i need some guidance in witchcraft. there is not a lot to go on here in south africa and i feel a little disorientated. could you guys please help. where do i start?
My usual recommendation is to check out witchvox (www.witchvox.com) They have thousands of articles there, plus a link to local resources (check out Witches of the World page). Their page for South Africa shows about 14 groups. Another other place to look is under the Pagan section here - there's a pretty lively area on both Wicca (NeoPaganism) and Magic
I don't follow you quite--do you want to learn about the religion of witchcraft, or just witchcraft in general? Feel free to PM me...I'm not quite an expert yet, but I've been studying Wicca for a couple of years.
Instead of taking it to private messages let's discuss it here in the open. I'm sure there are others who will likely have the same questions who will appreciate having the discussion here. brucegdc gave my usual recommendation -- visit http://www.witchvox.com and check out the listings for your area to find groups and people who might be nearby. And check out their set of FAQ files (in the Info/Basics section of their website) for lots of answers to commonly asked questions.
i wish to bocome a real witch, and i need some help. here where i live there arn't a lot of resources as such. do you think you can help me?
Are you looking to learn how to perform magick or are you looking for a spiritual path? There are spiritual paths such as Wicca (there are others besides Wicca too) which include the use of magick but the priority is spirituality. Witchcraft strictly as the practice of magick though can be done within any religious context. There are some religions though (such as many varieties of Christianity for example) that specifically prohibit their followers from practicing magick or witchcraft. And it is also possible to practice witchcraft and be an atheist too. Have you read the basic introductory pages at Witchvox yet? Which spiritual paths appeal to you most? What makes most sense to you and what questions do you have?
basically i want to practice magick and also follow the spiritual path. i have read a bit and just need a mentor basically.
Which spiritual path are you interested in following? Witchcraft and magick can be practiced within any spiritual path (even within those that forbid it -- you just won't have approval from the authorities.) Are you interested in a Pagan spiritual path, or one based on Christianity, Judaism, or Islam? Buddhism? Taoism? Shinto? There are a lot of choices. If you can narrow down what you are looking for to something specific we can help more.
There is a pretty good quiz you can go through at http://www.selectsmart.com/RELIGION/ that asks a series of questions about what you believe or feel makes most sense, and then will give you a list of religions ranked by which ones most likely match your beliefs or opinions. A quiz like that might help you figure out which spiritual path interests you. You can always incorporate your magickal studies into whatever spiritual path you are on. Here is a different quiz (not as comprehensive in the questions asked) that focusses more on Pagan spiritual paths. It might help too.
The first piece of advice I would give you, if you really want to learn witchcraft is not to confuse witchcraft with Wicca. They are indeed to separate paths. The second advice I would give you is learn to enter the dream states. Witchcraft take place in the world between worlds, as A.O. Spare called it the Nether-Nether. Do a search on cunning folk, spae-craft, helruner, and other terms used in the craft. If you wish, you may PM me and I'll send you some e-text on Traditional Witchcraft.
i want to practice full blown witchcraft, i know i have it in me. i am having a little trouble meditating though. i think that is the most important to learn this step, and then go from there.
yeah, it may help. I would also suggest a study of lucid dreaming. There is much more to dreaming then most would like to admit. Blackrose
Lucid dreaming i have quite a good understanding of, seeing most of my dreams are lucid dreaming. although i just have to learn to enduce them easier
Good, then you should be able to learn to work in the dream state fairly easily. I'll admit, I still have some trouble with this. It has only been recently that I learned of working in the dream state. Yet, for witchcraft to actually be anything more than play acting a trance state is required. I feel the dream state is best. I have for sometime though been able to enter peoples dreams, with some effort. One can study all they want and it is no subsitute for actual practice. Experience is always the best teacher. Practice, experment and learn to follow your intuition. I feel this is the best advice I can give you.
I thought maybe this might be of some help to you. It is an extact from an interview with the late Andrew Chumbley. This is something that I, myself, am working upon. It takes a bit on time and work, but in the end I feel the results will be well worth the effort.
Black Rose, I read the quote from Andrew Chumbley. Is it possible that some of this is natural for some people?
I think lucid dreaming is natural for some people. I've done it since I was a little girl- it's my normal dream state. I actually can retain part of my brain as very much awake as I fall asleep- I know that the rest of me is entering dream, and once there, I can alter the dream. Some things are easier to alter than others for me. I've had dreams that were deeply meaningful spiritually, but they are not lucid dreams like my usual ones. They happen about once every five years or so and are quite different, though I am aware I am still dreaming, I cannot change the dream. I can only accept the invitation or decline. The rest are often symbolic and interesting, but not visionary. I've never bothered to try to enhance any of it. I guess I just feel like when I'm meant to receive a message, it will come. It's up to me to just be receptive. Then again, I don't practice witchcraft so I'm not sure how it works or fits together there. I do practice Druidry, but there are so many varieties of Druidry, and even more broadly, witchcraft, magic, and neo-Paganism, that it's tough to know how much the beliefs and practices overlap.
