Wicca A to Z. Gerina Dunwich

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СКАЧАТЬ is a Moon Goddess–lunar energy color; black is for banishing negativity as well as for cursing; green is associated with healing, fertility, and prosperity; and so forth.

      Additionally, there are different astral colors for each of the twelve signs of the zodiac, colors corresponding to the days of the week and the Sabbats, etc. (For more information about candle magick read Wicca Candle Magick, Gerina Dunwich, Citadel Press, 1996.)

      CANDLEMAS One of the eight Witches Sabbats observed yearly. Also known as Imbolc, Oimelc, Lupercus, Candelaria and Disting (February 14 in the Teutonic Tradition of Wicca), Candlemas is traditionally celebrated on February 2 and is a fire festival celebrating both the Goddess of fertility and the Horned God. In ancient times, Candlemas was celebrated as the Feast of Pan.

      At this time of the year, Witches, Wiccans, and Neo-Pagans celebrate change (which equates to growth) and bid farewell to that which is no longer needed. Candlemas Sabbat rituals often include the sweeping of the circle with a besom to symbolize the “sweeping away of the old” in order to make room for the new and that which is yet to be born. Candles are traditionally lit on this night as offerings to the Mother Earth so that her divine power of fertility may soon awaken from its long winter slumber and bring forth springtime.

      CAPRICORN In astrology, the tenth sign of the zodiac, symbolized by the Goat or Goat-Fish. Capricorn is an Earth sign and is ruled by the planet Saturn. Its energies are feminine-yin-negative-passive and its polarity (its opposite sign of the zodiac which expresses the opposite characteristics) is Cancer. The quadruplicity of Capricorn is Cardinal (meaning enterprising, outgoing, and a natural initiator.) Persons born between December 22 and January 19 are under the sign of Capricorn and are said to possess the following traits: determination; prudence; faithfulness; ambition with a tendency to be materialistic, pessimistic, shy, or overly-conservative (especially in younger years; however, usually more liberal later in life.) In matters of love, Capricorn is believed to be most compatible with Capricorn, Taurus, Virgo, and those with Moon in Capricorn. The parts of the human body said to be ruled by Capricorn are the bones, joints, knees, skin, and teeth.

      CAULDRON A small or large, black cast-iron pot used by Witches that symbolically combines the influences of the four ancient elements, represents the womb of the Goddess, and is used for various purposes including brewing potions, burning incense, and holding charcoal or herbs.

      CENSER A metal vessel with a perforated lid, used as an incense burner in many Wiccan rituals, Sabbats, and magickal spellwork. The censer, which is often carried by a chain and swung so as to spread the incense fumes, is symbolic of the ancient element of Air. It is normally used by either the High Priestess or High Priest of a coven at the beginning of a ritual to purify the circle of any negative energies, and also as a tool for invoking the elemental guardians of the East Watchtower (Sylphs).

      CEREMONIAL MAGICK The art and practice of controlling the powers of Nature, which are conceived of as being either angelic or demonic, by conjuration of spirits with words of power or sacred god names. Ceremonial Magick, which often employs Christian concepts, typically involves the use of elaborate rituals, dramatic invocations of spirits, and mystic sacraments. It has been practiced since ancient times, and predominantly by men seeking mystical enlightenment or power. Abramelin Magick and the Kaballah are two examples of Ceremonial Magick which continue to be practiced by magicians in contemporary times.

      CERNUNNOS The ancient Celtic horned nature god of all wild animals, hunting, and fertility; “Lord of All Living Creatures,” and consort of the Great Mother. He is depicted as a hirsute man with antlers and hoofs, and his name literally means “the Horned One.” In ancient times, he was worshipped in Britain and in Celtic Europe. As a Neo-Pagan god, he is often worshipped by Wiccans of the Gardnerian tradition. See also HORNED GOD.

      CHAKRA Any of the special points of psychic-spiritual energy located within the human body. Each chakra (a Sanskrit word meaning “wheel”) is said to be a whirling lotus petal-shaped vortex of multicolored energy. They are not visible to the naked human eye and can only be perceived through clairvoyant means. It is said that chakras can indicate changes in health months or years before problems actually show up in the physical body. Many clairvoyants and psychic healers claim that an accurate diagnosis of a person’s present or future health condition can be made by “reading” the energy of the chakras with the hands or by using a special dowsing pendulum.

      The names of the seven major chakras and their locations in the body are as follows: Root Chakra (base of the spine); Sacral Chakra (genital region); Solar Plexus Chakra (between rib cage and navel); Heart Chakra (between center of chest and the shoulder blades); Throat Chakra (forepart of the neck); Third Eye or Brow Chakra (forehead between the eyebrows); and Crown Chakra (top of the head). In addition, there are said to be chakras of lesser energy located in the feet and hands, and hundreds of minor ones throughout the body.

      It is believed that the Crown Chakra is the portal where the universal life force enters into the body, and the Root Chakra is the center of kundalini. See also KUNDALINI.

      CHALDEAN A seventeenth century general term for a magician or a person versed in occult learning; an astrologer, soothsayer, or practitioner of the Black Art of sorcery. In ancient times, Chaldea (a region in southern Babylonia) was regarded as the center of magickal arts.

      CHALICE In Wiccan rituals, a sacred cup or goblet used to hold consecrated water or wine, and normally kept on the west side of the altar. The chalice symbolizes the ancient element of Water. During monthly rituals known as “Drawing Down the Moon,” some High Priestesses “lunar energize” a chalice of wine, water or juice by holding it up to the rays of the full moon. The chalice is then passed around the coven so that all members can partake of its energizing liquid.

      CHANNELER A gifted person who, while in a trancelike altered state of consciousness, communicates with or serves as a channel for non-physical beings, ghosts, deities, guardian spirits, or extraterrestrials; a spiritualist medium. See also CHANNELING, SPIRIT, and SPIRITUALISM.

      CHANNELING The spontaneous or induced act of communicating with or serving as a channel for non-physical beings, ghosts, deities, guardian spirits, or extraterrestrials while in a trancelike altered state of consciousness. Although channeling is a mystical art often associated with the modern New Age movement in the United States, it is actually a very old practice dating back to ancient times and practiced by nearly all cultures around the world. See also NEW AGE, SPIRITUALISM.

      CHARGE OF THE GODDESS During the Wiccan ritual known as Drawing Down the Moon, many High Priestesses of covens (especially those of the Gardnerian and Alexandrian traditions) enter a trancelike state and become a channel through which the Goddess Herself speaks. The address She delivers to the coven is often poetic and inspiring, and is known as the Charge of the Goddess.

      The original version of the Charge was written in the 1950s by English Witch Gerald B. Gardner and based upon both Charles Godfrey Leland’s nineteenth-century work Aradia: The Gospel of the Witches and the writings of occultist Aleister Crowley. High Priestess Doreen Valiente rewrote Gardner’s version in verse and took out most of the Aleister Crowley material. She later wrote a final version of the Charge in prose from, which has since become one of the most popular writings in the Craft.

      CHARM A highly magickal object that not only works like an amulet or talisman to counteract misfortune, but also can be used to bewitch others; a magickal song or incantation which is often chanted over an amulet or talisman to consecrate it and charge it with magickal energy; to bewitch or seduce by powers of Witchcraft.

      CHTHONIC Pertaining to the spirits and deities associated with the Underworld. The word “chthonic,” with a silent “ch,” is pronounced as “thonic” (to rhyme with “tonic”).

      CINGULUM In certain traditions of Wicca, a consecrated cord (nine feet long and often of the СКАЧАТЬ