All entries

2,660 entries so far, best known first. 2,250 more are on the list to be written. Narrow by region, kind, purpose, practitioner, belief world, occasion or how alive it is.

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

RegionSouth Asia Southeast Asia East Asia Central Asia and the Caucasus Middle East North Africa Sub-Saharan Africa Europe North America Latin America and the Caribbean Oceania

KindTradition Rite Charm Oracle Substance Being Figure Text Illusion Belief

PurposeProtection Healing Seeing and foretelling Luck and prosperity Love and attraction Cursing and harm Cleansing and purification Speaking with spirits and the dead Change and initiation Binding and oaths Power and authority Wonder and entertainment

WhoShamans Folk healers Priests and ritual specialists Witches, sorcerers and cunning folk Diviners and readers Mediums and the possessed Ceremonial magicians and alchemists Households and ordinary people Stage magicians Scholars and sceptics

BeliefHindu and Tantric Buddhist Jain Muslim and Sufi Jewish Christian Sikh Zoroastrian Shinto and Taoist Indigenous and shamanic African and Afro-diasporic Pagan and Neopagan Esoteric and occult Folk and village custom Secular and stage Other traditions

OccasionWeddings and betrothal Festivals Birth and childhood Death and remembrance Harvest, farming and weather New year Initiation and coming of age Illness and misfortune Journeys and voyages Everyday use

StandingLiving Revived Fading Historical Legendary Performed

OrderBest known A to Z Newest Living first

🇪🇬 Egypt and 5 moreSacred dance Movement used in worship to honour deities, heal communities, or connect with the spirit world.Tradition · Protection · Healing Living

🇮🇱 Israel and 2 moreUpsherinאָפּשערן (opshern) A first haircut ceremony for Jewish boys, marking the start of formal study.Rite · Speaking with spirits and the dead · Power and authority Living

🇮🇱 Israel and 3 moreGematriaגימטריה A numeric writing system that assigns numerical values to words and phrases for interpretation.Text · Seeing and foretelling · Power and authority Living 🇪🇬 Egypt and 1 moreMagic and religion A study of how ritual power and sacred belief overlap or separate across culturesBelief · Power and authority Historical

🇮🇱 Israel and 1 moreShimon bar Yochaiשמעון בר יוחאי A second-century sage of the Land of Israel and a central figure in Kabbalistic tradition.Figure · Power and authority Historical

🇮🇱 Israel and 2 moreLeviathanלִוְיָתָן (Livyaṯān) A primordial sea monster from ancient Near Eastern myth and biblical textBeing · Cursing and harm · Power and authority Historical

🇮🇱 IsraelJewish astrologyמַזָּלוֹת (mazzālôt) A belief system within Judaism that celestial bodies influence earthly affairs and human destiny.Belief · Seeing and foretelling · Power and authority Historical

🇮🇱 Israel and 1 moreSolomon's shamirשָׁמִיר A legendary worm or stone used to carve stone without iron toolsBeing · Power and authority Legendary 🇮🇱 Israel and 2 moreRahabרַהַב A Hebrew mythic sea monster and symbol of chaos, later used as a poetic name for Egypt.Being · Cursing and harm · Power and authority Legendary 🇮🇱 IsraelMessiah ben Josephמָשִׁיחַ בֶּן־יוֹסֵף A Jewish eschatological figure who wages war and dies before the final age of peaceFigure · Cursing and harm · Power and authority Historical 🇮🇱 Israel and 1 moreRighteous Priest A messianic priestly figure in Jewish eschatology, identified with Shem and Melchizedek.Figure · Power and authority Historical

🇮🇱 Israel and 1 moreMicah's Idol A carved image and silver idol from the Book of Judges, stolen by the Tribe of Dan.Belief · Power and authority Historical

🇮🇱 Israel and 2 moreStaff of Mosesmaṭṭeh A walking stick with miraculous powers in Jewish and Islamic traditionCharm · Power and authority · Healing Historical

🇮🇱 Israel and 1 moreAna BeKoachאנא בכח A medieval Jewish liturgical poem linked to the 42-letter name of GodText · Power and authority · Protection Living 🇮🇱 Israel and 5 moreHoly anointing oilשמן המשחה (šemen ham-mišḵā) A sacred blend of spices and olive oil used to consecrate priests, kings, and sacred objects.Substance · Power and authority Living 🇮🇱 IsraelEphodאֵפוֹד A priestly apron of ancient Israel, worn for ritual and used to seek answersCharm · Seeing and foretelling · Speaking with spirits and the dead Historical

🇮🇱 Israel and 5 moreJewish views on astrologyחָכְמַת הַמַּזָּלוֹת A long-standing debate within Jewish thought about the influence of stars and planetsBelief · Seeing and foretelling · Power and authority Historical

🇮🇱 IsraelSeder hishtalshelusסדר השתלשלות A Kabbalistic cosmology mapping the descent of divine light through spiritual realms to the physical world.Belief · Power and authority · Wonder and entertainment Living

🇮🇱 IsraelMelchom A demon of hell and former Ammonite idol described in the Dictionnaire InfernalBeing · Power and authority Historical 🇮🇱 IsraelShekhinahשְׁכִינָה The divine presence of God dwelling among people in Jewish and Islamic thoughtBelief · Speaking with spirits and the dead · Power and authority Living

Photo credits on this page

The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.

Staff of Moses: John Everett Millais, Public domain, source
Jewish astrology: Talmoryair, Public domain, source
Shimon bar Yochai: איתי פרץ, Attribution, source
Lotan: Gustave Doré, Public domain, source
Solomon's shamir: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eberhard_Werner_Happel, Public domain, source
Upsherin: Vered Peer, CC BY 4.0, source
Ana BeKoach: Baruch Zvi Ring (c. 1872 - 1927) Details on Google Art Project, Public domain, source
Micah's Idol: Avner, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Sacred dance: Jorge Barrios, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Gematria: Bethsheba Ashe, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Seder hishtalshelus: Daderot, Public domain, source
Melchom: Louis Le Breton, Public domain, source

All entries

Photo credits on this page

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