Wicca ... after the basics

[RubyRose]

Okay, now I realise there's all this talk of 101 Wiccan and Pagan basics, but what comes after the basics? I'm just curious, because while I'd probably seem to some that I'm still in the elementary stages of learning about Wicca, I'd like to sink my teeth into something a little bit more challenging. Every book I pick up, seems to outline the basics about Circle Casting, Magick, The Wiccan Rede and so forth, only with different perspectives. Are all Wiccan/Pagan books like that? Where do you go once you know about the basics? Some might say that you put them into practice, and fair enough too, again, I'm finding that Magic for me, is something I carry out when I'm inclined or feel the need for that little bit of a boost.
Sorry if this is long winded, I have a tendancy to go on and on.

Basically, I'm after some material or books, that might be worth reading that don't just outline the basics and leave you once you've read it to your own advices, I'm not saying every book I've read has done that. But they all do have the same basic information.
Can't somebody look outside the box?

Blessed Be,
RubyRose )0(

[aefentid]

I know what you mean, you get to the point where if you have to read a description of an athame one more time you're going to go stark raving mad.

If you haven't read it already you might want to read Deborah Lipp's Elements of Ritual it goes into the whys of Wiccan rituals instead of the usual hows and whats. You might also want to try Vivianne Crowley's Wicca , anything by the Farrars, and Doreen Valiente are good as well.

Here are a few sites you might like, too.
Desiree's musings - she has some very interesting essays and a ton of links to other good sites.
http://geocities.com/sphinxmuse/

Gerald Gardner.com
http://www.geraldgardner.com/

Proteus Library
http://www.draknet.com/proteus/library.htm

[RubyRose]

Thank you, I will endeavor to check it all out.

[DarkSidhe]

I think that there's many ways to get beyond the basics. First you learn your ABC's. Then you learn to spell. Then you learn grammar. Then you learn to write.

Above basics? Learning about different types of magic. Having a greater understanding of your god/dess. Being able to cast your circle and perform basic techniques by heart instead of reading them off. Developing your BOS further. Developing your attunement to energy and better understanding how to use it. Knowing what needs to be, and what doesn't. And best of all, creating your own rituals and spells (learning how to write).

But really, when it comes down to it, everything remains basic. Even after being pagan for 20 years, you still question, still seek more knowledge, greater insight, and still can be amazed at the simplicity of something you thought to formerly be exceedingly difficult. When spring comes around, and you first step outside, and feel the warmth of the sun, the smell of newly budding plants, the calls of birds...it's the same whether you've just started, as 10 years down the line.

[Aidron]

This question seems to pop up quite often, and that is most likely due to the fact that like you said, most books contain very much 101 information concerning the topic. In many cases, authors are hesistant to write about more advanced topic, feeling that people may 'sink their teeth' into something they cannot handle. However, as Dorothy Morrison said, people seem to not even grasp the basics as she is forever being asked (just as many authors are I'm sure) things she clearly outlines in her books. The point is not that this is or may be frustrating, but that people seem to overlook very fundamental things and thus, would probably not be able to truly dig their own proverbial grave since they wouldn't have enough patience or understanding to create such a situation.

Where do you go after basics though? There is a bit more advanced material out there that has already been suggested, a bit more than most people realize. What you'll need to look for, however, are things that are not obviously related to witchcraft, paganism, and wicca. Overall what you may need to do is learn techniques and practices provided by other faiths or traditions outside of the general consensus of wicca, melding it into your own work.

Then there is always self-discovery. I have found that I teach myself the best advanced techniques. How do I go about doing that? As I grow and evolve as a practioner, new ideas come to me and I am inspired to try them out, often finding the proverbial pot of gold. For example, many of the advanced techniques contained within my head and that will soon be transcribed into my dream grimoire/book of shadows that I just ordered I stumbled upon and created myself. This may not sound very helpful, but what many people seem to forget is that we all have our own unique ways of learning things. I for instance do not learn very well through lecturing alone, where as you may. I suggest you discover how and in which fashion you learn the most efficient and put it to use. What may be a great way to teach myself how to enhance my telekinetic ability may be entirely unharmonious way for you to learn to develop your own tekelinetic ability. Once you realize how you learn best, you will be able to teach yourself with more success.

My suggestion is to keep an inspiration journal. As I just read your thread on journal keeping and often forgetting to write in it, I'd keep it short and simple. In all my journal entries I do the following:

February 19 2004 Thursday 7:38 a.m. New Moon Clear Sky

That's merely an example, but it will help you keep track of information that you may find to be vital in the future. For instance, if you look back over things you will find that you may do better in different moon phases, have different moods depending on the weather, or be more efficient at different times of day. Even for a simplistic journal it can offer worlds of help. Try things writing short, one-line sentences of ideas that come to you. Perhaps a great idea came to you while meditating, that's when my best inspirations come for me. Then again, you may get your best ideas while working out. In which case, you may need to keep a journal for this that is relatively small in size and shape so you can carry it with you and write down things whenever an idea arises. I carry a small journal like this myself, one of those Lisa Frank tiny notebooks with a hologramic pegasus on it and a rainbow. I write down brief ideas for new techniques, concepts, or even actual words I later use in spells and rituals. We can't always control when inspiration hits us, so the point is to take it when it comes.

You'll be surprised just how much comes to you over time, since we are all interlinked through a vast conciousness. Before you know it, you may be inspired with a new way to perform astral projection that works just wonderful for you, and through that become very skilled at it.

Hope this helps.

[RubyRose]

Thanks guys. You've both been a great help. Particularly with the ways in which to "grow" as a pagan. Thanks.

[Morr]

I think that after the basics, you should try to work on the following:
1) Explore & learn about other types of paths such as - Kabbalah, Shamanism, Druidry, Different Pagan traditions, Christian Mysticism & Spirituality. Try to look beyond just Wicca. Knowlege of other similar type spiritual paths is always good for your magickal workings, and also for your general knowlege.
2) If you feel like you have a specific area of interest/talent such as - Tarot, runes, dreams, visualisation, meditation, energy work, kitchen witchery/working with herbs, working with crystals, etc.. Try to develop your skills in the area that intrests you the most. Once you mastered your fave, try and develop the skill you are most weak at. This is definitly a challenge.
3) If you feel confident enough & knowledge~able enough, you can always teach or mentor newbies who are brand new to the Craft. Its always rewarding to teach & see someone grow, and you'll be surprised as to how much you can learn from your students. This is also a good way to keep yourself from forgetting the basics or discarding them (once you move to more advanced stuff, you tend to forget the 101 stuff cause its so "basic").
4) Write your own rituals, your own spells, etc. And see what happens (obviously with keeping the Rede & Law of Return in mind).
5) Keeping a journal (like someone already sugessted). It can be part of your BoS, or a seperate journal. Try to see how the lunar energies, the astrological phases, the weather, etc effects your moods.

Hope this helped :) Good luck!!
Michelle

[RubyRose]

Thanks Morr.

[asamananara]

The reason so little has been written beyond "wicca 101" is
that at it's core, wicca is a personal path. No book, no
friend, no elder can show you what's in your heart, nor what
path to follow. The 101 stuff teaches you how to walk, and
why... it cannot tell you where aim your feet. The journey
cannot be mapped, and the territory is infinite. It comes
down to YOU to find your pace, one step after another.

[RubyRose]

Thanks.

[Gem]

Basically, I'm after some material or books, that might be worth reading that don't just outline the basics and leave you once you've read it to your own advices, I'm not saying every book I've read has done that. But they all do have the same basic information.
Can't somebody look outside the box?

Blessed Be,
RubyRose )0(

I had exactly the same problem I couldn't find anything that didn't just repeat the last book I had read.

Try Progressive Witchcraft by Janet Farrar and Gavin Bone, New Page Books

It's not a how to book it looks at spirtuality in wicca and history but in more detail, it looks at belif systems and training inwicca and mythology I found it refreshing without being heavy at all.

Happy reading :colorful:

[indigo rain]

i had somebody put it to me this way... wicca is basic, that's its nature. and you build upon this basic core and make your own path. to dig deeper, you have to dig into wicca's roots and see where it came from. every root feeds the whole and makes it bigger, fuller. shamanism, qabalism, ceremonial magick, taoism, ancient mythology, and folk magick are just a few of the possibilities. happy studies. :)

[DebLipp]

I know what you mean, you get to the point where if you have to read a description of an athame one more time you're going to go stark raving mad.

If you haven't read it already you might want to read Deborah Lipp's Elements of Ritual it goes into the whys of Wiccan rituals instead of the usual hows and whats. You might also want to try Vivianne Crowley's Wicca , anything by the Farrars, and Doreen Valiente are good as well.

Thank you, I always appreciate a sincere recommendation! :) I wrote Elements of Ritual BECAUSE I was going stark raving mad reading those damn books. I mean, they're great but if you read a lot of them they all blur together.

There are a number of good books about Wicca that are more advanced besides my own. I love "The Witches Bible Compleat" by Janet & Stewart Farrar, and "Rites of Worship" by Isaac Bonewits.

But once you feel good about the Wicca you're doing, I recommend looking into areas of specialization. Add other topics to your expertise. For example, study one or more of the following:


Tarot
Astrology
Herbs
Stones
Mythology of a particular culture
Handcrafts (jewelry making, robe making)
Dream analysis

[DebLipp]

Proteus Library
http://www.draknet.com/proteus/library.htm
Most of draknet is still down -- which is why Deborahlipp.com is down; they're my host.

[MystIc_WolF]

I would strongly recommend "The Meaning of Witchcraft", and really just about anything else written by Gerald Gardner. Gardner is credited with the "creation" of modern wicca, and most of the religion is at the very least inspired by, if not borrowed from his writings.