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When you first discover witchcraft, your job is first and foremost to explore and learn magic and discover many witchy tips for baby witches. And you'll find many experienced witches ready to share their experiences with you.
You don't need to be in a coven or have any training. You just need to be open, curious, and willing to learn from the world around you. You don't need to be gifted with special powers or have a predestined fate to become a witch—you can create your own destiny.
As a baby witch, your journey will take you on many twists and turns. You'll start off exploring the most tangible items in the world—rocks and trees and animals—and then move on to other-worldly ideas like time travel, immortality, and telepathy.
You will learn fairly quickly that the world of witchcraft is more complicated than it first seems. You will find out that magic is not all about performing certain rituals or chanting talismans, but it's also about learning how to listen to your own inner voice and trust in the universe.
- Get To Know Your Kitchen Herbs
- You Don't Need To Be In A Coven To Be A Witch
- Start With Small, Easy Spells
- You Don't Need To Be Gifted Your First Tarot Deck
- Write Everything Down In A Book Of Shadows
- Accept That Your Beliefs Will Change Over Time
- You Don't Need To Know Everything To Practice Witchcraft
- Many Metaphysical Or New Age Stores Overprice Their Products
- Spells Take Time To Work
- Learn How To Listen To Your Intuition
So here are 10 witchy tips to get you started:
Get To Know Your Kitchen Herbs
If you have ever been to a witch's house, she probably had a whole cupboard full of weird herbs and magical items. Most of them are kitchen herbs—but that doesn't mean they're just for cooking!
- Tie bundles of sage in your room to get rid of negativity and evil energy away from your aura. Sage leaves have the power to purify your body and help you to clear your aura. An infusion of sage is said to help people with mental illness.
- Use garlic to protect yourself from hexes or spells.
- Make a potent salve to ward off evil spirits. Mix equal parts olive oil, wintergreen, thyme, and chamomile.
- Place rosemary in your pocket for good luck and fortune.
- Powdered mugwort or hoarhound root is used to make the most powerful love potion in the world.
- Black pepper is used to ward off negative energy and protect you from other witches.
- Use a crushed rosemary leaf on a piece of cotton to draw away the bad energies in your home or car.
- Table salt is potent—just a pinch in a glass of water will bring good luck and good fortune.
- Cayenne pepper is used to banish evil. It is also used in hot foot spells, which banish unwanted people from your life.
You Don't Need To Be In A Coven To Be A Witch
Solitary witchcraft is probably the most common form of witchcraft! You don't have to join a coven or any other group of witches to be a real witch. In fact, it's probably better if you don't join another group of witches until you know yourself, your beliefs, and your own witch morals.
You don't even need to be part of any specific pantheon or religion. Do you believe in the Christian God? That's certainly okay! Do you believe in angels? That is also fine. An eclectic, solitary witch can believe whatever they want, from worshipping Greco-Roman gods to working with demons.
A solitary witch should focus on developing their own personal spirituality and not be worried about being a part of any particular group.
If you want a community where you can ask questions, there are many Facebook groups to choose from. Outside of Facebook, there is a thriving group of witches on Twitter, Tumblr, and maybe even in your local community.
Start With Small, Easy Spells
Pretty much anything can be a spell—there are no rituals or chants or talismans that you have to perform for it to count. Sometimes it's easier to start with smaller spells.
For example, if you want to banish a specific negative thought from your brain, take a stone and engrave your negative thought on the stone with a sharpie. Then throw the stone in the river!
Another example is if you feel like you're surrounded by evil energy. Crush up some dried sage leaves and sprinkle them into your house). This cleanses your aura and gets rid of any negativity or evil spirits.
Candle magic is also very simple. Choosing the right color for your candles or simply burning your desires on a piece of paper placed into a candle's flame can be potent magic. Candles work directly with fire magic, so they can be an introduction to elemental witchcraft.
Aside from candles, you can also strengthen your psychic gifts. Meditation is one way to do this. Another way to enhance your psychic power is to cast a circle in any room at night.
While in your circle, practice clairvoyance by visualizing something happening in the future or in the past, like your friend's wedding or a famous historical event. It only takes a few minutes to hone your psychic ability.
You Don't Need To Be Gifted Your First Tarot Deck
Tarot is often seen as a spiritual gift, but you don't have to wait for a friend to gift a tarot deck to you. I don't know where this myth originates from, but it just isn't true!
It is TOTALLY FINE to buy your own tarot decks. Nothing bad will happen. You won't be cursed. You won't have to worry about your tarot deck becoming possessed or anything silly like that.
So go ahead. Buy your own tarot deck. And choose one that calls to you, not some "beginner's deck." Don't listen to anybody else. If you want a tarot deck with pictures of dinosaurs, then get that tarot deck.
Write Everything Down In A Book Of Shadows
A Book of Shadows is an indispensable tool for any witch—and it's not all that difficult to make! The "official" term for a Book of Shadows (or BOS) is grimoire. But a Book of Shadows is more than just a list of words.
It's a sacred object, and it's your personal "magickal diary." In it, you can write down all the spells you've performed, the results, and your magical experiments. Or if you really want to get into it, there are often exercises in a grimoire that force you to reflect on your own spiritual journey. It's definitely something that will help you grow as a witch.
A Book of Shadows is also where you will do your shadow work. Shadow work is a self-psychotherapy where you reflect on your own trauma and your own wounds. It makes you stronger.
Accept That Your Beliefs Will Change Over Time
All witches will change their beliefs at some point! Don't worry if your spiritual path looks very different today than when you first started out as a witch.
For example, I used to be very spiritual and reliant on my intuition. Now I'm more scientific and rational in my witchcraft. It's perfectly okay as long as you're growing and you're questioning your own beliefs.
Also, your magical tools will change! Some witches might start off using tarot cards and rose quartz crystals but then find that spirit guides or runes work better for them. Don't worry if you change your tools or beliefs—it's all part of the journey!
So while you may start practicing Wicca as a baby witch, you may find that you eventually feel called to a different path. Or maybe you never set out to practice Wicca, but as you become more experienced, you feel a tug to explore the Wiccan religion.
And you will probably work with a different deity over time, too. Some witches don't work with gods or goddesses, while others work with them from the start.
You Don't Need To Know Everything To Practice Witchcraft
Witchcraft is a journey, not a destination. We will never know everything, and we spend our lives learning.
The best thing you can do for yourself is to learn as much as you can—from other witches, from people who have done rituals before, and from nature! Study witchcraft like you would study chemistry or physics.
But don't let the fear of learning something new hold you back! There is almost certainly a beginner guide out there for anything you want to learn. And if there isn't... let me know, and I will write one!
Many Metaphysical Or New Age Stores Overprice Their Products
Believe it or not... many metaphysical or new age stores overprice their products. So you might want to save a little money. You can find deals online in some witch shops or on Etsy. Look for sales. And many of your witch tools can be bought at the thrift store!
Stores overprice their products because they are cynical. Many think of spiritual people as "rubes." And in a lot of cases, unfortunately, they're right.
But you don't have to be a rube and waste your money at a store that looks down on you. Don't buy on impulse, be mindful of where you spend your money.
Spells Take Time To Work
Many new witches will get frustrated at the lack of results they see from spells. They often hear stories of magical successes, or they hear about how easy it is to cast spells and how quick the results come. Then they try their own magic, and nothing happens! This can be very disheartening for a witch trying to learn on their own!
Realistically, most spells do take time to work. Many spells take weeks, months, or even years. That's just the way it is.
No matter how much you want a spell to immediately change your life, most just won't work that fast. Don't be discouraged by this! Take note of what magic worked for you in the past. And always be patient and wait for results.
Learn How To Listen To Your Intuition
Listen to your intuition. Your gut will reveal a lot about what is about to happen. I don't know where that inner sense comes from, but I know it is very often right.
It's like you get a "gut feeling" or a "hunch." If a hunch or gut feeling is strong, then you should definitely act on it. And don't let yourself be swayed by what other people think.
I once had a witchy friend that thought she had a demon in her house. Everyone told her she was crazy, but she felt an oppressive force. So she gathered up items to banish negative energies and evil entities. She did a daily ritual of cleansing and banishing around her house.
After a week of doing those rituals, the oppressive force just... left. And my friend has only felt positive energy in her home ever since.
She still does monthly cleansing and banishing rituals, though. That experience really affected her mental health, so I can't blame her.
But if she hadn't listened to her gut, she might have ended up in a terrible situation!
Another way to recognize your intuition is to notice if you wake up at night. If you feel too hot or too cold or just feel strangely uncomfortable in your bed, that might mean that a spirit is watching you.
I'm sure if you've learned all these tips, you're definitely going to be a successful witch! If you'd like to learn more, check out my list of beginner witch research topics.
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