Let's be honest, if you aren't a witch, you probably use these words in the wrong way and don't realise it. Or you may avoid using them at all! But now you can have a wonderful cheat sheet to speak to your spooky friends, or to get you ready for the Halloween season.
Graveyard vs Cemetary
Graveyard: A place to bury the dead that adjoins a church.
Cemetery: A place to bury the dead that doesn't adjoin a church, and ashes can be buried here too.
Pentagram vs Pentacle
Pentacle shown above
Pentagram: A 5-point star with the point facing downward, and with no circle around it. This is considered bad omen.
Pentacle: A 5-point star with the point facing upward, and circle around it. This is considered a good omen.
Wiccan vs Pagan vs Witchcraft
Witchcraft: The practicing of witchcraft and witch related magics.
Pagan: An umbrella term used to reference all earth-based faiths and religions. Being pagan means you could practice or not practice witchcraft and still be pagan.
Wiccan: A tradition of witchcraft brought to light in the 1950s by Gerald Gardner that is considered a religion.
This means that people can be wiccan but not a witch if they follow the religion but dont practice the rituals.
This also means that people can be wiccan and pagan, but can also be pagan but not follow the specific sub-culture of the modern Wiccan religion.
Grimoire vs Book of Shadows
Grimoire: A book of spells and knowledge. Also called an Agyr, it is a witches encyclopedia of knowledge.
Book of Shadows: A grimoire associated with the Wiccan religion.
Spell vs Ritual
Spell: A spell is a one time, short-term casting of magic for a specific intent.
Ritual: A ritual is a repeated, long-term casting of magic meant to be overarching for a larger purpose.
The Elements
In Wicca and many other occult practices there are five elements, not four.
Air/Wind
Earth
Fire
Water
Spirit/Aether/Void
Spirit is the only element that doesn't have a physical form. It is seen as living on the astral plane, made up of the heavens, and continuing infinitely. This is the element people associate with creativity, spirit, and soul.
So now you know your spooky stuff! And right in time for fall! Make sure you now know whether you are decorating for Halloween with pentacles or pentagram, and whether you want to have a spooky picnic date in a cemetery or graveyard. Mine will be eating little black licorice hearts in a cemetery to celebrate.
