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Walk-In:
A term used by Ruth Montgomery for a
highly aware entity from the spiritual dimension who, with
permission, enters an unwanted adult human body in order to begin
its humanitarian work at once by avoiding living the childhood
years.
Walpurgisnacht:
Beltane.
Wand:
A traditional tool of magick and sorcery. (See wands)
Waning:
The lunar phase when the moon is
getting "smaller" (more crescent-like). This is the time when magick
that involves banishing things, breaking habits, and getting rid of
things is to be performed. Opposite of waxing.
Ward:
A protection spell.
Warlock: (Old
English- wærloga,
'traitor', 'the one that breaks faith', literally 'oath liar')
1) A wizard, a sorcerer, a magician, a male witch; an
evil spirit; a sprite; an imp; a man who holds the key that unlocks
secret and supernatural powers; a man who practices black magick. a
man who practices magick and/or witchcraft; a man skilled in the
magical arts. 2). It is a
common misconception that male witches are called warlocks. . The
term was used to describe men who pretended to be witches in order
to penetrate covens and betray them during the Burning Times.
Watchman Nee:
See The
Local Church.
Watchtower:
Magazine published by the Watchtower
Bible and Tract Society; full name, The Watchtower Announcing
Jehovah’s Kingdom.
Watchtower Bible and Tract Society:
Church founded by Charles Taze Russell. Headquartered in Brooklyn,
NY.
Watchtowers:
A concept derived from ceremonial
magick; the four watchtowers each represent a cardinal direction,
element, elemental, and a color. Originally from the Enochian branch
of ceremonial magick, they are now incorporated into many traditions
of Wicca. They are the four elemental "directions" or "quarters"
(corresponding to the appropriate points on the compass) called to
protect the Circle during its establishment. Each of them have a
correspondence between the compass point, an element and (varing
among the various traditions) color associated with them
Waxing:
The lunar phase when the moon is
getting "larger" (nearing the full moon). This is the time when
magick that involves growth and bringing things to you
is best performed. Opposite of waning.
Way International, The:
Organization founded by Victor
Paul Wierwille The group meets in small groups called Twigs,
usually in members’ homes. The American Christian Press is their
publishing arm. Current leader is Rosalie F. Rivenbark, installed
as third president after resignation of Craig
Martindale, who was under accusation of sexual misconduct. The
Way has experienced several schisms
Weil, Dr. Andrew:
A medical doctor who helped popularize alternative medicine or holistic
health in his books
and lectures. He currently operates a clinic in Tucson.
Werewolf:
A shapeshifter. Also werwolf and
lycanthrope. A legendary being who who
at night transforms himself or, during
the full moon, is
transformed into a wolf (a process called lycanthropy)
in form and appetite, and roams at night in search of human victims
to devour. This transformation was either temporary or permanent,
and was supposedly brought about by supernatural influences, by
witchcraft, or voluntarily. The werewolf must return to human form
at daybreak by shedding his wolf's skin and hiding it. If it is
found and destroyed, the werewolf dies. A werewolf who is wounded
immediately reverts to his human form and can be detected by the
corresponding wound on his body. Similar creatures exist in folklore
worldwide: the tiger, boar, hyena, and even the cat, are
'wereanimals' in areas where wolves are not found. Belief in wer (or
man) animals was common in the Middle Ages, and was probably a relic
from earlycannibalism.
In 16th century France the superstition regarding werewolves seems
to have been widespread and prevalent, as evidenced by the numerous
trials in which it was shown clearly murder and cannibalism, all
attributed to lycanthropy. This belief is now all but extinct.
Wesley, Charles: (1707-88)
Anglican hymn writer and brother of John Wesley, founder of
Methodism.
Wesley, John: (1703-91)
Ordained Anglican priest, founder (in 1784) of Methodism.
Wet Rebirthing:
Guided by a rebirthing therapist,
participants relive their birth trauma in a water environment in
order to work out negativity concerning the birth process.
Wheel of the Year:
One full cycle of the seasons, in pagan
beliefs in begins on Samhain as opposed to in January.
Whirling Dervish:
See Sufism.
White, Ellen G.:
Founding prophet of the Seventh-day Adventist Church.
Whitelighter:
One who believes in or seeks the White Light.Hence, anyone seeking
enlightenment. Originally used as a pejorative for New Agers. In
the TV showCharmed it
refers to an angel.
White Magic:
Rituals performed for benign purpose, such as healing or fertility.
Many North American or European adherents of modern Neo-Paganism or
Witchcraft employ the term for their rituals and practices.
Wicca: (Anglo-Saxon,
"wise one.")
An earth or pagan religion and magical
system dedicated to the Goddess and God which uses ceremonies or
rituals to achieve communion with the natural forces. Gerald B.
Gardner founded this version of witchcrat in England in 1938. A
common creed is, “Do what you will, and harm none.” Modern Wicca
owes much to the influence of
Wiccan Rede:
The code by which most Wiccans live by: "And Harm It Done, Do As Ye
Will.", thought by some to have been originated by Aliester Crowley
Widdershins:
Counter clockwise. The opposite of
deosil
Wilde, Stuart:
rominent New
Age author and
lecturer.
Williamson, Marianne:
Prominent New
Age author and
speaker. Best known for her book, A
Return To Love; also
wrote Illuminata and
other books. See A
Course in Miraclesfor underlying theology
Windigo:
Huge mysterious, human-=like creature, allegedly
living in the forests of Quebec. According to Indian legends, the
creature "goes naked in the bush and eats Indians, and makes a
sinister hissing noise, often accompanied by fearful howls, to
strike terror into the hearts of everyone who hears it." See Mysterious
Primates, Abominable
Snowman, Almas, Yowie, Chemosit, Chuchunaa, Higabon, Maricoxi, Yeti, Meh-teh, 'X', Nguoi
Rung, Orang
Pendek, Bigfoot andSasquatch
Wise Woman:
A solitary female practitioner of
witchcraft who gave charms and healing salves to villagers in
Europe.
Wita, Witta:
Scottish Wicca
Witch:
A member of the Wicca religion. A
practitioner of witchcraft. There are many types and traditions of
witches. A witch is not necessarily a Wiccan, though if a Wiccan
practices witchcraft they can be called a witch.
Witchcraft:
The practice of spells and magick,
often involving the worship of deities or a god and/or goddess.See Wicca
Witchfinder:
Also witch-hunters. During the witchcraft trials
in Europe it was established legal procedure for specially appointed
(or self-appointed) individuals to find or discover witches and
bring them to trial. As fees were usually paid for such discoveries,
the role of witchfinder was often highly lucrative. The most famous
English witchfinder, the so-called Witchfinder General, was Matthew
Hopkins, who in fourteen months (from 1645) had several hundred
witches hanged — over a hundred at Bury St. Edmunds alone. His
equally notorious pricker was John Steams.
Witch's Bottle:
A container filled with sharp objects, vinegar & mirror parts that
is kept near the home to protect against negativity.
Witch's Ladder:
A string of forty beads or a cord with forty knots, used for
auto-suggestion practices, to avoid the need for conscious counting.
Witness Lee:
See The
Local Church.
Wizard:
A name for male ceremonial magicians,
rarely used for Wiccans unless they are eclectic and use ceremonial
magick as well.
Word,
The:
(Greek-
logos). Used in New Testament to refer to Christ as the
comprehensible expression of God(Chaos). It means, order, logic,
that which can be understood.
Word-Faith Movement:
A movement based in large part on the teachings of E. W. Kenyon
(1867-1948) that became a distinct movement under the teaching and
leadership of Kenneth Hagin, a Pentecostal faith-healing evangelist.
Its teachings include: God himself created the world and all that
he does by speaking words of faith. Man’s creation in God’s image
means that human beings are “little gods” capable of speaking
creative words of faith. The fall of Adam into sin transformed Adam
(and all unredeemed people) into Satan’s nature and transferred
Adam’s godhood or dominion on earth to Satan. Jesus became
man in order to restore human beings to godhood as renewed
“incarnations” of God. He did this by dying spiritually as well as
physically on the cross, suffering in hell, and then while in hell
becoming the first person to be “born again,” before finally being
raised from the dead. Those who believe in Jesus are supposedly
empowered to speak words of faith again, especially in order to
obtain bodily health and financial prosperity. Most of the followers
of the Word-Faith teachers are Pentecostals
World Council of Churches:
An international agency promoting interfaith dialogue and ecumenical
cooperation among churches. Most participants are mainline
denominations dominated by the theological perspective of liberal
Christianity.
Worldwide Church of God:
Under the leadership of its founder, Herbert W. Armstrong, this
church rejected the essential doctrines and epitomized the unique
set of beliefs and practices that became known as Armstrongism.
Beginning in the early 1990s under the leadership Armstrong’s
successors, Joseph W. Tkach and his son Joe Tkach, this group has
undergone remarkable doctrinal transformation. They now hold to a
more traditional evangelical position on the nature of God and the gospel,.
Large numbers of its membership have left to join splinter groups
that still teach classic Armstrongism.
Wovoka: (ca.
1856-1932)
Paiute Native American prophet of the 1890s Ghost Dance, also known
as Jack Wilson (after a rancher who employed him) and the Messiah
(The Christ returned to help Native Americans). After 1892, Wovoka
corresponded with the help of a local merchant with followers,
selling them sacred objects and personal effects, and continued to
serve as a shaman.
Wu:(Chinese,
"nonbeing," "nothingness," "void")
A Chinese philosophical concept for a primordial state before the
differentiation of distinct phenomena. First intimated in the Lao-tzu (Tao-te
ching), the concept was elaborated by third-century Hsuan-hsueh thinkers
such as Wang Pi, fourth-century Buddhists such as Tao-an, and
twelfth-century Neo-Confucians such as Lu Hsiang-shan.
Wycliff, John: (1326-84)
English Catholic reformer and theologian who inspired one of the
early efforts at translating the Bible into English. A professor at
Oxford, Wycliff joined controversies on the authority of tradition,
on the Eucharist, and on monasticism. The "Wycliff Bible," though
supported by him, was in fact authored by his disciples, Nicholas of
Hereford (d. ca. 1420) and John Purvey (ca. 1353-1428).
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