauldron symbolizes the feminine Goddess, life, death, and rebirth. A famous mythical cauldron was kept by Cerridwen. Sometimes spelled caldron.

Cause and Effect, Law of:    “If exactly the same actions are done under exactly the same conditions, they will usually be associated with exactly the same ‘results’.” Good luck with those “exactlies!”

Celtic Refers to the Indo-European language family of the peoples of England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Brittany and some Teutonic lands, during the Iron Age-- also referring to those peoples themselves.

Censer: An incense burner.

Centre or Center, The:     Point of intersection of various planes or modes of existence, including space and time, and which can be used for (at least subjective) transportation between them.

Ceremonial Magic:     Schools or methods of magic which place their emphasis upon long and complex rituals, especially of the Medieval and later European traditions; often degenerates into ritualism.

Cernunnos:     The Horned God. No, not Satan.

Cerridwen:  Wiccan goddess-name, whose cauldron symbolizes the feminine principal. In Welsh mythology, Cerridwen had a magical cauldron in which she could cook up a potion granting wisdom.

Chakras:     Several psychic centers of power associated with different parts of the human body in Tantric systems of anatomy.

Chakras: Seven major chakras, 6 inside and one outside the body, that are energy points with specific meanings and atunements to the phsyical body. Using chakra centers can increase power or cure phsyical ailments.

Chaldean:     A kingdom in the southern portion of Babylonia primarily on the right bank of the Euphrates. Though the name later came to be commonly used to refer to the whole of Babylonia, Chaldea proper was the alluvial plain in the south formed by the marshy land along the Euphrates and the Tigris, extending about four hundred miles along the riverbanks, and about a hundred miles wide.

Chalice:    Cup used in rituals and usually associated in western occultism with “element” of Water (though it often contains more potent fluids).

Chanting: Rhythmic saying of words, like a short song

Color Classifications:    Sets of associations between various colors and particular concepts, interests or acts.

Color:    An interpretation of the ways in which photons hit your eyes; one way to see the difference between two objects of identical size, shape, distance and illumination.

Cone of Power:    Term for the focusing of a group’s magical energies, visualized as a cone of psychic power based upon a ritual circle containing the participants (who are usually Neopagan or Feminist Witches). There is some confusion among various groups as to what exactly should be done with the energies at the moment of “firing.”

Contagion, Law of:    “Objects or beings in physical or psychic contact with each other continue to interact after spacial or temporal separation.”

Corn Dolly: A figure, often human-shaped, created by plaiting dried wheat or other grains. It represented the fertility of the Earth and the Goddess in early European agricultural rituals and is still used today. Corn dollies aren't made from cobs or husks; corn originally referred to any grain other than maize and still does in most English-speaking countries except the United States.

Coven: A group of Witches or Wiccans with a system of hiaracry and inition. To practice in a group

Crystallomancy:    Divination through the use of (usually) spheres of quartz crystal, glass or plastic as focussing devices.

Cult:    Any secretive religious, magical, philosophical or therapeutic group of which the user of this term does not approve. See the Advanced Bonewits Cult Danger Evaluation Frame.

Curse:    The use of magic to harm an object or being.

Dactylogy:    Finger signaling system of language (such as Ameslan) used by deaf and mute persons; can also be used as powerful mudras in rituals.

Dactylomancy:    Divination by means of finger movements upon tripods, planchettes, pendulums, Oui-Ja Boards, etc., or through the use of finger rings.

Daemon:    A “supernatural” spirit or being in ancient Greek religion and philosophy, far below the Gods in power for good, evil or neutral purposes; probably the actual sort of “demon” conjured by Goetic magicians.

Dagger:    A ritual knife used for severing psychic bonds, exorcising, cursing and/or initiating.

Deflection or Bouncing:    An antipsi talent for altering the force vectors of incoming psi broadcasts, thus “bouncing” them away.

Deity:    (1) The most powerful sort of “supernatural” being. (2) A powerful pattern in the Switchboard. (3) The memory of a dead hero(ine) or magician. (4) An ancient visitor from outer space. (5) An ancient visitor from inner space. (6) All of the above?

Demon:    (1) A personification of what we consider to be evil or unpleasant (often repressed guilt feelings). (2) A nonphysical entity of a destructive and evil nature opposed to the will of the God(s), such as Maxwell’s.

Demonology:    Medieval science of studying demons.

Devil, The:    “Heir of Man,” originally the Evil God of the Zoroastrians; later a creation of Christian and Islamic theologians (who called him Satan and Shaitan) consisting of old fertility gods, wisdom spirits and nature elementals combined with Ahriman into a figure of terror and malevolence fully equal to that of that Good God (Jehovah or Allah); the deity worshiped by Neogothic Witches.

Devil:    A minor spirit perceived as a force for evil.

Dharanis:    One phrase creeds or statements of belief, often used as mantras, such as “E = mc2.”

Dhyana:    Tantric trance, possibly a form of hypnosis.

Difficult Passage:    A common mythological motif involving a hard transition or journey from one state or location to another through impossibly dangerous or paradoxical territory.

Directions: North, South, East and West

Discipline:    Training or experience that corrects, molds, strengthens, or perfects (especially) the mental faculties or moral character; noted primarily by its absence in American occult groups.

Disk of Shadows:    A grimoire or other magical text (especially one of witchcraft rituals) kept on a computer memory disk.

Divination:    The art and science of finding out hidden information about the past, present or future through the use of psychic talents.

Divine Power: Spirit, 'God', the ultimate force, ULEK,  life force, unconditional spiritual love of All

Diviner:    Obviously, one who does divination.

Dowsing:    See Rhabdomancy.

Druidism: Ancient Celtic order of bairds, educated priests that kept studies and religion not in written but in verbal stories

Druids, Ancient:    From the root “dru-,” meaning “oak tree, firm, strong;” the entire intelligentsia of the Celtic peoples, including doctors, judges, historians, musicians, poets, priests and magicians; 99.9% of what has been written about them is pure hogwash.

Druids, Masonic:    Members of several Masonic and Rosicrucian fraternal orders founded in the 1700’s (and since) in England, France and elsewhere; some claim to go back to the original Druids.

Druids, Reformed:    Members of several branches of a movement founded in 1963 c.e. at Carleton College in Northfield, Minnesota; most are now Neopagans, though the original founders were not.

Dualism:    A religious doctrine that states that all the spiritual forces of the universe(s) are split into Good Guys and Bad Guys (white and black, male and female, etc.) who are eternally at war with each other

Dualistic Polytheism:    A style of religion in which the Good Guys and Bad Guys include several major and minor deities (though they may not always be called that by the official theologians); what most so- called “monotheisms” really are. Examples would be Zoroastrianism, Catholicism, and Christian Fundamentalism.

Duotheism:    A style of religion in which there are two deities accepted by the polytheologians, usually of opposite gender; all other deities worshiped are considered to be “faces” or aspects of the two main figures.

Dynamic Balance, Law of:    “In order to survive, let alone to become a powerful magician, one must keep every aspect of one’s universe(s) in a state of dynamic balance with every other one.”

Earth Power: The energy that exists within stones, herbs, flames, wind, streams and other natural objects. In magick, Earth power is combined with personal power.

Earth:    One of the main “elements” in occultism; associated in the West with matter, brown, black, pentacles, passivity, inertness, silence, food fertility, wealth, practicality, cold, dryness, etc.

Earth-Mother:    Female personification of the Life force, fertility of the Earth and its inhabitants. One of the most widespread deity concepts in the world (though far from universal); She is now worshiped in the West as Mother Nature.

Electromagnetic Spectrum:    The entire range of frequencies or wave-lengths of electromagnetic radiation from the longest radio waves to the shortest gamma rays. Visible light is only a tiny part of this range.

Elemental Spirit: Thought of as elemantal Fae spirits like the Earth (Gnome) Water (Undine),  Fire (Salamander)   and Air (Sylph)

Elementals:    Personifications of the four or five “elements” of Western or Eastern occultism; in the West these are “Gnomes” for Earth, “Undines” for Water, “Sylphs” for Air, “Salamanders” for Fire, and “Sprites” for Spirit.

Elements, The:    A classification system based upon the division of all phenomena into four or five categories; in Western occultism there are Earth, Water, Air, Fire and sometimes Spirit or Ether (or in India, Akasha); in Chinese occultism these are Earth, Water, Metal, Fire and Wood.

Empowerment: Taking control over your life including the responsibility for all actions. It is doing, walking the talk.

Enchant: To chant words of power or majic, to cast a magical spell,  use of   recited words often so quickly or quietly they sound mumbled.

Energy: A general term for the currently unmeasurable (but real) power that exists within all natural objects and beings--including our own bodies. Ancient Hawaiians knew it as "mana" and it has been given many other names. This energy ultimately stems from the divine source of all that exists. It is the powerhouse, the fuel, of all forms of Magick, spirituality, and religion.

Entity: A being, spirit, living creature or personification.

Ether: A hypothetical “substance” filling all space and conveying waves of energy. See Space-Time Continuum.

Ethics: (1) That part of philosophy and theoilogy dealing with matters of “right and wrong,” “good and evil,” etc. (2) A set or system of moral values. (3) Principles of conduct governing an individual or profession.

Ethnography: Part of social and cultural anthropology emphasizing descriptions of individual cultures rather than cross-cultural comparisons; when engaged in by the untrained, often degenerates into scrapbooking.

Evocation, Law of: “It is possible to establish external communication with entities from either inside or outside of oneself, said entities seeming to be outside of oneself during the communication process.”

Evocation: To purposly call up spirits or energy forces

Exorcism: The severing or disruption of all unwanted psychic circuits and circuit potentials within a specific object, person or place; hence the dismissal of ghosts and spirits.

Exorcist: (1) One who performs exorcisms. (2) A magician or psychic (often very religious) with strong talents for CPK, antipsi and the clair senses, who specializes in forcing or persuading unwanted psychic energies (including spirits) to depart from objects, persons or places.

Familiar: Usually an animal in phsyical form that is a spirit  of friendship and assistance in that body of the phsyical. This can be bird, cat, dog, or other animals

Fam-Trad: Short term for “Familial Tradition.”.

Fate:  Destiny perhaps. The end to part of the path - an outcome

Finite Senses, Law of: “Every sense mechanism of every entity is limited by both range and type of data perceived, and many real phenomena exist which may be outside the sensory scanning ability of any given entity.” The Supreme Being(s) may be excepted from this law.

Fire: One of the main “elements” in occultism; associated in the West with flames, red, orange, wands or staves, activity, light, will, animals, energy, assertiveness, heat, dryness, etc.

Folklore: The study of folktales and legends, a subject overlapping that of mythology.

Folktale: Story handed down among a people, such as “Cinderella,” “Rumpelstiltskin” or “Our Leader Knows Best.”

Gardnerian Witches: Wiccans. These are the modern witches who follow the wiccan teachings created by Gerald B. Gardner.

Germ Theory: (1) In Tantra, the theory that every entity has a germinal or root sound, the repetition of which can create that entity. (2) In the West, a folk belief that all diseases are caused by miniature demons called “germs” or “viruses.”

Ghost: Personification of data received as the result of a plug-in to an individual metapattern within the Switchboard, and/or the spirit of a dead person or animal, still existing in a nonphysical manner, and/or something(s) else entirely.

Goal: The general result one actually wishes to accomplish with a particular magical or psychic act. Compare with Target.

God or Goddess, A: See Deity.

God or Goddess, The: The particular masculine or feminine deity worshiped by a particular mono-, heno-, or duotheist.

Goetia: From words meaning “howling or crying,” the medieval books of ceremonial magic, such as The Greater and Lesser Keys of Solomon.

Golem: An artificial person given life by the carving of a Sacred Name upon his or her forehead and usually used as a slave. Has deeper meanings in real Hebrew Mysticism, in which we are all golems in some sense.

Graphology: (1) An officially nonpsychic method of personality assessment based upon the study of handwriting samples. (2) A method of divination based upon the use of such samples as contagion links.

Gray Magic: Magic that is neither “black” nor “white,” hence morally neutral, at least according to those who use these quaint terms.

Grimoire: Like a Book of Shadows. Contains ritual information, formulas, spells, herb information, and how to prepare and use ritual equipment.

Grounding: To be connected to the earth, grounded within yourself. To be one within the self, empowered and full of energy. Some take grounding to extreme to  temporarily shutting down Psychic awareness.

Hallucination, Veridical: One in which the content is essentially factual.

Hallucination: (1) Perception of objects or beings with no reality or not present within normal sensory scanning range. (2) Experience of sensations with no exterior cause, usually as a result of nervous dysfunction. (3) Perceptions not in accord with consensus reality.

Hallucinogen: A chemical or biochemical substance capable of inducing hallucinations when introduced into the human metabolism.

Handfasting: A Pagan wedding / ceremony of love and commitment to each other.

Hauntings: Recurrent plug-ins to the Switchboard and/or perceptions of ghostly entities associated with a particular location or being.

Heathenism: The religion of those who live on the heath (where heather grows). See Paganism.

Hedonism: A method for altering the state of one’s consciousness through the experience of intense pleasures; when extreme, may become tiring.

Henotheism: A polytheistic religion where one deity is the official Ruler and is supposed to be the prime focus of attention.

Hepatoscopy: Divination through the use of animal innards (see Anthropomancy), especially livers. When done with French hens, usually indicates cowardice.

Heptagram: A star of seven points drawn with a single, unbroken, reflecting line. Its points are related to the seven traditional planets of astrology.

Hexagram: Shield of David/Jewish symbol. Often used to invoke and expel powers and spirits of the seven planets. Formed by overlapping two equilateral triangles

High Magic: Ceremonial magic involving the actions of gods or spirits. The Greeks called it theurgy, which literally means "god work".

Higher Self: Your truw spiritual self. The Christ consciences.  The purest part of you without pretense. The real you, not who you may think you are.

Hinayana (aka “Lesser Vehicle”) Buddhism: The oldest or most “orthodox” form of Buddhism, with deities demoted to very minor roles or completely absent.

Horoscope: A two-dimensional chart of the way “important” parts of the sky look at a particular time and location, especially at birth, used in astrology.

Humors: Four elemental qualities (blood, phlegm, choler, and melancholy) that make up the human body. When  in balance you are healthy -  imbalance creates sickness.

Hyperapotheosis: The promotion of one’s tribal deity to the rank of Supreme Being, as in Judaism, Christianity or Islam.

Hypnosis: (1) As used in this book, an altered state of consciousness within which the following can occur at will: increase in bodily and sensory control, in suggestibility, in ability to concentrate and eliminate distractions, and probably in psychic abilities as well. (2) A useful word and tool for those who cannot conceive of nor practice real mesmerism.

Hypothesis: Scientific term for wild guess, hunch, tentative explanation or possibility to be tested.

I Ching: Chinese “Book of Changes;” key to sortilege system.

Imaging or To Image: Term for strong visualization of a concept being used for focusing.

Imbolg or Imelc: Celtic fire festival beginning the second quarter of the year (or spring); starts at sunset on February 3rd and is also known as Candlemas, St. Bridget’s Day, Bride’s Day, Lady Day, etc. Celebrated by most Neopagans as a major religious holiday.

Impossible: Unlikely, difficult, implausible, uncomfortable, new.

Incantation: Words used in a ritual or spell, should always be chanted or sung.

Initiate: A person who has undergone, or is about to undergo, the primary rite of entry into a pagan organization.

Initiation: An intense personal experience, often of a death and rebirth sort, resulting in a higher state of personal development and/or admission to a magical or religious organization.

Intelligence: Benign spirits of considerable energy usually said to reside in the other world

Invisibility: Some hold that shifting your vibrational level  will make you invisible. Ability to see angels, spirits, Fae, gnomes and such are from being able to shift to thier vibration or them allowing a shift to your vibration.

Invocation, Law of: “It is possible to establish internal communications with entities from either inside or outside of oneself, said entities seeming to be inside of oneself during the communication process.”

Invocation: A prayer

Kabbalah: (1) A Hebrew word for “collected teachings,” referring to several different lists of books and manuscripts on various occult and mundane topics. Sloppy translations of a handful of texts in the Kabbalah of Mysticism, with Christian names and concepts forcibly inserted, are responsible for much of what is now called “Cabala” by western metaphysicians. If you can’t think fluently in Hebrew, you have no business trying to do Kabbalistic magic. (2) A general term for collections of magical and mystical texts from various cultures, thus “Greek Kabbalah,” “Arabic Cabala,” etc.

Kachina: A (usually benevolent) supernatural being in Hopi religion; may be a personification of an aspect of nature, an ancestor, or something revealed in a dream.

Kahuna: A practitioner of the old Hawaiian philosophical, scientific and magical system.

Kama-kali: Ritual sexual intercourse in Tantra.

Karma: In many eastern religions, the load of guilt or innocence carried from one incarnation to the next, determining one’s lot in the next life; often used by American occultists as a general term for moral responsibility, as in “You can do that if you want to, but it’s your karma.”

Karma: In Sanskrit karma means "action", Hindu philosophy.  Karma is cause and effect.  Sooner or later, in this life or another each good action is repaid by good and each bad action by bad.

Kinesis: Physical movement including quantitative, qualitative, and positional change; sometimes movement caused by stimulation but not directional or aimed.

Knowledge, Law of:  “Understanding brings control; the more that is known about a phenomenon, the easier it is to exercise control over it.”

Lamen: Originally a plate of metal upon which magic names or symbols were inscribed, usually worn around the neck during ritual.

Law of Magic: A statement of the ways magical phenomena seem to work.

Law, Sturgeon’s: From science fiction writer Theodore Sturgeon: “90% of everything is crud.”

Law: A statement of the ways phenomena seem to work.

Laws, Law of: “The more evidence one looks for to support a given law, the more one finds.”

Left-Hand Path:  (1) The people we don’t like who are doing magic. (2) Occultists who spend their time being destructive, manipulative and “evil” — or at least annoying.

Linguistics: The study of human speech, including the units, nature, structure and development of language(s).

Litany: Long prayer or incantation with constantly repeating refrain.

Lucid Dreaming:  OBEs - controling your dreams or to have an out of body experience. To travel on the astral plane

Lughnasadh: Celtic fire festival beginning the third quarter of the year (or fall); starts at sunset on August 6th or 7th and is also known as Lammas, Apple Day, etc. Celebrated by most Neopagans as a major religious holiday.

Mage: A general term for anyone doing magic, especially of the active kinds; often used as synonym for “magus.”

Magi: Zoroastrian priests. Later used for powerful magicians of any sort.

Magic Circle: A mandala-mudra-mantra combination used around an area where all or part of a ritual is to take place, so that an individual or group can more easily control the energies generated.

Magical Name: A name given to an initiate, or chosen by the one who is self-initiated, to signify the death of the old life and the birth into the magical life.

Magician, Goetic: A magician and psychic who frequently “summons up” various nonhuman entities (good, bad or ugly) in order to gain both occult and mundane knowledge, which is then used for thaumaturgical, theurgical and nonmagical purposes.

Magician: (1) As a general term, anyone who does any sort of magic at all. (2) More specifically, someone who uses mostly active talents and rites for mostly thaumaturgical purposes.

Magus: Originally, the singular form of “magi.” Later, a powerful magician.

Mahayana (or “Greater Vehicle”) Buddhism: A later, “heterodox” version of Buddhism which incorporates many Paleopagan deities from throughout Asia as Buddhas or Saints.

Mana: Polynesian word for psychic energy.

Mandala: Sights (especially drawings, paintings and carvings) used primarily as associational and/or trance inducing devices.

Mantic Arts: The various methods of divination.

Mantis: A diviner or seer.

Mantra: Sounds used primarily as associational and/or trance inducing devices.

Maya:  (1) Sanscrit for “illusion.” (2) A tribe of Central American Indians.

Mayin: One who controls the worlds of illusion, a magician or mystic.

Mechanistic: A word used (usually as an insult) to refer to those who prefer to analyze even supposedly nonphysical phenomena in terms of physical or mechanical patterns of behavior.

Medicine Person: A tribal official who combines the modes of magician, psychic and cleric, using her or his talents for personal and tribal benefit; especially in such matters as healing, hunting, fertility, weather and war magic.

Meditation: A state of mind and body to allow spiritual and phsyical control and connectivity.

Metaphysics: Philosophy of the relations between “underlying reality” and its manifestations.

Moon Sign: In astrology, the zodiacal sign that the moon appeared to be in at the time and location for which the chart is cast.

Mudra: Physical gestures, positions or postures (including dance movements) used primarily as associational and/or trance inducing devices.

Mundane: Worldly, ordinary, common, simple; pertaining to “the earth plane.”

Mysteries: Secret rituals usually involving the display of sacred mandalas and other objects to, and the performance of various mudras with and in front of, and the chanting of mantras and dharanis in the hearing of, properly initiated worshipers, for theurgical purposes in this life and the next.

Mystery Cult: A group of people who get together regularly to perform sacred mysteries and to study their meanings.

Mystery School: In theory, a group of magicians and/or mystics who have gathered together to share their wisdom and secrets with each other and with new seekers. In practice, usually a group of would-be “enlightened masters” who are primarily interested in impressing each other and in fleecing the gullible. After all, “there’s a seeker born every minute!”

Mystic:  (1) One who practices mysticism. (2) A person who uses mostly passive talents and rites for mostly theurgical purposes.

Mysticism:  (1) The doctrine or belief that direct knowledge of the God(s), o spiritual truth, of ultimate reality, or of comparable matters is attainable through immediate intuition, insight or illumination and in a way differing from ordinary sense perception or conscious thought. (2) The concepts and theories behind the theurgical approach to occultism.

Myth: (1) Technically, a traditional story with its emphasis upon the actions of deities; (2) commonly, a false or simplistic belief.

Mythology: The study of myths, and thus a field overlapping folklore; sometimes used to refer to a specific body of myths pertaining to a given culture or motif. The study of someone else’s religious stories.

Mythos: A system of myths within a society or culture.

Names, Law of:  “Knowing the complete and true name of an object, being or process gives one complete control over it.”

Necromancer:  (1) A magician and psychic who specializes in “summoning” the spirits of dead persons, usually without possession, in order to gain both occult and mundane knowledge, which is then used for thaumaturgical, theurgical and nonmagical purposes. (2) Generally, anyone who does any form of divination involving the dead.

Neotarot Cards: A collection of divination cards designed to be used in the same general ways as regular Tarot Cards, but which have different (non-Tarot) archetypal images as their main contents. Examples would include “Morgan’s Tarot,” “The Illuminated Tarot,” etc.

Numerology: Divination by means of numbers and numerical “values” of letters.

Objective:  “Reality” as it supposedly is “in itself,” instead of as it may be perceived.

Observation: A part of the scientific method that involves a careful cataloging of perceptions involving any particular phenomenon.

Occult: That which is hidden or known only to a few.

Occultism: The study and or practice of that which is occult, especially (in this century) in reference to the powers of the mind.

Ogham: A magical alphabet of the Celts composed of 20 letters called fews, each standing for a different kind of tree. Made up of short vertical or diagonal strokes set against or across a horizontal line.

Onieromancy: Divination by means of dream interpretations.

Pagan: Followers of a nature-based religion.

Palmistry: Divination by means of the folds and other features of the hands.

Pantheon: The organization of deities and lesser spirits in any given religion.

Passive Ritual: One in which those persons raising and focusing the psychic energies are the main targets intended to be changed.

Path, The: The One-True-Right-And-Only-Way followed by the user of the term.

Path: A method, system or approach to magical or mystical knowledge.

Pendulum: Any small object on a string or chain, the movements of which can be used for divination. See Rhabdomancy.

Pendulum: The motions of a pendulum, a small weight at the end of a short length of thread or fine chain, are sometimes used to communicate with spirits, to check out the balance of the chakras, and to gauge energy flow.

Pentacle: A symbolic diagram, usually circular in shape, that is inscribed, painted or engraved with a five pointed star (pentagram). It is used as a symbol for protection.

Pentacle: Originally a talisman of a five pointed star, now used as a general term for talismans in general. When made of clay, glass, metal or wood, often used in western occultism as a symbol of the “element” of Earth.

Pentagram: A five pointed star, always drawn with one point upward. An interlaced five pointed star. Also called the pentalpha because it can be formed by five capital A's.   The pentagram is rich in symbolism: the five senses, the elements combined with Akasha; the hand, the human body, the element of Earth and money, among other things. It has been used in magick, ususally for protection, for at least 2,000 years. Today it is often also frequently associated with Wicca. Through misinformation or the transmission of outright lies, the pentagram is sometimes believed to be a symbol of Satanism. It has never possessed this symbolism, and still doesn't, save in the minds of those that would twist and pervert its true meaning for their own benefit.

Pentagram: Another word for a five pointed star, used as a symbol for the occult in general and Neopagan and Feminist Witchcraft in particular.

Pentalpha: A five pointed star made by interweaving five letter A’s.

Personal Power: The energy that sustains our bodies. We first absorb it from our biological mother within the womb, and later from food, water, sunlight and other natural objects and sources. We release personal power during physical movement, exercise, sex, conception, childbirth, emotion, thought and Magick.

Perversion:  (1) A variation in a process that effectively negates or contradicts what the user of this term considers to be the original purpose of the process. (2) Using the entire chicken.

Perversity, Law of: “If anything can go wrong, it will — and in the most annoying manner possible.” Also known as “Murphy’s Law.”

Polarism: A religious doctrine that states that all the spiritual forces of the universe(s) are split into Guys and Gals, (good, weird, horny, scary, whimsical, etc.) who are eternally in bed with each other.

Polarity, Law of:  “Any pattern of data can be split into (at least) two patterns with ‘opposing’ characteristics, and each will contain the essence of the other within itself.”

Polytheism: A style of religion in which the polytheologians claim that there are many deities, of varying power, and many lesser spirits as well, all of whom are considered to be “real” and to be worthy of respect and/or worship.

Polytheology: Intellectual speculations concerning the natures of the Gods and Goddesses and Their relations to the world in general and humans in particular; etc., etc., etc.: see Thealogy, Theology. I’m now using this term instead of Theoilogy.

Pragmatism, Law of:  “If a pattern of belief or behavior enables a being to survive and to accomplish chosen goals, then that belief or behavior is ‘true,’ ‘realistic,’ and/or ‘sensible’.”

Priest or Priestess: A cleric who is an official representative of a given religion, sect or cult, and who is responsible for leading other people in rituals.

Projective Hand: The useful or talented hand, usually the one used for writing, through which personal power is sent from the body during magick.

Prop: Tools, physical emblems and other objects used primarily as associational and/or trance inducing devices.

Receptive Hand: The opposite of the projective hand, through which outside energies are absorbed into the body during magick.

Reflexology:  Using the merdians and minor chakra points, by massaging certain points on the hands or feet, therapeutic effects are assumed for the internal organs and other parts of the body that are connected to these points via the nervous system.

Reincarnation: The rebirth of human souls into other bodies, either human or animal, after death.

Rhabdomancy: Divination by means of wands, sticks, rods and pendulums, usually when searching for water, minerals or other valuable items. Sometimes called “dowsing” or “water witching.”

Right Hand Path:  (1) The people we like who are doing magic. (2) Occultists who spend their time being constructive, manipulative and “good.”

Rising Sign: In Astrology, the zodiacal sign that was coming over the eastern horizon at the time and location for which the chart is cast.

Ritual:  From Pagan practices to Catholic mass it is a formalized series of actions both mental and physical by which magical potency is released and directed toward the fulfillment of a specific desire.

Ritualism: Devotion to the use of rituals and ceremonies above and beyond the call of sanity; often, an uncritical acceptance of rituals constructed in the past.

Runes: Letters in the old Celtic, Teutonic and Scandinavian alphabets; the word is based on roots meaning “secret” or “occult.” If you try to practice any form of magic within these cultural contexts, especially for deceptive purposes, then your career will lie in runes.

Sabbat: A gathering for the purpose of worship. A major religious celebration. (French)Sabbat from (Latin)Sabbatum from (Greek)sabbaton from (Hebrew)shabbath "rest". A day of rest and worship. Esbat is a romance-language word meaning 'sabbath'. We differentiate between major events, calling them Sabbats; and minor events, calling them Esbats; but the actual meaning of both words is the same. The original source of this word is found in two major passages in the Jewish scriptures. In Exodus 20:10 it is sanctified because Yahweh had rested on the 7th day of creation, but probably more important is Leviticus 23:2 in which the Sabbath is set aside as a special day devoted to gatherings for worship. However, it isn't clear why a religion that started in Northwestern Europe is using a Hebrew term.

Samhain: Celtic fire festival beginning the winter half of the year and being the Day Between Years; starts at sunset on November 7th and is also known as La Samhna, Nos Galen-gaeof, All Hallow’s Eve and Halloween. Celebrated by most Neopagans as a major religious holiday.

Satan: See Devil, The.

Satya-vacana: In Tantra, the solemn uttering of a Great Truth, used as a mantra for magical or religious effects such as exorcisms.

Scrying: The process of gazing at or into an object ( a pool of water, flames, reflections) to still the conscious mind and to contact the psychic mind, to create psychic awareness.

Seer: One who can see the hidden, a diviner.

Self-Knowledge, Law of:  “The most important kind of knowledge is about oneself; a magician must be familiar with her or his own strengths and weaknesses.”

Shaman: A medicine person and medium who frequently uses astral and/or mental projection to fly into “the spirit world,” in order to represent his or her tribe to the spirits there and who is often possessed by them as well.

Signs of the Zodiac: In astrology, twelve approximately equal segments of the Ecliptic (the belt of sky through which the planets appear to move “around the Earth”); in many systems of astrology, these no longer occupy the same space as the constellations for which they were originally named.

Silver Cord: Supposed umbilical cord connecting an astral projector to her or his body.

Skyclad: Naked. Sweat lodges and some ceremonies are done natural, being clad only by the sky

So Mote It Be: An affirmation that ends many chants and magickal rhymes. This has been in common usage for many years. A transliteration might be: "So must it be."

Sorcerer or Sorceress: Indiscriminate terms for those who use (or are suspected of using) magic, especially when acting as independent agents and/or using their magic for “evil” purposes.

Sortilege: Divination by means of sticks, coins, bones, dice, lots, beans, yarrow stalks, stones or any other small objects.

Spell: (1) A magical act designed with an emphasis upon the use of mantras and the literal spelling of words. (2) Any magical ritual.

Spirits: Self aware beings that lack a physical body consiting only of energies.

Spiritualism: A religion based upon the belief in life after death and the experiences of various mediums over the last hundred years; organized primarily to provide legal protection for the mediums and their followers.

Sprites: Disembodied spirits, elves, fairies or daemons; often the term used for the Air elemental known as “sylphs,” or as the name of the elementals of Spirit.

Statistics, Three Magical Laws of:  “Once is dumb luck, twice is coincidence and three times is Somebody Trying to Tell You Something.”

Sun Sign: In astrology, the zodiacal sign that the sun appeared to be in at the time and location for which the chart is cast. In isolation, the sun sign reveals very little data.

Supernatural: Rare, unusual, beyond the common, extraordinary, unexplainable at the time, paranormal; usually input as “religious” phenomena.

Superstitions:  (1) Fixed irrational notions held stubbornly in the face of evidence to the contrary; beliefs, practices, concepts or acts resulting from ignorance, fear of the unknown, morbid scrupulosity, erroneous concepts of causality, etc., as in the words and actions of many critics of parapsychology and the occult. (2) “A belief not founded in any coherent worldview” (J. B. Russell). (3) Someone else’s religious or philosophical beliefs.

Supplication: The normal form of prayer, that is to say, begging; occasionally, asking an entity to give you her or his attention for a moment.

Sutra: Book or traditional collection of sayings.

Sword: An archaic weapon used in western occultism as a symbol of the “element” of Air, as well as for fighting psychic battles, concentrating and directing energies, and for severing psychic links or bonds.

Symbol: A sign or object that represents something

Symbol: A sign plus an associated concept.

Synchronicity, Law of:  “Two or more events happening at the ‘same’ time are likely to have more associations in common than the merely temporal.”

Synchronicity: Carl G. Jung used to describe the meaningful coincidence of events that have no discernible casual connection. Luck is an example of synchronicity.

Talisman: A psychically charged mandala carried about (or placed in a special spot), expected to work via contagion.

Tantra: Indian systems of theurgical concepts and magical training methods, easily adaptable for thaumaturgic purposes.

Tantrism: The religious window dressing added to Tantra.

Tarot Cards: Ancestors of modern playing cards, originally designed for divination use and now used for meditational and magical focusing as well.

Tarot: A set of divining cards, most commonly 78 in number

Thaumaturgical Design: Experimental design for magic.

Thaumaturgy: The use of magic for nonreligious purposes; the art and science of “wonder working;” using magic to actually change things on the Earth Plane.

Thealogy: Intellectual speculations concerning the nature of the Goddess and Her relations to the world in general and humans in particular; rational explanations of religious doctrines, practices and beliefs, which may or may not bear any connection to any religion as actually conceived and practiced by the majority of its members.

Theology: Intellectual speculations concerning the nature of the God and His relations to the world in general and humans in particular; etc., etc., etc.: see Thealogy.

Theurgy: The use of magic for religious and/or psychotherapeutic purposes, in order to attain “salvation” or “personal evolution.”

Third Eye: The sixth chakra. An imaginary eye located on the forehead between the eyebrows

Three M’s: Mantra, mandala and mudra; the prime associational and trance inducing devices.

Trance: An altered state of consciousness (at least for most people) which is characterized by disassociation and withdrawal from the mundane environment.

Transmutation: The  work of alchemy, changing of base things no precious things,   Base metal is transmuted into gold, common liquid into the elixir of life, and the ordinary soul into the soul of an enlightened being.

Treatise: A writing that treats a subject; specifically, one that provides in a systematic manner and for an expository or argumentative purpose a methodical discussion of the facts and principles involved and conclusions reached.

Tribal Magical Systems:  All systems of magic and mysticism practiced by peoples living in tribal cultures at any time in the past or present, anywhere in the world. True:

Unconscious, Collective: A theoretical construct of C. G. Jung, who believed that all human beings have access to the collected mental experience of all their ancestors and that, in essence, these memories (usually in highly symbolic forms) are carried genetically from one generation to the next; sometimes called “racial” unconscious, though whether the species as a whole or specific gene pools are referred to is unclear.

Unity, Law of: “Every phenomenon in existence at any point in space or time is linked, directly or indirectly, to every other one.”

Universe: The total gestalt of all data patterns one may have about that which seems to be oneself and that which seems to be not-oneself; depending upon whether or not one believes in an objective reality, the universe can be considered to be a part of one’s metapattern or vice versa.

Unmanifest: The unknowable source of existence. It is deity stripped of all attributes, equivalent to the Tao of the Chinese philosopher Lao-tse, the Unground of Jacob Boehme, and the Ain Soph of the Kabbalah.

Variable: A factor, as in an equation or experiment, that changes from situation to situation and thus affects the outcome.

Varna: In Tantra, the principle that sound is eternal and that every letter of the alphabet is a deity.

Virtues: The magical potency or efficacy of herbs, stones, animals, and other things impressed upon them through the stars at the time of their creation by the deities.

Visualisation - The practice of imagining a place, person, thing, or event with unusual clarity and intensity.  The process of forming mental images. Magickal visualization consists of forming images of the practitioner's need during ritual. Visualization is also used to direct personal power and other forms of energy for various purposes during magick.

Vodun or Voudoun:  (1) A West African word meaning “deity” or “power.” (2) General term for a variety of eclectic religions and associated magical systems practiced throughout the Americas, consisting of mixtures of various African tribal beliefs with various Native American tribal beliefs, Roman Catholicism and Protestantism, Spiritualism, Theosophy and other systems (including Hinduism, Islam, Neopagan Witchcraft and anything else that seems useful). Different names include Candomble, Macumba, Santeria, Hoodoo, Voodoo and many others. (3) In the United States and Canada, systems of thaumaturgic magic and religion practiced by people who are usually poor, uneducated and nonwhite. Therefore, see Black Magic.

Wand: A short stick of wood or metal, used ritually in western occultism as a symbol (usually) of the “element” of Fire, as well as for concentrating and directing energies.

Water Witching: Rhabdomancy when done for finding water.

Water: One of the main “elements” in occultism; associated in the West with emotions, intuition, blue, green, silver, cups, bowls, wisdom, passivity, cleansing, passive psychic arts, cold, dampness, etc.

Web, The:  (1) The total pattern formed by all the interactions of all matter and all energy. (2) The current best example of the Law of Infinite Data.

White Magic: A racist, sexist, creedist and classist term used to refer to magic being done for “good” purposes or by people of whom the user of the term approves.

Wic-: An Old English root meaning (1) to bend, turn or twist, and (2) to practice magic. No significant connection to “wisdom.”

Wicca and Wicce: The male and female terms, respectively, in Old English that eventually became “witch” in Modern English.

Wicca: A tradition of witchcraft created in 1900s by Gerald B. Gardner.  Anglo-Saxon word meaning "wise one".

Wiccan: (1) The original plural form for “wicca/wicce” or “witch.” (2) An adjective used to describe their religion by the followers of Neopagan Witchcraft.

Wiccian or Wigle: The Old English words for the activities of a “wicca/wicce.”

Window Dressing: The scenery and passive props used to provoke and reinforce specific moods and associations.

Word of Power: A word or name, often unintelligible, that is supposed to carry magic power.

Words of Power, Law of:  “There exist certain words that are able to alter the internal and external realities of those uttering them, and their power may rest in the very sounds of the words as much as in their meanings.”

World Tree: The great tree at the axis of the world that was believed in shamanism to hold up the heavens with its branches and provide the framework for the entire universe.

Yantra: A Tantric diagram or chart.

Yin-Yang: Chinese symbol for the Laws of Polarity and Synthesis.

Yoga: Literally means “yoke” or discipline. With no qualifying adjective, usually refers to Hatha Yoga (discipline of the body).

Yule: The feast of the Winter Solstice, Birth of the Sun, etc.

Zen: Buddhist tradition where connection with divinity and total inner-peace is attained through an altered state of consciousness and a lack of distracting thoughts.

Zombie:  (1) Someone supposedly raised from the dead by a Vodun magician, possibly never really dead at all but rather drugged, who is used as a slave. (2) Someone who has joined a repressive “cult” movement, lost their own personality and other intellectual faculties, and is used as a slave. Easily identified by the characteristic “glazed eye” look and inability to continue their conversation if interrupted several times in mid-partyline.