by: Rick Johnson 
PO Box 40451
Tucson, Az.
85717
RikJohnson@juno.com
Return to the Home Page.
Return to the Miscellenous Page.
Return to the Vocabulary Page.
| A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L |
| M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z |
DACTYLIOMANCY-- Divination through the use of a finger ring.
DAPHNOMANCY-- Divination through the use of laurel leaves, generally by burning them and observing the smoke or rarely, by breathing the smoke and shifting into alpha where visions occur.
DARK ONE-- 1) The Horned God in His aspect of the Lord of Death or the
Grim Reaper.
2) The Goddess in Her aspect of the Crone.
DARK MOON-- See new moon.
DARK OF THE MOON-- See new moon.
DAUGHTER COVEN-- A Coven which is formed from another Coven by members of that original Parent Coven who are felt to be ready to run their own Coven. The daughter Coven is generally independant of the Parent Coven but gives to that Parent Coven a certain amount of respect. The leaders of the Parent Coven will become Witch Queens and Kings (Magus) when the Daughter Coven has passed its probationary period. Compare to Sister Coven.
DAYS OF POWER-- The Eight Sabbats and/or the 13 Full and New Moons.
DEDICATION-- A form of self-initiation where the Wiccan dedicates themselves to the God, the Goddess and the Craft. Traditionals use this as a preliminary until they can find and join a Coven and be properly Initiated. Many Eclectics use this in place of an Initiation.
DEGREES-- A system of learning or achievement or rank among Witches. Some Trads have one Degree, others have 13, most have three. The main thing to remember is that the Degree system is a way of breaking down the jobs and teaching into smaller, more manageable parts. Thus the new person is still new whatever Degree you call them and the top of the hierarchy is still the top regardless of what Degree you take. Thus a Third Degree Gardnerian is equal to a Fourth Degree Welsh which is equal to a Thirteenth Degree Frostie.
DEITY-- A god or goddess. It is used by those who are uncomfortable with the 'g' word.
DEJA VU-- From the French word 'already seen', this is the idea or feeling that you have experienceed this situation before.
DELTA-- A very slow trance-like rhythm of the brain. It is related to certain healings and astral travel.
DEMETER-- (Greek) A Grain Goddess and Mother of Persephone. Two tales
are important here, the first regards the bees who gave honey to the gods for food. So
enthralled with this were the gods that they granted the bees a wish. The bees asked for
the power to sting their enemies to death. So enraged with this request that the gods
made the sting fatal to the bees. The bees are sacred to Demeter. The second story
concerns Her daughter Persephone and Hades and the coming of Winter.
The Elusian Mysteries, which were THE thing to join, were held in Her honor.
Many modern Witches see Persephone and Demeter as variants on the Maiden
and Mother aspects of the Goddess.
DEMON-- An unfriendly non-material entity. Compare with angel.
DEMONOMANCY-- Divination by suggestion of demons. See demons.
DEOSIL-- {day-O-sill} Moving in a clockwise direction in a Circle or Ritual. For you who own a digital watch, it means moving in a Sunwise direction. One source pronounces it "JESH-il" or "JES-ul"
DEVA-- A nature spirit that personifies that form of nature such as the Foxglove Deva is the nature spirit that relates to the foxglove plant.
DEVIL-- Literally a 'little god' or in xianity, a non-material entity of a negative force. This is NOT used within Wicca simply because Witches are not christians and so do not accept xian gods or concepts.
DEVIL'S MARK-- (xian) According to christian mythology, whenever a 'witch' sold their soul to the xian devil, he kissed the 'witch' somewhere on their body. this place then became insensitive, unable to bleed and produced a mark that often disguised as a mole, wart, scar, blemish or even was invisible. Much of the torture of a witch entailed finding this mark as proof of witchcraft.
DIANA-- 1) (Wicca) A common name for The Goddess to be used in public.
2) (Italian) The name for The Goddess in Italian Wicca.
3) (Roman) See Artemis.
DIANA'S CROWN-- A crescent moon mounted upon the headdress (usually silver) of the High Priestess of a Wiccan Coven and worn as a sign of her rank and position.
DIANA'S BOW-- The third day after the New Moon when the Moon appears to be in the shape of a bow. This time is important to Witches for it's magickal forces.
DIANIC WITCHES-- Those Witches who place the Goddess as supreme and all but ignore the God. The Dianic movemnet was formed in the early 1970's by Z. Budapest in Los Angeles, California. Compare to Feminist Witches.
DIANUS-- (Aradian) The Horned God.
DICHOTOMY OF EVIL-- The primary contradiction in such monotheistic
religions such as christianity. In it's simplest form it goes something like this; If god is all
good and all-powerful, then there can be NO evil. Since there is evil, then god cannot be
both all-powerful (omni-potent) and all-good (omni-benevolent). Therefore, god is either
helpless to stop evil (and so not all-powerful thus allowing a very powerful devil to exist)
or evil himself.
Follow this arguement with a fundie and see how they erase the idea from their
minds (like a computers delete key) and talk in circles to avoid the inevitable conclusion.
Remember that choice cannot exist with omnipotence. See onmi-potent and omni-
benevolent.
DIONYSIAN-- A possibly outdated term for the concept of religious rituals which are free flowing and uninhibited as opposed to Apollonian which is regemental and organized. Most Witches, particularly Eclectics, are Dionysian in nature.
DISCARNATE-- An entity without a physical body such as a ghost or an astral body.
DISCORDIANISM-- ( c 1970) A joke religion created by two kids in the
1970's while at a bowling alley. They decided to create a religion around the Greek
Goddess Eris or Discordia that emphasises chaos. All Discordians are popes and create
their own gods as they need them.
One of the most popular Discordian gods is Squat, the god of parking spaces.
S/he (I'm not certain) likes transvestite nuns and if you promise him/her a few, Squat will
see to it that you have no trouble parking at your destination.
The problem with Discordianism is that it may have started out as a joke but the
followers quickly discovered that their prayers were being answered. The founder is
quoted as saying, "Had I know it was going to come true, I would have worshipped
Aphrodite."
DISCHARGE-- To divest of energy, to send off a spell, to desantify.
DISMISS QUARTERS-- The tern used in Wicca to refer to the release of the Lords of the Watchtowers so that the Ritual can end. Also Dismissing the Quarters.
DISMISSING THE QUARTERS-- See Dismiss Quarters.
DIVINATION-- The use of Tools such as Tarot Cards, Crystal Balls, or trance to perceive into the past, present or future in order to determine the best possible course of action. There are a number of different forms of Divination ranging from augury to pyromancy and beyond, many of which are scattered throughout this work.
DIVINE-- 1)
DIVINE KING-- An old Wiccan custom where the High Priest represents the
Horned God incarnate. As such, as the God ages in the Autumn and can no longer
function in His role of provider He is crucified (to a T-shaped cross), castrated, blinded
and killed. His body is then chopped up and buried as fertilizer in the fields to ensure the
fertility of the crops and animals inthe next year.
DOLEMAN-- See dolmen.
DOLMEN-- A stone monument. Technically, the remains of a pre-Celtic
stone grave that generally consists of four large flat stones for walls and a capstone for a
roof. These were then covered with dirt but after thousands of years, the dirt has been
worn away leaving only the stones which appear to be a giant stone table. Many of these
are so large that a man on horseback can ride under them without touching any stone.
Thus they give rise to legends of giants and heros.
DOLMER-- In one Tradition of Wicca, a ritual Circle of stones. Probably a
misspelling and misinterpretation of Dolmen.
DOOR-- See Doorway.
DOORWAY-- The entrance into the Magickal Circle, generally in the North-
east opened and closed by a specific ritual for the purpose of entering and leaving the
established Circle.
DOPPELGANGER-- The German term for a double of a person. It may refer
to an astral body, bi-location or an actual copy.
DOUBLE-- The astral body which may be perceived by other people as a
visible and 'tangeable' copy of your own body.
DOVES BLOOD-- Any writing with ink on parchment, especially magickal in
nature. It has no relation to the bird or it's bodily fluids.
DOWSING-- The act of using an amplifier (a forked stick or angle rods or
pendulum) to allow the body to locate hidden objects. Also called water witching.
DRACHMA-- 1) A term in herbalism to indicate a measurement equal to a
handful of the herb.
DRAGON LINES-- Ley lines or the currents of energy that criss-cross the
earth and can be tapped by the Witch.
DRAKE, SIR FRANCIS-- ( 16th century) A famous English Privateer (this
was a pirate who operated under the protection of the King) who was famous for
stopping the Spanish Armada. It is said that Drake was a Witch whose coven raised the
storm that smashed the Spanish Armada in 1588. He had a fleet of ships that were small
enough to sail in under the Spanish guns to decimate the fleet. One story was that the
decks of his ships were so small that no ordinary seaman could fit so he had Fairies man
his guns.
As an aside, Dr Margaret Murray said that the fairy race became extinct in the
1600's.
DRAWING DOWN THE MOON, SUN-- The ritual during which the Spirit
of the Goddess is asked to possess the body of the High Priestess and the Spirit of the
God is asked to possess the High Priest during a Wiccan Ritual. This is THE most sacred
moment in a Rite and after that is done, the High Priestess literally becomes the Goddess
Incarnate and the High Priest literally becomes the God incarnate. From then on, Their
will is unquestioned.
DRAWING THE CIRCLE-- See casting the circle.
DREAM DIARY-- See dream journal.
DREAM JOURNAL-- A diary of your dreams made immediately upon
awakening. It is an invaluable training tool on many levels such as the astral,
psychological and psychic.
DRUID NEW MOON-- Six days after the New Moon.
DRUIDS-- (Celt) An organized religion that is solar orientated and related to
Wicca possibly as first cousins. Both Witches and Druids traded with each other, each
enriching the dogma of the others faith.
DRUMMING-- The use of a drum to raise power, alter consciousness or to
give a beat for the magick to be done.
DUALISM-- A religious concept that attempts to explain evil by postulating
the existance of an evil god in opposotion to a good god. Called the Dichotomy of Evil,
it is responsible for the deaths of untold millions because this Dualistic philosophy
inevetably leads to the idea that if you are not with me, you are against me.
DUNKING-- And ancient means of either punishing or proving witchcraft or
adultry in Babylon. It was revised in Europe during the Burning Times with the witch
either being tied to a chair and lever or simply being tied up and tossed into a river.
2)
The Divine King is ALWAYS a willing sacrifice because magickally, a dying
man's curse is too powerful to avoid so the sacrifice MUST be willing. To ensure this,
the Divine King is considered to be the God incarnate and so can have and do whatever
he wants without question for the duration of His reign. See the Arthur mythos and the
Fisher King for a symbolic representation of this.
The Divine King is performed on a double calendar which means that it occurs
every seven years (nine years in Ireland where the men are accustomed to marrying a 20-
year-old girl when they are in their 40's and financially stable) or whenever the 'king'
shows that he is ageing and no longer sexually active enough to fulfill the functions of
the Horned God, both sexually or youthfully.
Since the 'king' represents the God, as the 'king' ages, so also does the God by a
curious magickal/psychic/religious link that only Pagans really understand. So, as you
can't have a senile and impotent God, you have to prevent His earthly representative from
ageing and this is done by simply killing him when he is old.
But, if the 'king' is chosen when young, he will still be active at 27 and so you
would waste all that strength if you kill him while he is still young and so you find a
substitute Divine King. English history is full of the Divine King and his substitutes. I
refer you to a novel, (U>Lammas Night by Katheryn Kurtz as a 'history' of the most
recent known incidence of the Divine King. Or if you are into histoy, read about William
Rufus who is believed to be a substitute for the Divine King in early England.
If more people knew the true meaning of the Divine King, there would be a lot
fewer people asking for the job of High Priest.
The last known Divine King Sacrifice was during the Second World War when
one High Priest offered himself to cause the rebirth of England and so save his country
from the ravages of the war.
In today's Wicca, the HP is symbolically killed as he steps down from office and
is replaced by a younger man, thus saving all the knowledge and experience of the older
HP which would have been lost had he actually been killed.
Interestingly enough, the HPS is never sacrificed even when she passes
menopause. Instead, she changes her aspect to that of a crone filled with the wisdom of
age.
2) A Greek coin.
Gardnerians and other Traditional Witches generally only Draw Down the Moon
and rarely, if ever, Draw Down the Sun.
There are now four known and three existing groups of Druids.
Depending on the time and place the witch either floated because water, being the
instrument of baptism, rejected the witch or sank because water, being the instrument of
baptism, enacted god's judgment and punishment. See swimming.
Return to Contents.
LAST
NEXT
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I
J
K
L
M
N
O
P
Q
R
S
T
U
V
W
X
Y
Z
To contact me or to request topics to be covered, send to RikJohnson@juno.com
by: Rick Johnson
PO Box 40451
Tucson, Az.
85717
Return to the Home Page.
Return to the Miscellenous Page.
Return to the Vocabulary Page.
