Dictionary of Magic & Occultism - D

deity From late Latin deitas “divine nature,”
and deus “god.” A divine being or somebody
or something with the essential
nature of a divinity, such as a god, goddess.
When the term is capitalized, it refers to
God in monotheistic belief or religions.
demarcation The process of setting borders,
limits or marking boundaries. From the
Spanish demarcacion, literally meaning,
marking off.
demon possession When low-level disincarnate
spirits invade and take over a human
body.
desecration When something sacred is treated
in a profane or damaging manner.
discarnate The lack of a physical body.
Coined from dis- and the Latin stem carn,
meaning flesh.
The Dispersion From the Greek diaspora
meaning to scatter or disperse. Refers to the
period in history when the Jewish people
were forced to scatter in countries outside of
Palestine after the Babylonian captivity.
dogma From Greek stem word dogmat, meaning
“opinion” or “tenet,” and from dokein,
“to seem good.” A belief or set of beliefs,
either political, religious, philosophical, or
moral and considered to be absolutely true.
druid Someone who worships the forces of
nature as in the ancient Celtic religion.
Can also refer to a priest in the Celtic religion.