| F |
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| Familiars |
The
witch's familiar was thought to be a demon or imp often
appearing in the form of a small animal such as a cat. This assumed form of a witch's companion spirit was believed to trade favours to her
in return for milk from her breast, or third nipple. Familiars are also thought forms which can be manifested by worked up emotion for personal
use to enhance a ritual or spell. These thought forms are taken from your subconscious and have aspects
of you, although they are detached from you. See also
Elementals. |
| Fire |
One of the four alchemical
elements. Fire is associated
with heat and dryness and symbolises the 'fiery' emotions of love, hate, passion and anger, as well as spiritual aspiration (actions of intent
to bring one closer to the divine). |
| Five-fold kiss |
 This is a
traditional Wiccan ritual practice, normally undertaken during
initiations. However, it is
also used as a greeting between the High Priest and Priestess of a coven. Each of the five parts of the body, symbolic of the five points of the
pentagram, are ritually kissed. |
| Folk Magic |
In addition to the formally stated creeds and beliefs of an
organised and codified major religion, folk religion consists of folklore, i.e. beliefs, superstitions, stories and cultural practices passed down
from generation to generation. |
| Folklore |
See Folk Magic above. |
| Fortune Teller |
A fortune teller is someone who 'predicts the future', usually
for an individual, through what appears to be mystical or supernatural means, normally for commercial gain. Fortune telling is often
considered to be a form of divination. See also
Soothsayer. |
| Fraternity |
The name informally applied to what is termed a
'Greek-letter brotherhood',
characterised by a ritual, a pin and strong ties to friendship and moral principles. It is a body of people associated for a common purpose
or interest, such as a guild. See also Freemasonry below.
|
| Freemasonry |
A fraternity (see above), which in modern days is trying
to shake
off its reputation for secrecy. It is believed that Freemasonry evolved from the medieval guilds of the stonemasons on the notion that the
architecture of a church (Solomon's Temple in particular) is a metaphor for the
architecture of the Soul and man's relationship with God. The founders of many occult organisations were
Freemasons and seem to have modelled their modi operandi along Masonic lines,
for example,
The Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn. |
| Futhark |
See
Elder Futhark. |
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