Hello, I am very new to this site, as well as exploring this end of the belief system. I grew up in a very religious home, but I have learned and seen things in my life that do not agree with the belief system I grew up with. I stopped practicing religion some 18 years ago, and have been adrift, as you say, since. My mother and her mother (my grandma, who was a witch) were practicing witches.
My grandmother, who has since passed, was a witch till she died, she also told me she was a 'white witch'. Now, my mother, who stopped and found Jesus and stuff, would never let me know anything about it, as she always told my that my grandma communed with demons. So, I am quite naive to all of this.
My goal, as of right now, is to not make any dramatic decisions as to my belief system, but to expand my knowledge on what is out there. I do believe I have a spirit elemental, and I do know that I have strange things about myself that not everyone does, that is why I am looking here for some answers.
So, long winded to get to the point I know, I'd love some starting places? Books perhaps? Maybe a direction to start in? My grandma once told me that I was connected to the dire wolves.... though I have no clue what she meant by that, as I don't believe that is an elemental. How do I find out? Is it a simple when I was born type of thing?
Hello and welcome to SoM. First off it is possible to be a Christian or Catholic and still be a witch, I just want you to know you don't need to change your beliefs if you don't want to. Second, a good place to start is the Forums on here, there are lots of threads that tell you about all of the basics in magic and they answer a lot of questions that newbies have. I'm not sure what your Grandma meant by you being connected to dire wolves, but it is a possibility that your abilities are just from your family so it could very well be as simple as being born with it.
Well, if you're serious about learning how to do magic and with starting from the rock-bottom then you don't start out by casting spells, you start out by learning how and why magic works.
You see, there is no such thing as an "easy" spell or a "beginner" spell. One either understands how magic works and has mastered the basics...in which case the magic will work..or you haven't done that sort of work..and no spell will work no matter how "easy" it seems.
Casting a successful spell involves much more than finding some spell on the internet or in a book, saying some words, lighting a candle, waving a wand of any of that sort of thing. In order for magic to work you need to understand how and why it works in the first place. Grounding and centering, visualization, focus and intent, energy manipulation, etc are all necessary first steps to even begin to have a chance at a spell actually working...and more importantly to prevent a spell from back-firing on you.
So, my advice for anyone who is truly serious is to start by reading a few books and practicing the exercises those books will give you. Once you have mastered the basics you won't need anyone to give you spells, you'll be able to create your own spells that will be far more effective than anything you find on the net. Here's the books I suggest:
"Before You Cast a Spell" by Carl McColman
"Spells and How They Work" by Janet and Stewart Farrar
Thank you both for responding, I appreciate both of your inputs. I am not interested in trying to cast spells at this moment in my life. I am, honestly just trying to get in better tune with myself, becoming more rounded, and understanding all of me, the good and bad. How do I go about finding out what my spirit elemental is?
It's a bit odd that no one will answer me.... is it a bad question? Should I just know this somehow? Like feel it? 87 views of this post, yet no one wants to say.... what am I missing? I said I am new, I told the basics, as such, in this, that I know, of my life. What am I missing? I just want to know how.............
It's a bit odd that no one will answer me.... is it a bad question? Should I just know this somehow? Like feel it? 87 views of this post, yet no one wants to say.... what am I missing? I said I am new, I told the basics, as such, in this, that I know, of my life. What am I missing? I just want to know how.............
Calm down. People on forum sites do tend to just view but don't comment. It is not uncommon for a thread to have only 100 comments or so yet have over 5000 views on forum sites. This response to view ratio is pretty normal.
I am not interested in trying to cast spells at this moment in my life. I am, honestly just trying to get in better tune with myself, becoming more rounded, and understanding all of me, the good and bad.
Lark's response is actually a comment that she copy and pastes everywhere whenever it is relevant. The books she recommended are actually great reading lists that helps greatly when one begins studying magic. It will aid you in whatever you described. The Veil's Edge and Modern Magick have little to do with spellcraft but rather a great introduction to magic.
I do believe I have a spirit elemental.
How do I go about finding out what my spirit elemental is?
I think you are unfamiliar with what elementals are and am also of the opinion that you may also be using the term elemental wrongly.
Thus , no helps from me here until something else changes.
my grandma once told me that I was connected to the dire wolves.... though I have no clue what she meant by that,
Don't put too much stock on this. Other people's impressions on your being , especially of this nature,have little magical value to you as you are not the one deriving and understanding it. Figure such things out yourself and only then would it be more magically useful to you.
My take on this is that you forget about your grandmother's impression on this issue and maybe spend some time figuring it out yourself.
