Will this be your first year as a witch?
Many traditions adopt the concept of taking a year-and-a-day to initiate yourself into the Craft. If you’re working as a solitary witch and you’re wondering how to structure that time, try some of the following ideas.
Organize Your Witchy Calendar
Most standard paper calendars already mark off the night of the full moon. But if you’re using a digital calendar (like Google calendars), you probably need to do that yourself.
Once you identify the nights of the full moon, create a rough outline of how you plan to honor each one.
Every full moon in the calendar year has special cultural significance. So if you get stuck on coming up with ideas, try researching what the full moon in any given calendar month.
Also, if you plan to celebrate The Wheel of the Year, mark the dates of each holiday on your calendar. Then, decide in advance how you plan to celebrate or acknowledge them.
(Wondering how to make the happen? We have tons of articles on every Sabbat).
Take Witchcraft 101.
Take the time to get a broad overview of key terms and concepts, which will save you a lot of energy in the long run.
If you don’t know what words like Lughnasadh and Esbat mean, you’re going to be lost when you come across them in more advanced materials or forums.
Consider investing in a high quality Witchcraft 101 class to learn foundational concepts and get out of beginner mode faster.
Carve out a sacred space.
If you have a whole room to dedicate to your sacred space, lucky you! But generally, this is the exception rather than the rule.
And you really don’t need a lot of square footage to create a comfortable sacred space.
Even someone practicing witchcraft in an apartment only needs to find a windowsill or shelf to dedicate.
So find some place in your home dedicated to your magical practice. Whether it’s just a corner with floor pillows to meditate or a small altar to work spells on, just come up with something.
You’ll quickly discover that by creating a physical space for your magical practice, you create a mental one, too.
(Check out How to Set Up a Household Altar and Minimalist Altars for more ideas about how to do this).
Find the closest occult shop.
If you’re way out in the country, it might be 2 hours away, but at least you know where it is.
And if you’re in a larger metro area, you’ll discover that magical shops are a fantastic resource. Owners often offer in-person classes, public rituals and other educational resources for new witches.
Additionally, shopping for your ritual supplies locally supports small business and connects you to the witchy community in your area.
Discover your talents.
The Craft encompasses a wide variety of skills, talents and abilities.
Don’t try to learn it all at once. You’ll just end up overwhelming yourself.
Instead, identify one or two that really inspire you.
Don’t know where to start? Check out What’s Your Witchy Talent?
Start a spell book or Book of Shadows.
Digital information is certainly convenient.
But keeping an old school paper spell book offers some unique advantages.
It’s private, personal and you can collect interesting information all in one place.
Also, the act of writing things down helps you commit them to memory.
And if you’re creative or artistic, you can make something really beautiful to pass down to future generations or as a keepsake for yourself. Years from now, you’ll look back at your early witchcraft experience and find plenty to laugh about, trust me!
Need some ideas? Check out 50 Prompts for Your Book of Shadows.
Learn how to avoid common mistakes.
You’re not the first person to start on the path of witchcraft.
Learn from those who came before you and spare yourself some frustration.
Check out these 9 Witchcraft Mistakes Beginners Always Make.
Try spell casting.
Of course, most new witches become intrigued with the Craft because of spell work and the possibilities it opens up.
So naturally, at some point, you want to actually try it.
But try not to place too much pressure on yourself. Consider your first few spells learning experiences rather than a means to an end.
Witchcraft is just like anything else. It take practice. Learning what works for you, what tools appeal to you the most and how to organize a ritual all contribute to your progress as a witch.
Start with something simple, like a spell bag or basic jar spell.
Connect with at least one like-minded person.
If you’re a super social person, there’s no reason you can’t just jump right in and find a coven.
But even if you consider yourself an introvert, it really helps to connect with at least one person who shares your interest in the Craft.
If you know someone with an advanced practice, great.
But even connecting with another beginner can be really helpful to keep you focused, share information and get ideas.
Blessed be.
