I am starting eclectic Witchcraft and I don’t know where to begin and it’s very stressful. Can anyone help me to begin?

Hello everyone! I asked for permission to post this (thank you Kai-ote). I am a Hellenic Pagan Witch and I decided to create a new subreddit for people who work with or worship Hellenic (Greek) deities and wanted a more inclusive space to discuss different practices.

r/Hellenic_Pagans

The reason I created it is mostly because I've seen some people feel a bit like they don't fit in some of the other Hellenic polytheist communities that have a very traditional, historical emphasis. So my goal is a friendly and eclectic space that welcomes both historical practices and modern neo-pagan practices.

I'm of the mind that's helpful to know some of the history, but we also need to allow for UPG (unverified personal gnosis). So both viewpoints are welcome as long as everyone is friendly and openminded. I also wanted a space that is magic/witch friendly.

So any of you who are interested in Greek dieties or who already work with Greek deities in your practice, are welcome to join.

Blessed be.

Blessed Be, I am Witchthief.

So I see this question pop up enough that I'd rather make an article on it than keep answering individual questions about it. What is a Book of Shadows, and how is that different from a Grimore? Now to start off, these aren't always different, depending on the witch you ask. For some there is no difference between them. However, today we will be treating them as two seperate things. That's how I do it, and how many other witches do it as well.

What is a book of shadows? This is your random notes. Put anything related to witchcraft in this thing. Tarot readings, spells, moon phases, deity information, spell results, ingrediants, recipies, crystals, herb information, divination methods, tarot spreads, holidays, spiritual workings, dreams, shadow work, etc. ALL OF IT. Does it relate to witchcraft? Put it in your BoS. It really really doesn't matter what this thing looks like, how it's organized, or what language or code it's in. This is for your eyes only. As long as it makes sense to you, it works. If you need to make multiple, make multiple. If you need to spread your information out over a bunch of half finished note books, cool, get on it. So please young witches, please.... Stop worrying about this fuckin thing. They are messy, weird, streams of conciousness that only you can understand. As intended. There is NO WRONG WAY TO MAKE A BoS.

What is a Grimore? Well after you've been in your craft for a while and the fiasco above has settled down, then start thinking about a grimore. This is a magical tome like those spell books you see in movies. You can make this look however you like it too, but make it look nice. Put effort into it's creation. This is where you will put spells, information about your path, rituals, and information about your deities or whatever you work with. This is a culmination of your craft. If you keep thinking it's not done, and die before you finish, you're doing it right. Keep this orginized in a way that makes sense and is easily searchable. If you want to write this in Theban, or some code to protect your secrets do so, but make sure you create a key to give to whomever you bequeath your grimore too. Think of a Grimore like a Family Bible.

What should NOT go in these books? Everyday Drama. Fanfiction. Shopping lists. and Mundane stuff. These are books of magic. Keep them as books of magic, and you're fine. By the way, using them as a journal is A-OK for a BoS, but should not be in a grimore. Never put your shadow work in your grimore.

How many do I have? I lost track of the "Number" of books of shadow I have. They are scattered about, half finished, margin noted, diskdrive hellscape things. Best guess is somewhere in the 150 range. At no point in my life have I ever filled a notebook. For Grimores I have 2. One is filled with historical rituals and spells, and is the one I use the most often, especially posting here. The first is written in english. The second is my personal spells and rituals. I alter every spell I learn to fit my needs and that is the book for it. It is written in Cunieform.

If you have any other questions feel free to ask in the comments. Ereshkigal's Blessing.

In the last I’ve used basic binding/banishing and protection techniques, and they’ve worked well for me, but current circumstances dictate I need to go…stronger. Looking for ideas for really strong/aggressive protection and banishing spells, wards, sigils, etc. Would appreciate any resources/book recs/personal experiences. If it relates to The Morrigan, even better. I’ve apparently been chosen by Her and I’m in the process of learning more about Her and studying.

I decided to create my own ritual (which I’m sure is not new), but as a newbie I’m proud of myself:

I lit a candle and along with my husband we wrote our fears, frustrations and negative emotions on a piece of paper, and burnt them in our yard, hoping the night would take them away. I had a lot on my mind and the ritual helped unburden me a bit. Thanks for reading.

Many blessings.

Blessed be, I am Witchthief.

Today we will be talking about the basics of Witchcraft as a whole. Regardless of what practice you may wind up doing, or what path you wind up taking there are some core foundations that you will likely use constantly. These are GCPB, we will also touch a bit on Wards.

((Update: Some helpful Links))

Common Tools of Witchcraft

What Is Witchcraft.

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So... What is the GCPB? Well it stands for:

Grounding

Cleansing

Protection

Banishment

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These four concepts are prevalent in nearly every practice of Witchcraft. So natually, this is where you should start if you are just beginning your practice. Without further ado, let us get to the meat of this post.

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Grounding:

The concept of grounding is to center yourself. You clear all the junk energy out of yourself and return to a more balanced state. Why is this important? Well grounding helps you focus. It lets you have a clear mind, and clear intentions when starting spell work and other things. This is sort of a reset for yourself so that you can direct your energy easier and cleaner into whatever it is you are doing. This is also why it is the first thing anyone ever mentions. If you are grounded, you are balanced.

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Usually grounding is done with meditation. However, there are many methods to ground. You can take a ritual bath, do use specific stones (like Lodestone and Petrified wood), or through plants, or other ceremonial means. How you ground will be up to you. I would suggest meditation, because practicing how to meditate is also a key component of later witchcraft.

Grounding Meditation

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Cleansing:

Think of cleansing as grounding things that are not you. It has a similar effect. You remove excess energies, and return whatever you are cleansing to a neutral state. When it is in a neutral state you can more easily affect it with your energies, the energies of your spells, your intentions, etc. This is a method to give you a "Blank Slate."

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However, with that in mind there is such a thing as Over Cleansing. If you cleanse in the middle of a spell or ritual, well... You just made everything a blank slate again. This can mess with what ever you have done up to that point, and in some cases may require you to start all over. Cleanse before, not during your workings.

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There are many ways to cleanse and we will go over a few of them. Yes, we are going to talk about white sage. With that said, sage is an excellent way to cleanse. Use the smoke to clear a space of energies. That is what sage does. "But white sage..." Yes, it is sacred to native people. IF you have white sage, do not be afraid to use it. Do not just bury it in the earth. That serves no purpose and is ultimately more disrespectful. You bought a thing, perpetuated it's use, and then didn't use it? You cannot put it back on the bush. If you have it use it for the intended purpose. HOWEVER, respect native people and regardless of the "endangered" status of sage, there are so many other methods to cleanse that frankly you should not be relying only on white sage. Dependence on a single ingredient will only serve to limit your witchcraft.

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What are other methods of cleansing? Well there's:

Candle smoke

Incense

Garden Sage (or any of the wide variety of sages)

Rosemary

Lavender

Bells/Chimes

Sound in general

Crystals like Selenite

Moon Water

Sun Water

Ritual Cleansing

Ceremonial Cleansing

Sigil Cleansing (Charged sigils)

Pure Salts (Pink, Sea, Black, or Witch Salt.)

Dust Cleansing

Sand Cleansing

Oil Cleansing

Energy Work Cleansing

Using Spirits to Cleanse (if you have a good relationship with specific spirits, this is more advanced)

And probably Others I have either forgotten or am not aware of. All of these methods work. Not all of them work for everything, some work better for jars, others are better for rooms and houses, etc. Researching these types of cleansing will make the process of cleansing less stressful, and easier on you. If you are wanting to clear some spirits out, honestly it's sometimes easier to grab some pans and just Bang them out, then it is to break out the bundle of herbs sometimes.

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Protection:

Protection is simple. It is a way to ... well.. protect yourself (Who could have seen that coming am I right?) It has a lot of applications and uses. What are you protecting yourself from? Well lots of things. Negative influence, backfiring spells, illness, misfortunes, hexes, spirits, your own bullshit, whatever. What you are doing to protect yourself heavily relies on what you are intending to protect yourself from. A protection from spirits, is not going to protect you from getting fired at work. Setting up these protections and what form they take is usually your first step into understanding what kind of Witchcraft you will be doing.

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If you find yourself making a lot of herbal protections, you might find working with herbs to be the next logical step. If you are making a lot of Jar spell protections, a Witch Bottle might be the next logical step. Are you preforming the LBRP? Well maybe ceremonial magic is the next step. Etc, etc.

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There are endless ways to go about protecting yourself and you should be using this as an opportunity to understand correspondences as well. What is it about pine needles that are protective? Why are you using rosemary? What crystals are you using and why? What do they do?

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How do you protect yourself?

Well the simplest method is to cast a circle. This can be done with your finger, and intention. You can create Jar Spells that have protective correspondences inside them. You can use ceremonial practices, ritual practices, crystal arrays, sigils, candles, and any number of things to protect you. This will be on you to research. What makes sense for you, your practice, and what you are doing?

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Look at the Pentacle. That is a protection sigil. It is also why it is the first thing associated with witchcraft. It is your starting point.

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Remember Clockwise (Deosil) is for Invocation

Counterclockwise (Widdershins) is for Banishment.

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Banishment:

Despite your best efforts sometimes you just need to make something GTFO, or you want to remove something for whatever reason. This is Banishment. Learning how to do this is important no matter what you are doing. Methods of banishment like everything else we have talked about are numerous. The main point behind Banishment is to remove something. Keep that in mind.

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Common methods of banishment involve things like Dark Crystals. Obsidian, Kyanite, Shungite, Black Tormaline, etc. These "cut" through energies, disrupt them, or direct them away from you. Shungite on the other hand absorbs energies instead of shooing them away. So make sure you cleanse your Shungite if you are using it for banishment. Other methods involve herbs including some toxic herbs like Mandrake, and other non toxic herbs like Nettle, Thyme, and a few others.

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Sigils, and candles are another form of effective banishment, so is sound. The Bells and Chimes, can be uses for both cleansing and banishing depending on what you need them for. This is where intention and focus comes into play. Black Wax is going to be your main banishment wax color for these kinds of things. Notice the theme? Dark colors, Opaque items, Poisonous Items. These are things that cannot be seen through, absorb light, and naturally keep pests and other creatures away. This is the same thing that they do magically.

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However, It is through ritual, and ceremonial practices that you get some of the really powerful banishments. This is also a good way to start understanding the mechanics of these practices, just like how protection is a good study about correspondence. The timing of banishment rituals usually takes place during a waning moon. These rituals also involve a lot of your own energy work as well.

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The most famous method is the "LBRP" or the Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram. This is an extensive ritual that you can actually preform anywhere you want. If you are looking for a way to get into ceremonial and ritual magics that is going to be your best starting point.

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Warding and what's next:

When you get comfortable with the four basics, it's time to combine them into something called "Wards" these can serve a myriad of purposes. What the ward does will depend on what you want, or need it to do. To better understand the combination I will teach you a simple, yet powerful herbal ward. This ward combines "Protection" and "Banishment" but also involves "Grounding" and "Cleansing." This is one of my favorite wards because it combines literally everything I have talked about up to this point.

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Before we get to that point though, A ward is a long term spell. It is something that is a one and done. These wards will stay up for a long time, and have lasting effects that can even persist through cleansing. Common wards include Sigil warding above doorframes. Herbal Warding. Fire Warding using candles. Energy Warding using energy work. And many other method. The point of these wards is to solidify an effect and make it permanent, or at least semi-permanent.

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As you get deeper into warding the wards become more complex. They can be used for offensive spells, defensive protection, reactive wards, reflective, or any number of other uses. For example, you could make a ward that makes people uncomfortable at specific times, so your neighbors stop bowling with furniture upstairs. Or you could make one to protect yourself from spirits. You could make one designed to only go off when you get hexed as a protection and reflection of the hex. Or you could make one that just gobbles up negative energy directed at you. A ward most people are familiar with are "Witch Bottles" But there are a lot of other's out there.

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Some wards need charging. Other's do not. You can charge wards a number of ways. Using moon water, or putting the ingredients out in the moonlight will charge them. So will Sunlight, or Starlight. You can also charge them using Crystals like Amethyst, Lodestone, Quartz, or others. Ritual charging is another option, as is Ceremonial Charging. Those methods you will have to research on your own.

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Some wards self charge. This is due to the properties of the ward, or the placement of the ward. Witch Bottles self charge because they are sealed, and buried. The energy of the Earth will charge the ward. The more complex the ward, the less it needs to be charged is a good rule of thumb, but not always true. A simple pencil sigil on a doorframe may need to be charged once a month. The same sigil set in cement at the base of your door, probably never needs charging, as an example.

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They can even get pretty intense and involve a lot of very advanced magics. One of the most powerful spells period, in my arsenal is the "Ward of Xibalba" that sets up an allegory of the Aztec underworld as a protection, and offensive ward towards spirits and negative energies. I will not be teaching this ward. Please do not ask. It is very difficult, and very dangerous, and requires a lot of advanced understandings to preform. It involves Ritual work, Deity work, Ceremonial work, Sanguine magics, Deadly Herbs, and a lot of other really dark practices, and takes a full week to preform.

Instead, let's learn a spirit ward!

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The Basic Mandrake Protection Ward.

So the first step is to gather the ingredients.

Mandrake root

A silver bowl (glass or ceramic work fine)

Pure Salt

Rosemary

A sigil

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So let's start by cleansing the bowl. Use smoke, or rub pure salt in a counterclockwise direction. Why? Because Counterclockwise is Banishment right? Now that your bowl is cleansed check the moon phase. Is it waning? Is it waxing? Is it new? Is it Full? Well thankfully you can do this regardless of the moon phase but if you want to get max effectiveness out of this then make it a month long spell. (Congratulations you're doing a ritual)

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During the New moon start the intentions of this spell. Ground and Cleanse.

During the Waxing Moon, add ingredients, work on the sigil.

During the Full Moon, Place the bowl on the mantle, or where it will not be disturbed

During the Waning moon, charge it with your energies, moon water, and finish the spell through circle casting.

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Now then here's the method and the correspondences.

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Correspondences:

The Silver bowl is a pure metal. This represents purity in yourself, as well as in energy. It is also an excellent medium to direct energies (that's why it's in your phone). So that is why we are using silver as a base

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Pure Salt is both cleansing and protective. It is a cleaning system. The physical scrubbing of the salt removes imperfections much like sanding. This is true both mundane and magically. Salt also absorbs energy just as well as it does other liquids, and transmits energy. (Salt water battery)

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Mandrake Root is a Banishing and Protective herb. It is poisonous (be careful. Don't smoke or eat this) It's poisonous because it doesn't like bugs, and pests feeding on it. This is also true in a magical sense. It banishes negative energies, and things it doesn't want around it.

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Rosemary is a protective herb, and a cleansing herb. It can be used to replace almost any herb magically, because it's flexible. We are using rosemary for it's protective properties, and to add a little flavor to the spell (pun intended).

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The Sigil will be personal, but if you want a general protective or warding sigil look into the Sigil of Jupiter, the Sigil of Saturn, or the Unicursal Hexagram for basics. This sigil is going to be the thing that carries your intention and the energy for this spell.

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Method:

Cleanse the bowl, and hold it gently in the palm of your hand. Tap it with a stick, a spoon, or whatever implement you want to make it ring. (Sound Cleansing) Once you have done this you are ready to start.... WAIT... Did you ground? If not, do that first.

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Place salt into the bottom of the bowl. You don't need a lot of this. A small pile or a couple of pinches is fine.

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Add Mandrake Root on top of the salt.

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Sprinkle rosemary on top of the mandrake root. Again you don't need a lot. As much as you feel is "Enough" will do.

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Finally Place this bowl somewhere it will not be disturbed. This is an important step. Since the ward is going to be semi-permanent it needs to be left alone. Especially since this ward has a toxic herb in it, leave it somewhere out of reach of curious children, pets, and guests.

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And that's it. That is an extremely powerful spirit barrier that will keep out malicious spirits, demons, djinn, fae, and pretty much anything short of Deities, or Friendly spirits. There are always a lot of questions about how to protect yourself from these entities on this subreddit and... well.. there you go. Death Witch Guaranteed.

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Can you name all the parts of the GCPB that went into this ward?

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So those are the basics, and a spell as a treat. Keep working on these basic fundamentals no matter what you are doing. the better you are at these fundamentals the easier of a time you will have with everything else. This is also how to do other magics safely. If you have a good handle on protection, and banishment you don't need to worry so much about spirit work, because you know how to deal with the issues that come up. If you have a good handle on grounding and cleansing, you can advance with energy work because you know how to reset yourself.

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No matter what path you take, or which direction you witch in, these are essential. If you have ever wanted to know how to get started. This is how. From here branch off into the other areas. Learn herbs, or crystals, or rituals, or whatever you want. Always remember these fundamentals though.

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Happy Witching, and Ereshkigal's Blessings.

Hi everyone.

I can’t say I consider myself a witch, I’m still on the fence regarding the religious aspect of it, but I do want to learn more about the empowerment, intent and will of oneself;

I read a little about the eclectic side of witchcraft and how one can create one’s own rules and traditions, so I decided to search Reddit for feedback from a more knowledgeable community on this.

Thank you.