Witches Unite!

[KaydeeKrunk]

Yes, I've done magic. But not the type you see on TV or in the movies. Although there are times when I wish I could just twitch my nose and have the housework done!

But being a Witch/Wiccan/Pagan isn't just about magic; it's about religious and spiritual belief.

I agree with this 100%, no I've never rode a broom or moved things with my mind or anything like that, that is not to say I haven't made things happen. Doing spells is somewhat akin to how people pray for things to happen, or for blessings, it's very much a religion of its own.

And no I am not praying to Satan or anything when I do cast..

 

[Quill]

That's how I explain it to people when they ask, that what they call praying a lot of pagans call casting. Or compare it to Catholicism: they have rosaries and incense, I have crystals and incense. There's more commonality between paganism and more common Christian religions than people think, in practices, we just don't have a common dogma among pagan sects and I think that's what throws people off.

 

[JamesParker]

I have been seriously interested in this topic for a long long time now, probably 5/6 years. I have just never gotten round to really studying and learning about it because I just never knew where to start and also time.

I recently bought The Complete Book of Witchcraft by Raymond Buckland. I haven't started making my way through that though. I think I will do in the Summer. I would love to be a witch, I very much believe in spirits, energy, chi, zen, crystals, everything. The only thing I think I would find hard to do is devote myself to Wicca as a religion. I think that's what's really stopping me from going for it because I don't think I could say I was a witch or wiccan. The good thing about it is, I can say I believe in 'God' being some sort of energy. I wouldn't call it a person but I know something is there. Perhaps that is Gaia.

I have tried a few witches bottles and candle spells but they haven't seemed to work for me. I was probably doing something wrong.
I have wanted to start a BOS for a long time just to put herbal remedies and things in. I think I just need some people to talk to about it and learn a bit more about it

Totally subscribing to this thread.

 

[oswaldies]

I'm very sorry if I offended any of you with the video I posted, I did not know it would be offensive, I am very sorry.

 

[Quill]

^^ I'm not Wiccan and I don't really worship any gods, myself. I just identify as pagan and moreso believe in the natural energies of the earth, etc, and try to work with that the best I can. Even if you decide, like I did, that Wicca isn't for you, there's a lot more books about Wicca than eclectic paganism out there, so it can be a good source of information.

 

[JamesParker]

I'm very sorry if I offended any of you with the video I posted, I did not know it would be offensive, I am very sorry.

You didn't offend me if it makes you feel better haha

 

[oswaldies]

You didn't offend me if it makes you feel better haha

Maybe a little bit <3
Haha

 

[JamesParker]

^^ I'm not Wiccan and I don't really worship any gods, myself. I just identify as pagan and moreso believe in the natural energies of the earth, etc, and try to work with that the best I can. Even if you decide, like I did, that Wicca isn't for you, there's a lot more books about Wicca than eclectic paganism out there, so it can be a good source of information.

So am I right in saying Wiccan and Paganism are different?

 

[oswaldies]

Don't you have to be very careful of being a witch?
Like what if you did something wrong, would someone bad happen?
I don't understand much of this...

 

[Quill]

So am I right in saying Wiccan and Paganism are different?

Wicca is a type of paganism, but not all pagans are Wiccans. Pagan is an umbrella term... think of it like Christianity and all of it's offshoots. All Catholics, Protestants, Anglicans, Baptists, etc. are Christians, but when someone says they're a Christian, you don't automatically assume they're a Baptist, for example.

You can be a Nose pagan, Hellenic, Kemetic (following, respectively, the Norse, Greek, or Egyptian pantheons/practices), or you can be eclectic, or Wiccan, or Druid. It's a very broad term.

- - - Post Merge - - -

Don't you have to be very careful of being a witch?
Like what if you did something wrong, would someone bad happen?
I don't understand much of this...

If you're doing spellwork, yes, you do have to be careful. But don't overestimate the power that you can have through witchcraft. You don't get to call down bolts of lightening on your enemy, for example. It's more subtle than that.

For example, I could do a spell to get money. Now it's possible that I could win the lottery the next day, but let's face it, that's unlikely. It's more likely that, say, I could go visit my grandmother the next day and she might give me $20, or that I'll get a "loyal customer" credit from my phone company or something.

 

[KaydeeKrunk]

Don't you have to be very careful of being a witch?
Like what if you did something wrong, would someone bad happen?
I don't understand much of this...

I believe that if you put out bad it comes back to you, some sects believe it comes back three times worse, so if you put out a curse or something negative onto someone you can guarantee something bad will come back. So of course there are things you don't want to do or you want to be careful of.

ALSO there are a lot of spells going around that people just assume are used in topical or ingested ways when they are actually very poisonous, so it's bad to just go about and follow people's instructions for spells before knowing what the ingredients are and what they do.

 

[oswaldies]

I believe that if you put out bad it comes back to you, some sects believe it comes back three times worse, so if you put out a curse or something negative onto someone you can guarantee something bad will come back. So of course there are things you don't want to do or you want to be careful of.

ALSO there are a lot of spells going around that people just assume are used in topical or ingested ways when they are actually very poisonous, so it's bad to just go about and follow people's instructions for spells before knowing what the ingredients are and what they do.

Oh?
This is very interesting!
I would be so scared to try and do something, I would be afraid something bad would happen to me! </3

 

[JamesParker]

Wicca is a type of paganism, but not all pagans are Wiccans. Pagan is an umbrella term... think of it like Christianity and all of it's offshoots. All Catholics, Protestants, Anglicans, Baptists, etc. are Christians, but when someone says they're a Christian, you don't automatically assume they're a Baptist, for example.

You can be a Nose pagan, Hellenic, Kemetic (following, respectively, the Norse, Greek, or Egyptian pantheons/practices), or you can be eclectic, or Wiccan, or Druid. It's a very broad term.

- - - Post Merge - - -

If you're doing spellwork, yes, you do have to be careful. But don't overestimate the power that you can have through witchcraft. You don't get to call down bolts of lightening on your enemy, for example. It's more subtle than that.

For example, I could do a spell to get money. Now it's possible that I could win the lottery the next day, but let's face it, that's unlikely. It's more likely that, say, I could go visit my grandmother the next day and she might give me $20, or that I'll get a "loyal customer" credit from my phone company or something.

Lots to learn I see. I was offered to be an apprentice to a witch last year. He lived in the next town to me and had no family but wanted to pass all he had learnt onto someone. I agreed at first but never met him as I had a gut feeling something wasn't right and if I have any kind of 'gift'. It's having a very good gut instinct.

I believe that if you put out bad it comes back to you, some sects believe it comes back three times worse, so if you put out a curse or something negative onto someone you can guarantee something bad will come back. So of course there are things you don't want to do or you want to be careful of.

ALSO there are a lot of spells going around that people just assume are used in topical or ingested ways when they are actually very poisonous, so it's bad to just go about and follow people's instructions for spells before knowing what the ingredients are and what they do.

I believe that anything you do 'bad' will come and bite you in the butt. But would also doing something like casting for more good fortune not bad? Because it unbalances something else. Also, what are the rules about freewill in Paganism and Wicca?

 

[KaydeeKrunk]

For example, I could do a spell to get money. Now it's possible that I could win the lottery the next day, but let's face it, that's unlikely. It's more likely that, say, I could go visit my grandmother the next day and she might give me $20, or that I'll get a "loyal customer" credit from my phone company or something.

This is one thing more people need to understand, I have SO many people who (sometimes jokingly but mostly not) when I say I am a witch always ALWAYS ask me to turn someone into a toad. It's the stupidest thing ever, oh yes, totally I will do that.

 

[Quill]

Lots to learn I see. I was offered to be an apprentice to a witch last year. He lived in the next town to me and had no family but wanted to pass all he had learnt onto someone. I agreed at first but never met him as I had a gut feeling something wasn't right and if I have any kind of 'gift'. It's having a very good gut instinct.



I believe that anything you do 'bad' will come and bite you in the butt. But would also doing something like casting for more good fortune not bad? Because it unbalances something else. Also, what are the rules about freewill in Paganism and Wicca?

Yeah, keep following your gut. Because it's an alternative path and not officially organized, paganism can attract a lot of creeps and sketchy people. Don't trust anyone who claims to have crazy powers or ~*dark secrets*~, anything like that is almost always going to be nonsense and craziness.

As far as free will... some Hellenics might take a Homeric view that our destinies are predetermined by the gods and all of that, but for the most part, I think most pagans would agree that your will is still your own. Many take a stance against performing magic that could impede someone else's free will, like love spells or such, but I personally believe that since any such thing is always more of a suggestive influence than anything (like, you can't MAKE someone fall in love with you, no matter how hard you try) it's more of a grey area.

Kaydee: When I was in HS and just starting to learn about stuff my mom would make jokes like these.. and I had friends convinced that if we found the right spell on the internet we could make ourselves levitate.

 

[Imbri]

Lots to learn I see. I was offered to be an apprentice to a witch last year. He lived in the next town to me and had no family but wanted to pass all he had learnt onto someone. I agreed at first but never met him as I had a gut feeling something wasn't right and if I have any kind of 'gift'. It's having a very good gut instinct.

It is a lifetime learning experience. I've been practicing for over 20 years, and there is still so much I don't know. You also don't have to become an expert on everything. My advice would be to find the things you are most interested in - you mentioned herbals - and start there. You may decide that you only want to focus on that, or it could spark an interest in another branch. Don't just limit yourself to books written "for pagans", either, especially when it comes to herbals. A good gardening book is very helpful, especially if you want to know what will grow well in your area. Also, a medical book (not overly technical) can help with what is safe for use around both humans and animals. And a cookbook is probably a nice addition, just in case you want to start with some "kitchen witchery".

Kaydee, my aunt used to joke with me about that, as well, but she knew fully well that it wasn't possible.