The "Irks" of Being a Veteran Witch

There seems to be an influx of novices coming into the groups I'm a part of on various social media platforms. They come in with the usual "I'm a new Wiccan and don't know what to do" lines. But that's not the only thing that rubs me the wrong way (honestly, some of the stuff I'm reading is like nails on a chalkboard).

Several things irk me about these threads AND the responses:

1st: The fact that they come in with a vague comment (not even a question, just a comment that they're new) and that's it. Ok, so you need help. What do you need help with? Are you even sure you're Wiccan?? How can you be sure if you don't know what you're doing? That's like saying you're a new surgeon, but you don't know what to do and need recommendations to help you along. Total facepalm there.

2nd: A response: "I found some cool apps on my phone by going into (Google play, App store) and searching 'Wicca'". Hoo-boy. You know what **I** found when I did the same thing out of pure curiosity? NOTHING. Nothing of any real use. Tarot apps, "spell" apps, nothing to really teach someone new. It's all fluff anyways...something I figure someone developed ONLY because they thought it'd make them a couple bucks, not because it'd be helpful. They're just "games".

3rd: Book suggestions: I'm biting at the bit to snap at someone for recommending a novice read $ilver Ravenwolf. I've seen people recommend Amber K, the Frosts, and other equally disreputable authors as "good books to read". Sure, I could go in recommending ACTUAL good authors, but people don't want good authors who actually TEACH about the religion/practice, they want books that tell them how to play.

4th: YouTube suggestions: There aren't a whole lot of YouTube videos I recommend for novices, not even, really, Mandi See's (even though I love her, she's great)...her intention is there, but her information is probably about as good as mine (maybe less so, as I've had to correct her a few times), and I don't really consider myself to be an authority. YouTube is a place for any Joe-blow to post a video on any subject they want...that doesn't make them an authority, nor does it mean they actually know what they're talking about. It's a platform that's much easier to get into than trying to publish a book.

5th: Asking for spells. As a Witch (not necessarily a Wiccan), I always say it's necessary for people to learn how to make their own spells. I don't like the idea of people plucking things off the internet because, to me, that shows pure laziness; a disinterest in actually DOING any work, and more interest in playing. So for someone to come in asking for a "fertility spell"...well, to me that show that person is not really interested in a fertility spell that works but just something they can do (and whine about later when it didn't work).

I say that its important to learn how to create your own spells 1) because it gets you to realize that spells are not simple solutions to ALL of your problems and 2) it teaches you to rely on yourself to find solutions (both mundane and esoteric). If you go around asking for spells, that's more or less asking someone to fix your problem for you. Sure, there are those who say it's ok to use pre-written spells as long as you put something of yourself into it, but if you're going to do that, you may as well just write it yourself.

6th: Magick - People's insistence on spelling magic with a "k", because somehow it's too difficult to keep track of what someone is talking about if they spell magic sans "k". Its like you are in a text-conversation with another Witch and they're talking about various acts of magic, and they MUST spell magic with the "k" because, you know, the other Witch might think the other person is talking about the latest act by Criss Angel or David Copperfield, or something.

There are a lot of things that irritate me, being someone whose been exposed to this "alternate reality" for so long. I'm unsure how other people can handle this without trying to shake people and say NO...DON'T GO THERE! THAT'S TWO STEPS BACK!!!