aspirant: anyone attempting to begin a study of the
sciences, not necessarily yet a neophyte.
basement: A cellar beneath a house or other building,
usually one whose walls provide a foundation for the building (see
cellar).
berry: Any kind of rough-textured fruit whose seeds
are held in obvious enclosures spread over it surface, and usually
surrounded with individual packets of the meaty substance which gives a
berry its recognizable flavor and configuration (see fruitballs).
cellar: Any storage area dug below ground level
(including basements), usually a storage area for crops, sometimes used
for tools, a work or living space below the ground, or dug into the side
of a hill (see basement).
connubience: The state of a permanent relationship which
includes sharing all privileges and properties.
coven: A wytch with the allowable 12 neophytes which
regularly meet for schooling purposes. The neophytes encircle with the
Wytch at first position in the Wheel of Knowledge to study whatever
subject matter remains in the axle position. When the axle position
becomes empty, the neophytes become full Wytches.
daemon: 1. As a point of law, the
process which is begun by a beneficial creative or constructive act, and
all the ongoing set(s) of processes which result from it. 2.
A demon which has resulted in beneficial learning or constructive
creativity because of the nature of responses made to it, the awareness it
has inspired, or a common benefit which exceeded the common harm.
day: The cycle of light on This World as furnished by
The Golden Globe, from a certain point of brightness or darkness to the
next equivalent point. Also: That portion of the cycle wherein light is
actually being furnished by The Golden Globe.
demon: As a point of law, the process which is begun
by a careless or destructive act, and all the ongoing set(s) of processes
which result from it. Some demons last for centuries or millenniums.
Double Nonday: The day added to Leap Year to
synchronize the Wheel of the Seasons with the positions of the Golden
Globe and This World relative to the stars; a holiday of celebration and
rejuvenation. Not considered a part of any weekday or numbered within any
months or years, but signified on the calendar as double zeroes between
any two years the second of which is divisible by four. Double Nonday is
occasionally declared void to maintain the synchronization's correctness.
Persons born on Double Nonday are considered to have high potential, great
luck, and a good position in the realms of Nature, and celebrate their
birthdays on Nondays of non-leap years.
Festival of the Wheel: At the Winter Solstice, on the
day known as Nonday, the first or last day of a year (or, the one or two
days which is/are between any two years) those with excess share their
bounty with those less fortunate, trade that which they have in excess for
that which they lack, and generally share their good fortunes and wish
each other well for the year and cold season that has just arrived.
Festival of the Harvest: Celebrated the day of the
Autumnal Equinox in appreciation for Nature's bounty. This is also the day
neophytes, Wytches, Wizzards, and Wizers receive whatever advances or
certificates they have earned, usually at a public gathering.
Festival of the Light: At the Summer Solstice, on the
longest day of the year, this festival is held to honor the light which
causes crops to grow, in appreciation for the few Spring rains which fall
each year and fill the farmers' reservoirs, and to thank all who helped in
doing the planting.
Festival of the Seeds: At the Spring Solstice, a
festival is held to honor the planting already taking place and that still
to be done. Seeds, herbs, cuttings, and shoots are traded to increase the
strength of everybody's stock, as are secrets for stimulating growth and
maintaining the soon-to-be-developing crops.
Fruitball(s): refers to any of miscellaneous fruit,
usually from trees and mentioned along with their colors, or a kind of
plant (bushes, vines, etc.) which enclose their seeds completely within
the meaty part of the fruit, or otherwise have no external evidence of
seeds; a brown fruit dug up from the ground but not obviously a root (See
berry).
Golden Globe, or Golden Orb: The
source of daylight, around which This World circles in The Wheel of The
Seasons. Often expressed with appreciative additional terminology.
Grand Wizer: The highest position in the
educational/governmental hierarchy, placed there by agreement of all the
Wizers in the realm. The Grand Wizer is easily identified by his bright
red hat, often tasseled, and worn with a white fringe in the cold seasons.
(The) Gravity Anomaly: Set forth by the First Grand
Wizer of Middle Desert during the early millennia as an explanation for
why all of This World seems to go downhill toward Mountains Deep, and
verified by a recent failure by The Tyrant of Lakeland's semi-secret
attempt to drown most Idiots by flooding the deserts with water from The
Sea. The Grand Wizer's explanation was greeted with boos and jeers by most
of the population and led to his loss of position and radical demotion
back to Wytch-hood, when he announced that block shaped planets'
gravitational pull would be to their centers the same as all round planets
exhibit. Most people of that time held This World to be a ball mounted on
a pedestal, around which everything else dangled from the sky. The Gravity
Anomaly also explains why ships attempting to sail or row very far out
onto The Sea can never go very far before they are forced back to the
shores of Desert Eend, and why they tip dangerously low when they attempt
to float parallel to the shores, and sometimes take on water and cause
their crews to drown.
(The) Great Catastrophe: The ending of the world which
existed, at the time of its breakup or explosion into fragments, the
largest of which is This World, estimated to have occurred 50,000 years
into the past. Some evidence shows This World to have been struck by a
very large, solid body. Others point to evidence that mankind caused This
World's radical restructuring while pursuing destructive endeavors, and
claim that shows mankind to be a parasite rather than a caretaker. Neither
side of the argument offers conclusive proof, however.
hexagram: Worn as an symbol of a male wytch's
dedication to learning the sciences required by his craft; a stylized,
six-pointed star emblem which symbolizes a seeker of enlightenment or a
spreader of the light. An emblem of pride worn by a Wizzard's male
students.
love: The actions of lavishing affectionate attention; the
actions of dedicating one's resources and efforts for the welfare of
another when accompanied by affectionate emotions, generally with a hope,
expectation or wish for a reciprocal response; the great feeling of
pleasure derived from another's presence, or from the performance of a
particular task.
Magic(k): That portion of applied sciences that is
generally not well understood or misunderstood; that portion of natural
phenomena for which mankind has not yet discovered reasons; that which can
be observed to happen while the causes are not obvious.
month: 1/13 of a year; months are equally divided into
28 days, or four weeks. The months are named: January, February, March,
April, May, June, Sol, July, August, September, October, November,
December, with an odd day named Nonday usually shown as the 0th
day of January.
Nature: The figurative embodiment of all there is,
often expressed in association with the laws of cause and effect, viewed
by some with a female gender, and by others as hermaphroditic, but never
as strictly masculine.
neophyte: Student aspiring to become a Wytch (The name
neophyte is the only one not capitalized in all cases, except to begin a
sentence, and even as a name for a particular person).
night: (see day); that portion of
daily time wherein no light is furnished by The Golden Globe.
Nonday: The day of festivals and celebration which
falls between any two years, is not part of either year, nor any week or
month day, usually depicted as day zero of January. Persons born on Nonday
are considered to be extremely lucky and blessed.
North, South, East, West: Directions are referenced
according to the path of The Golden Globe's daily journey across the face
of This World. Magnetic bearings point more-or-less toward Deep Mountains,
and are deemed only somewhat useful because they depend on knowing your
exact whereabouts before you can figure your destination.
Orb of The Night and similar names refer to the body
circling This World, which reflects light from the Golden Globe from its
surface, and can sometimes be seen in daylight.
pentagram: Worn as an symbol of a female Wytch's
dedication to learning the sciences required by her craft; a stylized,
five-pointed star emblem which symbolizes a seeker of enlightenment or a
spreading of the light. An emblem of pride worn by a Wizzard's female
students.
sciences: the quest for knowledge is science;
the advancement of the full body of human understanding is the sciences.
The sciences advance on three fronts: Empirical sciences
are those which yield knowledge as a direct result of theories which can
be dependably proven by demonstration, the results of which are
immediately available to the common human senses; Mathematical
sciences are those which can be dependably proven by using
mathematical procedures to calculate expected results according to a
statement; Applied sciences are those which seek to
discover ways to apply the advancing body of scientific knowledge in ways
that will meet the needs of humanity. Silas Nosephilter has been
quoted as saying: "Science is not mankind's answers, it is mankind's
questing for the proper questions. That is why they are called 'questions'."
Wheel of Knowledge: The twelve courses of which
completion is required for one stage of advancement in the educational
hierarchy. Satisfactory completion of one stage is required before an
attempt can be made at the next stage, the only other limitation to be
imposed is a student's own desire and ability.
Wheel of Life: A device for depicting the 13 steps
required for complete human development from birth thru death in an
ongoing cycle (very similar and closely related to the Wheel of Love).
Wheel of Love: A device for depicting the 13 steps in
the complete development of mutual love between man, woman, and child in
an ongoing cycle from birth to death.
Wheel of The Seasons: a year, time in years, as "The
Wheel of The Seasons turned five times." Represented, or depicted, by a
wheel with 12 spokes and the first of the 13 months in the center with
Nonday(s).
Wizer: A mentor for wizzards who aspires to become the
Grand Wizer of This World. Capitalized when referring to
a specific person; lower case when referring to wizers in general.
Wizzard: Mentor for wytches, student of Wizers.
Capitalized when referring to a specific person; lower case when referring
to wizzards in general.
Wytch: Mentor for neophytes; a person apprenticed to
Wizzards for the purpose of learning a craft. Capitalized when referring
to a specific person; lower case when referring to wytches in general.
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