(This is not mine, but the original site no longer exists, so I am posting it here)
"How to become a Witch is one of the major questions asked when they are just discovering the Craft. The answer to that question is one does not become a Witch... they are a Witch, and it is just reaching down and finding it within them. It is not a matter of "becoming" a Witch, but finding the Witch within and, while the answer is quite simple, yet; to some, it can be quite complex. For me, ever since I was a small child I had been fascinated with the mysterious Moon and the magick of the night. The mysteries surrounding a Witch was something that I did not frighten me but made me want to know more about this wort-nosed old hag portrayed in books and even movies. Finding your Witch self inside is really not difficult once you find that inner Witch within. But that is where it must come from and not from any book that you read. Reading books, joining covens and/or someone who initiates one into Witchcraft does not make one a Witch. It is you and you alone. One does not have to be initiated to a Witch. One has to be initiated to be a Wiccan because Gardner's Wicca created it that way. However, Witchcraft and Wicca are not one and the same. Finally, after many books being written on the supposedly Old Religion once called Witchcraft and now called Wicca, some people started doing their homework instead of parroting other books. They did their homework by research and found the true "truth about Witchcraft." Once you discover and decided that you are a Witch, you are deciding to embrace a life-enhancing and joyful spiritual path. You are declaring that you are willing to experience the wonders of the magickal web and encounter the Goddess. You are daring to be different in a way that facilitates your growth and empowers you. Most importantly, you are stepping into the spiral dance of life, celebrated by Witches all over the world. But remember, Witchcraft is really not a religion but the practicing of one's Craft. But because the Moon is so important to magick and Pagans love the Moon Goddess of many names, they combine the two to make one. Also, magick can be a very spiritual thing.
Becoming a Witch means learning how to work ritual and magick, methods of raising, containing and releasing power, how to work with the energies of the moon and earth and the principles of sympathetic magick upon which most Witchcraft magick is based. Witches are very unique individuals and some, no....... many, might call us strange. We look at life differently; we live life differently; and we experience life differently. We find beauty and laughter in the simplest things. We believe that magick is in life itself.
Some people who become interested in Witchcraft have expectations that Witches are gifted with amazing powers as the result of a particular ceremony or spell. The truth is more mundane than the fantasy. Witchcraft is about growing within your own spirituality, making contact with the web of magick, learning how to weave, and observing the way the world works. Witchcraft is about working with natural energies, observing how they work, and determining how you can gently divert them and not about moving things around at will.
The decision to become a Witch is not one you should take lightly. It is not a persona you can put on or take off at will. Witchcraft becomes your whole life and can drastically change your perception of the world in which you live. Becoming a Witch will affect everything and everyone around you. That it will affect them positively does not alter the fact that you will relate to them differently and you should be prepared for this.
To become a Witch is to become changed within yourself and a changer of things outside you. This is your inner magick. Encountering the Goddess, working with magick and connecting with nature will take a lot of time and energy until it becomes second nature to you. You may find that you get angry with those people who do not understand Witchcraft or paint it as "evil" but you will have to resist putting them right until you have grasped some of the key concepts for yourself. This can be achieved only through experience and this means practicing patience which means embracing the Crone energies of wisdom and patience, and this can take quite some time.
Once your decision is made, you have already stepped onto the path of Witchcraft. The next step depends on the type of person you are. If you are a fiery, adventurous sort of person, you will probably wish to throw yourself into studying everything at once. You will want to read everything you get your hands on, hoping that the more you read, the more experience you will have and the wiser you will be. Unfortunately, experience and wisdom work together and that comes with life experiences which comes with age. That is why so much emphasis is put on the Crone for her having wisdom. She has experienced life; she has stumbled and fell and picked herself up over the years until she hardly falls anymore. She has learned when it is time to speak and when it is time to be silent. She is the Raven and the Owl all rolled into one. The Raven is very vocal whereas the owl practices silence and is silent in everything that it does. If you are more cautious or laid back, you may wish to learn gradually and thoroughly. One of the lessons that the Craft has to teach is to be resourceful.
So, I think the best place to start is within your heart and soul. I am not talking about being a pagan but a Witch. Being a pagan and being a Witch are two separate things. Pagans tend to work more with the Sabbats and attend celebrations and many now call themselves Wiccans. There are many pagans who do not have anything to do with magick. You may have heard that old saying that all Witches are pagans but not all pagans were Witches. That is because before the God of Abraham came and then later Christianity, most people were pagans and their beliefs were centered around agriculture, because most were farmers. However, you then had your mid-wives and healing women, who were pagans, who attended to the towns people when they were sick or when a woman became with child. These wise women were also consulted when women wished not to have a child. They consulted these women from birthing to healing the sick through herbs which were grown and tended to by these women. The wise women grew and harvested their herbs by the Moon and lived also by the Moon. These wise women were also consulted for divination purposes and potions. Years later these wise women were called Witches and later on, they were tortured and burned.
My first suggestion would be to get in touch with the Moon and knowing when She is full and dark, and when She is waning or waxing. Notice how you feel when the moon moves through the phases. Do not feel that the only time to do magick and work with Her energies is when the moon is waxing to full. You can work with Her energies any time of the month. I seem to come more alive when the Moon moves into Her waning phase and up to Dark Moon, whom many call New Moon. But that might be because I was born on a Balsamic Moon (Dark Moon). I prefer to call the Moon what it is....dark, and give it back to the Crone, where it belongs, and give the New Moon back to the Maiden, where it belongs, when it is the first thin sliver in the sky. I also burn a white candle when the Moon starts to wax in honor of the Maiden; I burn a red candle when the Moon is full in honor of the Mother; and I burn a black candle on the Dark of the Moon in honor of the Goddess. You will be surprised how this helps you to be connected with the Moon and with the Goddess all at the same time.
My second suggestion is to read and read as many books as you can. We are so fortunate in this day and age to have the abundance of books on the Craft. Even if you are not Wiccan, there is a lot of material to be found in books on Wicca. I think the most informative book and a must to have in every Witche's library is Scott Cunningham's "Wicca, A Guide for the Solitary Practitioner." His book is very easy to follow, and he explains the art of ritual design, the Witch's tools and many other important things. If it is magick you want, then besides Hecate's Cauldron, you will find Scott Cunningham's Book of Incense, Oils and Brews is yet another must to have sitting on your Witch's cupboard. But keep the spiders away, as they love this book! There is also another wonderful book by Shekhinah Mountainwater entitled "Ariadne's Thread." It is a workbook of Goddess magick and many Witches today are discovering this wonderful book.
I would also suggest to jump right into ritual work and doing spells as well. As mentioned above, Scott Cunningham's books are excellent for the beginning Witch. Remember, practice makes perfect. There are many new in the Craft who are afraid to do magick, fearing that they might do something wrong. Witches of yesteryear lived quiet, simple lives and their magick was simple as well. Many did not even do rituals when they performed a spell. They were Witches and not magicians. If you follow the cycles of the moon and do magick according to those cycles, you have accomplished half the battle. A little homework, and you will be fine. Also, in my Witchraft section of this website, I have a provided a step by step ritual set up as well as a Full and Dark Moon Rituals along with a page on Candle magick.
If possible, growing herbs not only for cooking but for medicinal purposes as well is very rewarding for a Witch. Did you know that during the Burning Times, any woman having the herb Basil in her cupboard was considered a Witch? I love Basil and have it growing in my herb box, as well as Thyme, Oregano, Rosemary, and Dill. Learn to know the magickal properties of herbs, and as you sprinkle these herbs in the cauldron on your stove, cast that magick into the food that you and your family eat. When I drink hazelnut coffee, I charge my coffee for my psyche, as hazelnut is good for psychic abilities. Cinnamon is also great for psychic abilities. I always drink cinnamon tea before I do tarot readings. As you sprinkle nutmeg and cinnamon into your apple pies, charge your pies as well to help you in your psychic ability. If you cannot grow the herbs, there is always fresh herbs in your local grocery store. However, one small potted plant of a particular herb will give you much satisfaction. There is so much a Witch can do while cooking on the stove in her cauldrons!
As far as computers are concerned, I consider my computer a form of cauldron where I conjure and stir things up. There are many Witches who have a special magickal name for their computers, as do I.
There are more and more Witches wishing to connect more with the Moon and Her energies and walking Her path. Walking the path of the Goddess is a very simple one and it is very spiritual and brings you inner peace because it is through the Goddess that you will find this. So, get out in the fresh air and see all Her beauty and nature all around you and that includes the leafless trees in winter to the bursting foliage in the spring for the Goddess is not only the Moon but nature itself and She is Mother Earth, and She is the seasons. More information on the Goddess path can be found on The Path of the Goddess.
You can also start each day with a prayer to the Goddess to give you strength and wisdom throughout the day and at the end of each day say a pray thanking Her for giving you the strength and wisdom. You can also light a sacred candle in Her honor each night when you get home from work. You can burn a scented candle as well. I burn a scented candle depending on what the Moon is doing. When the moon is waning, each night I light a candle scented with cloves to banish negativity and when the moon is waxing, I burn a scented candle to bring abundance into my life.
I would also like to add that you really do not need "magickal tools" in order to be a Witch. Tools are nice to have and work with; however, they are not necessary. Everything you need is inside of you. Tools belong in the category of ceremonial magicians and Wiccans. Gerald Gardner was a Freemason and belonged to the Golden Dawn. The Golden Dawn pulled things from . Witches of yesteryear were simple folk who used what they had in and around the house. And during the Burning Times, it could cost them their lives to have "magickal tools." Witchcraft is of the heart, mind and soul and not from magickal tools."
"The magickal witch lives both in the magickal and non-magickal worlds. She maintains her outward appearances of civility while at the same time, harboring the last vestiges of a tradition that is as old as the proverbial hills. Witches are people trained in the ways of magick-- including not only divination, but spellcasting, potions, shapeshifting and defense against negativity.
Magick requires effort and diligence on the part of the Witch. Every time a Witch does a technique, spell, or ritual, they are setting up a magickal pattern. This pattern is like a seed that you nurture and care for until it comes to fruition.
Magick is a formula for getting what you wish out of life. By believing in the possibilities of magick, you open your mind up to a world where anything is possible. On one hand, this could be scary because of its unlimited implications and responsibilities. On the other hand, by creating magickal patterns to attain your goals, you can manifest your deepest desires and make your dreams come true.
Magick is all around us whether you choose to acknowledge it or not. Science, for having all the answers, still falls short of the explanation. Ultimately science and spirituality must come into balance, where both concepts are integrated into one. This union, this oneness, is the wellspring of all magick. It is the accumulative power of all that is, was and will ever be and more.
By becoming a Witch, you begin to unleash the magickal power in your life. To become a Witch means you have mastered the blending of science and spirituality. Once again, science is everything real and seen and based upon reason and is the masculine wherein spirituality is everything unseen and the mystery and is the feminine.
As stated above, a Witch needs to apply herself and become the best Witch that she can be. Instead and expect to make miracles and magick happen every day by applying what you have studied and learned. As with learning anything, the more you practice and apply yourself, the further you will get int the training.
Training as a Witch needs to apply herself and become the best Witch that she can be. Intend and expect to make miracles and magick happen every day by applying what you have studied and learned. As with learning anything, the more you practice and apply yourself, the further you will get in the training.
Training as a Witch is timeless when it comes to magick and has proven effective for many aspiring students. Knowledge is most important when it stirs us to more to the next level of development. With practice, we are all capable of achieving this goal. People do not become proficient Witches until they practice and become proficient in the magical arts.
You carry the flame which is the flame of Hecate and She is the Queen of Witches. How you illuminate your world is a matter of how you apply your flame. When you become magickally adept, you can light the night sky like a brilliant star, ridding the world of ignorance and fear, and its progeny darkness.
Witches gather their magickal supplies before they start to do magick. They collect spell books, cauldrons, broomsticks, robes and wands. Wands have the power to open doorways into other magickal dimensions. Wands draw energy from these other worlds that affect what is going on in this world. When doing magick, the primary connection is between this world and the world of the Divine.
When doing magick, it is customary to place your wand and other magickal tools on your altar. This is the sacred table of the Goddess. The word altar means "high place" which is symbolic not so much of altitude but of attitude. It is a connecting place to the Divine, where the sacred and mundane meet as well as well as magickal working surface that holds your tools, focal points, and other items. Standing before your altar, you make potions, do rituals and spin spells, and ask for Divine guidance. Approaching the altar with its tools, lit candles and burning incense is truly magickal in itself and immediately creates an aura of mystery and magick. You ever notice, that sometimes you just do not feel like doing a ritual but once you get the candles lit, the incense burning and your circle filled with energy, that you suddenly become alive. It is because of that mystery and magick.
The Three Steps of Magick
Your altar provides the sacred space for doing magick to attain your goals. The three basic steps of magic are 1. intention and expectations, 2. desire, and 3. merging. Combined, they are a basic formula for patterning energy. This is yet another way of looking at what is called the Cone of Power, which is to know, to will, to dare, and remain silent.
You can apply the three steps to all your magick making. First, you need really understand what your intentions are and what it is you expect and most of all, that you really want it. Second, you must have a strong desire to attain your magickal goal. This is very important. Third, you must merge with divinity as deeply as possible.
Magickal Timing
Magickal time adds incredible power to your work and increases your success rate. It is knowing the best hour, day, month, and moon phase to do magick. The moon phase is the most important when wishing to do a spell. The other is Moon Void of Course and if Mercury is in retrograde. Timing helps your magick flow but it should not stop you from doing magick. The only "time" that should prevent you from doing magick is when the moon is void of course. Remember, timing is supposed to help you, not hinder you. So keep your focus and above all, when doing any kind of magick, keep in mind that it is your intention and expectation going into the work that counts the most.
The lunar energies are strongest at night. Some of us are larks, some of us are owls. Unfortunately for the larks, darkness is the time to cast spells. Throughout history, Witches have almost always cast their spells under the Goddess cloak of the night, as is a time when our psychic minds are opened. This is also a good time to map out magickal potions and spells. Darkness marks a perceptual change. Our imaginations springs to life; we hear and see things that the noise and light of the day swallows up; our intuition is sharper, more vivid. All of this adds to the mystery and wonder of all that is possible instead of confining us merely to what we think we know. Portals open in your mind, your heart, in the very center of your being. In darkness, your beliefs shift more easily and often shift in bold, dramatic ways. This does not mean that spells cast during the daylight hours will not be successful. The universe does not care when you cast your spell. It is just that in darkness, it is easier to imagine what might be, and the capacity to imagine is integral to the success of any spell.
Knowing which ritual and spell to use when the situation calls is one of the keys to successful magick. Logic, In the sense of knowing how to put a pattern together, is also a necessary part of magick. You must know what practical steps you need to take to attain your magickal goals.
Ritual and spells set the stage for empowering your goals. Certain words and rhyming phrases, coupled with the three basic steps of magick (intention and expectation, desire and merging) can open the right windows and let the magick come into your life. You can use this energy to bring you more love, to create a better relationship, to get a better job or get better grades in school, amongst other things...
Essentially, magick is an affirmation of the Goddess energy within you. All magickal energy comes from your connection with the Goddess. Rituals and spells reaffirm this connection. A sign that you are doing powerful magick is when, after doing a working, you are filled with an incredible feeling of love that spreads throughout your being like a warm tingling glow.
By using helpful entities, you bring their energy to life. Which aspect of the Goddess you ask to help you depends on the potion you are making and the spell that you are doing. For instance, in a love spell you could ask love Goddesses such as Aphrodite, Freya or Venus to guide you and bless your spell.
And remember, before beginning a particular ritual or spell, first read it over so you know what ingredients you will need to gather together prior to doing it. Make sure you have everything you will need, including matches, because once you begin casting a spell, you do not want to have to interrupt the flow. You are creating energetic patterns and once a magickal pattern begins, a flow or momentum is created that can be amplified for maximum success."
http://hecatescauldron.org/Becoming%20a%20Witch.html