Wicca A to Z: A Guide to the Magickal World

148 Pages·2016·4.89 MB·English

by  Gerina Dunwich

Also by Gerina Dunwich
Candlelight Spells The Concise Lexicon of the Occult Circle of Shadows:
Goddess-Inspired Poetry and Magickal Verse Wicca Craft
The Wicca Spellbook
The Wicca Book of Days The Wicca Garden
The Wicca Source Book
Wicca Candle Magick
Wicca Love Spells
Everyday Wicca
A Wiccan’s Guide to Prophecy and Divination
Wicca A to Z
A Modern Witch's Encyclopedia
Gerina Dunwich
A Citadel Press Book
Published by Kensington Publishing Corp.
This book is dedicated with much love to my mother; Al; the Mandragora
Coven; and all my sisters and brothers in the Craft. May the Goddess and the
Horned God bless each and every one of you.
Also, I wish to express my heartfelt thanks to all at Citadel Press for helping
to make this book a reality and for continuing to support my work.
Blessed Be!
Contents
Also by Gerina Dunwich
Title Page
Dedication
Introduction
Part One: Magick, Myth, and Mysticism
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
h
I
J
K
L
M
n
O
P
Q
R
S
T
U
V
W
Y
Z
Part Two: Goddesses From Around the World
Bibliography
About the Author
Copyright
Wicca A to Z is a unique encyclopedia for the modern Witch, as well as for
anyone who is interested in the Earth’s oldest religion.
Arranged alphabetically, this book is divided into two sections: Magick,
Myth, and Mysticism and Goddesses From Around the World. The first focuses
on every imaginable aspect of Wicca and the magickal arts. The different
traditions, Sabbats and rituals of the Wiccan spiritual path, as well as Wiccan
jargon, enchanting folklore, amulets and talismans, and the numerous herbs
associated with Witchcraft are but a small sampling of the wealth of material
covered within the pages of this extensively researched book.
As Wicca is essentially a Goddess-oriented religion and craft, the second
section of this encyclopedia is devoted entirely to the many Pagan goddesses
from around the world who collectively represent the power, the beauty, and the
magick of the Divine Feminine. Arranged alphabetically by name, the Goddess
entries detail each unique deity and often reveal how each one relates to, or has
influenced, contemporary Paganism and the Wiccan Craft.

BALEFIRE A sacred outdoor fire burned by Witches as part of a Sabbat
celebration, particularly the festivals of Beltane, Summer Solstice, Lammas, and
Autumn Equinox. Dancing deosil (the Wiccan term for “clockwise”) around a
balefire often takes place to invoke the deities, raise magickal energy, or
celebrate the turning of the Wheel of the Year. Slips of paper, upon which
prayers, wishes, thanksgivings, and requests for healings have been written, are
sometimes cast into the fire. Many Witches use a balefire for fire-scrying (the
divinatory art of gazing into vision-producing flames), and in many instances
libations are poured onto the flames or coals to honor a particular deity or
ancestor. The following day, long after the balefire has burned out, the
remaining ashes can be used for divination, or are collected for use in spells and
potions.
BANE A deadly herb that possesses poisonous properties. The term is often used
in combination, as in “henbane,” “wolfsbane,” “baneberry,” and so forth. Since
early times, sorcerers in just about every culture around the world have been
known to be clever in the forbidden art of poison-craft, and in the Middle Ages,
Witches were said to have done away with their enemies and rivals with various
herbal banes. The most popular magickal poisons were made with belladonna,
henbane, and mandrake.
BANISH To release or drive away a conjured spirit from the power of the
magick circle.
BANISHING RITUAL In Ceremonial Magick, a ritual performed by a magician
to remove negative or evil influences from the circle. In the banishing ritual of
the Lesser Pentagram, a consecrated ceremonial sword is used to inscribe
the Lesser Pentagram, a consecrated ceremonial sword is used to inscribe
pentagrams in the air, archangels are invoked at the four quarters, and a special
prayer known as the “Kabbalistic Cross” is recited.
BANSHEE In Gaelic folklore, a female nature-spirit who takes the form of an
old woman and presages a death in the family by wailing a mournful tune that
sounds like the melancholy moaning of the wind. As a herald of death, the
banshee is usually heard at night under the window of the person who is about to
die.
BAPHOMET A demonic deity envisaged as a goat-headed creature with wings,
the breasts of a woman, and an illuminated torch between its horns. Baphomet
was said to have been worshipped by the inner circles of several occult
brotherhoods in the Middle Ages, and was identified with the Devil card of the
Tarot by the nineteenth century magickal philosopher Eliphas Levi.
The symbol of Baphomet, also known as the mysterious “Bearded Demon”
and the “Satanic Goat,” has often been misinterpreted as one of the Craft in
general; however, Wiccans and Neo-Pagans do not use this symbol in their
rituals, nor do they believe in or worship the Devil of the Christian faith (whom
practitioners of Satanism and Devil-worshipping cults revere and associate the
symbol of Baphomet with).
BARREN SIGNS In astrology (and especially the astrologically-based practice
of lunar gardening), the three signs of the zodiac which indicate a tendency
toward barrenness: Gemini, Leo, and Virgo.
BASKANION A phallus-shaped ornament worn on a necklace by children of
ancient Greece for magickal protection against the evil eye. The baskanion
(which was also known as probaskanion and fascinum) was often used as an
amulet to protect homes, gardens, blacksmith forges, and chariots. In ancient
Rome, this amulet was called the satyrica sigma.
BELL A hollow, metallic instrument, usually cup-shaped with a flared opening,
which emits a tone when struck by a clapper suspended from within or by a
separate stick or hammer. Bells have been used by nearly all cultures throughout
history as magickal talismans, fertility charms, summons to a deity, and as