WELCOME TO THE WORLD OF BEING A WITCH

In this package and the package from 13 Moons, you will find all that you will need as a ‘starter kit’ for learning about being a Witch. It has given me great pleasure to put these items together for you, and I hope you find equal pleasure in using them. This letter is to explain a little bit about the meaning of ‘being a Witch’ and something about the items that I have sent to you.

In deciding to acknowledge yourself as a Witch, you are choosing to take positive steps towards improving both your own life, and the lives of those around you. With this choice comes responsibility. There are three key points that you need to bear in mind:

Ø       Over the phone, I tried to explain the idea of the Law of Three, also call the Threefold Law. This is seen as one of the basics of Witchcraft: Anything that you do will be reflected back at you three-fold. This means that we do not use our abilities to harm others, because that harm will come back to us with three times the power. On the other hand, the existence of the Threefold Law does not mean you have to take whatever ‘shit’ is doled out to you. Far from it. In as much as anything you send out will be returned three-fold, so anything directed at you will rebound on its sender three-fold.

Ø       Another aspect of being a Witch involves the way that Witches view other people. We tend not to try to ‘convert’ people to Witchcraft, since it is a personal decision. To a Witch, everyone and everything around us has a spark of the Goddess and the God within them. For this reason, we respect all forms of life, and that includes the bullies at school, down to the poisonous spider. This does not mean that you have to become a vegetarian in order to be a Witch! You can if you wish, but I am quite happily a carnivore, and intend to stay that way. Eat healthily, and remember that you, too, have a spark of the Goddess within you, and respect yourself because of it.

Ø       Finally, a word about the Goddess and the God. The key spiritual aspect of being a Witch is that we view ‘Deity’ as a Goddess and a God. Some books that you might read will stress just the Goddess aspect. An easier way to look at this is that everything in the world consists of two halves: left and right, black and white, light and dark. So this is reflected in how Witches view our deities. The easiest way to find out how this will work for you is to get a book on myths from the library, preferably one that covers different civilizations (Greek, Roman, Egyptian, Celtic etc). As you read the stories of the different gods and goddesses, you will find that you like some in particular, whilst others don’t make much impact. This will give you an idea of who your own personal deities are. They don’t have to be from the same group. I tend to work with Egyptian and Celtic deities. As Witches, what we are trying to achieve spiritually is balance between the two halves within ourselves. It is perfectly natural to get angry over something, but you need to balance the anger with calm.

So that covers the major spiritual stuff. Now I will explain a bit about all the bits that I have sent to you. The purpose of most of the items is explained in the ‘Kate West’ book. I have chosen her book because, having heard her lecture, she does go through the basics very well, without lessening the importance and responsibility of what we do as Witches.

Ø       Tarot Cards: Some people will say that you have to learn the meaning of each card off by heart in order to read tarot. You don’t have to do this: this is why you have a book of explanations! Become familiar with your deck, look at the pictures to see if they have a particular meaning to you, and if possible, keep it under your pillow for a week or so. The deck is wrapped in silk so that it does not become ‘contaminated’ with other people’s psychic energy. It is OK for someone else to touch your cards, particularly if you are doing a reading for them, but try to keep other people touching your cards to a minimum.

Ø       Wand and knife (athame): try to keep these under your pillow also, prior to doing a consecration ritual over them (explained in the ‘Kate West’ book). The wand is made by a fantastic guy at The Wand Workshop, and at the moment, it is ‘clean’. I have not used it myself, so it is yours to make your own, with your own energies. The same goes for the athame. The Wand Workshop has made my wand also, although mine is made from yew wood, with amethyst crystals. The athame, like the wand, is a tool for directing your energy. Again, some will say that that it has to be blunt, made of metal, have a white or black handle etc. When you are a bit older, if you still feel that being a Witch feels right for you, then we can see about getting you a metal blade. Metal athames need to be chosen carefully, but don’t necessarily have to be hideously expensive.

I would just like to say a final word about spells. Whilst most spells use ‘ingredients’, such as particular herbs or a particular colour candle, the most important aspect to a spell is your own attitude and your own mind. A spell is an expression of your will, and you are using your energy to work that will. Having the right atmosphere will help, but in an emergency is not essential.

That’s enough for now. I hope you enjoy your present, and enjoy your first steps into Witchcraft.

With love and blessings.

Aunty J