Monthly Archives: December 2011

…….uncasting.

To uncast anything is merely to reverse the process, such as when a witch casts a circle she will reverse the process she used initially to uncast it.

U is also for unity, something I would love to see a lot more of.  A lot of witches get on just fine, recognise that we all have different views on stuff and are all entitled to our own opinions on something.  But there is, as with all of humankind, a small group who will verbally attack anyone who disagrees with their own way of thinking.  Remember my post on the fluffy bashers?  To unite as one group, i.e. witches/pagans etc with similar views about such matters would be far better than attacking everyone who holds a different opinion to us.

…….talisman.

A talisman is an object that a witch imbues with power and energy.  These items can be as basic as a stone or pebble being imbued for protection, to elaborate items being imbued with energies for healing, or bringing about a specific change.
Many cultures and religions believe in the power of talismans and many objects can be used.  a talisman can be used for just about any purpose, and really needn’t be that difficult to charge up.

………..Sabbat.

The Sabbats are the witches holidays, if you like.  They represent the circle of life, birth, life, death and rebirth.  There are 8 sabbats in total:

Samhain – celebrated on October 31st.  This is the Witch’s New Year, the traditional end of the growing season.  This is the time of the Lord’s death and where the veil between our world and the world of the dead is at it’s thinnest.  We celebrate by remembering the dead, maybe laying a place for them at our feast.  We also mark the end of the year by doing divination, seeing what the coming year will bring by using our favourite divination method(s).

Yule – celebrated on or around December 21st.  Also known as the Winter Solstice.  This is the time where the Goddess gives birth to the God.  This is the return of the sun/son.  It is also the time of the shortest day of the year.  At this time we celebrate our family and friends, we celebrate peace, love and light.

Imbolc  – celebrated on or around February 1st.  Also known as Candlemas.  We are celebrating birth now, early signs of spring and rebirth are starting to emerge – the first shoots are appearing, lambs are being born.  The God is growing fast now, he is no longer a baby but a fine young boy.

Ostara – celebrated around March 21st.  Also known as the Spring Equinox.  It is when the Goddess and the God begin their courtship, now he is a fine young man.  Day and night are now equal, balance is being restored.  Traditionally a time of rebirth.  Spring has finally sprung and there are plenty of signs of new life all around us.  It is a time for new beginnings.

Beltane – celebrated on May 1st.  The time when the Lord and Lady consummate their relationship.  This sabbat is all about fertility, so you should finish your seed planting now and maybe finalise plans you have been making for your life.

Litha – celebrated on or around June 21st.  Also known as the Summer Solstice, the longest day of the year.  It is midsummer.  The Goddess is pregnant with the God now.  It is a great time for handfastings and marriages of any sort – my own wedding was June 23rd, many moons ago.  Everything is ripe and abundant now, but we are mindful that nothing lasts forever.  Within a few days the seemingly everlasting light will begin to wain again.  The God is at his peak now.

Lughnasadh – celebrated on August 1st, or thereabouts.  It is the first of the harvest festivals.  A time for giving thanks for what we have.

Mabon – celebrated on or around September 21st.  Another of the harvest festivals and also another time of balance.  The dark will now overtake the light, as we move towards Samhain and Yule again.  Traditionally a time for giving thanks and enjoying the benefits of what we have grown this past year.  The God rests inside the womb of the Goddess now, waiting to be reborn at Yule.

……….rune.

Runes are letters from ancient alphabets, such as Scandanavian and Germanic speaking nations.  They were used to communicate but are more commonly used as a divination tool nowadays.  Some witches use the runic alphabet to write in their Book of Shadows, or for spellwork, feeling it gives a more authentic look.

……… Querent.

This word is used a lot in divination and you may be surprised to know that a fair few people have no idea what it actually means.  A querent is basically an inquirer; someone who is enquiring after their future, someone who wants you to use a divination method to answer questions they have.

………personal responsibility.

Not so much what you would expect to find in an A-Z of witchcraft, but I think this is a very important aspect of one’s craft.  Whatever you send out you should accept responsibility for that energy.  The same goes for absolutely anything that you do in the name of witchcraft.  It’s no use saying you cast a spell on someone because you read it in a book, the fact of the matter is you made the choice to act out what you read, therefore you are responsible for whatever happens next.

In this day and age we hear so much about people passing the buck when it comes to taking responsibility for their actions.  I absolutely hate that.  As witches we need to be aware of what we send out, in whatever shape or form, and we need to be woman/man enough to accept responsibility, even if something unpleasant happens as a result.

Personal responsibility is something we need to face in all walks of life, but especially so in witchcraft.

………Occult.

The definition of the word Occult is hidden or secret knowledge.  When people hear the word occult, they tend to think in terms of evil doers casting evil, harmful spells upon the unsuspecting.  I daresay there are such people about, but the vast majority of occultists that I know are lovely people; witches, pagans and anyone else who falls into the category of magcikal people.

In the early 2000’s I was involved with a group of people and we termed ourselves as occultists.  OK, so it ended badly, but that was not because we were harming folks, it was more to do with jealousy rising its ugly head within the group – those of you who read my now defunct blog will know what I am referring to.

The occult is not such a scary place after all, it is given a bad press like most pagan and witchy things by people who are misguided.

…….Necromancy.

Necromancy is the communication with the dead via a Ouija board, or some other way.  It is used for divination purposes, though some may use this form of magick to cast spells by summoning the spirits of the dead and getting them to carry out their bidding.
There are many articles to be read on this subject and I am not going to even attempt to give a further explanation as this is an area I have never really looked into.  I will say though, like with all forms of magick one should always think long and hard about what they are wanting to achieve, how they are going to go about it and what exactly they are going to do once ready to perform said magick.

………Muse.

The Muses are the Goddesses who inspire us in our creativity.  They are the daughters – there are 9 of them – of Zeus and Mnemosyne.  The 9 Muses are:

Calliope – muse of epic poetry.
Clio       – muse of history.
Erato    – muse of love poetry.
Euterpe – muse of song and Elegiac poetry.
Melpomene – muse of tragedy.
Polyhymnia  – muse of hymns.
Terpsichore – muse of dance.
Thalia        – muse of comedy.
Urania    – muse of astronomy.

When we are wanting to create a fantastic piece of writing, or other creative piece, we should call upon the relevant muse to help us in our endeavour.

……the Lord and Lady.

Many witches will refer to their chosen deity as Lord and Lady.  For some this will be out of respect, for others still this may be because they honour more than one Goddess and God, and for others it may be that they have yet to find an affinity with any particular deity but they still believe in the Lord and Lady and so referring to them as such gives them the respect they deserve.