dowsing the pseudoscientific art of locating underground water by the use of a divining rod or other "magical" tool.
drawing down the Moon in Wicca tradition, a ritual held to pull down energy into a witch from the full Moon.
drawing down the Sun in Wicca tradition, a ritual held to pull down energy into a male witch from the Sun.
druid predating Christianity, a Celtic priest or religious teacher who prayed to various deities, performed human and animal sacrifices, and practiced astrology and wizardry.
ear candling an ancient practice of inserting a hollow candle into the ear to draw out not only ear wax but negative energy.
ectoplasm a white, ethereal matter that may issue from mediums during a seance or trance.
eke-name in Wicca, a witch's secret alternative name, given to herself to represent her new life in a coven and used only among other witches.
elixir any magical potion, especially one charged by a crystal.
enchantment the state of being under a spell; bewitchment.
eneagram a nine-lined drawing representing nine personality types and capable of predicting one's type.
entity a spirit or ghost
envoutement the use of voodoo dolls as representatives of real people, to transmit pain or healing to remote subjects.
esbat in Wicca, any meeting of a coven under a full Moon.
ESP extra sensory perception. A power of perception beyond what is normal; the ability to sense the thoughts of others or things that cannot be physically seen.
ethereal otherworldly; spiritual.
evil eye a flash of an angry glance, believed in folklore to cause harm.
evocation the calling forth of spirits.
exorcism the casting out of a demon from someone's body with prayers and incantations.
faith healing healing illness by prayer alone.
familiar a spirit in the form of an animal, especially a cat, owl, bird, mouse, snake, or weasel, used by a witch as a companion or helper.
fata morgana a mirage resembling castles.
fetch an apparition of a living person, an omen of that person's death.
fetish an object believed to have magical powers, such as a rabbit's foot.
flying ointment described in print as early as 1456, a poisonous blend of herbal oils, especially that of hemlock, belladonna, wolfsbane, and henbane, mixed with animal fat and rubbed on the skin to enable a witch to fly.
Forer effect the eager acceptance of a broad or vague description of one's personality traits, as constructed from astrological profiles, which could in reality apply to anyone but which are nevertheless perceived to be unique to oneself. So named after testing performed by psychologist Bertram Forer.
friggatriskaidekaphobia a superstitious fear of Friday the 13th.
geomancy divining the future by reading figures in dirt.
glossolalia see speaking in tongues.
gnosis knowledge of spiritual matters by intuition, especially that claimed by the Gnostics.
gnostic a member of the ancient, pre-Christian sect that believed in gnosis.
grimoire dating back to the 13th century, a witch's notebook that, in medieval times, contained information on summoning angels and demons, as well as details on potions and divination techniques. The Wiccan Book of Shadows is the modern equivalent.
handfasting a Wicca wedding.
hand of glory in medieval black magic, a charm made from the severed, mummified hand of a hanged criminal.
haruspicy divining the future by reading the entrails of animals.
haunting a recurrent visitation or appearance of a ghost or spirit before a particular person or in a particular location.
healing touch the ability to cure someone's ills simply by touching them.
heliomancy divination technique in which the Sun is studied for signs or omens.
Hell-broth in medieval witchcraft, a potion made up of various repulsive ingredients, such as animal guts, skulls, bugs, etc., made famous by the witches in Macbeth.
henbane in medieval witchcraft, a poisonous plant and one of the ingredients in an ointment used to enable witches to fly.
hermetic relating to Hermes Trismegistus or Thoth the Egyptian god, alchemist, and astrologer.
hex in American folklore, and especially among the Pennsylvania Dutch, an evil curse.
hex sign in American folklore, and especially among the Pennsylvania Dutch, a round symbol containing a five, six, or eight-sided star, placed or painted on doors, windows, and barns to protect against evil spirits.
high priest/priestess an accomplished witch and the leader of a coven.
hippomancy a divination technique in which the gait of horses is studied for signs or omens.
holy round see circumambulation.
holy water in Wicca tradition, a liquid blessed by a Wiccan under a full Moon.
hoodoo a form of sorcery borrowing from elements of voodoo, practiced by rural American blacks in Louisiana.
horned god in pagan witchcraft and Wicca, the personification of masculine power or sexuality in the universe, unrelated to Satan.
horoscope an astrologer's exact plotting of the stars and planets at a specific time, such at a person's birth, or a chart of such. Also, a prediction of one's future based on such plotting.
hot reading dishonest technique used by mediums and psychics to gather information about a subject before a reading, by going through purses, eavesdropping, or using preperformance fact-finding interviews that are disguised as casual chats.
hydromancy divining the future by peering into water.
hydromantia a divination technique in which one stares into a pool or bucket of water and summons images of gods, spirits, or the future.
hypersensory perception above-normal powers of observation, a natural trait in some, and in others cultivated by learning to read body language, tones of voice, and other subtle social cues, sometimes mistaken for psychic abilities.
I Ching Chinese text comprised of 64 hexagrams, that can be interpreted to divine one's future. The hexagrams are chosen randomly by flipping numbered coins and adding the final total.
ichthyomancy a divination technique in which fish are observed for signs or omens.
ideomotor effect psychological term referring to body movements influenced by suggestion or by the unconscious mind, such as when a dowser's rod suddenly points downward or when a Ouija board pointer turns on its own.
imprecation a curse.
incantation the utterance of a magical spell or charm.
inedia the ability to live without food, as some who profess to be nourished by holy spirits or the universal life force. Those who claim to survive off the holy breath alone are known as breatharians and are followers of Therese Neumann of Bavaria, who lived from 1898 to 1962.
initiation in Wicca, a ceremony that formally brings another person into a coven.
intuitive one who has a powerful sense of intuition, to the point of having psychic abilities, sometimes known as a sensitive.