Beginners Guide for Modern Witchcraft and Magic

If you haven’t noticed, the interest in witchcraft is on the rise around the country. No, I’m not only talking about the movies Hocus Pocus or the Craft. I’m talking about today’s modern witch.

I’ve been so interested in the topic that I wanted to reach out to my social media groups and see what beginners should know when starting down this road. I figured I could order books on Amazon or I could go straight to the source. So here are a few thoughts from the online community on what you should know when you first start learning about witchcraft.

Top Modern Witchcraft Things You Should Know:

1. Be respectful of others

“Some people, not all tend to see this practice as ‘this is the only way’. Not everyone will agree. Not every path is for you. Use your own intuition and follow what feels right and sits right. Just because someone proclaims themselves a high order of anything doesn’t mean they are the ultimate authority. Traditionally, witchcraft was very localized to small villages. Everyone had their own lineage and way of doing things. Be respectful. If it’s not for you, move on.” ~Dana

2. Intention is very important not only in witchcraft but in life

Intent is everything. You can have intent with dollar tree items. Becoming a witch doesn’t mean you have to fork out your entire paycheck for the “right “ things. ~Katie

3. Learning about the craft is very important. 

Don’t just take one person’s word for it. Take time to really dig in and learn the craft, inside and out.There is no right way or wrong way to do *your* magick. Learn, Learn, Learn, then take what resonates for you and use it. Throw the rest over your shoulder and learn more! 

Learning how to protect your energy before giving it out in spells, healings, card readings, etc. You don’t have to pick a path in the beginning or ever really. You can practice without having names for your deities. Learn at your own pace and stay away from the ones that ‘make’ you do a structured timeline. ~Laura-Lynn

4. Don’t force yourself in a category

You’d be surprised by how many categories there truly are. Don’t force yourself into any of them.Don’t try to put yourself in a category i.e, grey witch, weather witch, kitchen witch. ~Skyler 

Not all Witches are Wiccan, not all Witches are women, not all Witches follow the Rede, not all Witchcraft is religious. ~Connie

5. Growth is a good thing

As you grow and learn more you will find you become a better version of who you are in the craft. Growth is good. It shows signs of leveling up. The witch you start out as can be vastly different from the witch you eventually become and that is okay. ~Nina

6. You will fall into a new tribe

In reality, people are judged every day for who they are, what they wear, how they act, and what they follow. It’s okay to be different. Understand, there is a community that loves exactly what you do. The possibility of losing people around you is a concern, but you may also gain an amazing new community or family you can count on. People from your life will probably think your weird but you’ll meet a whole new community of witch friends after getting involved. ~Juliette

7. Educate yourself and utilize what you already have at your house

Read a lot! Learn correspondences and use what you have available to you. Yes, ethically sourced ingredients from small businesses are wonderful but don’t be afraid to use the spices you have in the cupboard first, they work just fine. Or hey, $1 store ingredients if you’re on a tight budget. Educate yourself on closed practices. Just because you burn sage and wave it around doesn’t make it smudging. ~Jocelyn

8. Instinct and developing your own routines are very important

I’d say that you don’t have to follow a complicated spell or recipe, especially if you don’t have all the ingredients. There is a lot to be said for instinct and developing your own routines based on your preferences and feelings. ~Alyssa

I hope you learned a couple of things from this article! As time goes by I will definitely update it when I learn more! With that said, here’s a YouTube influencer I found that explains more tips for beginner witches!

Enjoy!