GETTING STARTED Starting your Witchcraft journey, however magickal it may feel, can be overwhelming. Where do you start? What tools do you need? What are the basics you need to know? The list of questions in your mind is probably a long one. And that’s completely normal! When I began to practice Witchcraft, I remember feeling lost, and in the days before social media, it was hard to find information as easily as we can now. This chapter will start to answer some of these questions, and sets out some of the central things about the Craft I wish I had known when I started my journey. Let’s get started! THE WHEEL OF THE YEAR This chapter will introduce each of the eight Sabbats—Neopagan religious festivals commemorating phases of the changing seasons. It will also include a tarot spread for each, and my favorite correspondences to work with during each one Correspondences are tables of individual tools and items such as crystals, herbs, colors, and deities that are grouped together, because they share similar magickal properties. They are very useful when planning and constructing any kind of spell or ritual. THE MOON Timing your spells to the phases of the Moon is a great way to add power and energy to your workings. In this chapter, we’ll look at the eight Moon phases in detail, the different kinds of magick associated with them, and the rituals you can perform to help you connect with the power of the Moon. These rituals don’t need to be elaborate, but they can help you to achieve your goals. SPELLS Casting a spell can help you focus on what you really want from life, whether that is drawing money, protection, happiness or love toward you, or removing unwanted things from your life such as negative energy or obstacles. Spellwork and magick play a central role in our Craft, and are ways of deepening our connection to the natural world, because it is from the natural world that we draw much of our energy and power. When we align our spells with the phase of the Moon or use herbs that best correspond with our specific intentions, this is natural magick. The tools provided in this chapter will enable you to cast spells using colors, candles, herbs, and sigils, as well as show you how to make substitutions in your workings and how to pick the best time of day for your spells to ensure the highest chance of success. The guidance in this chapter will also help you to make any spell written by another your own. GETTING STARTED THE WHEEL OF THE YEAR THE MOON SPELLS WITCHCRAFT IN THE BROOM CLOSET “In the broom closet” has become a well-used turn of phrase for those Witches who can’t or don’t want to practice their Craft openly. Witches go and stay in the broom closet for a variety of reasons. Some are there because their living situation doesn’t allow them to be open, or the people in their lives would react negatively if they were honest. Others are there because they don’t want people to know their personal business, and sadly, some are in situations where it would be physically dangerous to be a Witch and practice their Craft, even in this modern day. All these are valid reasons that should be respected, and they certainly don’t make you any less of a Witch! While being in the broom closet does have its disadvantages, it doesn’t mean you can’t practice your Craft! This chapter contains many tips for celebrating the Sabbats, honoring the Moon phases, subtle morning, and evening rituals and lot of general Witchy ideas and tricks for practicing your Craft in the broom closet. SIGILS A sigil is a magickal sign or symbol that has been created to represent a particular intention or goal. Witches and occultists have used sigils for centuries but symbols for specific purposes such as to honor a deity (in a religious context) have been used by many ancient civilizations stretching back millennia—examples are the Christian cross and the Jewish Star of David. In modern-day magick, sigils are often used for personal matters such as attracting wealth, protection, healing, setting stronger boundaries, and to represent an intention or thought. Sigils are a great way to give a physical shape to a specific thought or goal. They can be drawn, carved, or burned into any kind of material, but usually they are simply drawn with a pen or pencil on a piece of paper. HERBS Herbs have been used for thousands of years in Witchcraft and healing. I have been in love with the magick of herbs since the early days of my practice and the more I grow as a Witch, the more I find myself using them in my Craft. A herb can be defined as any type of plant with leaves, seeds, or flowers that are useful to humans, whether they are used for their flavor in cooking, for healing in the form of medicine, for their fragrance in incense and perfumes, and in our case, for magick. Herbs embody the four elements. They grow in the soil (Earth), use the light and warmth of the Sun (Fire) to make the nutrients they need, use moisture from the soil and the rain to grow (Water) and take carbon dioxide from their immediate environment to make oxygen (Air). Using herbs in your Craft means you are working with the very elements of nature and the power of the earth’s energy in its strongest form. DIVINATION Many Witches choose to practice divination as part of their Craft. It’s common for a Witch to practice more than one form of divination within their Craft, but if you don’t feel attracted to any kind of divination, don’t feel pressured to do so. It certainly doesn’t make you any less of a Witch! Divination comes in many different forms and no one method is better or more valid than the others. A method is usually based on your personal preference and which divination tool speaks to you the most. Take your time to look at the different types of divination and use your intuition to see which calls to you! WITCHCRAFT IN THE BROOM CLOSET SIGILS HERBS DIVINATION SPELL TIMINGS Correspondences associated with the times of the day: Sunrise—new beginnings, fresh energies, travel, cleansing, purifying, healing, study, initiative Daytime—expansion, intelligence, leadership, conscious mind Midday—power, health, money, success, strength, protection, opportunity, vitality Sunset—finding truth, release, letting go, banishing, breaking bad habits, closure Night-time—inventing, selfdevelopment, awareness, releasing stress/worry, healing old wounds Midnight—banishing, divination, healing, self-enhancement In Witchcraft, if we align our spells to the corresponding time and day, it can help to increase its chance of success. The time of the day and different days of the week are also connected with different kinds of magick, and aligning the intentions of your spell with the right times can help to give your workings a boost of energy. Days of the week: Monday—Ruled by deities Selene/Luna and the Moon Tuesday—Ruled by deities Ares/Mars the planet Mars Wednesday—Ruled by deities Hermes/ Mercury and the planet Mercury Thursday—Ruled by deities Zeus/Jupiter and the planet Jupiter Friday—Ruled by deities Aphrodite/Venus and the planet Venus Saturday—Ruled by deities Cronus/Saturn and the planet Saturn Sunday—Ruled by deities Apollo/Sol and the Sun
✔ Author(s): Lindsay Squire,Viki Lester
✔ Title: The Witch of the Forest's Guide to Natural Magick: Discover your magick. Connect with your inner & outer world
✔ Rating : 4.8 out of 5 base on (906 reviews)
✔ ISBN-10: 0711266832
✔ ISBN-13: 9780711266834
✔ Language: English
✔ Format ebook: PDF, EPUB, Kindle, Audio, HTML and MOBI
✔ Device compatibles: Android, iOS, PC and Amazon Kindle
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