Hey! A very good friend is working on a dissertation about the modern use of witch bottles and container magic. It would be super helpful if you answered these questions for them.

° . * • ☆ Research starting points ☆ • * . ° The following list is of topics that I believe are good research starting points for beginner witches. I've laid it out in a couple lists of what I consider the most important to research early down to things you may want to research depending on interests.

Important to research early

♡ How to read critically and cross-reference

> Research is huge in witchcraft, knowing how to find the right information and triple check it's not wrong is very important

♡ Witchcraft vs paganism

♡ History of witchcraft

♡ Open vs closed practices

♡ Cultural appropriation

♡ Discernment/Mundane vs magical

> Always ruling out mundane explanations or options before considering magical

♡ Types of witches

> Such as sea witches, kitchen witches, green witches

♡ Types of magic/practices

> Such as art magic, lunar magic, chaos magic

♡ Types of spells and rituals

> Such as spell jars, candle spells, sprays

♡ Basic spell work

> Such as cleansing, grounding, protection, warding

♡ Understanding Intention

♡ Altars and Tools

> Such as wands, tarot decks, bells

Researching interests

♡ The elements

♡ Symbols and sigils

♡ Item associations and correspondences

> Such as crystals, herbs, colours

♡ Dream interpretation

♡ Religions and deities

♡ Shadow work

♡ Whatever has caught your eye during researching so far, research some more

° . * • ☆ Practice starting points ☆ • * . °

As soon as you feel like you've got a good grasp on witchcraft, you'll want to start practising. With everything you've come across, it might prove overwhelming or confusing as to where to start. Some topics are more advanced than others and aren't considered beginner-friendly. Therefore, having practised and got a hold of some basics is a great way to begin your journey, and is always recommended by other practitioners. That way, if you accidentally step too deep too early, you're already equipped with the information, tools, and experience you need to look after yourself.

It's easy to get excited and rush through it to what you may truly want to do, however, I suggest practising the following topics until it becomes a habit and you can throw up protections and wards like second nature without any notes. It depends on how much time you can dedicate to this daily and whether there are any reasons you might have to slow down, such as being broom-closeted or having children. I would suggest 1 to 2 years overall for researching all the topics in-depth and practising it until you have at least one method of each nailed down confidently with no doubts in your ability or knowledge - and be honest with yourself on that.

Where to begin with practising witchcraft

♡ Grounding and meditation

♡ Cleansing

♡ Protection

♡ Circle casting

♡ Warding

♡ Enchanting items

° . * • ☆ Where to get information and resources ☆ • * . °

The internet is amazing for allowing people to write their own informational posts, blogs, and to make their own videos. Sometimes a simple google search for what you’re after will bring you loads of results, which is also why reading critically and being able to cross-reference is so important. You can find resources and information anywhere, such as:

♡ Youtube

♡ Tumblr

♡ Websites

♡ Books

> Ebooks, audiobooks, physical books

♡ Podcasts

♡ Pinterest infographics

♡ Discord servers

♡ Amino communities

(Pt. 2/4) 

Another list with ideas, as always, these ideas and prompts by no means belong to me, and if you’d like, check out my first post for more prompt-type ideas (hopefully I’ll remember to link the first one before I post this.)

I know the saying is spirituality isn’t cheap, but it doesn’t mean it has to be inaccessible. I remember how difficult it was starting my practice and wanting to get all the things that cost all the money and having neither. One of my favorite go-to places from way back then (and still is)  was the dollar store. If you really look up and down the isles, you’ll find so many things you can use in your practice on the cheap.

My advice to baby witches just starting their collection of craft items is be patient. Set a budget of a few things and make sure they are the items you need to use on the reg. Once you’ve picked up your first couple of things, plan out the next few pieces you will need to help expand your craft. Don’t worry about getting everything you need at once. More than likely you won’t need everything you think you do in the beginning anyway. 

Make sure you are purchasing à la carte items one at a time as needed, and stay away from Etsy and spiritual shops that tend to overcharge. Instead, use them to pick up special items like crystals or blended oils that you can’t get at a discount store. And always keep your eyes open at garage sales, thrift shops and your grandmas house.

*Each local dollar store will have different inventory, so your dollar store might vary in what they have available. Take note of what they have but check back every few months when they rotate their stock. 

Notebooks, Pens/Pencils - Note books, pens and pencils will be at every dollar store. You can even pick up markets or colored pencils. 

Journals - Journals are sometimes stocked with the book isle. So I usually check that area to see if there are any blank journals I want to use for spell books or craft journals. 

Candles - Dollar stores are the jackpot for candles. You can get pillar candles, tea lights or votives in glass.

Offering Plates - They typically have clear glass bowls you can use for offering plates or even small dishes. 

Bottles (Glass or plastic) - I’ve found colorful glass bottles with cork tops at one time or another, this might be a seasonal item. 

Mirrors - Mirrors are always good for reflecting spells so pick up a few for protection/reflection magic. 

Olive Oil - You can use olive oil to anoint and bless. Grab a bottle if they have it in stock. 

Essential Oil - Your dollar store may carry a limited amount of essential oils, if they do you know you’ve scored big. No doubt these aren’t real essential oils and probably more like fragrance oil, so I wouldn’t put directly on my skin, but you can still use them in candles and just in general. 

Boxes/Bins/Storage - Any dollar store will have loads of bins, and storage to hold all your witch crafty items in. 

Incense/Incense holders - My dollar store always stocks incense cones, so I know they will be there, but I’ve seen sticks and some too. 

Jars - Grab some canning jars! You will definitely need them to make spell jars and hold items in. 

Yardley Soap - In my opinion, this soup is so overlooked. This original recipe dates back to the 1700s and is made in London. Use it for cleansing and ritual work. 

Clay - Clay can be used to make small pentacles and even painted with paint from the dollar store. You can use clay to create other alter items as well like candleholders, beads and jewelry. 

Calendars/Planners - Most calendars and planners will have the moon phases written on them, and if not you can always go in month to month and write it in yourself. Planners are a great way to track moon phases and spells that are coming up.

Drawstring Bags - Perfect to house herbs, crystals or anything you want to carry around with you in a little pouch. 

Chalk - Chalk can be used to draw on doors, windows and porches for protection symbols. You can also use it to draw your circle around you when you cast spells. 

String - String can be bought for tying up bags, knot spells or cord spells so definitely something handy to have around. 

Felt - Not every dollar store will have felt, but it’s worth a mention. Use for making poppets and dolls. If your dollar store doesn’t carry felt, craft stores usually carry it for a dollar a sheet.

A small stool or shelf - If you’re looking for a small alter space you might be able t find a shelf or small stool/table. 

Table cloth - Dollar stores will generally have this item either in the party section or in the household items. Typically they come in white but if you go during Halloween season you might be able to score a black one. 

Seasonal decorations - Always head over to the dollar store for any seasonal items. Think Yule décor, Halloween decorations and so much more. 

Lighter/Matches - A regular find at any dollar store and super useful. 

Paper - Loose leaf lined paper or computer paper is always good to have on hand aside from notebooks.

Spices (Garlic/Salt/Cinnamon) - They won't carry all the spices, but a dollar store will have a small selection. Look for cinnamon, garlic, salt and sugar. 

first trip to a metaphysical shop and what you got

list of crystals or herbs you really want

first tarot spread and how it went or how you feel

first spell and how it went or how you feel

write down your shadow work

your progress in aspects you have trouble in

list of different paths (green, lunar, cosmic) and which one you want to follow

details about your birthday (birth stones, astrological positions, which element, etc)

places you take your book

ways you do magic on the go

pdfdrive.com

manybooks.net

librarygenesis.net

zlibrary.org

Also if you have any advice on how to approach all of this withouth already feeling like you are not gonna accomplish anything.....would be great, yeah. I am sorry this got so negative at the end but I genuinly feel like I myself am just fooling myself with all of this, not because it's not real but because the problem is me and.... Yeah not a great vibe.

Hello sweets! First, thank you for feeling comfortable enough to ask me of all people about this!!!

This is question I really have to take the time to answer because different things work for different people.

Some people will say you need to accomplish years of studying like school before you cast your first spell. I'm not in that party but I do see merit in that belief. Witchcraft can be VERY dangerous, so it's important to get all of the basics down and mastered before you really delve into it.

Personally I believe you can only master your craft by actually practicing it. It may seem boring, but early on in your craft you should be repeating the same basic skills until you have them near perfect. But I don't think you should ONLY be practicing basics. Sometimes there isn't a need for the basics to be practiced constantly. But they're the basics for a reason. You should be able to slowly branch out from the basics as you get more comfortable in your craft and your abilities.

I do think it is important to RECORD your practice in any way you are comfortable with. If it's writing, more power to you. But you can also video record, audio record, and even collage (with appropriate notations). But I believe witchcraft is closer to science than people assume, so I find it important to be able to repeat your spells/rituals/etc. with necessary modifications to achieve your desired results. You cannot grow in your craft without changing what doesn't work, and even what works but is too costly (be it time, materials, or even energy).

Now onto the topic of study itself. It takes a lot of time and trials to find out what study method truly works for you. It sucks but think back to your schooling days, and ponder what kind of learning method best suits you. Are you better at learning by sitting and reading through sources, and writing information down? Then do exactly that. Are you better at learning through visual shows and being orally walked through the steps? Head on down to YouTube and find some witchy YouTubers to learn from.

Once you've got that down, consider how you best retain that information. Is it better for you to sit down and copy lines? Is it better to actively practice what you learn? Is it better to "teach" others? You can record yourself "teaching others" to help you better retain and recall the information you've learned.

If you really feel you must write down the information you've learned, then I don't really recommend just writing down pages and pages of lines of notes. There's a variety of methods that could make the information more digestible and even fun to interact with and refresh if necessary.

One of the reasons you see so many grimoires filled with pictures and diagrams and interactive parts is that it makes relearning and refreshing that information more fun, do you're more likely to do just that. Use diagrams and pictures to help fill your pages and make the information stick a little better. You could even reduce your words even more by creating a picture heavy grimoire with just necessary words to help understand a little easier. Think of this. You have a Potion you want to make. Draw or print out pictures of the ingredients and insert them in your grimoire, with labels to identify what is harder to identify. If there's a specific order in which these items must be added, or a set of steps for a ritual that must be followed while making the Potion, draw or print out pictures of these steps and insert them in the correct order and perhaps draw arrows indicating order, or even write down the numbered order of steps.

If that's not really your style, then consider mind mapping. There's a variety of mind mapping methods you can use, but for me I typically write a word or phrase indicating the main topic of something I'm studying and put that in the middle of my page and circle it. From that circle, branch out into smaller circles with topics directly related to the initial phrase. And from those smaller circles, branch out even smaller to flesh out the idea of the initial phrase further. Here's a cute visual to explain a little better:

Witchcraft is a lot of trial and error. Try and try again to find out what method works best for you. It may seem like you are accomplishing nothing in this time where you are trying to find your suited method, but keep in mind each failure is a step closer to finding what works best for you.