Altar: A place to worship (usually holds various tools that are not removed, such as god and goddess candles, incense, and so on).
Athame: A knife, usually double-sided, used for ritual purposes such as pointing and directing energy. It represents the male.
Banishing: Magick done to reduce or get rid of something.
Beltane: Also spelled Beltaine, the pagan holiday that falls on May first.
Book of Shadows: A Witch’s book containing rituals, magickal information, and the like.
Cakes and ale: A part of the ritual during which food and drink (not necessarily literally cake or ale) are passed around the circle. It is used for grounding at the end of a ritual and to demonstrate gratitude for our blessings.
Cauldron: A bowl representing the female. Usually made out of metal, it is often fireproof.
Chalice: A cup used during rituals (especially cakes and ale). Also representing the female, this cup should be used only for magickal work and not everyday drinking.
Chant: A song or series of words that are repeated during a ritual in order to raise energy and/or to praise the gods.
Charge of the Goddess: A poem, found in a number of variations, in praise of the goddess (there is also a lesser used Charge of the God). Often read during Full Moon rituals.
Circle: A gathering of Witches, or the place where they gather (once the ritual begins, the circle encloses the participants), and another name for a group of Witches.
Cleansing: The act of purifying or cleaning energy, a space, or the like.
Consecrate: To bless, especially when setting something aside for magickal use.
Correspondences: When an item is used to represent a particular property/intent (a rose quartz stone for love, a green candle for prosperity, and so on).
Coven: A group of Witches, usually a group whose members have formally dedicated themselves together.
Craft, The: Another name for Witchcraft.
Crone: The goddess’s representation as old woman. Also: a Witch who is an elder.
Dedication: The act of making a formal commitment to the gods. (Witches can be self-dedicated or dedicated by a High Priest and/or High Priestess.)
Deity: A general term for any god or goddess.
Deosil: Movement that is done in a clockwise fashion (usually for increase or positive work).
Element: There are five elements used in Wicca: Earth, Air, Fire, Water, and Spirit.
Esbat: The ritual celebrations that take place at the Full Moon and New Moon.
Garb: Ritual clothing.
Grove: A Druid group.
Handfasting: A pagan wedding ceremony.
High Priest: A male pagan leader.
High Priestess: A female pagan leader.
Hiving off: The term for a new group that is started using at least some members from a preexisting group.
Imbolc: The pagan holiday that falls on February second, and is the origin of Groundhog Day.
Invocation: Words used to summon quarters or invite in a god or goddess.
Intent: The purpose of a spell or magickal working; focused energy.
Lammas/Lughnasadh: The pagan holiday that falls on August first, it is the first of three harvest festivals.
Law of Three: The generally accepted pagan belief that anything put out into the universe will come back threefold.
Litha: Another name for the pagan holiday that falls at Midsummer, or Summer Solstice.
Mabon: The pagan holiday that falls on the Autumn Equinox.
Maiden: The goddess’s representation as a young woman.
Mother: The goddess’s representation as a nurturing mother.
Mundane: A non-pagan, or everyday life (e.g.: “In my mundane life, I am a librarian”).
Old gods: A term for the pagan gods worshipped in earlier times and still worshipped today.
Ostara: The pagan holiday that falls at the Spring Equinox and the origin of the Christian holiday of Easter.
Pagan: A general term for someone who worships the old gods (usually including a goddess figure) and follows a nature-based religion.
Pentacle: A commonly used pagan symbol consisting of a five-pointed star inside a circle. It represents the five elements and the circle of the universe or unity.
Quarter: A direction used in a magickal circle: North, East, South, or West. Each quarter represents specific elements and qualities (North is Earth and grounding, for example.)
Sabbat: Pagan holidays. There are eight sabbats in the pagan year.
Samhain: The pagan holiday that falls on October thirty-first, also known as the Witch’s New Year. Samhain is the origin of Halloween.
Smudge stick: An herbal wand used for smudging or cleansing, usually made of sage.
Solitary: A Witch who practices alone.
Speaking stick: A stick or other object that is passed around the circle during ritual. Only the person holding the speaking stick should be talking during this time.
Wheel of the Year: The pagan calendar of holidays. Also: another way of referring to an entire year.
Wicca: A name for one general form of pagan religious practice. All Wiccans are Pagans, but not all Pagans are Wiccans.
Wiccan: One who practices Wicca, also known as a Witch.
Wiccan Rede: The basic rule of Wicca: “An it harm none, do as ye will.”
Widdershins: Movement that is done in a counterclockwise direction, usually for unbinding or banishing.
Yule: The pagan holiday that falls on the Winter Solstice and the origin of the Christian holiday of Christmas.