Those are both good. One of my all time favorites was Cunningham’s Solitary Wicca
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Hi
@dogsnwolfs, thanks for the recommendation on Middle Aged Witch podcasts,
I have been looking for some good ones, and the ones I’ve found so far, I didn’t particularly jell with.
However, after downloading the latest Middle Aged Witch, I decided I like her, and have downloaded all the others.
I would appreciate any other podcasts that anybody knows about that are good.
Thanks.
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I love this reply
I am not a beginner but well set in it and I have just coined a topic about negativity clearance in communication please do share your opinions under that’s thread looking for what to hear from you
I am not sure where I would start today because there is so much nonsense out there leading young people to their doom. My son was interested and instead of coming to me, he went online and they were telling him, do what he wants and don’t worry about the consequences, the Goddess will protect him. I was extremely upset. The Goddess herself says, Ever mind the powers of three what you put out will come back to thee. This is not a line from Charmed, one of my favorite shows. I have about a 1000 books on witchcraft and I brought some he chose to read. He was scare to read some of them. He was not ready. He said holding the book gave him a headache. Read, read and read some more. Considering that politics have gotten into the old relgion, I am not sure I would even join a coven, unless the talk of politics was not allowed. The internet is so full of craziness, it ain’t funny, so ask the Goddess and she will guide you the right way. I studied witchcraft and black magic, which seem to hold hands at times. The meaning of Black Magick I was taught is to cast a spell someone without their premission, even reading tarot without asking. I belong to a old coven, Gardnerian Witchcraft and then the Golden Dawn, which believed the same thing. I don’t think I believe that in some circumstances. This was back in the mid 70s. Let you Goddess be your guide and NOT your Heart. People have came to me for help, lied to me and I almost paid for it, but I knew how to prevent the backlash. Sybil Leek’s Diary of a Witch can enlighten you. Denning and Philips, Psychic Self-Defense is a great book too. Beginning Witches, definitely Scott Cunningham and I liked Silver Ravenwolf’s Teen Witch. It was fantastic to me. Don’t let people contol you on what you read. I have read some really awful books on witchcraft, but I did learn something. Not all people who claim ot be witches, are witches. Try to find the old masters of witchcraft. I call them. Like Frost, Farrar, Buckland, Leek. If you have an OLLIES in your town, go there. I have gotten seveal series of book on Witchcraft there for my huge collection. I tell many people to come and study, but they prefer to take my books…not happening. Check out Goodwill and Thrift store. I found the Encyclopedia of Witchcraft by Judika ILLes there, which I know her and got her autograph. Great books. I also got Encyclopedia of 5000 spells. There is a store on Raleigh, NC called Readers Corner that always have books on Witchcraft, if you live near it or ever visit there. You can get CDS on witchcraft on ebay. I have about six of them, I put them on a flash drive and carry it on my keychain. On facebook they have an ad on Lost Books. I have several. It is a legit thing. This is how I learned. I am not sure about joining a coven anymore, since I have seen some really messed up things Witches are claiming they have done and bragging about it, not considering the consequences of their actions. Which is a no-no in the Wiccan Way, but learning from you mistakes is part of growing from a baby witch to an Wise adult, whether you a Wicce or Wicca. Wicce…female witch. Wicca…male witch in old english. Above all esle, listen to the Goddess and let her guide you. If you have not chosen your Gods yet, there are many. My son chose Asia God and Goddess, since he was always dreaming of Foxes. My Goddesses Hecate and Cerridwen chose me. Hecate came to me at the age of 13, it was scary, she said who she was and said I belonged to her. She was like a shadow with red eyes. I called her Katie, because I pronounced her name like He-cate. I learned at a later age it was pronounced He-ca-te from reading Greek and Roman literature. I was a sick child and I was reading Celtic Magic by McCoy and was interested in the Cerridwen Cauldon of Healing. I used to speak Gaelic, but not anymore. Tuatha de Denaan. I did an Cerridwen invocation ritual, had a dream of bathing in a pond of golden water. I was suppose to be in a wheelchair by the time I was 40 because of a swinging accident. I was drug acrose the ground and tore up my spine. Today I am 62 and I can run to my mailbox and ride my bike with my son. If you have any animal drawn to you, study that animal and see if they represent any God or Goddess. Apollo is my Lord. I discovered that by my body being different when the sun shone and when it was cloudy. I would get sick, so I started carry a representation of Apollo in my pocket and on a chain. As they say, KNOW Thyself. Be in tune with your surrounding. That does include you mental and emotionally state. I question my sanity everyday. Thing happen in my house, it has gotten so bad, that I got security and camera. Lets hope it will not be a scene from Paranormal Activity. Most of all have fun with it. My parent used to have to drag me to church. I did not want to go. If you find yourself dreading to do God or Goddess ritual. Re-evaluate yourself. I have an outdoor circle and I can barely wait until it gets warmer so I can go back out there. I LOVE to do my rituals and appreciate everything they have done for me. Witchcraft is amazing. Oh yeah I am not knocking Christianity either. WE all know that Jesus studied magic. I don’t care for most people in Christianity, because of their judgement, but if Jesus knock on my door I would let him in. I would love to get is secret on turning water into wine. I would be very popular at parties. LMAO!!!
I had to study for a year and a day, before being initiated into the coven. I had to understand the basics (especially the value of secrecy), and all that that entailed. If I had to go back all these years and do it over, I would much more appreciate the process. I know this was related to the coven, but I think it would benefit every new “witch” to learn as much as possible without placing unrealistic expectations on themselves or others.
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When someone is seriously considering witchcraft, they need to be aware that it does take time and a lot of effort to even begin to be proficient at practicing.
Research and learn is the absolute most important thing. You can never have too much knowledge here, trust me you will find new things constantly in magic. Someone else said to double check anything you’ve been told, and i couldn’t agree more.
I believe that with all this information on paganism, witchcraft, spellwork and a million others so readily available there is also an equal amount of bullshit to go with it.
You will find many contradicting beliefs the more you delve in. When I first started out years ago I had began doing a simple spell a certain way and believed it had to be done exactly that way, this is not true with most things. Some will tell you it’s only your intention that matter while others will say the incantations, tools and ingredients are essential to any spell. And I am not discounting either opinion.
I have had the pleasure of teaching and helping to guide newer witches on this journey. Spells of any kind were not even talked about for months. I researched by myself for 2 years before casting my first spell. You need to know whyyiu should add rosemary to that jar spell you found or why another spell calls for it to be done only during a waning moon. When you read and learn first it really does make the process of learning to cast spells, putting up defensive wards or interpreting signs quicker and easier.
I believe protection should always be priority one.
Always know how to protect yourself. Try to be as prepared as you can for the times when you make a mistake or your spell doesn’t work as planned (it’s the opposite). And don’t be too hard on yourself. There is not a single witch that has not made mistakes in her craft. It’s all part of the process.
I think a good place to start is spell jars
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ooh me to im weirdly into all sorts of mythology
Yes id love to learn symbolism and crystals please..
Ohhhh i am right there with you on the mythology 
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YES FINALLY every one i know thinks im weird for it
I’d say the most important thing is to be in a clear state of mind, that way you can better atune to the elements, or connect with the Gods/Goddesses.
Etch symbols on your altar that resonate with you, and that are associated with Magic Deities. (For me it’s a pentagram, Hecate’s rune & The Triple Moon Goddess drawn on a piece of paper.)
Be genuine but respectful and most importantly, don’t be unrealistic about it. No, you will not be able to conjuror up a thunderstorm. Otherwise, The Gods/Goddess’s will just assume you aren’t being serious.
Lastly, research into WHAT you’re trying to accomplish/understand about Magik.
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Ditto. The idea of a few small alters around the house would be fit nicely along with ones main alter.
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Sorry. I should have proofread f
before sending.
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I recommend starting out with elemental magic, and then branching out from there…
Fire, earth, air, water, and spirit….
That’s just the basics….
Learn fire magic, then earth magic, air magic, then water magic, and then how to properly deal with spirit….which is everywhere…
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His herb book is the Best!
I’m a firm believer that no matter where you start or what area of the Craft peaks your interest, it’s worth nothing if you don’t do the work needed to create a solid foundation forged by the basics we all end up reading, scanning, rolling our eyes at books that comprise half their page count from unending charts and correspondences.
I’m the beginning, it’s all new so not so bad but I’ve been a practicing Witch for 31 years and I’m sick of every book flooding the market being a relatively poorly written revision of the classic titles that timelessly transcend levels of advancement and focus on the important part - the practice.
All books nowadays are relatively Wicca 101 whether they advertise it that way or not. Anyone can get lucky with a following on social to get some decent copies sold, but to sustain that success as an author is hard.
I often see the books published after the initial debut simply recapping or summarizing the same material of the first volume or a lot of the time you’ll get stuck with 30 pages of written material misdirected inside 150 pages of charts, correspondence and other crap that any Google search and quick spin through an AI rewrite would seem original.
Personally, I started with my first book being True Magick by Amber K. When I bought it back then it was a trade sized paperback for $5. Since then she’s revised and expanded the original text to a remarkable wealth of down to earth, practical knowledge that’s needed in any sort of practice while at the same time doesn’t try to push you in any specific direction or path the writer may have a greater affinity towards. It simply offers the information and let’s you do the work.
From there I read most of Cunningham’s works. I wasn’t fully taken by his work simply because I didn’t find a ton of it useful beyond the initial Wicca book and maybe Earth Power.
I know I may get some haters here and that’s fine but from there I devoured and loved everything Silver Ravenwolf wrote. I learned a lot, practiced a lot, advanced a lot and learned to take my own advice in following my own intuitive craft.
Later I loved the Nocturnal Witchcraft trilogy by Konstantinos. I enjoyed Dorothy Morrison Everyday Magic series of books. I enjoyed many by Kate West and Mya Om in here two book takeoff Energy essentials for spellcasters & The un-spell book. I found joy in reading different voices with Raymond Buckland The magic of chant o matics. The voodoo hoodoo spellbook. Ray M’s charms spells and formulas.
Then later I somewhat enjoyed Christopher Penczaks work with the temple of witchcraft series but found a lot of his work to be repetitive, long winded and a little whimsical for my taste. I still love his book Instant Magick - a continuation of the techniques taught initially in the inner temple of witchcraft volume. I liked Laurie Cabot Power of the Witch and was so ecstatic to find a copy of her Hardcover Edition Laurie Cabot Book Of Shadows. I swear, anything and everything you’ll ever need to know and more is covered in that text.
Regardless, reading and studying whatever you have available is the best first step. That said, at some point you do have to step out of the library and do your working to get anywhere. I’ve found a lot of newbies lately that are well read but don’t actually practice. They don’t cast spells, perform rituals, set intentions, practice their breathework, meditation, altering consciousness, working with energy charging, releasing, manipulation, quick conjuring, casting or developing their intuitive side.
In the world of witchcraft you have to start by building your foundation - honing your skills that come naturally and experimenting with those that do not, blending your personal views and beliefs into a self tailored tradition to which you can practice and celebrate in your religious freedoms. The point is YOU HAVE TO PRACTICE AND PRACTICE A LOT. I’m a firm believer in everyday exercising to keep your instincts and abilities sharp and in tune.
It also will make a world of difference in the rest of your life as you open yourself spiritually you’ll approach and receive/reacted differently to the tangible everyday things that come along. Point is, once you harness your personal power and pinpoint your preference for practice you’ll have that solid foundation previously built with all that traditional and often trivial knowledge to securely hold your continuing construction to higher and alternate levels of practice and you can explore with the knowledge that your safe to fly because if anything gets in your way, you’ll know what to do when the time comes because you’ve put in the work. You have to do Magick to make Magick. You have to walk the way of the Witch to be able to truly call yourself one.
Follow your intuition and you’re in for an exciting study, practice and artful application of spiritual advancement and lifelong Empowerment.
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This was extremely well said.
Witchcraft is not for the people who are only interested because they think they can jump right in, cast a single spell and their entire life is better.
If you do not spend that time learning the basics, building your foundation and actually putting in the work to learn everything you can…this is not the path for them.
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Merry Meet,
I agree with Dave about Scott Cunningham, and I also like Buckland’s Complete Bopk of Witchcraft, (Buckland’s Big Blue). I always keep in mind, that our ancestor craft memgers did not have many “things”, so I keep it simple, for my altar. But, back to basics…read your books, and do not worry about the items…as you will see over and over, it’s intent that is the foremost ingredient. And, follow your gut. Sorry, but this window is blocking my typing, so please forgive errors.
Merry Part and Meet again, Congratulations on your choice, Lady Gene