Welcome to Spells8 & the forum! I am Siofra_Strega, one of the moderators here in the forum 
I would definitely start with the courses, they are full of information & printable pages if you would like to use them in the future or for reference. I have a folder with numerous subfolders on my computer for them & 5 binders that I am currently going through to kind of remove what I don’t use or practice & have started keeping different things written in a separate journal type of Book of Shadows to pass on… it has things in it that I do myself.
There is a self-initiation at the end of the first set of courses, don’t feel like you have to do it right away but it’s guided so you’ll know what to do step by step.
If you would like to change your username to dot you may be able to do so:
How to Change Your Name and Username on Spells8, if you have any trouble then just ask one of the moderators & we can get it changed for you 
We have a few other Empaths in the coven/forum, some with similar & differing gifts. I am an Empath, but by relearning things so that they don’t just happen, I can understand what I am picking up on from other energies. So I don’t get overwhelmed with what I am feeling.
If you have any questions then please feel free to ask or share anything with use that you may also learn! 