I have been doing tarot card readings for the past few years, with a recent slump of feeling really confused by my cards. Recently I did a reading for a friend, and it was extremely accurate for her. This helped to build my confidence in reading tarot again.
I don’t follow the pagan gods and goddesses so much, so I do feel I’m a bit of an outlier. I worship the goddess Radha and the god Krishna from India, and I feel peaceful in that path, so I haven’t adopted the worship of anyone Else.
Because Their worship already has me doing daily rituals, I have come to the Craft mostly to seek solace from anxiety, and to delve deeper into my love of nature. I have done some jar spells, collected moonwater, and made potions. I’m pretty much a newbie, though.
Besides tarot, I love doing candle spells. I also have a mortar and pestle, where I grind herbs to dress my candles with. I have an athame that I’m still figuring out, and a boline for collecting herbs.
Any tips for a newbie? I have the free trial of Spells8 and am trying it out. Do you have any favorite pages or lessons you recommend I check out, as a newbie? Or to help me decide to stick with the Coven once my free trial ends?
I feel like I should clarify, I do of course honor gods and goddesses besides my favorite, chosen ones to worship. Also I am very intrigued by the pagan holidays. Today I am celebrating Litha!
Please forgive me for any newbie offenses I may have made.
Welcome @chaitea43, I’m Siofra_Strega, I draw from many places for my practice. We do have others that worship deities from around the world Tantra, Hindu, Buddhism, Taoism, Celtic, Roman, Greek… all over the place so no worries there!
I would start with anything that catches your eye in the courses, but maybe SpellCasting 101. You’ll find that any of the courses have great information in them to get you started & see if anything really piques your interest to learn more about it.
I work with Brighid & the Morrigan of the Celtic Pantheon & am drawn to Celtic Paganism/Druidry. I’m constantly learning about different things. I’m taking courses still for the crystal practitioner & working on Chakra energy right now.
There are a lot of resources within the forum also, feel free to share any information or ask any questions that you may have. Someone will get you pointed in the right direction. Everyone here is very friendly & supportive.
I’m so glad you have joined us. I am Marsha, an Eclectic Witch, from Colorado.
Everyone here is very friendly and helpful. We all have different beliefs but we are accepting of everyone. I personally don’t think you have offended anyone by sharing your beliefs.
I hope you decide to stay because I would like to get to know you better.
Hi @chaitea43! I’m Amethyst from Southern West Virginia. Welcome to the forum!
You can follow any religion and still be welcomed here, so don’t worry about that. As for the courses they are all great, but since you’re having problems with tarot for yourself I’d watch the Whole Tarot Video Course. It may give you a new perspective on the cards.
If you have any more questions, feel free to ask and someone will pop up and help you out. I hope you stay so I can get to know you better!
I’m a green witch so my focus is primarily on practicing as a naturalist, an herbalist, a wise woman, and a healer. I embrace the power of nature; I draw energy from the Earth and the Universe; I rely on natural objects like stones and gems to commune with the land I try to live off of; I use plants, flowers, oils, and herbs for healing; I call on nature for guidance; and I respect every living being no matter how small.
I’m also very drawn to traditional witchcraft and Druidism from the British isles.
Like everyone else, we’re so glad you’ve joined and if I can ever help, just shout out!
First of all, welcome to the forum! It’s always exciting to see a new face around here.
As for tips, my one tip that I wish I could tell all witches everywhere is take it slow. Don’t overwhelm yourself with information because then chances are you’ll give up. Learn about the things that interest you first rather than what you feel like you need to know.
Check out the courses here on Spells8, too! There is a lot that can be learned, plus a few surprises on the way!
I absolutely love your username- I have a bit of a tea obsession and a good spiced chai is a favorite, especially on a chilly autumn morning
Speaking of tea, have you ever given Tea Readings a try? It’s a traditional and fun form of divination- feel free to check out the Tasseography/Tea Leaf Readings Guide with step-by-step instructions!
There are also weekly tea rituals and meditations hosted here in the forum every Thursday. If that sounds like your cup of tea (), feel free to take a look at this week’s ritual post- you are warmly invited to join this and any other Spells8 activities that call to you! Make yourself at home here
aww thanks for your reply! I feel such energy and affection from your words. Just what I need this sleepy Wednesday morning. I also love tea! Admittedly I have chai the most and for just the mundane reason of not being a morning person, lol. But I like many other teas, too, especially herbal ones.
It’s funny you mention tea leaves, I recently thought I should try it! But at the same time, I’m not used to drinking loose leaf tea lol. I think it’s worth a try. I already see things in shapes of clouds, leaves, trees etc. as I look around the world, so it might come naturally to me. Plus it makes me think of Harry Potter, lol, and childhood.
Thank you so much! You have made me feel welcome. I’m relieved to hear it’s accepted here if you don’t follow a more Western tradition divinity. Thank you for the links! I am intrigued by the Celtic pantheon, and often find myself reading fiction or historical fiction about it, because it has a lot of magic and I like to write fantasy novels and shorts.
Chakra energy! How cool! I definitely believe in that stuff. When I was a kid my dad would do daily yoga, angel meditations, and chakra cleansing stuff. Alas, I wasn’t so interested then and didn’t learn it from him. He passed away when I was 20 years old. Now I’m learning some of the arts he incorporated into his daily life, and it feels good to try these magical things out knowing he may have done some of these practices, too.
Hello @chaitea43! I am an eclectic green witch from Texas. I pull my beliefs/practices from all over using what appeals to me or “jumps” out at me. I work with three of the Greek gods/goddesses but love learning about all the other pantheons out there. Everyone’s path is unique to them, even if they work/worship the same deities so don’t worry about that part!
As for tips for a newbie…I wish when I was first starting out that someone had told me as @MeganB did and to take it slow. There is no need to hurry and learn everything at once. I also wish someone would have told me sooner that I didn’t have to follow the same path of learning as others before me. When I was first starting out I felt you had to do A before you could do B then you could do C. Now I know that is not true. Do what calls to you! There is no “right” order to learn the craft, although I do stress that you learn protection and grounding before all else to keep yourself safe.
The courses are a great place to start and I personally like the daily and lunar rituals. I may not do them everyday but it is a good starting place. Each day the pages will also have links to various other pages within Spells8 that are related to the day of the week such as particular gods/goddess that are worshiped that day or candle/color magick. Sometimes I go just to link out to a new page I haven’t read before.
Thank you! I feel the care in your reply. I definitely believe in taking it slow, especially in this speedy age we live in. As a newbie it’s tempting to explore multiple topics, but I’ve found i forget stuff more that way. Thanks for the reninder to take it one step at a time, and that everyone’s path is different.
Reading your post, I felt like we have a lot in common! I like reading Tarot cards, doing candle spells, jar spells and collecting moonwater, too. And my practice makes me feel closer to nature and more in tune with my emotional needs.
It sounds like you’ve got a natural knack for reading symbolism- and that tea divination was already on your mind as well! And yesss sometimes I still feel like I’m in Professor Trelawney’s classroom when I read- the Harry Potter books were my childhood too
Best of all, there’s absolutely nothing to lose from giving tea readings (or any new area of the Craft for that matter!) a try If you decide to give it a go, I hope you enjoy it! (And let me know what you think! )
@chaitea43
First and foremost, welcome to spells8.
Second and more important is, We worship the Gods we are drawn to. We don’t always fit into the slot of a certain religion. If we don’t agree with a doctrine or the dogma they teach, don’t. you know right from wrong.
As a rule we don’t take offense with what people say, but remember, hurtful words cannot be withdrawn. Better to err on Niceness than be unpleasant.
We reap what we sew? Absolutely, only most pagan and Wiccan styled faiths say. Whatever you do will return to you 3 fold.
Athames are associated with the element fire and commonly used to direct energy. Bolines more commonly have a curved blade and are used for physical purposes such as cutting herbs or items in spell work.
Both can be as complicated and ornate as you choose, or as plain and simple as you wish.
Blessed be
Garnet
Weekly Witchy CHALLENGE- Of Candles and Flame
Pantheon & am drawn to Celtic 
Paganism/Druidry. I’m constantly learning about different things. I’m taking courses still for the crystal practitioner & working on Chakra energy right now.
and Magick 
), feel free to take a look at 
