a few years ago i got into it because my friends dad does that stuff, so he took me and my friend to new hope and we went into 2 witchcraft stores there. i thought it was pretty interesting. i even got a book on it. but then i just kinda lost interest and never did anything with it. but lately I've been more interested in it. and id like to do it. but where do i start ? and what does the pentagram have to do with witchcraft ?
this is the book i have
http://www.wiccansupplies.org/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/Wicca-Scott-Cunningham.jpg
but please tell me all the things i should know, and i don't care if you don't believe in anything about witchcraft or whatever, i do and i think it seems interesting so ill do it if i want to. i also saw something about something i think is a place ? what is "Witchvox" ? but yeah thanks for the help, tell me anything i should know about it.
id also like to learn about magic and spells in time when i understand more about witchcraft so include things you know about magic, and is Wicca and witchcraft different things ?
Hi there, I wouldn't dabble in these things if i was you, because i used to, and i had to have a priest come to my house to have it blessed with holy water, in all the rooms. i had some bad experiences, through trying to delve in the unknown. some things are best left alone. but if you are still interested, then i will give you some titles of of books you can buy!
The basics you should learn are focus and concentration...this can be achieved through the use of meditation. Meditation can calm an active mind and prepare it for work. Meditation though, can be difficult for some, so it requires some dedication. This should be done before any attempts at spell work is done.
Witchvox is a site that has numerous articles on Witchcraft and other belief systems written BY Witches and other Pagans. As well you may find teachers and/or groups in your area that can better teach you about Witchcraft.
ETA: Oh my, where to start.
@the_orange_witch - So many things here...
1) Very few people (if any) have enough space to stand within a pentagram.
2)Most (if not all) Witches do not believe in demons, much less summon them.
3) The main premise of Witchcraft is NOT the Wiccan Rede...that is the core tenant of the RELIGION, not of a craft that has little to nothing to do with religion.
4) Magic is neither black nor white, and has NOTHING to do with Satanism. Satanism is like Wicca, in that it is a spiritual practice that holds no requirement for practitioners to utilize magic (though the two are completely separate spiritual belief systems, in no way related)
5) The "Book of Shadows" is not a printed book, but an individually created book, unique to each individual practitioner. There is NO one universal book that Witches use. The book of shadows is actually a fairly recent invention, not much older than Wicca itself.
6) A male Witch is a Witch regardless, males are NOT called Warlocks (that's a pretty amateurish mistake to make)
7) Witches do indeed make use of crystals and candles. While not a requirement, they are focus aids, used to help get into the proper state of mind for practice.
8) That's mere myth that Dowling, Churchill and Hitler used any type of occult during the war...with no evidence to support it.
9) I have HIGH doubts in your study of the occult, lest it was from unreliable and irrefutable sources such as biased Christian authors. Therefore your information holds no weight with actual Witches.
@Kelsey -
1)Wicca is only about a half a century old, and didn't exist during any trials or inquisitions (another amateurish mistake).
2) Wicca is NOT the same thing as Witchcraft. Wicca is a religion, Witchcraft is not. Neither is related until they are combined by the individual practitioner by choice.
3) Karma has been twisted into something unrecognizable, by Wiccans and no longer holds true to it's original meanings. Karma is not the spiritual version of "Im rubber you're glue, what you send out bounces off me and sticks to you" (how very school-yard)
4) Witchcraft itself is neither positive, NOR negative. The intent of the individual determines it's positivity or negativity. Healings can produce negative impact just as vanishings can produce positive results
5) Spirits and demons are separate things (and as stated above to the other answerer, not all Witches believe in demons (if any do)).
Witchcraft is the original Prue Druid * craft * .Wicca is a modern adaptation . The pentagram can be use to stand inside when summoning demons , it is a place of safety.A witch can practise alone or in a coven.The main premise of the craft is * and do no harm unto others.If you give out hexes or curses, they will rebound on you three fold.Witches often work for the good of others. Black magic or satanism is a whole world away from the craft , and evil.
Here in England there have been many books printed .The most known is *the book of shadows * a book bound in skin , and containing all of a witches secrets , spells and notes.It was handed down to each witch from mother to daughter.
A male witch is a warlock , although some call them a witch.
The occult tends to interest young people but often they are led on the wrong path by charlatans and vicunas.
Witches do not play with crystals , candles or such things as you find in shops.
Here, the witchcraft act was repealed in 1951 , until then to claim to be a witch could land you in prison .This is often confused with the fraudulent medium act .
In the war Lord Dowling and Churchill used witches and astrologists, so did Hitler. Luckily , ours were more skilled ..
I suggest you use search engines to find out more.
In all honesty I have no belief in the occult and have studied it for over 50 years.
You sound young, do as other young people do and don't bother about what is just a *fashion *
There are few witches about , genuine ones.but many vicunas which is a modern , cloned version.
Keep in mind, you don't have to become Wiccan or Pagan to practice witchcraft. No matter what anyone tells you. Wicca is a religion, witchcraft is a skill set.
Also, keep a skeptical eye on everything. There are a lot of strange people in this business, and many of them are half off their rocker. Be careful who you listen to, and stay away from anyone who has "followers"--I've met a few people who will use the illusion of being some "super awesome occult master" to manipulate people into all sorts of things.
That being said, witchcraft is a pretty broad spectrum of things. Most "spells" are just focusing your will to cause change using props and tools, but there's a lot more to witchcraft than just spells. There's also divination (telling the past, present, or future), energy work, evocation... there's a lot you can do.
Start by reading. Read everything you can get your hands on. Go to some on line forums and look at some of the conversations. This is a good way to find areas of study that you may be interested in. When a conversation strikes your fancy, read through it, and look up the terms and methods that you don't understand. Once you have a firm understanding of something, practice it. But not until you're sure you know what you're doing.
As for the pentagram, it is the symbol which represents the four elements and spirit. Spirit is represented by the top point of the pentagram, showing that it has more importance than the physical world. But the pentagram's points are all connected, and so are the four elements as well as spirit.
If you would like any further info, feel free to e-mail me. I can point you toward a forum with a beginner's section where you'll be free to ask just about anything you want without fear of a rude response.
EDIT: @The_orange_witch: Male witches are not called warlocks. The "book of shadows" isn't a specific book, it's a term used for a witch's personal workbook. And unless they're leather-bound books, they're not bound in skin. Also, none of the poetic magicians i know stand inside a pentagram. Theoretically you *could* but i don't know anyone who does. Most use Solomon's circle, or just a circle in general. Also, i know a LOT of witches who frequent occult shops to purchase candles and crystals and things for USE. To say that these things are not used is utter fallacy. How did you study witchcraft for those "50 years" exactly? Comic books?
..... I don't know what some of these people are talking about. Look from my understanding of it, there are different types of magic- not just witchcraft. Wicca is a religion, but it is the religion that was hunted during the witch trials, they are different but often confused. What I would do if I was you would be to start looking into different aspect of witchcraft, such as crystals. DO NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES use magic to harm another, vicunas live under the idea of the three fold rule (this is where anything you do comes back to you- like karma, except it is multiplied by a factor of three- this includes both good and bad). Just to protect yourself, it may be better if you look into the positive side of witchcraft, such as the medical sides (this includes aura healing, crystal healing, etc) or the psychic side, such as tarots- no it doesn't matter if you don't believe in them. And don't do anything to do with demons, or calling spirits- it gets too messy, and very dangerous too quickly for ANYONE to deal with. What might also be fun for you is if you started working on your Charis (I also find the third eye to be fun). Also it helps to start asking your friend's dad about it, he probably has more experience anyway.
There is no way anyone can tell you "all the things you should know" in the space allowed here. One thing you *should* know, though, is that most of the things you should know are things you have to figure out! There are lots of *guides* in the Craft, but there are no hard-and-fast rules. The number one tenet in my teaching is "Think critically before acting."
To answer your specific questions: Start by reading (far more than one book), working on a few daily practices, and interacting with others. The pentagram is a symbol of protection; many witches use this symbol to represent their affiliation with the Craft, but it is not specific to witchcraft OR Wicca.
Witchvox.com is a news, information and networking site for Pagans. It includes a state-by-state directory that many groups and events announce themselves on. My own coven has a listing there, it is useful. It is also very editorial, so you are likely to see a number of different opinions and perspectives represented.
Wicca and witchcraft are related but not the same. I have a pretty good rundown on the difference on my site. Lots of other beginner stuff (again, from my perspective and what I teach) there too.
Edit: I like this advice from Hendryx: "Read everything you can get your hands on." There are some really crap books out there. There are some really good ones. Learning to tell the difference is, in my opinion, part of learning to be a Witch.
Firstly, you got a great starter book for the religion of Wicca. I've not read it, but it might contain some of the basics of witchcraft, as well as Wicca. Another good book is "Buckland's Complete Book of Witchcraft".
Now then, let's answer a few of your questions.
1. Many Witches adopt the pentagram as the symbol of their magi ck. In an upright position, it represents the 5 elements, with Spirit as the top point. Originally, the inverted pentagram was a symbol of male energy, and was worn in Gardnerian traditions by Second-level Initiates. It is now normally used by Satanists and Luciferians.
What are the basics of Witchcraft..crumbs. I am a Witch, but i think probably not the best person to answer your question. That book..it is about Wicca, i hate going on about this, because it is over said and over done. I have respect for The author.. and feel he writes in a manner that is very 'inclusive' to all, but if you want to learn about Witchcraft, then i would read about Witchcraft..yes they are different things. When i was recently asked to recommend an author to a beginner in the Craft who is part of a group i attend i suggested Marion Greene. I have read some rubbish, and a few really good books over the years, but my rubbish might well be your Gold. So read. Different folks tend to have different ways of viewing Witchcraft..i follow a very land based path, that is very 'hands on' and not at all clean and cuddly, i am crap at sitting around 'meditating' but can enter a light trance when out walking very easily..you have to find exactly what suits you, and research coupled with practical hands on trial and error experience is the only way i know. But know WHY you are doing things..dint do anything because someone told you too..this is genuine, you will become your own teacher in time.
A word of warning though.. you say you 'got into it' then 'kind of lost interest' this doesn't honestly sound like Witchcraft to me.. and if your heart is not in it, it is a waste of time and energy.
Is a site for witches and Pagans to network. On the left you can click on your state, city or country and find other occultists in your area, plus local events.
Go to your library or bookstore and look at the books in the occult section. Some are better than others. Some are awful. Read a lot of them and after a while you will get a clue as to which books are better, though I will give you a list of some good ones.
You should also look at different magical traditions and get a sense of what you gravitate toward. There's Wicca, Voodoo, Thelema, Chaos Magick, and others. Most of these are religions that have a magical aspect to them. If you only want spell casting without the religion you can do that too. Also, there are Wiccans that don't cast spells. So it gets complicated, when you meet someone, you can't assume what they do.
Start off slowly with meditation exercises before you do spell work. Magick is all about controlling your own mind. You have to be able to do that first.
Also be clear about your morals and always add "Harm be to none" when you cast spells. Spells can backfire and do unintended harm.
Here's some books for you:
?Meditation for Beginners? by Jack Kornfield
"The One Year Manual" by Israel Regardie
"Buckland's Complete Book of Witchcraft" by Raymond Buckland
"Modern Magick: Eleven Lessons in the High Magickal Arts" by Donald Kraig
"Postmodern Magic: The Art of Magic in the Information Age" by Patrick Dunn
Hi! A few years I ago I counted myself as Wicca, however with further study I realized I was not so much Wicca as a witch.
The book you have listed above is by a Wicca author so it is not so much about witchcraft as Wicca. He was however well versed in his particular topic and wrote several other books that could be used as reference manuals concerning crystals, herbs and as you have read finding your own Wicca path.
Wicca is a religion and witchcraft is the manipulation of energies both your own or natural to influence change.
Wilcox is a awesome site that has articles and was to link up with covens and others in you area along with any activities they are holding.
The pentagram is a symbol of all the elements including spirit the circle around signifies that they are all connected and are Integral to this material existence and beyond.
There is no such thing as black or white magic it is simply the results of the user that can be termed such.
A spell is a way to focus energies toward a particular goal. Doing this helps especially if the goal is long term you focus the energy and the chanting, incense, candles, etc help for concentration, and lend their own energy to your goal. However spells can be spur of the moment using only what you have on hand and still be effective it really depends on the visualization and determination you have towards your goal. And you must put some real world sweat towards it.
Hope this helps.
what are the basics of witchcraft ?
