My advice for Beginner Witches.
I’ve been requested this post various times and finally I’ve had the time to write it. Many of you have asked me for some advice for beginner witches.
There are countless posts and books and articles out there that talk about this topic, written by people way more experienced than I am; this is just my personal take on the subject. My advice is based on my personal experience with magick, and, of course, it’s not the absolute truth.
Nevertheless, I hope that this post will be helpful to anyone who wants to approach witchcraft.
Every witch is a real witch. I can’t count the times I found myself asking the question of whether I was a “real” witch or not. All the energy and time I spent thinking about this, was energy and time I didn’t spend progressing in my craft. If you choose to be a witch, you can be one, no matter your level of experience and no matter what your beliefs are. There is no such thing as a “natural” witch; you don’t need to have witches in your family or ancestry to be one.
No Gods, no masters. While all forms of religious magick are perfectly valid and should always be respected, not all witches adhere to a specific religion or worship specific deities. It’s easy to be persuaded that the only way to do magick is to work with a certain God and Goddess, especially since the vast majority of the witchcraft community online is formed by Wiccan witches. As a witch with an atheist upbringing, this was a big problem for me, since I could not (and I still can’t) bring myself to worship a God. You don’t have to force yourself into beliefs that don’t resonate with you; many forms of magick don’t involve religion, such as Alchemy and most of The Left Hand Path.
You are your own temple. Magick can be done anywhere, anytime. As a beginner witch I always thought that I had to go to specific places in order to be inspired. I guess I had this stereotypical idea of the witch that walks through the forest and becomes one with Nature. While it’s ok to do this if it’s your thing, it’s important to remember that you are all that you need and there isn’t a place inherently more magickal than another. When casting a spell or doing a ritual, especially as a beginner, it’s better to be comfortable and relaxed in a place you know well and that makes you feel safe.
Expect and welcome change. Witchcraft is a transformative experience. You will find yourself believing one thing one day and completely changing your mind the day after. As you go through your first year as a witch, you will probably end up challenging all the beliefs that you had in the beginning. It’s fine to try out different forms of magick and shift between different belief systems; as your ideas evolve, you will discover what is really significant to you. Regret nothing; every experience you made is a part of your spiritual journey and it won’t be wasted.
Magick in theory and practice. Theory is important. As any witch will tell you, if you want to do magick, read as much as you can, write as much as you can. Nonetheless, abstract knowledge is pointless if it’s not associated with practical experiences. I know that performing a ritual or casting a spell can be scary and overwhelming in the beginning. Still, it’s important to experiment and try new things. You will never know if something works for you unless you try. As a beginner witch, you will find yourself pushing the boundaries of your comfort zone - don’t be afraid and go for it!
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