#witch101

If you’re just getting into Wicca/Paganism/some other form of witchcraft, welcome to the witchblr community!

When starting out in anything, it’s easy to get overwhelmed. Especially when it comes to something as big as practicing witchcraft!

That being said, I believe that practicing magic can provide one with a good emotional outlet, promote healthy behaviours, and introduce a new passion- if not several new ones!

But with this in mind, it is important to remember that unfortunately, with practicing magic comes the potential for danger. I’m not saying that there are wicked witches who lure children into their huts with spells and cook them in cauldrons. 

In fact, I believe that one of the many misconceptions that still exist about the practice of magic today has to do with the fact that many stereotypical witch things- potions and cauldrons, spells, voodoo dolls, charms and curses- only exist to a certain extent- an extent which is often over exaggerated to the point of ridiculousness.

Yes, there are those out there who abuse the practice of magic and twist it for malevolent purposes. When I see this I am saddened- but I also can’t help but laugh, for a couple of reasons.

For one thing, in many cases when this happens, often the people enacting these practices begin looking into magic with many misconceptions about what witchcraft really is. 

No- witchcraft is not chanting things in a dark room while mixing a potion in a cauldron (well... except when it is). You can’t cast a spell and suddenly everything’s like the movies, where things are glowing and floating, and you have big red demons with devil horns working for you. 

When witches do rituals- “make potions” or “cast spells”- we’re not doing it with the idea that “these herbs mixed with this moon water and this crystal will create a magical drink that will make so-and-so fall in love with me”.

The potions and sigils, charms and mantras- they don’t contain power themselves. It is our intentions that give them power. 

With all that being said, there is still a potential for danger when it comes to practicing magic. Especially if that practice involves cursing/hexing or other forms of black magic. If it is something that is of interest to you- please take extreme caution.

But I also laugh when I see this because in magic, small mistakes can lead to tremendous unintended consequences... such as accidentally doing the exact opposite of what you want, such as flipping a curse back on you (see a previous post about a similar subject here).

To make a long story short, it can all be basically summed up in the following rules:

The Wiccan Rede - “an’ it harm none, do what ye will”

The Rule of Three - a religious tenet held by many Wiccans. Similar to the concept of Karma, the Rule of Threes states that whatever energy a person puts out into the world- positive or negative- will come back to the person with threefold strength. This particularly applies to actions applying to magic.

All of that being said- I believe that research is (or at least should be, in my opinion) the biggest part of practicing magic when first starting out.

Some introductory topics I would recommend looking into include:

Different types of witches/magic

The history of Wicca/whatever path interests you

Sigils/symbols in Wicca/whatever path interests you

Grounding and visualizing

Meditation/chakras

Herbs/what you can do with different herbs

Crystals

The phases of the moon

What you can do with/during different phases of the moon (charging/casting charms, potions, etc)

The elements 

Building an altar

Also, if finding a patron guide/deity is something of interest to you, I would look into that as well!

If they are of interest to you, I would also recommend looking into gathering some materials that can aid you in your practice, such as:

Candles - candles are an extremely important tool in witchcraft! Using candles in spellwork is one of the simplest forms of magic, as it doesn’t require much ritual, resources, or money. Basically, if you have a candle, you can cast a spell. That being said: the colour of your candle (and sometimes its type) may be of importance when casting certain types of spells. For more info on colour magic, see my post on it here!

Incense - another important tool in witchcraft, incense is a substance which, when burned, releases a fragrant smoke. Usually comprised of plant-based materials, such as spices, barks, oils, wood, etc. Representing the element of air, incense can be used for a number of reasons in witchcraft (such as cleansing/purification, as an offering or part of spellwork, as part of a ritual, or for scrying).

A wand - a tool used to channel and focus energy. Representing the element of air, wands can be made from a number of different materials- including wood, metal, or bone. They may also be laden with crystals, feathers, wiring, stones, and/or leather. (I bought mine online from this site! They also teach you how to make your own, if that’s something you would prefer to do).

An athame - a ceremonial dagger used in rituals, representing the element of fire. Typically, an athame has a black handle.

A chalice - a chalice or goblet is used to represent the element of water. Generally in Wicca, a chalice is thought to serve as more of a symbol of the Goddess than as an actual tool. 

A cauldron - a cast iron pot used for making brews, burning incense or oils, or to hold large pillar candles. It may also be used as a tool for scrying when filled with water.

witch school : 

Pretty self-explanatory. It’s a website that offers education into the craft for beginners. It is free, however, you can become a supporting member of the website and school by paying (you don’t have to.) Again, remember to take from this what you want - don’t pick up any practices that make you uncomfortable, you don’t have to believe in anything that makes you uncomfortable, on the other hand, if you find things that do make you comfortable and interest you, then go ahead and pick up the course. I did forget to mention earlier, that you can do a three-day trial where you get to check out all the courses that supporting students get. They do have some courses on Wicca and some of the stuff that is on there is catered towards people who are Witches and Wiccans as well but don’t let that stop you. 

Exemplore :

This to me has been one of the most helpful websites. It has a ton of stuff, it has an entire section dedicated to Wicca and Witchcraft. One article that I’ve found to be most helpful is: 

Spells, exercises and lessons for beginner witches.

regardless of what it sounds like this article does not jump straight into giving you spells but is actually informative. I don’t want to spoil it so go read it yourself! 

That’s the only article that I have opened and can remember but there’s a lot of other nuggets of gold out there, but I do feel like that above article explains and goes over a lot. 

Mumbles-Academy :

The Witchcraft 101 course is beyond helpful and it's 100% free! Go check it out it’s really a fountain of knowledge for beginners like us! 

Why did I decide to make this blog?  I, myself, am new to witchcraft and to the practices this umbrella term covers. I’m just a beginner - I haven’t even done any spells yet. The only thing I’ve been doing is studying and researching. I was going through the multitudes of notes I have when I thought that I was so lucky to have all this information. However, it can be overwhelming. I was overwhelmed when I stepped through the door and I still am. It’s only due to YouTubers and courses and websites that I’ve been able to seize a narrow footing in this world, but even then there’s still so much more!   I want to be able to allow people who are interested to grow and learn with me but also to document what I learn and how I grow in a way that might hopefully help someone. 

What can you expect from this blog?  A ton of stuff, maybe scheduled updates - something I definitely want to try. Hopefully a wealth of information. Whatever I learn, that I feel like I have a sufficient enough grasp on to share. Probably not much, as I’ve mentioned I’m still learning - though I do plan on doing a Samhain ritual so maybe I’ll write about that. Though it will all be witchy. That you can count on. 

What you’re putting on your blog is not what I’ve learned or not how I do it? If there’s anything I’ve learned in the few weeks (I told you I was new) that I’ve been studying and researching is that there are no set guidelines on how to practice your craft. Your craft is just that it’s your craft - it’s personal and tailored for you by you. If something doesn’t click with you then that’s fine. If what I’m putting out doesn’t click with you, or you don’t agree with it, or you do it a different way - that’s completely fine! 

Each to their own!  (that has been a disclaimer.) 

It should be fine in the window. As long as it catches some of the moonlight, I think you’ll be okay.

Any time a spell asks you to do something “with ____ energy” it’s just asking you to focus your intent on that. So, if you’re looking to produce loving energy, you’d focus on that type of feeling: what are the sensations you experience when you feel love? Tingly? Happy? Apprehensive? Do you think of a particular person, or smell, or maybe even a quote from a book? When you focus on those, that produces the “vibe” of the spell.

Alternatively, you can use ingredients that produce that energy on their own: roses, rose water, rose quartz, red or pink string, pink salt, etc. which can help make your spell stronger if you have trouble with visualization. 

You can also see this post for more help on producing a certain type of energy:

WOO!!!! YOU’RE GOING TO LOVE COLLEGE.

I’d recommend,

Amethyst - an overall good crystal to have, especially for stress

Clear quartz (rough/untumbled) - can substitute any crystal in a spell, focuses intent. I recommend rough for this stone because it tends to channel energy better and require less cleansing. 

Onyx/Obsidian or any black stone - to absorb negativity

Depending on what you’re using witchcraft for:

Rose quartz - self love, beauty 

Sunstone - happiness

Aquamarine - restore calm (can also use amethyst)

Red jasper - banish nightmares (but you can also use a black stone and amethyst) 

Psychic shops overprice the shit out of their crystals.