Beginning Your Life as a Witch

I'd just like to point out a few things for those who are interested in paganism and pagan practices, and are unsure of where to do. Keep in mind this is purely advice, and in fact, you are most likely more knowledgable than I on much of what I say. First, term definitions:

Paganism is a collection of polytheistic or animistic traditions which focus or center around either the concept of many gods, the concept of nature, or a combination of both. Being pagan does not necessarily mean you are of a particular religion. Pagan practices do not make you pagan - being pagan is a title you choose to adopt. As the Wiccan religion focuses on nature and polytheism, Wicca is a pagan religion.

Wicca is a religion based on the teachings, at its base level, of Gerald Gardner or Alex Sanders. These two figureheads of Wicca are the most well known (in my own opinion) and are worth mentioning as well as devoting some time to studying. Wicca, itself, is a non-hierarchal religion, centering for the most part on the individual or small groups, known as covens. The three documents most well known and respected regarding Wicca are:

• The Charge of the Goddess
• The Wiccan Rede
• The 13 Principles of Wiccan Belief

Magic is an intentional act or series of actions meant to cause change in the physical world through use of thoughts, words, prayers, rituals, dances, meditation, etc. Everyone practices magic by this definition, on a daily basis. In addition to the practical magic of making every day decisions and executing plans, magic can be used for healing, self improvement, control, enhancement, advancement of knowledge, and any other number of things.

Divination is an intentional act or series of actions or rituals intended to discern past and future events via extensive symbolism. Sects of divination include tea leaf reading, tarot card reading, numerology, I Ching, Runes, cloud reading, pendulum use, etc.

Magical tools are objects which aid in any of the above. In the Wiccan traditions, standard tools include the scourge, the athame, the boline, the wand, the cord, the pentacle and the chalice, among others.

This all being said, if you are interested in any of this, you have a wealth of decisions to be making. The first question is: Why and what are you interested in? Are you interested in the practical aspects of pagan belief(healing, etc), the theoretical and religious aspects of pagan beliefs or just divination? Do you want to heal? Divine? Better yourself?

If you're interested in just the practical aspects, with none of the religious and morality issues that tag along, be warned: they tend to go hand in hand. If you are Christian and in a church which believes that forms of divination or use of magic is morally wrong, you'll have to find some way to reconcile those differences.

If you're interested in just the theory and religious aspects, be warned: the practical aspects come along too.

Now, for the fun part. I picked this up in high school, but generally, let's review the learning curve. Information which is valid will be:

• Something that is effective (in cases of practical magic and using those aspects of paganism)
• Something that is universally accepted (if you can find something in more than three resources, chances are, its a good concept)
• Something that is spelled correctly (if the person who's trying to teach you can't bother to run spell check...should you really be taking their knowledge at face value?)
• On the internet, free resources are always better. The resources being free means that the person who has taken the time to post them is interested in helping you, and not the money.
• Something which references the three documents listed above, if you're examining Wicca.
• Terms to avoid: Warlock, Wizard, Harry Potter

Now, in terms of book learning, for Wiccan students only, I would recommend these authors:

• Scott Cunningham
• DJ Conway
• Starhawk
• Deborah Lipp
• Margot Adler
• Richard Hutton
• Doreen Valiente
• Gerald Gardner
• Alex Sanders

I would avoid anyone who publishes under an extensive 'magic' name - full of hawks and moons and wolves and colors (Uriel RavenHeart-Jackal or something similar). It shows they're either not ready to come out of the closet to others around them, they're too open about what they do and otherwise lacking in knowledge, or one of the few who believe that they are dragons in human form. And, I personally, tend to avoid the following few authors, because I find either facts that don't add up or a level of reasoning which is perhaps not deep enough to satisfy:

• Silver RavenWolf
• Raven Grimassi
• Raymond Buckland

There are great resources available around the internet that are well respected. Take some time to explore, and don't be afraid - the gods will show you which path is right.