Red Flags When Looking For Information
As a Witchling, doing research before attempting any spell-work is important. Whether you are asking more experienced witches for their knowledge, reading a book or searching for information on Google, you should always cross reference from multiple sources. While this is a good way to verify information, you should be aware of red flags to look for when doing your research.
Inconsistency in terminology
Pay attention to the words people use. You can often find people interchanging words to refer to the same thing. If you see this, consider it a red flag. It is important that you research the definitions of different terms, especially when you are just beginning your path as a witch. Here are terms that are sometimes interchanged that shouldn’t be: - Talisman & Amulet - Pagan & Wiccan - Smudging & Smoke Cleansing - Pentacle & Pentagram - Jinx & Hex & Curse
Claiming Spell-work Does Not Have Consequences
You may come across some witches who like to believe that doing any kind of spell-work doesn’t ever have serious consequences. Here is the problem with that: every action results in a consequence. It may not necessarily be a negative consequence, but there are risks. Always keep in mind that when you do spell-work you can either have no results, the results you expected or results you did not expect. Spell-work sometimes backfires. Sometimes spells end up causing more harm than good. There is also the possibility of causing collateral damage to people who you never intended to harm. This is why we always push the fact that Witchlings should always learn how to do proper cleansing, banishing and learn how to set up strong protections before attempting any other spell-work
When They Talk About Using Restricted and/or Closed Practices
If you are new to witchcraft, you may not have heard of these before. Some practices are restricted or closed, meaning you either have to be born into them or be invited and/or initiated. The primary reason for certain practices to be restricted or closed is due to them being oppressed and abused. The history often includes racism, slavery, invasion of their sacred land and genocide. Here is a list of practices that are restricted or closed:
Eastern European Religions.
Shamanism
Closed Practices
Claiming Witches Must Be Wiccan
Many of the sources that you find will probably be based on Wicca. Although not all Wiccans push Wicca onto Witchlings, there are some narcissistic Wiccans who will tell you that to be a true witch you must be Wiccan. This is not true. If you do not vibe with Wicca, then it simply isn’t for you. There are many other paths to choose from. The threefold law and the rest of the Wiccan Rede may not vibe with you. That is okay. Wicca is not for everybody and it is not the only valid path for a witch.
Claiming Only Women Can Be Witches
Men can be witches, too. No, they don’t have to refer to themselves as “warlocks”. As far as most witches are concerned, Witch is a gender-neutral term. If anybody tells you men cannot be witches, chances are they are a misandrist. Don’t listen to them.
Claiming You Must Work With Some Sort Of Entity
Listen carefully. Whether it is deities, the fae or any other type of spirit, you must understand that working with any type of entity requires a certain level of responsibility and knowledge. There are trickster spirits and other negative entities that would love to jump at the opportunity of taking advantage of a Witchling who does not know what they are doing. You can get hurt if you do not know what you are dealing with. Do not attempt to work with any entities until you have learned the bare basics that I mentioned earlier. With that being said, working with entities of any kind is not a requirement to be a witch. That is a matter of belief and personal preference. There are some witches who are agnostic or atheist, and that is okay. Do not force yourself to work with entities if you know you do not want to.
Claiming You Must Learn Some Form Of Divination
This one may be against popular belief, but truth be told you do not have to practice divination. Although divination has its benefits, some witches just don’t vibe with using pendulums, runes, tarot or any other divination tool. That is perfectly fine.
Claiming You Must Celebrate The Sabbats
You may have already discovered the Wheel of the Year, but if you have not then all you need to know is it tells of the holidays that many witches celebrate. Yule, Imbolc, Ostara, Beltane, Litha, Lughnasadh / Lammas, Mabon and Samhain. You do not have to celebrate these to be a witch. It is all a matter of personal preference.
Claiming You Must Identify As A “Type” Of Witch
Green Witch, Kitchen Witch, Eclectic Witch, Grey Witch, etc… Does not matter. These types of labels only exist to give people a sense of structure. You do not have to label your path. You are a witch. That is all that matters.
Claiming You Must Do Shadow Work
Listen carefully. Shadow Work isn’t a witch thing. It is a psychological thing. If you don’t understand this, look up Carl Jung and his theories. Shadow Work, although beneficial in many ways, can be difficult on a person who has experienced severe traumas. If you know that your traumas are very triggering for you, please avoid doing Shadow Work unless you are in the presence of a medical or psychological professional.
Claiming You Must Do Shadow Work
Listen carefully. Shadow Work isn’t a witch thing. It is a psychological thing. If you don’t understand this, look up Carl Jung and his theories. Shadow Work, although beneficial in many ways, can be difficult on a person who has experienced severe traumas. If you know that your traumas are very triggering for you, please avoid doing Shadow Work unless you are in the presence of a medical or psychological professional.
These are just a few red flags that you should look out for when doing research. Understand that not all people and resources are trustworthy and you have to be able to decipher what resources are reliable. There are many egotistical witches, , poorly written books and bad information across the internet.
