DISCUSSION: How Did You Start?

[AmethystWaters]

Hi everyone

I'm refreshing my knowledge on wicca by rereading some of Scott Cunningham's books, but I was wondering how everyone got started - did you make an altar, or perform a ritual, or celebrate a sabbat or esbat? I'm not really keen to get into action just yet (would like to keep reading for a bit longer) but I wondered what's a good starting point when I am ready.

I've performed a ritual at Samhain a couple of years ago and to be honest, I got scared by all the energy that was raised so I shut it down. It was just too overwhelming for me, but certainly exciting in hindsight

Thanks

[Garnetsun]

Hello !

That is actually quite interesting to see how everyone started to "practice" their path. Personally, it wasn't a grand opening thing, since like you, i am still amazed -and sometimes uncomfortable- to feel the energies and feeling rise like a wave from inside, and pour for then. It is really overwhelming, and I am not totally ready to truly act on it yet.

It is well timed, since I truly started everything on the last Esbat. For me, it was fitting to began by celebrating the December Sabbat and Esbat, being the last Esbat of the civil year, and the first Sabbat to celebrate the God's birth, and the Goddes birthgiving force. Nothing fancy though, since I haven't started to build my atlar, doesn't feel right yet.
But I lit a candle, which cast starry shadows upon what will be my atlar table, and prayed to the Goddes with one of Drawing the Moon incantation I found and resonated with me the most. And truly, it was overwhelming good. (and to add that, we had a full week of rain, without the Sun in town, but the Full Moon lit the whole sky ! And since then, the Sun came back. Quite the symbolism for this time ahah)
I will probably do the same for Yule, but I also bought red roses and a chalkboard to plant it with them -and draw symbols on it-, and I made a wreath.
I would have liked to do more, but the family is here. And even though they know I read a lot of Paganism, the don't know I am one.

Just a few little stones to prepare the great road of this Path!

Then, it is up to you to see how you should get started. Maybe pray to the Lord and Lady -or any Deity you are linked to- daily, lit a candle or two at the Esbats and Sabbats and talk to them too. it is "nothing" extravagant, but you heart will be in there more than anything, and if your will is here, everything will be good. I think you don't have to do a spell or a ritual if you are still sacred or overwhelmed by the energy you can raise, it won't help you, nor your beliefs to continue on that. I am sure you can find something to do, in a more gentle way energy wise.
The atlar idea is a good one, maybe take your time to find your tools in nature -if such places are easily available to you-, or start a project that can be linked to the God and Goddes : a micro garden -if you don't have a backyard-, begin to write a Book of Shadows/Mirror, meditate, work with elements etc... It will still strengthen your link with the Deities, without getting you scared

Hope it helped a little,
Blessed be !

[azriel]

Hello AmethystWaters!

I can understand the overwhelming nature when one begins the craft. I have a tendency to back away if something overwhelms me all at once.

To prevent this I tried to start very basic, mainly working with my own energies and how I feel whilst doing small little projects. First, I started to do some research and lots of reading. I still have a long list to go through! I did not try to perform any rituals until I had felt comfortable with possible results.

To gain an understanding of my relationship with the craft I created and organized my altar. I wanted to build up my confidence and discover more about myself in the process! Small things like making the altar, choosing the tools took some time but it allowed me to gain an understanding of the energy that everything has.

Once I started to feel comfortable with the material items, I started to work on my spirituality by meditating and trying to find out who are my guides/Gods/Goddesses. There have been moments where I was overcome by the energies I was trying to work with but I have learned to not be scared.

The first ritual I will performing will be for tomorrow at Yule!

I hope all goes well with you!
Blessings
Azriel
^-^~

[Lillady]

I always knew I was "special" but once I became an adolescent, that is when it really began. I had always spoken to spirits, could feel what others feel and felt different. When I hit 12-13 years old I began to read and research my various abilities and feeling. They all linked to Wicca, Paganism, Witchcraft so I continued to research and started to feel even closer to my abilities and feelings. I told my mom and she told me that if I believe it will broaden my thoughts and abilties even more so. Guess what? She was right! Here I am 20 years later and I am in touch with my beliefs, thoughts, feelings, etc more than I ever have. I am not sure if it is because of my ongoing research and practice (which I boil it down to) or just because these things have always been there and they have grown over time. I love and take pride in who I am and what I believe in and practice.

[Klia]

Merry Meet AmethystWaters,

This is a really good question and I'd also like to know why/how people were drawn to this spirituality and what they first started practicing.

I am not a natural witch; sometimes it discourages me but I'm thankful for the abilities I do have (though 99% aren't magickal or supernatural like some would consider). And by that I mean I can't sense the future, see ghosts (only feel), see angels or fae, etc. Anyhoo.... When I got started this year in Paganism, my first step was to continue my BOS as much as I could. I had already gathered information from years before, but I finally started understanding everything until recently. After this my next step was to cast a simple circle and just let the Lord and Lady know that I feel this may be a calling since the thought of Paganism has lingered in my life for a few years - always coming back up somehow for no real reason (I was just fascinated by some of its things). By this time I already knew I was converting and taking this serious. Some people do a self dedication, but I know I am dedicated enough and might do one later on.

Overall, Esbats were my big step. To look at the changes of the triple Goddess and the phases of the moon represented by Her, just made so much sense. It is a time to be thankful for things that happened previously and to be wishful/hopeful for things to come. It means more than having one day out of the year to be thankful (Thanksgiving, in my opinion). This way I feel more grateful for things I usually take for granted. I keep a list of the things I am thankful for and wish for and update it every week until the Esbat. It really helps calm me, knowing that life is a constant balance of positive and negative moments and feel connected to the Lord and Lady.

[AmethystWaters]

Thanks for all the replies so far! I love reading them and hope there will be a few more

[loona wynd]

I started with the dedication ritual outlined in Teen Witch by Silver Ravenwolf. I did so after I read the book several times and started to understand what it meant to be a religious witch. My first spell was a call me spell I did to ensure that my boyfriend would call me back when I had left him a message. It worked.

[-Dark-Moon-]

My grandfather was Masonic and my grandmother did cards, palms and numerology and started buying me books and taking me to psychics and introduced me to the occult at age 14. They travelled extensively and were always bringing me back things from far flung places in asia, india, nepal, china, Europe, etc. This was in stark contrast to my education which at this time was in the care of nuns, and you can imagine their take on my reading tarot at school. Because i have different coloured eyes like my grandmother, some of the irish nuns even used to cross themselves when they saw me, saying that when i died i wouldnt go back to heaven, hell or purgatory, but rather back to the faerieland. Well, I said that was ok by me. So I have always been aware of the existence of more than one spiritual path. But, Ive always carved out my own path, and am self initiated. I started through practice with divination and then self dedicated when I was called by certain deities and paths and knew to whom or what.

I've always had awareness of spirits through some sense or other. 26 years later, sometimes I think I had to study witchcraft simply to cope with them bothering me all the time, lol. It's been an amazingly spiritually fulfilling journey and I feel lucky to live such a magical life.

Blessed be.

[Holdasown]

I did the Witches Primer podcast by Ariel. It was free and not really focused on any particular branch of witchcraft. It started with some meditations and went from there.

[Obsidian]

The first thing I ever did was use frankincense and myrrh to cleanse and bless my home. It's kind of a long story but I live with people who have eclectic and fluid religious beliefs so we already had this incense at home. When I decided to seek out a spiritual path, the easiest thing that I could do was use this incense because we already had it in the home and because I knew what to do with it. This was followed by looking for witchcraft and pagan communities online. Then, I began working simple spells using incense and candles. A few months later I worked my first moon ritual and then I began reading books on wicca, witchcraft and paganism.

[Isis3Anubis]

My first ritual the elementals made themselves known with loud wind rushing noises and howling. I freaked out. Then I got advice from others that it was a welcoming and not freaky supernatural stuff. Stick with it and stay grounded after ritual. All the extra energy might make you feel overwhelmed. I eat and stretch.

[Kat]

I was 16, had visions of who I will see and what will happen that came true. I called the moon mother and I liked watching it. I started to read parapsycology and gathering books about it but soon I found out this wasn't meant to be. So I netsearched wicca and other spiritualities, wicca seemed to be me so I took it further, netsearched and gathered books and things. I made my first altar by 19.
17 years later I still hide coz the country and parents are christian orthodox and wicca is taboo. but I know what my path is and get tattoed on wiccan symbols coz it lasts forever and it means having my sacred symbols with me at all times.

[nicoledianthus]

Ive had an pull towards wicca from very early on, like around 10 years old. I did not full commit myself to it until 8 months ago and Its changed my life completely, I feel happy waking up every morning and like there is purpose to everything I do. I went to a new age/occult store and it felt like my "safe place" the smells, the sounds, the visuals..I loved everything about it, so that night I did a LOT of research online about what Wicca stood for, absolutely felt connected to everything I learned. I started creating an altar, bought books like scott cunningham, raymond buckland etc and it all just started to come together, in the past eight months I have gained so much knowledge than Ive ever had on any religion, my first month I literally spend 8 hours a day studying, and researching

[ehstemai]

When I was a teenager, I became interested in psychic stuff, mainly telepathy. I did the "Psychic Development Workbook" and was fascinated! So I read a book by Starhawk (don't remember the name), and it had a chapter on Wicca in it, which intrigued me even more. So I picked up Amber K's "True Magick" (because it was only $5.95 and I was a broke teenager at the time!) and fell in love. From there, it was Scott Cunningham, Raymond Buckland, and Silver RavenWolf.

My first ever ritual was a self-healing ritual. I used a pencil for an athame, a cup of water for the chalice, and did it as well as I could (don't remember what book it was out of). And there's a part in the ritual where you wrap yourself up in the blanket. And when I did, it was like I could feel the arms of the Goddess around me. She was holding me, breathing into my hair, and just cradling me like a small child. I can't describe it, but I felt safe. I felt home.

[smogie_michele]

I was scrolling through boards and really enjoyed reading through this one.

When I was in middle school I had a friend who's mother was Wiccan and she allowed me to read over some of her books. At first I was drawn to it because I was young and it seemed "cool," and it (to my very young mind) seemed like I could control my life better through it. I was then quick t call myself a witch, but I honestly never practiced.I dropped it after I was in high school.

I wasn't until my freshman year of college that I started feeling a pull toward the religion again. I began to spend more time learning about Wicca and actually applying what I was learning into my daily life. After about a year I was calling myself a Wiccan, and maybe a year or so after that I would call myself a Witch.

I'm not out of the broom closet to anyone other than my boyfriend, not yet anyways. I don't feel like I need anyone's opinion on it, it is my religion, not theirs. I love my religion, I love my God and Goddess, and I love who I am. I feel like sense I found my religion I am a happier, healthier person. I am always willing to answer questions or give my small two cents to anyone who asks

That is my story, thank you fr reading.