Queen of the Forest

By @pulledpoltergeist

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Beginner Witch Tips

Read. Before you even think about practicing magick, you need to study. It sounds tedious, I know, but witchcraft is not a trivial undertaking. 

Start a grimoire/Book of Shadows/Journal. You’ll need a safe place to keep all of the information you’ve gathered safe, and a grimoire (as I call mine), is essentially a notebook for that exact purpose. It doesn’t have to be fancy (though you’re welcome to make it as ostentatious as you like), – it can be a bullet journal if that’s easy for you. Within your grimoire, you should keep all gathered information, spells, failures, successes, records of work you’ve done, etc,. Anything that pertains to your craft.

Don’t put pressure on yourself to pick a path. You might see a lot of witches who class themselves as one thing or another, e.g., storm witches, kitchen witches, elemental witches, spirit/divination witches; green witches; cosmic witches, and so on.That is cool and their prerogative, but you will also see witches known as eclectic. Eclectic Witches, are simply witches who choose to practise many different types of magick and forge their own path, instead of following only one, or following a pre-established path. Basically, there is no need at all, whatsoever, to label yourself. With many of us, our paths found us in time. 

Research paths, secular witchcraft and religious witchcraft.Witchcraft alone, is a practice. However, some paths are indeed religious, such as Wicca. Make sure you know the difference before you begin actively practicing and before you decide on your path, if you do choose to do so.

Carry a little notebook on your person.You can’t always carry your grimoire with you, so I personally like to carry a tiny little notebook with me, for those moments when inspiration takes me, or if something captures my imagination or attention. You can add it to your grimoire/BoS later.

Oh, and one more thing: don’t ever stop learning and reading and recording. Witchcraft is a path of continuous learning.

Things to Research:

Crystals/gemstones/minerals

Herb and crystal correspondences, e.g., such as color and planetary.

Sabbats (also known as “Witches Sabbaths”) and esbats.

The basic tools of witchcraft.

Altars (if you’re so inclined).

Lunar phases.

Divination, e.g., tarot, runes, pendulums. 

Witchcraft and deities (if you’re so inclined).

Traditional witchcraft practises, such as circle casting.

SAFETY! What is safe to use/burn/touch/ingest. There are lots of poisonous and potentially fatal plants and ingredients out there.

Easy/budget magick/witchcraft.

The history of witchcraft, including lore, myths and tales.

The importance and use of the elements in magick

Research cultural witchcraft. Make sure that your practice does not steal from closed cultures. 

Easy Practices for New Witches:

Grounding – grounding is the act of centering your energy and focusing it within yourself. You can ground yourself by being out in nature and using visualising techniques that tie your energies firmly into the ground (very traditional method), or by finding a quiet place that you are content in and meditating.

Meditation.

Visualisation/visualising.

Sigil crafting/creation.

Dream interpretation.

Charging jewellery/crystals/objects/sigils.