Pagan Dictionary

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U

UMBANDA: A religion centering on the worship of the ancient African Gods who have been assimilated as Catholic saints. Similar in practice to Voudon, all worshippers of Santería could be called Santeros but the term Santeros usually refers to the priests or priestesses. The highest order of priest is a babalawo, who has the power to heal the sick, punish the unjust and to divine the future through the Table of Ifá. Also known as Santería.

UNCAST: To open and/or release a magick circle at the end of a ceremony or ritual.

UNDINES: The Elemental Order of Water, the elemental spirits of the Water Element.

UNGUENTS: Greased based preparations that are used in magickal, healing, and oracular rites. Not in common use today for magickal rites as most surviving recipes are believed to have been distorted to disgrace witchcraft during the Middle Ages. Also known as Ointments.

UNICORN: A mythological creature with the body of a white horse, the legs of an antelope and a long, twisted, grooved horn in the middle of its forehead.

URIMANCY, UROMANCY: Divination by interpreting urine.

URIM V'TUMIM: Divination by interpreting the sacred stones attached to the breast plate of a High Priest.

UROBOROS: In Theosophy, the cosmic period between the creation and destruction of the universe and the symbol of the eternity of the universe which undergoes periodic cycles of creation /destruction /resurrection. Also known as Aion, Agatha Daimon (Good Spirit), the Ouroboros.

UTTARARANI: The upper stick of two ceremonial rubbing-sticks (arani) used to ignite the sacrificial fire in some East Indian traditions: the upper stick, uttararani or pramantha, is held upright and set into a groove in the lower stick, the adhararani, and when twirled or rotated rapidly it generates heat and flame. According to the Rig-Veda, the upright stick was made from the Sami tree and the horizontal from the Asvattha or Pipal tree (the sacred fig tree). In the Satapatha-brahmana, however, both sticks were carved from the wood of the Asvattha. Also called Pramnantha.