WELCOME TO WITCHCRAFT FOR BEGINNERS!
I’m so glad you made it here. I want to share my very best witchcraft for beginners advice with you. Because the number one question I hear asked by those new to Paganism or Witchcraft is ‘Where do I start’?
My answer is simple – Start EXACTLY where you ARE.
All too often the advice given to new seekers can easily add to the overwhelm, to the confusion and sense that you will never make it on this path. You may well have experienced this yourself.
So I am glad you made it here, because I want to reassure you – you’ve already made it!
In this article I want to offer my own perspective and advice on where to begin. It will be the first in a series of Witchcraft for Beginners articles aimed to guide you gently as you find your feet (or your wings) on the magical path. It will help you take stock and decide what YOU want from the endless potential before you. Most importantly the series will give you some EASY, PRACTICAL steps you can take today to get started.
So, get comfortable, get yourself a cup of tea (because tea is the witchy answer to most things) and relax!
Books?
If you have frequented any pagan forums, facebook groups or have met other pagans at a moot or other event you have most likely heard some version of the following advice for beginners: Read, Read and read some More!
If so, you might be surprised to hear my first piece of advice: Put down the books!!
Step away from the enticing pile of words and paper!
Keep away from the bookshop!
DON’T EVEN THINK OF OPENING AMAZON ON ANOTHER TAB!
Not even that pretty, velvet book called ‘Witchcraft for Beginners’. In fact ESPECIALLY not that one.
You won’t find a single book recommendation on this page.
Except this photo.
Knowledge of the craft comes from within – and from spirit. It does not come from a book or another person. The only thing which comes from these is information.
Only YOU can make a connection with the energies and spirits which are essential for working magic and witchcraft. When you do its like plugging an appliance into the mains circuit – its electrifying! But reading about how someone else did it won’t even cause the candle to flicker.
Traditional Craft is Local Craft. It is about the gods and the spirits and the energies where YOU are. Even a book written in the same country can only be an inspiration and not an instruction. You cannot learn about your local area from a book, from a video or even from me. You can only learn it from being out there.
Similarly you do not get to know a deity or spirit from reading about them. You get to know them by meeting them and talking to them, being with them regularly. It’s a bit like an online dating profile – what sounds nice in a book may be completely different when you finally meet them. Its someone else’s view of them after all. There is no substitute for DOING.
The wisest witch I know always taught me:
To Be a Witch, you must Be A Witch
So, before we get to reading (and if you are a bibliophile, don’t worry there WILL be reading later!) we are going to concentrate on BEING a witch. We will take it step by step, but you will see results QUICKLY.
You need to be in the energies you want to work with, and be open to them making a connection, starting a relationship, with you. Those energies are everywhere – but they are strongest outside. So the very first thing I want you to do is get outside.
You don’t have to go very far. In fact I don’t want you to go very far.
You just have to step outside of your front door.
Once you are outside you can do anything you want. But be conscious and deliberate about it.
Take a few deep breaths feeling your lungs fill with the essence of the place you live and have your being. Be conscious of it travelling from your lungs around your body.
Notice the nature you share the space with – the grass, the trees, the birds. Don’t forget to look up to the sky, the clouds, the stars, the moon! Even in the densest urban space there is some nature to be found if you look.
Do this every day. Even if you only have a couple of moments – just say hello to the world you inhabit.
If you cannot get outside open a window, feel the breeze on your face.
All I want you to do is experience the changing face of nature every day – and to enjoy the power of it. To feel the rain or the wind or the sun and be grateful for its gifts. To acknowledge the forces, and over time recognise the ebb and flow which happens EXACTLY where you ARE.
Know that this space right outside your home is the source of your magical power and get to know it intimately. Spend as much time as you can out of doors, safe in the knowledge you are already a witch.
You’ve started!
Looking for More?
If you enjoyed this article on witchcraft for beginners and want to dive deeper then our brand new email course for total newbies – Changing Tides – might be for you. Or perhaps you want something a bit more advanced – Introduction to Moon Magic might be for you!
Find out more about these courses, and our other training opportunities on our courses page.
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