Monday, August 31, 2015

Advice for Witchlings

WHERE TO START
I am often asked “where should I start?” in regards to witchcraft, and the answer is super simple - where do you want to start? I generally reply to those sorts of questions with questions of my own. I do this in the hopes that, by answering these questions for yourself, you can draw your own conclusions and figure out a direction you’d like to go, hopefully one that best suits you and your preferences / desires. Some of the things I tend to ask are:
  • Why were you drawn to the craft in the first place? What got you interested in studying / practicing it?
  • What sorts of expectations do you have, if any, about what you can do with magic?
  • Is magic something you just want to experiment with, or do you want to practice long-term?
  • Are there any things in particular you hope to achieve by doing magic? Do you have any end goals for yourself or your craft? Any expectations?
  • What sorts of things would you like to do (in regards to different varieties of spellwork [candle magic, sachet magic, etc.], divination, etc.)?
  • Do you feel an attraction / affinity to any particular branch of magic (chaos magic, green magic, spirit work, hedgework, etc.)? Why? What in particular makes it appealing to you?
  • Are there things you don’t want to go near no matter what? Why? What bothers you about those things?
Ideally, once those kinds of questions have been answered, it leaves one with a sense of direction, and an ideal place to begin looking and studying. Once you know what you want from magic, and what you like about it, you can then set yourself on the right path to get there and do those things. Since I don’t know you, or what you like or dislike, I can’t set you on an exact path on my own; that is up to you to decide where you want to go with magic and what you’d like to do with it. The best thing I think I can offer from a third party perspective, is things that can help you narrow down your path for yourself - no one knows best what you want or like or can do than you.
ON RESEARCH
At this point begins a degree of studying. Yes, you need to do research, though how much research is entirely up to you and what you’re comfortable / capable doing. Like any new subject or craft (not just the magic kind), it is best to learn about what you’re doing. One can’t drive a car successfully without knowing how the car works, or how to control it. A scientist wouldn’t mix together chemicals without knowing how to do so properly, or what the chemicals even are. At least, a safe scientist wouldn’t. Knowing what you’re getting into and what you might be doing, and why, will allow you to proceed safely, and make sure you can avoid any accidents or mistakes. This will also provide you with knowledge that can be used to develop your craft particularly to your own tastes - writing your own spells, creating your own methods, etc. What you learn in this time of study will be like a foundation that you can then use to build the rest of your craft off of.
A lot of my information on witchcraft has been gathered on Tumblr, and I’ve made blogs to compile what I find and learn, so you may just be in the right place for learning! Tumblr isn’t extensive, however, nor should it be relied on completely for all your information. There are many other resources to be found on the internet, including blogs, other websites, and, if you know where to look, entire books in digital format. (This also depends on how comfortable you are pirating - I myself have no issues with it, clearly. Someone recently came into my ask box telling me that downloading books for free like that was wrong, actually, and I just had to chuckle. At this point nothing is going to stop me from downloading stuff the way I do, because I honestly can’t afford otherwise. I am also of the mind frame that knowledge should be free to all people, but that’s not the point here.)
WITCHCRAFT BOOKS
The internet does not hold all there is to learn, so seeking out physical books is not a bad idea. I know it can be hard to find books, depending on your location and whether or not you can be open about your craft, but it shouldn’t be completely ruled out if you have access to them. The library has actually proved to be pretty beneficial for my own research - the selection was limited, but still far more than I expected for the small city I live in. Here are some posts of recommended reading that are a good place to start; however, don’t be afraid to try any book that appeals to you and form your own opinion on them. Also, these books are recommended based off each individual’s personal preferences and opinions, your own may vary.
The following book lists are pages that can be found on various Tumblr blogs; they are not rebloggable, and apparently not accessible from the mobile app.
[Here] is a list of authors you should try to avoid - trigger warning for mention of various disturbing topics. [Here] is a post that talks about why your book on witchcraft might be full of it; if you have any questions as to why that might be, feel free to ask the OP or even myself.
DISCERNMENT
When it comes to studying, it is very important that you take what you read with a grain of salt. There are many problematic authors within the witchcraft community, and not just on Tumblr. Misinformation and cultural appropriation are everywhere, even among well known or renowned authors. It is highly recommended that you use discretion, criticize what you read, and fact check what you learn, if you can; sometimes I use as many as six or seven sources when checking the properties of a single herb. [Here] is a post that explains using discretion and critical reading in regards to witchcraft books.
YOU’RE ALLOWED TO DISAGREE
You are not going to agree with or connect with everything you read. There may be cases where you pick up a book that you have high expectations for, and you read through the whole thing, and pick up nothing from it. It isn’t that you didn’t gain knowledge, but sometimes it doesn’t apply to you or where you wish to take your magic. That is fine. Just because you have the knowledge, doesn’t mean you must use it. And having knowledge without using it isn’t a negative thing either - some day you may want to use that knowledge after all, or it may come in handy when applied with other branches of magic, or it may help you inspire your own path…
With all that being said, there is also nothing wrong with not completing a book if you really aren’t feeling it. Again, it all comes down to you and your preferences, what you want to learn and what you plan to do with that knowledge. If there is anything that you read that makes you uncomfortable, don’t bother incorporating it at all. It is your path, your magic; do with it as you will, and only what you will.
KEEPING A MAGICAL BOOK
I highly recommend you keep a book (or even series of books) to write down all that you’ve learned and spells that you wish to use within your craft. Not only will this help you to keep organized to find things when you need them, but writing things down helps solidify them in your memory (as discussed in [this article]). Another use for writings things down comes into play when you write your own spells and practice casting them. Writing down exactly how you did it, why you used what you did, etc., can help you not only determine how spell mechanics work, but can also help shed some light on what may not have worked if a spell doesn’t fire exactly as planned. There is a lot more I have to say in regards to keeping a Book of Shadows / grimoire / spellbook - I actually made a post series about it!
ON PRACTICING
One thing you see a lot of (or, at least, I do) is people talking about practicing every day, what you can do to cast spells every day, and are you a “Real witch” if you don’t. I’m here to tell you, you are, and you don’t *have* to practice every day to consider yourself a magic user. (P.S. I don’t.) It is your practice to do with as you will, do whatever you want, whenever you want. Life happens, we get caught up in other things, and this may cause us to not do as much magic as we may like. And that’s perfectly okay! Sometimes we get low on energy, or even just forget, and that’s still okay too. Do what you need to to get your life back settled - magic will be waiting for you when you return.
It is also important to say this - as awesome as magic is, it shouldn’t be all-encompassing in your life. Yes, it’s great, and it can do amazing things, but it shouldn’t be the only thing you end up doing, or the only thing you rely on to solve your problems. Magic is meant more as a bolster or a boost to mundane methods, to help tips the scales in favor of something happening - it doesn’t guarantee it to happen 100%. Magic is also more likely to fail if it doesn’t have a solid foundation of effort to work off of. A job spell won’t do much if you’re not seeking employment or handing out resumes, you know? Don’t lose yourself to magic - your other hobbies and interests are just as important and awesome too.
Sometimes, however, magic won’t be waiting for us when we come back from long breaks, or we find we are blocked when it comes to trying to cast spells - the energy doesn’t feel like it’s flowing as it should, it’s hard to access, etc. These things happen. With any other skill, your “magic muscles” can get rusty from lack of use. Do what you can to get yourself integrated into your practice again, however that may be; meditate, gather supplies, write out some spells, even cast a few small ones. It may take some time, but that is perfectly okay - just keep trying, try not to get discouraged or self doubt.
GATHERING SUPPLIES
Speaking of gathering supplies… Don’t be concerned that, as a new witch, you don’t have as much as other witches do, or access to the same materials. Something I have learned is that these arsenal of supplies gets gathered over time. All the herbs and crystals I have, I didn’t acquire overnight. It’s been two years of purchases here and there, slowly filling in the gaps. Most of the herbs I have - no, wait, all of the herbs I have - were obtained from the spices aisle in the grocery store. It’s about what you *can* do, not about what you *have to do.* Start out by gathering the “base supplies” - this list will vary depending on who you ask. A good jumping off point would be this post on [Top 10 Herbs for the Lazy Witch]; another is [Witch Supplies Masterpost].
It can be hard to gather witchcraft supplies on a budget. It can seem discouraging when you search online and see these expensive herbs or crystals. Let me be honest with you - those expensive supplies you see online or in specialized stores, can all be replaced by more commonly found items! Not only that, but there are ways to gather supplies when your funds are tight.
(If you want more tips for this, I really suggest following low-budget-witches, a great blog that posts tips as well as submissions from others about how to practice magic while on a low budget.)
Another good point to make, is you don’t *need* supplies. Seriously. There are many things you can do with magic that do not require any sorts of crystals or herbs. The first, and most prominent, is energy work - energy work focuses on channeling energy from within yourself and the world around you toward a focus point (which doesn’t necessarily have to be a physical object). I have compiled a [masterpost of energy work resources], though it is a bit old and some of the links are broken (I’m working on it). Sigil work is great for being low on supplies as well - you just need a piece of paper and a writing utensil, and your intent. I have made a [Sigils FAQ] as well, where I answer a lot of questions about working with sigils, and provide more resources for further research.
BEING DISCREET / SECRET
I was very fortunate in being able to wear my witchcraft on my sleeve - my mom even nabs my crystals when I bring them over. Some magic users, however, are not so lucky. For whatever reason - accepting families, religious conflicts, etc. - there are cases where magic needs to be kept on the down low. There are ways to disguise your magical practice. 
* not my choice of title
OTHER WITCHCRAFT RESOURCES
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