Beginner Class - Session 1
I'm going to be uploading sessions from a class I taught this spring here ♡
So, you're interested in learning about the world of witchcraft, the occult, or maybe just the spirit world. Whatever may bring you here, welcome to the first study session to our beginner's course. Today, we're going to be talking about how to actually start your own practice in order for you to discover your own unique path. First and foremost, throw everything that you have seen in movies and most of what you think you know in the garbage. The metaphysical world has been misunderstood and misportrayed for years. With that being said, let's look into some of the ways that you can begin your own practice and avoid burnout from overwhelming emotions. I encourage you search for other methods outside of what is mentioned here if you have the energy to do so.
First & Foremost - Research!
We already get it, ugh! This is actually the most crucial aspect of learning, despite what you're probably thinking. The toughest part of conducting research isn't necessarily doing it; it's determining out where to start. I recommend all of you to begin your own research into the craft in your own time, as it will be a full proof method of finding out what you're most interested in learning, which will ultimately help form a foundation for your path. Here are some places to begin your research. Of course, these are only a few suggestions and I encourage you to look outside of this list for other things to include in your research! Remember, this is not mandatory, but it would definitely be beneficial for you if you were to go ahead and take a look into some of these.
♡ The History of Witchcraft
♡ Energy (sensing, raising, manipulation, etc)
Now that we know what to research and have a few beginning points, how do we go about carrying out the study and ensuring the information we have gathered is correct? Unfortunately, in this day and age, misinformation is pervasive in our everyday lives, making it difficult to distinguish between what is true and what is fabricated. Turn on your witch brain and never be scared to cross-reference your knowledge.
Before we continue to the following section, one more thing. Please, when searching social media sites for spell and ritual advice, use reason and a careful eye. Due to the rise in popularity of witchcraft, many bloggers are generating revenue by creating trendy works of art that adhere to the "witch aesthetic". Despite being visually appealing, these lack crucial substance, especially for novices. Let's look at some examples of the current spell jar trends. The elements are listed, yes, but they don't explain why you should add them or how to raise and direct the energy so that your spell will manifest and produce tangible effects. Always remember that if it doesn't include specifics about programming, energy, or correspondences, it's most likely just trendy wishcraft and not the real deal.
Aʟᴄʜᴇᴍʏ - a form of chemistry and speculative philosophy practiced in the Middle Ages and the Renaissance and concerned principally with discovering methods for transmuting baser metals into gold and with finding a universal solvent and an elixir of life. any magical power or process of transmuting a common substance, usually of little value, into a substance of great value. any seemingly magical process of transforming or combining elements into something new
Asᴛʀᴏʟᴏɢʏ - the divination of the supposed influences of the stars and planets on human affairs and terrestrial events by their positions and aspects
Aᴛʜᴀᴍᴇ - A ceremonial pointed knife or dagger, used especially in Wicca and other neopagan traditions and typically having a black handle with magical symbols on it.
Aᴜʀᴀ - an energy field that is held to emanate from a living being
Bᴀɴɪsʜɪɴɢ - banishing refers to one or more rituals intended to remove non-physical influences ranging from spirits to negative influences
Bɪʙʟɪᴏᴍᴀɴᴄʏ - divination by means of a book, especially the Bible, opened at random to some verse or passage, which is then interpreted.
Cᴇʀᴇᴍᴏɴɪᴀʟ ᴍᴀɢɪᴄ - encompasses a wide variety of rituals of magic. The works included are characterized by ceremony and numerous requisite accessories to aid the practitioner. It can be seen as an extension of ritual magic, and in most cases synonymous with it.
Cʜᴀʟɪᴄᴇ - a footed cup intended to hold a drink. In religious practice, a chalice is often used for drinking during a ceremony or may carry a certain symbolic meaning.
Cʟᴀɪʀᴀᴜᴅɪᴇɴᴄᴇ - Act of hearing, or the ability to hear, sounds not normally audible; -- usually claimed as a special faculty of spiritualistic mediums, or the like.
Cʟᴀɪʀsᴇɴᴛɪᴇɴᴄᴇ - the ability to sense the past, present, or future physical and emotional states of others without the standard five senses — smell, vision, touch, hearing, and taste.
Cʟᴀɪʀᴠᴏʏᴀɴᴄᴇ - knowledge of information not necessarily known to any other person, not obtained by ordinary channels of perceiving or reasoning—thus a form of extrasensory perception
Cʟᴇᴀɴsɪɴɢ - to metaphysically rid the environment of unwanted energies or entities
Cᴏʟᴏʀ Tʜᴇʀᴀᴘʏ - based on the idea that color and colored lights can help treat physical or mental health. According to this idea, they cause subtle changes in our moods and biology.
Cᴏɴᴊᴜʀᴀᴛɪᴏɴ - the evocation of spirits or other supernatural entities or a the raising of energy
Cᴏᴠᴇɴ - is a group or gathering of witches.
Dᴇᴍᴏɴᴏʟᴏɢʏ - Demonology is the study of demons within religious belief and myth. Depending on context, it can refer to studies within theology, religious doctrine, or occultism
Dɪᴠɪɴᴀᴛɪᴏɴ - Divination is the attempt to gain insight into a question or situation by way of an occultic, standardized process or ritual.
Dʀᴜɪᴅɪsᴍ - A druid was a member of the high-ranking class in ancient Celtic cultures. Druids were religious leaders as well as legal authorities, adjudicators, lorekeepers, medical professionals and political advisors. Druids left no written accounts.
Eʟᴇᴍᴇɴᴛᴀʟ - In certain occult systems, an inhabitant of one of the four elements, especially any of the beings described by Paracelsus as intermediate in corporeality between humans and spirits.
Eɴᴇʀɢʏ Mᴀɴɪᴘᴜʟᴀᴛɪᴏɴ - Energy Manipulation is the ability to generate, control, and manipulate various forms of energy.
Eɴᴇʀɢʏ Sᴇɴsɪɴɢ - the ability to sense and perceive shifting metaphysical waves
Esᴏᴛᴇʀɪᴄ - confined to and understandable by only an enlightened inner circle
Eᴠᴏᴄᴀᴛɪᴏɴ - Evocation is the act of evoking, calling upon, or summoning a spirit, demon, deity or other supernatural agents, in the Western mystery tradition.
Fᴀᴍɪʟɪᴀʀs - the double, the alter ego, of an individual. It does not look like the individual concerned. Even though it may have an independent life of its own, it remains closely linked to the individual. sometimes elemental spirits.
Gᴇᴍᴀᴛʀɪᴀ - the practice of assigning a numerical value to a name, word or phrase according to an alphanumeric cipher. A single word can yield several values depending on the cipher which is used.
Gᴇᴏᴍᴀɴᴄʏ - a method of divination that interprets markings on the ground or the patterns formed by tossed handfuls of soil, rocks, or sand
Gɴᴏsɪs - it signifies a spiritual knowledge or insight into humanity's real nature as divine, leading to the deliverance of the divine spark within humanity from the constraints of earthly existence
Gᴏᴇᴛɪᴀ - a practice which involves invoking angels and demons
Gʀɪᴍᴏɪʀᴇ - is a textbook of magic, typically including instructions on how to create magical objects like talismans and amulets, how to perform magical spells, charms and divination, and how to summon or invoke supernatural entities such as angels, spirits, deities, and demons
Gʀᴏᴜɴᴅɪɴɢ - the practice of physically connecting oneself as closely as possible to the Earth in order to obtain earth energy
Hᴇʀᴍᴇᴛɪᴄɪsᴍ - a philosophical system that is primarily based on the purported teachings of Hermes Trismegistus (a legendary Hellenistic combination of the Greek god Hermes and the Egyptian god Thoth)
Hᴇx - a short term working designed to cause misfortune
Iɴᴄᴀɴᴛᴀᴛɪᴏɴ - words that are believed to have a magical effect when spoken or sung
Iɴᴛᴇɴᴛɪᴏɴ - directly related to Will—that mysterious, primal force by which personal magick can effect change on the otherwise unyielding material world
Iɴᴠᴏᴄᴀᴛɪᴏɴ - The act or an instance of invoking, especially an appeal to a higher power for assistance. A prayer or other formula used in invoking, as at the opening of a religious service.
Kᴜɴᴅᴀʟɪɴɪ Eɴᴇʀɢʏ - Kundalini is a form of divine feminine energy believed to be located at the base of the spine, in the muladhara. It is an important concept in Śhaiva Tantra, where it is believed to be a force or power associated with the divine feminine or the formless aspect of the Goddess
LHP/RHP - the left-hand path and right-hand path are the dichotomy between two opposing approaches to magic. This terminology is used in various groups involved in the occult and ceremonial magic. LHP is often equated with malicious workings whereas RHP are perceived as benevolent
Lɪᴍɪɴᴀʟɪᴛʏ - liminality is the quality of ambiguity or disorientation that occurs in the middle stage of a rite of passage, when participants no longer hold their pre-ritual status but have not yet begun the transition to the status they will hold when the rite is complete - "the in-between"
Lɪᴛʜᴏᴍᴀɴᴄʏ - a form of divination by which the future is told using stones or the reflected light from the stones.
Mᴀɢɪᴄ[k] - the power of apparently influencing the course of events by using mysterious or supernatural forces
Mᴀɴɪғᴇsᴛᴀᴛɪᴏɴ - the creative process of aligning with the energy of the Universe to co-create an experience that elevates your spirit and the spirit of the world
Mᴇᴅɪᴛᴀᴛɪᴏɴ - a practice in which an individual uses a technique – such as mindfulness, or focusing the mind on a particular object, thought, or activity – to train attention and awareness, and achieve a mentally clear and emotionally calm and stable state.
Mᴇᴅɪᴜᴍsʜɪᴘ - the practice of purportedly mediating communication between familiar spirits or spirits of the dead and living human beings. Practitioners are known as "mediums" or "spirit mediums". There are different types of mediumship or spirit channelling, including séance tables, trance, and ouija
Nᴇᴄʀᴏᴍᴀɴᴄʏ - communication with the dead by summoning their spirits as apparitions or visions, or by resurrection for the purpose of divination; imparting the means to foretell future events; discovery of hidden knowledge; returning a person to life, or to use the dead as a weapon. Sometimes referred to as "death magic," the term is used in a more general sense
Nᴇᴏᴅʀᴜɪᴅɪsᴍ - modern spiritual or religious movement that promotes the cultivation of honorable relationships with the physical landscapes, flora, fauna, and diverse peoples of the world, as well as with nature deities, and spirits of nature and place.
Nᴇᴏᴘᴀɢᴀɴɪsᴍ - Modern paganism, also known as contemporary paganism and neopaganism, is a term for a religion or family of religions influenced by the various historical pre-Christian beliefs of pre-modern peoples in Europe and adjacent areas of North Africa and the Near East.
Nᴇᴡ Aɢᴇ - a broad movement characterized by alternative approaches to traditional Western culture, with an interest in spirituality, mysticism, holism, and environmentalism.
Nᴜᴍᴇʀᴏʟᴏɢʏ - the study of mystical relationships between numbers, letters, and patterns. As in most methods of divination, numerology is a tool that is used to gain a deeper knowledge of the self, others, and how we relate to the world at large.
Oᴄᴄᴜʟᴛɪsᴍ - in the broadest sense, is a category of esoteric supernatural beliefs and practices which generally fall outside the scope of religion and science, encompassing phenomena involving otherworldly agency, such as magic and mysticism and their varied spells
Oғғᴇʀɪɴɢs - religious offering or sacrifice, voluntary gifts, as an act of virtue
Oᴜɪᴊᴀ - a flat board marked with the letters of the Latin alphabet, the numbers 0–9, the words "yes", "no", occasionally "hello" and "goodbye", along with various symbols and graphics. Used as a method of Necromancy
Pᴀɢᴀɴɪsᴍ - religion other than one of the main world religions, specifically a non-Christian or pre-Christian religion
Pᴀʟᴍɪsᴛʀʏ - practice of fortune-telling through the study of the palm
Pᴏᴘᴘᴇᴛ - a doll made to represent a person, for casting spells on that person or to aid that person through magic
Pʀᴏᴛᴇᴄᴛɪᴏɴ - it can entail a number of things but the gist is self-preservation and/or the safeguarding of others. Looking after one’s holistic wellbeing. To this end, protective magick may be proactive where one creates amulets, or practices intentional setting of energetic or spiritual barriers around self, property, family, etc.
Psʏᴄʜɪᴄ - relating to or denoting faculties or phenomena that are apparently inexplicable by natural laws, especially involving telepathy or clairvoyance.
Rᴇɪᴋɪ - healing technique based on the principle that the therapist can channel energy into the patient by means of touch, to activate the natural healing processes of the patient's body and restore physical and emotional well-being.
Rᴜɴᴇs - Runes are the letters in a set of related alphabets known as runic alphabets native to the Germanic peoples. Runes were used to write various Germanic languages before they adopted the Latin alphabet, and for specialised purposes thereafter.
Sᴀᴛᴀɴɪsᴍ - history of being a designation made by people against those whom they dislike; it is a term used for 'othering'. The concept of Satanism is an invention of Christianity, for it relies upon the figure of Satan, a character deriving from Christian mythology
Sᴄʀʏɪɴɢ - the practice of looking into a suitable medium in the hope of detecting significant messages or visions.
Sᴇᴀɴᴄᴇ - an attempt to communicate with spirits.
Sɪɢɪʟ - sigil refers to a symbolic representation of the practitioner's desired outcome.
Tᴀʟɪsᴍᴀɴ - any object ascribed with religious or magical powers intended to protect, heal, or harm individuals for whom they are made
Tᴀʀᴏᴛ - a pack of playing cards, used from at least the mid-15th century in various parts of Europe to play card games French occultists began to make elaborate, but unsubstantiated, claims about their history and meaning, leading to the emergence of custom decks for use in divination via tarot card reading and cartomancy
Tʜᴇʟᴇᴍᴀ - a Western esoteric and occult social or spiritual philosophy and new religious movement founded in the early 1900s by Aleister Crowley
Wᴀɴᴅ - Wands are traditionally made of wood— practitioners usually prune a branch from an oak, hazel, or other tree, or may even buy wood from a hardware store, and then carve it and add decorations to personalize it, though one can also purchase ready-made wands.
Wɪᴄᴄᴀ - a modern Pagan religion. Scholars of religion categorise it as both a new religious movement and as part of the occultist stream of Western esotericism.
Wɪᴛᴄʜᴄʀᴀғᴛ - the practice of magic or sorcery worldwide
Wᴏʀsʜɪᴘ - the feeling or expression of reverence and adoration for a deity.
Practice Mindfulness & Self Awareness
One of the most important foundations for any practitioner to have is to know thyself. I know most of you are probably sitting there thinking "well of course I know myself, no one knows me like me" and while that very well may be true, do you know why you are the way you are? Are you aware of your actions & reactions? Are you aware of your emotional changes and what causes them? Or do you subconsciously just float through your day, not really paying attention to your thoughts, words, actions, or emotions? By beginning your journey into self awareness, you'll be able to get a better grasp on your subconscious mind which is an essential step in healing yourself and unlocking true potential. Here are just a few ways to begin your journey of mindfulness.
♡ Try out the various personality tests out there! While they are not perfect, they can help give you insight about your attitude and behaviors.
♡ Keep a daily log of emotions, thoughts & habits. It can be very beneficial in order to reflect on your behavior and become self aware as the moments arise.
♡ Make time to eat 1 meal a day without any distractions. This will help you center and bring your attention back to your bodily feelings.
♡ Practice intentional breathing for 5 minutes a day.
♡ Do a 5 minute meditation session a day.
Of course, this is just a short list and I encourage you to seek outside of this list for other ways to begin your journey to mindfulness! Different things work for different people, so don't feel like it's hopeless if none of these suggestions work for you.
Ah, yes, the second most tedious response to the question "Where do I start?", but this is extremely important to avoid unnecessary overwhelming feelings. First and foremost, you're going to want to have a nice outline for your Book of Shadows/Grimoire. Regardless of what some may say, these terms can be used interchangeably, although some like to use "Book of Mirrors" as a more personal journal, and a Book of Shadows as more related to metaphysics. Don't worry about making it perfect, you can always go through & edit layer, but having a basic outline for how to organize your information will be very helpful as you accumulate more & more of it.
▪︎ favorites; color, tools, herbs
▪︎ info card; birth card, birth chart, personal beliefs, relationships with divine
▪︎ Planetary Days & Hours
▪︎ Interpretation Key Page
▪︎ Astrological & Astronomical Events
▪︎ Identification of Self Abilities
▪︎ Personal Spells & Rituals
Alright! Now that we have a pretty good grasp on how to store the information we collect, let's move onto the next section. I promise, we're almost done here.
Learn To Manipulate Energy
Regardless of what you may have been told or believe, intention is NOT the most important part of metaphysical working. While it is a big factor, without the skill of raising and directing the energy towards your intention, it's just wishcraft. Energy manipulation may come naturally for some, and others may have to practice diligently to be able to interfere with energy in the way they would like to. I highly recommend beginning research into this if you're interested in spellwork. Feel free to check out my Energy Manipulation Series in the Guides section of the group. This is something we will cover towards the end of the course, so stay tuned!
Remember, it is you who has made a commitment to learning and beginning the path of self discovery. No one has a right to tell you which way to turn, or what to do. You have free will for a reason, and a brilliant mind and intuitive system to navigate you through choices. While some systems may have guidelines to follow, witchcraft as a whole has no rules & you are free to do as you wish, when you wish. If something doesn't align with you, you don't have to practice or follow that particular topic. I like to compare the world of metaphysics and witchcraft to that of medicine. Sure, anyone can perform surgery, but would you want just anyone performing heart surgery or even treating you for an ailment? I didn't think so - the same goes for any ritual working. This is also the underlying notion of why some practices are closed. A lot of closed traditions work closely with that specific traditions ancestors, so when doing workings of that tradition, you are essentially opening a portal to someone else's ancestors which may or may not be gracious towards you. Turn that witch brain on, use it wisely, and never let anyone tell you what you can and cannot do. You decide what is best for you.
Alright! That's pretty much all I have for you today. Thank you all for participating and reading.
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