Thank you everyone for the warmest welcomes! I am sad to have missed the ritual on Thursday. I was watching my nephew play at his baseball tournament in SC. Hopefully I can join in on the next one. Are the rituals every Thursday? Are they online? I’d love to know more.
Was anyone else overwhelmed when first beginning? I do have a small altar set up and tried doing a consecration ritual to consecrate some of my ritual tools today. I do wish that I could get to a point where I can do these without reading from a book or following the video. Some day I will.
How did you all decide what ritual tools to use? I have many already…I feel drawn especially to crystals, anything to do with sounds (e.g. bells, ambient music, etc), divination tools such as tarot and angel cards… I also want to learn more about working with herbs. Loving this site so far and thank you all for your help
I hope you don’t mind, but I moved your great questions into a new discussion of their own. Things tend to get buried in the comments of Introduction posts, so hopefully this way your questions will get the attention they deserve!
Yes! The group rituals are held every Thursday in A Sacred Space. Information about the ritual for the week and any ingredients needed are posted on Tuesday (this week’s post is coming very soon!). Rituals are always held online and can be done on your own schedule, and sometimes there are live Zoom meet meetings as well.
You are warmly invited- feel free to join in the ritual!
I think we feel overwhelmed at one point or another- there is so much out there to learn and explore! The possibilities are very exciting but yes, also a bit overwhelming too
My best advice about this is to “chunk it”- aka, do a little bit at a time and try not to worry about the rest. The courses will always be there for you to jump in and explore when you feel ready And you have your whole life to explore the various aspects of magick! It isn’t a competition at all, so take your time and enjoy it- a big part of your practice is finding what makes you happy, and what works best for you!
Trial and error is the way to go! Whenever you feel drawn to a magickal too, I would suggest doing research to learn more about it. If it still seems interesting, give it a try! Not every witch loves every tool- I think it’s safe to say we all have our favorites Nothing wrong with experimenting to figure out the ones that you most enjoy
Hi @carrie4 I defiantly agree with @BryWisteria trial and error are what will help you, somethings that others use may not feel right to you. I personally do not use an athame, but I know many others do. I am really drawn to crystals, fire and herbs but others may not be. Do what feels right to you. You will also get to a point where you just do things on your own, sometimes I will watch a video of spell work or meditation and it inspires me to create my own spell or do my own unguided meditation. With time it will all come naturally.
So glad you are here, welcome and I look forward to us chatting together.
Hi there Carrie! I know you’ve gotten a few answers already but I’m gonna give you my perspective on some of your questions, too
You are very welcome to join in on Thursday with everyone else! The live group rituals via Zoom should be coming back next month though I don’t have a solid yes or no on that. I’m gonna try my hardest
Yes and no. I think for me it has a lot to do with when I found witchcraft and what I had available to me. As a young teen, I only had the books I could get my hands on. Eventually I came into the age of the internet and had more information but I was better at managing my time and my mental space. Overwhelm can happen, especially if you’re not taking care of yourself or are trying to do too many things at once.
Some day you might, but let me tell you this → Reading your rituals or spells from a book or your notes is perfectly acceptable. There is literally nothing wrong with doing this and I know many people who do this and work their magic and rituals successfully.
I’m more eclectic/folk in my practice so my tools tend to be things I already have on hand or things I use regularly. For example, if you do a lot of magic in the kitchen, your crockpot could be considered your cauldron.
I’m glad you’re enjoying your time here, and we are happy to have you here, too!
I definitely was overwhelmed when I started. I’m also new. I struggled with the computer stuff, finding my way around and wanting to print everything and trying to take it all in at once. Then you know how life gets in the way. I had to back off a bit. Slow way down. Breathe
In May I’m going to set aside 30 minutes a day for reading / learning on the website.
I’ve been devoting 25-30 minutes each morning to the daily candle magic and journaling. Love that so much.
Your most important tool will be patience. That might sound snotty, but it really is true. Spells might not have an immediate effect. You might have trouble finding the right crystal or herb or incense, etc. Try to avoid putting too much pressure on yourself. Focus for now on feeling the flow of energy in the world around you and being open to a magickal mindset.
Trust me, you will eventually have so many tools and gear your next problem will be storage! To display or pack away, that it is the question. You will also reach a point, maybe several times where you feel burned out or that you have reached a plateau in your learning. Take your time and enjoy the journey.
The way I decided on tools was by following an advice standard here and in the Craft in general: work with what you have. I started with a $10 box of colored candles from amazon, my BOS, a clipping from the juniper in front of my house, a stiletto for an athame and a golf towel from an altar cloth. Over time, I have acquired lots more “stuff.” Tools are cool, but your intention and process matter more than having an Eye of Newt and a Khyber crystal for your rituals.
I still use my BOS for Drawing Down the Moon. This is wordy, but hopefully helpful.
Hi Carrie! I think the fun part of witchcraft is there is always something new to learn.
There is also an evolution of self-trust and coming to rely on your intuition for those magickal times when you aren’t casting spells but it just seems to happen
For example, the other day I came home and some kids had left two bikes on the ground, one on top of the other, right in front of the steps to my apartment. I thought, hmm, those bikes shouldn’t be here and went to check my mail. I heard a scraping sound and one of the bikes fell off the other one, suddenly, and fell to one side, off the path. Hmm, strange, I thought, then turned back to ruffling through my mail and (abracadabra the other bike moved off the path. Now, I can see one bike moving because of gravity. What I can’t understand is how the other bike moved more or less by itself a bit. So…I’m still trying to decide if I’m crazy or more of a witch than I realized, LOL1
Correspondences are one way to align your practice with a system but there isn’t a a law that you have to use them.
In terms of deciding what ritual tools to use, it depends, for me. It depends on the time of year, the intention, the spell, the sabbat, etc. Some people go with a traditional altar set up, some do not. My Samhain altar and works look pretty different from my Ostara ones. I just go with what feels personally meaningful. If it gives you a sense of delight and you feel like you are expressing yourself creatively and spiritually, then those are probably the right tools for you! I make many of my tools.
Oh my darling, I am so new too… and actually kind of accidentally fell into exploring the craft and myself. Overwhelmed is definitely the word I’d use ( and guilty too…. Coming from a very Christian background that I mostly love). I have been going through all of the courses here and have found the weekly challenges to be a great way to focus on one area at a time. I get to try something new ND I get to read everyone else’s ideas too… which is so helpful because there are witches from every walk chiming in. Welcome! Enjoy the journey and remember that it’s ok to go slow (daily reminder to myself) and that’s it’s also ok to be a beginner!
I don’t know how I managed to think I replied to some posts & never followed through.
I have been a part of Spells8, the forum & coven for almost 2 years July. I hit burnout really fast & with that came to overwhelm. Everything was so interesting & I wanted to have & try all the things & crystals are so pretty & well, I wanted to know it all.
Although now I have whittled it down some & right now my focus is on Crystals & being able to have a better connection with them & their energies & using them properly… which has led me to an adjacent topic of learning more about chakras. I am attending courses for being a Certified Crystal Healer & Advanced Practioner.
My second topic of interest is the Elder Futhark Runes & each Tuesday i do a post about a different rune. Prior to those I took Free classes for Astrology Basics & read at least 2 books on astrology & all that it encompasses with planets, alignments, birth charts, birth wheels, & all of it. I have also read & practiced extensively Celtic Mythology, Paganism, Druidry, Brighid, & the Morrigan.
My advice is to take a break. Take a few deep breaths. Choose one Maybe two things to focus on. Join in the Weekly Challenges & try to somehow incorporate your idea with what you are learning. It’s not always going to coincide with your chosen topic, but it’s something you can see if it feels right or not or other ways to approach the challenge topic from other witch entries. No 2 paths are the same. It will all come your way when it’s supposed to & you have more time to add to your practice & grow, but you need to have a good understanding of what it is you are practicing, believing, & faith.
Oh my goodness thank ya’ll so much for your thoughtful responses to my original post! I have had a really terrible and rough past few weeks and I am just now getting back to read these posts. I am so excited to attend my first ritual Thursday.
I appreciate your suggestions to take things slow, allow myself to learn, and to find out what I’m drawn to. I do know that I am and always have been very drawn to crystals, herbs, and water. I plan to learn more about crystal magick and working with herbs.
I actually have gathered a ton of useful tools already and I’m feeling especially drawn to pendulums and other divination tools too. So far I am not doing rituals every single night but rather I’m trying to continue my learning process, getting comfortable with everything, and I do rituals when I feel compelled.
I have always been the type to meditate, so for me, doing ritual work is very similar to how I usually meditate… So this is very good.
I did sit down in my spiritual space this evening to do some ritual work because I’m feeling especially depleted. My work environment is VERY toxic and quite abusive, and so I felt compelled to do this tonight.
I thank you all so much again for your kindness and suggestions blessed be.
You’re very welcome, Carrie! So sorry to hear that the past few weeks have been tough for you- I hope things get better asap for you, sending love and light!
Your altar is beautiful- I really love the moon phases and rich blue color, it’s gorgeous!
Feel free to join the ritual today- the post is here if you are interested!
I’m sorry your work environment is so toxic. That’s awful. But your altar is so pretty and blue! I look forward to seeing it when you’ve got all your stuff on it!
Thank you so much! I did nearly an hour of meditation last night, and did a very simple protection ritual for myself and I’m hopeful that this will keep things manageable at my job until I can find something else.
I am so sad I didn’t get to join the ritual. I am an oncology social worker, and I had a patient who was in crisis so I had to ensure that she was okay.
Thank you so much! I love the blue color I think it’s just beautiful. I need to decide now how I want to set it up - so many options and decisions to make
Some day I will.
Loving this site so far and thank you all for your help
And you have your whole life to explore the various aspects of magick! It isn’t a competition at all, so take your time and enjoy it- a big part of your practice is finding what makes you happy, and what works best for you! 
Whenever you feel drawn to a magickal too, I would suggest doing research to learn more about it. If it still seems interesting, give it a try! Not every witch loves every tool- I think it’s safe to say we all have our favorites 
Nothing wrong with experimenting to figure out the ones that you most enjoy 
the other bike moved off the path. Now, I can see one bike moving because of gravity. What I can’t understand is how the other bike moved more or less by itself a bit. So…I’m still trying to decide if I’m crazy or more of a witch than I realized, LOL1
I replied to some posts & never followed through.
blessed be.
