FAQ's - Introduction To Paganism - The White Goddess

FAQ's

FAQ's

Witch
A practitioner of folk magick, particularly that kind relating to herbs, stones, colors, wells, rivers, etc. It is used by some Wiccans to describe themselves. A Witch is someone who practices the Art of Witchcraft, and who uses her will to bend or shape the reality around her. Witchcraft focuses on using Magick and ritual to work with the elemental and spiritual forces in nature. As with most things witches come in lots of different flavours there are traditional witches, green witches, hedgewitches, and hereditary witches who claim direct lineage with parents/grand parents etc, these usually operate as small independent family groups.

Whereas a definition of Wicca or a Wiccan may be;

Wicca
A modern Pagan religion with spiritual roots in the earliest expressions of reverence for nature. Some major identifying motifs are: reverence for both the Goddess and God; acceptance of reincarnation and magick; ritual observance of astronomical and agricultural phenomena; and the use of magickal circles for ritual purposes. A Wiccan may practice witchcraft or so therefore could call themselves a witch. This doesn't apply to all Wiccans neither does in imply that all witches are Wiccans.

Druids
First the ancient definition, A class of people who presided at divinations and sacrifices of the Celts. They were natural philosophers, scholars, magicians, bards, judges and political advisors to Celtic chieftains and nobles.

The current definition is a keeper of the wisdom, laws, history, stories and values of the Celtic branch of the native European spiritual path. A practitioner of the Celtic cultural, spiritual and magical tradition, who honours the land and all things in the animal, plant and mineral worlds and the earth, sea and sky. The key word in all that is spiritual and implies a religious overtone.

Karmic Retribution
Is the victim in one life, the perpetrator in a past life? Is this a sort of karmic ' For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction .' Does our use of magic to help the victim, deprive that person of a lesson that they need to learn in order to continue? Are we inviting karmic repercussions of our own by helping? If we don't act when we should, and act when we shouldn't, either way would that mean we would suffer some sort of effect in a next life? Or is it a case of ' It happens' syndrome, and act of pure randomness in a chaotic universe?

Or do we have to go through various stages and lessons and learn each one regardless, in order to achieve understanding of the true meaning of life? Are we trying to out guess another player in a vast game, when we have no idea of the rules of the game, or even there are no rules and we are each playing with our own self-imposed rules?

Athame
The Athame is usually a black handle, double edge knife and is strictly a ritual tool. It is a symbolic representative of the element of fire. It can be used as a tool for laying down a circle and also as a symbol representing the male aspect. Athames can be used to invoke the quarters, release the quarters, and are customarily used to assist with blessing the waters of life inside of the chalice, this blessing being symbolic of the Great Rite.

Boleen
Usually a white handled knife, used in rituals for carving and cutting I.E.. magical symbols we may want to engrave on a wand, staff, candles, etc., so as not to harm the energy within the Athame.

Broom
The Witches broom is used for sweeping any harmful energies from the area that the broom is cleansing I.E.. house, room, circle, sacred space etc. Of course on the practical side you can use it too to sweep your floors.

Cauldron
The cauldron represents the gift of birth, death and rebirth, also knowledge and inspiration. The cauldron is a female aspect and is a symbolic representative of water, and it may also be used as a representation of fire. It is often referred to in connection with Cerridwen.

Chalice
The chalice or cup is representative of the female aspect. The cup is the symbolic representative of water. It is used to hold the waters of life, and is used again in the symbolic ritual of the Great Rite. Once the waters of life have been blessed during ritual, the chalice is often passed around the circle so that all may share in it by symbolically ingesting the Goddess and the bringing of the Goddess within.

Peyton
The peyton is a circular disk with a pentacle or sacred symbol inscribed on the face of it. The peyton can be made out of many different materials, in the olden days it was made of beeswax so that in the event that someone came around that may be a threat, it could be broken and tossed into the fire and melted down quickly. It is placed at the center piece of the altar, where all consecrations of salt and water occur, and other objects as well. It is also the focal point of the altar. The peyton is the symbolic representative of earth and because of that it is of the female aspect. If you have second peyton available then this may be used as another tool for invoking the quarters, and releasing the quarters.

Staff
Usually a wooden pole often of shoulder height, used basically in the same manner as the wand. Like the wand the staff may be decorated with crystals, symbols, feathers, or just about anything that makes it your own.

Sword
The sword is another ritual tool that can be used as a tool for sovereignty and authority. It is like the Athame a symbolic representative of the element of fire. It is considered a representation of the male aspect and can be used in the same manner as the Athame.

Thurible
(incense burner) A heat resistant, or preferably fire proof container used to contain a hot coal for burning incense. The incense is symbolic of air, while the coal is symbolic of fire. It is used to cleanse and purify the air within the sacred space, or used in cleansing of a home.

Wand
The wand has been known as a tool that is gentle in nature and has the male aspect, it is the symbolic representative of air. It is another tool that can be used for casting circle, invoking and releasing the quarters, and casting of spells, and some have used this in place of the Athame or sword in the performance of the symbolic ritual of the Great Rite.