New Witch!

Hey everyone! I’m new here in the witchy world and am about to go on my first adventure to buy everything I will need to start doing spells and rituals! Is there anything that I most definitely need to look for? Also, I’m trying to decide where and what to use as an altar. Any feedback will be appreciated! Thank you! :blush::woman_mage::candle:

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@kayla42 welcome. And congrats on following your path. Yaaaaayyy shopping. However little tip: u dont need all the bells and whistles. Most of your stuff u can get at the local dollar tree, dollar general, goodwill, etc. Dont go crazy spending. It isnt necessary.

www.13moons.com has a great selection of altar stuff and all kinds of other witchy things

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Welcome @kayla42. This coven is very supportive and willing to pass their knowledge to you.

One thing I recommend is to take intro course it has definitely helped me. Also don’t worry about getting everything at once do a little bit at a time.

Blessed be!!

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@kayla42 Merry meet and welcome to the coven!

I’d recommend making sure you get something to cleanse and protect your home and practice area as a first step. Rosemary, Sage to smoke cleanse, and choose a protection spell from one of the courses on Spells 8 - I can look up one if you would like…. That is a great first step.

Second - if you’d like to start with getting candles (white and black at first, unless you can find a colorful pack), and you can get a variety of sizes, tea light, charm, 12 hour burns (dollar store), and various others.

Do some tea magick maybe? Herbs? What are you drawn to? What do you need to do with your magick, or what are your first goals and that will tell you what you need to buy. Look around your home to see what you already have then augment with stuff from the dollar store, thrift stores, and Target/Michaels/Walmart/Marshalls/JoAnns. Make CERTAIN that you cleanse any item prior to bringing into your home or using it.

Let us know any specific questions you have! Blessed be! :orange_heart:

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Hi @kayla42! I’m Amethyst from Southern West Virginia. Welcome to the forum! :infinite_roots:

I agree with the lovely @Mistress_Of_Herbs, save your money for your books and hit dollar stores and Goodwills for your altar items. You never know what you’re going to find. A big plate that you don’t mind using to get wax and salt and stuff on is always handy. A good stick incense holder, I like one like This One, some stick incense, a pretty tea cup, and some teas and you should be ready to go!

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@Amethyst yessssss. @kayla42 i use an old pizza pan, and put aluminum foil around it before any spell. Easy clean up. And its fire resistant.

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@jan_TheGreenWitch yesssssssss so agree. @kayla42 ALWAYS ALWAYS cleanse any item coming into your home. Smoke cleansing is a sure fire way to do it, and fairly simple. Can be used on a charcoal disk with herbs. Or a sage stick or palo santo, even just an incense stick or cone. Your practice YOUR choice

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Any flat surface that is sturdy can be used as an altar. People have used coffee tables, mantels, dressers, hutches, sofa tables, etc.

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@mary25 mine is an old end table, that hubs painted for me


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Hi @kayla42 nice to meet you :blush: and welcome :pray:
I remember starting out with a small bedside bedroom furniture, a white table cloth and a candle :smiley:it’s what felt right at the time, your altar will grow as you continue your spiritual journey :pray: and the items on it will reflect your personal spiritual practice and preferences.
This journey is yours and yours alone :wink:
The first step is a little harder but you already made it :slightly_smiling_face:
Have a wonderful day!

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Merry meet @kayla42 and welcome to the forum! :heart:

(I hope you don’t mind that I rehomed your lovely introduction into the Introductions Category- this way the coven will know to come in and say hello!)

Ohhhh witchy shopping is always so exciting! :star_struck: You’ve got some great ideas and suggestions from the coven, and I’ll also leave a link to the basic tools guide:

That being said, any tools or equipment you use are simply enhancements- you already have the magick in you and it can be drawn upon with or without witchy tools :woman_mage: :sparkles:

A witch’s altar often reflects their own unique practice- as such, the position, setting, location, items, etc of an altar can vary immensely from one witch to another! I would recommend using items that are meaningful to you and if you need any inspiration, the coven has your back! There are some gorgeous altars here, and I also recommend taking a peek at the Altars Tag to explore ideas :place_of_worship:

Please make yourself at home here, Kayla!

Blessed be :sparkles::blush:

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I just want to thank each and every one of you for your feedback!! Every single piece of information was very helpful to me!! I will most definitely take all of your advice into consideration! You all sure do know how to make a witch feel right at home!

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Hello and welcome home :infinite_roots: @kayla42

I’m Marsha, an eclectic solitary witch from Colorado, and it’s nice to meet you! I don’t have anything to add to the wonderful advice you have already received, so I just wanted to welcome you! If you have any questions, just ask, we are here for you!

With love :heart: and magick :dizzy: always

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Welcome, @kayla42! I am Amaris from Houston, TX. I am an eclectic pagan green witch, a fancy way of saying I use a little bit of everything to make my path but particularly like to play with herbs/plants. I am also starting to get into kitchen witchery as well.

This will vary depending on your surroundings. For example, I live full-time in an RV. This means I don’t have a lot of spare space, and I need to be able to secure things when we travel. We converted a corner of our “walk-in” closet to my sacred space. I use a small table I found at Earthbound as my altar. Here is what my Samhain setup looks like:

As for tools, I agree with everyone else and look at Goodwill/resale stores as well as garage and estate sales. Also, see what you already have at home that you can use. I use my late mother-in-law’s china for an offering bowl, plate, and teacup for rituals. I made my own wand from a branch of oak I found during a walk.

My mom lives on 3 acres, and I can often wildcraft (harvesting herbs and other natural items) at her place. I work with Hades and Hel, so having easy access to bones is nice (always ethically collected, i.e., naturally deceased or roadkill)

Dollar Tree is my best friend when it comes to supplies. I was able to get three spools of ribbon, red cloth, and black yarn yesterday for a ritual for under $7 after sales tax. If you want to buy some/all of your altar tools new, see if there are any metaphysical stores near you (I always shop local if I can). Etsy is also a great place and allows you to support small businesses. Amazon also has a decent selection but pay attention to the reviews!! I get my packs of chime candles from Amazon - has all the colors for a reasonable price.

You likely already have some of the most common herbs in your kitchen! Things like rosemary, thyme, basil, bay leaves, cinnamon, SALT, etc. If you eat eggs, keep your egg shells, wash and dry them to remove any bacteria (and gooeyness), and then grind them to a powder for an easy protection element.

Beyond the basic altar items and common herbs and candles, what else you get depends on what you are drawn to, as @Mistress_Of_Herbs mentioned.

I wish you a blessed journey. And do not be afraid to ask the forum questions.

Merry we meet, merry we part.

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It’s a pleasure, @kayla42- I’m happy if the feedback was helpful for you and that you found the information shared useful! The wisdom of a coven is an amazing thing :infinite_roots: :blush:

Hooray! :heart: Make yourself right at home here, Kayla- Blessed be! :sparkles:

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Thank you so much!! Everything you mentioned was very helpful! Blessed Be :heart:

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