Witchcraft isn’t just fun and games; perks like hexes and love spells can come with a price. The infamous Salem witch trials may seem far in the past, but the persecution of witches (or those suspected of witchcraft) continues today. Despite the mainstream’s growing fascination, the past few years have also seen, for example, a whopping 900 percent rise in (at times lethal) child-abuse cases linked to suspicion of witchcraft and demonic possession in the U.K. There are, of course, methods of protection, like carrying an evil eye. The easiest one, however, is to simply not go around shouting about your newfound identity. Choose your path. If you felt good while casting a certain spell, that’s a sign of progress. You should work towards feeling 100% confident, without any trace of doubts. If you don’t feel okay while doing any kind of spellwork, it is better to stop and continue with your day. Try again later.

Initiation: The rites that put a budding witch on the path to making things official, by joining a coven after studying its practice, traditionally for a year and a day. The initiations that follow eventually allow the initiate the opportunity to become a high priest or high priestess; those with enough knowledge, experience, and dedication can become the leader of a Wiccan coven. Cultivate the personal within the communal framework. As opposed to most major religious traditions, complete and total submission to an overriding idea or power is not a tenet of Wicca. If you're practicing witchcraft as part of a group of Wiccans, remember that the rituals and spells of witchcraft are as much about personal empowerment as they are about connecting to greater forces. Respect the traditions of your group, but don't shy away from bringing your personal approach to bear on them. In Wicca, the beginning of each season is celebrated with holidays called Lesser Sabbats. In between each solstice and equinox there are “Cross Quarter days” or Greater Sabbats, which are also celebrated. Love spells are usually safe to cast when you are trying to attract love into your life. But, unless you know exactly what you are doing, don’t try to use your Magic to force anyone into loving you. This violates that person’s free will and can have negative consequences. Connect with your ancestors by using ancestry.com. Ask your family members about your ancestors (grandparents, great grandparents, etc. – their names, dates they lived, where they lived, etc.) Set up an altar for your ancestors and invite them to join your practice, as well as protect your home. Connect by reading their history, folklore, and mythology (i.e. if you’re mostly European, you might be part Celtic, Slavic, Roman, Greek, Norse, etc.) Beginner witches often want to know their spirit animal. 6. Finding Your Animal Spirit Guides and Plant Allies

When she teaches, she most often shares her personal experience, with a no-nonsense style of teaching. Her classes are fun, highly energies and the book is excellent to read. Let’s not forget that she is an award winning author of 17 non-fiction titles and 4 novels. Her experience Litha is the celebration of midsummer and summer solstice, fertility and new beginnings. In the northern hemisphere, it is celebrated on June 20-23 and in the southern on December 20-23. Lucid dreaming

Therefore, with this in mind, which are the best Wicca books for beginners? Below are some of the best on the market. Religion and Spirituality In Contemporary Witchcraft (The Spirit Of The Witch) Finding the best witchcraft books for beginners does require a lot of research and the knowledge of what you are looking for. The question people mainly ask is, “how do I locate the best book to rely on?” This issue is almost immediately followed by “which authors should I avoid?” Well, the good news is that as you continue to learn, read and study the craft, you will learn how to separate the wheat from the chaff. Eventually, you will be able to identify what makes a Wicca book credible and worth spending each day reading. It’s true that the two lifestyles have many beliefs and practices in common. Most Witches work with herbs, crystals and spells; most of them practice magic and are connected to the earth in some way. But Witchcraft is a much broader term, and a much more individualistic path. While Wicca is united by its status as an established religion and its specific deities, Witchcraft is more ephemeral and independent. Witches may worship the God and Goddess, or they may instead believe in the Greek pantheon, or old Celtic deities, or in fairies and elves. Alternatively, they may not worship at all, but instead view all of nature as divine, based on ancient principles of druidism. Similarly, you can be a Witch and have a specific religion: there are Christian Witches just as there are Buddhist Witches. Because Wicca is a religion unto itself, it does not usually co-exist with other religions.

Have dinner with friends or eat friends for dinner?

It’s without a doubt that online spaces are becoming a petri dish of knowledge for this particular global community. The ability to share information like never before has been intrinsic to the growth of witchcraft, an art that by nature is an adaptation of old traditions into new diverse and flexible paths. The rise in technology has also been utilised by modern witches, who now use their laptops and phones to keep notes of their practices, some even going as far as to use microwaves to aid them in spellwork – more on microwaves can be read about in Shawn Robbins and Leanna Greenaway’s book Wiccapedia.

Learn about Wicca. Wicca is a modern religion, based on ideas about early west European paganism, that includes witchcraft as a core component. Wiccan witchcraft is by far the most popular and widely practiced form of witchcraft in the English-speaking world. Wiccans may belong to an organized group, such as a priesthood or coven, or they may operate independently or in loose coalitions. Paganism: An umbrella term for religions other than the Abrahamic faiths of Christianity, Judaism, and Islam that typically places emphasis on the earth and nature. Its modern-day practitioners are known as neo-pagans. Ceremonial: The by-the-book practice of placing the highest value in—not to mention expertly executing—ceremonies and rituals. A coven is the name given to a group of practitioners that perform rituals or celebrate the sabbats together. The word originally referred to a group of people with similar interests. Crystal Elixir Mortar and pestles are important objects for spell casting. Used to mix herbs and other ingredients into a heady potion, a mortar and pestle are available at any housewares store, and in most kitchens.Step-by-step printable recipes to craft your own Witch apothecary cabinet, including oils, salves, bath blends and other simple and safe homemade herbal remedies. Wicca: A religion that’s perhaps the popularized form neo-paganism, thanks in large part to the so-called Father of Wicca, Gerald Gardner, who cultivated his specific ideology, now known as Gardnerian Wicca, in the mid-1900s. Whereas witches are typically thought of as women, many Wiccans are men and worship both a god and a goddess. What was initially thought of as an anti-monotheistic gesture, though, has more recently been criticized for espousing heterosexuality and the idea of a gender binary, which was, in part, what led to the emergence of Dianic Wicca, in the 1970s, for those who chose to only worship the goddess and to do so only in the presence of women—a policy that’s since proven to be problematic, as many of its covens prohibit transgender women. An event or sign that is believed to foretell or foreshadow a good or bad future circumstance. Ostara These books offer detailed information about Wicca. Some of the books focus on historical witchcraft practices, whereas others focus on modern Wiccan practices. The bottom-line is that they are all worth reading.

Rede” is a medieval English word meaning “advice”. This poem by an unknown author introduces various aspects of neopaganism and was popularized by Wiccan priestess Doreen Valiente. Charge your magic tools. Wands, crystals, and other implements involved in heavy psychic incantations need to be cleansed thoroughly before and after spell castings. A good witch is in tune with her tools and keeps them charged and free of negative psychic energy. Use the traditions and techniques of your practice to charge and cleanse your tools. Sea witches, contrary to popular belief, are actually gentle and docile people, always ready to help. They love being near the water, as in their name, and usually use sea shells or anything related to the beach in their magic. They are also closely related to astral witches, since they also use the moon for their practices, and astral witches use the stars and planets in their own magic. Manifesting refers to the act of materialising your wants and goals by truly believing in their possibility. MeditationCleanse the area. Spells and circles don't need to be cast in the middle of a dark wood at midnight, and magic rituals can be performed just as effectively in the comfort of your bedroom. Choose a safe space where you'll be comfortable and undisturbed. Select a place where you can remain uninterrupted for as long as it will take to complete the ritual. Wiccans generally believe that the magic of witchcraft is the result of ritually imposing one's will upon the world by strengthening and projecting it through the appropriate mystical channels. This may include invoking the aid of powerful spirits, such as the God and Goddess or the Guardian Spirits of the four elements and directions; it also includes ritual processes to gather or cultivate power within the practitioner him- or herself. Understanding what various concepts and materials embody or represent is all-important to developing the most effective spell possible. The most important rules of your Wiccan Altar: Make it your own, know its meaning and experiment with it.