I feel like I'm a bad Wiccan

[SpiritTalker]

Hi Yvonne. You are not alone in the sense of feeling overwhelmed. There is never just one right way to do something. It’s not so much about what's the right way as about what works for you. Pay more attention to what resonates and makes sense to you. Of the various things you've been studying, what matters to you most? Ask Qs.


Key 🗝 Study Suggestions -
1. Triple Goddess and Horned God of Nature
2. The texts Charge of the Goddess, Descent of the Goddess, full Wiccan Rede
3. Samhain, Imbolc, Beltane & Lammas
4. Elements of pacifying water, ⏹ earth & activating air, fire
5. Using a circle as a devotion, to alter consciousness, & as a magical aid.

Cunningham’s Solitary Wicca is available as a free pdf. https://cdn.preterhuman.net/texts/relig ... tioner.pdf

Practice Your Skills
. Focusing - 🕯gaze at a candle flame & observe it's colorful dance; when your mind wanders return attention to the flame.
. Grounding - imagine connecting your energy from your & down the spine into the earth.
. Centering - Draw power on the breath from the 6-directions into the belly.
. Casting - Think it & push power from the belly & thru your hands ; shake hands off to clear the energy.

Magnetize Your Workspace- before setting up gear
. Meditate & fill your space with good vibes to create a clean slate to build on.
. Prep table - damp-wipe, incense, anoint with oil to hold a psychic charge & magnetize with energy .
. Altars usually represent the 4 elements and 2 Deities; Goddess on <left & God on right>
. Basic Gear: Cup, ⏹salt, incense, 🕯candles &oil
. Altar - place (-)pacifying &on left, (+)activating incense & 🕯on right to mimic the Earth’s energy.

About Spells:
. All-purpose incantation - “Earth, air, water, fire; work now as I desire.“
. Choose items related to the goal by element, how it’s used, magically suggestive markings
. Use incantations to say what you want & don’t say what you don’t want
. Pull power to belly on the breath, focus on intent, push power from gut thru hands & into spell.
. Types of Spells - Amulet, bag-sachet, bottle, candle🕯, knots , mandala, petition, potion, sigil
. An’ it harm none, do as you will.

🕯Candle Magic - spread a dab of olive oil onto a 🕯; hold it between your palms as you draw power to your belly & push intent into the cold candle. Speak your incantation thrice to focus. Stand the candle in its holder & light the wick. Air-draw the invoking pentagram . Gaze at the flame for a minute thinking of the result you want. Thank the Powers & let the candle burn all the way down. Put stubs in the trash

Options -
. Cut long taper candles in half with a sharp knife & make 2 shorter candles
. Use tea lights & colored votive holders or a 10 min candle
. Sprinkle herbs around the candle & Inhale their aroma to connect to their energies
. Reusable LED candles - place an anointed & charged petition under a candle instead of dressing the 🕯

[Ashrend]

Agreed with spirit talker. There are many teachings and ways because everyone has their own way of doing things. For me i tried to stay open spiritually when deciding and making things such as my altar, wand and my path. Its finding what fits you, the fact you have found things that haven't worked is a good thing and lets you eliminate the ways that don't work for you, or the ways of doing them.

fire and flames

[Bychan Wulf]

You probably came from a strict religion who had everuthing in one book. I can relate to that. I don't think there is something you can do wrong, because most pagan practices, including Wicca, don't have many rules. This means you can take the existing ones and interpret them your way or even create new ones.
About the spells, I think what stands in your way is exactly the thought and the feeling that you are doing something wrong or missing something.
You are not a bad wiccan, maybe just a little bit scared of what might go wrong. Try a different approach: think about what will go right and tell yourself you are doing it right until you believe yourself. The brain usually believes wha he is told and if you get there, I don't see why your spells wouldn't work.

Taking a look in Spirit Talker's "Getting Started" is also a good starting point. You can find there, what you can add or change in your practice so that it will feel right for you.

[smogie_michele]

The most frustrating part about beginning my path was that I desperately wanted hard rules- a list of right and wrong ways to practice. Realizing that witchcraft operates in many different shades of grey was liberating to me You will get there, don't worry

[SpiritTalker]

One thing I learned about altars is they have to be fed. After we make them pretty and symbolic of our thoughts, then we have to spend some time in front of the darned things, giving our energy to them. Otherwise they just collect dust. Nothing's sadder than a dusty altar. so what do you do with it?

Decide what you have to work with, and where you're going to work. BabyBear's article in the altar pics section has all sorts of tips and instructions. I have my own set up on a tray so I can move it easily. It has only what I need & really use on it. I'm a plain kind of person, so it's nothing fancy. Yours should be a reflection of you.

Use your altar as a quiet place to meditate or to journal like mad. Maybe you'd read the Charge of the Goddess, or St. Francis' Canticle to the Sun, then settle down to meditate for ten minutes of grounding, centering and shielding visualization. Or use prayer beads to count out repetitions of a chant, or simple prayer. Make it do-able. Keep it simple. And keep it short.

[MsMollimizz]

Great tips people !

[MsMollimizz]

Ugh, it's all so draining

Draining in a way that its frustrating
or physically draining ?
Gentle Light
MsMollimizz

[SpiritTalker]

YvonneMoon, are you still around? Let us hear from you. Usually just doing what feels right to you is all that matters.