Cunningham's Encyclopedia of Wicca in the Kitchen - Scott Cunningham 1990

Glossary

Bold words within each discussion refer to other related entries in this glossary.

Akasha: The fifth element; the omnipresent spiritual power that permeates the universe. It is the energy out of which the elements formed.

Aphrodisiac: An organic substance thought to produce sexual excitement.

B.C.E.: Before Common Era; the nonreligious equivalent of B.C.

C.E.: Common Era; the nonreligious equivalent of A.D.

Conscious mind: The societally controlled, intellectual, theorizing, materialistic half of the human mind that is at work during everyday activities. Compare with psychic mind.

Curse: A conscious direction of negative energy toward a person, place, or thing. Contrary to popular belief, curses are rare. Also known as “psychic attack.”

Divination: The magical act of discovering the unknown by interpreting seemingly random patterns or symbols through the use of such tools as clouds, tarot cards, flames, or smoke. Divination contacts the psychic mind by tricking (or drowsing) the conscious mind through ritual and the observation of, or the use of, tools. Divination isn’t necessary for those who can easily attain communication with the psychic mind, though they may practice it.

Elements: Earth, air, fire, and water. These four essences are the building blocks of the universe. Everything that exists (or that has the potential to exist) contains one or more of these energies. The elements hum within ourselves and are also at large in the world. They can be utilized to cause change through magic. The four elements formed from the primal essence, or power—akasha.

Energy, energies: A general term for the currently unmeasureable (but real) power that exists within all natural objects and beings—including our own bodies. To many, this energy stems from the divine source of all that exists. It is used in folk magic rituals.

Evil eye: The glance said to be capable of causing great harm (even death) that was once almost universally feared. It is supposedly an unconscious curse.

Folk magic: The practice of using personal power as well as the energies within natural objects such as food, crystals, and herbs to cause needed change.

Food magic: The utilization of the energies naturally inherent in foods to manifest specific personal transformations. Certain foods are chosen for their energies, and are ritually prepared and eaten to introduce these energies into the magician’s body. Visualization is necessary to activate the energies inside the foods, as well as to prepare the diner to accept them.

Great Mother, The: The timeless female source; the creatress; the nurturing, nourishing, fertile force of the universe. One form of the Goddess, linked with agriculture and the bounties of the earth.

Grounding: The process of temporarily shutting off psychic awareness and reorienting the awareness to the material world.

“Luck, good”: An individual’s ability to make timely, correct decisions, to perform correct actions, and to place herself or himself in positive situations. “Bad luck” stems from ignorance and an unwillingness to accept self-responsibility.

Magic: The movement of natural energies (such as personal power) to create needed change. Energy exists within all things: ourselves, foods, plants, stones, colors, sounds, movements. Magic is the process of “rousing” or of building up this energy, giving it purpose (through visualization), and releasing it to create a change. This is a natural, not supernatural, process, though it is little understood.

Meditation: Reflection, contemplation, turning inward toward the self or outward toward deity or nature. A quiet time in which the practitioner may dwell upon particular thoughts or symbols, or allow them to come unbidden.

Pagan: From the Latin paganus, a “villager,” a “country-dweller.” Today, the word is used as a general term for followers of Wicca as well as other shamanistic, polytheistic, and magic-embracing religions. Pagans aren’t Satanists, dangerous, or “evil.”

Pentagram: The basic five-pointed star, visualized with one point upward. The pentagram represents the five senses; the elements (earth, air, fire, water, and akasha); the hand, and the human body, among other things. It is a protective symbol known to have been in use since the days of old Babylon. Today, it is frequently associated with Wicca. The pentagram is also a symbol of the element of earth and, hence, of money.

Personal power: The energy that sustains our bodies. We first absorb it from our biological mother within the womb, and later from food, water, sunlight, and other natural objects. We release personal power during movement, exercise, sex, conception, childbirth, thought, and magic.

Psychic attack: See Curse.

Psychic mind: The subconscious, or unconscious, mind in which we receive psychic impulses. The psychic mind is at work when we sleep, dream, and meditate. Divination is a ritual process designed to contact the psychic mind. Intuition is a term used to describe psychic information that unexpectedly reaches the conscious mind. Psychism describes the state in which information from the psychic mind is available to the conscious mind.

Psychism: The act of being consciously psychic.

Ritual: Ceremony. A specific form of movement, manipulation of objects, or inner process designed to produce specific results. In religion, ritual is geared toward union with the divine. In magic, it is a series of simple actions (both external and internal) that allow the magician to move energy toward needed goals. A spell is a magical ritual.

Visualization: The process of forming mental images. Magical visualization consists of forming images of needed goals during ritual. Visualization is also used to direct personal power and natural energies during magic for various purposes. It is a function of the conscious mind.

Wicca: A contemporary Pagan religion with spiritual roots in the earliest expressions of reverence for nature as a manifestation of the divine. Wicca views deity as Goddess and God; thus it is polytheistic. It also embraces the practice of magic and reincarnation. Many Wiccans identify themselves with the word Witch.

Witch: Anciently, a European practitioner of the remnants of pre-Christian folk magic, especially herb magic. One who practiced Witchcraft. This term’s meaning was later deliberately altered to denote demented, dangerous, supernatural beings who practiced destructive magic and who threatened Christianity. This was a political, financial, and sexist move on the part of organized religion. Though this negative meaning is still currently accepted by many non-Witches, it doesn’t describe Witches themselves, who simply practice nonthreatening, love-charged folk magic. The term Witch is also used by members of Wicca to describe themselves.

Witchcraft: The craft of a Witch; magic, especially magic utilizing personal power in conjunction with the energies, within foods, stones, herbs, colors, and other natural objects (See folk magic). From this definition, Witchcraft isn’t a religion. Many followers of the Pagan religion of Wicca, however, use Witchcraft and Wicca interchangeably to describe their religion.