Welcome to our guide to witchcraft terminology! This resource will help you understand the common words and concepts used in magical practice. Whether you’re just starting your magical journey or looking to refresh your knowledge, this guide explains everything in simple terms. Bookmark this page to refer back to it whenever you need a quick definition!
What You’ll Find Inside
This guide covers many aspects of witchcraft, from tools and rituals to celebrations and magical techniques. We’ve organized everything alphabetically to make it easy to find what you’re looking for. Each term comes with a clear explanation that helps connect you to the rich traditions of magical practice.
A to B: Alchemy to Book of Shadows
Alchemy – Originally a blend of science, philosophy, and spiritual practice aimed at transforming basic metals into precious ones like gold. Alchemists sought the legendary philosopher’s stone, which could supposedly turn lead into gold and grant eternal life. Today, alchemy represents any process of transformation – taking something ordinary and making it extraordinary, whether it’s a physical substance, a personal quality, or even an emotion.
Altar – A special surface where you practice your craft. This might be a table, shelf, or dedicated area where you place magical tools, symbols, and offerings. Your altar can be as simple or elaborate as you like – there’s no right or wrong way to create one! Many witches use altars for spellwork, rituals, or simply as a sacred space that reminds them of their connection to magic.
Amulet/Talisman – An object charged with magical energy for protection or to attract specific energies. Think of it as a portable good luck charm that you’ve filled with your intention. You might carry it in your pocket, wear it as jewelry, or include it in charm bags or spell bottles to draw on its energy when needed.
Astral Travel – Also called astral projection, this happens when your consciousness leaves your physical body and explores the astral plane – a non-physical realm where you can interact with spiritual beings and energies. Unlike random out-of-body experiences, astral travel involves intentionally directing your consciousness beyond your physical form.
Athame – A ceremonial knife (usually with a black handle and double-edged blade) used to direct energy and cast protective circles. Unlike regular knives, the athame isn’t used for cutting physical objects – its purpose is purely magical. It carries strong, commanding energy for working with magical forces.
Baby Witch – A term for someone new to witchcraft. While some embrace this label for themselves, it’s best not to call others this as it might seem dismissive of their abilities. Better terms when referring to others include “novice” or “new practitioner,” which acknowledge that everyone starts somewhere and has the ability to grow independently.
Beltane – A joyful festival celebrated on May 1st that marks the beginning of summer and honors fertility and abundance. This is one of the eight sabbats (seasonal celebrations) in the Wheel of the Year. Beltane is perfect for spending time outdoors and performing rituals focused on growth, creativity, and bringing new projects to life.
Besom – A traditional broomstick made from twigs tied to a sturdy pole. Used primarily for spiritual cleansing rather than physical cleaning, the besom is swept a few inches above the floor to clear away negative energy. Small versions are sometimes used to cleanse altar spaces before rituals.
Boline – A white-handled knife used for practical cutting during magical work. Unlike the athame, the boline is meant for physical tasks like harvesting herbs, cutting cords, carving candles, or other hands-on magical preparations. It often has a curved, crescent-shaped blade, though straight blades are common too.
Book of Shadows – A personal journal of magical workings including spells, rituals, and personal reflections. While originally associated with Wiccan practice, many witches of all paths now keep their own Book of Shadows. It differs from a Grimoire by being more personal – including your experiences, feelings, and spiritual insights alongside magical instructions.
C to F: Cauldron to Familiar
Cauldron – A metal pot traditionally used for magical brewing. While fairy tales show massive cauldrons bubbling over open flames, modern witches often use smaller cauldrons for burning herbs, incense, or performing fire magic safely. Your cauldron connects you to a long tradition of magical brewing and transformation.
Chalice – A ceremonial cup representing the element of water on your altar. The chalice symbolizes femininity, fertility, and receptivity. In group rituals, practitioners might pass the chalice, each taking a sip to symbolize their connection. When working with deities, you can use your chalice to make liquid offerings.
Chakras – Energy centers in the body that, when open and aligned, support spiritual and physical wellbeing. The seven major chakras run from the base of your spine to the crown of your head, each associated with different aspects of your being. Two additional chakras – the Earth Star (below your feet) and Soul Star (above your head) – help you stay grounded while connecting to higher purpose.
Charm Bag – A small pouch filled with objects that represent your magical intention. Also called mojo bags or conjure bags, these might contain herbs, crystals, written affirmations, or small amulets aligned with your purpose. You can keep your charm bag at home, on your altar, or carry it with you. When it’s served its purpose, return natural items like herbs and crystals to the earth with gratitude.
Coven – A group of witches who practice together. Traditionally led by a High Priestess, High Priest, or both, covens meet to celebrate sabbats, perform rituals, and support each other’s magical growth. When joining a coven, trust your intuition and avoid those that make you uncomfortable or ask for payment to join.
Craft – A shorthand term for witchcraft. It’s a fitting word since magical practice involves continuous learning, developing skills, and refining your abilities – just like any other craft or art form.
Crystal Grid – A pattern of crystals arranged in a specific geometric design with a focused intention. Crystal grids amplify the energy of individual stones and combine their properties toward a single goal, creating a powerful energy field for manifestation.
Crystal Healing – An energy-based practice that uses crystals to balance and harmonize the body and mind. Each crystal vibrates with its own unique energy that can help restore balance to your chakras and overall wellbeing when placed on or near your body.
Crystal Magic – Using crystals in spells, charm bags, or energy work to enhance your magical intentions. Since each crystal has natural properties (like rose quartz for love or citrine for abundance), they make powerful magical tools. To work with a crystal:
- Choose one that matches your goal
- Hold it in your palm and connect with its energy
- Visualize white light flowing between you and the crystal
- Clearly imagine your intention as if it’s already happened
- Keep the crystal close to you to maintain the connection
Curse – Negative energy directed at someone through the power of words and intention. Curses require only the witch’s energy and harmful intent to create negative effects.
Divination – Methods for receiving guidance and insight from the universe. Popular divination tools include tarot cards, runes, pendulums, and scrying mirrors. Divination helps you tap into your intuition to gain clarity about situations and possible outcomes.
Dream Work – Techniques for working with dreams to gain insight, healing, and guidance from your subconscious mind and spiritual sources.
Earth Magic – Magical practices that honor and connect with the natural world, incorporating the healing energies of plants, stones, and natural cycles.
Elemental Magic – Working with the powers of earth, air, fire, water, and spirit to manifest your intentions and create transformation in your life.
Elements – The four physical elements (Earth, Air, Fire, and Water) plus Spirit, which binds them all together. These fundamental forces make up everything in our world. Witches call upon these elements during spellwork to bring their different energies and qualities into magical workings.
Enchantments – Magic focused on bringing beauty, wonder, and positive energy into everyday life, often through blessing objects or spaces.
Energy Work – Practices that focus on working with the body’s natural energy fields, such as Reiki, chakra balancing, and aura cleansing.
Esbat – A ritual performed during the full moon. While sabbats mark the turning of the seasons, esbats celebrate lunar energy and are perfect for spellwork tied to the moon’s phases. Solitary practitioners often refer to their personal moon rituals as esbats.
Familiar – An animal companion with a spiritual connection to a witch. Not every witch has a familiar, and you might have one without realizing it. Pay attention to animals with whom you share a special bond – this could be a physical pet or a spirit animal you connect with during meditation or astral travel.
G to M: Grimoire to Moon Water
Grimoire – A book of magical instructions, spells, rituals, and incantations. Unlike a Book of Shadows, a Grimoire typically contains only tested magical formulas without personal reflections. Think of it as your magical recipe book with clear, practical instructions.
Handfasting – A wedding ceremony where the couple’s hands are tied together with cords or ribbons, symbolizing their union. This beautiful tradition spans many cultures and thousands of years. Today, it’s a popular marriage ritual among many witches and pagans.
Hearth Witch – A practitioner who focuses on home-centered magic, creating nurturing spaces where family and friends can gather. Hearth witches often work with kitchen magic, home protection, and healing practices centered around the home.
Herbalism – The practice of using plants for healing, magical workings, and spiritual connection. Learning about the magical and medicinal properties of herbs helps deepen your connection with the natural world.
Hex – A spell intended to bring misfortune, ill health, or hardship to someone. Like curses, hexes are considered harmful magic that should be approached with caution due to potential consequences.
High Priestess – A coven leader who embodies intuition, creativity, and divine feminine energy. A High Priestess serves as teacher, leader, and healer, guiding their coven through rituals and spiritual development.
Imbolc – A celebration held on February 1st, marking the midpoint between Winter Solstice and Spring Equinox. This sabbat honors the first stirrings of spring and focuses on purification, cleansing, and planning for the growing season ahead.
Incantation – Words spoken during spells or rituals to direct energy and manifest desires. Incantations can be in your native language or words that hold special meaning to you – their power comes from your intention and the energy you place into them.
Invoke – To call upon a deity, spirit, or elemental power for guidance, inspiration, or protection during magical work.
Jinx – A milder form of curse that’s often unintentional. While curses are deliberate, jinxes are believed to happen when you unknowingly direct negative energy toward a person or situation.
Kitchen Magic – Magic practiced through cooking and food preparation, using herbs, spices, and intentions to create dishes that support healing, protection, love, or other magical goals.
Lughnasadh – Also known as Lammas, this sabbat falls on August 1st and celebrates the first harvest. It’s a time to give thanks for abundance and honor the fruits of your labor, both physical and spiritual.
Litha – The Summer Solstice celebration marking the longest day of the year. As the sun reaches its peak power, Litha is a time to celebrate joy, abundance, and the fullness of life.
Mabon – The Autumn Equinox (around September 21st) when day and night are again equal in length. Mabon marks the end of the harvest season and invites us to celebrate what we’ve grown and gathered during the year.
Magic/Magick – The practice of directing energy and intention to create change in accordance with your will. Many practitioners spell it with a “k” (magick) to distinguish it from stage illusions. Magic works with natural and supernatural energies through rituals, visualization, and focused intention.
Magic Circle – An energetic boundary created before rituals or spellwork. The circle serves as protection, allowing only positive energies to enter while concentrating magical power within its bounds – like a cauldron for building energy.
Manifesting – The practice of focusing your intention toward a specific outcome until it appears in your physical reality. This reminds us to be mindful of our thoughts and energy, since what we focus on tends to grow.
Moon Magic – Working with the different phases of the moon to enhance your magical practice:
- Full Moon: Best for powerful spells and major life changes
- New Moon: Perfect for starting fresh projects and setting intentions
- Waxing Moon (growing): Use for growth, increasing, and attracting
- Waning Moon (shrinking): Best for releasing, banishing, and letting go
Moon Water – Water charged with lunar energy, created by placing water under the full moon overnight (often surrounded by crystals or herbs that match your intention). This magical water can be used in rituals, cooking, baths, plant watering, or cleansing your home.
P to Y: Pagan to Yule
Pagan – Someone who follows an earth-based spiritual path that honors nature and its cycles. Many pagans see nature itself as sacred. Some worship multiple gods and goddesses, while others focus solely on Mother Earth. Pagans follow diverse paths that reflect their personal connections to the natural world.
Pentacle – A five-pointed star enclosed in a circle, representing protection and the five elements (earth, air, fire, water, and spirit). The circle connects these elements, showing how they work together in perfect balance.
Pentagram – A five-pointed star without the enclosing circle, symbolizing the five elements and often used in rituals and as a protective symbol.
Poppet – A doll created to represent a specific person in magic. Traditional poppets were carved from natural materials like roots or branches, but modern versions are often sewn from fabric and stuffed with herbs aligned with the witch’s intention.
Ostara – The Spring Equinox celebration (around March 21st) associated with balance, rebirth, and new beginnings. This is an ideal time for purification spells and rituals focused on fresh starts and new projects.
Ritual – A structured magical working that often incorporates spiritual or religious elements. While spells focus on specific outcomes, rituals tend to be more elaborate and may include invocations to deities, chanting, movement, and other ceremonial elements.
Sabbat – One of eight seasonal celebrations in the Wheel of the Year. These festivals mark the changing seasons and include Yule, Imbolc, Ostara, Beltane, Litha, Lughnasadh, Mabon, and Samhain. Each sabbat offers unique energies for magical work and spiritual connection.
Sacred Space – An area set aside for ritual, meditation, or spiritual practice. Creating sacred space involves cleansing energies and setting boundaries that support your magical and spiritual work.
Samhain – Celebrated on October 31st, Samhain marks when the veil between worlds is thinnest. This sabbat honors ancestors and loved ones who have passed, opening communication with the spirit world and marking the Celtic new year.
Scrying – A divination method involving gazing into an object (like a crystal ball, dark water, or flame) to receive visions and insights. Scrying helps quiet your conscious mind to access deeper intuitive wisdom.
Shadow Work – The practice of exploring and healing the hidden or rejected aspects of yourself, bringing awareness to unconscious patterns for personal growth.
Sigil – A symbol created to represent a specific magical intention. Sigils are often made by combining letters into a single symbol that represents your desired outcome. Once created, sigils are charged with your intention and can be drawn on candles, written in salt, or incorporated into charm bags.
Smoke Cleansing – Burning herbs, resins, or incense to clear negative or stagnant energy from a space. Common cleansing herbs include lavender (calming), peppermint (purifying), cedar (protection), and sage (clearing). Different plants offer different magical properties for energy clearing.
“So mote it be” – A traditional phrase used to close spells and rituals, similar to “amen” or “and so it is.” These words seal your intention and declare that your will has been set in motion.
Spell Jar – A container filled with ingredients chosen for their magical properties to manifest a specific intention. Also called witch bottles, these jars hold herbs, crystals, written intentions, and other symbolic items that work together toward your magical goal.
Spellcraft – The practice of creating and performing spells to manifest change in your life or surroundings.
Spirit Work – Practices focused on connecting with spirit guides, ancestors, and other non-physical beings for guidance and support on your path.
Triple Moon – A symbol showing three moon phases (waxing, full, and waning) that represent the three aspects of the feminine divine: Maiden, Mother, and Crone. This symbol honors the cyclical nature of life and the different energies we embody throughout our journey.
Wand – A magical tool used to direct energy during spellwork and rituals. Traditionally made of wood, wands can also be crafted from metal, stone, or crystal. Unlike the commanding energy of an athame, wands carry gentler energy for inviting and encouraging magical forces.
Wheel of the Year – The cycle of eight sabbats that mark the turning seasons, based on ancient Celtic calendar traditions. Following the Wheel of the Year helps connect you to natural cycles and the earth’s rhythms.
Witches’ Bells – Small bells hung near entrances to clear energy and provide protection. When these bells ring as someone enters, they help ensure no negative energy comes in with them.
Witching Hour – The time when magical energy is believed to be strongest and the veil between worlds thinnest. Some traditions place this around midnight, while others consider it to be around 3 AM.
Yule – The Winter Solstice celebration marking the longest night of the year and the gradual return of light. Yule honors rebirth and renewal as darkness begins giving way to increasing daylight.
Remember that your magical journey is uniquely yours. As you explore these terms and incorporate them into your practice, trust your intuition about what resonates with you. The beauty of witchcraft lies in its diversity – no two practitioners follow exactly the same path!
Magic grows through curiosity, respect, and open-mindedness. We hope this guide helps you better understand the language of witchcraft as you discover your own magical way. Remember that even the most experienced witches never stop learning!