Hello newbies – I hope you are doing well and beginning to feel a little magick appear in your life from practicing the routines I outlined in my Beginner Tips No. 1 and Beginner Tips No. 2. The topic I would like to address next is that of which method of working you would like to move forward in (solo vs. group). For myself, I started with Wicca as a solitary practitioner but I have long since gone rouge where I’d now describe myself as a mixed bag of whatever interests me at any particular moment and is effective. I’ve been naturally blessed with a strong moral compass in place and so I don’t worry about needing the structure of strict rules to keep my nose out of trouble. Given work profession in the mundane world, the last thing I want out of a spiritual path are more ridged rules to follow. But that’s me – others thrive best with structure and you will be drawn to what works for you.
Wicca isn’t a bad place to start no matter what your eventual goal is since it’s relatively straight forward to learn and covers a wide range of tools you can work with. There are traditions which take it to the high magick level with grand ceremonial rituals, but you can keep it quite simple as well. A few things which you will want to learn about are the holidays, phases of the moon, the four elements, herbs, crystals, astrology and energy work. All of this knowledge will add power to your magick. As one witch once told me, if you magick doesn’t seem to be working bring in some more allies (e.g. correct moon phase, elements, time of year, astrological timing, crystals, herbs, etc). Researching the use of these things in magick can save your tail when you really need some extra punch to get a spell to work out.
As for whether or not to go solo or join a tradition or coven, I myself am a bit of a lone wolf so I decided to start off on my own. I didn’t branch out to any other groups until I felt I had learned as much as I could on my own. Also, when I did branch out it wasn’t to be formally initiated as a member of a particular tradition. Instead I took some workshops and jumped in on some informal gatherings to celebrate the pagan holidays. Again, this will be a personal choice depending on what your preference is and there are benefits to both approaches.
I would like to offer a word of caution about joining groups. Unfortunately not every magickal person out there has the best intentions and I have heard horror stories of good meaning newbie practitioners getting sucked into some nasty situations. When you are just starting out, your intuition may not be fully developed enough to easily spot these predators and they might take advantage of you by using your money or energy for their own benefit. I don’t want to scare anyone out there, but it does happen and I feel a disclaimer needs to be communicated. While I was still learning about this life, I once had a negative experience from a psychic reader and she got me pretty good before I suspected what she was up to. A new practitioner can gain great knowledge by joining a group or seeking outside guidance but only if it’s from the right place. Below are a few questions you might want to consider while seeking out like minded groups to join:
Do you feel welcome? This is a no brainer and one would think spiritual groups would always make new people feel welcome but that’s not necessarily the case. I once went to check out an open gathering at somebody’s house and was literally ignored. Now I’m a bit of an introvert and not too talkative so I don’t expect a lot of attention. However, I was expecting a basic hello from a host and to tell me what the plans were for the event (especially being that I was an unfamiliar face in their home). It was a very odd group so I felt it best to simply left before the ceremony began.
Do you feel uneasy, agitated, or annoyed? This sort of goes with feeling welcome but is a step further. If at any time your emotions feel off, get the hell out of there. Trust your instincts and don’t worry about being polite. Unless you had a horrible day that you brought with you, those negative emotions are tipping you off that this is not the group for you.
Is there an equal balance of give/take within the group? This can be either financial or energetic so pay close attention. Are the organizers constantly trying to nickel and dime the members for supplies, membership fees, donations, excessive volunteering of time or are they also providing something in return? In terms of gauging energy exchanges – do you feel uplifted after spending time with the group or drained? This is something you are doing on your own time (which many of us have so little of these days) so make sure the people you choose to gather with are worth it and it’s a beneficial addition to your life.