This i write to all the âbaby witchesâ on here. These are some things i wish i heard as a newcomer, and i gift this to you all.
Welcome to The Craft! I understand some of you may be fully in the broom closet. You may be there temporarily, or choose to stay there forever. And thats okay! I have been devoted to my magick since 2014, and it was 2021 when I came out. It was handled well, but i was afraid beforehand. I asked for Hecateâs help in handling it and she lit the way for me, and i couldnt thank her enough.
Remember that even if you are in the broom closet, you are never alone. Even if you dont believe in deities, the universe is here for you. You have this forum. You were brought here for a reason. BUT! Keep in mind the reason you are here in the first place. Like actually get a journal and ask yourself some questions. Like is it pure curiosity? Do you have a crush on someone and want to make them love you? Want to break a hex? Do a hex??
My advice is, do not jump straight to spellwork. I actually made that mistake. I started from finding a book my mother had on witchcraft and i went down a rabbit hole, and this was during a time i had a raging crush on a boy (we were in high school). I went straight to just reading online about love spells, and tried a bunch of them without knowing how to actually handle energy. Did they work? Sorta, but it caused mostly hurt. He grew interest in me, but in other ways i didnt want (mainly lust instead of love), and he kept going back and forth between me and someone else, like i became a backup person. I wanted him only for me and i wanted him to love me, but magick wasnt making that happen. It made me question my magickal ability. However over the next few years i researched proper ways of witchcraft. I looked straight into casting circles, and protection. Deities, healing, etc.
Dont go with just the internet. There are great sources, and there are crappy sources. Its the same way with books, but i prefer books. Some authors i recommend are Deborah Blake, Silver Ravenwolf, Scott Cunningham, Jason Mankey, Jesamyn Angelica, Sandra Kynes, and Christopher Penczak. There are more but this is a decent jumping off point. As for internet sources, this forum is very helpful. Sometimes you can find good groups on facebook. There are youtube channels like House of Witchcraft, Mickie Mueller, Mystic Wolf Witch, Sage Goddess, Spells8 (which also has a forum but costs money), A Pagan Perspective, among many others. I dont listen to much podcast wise but 3 Pagans And A Cat is a fun one.
Grounding and cleansing are what i would consider good starters in your journey. Along with protection. After all, it is very important that you are spiritually protected in all that you do, you dont want any astral nasties messing up your work!
Keep in mind, you dont need tools. They are pretty, they are fun, and indeed it can make things easier, but the most powerful tool is yourself. Physical witchcraft tools aid in the energy, like how a screwdriver helps turn a screw. You can turn it with your hand, but its easier with the tool lol. Having money is not an easy thing these days, and its not worth spending tons of money on expensive tools if you dont immediately need it. If you want something to use, but have no means to buy it and/or in that metaphorical broom closet with others in your house, a white candle can do. It is a great substitute for any color. If you want, you can anoint it with olive oil to bless it, or add rosemary to it (it is a substitute for whatever herb), or just light the candle with nothing on it while you chant and get in the vibe. When doing spells, keep in mind the consequence. Theres always a cause and effect in the works. Are you trying to help someone, or are you manipulating them? What will happen if you do that spell for a new opportunity? You get it.
Feeling called to a deity? Like i said earlier, knowledge is power. Do research on them. Check out their mythologies, and how their associations might have evolved over the centuries. Are there any hymns to them? Stories? What are ways people (ancient and modern) work with them? Some deities might not have much ancient info that survived time (like Cernunnos for example), but you can learn from other peopleâs experiences with the deity and go from there. All this goes for any entity you have a calling to.
Dont feel pressured about divination. Not every witch works with tarot, or pendulums, runes, etc. Some might have a preference to one over the other. If you choose to learn it, dont overthink things as you practice. ALWAYS trust your intuition! I love tarot, oracle, and pendulum.
Also, not everything around you is an omen. If you asked (for example) Morrigan to send you three crows to your house as an answer to something, and you see them (especially in multiple days), that can be an omen. But if its a norm for crows to visit, that makes things fuzzy. Again, follow your gut, be the discerning Witch! I once did a spell with hecate asking her for protection on a road trip. The day i went, i passed 12 dogs throughout the day at the sides of the road just popping up from nowhere. With dogs being associated with hecate, i took this as a good omen.
Lastly, there are people around who claim their way is the âonlyâ way. Dont listen to that. It can work for them but witchcraft works for us in our own ways. You can certainly learn from these people, because you can find something that you can apply to your Craft. But dont take it as the ONLY way. That goes the same way with spells! Starting off its fine to do spells that are already created by someone else, but over time you will find that you can alter it to suit your needs (like substitution in a recipe) and then over time make your own spells completely. Your own spells are most powerful because its yours!
I wish all who are new to magick a blessed journey! Much love and peace on the road ahead 
