Starting again

[springsgrace]

Hi everyone, it's been a while.
I recently had to pause my magickal practice and study because of my school's final examinations. My exams are pretty much over, and I'm prepared to get back in to the swing of things. I really wanted to complete my dedication this coming summer (southern hemisphere, so in Dec/Jan), but I'm struggling to get back in to my old state of mind.
Does anyone have any tips on preparing for dedication after a break? And also, does anyone have any criteria I should be able to meet before I completely dedicate myself?
Thank you all!

[Siona]

If I remember right, you're a solitary Wiccan, correct? If that's right, then I would say some criteria to consider would be being familiar and comfortable with the details of casting a circle and the general ritual layout, being able to compose your own ritual (which writing your own dedication would certainly be a good way to test that skill), being familiar with the basic tools of Wicca, creating an altar, having an understanding of the solar and lunar cycles/holidays (and preferably having had the chance to celebrate each over the course of the year), being familiar with some basic skills like meditation, visualization, grounding, and even having an understanding of the creation and history of Wicca would be a good thing.

I mean really though, as long as you feel ready to make that sort of commitment, that's the deciding factor, you know?

[springsgrace]

Yup, I still have a little way to go but I'm prepared to make a real push and hone my skills. Thank you Siona!

[Echo_of_shadows]

How about taking a Wicca 101 test to see where you are? This can help you assess what you know so far and determine what you might be interested in for further study. There are Wicca 101tests online, but I suggest browsing through them first, since there are some being offered by make your own quiz kind of websites. Stick with something from an actual Wiccan site. If you plan to walk a solitary path, you don't have to have a specific set of knowledge in order to dedicate yourself. I suggest the test as a way to create goals for yourself.
Good luck with your dedication!

[Soul]

I like your suggestion: "How about taking a Wicca 101 test to see where you are?" Could you provide some links to reputable sites? I would like to take some of these tests. Thanks!

How about taking a Wicca 101 test to see where you are? This can help you assess what you know so far and determine what you might be interested in for further study. There are Wicca 101tests online, but I suggest browsing through them first, since there are some being offered by make your own quiz kind of websites. Stick with something from an actual Wiccan site. If you plan to walk a solitary path, you don't have to have a specific set of knowledge in order to dedicate yourself. I suggest the test as a way to create goals for yourself.
Good luck with your dedication!

[Echo_of_shadows]

I like your suggestion: "How about taking a Wicca 101 test to see where you are?" Could you provide some links to reputable sites? I would like to take some of these tests. Thanks!

Sure. Give me a couple days of research and I'll get back to you.

[Echo_of_shadows]

I was wrong about the availability of Wicca 101 tests online. The majority of the results that come up when you Google "Wicca 101 test" aren't links to actual tests. They're just websites that say that you'll receive a test after you've taken their courses. The only 101 test on an actual Wiccan website I can recommend is here. I did find another test on a Wiccan site, but the questions seemed rather obscure. One such question was "In Latin, Fiat Lux means what?" I had to look this up on Google. It means incantation. Who says Latin is dead? But that's the problem, I turned to Google because it's not something I encountered in any actual 101 material I've read.
The make your own quiz tests weren't bad, just a bit short in my opinion. To me, twenty questions seems insufficient. This is my other test recommendation: http://www.funtrivia.com/trivia-quiz/Re ... 94205.html I like it because you get to see the answer as soon as you make your choice. The other quiz site had good questions, but I don't know what my result was. You have to create an account on the site to get your answers and I'm overwhelmed by the number of various web accounts I already have.
You can also find a Wicca 101 test in Silver RavenWolf's book "To Stir A Magick Cauldron" on pages 274 through 280.

[Soul]

Echo,
is this the site you meant that requires registering an account in order to see the answers?
http://www.echoscauldron.co.uk/the-basi ... -173-c.asp
I clicked the link "get answers" and it came up "Page can't be displayed."
Or did you mean this one: http://www.wiccasources.netfirms.com/wi ... nswers.htm
I didn't even start the quiz, because I don't want to bother with registering.
So, I took the 20 question quiz and did fairly well.
I concur with your sentiments about having to keep track of too many site usernames and passwords.
Maybe you and the other Mods could make up a good test (50 to 100 questions) and post it on this site.

Thanks,
Soul

I was wrong about the availability of Wicca 101 tests online. The majority of the results that come up when you Google "Wicca 101 test" aren't links to actual tests. They're just websites that say that you'll receive a test after you've taken their courses. The only 101 test on an actual Wiccan website I can recommend is here. I did find another test on a Wiccan site, but the questions seemed rather obscure. One such question was "In Latin, Fiat Lux means what?" I had to look this up on Google. It means incantation. Who says Latin is dead? But that's the problem, I turned to Google because it's not something I encountered in any actual 101 material I've read.
The make your own quiz tests weren't bad, just a bit short in my opinion. To me, twenty questions seems insufficient. This is my other test recommendation: http://www.funtrivia.com/trivia-quiz/Re ... 94205.html I like it because you get to see the answer as soon as you make your choice. The other quiz site had good questions, but I don't know what my result was. You have to create an account on the site to get your answers and I'm overwhelmed by the number of various web accounts I already have.
You can also find a Wicca 101 test in Silver RavenWolf's book "To Stir A Magick Cauldron" on pages 274 through 280.

[Echo_of_shadows]

This is the site that requires registration to get the answers: https://www.wiziq.com/online-tests/10880-wicca-101
I should have guessed that there would be a broken link in there somewhere. The copyrights for the quiz on Echo's Cauldron originated in 1998, and that's old in internet age. I thought I'd try some sleuthing at the link for The Glass Temple thinking maybe I'd find another Wiccan friendly site, but instead I was lead to a foreign site that seems to be about dating.

Maybe you and the other Mods could make up a good test (50 to 100 questions) and post it on this site.

I've got personal 101 test I wrote forever ago that's a combination of the 101 test written by Silver RavenWolf and the one posted on Echo's Cauldron. I even started typing it up when we started this conversation. But I stopped working on it when I realized that it needs a revision. It needs a little more attention than I've currently got time for.

[Soul]

Thanks, Echo.

Maybe you could confer with the other Mods and a group effort could compose a test. That way, the test would reflect the personality of this site. (I understand about demands on one's time.)

BB,
Soul

This is the site that requires registration to get the answers: https://www.wiziq.com/online-tests/10880-wicca-101
I should have guessed that there would be a broken link in there somewhere. The copyrights for the quiz on Echo's Cauldron originated in 1998, and that's old in internet age. I thought I'd try some sleuthing at the link for The Glass Temple thinking maybe I'd find another Wiccan friendly site, but instead I was lead to a foreign site that seems to be about dating.

Maybe you and the other Mods could make up a good test (50 to 100 questions) and post it on this site.

I've got personal 101 test I wrote forever ago that's a combination of the 101 test written by Silver RavenWolf and the one posted on Echo's Cauldron. I even started typing it up when we started this conversation. But I stopped working on it when I realized that it needs a revision. It needs a little more attention than I've currently got time for.