I'd say that the first step toward starting with anything including witchcraft is to get a good feel for the subject by reading about it.
Reading can give you a great source of knowledge on which to base the foundations of your own particular path.
Don't limit yourself to just blogs or just popular books or just middle English occult texts, try and broaden your understanding of what it is to be a witch with a mixture of all three. (Great source of occult texts here.) Be warned though, there is a lot of information on the internet and witchcraft in particular attracts its fair share of people who don't have a clue what they are writing about. It's also a different topic to get a grasp on because what it is to be a witch is very subjective. You'll find a lot of conflicting opinions and contradictory facts so don't take any single source for granted, double check the facts you come up with to make sure they aren't just one person's highly personal opinion.
Read about the different ways people practise and even if something doesn't draw your interest immediately, try and gain at least a rudimentary knowledge of the different ways the craft can be practised. This will stand you in good stead for creating your own path in the future.
When you feel you have a good understanding then try and get some personal interaction with people who actually practise the craft. There are some excellent blogs out there (Walking the Hedge, Sarah Lawless, Lynn Thurman to name just a few...) and many of these will detail personal experiences of starting to work with the craft. But nothing beats actually getting to know witches - look on Witchvox for your local moots and perhaps join an online forum or two?
Now some witches may tell you to do all this before you get involved with any practical hands on work but I actually think there is a lot to be said for trying things out for yourself to see if practising the craft is right for you. I'd certainly advocate having a go at some basic spell work, even if you do nothing more complex than visualising your intent into a candle flame. You might not get spectacular results but even if you don't get the results you hoped for, working some basic magic will allow you to assess what feels right for you and what ways of working will form your path as you progress. Think of it not so much as honing skills but shaping your own identity as a witch and your own way forward.
If (when) you start to feel more confident you can start to think about writing your own spells and I don't just mean the words themselves, I mean thinking about what magic means to you and what items, tools, correspondences, rituals and methods of working feel the most right and the closest fit to your own identity as a witch.
So to me it is a two part process - the first stage is to learn as much as you can about other witches and the second is to learn as much as you can about yourself and what will work for you. You probably don't need me to tell you that the first stage is the easy bit...
Image http://www.deviantart.com/art/Witch-158288811
Reading can give you a great source of knowledge on which to base the foundations of your own particular path.
Don't limit yourself to just blogs or just popular books or just middle English occult texts, try and broaden your understanding of what it is to be a witch with a mixture of all three. (Great source of occult texts here.) Be warned though, there is a lot of information on the internet and witchcraft in particular attracts its fair share of people who don't have a clue what they are writing about. It's also a different topic to get a grasp on because what it is to be a witch is very subjective. You'll find a lot of conflicting opinions and contradictory facts so don't take any single source for granted, double check the facts you come up with to make sure they aren't just one person's highly personal opinion.
Read about the different ways people practise and even if something doesn't draw your interest immediately, try and gain at least a rudimentary knowledge of the different ways the craft can be practised. This will stand you in good stead for creating your own path in the future.
When you feel you have a good understanding then try and get some personal interaction with people who actually practise the craft. There are some excellent blogs out there (Walking the Hedge, Sarah Lawless, Lynn Thurman to name just a few...) and many of these will detail personal experiences of starting to work with the craft. But nothing beats actually getting to know witches - look on Witchvox for your local moots and perhaps join an online forum or two?
Now some witches may tell you to do all this before you get involved with any practical hands on work but I actually think there is a lot to be said for trying things out for yourself to see if practising the craft is right for you. I'd certainly advocate having a go at some basic spell work, even if you do nothing more complex than visualising your intent into a candle flame. You might not get spectacular results but even if you don't get the results you hoped for, working some basic magic will allow you to assess what feels right for you and what ways of working will form your path as you progress. Think of it not so much as honing skills but shaping your own identity as a witch and your own way forward.
If (when) you start to feel more confident you can start to think about writing your own spells and I don't just mean the words themselves, I mean thinking about what magic means to you and what items, tools, correspondences, rituals and methods of working feel the most right and the closest fit to your own identity as a witch.
So to me it is a two part process - the first stage is to learn as much as you can about other witches and the second is to learn as much as you can about yourself and what will work for you. You probably don't need me to tell you that the first stage is the easy bit...
Image http://www.deviantart.com/art/Witch-158288811
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