Dictionary of Magic & Occultism Q - R - S

Qur’an The sacred text, or holy book, of Islam.
For Muslims, it is the very word of Allah,
the absolute God of the Islamic faith, as
revealed to the prophet Muhammad (c.
570 C.E.–632 C.E.) by the archangel Gabriel.
rectory The house or dwelling that a rector
(clergyman) lives in.
reincarnation The reappearance or rebirth of
something in a new form. Some religions
or belief systems state that the soul returns
to live another life in a new physical form
and does so in a cyclical manner.
resurrection The act of rising from the dead or
returning to life. In Christian belief, the Resurrection
was the rising of Jesus Christ from
the dead after he was crucified and
entombed. Resurrection also refers to the rising
of the dead on Judgment Day, as anticipated
by Christians, Jews, and Muslims.
retrocognition The mental process or faculty
of knowing, seeing, or perceiving things,
events, or occurrences of things in the
past, especially through other than the
normal human senses as in extrasensory.
right-hand path In occult tradition, a practitioner
who practices white magic.
rite Originally from an Indo-European base
meaning “to fit together” and was the
ancestor of the English words arithmetic
and rhyme via, the Latin ritus. A formal act
or observance as a community custom,
such as the rite of courtship. Often has a
solemn, religious or ceremonial meaning,
such as the rite of baptism.
Sabbath From the Greek sabbaton, and the
Hebrew sabba, both meaning “to rest.” A
day of rest from work and for religious worship.
In Christianity, Sunday is the
observed day of worship while Saturday is
observed in Judaism and some Christian
denominations.
Sanskrit Sanskrit is an ancient Indo-European
language and the language of traditional
Hinduism in India. Spoken between
the fourteenth and fifth centuries B.C.E., it
has been considered and maintained as a
priestly and literary language of the sacred
Veda scriptures and other classical texts.
Santeria From Spanish santeria meaning “holiness.”
A religion which originated in Cuba
by enslaved West African laborers that
combines the West African Yoruba religion
with Roman Catholicism and recognizes a
supreme God as well as other spirits.
sarcophagus From the Greek sarx meaning
“flesh,” and Greek sarkophogos, literally
meaning “flesh-eater.” Originally a kind of
limestone that had properties to aid in the
rapid decomposition of the deceased bodies
and was used in the making of coffins.
Eventually came to mean any stone coffin,
especially one with inscriptions or decorated
with sculpture and used as a monument.
sauropod Any of various large semi-aquatic
plant-eating dinosaurs that had a long
neck and tail and a small head. From the
suborder Sauropoda, a Latin word meaning
lizard foot.
schizophrenia A severe psychiatric disorder
which can include symptoms of withdrawal
or detachment from reality, delusions, hallucinations,
emotional instability, and intellectual
disturbances or illogical patterns of
thinking to various degrees. The term comes
from Greek words meaning “split mind.”
seance A meeting or gathering of people in
which a spiritualist makes attempts to
communicate with the spirits of deceased
persons, or a gathering to receive spiritualistic
messages.
semidivine Possessing similar or some of the
characteristics, abilities, or powers normally
attributed to a deity and/or existing on a
higher spiritual level or plane than common
mortals yet not completely divine.
shaman A religious or spiritual leader, usually
possessing special powers, such as that of
prophecy, and healing, and acts as an
intermediary between the physical and
spiritual realms.
shamanic exorcism When a shaman, or tribal
medicine-holy person, performs a ceremonial
ritual to expel the disincarnate spirits
from a person.
shapeshifter A supposed fictional being, spirit
or something that is able to change its
appearance or shape.
shofar A trumpet made of a ram’s horn, blown
by the ancient and modern Hebrews during
religious ceremonies and as a signal in
battle.
soothsayer From Middle English, literally
meaning “somebody who speaks the
truth.” Someone who claims to have the
ability to foretell future events.
soul The animating and vital principal in
human beings, credited with the faculties
of will, emotion, thought and action and
often conceived as an immaterial entity,
separate from the physical body. The spiritual
nature of human beings, regarded as
immortal, separable from the body at
death, and susceptible to happiness or misery
in a future state. The disembodied spirit
of a dead human being.
spell A formula or word believed to have magical
power. A trance or a bewitched state.
spirit control The guide that mediums contact
to receive messages from deceased
spirits, or another name for spirit guide as
used in mediumship.
spirit guide A nonphysical being or entity
which possibly can be an angel, the higher
self, the spirit of a deceased person, a higher
group mind, or a highly evolved being
whose purpose is to help, guide, direct, and
protect the individual.
spittle Something that looks like or is saliva,
which is secreted from the mouth.
stigmata Marks on a person’s body resembling
the wounds inflicted on Jesus Christ (c. 6
B.C.E.–c. 30 C.E.) during his Crucifixion on
the cross.
subversive To cause the ruin or downfall of
something or to undermine or overthrow
principles, an institution, or a government.
supernatural Relating to or pertaining to God
or the characteristics of God; a deity or
magic of something that is above and
beyond what is normally explained by natural
laws.
superstition The belief that certain actions
and rituals have a magical effect resulting
in either good or bad. From the Latin stem
superstition, and superstes, meaning standing
over or in awe.