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.

(See also: Wiccan, Pagan, Paganism, Pagan Dictionary)

Wiccan: A person who follows one of the many sects of Wicca.

(See also: Wiccan, Magic, Shamanism, Paganism, Wicca)

DREAM GLOSSARY - notebook to jot down dreams and symbols (NAD)

(See also: DREAM GLOSSARY, Wiccan Pagan, Paganism, Pagan Dictionary)

WICCANING: the act of parents, promising to rear their child in the Wiccan culture...SEE PAGANING or SAINING.

(See also: WICCANING, Witchcraft, Wicca, Paganism, Pagan Dictionary)

HANDFASTING: Wiccan equivalent of a wedding. It can be made legal if the Priestess and/or Priest are registered as clergy with the local authorities, or it may only be considered binding within the coven.

(See also: HANDFASTING, Paganism, Pagan, Pagan Dictionary)

ELDER: Many Wiccan organizations have a group or board of Elders who oversee the operations of the church and its variety of functions. These people have usually gained their positions through a combination of their abilities, which may include education, experience, magickal adeptship and counseling.

(See also: ELDER, Paganism, Pagan, Pagan Dictionary)

ESBAT: Weekly or biweekly meeting of a coven. Any Wiccan religious celebration held which is not a sabbat, commonly held on full moons in honor of the goddess. EVOCATION: To call something out from within.

(See also: ESBAT, Paganism, Pagan, Pagan Dictionary)

CIRCLE, MAGIC: A sphere of magical energies in which Wiccan rituals are usually practiced. The area inside the circle is seen as being sacred ground in which Wicca and their deities may meet. The circle is deconstructed (released, grounded, etc) after use. Often constructed using the athame, along with incense, salt, and water, but methods vary greatly.

(See also: CIRCLE, MAGIC, Paganism, Pagan, Pagan Dictionary)

PRIESTESS: A female dedicated to both the service of her chosen deity(ies) and humankind. a High Priestess is the feminine leader of a coven or Wiccan organization and plays the role of Goddess in certain ceremonies. A solitary Witch can be a Priestess by dedicating herself to a particular God or Goddess.

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PATHWORKING: This is a wiccan Journey through the astral realm. It is narrated and occurs often in groups. There usually is a set destination that all arrive at.

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SABBAT: Any one of eight Wiccan solar festivals, marked by the 4 solstices and equinoxes, as well as 4 dates in-between them. They are (Celtic style names, others exist) Yule, Imbolc, Ostara, Beltane, Litha, Lughnasadh, Mabon, and Samhain.

(See also: SABBAT, Paganism, Pagan, Pagan Dictionary)

BOLINE: A Wiccan ritual knife used for more practical purposes, such as cutting herbs, etc. *never* to draw blood. Generally white handled with a curved blade. compare: Athame.

(See also: BOLINE, Paganism, Pagan, Pagan Dictionary)

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. This term has nothing to do with Satanism.

(See also: WITCH, Paganism, Pagan, Pagan Dictionary)

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.

(See also: ARADIA, Paganism, Pagan, Pagan Dictionary)

ALEXANDRIAN WICCA: A Wiccan tradition founded by Alex Sanders in England and disputed as being the original form of Wicca instead of Gardnerian Wicca. Sanders claimed to have been initiated as a Hereditary Witch by his grandmother but critics claim many Alexandrian rituals are almost identical to Gardnerian ones, with a little ceremonial magick and Judeo-Christian mysteries thrown in.

Covens work skyclad. The eight Sabbats are observed and the Goddess and God are revered. Alexandrian Wiccans are considered to be Traditional Witches who trace their line of initiatory descent from Alex and Maxine Sanders, through a line of Alexandrian High Priests and High Priestesses, who follow the Alexandrian Book of Shadows, and who practice the Alexandrian Tradition of Wicca.

(See also: ALEXANDRIAN WICCA, Magickal Traditions, Magickal Paths, Paganism, Pagan Dictionary)

DIANIC WICCA: A group of Wiccan traditions that focus primarily (but not always exclusively) on the Goddess. Known as the "feminist" movement in Wicca, it was first identified by Margaret Murray in 1921 in "The Witch-Cult in Western Europe". Most Dianic Wiccan traditions follow a Roman or Eclectic Pantheon that reveres Diana, but the term has been applied to traditions embracing other pantheons that are Goddess focused.

(See also: DIANIC WICCA, Magickal Traditions, Magickal Paths, Paganism, Pagan Dictionary)

CIRCLE WICCA: A Wiccan tradition founded in 1974 by Selena Fox and Jim Alan. Its headquarters are at Circle Sanctuary, a 200 acre Nature preserve and organic herb farm in the rolling hills of southwestern Wisconsin. Circle is incorporated as a non-profit spiritual center and is recognized as a legal Wiccan Church by state and federal governments. Circle differs from many traditions of Wicca in that it is more aligned with Shamanism and Amerindian ways than with the Western European influences found in the majority of Craft traditions.

(See also: CIRCLE WICCA, Magickal Traditions, Magickal Paths, Paganism, Pagan Dictionary)

PRIEST: A male dedicated to both the service of his chosen deity(ies) and humankind. a High Priest is the male leader of a coven or Wiccan organization and plays the role of the God in certain ceremonies. He is usually chosen by the High Priestess. Although it is true neither male nor female has dominion over the other in the Craft, the High Priestess has the last word, for Her word is Law. The High Priest and High Priestess in a coven environment should work as a balanced team. On occasion they draw the energy of the God and Goddess respective to their sex in order to further a positive magickal working or celebrate a holiday/ These people must be skilled in magick and ceremony, but they also need maturity, wisdom and a great deal of humility. They are required to be diplomatic and merciful when the situation demands. Their job is not an easy one. You will hear reference to the Great Rite, wherein the High Priest and High Priestess magically draw the energy of the God and Goddess through sexual interaction, either simulated or real. However, if intercourse actually takes place, it is almost always done in privacy, out of sight of the other coven members. In the 1970s sexual intercourse among coven members was prominent in some traditions. In the 1990s with the threat of the AIDS virus and society's shift to more conservative views on sexuality, actual intercourse is not as widely practiced. Sex magick is NOT a requirement for any individual to practice Witchcraft.

(See also: PRIEST, Paganism, Pagan, Pagan Dictionary)

ATHAME: A Wiccan ritual knife. Generally double edged with a black handle, but not always. This knife is seldom used for physical cutting, if at all, and need not be sharp. It is *never* used to draw blood and Wicca do not draw blood or use blood in ritual. Its primary use is as an energy directing device, much like the wand, though with different common uses. compare: Boline, Wand. Principally used to cast and dissolve the circle, for which purposes it is interchangeable with the magic sword. A tool of the "Element" of Fire in the Georgian Tradition and some others.

(See also: ATHAME, Paganism, Pagan, Pagan Dictionary)

GARDNERIAN WICCA: A Wiccan tradition founded by Gerald Gardner, and the first denomination of Wicca to make itself known publicly. It is disputed to be the original form of Wicca versus Alexandrian Wiccan. Gardner claimed to have been initiated into a surviving Coven of Traditional Witches in the New Forest by "Old Dorothy" Clutterbuck in 1939. Gardner was accused of inventing the whole concept of Wicca and of getting Aleister Crowley to write its rituals although the Gardnerian Book of Shadows is a compilation from various sources, much of it actually contributed by Doreen Valiente.

The Gardnerian tradition places emphasis on the Goddess over the God, has a degree system of advancement and does not allow for self-initiation. Covens work skyclad and aim to equal numbers of male and female, paired. Covens are autonomous and are found in most countries around the world.

Gardnerian Wiccans are considered to be Traditional Witches who trace their line of initiatory descent from Dorothy Clutterbuck through Gerald Gardner and through a line of Gardnerian High Priests and High Priestesses. The adhere to the rituals laid out in the Gardnerian Book of Shadows.

(See also: GARDNERIAN WICCA, Magickal Traditions, Magickal Paths, Paganism, Pagan Dictionary)