Feeling confident in a spell or ritual

[Granite]

Have any of you had trouble feeling confident in your spells? I am still very new to Wicca and always feel a bit embarrassed trying to charge something, or put energies into something, (for example a gem or herb pouch) and feel like I can't do it, or I'm doing it wrong or something. I haven't done any spells before, only cleansing rituals or prayers, because I don't know enough or feel ready for it, and even then I can't put all my effort into it, because I just feel so silly! I think it's stunting me a lot, on top of not really knowing what I'm doing.
What did you do or would you recommend doing to get past these thoughts and feelings??

[Siona]

I think a lot of people feel similar in the beginning, and often the answer is practice, practice, and more practice. The more you do it, the easier you'll be able to feel it, the less silly things will seem, the more experiences you'll have to back up your beliefs, and so on.

[SpiritTalker]

Yea, I suspect we all wrestle with it, especially when first getting our feet wet. Shifting awareness out of the mundane and into the unfamiliar and invisible world is a new experience. The more ways you can think of to experience the invisible, the sooner the mind accepts the new and expanded reality.

So, like Siona said: practice. But it doesn't just have to be spells. Find ways to feel & move energy until you know it's real. It can't hurt to go back to basics & form an energy ball or bar between your hands. Play with until you feel it pressing against the skin. Reabsorb it.

Charging seems like science fiction to our everyday, mundane minds that have been taught only that 1 + 1 = 2 as a way of thinking. Just find ways to make it real to your self.

[rainygreeneyes]

I myself just experienced this. I found myself cleansing while my fiancee was home, and boy was it distracting! I was so concerned with how he might be thinking of me that I could not focus, and I also was not very confident in my working as a whole. Afterwards, I resolved to only practice while he's asleep or not home, at least until I am more comfortable and advanced in my ability. Honestly, my suggestion for myself as well as you is to practice the basics even more. For example, I would suggest to myself to practice meditation and visualization more often, especially since I was struggling to visualize what I wanted to visualize while cleansing. All the best!

(edit: SpiritTalker, I was reminded of something when you spoke of the teaching of math. While math seems pretty straightforward at its basics, it isn't always. 1+1=2, but so does 2+0. Just a thought on how even the basics have variations, regardless of subject matter. Applied to a subject much less straightforward, such as witchcraft, and the variations become more and more!)

[SpiritTalker]

Hey Rainy, I was just trying to illustrate linear thinking as a limitation. Sure thing, when we explore variations we break out of the box. And magic happens.

[rainygreeneyes]

Indeed it does! Wasn't trying to mess up your metaphor, simply had one of my own that you reminded me of.

[corvidus]

Have any of you had trouble feeling confident in your spells?

What did you do or would you recommend doing to get past these thoughts and feelings??

In my opinion, your normal, everyday consciousness is not designed for magic. If, before you begin a ritual, you invoke/connect/channel with your Higher Mind, then these questions and every other question or feeling does not matter, because you will intuitively know, and you will intuitively feel what is necessary

[Newbiewitch94]

I believe it comes with practice. Also remember you can personalize spells and rituals you don't have to make them super complicated.

[Shawn Blackwolf]

From someone who long ago stopped "practicing," and has been an adept :

1. Before beginning ritual or spellwork, ground yourself fully.

2. Most people are in their heads when they are doing spellwork or ritual, and it is the reverse which builds and accesses confidence. It is embodiment, which is the key, as confidence does not come from the head, but the gut level of the body, connected to the will center.

3. Good exercises to build confidence are arts such as Tai Chi, and Chi Gung, as these work gently with the body, yet fully in the energy flow overall.

4. Feeling the energy of the earth beneath your feet gives you a solid base to connect to and move energy from. Being in the head is a disconnect during ritual.

5. Some traditions do not let students practice ritual for the first year, except in their
head, so the motions of the ritual are already imprinted by the time they physically perform them, and they do not have to think about what they are doing, they just do it.

6. Confidence in ritual is linked directly to self confidence and self esteem in general. This is why some traditions recommend mental and emotional processing *before* one begins to work with magic, Craft, and ritual.

Just passing on what I have learned over the years, thus IMO, and IME.