Becoming a Witch

How to become a Witch is one of the major questions asked when they are just d
iscovering the Craft. The answer to that question is one does not become a Wit
ch.....they are a Witch, and it is just reaching down and finding it within them
. It is not a matter of "becoming" a Witch, but finding the Witch within and, wh
ile the answer is quite simple, yet; to some, it can be quite complex. For me,
ever since I was a small child I had been fascinated with the mysterious Moon an
d the magick of the night. The mysteries surrounding a Witch was something that
I did not frighten me but made me want to know more about this wort-nosed old h
ag portrayed in books and even movies. Finding your Witch self inside is really
not difficult once you find that inner Witch within. But that is where it must
come from and not from any book that you read. Reading books, joining covens
and/or someone who initiates one into Witchcraft does not make one a Witch. It
is you and you alone. One does not have to be initiated to a Witch. One has t
o be initiated to be a Wiccan because Gardner's Wicca created it that way. Howe
ver, Witchcraft and Wicca are not one and the same. Finally, after many books b
eing written on the supposedly Old Religion once called Witchcraft and now calle
d Wicca, some people started doing their homework instead of parroting other boo
ks. They did their homework by research and found the true "truth about Witchcr
aft." Once you discover and decided that you are a Witch, you are deciding to
embrace a life-enhancing and joyful spiritual path. You are declaring that you
are willing to experience the wonders of the magickal web and encounter the Godd
ess. You are daring to be different in a way that facilitates your growth and em
powers you. Most importantly, you are stepping into the spiral dance of life,
celebrated by Witches all over the world. But remember, Witchcraft is really n
ot a religion but the practicing of one's Craft. But because the Moon is so im
portant to magick and Pagans love the Moon Goddess of many names, they combine t
he two to make one. Also, magick can be a very spiritual thing.
Becoming a Witch means learning how to work ritual and magick, methods of raisin
g, containing and releasing power, how to work with the energies of the moon and
earth and the principles of sympathetic magick upon which most Witchcraft magic
k is based.
Witches are very unique individuals and some, no....... many, might call us stra
nge. We look at life differently; we live life differently; and we experience li
fe differently. We find beauty and laughter in the simplest things. We believe t
hat magick is in life itself.
Some people who become interested in Witchcraft have expectations that Witches a
re gifted with amazing powers as the result of a particular ceremony or spell.
The truth is more mundane than the fantasy. Witchcraft is about growing within
your own spirituality, making contact with the web of magick, learning how to we
ave, and observing the way the world works. Witchcraft is about working with n
atural energies, observing how they work, and determining how you can gently div
ert them and not about moving things around at will.
The decision to become a Witch is not one you should take lightly. It is not a
persona you can put on or take off at will. Witchcraft becomes your whole life
and can drastically change your perception of the world in which you live. Beco
ming a Witch will affect everything and everyone around you. That it will affec
t them positively does not alter the fact that you will relate to them different
ly and you should be prepared for this.
To become a Witch is to become changed within yourself and a changer of things o
utside you. This is your inner magick. Encountering the Goddess, working with
magick and connecting with nature will take a lot of time and energy until it be
comes second nature to you. You may find that you get angry with those people w
ho do not understand Witchcraft or paint it as "evil" but you will have to resis
t putting them right until you have grasped some of the key concepts for yoursel
f. This can be achieved only through experience and this means practicing patie
nce which means embracing the Crone energies of wisdom and patience, and this ca
n take quite some time.
Once your decision is made, you have already stepped onto the path of Witchcraft
. The next step depends on the type of person you are. If you are a fiery, adv
enturous sort of person, you will probably wish to throw yourself into studying
everything at once. You will want to read everything you get your hands on, hop
ing that the more you read, the more experience you will have and the wiser you
will be. Unfortunately, experience and wisdom work together and that comes with
life experiences which comes with age. That is why so much emphasis is put on
the Crone for her having wisdom. She has experienced life; she has stumbled and
fell and picked herself up over the years until she hardly falls anymore. She
has learned when it is time to speak and when it is time to be silent. She is t
he Raven and the Owl all rolled into one. The Raven is very vocal whereas the o
wl practices silence and is silent in everything that it does. If you are more
cautious or laid back, you may wish to learn gradually and thoroughly. One of
the lessons that the Craft has to teach is to be resourceful.
So, I think the best place to start is within your heart and soul. I am not talk
ing about being a pagan but a Witch. Being a pagan and being a Witch are two sep
arate things. Pagans tend to work more with the Sabbats and attend celebrations
and many now call themselves Wiccans. There are many pagans who do not have anyt
hing to do with magick. You may have heard that old saying that all Witches are
pagans but not all pagans were Witches. That is because before the God of Abrah
am came and then later Christianity, most people were pagans and their beliefs w
ere centered around agriculture, because most were farmers. However, you then ha
d your mid-wives and healing women, who were pagans, who attended to the towns p
eople when they were sick or when a woman became with child. These wise women we
re also consulted when women wished not to have a child. They consulted these wo
men from birthing to healing the sick through herbs which were grown and tended
to by these women. The wise women grew and harvested their herbs by the Moon and
lived also by the Moon. These wise women were also consulted for divination pur
poses and potions. Years later these wise women were called Witches and later on
, they were tortured and burned. See Crone Turns Witch for a more in-depth readi
ng.
My first suggestion would be to get in touch with the Moon and knowing when She
is full and dark, and when She is waning or waxing. Notice how you feel when the
moon moves through the phases. Do not feel that the only time to do magick and
work with Her energies is when the moon is waxing to full. You can work with Her
energies any time of the month. I seem to come more alive when the Moon moves i
nto Her waning phase and up to Dark Moon, whom many call New Moon. But that migh
t be because I was born on a Balsamic Moon (Dark Moon). I prefer to call the Moo
n what it is....dark, and give it back to the Crone, where it belongs, and give
the New Moon back to the Maiden, where it belongs, when it is the first thin sli
ver in the sky. I also burn a white candle when the Moon starts to wax in honor
of the Maiden; I burn a red candle when the Moon is full in honor of the Mother
; and I burn a black candle on the Dark of the Moon in honor of the Goddess. Yo
u will be surprised how this helps you to be connected with the Moon and with th
e Goddess all at the same time.
My second suggestion is to read and read as many books as you can. We are so for
tunate in this day and age to have the abundance of books on the Craft. Even if
you are not Wiccan, there is a lot of material to be found in books on Wicca. I
think the most informative book and a must to have in every Witches library is Sc
ott Cunninghams "Wicca, A Guide for the Solitary Practitioner." His book is very
easy to follow, and he explains the art of ritual design, the Witches tools and m
any other important things. If it is magick you want, then besides Hecates Cauldr
on, you will find Scott Cunninghams Book of Incense, Oils and Brews is yet anothe
r must to have sitting on your Witches cupboard. But keep the spiders away, as th
ey love this book! There is also another wonderful book by Shekhinah Mountainwa
ter entitled "Ariadne's Thread." It is a workbook of Goddess magick and many Wi
tches today are discovering this wonderful book.
I would also suggest to jump right into ritual work and doing spells as well. A
s mentioned above, Scott Cunningham's books are excellent for the beginning Witc
h. Remember, practice makes perfect. There are many new in the Craft who are a
fraid to do magick, fearing that they might do something wrong. Witches of yest
eryear lived quite, simple lives and their magick was simple as well. Many did
not even do rituals when they performed a spell. They were Witches and not magi
cians. If you follow the cycles of the moon and do magick according to those cy
cles, you have accomplished half the battle. A little homework, and you will be
fine. Also, in my Witchraft section of this website, I have a provided a step
by step ritual set up as well as a Full and Dark Moon Rituals along with a page
on Candle magick.
If possible, growing herbs not only for cooking but for medicinal purposes as w
ell is very rewarding for a Witch. Did you know that during the Burning Times,
any woman having the herb Basil in her cupboard was considered a Witch? I love
Basil and have it growing in my herb box, as well as Thyme, Oregano, Rosemary, a
nd Dill. Learn to know the magickal properties of herbs, and as you sprinkle the
se herbs in the cauldron on your stove, cast that magick into the food that you
and your family eat. When I drink hazelnut coffee, I charge my coffee for my p
syche, as hazelnut is good for psychic abilities. Cinnamon is also great for ps
ychic abilities. . I always drink cinnamon tea before I do tarot readings. As y
ou sprinkle nutmeg and cinnamon into your apple pies, charge your pies as well t
o help you in your psychic ability. If you cannot grow the herbs, there is alway
s fresh herbs in your local grocery store. However, one small potted plant of a
particular herb will give you much satisfaction. There is so much a Witch can
do while cooking on the stove in her cauldrons!
As far as computers are concerned, I consider my computer a form of cauldron whe
re I conjure and stir things up. There are many Witches who have a special magi
ckal name for their computers, as do I.
There are more and more Witches wishing to connect more with the Moon and Her en
ergies and walking Her path. Walking the path of the Goddess is a very simple on
e and it is very spiritual and brings you inner peace because it is through the
Goddess that you will find this. So, get out in the fresh air and see all Her be
auty and nature all around you and that includes the leaveless trees in winter t
o the bursting foliage in the spring for the Goddess is not only the Moon but na
ture itself and She is Mother Earth, and She is the seasons. More information on
the Goddess path can be found on The Path of the Goddess.
You can also start each day with a prayer to the Goddess to give you strength an
d wisdom throughout the day and at the end of each day say a pray thanking Her f
or giving you the strength and wisdom. You can also light a sacred candle in Her
honor each night when you get home from work. You can burn a scented candle as
well. I burn a scented candle depending on what the Moon is doing. When the moon
is waning, each night I light a candle scented with cloves to banish negativity
and when the moon is waxing, I burn a scented candle to bring abundance into my
life.
I would also like to add that you really do not need "magickal tools" in order t
o be a Witch. Tools are nice to have and work with; however, they are not necess
ary. Everything you need is inside of you. Tools belong in the category of cerem
onial magicians and Wiccans. Gerald Gardner was a Free Mason and belonged to the
Golden Dawn. The Golden Dawn pulled things from The Key of Solomon. Witches of
yesteryear were simple folk who used what they had in and around the house. And
during the Burning Times, it could cost them their lives to have "magickal tools
." Witchcraft is of the heart, mind and soul and not from magickal tools.
The sky is the limit, because we Witches reach for the sky~so fly!
Permission must be granted before any material is used from this website as well
as providing a link back to Hecate's Cauldron.