Hi everybody,
I’m a baby witch and have mainly stuck to researching various magickal topics for the past couple of months. I’ve been wondering if it is necessary to undergo initiation/rite of passage to become a witch, or if it can be more self-guided (i.e. you become a witch through learning and practicing witchcraft)?
Hey! I think both can be true. Some practices are closed practices which would need invite/initiation into; but you can also form your own practice for yourself. For myself, I’ve developed my own practice and following my intuition. It’s not perfect, but I am aware of what I do and how I do it (so I don’t unintentionally do something that is a part of a closed practice). Either way, being mindful of your practice and how you practice is most important regardless if you are initiated or solo.
Hello @sophitsa, I would echo @kikininja613 in that I think many of us here haven’t had the luxury of the support of other witches and have cobbled together their own practice. I think deciding to even call yourself a witch is a personal journey. A rite or ritual would be a wonderful thing though!
If you believe you’re a witch, you’re a witch. As @kikininja613 and @laish pointed out, it’s a personal journey, and much of it is centered around intention and belief. (Though, practice never hurts.) Are you familiar with Scott Cunningham’s book on solitary witchcraft?
Also, you’re welcome to gather a group in here of those to come together for virtual moon rituals or support with spellwork.
And, let me know if there’s some content I can create that would help you on the site. I’m on a tarot tear right now as I want to get all the Major Arcana card meanings up on the site, but just did a post about how to do a ritual for the upcoming full moon this Thursday (Full Flower Moon: Ritual and Correspondences | The Pagan Grimoire). If there’s other spells, rituals, or content you’d find helpful, I’m all ears. For real.
Finally, not sure if you saw this post on our FB page, but you might find this encouraging: The Pagan Grimoire
Wow, all of this has been so encouraging and helpful! @Rebecca I haven’t read any of his books yet, but I did remember coming across the name in one of the other chats. Guess I’ll have to start looking up some books! 
Virtual rituals sound like fun! I don’t have an altar set up yet - I’m thinking of keeping one on my dresser but would like to learn more about the finer aspects of setup before I start deity worship and spellwork in earnest
Awesome! I believe his best known work is Wicca: A guide for the solitary practitioner (even if you’re not Wiccan, it’s useful as it goes over lots of the basics. So does Raymond Buckingham’s book though I found that can be overwhelming to begin with).
Altar setup! I wrote an extensive post on this (How To Make An Altar for Your Spiritual Practice: Tools, Placement, and More | The Pagan Grimoire) that may help. This forum is a great place to ask about how to set one up too.
Keep asking questions 
We’re here to help.
Hi i don’t think you need to go through any initiation to be a witch, its a feeling you develop over time…if you feel drawn towards nature and natural ways of doing things then its a way to think of being a witch… there’s so many different ways that people live their lives and sometimes the way they live makes others refer to them as being a witch… theres not one single definition to the name though, at least that’s how i have been lead to think that way…
Yes - I can agree with cobbling together a practice lol (continues cobbling) {I love the way you phrased your response}
But yes, exactly to your point, it is a personal journey for many, and I think not having support is fairly common. Trying to figure it out the best possible way and self-educating seems to be the way most witches go.
Hi there and welcome!! I never underwent an initiation, but I have been a solitary practitioner for most of my life. Everyone’s path is different. If you feel comfortable on your own, then so be it! That’s the best part about being a witch- the only hard rule is to harm none.
Blessings!
@sophitsa In your search for some good books, I particularly liked the “Good Witch’s Guide” series by Shawn Robbins and Charity Bedell. I have three of the books, although there might be more by now. If you like to adult color, check out Amy Cesari and her Coloring Book of Shadows series. And you learn while you relax and color in the pages! She also has a great website and posts many freebies you can download and color. Those are a couple that I love for the information and the setup. Blessings!
Is there a name for a male witch? I know I could just ask google but I dont want a "Hollywood " response or answer, I would much rather trust in my community to answer this!