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HALLOWE'EN, HALLOWMAS, HALLOWS, HALLOWS EVE ("holy" or "holy

night"): The November 1st Greater Sabbat celebrating the End and

the Beginning of the Year with the final harvest. On this day

the veil between the Otherworld and the World is thinnest and

entities from either side may cross over or communicate with one

another more easily. The laws of time and space are suspended.

The sabbat marks the death of the Sun God and his passing into

the Land of the Young, where He awaits rebirth through the Mother

Goddess at Yule. The Dead travel to the Otherworld and it is the

time to bring honor and hospitality to dead ancestors. Also known

as Alhalwyn-tyd, Allantide, All Hallows Eve, All Hallows Tide,

The Apple Time, Calan Gaeaf, Calan Gwaf, Feast of Apples, Feast

of the Dead, Feast of Souls, Hollantide, Kala-Goañv, November Eve,

Samain, Samhain, Samhuinn, Sauin.

HALOMANCY: Divination by interpreting salt. The origin of

misfortune associated with spilled salt. Also known as Alomancy.

HAKATA: Bones, dice, seeds or shells used for divination.

HAND-FASTING:

· A betrothal;

· A Wiccan or Pagan marriage Rite.

HAND-PARTING: A divorce rite, symbolically the cutting of the

binds created by a hand-fasting. Also known as “Going of the

Ways”.

HARGINN: Malicious spirits in India that prefer to prey on horses,

riding them into exhaustion. Also known as Chagrin, Cagrino

(Europe), Guecubu (Chile).

HARPY (Greek, harpyiai: "snatchers"): Mythological creatures with

the head and torso of a woman and the tail, legs, and talons of a

bird. They carried the souls of the dead to the underworld and

would take those unwilling to die by force. They were associated

with malice, death and vengeance. Described as foul, hideous and

filthy creatures their name eventually became synonymous with a

grasping, greedy person, especially a selfish woman.

HARUSPEX: Someone who practices divination. Also known as

Ariolater, Aruspex, Clairvoyant, Diviner, Seer, Soothsayer. See

Also: Oracle, Prophet, Theomancer.

HARUSPICY: Divination by interpreting animal entrails. Haruspicy

is sometimes considered to be a form of augury (interpreting the

appearance and behavior of animals). Similar to Anthropomancy

(interpretation of human entrails) and Heiromancy (interpretation

of sacrificed objects) Also known as Aruspicy, Extispicy,

Extispicium.

HARVEST OLD WIFE: A figure created by plaiting the last sheaf of

a harvest. In some communities the Harvest Old Wife was made by

each farmer, those pulling off their harvest first calling theirs

the "corn maiden" and the last one made was the Cailleach or

Harvest Old Wife. In other traditions only one Harvest Old Wife

was made and the figure passed from farmer to farmer until the

last harvest was pulled. Although possessing the Harvest Old Wife

could be viewed as a reproach for laziness, the figure represents

the fertility of the Earth and the Goddess and is used in the

spring in a variety of ways to ensure a good harvest. Also known

as Biddy, Callach, Cailleach, Caillech, Cailliach, Corn Dolly,

Corn Maiden.

HEATHEN (Amoric, heathanos: "wasteland dweller"):

· Originally, a member of any nation of people not

worshiping the God of Israel;

· Anyone not a Jew, Christian, or Moslem, especially those

who worship many gods and their nations;

· A person regarded as uncivilized, unenlightened,

irreligious, etc.

HECATINE TRADITION: A Scottish tradition of Witchcraft that

preserves the unique festivals of the Caledonii. Also known as

Caledonii Tradition.

HECHICERIA: Mexican Indian magickal tradition that reveres the

pre-Columbian divinities. Practitioners are most often male and

are called Hechiceros, Nuguals, or Bruho Naturaleza.

HECHICERO: A practitioner of Hechiceria, the pre-Columbian

magickal tradition in Mexico. Also known as Nuguals, Bruho

Naturaleza.

HEDGE WITCH:

· A person who practices Hedge Witchcraft, sometimes also

known as a Hedge Wizard.

· An initiated Wiccan who is practicing as a Solitary or is

"between" covens.

HEDGE WITCHCRAFT: A non-initiated solitary practice of Witchcraft

that focuses on the traditional European, especially British

Isles, role of Witch as healer, midwife and seer for a community.

Highly intuitive, Hedge Witchcraft emphasizes the practical role

of magick in daily living over the religious doctrine and it is

acceptable for Hedge Witches to be self taught and eclectic in

the spiritual aspects of their faith.

HEDGE WIZARD: A person who practices Hedge Witchcraft, usually

applied to male practitioners. Also known as Hedge Witch.

HENOTHEISM: A religion that acknowledges the existence of many

gods but chooses to revere, worship or acknowledge only

one. They are often confused with, or assumed to be,

monotheistic (believing in one god). Judaism and Christianity are

examples of Henotheistic religions. See Also: Pantheism,

Polytheism, Monotheism.

HEPATOMANCY, HEPATOSCOPY: Divination by examining the liver of an

animal. A form of haruspicy (divination with animal entrails).

HEPHAESTIC TRANSFERENCE: The process of transferring the power or

properties of an object to another object by burning the original

object and rubbing its ashes into the new object. Traditionally,

it was a way of transferring the power of Signs and Symbols to an

object without having to actually write or inscribe those Symbols

on the object itself, and thereby risk discovery.

HEPTAGRAM: A seven-pointed star drawn with one unbroken line.

HERB: Any seed plant whose stalk withers away after each season's

growth (as distinguished from a tree or shrub) and that is used

for medicine, seasoning or food.

HERBALISM: The art of using herbs for magick and/or physical and

emotional healing. Also known as Wort Cunning.

HEREDITARY WITCHCRAFT: A Tradition passed down within the family

in an unbroken line and hence by hereditary descent. Many Family

Tradition Witches do not consider their traditions Wiccan; some

use the term Wicca to describe their family traditions

because the beliefs and practices fit more or less closely with

Gardnerian or Alexandrian Wicca. Also known as Hereditary

Witchcraft. Hereditaries are also often referred to as FamTrad,

or Family Traditionalists.

HERMAPHRODITE:

· A being who is both male and female in one. Connotatively

it denotes a level of existence that transcends the need

for sexuality and gender.

· In alchemy, the term represents Sulfur and Mercury after

their Conjunction. Also known as Rebis.

HERMETICA: Forty-two sacred books of mystical wisdom attributed

to the mythical Hermes Trismegistus, or Thrice Great Hermes, the

combined Egyptian and Greek deities of Thoth and Hermes,

respectively. The books, which date from somewhere between the

third century BCE and first century CE had an enormous impact on

the development of Western occultism and magick. Many of the

rituals and much of the esoteric symbolism contained in

Witchcraft are based upon Hermetic material.

HERMETIC ORDER OF THE GOLDEN DAWN: Founded in 1888 by Dr. William

Wynn Westcott, Samuel Liddle MacGregor Mathers and Dr. W.R.

Woodman based on a manuscript said to be an old German occult

order. Aleister Crowley is the most well known member in occult

circles, but membership also included W.B. Yeats and A.E.

Waite. During its height the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn

possessed the greatest known repository of Western magickal

knowledge. Three magickal systems were taught: the Key of Solomon;

Abra-Melin magick; and Enchonian magick. Materials were also

incorporated from the Egyptian Book of the Dead, William Blake’s

Prophetic Books and the Chaldean Oracles. Some of the texts

included Christian elements and members circulated various

Catholic and Anglican writings and sermons. Instruction was given

in astral travel, scrying, alchemy, geomancy, the tarot and

astrology.

HERMETIC VASE, The: A pear-shaped earthenware bottle, open at

both ends, used as a condenser in the sublimation process in

alchemy. Also called Aludel, the Philosopher's Egg, and the Vase

of the Philosophy.

HEX (Pennsylvania Dutch, hexe: "witch"): A spell or bewitchment.

In common usage, hex means an evil spell or curse, but among the

Pennsylvania Dutch a hex can be either good or bad. It is cast by

a professional witch whose services are sought out and paid for

with a “voluntary contribution”. Witches are also consulted to

break and protect against hexes.

HEXAGRAM: A six-pointed star formed of conjoined upright and

reversed triangles, representing the union and balance of Fire

and Water, and of Male and Female. Also called the Star of the

Macrocosm or the Star of David. It is used as a primary symbol

in the Judaic traditions.

HEX DEATH: Death from a hex or curse resulting from magick or the

breaking of a taboo. According to anthropologists the critical

factor in hex death is the belief of the victim that they are

going to die, however sorcerers in various cultures contend that

it is possible to cause a hex death without the victim being

aware of the hex. Hex death is found in some form in most

cultures around the world. Also known as Voodoo Death.

HEX SIGNS: Round magickal signs and symbols used by the

Pennsylvania Dutch. They are both amulets and talismans, and are

traditionally painted on barns, stables and houses to protect

against lightning, ensure fertility, and protect human and

animals from spellcraft. Other hex signs are painted on common

household items to heal, accumulate material goods and money,

start or stop rain, and innumerable other purposes. Each hex sign

has a different meaning and a charm or incantation is said as the

hex sign is being made. It is taboo for the Pennsylvania Dutch to

discuss hex signs with outsiders, so there is little known about

their crafting.

HIEROMANCY: Divination by interpreting sacrificial objects such

as burnt offerings or slaughtered animals. Similar to Haruspicy

(interpretation of animal entrails). Also known as Hieroscopy.

HIEROPHANT: Originally, the High Priest of the Elusinian

mysteries in Greece, the term now refers to a person capable of

interpreting sacred mysteries or esoteric principles.

HIEROSCOPY: Divination by interpreting sacrificial objects such

as burnt offerings or slaughtered animals. Similar to Haruspicy

(interpretation of animal entrails). Also known as Hieromancy.

HEIROS GAMOS: The Wiccan ritual enacting the union of the

Goddess and the God that can be symbolic (in the presence of

others) or actual (in private and only between established lovers

and working-partners); it is an essential part of the Traditional

Wiccan rite of Third Degree Initiation. Also known as the Great

Rite, Sacred Marriage of the Goddess and the God, the Marriage of

the Divine Polarities.

HIGH MAGICK: Magick that calls upon the aid of beneficent spirits

and is akin to religion. It is called theurgy, from theourgia

"working things pertaining to the gods". High Magick is based

upon a blend of doctrines of Plato and other Greek philosophers,

Oriental mysticism, Judaism and Christianity and currently is

divided into three forms : Enochian, Thelemic and Eclectic.

Enochian Magick originated with John Dee and Edward Kelly in the

16th century and communication with spirits involved the Nineteen

Calls (or Keys): incantations in the Enchonian language, a

complex language of unknown origin. This system of Magick was

revived by the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn and studied at

length by Aleister Crowley. In turn, Crowley developed the

Thelemic Magick system from his studies and High Magickians have

since expanded to develop Eclectic Magick systems based on a

variety of different systems, inclusive of Alchemy, Egyptology,

Kabbalistic doctrines, Chaos Magick etc.. High Magick requires a

rigorous discipline and has an intellectual appeal, the mage

derives power from God (the Judeo-Christian God) through the

successful control of spirits, usually demons, which are believed

easier to control than angels. Demons may be good, evil, or

neutral. In its highest sense, High Magick is a transcendental

experience that takes the mage into mystical realms and into

communication with the Higher Self. Also known as Ceremonial

Magick, Ritual Magick, Theurgic Magick, Theurgy.

HIGH PRIEST (HP):

· The highest male office in a hierocracy (hierarchy of

clergy);

· In Wicca, a Second or Third Degree male Witch (a rank).

HIGH PRIESTESS (HPS):

· The highest female office in a hierocracy (hierarchy of

clergy);

· A Second or Third Degree female Witch (a rank).

HILL FOLK, The (Old Irish, áes: "people"; sídh: "hill"): The

Tuatha Dé Danann, a race of gods who withdrew to live in the

hills of Ireland after their defeat by the Milesean Celts. The

descendants of the Tuatha Dé Danann became known as the Daoine

Sídhe, the faery folk and the term sídhe now means faery in the

Irish language. In Theosophy the Tuatha Dé Danann are known as

Davana and are enemies of the gods. Also known as Áes Sí, Áes

Sídh, Áes Sídhe, Áos Sídhe, the Children of Danu, the

Danaan, Davana, the People of Danu, the Tuatha Dé Danann. See

also Daoine Sídhe, Fae, Faerie, Faery, Fairie, Fairy.

HINDUISM: The main religious and social system in

India. Hinduism has various sects with the commonality of the

belief in reincarnation, polytheism and an ordained caste system

as its social base.

HIPPOCAMPUS (Greek, hippos: "horse"; kampos: "sea monster"): A

mythological creature with the head and forequarters of a horse

and the tail of a dolphin or fish.

HIPPOMANCY: Divination by interpreting the appearance and

behavior of horses. A form of augury.

HIVING OFF: The act of a coven member founding a daughter-

Coven with the sanction of the mother-Coven.

HOCUS POCUS: A nonsense phrase that is associated with trickery,

stage-magic conjuring and deceit.

HO-HO: A mythological bird that consumed itself by fire every 500

years and recreated itself from the ashes as a newborn. Also

known as Bennu, Fung-hwang, Fum-hwang, Kerkes, Phoenix.

HOLLANTIDE: The November 1st Greater Sabbat celebrating the End

and the Beginning of the Year with the final harvest. On this

day the veil between the Otherworld and the World is thinnest and