Witch Words Decoded
The Essential Glossary
Ever been in a conversation where someone casually mentions their athame or talks about casting deosil and you just… nod along, hoping context will save you? Yeah, me too when I started. Here’s a quick reference for the words that pop up most often in witchcraft and Wicca. Think of this as your translation guide. Not every tradition uses these terms the same way, but knowing the basics helps you follow along and ask better questions.
Tools and Objects
If you’ve ever opened a witchcraft book and felt like you’d stumbled into a fantasy novel, this section’s for you. These are the tools witches use – sometimes literally, sometimes symbolically. You don’t need them all to start. Use what you already have; magic’s already in your hands.
A surface or space set aside for focus, offerings, or ritual work. Can be a full table, a shelf, a windowsill, or a corner of your kitchen counter – whatever space you can dedicate to your practice.
You’ll also hear: shrine, sacred space, working space
Example: I keep my altar on top of my dresser where I can light a candle each morning.
An object you’ve charged with intention for a specific purpose – protection, confidence, luck, whatever you need. Wear it, carry it, keep it close.
You’ll also hear: charm, token
Example: I wear my tiger’s eye bracelet as a talisman for protection at work.
A ritual knife used to direct energy, not for physical cutting. Different traditions assign it to different elements – some say fire (because it’s forged in flame), others say air (because it directs thought and will). Either way works.
You’ll also hear: blade, ritual knife
Example: I use my athame to cast my circle, tracing the boundary in the air.
Used to shift energy, mark the beginning or end of ritual, or clear a space. The sound cuts through stagnant energy and gets everyone’s attention – including yours.
You’ll also hear: chime, ritual bell
Example: I ring my bell three times to signal I’m shifting from mundane tasks to ritual space.
A ritual broom used for symbolic sweeping – clearing energy, not dirt. You sweep the space before ritual to get rid of any lingering negativity or distraction.
You’ll also hear: witch’s broom, ritual broom
Example: I sweep my kitchen deosil with my besom before cooking a spell into dinner.
A white-handled knife used for actual physical cutting – harvesting herbs, cutting cords, carving candles. Unlike the athame, this one’s meant for practical work, not just directing energy.
You’ll also hear: working knife, white-handled knife
Example: I use my boline to cut fresh rosemary from my garden for spellwork.
Your personal magical journal where you record spells, observations, correspondences, and what works (or doesn’t) in your practice. Doesn’t need to be fancy – a spiral notebook works just fine.
You’ll also hear: BoS, spellbook, magical journal
Example: I keep track of my moon rituals and herb experiments in my Book of Shadows.
Tools for focus, representing fire, and holding intention. The color can matter, but honestly, white works for everything if that’s what you’ve got.
You’ll also hear: spell candle, ritual candle
Example: I burn a green candle when I’m working prosperity magic.
A vessel for mixing, burning, brewing, or holding offerings. Represents transformation and the womb of the Goddess. Your cooking pot counts.
You’ll also hear: pot, vessel
Example: My grandmother’s cast iron Dutch oven is my cauldron.
A cup or goblet that represents water and the feminine aspect of energy. Used for ritual drinks or just to hold water on your altar.
You’ll also hear: goblet, ritual cup
Example: I have a specific mug I use as my chalice during full moon rituals.
Used for energy work, focus, or because they’re pretty and make you feel good. You don’t need expensive ones – a rock from your backyard works if it speaks to you.
You’ll also hear: gemstones, minerals
Example: I keep rose quartz on my altar when I need to be gentler with myself.
An animal or spirit ally that supports your magic or keeps you grounded. Not everyone has one, and you don’t need one to practice – it’s just a special relationship when it happens.
You’ll also hear: spirit companion, magical ally
Example: My cat always shows up when I’m doing spellwork – she’s definitely my familiar.
Incense represents air (and sometimes fire) and is burned to cleanse space, shift energy, or just make your ritual smell nice. A censer is the holder you burn it in.
You’ll also hear: smoke, burner
Example: I burn rosemary incense to clear the energy after a stressful day.
A disc or plate with a pentagram on it, used to represent earth on your altar or as a surface for charging items.
You’ll also hear: altar disc, earth disc
Example: I set crystals and charms on my pentacle overnight to charge them.
A five-pointed star symbolizing the five elements – earth, air, fire, water, and spirit – all in balance. Often used for protection.
You’ll also hear: five-pointed star, star
Example: I drew a pentagram on my doorway for protection.
A symbol you create and charge with intention. You can draw it, carve it, paint it, whatever works.
You’ll also hear: magical symbol, mark
Example: I drew a sigil for focus on the first page of my work notebook.
Used to direct energy, similar to an athame but often assigned to air instead of fire. Can be wood, crystal-tipped, or honestly, your favorite wooden spoon.
You’ll also hear: staff, rod
Example: I use my wooden spoon as a wand when I’m stirring intention into my cooking.
Practices and Actions
Here’s where the doing happens – the verbs of witchcraft. These are the everyday ways we move energy, set intention, and work magic.
Applying oils, herbs, or powders to candles, tools, or yourself to set or enhance intention before using them.
You’ll also hear: charging, blessing
Example: I dress my prosperity candles with cinnamon oil before lighting them.
Sending away unwanted energy, bad habits, negative influences, or anything you’re done with. Usually done during the waning moon.
You’ll also hear: releasing, removing, clearing
Example: I did a banishing ritual to get rid of procrastination – black candle and a realistic to-do list.
Restricting someone’s ability to cause harm, or stopping your own harmful patterns. Use with care and clear intention – you’re limiting action, not punishing.
You’ll also hear: containing, restraining
Example: I bound the negative gossip at work instead of confronting anyone directly.
Creating sacred space by casting a circle, or working magic by casting a spell. Same word, two different uses depending on context.
You’ll also hear: working, creating
Example: I cast a circle before my full moon ritual to keep the energy focused.
Filling an object with energy and intention so it holds that purpose. Like programming it to do a job.
You’ll also hear: energizing, empowering
Example: I charged my new necklace under the full moon for protection.
The energetic boundary you create around your working space during ritual. Keeps your energy in and unwanted influences out.
You’ll also hear: sacred circle, ritual space
Example: We always cast a circle before calling the quarters.
Removing accumulated or stagnant energy from tools, spaces, or yourself. Think of it like washing the dishes – getting rid of what’s built up so you can start fresh.
You’ll also hear: purifying, clearing
Example: I cleanse my tarot deck with incense smoke after doing heavy readings.
Making something sacred or dedicating it to a specific magical purpose. Different from cleansing – you’re not just removing old energy, you’re claiming this as part of your practice.
You’ll also hear: dedication, blessing
Example: I consecrated my new athame before using it in ritual for the first time.
The connections between physical things and magical intentions – like how rosemary corresponds to protection and memory, or green corresponds to prosperity.
You’ll also hear: associations, magical properties
Example: I check my correspondence notes when I’m planning a new spell.
Deosil means clockwise – used for attracting, building, or blessing. Widdershins means counterclockwise – used for banishing, releasing, or undoing.
You’ll also hear: sunwise (for deosil), anti-sunwise (for widdershins)
Example: I stir my coffee deosil to draw prosperity into my day.
Using tools or signs to gain insight, clarity, or guidance. Tarot, runes, pendulums, tea leaves – anything that helps you see what’s not obvious.
You’ll also hear: fortune-telling, reading, scrying
Example: I pull a tarot card each morning to see what energy I’m working with.
Calling a spirit or entity to appear outside yourself – in the space but not within you. More common in ceremonial magic than in Wicca, where we usually use invocation instead.
You’ll also hear: summoning, calling forth
Example: Some ceremonial magicians evoke angels to appear in the ritual circle.
Reconnecting to stable, solid, earthy energy – usually after ritual or when you’re feeling scattered. Brings you back to your body and the present moment.
You’ll also hear: centering, earthing
Example: I ground after spellwork by eating something salty or walking barefoot outside.
Calling a deity, spirit, or energy into yourself or your ritual space. Inviting them to be present and work with you.
You’ll also hear: calling, invoking, drawing down
Example: We invoked the Goddess at the beginning of our full moon ritual.
Turning intention into reality through focused will and practical action. The magic amplifies your effort – it doesn’t replace it.
You’ll also hear: bringing forth, creating
Example: I cast a job prosperity spell and then updated my resume and sent applications.
Focused mental work used to shape energy, explore inner landscapes, or prepare for magic. Can be guided, structured, or just sitting quietly with intention.
You’ll also hear: pathworking, journeying
Example: I visualize roots growing from my feet into the earth before I start spellwork.
A gift given to deities, spirits, ancestors, or the land as thanks, devotion, or exchange. Can be food, drink, flowers, coins, incense, or your time and attention.
You’ll also hear: gift, tribute, libation
Example: I pour coffee for my ancestors every Sunday morning as an offering.
Gazing into water, mirrors, smoke, candle flames, or other reflective surfaces to receive visions, messages, or insight.
You’ll also hear: gazing, seeing, divining
Example: I scry in a black bowl of water when I need clarity on a situation.
Setting energetic protections around your home, property, or personal space to keep out unwanted influences.
You’ll also hear: shielding, protecting, guarding
Example: I warded my front door with salt and rosemary to keep negative energy out.
Celebrations
These are how witches mark time – with the moon, the seasons, and moments of transformation.
A moon celebration, most often held at the full moon but can honor any lunar phase – new moon for new beginnings, dark moon for shadow work, whatever serves your practice.
You’ll also hear: lunar ritual, moon rite
Example: I do my serious spellwork during esbats when the moon’s energy is strongest.
A pagan wedding or commitment ceremony where the couple’s hands are bound together with cord or ribbon, symbolizing their union. Can be for a year and a day, for life, or however long feels right.
You’ll also hear: hand-binding, pagan marriage
Example: We had a handfasting ceremony in the woods with our coven as witnesses.
A wedding tradition, originally African American and now also used in some pagan ceremonies, where the couple jumps over a broom together to symbolize sweeping away the old and stepping into a new life.
You’ll also hear: broom jump, threshold crossing
Example: After we exchanged vows, we jumped the broom to seal our commitment.
Any structured or repeated magical practice. Can be elaborate and formal or simple and personal – your morning coffee blessing counts.
You’ll also hear: ceremony, working, rite
Example: My nightly gratitude ritual is just lighting a candle and saying thanks for three things.
One of the eight seasonal festivals that make up the Wheel of the Year. Solar holidays marking solstices, equinoxes, and the points between them.
You’ll also hear: holy day, festival
Example: I always bake bread for Lammas, the first harvest sabbat.
The annual cycle of eight sabbats that mark the changing seasons and the journey of the God and Goddess through birth, life, death, and rebirth.
You’ll also hear: seasonal wheel, the turning
Example: Following the Wheel of the Year helps me stay connected to the rhythms of nature.
Concepts
These are the big-picture ideas that hold the Craft together – philosophy, energy, and worldview.
Witchcraft or Wicca as a practice and way of life. When someone says “the Craft,” they mean this whole world we’re part of.
You’ll also hear: the practice, the path
Example: The Craft teaches responsibility alongside power.
A group of witches who practice together, usually meeting for sabbats, esbats, and study. Traditional covens have specific structures and degrees, but modern ones vary widely.
You’ll also hear: circle, working group
Example: My coven meets for every full moon and the major sabbats.
A deity is a god, goddess, or divine being. A pantheon is a group of deities from one culture – like the Greek pantheon (Zeus, Hera, Athena) or the Norse pantheon (Odin, Thor, Freya).
You’ll also hear: gods, divine ones
Example: I work primarily with a Celtic pantheon in my practice.
The five building blocks of existence in magical practice: earth (stability, body), air (thought, communication), fire (passion, transformation), water (emotion, intuition), and spirit (the divine, connection).
You’ll also hear: elemental forces, quarters
Example: I try to balance all five elements in my ritual work.
Energy is the force that flows through everything. Intent is what shapes and directs that energy into purposeful magic. Without intent, it’s just… stuff happening.
You’ll also hear: will, focus, power
Example: My intent is what turns stirring my coffee into a prosperity spell.
The masculine aspect of divinity in Wicca, representing the cycle of birth, life, death, and rebirth. Often depicted with horns or antlers, connected to nature, wildness, and the hunt.
You’ll also hear: Lord, Green Man, Cernunnos
Example: We honor the Horned God at Yule when the sun returns.
The idea that energy you send out comes back to you. The Threefold Law says specifically that it returns three times stronger. Not everyone believes in the “times three” part, but most agree that what you put out matters.
You’ll also hear: karma, what goes around comes around
Example: The Threefold Law keeps me mindful about the magic I work.
The art of shaping reality through focused will and energy. Some people spell it “magick” with a k to distinguish it from stage magic and illusions.
You’ll also hear: spellwork, the work, manifestation
Example: Cooking with intention is magick – I’m literally stirring energy into food.
The practical, non-magical actions that support your spell. The real-world effort you put in alongside the magic. Magic amplifies; it doesn’t do the work for you.
You’ll also hear: real-world action, follow-through
Example: I cast a job spell and then applied to twelve positions – that’s the mundane work.
The four cardinal directions – north, east, south, west – each associated with an element and called at the beginning of ritual to guard and witness your work.
You’ll also hear: watchtowers, directions, guardians
Example: We call the quarters before starting any major ritual work.
The practice of exploring and healing the hidden, uncomfortable, or denied parts of yourself. Inner work that helps you understand your patterns and wounds.
You’ll also hear: inner work, self-exploration
Example: Shadow work helped me see why I keep sabotaging my own success.
A witch who practices alone rather than in a coven. Could be by choice, circumstance, or just what works best for their practice.
You’ll also hear: solo practitioner, lone witch
Example: I’m a solitary witch – I prefer the flexibility of practicing on my own schedule.
Non-physical beings, energies, or deceased loved ones who guide, support, or influence your practice. Could be blood ancestors, chosen family, or spirits of place.
You’ll also hear: guides, beloved dead, the ancestors
Example: I leave offerings for my ancestors every week to honor their guidance.
Meaningful coincidences that feel like messages or nudges from the universe. When the same symbol keeps showing up or you think of someone right before they call.
You’ll also hear: signs, meaningful coincidence
Example: Finding feathers everywhere this week feels like synchronicity – like someone’s trying to tell me something.
The Goddess in her three forms: Maiden (youth, new beginnings), Mother (fertility, abundance), and Crone (wisdom, endings). Represents the full cycle of life and the phases of the moon.
You’ll also hear: the Threefold Goddess, Maiden-Mother-Crone
Example: The Triple Goddess reminds me to honor all stages of life, not just youth.