I’m part of a few groups on Reddit for witches and one of the most common questions I see that is asked almost daily is, “Where do I start?” or “Do I have to believe in everything I read?” You get the drill.
I thought for this week’s blog post, I would take some time and answer more frequently asked questions and how I started my journey into witchcraft. If you’re not a witchy person, no problem. These methods can be used for almost any spiritual practice or even if you just want to adopt mindfulness techniques into your daily routine. I even wrote a blog post about that too!
Where do I start?
That’s a tough question. For me, my journey began nearly 20 years ago when watching shows like Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I became really interested in Wicca and joined a local drumming group. In addition to that, I also picked up as many books on Wicca as I could get my hands on – including Scott Cunningham’s book simply titled Wicca.
When it came to learning about Green Witchery, I actually have YouTube to credit for that. I was searching for inspiration on decorating my balcony and stumbled upon cottage fairy channels, which led me to fairy cottages, and so on, and so forth. And now my feed is mostly cottage fairy and green witches or gardeners. It’s quite lovely.
Once I learned about intention setting and journaling, I was hooked. It’s something I do monthly now. I like using visioning boards for this and created this one with Canva.
Figure out your budget
Figure out your budget and how much you are able to invest in your practice. I’ll include free resources below as well. And do subscribe, because I have a post coming about free online resources for books.
If you are a student or single income earner, you probably don’t want to put yourself into debt. Try hitting up local libraries, garage sales, flea markets or wander out to your local Pagan or Witchy markets for deals. You can even find some supplies at vintage or dollar store type shops. Hobby money is also great for building your altar or sacred space.
Also, don’t go and spend hundreds of dollars off the bat. Take time and build your altar. I used the same Tarot deck for 20 years and finally bought new ones with a gift certificate.
A lot of supplies like dried herbs and spices, you can get from your local grocery store like salt, bay leaves, cinnamon sticks and sage. Use flowers from local vendors and let them dry naturally.
Find things that resonate with you
There are a lot of types of spiritual practice out there and I know for me, I’ve studied a few over the years. These studies included Reiki, Shamanism, Wicca and lately, Green Witchery. I’m still learning when it comes to Green Witchery and every day is a new discovery about myself.
What I love to do is sit outside and be one with nature and natural energy around me. The other night, I sat out in the thunder storm (finally!) at 1:00 in the morning. I called upon my spirit guides and called to Thor and Odin (Thor is God of Thunder), and during my meditation – I felt a new surge of energy that is still flowing through me. I’ll write about this in a separate post and dive a bit more into my Norse Mythology connection.
Spend some time journaling and making a list of things you want to do, or that interest you the most.
- Animals or wildlife (being around animals, totem animals)
- Being out in nature (hiking, swimming, photography)
- Building an altar (using things like candles, incense, crystals, gemstones)
- Creating things (arts, crafts, music, journals, book of shadows)
- Divination (scrying, tarot, crystals, etc)
- Gardening (planting things, working with herbs, crafting)
- Journey Work (meditating with intention)
- Meditating – practicing daily mindfulness
- Ritual working – what kind of rituals are you interested in?
- Socializing – being with friends or in a community (covens)
- Solo practice – best for highly introverted folks or those with anxiety
- Writing – writing stories, books, letters, spells or poems
This list is not complete, but these are some things I incorporate into my practice. Gardening, nature, photography are all things I try and do often. And writing in this blog. I also spend A LOT of time on Youtube in the mornings watching other content creators for inspiration.
For me, my favorite thing to do is sit outside when it’s quieter at night time, breathe in the fresh air. Or listen to music with headphones and soak in the sun.
Using mythology from your ancestry
I am a mixed bag when it comes to ancestry and roots and have a mix of European blood from Irish, French to Danish. So, I feel strong ties to Celtic and Nordic folklore. The Indigenous peoples have their own ways of doing things so, depending on where you are in the world or where you were raised – try learning about how ancestors from your region practiced magic.
Shamanism for example, is practiced around the world, not just specific to Native Americans. Each region has their own beliefs and ways of doing things. Honestly, it was one of the most interesting things to study and I was blessed to work with local Indigenous Elders for five years professionally.
For me, I feel strong connections to my Nordic roots and Thor is still one of my favorite Greek Gods (and MCU series!)
Again, take what resonates with you. You don’t have to believe everything you learn – sometimes it’s fun to fantasize and write about Gods like Thor and Odin.
Don’t get too lost in studying, make sure to practice too!
I’m a hands on learner and have always learned faster by doing something new myself. Sitting in a three hour lecture is not going to keep my attention at all and I will fail miserably. But also, it’s important to at least learn the basics before diving into anything.
The more important things you should try and learn first are:
- Incorporating magic or mindfulness into your daily life
- Grounding yourself spiritually and physically
- Meditating and learning to achieve ‘altered state’ for journey work
- Protecting your space and your home from negative energies
- Working with natural energy and learning to protect yours
Have patience
Most importantly, have patience with yourself. Spiritual practice, whether you are Christian, Buddhist, Pagan, Wiccan or Witch – is often a lifelong journey. You will find yourself questioning a lot of things over the years. Your tastes and interests will change as you change and grow with the craft you choose.
Same goes for learning. While there is a lot of good resources and materials out there to learn from, there is also a lot of misinformation and bad “actors”. Find people you connect with to learn from.
Never give up on yourself. Do things that bring you joy, and you can’t go wrong with that. We were all new at some point.
Related Posts
- Spring decor for welcoming positive energy
- How to incorporate mindfulness into your daily routine
- Mindfulness vs Mindlessness
- Working with intentions instead of resolutions
- A glimpse into my spiritual practices
- Spiritual Practices
Recommended Reading (from my own shelf)
- Scott Cunningham – A Guide for the Solitary Practitioner
- Scott Cunningham – Encyclopedia of Magical Herbs (Llewellyn’s Series)
- Ted Andrews – Animal Speak
I have an old copy of the Encyclopedia of Witchcraft that I should get out and take some pictures of. I picked it up in an old used bookstore for occult practices. It was a great dive shop for treasures. It was written by Rosemary Ellen Guiley, and covers just about every supernatural or occult topic from A-Z.
Charmed Reflections 
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