Glossary of Words 

• Religion - The service of one or more entities considered to be significantly beyond our position on the Path. Part of this service includes an evolving system of understanding and viewing the universe. 

• Path - The Path of Return. The process of expansion of consciousness that eventually leads us beyond the human state or condition of being. 

• Mysticism - A set of disciplines that lead the practitioner to a direct experience of a larger conscious reality. The experience often suspends or transcends the rational mind, activating the intuition as the primary source of insight and understanding. The way the mystical event is experienced and the way it is explained depends on the cultural context of the practitioner and the practitioner's experience and ability to communicate. 

• Intuition - A human entity can be described as an integrated collection of levels of awareness. The most dense is the physical body. Sub standing the physical is the vital body (also called the etheric body); it deals with prana, ch'i or vital energy. The next level is the emotional body. It deals with a form of prana we use to create or emotions from. The next level is that of the rational mind. All functions of logic, reason, patterning, planning, etc. come from this level. Beyond the rational mind is the intuition. The intuition is very close to the level of the Soul. It involves the heart and has been called the method of Straight Knowledge. This is because the intuition has access to fields of knowledge and information that transcend those of the limited rational mind. 

• Shamanism - A religion heavily based in mysticism. A significant in the shamanic system of understanding is that the universe is alive and should be dealt with as such. Therefore, communication and interchange with non-human intelligences is a dominant feature of shamanic activity. Shamanism is one of only three religious disciplines that cause adherents to experience transformative growth (alchemy and yoga are the other two). 

• Witchcraft - For the purpose of this class, witchcraft is a shamanic religion acknowledging a triune godhead formed of a masculine deity, a feminine deity and the conjoined union of these two. 

• Occultism - The study of forces and energies that are not generally recognized as existing by the western world-view. 

• Esoteric - Designed for or understood by the specially initiated alone. 

• Necromancy - Conjuration of the spirits of the dead for purposes of revealing the future or influencing the course of events. 

• Sorcery - The use of power gained from the assistance or control of spirits to negative ends. Sorcery bends spirits who are not necessarily evil to negative ends. Shamanic sorcery might involve misuse of power gained from natural sources. The common thread is use of power for harmful ends. 

• Magic - Transformation of the energy of consciousness from one state to another, either vertically, horizontally, or both. The spectrum of states (arranged vertically) for this transformation ranges from physical (at low or dense end) to intuitive (at high end). 

• Black Magic - Magic done for selfish and/or hurtful purposes. 

• Gray Magic - Magic done with unclear motive and with at least some selfish gain in mind. 

• White Magic - Magic done by the Soul, possibly working through an operator, if the operator can maintain him/herself as a clear channel through which the Soul can work. 

• High Priest - male who has been initiated and received all the training of a tradition and is entitled to lead a coven in that capacity without supervision. He is considered an Elder. He is the vessel for "The God" when channeled into the Circle. The High Priest is traditionally recognized as the person who is responsible for the guardianship of the Circle, often casting it and monitoring energy levels within it. He stands watch for uninvited energies and is responsible for the well being of his High Priestess. 

• Priest - male who has been initiated and received training enough to help lead a coven or circles and who is under the supervision of a High Priest or High Priestess and who has not yet himself achieved the status of High Priest. 

• High Priestess - female who has been initiated and received all the training of a tradition and is entitled to lead a coven in that capacity without supervision. She is considered an Elder. The High Priestess is the vessel for the "Goddess" and is considered the spiritual leader of the Circle as Her channel. 

• Priestess - female who has been initiated and received training to help lead a coven or circles and who is under the supervision of a High Priestess or High Priest and who has not yet achieved the status of High Priestess. 

• Athame - the witches blade. Used as an extension of self. It is traditionally a black handled, double edged blade and is used to cast the Circle, cut protective pentagrams in the air, etc. The athame is never used to cut anything but "air". The one exception is a cake at a hand fasting. In some traditions it is a symbol for the element of air and in others it represents fire. A sword is often used for the same purposes. 

• Boline - also a magical blade but is used for more practical purposes. It is used to cut any items that are being used for spiritual or magical intent. It is traditionally a single edged, white handled blade. 

• Wand - may be fashioned out of any material, wood, metal, crystal, silver, etc. It is used much the same as the athame. In some traditions it represents air and in others, fire. Many ceremonial magicians prefer the wand to the athame. 

• Staff - a symbol of spiritual power. It is most often constructed of wood but can be of other materials. For me it represents my connection to spirit above and grounds me to the earth below. It can be used to cast the circle and is the magical tools of preference for those practicing Druidic traditions.