Very Very New "/

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Kaitlin

Very Very New "/

Postby Kaitlin » Mon Jan 14, 2008 10:10 am

Hello Everyone!


I am looking for answers for lots of simple questions.
Such as..

Can anyone be a witch?
How, exactly, do you study being a witch?
Where should I start?


I'm not quite sure if I really have any business being here.
But! I haven't the slightest idea of where else to go, so I figured I'd at least give it a shot :].

Answers would be greatly appreciated!

Thank you :D

jcrowfoot
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Gender: Female
Location: Highland, IN

Postby jcrowfoot » Mon Jan 14, 2008 11:01 am

First of all: YES you belong here. You are here to learn about witchcraft! That means you belong by default! It is, the essence of what we are all about... teaching people about witchcraft! :D

Can anyone be a witch?

The real answer is, "it depends on who you ask".
What do I mean by this? Well...
Anyone be a witch. Unless you are (Traditional) Wiccan, in which case you need to be dedicated.

So, what do you mean by the question? Do you mean you want to study Wicca, or do you want to study witchcraft, which is (bear with me) different?

In my mind, witchcraft is the study of (folk and/or practical) magic with optional spirituality.

A Wiccan is a type of witch. Casting a Hoodoo spell could also be called witchcraft... though I'm probably going to piss some people off by saying it.

Now, there are two kinds (really broadly speaking... drastic oversimplification for better understanding) of Wiccans... eclectic and traditional. Traditional Wiccans include folks like Gardnarians and Georgians and Alexandrians and some family traditions which require dedication by a high priestess or group to really really call yourself a witch.
Eclectic witches are people who gathered a lot of ideas from the traditional witches (some of whom are sore on this point) and basically ran with it. The down side of this is that a eclectic witch can be just about anything, from a monist to a hard polytheist to... well, anything they want.
They use a similar structure for casting spells and rituals as the Traditionals (with some big details missing...) or pretty much make it up as they go along. Like magpies they get ideas from everywhere. Some eclectics actually do organize things a bit and try to only steal from certain sources, but... it really depends on who's in charge, who wrote the book, or who's waving the wand, if you will.
How, exactly, do you study being a witch?
Read everything you can get your hands on, and start developing a sense of what kind of practice you want to have. Don't go into reading anything as the ultimate authority... unless you want to be a Traditional witch. The only option there is to either find a group on line or in your area to teach you. Even if you want to be an eclectic witch, finding a teacher isn't a bad move. Someone who can actually answer your questions live is very helpful.
Where should I start?
www.witchvox.com

Also, we have many "how do I start?" type articles that have other great suggestions that will help you learn. There are also plenty of starter manuals for eclectic witchcraft... I like Kerr Culuhain's "Wiccan Warrior", anything by Christopher Penczak (try his "Inner Temple of Witchcraft" as a place to start), and "Earth Power" by Cunningham. I'm not mentioning Cunningham's "Guide" because too many bare beginners come bearing that book and are more confused than illuminated.

See what's on the shelf at your local library. Also, we have an entire topic called "Learning Tools" which contains several threads recommending books for the beginner. So do a search and look for "Books Beginner"
or "Books Newbie" or something like that.

You should start a regular practice of meditation, and have a long talk with yourself about what, if anything you believe. Write down your strange experiences, and reasons why you want to be a witch in the first place.
That is the best place to start, in my not so humble opinion.

Also, make sure to journal all your spells rituals and other experiments. Don't be like me and wish you did it later.

SpiritTalker
Banned Member
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Re: Very Very New "/

Postby SpiritTalker » Wed Jan 01, 2020 1:03 pm

Old topic

The former responses are well done, thoughtful & good sense. I’ve got some simple suggestions for starting to practice. Foremost is to observe & interact with Nature outdoors.

Some Basics
. The Lady🪆and Lord🦌 represent Nature’s duality
. Elements manifest intent - 🪨solids-earth 💦fluids-water 💨vapor-air 🔥plasma-fire
. Nature’s cycles - 🎃All-Hallows , 🕯Candlemas, 🌷May Eve, 🍞Loafmas
. Use your empathic senses to greet the genius-loci & leave friendship offerings

Practice basic skills
. Grounding - Think of your energy flowing down your spine & rooting into the earth; aids stability.
. Psi balls - Draw your power on the breath into your gut. Hold palms facing 🙏🏼. Push energy from the belly & through your hands 👏🏽. Move hands back & forth to feel a spongy push back. Shake your hands off to clear them.

Build your kit
. Herbs, Incense, Oils - use sweet🌺 scents for love/peace, forest🌲prosperity, spicy🌶🧄 protection. Salt🧂 purifies & Olive 🫒 oil is for anointing to hold the psychic charge.
. Stroke a smooth stone while swaying your body & chanting to relieve stress.
. Supplies - 💦bowl or cup☕️🫖, 🧂salt, 🥢 incense, 🕯candles, notes 📝
. Colors - 🔴🟠 vitalize, 🟡🟢 sustain, 🔵🟣 calm circumstances

Easy Peasy Circle
. Place your gear inside the planned work area/circle. Start & end each circuit at North.
. Walk 🔄widdershins sprinkling mixed salt-water to cleanse, light🥢incense, then 👆🏽point & cast the circle going deosil↩️; supplies balance 4 Elements 🪨💦+💨🔥

Tips on spells
. Know your goal - to attract, repel or hold
. Choose ingredients to support the goal by use, scent or suggestive appearance
. Incantations tell power what to do; Say only what you want results to be
. Spell Methods: bag, bottle, candle, knots, grid, mandala, petition, potion, sigil
. .


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