The ultimate baby witch tip I can give you is this: there is a lot of misinformation on Tumblr. A LOT. My best advice is for you to invest in some books on witchcraft—mostly history, terminology, and practical use. I highly recommend these books to start with, although they’re certainly not the ONLY excellent books on witchcraft:
🌕 The Element Encyclopedia of Witchcraft
I LOVE Judika Illes. Her books are incredibly informative, unbiased, and rich with real-life examples of witchcraft throughout the ages (and cultures). You won’t find any “fluff” in her books. Seriously, if you read any book on witchcraft, read this one. It covers EVERYTHING. At the very least, it’ll help you explore different spiritualities and magical traditions.
🌱Shamanic Journeying: A Beginner’s Guide
Shamanism is not witchcraft in itself, but it IS far older—shamanism is the basis for all ancient magical traditions around the world. “Shaman” is a Siberian word used to describe the practice of spirit working, which is found ALL over the world. To get a solid understanding of the spirit-working side of witchcraft, learning about shamanism is key. However, know that you shouldn’t call yourself a shaman even if you journey—historically, that title is only for those who have been chosen spiritually to be shamans, and who have yielded consistent results from their journeys. Learning how to journey to the three spiritual realms and communicate with the spirits there will help you…
- allow you to utilize healing, divination, and communication with spirits for various reasons.
Again, this isn’t some fun thing to do in your spare time—shamanism is sacred, ancient work tens of thousands of years old. If you feel called to work with spirits, this is one way to do so. Sandra Ingerman is well-known for her shamanism workshops and books, so she knows what she’s talking about and has lots of practical experience.
Speaking of spirits, here’s another invaluable book for spirit-working. Even if you have no intention of working with spirits, it’s important to know about them. Judika Illes is VERY thorough in her research, so this book is packed full of info on spirits spanning all cultures and traditions. Learn how to attract spirits, develop relationships with them, work with them to make life easier, and learn their history. This book is ABSOLUTELY fascinating, I use it almost every day. Again, Judika Illes is a very reputable source.
⭐️Grandmothers Counsel the World: Women Elders Offer Their Vision of Our Planet
In this book, 13 female elders from indigenous cultures around the world share their stories about how they came to devote their lives to their magical practices and spiritual paths. They come together as foretold by an old prophecy that all their cultures share. Their goal? To share their vision for the world and provide insight into how we can improve our lives through the use of traditional magic and attunement with the Earth. They each carry a message of compassion, hoping to share their knowledge and wisdom with everyone who reads this book. Rather than close off their beliefs to “outsiders”, they firmly believe that everyone should follow their example. I LOVE this book because it takes the Tumblr glasses off of witchcraft and enables you to see REAL wise women, women who have grown up with magic and use it to this day. The term “magic” here refers to their connection to the Earth, their extensive knowledge of medicinal plants, and their spirit journeys. This book is wonderful for gaining perspective into different cultures and their spiritual wisdom.
🕯The Book of Stones: Who They Are and What They Teach
(Robert Simmons and Naisha Ahsian)
This is my go-to book for crystals. It has EVERYTHING. Learn the scientific facts about crystals as well as the metaphysical ones. It even includes tips on how to meditate with crystals, how to utilize them for different purposes, and how to empower crystals with OTHER crystals that work synergistically. The index in the back of the book can be used to find crystals for specific physical ailments as well as spiritual ones.
🧙♀️Pure Magic: A Complete Course in Spell-Casting
Can you tell I like Judika Illes? XD This book is full of spells that range from summoning spirits to love spells to protection and personal empowerment (including psychic awareness). Judika Illes, like always, includes practical historical information and a little bit about spirits as well. Her spells are REAL—they’ve been used successfully throughout the ages, taken from spiritual traditions around the world. In short, they’re tried-and-true. You won’t find anything made-up or untested here. She also doesn’t include any “malevolent” magic, for those who are uncomfortable with that. She DOES include spells on how to get someone to leave you alone, though.
Rather than tell you specific books not to read, here’s a general guide for who NOT to listen to:
❌ If the book (article, etc) was written by someone who is not a witch, has no historical information to offer, doesn’t really know the ins and outs of witchcraft, etc. A lot of outlets sell these kinds of books—most notably Urban Outfitters. As witchcraft becomes more “trendy”, plenty of non-spiritual, non-witchy journalists are getting on that cash cow and writing books that are shallow interpretations of real witchcraft, at best. They’re not very informative, or at least they don’t go into much detail. Just look at the author—have they been studying witchcraft for years? Have a degree in something relevant, such as history, anthropology, etc? Did they become a witch last year and already want to write a book? Have they actually TRIED their own spells, and have others replicated them with successful results? Really think about those things.
❌Be wary of big chains that try to cash in on the growing witchcraft trend. Sephora, Urban Outfitters, Earthbound, Target, and other big chains have no interest in giving you practical knowledge of witchcraft. THEY WANT YOUR MONEY. The result is a shallow representation of an ancient art, and most often it’s appropriated from other magical traditions with no credit. So do NOT put much trust in big chains that try to sell you metaphysical supplies and books. You’re better off looking for seasoned magic-workers for whom witchcraft is a lifestyle, not a way to make money.
❌ Avoid vague-sounding books. I once bought a book about Fairy Wichcraft, which detailed the author’s personal magical lifestyle and beliefs. So what is Fairy Witchcraft? Well I have no fuckin idea because the book was vague, ranting, and had almost zero historical information to go off of. Essentially I was supposed to just take the author’s word for it, which is never a smart thing to do. Especially disturbing was the fact that I later found out that a lot of the author’s historical claims about fairies were straight-up untrue. I made the mistake of spending over thirty bucks on it, and I’ll never read it again because it was essentially useless to me.
❌ NEVER get your ideas of witchcraft from works of fiction. Novels, movies, TV shows, and video games almost never represent true witchcraft. Even that movie everyone loves, “The Craft”, is almost disrespectful in its attempt to show spirit summoning. Although witchy entertainment is fun, it’s not real. Too many people get into witchcraft because they think it’s going to be like Harry Potter or Sabrina the Teenage Witch, but in reality it really isn’t. Too many people want all the aesthetic components of witchcraft because it caught their attention on TV or in a novel, but they completely sidestep the spiritual implications, historical knowledge, and real uses of witchcraft. Too many people try to erase the fact that witchcraft arose through ancient pagan paths, which are ALL Earth-centric. Plain and simple, Hollywood witchcraft doesn’t exist. It’s not supposed to—it’s made for non-witches who live in a Protestant-heavy culture who view witches as Satanic.
These are my best tips to getting started with learning the basics of witchcraft. I certainly didn’t include ALL the best books you could read, but they’re definitely a start. Be very wary of Internet witchcraft—people get their information from all kinds of places, and some people just make things up. These books will introduce you to an ancient art expressed in many different cultures and religions over tens of thousands of years. The best advice, though, is to experiment. Go out there and try things. Read as much as you can. Use your best judgement. Happy reading! 🎃
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