Wiccan Terminology (H)

HALLOWEEN
See: Samhain

HANDFASTING
This is the Pagan or Wiccan equivalent of a marriage ceremony with one major difference. Instead of being “as long as you both shall live”, it is “as long as you both have love for one another”. Once a couple falls out of love a Handparting ritual breaks that bond in the same manner as does a divorce. To make the Handfasting legal, the High Priest or High Priestess needs to be registered as a member of clergy. In case of a Handparting, a lawyer needs to be consulted (in some cases) to make the parting a legal divorce.

HANDPARTING
The Pagan or Wiccan ritual which dissolves a Handfasting.

HEREDITARY
Witches who can trace their tradition through a line of relative who have handed the craft down to a sibling are called hereditary witches.

HEXAGRAM
Also known as the Star of David, this is a six pointed star formed from two equilateral triangles of same size.

HIGH PRIEST
The term given to the male leader and counterpart of the High Priestess in a coven. It is usually accepted that the High Priestess is the overall leader of the coven. High Priest is often abbreviated as HP.

HIGH PRIESTESS
The term given to the female leader and counterpart of the High Priest in a coven. It is usually accepted that the High Priestess is the overall leader of the coven. High Priestess is often abbreviated as HPS.

HIVING OFF
This is the term used when two or more members leave a coven to shape another coven known as a sister coven.

HOLLY KING
In the folklore of many parts of Europe, including the British Isles, the God of the Waning Year. At the Summer Solstice he “slays” his twin, the Oak King.

HORNED GOD
The supreme male aspect of the Divine and consort of the Goddess.

HOROSCOPE
In astrology, a chart of the heavenly bodies that shows the relative positions of the planets at a certain moment in time. With the exact time and place of a birth, an astrologer can cast a horoscope from which to define the subject’s character and advise them on future courses of action.