TYPE 4

getting started in the craft

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GETTING STARTED IN THE CRAFT

Western vs. Eastern mystery traditions --> one of the first things you

need to conceptualize, if you're interested in witchcraft, is that it's

a WESTERN mystery tradition. The important dichotomy here is outer-vs.-

inner. In the Eastern traditions, the adept commonly seeks some sort of

mystical union with the great Oneness, which implies a withdrawal from

the common, everyday life of human beings, and a focus on one's internal

processes. In the Western traditions, the adept is very much a part of

the activities and community of humankind. A witch does indeed have a

special awareness of their inner world and their connection with the

all-permeating Oneness (Goddess), but a witch is also a member of

society--a farmer, a healer, a parent, a warrior, a writer, a scientist,

an artist, a computer programmer, etc. In becoming a witch, you don't

dissociate your spiritual life from the rest of your life--rather, you

apply the principles of the Craft in everything you do. You seek to

take what you have learned on an inner level and MANIFEST that awareness

on an outer level. This is not to be confused with the Christian

dichotomy of works vs. faith. Witches don't have to BELIEVE in

anything--they are much too concrete, too practical for such notions.

The rituals of the Craft all get down to the same thing: sanctifying the

everyday activities of your life. When a witch makes love, writes a

program, cooks a meal, rides a bike, these are all the rituals of the

Goddess.

What to do:

--learn some simple form of meditation, and practice it often, the

idea being to master the art of a QUIET MIND. In order to be attentive

to the world around you, you have to learn to let go of the inner

chattering.

T.S. Eliot (in "East Coker") puts it this way:

"...the mind is conscious, but conscious of nothing--

I said to my soul, be still, and wait without hope For hope would be

hope for the wrong thing; wait without love For love would be love

of the wrong thing; there is yet faith But the faith and the love

and the hope are all in the waiting. Wait without thought, for you

are not ready for thought: So the darkness shall be the light, and

the stillness the dancing."

Listen to everything. Above all, listen to your body. Starhawk

recommends a regular program of exercise, and I agree. Again, it quiets

the mind.

--get in touch with the movements of the Earth and the Moon. Get a

calender that has Moon phases, and make a point of knowing what phase

you're in, at all times. Notice the differences between the dark of the

moon (empty but ready for new birth), the new moon (time for initiating

things), the waxing moon (growing in power), the full moon (peak of

intensity), and the waning moon (fading, turning inward, consolidating

gains). If you are a woman, pay attention to your menstrual cycle, and

how it matches up with the phases of the moon. If you are a man, get in

touch with the cycle of a female friend or lover. Get out under the

moon as much as possible. When She is full, lie in a grassy field or on

a rooftop and LISTEN to her.

--pay attention to the natural world: the seasons, the plants, the

insects, everything around you. If you can, go out hiking and camping

as much as possible--alone, or with someone else who can be silent and

observant. Even in the city, even in a very restricted urbanized

environment, you can see things of nature all around you. Try to walk

to work, if possible. Go out in your back yard and sit on the grass and

look at the world close up. When inside, observe your pets and your

fellow human beings. We are all flesh: we have smells, we have

appetites. When you have sex, try to forget the cultural context (lace

underwear, etc.) and focus instead on the body, the pleasures of the

body. When you play music, let your body dance.

What to read:

--for the rational side of you --> Margot Adler's _Drawing Down the

Moon_ (a good overview of many pagan systems)

--for the spiritual side --> Starhawk's _Spiral Dance_

But reading is less important than observing. You will be tempted

to try to become a witch by reading, because those of us with big brains

and big educations always operate that way. Try to keep a balance

between hours spent reading, and hours spent walking in the woods.

Other references:

--Joseph Campbell's PBS series on mythology is now available on

video. He's a good storyteller and has a wonderful philosophy of

how to incorporate myth into your life.

Objects/tools/toys:

--anything can be a tool for working magic and gaining understanding

(a leaf, a stone, a pen, a plastic dinosaur)--it's all in what you

invest it with

--be slow to acquire toys (blades, wands, etc.)--it's better

if they find you, then your finding them

--more important than a lot of gidgets, is setting aside a special

place in your home as an altar. Start with candles and incense,

and invent simple rituals: lighting a candle while you read,

burning incense while you meditate.

--because it's nonverbal in form, the Tarot is actually a better

source for learning about the Craft, than any book. Seek out one

of the less Christianized decks--I personally like the Barbara

Walker and the Motherpeace.

Sacred space:

--the first formal "magic" you should learn, is how to set aside

sacred space. Pick a place in your home or your yard where you

will practice this, and practice often, even if at first it makes

you feel self-conscious.

I realize that a lot of this sounds terribly vague. I used to get

frustrated when I read books about the Craft, and they didn't have,

like, RECIPES to perform. The hard part of it is, that you learn more

from the Goddess, than you do from any human being. But that doesn't

mean you can't do some simple spells, right from the very beginning:

both Adler's and Starhawk's books have some straightforward descriptions

of working magic.

Don't get hung up on issues of reality, or the unknown, or the

verifiable, or whatever. Just DO. It's far more important to TRY

things, than it is to READ about them.

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