I'm super, super new to witchcraft and was wondering if you had any sort of starting off tips or anything because I'm super lost and don't know where to start looking.
Hello, friend! I hope you’re doing well! I’ve answered a couple asks like this under my FAQ and witchling tags, so I’ll give some “uncommon” pieces of advice for beginners!
Visualization is a major component of a lot of magic/energy work, so being able to conjure up specific images in your mind is important. Daydreaming can help you practice the skill of visualization without some of the pressure that you may feel during a meditation or ritual.
2. Write down your current beliefs on Witchcraft.
How do you think magic works? Do you believe that spirits aid in your abilities? Do you think magic is just a placebo effect? Writing down what you believe currently will help you track your growth as your beliefs change and grow over time. It’ll also help give you a starting point, since if you find that you’re unsure about a certain belief, you can investigate it further and use it to fuel some research.
3. Research local plants, wildlife, and folklore
No matter where you live, your land is rich with knowledge and resources. Before running to the store or searching on Amazon for specific herbs or plants, see if any grows naturally in your nearby area! Or see if there are any local cryptids, urban legends, or superstitions that you can use to enrich your practice.
I know you don’t technically need to know divination in order to be a witch, but it will definitely make your life a lot easier. Sometimes spells go wrong because the conditions aren’t right for it or something (or someone) is blocking it; divination can help you identify if a spell will work or not and why in advance, saving you time, effort, and ingredients. Similarly, you can use divination to predict possible outcomes of a spell and identity loopholes that need to be closed before proceeding. You can even use divination to help you best chart your path as a witch!
5. Identify why you want to be a witch.
In my experience, a lot of beginners seem to struggle with figuring out where to start. However, if you remember why you want to be a witch, you can use that to guide you. For example, if you’re a witch because you want to benefit yourself, start researching how to cast money spells. If you’re a witch because you want to heal people, research energy healing.
6. Don’t overcomplicate things.
You don’t need to learn everything all at once. Learning witchcraft is literally a lifelong process. I find a lot of beginners (not saying you’re doing this, but it’s a trend I’ve noticed) want to learn witchcraft and immediately have a practice that looks like other witchblr bloggers’ that have more experience. (And some even copy other witchblr bloggers’ posts…) You don’t have to have a practice that looks like theirs, now or ever. You don’t have to know everything all at once. Just pick what interests you and start from there.
7. Don’t rely on external validation.
It may seem tempting to post about all of your experiences on tumblr, especially when you’re starting out. Sometimes it may feel like our experiences aren’t “real” unless we tell someone about it. There’s an unfortunate competitive nature on witchblr where people seem to try to one-up people with their experiences, which can fuel the desire for validation. However, some experiences are meant to be kept private. And, in the case of spell work, revealing too many details of a spell could prevent it from working correctly. This isn’t to say that you should be totally secretive about your Craft; just make sure that you only ever share something because you want to, not because you feel like you have to in order to seem like a “valid” witch.
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