What to do?

[BrandonHamiltonn]

Iv been reading and been overwhelmed, and im not sure where to start. or what to really do O.o

Any suggestions?

[RoseKitten]

Just start with what you're most interested in. Pick just one or two topics are areas, and work on those. :)

[EavanStar]

I second that. Think of one aspect that interests you and research the heck out of it. Keep checking these forums. Intermittantly, things pop up and you go.. "OOOOHHH, whats that?" and then you look that up too. :D

[daphnerose]

Okay, breathe. Take a deep breath and relax. Do NOT overwhelm yourself right now. I recommend starting with the fundementals, meditation and self reflection. Get to know yourself ,first, because in the end thats what its about. Facing You, is the first step imho.
daphnerose

[Zai]

RoseKitten is right. Start with one or two things that catch your interest the most. I remember when I started my path, I branched out into Wicca, ceremonial magic, and divination at the same time. If you overwhelm yourself like that, you could burn out. Go at a pace that you're comfortable with.

I've heard learning to center and ground yourself is a good place to start, along with meditation. Depending on your focus, maybe you could start researching different mythologies? Or perhaps reading about different magical traditions would be good. Another thing you could do is resesarch paganism's various branches.

I'd still be considered beginner, so I'll tell you what I've been doing: reading, meditating, and setting up a shrine to a favorite deity. And not all at once. I spent most of the time reading, started meditating maybe two weeks ago, and I set up the shrine today. (The shrine took weeks of thought before I was willing to put it up. I'm still not sure it should be there.)

Oh, and definitely read as many of the back-posts here on MW as possible. You get a lot of ideas that way. You also learn quite a lot. It's fun. :D

[The_Cricket]

All of the above is an excellent way to start. Personally, I enjoy keeping my options open, so I started my research into several things at once. That way, I could leapfrog topics before I got bored with one or the other. I'm cursed with a very short attention span (not ADD, I'm just a spaz) and it kept me interested. Honestly though, I don't recommend it.

What I DO recommend though, is start small. Find a topic that interests you, and build from there. Research and discover things in a linear fashion. This early in your education, you want to build the trunk of your knowledge. Build up, not out. Start with the basics of whatever interests you. Meditation is a good way to start. That way, you can work on "Facing you" as daphnerose said, as well as learning something not too difficult to master. Begin with some simple breathing and visualization exercises and go from there. Once you have a firm grasp of that, research more advanced meditation techniques (astral projection, lucid dreaming, etc). If you come across something that interests you during your reading, make a note of it for future reference. It never hurts to have a list of stuff you can go back to.

More advice. READ. Read everything you can get your hands on, but be weary of internet sources, and don't take everything written in print as fact. There are many different opinions out there, and its up to you to decide which ones matter to you, or to make your own.

Hope I helped. Good luck!

[patch]

I'd suggest looking inwards first. What do you most resonate with? Start there.

I also suggest perhaps not going straight to the mind, body and spirit section of the bookshop and instead reading about mythology, history and ecology etc. instead. :)

[electricpeppers]

I always think starting with a culture gives a firm starting point. Choose one culture that appeals to you and go out and read about it: read the mythology, the rites and about their beliefs and worldview in general. If you're not feeling any strong interest in a particular culture then look to your own ancestry -- for instance, if you're descended from Germanic stock it'll be worth researching Norse mythology and the varied history of the Germanic peoples as they spread accross Europe.

Neo-Wicca was my window into Paganism, but I knew it wasn't for me very early on. I subsequently looked into Religio Romana because I was attracted to classical deities and went from there into Hellenic Paganism and Heathenry etc. It kind of happens organically anyway, jusy enjoy the seeking! :)

[Turtle]

I've been reading. A LOT. I've got an altar... but this grounding thing. Casting a circle. There's so much literature on how to do it. They say draw a circle with a sword or athame. That I haven't done. I have, however, taken incense and raised it in the four directions. Does this count as casting a circle? Or is it simply an homage and a circle need yet to be cast? Scott Cunningham's "Living Wicca" says you can't just read. You need to live it. I've been using the Greek pantheon, reading the myths, reading any kind of book on Wicca I can get my hands on-- so I'm guessing my next step would be raising energy. Is there a right or wrong way to do it?

[Aruinn]

My advice is to keep reading. I don't know how long you've been studying, but I remember being very overwhelmed when I started. Every book was saying something different and I didn't know where to start.

But I found as I continued to read, this eventually become more of a charm than a hindrance and things started to fall into place. Eventually, you'll find a path/subject/experience or even just an exercise that really speaks to you and that will be the place to start.

"Doing" is important. But it's also important to really take the time to absorb and think as well. It takes time for everything to make sense.

Good luck. :thumbsup:

[Ailyn]

In addition to reading, I say write. Write everything that comes through your head, the connections and pathways that lead from point A to point B. I know I didn't really do this in the beginning and now that I'm really trying to develop a workable, hopefully familial, practice from a personal spiritual jumble, its hard. And I'm lazy. Don't let yourself get lazy, it sucks. And its 10 times harder to make yourself get back on track than to just stay at a moderate pace to begin with.

[Xentor]

I'd suggest looking inwards first. What do you most resonate with? Start there.

Seconded. Noce te ipsum.