Everything I need to know?

[TheWomanMonster]

I'm very new to magic and eager to learn all I can.
I am not wiccan and belong to no coven or group.

I am very interested in learning about magic and rituals, I have done a fair amount of internet research but still feel as though I'm totally unaware of so much. I feel like I'm oblivious to even the basics.

Does anyone have some helpful insights or recommendations for me?
Rules, guidelines, books, anything.

I thank you in advance.
Please PM me or post here for future reference. :D

[VelvetBlade]

Gather some supplies...if you use them and do a simple protection spell, or a home cleansing. Jump in and get your feet wet. You'll find that it all starts to make more sense to you once you're doing it and not just reading about it.

~VB

[Simply Puzzled]

Read. Read, read, read. Read books on green witchcraft, runelore, taoist alchemy, hoodoo, herb magic, ceremonial magic and everything in-between. Read books on shamanism and anthropology, mythology and philosophy. Read math books on chaos theory. I tend to be a bit of a scholar, but I really don't think at this point you can read too much. At some point, you'll need to set the books down and begin to practice, but that's rather hard to do until you figure out what direction you want to go, and you can't do that without a lot of information.

[Against The Tide]

Dip your fingers into everything, read a round and have a go at whatever takes your interest and don't worry about commiting yourslf until you find something that you 'click' with - are you looking for magic or magic & a belief/value system?

Aswel as this forum I'd look at one of my old haunts - www.occultforums.com I think it was called. You'll learn about non-pagan forms there. There are some nicely written witchy starting off guides at http://www.witchvox.com/_x.html?c=basics - hope it helps :)

[Faelon_Moon_Hawk]

I'm very new to magic and eager to learn all I can.
I am not wiccan and belong to no coven or group.

I am very interested in learning about magic and rituals, I have done a fair amount of internet research but still feel as though I'm totally unaware of so much. I feel like I'm oblivious to even the basics.

Does anyone have some helpful insights or recommendations for me?
Rules, guidelines, books, anything.

I thank you in advance.
Please PM me or post here for future reference. :D

A book that you might find helpful is true magick by amber k. It gives some pretty good basic info on magick and various types of magick, definately gives you a good starting point for further studies. I suggest just researching alot, check out various types of magick and see what resonates with you...and then when you feel ready, try out what you've learned. Books and reading can only teach you so much before you have to jump in a nd try it yourself.

[TheWomanMonster]

Thanks for the advice and sources everyone!
So basically keep doing what I'm doing and just go for it?
*laughs*

Thank you!

[Teresa]

I would read as much as I could get my hands on. You do know there is a Circle of Teaching here at MW ? I would start off slow like taking the candle magic class. I think thru that you would get a good idea of how colors are associated to different things and how to begin doing some basic magic.

A good knowledge of herbs is very helpful for someone who does folk type magic and also I suspect for kitchen witches and maybe green witches.I believe there are 2 different Herb classes here.

Understanding chakras and how they control aspects of the body is nice to learn if You feel drawn to any type of healing magic and even just for some self help. Shatril does an awesome job teaching others about chakras.

If you are not certain of the path you wish to follow I would suggest the Mastery of Self Class.

I highly recommend the Magical Self Defense Class that Elise teaches. I took that one myself the first time it was offered and really enjoyed it.

Meditation seems to be a decent place for one to start as well as trying to do some energy raising or manipulation practices. Maybe move on to some things like making your own wand or charm pouch or amulet. Use colors and herbs etc in ways that mean something to You personally. I believe you can read up on moon cycle magic and the likes in the Mysticwicks Online Book of Shadows which is stickied at the top of this section. There are all kinds of things others have contributed into that book which you may find interesting.

Gonna run upstairs and look at the book shelf there are some awesome books that I would recommend to a new comer . I wanna make sure I get the author and book titles correct for Ya.

[Teresa]

I recommend: Raymond Buckland's : Complete Book of Witchcraft
Raymond Buckland's : Signs, Symbols, and Omens
Raven Grimassi's : The Witch's Craft
Judika Illes: The Element Encyclopedia of 5000 spells
Judika Illes : The Element Encyclopedia of Witchcraft
Christopher Penczak's : The Inner Temple of Witchcraft
Christopher Penczak's : The Outer Temple book( in his series I have loaned that one out )
Christopher Penczak's : Temple of Shamanic Witchcraft
There are some more books but I have loaned several out recently. Adding the titles of loaned out books here:
Witchcraft for Tomorrow: Doreen Valiente
Drawing Down the Moon : Margot Adler
A Witches' Bible :Janet and Stewart Farrar
The Spirit Book : Raymond Buckland
Earth Magic : Starhawk ( CD: Audiobook)
Ancestors: Hidden Hands, Healing Spirits For Your Use and Empowerment: Ra Ifagbemi Babalawo
Protection and Reversal Magick : Jason Miller
If interested in healing:
Hands of Light : Barbara Brennan
Wheels of Light: Rosalyn Bruyere
Energy Medicine: Donna Eden
Quantum Touch : Richard Gordon

[mtpathy]

I'm very new to magic and eager to learn all I can.
I am not wiccan and belong to no coven or group.

I am very interested in learning about magic and rituals, I have done a fair amount of internet research but still feel as though I'm totally unaware of so much. I feel like I'm oblivious to even the basics.

Does anyone have some helpful insights or recommendations for me?
Rules, guidelines, books, anything.

I thank you in advance.
Please PM me or post here for future reference. :D


books will only tell you so much, theres a time to put them down and actually start working with magick.

[Jolixte]

1. Stop reading.
2. Get out there.
3. Experiment.

Less sitting, more doing.

[Bethra]

I have answered you elsewhere so I'll link you here :D
http://questingspirit.co.uk/forums/viewthread.php?tid=506&page=1#pid5366


Personally I believe the key to successful magic is all in the focus of the will and the burning desire to make it happen. Read everything and anything you can get your hands on that is always my first bit of advice to a student of magical intent. There is no such thing as too much information. If you can't use it at least you are one step closer to your own definitions of what IT is.

The next step is learning to focus your will this can be done in a few ways though I recommend visualisation as a good place to start. Learn to create solid objects in the minds eye. I have come to think a good visualisation to begin with is your favourite fruit. Picture it in your minds eye first a flat image then fleshing out to become a real object. Build the image up in your mind making it solid. Maybe you would like to grow it even starting from the fruit blossom and continuing until you have the fruit. From there you move on to another of your senses like touch. Create the feel of the fruit in your minds eye. Then comes smell maybe even sound if, like some apples, the seeds inside rattle when the fruit is shaken. Finally you lead up to cutting into the fruit and taking a bite out of it and being able to taste it. There are other visualisation techniques you can use like looking at a picture you find emotive and stepping into the picture and creating the picture around you.

With ritual, candle, in fact with most forms of magic you are simply focusing your will and creating something from it. You must understand that there has to be the elements in play before anything can actually be brought to happen. As mam would say "you can't make a silk purse out of a sows ear". You need to understand fully cause and effect and the nature of what you are doing when you manipulate something which might not have been meant to happen in the natural play of events. I tend to look at it in a rather scientific way. There are only so many atoms in the universe now we if we can focus enough and learn how to make something well enough we can take atoms from the universe and make the thing we want be manifest. However we can't know for sure what those atoms were actually meant to go towards creating and who now must go without something in order that we have what we want. I have found in my experience of magic you are best advised to look and see what is most NEEDED over what is wanted. Look at your own life and see what it is you go without that is vital. If there is such a hole in your life then the atoms of the universe will be available to fill it. If however there is not a hole then something must be taken from elsewhere to keep the balance. Nature doesn't allow things to be out of kilter for too long before it comes along and fills the gaps.

[TheWomanMonster]

Thank you Bertha,
that was very helpful. :)

[Bethra]

Thank you Bertha,
that was very helpful. :)

'Tis a pleasure love, there is much more to be said once you define what it is you believe happens when you are making magic of course. I believe it is wise to start with the very basics though. While I could tell you to collect ritual items and spell ingredients and other wonderful items, it is my belief that all of those are simply dressings and tools which allow you to do the basic thing focused visualisation will allow you to do any time, any place without the need for extras. :)