Many people are attracted to the world of magic in some way, whether it's the fantasy book they read, a movie or series where the protagonist or antagonist is the typical Hollywood witch, or a friend who tells about something real like Wicca or Magic Natural. They feel a flame ignite in their chest, we call this sensation "calling".
Curiosity, whether aroused by fantasy or reality, is the best characteristic of a witchcraft apprentice or even an elderly witch with a long way to go.
Curiosity is wonderful, but very fragile. In the first obstacle or disappointment faced, the person loses interest, thinks that magic is false because we can't shoot lightning through our hands or fly on brooms like in the movies, but there's no time or chance for the magic to prove wonderful in its own way and soon give up on any new discovery. In a way, the disappointments here serve as a filter to separate the really interested ones, and that's very good.
But let's go!
Did you feel the call? It doesn't matter if it came from a fictional series or a book, the important thing is that you received it. Now it has to take that call and make it germinate and grow somehow, and it better be soon in a safe and real way.
The first step is to understand that magic is real and wonderful, but not as we are painted on digital screens and in children's stories, and the faster you see the difference between these two versions, the better your studies and results will be.
And yes, magic is study, hard, constant and growing study, followed by more study. And this is a long text, let's get used to readings.
I will focus here on the most "accessible" and current practice, a mix of Wiccan Tradition and Natural Witchcraft that can be perfectly learned and practiced in solitude, which is very good for those who do not have a group or any other person or reference to help on the way and in the rituals. And I'm going to use the term "Witch" all the time, and the interesting thing is that the word has no gender, a male equivalent has only recently been adopted in Latin American languages. Perhaps for this reason, and other historical details that we have already seen in previous texts, the role of women has always been more evident, even seeming that only women could be witches, which is not true. Magic is also channeled by the person regardless of any physical characteristic.
What is Witchcraft?
Witchcraft is not a religion, although it can be found within several different religions, but rather a practice and a path of studies, discoveries and self-knowledge. Ancient witches, healers, apothecaries, druids and all others knowledgeable in the occult sciences are the ancestors of medicine, pharmacy, physics and various current sciences that in the past were seen as prohibited, heretical arts and punished with imprisonment, exile, torture or death.
We now enjoy easily accessible knowledge thanks to those ancient people who dared to challenge authorities to carry out their experiments, record their discoveries and, most importantly, teach curious futures what was already known. Oral tradition was the main tool to keep alive all this massive knowledge of ages and ages.
Witchcraft combines two sides of a coin, the side we know and can see and touch with the side we can feel and be aware of, the side of pure natural energy, a spiritual side. It is the link that holds reason and faith united and steadfast in perfect balance.
The natural worlds are as divine as the individuals who inhabit them. In Witchcraft, we can say that we are a part of this great divinity, we are the creators and the created ones, all part of the same energy.
And do I need to be a scientist to be a Witch?
No, one thing is independent of the other in this matter.
Much of the hidden knowledge is still hidden from both sides and there is still much work to be done, much to be discovered or even rediscovered and known and that is the work of a witch, and she can use that knowledge for herself whenever is necessary.
And what does a Witch do?
That depends a lot on what this witch practices. There are many different traditions, traditions as old as history or as recent as we can imagine.
A natural witch finds in nature all her tools, physical and energetic, to re-establish her connections with the natural world and with the beings that inhabit it. There is no need to leave the city and live in a house in the forest, nature is in everything, everything vibrates and everything has energy. A witch knows how to unravel this energy and use it for different purposes, whether for their own or for others.
Among the witches' responsibilities is the duty to know their power. To cure it is necessary to know the poisons and the diseases. To bless it is necessary to know about the evils that can affect us. Just as a tree that wants to be so tall and big needs to have such deep and strong roots to balance its potency and not let it fall. A witch shapes possibilities and chooses her own paths, is her own free will and has complete freedom to use her knowledge, even though she is faithful to the laws of her tradition.
Yes it is! There are laws and dogmas within the Wiccan or Witchcraft traditions!
And what are these laws?
This will depend on the tradition you decide to follow or who accepts you as a member, generally the first option is the most simplified and the most accessible nowadays. This facility ends up bringing some downsides, such as vast distorted information, a mixture of precepts from different lines, misinterpretation of bases and dogmas, and use only of what is comfortable for the practitioner.
The most "accessible" and current tradition in this case, we can say is Wicca, a reconstruction of different traditions, with strong elements of European paganism and British orders, nicknamed "Modern Witchcraft", although it uses references in several systems and religions besides the witchcraft and sorcery.
Basically, in Wicca, there is a major law that determines a feedback reaction, which can be multiplied by three in some traditions, in response to the energies that an initiated Wiccan uses. It is a reference to a law present in absolutely all systems and religions in some way, the Law of Return, which states that every action has a reaction of equal intensity and in the opposite direction. But you see, such laws are in no way punishment or reward for good or bad deeds done, it goes much further and we will soon see this in more depth.
And how to get started in Witchcraft?
The word "initiation" seems charged with power and validation, but it is in essence a formal title and a personal vow made between you and the deities or egregore of that tradition, and in the vast majority of witchcraft traditions we do not find such a title.
But let's first talk about the most important initiation, that of the first step in studies and discoveries. The remaining steps can come later, when your steps are firmer.
First, books!
Before you decide what you want, and if that is really what you want, you need to know and know where you are going. So start by reading introductory books that will bring you some interesting and valid content.
And what are these books?
For Traditional Wicca we have authors such as:
Gerald Gardner - Must read, he is the father of Wicca.
Alex Sanders - Alexandrian Wiccan Tradition
Both are responsible for the first forms of the Algard Tradition
Doreen Valiente - Natural Magic and "Mother" of Wicca.
Patricia Crowther - Took Wicca out of the shadows of ignorance.
Margaret Murray - A great woman ahead of her time.
Raymond Buckland - Traditionalist, but open to evolution.
For Wicca and Natural Magic we have authors such as:
Janet and Stewart Farrar - Initiates in the coven of Alex Sanders, the formulator of Traditional Alexandrian Wicca.
Laurie Cabot - Natural Magic
Starhawk - Sorcery, Witchcraft and Natural Magic
Scott Cunningham - Natural Magic
Raven Grimassi - Wicca and Traditional Witchcraft.
Arin Murphy-Hiscock - Natural Witchcraft and Magic
Marian Green - Magic and Natural Witchcraft
Authors for the development of technique, practice, ethics and philosophy.
Gabriel Dacc - Magic, Witchcraft and Practical Witchcraft.
William Walker Atkinson - Hermeticism and Hermetic Philosophy.
Oberon Zell-Ravenheart - Sorcery and Magic. (read with filters).
Éliphas Lévi - Dogmas and techniques of High Magic ceremonies.
Aleister Crowley - Hermeticism and Thelema.
Dion Fortune - Psychology and Occultism.
King Solomon - Ceremony and High Magic Techniques.
Franz Bardon - Hermeticism, Practical Magic, High Magic and Kabbalah.
Peter J. Carroll - Magic of Chaos.
Nicola of Pulford - Practical Spells
Thomas Bulfinch - Mythology
Austin Osman Spare - Sigils
Jan Fries - Personal development of techniques and practices.
Nei Naiff - Tarot and oracular development.
And many other authors. Always read from multiple sources, look for suitable places, confirm before doing anything, and don't be in a hurry.
I often say that doing magic is like cooking, if you don't know how to work the stove, you can get burned; if you don't understand how a pressure cooker works, you can blow it up; if you don't understand the mixtures, the order of the ingredients, the temperature and everything else, you can even get a cake, but it won't be fluffy, it may be burnt, hardened, bitter and taste like flour... But if you stop for a moment to learn how to use, how to mix and how each ingredient behaves, you will be able to follow any recipe and most importantly, create your own, based on the experiences absorbed with those who have already tested and improving with your attempts.
Create a routine of studies and practices.
You don't need to spend hours of the day studying non-stop, exhausting yourself, not doing other things. This will not be healthy for the body and even less for the mind and soul, so create a simple routine, without haste, without excesses and that you can keep a commitment to yourself.
And for that, we can add some very important basic techniques and procedures to develop and be able to better understand future issues.
Introductory techniques, procedures and subjects for whatever path you choose:
Dedication and Self Dedication
Meditation and changing frequencies
Energies View
Energy Manipulation
magic circle
verbalization
Purification
Consecration
Banishment
Sabbats and Esbats
Used tools
Intuition and self-discovery (dreams, signs, etc.)
oracles
Symbology
Laws in Magic
Moons, colors, pagan calendars, planets, times and miscellaneous correspondences
Herbalism and the power of the earth (herbs, minerals and animals)
Ritual structures (spells, sympathies, ceremonies...structures, not ready-made recipes)
deities
Remembering that here we will take a more Wiccan Algardian direction on these and other subjects, but they are very firm bases for other practices that might interest you.
Look for equals!
The ease of the internet and social networks for exchanging knowledge and experience is incredible, but be responsible and careful. It is common to see groups full of ill-intentioned or misinformed people who like to pass on their "knowledge" copied from anywhere without any basis or people who take advantage of those who are eager to be a witch, promising them power and initiation in exchange for money or favors (often sexual) and unfortunately this anxiety and lack of sense causes many to fall into these traps. So, be careful and always be critical, always contest, seek confirmation, look to other sources and beyond, even if it is someone with status and credibility.
You are responsible for what you teach. So before teaching something, we must be fully aware that we understand well what we are talking about and that we pass this knowledge on in a valid way and for those who will know how to understand.
Write down everything!
Create a study diary, it can even be in a digital file. Note your progress, your evolution, your sources, your findings... And most importantly, review, edit, correct if necessary. As we go along, we've come to realize that some things we've already noted were incomplete or even wrong, so it's important to always look beyond sources and review what's been seen before.
A golden tip, even more in the natural part of the subject, is always to look first for didactic sources of the subject, and then look for the esoteric and occult vision (and you will see that there is a lot of relationship). Crystals, herbs and related matters can be toxic, can give better results if treated in specific ways and so on. And most esoteric books on these subjects end up leaving that part out of their pages.
Create journals for your development, for your dreams, for your oracles. Taking notes is important to be able to discover yourself while diving into this world.
So once you decide what you want, what is and what will follow you will be an authentic Witch, still a learner, still developing and discovering and experimenting... but you will already be a Witch.