Witchcraft for Beginners

A blog all about the basics of witchcraft, so that you can get grounded in beginning your craft. Run by us, your hosts and resident twitches: Mod Twinning, she/her, your friendly neighborhood cursing ace. Mod Cheese, he/him, self-care expert, and a damn good cook. Asks and Suggestions are open, come talk to us!

[witchcraftingatwoods]

Sorry!!

We've been dead but we'll be back by the end of the week! We'll answer the asks sent to us soon as well. We're very sorry about the delay.

Mod Twinning and Mod Cheese

[valtsv]

*tastes potion like a chef testing the soup* hm. needs more eye of newt.

[cool-art-i-didnt-do]

this is hilarious + its even funnier if u kno that eye of newt is probably mustard seed

[valtsv]

so who else was today years old when they learned that “eye of newt” is mustard seed and not the literal eye of a newt or am i just dumb

[tsunadadudi]

Theres even more beyond eye of newt

[aviculor]

no wonder my potions never work the way they should

[catboy-supremacist]

[senpiecakes]

Person A: B, what in hell are you doing?

Person B: *feeling A’s hair while mumbling* What the fuck this is so soft and smooth.

[witchcraftingatwoods]

Witchy Basics Lesson 1: Visualization

Visualization is the building block of all magic, the starting point for any and all witches that, no matter how advanced they are now, all started with this basic concept. Visualization as the most basic form of magic is the easiest to master and tends to reach into many other more complex parts of the craft. Visualization is a skill that almost everyone can master, however, that doesn't mean that witchcraft is something that should be mastered by everyone. If you don't know how far into the mastery of witchcraft you are planning to go, start by seeing if you have the focus for mastering visualization. Focus and visualization go hand in hand, as learning visualization trains your focus. Focus is another building block of magic, however, focus isn't necessarily a skill unique to just magic. This holds true for visualization as well, both focus and visualization can be used in other settings aside from magic. If you think you have focus and visualization down (perhaps from some other hobby you enjoy) you will have little trouble mastering these arts for magic.

Here are a few simple spells to get you started:

1. Memorize an object, close your eyes and picture the object you memorized. Visualize it changing colors slowly. This spell can be used to relieve stress and calm panic or anxiety attacks. Just allow your stress to flow out into the air as the object changes colors.

2. Close your eyes and imagine a flower bud. Make the flower bloom; do this by focusing positive energy towards the flower while visualizing what the flower looks like as it blooms. This can be used as a warm-up spell or a spell to increase happiness and peace.

3. Close your eyes, imagine a fire burning out of control. Now visualize positive emotions becoming water and extinguishing the flames. This spell can be used to reduce anxiety and increase positive emotional energy.

.Note: Visualization is basically just using your imagination.

[sylvaetria]

Alright, this has struck up an opinion thing I’ve meant to ask for a long while anyway, so thanks @arcane-aspirations for bringing up that point!

How do you guys feel about “theory” spells / untested spells being posted on Tumblr for public use?

As in, if you knew a spell was written based off theory and previous experience and understanding of magic, but had never been actually tested by its creator, would you choose to perform it anyway?

Or, if you knew it was untested, would you prefer to find one that had been tested and knew for sure what sorts of results people had gotten from using it before?

What about spells that may not specify if they were tested or not - does that get taken into account when you choose your spells? 

Is any of this relevant to you when you are looking at spells to perform? Why or why not?

Feel free to just reply on this post, reblog this post, or tag me in a new post with your answer. You can also [send me an ask] with your answer too. ^^   

[polar-solstice]

I don’t mind theory posts at all, because I’m likely to make my own tweaks to a spell I find online anyway, but I really prefer it when they admit that its untested so I know what I’m walking into

[upthewitchypunx]

I sometimes write spells inspired by other spells, but like recipes for food, I never seem to follow a formula to the letter. That being said, I’ve been at this awhile so I know what works for me and sometimes the spells themselves tell me how to perform them.

I think the bigger question is about expectations, especially for those that are just starting out in spellcasting, id you expect spells you see posted to be tested? I’m sure many hadn’t even thought to ask and assumed that if it was posted, it was tested. The next question is if it is even important to your practice if it is.

[goodbyedearfriends-deactivated2]

“Return Home Safe.” A spell for lost pets.

If you’re pet is lost you can use this to help get them back home safely. This spell is dedicated to @debbiesodashing‘s friend.

What You’ll Need

The missing pet’s already shedded fur

Your pet’s toy

Your pet’s water/food dish

A green candle

A yellow candle

Moon water

Rosemary incense

Garlic

What To Do

Light your candles, place the candles by the edge of the dish, and burn your rosemary incense to get started.

Pour your moon water in, tap the rosemary incense ashes and sprinkle the fur into the dish while picturing your pet.

Take the garlic, hold it in one hand and the your pet’s toy in the other, and while looking at the flames’ reflection chant/think/sing “Please (pet name) return home safe, your time being lost has ended. Please return to the home where you are loved. So may it be.” As many times as you feel is needed.

Blow out the candles but continue to let the incense burn till it’s all done and place those ashes outside your front door.

Wash the hand that handled the garlic thoroughly before handling the toy so no residue can get onto the toy. Garlic is toxic to pets so make sure that they don’t touch each other or make sure the possible residue doesn’t touch the toy either!

Keep your pet’s toy by the front door on the inside until they return home.

Once you’ve found your pet dish wash/hand wash your pet’s dish to make sure nothing is left over that your pet can get sick from.

[patberson]

@upthewitchypunx here’s the updated version

[wildwomanwitchery-deactivated20]

Pass this along to cleanse your blog.

And don’t forget to cleanse yourself.

[love--witch]

Pia's quick Potion for Happiness

Hey I thought it’s about time that I post some original content that’s an actual spell/potion

For this one all you need is: •a cup of milk •a spoon full of honey •a teensy bit of cinnamon (And optional •coffee)

Heat up your cup of milk, let the honey dissolve in it, put in some cinnamon and stir clockwise to fill it up with your intent of being happy. If you like you can also add a bit of coffee for an energy boost but you don’t have to because I know a lot of people don’t like coffee.

Enjoy your day Be happy

[sylvaetria]

I'm so new to grimore writing, do you have any tips or maybe even a master list of ideas to put in one?

I have posts for this~!

[Book of Shadows]

[Grimoire/Book of Shadows Ideas] (tw: gif)

[Grimoire Organization]

[Grimoire Organization Ideas]

[Grimoire Prompts] (tw: gif)

[How to Make a Witchy Planner]

[Ideas for Your Grimoire]

[Ideas for Your Grimoire or Book of Shadows]

[Journaling Styles as Books of Shadows]

[Organizing Your Grimoire (Tips from a Neat Freak Virgo)]

Richtor’s Grimoire Tips: 

[Part 01 - Introduction]

[Part 02 - Styles of Grimoires]

[Part 03 - What Should I Write?]

[Part 04 - Organization]

[Part 05 - Decoration]

[Thoughts on Keeping a Magical Book or ‘Book of Shadows’]

[What to Put in Your Book of Shadows?]

Witch Tip - Book of Shadows / Grimoire:

[Part 01]

[Part 02]

The World of Grimoires:

[Part 01 - Why Keep a Grimoire?]

[Part 02 - Choose Your Weapons]

[Part 03 - Grimoire Styles]

Long story short: what do you want to put into it? 

It is your book, to do with as you will. Put in whatever you think you will want / need to know, that reflects your style of practicing, etc. 

In a tl;dr version of all those links, and a modified version of [this post], here’s some ideas on things you can put into a grimoire (based mostly around informational purposes). 

This list is not complete / extensive / ; moreso, it has a lot of different suggestions to give you some ideas of things you can put in. 

about you as a witch

these could be in the format of journal pages

what you want out of witchcraft, information about your natal / birth chart if you like astrology, any notes of things you do day to day, etc.

terminology of terms within witchcraft and magic

spell timing, such as Sabbats and esbats, moon phases, days of the week, time of the day, etc.

correspondences for herbs, essential oils, crystals / minerals, colors, the four elements, planetary associations, etc.

substitutions for particular items like herbs, crystals, etc.

any safety precautions for working with certain herbs, crystals, etc.

information on how to determine personal correspondences and associations

magical / non-magical materials that can be used in spells

information on the “basics” of witchcraft

what intent means, and how to work with it

what it means to visualize, and alternatives if you can’t

what meditation can do for magic, and how to do it

what channeling energy means, and how to do it

what it means to charge / enchant objects, and methods to do it

setting up an altar / magical work space, and how to do it

information on any religions you work within

example: for Wicca, you may wish to write out the Wiccan Rede, how to cast a circle, how to call the four corners / elements / guardians of the watchtowers, how to set up an altar, etc.

information on any deities you work with / wish to work with

offering ideas for any deities you work with

invocations for any deities you work with

rituals / dedications / prayers to any deities you work with

information on any spirits you work with / wish to work with

offering ideas for any spirits you work with (i.e. the fae, elemental spirits like sylphs and salamanders, etc.)

information on the history of witchcraft

information on familiars and working with animals in magic

information on varieties of magic

examples: energy work, candle magic, crystal magic / crystal grids, sachet magic, knot magic, kitchen magic / tea magic, bath magic, traditional magic, urban / modern magic, chaos magic, pop culture magic, green magic, hedgework, spirit work, shadow work, blood magic, sex magic, necromancy / death magic, etc.

MAGIC NO LONGER LOOKS LIKE A WORD TO ME

any safety precautions for working with certain varieties of magic

any divination methods you wish to try

examples: definitions of the tarot cards, tarot spreads, cartomancy interpretations, definitions of runes, reading tea leaves (tasseomancy) / coffee grounds, tips on pendulum reading, etc.

spells that you write yourself, or sigils you create yourself

any notes and observations you made when testing that spell / using it

spells or sigils from external sources that you may want to use and/or reference

specific categories of spells

examples: protection, cleansing / purification, banishing, binding, healing, new beginnings / moving on, happiness, self love, relationships, friendships, glamours, confidence, strength, energy, luck, money / wealth, school, employment, sleep, dreams / nightmares, divination, magic amplification, etc.

recipes for potions, powders, oils, tinctures, etc.

chants and incantations

blessings

curses

information on any magical groups or covens you participate in

coven rules and guidelines, members lists and contact information, etc.

I hope that helps you! Good luck!