Wondering what all those woo-woo words actually mean? You’re in the right place! The Woo Dictionary is a growing collection of beginner-friendly definitions for all things astrology, tarot, Lenormand, intuition, divination, witchcraft, magic, spirituality, and more. Because sometimes you just need someone to explain it without making it complicated.

A

Affirmation: A positive statement repeated to yourself to help shift your thoughts, beliefs, or mindset. An affirmation might be something like, “I am capable of creating the life I want.”

Akashic Records: Believed to be an energetic record of every soul’s experiences, thoughts, emotions, and actions. You can think of the Akashic Records as a sort of spiritual library containing information about the past, present, and possible future paths.

Alchemy: Traditionally, the practice of trying to transform one substance into another, most famously turning metals into gold. In modern spirituality, alchemy can also refer to personal transformation—turning difficult experiences into wisdom and growth.

Altar: A dedicated space used for spiritual, religious, or magical practices. An altar might hold candles, crystals, photos, offerings, tarot cards, religious objects, or anything meaningful to your practice.

Amulet: An object worn or carried for protection. Unlike a talisman, which is generally intended to attract something, an amulet is traditionally intended to protect against something.

Ancestor Work: A spiritual practice centered around connecting with, honoring, remembering, or seeking guidance from your ancestors.

Angel Numbers: Repeating or noticeable number patterns believed to carry spiritual messages. Common examples include 111, 222, 333, 444, and 1111.

Animism: The belief that animals, plants, places, objects, and other parts of the natural world can possess spirit, consciousness, or spiritual energy.

Anointing: Applying oil or another substance to yourself, a candle, object, or magical tool as part of a blessing, consecration, spell, or ritual.

Arcana: A word meaning mysteries or secrets. In tarot, the deck is divided into the Major Arcana and Minor Arcana.

Ascendant: Another name for your Rising Sign—the zodiac sign that was rising on the eastern horizon at the exact time and location of your birth.

Aspect: In astrology, an angle formed between two planets or points in a chart. Different aspects describe how those energies interact with each other.

Astral Plane: A nonphysical plane of existence believed in some spiritual and esoteric traditions to exist beyond the physical world.

Astral Projection: The practice or experience of consciously separating your awareness or “astral body” from your physical body and traveling outside of it.

Astrology: The study of the positions and movements of celestial bodies and their symbolic relationship to personality, experiences, and events here on Earth.

Athame: A ceremonial blade used in some witchcraft, Wiccan, and Pagan practices to direct energy. It generally isn’t used for physically cutting things.

Aura: An energy field believed to surround living things. Auras are often described as having different colors or layers that may reflect a person’s energy, emotions, or overall state.

Automatic Writing: Writing without consciously deciding what you’re going to say. In spiritual practices, automatic writing may be used to receive intuitive messages or attempt communication with guides or spirits.

B

Banishing: A magical or spiritual practice intended to remove unwanted energy, influences, habits, attachments, or situations.

Beltane: A Pagan seasonal festival traditionally celebrated around May 1 in the Northern Hemisphere. It is associated with fertility, growth, fire, abundance, and the coming of summer.

Big Three: In astrology, your Sun Sign, Moon Sign, and Rising Sign. These are often the first three placements beginners learn about in their birth chart.

Binding: A magical practice intended to restrain, limit, or prevent a person, energy, behavior, or situation from causing harm or taking a particular action.

Birth Chart: A map showing where the Sun, Moon, planets, and other astrological points were positioned at the exact time and location of your birth. Also called a Natal Chart.

Blue Moon: Most commonly, the second Full Moon occurring within one calendar month. The term can also refer to the third Full Moon in a season containing four Full Moons.

Book of Shadows: A personal book used to record spells, rituals, correspondences, spiritual experiences, research, and other information related to someone’s magical or spiritual practice.

Breathwork: Intentionally changing or focusing on your breathing for relaxation, meditation, emotional release, mindfulness, or spiritual practice.

Brujería: The Spanish word for witchcraft. The practices associated with brujería vary widely between cultures, communities, families, and individual practitioners.

C

Candle Magic: Spellwork that uses candles to represent an intention or desired outcome. Candle colors, herbs, oils, symbols, and other correspondences may also be incorporated.

Cardinal Signs: Aries, Cancer, Libra, and Capricorn. Cardinal signs are associated with beginnings, initiative, leadership, and getting things moving.

Cartomancy: Divination using cards. Tarot, Lenormand, Kipper, playing cards, and many oracle systems are forms of cartomancy.

Chakras: Energy centers described in spiritual traditions originating in India. Many Western spiritual practices use a seven-chakra system running from the Root Chakra near the base of the spine to the Crown Chakra at the top of the head.

Channeling: A spiritual practice in which a person attempts to receive or communicate information from a spirit, guide, higher consciousness, or other nonphysical source.

Charging: The practice of intentionally filling an object, such as a crystal, candle, piece of jewelry, or magical tool, with a particular energy or intention.

Charm: An object, symbol, spoken phrase, or small magical working believed to attract a particular energy or outcome.

Chart Ruler: In astrology, the planet that rules your Rising Sign. Because the Rising Sign begins the First House, its ruling planet is considered especially important in interpreting the birth chart.

Chiromancy: Divination using the hands, particularly the lines and features of the palms. Also known as Palmistry.

Clair: A French word meaning “clear.” In spirituality, clair is used to describe different ways of intuitively or psychically receiving information.

Clairalience: “Clear smelling.” Receiving intuitive impressions through scents or smells that don’t appear to have an obvious physical source. Also called Clairolfaction.

Clairaudience: “Clear hearing.” Receiving intuitive information through sounds, words, voices, music, or other auditory impressions.

Claircognizance: “Clear knowing.” Knowing something without being able to explain exactly how or why you know it.

Clairempathy: Intuitively sensing or experiencing another person’s emotions.

Clairgustance: “Clear tasting.” Experiencing a taste without an obvious physical source that is believed to carry intuitive or psychic information.

Clairolfaction: Another term for Clairalience, or “clear smelling.”

Clairsentience: “Clear feeling.” Receiving intuitive information through emotions, physical sensations, gut feelings, or the energy around you.

Clairtangency: “Clear touching.” Receiving intuitive information by touching a person or object. It is closely associated with Psychometry.

Clairvoyance: “Clear seeing.” Receiving intuitive information visually through mental images, symbols, colors, dreams, scenes, or visions.

Clarifier: An additional tarot or oracle card drawn to provide more information or clarity about another card or part of a reading.

Cleansing: Removing unwanted, stagnant, or lingering energy from yourself, an object, or a space.

Combination: In Lenormand, two or more cards read together to create a combined meaning. Card combinations are a major part of reading Lenormand.

Conjunction: An astrological aspect where two planets or points are very close together, causing their energies to become strongly blended.

Conjure: A broad term for calling forth, creating, or working with spiritual forces. Conjure can also refer to specific folk-magic traditions, so its meaning depends on the context.

Correspondence: An object, color, herb, crystal, planet, day, number, or other item symbolically associated with a particular energy or intention. For example, green is commonly associated with money and abundance.

Court Cards: The 16 tarot cards traditionally represented by Pages, Knights, Queens, and Kings. Court Cards can represent people, personalities, roles, attitudes, or ways of approaching a situation.

Coven: A group of witches or magical practitioners who meet and practice together.

Crown Chakra: The seventh chakra in the commonly used seven-chakra system. Located at or above the top of the head, it is associated with spiritual connection, consciousness, and enlightenment.

Crystal Grid: Crystals intentionally arranged in a particular pattern for a spiritual, energetic, or magical purpose.

Crystal Healing: A spiritual practice that uses crystals and stones for their believed energetic properties. Crystal healing is a spiritual or complementary practice and isn’t a replacement for medical care.

Cups: One of the four suits of the Minor Arcana in tarot. Cups are generally associated with emotions, relationships, intuition, love, and the element of Water.

Curse: A magical working intended to cause serious harm, misfortune, or negative consequences. The distinction between a curse, hex, and jinx varies between traditions.

Cusp: The boundary between two zodiac signs or astrological houses. Someone born near the date when the Sun changes signs may be described as “born on the cusp,” although their Sun itself is positioned in one sign or the other.

D

Dark Moon: The period when the Moon isn’t visibly illuminated from Earth, usually around the New Moon. Some spiritual traditions distinguish the Dark Moon from the New Moon and associate it with rest, release, reflection, or shadow work.

Decan: One of three 10° sections within each 30° zodiac sign. Decans can be used to add another layer of detail to astrological interpretation.

Deck Cleansing: The practice of energetically cleansing a tarot, Lenormand, or oracle deck. Methods might include smoke, crystals, knocking on the deck, visualization, or simply setting an intention.

Deck Interview: A tarot or oracle spread used to become familiar with a new deck, often by asking about its strengths, personality, reading style, or how you might work together.

Deity: A god, goddess, or divine being.

Deity Work: Spiritual or magical practices involving a particular god, goddess, or other deity.

Déjà Vu: The strange feeling that you’ve already experienced a situation that’s currently happening, even when you don’t consciously remember doing so. Some spiritual beliefs connect déjà vu with intuition, dreams, or past lives.

Descendant: The point directly opposite the Ascendant in an astrology chart and the beginning of the Seventh House. It is commonly associated with partnerships, relationships, and the qualities we encounter through other people.

Detriment: In traditional astrology, a planet is in detriment when it is positioned in the zodiac sign opposite one of the signs it rules. It is considered a placement where the planet may have more difficulty expressing its usual qualities.

Divination: Seeking insight, guidance, or information through spiritual or symbolic methods such as tarot, Lenormand, astrology, runes, pendulums, or scrying.

Domicile: In astrology, a planet is in domicile when it is positioned in a zodiac sign that it rules. This is traditionally considered a comfortable or strong placement for that planet.

Dowsing: A form of divination traditionally used to locate something hidden, such as water or objects. Pendulums and dowsing rods may be used.

Dream Interpretation: Looking at the imagery, emotions, events, and symbols within dreams to explore their possible meanings.

E

Earth Magic: Magical or spiritual practices involving the Earth, nature, and natural materials such as plants, stones, soil, water, and herbs.

Eclipse: An astronomical event where the Sun, Moon, and Earth align in a way that causes the Sun or Moon to become partially or completely obscured. Eclipses also have symbolic meanings in astrology.

Elements: Earth, Air, Fire, and Water. These four elements are used symbolically throughout astrology, tarot, witchcraft, and many other spiritual practices.

Empath: Someone who considers themselves especially sensitive to the emotions or energy of other people.

Energy: In spiritual practices, an unseen force or vibration believed to exist within and around people, places, objects, and nature.

Energy Cleansing: The practice of clearing unwanted, stagnant, or lingering energy from yourself, another person, an object, or a space.

Energy Work: Spiritual practices focused on sensing, directing, balancing, clearing, or otherwise working with energy.

Equinox: One of two points during the year when day and night are approximately equal in length. The Spring and Autumn Equinoxes are also important seasonal points in many Pagan traditions.

Esotericism: Spiritual, philosophical, mystical, or occult teachings traditionally intended for people with specialized or deeper knowledge of the subject.

Evocation: The practice of calling forth or inviting a spirit, entity, or energy to appear or be present during a ritual or magical working.

Exaltation: In traditional astrology, a planet is exalted when it is positioned in a zodiac sign where its qualities are considered especially strong or well expressed.

F

Fall: In traditional astrology, a planet is considered in fall when it is positioned in the sign opposite its exaltation. This is traditionally considered a more challenging placement for the planet’s energy.

Familiar: In folklore, a supernatural spirit or entity believed to assist a witch, sometimes appearing in animal form. Today, some witches also informally use familiar for an animal they feel has a special connection to their magical practice.

First Quarter Moon: The lunar phase when the Moon appears half illuminated while moving from the New Moon toward the Full Moon. Spiritually, it is often associated with action, decisions, momentum, and overcoming obstacles.

Fixed Signs: Taurus, Leo, Scorpio, and Aquarius. Fixed signs are associated with stability, determination, persistence, and maintaining what has already been started.

Folk Magic: Magical practices rooted in the customs, traditions, beliefs, and everyday lives of a particular community or culture. Folk magic often uses readily available household and natural materials.

Full Moon: The lunar phase when the Moon appears fully illuminated from Earth. Spiritually, the Full Moon is often associated with culmination, illumination, release, celebration, and heightened energy.

G

Gibbous Moon: A Moon phase where more than half, but not all, of the Moon appears illuminated. A Waxing Gibbous grows toward the Full Moon, while a Waning Gibbous follows it.

Glamour Magic: Magical practices intended to influence how you feel about yourself or how you are perceived by others. It is often associated with confidence, beauty, attraction, and self-expression.

Grand Tableau: A traditional Lenormand spread that uses all 36 cards at once to create a detailed overview of a person’s life, circumstances, or situation.

Green Witchcraft: A style of witchcraft centered around nature and working with plants, herbs, flowers, trees, gardening, and the natural world.

Grimoire: A book containing magical knowledge, spells, rituals, correspondences, recipes, or instructions. A grimoire may be used as a personal reference or written as an instructional text.

Grounding: A practice used to bring your attention and energy back to yourself and the present moment. Grounding might include meditation, breathing, eating, spending time in nature, or focusing on your physical surroundings.

Guardian Angel: An angel believed to watch over, protect, or guide a particular person.

H

Heart Chakra: The fourth chakra in the commonly used seven-chakra system. Located around the center of the chest, it is associated with love, compassion, connection, and emotional balance.

Hearth Witchcraft: A form of witchcraft centered around the home, hearth, family, comfort, protection, and everyday household practices.

Hex: A magical working intended to cause difficulty or harm to another person. The exact distinction between a hex, jinx, and curse varies between magical traditions.

Higher Consciousness: A spiritual concept describing a state of awareness believed to extend beyond ordinary everyday thinking or individual ego.

Higher Self: The spiritual or wiser part of yourself believed to exist beyond everyday thoughts, fears, and ego.

Hoodoo: An African American spiritual and folk-magic tradition that developed in the United States, particularly among descendants of enslaved Africans. Hoodoo has its own history, practices, and cultural context and shouldn’t be treated as a generic word for witchcraft.

House Ruler: In astrology, the planet that rules the zodiac sign located on the cusp of a particular house. Astrologers use the house ruler to gather additional information about that area of life.

Houses: The 12 sections of an astrology chart. Each house represents a different area of life, such as identity, money, communication, home, relationships, career, or spirituality.

I

I Ching: An ancient Chinese divination and philosophical text also known as the Book of Changes. Divination with the I Ching uses 64 hexagrams to explore situations, changes, and possible paths forward.

Imbolc: A Pagan seasonal festival traditionally celebrated around February 1 in the Northern Hemisphere. It is associated with the first signs of spring, purification, renewal, and returning light.

Imum Coeli (IC): One of the four major angles of an astrology chart. Usually located near the bottom of the chart, the IC is associated with home, family, roots, ancestry, and private life.

Incense: Aromatic material burned for fragrance, meditation, ritual, cleansing, offerings, or magical intentions.

Intention: The purpose behind a spiritual or magical practice—basically, what you want the practice to accomplish.

Intuition: The ability to sense, understand, or know something without consciously reasoning your way to the answer. It’s that “I don’t know how I know, I just know” feeling.

Invocation: Calling upon or inviting a deity, spirit, energy, or other spiritual presence during a ritual or practice.

J

Jinx: A magical working believed to cause bad luck or relatively minor misfortune. The exact distinction between a jinx, hex, and curse varies between traditions.

Jumper: A tarot or oracle card that falls, flips, or “jumps” out of the deck while you’re shuffling. Some readers interpret jumpers as cards that especially want their attention.

K

Karma: A concept originating in Indian religions involving actions and their consequences. In modern Western spirituality, it’s often simplified as “what you put into the universe comes back to you,” although its traditional religious meanings are much more complex.

Kipper: A 36-card European fortune-telling system featuring people, situations, relationships, and events. Although it is sometimes compared to Lenormand, Kipper is its own cartomancy system.

Kitchen Witchcraft: A style of witchcraft that incorporates magic and intention into cooking, baking, herbs, food, and everyday kitchen activities.

Knighting: A Lenormand technique that looks at cards positioned in an L-shape from another card, similar to the movement of a knight in chess, to uncover additional influences or connections.

Knot Magic: Spellwork that uses knots, cords, string, or ribbon to bind, release, store, or represent magical intentions.

L

Lammas: Another name commonly used for Lughnasadh, one of the eight Sabbats of the Wheel of the Year.

Last Quarter Moon: The lunar phase when the Moon appears half illuminated while moving from the Full Moon toward the New Moon. Spiritually, it is often associated with release, reflection, forgiveness, and letting go. Also called the Third Quarter Moon.

Law of Assumption: The belief that consistently assuming or believing your desired reality is already true can help bring that experience into your life.

Law of Attraction: The belief that your thoughts, emotions, focus, and energy can influence the experiences or circumstances you attract into your life.

Lenormand: A 36-card divination system known for giving direct, practical messages through combinations of simple symbols.

Life Path Number: In numerology, a number calculated from your birth date that is believed to represent major personality traits, lessons, and themes throughout your life.

Line of Five: A Lenormand spread using five cards in a horizontal line to explore a question or situation in more detail.

Line of Three: A simple Lenormand spread using three cards read together as a combination.

Litha: A modern Pagan name commonly used for the Summer Solstice celebration on the Wheel of the Year. It is associated with sunlight, abundance, growth, and the height of summer.

Lithomancy: Divination using stones, crystals, or other small objects that are cast or selected and interpreted according to their positions or meanings.

Lucid Dreaming: Becoming aware that you are dreaming while the dream is still happening. Some people can consciously influence what happens once they realize they’re dreaming.

Lughnasadh: A Pagan seasonal festival traditionally celebrated around August 1 in the Northern Hemisphere. It is associated with the beginning of the harvest season, abundance, gratitude, and the fruits of your work. Also associated with Lammas.

Lunar Return: The moment when the Moon returns to the exact zodiac position it occupied when you were born. This happens roughly once a month and can be used astrologically to explore themes for the coming lunar month.

M

Magical Correspondence: See Correspondence.

Magic / Magick: The practice of using intention, symbolism, ritual, energy, or spiritual forces to create change. Some practitioners spell it magick to distinguish spiritual or ritual magic from stage magic.

Major Arcana: The 22 trump cards of a tarot deck, beginning with The Fool and ending with The World. They generally represent major themes, lessons, archetypes, turning points, and life experiences.

Mabon: A modern Pagan name commonly used for the Autumn Equinox celebration on the Wheel of the Year. It is associated with harvest, gratitude, balance, and preparing for the darker part of the year.

Manifestation: The spiritual practice of intentionally focusing your thoughts, beliefs, actions, and energy toward creating a desired experience or outcome.

Mantra: Traditionally, a sacred sound, word, or phrase repeated as part of spiritual practices originating in Indian religions. The word is also commonly used today for short phrases repeated for focus, encouragement, or meditation.

Medium: A person who believes they can communicate with spirits or people who have died.

Mediumship: The practice or claimed ability of communicating with spirits or people who have died.

Meditation: A broad range of practices used to focus awareness, observe thoughts, quiet mental chatter, develop mindfulness, relax, or deepen spiritual awareness.

Mercury Retrograde: A period when Mercury appears to move backward through the sky from our perspective on Earth. Astrologically, it is commonly associated with reviewing and revisiting matters involving communication, technology, travel, and information.

Metaphysics: A branch of philosophy concerned with the fundamental nature of reality and existence. In modern spiritual communities, the word is also commonly used when discussing subjects believed to extend beyond the physical world.

Midheaven (MC): One of the four major angles of an astrology chart. Usually located near the top of the chart, the Midheaven is associated with career, public life, reputation, goals, and what you’re known for.

Mindfulness: The practice of intentionally paying attention to the present moment without immediately judging or reacting to what you’re experiencing.

Minor Arcana: The 56 tarot cards divided into four suits: Cups, Pentacles, Swords, and Wands. They generally represent everyday situations, experiences, emotions, challenges, and actions.

Mirroring: A Lenormand technique that pairs cards positioned opposite one another within a spread to reveal connections, influences, or additional information.

Modalities: The three ways zodiac signs are grouped according to how they approach action and change: Cardinal, Fixed, and Mutable. Also called Quadruplicities.

Moon Phases: The changing appearance of the Moon as it orbits Earth. Different lunar phases are often given symbolic meanings and used to time spiritual or magical practices.

Moon Sign: The zodiac sign the Moon was traveling through when you were born. In astrology, your Moon Sign is associated with emotions, instincts, comfort, needs, and your inner self.

Moon Water: Water intentionally placed under moonlight and later used for spiritual or magical purposes.

Mutable Signs: Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius, and Pisces. Mutable signs are associated with flexibility, adaptability, transition, and change.

N

Natal: Relating to birth. In astrology, natal refers to the positions of the planets and other celestial points at the time of your birth.

Natal Chart: Another name for a Birth Chart.

New Age: A broad modern spiritual movement that became especially popular during the 20th century and incorporates ideas involving personal spiritual growth, metaphysics, energy, astrology, meditation, divination, and other spiritual practices.

New Moon: The lunar phase when the Moon is positioned near the Sun in the sky and its illuminated side mostly faces away from Earth. Spiritually, the New Moon is commonly associated with new beginnings, intention setting, and planting the seeds for something new.

Nine-Card Portrait: A Lenormand spread consisting of nine cards arranged in a 3 × 3 grid. It provides more detail than a short line while remaining much smaller than a Grand Tableau.

North Node: An astrological point where the Moon’s orbit crosses the ecliptic moving northward. Astrologically, it is commonly associated with growth, new experiences, and qualities you’re learning or developing.

Numerology: A divination or symbolic system that studies numbers and their believed relationship to personality, experiences, and life themes.

O

Occult: Knowledge, beliefs, or practices involving mystical, magical, supernatural, or hidden subjects. Despite how movies sometimes use the word, occult doesn’t automatically mean evil or dangerous.

Offering: Something intentionally given to a deity, spirit, ancestor, nature, or another spiritual presence as an act of honor, gratitude, devotion, or exchange.

Omen: An event, object, animal, symbol, or unusual occurrence interpreted as having a possible spiritual message or meaning.

Oneiromancy: Divination through dreams or the interpretation of dreams as messages, guidance, or predictions.

Opposition: An astrological aspect occurring when two planets or points are approximately 180° apart. Oppositions are often associated with tension, awareness, balance, or two energies pulling in opposite directions.

Oracle Cards: A form of cartomancy using cards designed around a particular theme or system. Unlike tarot and Lenormand, oracle decks don’t have a required structure or standard number of cards.

Ostara: A modern Pagan name commonly used for the Spring Equinox celebration on the Wheel of the Year. It is associated with spring, balance, renewal, fertility, and new beginnings.

Ouija Board: A well-known branded type of Spirit Board containing letters, numbers, and other symbols and used with a movable planchette.

P

Pagan: A broad umbrella term used for many different religions and spiritual paths, including modern traditions inspired by or reconstructing pre-Christian religions. Pagan beliefs and practices vary greatly between traditions.

Paganism: A broad umbrella term for Pagan religions, traditions, and spiritual practices rather than one single religion or belief system.

Palmistry: Divination or personality interpretation using the lines, shapes, mounts, and other features of the hands. Also called Palm Reading or Chiromancy.

Past Life: A previous lifetime someone believes their soul experienced before their current life.

Pendulum: A weighted object suspended from a string or chain and used for divination, commonly to answer yes-or-no questions.

Pentacle: A pentagram enclosed within a circle. It is commonly used in Paganism and witchcraft and may represent protection, balance, or the elements.

Pentacles: One of the four suits of the Minor Arcana in tarot. Pentacles are generally associated with money, work, resources, the physical world, and the element of Earth.

Pentagram: A five-pointed star. In many Pagan and magical traditions, its points may represent Earth, Air, Fire, Water, and Spirit.

Pip Cards: The numbered cards of a tarot deck’s Minor Arcana, usually Ace through Ten in each of the four suits.

Planetary Retrograde: The apparent backward movement of a planet through the sky when viewed from Earth. Astrology assigns different symbolic meanings to the retrograde periods of different planets.

Planets: In astrology, the Sun, Moon, and planets represent different functions or parts of life and personality. For example, Mercury is associated with communication, while Venus is associated with love, values, and attraction.

Polarity: In astrology, the zodiac signs are divided into two complementary groups traditionally described as positive/negative, masculine/feminine, or, increasingly, active/receptive polarities.

Precognition: The claimed psychic ability to know or perceive information about an event before it happens.

Premonition: A strong feeling, dream, vision, or sense that something is going to happen before it actually occurs.

Progressed Chart: An astrology chart created by symbolically advancing a birth chart forward in time. Astrologers use progressions to explore personal development and changing life themes.

Protection Magic: Magical practices intended to create energetic or spiritual protection around a person, home, object, or space.

Psychic: A person believed to receive information beyond the ordinary senses through abilities such as clairvoyance, clairaudience, or claircognizance. The word can also describe those abilities themselves.

Psychometry: Receiving intuitive or psychic impressions about a person, place, or event by touching or holding an object associated with it.

Q

Qi: Pronounced “chee.” A concept in Chinese philosophy and traditional practices describing vital energy or life force.

Quadruplicities: Another name for the three astrological Modalities: Cardinal, Fixed, and Mutable. Each group contains four zodiac signs.

Querent: The person asking the question or receiving a tarot, Lenormand, oracle, or other divination reading.

R

Reiki: A Japanese energy-healing practice in which a practitioner places their hands on or near the body with the intention of supporting relaxation and energetic balance.

Retrograde: The apparent backward movement of a planet through the sky from our perspective on Earth. See Planetary Retrograde.

Reversal: A tarot card that appears upside down during a reading. Some tarot readers give reversed cards different meanings, while others choose not to use reversals at all.

Rider-Waite-Smith (RWS): An influential 78-card tarot deck first published in 1909, created by artist Pamela Colman Smith under the direction of A. E. Waite. Its imagery became the foundation for many modern tarot decks.

Rising Sign: The zodiac sign that was rising on the eastern horizon at the exact time and location of your birth. Also called the Ascendant, it is associated with how you approach and meet the outside world and often contributes to people’s first impression of you.

Ritual: A symbolic action or series of actions performed with intention. Rituals can be religious, spiritual, magical, cultural, or personal.

Ritual Bath: A bath intentionally prepared as part of a spiritual or magical practice, often using herbs, salts, oils, flowers, candles, or other symbolic ingredients.

Root Chakra: The first chakra in the commonly used seven-chakra system. Located around the base of the spine, it is associated with safety, stability, grounding, and basic needs.

Runes: Characters from ancient Germanic alphabets that are also used today for divination, especially the Elder Futhark. Each rune is given symbolic meanings that can be interpreted during a reading.

S

Sabbat: A seasonal Pagan festival. In Wicca and some modern Pagan traditions, eight Sabbats make up the Wheel of the Year.

Sacral Chakra: The second chakra in the commonly used seven-chakra system. Located around the lower abdomen, it is associated with creativity, pleasure, emotions, relationships, and sexuality.

Sacred Space: A physical or energetic space intentionally prepared for spiritual, religious, magical, or meditative practices.

Samhain: A Pagan festival traditionally celebrated around October 31–November 1 in the Northern Hemisphere. It is associated with the end of the harvest, ancestors, death and rebirth, and a time when the boundary between the physical and spirit worlds is sometimes believed to be thinner.

Santería: An Afro-Caribbean religion that developed in Cuba from Yoruba religious traditions alongside influences from Roman Catholicism. Also called Regla de Ocha or Lucumí/Lukumí. Its Orishas are Yoruba divine beings that became associated with Catholic saints through historical religious syncretism.

Scrying: A form of divination involving gazing into a surface, object, or element to receive intuitive impressions or visions. Crystal balls, mirrors, water, smoke, and flames can all be used for scrying.

Sextile: An astrological aspect occurring when two planets or points are approximately 60° apart. Sextiles are generally associated with opportunities, cooperation, and energies that can work well together.

Shadow Work: The practice of exploring parts of yourself that you may suppress, avoid, dislike, or have difficulty acknowledging. The modern spiritual use of the term is influenced by psychologist Carl Jung’s concept of the “shadow.”

Significator: A card chosen or identified to represent the querent, another person, or the main subject of a divination reading. Significators are used in several cartomancy systems.

Sigil: A symbol created or used to represent a particular magical intention, desire, or purpose.

Smoke Cleansing: Using smoke from herbs, incense, resins, or other materials as part of a spiritual or energetic cleansing practice.

Solar Plexus Chakra: The third chakra in the commonly used seven-chakra system. Located around the upper abdomen, it is associated with confidence, personal power, motivation, and will.

Solar Return: The moment each year when the Sun returns to the exact zodiac position it occupied when you were born. Astrologers can create a Solar Return chart to explore themes for the coming year.

Solstice: One of two points each year when the Sun reaches its most northerly or southerly position relative to Earth’s equator, producing the longest or shortest day of the year.

Soul: The spiritual or nonphysical essence of a person believed by many religions and spiritual traditions to exist beyond the physical body.

South Node: The astrological point directly opposite the North Node. It is commonly associated with familiar qualities, patterns, experiences, or abilities that may come naturally to you.

Spell: A magical practice performed with a specific intention. A spell might involve words, candles, herbs, crystals, symbols, visualization, energy, or simply focused intention.

Spell Jar: A spell created by placing symbolic ingredients such as herbs, crystals, written intentions, or other items inside a jar or container.

Spellwork: The practice of creating and performing spells.

Spirit: A broad term for a nonphysical being or essence. Depending on someone’s beliefs, this might include deceased loved ones, ancestors, guides, ghosts, or other spiritual beings.

Spirit Board: A board containing letters, numbers, and other symbols that is used with a movable planchette in an attempt to communicate with spirits. Ouija is a well-known branded version of a spirit board.

Spirit Communication: A broad term for practices intended to communicate with spirits, ancestors, deceased loved ones, or other nonphysical beings.

Spirit Guide: A nonphysical being or spiritual presence believed to offer guidance, protection, teaching, or support.

Spiritual Awakening: A period of major change in someone’s spiritual awareness, beliefs, sense of purpose, or understanding of themselves and the world.

Spiritual Bypassing: Using spiritual beliefs or practices to avoid dealing with difficult emotions, problems, trauma, responsibilities, or real-world issues.

Spirituality: A broad term for beliefs and practices involving personal meaning, connection, the soul, higher powers, consciousness, or experiences beyond ordinary physical life. Spirituality may or may not involve an organized religion.

Square: An astrological aspect occurring when two planets or points are approximately 90° apart. Squares are generally associated with tension, challenges, friction, and the motivation to take action or grow.

Stellium: In astrology, a cluster of several planets in the same zodiac sign or house, creating a strong concentration of that particular energy or life theme.

Sun Sign: The zodiac sign the Sun was traveling through when you were born. This is the zodiac sign people usually mean when they ask, “What’s your sign?”

Supermoon: A popular term for a Full Moon or New Moon occurring when the Moon is relatively close to Earth in its orbit, causing a Full Moon to appear somewhat larger and brighter than usual.

Swords: One of the four suits of the Minor Arcana in tarot. Swords are generally associated with thoughts, communication, truth, conflict, decisions, and the element of Air.

Symbolism: The use of objects, images, colors, animals, numbers, or other symbols to represent deeper ideas and meanings.

Sympathetic Magic: Magic based on the idea that things symbolically connected to one another can influence each other. For example, a small object might be used to represent a person or desired outcome during spellwork.

Synastry: An astrology technique that compares two people’s birth charts to explore their relationship dynamics, connections, challenges, and compatibility.

Synchronicity: A meaningful coincidence that seems to have a deeper connection or significance even though there may be no obvious cause linking the events.

T

Talisman: An object created, charged, worn, or carried to attract a particular energy, quality, luck, protection, or magical influence.

Tarot: A 78-card cartomancy system made up of 22 Major Arcana cards and 56 Minor Arcana cards.

Tarot de Marseille: A historic style of tarot that became especially popular in France and influenced many later tarot traditions. Its Minor Arcana typically uses pip-style imagery rather than the fully illustrated scenes found in many modern decks.

Tarot Spread: The layout or pattern in which tarot cards are placed during a reading. Each position may represent a different part of the question or situation.

Tasseomancy: Divination by interpreting patterns left by tea leaves, coffee grounds, or similar sediment inside a cup.

Telepathy: The claimed ability to communicate thoughts or information directly from one mind to another without speaking or using the ordinary senses.

Third Eye: A spiritual concept associated with intuition, insight, inner vision, and perception beyond the physical senses. It is commonly connected with the Third Eye Chakra.

Third Eye Chakra: The sixth chakra in the commonly used seven-chakra system. Located around the area between the eyebrows, it is associated with intuition, insight, imagination, and inner vision.

Third Quarter Moon: Another name for the Last Quarter Moon.

Thoth Tarot: A 78-card tarot deck created by Aleister Crowley and painted by Lady Frieda Harris. It has its own symbolism and system influenced by astrology, Qabalah, alchemy, and ceremonial magic.

Throat Chakra: The fifth chakra in the commonly used seven-chakra system. Located around the throat, it is associated with communication, truth, expression, and speaking your authentic voice.

Transit: In astrology, the current movement and position of a planet in the sky, especially when compared with the planets and points in a birth chart.

Trine: An astrological aspect occurring when two planets or points are approximately 120° apart. Trines are generally associated with ease, harmony, natural talents, and energies that flow well together.

Triple Goddess: A modern Pagan concept representing the Goddess in three forms: Maiden, Mother, and Crone. It is often symbolically associated with the waxing, full, and waning Moon.

Trump Card: A term used for the 22 Major Arcana cards in tarot. Historically, tarot developed from card games containing a suit of trump cards before becoming widely used for divination.

U

Upright: A tarot card appearing right-side up during a reading, as opposed to reversed or upside down.

V

Visualization: Intentionally creating an image, experience, or scene in your mind. Visualization is commonly used during meditation, manifestation, energy work, and spellwork.

W

Waning Crescent: The final visible lunar phase before the New Moon, when only a small portion of the Moon remains illuminated. Spiritually, it is often associated with rest, surrender, reflection, and release.

Waning Gibbous: The lunar phase immediately after the Full Moon, when the illuminated portion gradually becomes smaller. Spiritually, it is often associated with gratitude, reflection, sharing, and release.

Waning Moon: The period between the Full Moon and New Moon when the illuminated portion of the Moon appears to become smaller. Spiritually, it is often associated with release, banishing, cleansing, and letting go.

Wands: One of the four suits of the Minor Arcana in tarot. Wands are generally associated with passion, creativity, inspiration, action, ambition, and the element of Fire.

Warding: Creating spiritual or energetic protection around yourself, another person, an object, or a space.

Warlock: A historical term with several meanings that has sometimes been used for a male practitioner of witchcraft. Today, witch is generally considered gender-neutral, and many men who practice witchcraft simply call themselves witches.

Waxing Crescent: The lunar phase shortly after the New Moon when a small illuminated crescent begins to appear. Spiritually, it is often associated with intention, hope, planning, and beginning to take action.

Waxing Gibbous: The lunar phase between the First Quarter and Full Moon, when more than half of the Moon appears illuminated and continues to grow. Spiritually, it is often associated with refinement, adjustment, persistence, and building momentum.

Waxing Moon: The period between the New Moon and Full Moon when the illuminated portion of the Moon appears to grow. Spiritually, it is often associated with growth, attraction, building, and manifestation.

Wheel of the Year: An annual cycle of eight seasonal festivals commonly observed in Wicca and some modern Pagan traditions: Samhain, Yule, Imbolc, Ostara, Beltane, Litha, Lughnasadh/Lammas, and Mabon.

Wicca: A modern Pagan religion that developed during the 20th century and commonly incorporates nature, seasonal cycles, ritual, magic, and reverence for divine forces. Beliefs and practices vary between Wiccan traditions.

Witch: A person who practices witchcraft. A witch can be any gender, and witchcraft may be practiced as part of a religion, spiritual path, folk tradition, or entirely on its own.

Witchcraft: A broad collection of magical practices that may involve spellwork, herbs, divination, spirits, energy, nature, ritual, or other methods. Witchcraft isn’t one single religion or belief system.

Woo: Short for “woo-woo,” a slang term used for ideas considered mystical, supernatural, paranormal, spiritual, or outside conventional scientific explanations. Although it has often been used negatively, plenty of us have happily reclaimed the word. 😉

Y

Yin and Yang: A concept in Chinese philosophy representing complementary and interconnected forces. Yin and Yang aren’t simply “good versus evil.” Instead, they illustrate how seemingly opposite forces—such as light and dark, active and receptive, or warm and cool—can exist together and balance each other.

Yule: A midwinter festival celebrated in various historical and modern traditions. In the modern Pagan Wheel of the Year, Yule is associated with the Winter Solstice, returning light, renewal, and the turning of the seasons.

Z

Zazen: A form of seated meditation central to Zen Buddhism. The word literally refers to “seated meditation.”

Zodiac: In Western astrology, the zodiac is a 360° band divided into twelve 30° signs: Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius, and Pisces.