wanting to learn more about wicca

[loumoon]

i have a very keen interest in many things but the main being spells and nature, i began readin and researching and practicing basic spells 11 years ago but the past 2 years i have lost my way with it and have recently had a push in that direction again through dreams and a series of bizarre coincedences..it was as if i was meant to do it again, i am a total novice and i am looking to learn as much as i can about wicca as i want to devote time to it now. if anyone has any good books they can recommend i would really appreciate it, and any advice/words of wisdom welcome :)

[norseman]

Hi Loumoon. I presume that you have looked through the other wicca threads as this question has come up a lot recently and drawn some discussion [quite heated at times !]
OK books. Most are garbage written by people with made-up names, so be very selective ! My choice would be "The Triumph of the Moon" by Prof. Ronald Hutton - very well written and researched but an academic book.

Don't get side-tracked into the rituals and ceremonies of wicca, concentrate in getting the spirit right first and I think you know what that is because it has obviously already touched you. One "tool" which I think of as an essential is the ability to meditate. Find a good spot in the "green world" to meditate and let the spirit of the place guide you.
What I am saying is get your heart and soul on the path and everything will become clearer. Don't get hung up on this goddess/god or that goddess/god - keep it simple - The Lord and The Lady covers it quite nicely [personally I look to Gaia or Mother Earth]
This path is a never-ending journey and every day will be a learning experience :smile:

[loumoon]

thankyou so much for replyuing, i am new to site and just realised it had been asked alot lol. i already practice meditation and have never looked into gods/goddesses to be honest i find it complicates things far too much, i do look upon the Lord and The Lady so i am pleased you have mentioned this as i have often felt i am doing it all 'wrong' even though deep down i know there is no wrong and right so long as you mean no harm to others and your intentions are pure.

i had a very bad experience in casting a spell (not sure if thats the correct phrase, as i say ive only ever done this alone) and basically my intentions were selfish and i didnt have the other persons needs at heart and it completely backfired and im still paying the price for it now. i know i cant undo it but i have learnt a great lesson from it.

the thing i struggle with is remembering which herbs and colours are best for casting certain spells etc. i am drawn towards healing spells and enjoy meditating and visualising to help people, i have done many successful tarot readings also..well i say successful, i know what the message is but it never plays out as you expect, a lot of practice is needed still. i guess i have an interest in alot of things and im trying to find my calling so to speak. as i say i get my greatest pleasure from meditation and healing, anyway sorry for rambling :)

[norseman]

Maybe best to leave the spellcasting for the time being. To be honest, herbs and colours are only aids to spellcasting. The real essentials are your intent and focus on what you wish to achieve. Remember, the "magic" is not yours, you are simply the channel for natural energies. You are the "electric power cord", not the power itself.
Perhaps you could stick to Blessings and Good Health spells for the time being.
:smile:

[loumoon]

yes i havent practiced since that time...it was almost 7 years ago, it had a big impact..basically it backfired on myself. i should have known better but i was in a bad place. this is why i want to learn more about the craft before blindly dabbling again. i now tend to practice meditation and self healing. i love working with candles and incense i dont know why i just find it helps me to focus but am really struggling to get coloured candles, a wide variety of herbs and incense, i dont want to pay a fortune on packaging as i have found if they are packaged for spiritual use they tend to be twice the price..and a candle is a candle no matter how its packaged lol. do you know any good websites i could buy candles etc from without paying an arm and a leg.

thankyou for the advice it is greatly appreciated. i am not one of these who watches films such as the craft etc and thinks i can have a dabble and change my life for the material, i see it as a lifestyle about spiritual healing and looking after yourself on a spiritual level rather than just the physical, i believe that everything we need in life can be found in nature and there is a balance, magick is neither black nor white it has to be both just as life has to have positive and negative to keep us balanced, i believe you cant just take and not give anything back, time has to be spent nurturing mother nature and looking after the earth, its a cycle. i feel now as ive gotten older that no matter how much you may want something if you force it and its not meant to be it will be no good for you..nature must take its course and you can only take what was meant to be taken. and you can only ask for things, you cant demand them. these however are just my personal beliefs, maybe not everyones cup of tea but its something i believe very strongly in...balance i suppose is the right word. speaking of cups of tea ;)

[norseman]

Loumoon, I feel that you will soon be settled in your path and a natural. I know that there are people in this forum who practice candle "Magic" and they will be able to help you. Meanwhile, welcome to SF and this little corner of it :hug2:

[loumoon]

thankyou again :)

[LadyMoondancer]

Merry Meet Loumoon

Norseman is right in saying that you don't really need all the "accessories", but if it helps you focus, then go for it.

I use candle magick. Some people say use only the expensive beeswax candles, I use whatever I can find. Any store has a wide variety of colors - even Wal-Mart. And incense. Shop around to find what store locally has the best buy. I would stay away from the metallic and glittered candles - because those "decorations" are a pain, they put out your flame or catch fire themselves.

I have found different sizes metal candleholders at thrift shops - I've had too many glass ones explode. Or, you can find at Target or DollarTree at different holidays, different colored metal "pails" to hold your candle and holder in. Just rip off the handle (if you want).

If you're lucky to have a metaphysical shop in your area that sells loose herbs - those are a good buy. Or try to find to a Latino Botanicals store - they have tons of oils and candles and herbs. I've shopped for herbs in local health food stores, even the local grocery stores. Badia, a Latino company, sells lots of herbs and spices - very cheap - you might have to go to a store in a Latino section. You can even bust open a teabag - or get loose tea.

Or if you have a garden, grow some of your own herbs. Years ago, I planted a hedge to line my front lawn with pygmy Barberry bushes - they have little thorns, smaller than rose thorns - to keep the kids off my lawn. A couple of years ago I found out that Barberry is a good protective plant. I made an infusion (a "tea" made by boiling leaves and branches). I don't think Barberry is safe to drink, but I used the liquid in some protection spells. I even took a small jar to work with me and sprinkled the door of my locker with it. (I work with a bunch of cow-workers. - not a typo).

It's always hard to find black candles - the stores only get them in for Halloween. So I always stock up on those.

If all else fails, a plain white candle will do. Or a variety pack of birthday cake candles - I always think it humorous - with all the "witch bashing" in our society, just about everybody is practicing witchcraft when they "make a wish and blow out the candles on their cake."

As for you past mistake, light a white candle and ask Goddess for forgiveness. We all make mistakes - no sense beating yourself up for it. The point is to learn from your mistakes - that's what Karma is all about - to learn our lessons.

[earthprowler]

i have a very keen interest in many things but the main being spells and nature, i began readin and researching and practicing basic spells 11 years ago but the past 2 years i have lost my way with it and have recently had a push in that direction again through dreams and a series of bizarre coincedences..it was as if i was meant to do it again, i am a total novice and i am looking to learn as much as i can about wicca as i want to devote time to it now. if anyone has any good books they can recommend i would really appreciate it, and any advice/words of wisdom welcome :)

Raymond Buckland's Practical Candle burning is a fabulous book, his second book really goes more in depth. I have gone in and out of it for the last 12 years myself; did it for quite a while and then only did it when i needed it. Don't know if I have any words of wisdom with the exception of intent, intent, intent. I don't know anything about Wicca, just what I learned from sites I was on back then, things I read and just going with my gut, just an ordinary eclectic candle burning witch (which is where i got my name), i just take from different things what I find useful and leave the rest.

[loumoon]

thankyou for the replies, ladymoondancer...i live in britain so dont know what many of those shops are that youve mentioned. i looked around my local town yesterday and picked up some white candles, could only seem to find white and red? i will have to go to the next town as its bigger and i think i will be able to stock up. i have a large garden so am going to try my hand at being a bit more green thumbed!!

earth prowler, thanks for the tip on the book. i too tend to take what i like and leave the rest, if its too complicated or i dont understand it i try to go another way about it.

i will burn a white candle and ask for forgiveness as i want to let it go, it has haunted me for too long now and i feel i have paid my price and am ready to move on.

[LadyMoondancer]

I'm sorry loumoon, I didn't realize you were in UK.
I don't know about stores there.

In the US, there is a large Latino population, from Puerto Rico and other Latin countries. Because many Puerto Ricans routinely practice candle magick and some practice Santeria or Brujeria (a fusion of Catholicism and Voodoo) a lot of Puerto Rican neighborhoods have "botanical" stores. These are usually small shops with a lot of holy pictures and statues of Jesus and Mary and other saints. They have a lot of the large glass 7 day votive candles - these usually have a saint and a short prayer on them. The stores also carry a lot of oils and "washes" - these are usually perfumed colored water that has been blessed and charged for a specific use - like "Dispel Negativity" and you can sprinkle the water around the house.

A lot of our local grocery chains will have a Latin section that carry Goya brand foods and Badia brand foods. Badia company is the one that has a lot of herbs and spices for cheap. The supermarkets also carry the candles.

[earthprowler]

thankyou for the replies, ladymoondancer...i live in britain so dont know what many of those shops are that youve mentioned. i looked around my local town yesterday and picked up some white candles, could only seem to find white and red? i will have to go to the next town as its bigger and i think i will be able to stock up. i have a large garden so am going to try my hand at being a bit more green thumbed!!

earth prowler, thanks for the tip on the book. i too tend to take what i like and leave the rest, if its too complicated or i dont understand it i try to go another way about it.

i will burn a white candle and ask for forgiveness as i want to let it go, it has haunted me for too long now and i feel i have paid my price and am ready to move on.

you can use white in the place of any color you might not have. I have used all white candles when i've been out of others. also red is useful for getting rid of negativity.....cut the top off so it is even, then flip it and dig out the wick, bless it and ask that all negativity around you be taken away. also, a trick on the moons.....some will say you have to go by the moon phase when doing certain spells, but this is not true. when you need something, full moon or new moon, do what you need to do. again with the intent. i'm confused on why you have to ask for forgiveness, you learned from your lesson and have moved on. Me myself, no matter what kind I may do, have to be calm even if i'm angry so I wait.....and at the end of every spell I always add "and harm it none, so mote it be". just to cover my behind. :wink:

[loumoon]

that sounds brilliant!!! nothing like that round here im afraid. i have seen some online stores for the herbs but they are very expensive when you add in delivery costs too, think im going to try grow my own, which is always better anyway. i am sure the next town will have a shop for candles, its just getting there, i think it will probably work out the same amount to buy them online as it would to pay travel costs, i just like to see what im buying and have a browse. there was a great little shop in my town but it closed down, it sold candles, incense, crystals, amongst other things and was really handy.

i have been suffering a lot of migraines lately, due to stress and hormonal factors i think so am looking for some good herbs to help with this.

[loumoon]

you can use white in the place of any color you might not have. I have used all white candles when i've been out of others. also red is useful for getting rid of negativity.....cut the top off so it is even, then flip it and dig out the wick, bless it and ask that all negativity around you be taken away. also, a trick on the moons.....some will say you have to go by the moon phase when doing certain spells, but this is not true. when you need something, full moon or new moon, do what you need to do. again with the intent. i'm confused on why you have to ask for forgiveness, you learned from your lesson and have moved on. Me myself, no matter what kind I may do, have to be calm even if i'm angry so I wait.....and at the end of every spell I always add "and harm it none, so mote it be". just to cover my behind. :wink:

it was the only time i cast a spell and my intention wasnt pure, i was wreckless and full of anger and selfishness. i feel asking for forgiveness is the right thing to do, i sent out negativity for my own ends and i shouldnt have done this. i suppose im probably just punishing myself rather than it being an outside force, i dont like the person i was back then and i am not that person anymore. it was actually a psychic who told me to be careful in what i was doing, but the message came too late, the spell had been cast.

talking about protection, in my old house i had a small holly bush randomly appear outside my front door, and holly is supposed to protect, and when we moved house there is a large holly bush near my door again, it was going to be cut down but i specifically asked that it was left. i want to take a cutting and plant another one but im unsure how to do this?

[earthprowler]

it was the only time i cast a spell and my intention wasnt pure, i was wreckless and full of anger and selfishness. i feel asking for forgiveness is the right thing to do, i sent out negativity for my own ends and i shouldnt have done this. i suppose im probably just punishing myself rather than it being an outside force, i dont like the person i was back then and i am not that person anymore. it was actually a psychic who told me to be careful in what i was doing, but the message came too late, the spell had been cast.

talking about protection, in my old house i had a small holly bush randomly appear outside my front door, and holly is supposed to protect, and when we moved house there is a large holly bush near my door again, it was going to be cut down but i specifically asked that it was left. i want to take a cutting and plant another one but im unsure how to do this?

easy, cut a stem or how ever many you want and place it in water and where it will get plenty of sun. it will sprout it's own roots (i've done this with many plants. or just simply cut it off and place it in a new container that has plenty of water in it and it will do the same thing. make sure to talk to it, and let it know it's loved (guess i have a teeny bit of wicca in me, lol). the more i talked to mine (and even gave them names) the bigger they got.

[loumoon]

silly question where do i cut a bit off, how much etc?? holly is slow growing apparently so it maybe years before i grows into a decent sized bush, i think i might just buy one and plant it...may aswell give an already grown plant a loving home eh? lol

[norseman]

HI loumoon. You could try here for candles and things. I have dealt with them so I know they are OK :smile:

http://www.pagandreams.co.uk/

[loumoon]

thanks norseman

[Chrode]

i have a very keen interest in many things but the main being spells and nature, i began readin and researching and practicing basic spells 11 years ago but the past 2 years i have lost my way with it and have recently had a push in that direction again through dreams and a series of bizarre coincedences..it was as if i was meant to do it again, i am a total novice and i am looking to learn as much as i can about wicca as i want to devote time to it now. if anyone has any good books they can recommend i would really appreciate it, and any advice/words of wisdom welcome :)

If you want to learn about the beliefs and practice in Wicca you have to read the poems the charge of the goddess and the charge of the god.

[loumoon]

i was walking through my town at the weekend and never go through the market, but i just felt like i wanted to go through it, and my friend was trying to drag me round faster but i wanted to look down a certain aisle. and sure enough at the bottom a little stall selling, crystals, incense, tarot etc...just what ive been searching for!!! so pleased!!

[Flowers1992]

For the candles and insense see if your town has a buddhist owned shop - Evolution (UK)

There is one in most cities I mean even peterborough has one lol, and they sell small candles in a variety of colours, insense, oils, candle holders etc... And as I say they are pretty cheap :)

[loumoon]

thanks flowers, ill google it see if they have one near me :)