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LYCIAN GLOSSARY

BOOK OF SHADOWS. The personal book used by a Witch to keep a record of recipes, spells, rituals, poetry, and anything else that may useful in the future.

CASTING THE CIRCLE. The act of recognizing the sacredness of a particular place in which the Witch, or group of Witches, wishes to locate themselves in order to work the Craft.

CONE OF POWER. This refers to the raising of an excess of spiritual and physical energy which is then released to do a particular work, guided by us and overseen by the Gods and Goddesses. It is normally thought of as a cone because it is a uniting of the individual energies of the participants in the Circle with that of a Divine energy above.

CUP. One of the four main tools which are sacred to the Witch. It symbolizes the intuitional/emotional part of an individual and is associated with the element of water.

DAGGER. One of the four main tools which are sacred to the Witch. It symbolizes the rational abilities within the individual and is associated with the element of air.

DRAWING DOWN THE MOON. The ritual act of identifying oneself with the Goddess.

DRAWING DOWN THE SUN. The ritual act of identifying oneself with the God.

GREAT RITE, THE. This is the most revered sacrament in the Wiccan religion and is the reunion, through love, of that which had become separate. This rite is normally associate with the sexual union of man and woman, but it can also be the reunion of, say for instance, the spirit of a particular person with that of the God or Goddess as divine lover. This ritual is about becoming one with the Beloved, in whatever form it is perceived.

GUARDIANS. The Guardians are the same entities that we call Watchers, but as Guardians we are asking them to protect the ‘‘Gates of the Four Directions’’ as entrances into our Circle and to allow only those influences to pass that we desire. (See also Watchers.)

KARMA. A Sanskrit word which simply refers to the law, in Nature, of cause and effect. More frequently used to refer to those effects produced in this life which had causes in a previous one.

LUCID DREAM. A dream in which you know you are dreaming.

MAGICK. Magick is the way of acting from a standpoint of wisdom, with full awareness of causes and effects, produced both by us and others, in the world, or worlds, in which we exist.

PANTACLE. One of the four main tools which are sacred to the Witch. It represents the physical aspect of the individual and is associated with the element of earth.

PENTAGRAM. A star drawn with one continuous line and having five points. This star is a sign of protection for the Witch and is usually worn on the person to ward off evil.

SCRYING. The act of seeking visions through the use of the physical eyes and something on which to focus.

SUMMERLAND. One of the worlds in the Underworld to which the dead go to. A place where light and beauty predominate and serves as a place of rest between lives.

UNDERWORLD. The Underworld is the world which is the foundation for the physical forms of the material world. The Underworld is vast and has many different domains and inhabitants, including the places that the dead go. It is the world which lies below the surface which is matter.

WAND. One of the four main tools which are sacred to the Witch. It symbolizes the Will of the individual and is associated with the element of fire.

WATCHERS. The Watchers are consider four and are representative of the four elements and the four directions as manifestations of the forces of the universe in which we live. When invoked in the casting of the Circle, we are asking the forces of Nature to witness our ceremony and the events which will take place and therefore fulfill their role of Watchers. (See also Guardians.)

WHEEL OF THE YEAR. The cycle of the seasons throughout the year, which is seen as representative of the cycles of Nature and life, also reflected in the mythological story of the God and Goddess.

WICCA. An archaic Saxon word which may have meant ‘‘to bend’’ or ‘‘wise’’ and from which the english word witch is derived. It is currently used as the name of the Old Religion, Witchcraft, by many of its practitioners.

WORLD OF SHADOWS. One of the domains in the Underworld that the dead go to in which darkness predominates. It is not the only domain for the dead. See the Summerland.