Vocabulary

Oft-confused terms pertaining to the metaphysical world and practices.

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Morals – Merriam Webster definition – relating to principles of right or wrong in behavior. Usually described as one’s particular values concerning what is right and what is wrong, and usually shows an element of subjective preference.
Ethics – Merriam Webster definition – the discipline dealing with what is good and bad. Usually refers to questions of ‘correct’ behavior within a relatively narrow area of activity, while suggesting aspects of universal fairness and whether or not the action is responsible.
- Morals and Ethics work off of each other, and can be learned behavior through societal conditioning, nurturing, and our sense of right and wrong. Many times we may find that what we’ve learned through conditioning and what we ourselves believe in may be two different things…
Metaphysics - There are many definitions of metaphysics, but for our purposes, metaphysics pertain to anything that occurs beyond what we can see, smell, touch, taste, and hear. Metaphysics would contain anything we consider energetic, supernatural, spiritual, Divine, etc.
Energy – the life force that flows through all things.
Magick / Magic = Spellwork = Conscious Creation – using our intentions along with our actions to create our own reality that leads to our highest good. Note: Personal ethos come into play when using our intentions to increase our chances of success – be careful not to take away someone else’s highest good when seeking your own. Also ties into metaphysics and energy work, as one can work with metaphysics and energies to help create the highest good.
- Witch – male and female – one who uses magick / magic in their workings.
- White – Gray – Black Magick / Magic – the distinction is sometimes difficult to tell, but is based on how the outcome of our intentions affect ourselves and others, and whether or not it will cause harm at one time or another.
Power – Personal power, our inner strength and how we deal with situations. This does not pertain to how much power we hold that we can use with / for / against others, but how we stay true to our own Selves and our personal path.
- Ways to exercise personal Power:
  - Speaking our truth with tact, compassion, and understanding;
  - Understanding that not all people are on the same path or have the same perspectives as you;
  - Allowing others to be who they are without judgement or criticism.
Personal responsibility – the willingness to take responsibility for our own actions without projecting our worries / troubles / shortcomings onto someone else. Being aware of our own actions and their consequences helps us to learn who we are deep down, and can help us to be less judgmental of others at the same time. (In the long run, this awareness also helps us to recognize when others are not being personally responsible, and allows us to not take on others’ issues.)
Free Will – EVERY person’s right to choose what is best for him / her, without outside influences.
Shielding - the act of using an energetic or mental "barrier" to keep unwanted energies from entering our auric field and causing disruptions. (More information can be found on our blog page.)
Psychic Vampirism - one who feeds from the energy of others. This person may or may not be aware of their actions when interacting with others. "Vampires" generally lack in their abilities to maintain their own energy fields, either through lack of awareness or an unwillingness to put forth the effort.
Cord cutting - every person has interactions with other people that create ties, bonds, etc. Many of these connections are essential to being a part of a community, but are not always in our best interests to maintain. "Cord-cutting" is a metaphysical term used to sever the connections when needed for our highest good.
Spirituality of Money – the notion of how the flow of money in our lives can be used for prosperity or poverty. “Money is simply a part of life, a natural movement of life-energy – it is our greed and fears surrounding money that create so much suffering and inequality, for ourselves and everyone else.” ~lifewithoutacentre.com
ThreeFold Law (Rule of Three) – primarily a Wiccan tradition, based on the Wiccan rede – “An it harm none, do what thou wilt”. The Harm None portion of the Rede relates to the ThreeFold Law in that whatever you send out will return to you three times over (not to be confused with Karma). This can be supported physically – if you do something nice and it works out well for all involved, your feel good about yourself (emotionally), you are thinking good thoughts about yourself (mentally), both of which ‘raise the vibration’ of your physical body, and benefits you three times over. The reverse is also true. Used mostly to remind people to think of all the possible consequences before setting their intentions for a desired outcome.
Karma – Britannica definition - “Sanskrit karman (“act”), Pali kamma, in Indian religion and philosophy, the universal causal law by which good or bad actions determine the future modes of an individual’s existence.”
Dharma – Britannica definition – “In Hinduism, dharma is the religious and moral law governing individual conduct and is one of the four ends of life. In Buddhist metaphysics the term in the plural (dharmas) is used to describe the interrelated elements that make up the empirical world. In Jain philosophy, dharma, in addition to being commonly understood as moral virtue, also has the meaning—unique to Jainism—of an eternal “substance” (dravya), the medium that allows beings to move.”