#i say as never check the tag bc i'm easily annoyed

[posalis]

"You can only be jealous of someone who has something you think you ought to have yourself." Margaret Atwood, The Handmaid’s Tale

[sapphicambitions]

Do you mind my asking how you became a witch and what are some good resources to look for it I'm interested in exploring? Also, what would the practice as a whole be called? Witchcraft? Wicca? Sorry if these come off as ignorant. If you're not comfortable answering by all means don't, I won't be offended. I recognize that asking someone about their religious practices might be too personal a question for some people to want to answer.

hey there friend! Happy to talk about it! it’s been a hot minute since ive thought about some of this stuff but i’ll do my best! I’m also still fairly new at being a witch (Since October 2018) and i still have a lot to learn, but I’m more than happy to share my stories. 

So first off, I’m not Wiccan. That’s a whole other thing that I’m not involved in lol. Wiccan and Witch are not mutually exclusive. I use the term pagan to describe myself at times because I have a few deities that I’m devoted to / believe in the gods, but i don’t really follow a specific practice. (i’m not a fan of organized religion lmao) That’s what I like the most about witchcraft, is that it’s deeply personal and everyone goes on their own journey in their craft. :)

I like to refer to myself as a casual witch. I’m not really big on large rituals and heavy duty spell work, (mostly because i don’t have the resources and sometimes my brain don’t work or have enough mental energy). I like small and simple elements of witchcraft I can sprinkle throughout my day. Because witchcraft is all about intention. I like using specific herbs and spices in my cooking for specific intentions (i can’t remember any of them bc I left my book of shadows in my apartment but I’ve got a four page list of herbs & spices and their intentions lol). I like to stir my pasta clockwise for good intentions when I’m cooking. Or counter clockwise when I’m wanting to take away the negative energies. I like to carry a rose quartz in my pocket when I go on a date for positive love vibes. I light specific colored candles for specific intentions: love, luck, home, strength, yah know. I keep a mirror by my front door. Wind chimes on my porch. I do a lot of visualizations and energy work. Using specific lotions and smells. That kind of thing that was easy for me to incorporate into my life. 

Also tbh I love love love rhyming spells and spoken word spells. Doing a whole ass jar spell is like a Lot To Do but I can very easily mumble to myself in my kitchen! I think a lot about the magic in Rainbow Rowell’s Carry On (cause fun fact your craft can be heavily influenced by pop culture if you want it to be and mine totally is) and how there is magic words and phrases. So when I’m brewing tea I say “Bubble, bubble, my tea, not trouble. Bring me peace and make it double.” When I’m showering I hum “Soap and water cleanse me so, take my soul and make it whole” and “As the bubbles run down the drain, so do my troubles and my pain.” I sing the tangled “flower gleam and glow” song to my plants when I water them. When I’m getting ready for bed I mumble “Sleep be sweet, dreams be kind, bring me rest and peace of mind.” When I was in college, before a big exam, I’d braid my hair while chanting “I bind my knowledge to my brain, let me remember without pain, for on this day of my exams, I keep my knowledge close at hand.” Some of these I picked up from tumblr or other witches I know and some of it I came up with on my own. I like to believe our words and intentions have power and I love using it in my craft.

And earlier I mentioned deities. I’ve always been very invested in Greek mythology and felt a connection to the Greek gods (thanks percy jackson) and over the years I’ve come to realize that I actually do believe in them.  Athena & Aphrodite are my main deities, but I do spend time with other goddesses. (And Dionysus, tbh) I’ve done a lot of research into the Triple Goddess, too, and I’m endlessly fascinated by the concept of the Maiden, the Mother, and the Crone. that’s really the part I have the most to learn about, my relationship to the gods. Sometimes my connection to them is stronger and sometimes it’s weaker just cause of where I’m at mentally, but I’ve never felt any judgement from them. I do devotional acts for them & pray & seek out their presence when I can, but like I said earlier I like doing little things, like washing my hair for Aphrodite or writing my journal for Athena or going on a nature walk with my mom for Demeter & Persephone (not that my mom knows that lmao) or waving around a goddamned garden hose in my front lawn to make mist and rainbows for Iris haha. I also have a pretty dope Venus di Milo statue and a Athena Parthenos statue in my room, and I have an Athenian coin pendant that I wear every day. like I said, it’s a very individual and personal journey, but you should still do your research and be respectful when you’re dealing with deities and spirits.

And everything I learned, I learned either from google or via tumblr. If you go through the witchblr tag, or even more specifically the baby witch tag, that kind of thing, there’s a TON of resources to just like, get you started. I like research and reading so I did a ton of research when I got started and made sure I knew what I was getting in to and so I could check some sources against others. Because everyone has different thoughts and opinions. Remember how i said i didn’t like organized religion? That also means there are lots of different interpretations lol. A lot of things stay the same, like the meanings of week days, moon phases, crystals, that kind of thing, but there’s wiggle room especially with kitchen witchcraft??? which never ceases to annoy me??? but i digress lol

And how did I get into it? wellllllllll don’t judge me but.... I watched the Chilling Adventures of Sabrina lmao. Like I’ve ALWAYS been interested in it but I never knew where to begin and didn’t know what I was getting into. Then Sabrina peaked my interest specifically because of hilda and the use of casual witchcraft. The usage of rhyming spells and simple objects like bells and yarn to do spells. It seemed manageable and relatable and enjoyable and I was interested so I dove into tumblr to do research and I’ve been practicing ever since! like I said I still have a long way to go in my journey but honestly I like what I’m doing and enjoy the simplicity and casualness of my craft. It works well for me, especially with all my mental health ups and downs. 

I think it’s at least worth looking into! There’s a lot of good stuff out there to sink your teeth in to, and also just be aware of the world you know? Watch out for TERF witches cause they are literally the worst and suck ass and I hate them. 

Good luck on your journey and I’m wishing you all the best vibes!