Encyclopedia of Witchcraft Quotes

“a woman’s phases are inconsistent or unreliable, they can be realigned by strengthening her affinity with the moon, the tides, and other lunar forces”
― Judika Illes, Encyclopedia of Witchcraft: The Complete A-Z for the Entire Magical World

“Any power (light, dark, masculine, feminine) may be used for good or evil; it is how it is used that affects the outcome. The power in itself is neutral.”
― Judika Illes, Encyclopedia of Witchcraft: The Complete A-Z for the Entire Magical World

“It is no accident that the heavenly body universally associated with witchcraft is the moon, whose shape changes continually, although her rhythm is constant • It is no accident that the element universally associated with witchcraft is water, whose tides are ruled by the moon; water appears, disappears, changes shape, shifts continually, but remains rhythmically constant • It is no accident that the human gender most associated with witchcraft is the female one: the female body, like lunar phases and ocean tides, changes continually, often to the despair of the individual woman herself, although the rhythms also possess consistency if we let ourselves feel them.”
― Judika Illes, Encyclopedia of Witchcraft: The Complete A-Z for the Entire Magical World

“Magick: The English language was only relatively recently formalized and so older documents are characterized by creative spelling. “Magic” is often spelled “magick” but the words were intended synonymously. “Magic,” like “witch,” is an imprecise word that means different things to different people. Some practitioners of the occult find it insulting to be lumped together with practitioners of illusion (and the feeling is often mutual). Thus a “k” is added so that it is clear to readers exactly what type of magic is being practiced. Aleister Crowley was the first to consciously and explicitly use this spelling to distinguish the occult arts from the tricks of stage magicians.”
― Judika Illes, Encyclopedia of Witchcraft: The Complete A-Z for the Entire Magical World

“This English word derives from the Greek mageia and the Latin magia meaning “art of the magus or magician.” These words in turn derive from the Magi, a Persian caste of priests, spiritual practitioners, and masters of astrology and divination. (See Magi, Magician.)”
― Judika Illes, Encyclopedia of Witchcraft: The Complete A-Z for the Entire Magical World

“Maenad: A female devotee of Dionysus. In many ways, the Maenads served as the prototype of the wild, free, ecstatic female witch. Eventually they too would come to be hysterically persecuted and outlawed. Among the theories of historical witchcraft is that it is a surviving vestige of Dionysian spirituality. See CREATIVE ARTS: Dance: Maenad Dances; DIVINE WITCH: Dionysus;.”
― Judika Illes, Encyclopedia of Witchcraft: The Complete A-Z for the Entire Magical World

“Hoodoo, Hoodoo Doctor, Hoodoo Man, Hoodoo Woman: A melting pot American magic, Hoodoo was born when enslaved African magical practitioners, deprived of their traditional materials, were forced to develop an entirely new botanical repertoire to fuel their emergency magic. These practitioners exemplify the ideal of the questing, curious occultist: they took wisdom from all available sources, applied it to a blended West and Central African framework and created a powerful new system of practical magic. In addition to African traditions, Hoodoo incorporates Native American, European and Romany traditions, Freemasonry, Kabalah, and Pow-Wow. Hoodoo may be used as a noun or verb: • Hoodoo names the magical tradition. • Hoodoo names the action of spell-casting: “I will hoodoo you.” • Hoodoo names a state of bewitchment: “I’ve been hoodooed.” Unlike hex or jinx, Hoodoo is a neutral term: one can be Hoodooed with love and blessings as well as curses. Further Reading: Catherine Yronwode’s Hoodoo Herb and Root Magic (Lucky Mojo, 2002).”
― Judika Illes, Encyclopedia of Witchcraft: The Complete A-Z for the Entire Magical World

“Heathen: This Anglo-Saxon word literally means “dweller on the heath.” The heath is the area outside the settlement; post-Christianity, those wishing to maintain old traditions retired to the heath, hence the name. It came to be synonymous with “Pagan,” sometimes with the added implication of rude, ignorant barbarian. The word has been reclaimed by Neo-Pagans subscribing to Northern European traditions and today is used with pride. See also Asatru”
― Judika Illes, Encyclopedia of Witchcraft: The Complete A-Z for the Entire Magical World

“According to legend, after the suppression of the Knights Templar in 1312, surviving Templars went into hiding in Scotland where they eventually resurfaced as Freemasons. An “Unknown Master” received these Templar secrets and fashioned seven degrees linked to knightly titles.”
― Judika Illes, Encyclopedia of Witchcraft: The Complete A-Z for the Entire Magical World

“The Druids left no monuments: they preferred nature to buildings and taught in groves and caves where they also conducted rituals. The French cathedral of Chartres was built over a sacred Druid site.”
― Judika Illes, Encyclopedia of Witchcraft: The Complete A-Z for the Entire Magical World

“(See BOOKS: Library of the Lost: Druid Books”
― Judika Illes, Encyclopedia of Witchcraft: The Complete A-Z for the Entire Magical World

“The Cruciatus Curse, which first appeared in the fourth Harry Potter novel, derives squarely from this source. In magical parlance, “crosses” are life’s challenges and trials. Someone suffering from a “crossed condition” exists under a dark cloud. Uncrossing spells remove these crosses. Cross candles are burned to eliminate life’s hardships.”
― Judika Illes, Encyclopedia of Witchcraft: The Complete A-Z for the Entire Magical World

“Charovnik: This Russian term means “spellcaster” or “wizard” but also indicates a book of spells or grimoire. Among the legendary volumes listed in an old Russian index of prohibited books is something called Charovnik allegedly dedicated to teaching transformation skills. No copy of the book is currently known to exist.”
― Judika Illes, Encyclopedia of Witchcraft: The Complete A-Z for the Entire Magical World

“Folklorist Jacob Grimm, of the Brothers Grimm, suggests in his book Teutonic Mythology that the sinister aspect of the cat derives from Freya’s dual role, not only as a spirit of love and fertility but also as a death-spirit. As leader of the Valkyries, female warrior spirits who helped select the dead, Freya had dibs on half the fallen on a battlefield, the other half belonging to Odin.”
― Judika Illes, Encyclopedia of Witchcraft: The Complete A-Z for the Entire Magical World

“Bats have powerful associations with death and ghosts. A hoodoo charm to stop ghostly harassment displays African magical roots: Should you feel that ghost’s unwanted presence, toss one single black cat hair, obtained without harming the cat, over your left shoulder saying, “Skit, scat! Become a bat!”
― Judika Illes, Encyclopedia of Witchcraft: The Complete A-Z for the Entire Magical World

“It couldn’t be clearer than in the ancient tale of Isis, Mistress of Magic, who has enough power to stop the sun in the sky but can’t conceive the child she is destined to bear without sexual intercourse. Isis can resurrect her dead husband long enough for a quickie, she can charm up a working gold penis because the original went missing during the resurrection process, but with all that power she is unable to conceive a child without sperm.”
― Judika Illes, Encyclopedia of Witchcraft: The Complete A-Z for the Entire Magical World

“Women are sacred and powerful because they can give life, because their bodies reflect the lunar phases, because the emergence of womanhood and fertility is announced by the rhythmic shedding of magical blood (and in many tribal societies, just as in many offices or wherever women live closely together, menstruation becomes synchronized and frequently linked to a specific moon phase).”
― Judika Illes, Encyclopedia of Witchcraft: The Complete A-Z for the Entire Magical World

“Hunting: eating meat involves killing a fellow creature, whose spirit guardians must be appeased to avoid disaster and maintain spiritual balance”
― Judika Illes, Encyclopedia of Witchcraft: The Complete A-Z for the Entire Magical World

“Communication with other realms, including those of the spirits and the deceased • Soul retrieval and other forms of healing • Location of lost or stolen items, in particular buried treasure”
― Judika Illes, Encyclopedia of Witchcraft: The Complete A-Z for the Entire Magical World

“Earth: the tangible realm of mortal people and creatures • Spirit World: the realm of deities and spiritual beings—angels, fairies, djinn, and so forth • Dreamland: experiences in dreams really happen; just on a different plane of existence • Realm of the Dead: the after-life”
― Judika Illes, Encyclopedia of Witchcraft: The Complete A-Z for the Entire Magical World

“What isn’t expressed in any of the definitions given above is a perception of the witch as a figure of female empowerment: in a world of good, polite, agreeable, well-behaved, passive girls, the witch is an independent, empowered, autonomous, frequently assertive, and defiant woman, beholden to no one. (Unless,”
― Judika Illes, Encyclopedia of Witchcraft: The Complete A-Z for the Entire Magical World

“The actual meaning of the word Witch is linked to “wisdom” and is the same root as “to have wit” and “to know.” It comes from the Anglo-Saxon wicce (f) or wicca (m) meaning “wise one,” witches being both female and male. On”
― Judika Illes, Encyclopedia of Witchcraft: The Complete A-Z for the Entire Magical World

“Funk and Wagnalls Standard Dictionary of Folklore, Mythology and Legend”
― Judika Illes, Encyclopedia of Witchcraft: The Complete A-Z for the Entire Magical World

“I’ve learned that, just like beauty, what constitutes witchcraft is dependent upon the eye of its beholder.”
― Judika Illes, Encyclopedia of Witchcraft: The Complete A-Z for the Entire Magical World

“In December 2013, The Times of India reported that, despite laws introduced to combat the phenomenon, witch hunts continue unabated, especially in rural areas. Their study indicates that many of these cases are rooted in property disputes, just as so many witch hunts were centuries ago during Europe’s Burning Times.”
― Judika Illes, Encyclopedia of Witchcraft: The Complete A-Z for the Entire Magical World

“According to Taoist belief, any fox that attains fifty years of age can shape-shift into a standard human.”
― Judika Illes, Encyclopedia of Witchcraft: The Complete A-Z for the Entire Magical World

“The symbol of the medical profession is the caduceus, Hermes’ double-snake entwined staff. (The emblem is often identified with Asklepios, the Sacred Physician, however his staff only has one snake.)”
― Judika Illes, Encyclopedia of Witchcraft: The Complete A-Z for the Entire Magical World