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Step One - Discovering your Path
Read and study. Read everything you can get your hands on
that will tell you more about beliefs of Witchcraft, such as
books, web pages or online magazines. Only by learning as
much as you can about the basic beliefs and tenets of
Witchcraft can you decide if the religion is the right path for
you.
While reading books and studying the written words are highly
beneficial, Wicca and other forms of the Craft are nature
religions. Get outside and experience the Divine's creation. Go
camping. Take hikes through the mountains. Swim in ponds
and lakes. Bask in the glow of the sun and moon. Watch birds.
Go stargazing. Learn all you can about the Earth and Sky,
which are the bodies of the God and Goddess.
Step Two - Defining Your Path
OK, so you know the basics and you've decided it's definitely
something that fits into your belief system. In a notebook or
journal, begin writing down some reasons why you think
Witchcraft is your path. What does being a Witch mean to
you? What do you hope to achieve and learn through
Witchcraft? What do you fear if you follow this path? How do
you visualize the God and Goddess? What does the Divine
mean to you? Be completely honest. Nobody will ever read
this but you. (This notebook will eventually become your Book
of Shadows.)
There are no right or wrong answers to these questions. It's not
a test, but simply a way to help you define your path.
Step Three - Exploring Magick
You'll notice I haven't mentioned anything about spells or ritual
yet, because you need to complete the first two steps before
you think about working with magick. Magick is not
hocus-pocus, it's not bending the natural order of things to fit
your needs. Magick is simply raising and channeling energy that
is found in yourself, in nature and in the Divine to achieve a
desired result.
Before you begin working with magick, you need to
understand what it is, where it comes from and the ethics
involved in magickal workings. Remember that you are
responsible for your own actions. If you harm someone with
magick, you will face the consequences, probably sooner than
later.
You also need to understand the basic structure of a ritual:
casting circles, calling quarters, invoking the God/dess, raising
and directing energy, grounding and centering and closing the
circle.
Know the moon phases and how they affect magick. Learn them
well enough so that you always know when the moon is waxing,
when it is full, when it is waning. Learn to feel how the moon
affects your moods and your body.
Step Four - Learning to Focus
Try some meditation and visualization exercises to increase your
concentration. The ability to focus and visualize will greatly
increase the power of your magick.
Learn to be calm. Learn to pull strength from within yourself and
from the earth, sun, moon and stars. Learn to be still. Learn to
hear the voice of the God and Goddess when It calls to you.
Step Five - Working with Magick
Now you can begin some basic spellwork.
You should not use word-for-word spells or rituals that are written
in books or posted on web pages. Those spells were written for
the writer, and should be used only as guidelines when creating
your own rituals. Every Witch should write his or her own spells.
Step Six - Self-Dedication
If everything still feels right, and if you still feel like Witchcraft is the
path for you after all this studying, now is the time to perform a
self-dedication ritual.
This ritual should be yours and yours alone. Design it however you
want to, and in a way that will be most meaningful to you. A
dedication ritual means exactly what it sounds like it means - you
are dedicating yourself to the Craft and telling yourself and the
Divine that this is the path you wish to pursue.
Step Seven - Networking
I usually recommend a year of solitary study before a Witch
considers joining a coven or a circle. This gives you a chance to
celebrate one full cycle of Sabbats, and to learn what works best
for you.
Some people may choose never to join any kind of organized
group - that's fine. A solitary Witch is just as much of a Witch as a
coven Witch. But even if you don't join a group, you might want to
consider finding other Witches to circle with occasionally. It's
always good to learn new ideas.
Step Eight - Initiation
There are many differing opinions on the concept of initiation. In
my opinion, there is a difference between initiation into the Craft
and initiation into a coven.
Initiation into the Craft should always be a solitary ritual. This is a
private moment between you and the Divine, where you are fully
committing yourself to the Craft and to the Lord and Lady. An
initiation should be something that's meaningful to you. The ritual
should be written only by you.
A coven initiation is a means of bonding a group together as a
whole, of establishing trust among a "family" of Witches. It should
not be an initiation into the Craft, because, like I said, that is
something that is a private matter for each individual Witch. The
coven initiation should be written by the entire group and should
incorporate elements of trust and sharing.
Don't think that your studies are over just because you've been
initiated. The Craft involves constant learning and growing and
changing.
This text is taken from
Selene`s Wiccan page