Beginner Witch Tips That You Won't Want to Miss

What are the Different Types of Witches and Which One Are You

There are many forms of witchcraft, and each one suits a different kind of person. Knowing which type of witch you are is essential. You will learn quicker and have a higher success rate if you lean towards your strengths and passion.

Hereditary Witchcraft

This type of witchcraft is passed down from generation to generation. When you were young, your family would have already trained you in their path. You would have learned family recipes with magickal ingredients and have a family grimoire. You will most likely have access to a Book of Shadows, which will give you an extensive advantage in your studies compared to other witches.

Green Witchcraft

A practitioner of green witchcraft works primarily with nature as their teacher and instrument. You will live in alignment with Earth and understand that everything living has a spirit. Your main tools will be plants and herbs. If you have a green thumb and enjoy working with herbs and plants, green witchcraft may be your calling.

The Faery Faith

This type of witchcraft works closely with the faeries (faery or fey). These are magickal beings such as undines, nymphs, pixies, or sylphs believed to live in the astral realm. The astral realm is parallel to ours. Practitioners of this craft will learn to work with the thirteen lunar months of the Celtic Tree calendar, and they will access different energies that each of the thirteen months holds. Green witches who work with the fey will often overlap their craft.

WICCA

WICCA is a religion that is neo-pagan and nature-based. Their beliefs are similar to the ancient Celts' religious beliefs. Wiccans do not have one single holy book, but they do follow two laws. The first law is the Rule of Three, which means "three times what thou givest returns to thee." The other law is the Wiccan Rede, which means "an ye harm none, do what ye will." There are many different sects of Wicca, and they all have separate traditions.

Kitchen Witchcraft

This type of witchcraft incorporates cooking into their spellcraft. The process of cooking and eating becomes a form of ritual. Consuming the food infused with magick kitchen witches release the energies from their food into themselves and the Universe. Kitchen Witchcraft is a calling for those who are skilled at cooking and enjoy working with food.

Chaos Magick

This type of witchcraft prefers to work with sigils and charged symbols. Chaos witches will learn how to enter a state of unconscious intention called a "gnostic state." They use breathing techniques, muscle relaxation, or intense emotions to enter a gnostic state to think and enact magick unknowingly.

Eclectic Witchcraft

This type of witchcraft is a combination of different practices that is unique to the witch. An Eclectic witch creates their path by drawing on their heritage, passions, and various types of magick. This type of witchcraft does not follow one single track.

Books for the Beginner Witch

One of the first things I will recommend to a new witch who wants to get started is to read lots of books. Knowledge is power, and you will not gain that knowledge by sitting idle and waiting for others to teach you.

I am always reading books and learning new things. I usually purchase my books, but you do not have to. If your short on cash or don't want to buy your books, check what resources your local library has. You might be surprised by the amount of information they have available.

The Book of Shadows: by Brittany Nightshade. This book is excellent for the new witch. Just understand it is not a real Book of Shadows. The book covers different types of magick and goes over how to cast simple spells. She does cover love spells in the book, and I would say love spells are very popular, but please be cautious with them and never cast a love spell with a particular person in mind.

The Green Witch: by Arin Murphy-Hiscock. I just finished this book and cannot praise it enough, especially if you are interested in Green Witchcraft. Arin does a beautiful job covering herbs, flowers, essential oils, and so much more than I expected. She has a handy index for a new witch at the back of the book that you can quickly flip to if you need information about a specific herb or plant.

The Wiccan Book of Shadows: by Ambrosia Hawthorn. If you are interested in learning about Wicca and its fundamentals and practices, I highly suggest the Wiccan Book of Shadows. Some books meant for beginner witches can be very biased or, on the other end, they do not offer much of a foundation. This book met in the middle for the perfect mix of a good and robust foundation. Another thing I love about this book is how gorgeous it is on display. When I got this book I knew at first glance it was not going to go on the bookshelf. This is a beautiful piece of art that needs to be displayed.

The Door to Witchcraft: by Tonya Brown. This book covers the history of witchcraft through the ages and how it has evolved over time. You will learn about fundamental techniques, traditions, rituals, and ceremonies that every new witch should know. Our history is significant to know, do not forget that it was not so long ago we were burned at stake.

What The Colors Mean in Candle Magick

New witches will usually start with magick that they find most straightforward and the least complicated. Because candle magick is not as difficult or complicated as other types of magick, it makes sense that new witches would start with candle magick.

One thing you should remember when preparing to use candle magick is your candles need to be dressed. Dressing the candle is accomplished in two steps. The first step is exercising the candle of any negative energy or previous magickal energy. The second step is charging your candle. Neither step is complicated, but it will require a great deal of concentration and visualization skills.

Witchcraft Tools That You Should You Get First

The basic tools of spellcraft include the athame, wand, sword, cords, cauldron, chalice, and altar bell.

If you're a new witch with a small budget ( I know the feeling, I started in middle school), skip these tools and focus on candles, incense, oils, and herbs.

I would recommend forgoing the tools in the very beginning and encourage you to study. Join a coven, get some books from the library, join beginner witchcraft groups on Facebook (be safe when talking to people online, and meeting people from online groups could be dangerous).

The Athame: This is a ritual dagger with a double-edged blade. It will have a black or white handle that witches will paint or engrave runic names or magickal symbols on it. It is used for casting the circle, storing or directing energy during rituals, and stirring potions.

The Wand: The wand is the emblem of power, and it symbolizes the ancient element of air (some traditions believe it represents fire). Its traditional uses are to cast the circle, draw magickal symbols, invoke spirits, and stir cauldron brews. Wands are usually carved from the wood of the hazel, ask, rowan, or willow tree. Modern witches have had wands carved from crystal, ivory, and metal. I recommend sticking to wood but thats just my preference.

The Sword: If you are starting and new to witchcraft, you should not need to get this basic tool. Covens usually use it, and if you join one, they will most likely already have a sword for their rituals. The sword is used the same way as the athame, but it is considered more authoritative.

The Cord: Cords are used to store magickal energy for later use. A witch will tie nine knots into the cord to hold the magickal energy. When they are ready to release the power that has been stored, they untie the knots in the same order in which they were tied. Depending on the intent, you might untie one knot every night for nine days.

The Cauldron: The cauldron is made of iron and possesses great mystical power. It symbolizes the four ancient elements of air, fire, water, and earth. Its three legs represent the three phases of the moon (waxing, full, and waning.) Cauldrons are used for rituals, brewing potions, burning incense, and holding charcoal blocks, candles, amulets, talismans, and herbs. Be careful if you intend to buy a cauldron offline. A lot of times, they are a lot smaller than what the pictures make them look like.

The Chalice: A sacred goblet is a tool that represents the element of water. It is used for ritual mixing of salt and water, blending potions, and pouring libations (a drink poured out as an offering to a deity).

The Altar Bell: If you are interested in WICCA, they use a small bell to keep at their altar. It is rung three times to signal the start or close of a ritual. Other magick practitioners use altar bells to summon or banish spirits, dispel negative energy, and drive away mischievous fairies.