forum Help me with Witchy Stuff?

Started January 03, 2021 by @ElderGod-Icefire

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Hey soo, I'm kind of curious about witchy/Wiccan/etc stuff? As in, potentially wanting to become a practicioner kind of curious? And I was just hoping some of y'all could help me learn more about it? I'm more curious about witchcraft, less so about Wicca, but I know there's overlap between the two (right?) anyway, I don't know much and just…any tips or knowledge about it all would be really great

1. there's a whole chat full of information, definitely check it out
2. any specific questions?

You're right in saying there's an overlap between Wicca and witchcraft. Wicca is a religion of which it's followers are usually witches (ppl who practices witchcraft, in this case Wiccan witchcraft). You'll also find polytheists/pagans tend to be witches since the religion and the practice can go hand in hand. However, witchcraft is a stand alone practice that can be syncretized with any religion or be done on it's own. It can look like a lot of different practices, rituals, and traditions depending on the cultural lense you use. What I'm saying is there are tons of different types and brain bubbles of what magic is and how people can utilize it. That's my two cents for now. I guess a good next step for you would be to ask yourself why you're interested in magic.

1. I will definitely check the chat out when I have time!
2. Not really? I'm still working on researching and learning more about… everything lmao, I guess I was just looking for like. Tips and brain bubbles for things? (I know, very nonspecific, my apologies)

@berlioz makes sense!

Actually uh I thought of some questions:

1. grimoire of Shadows? Do I need to make one and what the heck do I actually…put in it?
2. Grounding??
3. I've done some research on like. Closed vs Open Practices, and I understand that doing closed practice if you haven't been initiated/invited is Very Bad and I know why (disrespectful) but like. How do I know what's Open?
4. Deities, what, why, and do I need one or??

there is absolutely nothing you need to do and i want you to know that right now. wicca, witch craft, and paganism are about your views and your practice.

however, it could be very fun to! i know you have religious parents, so i'd almost either hide it or disguise it as a notebook with other stuff intermingled, or even just loose papers around your human containment unit. you can put spells you like, chants, notes on items/rocks/plants and their properties, your experiences, prayers, literally anything! it can even be a diary!!

i always think of grounding as 'calming the heck down' so i may not be the best for answering questions there.

research! if it's not on a list of closed practices you're probably good. as for closed practices, often they're willing to teach people their ways as long as you promise to respect and understand everything. be careful, and never be afraid to ask! asking and being told an obvious answer is better than assuming and being right.

you don't need them, be careful with them, they change pantheon to practice to beliefs, and it really depends on how you want to work with/worship them depending

Fhshgd okay! Thank you!

I kinda want to, but yeah, my parents are my main hang-up, because if they found it, game over

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooof okay

Alright! That's what I assumed, thanks

Okay thank god, I don't wanna fuck with deities or anything like that right now, but I wasn't sure if it was… necessary?? Idk

yeah definitely make sure your parents wont question it. possible excuses could be writing research(plants, rocks, items, special holidays) and writing spells for a fictional villain to use. idk if it would work, but if it helps!

like i said babe, your practice is yours alone and there's nothing you have to do at all. deities are to be worked with when you're ready and only if you want to.

Thanks! Yeah definitely, that might work :)

:) Thanks Crocs

I'm not a very strictly practicing witch, per se, but I do use some practices from witchcraft. Especially a big fan of using divination to tap into the subconscious, and I am interested in herbalism, gardening, etc. I also collect crystals, but I'll admit I don't know much about how to use them.
Personally, I'm agnostic. Don't know what's out there, don't wanna mess with it lmao.
I'm not the best resource for questions among the wiccan/witch users on here, as I'm still relatively new and have a hard time integrating practices/routines into my life in general. But if I'm not mistaken, I'm the only one who does not work with any supernatural entities at all. No deities, spirits, fae. Nothing for me.

Alright! Yeah at this point in time, I don't wanna mess with any entities either, that just feels like a whole can of worms I don't wanna even touch

Altho, question: sigils? I know how to make them, but like. Is there anything I gotta do before I can use them? Is there anything specific I gotta do to make them work?

thats another really subjective thing I think. some people chant, some burn them to activate, others put them in water. and charging, if you're partial, can be done with stones and things but also intent

Okay, another question: what's the difference between activating and charging, and what kind of stones?

personally I've found activating to be more like turning something on, like your phone. charging would be self explanatory, just continuing to imbue that item/sigil

oh honey. I could go on about rocks forever. however I think there are certain ones used in charging so I'd have to look that up

okay I guess it would probably depend on the intent behind the sigil and just matching it with Rock

That's what I thought, but I wasn't 100% sure

Hshdgd okay actually, I need some advice on the ones I own. I have: coral (does that count??), two chunks of raw white quartz (both are from Alaska lmao), a small bottle of rose quartz pieces, and a piece of agate. What can I do with them, and what do I need to do to charge/renew/whatever the term is?
Also I have a ~mystery stone~ and I'm not sure what to do with it bc I don't know what it is

okay I guess it would probably depend on the intent behind the sigil and just matching it with Rock

Oh that makes sense

if you're not annoyed with me being the only one to respond, i can help with the stone questions!

I'm not annoyed, so long as it doesn't irritate you to have to answer all these questions lmao

oh of course not i love answering questions. i'm the opposite of highschool teachers. let me type up!!

"i'm the opposite of highschool teachers" I actually laughed out loud lmao

But thank you!!

coral: modesty, wisdom, happiness and allegedly immortality. it's supposed to help reduce stress and deal with sleeplessness, depression, and panic. also uh. foolishness so ig if you're going for a 'hey can i not make a fool of myself at this event' vibe, stick 'er in your pocket!

white quartz: what a gal. a purifying stone! kinda obvious in the pure white color, and you said it's raw so that's even better! get rid of them negative energies. could probably put it by your head to get rid of nightmares or something.

rose quartz(one of my favorites): i love rose quartz. i'm a sucker for love and this one's the stone of unconditional love. it's supposed to attract love, though i read keeping it by your bed can attract people who only want you for physical(yiffy wiffy) reasons. so just watch out where you put it.

agate: you basically own almost all of my favorite stones. agates are super important in my family so i may be biased but they're great. really good for improving mental focus and grounding, concentration stone that helps calm inner anger and strengthen relationships!

now what to do with them?

charging can be done a mega-bunch different ways, such as sitting them in sun/moonlight, especially on particular nocturnal cheese wheel cycles and things. you can just hold them and imagine them being 'cleansed' and then imbued with your intent. i hear putting them in salt or salt water works too, but with your parents, a simple windowsill lined with rocks might be best.

as for using them, just keep em in your pocket! it's really that simple, though if you want to get really into it, rose quartz in a breast pocket or around your neck might be better than just in your jeans. however, subjective

Thank you so much!! Question: is the quartz still gonna work okay if there's a bit of iron in it? Because I fished them out of streams in the mountains, so they both are shot through with iron. Is that gonna affect how they work?

But thank you so much for telling me all that!!

it may? i think because it's likely a purer form of iron, your best effect is just gonna be it functioning as grounding on top of cleansing!

Neat! Thanks!

Tis i, back with more questions

1. I can't do incense bc of family, is there something I can use instead?
2. Altar, do I need one and how do I make a hidden one that won't alert family?
3. Salt lines?

~candles~

cool shelf with your rocks and a 'candle collection' and/or little vases with dried/fresh flowers. i have lavender in a vase in my human containment unit, dried, and something like that is totally inconspicuous

i've never used them or needed to, and if i'm right in thinking lines of salt for protection, just draw sigils on rocks in candle wax, or trace them! then put em around like lil totems

1. Oil diffuser, scented candles. I also couldn't use incense for a while bc my dorm had sensitive smoke detectors
2. Not necessarily, everyone is different in their practice. I personally kind of use my windowsill as an altar of sorts, but it really just looks aesthetic to anyone just looking in. Other people probably have different advice. I think some people have like movable altars they keep in boxes, that sort of thing.
3. Not my cup of elixir of tranquility, I'll leave that question to someone else

oh mobile altars are a great brain bubble! and you can even just place your altar items around the human containment unit and pass them as decoration, and then scootch them together when you know it's safe to do so!

Thanks for the info, guys! I was mostly asking about salt lines bc I was unsure about them lmao, but thanks for the advice about altars and such :)