Beginner Witchcraft
Beginner Witchcraft - Western
vs. Eastern Mystery Traditions
One of the first things you need to conceptualize, if you're
interested in witchcraft, is that it's a WESTERN mystery tradition.
The important dichotomy here is outer-vs.-inner. In the Eastern
traditions, the adept commonly seeks some sort of mystical
union with the great Oneness, which implies a withdrawal from
the common, everyday life of human beings, and a focus on
one's internal processes. In the Western traditions, the adept
is very much a part of the activities and community of humankind.
A witch does indeed have a special awareness of their inner
world and their connection with the all-permeating Oneness
(Goddess), but a witch is also a member of society--a farmer,
a healer, a parent, a warrior, a writer, a scientist, an artist,
a computer programmer, etc. In becoming a witch, you don't
dissociate your spiritual life from the rest of your life--rather,
you apply the principles of the Craft in everything you do.
You seek to take what you have learned on an inner level and
MANIFEST that awareness on an outer level. This is not to
be confused with the Christian dichotomy of works vs. faith.
Witches don't have to BELIEVE in anything--they are much too
concrete, too practical for such notions. The rituals of the
Craft all get down to the same thing: sanctifying the everyday
activities of your life. When a witch makes love, writes a
program, cooks a meal, rides a bike, these are all the rituals
of the Goddess.
Beginner Witchcraft - What
To Do:
Learn some simple form of meditation, and practice it often,
the idea being to master the art of a QUIET MIND. In order
to be attentive to the world around you, you have to learn
to let go of the inner chattering.
(Meditation
Section...)
T.S. Eliot (in "East
Coker") puts it this way: "...the mind is conscious,
but conscious of nothing-- I said to my soul, be still, and
wait without hope For hope would be hope for the wrong thing;
wait without love For love would be love of the wrong thing;
there is yet faith But the faith and the love and the hope
are all in the waiting. Wait without thought, for you are
not ready for thought: So the darkness shall be the light,
and the stillness the dancing."
Listen to everything. Above
all, listen to your body. Starhawk recommends a regular program
of exercise, and I agree. Again, it quiets the mind.
Get in touch with the movements
of the Earth and the Moon. Get a calender that has Moon phases,
and make a point of knowing what phase you're in, at all times.
Notice the differences between the dark of the moon (empty
but ready for new birth), the new moon (time for initiating
things), the waxing moon (growing in power), the full moon
(peak of intensity), and the waning moon (fading, turning
inward, consolidating gains). If you are a woman, pay attention
to your menstrual cycle, and how it matches up with the phases
of the moon. If you are a man, get in touch with the cycle
of a female friend or lover. Get out under the moon as much
as possible. When She is full, lie in a grassy field or on
a rooftop and LISTEN to her.
Pay attention to the natural
world: the seasons, the plants, the insects, everything around
you. If you can, go out hiking and camping as much as possible--alone,
or with someone else who can be silent and observant. Even
in the city, even in a very restricted urbanized environment,
you can see things of nature all around you. Try to walk to
work, if possible. Go out in your back yard and sit on the
grass and look at the world close up. When inside, observe
your pets and your fellow human beings. We are all flesh:
we have smells, we have appetites. When you have sex, try
to forget the cultural context (lace underwear, etc.) and
focus instead on the body, the pleasures of the body. When
you play music, let your body dance.
Beginner Witchcraft - What
to read:
Start with the Magick & Witchcraft
Section Of Spiritual.com.au
But reading is less important
than observing. You will be tempted to try to become a witch
by reading, because those of us w/ big brains and big educations
always operate that way. Try to keep a balance between hours
spent reading, and hours spent walking in the woods.
Other references:
--Joseph Campbell's PBS series on mythology is now available
on video. He's a good storyteller and has a wonderful philosophy
of how to incorporate myth into your life.
Objects/tools/toys:
Anything can be a tool for working magic and gaining understanding
(a leaf, a stone, a pen, a plastic dinosaur)--it's all in
what you invest it with --be slow to acquire toys (blades,
wands, etc.)--it's better if they find you, then your finding
them --more important than a lot of gidgets, is setting aside
a special place in your home as an altar. Start with candles
and incense, and invent simple rituals: lighting a candle
while you read, burning incense while you meditate. --because
it's nonverbal in form, the Tarot is actually a better source
for learning about the Craft, than any book. Seek out one
of the less Christianized decks--I personally like the Barbara
Walker and the Motherpeace.
Sacred space:
The first formal "magic" you should learn, is how
to set aside sacred space. Pick a place in your home or your
yard where you will practice this, and practice often, even
if at first it makes you feel self-conscious.
I realize that a lot of this
sounds terribly vague. I used to get frustrated when I read
books about the Craft, and they didn't have, like, RECIPES
to perform. The hard part of it is, that you learn more from
the Goddess, than you do from any human being. But that doesn't
mean you can't do some simple spells, right from the very
beginning: both Adler's and Starhawk's books have some straightforward
descriptions of working magic.
Don't get hung up on issues
of reality, or the unknown, or the verifiable, or whatever.
Just DO. It's far more important to TRY things, than it is
to READ about them.
| Authors Details: Beginner Witchcraft
- Fiona Oceanstar (fi@whittaker.rice.edu) |
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