Due to things I’ve responded to on Twitter, I’ve spent some time talking to and thinking about people who are relatively new to the Craft, are just starting to explore it, and/or are trying to figure out if a (metaphorical or literal) pointy hat is right for them. I’ve deeply enjoyed it. And the reflection involved has inspired me to write a blog post offering some insights to any new witches and people who are curious about it.

Now, I’m not going to give you a list of books you should read. (I think most of them are overrated, even the ones I cherish.) Nor am I going to give you a checklist of things that I think you should do in order. In fact, all I’m going to do is ask you a few questions. Actually, they’re the same basic question asked in a variety of ways. You don’t have to tell me your answer. In fact, you don’t even have to know the answer right now. But I would encourage you to think about how you’d answer. So here are the questions:

Why do you want to be a witch? What do you hope to get out of being a witch? What draws you to witchcraft?

Let me be clear, these are just questions. I have no interest in auditing your answer (which is why I’m not even asking you to tell me what it is) to determine if you’re getting into it for the “right” or “valid” reasons. I know there are people who will do that. If people have done that to you, I’m sorry. Those people were jerks.

So why do I ask this question? Well, for starters, because I remember back when I was first learning about the Craft, The 13 Goals of a Witch were very popular and often cited. I (for the most part once you address the potential fat-hatred and able-ism in it) still like that list and Goal #1 is “know yourself.” I definitely think that’s a good goal and a great first goal.

So if you haven’t done so already, I would encourage you to ask yourself the above questions in the spirit of pursuing that first goal of self-knowledge. Also, it will help guide your journey of inquiry and exploration.

If you’ll forgive a little nostalgia — and even some secondhand nostalgia — I’ve been on this path for twenty one years and know witches who have been on it for even longer. Some of the witches who found the Craft back in the seventies and eighties are delightful and will regale you with tales of the days when they had to travel dozens if not hundreds of miles just to find a coven, which was practically the only way to learn. (They likely won’t include tropes about how they had to make the trip walkng barefoot in the snow — uphill both ways!) It really was like that back then. There also wasn’t an Internet. There were few books, and a lot of them were not “how-to” guides either. So finding sources of informaton and guidance was those witches’ challenge.

My challenge was different and I suspect you are facing or will be facing the same challenge, possibly intensified. That’s the challenge of having too many resources. There are so many books out there on dozens of topics. There are groups (both online and face-to-face). There are Youtube channels. It can be downright overwhelming and leave a person wondering where to start and where to go next.

Knowing why you want to be a witch, what draws you to the Craft, and what you hope to get out of your pursuit is a powerful navigational tool. It lets you cut out a lot of information and practices that just don’t interest you. And it often suggests which resources to gravitate toward. If nothing else, it let’s witches with more experience who like to be helpful when possible — like me — actually identify whether we have anything to teach you that might actually be helpful to you. Or we can suggest a direction or different resource that we think you will find beneficial.

In closing, I want to touch on a delicate subject. I said earlier that I’m not here to judge your reasons being drawn to the Craft or wanting to be a witch. I meant that. However, there are valid goals and needs that are better — or even only — met through something other than witchcraft. In particular, I’m thinking of a desire to improve ones health, whether physical or mental. I have known people who have initially pursued the Craft for primarily that reason. And that can be troubling, especially in a day and age when very famous people are claiming that people can magically overcome their depression or anxiety with positive thinking, meditation, the right candles, visualization, or many other things that can often be used in witchcraft.

I’m here to tell you that witchcraft doesn’t work that way. If you are dependent on insulin right now, I will guarantee you that a million rituals honoring Hecate (to choose a common goddess of witches) will not change that. Nor will any number of spells suddenly allow you to throw away your antidepressants. Your best bet still is and will always be to work out a way to manage whatever your health issues may be with the appropriately licensed professionals. Yes, there are certain practices in the Craft that MIGHT be a helpful addition to your overall health management plan, but that’s something to discuss with those health care professionals. Never take a witch’s advice as a replacement for them.

On a personal note, I am of the opinion that where witchcraft really helps with health issues of any kind is that it will hopefully inspire you and motivate you to keep getting the care you need. And maybe it can help reassure you that you’re worth keeping at it.

So if you’re still reading along, I hope you found this helpful and inspiring. If you want to ask a question or share your own experiences, feel free to leave a comment. If you have your own insights you’d like to offer up (jsut no One True Way-ism, please), feel free to do that, too.

Until next time, may your journey be full of love, joy, and magic.