Possible trigger warning... Happy Monday and a few confusions and questions

Sorry in advance for the long post, and maybe a possible trigger warning.

So, a little background about my religious/spiritual path. I grew up in a religious home where religion was imposed on me and I was forced to practice it. When I left home (at the age of 23) I decided to free myself from cultural, religious and societal stuff. I just wanted to find my own path and do what feels right for me. Ever since, my motto has been: “I belong to nowhere to to no-one”, and it still is.

Being angry at my parents for forcing me to be religious, I decided that I wanted to not believe in anything, just out of spite. And decided to do everything that was against their religion and their principles (they also abused me emotionally, my mother is or was a narcissistic b*** - I’m not sure if swearing is allowed in this forum, hence the stars). Also, I kept asking myself: “if there is a god, why would he/she let my parents treat me that way? Therefore, I believe in no god.”

But then a few years down the line, I started getting into spiritualism and meditation and connecting with spirit my spirit guides etc. This was in 2017, I was going through some hardships and I turned to meditation, only to find out there was so much to it and I was just hooked. So I got deeper into it, started doing spirit guide meditations, got connected with them and since then, I can contact them any time I want. I then got into Reiki and got certified. I felt so happy finding all of those things on my own and it was MY choice to meditate and MY choice to become spiritual. It felt great!

The point of this post is, since I freed myself from religions, I kind of liked being that way. I did become spiritual, but I am not religious. And I would like to stay that way. This is why when I signed up to Spells8, and after going through a few videos I got a bit confused about a couple of things:

  • Does doing the self-initiation Wicca course automatically make me a Wiccan? If so, does that mean I follow a new religion?
  • Can I practice witchcraft without following any of the religions?
  • Can I still practice Wiccan spells if I am not a Wiccan?

Sorry so many questions and confusions. I am still reading a lot, but I can’t really find answers to these questions.

Also, regarding the deities, like I said, I have spirit guides, but I have never worked with them using witchcraft. When I ask, I ask the Universe, and then I normally send thanks to the Universe and to them. Sometimes I ask things from Ganesha, but I recently learned about offerings etc. So there’s a lot to learn there too. I would also like to learn more about other deities, and possibly work with them, but I just honestly can’t stand the idea of following a certain religion. My parents scarred me for life with their religious dictator like upbringing, and I am still traumatized.

I have always been fascinated by mythologies and their deities, so I really would love to be able to connect with one or more of them. In due time of course. But for now, I’d like to stay spiritual and keep practicing witchcraft as I learn more about it. Is it possible?

I am so sorry about the huge post once again, just needed to clarify some things. I would be so grateful if anyone could shed some light on my confusions.

Thank you and have a magical Monday :heart:

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These are all great questions! And a great discussion topic, so thank you for bringing it up @Peridot!

This is just what I believe in and I know, so take it all with a grain of salt. Witchcraft is a practice, Wicca is a religion. Two entirely different things. If I never cast another spell, but I believed in the Lord and Lady I’d still be Wiccan, or at least I would consider myself to be.

Therefore you can cast all the spells you want and believe in what you want. There are Christian Witches, Muslim Witches (hi @TheMuslimWitch!), Jewish Witches… you get the idea. There are even atheist witches. It all depends on you.

And Wicca is just one part of the religion of paganism. It’s like being Methodist, while there are Catholics, Baptists, and Lutherans running around too. There are British Traditional, Vodun, Astaru, and so many others.

So if you don’t feel comfortable doing the Self-Initiation course, don’t worry about it. You don’t have to be Wiccan to be here. It’s just a great starting off point for so many people who come into paganism, as a launching pad of sorts. Those vids give you the basic history and teachings of Wicca but you can research and find your own way.

Yes, you can use Wiccan spells if you’re not Wiccan. There’s no membership card or secret handshake you have to give before knowing about protection jars. So use them as you will. Tweak them for your purposes. It’s all good.

Totally possible. I’ve been reading about paganism for over ten years and practicing for over a year and I still don’t have a Patreon deity so these things take time. You’ll find your way, and it will be YOUR choice, not someone else’s.

I hope that helps you out. I’m sure some of the other, more experienced witches here will have some good advice too. The main thing about witchcraft is you get to choose, and that’s what frees your magic to take flight!

Blessed be!

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@Amethyst thank you so much for taking the time to answer my questions and clarify things. I really appreciate you :heart:

Thank you. I will still go through it as I would like to learn so much more about Paganism and also about Wicca. But I am really happy to know that I can follow any religion/belief I feel comfortable with :slight_smile:

Thank you so much!

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Hi @Peridot, I’m not sure if we have officially met, but I am Siofra from Cape Cod. I joined Spells8/Infinite Roots in July of 2020. Prior to that when I was a teenager I practiced Wicca with a friend in Plymouth, MA. Some things happened & I became a mother/wife & my priorities all changed. When I came back last July, I went through the courses & I didn’t do the Self Initiation right away. I actually did it a couple of months later & since then I have gone off on a tangent of sorts.

I’m more of an Eclectic Witch that draws from multiple resources for my path. I work with Brigid for my deity, she has been wonderful! I also have briefly worked with other deities from other pantheons & wear their amulets for protection (Artemis Bow, Lugh Shield, Brigid Cross, Eye of Horus, Persephone). I am researching & learning about Celtic & Irish Paganism along with Astrology. I work with crystals, candles, incense, & the 4 elements.

It’s your journey & whichever path you take is up to you & where you want to go. You can rearrange any spell or ritual to work with what your intentions are, what you want to accomplish or need help with. Totally up to you, but the base information doesn’t change like aspects & correspondences. Most of paganism recognizes the same qualities of items unless otherwise noted through your research & learning.

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Hi Peridot! You’ve gotten a few answers already but I just wanted to provide my thoughts, as well.

Does doing the self-initiation Wicca course automatically make me a Wiccan? If so, does that mean I follow a new religion?

Yes, this would make you a Wiccan if you’re self-initiating through a Wiccan course or framework. However, the self-initiation isn’t required to practice witchcraft. As Amethyst said, if you’re not comfortable doing the self-initiation, then just don’t do it. Initiations are kind of like oaths you take, promises you make to the Gods involved to do one thing or another. If you don’t believe in the Gods or you don’t want to work with Them, then I would advise you not to do a Wiccan initiation.

Can I practice witchcraft without following any of the religions?

Absolutely you can. Witchcraft can be secular or tied to religion. You needn’t have both at the same time if that’s not what you want to do.

Can I still practice Wiccan spells if I am not a Wiccan?

I’m not sure what would constitute a Wiccan spell, in this case. If you want to do spells without the Gods involved, you can most certainly leave Them out of it.


I hope that provided some more clarity to your questions! :smiling_face_with_three_hearts:

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@Peridot no one here will ever try to ramrod religion or anything else down your throat.

I think you are what you say you are, and do what you choose to do. I don’t bother much with labels anymore. In the beginning I wondered what kind of witch I am, now I don’t worry about it because I know who I am and what I do and why. Labels are for other people, to help them understand where I fit in their understanding of the universe.

If you choose to call it your practice, it’s your practice. If you call it your religion, it’s your religion - but the important part about it is that it is a religion or practice of your own free will. It is not imposed upon you, it is selected and approved by you and you are in control of it.

That’s just my opinion. If it doesn’t work for you, cast it aside :grin::grin:

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Thank you all for responding and advice :slight_smile: I am truly blessed to be in this community :heart:

@Susurrus thanks and nice to meet you :slight_smile:

@MeganB thank you for adding some points. It really helps me understand the craft better. I just started my journey and have a lot to learn :slight_smile:

@anon87969570 nice to meet you and thank you for your input. It makes a lot of sense to me :slight_smile:

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What?! I didn’t meet you yet? And I’m already running my mouth all over your thread? What a jerk.

Well, I’m from the southern part of the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia, which is just north of Northern Virginia. I’m an eclectic magic man. I have been here about two months,
practicing for about six, but have naively surrounded myself for decades with stuff that I thought was “cool” only to discover later that I was halfway to my own witch emporium!

I love to laugh and I have a twisted sense of humor. The rest, well, you’ll figure it out!

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You’re welcome, love! Being new into paganism is confusing, especially since there’s not one set of books or commandments or what have you, but everybody and their brother’s uncle writing one. You’ll get there.

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You can have whatever faith (or none) and practice witchcraft… For example as you may have notice from my name i am Muslim and i converted from Christianity when i was 15 so changing faiths or deciding it is not right for you i can relate with… Just do you and believe in what you feel is right… Me for example i am a Muslim Witch and follow to a degree the Wiccan forms of witchcraft but that does not make me a Wiccan as that is a religion and i already have one i strongly believe in… Also about the deities it is up to you how many you believe in or whether you want to or not… I am Muslim so it is not permitted in my religion but it doesn’t stop me from believing in Hecate and the horned god as well as my own god (Allah)… Your faith is as you choose it to be, as there is no point practicing a religion or faith if you cannot altar it to the things you believe in…Also last word, no one can tell you the way you are practicing is wrong or not valid, because it is to you and we all have to respect each others decisions… This is what we all have in common we are all unique witches or spiritual beings so be you and don’t worry too much… :blush:

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Thank you @TheMuslimWitch it makes total sense. I was a bit confused in the beginning, but I feel much more comfortable now. Thank you and nice to meet you :slight_smile:

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@anon87969570 LOL I love the part about having a twisted sense of humor hahaha I do have a very twisted sense of humor too and I enjoy mean jokes LOL, but of course only when I am with people who can take the jokes haha

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Nice to meet you too :blush:

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