Vammatar: ("VAHM-mah-tar"): Finnish goddess of pain and disease. Helps to overcome and go through illness. |
Vastu: Also spelled Vaastu, it is the ancient system from Indian architecture that aligns buildings with the flow of universal energy. Most temples in India have been and still are designed according to Vastu principles. This is increasingly less true for homes and businesses in modern India.
Vastu easily predates Chinese Feng Shui, and may be a precursor to that system which is currently better known in the West. The philosophical concepts behind Vastu and Feng Shui have many parallels, but differ in details such as ideal locations for rooms, materials for construction, etc. This may be due to the differences in the location and environment between India and China.
Also See: vaastu
Vav: The sixth letter of the Hebrew alphabet, V or W. Represents the number 6. The second of the twelve "single letters." A Hebrew word meaning "nail." Corresponds to Taurus, the 16th Path (between Chokmah and Chesed), and Tarot trump V The Hierophant.
Also See: Waw, Vau
Vellamo: ("VAYL-ah-moe"): Finnish water goddess.
Venus: Venus is the goddess of beauty, and is the ruler of Taurus and Libra. She makes everyone feel comfortable. She has a positive outlook on life and imparts that feeling to others. Venus in your chart may indicate, by its sign and house, the part of your body that is most attractive, or a part of the body that you find attractive in others. The seductive part of your personality can be described by looking at Venus. This capacity is clearly not restricted to sexuality, but extends into every area of your life. Venus shows how you can convince others, not through force of will, but through a magnetic attraction.
As an indicator of how you interact well with others, Venus does not suggest co-dependence. It does suggest interdependence, something that has been essential for human development. Babies have a perfection of form that makes us fall in love with them. Movie stars are dressed and made up to be as attractive as possible. Politicians demonstrate the magnetic charisma that convinces us to vote for them, sometimes in spite of all logic.
There is a rhythm to this magnetic attraction and beauty. We get closer to someone to find out what they are like, and then we withdraw to consider how we are feeling about what we discovered. The sign and house Venus occupy describe how all of these functions work. It shows what we like, what about us is the most attractive, and how we engage in the interactivity of human life. It shows how we approach companionship in general.
Venus also indicates where we look for harmony in our lives. When you seek cooperation from others, you want it to fit in with your ideal of harmony. Thus, whatever the context, you will put your personal spin on the situation, molding other people to suit your thoughts on how things work best. Occasionally you may find that the way you want to do things is not practical in the situation, or doesn't work so well for other people. By understanding Venus in your chart, you can develop alternative methods that both achieve the desired goal and provide a level of comfort for you personally. This refinement process is indicated by Venus' sign, house and aspects.
Vibratory Formula: It has long been an occult secret that all matter is made of vibration. Today many scientists depend on this being a fact in their research. If we follow this assumption that all matter is vibratory energy, then magick becomes a type of science which allows a person to affect vibrations. It becomes very valuable for us to develop an understanding of how to control vibratory energy. The techniques for doing this are called Vibratory Formulae.
Virgo: The best quality of Virgo is analytical ability. The worst quality is petty criticism. A key phrase is "I analyze." The Virgo personality is nothing if not practical. You can be attentive to details to the point of obsession. Virgos have encyclopedic memories for detail, and can often recall casual references to minor subjects. You thrive on meticulous examination of the facts, and are able to manipulate statistics easily.
Virgos can take the thoughts and ideas of others and organize you into a working whole. Your orderly approach to most subjects insures that you will not overlook any significant information in your pursuit of an answer to a question. Once you have completed an analysis, you can seem to be arbitrary in your decisions. Never think, though, that you have not considered the question first. Virgos can be ingenious at dissecting a problem to get to the heart of a matter.
Virgos are worldly. You understand the nature of material reality. You are fastidious about your own appearance, and often have orderly homes, offices, and vehicles. Virgos make good followers, but as you progress through life you accumulate the knowledge and experience to make you good leaders. Your analytical style does not have the flamboyant energy of the Leo, unless you have planets in Leo, but your dependability and honesty are strong management traits. Virgos tend to judge by results.
The Virgo disposition is discerning and critical. You are able to discriminate among diverse offerings and identify the best and worst qualities in people or things. You inquire into the shy and how of things as much as into the concrete facts of what, where and when. Generally economical in decision-making, you tend to buy quality and then keep it.
Virgo: The Modifier
Key Phrase: I ANALYZE
Virgo's expression is practical, neat, and precise, with a high degree of analytical ability. The Mutable Earth sign of the zodiac, Virgo prefers an approach to life which makes sense, and can be uncomfortable in the face of frivolity. Ruled by Mercury, Virgo's mental energy tends toward problem-solving. This is the quality of methodical, painstaking attention to detail, which when carried to extremes can become overly critical, nit-picking, and tedious. But without Virgo qualities we would have no precision tools, and find ourselves trudging through a wasteland of disorganized ideas! Symbolized by the Virgin with Sheaves of Wheat, Virgo represents the harvest, and the importance of applied knowledge and effort. Virgo's worst form arises in self-deprecating insecurity and general (although sometimes pointed) intolerance. Where you see Virgo in the chart, there is a need for perfection and efficiency.
Visualization: Using the imagination to create an image "in" the mind.
Also See: Creative Visualization
Vodou: Vodou is an animistic Caribbean spiritual tradition, most usually associated with Haiti, which traces its lineage to the shamans of ancient Africa. It blends together (through a process known as "syncretisation") a number of traditional African beliefs with elements from other faiths, most notably Catholicism (the religion of the French slave traders who took the shamans of Africa to the Caribbean New World), but also those of the indigenous Haitian Taino and Arawak people and the European pre-Christian pagans who also came to settle there.
Vodou believes in one creator-God called Gran Met ("Great Master") and a pantheon of lesser deities known as the Lwa. These entities, as well as the spirits of the ancestors ('zanset yo') are directly available to man through the mechanism of possession, a trance-like state where a person is taken over by one of these spirits so it may dispense healing, advice, or wisdom to the community faithful, who are known as Vodouissants.
The shaman-priest of Vodou is known as the Houngan and the priestess as the Mambo. Often accomplished healers, magicians, and leaf doctors (herbalists), these spiritual leaders are also experts on the nature, desires, and ways of interacting with the spirits, as well as therapists, counsellors, and doctors for their community.
Vodou and Voudoun: Vodou is an animistic Caribbean spiritual tradition, most usually associated with Haiti, which traces its lineage to the shamans of ancient Africa. It blends together (through a process known as "syncretisation") a number of traditional African beliefs with elements from other faiths, most notably Catholicism (the religion of the French slave traders who took the shamans of Africa to the Caribbean New World), but also those of the indigenous Haitian Taino and Arawak people and the European pre-Christian pagans who also came to settle there.
Vodou believes in one creator-God called Gran Met ("Great Master") and a pantheon of lesser deities known as the Lwa. These entities, as well as the spirits of the ancestors ('zanset yo') are directly available to man through the mechanism of possession, a trance-like state where a person is taken over by one of these spirits so it may dispense healing, advice, or wisdom to the community faithful, who are known as Vodouissants.
The shaman-priest of Vodou is known as the Houngan and the priestess as the Mambo. Often accomplished healers, magicians, and leaf doctors (herbalists), these spiritual leaders are also experts on the nature, desires, and ways of interacting with the spirits, as well as therapists, counsellors, and doctors for their community.
void of course: The Moon is "void of course" when it has completed all its major aspects while in a specific sign. The Moon could be in any phase and also be in the last degrees of a sign. Void of course means without a course, or path, to aspect another planet. Generally the major aspects are thought to include conjunction, sextile, square, trine, and opposition.
Voodoo: Voodoo is both a corruption of the African Fon word 'Vodou' (which means 'spirit' or 'mystery') and now a powerful spiritual tradition in its own right, most associated with New Orleans and the American South.
Voodoo travelled from Africa in the hearts and souls of Africans who were transported to the Americas during the slave trade. There it became blended with the spiritual practices of the indigenous peoples, who often had a shamanic or animistic belief system, and with the Catholic religion of the slave owners. It recognises one creator-god and a pantheon of angel-like spirits (called Loa) who work on his behalf. The ancestors are a third spiritual force.
All of these spirits may be appealed to for practical help, advice, and support, through prayer, divination and magic. Herbalism also plays a major role in New Orleans Voodoo, where it is known as Hoodoo or root doctoring, and the Voodoo priest and priestess are often powerful healers, working with herbs and with more spiritual and magical healing tools.
Famous names associated with New Orleans Voodoo include Marie Laveau and Dr. John.
vyana: Sanskrit for "breath," prana refers to the universal energy that flows through the body's web of non-physical channels known as nadis, the three most famous being the Ida, Pingala, and Sushumna. Different breathing patterns known as pranayamas can increase and direct this energy, leading to the simplification that prana and air are the same or that prana is in the air. In the traditional system, there are five different forms of prana:
Prana: Moves inward. Governs all types of consumption: eating, drinking, breathing, sensory impressions.
Apana: Moves away: Governs excretion or all sorts, as well as reproduction.
Udana: Moves upward. Governs growth and development, as well as enthusiasm, speech, and the ability to stand.
Samana: Balances from the edge to the center through churning and discerning. It is the "digestion" energy that aids the lungs in "digesting" air, the gastrointestinal system in digesting food, and the mind in "digesting" sensory input and ideas.
Vyana: Moves outward from the center to the edge. Governs circulation of blood and the oxygen, hydration, and nutrition found in the blood. Aids in the "circulation" of ideas.
Also See: prana
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Wand: The wand is much like those used by early ceremonial magicians. It is often fashioned of wood and may be engraved with symbols or studded with stones. Some are made of silver. The wand is an instrument of invocation, of inviting the deities' presence during ritual.
Wand: The quintessential magical tool in the minds of most people is the wand. This is made by the Magus to project the power of will. In fact, it becomes the physical representation of his or her magical will. It should be made of wood, about as thick as the thumb and as long as the space between the fingertips and the elbow. Some woods are favored for the wand-hazel is traditional. Oak is also good, being the wood of Zeus and therefore the traditional attractor of lightning. Ideally, the wand should be cut and fashioned by the Magus, as it becomes the most intensely personal tool of the Art and is used for virtually everything. Over time, it will gather a magical charge through use that is clearly perceptible when it is held.
Wands: One of the four suits of the Tarot, corresponding to the modern Clubs and the medieval peasant class. In the system of the Golden Dawn, corresponds to the element of Fire and the Yod of Tetragrammaton.
Also See: Batons, Staves
Ward: Something used for protection from outside forces. A ward can be a spell of protection. Magickal barriers.
Ward: Something used for protection from outside forces. A ward can be a spell of protection. Magickal barriers.
Water Witching: The ability to discover underground water sources (or hidden objects or people) using a pendulum or a divining rod.
Also See: dowsing
Wax Reading: One of two forms of divination. The first involves letting a candle burn down while letting it drip over its sides as it will. The wax leavings are then interpreted. This version has both advantages (you can choose a candle of a color appropriate to the issue, anoint the candle, etc.) and one major drawback: you have to wait until the candle burns down, a process that can take hours. The second form heats wax until melted. The diviner then uses a spoon or ladle to pour some of the wax into a bowl of cool water. The wax solidifies and the pieces are removed and interpreted. This has the advantage of speed, but requires more tools (a way of melting the wax, a bowl to hold the water) and can be very messy. In both forms, the diviner must use his or her intuition to interpret the meaning of the blobs of wax. This is usually done by looking for shapes, similar to what is done in tea leaf reading.
Westcott: William Wynn Westcott (Dec. 17, 1848-June 30, 1925) -- "The primary creator of the Golden Dawn was Dr. William Wynn Westcott. A London coroner who was interested in occultism, Westcott was a Master Mason and Secretary General of the Societas Rosicruciana in Anglia or the Rosicrucian Society in England (also called the SRIA). Westcott, along with two others founded the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn in 1888. However, the Golden Dawn was definitely Westcott's brainchild."
Western Tradition: Also described as the Western Mystery Tradition or the Western Magickal Tradition. A term used to describe the underlying similarities found in Western occultism (especially ceremonial magick) and spirituality. Although groups such as The Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, The Aurum Solis, and The Ordo Templi Orientis have many different practices and beliefs, they have many underlying similarities, making them all part of the Western Tradition.
Wheel of Fortune: One of the trumps of the Major Arcana of the tarot. Numbered X. In the system of Eliphas Levi, it corresponds to the Hebrew letter Yod. In the system of the Golden Dawn, The Wheel of Fortune corresponds to the Hebrew letter Kaph and the planet Jupiter.
Also See: La Roue de Fortune
Wheel of the Year: A term for the seasons or cycles of Nature marked by the Sabbats of Wicca/Witchcraft. It is often symbolized by an eight-spoke wheel indicating each solstice and equinox, as well as the days that fall exactly between each, the midpoints or cross-quarters.
White Magic: White Magick has [divine] union as its goal. It is also known as contacting your higher self, contacting your spirit guides, cosmic consciousness, mysticism, or gaining the Knowledge and Conversation of your Holy Guardian Angel. There are many other names for this type of magick, too.
Also See: White Magick
Wicca: Wicca is a religion of veneration of Nature and the worship of Divinity as containing both feminine and masculine aspects. It is founded upon the spiritual roots of pre-Christian European beliefs and practices. When Wicca first came to public attention in the early 1950s through the efforts of Gerald Gardner, it was portrayed as the remnant of an ancient European fertility cult. Practitioners referred to Wicca as the Old Religion. It was also known as the Craft of the Wise. On the surface modern Wicca appears to be a folklore and folk magick system. On the inner initiate level Wicca contains pre-Christian European Mystery Teachings.
Wicca: The single largest tradition within Paganism, which is earth-centered, celebrates the eight Pagan holidays, envisions Deity as both male and female (which it calls the God and the Goddess), practices magick, and believes in an afterlife known as the Summerland. The Wiccan ethical system is stated in the Rede and the Rule of Threes. The Rede contains the ethical instruction to "harm none and do what you will." The Rule of Threes states that whatever you send out from yourself will come back threefold.
Wiccan: A person who follows one of the many sects of Wicca.
Wiccan Rede: A summation of Wiccan ethical beliefs: harm none and do what you will.
Also See: Rede
Widdershins: Anti-clockwise.
Willendorf: The goddess of Willendorf was found in 1908 near Willendorf in Austria. She is over 30,000 years old and is one of the oldest pieces of artwork found on the planet. She was found among some tools from that era and was carved out of limestone. Most commonly she is known as the Venus of Willendorf; however, Venus was a goddess who did not appear until later in the history of humankind.
Also See: Venus of Willendorf
Witch: Practitioner of Witchcraft.
Witchcraft: Among modern practitioners Witchcraft can be defined as the practice of magick and Paganism as it relates to pre-Christian European Paganism. The arts of Witchcraft include herbalism, divination, magick, ceremonial ritual, healing, potions, and spirit-world contact (familiars, elementals, etc.). Witchcraft, as depicted by the Church during the Middle Ages and Renaissance periods, is considered by many modern Witches to be a deliberate distortion of the facts.
Woodman: William Robert Woodman (1828-1891) -- "Dr. Woodman was a retired physician and a leading member of the SRIA [Societas Rosicruciana in Anglia]. Along with Mathers, Woodman was asked by Westcott to become one of the leaders of his new Order [of the Golden Dawn] in 1887. Woodman was an excellent Qabalist who had probably had a leading role in developing in the Qabalistic studies of the Golden Dawn. However, he died in 1891, before the Order was fully developed."
World: One of the trumps of the Major Arcana of the tarot. Numbered XXI. In the system of Eliphas Levi, it corresponds to the Hebrew letter Tau. In the system of the Golden Dawn, The World corresponds to the Hebrew letter Tau and the planet Saturn.
Also See: Le Monde, The Universe
Wraith: A spirit that is earthbound until it can avenge its death.
See: Earthbound
Wunjo: The eighth rune of the Elder Futhark, representing the letter W
Another of the positive runes, WUNJO means joy and when upright will always represent joy and happiness coming into your life.
Wunjo: The god primarily associated with this rune is Wodan.... The name of this rune is usually translated by other rune-workers as "joy" or "pasture." ,,,in the oldest Germanic language known to us the word means "perfection," according to the philologist Jacob Grimm.
Wyrd: The word "Wyrd" is of Anglo-Saxon origin, and roughly corresponds to the concept of "karma" in Hinduism. Although wyrd can be personal it is often linked to whole families, tribes, and even races. Unlike Karma, it is not totally fixed. One can move within one's individual web of Wyrd in accord with the amount of consciousness one commands. The less conscious one is, the more one is subject to the seemingly random workings of Wyrd, in contrast to "orlog" which is impersonal and cannot be manipulated.
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Yantra: From the ancient Sanskrit, it literally means "machine," specifically a machine or instrument that restrains. In use, yantras are generally diagrams that Tantrics use in specific ways to restrain unwanted aspects of their own minds. In India, the best known yantra is the Sri Yantra. The term may also refer to amulets, hand postures, and even devices used in alchemy. In some traditions, yantras are used to control evil entities or the physical world.
Yeats: William Butler Yeats (1865-1939) was an Irish poet, dramatist, and essayist who won the Nobel Prize in 1923. He was a member of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, which influenced much of his poetry, and feuded with Aleister Crowley.
Yesod: The ninth Sephirah of the cabalistic Tree of Life, the third Sephirah on the Middle Pillar. The term is a Hebrew word meaning "Foundation." It represents the archetype of the number 9, the manifesting aspect of the Godhead. It corresponds to the divine name Shaddai El Chai, the archangel Gabriel, the angelic choir called Kerubim, and Lebanah, or heavenly Sphere of the Moon
Yesod: The beams of Chesed and Geburah meet in Yesod and thence ariseth in Yesod a brilliant deep violet-purple or puce, and thus is the third Triad completed. And the sphere of its operation is that of Levanah, the Lunar beam, bestowing change, increase and decrease upon created things and it ruleth the Sphere of Action of the Moon and the nature of mankind. And Shaddai is a God who sheddeth benefits, Omnipotent and Satisfying, and Al Chai is the God of Life, the Living One. Its Archangel is Gabriel the Prince of Change and Alteration. And the name of the Order of Angels is Kerubim or Kerubic ones who are also called the Order of Angels.
Yeti: A term used to name a cryptozoological creature of Tibet, also known as the Abominable Snowman. The description of the Yeti is either like that of a large ape, a human-sized ape, or a dwarf-like being. A staple of Tibetan and Nepalese myth and lore, it was first brought to the attention of people in the West in the 1920s when British explorers to Mt. Everest saw strange footprints in the snow that were identified by locals as belonging to a strange creature.
Yetzirah: The "World of Formation." The third of four Qabalistic worlds or stages of manifestation and the realm of angels. Yetzirah is attributed to the spheres of Chesed, Geburah, Tiphareth, Netzach, Hod, and Yesod. It is attributed to the element of air and the Hebrew letter Vav.
Yggdrasil: World Tree, generally an ash, more correctly identified in later times as a Yew. The word Yggdrasil means literally "gallow" or "horse" of Ygg (i.e., Odin).
Yod: The tenth letter of the Hebrew alphabet, Y. Represents the number 10. The sixth of the twelve "single letters." A Hebrew word meaning "hand." Corresponds to Virgo, the 20th Path (between Chesed and Tiphareth), and Tarot trump IX The Hermit.
Also See: Yodh
Yod: The yod is formed by two planets in sextile aspect, each forming a quincunx to a third. Also called the Finger of God, the ìfingerî is the planet receiving the two quincunxes. This configuration suggests a need to blend opportunity with an apparently discordant element, which adds a different level of vibration to the personality. Sometimes a need to develop special talents or awareness is associated with this pattern.
Also See: Yodh
Yoga: From the Sanskrit "yug" meaning union, yoga means a union between a human and the Divine. There are several different types of yoga. Most people equate it with hatha (Sanskrit "hat" "ha" meaning sun-moon), which involves moving the body into a series of positions known as asanas. Today, many people enjoy hatha yoga for its physical benefits, although when accompanied by certain muscle tension or "locks," breathing techniques, and visualizations, it can provide more spiritual development. Other types of yoga include:
Karma yoga: The yoga of action. Practitioners do what is right without a focus on the results of their actions.
Bhakti yoga: The yoga of devotion. Practitioners live in devotion to a deity.
Jnana yoga: The yoga of knowledge. Practitioners become closer to the Divine through the study of spiritual texts.
Tantric yoga: Using Tantric techniques, including mantra, yantra, breathwork, and sexual activity to become closer to the Divine.
Kundalini yoga: Popular name for Laya yoga, the use of visualization and breathwork to generate and move kundalini energy up an energy path associated with the spine, and through the chakras, opening them and resulting in enlightenment.
Raja yoga: The royal yoga. Practitioners use meditation to become closer to the Divine.
Younger Futhark: The Norse rune alphabet of 16 characters used c. 800 c.e. and afterward. It is derived from the elder futhark.
Youth Fiction: Fiction for young readers that uses their popular idioms and often addresses issues that concern them. Over the past several years, Llewellyn Publications has entered this field, presenting popular forms of fiction in styles that will appeal to youths…and people who are young at heart.
Yule: December 21
Winster Solstice marks the shortest day of the year. In most Wiccan/Witchcraft traditions the theme of the Winter Solstice is linked to the rebirth/renewal of the sun.
