bune wand old Scottish term for a witch's broomstick.
Burning Time, the historical low point, between the 1500s and 1600s, when the Catholic Church killed thousands of pagans and witches.
cabalistic having a hidden meaning.
candle magick a spellcasting technique in which colored candles are used to represent people, places, or things.
Candlemas in Wiccan tradition, a fire festival celebrating the goddess of fertility and the horned god, held on February 2.
capnomancy a divination technique in which smoke rising from a fire is read for signs or omens.
cartomancy divining the future by reading a deck of cards, such as the tarot.
cauldron a very large kettle used by witches to concoct potions or burn incense.
censer an incense holder used during purification rituals. Also known as a thurible.
ceraunoscopy divining the future by reading the patterns in lightning.
cerealogist derived from Ceres, the goddess of agriculture, one who studies and interprets mysterious crop circles.
ceromancy divining the future by reading the shapes formed by melting wax.
chakra in Kundalini yoga, any one of various energy centers located from the base of the spine to the top of the head, believed by some to have healing powers.
chaldean pre-18th-century term for an astrologer, soothsayer, or sorcerer.
chalice in Wicca, a cup made of earthly materials, such as crystal, glass, or animal horn, used in rituals and for holding sacramental wine.
channeling acting as a medium to receive communications from the spiritual or unseen world.
chanting the recitation of repetitious words or phrases to change one's state of consciousness.
chi Chinese term for the healing supernatural energy hidden in the universe and throughout nature, including in humans.
chiromancer a palm reader.
chromotherapy in modern witchcraft, the use of colored lighting to bathe and heal sick people.
cingulum in Wicca, a cord used to measure circles and for binding. It is also worn during dancing rituals and may be infused with power, which can be stored in multiple knots.
circle in Wicca, a group of people gathered for a ritualistic purpose. Also, the purified, circular space itself, traditionally 9 feet in diameter, where rituals are performed.
circle healing a Wiccan healing method in which a sick person sits in the center of a circle, surrounded by a coven, who direct healing energy toward her.
circumambulation an ancient, widespread practice of holding out the right hand toward and walking around an object or person, as a show of reverence during a ceremony; it was also practiced to cure disease, bring good luck, or purify. Also known as a holy round.
clairaudience the ability to hear things nobody else can hear, especially emanations from a spiritual or otherworldly plane.
clairvoyance the ability to perceive what cannot be seen in the physical world.
clairvoyant one with the ability to perceive what cannot be seen in the physical world.
cleansing removing negative energy, by various purifying methods and rituals.
cledonomancy the ability to predict what will be said next in a conversation.
cleromancy divining by the drawing of lots.
coco macaque in voodoo, a magical walking stick with the ability to kill enemies.
cold reading a psychic's reading of a subject's mind and background or that of his loved ones, living or dead, with no information to go by except positive responses to queries and statements made by the subject.
collective hallucination a false perception experienced by several people simultaneously through the power of suggestion.
communal reinforcement the process by which outlandish pseudosciences and faiths are promulgated by authority figures, reinforced without critical investigation by the media, and then believed by the masses, often simply because so many others believe.
confabulation sometimes mixed with facts, a fantasy or false memory that unconsciously becomes an actual account of an event or happening and which may be sincerely believed by the holder.
conjure to summon a spirit with black magic.
consecrate to purify or make sacred, often with holy water or salt.
countercharm a charm used by witches to neutralize or reverse a charm or spell employed by another.
counterspell a spell used by witches to neutralize or reverse the spell cast by another.
coven traditionally, a group of 13 witches. In Wicca, any group of witches.
covener any member of a coven.
covenstead any meeting place used by a coven.
cowen in witchcraft, one who is not a witch.
Craft, the a common term for Wicca.
crone any practicing witch who has passed menopause or the age of 50.
crop circle any of various geometric patterns created in open fields by the crushing of tall grasses or other plants, believed by some to be messages from aliens.
cryptozoology the study of hidden animals such as Bigfoot and the Loch Ness monster.
crystal any transparent mineral, such as quartz, believed to have magical powers and used in healing and other New Age practices.
crystal ball a glass ball into which fortunetellers gaze to "see" the future.
crystalomancy divining by gazing into a crystal ball or pool of water.
crystal power healing powers thought to exist in the vibrations and frequencies given off by various crystals and gems.
curse an invocation of bad luck or misfortune to befall someone.
cynanthropy the ability to turn oneself into a dog.
dactylomancy divination technique in which a dangling ring on a cord is swung like a pendulum over numbers, letters, or words.
deja vu the haunting feeling that one has visited a place before or has experienced something at an earlier time or in a past life.
dematerialize to vanish.
demoniac one possessed by a demon.
demonic possession the invading of one's body and mind by a demon, resulting in bizarre, out-of-control behavior.
demonology the study of demons.
demonomancy divination through the calling forth of demons.
deosil in Wicca, clockwise motion, or the direction of the Sun's apparent path over Earth, symbolizing positive energy.
diabolism worship of Satan; sorcery.
Dianic in Wicca, referring to a coven who places the goddess above the horned god in importance.
direct writing any writing that appears magically, without the aid of a medium's hand.
divination foretelling the future by supernatural means.
divine fallacy skeptic's term for the belief that if something is amazing or miraculous or cannot be explained, God must have done it.
divining rod a forked stick used in dowsing to locate water.
doppelganger a spirit or ghost who haunts its living double or twin.
dowser one who searches for underground water with the use of a divining rod or other "magical" tool.