Pagan Glossary of Terms

Revival Style

~Dobhair~

Archetype – A term used frequently by the late Swiss psychologist Carl Jung. Jungian thought relates the archetype to the Collective Unconscious – the universal storage/relation system of human experience. It is believed that despite boundaries and differentiations imposed by culture, conditioning and environment, all individuals are able to relate to these forms, symbols and images similarly e.g. the Great Mother and the Wise Sage.

 Circle – The shape popularly associated with Witchcraft and Magick by folklore. In truth it symbolises eternity, life from death and death from life, unity and the underlying current of Spirit that animates all things.

The Circle is the name given to the primary ritual performed by a Witch or Wiccan before any work is begun. It is cast by a combination of visualisation, intent and will-power, and once it is cast it takes the form of a sphere encasing the caster and the entire space he/she will work within. The reasons for casting a Circle include the benefits of its sacred geometry, i.e. at no point, in a perfect circle, is there a weakest point. Therefore it is a source of protection from external and disparaging psychic influences. The energy raised during a ritual or other magickal working is contained within the Circle until it is released into the Universe.

            A Circle can also be a name for a loosely-organised group of Witches/Wiccans/Pagans, likened to a study group or training unit.

 Coven – Etymologically conceived to be of relation to the words ‘convene’, ‘covenant’ and ‘convent’, which all imply a sense of interaction with others in service of a particular role or purpose (i.e. a convent of nuns). A Coven refers to a group of Witches or Wiccans who practise their Craft together in mutual co-operation and with perfect love and perfect trust. Generally Covens meet at the Esbats and Sabbats to celebrate the natural forces reflective of the Divine and in order to work with Magick in a collaborative and supportive environment.    

            During the Witch hysteria it was traditionally believed that Witches practiced within a Coven of thirteen. It has been suggested that this number is an attempt at associating Witchcraft with intent heresy against the Church and the sacred covenant of Jesus and his twelve disciples.      

 Esbat – Believed to be derived from the French s’battre (to frolic) as conferred by the late Margaret Murray. The Esbat is the name given to a gathering of Witches. However nowadays it is a convenient term applied to celebrations of the full and new moon.

God – A generic term referring to the All and the One of monistic philosophy. God is neither male nor female but embodies aspects of both and is omnipresent within its eternity.

In Pagan theology God is not transcendent or detached but completely present and aware within the creation. For this reason Pagans revere Nature as the manifest form of a creative divine power.

            Within the Wiccan traditions the God is representative of the virile, masculine energies evident within Life. See Horned One.

 Goddess – The personification of all that is feminine within creation. According to various anthropologists and archaeologists evidence suggests that the Palaeolithic and perhaps even Neolithic people adhered to religious cults (patterns of worship) that centred on Goddess-worship. The various historical sculptures and totemic figurines unearthed at various sites in Europe and the Middle-East indicate that the pronounced feminine form was traditionally endearing and may have exerted an influential role within society considering the focus on matters of fertility.  

            Wicca honours the Goddess as the Great Mother and links her to the cycles and transitional phases of the moon. See Triple Goddess.

 Heathen – The word is derived from the rural circumstance of living on the ‘heath’ – a naturally sparse stretch of land common in Europe. Pagan Reconstructionists, especially Scandinavian traditionalists, prefer this term to Pagan in respect for their ancestry and for its convenience in terms of usage.

 Horned One – The archaic semblance of an animalistic shaman/priest. Images have been discovered of horned figures in the excavated cavern sites in both France and Spain, and this has lead to a belief in the primal worship of horned animals that posed a source of not only food but also materials needed to construct rudimentary weapons and tools, as well as clothing. One such depiction, the so-called Sorcerer (Les Trois Freres cave, France), is of a humanoid figure with distinct animalistic (stag) features. It is believed that this image is of a shaman/priest, though there are some who interpret the unusually “merged” character as the archetypal Horned God; he who is the hunter and the hunted, the very essence of primordial tribal life.

            Within Pagan theology (specifically Wiccan) the Horned God is seen as the sacrificial King, the aspect of Divinity that represents the ebb and flow of mortal life and its innate fragility. The Horned God is more often than not depicted with the horns of a stag and is associated with the pan-Celtic deity Cernunnos or Cerne (the Horned One) who shares a number of marked similarities with the Hindu God of destruction and vitality of Life, Shiva.

 Magic – Magic, also spelt Magick as prescribed to archaic spellings and Kabbalistic influence (i.e. Crowley), is the underlying, universal flow of essential energy that animates all of Life. It is not necessarily supernatural and is inherent within the natural world.

 NeoPaganism – A term used to define the contemporary resurgence in interest of Pagan spirituality. ‘Neo’ is the Greek word for new and thus a NeoPagan is a new Pagan.

            NeoPaganism differs from the Paganism practiced in ancient civilisations in that, while it integrates elements of traditional practices and customs and concentrates on animistic and pantheistic philosophies, it is essentially a revived construction based on a variety of cultures.

 Pagan – Derived from the Latin word ‘paganus’, referring to a country-dweller and literally meaning rustic. As the Catholic church usurped the Pagan faiths of each nation it conquered the term denigrated into slur and was used as an insult against the ‘barbarians’ who withheld from conversion and who often inhabited the rural farming villages; as the church first established itself within the towns and cities.

In the modern sense of the word, a Pagan is an individual who practices a naturalist or occult spirituality and seeks to develop, accentuate and embrace the totality of their existence. Pagans uphold their right to individual thought and freedom of expression and integrate critical thought into improving their spiritual outlook.

 Paganism – An ‘umbrella’ term referring to a collective group of spiritualities, religions and traditions which all celebrate the experience of Life and the inspiration of Nature and its diversity.

 Pentagram – The five-pointed star and the symbol most commonly associated with Witchcraft and Paganism in the modern day. It can be traced back to the Sumerian civilisation and has been linked with the five wounds of Christ and to Pythagoras, who saw the pentagram as an embodiment of mathematical perfection and therefore as a powerful symbol of wholeness and purity.

            To the modern-day Witch/Wiccan/Pagan the five points of the pentagram represent the five elements that form existence – Air, Earth, Water, Fire and Spirit. The five-pointed star is generally enclosed by a circle indicating the union of all five elements and the quintessential vitality they create when in harmony. The pentagram can also represent the human body when spread-eagled, i.e. head, two arms and two legs, and for this reason it can also symbolise the manifest qualities of earthly wisdom and experience (the microcosm to the macrocosm). It is both a significant icon of history and an identifiable symbol of the modern Witchcraft movement.

 Ritual – The word itself descends from the Sanskrit ‘rtu’ which translates as menses and therefore indicates a sense of repetition and rhythm as related to the physical cycles inherent in creation.

A ritual is conventionally defined as a prescribed set of religious devotions performed regularly to achieve spiritual fulfilment. Pagans perform rituals in order to unite the depth of symbolism within the unconscious with the arousal of the senses that a ritual engenders.  

Self – A psychological term which describes the union of levels of awareness within an individual and encapsulates the entirety and wholeness of a being.

 Sabbat – Historically the Sabbat (Sabbath) refers to the fantastical accounts of Witches’ meetings, in which infanticide, lust, devil-worship and mockery of the Christian faith was claimed to be committed regularly. However in truth ‘Sabbat’, stemming from the Greek word for rest ‘sabatu’, is a universally applicable term for a religious holy day i.e. the Jewish Sabbath. Witches may celebrate up to eight Sabbats annually which are linked to the seasonal and astronomical movements that impact on the natural tides of this Earth. The eight Sabbats of the Wiccan Wheel of the Year are divided into the Greater Sabbats (Celtic-derived pastoral rites) and the Lesser Sabbats (the equinoxes and solstices). The four Greater Sabbats are as follows – Samhain, Imbolc/Candlemas, Beltaine and Lughnasad/Lammas. The four Lesser Sabbats are – Yule/Winter Solstice, Ostara/Spring Equinox, Litha/Summer Solstice and Mabon/Autumn Equinox.

 Solitary – An individual who practices a NeoPagan path alone, either by intent or circumstance. The solitary path gradually gained in popularity as the interest in Witchcraft accelerated, well surpassing the number of active, training Covens.

 Spell – A magickal working incorporating refined intent, strengthened will and aroused emotion into a single pulse of energy that is imbued with particular direction and aim.

A spell is cast with purpose and often works within a set of prescribed correspondences that become metaphysically instilled within the energy of the working and are believed to increase the potency of the spell.

 Triple Goddess – The Triple Goddess has her origins in the mythos of Persephone (Kore), Demeter and Hecate, Greek Goddesses embodying the waxing, full and waning qualities of the moon respectively.

In Wiccan theology the Triple Goddess is a generic structure based on the aforementioned phases of the moon and is connected with the archetypal Maiden, Mother and Crone.  

            The Maiden (new and waxing moon) is representative of the stirring of curiosity and youthful vigour inherent in the idealism of today. She is Kore, the daughter of Demeter and spirit of spring, and her colour is white for purity of mind and spirit.

            The Mother (full moon) is representative of the abundance and fruitfulness of Nature. She embodies the harvest that is received and fosters bounty, love and patience. She is the Great Mother, both terrible and generous, and seeks to unite all within her embrace. Her colour is red for the menstrual blood of the grown woman.

            The Crone (waning and dark moon) is representative of the cunning woman and she who reclines in the shadows. She is the aspect of the Goddess and of Witchcraft that most people associate with the assumed physicality of the stereotypical Witch as haggish and decrepit. The Crone is wise, ancient and all-knowing. Her mysteries are that of the depths of the night and the fearlessness of Death and Change. Her colour is black for the void of Life which we all must encounter.

 Wicca – A Pagan religion believed to have been founded, or rather structured and made accessible, by the late Gerald B. Gardner (1884 – 1964) through his published works – Witchcraft Today (1954) and The Meaning of Witchcraft (1959). Though Gardner claimed historical links to organised covens in Britain which were said to have existed from the Neolithic period, through medieval times and into the modern day, Wicca is in fact a very young religion which comprises a myriad of practices, customs, lore and beliefs owing to various occult, spiritual and religious groups. It remains an autonomous and relatively free religion; the only universal teaching: “Eight words the Wiccan Rede fulfil; An ye harm none do what ye will.” 

Wiccan – A practitioner of the Wiccan religion. A Wiccan will either be a member of an initiatory coven or practice alone as a solitary within a specific tradition or as an eclectic – an individual who develops a personal path by borrowing concepts, ideas, myths and techniques from various cultural and spiritual groups, and in some cases literature.

 Wiccan Rede – “An ye harm none do what ye will.” It is believed that this is merely an adaptation of Aleister Crowley’s infamous statement (channelled through a spiritual being known to him as Aiwass), “Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law.” It may also stem from an obscure literary reference to the French novel The Adventures of King Pausole (1901) by Pierre Louys, which tells the story of the bohemian King Pausole. Interestingly enough the literary king pronounced edicts embracing sexual freedom and simplistic moral codes of behaviour. Gardner is known to have been familiar with the novel and therefore a link can be made. In its essence the Rede (meaning advice) can be translated as meaning follow the Will within, which in and of itself is pure and divine, so long as it harms none.

 Witch – An individual, male or female, who works with the universal flow of energy (Magic/k) and who commits to serve the Self and Nature through this celebrated link. A Witch may concern themselves with spiritual devotion and morality; however these are extensions of the essence of Witchcraft.

 Witchcraft – A practice, way of life and methodology which involves a diverse range of metaphysical, occult and magical principles and customs that, when executed in a properly prepared state of mind and environment, achieve desired results and affect the Witch’s life in both a conscious and subconscious manner.