Terminology
Just some terminology for those new to help you navigate the site!
Paganism: an umbrella term covering many different religions, traditions, and spiritual paths. Many (but not all) are Earth centered spirituality, rooted and inspired by older religious practices and the traditions, beliefs, and mythology that surround them generally from within the European-Mediterranean area. This would include: the more common Greek, Roman, Celtic, Norse, Egyptian, etc...
Pagan: Someone who follows a religion under paganism.
Witchcraft: the study and practice of magick. Witchcraft is not a religion in itself; it is a craft, a practice.
Witch: someone who practices witchcraft. Can be any gender or sex
Wiccan: Someone who follows the pagan religion of Wicca. Wicca is not the same as witchcraft.
Eclectic: "composed of elements drawn from various sources" Someone who pulls from different religions, beliefs, paths and doesn't follow one specific path in paganism.
Esbat: a ritual observance during a moon phase, generally the full moon.
Sabbat: witches holidays, celebrations which follow the suns rotation of changing seasons and cross quarter days
Solstice: the time or date (twice each year) at which the sun reaches its maximum or minimum declination, marked by the longest and shortest days (about June 21 and December 22).
Magick: to manifest, create, direct, or inspire a change be it physical, mental, emotional, or worldly using intent and one or more sources: energy, ritual, tools, spirits, ancestors, Earth, the universe/stars/zodiac, or deity. At the heart and soul of magic, it is all about using intent to manifest something. witches often spell Magick with a K vs with a c as in magic, this is to differentiate between our magick vs slight of hand/mirror tricks of magic.
Spell: a magickal working
Prayer: a request or communication with deity
Ritual: a ceremony where a series of actions are performed.
Consecrate: to cleanse, bless, charge with energy, or make sacred
Altar: a surface (or surfaces) used as a place for deity devotion and religious, spiritual, and magickal workings.
Anoint: to smear or rub with oil
Archetype: an image or symbol that represents deities in a way that we can comprehend
Athame: a ritual knife
Besom: a broom used to sweep away negative energy or ritualisticly clean sacred space
Book of Shadows: a magickal and sacred book of our magickal workings, journal, correspondences, spells, and rituals, etc....
Chalice: a ritualistic cup
Circle: creating a sacred energetic field around yourself for practicing ritual or spellcrafting
Coven: a group of witches who practice, worship, celebrate sabbats, or perform magickal workings together
Dedication: a ritual to dedicate oneself to a specific diety or path
Elements: Earth, Air, Fire, Water, and Spirit
Grounding: an act of connecting to the Earth and centering oneself
Incantation: words or phrases used during a spell or ritual
Invoke: to call upon deities, spirits, elements, or other beings for help during a ritual or spell
Pantheism: the belief that the divine is within all things, that the universe is a manifestation of the divine
Panentheism: the belief that the divine is both greater than the universe and also encompasses all of the universe.
Pantheon: a collection or group of deities
Polytheism: the belief in multiple deities
Pentacle: a talisman or magickal object that is usually circular and contains a pentagram, such as a necklace
Pentagram: a 5 pointed star representing the 5 elements and used to represent balance and protection
Sigil: a sign, symbol, or glyph used in magickal workings and spellwork
Skyclad: the act of performing ritual work in the nude
Solitary: a witch who practices without a group
Smudging: a ritualistic act where you burn herbs to produce smoke to cleanse and purify
Visualization: the act of forming mental images in ones mind to focus and pour intention during ritual or spellworking
Wand: a ritual item used to direct energy
Wheel of the Year: the collection of Sabbats for the year