How to Become a Witch, Amber K. [new books to read .txt] 📗

seek a coven, or even create one? You have few choices at first; you may live in an isolated area, where coyotes outnumber Witches, or in a small town. Or you might be a city dweller with a dozen covens nearby but none that feel like a potential spiritual home.

So your choices are: (a) practice as a solitary for now; (b) practice with your family, if you have one and they are interested; (c) make do with a broader Pagan group until something more witchy turns up; (d) make long commutes to a great coven in another city; or (e) build your own coven (even if you call it a “study group” at first). We’ll explore all these choices. First, here’s an exercise for your Book of Shadows.

Am I Better Suited to Coven Work or Solitary Craft?

Do I prefer to be around other people, or do I really enjoy solitary activities more?

Do I want to share my spirituality with others, or is my spirituality very personal to me, and nobody else’s business?

How does my partner or family feel about my joining a coven?

Could coven membership affect my job or my position in the community?

What role do I usually wind up playing within a group? Active participant? Team player? Leader? Specialist? Aloof observer? Critic?

Do I have the time and energy to take on what is virtually a new family

and the responsibilities associated with that?

If I have done ritual with others, did I generally enjoy it? Can I enjoy someone else’s style of ritual?

Do I usually accomplish more in a group or working alone?

Do I learn new things more easily working face to face with other people

or studying and practicing on my own?

Can I chip in my share of money (modest dues), skills, and energy? Or is my life too demanding for me to be a reliable and contributing member?

Why Solitary Practice Can Be Good

Most Witches start as solitaries, because even if you want to join a coven, it takes time to find one and get involved. Fortunately, there are positive aspects to practicing as a solitary!

First, you have the freedom to create your own practice, to do it your way. There is no one to tell you how you should do things. Occasionally you will make mistakes or try something that fizzles, but you learn from those experiences too. You will be creating your own unique spiritual path within the general framework of the Craft, using all the pieces and techniques that resonate best with you. And shouldn’t spirituality be unique and personalized?

You can celebrate on your own schedule. That’s no small thing in this busy, crowded culture of ours. No coordinating your efforts with seven or twelve other people; do the magick when the need arises, perform the ritual when you have the time and space.

Yes, we are social animals and often enjoy being with others of our species, but it’s often messy. For a Solitary Witch, there are no relationship issues: no emotional entanglements, group politics, or personal disagreements. Of course, you won’t be improving your social skills as a solitary, but you will be able to focus on other aspects of your growth without the group maintenance and relationship issues that require time and energy in any coven.

As a solitary, you learn what you want to learn at your own pace, through books and nature and solitary experimentation and practice. If you want to spend a month learning to cast the perfect circle, or exploring Bronze Age Goddess cultures, or wandering through field and forest identifying healing herbs, you can. And you don’t have to squeeze it between lessons in the official coven training program.

Your solitary magick can be focused on exactly what you need. Your rituals may not have the oomph of a coven working, but they can be very, very focused on your particular goals, and focus is more important than sheer power.

Often in coven rituals, either the same favorite aspects are invoked over and over, or just the deities appropriate to the season are invited. But as a solitary, you are always free to call your patron deities, or spirit guides, or animal allies—whoever best suits your purpose.

If your religious choices need to stay private because of the town you live in or the job you hold, you can maintain privacy much more easily as a solitary. While covenmates are oathbound never to “out” you, some neighbor might see you going into a certain house and hear faint chanting coming from behind closed drapes…and the rumors start. So there is less risk of exposure for a single Witch if that is a concern for you.

Being a solitary can be lonely, but it doesn’t mean you have to be a hermit in a cave. If you need multi-Witch energy, drop in on the public sabbats, festivals, weekend classes, or meet-and-greet gatherings at pubs or restaurants that are popping up all over.

The Downside Of Solo Witchcraft

Much depends on your need for companionship. If you get lonely doing ritual by yourself, if you miss the pleasure of singing and dancing and raising power as a team, if you’re very much a social animal—being solitary is not for you. Yes, you can go to public sabbat celebrations or interesting workshops, but those are momentary contacts, not warm and deep relationships. You can have Craft acquaintances, maybe friends if you’re lucky, but it’s not the same as having coven sisters and brothers who will always be there for you.

There’s also the question of motivation. Practicing the Craft takes work, and you have to be a self-starter to celebrate the esbats and sabbats, and design and work the magick when you’re the only one involved. It’s easy to find excuses to slack off: “I know I should do a full moon ritual/study that book on tarot/try that visualization exercise for my shadow work, but it was a rough day…maybe tomorrow.”

If that sounds familiar, maybe you need the structure and program of a coven to motivate you. It’s