105 lines
5.3 KiB
Plaintext
105 lines
5.3 KiB
Plaintext
AN INCOMPLETE GLOSSARY OF PAGAN TERMS.
|
||
by Blackhawk
|
||
|
||
|
||
Pagan
|
||
A person who follows a religious path which is Earth-centered.
|
||
Including, but not limited to, Wicca, Druidic worship, Native
|
||
American Ways, Aboriginal Australian, pre-Christian African, and
|
||
in some respects, Shinto.
|
||
|
||
Witch
|
||
An archaic term, from the Old English "wice", meaning "Wise
|
||
One". Modern usage varies, but it is sometimes used as a synonym
|
||
for Wiccan, a practioner of Wicca. Applies to either gender.
|
||
|
||
Warlock
|
||
Often used to mean a male Witch, but this is incorrect. The word
|
||
actually comes from the Old English, and means "oath breaker".
|
||
It refers to the Inquisitors' early tactic against Witch covens,
|
||
where a deep-cover agent was sent to infiltrate a coven, and
|
||
upon being initiated was to betray the coven members.
|
||
Unfortunately for the agent, the Inquisitors usually tortured
|
||
ALL initiated members of the coven, which included the agent.
|
||
|
||
Coven
|
||
Traditionally, a group of 12 plus a "leader". Most Witches
|
||
covens were originally built around this number, though the
|
||
Burning Times ended the widespread practice of this tradition,
|
||
as there were seldom 13 Witches alive in any given area. In
|
||
modern usage, "coven" refers to any group of pagans that wishes
|
||
to use the term. Note: The original "12+1" configuration can be
|
||
found in several Christian myths and traditions. Christ and his
|
||
12 Apostles, Arthur and his original 12 Knights, the 13 stars in
|
||
Mary, the Queen of Heaven's crown, etc.
|
||
|
||
Witchcraft
|
||
The forerunner of modern Wicca. Literally, "the Craft of the
|
||
Wise". An Earth-centered religion holding Life as sacred, and
|
||
honoring both the Divine Female and Male (Goddess and God). True
|
||
Witchcraft was all but destroyed during the Burning Times,
|
||
though some family traditions (famtrads) have survived in total
|
||
secrecy (until lately).
|
||
|
||
witchcraft
|
||
(Note the small "w" here) During the Burning Times, the
|
||
Inquistitors tortured people for "witchcraft", which they
|
||
erroneously held to be a pact with the Christian Satan. Although
|
||
no Witches believed in Satan, the Church hierarchy did, and they
|
||
saw the Witches, with their pagan ways, as being servants of
|
||
Evil. Those who practiced witchcraft (small "w") were said to
|
||
sacrifice children and drink their blood, engage in wild orgies
|
||
under a full moon, and cause all sorts of trouble to the
|
||
"God-fearing". Confessions were extracted by the use of gruesome
|
||
tortures, and these confessions were usually used to convict the
|
||
accused at their "trial". The sentence was normally death, but
|
||
the accused or her/his family could sometimes buy their way out
|
||
by giving the local church all the accused's personal property.
|
||
|
||
Burning Times
|
||
The name given by pagans to the period when people were
|
||
imprisoned, tortured, and killed under the office of the
|
||
Inquistion. Although initially begun as an internal hunt within
|
||
the Church for heretics, the Inquisition was expanded to include
|
||
non-Christians, who were tortured for witchcraft (see above).
|
||
The death-toll from the Burning Times is held to be 9 million,
|
||
but it is acknowledged that only a small percentage of these
|
||
were actually pagan. The vast majority were Christian women.
|
||
|
||
Sabbat
|
||
A pagan Solar holiday. There are eight Sabbats in a year
|
||
occuring at approximately six-week intervals, corresponding to
|
||
solar events, i.e., solstices and equinoxes, and the midpoints
|
||
between them. The pagan New Year is usually Samhain (pronounced
|
||
Sah'-when), which occurs on October 31. This Sabbat, which is a
|
||
time for honoring those who have gone before, gave rise to
|
||
Halloween. Note that the word "sabbat" has been adopted by
|
||
certain satanic groups as a name for their own meetings, but
|
||
this is a modern corruption of the pagan practice.
|
||
|
||
Esbat
|
||
A pagan Lunar holiday. There are usually 13 Esbats in a year,
|
||
occuring on the nights of full moons. On occasion, Esbats
|
||
coincide with Sabbats. These occasions call for a larger party
|
||
than normal.
|
||
|
||
Pentagram
|
||
An ancient symbol, comprised of a five-pointed star in a circle.
|
||
The symbol has been given many meanings over the years. It has
|
||
stood for Mankind, the Element of Earth, as a protective symbol.
|
||
It is most often used to symbolize the five Elements (Air,
|
||
Earth, Fire, Water, and Spirit) bound together as one. It is
|
||
often called a "pentacle", but this actually refers to a flat,
|
||
round object inscribed with a pentagram. Either word is
|
||
acceptable, however.
|
||
|
||
Magic
|
||
Difficult to define, as nearly everyone has their own
|
||
definition. Natural Magic does NOT require the intervention of
|
||
spirits, and this is the form of magic practiced by most
|
||
Wiccans. Other pagan groups will vary. Magic has been best
|
||
defined (in the author's opinion) as: 1) Energies that flow
|
||
through and permeate reality, that modern science has yet to
|
||
quantify; 2) the use of these energies to affect a change in the
|
||
status quo.
|
||
|