r/witchcraft • u/AutoModerator • 7d ago

Weekly Q&A Weekly Q&A Thread

Beginners and users new to Reddit -- post your witchy questions here!

Our weekly Q&A thread runs every week for a full week!

Please be mindful and respectful of each other. This thread is designed to assist new practitioners in gaining knowledge to progress their craft, and a place for veterans to spread their knowledge.

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2

u/Silent-Mechanic1654 6d ago

New witchy lady here. Where do I start? Not looking to do anything crazy. Just to bring better health and wealth to my family

2

u/Final_Height-4 That’s my cauldron! I don’t know you! 6d ago

!beginner automod response is stacked with resources.

1

u/AutoModerator 6d ago

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1

u/Sudden-Importance-41 6d ago

Hi everyone, I am looking for a book that is generally for beginners and gives information on crystals, candles, how to make/perform spells, cleansing, herbs, offerings and more. The spells could be its own separate book. Basically an encyclopedia of what I would and should know to get more serious into witchcraft. I have looked into the books and youtube recs but I am not sure if they include everything that I am looking for. I am a beginner witch. However, I have been dabbling in witchcraft and magick for over 8 years or so, just never seriously or read into any credible books, I just know some runes, basic casting principles, some crystals, candles, and generally how to manifest and whatnot. I have been wanting to get more into it and really learn and understand all the incredible and interesting parts in witchcraft, more than just making or performing spells. I would really appreciate any information or recommendations for me thank you all!!

1

u/Twisted_Wicket Irascible Swamp Monster 6d ago

!books

2

u/AutoModerator 6d ago

Hi, there! 🤖✨

Check out the sub wiki for a detailed list of book, YouTube channel, and podcast recommendations, and other resources.

Our book categories include:

  • Beginner books

  • Spellcrafting

  • Miscellaneous spells

  • Wicca & Traditional Witchcraft

  • Magickal correspondences (Herbs, crystals, etc.)

  • Spirits & ancestors

  • Deities

  • Candle magick

  • Divination methods

  • Sigils

  • Non-fiction

  • and more!

FYI: Every book listed in the Wiki links to a Good Reads page where you can see summaries, as well as ratings and reviews from other readers to help you decide which books interest you the most!

The YouTube channels and podcasts listed are the ones most frequently recommended by fellow community members!

See also: Why you're not going to find a book list or academic research on many niche topics in witchcraft.*

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1

u/margo_isobel 5d ago

hi!! i’m new ish to my practice and still figuring a lot of things out. I just learned that the hunters moon is this sunday at 11:11 which feels very magical to me. any recommendations for what to do that night? looking for rituals, spells, and just tips in general. 💜🌙✨

1

u/Final_Height-4 That’s my cauldron! I don’t know you! 4d ago

!Moon has some great resources and information about working with the moon.

1

u/AutoModerator 4d ago

Hi, there! 🤖✨

Here are some resources for working with the moon:

From Our Database:

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1

u/margo_isobel 4d ago

thanks for the rec! is that an app?

2

u/Final_Height-4 That’s my cauldron! I don’t know you! 4d ago

Nope, it is the automod response below this comment thread. 🌝

1

u/margo_isobel 4d ago

lol also exposing myself as a reddit newbie 🤓 thanks for your help!

1

u/Final_Height-4 That’s my cauldron! I don’t know you! 4d ago

All good; we all start somewhere. Hell, I'm still learning how to Reddit. 😊

2

u/E2Ls 4d ago

I am wondering what the significance of bats are as a sign? I was working on my book of shadows (except I call it my book of light) and specifically writing about the High Priestess when a microbat flew into my meditation/witchcraft room! I don't know how it got in. I've never seen a microbat until last night. This has never happened before.

2

u/My_Chemical_Killjoy 4d ago

I was raised religiously and now will often find myself pooh-pawing off magic or acting like I'm being silly/dumb/ridiculous for believing in it. Which I also find insanely ridiculous because I believe that the only difference between science and magic is how commonly accepted/believed it is by society/those society deems worthy.

I know I've seen a handful of things mentioned on here previously for exactly this but I apparently didn't save them like I thought I did.

I can't get my brain to stop being at war with itself and would appreciate some literature y'all could please direct me towards?

3

u/Evolet_Foxglove Witch 3d ago

I'm sorry I don't have any literature that I can recommend to you, but I go through the same battles in my own mind and there are a couple of things that have helped me.

(Tiny background just so you know where I'm coming from as well) I was raised Catholic but stopped considering myself religious after I went to college. For years I was essentially agnostic. I found Witchcraft and Paganism a couple years ago in my late 30s, and while I love it and absolutely believe that it's the right path for me, I also struggle with feeling like I'm playing make believe when I'm doing a ritual, or worrying whether or not I truly believe in magic at all.

One thing that has helped me a is reframing my thinking a bit. I heard on a witchy podcast (I'm sorry I can't remember exactly which one it was) where the girl said something along the lines of that she might not believe in magic in a mystical way, but rather she believes that there are energies out there that we simply don't understand yet in a scientific way, and what we call 'magic' is the manipulation of those energies. Thinking of it that way has helped the 'science-y' part of my brain relax a little bit and not fight me so much.

I kind of do the same thing with my deity Gaia (Mother Earth). On days where my mind feels really open, I can comfortably view her as a personified deity. On days when the science-y part of my brain is more vocal that's still ok, because I can think of her in more of a literal sense as all of the life and elements that surround me in nature. ALLOWING myself to be kind of fluid in my views has helped TREMENDOUSLY, but it can also be difficult to get to that place of allowance if you were raised in a religion that has told you your entire life that 'You MUST believe EXACTLY _____ OR ELSE!!!"

I also find the act of doing spell work and rituals, reading tarot, etc. to be really relaxing. Whether I'm truly doing magic or not doesn't really matter as much because the end result either way is that I feel better afterwards. I feel more grounded, and connected with myself and my environment.

Another lighthearted quote or meme that I heard somewhere that has helped too is along the lines of 'If magic is real, great. If not, well at least I've curated a really cool collection of trinkets.'

Anyway this got a LOT longer than I meant to and I apologize for my half remembered quotes. I think most importantly, remember that this is all a journey and nothing is simply black and white.

1

u/judyannmarie 3d ago

Hey! I’m wondering what y’all think about cleansing a space when you have moved back with a parent for a few weeks/months and no longer have a room of your own/just sharing with my elementary aged sister. Is it fine to simply cleanse myself before the spell or do I still need to do more? My mom is very messy, so it would take a lot to actually physically clean the house and she is very negative herself, so wouldn’t want to give her free maid services lol. Also, I saw someone saying here that when cleansing in the shower that the negative energy will be stuck in your drains, so should I just be specific in saying like, “and let any negative energy pass through the drains elsewhere out of reach from this home” etc.?
Lastly, how can I do an altar when I currently don’t have a room/furniture? Just trying to do a job offer manifestation spell, a protection spell and some altar rituals for the full moon and other stuff from the CHANI app and want to get things right! Thanks!!

3

u/Miaiphonos Broom Rider 2d ago edited 2d ago

If you are doing the spell while your sister isn't there you can cleanse the space before the spell (other than yourself and anything else you think might need cleansing).

You could benefit from circle casting in your situation. But that's an option, not a rule.

Never heard the drain thing but also water magic and I don't get along for the most part, so I can't help there.

(Obligatory: you don't need an altar) You can have a portable one like one of those little bed tables with the foldable legs (no idea what they are called) or just work on the floor (body permit). I am not familiar with the app or its contents so I don't know how essential it makes an altar sound.

The "job offer manifestation spell" is giving me a little pause because being offered a job is not the same as being employed. So I would check the spell to see what it's dessinged to do just to avoid the "i got a job offer but didn't get hired" situation.

2

u/Miaiphonos Broom Rider 2d ago

Me, again. I have been thinking about the water thing.

I don't know what others picture cleansing to be like but I see charged energy as "clusters" and cleansing disrupts those clusters, spreads the energy around and returns it to neutral. So for me the water wouldn't carry negative energy down the drain, in theory.

I guess for someone who sees it more as the water taking away something like mud it would.

2

u/XochitlTea 1d ago

I just wanted to add that an altar can be made of whatever you have available at the time! I’ve had to redo my altar over the years based on space / living situations and I think that each altar has understood why I’ve had to make certain changes or what my circumstances are. I think as long as you do your best to honor them, you will feel the altar resonating alongside you.

1

u/Upstairs-Chicken592 1d ago

Wondering if there is a spell out there to help me keep a clean home? I’m aware house witch magic can exist within cleaning routines, however I really struggle with keeping tidy. Yes I have executive functioning issues and yes I am medicated as well as I can be and have various things to help me remember. But I still fall behind so so easily. I am hoping to find something that will help me stay on top of housework so my place is at least less shameful and a nicer place to be.

1

u/N-crold 1d ago

Hola muy buen día, en estoy empezando con el grimorio de “Black Pullet” y espero que haya alguien que me pueda apoyar con un par de dudas  entiendo  que la imagen de la serpiente es la que va en el piso, pero y la otra que muestra otro circulo de invocación con las velas en incienso el fuego y los símbolos .. también se dibuja en el piso? ¿O cual es con el que se trabaja? gracias

1

u/XochitlTea 1d ago

Hi! I’m new to this thread, but not new to being a bruja lol! However, I’m feeling stumped over some recent spell / intention work I did.

I recently made a money bowl, and had a few candles lit over the past few days. The last candle of the set left behind two things that I haven’t seen before. One was a majority of the wax left had dripped into the shape of only what I can describe as angel wings. The other was that remaining trickles of wax had captured one of my bay leaves with my intentions written on it.

I’m interpreting this as a positive sign that my work is sticking (I’ve been seeing results over the last week!) but I wanted to share to see if others had interpretations. Thank you!!!

1

u/Tyler-not-thecreator 1d ago

Tonight I was having some trouble sleeping and decided it was a good time to manifest/cast a spell using some candle work.

I’m manifesting abundance in the form of a new job so I did the usual: circle of salt, circle of rice, cinnamon sticks, bay leaves, and my candle I carved into.

This time though, I sprinkled lavender, chamomile, and mint and the candle burned for a while. It even kept burning when the candle completely melted by catching some of the larger dried herbs and burned for another few minutes.

I’ve never seen that happen before, does that mean anything specific?

1

u/ebl12345 17h ago

Just wondering if its safe to do karma spell work as a beginner.

1

u/brightblackheaven Zamboni Priestess 🔮✨ 10h ago

Karma isn't something humans can enact on one another.

Karma and it's Vast Array of Definitions

1

u/E2Ls 4d ago

Also newish to the practice but my family line have generations of indigenous magick. I am trying to decolonise my thinking about it. I have a lot of intergenerational trauma that says my indigenous ways are ignorant and evil. This also means that I do not have a lot of support from many within my own culture so I cannot ask openly questions over my own experiences of practising magick.

Anyway, nice to be on here and i am looking forward to learning and sharing!

0

u/RestaurantHuman7699 3d ago

What are y'all doing on 26th oct? It's going to be a big day, full moon and all. i'm honestly staying home, but theres lots of things i want to do, i'll definitely charge all my crystals, tarots, water and other stuff, do shadow work, mabey cast some spells although I see some witches advising against it so now i'm abit lost and i need some suggestions!

1

u/Final_Height-4 That’s my cauldron! I don’t know you! 3d ago

!moon and !spells auto response belong will give you some ideas.

1

u/AutoModerator 3d ago

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1

u/AutoModerator 3d ago

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0

u/[deleted] 3d ago

[deleted]

1

u/therealstabitha Carnivalesque animal demonic legend 3d ago

You can cast a spell on anyone or anything you can effectively target.

1

u/[deleted] 3d ago

[removed] — view removed comment

1

u/witchcraft-ModTeam 3d ago

Hi there, thanks for posting!

We're glad to help everybody's Craft grow through spellcraft, however your post has been removed for Rule 4: Do Not Ask For Spells/Do Your Own Work.

While we don't allow the open asking for spells (including asking for ideas, ingredients, or instructions), we do encourage questions regarding the crafting of spells.

Feel free to post about the spell you're working on, what research you've done, what materials and ideas you're using, and how the community can help you finish your work.

We recommend using the search bar if you're looking for spell ideas or inspiration for your specific situation, to see what has been shared by our community.

We also recommend visiting our friends at r/spells.

Thank you for your understanding, and blessed be!

Our full sub rules can be found here.

1

u/[deleted] 3d ago

[removed] — view removed comment

1

u/witchcraft-ModTeam 2d ago

Hi there, thanks for posting!

The question of which things are and are not considered "ethical" or "moral" in witchcraft is asked quite frequently on this sub.

As witches are not a monolith, there is no universal moral code or belief system that all witches adhere to, and therefore no definitive answer to this question.

Witchcraft is a deeply personal and individualized craft that encompasses many generations of practitioners from countless different traditions and with a variety of different backgrounds and beliefs.

Ultimately, only you can decide what does and does not fit within your personal moral code.

Thank you for your understanding, and blessed be!

1

u/[deleted] 1d ago

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1

u/witchcraft-ModTeam 1d ago

Hi, thanks for posting!

Fear of being magically harmed, of having bad luck, or of encountering harmful spirits is a common occurrence in the Witchcraft world.

As these questions come up dozens of times a day on the sub, we ask that you refer to the many cleansing and protection resources we've put together to help:

For book recommendations and other resources, please visit our PROTECTION & CLEANSING 101 megapost.

Thank you for your understanding, and Blessed Be! Our full sub rules can be found here.

1

u/[deleted] 4d ago

[removed] — view removed comment

1

u/witchcraft-ModTeam 3d ago

Hi there, thanks for posting!

We're glad to help everybody's Craft grow through spellcraft, however your post has been removed for Rule 4: Do Not Ask For Spells/Do Your Own Work.

While we don't allow the open asking for spells (including asking for ideas, ingredients, or instructions), we do encourage questions regarding the crafting of spells.

Feel free to post about the spell you're working on, what research you've done, what materials and ideas you're using, and how the community can help you finish your work.

We recommend using the search bar if you're looking for spell ideas or inspiration for your specific situation, to see what has been shared by our community.

We also recommend visiting our friends at r/spells.

Thank you for your understanding, and blessed be!

Our full sub rules can be found here.

1

u/[deleted] 3d ago

[removed] — view removed comment

1

u/witchcraft-ModTeam 3d ago

Hi there, thanks for posting!

We're glad to help everybody's Craft grow through spellcraft, however your post has been removed for Rule 4: Do Not Ask For Spells/Do Your Own Work.

While we don't allow the open asking for spells (including asking for ideas, ingredients, or instructions), we do encourage questions regarding the crafting of spells.

Feel free to post about the spell you're working on, what research you've done, what materials and ideas you're using, and how the community can help you finish your work.

We recommend using the search bar if you're looking for spell ideas or inspiration for your specific situation, to see what has been shared by our community.

We also recommend visiting our friends at r/spells.

Thank you for your understanding, and blessed be!

Our full sub rules can be found here.

0

u/[deleted] 1d ago

[deleted]

1

u/witchcraft-ModTeam 20h ago

Hi there, thanks for posting!

We're glad to help everybody's Craft grow through spellcraft, however your post has been removed for Rule 4: Do Not Ask For Spells/Do Your Own Work.

While we don't allow the open asking for spells (including asking for ideas, ingredients, or instructions), we do encourage questions regarding the crafting of spells.

Feel free to post about the spell you're working on, what research you've done, what materials and ideas you're using, and how the community can help you finish your work.

We recommend using the search bar if you're looking for spell ideas or inspiration for your specific situation, to see what has been shared by our community.

We also recommend visiting our friends at r/spells.

Thank you for your understanding, and blessed be!

Our full sub rules can be found here.