Whaaaaaa??? No books? But I don't understand! I need detailed instructions on how to do every aspect of Witchcraft!!! I MUST use a book!!
When starting witchcraft everything can seem sooo overwhelming. You're so excited about beginning a new path, one that is not mainstream and popular, shrouded in mystery and stigma. You want to go out and pick up every book out there that even MENTIONS Witchcraft, and that's where some problems can arise.
Not everyone wants to get involved with religous associations, and 9 books out of 10 all talk about incorporating Wicca into the Witchcraft. How do you get passed that? Don't buy any books! (at least, none in the New Age section)
Don't buy books? What are you, mad??
How do you learn Witchcraft without using a book? You trust only ONE resource...yourself. No, I'm not mad. In fact I think I'm perfectly sane (though 99% of mental patients think they're sane lol). If you can't trust yourself, how are you going to accomplish anything? Self confidence is very important in Witchcraft, and if you have zero, don't be surprised when you experience nothing from what you do. But that's another topic.
There are lots of things you can do to learn Witchcraft that involves not one page of a book. Let's look at some.
-Magic: Huh? How do I learn magic with no instruction? You relax and trust yourself. Trust your abilities. You DO have them, they're sitting unused in your system, they just need to be awakened.
Try something that seems simple...like candle magic. There is nothing easier than candle magic (but use a small candle...a votive or tea light, tapers are not really practical unless you plan on doing your spell for a few days). All you do is light a candle, and either carve the candle with your intent, or write it on a piece of paper and light it from the candle. The "magic" part of this is your intent. Concentrate on what you want. Focus all your will on it. Repeat it for as long as you need to. Allow the candle to burn all the way down, then wait a few days. Light a new one and start again with a new goal. Write down what you do, when you do it, and for how long. You keep doing this for a while...couple months, say (for example). Look back through your records. Did you get what you were aiming for?
-Divination: Ok, you gotta admit, I need a book to teach me how to divine...I can't just pick up a tool and know how to use it.
What's so wrong with trusting yourself? The main problem I see here is that so many people rely on books and instructions that they're afraid to trust themselves...hence the over publication of books that repeat themselves, and give contradictory advice. Did Witches of even 100 years ago need the thousands of books that are out there today? There weren't ANY books published back then, why are they needed now?
Divination is an art of intuition. Especially with things like Tarot and Runes. You interpret the symbols found in the items used to determine possible future outcomes or to help understand current situations. No book can teach you to use your OWN intuition. That comes from practice. Sure you can look up "definitions" to help you to know what each card or stone symbol means, but it's up to you personally to determine the intuitional meaning behind each symbol that shows up.
-Herbology: This one is probably the biggest one that invokes imagery of Witches the most. This one you may need a book or two to use. HOWEVER...not ONE book will be found in the "New Age" section of your local book store. I own a book (suggested on the left sidebar) called "Magic and Medicine of Plants" and was NOT published by Llewellyn!! It was published by "The Reader's Digest Publication". Reader's Digest! Small magazines my mom used to read that had humorous and inspirational stories, jokes, DIY tips, and gardening advice! This book is pretty thick, and DOES talk about the historical uses of herbs...it even discusses Witchcraft in the first couple chapters.
I place this here because after you understand how to use a plant in the mundane world, you can learn through research how to use them in a magical sense, then using intuition and trust, you can use them and not have to rely on a book again!
As you can see, 95% of practicing a Traditional, non-religious form of Witchcraft is all in intuition and personal trust. Books on Witchcraft (mostly New Age-y type stuff) is all well and good if you want to read them, but don't believe that you MUST read them to learn ANYTHING in regards to Witchcraft. If anything it would be better to learn from others, than to learn from books. While books contain some knowledge, remember that they are ONE teacher...groups are many. You don't have to join a coven to practice, but maybe join a forum on Traditional Witchcraft (and I'm not talking British Traditional (either) Wicca or Witchcraft, that's ceremonious, what I am talking about is not). There are a few out there, you can ask questions and learn more.
While I don't really like the attitudes of many of the people here, I DO recommend them as a good learning point:
Traditional Witch: A Non-Wiccan Forum
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