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PAGAN- From the Latin paganus, country-dweller. Today used as a general term for followers of Wicca and other magical, shamanistic and poytheistic religions. It can be interchanged with Neo-Pagan.
PENDULUM- A divinatory device consisting of a string attached to a heavy object, such as a quartz crystal, root or ring. The free end of the string is held in the hand, the elbow steadied against a flat surface , and a question is asked. The movement of the heavy object's swings determines the answer. A rotation indicates yes or positive energy. Aback and forth swing signals the opposite. (There anr many methods of deciphering the pendulun's movements; use those that work best for you.) It is a tool which contacts the Psychic Mind.
PENTACLE- A ritual object (usually a circular piece of wood,metal,clay etc) upon which a five-pointed star (pentagram) is inscribed, painted or engraved. It represents the element of Earth. The words "pentacle" and "pentegram" are not interchangeable, theough the understandabl cause some confusion.click for more info
PERSONAL POWER- That energy wich sustains out bodies. It ultimately originates from the Goddess and the God (or rather, the power behind Them). We first absorb it from our biological mothers withing the womb and , later, from food, water, the Moon and Sun and other natural objects. We realease personal power during stress, exercise, sex, conception and childbirth. Magic is othen a moement of personal power for a specific goal.
POLARITY- The concept of equal, opposite energies. The Eastern yin/yang is a perfect example. Yin is cold; yang is hot. Other examples of polarity: Goddess/God, night/day, Moon/Sun, birth/death, dark/light, Psychich Mind/Conscious Mind. Universal balance.
PRIESTESS- A female dedicated to both the service of her chosen deity(ies) and humankind. A High Priestess is the feminine leader of a coven or Wiccan organization and plays the role of Goddes in certain ceramonies. A solitary Witch can be a Priestess by dedicating herself to a particular God or Goddess.
PRIEST- Is a male and plays the God role in certain ceramonies. Priestess and Priest are equal in every aspect, the only difference is their gender.
PROGECTIVE HAND- The hand that is normally used for manual activites. The hand you favour i.e. right or left handed. It is symbolically thought to be the point at wich personal power is sent from the body. In ritual, personal power is visualized as streaming out from the palm or fingers of the hand for various magical goals. This is also the hand in which tools such as the athame and wand are held. Ambidextrous persons simply choos which hand to utilize for this purpose. The hand used for giving gifts.
PSYCHIC MIND- The suconscious or unconscious mind, in which we sleep, dream and meditate, It is our direct lnk with the Goddess and God and with the larger, non-physical world around us.
PSYCHISM- The act of being consciously psychich, in which the psychic mind and conscious mind are linked and working in harmony. Ritual Consciousness is a form of psychism.
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RECEPTIVE HAND- The left hand in right-handed persons, the reverse for left-handed persons. This is the hand through which energy is recieved into the body. The hand that is used when recieving gifts.
REINCARNATION- The doctrine of rebirth. The process of repeated incarnations in human form to allow evolution of the sexless, ageless soul.
RITUAL CEREMONY- A specific form of movement, manipulation of objects or inner processes designed to produce desired effects. In religion, ritual is grared toward union with the diving. In magic it produces a specitic state of consciousness which aligns with personal power, in which rituals occur.